quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 13:30 schreef KoosVogels het volgende:

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 13:30 schreef KoosVogels het volgende:
@Vis1980

Is een gevalletje cognitieve dissonantie. Die complotdenkers hebben Trump op het schild gehesen en zichzelf wijsgemaakt dat hij zichzelf zou manifesteren als een briljant leider.

Omdat accepteren dat je ernaast zat voor die figuren geen optie is, bedenken ze maar een of andere idiote complottheorie.

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 13:35:50 This is my 500th. Day in Office and we have accomplished a lot - many believe more than any President in his first 500 days. Massive Tax & Regulation Cuts, Military & Vets, Lower Crime & Illegal Immigration, Stronger Borders, Judgeships, Best Economy & Jobs EVER, and much more... reageer retweet

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 13:30 schreef KoosVogels het volgende:
@Vis1980

Is een gevalletje cognitieve dissonantie. Die complotdenkers hebben Trump op het schild gehesen en zichzelf wijsgemaakt dat hij zichzelf zou manifesteren als een briljant leider.

Omdat accepteren dat je ernaast zat voor die figuren geen optie is, bedenken ze maar een of andere idiote complottheorie.

twitter:

axios twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 13:49:07 Bill Clinton told NBC News' "Today" that he believes he did "the right thing" during the Monica Lewinsky scandal https://t.co/40XLYyxdyQ reageer retweet

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 14:14 schreef Re het volgende:
nu Trump zichzelf in de driver seat heeft geplaatst van volledige immuniteit voor moord vrees ik voor Melanie

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 14:18:07 ....We had Repeal & Replace done (and the saving to our country of one trillion dollars) except for one person, but it is getting done anyway. Individual Mandate is gone and great, less expensive plans will be announced this month. Drug prices coming down & Right to Try! reageer retweet

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 14:14 schreef Re het volgende:
nu Trump zichzelf in de driver seat heeft geplaatst van volledige immuniteit voor moord vrees ik voor Melanie

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 14:14 schreef Re het volgende:
nu Trump zichzelf in de driver seat heeft geplaatst van volledige immuniteit voor moord vrees ik voor Melanie

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 14:35:25 As has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the absolute right to PARDON myself, but why would I do that when I have done nothing wrong? In the meantime, the never ending Witch Hunt, led by 13 very Angry and Conflicted Democrats (& others) continues into the mid-terms! reageer retweet

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 14:41:47 China already charges a tax of 16% on soybeans. Canada has all sorts of trade barriers on our Agricultural products. Not acceptable! reageer retweet

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 13:58 schreef Ulx het volgende:
https://www.axios.com/bil(...)32-42d6fa31726e.html

twitter:

axios twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 13:49:07 Bill Clinton told NBC News' "Today" that he believes he did "the right thing" during the Monica Lewinsky scandal https://t.co/40XLYyxdyQ reageer retweet

Benieuwd wanneer de Reps hier schande van gaan spreken.

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 14:43:38 The U.S. has made such bad trade deals over so many years that we can only WIN! reageer retweet

twitter:

SenJeffMerkley twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 02:33:11 I’m at an immigration detention center where children who have been separated from their families are being held. Trying to get inside to get answers. Follow live >>> https://t.co/CXDjYAFIcB #FamiliesBelongTogether #KeepFamiliesTogether reageer retweet

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 14:10:45 A sitting U.S. Senator is denied entry to an immigration detention facility. Merkley said he was attempting to see firsthand the conditions inside the facility. https://t.co/PM3LeqagO7 reageer retweet

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 14:43 schreef Ulx het volgende:
He's freaking out again.

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 14:41:47 China already charges a tax of 16% on soybeans. Canada has all sorts of trade barriers on our Agricultural products. Not acceptable! reageer retweet

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 14:46 schreef KoosVogels het volgende:

[..]

Daarom bestaat een NAFTA en wordt er onderhandeld over TPP en TTIP, beste Trump.

Heeft iemand enig idee waar hij heen wil met z'n gejank over handelsbarrières?

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op zondag 03-06-2018 om 15:34:19 ....Paul Manafort came into the campaign very late and was with us for a short period of time (he represented Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole & many others over the years), but we should have been told that Comey and the boys were doing a number on him, and he wouldn’t have been hired! reageer retweet

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 14:40:06 JOHN BERNAN: When the president says that Paul Manafort only played a small role in the campaign for a short time, or only says—SAM NUNBERG: Wrong.BERMAN: It’s wrong?NUNBERG: It’s wrong....NUNBERG: It’s inaccurate. It’s 100% inaccurate. reageer retweet

quote:

As has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the absolute right to PARDON myself, but why would I do that when I have done nothing wrong? In the meantime, the never ending Witch Hunt, led by 13 very Angry and Conflicted Democrats (& others) continues into the mid-terms!

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 14:47 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Overigens vraag ik me af hoe het zit met de MAGA posse in dit land: Als Trump gelijk heeft en handel is een zero-sum game ben je dan nog van mening dat wij moeten verliezen?

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 15:03 schreef westwoodblvd het volgende:

[..]

Als het niet nodig is, waarom dan er over tweeten? Blijkbaar denkt hij het nodig te gaan hebben.

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 15:09 schreef Knipoogje het volgende:

[..]

Yup, hij plaveit de weg er naar toe.
Trump: 'Vanwege de witch hunt en de fake beschuldigen kan ik niet anders dan mezelf beschermen om het land te kunnen blijven dienen'
Fox: 'Het is goed wat hij doet!!!! Witch hunt!'
Sinclair: 'Prima dat ie het doet! Hij kan het!'
Breitbart: 'Een goede zet!'
GOP: 'tja, het is legaal blijkbaar' en *crickets*
Base: 'MAGA! witch hunt!'

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 15:07:17 The appointment of the Special Councel is totally UNCONSTITUTIONAL! Despite that, we play the game because I, unlike the Democrats, have done nothing wrong! reageer retweet

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 15:13 schreef Ulx het volgende:

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 15:07:17 The appointment of the Special Councel is totally UNCONSTITUTIONAL! Despite that, we play the game because I, unlike the Democrats, have done nothing wrong! reageer retweet

Hij heeft het echt niet meer.....

Councel.

Hij kan het woord echt niet in één keer juist spellen.

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 15:20 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Wat zou er nu eigenlijk aan de hand zijn? Is Melania bezig met een scheiding? Manafort rekent niet op een presidentieel pardon en werkt nu met Mueller mee?

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 15:19 schreef Tchock het volgende:

[..]

De appointment van zijn eigen(acting) Attorney General, hè. Namens Jeff Sessions gedaan.

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 15:28 schreef Monolith het volgende:

[..]

Ben ook wel benieuwd welk grondwetsartikel er precies geschonden wordt met het benoemen van Mueller.

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 15:28 schreef Monolith het volgende:

[..]

Ben ook wel benieuwd welk grondwetsartikel er precies geschonden wordt met het benoemen van Mueller.

twitter:

krassenstein twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 15:19:00 "The President may win an election by any means necessary, including conspiring with a foreign power to shift votes into one's favor. If the Law challenges this the President may Pardon himself and end any investigation into said crimes."- The US Constitution according to Trump reageer retweet

quote:

The week Trump went full dictator and no one tried to stop him
(..)

Trump is wearing down the American people, one lie at a time. He is chipping away at our notion of what constitutes American justice, one crony pardon at a time. And he is eroding the foundation of our democracy, to make it so weak that by the time he makes his inevitable moves to nullify the Mueller investigation, the remaining frayed house of cards may be too weak to fight back.

(..)

Hour by hour, lie by lie, dictate by dictate, Donald Trump is becoming an American dictator. And recent days have proved what many of us have long feared: That no one knows how to stop this. Not the Republicans or Democrats on Capitol Hill who, for different reasons, are too cowed politically to take substantive action. And not a news media that doesn’t have the mechanisms for informing the public when a president is a compulsive liar.

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 15:39 schreef Tchock het volgende:
Goed opiniestuk van The Inquirer, absoluut lezenswaardig:

[..]

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 15:47:43 Farmers have not been doing well for 15 years. Mexico, Canada, China and others have treated them unfairly. By the time I finish trade talks, that will change. Big trade barriers against U.S. farmers, and other businesses, will finally be broken. Massive trade deficits no longer! reageer retweet

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 15:28 schreef Monolith het volgende:

[..]

Ben ook wel benieuwd welk grondwetsartikel er precies geschonden wordt met het benoemen van Mueller.

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 15:50 schreef ExtraWaskracht het volgende:
Je zou denken dat er wat groot nieuws aan zit te komen. Hij is wel een stuk labieler dan normaal.

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 16:05:25 It took Trump and his team 54 minutes to correct the spelling of the word "counsel." https://t.co/UgNQ1hqHMa reageer retweet

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 15:50 schreef Ulx het volgende:

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 15:47:43 Farmers have not been doing well for 15 years. Mexico, Canada, China and others have treated them unfairly. By the time I finish trade talks, that will change. Big trade barriers against U.S. farmers, and other businesses, will finally be broken. Massive trade deficits no longer! reageer retweet

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 16:27 schreef xpompompomx het volgende:

[..]

En ik maar denken dat de VS de grootste exporteur van landbouwproducten is.

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 15:50 schreef Ulx het volgende:

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 15:47:43 Farmers have not been doing well for 15 years. Mexico, Canada, China and others have treated them unfairly. By the time I finish trade talks, that will change. Big trade barriers against U.S. farmers, and other businesses, will finally be broken. Massive trade deficits no longer! reageer retweet

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 15:56 schreef westwoodblvd het volgende:

[..]

Trump is gewoon aan het message testen. Kijken hoe dingen vallen, hoe de GOP in het Congres er op reageert, Fox, de base, etc. Zo werkt Trump altijd. Wat proefballonnetjes oplaten via Twitter en dan zien wat het beste valt.

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 16:39 schreef Tchock het volgende:

[..]

Een trade deficit is niet slecht. Trump denkt nog steeds oprecht dat dat betekent dat je bestolen wordt.

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 16:20:01 WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court rules narrowly for Colorado baker who wouldn’t make same-sex wedding cake. reageer retweet

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 16:39 schreef Tchock het volgende:

[..]

Een trade deficit is niet slecht. Trump denkt nog steeds oprecht dat dat betekent dat je bestolen wordt.

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 16:39 schreef Tchock het volgende:

[..]

Een trade deficit is niet slecht. Trump denkt nog steeds oprecht dat dat betekent dat je bestolen wordt.

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 16:46 schreef Monolith het volgende:

[..]

Bovendien heeft de VS geen handelstekort, maar een handelsoverschot met Canada.

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 16:45:08 The EPA’s director of scheduling and advance told House investigators she did personal tasks for Scott Pruitt—including asking how much the Trump Int’l Hotel would charge Pruitt to purchase a used hotel mattress. She also arranged Pruitt’s family vacation. https://t.co/JzLi9e0nR3 reageer retweet

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 16:43 schreef Ulx het volgende:

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 16:20:01 WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court rules narrowly for Colorado baker who wouldn’t make same-sex wedding cake. reageer retweet

Goed zo! Oprotten met die goddeloze sodomieten!

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 16:57 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Narrowly heeft hier een andere betekenis.

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 16:57 schreef ExtraWaskracht het volgende:

[..]

Hm ja, dat kan wel... in dat geval kun je vergeten wat ik zei.

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 16:35:46 Don Jr. misunderstands the meaning of the word narrow. It was a narrow ruling in that it left open bigger constitutional questions. It’s not describing the 7-2 vote as narrow. https://t.co/x26XhU2vqf reageer retweet

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 16:58 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]

Je bent niet de enige hoor. Don Jr snapte er ook niets van.

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 16:35:46 Don Jr. misunderstands the meaning of the word narrow. It was a narrow ruling in that it left open bigger constitutional questions. It’s not describing the 7-2 vote as narrow. https://t.co/x26XhU2vqf reageer retweet

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 17:00 schreef ExtraWaskracht het volgende:

[..]

Nou, als hij het al niet snapt...

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 17:02 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Anyway, ik zit nog steeds na te denken over Pruittt die een gebruikte matras uit een Trumpotel wilde kopen. Dat snap ik dan weer niet.

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op donderdag 18-10-2012 om 22:38:20 My Trump Home Mattress Collection by Serta is setting records--they are really phenomenal. You can order them at http://t.co/oeCVxEGZ reageer retweet

quote:

Like many ambitious young scientists, José Pastor-Pareja came to the United States to supercharge his career. At Yale University, he worked in cutting-edge laboratories, collaborated with experts in his field and published in prestigious journals.

But the allure of America soon began to wear off. The Spanish geneticist struggled to renew his visa and was even detained for two hours of questioning at a New York City airport after he returned from a trip abroad. In 2012, he made the surprising decision to leave his Ivy League research position and move to China.

“It is an opportunity not many take,” Pastor-Pareja said. But the perks were hard to resist — a lucrative signing bonus, guaranteed research funding, ample tech staff and the chance to build a genetics research center from scratch.

After decades of American dominance, Chinese science is ascendant, and it is luring scientists like Pastor-Pareja away from the United States. Even more China-born scientists are returning from abroad to a land of new scientific opportunity.

The United States spends half a trillion dollars a year on scientific research — more than any other nation on Earth — but China has pulled into second place, with the European Union third and Japan a distant fourth.

China is on track to surpass the United States by the end of this year, according to the National Science Board. In 2016, annual scientific publications from China outnumbered those from the United States for the first time.

SPOILER

“There seems to be a sea change in how people are talking about Chinese science,” said Alanna Krolikowski, a Chinese science expert at Missouri University of Science and Technology. Foreign observers, many of whom were once condescending, now “are rather in awe at what the Chinese policies have accomplished.”

The scientific advances are a small piece of China’s larger ambitions. President Xi Jinping aims to supplant the United States as the world’s economic superpower within three decades. In October, Xi vowed to produce “a world-class army by 2050.”

Meanwhile, China is spending more on infrastructure than the United States or Europe, and the middle class has ballooned — making relocation more attractive.

“More and more people keep coming, that’s for sure,” Pastor-Pareja said. “Right now, China is the best place in the world to start your own laboratory.”

Under the Trump administration, many U.S. researchers say their work has been devalued, threatened by budget cuts and hampered by stricter immigration policies that could deter international collaborations and the influx of talent that has long fueled American innovation.

“We are in deep doo-doo for two reasons,” said Denis Simon, who has studied Chinese science for 40 years and is the executive vice chancellor of Duke Kunshan University. In his view, the White House, without a science adviser for more than a year, lacks scientific leadership.

And collaboration between U.S. and Chinese researchers is under threat, he said. Recent restrictions on H-1B visas sent a message to Chinese graduate students that “it’s time to go home when you finish your degree.” Since 1979, China and the United States have maintained a bilateral agreement, the Cooperation in Science and Technology, to jointly study fields like biomedicine and high-energy physics. In the past the agreement was signed as a routine matter, Simon said, but that’s no longer the case.

Pastor-Pareja, the geneticist who gave up Yale for Beijing, specializes in studies of cell biology using fruit flies — Drosophila melanogaster.

The field is struggling in the United States, Pastor-Pareja said, as funding has declined. In China, there are now 30 drosophila laboratories in Beijing, he said — more than in either Boston or San Francisco — and scientists have begun meeting every two months to share their latest work.

“At this rate, China may soon eclipse the U.S.,” Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) warned at a January congressional hearing on the state of American science, “and we will lose the competitive advantage that has made us the most powerful economy in the world.”

The biggest and fastest

The burgeoning science race is hugely important to China’s leaders, in part because of what it says about the country’s growing global standing. In recent years, the government has invested in scientific endeavors for strategic advantage — and also boasting rights.

China has 202 of the world’s 500 most powerful supercomputers — 60 more systems than in the United States. The largest radio telescope ever built — a massive, 500-meter, $180 million dish called the Aperture Spherical Telescope that hunts for distant black holes — is in the southern province of Guizhou, where its construction required 9,000 Chinese residents to relocate.

President Trump has directed NASA to return astronauts to the moon. But the moon may be crowded when they arrive: Both China and India are planning to launch landers toward the moon this year. China is collaborating with the European Space Agency on a potential moon base.

Last year, Chinese scientists produced “entangled photons,” light particles linked together on a quantum physics level, aboard a satellite in orbit 300 miles up. The particles were beamed to locations on Earth 750 miles apart and remained linked — which could potentially be a step toward a new form of instant and secure communication.

Also last year, biologists in China became the first to successfully clone a monkey using the technique that created Dolly the sheep. Genetically identical primates, their creators said, would speed medical research because the effects of any drug being tested could be traced to the treatment, not differences in genes.

Chinese leaders recently unveiled plans to become the world leader in artificial intelligence, aiming to turn the field into a $150 billion industry by 2030. Already, China’s artificial intelligence boom has led to advanced facial recognition. At a KFC restaurant in the eastern city of Hangzhou, for example, customers can now pay for their fried chicken using a machine that scans their faces. Baidu, China’s search-engine giant, plans to partner with an airport to roll out facial recognition for airline passengers this year.

Growing from stumps

The recent scientific advancements are especially notable, given China’s fraught history. Its scientific community was devastated during the 1966-1976 Cultural Revolution, when academics were denounced as “counterrevolutionary” and universities were closed, halting almost all research and scientific training.

Only with the death of Mao Zedong in 1976 did China’s research community begin to regrow around its stumps. In the following decades, China’s leaders tackled their lagging status with a method their authoritarian Communist Party has become known for: top-down, long-term strategic planning.

During the early 2000s, party leaders declared an ambitious 15-year goal of devoting 2.5 percent of China’s total gross domestic product to scientific research and development by 2020. They enacted rules that required Western companies, hungry for access to China’s market, to share technology with their Chinese counterparts. According to U.S. agencies, China’s military and intelligence agencies also stole research from key U.S. technology companies and sectors.

In 2015, Li Keqiang, the Chinese premier, announced “Made in China 2025,” a plan to boost aviation, robotics and other high-tech industries. It recently became a flash point in the trade tensions between the United States and China, when the Trump administration proposed tariffs that target such industries.

Within the scientific community, one of China’s most successful plans has been an aggressive recruiting program called Thousand Talents.

For the past decade, the program has targeted Chinese citizens who have studied at elite universities in the United States and elsewhere. It has lured back these foreign-trained experts by, essentially, throwing money at them. The program has also gone after a smaller number of foreign-born scientists who have won prestigious prizes or made internationally recognized scientific contributions.

One recruit, a Californian chemist named Jay Siegel, became dean of the School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology at Tianjin University. He encouraged Fraser Stoddart of Northwestern University, who was awarded a Nobel Prize in 2016 for his work with molecular machines, to set up a lab at Tianjin as a visiting professor.

“When the program came out in 2008, it was almost perfect timing because of the global economic crisis,” said Cong Cao, who studies Chinese science policy at the University of Nottingham in Ningbo, China. “It’s now been so successful, the program has almost overachieved.”

The program has brought more than 7,000 scientists and entrepreneurs to China, the government says. They are given a $160,000 signing bonus, and the government often guarantees research funding for years to come. Foreign-born scientists often get additional perks, like subsidies for housing, meals, relocation, additional bonuses from their provincial government, guaranteed jobs for spouses and regular trips back home.

China’s growing attraction for scholars was clear when Duke University decided to open a new joint graduate and research university with Wuhan University in China’s Hubei province in 2013, and applicants for the first few faculty positions quickly overran expectations.

“We were looking for 20 people. We got 1,300 applications,” said Simon, the Duke Kunshan University chancellor. “People from all over the world expressed interest.”

At the same time, China has been ramping up the quantity and quality of its homegrown talent. According to National Science Foundation statistics, China has almost caught up to the United States in its annual number of doctoral degrees in science and engineering, with 34,000 vs. the United States’ 40,000.

Among the brightest of those homegrown stars is Zhao Bowen, a Chinese science prodigy who dropped out of high school to start running a genetics lab. Now 25, Zhao has launched a biomedical start-up focused on microbiome research and chose to locate it in Beijing over anywhere else in the world.

“The U.S. used to be the best at supporting fundamental research,” Zhao said in an interview at his lab. He explained that the United States may still lead in education and research, but for entrepreneurs like him, China now offers not just low start-up costs but also often money that can be pumped in from state research institutes.

Between 2000 and 2015, research spending in the United States increased an average of 4 percent annually. China during that time ratcheted up its spending by an average of 18 percent each year.

Quality control

Though China’s trajectory is clear, U.S. and Chinese experts say the country’s scientific community still struggles with significant hurdles.

While China recently surpassed the United States in sheer volume of scientific papers published, U.S. papers were cited by other researchers more often. Facing pressures to publish, some Chinese academics have been known to publish “junk papers” to meet expectations, Chinese and Western scientists say. Last year, 100 scientific papers involving hundreds of Chinese authors were retracted in a major crackdown on publication fraud.

China-based entrepreneurs have applied for a record-setting number of patents, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization, but studies suggest a similar inflation may be going on, and critics have questioned the quality and novelty of many of those applications.

And China’s research culture, which is often dominated like much else in the country by personal and political connections, also continues to pose a barrier at times to recruiting the highest caliber of scientific talent. China also has a much less stringent regulatory system overseeing its research than the United States, where, for example, the Food and Drug Administration reviews research on new drugs and medical devices. Lax regulation often allows Chinese scientists to be quicker in applying powerful biological techniques — like gene therapies — to humans, but it also has cast doubt at times on the ethics and rigor of its research.

Still, China has much to offer the United States, some experts say, and the U.S. government should encourage collaboration, not rivalry. Science is one of the most international human endeavors, the experts add, and it has become increasingly global and cooperative.

Every large-scale scientific accomplishment in modern times — whether sequencing a new genome or identifying a subatomic particle — has involved collaborators from multiple countries.

In fact, American authors of scientific papers are more likely to collaborate with Chinese scientists than with colleagues from any other nation, according to National Science Foundation data.

Leaders in Washington should embrace the cooperative spirit of working scientists, Simon said, rather than treating China as a threat. “The Chinese, for the first time, really have something to offer us,” he said. “It is vitally in the U.S. interest to plug in.”

quote:

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday she supports the idea of a joint European defense force, adding that the initiative could be open to British participation post Brexit.

Merkel’s French counterpart Emmanuel Macron has been pushing for the creation of a combined EU military force that could be deployed to trouble spots around the world. The idea had so far received a frosty reception in Berlin, with defense minister Ursula von der Leyen saying the idea is “not an imminent project for tomorrow.” Merkel’s intervention represents a significant change of tone.

SPOILER

“I am in favor of President Macron’s proposal for an intervention initiative,” Merkel said in a wide-raning interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.

Merkel said the initiative “needs to fit into the structure of defense cooperation,” which she said should bring down the number of different EU weapon systems from 180 to “about 30.”

“With this, we will already develop more European unity. This will need to be complemented by joint strategic action in [military] deployment.”

The German leader also supported Macron’s idea of inviting Britain — which has the second-largest army in the EU — to join that force even after it leaves the bloc. “We can additionally open that initiative to a country like Great Britain,” Merkel said.

Germany’s Bundeswehr would not need to participate in all such European missions, Merkel said, and would join “to the extent of the possibilities of a parliamentary army.”

Asked about Macron’s proposals for closer eurozone cooperation, Merkel said she could envisage a future European Monetary Fund paying out short-term credit lines, on top of the long-term credits already provided by the European Stability Mechanism.

“I can envisage the possibility of a credit line with shorter maturities, for example five years. With this, we could assist countries which have run into trouble due to external circumstances. Of course, this would always be bound to conditions, would be limited in volume and with complete repayment,” said the German chancellor.

“A [European Monetary Fund] with such powers needs to be able to assess the economic situation in all member countries on its own competence. It should also evaluate the debt sustainability of the member countries and must be equipped with the right instruments to re-establish this, if needed,” she added.

Asked about the debate on the EU’s next multiyear budget, Merkel said it is important for the EU to vote through the next Multiannual Financial Framework before the next EU election, and predicted that all net payers would need to shoulder bigger contributions.

“In today’s uncertain times, Europe must be capable of acting at any time. If we postpone these discussions, we could end up not being able to pay Erasmus scholarships for an entire year, or delaying the development of Frontex … not to speak of structural funds and important research programs,” she said.

twitter:

mkraju twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 17:28:58 Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley just told me this: “If I were president of the United States and I had a lawyer that said I could pardon myself, I think I would hire a new lawyer.” reageer retweet

quote:

High-level trade talks with China over the weekend produced no immediate breakthroughs, the White House indicated Monday in a bland statement that made no reference to Beijing's threat to halt the negotiations if the United States proceeds to impose tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods.

"The meetings focused on reducing the United States' trade deficit by facilitating the supply of agricultural and energy products to meet China’s growing consumption needs, which will help support growth and employment in the United States," the White House said.

"The United States officials conveyed President Donald J. Trump’s clear goal for achieving a fair trading relationship with China,“ the statement said.

The last line of the statement hinted of next steps to come. “The delegations will now report back to receive guidance on the path forward," the statement continued.

SPOILER

Beijing was first out of the gate with a statement on Sunday after two days of meetings in Beijing led by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He.

China warned that "all economic and trade outcomes of the talks will not take effect if the U.S. side imposes any trade sanctions, including raising tariffs."

That was a reference to Trump's plan to impose a 25 percent tariffs on about $50 billion worth of Chinese goods related to a Chinese initiative that aims to make the country dominant in several high-tech sectors like robotics, artificial intelligence and self-driving cars.

The Trump administration plans to issue the list of goods that will be hit with the tariffs by June 15, and impose the duties shortly thereafter. That's expected to prompt China to retaliate on $50 billion worth of U.S. goods, including leading exports like soybeans and aircraft.

Trump seemed to allude to the possibility of China taking that action in a tweet Monday morning that noted "China already charges a tax of 16% on soybeans. Canada has all sorts of trade barriers on our Agricultural products. Not acceptable!"

Last year, the United States exported more than $12 billion worth of soybeans to China, accounting for more than half of U.S. agricultural sales to that country.

The purpose of Ross' trip was described as negotiating long-term contracts with the Chinese to boost sales of U.S. agricultural and energy products. However, the prospects for success seemed dim after Trump revived the threat last week to impose new duties on Chinese goods.

In a second tweet, Trump referred to both China and the stalled negotiations with Canada and Mexico over updating the 24-year-old NAFTA pact.

"Farmers have not been doing well for 15 years. Mexico, Canada, China and others have treated them unfairly. By the time I finish trade talks, that will change. Big trade barriers against U.S. farmers, and other businesses, will finally be broken. Massive trade deficits no longer!" he said.

In reality, despite some issues, Canada, China and Mexico are already the three biggest markets for U.S. agricultural exports, with each taking about $20 billion worth of American farm goods.

Farmers have been worried Trump could jeopardize those sales by imposing new tariffs on China or withdrawing from NAFTA, as he has often threatened to do.

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 17:47 schreef ExtraWaskracht het volgende:
Grassley is het niet eens met een van Trumps dictatoriale statements:

twitter:

mkraju twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 17:28:58 Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley just told me this: “If I were president of the United States and I had a lawyer that said I could pardon myself, I think I would hire a new lawyer.” reageer retweet

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Op maandag 4 juni 2018 18:05 schreef Montov het volgende:

[..]

Nee, hij vindt de negatieve PR niet leuk. Dit zou niet zijn reactie zijn geweest als er een Democraat president zou zijn.

twitter:

SethAbramson twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 17:57:19 (THREAD) The Constitution doesn't allow a president to pardon himself—or any person with whom he has illegally conspired. No serious scholar believes "self-pardoning" is legal. This thread discusses why Trump's latest claim is false and dangerous. I hope you'll read and share it. https://t.co/hoHimTZcrg reageer retweet

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 18:01 schreef Kijkertje het volgende:
Latest China trade talks indicate impasse

[..]

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 18:05 schreef Montov het volgende:

[..]

Nee, hij vindt de negatieve PR niet leuk. Dit zou niet zijn reactie zijn geweest als er een Democraat president zou zijn.

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Op maandag 4 juni 2018 18:48 schreef ExtraWaskracht het volgende:

[..]

Dat hij anders had gereageerd als een Democratische president zoiets had gezegd wil niet zeggen dat hij hier liegt als hij aangeeft dat het juridisch gezien onzin is.

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Op maandag 4 juni 2018 18:52 schreef Montov het volgende:

[..]

Ik weet niet of hij dat ermee bedoelt. Ik lees het alsof die advocaat zo dom is om dat openlijk te zeggen.

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Op maandag 4 juni 2018 18:51 schreef Monolith het volgende:
Er schijnt ook een telefoongesprek geweest te zijn tussen Macron en Trump waarin Macron in de veronderstelling was dat Trump wel een beetje kritiek op zijn beleid zou kunnen verdragen. Dat schijnt dus geen leuk gesprek geweest te zijn al ontbreken de details tot dusver.

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 16:43 schreef Ulx het volgende:

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 16:20:01 WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court rules narrowly for Colorado baker who wouldn’t make same-sex wedding cake. reageer retweet

Goed zo! Oprotten met die goddeloze sodomieten!

quote:

Supreme court sides with baker who refused to make gay wedding cake
Court rules in favor of Masterpiece Cakeshop, but doesn’t address principle of whether a business can refuse to serve gay people

The US supreme court has ruled in favor of the Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple for religious reasons – but avoided a wider ruling on religious exemptions for businesses.

Charlie Craig and David Mullins went to the Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colorado, in July 2012, only for owner Jack Phillips to say he would not provide a cake for a same sex couple.

They complained to the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which decided against Phillips.

But the case went all the way to the supreme court which, on Monday, ruled 7-2 that the commission had violated Phillips’ rights under the first amendment, which guarantees freedom of expression.

The court did not address the wider principle of whether a business can refuse to serve gay and lesbian people, saying this “must await further elaboration”.

Writing for the court’s majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy said the Colorado Civil Rights Commission showed “hostility” to his religious beliefs in a proceeding that found he violated the law and ordered him to undergo anti-discrimination training.

“The laws and the constitution can, and in some instances must, protect gay persons and gay couples in the exercise of their civil rights, but religious and philosophical objections to gay marriage are protected views and in some instances protected forms of expression,” Kennedy wrote.

The decision focused narrowly on the handling of Phillips’ case, however, leaving open the question of whether anti-discrimination laws should supercede religious beliefs in future cases.

“The court’s precedents make clear that the baker, in his capacity as the owner of a business serving the public, might have his right to the free exercise of religion limited by generally applicable laws,” Kennedy wrote.

“Still, the delicate question of when the free exercise of his religion must yield to an otherwise valid exercise of state power needed to be determined in an adjudication in which religious hostility on the part of the state itself would not be a factor in the balance the state sought to reach. That requirement, however, was not met here.”

Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, the court’s two most liberal justices, dissented. They said they would have upheld the finding of the commission, which decided that Phillips violated the Colorado anti-discrimination law that bars businesses from refusing service based on race, sex, marital status or sexual orientation.

Appeals in similar cases are pending, including one at the supreme court from a florist who didn’t want to provide flowers for a same sex wedding. Since the Masterpiece incident in 2012, same sex marriage has become legal across the country.

Donald Trump Jr, the president’s son, reacted to the decision by mocking media coverage that described it as narrow. He tweeted: “I am reading about a 7 - 2 vote. Pretty sure that’s not narrowly... At least 2 dem leaning justices must have agreed.” But critics on Twitter quickly upbraided him, pointing out that it was the legal decision that was “narrow”, not the vote among the justices.

The American Principles Project, a conservative think tank, welcomed the decision as a victory for religious rights over LGBTQ rights. Terry Schilling, its executive director, said: “Today’s emphatic 7-2 ruling is a tremendous victory for Jack Phillips and all Americans who desire to follow their faith and conscience. It also serves as a condemnation of the institutional anti-Christian bigotry that has grown rampant over the past decade.”

But the Human Rights Campaign, America’s biggest LGBTQ civil rights organization, noted the limited frame of reference of the ruling. Chad Griffin, its president, said: “In today’s narrow ruling against the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, the supreme court acknowledged that LGBTQ people are equal and have a right to live free from the indignity of discrimination. Anti-LGBTQ extremists did not win the sweeping ‘license to discriminate’ they have been hoping for – and today’s ruling does not change our nation’s longstanding civil rights laws.”

Tom Perez, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said: “This case was never just about a wedding cake. It was about all people – no matter who they are – having the right to celebrate their love without facing discrimination. The Democratic party believes that no individual has a license to discriminate. We believe in the dignity of every human being. And we will continue to fight for equality for LGBTQ people in all areas of our society – from housing and healthcare, to bathrooms and boardrooms, to bakeries and the ballot box.”

twitter:

RepAdamSchiff twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 18:17:50 President Nixon asked the Department of Justice if he could pardon himself. They said no, as no one may be the judge in their own case. He resigned three days later. In case you want to follow the Nixon model, that would be Thursday. https://t.co/5ntHaySTBJ reageer retweet

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Op maandag 4 juni 2018 19:48 schreef Monolith het volgende:
Nog wat info over de aankomende primaries:

https://fivethirtyeight.c(...)primary-day-of-2018/

quote:

Koch network warns Republicans on trade in new ad campaign (Washington Examiner)

The Koch brothers network on Monday announced a multi-million dollar ad campaign to promote free trade that will also serve as a warning shot saying that Republicans need to stand up to President Trump, and keep him from imposing tariffs on imported goods and raw materials.

“Trade is a major priority for our network. We will work aggressively to educate policymakers and others about the facts,” James Davis, a senior spokesman for the Koch network, said in a statement shared with the Washington Examiner. “This announcement is a demonstration of our long-term commitment to advance common-sense trade policies that will ensure America’s brightest days are ahead, and to directly confront the protectionist ideas that would hold us back.”

The Koch network of political advocacy organizations this year pledged to spend nearly $400 million to help Republicans defend majorities in the House and Senate that are threatened by the potential for a voter backlash against Trump.

But while the network is a fan of the GOP tax cuts, it appears to have grown frustrated with Republicans, and is now signaling that planned financial and grassroots support in key midterm contests could be withheld or re-directed.

Unhappiness with Trump’s trade policies is the latest in a string of disappointments. He is proceeding with steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from not just adversaries such as China, but allies such as Canada, Mexico, and the European Union. These levies could spread to other imports if the fight escalates.

That disagreement was preceded by the failure to pass legislation to protect illegal immigrants participating in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and the passage of a massive, omnibus spending bill. Now, rather than emphasizing preservation of the GOP’s congressional power, the network is signaling its intention to support politicians of any party that supports its priorities.

Just last week, the Koch brothers’ main grassroots organization, Americans for Prosperity, unveiled a digital campaign praising Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., for supporting a roll back of the Dodd-Frank financial protection law, even though she is a top Republican target. Her presumptive Republican challenger, Rep. Kevin Cramer, wasn’t amused.

“This president has demonstrated strong leadership in his effort to provide the American people with the most substantial tax relief this nation has seen in decades,” AFP president Tim Phillips said in a statement. “These tariffs amount to self-imposed barriers to the success of tax reform and we urge the administration to reconsider.”

The Koch network declined to elaborate on what its advertising and grassroots efforts would like in the months head. However, network officials suggested that Monday’s announcement should not be interpreted as a toothless threat.

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Cabinet heads told to praise Paris exit. 'No exceptions'

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos last year praised President Trump's decision to pull the United States from the Paris climate accord.

Her staff later told her what she had said about it.

DeVos' chief of staff approved the secretary's two-sentence statement on Trump's exit from the climate change agreement, with her espousing the president's rollback of "overreaching regulatory actions" and keeping his promise "to put America and American workers first." Aides later worked to bring it to DeVos' attention, according to emails obtained by E&E News under the Freedom of Information Act.

[..]

"Cabinet Communicators!" Kaelan Dorr, then an aide in the White House press office, said in an email a little over two hours before Trump announced his decision.

"Please join our surrogate briefing call at the below number at 1:30pm. We need all Cabinet agencies to prep statements of support for the decision being announced at 3:00pm in the Rose Garden," he said, asking those statements be sent to him and other White House press aides for approval within 30 minutes of the call's conclusion.

"No exceptions," Dorr said, adding that talking points would also be distributed after the call.

[..]

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Op maandag 4 juni 2018 19:04 schreef Monolith het volgende:

[..]

Dat ligt nog wel iets genuanceerder.

[..]

https://www.theguardian.c(...)aker-decision-latest

quote:

Kennedy said comments during public hearings before the commission in the case disparaged Phillips’s faith as despicable and compared his sincerely held religious beliefs to defenses of slavery and the Holocaust.

“This sentiment is inappropriate for a commission charged with the solemn responsibility of fair and neutral enforcement of Colorado’s anti-discrimination law — a law that protects discrimination on the basis of religion as well as sexual orientation,” Kennedy said.

quote:

The White House is talking up Trump’s accomplishments – but as ever, many of the president’s claims are misleading

The White House issued a grandiose statement on Monday morning celebrating “President Donald J Trump’s 500 days of American greatness”.

Trump made a series of claims about his first 500 days in office, celebrating his economic policies, touting his success in adding jobs, and claiming to have made communities safer.

As ever with Trump, many of these boasts are inaccurate or misleading. Here, under his own four main headings, we appraise some of his key 500-day declarations.

SPOILER

‘America’s economy is stronger … thanks to President Trump’s pro-growth agenda’

CLAIM “Three million jobs have been created since Trump took office,” booms Trump’s news release. He made the same claim at a rally in April.

REALITY What Trump does not tell people is that the rate of job creation under him is actually slower than the last four years under Obama. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2.188m jobs were added in 2017. Obama added 2.3m in 2013, 2.99m in 2014, 2.71m in 2015, and 2.24m in 2016.

Trump claimed that the unemployment rate has dropped to 3.8%. On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics did indeed report the unemployment rate for May was 3.8%.

But what Trump ignores is that the unemployment rate is declining in part because of large numbers of people leaving the workforce rather than getting jobs. The percentage of workers in jobs or looking for work dropped from 62.9% in March, to 62.8% in April to 62.7% in May. Those levels have not been seen since the 1970s.

CLAIM “American families received $3.2tn in gross tax cuts.”

REALITY Trump has been making this claim since 2017, when he signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act into law. In fact, the bill delivers $1.5tn in tax cuts – and that number includes cuts that corporations will receive.

The disparity is because Trump does not include aspects of the bill which will actually increase taxes. Factcheck.org pointed out that the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation estimates the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will result in $1.456tn less in taxes over the next 10 years.

Some of that comes from the corporate income tax rate being cut from 35% to 21%, while the tax rate for wealthy individuals has been cut from 39.6% to 37%. The tax cut for corporations is permanent; the tax cuts for individuals will expire in 2026.

The bill is projected to add $1.46tn to the nation’s debt over the next decade. And the Washington thinktank the Center for American progress predicts that Trump will save $11m to $15m a year under the tax bill, while Jared Kushner will save between $5m and $12m per year.

CLAIM “President Trump has rolled back unnecessary job-killing regulations such as the Clean Power Plan.”

REALITY Trump hails the government’s October 2017 decision to scrap the Clean Power Plan, which was introduced by Obama and was designed to cut US carbon dioxide emissions by 32% by 2030.

The Environmental Protection Agency had previously estimated the plan would prevent 90,000 child asthma attacks and 3,600 premature deaths a year by 2030.

While Trump claims the Clean Power Plan has already been rolled back, as of May 2018 the EPA was yet to finalize its repeal, and 19 states are challenging the government’s move to scrap the plan – giving hope that Trump and Pruitt could be thwarted, or at least delayed.

‘America is winning on the world stage’

CLAIM “The president has taken action to confront aggression by Iran and its proxies.”

REALITY Trump has withdrawn from the landmark international deal on Tehran’s nuclear programme. In doing so he drew condemnation from the leaders of the UK, Germany and France, who made clear that Iran was abiding by the terms of the agreement.

‘America’s government is more accountable’

CLAIM “President Trump has confirmed the most circuit court judges of any president in their first year.”

REALITY Unfortunately for those not aligned with the president’s political views, this is correct. Republicans have rushed through the appointment of 21 such judges, and Trump plans to add 20 more by the end of 2018.

Most of those appointments are white men, and almost one third have anti-LGBT records. The majority of Trump’s appointments are under 50 – meaning they could influence decision-making in the US for decades to come.

‘America’s communities are safer and more secure’

CLAIM Immigration and Customs Enforcement – ICE – has “made 110,568 arrests of illegal aliens – a 42% increase for the same timeframe in 2016.”

REALITY There is no mention of the disruption this has had on communities across the country – and on the terrible toll Trump’s actions have had on families.

Between 6 and 19 May, 658 children were taken away from their parents at the border, after the Trump administration announced that parents detained while entering the US without documentation would be separated from their children and prosecuted.

twitter:

ddale8 twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 20:44:48 Asked why Trump thinks he has an absolute right to pardon himself, Sarah Sanders says, "Thankfully the president hasn't done anything wrong and wouldn't have any need for a pardon." Pressed, she repeats that line nearly word for word. reageer retweet

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 21:01:18 Sarah Sanders, after saying at a past briefing that Trump did not dictate the Don Jr. Trump Tower meeting statement, now says that she cannot comment on that same statement because it’s a matter for Trump’s outside counsel. reageer retweet

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Op maandag 4 juni 2018 14:46 schreef Kijkertje het volgende:

twitter:

SenJeffMerkley twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 02:33:11 I’m at an immigration detention center where children who have been separated from their families are being held. Trying to get inside to get answers. Follow live >>> https://t.co/CXDjYAFIcB #FamiliesBelongTogether #KeepFamiliesTogether reageer retweet

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 14:10:45 A sitting U.S. Senator is denied entry to an immigration detention facility. Merkley said he was attempting to see firsthand the conditions inside the facility. https://t.co/PM3LeqagO7 reageer retweet

Video in link: Sen. Jeff Merkley's Video Of An Immigration Detention Center Denying Him Entry Is Sparking Outrage

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 21:35:10 Now a second Democratic senator says he was denied entry to a migrant detention center. https://t.co/l9GKpva5lM reageer retweet

twitter:

SenatorMenendez twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 16:38:49 This is outrageous. Sec. Nielsen owes us answers. My team was also barred from touring a migrant processing facility where families are being separated. When the elected representatives of the people can't observe how our government is operating, we're in an upside down world. https://t.co/82K1y2dRUm reageer retweet

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 21:08 schreef Kijkertje het volgende:

twitter:

ddale8 twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 20:44:48 Asked why Trump thinks he has an absolute right to pardon himself, Sarah Sanders says, "Thankfully the president hasn't done anything wrong and wouldn't have any need for a pardon." Pressed, she repeats that line nearly word for word. reageer retweet

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 21:01:18 Sarah Sanders, after saying at a past briefing that Trump did not dictate the Don Jr. Trump Tower meeting statement, now says that she cannot comment on that same statement because it’s a matter for Trump’s outside counsel. reageer retweet

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Op maandag 4 juni 2018 19:14 schreef Kijkertje het volgende:

twitter:

RepAdamSchiff twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 18:17:50 President Nixon asked the Department of Justice if he could pardon himself. They said no, as no one may be the judge in their own case. He resigned three days later. In case you want to follow the Nixon model, that would be Thursday. https://t.co/5ntHaySTBJ reageer retweet

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Op maandag 4 juni 2018 21:43 schreef Fir3fly het volgende:
Wie de neuk is die Kyle griffin eigenlijk?

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 21:39 schreef Kijkertje het volgende:

[..]

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 21:35:10 Now a second Democratic senator says he was denied entry to a migrant detention center. https://t.co/l9GKpva5lM reageer retweet

twitter:

SenatorMenendez twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 16:38:49 This is outrageous. Sec. Nielsen owes us answers. My team was also barred from touring a migrant processing facility where families are being separated. When the elected representatives of the people can't observe how our government is operating, we're in an upside down world. https://t.co/82K1y2dRUm reageer retweet

quote:

Let’s talk about Melania Trump.

America’s first lady was last seen in public on May 10. On Friday morning we learned she won’t join the president this weekend at Camp David. Her absence has sparked all manner of wild theorizing, from rumors of plastic surgery to suggestions she moved back to New York City.

But I’m here to tell you it’s far more scandalous than anyone imagined.

After minutes of careful conjuring and professional assumptionizing, I unraveled the truth: The Deep State helped sneak Melania out of the White House through a tunnel and she is now living with Barack and Michelle Obama.

Donald Trump proved conclusively that President Barack Obama was not born in America.

I’ll get to the details of my investigation in a moment, but first, let’s make sure everyone understands the Deep State. It’s the insidious network of government workers devoted to bringing down President Trump’s administration. We know it’s real because a bunch of people on television and the president of the United States say it’s real.

We also know the Deep State is behind another very real scandal that Trump has dubbed “SpyGate.” SpyGate — also known as SPYGATE! — involves spies Trump claims were placed inside his campaign in an effort to unfairly link him to all the secret meetings members of his campaign were innocently having with shady Russian figures.

SpyGate is 100 percent real, and we know that because the evidence is so overwhelmingly obvious that regular non-Trump humans aren’t able to see it. It’s a bit like how the president said definitively that his inauguration crowd was larger than Obama’s — our eyes clearly saw that Obama had the bigger crowd, but we were wrong because Trump has superior eyes and is right and we should know better.

OK, now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s get back to Melania and the fact that she let the Deep State extract her from the White House via a tunnel built by Eric Trump (did I mention Eric Trump is part of this?) and is now living happily with the Obamas.

This is the timeline of events:

April 21: Melania attends the funeral of former first lady Barbara Bush and is photographed sitting next to Barack and Michelle Obama. Suspiciously, Melania is smiling warmly for the first time in recorded history.

May 7: Melania introduces her anti-bullying campaign: Be Best. It’s a clear shot at her husband, who invented bullying and prides himself on being worst.

May 10: The first lady is last seen in public.

May 14: Melania has kidney surgery at Walter Reed Medical Center. It wasn’t announced publicly until the surgery was over. Few details are given.

May 19: The White House reports that the first lady has returned to the White House, though there’s no explanation for a five-day hospital stay following a surgery many doctors said is often an outpatient procedure.

May 20: A sinkhole is spotted on the North Lawn of the White House.

May 30: As questions mount about the first lady’s whereabouts, a tweet is sent from her Twitter account that reads: “I see the media is working overtime speculating where I am & what I'm doing. Rest assured, I'm here at the @WHITEHOUSE w my family, feeling great, & working hard on behalf of children & the American people!”

Now let me ask you this: If you’re the Trump administration and you don’t want people to know that the first lady ran off via a tunnel to live with the Obamas — President Trump’s arch-enemies — what would you do? You would write that tweet and send it from the first lady’s Twitter account.

And then you would have the first lady’s communication director draw attention to the tweet and pretend it’s proof that everything is status quo. Sure enough, Stephanie Grisham, the first lady’s communication director, retweeted the May 30 tweet and wrote: “Straight from @FLOTUS!”

You’re probably wondering how I put together the specifics of Melania’s escape? Simple.

The five-night hospital stay for a minor surgical procedure was clearly a ham-handed story concocted by White House officials trying to cover something up. As the days with no public appearances dragged on, I asked myself: Where would Melania most likely be?

Then I remembered the funeral photo and thought, “She’s happiest when she’s with the Obamas.” (Who can blame her? They’re lovely people.) So that told me where she had gone.

It was also clear her accomplice was the Deep State. It’s to blame for literally everything that goes wrong in the administration.

The trickiest part was figuring out how the first lady made it off the White House grounds unnoticed. The sinkhole was the breakthrough.

We all know Eric Trump is a vampire (Google it), and as such, he must have an underground lair at the White House. That makes him the only person connected to the administration with the subterranean skills to create an escape tunnel. The sinkhole was just a minor tunnel cave-in that happened weeks after Melania fled.

And there you have it: MelaniaGate! As ironclad a conspiracy as any of President Trump’s theories on Russia, inauguration sizes, Obama’s birth certificate, tapped phones in Trump Tower or widespread voter fraud.

The unseeable evidence is all there. You just have to believe.

rhuppke@chicagotribune.com

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 21:48 schreef Hyperdude het volgende:

[..]

De Chicago Tribune site doet het niet in de EU door AVG-gezeik.

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 17:47 schreef ExtraWaskracht het volgende:
Grassley is het niet eens met een van Trumps dictatoriale statements:

twitter:

mkraju twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 17:28:58 Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley just told me this: “If I were president of the United States and I had a lawyer that said I could pardon myself, I think I would hire a new lawyer.” reageer retweet

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 21:48 schreef Hyperdude het volgende:

[..]

De Chicago Tribune site doet het niet in de EU door AVG-gezeik.

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 21:08 schreef Kijkertje het volgende:

twitter:

ddale8 twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 20:44:48 Asked why Trump thinks he has an absolute right to pardon himself, Sarah Sanders says, "Thankfully the president hasn't done anything wrong and wouldn't have any need for a pardon." Pressed, she repeats that line nearly word for word. reageer retweet

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op maandag 04-06-2018 om 21:01:18 Sarah Sanders, after saying at a past briefing that Trump did not dictate the Don Jr. Trump Tower meeting statement, now says that she cannot comment on that same statement because it’s a matter for Trump’s outside counsel. reageer retweet

twitter:

ReutersPolitics twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 02:30:59 JUST IN: U.S. Special Counsel Mueller says ex-Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort has attempted to tamper with potential witness - court filing https://t.co/9Dcxi9YGyw reageer retweet

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 02:55:03 Reuters: MANAFORT CALLED, TEXTED AND SENT ENCRYPTED MESSAGES TO TWO PEOPLE IN FEBRUARY TO "INFLUENCE THEIR TESTIMONY AND TO OTHERWISE CONCEAL EVIDENCE" - FBI STATEMENT FILED BY MUELLER reageer retweet

quote:

Special counsel Robert Mueller said in a court filing on Monday that President Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort attempted to tamper with a potential witness while on pretrial release.

Mueller's team has asked the court to revoke or revise Manafort's release conditions, including his bond and house arrest, in the wake of the filing.

The special counsel's office hit Manafort with a 12-count indictment last year, which included conspiracy against the United States, tax fraud, and money laundering.
Manafort has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which are not directly related to his work for the Trump campaign.

President Trump has spoken out about Manafort in recent days, slamming the FBI and Department of Justice for not telling him that agents were "secretly investigating" Manafort during the 2016 presidential campaign.

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op zondag 03-06-2018 om 15:25:18 As only one of two people left who could become President, why wouldn't the FBI or Department of "Justice" have told me that they were secretly investigating Paul Manafort (on charges that were 10 years old and had been previously dropped) during my campaign? Should have told me! reageer retweet

Trump sought to distance himself from Manafort in a subsequent tweet, saying that Manafort was only with the campaign for a short period of time.

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op zondag 03-06-2018 om 15:34:19 ....Paul Manafort came into the campaign very late and was with us for a short period of time (he represented Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole & many others over the years), but we should have been told that Comey and the boys were doing a number on him, and he wouldn't have been hired! reageer retweet

twitter:

SethAbramson twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 02:49:05 Sounds like a bail revocation--and new indictment--are coming for Manafort. A defendant sitting in jail pre-trial is far more likely to flip on a Big Fish than one lounging in his living room. This could be a big deal, especially if this case--and/or the new one--drags on for months. reageer retweet

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 03:20:10 These Manafort events took place in February and Mueller is only acting on them now. Quite an interesting situation. reageer retweet

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 04:05:03 Ex-federal prosecutor Mimi Rocah on the Manafort court filing to @TheLastWord: "It likely means that Paul Manafort is going to go to jail now." reageer retweet

twitter:

jimsciutto twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 02:53:17 So Manafort sent encrypted messages to former employees to encourage them to make “materially false” claims about his lobbying for pro-Russian Ukrainian politicians. While under house arrest! https://t.co/gbJmwkI3my reageer retweet

twitter:

tedlieu twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 03:19:33 Paul Manafort now has two options. Keep fighting the government & spend the rest of his life in prison. Cooperate with the government & spend part of his life in prison.Hoping @realDonaldTrump would try to pardon him went away this weekend when Trump threw him under the bus. https://t.co/SMh21W7EIH reageer retweet

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 03:10:39 Big Supreme Court ruling for Baker just out! reageer retweet

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 04:55:56 The Philadelphia Eagles Football Team was invited to the White House. Unfortunately, only a small number of players decided to come, and we canceled the event. Staying in the Locker Room for the playing of our National Anthem is as disrespectful to our country as kneeling. Sorry! reageer retweet

Giuliani on shifting Trump Tower story: 'It was a mistake. I swear to God.'

quote:

"I don't think anybody's lying," Giuliani told CNN's Chris Cuomo, as part of an interview in which he also railed against former FBI Director James Comey and dismissed the idea that his role defending Trump would hurt his legacy. "I think a mistake was made."

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 05:20:00 I cannot get the phrase "used Trump hotel mattress" out of my head. reageer retweet

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 04:22 schreef Kijkertje het volgende:

twitter:

jimsciutto twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 02:53:17 So Manafort sent encrypted messages to former employees to encourage them to make “materially false” claims about his lobbying for pro-Russian Ukrainian politicians. While under house arrest! https://t.co/gbJmwkI3my reageer retweet

twitter:

tedlieu twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 03:19:33 Paul Manafort now has two options. Keep fighting the government & spend the rest of his life in prison. Cooperate with the government & spend part of his life in prison.Hoping @realDonaldTrump would try to pardon him went away this weekend when Trump threw him under the bus. https://t.co/SMh21W7EIH reageer retweet

Trump heeft nu even belangrijker zaken aan zijn hoofd

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 03:10:39 Big Supreme Court ruling for Baker just out! reageer retweet

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 04:55:56 The Philadelphia Eagles Football Team was invited to the White House. Unfortunately, only a small number of players decided to come, and we canceled the event. Staying in the Locker Room for the playing of our National Anthem is as disrespectful to our country as kneeling. Sorry! reageer retweet

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 07:41 schreef Vis1980 het volgende:

[..]

hoe is het eigenlijk mogelijk dat niet meedoen met een suf liedje zo'n issue is. Dictator Trump...

twitter:

tedlieu twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 06:44:58 I stand for the national anthem because I love the freedom America gives to its residents to say no thanks to the President. https://t.co/bFYZd5iIc5 reageer retweet

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 07:11 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Laat hem eerst maar iets over sancties zeggen tegen zijn eigen baas.

quote:

Op maandag 4 juni 2018 21:46 schreef clumsy_clown het volgende:
migrant processing facility

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Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 09:14 schreef grrrrg het volgende:

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Ik vraag me af wat de term 'migrant processing facility' precies inhoudt en of het wel halal is.

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Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 09:14 schreef grrrrg het volgende:

[..]

Ik vraag me af wat de term 'migrant processing facility' precies inhoudt en of het wel halal is.

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Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 09:31 schreef Chewie het volgende:

[..]

Kreeg gelijk deze associatie

[ afbeelding ]

Ook best een mogelijk scenario na 8 jaar Trump

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Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 09:55 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]

Soylent Green are ANIMALS!

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 10:20 schreef westwoodblvd het volgende:
Nou snap ik waarom Trump laatst ineens, volledig uit het niets en na het maandenlang niet over hem gehad te hebben, over Manafort begon op Twitter.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 10:24 schreef Tijger_m het volgende:

[..]

Er is altijd een directe aanleiding, het is nu eenmaal een simpel, primair mannetje

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 10:43 schreef westwoodblvd het volgende:
Als Manafort straks naar het gevang moet, en Trump hem dan een pardon geeft (een oude rijke man als Manafort houdt het nog geen dag uit in de gevangenis), kunnen we pas echt zien of de beloftes van de Republikeinen iets waard zijn. Die zeggen immers al anderhalf jaar: "als hij echt te ver gaat, grijpen we in".

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 10:43 schreef westwoodblvd het volgende:
Als Manafort straks naar het gevang moet, en Trump hem dan een pardon geeft (een oude rijke man als Manafort houdt het nog geen dag uit in de gevangenis), kunnen we pas echt zien of de beloftes van de Republikeinen iets waard zijn. Die zeggen immers al anderhalf jaar: "als hij echt te ver gaat, grijpen we in".

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Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 11:16 schreef PippenScottie het volgende:

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Maak je geen illusies.

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Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 12:28 schreef westwoodblvd het volgende:

[..]

Die heb ik ook niet, ik bedoel.het meer in de zin van dan worden ze definitief ontmaskerd.

Vraag me wel af waarom Mueller hier nu pas mee komt als hij het al in februari wist.

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 12:38:51 What is taking so long with the Inspector General’s Report on Crooked Hillary and Slippery James Comey. Numerous delays. Hope Report is not being changed and made weaker! There are so many horrible things to tell, the public has the right to know. Transparency! reageer retweet

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 12:51:07 The U.S. has an increased economic value of more than 7 Trillion Dollars since the Election. May be the best economy in the history of our country. Record Jobs numbers. Nice! reageer retweet

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 12:41 schreef Ulx het volgende:

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 12:38:51 What is taking so long with the Inspector General’s Report on Crooked Hillary and Slippery James Comey. Numerous delays. Hope Report is not being changed and made weaker! There are so many horrible things to tell, the public has the right to know. Transparency! reageer retweet

Hij begint de dag weer met de gebruikelijke meltdown.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 13:03 schreef Vis1980 het volgende:

[..]

Transparacy.... daar staat oom Donald om bekend natuurlijk.

twitter:

WalshFreedom twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 13:07:33 The whole point of Trump's attacks on the IG report, like his attacks on the Mueller investigation, is to make sure his supporters don't trust or believe the results. Whatever the results are.One day, Republicans are going to regret these attacks on the FBI & the Justice Dept. https://t.co/8bocOdI45j reageer retweet

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 13:08:34 We will proudly be playing the National Anthem and other wonderful music celebrating our Country today at 3 P.M., The White House, with the United States Marine Band and the United States Army Chorus. Honoring America! NFL, no escaping to Locker Rooms! reageer retweet

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 13:09 schreef Ulx het volgende:

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 13:08:34 We will proudly be playing the National Anthem and other wonderful music celebrating our Country today at 3 P.M., The White House, with the United States Marine Band and the United States Army Chorus. Honoring America! NFL, no escaping to Locker Rooms! reageer retweet

Heeft die gast echt niks beters te doen?

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Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 13:11 schreef Tchock het volgende:

[..]

Het simpele antwoord is natuurlijk "nee". Hij maakt nauwelijks wetgeving, heeft weinig events buiten zijn eigen rally's, is niet bezig met beleidsonderwerpen of dossiers, heeft geen inkomende of uitgaande staatsbezoeken, etc.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 13:14 schreef MangoTree het volgende:

[..]

Iets te simpel antwoord ja.

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 13:21:58 We have had many Championship teams recently at the White House including the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Penguins, New England Patriots, Alabama and Clemson National Champions, and many others. National Anthem & more great music today at 3:00 P.M. reageer retweet

quote:

3. Trump's definition of patriotism is very, very narrow. By the definition offered in his statement tonight, patriotism for Donald Trump is standing proudly for the National Anthem, with your hand on your heart. Doing anything else is disrespectful -- not only to Trump but to the military and to the country as a whole.
So, what about when Baltimore Orioles fans scream "O's" when the line "Oh say can you see?" Or the Washington Capitals fans -- as they did tonight -- cheer wildly when the word "red" is mentioned in the line "rockets red glare?" Is that equally disrespectful? If not, why not?

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 13:31:47 The Russian Witch Hunt Hoax continues, all because Jeff Sessions didn’t tell me he was going to recuse himself...I would have quickly picked someone else. So much time and money wasted, so many lives ruined...and Sessions knew better than most that there was No Collusion! reageer retweet

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 13:34:04 Meeting in Singapore with North Korea will hopefully be the start of something big...we will soon see! reageer retweet

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 13:35 schreef Ulx het volgende:

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 13:31:47 The Russian Witch Hunt Hoax continues, all because Jeff Sessions didn’t tell me he was going to recuse himself...I would have quickly picked someone else. So much time and money wasted, so many lives ruined...and Sessions knew better than most that there was No Collusion! reageer retweet

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 13:50:55 ....@NASCAR and Champion @MartinTruex_Jr were recently at the White House. It was a great day for a great sport! reageer retweet

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 13:48 schreef Tchock het volgende:

[..]

Wat hij hier dus suggereert is dat als hij had geweten dat Sessions zichzelf zou terugtrekken, hij iemand anders had aangesteld die het onderzoek niet had laten doorgaan ook al was het terecht geweest. Pure onwettigheid.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 13:56 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]

Hij geeft inderdaad gewoon toe dat hij het onderzoek wilde blokkeren. Snapt die idioot niet dat Mueller vooral kijkt naar de intentie achter de acties?

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 13:58:52 Separating families at the Border is the fault of bad legislation passed by the Democrats. Border Security laws should be changed but the Dems can’t get their act together! Started the Wall. reageer retweet

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 13:56 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]

Hij geeft inderdaad gewoon toe dat hij het onderzoek wilde blokkeren. Snapt die idioot niet dat Mueller vooral kijkt naar de intentie achter de acties?

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 13:09 schreef Ulx het volgende:

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 13:08:34 We will proudly be playing the National Anthem and other wonderful music celebrating our Country today at 3 P.M., The White House, with the United States Marine Band and the United States Army Chorus. Honoring America! NFL, no escaping to Locker Rooms! reageer retweet

Heeft die gast echt niks beters te doen?

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 14:00 schreef Ulx het volgende:

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 13:58:52 Separating families at the Border is the fault of bad legislation passed by the Democrats. Border Security laws should be changed but the Dems can’t get their act together! Started the Wall. reageer retweet

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 14:06 schreef koemleit het volgende:

[..]

Alles wat er mis gaat is de schuld van de democrats

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 14:07 schreef westwoodblvd het volgende:
Wat een komisch treurige Twitter ochtend weer. De publieke vernedering van Jeff Sessions kwam ook weer aan bod.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 14:06 schreef Tchock het volgende:

[..]

Ik vraag me echt serieus af of Trump niet weet dat zijn partij een meerderheid heeft in Huis en Senaat, of dat hij gewoon maar wat brabbelt zonder te realiseren wat hij echt zegt, of dat hij weet wat hij doet en bewust loopt te liegen en framen.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 14:07 schreef westwoodblvd het volgende:
Wat een komisch treurige Twitter ochtend weer. De publieke vernedering van Jeff Sessions kwam ook weer aan bod.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 14:00 schreef Ulx het volgende:

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 13:58:52 Separating families at the Border is the fault of bad legislation passed by the Democrats. Border Security laws should be changed but the Dems can’t get their act together! Started the Wall. reageer retweet

Attorney General Jeff Sessions: 'If You Are Smuggling A Child, We Will Prosecute You' | NBC News

quote:

Iran has told the U.N. nuclear watchdog that it will increase its nuclear enrichment capacity within the limits set by the 2015 agreement with world powers.

Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman for Iran’s nuclear agency, was quoted by state TV on Tuesday as saying a letter was submitted to the International Atomic Energy Agency detailing the move.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had ordered the increase in a speech Monday, in which he vowed that the country would preserve its nuclear program despite the U.S. withdrawal from the landmark 2015 accord. Iran has said it has the option of resuming industrial-scale enrichment now that the U.S. has withdrawn from the deal.

The agreement set strict limits on Iran’s uranium enrichment in return for the lifting of U.S. and international sanctions.

twitter:

ZERTZ_86 twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 14:04:09 This can’t be serious.... Praying before games with my teammates, well before the anthem, is being used for your propaganda?! Just sad, I feel like you guys should have to be better than this... https://t.co/kYeyH2zXdK reageer retweet

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 15:02:33 In High Tax, High Crime California, be sure to get out and vote for Republican John Cox for Governor. He will make a BIG difference! reageer retweet

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 15:09:59 Get the vote out in California today for Rep. Kevin McCarthy and all of the great GOP candidates for Congress. Keep our country out of the hands of High Tax, High Crime Nancy Pelosi. reageer retweet

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 14:38 schreef Kijkertje het volgende:
Iran informs U.N. of increase in nuclear enrichment capacity

[..]

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 14:08 schreef westwoodblvd het volgende:

[..]

Trump gelooft vaak zelf de leugens die hij verspreidt. Zijn surrogates weten natuurlijk dat het leugens zijn, maar zijn al anderhalf jaar bezig met een systematische campagne van desinformatie.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 15:14 schreef Szura het volgende:

[..]

Vanwaar die PI?

quote:

This is a clear signal from Tehran that it is not simply a bystander and that if the nuclear deal collapses it has options too.

It comes as key European countries struggle to keep the nuclear agreement on life support.

Major international companies are already beginning to distance themselves from Iran in fear of US sanctions.

The move inevitably increases the sense of tension and it probably does those countries eager to maintain the deal few favours.

It highlights the whole issue of Iran's formerly ambitious enrichment programme and again raises the question as to exactly what this enrichment programme was ultimately for.

BBC

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 19:29 schreef ExtraWaskracht het volgende:
Op BNR hoorde ik Bernhard Hammelburg en een vrouw van wie ik de naam niet weet babbelen over dat Trump denkt zichzelf te kunnen pardoneren. Volgens hen heeft hij dat recht. Nu heb ik best wat opinies gelezen hierover, maar geen enkele van een gerespecteerd rechtenprof oid is het ermee eens. Nota bene de DOJ vindt dat een president dat niet mag.

Doen ze geen research als ze hierover opiniëren bij BNR of hebben ze een geheime doos aan advocaten/profs gevonden oid?

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 19:42 schreef Monolith het volgende:

[..]

Ik vind het sowieso een nogal overbodige vraag. Actie tegen een president zal in mijn ogen allereerst een impeachment zijn. Slaagt die, dan kan strafrechtelijke vervolging een optie zijn. Maar dan is hij geen president meer.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 19:42 schreef Monolith het volgende:

[..]

Ik vind het sowieso een nogal overbodige vraag. Actie tegen een president zal in mijn ogen allereerst een impeachment zijn. Slaagt die, dan kan strafrechtelijke vervolging een optie zijn. Maar dan is hij geen president meer.

quote:

It's been the story since Trump was elected.

Dueling, massive crowds showed up in Washington in January 2017: on one day, supporters of the newly inaugurated president; and, the next, an enormous gathering of opponents for the Women's March, with largely women leading the resistance.

A year-and-a-half later, that dynamic has played out in the early contests of this year's crucial midterm primaries. President Trump and the allegiance he's inspired among his base, as well as the outrage he has stirred on the left — particularly among Democratic women — have been two of the dominant storylines of 2018.

And now we enter the busiest stretch of the primary season, beginning with eight states holding primaries Tuesday. Just how busy will June be? Almost two thirds of the country, 31 states, will have voted by July overall, 71 percent of House races will be set and just over half of Senate ones.

Here are the four big messages voters have been sending with their votes so far in the 2018 midterm primaries:

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 12:53 schreef Ulx het volgende:

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 12:51:07 The U.S. has an increased economic value of more than 7 Trillion Dollars since the Election. May be the best economy in the history of our country. Record Jobs numbers. Nice! reageer retweet

En even het gebruikelijke veertje in de eigen bips steken.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 21:17 schreef Euribob het volgende:
[ afbeelding ]

Nog een leuk (al wel iets ouder) plaatje over de gubernal elections dat ik tegenkwam. Toch schrikbarend hoeveel Republikeinse Gouverneurs er zijn.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 21:57 schreef westwoodblvd het volgende:

[..]

Vooral in New England is dat opvallend. Die zijn ook buitengewoon populair (de meesten althans). Toont aan dat Democratische kiezers eerder voorbij een partijlabel kunnen kijken.

Gouverneurs spelen ook vaak een cruciale rol bij het opnieuw tekenen van de districten. Als er een 'Blue Wave' komt gaat dat de Dems het komende decennium veel voordeel opleveren.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 20:35 schreef ExtraWaskracht het volgende:

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Snap ik niet. Het gaat volgens mij over een eventueel pardon voor zichzelf voordat hij uit het ambt gezet zou worden, zijn ambt neerlegt of in 2020 verliest of in 2025 van het toneel verdwijnt. Een latere president kan niet een eerdere pardon intrekken, dus waar heb je het over?

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Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 22:16 schreef Monolith het volgende:

[..]

Ah, ik lees dat de VS inderdaad het concept van gratie op voorhand kent. Dat kennen we in Nederland niet voor zover ik weet.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 22:16 schreef Monolith het volgende:

[..]

Ah, ik lees dat de VS inderdaad het concept van gratie op voorhand kent. Dat kennen we in Nederland niet voor zover ik weet.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 22:05 schreef Barbusse het volgende:
Ik weet niet precies waarom, maar ik zie dat hele 'blue wave' als een erg optimistische voorstelling van zaken...

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 22:24 schreef Euribob het volgende:

[..]

Nouja, alle lichten staan nu toch wel aardig op blauw voor de Democraten? Veel enthousiasme, falende president die veel losmaakt, het onderzoek van Mueller..

Afgezien van de economie is er niets dat Trump helpt lijkt me.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 22:25 schreef Wombcat het volgende:
Als 'ie zichzelf op voorhand gratie verleent, dan zou een normale partij niet meer anders kunnen doen dan 'm impeachen. Je verklaart jezelf dan schuldig, lijkt me wel voldoende reden voor impeachment.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 22:24 schreef Euribob het volgende:

[..]

Nouja, alle lichten staan nu toch wel aardig op blauw voor de Democraten? Veel enthousiasme, falende president die veel losmaakt, het onderzoek van Mueller..

Afgezien van de economie is er niets dat Trump helpt lijkt me.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 22:30 schreef Tchock het volgende:

[..]

Ha.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 13:37 schreef Ulx het volgende:

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 13:34:04 Meeting in Singapore with North Korea will hopefully be the start of something big...we will soon see! reageer retweet

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 22:30 schreef Wombcat het volgende:

[..]

De bubble waarin zijn aanhangers leven.
De continue herhaling van zijn leugens, waardoor feit en fictie steeds meer door elkaar heen lopen.
Rond de 40% approval. Als je bedenkt hoe beroerd Trump is als president, dan is dat bizar hoog.

Niet te vroeg juichen.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 22:21 schreef Barbusse het volgende:

[..]

En met goed recht, want het slaat imho nergens op.

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Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 22:35 schreef Barbusse het volgende:

[..]

Dat zijn een aantal redenen waarom ik niet zo optimistisch ben idd...

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Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 22:40 schreef Monolith het volgende:

[..]

Nee inderdaad, maar het is kennelijk ook wat er destijds bij Nixon is gebeurd. Ford heeft hem bij voorbaat gratie verleend voor wat dan ook.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 22:42 schreef Monolith het volgende:

[..]

Het draait bij de midterms toch hoofdzakelijk om opkomst. De voortekenen zijn best gunstig, maar uiteindelijk is het nog bijna een half jaar tot de daadwerkelijke verkiezingen. Het is aan de Democraten om de achterban geënthousiameerd te houden.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 22:50 schreef Barbusse het volgende:

[..]

En kunnen ze dat denk je? Persoonlijk vind ik de democratische partij behoorlijk passief over het algemeen. Alsof men denkt dat het resentiment tegen Trump en co voldoende is.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 22:46 schreef Barbusse het volgende:

Hopeloos verouderd ondertussen als je het mij vraagt.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 23:10 schreef Monolith het volgende:

[..]

Ik heb geen flauw idee. Complicerende factor bij de midterms is ook dat ze vrij lokaal zijn. Het landelijk sentiment is iets dat meespeelt, maar het gaat in veel gevallen toch ook echt wel om de lokale kandidaat.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 23:10 schreef Wombcat het volgende:

[..]

Zoals wel meer in de amerikaanse staatsinrichting (b.v. first past the post, stelsel kiesmannen voor presidentsverkiezingen, gerrymandering). Hoe meer ik daarvan te weten kom, hoe blijer ik word van onze parlementaire democratie

twitter:

JuddLegum twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 22:37:47 "[S]ources said he could even play some sort of role in the negotiations""A lot of times in situations that involve complex diplomacy countries like to identify ambassadors of goodwill and whether you agree with it or not Dennis Rodman fits the bill." reageer retweet

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 22:50 schreef Barbusse het volgende:

[..]

En kunnen ze dat denk je? Persoonlijk vind ik de democratische partij behoorlijk passief over het algemeen. Alsof men denkt dat het resentiment tegen Trump en co voldoende is.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 23:15 schreef Barbusse het volgende:

[..]

Ik hoop dat op lokaal niveau ze met goede kandidaten komen. Want op landelijk niveau is het lauwe thee op het moment. En ik vind dat zorgelijk, zeker gezien het blik mafketels de GOP steeds open weet te trekken.

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 23:15 schreef Barbusse het volgende:

[..]

Ik hoop dat op lokaal niveau ze met goede kandidaten komen. Want op landelijk niveau is het lauwe thee op het moment.

twitter:

Deadspin twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 21:20:51 Trump unable to remember words to "God Bless America" at replacement event he commissioned to prove his patriotism: https://t.co/LrMPaCEnen https://t.co/oCcWMX9g39 reageer retweet

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 23:41 schreef Nintex het volgende:
Trump moet nog wel even gaan oefenen voor volgend jaar:

twitter:

Deadspin twitterde op dinsdag 05-06-2018 om 21:20:51 Trump unable to remember words to "God Bless America" at replacement event he commissioned to prove his patriotism: https://t.co/LrMPaCEnen https://t.co/oCcWMX9g39 reageer retweet

quote:

Mexico hit back at the United States on Tuesday, imposing tariffs on around $3 billion worth of American pork, whiskey, cheese and other goods in response to the Trump administration’s steel and aluminum levies, further straining relations between the two countries as they struggle to rewrite the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The tariffs came as the Trump administration threw yet another complication into the fractious Nafta talks by saying it wants to splinter discussions with Canada and Mexico and work on separate agreements rather than continue three-country discussions to rewrite the 1994 trade deal.

Larry Kudlow, President Trump’s chief economic adviser, said on Tuesday that Mr. Trump’s “preference now, and he asked me to convey this, is to actually negotiate with Mexico and Canada separately.”

Mr. Kudlow, speaking on Fox and Friends, said pursuing separate deals might allow an agreement to be reached “more rapidly,” adding: “I think that’s the key point. You know, Nafta has kind of dragged on.”

The Trump administration hit Mexico and Canada with 25 percent steel tariffs and 10 percent aluminum tariffs on June 1 as part of a campaign to pressure the countries to agree to America’s demands on a revised Nafta. The United States also imposed metals tariffs on the European Union, Japan and other countries as part of an effort to stop the flow of imported metals.

That approach has only inflamed allies, including Canada and Mexico, which have threatened to strike back with their own targeted tariffs aimed at Republican states and areas that supported Mr. Trump.

Mexico’s list was designed to hit at parts of the United States represented by high-profile Republicans, Mexican officials have said, including steel from Vice President Mike Pence’s home state of Indiana, motorboats from Senator Marco Rubio’s Florida, and agricultural products from the California district of Representative Kevin McCarthy, the House majority leader.

Farmers, who are among those most vulnerable to the Mexican tariffs, said the tariffs would devastate American agriculture.

SPOILER

“These tariffs will exact immediate and painful consequences on many American farmers,” Angela Hofmann, deputy director of Farmers for Free Trade, said in a statement. “Hog, apple, potato and dairy farmers are among those suddenly facing a 10 or 20 percent tax hike on the exports they depend of for their livelihoods. Farmers need certainty and open markets to make ends meet. Right now they are getting chaos and protectionism.”

It is unclear which country will blink first, leaving the future of the trade deal, and the millions of jobs across the continent that are linked to it, so uncertain that many companies are withholding investments they might make to take advantage of the pact.

Mr. Kudlow insisted that the president was not planning to withdraw from Nafta — which he has frequently threatened to do. However, splitting the current trilateral deal into two separate bilateral agreements would likely require nullifying the 25-year-old agreement.

On Friday, Mr. Trump said he would be interested in pursuing separate deals. “These are two very different countries,” he said.

“I like free trade, but I want fair trade,” Mr. Trump said, adding, “They cannot believe they’ve gotten away with this for so many decades.”

People familiar with the deliberations say the idea of separate talks is aimed at pressuring Canada, which American negotiators see as obstructionist and an impediment to the progress of the Nafta negotiations.

But Mexican negotiators insist they would not be willing to consider splitting negotiations, which they view as potentially damaging to North American supply chains and an unnecessary complication of a pact that many businesses rely on, according to people familiar with their thinking. Mexican negotiators say they do not view Canada as their biggest problem in the talks. The three countries have remained at an impasse over significant provisions, including manufacturing rules for autos and an American proposal for a five-year sunset clause that would cause the deal to automatically expire unless the countries voted to renew it.

The clock has essentially run out for the administration to secure a Nafta deal this year. The Trump administration had been trying to conclude Nafta talks by the end of May in order to submit the deal for a vote in the current Republican-controlled Congress.

Given the statutory deadlines the administration must meet to get a trade deal approved, it now appears likely that any vote would drag into next year, after midterm elections that could shift the political makeup of Congress.

Mr. Trump’s strategy in the negotiations with Canada and Mexico has drawn criticism from the business community as well as Democrats and Republicans.

A spokeswoman for Representative Kevin Brady of Texas, the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, said Tuesday that Mr. Brady opposed splitting the negotiations in two.

“A Nafta without both Canada and Mexico included is no longer a North American Free Trade Agreement,” the spokeswoman, Julia Slingsby, said. “Chairman Brady believes one free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico is best for America. It provides the most certainty for American companies and is the best way we can sell ‘Made in America’ products.”

And a survey of chief executive officers released Tuesday morning by Business Roundtable showed that while executives have a positive view of the economy, they see the administration’s trade policy and the prospect of retaliation from other countries as an escalating risk to their businesses.

Joshua Bolten, the president of Business Roundtable, said that uncertainties about trade policy were “a growing weight on economic progress — especially amid escalating trade tensions. America’s current and future economic vitality depends on productive talks with China and a successful modernization of Nafta.”

Senator Orrin G. Hatch of Utah, the Finance Committee chairman, urged Mr. Trump’s team to be patient in the ongoing Nafta negotiations, in a statement last month. “It is critical that the administration takes the time necessary to get these negotiations right,” Mr. Hatch said. “I believe the administration understands that.”

quote:

Graham questions if Rosenstein can remain in charge of Mueller probe

GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) is questioning if Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein can remain in charge of special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into the 2016 election.

Graham said he believes Rosenstein is "conflicted" because of the Justice Department official's role in the firing of then-FBI Director James Comey. Rosenstein drafted a memo that the Trump administration initially used to justify the firing.

"If you're looking at obstruction of justice misconduct post-presidency, the Comey firing as being a form of obstruction of justice, then Rosenstein is a key witness in that and you can't be a witness and oversee the investigation," Graham told reporters on Tuesday.

Graham's comments come after he sent Rosenstein a letter, dated from late last month, questioning his role overseeing the investigation into Russia's election interference and potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow.

Graham noted in the letter that it has been "widely reported" that Mueller's probe also includes investigating if Trump obstructed the Russia investigation by firing Comey.

"Do you consider yourself a potential witness in the Mueller investigation regarding the firing of Director Comey by President Trump?" Graham asked in the letter.

If Rosenstein does believe he's a witness, Graham asked if Rosenstein believes he should step back from the Mueller probe.

Graham indicated on Tuesday that Rosenstein had not yet responded to his letter.

"He's a fine man, very ethical, good guy, but we're going to play this thing straight," Graham said. "Here's the question for Rosenstein, if you're going to be a fact witness as to why Comey was fired how do you stay involved?"

The White House initially pointed to Rosenstein's memo, which took aim at Comey's handling of the probe into Hillary Clinton's private email server, as the basis for his firing. But Trump later indicated he was prepared to fire Comey regardless of the recommendation from the Justice Department.

"I was going to fire Comey. There's no good time to do it, by the way," he told NBC News last year, calling Comey a "showboat" and "grandstander."
Rosenstein has reportedly explored potentially stepping back from the Russia investigation.

CNN reported in April that Rosenstein consulted with ethics officials about his role. And sources told ABC News in June 2017 that Rosenstein raised the issue with Rachel Brand, who was the No. 3 Justice Department official at the time.

[..]

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 07:47 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Er gaat voldoende gebeuren. Als je kijkt hoe Trump steeds geschiftere tweets doet, steeds onsamenhangender bezig is, dan denk ik dat hij weet in diepe shit te zitten.

quote:

The world appears safe from top-two mischief in California. Although it’s still possible for two Republicans to finish in the top two in California’s 10th and 48th congressional districts, the smart money is on the Democratic candidates gaining votes from here on out. And while it looks like Dianne Feinstein will face fellow Democrat Kevin de León in the U.S. Senate race, the races the 39th District and the 49th District are going to be regular Democrat-on-Republican contests, as will the race for governor, where Democrat Gavin Newsom and Republican John Cox advance to the runoff. The presence of a Republican in the governor’s runoff avoids the worst-case scenario for the GOP: getting shut out of both top-of-the-ticket races in California, which could depress Republican turnout in competitive House races statewide.

In Montana, we finally learned that Republican Matt Rosendale will face Democratic Sen. Jon Tester. But because the state counts votes really slowly, the Democratic primary for U.S. House is still too close to call between Kathleen Williams and John Heenan.

New Jersey Democrats got all the candidates they wanted for a handful of competitive House races (much to the chagrin of progressives, in the 2nd District especially), but there were some upsets on the Republican side, like John McCann’s win in the 5th District. However, the GOP did nominate Assemblyman Jay Webber in the 11th District, giving them a good shot at defending that seat.

In New Mexico, Deb Haaland won the 1st Congressional District, putting her in great position to become the first Native American woman elected to Congress. Democrats were also cheered by the GOP’s nomination of die-hard conservative Yvette Herrell in the sleeper Democratic target of NM-02.

A pair of competitive Iowa primaries fizzled, as Fred Hubbell easily won the Democratic nomination for governor and Cindy Axne cruised to the congressional nomination in the 3rd District. Hubbell is wealthy and is likely to be a strong candidate for Team Blue in the fall, while Axne’s rout was another example of the success that women have enjoyed in Democratic primaries this year.

In South Dakota, Rep. Kristi Noem won a tight Republican primary for governor. She’ll probably be replaced in the House by moderate Republican Dusty Johnson, who beat two farther-right rivals.

And in Alabama, tune in again in July, when Rep. Martha Roby faces former Rep. Bobby Bright in a runoff likely to focus on Roby’s un-endorsement of President Trump in 2016. It’ll be a rematch of the 2010 general election.

https://fivethirtyeight.c(...)ections-results/#561

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 08:03 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Ach, Trumpfellator denkt dat Donnie feest aan het vieren is.

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 04:35:02 Democrat Lauren Arthur has won a state Senate seat in Missouri's 17th district, defeating her Republican opponent by 19-points in a district that went for Trump by 4-points (a 23-point swing).This is the 42nd red-to-blue flip of the election cycle. https://t.co/MUNBljYAnX reageer retweet

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 08:38 schreef Ulx het volgende:

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 04:35:02 Democrat Lauren Arthur has won a state Senate seat in Missouri's 17th district, defeating her Republican opponent by 19-points in a district that went for Trump by 4-points (a 23-point swing).This is the 42nd red-to-blue flip of the election cycle. https://t.co/MUNBljYAnX reageer retweet

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 juni 2018 14:38 schreef Kijkertje het volgende:
Iran informs U.N. of increase in nuclear enrichment capacity

[..]

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 07:16 schreef Szura het volgende:
Ook de basketballers hebben geen trek in een feestelijke bijeenkomst met een schofterige polariserende president:

https://nos.nl/artikel/22(...)niet-naar-trump.html

twitter:

RussOnPolitics twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 09:21:49 Dems breathing a HUGE sigh of relief. Candidates from Team Blue will advance in November in #CA39 #CA48 and #CA49. No lockouts in major targeted races. Now, whether the strongest Dem advanced is another story, but the party has lived to fight another day! #CaliforniaPrimary2018 https://t.co/UUcQniSzmD reageer retweet

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 07:55 schreef Trumpinator het volgende:

[..]

Ik denk juist het omgekeerde. Als je weet dat je niks te vrezen hebt kun je wat uitbundiger gaan worden.

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 09:43 schreef Ulx het volgende:

twitter:

RussOnPolitics twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 09:21:49 Dems breathing a HUGE sigh of relief. Candidates from Team Blue will advance in November in #CA39 #CA48 and #CA49. No lockouts in major targeted races. Now, whether the strongest Dem advanced is another story, but the party has lived to fight another day! #CaliforniaPrimary2018 https://t.co/UUcQniSzmD reageer retweet

twitter:

Nate_Cohn twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 09:33:08 Rouda moves into second in CA-48. I'd guess the late mail ballots will pad his tenuous edge reageer retweet

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 10:31 schreef ExtraWaskracht het volgende:

[..]

In CA48 is op het laatste moment nog een telfout oid geweest, waarmee ineens een tweede republikein toch terug in het spel kwam. Dat was een hard gelach geweest. De uitslag (minus 1 precinct) is alsnog wel close. Erg veel kandidaten trouwens.

twitter:

Nate_Cohn twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 09:33:08 Rouda moves into second in CA-48. I'd guess the late mail ballots will pad his tenuous edge [ afbeelding ] reageer retweet

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 10:30 schreef Vis1980 het volgende:

[..]

Hahaha wat een onzin. Dit soort gedrag komt voort uit frustratie en in het nauw gedreven worden.

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 12:32 schreef Trumpinator het volgende:

[..]

Door wat dan?

quote:

President Trump must be deposed in a defamation lawsuit brought last year by a former contestant on "The Apprentice," a judge in Manhattan ruled Tuesday.

In a court order, Judge Jennifer Schechter set a Jan. 31, 2019, deadline for both parties to be deposed in the lawsuit, the New York Post reported. The parties also now face a July 13 deadline to issue requests for documents in the case.

The lawsuit brought by Summer Zervos, a former contestant on "The Apprentice," alleges that Trump defamed her by publicly claiming she had fabricated claims that Trump groped and kissed her without her consent in 2007.

According to the Post, the lawsuit is set to go to trial sometime after June 7, 2019.

Despite Schechter's order that Trump must sit for a deposition, there's still a chance he could avoid that. His lawyers have appealed the case to the New York Court of Appeals, and are still awaiting a response.

Mark Kasowitz, a lawyer for Trump, also said on Tuesday that he would seek to block Zervos's lawyers from asking the president about other women who allege they were sexually harassed or assaulted by Trump, the Post reported.

Schechter's order came two weeks after Kasowitz argued in a court filing that the president is immune to prosecution, and offered point-by-point denials of the allegations against Trump.

Filing the response, however, allowed Zervos's legal team to request to formally question the president under oath.

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 08:08 schreef Ulx het volgende:
http://thehill.com/homene(...)tter_impression=true

De rechter zegt dat Trump een verklaring moet afleggen in de zaak Zervos.

Onder ede.

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 12:40 schreef Trumpinator het volgende:

[..]

Mooi, dan gaat ie mooi tot aan SCOTUS rekken.

quote:

Almost entire days of the Treasury secretary’s schedule are redacted using a ‘law enforcement’ exception to the Freedom of Information Act.

Before stepping off a military jet last summer in Kentucky, where he viewed a solar eclipse at Fort Knox, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin was doing something else in secret.

Mnuchin and his wife’s trip on Aug. 21, 2017, attracted massive public attention after she posted an Instagram photo of her stepping off the jet, tagging the top-tier designers she wore, and arguing with a commenter who questioned the appearance of living the glamorous life on the taxpayer’s dime. Later that day, they viewed the eclipse either on top or in front of the nation’s gold reserves.

But before all of that, Mnuchin’s schedule is completely blacked out.

{....]

Mnuchin's use of the exemption to redact information supposedly related to his personal security is significantly higher than his predecessors.

In the first eight months of Mnuchin's tenure, the Treasury Department has used Exemption 7 148 times, or 18 times per month, on average. (So far, Treasury has released Mnuchin's calendars only through September 2017, with the latest batch coming in mid-May.) By comparison, both Treasury secretaries in the Obama administration used law-enforcement exemptions 235 times in eight years.

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 12:40 schreef Trumpinator het volgende:

[..]

Mooi, dan gaat ie mooi tot aan SCOTUS rekken.

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 15:16:34 Great night for Republicans! Congratulations to John Cox on a really big number in California. He can win. Even Fake News CNN said the Trump impact was really big, much bigger than they ever thought possible. So much for the big Blue Wave, it may be a big Red Wave. Working hard! reageer retweet

twitter:

MichaelAvenatti twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 15:33:01 https://t.co/RRbjssA00y reageer retweet

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 15:48:20 The Fake News Media has been so unfair, and vicious, to my wife and our great First Lady, Melania. During her recovery from surgery they reported everything from near death, to facelift, to left the W.H. (and me) for N.Y. or Virginia, to abuse. All Fake, she is doing really well! reageer retweet

twitter:

outofcontroljb twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 15:49:19 @realDonaldTrump She's divorcing you isn't she. reageer retweet

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 15:54:17 ...Four reporters spotted Melania in the White House last week walking merrily along to a meeting. They never reported the sighting because it would hurt the sick narrative that she was living in a different part of the world, was really ill, or whatever. Fake News is really bad! reageer retweet

twitter:

rebeccaballhaus twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 16:14:02 Rudy Giuliani says Kim Jong Un got “on his hands and knees and begged” for the summit to be held after Trump canceled it last month, per @felschwartz. https://t.co/NjHGtPFuBU reageer retweet

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 17:00 schreef Barbusse het volgende:
Giuliani probeert hier nu alvast enig resultaat van die komende ontmoeting onmogelijk te maken?

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 17:14 schreef Ulx het volgende:

[..]

Geen idee. Is hij een vriendje van Bolton?

quote:

Cambridge Analytica director 'met Assange to discuss US election':
https://amp.theguardian.c(...)tter_impression=true

"A Cambridge Analytica director apparently visited Julian Assange in February last year and told friends it was to discuss what happened during the US election, the Guardian has learned.

Brittany Kaiser, a director at the firm until earlier this year, also claimed to have channelled cryptocurrency payments and donations to WikiLeaks. This information has been passed to congressional and parliamentary inquiries in the UK and US.

Cambridge Analytica and WikiLeaks are already subjects of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, but the revelations open up fresh questions about the precise nature of the organisations’ relationship."

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 18:35:05 During the campaign, Ivanka Trump connected Michael Cohen with a Russian athlete who offered to introduce Trump to Putin to facilitate a Trump Tower Moscow, according to emails reviewed by BuzzFeed News and four sources. https://t.co/n81Sq1coxH reageer retweet

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 18:45:03 "Congressional investigators have reviewed emails and questioned witnesses about the interaction, according to two of the sources, and so has special counsel Robert Mueller's team, according to the other two." https://t.co/1OY9xjA6N2 reageer retweet

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 18:54 schreef Kijkertje het volgende:

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 18:35:05 During the campaign, Ivanka Trump connected Michael Cohen with a Russian athlete who offered to introduce Trump to Putin to facilitate a Trump Tower Moscow, according to emails reviewed by BuzzFeed News and four sources. https://t.co/n81Sq1coxH reageer retweet

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 18:45:03 "Congressional investigators have reviewed emails and questioned witnesses about the interaction, according to two of the sources, and so has special counsel Robert Mueller's team, according to the other two." https://t.co/1OY9xjA6N2 reageer retweet

twitter:

KimKardashian twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 18:25:41 BEST NEWS EVER!!!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 https://t.co/JUbpbE1Bk0 reageer retweet

twitter:

KimKardashian twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 19:18:05 So grateful to @realDonaldTrump, Jared Kushner & to everyone who has showed compassion & contributed countless hours to this important moment for Ms. Alice Marie Johnson. Her commutation is inspirational & gives hope to so many others who are also deserving of a second chance. reageer retweet

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 19:51 schreef Barbusse het volgende:

quote:

Schumer: Democrats could take Senate majority
https://www.politico.com/(...)tter_impression=true

"Privately, Democrats only believe four of their incumbents are truly in danger despite the blood-red electoral map: Sens. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.)."

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 20:06 schreef KoosVogels het volgende:
Ik gun het die dame van harte, aangezien het dealen van drugs in mijn ogen op zichzelf niet strafbaar zou moeten zijn.

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 20:06 schreef westwoodblvd het volgende:
Chuck gelooft er nog in:

[..]

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 19:58 schreef Monolith het volgende:

[..]

Gelukkig doen Trump en Sessions er alles om te zorgen dat er veel meer van dit soort gevallen zullen komen met hun drugsbeleid. Kan Kim nog veel vaker komen buurten in het Witte Huis.

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 20:09 schreef Zelva het volgende:

[..]

Ook met cocaïne?

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 20:10 schreef KoosVogels het volgende:

[..]

Absoluut.

Mensen moeten zelf weten of ze cocaïne gebruiken.

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 20:09 schreef ExtraWaskracht het volgende:

[..]

De Machiavelliaanse rat McConnell heeft niet voor niets het zomerverlof ingetrokken zodat Democrats geen campagne kunnen voeren.

Ik heb er verder een hard hoofd in, maar ze zullen zelf een veel beter inzicht hebben.

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 20:06 schreef KoosVogels het volgende:
Ik gun het die dame van harte, aangezien het dealen van drugs in mijn ogen op zichzelf niet strafbaar zou moeten zijn.

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 20:11 schreef Zelva het volgende:

[..]

En hoe ga je dan voorkomen dat dat impact gaat hebben op anderen?

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 20:12 schreef Fir3fly het volgende:

[..]

Dat is nogal een extremistische visie.

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 20:14 schreef KoosVogels het volgende:

[..]

Dat mag jij vinden.

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 20:13 schreef KoosVogels het volgende:

[..]

Waarom zou je dat moeten voorkomen?

Of althans, waar doel je op?

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 20:15 schreef Zelva het volgende:

[..]

Is dit echt een serieuze vraag?

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 20:15 schreef Fir3fly het volgende:

[..]

Dat vind ik niet alleen, dat is gewoon waar. Snap ook verder niet wat dat te maken heeft met deze zaak, het lijkt me sowieso duidelijk dat haar straf disproportioneel was.

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 20:17 schreef KoosVogels het volgende:

[..]

Ja. Doel je op geweldsdelicten? Want die worden in mijn ogen juist veroorzaakt door het feit dat drugs illegaal zijn.

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 20:17 schreef KoosVogels het volgende:

[..]

Ik gaf slechts mijn mening. Jij besloot er op in te gaan.

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 20:17 schreef KoosVogels het volgende:

[..]

Ja. Doel je op geweldsdelicten? Want die worden in mijn ogen juist veroorzaakt door het feit dat drugs illegaal zijn.

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 20:17 schreef Fir3fly het volgende:

[..]

Tja . Nogmaals, gelukkig zijn er vrij weinig mensen die zo denken.

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 20:20 schreef KoosVogels het volgende:

[..]

Tsja, ik zie niet in wat er mis is met het legaal verhandelen van cocaïne.

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 20:19 schreef Zelva het volgende:

[..]

Alleen al het feit dat aantal hartinfarcten bij alle gebruikers van cocaïne bewezen significant hoger is, zelfs nog dagen na het daadwerkelijke gebruik, maakt al dat we dit niet moeten willen.

quote:

Wat denk je dat er gebeurt als zo'n gebruiker een hartinfarct krijgt met 120 op de snelweg?

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 20:21 schreef Fir3fly het volgende:

[..]

Je ziet wel meer niet Koos. Maar goed je hebt gelijk, dit gaat over Amerikaanse politiek en niet over jouw bizarre wereldbeelden.

quote:

Stormy Daniels suit: My old lawyer was a 'puppet' for Trump, Cohen (NBC News)
Suit claims the attorneys tried to arrange for her to appear on Sean Hannity's show and deny affair.

Stormy Daniels says in a new lawsuit that her former attorney betrayed her and became a "puppet" for President Donald Trump and his personal lawyer while still representing her.

The filing in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday alleges that Beverly Hills lawyer Keith Davidson "hatched a plan" and "colluded" with Trump attorney Michael Cohen to get the adult film actress to go on Fox News a few months ago and falsely deny she had an affair with Trump more than a decade ago. Cohen even referred to Davidson as "pal" in one text cited in the complaint.

The lawsuit against Davidson and Cohen also claims that Trump was aware the two attorneys were communicating and coordinating for his benefit — unbeknownst to Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford.

The suit further accuses Davidson of breaking client confidentiality and tipping off Cohen that Clifford was about to switch to a new lawyer and announce in court papers that she'd had sex with Trump and signed a $130,000 agreement to keep quiet about it just before the 2016 election

SPOILER

"Mr. Davidson abdicated his role as an advocate and fiduciary of his client Ms. Clifford and instead elected to be a puppet for Mr. Cohen and Mr. Trump in order to advance their interests at the expense of Ms. Clifford," the suit says.

Davidson and attorneys for Cohen did not immediately respond for comment. A spokesperson for Davidson previously told NBC News that he is cooperating with federal prosecutors' investigation of Cohen and had turned over electronic information.

An attorney for Trump also did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the lawsuit. The White House has previously denied that Trump had an affair with Clifford.

Clifford's current attorney, Michael Avenatti, told NBC News that she was not consulted or informed by Davidson that he was cooperating with Cohen after the agreement had been signed in November 2016.

Attached to the lawsuits are text messages exchanged between Cohen and Davidson on Jan. 17, 2018, the same day that In Touch Magazine resurrected an interview Clifford had done years before about Trump that was not published at the time.

"I have her tentatively scheduled for Hannity tonight," Cohen allegedly texted Davidson, referring to the Fox News program helmed by Trump ally Sean Hannity.

Davidson, according to the suit, responded that "she cannot don't [sic] today. She is flying to LA tomorrow. I'm trying to get her to commit for tomorrow."

Over the next several hours, texts went back and forth. At one point, the suit said, Cohen complained the delay was "no good."

"By doing tomorrow you just create another news cycle instead of putting an end to this one," he wrote, the suit alleges.

Later that evening, another text from Cohen to Davidson said: "The wise men all believe the story is dying and don't think it's smart for her to do any interviews."

Davidson replied "100%." Cohen's response: "Thanks pal."

The complaint alleges that "wise men" was a reference that included Trump and alleges that Trump knew of the plan to get her to appear on Hannity's show and deny a prior sexual relationship with Trump, although the lawsuit included no documentation of that.

By late February, Clifford was planning to hire a new lawyer and go public. Davidson, the suit alleges, "secretly tipped Mr. Cohen off to Ms. Clifford's plans," prompting Cohen to launch arbitration proceedings against Clifford that included a gag order.

In early March, Davidson allegedly told Cohen that Clifford planned to file a lawsuit against him and Trump seeking to invalidate the nondisclosure agreement. The suit references a new series of text messages between the lawyers on March 2 to arrange a phone call.

"U calling?" Davidson texted.

"With flotus. Give me a minute," Cohen replied.

Press reports from that date indicate both Cohen and Melania Trump were at Mar-a-Lago. The suit speculates that Cohen was there to meet with the first lady and prepare her for news of the lawsuit but does not include substantiation.

"These text messages show that the prior denials by Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohen relating to what Mr. Trump knew and about the honesty of my client were absolute lies," Avenatti said in a statement after the lawsuit was filed.

"There was a significant cover-up here as part of an attempt to deceive the American people and Mrs. Trump and we intend on getting to the bottom of it."

The new suit — which accuses Davidson of breaching his fiduciary duty to Clifford and Cohen of aiding and abetting Davidson — isn't the first time questions have been raised about a seemingly cozy relationship between Cohen and Davidson.

In a lawsuit filed in mid-March, former Playboy playmate Karen McDougal accused Cohen and Davidson, in coordination with publisher AMI, of "colluding" to bury her story of what she says was an affair with Mr. Trump.

The two lawyers also were involved in a nondisclosure agreement and $1.6 million payment for Sheara Bechard, a Playboy Playmate represented by Davidson, who said she had an affair with Republican National Committee official Elliott Broidy.

This is also not the first time Davidson has been sued. Several high-profile figures, including professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, have accused him of extortion for trying to negotiate settlements to make misconduct allegations or sex tapes go away.

Avenatti's onslaught against Cohen and Trump also includes Clifford's defamation lawsuit against Trump; the release of details that revealed Cohen offered himself as a paid consultant to major companies after Trump's election; and his demand that Cohen release taped recordings he allegedly made of conversations with Trump and others.

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 20:19 schreef Zelva het volgende:

[..]

Alleen al het feit dat aantal hartinfarcten bij alle gebruikers van cocaïne bewezen significant hoger is, zelfs nog dagen na het daadwerkelijke gebruik, maakt al dat we dit niet moeten willen.

Wat denk je dat er gebeurt als zo'n gebruiker een hartinfarct krijgt met 120 op de snelweg?

Mijn laatste reactie hierover, daarom nog even hier.

Waarom denk je dat alcohol in het verkeer verboden is?

twitter:

Acosta twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 19:05:16 SCOOP: When Trudeau pressed Trump on national security justification for tariffs on Canada Trump responded: “didn’t you guys burn down the WH?” That was Britain during the War of 1812 https://t.co/tj4iHX7wPD reageer retweet

quote:

Paul Ryan splits with Trump, says ‘no evidence’ FBI spied on president’s campaign

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan has joined those disputing President Trump’s assertion that federal law enforcement planted a spy inside his campaign, telling reporters Wednesday that he has seen “no evidence” to support such claims.

Ryan (R-Wis.) said he thought “Chairman [Trey] Gowdy’s initial assessment is accurate.” He was referring to last week, when Gowdy (R-S.C.), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said on Fox News that “the FBI did exactly what my fellow citizens would want them to do” in investigating information alleging certain Trump campaign advisers had suspicious ties to Russia, “and that it has nothing to do with Donald Trump.”

Trump’s assertions that the bureau was engaged in a “witch hunt” that is “bigger than Watergate” began last month, after House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) demanded a briefing from top FBI and Justice Department officials on a confidential source who made contact
with members of Trump’s campaign.

(..)

Bron: WaPo

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 20:56 schreef ExtraWaskracht het volgende:
Enkele bijgevoegde berichten tussen Cohen en Davidson (Stormy's vorige advocaat):
[ afbeelding ]

Erg bizarre zaak ook wel. Althans, ik heb nog nooit ervan gehoord dat twee advocaten in iets dergelijks onder een hoedje spelen.

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 20:58 schreef westwoodblvd het volgende:

[..]

Ik zou zeggen, follow the money, want dit heeft die man natuurlijk niet voor niks gedaan.

Cohen's sms'jes hebben overigens veel weg van die van een wanhopige ex.

twitter:

dave_brown24 twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 15:18:49 Sebastian Gorka announces that he and Sean Hannity are heading to Singapore https://t.co/UwV0uDLUnM reageer retweet

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 21:45 schreef Nintex het volgende:

twitter:

dave_brown24 twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 15:18:49 Sebastian Gorka announces that he and Sean Hannity are heading to Singapore https://t.co/UwV0uDLUnM reageer retweet

Sean Hannity en Sebastian Gorka ook naar de Summit.

twitter:

PatrickSvitek twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 20:24:02 Trump speculates about why the Coast Guard made so many rescues in Texas during #Harvey: “People went out in their boats to watch the hurricane. That didn’t work out too well.” reageer retweet

twitter:

elainaplott twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 20:54:05 scoop: Millan Hupp, EPA aide asked to find used mattress etc, has resigned. Her last day is Friday, per correspondence. Comment from Jahan Wilcox at EPA: ""You have a great day, you're a piece of trash." https://t.co/vXsD9SUmvK reageer retweet

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 21:20:07 One top EPA official told The Atlantic that Millan Hupp, the EPA aide who had to locate a used Trump hotel mattress, was "tired of being thrown under the bus by Pruitt." https://t.co/57ib2lv1Oc reageer retweet

twitter:

EricLiptonNYT twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 21:51:29 NEWS: Just told by senior EPA person that Sarah Greenwalt, senior counsel to Pruitt, has also resigned. Asking EPA public affairs for confirmation. Comes after another aide Millian Hupp also resigned today reageer retweet

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 20:56 schreef ExtraWaskracht het volgende:
Enkele bijgevoegde berichten tussen Cohen en Davidson (Stormy's vorige advocaat), waarin ze willen dat ze bij Hannity verschijnt om de boel te ontkennen:
[ afbeelding ]

Erg bizarre zaak ook wel. Althans, ik heb nog nooit ervan gehoord dat twee advocaten in iets dergelijks onder een hoedje spelen.

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 22:30:09 Michael Avenatti on @DeadlineWH about the text messages in the new Stormy Daniels lawsuit: "These text messages are explosive and what’s even more disturbing, Nicolle, is we still don’t have all of them because Keith Davidson refuses to give us what we’re entitled to." reageer retweet

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 22:04 schreef Szura het volgende:
Jij hebt echt geen humor he

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 21:49 schreef Nintex het volgende:

twitter:

PatrickSvitek twitterde op woensdag 06-06-2018 om 20:24:02 Trump speculates about why the Coast Guard made so many rescues in Texas during #Harvey: “People went out in their boats to watch the hurricane. That didn’t work out too well.” reageer retweet

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 22:37 schreef Boze_Appel het volgende:
Middle schoolers given bulletproof shields for starting high school

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 22:37 schreef Boze_Appel het volgende:
Middle schoolers given bulletproof shields for starting high school

quote:

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told a Senate committee on Tuesday that the federal commission on school safety set up this year after the Parkland, Fla., school massacre will not focus on the role guns play in school violence.

The comments, provided in testimony before the Senate subcommittee that oversees education spending, perplexed senators who questioned how the commission, led by Ms. DeVos and convened by President Trump, could avoid the subject when it was a military-style assault rifle that left 17 students and staff dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

“That’s not part of the commission’s charge, per se,” Ms. DeVos said in response to a question from Senator Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont, about whether the commission would look at the role of firearms in the gun violence that has plagued the nation’s schools.

“So we’ll look at gun violence in schools, but not look at guns? An interesting concept,” Mr. Leahy said in response.

SPOILER

Ms. DeVos’s comments came about 24 hours before the commission’s first public forum, scheduled for Wednesday at the Education Department, where it will solicit feedback on solutions to improve school safety. And it comes after months of criticism — including from the students who survived the Marjory Stoneman Douglas attack that in their response to the school shootings, the nation’s political leaders have zeroed in on everything but guns.

Shortly after Parkland, Republicans pointed to Obama-era school discipline policies as a potential culprit. As the gun-control legislation flagged in Congress, leaders shifted their focus toward measures that would beef up security at the nation’s schools, including the possibility of arming teachers.

In recent weeks, the commission has held closed-door meetings with survivors of school attacks dating to the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, and last week Ms. DeVos visited a school in Maryland where she observed a popular discipline alternative strategy, called positive behavioral intervention and supports.

“Our focus is on raising up successful, proven techniques and approaches to ensuring schools are safe,” Ms. DeVos said.

When the White House announced the commission, it listed several areas the group would examine. The first was age restrictions on certain firearm purchases.

The commission’s members include Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. It is charged with bringing “meaningful and actionable recommendations to keep students safe at school.”

Among other areas, the commission is slated to examine ratings systems for video games, the consumption of “violent entertainment” and the effects of news media coverage of mass shootings. The group is also charged with considering whether to repeal a package of Obama-era school discipline policies targeted at addressing disciplinary policies that disproportionately affect minority students. The commission is also looking to fund and bolster mental health and school infrastructure resources.

Liz Hill, a spokeswoman for the department, clarified after the hearing that “the secretary and the commission continue to look at all issues the president asked the committee to study and are focused on making recommendations that the agencies, states and local communities can implement.”

“It’s important to note that the commission cannot create or amend current gun laws — that is the Congress’s job,” Ms. Hill said.

Bob Farrace, a spokesman for the National Association of Secondary School Principals, said, “If the commission won’t address the role of guns in school violence, we hope that means it also won’t recommend a proliferation of guns in schools — arming teachers, eliminating gun-free school zones and other ill-advised proposals that will make schools less safe.”

During the hearing, Ms. DeVos evaded questions that would draw her into the gun control debate.

When Mr. Leahy asked whether she thought that an 18-year-old high school student should be able to walk into a store and purchase an AR-15 military-style weapon and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, Ms. DeVos pivoted.

“I know that this body and your counterparts have addressed a number of these issues, and I know that you’re going to continue to debate them,” she responded, adding that teenagers’ access to guns was “very much a matter for debate.”

Mr. Leahy replied, “Well, you’re studying things like how much time they spend on video games and all that, but you can go to a lot of other countries where they spend just as much time but have only a tiny fraction of the shootings that we do.”

Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat of New Hampshire, implored Ms. DeVos to look at the policies of other countries where school shootings are rare or nonexistent.

Ms. Shaheen cited statistics showing that school shootings in the United States “occur at a scale far beyond any other industrialized nation.” Since 2009, she said, the United States has had 57 times as many school shootings as the rest of the Group of 7 large advanced economies combined — 288 in American schools, compared with two in Canada and France, one in Germany and zero in Japan, Italy and Britain.

“It does seem to me that you should think about reworking the mission of the commission,” she said.

Ms. DeVos said the commission would make its recommendations by the end of the year. Since the committee was announced in March, there has been at least one more mass shooting at a school.

Last month, a 17-year-old student opened fire at his high school in Santa Fe, Tex., killing 10 people.

quote:

A lawyer involved in several real estate deals that U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating in his criminal case against President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort has hired his own ethics adviser.

Marc Garfinkle, a New Jersey ethics attorney, told Reuters that he has been retained by Bruce Baldinger, a longtime lawyer for Manafort also based in New Jersey, as a legal consultant to advise him about “attorney confidentiality and privilege issues that may arise” in the case. He did not elaborate on the details.

Baldinger declined to comment, as did Jason Maloni, a spokesman for Manafort.

SPOILER

Prosecutors have alleged that two of Manafort’s New York companies were part of a scheme to take tens of millions of dollars earned overseas and launder it in the United States, including through real estate investments.

Baldinger signed biennial statements as the authorized person for those companies, attesting to the address at which the companies could be served with any court papers received by New York State authorities, according to copies reviewed by Reuters. The signed statements are necessary to keep the companies in good standing.

According to property records, in 2016 Baldinger also signed two loans as a “special secretary” for one of the New York companies - MC Brooklyn Holdings, LLC - for a total of $5.3 million against a brownstone in Brooklyn, some of which Mueller has alleged Manafort illegally earmarked for other purposes.

Baldinger has not been accused of any wrongdoing and Reuters could not determine what, if any, interest Mueller has in him.

If prosecutors determine that Baldinger’s role in the deals was minimal and he was unaware of any purported fraud, then his legal exposure could be limited to being called as a witness at any Manafort trial, legal experts said. They said, however, that if prosecutors believe he knew about any fraud or may have participated, then his legal risk could be much greater.

Garfinkle said he did not know whether or not Baldinger had also separately retained an attorney and added that it “doesn’t appear that he has any need to.”

Manafort has pleaded not guilty to charges in indictments in Washington and Alexandria, Virginia, which arose from Mueller’s investigation into any links or coordination between the Russian government and people in Trump’s 2016 election campaign. [nL2N1T719L] Manafort was a lobbyist for about a decade from 2004 for pro-Russian political leaders in Ukraine and among the charges is that he failed to register as a foreign agent.

Baldinger may be seeking guidance on the scope of attorney-client privilege applicable to the work he did for Manafort, with the real estate transactions potentially falling outside those protected bounds, said Mala Ahuja Harker, a former prosecutor.

“Manafort would certainly want the lines of the privilege to be drawn as broadly as possible,” said Harker, a lawyer with Friedman Kaplan Seiler & Adelman LLP.

Although the attorney-client relationship is generally protected, lawyers can testify against their clients if the clients were involved in an ongoing fraud.

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 20:06 schreef KoosVogels het volgende:
Ik gun het die dame van harte, aangezien het dealen van drugs in mijn ogen op zichzelf niet strafbaar zou moeten zijn. Maar deze kwestie staat natuurlijk niet op zichzelf. Er zijn duizenden soortgelijke gevallen in de VS.

quote:

With news of the Alice Johnson commutation today, one question comes to mind: Why didn’t President Obama intervene in this case?

At the time, the Department of Justice recommended denying the petition, so it never reached the White House, a senior Obama administration official told CNN.

The official offered this reason for the DOJ denying the petition: Prosecutors said Johnson was heavily involved in a longstanding drug cartel that was connected to a lot of violence and crime. She was never charged with it, but that came up in the DOJ research on the case, the official said.

“She was not the low-level drug offender that we typically sought to help,” the official said.

quote:

Op woensdag 6 juni 2018 23:38 schreef Kijkertje het volgende:

[..]

Nog even over de zaak van Mary Johnson:

Why Obama didn't intervene in Alice Johnson's case

[..]