It’s Time For a Special Prosecutor
The following article was posted on the TrumpAccountable.org website March 6, 2017:
Rather than diverting attention away from his connections with Russia, Donald Trump’s unfounded Twitter assertions on Saturday are bringing attention back around to persistent questions about both his taxes and his campaign staff’s connections with Russian intelligence agents during and after the campaign.
The Trump administration on Sunday and Monday doubled down (mostly) on the assertions. Here are the latest developments: Continue reading “It’s Time For a Special Prosecutor”
Fox Gave Benghazi More Than 10 Times As Much Coverage As Trump’s Botched Yemen Raid
The following article by Matt Gertz was posted on the Media Matters website March 3, 2017:
After One Month Of Coverage, The Raid Is The Benghazi That Wasn’t
In the month after Navy SEAL William “Ryan” Owens was killed in a botched raid on a terrorist camp in Yemen, none of Fox News’ prime-time hosts even mentioned the incident.
During that January 29 raid — the first counterterrorism operation of President Donald Trump’s administration — “almost everything that could go wrong did,” according to The New York Times. Several news outlets have produced reports suggesting the raid was ordered without sufficient intelligence and preparation and that the administration has been untruthful about the operation. Continue reading “Fox Gave Benghazi More Than 10 Times As Much Coverage As Trump’s Botched Yemen Raid”
In Secret, The GOP Is Also Planning To Gut Medicaid And Medicare
The following article by @LOLGOP was posted on the National Memo website March 6, 2017:
House Republicans are now busily working to repeal the Affordable Care Act in secret.
Even when the GOP plan is done and made public, the secrecy will continue. The potential impact will still be hidden from the public, as it’s likely to not have any score from the Congressional Budget Office before the House votes on it. This means members of the House will not have any real idea of how many people they’re voting to uninsure, how much this plan will increase the deficit, and just how big a giveaway it will be to the rich.
Why is Paul Ryan is hiding his plan?
He knows that Republicans cannot afford an honest debate about the GOP’s repeal plans, especially their true intentions for Medicaid and Medicare. Continue reading “In Secret, The GOP Is Also Planning To Gut Medicaid And Medicare”
Atty. Gen. Sessions should ‘explain himself’ to Senate Judiciary Committee, Franken says
The following article by Laura King was posted on the Los Angeles Times website March 5, 2017:
Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions should reappear before the Senate Judiciary Committee to explain his contacts with Russia’s ambassador to Washington, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) said Sunday.
It was a question by Franken during Sessions’ confirmation hearing that elicited the then-nominee’s assertion that he had not met with any Russians during the presidential campaign, to which Sessions served as an advisor. Continue reading “Atty. Gen. Sessions should ‘explain himself’ to Senate Judiciary Committee, Franken says”
The Real Deep State
The following article by Ishaan Tharoor was sen in the March 7, 2017, Washington Post Today’s Worldview e-newsletter:
Key figures in the White House see themselves locked in a battle with the “deep state” — a term they’re using, as my colleagues explained, to describe “a group of Obama-aligned critics, federal bureaucrats and intelligence figures” as well as the media. Stephen K. Bannon, the White House chief strategist who once ran far-right publication Breitbart, has reportedly spoken “at length” with President Trump about his view that the “deep state” is undermining Trump’s presidency.
The consequences of such paranoia can be seen in Trump’s Twitter outburst over the weekend. He accused his predecessor of tapping his phones (without offering any evidence) and framed his administration as the victim of “witch hunts” and “McCarthyism.” On Monday, reports emerged that FBI Director James B. Comey was “incredulous” over Trump’s allegations. Continue reading “The Real Deep State”
Leashes Come Off Wall Street, Gun Sellers, Polluters and More
The following article by Eric Lipton and Binyamin Appelbaum was posted on the New York Times website March 5, 2017:
Giants in telecommunications, like Verizon and AT&T, will not have to take “reasonable measures” to ensure that their customers’ Social Security numbers, web browsing history and other personal information are not stolen or accidentally released.
Wall Street banks like Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase will not be punished, at least for now, for not collecting extra money from customers to cover potential losses from certain kinds of high-risk trades that helped unleash the 2008 financial crisis. Continue reading “Leashes Come Off Wall Street, Gun Sellers, Polluters and More”
FBI Director Comey asked Justice officials to refute Trump’s unproven wiretapping claim
The following article by Abby Phillip and Ellen Nakashima was posted on the Washington Post website March 5, 2017:
FBI Director James B. Comey asked the Justice Department this weekend to issue a statement refuting President Trump’s claim that President Barack Obama ordered a wiretap of Trump’s phones before the election, according to U.S. officials, but the department did not do so.
Comey made the request Saturday after Trump accused Obama on Twitter of having his “ ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower.” The White House expanded on Trump’s comments Sunday with a call for a congressional probe of his allegations. Continue reading “FBI Director Comey asked Justice officials to refute Trump’s unproven wiretapping claim”
The Daily 202: Wiretapping allegations accomplished what Trump wanted – but may backfire bigly
The following article by James Hohmann with Breanna Deppisch was posted on the Washington Post website March 6, 2017:
THE BIG IDEA: It is easy to pooh-pooh Donald Trump’s predawn Saturday tweetstorm — accusing Barack Obama of the worst political crimes since Watergate while offering no evidence — as an undisciplined rant from someone who has long embraced conspiracy theories.
That neither gives the president enough credit nor reflects the gravity of his unfounded accusations. Continue reading “The Daily 202: Wiretapping allegations accomplished what Trump wanted – but may backfire bigly”
Trump Today: Fallout from wiretap accusation
The following article by Martin Finucane was posted on the Boston Globe website March 6, 2017:
Welcome to Trump Today, a one-stop entry point for the latest news on the 45th president of the United States.
Afternoon update
President Donald J. Trump signed the new version of his controversial travel ban. Here’s the text.
The new executive order is almost everything the first was not, but Democrats and some activists say they’ll challenge it anyway, the Globe’s James Pindell writes. Continue reading “Trump Today: Fallout from wiretap accusation”