Former President Donald J. Trump

[sloopjohnc]

I read in the newspaper today that the new budget takes away almost all aid to Africa, and the US is the largest contributor. The article said that because of the current political and economic conditions on the continent, the next influx of large-scale immigration to Europe will likely occur if African countries don't get the $4 billion they would have otherwise received.

Aid to (and diplomacy in) the Middle East is likewise being curtailed in favor of military deployments. Catastrophic results predicted.

http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2017/03/27 ... brutality/

Great.

[sloopjohnc]

The new deputy director of Health and Human Services is a guy who fell for an Onion story and posted it to his Facebook page.

But Fleming is probably best known for being a fan of The Onion. In 2012, Fleming found an article from the satirical publication titled “Planned Parenthood Opens $8 Billion Abortionplex,” to be particularly informative. The Onion’s post is a pitch-perfect sendup of some of the most extreme anti-abortion activists fantasies, including manufactured quotes from Cecile Richards who stands “under a banner emblazoned with Planned Parenthood’s new slogan, ‘No Life Is Sacred.’” The fictional abortionplex also included, “coffee shops, bars, dozens of restaurants and retail outlets, a three-story nightclub, and a 10-screen multiplex theater—features intended not only to help clients relax, but to foster a sense of community and make abortion more of a social event.”

[Jimbo]

The Sleazy Origins of Russia-gate
March 29, 2017

Exclusive: Official Washington’s groupthink is that Russian “disinformation” helped elect Donald Trump, but the evidence is actually much stronger that Russian “dirt” was helping Hillary Clinton, reports Robert Parry.


By Robert Parry

An irony of the escalating hysteria about the Trump camp’s contacts with Russians is that one presidential campaign in 2016 did exploit political dirt that supposedly came from the Kremlin and other Russian sources. Friends of that political campaign paid for this anonymous hearsay material, shared it with American journalists and urged them to publish it to gain an electoral advantage. But this campaign was not Donald Trump’s; it was Hillary Clinton’s.

And, awareness of this activity doesn’t require you to spin conspiracy theories about what may or may not have been said during some seemingly innocuous conversation. In this case, you have open admissions about how these Russian/Kremlin claims were used….

https://consortiumnews.com/2017/03/29/t ... ssia-gate/

[Davey the Fat Boy]

Finally read that.

The more I actually read Parry's work, the less credibile he becomes.

[Jimbo]

Finally read that.

The more I actually read Parry's work, the less credibile he becomes.

Go ahead on, Davey, and keep on deluding yourself. You are an HRC/DNC stalwart and nothing, not even common sense can change your thinking. Funny, you are probably thinking, words like that coming from a 9/11 truther, but it isn't just 9/11 where I see lies coming from our media and leaders. And the more lies uncovered the more I am convinced that Hillary's campaign was venal and hypocritical including the Dems Russia baiting, and the official story of 9/11 is a monstrous lie.

[Davey the Fat Boy]

You probably also see dead people.

[Jimbo]

You probably also see dead people.

Pretty sure Voice of America is too Alex Jones-y for a careful reader like you but in this article you will read how the Russian hacking bullshit is, yes, bullshit.

WASHINGTON — U.S. cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike has revised and retracted statements it used to buttress claims of Russian hacking during last year's American presidential election campaign. The shift followed a VOA report that the company misrepresented data published by an influential British think tank.

http://www.voanews.com/a/cyber-firm-rew ... 81411.html

And this.

WASHINGTON —
An influential British think tank and Ukraine’s military are disputing a report that the U.S. cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike has used to buttress its claims of Russian hacking in the presidential election.

The CrowdStrike report, released in December, asserted that Russians hacked into a Ukrainian artillery app, resulting in heavy losses of howitzers in Ukraine’s war with Russian-backed separatists.

But the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) told VOA that CrowdStrike erroneously used IISS data as proof of the intrusion. IISS disavowed any connection to the CrowdStrike report. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense also has claimed combat losses and hacking never happened. http://www.voanews.com/a/crowdstrike-co ... 76067.html

[copehead]

This looks like a very big wheel coming off the Trump clown car:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/30/michael-flynn-trump-russia-investigation-testify-immunity

Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, has all but confirmed that he offered to testify before the FBI and congressional committees about potential links between the Trump campaign and Russia in exchange for immunity.

Trump security adviser Flynn resigns after leaks suggest he tried to cover up Russia talks

Flynn, who was ousted from his post in February for misleading the White House about discussions he held with the Russian ambassador to the US, released a statement on Thursday through his lawyer declaring that he had a story to tell – but was first seeking “assurances against unfair prosecution”.

I'm getting pop corn for this one. I want to hear this story.

[Charlie O.]

Oh, yes!!

[Davey the Fat Boy]

Jimbo,

Can you substantiate for us that the entire US Intelligence community has based its conclusions on the Steele dossier and/or the CrowdStrike report?

[Davey the Fat Boy]

This looks like a very big wheel coming off the Trump clown car:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/30/michael-flynn-trump-russia-investigation-testify-immunity

Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, has all but confirmed that he offered to testify before the FBI and congressional committees about potential links between the Trump campaign and Russia in exchange for immunity.

Trump security adviser Flynn resigns after leaks suggest he tried to cover up Russia talks

Flynn, who was ousted from his post in February for misleading the White House about discussions he held with the Russian ambassador to the US, released a statement on Thursday through his lawyer declaring that he had a story to tell – but was first seeking “assurances against unfair prosecution”.

I'm getting pop corn for this one. I want to hear this story.

Manafort will be next to sing.

[Jimbo]

I'm getting pop corn for this one. I want to hear this story.

Based upon the weasel wording in the article I'll make a gentlemen's bet that this comes to naught. There is smoke but still no fire.

"has all but confirmed," "potential links," "misleading the White House about discussions," "should the circumstances permit,” "contrary to the assertion," "A Democratic committee aide also said," "declined to comment,"

if the reporter knows something they should report it, no?

[Jimbo]

Jimbo,

Can you substantiate for us that the entire US Intelligence community has based its conclusions on the Steele dossier and/or the CrowdStrike report?

Everything I am reading says the Intelligence community is not certain. Show me where it says otherwise.

[toomanyhatz]

if the reporter knows something they should report it, no?

Wow, you really don't understand how journalism works at all, do you? What exactly do you think they know that they're not telling? Or suggesting they know that they really don't?

[Davey the Fat Boy]

Jimbo,

Can you substantiate for us that the entire US Intelligence community has based its conclusions on the Steele dossier and/or the CrowdStrike report?

Everything I am reading says the Intelligence community is not certain. Show me where it says otherwise.

"High confidence."
https://www.google.com/amp/www.cnbc.com ... inton.html

[Jimbo]

if the reporter knows something they should report it, no?

Wow, you really don't understand how journalism works at all, do you? What exactly do you think they know that they're not telling? Or suggesting they know that they really don't?

So far throughout this Russia donnybrook the MSM has been reporting on allegations, suspicions, rumors and speculation. Contrary to what Davey says the US intel community are not sure (or not saying) exactly who hacked whom. Instead the MSM and intel focus on the existence of RT which, from what I see on there, rises to a Democracy Now level of exposure, not Russian propaganda - - as if Russia these days has a philosophy like Communism it wants to export to the world. At every turn the Russia story is falling to pieces. Flynn talked to an ambassador they report but to show balance it goes unrepeated - - for the sake of balance -- that Hillary Clinton allowed the sale of 20% of the US's uranium mining to Russian concerns and that Bill got paid $500,000 to speak there not to mention there was a huge donation to the Clinton Foundation in the wake of this deal. http://www.npr.org/2015/04/23/401781313 ... um-company

[Jimbo]

Jimbo,

Can you substantiate for us that the entire US Intelligence community has based its conclusions on the Steele dossier and/or the CrowdStrike report?

Everything I am reading says the Intelligence community is not certain. Show me where it says otherwise.

"High confidence."
https://www.google.com/amp/www.cnbc.com ... inton.html

This estimation is from three months ago. Since then much more info and debunkings have been published, i.e., the March 24 VOA Counterstrike backdown report.

[Davey the Fat Boy]

Show me the statements where the intelligence agencies back off of their position.

[Jimbo]

Show me the statements where the intelligence agencies back off of their position.

Full Clapper: 'No Evidence' of Collusion Between Trump and Russia
SUN, MAR 05
In an exclusive interview with Meet the Press, Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper says that there wasn't evidence of collusion between Russia and Trump earlier this year. http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/v ... 0509379597

[Davey the Fat Boy]

Show me the statements where the intelligence agencies back off of their position.

Full Clapper: 'No Evidence' of Collusion Between Trump and Russia
SUN, MAR 05
In an exclusive interview with Meet the Press, Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper says that there wasn't evidence of collusion between Russia and Trump earlier this year. http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/v ... 0509379597

There were no claims made about evidence of collusion.