;)
The Conversation -- November 15, 2023
The New York Times is live-updating developments Wednesday in the meeting between Presidents Biden & Xi: "For two leaders who have agreed on very little as their nations have spiraled into their worst relationship in four decades, there have been hints of how they will try to nudge toward the appearance of agreement. A senior administration official said they are expected to reach the outline of an agreement that would commit Beijing to regulating components of fentanyl, the drug that has driven a devastating opioid epidemic in the United States. But China has made similar commitments before. They are expected to announce a forum for a discussion of how to keep artificial intelligence programs away from nuclear command and control -- at the same moment the United States is denying China the advanced chips it needs to develop and train A.I. programs. And they will probably discuss resuming military-to-military communications, which China cut off after then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last year." ~~~
~~~ CNN's live updates for Wednesday are here.
Summer Concepcion of NBC News: "President Joe Biden on Tuesday decried ... Donald Trump's recent remarks calling his political foes 'vermin' as rhetoric reminiscent of Nazi Germany.... Biden excoriated Trump's remarks as language echoing Nazi Germany in the 1930s during a campaign fundraiser in San Francisco on Tuesday night.... 'In just the last few days, Trump has said, if he returns office, he's gonna go after all those who oppose him and wipe out what he called the vermin, quote, the vermin in America -- a specific phrase with a specific meaning,' Biden said. 'It echoes language you heard in Nazi Germany in the '30s. And it isn't even the first time,' he added. 'Trump also recently talked about, quote, the blood of America is being poisoned. The blood of America is being poisoned. Again, it echoes the same phrases used in Nazi Germany."
Gary Grumbach & Dareh Gregorian of NBC News: "Hunter Biden asked the judge presiding over his criminal gun charge case to subpoena ... Donald Trump and top officials in his Justice Department, arguing that the investigation into him was the direct result of 'incessant, improper, and partisan pressure' from Trump and his allies. The court filing Wednesday asks Judge U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika, a Trump nominee, to issue subpoenas to Trump, former Attorney General Bill Barr, former acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue, and former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen.... 'In the lead up to the 2020 election, IRS case files show certain investigative decisions were made "as a result of guidance provided" by, among others, "the Deputy Attorney General's office,"' the filing said. It also points to a passage from Barr's recent book where he said Trump called him in October 2020 asking about the status of the probe into Joe Biden's son. Barr wrote that he responded, 'Dammit, Mr. President, I am not going to talk to you about Hunter Biden. Period!'"
Ella Lee & Zach Schonfeld of the Hill: "An attorney for one of former President Trump's co-defendants in Georgia admitted to providing proffer videos of defendants to a media outlet, a stunning revelation that came during an emergency court hearing Wednesday afternoon. Attorney Jonathan Miller, who is representing former Coffee County election supervisor Misty Hampton, did not name the outlet and said he leaked the footage of the defendants in the name of transparency."
MOC Tells FBI Director He Has Proof the FBI Instigated Jan. 6 Insurrection. Alex Griffing of Mediaite: "Republican Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) used time during Wednesday's House Homeland Security Committee hearing on domestic threats to accuse FBI Director Christopher Wray of having FBI agents fuel the violence on January 6th at the U.S. Capitol. Wray emphatically denied the accusation that 'FBI sources and or agents' took part in or encouraged any of the violence on Jan. 6th. Higgins, however..., claimed he had evidence to the contrary and threatened Wray, telling him his 'day is coming.' Higgins has long pushed the widely debunked, pro-Trump conspiracy theory that it was the FBI, not Trump supporters who instigated the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6th.... 'If you are asking whether the violence at the Capitol on January 6th was part of some operation orchestrated by FBI sources and or agents, the answer is emphatically not,' Wray replied.... Higgins then asked Wray about so-called 'ghost buses.' 'Well, it's pretty common in law enforcement, it is a vehicle that's used for secret purposes. It's painted over. There's two buses in the middle here. There were the first to arrive at Union Station on January 6th, zero-five-hundred. I have all this evidence, I'm showing you the tip of this iceberg,' Higgins claimed pointing at an image." ~~~
~~~ Marie: I'll bet all MAGA hats are lined with tinfoil.
Ella Lee of the Hill: "Former President Trump's legal team on Wednesday requested a mistrial in his New York fraud case, claiming that the trial judge and his principal law clerk's purported bias against Trump has 'tainted' the case."
The New York Times' live updates of developments Wednesday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "Although details of the operation remained scarce, Israel's apparent capture of Al-Shifa Hospital was a significant step that could shape the future of its war with Hamas.... The United States has intelligence that shows that Hamas has been using hospitals in Gaza, including Al-Shifa, as command centers and ammunitions depots, a spokesman for the National Security Council said on Tuesday." ~~~
~~~ CNN's live updates are here: "Israeli forces are raiding Gaza's biggest hospital, Al-Shifa, in what the military says is a 'precise and targeted operation.' A journalist there said tanks had entered the hospital courtyard and troops were searching buildings and interrogating young men. Israel has claimed the hospital includes a Hamas command center, an allegation denied by hospital officials and Hamas. CNN cannot verify either side's claims. Hundreds of patients and staff remain inside Al-Shifa, according to hospital officials. The operation comes amid Israel's escalating ground offensive in Gaza, aimed at destroying Hamas."
~~~~~~~~~~
Marie: The contrast between what Democrats are doing for the world and the country and what Republicans are doing has never been more stark than it was Tuesday.
Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: "The United States and China, the world's two largest climate polluters, have agreed to jointly tackle global warming by ramping up wind, solar and other renewable energy with the goal of displacing fossil fuels, the State Department said Tuesday. The announcement comes as President Biden prepares to meet Wednesday with President Xi Jinping of China for their first face-to-face discussion in a year. The climate agreement could emerge as a bright spot in talks that are likely to focus on sensitive topics including Taiwan, the war in Ukraine and the war between Israel and Hamas. The statements of cooperation released separately by the United States and China do not include a promise by China to phase out its heavy use of coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, or to stop permitting and building new coal plants. That has been a sticking point for the United States in months of discussions with Beijing on climate change. But both countries agreed to 'pursue efforts to triple renewable energy capacity globally by 2030.'"
Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "Speaker Mike Johnson was forced on Tuesday to rely on Democratic votes as the House passed legislation to keep federal funding flowing into early 2024, after scores of Republicans opposed his plan to avert a government shutdown at the end of the week. Almost all Democrats and a majority of Republicans overcame the opposition of G.O.P. conservatives to approve the bill under special expedited procedures that required a supermajority. That approach, hatched by Mr. Johnson in his first weeks as speaker, amounted to a gamble that a substantial number of Democrats would rally to help pass a package that Mr. Johnson's own members were unwilling to back. The vote was 336 to 95, easily clearing the two-thirds threshold required for passage. In the end, 209 Democrats and 127 Republicans joined to pass the bill. Ninety-three Republicans opposed it, as did two Democrats." (This is a substantial update of an earlier story linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: Yes, yes, this is all nuts. But, otherwise, all is going very smoothly with the Congress ~~~
~~~ Fight Club
~~~ Jay O'Brien, et al., of ABC News: "Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett, one of the eight Republicans who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy from the speakership last month, claimed to ABC News that McCarthy elbowed him in the back after a House GOP meeting on Tuesday morning. McCarthy denied this, according to an NPR reporter who said she witnessed part of the altercation. But Burchett said he was speaking to the NPR reporter when McCarthy walked behind him and allegedly put his elbow intentionally into Burchett's back. Burchett said he was pushed forward and then followed McCarthy down the hallway to confront him. According to the reporter, Burchett asked McCarthy: 'Why'd you walk behind me and elbow me in the back?' The former speaker responded: 'I didn't elbow you in the back.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: According to teevee reporting: Burchett told a reporter later that McCarthy made "a clean shot to the kidneys." AND bolstering Burchett's side of the story: (1) NPR reporter Claudia Grisales said Burchett lurched into her as McCarthy apparently hit him, and she was pretty sure she saw McCarthy retract his elbow; and (2) Adam Kinzinger wrote in a previously-published book that McCarthy had purposely "shouldered" him when the two were in a a hallway of Congress. Apparently that's how McCarthy rolls.~~~
~~~ Paragon of Probity Brings Ethics Complaint Against My Kevin. Emily Brooks of the Hill: "Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) filed a formal ethics complaint against former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) after Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) accused the ex-House leader of elbowing him in a hallway." (Also linked yesterday.)
Tara Suter of the Hill: "Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) and chair of the House Oversight Committee James Comer (R-Ky.) got into a heated exchange on Tuesday [when Moscowitz called out Comer's financial dealings with his own brother after Comer went on Fox & lied about Joe Biden's loan to his brother James.]... '[Y]ou look like a Smurf, here, just going around and all this stuff,' Comer at one point said to Moskowitz, seemingly referencing his blue suit and tie. 'Gargamel was very angry today,' Moskowitz later quipped on X...-Twitter, referencing the main villain of the Smurfs universe." Emphasis added. (Also linked yesterday.)
Marie: I'm sort of disappointed neither Jungle Gym Jordan nor Miss Margie got into any physical altercations. To be fair, MTG [R-Ga.] did manage to call Darrell Issa [R-Calif.] a prick after he knocked her lack of "maturity and experience" in how to bring an impeachment proceeding. In fairness to Miss Margie, Darrell is a prick. (Also linked yesterday.)
MEANWHILE, across the hall, in a hearing held by the World's Greatest Deliberative Body ~~~
~~~ Adult Intervention Required. Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R), a former mixed martial arts fighter, nearly came to blows with the president of the Teamsters at a Senate hearing on Tuesday, forcing Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to step in to stop a brawl from breaking out in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee room. Mullin challenged International Brotherhood of Teamsters general president Sean O'Brien to a fight on the spot after the senator read aloud O'Brien's tweets calling him out as a 'clown' and a 'fraud.'" Mullin stood up, as if to head toward O'Brien, making a show of removing his ring, as Sanders gaveled him down. Mullen eventually challenged O'Brien to a cage match. "The Oklahoma senator didn't back down or apologize when later asked about his conduct. 'He called me out.... He said anytime, anyplace. You don't call me out and say "anytime, anyplace," and then not back it up what you said,' Mullin said. 'I answered his call. Period,' he added." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
You're a United States senator. Act it. Sit down, please.... Hold it, hold it. -- Bernie Sanders to Markwayne Mullin ~~~
~~~ Later, Mullin went on some right-wing teevee show and defended his actions as "traditional," on because President Andrew Jackson participated in duels and clocked someone sitting at his dinner table. Oh, and also remember in 1856 when Rep. Preston Brooks (S.C.) entered the Senate chamber and caned abolitionist Sen. Charles Sumner (Mass.) nearly to death. MB: As the Wikipedia entry on the infamous incident puts it, the caning "has been considered symbolic of the 'breakdown of reasoned discourse' and willingness to resort to violence that eventually led to the Civil War." So, ya know, maybe not the most auspicious historical reference.
Robert Jimison of the New York Times writes a summary report of Tuesday's GOP Fight Club shenanigans.
Marie: Maybe these incidents of Republican violence seem unrelated, but I don't think they are. They are at least partly the result of the influence of party leader Donald Trump, who has stepped up his violent rhetoric in recent weeks and has long condoned and encouraged violence as a means of besting political adversaries. The bad behavior also reflects a Congressional caucus lacking any measure of leadership control. Speaker Mike Johnson has no influence over these jamokes; he had to rely on overwhelming support from Democrats to keep the government limping along for just a couple of months.
Besides wanting for leadership, the Republican party also has no agenda beyond encouraging chaos. If you're busy trying to muster support for a bill that will help broad swaths of the American people, you're going to try to get along with people, and you're going to use verbal persuasion -- i.e., "reasoned discourse" -- rather than fistfights to obtain their backing. But these guys are sitting in high-profile jobs for no discernible reason or purpose, so their fallback is attack Democrats (and each other). Most importantly, these Republicans don't really believe in democracy; they think violence is a legitimate shortcut to maintaining or gaining power. The last time somebody thought public caning was a good idea, it led to the Civil War. So what now?
Ella Lee of the Hill: "Two Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee have recommended the Justice Department look at pursuing charges against former Trump attorney Michael Cohen for contradictory testimony he gave last month in former President Trump's fraud trial in New York. The criminal referral letter -- sent by House Intelligence Chair Mike Turner (R-Ohio) and committee member Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) -- accuses Cohen of committing perjury and having 'knowingly made false statements' before the congressional panel four years ago."
Grace Ashford & Nate Schweber of the New York Times: "A second person connected to the campaign of Representative George Santos of New York has pleaded guilty to federal charges, an ominous sign as the embattled congressman's own case moves closer to trial. Appearing before a federal judge in Central Islip, N.Y., on Tuesday, Samuel Miele pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in connection with a fund-raising scheme in which he impersonated a House staffer for his and Mr. Santos's benefit.... Between November 2020 and January 2023, Mr. Miele used his position with the Santos campaign to charge donors' credit cards without their permission and to apply contributions to things they had not been intended for. Prosecutors have accused Mr. Santos, 35, of similar schemes.... [Mr. Miele's] lawyer declined to say whether his plea included an agreement with federal prosecutors to testify against Mr. Santos."
Ursula Perano of Politico: "Senate Democrats took a critical step towards ending Tommy Tuberville's eight-month-long blockade on military nominations. The Rules Committee on Tuesday advanced a resolution that would allow military nominations to be confirmed en masse -- an effort that would spoil Tuberville's hold on military promotions, which he's vowed to continue until the Pentagon reverses an abortion policy. There are more than 400 military officer nominations in the backlog, meaning individual votes on those promotions would take hundreds of hours. The resolution, led by Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), was passed out of committee by a 9-7 vote along party lines.... The measure requires 60 votes to pass.... Senate Republicans aren't eager to circumvent the power of an individual senator. They also don't want to side against anti-abortion advocates, even as the military community has grown increasingly hostile over the holds and criticized Tuberville for jeopardizing national security." ~~~
~~~ Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) on Tuesday voted against a Democratic resolution to circumvent Sen. Tommy Tuberville's (R-Ala.) hold on 370 stalled military promotions -- but he left open the possibility he might vote for it later this Congress.... McConnell still hopes a Republican leadership can work out a deal with Tuberville to avoid the need to pass a resolution to allow Democrats to move hundreds of military nominees in one package."
Holly Bailey & Amy Gardner of the Washington Post: "The Atlanta-area prosecutor leading the criminal racketeering case against ... Donald Trump and 14 allies ... asked the judge overseeing the case to immediately issue an 'emergency' protective order over discovery materials to prevent leaks of potential evidence. The request came a day after The Washington Post published details of recorded statements given to prosecutors by four Trump co-defendants who have accepted plea deals in the case. The recordings of interviews between prosecutors and pro-Trump attorneys Kenneth Chesebro, Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell and Atlanta bail bondsman Scott Hall offered previously undisclosed details about the effort by Trump and his allies to reverse his defeat. Some of the details from the videos were first reported Monday by ABC News. Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis (D) had previously requested a protective order over discovery materials in the case, which includes so-called 'proffer' videos featuring statements of those who have pleaded guilty in the case.
In a Wednesday filing, Willis renewed that request 'on an emergency basis' citing the leak of the recordings to the media. [She blames the defense:] 'The release of these confidential video recordings is clearly intended to intimidate witnesses in this case, subjecting them to harassment and threats prior to trial, constitutes indirect communication about the facts of this case with codefendants and witnesses, and obstructs the administration of justice, in violation of the conditions of release imposed on each defendant.' Prosecutors said they would no longer share 'confidential video recordings of proffers' to any defense attorneys involved in the case and said they must view those statements in person at the district attorney's office." (Also linked yesterday.)
Brandi Buchman of Law & Crime: "As an appellate fight swiftly approaches in Washington, D.C., weighing whether a narrow gag order imposed on Donald Trump in his election subversion case should remain in place, special counsel Jack Smith lobbed his opening volley Tuesday, urging the court to squarely reject the former president's 'scattershot' invocations of the First Amendment and enforce a gag order that will protect proceedings much like the lower courts have done in other high profile cases, including the indictment of Trump ally Roger Stone."
"Parchment Promise." Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The new Supreme Court ethics code released on Monday..., experts in legal ethics said..., lack[s] ... an enforcement mechanism[, which] means that it will operate on the honor system, with individual justices deciding for themselves whether their conduct complies with the code. That makes it a parchment promise, some experts said, without transparent procedures for assessing whether it has been violated or consequences when it has. 'The primary problem is how to give these rules teeth, especially in light of the fact that there have been repeated violations of these very rules,' said Amanda Frost, a law professor at the University of Virginia. Among those violations, she said, citing news reports, were participation in fund-raising events and the failure to disclose gifts by Justice Clarence Thomas and the use of Supreme Court staff members to help sell books by Justice Sonia Sotomayor. At the heart of much of the debate over the new ethics code is which conflicts require recusal and whether justices should decide those questions for themselves. Justice Thomas, for instance, took part in cases on the 2020 election and its aftermath, even though Virginia Thomas, his wife, had participated in efforts to overturn the results.”
Presidential Race 2024
Michigan. Chris Cameron of the New York Times: "A state judge in Michigan partly rejected an effort to disqualify ... Donald J. Trump from running for president in the state, ruling that Mr. Trump will remain on the ballot in the Republican primary, and that the state's top elections official does not have the authority alone to exclude him from the ballot. But the judge appeared to leave the door open for a future battle over Mr. Trump's eligibility as a candidate in the general election, saying that the issue 'is not ripe for adjudication at this time.'" CNN's report is here.
Mike Then. Annie Karni & Steve Eder of the New York Times: "Years before he played a lead role in trying to help ... Donald J. Trump stay in office after the 2020 election or defended him in two separate Senate impeachment trials, Speaker Mike Johnson bluntly asserted that Mr. Trump was unfit to serve and could be a danger as president. 'The thing about Donald Trump is that he lacks the character and the moral center we desperately need again in the White House,' Mr. Johnson wrote in a lengthy post on Facebook on Aug. 7, 2015, before he was elected to Congress and a day after the first Republican primary debate of the campaign cycle. Challenged in the comments by someone defending Mr. Trump, Mr. Johnson responded: 'I am afraid he would break more things than he fixes. He is a hot head by nature, and that is a dangerous trait to have in a Commander in Chief.' Mr. Johnson, then a state lawmaker in Louisiana, also questioned what would happen if 'he decided to bomb another head of state merely disrespecting him.'" ~~~
~~~ Mike Now. Kevin Brueninger of CNBC: "House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday endorsed Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, while defending the former president's efforts to reverse his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden. 'I'm all in for President Trump,' Johnson said on CNBC's 'Squawk Box.' 'I expect he'll be our nominee, and we have to make Biden a one-term president.' Johnson suggested he had already thrown his weight behind Trump, saying, 'I have endorsed him wholeheartedly.' But it was unclear when the Louisiana Republican had previously given Trump his official backing."
Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "Over the past few weeks, we've gotten a pretty good idea of what Donald Trump would do if given a second chance in the White House. And it is neither exaggeration nor hyperbole to say that it looks an awful lot like a set of plans meant to give the former president the power and unchecked authority of a strongman.... In addition to Trump's words, which we should treat as a reliable guide to his actions, desires and preoccupations, we have his allies, who are as open in their contempt for democracy as Trump is.... Donald Trump is telling us, loud and clear, that he wants to end American democracy as we know it." (Also linked yesterday.)
Annals of "Journalism." Bajo Nueva Dirección. Michael Scherer & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: With a change in ownership, Spanish-language TV network Univision has gone all-in for Donald Trump. "The reversal has shocked Democrats -- who are preparing a massive ad campaign to brand Trump as hostile to Latino interests -- and some journalists inside Univision, who think that the past week has demonstrated the heavy hand of their new corporate bosses. The Mexican media company Grupo Televisa, which has long fostered a close relationship with Mexican political leaders, merged with Univision in 2021." The new management cancelled Biden spots, scheduled to run during Trump's infamous interview, then cancelled a booking for the Biden campaign's media director to respond to the interview." Thanks to RAS for the link.
~~~~~~~~~~
Israel/Palestine
Maria Abi-Habib, et al., of the New York Times: "More than 400 political appointees and staff members representing some 40 government agencies sent a letter to President Biden on Tuesday protesting his support of Israel in its war in Gaza. The letter, part of growing internal dissent over the administration's support of the war, calls on the president to seek an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and to push Israel to allow humanitarian aid into the territory. It is the latest of several protest letters from officials throughout the Biden administration, including three internal memos to Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken signed by dozens of State Department employees as well as an open letter signed by more than 1,000 employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development. The signatories of the letter submitted on Tuesday and the one circulating among USAID employees are anonymous, the USAID letter explains, out of 'concern for our personal safety and risk o potentially losing our jobs.'" (Also linked yesterday.)
Lauren Sforza & Miranda Nazzaro of the Hill: "Thousands of demonstrators descended onto the National Mall in the nation's capital on Tuesday to express their support for Israel amid its war on Hamas, and to condemn antisemitism that has spiked amid the conflict.... Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) were among the featured speakers."
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Reader Comments (19)
They’re incompetent weasels and traitors but that doesn’t mean they won’t threaten to beat you up.
This Markwayne Mullin guy sounds like anything but a well adjusted, mature adult. But then…Gaetz, Greene, Bobo, Comer, Potato Head, Aunt Pittypat, Cotton, Gosar, Stefanik, and the stupidest man in Congress, Ron Johnson…is there a single well adjusted, mature adult in the bunch?
They can’t govern, they can’t legislate, but they can threaten investigations, play footsie in a public place, support treason, diminish the economic security of the country, hamstring the military for Jesus, and get into brawls.
Regarding this Mullin character, I was blissfully unaware of his existence until yesterday (and better off for it), but he seems like a candy ass snowflake (there are so many of them in the Party of Traitors). I don’t know what kind of shape Teamster president Sean O’Brien is in, but in years past I worked with a few Teamsters. These were tough, tough guys, not people you called out without a very good reason, with the understanding that however it went down, it wasn’t going to be quick and easy. These guys wouldn’t give a shit about some mixed up martial arts blowhard.
To throw down, in the middle of a congressional hearing, because of a tweet a few years back? As with the Orange Monster, it’s all performative. “Look at me! I’m a tough guy!”
Jesus Christ. Grow the fuck up.
Repugnican caucus, and their constituents:
Levels of intellectual depth, and emotional maturity, that would be disappointing in a kindergarten recess.
What else is new?
Project 2025 has a plan in place for the time when D.J.Trump takes
office in 2025.
They want to take fiscal control from Congress and give it to the
president.
The military could be deployed against U.S. citizens (those rowdy
liberals).
They want to replace up to 50,000 civil servants with political
supporters (of Trump).
Project 2025's 1,000 page book is out: "180 Day Playbook."
My passport is up to date, just can't figure out where to go.
https://manchesterinklink.com/seriously-heritage-foundation-publishes-180-day-plan-for-dictatorship/
How do I fail thee? Let me count the ways…
As Junior was smarmily bloviating in a New York courtroom about what a genius Donnie Sr. is, and how he’s the world’s greatest bidness man (apologies to Molly Ivins), bean counters at daddy’s antisocial media thingy are getting ready to fold the tent.
Hey! Another Trumpy Fail!
Cuz that’s how the Drumpfs roll. Failure after failure after bankruptcy and bankruptcy.
“Since Donald Trump’s social-media venture launched in February 2022, the name Truth Social and the words financial success have rarely been seen in the same sentence. Founded by the Trump Media & Technology Group, the site has struggled to bring in users from the beginning; even Trump’s kids hardly log on to support dear old indicted Dad. After a brief spike in its share prices, recent efforts to go public via a blank-check firm called a SPAC burned out. Trump’s business partners later had to return over $500 million of the funds they raised in the process, and one of the investors leading the SPAC effort was charged in June with insider trading.”
Didja get that last bit? One of Fatty’s investors is an insider trading crook (alleged…right). Fellow travelers in Grifter World.
But failure is a regular thing with Stable Genius Best Words Boy.
Realizing that this latest stroke of genius (accent on stroke) is going bust, Fatty is trying to find other suckers to fund his loser vanity project by going public. There’s just one problem. The filings required to do so must list risk factors for potential investors, ya know, like earthquakes, hurricanes, acts of god, alien invasion, and biggest of all risk factors? Donald Trump.
Shall we list just some reasons investors should put their money into something more profitable, like pet rocks?
“The Trump Taj Mahal, which was built and owned by President Trump, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1991. The Trump Plaza, the Trump Castle, and the Plaza Hotel, all owned by President Trump at the time, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1992. THCR, which was founded by President Trump in 1995, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2004. Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc., the new name given to Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts after its 2004 bankruptcy, declared bankruptcy in 2009.
Trump Shuttle Inc., launched by President Trump in 1989, defaulted on its loans in 1990 and ceased to exist by 1992. Trump University, founded by President Trump in 2005, ceased operations in 2011 amid lawsuits and investigations regarding the company’s business practices. Trump Vodka, a brand of vodka produced by Drinks Americas under license from the Trump Organization, was introduced in 2005 and discontinued in 2011.
Also, Trump Mortgage, LLC, a financial services company founded by President Trump in 2006, ceased operations in 2007. GoTrump.com, a travel site founded by President Trump in 2006, ceased operations in 2007. Trump Steaks, a brand of steak and other meats founded by President Trump in 2007, discontinued sales two months after its launch.”
The filings also point out the numerous felony indictments and trials which could speed up the flushing of investor dollars down the Marred a Lardo toilet, along with presidential records and top secret documents.
Ahhh…so much winning.
And pretty soon, the Fat Fascist might have to return to Elon’s Home for Grifters and Dangerous Loons, aka X, for his daily screeds.
Poor Donnums.
Lots of hand wringing over Arab and Islamic voters in Michigan going against Biden in the 2024 election. I get why people are upset. Seemingly unqualified support for Israel, which is bombing hospitals in Gaza, has pro-Palestinian residents outraged. Biden won this state with their help in 2020. I get it. But are they really going to vote for Trump, who promised to put them all in concentration camps?
Elbow in the back! Waaah. He hit me! Waaah! I’m a victim. Again! Okay, you don’t like that elbow in the back? How about a knee in the groin?
Akhilleus,
Donald has only lost tens of millions of dollars ($73 mil) in his short time on his social media platform while Musk has lost ten of billions ($25 bil) so by comparison TFG must be a great business man.
The US is not the only one making a joke of the government, in the UK they are creating an anti-woke cabinet member "In a dramatic reshuffle from Rishi Sunak which saw a shock return to frontline politics for David Cameron, GB News host Esther McVey has returned to cabinet in a role dubbed the “minister for common sense”.
Considered an appeal to the right of the Conservative Party after the sacking of Suella Braverman as home secretary, McVey’s brief is understood to relate to tackling “wokery”."
Here is a list of some the problems she will be tackling.
I saw some legal experts point out the the Supreme Court's pathetic pinky swear promise has a big carve out for the retreats and galas being held by the likes of the Federalist Society and Koch that the right-wing justices always seem to find themselves at. Meaning they knew they couldn't stay away from all that money and power and influence. So they just gave themselves some gas lighting cover while planning to do business as usual.
Ron DeSantis say he "can do more for Florida as president than as governor. At least he did say he could do more for the country too".
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/644511-ron-desantis-do-more/
He also says his suggestion for Iowans caucusing in Florida was a joke. Most of us thought that when he said it.
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/644449-ron-desantis-iowa-joke-caucus/
All this talk of bullying, whining and playground chaos called to mind the title of a television comedy I never watched, "Arrested Development," which originally aired on Fox for a few seasons twenty or so years ago.
Knew nothing of the program or its plot so I looked it up. Intended as a comedy, it was apparently a hit with critics but did not appeal enough to the Fox audience to be renewed for a fourth season. It later migrated to Netflix where it later limped along for a few more episodes.
To be fair, now that I've read an outline of its plot, it wouldn't have appealed to me either. I would have dismissed it as silly.
Still, I'm not surprised that Fox dropped it. This satirical tale of a family of misfits, who lost its money but still tries to live as if they are wealthy, of a grandfather real estate developer in jail for fraud, of sons and daughters addicted to the shallow pursuits of materialism, had to have grated on many of the long ago Fox audience who tuned in.
What intrigues me now, thinking about our Congressional dysfunction, goes beyond the aptness of the show's title.
Maybe the Fox audience saw it coming. The corrupt real estate developer, his own shallow children, his supporters' ethical and moral vacuity and their resort to playground violence, in short a family that predicted the rise of a political party that would be comprised of men and women whose development was arrested long before they were old enough to vote, let alone run for office.
No wonder the Fox audience didn't like it.
It struck too close to the home where they were heading.
On the Pelosi attack prosecution, "weird" doesn't cover it.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67411189
I'd think an insanity defense might have been in order.
And how about what the federal prosecutors must prove? Glad I don't have to do it. It would seem difficult to locate a motive in that thicket of nonsense.
RAS,
Quite right about the Musk Ox. He barged in to Twitter world and now has the Guinness Book record for losing the most money in the shortest time. But Musky bought up a ridiculously successful going concern and turned it into a hole in the ground populated by Nazis and authoritarians. It was making money until gored by the Musk ox.
Fatty, stole his idea from Twitter and cobbled together his penny ante operation FOR Nazis and authoritarians from the get go. It never made money.
Who’s the bigger loser?
I’m reminded of that old musician’s joke:
Q: If you throw a tuba and an accordion off a ten story building at the same time, which will hit the ground first?
A: Who cares?
And now (while I’m thinking of it…) a bonus musician’s joke:
Q: What's the similarity between a drummer and a philosopher?
A: They both perceive time as an abstract concept.
Democracy's end run:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/11/15/nebraska-ballot-initiative-paid-sick-leave/
RAS: I wish the "Minister of Common Sense" well in their hunt. It seems to be in short supply on both sides on the pond.
Now all they need is to contact the Monty Python crew for the "Ministry of Silly Walks".
It's all about size with GQP. Mullin is mad for O'Brien pointing out his lift. Maybe DeSantis can give him some pointers.
@RAS, Maybe baby Markwayne should have worn 4-inch stilletos instead. They would have been more in character.
For any who like numbers:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/11/15/house-republicans-partisan-votes/
Short people ... got no reason ...