[AMV] Amerikaanse politiek #581: Geen titel

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Op vrijdag 30 november 2018 09:50 schreef xpompompomx het volgende:

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De GOP heeft alweer wat gevonden om te klagen over fraude:
https://www.politico.com/(...)-republicans-1031072

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Darry Sragow, the publisher of the California Target Book, a nonpartisan election resource, agrees that “for them to suggest the system here is rigged is beyond outrageous.’’

Sragow, who teaches election law at the University of Southern California, says the complaints are especially ludicrous in light of recent elections in Florida and Georgia, where he said Republicans have sought “to deny the right to vote to people of color, to college students and the poor people.''

Voting experts like Sragow say Republican critics are refusing to accept the realities of a solidly-blue state that has made every effort to make voting easier and more accessible: including early voting, vote by mail — now the preferred means for nearly two-thirds of state voters — and allowing voters to register and vote provisionally up until the day of the election. The changes were manifested in 2018 as millions of younger voters cast ballots for the first time — the overwhelming number of them Democratic, South noted.

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Op vrijdag 30 november 2018 10:18 schreef Monolith het volgende:

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Moedwillig onbegrip van allerlei concepten omtrent het tellen van stemmen is wel een typisch GOP-dingetje ja. Het is feitelijk natuurlijk zoals Sragow aangeeft in het artikel:

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Zolang de GOP de lijn Trump blijft volgen zullen ze noodgedwongen allerhande vormen van voter surpression moeten steunen omdat ze puur kijkend naar de popular vote onder het gehele electoraat steeds verder achter zullen gaan lopen.

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Op vrijdag 30 november 2018 09:49 schreef Montov het volgende:
Trump gaat niet aftreden en de GOP zal alles negeren of stilzwijgen. Ik verwacht geen concrete acties, zelfs niet wanneer het bewijs openbaar wordt. De les van Watergate voor de GOP is om de rangen te sluiten en nooit te knipperen met de ogen. En alle Law & Order mensen houden hun ogen dicht.

twitter:

kyledcheney twitterde op vrijdag 30-11-2018 om 16:06:34 NEWS: Manafort sentencing date tentatively set for March 5. Late January arguments about whether he breached his plea deal.Mueller team will file their argument that he breached the deal on Dec. 7 and defense has until January to respond. reageer retweet

twitter:

kyledcheney twitterde op vrijdag 30-11-2018 om 16:12:38 Biggest news of the morning: Prosecutors are considering retrying Manafort on the 10 charges that resulted in a hung jury in Virginia in August. They’re also still weighing whether to file new charges based on what they say is Manafort’s breach of the plea agreement. reageer retweet

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In two major developments this week, President Trump has been labeled in the parlance of criminal investigations as a major subject of interest, complete with an opaque legal code name: “Individual 1.”

New evidence from two separate fronts of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation casts fresh doubts on Trump’s version of key events involving Russia, signaling potential political and legal peril for the president. Investigators have now publicly cast Trump as a central figure of their probe into whether Trump’s campaign conspired with the Russian government during the 2016 campaign.

Together, the documents show investigators have evidence that Trump was in close contact with his lieutenants as they made outreach to both Russia and WikiLeaks — and that they tried to conceal the extent of their activities.

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A DC neighborhood group just voted to rename the street in front of the Saudi embassy for Jamal Khashoggi

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Op vrijdag 30 november 2018 20:56 schreef speknek het volgende:
‘Individual 1’: Trump emerges as a central subject of Mueller probe

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https://www.washingtonpos(...)m_term=.4a232db6be9c

[ afbeelding ]

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Op vrijdag 30 november 2018 23:24 schreef Tweek het volgende:

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Weten we in ieder geval wat de titel wordt van de film over deze clusterfuck.

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Op vrijdag 30 november 2018 23:24 schreef Tweek het volgende:

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Weten we in ieder geval wat de titel wordt van de film over deze clusterfuck.

twitter:

AFP twitterde op zaterdag 01-12-2018 om 05:57:00 #BREAKING Former US President George H. W. Bush dies at 94: son https://t.co/NS0TsIe0Tu reageer retweet

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Op zaterdag 1 december 2018 07:12 schreef Tweek het volgende:
Trump moet daar dus iets aardigs over zeggen.

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op zaterdag 01-12-2018 om 06:49:46 Statement from President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump on the Passing of Former President George H.W. Bush https://t.co/qxPsp4Ggs7 reageer retweet

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Trump’s acting attorney general once referred to the president’s behavior as ‘a little dangerous’ and ‘a little outlandish’

A review of hundreds of public comments by acting attorney general Matthew G. Whitaker shows that while he has primarily functioned as a defender of President Trump, he has also criticized the president on numerous occasions, sometimes harshly, while working as a commentator on radio and television.

Whitaker has repeatedly suggested that Trump plays with the truth. He has said Trump should release his tax returns and was “self-serving” in the way he fired FBI Director James B. Comey. Whitaker said during the run-up to the 2016 election that neither Trump nor Hillary Clinton was a very good option for the presidency. “I mean, both these candidates are unlikable,” he said.

The critique of the president by Whitaker, a former U.S. attorney who rose to prominence over the past four years as the head of a conservative nonprofit group, has often come in unguarded moments, and sometimes late into on-air discussions. “Sometimes I wonder if anybody has the president’s ear or if he just kind of watches news accounts and responds to, which is a little dangerous,” Whitaker said in June 2017 on a radio show.

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Whitaker was perhaps most critical five months later when, as Trump fired Comey, the president asserted that the FBI director told him he was not under investigation.

In four radio interviews over two days, Whitaker repeatedly blasted Trump’s public letter to Comey as “self-serving.”

“That whole sentence about, you know, ‘We’ve talked three times and you’ve told me I’m not under investigation,’ I mean for a president to include that in a letter of termination is — just I’ve never seen anything like that,” Whitaker told WHO radio in Des Moines. “It’s so self-serving.”

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Bron: WaPo

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Op zaterdag 1 december 2018 07:24 schreef pullup het volgende:

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Yup, alhoewel ik betwijfel of hij dit zelf geschreven heeft

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op zaterdag 01-12-2018 om 06:49:46 Statement from President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump on the Passing of Former President George H.W. Bush https://t.co/qxPsp4Ggs7 reageer retweet

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Op zaterdag 1 december 2018 07:24 schreef pullup het volgende:

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Yup, alhoewel ik betwijfel of hij dit zelf geschreven heeft

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op zaterdag 01-12-2018 om 06:49:46 Statement from President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump on the Passing of Former President George H.W. Bush https://t.co/qxPsp4Ggs7 reageer retweet

Former President Obama visits George H.W. Bush in Houston prior to passing

twitter:

BarackObama twitterde op zaterdag 01-12-2018 om 06:36:23 America has lost a patriot and humble servant in George Herbert Walker Bush. While our hearts are heavy today, they are also filled with gratitude. Our thoughts are with the entire Bush family tonight – and all who were inspired by George and Barbara’s example. https://t.co/g9OUPu2pjY reageer retweet

SPOILER

Om spoilers te kunnen lezen moet je zijn ingelogd. Je moet je daarvoor eerst gratis Registreren. Ook kun je spoilers niet lezen als je een ban hebt.

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Op zaterdag 1 december 2018 06:01 schreef Houtenbeen het volgende:

twitter:

AFP twitterde op zaterdag 01-12-2018 om 05:57:00 #BREAKING Former US President George H. W. Bush dies at 94: son https://t.co/NS0TsIe0Tu reageer retweet

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Op zaterdag 1 december 2018 14:48 schreef fliert het volgende:
Het echte vuurwerk kan natuurlijk ook van onze oosterburen komen. Misschien schat ik de situatie wat optimistisch in maar de invallen bij Deutsche Bank (Trump's favoriete geldschieter) kunnen wel eens vernietigend zijn voor wat er nog over is van Trump's geloofwaardigheid. Ik ben bang dat hij met Cohen's verklaringen weg kan komen met wat kleerscheurtjes.

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Op zaterdag 1 december 2018 15:32 schreef ExtraWaskracht het volgende:

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Is eigenlijk bekend waar die inval betrekking op had? Trump is natuurlijk niet de enige klant die ze hebben...

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The special counsel’s draft Statement of Offense for Jerome Corsi includes much extraordinary information. But what are the most legally significant details to emerge? At bottom, the draft court document supplies additional reason to believe that Bob Mueller can charge Trump Campaign associates and the campaign itself for violations of federal campaign finance law either directly under the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) or as part of a conspiracy to defraud the United States by obstructing the capacity of the Federal Election Commission to enforce the FECA. The federal offense of a conspiracy to defraud the United States serves as the backbone of the special counsel’s February 2018 indictment of Russian nationals, which then raised the question whether the special counsel would subsequently indict any Americans for knowingly participating in the general conspiracy. The activities of Roger Stone, Jerome Corsi, and Ted Malloch, as shown by what Mueller decided to include in the draft document, points to legal jeopardy for them and any others who knowingly participated with them in this scheme with Wikileaks.

SPOILER

Om spoilers te kunnen lezen moet je zijn ingelogd. Je moet je daarvoor eerst gratis Registreren. Ook kun je spoilers niet lezen als je een ban hebt.

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op zaterdag 01-12-2018 om 15:30:00 Trump fundraiser and former deputy RNC finance chair Elliott Broidy received laundered funds, according to federal prosecutors. https://t.co/R0MM5cJa30 reageer retweet

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Op zaterdag 1 december 2018 15:32 schreef ExtraWaskracht het volgende:

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Is eigenlijk bekend waar die inval betrekking op had? Trump is natuurlijk niet de enige klant die ze hebben...

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Cohen: Trump Knew I Called Kremlin for Help With Trump Tower Moscow

The president downplays his knowledge of the project, but his ex-fixer says he knew a lot—and that a cover-up before Congress was crafted while talking to Trump’s lawyers.

https://www.thedailybeast(...)h-trump-tower-moscow

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GOP seeks to limit Wisconsin early voting, strip powers from Tony Evers and Josh Kaul in lame-duck session (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

MADISON - Republican lawmakers are seeking to limit voter turnout and want to take away key powers from the incoming Democratic governor and attorney general before GOP Gov. Scott Walker leaves office in January.

The sweeping plan — to be taken up Tuesday — would remove Gov.-elect Tony Evers' power to approve major actions by Attorney General-elect Josh Kaul and give that authority to Republican lawmakers.

That could mean the campaign promise made by Evers and Kaul to immediately withdraw Wisconsin from a federal lawsuit to overturn the Affordable Care Act would likely be blocked.

A hearing that could stretch into the night is slated for 12:30 p.m. Monday before the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee. The two houses are expected to meet Tuesday to pass at least parts of their plan.

The 141-page plan goes further than what Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos suggested lawmakers would take up during the so-called lame-duck legislative session before Evers takes office.

"It’s real kind of inside baseball, kind of legislative stuff that it’s hard for me to believe people will get too excited about," Fitzgerald said three days before the plan was released.

But among the proposals are ones to limit the governor's powers, weaken the attorney general and restrict early voting to two weeks before an election. Currently, some communities provide as many as six weeks of early voting.

The early voting plan would be all but certain to draw a legal challenge given that a federal judge in 2016 struck down a similar law limiting early voting that he found "intentionally discriminates on the basis of race."

The measures would strip many powers from Kaul and eliminate a powerful office within the Department of Justice that was created in 2015 under Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel and handles high-profile cases on appeal.

Lawmakers are also considering separating the 2020 presidential primary election from an April spring election to reduce voter turnout in an effort to boost the election chances of a conservative Supreme Court justice. In another proposal, lawmakers will consider using new revenue from online sales taxes to slightly reduce the individual income tax rate.

"Wisconsin law, written by the Legislature and signed into law by a governor, should not be erased by the potential political maneuvering of the executive branch," Fitzgerald and Vos said in a statement about the slate of measures. "In order to find common ground, everyone must be at the table."

But Evers and Kaul said Republicans were ignoring the voters who elected them just three weeks ago.

"I’ve said all along I’m committed to working across the aisle, but I will not tolerate attempts to violate our constitutional checks and balances and separation of powers by people who are desperate to cling to control. Enough is enough," Evers said in a statement.

Democrats said Republicans were throwing a fit following the defeat of Walker and Schimel.

"It's clear they're out to try to cripple the incoming governor and attorney general as best they can," said Sen. Jon Erpenbach, a Middleton Democrat on the Legislature's finance committee. "It's a tantrum because Scott Walker lost. It's frustrating because they're not even giving Tony Evers a chance to be governor."

The legislation is wide-ranging and would limit Evers’ power in a host of ways. His agencies would have less freedom to run their programs. He would not be able to ban guns from the state Capitol without the OK of lawmakers.

The power of the incoming attorney general also would be greatly diminished.

The Legislature — not the attorney general — would have control of how to spend money from court settlements. The recently created office of the solicitor general, which oversees high-profile litigation, would be eliminated.

Legislators would gain the power to intervene in any litigation when a state law is challenged, and they would have the ability to appoint their own private attorneys — at taxpayer expense — to handle the case instead of the attorney general.

“This bill is a full-employment bill for Republican law firms,” said Madison attorney Lester Pines, who often defends Democrats. “It will drive up the cost through the roof.”

Legislators would also have the ability to sign off on court settlements.

In another change that has broad implications for the lawsuit over the Affordable Care Act, the Legislature’s budget committee — rather than the governor —would get to decide whether to continue or drop legal actions.

Covering pre-existing conditions

Even as they are making it harder to get out of the Obamacare lawsuit, Republicans are planning to pass a bill that would protect coverage of pre-existing conditions. Democrats said that legislation was inadequate because the protections would not go as far as the ones in Obamacare.

The proposals also include provisions aimed at protecting past measures they have already approved. One would compel Evers to implement a work requirement for some in the BadgerCare Plus health care program. Others would make it tougher for Evers to change rules affecting the state’s voter ID law or alter a new program to keep premiums down for people who get insurance through Obamacare’s marketplace for individuals.

The governor also would no longer be able to choose who leads the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., which oversees taxpayer-funded incentive packages provided to businesses in exchange for job creation.

Lawmakers would have more control over the jobs agency, which Evers has promised to disband and replace with a state Commerce Department. The WEDC board would choose the agency's leader instead of the governor.

“Our state must stay open for business," Fitzgerald and Vos said. "WEDC, our economic development agency, must continue to have the ability to help spur job creation and business opportunities without fear of being shut down."

Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling and Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz also could appoint one member each to the board, and Evers' appointments would be unchanged at six members.

Walker has shown support for some of the plans but has not said what he thinks of others. His aides did not say whether Walker backed the limits on early voting or other measures that came to light Friday.

Evers did not comment on the plans, but incoming Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes said the plan "is the path of most resistance."

"It’s the dysfunction people just said no to a few weeks ago," Barnes said on Twitter.

The Republican legislative leaders said theirs is "the most representative branch in government and we will not stop being a strong voice for our constituents.”