3357

I think it’s useful to remember that Trump himself is likely driving exactly none of these changes. I doubt he even reads what he signs. Someone gives him a very brief summary and hands him a pen.

He’s probably confused when he sees the pre-existing conditions debate on cable news. He ordered that they be protected, and someone told him they are. So, what’s the problem?

3358

Ugh, the Saudi government is one of the most corrupt, inbred pieces of shit in the world. Not to mention crazy misogynistic.

3359

Over several hours of slide shows and presentations, representatives from the Kushner family business urged Chinese citizens gathered at the Ritz-Carlton hotel to consider investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in a New Jersey real estate project to secure what’s known as an investor visa.

3360

Well, this is either why the EB-5s were exempted from the crackdown, or they are taking advantage of the fact they were. Either way, it reeks.

3361
3362
3363
3364

I wondered how Sen. McCain would react to Tillerson’s comments. This OpEd is what I hoped and expected.

Lot’s of smart, good people like Condi Rice and Bob Gates had really wonderful things about Tillerson, so I was cautiously optimistic. But other than being more diplomatic, and serious than Trump, (a 1mm bar) nothing about his tenure has impressed me.

If the American government under Trump, can keep the world from being a worse place, I will be delighted and surprised.

3365

At the end of the day Tillerson is still a Trump toady with questionable Russian ties, imo.

3366

At the end of the day, Tillerson is an oil exec who didn’t want the job.

3367

At the end of the day, McCain will talk big and then immediately fall in line with his party because he’s a good soldier and that’s what good soldiers do.

“We are a country with a conscience. We have long believed moral concerns must be an essential part of our foreign policy, not a departure from it.”

Ha. Ha. Ha. Good one, Senator.

3368

I’ll defer my response to Comrade Pareene.

3369

Haha.

3370

Here is some news as big as Comey being fired - bigger, even, in the long run.

The director of the U.S. Census Bureau is resigning, leaving the agency leaderless at a time when it faces a crisis over funding for the 2020 decennial count of the U.S. population and beyond.

John H. Thompson, who has served as director since 2013 and worked for the bureau for 27 years before that, will leave June 30, the Commerce Department announced Tuesday.

The news, which surprised census experts, [emphasis mine] follows an April congressional budget allocation for the census that critics say is woefully inadequate.

And why does this surprise resignation matter? Because the 2020 Census numbers control the reapportionment of Congressial seats and Electoral College votes. And that in turn helps determine whether we get anything like one person-one vote, or whether we get a system rigged to favor those in power that can’t be overturned.

Now just imagine what we’ll get with the current Congress and the Trump administration calling the shots.

3371

If there were still a Trump administration in 2020 it would mean that the rule of law had disintegrated to such an extent that there’d be no hope of a proper election anyway.

3372

Now reporters can’t ask Trump Cabinet members questions?

3373

What the actual fuck. This shit is getting crazy.

3374

Get @Olaf in here so he can explain how he voted for Trump, but he’s a libertarian.

Own this shit you brought upon us, dude.

3375

This is good too

3376

Jesus, this makes Watergate look like nothing. Comey is investigating the Russian connection and Trump fires him? I guess some toady will be appointed to take his place?

Comey is the same guy who released the damaging stuff that may have cost Clinton the election. He’s hardly partisan to the Democrats. We are going down a dangerous path here.