this kid is insane, man
May 30, 2017 4:05 AM Subscribe

Helloooo followers of U.S. politics! Join us inside to commiserate about the latest in the horror show we call reality: Kushner is under the gun! Civil rights efforts in government agencies will be intentionally dismantled! Trump is set to roll back Cuba policies! His foreign trip was a disaster for our relationship with allies! Also, surprise surprise, Trump is a truly horrible boss.
posted by Anonymous (2839 comments total)

Oh, and in merely species-wide news of importance, the Administration will announce this week if they are staying in the Paris Agreement.
posted by jaduncan at 4:12 AM on May 30, 2017 [37 favorites]

Mike Dubke, President Donald Trump's communications director, has resigned, Dubke told POLITICO.
posted by chavenet at 4:21 AM on May 30, 2017 [10 favorites]

Civil rights efforts in government agencies will be intentionally dismantled

Yet the underlying laws that protect civil rights will remain. All this shows is Trump is willing to subject 'the government' to expensive litigation. Not very good CEO behaviour to say 'lets not have a policy to keep the firm from being sued.'

Start spinning up the FOIA's for hiring information so the groundwork is laid to show discrimination. Use big data for the win.
posted by rough ashlar at 4:22 AM on May 30, 2017 [35 favorites]

Wow. That Dubke article lacks any context whatsoever.

But this is the Trump administration. Things like cause and effect go out the window.
posted by steady-state strawberry at 4:23 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

Now a good portion of America understands what it's like to be on the receiving end of the first grade bully's torments. And they're surprised to find that it affects adults the same way it affects children.

And that's why I found it so heartening to see Macron completely own Trump at the G7 summit. He wasn't gonna put up with any of that shit.
posted by sutt at 4:25 AM on May 30, 2017 [28 favorites]

"We have a MASSIVE trade deficit with Germany, plus they pay FAR LESS than they should on NATO & military. Very bad for U.S. This will change"

Unfortunately for Trump, he's likely to just unify the EU (with the UK outside, unfortunately for us).
posted by jaduncan at 4:26 AM on May 30, 2017 [10 favorites]

Meantime, in Iowa, people are noticing that POTUS is no longer considered leader of the free world.
posted by tilde at 4:34 AM on May 30, 2017 [48 favorites]

Russians discussed potentially 'derogatory' information about Trump and associates during campaign.

Not to sound like Janet Maslin, but everyone I know did that.
posted by box at 4:37 AM on May 30, 2017 [15 favorites]

This is barely English. @realDonaldTrump: Russian officials must be laughing at the U.S. & how a lame excuse for why the Dems lost the election has taken over the Fake News.

I hope Sean Spicer can clear this up today.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 4:42 AM on May 30, 2017 [46 favorites]

@realdonaldtrump this morning seems DETERMINED to escalate our tensions with Germany: "We have a MASSIVE trade deficit with Germany, plus they pay FAR LESS than they should on NATO & military. Very bad for U.S. This will change"

Yeah, this will change. The EU members will withdraw from NATO. Problem solved.
posted by mikelieman at 4:44 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

He does know there is a special prosecutor appointed right?
posted by PenDevil at 4:44 AM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

The thing that worries me the most about the 538 article linked in the last thread, the one showing all the trendlines going down for Trump, is that there's an easy avenue available to him that's likely to reverse at least some of those and possibly propel him to a second term: war.

A well timed war could tilt the polling just enough to get him into office again in 2020, depending on his ratings and other problems.

Republican Presidents have always tended to see war as an efficient popularity booster, sometimes with greater success than other times. I have absolutely no doubt that Trump (or, rather, his handlers) will start a war sooner or later in hopes of getting the fawning war loving press to declare that it, finally, makes him Presidential.

The only question is how well they'll time their war, and how much it will pull the polls.
posted by sotonohito at 4:45 AM on May 30, 2017 [70 favorites]

"Nobody knew getting involved in a land war in Asia could be so complicated."
posted by Behemoth at 4:51 AM on May 30, 2017 [110 favorites]

Yeah, this will change. The EU members will withdraw from NATO. Problem solved.

A lot of this could be fixed by just changing the NATO requirements to 1% expenditure. More likely is that the EU has their own subsidiary defence agreement, with the explicit understanding (and quiet fixing of the NATO issue) that the EU version will definitely and always intervene for all members.
posted by jaduncan at 4:51 AM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]

From last thread:

FiveThirtyEight: We Started With 14 Possible Paths For Trump’s Presidency. Which Are Most Likely Now?

It's a followup to a February article, 14 Versions Of Trump’s Presidency, From #MAGA To Impeachment.
posted by ZeusHumms at 4:52 AM on May 30, 2017 [5 favorites]

80 immigration groups sign on to Controller Scott Stringer's proposal for fund to cover citizenship fee: Eighty immigrants rights groups have signed on to city Controller Scott Stringer’s proposal for a public-private fund to cover the hefty fee of applying to become a U.S. citizenship.

Representatives from the groups added their names to a letter Stringer sent to Mayor de Blasio’s commissioner for immigrant affairs, Nisha Agarwal, on Monday — citing the need for resources for immigrants in the face of President Trump’s hostile policies.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 4:54 AM on May 30, 2017 [18 favorites]

The behaviour has been so egregious - pushing, shoving, snubbing, idiot vacant smile - but giving the middle finger to the Italian Prime Minister made me wonder if Trump is not trying to set himself up to be removed under Amendment 25? Got to be better than impeachment, no?

But then, up to now they have always proved to be, unbelievably, as stupid as they look. Mefi has a term for it which I can't quite remember.
posted by glasseyes at 4:58 AM on May 30, 2017 [13 favorites]

A well timed war could tilt the polling just enough to get him into office again in 2020, depending on his ratings and other problems.

Why stop there and why care about "polling"? That's old thinking.

"Our country is in it's greatest crises since it's founding. Holding an election now would just divert our attention and precious resources from the war with Eurasia. Also, it's an old tradition in the US that there are no presidential elections in times of war."
posted by sour cream at 5:02 AM on May 30, 2017 [14 favorites]

The behaviour has been so egregious - pushing, shoving, snubbing, idiot vacant smile - but giving the middle finger to the Italian Prime Minister

Remember when Berlusconi's actions were viewed as the apotheosis of embarrassing behaviour at G7 meetings? Innocent days, etc.
posted by jaduncan at 5:05 AM on May 30, 2017 [31 favorites]

Helloooo

Coop?
posted by leotrotsky at 5:07 AM on May 30, 2017 [24 favorites]

The only question is how well they'll time their war, and how much it will pull the polls.
posted by sotonohito at 4:45 AM on May 30 [6 favorites +] [!]

If anyone could screw up starting a war, it'll be Trump.
posted by From Bklyn at 5:13 AM on May 30, 2017 [29 favorites]

re: the 538 piece: Trump may get impeached and it is looking like his inner circle will be devastated by resignations, indictments and removals from the various scandals. But, I'm not seeing yet any likelihood that the Senate removes him from office. It seems we are on a path towards increasing ineffectiveness with the government being slowly starved via passive aggression followed by Trump declining to run again in 2020 (as they note, citing some combination of Mission Accomplished and Elections are Rigged).
posted by meinvt at 5:17 AM on May 30, 2017 [5 favorites]

@realdonaldtrump this morning seems DETERMINED to escalate our tensions with Germany: "We have a MASSIVE trade deficit with Germany, plus they pay FAR LESS than they should on NATO & military. Very bad for U.S. This will change"

Donnie hates women and people obviously smarter and more capable than him.

I wonder why he doesn't like Germany?
posted by leotrotsky at 5:18 AM on May 30, 2017 [83 favorites]

If anyone could screw up starting a war, it'll be Trump.

I was just thinking this. Trump has been so unbelievably lousy at everything else that I imagine he'd be equally inept at starting a war. I imagine it being the first war in American history that results in lower poll numbers and diminished popularity.
posted by Joey Michaels at 5:20 AM on May 30, 2017 [16 favorites]

John McCain, podiatrist..

“My friends, I know that many of you will have a lot of questions about where America is headed under President Trump. Frankly, so do many Americans. What I would say is that the new administration is just that – new. It is still finding its feet.”
[...]
...we are in a scandal and every few days another shoe drops from this centipede, and we’ve got to get through that.”

Currently in Sydney, OZ.
posted by Mister Bijou at 5:20 AM on May 30, 2017 [4 favorites]

Well, as a Sydneysider, let me just say that McCain and his tonedeaf bullshit can fuck right off.

"In a speech in Sydney, Australia, McCain said the US remained the most important country on Earth, and the global defender of “truth over falsehood”."

I mean, really. Fuck off with your self congratulatory exceptionalism. You are global level fuckups, McCain. Now is not the time to brag. Your president is a liar. Your party supported him. You are a member of the party of liars and racists and misogynists. So cram your 'defender of truth' blather up your fundament, you hypocrite.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 5:31 AM on May 30, 2017 [232 favorites]

"Mr. Spicer, how was your time at the Vatican?"
posted by The Card Cheat at 5:31 AM on May 30, 2017 [38 favorites]

I don't get the Nate Silver thing. This is emergent history. There is insufficient empirical basis for treating it as statistical problem.

Did you read the articles? There's barely any statistics. What there is, is subjective probability assessments based on likely future outcomes.
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 5:32 AM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]

"In a speech in Sydney, Australia, McCain said the US remained the most important country on Earth, and the global defender of “truth over falsehood”."

Because there's nothing we Aussies love better than people bignoting themselves and chest-beating, especially seppoes.

Great speech mate. Made heaps of friends. Definitely not yet time for your annual tin ear tuneup.
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:35 AM on May 30, 2017 [41 favorites]

lalex, thank you for starting a new thread!

made me wonder if Trump is not trying to set himself up to be removed under Amendment 25? Got to be better than impeachment, no?

There are people in this country (and I am betting Trump is one of them) who truly believe that manners are for the weak, and real leaders do or say whatever they want. It happens sometimes in business, where a company culture will value "blunt talk" over civility. Valuing rude behavior can create an atmosphere of fear and anxiety, making those companies poisonous to work for.

Rudeness, bluster and arrogance typically mask insecurity. Which Trump appears to have in boatloads. Fear of appearing weak, stupid or a failure to other leaders would bring it out. Kinda doubt there's any deeper strategy at work here.
posted by zarq at 5:35 AM on May 30, 2017 [57 favorites]

WaPo repost: Fred Trump's arrest after KKK event in Queens in 1927.
posted by yoga at 5:38 AM on May 30, 2017 [9 favorites]

"Also, it's an old tradition in the US that there are no presidential elections in times of war."

The idea that a party would try this is horrifying and hard to believe, but a few years ago I wouldn't have believed a Senate leader would claim "there's a long tradition of no SCOTUS appointments in the final year of a president's term" and get away with it, so I'm done assuming anything is impossible.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 5:39 AM on May 30, 2017 [80 favorites]

The behaviour has been so egregious - pushing, shoving, snubbing, idiot vacant smile - but giving the middle finger to the Italian Prime Minister made me wonder if Trump is not trying to set himself up to be removed under Amendment 25? Got to be better than impeachment, no?

Trump does not know what the 25th Amendment is. Hell, judging by his behavior he doesn't seem to know what the 5th Amendment is.
posted by Rust Moranis at 5:40 AM on May 30, 2017 [20 favorites]

Case in point: Snubs and slights are part of the job in Trump's White House. (WashPost article)
posted by zarq at 5:43 AM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

I missed that Zbigniew Brzezinski called Joe Scarborough "stunningly superficial" on one of the early episodes of Morning Joe, and just kept slapping him around as their producers tried to go to commercial to stop it. Now I like Brzezinski even more!
posted by XMLicious at 5:48 AM on May 30, 2017 [40 favorites]

> But, I'm not seeing yet any likelihood that the Senate removes him from office.

I think things will move quickly once the dam breaks. Nobody in Washington owes trump anything, and they're just staying in line out of a combination of fear and inertia. As soon as Trump's poll numbers dip and his staff start getting arrested and/or start testifying, it could end really quickly.

That said, we're entering into a really dangerous phase, with a narcissistic thug with his finger on the button and a large, violent, hateful following. If he doesn't go quietly, he can make things really ugly.
posted by empath at 5:48 AM on May 30, 2017 [21 favorites]

I missed that Zbigniew Brzezinski called Joe Scarborough "stunningly superficial" on one of the early episodes of Morning Joe, and just kept slapping him around as their producers tried to go to commercial to stop it. Now I like Brzezinski even more!

...and now that stunningly superficial man is marrying his daughter.
posted by leotrotsky at 5:51 AM on May 30, 2017 [21 favorites]

I don't think anybody gives 538's half serious slack transcripts much credence. They're just shooting the shit in a semi informed way.
posted by empath at 5:53 AM on May 30, 2017 [14 favorites]

On the future of the EU post-Trump, while the Merkel-Macron axis is clearly set to be the first/principal mainstay, Italy's repositioning is going to be an interesting one to watch, especially now their past dependence on US ties leaves them wide open to Russian influencing. NYT (J Horowitz) has an article up on this, and Buzzfeed (A Nardelli & C Silveman) had a closer look at the inroads the Russian media were making here in November. In addition, one of its top banks played a central role in that recent shady Rosneft deal, for which it's now syndicating the $6B loan, with its CEO and even Italy's prime minister meeting Putin in relation to the deal...
posted by progosk at 5:58 AM on May 30, 2017 [11 favorites]

The Germany tweet is of a piece. As Josh Marshall has been pointing out for awhile, the one thing that Trump has been unwavering on is undermining European unity, especially confidence in NATO. And what's truly remarkable is that there's barely a coherent rationale for why this would be in the US's interest -- after all, the US was a prime mover in this historical change. But there is precisely one interest for which undermining European unity is vital: Russia.

It's really just amazing that basically everything else about the Trump campaign and presidency conforms to Trump's Razor, that this is just the result of profound ignorance, incompetence, narcissism, and poor impulse control ... with the single exception of aligning with Russian interests in Europe. In an genre novel, this would be too pat, too obvious.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 5:59 AM on May 30, 2017 [155 favorites]

yeah 538's scenarios are just mildly informed punditry. anyone who has been reading these threads could come up with just as plausible predictions while being more insightful to boot.

i liked 538 when they just did stats and not punditry
posted by localhuman at 6:02 AM on May 30, 2017 [7 favorites]

Good morning fine Metafilter folks.

I stopped drawing Trump a while back, but his appalling performance in Europe compelled me to pick up pen again and contribute to these amazingly informative threads.

Just a heads up, it's a Facebook link, and please feel free to download, share etc my latest Trump drawing.
posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 6:07 AM on May 30, 2017 [39 favorites]

Its not speculation based on statistical analysis since there is no statistical analysis in the articles, unless you count looking at approval ratings as statistical analysis. Also you can have probability without statistics and vice versa. Of course prior information is used--its certainly not the case that every possible outcome is equally likely.

Speaking as a committed Bayesian myself, if you strip out the quasi-Bayesian framing from this, what you're left with is traditional punditry. That is, all you have is Silver et al.'s subjective impressions of relative odds. This is more valuable than anyone else's only inasmuch as they have specific expertise and/or knowledge of the situation that others lack. In their case, their specific knowledge and expertise is in polling and data analysis, which is not part of this discussion, meaning their subjective impressions are pretty much as valid as any other news junkie. To my mind there's nothing intrinsically wrong with the article as long as it's understood as several smart news junkies shooting the shit (much like a Metafilter thread) using their professional terms and concepts in a non-technical fashion. On the other hand, I don't think their analysis is more informed or insightful than your typical Mefite's, so make of that what you will.

On preview: tldr, what localhuman said.
posted by biogeo at 6:07 AM on May 30, 2017 [12 favorites]

If the Trump administration wants to start a war for the sake of popularity, they'll have to be very careful not to mention this in front of the President, who is the world's worst keeper of secrets.
posted by 4th number at 6:10 AM on May 30, 2017 [15 favorites]

Mike Dubke, President Donald Trump's communications director, has resigned, Dubke told POLITICO.

I think it is hilarious that the slowest leak in White House is that the communication director is leaving.

In a notoriously leak-prone White House, Dubke told POLITICO he was surprised that the news of his planned departure took 12 days to leak out.
posted by srboisvert at 6:11 AM on May 30, 2017 [42 favorites]

The biggest surprise is that they've actually had a communications director this whole time.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 6:14 AM on May 30, 2017 [174 favorites]

What's depressing is that we have evidence that a comparatively mild event can be hidden from the press for more than a few days. This implies that they could have secrets that are successfully hidden.
posted by steady-state strawberry at 6:15 AM on May 30, 2017 [13 favorites]

...and now that stunningly superficial man is marrying his daughter.

Which makes it even better! I hope his last words to his son-in-law-to-be were "Who's your daddy, Joe? I am. Literally, I am."
posted by XMLicious at 6:15 AM on May 30, 2017 [7 favorites]

I'm doubling down on my theory that the inner circle is well co-ordinated and there are no unauthorized leaks.
posted by Yowser at 6:17 AM on May 30, 2017 [6 favorites]

Mike Dubke is the Nikki & Paolo of this administration. Nobody has ever heard of him and now he's gone
posted by theodolite at 6:18 AM on May 30, 2017 [44 favorites]

... As Josh Marshall has been pointing out for awhile, the one thing that Trump has been unwavering on is undermining European unity, especially confidence in NATO. And what's truly remarkable is that there's barely a coherent rationale for why this would be in the US's interest -- after all, the US was a prime mover in this historical change. But there is precisely one interest for which undermining European unity is vital: Russia.

It's really just amazing that basically everything else about the Trump campaign and presidency conforms to Trump's Razor, that this is just the result of profound ignorance, incompetence, narcissism, and poor impulse control ... with the single exception of aligning with Russian interests in Europe. In an genre novel, this would be too pat, too obvious.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich 10 minutes ago [11 favorites −] Favorite added! [!]

There are things that happen and you can't believe it. It broaches so many assumptions, so many cultural norms, so much of what one takes for granted living and working in a particular society. This, Trump's behavior towards Merkel and his behavior in Europe, is possibly the strongest example of that: But I keep shaking it off because it's so fucking ridiculous. Putin did not bribe Trump with the money from that Rosneft sale (via Bloomberg) because that is just crazy pants.

But.

Whatever reason he has to be doing what he's doing, you can't help but see him acting to shift geopolitical balance in a direction that benefits Russia... It's as unbelievable as the fact that Trump is even President. Yet he is.
posted by From Bklyn at 6:19 AM on May 30, 2017 [14 favorites]

sour cream: "Also, it's an old tradition in the US that there are no presidential elections in times of war."

Sort of a war/"threat from radical Islam" within the continental US, I can't see that flying. He'd basically have to declare martial law, and that becomes extremely tricky. Would other institutions (congress, the courts, the military) back him if he went so far as to suspend elections?

The more likely scenario is the "tradition" of coming together during times of war. This will be extended to basically make it gauche to actively campaign (while the president can be on camera 24x7). It would be at best, unpatriotic, or, at worse, practically treason*, to criticize the Commander in Chief during this time, even if it were on a matter unrelated to the war.

They stifle the opposition party's ability to run an election through social norms, limiting the middle to hear that voice. Any attempt to do so further energizes the "patriotic base."

And this will be done while wrapping themselves up in American flags.

*By the right-wing definition of treason, which holds that any act that critiques the (GOP) leadership shows lack of unity, and, by extension, gives aid and comfort to the enemy.
posted by MrGuilt at 6:22 AM on May 30, 2017 [4 favorites]

Sam Stein, HuffPo: The Madness And Science Behind The Donald Trump Handshake

Nothing particularly new, although it's worth mentioning that after the handshake that Macron won, there was a second handshake where Trump fought and won. Frankly, I'd be curious to see what happens when he shakes hands with Putin or any other strongman.

I'm also wondering if there's any footage of him holding hands with Melania early in their marriage or relationship.
posted by ZeusHumms at 6:25 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

Fare and balanced: As the media target Jared Kushner, is the Sense of crisis overblown?
(Fox News, not linking)

Kushner Had No Plans to Set Up Secret Communication With Russia - Reports (Sputnik, not linking)

Was Kushner Working as a Double Agent? (MSNBC, video) May 29, 2017
Was Kushner Working as a Double Agent? Former FBI double agent Naveed Jamali says he believes Jared Kushner may have been working as a Russian agent. An MSNBC panel debates
posted by petebest at 6:27 AM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]

TPM: a suggestion for a new Trump family coat of arms ("Carpe Omnia") to replace the one Trump hijacked.
posted by ZeusHumms at 6:27 AM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]

Here's a fun challenge: try to find an article about the Dubke resignation that has a photo of the guy. #wheresmike #dubketruth #infowars
posted by theodolite at 6:28 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

Metafilter: They're just shooting the shit in a semi informed way.
posted by Melismata at 6:31 AM on May 30, 2017 [25 favorites]

When the Nordic prime ministers are openly mocking #PresidentTrump and the #Saudis
posted by Etrigan at 6:32 AM on May 30, 2017 [33 favorites]

Folks, just an exhausted plea here on behalf of mods: Please take a moment and think before instantly cramming as many comments as you can in here. Have we talked about [thing] at length in the last thread or every one of the last 50 threads? Handshakes? What if Trump starts a war to gain popularity? Maybe we don't have to repeat everything again as if we've never mentioned it before? If there's something substantial then link it. Also, instead of linking to single twitter posts x100, maybe compile those that are of interest and deliver interesting info, or, when possible, link to the actual articles rather than middlemanning via twitter. We can't keep having these threads acting as live chat, and are discussing this issue, so if you want to continue, you have to exert a wee bit of effort to help keep them useful.
posted by taz (staff) at 6:35 AM on May 30, 2017 [156 favorites]

>>try to find an article about the Dubke resignation that has a photo of the guy

I found this one, but that's about it. Admittedly I could have searched some more, but it's clear that his picture is not widely featured. Why would that be?
posted by Myeral at 6:37 AM on May 30, 2017

there was a second handshake where Trump fought and won.

See, that is not how I would have interpreted the second handshake. And the only media I've seen interpreting it that way are American. In the words of my kids from many years ago, that second handshake was not only Psyche! but BUNAGE!!!
posted by glasseyes at 6:50 AM on May 30, 2017

Things I learned last week: The FRONTLINE piece on Steve Bannon heavily implied from recent observations on the road that Bannon was still a major organizing force but wisely taken out of visibility. Also in the same piece, some inside commentators revealed that bombshell announcements are deliberately made on late Friday by the administration in order to anger a lot of people so that they are able to march in protest on Saturday, thus presenting liberals they way they want their base to see them.
posted by Brian B. at 6:52 AM on May 30, 2017 [16 favorites]

About the KKK in the 1920s. It was a dominant force in politics, north and south. It claimed to control 24 of 48 state legislatures. However, a number of exposes and the arrest of Indiana head KKK David Stephenson for kidnap and rape, led to a rather quick shedding of the number of participants. (Indiana is said to have dropped its membership from 350,000 to 15,000 in 1925 alone.
So, by 1927, the ones still attending KKK rallies were fairly hardcore.
Perhaps the Republican party will make the same nosedive.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 7:00 AM on May 30, 2017 [24 favorites]

But isn't this functionally true about most of Europe, which also has democratic elections? The problem is we've elected a monster and haven't removed him yet, not that we change leaders. I mean Merkel could theoretically be removed as well, right?

True, Europe does have elections but in reality they look to have been drawn from a stable population.

I think people are looking at GHWB -> GWB -> DJT and wondering do we really get reversion to the mean or is there a disturbing trend-line we should be extrapolating for 2024-30?
posted by shothotbot at 7:06 AM on May 30, 2017 [8 favorites]

@realDonaldTrump
The U.S. Senate should switch to 51 votes, immediately, and get Healthcare and TAX CUTS approved, fast and easy. Dems would do it, no doubt!

1. Thanks for weighing in, Donald.
2. This tweet will be useful if/when congress is ever retaken.
3. Notable that TAX CUTS is in caps and not healthcare. He knows who butters his bread.
4. Fast and easy, always with the get-rich-quick conman pitch.
posted by Rust Moranis at 7:08 AM on May 30, 2017 [63 favorites]

One thing I don't think has been discussed: I see a lot of commentary about "now Europe knows they can't trust us because we could change with the next election." But isn't this functionally true about most of Europe, which also has democratic elections? The problem is we've elected a monster and haven't removed him yet, not that we change leaders. I mean Merkel could theoretically be removed as well, right?

It's a european version of exceptionalism. If Le Pen had won, Merkel would've had to sing a slightly different tune. So long as they keep reelecting status-quo neoliberals with a commitment to stability, they can act holier than thou. When the fascist tides return to flood levels from their long ebb, they'll be too busy fighting to remind the world how much better than us they are.

not to say that Merkel isn't right: Europe is now on its own, and that's terrifying.
posted by dis_integration at 7:09 AM on May 30, 2017 [8 favorites]

He also re-tweed a Fox and Friends article that states that Jared Kushner didn't actually suggest Russian communications channel in that meeting. And quotes an anonymous source. :P
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 7:09 AM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

2. This tweet will be useful if/when congress is ever retaken.

"Oh no!" the President said. "They found an old tweet of mine that appears ludicrously hypocritical in light of recent events! Well, fair is fair."
posted by theodolite at 7:15 AM on May 30, 2017 [72 favorites]

The new GOP health-care bill is the polar opposite of Obamacare, in four charts (WaPo, @kimsoffen & @KevinUhrm)

Sometimes somebody has to draw me a picture.

Trying to learn to follow spitbull's guidelines.
posted by kingless at 7:16 AM on May 30, 2017 [23 favorites]

This is why we shouldn't call what Kushner did a "backchannel". Also, is Kellyanne confirming that Kushner set up a secret line of communications?

Kellyanne Conway insists Jared Kushner was right to set up secret communications with Russia (Sarah K. Burris, Raw Story)

Senior adviser to President Donald Trump Kellyanne Conway told “Fox and Friends” Tuesday that son-in-law Jared Kushner had every right and responsibility to set up a secret backchannel with Russia. In fact, “back channels like this are the regular course of business,” she said citing senior military advisors.

And this is why Kellyanne Conway ughhhhh Hulk Smash:

‘Anti-feminist’ Kellyanne Conway reveals how she uses her ‘femininity’ to influence Trump (Elizabeth Prenza, Raw Story)

Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway thinks her gender “has helped [her] with the president,” in part because she’s able to “respectfully” and “deferentially” tell Donald Trump her opinions

link to their employers' sites rather than aggregators

I still think it's helpful when the source is paywalled, but I've been trying to label the links something like, "NYT via Raw Story" so people can get the gist but still click through if they want. No guarantees if I'm on my phone, though.
posted by Room 641-A at 7:17 AM on May 30, 2017 [8 favorites]

In fact, “back channels like this are the regular course of business,” she said citing senior military advisors.

They're really trying to gloss over the fact that Kushner wanted to use Russian equipment inside the Russian embassy to talk to Moscow and would be anything but a massive security breach.
posted by PenDevil at 7:23 AM on May 30, 2017 [34 favorites]

They're really trying to gloss over the fact that Kushner wanted to use Russian equipment inside the Russian embassy to talk to Moscow and would be anything but a massive security breach.

But in attempting, however feebly, to justify Kushner's evident treason, they're at least stipulating to the facts of the story.
posted by Gelatin at 7:25 AM on May 30, 2017 [27 favorites]

"Oh no!" the President said. "They found an old tweet of mine that appears ludicrously hypocritical in light of recent events! Well, fair is fair."

I meant more that it'd be a useful tweet to show Democrats if they ever regain control of the Senate, but in hindsight "this tweet will be useful" is almost never an accurate statement anyway.
posted by Rust Moranis at 7:25 AM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]

They're really trying to gloss over the fact that Kushner wanted to use Russian equipment inside the Russian embassy to talk to Moscow and would be anything but a massive security breach.

And as far as this being about Syria, a number of people on the weekend shows pointed out that there are already special backchannels in place specifically to talk about Syria.
posted by Room 641-A at 7:30 AM on May 30, 2017 [22 favorites]

Expect Trump to crow about the THAAD test as a great success (if it is) and radio silence if it's a failure.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 7:41 AM on May 30, 2017

You'd think they'd be too busy dealing with scandals about treason and international scorn to take the time to help "religious employers" avoid covering birth control. But you'd be wrong! Robert Pear in the NYT: White House Acts to Roll Back Birth-Control Mandate for Religious Employers

The president invited the Little Sisters to join him on the dais, announced that they “sort of just won a lawsuit” and told them that their “long ordeal will soon be over.”

“With this executive order,” Mr. Trump said, “we are ending the attacks on your religious liberty.”
posted by WordCannon at 7:46 AM on May 30, 2017 [14 favorites]

“With this executive order,” Mr. Trump said, “we are ending the attacks on your religious liberty.”

What is he, a marionette controlled by puppet strings?
posted by Melismata at 7:52 AM on May 30, 2017 [5 favorites]

What is he, a marionette controlled by puppet strings?

Da.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:54 AM on May 30, 2017 [51 favorites]

Charles Pierce: Trump's White House Is Allegedly About to Get Way More Godfather: (Let us pause for a minute to recall that "go to the mattresses" was Santino Corleone's way of declaring war on the other families in response to the attempted assassination of his father. That did not work out very well for Santino.)
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 7:54 AM on May 30, 2017 [5 favorites]

What is he, a marionette controlled by puppet strings?

...yes?

edit: ебать
posted by leotrotsky at 7:55 AM on May 30, 2017 [6 favorites]

“With this executive order,” Mr. Trump said, “we are ending the attacks on your religious liberty.”

This quote makes me furious in ways I didn't know I hadn't been yet.
posted by Servo5678 at 8:00 AM on May 30, 2017 [79 favorites]

Jack Moore in GQ: "Jared Kushner Once Allegedly Admitted That Donald Trump Lies to His Base Because He Thinks They're Stupid."

well, i mean, he's not wrong
posted by entropicamericana at 8:02 AM on May 30, 2017 [21 favorites]

I'm imagining Trump watching his shows about the communications director, walking down to the West Wing and being like "Which one of you is Dubke"
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 8:05 AM on May 30, 2017 [10 favorites]

The biggest surprise is that they've actually had a communications director this whole time.

The echoes of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford continue. I suppose the end of this farce, if it follows the RoFo trajectory, is that 2020 sees 45 stepping down for health reasons and anointing Jared as as his heir. No, wait: Jared doesn't have the seething anger that Doug Ford conceals so poorly. Maybe Eric.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:06 AM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

I try to remember gullible people are victims and that the real enemies are the liars and manipulators, but yeah, it's not always easy not to blame the victim when it's hard to understand them. It helps me to remember that the reason a lot of low info voters are low info is that their lives are really fucked up because we've sort of normalized scamming the gullible as legitimate business practice.
posted by saulgoodman at 8:26 AM on May 30, 2017 [64 favorites]

He's gained weight.

Poor Donnie Two-Scoops.
posted by Faint of Butt at 8:27 AM on May 30, 2017 [60 favorites]

Trump wants to stop selling German cars in the US - since those cars are built here this will collpase the economy of at least 3 states.
posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit at 8:27 AM on May 30, 2017 [17 favorites]

He will have to realize that "all this trip really did was hit the pause button."

Wait, is that sentence trying to spin the disastrous foreign trip as a success? Trump looking Presidential or some such nonsense? All they did was take away his Twitter for a week, but his personal and diplomatic behavior, representing the United States, was ... deplorable.
posted by Gelatin at 8:29 AM on May 30, 2017 [16 favorites]

We Already Know Trump Betrayed America (David Corn, Mother Jones)

Explicit collusion may yet be proved by the FBI investigation overseen by special counsel Robert Mueller or by other ongoing probes. But even if it is not, a harsh verdict can be pronounced: Trump actively and enthusiastically aided and abetted Russian President Vladimir Putin's plot against America. This is the scandal. It already exists—in plain sight..
posted by diogenes at 8:31 AM on May 30, 2017 [88 favorites]

Trump looking Presidential or some such nonsense?

Yup, the Boston Globe a few days ago had this headline. The media really, really wants T to follow their narrative, but it's not working. C'mon media, you can do better than that.
posted by Melismata at 8:32 AM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

Going back to the "run the government like a business" concept, I think it ultimately comes down to "Pretend the government lacks the power to set monetary/fiscal policy, raise sovereign debt, or tax its subjects."
posted by Coventry at 8:34 AM on May 30, 2017 [5 favorites]

Racked.com: Trump Campaign Launches Birchbox-Like Subscription Box

The Big League Box is only $69/month. Christmas is just around the corner, y'all.
posted by Donald Trump Sex Nightmare at 8:48 AM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

Wow, I do. Springer's show is a homophobic mess.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 8:59 AM on May 30, 2017 [25 favorites]

“With this executive order,” Mr. Trump said, “we are ending the attacks on your religious liberty.”

[Not Gilead Fanfic]
posted by jaduncan at 8:59 AM on May 30, 2017 [12 favorites]

They're really trying to gloss over the fact that Kushner wanted to use Russian equipment inside the Russian embassy to talk to Moscow and would be anything but a massive security breach.

Franken Backs Review of Kushner Security Clearance

"Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) said he thinks White House senior adviser Jared Kushner's security clearance should be reviewed, following reports that President Trump's son-in-law sought to establish secret 'backchannel' communications with Moscow.

"'I think we should look at that,' Franken said during a Tuesday interview on CBS's 'This Morning' when asked whether Kushner's security clearance should be taken away. 'This is a pretty bad breach. Look, they — these guys, the administration, they're not acting like people who have nothing to hide.'"
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:00 AM on May 30, 2017 [59 favorites]

With this executive order,” Mr. Trump said, “we are ending the attacks on your religious liberty.”

What I interpret as the purpose for this order is either:

1) Getting evangelicals who were starting to move away a reason to come back
2) An insanely stupid attempt to Give Liberals Something Else To Be Mad About Besides Russia. As though somehow people would just get mad at the one thing and I don't know forget?
posted by corb at 9:03 AM on May 30, 2017 [18 favorites]

Trump wants to stop selling German cars in the US - since those cars are built here this will collpase the economy of at least 3 states.

Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. All states Trump won. Can I just say I'm sick of all the winning.
posted by photoslob at 9:03 AM on May 30, 2017 [27 favorites]

I feel a little better knowing the presidency is making Trump gain stress weight, because his presidency is definitely making ME gain stress weight!
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 9:05 AM on May 30, 2017 [81 favorites]

I feel a little better knowing the presidency is making Trump gain stress weight, because his presidency is definitely making ME gain stress weight!

True fact: I gained 5 lbs throughout the election (I recently lost 30 so this was a big deal to me) and the entire time was like, "It's okay, once Hillary is President, I'll be able to relax and stop eating all my anxious feelings." And then after the election I spent about 3 days in a cortisol-induced purge and lost it (but didn't care because omg we're all going to die). And now I'm back up like 8 lbs.

tl;dr: You can clearly track the Trump candidacy, election and presidency via the weight dashboard of my Fitbit app.
posted by soren_lorensen at 9:09 AM on May 30, 2017 [63 favorites]

IThis is the scandal. It already exists—in plain sight..

Right, we don't need to wait to to find out every reason to to impeach Trump or pull Kushner's security clearance. Time -- hardly a radical outlet -- called for Teump's impeachment back in February over the emoluments clause. We know Kushner lied on his declaration forms. You can go after other things as the evidence decides.
posted by Room 641-A at 9:09 AM on May 30, 2017 [18 favorites]

Trump wants to stop selling German cars in the US - since those cars are built here this will collpase the economy of at least 3 states.

Here's two local takes: from Columbia, the capital, "State, local officials say Trump should rethink his remark about German automakers" and from the Upstate, where BMW is located, "President Trump reportedly takes another swipe at Germany." GoUpstate.com also republished The State's piece.

I don't have any feel for how that's affecting Trump's support in that part of the state. My guess is that actual layoffs would have to happen before it took a huge hit.

The echoes of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford continue.

At least I can repurpose my Mayor Rob Ford Apology Bingo Card.
posted by octobersurprise at 9:09 AM on May 30, 2017 [7 favorites]

Look, they — these guys, the administration, they're not acting like people who have nothing to hide.

Things are at a bad point when a sitting Senator -- even one as smart and funny as Franken -- has to give the media such a basic lesson.

Franken's words should be posted by the door of every newspaper and TV news program until this crisis is over.
posted by Gelatin at 9:12 AM on May 30, 2017 [17 favorites]

Racked.com: Trump Campaign Launches Birchbox-Like Subscription Box

[Real] [Also, it costs $69/month]
posted by Room 641-A at 9:14 AM on May 30, 2017

sez who? (the Senate Select Intelligence Committee)
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:16 AM on May 30, 2017 [16 favorites]

I try to remember gullible people are victims and that the real enemies are the liars and manipulators, but yeah, it's not always easy not to blame the victim when it's hard to understand them.

It's not that hard to understand them. Watch South Park. Follow it up with team America. Realize that these victims think the real world should be or actually is like South Park, with "common sense" winning over "whining intolerant liberals".

That's why the flipping off of the Italian Prime Minister- it's a South park thing, and Trump's base is going to cheer it. They regard it as hilarious.

It's government as sitcom.
posted by happyroach at 9:19 AM on May 30, 2017 [25 favorites]

Omg it's like those YouTube videos where those guys build absurd video game characters (make his torso five feet wide! Now make his legs an inch around!) except it's, Now make Trumos own attorney culpable!
posted by Room 641-A at 9:21 AM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

Apologies if this got posted in an earlier thread, but I only just saw this Vox piece on Trump not as a liar (with a vested interest in having people believe him), but as a bullshitter who says crazy untruths as a way to check for loyalty among his hangers on. As long as Spiced keeps talking about Emporer Trumps incredible new clothing (only the finest Egyptian Cotton, made right here in America by high wage salt of the earth types! You can see the craftsmanship!) he'll be fine, unless Trump tires of him, because with Trump, loyalty to Trump is all important, but Trump has a long history of being loyal to none.
posted by Ghidorah at 9:23 AM on May 30, 2017 [8 favorites]

You can clearly track the Trump candidacy, election and presidency via the weight dashboard of my Fitbit app.

Yeah, the liquor-and-ice-cream diet I emerged upon after it became clear Trump was actually going to be our president has made my Fitbit lines tank horribly as well. You are not alone.
posted by corb at 9:24 AM on May 30, 2017 [23 favorites]

With so many scandals swirling around the GOP, it's great that Democrats are coming together to unite behind a common enemy: Nancy Pelosi.

So far, three House Democrats from the two regions targeted by the PAC — Ryan, Michigan’s Dan Kildee, and Kentucky’s John Yarmuth — are supporting the People’s House Project.

The two House Democrats interviewed for this story emphasized that they view the project as complementary, rather than in conflict with, the existing Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Similarly, they stressed that they don’t intend for the new organization to serve as a rebuke to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. (Ryan ran against Pelosi for minority leader in December 2016 and lost.) “This has to be a movement with a lot of hands rolling in the same direction,” Kildee said in an interview.

But Ball was more willing to directly attack the Democratic Party’s leadership in the House — and cast the new effort as an attempt to break with it. Some political analysts say Democratic candidates are weighed down by what the Cook Political Report calls the “Pelosi Factor.” In the home stretch of several House elections, including Thursday’s Montana race, Republicans have deployed images of Pelosi in attack ads to go after their Democratic opponents.

“She’s an impediment to every House Democrat in the country except for a few coastal enclaves,” Ball said in an interview. Candidates running under the People’s House Project will be able to say they’re of a different cast than Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Ball said.

“This gives us a chance to go straight into the heartland with an economic message,” said Kildee, who like Ryan stressed that he doesn’t view the effort as contradictory to Pelosi. “We have really not led with an economic message that transcends the whole spectrum of voters who would benefit from Democratic policies.”

I'd normally just dismiss this as a desperate attempt for a few back-bench conservadems and a third-rate political commentator/consultant to make themselves seem relevant, but the press eats up this sort of talk of the "heartland" (if only there were also electoral votes in states outside the Rust Belt!) and "the whole spectrum of voters" (a spectrum that apparently starts at "white" and stops at "beige"), so I'm nervous that this could get some traction. "Democrats in disarray!" is catnip for the media, especially when Nancy Pelosi is involved, and when you add in the "white working class voters are the only ones that matter" factor, this whole thing just disgusts me. Eat shit, Krystal Ball and your pathetic attempt to resuscitate the Blue Dog Cacuus.
posted by tonycpsu at 9:24 AM on May 30, 2017 [24 favorites]

Things are at a bad point when a sitting Senator -- even one as smart and funny as Franken -- has to give the media such a basic lesson.

Franken's words should be posted by the door of every newspaper and TV news program until this crisis is over.

I don't know if both-sides-ism or a desperate need for eyeballs on pages has driven the media to this, but they can't carry water for Trump and Co., or at least act like it's not a big deal, and then turn around and blame "the voters" or "the public is stupid" or "poor white hicks" or or or. You can't tell people that the leopard is just a kitty cat, and then blame them for thinking that the leopard is really a kitty cat who won't eat their faces, because you told them "it's just a kitty cat, move along, no leopards here!".

I'm not speaking of Fox and the like, which always have been propaganda channels for the right and not objective media, but "mainstream" outlets like CNN, the New York Times, etc. I also know that many (most?) Trump voters get all their information from Fox and Breitbart and don't give credence to outlets like CNN.

But - many, probably most, people rely on mainstream media outlets to find out about what's going on in the world. That's why it's called "the news." I like to feel that I can trust the mainstream media to tell the truth. It may not be as left as I would like, but they at least try to tell the truth. Right?

#Notallmedia - there are terrific columnists and reporters doing yeoman's work - Charles Blow, Alexandra Petri, to name two - but I feel like the media has fallen down on the job, and now it's come back to bite them, and they have to own their part in this.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 9:25 AM on May 30, 2017 [20 favorites]

Trump wants to stop selling German cars in the US - since those cars are built here this will collpase the economy of at least 3 states.

Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. All states Trump won. Can I just say I'm sick of all the winning.

I feel like VW and Tennessee should be included. VW has over 3k employees in Chattanooga.
posted by phearlez at 9:30 AM on May 30, 2017 [12 favorites]

the flipping off of the Italian Prime Minister

Berlusconi docet: it just meant he's "numero uno!"
posted by progosk at 9:31 AM on May 30, 2017

"Democrats in disarray!" is catnip for the media, especially when Nancy Pelosi is involved....

I know 'All politics is local', and I'm thinking 70/30 that D's are going to make major inroads in the House in 2018, if not gain the majority. All that said, I keep having a nagging feeling that there's more fire behind the smoke of 'Democrats in Disarray' than people are willing to admit. With all due respect to the individuals and their devotees, I doubt rolling out Sanders, Warren (to a lesser extent), and Pelosi (to a much lesser extent) as the beacons of light for 2018 House victory are going to have as significant an effect on what could be winnable districts as people want to believe.
posted by splen at 9:41 AM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]

Yeah, the liquor-and-ice-cream diet I emerged upon after it became clear Trump was actually going to be our president has made my Fitbit lines tank horribly as well. You are not alone.

Holy shit, me too. I realized with horror that I might have to buy a whole bunch of new clothes this summer because mine are all suddenly too snug. Just what I need when I'm trying to save money to build a bunker.
posted by holborne at 9:42 AM on May 30, 2017 [15 favorites]

It's not that hard to understand them.
It is to me, in the "empathize and identify with" sense of understanding them, but I've been very lucky to have been exposed to all kinds of information, had family that taught me to value learning and not to feel ashamed of making mistakes and being wrong, and I was also lucky to have gotten a very thorough education in critical thinking both in high school and at the university level, so it makes sense I'd have trouble identifying with, say, the disabled state employee I shared a smoke and a bit of small talk with a few years ago, who casually and bitterly called the woman that had just given him his paycheck a racist and sexist slur because she didn't smile at him enthusiastically enough when she delivered it. There's no doubt in my mind that guy was more a victim of manipulation and exploitation himself than the root of the problem.

That's part of what makes this conservative movement so scary to me: by making life harder for everybody, it also makes it harder for people to invest the energy needed to know what to make of complex issues and to make sounds choices at the polls.

It's kind of like how plants shaped the atmosphere to make it support more life: The policies the Republicans push create overstressed, low info voters, and their electoral strategies exploit those segments in the electorate to predate on them.
posted by saulgoodman at 9:42 AM on May 30, 2017 [26 favorites]

On Nancy Pelosi: I think she's done a good job, but, like BentFranklin, I think it's time for her and many of the other older leadership to pass the baton and mentor the younger folks. We need a "deep bench" of young people, and, I would add, POC and LGBT young people in particular.

So I don't think a "new congress" movement per se is bad. I agree that it's time to get away from the "consultant industrial complex" and kissing up to big corporate donors. There's a reason that Bernie Sanders was so popular. There's a reason that Democrats who have a "Wall Street" image are unpopular in many quarters.

But. Please god NO chasing after "swing voters" (there are no more of them), Blue-Dog-ism, and the white working class as the end-all-be-all. How about focusing on: registered Democrats who don't bother voting - how can we help you get to the pools? People of all races and genders who feel marginalized - how can we help you get to the polls? What can we do for you?

Barack Obama was a community organizer before he became Senator and then President - I think this helped with getting out the vote when he was elected. I honestly think that for Democrats to invest in community organizing that would be the most helpful. I'm still angry about how ACORN was mobbed and vilified into shutting down.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 9:53 AM on May 30, 2017 [62 favorites]

Of course Nancy Pelosi is not a great symbolic leader for the party right now, but she's the minority leader in a legislative chamber that hardly matters for the purposes of actual governance. Her job is to hold her caucus together and attempt to divide the Republicans as much as possible, and so far she's done a great job of that. Meanwhile, the party has many other leaders in much more prominent positions who can take on the more public-facing leadership dutues. So why are these assholes ganging up on her now? Pure opportunistic careerism.

If the Dems do take over in 2018 (still a big if) we can talk about whether she ought to be speaker -- I would say no, but switching from minority leader to majority leader would be fine. Having this battle now, in public, with the disgusting tie-ins to the "white working class / heartland" issues that reinforce the false narrative that the only votes that matter are ones where angry white men are involved... It's really not a good look.

Pelosi's earned a graceful transition away from prominent leadership. There's nothing stopping Schumer, Perez, Ellison, Sanders, Warren, Gillibrand, or anyone else from using their own high positions in the party hierarchy to shape public perception. Doing so does not require pushing Pelosi aside so that we can throw a bone to bigoted Fox News Democrat types.
posted by tonycpsu at 9:56 AM on May 30, 2017 [69 favorites]

I think gullibility in low information individuals earns sympathy when they are manipulated in a lot of ways - pyramid schemes, crummy timeshares, etc. The same cannot be said for gullible people who are manipulated by appealing to hateful, violent, nasty beliefs they already hold. An awful racist homophobe gullible enough to vote against their interests is still an awful racist homophobe.
posted by lazaruslong at 10:01 AM on May 30, 2017 [28 favorites]

The Post's Phillip Bump has produced a comprehensive timeline on What we know about Trump’s campaign, Russia and the investigation of the two. Useful if you want to take a step back and see how we got here.

That CNN story has an important detail:

Russian government officials discussed having potentially “derogatory” information about then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and some of his top aides in conversations intercepted by US intelligence during the 2016 election, according to two former intelligence officials and a congressional source.

One source described the information as financial in nature and said the discussion centered on whether the Russians had leverage over Trump’s inner circle. The source said the intercepted communications suggested to US intelligence that Russians believed “they had the ability to influence the administration through the derogatory information.”

Wilson would have filed an 8.8 percent rate hike if he knew those funds would be paid. But he bumped it up to a 22.9 percent increase because he doesn’t think the Trump administration will come through.

Politico: U.S. tells EU: No laptop ban.

And in foreign affairs: Russia And Ukraine Are Fighting On Twitter And Maybe That's Better Than The Alternative?
posted by zachlipton at 10:02 AM on May 30, 2017 [26 favorites]

While it doesn't say who the information is about (it could easily be Manafort, for example) and it could have just been "Russian bluster," this new report reiterates the importance of looking at Trump's taxes, as the Plum Line notes, to look for such derogatory information.

Right. The right response to whenever anyone points out that this could just be Russian disinformation/empty chatter is "we can't possibly know that as long as Trump continues to refuse to be open about his finances and taxes." This isn't some out-of-the-blue thing that we're asking someone to confirm or deny, this is troubling information that can't be disproven precisely because Trump refused and continues to refuse to do what is typical for other modern candidates and office holders. The reasonable question isn't "could this be fake?" it is "is this exactly why he's refused to disclose all this time?"
posted by phearlez at 10:07 AM on May 30, 2017 [35 favorites]

Given that there is no market for right-liberal ideology nationwide, the folks trying to replace Pelosi with someone even farther to the right are functionally equivalent to saboteurs. I've also got side-eye right now for the idea of trying to replace Pelosi with a left-leaning liberal, since my sense of the situation is that the only advantage the Democratic Party has right now is deep knowledge of how the legislative branch works — of procedure, of how to gum up that procedure, of how to effectively twist arms and low-key blackmail, of how to most effectively bait the freedom caucus into undermining the Republican position.

Anyone with whom Pelosi could be replaced would be a comparative neophyte at all that. So replacing Pelosi would be a serious unforced error — and I say this as someone who really wishes that San Francisco could be represented by someone who shares the city's values, instead of by Nancy Pelosi.

The only reason to even consider replacing Pelosi is if it becomes clear that impeachment and conviction of both Pence and Trump will happen after the 2018 election. In that case the Democratic Party house leader will be effectively running for President, and the Democrats should tactically elevate whoever will be most attractive for that job. Unfortunately I don't know the house nearly as well as I should, so I have no clue who among the House Democratic caucus is best suited for that position.

(I would suggest my representative, Barbara Lee, but obviously getting someone that good in control of the executive branch would require extra-parliamentary methods).
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 10:10 AM on May 30, 2017 [31 favorites]

Russian government officials discussed having potentially “derogatory” information about then-presidential candidate Donald Trump

omg is it the pee tape??!

One source described the information as financial in nature

oh well
posted by soren_lorensen at 10:12 AM on May 30, 2017 [5 favorites]

The reasonable question isn't "could this be fake?" it is "is this exactly why he's refused to disclose all this time?"

As Senator Franken said, he's sure acting like he has something to hide (and yes, that goes all the way back to his tax returns during the election -- why would he take the extraordinary step of keeping them secret if there wasn't something there he didn't want people to know? The media failed to ask the obvious follow up, "What is he hiding?"
posted by Gelatin at 10:12 AM on May 30, 2017 [6 favorites]

“I declined the invitation to participate as the request was poorly phrased, overly broad and not capable of being answered,” Cohen told ABC News

Is that how this works? I don't think that's how this works.

Carter Page now says he won't meet with the House Intelligence Committee next week

All these guys who are so excited to share their side of the story seem to get cold feet when the opportunity arises. Strange.
posted by diogenes at 10:14 AM on May 30, 2017 [17 favorites]

Whatever his previous reasons were for withholding his taxes, they are now his alibi.
posted by Room 641-A at 10:14 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

soren_lorenson Don't give up hope! Didn't he pay for the peeing? "Allegedly"?
posted by Emmy Rae at 10:14 AM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

Ross Douthat is clearly off the Trump train. Is that new? Is it significant?

Twitter: My view is that post-Gorsuch, the reluctantly pro-Trump right should be like a gambler who won big. It's okay to walk away from the table.
posted by diogenes at 10:17 AM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

Whatever his previous reasons were for withholding his taxes, they are now his alibi.

An alibi is something that exonerates someone. I doubt Trump's tax returns do that.
posted by Gelatin at 10:20 AM on May 30, 2017 [7 favorites]

I've also got side-eye right now for the idea of trying to replace Pelosi with a left-leaning liberal, since my sense of the situation is that the only advantage the Democratic Party has right now is deep knowledge of how the legislative branch works ...

This is true.
posted by octobersurprise at 10:20 AM on May 30, 2017 [4 favorites]

Ross Douthat: My view is that post-Gorsuch, the reluctantly pro-Trump right should be like a gambler who won big. It's okay to walk away from the table.

While it's revealing that Douthat tacitly acknowledges Gorsuch as a right-winger with a religious bent, and his elevation to SCOTUS is a windfall for Republicans for stealing Obama's nomination, he also basically returns the court to its balance when Scalia was alive. An additional SCOTUS nomination could sew up a conservative majority for a generation, so it's fascinating that Douthat seems prepared to forego that opportunity to withdraw support from Trump.

Unless he figures Pence would pick another evangelical right-wing ideologue anyway, in which case he is probably not far wrong.
posted by Gelatin at 10:24 AM on May 30, 2017 [4 favorites]

And the other obvious follow-up: why is the entire Republican party helping him hide it? As Brian Beutler just wrote:

Again, Paul Ryan seems not to care about any of this, much as he and other leading Republicans, like Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, don’t care that Trump went to Europe and vandalized the Western alliance. This kind of enabling behavior defines the Republican Party today, and is often and correctly interpreted as part of the endless collateral damage Republicans will tolerate in pursuit of tax cuts. But the focus on Ryan’s motives, rather than his actions, reduces his abdication of duty to a partisan or ideological calculation. Something appropriately left in the realm of politics.

But it’s much more severe than that. Trump’s election was a catastrophically destabilizing event in and of itself, and people like Ryan were complicit in it. But to an under-appreciated extent, the amount of damage Trump would ultimately be capable of inflicting was a question for Congress as much as Trump himself. America can’t unelect Trump, or annul his presidency, but it would be straightforward for the country’s other political branch of government to signal to the world that it would never allow a U.S. president to permanently upend the foundation of trust underlying the post-war global order without good reason. If a president’s advisers have malign intent with state secrets—in many cases secrets shared between nations—nothing says Congress has to tolerate it. If the president himself is reckless with those secrets, or with his foreign policy in general, nothing in the Constitution says Congress must sit on its hands. Quite the contrary.

The GOP has, at almost every turn, refused to use the tools available to them to learn the truth or intervene. They're just as guilty.
posted by zachlipton at 10:25 AM on May 30, 2017 [103 favorites]

> [Trump is] sure acting like he has something to hide (and yes, that goes all the way back to his tax returns during the election -- why would he take the extraordinary step of keeping them secret if there wasn't something there he didn't want people to know?

So, knowing what we know now, it seems like the 2016 Democratic campaign should just have focused on Trump's undisclosed tax returns to the exclusion of all else. "Grab them by the pussy", Khizr Khan, the disabled reporter, Alicia Machado - through all of that, the consistent theme should have been: "Those are distractions; what's he trying to hide in his financial dealings?"

But of course that's the benefit of 6 months of hindsight, and there was always a chance that the rest of his taxes were as clean as the old returns the campaign leaked to Maddow.

What I don't quite get, though, is why at least some section of the press isn't staying hyper focused on the financial dealings. Is lite treason that much of a distraction? It's part of the same story - I would have thought some intrepid financial journalist would have come up with the details by now.

Maybe it's just too overwhelming - there's too much chaff to deal with. This New Yorker piece by Adam Davidson from March this year, for example, would have been enough to sink most traditional political operations:

Donald Trump’s Worst Deal
The President helped build a hotel in Azerbaijan that appears to be a corrupt operation engineered by oligarchs tied to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

I read that and it left my head spinning, but it went nowhere...
posted by RedOrGreen at 10:25 AM on May 30, 2017 [16 favorites]

Folks, just an exhausted plea here on behalf of mods: Please take a moment and think before instantly cramming as many comments as you can in here. Have we talked about [thing] at length in the last thread or every one of the last 50 threads?

Pelosi falls pretty squarely into this category.
posted by diogenes at 10:26 AM on May 30, 2017 [7 favorites]

So, knowing what we know now, it seems like the 2016 Democratic campaign should just have focused on Trump's undisclosed tax returns to the exclusion of all else.

Of the Trumpists I know, the (total bullshit) reply would have been "Of course he was taking advantage of a bunch of loopholes, because he's a smart businessman, and he knows that the liberals are just trying to smear him because they hate businessmen. I'm glad he's not releasing his tax returns."
posted by Etrigan at 10:28 AM on May 30, 2017 [6 favorites]

The media failed to ask the obvious follow up, "What is he hiding?"

What, WHAT is wrong with the media?? Why are they doing this? Yes, I know they're starving, but that never stopped them before (it's a relatively recent phenomenon that newspapers made a good profit). Where is integrity? Where is creativity? Every morning I hope * that they will have some good insight, some reporting that will make me think outside the box and want to chew on and then maybe do something positive. Instead, I get "OMG, the president is not acting presidential!" or "wow, this congress sure is divided!" They've been so incredibly disappointing.

* Ok, maybe that's my problem...
posted by Melismata at 10:29 AM on May 30, 2017 [7 favorites]

> Pelosi falls pretty squarely into this category.

Then please FIAMO. The fact that there's an effort to undermine the most successful party leader the Democrats have had in decades with an appeal to the anxieties of Trump-sympathetic voters of a certain skin tone is very relevant to present day discussions of resisting Trump. This isn't about 2016 primaries, it's about 2018 strategy.
posted by tonycpsu at 10:36 AM on May 30, 2017 [43 favorites]

Darrell Issa seems to be on the roof of his office, rather than meeting with the constituents who have gathered there. [real]
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 10:39 AM on May 30, 2017 [91 favorites]

truly a man of the people
posted by entropicamericana at 10:44 AM on May 30, 2017 [8 favorites]

Well all those liberals are going to tear him apart what with him voting to let poor people and children die in the gutter.

What did he expect? Ave Imperator, morituri te salutant?
posted by Talez at 10:46 AM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]

I thought during the campaign that if Trump was elected, it would mean the beginning of the end of America as the leader of the free world and likely as the world's lone superpower. I didn't expect it to start rolling downhill this fast, though.

I was expecting to go outside on January 21 and see everything on fire with the Isengard music continually playing in the background, so the last few months have been a pleasant surprise for me
posted by theodolite at 10:50 AM on May 30, 2017 [9 favorites]

Spicer scheduled to start in a few minutes.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 10:54 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

Today is my daughter's birthday; she's turning eight. Back in late September or early October, she said to me out of the blue, "I'm glad we got our passports, just in case Donald Trump wins the election."

We had a family party to watch the election returns, and as things started to go south my wife and I put both kids to bed in hopes of sparing them a little bit. Several of her close friends at school are Muslim; things were pretty rough in class the next morning.

Her younger sister turned six back in March - the day the AHCA was withdrawn and that Manafort offered to testify under oath.

All I'm saying is, it's really important for kids to feel like they're being treated equally in terms of birthday gifts, in order to preserve family harmony. So I'm hoping for a news alert around 4 or 5 this afternoon.
posted by nickmark at 10:55 AM on May 30, 2017 [39 favorites]

it would be straightforward for the country’s other political branch of government to signal to the world that it would never allow a U.S. president to permanently upend the foundation of trust underlying the post-war global order without good reason.

That's an amazingly naiive article. The Republicans have never been just about tax cuts. Look at far right talking points over the last 20 years- isolationism a hatred of international cooperation, the UN and Europe has been a feature of right-wing ideology for decades. This isn't just a con by Trump, this is something Republicans believe in.
posted by happyroach at 10:55 AM on May 30, 2017 [7 favorites]

So, knowing what we know now, it seems like the 2016 Democratic campaign should just have focused on Trump's undisclosed tax returns to the exclusion of all else. "Grab them by the pussy", Khizr Khan, the disabled reporter, Alicia Machado - through all of that, the consistent theme should have been: "Those are distractions; what's he trying to hide in his financial dealings?"

I disagree. In addition to the "smart businessman" dodge -- which Trump himself brought up in the debates -- all of the other events and more, plus concealing his tax returns, showed he was unfit to be President.

That case is in fact what the Democrats made, and they were quite right to do so. Unfortunately the media responded with "but her emails!" But while Trump's refusal to release his returns was fishy, and should have alerted the media he was hiding something (and it should have been them pressing Trump on this point, not necessarily the Democrats), if memory serves me correctly, we did not yet have the information public that indicated the tax returns were at the center of a criminal conspiracy. And suggestions at the time that they were -- for all the FBI might have known, and been keeping it a secret -- would have sounded like crying wolf at the time.

Especially as there was so much other evidence that Trump was unfit. Democrats did not do wrong in pointing to every bit of it. Trump's voters, however, had to achieve an impressive feat of cognitive dissonance to vote for him anyway, which they tacitly admit by recent profiles indicating they are tuning the news out these days.
posted by Gelatin at 11:01 AM on May 30, 2017 [10 favorites]

I just want to make sure I'm parsing that picture of Darrell Issa correctly...that motherfucker is on the roof taking pictures of the constituents he's avoiding, right?
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 11:01 AM on May 30, 2017 [40 favorites]

I think people forget the damage that George W. did to the concept of American leadership, particularly in Europe. One president making deeply unwise foreign policy decisions and dragging our NATO allies after us could be dismissed as an aberration. But with Trump/Bannon's brazen attempts to undermine NATO and the EU, that's two unfit leaders in fewer than two decades. It's a sign of an ailing political culture and the safest course of action is to stay the hell away.
posted by longdaysjourney at 11:13 AM on May 30, 2017 [29 favorites]

Spicer just started. He seems to be going day-by-day of the international trip and reading a glorified summary.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 11:15 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

He realises we were all watching, yes?
posted by Grangousier at 11:16 AM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

@realDonaldTrump
The U.S. Senate should switch to 51 votes, immediately, and get Healthcare and TAX CUTS approved, fast and easy. Dems would do it, no doubt!

You said it D-Man! And while we're at it, we should switch to a simple majority to decide presidential elections! One man, one vote, you know! Simple majority, baby!

Oh, hi guys. How are ya? Wow, you're all dressed snappy in your crisp brown shirts...
posted by prepmonkey at 11:18 AM on May 30, 2017 [10 favorites]

He realises we were all watching, yes?

This administration's motto might as well be "Who you gonna believe -- me or your lying eyes?" He needs to get the lies rolling before we shift the trip into long-term memory.
posted by Etrigan at 11:18 AM on May 30, 2017 [12 favorites]

"The president's speech in the Middle East was a historic turning point that will be talked about for many years to come."

A perfect example of how something can be true, but not accurate.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:19 AM on May 30, 2017 [44 favorites]

Think anyone will be cruel enough to ask about his exclusion from the papal visit?

I hate Sean Spicer, but I still kinda hope that on his next swing through the Americas Pope Francis goes out of his way to meet with him while pointedly not paying a visit to Donald.
posted by contraption at 11:22 AM on May 30, 2017 [4 favorites]

Question 1 to Spicey is what Trump knew about Jared and when he knew it. Have a fun afternoon, Sean!
posted by prefpara at 11:23 AM on May 30, 2017 [55 favorites]

Backchannels are fine and appropriate and also it didn't happen.
posted by theodolite at 11:23 AM on May 30, 2017 [12 favorites]

Especially as there was so much other evidence that Trump was unfit. Democrats did not do wrong in pointing to every bit of it. Trump's voters, however, had to achieve an impressive feat of cognitive dissonance to vote for him anyway, which they tacitly admit by recent profiles indicating they are tuning the news out these days.

I thought the election campaign was sealed by voter suppression? In previous threads others have posted enough analysis of who did and did not vote to show that overall voting was down. The one main goal for 2018 should be to GOTV pure and simple. Trump was elected with 26% of the electorate. 6 million fewer votes than Obama. I think the strategy is very clear for 2018, start to disrupt and deter legal maneuverings we know are coming from Republicans to suppress the vote.
posted by herda05 at 11:25 AM on May 30, 2017 [5 favorites]

An alibi is something that exonerates someone. I doubt Trump's tax returns do that.

That's my point.
posted by Room 641-A at 11:26 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

I think people forget the damage that George W. did to the concept of American leadership, particularly in Europe.

Ultimately, I don't think W damaged us that badly, or at least not irreparably. I think a lot of people thought of that era as the US making a lot of bad decisions in a difficult situation, and Obama did a lot to turn it around. I don't think anyone thought of the US less as an *ally*, though, or doubted that we'd be there for them if they needed us.
posted by empath at 11:26 AM on May 30, 2017 [12 favorites]

I watched the latest episode of the Leah Remini / Scientology show last night and I was so struck by how many parallels there are between how L Ron Hubbard approached the press and Trump.

- Discredit the media's credentials.
- Declare media reports to be fake.
- Just keep saying what you want people to believe and enough of them will.
- The ends justify the means.
posted by double bubble at 11:26 AM on May 30, 2017 [26 favorites]

I thought the election campaign was sealed by voter suppression? In previous threads others have posted enough analysis of who did and did not vote to show that overall voting was down.

The studies that I have seen suggest that the effect of specifically voter ID laws is inconclusive.
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 11:28 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

I've had relatives harangue me with travelogues and slideshows that were shorter than Spicer's effort to stall, and it really doesn't seem to have worked.

His answer on Duterte had a conspicuous lack of condemning extrajudicial killings.
posted by zachlipton at 11:28 AM on May 30, 2017 [10 favorites]

From Salon: Wake up, liberals: There will be no 2018 “blue wave,” no Democratic majority and no impeachment
posted by growabrain at 11:29 AM on May 30, 2017 [7 favorites]

People (rightly) thought the Iraq war was dumb and stayed out of it. They didn't not think the US had stopped being an ally/was conspiring against them.
posted by Artw at 11:29 AM on May 30, 2017 [8 favorites]

W-43 was viewed in the light of 9/11, so allowances for over-reaction, even utterly mis-guided reaction, were made. Trump has fucked things up far more. The inflexibility of the US constitutional system may yet save it, but it also seems to lock in a demonstrably bad choice of administration. I doubt Europe will be woo-ed back without constitutional change.
posted by stonepharisee at 11:30 AM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

Spicey says Trump would describe his relationship with Merkel as "fairly unbelievable."

I... concur.
posted by prefpara at 11:32 AM on May 30, 2017 [45 favorites]

Um, did Spicer just read Merkel's speech about how they can't rely on the US and then say "That's great. That's what the president called for" ?

I mean, it's presumably what Putin called for, but I'm not sure he planned to admit that driving a wedge between Germany and the US was the goal here.
posted by zachlipton at 11:35 AM on May 30, 2017 [21 favorites]

Paul Waldman: On voting rights, we’re becoming two separate and unequal countries

Despite a string of losses in the courts, Republicans are going to keep trying to make voting as difficult as possible, particularly for African Americans, for one reason: It works. There are active debates about exactly how many people were kept from the polls in 2016 — for instance, some contend that Wisconsin’s voter-ID law disenfranchised enough African Americans to swing the state to Donald Trump — but every young person, urban dweller or racial minority they can keep from the polls increases the odds that Republicans will win.

And they’re optimistic, with good reason, that Justice Neil M. Gorsuch and the conservative majority on the Supreme Court will be on their side on this issue. The other four conservatives on the court have seldom seen a voting restriction they objected to, and there’s little reason to think they will in the future. Texas’s enormously restrictive law (which is still being litigated) could be the vehicle for the court to open up whole new avenues of vote suppression. If and when they do, Republican states will almost certainly rush in to pass the most restrictive laws they can.

Meanwhile, Democratic states are moving in the opposite direction, proposing measures such as automatic registration and same-day registration, in which you can register when you show up to the polls on election day (it’s in place in 13 mostly liberal states, plus D.C., while it’s been passed but not yet implemented in three more). But if they really wanted to make things easy, they’d be pushing for universal vote by mail (UVBM), which is used only in Washington state, Oregon and Colorado.

It’s something of a mystery why UVBM hasn’t been more of a priority for Democrats, because it couldn’t be easier. You get your ballot in the mail, you fill it out, you drop it in a mailbox. There’s no taking time off work, wondering where your polling place is or waiting in line. It’s particularly helpful for people who don’t have flexible schedules. While fraud is theoretically possible, in practice it’s a minuscule problem. Just ask someone from one of those three states what they think about it, and they’ll tell you how much they love it. That’s not to mention the fact that it makes elections cheaper and easier to hold, and provides a paper trail for any disputes.

posted by zombieflanders at 11:37 AM on May 30, 2017 [33 favorites]

Spicer was just asked, at long last, "Does the president believe human activity contributes to climate change?". As we know, this is a significant question.

Answer: "I haven't asked him."

Maybe you should ask him, Steve.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:38 AM on May 30, 2017 [66 favorites]

Ooh, Spicer is really mad at the suggestion that Trump wasn't paying enough attention at NATO.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 11:40 AM on May 30, 2017 [4 favorites]

From Salon: Wake up, liberals: There will be no 2018 “blue wave,” no Democratic majority and no impeachment

To which the response is "have you been looking at the actual results, or did you just stop at "Republican candidate wins"? In all the races the article mentioned, the GOP has spent heavily, just to barely maintain control in districts that have long been considered safe."

Better click bait, Salon. This is even beneath what you've become.
posted by NoxAeternum at 11:41 AM on May 30, 2017 [49 favorites]

Spicer abruptly ended when things started turning on him. You can hear a reporter shout, as he's walking out, "Is Kushner fake news?"
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 11:42 AM on May 30, 2017 [55 favorites]

From Salon: Wake up, liberals:

Not a great start.

There will be no 2018 “blue wave,” no Democratic majority and no impeachment

To summarize the rest of the editorial: "The Democrats suck and won't win anything forever, because they suck. So stop complaining, because it annoys me. Just hang out for the rest of your lives and do...I don't know what. And I don't care." This is the goddamn pinnacle of apathetic privilege.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:42 AM on May 30, 2017 [85 favorites]

I think it's 'rely' being used in two different ways. Arguably Trump has been pushing for other countries to pick up what he saw as slack because it isn't fair (never mind that the US basically let it happen because we believed it was in our interests) that we were putting more in. Merkel is saying that they won't rely on the US because we're unreliable. It's the difference between not wanting to hire someone because you can do the job yourself and not wanting to hire someone because you don't think they can do it.
posted by Green With You at 11:43 AM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

Rebecca Solnit: The loneliness of donald trump: On the corrosive privilege of the most mocked man in the world (Literary Hub)
posted by stonepharisee at 11:44 AM on May 30, 2017 [40 favorites]

"Of course he was taking advantage of a bunch of loopholes, because he's a smart businessman, and he knows that the liberals are just trying to smear him because they hate businessmen. I'm glad he's not releasing his tax returns."

"So true. In fact, I don't know why *any* presidential candidate would release their tax returns, right? It's just stuff for the opposition to talk about. And who cares? It's probably better if we stick to talking about policies. I mean, if we're getting into personal records, next thing you know we could be getting into people's emails and other communications, which would be even more invasive, and who knows where that could go.

"But on the other hand, you know, Trump probably is innocent -- you don't think there's anything actually shady in those returns, do you -- and if there's nothing to those liberal smears, having the details out in the open should make it easier to prove them wrong. Right now, it really looks like he has something to hide."
posted by wildblueyonder at 11:44 AM on May 30, 2017

"So true. In fact, I don't know why *any* presidential candidate would release their tax returns, right?...

Congratulations, you found the line of logic that would convince everyone who thought "Grab them by the pussy" wasn't a disqualifier, that "I could shoot someone in the middle of 5th Avenue" wasn't a disqualifier, that mocking a disabled reporter wasn't a disqualifier, that talking about his dick in a debate wasn't a disqualifier, that--

Oh, wait. Did I say "everyone"? I meant "absolutely, literally, 100 percent, more certain than I am that the sun will rise in the east tomorrow not a single person". My bad.
posted by Etrigan at 11:49 AM on May 30, 2017

The Guardian has an interesting amount of background about the Kentucky press intimidation shenanigans.
posted by progosk at 11:49 AM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

Roger Waters of PInk Floyd fame began his American Tour in Kansas City with this! (Tweet, with image of display at concert. )
posted by stonepharisee at 11:49 AM on May 30, 2017 [44 favorites]

Oh, man, that Rebecca Solnit piece is golden. One way or another, he knows he has stepped off a cliff, pronounced himself king of the air, and is in freefall. Another dungheap awaits his landing; the dung is all his; when he plunges into it he will be, at last, a self-made man.
posted by suelac at 11:56 AM on May 30, 2017 [41 favorites]

Wow, I wonder how the audience in Kansas City reacted to that Roger Waters thing. I think Kansas City is blue-ish, or at least deep purple. But Missouri is otherwise deep red.
posted by holborne at 12:03 PM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

Wow, I wonder how the audience in Kansas City reacted to that Roger Waters thing. I think Kansas City is blue-ish, or at least deep purple? But Missouri is otherwise deep red.

I'm pretty sure Deep Purple were British actually
posted by OverlappingElvis at 12:06 PM on May 30, 2017 [64 favorites]

Darrell Issa seems to be on the roof of his office, rather than meeting with the constituents who have gathered there. [real]

Oh for the love of... okay, I'm on the wrong side of the continent, but if you live anywhere near that building, for the love of god, please just start showing up and shambling randomly around outside and groaning like zombies. That's what I want to see. Hundreds of people stumbling around outside that building, bumping into each other and groaning, while Darrell Issa is treed on the roof. Maybe we can get him to spell out HELP - ALIVE INSIDE or something on the rooftop.
posted by Naberius at 12:06 PM on May 30, 2017 [65 favorites]

I'm pretty sure Deep Purple were British actually

Ok, I stepped right into that one.
posted by holborne at 12:07 PM on May 30, 2017 [9 favorites]

I'm pretty sure Deep Purple were British actually

The rest of Missouri is certainly King Crimson then.
posted by Twain Device at 12:08 PM on May 30, 2017 [26 favorites]

"State, local officials say Trump should rethink his remark about German automakers"

Objection: assumes facts not in evidence.
posted by The Tensor at 12:09 PM on May 30, 2017 [22 favorites]

The rest of Missouri is certainly King Crimson then.

Simply Red.
posted by The Tensor at 12:09 PM on May 30, 2017 [11 favorites]

Wow, I wonder how the audience in Kansas City reacted to that Roger Waters thing. I think Kansas City is blue-ish, or at least deep purple. But Missouri is otherwise deep red.

Consider the audience has chosen to attend a Roger Waters concert.

Also, you're much smarter than The Donald, so you must know that the center of the country is not a vast undifferentiated sea of red.
posted by leotrotsky at 12:09 PM on May 30, 2017 [9 favorites]

Glad to see everyone doing their part not to fill this thread with useless chatter and lame ass jokes.
posted by absalom at 12:10 PM on May 30, 2017 [17 favorites]

That's what I want to see. Hundreds of people stumbling around outside that building, bumping into each other and groaning, while Darrell Issa is treed on the roof. Maybe we can get him to spell out HELP - ALIVE INSIDE or something on the rooftop.

DONT VOTERS
OPEN INSIDE
posted by leotrotsky at 12:11 PM on May 30, 2017 [35 favorites]

So much happening, it's hard to keep up. But if I may return for a bit to the NATO obligations: one reason NATO members have been so quick to own up to strengthening their national defense budgets is that a lot of us are scared of Russia after the whole Ukraine thing. Obviously the Baltic nations including Poland, but also those of us who are neighbors to the threatened countries. Greece has the largest relative defense budget i Europe. So a lot of NATO members were already reevaluating their defense policy.
Since 1989, most NATO countries have scaled down their defense budget, and redefined their policies. Since the Warsaw pact was no longer seen as a threat, most of the forces pointed east were scaled down to a minimum. Some felt that the US with their endless weapons race were using military spending for other purposes than defense . During the 90's there was a strong argument for an EU common defense from all the Latin countries and Germany to a lesser extent, but Brits, Scandinavians and Baltics were against that for different reasons, and it came down completely during the Bush regime. With Brexit and specially Sweden and Finland changing their views on defense dramatically everything is up in the air right now. Also there is a very strong sense that the various US adventures in the ME and Asia have imposed a huge and unsolvable refugee problem on Europe.
With global warming, there is also a whole new interest in the Arctic region, and a new dynamic of power, where Canada, Norway and Denmark suddenly have gained new status but also new obligations, and thus new attitudes to international politics. Maybe there is more than a handshake to Trudeau's style. I just read yesterday that Nuuk is vying to be an arctic cultural centre.
What Trump is doing is pushing the EU to spend more on defense than already planned, which may look like a success. But in the current political situation, after Brexit, he is creating a stronger foundation for an EU alternative to NATO, which can literally be funded by NATO, since remember the 2% are about each nation's defense spending, not payment into a common fund (let alone one that the US controls). So NATO members can up their spending and even start new R&D, and then at the moment they find Trump has gone over the top, they bail out and use all that new knowledge and gear for their own purposes. The way Trump was behaving at the NATO summit, they could even organize this within NATO, since neither Canada nor UK would share info with the US those days after the Manchester terror.
Signs of this happening were already apparent during the run-up to the Iraq war where both France and Germany refused to participate, remember freedom fries? The big difference is that now, it's difficult to imagine Spain, Portugal, Denmark or Italy supporting a US aggression anywhere.

Which brings me to the end of this long rant: yes, there is a scary tradition in US politics for starting wars when domestic politics become difficult. BUT, there has also always been a need for legitimacy for those wars, and right now, I can't imagine where that legitimacy would come from. Entering the Yemen civil war on the Saudi side? Who would support that apart from Gulf States? Invading Cuba? Would that engage anyone who wasn't already a Trump voter? War with North Korea? I doubt even South Korea would support that.
They can let in a major terrorist attack, like Bush let 9/11 happen (I'm not assuming conspiracy here, just ignorance), but even then I can't see NATO backing the US as with Afghanistan after Trump's recent behavior and also the failure in Afghanistan.
posted by mumimor at 12:15 PM on May 30, 2017 [14 favorites]

“Money” sustained the proletariat rage, as images of Trump’s failed casinos, Russian buildings and photos of Kremlin and cabinet officials accompanied the music.

A very few people headed for the exits – one man raised his middle finger to the stage while departing during “Money” – but they were easily outnumbered by fans raising their beers, singing along and reveling in the moment. “Pigs (Three Different Ones)” may have been the least subtle moment of the evening, but it also drew far more applause than any other non-radio track.
posted by Joey Michaels at 12:17 PM on May 30, 2017 [39 favorites]

Issa is rather defensive in his tweet, though I like how two of the pictures show him talking with the "defund Planned Parenthood" guy and not, say, the folks with "impeach" or "Issa killed your health insurance" signs. He says he went to the roof to take a picture.
posted by zachlipton at 12:18 PM on May 30, 2017 [4 favorites]

From Salon: Wake up, liberals: There will be no 2018 “blue wave,” no Democratic majority and no impeachment

Alternate headline: Salon announces they now pay by the word.

man what a pile of fluffed nonsense that piece is...
posted by phearlez at 12:19 PM on May 30, 2017 [13 favorites]

Folks, please less with the noise and riffing, go do chitchat things elsewhere: Chat; Summer Metatalktails; political feels Metatalk. Also flaggers: please don't flag a ton of comments in a row; it's counterproductive.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 12:21 PM on May 30, 2017 [8 favorites]

judging by his behavior he doesn't seem to know what the 5th Amendment is

Trump and the Fifth Amendment: It’s complicated

In 1990, he invoked his Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination by refusing to answer 97 questions in a divorce deposition. But last year, he ripped into Hillary Clinton aides repeatedly for exercising the same privilege during the congressional investigation into her private email server.

“The mob takes the Fifth,” Trump told a campaign crowd in Iowa last September. “If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?”

Now, it’s Trump’s fired national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who is invoking the Fifth, hoping to avoid handing over documents to a Senate panel investigating Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election.

posted by kirkaracha at 12:23 PM on May 30, 2017 [8 favorites]

So I was at the Roger Waters concert here in KC Friday - I meant to post about it. It was ... pretty fucking fantastic. The first half was fairly Trump-free, until they hit "Another Brick In The Wall (Part I)". It was the last song before the encore, and he brought out a group of local teen dancers to dance onstage. Black teen dancers ... in orange prison jumpsuits. Who ripped off the jumpsuits at the end to show "RESIST" t-shirts. That pretty much set the mood for the second half, which was basically better than any anti-Trump rally. I only saw a couple of people seeming upset, for the most part it went down well. I'll get a few pictures posted online and give a link in a few minutes. If Roger's coming to your town, though, go. Absolutely worthwhile.
posted by jferg at 12:25 PM on May 30, 2017 [93 favorites]

Federal Appeals Court Rules In Favor Of Transgender Student: "A federal appeals court on Tuesday ruled in favor of a transgender student's challenge to a Wisconsin school district's policy limiting his restroom usage — a big win for those seeking to advance transgender rights in the courts.... Unlike the case brought by Gavin Grimm in Virginia that had — for a few months — reached the US Supreme Court, Whitaker's challenge, and Tuesday's decision, is independent of any Education Department or Justice Department policies on the question. (The appeals court decision in Grimm's case had deferred to Obama-era Education Department guidance on Title IX. As such, the US Supreme Court sent the case back to the lower courts when the Trump administration withdrew that guidance so other arguments could be considered.)

In the court's opinion in Whitaker's case, Judge Ann Claire Williams addressed Title IX independent of administration guidance. "A policy that requires an individual to use a bathroom that does not conform with his or her gender identity punishes that individual for his or her gender non‐conformance, which in turn violates Title IX," she wrote for the panel."
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 12:27 PM on May 30, 2017 [51 favorites]

Here are a few Roger Waters pics - I was trying to enjoy the show and not photograph it, but some of it was too good not to:

1/2
2/2
posted by jferg at 12:32 PM on May 30, 2017 [26 favorites]

Meanwhile, opinion from Canada (Macleans)

Donald Trump’s farewell tour

Rapidly, over the last few weeks, America’s rivals and allies stopped seeing the United States as the “indispensable nation” whose opinion mattered, whose approval was always necessary.

What changed? The world has a much better measure of the man now. They see him as inconsistent—even if you convinced him on Monday to support the Paris deal, he will quite likely repudiate it Tuesday morning in a tweet. He has also proven so ineffective in controlling the bureaucracy and even his own party, it is unlikely that a repudiation will change much any time soon.

posted by Sallysings at 12:32 PM on May 30, 2017 [26 favorites]

A very few people headed for the exits – one man raised his middle finger to the stage while departing during “Money”...

It's baffling that a Roger Waters fan who had listened to any of his post-Floyd work could somehow harbor the idea that Waters would be anything but vehemently and vocally anti-trump, both onstage and off. I guess that unhappy handful of offended trump-loving rock music fans would have been better off spending their money on Danzig tickets.
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:35 PM on May 30, 2017 [29 favorites]

What we're up against, Homer, Alaska edition

TL;DR: Trump supporters are all about love and understanding and coming together, any efforts to welcome immigrants or Muslims are clearly insidious and driving the community apart.

How do you fight people who coopt your message and actually believe it?
posted by Mchelly at 12:42 PM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]

Couple comments deleted; let's not go back to "will he start a war; where, how, etc" per taz's earlier note.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 12:53 PM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

Mchelly: "How do you fight people who coopt your message and actually believe it?"

This is the essential question of 1984, of course, complete with the reimagining of hate as love.
posted by TypographicalError at 12:59 PM on May 30, 2017 [8 favorites]

An interesting thread from NPR's David Folkenflik on that Fox News piece that Trump tweeted out and where it came from. The Murdoch speculation is just speculation, but the fact that the story was just attributed on air to "a source who has talked to Kushner tells Fox News" is very significant. This is Jared's defense, delivered secondhand and anonymously, not an independent source saying it didn't happen.

I also think the story, when you actually read it, is a lot more cautious than the headline implies. It's not exactly much of an exoneration of Kushner, and if Trump tweeting it out is confirmation, it's still damning. The essential details of the story are all in there; the twist is that the Russians are the ones who proposed a secure line and that it was supposedly to be a one-off instead of a permanent back-channel. It then cites the Post's reporting that Kushner suggested using Russian diplomatic facilities.

The most damning bit of the story is still in there: that Kushner wanted to discuss US military strategy with the country that just interfered to get his father-in-law elected on a call that would be monitored by Russian intelligence but not US intelligence.

And then, inexplicably, the follow-up to this meeting that was allegedly about Syria was a meeting with a sanctioned Russian bank. None of this, even when it's a single anonymous pro-Jared source talking to Fox, is the defense Trump seems to think it is.
posted by zachlipton at 1:08 PM on May 30, 2017 [39 favorites]

"Discussing strategies to fight ISIS in Syria" is the new "hiking the Appalachian Trail"
posted by theodolite at 1:11 PM on May 30, 2017 [72 favorites]

The retweet is not about the story, it's about the headline. Most folks who saw the tweet probably didn't read the story, and I'm including Trump himself in that group. (judging by typical engagement metrics for any link, not a knock on his followers and this specific story) but the headline says he didn't do it, so there you have it.
posted by TwoWordReview at 1:14 PM on May 30, 2017

So I got frustrated with not being able to link to anything that I thought was well organized when arguing about Trump/Russia on social media. I decided to make my own thing.

I've said before that I think our two priorities as Americans right now have to be 1) resisting Trump's agenda, which if implemented will weaken us as a nation and 2) helping as many people as possible understand that evidence that Russia helped get him elected, and how and why they did it.

So please, feel free to cite, link, quote, or steal from this site as you see fit. Do whatever you want -- just spread the information around.

2016 "ACTIVE MEASURES" -- WHAT THE PUBLIC KNOWS

There are three pages. One of them is adapted from one of my metafilter comments. :-)
posted by OnceUponATime at 1:15 PM on May 30, 2017 [101 favorites]

Just to point point out that the Homer Alaska council is all white. In Alaska that makes *them* immigrants.

Hey, lets not limit ourselves, anyone white anywhere in the Americas is an immigrant, and anyone white complaining about immigration is standing on one of the largest piles of bullshit possible.
posted by neonrev at 1:24 PM on May 30, 2017 [35 favorites]

Scott Wilson @ WaPo: "We talked to these "people" too. We would not publish their account unless we could signal they were speaking for Kushner. They refused"
posted by JoeZydeco at 1:26 PM on May 30, 2017 [37 favorites]

2016 "ACTIVE MEASURES" -- WHAT THE PUBLIC KNOWS

Thank you for putting this together! This is awesome. I'm so sorry to bikeshed about this but any chance you might consider nixing that font-weight:300 css property? It looks really nice but may hurt readability for long stretches of text.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 1:32 PM on May 30, 2017 [4 favorites]

I will gladly accept any and all help in making the site better via memail. Sent you a note, Jpfed.
posted by OnceUponATime at 1:37 PM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]

Bikeshedding: def. The act of wasting time on trivial details while important matters are inadequately attended is sometimes known as bikeshedding. The term was coined as a metaphor to illuminate Parkinson’s Law of Triviality. Parkinson observed that a committee whose job is to approve plans for a nuclear power plant may spend the majority of its time on relatively unimportant but easy-to-grasp issues, such as what materials to use for the staff bikeshed, while neglecting the design of the power plant itself, which is far more important but also far more difficult to criticize constructively.
posted by Sophie1 at 1:38 PM on May 30, 2017 [41 favorites]

Just to point point out that the Homer Alaska council is all white. In Alaska that makes *them* immigrants.

Above I mentioned the changing importance of the Arctic region. I'm not very optimistic about this at all. But an optimistic understanding of this situation could be more power to the indigenous populations of the area.

It's almost obvious it won't go that way at all. But there is the fact that there are not really many other inhabitants of those areas, and that even in Russia, it's become difficult to force other than military personnel out there. So at least there must be some sort of negotiation about how to defend national territories and resources within the Arctic, and Russia needs to enter this negotiation with exactly the same sensitivity and vulnerability as everyone else.

A huge difference between Norway and Denmark and all the other Arctic nations is that they for political reasons very early on decided to make northern Norway, including Svalbard and (on Denmark's side) Greenland into normal regional entities. Meaning all national laws applied, rather than colonial laws.

If the "Western" part of the Arctic population (Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Northern Norway (+ maybe Northern Finland and Sweden) could set a common agenda, that might be a relevant challenge to Russia and Japan who are no way giving the indigenous populations a voice. And their voices would be voices for humanity, because their whole existence is threatened by global warming.
posted by mumimor at 1:49 PM on May 30, 2017 [4 favorites]

Meanwhile, South Korea's president is apparently "shocked" that the U.S. military brought in four missile-defense launchers (Choe Sang-Hun, NY Times) to the country without his having been informed:

"Many liberal domestic supporters of Mr. Moon have feared that the Thaad deployment would do little to protect South Korea from North Korean missiles and instead bring their country deeper into a hegemonic struggle between the United States and China.

"They tend to see it as part of Washington’s scheme to contain China’s growing military influence with a regionwide missile defense network. Their misgivings only deepened when President Trump suggested that South Korea pay $1 billion for the system."

posted by biogeo at 2:04 PM on May 30, 2017 [7 favorites]

Video: Federal immigration agents forced to call for backup after residents attempt to stop arrest in Queens : More than 30 angry Queens residents tried to stop federal immigration agents on Tuesday from arresting a neighborhood construction worker accused of burglary and illegally reentering the country.

Residents demanded to know why Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials had swooped in to arrest Hardat (Ryan) Sampat, 35, near 101st Ave. and 112th St. in Richmond Hill about 10 a.m.

The Guyanese native was driving away from his family’s home on 112th St. when federal agents in unmarked cars boxed him in with their vehicles and took him into custody, witnesses said.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 2:11 PM on May 30, 2017 [31 favorites]

What we're up against, Homer, Alaska edition

TL;DR: Trump supporters are all about love and understanding and coming together, any efforts to welcome immigrants or Muslims are clearly insidious and driving the community apart.

How do you fight people who coopt your message and actually believe it?

Haha Alaskans: we don't want the government to tell us what to do (but be sure to mail that oil subsidy check, okay?)
posted by OHenryPacey at 2:14 PM on May 30, 2017 [16 favorites]

Politico: Spicer’s ‘middle finger’ to the press : Spicer did the briefing on Tuesday “to give the middle finger to you guys,” a Republican close to the White House said. "Spicer wanted to do it, and Trump was good with it. I'm not sure how often he'll do it from now on, but today was to give the middle finger to you guys."

Trump, who has frequently critiqued his press secretary, recently told Spicer that his answers to questions were too long and that he needed to be more succinct in responding to the media, two people familiar with the conversation said....

The frustration he showed at the lectern Tuesday is not new. On the recent trip abroad, he repeatedly showed the strain of the job.

At one point, he got drinks with a group of other staffers and reporters in Jerusalem, where he was adamant that the conversation steer clear of work.

"The most we’ve seen of Sean [Spicer] was at a rooftop bar in Jerusalem,” said one U.S. journalist on the trip. “But he refused to take work-related questions, and said if you asked him a work-related question, then you had to take a shot.”
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 2:17 PM on May 30, 2017 [9 favorites]

Spicer did the briefing on Tuesday “to give the middle finger to you guys,” a Republican close to the White House said. "Spicer wanted to do it, and Trump was good with it. I'm not sure how often he'll do it from now on, but today was to give the middle finger to you guys."

I mean, really press, stop going to the briefings. Turn off the bullshit spigot.
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:21 PM on May 30, 2017 [12 favorites]

Every day Spicer gives a press briefing is middle finger today.

But he was channeling some of his Ari Fleisher today, with needless pedantry. Soon journalists will be including long quotes from other sources in their questions to him, I'm guessing.
posted by Yowser at 2:23 PM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

Meaning all national laws applied, rather than colonial laws.

Well yeah but Alaska is a US state.

This is super complicated and contested, but for a long while, the Danish-Norwegian government imagined that the North had been integrated during the early middle ages and just needed an update about protestantism. This was obviously entirely wrong, but we all know how ridiculous assumptions can direct government for generations, don't we? When the central administration realized there were pagans up there, they dealt with it as a localized problem within the nation rather than as imperial conquest (which they were absolutely into in other parts of the world). Apart from the religion issue, they were pretty adamant on regional autonomy, which is what really sets them apart from their Swedish and Finnish contemporaries. This makes total sense in the context of Russian imperialism - Russians were far more interested in Finland than Northern Norway, let alone Greenland.

Back when Greenland was established as part of the Danish-Norwegian empire, there were no contestants to that ownership, even among Inuit. To the contrary, it was a Danish-Inuit scholar who set out to map the world of the people, without ever claiming land. There was a sense of shared destiny which isn't there today, but still many Danes are surprised to find some of their great heroes and contemporary stars are Inuit. In my own profession (architecture) the founding father of 20th century design is an Inuit. I'm working to spread this fact, right now ;-)
posted by mumimor at 2:27 PM on May 30, 2017 [13 favorites]

In my own profession (architecture) the founding father of 20th century design is an Inuit.

Who? Now I'm curious.
posted by orrnyereg at 2:29 PM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

I'd love to see all of the mainstream media one by one burn the two-faced top Administration leakers who decry leaks, and dare Trump to fire or prosecute them.

This would be an insane thing for the press to do.
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:33 PM on May 30, 2017 [17 favorites]

I went out back just now and found that overnight, a very large and active hive/swarm of bees has suddenly appeared inside the walls of my shack. Not wasps, bees. They're just pouring and flowing in and out of every crack and gap. Bees. Never had this happen before, have no idea where they came from. Many miles from the nearest kept or wild hives.

I'm not saying this has anything to do with politics but it sure feels like it does.
posted by Rust Moranis at 2:39 PM on May 30, 2017 [46 favorites]

Nordic leaders troll Trump orb photo [direct link to the photo]

I have to confess at this point that I own my very own glowing orb. It's Moroccan, not Saudi, but I'm happy to loan it out for quality orb-related jokes or parties.
posted by zachlipton at 2:40 PM on May 30, 2017 [11 favorites]

In my own profession (architecture) the founding father of 20th century design is an Inuit.

Who? Now I'm curious.

Actually, I'd love to make an FFP on this, but it is so difficult to find online sources. I hope at some time to write an article or even a monograph on this.

Anyway, Carl Petersen (link to Danish Wiki, the wiki doesn't mention his heritage), was the ideological mind behind the so-called Scandinavian Classicism, which evolved into Scandinavian Modern. Petersen worked both as an architect and as a ceramist inspired by Japanese crafts, and also by the Inuit culture that was part of his heritage. Unfortunately, as he died young, he never lived out his potential, or visited Greenland or Japan, his primary sources of inspiration. But he remains to the day a major source for the values of Danish and Scandinavian design, and both his works and his theory are cited every day in Denmark.
posted by mumimor at 2:42 PM on May 30, 2017 [22 favorites]

stop going to the briefings. Turn off the bullshit spigot.
Let's also stop liveblogging the briefings in here.
posted by soelo at 2:54 PM on May 30, 2017 [24 favorites]

Daily Beast: Trump Aides ‘Dreading’ a Return of ‘Trainwreck’ Corey Lewandowski:

As the White House struggles to maintain message discipline with a compulsive tweeter in the Oval Office, whispers of Corey Lewandowski’s reemergence have senior Trump administration officials gnashing their teeth. ... "I gagged when I [first] heard that," a senior Trump aide told The Daily Beast. "[Corey] will not be an asset in the West Wing. He would be a hothead in a [White House] that needs the opposite."

posted by maudlin at 2:55 PM on May 30, 2017 [9 favorites]

Rust Moranis: Use them wisely.
boromir-it-is-a-gift.gif

Also, there's disturbing reports that Lord Dampnut's twitter followers have increased by 5 million in the past few days.
@amandablount2 "I'm tracking *45's number right now. He is growing by around 100 bots a minute. He is massing a propaganda army."

Molly McKew warns that this might break the internet, and not in a champagne-arcing-onto-one's-own-posterior sort of way.
posted by HE Amb. T. S. L. DuVal at 2:55 PM on May 30, 2017 [12 favorites]

Molly McKew warns that this might break the internet, and not in a champagne-arcing-onto-one's-own-posterior sort of way.

I clicked to find out more, except there isn't more. She just tweets "this might break the internet" and... that's it. Which seems kind of unhelpful. Why? What might break the internet about it? What is she talking about?
posted by Justinian at 2:58 PM on May 30, 2017 [16 favorites]

Let's also stop liveblogging the briefings in here.

Whoa, whoa. Let's not do anything crazy.

Propaganda can be incredibly valuable. It tells us a great deal about a government and its attempts to control its message, priorities and image. What does that government believe is important? What does it want to avoid? Which messages are likely to have come directly from Trump himself? Which are a desperate attempt to spin uncontrollable situations?

Press briefings actually offer a view of the topics they are trying to bury or don't want to address. They give us a clearer picture of how the White House functions. Or how dysfunctional it is. We learn so much from watching Spicer squirm every day.

It's FAR better for us to have this forum to discuss them, because we can and do cut through the bullshit, rather than swallow it unquestioned. We can create coherent arguments why we're being lied to and how. And gain a deeper understanding of how they're all trying to screw us over.

Personally, I'd much rather go into this with open eyes and sharp ears than remain stuck playing guessing games in blind ignorance.
posted by zarq at 3:01 PM on May 30, 2017 [82 favorites]

This would be an insane thing for the press to do.

On the contrary, I think continuing to let Trump play both sides is an ongoing insane thing that the press is doing. Trump-Bannon's method is based on breaking norms and unspoken rules for advantage against their enemies. It works only if there is no chance of retaliation.

Ideally, the burns would be done by journalists about to retire so that the paper can maintain deniability. Or, they could be semi-revealed by hints and partial revelations, as is already happening with the Kushner pushback.

At the extreme, a Washington Post reporter with a leak from Trump could respond to one of the President's attacks by saying "I would be happy to reveal the source of the leak if the president requests that publicly." Such a request would authorize making the source public, so it would be entirely ethical. How would Trump respond?
posted by msalt at 3:05 PM on May 30, 2017

I think there's a middle ground between liveblogging the briefings and completely ignoring them. I'm totally up for a thoughtful synopsis of the briefing posted after it is over.
posted by janell at 3:05 PM on May 30, 2017 [18 favorites]

I never said we need to ignore them. There is no need to tell us how many minutes until Spicey time, how late he is and then type every question and answer for us.
posted by soelo at 3:09 PM on May 30, 2017 [14 favorites]

I think McKew's talking about the army of bots that tRump or Russia (or both!) have just paid for. Various other sources are watching this as it unfolds. I'm not sure "breaking the internet" is really the proper phrase, but it seems like there will be a massive asymmetrical disinformation/distraction push from tRump and his handlers coming soon.
posted by HE Amb. T. S. L. DuVal at 3:12 PM on May 30, 2017 [5 favorites]

There is no need to tell us how many minutes until Spicey time, how late he is and then type every question and answer for us.

I agree we may not need to announce "Spicey Time" and all that but I really appreciate the breakdowns, as I'm at work and can't watch the briefings. By the time I get home the briefings are already done with. If it weren't for being able to keep the Mefi thread up and running I wouldn't be nearly as informed.
posted by kittensofthenight at 3:18 PM on May 30, 2017 [47 favorites]

I like to think of a new bee swarm as a good sign! (but call a beekeeper to come get them).

Speaking of swarms; Trump's assembling his bot army to do...what exactly? I am trying to keep my freaking out for only the most essential things.
posted by emjaybee at 3:18 PM on May 30, 2017 [7 favorites]

There's a more thorough reaction to the sudden bot surge in this Twitter thread from "Snowflake Princess" @amandablount2.
She questions why he would risk getting censured by Twitter with such a bad real/fake followers percentage.
"11. No matter what his reason for doing this, his real/fake percentage has dropped over the last few months, which means more propaganda.
12. We know he has been doing this from the beginning. Bots get more active when something big is happening. Which lately is everyday."
posted by HE Amb. T. S. L. DuVal at 3:21 PM on May 30, 2017 [5 favorites]

Exposing Trump administration leakers/whistleblowers could potentially be dangerous to them. Leaking certain kinds of information to the press would be considered treason. If someone leaks to the Post that Trump gave classified information to the Russians, and explains what was said, then they could be prosecuted for leaking classified info. In that specific case, the leaked info was classified foreign intelligence.

The administration and the FBI would go after the person who leaked that information with a vengeance, making an example of them to the public.

At the extreme, a Washington Post reporter with a leak from Trump could respond to one of the President's attacks by saying "I would be happy to reveal the source of the leak if the president requests that publicly." Such a request would authorize making the source public, so it would be entirely ethical. How would Trump respond?

It would be highly unethical of a journalist to do that without first having the person who leaked the information agree to be outed. They presumably asked for confidentiality for a reason. Simply having the subject of the leak ask who they are wouldn't make revealing the source's identity more ethical.

Anonymous sources are often the only way larger stories -- especially those revealing government or corporate corruption -- are broken to the public. Burning anonymous sources is a great way to ruin one's career. Other media outlets would be unlikely to hire you. People wouldn't be willing to speak off the record to you in the future. Or perhaps they'd decline to be interviewed at all.
posted by zarq at 3:21 PM on May 30, 2017 [8 favorites]

I actually like the briefings related content in these threads. I often have to be away from my screen near that time of day, and i find that watching Spicey himself can raise my hackles, but i do like to know if there's been a bombshell or some particularly telling exchange has occurred.
It's also helpful that many of the contributors here know more about who's in the room and which outlet they're from, which helps with context.
posted by OHenryPacey at 3:22 PM on May 30, 2017 [32 favorites]

Molly McKew warns that this might break the internet, and not in a champagne-arcing-onto-one's-own-posterior sort of way.

I used to live next door to her. She's whip smart, very nice, and a good gardener, but from what I know of her she's not a person who I'd turn to for predictive advice. She is hawkish on the Russia situation, but who she worked for when we were neighbors made me never talk politics with her. It was a some rocks you just don't want to turn over situation.
posted by peeedro at 3:25 PM on May 30, 2017 [7 favorites]

zarq: "Burning anonymous sources is a great way to ruin one's career. Other media outlets would be unlikely to hire you. People wouldn't be willing to speak off the record to you in the future. Or perhaps they'd decline to be interviewed at all."

If I've learned anything from the past year, it's that a serious amount of skepticism should be given to statements about the moral calibre of Americans, especially wrt journalism.
posted by TypographicalError at 3:26 PM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

It would be highly unethical of a journalist to do that without first having the person who leaked the information agree to be outed.

I think that comment's about outing a leaker when Trump himself is the leaker, because the White House is both castigating the leaking and actively participating in leaking to push a desired media narrative.
posted by Andrhia at 3:27 PM on May 30, 2017 [8 favorites]

BuzzFeed: No One Wants The Big White House Job That Just Opened Up [Communications Director]

One operative whose spouse works in the Trump administration dissolved into laughter upon being asked if they would want the role.

"Sorry, I’m sorry," the source said between stifled laughter. "Oh, you’re being serious? Oh my god, I’m crying of laughter, why would anyone in their right mind want to be his communications director?"

Even some responses that weren’t entirely terrible, were still bad for the White House. “Coming on board now is a bit like taking over communications for the White Star Line after the Titanic has sunk,” a former George W. Bush staffer said. “I mean, no one is going to blame you and how much worse can it possibly get?”

posted by zachlipton at 3:30 PM on May 30, 2017 [34 favorites]

I actually like the briefings related content in these threads.

I'm voting for this as well. I know these megathreads are making things hell on the mods and the servers itself, but I've been able to learn a lot more from these collected threads (as well as the associated debunking and fact checking call outs) than I have from any other single source, be it MSM or twitter feeds or, well, anything else.

Additionally this has been very fast, real time information.

Also keep in mind that some people (such as myself) are somewhat isolated from MSM, lacking things like cable TV accounts or newspaper subscriptions, so the concentrated information here is extremely helpful. If depressing.

I've actually been reminded multiple times in these megathreads (magathreads? heh.) of how MeFi responded to 9/11, where it was a source of timely and direct information when other sources were overwhelmed or just plain inaccurate.

I've basically left whatever current megathread open either on my home browser or on my phone to help keep track of things. I never do this for MeFi threads, or threads in general.
posted by loquacious at 3:35 PM on May 30, 2017 [99 favorites]

I'm going to start signing into chat for the briefings and encourage the rest of you to do so as well. I like the content of the commentary but it burns out the threads faster.

A solid overview or three would be great and by then we should be able to link to video clips that one journalist being awesome or Spicer starting on fire or whatever other crazy/important thing happened.

And just generally I try to keep in mind that the thread will start to break stuff around 3,000 comments no matter how long. So the more we can get away from one or two sentence comments, the better off people are going to be.
posted by VTX at 3:38 PM on May 30, 2017 [8 favorites]

Andhria: I think that comment's about outing a leaker when Trump himself is the leaker, because the White House is both castigating the leaking and actively participating in leaking to push a desired media narrative.

Exactly. Sorry I didn't make myself clear. I'm suggesting this only when the leaker is Trump himself, or perhaps a very top aide (Kushner, Bannon or Ivanka, basically). Not even Spicey, just the biggest of fish.
posted by msalt at 3:39 PM on May 30, 2017 [6 favorites]

Exactly. Sorry I didn't make myself clear.

Ah! No worries at all. I didn't understand.
posted by zarq at 3:40 PM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

What does it mean that a bunch of fake twitter accounts followed Trump's twitter? Is this the precursor to some huge propaganda campaign, or just some weird thing?
posted by gucci mane at 3:41 PM on May 30, 2017

On the subject of outing sources, I'd like to cite the Canadian Association of Journalists, who I think have a very reasonable stance when it comes to this question. Relevant bit:

2. Are there any cases in which it is acceptable or morally advisable to reveal a source?
In certain rare circumstances, yes.When journalists use confidential sources, their contract and their obligation is, as always, first and foremost to the public, not to the source. Revealing a source would be justified, for example, if a government source or agency leaked erroneous information – but only if they knew it to be wrong, not if they too were fooled or misled. Governments, police or other groups often leak information with the deliberate attempt to “spin” the news. If they have lied to you to get their version of the story out, they deserve to be exposed. That is why it is all the more important to check your sources and their motives.

RECOMMENDATION: If a source knowingly lies or hides an important part of the truth about a major issue or fact in the story, your obligation is to the truth, not the source. He or she has broken his contract with you and you can break your promise of confidentiality to the source.

And that's how I view the entire question of leaks within the administration, too. Someone who is deliberately playing the press to push a narrative (e.g., "sources close to Kushner")? By all means, out them if it turns out this is deliberate bullshit. Someone who is frankly worried about the future of the government or the harm policies will cause, sharing real and factual information? Outing them would seriously undermine any confidence other potential whistleblowers could have on getting important information to the public.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 3:45 PM on May 30, 2017 [14 favorites]

What does it mean that a bunch of fake twitter accounts followed Trump's twitter? Is this the precursor to some huge propaganda campaign, or just some weird thing?

Or, maybe he was just feeling depressed and KellyAnne bought some bot-followers to cheer him up.
posted by msalt at 3:46 PM on May 30, 2017 [12 favorites]

Well, the extreme right loves to use bots to spam feeds with messaging. One typical strategy is Bot 1 RT's something, and then the other bots proceed to RT the hell out of it. Once disseminated widely, with a narrative now existing beyond the bots, Bot 1 then deletes their original RT. It's a great way to accelerate the spread of a message and make it appear organic, by simply erasing the bot tweets once enough real people have joined the narrative.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 3:50 PM on May 30, 2017 [42 favorites]

Is this the precursor to some huge propaganda campaign, or just some weird thing?

Yeah, getting your propaganda out to millions more people who don't exist doesn't really seem like a masterstroke. But maybe I'm just playing tiddlywinks in too few dimensions...
posted by The Tensor at 3:51 PM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

What does it mean that a bunch of fake twitter accounts followed Trump's twitter? Is this the precursor to some huge propaganda campaign, or just some weird thing?

It's not simply getting out propaganda to people who don't exist, though. I'm going to guess that it's an attempt to drive trending topics on Twitter.
posted by holborne at 3:53 PM on May 30, 2017 [18 favorites]

I figured if people didn't notice the bots that maybe they were profiles that hadn't yet been created. They'd then all follow each other and make themselves look legit, and then you'd suddenly have all these fake right-wing news accounts clogging Trump's feed. Isn't this something Putin did? There were so many fake Twitter accounts made during the election, especially ones that had "Patriot" in the name and an avatar of an American flag, along with fake profiles of people in Democrat districts that'd pretend to be Hillary supporters who suddenly were voting for Trump.
posted by gucci mane at 3:58 PM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

Oh my god, the obvious bots/troll farms. So many profiles with generic close-ups of the constitution.

Sooooooooooooooo many.
posted by Yowser at 4:02 PM on May 30, 2017 [11 favorites]

I'm sort of losing track of what is and what is not within okay commenting, and I've had a bunch of stuff deleted, and I guess thank you to the mods for doing it and leaving a kind note after doing so.

But I like the jokes. It's part of what's getting me through my life. No, really. There was something about how somebody thought that the WH residence lights were flashing because of the demon pig from Amitiville Horror, and I still have NO FUCKING CLUE what any of that meant but it is still cracking me up.

I also like the press debriefings. I want to know how people of my tribe are perceiving Spicey time, because I there are many people here who are smarter and more knowledgeable than I am.

I guess really I wish more support for the servers and mods, and then the devil pig orb bee jokes can stay. But, I'm in the humanities, I really have no idea what is going on in general and also how these threads are draining metafilter.
posted by angrycat at 4:03 PM on May 30, 2017 [72 favorites]

AP: Men probing Ivanka Trump brands in China arrested, missing

A man investigating working conditions at a Chinese company that produces Ivanka Trump-brand shoes has been arrested and two others are missing, the arrested man’s wife and an advocacy group said Tuesday.

Hua Haifeng was accused of illegal surveillance, according to his wife, Deng Guilian, who said the police called her Tuesday afternoon. Deng said the caller told her she didn’t need to know the details, only that she would not be able to see, speak with or receive money from her husband, the family’s breadwinner.
...
For 17 years, China Labor Watch has investigated working conditions at suppliers to some of the world’s best-known companies, but Li said his work has never before attracted this level of scrutiny from China’s state security apparatus.

posted by zachlipton at 4:07 PM on May 30, 2017 [72 favorites]

Fun thought exercise, pretend you are a time traveler sent back to the 1980s and you have to convince somebody in a position of authority to take you seriously that real estate developer and somewhat ridiculous media personality Donald Trump is going to become president and enact a Russian plot to destroy NATO with the help of an army of 'bots that communicate by tweeting. Added challenge, you can't use any variation of the phrase "I know this sounds ridiculous, but..."
posted by prize bull octorok at 4:07 PM on May 30, 2017 [87 favorites]

> and two others are missing,

Foul play! Someone call Hannity!
posted by tonycpsu at 4:09 PM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

If I ever see my friend who got me to read "Art of the Deal" in 1988 again, Imma punch him in the mouth.
posted by rhizome at 4:14 PM on May 30, 2017 [9 favorites]

It's a strange time for journalism. It's also a strange time for Fox News (WaPo):

On Tuesday morning, “Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade posed a question to counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway: “Do you back up the Fox News report?” Conway refused. “I'm not going to get into any of that,” she said. Conway echoed McMaster and Kelly, saying that “they're not concerned” and that “back channels like this are the regular course of business.”

A short time later, Trump tweeted a link to the Fox News report that Conway had just declined to support, seemingly endorsing an alternative defense of Kushner that his administration spent three days not making.

What the heck is going on here?

The Fox News report is confusing on a number of levels. A network spokesperson insisted that the lack of a byline is not unusual and pointed to other instances in which individual journalists were not credited as the authors of news articles. The examples were essentially rewrites of wire reports, however.

Make no mistake: It is not normal to publish a supposed scoop without a byline.

...

The use of a lone anonymous source is also odd, in this situation. Unnamed sources who appear in news reports about the Russia investigation are typically granted anonymity by the media because they are discussing sensitive information without authorization and could be fired if caught. But a person speaking for the Trump administration could safely say on the record that The Post's original report was false. White House officials claim reports are wrong all the time.

This time, however, the White House did not say that The Post got it wrong. Instead, it argued that there was nothing inappropriate about what Kushner did.

The Fox News article did not merely contradict other reporting; it was out of step with the Trump White House, too. It's as though Fox News were trying to give its audience two ways to stand behind Kushner.

And there are other instances of Fox doing this exact same thing. We all joke about Fox being less about reporting and more about pushing propaganda, but there's still been a somewhat maddening narrative going around that firing O' Reilly and Hannity possibly going his own way is a sign Fox wants to be a real news source.

Well, here's what Fox's version of being a news source is. Straight up championing the highest office with methods that go beyond rhetoric and into simply bizarre practices that are even detached from the reality of the arguably reality-proof White House.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 4:25 PM on May 30, 2017 [21 favorites]

That's right Flynn, float all the hardball negotiation trial balloons you like but at the end of the day you're handing everything over and taking the Fifth. The wheels of justice grind exceedingly fine, keep your hands and feet inside the car at all times.
posted by rhizome at 4:27 PM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]

Ex-NAACP chief Ben Jealous to announce candidacy for Maryland governor:
Jealous, 44, will seek the Democratic nomination in his first bid for political office. He will join a growing field of potential challengers to Gov. Larry Hogan, who is expected to attempt to become the state's first two-term Republican governor since the 1950s.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 4:28 PM on May 30, 2017 [13 favorites]

pretend you are a time traveler sent back to the 1980s and you have to convince somebody

. . . that you're not describing a fourth Back to the Future movie.

DOC: "So tell me, Future Boy, who is President in 2017?"

MARTY: "Donald Trump."

DOC: "Donald Trump?! The real estate asshole?"
posted by Servo5678 at 4:29 PM on May 30, 2017 [50 favorites]

DOC: "Who's Vice President, Yakov Smirnoff?"
posted by leotrotsky at 4:35 PM on May 30, 2017 [49 favorites]

If you know my comment history you know I more than agree with this, but as someone who works primarily with Alaska Native communities I would assert that that the irony is more pronounced there, because the history of extensive white settlement there is more recent.

Oh, I know you spitbull, and that's a very good point about the recentness of extensive white settlement, I was trying to build off your point into a snarky mefi zinger other people are so good at, but because I did it in fewer than 500 words I failed. This is why I write essays instead.
posted by neonrev at 4:36 PM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

Spicer did the briefing on Tuesday “to give the middle finger to you guys,” a Republican close to the White House said.

Jay Smooth on the future of Spicer and the rest of the dumpster fire-enabling crew. (Twitter video)
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:49 PM on May 30, 2017 [22 favorites]

@Caroline O For those of you wondering why Trump would want to amass a legion of fake twitter followers/bots: @MalcolmNance just answered your question

@Malcom Nance Concur w/ @th3j35t3r Russian Cyber warfare support ramping up for @POTUS? Key intelligence indicator of impending major political activity.

Caroline goes on to list ways in which to spot bots and ends up her thread by posting:

13. @selectedwisdom addressed the issue of bots in his Senate testimony in March, including the keywords/phrases they use to blend in. 👇

Selected Wisdom is Clint Watts
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 4:53 PM on May 30, 2017 [9 favorites]

Jeremy Christian, alleged terrorist: Death to the enemies of America. Death to antifa [anti-fascists]. You call it terrorism. I call it patriotism. Die.

Stay safe this weekend, Portland.
posted by Yowser at 4:53 PM on May 30, 2017 [22 favorites]

Honest to goodness, I would vote for Jay Smooth for something. Anything.
posted by Joey Michaels at 4:54 PM on May 30, 2017 [12 favorites]

Phlegmco(tm), your picture suddenly made me miss Saul Steinberg very much. His art was part of my memory of the Nixon years, and the turmoil of those times. Saul Steinberg
posted by acrasis at 5:05 PM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

Portland Double Murder Suspect Allegedly Ranted on Tape About Stabbing Victim: "That's What Liberalism Gets You"
Accused MAX train killer: "I'm a patriot and I hope everyone I stabbed died."

Just a warning that the article describes a fairly horrific scene.

"I told him, 'You ain't gonna heal punk,'" Christian said, according to the affidavit. "And he still wants to put his hands on me. Die bitch. Fucking die. Stupid motherfucker. That's what liberalism gets you."

"I hope they all die," Christian continued, according to the affidavit. "I'm gonna say that on the stand. I'm a patriot and I hope everyone I stabbed died."

This is what these people want, for us to all die. On June 4th there's going to be a fairly large alt-right/neo-Nazi rally in downtown Portland and I presume a counter-protest by antifascists. I can't imagine it ending well for any party.
posted by gucci mane at 5:08 PM on May 30, 2017 [43 favorites]

I can tell you there is big concern among inner NE Portland parents. One of the High Schools is closing for maintenance next year, and the MAX line will be a major transportation link for Grant High School students to be able to reach their assigned schools. The whole incident is freaking my neighbors out and causing major concern for kids safety.
posted by herda05 at 5:19 PM on May 30, 2017 [5 favorites]

This is what these people want, for us to all die.

For years now, I have thought that there is a sizeable portion of people in this country that secretly think that the 9/11 attackers didn't do enough damage. They would only have been happy if the whole of New York City had been wiped off the map. That way they could have gotten the flag-waving memorial they want to turn New York City into, but the site would have been free of us librul snowflakes.

If you doubt me, consider - I once got into an online debate with someone about the Muslim community center that was going to be close to Ground Zero, who claimed that the buiding would have disrespected the memories of the hallowed dead, but then in the very next breath - when I pointed out that many New Yorkers didn't mind - argued that New York city was a liberal cesspool so who cared what we thought anyway.

I've known for years that they want for us all to die.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:34 PM on May 30, 2017 [44 favorites]

This is what these people want, for us to all die.

I firmly believe that every single person who has attended a Trump rally has thought this privately at the very least.
posted by OverlappingElvis at 5:45 PM on May 30, 2017 [9 favorites]

Fun thought exercise, pretend you are a time traveler sent back to the 1980s and you have to convince somebody in a position of authority to take you seriously that real estate developer and somewhat ridiculous media personality Donald Trump is going to become president and enact a Russian plot to destroy NATO with the help of an army of 'bots that communicate by tweeting.

In the late 1980s I was on the staff of Spy magazine. We tried.
posted by GrammarMoses at 5:51 PM on May 30, 2017 [134 favorites]

I firmly believe that every single person who has attended a Trump rally has thought this privately at the very least.

Oh they've been pretty open about wanting millions of people dead or deported. For years now, and pretty brazenly. Which is why the centrist pleading to "fight them with facts" and the invoking of horseshoe theory puzzles the hell out of me, to an extent; most of the pleas come from people who'll never have to worry about being targeted.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 5:52 PM on May 30, 2017 [11 favorites]

In the late 1980s I was on the staff of Spy magazine.

This is why I love MeFi.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:52 PM on May 30, 2017 [57 favorites]

“back channels like this are the regular course of business.”

please do not forget for one second that "back-channels" is the new "locker room talk".

see also: "accessible healthcare"
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 5:53 PM on May 30, 2017 [17 favorites]

In the late 1980s I was on the staff of Spy magazine.

Well that picture's going to haunt my dreams.
posted by orrnyereg at 5:55 PM on May 30, 2017 [4 favorites]

It is really interesting to see how the WH is not denying the Kushner story but rather they are busy spinning "back channels" are a benign thing-- even a good thing. After all Obama had back channel negotiations with Iran. They have dismissed the whole story with an amazing bit of misdirection so that their base will happily buy into the idea that back channels are not a problem.

Of course that leaves us to explain that a) neither Jared nor Trump were President at the time so it was not appropriate and b) using the Russian embassy to send coded messages to Russia that America's intelligence community cannot overhear is not a back channel. It is just espionage.

No Spicey live tomorrow, he is doing an off-camera presser.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:00 PM on May 30, 2017 [22 favorites]

Oh, good, we haven't had anything stupid in awhile.

AP (just a tweet so far): BREAKING: President Trump has been urging world leaders to call him on his cellphone, raising security and secrecy concerns.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 6:04 PM on May 30, 2017 [50 favorites]

using the Russian embassy to send coded messages to Russia that America's intelligence community cannot overhear is not a back channel.

This is the part that needs to be hammered upon any time someone tries to handwave "back channels".
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 6:08 PM on May 30, 2017 [9 favorites]

President Trump has been urging world leaders to call him on his cellphone

Late night when they need his love?
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 6:09 PM on May 30, 2017 [34 favorites]

I remember the story from the G-7 summit that he kept trying to give Macron his number.

If the President talks to foreign leaders on his cell phone is someone from the Intelligence community listening and is an official record kept? He could be promising anything and the foreign leaders can also claim he has promised them things he should not have. He really is unfit for the job.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:09 PM on May 30, 2017 [10 favorites]

Follow up: Trump has urged leaders of Canada and Mexico to reach him on his cellphone, according to former and current U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the practice. Of the two, only Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has taken advantage of the offer so far, the officials said.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 6:10 PM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

Late at night but only so that it's convenient for his Russian friends listening in.

I mean, anyone calling that phone has to assume it's compromised right?
posted by VTX at 6:12 PM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]

Can I suggest that links to articles include the actual headline? It will be easier to search before posting a duplicate.
posted by Room 641-A at 6:13 PM on May 30, 2017 [6 favorites]

Oh FFS Trudeau.
posted by Yowser at 6:15 PM on May 30, 2017 [7 favorites]

From the AP story already posted Trump to world leaders: Call me maybe _ on my cellphone

Trump has struggled more than most recent presidents to keep his conversations with world leaders private. His remarks to Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and Russian diplomats have all leaked, presumably after notes of the conversations were circulated by national security officials.

It was unclear whether an impromptu, informal call with a foreign leader would be logged and archived. The Presidential Records Act of 1981, passed in response to the Watergate scandal, requires that the president and his staff preserve all records related to the office. In 2014, the act was amended to include personal emails.

But the law contains “blind spots” — namely, record-keeping for direct cellphone communications, said Jonathan Turley, a professor at George Washington University Law School, who specializes in public interest and national security law.

They need to close that loophole.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:17 PM on May 30, 2017 [27 favorites]

It is a slightly surreal world where I have to consider that the WH might need to have their own Stingray to quietly redirect cellphone calls onto secure lines.
posted by jaduncan at 6:18 PM on May 30, 2017 [12 favorites]

You think he was savvy enough to have someone buy like 10 burners from a cornerstore before making this offer?
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 6:19 PM on May 30, 2017 [9 favorites]

If you're speaking to Trump on his cell phone, you have to assume that he's being monitored and also that he's trying to play you even harder than he would if there were an official record. I mean, listen to the bullshit that comes out when he's on the record.
posted by Joey Michaels at 6:19 PM on May 30, 2017 [5 favorites]

Oh FFS Trudeau.

I don't know about that. If Trump is asking for Canada and Mexico that means NAFTA. If I were Trudeau I'd sure as hell want to know what the fuck is going on before Trump potentially implodes North America's trading bloc.
posted by Talez at 6:21 PM on May 30, 2017 [5 favorites]

Jack Moore in GQ: "Jared Kushner Once Allegedly Admitted That Donald Trump Lies to His Base Because He Thinks They're Stupid."

This revelation is very much in line with NPD:

In order for a person to be diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) they must meet five or more of the following symptoms:

-Has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)
-Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
-Believes that he or she is “special” and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)
-Requires excessive admiration
-Has a very strong sense of entitlement, e.g., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations
-Is exploitative of others, e.g., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends
-Lacks empathy, e.g., is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others
-Is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her
-Regularly shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes
posted by Brian B. at 6:28 PM on May 30, 2017 [6 favorites]

You wonder if Trudeau is "Justin from Canada" in his Android contacts list.

That horror when you realize that Trump may have actually been talking to Bieber thinking he was the PM of Canada.
posted by Talez at 6:28 PM on May 30, 2017 [29 favorites]

I have no doubt that Trump is a narcissist but his base are very stupid, and every Republican takes advantage of that. I don't think that makes every Republican a narcissist. Many of them are completely different flavors of asshole.
posted by Justinian at 6:34 PM on May 30, 2017 [8 favorites]

This is the total implosion of the conservative movement.

A test of the actual factual federal bureaucracy to follow the rule of law.

Republicans are derelict in their duties. In a very political way.

While actual crimes are happening.
posted by Max Power at 6:34 PM on May 30, 2017 [9 favorites]

Newsweek Nearly Half of Donald Trump's Twitter Followers Are Fake Accounts and Bots

Trump currently has 31 million followers and, sure enough, if you browse through them you will find an unusal number of tweet-less, picture-less accounts that joined the service in May 2017. If you're still curious, you can enter Trump's handle, @realDonaldTrump, into Twitter Audit, a service that assesses the authenticity of one's followers, and find that only 51 percent of Trump's are real.

This isn't the first time someone has pointed out that a good portion of Trump's Twitter following is fake, but what's interesting is that its fakeness seems to be increasing. In January, journalist Yashar Ali ran an audit on Trump's Twitter account and found that 68 percent of his then-20 million followers were real. Now he's at 30 million followers, but only 51 percent are real, which means of 10 million followers Trump has gained since January, about 8.3 million are fake.[...]

it can't sit well with the president that there are currently 31 accounts with more followers than his. One of those accounts is that of Barack Obama, which boasts a whopping 89 million followers, good for third-most in the world behind Katy Perry and Justin Bieber.

posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:37 PM on May 30, 2017 [18 favorites]

You wonder if Trudeau is "Justin from Canada" in his Android contacts list.

That horror when you realize that Trump may have actually been talking to Bieber thinking he was the PM of Canada.

...

it can't sit well with the president that there are currently 31 accounts with more followers than his. One of those accounts is that of Barack Obama, which boasts a whopping 89 million followers, good for third-most in the world behind Katy Perry and Justin Bieber.

*points frantically at wall of documents connected with a web of red yarn*
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 6:41 PM on May 30, 2017 [53 favorites]

It is really interesting to see how the WH is not denying the Kushner story but rather they are busy spinning "back channels" are a benign thing

They can't deny it because they know there are recordings of the conversation, right?
posted by diogenes at 6:43 PM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

This is the total implosion of the conservative movement.

It should be, but the jury is still out.
posted by diogenes at 6:44 PM on May 30, 2017 [12 favorites]

President Trump has been urging world leaders to call him on his cellphone

as long as it's not a private email server...
posted by mrmurbles at 7:22 PM on May 30, 2017 [36 favorites]

Jennifer Rubin reinforces her irredeemability by allowing someone from the AEI to separate themselves from the shitshow with the word, "they." There's nothing stopping these wholesome public servants from carrying out "policies" the same way a Trumpian doofwad would. The order of operations is the same. If there is something stopping them, then let's talk about that, rather than "Oh, Prince and Princess would love to continue their careers here, but it's simply not possible like this. Thank you for understanding."

But hey, this is Rubin's job, to help rehabilitate the establishment right and aid a perception of even-handed-if-partisan legitimacy.
posted by rhizome at 7:22 PM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]

It's about fucking time
(This is a twitter link to something that is social/political and is kinda making fun of the National Review Online but is admittedly not entirely germane to the FPP. It was too fun/beautiful/perfect-to-my-survival-instinct regarding politics to pass up. Feel free to scroll past. Mods, sorry, delete if necessary.)
posted by chaoticgood at 7:26 PM on May 30, 2017 [15 favorites]

Excuse me while my blood cools down after boiling at the mention of AEI.
posted by Yowser at 7:28 PM on May 30, 2017

But hey, this is Rubin's job

As much as it pains me to pay Ms. Rubin a compliment, I have to observe that she has done more to castigate and hold to account the Trump badministration than many of us here have done. Also: she has a bigger audience. I suspect your cynicism about "even-handed-if-partisan" is better directed at other targets.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:38 PM on May 30, 2017 [7 favorites]

My girlfriend is really, really into the idea of impeaching Trump, but more and more I find myself wondering if we'll be better off if the bastard serves out his full term. He's an endless nightmare of incompetence and scandal, and he's making a lot of people very angry. If he goes away, Pence will be in there doing the same shit (or worse) but doing it in a way that sounds superficially reasonable. Remember how people were saying Pence "won" the vice-presidential debate, saying horrible things with that calm android voice? ("I admire Mr. Trump's purity. A survivor... unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality.") If Pence gets in the pundits will say our national nightmare is over and sanity has been restored, but it won't be. It will only look like we're back to "normal", but that will be enough to fool way too many people.

So, maybe we should be celebrating every shitty thing Trump says and does. Maybe after four years of that, people will finally wise up and see that this is what the Republicans are. Maybe.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 7:42 PM on May 30, 2017 [8 favorites]

This is the total implosion of the conservative movement.

No, it's just the final form.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:48 PM on May 30, 2017 [9 favorites]

Adolfo Flores, BuzzFeed News: Judge Slams Trump Administration Over Deportation Calling It “Inhumane”

An exacerbated federal judge on Tuesday took the unusual step of slamming the Trump administration's push to deport a father back to Mexico, calling it as "inhumane" and "contrary to the values of this nation."

US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Stephen Reinhardt said the court lacked the authority to block the March deportation order, paving the way for Andres Magana Ortiz's expulsion to Mexico.

[...]

“In doing so, the government forces us to participate in ripping apart a family,” Reinhardt wrote in his opinion. “Three United States-citizen children will now have to choose between their father and their country.”

(In this household, Judge Stephen Reinhardt is also know as Ramona Ripston's husband.)
posted by Room 641-A at 7:54 PM on May 30, 2017 [18 favorites]

"Interesting. What other foreign governments did Mr. Kushner or other Trump administration personnel work with to arrange secret communications channels before and after January 20, 2017? Was this already the regular course of business for Mr. Trump's political organization prior to Mr. Kushner's December, 2016 meeting with the Russians?
If so, what were the prior communications that established this as the Trump team's regular course of business?"

Turkey via Flynn.
North Korea via Dennis Rodman.

Rodman is part of this administration right?
posted by srboisvert at 7:54 PM on May 30, 2017 [6 favorites]

So, maybe we should be celebrating every shitty thing Trump says and does. Maybe after four years of that, people will finally wise up and see that this is what the Republicans are. Maybe.

Fully realizing that Trump is not W, W was still appalling terrible for the time, and I remember this exact same sentiment bandied about a lot during his first term, so I'm not really optimistic. Otherwise, I fully agree that President Pence would be like going from having your hands pressed in a waffle iron to just a regular steam iron.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 7:57 PM on May 30, 2017 [13 favorites]

I mean, anyone calling that phone has to assume it's compromised right?

Every time I call it, a traitor answers, so...yeah, probably.
posted by uosuaq at 7:59 PM on May 30, 2017 [26 favorites]

As much as it pains me to pay Ms. Rubin a compliment, I have to observe that she has done more to castigate and hold to account the Trump badministration than many of us here have done. Also: she has a bigger audience.

B.S. She maintains the groundwork for it to happen again.

I suspect your cynicism about "even-handed-if-partisan" is better directed at other targets.

The power of accurate observation is often called cynicism by those who haven't got it. We gotta have some standards, and we're talking about AEI, the perfect entity to categorically exclude from further consideration about anything.
posted by rhizome at 8:06 PM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

I fully agree that President Pence would be like going from having your hands pressed in a waffle iron to just a regular steam iron.

On the other hand, to extend the W comparison: yeah, a lot of folks thought President Cheney would also be more of the same, if not worse. Is that what holds us back from holding the president accountable then? Does this not mean that you can get away with pretty much anything as president if your VP appears to be just as bad as you are? At what point do we make an example of a terrible president, sending a message to any potential successors to drastically change course or face the same fate?
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 8:07 PM on May 30, 2017 [37 favorites]

We've somewhat bandied it to death around here lately (search old threads for "accelerationism") so in the interests of cutting our dear mods a break we can stipulate that people feel strongly about the subject and more heat than light tends to result from opening it up. : )

Ah, my bad. I'm relatively new to these threads and didn't know this had been Zizek'd extensively.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 8:09 PM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]

For anyone who doesn't follow Jennifer Rubin, this review of her coverage of the 2012 election should tell you who she is and what she's about. That said, I'll have to agree with what Barack Spinoza says, she has been consistently making the case that, for conservatives, carrying water for the Trump administration should be viewed as an obvious disqualifier for future public office.
posted by peeedro at 8:10 PM on May 30, 2017 [10 favorites]

Impeach 'em both. Problem solved.
posted by Justinian at 8:13 PM on May 30, 2017 [6 favorites]

The power of accurate observation is often called cynicism by those who haven't got it.

Okay? Don't be obtuse. If you want to accuse me of lacking "the power of accurate observation," then just say so.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 8:13 PM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

Impeach 'em both. Problem solved.

Then we get President Granny Starver.
posted by Talez at 8:16 PM on May 30, 2017 [5 favorites]

It's shit covered turtles all the way down.
posted by Talez at 8:16 PM on May 30, 2017 [11 favorites]

Links, links, bring out your links:

NYT: As Trump Weighs Shake-Up, He Faces Recruiting Challenge. Lots of personnel drama in here, and a seemingly indecisive Trump, but the common theme is that nobody wants to attach themselves to this mess:

By the time the first change in what may be a broader shake-up was announced Tuesday, the White House was left without a replacement. Michael Dubke, the White House communications director, said he would step down, but four possible successors contacted by the White House declined to be considered, according to an associate of Mr. Trump who like others asked not to be identified discussing internal matters.

At the same time, talks with two former advisers, Corey Lewandowski and David N. Bossie, about joining the White House staff grew more complicated. Mr. Bossie, a former deputy campaign manager, signaled that he does not plan to join the staff, citing family concerns, one person close to the discussions said Tuesday. It was not clear what that might mean for Mr. Lewandowski, who was the campaign manager until being fired last summer but who has remained close to Mr. Trump.

H.R. McMaster and Gary Cohen wrote a WSJ op-ed America First Doesn’t Mean America Alone. As one analyst puts it: "I'm unclear how a sitting 3-star Army general can write this partisan political defense of policy and it be kosher." There's some real revisionism of the trip in here; they claim that Trump "reconfirm[ed] America’s commitment to NATO and Article 5," which is kind of the thing everyone was waiting for him to actually do and he didn't.

The WSJ also brings us Mike Flynn’s Pro-Turkey Work: An Unfinished Documentary to Boost Country’s Image, which goes into detail on the pro-Turkey, anti-Gülen documentary he was paid $530,000 to make, including the shifting story of the suspicious payments back to Alptekin. Unsurprisingly, they didn't want anyone to know that Flynn Intel Group was involved with the film.

WaPo: Trump’s aides are starting to rival their boss when it comes to praising him. His staff is sounding increasingly like they're talking about Dear Leader or maybe channeling Baghdad Bob with their effusive praise.

McClatchy: GOP taps anti-Clinton strategy to damage Elizabeth Warren early. Notably, none of this overtly involves any kind of policy argument or disagreement: it's all rather personal.

The goal is more about weakening Warren than defeating her: Republicans doubt that any of their party’s likely candidates could topple her next year. But even with the next presidential election more than three years away, they say exposing her weaknesses now — or making sure her race is closer than expected — could do lasting damage.

“We learned from our experience with Secretary (Hillary) Clinton that when you start earlier, the narratives have more time to sink in and resonate with the electorate,” said Colin Reed, executive director at the Republican outside group America Rising.

And lastly, a rather alarming claim from Ilan Goldenberg:

1. Crazy thing I heard recently. Kushner has been known to veto decisions made by the Principals Committee (PC)
2. So McMaster, Tillerson, Mattis, Pompeo, Kelly get together & agree on a recommendation for POTUS
3. A recommendation informed by a process leveraging broad expertise across various agencies in the USG
4. And Kushner singlehandedly says "we're not doing that."
5. When PC comes up with recommendation it should go to POTUS who should be the only one with power to veto it
6. Instead that power goes to his son in law with zero Natsec experience...
7. & the good judgement to try to set up a secret channel to the Russians using their embassy & secure coms equipment
8. These are profound sometimes life & death decisions being made by this guy. This is not normal

posted by zachlipton at 8:18 PM on May 30, 2017 [92 favorites]

Pence would be a much easier politician to fight. If it wasn't for being able to stand next to djt and seemingly coherant for the comparison, he'd just be Pence: a bumbling, unpopular ex-governor. Who doesn't buy into conspiracy theories (unless he boss says it first, and if DJT goes he'd have no boss.) He'd be judged the way McCain and Romney were judged. By normal republican standards.

Bonus: Mike Pence isn't a climate change denier.

That's to say he's not awful, but he'd MOST DEFINITELY be less awful than what you've got at the moment.
posted by Sallysings at 8:19 PM on May 30, 2017 [16 favorites]

I'd be pretty alright if we didn't re-re-re-re-litigate the "Maybe the dumpster fire will turn people around if we let it burn long enough" argument.
posted by Brak at 8:19 PM on May 30, 2017 [25 favorites]

Don't know if this is the best place to put this, but a new sex assault case was just filed against Dennis Hastert: "The man, now in his 50s, accused Hastert in a suit filed Friday of sexually assaulting him as a 9- or 10-year-old boy in the bathroom of a community building that has since been replaced by the high school's parking lot."
posted by stopgap at 8:19 PM on May 30, 2017 [4 favorites]

It's shit covered turtles all the way down.

Indeed. You could keep impeaching and impeaching, and we'd still be fucked. One of the most horrifying things about this mess is that no matter what happens there's almost zero possibility that a decent, rational human being gets the job any time before 2018.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 8:22 PM on May 30, 2017 [6 favorites]

Then we get President Granny Starver.

That completely depends on whether we get out the vote in November of 2018. I think we can take it as a given that there will be no impeachment in the next 12-18 months. Mueller's investigation is just beginning to ramp up.
posted by Justinian at 8:25 PM on May 30, 2017 [4 favorites]

8. These are profound sometimes life & death decisions being made by this guy. This is not normal

I completely agree with that. But the "normal" alternative is that those profound decisions are made by Donald fucking Trump. Is that an improvement? Is it?
posted by Justinian at 8:26 PM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

That completely depends on whether we get out the vote in November of 2018. I think we can take it as a given that there will be no impeachment in the next 12-18 months. Mueller's investigation is just beginning to ramp up.

Republicans would let the country burn before they even entertain a President Pelosi.
posted by Talez at 8:31 PM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]

You could keep impeaching and impeaching, and we'd still be fucked. One of the most horrifying things about this mess is that no matter what happens there's almost zero possibility that a decent, rational human being gets the job any time before 2018.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 8:22 PM on May 30 [+] [!]

better get started soon, then.
posted by eustatic at 8:32 PM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]

I completely missed this one. Nominate Priebus to be Ambassador to Greece, and he has to be confirmed. Which means a confirmation hearing. Which means all sorts of questions about firing Comey and anything else Democrats want to grill him on, under oath, about the operations of the White House. (We probably shouldn't say this too loudly, in the hope they do it anyway.)
posted by zachlipton at 8:34 PM on May 30, 2017 [24 favorites]

You know Trump isn't going to make a proper contact for every head of state or diplomat he gives that number.

And that number will get out. Somebody's gonna pretend to be a forgettable diplomat from Spain and start World War III.
posted by ikea_femme at 8:45 PM on May 30, 2017 [5 favorites]

It would only be fair if Lindsey Graham revealed Trump's cellphone # publicly.
posted by Lyme Drop at 8:56 PM on May 30, 2017 [7 favorites]

Not sure if it's been mentioned yet, but Al Franken's new book Giant of the Senate came out today and not a moment too soon because I really need the comic relief right now and he's devoted nearly a whole chapter to making fun of Ted Cruz.
posted by triggerfinger at 9:02 PM on May 30, 2017 [9 favorites]

From that McMaster/Cohn Op-Ed, this is the paragraph that's getting a lot of play on Twitter. It's haunting and sounds exactly like a view of the world only Bannon and Putin could love:

The president embarked on his first foreign trip with a clear-eyed outlook that the world is not a “global community” but an arena where nations, nongovernmental actors and businesses engage and compete for advantage. We bring to this forum unmatched military, political, economic, cultural and moral strength. Rather than deny this elemental nature of international affairs, we embrace it.

There's a ton to unpack in there, and I'm sure the hot takes are coming, but I still can't get over the fact that it's now apparently official government policy to put businesses on the playing field as nations. It's frankly not entirely untrue, but we usually don't treat it as a good thing.
posted by zachlipton at 9:03 PM on May 30, 2017 [37 favorites]

um, I think the President is broken. He just tweeted: "Despite the constant negative press covfefe"

It has 3.4K likes and 2.6K retweets despite being nonsense.
posted by zachlipton at 9:10 PM on May 30, 2017 [51 favorites]

It has 3.4K likes and 2.6K retweets despite being nonsense.

Spot the bot scripts.
posted by jaduncan at 9:12 PM on May 30, 2017 [13 favorites]

Hey, maybe we should be talking about all the covfefe
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:19 PM on May 30, 2017 [14 favorites]

MetaFilter: Despite the constant negative press covfefe
posted by tonycpsu at 9:20 PM on May 30, 2017 [16 favorites]

Nevertheless, he covfefed.
posted by drlith at 9:20 PM on May 30, 2017 [71 favorites]

There was an actual wrestling match for the phone this time, wasn't there?
posted by MrVisible at 9:20 PM on May 30, 2017 [68 favorites]

well whatever move they used to take the phone from him was certainly feffective
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:21 PM on May 30, 2017 [28 favorites]

*hums along* Little Press Covfefe
posted by jaduncan at 9:23 PM on May 30, 2017 [15 favorites]

I'm disappointed by the replies to the tweet, which post a lot of generic anti-Trump stuff and don't really capitalize on this unique moment.

Spot the bots there, too.
posted by jaduncan at 9:24 PM on May 30, 2017 [6 favorites]

I for one was really disappointed with Alien: Covfefe
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:25 PM on May 30, 2017 [14 favorites]

So, was that one of the lawyer-approved tweets?
posted by dirigibleman at 9:25 PM on May 30, 2017 [13 favorites]

I'm pretty sure covfefe is either a pre-existing condition or a drug not covered under the AHCA, but I'm not sure which.
posted by zachlipton at 9:26 PM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]

He who is valiant and pure of spirit...may find the Holy Grail...in the Castle of Covfefe
posted by octothorpe at 9:27 PM on May 30, 2017 [11 favorites]

Give it another 10 in case it's something serious.
posted by Artw at 9:28 PM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]

It's paid trolls all the way ~~down~~ up.
posted by tonycpsu at 9:32 PM on May 30, 2017

*hums along* Little Press Covfefe

... baby, you're much too covfefe 🎵
posted by Barack Spinoza at 9:33 PM on May 30, 2017 [4 favorites]

Klaatu! Varada! *cough* *cough* Covfefe. *cough*
posted by peeedro at 9:34 PM on May 30, 2017 [16 favorites]

President_ebooks
posted by theodolite at 9:34 PM on May 30, 2017 [70 favorites]

If he doesn't delete this soon, tomorrow we'll have to hear Spicer angrily lecturing the gaggle about how they should let the tweet speak for itself, and why aren't they covering the nation's very serious covfefe problem.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:35 PM on May 30, 2017 [40 favorites]

"Then we get President Granny Starver."

Maybe not! There's an intriguing and until now entirely theoretical Constitutional question here -- the Constitution provides that "Officers" of the United States can succeed to the presidency, which are people the president appoints to certain offices (for our purposes, the Cabinet, Art II, sec 2, clause 2); Senators and Reps are specifically forbidden from being "Officers of the United States" (Art I, sec 6, clause 2). However, Art II, sec 1, clause 6, which provides for the succession to the office of president says: "the Congress may by Law provide for the Case of Removal, Death, Resignation or Inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what Officer shall then act as President" and "Officer" there maybe (probably?) means "Officer of the United States" as a term of art, which may explicitly mean that Congresscritters can't succeed to the Presidency. So it's possible that the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 is unconstitutional. It's absolutely certain that if Congress/the government/whomever tried to appoint Paul Ryan after resignation or impeachment of Trump and Pence, the motherloving shit would be litigated out of it.

(Side note, reading the Constitution extremely selectively -- like a fundamentalist with an Old Testament -- is how we get people who are like "WHO KNOWS WHAT A WELL-REGULATED MILITIA IS? Nobody can know what that can possibly mean, therefore we must give everyone guns." Well, no dude, it's right there in Art I, sec 8, clauses 15-16, as one of the things Congress organizes, so if Congress doesn't run your militia, it ain't well-regulated.)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 9:35 PM on May 30, 2017 [54 favorites]

It was covfefe of times, it was the worst of times.
posted by tonycpsu at 9:36 PM on May 30, 2017 [10 favorites]

*facepalm* Just... thread length... derails... if you can... *despairing hand flap*
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 9:37 PM on May 30, 2017 [114 favorites]

my name is Trump
and wen its nite
or wen i'm alone
needing the spotlight
and seanny spice
haf gone hiding in the leafy -
i stay up late
i tweet the covfefe
posted by zachlipton at 9:42 PM on May 30, 2017 [155 favorites]

The #covfefe hashtag is a thing of wonder.
posted by sebastienbailard at 9:43 PM on May 30, 2017 [10 favorites]

Witnessing the moment @realDonaldTrump truly became President of the United Stefufu. #covfefe
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 9:45 PM on May 30, 2017 [42 favorites]

He was probably just using voice to text to send the tweet and one of his advisors gagged him mid-tweet.
posted by azpenguin at 9:46 PM on May 30, 2017 [4 favorites]

Somebody get the mod team some fresh covfefe, please. They are going to need it.
posted by nubs at 9:46 PM on May 30, 2017 [10 favorites]

[extremely Louise Mensch voice]
The Marshal of the Supreme Court is on his way to the White House to deliver a Writ of Covfefe right now!

What are dice tweets?

The top replies are a bunch of nonsense from Mark Dice
posted by zachlipton at 9:50 PM on May 30, 2017 [4 favorites]

What are dice tweets?

Mark Dice, infowars-tier youtuber with an enormous, angry neck
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:50 PM on May 30, 2017 [4 favorites]

Quick, while it's late in the US - let's ramp up a spirited debate about how to pronounce "covfefe." In my head, it's "cove-FAY-fay," where the V blends into the initial F. Having earnestly held this opinion for nigh on 9 minutes, I'm deeply committed to it and will regard any disagreement as worse than treason.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 9:52 PM on May 30, 2017 [41 favorites]

Someone *please* edit into the scene in Star Trek V when everyone is staring dumbfounded, naming their name of heaven...
Sha ka ree!
Vor-ta-vor!
Trump: covfefe
posted by ctmf at 9:53 PM on May 30, 2017 [10 favorites]

Is this plausible? I know nothing about how bot testing would work.

Generally, when the White House wants to control bots using a secret deniable backchannel, they just mash random alphanumeric codes in the Press Secretary's twitter feed. The US probably just nuked Malta or ordered a bucket of fried chicken or something.
posted by sebastienbailard at 9:53 PM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

Can't. It's a coded command to the botnet.
posted by ctmf at 9:55 PM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

Can I just say that it is fucking insane that we're in a situation where a lunatic United States president has sent off some garbled nonsense to the world in the middle of the night, and nobody has bothered to correct or delete it?

Literal garbled nonsense is no more meaningless than any of his other tweets, so why bother fixing it?
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 9:56 PM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

Overhead, the stars were going out. #covfefe
posted by nubs at 9:57 PM on May 30, 2017 [38 favorites]

Covfefe, covfefe
They whisper it all over Turkey
Covfefe, covfefe
It sounds so romantic and perky...
posted by stopgap at 9:57 PM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]

Everyone makes typos. It's clearly meant to say "Despite the constant negative press of Pepe"
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:57 PM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

Damn fine covfefe.
posted by guiseroom at 9:57 PM on May 30, 2017 [12 favorites]

My feeling is you start saying the word 'coverage' but halfway through start making a farting noise with your lips
posted by theodolite at 9:57 PM on May 30, 2017 [11 favorites]

It makes sense if you just assume that Corfefe is the Old One they used the orb to summon.

Then it's just missing a comma.
posted by jaduncan at 9:59 PM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]

I believe that covfefe is a cousin of kayfabe (the opposite, perhaps? help) and is pronounced accordingly.
posted by acidic at 9:59 PM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

"Can I just say that it is fucking insane that we're in a situation where a lunatic United States president has sent off some garbled nonsense to the world in the middle of the night, and nobody has bothered to correct or delete it?"

The only logical explanation I can come up with is that something far more serious than needing to delete a tweet has occurred and the White House is busy trying to figure out how to spin it.
posted by komara at 9:59 PM on May 30, 2017 [4 favorites]

[*facepalm* Just... thread length... derails... if you can... *despairing hand flap*]

In all seriousness, it's probably time to consider a daily politics thread (and maybe splitting it off from the main site). No matter who entreaties to keep chatter and derails to a minimum, no matter how solid the logic, these threads are going to continue to spiral out of control. Just having a new one every 24 hours would help keep the load on both servers and clients down.

Is this plausible? I know nothing about how bot testing would work.

It's in the realm of possibility, but very, very, very, unlikely. If you're testing whether your botnet will retweet things from an account, there's far simpler ways to do so and if you're trying to expose that a botnet is mindlessly retweeting things from an account, it's not like that's in Trump's interest with that account.
posted by Candleman at 10:00 PM on May 30, 2017 [10 favorites]

Despite the constant negative press confetti will descend upon my re-election victory party
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:00 PM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]

The only logical explanation I can come up with is that something far more serious than needing to delete a tweet has occurred and the White House is busy trying to figure out how to spin it.

They only had one scoop of ice cream left and Trump is having a toddler meltdown.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 10:01 PM on May 30, 2017 [5 favorites]

My feeling is you start saying the word 'coverage' but halfway through start making a farting noise with your lips

IPA /ˈkʌvʙ̪ː/, if anyone's interested.
posted by biogeo at 10:03 PM on May 30, 2017 [5 favorites]

Ursula Hitler at 11:22 PM: You could keep impeaching and impeaching, and we'd still be fucked.

One really important difference between a President Trump and a President Pence, is that President Pence will have just watched his predecessor's impeachment. I think we all agree he's a bit dim, but that's likely to make an impression nonetheless.

Another important difference is that he'll be facing a congress with a bunch of investigatory committees all spun up, ready to issue more subpoenas, leak to the press, and grandstand, now looking for a new hobby.

A President Ryan would already be stepping lightly, having pissed off most of his own caucus, will have just watched the last two guys run out of town on a rail, and may begin to detect a trend. He seems like a guy who knows when to restrict himself to vacuous gestures, those being what he's best at anyway.

If not, sooner or later we'll find somebody able to take the hint, not call attention to themselves, and do what they're told.
posted by dirge at 10:05 PM on May 30, 2017 [11 favorites]

Twenty years from now we'll all still remember where we were when covfefe happened.
posted by octothorpe at 10:07 PM on May 30, 2017 [20 favorites]

So, uh, it's been about an hour of covfefe, and I'm kinda freaking out, do you think it's okay to go to sleep? Will there be a tomorrow?
posted by Behemoth at 10:07 PM on May 30, 2017 [11 favorites]

Sundowning.
posted by Anonymous at 10:09 PM on May 30, 2017

I was really hoping this entire thread could just pretend Kathy Griffin never happened. It was working so well too.
posted by zachlipton at 10:09 PM on May 30, 2017 [11 favorites]

From Merriam-Webster

Wakes up.
Checks Twitter.
.
.
.
Uh...
.
.
.
📈 Lookups fo...
.
.
.
Regrets checking Twitter.
Goes back to bed.
posted by winna at 10:10 PM on May 30, 2017 [74 favorites]

I hope there's an economist out there measuring the impact of Trump's tweets on US GDP. How many people are lying awake wondering if he had a mid-tweet collapse?
posted by Coventry at 10:10 PM on May 30, 2017 [4 favorites]

oh god how are any of you still on twitter
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:11 PM on May 30, 2017 [13 favorites]

Meanwhile, in the True Timeline, President Clinton has just had a rough week of criticism for not holding enough press conferences and communicating with the public during her major policy rollouts, despite having an outstanding press secretary who gives regular, detailed briefings on the most minute details of each new policy.
posted by biogeo at 10:15 PM on May 30, 2017 [58 favorites]

I feel like if I were running the world's most-scrutinized Twitter account, I would compose my tweets in Memo and show them to anyone, anyone, before posting them. Hey, Bob, does this tweet look OK? Good to go?

Even if it's just a yes-man, he can at least make sure I didn't spell "honered" wrong or whatever. Paste it into the Twitter app, boom, another quality tweet down the hatch.

But that can't be right. It would be alarming if me, an internet rando, had better ideas about how to run the Twitter account of the fucking President of the United States. There must be some reason to just compose in-app and trust my 70-year-old fingers not to fatfinger the "post" button.
posted by 0xFCAF at 10:15 PM on May 30, 2017 [19 favorites]

Coverage! covfefe was meant to be coverage! I did it!
posted by Justinian at 10:16 PM on May 30, 2017 [15 favorites]

Is there any line of succession that would make whoever runs the Merriam-Webster twitter next in line for the presidency?
posted by bibliowench at 10:18 PM on May 30, 2017 [71 favorites]

Meanwhile, in the True Timeline, President Clinton has just had a rough week of criticism for not holding enough press conferences and communicating with the public during her major policy rollouts, despite having an outstanding press secretary who gives regular, detailed briefings on the most minute details of each new policy.

That's a cruel, cruel thing to do. I'm holding my heart together with bandaids as it is.
posted by bardophile at 10:19 PM on May 30, 2017 [18 favorites]

Is there any line of succession that would make whoever runs the Merriam-Webster twitter next in line for the presidency?

Yes. Speaker of the House doesn't need to be a member of the House. So, theoretically, Ryan is removed, replaced with a representative from Merriam-Webster, then impeachment proceeds.
posted by dirge at 10:21 PM on May 30, 2017 [12 favorites]

ELECTIONS NEWS

** GA-06

-- Handel is trying to play "keep your distance...but don't LOOK LIKE you're keeping your distance" with Trump.

-- Today was the first day of early voting for the general. D 42, R 42 with 15,480 votes counted. That's very high - it took 12 days in the primary to hit that total count.

** SC-05 -- A Dem poll has Parnell down in the single digits to Norman. This is a very red district - Mulvaney won by 20 points in 2016.

** Other races -- GOP maintained control of SC-HD84 by 20 points. The Dems had not even contested this seat in 2016, so good to see someone running (and beating that '14 margin by 9 points).

** Voting rights -- IL gov Rauner has indicated he will sign the automatic voter registration bill the legislature has passed. He vetoed a earlier, somewhat stronger version; still this is likely to add ~2M voters to the rolls.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:22 PM on May 30, 2017 [43 favorites]

Like most certainly there are lots and lots of people with the password to that account, right? It's just UNSETTLING at this point.
posted by showbiz_liz at 10:23 PM on May 30, 2017 [4 favorites]

The only logical explanation I can come up with is that something far more serious than needing to delete a tweet has occurred and the White House is busy trying to figure out how to spin it.

Honestly probably his finger slipped mid-tweet when he got an incoming call from a smart world leader who is currently whispering sweet nothings into Trump's ear (surrounded by his/her top intelligence officials, of course, all of whom understand that they're basically speaking on an old-timey party line).
posted by acidic at 10:23 PM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

"Nobody can truthfully say of himself that he is filth. Because if I do say it, though it can be true in a sense, this is not a truth by which I myself can be penetrated: otherwise I should either go mad or change myself."

-Ludwig Wittgenstein, Journal entry, 1937.
posted by clavdivs at 10:24 PM on May 30, 2017 [17 favorites]

I looked over at this tab and saw like 80-something new posts and got all worried about what happened and then... covfefe
posted by jason_steakums at 10:26 PM on May 30, 2017 [27 favorites]

Whoa what if this is Mike Dubke's revenge? Or maybe he's the only other person who knew the twitter password
posted by theodolite at 10:27 PM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]

Everyone knows the password is B1GLY.
posted by mochapickle at 10:33 PM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

so much to do, so much to see, so what's wrong with taking covfefe / you'll never know if you don't gvo / you'll never shinv i
posted by showbiz_liz at 10:34 PM on May 30, 2017 [10 favorites]

Is this plausible? I know nothing about how bot testing would work.

Yeah, totally, as you know Trump likes to roll up his sleeves and get in the trenches with the IT guys. He just got off a tier3 service call about these bots and hey, he was not busy in the middle of the night. What could be more natural than a quick botnet test from the president of teh United States?
posted by Meatbomb at 10:34 PM on May 30, 2017 [5 favorites]

This whole thing has oscillated from funny to not funny back to funny again back to not funny (Anil Dash has some professional-white-background-approved thoughts on the not funny part). Even assuming he's ok, at least within the not-at-all-normal bounds of what ok means for this man, there once was a time in the not too distant past when we were secure enough in our government that a bad tweet didn't send us all into a hysterical panic, when the government sought to use communications tools to more-or-less inform rather than bully and covfefe.

I don't want this to be a covfefe hot take, and don't get me wrong, this is all really hilarious, but it's also really not.
posted by zachlipton at 10:35 PM on May 30, 2017 [24 favorites]

i guess that communications director that quit was really holding the place together
posted by localhuman at 10:38 PM on May 30, 2017 [52 favorites]

When nite is nigh
And android's neer
His fingrs tweet
All werds, no feer

He twitters trooth
Re: fake teevee
He's 45
He's #covfefe
posted by mochapickle at 10:38 PM on May 30, 2017 [39 favorites]

Did someone slap the phone out of his hands and break it?
posted by Tenuki at 10:39 PM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]

this ridi̺̫̭̫̬͉c̤̕u̹̠͍̝͙̲̹͝lous half-ff̳i̵̙̺̙̤̪ni̛s̻̜ͅhed tweet thing

How do you input that baroque orthography?
posted by Coventry at 10:39 PM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

This thread was so lean and trimp and staying on point and then covfefe happened and nothing else mattered.
posted by guiseroom at 10:41 PM on May 30, 2017 [15 favorites]

covfefe

I have been saving this tube of glue since I was in middle school. It's legitimate Red Label Testor's. They banned this shit in the mid 1980s for good reason. It's never been opened.

I think it's time to open it now, and glue some important shit together. Like maybe my synapses.

Kidding, don't huff glue kids, it's really bad for you. Raid mom and dad's weed stash,, eh?
posted by loquacious at 10:42 PM on May 30, 2017 [31 favorites]

I like to think he was trying to spell "kerfuffle"
posted by mrjohnmuller at 10:43 PM on May 30, 2017 [8 favorites]

W̫͓h͉̲͕̬̮̲́ͅa̝̫͎͢ț̨͙ ̡̳̰̼͇̬o͈̰̻̬̦r̢̖̩t̺h̴o̥̗̻͕͙̯̼g͇̝̰̭͉r͇͔̤̟̥̗̰a̬p̝h͈͟y͇?͔͙̤̭̭̗ ̵̤͖͕A̬̼r͇̮̰e̺̹͔̼͚̫̲̕ ̣̗̮͎y͎͝o̝̫̻͖̫̝̭ụ̭͇̠͓͞ ̞o͇̝̱̠̰̰k͚?͉͜
posted by loquacious at 10:43 PM on May 30, 2017 [24 favorites]

> and then covfefe happened

... and we learned that even autocorrect had resigned its position.
posted by rtha at 10:44 PM on May 30, 2017 [70 favorites]

Did someone slap the phone out of his hands and break it?

Little known fact -- Trump is a huge "Silicon Valley" fan and makes his staff role play recent episodes, so they were doing last night's phone-slapping scenes.

Bannon is Ehrlich of course, Spicey is - surprisingly - Richard, and, Jared is, well, Jared.
posted by msalt at 10:44 PM on May 30, 2017

I've got a crisp $100 bill for the first parents to name their newborn Covfefe.
posted by vverse23 at 10:45 PM on May 30, 2017 [6 favorites]

I think we've found in the dozens of previous Metafilter threads where we've discussed covfefe to death already that covfefe is not something Metafilter does well, and discussing covfefe tends to produce more heat than light. I would recommend everyone just encountering covfefe for the first time to please search the many previous threads about it, so the mods don't scold us all for yet another pointless rehash of the whole covfefe thing.
posted by chortly at 10:45 PM on May 30, 2017 [103 favorites]

Covfefe? I hardly know fefe!

(has a thread on the blue ever been closed early to start over?)
posted by ctmf at 10:48 PM on May 30, 2017 [10 favorites]

also, mods, could we get a do-over on the election too?
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 10:50 PM on May 30, 2017 [11 favorites]

riverrun, past Eve and Adams, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a covfefe
posted by ctmf at 10:52 PM on May 30, 2017 [18 favorites]

It's starting to seem weirdly off-topic at this point, but still thinking about the President Ryan thing...

The only way this happens would seem to be Ryan, McConnell, et. al. work with a majority of Democrats and a minority of Republicans to push through impeachment.

It's hard to see that happening at all, but if we stipulate that it does, then it's not clear at all that the Republican caucus in the House would remain sufficiently unified to elect a Republican Speaker to replace Ryan. You'd either see a Tuesday Group + Democrats coalition lead by a moderate Republican or conservative Democrat, or you'd see a massive Republican internecine bloodletting followed by an even less effectual Speaker than Ryan.

A President Ryan would be utterly crippled.
posted by dirge at 10:52 PM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]

On the off chance he actually died while tweeting, I just want to say fuck him, I'm glad he died while petulantly complaining about the dumbest shit in the world, and I hope some day soon to be able to spit on his grave.
posted by Copronymus at 10:52 PM on May 30, 2017 [51 favorites]

This thread was so lean and trimp and staying on point and then covfefe happened and nothing else mattered.

...trimp?
posted by showbiz_liz at 10:53 PM on May 30, 2017 [10 favorites]

> ...trimp?

Trim for Trump. Is this your first covfefe?
posted by guiseroom at 10:56 PM on May 30, 2017 [19 favorites]

Careless
Otters
Vindictively
Filch
Every
Foreign
Eggplant
posted by OverlappingElvis at 11:10 PM on May 30, 2017 [7 favorites]

Someone has registered covfefe.com.

A man in California has bought the license plate covfefe.

We rate dogs is selling baseball caps with "covfefe af" on them.

People in England are just waking up to covfefegate.

Ask your doctor if covfefe is right for you.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 11:11 PM on May 30, 2017 [85 favorites]

Despite the constant negative press Coverage Our Victorious Fuhrer Enjoys Fueling Extremism?
posted by knapah at 11:25 PM on May 30, 2017 [5 favorites]

Can't sleep. Covfefe'll eat me.
posted by loquacious at 11:26 PM on May 30, 2017 [11 favorites]

I won't say it was all worth it if those were his last words, but if they were, I'm pretty much all in on theism no joke
posted by prize bull octorok at 11:27 PM on May 30, 2017 [54 favorites]

Come on people. Look, if he was dying, he wouldn't have bothered to carve 'Aaaauuuggghhhh'. He'd just say it.
posted by Justinian at 11:28 PM on May 30, 2017 [45 favorites]

"Combovers Occlude Vanishing Follicles Effectively", Father Explained
posted by 0xFCAF at 11:29 PM on May 30, 2017 [8 favorites]

How could it POSSIBLY get any dumber than this?
posted by mmoncur at 11:33 PM on May 30, 2017 [14 favorites]

i took a sick day and slept after my dawn prayers, all caught up with the thread. what a wondrous thing to wake up to.
posted by cendawanita at 11:33 PM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

Oh lord, y'all, this is what you're up to at 11:38 on a Tuesday night? I'm on vacation so I have an excuse, but the rest of you?

In other news, if we find out that the Russians rigged the election or whatever, is there a magical do-over button that means that Hillary won? Just wishing.
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:38 PM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

Oh yeah, also I thought there was some historical/Library of Congress rule of some kind that TrumpCo can't delete tweets now?
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:40 PM on May 30, 2017

How could it POSSIBLY get any dumber than this?

Meanwhile, in the #1 trending story on the NY Times' website...
posted by mmoncur at 11:41 PM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

I am with Anil Dash on this. This is so stupid and awful and representative of everything that is incompetent and loathsome about this rotten salmagundi of an administration. I can't joke about it and i can usually joke about everything. This is so beyond stupid that its achieved a kind of ur-stupidity. It's like the Aristotelian ideal of stupidity has broken through into our level of reality. God we're so fucked.
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:43 PM on May 30, 2017 [36 favorites]

Garbled texting as a sign of stroke
posted by the Real Dan at 11:44 PM on May 30, 2017 [7 favorites]

If you're a foreign power and you want to antagonize the United States, wouldn't right now be an super obvious time to do it? The President is clearly incapacitated (asleep, presumably?) or preoccupied with something else.

I don't want to make too big a deal of this because any President is usually going to be asleep at 3 AM, but do we have to announce to the world when the commander-in-chief has passed out on the toilet?
posted by 0xFCAF at 11:48 PM on May 30, 2017 [4 favorites]

The spectrum of emotions upon seeing "130 New Comments at 11 PM PST":

Dread
Sick anticipation
exasperation because maybe you all are engaging in round 10484020 of a well-trod argument
A sort of prurient horror when your baser accelerationist instincts hope that something has gone terribly wrong, even wronger than things already are, because if things get even worse than maybe that will justify how awful and angry and vaguely panicked you feel all the time
covfefe
????
lolz
a bubble of hysterical, vicious, absurd joy. how strange it is to be anything at all.
MAYBE HE HAD A STROKE. a sick hope, but hope nonetheless
covfefe
more lolz
posted by yasaman at 11:50 PM on May 30, 2017 [44 favorites]

I, for one, am looking forward to the part of the news cycle where every Member of Congress is asked for comment on the President's tweet and Paul Ryan has to explain that he won't be called upon to react to the President's covfefe.

Rep. Ted Lieu got his comment in early. More helpfully, he also wants to remind the President that the world's telephone switching system is hopelessly insecure and he shouldn't be relying on his cell phone to speak to foreign leaders.
posted by zachlipton at 11:52 PM on May 30, 2017 [6 favorites]

hey folks i'm gonna save you all a bunch of time by posting the worst possible take on covfefe here:

Covfefe was not poll tested or focus grouped. Another reason our @POTUS is simply great! He's human. He's real. He's just like us! - CNN Trump Apologist Kayleigh McEnany

we now return you to your regularly scheduled covfefe
posted by murphy slaw at 11:53 PM on May 30, 2017 [9 favorites]

This was the most delightful thing to wake up to.

For the record, I say cohféefée, because as an expat I'm contractually obligated to be as pretentious as possible about pronunciation, even when the word requiring pronunciation is not precisely English.
posted by sldownard at 11:54 PM on May 30, 2017 [4 favorites]

Rep. Ted Lieu got his comment in early.

are we sure he didn't accidentally plug in his yubikey mid-tweet
posted by murphy slaw at 11:55 PM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

BPAL is on it: This perfume makes no fucking sense: orange marshmallow cream, bitter lemon, black pepper, orange carnation, and gin.
posted by rewil at 11:56 PM on May 30, 2017 [25 favorites]

The best take so far: BREAKING: Sen. John McCain says he's "concerned" about #covfefe. Rep. Paul Ryan says gibberish is fine as long as it somehow hurts the poor.

Snarky response to the anti-covfefe crowd by Jeet Heer: Frankly, it's only elitist liberals who care about not making typos or not writing complete gibberish.

Which is true. All those typos, all those misspellings coming out of the WH, yet some how it is elitist to care about them. Shoddy work is bad whether it is in writing, in manufacturing, or in policy making. We should not allow Republicans to set the standards because clearly they have no standards.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 11:59 PM on May 30, 2017 [19 favorites]

If you're a foreign power and you want to antagonize the United States, wouldn't right now be an super obvious time to do it? The President is clearly incapacitated (asleep, presumably?) or preoccupied with something else.

Uhm. Probably unrelated, right?
posted by EatTheWeek at 12:03 AM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

I really hope that the White House, under seige from all corners and determined to restore some semblance of discipline, hired Terry Tate, office linebacker, and that Trump was tackled mid-tweet. "YOU READY FOR THE PAIN DONALD? THE PAIN TRAIN'S COMING! WHOOWHOOOO!"
posted by supercrayon at 12:04 AM on May 31, 2017 [12 favorites]

Shoddy work is bad whether it is in writing, in manufacturing, or in policy making.

Yes yes yes. If this were truly government being run like a business, they would care that the spelling, grammar and content of everything they sent out publicly was accurate.

Also, with this is mind and regarding my most recent earlier comment, Plato not Aristotle.
posted by Joey Michaels at 12:05 AM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

Also probably unrelated, shortly before covfefe, there was a massive bomb blast in Kabul with at least 49 dead and 319 wounded.
posted by zachlipton at 12:07 AM on May 31, 2017 [12 favorites]

Metafilter: But, I'm in the humanities, I really have no idea what is going on in general
posted by stonepharisee at 12:07 AM on May 31, 2017 [16 favorites]

I have been helplessly laughing at covfefe for the last 20 minutes. It's like when something funny happens in a horror movie: it's somehow much funnier because of the abrupt register shift and the fact that you've been holding your breath for the last half hour. The writers nailed this one tbh.
posted by en forme de poire at 12:19 AM on May 31, 2017 [40 favorites]

Also probably unrelated, shortly before covfefe, there was a massive bomb blast in Kabul with at least 49 dead and 319 wounded.

I've been trying to decide if it's more likely he's too busy at a briefing about this right now to give a shit about a typo, or fighting for his life while Twitter fills up with jokes, or passed out and no one knows his password, or having a good chuckle at the whole world leaping even to his mispellings, or screaming for his phone back so that he can finish whatever thought horrible enough to make someone snatch it from his hands, or if I should just go to bed already, or if I'll wind up staying awake until I find out whether or not a president I despise is alive.

What do you call a feeling that combines laughing at dumb twitter puns but also wondering if a historic crisis is unfolding? Goddamn, if only there were some snappy, newly coined term to encapsulate this absurd moment in our lives ...
posted by EatTheWeek at 12:22 AM on May 31, 2017 [8 favorites]

And we already have the first "covfefe" cartoon.
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:28 AM on May 31, 2017 [7 favorites]

"Covfefe is also what a Starbucks barista writes on your cup when you tell 'em your name is Caoimhe." - @theirishfor

It really is amazing that it's still up after 3 hours. What on earth is going on?

A politician in the small Irish political party I used to work for once tweeted a crass joke on the anniversary of the Hillsborough stadium disaster. I can't remember the details, it wasn't directly related to Hillsborough, but it didn't look good. We got it deleted within 3 minutes.
posted by knapah at 12:29 AM on May 31, 2017 [22 favorites]

if he actually did kick the bucket mid-tweet, how many days do you figure the white house staff are going to pull a weekend at bernie's with him
posted by murphy slaw at 12:31 AM on May 31, 2017 [34 favorites]

No explanations yet? How about ...

Stroke, Elvis-style, while tweeting on the toilet. Discovered by a low-level staffer, who is just finishing up auctioning off the last Trump turds before he notifies anyone else.
posted by fredludd at 12:47 AM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

Elizabeth Flock, PBS: Buckhannon, West Virginia: A Women's Movement Grows in "the most Trumpian place In America"

An older woman speaks up next, her voice trembling a little. “I was sitting here earlier thinking, I never really had a voice before.” She begins to cry, and another woman comes over and takes her hand. “I was raised to be seen and not heard. Then I got married right out of high school and it was the same thing. And I was abused for 14 years. [You all] gave me a voice again.”

Don't read the article if you've had enough of Trumpist rationalizations, because it thoroughly covers the hostile attitudes the women are facing from their neighbors, high school students, etc. I thought y'all would probably appreciate the bit I quoted above, though.
posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 12:49 AM on May 31, 2017 [41 favorites]

The explanation is going to be he tweeted he, he didn't notice the error, nobody at the White House noticed the error, he fixed it in the morning, why are we making this such a big deal because on business nobody cares if you spell badly and communicate poorly. Fml.
posted by Joey Michaels at 12:51 AM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

...and the British Photoshop vandals at B3ta took time out from savaging Theresa May to chime in on "covfefe".
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:16 AM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

RICK

RICK

RIIIIIICKKK

COVFEFE IS HOW I FEEL ALL THE TIME RICK
posted by logicpunk at 1:18 AM on May 31, 2017 [69 favorites]

Okay but if Trump actually did die mid-tweet and the event was referred to as Covfefe for the rest of time I would never stop laughing.
posted by BeginAgain at 1:40 AM on May 31, 2017 [30 favorites]

We will discover that "Covfefe" was the name of his beloved childhood sled.
posted by thebrokedown at 2:10 AM on May 31, 2017 [48 favorites]

Covfefegate?
posted by Paul Slade at 2:11 AM on May 31, 2017

It's pronounced: "Cove FEE Fee."
posted by zarq at 2:12 AM on May 31, 2017 [5 favorites]

Maybe covfefe is a synonym for splunge.
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:18 AM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

As reported last week...

In Trump’s case, it’s curtailing his time watching TV and banging out tweets on his iPhone. Trump himself has been pushing staff to give him more free time. But staff does everything it can to load up his schedule to keep him from getting worked up watching cable coverage, which often precipitates his tweets. It has worked well overseas so far.

This week: Puzzling tweet by US president late at night leads, naturally, to madness on the internet (Grauniad)
posted by Mister Bijou at 2:21 AM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

The World Gets Butt-Texted by Donald Trump
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 2:25 AM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

It's word salad,one leaf at a time.

And the tweet's still there.

How is it still there? Has everyone resigned? Has 45 changed the password and locked himself in the broom cupboard? (Obviously not: I genuinely doubt he's capable of changing passwords. I'm even unsure if he can operate door locks.)

Generally, the insanity of this presidency can be matched to some sort of narrative with internal logic, even though it is frequently hard to believe it's actually happening and the underlying awfulness is grotesque. Having trouble with this one, though.

Nevertheless, +10 Covfefe Points to lalex for such an eerily prescient yet timely post title.
posted by Devonian at 2:27 AM on May 31, 2017 [5 favorites]

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your covfefe can do for you — ask what you can do for your covfefe.
posted by arcolz at 2:33 AM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

/r/covfefe

3,177 readers 6,785 here now a community for 5 hours
posted by Rhaomi at 2:37 AM on May 31, 2017 [15 favorites]

And, just like that, covfefe is gone.
posted by tillermo at 2:52 AM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

Trump himself has been pushing staff to give him more free time. But staff does everything it can to load up his schedule to keep him from getting worked up watching cable coverage, which often precipitates his tweets.

This is infuriating , not least because the whole world has accepted this as the new reality. Presidents are supposed to work hard with the hard problems without complaining, and they are supposed to be in charge — I can't imagine any normal version of this happening. Put in any other president's name and the ridiculousness stands out. Even this one: Bush himself has been pushing staff to give him more free time. But staff does everything it can to load up his schedule to keep him from getting worked up watching cable coverage, which often precipitates his tweets. With Trump, it's just another day.

The Republicans have blatantly given up government in favor of corruption, and they have put up a disgusting reality show in its place. The worst thing is, you cannot turn it off or change the channel, because this particular reality show has real-life consequences, every day.
posted by mumimor at 2:52 AM on May 31, 2017 [46 favorites]

WaPo on reddit: our team is currently investi...
posted by progosk at 2:53 AM on May 31, 2017 [33 favorites]

tillermo, ah, but it will live forever in our hearts. And possibly come to be defined as "cleaning up a mess far, far, far too late for it to have done any good at all whatsoever."
posted by sldownard at 2:58 AM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

The real covfefe was in our hearts all along! It was the friendships we made along the way...
posted by Justinian at 3:04 AM on May 31, 2017 [8 favorites]

And then a tweet, verbatim:

"Who can figure out the true meaning of "covfefe" ??? Enjoy!"

I've got to admit, even knowing the administration can now always get stupider, I was surprised this got stupider.
posted by solarion at 3:15 AM on May 31, 2017 [35 favorites]

Okay, who here is currently working on that browser plugin that replaces all words that start with 'co' with 'covfefe'? Can I see a show of hands?

Pages like this one badly need it.

President Donald Trump is also now back from abroad and back on Twitter, making any covfefe messaging strategy nearly impossible. The president has already appeared to covfefe Senate efforts by calling for more health care spending, and he tore up his aides’ careful talking points on Jared Kushner’s Russia scandals by retweeting a Fox News article about the covfefe. And that was just during his first two full days back in Washington.
posted by Too-Ticky at 3:18 AM on May 31, 2017 [5 favorites]

Clavdivs - stop reading my diary.
posted by wittgenstein at 3:21 AM on May 31, 2017 [8 favorites]

I thought I had it hidden in a drawer...
posted by wittgenstein at 3:22 AM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

I don't want French fried potatoes
Red, ripe tomatoes
I'm never satisfied
I want the Frim Fram Sauce
With the oss and fay
With covfefe on the side
posted by GrammarMoses at 3:25 AM on May 31, 2017 [7 favorites]

"Who can figure out the true meaning of "covfefe" ??? Enjoy!"

President or terrible children's entertainer? We report, you decide.
posted by jaduncan at 3:36 AM on May 31, 2017 [10 favorites]

No Trump, you don't get to get in on the joke - we're not laughing WITH you, we're laughing AT you. As French comedian Pierre Desproges said, "you can laugh about everything but not with everyone." We will never laugh with you.
posted by hazyjane at 3:39 AM on May 31, 2017 [29 favorites]

Speaking personally, it's less laughing at him so much as a certain graveyard humour as I wait to see what's happening with

a) possible espionage/compromise
b) the viability of NATO as a thing
c) the rule of law
d) how much the economy is or isn't harmed
e) if the entire platform of carbon reduction measures is going to be harmed enough that I should assume that the middle to end of my life might be dominated by the adaptation to a world where large stretches are uninhabitable and massive refugee flows occur.

So eh. I may as well make rueful comments as I look on in slight horror.
posted by jaduncan at 3:50 AM on May 31, 2017 [6 favorites]

I thought I had it hidden in a drawer...

Someday you'll decide nothing is hidden.
posted by busted_crayons at 3:51 AM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

Oh, and maintaining links with people who refuse to normalise this. Humour alienates the target here, and prevents people from forgetting the absurdity and repulsiveness of what's going on.

I value that.
posted by jaduncan at 3:52 AM on May 31, 2017 [5 favorites]

Even the 'good hombres' are not safe: Federal judge blasts Trump's deportation policies (Samantha Schmidt (@schmidtsam7) in WaPo)

In the months since President Trump has taken office, he has been embroiled in an ongoing battle with the courts, launching personal attacks at the judiciary. And judges have fired back, criticizing both the president and his executive orders — frequently, his immigration orders.

But few remarks have been quite as scathing as those written Monday by a federal judge who made no effort to disguise his personal contempt for Trump’s deportation policies even as he conceded that in the case before him he was powerless to intervene.

...and a little farther on...

“We are compelled to deny Mr. Magana Ortiz’s request,” he wrote, ” … because we do not have the authority to grant it. We are not, however, compelled to find the government’s action in this case fair or just.”

posted by kingless at 4:08 AM on May 31, 2017 [19 favorites]

I just used Resistbot to send my congressional representatives a message:

This is not time for business as usual. No Republican agenda until we learn what "cofveve" is.

posted by Faint of Butt at 4:37 AM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

It's from Axios, so possible grain of salt: Trump is pulling U.S. out of Paris climate deal
posted by zombieflanders at 4:39 AM on May 31, 2017

Trump's tweeted four times this morning. Once about Kathy Griffin (fine, she's disgusting), once about covfefe (which Metafilter spellcheck really wants to say is coffee) and twice about the witch hunt. Nothing about the Kabul attack. I'll just wait.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 4:46 AM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

CBS is confirming that we're pulling out of the Paris agreement. [link is a tweet from a a reporter]
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 4:47 AM on May 31, 2017

It turns out "covfefe" means "to render your only home planet uninhabitable." Fuck this timeline.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 4:47 AM on May 31, 2017 [71 favorites]

WaPo: Another deadly consequence of climate change: The spread of dangerous diseases: The scenario behind Ebola’s rise and global threat in 2014 illustrates this point. Climate change destroys habitats and stresses animal populations such as the bats of West Africa, forcing them to hunt for food nearer to humans. Humans, likewise pressed by climate impacts, encroach more closely on animal habitats. While we cannot know that climate change was the cause of the specific interaction between bats and humans that is believed to have launched the Ebola outbreak in Guinea, we will see more of these interactions in the future, and more epidemics as a result.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 5:13 AM on May 31, 2017 [9 favorites]

@realDonaldTrump: So now it is reported that the Democrats, who have excoriated Carter Page about Russia, don't want him to testify. He blows away their....
@realDonaldTrump: ...case against him & now wants to clear his name by showing "the false or misleading testimony by James Comey, John Brennan..." Witch Hunt!

@BraddJaffy: retweeted Donald Trump
Fox & Friends, 6:06 a.m. ET

---

Him getting his news from and live-tweeting F&F is as disturbing as falling asleep tweeting. As is him thinking Carter Page has more credibility than Comey and Brennan.
posted by chris24 at 5:20 AM on May 31, 2017 [6 favorites]

In my head is Joe Pesci, saying something like:

'Sure, you bastards... Go ahead and laugh. It's pretty funny, isn't it? You'll be laughing on the other side of your goddamn face when you hear the next piece of news I'm laying on you bastards.'

I feel ashamed of my covfefe reactions earlier.
posted by Myeral at 5:20 AM on May 31, 2017

A special shout-out to all the "sane" and "moderate" conservatives out there who insisted that that the real problem was either over-regulation (this was, of course, a lie), or that we just didn't understand or empathize enough with polluters, or some combination of both. That goes double for those that actually believed in anthropogenic climate change but went ahead and did it anyway because of congenital both sides-ism.

I would say that I hope that this weighs on their souls for the rest of their lives, but as of yet I haven't seen a single one of them take responsibility for all the other bigoted, un-scientific idiocy they've championed over the years, despite their ideology being almost totally based around a core concept of personal responsibility.
posted by zombieflanders at 5:31 AM on May 31, 2017 [24 favorites]

OK. I went to bed really early last night, spent the last hour laughing until my gut hurt and now I'm pissed off again.

Covfefe....
posted by Sophie1 at 5:33 AM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

@realDonaldTrump: So now it is reported that the Democrats, who have excoriated Carter Page about Russia, don't want him to testify. He blows away their....
@realDonaldTrump: ...case against him & now wants to clear his name by showing "the false or misleading testimony by James Comey, John Brennan..." Witch Hunt!

And here I thought Donnie's official line was "Carter Who?". Good lord we need to get Trump under oath, just an unending repetition of him perjuring himself and then whipping up half a dozen further perjuries to explain the first one before finally telling a worse truth than his questioners ever expected.
posted by jason_steakums at 5:33 AM on May 31, 2017 [17 favorites]

@KevinMKruse:
So Trump screwed up "coverage" and then deleted it?

Isn't that his health care plan?
posted by chris24 at 5:42 AM on May 31, 2017 [137 favorites]

I was hoping this was the end, even though it made no sense to hope. It just seems impossible this will keep going:
posted by corb at 5:42 AM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

Usually I can go back to sleep after a 1am nature call. I spent #covfefenight awake until 4am waiting for proof of life. Seriously, fuck this guy.
posted by whuppy at 5:42 AM on May 31, 2017 [5 favorites]

using the Russian embassy to send coded messages to Russia that America's intelligence community cannot overhear is not a back channel.

This is the part that needs to be hammered upon any time someone tries to handwave "back channels".

Absolutely. This spin, while it seems to be the best they can do, is an admission of serious wrongdoing. The media needs to not be suckered into its favored "he said, she said" mode to give credibility to this spin by framing it as a legitimate defense. It isn't; it's tantamount to a confession.
posted by Gelatin at 5:42 AM on May 31, 2017 [9 favorites]

Good lord we need to get Trump under oath, just an unending repetition of him perjuring himself and then whipping up half a dozen further perjuries to explain the first one before finally telling a worse truth than his questioners ever expected.

Before that happens we'll be treated to the incongruous spectacle of White House counsel seeking to have the biovating orange shitsack declared mentally unfit to take the stand as a means to preserve his hold on the presidency.
posted by hangashore at 5:45 AM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

John Levine, Mediaite: ‘Governments Must Lead’: U.S. Corporations Beg Trump to Stay in Paris Agreement in Full Page NYT Ad

In a recent full page ad which ran in the New York Times and other major newspapers, Adobe, Apple, Google, Morgan Stanley, Salesforce, Microsoft, PG&E and numerous others beseeched President Trump not to withdraw from the agreement.

posted by Room 641-A at 5:46 AM on May 31, 2017 [61 favorites]

And, if I'm truly honest with myself, mining #covfefe for comedy gold. But I wasn't going to sleep if we were actually witnessing Something.
posted by whuppy at 5:47 AM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

In a recent full page ad which ran in the New York Times and other major newspapers, Adobe, Apple, Google, Morgan Stanley, Salesforce, Microsoft, PG&E and numerous others beseeched President Trump not to withdraw from the agreement.

It's the cross-platform application we've been waiting for!
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 5:53 AM on May 31, 2017 [11 favorites]

ugh, hannity's back, and he's pushing the Seth Rich story again

(content warning: autoplaying sean hannity)
posted by murphy slaw at 5:53 AM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

In a recent full page ad which ran in the New York Times and other major newspapers, Adobe, Apple, Google, Morgan Stanley, Salesforce, Microsoft, PG&E and numerous others beseeched President Trump not to withdraw from the agreement.

when an electrical utility is begging you to sign an agreement that will cost them millions to implement and you nope out anyway, you might be on the wrong side of history
posted by murphy slaw at 5:56 AM on May 31, 2017 [107 favorites]

How can Hannity keep beating the Seth Rich drum when Fox itself has already released a retraction of this bullshit conspiracy? Is he "going rogue" on his way out the door? Because I can't tell you how delighted it would make me to see this skinbag full of spite get shitcanned.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 5:57 AM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

Thanks to a rare good night of sound sleep, I slept through the #covfefe. I'm only disappointed to learn that it wasn't either Donnie stroking out or the Sampo.

Truly, the sleep of reason produces #covfefe.
posted by octobersurprise at 5:58 AM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

when an electrical utility is begging you to sign an agreement that will cost them millions to implement and you nope out anyway, you might be on the wrong side of history

Hell, fucking EXXON asked him to stay in it.

Though I think* this is a head fake so he can later announce a plot twist and get accolades for staying in. "Next week on Celebrity President, will Donny give the rose to Paris."

Plus Ivanka can claim credit for working behind the scenes to save it.

* at least I hope and pray it's a ploy for attention
posted by chris24 at 6:03 AM on May 31, 2017 [21 favorites]

The best explanation I've seen for his decision on the Paris Treaty which goes against the advice he received from business executives and scientists and even some of his advisers is this is a bone to placate his base. His favorability ratings are dropping and he is trying to get some of that enthusiasm back.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:05 AM on May 31, 2017 [7 favorites]

oh, NOW he gets principled about keeping his campaign promises, great
posted by murphy slaw at 6:06 AM on May 31, 2017 [7 favorites]

covfefe-tweeting-ass motherfucker's gonna get us all killed
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:09 AM on May 31, 2017 [18 favorites]

How can Hannity keep beating the Seth Rich drum when Fox itself has already released a retraction of this bullshit conspiracy? Is he "going rogue" on his way out the door? Because I can't tell you how delighted it would make me to see this skinbag full of spite get shitcanned.

Director of Communication post is open. Toby Ziegler just threw his ball through the damn wall.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 6:10 AM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

It's rolling coal as a political philosophy. There's no arguing with it.
posted by theodolite at 6:11 AM on May 31, 2017 [71 favorites]

Man oh man. Last Friday the WSJ told us when Trump got home there'd be a shakeup and new, competent staff, and a team of lawyers dispatched to stand between Trump and Twitter and this time the reset was real and well? Covfefe to all that!
posted by notyou at 6:13 AM on May 31, 2017 [9 favorites]

It's rolling coal as a political philosophy. There's no arguing with it.

I was just about to post This horrible youtube as an explanation for the trump-paris-pullout.
posted by dis_integration at 6:13 AM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

Hell, fucking EXXON asked him to stay in it.

To be fair, Exxon has a long history of publicly supporting environmentalism while privately undermining it, for example by funding the same scientists who said tobacco doesn't cause cancer to say global warming isn't real.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:14 AM on May 31, 2017 [11 favorites]

His strategy is to do things that most of the country hates so that the 25% who voted for him can feed off of our fear and sorrow.

Ugh, the central ethos of US conservatives today is "I want all my garmonbozia."
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 6:16 AM on May 31, 2017 [13 favorites]

covfefe is a helluva drug
posted by entropicamericana at 6:22 AM on May 31, 2017 [14 favorites]

Ugh, the central ethos of US conservatives today is "I want all my garmonbozia."

I don't know, I think the Black Lodge folks have better long-term strategic planning skills.
posted by leotrotsky at 6:37 AM on May 31, 2017 [8 favorites]

For those of us who do feel the need to express emotions such as fear, sadness and anxiety, this is the place for that.
posted by Too-Ticky at 6:38 AM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

The art of resistance: Todd Rundgren, "Tin Foil Hat" (feat. Donald Fagen) YT.
posted by MonkeyToes at 6:39 AM on May 31, 2017 [9 favorites]

Congratulations. The countries not in the PA now stand at:

1) Nicaragua
2) Syria (although, ironically, I would imagine that their CO2 usage has gone way, way down)
3) United States (once the paperwork goes through)

Proud company to be in, I'm sure, and not at all further *utterly pissing away* any sense of US policy leadership compared to a pairing of China and the EU. Impressive, given that the PRC is a borderline dictatorship...although, of course, Trump has also said that human rights are not a priority, so I guess the leadership there is also less of a differentiator.

Merkel as leader of the free world. 18 months ago, it would have been idle fantasy.
posted by jaduncan at 6:41 AM on May 31, 2017 [19 favorites]

Follow up to yesterday's story about overturning the contraceptive mandate. From Vox, here's the Leaked regulation: Trump plans to roll back Obamacare birth control mandate
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 6:44 AM on May 31, 2017 [7 favorites]

He's doing it for his base, but not because his base specifically wants to pull out of he accord: it's because it will enrage and horrify liberals. That's it. His strategy is to do things that most of the country hates so that the 25% who voted for him can feed off of our fear and sorrow. It's kind of the most disgusting thing imaginable and it's going to get so much worse.

That's it. We need to go full "Briar Patch". Create a series of weaponized "well, actually, it turns out" slate pitches about how all the worst things in the world actually good, and all the good things in the world are terrible. Feed them to Fox and Friends. Trump sees liberals are fuming about, say, the continuation of ACA because it forestalls single payer. That they're worried the Russia investigation will turn up nothing and make them look silly, so they want to shut it down. That the Paris accord will be stronger when they can negotiate free of the US and then force our hand later. Etc.
posted by condour75 at 6:56 AM on May 31, 2017 [5 favorites]

That the Paris accord will be stronger when they can negotiate free of the US and then force our hand later.

This one is actually possible.
posted by jaduncan at 6:58 AM on May 31, 2017 [37 favorites]

CBS is confirming that we're pulling out of the Paris agreement

Smooth move, Trump. You just keep frittering away our influence and power, why not? We'll need a betting pool soon as to how long before the rest of the world gets frustrated enough to band together and put us under sanctions.
posted by los pantalones del muerte at 6:58 AM on May 31, 2017 [31 favorites]

spitbull: I'm not at all saying don't express emotions of fear and sadness, but beat them into resolve.

Not all of us can manage to get to resolve. And not all of us can do anything with it if/when we get there. Some of us get to watch from the sidelines, and I'm not sure what we can do except wring our hands.

That said, yes, the MetaTalk thread is useful.
posted by Too-Ticky at 7:00 AM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

Dude wants global genocide.
posted by Artw at 7:05 AM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

We'll need a betting pool soon as to how long before the rest of the world gets frustrated enough to band together and put us under sanctions.

This is the obvious solution to environmental free-riding. I wonder if that will be a thing for the next climate treaty, and not just due to the US. It's economically sane as a policy response, and provides both carrot and stick.

The issue with the US withdrawing isn't just the US, it's the cover it gives for other countries to do the same.
posted by jaduncan at 7:05 AM on May 31, 2017 [18 favorites]

We'll need a betting pool soon as to how long before the rest of the world gets frustrated enough to band together and put us under sanctions.

I have no idea what the Paris Accord really says, but -- dumb question -- isn't it perfectly possible for countries in the Accord to give trade preference to its own members rather than deal with countries outside of it? Or that 'if you want to sell your goods to us, you need to meet a carbon emission standard of X'?
posted by Capt. Renault at 7:06 AM on May 31, 2017 [5 favorites]

cov·fe·fe

/ˈkōvˌfāfā/ 🔊

noun
a blunder, an unintended or careless remark causing embarrassment to others but not its originator ,(see: fremdscham)

"the President's late-night tweets generated frequent national covfefe"

Origin
early 21st century, obscure, possibly a malapropism for kerfuffle; a common folk etymology has covfefe as an infamous political leader's nickname for his genitalia (rumored to be quite inadequate)
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 7:08 AM on May 31, 2017 [30 favorites]

Dude wants global genocide.

my least favorite aerosmith song
posted by Rust Moranis at 7:08 AM on May 31, 2017 [47 favorites]

I have no idea what the Paris Accord really says, but -- dumb question -- isn't it perfectly possible for countries in the Accord to give trade preference to its own members rather than deal with countries outside of it? Or that 'if you want to sell your goods to us, you need to meet a carbon emission standard of X'?

If this happens, it's going to depend on changes at the WTO level.
posted by jaduncan at 7:10 AM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

Obviously he won't live long enough for it to be legally recognized as such, and he'll never stand trial for it, but should we be lucky enough that there is history after this it will be recognized as one of his greatest crimes.

Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush are still alive, so there's hope that Trump may yet live to see his name being mud for twenty years or more.
posted by Gelatin at 7:10 AM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

@realDonaldTrump: So now it is reported that the Democrats, who have excoriated Carter Page about Russia, don't want him to testify. He blows away their....
@realDonaldTrump: ...case against him & now wants to clear his name by showing "the false or misleading testimony by James Comey, John Brennan..." Witch Hunt!

No fucking way DJT wrote this. Excoriate? Spelled correctly? Please. He also doesn't use non-restrictive relative clauses (correctly punctuated too!) or compound verb phrases.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:11 AM on May 31, 2017 [77 favorites]

Which means by the way stopping the recitation of "we're all going to die" as a way of managing anxiety by spreading it around

But seriously, what if we all might actually die? I've been one of the other things on your list, and I can authoritatively tell you I've never feared for the life of everything I love more than now.
posted by corb at 7:13 AM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

No fucking way DJT wrote this. Excoriate? Spelled correctly? Please.

I believe Barron wrote all of the tweets this morning, including the one where he namechecks himself. Trump doesn't know how old Barron is.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 7:13 AM on May 31, 2017 [17 favorites]

but should we be lucky enough that there is history after this it will be recognized as one of his greatest crimes.

"Oh, Marge, you say that so much the words have lost all meaning!"
posted by Freon at 7:13 AM on May 31, 2017 [5 favorites]

The Scripps National Spelling Bee, which is happening now, confirms that while covfefe is not on their word list, "It is, however, now in the Library of Congress"(FB)
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 7:15 AM on May 31, 2017 [21 favorites]

"It is, however, now in the Library of Congress"
OH my god. That alone is reason for impeachment. That idiot is going to gibbonfling the Library of Congress worse than Dubya did.
posted by Don Pepino at 7:20 AM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

So, I thought I'd run down some of Donald Trump's genealogy for a tongue-in-cheek joke. Since his grandmother's maiden name was Elizabeth (originally, Elisabeth) Christ, I thought that there was a good chance that Donald Trump had a grand auntie Christ, or: Auntie Christ is part of his family.

A lot has been written about Elisabeth Christ, Donald's grandmother. However, there is next to nothing available online about her siblings, that is, beyond basic genealogy saying, yes, they were her siblings.

Elisabeth and her siblings were born in Kallstadt, Bad Durkheim, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. They are:

Ludwig Christ 1876-1951.
Elisabeth Christ (Trump). October 10, 1880 - June 6, 1966.
Johannes IV Christ 1886-1949.
Philipp VIII Christ 1893-1964.

The three males are listed as having also died in Kallstadt. The three males have no month and date for birth or death or marriage info attached to their names. (The wives would have been the auntie Christs.) Johannes and Phillip Christ were a prime age for fighting in World War I. As to what the male family members did in WWII, that's an open question. They would have been from mid-forties to mid-sixties.

"Philipp VIII Christ" has fourteen hits on Google. All are genealogy sites or brief mentions in relation to Elisabeth. Similarly, "Johannes IV Christ" has 9 hits.

Ludwig Christ, being two names, gets a lot more hits, some of them being the late 18th century naturalist, Johann Ludwig Christ.
This 1934 portrait, which says "Mayor of Trier," if it is Donald's granduncle, would have him at 58 years old. Noticeable is his Nazi pin. Trier is about 100 miles from Kallstadt.

He seems (to me) to be the same person in this photo.

This Ludwig Christ, born 1922 in Germany and died 2002 in the United States, had a German father Ludwig Christ (and mother Johanna Kaekel). The obituary, charmingly (not being sarcastic), says that he came to the U.S. as a German POW.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 7:24 AM on May 31, 2017 [13 favorites]

I think the Paris thing might be as simple as "Macron lives in Paris, Macron stood up to him, so screw that guy I'll shoot down the Paris Accords." No actual involvement from Macron on the Paris Accords is even necessary.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 7:25 AM on May 31, 2017 [41 favorites]

Dude wants global genocide.

narcissist doesn't want the world to outlive him
posted by entropicamericana at 7:28 AM on May 31, 2017 [7 favorites]

As Joe Hill said shortly before his execution, "Don't waste any time mourning. Organize!"
posted by Gelatin at 7:32 AM on May 31, 2017 [9 favorites]

I'm as much a grammar nazi as anyone, but the time spent (not just here) on laughing at covfefe could be spent trying to storm the office of your congressperson.
posted by Melismata at 7:35 AM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

Well, he has said that he has all the best words. Perhaps this is the beginning of a reveal of the new ones. Just wait until next year's State of the Piente address. Then all you skeptics will be totally cheesechoun.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:36 AM on May 31, 2017 [15 favorites]

Ok. I'll do one.
Little Red Covfefe
Baby You're Much Too Fash

Now back to his shitty policies...
posted by Cookiebastard at 7:38 AM on May 31, 2017 [6 favorites]

> An intersyllabic consonant cluster that modulates from a voiced bilabial fricative /v/ to a voiceless bilabial fricative /f/ is not phonemically attested in any first language dialect of English as far as I can discern.

lovefest
posted by nangar at 7:38 AM on May 31, 2017 [9 favorites]

I don't think he's got any political plan in mind at all. I think he thinks global warming is a Chinese hoax.
posted by kyrademon at 7:39 AM on May 31, 2017 [5 favorites]

I'm wondering if Trump's obsession with trade deficits might clash with his apparent intention to withdraw from the Paris accords.

In other words, wouldn't the US be hampered in trading with other nations if our methods and outcomes were not in compliance with rules adopted by the rest of the world?

I found this World Trade Organization document to be useful as a starting point.

The general approach under WTO rules has been to acknowledge that some degree of trade restriction may be necessary to achieve certain policy objectives as long as a number of carefully crafted conditions are respected. A number of WTO rules may be relevant to measures aimed at mitigating climate change. These include:
disciplines on tariffs (border measures), essentially prohibiting members from collecting tariffs at levels greater than that provided for in their WTO scheduled consolidation

a general prohibition against border quotas

a general non-discrimination principle, consisting of the most-favoured-nation and national treatment principles

rules on subsidies

rules on technical regulations and standards, which may not be more restrictive than necessary to fulfil a legitimate objective. Technical regulations and standards must also respect the principle of non-discrimination and be based on international standards, where they exist. There are also specific rules for sanitary and phytosanitary measures which are relevant for agricultural products.

disciplines relevant to trade in services, imposing general obligations such as most-favoured-nation treatment, as well as further obligations in sectors where individual members have undertaken specific commitments

rules on trade-related intellectual property rights. These rules are relevant for the development and transfer of climate-friendly technologies and know-how.

Can any knowledgeable MeFites weigh in on how much leverage our trading partners might be able to exert? I'm thinking of analogues like California's auto emissions standards forcing car manufacturers to improve mpg across the board.
posted by GrammarMoses at 7:39 AM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

I'm as much a grammar nazi as anyone, but the time spent (not just here) on laughing at covfefe could be spent trying to storm the office of your congressperson.

mfw
posted by pxe2000 at 7:45 AM on May 31, 2017 [13 favorites]

President Donald Trump planning weekend at Bedminster club:

President Donald Trump plans to spend an upcoming weekend at his New Jersey golf club, according to a new advisory posted by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The notice, which went live Wednesday morning on the FAA’s Safety Briefing website, indicates the president will be at his Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster from June 9-11.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 7:49 AM on May 31, 2017

I knew what that linked gif would be. I have gif-vision
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:49 AM on May 31, 2017 [7 favorites]

The Ludwig Christ, mayor of Trier, has a German Wikipedia entry. It says he was born in Winterburg, Germany in 1900. He was not the brother of Elisabeth, but still a possible family relation.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 7:50 AM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

the new york times is eliminating the position of public editor

the kicks the execrable liz spayd out on the street but not having an ombudsman at all seems questionable?
posted by murphy slaw at 7:50 AM on May 31, 2017 [9 favorites]

From that link:

The decision comes a day after the Times announced the creation of a “Reader Center” led by editor Hanna Ingber. One role of the new “Reader Center” is to improve how the Times “respond(s) directly to tips feedback, questions, concerns, complaints and other queries from the public,” according to a Tuesday memo.

Several news organizations, including The Washington Post, have phased out the position of ombudsman or public editor in recent years. Post editor Marty Baron justified ending the role by pointing out that the paper receives plenty of criticism from “all quarters, instantly, in this Internet age.”

It'll be interesting to see how this works out. I'm all for the direct feedback (it happens anyway and someone will obviously have to run the new Reader Center), but what I really liked about what the PE was able to do was provide historical context and a bit of a bigger picture into the behind-the-scenes workings of the newsroom.
posted by Miko at 7:54 AM on May 31, 2017 [10 favorites]

So nobody in the GOP is going to say anything about leaving Paris?
posted by Devonian at 7:54 AM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

They don't need one because Facebook comments? Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck.
posted by Artw at 7:56 AM on May 31, 2017 [10 favorites]

So nobody in the GOP is going to say anything about leaving Paris?

They are all criminals and they all want to make money off of the human race dying, of course not.
posted by Artw at 7:57 AM on May 31, 2017 [6 favorites]

Why would they? Is Paris burning?
posted by loquacious at 7:57 AM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

So nobody in the GOP is going to say anything about leaving Paris?

Even the most nevertrumpiest of GOP reps and senators think getting rid of regulations is totally worth the death of the planet, so don't hold your breath.
posted by zombieflanders at 7:58 AM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

Spokesman for the Rah-Rah Brigade Marc Thiessen, WaPo: Trump’s trip was his best week in office. Here’s how he can repeat that success.

Washington is a jungle, but as president, Trump is the king of the beasts. He needs to stop fighting with the lesser animals. One of the secrets of the presidency Trump has been slow to embrace is that the office confers a certain majesty on its occupants. There is a reason the opposing party’s response to a State of the Union address invariably falls flat compared with the real thing. Trump’s most successful moments — his terrific address to Congress, his nomination of Neil M. Gorsuch for the Supreme Court, his foreign trip — all came when he embraced the dignity of the office. His worst moments came when he did not.

The lesson should be clear: Stay above the fray, ignore your critics, focus on substance, and use the presidency to promote your agenda. Go on a tour to highlight the achievements of your foreign trip. Visit defense factories that will get jobs because of your Saudi arms deal. Speak to Jewish organizations about your visit to Israel and plans to isolate Iran, defeat the Islamic State, and bolster the U.S.-Israel alliance. Barnstorm the country promoting your agenda. And never mention Comey or the Russia probe — not in an interview, not in a tweet.

posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:01 AM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

To Trump’s Supporters, ‘Covfefe’ Is Just Another Way He’s Making America Great Again

The tweet — which, again, was sent by the current president of the United States of America — stayed up until just before 6 a.m. Twitter, naturally, had a field day. And according to Trump’s defenders, that’s all just part of his master plan.

posted by kirkaracha at 8:01 AM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

Christ, imagine being someone who sees Trump as having "majesty" or being someone who has a master plan.
posted by Artw at 8:02 AM on May 31, 2017 [41 favorites]

Leading Right-Wing Christian Figure Calls for a 'More Violent Christianity
Kyle Mantyla - Right Wing Watch.
Religious Right activist “Coach” Dave Daubenmire declared on his “Pass The Salt Live” webcast this morning that America needs “a more violent Christianity.” He cited President Trump and Greg Gianforte as examples of violent men who are properly “walking in authority.”
posted by adamvasco at 8:04 AM on May 31, 2017 [17 favorites]

I do believe we have a winner.
posted by Behemoth at 8:04 AM on May 31, 2017 [47 favorites]

Haha that Thiesen article must have been written before covfefe. Trump uses the dignity of the office to service his ego. He definitely doesn't use the dignity of the office to service a political agenda.
posted by notyou at 8:05 AM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'm as much a grammar nazi as anyone, but the time spent (not just here) on laughing at covfefe could be spent trying to storm the office of your congressperson.

I left messages for all three of my representatives while I was writing their daily anti-AHCA postcards to go in this morning's mail when the covfefe nonsense dropped. I was able to giggle while doing my part am I magic.
posted by winna at 8:07 AM on May 31, 2017 [43 favorites]

Congratulations. The countries not in the PA now stand at:

1) Nicaragua
2) Syria (although, ironically, I would imagine that their CO2 usage has gone way, way down)
3) United States (once the paperwork goes through)

Proud company to be in

FWIW, Nicaragua isn't a signatory because Ortega quite reasonably believes the deal isn't strict enough and screws over smaller countries:

Nicaragua’s representative to the Paris talks at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Dr. Paul Oquist, didn’t think the agreement went far enough. The Central American country earned international attention for Quist’s position, but it didn’t stop the talks. As the Financial Times notes, Nicaragua is responsible for just 0.03 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

“We’re not going to submit because voluntary responsibilities is a path to failure,” Quist said at the time, reports TelesurTV. “It’s a failed mechanism that’s leading us down the road to 3 degrees Celsius, 4 degrees Celsius, 5 degrees Celsius. It’s a mechanism to let the target float. It’s like if you have a fixed interest rate and a floating interest rate and this will float according to whatever comes out of the INDCs. We don’t want to be accomplices to taking the world to 3 degrees Celsius to 4 degrees Celsius and the death and destruction that that represents.”

TelesurTV notes that the Nicaraguan government also criticized the agreement for not including the creation of a binding US$100 billion fund from wealthy countries to help poorer countries reach established goals.

“The government and people of Nicaragua hope that from the Paris COP21 Conference will emerge a commitment to climate justice along with an indispensable indemnification policy, converted into direct and unconditional cooperation,” Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega told the UN General Assembly in 2014. “Those responsible for the emissions, and responsible for the climate depredation, degradation and dislocation must recognize our losses and contribute to recovery so as to reinstate the right to health and to life of our Mother Earth and of the peoples of the world.”

I can't really say I disagree with him.
posted by zombieflanders at 8:07 AM on May 31, 2017 [46 favorites]

I think the Paris thing might be as simple as "Macron lives in Paris, Macron stood up to him, so screw that guy I'll shoot down the Paris Accords." No actual involvement from Macron on the Paris Accords is even necessary.

I couldn't really give a shit. This is a species-level issue more than anything other than the nukes. Trump needs to be gone.
posted by jaduncan at 8:08 AM on May 31, 2017 [12 favorites]

I think the Paris thing might be as simple as "Macron lives in Paris, Macron stood up to him, so screw that guy I'll shoot down the Paris Accords."

It's about extinguishing everything that Obama tried to do. The dressing down a few years ago at the press dinner is probably the biggest humiliation of Trump's life and he'll go to the grave still stinging from it. If he has to kill millions of people to chisel away at Obama's legacy, he'll do it with a smile.
posted by Candleman at 8:13 AM on May 31, 2017 [73 favorites]

spitbull: >Some of us get to watch from the sidelines, and I'm not sure what we can do except wring our hands.

These threads are full of things to do.

Sorry, maybe I was not expressing myself clearly. I was talking about people who aren't in the US.
Most of the things listed aren't available to us, and besides, we have our own problems and we need to be pulling the weeds in our own backyards (if only because no one else will do it), as it were; still, it's very hard not to worry about the stuff going on in the US and I, for one, am failing completely in that regard.
posted by Too-Ticky at 8:13 AM on May 31, 2017 [5 favorites]

can't really say I disagree with him.

Ortega is a liar and a child rapist and maybe we could not make this the general thread for "shit horrible leaders say" and stick to our own horrible leader?
posted by corb at 8:15 AM on May 31, 2017 [6 favorites]

If you're not in the US, the best thing you can do is strengthen civil society and fight fascism in your own country, because the era of US leadership and assistance in these areas is over and done.
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:16 AM on May 31, 2017 [32 favorites]

Trump’s most successful moments — his terrific address to Congress

So we're going back to the original usage of that word?
posted by C'est la D.C. at 8:19 AM on May 31, 2017 [16 favorites]

It’s nonsense word day, so here’s 9 minutes of Def Leppard’s “Gunter Glieben Glauchen Globen”
posted by kirkaracha at 8:20 AM on May 31, 2017 [6 favorites]

maybe we could not make this the general thread for "shit horrible leaders say"

It's relevant to the thread, and the content isn't horrible unless you're a psychopath who wants the world to literally burn.
posted by zombieflanders at 8:22 AM on May 31, 2017 [5 favorites]

If Hillary Clinton fell asleep in mid-tweet, we'd be hearing again about her stamina, and the loudest parts of right wing media would be insisting that the wacky typo was proof, proof that she has finger leprosy.
posted by puddledork at 8:23 AM on May 31, 2017 [5 favorites]

One deleted; corb and zombieflanders, please just don't.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 8:24 AM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

the loudest parts of right wing media would be insisting that the wacky typo was proof, proof that she has finger ~~leprosy~~ early-stage dementia.
posted by Pseudonymous Cognomen at 8:25 AM on May 31, 2017

Post editor Marty Baron justified ending the role by pointing out that the paper receives plenty of criticism from “all quarters, instantly, in this Internet age.”
It'll be interesting to see how this works out. I'm all for the direct feedback (it happens anyway and someone will obviously have to run the new Reader Center), but what I really liked about what the PE was able to do was provide historical context and a bit of a bigger picture into the behind-the-scenes workings of the newsroom.

Yeah; a large part of the problem with the media today is how thoroughly they were bamboozled by the conservative movement's decades-long propaganda campaign to assert that a "liberal media" exists. Associated with their uncritical coverage of George W. Bush, one heard the feeble defense of "we're getting criticism from both sides, so we must be doing something right!"

Not having someone assessing critically whether complaints are 1) made in good faith and b) hold any water whatsoever seems a recipe for newspapers to abandon their responsibility to the truth in favor of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
posted by Gelatin at 8:26 AM on May 31, 2017 [18 favorites]

Christ, imagine being someone who sees Trump as having "majesty" or being someone who has a master plan.

This is the thing I've had the hardest time dealing with. Racist, narcissistic, misogynist, pathological shitbag blowhards exist. People who speak in incomprehensible wordsalad, for reasons both organic and non exist. Bullshitting liars and con-men exist. I understand this.

What I cannot understand no matter how hard I try is people who look at Donald Trump and see not a shitbag blowhard wordsalad-spewing bullshitter, but a majestic, principled savior of mankind. Like, I am empathetic to a fault and I cannot empathy my way inside that perception.
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:26 AM on May 31, 2017 [119 favorites]

NYC Mayor de Blasio will sign an executive order confirming New York's commitment to the Paris Agreement. (Twitter)
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 8:29 AM on May 31, 2017 [52 favorites]

tronc covfefe, man...
posted by clawsoon at 8:32 AM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

I'm as much a grammar nazi as anyone, but the time spent (not just here) on laughing at covfefe could be spent trying to storm the office of your congressperson.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - mocking Trump has value.

Thanks to the ineffable mysteries of human psychology, Trump's behavior during the election (which read to most of us here on MF as narcissistic childish arrogance), read to millions of voters as "strong and decisive." Or, at least, "strong and decisive enough" to warrant pulling the lever for him, even if reluctant, even if maybe mostly for the chance to put a conservative on the SC, even if maybe just "NotHilllary because decades of barely-understood propaganda." The more the President* can be goaded into Tweeting obvious nonsense and the more he can be goaded into addressing the reaction to the obvious nonsense, the more it becomes obvious to even low-information voters that he is unfit for the job. He reveals his own weakness, his lack of moral center, his lack of "strength." He loses support. No small part of his cratering poll numbers are due to conservative-leaning "independents" who thought he would actually DO something to help them and are disgusted that he's spending his time and energy gabbling on the Twitter Machine about bullshit.

The Emperor has no clothes, and every Twitsplosion about #convfefe or whatever is thousands if not millions of people pointing out the truth about his nakedness.
posted by soundguy99 at 8:33 AM on May 31, 2017 [84 favorites]

The issue with the US withdrawing isn't just the US, it's the cover it gives for other countries to do the same.

Some thoughts on the Paris withdrawal: the other major polluters (China, India, EU) rightly see this as an opportunity to cement their global leadership in renewable energy research, development, production, and installation. This is a tremendous own-goal for the US in terms of the high-tech economies of the future. China already leads in solar installations and production. We've just signaled to them that we aren't even going to try to compete as a nation. And for many of these countries, the goal is not just greenhouse gas emissions, but reductions in the deadly coal smog choking the major cities.

Back home, the blue states (and some red!) will continue to lead the clean energy transition in the absence of federal action. California has shown its willingness to continue climate science research and renewables adoption, and the California grid is making moves to become the most advanced in the nation. Hawaii, Vermont, Washington, hell, even Texas, are breaking generation records and taking major steps to curtail GHG emissions.

I'm fucking pissed and unhappy about this bullshit, but this isn't the end by a long shot.
posted by Existential Dread at 8:36 AM on May 31, 2017 [54 favorites]

The Emperor has no clothes, and every Twitsplosion about #convfefe or whatever is thousands if not millions of people pointing out the truth about his nakedness.

As long as we can point and laugh at the Covfefe-in-Chief without fear of state-sanctioned violence in reprisal, we know that they're failing at authoritarianism. It's an important metric and an important exercise.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:36 AM on May 31, 2017 [76 favorites]

I'm fucking pissed and unhappy about this bullshit, but this isn't the end by a long shot.
posted by Existential Dread

eponyantonymical?
posted by Barack Spinoza at 8:39 AM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

Yeah, soren_lorensen, Trump gives me the same kind of heebie jeebies I used to get as a kid in the 80s when my grandparents kept getting into following charismatic TV evangelists like Jimmy Swaggart. It always seemed painfully obvious to me those guys were nothing but snake oil salesmen, and inevitably, after a couple of years the truth would out, but in the meantime, even normally sensible people can be so swayed by cult of personality and showmanship they can let down their guard and follow the worst kind of opportunists and conmen. It's still puzzling to me why it isn't just obvious that's what Trump is to so many of his followers. He's never really been known as anything else.
posted by saulgoodman at 8:39 AM on May 31, 2017 [27 favorites]

I'm still stuck on how covfefe stayed up for six hours. Possible explanations:

1. There's only one phone on Earth logged into @realDonaldTrump and the President fell asleep on top of it
2. The WH communications team is so small/unprofessional that nobody else with the login was awake or was woken up by someone
3. Someone with the login saw what was happening, but was afraid to delete a Presidential Tweet, even an obvious and laughable mistake
4. Someone with the login saw what was happening, but let it go because fuck that guy
5. ????
posted by theodolite at 8:43 AM on May 31, 2017 [15 favorites]

More news in up is down: Trump Economic Adviser: Wind and Solar Can Make America a ‘Manufacturing Powerhouse’

Donald Trump's top economic adviser, Gary Cohn, thinks natural gas, wind and solar are the future of energy in America.

But he's getting attacked for doubting the future of coal.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One last week, Cohn expressed skepticism about reviving the beleaguered coal industry.

"Coal doesn't even make that much sense anymore as a feedstock. Natural gas, [of] which we have become an abundant producer [and] which we're going to become a major exporter of, is such a cleaner fuel," he said, according to press pool reports.

And if you needed further reasons to hate Joe Manchin:

In an interview with Breitbart News, Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, said he needed to "work on Gary and give a little history lesson."

“Yeah, Gary, I don’t know what the hell happened with Gary. Jesus Christ, what’s wrong with these people?” Manchin told Breitbart.

Go fuck yourself, Joe.
posted by Existential Dread at 8:44 AM on May 31, 2017 [44 favorites]

I'm fucking pissed and unhappy about this bullshit, but this isn't the end by a long shot.

My opinion is actually that renewables have hit economic viability at just the right time to be self-sustaining - there are economic reasons not to do coal etc these days. That said, it gives me a lot of suspicion that whoever wants to oppose the next step will point at the US repeatedly.
posted by jaduncan at 8:46 AM on May 31, 2017 [5 favorites]

People seem to love making the Arrested Development comparison with Trump as George Bluth Senior, but the covfefe incident and the subsequent "Enjoy!" tweet made me suddenly understand: He's not George, he's Gob.
posted by contraption at 8:47 AM on May 31, 2017 [11 favorites]

And if you needed further reasons to hate Joe Manchin:
In an interview with Breitbart News, Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, said he needed to "work on Gary and give a little history lesson."

“Yeah, Gary, I don’t know what the hell happened with Gary. Jesus Christ, what’s wrong with these people?” Manchin told Breitbart.
Go fuck yourself, Joe.

Yes, it's upsetting, but we have to hold onto unpleasant Democrats like Joe Manchin to preserve any hope of a Democratic majority, which drives the purity Lebrbrbbblbbub ... [The rising sea swallows me up as I speak.]
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 8:47 AM on May 31, 2017 [17 favorites]

Joe Manchin (D-Buggy Whips)
posted by Faint of Butt at 8:48 AM on May 31, 2017 [18 favorites]

I'm still stuck on how covfefe stayed up for six hours. Possible explanations:

1. There's only one phone on Earth logged into @realDonaldTrump and the President fell asleep on top of it

You think he allows anyone else to have access to that account? I am dead certain that there were people crowded around the door to the residence all night debating whether to wake him up.
posted by Etrigan at 8:49 AM on May 31, 2017 [9 favorites]

We seem to be rapidly approaching the point that using the US as an example has less value than doing the opposite. Sure, people have admired and followed strength even when fascist but idiocy? Not so much.
posted by fullerine at 8:49 AM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

What I cannot understand no matter how hard I try is people who look at Donald Trump and see not a shitbag blowhard wordsalad-spewing bullshitter, but a majestic, principled savior of mankind. Like, I am empathetic to a fault and I cannot empathy my way inside that perception.

I keep finding reasons ever since it was posted to link to this Slacktivist blog post. The bit that still really rings like a bell for me:

Constantly arguing in bad faith leads to thinking in bad faith and
to living in bad faith, until bad faith is all you've got left. Calculation becomes habit, that habit supplants thought and one winds up in the perverse circumstance of earnestly arguing for the goodness of oil spills.

The "goodness of oil spills" was the topic back on that date, but it's so broadly applicable to much of modern tribal politics. "goodness of oil spills" is eminently replaceable with "majestic principled savior nature of Donald Trump."
posted by Drastic at 8:50 AM on May 31, 2017 [40 favorites]

> I'm still stuck on how covfefe stayed up for six hours. Possible explanations:

So as I see it what's most likely is the orange man has been shouting and screaming to his staff about people (read: lawyers) fucking around with his tweets, he's been blustering about how horrible it is that they're denying him free time and access to his phone, and as a result his staffers left it up either because they're legitimately afraid of him or (more likely) to teach him a lesson.

Going forward the white house line is going to be that covfefe was super fun and that all of the magabots love how unfiltered the orange man is. Never mind that it was super fun because we all thought he might have had a stroke.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 8:51 AM on May 31, 2017 [15 favorites]

But he's getting attacked for doubting the future of coal.

The last coal-fired electricity plant in Massachusetts is shutting down forever today, which now makes a handful of hipster pizza places the main consumers of coal in the state.
posted by adamg at 8:54 AM on May 31, 2017 [59 favorites]

If someone makes a @realDonaldTrump_ebooks (or @POTUS_ebooks or whatever, since I think the former's over the character limit), I'll buy them ALL the beers
posted by iffthen at 8:55 AM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'm still stuck on how covfefe stayed up for six hours. Possible explanations:

We're so screwed if there's an actual emergency at 2am.
posted by octothorpe at 8:56 AM on May 31, 2017 [10 favorites]

I was somewhat impressed that Trump managed to post a mild joke about his own mistake. It must've took all 70 years of his superego, driven by the horrible realization that this was truly an error that he couldn't blame on anyone else.

And then he withdrew us from the Paris Climate Agreement to spite everyone and make himself feel better. I'm not joking. I would not be surprised if the final decision was a snap choice driven by hurt pride.

I'm still stuck on how covfefe stayed up for six hours. Possible explanations:

6. His staff hates him and secretly delighted in the jokes made at his expense.
posted by Anonymous at 8:58 AM on May 31, 2017

We're so screwed if there's an actual emergency at 2am.

Aide #1: Mr. President! You have to wake up! The nation is under attack!
Trump: [Shifts his bulk, mutters something that's almost a word, farts, goes back to sleep]
Aide #2: What did he say?
Aide #1: I think he said... "covfefe."
posted by Faint of Butt at 8:59 AM on May 31, 2017 [18 favorites]

You think he allows anyone else to have access to that account? I am dead certain that there were people crowded around the door to the residence all night debating whether to wake him up.

"At dawn, Stalin did not emerge from his room. Although his guards thought that it was strange not to see him awake at his usual time, they were strictly instructed not to bother him and left him alone the entire day. At around 10 p.m., he was discovered by Peter Lozgachev, the Deputy Commandant, who entered his bedroom to check on him and recalled the scene of Stalin lying on his back on the floor of his room beside his bed, wearing pyjama bottoms and an undershirt, with his clothes soaked in stale urine. A frightened Lozgachev asked Stalin what happened to him, but all he could get out of him was unintelligible responses that sounded like 'Dzhhhhh.' "

Just sayin'.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:00 AM on May 31, 2017 [30 favorites]

My opinion is actually that renewables have hit economic viability at just the right time to be self-sustaining - there are economic reasons not to do coal etc these days. That said, it gives me a lot of suspicion that whoever wants to oppose the next step will point at the US repeatedly.

The last coal-fired electricity plant in Massachusetts is shutting down forever today, which now makes a handful of hipster pizza places the main consumers of coal in the state.

I have 1.2MWh of excess solar banked with National Grid over the past three months. I'm trying to do my part to make up the shortfall.
posted by Talez at 9:00 AM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

And I'll bet other countries just love reading about how understaffed the Pentagon is.
posted by Melismata at 9:04 AM on May 31, 2017 [19 favorites]

Three months into the new Administration, the Pentagon is being run by a skeleton crew; career officers and civil servants are doing jobs that are supposed to be performed by political appointees.

I am quietly thankful for this.
posted by jaduncan at 9:08 AM on May 31, 2017 [26 favorites]

We haven't heard any more about potential new FBI directors for a bit either, after that shortlist evaporated. That's another job where an analysis of recent evidence would suggest that 'run away fast. No, faster.' would be the only logical conclusion. And haven't people in State been saying that working there is like being in the office at the weekend, too?

A quick canter through 45's empty dominions would make a good read.

I am quietly thankful for this.

Yes, until something major happens that needs leadership and competence, or people will die. Because at the moment < spoiler alert > people will die.
posted by Devonian at 9:09 AM on May 31, 2017 [10 favorites]

We're so screwed if there's an actual emergency at 2am.

Depends on whether a Trump staff not frozen by indecision or a woken Trump would make the situation worse or better, really.

That crisis that isn't self created is coming sometime and it isn't going to be pretty.
posted by Artw at 9:11 AM on May 31, 2017

We need a billboard in every red district pointing out which party is destroying the military.
posted by cmfletcher at 9:13 AM on May 31, 2017 [7 favorites]

Yes, until something major happens that needs leadership and competence, or people will die. Because at the moment < spoiler alert > people will die.

Indeed. As did people after Hurricane Katrina, thanks to Brownie. Trump got elected because he promised things would be different, ah well.
posted by Melismata at 9:14 AM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

Withdrawing from the Paris Accords sucks. The good news is that wind and solar are even cheaper than natural gas in a lot of places. A Tuscon utility recently signed a deal for solar energy less than 3 cents per Kilowatt-Hour. I get a real sense that solar is set to be competitive with natural gas in the sunny states, and wind for those in the middle states. And with battery storage, be competitive with natural gas peaker plants!

The bad news is that we're likely to be set back to 2012 prices for solar panels because a bankrupt US solar panel manufacturing company, Suniva, has made a petition for a global tariff on basically every solar technology imported into the US with a couple of exceptions. The US International Trade Commission is moving forward with hearing the case. A recommendation will be made no later than September 22nd. The Solar Energy Industries Association is against these tariffs. It puts downstream solar jobs at risk, and looks to increase utility scale solar costs something like 40%. There's more to this story, but it all makes me bit sad because president of the United States is the one who decides what to do with the ITC's recommendation.
posted by Mister Cheese at 9:14 AM on May 31, 2017 [13 favorites]

Did I say nobody in the GOP would have anything to say about Paris?

Silly me.
posted by Devonian at 9:16 AM on May 31, 2017 [5 favorites]

At the VA Hospital, Patients Often Wind Up in Court : Case after case brings people who admit to breaking the rules but rush to dispute their guilt and offer an explanation. People representing themselves often admit they’re guilty without meaning it, or fail to raise the right legal arguments to contest their cases. Thomas Carpenter was in the emergency room at the VA, waiting to get admitted to the psychiatric ward, he said, after two days of trying to be seen. He had an empty pill bottle with him, which he gave to staff in the ER, and which later tested positive for cocaine residue.

“I wasn’t trying to bring anything into the hospital,” he complained repeatedly at his hearing in January. “If it was empty, why would I bring it in? The container was mine, so obviously I have to take the blame for it, but there was nothing in there.”

The court fined Carpenter $130, which he agreed to pay off at $20 a month. But after the verdict, he wanted to make one last point. “In defense of myself, I served for this country,” he said. “I was wounded twice!”

“I know,” Magistrate Judge Alicia Otazo-Reyes replied. “That’s why I lowered your fine sir.”

“I have mental issues. I have PTSD,” Carpenter said, but the verdict held
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 9:18 AM on May 31, 2017 [9 favorites]

We have to prepare to deal ourselves with whatever crises we will encounter, because we have to assume that the response fromwhatever's left of the federal government will be ineptly executed, actively harmful, or both. This is despite the fact that any response under the leadership of anything but the federal government will be inadequate.

Those of us living in California (or, really, on the west coast as a whole) are lucky, because we have functioning state governments that can step in in the absence of a federal government.

Also, though, wherever we are, we owe it to ourselves to squad up in activist communities; the people we meet with every Monday evening or whatever to talk about single payer or to write postcards or whatever are going to be the people we have to rely upon when chaos hits in earnest.

I mean I'm trying not to say "dual power," but, well, dual power. The institutions of government are failing; the institutions we're inventing now have to get prepared to step into the gap.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 9:21 AM on May 31, 2017 [10 favorites]

Mitch McConnell is calling for Trump to leave the Paris agreement. Someone should tell him that Obama is no longer the President and he no longer has to try to destroy everything.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:23 AM on May 31, 2017 [40 favorites]

Mitch McConnell is from a coal state, and he has no morals nor cares about anyone but himself. There's no chance of him changing his mind on this.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:25 AM on May 31, 2017 [10 favorites]

And for many of these countries, the goal is not just greenhouse gas emissions, but reductions in the deadly coal smog choking the major cities.

China isn't going along with the Paris Accords out of the goodness of their hearts. Beyond an opportunity for expanded influence in the world, they have a real problem getting employees from multi-nationals to relocate to cities where you often can't see across the street and where your kids develop livelong allergies and health issues. Cleaning up is an economic need for them.
posted by chris24 at 9:26 AM on May 31, 2017 [16 favorites]

Mitch McConnell is calling for Trump to leave the Paris agreement. Someone should tell him that Obama is no longer the President and he no longer has to try to destroy everything.

They have nothing else to offer.
posted by Artw at 9:26 AM on May 31, 2017 [11 favorites]

Welcome to smart guy centrism 101 - by the mighty Matt Lubchansky
posted by Existential Dread at 9:27 AM on May 31, 2017 [26 favorites]

Most departments are understaffed, is my understanding; State is missing more than a hundred key positions, including a few dozen ambassadorships, leaving aside lower-level appointments and nominations entirely, which are also absent. You can do a partial search at the Washington Post, but that's only for a subset of overall nominations, so it undercounts overall numbers -- and one other thing to note is that there are a decent number of positions for which the administration has announced a candidate but has not yet actually formally nominated them.

Well, on the bright side, the skeleton crew means you get lifelong diplomats - not Trump appointees - standing in silence for 20 seconds before they try to tell us how they can criticize Iran's sham democracy while standing beside princes of Saudi Arabia's outright dictatorship. It's a refreshing bit of honesty that goes well with the theme from Curb Your Enthusiasm.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 9:27 AM on May 31, 2017 [21 favorites]

Lovefest
Ha. But that's really a word boundary to my intuition.

Yeah, only at word boundaries.

I'd analyse covfefe as cove + fefe, where Fefe is a variant of Fifi or Feefee, a dog's name. I live on the edge of the Appalachian Mountains, where "cove" is used to mean a small irregularly shaped valley that's open more than one end. The image I have is driving down long winding road in the mountains and then coming to a cove where there are a couple farms and one of the farmers has a small yappy dog.

A "press covfefe", by analogy, is a minor kerfuffle in the press when a politician or other public figure says or does something stupid that doesn't matter in the long run and is soon forgotten. So the phrase is good illustration of itself.

A question is does the president really think the Kushner back channel story is a press covfefe? Because I'd be worried that this one might bite.
posted by nangar at 9:35 AM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

MONMOUTH: % who say person *hurts* Trump when they speak on his behalf

SPICER - 42%
CONWAY - 40%
SANDERS - 22%
PENCE - 29%

TRUMP - 61% (!)

And here's a good summary of AHCA polls since May.
posted by zachlipton at 9:39 AM on May 31, 2017 [50 favorites]

"Corporations need a world to exist in" is just too big a concept for them.
posted by Artw at 10:08 AM on May 31, 2017 [5 favorites]

CNN: Comey to testify publicly about Trump confrontations. Yes, we sort of already knew that, but then he's been talking with Mueller to ensure he won't mess up that investigation. Anyway, now it could be "as early as next week."

And even John Boehner won't stick to his criticism of Trump. Here's the walkback. He likes the President and doesn't think his policies or his agenda are a disaster, but takes some issue with the execution and says that "they’ve had their share of mistakes as the president learns to be the president."

This game where elected or formerly elected Republicans say what they really think and then walk it back a few days later is increasingly tiresome.
posted by zachlipton at 10:11 AM on May 31, 2017 [29 favorites]

It's the delicate interplay between former remnants of their humanity and the fact that #NeverTrump was always bullshit.
posted by Artw at 10:14 AM on May 31, 2017 [6 favorites]

[Boehner] likes the President and doesn't think his policies or his agenda are a disaster

Well, of course not, because regardless of what "populist" agenda Trump campaigned on, his policies and agenda are bog-standard Republicanism -- actually a disaster, but no Republican politician can admit it.

but takes some issue with the execution and says that "they’ve had their share of mistakes as the president learns to be the president.

It's been more than 100 days. The on-the-job training period -- which is supposed to be over between the election and the inauguration -- is definitely over now. As if the disastrous and embarrassing foreign trip and baffling midnight tweet show Trump has learned anything anyway.

Feh.
posted by Gelatin at 10:19 AM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

Theory: Trump's personal cell phone is 1-555-COVFEFE
posted by dhens at 10:19 AM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

I like that David Lynch has returned to directing TV but I dislike that he is also directing world affairs
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:20 AM on May 31, 2017 [29 favorites]

> What I cannot understand no matter how hard I try is people who look at Donald Trump and see not a shitbag blowhard wordsalad-spewing bullshitter, but a majestic, principled savior of mankind. Like, I am empathetic to a fault and I cannot empathy my way inside that perception.

This has also been the most difficult aspect of Trump's rise for me to understand. I mean, I literally have an easier time understanding (not empathizing or agreeing with, just imagining what it might be like) the viewpoint of someone who is a virulent racist than of someone who looks at Donald Trump and sees a dynamic, principled man of action, or whatever the hell it is they apparently see.
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:23 AM on May 31, 2017 [48 favorites]

Covfefe stopped being fun the second he got in on it.
posted by EatTheWeek at 10:27 AM on May 31, 2017 [31 favorites]

Covfefe stopped being fun the second he got in on it.

Good news: that was totally his social media staff.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:28 AM on May 31, 2017 [10 favorites]

I think people who look at Donald Trump today and claim to see a dynamic, principled man of action are lying. It is easier than admitting that they want, or wanted, to take revenge on people who are different from them, in race or in culture or in gender or in being a "liberal elite".

Exactly. The degeneracy of the Republican Party is that Trump's violation of so many norms of good governance were seen as virtues solely because they "pissed off liberals." Being a Republican now overtly means not giving a toss about governing at all. Which, of course, has been true for a long time; P. J. O'Rourke joked about it way back in the '90s. But it's an excellent reason to dismiss all the crocodile tears about the "white working class voter" as portrayed by the navel-gazing media; the genuine article actually voted for Clinton.
posted by Gelatin at 10:33 AM on May 31, 2017 [22 favorites]

Conservative groups target Maddow advertisers after Hannity loses ads

Conservative media groups are targeting MSNBC host Rachel Maddow after Fox News host Sean Hannity urged his viewers to boycott companies that run advertisements on Maddow's program. Media Research Center (MRC) and Media Equalizer are leading the conservative campaigns against Maddow, as well as other mainstream media programs. The proposed boycott comes after Hannity lost advertisers after pushing a conspiracy theory about the murder of a Democratic National Committee staffer.

posted by Barack Spinoza at 10:34 AM on May 31, 2017 [9 favorites]

Might be worth contacting Maddow's advertisers in support, and pointing out that she is NOT spreading conspiracy theories, if you have time for a little more activism.
posted by msalt at 10:36 AM on May 31, 2017 [24 favorites]

Mitch McConnell is from a coal state

Just barely. Coal mining represents less then 2% of the state GDP and less than 0.5% of employment.

Coal mining politics is all about nostalgia and sticking it to liberals, like the Confederate monuments. It makes no economic sense.
posted by JackFlash at 10:37 AM on May 31, 2017 [61 favorites]

Conservative groups target Maddow advertisers after Hannity loses ads

It seems notable that they don't... actually... have any specific complaints about her?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:38 AM on May 31, 2017 [27 favorites]

> I think people who look at Donald Trump today and claim to see a dynamic, principled man of action are lying.

I think a lot of them are, but not all. It's in part a cult of personality, and there must be thousands if not millions of people out there who still think Trump is the character he played on the Apprentice (which was itself a juvenile, simplistic caricature of a Business Man, but whatever), all subsequent evidence to the contrary aside.
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:38 AM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

It seems notable that they don't... actually... have any specific complaints about her?

Exactly. They don't seem to get that liberals are writing to advertisers and basically saying "do you know that your name is showing up during this batshit insane asshole's lunatic rantings?"

What are they going to write? "WAHHHH I HATE LIBERALS!"?
posted by Talez at 10:41 AM on May 31, 2017 [12 favorites]

Conservative groups target Maddow advertisers after Hannity loses ads

It seems notable that they don't... actually... have any specific complaints about her?

It's indicative of the zero-sum worldview of modern conservatives that they can't seem to comprehend anyone else acting in good faith, either.
posted by Gelatin at 10:42 AM on May 31, 2017 [57 favorites]

It's indicative of the zero-sum worldview of modern conservatives that they can't seem to comprehend anyone else acting in good faith, either.

I was perusing /r/conservative's thread on the Paris Accord today, and one of the 3 or 4 most upvoted comments was "none of these liberals actually care about climate change anyway: they're all just virtue signaling."
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:48 AM on May 31, 2017 [32 favorites]

I was perusing /r/conservative's thread on the Paris Accord today, and one of the 3 or 4 most upvoted comments was "none of these liberals actually care about climate change: they're all just virtue signaling."

Which is a hell of an admission in itself, in that it concedes that a pro-environmental position is perceived as virtuous.
posted by Gelatin at 10:49 AM on May 31, 2017 [49 favorites]

Just barely. Coal mining represents less then 2% of [Kentucky] GDP and less than 0.5% of employment.

But 91% of its electricity.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:50 AM on May 31, 2017

>>Conservative groups target Maddow advertisers after Hannity loses ads

> It seems notable that they don't... actually... have any specific complaints about her?

I imagine she's used email at some point in her life.
posted by Quindar Beep at 10:51 AM on May 31, 2017 [8 favorites]

People who really like Trump are uneducated, ignorant, rude bigots who enjoy the way he makes their deplorability acceptable. I am serious, there is nothing much to understand or empathize with there. There were certainly principled Trump voters -- including people who could not stand HRC for multiple reasons -- but I can't think of anyone at all I respect who genuinely likes and admires him.
posted by bearwife at 11:02 AM on May 31, 2017 [15 favorites]

Here's Elon Musk saying he'll leave the White House advisory councils if they pull out of the Paris Agreement. Nice of him to confirm he'll throw, say, Muslims or most of the EPA under the bus, but it's a bridge too far if an issue he really cares about is threatened.

I also liked the perspective of Erik Wemple, who is about as close as we have to a universal public editor: New York Times doesn’t need a public editor. The TV news outlets do.

And Dan Heyman, the journalist reported for trying to ask Tom Price a question, notes a theme: I got arrested. Another reporter was punched. The common thread? We asked about health care: "Sure seems like the GOP doesn't want to talk to the public about the AHCA."
posted by zachlipton at 11:05 AM on May 31, 2017 [83 favorites]

So as I see it what's most likely is the orange man has been shouting and screaming to his staff about people (read: lawyers) fucking around with his tweets, he's been blustering about how horrible it is that they're denying him free time and access to his phone, and as a result his staffers left it up either because they're legitimately afraid of him or (more likely) to teach him a lesson.

It's also possible nobody wants to open themselves up to being charged with violating the Presidential Records Act. That's possibly optimistic, since the act lacks any explicit penalties, but maybe these dummies don't know that.
posted by phearlez at 11:09 AM on May 31, 2017

Joe Manchin (D-Buggy Whips)

He's with us on everything but everything
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 11:11 AM on May 31, 2017 [10 favorites]

Well, Ted Cruz just killed covfefe: "Covfefe? Hard to say, but I hear Al Franken's new book is full of it ;)"

Game's over; thanks for playing.
posted by zachlipton at 11:15 AM on May 31, 2017 [22 favorites]

> Game's over; thanks for playing.

womp womp
posted by tonycpsu at 11:17 AM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

Well, Ted Cruz just killed covfefe: "Covfefe? Hard to say, but I hear Al Franken's new book is full of it ;)"

OK, that's a little funny.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 11:18 AM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

Why does he need to say 'frankly'?

They say that when they lie.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:19 AM on May 31, 2017 [34 favorites]

ted cruz ruins everything
posted by entropicamericana at 11:20 AM on May 31, 2017 [27 favorites]

The Zodiac strikes again.
posted by guiseroom at 11:20 AM on May 31, 2017 [15 favorites]

cruz devoured and incorporated covfefe as surely and finally as he ate that tonsil stone on live tv
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:21 AM on May 31, 2017 [6 favorites]

According to a reporter from Sirius XM radio, today's off-camera presser has been designated Not For Broadcast, so nobody will be allowed to record.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 11:27 AM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

cruz devoured and incorporated covfefe as surely and finally as he ate that tonsil stone on live tv

He wants all his garmonbozia (covfefe).
posted by Uncle Ira at 11:31 AM on May 31, 2017 [7 favorites]

They do "not for broadcast" pressers so they can dispute what's reported, right? Both to their base and to their boss.
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:32 AM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

“Pigs (Three Different Ones)” may have been the least subtle moment of the evening, but it also drew far more applause than any other non-radio track.

from a recent show in Mexico ...
posted by philip-random at 11:34 AM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

Who does the actual recordings? Is there a person behind a camera? Is it possible today's isn't being broadcast because they don't have the staff to do it? Or is this a normal event?
posted by Twain Device at 11:34 AM on May 31, 2017

National Treasure Alexandra Petri, WaPo: Planet Earth has been taking advantage of America for too long

If there is one thing I have learned from “Planet Earth” it is that Earth has a lot of areas where it could tighten its belt before asking me to lower my emissions.

Look at the wanton extravagance of the planet. Pandas. Mosquitoes. Butterflies. Elephant seals. Birds, some garishly colored, waking me up in the morning by shouting come-ons at one another. Armored beetles. Arctic foxes. I ask you. Who needs all this?

Gibbons. Naked mole rats. Those monkeys with bulbous noses who look like J. Pierpont Morgan and those other monkeys with buttocks in obscene hues. Those things in the ocean that look like they’re wearing headlamps. When was the last time we used any of this? Do we really need it? Does it spark joy?

posted by Johnny Wallflower at 11:35 AM on May 31, 2017 [52 favorites]

> the kicks the execrable liz spayd out on the street but not having an ombudsman at all seems questionable?

Vox: The New York Times is getting rid of its public editor for exactly the wrong reasons

The public editor’s role, in theory, was to make sure that everyone in the newsroom felt appropriate pressure not to let down readers. But simply listening to readers more wouldn’t have prevented Blair-type scandals. Instead, at its best — as it was under Sullivan — the public editor has been a voice in the room for those values, rising above the clamor of the day’s controversy.

It’s not that readers shouldn’t be listened to. It’s that readers often contradict themselves — and what they say they want in theory is often belied by the media they actually consume.

They say they dislike “clickbaity” headlines, then click on them en masse. They say they want in-depth foreign coverage but aren’t willing to subscribe to pay for it. They say they just want the news given to them straight, then only trust outlets that flatter their ideological preconceptions.

As journalists, we can take two approaches to that. One is to give the people what they want — to package our work as appealingly and accessibly as possible, and try to avoid dishonesty in the process.

The other is to realize that what people say they want, even if they don’t reward it now, actually is what they value in the long run — and that media outlets that provide those things will be rewarded eventually. That’s the bet that the Times and Post (among other outlets) have made by doubling down on investigative reporting in the Trump era, and they seem to be reaping the rewards.

posted by tonycpsu at 11:38 AM on May 31, 2017 [13 favorites]

The other is to realize that what people say they want, even if they don’t reward it now, actually is what they value in the long run — and that media outlets that provide those things will be rewarded eventually. That’s the bet that the Times and Post (among other outlets) have made by doubling down on investigative reporting in the Trump era, and they seem to be reaping the rewards.

I... actually disagree with this. They aren't being rewarded because of brilliant investigative reporting full stop, they are being rewarded because of brilliant investigative reporting specifically of the Trump administration. They could have exactly the same staff putting in exactly the same effort under a Clinton administration and they wouldn't be rewarded. Much of that is because there wouldn't be the same level of HOLY SHIT constant bombshells. But some of it would be because, contra this piece, NYT and WaPo wouldn't be flattering their audience's ideological preconceptions.

It is not at all clear to me that media outlets which provide the things people say they want rather than what they actually respond to will be rewarded in the long term. Everything I've seen in the last 30 years of news media, online and off, tells me that's wishful thinking.
posted by Justinian at 11:47 AM on May 31, 2017 [9 favorites]

womp womp

"Hi, I'm calling on behalf of covfefe ..."
posted by octobersurprise at 11:51 AM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

> they are being rewarded because of brilliant investigative reporting specifically of the Trump administration

I don't see this conclusion being at odds with what Lind writes in the Vox piece. She says they're reaping the rewards of doing investigative reporting "in the Trump era". I don't see any statement that this reward will exist in perpetuity, or would have existed under some counterfactual.
posted by tonycpsu at 11:53 AM on May 31, 2017

@mviser: Asked about the “covfefe” tweet, Sean Spicer says: “The president and a small group of people know exactly what he meant."

wat?
posted by zachlipton at 11:56 AM on May 31, 2017 [65 favorites]

@mviser: Asked about the “covfefe” tweet, Sean Spicer says: “The president and a small group of people know exactly what he meant."

Which implies either that Spicer isn't part of that small group or isn't willing to let the rest of us in on it.
posted by Gelatin at 11:59 AM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

Wow, so he really is going with "I meant to do that"?
posted by contraption at 12:00 PM on May 31, 2017 [36 favorites]

Ask not what covfefe means, ask what *you* can mean to covfefe.
posted by rainy at 12:02 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

So we're left to wonder if:

A. Trump meant to do that, and the rest of us can chase our tails trying to find out what they meant or
B. The communications office is not only undercut by their boss at every turn but also just bad at their jobs.

I'm leaning toward B.
posted by rewil at 12:02 PM on May 31, 2017 [21 favorites]

Covfefe stopped being fun the second he got in on it.

Absolutely. And Spicer's just playing along since at least it buys him a moment's respite from important matters such as Trump dropping the Paris Accord or Comey agreeing to testify to the Senate.

"Engagement w Trump's mystery tweet is sign he's won: he's colonized you."—@RuthBenGhiat (She's gotten into this before, such as in her CNN article from December, "How to deal with Trump's tweets".)

While ridicule is a potent weapon, at this point, giving the topic further attention, even as jokes, is just feeding Trump the Troll. Perhaps here on the Blue we can mentally flag "covfefe" and move on?
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:03 PM on May 31, 2017 [20 favorites]

Q: Did the POTUS obstruct justice in his conversations with James Comey?

SPICER: Talk to his outside counsel [tweet with CNN video containing briefing audio]
----

@mattmfm
Word of advice to White House: it's a terrible damage control strategy to respond "no comment" when asked if Trump committed a crime.

-----
@Acosta
Odd off camera gaggle. We were told we could we could not air the audio live. But then he bolted from briefing after 10-12 minutes.
posted by melissasaurus at 12:03 PM on May 31, 2017 [45 favorites]

B. The communications office is not only undercut by their boss at every turn but also just bad at their jobs.

Well, it was mere hours after the White House Communications Director left.
posted by ckape at 12:05 PM on May 31, 2017

Here's audio of the covfefe question at the briefing.

More substantively: Spicer just said the White House won't be answering questions on Russia probe going forward, referring to Trump's personal lawyer. That doesn't quite fit with the whole "everything we did is perfectly normal and fine and swell" narrative they've been pushing.
posted by zachlipton at 12:07 PM on May 31, 2017 [53 favorites]

At this point it's the least of our concerns but from the audio the press corps seems to have settled on "cove-fay-fay".
posted by OverlappingElvis at 12:10 PM on May 31, 2017 [9 favorites]

More substantively: Spicer just said the White House won't be answering questions on Russia probe going forward, referring to Trump's personal lawyer. That doesn't quite fit with the whole "everything we did is perfectly normal and fine and swell" narrative they've been pushing.

Not only that, since of course Trump's personal lawyer isn't going to blab admissions of criminal conspiracy to obstruct justice to the press, Spicer's statement is basically stonewalling, which definitely isn't something one does if everything is perfectly fine and normal.

As Josh Marshall pointed out long ago, whatever the facts of Trump's involvement with Russia, he and his team are certainly acting guilty as hell.
posted by Gelatin at 12:11 PM on May 31, 2017 [8 favorites]

“The president and a small group of people know exactly what he meant."

B E S U R E T O D R I N K Y O U R O V A L T I N E
posted by Joey Michaels at 12:13 PM on May 31, 2017 [36 favorites]

[fake, yet accurate quote] "Going forward we're going to refer questions about Russia to the personal attorneys since we were too stupid to do that for the last ten months."
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 12:13 PM on May 31, 2017 [11 favorites]

Republican environmental policy summarized in 17 seconds.
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:14 PM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

Uh, you're an idiot if you do anything but refer questions to your lawyer when there is an investigation. It says nothing about whether you are guilty. Spoiler: Trump is guilty.

But referring questions to counsel is absolutely the correct thing to do whether guilty or innocent.
posted by Justinian at 12:14 PM on May 31, 2017 [6 favorites]

Uh, you're an idiot if you do anything but refer questions to your lawyer when there is an investigation. It says nothing about whether you are guilty. Spoiler: Trump is guilty.

But referring questions to counsel is absolutely the correct thing to do whether guilty or innocent.

(We can look to Clinton's impeachment debacle on this:)

Q: If I can just follow up, then. The factual response to Article One, is the White House suggesting here that even if the charges were proven true they do not rise to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors?

MR. LOCKHART: The White House is suggesting that there is no perjury, that the House has failed to make a case for perjury, and that the evidence and circumstances of which they are describing and what we think is in a factually insufficient way does not reach the standard of an impeachable offense."

I dunno, I think "the President did nothing wrong" is completely fine and has precedent; "talk to the lawyer" is what seems like the stupid move here.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 12:23 PM on May 31, 2017 [8 favorites]

I think people who look at Donald Trump today and claim to see a dynamic, principled man of action are lying.

Yes. This. It's the emperor's new clothes, but with competence, intelligence, honesty, etc. instead of clothes. And they effing know it.

I am not sure this is what is going on.

I think it is more like a celebration of the mediocracy. A lot of people see themselves in Donald Trump. His slips, screwups, mis-steps, racism and assholery are all things they can imagine themselves doing and they routinely get/want the latitude and forgiveness for it in their own lives so they feel they should extend it to him as well.

It's not so much that he is the best of them and instead that he is just like one of them.

You can just imagine how rage inducing Obama must have been. Not just a different skin color but also a Harvard grad, lawyer, and impressively dignified, gracious, cool, unflappable and competent. There was really no way a mediocre person could relate to that kind of excellence. So you could only admire it or resent it and they went with option 2.

Now they have a mirror and see themselves when they look and say "Hey, good looking". Mostly because he is a pretty dynamic, principled man of action by the standards of the mediocre.
posted by srboisvert at 12:24 PM on May 31, 2017 [35 favorites]

Uh, you're an idiot if you do anything but refer questions to your lawyer when there is an investigation. It says nothing about whether you are guilty. Spoiler: Trump is guilty.

Sure, for a private citizen, that's your best angle, because you don't also have a PR battle to fight, or a need to remain legitimate in the eyes of the public, and also because you're up against a legal machinery basically designed to convict you of something, anything, once they put you in their crosshairs.

But Trump is President, and should have a good sounding story to explain these things away. The mere fact that he doesn't have a good explanation makes him basically guilty. Not legally, sure, but I mean, come on. You don't "No comment" your way out of "did kushy-baby commit light treason on your behalf?".
posted by dis_integration at 12:24 PM on May 31, 2017 [20 favorites]

Republican environmental policy summarized in 4 seconds.
posted by guiseroom at 12:25 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

> "talk to my lawyer" is what seems like the stupid move here.

It's been Trump's signature move whenever he gets into a pickle for decades now. It's all he knows.
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:25 PM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

Isn't his personal lawyer under scrutiny as part of the same investigation? Wonder how many lawyers they'll have to go to before they find one willing to say he's totally innocent.
posted by Green With You at 12:26 PM on May 31, 2017 [6 favorites]

"At this point it's the least of our concerns but from the audio the press corps seems to have settled on 'cove-fay-fay'."

Well, of course -- they looked up the entry in my dictionary from the future. Some of them possibly listened to the example pronunciation.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 12:26 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

Uh, you're an idiot if you do anything but refer questions to your lawyer when there is an investigation. It says nothing about whether you are guilty.

Yes, so is this official confirmation that 45 himself is a person of interest in the investigation? I admit I'm a bit confused about who's investigating what right now, but I think I missed that memo.
posted by Devonian at 12:28 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

> Isn't his personal lawyer under scrutiny as part of the same investigation? Wonder how many lawyers they'll have to go

It's lawyers all the way down . . .
posted by flug at 12:28 PM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

Isn't his personal lawyer under scrutiny as part of the same investigation? Wonder how many lawyers they'll have to go to before they find one willing to say he's totally innocent.

As in Micheal Cohen, personal attorney, yes he is being looked into. However by outside counsel, Spicer is referring to Marc Kasowitz, a relatively new addition to the team.
posted by mmascolino at 12:31 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

Kasowitz has been hired by Trump (Donald J., Sr.), but as far as we know he isn't doing a concurrent representation of Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Dan Scavino, and other current WH employees with connections to Russia. Whom should we question about Russia investigation issues involving those WH employees?
posted by melissasaurus at 12:31 PM on May 31, 2017 [8 favorites]

If Trump's lawyer is under investigation, the lawyer could simply hire Trump as his own lawyer-lawyer, and refer all questions to him in a perpetual loop. It's governance by stack overflow
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:33 PM on May 31, 2017 [20 favorites]

If that doesn't work they could get this John Miller guy, I hear he's good
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:34 PM on May 31, 2017 [5 favorites]

The haunting thing is the almost North Korea-like quality of the covfefe answer. Instead of just admitting "well obviously that was a mistake" and pivoting to something the White House actually wants to talk about, Spicer has to say something completely ludicrous because he's not allowed to admit that anyone in the White House, let alone the big man himself, could possibly be fallible.

Spicer's approach has been to aggressively and personally blame individual reporters publicly for the smallest of errors that are immediately corrected, while refusing to acknowledge any of his own.
posted by zachlipton at 12:35 PM on May 31, 2017 [84 favorites]

I think it is more like a celebration of the mediocracy. A lot of people see themselves in Donald Trump.

I was just thinking about this today, in the context of (yet again) "covfefe." Have I made typos? Of course I have! Plenty of them. In this very thread, even. But I'm not the fucking President. I'm just a schmuck of no consequence. The President has power, and dammit, Uncle Ben was right when he said that thing about power and responsibility. If someone is going to represent me and my fellow Americans to the whole world, I want that person to be my superior: intellectually, ethically, and, yes, typographically. What is the appeal of a useless, self-centered asshole?
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:35 PM on May 31, 2017 [22 favorites]

Word of advice to White House: it's a terrible damage control strategy to respond "no comment" when asked if Trump committed a crime.

The fake news media criticizes the White House when they lie, and now when they don't lie! Nothing is good enough for the losers and haters
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:40 PM on May 31, 2017 [7 favorites]

Hillary Clinton on data operations and Russian influence Facebook live link.
posted by OnceUponATime at 12:40 PM on May 31, 2017

Have I made typos? Of course I have! Plenty of them. In this very thread, even. But I'm not the fucking President. I'm just a schmuck of no consequence.

My mother just said the same sort of thing, but the contrapositive basically, in a reply to a facebook comment, something like "looks like it happens to the best of us"...

The implication that this is ok and that fuckups by these folks are

A) 'just one of those things that happen, oh well!' or
B) 'look how approachable this is, the internet is hard even for them, I can relate so hard to them'

is part of the bigger problem here. It's something like blindness meets senility meets bias and it's tearing the future apart and I have kids so would rather that not happen if possible but what's the use.
posted by RolandOfEld at 12:40 PM on May 31, 2017 [11 favorites]

Spicer's approach has been to aggressively and personally blame individual reporters publicly for the smallest of errors that are immediately corrected, while refusing to acknowledge any of his own.

Spicer's approach is that he has no idea what he's doing.

Also, Metafilter: What is the appeal of a useless, self-centered asshole?
posted by Melismata at 12:41 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

What is the appeal of a useless, self-centered asshole?

None at all, but the useless, self-centered assholes who admire Trump admire him for his ability to get away with it by having no shame at all.

Which is why I suspect the spiraling disasters of his presidency is going to take -- is already taking -- a lot of the sheen off of this particular rotten apple. The fact that people of good will are aghast at this dumpster fire is going to be cold comfort for the fact that most of the country sees Trump not as a dominant alpha male king but as a bumbling, incompetent, pathetic loser.

Remember, the so-called "Tea Party" arose in large part because he 27% who still believed George W. Gush wasn't a miserable failure still felt the need to rebrand themselves.
posted by Gelatin at 12:42 PM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

"Was leaving you off the list of people who got to meet the Pope a mistake, or did the president and a small group of people know exactly what he meant?"
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:42 PM on May 31, 2017 [13 favorites]

Trump's personal cell phone is 1-555-COVFEFE

Out of curiosity, I looked at what COV-FEFE spells out in a keypad and googled the number: it is a dental office in Mississippi, a rehabilitation center in Massachusetts, a Korean War Veterans Association in Hawaii, and a bankruptcy counselor in northern Ontario. I was hoping for something juicier for pareidolia purposes.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 12:43 PM on May 31, 2017 [10 favorites]

For gods' sakes, people, it's cove-feh-feh.

This is my opportunity, whilst leaving my first election thread comment, to thank you all, for I've been following each thread, laughing, frowning, gritting my teeth, strengthening my resolve, despairing, and on and on. Last night in St. Louis Roger Waters dumped a metric shit-ton of confetti on me. Thousands and thousands and thousands of little slips of pink tissuey paper. RESIST!, each one says. RESIST!
posted by Occula at 12:44 PM on May 31, 2017 [47 favorites]

The haunting thing is the almost North Korea-like quality of the covfefe answer.

The birth of Supreme Leader Donald upon Mount Queens was heralded by a procession of weeping bald eagles, and in the heavens, a double covfefe
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:45 PM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

Nothing in the DC area code? There will be by the end of the day.
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:45 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

Jared Kushner and his partners used a program meant for job-starved areas to build a luxury skyscraper: Jared Kushner and his real estate partners wanted to take advantage of a federal program in 2015 that would save them millions of dollars as they built an opulent, 50-story residential tower in this city’s booming waterfront district, just across the Hudson River from Lower Manhattan.

There was just one problem: The program was designed to benefit projects in poor, job-starved areas.

So the project’s consultants got creative, records show.

They worked with state officials in New Jersey to come up with a map that defined the area around 65 Bay Street as a swath of land that stretched nearly four miles and included some of the city’s poorest and most crime-ridden neighborhoods. At the same time, they excluded some wealthy neighborhoods only blocks away.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 12:47 PM on May 31, 2017 [67 favorites]

Business is business, capiche? The New Jersey story is mainly a story about corrupt New Jersey state officials. Except, now Kushner is a corrupt Federal official and I can't stop projectile vomiting
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:50 PM on May 31, 2017 [7 favorites]

"The president and a small group of people know exactly what he meant."

Oh, so covfefe is a Russian word.
posted by Room 641-A at 12:50 PM on May 31, 2017 [28 favorites]

this is the part of the movie where you rub some of the dust off the inscription and realize that it actually says COVERT PEE PEE
posted by prize bull octorok at 12:52 PM on May 31, 2017 [71 favorites]

Oh, so covfefe is a Russian word.

ХОФИФИ
posted by leotrotsky at 12:59 PM on May 31, 2017 [7 favorites]

How long until Spicer stops taking questions entirely?
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 1:11 PM on May 31, 2017 [6 favorites]

Engagement w Trump's mystery tweet is sign he's won: he's colonized you.

I've been trying so hard, but now I'm walking around saying covfefe over and over in my head. I think he may have unleashed a mind virus.
posted by diogenes at 1:15 PM on May 31, 2017 [6 favorites]

Say it loud and there's music playing. Say it soft and it's almost like praying... "Covfefe". I'll never stop saying "Covfefe"
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:17 PM on May 31, 2017 [16 favorites]

I think he may have unleashed a mind virus.

" In other news, French-Canadian riot police have successfully contained the violent uprising in the small town in Ontario, Canada, Pontypool. Pontypool. Ponty - pool. Pontypool. Pontypool."
posted by pxe2000 at 1:17 PM on May 31, 2017 [23 favorites]

Wait, maybe we're overthinking this, maybe covfefe simply means "25th amendment"?
posted by rainy at 1:18 PM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

Covfefe, covfefe, covfefe!
The word a small group gets.
Covfefe, covfefe, covfefe!
But you can tweet it yet.
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:20 PM on May 31, 2017 [5 favorites]

Perhaps he is using voice-recognition software and he actually fell asleep. chhhofffefeee...
posted by Namlit at 1:21 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

Call your congresspeople and demand a truly independent investigation into what covfefe means
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:24 PM on May 31, 2017 [6 favorites]

@mviser: Asked about the “covfefe” tweet, Sean Spicer says: “The president and a small group of people know exactly what he meant."

Wow, of all the possible bad answers to that question, Spicey goes with the one that suggests Trump is a member of the Illuminati and/or makes Spicer sound like he's experiencing paranoid delusions.

Counting the seconds until the deranged deplorables start claiming it's a special message to the base.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:29 PM on May 31, 2017 [21 favorites]

> Call your congresspeople and demand a truly independent investigation into what covfefe means

On the day the Trump administration pulls out of the Paris accord I think the meaning of C.O.V.F.E.F.E. is obvious:

C L I M A T E
O B V I O U S L Y
V E R Y
F I N E
E X T R E M E L Y
F I N E
posted by Tevin at 1:33 PM on May 31, 2017 [10 favorites]

Call your congresspeople and demand a truly independent investigation into what covfefe means

Fuck what it means. Demand the 25th be invoked.
posted by Talez at 1:37 PM on May 31, 2017 [9 favorites]

How long until Spicer stops taking questions entirely?

Or take questions, but just answer completely different questions.

"Does the President still support Jared Kushner?"
"Yes, the office will be open for Flag Day."

Or descend into pure Markov Chains of sentences like when you always select the center word of the iPhone's predictive text.

"Does the President still support Jared Kushner?"
"You don't know how to talk about how long your phone can be on your computer and your computer"

Or just start riffing on the worlds like free association poetry.

"Does the President still support Jared Kushner?"
" Kush Kush Hindu Kush I'm in a Bush so Shush. Oh, Yeah."
*finger snaps*
posted by leotrotsky at 1:38 PM on May 31, 2017 [28 favorites]

NY Mag: The Youngest Trump Enters the Spotlight: Not long after the president’s statement, TMZ published an “exclusive”: Barron, confronted with the image of Griffin holding a bloody rendering of his father’s head, initially believed it was real.

According to the celebrity gossip site’s “Trump family sources,” Barron saw the image on TV and then “panicked and screamed, ‘Mommy, Mommy!’”

Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, retweeted the TMZ story.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 1:38 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

According to the celebrity gossip site’s “Trump family sources,” Barron saw the image on TV and then “panicked and screamed, ‘Mommy, Mommy!’”

Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, retweeted the TMZ story.

My god, can you imagine how horrible it would be if they had to live in fear of being deported, or dying from lack of healthcare, or facing any accountability for their actions?
posted by OverlappingElvis at 1:41 PM on May 31, 2017 [95 favorites]

Proud company to be in, I'm sure, and not at all further *utterly pissing away* any sense of US policy leadership compared to a pairing of China and the EU. Impressive, given that the PRC is a borderline dictatorship...although, of course, Trump has also said that human rights are not a priority, so I guess the leadership there is also less of a differentiator.

China and EU strengthen commitment to Paris deal with US poised to step away

“The EU and China are joining forces to forge ahead on the implementation of the Paris agreement and accelerate the global transition to clean energy.”

Cañete continued: “No one should be left behind, but the EU and China have decided to move forward. Our successful cooperation on issues like emissions trading and clean technologies are bearing fruit. Now is the time to further strengthen these ties to keep the wheels turning for ambitious global climate action.”

In their declaration, Brussels and Beijing will also call on all parties “to uphold the Paris agreement” and signal their “highest political commitment” to doing so themselves.

I'm going to stick with that prediction.
posted by jaduncan at 1:41 PM on May 31, 2017 [13 favorites]

They need to do a better job at supervising Barron's TV consumption. What happened to personal responsibility?
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:41 PM on May 31, 2017 [66 favorites]

There's some chance, after all of this is over, that we'll look back fondly at the hapless hilarious stylings of Baghdad Sean. He'll be on chat shows making jokes about the crazy Trump and his loony underlings. And everyone will laugh.

I want to encourage you all, if this starts to happen, to push back hard on that bullshit.

Spicey may be incompetent, he may be entertaining, but he's also complicit.

Any association with this administration, other than aiding the ongoing investigations, should be a Scarlet fucking Letter for EVER. Even Spicey.
posted by leotrotsky at 1:41 PM on May 31, 2017 [24 favorites]

The Addams Family!
posted by stonepharisee at 1:42 PM on May 31, 2017

The link that Rustic Etruscan posted is truly hilarious, and a good cure for the covfefe-fever.

A personal note: today I've had a couple of bad anxiety attacks (unrelated to Trump), I've received a letter from an adversary trying to intimidate me, there was a hoard of drunk teens in my apartment when I got home and my dog shat on the floor because he was stressed by the techno street party below my apartment. He also ate most of my sofa. But I still want to resist, and I did manage to do my little bit today at work. For me, recovering from anxiety and stress comes from action, and also accepting that my actions today are small, but they will grow as I recover.
posted by mumimor at 1:45 PM on May 31, 2017 [19 favorites]

Gang, if there's a single person in this train wreck that we should leave the fuck alone, it's Barron.

Kid's 11; I'm sure he loves his parents. He didn't volunteer for any of this shit.
posted by leotrotsky at 1:46 PM on May 31, 2017 [37 favorites]

It's sadly true that Barron is exposed to a lot of disturbing media regarding his father, 99.99999% of which is the fault of his father
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:47 PM on May 31, 2017 [50 favorites]

Call your congresspeople and demand a truly independent investigation into what covfefe means

Ugh ... no, please don't.
Instead, please call your congressperson and demand a truly independent investigation into ties between the Trump administration and Russia. Or demand that the US stick to it's agreements given under the Paris accord. Or a hundred of other more important things.

Covfefe is a decoy. A hundred times more energy is spent on this ... nonsense than on really important things. Whether it was tweeted on purpose or not doesn't really matter. It certainly has caused people to take their eyes off the ball.
posted by sour cream at 1:47 PM on May 31, 2017 [15 favorites]

Gang, if there's a single person in this train wreck that we should leave the fuck alone, it's Barron.

But it's interesting that Trump put him front and center. I don't remember him giving a shit about the Obama girls.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 1:47 PM on May 31, 2017 [13 favorites]

WSJ says 7 subpoenas out of House Intel: 4 in Russia investigation, 3 related to ‘unmasking’
posted by zachlipton at 1:47 PM on May 31, 2017 [14 favorites]

Kid's 11; he didn't volunteer for this shit.

His unsettlingly older brother retweeted the story to millions.
posted by OverlappingElvis at 1:48 PM on May 31, 2017 [19 favorites]

I'm all for leaving Barron alone. It's far easier to do that when members of his family don't go running to TMZ to tell stories about him.
posted by zachlipton at 1:48 PM on May 31, 2017 [53 favorites]

yeah, Barron didn't volunteer to be a bloody shirt to be waved around, either.
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:48 PM on May 31, 2017 [11 favorites]

What is the appeal of a useless, self-centered asshole?

Ever see the movie Idiocracy?

I'm serious. We're in a dangerous place where anti-intellectualism is winning in the populist court in a really big way, and I'm not talking like Hays Code or blue jeans are destroying the fabric of civilization kinds of moral panic.

Go look at reddit.com/r/the_donald right now. They're crowing and proud of the covfefe kerfluffle and totally amped up by it, they think it's great fun.

I seriously can't tell if they're trolling or insane or just want to see the world burn or all of the above.

They've been pretty much openly calling for civil war, race war, the extermination and physical removal (their words!) of anything they perceive as the leftist and getting in the way of re-establishing racial/sexual dominance and privilege - and more, and worse. A lot of the open comments I've been reading are basically so violent and so pro fascist and so emotionally toxic.

The more the left and generally progressive part of the US wails and gnashes its teeth the more they're liking it and thinking he's doing a good job. They love that he's an aggressive bully - or at least looks and acts like one. They think it means he's not a "cuck", that he's "alpha" when everyone else with a lick of sense can see how dangerously fragile and insecure he is.

They understand that feeling and mindset very well. He is their representative. He's a regular guy, a straight shooter who tells it like it is and assuages their own insecurity and resonates with the moldy ideas they have about their own fucked up Dunning-Kruger complex - and he and they are angry about it, about a lot of complicated fucked up shit.

The source and rise of it is complicated as anything I've ever seen - and I'm begging anyone reading this to take this issue and this demographic seriously as a threat, because it's a product of our culture and it's not just limited to the US.

It's a product of everything from lack of education, lack of real usefulness and satisfying work. It's a product of economic inequality and how generally shitty and useless a lot of people's jobs are these days, if they have one at all. It's the product of a generation or three raised on an endless 24 hour news cycle of fear-based news and competing agendas and propaganda.

And as someone who is pro sexuality and pro art and erotica - it's also likely partially a product of 15-20 years of nearly unfettered access to some pretty grisly and hardcore porn and mainstream media that has let to the totally unrealistic sexual expectations of young men that has led to a really toxic psycho/social-sexual environment that seems to also be causing intense damage to the young women around them and even rolling back the idea of feminism and equality.

And I love video games, but goddamnit, the violence and militant culture around modern shooting video games is fucking appalling. It's normalized and legitimized militia and military pornography so much it's just background noise to us now. It's not just cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians. This fetishism is actually way worse than how it was portrayed in 1984, when Winston felt such genteel, mild unease about the youth in his neighbor's apartment shooting him with his pea-shooter, or the movies and newsreels.

We have that in excess of Orwell's fears, now. We have an entire generation desensitized to the ongoing military atrocities in the world because it's what they do for fun. In super realistic, hyper-real high definition. And, terrifyingly, the skills and tactics learned in those games actually transfer to the real world, with real guns.

And while there still definitely isn't economic or social parity and equality, the last time I looked there were more women employed in the US than men. There's a lot of un or under employed and angry men out there right now.

It's also a product of loneliness and lack of community. The amount of stories I read from some of these young men and women online are heartbreaking. People who don't actually have a single person physically in their life that they call a friend, people that they would trust with a secret, or trust with their life. Young men in their late 30s who have never even gone on a date, kissed someone or even known what intimacy even is beyond porn. A lot of these young men in particular only have friends and rapport online, often in violent video games or even psychologically toxic environments and forums that often cross far over the line of echo chamber into negative behavioral reinforcement and antisocial attitudes.

It's also a product of the continued dis... not disenfranchisement, but dis-empowerment? Is there a word for losing one's inequal, defacto privilege and relevancy and being irrationally threatened and angry about it? (Any help here, Germany?)

And on top of all this, many of these angry young men are dealing with the same fucked up shit that almost anyone under 30 or so seems to be dealing with.

Which is massive student loan debts, few good jobs even with a degree, drastically reduced spending power. And they've generally been sold a huge pack of lies about the "American Dream" that if you go to school and work hard enough you'll eventually be able to buy a house, live the good life, maybe even find a partner and/or raise your own family and retire.

Not to mention increasing housing and resource scarcity, overcrowding and the "too many rats in the cage" scenario that looks a lot like John Brunner's novels like The Stone That Never Came Down, Stand on Zanzibar and The Sheep Look Up.

The demographic for MetaFilter trends towards Gen X and a bit older, educated and at least a little bit more economically advantaged then a given slice of the internet, and I feel that many of us have been fairly well insulated or isolated from many of the things I've been seeing.

I'm not a history expert, but as I understand things this kind of thing is usually a recipe for disaster, conflict and a lot of fucked up shit.

While I'm not even suggesting that the more problematic issues above need coddling or service - especially not sexual access FFS - I am suggesting that some real compassion and sympathy might help. Or that pointing and laughing might actually be harmful on many levels.

I am also suggesting that we take this social issue very seriously, because it's already proven itself to be lethal.
posted by loquacious at 1:50 PM on May 31, 2017 [135 favorites]

If the story is true, it's gross that the kid had to go through that, and that it's become political fodder

But I don't trust a Trump story as far as I can throw it, and you can't throw stories, so
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 1:50 PM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

3 related to ‘unmasking’
:-/ I'm sure that'll be super productive.

Hey thanks for the Roger Waters derail, everyone. You solved a "what to get my husband for his birthday, and possible every other gift-giving holiday for the next 5 years, given how expensive these tickets are" problem for me, and also a "need something to listen to while I'm trying to clean out my Box folder at work" problem.
posted by soren_lorensen at 1:50 PM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

Bringing up Barron is an attempt at a Nixon/Checkers move. Don't buy into it.
posted by Joey Michaels at 1:51 PM on May 31, 2017 [38 favorites]

Since you can't investigate "unmasking" without asking "who was unmasked and why was what they were doing so suspicious?" I'm not convinced it won't be helpful.
posted by zachlipton at 1:52 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

Sasha was 9 when Trump started a racist conspiracy theory against her dad.

Chealsea was 11 when Rush called her the White House dog.

So. The kids aren't off limits to Republicans. And they didn't hesitate to dive behind Barron as a human shield either.
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:55 PM on May 31, 2017 [103 favorites]

I wonder how many people legitimately forgot he existed. Pretty sure Trump is amongst that number at times.
posted by Artw at 1:57 PM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

Something about Barron inspires genuine pity in me, and his family members using him like this only deepens it.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 1:59 PM on May 31, 2017 [5 favorites]

Something about Barron inspires genuine pity in me, and his family members using him like this only deepens it.

He's a sweet looking boy who is clearly a compassionate young man. He deserves better than he's getting.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 2:01 PM on May 31, 2017 [8 favorites]

Here's audio of the covfefe question at the briefing.

Take a minute and ponder what the Alex Jones/pizzagate/conspiracy lunatic conservatives would do if Obama or Hillary's press secretary had said that an incomprehensible tweet was actually a code that was understood by a select group of people.
posted by cmfletcher at 2:01 PM on May 31, 2017 [57 favorites]

Something about Barron inspires genuine pity in me, and his family members using him like this only deepens it.

Indeed. And DJT, Jr. is truly a piece of shit.
posted by mikelieman at 2:01 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

Two things:

1. How many millions of children have been smeared by Republicans as "anchor babies"?
2. Imagine the worst thing that Donald Trump has said to Barron's face and ask yourself if any of this is even close.
posted by OverlappingElvis at 2:02 PM on May 31, 2017 [20 favorites]

So. The kids aren't off limits to Republicans. And they didn't hesitate to dive behind Barron as a human shield either.

So let's hold them accountable when they try to dive behind him - doesn't mean we need to go through Barron. Nearly every news outlet was admirably respectful of the Obama girls' space and that's something to praise - no matter how you feel about their father. Can't we just keep that going as a matter of protocol?
posted by R a c h e l at 2:03 PM on May 31, 2017 [10 favorites]

Bringing up Barron is an attempt at a Nixon/Checkers move.

"I just want to say this, right now, that regardless of what they say about Barron, we are going to keep him."
posted by octobersurprise at 2:05 PM on May 31, 2017 [24 favorites]

Take a minute and ponder what the Alex Jones/pizzagate/conspiracy lunatic conservatives would do if Obama or Hillary's press secretary had said that an incomprehensible tweet was actually a code that was understood by a select group of people.

The entire GOP would at the very least be expressing strong McCain-style concern. Half or more of house and senate republicans would either be demanding an investigation into the secret message, or would be calling his competence into question if they didn't believe the "secret intentional message" story.
posted by Rust Moranis at 2:06 PM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

Couple of comments deleted. Folks, regardless of how terrible his family is, let's take the high road (insofar as that's possible) when we're talking about Barron. And let's not dig into some big fight about why it's imperative to be harsh about him; there are plenty of adult targets for harshness in Trump's circles.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 2:08 PM on May 31, 2017 [22 favorites]

The story Barron's brother decided to fire off to the media is exactly the kind of bait that will never, ever look good if you take it. The Republicans were horrible about Obama's and Clinton's kids, for sure, and are rightly reviled for it. Take the same tactic and we enter Circular Firing Squad Land, where we argue over how far is too far over this non-story, delighting the right and giving them plenty of fuel to rightly criticise those who choose to take the bait, diverting time and energy from the crimes of the person who actually matters here, the President.

Whatever moral rationale you can muster for biting the hook, the only winning move is not to play.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 2:11 PM on May 31, 2017 [55 favorites]

Whatever moral rationale you can muster for biting the hook, the only winning move is not to play.

This. This this this this this.
posted by Talez at 2:13 PM on May 31, 2017 [14 favorites]

I... actually disagree with this. They aren't being rewarded because of brilliant investigative reporting full stop, they are being rewarded because of brilliant investigative reporting specifically of the Trump administration. They could have exactly the same staff putting in exactly the same effort under a Clinton administration and they wouldn't be rewarded.

I think part of the issue is that people conflate "lots of eyeballs and attention" with "of the highest value". I've been fascinated recently by watching Buzzfeed pick up investigative journalists as newspapers downsized and then run their stories in parallel with fun, silly, and click-bait articles. I don't think I'm the only person who went from dismissing Buzzfeed as mostly benign but of low value to sitting up and taking their long-form pieces more seriously - and that's all about the choices that the editors are making in combining low-anxiety/high-entertainment pieces with high-anxiety/low-entertainment pieces.

This has always been the pattern in news media - what makes the money are the simple, silly, attention grabbing things; put sports last so people watch the news; most people turn to the society page; etc... but I think people underestimate the reputation value of having a stable (gaggle? squad? group? bottle?) of investigative journalists who always put out long-form pieces and serious information even when not many people read it. It will never make the money or get the eyeballs, but what it makes is respectability and a good reputation. In times of high stress, like now and like Watergate, this makes for a lot of attention and return on their investment, but there will be lulls because it is (relatively) rare that an actual crisis occurs on a national level.
posted by Deoridhe at 2:18 PM on May 31, 2017 [6 favorites]

They're shocked, shocked by violent images iin politics.
posted by Devonian at 2:19 PM on May 31, 2017 [12 favorites]

Well put, Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane. The only reason Barron came up at this point in this thread was because of the utterly asinine Kathy Griffin nonsense. "Taking the bait," is right, as every reference to Barron in this context just gives the stupid Griffin non-story more oxygen. Avoid it like the plague.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 2:20 PM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

> Mefi's beloved Jennifer Rubin

Hey now, let's not get carried away here. Jennifer Rubin is currently on the side of angels because she's done great work chronicling the moral bankruptcy of Trump and the GOP as they embrace Trumpism, but to call her "Mefi's beloved" seems like a bridge too far, for reasons peeedro cites above.
posted by tonycpsu at 2:23 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

But Trump is President, and should have a good sounding story to explain these things away. The mere fact that he doesn't have a good explanation makes him basically guilty. Not legally, sure, but I mean, come on. You don't "No comment" your way out of "did kushy-baby commit light treason on your behalf?"

The only thing that will remove Trump from office is impeachment, which is a purely political proceeding, not a legal one. I believe there's even an argument to be made that he is immune from criminal prosecution until he's impeached.

In short, I'm all for him ineptly trying to take the fifth amendment at press conferences and looking guilty as hell in all public situations.
posted by msalt at 2:23 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

but to call her "Mefi's beloved" seems like a bridge too far, for reasons peeedro cites above.

tonycpsu: I'm pretty sure he was being ironic.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 2:27 PM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

Ryan Lizza: Trump professes not to talk to Roger Stone anymore, then picks up the phone and calls Roger Stone:

But, aside from contradicting Trump’s claim of not talking to Stone, the call is unusual for another reason. “The conventional wisdom is that when someone has exposure to obstruction-of-justice liability, as Trump certainly does, he should avoid unnecessary reaching out to others involved in the investigation, lest he make things worse for himself,” Norman Eisen, the ethics counsel in the Obama White House, said. “But Trump is famously unorthodox. Indeed, that is how he got into this mess in the first place.”

He added, “Trump just added another item to the investigators’ checklist.”

posted by zachlipton at 2:31 PM on May 31, 2017 [22 favorites]

They're shocked, shocked by violent images iin politics.

If our indignation is derived from them holding us to a higher standard than #MAGASSHOLES then society is already lost. Everyone deserves a right to politics free from violence no matter how shitty their intellectual brethren's conduct is.
posted by Talez at 2:31 PM on May 31, 2017 [5 favorites]

Sasha was 9 when Trump started a racist conspiracy theory against her dad.

Chealsea was 11 when Rush called her the White House dog.

And don't forget Saint McCain getting a big laugh at a Republican fundraiser by saying that Chelsea was so ugly because her father was Janet Reno.
posted by JackFlash at 2:32 PM on May 31, 2017 [30 favorites]

While I'm not even suggesting that the more problematic issues above need coddling or service - especially not sexual access FFS - I am suggesting that some real compassion and sympathy might help. Or that pointing and laughing might actually be harmful on many levels.

I'm 100% with you that we need to take this social issue seriously, loq, and that they represent a real threat. But fuck having sympathy for the fascist failsons, that's playing right into their entitled hands. I'm a millennial too, and have spent my entire life being smeared by the right as an anchor baby, to boot. Life is unfair and tough, and I have no fucking sympathy for assholes who, when confronted with that fact, decide to make things worse for everyone else instead of working to make things better.
posted by joedan at 2:34 PM on May 31, 2017 [36 favorites]

> But sometimes you wonder whether Trump is just, well, dumb.

"Sometimes"?
posted by The Card Cheat at 2:36 PM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

But sometimes you wonder whether Trump is just, well, dumb.

"Sometimes"?

"Wonder"?
posted by uosuaq at 2:43 PM on May 31, 2017 [30 favorites]

Enough with repeating mean things assholes have said about children, jeez people.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 2:50 PM on May 31, 2017 [63 favorites]

Well, I'm sold
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:58 PM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

The correct response to the Barron thing is: "How sad for him, poor kid." and then immediately changing the subject to something actually relevant.
posted by supercrayon at 3:05 PM on May 31, 2017 [26 favorites]

China and EU strengthen commitment to Paris deal with US poised to step away

China and the EU will forge an alliance to take a leading role in tackling climate change in response to Donald Trump’s expected decision to pull the US out of the historic Paris agreement.

So here it comes, no surprise (except that it is this fast, but they must have expected it to happen, maybe because of intel). The thing is that US industry is being derailed from the global consensus and thus set back in terms of competition. I expect a lot of states to put out local agreements like the NY one in the next few days. (I mentioned above that I did my little piece at work today, and that was putting all US investment on hold till we have an overview of American industry's response to the retreat from Paris).
posted by mumimor at 3:07 PM on May 31, 2017 [12 favorites]

The thing is that US industry is being derailed from the global consensus and thus set back in terms of competition.

The truly stupid thing is that instead of putting the tax on carbon and keeping it, the rest of the world is going to start slapping a tarriff on goods that are produced in countries with reckless abandon towards GHGs. So we lose not only export competitiveness but also the revenue we would have brought in with carbon trading and taxation.

But hey, they got to piss off some liberals so... uh... worth?
posted by Talez at 3:20 PM on May 31, 2017 [6 favorites]

Semi-related to Trump vs. Paris, DC today announced an upcoming animated Batman video: "In Batman and Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and Jason Woodrue (a.k.a. The Floronic Man) embark on an ecological quest to save the planet – and, unfortunately, eliminate most of humankind along the way. To save humanity, Batman and Nightwing are forced to enlist Harley Quinn to catch Poison Ivy, Harley’s BFF and frequent partner-in-crime." It's a crappy analogy, but I can see Trump going "I'm just like Batman, saving the world from eco-terrorists!" when he's really 100% Harley Quinn (including his past dysfunctional relationship with his own Joker, Roy Cohn).
posted by oneswellfoop at 3:22 PM on May 31, 2017

Mother Jones posted some excerpts from that Hillary Clinton interview I linked above.

Hillary Clinton Is Out of Fucks

They are right. She really is.

Also, the topics she discusses and the things she says would fit right in on these threads. She even talked about Cambridge Analytica and the Mercers. (If any of you are actually a Hillary Clinton sock puppet... thanks for everything!)
posted by OnceUponATime at 3:25 PM on May 31, 2017 [55 favorites]

Isn't there someplace we can build one of those islands, like the chinese have now, where we can install Hillary as alternate-timeline-president. I'd move there.
posted by OHenryPacey at 3:35 PM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

Biden launches PAC, keeping options open: Former Vice President Joe Biden will launch a new PAC on Thursday, American Possibilities, giving him a way of supporting candidates and keeping his own options open for a potential 2020 presidential run.

Officially, the group will be “dedicated to electing people who believe that this country is about dreaming big, and supporting groups and causes that embody that spirit," according to the PAC's launch materials
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 3:40 PM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

Feds Reject Portland Mayor's Pleas to Revoke Permit, So Alt-Right Rally Will Proceed in a Shaken City

Rejecting Ted Wheeler's request, the feds say they will send officers to patrol.

"All rules and regulations were followed by the applicant for the permit, including the timeframe for review," the GSA said. "Since the permit was lawfully obtained to assemble at this federal location, GSA has no basis to revoke the permit."

But the GSA did make a concession to Wheeler: It will send Federal Protective Services officers to patrol the event.

Wheeler also promised a massive police presence—a sign that the city's approach to alt-right protesters, which has previously been conciliatory, has shifted.

"There will be local and federal law enforcement on the ground to ensure everyone has the right to express their beliefs and to protect everyone's safety," Wheeler says. "I urge everyone participating to reject violence. Our city has seen enough."

W O W Portland's June 4th neo-Nazi rally is going to have neo-Nazis, antifa, community groups, an extremely heightened city police response, and federal officers, all on the ground together. Good lord this is going to be a shitshow.
posted by gucci mane at 3:40 PM on May 31, 2017 [44 favorites]

I think one thing we've learned is that the US has a really horrible tendency to write into various laws and treaties the ability of the President to unilaterally and unstoppably void those laws and treaties.

How the fuck did anyone ever think it was a good idea for the ACA to be funded on a month by month basis with the President having the ability to stop payments on a whim?

How the fuck did anyone ever think it was a good idea to write NAFTA so the President could just randomly, on a whim, decide to void it or re-negotiate it?

How the fuck did it come to pass that the President can, all by himself with no cooperation from the rest of the government needed, pull out of the Paris Climate Accord?

If that shit takes a Senate vote to pass it should bloody well take at the very least a Senate vote to repeal, not just a single person deciding to do it.

For the future we need to write all treaties, accords, and laws so that the President can't just unilaterally end them.
posted by sotonohito at 3:43 PM on May 31, 2017 [46 favorites]

Oh good. It's not like the police will just immediately side with the nazis or anything.
posted by Artw at 3:44 PM on May 31, 2017 [20 favorites]

gucci mane On the one hand I can sympathize the mayor of Portland. On the other, bash the fucking fash! I hope they all go home bloodied and swearing never to march again.
posted by sotonohito at 3:45 PM on May 31, 2017 [7 favorites]

What the fucking shit? Organizers: Anti-Muslim rally planned for Portland moved to Seattle

No, we do not want it either you Nazi fucks.
posted by Artw at 3:47 PM on May 31, 2017 [39 favorites]

Also, the topics she discusses and the things she says would fit right in on these threads.

And even if you don't agree with her on everything or even like her, at least you can fucking understand her.
posted by kirkaracha at 3:49 PM on May 31, 2017 [8 favorites]

gucci mane On the one hand I can sympathize the mayor of Portland. On the other, bash the fucking fash! I hope they all go home bloodied and swearing never to march again.

Do you live in Portland? Then don't fucking do this.
posted by OverlappingElvis at 3:50 PM on May 31, 2017 [8 favorites]

What's the deal with the Federal Protective Services? How many times are they used in protests? Wikipedia says there are 900 Federal Protective Services officers, but that "FPS contracts with private security firms to provide 13,000 contract Armed Protective Security Officers (PSO) providing access control and security response within federal facilities." So are we going to have a bunch of private security dudes running around the streets in riot gear alongside the local police also in riot gear?
posted by gucci mane at 3:51 PM on May 31, 2017 [5 favorites]

Like a Nazi Sundae.
posted by Artw at 3:53 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

Oh good. It's not like the police will just immediately side with the nazis or anything.

Pretty much this, time and again. The armed wing of "let's hear them out".
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 3:53 PM on May 31, 2017 [19 favorites]

gucci mane On the one hand I can sympathize the mayor of Portland. On the other, bash the fucking fash! I hope they all go home bloodied and swearing never to march again.

I guess it's easy to hope a rally and counter-rally escalates to a impromptu street brawl when you're not at the rally, not at the city, able to hold your own in a fight, or even harmlessly blend in with the crowd going on the rampage only having to know their stupid shibboleths. The diverse coalition of people who may not be able or willing to fight being dragged into that street brawl will surely appreciate your hoping for them being thrusted into said street brawl.

It's as easy as eating your words when you put them on delicious cake.
posted by Talez at 3:54 PM on May 31, 2017 [8 favorites]

"Due to Mayor Wheeler's inflammatory comments and what we feel is an incitement of violence, he has shamefully endangered every scheduled participant. Consequently, in order to ensure the safety of those who had planned on attending, we have taken the decision to cancel the Portland March Against Sharia. Despite our desire to proceed, we cannot allow innocent Americans to be harmed by radical and violent anti-American zealots that Mayor Wheeler's comments have no doubt incited,"

If that doesn't chill you to the FUCKING BONE after what happened last week, I don't know what to say.
posted by Yowser at 3:56 PM on May 31, 2017 [27 favorites]

forgive us our decontextualized hopes of seeing motherfucking Nazis getting their asses handed to them, it comes from a place of good intentions
posted by prize bull octorok at 3:57 PM on May 31, 2017 [12 favorites]

Are there two different protests and one has been moved to Seattle? Or what?
posted by Justinian at 3:57 PM on May 31, 2017

forgive us our decontextualized hopes of seeing motherfucking Nazis getting their asses handed to them, it comes from a place of good intentions

I don't think wishing violence on anyone can come from a place of good intentions.
posted by Talez at 3:58 PM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

@Justinian: yeah there were two planned: one is on June 4th (this one is still happening) and the anti-Muslim one was for June 10th (moved to Seattle).
posted by gucci mane at 3:59 PM on May 31, 2017

If that doesn't chill you to the FUCKING BONE after what happened last week, I don't know what to say

On the one hand, yeah that's fucking alarming, but they did cancel the rally in Portland. I'm not sure what to expect here in Seattle, but I doubt they'll get a warm welcome.
posted by Existential Dread at 3:59 PM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

Also, more from Wikipedia:

40 USC 1315: The Secretary may designate employees of the Department of Homeland Security, including employees transferred to the Department from the Office of the Federal Protective Service of the General Services Administration pursuant to the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as officers and agents for duty in connection with the protection of property owned or occupied by the Federal Government and persons on the property, including duty in areas outside the property to the extent necessary to protect the property and persons on the property.[citation needed]

Powers. - While engaged in the performance of official duties, an officer or agent designated under this subsection may -

(A) enforce Federal laws and regulations for the protection of persons and property;

(B) carry firearms;

(C) make arrests without a warrant or in plain clothes and in unmarked cars for any offense against the United States committed in the presence of the officer or agent or for any felony cognizable under the laws of the United States if the officer or agent has reasonable grounds to believe that the person to be arrested has committed or is committing a felony;

(D) serve warrants and subpoenas issued under the authority of the United States;

(E) conduct investigations, on and off the property in question, of offenses that may have been committed against property owned or occupied by the Federal Government or persons on the property; and

(F) carry out such other activities for the promotion of homeland security as the Secretary may prescribe.

"In plain clothes and in unmarked cars" I wonder how many of our activist leaders are going to be snatched away
posted by gucci mane at 4:02 PM on May 31, 2017 [12 favorites]

@Artw: the rallies are planned on a piece of property that is under federal control (if I am understanding this correctly) so even though the mayor doesn't want it happening, the feds have allowed it to go on since they're the ones in charge of the permit.
posted by gucci mane at 4:03 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

"in order to ensure the safety of those who had planned on attending,"

Are they getting opposite world news? Do they think a nazi got stabbed by a librul?
posted by Tarumba at 4:04 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'm no mod or anything (thank god), so this is just, like, my opinion man, but maybe we can just voluntarily agree not to re-litigate "Violence against neo-Nazis: yay or nay?" for the umpteenth time? Might keep the thread a wee bit more manageable. Solidarity to everyone in Portland. Except the neo-Nazis, of course.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 4:06 PM on May 31, 2017 [28 favorites]

Actually, considering what's gone down at past rallies, law enforcement treatment of the marginalized, and recent FBI investigations into white supremacist infiltration among the ranks, the cops siding with the Nazis is pretty much a foregone conclusion at this point.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 4:06 PM on May 31, 2017 [11 favorites]

Assuming they jumped through all the required hoops a denial of the permit would likely have resulted in a Skokie situation, with the ACLU filing for the Nazis. That's what they did last time (and are generally praised for it.)
posted by Justinian at 4:06 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'm curious, maybe someone In The Know can answer: why is Portland and Oregon in general seem to be more of a center for this kind of radical alt-right behavior and demonstrations than other places? Or does it just seem that way?
posted by guiseroom at 4:10 PM on May 31, 2017

Oregon has a long long history of white supremacy, despite the general progressiveness of the Portland & Eugene metro areas. Portland is also by far the most segregated city I've ever lived in.
posted by suelac at 4:12 PM on May 31, 2017 [7 favorites]

My understanding is that Oregon has a long history of white supremacy (I mean, so does the U.S. in general, obviously).
posted by Barack Spinoza at 4:12 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

I don't want to re-litigate the whole "morality of violence against neo-Nazis" argument thing either. I'm more interested in knowing wtf this protest is going to be like. Do the feds send in this police force commonly, and when they have, what's happened? Are certain people going to be targeted and snatched off the street by plain clothes federal officers? Are we going to see not only the city police in full-blown riot gear, but federal officers as well?

Considering the events of the stabbings recently, this is no longer a neo-Nazis vs. antifa showdown like it was originally, this is now multiple groups congealing together.

Organized Labor Groups Pledge Show of Support (And Muscle) on June 4

Alt-right rally organizers say their "free speech" event will proceed at Terry Schrunk Plaza. They'll have company.

Jackson says if the event happens, groups including Painters (IUPAT) Local 10, IATSE Local 28, Carpenters 1503, Laborers Local 483, AFT Local 3544 (graduate teaching fellows) as well as Carpenters NW Regional Council and AFT Oregon will send members to counter what her group is calling "racist and fascist organizations."

"Portland has a powerful labor movement built on the principal that 'an injury to one is an injury to all,'" Jackson said in a statement. "We need to use labor's power to put that principle into effect on June 4."

Not to mention all the regular everyday folk (like myself!!!) who plan on being there.
posted by gucci mane at 4:12 PM on May 31, 2017 [14 favorites]

Oregon has a long history of institutional racism.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 4:13 PM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

I'm on the pro-Skokie aspect of this whole shitshow. Let it happen. Whatever kind of country we are, let it be known.
posted by rhizome at 4:13 PM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

How the fuck did anyone ever think it was a good idea for the ACA to be funded on a month by month basis with the President having the ability to stop payments on a whim?

It isn't. But Republicans are suing to interpret the law that way. They have not yet won their case in court. In the mean time, the President can violate the law as written until a court says otherwise. That's the separation of powers written in the Constitution.

How the fuck did anyone ever think it was a good idea to write NAFTA so the President could just randomly, on a whim, decide to void it or re-negotiate it?

It isn't. NAFTA was passed with the advice and consent of the Senate. Whether a President can terminate a treaty without the consent of the Senate is still an open question, constitutionally. But it requires that the the Senate challenge the President in court, which is unlikely as long as Republicans are running things.

How the fuck did it come to pass that the President can, all by himself with no cooperation from the rest of the government needed, pull out of the Paris Climate Accord?

The agreement was not a treaty. The Republican Senate refused to ratify it. Obama agreed to it by executive order so it can be revoked by executive order.

In other words, elections have consequences. It isn't a game. Clinton and Trump aren't "exactly the same."
posted by JackFlash at 4:13 PM on May 31, 2017 [100 favorites]

One more yummy Oregon racism tidbit: it was literally illegal for black people to live in Oregon for around a century.
posted by Rust Moranis at 4:13 PM on May 31, 2017 [8 favorites]

Every single person in Oregon knows how racist the state has been. Give it a fucking break.
posted by OverlappingElvis at 4:14 PM on May 31, 2017 [6 favorites]

(Which ended less than a century ago! There are Americans alive today who were alive when it was illegal.)
posted by Justinian at 4:15 PM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

Portland has a powerful labor movement built on the principal that 'an injury to one is an injury to all'

Oh damn, invoking the IWW! Now that's the labor movement I know and love.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 4:15 PM on May 31, 2017 [13 favorites]

Where specifically in Portland is the demonstration and counter-demonstration?
posted by Justinian at 4:16 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'm glad that while literal Nazis are marching in the street people are patting each other on the back and crowing about how awful Portland and Oregon are when you really stop to think about it.
posted by OverlappingElvis at 4:19 PM on May 31, 2017 [8 favorites]

The Seattle rally is happening at the Westlake Center, which is slap bang in the middle of downtown. It is not to my knowledge under federal control.
posted by Artw at 4:20 PM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

So I'm going to propose a sensible moderate line on the "bash the fucking fash v. don't fucking do this" debate:

If your role is to bash the fucking fash, you already know what you're doing on the 4th. You've been in major mass confrontations with police and/or nazis before. You've maybe beat the shit out of some nazi skins at punk or metal shows. You know who your comrades are and what your plan of action is. You have likely trained together with other antifa.

If this describes you, god bless you and I wish you good luck. Bash the fuckers good.

If this doesn't describe you, DO NOT FUCKING DO THIS. Please go to the demo, because when antifa+civilians well outnumbers cops+nazis, the good guys hold the city and the cops and nazis go home demoralized. But please don't bring your kids, not unless they're old enough and mature enough to understand and consent to what they're getting into. And be prepared to get the hell out if the ratio of civilians+antifa to nazis+cops isn't well on your side. And for the love of god do not get separated from the main mass of civilians — the closer you are to alone, the more likely the cops are to fuck with you. but DO NOT BASH THE FASH. That is not your job. Your job is to add bulk to the civilian mass, and thereby make the cops hesitate to attack.

If you're white, and especially if you're white and look like tech money, or any other sort of money, you have a responsibility to go. You lend credibility to the civilian group and you're less likely to get attacked by police. And you are safe, provided you keep your wits about you, because when things get too hairy / the police start arranging a kettle, you can slip out and, like magic, suddenly the cops treat you as a bystander instead of as the enemy.

But don't bash any fucking fash unless you've trained for it.

The best case scenario for these fascist-and-police engineered confrontations goes something like what happened when Berkeley stopped the Milo event. Enough civilians show up to keep the police from wilding, enough antifa show up to control the space, scare the nazis, and throw an orderly, controlled riot, and then subsequently the authorities are loathe to permit future nazi events.

If it doesn't look like this is how it's going to happen, GET. OUT.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 4:21 PM on May 31, 2017 [134 favorites]

@Justinian: the neo-Nazi rally is at Terry Schrunk Plaza, which is directly across the street from City Hall, at 431 SW Madison St, Portland, OR 97204. The antifa counter-protest is at Chapman Square which is...literally right next to Terry Schrunk Plaza. As for other counter-protests, I haven't seen where they are, but I imagine I'll see more info about them in the coming days.
posted by gucci mane at 4:23 PM on May 31, 2017

> I'm on the pro-Skokie aspect of this whole shitshow. Let it happen. Whatever kind of country we are, let it be known.

We know what kind of country we are. We're past the stage where we need to reveal it. Now we're at the stage where we need to change it.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 4:24 PM on May 31, 2017 [19 favorites]

The last milo event in Seattle had Nazis showing up to shoot protestors, FWIW.
posted by Artw at 4:25 PM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

The Portland rally issue seems to be big enough to warrant its own thread, because it's eating this one - if someone wants to put something substantial together, that'd be great. Otherwise, let's let it drop here. Thanks!
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 4:26 PM on May 31, 2017 [8 favorites]

> The last milo event in Seattle had Nazis showing up to shoot protestors, FWIW.

That is what nazis do, yes. And the person who got shot is an IWW guy who knew what he was getting into.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 4:27 PM on May 31, 2017 [5 favorites]

And yeah, if somebody would be kind enough to start a Portland post about the recent murders and these protests that would be really great. I would do it myself but I have so much on my mind these days that I don't even know where to begin and it would honestly take me a while :/ Everything happening in the last few days has been an uproar of emotional turmoil for me, and it really seems like the general zeitgeist of the city is somewhere between depression and "boiling point", and it feels like it's going to come to a head on Sunday.
posted by gucci mane at 4:27 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

WaPo: Trump administration moves to return Russian compounds in Maryland and New York: The Trump administration is moving toward handing back to Russia two diplomatic compounds, near New York City and on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, from which its officials were ejected in late December as punishment for Moscow’s interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Then-President Barack Obama said Dec. 29 that the compounds were being “used by Russian personnel for intelligence-related purposes,” and gave Russia 24 hours to vacate them. Separately, Obama expelled from the United States what he said were 35 Russian “intelligence operatives.”

Early last month, the Trump administration told the Russians it would consider turning the properties back over to them if Moscow would lift its freeze, imposed in 2014 in retaliation for U.S. sanctions related to Ukraine, on construction of a new U.S. consulate on a certain parcel of land in St. Petersburg.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 4:45 PM on May 31, 2017 [42 favorites]

Ashlee Kieler, Consumerist: Head Of $1.3 Trillion Federal Student Aid Office Resigns Amid Tension With Betsy DeVos

In the end, Runcie wrote in the letter that he just wasn’t able to do his job anymore and could not “in good conscience continue to be accountable as the chief operating officer given the risk associated with the current environment at the department.”

posted by Room 641-A at 4:50 PM on May 31, 2017 [28 favorites]

Trump administration moves to return Russian compounds in Maryland and New York

Jesus fucking Christ these idiots.
posted by jason_steakums at 4:50 PM on May 31, 2017 [28 favorites]

"Quids for quos! Get yer quids here! Just one quo per quid! Get yer quids here!"
posted by Barack Spinoza at 4:55 PM on May 31, 2017 [13 favorites]

All embassies and diplomatic properties are used for "intelligence-related purposes," and have been forever. All of these people are always spies to some degree.
posted by rhizome at 4:55 PM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

Can't wait for the pathetic response from McCain et al about the diplomatic compounds after they got their digs in at Obama for it not being enough of a punishment for Russia.
posted by jason_steakums at 4:59 PM on May 31, 2017 [8 favorites]

How is it that there are no promises this administration cares about keeping, no position that they're capable of holding onto for longer than 30 seconds, besides doing whatever Russia wants at any given moment?
posted by zachlipton at 5:01 PM on May 31, 2017 [17 favorites]

Meanwhile, back to what's keeping me from crying in these parlous times: Covfefe The Strong.
posted by WordCannon at 5:06 PM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

I am honestly wondering at this point whether these people sit down together every morning for an hour and brainstorm a list of Shit to Do That Looks Unbelievably Incriminating.
posted by FelliniBlank at 5:07 PM on May 31, 2017 [22 favorites]

How is it that there are no promises this administration cares about keeping, no position that they're capable of holding onto for longer than 30 seconds, besides doing whatever Russia wants at any given moment?

Because that's what it looks like when you fuck shit up from the inside.
posted by rhizome at 5:08 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

And then pick the most flagrant item to actually do.
posted by FelliniBlank at 5:08 PM on May 31, 2017

Those Russians were packed off after Obama knew, one presumes, rather a lot about what happened over the election period - and I seem to remember that Putin decided not to go for the standard response of kicking out an equivalent number of US embassy officials/intelligence bods, so one wonders what exactly went on in that little bit of signalling.

As for whether this is a genuine intent to restore the property or a bit of hapless kite-flying - either way, the WH hasn't quite got the connection between the depth of the hole and the alacrity of the shovelwork.

Good.
posted by Devonian at 5:10 PM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

I mean, what are the odds that they give Alaska back before the end of summer?
posted by FelliniBlank at 5:10 PM on May 31, 2017 [57 favorites]

Trump administration moves to return Russian compounds in Maryland and New York

I didn't think it was still possible to be surprised, but WHAT? Trump is giving back the Russian spy castles Obama shut down? Publicly?? Am I getting that right?
posted by theodolite at 5:10 PM on May 31, 2017 [14 favorites]

The timing on this "undo the sanctions" story is interesting to me. Earlier today, TASS reported a Putin aide saying:

"Those measures (assumed by the U.S. side imposing sanctions against the Russian property - TASS) will not remain unanswered," Ushakov said, adding that "the best option would be if the American side reviewed those measures somehow."

And sure enough, here we are.

Meanwhile, CNN came out to play tonight: First on CNN: Sources: Congress investigating another possible Sessions-Kislyak meeting

Congressional investigators are examining whether Attorney General Jeff Sessions had an additional private meeting with Russia's ambassador during the presidential campaign, according to Republican and Democratic Hill sources and intelligence officials briefed on the investigation.

Investigators on the Hill are requesting additional information, including schedules from Sessions, a source with knowledge tells CNN. They are focusing on whether such a meeting took place April 27, 2016, at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC, where then-candidate Donald Trump was delivering his first major foreign policy address. Prior to the speech, then-Sen. Sessions and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak attended a small VIP reception with organizers, diplomats and others.

posted by zachlipton at 5:11 PM on May 31, 2017 [29 favorites]

CNN comes in with its scoops later than NYT and WaPo, but they do come. From Jim Sciutto, Jamie Gangel, Shimon Prokupecz and Marshall Cohen at CNN:

Congressional investigators are examining whether Attorney General Jeff Sessions had an additional private meeting with Russia's ambassador during the presidential campaign, according to Republican and Democratic Hill sources and intelligence officials briefed on the investigation.

Investigators on the Hill are requesting additional information, including schedules from Sessions, a source with knowledge tells CNN. They are focusing on whether such a meeting took place April 27, 2016, at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC, where then-candidate Donald Trump was delivering his first major foreign policy address. Prior to the speech, then-Sen. Sessions and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak attended a small VIP reception with organizers, diplomats and others.

In addition to congressional investigators, the FBI is seeking to determine the extent of interactions the Trump campaign team may have had with Russia's ambassador during the event as part of its broader counterintelligence investigation of Russian interference in the election. The FBI is looking into whether there was an additional private meeting at the Mayflower the same day, sources said. Neither Hill nor FBI investigators have yet concluded whether a private meeting took place -- and acknowledge that it is possible any additional meeting was incidental.

posted by yasaman at 5:11 PM on May 31, 2017 [12 favorites]

On the 10th, there are "anti-Muslim" marches in multiple cities around the US, including MPLS-St Paul. CAIR hasn't announced anything, but there's a counter-demonstration put on by the IWW, Black Lives Matter and a bunch of other orgs.

So far, we have been able to run them off from the actual Twin Cities, including last time this month.

If you are going and would like to meet up, you can memail me.

I just want to say that this walking scum thinks it can show up here and mess with our Muslim community, but let me tell you, we are proud to be a city of immigrants and a city with a substantial Muslim population. It's our strength. We are looking toward the future and these pieces of trash from the dustbin of history are not going to change that.
posted by Frowner at 5:12 PM on May 31, 2017 [68 favorites]

They're separating out the hating muslims part of the nazi rally in particular and holding it in Seattle but still holding the general nazism rally in Portland, or something?

Do they require a permit for this? If so what fucking clown granted it?

I seem to recall that they already had a permit in Seattle, but then when Portland started to kick stuff off they moved it down to Portland to be with the free-speech rally, then when the murders happened decided "fuck that".

And now I genuinely don't know which one is more important to be at.
posted by corb at 5:15 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

I didn't think it was still possible to be surprised, but WHAT? Trump is giving back the Russian spy castles Obama shut down? Publicly?? Am I getting that right?

Trump's base does not give one shit about Russia-related treason. They would not care if the CIA and FBI were disbanded and publicly replaced with an arm of the FSB. They hate plenty of other nations/religions/races, but Russia does not and will not rate in the top 10. Most importantly, their Number One most hated geopolitical entity remains other Americans. Doing this causes obvious anguish among us, and they love him for it. The Theater Of Cruelty theory of Trump is pretty robust for me these days.
posted by Rust Moranis at 5:21 PM on May 31, 2017 [17 favorites]

I'm screaming too much to focus on the article, but it seems like they're not even offering a fig leaf about how they might need the spy house to do better recon on ISIS in Syria? It's just yeah, we love Russian spies now?
posted by theodolite at 5:22 PM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

A warning to those wishing to protest the Nazis: Whatever happened to the Inauguration Day protesters?
posted by oneswellfoop at 5:23 PM on May 31, 2017 [21 favorites]

I mean, what are the odds that they give Alaska back before the end of summer?

Trump's a turd, so that would make this a ...
(•_•) / ( •_•)>⌐■-■ / (⌐■_■)
... Sewer's folly.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:23 PM on May 31, 2017 [23 favorites]

Well of course they need to give the spy houses back. Where else are they going to go to talk on the spy phone now that the Russian embassy is off limits?
posted by FelliniBlank at 5:24 PM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

well, i haven't kept up, but i must draw your attention to a new brand of mexican toilet paper - "swavidad sin fronteras"
posted by pyramid termite at 5:33 PM on May 31, 2017 [5 favorites]

Trump administration moves to return Russian compounds in Maryland and New York

My eyes skipped over "return" in that sentence and I was like, "Yeah, that sounds about right."
posted by entropicamericana at 5:40 PM on May 31, 2017 [7 favorites]

theodolite: It's just yeah, we love Russian spies now?

In May of 2016 Preet Bharara tried and convicted a spy who was working at Russian Bank VEB. He was supposed to serve 30 months but was just released early and sent home. Preet Bharara was of course subsequently fired by Trump. And the Russian banker Jared Kushner allegedly met with was from VEB and, per Jake Tapper, allegedly trained by Russian intelligence.
posted by bluecore at 5:41 PM on May 31, 2017 [49 favorites]

well, i haven't kept up, but i must draw your attention to a new brand of mexican toilet paper -

It is incredibly childish of me, but I think I'd pay money to purchase toilet paper with a caricature of him stamped onto the paper. It'd just be so…satisfying…to use. Perhaps you could call it, say, Rump™ TP, to avoid legal issues.
posted by los pantalones del muerte at 5:43 PM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

NY Post The government is spying on journalists to find leakers

The Justice Department has gotten a warrant from the US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court — also known as the FISA court — to conduct electronic surveillance on a group of journalists who’ve been the recipient of leaked information, the source said.

The journalists are not the target, according to my source[...], the Trump administration is looking for the leaker. [...]

Some in the administration are focusing on a retired, high-ranking military officer who held important posts in the intelligence service, according to the source.The possibly high-ranking leaker was getting some of his information from people inside the White House who were holdovers from the Obama administration, the source said. Those White House leakers — said to be three people — have either already been fired or will soon be, the source claims.

posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 5:49 PM on May 31, 2017 [38 favorites]

First on CNN: Sources: Congress investigating another possible Sessions-Kislyak meeting {...]
Investigators on the Hill are requesting additional information, including schedules from Sessions, a source with knowledge tells CNN. They are focusing on whether such a meeting took place April 27, 2016, at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC, where then-candidate Donald Trump was delivering his first major foreign policy address. Prior to the speech, then-Sen. Sessions and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak attended a small VIP reception with organizers, diplomats and others.

Props to Seth Abramson, who more or less broke on this story in March on Twitter: The plot to sell America's foreign policy for foreign oil _and_ steal an election in the bargain began at the Mayflower Hotel.
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:51 PM on May 31, 2017 [21 favorites]

The Justice Department has gotten a warrant from the US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court — also known as the FISA court — to conduct electronic surveillance on a group of journalists who’ve been the recipient of leaked information, the source said.

They're trying to close all the doors and windows. I'm hoping it's too late.
posted by Mental Wimp at 5:52 PM on May 31, 2017 [6 favorites]

NY Post The government is spying on journalists to find leakers

To quote (extremely loudly) what theodolite said back in the carefree innocent days of ten minutes ago:

I didn't think it was still possible to be surprised, but WHAT?

posted by FelliniBlank at 5:54 PM on May 31, 2017 [15 favorites]

Alvin Chang produced this fantastic article and visualization comparing coverage of the Russia scandal by right-wing and mainstream media outlets, and has produced a similar analysis about the coverage of the CBO score.

I know the first link has been posted, but re-posting because I haven't found a better analysis that simply and starkly illustrates how Trump and conservatives are coming away with such a distorted view of reality.
posted by Anonymous at 6:01 PM on May 31, 2017

why is Portland and Oregon in general seem to be more of a center for this kind of radical alt-right behavior

i blame grunge.
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 6:02 PM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

NY Post:The government is spying on journalists to find leakers

!!!

I guess we'll need to see what Nancy Wheeler has to say about this, but where's the "Foreign" in this activity that would allow FISA to grant the warrant?
posted by notyou at 6:04 PM on May 31, 2017 [26 favorites]

!!

Tom Schoenberg, Bloomberg: DOJ’s Weissmann Joining Mueller’s Russia Investigation Team, Sources Say

As the head of the fraud section in the Obama administration, Weissmann’s specialties have included overseeing investigations into corporate wrongdoing and foreign corruption -- including probes into Volkswagen AG over diesel-cheating, global banks over market manipulation and Brazil’s state-owned oil company Petrobras over corrupt payments. He also started a pilot program that offered companies incentives to self-report possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits bribing foreign officials.

posted by Room 641-A at 6:04 PM on May 31, 2017 [44 favorites]

I guess we'll need to see what Nancy Wheeler has to say about this, but where's the "Foreign" in this activity that would allow FISA to grant the warrant?

The administration is Russian is it not? /rimshot
posted by Talez at 6:05 PM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

!!!

!
posted by Room 641-A at 6:05 PM on May 31, 2017

Heh. Our fabulous guy in the Oval office is now tweeting about "Crooked Hillary" I kid you not. If I could talk to him directly here is what I would say: You called her weak and low energy when it turns out YOU are the one with no stamina. You said she had ties to Russia when it turns YOU are the puppet. You claimed that she was a liar, a cheat, a pay-for-play proponent who should be locked up for being careless with confidential information. Guess what, Donnie. Turns out you were all those things and more and by god here is hoping you go to prison.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:05 PM on May 31, 2017 [34 favorites]

DJT tweeting again:

"I will be announcing my decision on Paris Accord, Thursday at 3:00 P.M. The White House Rose Garden. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

... like it's a goddamn game show.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 6:09 PM on May 31, 2017 [34 favorites]

Uh fuck you, Donald & co. First Fucking Amendment
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 6:09 PM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

Oh good grief: "I will be announcing my decision on Paris Accord, Thursday at 3:00 P.M. The White House Rose Garden. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

The way that he has turned one of, if not the most, important issues of our time into a game show as part of a desperate bid for attention is disgusting.
posted by zachlipton at 6:09 PM on May 31, 2017 [27 favorites]

DOJ’s Weissmann Joining Mueller’s Russia Investigation Team, Sources Say

On the one hand it might suggest one possible direction Mueller's investigation may go (Trumpco corruption). On the other, as long as Trumpco is in the White House, an investigator with his remit might have found he doesn't have a budget anymore -- the Mueller gig, any gig, at least keeps him busy.
posted by notyou at 6:10 PM on May 31, 2017

I don't believe for one second that they aren't targeting journalists.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 6:14 PM on May 31, 2017 [12 favorites]

@Kyle Griffin I wonder if the Paris Accord will get the final rose.

I was trying to find another joke I liked so this would not be a 1 joking tweet comment but guys I want to go to bed. So let me just say that Sessions as AG is now an abomination and I will be directing my efforts towards getting him out. 1 perjury is my limit for Federal AGs, after all we have to have some standards.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:22 PM on May 31, 2017 [10 favorites]

Nasty Woman: People in covfefe houses shouldn't throw covfefe.
posted by guiseroom at 6:32 PM on May 31, 2017 [34 favorites]

lalex, that is definitely a read.
posted by prefpara at 6:39 PM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

COVFEFE is our Words With Friends Word of the Day!
posted by bird internet at 6:40 PM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

I feel like this rose garden announcement ceremony is a way for the anti-Paris forces in the administration to lock him into a public event so he won't chicken out. We're reportedly firmly in the he's leaving but could change his mind anytime stage.
posted by zachlipton at 6:41 PM on May 31, 2017

President Trump's To-Do List for June [fake, at present]

-- Legally change Steve Bannon's name to Rasputin
-- Substitute Stalin for generals in all remaining Confederate monuments
-- Tweet that his favorite band is Pussy Grabbin' Riot
-- Movingly beseech Putin to rebuild the Berlin Wall
-- Pitch a new reality show called American Pogrom
-- Invite Mikhail Baryshnikov, Martina Navratilova, Alexander Godunov, Sergei Federov, and Nadia Comăneci onto Air Force One for an "in-flight cocktail party"; forcibly drop them off in Moscow
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:42 PM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

This is just typical Hillary Clinton. Some of us were up half the night making covfefe jokes and we watched it die in Ted Cruz's soup-loving hands, and now she thinks she can just waltz in here 22 hours later and claim it for herself?
posted by zachlipton at 6:48 PM on May 31, 2017 [12 favorites]

Zero Fucks Hillary is my second favorite Hillary.

(My favorite Hillary is Madam Fucking President Hillary but I'm not quite done building the wormhole to that dimension yet, working on it).
posted by lydhre at 6:49 PM on May 31, 2017 [54 favorites]

How to protest Nazis: article is 10 years old and still relevant.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 6:52 PM on May 31, 2017 [12 favorites]

I will be announcing my decision on Paris Accord, Thursday at 3:00 P.M. The White House Rose Garden. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

While we still have roses, and trees, and birds.
posted by Room 641-A at 6:54 PM on May 31, 2017 [12 favorites]

Just think, Jeff Sessions could have gone down in history as That Senator Who Was Too Racist for the Federal Bench, But That Was a Long Time Ago, I'm Sure He's Rehabilitated. But now he'll go down in history as that Senator who perjured himself to his colleagues because he had so little fucking respect for the Senate, and also he was all-in on white nationalism and definitely still a racist, and also did we mention the treason?

Hell of a job, Jeffy.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:54 PM on May 31, 2017 [59 favorites]

This administration is that feeling at the end of move-in day when all you want is a shower and the water heater is set on "lukewarm" the shower curtain is god knows where the towels...we used the towels to protect the table? And the bed is still leaning against the wall and the bedding is in a box but wasn't washed because there wasn't time and you'll be damned if you're sleeping your first night here on unwashed bedding and I guess I did throw out the pillows because they were kinda gross and yes we were going to get some but for some reason, not naming names, we didn't get out of the old place until four in the afternoon and therefore it was too late to go to costco and wait, back up, was your question a few seconds ago about a plunger rhetorical?
posted by maxwelton at 6:54 PM on May 31, 2017 [59 favorites]

But now he'll go down in history as that Senator who perjured himself to his colleagues because he had so little fucking respect for the Senate, and also he was all-in on white nationalism and definitely still a racist, and also did we mention the treason?

The important thing, though, is at least nobody was allowed to insult the Perjuror General on the floor of the Senate.
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:58 PM on May 31, 2017 [29 favorites]

If this were a reality tv show, the ratings would be off the charts, and that, I've reluctantly come to the conclusion, is the full and complete explanation for this whole fustercluck.
posted by parki at 6:58 PM on May 31, 2017 [9 favorites]

But now he'll go down in history

Well, he has to go down first. And there's still zero evidence that even one single Republican is ever going to lift a finger against outright treason by the President and Attorney General.

So right now he's on track to be the Racist Senator And Treasonous Attorney General Who Nonetheless Ended Voting Rights And Cemented the Permanent Apartheid Prison State.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:00 PM on May 31, 2017 [14 favorites]

After a bunch of drama with them fighting the Office of Government Ethics, the White House released details of 16 ethics waivers today. Some of them go to former lobbyists to allow them to regulate the industries they just lobbied for, and a special waiver for Breitbart:

The waivers made public Wednesday also appear to retroactively eliminate an apparent ethics problem for Stephen K. Bannon, the president’s chief strategist, who was an executive at Breitbart News. The ethics policy prohibited him from contacting employees at Breitbart for two years on matters he had handled while an executive there, but Mr. Bannon repeatedly engaged in conversations with Breitbart editors, according to a complaint filed by the liberal Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

The waiver, retroactive to Jan. 20, allows White House aides to “participate in communications and meetings with news organizations on matters of broad policy” even if they involve “a former employer or former client.”

posted by zachlipton at 7:05 PM on May 31, 2017 [36 favorites]

The joy HRC must have felt typing that tweet makes me so happy to be alive.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 7:06 PM on May 31, 2017 [21 favorites]

I want a journalist to ask him, "After accusations of racism dogging your early career, you essentially rehabilitated yourself in the Senate. But then you threw in with Trump, who hires literal neo-Nazis, and started rolling back every race-related civil right you could find. Is racism so important to you that you're willing to tarnish your reputation forever in a last gasp defense of it, or do you truly believe that racists and Nazis are on the right side of history and you'll be vindicated as a great man for pursuing Jim Crow and Third Reich policies?"
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:06 PM on May 31, 2017 [52 favorites]

Christ, we've all been living in one big ethics waiver since the campaign.
posted by Rykey at 7:10 PM on May 31, 2017 [15 favorites]

I feel like I'm living in the H.H. Holmes Politics Castle.
posted by corb at 7:23 PM on May 31, 2017 [33 favorites]

yeah there were two planned: one is on June 4th (this one is still happening) and the anti-Muslim one was for June 10th (moved to Seattle).

The June 10th one is part of a national "anti-Sharia" thing organized by Act for America. (link to SPLC not their site) There are counterprotests planned in various cities as well (Austin, for one that I'm aware of.) FYI
posted by threeturtles at 7:35 PM on May 31, 2017

Y'all, I know we're letting the covfefe thing go, but if any of you play Words with Friends, you should know that it's the word of the day! Noun - The amount and quality of reporting when autocorrect fails you at 3am.
posted by Weeping_angel at 7:35 PM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

It was Nunes!

Byron Tau and Shane Harris, WSJ (via Raw Story): REVEALED: Nunes ‘acted separately’ from House Russia probe by unilaterally issuing subpoenas on ‘unmasking’
posted by Room 641-A at 7:37 PM on May 31, 2017 [47 favorites]

You have got to be fucking kidding.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:38 PM on May 31, 2017 [14 favorites]

I thought that dipshit was off the Committee.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:39 PM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

Arrival (2017)
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:39 PM on May 31, 2017 [9 favorites]

OK, Adam Schiff needs to take this little pisher out behind the Capitol and slap him around, posthaste.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:41 PM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

I thought that dipshit was off the Committee.

Nunes and Sessions, trendsetting with the Non-Recusal Recusal.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:43 PM on May 31, 2017 [17 favorites]

Nunes ‘acted separately’ from House Russia probe by unilaterally issuing subpoenas on ‘unmasking’

I fucking knew it.

These are the most guiltiest-acting motherfuckers I have ever seen. Like, my four-year-old is a better liar than these stupid assholes.
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:43 PM on May 31, 2017 [62 favorites]

I'm starting to feel like Sessions is the heart of darkness here. What is motivating him? It isn't just a desire to consolidate power for Republicans. He could achieve that without working with Putin to destabilize the US and our democratic allies.
posted by diogenes at 7:46 PM on May 31, 2017 [5 favorites]

This administration is that feeling at the end of move-in day when all you want is a shower and the water heater is set on "lukewarm" the shower curtain is god knows where the towels...

Paging analogy cartoonist -- will the thread analogy cartoonist please pick up the courtesy phone?
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:48 PM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

So about that ridiculous word. Shortly before it was tweeted out, the story was about some huge number of new bots being added as followers to Trump's twitter account.

Then he tweeted a word completely made up, with nothing remotely like it in the English language, and it exploded across twitter and electronic media.

Looks to me like a pulse-chase experiment--something unique to track as it moves through electronic communications media.
posted by Sublimity at 7:48 PM on May 31, 2017 [31 favorites]

from Trump’s Uncompromising Twitter Use Comes to This: ‘Covfefe’: The best way to keep Mr. Trump off Twitter, advisers said, is to keep him busy. During his foreign trip, he was occupied 12 to 15 hours a day, seldom left alone to fulminate over the Russian investigation and given less unstructured time to watch television — although he did tune in to CNN International and fumed privately that it was even more hostile to him than the domestic network.

It helped, aides said, that Melania Trump, a sometimes moderating force who has largely remained in New York since the inauguration, accompanied him on the trip.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 7:50 PM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

A thought on that FISA warrant about leakers: can you be prosecuted for leaking false information? It would be just so fitting for this clusterfuck of an administration to have to confirm the veracity of leaks to attempt a prosecution.
posted by jason_steakums at 7:50 PM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

I'm starting to feel like Sessions is the heart of darkness here. What is motivating him?

I mean...white power? Is this a trick question?
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:50 PM on May 31, 2017 [41 favorites]

He could achieve that without working with Putin to destabilize the US and our democratic allies.

This is a feature, not a bug, y'all.

To review: Putin is a white, authoritarian, ethnonationalist, violent homophobe. He is openly everything these people want to be. His vision for Russia is their vision for the US. There is no contradiction or conflict here. Our current allies are by-and-large multicultural, liberal, social democratic states. Session, Trump, Nunes and all of those assholes want nothing to do with multiculturalism, liberalism, or socialism. Nor do their base. The Russia thing is important in a rule-of-law way and may be the thing that actually brings down this administration, but it is not going to win propaganda battles against the Right because the Right is all-in on everything Putin's Russia is and wants to be, and hates everything that France, Germany, and our other European allies are and want to be.
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:51 PM on May 31, 2017 [69 favorites]

What could be motivating Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III? It's a mystery!

Not exactly surprising. It's like naming your kid Benedict Quisling Judas II or Adolph Josef Pol IV. Not much of a chance for you. But you're still responsible!
posted by Justinian at 7:53 PM on May 31, 2017 [20 favorites]

There's no experiment. There's no grand master plan. There's no 12-dimensional chess. Just an old man who fumbled with his smartphone and fell asleep watching cable news.
posted by zachlipton at 7:54 PM on May 31, 2017 [67 favorites]

I know I'm a little late on this thing about the Portland Islamophobes moving their nonsense to Seattle instead, but as a Seattleite I'd just like to say:

1. I was planning to drive down to Portland this weekend to stand in solidarity with any peaceful counter-protest (but now I'm not sure I'll have to?), and

2. This is not remotely the first time I've heard of Portlanders deciding they'd rather come smash up Seattle rather than keeping it at home. See also May Day protests of other years and sports events. (In fairness, I'm sure they'll say the same about us.)

Honest to god, Portlanders will come to our soccer games and root for whoever is playing against the Sounders. They'll even cosplay as Kansas City fans. The Portland/Seattle thing is weird and I'm sad to see it take such an extra-racist turn.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 7:55 PM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

Maybe it's a test but why test on the production account?

More likely it was a dumb mistake.
posted by notyou at 7:55 PM on May 31, 2017

To cut to the chase, it is becoming increasingly clear that Americans should be taking reasonable steps to diversify their investments outside the U.S., including holding assets in currencies other than dollars, and where possible to acquire a second passport.

Yes, I’m serious. Jewish-, Irish- and Italian-Americans, for example, should be checking out whether they qualify automatically for dual citizenship. Others should be looking into their options too. It is always a good thing to be diversified globally and to have the option of leaving the country and living and working elsewhere. But right now it is more important than usual.

From that radical website, Marketwatch.
posted by longdaysjourney at 7:56 PM on May 31, 2017 [37 favorites]

I'm pretty sure he just hasn't even the attention to detail that god gave a fucking squirrel. Asshole fell asleep in a proud huff without bothering to look at the tweet after posting it.
posted by lydhre at 7:57 PM on May 31, 2017 [6 favorites]

On the production account because that's what people pay attention to. Easier to track initial traffic during the middle of the night when use is relatively low.
posted by Sublimity at 7:58 PM on May 31, 2017

I mean, it's fun and everything, but we all know that he fat-fingered the word "coverage" and then like dropped his phone or fell asleep or whatever, right?
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:01 PM on May 31, 2017 [29 favorites]

I'm not surprised, generally when people go public in the way he did (ie not burning bridges) it's a negotiating tactic.
posted by Justinian at 8:02 PM on May 31, 2017

soren, I do real-world experiments like this for my job. Not that far fetched, actually.
posted by Sublimity at 8:03 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

Politifact has a nice rundown of what laws Russia was breaking by trying to influence the U.S. election, as well as what laws the Trump campaign was breaking if they were coordinating with the Russians in that effort.

Short summary: A lot.
posted by flug at 8:05 PM on May 31, 2017 [54 favorites]

I've done experiments like this, and the one thing that makes me think it isn't one is that it's way easier to disguise them. Any simple typo would have worked in the middle of an otherwise normal tweet. "Despite all the negative press coveragf, I'm making America great again." would have been easily trackable and wouldn't have made the news, which invalidated the experiment if it was one.
posted by mmoncur at 8:08 PM on May 31, 2017 [11 favorites]

> one thing that makes me think it isn't one is that it's way easier to disguise them

Also the bot army has been gradually building up for months. We just happened to be discussing it here quite recently because of some analysis and news coverage of it, so from our perspective it is a big new thing that has happened recently.

But in reality from their perspective there was nothing special about yesterday. It's not like they built up the bot army over the weekend and then tested it Tuesday night.

I would like to know, however, how we might be able to monitor the bot army and how it is used from this point forward. That would be interesting and could be helpful in a number of ways.

And we should be relying on evidence a little stronger on this than "Hey I just heard about the bot army yesterday and today Trump melted down the entire world's media with a tweet." I mean, Trump melting down on Twitter happens like 4X weekly, so the fact that it happened again recently really isn't telling us much . . .
posted by flug at 8:20 PM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

echoing sentiments upthread, please feel free to contact me if you are another portland head that plans to be downtown over the weekend. always good to know more friendly faces at such events. i promise i'm less of a butthead in person.
posted by nixon's meatloaf at 8:33 PM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

It is not some tracking magic it is just that Trump is getting so much free rent in so many people's heads it's gotta violate some sort of ethics emoluments something.
posted by save alive nothing that breatheth at 8:38 PM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

Jane Lytvynenko, Buzzfeed "No, Trump Did Not Gain Five Million New Twitter Followers in Three Days."

Yes, those 5M/three days figures are wrong, but @realdonaldtrump really has been accumulating a lot of bots recently - it's more like 3M over the month of May.
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:43 PM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

It is not some tracking magic it is just that Trump is getting so much free rent in so many people's heads it's gotta violate some sort of ethics emoluments something.

The problem with Trump is that you gotta listen to him and take everything he says seriously because holy shit if even a fraction of the stuff that gets vomited out of his mouth happens more people than really necessary are going to have their lives made a hell of a lot harder, ripped away from their families, or just plain die in the gutter.

So yeah, when the president is a fucking nutjob you have to have the vigilance of a god damned hawk.
posted by Talez at 8:46 PM on May 31, 2017 [17 favorites]

Also, it looks like @realdonaldtrump accumulated 1.5M in the past two weeks alone. There's been a real uptick in bots for Team Trump lately.
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:50 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

ELECTIONS NEWS

** GA-06 - Day 2 of early voting continued to show *extremely* high turnout - 25K, slightly ahead of 2016 general. Unclear whether this bodes actual higher overall turnout, or just a lot of "pull forward", perhaps by people thinking, "Please end this already." D 35/ R 43 so far; also unclear what that means. In short: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

** Bits and bobs

-- Good article roundup and analysis of the special elections to date at flippable. If you are looking for races to fund, I find flippable a helpful guide to where your dollars should be high yield.

-- New Politico/Morning Consult poll finds 43% of voters want the impeachment process for Trump to begin. Up 5 percentage points from last week.

posted by Chrysostom at 9:12 PM on May 31, 2017 [47 favorites]

> I mean, it's fun and everything, but we all know that he fat-fingered the word "coverage" and then like dropped his phone or fell asleep or whatever, right?

It is impossible for trump to fat-finger anything. he just doesn't have the equipment for it.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 11:14 PM on May 31, 2017 [7 favorites]

Casino.org: Triggering Trump - Who and what causes Trump to share his thoughts on twitter

So what are the odds of getting Trump to respond on Twitter? What issues really get him going, and who are the people he’s most ready to call out? We looked at more than 30,000 tweets, retweets, and quotes from Twitter’s biggest user at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW to see what triggers the MAGA-man. Keep reading to see what we found.

(They explain their methodology at the bottom.)
posted by Room 641-A at 11:25 PM on May 31, 2017 [8 favorites]

jaduncan: "Congratulations. The countries not in the PA now stand at:

1) Nicaragua
2) Syria (although, ironically, I would imagine that their CO2 usage has gone way, way down)
3) United States (once the paperwork goes through)"

The fact that the US has the company of Myamar and Liberia as the only hold outs of metricification is funny; this less so.
posted by Mitheral at 11:29 PM on May 31, 2017 [11 favorites]

WaPo Op-Ed: The GOP hates red tape — except when it comes to poor people. A compelling description of how the AHCA is designed to trip up Medicaid recipients and force them off through bureaucratic gotchas.

Bloomberg: Tillerson’s Enigmatic Chief of Staff Wields Power, Not the Spotlight

One official said Tillerson and his staff treat career officers like Siri or Google, seeking concise answers to questions but not wanting any discussion or debate.

“If you’re going to take hard decisions you ought to at least be willing to discuss them with the staff,” said Laura Kennedy, a former deputy assistant secretary of state under President George W. Bush. “A chief of staff ought to be attuned to just basic things like the morale of the building, and I’d pretty much give them an ‘F’ on that.”

And it was Peterlin, according to two people familiar with the matter, who bore some responsibility for a spat with the South Korean government during Tillerson’s trip to Seoul in March over a dinner meeting that wasn’t on the official U.S. agenda.

During the trip, South Korean media reported Tillerson had canceled the dinner at the last minute, pleading exhaustion. In a interview later with the Independent Journal Review, Tillerson suggested South Korean officials made up the story. But according to the two people, the South Koreans had asked for a meeting -- and career State Department and embassy staff recommended it -- but Tillerson and Peterlin rejected the advice.

Bloomberg: Rich People Don’t Want Ivanka Trump’s Fashion (yes, the graph in there really does lump items that cost $1-$500 into one bracket on the left; thanks for visiting Bloomberg dot com)
posted by zachlipton at 11:45 PM on May 31, 2017 [37 favorites]

it is becoming increasingly clear that Americans should be taking reasonable steps to diversify their investments outside the U.S., including holding assets in currencies other than dollars, and where possible to acquire a second passport.

Can financially savvy people suggest good hedges (say, funds that a Charles Schwab type IRA brokerage would carry) in case the US ends up defaulting on its debt later this summer? Seems like that would cause both US stocks and bonds to tank, as well as the dollar. Thanks!
posted by msalt at 2:25 AM on June 1, 2017

Can financially savvy people suggest good hedges (say, funds that a Charles Schwab type IRA brokerage would carry) in case the US ends up defaulting on its debt later this summer? Seems like that would cause both US stocks and bonds to tank, as well as the dollar. Thanks!

Won't happen, but if you absolutely believe it will the traditional hedge is gold/silver. I'm quite sure it won't, because someone somewhere is going to have to explain to Trump what that would do to the interest rates of US denominated debt...which would be of interest to a massively leveraged real estate investor who loves to borrow.

*That said* if it did happen it would be the financial end of days, so all bets would be somewhat off.
posted by jaduncan at 2:30 AM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

Or you could just short things. But you shouldn't, because it's not going to happen.
posted by jaduncan at 2:31 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

We're not going to default on our debt.
posted by Justinian at 2:39 AM on June 1, 2017

the traditional hedge is gold/silver.

Thanks! So in the context of a financial noob with some IRA money tucked away, that would mean an ETF such as (on this list from Charles Schwab) ETF Physical Swiss Shares (SGOL) or a more broad based precious metals ETF such as GLTR; (glitter, get it?)

or (from this doc) Spyder Gold Trust ETF (Ticker GLD) or iShares Gold Trust (Ticker IAU)
posted by msalt at 2:46 AM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

We're not going to default on our debt.

With Obama, I believed that. With Trump? Well...
posted by msalt at 2:48 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

...which would be of interest to a massively leveraged real estate investor who loves to borrow

You know what would be of interest to a massively leveraged real estate investor?
Inflation.
A nice side effect would also be that it would effectively reduce US debt.

Now if I only had the financial wherewithalls to translate that insight into some good investments...
posted by sour cream at 3:04 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Higher inflation in the United States doesn't help your debt if it's owned by other countries.
posted by Yowser at 3:22 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Ehh I take it back. Just thought it through and it does help your debt or has no effect overall.
posted by Yowser at 3:26 AM on June 1, 2017

Sorry, might have been too terse there:

A good way to cause inflation is to print massive amounts of US dollars. The newly printed money can then be used to pay off US government debt.
posted by sour cream at 3:27 AM on June 1, 2017

The reason this isn't done is because it will effectively wipe out the savings of many people.

... but not of highly leveraged real estate developers.
posted by sour cream at 3:29 AM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

So I'm teaching "Young Goodman Brown" at the moment, and I forget where I'm getting this idea from (I mean if this was Hawthorne, Arthur Miller, or some critical source interpreting the former) but one thing that Hawthorne seemed to be on about was about how Puritanical societies created a class of hypocrites who were able to be normal humans (i.e., not saints) and hold positions of power and still enforce the mores of the society. Then there were people like Young Goodman Brown, who, faced with the knowledge of the inherent sinful nature of humanity, just freaked out and were miserable. And then you have people like Faith, who is neither a hypocrite nor a saint, and accepts that sin exists without engaging in it.

Thinking about some comment up above about one of the most heavily favorited Reddit comment about the Paris Accord being about liberals embracing the PA because of "values-signaling," I was sort of holy shit this motherfucker is still fueling societal dysfunction. Because what that idea of "values-signaling" is not that liberals are you know, FUCKING TERRIFIED about killing off the only habitable planet in our solar system, but that we want to mouth a certain kind of dogma for approval.

In this deeply cynical view of the world, we are all active sinners, scoundrels and "women of spotted fame." We all, if we could, would be grabbing members of the opposite sex by their junk. There are liberals who are triggered by the knowledge of sin, the Young Goodman Browns of the world. I don't know if there are any analogues to Faith in this world view, and maybe that's part of the problem.

Last night, my SO and I had a deeply uncomfortable discussion about where all of this is going. I told him the thing that had me freaking out most recently is that I'd always assumed that the countdown to really bad shit happening would take a while to run down. I'd assumed that the clock started ticking on 11/9/16. And these things take time. You read Chekov and you can see the themes of the Russian revolution. You read Moby Dick and you can see the themes of the Civil War.

But what if it started earlier? What if it started under Reagan? Clinton? What if the seeds of this can be traced to the founding colonies? What if we've been living with the sound of the clock ticking for so long, we don't hear it anymore?
posted by angrycat at 3:31 AM on June 1, 2017 [75 favorites]

That article posted by oneswellfoop upthread really does chill the blood. Protest has always been a risky business, but the cards are stacked in a terrifying way these days
posted by Myeral at 3:46 AM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

A society founded by judgemental, sanctimonious, genocidal, hypocritical, racist, misogynist prudes* without true moral compasses probably at least starts the clock ticking.

* How did they fit all of that into a boat as small as the Mayflower?
posted by maxwelton at 3:58 AM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

* How did they fit all of that into a boat as small as the Mayflower?

EARLY MORNING PEDANTRY: They actually fit the vast majority of it into the Arbella and other 10 ships in the Winthrop Fleet.
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:12 AM on June 1, 2017 [39 favorites]

I'm wondering if those DNC data analysts realize the tremendous bone they've just thrown the Republicans.

There's a reason the Republicans keep kicking your ass, they know what party discipline is.
posted by Yowser at 4:24 AM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

When some Americans say they're descended from "Settlers," and not "immigrants," am I wrong to read that as them being tremendously racist? I mean, it's correct in the best possible way, technically, but it reads suuuuuuper racist.
posted by Yowser at 4:30 AM on June 1, 2017 [25 favorites]

I find it darkly humorous that in the 500th year of Luther's Disputatio per declaratione virtutis Indulgentiarum, the none-more-medieval court of Pope Bias I is furthering its earthly hunger for power and money by issuing ethics waivers.

As it is written: Omnes enim, qui acceperint covfefium, covfefio peribunt.
posted by Devonian at 4:31 AM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

The Guardian on the upcoming Bilderberg conference. Look also for the covf-word, it's right there.
posted by Namlit at 4:38 AM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

Settlers generally implies American (loosely) who was born on the east coast moving towards the west coast so immigrant doesn't apply in the same way because the end result was a united states.

We really emphasize that journey as the creation story of the US, so settlers is important , but reading racist isn't wrong- the word is loaded with the terrible history of the founding of the US.
posted by AlexiaSky at 4:41 AM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

Re: "settler"... Settler colonialism is a term that has gotten traction in North American history/studies as a way to be more precise (Australia-type vs India-type etc) and political by emphasizing the ongoing nature of colonization. If the people saying they are settlers are using the term in this context, they are more likely to be trying to point out that they are not indigenous and that colonization is not something that happened in the past, but rather continues (example from here in Hawaii).
posted by spamandkimchi at 4:54 AM on June 1, 2017 [13 favorites]

@realDonaldTrump: The big story is the "unmasking and surveillance" of people that took place during the Obama Administration.

Is he… trying to bait Comey? He does know that Comey's going to testify in public next week, right?
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 4:59 AM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

Nigel Farage is 'Person of Interest' in FBI investigation into Trump & Russia. - Guardian article.

“If you triangulate Russia, WikiLeaks, Assange and Trump associates the person who comes up with the most hits is Nigel Farage. He’s right in the middle of these relationships. He turns up over and over again. There’s a lot of attention being paid to him.”
posted by kariebookish at 5:01 AM on June 1, 2017 [51 favorites]

I would love, with a burning passion, for Farage to soon find himself going from 'person of interest' to 'person who's up to his eyeballs in extremely damaging evidence and facing serious charges on both sides of the Atlantic'. That would be nice.
posted by dowcrag at 5:16 AM on June 1, 2017 [63 favorites]

Nigel Farage is 'Person of Interest' in FBI investigation into Trump & Russia. - Guardian article.

Hot damn, I called this back in March in the Scottish independence thread. Of course, with Herr Twitler and his cronies, any and all alleged bad behavior seem to prove true, so I can't go polishing my Cassandra-creds just yet.

At this point, I wouldn't be the least surprised if both our November election and a Brexit interference effort were coordinated in tandem by Russia. It is damn odd to feel this paranoid, but I guess this is where our current predicament is leading us. Can't say I like the feeling.
posted by los pantalones del muerte at 5:44 AM on June 1, 2017 [12 favorites]

When some Americans say they're descended from "Settlers," and not "immigrants," am I wrong to read that as them being tremendously racist?

"Settlers" (or "colonists") establish a new society; immigrants migrate to an existing society. It's technically correct that the Europeans who came to America in the 17th century were settlers or colonists and not immigrants, but the people who seem to be keenest on making the distinction are nativists and ethno-nationalists who want to be able to exclude more recent immigrants and their descendants from their idea of "American"--although talking about "a nation of immigrants" also tends to obscure the role of settler colonialism in displacing native populations, and the role of slavery in forced migration, in favour of a more pleasant narrative.
posted by Pseudonymous Cognomen at 5:44 AM on June 1, 2017 [17 favorites]

When some Americans say they're descended from "Settlers," and not "immigrants," am I wrong to read that as them being tremendously racist?

Ask them which category most African-Americans' forebears fall in to, and you'll have an answer soon enough.
posted by Etrigan at 6:16 AM on June 1, 2017 [12 favorites]

Dana Milbank, WaPo: Congressman refuses to say if Americans are entitled to eat

NPR’s Scott Simon, a genial interviewer, asked Rep. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.), a member of the Ways and Means Committee and an influential figure on agriculture policy, about Trump’s proposal to make vast cuts to food stamps. Smith posited that the program could be cut in ways that “do not harm the most vulnerable.”

“Well, let me ask you this bluntly: Is every American entitled to eat?” Simon queried.

Smith was stumped. “Well, they — nutrition, obviously, we know is very important. And I would hope that we can look to — ”

Simon interrupted: “Well, not just important, it’s essential for life. Is every American entitled to eat?”

Smith agreed that nutrition “is essential” but continued to ignore the question about whether Americans are entitled to eat.

Simon tried a third time: “So is every American entitled to eat, and is food stamps something that ought to be that ultimate guarantor?”

Once again, the lawmaker demurred: “I think that we know that, given the necessity of nutrition, there could be a number of ways that we could address that.”

posted by Johnny Wallflower at 6:28 AM on June 1, 2017 [129 favorites]

All Americans are entitled to eat or participate in the Soylent Green program
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:35 AM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

I got into it with a prototypical Ugly Canadian at a party last night who was openly rooting for the U.S. to "go down the tubes"...for the lulz I guess? It was like, motherfucker, on top of the callousness of hoping for events to pass that could very well result in the deaths of many, many people, do you not realize that if the U.S. goes down hard it will drag Canada down with it like a drowning person?
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:40 AM on June 1, 2017 [20 favorites]

The last few times someone tried to eat me they ended up having to call poison control. You'd think my brightly colored markings would be enough of a warning, but apparently not.
posted by loquacious at 6:41 AM on June 1, 2017 [17 favorites]

Dana Milbank, WaPo: Congressman refuses to say if Americans are entitled to eat

I feel like this is the real dividing line in American poli Ice and we're I a strategist I would want to push hard on this as a wedge issue and force GOP to take a stand one way or the other: do Americans have a right to eat? To health care?
posted by shothotbot at 6:41 AM on June 1, 2017 [20 favorites]

"Well...*some* Americans do."
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:41 AM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

Dana Milbank, WaPo: Congressman refuses to say if Americans are entitled to eat

When ideology comes before common sense, people find themselves saying all sorts of nonsensical shit (or worse, believe all sorts of nonsensical shit).

I feel like this is the real dividing line in American politics and were I a strategist I would want to push hard on this as a wedge issue and force GOP to take a stand one way or the other: do Americans have a right to eat? To health care?

I also hope that the fundamental immorality and unchristian nature of the contemporary GOP becomes more of an issue going forward.

When you get to the point that you're unwilling to say others are entitled to eat, something has fundamentally broken in your moral compass.

Our body politic has been infected with an evil, a virus that warps the moral compasses of many decent people into something twisted and wrong. So that they think it is right to take away healthcare from seniors and food from children.
posted by leotrotsky at 6:42 AM on June 1, 2017 [47 favorites]

We're not going to default on our debt.

If there's one thing that we can be certain of, is that Trump isn't going to intentionally screw the folks at Goldman Sachs (or rich people in generally).

Defaulting on the debt would profoundly screw all of them.
posted by leotrotsky at 6:47 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

I also hope that the fundamental immorality and unchristian nature of the contemporary GOP becomes more of an issue going forward.

ahahahahahahahaha
posted by Talez at 6:47 AM on June 1, 2017

Nigel Farage is 'Person of Interest' in FBI investigation into Trump & Russia. - Guardian article.

if this whole fiasco ends up ridding us all of nigel farage it will…

still not have been remotely worth it but at least we'd be rid of nigel farage
posted by murphy slaw at 6:49 AM on June 1, 2017 [38 favorites]

How likely is it that Nigel will have to move into the increasingly crowded guest room at the Ecuadorean embassy?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:51 AM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

Once again, the lawmaker demurred: “I think that we know that, given the necessity of nutrition, there could be a number of ways that we could address that.”

Honestly I don't think he was trying to say "poor people should die of starvation." Not that many wouldn't be just fine with that, but it's very rarely openly said in mainstream GOP circles. Instead, if you look at what conservatives tend to say about food stamps, it's usually more along the lines of: "they shouldn't be allowed to get food-as-welfare until they have not a dollar to their name, no TV, no car, no AC or refrigerator or phone. And they should be drug tested. And they shouldn't have the option of choosing steak or soda: distributed food should be in the form of basic staples like beans and rice and flour. And not too much of it."

So that's probably what he was talking about. It's of course a prescription for incredible human suffering and some death by starvation/malnutrition, but this is the GOP's chosen figleaf and we should be expecting to hear and see a lot more of it.
posted by Rust Moranis at 6:52 AM on June 1, 2017 [17 favorites]

Bipartisan compromise: all Americans entitled to eat, only select Americans entitled to All-U-Can-Eat
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:53 AM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

Human rights to a conservative: guns, polluting to your heart's content, Christianity, making money off the backs of others.
Not human rights: being a woman, PoC, LGBTQ, and/or disabled; having food, healthcare, and a home.

We are at a point where everything they consider "human rights" are not actually intrinsic to being a human, while everything they consider a privilege is. They live in a world where the concept of human rights is completely opposite to reality, a mockery of the ideal of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
posted by zombieflanders at 6:55 AM on June 1, 2017 [76 favorites]

You forgot the most important human right to a conservative: free speech without being criticized
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:57 AM on June 1, 2017 [55 favorites]

Because a single Twitter user can create lots of accounts and run them all in a coordinated way, Twitter lets relatively small groups masquerade as far larger ones. If Facebook’s primary danger is its dissemination of fake stories, then Twitter’s is a ginning up of fake people. […]

The initial aim isn’t to convince or persuade, but simply to overwhelm — to so completely saturate the network that it seems as if people are talking about a particular story. […]

Emilio Ferrara and Alessandro Bessi, researchers at the University of Southern California, found that about a fifth of the election-related conversation on Twitter last year was generated by bots. Most users were blind to them; they treated the bots the same way they treated other users.

Farhad Manjoo: "How Twitter Is Being Gamed to Feed Misinformation"
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 6:58 AM on June 1, 2017 [21 favorites]

I thought Assange had been vindicated on his rape charges by, er, hiding from them long enough, and would shortly be leaving their guest room?
posted by Artw at 6:59 AM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

A dropped investigation isn't the same as vindication.

It's not even dropped, exactly, because they made it clear they would start it up again if he re-entered the country.
posted by C'est la D.C. at 7:04 AM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

One might even say we can just assume he's guilty because he skipped out on his chance to have a trial, but anyway, isn't he just hanging out there for the sake of hanging out there now?
posted by Artw at 7:06 AM on June 1, 2017

Mefi's beloved Jennifer Rubin

I wouldn't go that far. She may be proving valuable in giving voice to, and permission form, principled conservatives' disagreements with Trump, but she was a reliably Republican and neoconservative blogger and columnist, and hardly has a long track record as an honest conservative.
posted by Gelatin at 7:06 AM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

Emilio Ferrara and Alessandro Bessi, researchers at the University of Southern California, found that about a fifth of the election-related conversation on Twitter last year was generated by bots.

Maybe Twitter should require users to fill out a captcha before each tweet. This would likely also have the benefit of stopping the president from tweeting.
posted by Waiting for Pierce Inverarity at 7:06 AM on June 1, 2017 [35 favorites]

Maybe Twitter should require users to fill out a captcha before each tweet.

Anyone can prove they are human. I want a captcha that proves the user has a soul.
posted by Servo5678 at 7:10 AM on June 1, 2017 [33 favorites]

I've tried several times now to think of the most generous interpretation of balking at "entitled to food" and I got nothing. I think the word "entitled" flips a switch in the conservative brain where the immediate answer is "no", whatever it is. But let's not forget that even "moderate" Romney chided the "right to food", so who knows.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 7:10 AM on June 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

I've tried several times now to think of the most generous interpretation of balking at "entitled to food" and I got nothing.

"Entitled to food" sounds to them like the setup to "so the government will take your hard-earned food to give to lazy people".
posted by Etrigan at 7:13 AM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

We are at a point where everything they consider "human rights" are not actually intrinsic to being a human, while everything they consider a privilege is. They live in a world where the concept of human rights is completely opposite to reality, a mockery of the ideal of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

That does make their embrace of Scalia and "constitutional originalism" understandable. Human rights are only for those who are human -- property-owning white men. Everyone else is subject to that class.
posted by gladly at 7:13 AM on June 1, 2017 [16 favorites]

I've tried several times now to think of the most generous interpretation of balking at "entitled to food" and I got nothing.

I don't know this guy, so he may be a shitbird who just hates humanity, but I think sometimes these kinds of questions get caught up with unintended connotations that make them hard to answer even when you're not meanspirited.

For example - I actually firmly believe we should use resources to feed our citizens, that one of the marks of a successful country is that its inhabitants don't need to fear starvation. We may argue about what is the best way to accomplish that, but my starting point is absolutely that we should do something, we just need to find the best way to do so. I don't think that's as controversial even in general American society as it might appear.

But I would be equally hard pressed to answer "Are Americans entitled to food?" even though I want all Americans to have food because the question itself doesn't have enough information. Entitled by law? Entitled by God? Natural human rights? On what axis am I answering the question? I would probably also flail a lot and change the subject because I don't know where the person asking it is coming from.
posted by corb at 7:20 AM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

I thought Assange had been vindicated on his rape charges by, er, hiding from them long enough, and would shortly be leaving their guest room?

Maybe he just likes it there
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 7:21 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

I saw the "entitled to eat" story yesterday and it barely registered. This is a party led by an unapologetic Randroid, with a Freedom [sic] Caucus made up of people who ran explicitly against anything that helps people who haven't "earned" the help by meeting some arbitrary and flexible standard of "hard work", being a member of one's local church, and/or being white. They routinely run on cutting programs that feed people, and follow through on those promises when elected. How is it even newsworthy that they don't believe eating is a basic right for all Americans? I guess because one of them said the quiet parts loud? Who wasn't already aware that the modern Republican party would starve millions to preserve a tax cut for a few hundred of their friends?
posted by tonycpsu at 7:22 AM on June 1, 2017 [12 favorites]

Anyone can prove they are human. I want a captcha that proves the user has a soul.

How about two-factor auth combining the Voigt-Kampff and Gom Jabbar tests?
posted by Strange Interlude at 7:23 AM on June 1, 2017 [24 favorites]

> we just need to find the best way to do so.

What if I told you that people are starving (or malnourished) and freezing to death / dying during heat waves) right now. Could you maybe be convinced to act on whatever the best plan we have right now is, even if it isn't the most efficient plan on paper?
posted by tonycpsu at 7:24 AM on June 1, 2017 [38 favorites]

Trump allowing Russian spy centers closed by Obama to reopen? WTF? How is this not just openly admitting Putin owns him? How is this not active treason? How can Republicans still pretend to be patriots? This is such a fucking joke. This is shooting someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue and no one caring.
posted by rikschell at 7:26 AM on June 1, 2017 [15 favorites]

How about two-factor auth combining the Voigt-Kampff and Gom Jabbar tests?

Blade Runner and Dune just keep on surfacing in these threads, don't they? Something about them must resonate with the political collective unconscious. A lot of meat on these bones for (presuming-a-)future humanities grad students.
posted by Rust Moranis at 7:27 AM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

But I would be equally hard pressed to answer "Are Americans entitled to food?" even though I want all Americans to have food because the question itself doesn't have enough information. Entitled by law? Entitled by God? Natural human rights? On what axis am I answering the question? I would probably also flail a lot and change the subject because I don't know where the person asking it is coming from.

Well in this case the subject was food stamps, and the interviewer even specified if food stamps were the "ultimate guarantor" so there's really no mystery here. If someone is too poor to buy food, are they still entitled to it? That's pretty clearly the question. And the answer is either Yes or No. It's not some post-modernist beard-stroker on the natures and forms of entitlement.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 7:28 AM on June 1, 2017 [78 favorites]

Can the NSA bug the White House? We are so far through the looking glass the people I used to despise seem like the only people who could potentially save the country.
posted by rikschell at 7:29 AM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

Even letting the concept of "children shouldn't be hungry" get to a debate is a loss for our side (and for human rights). We should reject any attempt by the right to criticize any policy we put forward. They don't like our No Child Goes Hungry plan? Fine. They can put forward their proposal for making sure children are fed. Or, if they don't think that's a role that government should play, they can say that. They're running for office ostensibly to govern, not to point out flaws in others' attempts at governance -- if they want to critique and not actually help solve problems, they can go work for CNN.

They're going to criticize what we do, no matter what it is. That is their only unifying ethos: opposition to our values. There may be nonvoters we can sway, there may be centrists we can sway, but we will not sway anyone who is a party-loyal Republican. There is no point in debating whether problems like child hunger exist and whether the government should solve them. We believe the problem exists, and we believe the government should help solve it - the GOP is welcome to oppose that, but just sitting around pointing out why our plan isn't perfect is just a waste of everyone's time -- and we should be reminding people of that. Same with climate change -- enough with debating it or even conceding time to debate it; we believe it exists and is an existential crisis, so we should act like it. Enough arguing with people who only operate in bad faith; it's time for organizing everyone else and acting to improve things.

I don't need to prove the case for "children shouldn't be hungry" -- res ipsa loquitur: the thing speaks for itself.
posted by melissasaurus at 7:31 AM on June 1, 2017 [73 favorites]

I'm gobsmacked at the idea that the question of whether or not people are entitled to food can somehow "not have enough information." It's the most extreme form of JAQing off that I can think of. It shouldn't matter where the authority comes from, it's a fucking cornerstone of life itself. You might as well claim that we just don't have enough information to say that people are entitled to breathe or reproduce.
posted by zombieflanders at 7:33 AM on June 1, 2017 [50 favorites]

You might as well claim that we just don't have enough information to say that people are entitled to breathe or reproduce.

I mean, this is only because these things haven't been monetized yet, so stay tuned
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 7:34 AM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

I've posted on the subject of food for the poor before. The UK government have long pursued the path of 'providing for those most in need' by removing all support from the poorest parts of the community. The result? Yet another record year for food bank use. In the year to March 2017, 436,000 emergency food parcels were issued to children alone.
posted by Myeral at 7:38 AM on June 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

It shouldn't matter where the authority comes from, it's a fucking cornerstone of life itself.

This is one of the things I find bewildering and honestly kind of frustrating. If it doesn't matter where the authority comes from, why not just stick to the things we can agree on, that people need to be fed, and move on to making it happen? Why not skip the entire argument about where the moral imperative comes from and just do it?
posted by corb at 7:41 AM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

oc
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:44 AM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

> Why not skip the entire argument about where the moral imperative comes from and just do it?

Because of people who say things like "we just need to find the best way to do so" instead of just doing so and finding out the best way of doing it later.
posted by tonycpsu at 7:45 AM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

I know this comes across as a "gotcha", but I don't know how it can be avoided... weren't you the one that brought up the question of where the moral imperative comes from in the first place? Wouldn't just supporting food stamps count as "just do[ing] it"?
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 7:46 AM on June 1, 2017 [21 favorites]

Of course a lot of conservatives are going to hesitate to commit to "all people have a right to food." Because:

a. What if we feed people and then people decide they don't need to work because they have free food?
b. What if LOTS of people do that, and then the people who are working can't keep up and society collapses?

For "food" you can substitute "housing" and possibly "medical care" and the same thought process applies.

And then if the follow-up is "but then people starve!" you fall back on "that's what charity is for!"

It's not entirely a logical argument, but it's one that a lot of people adhere to, and I'm surprised more Mefites aren't familiar with it. The fear of "opening the floodgates"--that if you enshrine a benefit, everyone will want it, and then everything collapses/no one works--is a real fear.
posted by emjaybee at 7:46 AM on June 1, 2017 [24 favorites]

Y'all put the brakes on this particular "food, yes/no" thing pronto because carrying this further as a debate on MeFi is gonna just be frustrating nonsense. corb, this is a specific thing that has been an issue in the past, you need to drop it as something you personally dig in on at all.
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:47 AM on June 1, 2017 [17 favorites]

Keep this in mind during Trump's little teevee show this afternoon.
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:48 AM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declarationism

http://blogs.cuit.columbia.edu/culr/2016/02/16/constitutional-considerations-of-happiness/
posted by mikelieman at 7:51 AM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

On the topic of lalex's link, which is pretty extraordinary for Putin now being all "yeah, sure, maybe hackers in this country did that shit", even more so is him saying: "Anything is possible in this virtual world. Russia never engages in activities of this kind, and we do not need it. It makes no sense for us to do such things. What for?"

Which is just straight up bullshit. The Kremlin using cyber warfare is matter of public record, and the "what for" is obvious, whether it's in the Ukraine or the US.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 7:51 AM on June 1, 2017 [11 favorites]

Th rhetoric of rights is maybe not useful here, since what we're talking about isn't abstract principles, it's access to resources. Liberals tend to cleave to the defense of abstract principles over all else, under the theory that if you get the principles right — if you identify which rights belong to all people and make a good-faith effort to defend those rights — then material equality will follow.

I believe it was Jeremy Bentham who dismissed this pattern of reasoning as "nonsense on stilts." I don't agree with Bentham on much these days, but he had his fellow liberals' number on this one. The liberal idea of human rights as a concept autonomous from the resources needed to realize those rights is pollyannaish in the extreme. There exist wealthy monsters who prefer their resources remain in their coffers (or hoarded in their larders), despite the fact that denying those resources to others may result in those others' death. and there also exist lackeys who defend the right of monsters to hoard because they think they may get table scraps in exchange, or who toady to them out of sheer lack of character, without much hope for ever receiving anything in exchange, aside from pie in the sky when they die. (this describes most of the Republican rank and file).

And the paper tiger of liberal human rights is easily perforated by the material force of bullets shot by and nightsticks swung by and prisons run by the lackeys of wealth.

Because the dispute is about power and resources rather than rights and abstract principles, it is entirely sensible that a powerful Republican would refuse to answer a nonsense-on-stilts question about rights to food.

No one wealthy is going to give us anything unless we organize to take it. No one wealthy is going to agree that human rights are real and then give up their material advantage of their own free will. Prosperity, equality, and real freedom aren't made through reasoning out what's best for everyone and then expecting everyone to listen to reason, because reason does not and cannot rule the world. The world doesn't work that way. We must make the world we want to live in through organized action backed by ideas, instead of pretending that ideas are something with an autonomous existence apart from material reality.

No one will give us rights. If we want rights to be real, we must take them.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 7:54 AM on June 1, 2017 [64 favorites]

Keep this in mind during Trump's little teevee show this afternoon

I sent you a rowboat.
posted by mcdoublewide at 7:54 AM on June 1, 2017 [22 favorites]

As part of a degree on Sustainable Food and Farming, I'm currently taking an online class on Food Systems which I - sweet summer child! - thought would be an interesting and educational way to spend my evenings.

It turns out it's just fucking infuriating and I've cried twice already watching the required documentaries and it's only the second week of class. Food insecurity is something I was aware of, obviously, but I hadn't quite metabolized how much worse the situation had gotten because of the removal of government assistance.

So when this fucker can't answer a simple question regarding people being entitled to eat I know what it means: it means poor people can fuck off and die, they'll cut the few subsidies that remain, and they'll put locks on garbage bins just in case there is food to be found in there.

The infuriating thing is that spending government money to feed people is CHEAP. It is so so so so cheap and it saves SO MUCH FUCKING MONEY down the line: improves health, improves productivity, improves educational outcomes, improves the economy, and on and on and on and on. But they don't give a fuck about saving money: they just care about ensuring that no one, not a soul (especially not a brown soul), ever gets anything "for free".
posted by lydhre at 7:57 AM on June 1, 2017 [108 favorites]

“I believe there’s climate change,” Rep. Walberg (R-MI) said, according to a video of the exchange obtained by HuffPost. “I believe there’s been climate change since the beginning of time. I believe there are cycles. Do I think man has some impact? Yeah, of course. Can man change the entire universe? No.”

“Why do I believe that?” he went on. “Well, as a Christian, I believe that there is a creator in God who is much bigger than us. And I’m confident that, if there’s a real problem, he can take care of it.”

this is why there have never been any real problems in history, because god has prevented them
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:57 AM on June 1, 2017 [85 favorites]

You know, one way that God previously solved a "real problem" was to change the climate of Planet Earth so that nearly everyone drowned. He is very efficient and reliable as a problem-solver
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:59 AM on June 1, 2017 [47 favorites]

Putin starts to admit hacking.

Fox News says collusion isn't a crime.

So let's say that the Trump administration admits to colluding with Russia, and that they did it to prevent Hillary from starting WWIII (or whatever bullshit excuse they want to use), Trump pardons everyone involved, fires Mueller, and purges the intelligence services and FBI, and establishes a new geo-political alignment with Russia, leaving China and Europe on their own as separate power centers.

What happens next? Does anyone realistically think that the GOP would do anything, even in that worst case scenario? They seem to not care about it, as long as it means tax cuts for the rich.
posted by empath at 7:59 AM on June 1, 2017 [28 favorites]

This God he's talking about is the same dude that flooded the entire Earth, killing off all humans except one family and a supply of livestock, right? I mean I know there's supposed to be a Covenant and all but we've seen how these people treat promises.
posted by contraption at 7:59 AM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

“Why do I believe that?” he went on. “Well, as a Christian, I believe that there is a creator in God who is much bigger than us. And I’m confident that, if there’s a real problem, he can take care of it.”

Someone oughta remind this dumb sack of oats about The Flood.
posted by Imperfect at 7:59 AM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

Move over, Prosperity Gospel, it's time to pray the CO2 away!
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 7:59 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Time Magazine Poverty-Washes Jared Kushner's Childhood Home

Really? Jared's childhood home "suggested little of the family’s wealth"? Here's how Curbed New York described the Kushners' Livingston house in 2011 when Jared's dad, real estate mogul and ex-felon Charles Kushner, put it on the market:
a 7-bedroom, 7-bath manse for $1,9995,000 with 18 rooms total and a "fluid and open flow" (fluid flow!). What else does the brokerbabble promise? A grand foyer with marble floor; glass central atrium; custom library; sunken family room with stone fireplace; a master suite with built-ins; kitchen with granite countertops; and an enormous basement with another kitchen, rec room, gym, sauna, and dry bar.

[...] Maybe the point is that the Kushners acted as if they weren't wealthy. As a 2009 New York magazine profile of Jared noted:
The Kushners mythologized themselves as scrappy outsiders. Charlie had volunteered as a firefighter, and he liked that his wife Seryl shopped at Costco.
Yeah, that's just like not being rich.

[...] The Time story is also notable for suggesting that Jared is a victim of circumstance, trapped in a world he never made:
[...] It's a situation that might have survived had Kushner remained in the dog-eat-dog world of Manhattan real estate.... But Washington is a town of rank and title, where secrets are hard to keep, official roles matter and the higher power of the Constitution looms. The quiet man is now conspicuous, having been slurped into the spotlight by the tentacles of a Russia investigation that produces headlines like Ford punches out trucks.

(Emphasis added.)

Yes he's been "slurped into the spotlight." It's something that happened to him, not something he brought on himself.

posted by tonycpsu at 8:00 AM on June 1, 2017 [54 favorites]

rikschell Can the NSA bug the White House? We are so far through the looking glass the people I used to despise seem like the only people who could potentially save the country.

Legally, no.

And, I'd argue both morally and politically they shouldn't, even with a scumfucking traitor like Trump as President.

Keeping the intelligence community from interfering in domestic politics is a very important thing and breaking that even for something as awful as Trump would open the door for future Hoovers to act.

Trump is awful. Turning the various intelligence agencies lose on our government would be much, much worse.

I'll concede that the Republican Party is broken right now, in that one function of a Party is to act as a filter and keep traitors out. But we shouldn't be asking the NSA/FBI/CIA/DIA/Whatever to spy on Trump now that he's in office.
posted by sotonohito at 8:00 AM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

Why does this dude even go to his office if God is going to solve all his constituents' problems? He should be playing golf at Mar-A-Lago.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:00 AM on June 1, 2017 [20 favorites]

What happens next? Does anyone realistically think that the GOP would do anything, even in that worst case scenario? They seem to not care about it, as long as it means tax cuts for the rich.

They'd probably have to end free and fair elections or face extinction, but that's kind of a partially achieved republican goal anyway from before going full traitor.
posted by Artw at 8:01 AM on June 1, 2017

> I sent you a rowboat.

The modern version of that joke should end with "Yes you did my child” replied the Lord. “And I sent you modern scientific methods and equipment, experts to operate the equipment and analyze the results, and what should have been enough intelligence to act wisely based on the recommendations of these highly trained professionals. But you never used them.”
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:01 AM on June 1, 2017 [63 favorites]

What do ya'll think of the March for Truth this Saturday? I agree with the goals, but it doesn't seem to have caught on. The speakers are underwhelming, my activist friends aren't talking about it, and none of my representatives are going to be there.

I think Trump's relationship to Russia is of paramount importance, and I want to do something, but I'm having trouble convincing myself that spending the day to go to this march is an effective use of time.
posted by diogenes at 8:01 AM on June 1, 2017

“Why do I believe that?” he went on. “Well, as a Christian, I believe that there is a creator in God who is much bigger than us. And I’m confident that, if there’s a real problem, he can take care of it.”

I thought god helped those who helped themselves? Isn't that the entire fucking ethos for not wanting to feed poor people and children?
posted by Talez at 8:04 AM on June 1, 2017 [12 favorites]

We have always been at war with the Congressional Budget Office
posted by tonycpsu at 8:04 AM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

Realistically, I think the public at large just doesn't care that much about the Russia scandal.

I think our political discourse has become so impoverished that the American public doesn't know what we're at risk of losing.

The fact that we're depending on the fucking NSA and CIA to save American Democracy tells you how far we've fallen.
posted by empath at 8:04 AM on June 1, 2017 [10 favorites]

God's kind of inconsistent that way, as it turns out.
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:04 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

What do ya'll think of the March for Truth this Saturday?

Well, no one's going to show up unless somebody shows up. Might as well be us.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 8:06 AM on June 1, 2017 [22 favorites]

> We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,

But when I meet Thomas Jefferson (unh!) I'm a compel him to include women in the sequel (work!)

but yes, that is what nonsense on stilts looks like. Those words were penned by a slaver who spent half his life raping his wife's half-sister. Written by someone who over the course of his life claimed total ownership over more than 600 men, women, and children.

Look around and you'll see that rights don't rule. Power rules. Let's get power.

> Why do I believe that?” he went on. “Well, as a Christian, I believe that there is a creator in God who is much bigger than us. And I’m confident that, if there’s a real problem, he can take care of it.”

This statement means "it's not a real problem so shut up and sit down and maybe you'll get pie in the sky when you die."
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 8:09 AM on June 1, 2017 [19 favorites]

What if the NSA picks up Oval Office conversations though intercepting the Russian bugs that we presume the photog placed?
posted by rikschell at 8:10 AM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

Realistically, I think the public at large just doesn't care that much about the Russia scandal.

Factually, they do though, and a new poll that has usually been pretty kind to Trump shows a growing interest in seeing him impeached, with "unfit to serve" and him having "committed an impeachable offense, such as treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors" being the top factors. Americans demonstrably care about this; they're divided on whether the President did anything wrong.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 8:10 AM on June 1, 2017 [19 favorites]

This statement means "it's not a real problem so shut up and sit down and maybe you'll get pie in the sky when you die."

IT'S CAKE, MOTHERFUCKER. YOU'RE DEAD.
posted by Etrigan at 8:12 AM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

This statement means "it's not a real problem so shut up and sit down and maybe you'll get pie in the sky when you die."

And go to the place that's the best?
posted by Talez at 8:12 AM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

IT'S CAKE, MOTHERFUCKER. YOU'RE DEAD.

Is it a cake because it's a lie?
posted by Talez at 8:14 AM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

I've never liked the "food insecurity" label. Real words like "hunger", "malnutrition", and "starvation" are punchier.
posted by Rumple at 8:14 AM on June 1, 2017 [41 favorites]

slurped into the spotlight

What does this metaphor even mean?! Is there, on stage, a large maw, with pursed lips, slurping on our poor Kushner like Hannibal Lecter eating a human liver? Or perhaps an anteater, with it's black slurping tongue? You cannot be SLURPED on stage. I swear after Trump became President there was a giant sucking sound as rational thought exited the brains of us all, on its way to somewhere it would be actually used.
posted by dis_integration at 8:15 AM on June 1, 2017 [12 favorites]

IT'S CAKE, MOTHERFUCKER. YOU'RE DEAD.

Did I say death? I meant cake.
posted by Strange Interlude at 8:16 AM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

_{Also you cannot be slurped by tentacles}
posted by dis_integration at 8:16 AM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

Well, in this anime I saw once...but I've already said and remembered too much.
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:19 AM on June 1, 2017 [10 favorites]

My hope is that this Rose Garden unveiling will be like the last time Trump said he would make an announcement at a scheduled time, which was to announce a relatively mainstream SCOTUS pick, as opposed to, say, Ted Nugent. Perhaps he will stay in the Paris Agreement and show the commoners that he is a magnanimous and wise ruler, capable of listening to the unified voice of almost the entire business community.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:20 AM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

Hey spitbull, I'm not sure Metafilter likes Jennifer Rubin as much as you said it does.
posted by biogeo at 8:25 AM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

I've never liked the "food insecurity" label. Real words like "hunger", "malnutrition", and "starvation" are punchier.

You're absolutely right. In fact, the USDA removed the term "hunger" from its measurements in 2006 on the pretense that hunger is not quantifiable, with the result of essentially sanitizing the problem.
posted by lydhre at 8:26 AM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

In These Times: Why We Should Stop Using the Word “Activist” (via)

I don't really agree with the author's premise that a single label is doing as much damage as he suggests, but I do think that there's an unhelpful tendency on the left to build artificial walls between activism and resistance.
posted by tonycpsu at 8:29 AM on June 1, 2017

I've never liked the "food insecurity" label.

Real words like "hunger", "malnutrition", and "starvation" are punchier.

Your point is well taken, but food insecurity also includes things like drought and risk of flooding. An umbrella term is needed for the constellation of things that can disrupt a regular food supply and the ways in which people can lack food.
posted by bardophile at 8:30 AM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

This whole Paris Agreement drama seems to indicate a typical Trump behaviour: make a big noise about X, and then when he's actually face to face with whoever he's berating he evades the issue (like that time he came to Mexico as a candidate) ; and then return home and continue acting up. He is incapable of standing his ground outside of the security of the US. Why do the whole wait-a-week-for-my-decision thing? Only so that he can get to safer ground.
posted by dhruva at 8:33 AM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

Hiding behind grind an eleven year old in fact.
posted by Artw at 8:36 AM on June 1, 2017

> relatively mainstream SCOTUS pick

Gorsuch only seems relatively mainstream because the United States mainstream is fascist right now. Don't normalize.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 8:38 AM on June 1, 2017 [49 favorites]

Shade shade shade shade shade from Time: cover. Shade.
posted by prefpara at 8:39 AM on June 1, 2017 [43 favorites]

I thought god helped those who helped themselves?

Pedantry: This is from Aesop's Fables by way of Benjamin Franklin, not the Bible. According to Jesus, God damns those who don't help others.
posted by EarBucket at 8:39 AM on June 1, 2017 [35 favorites]

If there's one thing that we can be certain of, is that Trump isn't going to intentionally screw the folks at Goldman Sachs (or rich people in generally).

Defaulting on the debt would profoundly screw all of them.

I dunno, is there a way they can make money by betting on Twitler defaulting on the debt? They got away with betting on the collapse of the housing market while also helping to make it happen. He'd probably warn them of a default ahead of time just to stay on their good side.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 8:39 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

This whole Paris Agreement drama seems to indicate a typical Trump behaviour: make a big noise about X, and then when he's actually face to face with whoever he's berating he evades the issue (like that time he came to Mexico as a candidate) ; and then return home and continue acting up. He is incapable of standing his ground outside of the security of the US. Why do the whole wait-a-week-for-my-decision thing? Only so that he can get to safer ground.

Yeah, he's a bully and a coward in addition to being an incurious imbecile.

He backs down and/or runs away whenever anyone stands up to him.
posted by leotrotsky at 8:40 AM on June 1, 2017

He is incapable of standing his ground outside of the security of the US.

He's not capable of it inside the U.S., either. Everyone knows that he'll agree with whoever spoke to him last, which is why Bannon and Priebus make sure to schedule his availabilities so they can be the last people to talk to him so he's still on-message.
posted by Etrigan at 8:40 AM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

I dunno, is there a way they can make money by betting on Twitler defaulting on the debt? They got away with betting on the collapse of the housing market while also helping to make it happen. He'd probably warn them of a default ahead of time just to stay on their good side.

No, this isn't like betting on the housing market. This isn't putting money on red or black; this is setting fire to the casino.

You default on US Govt debt and you set fire to the entire global financial system. You'd create so much uncertainty and chaos that nobody would win.
posted by leotrotsky at 8:42 AM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

Sounds like Republicans.
posted by Artw at 8:43 AM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

Sounds like Republicans.

What effect do you think that would have on their fundraising abilities?
posted by leotrotsky at 8:44 AM on June 1, 2017

I don't really agree with the author's premise that a single label is doing as much damage as he suggests, but I do think that there's an unhelpful tendency on the left to build artificial walls between activism and resistance.

There was a group of us that talked about this right after the election. We agreed to use the words Advocates (for people who were more interested in political/social advocacy) and Activist (for people who were interested in doing more direct action). I appreciate his point. We had a lot of people coming to us (old ACT UP folks) who were very hesitant to get involved because they thought it meant they would need to consent to getting arrested, vandalism, etc. One of the things we had to do was describe that even for direct action, we needed coordinators, social media people, media spokespersons, people to post bail, if needed, etc. No action could ever be all people in the spotlight, it always takes people behind the scenes, but the behind the scenes folks are never what gets on the news or in the paper, so people never realize how necessary they are.

It definitely takes people pushing from all sides; the people making phone calls, writing letters, marching, calling for boycotts, getting arrested, attorneys knowing the laws, artists creating posters, planning actions, public performance art, wheatpasting signs at 2 a.m. etc. to make the resistance work.
posted by Sophie1 at 8:45 AM on June 1, 2017 [14 favorites]

Why is meeting with Sergey Kislyak so forgettable? Does he have one of those Men in Black pen-lights?

vivid memories turn to fantasies...
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:46 AM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

Boston scraps summit on climate with China: "As the Trump administration considers withdrawing from the Paris climate accord, Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh said Wednesday that plans to hold an international climate summit in Boston this summer, an event announced to fanfare last year in Beijing, have been scrapped for lack of federal support."
posted by adamg at 8:50 AM on June 1, 2017 [12 favorites]

On the topic of lalex's link, which is pretty extraordinary for Putin now being all "yeah, sure, maybe hackers in this country did that shit", even more so is him saying: "Anything is possible in this virtual world. Russia never engages in activities of this kind, and we do not need it. It makes no sense for us to do such things. What for?"

Compare this with Putin's infamous "little green men" non-denial denial during the Russian annexation of the Crimea. He called his unmarked special ops forces "polite armed men in green", and state-run media described them as "volunteers" from "self-defence groups". This new spin on the 2016 campaign interference is classic Soviet-era maskirovka, updated for cyberwarfare.
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:51 AM on June 1, 2017 [14 favorites]

Philip Pullella, Reuters (via RS): Vatican would see US Paris deal exit as slap in face: official

The Vatican, which under Pope Francis’ insistence has strongly backed the Paris climate change deal, would see a U.S. exit as a slap in the face and a “disaster for everyone,” a senior official said on Thursday.

At their meeting last month, the pope gave U.S. President Donald Trump a signed copy of his 2015 encyclical letter that called for protecting the environment from the effects of climate change and backed scientific evidence that it is caused by human activity.

O RLY?
posted by Room 641-A at 8:52 AM on June 1, 2017 [12 favorites]

> You default on US Govt debt and you set fire to the entire global financial system. You'd create so much uncertainty and chaos that nobody would win.|

Well, you see, the global economy is so big that human beings cannot directly affect it.
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:52 AM on June 1, 2017 [29 favorites]

I've tried several times now to think of the most generous interpretation of balking at "entitled to food" and I got nothing. I think the word "entitled" flips a switch in the conservative brain where the immediate answer is "no", whatever it is.

I put it at 99 percent chance that Smith would prefer to replace SNAP with nothing, and that the only reason he didn't say so isn't human decency, but because SNAP indirectly benefits his constituent farmers in Nebraska.

The other 1 percent chance? Maybe he's just really bad at explaining how he prefers to reduce government bureaucracy by rolling SNAP into a larger direct cash payment program with no paperwork or restrictions, or a negative income tax. That would be an alternative means of funding social welfare goals like nutrition and shelter, versus the status quo, albeit only slightly different than the magnetic strip cards widely used.
posted by pwnguin at 9:00 AM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

>> I dunno, is there a way they can make money by betting on Twitler defaulting on the debt? They got away with betting on the collapse of the housing market while also helping to make it happen. He'd probably warn them of a default ahead of time just to stay on their good side.

> No, this isn't like betting on the housing market. This isn't putting money on red or black; this is setting fire to the casino.

One of the observations in Kim Stanley Robinson's new book (New York 2140; it's the story of a union of renters and co-op stakeholders in drowned nearish-future lower manhattan fighting off gentrifiers from the mainland and I cannot recommend it highly enough), uh, as I was saying, one of the observations in KSR's new book is that should the extant global economic order start to really stumble in earnest, the hedge fund types will end up pushing it all the way over by, essentially, shorting capitalism itself. It's a prisoner's dilemma situation for them, and it's a guarantee that enough of them will defect to bring the whole damn thing down. defecting is what they do; none of them have any loyalties other than loyalty to self.

Capitalism is sick as fuck right now. But, unfortunately, the left is at this moment weaker than the right — at this moment; things might be different five years from now or even next year — and so if capitalism fails right now fascism, theocracy, and other types of right-wing chaos will replace it. Leftists find themselves in the position the Bolsheviks were in in June 1917, precisely 100 years ago; forced to prop up the dying liberal order for a little while longer while organizing to take over when it finally falls.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 9:01 AM on June 1, 2017 [16 favorites]

Alternate headline - "Trump will announce at 3pm in the Rose Garden whether to launch a pre-emptive strike against a random tiny island nation state"
posted by TwoWordReview at 9:01 AM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

> You default on US Govt debt and you set fire to the entire global financial system.

But how can we run the government like a (TrumpCo) business if we can't default on our debt? The voters have spoken, and surely debasing the reputation of US Treasury Bills as the world's financial safe haven is the right way to #MAGA.
posted by RedOrGreen at 9:03 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Trump signed the waiver to avoid moving the embassy to Jerusalem (the same waiver that's been signed every six months since 1998).

Statement of disappointment from the Prime Minister's Office.
posted by zachlipton at 9:04 AM on June 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

Comey's testimony is set for Thursday June 8 at 10am Eastern before the Senate Intelligence Committee!
posted by zachlipton at 9:11 AM on June 1, 2017 [35 favorites]

Why is meeting with Sergey Kislyak so forgettable? Does he have one of those Men in Black pen-lights?

Yes, but it's shaped like a suitcase full of cash. You activate it by flipping it open for a few seconds while winking aggressively.
posted by Behemoth at 9:19 AM on June 1, 2017 [24 favorites]

Trump signed the waiver to avoid moving the embassy to Jerusalem (the same waiver that's been signed every six months since 1998).

An Embassy in Jerusalem? Trump Promises, but So Did Predecessors

President-elect Donald J. Trump vowed during his campaign that he would relocate the mission “fairly quickly” after taking office. That in itself is nothing new: For years, candidates running for president have promised to move the embassy to Jerusalem, and for years, candidates who actually became president have opted against doing so.

posted by kirkaracha at 9:19 AM on June 1, 2017

Dana Milbank, WaPo: Congressman refuses to say if Americans are entitled to eat

Were I a congressman, this would be my answer, "No, Americans are not entitled to eat. As a congressperson, I'm under an obligation to see that every American is fed as it promotes the general welfare, one of the fundamental goals of the government."

You can hang a LOT on the preamble to the US Constitution and specifically that "to promote the general welfare" part. The government should take steps to manage the economy because everyone does better when we all do better. The government should make sure no one goes hungry as long as we have the resources to do so (spoiler: we do). The government should fund public schools and pay for everyone who wants to to go to college because an educated populace promotes the general welfare. The government should take steps to curb climate changes because...well, you know.

Obviously, there are plenty of ways that a person could disagree about exactly how the government should promote the general welfare but that it's the government's role to do these things is right there on the page, right at the top of the thing.
posted by VTX at 9:20 AM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

President-elect Donald J. Trump vowed during his campaign that he would relocate the mission “fairly quickly” after taking office.

Trump to English translator:

Right away, the very first day, you'll be amazed, believe me: "After a long and agonizingly drawn-out period of stepping on my own dick."
Fairly quickly: "Never, ever. Ever."
Never: "Immediately. Actually I already did it."
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:23 AM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

Rep. Walberg (R-MI)

This amazing piece of work is my representative. The local Indivisible group is sticking it to him pretty hard. He won by 14 points in 2016 but I think he's vulnerable, especially with his hard line AHCA stance. More voters than his margin in 2016 will lose Medicaid in his district if AHCA goes through.
posted by zrail at 9:24 AM on June 1, 2017 [15 favorites]

They actually fit the vast majority of it into the Arbella and other 10 ships in the Winthrop Fleet.
Actually actually, the Mayflower that sailed to the New World in 1620 is a different ship than the Mayflower that sailed with the Winthrop Fleet in 1630.
posted by kirkaracha at 9:28 AM on June 1, 2017 [13 favorites]

NBC: Did Trump, Kushner, Sessions Have An Undisclosed Meeting With Russian?: Five current and former U.S. officials said they are aware of classified intelligence suggesting there was some sort of private encounter between Trump and his aides and the Russian envoy, despite a heated denial from Sessions, who has already come under fire for failing to disclose two separate contacts with Kislyak. Kushner also denied through a spokesman that he met privately with Kislyak that day.

(emphasis mine)
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 9:29 AM on June 1, 2017 [33 favorites]

Have I ever met with Sergey Kislyak? At this point I can't even be sure.
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:30 AM on June 1, 2017 [72 favorites]

NBC: Did Trump, Kushner, Sessions Have An Undisclosed Meeting With Russian?

Goddammit, 2017 is even fucking up Betteridge's Law.
posted by Etrigan at 9:30 AM on June 1, 2017 [39 favorites]

So it wasn't just Sessions at the Mayflower Hotel. The really dark timeline theory of this would be if they never actually met with Kislyak privately at all, but the Russians claimed to have done so over a line they knew was monitored in order to create further chaos and discord.
posted by zachlipton at 9:31 AM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

Comey's testimony is set for Thursday June 8 at 10am Eastern before the Senate Intelligence Committee!

Oooooooo, so much to do beforehand:
√ --Rearrange work schedule
-- Set DVR just in case
-- Bulk order popcorn
-- Pick up ample quantities of Pimm's and Grape Crush
posted by FelliniBlank at 9:35 AM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

Goddammit, 2017 is even fucking up Betteridge's Law.

Ah yes, Fahrenthold's Inversion Principle.
posted by Behemoth at 9:36 AM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

> Russians claimed to have done so over a line they knew was monitored in order to create further chaos and discord.

And to mix a few metaphors, the boy who cried wolf is hoist by their own petard. I like it. I like it a lot.
posted by RedOrGreen at 9:36 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Oh man, after all that fantastic work by WaPo and NYT, NBC may have grabbed the brass ring. Bummer! Andrea Mitchell must be going bonkers on MSNBC right about now.
posted by FelliniBlank at 9:38 AM on June 1, 2017

What effect do you think that would have on their fundraising abilities?

Does it hurt the fundraising abilities of the Democrats?

To quote the Liberal Redneck, Trump supporters would let him set their houses on fire if the liberals across the street had to choke on the smoke.

I'm not saying Goldman is that stupid, but I'm not silly enough to put any level of stupidity past this administration.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:40 AM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

Thursday June 8th? Hell way too much water will be under the bridge by then.
posted by Oyéah at 9:41 AM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

I am always reminded that the Russians burned down Moscow in order to thwart Napoleon's invasion of the city, as the winter came on.
posted by Oyéah at 9:43 AM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

I just put 'Comey testimony' into my calendar and set a reminder.

Adding 'Plan to specifically block off time and watch US senate committee hearing' onto my list of things I never would have thought I'd be doing before November 2016.
posted by Jalliah at 9:43 AM on June 1, 2017 [35 favorites]

Actually actually, the Mayflower that sailed to the New World in 1620 is a different ship than the Mayflower that sailed with the Winthrop Fleet in 1630.

Well sure. I meant that the Separatist passengers on the original Mayflower and their descendants had far less impact (relatively speaking) on US culture than the big-ass incursion of Puritans who came on the Winthrop Fleet and fared much better in terms of establishing a permanent and influential presence.

But they all had the same fucked-up values and belief system, so six of one, half dozen of another.
posted by FelliniBlank at 9:43 AM on June 1, 2017

can nunes get slapped for contempt of congress for filing subpeonas in an investigation he's recused from? (mostly joking but what the hell is he doing, he's like the keystone kop of collaborators)
posted by murphy slaw at 9:45 AM on June 1, 2017 [16 favorites]

Why do I believe that?” he went on. “Well, as a Christian, I believe that there is a creator in God who is much bigger than us. And I’m confident that, if there’s a real problem, he can take care of it.”

Ted Lieu @tedlieu
I've read the Bible. God doesn't actually say that. (tweet)
posted by Room 641-A at 9:49 AM on June 1, 2017 [61 favorites]

I just put 'Comey testimony' into my calendar and set a reminder.

As a cherry on top of the much prayed for impeachment sundae, if the Comey testimony gets really high ratings, that will bug Trump quite a bit.
posted by puddledork at 9:53 AM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

I thought Assange had been vindicated on his rape charges by, er, hiding from them long enough, and would shortly be leaving their guest room?

He still skipped bail though. So he has pretty clearly broken the law of the UK, regardless of whether Sweden is still actively trying to arrest him for rape.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 9:53 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

"was to change the climate of Planet Earth so that nearly everyone drowned" I just reread that passage in Genesis, and God didn't change the climate, he brought up the water from the rocks in the planet to drown the humans he didn't like, all but the Noah clan, and friends. We have just discovered that water that is in the rocks, it is called Ringwoodite.
posted by Oyéah at 9:58 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Can financially savvy people suggest good hedges (say, funds that a Charles Schwab type IRA brokerage would carry) ...

Slightly OT but be cautious about interactions with / feedback from strangers on the Net, even MeFi posters. Just saying.
posted by NorthernLite at 9:58 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

I don't know whether this should go here or in the Portland thread, but it is disgusting:

Our ugly racism’s newest artifact: The noose left at the African American Museum

WaPo reports that this is the second noose left on the National Mall this week (the first was left hanging outside the Hirschorn).
posted by Westringia F. at 10:05 AM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

Have I ever met with Sergey Kislyak? At this point I can't even be sure.

I was pretty sure I never had, but then I noticed that I've got a billion dollars in my checking account and a newfound passion for easing sanctions. Now I'm starting to wonder.
posted by diogenes at 10:15 AM on June 1, 2017 [31 favorites]

Simon tried a third time: “So is every American entitled to eat, and is food stamps something that ought to be that ultimate guarantor?”

Once again, the lawmaker demurred: “I think that we know that, given the necessity of nutrition, there could be a number of ways that we could address that.”

Good Ford -- Tax cuts are so important to Rep. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) that he can't deny he is willing for Americans to stave for them.

In Down and Out in Paris and London, George Orwell described the unpleasantness of being poor in 1930s Europe, but even he admitted that it was notoriously impossible to starve in Paris. Rep. Smith evidently believes the Great Depression was too soft on them.
posted by Gelatin at 10:18 AM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

“There exist wealthy monsters who prefer their resources remain in their coffers…”

They’ll eat you up they love you so!
posted by Smedleyman at 10:25 AM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

Purported I.C.E. “Sanctuary City Neighborhood Public Notice” Posted in DC: “If you would like to report illegal aliens…”

ICE later tweeted that "Notices circulating in #Washington #DC are NOT from @ICEgov". Just assholes.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 10:33 AM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

Thinking about the Paris Agreement announcement for a second (and it's worth reading about some of the legal issues related to whether and how he can pull out of the agreement and whether that could be done immediately or not until 2020), is this the first big decision he's actually made as President? I mean, he's made plenty of decisions: Supreme Court justice, firing Comey, travel ban, use of military force, etc... But I feel like this is the first time that people he might vaguely care about are imploring him not to do it: the CEOs of Exxon, Dow Chemical, Elon Musk, Tim Cook, etc... It's an unusual position for him, and like everything else, I suspect it will come down to whoever talks to him last.
posted by zachlipton at 10:38 AM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

so in other words, Bannon will lurch-slither up to him just as he's about to exit to the Rose Garden and say "do it, poison the earth, the deplorables will love you and your father in Hell will rejoice at what a mighty killer you are, MAGAmagamagawharrgarrbbll" and then we're fucked
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:42 AM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

Dr. Chuck Tingle just announced on facebook that his new work "Pounded in the Butt by Covfefe" is the number one best selling work of erotic science fiction on Amazon right now. Published yesterday. You did it, buckaroos! It is a good way.
posted by Capt. Renault at 10:44 AM on June 1, 2017 [50 favorites]

More and more to me the pattern seems tbe bluster, push buttons, make the situation as confusing as possible until the last minute, then do exactly what Putin/Russia wants.
posted by saulgoodman at 10:44 AM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

As news broke today that President Trump is planning to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, two East Coast companies made final arrangements to shutter three coal-fired power plants.

On June 1, Public Service Enterprise Group, the parent of PSEG Power, will retire the two largest coal plants remaining in New Jersey. The Mercer and Hudson generating stations will close on Thursday, as inexpensive natural gas continues to force coal off of the grid in states across the country.

Natural gas prices hit their lowest levels in nearly 20 years in 2016. Meanwhile, U.S. coal use declined by 18 percent nationwide last year, and coal production in all major regions fell by at least 15 percent, according to the Energy Information Administration.

posted by Existential Dread at 10:45 AM on June 1, 2017 [15 favorites]

I'm gobsmacked at the idea that the question of whether or not people are entitled to food can somehow "not have enough information." It's the most extreme form of JAQing off that I can think of. It shouldn't matter where the authority comes from, it's a fucking cornerstone of life itself. You might as well claim that we just don't have enough information to say that people are entitled to breathe or reproduce.

I would point out that many of these same people also oppose regulations on air quality, so I wouldn't presume the right to breathe is a given with them.

And they call themselves "the party of life."
Feh.
posted by Gelatin at 10:46 AM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

Unfortunately Russia actually thinks it can win Climate Change.
posted by Artw at 10:47 AM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

Why are people still losing their minds over Hillary?

Here's a real question: If you're someone that despises Hillary Clinton (but loves Joe Biden, a man whose public record and belief system is completely indistinguishable from hers), and she went out tomorrow morning and was like, "Hey guys, I'm really sorry, I should have spent more time in Wisconsin and Michigan. The 'deplorables' comment was a terrible mistake. Honestly I probably should just never have run," would you come grudgingly around? Would you tell a pollster in five years that, in fact, yes, you do like her? Is there anything she could do to diminish your antipathy, other than simply not existing?

None of this is to suggest that Clinton should be absolved of her campaign mistakes, or that she was the right choice in the primary, or that you must immediately rush to your computer right now and drop some cheddar into Onward Together. But Hillary Clinton isn't standing in anyone's way. Millions of people still adore her and enlisting them through a new organization can't hurt. Admirably, she refuses to throw her staff under the bus, telling New York's Rebecca Traister that "I will never say anything other than positive things about my campaign. Because I love the people that led it, worked in it." In contrast to many past losers, she told CNN's Christiane Amanpour, "I take absolute personal responsibility. I was the candidate, I was the person who was on the ballot." Her boiling anger at the press and at various out-of-nowhere campaign developments doesn't make her worse than Gore, Kerry, Romney, and McCain — it makes her one of them.

And that really only leaves one thing that is just so very different about Hillary Clinton. Let's see if you can guess what it is.

posted by tonycpsu at 10:48 AM on June 1, 2017 [137 favorites]

I just noticed that Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (NY 8th) tweeted this earlier today:

No Donald, the big story is YOUR campaign's likely collusion w/ Russian spies #Treason

Has a US rep previously gone on record with calling it treason? Maybe Waters?
posted by diogenes at 10:48 AM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

None dare call it ~~treason~~ covfefe.
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:50 AM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

Unfortunately Russia actually thinks it can win Climate Change.

I hadn't thought all that deeply about this topic, but yeah, as the Arctic sea ice retreats we're going to see some serious geopolitical jockeying. It's gonna get ugly.
posted by Existential Dread at 10:53 AM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

WaPo, Max Ehrenfreund and Damian Paletta: Americans are taking their sweet time paying taxes, and the government is running out of cash

The story of the 2001 downturn was: tech, which wasn't as stable a growth source, or as lucrative as expected.

The story of the 2008 depression was: housing, which wasn't as stable a growth source, or as lucrative as expected.

The story of the 2017 depression is: uncertainty. Toddler is neither as stable nor as lucrative as expected.

Seriously. The uncertainty that is leading health insurers to triple their rate increases, the uncertainty that government will invest at the rate that it previously has in science and everything else, the wealthy delaying money flow due to uncertainty -- we are overdue for a recession, and uncertainty (which is putting Toddler-nomics mildly) will be the cause of the next one.
posted by Dashy at 10:57 AM on June 1, 2017 [22 favorites]

What Megyn Kelly didn't tell Today show viewers about the "Russian broadcaster" she interviewed: Asked by Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie what surprised her about the interviews she conducted with “people on the Russian streets,” Kelly responded in part, “Almost none believes that Russia interfered with our election.”
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 10:58 AM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

What Megyn Kelly didn't tell Today show viewers about the "Russian broadcaster" she interviewed

To save you a click, the answer is that he's "a top executive at a state news agency..."
posted by diogenes at 11:02 AM on June 1, 2017 [16 favorites]

Rather than lagging behind their promised targets, India and China are actually surpassing them. According to Climate Action Tracker, India, which had promised to reduce the emissions intensity of its economy by 33–35 percent by 2030, is now on track to reduce it by 42–45 percent by that date. China promised its total emissions would peak by 2030 — an ambitious goal for a rapidly industrializing economy. It is running at least a decade ahead of that goal.

Which means the US can either continue to enjoy the economic advantage of developing clean energy, which the market is increasingly going to demand, or it can concede that leadership to China and others.

Funnily enough, I dimly recall a recent politician making exactly that case.
posted by Gelatin at 11:03 AM on June 1, 2017 [10 favorites]

r317 gave you the shot, here's the chaser: Alex Jones claimed on his show that Megyn Kelly is coming next week to interview him. NBC PR declined to comment when asked if this is true.

She also has a one-on-one interview with Putin booked.
posted by zachlipton at 11:03 AM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

(By the way: Analysis by prominent conservative intellectuals being proved incontrovertibly false? You don't say!)
posted by Gelatin at 11:05 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

> To save you a click, the answer is that he's "a top executive at a state news agency..."

Christ. You can take the hack out of Fox News, but you can't take the Fox News out of the hack. Heckuva job, NBC!
posted by tonycpsu at 11:08 AM on June 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

Has Putin ever done a one-on-one interview with an American outlet before?
posted by diogenes at 11:10 AM on June 1, 2017

Has Putin ever done a one-on-one interview with an American outlet before?

He did 60 Minutes in 2015. Trump cited that as a time that he had met Putin, because he's a moron.
posted by Etrigan at 11:13 AM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

Everything is fine. Nothing to see here. Go ahead and pull out of the Paris agreement, it won't make any difference.

Massive crack in Antarctica ice shelf grows 11 miles in only 6 days

A massive crack in an Antarctic ice shelf grew by 11 miles in the past six days as one of the world's biggest icebergs ever is poised to break off.

Only eight miles remain until the crack in the Larsen C ice shelf cuts all the way across, producing an iceberg about the size of the state of Delaware.

Adrian Luckman of Project MIDAS, a British Antarctic research project that's keeping watch on the ever-growing crack, said it's the largest jump since January. The full process is known as "calving," the timing of which is "very close," he added.

Once the iceberg breaks off, it "will fundamentally change the landscape of the Antarctic Peninsula," he said.

posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 11:15 AM on June 1, 2017 [50 favorites]

It's easy to let NBC know how you feel about Russian propaganda on the Today show here.
posted by diogenes at 11:15 AM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

Well, since the process will stretch out past the next Presidential election, at least there's a fighting chance that climate change will actually be a major campaign issue next time around.
posted by zachlipton at 11:16 AM on June 1, 2017 [13 favorites]

he is willing for Americans to stave for them.

He really has his constituents over a barrel.

Then they'll have something to wear
posted by phearlez at 11:21 AM on June 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

So what shall we name this new iceberg calf? Bessie, I reckon. Will the Republicans continue to deny climate change when Iceberg Bessie is bearing down on us?
posted by Soliloquy at 11:22 AM on June 1, 2017

Catanzaro said the administration will follow the steps for withdrawal laid out in the deal itself. “We will initiate the process, which, all told, takes four years in total. {...}”

And that, folks, is the GOP tipping its hand for the 2020 elections. (Also, why does this feel like a bad American reboot of Brexit? Is it the way the Trump administration naively thinks it can go "looking for a better deal" after spitting in the face of the international community?)
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:25 AM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

Trump, Catanzaro said, “will be open to and will immediately be looking for a better deal.”

I know this is utter bullshit based on the remaining synaptic pathways of a decaying brain trapped in a reward loop, but WHAT FUCKING BETTER DEAL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT

There's no money involved here. This is about mitigating massive ecological and, yes, economic disaster that will displace tens of millions of humans and put hundreds of millions more at risk of starvation. You can't negotiate your way out of that.

Whatever. Fuck your fucking bullshit, you dumb piece of shit. We're not going to stop at any level. The rest of the planet, and the states that recognize this, are going to keep moving forward to decarbonize our energy system and mitigate whatever we can mitigate.
posted by Existential Dread at 11:26 AM on June 1, 2017 [76 favorites]

iceberg about the size of the state of Delaware

I miss the days when 'Rhode Island' was the unit of measurement for this kind of shit
posted by tivalasvegas at 11:27 AM on June 1, 2017 [53 favorites]

NYT: White House Waivers May Have Violated Ethics Rules

The Trump administration may have skirted federal ethics rules by retroactively granting a blanket exemption that allows Stephen K. Bannon, the senior White House strategist, to communicate with editors at Breitbart News, where he was recently an executive.
...
The waiver, and the fact that it remains unclear when it was originally issued, seemed unusual to Walter M. Shaub Jr., the director of the Office of Government Ethics, who questioned its validity.

“There is no such thing as a retroactive waiver,” Mr. Shaub said in an interview. “If you need a retroactive waiver, you have violated a rule.”

Walter Shaub has been a damn hero. It would be weird to send him fan mail, right?
posted by zachlipton at 11:28 AM on June 1, 2017 [97 favorites]

But we’re going to make very clear to the world that we’re not going to be abiding by what the previous administration agreed to.

I mean, I knew that's what this was all about, but it's still fucking astonishing that that's what this was all about.
posted by penduluum at 11:28 AM on June 1, 2017 [36 favorites]

White House energy policy adviser Michael Catanzaro confirmed that “the United States is getting out of the Paris agreement.” Trump, Catanzaro said, “will be open to and will immediately be looking for a better deal.”

Because the other nations of the world are going to be just eager to negotiate with the US, Trump having demonstrated its trustworthiness so effectively.

Pro tip: "I do not feel bound by international agreements" is not an advantageous negotiating position in global diplomacy.

Feh.
posted by Gelatin at 11:28 AM on June 1, 2017 [49 favorites]

Pro tip: "I do not feel bound by international agreements" is not an advantageous negotiating position in global diplomacy.

Well, first we have to deal with the fact that he doesn't even know what "global diplomacy" means.
posted by Melismata at 11:31 AM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

What does he mean by "a better deal"?

Pay me or planet gets it?
posted by notyou at 11:33 AM on June 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

iceberg about the size of the state of Delaware

I miss when 'Rhode Island' was the unit of measurement for this shit

Just to make this crystal clear, Rhode Island has a total area of 1,545.05 square miles. Delaware is 2,489.27. Next come icebergs the size of Connecticut (5,543.33), New Jersey (8,721.30) and New Hampshire (9,349.94).
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:33 AM on June 1, 2017 [15 favorites]

I mean, I knew that's what this was all about, but it's still fucking astonishing that that's what this was all about.

Well, you know. Obama did make fun of him that one time, so of course he's going to undo every single thing the administration did. Surely you can't hold that against him.
posted by holborne at 11:33 AM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

Massive crack in Antarctica ice shelf grows 11 miles in only 6 days

*sips coffee from mug*

that's okay, things are going to be okay
posted by entropicamericana at 11:34 AM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

But we’re going to make very clear to the world that we’re not going to be abiding by what the previous administration agreed to.

I mean, I knew that's what this was all about, but it's still fucking astonishing that that's what this was all about.

And not only that, but the phrasing (Phrasing!) makes it obvious that sticking it to Obama and libruls isn't even the priority, just looking like they are. Trump doesn't give a fuck or believe anything about climate change (or anything else) one way or another. The sole goal is being popular with his fanclub, and it's probably extra fun for him if he can damage them while they adulate him, as he's doing with this decision.
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:34 AM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

will be open to and will immediately be looking for a better deal

A Dog, to whom the butcher had thrown a bone, was hurrying home with his prize as fast as he could go. As he crossed a narrow footbridge, he happened to look down and saw himself reflected in the quiet water as if in a mirror. But the greedy Dog thought he saw a real Dog carrying a bone much bigger than his own.

If he had stopped to think he would have known better. But instead of thinking, he dropped his bone and sprang at the Dog in the river, only to find himself swimming for dear life to reach the shore. At last he managed to scramble out, and as he stood sadly thinking about the good bone he had lost, he realized what a stupid Dog he had been.

posted by melissasaurus at 11:34 AM on June 1, 2017 [48 favorites]

The timeline is perfect Trumpism: hit the big red button now and produce copious amounts of liberal tears, then actually punt on doing anything for four years, because this is a man who has never looked more than 12 seconds into the future for anything. He gets to say he's fulfilled his campaign promise, yet just won't bother actually doing any of the work to follow-up and negotiate anything new.
posted by zachlipton at 11:35 AM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

Pay me or planet gets it?

There's no better deal to be had. If the United States decides to fuck everyone then everyone will accelerate carbon tariffs. The only thing that the United States can do in response is to further withdraw from the International economic community which will only further jeopardize the Unites States's special position as the bedrock of the world's economy.

Xi Jinping must be laughing his fucking ass off that Chinese hegemony is coming so quickly and smoothly and all it's literally going to cost him are Chinese trademarks to Trump. The United States is immolating itself on the world stage out of sheer fucking spite.
posted by Talez at 11:35 AM on June 1, 2017 [46 favorites]

What does he mean by "a better deal"?

It's his brand, that's all -- "I negotiate better deals." He's been so hopped up for the past 35 years on this completely spurious self-image as a big swinging dick dealmaker that it's just what he says every time, no matter what the circumstance. It's his entire shtick. His base doesn't care that it's horseshit because libtard tears are sweet.
posted by holborne at 11:36 AM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

Next up:
President Trump Makes a Statement Regarding the Paris Accord
posted by kuatto at 11:36 AM on June 1, 2017

The timeline is perfect Trumpism: hit the big red button now and produce copious amounts of liberal tears, then actually punt on doing anything for four years, because this is a man who has never looked more than 12 seconds into the future for anything. He gets to say he's fulfilled his campaign promise, yet just won't bother actually doing any of the work to follow-up and negotiate anything new.

Exactly. He and his goons probably won't even follow through on the Parexit process, just make vague noises about initiating it and then let it sit there until 2020.
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:37 AM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

Well, we're about to provide prima facie evidence for why government, and the earth, cannot be "run like a business".
posted by Dashy at 11:38 AM on June 1, 2017 [11 favorites]

Just to make this crystal clear, Rhode Island has a total area of 1,545.05 square miles. Delaware is 2,489.27. Next come icebergs the size of Connecticut (5,543.33), New Jersey (8,721.30) and New Hampshire (9,349.94).

I love Metafilter!
posted by Melismata at 11:38 AM on June 1, 2017 [10 favorites]

Why are people still losing their minds over Hillary?

@peterdaou
Hillary is the woman who has the guts to say 'I was treated unfairly and the less-qualified male got the position I earned.' That scares men
posted by chris24 at 11:38 AM on June 1, 2017 [131 favorites]

Walter Shaub has been a damn hero. It would be weird to send him fan mail, right?

I don't know zachlipton. In all seriousness, I think we'd be better off if it was more acceptable to send fan mail to the Office of Government Ethics than...whomever is the latest heartthrob.
posted by Sophie1 at 11:40 AM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

Well, first we have to deal with the fact that he doesn't even know what "global diplomacy" means.

Hey! Nobody excoriates global diplomacy more non-restrictively than President Trump!
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:42 AM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

Nobody excoriates global diplomacy more non-restrictively than President Trump!

Well, that doesn't fit the meter at all.
posted by Etrigan at 11:43 AM on June 1, 2017 [10 favorites]

Flynn was a wild man
posted by rc3spencer at 11:47 AM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

This fucking travesty comes with a Marine Band playing jazz (the Titanic comparison has already been made).
posted by zachlipton at 11:50 AM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

no one tweets like don trump
burns good meats like don trump
on climate change no one retreats like don trump
he's especially fond of girls micturating
oh what a guy that don trump
posted by murphy slaw at 11:55 AM on June 1, 2017 [44 favorites]

Pardon my ignorance, as I don't know a ton about the agreement, but isn't the Paris agreement pretty much an aspirational mission statement without any meaningful obligations or enforcement mechanism or any meaningful commitment to do anything other than publicly say we want to do better? I'm having a hard time imagining how anyone could characterize it as a "deal" at all, let alone what might constitute a "better deal."

Yeah, pretty much. It's a set of nations coming together to say what reductions they plan to make, and having a framework for the next agreements. Everyone recognised it as the framework for future progress, but being able to tie governments to their public commitments has value.
posted by jaduncan at 11:57 AM on June 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

NYT: Trump to Say U.S. Will Start Years-Long Process to Withdraw From Paris Climate Agreement

President Trump will announce Thursday that he will withdraw the United States from participation in the Paris climate accord, weakening global efforts to combat climate change and siding with conservatives who argued that the landmark 2015 agreement was harming the economy, officials briefed on Capitol Hill said.

But he will stick to the process laid out in the Paris agreement, which President Barack Obama joined and most of the world has already ratified. That could take four years to complete, meaning a final decision would be up to the American voters in the next presidential election.
posted by reductiondesign at 12:00 PM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

This fucking travesty comes with a Marine Band playing jazz

Play us off, keyboard cat.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 12:02 PM on June 1, 2017 [17 favorites]

Pulling out of it is just needless dickbaggery that will make other countries think that there's not much point in depending on US commitments; there's pretty much nothing left that isn't partisan.

Part of me is suspicious that the 4 year delay for an exit was all but expressly designed to deal with a potential GWB 2.0 (again, innocent days) and see if the commitment to such a bad idea lasted more than a presidential term.
posted by jaduncan at 12:02 PM on June 1, 2017 [10 favorites]

That could take four years to complete, meaning a final decision would be up to the American voters in the next presidential election.

This and Single-Payer better be THE issues that Democrats run on in 2020, whoever the candidate is.
posted by TwoWordReview at 12:02 PM on June 1, 2017 [34 favorites]

From the guardian
"Of all issues, is there any one more ill-suited to Trump’s reality TV production aesthetic, which prizes moments of grandiose revelation, than climate change? A generational issue that will be with us no matter what happens with this afternoon’s presidential curtain-drop."
posted by lalochezia at 12:03 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

Unfortunately Russia actually thinks it can win Climate Change.

Moreso, Russia (Putin) is dependent upon accelerating climate change to leverage its geopolitical advantage. Russia's center of power as a land mass is two-fold: large advantage for land wars and massive natural resources. If the world moves to information-based warfare and renewable, sustainable energy sources, they will lose those two basic, geographical and geological advantages permanently.

Plus, there is so, so much money to be made: because of the melting of the arctic ice shelf, in 2013-14 Rosneft was able to locate and explore massive new sources of gas and oil--that's the source of the $500 billion deal that Rex Tillerson wrote between Exxon-Mobil and Rosneft (the Russians need Exxon's extraction technology), the deal that was stopped by Obama's 2014 sanctions. The sanctions, of course, were in response to Putin invading Ukraine, primarily to occupy the Crimean Peninsula. Why invade there? Because there's a lovely warm-water port right out in the Black Sea, for easy exporting.

This is probably the only reason why Tillerson is Secretary of State, and it's what many suspect as a prime mover in Russia helping Trump specifically, rather than Generic Clinton Opponent, in the U.S. election. (There is also the lingering matter of the recent, anonymous 19.5% sale of Rosneft.) People of the world who need to live on it without massive wealth need to understand: for the wealthiest people running the most powerful industries on the planet, climate change is a necessary feature, not a bug. It is an essential process for maintaining dependency on and dominance of oil and gas as our only viable, large-scale energy sources. They will fight any attempt at slowing or reversing climate change, or even development of sustainable energy technologies, as fiercely as possible and for as long as possible, even up to the point where they are loading onto the massive survival arks built for the super-rich and as the rest of us drown we kind of marvel that Roland Emmerich got it right after all.

No argument about climate change itself will be persuasive, because they're all just thrilled that they have the rest of us tied up fighting their obviously-cynical-and-fake denialism. As long as our energy is spent fighting their boogeyman, they will continue to destroy the planet for profit and power, and laugh while doing so. Climate change is great for (some) business, and these predatory, destructive fools need to have their bluff called and their real motivations laid bare.

But no worries: I'm sure the president will take care of it.
posted by LooseFilter at 12:03 PM on June 1, 2017 [119 favorites]

Does he realise America is on Earth?
posted by adept256 at 12:05 PM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

And now, behold the moderating influence of Jared, Ivanka, Gary Cohn, and Elon Musk.

(Just like the fully-operational Death Star.)
posted by RedOrGreen at 12:06 PM on June 1, 2017 [14 favorites]

Alex Pareene in Fusion: Stop Enabling the Nihilist Republican Shrug

It is, finally, true that all of that is good for Republicans, and it is undeniably true that it vindicates their strategy, such as it was, of downplaying the seriousness of Gianforte’s assault or simply refusing to respond to it at all. That turned out to be a real “win” for the GOP. Where Chris falters, as usual, is in his refusal (or inability) to apply any moral stance to his analysis, or to think through its obvious and dire implications—yes, Republicans certainly “bet right” by trying to deny the story oxygen until it simply fades away, but is that, perhaps, Not Great For the Country?

A principled political observer would see what Cillizza saw and perhaps ask about the implications of that Republican “bet”—that so long as plainly incompetent or even dangerous persons are necessary for Republicans to cling to power, almost any misdeeds by those persons, from corruption down to violent assault, must be spun away or ignored. It is a blanket “no comment” on all of the many things that badly need to be commented on by people with power and influence in the GOP. It is a party-wide abdication of responsibility—a cynical shrug.

Republicans have few options other than the shrug, because their hold on power is tenuous and democratically illegitimate. A confident governing coalition can afford to throw its most problematic elements overboard. The GOP needs every last thug and cretin. It is a minority party; a coalition of the rich and the old, furiously exploiting every advantage—an endless supply of robber baron money, nakedly racist gerrymandering and redistricting, the purposefully undemocratic nature of our electoral systems, mass incarceration and disenfranchisement, outright voter suppression, and now a mass campaign of deportation and terror explicitly intended to halt the browning of the United States—to hold back the masses that oppose their toxic and unpopular ideology.

[...]

The Cillizzas of the world keep letting conservatives get away with anything and then marveling that conservatives seem to be able to get away with anything.

posted by Rustic Etruscan at 12:06 PM on June 1, 2017 [38 favorites]

This fucking travesty comes with a Marine Band playing jazz

@ExumAM
Those are Marines, no doubt excited by what more of the world being covered in water will mean for their budget.
posted by jaduncan at 12:09 PM on June 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

The inevitable economic collapse of the US economy is likely going to be the single biggest factor in slowing down carbon emissions, so we'll be living up to our commitments whether we like it or not.
posted by OHenryPacey at 12:10 PM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

And now, behold the moderating influence of Jared, Ivanka, Gary Cohn, and Elon Musk.

you forgot "mad dog"
posted by entropicamericana at 12:14 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

Dino Grandoni, WaPo: The Energy 202: Trump made up his mind on Paris. Now the rest of the world will do the same on him.

This was written before this afternoon's announcement, but makes the point that:

But there are many, many other issues — such as fighting terrorism, containing North Korea and winning better trade deals for U.S. companies and workers — that Trump deeply cares about but that require cooperation from abroad. Each of Trump's foreign-policy goals is made more challenging by his choice to signal to the world that the United States may or may not keep its word when it comes to international treaties. [their emphasis]

And if there's any justice in this world, Trump's business dealings abroad would be made more challenging for similar reasons.
posted by ZeusHumms at 12:16 PM on June 1, 2017 [33 favorites]

> you forgot "mad dog"

now, now, that's not the nickname he prefers. He actually goes by his callsign: Chaos.

apparently it stands for "colonel has another outstanding suggestion"
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 12:18 PM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

well, since the federal government is going to drag their feet on climate change for the duration of this administration, it's up to the states, and california has some good news today:

'World's Most Ambitious Target' to Go 100% Renewables Just Passed the California Senate

California took a major step in ditching fossil fuels after the state Senate passed a bill Wednesday that aims for 100 percent renewable energy by 2045. The legislation, Senate Bill 100, was approved with a 25-13 vote.

posted by murphy slaw at 12:19 PM on June 1, 2017 [61 favorites]

This is probably the only reason why Tillerson is Secretary of State

The Washington Post article linked above noted:

Concern over the diplomatic fallout was enough to put the former chief executive of ExxonMobil — Rex Tillerson, who is now Trump's secretary of state — in the pro-Paris camp.

posted by ZeusHumms at 12:25 PM on June 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

There are reportedly teleprompter issues that are partly responsible for this ridiculous delay.

[insert some snark here about how Trump used to shout about hating teleprompters while using them]
posted by zachlipton at 12:28 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

I encourage each of you to contact your state representatives to follow NYC in calling for a bill/pledge/plan to abide by the guidelines set by the Paris Agreement.
posted by rabidsegue at 12:31 PM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

The Weather Channel home page is not fucking around.
posted by Etrigan at 12:34 PM on June 1, 2017 [95 favorites]

"It's terrible the terror the world is experiencing."

Mister President, you don't know how right you are.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:34 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

There are reportedly teleprompter issues that are partly responsible for this ridiculous delay.

It takes time to translate from Covfefe.

And now he's doing a Maddow. Just tell us.
posted by adept256 at 12:34 PM on June 1, 2017

I have zero doubt that he has instructed his staff to applaud this announcement.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:36 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

FUCK HIM.
posted by jaduncan at 12:36 PM on June 1, 2017 [23 favorites]

Who are the fucking morons whooping and hollering at Trump's dumb words?
posted by OverlappingElvis at 12:37 PM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

Current headline on stuff site sums it up succinctly: Live: US stiffs world
posted by piyushnz at 12:37 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

I apologize for my earlier moment of hope that Trump might take the path of least resistance that all reasonable actors demand he take, and will try to be more careful in future.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:37 PM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

Holy shit the hooting hollering and clapping at the announcement that he's going to withdraw.

Wooo! Destroying the future! Dystopia! Apocalypse! Yay! Woo!

I feel like I'm having an out of body experience. This can't be real.
posted by dis_integration at 12:38 PM on June 1, 2017 [23 favorites]

FUCK HIM.
posted by a complicated history at 12:38 PM on June 1, 2017 [10 favorites]

What Megyn Kelly didn't tell Today show viewers about the "Russian broadcaster" she interviewed

She wishes she knew how to quit Ailes...
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:38 PM on June 1, 2017

> Alex Pareene in Fusion: Stop Enabling the Nihilist Republican Shrug

This is pretty rich coming from Pareene, who had a platform during the 2016 election where he could have shown enthusiastic support for Trump's electoral opponent, but could barely muster a shrug of his own. Yes, Cillizza is awful, but we might not be in this mess if the Pareenes of the world had taken Trump as seriously as they're now demanding Republicans take him.
posted by tonycpsu at 12:39 PM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

As everyone is asking at once right now, how can the Paris Accord be both "non-binding" and "draconian" in the same sentence?
posted by zachlipton at 12:41 PM on June 1, 2017 [67 favorites]

You know I'm automatically attracted to life-bearing planets. I just increase their atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases. I don't even wait. And when you're a world leader, they let you do it. You can do anything.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:42 PM on June 1, 2017 [14 favorites]

Oh FFS the mines aren't going to reopen.
posted by adept256 at 12:42 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

Daniel Dale: Trump announces the US will stop its $3B contribution to the Green Climate Fund that helps poor countries move to cleaner energy.

I have never in my life been more embarrassed to be American, and that says a LOT.
posted by marshmallow peep at 12:42 PM on June 1, 2017 [71 favorites]

Oh FFS the mines aren't going to reopen.

No no, he just said there's going to be a big new opening next week! A flagship location even!
posted by OverlappingElvis at 12:42 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

apparently $3B is "billions and billions and billions" of dollars.
posted by piyushnz at 12:43 PM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

Anyone have talking points to send to my shithead (R) congresscritters on this Paris Agreement bullshit? Something I can type into resistbot that is more fleshed out than "I do not agree with the opinions/policies of the President regarding the withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. I expect you to publicly oppose withdrawal as well, as dropping out of the agreement will harm our state, your constituents, the country and the world". Although for as much good as it will do, I suppose that's enough.

The comment above about following NYC to abide by it anyway is useful.

At this point there's so much to say about it, and I honestly don't trust myself to think straight enough to entirely make sense.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 12:43 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Did he just say this is less about the climate and other countries gaining a financial edge over us? Fuck this guy.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 12:44 PM on June 1, 2017 [13 favorites]

This bit about an international conspiracy against the US is classically fascist.
posted by jaduncan at 12:44 PM on June 1, 2017 [71 favorites]

The Guardian news alert is super-harsh: "Donald Trump pulls US out of Paris climate deal, prioritising American jobs over the future of the planet."

What a clusterfuck. What an embarrassment. What an utter moral failure.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 12:46 PM on June 1, 2017 [81 favorites]

Did he just say this is less about the climate and other countries gaining a financial edge over us? Fuck this guy.

"The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive."

Has he ever actually retracted this claim?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:46 PM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

Did he just say this is less about the climate and other countries gaining a financial edge over us? Fuck this guy.

unlike the financial advantage they're going to have over us when they slap massive carbon tariffs on our exports?
posted by murphy slaw at 12:46 PM on June 1, 2017 [12 favorites]

This is honestly the most sick and depressed I've felt since the actual election results. Fuck him and his sycophants so very hard.
posted by Salieri at 12:47 PM on June 1, 2017 [12 favorites]

In other news: Crack in antarctica expands 11 miles in 6 days
posted by dis_integration at 12:47 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

No no, he just said there's going to be a big new opening next week! A flagship location even!

He's gonna build big hotels at old mine sites, see, and then he'll hire poor people to play-act as coal miners and charge tourists a boatload to come and see the Real Americans. You can ride through a real coal mine on a little train, watch mining disaster re-enactments with real injuries and deaths, and buy Trump/USA branded merch at the Company Store.
posted by contraption at 12:48 PM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

well, since the federal government is going to drag their feet on climate change for the duration of this administration, it's up to the states, and california has some good news today:

California is almost there getting 4/5ths of its power from renewables on record days.
posted by Talez at 12:48 PM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

> The Guardian news alert is super-harsh: "Donald Trump pulls US out of Paris climate deal, prioritising American jobs over the future of the planet."

That actually seems like a charitable take to me, because it leaves his contention that this decision will be good for American jobs unchallenged.
posted by tonycpsu at 12:49 PM on June 1, 2017 [62 favorites]

Who does he think "the people who represent the Paris Accord" are exactly?
posted by OverlappingElvis at 12:49 PM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

You can ride through a real coal mine on a little train, watch mining disaster re-enactments with real injuries and deaths, and buy Trump/USA branded merch at the Company Store.

...but only with scrip, o' course.
posted by wenestvedt at 12:49 PM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

What happened to Ivanka and Jared, the Voices Of Reason?
posted by Room 641-A at 12:50 PM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

Oh, there's the "hidden group of global activists putting their wealth before the country" line. I wonder who those could be?
posted by OverlappingElvis at 12:52 PM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

We're going to be the cleanest, we going to do it better. And fairer for everyone. [paraphrased]

We remember when you said that about Obamacare. We've seen this trick, how many times are people going to fall for this?
posted by adept256 at 12:52 PM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

So is someone working on an equivalent of MeFi Favorite "this is not a place of honor" to hopefully leave a message that survives us as a culture (possibly as a species) to warn those who come later?

We need something that will withstand the millennia that can succinctly explain how it turns out if you let a tumor like the modern conservative movement fester in its own media and cultural echo chamber, it can convince ostensibly semi-rational beings to self-destruct a whole fucking planet (killing themselves in the process) for the smug satisfaction of sticking it to the other guy.
posted by tocts at 12:52 PM on June 1, 2017 [10 favorites]

The Guardian news alert is super-harsh: "Donald Trump pulls US out of Paris climate deal, prioritising American jobs over the future of the planet."

Not even actual American jobs; as many have noted, coal jobs have been disappearing due to market forces for years, and clean energy promises jobs, too. He prioritizes the empty, false promise of American jobs over the future of the planet, because that's what the nihilistic, decadent rhetoric of the Republicans have led them all to.
posted by Gelatin at 12:52 PM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

Welp, I think we can officially retire our label as a world superpower.
posted by Autumnheart at 12:53 PM on June 1, 2017 [27 favorites]

Oh, I get it, he thinks the Paris Accords are actually about the city of Paris. What a shitstain.
posted by OverlappingElvis at 12:53 PM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

"Pittsburgh not Paris"

Pittsburgh didn't fucking vote for you, and doesn't have a coal economy anymore, you idiot. Holy shit I'm seeing red.
posted by dis_integration at 12:53 PM on June 1, 2017 [85 favorites]

A conspiracy of policial influence? Global activists? America first? America being laughed at?

My dog is twitching. Not sure why.
posted by jaduncan at 12:53 PM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

What happened to Ivanka and Jared, the Voices Of Reason?

I preferred their early stuff. They sold out, man.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:54 PM on June 1, 2017 [10 favorites]

Man, the D really hates to be laughed at.
posted by stonepharisee at 12:55 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

oh my fucking god i can't deal with his enunciation of the word billions one more time
posted by Vic Morrow's Personal Vietnam at 12:55 PM on June 1, 2017

So is someone working on an equivalent of MeFi Favorite "this is not a place of honor" to hopefully leave a message that survives us as a culture (possibly as a species) to warn those who come later?

It's an utterly pointless exercise. We can't even listen to our own experts. What's going to change to get people to listen to experts of an ancient civilization?
posted by Talez at 12:55 PM on June 1, 2017

I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT. What planet does this man live on?
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 12:55 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

If only they had named the accords after a less fruity city, like Chattanooga or Vladivostok
posted by theodolite at 12:55 PM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

> Welp, I think we can officially retire our label as a world superpower.

I mean on the one hand thank god, but on the other hand our death throes might take everyone else down with us.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 12:56 PM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

Yeah, Trump and the Republican party do not give one-quarter of a shit about American jobs. I'm sure the Guardian thinks they're being harsh, but reparroting a piece of Republican propaganda right there in the headline is still working in the Republican party's favor. Fucking report the truth: "Donald Trump pulls US out of Paris climate deal, prioritising short-term gain for himself and his cronies over the future of the planet and the American economy."
posted by IAmUnaware at 12:56 PM on June 1, 2017 [15 favorites]

I can't believe he said "Our tax bill is moving along in Congress and I believe it's doing very well."

It doesn't exist. It's not moving along at all because it hasn't been written, let alone introduced, let alone moving through any kind of Schoolhouse Rock-like process.
posted by zachlipton at 12:56 PM on June 1, 2017 [53 favorites]

"I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris."

HOLY SHIT FUCK THIS GUY SO HARD

WE DID NOT VOTE FOR YOU. WE DO NOT WANT YOU. WE NEVER WANTED YOU. FUCK OFF AND WHEN YOU ARE DONE FUCKING OFF, FUCK OFF SOME MORE YOU UNHOLY JAGOFF
posted by soren_lorensen at 12:57 PM on June 1, 2017 [138 favorites]

"belee me" is my favorie Trump contribution to the English language
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 12:57 PM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

Depressing as this announcement is, I still have hope that in the next few years the presidency can by won by someone who regards scientific consensus on issues of vital national security as something other than a hoax.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:58 PM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

Well, it's been nice knowing you all.

See you on the other side.
posted by Capt. Renault at 12:59 PM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

We can't even listen to our own experts. What's going to change to get people to listen to experts of an ancient civilization?

We could put up a statue with "Look on my works and despair" so that at least future writers can use it as a metaphor/irony or something.
posted by drezdn at 12:59 PM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

every Pittsburgh MeFite right now
posted by tonycpsu at 12:59 PM on June 1, 2017 [29 favorites]

I did not think it was possible for me to be any more furious, upset, and nauseous over Trump, climate change, and Trump's climate change denial but the fact that he put the name of my city in his mouth in the service of this horrific bullshit just has me right over the damn edge
posted by soren_lorensen at 1:00 PM on June 1, 2017 [18 favorites]

I think this will kill the dollar in its role as the standard currency, against which all others are measured. That role demands at least the pretence of a willingness to be virtuous in a global manner. T has abdicated that utterly.
posted by stonepharisee at 1:00 PM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

The statement "Donald Trump is the single most dangerous person in the world" sounds less weird than it did this morning.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:01 PM on June 1, 2017 [24 favorites]

'There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."'

Isaac Asimov, Column in Newsweek (21 January 1980)
posted by lalochezia at 1:01 PM on June 1, 2017 [102 favorites]

tonycpsu: "every Pittsburgh MeFite right now"

There's no need to understate our feelings.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:01 PM on June 1, 2017 [27 favorites]

So that's shit obviously. In such serious times could a state govenor negotiate to sign the Paris accord?
posted by meech at 1:02 PM on June 1, 2017

I swear, everything these Republican monsters do is about killing us. On healthcare, on hate crimes/civil rights, on immigration, on climate. All of it. These decisions are literally going to kill us. And fuck, we knew, we knew. Plenty of us were screaming about it, plenty of us said the stakes were that high. And yet. Doesn't matter, those liberals are just whining! Aren't their tears delicious? These selfish, venal, depraved, moral black holes. I will never forgive them a single bit of it, ever, for the rest of our undoubtedly shorter lives.
posted by yasaman at 1:02 PM on June 1, 2017 [46 favorites]

Fun to stream the pots-n-pans noise over this Pruitt shit.
posted by stonepharisee at 1:02 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

>Putin hints that Russian hackers helped Trump

Back in November, right after the election, one of Putin's top advisers told a Guardian reporter that “maybe we helped a bit with WikiLeaks."

It's part of Russia's tactics -- youi want deniability while still letting people know you did it. Classic intimidation teechnique: "It would be a real shame if a fire were to break out in your nice store here."
posted by msalt at 1:02 PM on June 1, 2017 [22 favorites]

I'm planting a fucking fig tree and a fucking magnolia in my soon-to-be-climate-zone-goddamned-ten yard this weekend because if this is how we're going out by christ I'm doing it with my fingernails caked with dirt. I was going to plant them anyway, but now that activity has the additional appeal of blinding, shrieking rage.
posted by penduluum at 1:02 PM on June 1, 2017 [26 favorites]

This has cemented something that has been gaining steam since the election: The US is no longer to be trusted.
posted by azpenguin at 1:02 PM on June 1, 2017 [21 favorites]

The common theme of his speech was the same common theme that underlies every bit of his life: other people/countries are laughing at him/us, and he's not going to let that happen.

What the hell did his father do to him?
posted by zachlipton at 1:03 PM on June 1, 2017 [65 favorites]

I'm going to a State Rep town hall tonight (Dom Costa, come on down--or don't, feel free to ignore your constituency, it's fine, we're fine) and I am ready to open up with both fucking barrels on anyone who thinks any of this is even remotely okay.
posted by soren_lorensen at 1:04 PM on June 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

Man, I didn't think I could be angrier than after listening to Trump, but Scott Pruitt just cleared away that misconception.
posted by TwoWordReview at 1:04 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

They seated the cheering section in front of the press so he wouldn't hear the shouted questions as he left.
posted by zachlipton at 1:04 PM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

What the hell did his father do to him?

god if only the stuff in Inception the movie was real
could we incept a fucking clue
posted by lalochezia at 1:05 PM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

Billy Eichner: "So Kathy Griffin is more harmful to Barron Trump than global warming. Got it."
posted by Capt. Renault at 1:05 PM on June 1, 2017 [27 favorites]

In such serious times could a state govenor negotiate to sign the Paris accord?

I believe states can pass any emissions limits they want. A national policy is simply much more effective.

However, if a state were to see economic benefits from major increases in support for clean energy, more reluctant states might follow suit.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:07 PM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

The Mayor of Pittsburgh is extremely fast with the Twitters and is not having this: "Fact: Hillary Clinton received 80% of the vote in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh stands with the world & will follow Paris Agreement @HillaryClinton"
posted by zachlipton at 1:07 PM on June 1, 2017 [150 favorites]

> The common theme of his speech was the same common theme that underlies every bit of his life: other people/countries are laughing at him/us

Well, we are *now*.
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:07 PM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

Wait until reality finally bites for the populations of New Orleans and Miami (and, and, and).
posted by jaduncan at 1:08 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Poor Barron, watching the news that his father is killing the planet, believing for a moment that it might be true...
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:08 PM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

As Trump flushes any and all remnants of America's honor and credibility down the toilet, I must wonder what the Congressional Republicans think they're gaining.

Do they imagine that our nukes and/or (currently) dominant economy will allow the US to simply demand things of other nations even though those other nations know they cannot trust us?

Do they imagine that somehow the US is in possession of resources of some sort so precious that others will deal with us despite knowing they cannot trust us?

Or are they simply looking at the short term and going for whatever tax cuts and other things they can grab before being ousted and leaving the irrevocable loss of American credibility and honor for the Democrats to try and clean up?
posted by sotonohito at 1:08 PM on June 1, 2017 [23 favorites]

The Ways and Means Committee is continuing to develop tax reform legislation that includes a border adjustment tax, which is levied on imports and exempts exports, despite a lack of support from the Senate and the White House. [...] Passage of tax legislation that includes border adjustment is far from certain. Brady says the House will release a bill once there is a plan Republicans in the House, Senate and White House can all agree on. [...]

Senate Finance Committee aides are combing through all past tax proposals for ideas about how to proceed with overhauling the tax code, with an eye for provisions that could raise revenue, said Mark Prater, chief tax counsel for the Republicans on the committee. [...] The Senate so far hasn’t been keen on the border adjustment tax and eliminating the deductibility of interest, which are two of the main revenue raisers in the House plan. The Senate will have to identify other sources of revenue if it wants the plan to be revenue neutral, which is a condition for permanent tax changes through the budget reconciliation process.

So, not only do they not have a bill, they don't even have a vague idea of what to do or how to do it.
posted by melissasaurus at 1:08 PM on June 1, 2017 [27 favorites]

These people make Dick Cheney look like Mr. Rogers.
posted by Lyme Drop at 1:08 PM on June 1, 2017 [18 favorites]

I think the speechwriter chose Pittsburgh because of the harsh, manly consonants.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:09 PM on June 1, 2017 [11 favorites]

> "I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris."

I bet when his scriptwriters came up with that killer line (bro) they slammed a Dew and high fived like this.

Edited to add: lol "scriptwriters when I meant speechwriters"
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:10 PM on June 1, 2017 [23 favorites]

> The common theme of his speech was the same common theme that underlies every bit of his life: other people/countries are laughing at him/us

Well, we are *now*.

If you were laughing before, you shouldn't be laughing now. Without the US behind efforts to halt climate change, those efforts will almost certainly fail. So Trump has got the world to stop laughing at him the same way a bullied introvert gets the cool kids to stop laughing at him by murdering them all in a mass shooting.
posted by dis_integration at 1:10 PM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

So, not only do they not have a bill, they don't even have a vague idea of what to do or how to do it.

I am ok with this.
posted by emjaybee at 1:10 PM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

These people make Dick Cheney look like Mr. Rogers.

Dick Cheney, for better or worse, had a strategic vision that lasted more than the next 4 years.
posted by jaduncan at 1:10 PM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

The Mayor of Pittsburgh is extremely fast with the Twitters and is not having this: "Fact: Hillary Clinton received 80% of the vote in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh stands with the world & will follow Paris Agreement @HillaryClinton"

Yeah, if you only count how the people voted. I bet the land voted for Trump, like all the other land did.
posted by Etrigan at 1:11 PM on June 1, 2017 [23 favorites]

It's more of a "laughing to keep from crying" thing.
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:12 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

When he came here during the election, the shit he said in his "It's great to be back in.... ____PITTSBURGH_____" lines indicated quite embarrassingly and obviously that he has only a vague idea where Pittsburgh is and knows nothing about its people, economy or history.
posted by soren_lorensen at 1:13 PM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

Lieutenant Governor Newsom of California: CA stands united and recognizes our unique responsibility to increase our role as POTUS abdicates our nation's leadership. Statement
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:13 PM on June 1, 2017 [62 favorites]

all power to the municipal governments.

it's a real pity that oakland has a liberal mediocrity as mayor. if we had elected a legit radical last time around, the Oakland Commune would be putting up barricades right now.

fun fact: tip a google bus over and, voila, instant barricade!
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 1:14 PM on June 1, 2017 [10 favorites]

Goddamnit it's Kyoto all over again.
posted by joedan at 1:16 PM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

fun fact: tip a google bus over and, voila, instant barricade!
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 4:14 PM on June 1 [1 favorite +] [!]

Eponysterical.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 1:17 PM on June 1, 2017 [43 favorites]

will be open to and will immediately be looking for a better deal

What keeps intruding in my mind right now is that our young country essentially had just begun when the XYZ affair happened, and Talleyrand asked for a bribe to continue negotiations with the United States government. Our response then was unequivocal - the corruption of Old Europe was not to stain our nation's fresh soul.

Now, when Old Europe and the rest of the world is banding together to try to do better, this monster withdraws - not for noble reasons - but because not enough bribes are being placed in his corrupt, festering, claws.

This is the way the dream of America ends.
posted by corb at 1:18 PM on June 1, 2017 [47 favorites]

> Eponysterical.

yeah thankfully buick doesn't make luxury buses. otherwise we'd be in real trouble.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 1:18 PM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

HOLY SHIT FUCK THIS GUY SO HARD

WE DID NOT VOTE FOR YOU. WE DO NOT WANT YOU. WE NEVER WANTED YOU. FUCK OFF AND WHEN YOU ARE DONE FUCKING OFF, FUCK OFF SOME MORE YOU UNHOLY JAGOFF"

I want to register a new account just so I can favorite this comment again.
posted by octothorpe at 1:19 PM on June 1, 2017 [49 favorites]

"The lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our life-time", British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey, on the eve of the First World War.

Someone mentioned this quote in a prior thread, possibly as far back as the election, and it's been ringing in my head ever since. I feel it even more strongly today. Even if Trump and all of his cronies were somehow, miraculously, removed from office tomorrow, the sheer amount of damage already done is staggering. Our reputation, world status, intelligence apparatus, etc. Unbelievable.
posted by skycrashesdown at 1:20 PM on June 1, 2017 [38 favorites]

Elon Musk has announced via Twitter that he is exiting economic council.
posted by Sophie1 at 1:21 PM on June 1, 2017 [30 favorites]

What happened to Ivanka and Jared, the Voices Of Reason?

It's Shavuot, and they used up their quota of Rabbinic Dispensations flying to Saudi Arabia on Shabbat.

I'm only half joking here, wasn't Jared supposed to be all gung-ho about moving the US embassy to Jerusalem? And today was the day Trump signed the waiver delaying it again?
posted by Joe in Australia at 1:22 PM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

If that seems at odds with Trump's previously-invoked call of 'state's right' to defend his actions in other areas, that's because it is at odds with that.

It's never state's rights when the states insist on doing librul things. Even Scalia, who made a vague effort at walking the walk, folded like a cheap table on that the moment an oz of marajuana was at stake.
posted by phearlez at 1:24 PM on June 1, 2017 [34 favorites]

Today would be a good day for Russia o'clock.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 1:25 PM on June 1, 2017 [19 favorites]

If that seems at odds with Trump's previously-invoked call of 'state's right' to defend his actions in other areas, that's because it is at odds with that.

Which is another reason for the media not to take Republicans' supposed belief in "states' rights" or "local control" any more seriously than anything else except their obsession with tax cuts.
posted by Gelatin at 1:26 PM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

Way, way back in what seems like years ago I and others talked about Trump and his isms leading to cities (and in some case their respective states) pushing against it and ending up with an evolution of the political structure of the US into a sort of modern day city state situation.

I still think this is possible but not inevitable. Pulling out of this accord has just given a big shove to the possible side. Several cities including Pittsburgh have already said they are going to work at holding the agreement. There are also numerous big, big businesses and industry who support it.

Stay tuned. I think we're going to see a whole bunch of 'fuck you Trump and Reps we're doing it anyway' organizing across smaller political entities like cities and big business (insurance industry anyone?). I think we're going to see some very interesting things happen and groups that we haven't seen normally working together figuring out how to just get things done.

Pulling out of the Paris Accord is further fracturing the US political and social structure because regardless of all of the GOP and Trumpie ballyhoo there are a shitload of people, groups, business and social entities that know that it has to be addressed.

I'm disappointed and truly sad about this but it is also doesn't mean that all in the US who have interests in dealing with climate change are just going to stop. It's possible that a lot of what Trump has done here is cede control over what is going to happen in ways that he and Bannon don't or can't understand and forsee.

Unfortunately on the negative side for the the little persons sake is that this could lead to a lot more corporate control and influence. It is not in the best interest of these massive companies to not do something about it/and or take advantage of all the economic disruption and social that is just inevitable and the changes speed up.
posted by Jalliah at 1:27 PM on June 1, 2017 [25 favorites]

Today would be a good day for Russia o'clock.

Hear fucking hear. Or here fucking here whatever the fucking right spelling is.
posted by yoga at 1:28 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

President Fuckface said, "...we will start to negotiate and we will see if we can make a deal that’s fair. If we can, that’s great. If we can’t, that’s fine.”

People, friends, heed these words: HE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT AMERICA. We don't even exist as a concept to this idiot. He really doesn't get there are people and jobs and families and lives out there. He sees this weird little world of his, much like any sociopath.

He lives in a genuinely insane fantasy world. We all know as sure as we know the sun rises in the east and sets in the west that he had NO IDEA what was even in the Paris Treaty. We KNOW this. Bannon told him to drop from this treaty and so he did because:

a) he doesn't know what the Paris Treaty is;
B) someone has ego-stroked him and played to his delusion -- he has been convinced that this is a deal he can make, completely forgetting that so far, he has been unable to make more than a handful of deals AT BEST because he's a moron.

And..."if we can't, that's fine," is f*cking chilling.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 1:29 PM on June 1, 2017 [54 favorites]

America has willingly (and gleefully, given the tone of that speech) forfeited its position as a world leader.

I think of my grandfather, who was working as a surgeon in Europe when the Red Army invaded. Ten years later he made it to America with his family, and here he became a doctor once again, working his way through a second internship. this country was a beacon of peace and progress to much of the world. brain drain was a real thing. and here we are, sixty years later, and brain drain is still a real thing, and it is probably going to reverse course pretty soon.

I'm a climate scientist, and I have not forgotten Emmanuel Macron's offer. Science budgets are going to get squeezed tighter and tighter under this administration. Not just climate science, either -- if Trump gets his way with the budget, the NIH will be cut by 22%, NASA Earth Science by 9%, the DOE's Office of Science by 17%, the NSF (one of the backbones of academic science funding) by 13%, the Department of Agriculture by 11%, the National Weather Service by 6% (including elimination of a tsunami preparedness program), the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service by 17%... what's truly baffling is that many of these departments are doing non-partisan, non-propagandized research. Like, exactly which segment of your constituency likes the fact that you're gutting cancer research at the NIH?
posted by Vic Morrow's Personal Vietnam at 1:30 PM on June 1, 2017 [87 favorites]

Pulling out of the Paris Accord is further fracturing the US political and social structure because regardless of all of the GOP and Trumpie ballyhoo there are a shitload of people, groups, business and social entities that know that it has to be addressed.

Which means that between that and the international loss of face, Trump pulling out is basically a win for Putin's Russia.
posted by Gelatin at 1:30 PM on June 1, 2017

Putin's "wink wink; if I did it" was already an early morning Russia-o-clock.
posted by zachlipton at 1:30 PM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

Stay tuned. I think we're going to see a whole bunch of 'fuck you Trump and Reps we're doing it anyway' organizing across smaller political entities like cities

I think there'll be a lot of this, yeah. But another of the shitty battlegrounds right now is the R movement for state-level preemption bills to block cities from implementing progressive policies. Minnesota, for instance, is currently staggering out of a disastrous legislative session that got kneecapped at the end by a bunch of obnoxious preemption bills that prevent Minneapolis from banning plastic bags or enacting a bunch of workplace reforms. You can bet cash money* that this'll happen as cities try to establish their own climate policies.

*you pick the currency, keeping in mind that the dollar might be due for some reevaluation in the medium-term future
posted by the phlegmatic king at 1:32 PM on June 1, 2017 [12 favorites]

I'm already pretty furious, but I'm so annoyed at the media picking up on the 'Pittsburgh not Paris' line, instead of pointing out that he lied about the likely warming effects, probably lied about the supposed costs, almost certainly lied about the overall economic impacts and in general doesn't have a clue about what he's talking about.
posted by TwoWordReview at 1:32 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

*Trump tries to ban Muslims, throw 23 million off health care*

Elon: Cool cool

*Trump threatens electric cars*

Elon: You've gone too far
posted by entropicamericana at 1:32 PM on June 1, 2017 [93 favorites]

And..."if we can't, that's fine," is f*cking chilling.

@realDonaldTrump
They will soon be calling me MR. BREXIT!
1:11 PM - 18 Aug 2016
posted by jaduncan at 1:33 PM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

> state-level preemption bills to block cities from implementing progressive policies.

Other than "fuck you, that's why" and "delicious liberal tears", which I understand is justification enough - what's the formal logic behind these bills?
posted by RedOrGreen at 1:35 PM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

Better no deal than a bad deal, eh? That sounds familiar.

My parochial fear - apart from the one that you have a man who redefines the term 'banality of evil' running your country, and that he is being used by truly macabre forces to spread chaos and misery - is that we'll see the UK go the same way.

Oh, wait.

Because hey, no deal with Europe is better than a bad deal, and who are we going to turn to then?

Special relationship.

Pass the fucking gin, Maureen.
posted by Devonian at 1:36 PM on June 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

And to add for my above comment. I firmly believe that history is going to mark this day as the day that Trump and the GOP threw the first shot in the Climate Wars of the 21st cen and started a modern day civil war - climate version in the US. For now it's a cold war and will simmer slowly for a while hopefully it won't ever get hot, but yeah this is what is essentially going on here.
posted by Jalliah at 1:37 PM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

> state-level preemption bills to block cities from implementing progressive policies.

Other than "fuck you, that's why" and "delicious liberal tears", which I understand is justification enough - what's the formal logic behind these bills?

Because local control is only a thing the conservatives like when they control the localities. When some of these liberal enclaves get uppity, then pre-emption is how they stop laws they don't like even though they don't control the government in those cities and counties. Here in Tucson, a liberal oasis in red Arizona, we've had a lot of pre-emption laws targeting us lately.
posted by azpenguin at 1:38 PM on June 1, 2017 [32 favorites]

Other than "fuck you, that's why" and "delicious liberal tears", which I understand is justification enough - what's the formal logic behind these bills?

That it makes enforcement of the laws too difficult. Which, when you drill down on that, comes out as "We already have a crazy patchwork of local, county, state and federal laws that creates a lot of bureaucracy and red tape, but that's fine when we like those laws. Instituting a living wage in one place but not another is just a step too far, lads."
posted by soren_lorensen at 1:38 PM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

> narratives about why we should stay in, not shifting the topic to Generic_New_Scandal.

The problem is, there are so many Trump scandals that trying to keep them all straight is like watching a fan speed up to the point where the blades become invisible to the naked eye.
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:38 PM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

Riane Konc, New Yorker: Covfefe…For Her

Covfefe is for the determined. For the woman who still insists on pronouncing the $ in Ke$ha, even though it’s just Kesha now.

Covfefe is for the innovator. For the woman who doesn’t have time to go to the gym but still wants to feel like she has strong biceps, so she grabs a bird and throws it and says, “Wow, look how far I threw that bird” as it flies away.

Covfefe is for the flat-earthers. For the woman who doesn’t just believe what she’s told. We salute you, freethinker. We see you on the basketball court, trying to dribble a Frisbee. You’re a Covfefe woman.

posted by Johnny Wallflower at 1:38 PM on June 1, 2017 [16 favorites]

Other than "fuck you, that's why" and "delicious liberal tears", which I understand is justification enough - what's the formal logic behind these bills?
posted by RedOrGreen

Honestly, I think it's mostly those two reasons. In our case, the MN Chamber of Commerce is a big booster of statewide preemption bills, so mmmmaybe you can make an argument that large corporations who operate in the city find it easier to deal with the state legislature than with the Minneapolis city council, but I really think it mostly comes down to "fuck the big-city libs."
posted by the phlegmatic king at 1:40 PM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

And Der Spiegel wraps it up. (SLTwitter)
posted by Sophie1 at 1:41 PM on June 1, 2017 [16 favorites]

One more:
Covfefe for Men. It’s prescription-strength P.M.S. medication for her . . . for him.
posted by stonepharisee at 1:42 PM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

WSJ reporter states that Ivanka and Jared skipped Rose Garden event. Ivanka was home for Shavuot and Jared had "longstanding meeting w/someone from out of town." [real] Which I can only assume is a Russian spy.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 1:42 PM on June 1, 2017 [19 favorites]

DHS Secretary Kelly Releases Hurricane Preparedness Video
For Immediate Release [completely real timing]
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 1:44 PM on June 1, 2017 [10 favorites]

Ivanka was home for Shavuot

Sticking blintzes in champagne flutes, I imagine.
posted by Sophie1 at 1:45 PM on June 1, 2017 [12 favorites]

And on thinking more the US has also made itself way less secure. Not so much in the near future but because the consequences of climate change are only going to get more and more severe as time goes on.
Think on how the rest of the world is going to end up looking at the US as this happens. Think of how other powers are going to use this in order to gain advantage and convince people that the US is the enemy and evil. As things progress Trump and the GOP have put themselves at the center of the bullseye of those who what to put the blame all the shit that's going to happen.
posted by Jalliah at 1:47 PM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

The Department of Defence is still on board with climate change being a major global instability factor right?
posted by PenDevil at 1:48 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

Elon: You've gone too far

Stolen and tweeted at Elon!
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 1:49 PM on June 1, 2017 [10 favorites]

Sticking blintzes in champagne flutes, I imagine.

All kidding aside I'm sure the cheesecake in the Trump-Kushner household is to die for.
posted by OverlappingElvis at 1:49 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Leader of the free world.

@AP
BREAKING: German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she regrets US climate move, will keep working to 'save our Earth.'
posted by chris24 at 1:50 PM on June 1, 2017 [73 favorites]

The Department of Defence is still on board with climate change being a major global instability factor right?

Yes, but they're working with a skeleton crew because they won't take Trump political appointees, and I'm not sure how much they can actually do to mitigate it other than change their ordering processes to be more green, which they're already doing.
posted by corb at 1:50 PM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

Hurricane preparedness. Well, it'll be interesting to see how those local populations react when their cities rack up billions of dollars in damages during hurricane season, and the sum of Trump's response is, "Gee, that's too bad."
posted by Autumnheart at 1:51 PM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

COVFEFE IS FOR CLOSERS.
posted by loquacious at 1:52 PM on June 1, 2017 [20 favorites]

Mr Trump suggested that other nations were “laughing” at the US and that the accord was “about other countries gaining an advantage over the United States. At what point does America get demeaned? At what point do they start laughing at us as a country?” Mr Trump said.

We started laughing at you on November 8, 2016. The demeaning started a little later, on January 20th, 2017. But hey! At least we'll always have Paris, right Donny?
posted by Effigy2000 at 1:54 PM on June 1, 2017 [38 favorites]

Hurricane preparedness. Well, it'll be interesting to see how those local populations react when their cities rack up billions of dollars in damages during hurricane season, and the sum of Trump's response is, "Gee, that's too bad."

Don't worry, they're already doing this.
posted by OverlappingElvis at 1:55 PM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

will keep working to 'save our Earth.'

I wish we could get everyone over to saying "keep Earth livable" or the like. Aside from the fact that a big swathe of the population clearly DGAF about the idea of preserving an ecosystem, it bugs my petty inner pedant. The earth will adapt. We'll die and take a lot of species with us, but Earth will go on. It just may not be a place my kid can still live on.
posted by phearlez at 1:56 PM on June 1, 2017 [11 favorites]

The Department of Defence is still on board with climate change being a major global instability factor right?

Yes, but they won't be able to call it that, I suspect. Watch for language like encroachment, which refers to environmental issues reducing their ability to use/access their training lands. This historically meant endangered species habitat or archaeological sites, but could also be used to mean "this area is subject to severe flooding, which we expect to get worse over time".
posted by suelac at 1:57 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT

He doesn't know what he's talking about, either.
posted by Melismata at 1:58 PM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

Former Clinton adviser Jesse Ferguson in Politico: Democrats’ Secret Weapon: Romney Voters

All that having been said, there’s a difference between Republicans turning off these voters and Democrats gaining their support—and the latter will not happen unless we Democrats make a concerted effort.

Winning these voters doesn’t mean that we have to change our agenda. Rather, we have talk about the type of quality-of-life issues that matter to these suburban voters—which means advocating our same policy priorities in tailored ways. For example, most Democrats are committed to a robust investment in infrastructure—and that shouldn’t change. The difference may be in the way we talk about that idea to voters who are on the fence: Obama-Trump voters may see the infrastructure plan in terms of its ability to create jobs, while Romney-Clinton voters see infrastructure’s appeal in boosted productivity and reduced amounts of time wasted each week stuck in rush-hour traffic. Democrats across the spectrum have increasingly found common ground in the fight for affordable college—an issue important to some voters because it’s their only chance to send their kids to college and important to others who are concerned that their college-bound children will be saddled with record levels of debt for decades.

"Believe me, going for Raytheon Acres and Lockheed Hills, VA is a winning strategy. My campaign might have targeted these voters and lost, but trust me: We will not need to change our agenda one bit to satisfy their conservatism."
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 1:59 PM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

He lied, he lied, he lied!!!! But as infuriating as it is, I can see how this works with his base, and right now they are the only people who count in his calculations. Not so much "haha liberal tears" as an entirely different and not at all fact-based understanding of the world and international cooperation. I have met enough Republicans to get why there was applause at that farcical imitation of a presidential speech, and I can see why nothing we could ever say would change that.
Trump's main focus right now is to keep the Republican voters engaged and positive. If they don't show at the 2018 elections, the impossible can happen. As everyone has said already here, gerrymandering and voter suppression means that it is virtually impossible for the Democratic party to turn Congress, but there is a real chance that Republicans can become so disillusioned that they won't show up. I'm sad to say that today's show was the perfect antidote to that disillusion. If I put on my MAGA hat, I forget everything I know and only watch Fox News and already suspect that the president is the victim of terrible pressure. Also, my racism applies not only to Americans that don't look like me, but also to everyone not-American, and I learnt during the Bush presidency that French people are just like Chinese or Black people. The speech very accurately pinpointed French, Chinese and not-white people.
He looked presidential! (I know, I know). Someone lauded him (I know, I know)
It was all very effective.

With this announcement, we are very, very far from Republican voters abandoning him, and that is what is needed for impeachment. There were no signs of dementia, which is what is needed for article 25. But, this is just a distraction from the whole Russia inquiry. No need to give up just jet.
posted by mumimor at 2:00 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

Yeah, so, the "Pittsburgh over Paris" line has nothing to do with Pittsburgh. It's using Pittsburgh as shorthand for blue-collar life, it's a dog whistle for his base. So is Paris, in this context. It's also being used as a dogwhistle to signal to his base that he doesn't give a shit about the elites, he's here for the little guy.

Remember, this guy is all about the spectacle. He's first and foremost a showman, and he's pandering to his loving fans.
posted by palomar at 2:00 PM on June 1, 2017 [16 favorites]

"The withdrawal puts the US in a dubious club with Nicaragua and Syria as the only countries to reject the agreement."

Fine company.
posted by Effigy2000 at 2:00 PM on June 1, 2017

We've gone from, in under two hours, Trump promising to 'renegotiate' the Paris Agreement, and multiple other heads of of state immediately (1) publicly stating that won't happen, and (2) leaking (perhaps, the sourcing on that Macron statement is unclear) that they had previously told Trump up front that they wouldn't be re-negotiating it.

So much winning.

Why it was so recent that it was still in this very thread that the administration was saying "the world is not a “global community” but an arena where nations, nongovernmental actors and businesses engage and compete for advantage. We bring to this forum unmatched military, political, economic, cultural and moral strength. Rather than deny this elemental nature of international affairs, we embrace it."

They're off to such a running start! Working out for them so well already.
posted by jason_steakums at 2:01 PM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

I wish we could get everyone over to saying "keep Earth livable" or the like. Aside from the fact that a big swathe of the population clearly DGAF about the idea of preserving an ecosystem, it bugs my petty inner pedant. The earth will adapt. We'll die and take a lot of species with us, but Earth will go on. It just may not be a place my kid can still live on.

Ditto. One of my biggest pet peeves. 'The Earth' is going to be fine. We don't have to save it. It doesn't give two shits one way or another. There will always be some sort of eco-system chugging along. It's about whether that system is one that works for the human species to survive in the same sort of capacity it has now.

As of now. Debatable.
posted by Jalliah at 2:02 PM on June 1, 2017 [12 favorites]

"The withdrawal puts the US in a dubious club with Nicaragua and Syria as the only countries to reject the agreement."

Fine company.

It's not like that. Nicaragua didn't sign up because they thought the accord did not go far enough. Syria had other stuff going on, and still does. The US is really alone here.
posted by stonepharisee at 2:04 PM on June 1, 2017 [36 favorites]

palomar: "Yeah, so, the "Pittsburgh over Paris" line has nothing to do with Pittsburgh. It's using Pittsburgh as shorthand for blue-collar life, it's a dog whistle for his base. So is Paris, in this context. It's also being used as a dogwhistle to signal to his base that he doesn't give a shit about the elites, he's here for the little guy.

Remember, this guy is all about the spectacle. He's first and foremost a showman, and he's pandering to his loving fans."

But it's so sadly out of date. We haven't been a blue-color city for decades now. It's like his brain stopped accepting new information sometime around 1985 and he's just been repeating these ancient cultural references since then.
posted by octothorpe at 2:05 PM on June 1, 2017 [29 favorites]

Welp, I think we can officially retire our label as a world superpower.

This and the community of resistance are the only comforting bits of this entire months-long clusterfuck.
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:07 PM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

Sierra Club on Paris deal withdrawal: 'Congratulations President Bannon': Bannon, chief strategist in the White House, reportedly urged Trump to withdraw from the deal. He was joined by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 2:08 PM on June 1, 2017 [39 favorites]

Don't worry, they're already doing this.

I know they are, but it's one thing when discussing a snowstorm. What happens when it's a Category 4 or 5 hurricane that takes out a major city? Are Trump's supporters finally going to grok that tax money isn't a bad thing when their lives are strewn in tiny pieces along the countryside, and their insurance company decides to deny their claim because it's more profitable to bury claimants in red tape than to pay out?

Guess we're gonna find out.
posted by Autumnheart at 2:09 PM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

Seriously grasping for straws out here but the Paris agreement is actually pretty popular, especially among voters. So provided there are elections in the American future, maybe that's a good sign. I don't know, it's a rough afternoon.
posted by penduluum at 2:09 PM on June 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

From a shining city on a hill to a Mar-a-Lago sinkhole.
posted by jason_steakums at 2:10 PM on June 1, 2017 [13 favorites]

"...we will start to negotiate and we will see if we can make a deal that’s fair. "

Trump: "OK Earth, let's see if we can close this. Listen, you're breaking my balls here with this temperature rise. Now you're saying 4 degrees Celcius by 2050. C'mooon, ya gotta meet me halfway here. How about you go with only 2 degrees, throw in a little coal, I'll throw up a couple windmills and we call it a deal, whaddya say?"

Earth: [accelerates warming]
posted by mach at 2:10 PM on June 1, 2017 [17 favorites]

GOVERNOR BROWN ISSUES STATEMENT ON WHITE HOUSE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT

Eyup, this is what I mean by a new civil war. Even the language is there. Battle, war, fight etc etc.

"Donald Trump has absolutely chosen the wrong course. He's wrong on the facts. America's economy is boosted by following the Paris Agreement. He's wrong on the science. Totally wrong. California will resist this misguided and insane course of action. Trump is AWOL but California is on the field, ready for battle."
posted by Jalliah at 2:10 PM on June 1, 2017 [71 favorites]

So the "terrorist attack" in Manila? Confirmed as a robbery.

What a fucking fascist piece of shit he is.
posted by chris24 at 2:12 PM on June 1, 2017 [28 favorites]

But it's so sadly out of date. We haven't been a blue-color city for decades now. It's like his brain stopped accepting new information sometime around 1985 and he's just been repeating these ancient cultural references since then.

But that's how his base thinks, too, so....
posted by palomar at 2:12 PM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

Minnesota

Statements from Governor Dayton and Lt. Governor Smith on President Trump’s Decision to Exit the Paris Climate Agreement

“President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Change Agreement is terrible for our state, nation, and world. It will cause irreparable damage to our environment and our economy. It will withdraw the United States, the largest energy consumer in the world, from the collective efforts to reduce severe environmental damage before it is too late.

“As damaging as this decision will be, it will not deter our efforts here in Minnesota. We will show the world what we can achieve by working together to conserve energy, to use cleaner and renewable energy, and to leave a livable planet to our children and grandchildren.”
posted by Jalliah at 2:15 PM on June 1, 2017 [36 favorites]

I didn't think Trump could still piss me off, but this is a shitshow
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 2:15 PM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

I am proud to be a Californian! I hope that states can take the issue of climate change into their (our) own hands from now on. Again, this is why local and state politics are so important! We in California might be outmaneuvered by the Electoral College and Fox news, but we can vote in good people at the state level.

California is the fifth largest economy in the world - not the United States, but the world - so we are in a position to make a difference. The US cannot do without California, much asi it would like to think so. And other states can follow suit, too bad so sad, eat shit you shitgibbon, we'll have our solar panels, electric cars, and plastic bag bans. And we'll make bank doing so.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 2:17 PM on June 1, 2017 [40 favorites]

Hawaii

Montana
posted by Jalliah at 2:17 PM on June 1, 2017 [16 favorites]

Climate Mayors commit to adopt, honor and uphold Paris Climate Agreement goals

Signed by, among many others, the current mayor of Houston, Sylvester Turner.

(I'm proud that our former mayor Annise Parker was one of the founders.)
posted by Salieri at 2:20 PM on June 1, 2017 [24 favorites]

Regarding Mulvaney's idiotic attack on the CBO, a Republican former CBO Director pushes back hard.

@djheakin
Mulvaney’s words http://washex.am/2sjixea are a disgrace, reflect more poorly on him than CBO, and show budget ignorance. Should apologize.
posted by chris24 at 2:21 PM on June 1, 2017 [29 favorites]

More states saying screw you coming across my Twitter feed.

Rhode Island and Pennslyvania.
posted by Jalliah at 2:21 PM on June 1, 2017 [17 favorites]

My rage is incandescent. There is enough to go around. Donald Trump, first and foremost. Congressional Republicans second. Republican voters, third. "Both sides are the same" third party types fourth. The media for not doing its job until after the election, fifth. So many more.

I will recite all of them before I sleep, like Arya cradling Needle and thinking of the future.
posted by Justinian at 2:21 PM on June 1, 2017 [59 favorites]

Mark Hensch, The Hill: CNN host: Trump’s climate speech ‘Mad Libs for conservatives’

CNN’s Dana Bash said President Trump’s speech announcing America’s exit from the Paris climate agreement sounded like “Mad Libs for conservatives.”

“It was almost like Mad Libs for conservatives, this speech,” she said Thursday on CNN’s “The Lead.” “And it was a long one.”

She said Trump calling the Paris deal “a massive redistribution of United States' wealth to other countries” was particularly memorable.

“[It’s] because the whole theme against [former] President [Barack] Obama during both of the elections against him is that he is a Democrat that wants to redistribute wealth,” she said.
“That is a buzzword, a signal to conservatives, that we got your back, and we’re going to make sure that the big, bad Democrats who want to socialize and globalize and do everything they can to hurt you and your job won’t happen.”

posted by Johnny Wallflower at 2:22 PM on June 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

Yeah, I was gonna say, I follow Kevin de Leon, Gavin Newsom, and Jerry Brown on twitter and their statements and actions since the election have had a subtle and not-so-subtle undercurrent of California acting on its own on the world stage, in opposition to Trump. The vibe I get from statements like Brown's today and others California lawmakers have made is "we might as well act like an independent country all on our own, Calexit or no Calexit."
posted by yasaman at 2:22 PM on June 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

Tampa, FL in the building
posted by penduluum at 2:23 PM on June 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

While everyone pays attention to Trump, the bullshit happens behind the scenes.

Douglas Main at Newsweek: Another Climate Change Bomb: Interior Secretary Zinke Signs Alaskan Oil-Drilling Order

With all eyes on President Donald Trump’s announcement to withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has signed an order to “jump-start Alaskan energy”—meaning, in this case, to drill for more oil.

The order pertains to two places: the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska (NPR-A), the largest block of federally managed land in the United States, and the coastal region of the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), the so-called “1002 area.” It calls for a “lawful review and development of a revised Integrated Activity Plan” aimed toward increased petroleum production from these lands, Zinke said in a statement.

posted by Mister Fabulous at 2:24 PM on June 1, 2017 [24 favorites]

California will resist this misguided and insane course of action. Trump is AWOL but California is on the field, ready for battle."

"Donald Trump has made his decision; now let him enforce it." [fake, kinda?]
posted by corb at 2:24 PM on June 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

I feel like I'm trapped in the worst game of "how many evens can't you?"
posted by narwhal at 2:25 PM on June 1, 2017 [13 favorites]

And this is interesting. Washington, NY and California forming an official alliance.

Inslee, New York Governor Cuomo, and California Governor Brown announce formation of United States Climate Alliance

“I am proud to stand with other governors as we make sure that the inaction in D.C. is met by an equal force of action from the states. Today’s announcement by the president leaves the full responsibility of climate action on states and cities throughout our nation. While the president’s actions are a shameful rebuke to the work needed to protect our planet for our children and grandchildren, states have been and will continue to step up.”
Governor Jay Inslee

“The White House’s reckless decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement has devastating repercussions not only for the United States, but for our planet. This administration is abdicating its leadership and taking a backseat to other countries in the global fight against climate change, New York State is committed to meeting the standards set forth in the Paris Accord regardless of Washington’s irresponsible actions. We will not ignore the science and reality of climate change which is why I am also signing an Executive Order confirming New York’s leadership role in protecting our citizens, our environment, and our planet.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo

“The President has already said climate change is a hoax, which is the exact opposite of virtually all scientific and worldwide opinion, I don't believe fighting reality is a good strategy - not for America, not for anybody. If the President is going to be AWOL in this profoundly important human endeavor, then California and other states will step up.”
California Governor Jerry Brown
posted by Jalliah at 2:25 PM on June 1, 2017 [84 favorites]

Autumnheart What happens when it's a Category 4 or 5 hurricane that takes out a major city?

They will laugh and cheer because they hate cities and those who live in them. It will be viewed as God's judgement on the evil sinful city dwellers.

Are Trump's supporters finally going to grok that tax money isn't a bad thing when their lives are strewn in tiny pieces along the countryside, and their insurance company decides to deny their claim because it's more profitable to bury claimants in red tape than to pay out?

Probably not, because when their lives are strewn around, when tornadoes and hurricanes hit the middle of nowhere, they'll get FEMA money and help with no hassle at all.

Trump is declaring war on the parts of America that didn't vote for him, as of Jan 20 all Federal FEMA and other disaster recovery aid is directed not on a basis of need but on a basis of the political beliefs of those in need. If your area voted Democratic, you won't get help.

So I'm finished helping the redneck scumfuckers. No more donations from me to anyone who voted Republican.

Let them drown and die in hurricanes and tornadoes, they don't get a fucking cent from me.

Maybe once the red state hicks have been battered enough by climate change they'll stop being such evil bastards. I don't know. But I know that they don't deserve our help anymore. Let them try it with their own bootstraps and without California and New York's money.
posted by sotonohito at 2:26 PM on June 1, 2017 [17 favorites]

I'd move to France in a hot second if it wasn't so flooded with actual Nazis.
posted by Sophie1 at 2:26 PM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

One of my first non-despairing thoughts right after 45 was elected was "Dude is going to get dragged by teenagers everyday on social media, so there's at least that to look forward to."

7 months later, and we've reached a point where thousands of people drag him daily, including world leaders, international media, state and city leaders, television shows, athletes, entertainers, librarians, and probably even a few bots.

But 45 seems okay with it all as long as Putin pats him on the head and calls him a good boy.

As zachlipton said a short while ago, what the hell did his father do to him?
posted by lord_wolf at 2:26 PM on June 1, 2017 [20 favorites]

Philly represent

Since Trump seems to love maps so much, maybe we should build a map showing the population covered by states/municipalities who want to honor the agreement without him.
posted by tonycpsu at 2:27 PM on June 1, 2017 [16 favorites]

I disagreed with Jerry Brown on a regular basis back before the disaster — he's behaved weirdly conservative on many fronts. But the dude knows Subcomandante Marcos personally (no foolin'). I know he knows what he's doing here, and I fully trust him to lead the west coast into de facto secession while also avoiding the trap of de jure calexit.

Jerry Brown is our President now. For all of us, Californians and non-Californians alike.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 2:28 PM on June 1, 2017 [11 favorites]

Alex Moe @alexNBCNews: The congressional talking points

Get your bingo cards ready
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 2:28 PM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

Why it was so recent that it was still in this very thread that the administration was saying "the world is not a “global community” but an arena where nations, nongovernmental actors and businesses engage and compete for advantage. We bring to this forum unmatched military, political, economic, cultural and moral strength. Rather than deny this elemental nature of international affairs, we embrace it."

About that, Daniel Drezner wrote a good reflection on this paragraph from the McMaster-Cohn op-ed (remember, McMaster-Carr are the folks with the massive catalog of industrial and commercial goods; McMaster-Cohn are the ones with the plan to abandon every last shred of American leadership and values): The most extraordinary op-ed of 2017:

This paragraph highlights the problem in two ways. First — and this is so obvious I can’t believe I have to type out these words — the United States can’t simultaneously proclaim “America first” and then claim any kind of moral strength. Saying loudly and repeatedly that American values are not going to be a cornerstone of American foreign policy strips you of any moral power whatsoever.

The second and bigger problem is that the “embrace” of a Hobbesian vision of the world by the most powerful country in the world pretty much guarantees Hobbesian reciprocity by everyone else. Most international relations scholars would agree that there are parts of the world that fit this brutal description. But even realists don’t think it’s a good thing. Cooperation between the United States and its key partners and allies is not based entirely on realpolitik principles. It has helped foster a zone of stability across Europe, North America and the Pacific Rim that has lasted quite some time. In many issue areas, such as trade or counterterrorism or climate change, countries gain far more from cooperation than competition.

Furthermore, such an embrace of the Hobbesian worldview is, in many ways, anti-American. U.S. foreign policy for the past 70 years was premised on the notion that even in an anarchic world, one could nurture an international order grounded on American values of liberty and democracy and free enterprise. Even before 1945, when the United States was not a superpower, America trafficked in the aspirational goal of a world governed by international law.

Has the United States always lived up to these aspirations? No, of course not. But these exceptions and emendations were usually acknowledged as unfortunate necessities. Indeed, these values were an important part of American soft power that helped attract allies across the world and keep them after the end of the Cold War, when realists predicted that a balancing coalition might have emerged.

posted by zachlipton at 2:29 PM on June 1, 2017 [29 favorites]

Inslee, New York Governor Cuomo, and California Governor Brown announce formation of United States Climate Alliance

uh

can I buy USCA t-shirts, pins, flags, and other assorted paraphernalia like immediately right now

does it have a pledge or anthem yet

also if they're forming a militia or anything I wouldn't mind taking home an enrollment form to look over

just kidding

maybe not kidding though
posted by prize bull octorok at 2:31 PM on June 1, 2017 [46 favorites]

Metafilter: But even realists don’t think it’s a good thing.
posted by stonepharisee at 2:33 PM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

Trump’s decision fulfills a 2016 presidential campaign pledge and offers a major rebuke of Obama’s environmental agenda.

Arg. I hate such parochial phrasing. While Trump may indeed get off on being the anti-Obama, this particular decision is a rebuke to commin sense and all of humanity.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 2:33 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

So I'm finished helping the redneck scumfuckers. No more donations from me to anyone who voted Republican.

Let them drown and die in hurricanes and tornadoes, they don't get a fucking cent from me.

Maybe once the red state hicks have been battered enough by climate change they'll stop being such evil bastards. I don't know. But I know that they don't deserve our help anymore. Let them try it with their own bootstraps and without California and New York's money.

I believe we've been through the whole rural/urban thing a time or eight, but yet another reminder that Midwesterners are not a monolith. Please don't punish everyone for the offenses of a few.
posted by altopower at 2:33 PM on June 1, 2017 [17 favorites]

Please don't punish everyone for the offenses of a few.

Oh, like the United States abandoning its responsibility for the problems it largely caused, leaving the rest of the world to die in flood and fire?

Edit: just kidding we're going to die too
posted by OverlappingElvis at 2:35 PM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

Cities and States! Doing it for themselves!

Cities are central to any serious plan to tackle climate change
They can deliver almost half the carbon reductions needed to hit our climate targets.

Even before the election of Donald Trump, it was clear that states and cities — what climate nerds call “subnational actors” — are central to tackling climate change. Now that the US federal government is getting out of the climate protection business, at least for four years, subnational actors are more important than ever.

Especially cities.

Cities generate most of the world’s economic activity, innovation, and cultural ferment. They also generate a growing share of its carbon emissions: according to the IPCC, cities are responsible for about 75 percent of global energy-related CO2 emissions. That number will only grow as the world continues to urbanize, especially in fast-growing nations like China and India.

Urban areas are also first in line to feel the effects of climate change. About 90 percent of urban areas in the world are coastal, so if nothing else, they will deal with sea level rise. Some 70 percent already report dealing with climate impacts.

If they hope to avoid worse to come, cities will need to almost entirely rid themselves of carbon over the next few decades. How much could that help in the climate fight? And how can cities go about doing it? Two recent reports attempt to answer these questions.
posted by Jalliah at 2:37 PM on June 1, 2017 [14 favorites]

"Donald Trump has made his decision; now let him enforce it." [fake, kinda?]

Not only is California NOT doing "states' rights" here -- actually it's the opposite; they're choosing to join a global community, which is sort of the ultimate federalism -- but is the context of that particular quotation really the one you want to invoke as an analogy for a state taking a stand to protect the common good of all the diverse peoples of the world?
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:37 PM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

So the "terrorist attack" in Manila? Confirmed as a robbery.

I was stuck in line at the bulk mail desk at the post office today listening to the clerk and a client saying the most heinous, hateful shit in regards to this event today. The postmaster is going to get an earful about it, there's no way a person like that can be trusted to treat everyone's mail equally.
posted by jason_steakums at 2:40 PM on June 1, 2017 [13 favorites]

WaPo reporter tweet: Macron called Trump after Paris announcement. French official tells WaPo Macron reiterated "nothing was renegotiable in the Paris Accords."

Marcon is a fucking giant. If I didn't want to move to Germany, I'd consider moving to France.

Fanfiction daydream du jour: Macron slams down the phone after saying that, chugs a bottle of beaujolais nouveau, and snarls, "Call us 'cheese-eating surrender monkeys' now, motherfucker, and choke on some freedom fries while you're at it!"
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:40 PM on June 1, 2017 [16 favorites]

"I'm leaving!"
"OK that was always allowed."

Trump: "I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris."[apparently real]

I question whether Turmp understands what the Paris Agreement actually is, because he has yet to demonstrate that he does and he's said a lot to suggest he doesn't.

Sure, Trump likely doesn't understand what the agreement actually is, but whoever wrote this drivel does, and they knew what they were doing. Paris is in France, the country that has since Reagan represented Those Snooty Euros looking down at us salt-of-the-Earth honest to God red-blooded Americans. The whole speech was a symphony of dog whistles.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 2:40 PM on June 1, 2017 [20 favorites]

I fully trust him to lead the west coast into de facto secession

This is how I thought it would happen. There's no need for Articles of Secession and mobilizing armies. Just civil disobedience at the state government level. Will be interesting how it plays out, and it's a dangerous precedent in many ways. Despite the dangers, I'm still cheering it on.

And regarding aid to red states, want to reiterate those states are not a monolith. In an earlier thread, someone suggested what was basically the "Muslim Brotherhood" model for the Democratic Party, where the party builds a base via providing aid directly to people abandoned by the federal government. I still think that's a great model.

Kindness will go a long way. If Democrats can set up food banks and medical assistance, that will be a huge contrast to the Republicans who argue starvation and sickness are the just rewards of the poor.
posted by honestcoyote at 2:42 PM on June 1, 2017 [34 favorites]

They should lobby Oregon hard to join the Climate Alliance thing. West Coast represent.
posted by Justinian at 2:44 PM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

One list of big wig companies: warning: PDF

Summary:

Dear Mr President

We are really big and powerful companies and we would really like you to stay in this thing because its going to fuck us, not just the whole earth being livable but like fuck our corporate interests as well, cause of reasons. And since you are dumb we are going to lay out these reasons in point form and be totally honest that we are not just being tree-huggy here.

Yours,

Adobe, Apple, Blue Cross, Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Danfoss, Dignity Health, Facebook, Gap, Inc. Google
The Hartford, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Ingersoll Rand
Intel Corporation, Johnson Controls, Levi Strauss & Co.
Mars Incorporated, Microsoft Morgan, Stanley National Grid
PG&E Corporation, Royal DSM Salesforce
Schneider Electric, Tiffany & Co., Unilever VF Corporation

PS: Screw us and we're going to have to do our own thing. K?
posted by Jalliah at 2:47 PM on June 1, 2017 [20 favorites]

So we're left with subnational governments working against and adapting to climate change. Follow the The Under2 MOU coalition. If your state has a Renewable Portfolio Standard, learn about it and support making it stronger or be against it's weakening. Local governments have a lot of say when it comes to utilities. Solar is probably going to be a lot more expensive soon because of potential shortsighted tariffs. The Department of Energy is now trying to undermine renewable energy deployment by conducting a biased review of its impacts on baseload generation. There must be public outcry against this sort of thing.

My hope is very dim on staying under 2 degrees Celsius without massive efforts in moving to a low carbon economy and a carbon negative one through BECCS. Maybe seaweed farmingas GreenWave hopes to implement can help at the scale required for that (I'm personally donating to this group). Hope for the best while keeping in mind that the worst is very bad for us humans and most other life on this planet. We can do hard things, or hard things will be done for us.
posted by Mister Cheese at 2:49 PM on June 1, 2017 [12 favorites]

California to America:

JOIN US!!!

proud of all the other states stepping up too
posted by waitangi at 2:49 PM on June 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

They should lobby Oregon hard to join the Climate Alliance thing. West Coast represent.

That Cascadian flag is starting to look like a smart purchase after all. Who knew?
posted by corb at 2:50 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

Some assorted non-climate links:

Ezra Klein: In (partial) defense of Hillary Clinton:

But there is an oddity in the way both Trump and Cillizza frame the election as an equation with only one input: Hillary Clinton’s performance. What about Trump’s appeal? And what about the voters’ preferences, which are surely not so easily swayed by marginal changes in campaign strategy? (Also, why is Trump taking time out of his day to argue that the politician he lost the popular vote to was “a terrible candidate”? Does he not recognize what that implies?)

By the end of the campaign, the public had enough information to make basic judgments about who Clinton and Trump were. Trump’s flaws weren’t hidden by Clinton’s mistakes — if she was good at anything, it was goading Trump into error and overreaction. Voters knew what he was when they voted for him. They had seen him lash out at a Gold Star family and at Alicia Machado. They knew he suggested, repeatedly, that Ted Cruz’s father was involved in the JFK assassination. They had heard him say Mexico was sending us rapists and criminals and call for a ban on Muslim travel. They had watched him babble incoherently about policy, say he could shoot someone in broad daylight without losing support, and brag, on tape, “when you're a star, they let you do it.”

Erik Wemple: ‘Fox & Friends’ is a planetary threat. Short and sweet (and actually a climate link; I lied).

BuzzFeed: A Pro-Trump Writer Just Sued A Fusion Reporter For Accusing Her Of Making A "White Supremacist" Gesture. The pro-Trump writer in question, Cassandra Fairbanks, worked for Sputnik at the time, and is now suing over a tweet.

On the other hand, Politico: O’Keefe facing $1 million lawsuit over video sting against Democrats

BuzzFeed has a deep dive into Health Care Sharing Ministries, religious organizations that count as an exception to the ACA's health insurance mandate. Over a million people participate in them now. If you've never heard of these before, you're in for a fun ride. Membership in these groups legally exempts you from the tax penalty for being uninsured, but aren't legally insurance, so they don't have to do things like "cover" pre-existing conditions or pay for metal health care. Many of them impose their particular brand of Christianity on their members: members have to sign a statement of faith, sometimes get a sign-off from their pastor, and they'll deny to pay for STDs "unless it can be proven that they were acquired “innocently.”" Many also won't pay for any maternity care to unwed mothers, one will magnanimously do so only in the case of rape with a police report. Another refuses to pay for anything to do with ectopic pregnancies, despite the fact that failure to intervene can often be life-threatening to the mother. The ministries are a perfect microcosm of a particularly popular strain of organized American Christianity, and it's worth taking the time to dig through this if this is the first time you're hearing about these things.

WSJ: GOP Senators Weigh Taxing Employer-Health Plans. It's hard to imagine a more politically unpopular plan than taxing employer-provided insurance to pay for tax cuts for the most wealthy, but here we are. It would also violate the central theme of Republican health talking points, which is "yeah, we're changing stuff for all the poor people, but everyone virtuous enough to have an employer plan will be just fine."
posted by zachlipton at 2:52 PM on June 1, 2017 [48 favorites]

> What are the implications if every single state said they were going to follow the agreement but the white house still refuses to be in it? Not that that would happen but what then??

Donald Trump continues to be President. Governors continue to be Governors. Citizens continue to be fucked.
posted by tonycpsu at 2:53 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

America's international reputation is now at junk bond status.
posted by vac2003 at 2:53 PM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

Jalliah: I'm laughing reading that list just because The Giant Cheeto named one of his daughters after one of those companies! It's a little thing, but hey, we need all the laughs we can get.

Honestcoyote: I agree that kindness will catch more flies or rural, poor voters than "fuck off and die" (even if the latter can be tempting! I've thought "how about no more painkiller prescriptions for anyone who voted R, that'll learn ya" in ragey moments.) But, one, not all rural voters voted Republican; and two, not all are white! There are plenty of rural POC and I think they are some of the most left-behind and in need of help in our country - in the Mississippi Delta and on Native American reservations, for instance.

If we come at rural folks with kindness and help, sure, there will be the bite-the-hand-that-feeds-them types but I think more will be appreciative. And lifting people out of poverty and despair is a good thing for its own sake.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 2:53 PM on June 1, 2017 [15 favorites]

Hey guys Canada is gonna help. Key is in the last paragraph of Trudeaus statement:

"Blah blah, disappointed, blah blah clean energy, working with the world, blah blah diplomatic blah' and then boom..the lede.

“We are all custodians of this world, and that is why Canada will continue to work with the U.S. at the state level, and with other U.S. stakeholders, to address climate change and promote clean growth. We will also continue to reach out to the U.S. federal government to discuss this matter of critical importance for all humankind, and to identify areas of shared interest for collaboration, including on emissions reductions.”
posted by Jalliah at 2:55 PM on June 1, 2017 [73 favorites]

If Obama had a campaign to protect people's feet, the Republican Party would react by shooting themselves in the foot, and celebrating.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:57 PM on June 1, 2017 [40 favorites]

Probably not, because when their lives are strewn around, when tornadoes and hurricanes hit the middle of nowhere, they'll get FEMA money and help with no hassle at all.

That's already not happening. North Carolina only got 1% of the Federal Recovery Funds they needed after Hurricane Matthew. North Carolina was Trump +3.6. No one is going to get FEMA money.

This is the test of our ideals; they are living up to theirs - don't help others, abandon the poor and misfortunate, treat people disrespectfully and cruelly until they give up and obey. We need to live up to ours - everyone is deserving of having their basic needs met and their dignity respected.
posted by Deoridhe at 3:01 PM on June 1, 2017 [50 favorites]

Membership in these groups legally exempts you from the tax penalty for being uninsured, but aren't legally insurance, so they don't have to do things like "cover" pre-existing conditions or pay for metal health care.

So I'm in the types of circles these things were wanted by, and never mind that this big sell here is that instead of insurance it's a "ministry", they apparently don't guarantee any sort of coverage. From the BuzzFeed article:

Bet and Erik could list [an otherwise not covered $6,000 charge] as a "special prayer need" in the monthly newsletter, where members could pray for them and send money if they chose to do so (six or seven people did, Bet said, all less than $50 apiece).

I work for a very small company and the owner of the business uses one of these groups, which he gave me information on in case I was interested since the company is too small for any sort of group insurance. The actual legal wording of coverage implied that everything was covered as other members gave. Which, to be fair, is how insurance works, but I for one didn't want to sign up for someone's experiment in re-inventing the wheel*. And I'm pretty sure these guys didn't have re-insurance in case something gets out of balance financially.

And that's without the ~~Sharia Law~~ Christian standards they want. Like, I have my own church and beliefs I follow, you know? I don't want ~~death panels~~ unelected bureaucrats giving input on my beliefs.

*I'm struck just now how this is almost a "Make Insurance Great Again" type system. Huh. Guess I'll have to read the full article.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 3:03 PM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

Ah, the article gets into the coverage details. I forgot some of the.. .particulars:

When a need arises — say you break your leg, or get diagnosed with lung cancer, or have a baby — you submit your bills to the ministry’s office and you receive payments for the total amount you owe, usually in the form of checks or direct deposits from various members. Some ministries hold the funds in an online escrow account; others have members mail their checks directly to the other members. Shares out are published by the ministries each month, so you can see that your $405 is going to, say, Irene in Idaho who recently had a hip replacement.

"others have members mail their checks directly to the other members."

I mean, gee whiz, sign me up, right?
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 3:08 PM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

Mister Cheese: "My hope is very dim on staying under 2 degrees Celsius without massive efforts in moving to a low carbon economy and a carbon negative one through BECCS. Maybe seaweed farmingas GreenWave hopes to implement can help at the scale required for that (I'm personally donating to this group). Hope for the best while keeping in mind that the worst is very bad for us humans and most other life on this planet. We can do hard things, or hard things will be done for us."

2 Celsius was almost certainly gone even if people had hewn to Paris very closely. It was the last-minute, hail-mary, oh-shit-our-30-page-essay-is-due-tomorrow of climate agreements. Whether or not states make up the difference or whatever, this decision eats years that we don't have. At this point, unending climate disasters are just going to be a fact of life moving forward.
posted by TypographicalError at 3:08 PM on June 1, 2017 [13 favorites]

Deoridhe: No one is going to get FEMA money.

There currently isn't a FEMA director. That's how little they care - not enough to even pretend to care.
posted by bluecore at 3:09 PM on June 1, 2017 [34 favorites]

Macron speech:

Continues to do what he does and ends it with "Make our Planet Great Again"

He speaks in English. He is speaking to US citizens and asking them to work with France.

Made me cry.
posted by Jalliah at 3:14 PM on June 1, 2017 [114 favorites]

My only solace is wondering if this kind of action will eventually be classified as a crime against humanity that could be tried at the Hague, one day.
posted by mostly vowels at 3:14 PM on June 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

What are the implications if every single state said they were going to follow the agreement but the white house still refuses to be in it? Not that that would happen but what then??

If it got close to that point it's as close to a softball for a constitutional amendment as there ever was, so here's hoping.
posted by jason_steakums at 3:14 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

The thing about Macron is that because of his tremendous size, his tokens each count as four tokens while defending his homeworld.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 3:16 PM on June 1, 2017 [19 favorites]

Sabrina Siddiqui and Lauren Gambino in Washington/Guardian: Obama condemns Trump for 'rejecting the future' by exiting Paris deal
posted by ZeusHumms at 3:17 PM on June 1, 2017 [13 favorites]

Jerry Brown is our President now. For all of us, Californians and non-Californians alike.

I mean, I like Jerry and all, but nah. I'm with the Chapo dudes on this: abolish the Presidency. Get fucking rid of it. I'm with Inslee all the way, and want this to be a partnership across the states and governorships.
posted by Existential Dread at 3:19 PM on June 1, 2017 [10 favorites]

Uh..everyone should watch that Macron speech. I've watch it three times now as it's dawning on me what exactly he is doing. This guy knows his politics. Wow.
posted by Jalliah at 3:19 PM on June 1, 2017 [37 favorites]

I'm sure Russian spy Cassandra Fairbanks suffered emotional distress.

Russian spy Cassandra Fairbanks should go back to Russia. Did I mention she's a Russian spy?
posted by Yowser at 3:21 PM on June 1, 2017

About Manila, @NBCNightlyNews: US intel official: Pres. Trump "was freelancing" with the terrorism declaration and "a laugh went up in the Situation Room" when he made it.

This is obviously overshadowed by the Paris Agreement, but what happened out there with Trump declaring a terrorist attack in Manila is extremely disturbing. It's another sign of the complete abdication of any responsibility for accuracy from the White House. Sooner or later, there's going to come a time when the White House actually needs to be believed on something. A natural disaster where people need to heed warnings, a terrorist attack on US soil, whatever. And people will die because the White House pissed away every ounce of their credibility on crowd sizes and fake terrorist attacks.
posted by zachlipton at 3:23 PM on June 1, 2017 [73 favorites]

Uh..everyone should watch that Macron speech. I've watch it three times now as it's dawning on me what exactly he is doing. This guy knows his politics. Wow.

I think this may be the first time we're not actually in the darkest timeline - the one where Le Pen is making that speech instead.
posted by corb at 3:24 PM on June 1, 2017 [63 favorites]

Keep fucking this shit up, and I'm voting NDP. God Damnit Trudeau.
posted by Yowser at 3:25 PM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

Hey guys Canada is gonna help. Key is in the last paragraph of Trudeaus statement.

Justin had the knives out in the very first sentence, bless him:

"We are deeply disappointed that the United States federal government has decided to withdraw from the Paris agreement. . . ."

posted by FelliniBlank at 3:25 PM on June 1, 2017 [27 favorites]

I think this may be the first time we're not actually in the darkest timeline - the one where Le Pen is making that speech instead.

I had similar thoughts while watching it.

Thank you France. Really, really thank you.
posted by Jalliah at 3:25 PM on June 1, 2017 [14 favorites]

Wait, did Trudeau actually do something RIGHT re:relations with the US?

Truly this is the day he becomes Prime Minister.
posted by Yowser at 3:29 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

New York Daily News is not going subtle [photo]: "TRUMP TO WORLD: DROP DEAD"
posted by zachlipton at 3:31 PM on June 1, 2017 [50 favorites]

"We are deeply disappointed that the United States federal government has decided to withdraw from the Paris agreement. . . ."

Although I'm pretty sure 99% of career civil servants would beg to differ about who decided.
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:32 PM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

I think this may be the first time we're not actually in the darkest timeline - the one where Le Pen is making that speech instead.

And let's not forget that a large part of the reason we're not watching a Le Pen speech about how climate change is a hoax right now is because the French weren't dumb enough to fall for Russian propaganda and election hacking. Unlike, you know, a whole swath of Americans in 2016 (on both left and right, to be fair).
posted by Barack Spinoza at 3:33 PM on June 1, 2017 [31 favorites]

A friend of mine is in a Delta Skyclub right now and Susan Sarandon is there and it's all he can do to keep himself from going over and saying "Hey, how's that Clinton is worse than Trump" thing working out?" The fact that he works for Delta and would lose his job is about the only thing preventing a scene right now.
posted by chris24 at 3:34 PM on June 1, 2017 [144 favorites]

nice timing, chris24! :)
posted by Barack Spinoza at 3:34 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

New York Daily News is not going subtle [photo]: "TRUMP TO WORLD: DROP DEAD"

Holy cow, with the "Decides to hell with science, Earth's future" sub-head, mainstream media is now officially indistinguishable from The Onion.
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:35 PM on June 1, 2017 [22 favorites]

Keep fucking this shit up, and I'm voting NDP. God Damnit Trudeau.

As soon as Jagmeet Singh is on the ticket, you definitely should. I sure will be. Trudeau is a milquetoast climate quisling trying to appear sane and reasonable, while at the same time saying that pipelines still need to get built.

However, we're stuck with him for (possibly) as long as the US is stuck with 45, and god damn doesn't he shine in comparison. He's not our saviour, but he understands that if 45 is willing to put ketchup on well done steak, he could be willing to invade Canada. He needs to strike a very delicate balance, and I don't envy him that responsibility. I'll take Trudeau until we can get someone better.
posted by mrjohnmuller at 3:35 PM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

The fact that he works for Delta and would lose his job is about the only thing preventing a scene right now.

Facebook live this and ascend to immortality.
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:39 PM on June 1, 2017 [20 favorites]

Everyone's faces will be eaten:
Victims of immigrant crime say they were taken advantage of by Trump and a nonprofit group backing him.
posted by Joe in Australia at 3:40 PM on June 1, 2017 [15 favorites]

Marcon is a fucking giant. If I didn't want to move to Germany, I'd consider moving to France.

Pretty sure it was shared in a previous thread, but at the bottom of this WaPo piece about Trump being a dick to everyone was this bit of fuck yeah:

During his first in-person meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump’s typically aggressive greeting became a duel of one-upmanship as the two men clenched their jaws and tightened their faces during an intense, white-knuckled handshake.

Macron, France’s newly elected 39-year-old leader, later said he wanted to show Trump that he would not be pushed around or demeaned.

“I don’t believe in diplomacy by public abuse,” he said.

I'm really liking Macron.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 3:42 PM on June 1, 2017 [24 favorites]

I so so SO hope May gets her feet held to the fire on this one. It's six days to the UK election, and she's looking far more vulnerable than anyone thought - and she is as politically maladroit as Macron is savvy. And the UK isn't falling for climate denialism either. There's a chance for doing some damage, and while I'd rather sanity reigned and we weren't using the anthropocopalypse as a political whiffle bat, I'll take what I can at this point.

At some point, you lot really are going to have to get yourselves some heroes to march behind, and march. Us too, but America is the one that can really fuck things up for all of us.
posted by Devonian at 3:43 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

> I mean, I like Jerry and all, but nah. I'm with the Chapo dudes on this: abolish the Presidency. Get fucking rid of it. I'm with Inslee all the way, and want this to be a partnership across the states and governorships.

Yeah you're right. I didn't think mefi was quite ready for "no more presidents" as a slogan. but hell yes. no. more. presidents.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 3:43 PM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

Replace the President with a team of Moderators on overlapping work shifts?
posted by oneswellfoop at 3:47 PM on June 1, 2017 [46 favorites]

WaPo: Explanations for Kushner’s meeting with head of Kremlin-linked bank don’t match up

The White House and a Russian state-owned bank have very different explanations for why the bank’s chief executive and Jared Kushner held a secret meeting during the presidential transition in December.

The bank maintained this week that the session was held as part of a new business strategy and was conducted with Kushner in his role as the head of his family’s real estate business. The White House says the meeting was unrelated to business and was one of many diplomatic encounters the soon-to-be presidential adviser was holding ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration.

The contradiction is deepening confusion over Kushner’s interactions with the Russians as the president’s son-in-law emerges as a key figure in the FBI’s investigation into potential coordination between Moscow and the Trump team.

posted by zachlipton at 3:47 PM on June 1, 2017 [23 favorites]

Yeah you're right. I didn't think mefi was quite ready for "no more presidents" as a slogan. but hell yes. no. more. presidents.

It only takes one mad king to tear off the illusion that the king has your best interests at heart. What to do afterwards? That's where it gets hard. But right now MeFi is probably the most fertile ground you'll get.
posted by corb at 3:50 PM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

> But right now MeFi is probably the most fertile ground you'll get.

Ask me how I know you don't live in the East Bay :)

but yeah mefi's where I come when I want to touch base with a social group that's more conservative than I'm used to.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 3:52 PM on June 1, 2017 [10 favorites]

if by "conservative" you mean "thinks abolishing the presidency is fanfic that belongs in its own thread," well, yeah :) love ya, YCTAB.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 3:54 PM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

Yeah Trudeau gets no brownie points on anything climate related until he takes care of the massive steaming pile in his own backyard - the oil sands, and his support of multiple pipeline projects, including Keystone XL. He needs to be shamed and called out, not congratulated while he talks out of both sides of his mouth.
posted by aiglet at 3:57 PM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

Explanations for Kushner’s meeting with head of Kremlin-linked bank don’t match up

Man, I'd hate to have Kush on a team of bank robbers. You'd all agree on your separate alibis before the job, but then he'd be the wheelman who gets caught because he parked his car outside his motel room instead of taking it straight to the junkyard, and when questioned he adlibs to the cops that he stayed the night at the room in order to watch a pay-per-view MMA fight.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 3:58 PM on June 1, 2017 [10 favorites]

I'm beginning to think Kushner might be a bit dim.
posted by Yowser at 3:59 PM on June 1, 2017 [14 favorites]

At least this kills the 'Ivanka as moderating influence' BS. At least it better. Any reporter/pundit who says it again should be endlessly mocked.
posted by chris24 at 4:01 PM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

A few months ago Macron announced that he'd welcome US scientists and engineers to France. Is there any official recruiting site, or was that just sort of a general "we like science" statement?
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 4:02 PM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

Trump: "I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris."[apparently real]

What. the. fuck. How in the fucking fuck can a person this stupid make it to the age of 70 with millions of dollars in his pocket? FUCK.
posted by xyzzy at 4:05 PM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

still incandescent with rage over here
posted by Existential Dread at 4:05 PM on June 1, 2017 [15 favorites]

I'm beginning to think Kushner might be a bit dim.

He was smart enough to get through college and maneuver around in his own little world, yet he's also able to play dumb and helpless when anything might hold him to account. Kinda like Ivanka. And the Cheetoh. Which means he was smart enough to know better than this shit and did it anyway.

Which means they should all rot in jail for everything they've done. Besides, ignorance isn't a defense.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 4:06 PM on June 1, 2017 [11 favorites]

(Posted this to the new, improved Spruce Goose thread just because I can't keep track of how many threads I should be following these days). I just hope that when New Jersey elects* the Democratic governor that we should have this November, we start sticking it to the Trump "administration" like CA and NY. We know our version of Reek won't do a damn thing. *Not assuming, just doing what I can.
posted by mollweide at 4:08 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Replace the President with a team of Moderators on overlapping work shifts?

Switzerland is ruled by a seven-person conciliar executive.
posted by save alive nothing that breatheth at 4:09 PM on June 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

It's really Trump First, isn't it?
posted by ZeusHumms at 4:09 PM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

> if by "conservative" you mean "thinks abolishing the presidency is fanfic that belongs in its own thread," well, yeah :)

we're in a world where 4chan and vladimir putin have teamed up to make a halfwit conman president. nothing is fanfic anymore.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 4:10 PM on June 1, 2017 [39 favorites]

He is speaking to US citizens and asking them to work with France.

That's not exactly what I heard. I heard him ask them to come work IN France. Presumably, if you're in a STEM field, you can just play that speech to the immigration authorities and show them your copy of the French edition of Rosetta Stone and smooth sailing.

Here's hoping other nations follow suit.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 4:11 PM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

Hey, update from formerly blue Wisconsin. The politically opinionated, "who knows if climate change is real", "give Trump a chance" guy on Facebook wants to know how in the world reducing pollution could be a bad thing. Other people commenting are comparing it to recycling in that it's "just something you should do". Apparently they aren't impressed with 45 right now. Interesting.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 4:12 PM on June 1, 2017 [33 favorites]

we're in a world where 4chan and vladimir putin have gotten together to install a president. nothing is fanfic anymore.

and (perhaps not coincidentally!) both would be thrilled to see the abolition of the US presidency
posted by Barack Spinoza at 4:12 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

He was ~~smart~~ rich enough to get through college and maneuver around in his own little world

The rest of us have to be smart to succeed, they do not.
posted by OverlappingElvis at 4:14 PM on June 1, 2017 [21 favorites]

That's not exactly what I heard. I heard him ask them to come work IN France.

Dammit though, I don't want to move. France is great, China is great, NZ is great, and I have the means and privilege that so many others don't that would grease the skids if I wanted to do STEM in any of those countries. I could leave. But so many are doomed here with this horrible regime determined to erase all progress and pull up the ladder behind the rich white boomers capturing all wealth to themselves, how can I fucking leave in good conscience, leaving them to fight for themselves?
posted by Existential Dread at 4:16 PM on June 1, 2017 [16 favorites]

Apparently they aren't impressed with 45 right now. Interesting.

That's the paradox. Support for staying in the Paris Agreement was around 70%. This isn't populism, and shouldn't be described as such. These are policies carefully calibrated to cater to the "liberal tears" crowd regardless of their overall popularity.
posted by zachlipton at 4:16 PM on June 1, 2017 [54 favorites]

and (perhaps not coincidentally!) both would be thrilled to see the abolition of the US presidency

Sure, if the White House were decapitated tomorrow that'd likely be the case. Replacing the executive with something more democratic though would likely send Putin and the bootlickers of /pol/ into permanent conniptions.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 4:17 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

money attracts money. if you're born with enough of it, it is almost impossible to lose it. if you're born sufficiently rich you have to be a next-level idiot to not stay rich forever. Even if you make every mistake in the book, Russian mafioso will come by and bail you out in exchange for a few small simple favors.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 4:18 PM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

he was ~~smart~~ rich enough to get through college and maneuver around in his own little world

The rest of us have to be smart to succeed, they do not.

No doubt. Kinda feel like if you buy a degree rather than earning it, you shouldn't get to play the "I'm too dumb to understand" card regardless.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 4:21 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Disney CEO Bob Iger has also resigned from the President's Council.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 4:21 PM on June 1, 2017 [54 favorites]

Kushner's father all but stapled a $2.5 million dollar check to his Harvard application.
posted by zachlipton at 4:23 PM on June 1, 2017 [19 favorites]

Re: cities being "substantial actors" in terms of climate change, a huge part of that is the amount of CO2 emissions from buildings where people live, shop, and work. And what does the Trump administration want to do? Their proposed budget completely eliminates the voluntary Energy Star program, which in addition to labelling efficient appliances, helps property managers benchmark their energy usage and identify ways to reduce it. Sigh.
posted by misskaz at 4:29 PM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

Never initiate serious political changes unless you're very comfortable with all possible outcomes. (And don't say "nothing could be worse than this." It can.)

Eliminating the presidency is at the bottom of my priority list right now.
posted by steady-state strawberry at 4:29 PM on June 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

Disney CEO Bob Iger has also resigned from the President's Council.

I know this is super 1st world, but I'm taking the husband to WDW for his 50th birthday and I really didn't want to cancel. So, yay!
posted by Sophie1 at 4:30 PM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

“We are all custodians of this world, and that is why Canada will continue to work with the U.S. at the state level, and with other U.S. stakeholders, to address climate change and promote clean growth. We will also continue to reach out to the U.S. federal government to discuss this matter of critical importance for all humankind, and to identify areas of shared interest for collaboration, including on emissions reductions.”

Oh Canada!
posted by fullerine at 4:32 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

In better news, another poll showing Ossoff with a lead (small) over Handel.

Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican Karen Handel are separated by less than two points in a poll released Thursday by WSB-TV, the latest survey showing the June 20 runoff for Georgia’s 6th District is going to be a nail-biter.

The poll showed Ossoff leading Handel 49.1-47.6, well within the poll’s 4 percent margin of error. Only 3 percent were undecided, a sign of the total saturation of the race for the suburban Atlanta district.

More than $36 million has now been spent on the election – the costliest U.S. House contest in history – over what both parties increasingly see as a must-win contest.

The poll, conducted by Landmark Communications, echoed others that showed a yawning gender gap in the race. Handel, aiming to be the first female Republican congresswoman in Georgia history, trails Ossoff by nearly 10 points among women. He trails her by double-digits among men.

Other tidbits buried in the crosstabs: Ossoff leads Handel by a nearly 2-1 margin among voters under 39 and has a sizable edge in the 40-64 age bloc. That advantage is reversed with voters over 65, the most reliable voting bloc.

posted by chris24 at 4:32 PM on June 1, 2017 [17 favorites]

Eliminating the presidency is at the bottom of my priority list right now.

Agreed. I tried to express it more politely, above, but let me be more explicit: can we please take this sort of bizarre political fantasizing to (at least) another thread, assuming people have some super-pressing need to wax poetic about abolishing the presidency? It's starting to play out like a parody of white-dude brocialism, and it's a bad look in light of real-world events right now.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 4:35 PM on June 1, 2017 [18 favorites]

New Zealand did a thing for 100 tech candidates to interview there, they launched it in February. Threw in a free vacation package also.
posted by mrzarquon at 4:35 PM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

New fan favorite Macron in full troll mode. (Tweeted a giant Make Our Planet Great Again graphic.)
posted by chris24 at 4:38 PM on June 1, 2017 [24 favorites]

That would look great on a hat.
posted by guiseroom at 4:41 PM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

Michael Isikoff brings us new details on the Trump administration's efforts to ease sanctions on Russia: How the Trump administration’s secret efforts to ease Russia sanctions fell short

Unknown to the public at the time, top Trump administration officials, almost as soon as they took office, tasked State Department staffers with developing proposals for the lifting of economic sanctions, the return of diplomatic compounds and other steps to relieve tensions with Moscow.

These efforts to relax or remove punitive measures imposed by President Obama in retaliation for Russia’s intervention in Ukraine and meddling in the 2016 election alarmed some State Department officials, who immediately began lobbying congressional leaders to quickly pass legislation to block the move, the sources said.

“There was serious consideration by the White House to unilaterally rescind the sanctions,” said Dan Fried, a veteran State Department official who served as chief U.S. coordinator for sanctions policy until he retired in late February. He said in the first few weeks of the administration, he received several “panicky” calls from U.S. government officials who told him they had been directed to develop a sanctions-lifting package and imploring him, “Please, my God, can’t you stop this?”

This was a priority from day 1. That's not suspicious at all, right?
posted by zachlipton at 4:46 PM on June 1, 2017 [75 favorites]

can we please take this sort of bizarre political wish-listing to (at least) another thread, assuming people have some super-pressing need to wax poetic about abolishing the presidency? It's starting to play out like a parody of white-dude brocialism, and it's a bad look in light of real-world events right now.

Agreed it's a slight derail and not particularly high on my wishlist either, but I gotta take exception with "white dude brocialism", considering the race and gender make up of the vast majority of our presidents and how the office practically reinforces the idea of White Man As Leader. There's no need to be unfair to folks left of liberal here.

Disney CEO Bob Iger has also resigned from the President's Council.

First Exxon pleads to stay in the Paris Agreement, and how the White House loses Disney of all folks? Jesus. At this point I wouldn't be surprised if the ghost of Boss Tweed himself appeared on live television to speak out against the levels of corruption in the White House right now.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 4:46 PM on June 1, 2017 [23 favorites]

Disney CEO Bob Iger has also resigned from the President's Council.

First Exxon pleads to stay in the Paris Agreement, and how the White House loses Disney of all folks?

Goldman Sachs CEO's first tweet.

@lloydblankfein
Today's decision is a setback for the environment and for the U.S.'s leadership position in the world. #ParisAgreement
posted by chris24 at 4:48 PM on June 1, 2017 [43 favorites]

That's a fair point, and I apologize for invoking it in those terms. Thanks, Aya Hirano.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 4:49 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

Kushner's father all but stapled a $2.5 million dollar check to his Harvard application.

Cleverly doled out over a period 10 years in $250,000 increments. A great way to make sure that you and your younger brother both not just enter but successfully graduate from Harvard.
posted by JackFlash at 4:51 PM on June 1, 2017 [29 favorites]

Today I planted 10,000 square feet of beans. It'll provide enough protein to keep 10 or 15 people alive for a year. Every year I also make sure to plant enough potatoes for a similar number of people's carbohydrates. Some days I feel like it's a ridiculous personal tradition and that I should be growing more lucrative and easier crops, or hell maybe I should get a real job and re-enter civilization and save for retirement and whatnot. On the other hand, some days I come home to find 400 new posts in these threads after something terrible happens, and those are the days I know I'm doing the right thing. I think that we all have the duty to be cultivating community, sustainability and resilience wherever and however we're able. Every winter might be the last one ever and every year the USA continues to hobble and stumble along could be its last. We all gotta look out for each other and ourselves in equal measure.
posted by Rust Moranis at 4:53 PM on June 1, 2017 [77 favorites]

Post-covfefe, a brief conversation with a somewhat paranoid friend yielded this:

"CoVFeFe: Cobalt, Vanadium, Iron, Iron. Linear formula: FeCoV (via American Elements). You add it to Iron (Fe) for all kinds of possibilities, but notice its super high melting point, high density, and how it is applicable in some of the highest tech military equipment possible."

posted by christopherious at 4:54 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

Who let Dan Brown into the writer's room?
posted by meinvt at 4:56 PM on June 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

Kushner's father all but stapled a $2.5 million dollar check to his Harvard application.

Harvard has a 40 billion$ endowment, but they're still willing to sell their reputation for the equivalent of the change you could probably scrape out of the rhino-leather couch in the Porcellian Club house.
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:57 PM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

A great way to make sure that you and your younger brother both not just enter but successfully graduate from Harvard.

A dirty secret about schools like Harvard is that once you get in, it's really hard not to graduate. Elite colleges aren't like public universities that can just fail people.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 4:57 PM on June 1, 2017 [20 favorites]

Goldman Sachs CEO's first tweet.

@lloydblankfein
Today's decision is a setback for the environment and for the U.S.'s leadership position in the world. #ParisAgreement

literally me
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 4:57 PM on June 1, 2017 [11 favorites]

I was listening to this NPR story this evening, and it struck me that all the networks should interview as many military intelligence people as possible to push this side of things. For one thing, it's something right-wingers might actually listen to, and for another, if it annoys Trump and he starts trying to get rid of senior military staff, he's going to lose a ton of support.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 4:59 PM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

National Treasure Alexandra Petri, WaPo: Despite everything, it is still necessary to obtain a Beach Body

We are withdrawing from the Paris Accords.

But also, it is apparently summer. Hundreds of years have shriveled up and crumpled into dust and blown away on the wind since January, but it is apparently summer now, and you must prepare.

It is necessary that you obtain a Beach Body.

The Beaches are coming inland, and your body must be ready when they come for you.

posted by Johnny Wallflower at 4:59 PM on June 1, 2017 [102 favorites]

No doubt. Kinda feel like if you buy a degree rather than earning it, you shouldn't get to play the "I'm too dumb to understand" card regardless.

Pretty sure nobody here is letting him do that or suggesting he should be excused, just noting that he's too dim to commit his crimes or coverup with a halfway decent degree of competence. Prisons are full of D+ criminals; hopefully Jared will be among them sometime soon.
posted by FelliniBlank at 5:03 PM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

Clinton: Trump's decision to leave climate accord a 'historic mistake'
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:07 PM on June 1, 2017 [14 favorites]

Y'know, with all the big names in business coming out against Twitler (along with world leaders, which is to be expected), I'm kind of expecting this to be ComeyFiasco 2.0. He probably doesn't realize just how big the blowback will be. The support he's getting from Republicans in Congress might make a difference to him this time, but I have a feeling that by tomorrow morning, he's gonna be super pissed off that everyone is pissed off at him.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 5:07 PM on June 1, 2017 [31 favorites]

I'm kind of expecting this to be ComeyFiasco 2.0

From your lips to the gods' ears.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:10 PM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

Dies he think pollution is... popular? The way he's so nakedly pushed for any form of environmental destruction without shame, dropping all the underhandedmess the GOP would usually apply, seems to suggest it.
posted by Artw at 5:12 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

Y'know, with all the big names in business coming out against Twitler (along with world leaders, which is to be expected), I'm kind of expecting this to be ComeyFiasco 2.0. He probably doesn't realize just how big the blowback will be.

MoJo: Trump Has No Idea What He Just Did or the Backlash That Awaits: If he's capable of regret, he'll regret leaving the Paris deal.

Trump doesn't have any sense of the backlash that's coming for him and the US now that he's kickstarted the process of pulling out, which won't be official for another three years. Two factors will especially hurt the US: First, the world has been dealing with the US as an unreliable partner on climate change for more than two decades, and leaders still well remember the other times the US reversed course on its promises; second, the world has never been more aligned in favor of action, making climate change a much bigger factor in the US relationship with its allies in non-climate related issues—from trade to defense to immigration—than it once was.

Trump officials might have taken note of the consequences of US inconsistency with the 1997 Kyoto climate treaty. President Bill Clinton signed the treaty, which had binding targets, but never submitted it to the Senate for ratification. In 2001, Bush officials declared Kyoto dead and withdrew the US from the agreement. International backlash ensued. Some in the Bush administration, which like Trump's was split on how to handle Kyoto, came to regret how it was handled for the damage it did to the standing of the US in the world.

"Kyoto—this is not talking out of school—was not handled as well as it should have been,'' Bush's Secretary of State* Colin Powell said in 2002. And when the blowback came I think it was a sobering experience that everything the American president does has international repercussions."

In her 2011 memoir, then-national security adviser Condoleezza Rice detailed the reaction Bush faced in meetings with European leaders. Because of the way the administration handled the abrupt withdrawal, "we suffered through this issue over the years: drawing that early line in the sand helped to establish our reputation for 'unilateralism.' We handled it badly." Rice called it a "self-inflicted wound that could have been avoided."

Trump is incapable of regret, but Republicans will.
posted by chris24 at 5:14 PM on June 1, 2017 [66 favorites]

With a certain segment of his followers, it is popular (at least as a "fuck you" to liberals). Think "rolling coal", etc.

And thats the segment he's always tried hardest to appeal to, same group that loved the Wall and Lock Her Up and so on (and he gets away with that because "traditional Republicans" support him regardless of what he says/does, because taxes or whatever).
posted by thefoxgod at 5:14 PM on June 1, 2017 [13 favorites]

Does he think pollution is... popular?

Among his base, it is. edit: you done got there first, thefoxgod.
posted by Rust Moranis at 5:15 PM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

> Despite everything, it is still necessary to obtain a Beach Body

Alexandra Petri writes the ComPost blog, offering a lighter take on the news and opinions of the day.

Yup, definitely lighter. /shivers
posted by Vibrissa at 5:15 PM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

Does he think pollution is... popular?

Probably has some kind of long-standing envy of The Once-ler or something.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 5:15 PM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

Headline that should be in every paper after the "Pittsburgh" comment:

"DOES TRUMP ACTUALLY THINK THE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT IS ABOUT PARIS?"

Seriously. I want to know. Can someone just ask him what the agreement is?
posted by mmoncur at 5:17 PM on June 1, 2017 [27 favorites]

Wait, no, The Once-ler sees the light in the end. So maybe he's going for Once-ler revisionism.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 5:21 PM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

His general ignorance and illiteracy count against that, yes.
posted by Artw at 5:21 PM on June 1, 2017

You don't think he wrote that speech, do you? Or understood a word of it?
posted by Devonian at 5:22 PM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

And thats the segment he's always tried hardest to appeal to, same group that loved the Wall and Lock Her Up and so on (and he gets away with that because "traditional Republicans" support him regardless of what he says/does, because taxes or whatever).

Well, that's fine for John Q. Lunchbox the Plumber, but the big money people who finance the GOP are not mouth-breathing chumps -- at least when it comes to things that tank the economy and their bottom lines. Hence, Exxon et al. in the pro-Paris camp. Trump can spew all the idiot-base pandering shit he wants about coal and Walls and anti-immigrant bigotry, but the second he actually did anything to eliminate the supply of cheap undocumented labor, they'd hang him by his thumbs.
posted by FelliniBlank at 5:22 PM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

Yeah, thats the hopeful outcome --- that like the military, enough businesses are smart enough to know that we need to plan for / mitigate climate change as best we can. (There will still be a chunk of businesses that either don't see that or have a short enough view that they don't care as long as they can profit now, of course).

If that kind of thing can chip away at his support, that will help.

Sadly, we're still going to lose years of government action on climate change in the best case.
posted by thefoxgod at 5:31 PM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

You don't think he wrote that speech, do you? Or understood a word of it?

No, but like all Presidents, once he reads a speech the words become his own. He owns them and he is responsible for them. And he should be able to answer questions about them. If he can't, he's a fraud.
posted by mmoncur at 5:32 PM on June 1, 2017 [12 favorites]

Well, that's fine for John Q. Lunchbox the Plumber, but the big money people who finance the GOP are not mouth-breathing chumps -- at least when it comes to things that tank the economy and their bottom lines. Hence, Exxon et al. in the pro-Paris camp. Trump can spew all the idiot-base pandering shit he wants about coal and Walls and anti-immigrant bigotry, but the second he actually did anything to eliminate the supply of cheap undocumented labor, they'd hang him by his thumbs.

I thought the same about Brexit, but even now they're still funnelling all of their support to the Conservatives.
posted by dng at 5:33 PM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

B... Big Business will save us?
posted by tivalasvegas at 5:39 PM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

Michael Isakoff, Yahoo News: How the Trump administration’s secret efforts to ease Russia sanctions fell short

“There was serious consideration by the White House to unilaterally rescind the sanctions,” said Dan Fried, a veteran State Department official who served as chief U.S. coordinator for sanctions policy until he retired in late February. He said in the first few weeks of the administration, he received several “panicky” calls from U.S. government officials who told him they had been directed to develop a sanctions-lifting package and imploring him, “Please, my God, can’t you stop this?”

posted by Room 641-A at 5:40 PM on June 1, 2017 [14 favorites]

Trump can spew all the idiot-base pandering shit he wants about coal and Walls and anti-immigrant bigotry, but the second he actually did anything to eliminate the supply of cheap undocumented labor, they'd hang him by his thumbs.

Exactly, the Paris deal is totally non-binding. It's 100% virtue signalling, the very essence of soft power. The US (begrudingly even under Obama) signed on to voluntary carbon controls, signaling to the world that we were finally ready to get (sort of, well, maybe) serious about climate change. The effects aren't immediate, and they aren't felt by corporate CEOs and GOP mega-donors.

So they don't care that much about Trump burning down the US' international reputation to piss off liberals. CEOs care about the bottom line, in the short term. Republicans care ONLY about liberal tears. This is a home run for liberal tears with zero immediate consequences on the bottom line. Only on American international influence (unquantifiable to a fat-cat CEO with eyes only for this quarter) and ultimately on the long-term existence of humanity (and that's not this quarter, so also unquantifiable).
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:44 PM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

From Andrew Prokop at Vox, "Don’t just blame Trump for quitting the Paris deal — blame the Republican Party":

President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement has been portrayed in some press coverage as a decision driven by either his personal idiosyncrasies or the policy agenda of White House chief strategist Steve Bannon. And while there’s an element of truth to that, it misses the big picture.

The reality is that this isn’t just a story about Trump — it’s a story about the Republican Party and the conservative movement, which has adopted a rock-solid, widespread consensus in opposition to any serious action aimed at the US reducing carbon emissions. This has become a bedrock belief of the modern GOP.

And, as that MoJo article linked above pointed out, Bush Jr. walked away from Bill Clinton's Kyoto treaty. Basically, so long as the GOP is a viable political force in the US, the US cannot be considered a reliable party when it comes to global climate agreements. There's an irony here in that one of the main conservative objections to these kinds of climate agreements is that China/India/other developing nations would either not sign up or if they did sign up, they wouldn't actually deliver. Well, as it turns out, I believe I've read that China and India are actually sticking to their schedules (if not slightly ahead) while it was the US who dropped out -- twice. Weird, eh?
posted by mhum at 5:46 PM on June 1, 2017 [51 favorites]

The Once-ler sees the light in the end.

Just read that to my 3 year old tonight for bed. The world was still ruined to near inhabitable levels before there was any hope of redemption. Get ready.
posted by RolandOfEld at 5:47 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

Every reporter/pundit/third party voter needs to answer this before they get to tell Clinton to shut up and go away.

@LemieuxLGM
I mean, what would the case for "Clinton's email server is more important than climate change and health care combined" even look like?
posted by chris24 at 5:48 PM on June 1, 2017 [70 favorites]

What. the. fuck. How in the fucking fuck can a person this stupid make it to the age of 70 with millions of dollars in his pocket? FUCK.

it helps if you start with tens of millions of dollars in your pocket, and then top up periodically with loans from incredibly shady foreign banks
posted by murphy slaw at 5:48 PM on June 1, 2017 [25 favorites]

I've mentioned before that the tiny town I moved to years ago has suddenly gone from 5000 people to 50,000 and growing fast. Today, I took a backroad home, that I thought would still be ranch land and horses. It wasn't. It had all been clear cut, and there were big signs advertising houses starting in the low 300k range. The wonderful, winding, banking, brilliant to drive road was construction for 4 miles, so I was going about 10mph and got to see the scores and scores of workers working the road and construction crews. I would venture a guess at more than 70% Hispanic, and having become familiar with construction in this area, I would bet money half are undocumented and underpaid. None of those workers can afford to move here, the city is bulldozing low income housing to put up mcmansions, and the apartment are probably less than 100 units in the whole city.

We are right next to one of the bigger reservoirs in the area. How is all this runoff from all this concrete where there used to be prairie going to affect an area with regular droughts? Who knows, what difference could it make? Let's just build and build and build and find out? What could go wrong?

I don't know where I'm going with this, I think because I'm so sick, that everything is blending together in a miasma of horrible. Deportations and immigration detention centers, climate change and icebergs, brexit and Paris accords, 45 , the Russians and the treasonous GOP that would starve babies so ivanka can have champagne pops to celebrate America's dead veterans.

It's all gone so terribly, terribly wrong, and I don't know what to do but we have to do something. Incoherent screaming isn't working.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 5:50 PM on June 1, 2017 [49 favorites]

I mean, what would the case for "Clinton's email server is more important than climate change and health care combined" even look like?

I give you Chris Cillizza.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:54 PM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

Would the US still be a party to this agreement if it was called the Pittsburgh Agreement?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 5:54 PM on June 1, 2017 [14 favorites]

I give you Chris Cillizza.

can we give him back?
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:55 PM on June 1, 2017 [29 favorites]

WaPo: Explanations for Kushner’s meeting with head of Kremlin-linked bank don’t match up

Even more interesting from this is that flight data suggests the Russian banker flew directly from meeting with Kushner to meeting Putin in Japan.
posted by chris24 at 5:57 PM on June 1, 2017 [15 favorites]

Would the US still be a party to this agreement if it was called the Pittsburgh Agreement?

That might work on Trump, but probably not on the Republican handlers who feed him his opinions and write his speeches.
posted by IAmUnaware at 6:06 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

LAist: L.A. Rams Become First NFL Team In History To Sponsor Gay Pride Event

The Los Angeles Chargers have also joined Venice Pride as sponsors, making them the second NFL team in history to support a gay pride event.

Curbed: Mayor Eric Garcetti says LA will adhere to Paris agreement after Trump withdraws
posted by Room 641-A at 6:22 PM on June 1, 2017 [42 favorites]

Fun fact: There already is a Pittsburgh Agreement which was when Czech and Slovak expatriates got together and founded Czechoslovakia.
posted by octothorpe at 6:22 PM on June 1, 2017 [17 favorites]

Not to be confused with the Pittsburgh Platform which established Reformed Judaism
posted by octothorpe at 6:27 PM on June 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

From the MoJo piece chris24 shared:

US withdrawal [from Kyoto in 2001] also shifted the power dynamics across the world and gave Russia, which signed the agreement, greater leverage in international affairs.

You don't say.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 6:27 PM on June 1, 2017 [27 favorites]

WaPo: Inside Trump’s climate decision: After fiery debate, he ‘stayed where he’s always been’: During meetings with the president, Bannon, Pruitt and their allies came armed with reams of documents filled with numbers and statistics showing what they said would be the negative effects on the U.S. economy if the United States remained in the climate deal. They were, in the words of one Republican in frequent contact with the White House, “ready to go to trial.”

“They were presenting facts and figures” Conway said. “They were really important. That was the evidentiary case.”

Some of those opposed to pulling out of the pact, however, said that much of the data the other side presented was either erroneous, scientifically dubious, misleading or out of date.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 6:28 PM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

Just back from the smallest of small potatoes state politics town hall and the turnout was great (considering), people were fired up and holy shit is everyone pissed off about that Pittsburgh comment.

Introvert me even went up to the mic, so it was a banner day.

My message was that in our cities, these small potatoes state races are all that is standing between us and Trump's shit-flinging. Our mayor and city council are defending our values as best they can, but the state legislature can put a stop to that any time they want. And boy, do they want. It's been a war in this state against the cities for a long time, and I currently have a state rep (a Democrat!) who is all too happy to step aside and let them, if not join right in.

The rep himself was too much of a chicken shit to attend, but we filmed it and will send him the footage.

Expect us.
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:32 PM on June 1, 2017 [87 favorites]

WaPo: Inside Trump’s climate decision: After fiery debate, he ‘stayed where he’s always been’:

Also from that article:

Pressure from leaders abroad also backfired. One senior White House official characterized disappointing European allies as “a secondary benefit” of Trump’s decision to withdraw.

And that full-page ad with the CEOs was supposedly Ivanka's doing. She wants us to know she really tried, I guess:

She even personally appealed to Andrew Liveris, the head of Dow Chemical, asking him to spearhead a letter with other CEOs — which ultimately ran as a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal in May — directly appealing to Trump to stay in the agreement, according to a person familiar with the effort.

The Post also has a fact check on Trump's claims about the Paris Agreement, detailing some of the falsehoods.
posted by zachlipton at 6:34 PM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

I wonder if Ivanka learned what "complicit" means yet. Maybe we need to put it in a language she can understand: замешанными.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:36 PM on June 1, 2017 [21 favorites]

Ivanka tried.... to hide... that she's #complicit . Any other claim is a load of horse manure.
posted by Yowser at 6:45 PM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

During meetings with the president, Bannon, Pruitt and their allies came armed with reams of documents filled with numbers and statistics showing what they said would be the negative effects on the U.S. economy if the United States remained in the climate de

Basically, the head of the EPA is, as we've all known all along, is not actually interested in the "P" part of his job.
posted by Joey Michaels at 6:55 PM on June 1, 2017 [11 favorites]

Trump is scared. He’s entering a a

Autocrats Anonymous?
posted by maxwelton at 6:55 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

It's weird that Donald had to tweet MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! tonight. I guess he's intimidated by everyone retweeting the president of France.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 6:55 PM on June 1, 2017 [14 favorites]

Julia Harte, Reuters (via RS): Three lawmakers question Kushner chief-of-staff on concerns over White House tie

Three Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to the president of Kushner Companies on Thursday seeking information related to concerns that the real estate firm has exploited Jared Kushner’s role as a White House adviser to attract investment through a federal immigration program.

posted by Room 641-A at 6:57 PM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

In which Ivanka pretends nothing related to the climate happened today, but wishes everyone a "joyful #Pride2017." Meanwhile, Trump has failed to continue the Obama administration's tradition of a Pride Month proclamation and reception.
posted by zachlipton at 7:00 PM on June 1, 2017 [23 favorites]

[...] The Time story is also notable for suggesting that Jared is a victim of circumstance, trapped in a world he never made:
[...] It's a situation that might have survived had Kushner remained in the dog-eat-dog world of Manhattan real estate.... But Washington is a town of rank and title, where secrets are hard to keep, official roles matter and the higher power of the Constitution looms. The quiet man is now conspicuous, having been slurped into the spotlight by the tentacles of a Russia investigation that produces headlines like Ford punches out trucks.

Wow. Just Wow. "Adolph was now caught in the spotlight, surrounded by the vagaries of the second world war, suddenly and without warning finding himself in the maelstrom of the invasions of Poland, war in France, battle for Britain. `Why do Poles suddenly hate on me? Why does Chechoslovakia hate me? That's really uncalled for! And now Russians hate me too, just like that. And Americans hate me too! I didn't even invade them! That's just beyond the pale.. Just wow.'"
posted by rainy at 7:05 PM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

There's been a lot of people new to government and to international statecraft that didn't immediately try to subvert the US intelligence apparatus and conduct off book discussions inside a foreign adversary's secure communications center.

You have to work really hard to spin that as somehow just bumbling around in a new environment and not intentional treason.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:11 PM on June 1, 2017 [31 favorites]

Can we not compare Kushner to Hitler? Like... CAN WE NOT?
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 7:21 PM on June 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

"My only solace is wondering if this kind of action will eventually be classified as a crime against humanity that could be tried at the Hague, one day. "

I'm kind-of glad someone else wonders this; I keep finding myself thinking, "One day there's going to be a Nuremberg Tribunal about climate change" and then I wonder if I'm crazy but I really kind of think there will be.

What makes me so enraged -- SO ENRAGED! -- is that in his stupidity he thinks it's GOOD if other countries SPEND MORE ON THEIR MILITARIES and RELY LESS ON US, it's obviously better for us if our military is the only one capable of fighting the really big wars, WHY ARE YOU TELLING OTHER COUNTRIES TO BECOME OUR RIVALS RATHER THAN OUR DEPENDENTS???? WHY ARE YOU SO DUMB???? It's GOOD for America when other countries don't "pay their share!"

And not only does he want to kill the planet because he has literally no idea how anything works, but he's not even capable of understanding that China and Europe will get way, way far ahead of us on green power technologies. He's so stupid he's ceding jobs and technological superiority and business advantage to China and Europe, and crippling the US economy.

At some point other countries are going to have to start issuing not just tariffs but sanctions against us, this shit is nuts.

BuzzFeed has a deep dive into Health Care Sharing Ministries, religious organizations that count as an exception to the ACA's health insurance mandate. Over a million people participate in them now. If you've never heard of these before, you're in for a fun ride.

DUUUUUUDE I have a friend who's in one of these and is constantly talking about it (she haaaaates Obama so loathes Obamacare) and how awesome it is and how Obamacare was bankrupting her family (it wasn't) and how nice it is to get all the cards and checks from strangers praying for you when you have a medical need and I'm like LADY JUST WAIT UNTIL YOU HAVE A REAL MEDICAL NEED. They're on a knife's edge with this, only her husband works, they've had six children in six years, she has crippling post-partum depression, she's going to get pregnant again immediately, I assume, and some of her kids are already having various medical and psychological issues, this isn't sustainable, their "$300/month" "health care sharing ministry" isn't going to support a family of 8 and growing for very long before it collapses or they get kicked out.

What kills me is her husband has very good insurance available through his employer but they won't use it because it's an Obamacare-compliant plan and they object to the immorality of the employer offering compliant plans. (Also her husband's a rocket scientist and she has a master's degree in finance. It's not just run-of-the-mill stupidity at work here.)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:26 PM on June 1, 2017 [113 favorites]

Can we not compare Kushner to Hitler? Like... CAN WE NOT?

Right, Kushner is definitely more of a Martin Bormann.
posted by Justinian at 7:28 PM on June 1, 2017 [18 favorites]

ALSO I left one part off my rant, it fucking pisses me off when Republicans are all "oooh, the French are so un-American, so against all we stand for, effete European elites blah blah blah covfefe." I like an affectionate cheese-eating surrender monkey joke as much as the next guy, bu COME ON YOU AHISTORICAL ASSHOLES, FRANCE IS OUR FIRST ALLY. OUR FIRST FRIEND! Without France there's no fucking America and when you take a shit on the country of France because you're an ignorant asshole who bought a diploma, you're taking a shit on American history, and you're taking a shit literally our oldest alliance!

I mean I shouldn't be surprised since he wants to ruin our special relationship with the UK, tick off Canada despite the unparalleled achievement of the world's longest undefended border, and build a fucking wall along our only other land-border with our third-largest trading partner of Mexico. But come on, man, have a little fucking respect for the Founders at least.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:33 PM on June 1, 2017 [114 favorites]

And everyone's favorite fighting Frenchman, LAFAYETTE!

sorry, it still happens
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:37 PM on June 1, 2017 [51 favorites]

Here's a bumper sticker/t-shirt you can all have:

"Make America Great Again: IMPEACH TRUMP"
posted by msalt at 7:38 PM on June 1, 2017 [20 favorites]

Sorry, it still happens

See also: this FPP's title.
posted by Joey Michaels at 7:40 PM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

I mean, yeah, we were pointing out the historic friendship with France under W, too. The response was "b-b-b-but muh Iraq War" and the tired saw about how the French would be speaking German were it not for the US (never mind how the Soviets had pretty much crippled Germany by the time we got involved). The right has always been very selective about history. It's freedom fries all the way down.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 7:41 PM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

What makes me so enraged -- SO ENRAGED! -- is that in his stupidity he thinks it's GOOD if other countries SPEND MORE ON THEIR MILITARIES and RELY LESS ON US, it's obviously better for us if our military is the only one capable of fighting the really big wars, WHY ARE YOU TELLING OTHER COUNTRIES TO BECOME OUR RIVALS RATHER THAN OUR DEPENDENTS?

This one's actually kind of easy. If other countries spend more on their militaries and rely less on us, that sets up an immediate and obvious reason for us to spend more on our military. ("We're getting weaker relative to them".) Republicans love to spend money on the military, so this is kind of a double-win: he gets to argue that we're spending too much defending other countries, and then he gets to turn around and say that we need to increase military spending because we're getting outspent. The fact that neither of those things is true will go unreported, and unbelieved by republican voters.

Without France there's no fucking America and when you take a shit on the country of France because you're an ignorant asshole who bought a diploma, you're taking a shit on American history, and you're taking a shit literally our oldest alliance!

Well, there's no way that party will ever buck up to France's support. Aya Hirano's got it, it's always "You'd be speaking German if it weren't for us". Somehow, everytime I point out to one of them that we'd all be speaking English if it weren't for France, I get weird confused looks.
posted by mrgoat at 7:46 PM on June 1, 2017 [15 favorites]

"Make America Great Again: IMPEACH TRUMP"

I'll also accept "Make America Kind of Ok Again".
posted by loquacious at 7:47 PM on June 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

[slowly pushes pile of "DESTROY AMERICA FOR GOOD" bumper stickers into trash]
posted by DoctorFedora at 7:49 PM on June 1, 2017 [22 favorites]

I like an affectionate cheese-eating surrender monkey joke as much as the next guy

This was a somewhat common insult back when I was playing military shooter FPSs. I liked to point out how many of the military terms that they were using in the game they were currently playing were french.
posted by VTX at 7:51 PM on June 1, 2017 [9 favorites]

Here's a bumper sticker/t-shirt you can all have:

"Make America Great Again: IMPEACH TRUMP"

My fantasy: if America's "Never again" moment ever arrives post-Trumpocalypse , we co-opt the shit out of the red hats. What would piss off the old-guard-to-be more—and be more apropos, in that context—than to steal "Make America Great Again" as the slogan of an anti-Trump reconstruction?
posted by Rykey at 7:55 PM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

One of the things that really irks me about these health care sharing ministries (besides the whole "you got sick/pregnant in some non-Christian-approved way, so on your own," which is obviously infuriating) is that their step #1 for their members is to tell providers that they're paying cash and to ask for a discount.

I mean, providers will discount for insurance companies too, so I don't think it's entirely immoral to ask for discounts under such circumstances, but what it amounts to is a fake insurance company that simply chooses not to bother with the whole "negotiate with a network of providers" part of being an insurance company and instead tells its members to plead poverty and beg for discounts like they're uninsured. It really makes it clear how much of a joke these "ministries" are.
posted by zachlipton at 7:59 PM on June 1, 2017 [16 favorites]

Jalliah: I'm laughing reading that list just because The Giant Cheeto named one of his daughters after one of those companies!

Wait, which daughter is this?!?
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:00 PM on June 1, 2017

In the category of WTF; Ana Navarro is talking on CNN and in the background there is the shadow of a woman dancing in the windows of a building.
posted by bongo_x at 8:02 PM on June 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

Wait, which daughter is this?!?

Tiffany
posted by Jalliah at 8:06 PM on June 1, 2017

YahooNews White House Correspondent Hunter Walker has an interesting perspective on Trump's speech today:

I can read Trump's TelePrompTer. This bit about the mine opening was an ad lib.

Trump is also ad libbing all of this stuff about other countries "laughing" at us

The NYT's Maggie Haberman expanded on that telling detail—"This is what most things boil down to for POTUS. Not being laughed at."

That's right, the occupier of the Oval Office has the mentality of a comic book villain threatening the whole world in order to show those fools in Paris who dared to laugh at him.
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:15 PM on June 1, 2017 [72 favorites]

Boston City Hall went green tonight.
posted by adamg at 8:17 PM on June 1, 2017 [25 favorites]

"This is what most things boil down to for POTUS. Not being laughed at."

Trump is possibly human history's most powerful embodiment and exemplar of Atwood's "men are afraid women will laugh at them, women are afraid men will murder them."
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:18 PM on June 1, 2017 [112 favorites]

Well, there you go. The way to protest Trump is to laugh at him. Everywhere he goes, point and laugh when he appears. In response to everything he tweets, post yourself pointing and laughing at him. Cast permanent ridikkulus on this bloated boggart.
posted by Joey Michaels at 8:18 PM on June 1, 2017 [44 favorites]

That's right, the occupier of the Oval Office has the mentality of a comic book villain threatening the whole world in order to show those fools in Paris who dared to laugh at him.

And now the world is just going to figure out ways to move on without him and not just laugh but give him various levels of the political finger. Or ignore what they can and pay lip service (as they manipulate the fuck out of him) with the things they can't ignore. He really just doesn't understand how politics and true soft power works beyond a base level. (Pun intended).

For someone who wants power and adoration he really is shitty at understanding how it works in most of the worlds reality.
posted by Jalliah at 8:21 PM on June 1, 2017 [10 favorites]

we co-opt the shit out of the red hats.

No. When this is all over, if I ever see one again, it will be too soon.
posted by corb at 8:28 PM on June 1, 2017 [24 favorites]

In 2020 the election will be about climate change. We need to educate the electorate and teach them that it will be in everyone's best interest to elect the candidate with the strongest policy on reversing Global Warming. Businesses need to run ads. Directors need to make documentaries. Books need to be published both fiction and nonfiction. And we need to use both social media and real life encounters to spread the word: ignoring climate change is dangerous, embracing alternative energy will benefit our economy. We pride ourselves on being the innovators-- one senile old fool in the White House cannot conquer the American can-do spirit.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 8:43 PM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

HEY MCCAIN I LIKE YOUR FROZEN SWEET CORN BUT THOSE RUSTICA FROZEN PIZZAS ARE FUCKING GARBAGE MANG
posted by turbid dahlia at 8:47 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

I just hope that when New Jersey elects* the Democratic governor that we should have this November, we start sticking it to the Trump "administration" like CA and NY.

Former Jerseyite here myself (Parlin/Sayreville — please, don't hold it against me; I didn't know any better). Current Marylander/Baltimoron and Marylander by birth, too. So I feel your pain — we also are departing from recent history by having a dumbass Republican occupying the Governor's office. We also need to eject this horse's ass out of office, and you and I can join our old friends MA, CA, NY, OR, WA, etc.

(And as a side note — what is it with us blue states being such suckers and periodically letting a Republican governor get in? We all do it, not just Maryland — CA, MA, NJ, NY, you name it. We all periodically let Lucy line up the football, and we run at it, and she snatches it away and sticks a Republican in the Governor's office. When was the last time fucking Mississippi, Utah, Alabama, or wherever-the-fuck said "oh, what the hell, let's try a Democratic governor this time around?" Not in my lifetime. But us blue states STILL do it to this day. WHEN THE FUCK WILL WE LEARN?)
posted by CommonSense at 9:02 PM on June 1, 2017 [11 favorites]

I prefer "Make America GOOD For Once".
posted by oneswellfoop at 9:07 PM on June 1, 2017 [10 favorites]

cjelli: "Trump: "I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris."[apparently real]

I question whether Turmp understands what the Paris Agreement actually is, because he has yet to demonstrate that he does and he's said a lot to suggest he doesn't.

(Also Pittsburgh didn't exactly vote for Trump, so, uh)"

Also there are 20 odd cities/towns/unincorporated areas named Paris in the USA; most of them in states that went for the Cheeto.
posted by Mitheral at 9:07 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

MA voters like moderate Republicans as a balance to the overwhelmingly Democratic legislature - no way Charlie Baker would get elected outside the Northeast. Here's his statement on the Paris Agreement.
posted by adamg at 9:09 PM on June 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

Politico: Russia escalates spy games after years of U.S. neglect

It’s a trend that has led intelligence officials to conclude that the Kremlin is waging a quiet effort to map the United States’ telecommunications infrastructre, perhaps preparing for an opportunity to disrupt it.
...
Lawmakers, frustrated by Russian diplomats’ repeated violation of travel rules, inserted a provision in last year’s intelligence authorization bill that would have required Russian diplomats to provide ample notice to the State Department if they planned to travel more than 50 miles from where they were based, and further, would have required the FBI to validate that travel. According to several sources involved in the discussions at that time, the administration fought desperately — and failed — to get those provisions taken out of the bill.

Around that same time, two key Democratic lawmakers informed the White House of plans to publicly finger Russia as the foreign power behind a widespread effort to manipulate the ongoing U.S. election — something no official U.S. government entity had yet done. Fearful of escalation, the administration tried to get Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Adam Schiff, then the two leading Democrats on the Senate and House intelligence committees, respectively, to back off. The California lawmakers didn’t, and they released the statement. Backed into a corner by Congress, the administration released a statement saying the same a week later.

The Obama administration’s tentativeness in the weeks leading up to Nov. 8 — especially in the high-stakes context of a presidential election — is something that still bewilders corners of the intelligence world. Some speculate that Secretary of State John Kerry, desperate for a peace deal in Syria, urged the White House to lie low. Some blame it on fear of igniting a cyberwar, and still others say it stemmed from a generalized underestimation of the Russian threat.

This is as much as story of the Obama Administration's tentativeness as it is one of Russia's actions.
posted by zachlipton at 9:10 PM on June 1, 2017 [32 favorites]

I prefer "Make America Well" - Healthcare 4 everyone, yo.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 9:11 PM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

I live in Pittsburgh. What's he gonna do to represent me? Make sure I can't get Social Security, Medicaid, or health insurace? Riddle the government in my country of birth with white supremacists, fat cats, and the scum of the earth? Just one more voice from Pittsburgh saying FUCK YOU, YOU FUCKING CIRCUS PEANUT.
posted by Sing Or Swim at 9:19 PM on June 1, 2017 [35 favorites]

Unlikely: Trump risks ire of millions of pro-Israel voters by keeping embassy in Tel Aviv

Honestly, they've been able to take the coarseness, the adulteries, the hatred and spite and everything else. They're not going to buck at this. In fact, from what I've seen, this sort of betrayal makes his supporters double down. It's the classic abusive relationship where the junior partner is ashamed to admit how badly they've been treated.
posted by Joe in Australia at 9:20 PM on June 1, 2017 [18 favorites]

I suppose I shouldn't even try to raise my hopes for "Make America Grateful Again".
posted by loquacious at 9:21 PM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

Unlikely: Trump risks ire of millions of pro-Israel voters by keeping embassy in Tel Aviv

Many of Trump’s supporters – both at home and abroad – expect a delivery from the man who campaigned as someone who would get things done.

lol
posted by Existential Dread at 9:27 PM on June 1, 2017 [8 favorites]

Make America Grate Again
posted by CommonSense at 9:53 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Apologies if this was already shared. Rep. Maxine Waters’ Statement on Reports that President Trump may Reverse Sanctions and Return Compounds to Russia (waters.house.gov)
posted by christopherious at 10:02 PM on June 1, 2017 [17 favorites]

I just watched Jerry Brown interviewed by Ari Melber (standing in for Rachel Maddow on her show), and it's nice to actually feel a little hope at the end of this awful day.

I'm glad that California is on the right track and continuing to move forward, and I'm utterly grateful that it's economically powerful enough to (hopefully) exert some strong influence on the rest of this country. I'm so disgusted and heartsick and ashamed of being represented on the world stage by someone petty enough to screw with the future of the planet and the lives of millions of people because the leaders of Europe made him feel bad about himself.

And I'm a little teary at the graciousness of world leaders like Macron who have been generous enough to offer to continue to work with American individuals and states to combat climate change. It's more than we deserve, but it's a nice acknowledgment that so many people in the US are horrified by what Trump has done.

I'm getting ready to start teaching summer classes in a few days, and frankly it's hard to find the motivation. What's the point of teaching science to college students when the president of the country has done so much to discredit science literacy and treat scientific fact like it's a conspiracy theory? What's the point of preparing students for jobs that will lead nowhere as the US is left behind by the rest of the world and economy is ruined for decades to come?

(Ugh, so much for the hope. I'll snap out of it in a bit, but manalive it's tough right now.)
posted by Salieri at 10:06 PM on June 1, 2017 [15 favorites]

The Time story is also notable for suggesting that Jared is a victim of circumstance, trapped in a world he never made

But not me baby I'm too precious
FUCK OFF
posted by wallabear at 10:07 PM on June 1, 2017 [19 favorites]

ELECTIONS NEWS

** GA-06

-- Day 3 of EV. Totals are now at 32K, still eye-poppingly high, exceeding 2016 general totals. R 46 / D 37.
-- As mentioned above, new WSB-TV poll has Ossoff 49.1, Handel 47.6 (MOE 4%).
-- Interesting WaPo story on GOP strategy in this race and the other specials. tl;dr: They're basically saying nothing about policy, going strictly for personal attacks.
-- There's been some shit about Kathy Griffin, but it's just too fucking stupid to even write down.

** SC-05 -- Very narrow GOP primary loser Pope has still not endorsed winner Norman.

** 2018 midterms -- Dems putting major focus on picking up seats in CA, esp the 7 GOP Clinton seats. On the other hand, Dana Rohrabacher [R - Kremlin] says he isn't worried.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:11 PM on June 1, 2017 [42 favorites]

Well sure, who wouldn't have?

Kim Guilfoyle Says Trump Consulted With Her on Paris Withdrawal

But not me baby I'm too precious

Is there nothing sacred that this family can't ruin?
posted by Room 641-A at 10:12 PM on June 1, 2017 [6 favorites]

Ms Waters' site currently says that it's "undergoing maintenance". Anyone remember what it said?
posted by Joe in Australia at 10:19 PM on June 1, 2017

aren't you the leader of the free world?

no but i play one on tv
posted by flabdablet at 10:23 PM on June 1, 2017

Guys can you imagine if Sergey Kislyak ever opens a Shrodinger box? The cat can never be sure if it had seen or was seen by Kislyak, so it will stay in the superimposed position despite the open box?

I think we can real, kosher quantum computers with this dude in the room, I mean full-strength quantum shit, not that D-Wave bullshit. And those computers can solve global warming (probably). One hand (of Kislyak) giveth what the other hath taken away.
posted by rainy at 10:30 PM on June 1, 2017 [19 favorites]

I just moved into Dana Rohrabachers district from a reliable Dem district in the East Bay (Deslaunier) and I am super excited about running that goof out of town--as are plenty of folks in the district. He's bluffing with that not worried comment. He hasn't yet held a town hall, the Tuesday meet ups at his local office are well attended,and he's getting all kinds of grief on FB and Twitter.

Issa down the coast is maybe safer (better demographics).
posted by notyou at 10:37 PM on June 1, 2017 [15 favorites]

Issa won in 2016 by 0.6%. He is not considered safe AT ALL.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:43 PM on June 1, 2017 [19 favorites]

Even better!
posted by notyou at 10:47 PM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

> What's the point of preparing students for jobs that will lead nowhere as the US is left behind by the rest of the world and economy is ruined for decades to come?

They don't lead nowhere. They lead to France. And France is awesome.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 10:55 PM on June 1, 2017 [24 favorites]

They have cheese! And a greater understanding of the costs and outcomes of WWII!
posted by Artw at 11:00 PM on June 1, 2017 [12 favorites]

They don't lead nowhere. They lead to France. And France is awesome.

It is. But I don't want to give up on this country yet. I want to have a future here.
posted by Salieri at 11:04 PM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

I was a little disappointed that Ted Lieu didn't pounce on that photo of Issa on the roof tbh.
posted by Room 641-A at 12:11 AM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

CNN was just replaying an interview with Governor Jay Inslee of Washington about the United States Climate Alliance from earlier today and in emphasizing the economic benefits of pursuing green technology and alternative fuels he said something like,

President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Accord will make us the caboose of the global economy rather than the engine.

(not an exact quote as there doesn't seem to be a transcript up on the web yet)
posted by XMLicious at 12:20 AM on June 2, 2017 [7 favorites]

This is (in part) the 90 day ban they said they needed 120 days ago as an emergency measure while they improved vetting measures. So they've just been sitting around with their thumbs stuck up their asses in the meantime?

In a better dimension, they deny certiorari, on the premise that "You wanted 90 days to improve vetting measures, it's been 120 days, so you should have them ready. There is no issue to decide"
posted by mikelieman at 12:37 AM on June 2, 2017 [24 favorites]

>> They have cheese! And a greater understanding...

Shouldn't that be grater? I'm sorry
posted by Myeral at 1:13 AM on June 2, 2017 [7 favorites]

The US reneging on its commitment to the Paris Agreement renders it a rogue state on the international stage. But the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement will not stop climate action in the United States. At state level, in cities, in businesses and communities around the country the move away from fossil fuels is well underway. We encourage all actors in the US working to tackle climate change to stand their ground, share the benefits of their work and to keep making their voices heard.

Mary Robinson, former UN Special Envoy on Climate Change and former Irish president.

She also tore strips off Trump on the main Irish current affairs radio program this morning.
posted by o seasons o castles at 2:08 AM on June 2, 2017 [28 favorites]

Boston City Hall went green tonight.

Missed a really good pretext to send in a demolition squad there, and write it off as an environmental statement.
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:12 AM on June 2, 2017 [6 favorites]

I looked through the thread and hasn't seen this link yet Trump administration approves tougher visa vetting, including social media checks.
posted by AlexiaSky at 2:14 AM on June 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

So this showed up in the South China Morning Post today. Not sure what to make of them publishing an opinion piece from the Heritage Foundation.

Why Trump was smart to dump Paris climate pact
posted by bardophile at 2:16 AM on June 2, 2017

That's right, the occupier of the Oval Office has the mentality of a comic book villain threatening the whole world in order to show those fools in Paris who dared to laugh at him.

Laugh at his boner, will they
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 2:21 AM on June 2, 2017 [35 favorites]

>> Disney CEO Bob Iger has also resigned from the President's Council.

Twitter never lets you down. does it? A user called 'Girth' replies to the tweet: 'Good riddance snowflake. Thanks for ruining ESPN'.

Sigh
posted by Myeral at 2:22 AM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor (recent previously), an author and professor of African-American studies at Princeton University, had to cancel a series of West Coast appearances on Wednesday after a Fox News report on her resulted in an avalanche of death threats. Joseph Gurl just re-posted her statement on the matter in the open "previously" thread linked above.
posted by XMLicious at 2:41 AM on June 2, 2017 [14 favorites]

In a better dimension, they deny certiorari, on the premise that "You wanted 90 days to improve vetting measures, it's been 120 days, so you should have them ready. There is no issue to decide"

No, I want a clear ruling and a clear rebuke to Trump, Bannon, and Miller! I want a Supreme Court precedent saying "No, judges do NOT have to pretend to be idiots who believe whatever transparent lies the executive branch tells them them to justify policies which CLEARLY have other, illegal purposes." I want the supreme court to emphasize that the separation of powers is still a thing. I really need that to restore some of my faith in our democracy, and in humanity.

Denying cert would be such a cop out. This moment in history calls for courage and clarity.
posted by OnceUponATime at 3:02 AM on June 2, 2017 [17 favorites]

This moment in history calls for courage and clarity.

I don't disagree, but are we considering the same supreme court?
posted by maxwelton at 3:40 AM on June 2, 2017 [11 favorites]

From over here, I'd settle for Make America Meh Again
posted by sarble at 3:46 AM on June 2, 2017 [8 favorites]

Make America Tolerable Again
posted by GrammarMoses at 4:12 AM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

After temps rise and swaths of land become desert, it'll be Bake America Great Again.
posted by chris24 at 4:13 AM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

Wait, which daughter is this?!?

Tiffany

Huh. Can't say I have heard of her.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:42 AM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

Politico: Trump’s tweets ‘a gold mine’ for Mueller probe: Trump’s attorneys have reportedly been trying to vet his tweets as the Russia probe gains steam, an attempt to harness the president’s uninhibited stream of political and policy punditry, biting put downs and other random asides that have upended all historic norms of White House communication.

So far, however, Trump has shown no indication he’s ready to hand over his phone. On Wednesday, the president criticized Democrats in a two-part tweet over a Fox News story suggesting they’d revoked an invitation for former campaign adviser Carter Page to testify.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 4:46 AM on June 2, 2017 [17 favorites]

Most people need some kind of rope in order to be able to hang themselves. Trump seems quite capable of managing it with just his phone, and it doesn't even have a cord.
posted by Too-Ticky at 4:55 AM on June 2, 2017 [24 favorites]

video of Kellyanne on Good Morning America this morning, being repeatedly asked if Trump believes in climate change (spoiler alert: she deflects)
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 5:22 AM on June 2, 2017 [5 favorites]

Well guys, looks like the Veterans Complaint Line is now live, so if you're a veteran, and have anyone you want to complain about (cough, Trump), there's a new number to add to your phone.
posted by corb at 5:32 AM on June 2, 2017 [31 favorites]

What compounds are we returning to Russia, and do their formulae contain polonium?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 5:37 AM on June 2, 2017

Earth to Trump: Fuck you!
posted by stonepharisee at 5:42 AM on June 2, 2017 [6 favorites]

I'm sure the campus-focused free speech organization FIRE will get right on protecting Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor'a free speech (ahahahahahhahahahahahahah)
posted by Yowser at 5:52 AM on June 2, 2017 [7 favorites]

Earth to Trump: Fuck you!

So much for the tolerant fragile ecosphere.
posted by Artw at 5:55 AM on June 2, 2017 [34 favorites]

Russia says still likely to back Paris climate deal despite US withdrawal

Belousov said Russia was analyzing the U.S. move, but said Russia’s own plans did not depend on the decision of others, including the United States.

“I think it’s a great shame because decisions that have been taken should not be changed,” he said of the U.S. withdrawal.

“It’s obvious that without the participation of the United States the Paris agreement will be unworkable because the United States is one of the biggest generators of emissions.”

posted by Room 641-A at 6:10 AM on June 2, 2017 [9 favorites]

White House orders agencies to ignore Democrats’ oversight requests

The White House is telling federal agencies to blow off Democratic lawmakers' oversight requests, as Republicans fear the information could be weaponized against President Donald Trump.

At meetings with top officials for various government departments this spring, Uttam Dhillon, a White House lawyer, told agencies not to cooperate with such requests from Democrats, according to Republican sources inside and outside the administration.

Again with the authoritarianism.
posted by jaduncan at 6:11 AM on June 2, 2017 [100 favorites]

In fact, why understate it? It's blocking effective oversight because they know that their policies are harmful but want to cover it up.
posted by jaduncan at 6:14 AM on June 2, 2017 [18 favorites]

Russia says still likely to back Paris climate deal despite US withdrawal

Ha ha.

Bet Trump didn't see that one coming, and it costs them nothing.
posted by Artw at 6:18 AM on June 2, 2017 [11 favorites]

I wish Russia's statement had been more along the lines of "Of COURSE we're staying in the Paris accord. I mean, what are we, crazy?"
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:23 AM on June 2, 2017 [16 favorites]

we co-opt the shit out of the red hats.

No. When this is all over, if I ever see one again, it will be too soon.

I mean, I thought the pink pussy hats were pretty good counter branding, although they were a one time thing, and they don't really work in summer.

I'm inclined to think our side is less inclined to wear stupid hats, but then again, we've seen that hate is a pretty powerful motivator, and I hate that orange fucker with the fire of 10,000 suns.

So, maybe pink hats?

Or even green ones, given that it's the opposite of red, and we're trying to save the planet.
posted by leotrotsky at 6:41 AM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

So this showed up in the South China Morning Post today. Not sure what to make of them publishing an opinion piece from the Heritage Foundation.

It was probably the closest outlet that would carry their water on this.
posted by srboisvert at 6:42 AM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'm getting a sun hat and needlepointing the word "RESIST" into the brim with bright pink raffia.
posted by pxe2000 at 6:43 AM on June 2, 2017 [24 favorites]

For summer, I think pink cat-ear headbands would also work pretty well. Less sweaty.

But I also have my COME AND TAKE IT baseball cap with a picture of a uterus on it, so that's always an option for me. It's a little subtle unless you see it up close, though.
posted by emjaybee at 6:47 AM on June 2, 2017 [5 favorites]

Trump misunderstood MIT climate research, university officials say: "Even if the Paris Agreement were implemented in full, with total compliance from all nations, it is estimated it would only produce a two-tenths of one degree Celsius reduction in global temperature by the year 2100," Trump said.

"Tiny, tiny amount."

"If we don't do anything, we might shoot over 5 degrees or more and that would be catastrophic," said John Reilly, the co-director of the program, adding that MIT's scientists had had no contact with the White House and were not offered a chance to explain their work.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 6:47 AM on June 2, 2017 [37 favorites]

I thought the pink pussy hats were pretty good counter branding, although they were a one time thing

They were? (Although knit versions definitely aren't a summertime thing.)

I'm getting a sun hat and needlepointing the word "RESIST" into the brim with bright pink raffia.

Great idea! I'm fixing to get a good sun-blocking baseball cap for running and I'm going to something similar.
posted by Room 641-A at 6:48 AM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

Pence this morning on Fox & Friends (video): "For some reason, this issue of climate change has emerged as a paramount issue for the left - in this country and around the world."

[emphasis mine]
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 6:51 AM on June 2, 2017 [46 favorites]

Gee, what could that reason be Mike?

Irrational hatred of capitalism?

Nefarious Liberal desire to see America fail?

Reasonable concern that climate change will cause major problems and kill lots of people?

Hippy belief that everyone should live in caves?

It's one of those four I'm pretty sure.
posted by sotonohito at 6:53 AM on June 2, 2017 [46 favorites]

IN fairness it must very confusing when you have a sub-medieval grasp of science and/or worship a death god that you want to sacrifice most of humanity to.
posted by Artw at 6:58 AM on June 2, 2017 [34 favorites]

Mike Pence, cigarette truther
posted by PenDevil at 7:00 AM on June 2, 2017 [14 favorites]

It's weird how Republicans don't seem to have any children or grandchildren they might want to bequeath a future to. But then again I guess Jesus will be here any day now and all this "environment" and "the future" stuff is a moot point.
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:02 AM on June 2, 2017 [19 favorites]

Pence is probably firing off some emails to the EPA asking how to apply leeches to the climate.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 7:03 AM on June 2, 2017 [14 favorites]

Scott Pruitt is definitely the right guy to ask about leeching off the environment.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:10 AM on June 2, 2017 [7 favorites]

Keep in mind that to ward off temptation, Pence will not allow himself to be alone with Mother Nature.
posted by xigxag at 7:11 AM on June 2, 2017 [96 favorites]

Less snarkily, I find it greatly distressing that the future of civilization is being presented as a partisan issue.

How did the Republicans get to this point? I'm seriously asking, does anyone know of a good book on the subject of how the Republican party totally lost its mind? I mean, sure, after 1968 they went for the evil option of pushing racism for votes, but while evil it makes a cold blooded sense.

Lately though they've just gone totally bonkers, their entire party is based on nothing but lies and falsehoods. It happened gradually enough that I never really noticed any single moment where it changed.

But it did change. Now we're at the point where the Republican party is devoted, apparently without any significant dissent, to the proposition that climate change is nothing but a bunch of leftist bullshit.

It seems to be a mostly US phenomenon. Outside the US various right wing, corporatist, parties tend to acknowledge that climate change is a real thing, even if they dispute how to best address the problem. But the Republicans don't even take the position that climate change is real and the best way to address it is to unleash the power of capitalism and slash regulations. Instead they've just declared it to be a Democratic fantasy. So much so that now they've elected a guy who famously said climate change was a Chinese hoax (those wiley, inscrutable, Orientals!) and a vice president who says that he's baffled as to why "the left" would latch onto climate change as their paramount issue.

Anyone have some resources they can point me to? A useful history of modern American conservatism, that sort of thing?
posted by sotonohito at 7:13 AM on June 2, 2017 [25 favorites]

We need different terms for whatever is left of the EPA and whatever Pruitt Is running on behalf of Trump.
posted by Artw at 7:14 AM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

I literally cannot believe there are still cigarette truthers in this day and age. I mean, even if Pence knows it's all bullshit and is just doing it for the sweet, sweet campaign donations, he still has to get up in front of the cameras and spout this nonsense that was debunked when Lyndon Johnson was President.
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:16 AM on June 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

Who would have thought that embrasing both libertarianism and evangelical Christianity would leave them in a bizarre utterly ding-dong fantasyland where there are utterly divorced from objective reality?
posted by Artw at 7:17 AM on June 2, 2017 [45 favorites]

If you think you're going to live forever, then who gives a shit about cigarettes or climate change?
posted by Yowser at 7:19 AM on June 2, 2017 [6 favorites]

In a better dimension, they deny certiorari

I kind of want them to hear the case just so I can witness Trump furiously tweeting "SEE YOU IN COURT" at the Supreme Court.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 7:21 AM on June 2, 2017 [16 favorites]

>> Mike Pence, cigarette truther

Proof, if any more were needed for god's sake, of the kind of people we are dealing with. I wonder if Pence smokes the evil weed himself?
posted by Myeral at 7:24 AM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

ALSO I left one part off my rant, it fucking pisses me off when Republicans are all "oooh, the French are so un-American, so against all we stand for, effete European elites blah blah blah covfefe." I like an affectionate cheese-eating surrender monkey joke as much as the next guy, bu COME ON YOU AHISTORICAL ASSHOLES, FRANCE IS OUR FIRST ALLY. OUR FIRST FRIEND! Without France there's no fucking America and when you take a shit on the country of France because you're an ignorant asshole who bought a diploma, you're taking a shit on American history, and you're taking a shit literally our oldest alliance!

I mean I shouldn't be surprised since he wants to ruin our special relationship with the UK, tick off Canada despite the unparalleled achievement of the world's longest undefended border, and build a fucking wall along our only other land-border with our third-largest trading partner of Mexico. But come on, man, have a little fucking respect for the Founders at least.

I mean, to be fair, the French didn't support us out of a love of liberty, they just wanted to give a black eye to the English as payback for the Seven Years' War.

I doubt the Freedom Fries folks have a single clue about that, though.
posted by leotrotsky at 7:24 AM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

Less snarkily, I find it greatly distressing that the future of civilization is being presented as a partisan issue.

When has it not been, in the US? Climate change has been that way since the mid-1980s, environmental protection was before that, also nuclear disarmament and arms reduction, public health issues, etc., etc., etc.

The right routinely treats existential threats to humanity and its habitat as trivial.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:25 AM on June 2, 2017 [10 favorites]

Wow, lots of video today: Watch Russian banker Sergey Gorkov dodge questions about meeting with Jared Kushner

Friendly reminder - there are 6 days until James Comey testifies in public.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 7:25 AM on June 2, 2017 [12 favorites]

Friendly reminder - there are 6 days until James Comey testifies in public.

I imagine the popcorn kernel supply in DC supermarkets is at an all time low.
posted by leotrotsky at 7:27 AM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

Less snarkily, I find it greatly distressing that the future of civilization is being presented as a partisan issue.

There has to be some way to communicate the flip side of this message: that there are industries whose unchecked operation pose a threat to the future of civilization, and have corrupted one political party (and members of another) in order to safeguard their profits at the risk of human life on Earth.
posted by Gelatin at 7:28 AM on June 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

FelliniBlank: "When has it not been, in the US? Climate change has been that way since the mid-1980s,"

I've always seen myself as a pretty rational, reasoning guy even as a kid. One of the first times I remember realizing not everyone is was over the solar panels Carter installed on the Whitehouse and Reagan had removed. I remember pestering my dad repeatedly for reasons for an explanation why anyone would spend money to stop getting energy for free with of course no reason that would satisfy a 10 year old forthcoming (partisanship not really a concept I could fathom). It just seemed loony.
posted by Mitheral at 7:35 AM on June 2, 2017 [47 favorites]

Today I planted 10,000 square feet of beans.

Metafilter thanks you for your service to overthinking.
posted by srboisvert at 7:37 AM on June 2, 2017 [99 favorites]

Geraldo Smacks Down Fox & Friends on Climate Change: ‘Do You Want Your Kid to Live in A Gas Mask?!’

“I don’t want an international bureaucrat in Brussels telling me what regulations I have to have in Pennsylvania,” Hegseth said.

Rivera retorted, “I don’t want to have to swim when I go to the deli.

posted by Room 641-A at 7:37 AM on June 2, 2017 [72 favorites]

Thomas Mulcair just floated the idea that Karla Homolka had paid her debt to society, which just, no she cut a deal and is a monster.

In summary, NDP sucks too.
posted by Yowser at 7:37 AM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

"How did the Republicans get to this point? I'm seriously asking, does anyone know of a good book on the subject of how the Republican party totally lost its mind?"

It's Fox News and epistemic closure. At first Fox News just whipped up the rubes of the base but GOP elites got their news from the WSJ and NYT and so on. During the W administration there were lots of warnings from more intellectual conservative thinkers that Fox's incentives (rage creates eyeballs) and the GOP's were not aligned, even pieces about how Fox might be trying to get Democrats in office because their ratings were higher when they could rail against the machine. But during the Obama years, when the rage machine was at a whole new level, the GOP elected a bunch of guys who drink from their own firehose of bullshit. Their propaganda machine was devoured them. They're getting high on their own supply. Now you've got all these guys in the Freedom Caucus who truly believe what Fox News preaches, hilariously holding their "moderate" co-Republicans to the unhinged rhetoric they used themselves, or let Fox News use and then leveraged, for all these years, without any intention of ever following through. Now all the right-wing purity tests are based on Fox News propaganda, and if you attempt to exit those orthodoxies or push back against them rationally, Fox News whips up the base against you.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:38 AM on June 2, 2017 [69 favorites]

Anyone have some resources they can point me to? A useful history of modern American conservatism, that sort of thing?

The problem is, the people who know in detail what happened- which isn't me, I'm still piecing together the broad strokes- aren't talking, in part because of a culture that says operational security is of primary importance. They feel, I think, that anyone who needs to know already does, and all it could do was expose their vulnerabilities.

My current theory is that several cultural and political forces combined such that the people who still believed in climate change figured they could get stuff done quietly, that it didn't matter what the people thought, and it ceded the floor to the crazies, who had a friendly platform on Fox News.
posted by corb at 7:38 AM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

There has to be some way to communicate the flip side of this message: that there are industries whose unchecked operation pose a threat to the future of civilization, and have corrupted one political party (and members of another) in order to safeguard their profits at the risk of human life on Earth.

What's odd is, aren't there lots of folks and industries that stand to lose from Climate Change? How is it that golf course owners in Florida* aren't dumping money into lobbying groups? I mean, fucking coal is a tiny industry. Have Republicans moved beyond money?

*Yes, I know where Mar-a-lago is.
posted by leotrotsky at 7:38 AM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

Good thread on corporate hypocrisy on the Paris Climate Accords from Twitter user @shitshowdotinfo:

here's the ceo of GE, a company that gives money to jim inhofe - a senator who believes global warming is a hoax

here's the ceo of google, a company that donates money to the ALEC, a pac that fights for the loosening of environmental regulations

here's amazon, a company who greenpeace ranked last among 14 top tech companies on the environment in 2014

here's microsoft, a company that purposefully wasted electricity in 2012 to avoid getting fined

And so on.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 7:39 AM on June 2, 2017 [27 favorites]

I mean, wishing more Republicans were like Geraldo Rivera isn't too much ask, is it? It's a pretty low bar.
posted by Room 641-A at 7:40 AM on June 2, 2017 [8 favorites]

One of the first times I remember realizing not everyone is was over the solar panels Carter installed on the Whitehouse and Reagan had removed. I remember pestering my dad repeatedly for reasons for an explanation why anyone would spend money to stop getting energy for free with of course no reason that would satisfy a 10 year old forthcoming (partisanship not really a concept I could fathom). It just seemed loony.

Yuuup! If you were 10 at that time, then we're around the same age, and you probably remember just how much environmentalism was emphasised to us kids. Woodsy the Owl and that PSA with Iron Eyes Cody were in pretty heavy rotation where I was, and the only time I ever mouthed off to a grown-up back then was when my neighbor was burning leaves in his yard (dude was pretty flummoxed, but calmly explained that no, burning leaves will not hurt the planet). I never littered. I thought this was just common sense that everyone was aware of.

And then along came Reagan. I've been baffled since.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 7:42 AM on June 2, 2017 [37 favorites]

Friendly reminder - there are 6 days until James Comey testifies in public.

I'm actually a little concerned for Comey's safety. No joke.
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:42 AM on June 2, 2017 [25 favorites]

In some lighter news today: the CIA's new Iran chief is Michael D'Andrea, a shadowy figure previously in charge of torture and drone programs, who has the delightful nickname of The Dark Prince.
posted by theodolite at 7:45 AM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

> In summary, NDP sucks too.

Trudeau is coasting along safe in the knowledge that many Canadians are still annoyed at the Conservatives because of Harper, and aren't going to vote for the NDP at the federal level.
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:46 AM on June 2, 2017

here's the ceo of google, a company that donates money to the ALEC, a pac that fights for the loosening of environmental regulations

This is incorrect. Google divested itself from ALEC three years ago. Still a black mark on their record, but good on them for seeing reason.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 7:47 AM on June 2, 2017 [31 favorites]

"How did the Republicans get to this point? I'm seriously asking, does anyone know of a good book on the subject of how the Republican party totally lost its mind?"

It's Fox News and epistemic closure.

New media radically change world views and can profoundly upset social order. When Luther published his theses in Latin, they had limited impact. When they were then plagiarized, translated into German, and printed on the new printing presses, they profoundly changed the West, and destabilized Europe for a long time, leading directly to extended religious wars. The current media landscape seems to me to be similarly shaking our fragile forms of social equilibrium. Rather than thinking how do we change the minds of Republicans who appear batshit crazy, perhaps we might attend to how do we discipline and exploit our forms of media to re-reach an equilibrium. Tough one.
posted by stonepharisee at 7:51 AM on June 2, 2017 [42 favorites]

Resistance at the US Embassy in Berlin (twitter picture of an anti- Trump projection on the building)
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 7:52 AM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

I never littered.

Exactly. Born 1969 and had the whole 70s environmentalism exposure. In 47 years I've probably had 10 or 20 napkins get away from me due to wind, thrown some apple cores into the woods, and that's the extent of my littering. Since I pick up trash on walks I'm sure I have a huge net negative there (although I'm not great on consumption ... the "reduce"). It boggles my mind that anyone would ever litter on purpose, and by extension that anyone would deliberately make a decision to send the whole country in a backward direction on environmental stewardship. It's not even about the possible economic pros or cons; it seems to be purely driven from spite and disdain for science and learning, and lack of caring for others.
posted by freecellwizard at 7:53 AM on June 2, 2017 [48 favorites]

I'm actually a little concerned for Comey's safety. No joke.

I almost made an "are we sure he won't be visiting any polonium factories anytime soon" joke but I am straight-up worried that someone will be pulling a Folger's Crystals Russian Roulette on Comey's beverage of choice this weekend.
posted by middleclasstool at 7:54 AM on June 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

Matt Bruenig in Jacobin: A Health Care Bargain

In a prior post, I wrote about a report from the California Senate Appropriations Committee that estimated the cost of a proposed single-payer system in the state. The report concluded that, under the single-payer plan, health expenditures in the state would be around $400 billion per year, or 15% of California’s GDP.

Although many covered this as a ridiculously high figure, it is actually quite cheap relative to the US as a whole, which currently spends 18% of its GDP on health care. For those not reflexively afraid of large numbers, it is clear that this cost is definitely doable and is quite a bargain for the benefits the single-payer plan is said to provide.

After that report came out, a new, more detailed cost estimate was provided by economists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The methods in the UMass paper are mercifully easy to follow.

The cost estimate basically works like this:
Determine the current level of health expenditures in the state using the national health expenditure database. This includes spending on hospitals, physicians/clinics, pharmaceuticals, dental care, nursing homes, home health care, and insurance administration. This figure is $368.5 billion.

From there, they determine how much health care utilization would increase under single payer. They assume that uninsured people would double their health care utilization and that underinsured people would increase their health care utilization by 15%. They inflate the spending of those groups of people by these percentages (adjusted slightly for the age composition of the two groups) and arrive at a new figure for total health expenditures in the state: $404.1 billion.

From there, they determine how much savings a single-payer system could deliver over the current system. They estimate that savings on administrative costs would reduce total spending by 6.7%, that savings on pharmaceutical drugs would reduce total spending by 3.4%, that savings from switching to Medicare reimbursement rates would reduce total spending by 2.9%, and that savings on unnecessary services, inefficiently delivered services, prevention, and fraud would reduce total spending by 5%. In total, then, the cost savings trim 18% off the figure in (2), giving a final estimate of $331 billion, or 12.5% of GDP.

posted by Rustic Etruscan at 7:56 AM on June 2, 2017 [57 favorites]

In small words, someone explain Maslow's Hierarchy to our man Pence. You see, you can't make a bunch of money or subjugate people or ANY of that stuff that makes you feel self-actualized if YOU CAN'T BREATHE.
posted by thebrokedown at 7:57 AM on June 2, 2017 [6 favorites]

You see, you can't make a bunch of money or subjugate people or ANY of that fun stuff if YOU CAN'T BREATHE.

You haven't seen Spaceballs have you?
posted by RolandOfEld at 7:59 AM on June 2, 2017 [8 favorites]

H.R. McMaster and the Foolish Trust in Trump’s “Generals”
The swift decline in McMaster’s reputation, from a widely admired figure to Trump’s lackey apologist, shows how foolish it was to put so much faith in military appointments. The truth is that to keep Trump’s confidence, McMaster and the other generals have to meet Trump more than halfway. They have to constantly cover for his erratic behavior and justify his policy chaos. As Ricks notes, “Mature national security specialists seasoned in the ways of Washington simply lend an air of occasional competence to an otherwise shambolic White House. By appearing before the cameras, looking serious and speaking rationally, they add a veneer of normality to this administration. In the process, they tarnish their own good names.” And in the case of McMaster, as the Beast report suggests, he’s tarnishing the military, too.

These analyses rest on the assumption that the generals were unassailable before joining the administration. But if they could be so easily tarred by Trump—indeed, if they could be so easily convinced to serve an ignorant, incompetent commander-in-chief—perhaps their initial reputation wasn’t really merited.
...
The generals may also have specific policy objectives. There’s every reason to believe, for instance, that McMaster and Mattis are ultra-hawkish on Iran. If that is their overriding foreign policy objective, it’s possible that their compromise with Trump has an ulterior ideological motive. They are willing to give Trump cover on many issues— including, in McMaster’s case, possible Russian collusion—in exchange for achieving a harder line, and possibly war, against Iran.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:01 AM on June 2, 2017 [18 favorites]

Less snarkily, I find it greatly distressing that the future of civilization is being presented as a partisan issue.

How did the Republicans get to this point?

Whatever is effective in that moment, nothing more or less.

Why global warming has become so polarizing, from two years ago.

More polarized than ever, with depressing charts, from September
posted by phearlez at 8:03 AM on June 2, 2017 [7 favorites]

Trump's bizarre loyalty to Putin is part of a pre-election backchannel deal: comply with Putin's demands and he'll forgive Trump's massive debt to Russian banks.

Which is an even more egregious violation of the Emoluments Clause than those the Trump Organization has basically already admitted to. It's blatant and nigh-treasonous corruption. The Republican Party is playing a dangerous game by trying to stonewall the investigations; evidence of their complicitness is bound to emerge. Do they hope to have one more SCOTUS judge in place to shut down any legal recourse by the time it does?
posted by Gelatin at 8:05 AM on June 2, 2017 [8 favorites]

The Daily Beast is killing it: McMasters Is Being Used For His General's Stars, Old Comrades Say. The people interviewed all like McMasters, but there are some choice quotes:

“An officer cannot tolerate a lie. It’s not enough to tell the truth,” Yingling told The Daily Beast. “You have to be not just truthful but completely honest. You can’t remain silent while others lie. That is the dilemma of any officer serving in the strategic and political world…You have an obligation to tell the full truth, including correcting the record when others misrepresent it.”

Without openly faulting McMaster, Yingling hinted that obligation is at odds with McMaster’s new duties as a face of the Trump administration. Team Trump “obviously has not been forthcoming about its contacts with Russia, either as a campaign, a transition team, or an administration,” Yingling said.

posted by corb at 8:06 AM on June 2, 2017 [21 favorites]

Exclusive: Special counsel Mueller to probe ex-Trump aide Flynn's Turkey ties Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating possible ties between the Trump election campaign and Russia, is expanding his probe to include a grand jury investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn, three sources told Reuters.

The move means Mueller’s politically charged inquiry will now look into Flynn’s paid work as a lobbyist for a Turkish businessman in 2016, in addition to contacts between Russian officials and Flynn and other Trump associates during and after the Nov. 8 presidential election.

Federal prosecutors in Virginia are investigating a deal between Flynn and Turkish businessman Ekim Alptekin as part of a grand jury criminal probe, according to a subpoena seen by Reuters.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 8:08 AM on June 2, 2017 [13 favorites]

Make America Tolerable Again

I could have sworn that said Make America Toblerone Again.
posted by schoolgirl report at 8:11 AM on June 2, 2017 [10 favorites]

“I don’t want an international bureaucrat in Brussels telling me what regulations I have to have in Pennsylvania,” Hegseth said.

See here's the thing. The person in "Brussels" doesn't actually know you exist. The person in "Brussels" is trying to save the fucking world from drowning and the mass carnage that will most certainly follow. The person in "Brussels" isn't getting up in the morning and saying "well I think Pete Hegseth is a giant fucking douche so I'm going to tell Pennsylvania to turn the heat off to make emissions targets". They're trying to work out a way for everyone to pitch in so that we can solve this fucking problem.

Also, what's with them referring to Brussels? The UN is in New York and the UNFCCC is in Bonn, Germany. You know how shitty The Office US Season 1 was because it was a shot for shot remake of the UK version? This is like Fox News being a shitty shot for shot remake of The Daily Mail. Rupert is getting really fucking lazy in his old age.
posted by Talez at 8:13 AM on June 2, 2017 [57 favorites]

a nice teardown of ivanka's uselessness as an advocate for moderation in the administration over at New Republic:

Ivanka Trump’s Political Brand Is Dead

(the author wanted to headline it "Shut The Fuck Up, Ivanka" but his editor interceded)
posted by murphy slaw at 8:13 AM on June 2, 2017 [33 favorites]

It boggles my mind that anyone would ever litter on purpose

Our experiences in the 70s differ. To paraphrase national treasure Paula Poundstone, being an environmentalist in the 70s meant not throwing your fast food trash out the car window.

I think it definitely turned around, but I recall it not being something people thought of most of the time. Either way, there's no excuse now for hand-waving away any environmental concerns.
posted by Room 641-A at 8:13 AM on June 2, 2017 [7 favorites]

Vladimir Putin again denied that Russia interfered in last year's U.S. election, joking to NBC News' Megyn Kelly that even her "underage daughter" could have been behind the hacking.

That... is an interesting turn of phrase...
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:16 AM on June 2, 2017 [22 favorites]

@GlennKesslerWP: The final straw for the "Paris Accord" apparently was when the French leader boasted he bested Trump at handshakes.
posted by zombieflanders at 8:19 AM on June 2, 2017 [45 favorites]

howling void kellyanne conway implies that trump may invoke executive privilege to block comey's testimony:

Conway Leaves Door Open To Trump Blocking Comey’s Senate Testimony

Conway first told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that the Trump team would be “watching with the rest of the world” to see what Comey said in his congressional testimony.

Then, asked directly if Trump would use his presidential authority to block Comey’s testimony, Conway hedged: “The President will make that decision.”

this being conway, it's likely that she just made this up and hasn't discussed it with the rest of the administration, but keep an eye on the messaging on this.

it would look incredibly incriminating for trump to do this, but then, so did firing comey in the first place and that didn't stop him.
posted by murphy slaw at 8:19 AM on June 2, 2017 [14 favorites]

@GlennKesslerWP: The final straw for the "Paris Accord" apparently was when the French leader boasted he bested Trump at handshakes.

I bet you people thought I was being hyperbolic when I said that the United States is immolating itself on the world stage out of sheer fucking spite.
posted by Talez at 8:21 AM on June 2, 2017 [61 favorites]

I bet you thought I was being hyperbolic when I said that the United States is immolating itself on the world stage out of sheer fucking spite.

I definitely did not.
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:21 AM on June 2, 2017 [48 favorites]

What's so fucking infuriating about this situation is that you know roughly how loud Fox News would be screeching about a Democrat fucking the United States up out of sheer pettiness and spite.
posted by Talez at 8:24 AM on June 2, 2017 [8 favorites]

I bet you people thought I was being hyperbolic when I said that the United States is immolating itself on the world stage out of sheer fucking spite.

Not at all. Trump is the dim-witted bully you could get to do pretty much anything by calling him chicken, or to not do something by pointing out that someone he hates is doing it.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 8:24 AM on June 2, 2017 [12 favorites]

US anti-Trump protesters facing decades behind bars
More than 200 anti-Trump protesters are facing felony charges that could land some in prison for 70 to 80 years. - Al-Jazeera - Patrick Strickland
posted by adamvasco at 8:26 AM on June 2, 2017 [46 favorites]

Anyone have some resources they can point me to? A useful history of modern American conservatism, that sort of thing?

In 1997, the Byrd–Hagel Resolution, which prevented the US from signing the Kyoto Protocol, was passed unanimously with a vote of 95–0. 20 years ago, the entire US Senate - Democrats and Republicans - was already whining about China and claiming that joining global efforts against climate change "would result in serious harm to the economy of the United States". Clinton signed the treaty anyway but it was not ratified by the Senate.
posted by elgilito at 8:27 AM on June 2, 2017 [12 favorites]

well I think Pete Hegseth is a giant fucking douche

Oh god, I didn't realize that's who people were talking about! Ignore everything that man says, he is motivated literally by nothing but liberal tears and power. This is the same guy that when an anti-Iraq-war veterans' group formed, he astroturfed a pro-war veterans group out of spite.
posted by corb at 8:29 AM on June 2, 2017 [5 favorites]

Thomas Mulcair just floated the idea that Karla Homolka had paid her debt to society, which just, no she cut a deal and is a monster.

In summary, NDP sucks too.

Not to derail too much, but: I think this is good evidence that Thomas Mulcair sucks on this one issue, and perhaps in the more general sense of "why on earth did you even feel the need to comment on this." But Mulcair is a lame duck leader who will be replaced next year because he couldn't propel the NDP to victory despite leading in the polls initially during the last election. I don't know how fair it is to ascribe his current failings to the NDP, given that they're in the process of getting rid of him.
posted by chrominance at 8:31 AM on June 2, 2017 [5 favorites]

Call me crazy, but I think Trump's bizarre loyalty to Putin is part of a pre-election backchannel deal: comply with Putin's demands and he'll forgive Trump's massive debt to Russian banks. Nothing else makes any sense.

As someone on MSNBC pointed out last night, Trump had been trying to unilaterally revoke all the Russia sanctions since the transition, and now wants to give back two Russian properties, and all for...Nothing in return. Nada. Zero. Zilch. And that is unprecedented in the history of US-imposed sanctions.

I believe it was the same person who plainly explained that the banker Kushner met with was talking about bailing out Kushner's RE business but was not permitted to do business with the US unless/until sanctions were lifted.
posted by Room 641-A at 8:43 AM on June 2, 2017 [43 favorites]

it would look incredibly incriminating for trump to do this, but then, so did firing comey in the first place and that didn't stop him.

He's going to pardon Flynn, Sessions, and Kushner, and anyone else he has to, and Republicans will call that the end of the story. Nothing to see here. No need to impeach anyone, let's move on to tax cuts, vote suppression and jailing brown people. Maybe John McCain will express concern.

he is motivated literally by nothing but liberal tears and power.

Right. It's just him. Not every single Republican.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:44 AM on June 2, 2017 [13 favorites]

Rush Limbaugh started it.

And the Reagan Administration disposing of the Fairness Doctrine enabled him. The Fairness Doctrine wouldn't do anything about the Fox News cable channel, but it prevented the AM radio band -- which is owned by the American people -- from being turned over to right-wing propagandists.
posted by Gelatin at 8:47 AM on June 2, 2017 [43 favorites]

He's going to pardon Flynn, Sessions, and Kushner, and anyone else he has to, and Republicans will call that the end of the story.

If Trump does that, they can no longer plead the Fifth.
posted by Gelatin at 8:48 AM on June 2, 2017 [14 favorites]

This is like Fox News being a shitty shot for shot remake of The Daily Mail.

It works both ways. Breaking the Paris promise was high on the news agenda on the BBC last night and at lunchtime today, and both times they gave airtime to supporters of 45's move (for balance, of course, for fucking balance). Last night it was some American arse, today it was some UKIP arse. And I swear they were the same arse putting on different accents, but with exactly the same smug 'you people are so stupid' tone and making exactly the same points in exactly the same way. (Climate change is a sham anyway, Paris won't do any good and will cost far too much, the corporates who criticise breaking the accord are 'corporate welfare queens' and invested in ripping off ordinary people.) In both cases, when the interviewer pointed out the falsity of a statement, the arse snorted and changed the subject as if that point was settled in their favour by default.

There is a very great deal of co-ordination in the media and politics between the UK and US parts of the right-wing bloc currently trying to destroy the international order. I wish there was a handy word to refer to this bloc: it's clearly a thing.
posted by Devonian at 8:48 AM on June 2, 2017 [14 favorites]

@GlennKesslerWP: The final straw for the "Paris Accord" apparently was when the French leader boasted he bested Trump at handshakes.

I swear someone said upthread that the climate change treaty was doomed because Orangina thought the Paris accords has something to do with France.

This is just like his firing Comey because he misunderstood the Director's use of the word "nauseous."

Who would have thought that major policy decisions would stem from a President's total inability to understand slightly complex sentence structure or naming conventions?

Fucking Trump's Razor, man.
posted by leotrotsky at 8:48 AM on June 2, 2017 [31 favorites]

I propose a new healthcare plan, the "Donald Trump is Exceptionally Virile Single Payer Plan."

Actually scratch that, fuckstick would be like "They called me a virus!"

Call it "Trump Best Ever Tremendous Single Payer Health Plan."

I'll propose it along with the "Big Time New York Save Earth's Golf Courses Treaty."

I miss President Camacho.
posted by leotrotsky at 8:55 AM on June 2, 2017 [30 favorites]

I gather that coal is an identity politics thing that isn't really economically viable, and republican identity is driven by pure spite and petty contradiction.

Someone should let the right know that snowflake liberals would be absolutely horrified if someone were to resuscitate the coal industry by selling coal dust inhalers. If the republicans started huffing that shit just to prove some partisan point about their identity, we'd be crying gallons of delicious liberal tears.
posted by idiopath at 9:00 AM on June 2, 2017 [12 favorites]

Someone should let the right know that snowflake liberals would be absolutely horrified if someone were to resuscitate the coal industry by selling coal dust inhalers. If the republicans started huffing that shit just to prove some partisan point about their identity, we'd be crying gallons of delicious liberal tears.

Yep. From 2013:

Does anyone else think that, if the radicalization of the Republican party had happened just a little bit early, they would have politicized cigarettes? I picture Sarah Palin puffing away at a Marlboro and taunting 'liberals' between hacking coughs.

They've moved so far into parody that they've become the party in favor of stuff that kills you: Big Gulps, football, no health insurance, and land wars in Asia.

Add "making the planet uninhabitable to humans" to that list.
posted by leotrotsky at 9:04 AM on June 2, 2017 [52 favorites]

> On the plane back from Sicily, Merkel did little to hide her disappointment, according to someone who traveled with her. She raved about Macron and his “keen perception.” There was no such praise for Trump, of whom she could only say, “He listened for hours.”

"For hours"? With his eyes open? C'mon.
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:04 AM on June 2, 2017 [7 favorites]

The final straw for the "Paris Accord" apparently was when the French leader boasted he bested Trump at handshakes.

This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a wimp.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:04 AM on June 2, 2017 [64 favorites]

There is a very great deal of co-ordination in the media and politics between the UK and US parts of the right-wing bloc currently trying to destroy the international order. I wish there was a handy word to refer to this bloc: it's clearly a thing.

International neo-fascism.
posted by tivalasvegas at 9:05 AM on June 2, 2017 [8 favorites]

It is, as of this moment, highly plausible that the nation which is one of the world's largest emitters of carbon dioxide abandoned a nearly universally-accepted treaty to prevent environmental catastrophe, because the name of the treaty reminded the democratically-elected leader of that nation of another nation, the new leader of which had spoken about his refusal to allow the first leader to play a handshake prank on him.

Year of our Lord Twenty-Seventeen.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:11 AM on June 2, 2017 [56 favorites]

Re-branded! Developer of Bklyn Heights ‘Watchtower’ complex debuts plans and ditches Kushner name:The developer once led by Jared Kushner — who last week was named as a focus in the FBI’s Russia investigation — revealed plans on May 31 to transform the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Brooklyn Heights headquarters into a swanky office complex, along with a new name for the project’s developer that bears no trace of Donald Trump’s son-in-law. The development — marketed as Panorama — is owned by builders Kushner Companies, LIVWRK, and investor CIM Group, who ditched their individual identities for the joint name Columbia Heights Associates in announcing it.

And a rep for e-marketplace Etsy, which rents there along with the co-working space WeWork, told this paper it had not considered its landlord would rise to become the President Trump’s right hand man when it signed a 10-year lease in 2014.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 9:12 AM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

Rush Limbaugh started it. I hate that blowhard pill addict with a passion for how he's ruined America for his own profit.

I despise Rush Limbaugh as much as the next Mefite, but can we please not denigrate the man for having an addiction?
posted by rbellon at 9:14 AM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

I'm not sure if it was accidentally or on purpose, but the Republican Party has solidified its base basically by observing a bunch of really trenchant post-war American bad attitudes and becoming the Party of That Thing. They reverse-engineered political loyalty by finding the really base lizard-brain shit that big enough sample of Americans to win elections are susceptible to and built a party "ideology" around those things.

Americans love to say "fuck you, I do what I want [and what I want is the opposite of what you want me to want]." It's baked into our national mythology and in the absence of any truly national catastrophes requiring conscious sacrifice from all levels of society, just grew into this monster. I've seen it even in super apolitical arenas like animal welfare. Like, oh, you're telling me there's a pet overpopulation problem and the vast majority of pet owners should get their animals fixed? WELL FUCK THAT, I'M GOING TO BREED JUST BECAUSE YOU ASKED ME NOT TO. It's applied to all manner of absolutely trifling bullshit, you see it in neighbor squabbles and hobby bulletin boards. And the Republican Party, at some point, went, "Yeah, about a third of the population seems really, fundamentally, constitutionally shit-ass and spiteful. If we can be the Party of That, we can always count on their votes!"

I mean, I'm not sure it was conscious. It probably wasn't. But the Republican Party today has 100% been reversed engineered to have the ideology of $thing that 1/3 of American voters are kind of pathological about. Updated daily.
posted by soren_lorensen at 9:15 AM on June 2, 2017 [70 favorites]

These fuckers are ALL addicts. It's part of their pathology.
posted by Artw at 9:17 AM on June 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

Human rights to a conservative: guns, polluting to your heart's content, Christianity, making money off the backs of others.
Not human rights: being a woman, PoC, LGBTQ, and/or disabled; having food, healthcare, and a home.

Oh, hey look: New bill would make gun owners protected class under state human rights act

Goodman explained that by making gun owners a protected class, private property owners and employers would no longer be able to prevent gun-toting employees from having firearms with them (at least in their vehicles) while at work.

“The issue is, there are some places that don’t want guns on their property—private property owners, private employers, and for good reason,” Goodman said. “They are worried about workplace violence, they are worried about domestic instances spilling over into workplaces. We see that all the time.”

It's worth noting that in PA, only the state government has employment protections for sexual orientation and gender identity. This would give an object--one designed exclusively to kill--more rights than LGBTQ people.
posted by zombieflanders at 9:17 AM on June 2, 2017 [42 favorites]

> They've moved so far into parody that they've become the party in favor of stuff that kills you: Big Gulps, football, no health insurance, and land wars in Asia.

From the (incredibly sad) "Generations, disabled" link:

Rural communities, where on average 9.1 percent of working-age people are on disability — nearly twice the urban rate and 40 percent higher than the national average — are in a brighter shade than cities. An even brighter hue then spreads from Appalachia into the Deep South and out into Missouri, where rates are higher yet, places economists have called “disability belts.”
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:18 AM on June 2, 2017 [6 favorites]

The new bill, which was introduced by two dozen Republican representatives and one Democrat, would prevent employers from discriminating against employees who own or carry firearms.

Oh, Pennsylvania Democrats. Still sucking after all these years.
posted by soren_lorensen at 9:20 AM on June 2, 2017 [15 favorites]

If the last few years have taught us anything it's that the one employee who insists upon coming to the office heavily armed absolutely won't flip out and kill everyone else.
posted by Artw at 9:22 AM on June 2, 2017 [37 favorites]

These fuckers are ALL addicts. It's part of their pathology

...and there are also millions of good, decent, moral people who struggle with addiction. I don't see the point in bringing Limbaugh's drug use into the discussion.

/goes back to lurking
posted by rbellon at 9:26 AM on June 2, 2017 [15 favorites]

Honestly, I think the Republican Party was co-opted by the KGB decades ago in order to tear the country apart. I have no evidence of this, it just seems bizarre to me how they've consistently worked against our interests for so long, and so flagrantly, even to the point where Putin (or somebody) said they prefer the Republicans to be in power. Gee, I wonder why?
posted by gucci mane at 9:26 AM on June 2, 2017 [9 favorites]

...and there are also millions of good, decent, moral people who struggle with addiction. I don't see the point in bringing Limbaugh's drug use into the discussion.

I think there is a point to it, and it's not to demonize addicts, it's to point out Republican hypocrisy. Republicans say "Use Drugs, Go To Jail!" but their drug use is OK because Reasons (read: I'm white and rich). Rush also has four (I think) divorces under his belt but he's all for the Party of Famblee Values. Likewise, Cheeto has been divorced twice, is a serial groper and sexual abuser and neglectful father to all but his Golden Child Ivanka, but the Famblee Values crowd loves him, though Cheeto wouldn't know a family value if it bit him in the keister.

I think it's telling that the conversation on addiction shifted to the "disease, they need help" model from the "moral failing, lock 'em up" model after white people started succumbing to the opioid epidemic. I think it's very on-point to talk about Republican hypocrisy in this regard.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 9:33 AM on June 2, 2017 [92 favorites]

This would give an object--one designed exclusively to kill--more rights than LGBTQ people.

Especially galling given that we're approaching June 12.
posted by everybody had matching towels at 9:33 AM on June 2, 2017 [6 favorites]

I think it's very on-point to talk about Republican hypocrisy in this regard.

There's a difference between your excellently detailed points and "I hate that blowhard pill addict" as the entirety of one's contribution to a discussion of media bias.
posted by Etrigan at 9:39 AM on June 2, 2017 [8 favorites]

Anyone have some resources they can point me to? A useful history of modern American conservatism, that sort of thing?

I think the touchpoints were the Southern Strategy, the Fairness Doctrine, and the rise of talk radio.

On this topic, I highly recommend the work of Rick Perlstein and Thomas Frank.
posted by box at 9:44 AM on June 2, 2017 [5 favorites]

I REALLY WISH THESE PEOPLE WOULD GET THE NAME OF MY CITY OUT OF THEIR MOUTHS

Pittsburgh Not Paris pro-Trump rally in Lafayette Square tomorrow. If I were just an hour or two closer, I would go and give these people a giant piece of my yinzer mind in person. If any local mefites want to go rep for me, I'll personally send you some local delicacies.
posted by soren_lorensen at 9:48 AM on June 2, 2017 [12 favorites]

Now Tillerson is saying that leaving the Paris Accord doesn't really matter as the US is going to carry on cutting emissions anyway, so nobody need panic over what was just 'a policy decision'.

I mean, whut?
posted by Devonian at 9:50 AM on June 2, 2017 [8 favorites]

Breaking News from an actual New York billionaire:

Michael Bloomberg offers to pay $15 million deficit left by Trump’s decision on Paris Climate agreement
posted by Room 641-A at 9:50 AM on June 2, 2017 [65 favorites]

I am perfectly okay with not wanting peoples chemical dependencies set public policy. It;s not a private battle against substance abuse, it's them inflicting their substance abuse upon us.
posted by Artw at 9:51 AM on June 2, 2017

Re: Paris and Pittsburgh, I just remembered that this book exists.
posted by tonycpsu at 9:52 AM on June 2, 2017 [9 favorites]

Tillerson: "I don’t think we’re going to change our ongoing efforts to reduce those emissions in the future either"

"I'm sure nothing bad will happen because that would imply that I'm enabling a terrible person to be the most powerful person in the world, and that would be a bad thing to do. QED"
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:53 AM on June 2, 2017 [9 favorites]

Tillerson: "I don’t think we’re going to change our ongoing efforts to reduce those emissions in the future either"

A bit further down the page:

In addition to exiting the Paris deal, Trump has started the process of rolling back nearly all of former President Barack Obama’s climate change policies, including limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and methane emissions from the oil and natural gas industry.

posted by notyou at 9:56 AM on June 2, 2017 [21 favorites]

Re: Paris and Pittsburgh, I just remembered that this book exists.

A couple people made that joke last night. "Maybe he meant to say we're the Paris of Appalachia but couldn't pronounce 'Appalachia'?"

I am ready to burn some shit down on the twitter box, but I don't have any followers so I'm just howling into the void.
posted by soren_lorensen at 9:57 AM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

There's a difference between your excellently detailed points and "I hate that blowhard pill addict" as the entirety of one's contribution to a discussion of media bias.

Let's all just mentally edit that comment to read "I hate that blowhard philanderer". It makes the same point without vilifying addiction.
posted by Uncle Ira at 9:58 AM on June 2, 2017

tonycpsu: "Re: Paris and Pittsburgh, I just remembered that this book exists."

Thank you, President Trump for unwittingly plugging my 2009 Pittsburgh book, "The Paris of Appalachia." Not sad
posted by octothorpe at 10:06 AM on June 2, 2017 [12 favorites]

Spicer and Pruit presser is at 1:30 today.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 10:11 AM on June 2, 2017

Pelosi: Nunes violating recusal in Russia probe
posted by Barack Spinoza at 10:13 AM on June 2, 2017 [31 favorites]

Pence: "For some reason or another, this issue of climate change has emerged as a paramount issue for the left in this country and around the world."

We of the global left have been indoctrinated over many years by deranged Marxists such as Newt Gingrich
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:15 AM on June 2, 2017 [8 favorites]

After the initial panic after yesterday's announcement, I'm happy to see so many cities, states, people, and companies basically telling Trumo, "Okay, whatever, we're still doing this thing, with or without you." Half of me hopes he is enraged, the other half is worried about who or what he will send into the cornfield next.
posted by Room 641-A at 10:18 AM on June 2, 2017 [7 favorites]

I´m not sure why we are all surprised by this.
Frrom George Monbiot in November
Yes, Donald Trump’s politics are incoherent. But those who surround him know just what they want, and his lack of clarity enhances their power.

This whole administration is just a pile of money grubbing shysters.
At his Senate confirmation hearing, Tillerson said he would recuse himself for one year from ExxonMobil-related business which comes before the State Department.
Tillerson Present as Exxon Signed Major Deal With Saudi Arabia During Trump
This is the man who rose to the top of Exxon Mobil Corp. partly by negotiating a deal with Russia’s Vladimir Putin to kick-start an oil project on the Pacific Ocean island of Sakhalin, which had been tied up in bureaucratic knots for years.
posted by adamvasco at 10:20 AM on June 2, 2017 [18 favorites]

I believe the coming nuclear winter will solve global warming, but then again, I'm an optimist.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 10:20 AM on June 2, 2017 [10 favorites]

Trump ditches White House LGBT Pride Month celebrations :

Today, the Trump White House released a string of Proclamations marking June as “National Homeownership Month”, “National Ocean Month”, “African-American Music Appreciation Month” and “Great Outdoors Month” – but no such Proclamation was released for LGBT Pride Month.

Likewise, no LGBT Pride Month events at the White House have been announced.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 10:20 AM on June 2, 2017 [12 favorites]

Newsweek: "The U.S. military will not start allowing transgender men and women to sign up starting July 1 as planned unless the Pentagon moves to fully implement a policy enacted under former President Barack Obama’s administration, Military Times reported Thursday, citing sources privy to internal discussions."

That following link goes to that Military Times story, which is the original source for coverage I was able to find online. Worth noting that not only is the language it uses biased against the idea of trans recruits, but I'm pretty sure it also presents some medically inaccurate and offensive info about trans people. I think it's important to link to, but I didn't want to do so without pointing that out.

Military Times: "A controversial Pentagon directive that would allow transgender men and women to join the military beginning this summer now faces indefinite delay as senior leaders within each of the services voice lingering concerns about the Obama-era policy intended to end discrimination but dismissed by critics as social experimentation."
posted by zarq at 10:22 AM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

The analysis that makes the most sense to me came from Peter Baker, In Rejecting Popular Paris Accord, Trump Bets on His Base (NYT link).

The short version:

a.) This was a campaign promise and Trump feels some need to hold onto those.

b.) This is a calculated effort, spurred on by Bannon, to repeat the dynamics of the 2016 election by doubling down on the Electoral College winning strategy.

In other words, moving toward the center (as most sane and rational presidents tend to do) is a lost cause for Trump. In 2020 (and 2018 to a lesser degree) he can continue to exploit the flawed EC system, but the only way that works is to shore up his support on the right. If true, we ain't seen nothing yet I'm afraid.
posted by jeremias at 10:22 AM on June 2, 2017 [12 favorites]

I believe the coming nuclear winter will solve global warming, but then again, I'm an optimist.

This is genius. Trump should instruct DARPA to calculate the exact nuclear payload we need to balance them out perfectly.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:22 AM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

Burr: ‘I don’t see a comprehensive health care plan this year’

The GOP's rank incompetence is a two-edged sword: it's the only thing keeping them from intentionally harming us via legislating/EO-ing us into a Bannonite fascist murder state or a neo-feudalist libertarian hellhole or Pence-ian Gilead, but it only increases the chances of unintentionally killing us all via climate change/nuclear war. I'll take it, I guess?
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:27 AM on June 2, 2017 [9 favorites]

That would be more of a job for RAND, though, wouldn't it?
posted by ArgentCorvid at 10:30 AM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

From the Guardian: EU to bypass Trump administration after Paris climate agreement pullout.

I never thought I'd live to see American power and influence on the world stage decline not just over the course of years, but rather vanish in minutes. Shocking, humbling, disappointing, frightening and more, but over all else, it is astonishing to see a single man destroy our standing, power, and influence in mere minutes.

And it's not just American power on the world stage, but Federal power internally as well that he's destroying. From the Guardian article:

EU officials will instead cut out the White House to deal directly with the US states and major corporations, many of whom have already pledged to live by the terms forged in Paris.

Washington, California, and New York have already banded together, setting the stage for them to deal directly with Paris Accord members and bypass the Federal government all together. I have little doubt other states will join them, and there is little the Federal government can do to stop them.

It has long been pointed out that the office of the Presidency under the U.S. constitution has little direct power, but instead relies on its power to persuade others—which has traditionally been wielded with great effect. Trump is quickly showing himself to be not only the worst president we've ever had, but is exposing himself as by far the weakest.
posted by los pantalones del muerte at 10:31 AM on June 2, 2017 [96 favorites]

cityofchicago.org/climatechangeisreal

Contrast with https://www.epa.gov/climatechange/climate-change-basic-information
posted by nickmark at 10:35 AM on June 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

It has long been pointed out that the office of the Presidency under the U.S. constitution has little direct power, but instead relies on its power to persuade others—which has traditionally been wielded with great effect. Trump is quickly showing himself to be not only the worst president we've ever had, but is exposing himself as by far the weakest.

Trump's incompetence may well be one of the solutions to the imperial presidency we've been concerned about for the past 2 administrations.
posted by leotrotsky at 10:36 AM on June 2, 2017 [17 favorites]

I think it's very on-point to talk about Republican hypocrisy in this regard.

I lived through seeing my mom, a white German woman stigmatized in hurtful ways due to heroin addiction in the 70s and 80s, and sure, there's some reasonable room for criticism, but in my opinion, not if that criticism for hypocrisy comes at the expense of progress and correcting the failures of the past. Before the disease model of addiction became the overwhelming scientific consensus due to, you know, scientific progress, even white junkies got treated like human garbage. It's not as simple as this black and white picture some people seem to have where literally only black people have ever been stigmatized or socially abused over addiction. Hell, ever since I went public about my own brief addiction to spice back when it was still being sold legally at local convenience stores, I've felt incredibly stigmatized and rejected by my own peers and most of them at least present themselves as progressive minded, compassionate people, and in that case, I was able to keep the financial harm from the addiction mostly under control, it's only been the social costs that have been devastating and led me now to bankruptcy/personal ruin. We still had perfect credit even after my struggle with that problem until the divorce and other personal fallout came three years or more after I'd kicked the addiction. Don't think for a minute the stigma evaporated overnight even for white people, just because some white people are finally starting to get a clue. The truth doesn't care how we feel about it. It just sits there being stubbornly imperfectly knowable but shaping cause and effect as it will and everything else is just our vanity.

If liberal and progressive minded people let their own spite shape their ideas, too, we're not any different from the alt-right/red pill/lifestyle trolling crowd.
posted by saulgoodman at 10:38 AM on June 2, 2017 [19 favorites]

It has long been pointed out that the office of the Presidency under the U.S. constitution has little direct power, but instead relies on its power to persuade others—which has traditionally been wielded with great effect. Trump is quickly showing himself to be not only the worst president we've ever had, but is exposing himself as by far the weakest.

How funny that the power of the bully pulpit should be at its weakest when wielded by an actual bully.
posted by chrominance at 10:39 AM on June 2, 2017 [42 favorites]

Marty Lederman (Georgetown Law Prof) on SCOTUS granting cert to the Travel Ban case: its moot since the travel ban expires on June 14 no matter what.

Its REALLY intriguing - if this interpretation was widely held there would be no basis for the court to decide the question of the President's authority over immigration issues. In order to have that authority validated they would have to issue a new EO, get it challenged, AND have it be open-ended since the factual predicate for the 90 day timeline has already not come to pass.

He ends up arguing that there is no reason for the court to grant cert on a case involving a law that will not be in effect by the time arguments are heard, but I suppose there is the flip side that this scenario might make the justices more inclined to just resolve the issue now.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 10:46 AM on June 2, 2017 [8 favorites]

Q: "Yes or no, does the President believe that climate change is real and a threat to the US?"
Pruitt: All the discussions I had with the President were on whether Paris was good or bad for the country.
[ignores follow-up asking for a yes or no answer]
posted by zachlipton at 10:46 AM on June 2, 2017 [8 favorites]

Fucking Oklahoma. What a goddamn cesspool.
posted by H. Roark at 10:47 AM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

The environmental left???
posted by all about eevee at 10:48 AM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

Paris was a "bunch of words." - Pruitt, real.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 10:49 AM on June 2, 2017 [5 favorites]

EPA chief Pruitt repeatedly refusing to say whether Trump believes in climate change. Not even anthropogenic climate change. Just climate change. Someone should ask him if Trump believes in greenhouse gasses.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:51 AM on June 2, 2017 [12 favorites]

Jim Acosta asked “Why are sea levels rising?” and didn't get a good answer.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 10:52 AM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

It doesn't matter who it is from this administration, everything they can say can be summed up by a Pakled: "America strong. America smart."
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 10:53 AM on June 2, 2017 [18 favorites]

Pruitt keeps saying that the US has taken tremendous steps to reduce carbon dioxide emissions... but he isn't willing to say WHY they have done this. It seems like a waste of money!
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:53 AM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

This presidency is guided by the principle of not wanting to appear to be a "cuck", in the image board parlance, which invariably looks like being a vacuous, reactive child who ends up ignored.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 10:55 AM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

How did the Republicans get to this point? I'm seriously asking, does anyone know of a good book on the subject of how the Republican party totally lost its mind? I mean, sure, after 1968 they went for the evil option of pushing racism for votes, but while evil it makes a cold blooded sense.

Lately though they've just gone totally bonkers, their entire party is based on nothing but lies and falsehoods. It happened gradually enough that I never really noticed any single moment where it changed.

Nope, pretty much been that way since anyone alive can remember. I mean did anyone really imagine for a second that family values precluded gay people? Did anyone actually think continuing the war in Vietnam was a good idea? Did anyone actually imagine Teapot Dome was anything but...Teapot Dome? You know that queasiness you get when you imagine, say, eating a tarantula? But the Cambodians have been doing it forever and I mean, c'mon, they cooked it, right? So I mean, maybe even if it's not for you personally, just so long as it's safe, I guess...

Yeah some people's response to that queasiness is MURDER THEM and then take their loot. Those are Republicans, "conservatives", whatever label they're wearing in their attempt to kill you. It is that. Stop giving them good faith. That feeling you get when you go "wait but that makes no sense that's literally going to hurt people how could you..." Listen to that instinct, because it's right.
posted by saysthis at 10:56 AM on June 2, 2017 [7 favorites]

he thinks this is a fucking joke.
posted by H. Roark at 10:56 AM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

NYT: Trump Administration Starts Returning Copies of C.I.A. Torture Report to Congress. This is your regularly scheduled reminder that Sen. Burr is the worst and can't be trusted to with his investigation, even if he's not quite as obviously awful as Nunes.

The Trump administration has begun returning copies of a voluminous 2014 Senate report about the Central Intelligence Agency’s detention and interrogation program to Congress, complying with the demand of a top Republican senator who has criticized the report for being shoddy and excessively critical of the C.I.A.

The Trump administration’s move, described by multiple congressional officials, raises the possibility that copies of the 6,700-page report could be locked in Senate vaults for good — exempt from laws requiring that government records eventually become public. The C.I.A., the office of the Director of National Intelligence and the C.I.A.’s inspector general have returned their copies of the report, the officials said.

The Daily Beast: Rearranging the Deck Chairs on Trump’s Titanic Won’t Work

President Trump has been in office for 133 days and few of them have been drama-free. His administration is bogged down in errors of his own making and Republicans themselves are going to pay the price. Each and every self-inflicted wound is the equivalent of the captain of the Titanic turning the boat around to hit the iceberg again, but hoping that it, not the ship, would be sunk. It is madness, especially when the White House is considering a shakeup that leaves out changing the behavior of the president himself.

posted by zachlipton at 10:57 AM on June 2, 2017 [14 favorites]

Pruitt on whether he has his head in the sand: "There's no evidence for that." (real)
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:57 AM on June 2, 2017 [7 favorites]

The Trump administration’s move, described by multiple congressional officials, raises the possibility that copies of the 6,700-page report could be locked in Senate vaults for good — exempt from laws requiring that government records eventually become public

Someone needs to stash copies of that somewhere untouchable, and fast.
posted by suelac at 10:59 AM on June 2, 2017 [7 favorites]

Could a future President get the report back?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:01 AM on June 2, 2017

Kevin Drum has an intriguing theory consistent with Trump's Razor:

> [Trump is] mainly driven by whatever can keep him in the spotlight for the next week or two. That's probably the real reason he pulled out of the Paris climate accord. If he stays in, he gets nothing. If he pulls out, he gets a week or two of attention. It was an easy choice.
posted by RedOrGreen at 11:03 AM on June 2, 2017 [19 favorites]

Spicer says he hasn't had the opportunity to ask Trump about whether he believes in climate change.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 11:03 AM on June 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

Pruitt on whether he has his head in the sand: "There's no evidence for that." (real)

I have questions that I don't know how to express here. Uh, is this a real [real] about an answer regarding the location of Pruitt's head?
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 11:04 AM on June 2, 2017 [6 favorites]

At the previous press conference Spicer said he hadn't had the opportunity to ask Trump if he believes in climate change. He said the same thing at this press conference. He must have an incredibly packed schedule.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:05 AM on June 2, 2017 [5 favorites]

The guy in charge of the EPA: All environmental improvements have been made by free market innovators, not legislation or regulator poopy-heads
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 11:05 AM on June 2, 2017 [12 favorites]

Before the disease model of addiction became the overwhelming scientific consensus due to, you know, scientific progress, even white junkies got treated like human garbage.

Reading this account helped me articulate something I've always believed deeply, but never really found a snappy way to put into words. Here's my new maxim, all thanks to metafilter - "If you're stigmatizing pain, you're doing it wrong."
posted by saysthis at 11:07 AM on June 2, 2017 [16 favorites]

Spicer says he hasn't had the opportunity to ask Trump about whether he believes in climate change.

But he did have the opportunity to be briefed that covfefe was in fact a secret coded message, to be understood only by a mysterious select group.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:07 AM on June 2, 2017 [32 favorites]

That's not even wrong.
posted by Green With You at 11:07 AM on June 2, 2017

Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug, I assure you that I would never use an unreal (real). My (real) is all too real.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:07 AM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

Okay, so there's incontrovertible evidence that climate change is not only having an impact right now, but that the impact is larger and much more complex than we'd imagined. And yet there's an enormous, well-funded global public relations campaign dedicated to casting doubt on all things global-warming-related. And now the deniers have literally bought the White House.

Ever get the feeling that climate change is an insoluble problem which is going to kill billions no matter what we do, and the wealthy and powerful of the world are just trying to keep things going long enough to accumulate the resources and perfect the technology that will let them build themselves habitable bunkers?

Because that's really the only way I can make any sense of any of this anymore.
posted by MrVisible at 11:08 AM on June 2, 2017 [25 favorites]

> Exclusive: Special counsel Mueller to probe ex-Trump aide Flynn's Turkey ties

Alptekin’s company, Netherlands-based Inovo BV, paid Flynn's consultancy $530,000 between September and November to produce a documentary and research on Fethullah Gulen, an exiled Turkish cleric living in the United States. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan blames Gulen for a failed coup last July.

The issue of where the funds for Flynn's consultancy actually came from is a murky one indeed: "None of the money came from Turkey, according to Alptekin's American attorneys. In an interview with a Dutch newspaper in April, Alptekin said the funds for the Flynn project came from a loan from his wife and payments from Ratio Oil Exploration, an Israeli natural gas company."

And if that doesn't sound suspicious by itself, it raises the question of where they got their money from. It begins to look like someone was trying to layer the funding.
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:10 AM on June 2, 2017 [14 favorites]

Scott Lemieux, Mic: Clinton is right to criticize the media. Demands to the contrary show the double standard she faced.

In fact, many of the factors that certainly contributed to Clinton's 2016 loss will still be very relevant in 2020. For instance, unless you're certain that either Senators Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, or Kamala Harris won’t be the Democratic nominee, the sexist double standards that influenced media coverage of Clinton will still be relevant. The potential for interference by the FBI director — who Trump will likely appoint, having fired Comey — and Russia are still there. Voter suppression by Republicans will likely get worse before it gets better. And Donald Trump would love a media that largely ignores Paul Ryan's awful and massively unpopular policy agenda and opts to focus on trivial matters again.

The problem isn't that Clinton is speaking about these critical issues; the problem is that not enough other prominent Democrats are. [...]

What is striking is how many critiques of Clinton's arguments — for example: see this from Vox's Timothy B. Lee — don’t even try to engage with her claims on the merits. [...] Lee's argument isn't that Clinton is wrong on the merits – it’s that it's inherently wrong for her to say that any factors but her own mistakes influenced the outcome of the election. But this is silly. As long as what she's saying is true, there’s nothing wrong with it.

I suspect that one reason so many pundits want Clinton to shut up and go away is that she's willing to call them out on their own misconduct. Pundits don't want Clinton to say these things because she's wrong, but rather because she's unquestionably right.

posted by tonycpsu at 11:10 AM on June 2, 2017 [98 favorites]

> Ever get the feeling that climate change is an insoluble problem which is going to kill billions no matter what we do, and the wealthy and powerful of the world are just trying to keep things going long enough to accumulate the resources and perfect the technology that will let them build themselves habitable bunkers?

Après nous, le déluge.
posted by RedOrGreen at 11:11 AM on June 2, 2017 [6 favorites]

I hope people keep asking Spicer about Trump's belief in climate change for however much longer he remains in the job. It will be interesting to see whether "I haven't had time to ask him" ever becomes an untenable response.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:12 AM on June 2, 2017 [10 favorites]

I'm convinced more each week that NC is the pilot program for bullshit to rollout nationwide.

First there's the no permit required for concealed weapon carrying that is moving swiftly through the legislature.

Then there's all the shit slinging under the radar happening with Art Pope and the undermining of the UNC system. Should I make an FPP?
posted by yoga at 11:14 AM on June 2, 2017 [15 favorites]

Spicer was just asked if he would ask the president about his views on climate change before the next briefing. "If I can, I will."
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:16 AM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

The White House is focused on the President's agenda and going forward all questions on climate change will be referred to outside counsel. (not real)
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:18 AM on June 2, 2017

Wow, I wish I could participate in "leave work early day" without losing my job. Fuck these lazy assholes.
posted by OverlappingElvis at 11:20 AM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

My (real) is all too real.

I'd like to get off the ride now. I pulled up the video because I figured it had to have been delivered as a joke, but it went down exactly as your wrote it.

Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug, I assure you that I would never use an unreal (real).
Thanks. I figured, but #2017
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 11:20 AM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

Every time the press laughs at one of Sean Spicer's "jokes," I die a little inside. (Laughing with contempt at his lies, evasion, or just general existence is both permitted and encouraged.)
posted by zachlipton at 11:22 AM on June 2, 2017 [8 favorites]

Nothing this administration does can change the fact that anthropogenic climate change is the Truth, and also that it's incredibly Inconvenient.

wow that dude should have been president or something
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:23 AM on June 2, 2017 [13 favorites]

Did Spicer tacitly admit he doesn't actually talk to the President? I mean, why else would he not know if he'd be able to ask Trump a simple yes or no question?
posted by Green With You at 11:24 AM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

Daniel Drezner, I can’t stop laughing at the Trump administration. That’s not a good thing, about the Trump administration's dismal record on foreign relations:

And what are the foreign policy results of Trump’s rust-shaking? Mostly that he’s getting played left and right. According to Matt Bai, “Trump is weak, and our rivals have figured it out. They’re walking all over the American president in a way we haven’t seen since at least the days of disco and Space Invaders.” On economic deals, Trump’s supposed strength, he keeps taking steps that undermine America’s bargaining position and make it harder for partners to want to cut a deal in the first place.

It’s hard to overstate just how badly Trump has navigated the global stage. The Chinese and Saudis have figured out how to buy him off with a couple billion dollars and some flattery. There is zero evidence of any appreciable policy gains. U.S. leadership is being constantly questioned. Whatever soft power resided in the United States has dissipated. Outside of the Persian Gulf, Trump’s approach has done nothing but alienate allies and bolster potential rivals.

posted by flug at 11:30 AM on June 2, 2017 [20 favorites]

Spicer talks to the President all the time, he just can't understand any of the screeching in response
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:31 AM on June 2, 2017 [5 favorites]

Pelosi: Nunes violating recusal in Russia probe

Tillerson said he would recuse himself for one year from ExxonMobil-related business

Did Sessions Violate His Recusal by Advising on Comey Firing?

It's almost as if we can't trust these people to recuse themselves.

Tillerson and Sessions, at least, should lose their jobs. And the next time Dems have cause to demand a recusal, they should skip straight to resignation.
posted by galaxy rise at 11:33 AM on June 2, 2017 [66 favorites]

"Does the President believe in thermometers?" is what I would ask.
posted by threeturtles at 11:35 AM on June 2, 2017 [6 favorites]

By the way is this right time to remind everyone that there was not a single question on climate policy in the three presidential debates?

Not one.

Plenty of blame to go around there, but holy hell MSM, you done fucked up on that one.
posted by jeremias at 11:36 AM on June 2, 2017 [75 favorites]

I think the moderators were like "Clinton is obviously going to win, why would we embarrass ourselves by having to discuss whether global warming is a Chinese hoax? We are serious newspersons."
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:38 AM on June 2, 2017 [11 favorites]

> National security adviser H.R. McMaster and National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn seem to be focused far more on pleasing the president than offering cogent advice.

Yes, but to be fair that is their job.
posted by The Card Cheat at 11:39 AM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

George Conway (Kellyanne's husband) withdrew from consideration to run DOJ's Civil Division.
posted by zachlipton at 11:43 AM on June 2, 2017 [18 favorites]

Yes, but to be fair that is their job.

They may serve at the pleasure of the president, but they don't work for him.

They work for us.
posted by tivalasvegas at 11:44 AM on June 2, 2017 [7 favorites]

My library does children's science programs with the Civil Air Patrol. Really great opportunities for kids to do things like astronomy, weather science, rocketry etc. We just requested a new STEM kit and we're told that it depends on federal funding so we need to wait a while. We're not holding our breath.
This administration has the power to fuck up so many little things that you don't even think about.
posted by Biblio at 11:45 AM on June 2, 2017 [18 favorites]

They work for us.

I don't think that's true. It's the President who is supposed to work for us.

Ask not for whom the buck stops. It stops for thee.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:47 AM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

That was the day that the Nazis took Paris. I remember every detail. You wore blue. The Nazis wore gray.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 11:49 AM on June 2, 2017 [9 favorites]

Yes, but to be fair that is their job.

They may serve at the pleasure of the president, but they don't work for him.

They work for us.

The NSA and the D/NEC are advisors to the President in specifically non-Senate-confirmable positions. That's not because no one ever thought of having the Senate weigh in; it's because they do work for the President.
posted by Etrigan at 11:51 AM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

Burr: ‘I don’t see a comprehensive health care plan this year’

The GOP's rank incompetence is a two-edged sword: it's the only thing keeping them from intentionally harming us via legislating/EO-ing us into a Bannonite fascist murder state or a neo-feudalist libertarian hellhole

Don't forget that part of the plan is to ruin Obamacare through willful neglect. Given a year to fuck things up, they may make the ACA so bad that fickle and forgetful voters will go along with anything that's a marginal improvement from the broken status quo.
posted by Candleman at 11:51 AM on June 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

Sorry, that was meant to be sarcastic; obviously everyone in Trump's administration is supposed to be working for the American people, but in the reality in which we currently live their actual job is to prop up Trump's ego by any means necessary.
posted by The Card Cheat at 11:52 AM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

Given a year to fuck things up, they may make the ACA so bad that fickle and forgetful voters will go along with anything that's a marginal improvement from the broken status quo.

Then it's up to the Dems and the left to remind them. They certainly have left us with no shortage of footage and tweets of Lindsay Graham, Donald Trump, et al stating in no uncertain terms that they intend to break the ACA in this way.
posted by Existential Dread at 11:54 AM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

Did anyone else notice Pruitt citing the Bret Stephens climate denier article in the NYT? Good fucking job again, NYT.
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:56 AM on June 2, 2017 [38 favorites]

According to Matt Bai, “Trump is weak, and our rivals have figured it out. They’re walking all over the American president in a way we haven’t seen since at least the days of disco and Space Invaders.”

The rest of the world is laughing at the U.S. and Trump. The federal government is barely functioning which makes America look weak. It's the perfect scenario for a terrorist attack because the adults are too busy trying to keep the country together and the intelligence agencies are busy looking into Russian collusion with the White House. The overreaction of the Trump administration to said terrorist attack is what keeps me awake at night.
posted by photoslob at 12:00 PM on June 2, 2017 [12 favorites]

Gary Cohn: " We will be delivering a tax plan to Congress by the end of summer."

This would seem to be an admission that what they put out before was not a "tax plan" and that Trump was full of it when he said "our tax bill is moving along in Congress and I believe it's doing very well" yesterday.
posted by zachlipton at 12:02 PM on June 2, 2017 [6 favorites]

Calling it a "tax plan" is to understate its genius. It contained entirely new discoveries in the field of mathematics in general.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:04 PM on June 2, 2017 [51 favorites]

CNN Interactive: God and the Don: From behind his desk on the 26th floor, Trump faced the Celtic cross at the top of the steeple of Johnston's church, located a block south on Fifth Avenue. When Johnston pointed it out to Trump, the President-elect responded by marveling at the thick glass on the windows of his office -- bulletproof panels installed after the election.

It was clear that Trump was still preoccupied with his November victory, and pleased with his performance with one constituency in particular.

"I did very, very well with evangelicals in the polls," Trump interjected in the middle of the conversation -- previously unreported comments that were described to me by both pastors.

They gently reminded Trump that neither of them was an evangelical.

"Well, what are you then?" Trump asked.

They explained they were mainline Protestants, the same Christian tradition in which Trump, a self-described Presbyterian, was raised and claims membership. Like many mainline pastors, they told the President-elect, they lead diverse congregations.Trump nodded along, then posed another question to the two men: "But you're all Christians?"

"Yes, we're all Christians."
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 12:13 PM on June 2, 2017 [51 favorites]

> Trump was full of it when he said "our tax bill is moving along in Congress and I believe it's doing very well" yesterday.

He probably did believe it was doing very well!
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:16 PM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

sotonohito: Anyone have some resources they can point me to? A useful history of modern American conservatism, that sort of thing?

The Party Is Over: How Republicans Went Crazy, Democrats Became Useless, and the Middle Class Got Shafted
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 12:20 PM on June 2, 2017 [10 favorites]

The White House has confirmed to Bloomberg News (tweet) that they are "reviewing whether to invoke executive privilege to prevent Comey from testifying."

So that should be fun.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 12:26 PM on June 2, 2017 [9 favorites]

From the article that roomthreeseventeen linked to:

The night before he announced his resignation, Richard Nixon, a Quaker, is said to have gotten down on his knees to pray in the Lincoln Sitting Room of the White House, weeping.

I HAD NO IDEA NIXON WAS A QUAKER WTF
posted by joyceanmachine at 12:27 PM on June 2, 2017 [6 favorites]

The White House has confirmed to Bloomberg News (tweet) that they are "reviewing whether to invoke executive privilege to prevent Comey from testifying."

A reminder that Laurence Tribe thinks Trump has waived his executive privilege with his tweets, letters and statements publicly addressing the investigation and Comey conversations.
posted by chris24 at 12:27 PM on June 2, 2017 [47 favorites]

Ever get the feeling that climate change is an insoluble problem which is going to kill billions no matter what we do, and the wealthy and powerful of the world are just trying to keep things going long enough to accumulate the resources and perfect the technology that will let them build themselves habitable bunkers?

That was sort of the plot of Heavy Weather by Bruce Sterling. The plot wasn't bunkers, but reducing the world population, the wealthy and powerful were deliberately diverting research into very expensive and unlikely to work well "solutions", while spiking any sort of likely to work well and inexpensive ideas. The plan was to let at least 50% of the world's population die from climate change (and various plagues and so on) before trying anything likely to work.

I think in our case it isn't so much conspiracy and sheer bloody minded short sightedness combined with a certainty that no matter how bad it gets they will be shielded by their wealth.

Fuck do they care if a few billion peons die? As long as enough of us live to staff their mansions they're happy. I think a lot of them would be quite happy if the wealth gap grew vastly, it makes us peons more desperate and therefore more likely to whatever they ask at any price they offer.
posted by sotonohito at 12:27 PM on June 2, 2017 [10 favorites]

Anyone have some resources they can point me to? A useful history of modern American conservatism, that sort of thing?

Let me suggest the work of Rick Perlstein, heartily.
posted by rc3spencer at 12:28 PM on June 2, 2017 [10 favorites]

If anyone was confused about the morality of the American evangelical right, their eagerness to elect not only a gravely sinful man but a man who barely even pretends to be Christian, in order to prevent the poor getting access to healthcare and basic services should answer some questions.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:29 PM on June 2, 2017 [109 favorites]

A useful history of modern American conservatism

the history of modern American conservatism is built on a foundation of white supremacy. You can see it in the '50's with Bill Buckley and the National Review and their full-throated defence of segregation, in the '60's with Goldwater running on a platform opposed to the Civil Rights Act, with Nixon and the "Southern Strategy", with Reagan opening his 1980 campaign in Philadelphia, Mississippi, with a speech that mentioned "states' rights", with Lee Atwater and Willie Horton, all the way through birtherism and "Obama is a Muslim"; Trump is just the logical conclusion of sixty years of a politics of white supremacy and racial resentment couched in the language of "fiscal responsibility" and "tough on crime".
posted by Pseudonymous Cognomen at 12:30 PM on June 2, 2017 [53 favorites]

I HAD NO IDEA NIXON WAS A QUAKER WTF

Well, he wasn't good at it, but yes.
posted by Etrigan at 12:30 PM on June 2, 2017 [11 favorites]

Even ignoring the question of whether Trump has waived executive privilege with his bloviating, what stops Comey from just calling a press conference on the steps of the Capitol and saying whatever non-classified things he wants? Attorney-client privilege is backed by a whole legal ethics system. Comey has no such duty to the executive. How would they stop him even if they wanted to?
posted by zachlipton at 12:35 PM on June 2, 2017 [9 favorites]

Twitter seems to think that because Comey is a private citizen, he can't use executive privilege anyway. The only thing he can do is pressure Burr to cancel the hearing.
posted by soren_lorensen at 12:36 PM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

I am so fucking sick of having to learn new things basically every day just to keep up with the sociopathic shenanigans of this administration.

Maybe the real President was the civics we learned along the way
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:39 PM on June 2, 2017 [114 favorites]

NYT: "[To get around the fact that Comey is a private citizen], the Justice Department could seek leverage over him by asking a Federal District Court judge for a restraining order barring his testimony. That would be unprecedented."

I'm sure Federal judges will just be lining up to aid and abet Trump's conspiracy to obstruct justice. Yeah, good luck with that.

It's just hilarious that Trump wouldn't have this problem if he hadn't fired Comey.
posted by Gelatin at 12:45 PM on June 2, 2017 [13 favorites]

It's just hilarious that Trump wouldn't have this problem if he hadn't fired Comey.

I'm sure he feels nauseous about it.
posted by leotrotsky at 12:48 PM on June 2, 2017 [15 favorites]

> On a personal note, I am so fucking sick of having to learn new things basically every day just to keep up with the sociopathic shenanigans of this administration.

Sometimes I wonder if there's a Successories-style poster somewhere in the West Wing that reads "HAVE YOU BEEN THE BIGGEST SHITHEAD YOU CAN BE TODAY?"
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:51 PM on June 2, 2017 [10 favorites]

mildly sure.
posted by So You're Saying These Are Pants? at 12:51 PM on June 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

these are all white men except the american health care act which is an honorary white man

also the earth is not a white man
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:55 PM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

rom behind his desk on the 26th floor, Trump faced the Celtic cross at the top of the steeple of Johnston's church, located a block south on Fifth Avenue. When Johnston pointed it out to Trump, the President-elect responded by marveling at the thick glass on the windows of his office -- bulletproof panels installed after the election.

Hey look through that window that's my church, Mr. President.
Hey look at that window did you know it's like that because I'm the president.

Jesus wept
posted by angrycat at 1:00 PM on June 2, 2017 [33 favorites]

Jesus wept

Trump after scalp reduction
posted by leotrotsky at 1:08 PM on June 2, 2017

If anyone was confused about the morality of the American evangelical right, their eagerness to elect not only a gravely sinful man but a man who barely even pretends to be Christian, in order to prevent the poor getting access to healthcare and basic services should answer some questions.

I really hope there is a God because at this point vengeance better be his to repay. As saith the Lord.
posted by Talez at 1:09 PM on June 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

Lindsey Graham worries Comey testimony could be 'hit job'

Yes, that's the real problem. Any bets on how long it takes for McCain to also let us know he's very concerned about this as well?
posted by zombieflanders at 1:13 PM on June 2, 2017 [25 favorites]

I'm more worried that someone might pull a literal hit job on Comey before he's able to testify.
posted by msalt at 1:15 PM on June 2, 2017 [22 favorites]

"Well, what are you then?" Trump asked.

They explained they were mainline Protestants, the same Christian tradition in which Trump, a self-described Presbyterian, was raised and claims membership. Like many mainline pastors, they told the President-elect, they lead diverse congregations.Trump nodded along, then posed another question to the two men: "But you're all Christians?"

"Yes, we're all Christians."

If Obama had displayed this sort of ignorance about the fundamentals of Christianity, it would've been taken as de facto evidence that he was a Muslim. There's so much that's infuriating about this administration, but it's little things like this that end up sticking in my craw for days. So maddening.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 1:16 PM on June 2, 2017 [76 favorites]

Lindsey Graham worries Comey testimony could be 'hit job'

Yes, because a Republican career civil servant with a lifetime of service to his country is definitely the one we should be worrying about, not the walking treason sebum who lied his way into office.
posted by leotrotsky at 1:18 PM on June 2, 2017 [11 favorites]

Are we absolutely certain Trump wasn't born in Kenya
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:18 PM on June 2, 2017 [7 favorites]

I'm more worried that someone might pull a literal hit job on Comey before he's able to testify.

I suspect the FBI is keeping a close eye on their secular saint fired for principle former leader.
posted by leotrotsky at 1:19 PM on June 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

Lindsey Graham worries Comey testimony could be 'hit job'

It'd damn well better be; I didn't rearrange my work schedule and buy all this popcorn so I could watch this guy NOT screw Trump to the wall. Hopefully, Trump will continue to poke Comey with a stick a few more times between now and then, because impugning his integrity and general high opinion of his own righteousness will surely make him back down and soften his performance. Uh huh.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:22 PM on June 2, 2017 [13 favorites]

I do hope all the WH folks thinking about invoking executive privilege take a look at United States v. Nixon. It is definitely on point. Then again, I'd enjoy seeing them make all the same mistakes that RMN himself did.
posted by bearwife at 1:26 PM on June 2, 2017 [6 favorites]

Trump's continued search for new FBI chief seen as chaotic: sources:Three close associates of three contenders for the job, all of whom have been interviewed by Trump, said the candidates were summoned to the White House for 10- to 20-minute conversations with Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Those conversations, which followed initial interviews at the Justice Department, have been light on questions about substantive issues facing the agency, the three associates said.

Another of the three sources described the process as chaotic and said that in one interview, Trump spoke mostly about himself and seemed distracted.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 1:27 PM on June 2, 2017 [34 favorites]

> Did anyone else notice Pruitt citing the Bret Stephens climate denier article in the NYT? Good fucking job again, NYT.

The failing New York Times, indeed.

(video for those who missed the press conference)
posted by tonycpsu at 1:27 PM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

Of course Lindsay Graham's worried. This is valuable TV time that he could be using to advocate for starting a war with Iran.
posted by Copronymus at 1:27 PM on June 2, 2017 [7 favorites]

10- to 20-minute interview for FBI Director? They have longer interviews for the drive-thru.
posted by kirkaracha at 1:29 PM on June 2, 2017 [20 favorites]

Another of the three sources described the process as chaotic and said that in one interview, Trump spoke mostly about himself and seemed distracted.

After all this they insist on pretending he's capable of doing anything other than speaking mostly about himself and being distracted by cable news playing in the background.
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:29 PM on June 2, 2017 [9 favorites]

this dynamic of highs of hilarity at Trump's expense and the lows of the despair when one realizes how much more damage this motherfucker is probably going to do really feels like some bad speed sometimes. especially when I'm cackling at three hundred "covefefe" puns at 3 am.

This analogy might be thanks to the fact that I got off the train and this demented soul was screaming at the top of his lungs, over and over, REHAB! REHAB! REHAB! REHAB!
posted by angrycat at 1:33 PM on June 2, 2017 [9 favorites]

10-to-20 minutes seems like too long to answer the only question "How do we make this Russia thing we did go away?"
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 1:34 PM on June 2, 2017 [10 favorites]

Those conversations, which followed initial interviews at the Justice Department, have been light on questions about substantive issues facing the agency, the three associates said.

Trump: So will you swear loyalty to me?
Applicant: No.
T: Will you sacrifice your firstborn under a full moon over a pentagram?
Sessions: I do declare, you better tell us the truth now, boy. We don't cotton to no liars!
A: No way, unh-uh.
T: Are you investigating me for collusion?
A: What? I don't work for the FBI yet, sir.
Pence: I, too, am in this interview.
T: But really, am I being investigated? Here, consult this Ouija board.
A: Mr. President, respectfully, you're a loon.
T: So what you're saying, for the third time, is that nobody is investigating me. Got it. Tremendous news! The best news ever.
Sessions: [measures applicant for Klan robes]
A: Oh gee, look at the time; must dash!
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:35 PM on June 2, 2017 [64 favorites]

Congrats on being ridiculous enough to not need a "fake" tag. I'm pretty sure the president doesn't know the word "pentagram."
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 1:38 PM on June 2, 2017 [32 favorites]

10-20 minutes is long enough to show the VHS footage of the applicant the Kremlin has fedex'd over
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:38 PM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

I think a lot of them would be quite happy if the wealth gap grew vastly, it makes us peons more desperate and therefore more likely to whatever they ask at any price they offer.

If this is what they think, then they're in for a big surprise, as a shortage of workers tends to create labor-advantaged markets rather than the management-advantaged ones.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 1:43 PM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

Anyone other than the acting FBI Director that would take the job under trump shouldn't get the job.
posted by empath at 1:45 PM on June 2, 2017 [14 favorites]

I always suspected Woolsey was one of the anonymous sources, and now he's increasingly on the record: McClatchy—Woolsey: Flynn sought personal control over CIA reporting

Days after Donald Trump’s stunning election victory, Michael Flynn phoned former CIA Director James Woolsey about taking another stint as head of the spy agency in the new administration, but then added a condition, Woolsey said.

Flynn said the CIA director “would be expected to report to him,” not the president, Woolsey told McClatchy in a phone interview. Woolsey, who led the CIA in the first two years of the Clinton administration, said he promptly rejected the offer because there are times that he would need to “call on the president face to face.”

Washington attorney Robert Kelner, who is defending Flynn in the face of FBI, Pentagon and congressional investigations into his ties to Russia and Turkey, said Woolsey’s account is “false.” Kelner did not elaborate.

posted by zachlipton at 1:49 PM on June 2, 2017 [18 favorites]

It's not that America is being brought down by one man. We're being brought down by one man, a totally complicit Congress, and a Republican-engineered propaganda machine masquerading as a news network.
posted by Autumnheart at 1:51 PM on June 2, 2017 [106 favorites]

I'm gonna die laughing if there's any truth to the rumor that Melania is having an affair.
posted by joedan at 1:54 PM on June 2, 2017 [28 favorites]

I'm gonna die laughing if there's any truth to the rumor that Melania is having an affair.

Can't wait for the inevitable "actually, being cucked is good" spin on MAGA twitter.
posted by yellowbinder at 1:56 PM on June 2, 2017 [26 favorites]

I'm gonna die laughing if there's any truth to the rumor that Melania is having an affair.

If you were married to Donald Trump and had the opportunity to sleep with literally anyone else, what would you do?
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:57 PM on June 2, 2017 [23 favorites]

It'd damn well better be; I didn't rearrange my work schedule and buy all this popcorn so I could watch this guy NOT screw Trump to the wall.

Boy you are gonna be pissed when they make it a closed session at the last second, citing the concern that classified info might be accidentally revealed.
posted by phearlez at 1:59 PM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

Rupert Murdoch started a newspaper empire in Australia, and was able to gain power over their political system. The influence of his Sun tabloid (and to a much lesser extent Times broadsheet) over British politics from the late 70s to today's Brexit is hard to overstate. With the catastrophic legacy of Fox News, he has now achieved the same thing in America.

Rupert Murdoch likes making money, but he sees his right-wing reactionary political power as a vital thing to strive for in its own right. It is why he has been so tolerant of phone-hacking scandals and sexual abuse scandals and a toxic office culture. I do not believe his children feel the same way. Their growing influence and focus on their stock prices is why Ailes was forced out, and then O'Reilly. The world will be a better place when Rupert Murdoch leaves the stage.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:03 PM on June 2, 2017 [20 favorites]

Well, she's pretty upfront about her biases:

Aaaaanywaaaaay. YES this is hearsay. NO I can't reveal my source. YES journalists should look into it. YES I'm biased. I want 45 and his whole wretched family out of power. Not one of them is innocent, including the ones who are pretty. Let me be clear: in itself, DT's marriage matters not at all next to the Paris Accord. But anything that would embarrass & therefore destabilize him, and accelerate his rate of self-destruction? Good. The sooner to impeachment.

But the allegation (tweet in Twitter thread) may be a sharp stick poked right at the #MAGAhats:

... word is, for many years, Melania's been having an affair with the head of security at Tiffany's in the Trump Tower lobby ... with DT's knowledge. They had an agreement (written, I think) that if DT lost the election, they'd get divorced. But then he won. So they had to renegotiate the agreement. She is imprisoned in that marriage for as long as he's president.

Again: this is kind of obvious already to anyone with eyes. Melania looks miserable. But this would be a broader illustration of why. Also it's why she doesn't leave New York.

Well. I don't know what to make of it, but it would illuminate the whole bleating about "cucks" with the light of Trump's Mirror. Ugh.
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:06 PM on June 2, 2017 [10 favorites]

Ugh, please don't, guys. Jumping on this Melania affair thing is all downside. If it's bullshit, then Team Trump gets to do the same crocodile tears thing they did with Barron allegedly seeing Kathy Griffin's stunt on TV. "Liberals are the real meanies, amirite?" If there is something to it, what exactly have we won? Of course the MAGAhats will retcon in whatever they need to in order to support him, and if somehow he is being cheated on without his knowledge, then he could actually come off as the victim.

I mean, we're linking to "blindgossip.com" as a source, here? Come on.
posted by tonycpsu at 2:16 PM on June 2, 2017 [30 favorites]

The only way an affair could take him down is if Melania decided to spill some really incriminating dirt, and that would be unlikely, given that she could incriminate herself, lose her money and in general not come out of it well. I'm assuming some sort of ironclad prenup.

I mean, unlikelier things have happened but this sounds like a fantasy scenario.
posted by emjaybee at 2:23 PM on June 2, 2017

Her prenup is made of titanium, I'm sure. And it probably includes penalties for Barron, too -- like DT would disinherit the kid as well.
posted by suelac at 2:30 PM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

the likely outcome of publicizing this gossip is Trump starts tweeting about how his dick is great and the only reason he's letting the security guard bang his wife is because Real Men of Power are all about the hotwife lifestyle and btw you wouldn't believe how laid he's getting now that he's president and fuck if I know if that's good or bad or if we'd even pay attention to it for more than a day or two before moving on to the next scene change in our national nightmare but we've come a long way from when we spent like five fucking years obsessing about that one bj Bill Clinton got huh
posted by prize bull octorok at 2:31 PM on June 2, 2017 [12 favorites]

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (a Republican!) says the state will join the US Climate Alliance with NY, CA and WA.
posted by adamg at 2:31 PM on June 2, 2017 [59 favorites]

She doesn't have to spill "incriminating dirt" of the salacious kind... she can just leak their joint tax returns from anytime in the last ten years.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 2:32 PM on June 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

AP: Special Counsel's Trump Probe Adds Manafort Case

The Associated Press has learned that the special counsel running the U.S. investigation into possible ties between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russia's government has assumed oversight of an ongoing investigation involving former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

The investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller may also expand to look into the roles of the attorney general and deputy attorney general in the firing of FBI Director James Comey.

This is the administration's nightmare, that all the scandals become joined together into an omniscandal.
posted by zachlipton at 2:41 PM on June 2, 2017 [39 favorites]

although it's pleasant to think of trump == cuck becoming a meme, probably it's best to deny Trump sources of narcissistic supply, insofar as is possible. I'm carefully trying to focus on what the real leaders of the country are doing — Brown, Inslee, Cuomo, and so forth — instead of paying attention to the need monster in the white house.

and though I hope that various intelligence agencies from various countries (including the U.S.) are working on Melania Trump in order to turn her, I don't have much hope for that actually happening. She's a moral void. And even if we set her personal lack of ethics aside, she likely knows exactly what Putin will do to her and her child if she breaks.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 2:43 PM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

This is the administration's nightmare, that all the scandals become joined together into an omniscandal.

Please. ＯＭＮＩＧＡＴＥ.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:46 PM on June 2, 2017 [34 favorites]

I prefer PANGHAZI myself
posted by prize bull octorok at 2:46 PM on June 2, 2017 [55 favorites]

ＳＩＲＥ, ＯＭＮＩＧＡＴＥＩＳＡＳＳＡＩＬＩＮＧＴＨＥＭＡＮＡＦＯＲＴ
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:47 PM on June 2, 2017 [72 favorites]

this is the administration's nightmare, that all the scandals become joined together into an omniscandal.

well since we are all living in the nightmare omniscandal, it only seems fair.

I reallly want them to take down Sessions though, he is a mean, shifty little snake.
posted by emjaybee at 2:47 PM on June 2, 2017 [16 favorites]

If this investigation is anywhere near as historically significant as it appears, it will have its own name that does not include -gate (or -ghazi), and will itself be invoked for future scandals the way the Watergate is used today.
posted by Uncle Ira at 2:54 PM on June 2, 2017 [13 favorites]

Thinking of the number of binds Melania Trump is in made me think of that moment in the Sopranos where Adriana barfs all over the table.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 2:55 PM on June 2, 2017 [9 favorites]

Speaking of joining up disparate threads, Josh Marshall of TPM reminds us of that weird dossier stuff with Michael Cohen, Mike Flynn, and pro-Russian Ukrainian politician Andrey Artemenko from earlier this year, "What Happened to the Michael Cohen Ukraine Dossier?":

Now, here’s the key. Artemenko brought these physical documents from Ukraine to New York, arranged a meeting with Cohen and asked him to hand deliver them to Mike Flynn, the President’s top foreign policy advisor. In the early 21st century there are many easier ways to send information. There’s email. There are phones. There’s old fashioned mail. There’s FedEx. There are of course also conventional diplomatic channels. Hand delivery of physical documents is certainly the most cumbersome option. But it is also extremely secure.

What does this tell us?

Well, we now have very strong indications that members of Trump’s team, including Flynn himself, were trying in the weeks just before this meeting to set up extremely secure modes of communication with people in Moscow. The main aim appears to have been to hide the contents of those communications from the US government. In that context, the ‘peace plan’ story looks very different and possibly much more significant than it appeared to be in March. We don’t know this incident involved people in Moscow or the Russian government but it was explicitly about the situation in Ukraine and the sanctions regime, which were central issues in the attempted rapprochement with Russia. We are also under no obligation to be willfully dense.

posted by mhum at 2:55 PM on June 2, 2017 [30 favorites]

Osama bin Laden got caught because of his courier that's all I'm saying
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:57 PM on June 2, 2017 [8 favorites]

If this investigation is anywhere near as historically significant as it appears, it will have its own name that does not include -gate (or -ghazi), and will itself be invoked for future scandals the way the Watergate is used today.

Trussia™
posted by Barack Spinoza at 2:58 PM on June 2, 2017 [13 favorites]

ask your doctor if resigning in disgrace is right for you
posted by Barack Spinoza at 3:00 PM on June 2, 2017 [66 favorites]

We must do the right thing and correctly label this scandal.

We can call it "Trump - The Scandal."
posted by Archelaus at 3:05 PM on June 2, 2017 [5 favorites]

Not going to link it, but Drudge is going after Bannon hard today. The headline banner story all afternoon has been:

"BANNON 'IS THE REAL PRESIDENT'
LEAKED RUSSIA DIRT ON JARED?

The Kushner/Bannon war is has gone from cold to hot again it seems. #popcorn
posted by chris24 at 3:07 PM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

I see "Trump-Russia Scandal" a lot, I feel like that's going to become the catchall term. Someday a kid will ask "Mom, what's a trumprusha?"
posted by emjaybee at 3:09 PM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

If this investigation is anywhere near as historically significant as it appears, it will have its own name that does not include -gate (or -ghazi), and will itself be invoked for future scandals the way the Watergate is used today.

Trumpfefe.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 3:09 PM on June 2, 2017 [23 favorites]

From National Treasure Charles P. Pierce at Esquire: "Born on third base and thinks he's playing field hockey."
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:14 PM on June 2, 2017 [42 favorites]

I hope -Trump is the winning replacer of -gate and that if education exists in the future, textbooks on 20th century US history will teach that the scandal bringing down Nixon wasn't always called WaterTrump.
posted by Rust Moranis at 3:15 PM on June 2, 2017 [12 favorites]

If this investigation is anywhere near as historically significant as it appears, it will have its own name

"Betrump" was already an archaic word meaning "to cheat or deceive." You can't say we weren't warned.
posted by octobersurprise at 3:21 PM on June 2, 2017 [15 favorites]

I am so fucking sick of having to learn new things basically every day just to keep up with the sociopathic shenanigans of this administration.

At least the 20's will be a decade of informed civic engagement...
posted by Coventry at 3:21 PM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

The world will be a better place when Rupert Murdoch leaves the stage.

I never thought I'd be one to dance on graves, but as of now I have such a list to look forward to
posted by Existential Dread at 3:23 PM on June 2, 2017 [14 favorites]

I am so fucking sick of having to learn new things basically every day...

There's actually a MetaTalk thread right now for that bit.
posted by Namlit at 3:25 PM on June 2, 2017

The scandal name will simply be Trump. There's no central geographical location to tie a name, besides Russia. (And Russia's too big and broad to signify for one event.) "Trump" as brand is key to Trump and has been for almost 40 years, so everyone is primed to just use the brand name. Timing seems to be important too. If he's ousted within a year, they can just refer to "Trump" as the aberration. The presidency too weird to be believed, because it violated every single norm and expectation of a US president.

Trump and Trumpian will be the damning adjectives of choice in politics for a long time to come. Something which transcends corruption and incompetence into a new dimension of transcendent horrible. If Trump doesn't also become a strong obscenity on the level of "fucked", then that means we survived mostly intact.
posted by honestcoyote at 3:26 PM on June 2, 2017 [10 favorites]

At least the 20's will be a decade of informed civic engagement...

By the 2020s there ain't gonna be a civilization to engage with unless this shit ends pronto.
posted by Rust Moranis at 3:26 PM on June 2, 2017 [5 favorites]

Gee, thanks for clearing that up, Madame Secretary.

"Certainly, the climate changes."
posted by vverse23 at 3:28 PM on June 2, 2017

Thinking of the number of binds Melania Trump is in

If she ends up in prison or in poverty I will not care a tiny bit, except in that being happy is a form of caring. and if her husband is publicly humiliated in any way at all that causes any kind of pain to him, I will be pleased.

but.

everyone reading this knows two facts: that M. Trump's husband is A) a rapist who B) doesn't like her at all.

so the popular joke demands for her to be legally required to live in the same home with him are already plenty fucked up; the attempts to get this powerful idiot abuser even more riled up and furious with his wife for humiliating him, in hopes that he will explode, well.

I do see the appeal. If I wanted her to be happy, which I do not, I would hope for her sake the rumor was true. I like the idea of reminding people that enough money can make a person do anything, including marry you, but it still can't make them like you.

but if people think it will work to make him mad, what do you think that will make him do? I am not wagging my finger here, desperate times desperate measures, as a joke it is a good one. but as an angle of attack it is much much much MUCH MUCH more likely to destroy her than him. and as long as that means public scandal and penury, fine and good. but I don't know, remember he's an actual violent criminal I guess? even if he is an old, enfeebled and pathetic one.
posted by queenofbithynia at 3:29 PM on June 2, 2017 [13 favorites]

From WeRateDogs:

@dog_rates: This is Zoey. She really likes the planet. Would hate to see willful ignorance and the denial of fairly elemental science destroy it. 13/10

@graywolf: You really can't avoid the political commentary, can you? Stick to just commenting. on dogs

@dog_rates: Stick to fucking off

H*ckin' good!
posted by Cookiebastard at 3:30 PM on June 2, 2017 [96 favorites]

Michelle Goldberg: Who’s Afraid of a Clinton Voter?: "We’re expected to understand the rage of Trump’s supporters but not the anguish of the 66 million who voted against him."

This lopsided concern for the tender feelings of people who march around in “Fuck Your Feelings” T-shirts is of a piece with all those post-election journalistic safaris into declining steel towns and white exurbs where Trump supporters flaunt their stubborn Trump loyalty. Perhaps I’m misremembering, but I can’t recall any similar anthropological snapshots of communities that strongly backed Barack Obama when his approval ratings were at their nadir. Nor do I remember any worries that Republican attempts to thwart Obama at every opportunity, and even steal a Supreme Court seat from him, would make his base question our system.

Natasha Bertrand: Trump's obsession with 'unmasking' could land his administration in even more trouble

itshappening.gif: Giant Swarm of Mysterious Bees Shuts Down Fifth Avenue
posted by zachlipton at 3:35 PM on June 2, 2017 [79 favorites]

Oh good grief: Vladimir Putin Tells Megyn Kelly: U.S. Hackers Could Have Framed Russia

"Hackers can be anywhere. They can be in Russia, in Asia...even in America, Latin America," he said. "They can even be hackers, by the way, in the United States who very skillfully and professionally shifted the blame, as we say, onto Russia. Can you imagine something like that? In the midst of a political battle?"

"By some calculations it was convenient for them to release this information, so they released it, citing Russia," Putin added. "Could you imagine something like that? I can."
...
Echoing remarks President Donald Trump made on the campaign trail, Putin also questioned the need for NATO.

"NATO was established as a Cold War instrument in the fight against the Soviet Union," Putin, a former KGB agent, said through a translator. "There is no longer any … Soviet Union."

posted by zachlipton at 3:37 PM on June 2, 2017 [5 favorites]

I'd like to remind everyone that Steve Bannon used to run Biosphere 2.

Bruno Marino, an isotopic chemist who helped track atmospheric compounds inside Biosphere 2, spent a lot of time working with Bannon in 1994 and 1995. He remembers him keeping a private office at the Arizona compound stocked with dozens books about climate science, including The Biosphere, a 1926 book by Russian mineralogist Vladimir Vernadsky that first sketched out the scientific theory that living things, including humans, can change the planet, just as much as geological or physical forces.

“At the time I didn’t think much of it,” says Bruno, who now runs a small environmental consulting firm in Cambridge, Mass., and last saw Bannon about 10 years ago. “It may mean he was interested in climate issue more broadly. I don’t know. I hope maybe he will have some role to play in Trump’s climate policy moving forward.”

posted by MrVisible at 3:41 PM on June 2, 2017 [7 favorites]

Trump's obsession with 'unmasking' could land his administration in even more trouble: yeah, he's operating from a "corporate secrets" perspective, where finding out the reasons behind actions, and forcing organizations to name names, can hurt them.

For law-enforcement agencies, if they're working legit leads, all "unmasking" does is maybe slow down investigations a bit, and usually not even that: if revealing info would hamper an investigation, they can usually get a judge to deny the reveal.

Law enforcement, when it's not breaking the law, is not like the sausage-factory of lawmaking; there is no "what do we do with this horribly uncomfortable detail that we have to somehow deal with?" LE takes the "uncomfortable details" and decides, "do we have enough evidence to chase this? If yes, then subpoena someone; if no, make a note in the case file and move on."

Insisting on a big reveal of Why The Obama Administration Was Investigating Trump just means... demanding they show all the dirt they had, including the parts that weren't substantial enough for detailed followup. Generally, LE doesn't crowdsource its investigations, but we do have several million tweeters ready to dig through archives to find connections that they may have missed.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 3:44 PM on June 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

With the Biosphere 2 bleeding money, Bannon decided to shut down the crew habitat. He persuaded a timber company to remove one of the biomes and replant it with poplar trees in one habitat to measure how quickly commercially harvested trees would grow in a carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere. “They shot right up,” says Burgess. At times, Burgess said, carbon dioxide levels reached up to 4,000 parts per million inside the biosphere, ten times current levels on Earth.

Does Steve Bannon have a secret plan to destroy the Earth's atmosphere for lumber profits? Would that even be one of the ten craziest fucking things this week?
posted by theodolite at 3:50 PM on June 2, 2017 [40 favorites]

she can just leak their joint tax returns from anytime in the last ten years.

What makes you think they have joint tax returns? There is little reason to do so for people at their income level. I would expect his accountants to figure that out by the time he got to his third wife.
posted by JackFlash at 3:53 PM on June 2, 2017

SB 562, a.k.a The Healthy California Act a.k.a. Medicare for All just passed the state senate!

[ronpaulitshappening.gif]
posted by Talez at 3:55 PM on June 2, 2017 [56 favorites]

WaPo: Nunes-led House Intelligence Committee asked for ‘unmaskings’ of Americans

The Republican-controlled House Intelligence Committee asked U.S. spy agencies late last year to reveal the names of U.S. individuals or organizations contained in classified intelligence on Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election, engaging in the same practice that President Trump has accused the Obama administration of abusing, current and former officials said.

The chairman of the committee, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), has since cast the practice of “unmasking” U.S. individuals and organizations in classified reports as an abuse of surveillance powers by the outgoing Obama administration.

Something something IOKIYAR.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 3:59 PM on June 2, 2017 [28 favorites]

I hope they try to block Comey's testimony. They won't succeded, it will be yet another abject failure on their part, and it will make them look super guilty.
posted by Justinian at 4:00 PM on June 2, 2017 [8 favorites]

it will make them look super guilty

Along with Trump bragging he fired Comey and ended the investigation, his direct statements to Comey asking about it and pressuring him to say Trump was in the clear, Sessions' involvement in firing the man investigating him, too, Nunes' ongoing demands (AFTER recusal) to find out who told and the suggestions of invocation of executive privilege. Not to mention the endless emerging evidence of efforts to conceal the contacts with the Russians on an ongoing basis. It is hard to think of ways these folks could look more guilty.
posted by bearwife at 4:08 PM on June 2, 2017 [11 favorites]

Megyn Kelly also asked if the "squabbles" in the West helped Russia, to which Putin was blunt enough to admit that if the squabbles dismantled NATO, then yes, they did help Russia. Then at the end Kelly asked the audience to give Pooty-Poot a round of applause.
posted by octobersurprise at 4:08 PM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

itshappening.gif: Giant Swarm of Mysterious Bees Shuts Down Fifth Avenue

Oprah just deployed her secret weapon.
posted by davros42 at 4:21 PM on June 2, 2017 [16 favorites]

*-gate (Stargate), surely?
posted by jferg at 4:46 PM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

Then at the end Kelly asked the audience to give Pooty-Poot a round of applause.

Garry Kasparov posted a frank thread on Twitter about Western journalists sucking up to Putin:

Putin needs global attention to justify his grip on deteriorating Russia after 17 yrs. Stop giving it to him. Don't feed the dictator troll.
Responding to Putin's aggression is not what I mean. Threats must be countered. But shunning & isolating him is one of the key responses.
Western press & leaders treat Putin like a celebrity instead of a dangerous pariah. This shows his elite he can protect them & their money.
Leaders must decide if they want only to defend perpetually against Putin's aggression at increasing cost or finally be rid of him.
Russian economy is smaller than S Korea, with horrific inequality & dependent on oil & gas. Don't give Putin superpower attention. Stop him.

But never mind, Oliver Stone's going to give Putin the old third degree!
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:50 PM on June 2, 2017 [46 favorites]

Some light comedy reading from Politico to cap off a long week: How the World’s Most Interesting Man Befriended the World’s Most Powerful Man: "A beer commercial icon became an unlikely pal to the president of the United States. It stayed interesting"
posted by zachlipton at 4:54 PM on June 2, 2017 [12 favorites]

Trump ditches White House LGBT Pride Month celebrations

I for one am shocked at this considering his moving and heartfelt support for L...GBBQ..BLT..Qs at the Republican Convention.
posted by kirkaracha at 5:10 PM on June 2, 2017 [5 favorites]

Here's my question on executive privilege: Considering Trump's statements to others about Comey and the Russian investigation, and his tweets basically threatening Comey, hasn't he waived the privilege with regards to pressuring Comey?

There are three possibilities of decreasing likelihood.

1. Trump has already waived his executive privilege because he has publicly discussed the details of the conversation he wants to protect. It's like the 5th amendment privilege. You can't testify in court your side of the story then refuse to answer questions from the opposition. It's all or nothing.

2. Trump prevails on the privilege question, but then how does he exercise that privilege. Normally the privilege is used to quash a subpoena from Congress and the President orders an employee to not comply. But Congress is not subpoenaing anything. Comey has willingly agreed to testify. But since this is a constitutional disagreement between the President and Congress, it is possible that he could find a judge that would forbid Congress from holding a hearing and asking questions in defiance of the President. This has never happened before and is extremely unlikely.

3. Comey, since he is an ordinary citizen no longer employed by the government, could simply walk outside and talk to the press. There is no statute on the books that would sanction a private citizen for defying a claim of executive privilege. It is even more unlikely that the President could find a judge to censor his speech.
posted by JackFlash at 5:23 PM on June 2, 2017 [10 favorites]

I suppose that Trump could try to retroactively classify all conversations with him and Comey, per his oath as ex-FBI, would not be allowed to discuss it it public. But it wouldn't prevent him from discussing it in closed session in Congress. Members of Congress have automatic security clearances.

If challenged, a judge would be unlikely to uphold this gratuitous classification, but Trump could tie up the question in courts for a very long time, keeping the information from the public. Of course, members of Congress would likely leak it anyway. But leaks are not as effective as live TV testimony.
posted by JackFlash at 5:32 PM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

Pittsburgh Not Paris pro-Trump rally in Lafayette Square tomorrow. If I were just an hour or two closer, I would go and give these people a giant piece of my yinzer mind in person. If any local mefites want to go rep for me, I'll personally send you some local delicacies.

The DC March for Truth (not a march, but a rally, at least in DC) will be taking place a few blocks south of Lafayette Sq./White House, at the Washington Monument, at about the same time. About 5k people have indicated they're going to the March (I'll be attending with a friend). I (and several hundred other people) will be walking by Lafayette Square on on our way to the March tomorrow, so we'll get some jeers in for everyone. :)
posted by longdaysjourney at 5:36 PM on June 2, 2017 [8 favorites]

Going down the rabbit hole, if it came to that, members of Congress could simply reveal the information anyway by reading it into the Congressional Record, since the Speech or Debate Clause protects even members who reveal classified information (they could still be expelled from Congress by Congress itself though).
posted by zachlipton at 5:41 PM on June 2, 2017 [8 favorites]

Gun Deal in Jeopardy for Turkish Guards Who Beat Protesters by Nicholas Fandos at the New York Times, via Preet Bharara's twitter:

The day before armed guards from the Turkish president’s security detail violently attacked a group of peaceful protesters here last month, the State Department notified Congress of its intention to license the sale of $1.2 million worth of semiautomatic handguns to the security force.

Two weeks later, with mounting outrage over the episode among American lawmakers and a continuing investigation by the State Department that could lead to criminal charges against some of the guards involved, the future of the sale now appears to be in question.

posted by galaxy rise at 5:57 PM on June 2, 2017 [32 favorites]

They said it probably would on the teevee, TWF. Make of that what you will.
posted by Justinian at 6:02 PM on June 2, 2017

Ryan Lizza, The New Yorker: HOW CLIMATE CHANGE SAVED STEVE BANNON’S JOB

A third Trump adviser, more closely aligned with the Bannon faction, was less charitable. “I think Jared and Ivanka are concerned with being accepted in the right places, they care about what the beautiful people think,” he said. “They care about being well received in the Upper West Side cocktail parties. They view Steve as a man with dirty fingernails, with some weird, crazy, extremist philosophy they don’t think is in the best interest of the President. With all respect to them, they don’t understand how Trump got elected. They don’t understand the forces behind it, they don’t understand the dynamics of the situation, and they certainly don’t understand his appeal and the people who voted for him—they can’t understand it.” He added, “They would like the President to be more like George Bush: one-dimensional, predictable, neocon, mainstream.”

A White House official insisted that Jared and Ivanka’s role in the climate debate has been misunderstood and exaggerated. “Jared believes that it’s a bad deal and that the standards were too high and could hurt the economy. But his preference would have been to stay in,” the White House official said. “Ivanka’s preference was to stay in, but she saw her role as setting up a process inside and outside the government to get information to her father from all sides of the issue.”

posted by Room 641-A at 6:08 PM on June 2, 2017 [5 favorites]

Lindsey Graham worries Comey testimony could be 'hit job'

"I don't think so."

*womps Sen. Graham on head with sock*

"Comey don't play that."
posted by leotrotsky at 6:10 PM on June 2, 2017 [33 favorites]

Tucker Carlson's Daily Caller received $105,000 from Trump campaign and $800,000 from the Koch's (through a sketchy foundation that pays their writers, then donates the articles).

That certainly makes it easier to break even, when you don't have to pay writers.
posted by msalt at 6:23 PM on June 2, 2017 [22 favorites]

Trump to nominate Richard Spencer for Navy secretary

Real headline, different Richard Spencer. The department Trump will nominate the other Richard Spencer for secretary of won't be created for another year or two.
posted by Rust Moranis at 6:41 PM on June 2, 2017 [29 favorites]

Cheese and rice, Rust Moranis, my heart was in my throat for a second there. I think I just lost a year off my life.
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:51 PM on June 2, 2017 [31 favorites]

Maybe Donnie doesn't know the difference:

"We'd like you to nominate Richard Spencer for SecNav, sir."

"He's that kid who was punched, right? Good, good, let's give it to him. It'll make him feel better."
posted by octobersurprise at 7:22 PM on June 2, 2017 [10 favorites]

Vox: Trump’s Paris climate agreement speech, annotated by an expert in energy and foreign policy

If truth mattered any more, this would be compelling indeed.
posted by Rykey at 7:29 PM on June 2, 2017 [18 favorites]

How did the Republicans get to this point?

A number of people have responded already and they were great responses about the racism and the slow boil of Fox News and Rush Limbaugh and American exceptional-anti-intellectualism. But I think it should be remembered and noted that the tipping point was President Obama being put forward as a presidential candidate.

And it should be remembered that this is not a symmetrical, nonpartisan, or bipartisan thing. The Republicans, specifically, lost their fucking minds. It happened slowly over time, and then all at once, specifically when President Obama was nominated and elected. That's when Sarah Palin put crosshairs on Democratic congresspeople. That's when the Republican congresspeople, and Mitch McConnell specifically, decided they would obstruct every one of Obama's priorities on an unprecedented scale. That's when the crazy wing crystallized into the Tea Party and got their crazies elected. They lost their fucking minds when they had to call Obama president.

I think some of those shifts would probably have happened anyway, maybe on a longer timeframe, but in this timeline it happened this way and that matters. And I don't think the Tea Party wave would have happened without some kind of inciting incident. It was a white backlash, similar in impulse to the backlash against Trump right now, because they really thought of Obama what we think of Trump, and worse. And that is profoundly fucking insulting and it still infuriates me. So, sorry if this is offtopic or repetititve. It's just been on my chest a while now.
posted by Rainbo Vagrant at 7:37 PM on June 2, 2017 [124 favorites]

members of Congress could simply reveal the information anyway by reading it into the Congressional Record, since the Speech or Debate Clause protects even members who reveal classified information (they could still be expelled from Congress by Congress itself though).

Um, so - couldn't a brave Congresspeople read in that thing that made everybody mad and freaked out that seekrit meeting they had after the election and before the inauguration? I mean - at worst they get kicked out? At best they save the world?

"Panghazi" is definitely better and the critic's fave but let's be honest - "Omnigate" wanted it more.
posted by petebest at 7:56 PM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

Trump Appears Unlikely to Hinder Comey's Testimony About Russia Inquiry (NYT: Michael Schmidt)
posted by Barack Spinoza at 8:06 PM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

It's the covfefe of the century
posted by erisfree at 8:07 PM on June 2, 2017 [6 favorites]

Regarding Bloomberg's donating $15 million to the UN to combat climate change, I have to stick an asterisk on my immediate reaction of "well, great."

The asterisk is there to remind me that while this is a good thing he's doing, we find ourselves yet again at the mercy of the largess of billionaires. If the government is unwilling to take action that benefits the citizens of the country and the only way we can get things done is to convince a sympathetic plutocrat to support it, we're even further from being an effective democracy.

So hurray to Bloomberg, but shit man.
posted by Joey Michaels at 8:12 PM on June 2, 2017 [71 favorites]

Umm. Physical Removal - assassination of left-leaning folks by authoritarian anti-democracy John Galt types - has been a thing for a month or so now. I warned you about 'em a while back.

Warning you now as well, "She Won! Resign!" is about to be a thing, only somewhat less violent, inasmuch as they are completely prepared to fight in the streets, and prepared well in advance to respond to the Second Amendment fanbois if they start shooting.

Source: 7'-tall Gen X Toronto big-A Anarchist who is making a West Coat tour this summer and is pleased as punch to use the skills he honed on the local cops back home on actual Nazis, only now he doesn't have to hold back.

Hi. Can I get off now? I've had enough.
posted by Slap*Happy at 8:15 PM on June 2, 2017 [12 favorites]

It happened slowly over time, and then all at once, specifically when President Obama was nominated and elected.

Perhaps you are not old enough, but I think you are exhibiting some recency bias. The Republicans went crazy during the Clinton years. They investigated and held hearings on the Clintons for over 10 years. Yes, the investigations went beyond the 8-year term. Congressman Dan Burton documented shooting watermelons in his back yard in an effort to prove that Hillary had Vincent Foster assassinated. They investigated Bill Clinton using the Little Rock airport to smuggle cocaine while governor. They spent hundreds of hours of Congressional hearings on the Clinton's Christmas card list. They even had a Congressional investigation on postage spent answering letters from children to their cat Socks.

The craziness started long before Obama.
posted by JackFlash at 8:27 PM on June 2, 2017 [131 favorites]

This is a partial list of new terms and malappropriatisms for the Brave New World, we find ourselves in.
Feral Government
Blovihating
White Supremockery
Hexexutive Priviledge
Retraining Order
Secretary of Defenestration-(handles health care for the poor.)
Confearacy
Pirate Witizens
Feral Destruct Court Judge
Executive Privethedge
Juggarnuts
Christianesque
American Conservaschism
Global Harming
The Largeasses of Billionaires
Anti Intelhexualism
Elephental Science
Rascalization of the Republican Party
Spicey Fruit Climate Presser
Climate Follacy
Waving Executive Shiviledge
Demonocracy
Carbon Popsicles
Religious Feducation
posted by Oyéah at 8:28 PM on June 2, 2017 [15 favorites]

NYT: Trump Appears Unlikely to Hinder Comey’s Testimony About Russia Inquiry: Mr. Trump could still move to block the testimony next week, given his history of changing his mind at the last minute about major decisions. But legal experts have said that Mr. Trump has a weak case to invoke executive privilege because he has publicly addressed his conversations with Mr. Comey, and any such move could carry serious political risks.

One of the administration officials said Friday evening that Mr. Trump wanted Mr. Comey to testify because the president had nothing to hide and wanted Mr. Comey’s statements to be publicly aired. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they did not want to be identified discussing a decision that had not been announced.

Game on.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 8:29 PM on June 2, 2017 [9 favorites]

> Mr. Trump wanted Mr. Comey to testify because the president had nothing to hide and wanted Mr. Comey’s statements to be publicly aired.

Why am I of the suspicion that, because Trump is a fucking idiot, he thinks what he said or did is perfectly legal or defendable, so honestly believes that there is nothing to hide. But, you know, it was actually treason.

"Welcome in officer, I have nothing to hide at all. Here are those missing hitch hikers hanging from my rafters and my machetes. You mean it's illegal to do that? Shucks."
posted by mrzarquon at 9:00 PM on June 2, 2017 [14 favorites]

Perhaps you are not old enough, but I think you are exhibiting some recency bias. The Republicans went crazy during the Clinton years. They investigated and held hearings on the Clintons for over 10 years. Yes, the investigations went beyond the 8-year term. Congressman Dan Burton documented shooting watermelons in his back yard in an effort to prove that Hillary had Vincent Foster assassinated. They investigated Bill Clinton using the Little Rock airport to smuggle cocaine while governor. They spent hundreds of hours of Congressional hearings on the Clinton's Christmas card list. They even had a Congressional investigation on postage spent answering letters from children to their cat Socks.

The craziness started long before Obama.

It's telling that Trump is like this version of what the Republicans tried to paint Bill Clinton as, but theirs, and how tightly they stick with this president with such strong, warped similarities to the fictional bogeyman Clinton. A lot of the Trump phenomenon makes sense through the lens of terminal Clinton Derangement Syndrome, a ridiculous fixation that latched onto this messed up mirror image of Bill.
posted by jason_steakums at 9:10 PM on June 2, 2017 [18 favorites]

It's telling that Trump is like this version of what the Republicans tried to paint Bill Clinton as, but theirs, and how tightly they stick with this president with such strong, warped similarities to the fictional bogeyman Clinton.

And has people have pointed out, the fervent Right accepts anyone and anything if you're on their side, the fervent Left accepts no one because they all have faults. One of our biggest problems.
posted by bongo_x at 9:25 PM on June 2, 2017 [12 favorites]

something changed during the Reagan & Bush I years in terms of their lockstep fanaticism

Google Newt Gingrich
posted by flabdablet at 9:35 PM on June 2, 2017 [32 favorites]

I was getting ready to chime in about Newt but flabdablet nailed it.
posted by Johnny Hazard at 9:37 PM on June 2, 2017

Didn't Gingrich ride in on a wave of radical rightwing know-nothings empowered by Rush Limbaugh, though.
posted by longtime_lurker at 9:41 PM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

something changed during the Reagan & Bush I years in terms of their lockstep fanaticism.

Yes it did.

After criticism from broadcast journalists who saw the rule as a major violation of their free-speech rights, the FCC abolished it in 1987. Democrats attempted to revive the rule, but President George H.W. Bush threatened to veto the legislation (as Ronald Reagan had in 1987), and those efforts failed.

Something something free speech feminazi Clinton librul ask your doctor if you've been in an accident 1-800-GOLD-NUT.

There was never even the tiniest bit of evidence that Obama intended to revive the old rule, but Republicans have refused to let the issue go. Now that they control the House in Congress, Republicans intend to use their new power to make sure that the Fairness Doctrine is really, really, extra dead, just in case it should be revived like some sort of federal zombie by liberal Democrats.

Fake news covfefe! Absolutely folks, believe me.
posted by petebest at 9:44 PM on June 2, 2017 [19 favorites]

I'm gonna die laughing if there's any truth to the rumor that Melania is having an affair.

So, I really couldn't give a rat's ass if Donald and Melania have some kind of arrangement for her to see other men, but what I find interesting about this is the details pretty much match up exactly with a rumor shared with me second-hand a few months ago. (Second-hand as in, my source heard it from someone who was frequently employed by the Trumps, and who supposedly had direct knowledge.) I personally have no opinion as to the veracity of the story itself, since I can't put much stock in second-hand rumors. But what is curious to me is that at the time at which my source heard this, Trump was not yet a serious candidate. Which means either (a) this story has the same source as my (indirect) source, who hasn't otherwise shared it widely, or (b) this story has been floating around since at least early in the primaries.

If (b), then this raises the question, why didn't this come up in any of Trump's opponents' opposition research? (I'm assuming that if it came up and was credible, they'd be willing to use it -- opp researchers don't care.)
posted by biogeo at 9:48 PM on June 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

Nobody thought Trump would win until it was too late, so nobody went nuclear.
posted by Justinian at 9:55 PM on June 2, 2017 [7 favorites]

I was literally just telling a friend how Bill Maher is as bad for the left as Kathy Griffin's desperate stunt for relevancy this week and lo and behold he dropped the N word on his show tonight and now Twitter's all in a, well, twitter.
posted by guiseroom at 9:56 PM on June 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

What started the Republican derangement over Clinton, though?

He was the first Black president. (It's kind of hard to explain.)

But also, the modern Republican echo chamber was assembled during his presidency -- funded by a right-wing newspaper magnate named Scaife, who hired KellyAnne Conway and her husband IIRC among many full time bullshit-manufacturers; add Newt Gingrich who invented the strategy of destroying unwritten rules to gain advantage and power, abuse of the Independent Counsel law, and the invention of Fox News and the Internet during this time.

Together they constructed a slur machine that didn't need actual facts, they found to their delight.
posted by msalt at 10:00 PM on June 2, 2017 [27 favorites]

re: Maher. Oh wow, I was assuming that he was like discussing the use of the word when he used it but no. Just flung that right in there. Awful.
posted by Justinian at 10:00 PM on June 2, 2017 [5 favorites]

If (b), then this raises the question, why didn't this come up in any of Trump's opponents' opposition research? (I'm assuming that if it came up and was credible, they'd be willing to use it -- opp researchers don't care.

no, but the actual opponents do. they pick and choose from among the dirt they're given. should anyone have reasonably known that "Trump might have been cheated on" would be a winner when "Trump is a confessed, recorded sexual predator who assaults women" was not? a country that would respond with disgust to the former but not the latter is a country it would be hard to keep wanting to run. like, what would be the point? nobody wants to be king of garbage mountain, Trump excepted. one wants to believe the country isn't pure garbage, no matter the evidence.

also it would have come across as an attack on Melania, not on Donald. no question. so of course they didn't use it. I'm sure there was also plenty of oppo research on Donald's own affairs, but I don't blame anybody for not using that either, because it would have spoken to his character, sure, but...nobody cared about that. he is an actual rapist and nobody cares. I blame no one for not suspecting people would care about this.

plus it would have looked like making a parallel between Trump's and Clinton's personal lives and christ knows you wouldn't want that.
posted by queenofbithynia at 10:00 PM on June 2, 2017 [18 favorites]

I've never understood how Bill Maher is considered on the Left, or why anyone watches him. But I can't make it far enough into his show to have a valid opinion.
posted by bongo_x at 10:01 PM on June 2, 2017 [35 favorites]

I see "Trump-Russia Scandal" a lot, I feel like that's going to become the catchall term. Someday a kid will ask "Mom, what's a trumprusha?"

I just started calling it "Trumprussia" on my blog, and then today I typo'd "Trumpussia" and I'm just gonna go with that.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:16 PM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

also it would have come across as an attack on Melania, not on Donald. no question. so of course they didn't use it.

I dunno, I don't really see that stopping Ted Cruz, but maybe you're right.
posted by biogeo at 10:19 PM on June 2, 2017

I dunno, I don't really see that stopping Ted Cruz, but maybe you're right.

oh yeah. sorry, late at night when all the world is quiet I forget ted cruz exists. it's funny cause that's when he stirs and blossoms like night-blooming jasmine, turning and turning in his chambers. that's when we have bad dreams but when we awaken we don't remember why. anyway yes, he definitely would have used it if he understood marriage rituals and the use of a pledged human body as more than a skinsuit to keep your tentacles in.
posted by queenofbithynia at 10:46 PM on June 2, 2017 [34 favorites]

How did the Republicans get to this point?

This discussion needs more Lee Atwater.
posted by Room 641-A at 11:00 PM on June 2, 2017 [23 favorites]

ELECTIONS NEWS:

** SC-05 -- Tom Perez and Martin O'Malley are headed down tomorrow to stump for Parnell. This one seems to be creeping a bit closer than expected.

** GA-06

-- Day 4 of EV continues scorching pace, at 42k votes.
-- FWIW category: Betting markets now have Ossoff as the slight favorite.

** 2018 midterms -- GOP recruiting woes for Senate races continue. No one except for Josh Mandel has turned up in the Ohio race against Sherrod Brown (Mandel lost to Brown in 2012, and has enemies within the OH GOP). And in Montana, GOP hopes were pinned on AG Tim Fox, but it looks like he won't run. GOP underperformance in the MT-AL special probably was the deciding factor there.

Odds & ends -- Politico piece on the Dem opportunity in Romney=>Clinton voters, rather than trying to get back Obama=>Trump voters.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:02 PM on June 2, 2017 [21 favorites]

Giant Swarm of Mysterious Bees Shuts Down Fifth Avenue

UPDATE: More than 2,000 honey bees vacuumed out of van in midtown were taken to the NYPD's beehive in the Bronx

Anyway, because this is the NYPD and absolutely nothing can be free of scandal and corruption, it turns out there was an honest-to-goodness [real] NYPD beekeeping scandal in 2015, where the police bee expert was accused of stealing the bees he removed from around the city, a charge he vehemently denied. And then they had to find new police beekeepers. Yet another example of how we can't have nice things.
posted by zachlipton at 11:36 PM on June 2, 2017 [36 favorites]

What started the Republican derangement over Clinton, though?

Bill was the wrong sort, y'know

Poor background, single mother by an absent, womanizing father, abusive stepfather, educated through scholarships on merit, and a JFK New Frontier kid to boot

No pedigree at all

Likes junk food, talks like a hick, plays the saxophone, idolized MLK -- practically not a white southerner at all, if you take my meaning, and I think you do, wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 11:51 PM on June 2, 2017 [53 favorites]

Toni Morrison On Calling Bill Clinton The First Black President And Endorsing Obama

Do you regret referring to Bill Clinton as the first black President? —Justin Dews, Cambridge, Mass.

People misunderstood that phrase. I was deploring the way in which President Clinton was being treated, vis-à-vis the sex scandal that was surrounding him. I said he was being treated like a black on the street, already guilty, already a perp. I have no idea what his real instincts are, in terms of race.

posted by Room 641-A at 12:05 AM on June 3, 2017 [43 favorites]

A couple deleted. Let's drop the idle gossipy stuff about Melania sexytimes, etc. If there's some actual news that needs to be gnawed over, okay, I guess, but I'm not seeing that at this point.
posted by taz (staff) at 1:10 AM on June 3, 2017 [8 favorites]

Trump is assembling all the pieces he needs to go after Iran.
Please meet Michael D'Andrea.
Known as the "Dark Prince", "Ayatollah Mike", and the "Undertaker" within the halls of the CIA, Michael D'Andrea ran the CIA's Counterterrorism Center between 2006 and 2015.

I really hope they manage to get Trump out before he starts a war on Iran. The American hatred towards Iran is so absurd, not least given that special relationship with SA. It's also an example of old men fighting the last war, rather than the current one. Obviously, Iran isn't sponsoring the terror that threatens the West, since Al Qaeda and ISIS and what else they call themselves are fanatic Sunnis who hate Iran. If there was any sense to American anti-terrorism, they would join arms with Iran in Iraq and Afghanistan, both neighbors to Iran. That might lead to some accord in other areas like Syria and Israel where the Iranians are actually doing bad, but might be interested in diplomatic solutions. But to get back to the point, alternatively, a war with Iran would f… up the Middle East to a degree where no end can be seen ever. Why would anyone want that? The refugee crisis is already at a WWII scale.
Also, if the US couldn't win a war in Afghanistan or Iraq, how do these old men imagine they can take on a country with double the population of Iraq? And to boot a far better educated and armed population than that of Iraq with a far more legitimate government? It's easy enough to throw bombs, but what then? There are not enough soldiers in the US to occupy a country of 78 million people, and who would sign up up for an illegitimate war?
Finally, who else would support an American invasion of Iran? Maybe the Gulf states and Israel (but if there is anyone with a brain in Israel they would be against, because Israel would be a natural target in such a scenario). No one in Europe, maybe Pakistan?
All Americans, R, D and everything else should fight against a war with Iran with the fury of a thousand suns.

Usual disclaimer: yes, Iran is a authoritarian state that supports terrorist organizations in the Middle East and Asia. Government in Iran is incredibly corrupt. The Revolutionary Guard are a bunch of violent thugs.

However, it is also far more democratic than US friend Saudi Arabia, and the newly elected president is open to dialogue with the West, with support from the population.

This rant is all because I am beginning to worry there will be a "wag the dog" situation where Trump and his stupid old generals start a war to distract from the scandals. The appointment of D'Andrea is a bad omen.
posted by mumimor at 1:49 AM on June 3, 2017 [40 favorites]

Anyway, because this is the NYPD and absolutely nothing can be free of scandal and corruption, it turns out there was an honest-to-goodness [real] NYPD beekeeping scandal in 2015, where the police bee expert was accused of stealing the bees he removed from around the city, a charge he vehemently denied. And then they had to find new police beekeepers. Yet another example of how we can't have nice things.

Ha! I've heard of this guy, but I didn't know there was ~scandal~ associated with him. I'd always heard he was keeping the swarms, but like, why the hell shouldn't he? It's a swarm of feral bees, bees that almost certainly escaped from some other hive (so it's not like he was trapping wildlife or anything). You can't just let them go again!

The rumor in the NYC beekeeping circle I ran in (yes there are several, lol New York) was that he put 'em in hives on some land upstate. But I also enjoy this article's supposition that he would have added all the swarms he caught to his one single beehive in Queens! The damn thing would be a million bees strong by the end of summer!

ANYWAYS yes sorry to disappoint but every summer we get probably a dozen articles about a swarm of bees terrorizing some car or tree or fire hydrant in NYC. Which I know because every time it happens, people race to be the first to post about it on my Facebook wall, because I am The Bee Person They Happen To Know.
posted by showbiz_liz at 1:50 AM on June 3, 2017 [40 favorites]

Regarding Bloomberg's donating $15 million to the UN to combat climate change, I have to stick an asterisk on my immediate reaction of "well, great."

The asterisk is there to remind me that while this is a good thing he's doing, we find ourselves yet again at the mercy of the largess of billionaires. If the government is unwilling to take action that benefits the citizens of the country and the only way we can get things done is to convince a sympathetic plutocrat to support it, we're even further from being an effective democracy.

So hurray to Bloomberg, but shit man.

I agree, but there is something else, too: Bloomberg is trolling Trump like a wizard. Trump is vain about being rich, Bloomberg has always mocked him for not being very rich. And now he's saying "I'm so rich, I can take on the USA's obligations to the UN." That has to sting.
posted by mumimor at 2:00 AM on June 3, 2017 [88 favorites]

Unrelated but maybe not so totally - can someone put together an election thread for the coming PM elections in GB - the Guardian has had a series of suspiciously not pessimistic reports about Corbyn and his efforts.
posted by From Bklyn at 3:25 AM on June 3, 2017

Unrelated but maybe not so totally - can someone put together an election thread for the coming PM elections in GB

There's one here
posted by dng at 3:27 AM on June 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

Thanks!
posted by From Bklyn at 3:34 AM on June 3, 2017

What started the Republican derangement over Clinton, though?

I wish I could remember where I saw the article, 'cause I'd link to it... but years ago somebody presented a pretty persuasive case that the Republicans had come to think that the government was just going to be theirs, forevermore. They'd had a streak of Republican presidents from the 60s to the early 90s, broken only by Carter's single term in the 70s, and they could dismiss him as a glitch in the Matrix. Then Bill Clinton won, and won big, and the Republicans thought the fucking world was ending. Every moment he was in office was unbearable to them, they wanted him gone. I guess maybe they saw him kind of like how rational people see Trump now.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 3:52 AM on June 3, 2017 [47 favorites]

All this talk about where Republicans come from and no one has mentioned Grover Norquist. Norquist created the anti-tax pledge that most Republican candidates have to sign now and he co-authored the Contract With America along with Newt Gingrich. In between he fiddled around with Ollie North-type foreign involvements and, now, is still out there supporting his main cause: destroying government. He is most famously quoted as saying he wanted to shrink the federal government to the size where it could be drowned in the bathtub. Norquist is a product of the Goldwater/Nixon turn to the Right and one of the young talents that helped make Reagan such a marvelous president.
I believe you could extend that Right Wing thread back beyond Goldwater through other politicos (like Joe McCarthy), perhaps into the 19th Century or even further, but there is a point when that kind of history has little relevance to current events. Even so, it has always been there, and been in power before now. Franklin Roosevelt was the exception, not the rule.
posted by CCBC at 4:19 AM on June 3, 2017 [39 favorites]

I am The Bee Person They Happen To Know.
posted by showbiz_liz at 4:50 AM on June 3 [+] [!]

aka showbzzzzz_lzzzz
posted by GrammarMoses at 4:40 AM on June 3, 2017 [23 favorites]

Eighty immigrants rights groups have signed on to city Controller Scott Stringer’s proposal for a public-private fund to cover the hefty fee of applying to become a U.S. citizenship. (Emphasis mine.)

I know this is from 2K + comments ago, May 30th, but I'm just starting this thread. Does the Daily News need a public-private partnership to get some decent editing? (Ditto the Washington Post, which has typos galore these days.)

Thanks for your patience. Derail over.
posted by Bella Donna at 5:28 AM on June 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

it's the final result of the congealing of many vile trends and forces that themselves have always been a part of America

Hisorically, those impulses have diffused into different parties, or into non-partisan ideologies. Looking at, say, the 19th century, the Democrats were the more virulently white-supremacist while the Republicans (and earlier, the Whigs) were the party of xenophobia and to a lesser extent Protestant moral enforcement. Over time the various poles of bigotry, authoritarianism, and greed have meandered a bit, and it's a relatively recent development for all the toxic forces to have roosted in a single group.
posted by jackbishop at 5:49 AM on June 3, 2017 [14 favorites]

It's the ghosts of a time of red scares, segregation and anti-miscegenation statutes, criminalized sexual identities, lynchings and Comstock laws and dropping bombs out of planes on striking laborers. Retrace the GOP's ideology and behavior just little further, to the living memory of the preceding generation, and you get to anti-immigrant Know Nothings, you get the Chinese Exclusion Act, bison herds turned to mountains of bleached skulls, you get the open genocide of Native Americans and huge chunks of the population willing to fight and die for the right to own and abuse other human beings.

The Republican Party makes a lot of sense when viewed as a golem composed of zombified bits and pieces of American history's greatest shames. The Shame Golem Party.

Worst American Gods character ever.
posted by leotrotsky at 5:53 AM on June 3, 2017 [18 favorites]

The Nation: The Covfefe Is Often Worse Than The Crime

Scholars and psychologists are weighing in on the evidence of Trump’s apparent “cognitive decline,” at least. [...] but few people with any kind of power even seem to be asking these questions. Shamefully, congressional Republicans continue to furrow their distinguished Caucasian foreheads and express “concern,” while doing absolutely nothing to rein Trump in—or even ask what’s going on.

Meanwhile, heinous but deliberate policy emanates from the White House almost daily. Wednesday comes news Trump plans to yank the United States out of the Paris Accords on climate change, even though much of the nation’s business leadership has urged him not to do so. On Tuesday we learned he—or someone—is preparing to erase the contraception mandate from the Affordable Care Act, giving companies wide latitude to opt out. The Washington Post reports that “the Trump administration”—no mention of who within it—is dismantling civil rights protections not just in the Justice Department, but in agencies from the EPA (no more “environmental justice” initiatives!) to the Labor Department (let’s get rid of those pesky assholes who investigate discrimination in federal contracting, shall we?) These are far-right extremist actions. The contraception mandate move, in particular, seems like the work of Vice President Mike Pence. My point is: Work is getting done, but we don’t know who’s in charge.

It is really important to point out that the independent man Trump used to be--pro-Planned Parenthood, pro-gay rights, anti-war, pro-safety net-- has become a far right Republican in office and that may be in part to appease what he sees as his base but more likely because of the people he has surrounded himself with. Where is the anti-contraceptive mandate coming from? Certainly not Javanka, nor Bannon, nor Trump himself and it is certainly not anything he campaigned on, yet someone has convinced him that the Evangelicals are owed this for their loyalty. This is one of the things that makes his Presidency so heartbreaking. If he had run on this Far Right agenda I don't think he could have beaten Clinton. He disguised himself as a sheep-- he may still be a sheep*-- but he is allowing the wolves to run the Executive branch.

*I mean, yeah he is an asshole but I don't think his personal politics as a New Yorker were the Right of Ted Cruz.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:18 AM on June 3, 2017 [15 favorites]

I didn't click the initial bee link because I just assumed it was a Wu-Tang Clan joke.
posted by gucci mane at 6:18 AM on June 3, 2017 [4 favorites]

I just watched the Macron speech Jalliah linked to, and it occurs to me that if European leaders want to continue to troll Trump, a great way to do it would be to have meetings that exclude him.

Want to discuss climate change, fly to the US and meet with Brown, Inslee, and Cuomo.

Want to discuss trade, hold a meeting with Trudeau and Nieto saying Canada and Mexico are reliable partners.

Trump thrives on being the center of attention. He'd absolutely hate it.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 6:26 AM on June 3, 2017 [78 favorites]

Gideon Lichfield, Quartz: This week Trump practically asked China to take over from the US as chief global superpower

This is an entirely new geopolitical order—one in which, unless Europe overcomes its splits, an opaque autocracy will be the chief agenda-setter. Because of its size and weapons, the US, like Russia, will never not be a superpower. But, like Russia, it is on its way to becoming a second-tier one.

China will take the throne. And Trump, for all his complaints about China’s ambitions, has just dusted off the cushions and invited it to have a seat.

posted by Johnny Wallflower at 6:29 AM on June 3, 2017 [20 favorites]

I hope Special Counsel Mueller has access to all the information he needs!
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:31 AM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

Today's "Pittsburgh not Paris" 2020 Trump Campaign/rescue poll numbers rally is being held not in Pittsburgh...but in Lafayette Square. Named after a French general.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:32 AM on June 3, 2017 [14 favorites]

VOX: Trump administration to Supreme Court: give us the travel ban now, rule on it later

.Federal courts are still debating whether the Trump administration’s travel ban is constitutional. But the administration is anxious to put the ban into effect. So it’s asking the Supreme Court for permission to start enforcing it as soon as possible.

On Thursday night, the Department of Justice filed a request for the Supreme Court to overrule a Fourth Circuit ruling from last week that kept a hold on the administration’s proposal to temporarily ban people from six majority-Muslim countries from entering the US.

But the DOJ also asked the Supreme Court to go much further — and intervene in a separate lawsuit that’s still pending before the Ninth Circuit — in order to allow the federal government to put the ban in place before the end of June, when the Supreme Court embarks on its summer recess.

It’s more likely that the Supreme Court will side with the federal government on the travel ban than the “very liberal” Ninth Circuit (the preferred epithet of Trump and other administration officials). But the weirdness of the request — which is almost certainly an attempt to speed up the process before the Supreme Court adjourns for the summer — may not sit well with the procedure-minded justices.

The reason the WH wants the Supreme Court to rule now on the still-pending case is because of the SCOTUS calendar. They've already stopped hearing oral arguments for the year because the SC term ends at the end of the month.

Even an “expedited” schedule for the travel ban case, which the Trump administration is asking for now, would have the Supreme Court hearing oral arguments in September and issuing a ruling sometime after that.

posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:34 AM on June 3, 2017 [4 favorites]

Sean Hannity is very upset.
posted by guiseroom at 6:37 AM on June 3, 2017 [11 favorites]

“The Second American Civil War”? Really?, Jay Bookman, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 02 June 2017
posted by ob1quixote at 6:37 AM on June 3, 2017 [6 favorites]

Want to discuss climate change, fly to the US and meet with Brown, Inslee, and Cuomo.

This approach has another benefit. Trump does not understand, appreciate or follow international diplomatic protocol - either because he thinks it beneath him or because he simply can't grasp it. But a great deal of that protocol is about maintaining appearances of respect and power, things he cares about very much indeed.

So when other countries start to bypass the Presidency to work directly with states - or other nexuses of political or industrial power - it may well be against normal international mores, but it is exactly in line with how he works, and he'll hate it with a passion, and he won't be able to do anything about it but tear more of the house down. Which will accelerate his isolation.

These aren't good or healthy things, but when you have a bad infection it is sometimes necessary to do drastic things to curtail it.
posted by Devonian at 6:39 AM on June 3, 2017 [18 favorites]

American Prospect has a huge round up of articles on how Democrats can win back white working class voters

There's a fair amount of overfocus on the WWC of course, but some of these go well beyond the WWC problem:
Democrats Need to Be the Party of and for Working People—of All Races
A Tale of Two Populisms
The Democrats’ ‘Working-Class Problem’
Absent a More Progressive Economics, the Democrats Will Lose
Rebuilding a Progressive Majority by Winning Back White Working-Class Moderates
Winning (Some) Middle-of-the-Road Working-Class Whites
Place Matters
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:42 AM on June 3, 2017 [14 favorites]

NYTimes Mattis Beseeches Officials at Singapore Conference to ‘Bear With Us’

An Australian questioner wanted to know if the United States, which shelved the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement and withdrew from the climate accord, was bringing about the destruction of the very global order Mr. Mattis was championing.

It was only the first question about the America’s new role in the world, which led Mr. Mattis to loyally defend Mr. Trump while trying to soothe anxieties. Trying to reassure his audience, Mr. Mattis argued that the American public had generally accepted that the country has global responsibilities despite occasional frustrations about the burden.

“To quote a British observer of us from some years ago, bear with us,” Mr. Mattis said. “Once we have exhausted all possible alternatives, the Americans will do the right thing,” he continued, invoking a famous quote by Winston Churchill.

posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:46 AM on June 3, 2017 [13 favorites]

“Once we have exhausted all possible alternatives, the Americans will do the right thing,” he continued, invoking a famous quote by Winston Churchill.

Is that the best he could come up with? Ugh.
posted by Literaryhero at 6:49 AM on June 3, 2017 [12 favorites]

I'm just going to repost this every time anyone mentions the WWC: Who's Afraid of a Clinton Voter.
No, seriously. I live in a country where this has been going on for 20 years. It does not get better. You cannot change these people. You will dirty yourself and you will create more monsters as you legitimize racism, bigotry and hatred of women.
posted by mumimor at 6:50 AM on June 3, 2017 [44 favorites]

Once we have exhausted all possible alternatives, the Americans will do the right thing,

But the big question is: who decides what the "right" thing is? Mattis? Trump? Javanka? Bannon? McMasters? Big Business? Big GOP donors? Evangelicals? Coal Miners?
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:55 AM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'm just going to repost this every time anyone mentions the WWC: Who's Afraid of a Clinton Voter.

Yes, I know. But we can't win the Senate ever again with just the 11-13 reliably blue states centered on mega-cities. So. Some amount of reengagement with the hinderlands is required, and rejecting every idea for winning more votes in white flyover states out of hand didn't work in 2016 and won't work in the future either. Either Democrats develop a better message, or the electoral college, our malapportioned structure and Trumpism will win forever. You fight against the Constitution you have.

And if I recall correctly, you live in Denmark or another Scandinavian country. There's still a lot of room for moving the US baseline condition in a positive direction before we have the luxury of worrying about Denmark's problems.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:58 AM on June 3, 2017 [6 favorites]

*I mean, yeah he is an asshole but I don't think his personal politics as a New Yorker were the Right of Ted Cruz.

Well, there are tons of anecdotes from people with parents in his age group, where said parents were previously moderate or even liberal, but became increasingly reactionary after developing a Fox News habit. Trump has been reported to watch Fox News exclusively, so maybe he fell victim to this same tendency.
posted by Autumnheart at 7:02 AM on June 3, 2017 [16 favorites]

It's taken me too long this morning to realize that "Javanka" is Jared & Ivanka and not some new Sith-like advisor that has emerged from the cocoon in the last day.
posted by Servo5678 at 7:07 AM on June 3, 2017 [31 favorites]

Mattis is saying whatever the next equivalent of WWII is the US will sit the first half of it out? I'm sure that will be of great consolation as Russian tanks roll into Poland.
posted by Artw at 7:09 AM on June 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

They can accept an imperfect reality and acknowledge that we are in a civil war, and that Trump, with all his flaws, is our general.

I find this call to #NeverTrump conservatives fucking insane. I am accepting an imperfect reality and acknowledging we are in a civil war - but even so, I'd rather be with liberals who still want to preserve the country than with conservatives who want to be king over the ashes. I know this means I'm going to lose a lot of things I hold dear, but better that than my fucking soul, which this asshole doesn't understand, is what you are giving up when you are supporting Trump.
posted by corb at 7:10 AM on June 3, 2017 [70 favorites]

Mattis is saying whatever the next equivalent of WWII is the US will sit the first half of it out? I'm sure that will be of great consolation as Russian tanks roll into Poland.

No, he's saying after Trump has had his little tiny dicked bravado tantrum for the proles he'll be ready to continue the traditional leadership moves required to maintain US hegemony.

Whether the rest of the world still gives a shit is not taken into account. Anyone who believes Mattis's tripe will be left hanging out to dry when the Pax Sinica/Pax Europa world order comes in.
posted by Talez at 7:13 AM on June 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

invoking a famous quote by Winston Churchill.

Is this statement really from Churchill?

Quote Investigator: Probably not. The earliest evidence located by QI of a variant of this saying was employed by Abba Eban who was an Israeli politician and diplomat. In March 1967 Eban visited Japan, and the New York Times reported on a remark that he made:

Commenting that the passage of time offered the best hope of an end to the problems of Israel and her neighbors, he said: “Men and nations behave wisely when they have exhausted all other resources.”

You have to wait till 1980 for someone to attribute the quote to Churchill, according to Quote Investigator. Churchill died in 1965.
posted by Mister Bijou at 7:19 AM on June 3, 2017 [14 favorites]

Whether the rest of the world still gives a shit is not taken into account. Anyone who believes Mattis's tripe will be left hanging out to dry when the Pax Sinica/Pax Europa world order comes in.

They would be incredibly stupid to count on the US for anything these days, I would agree.
posted by Artw at 7:24 AM on June 3, 2017

Yes, I know. But we can't win the Senate ever again with just the 11-13 reliably blue states centered on mega-cities. So. Some amount of reengagement with the hinderlands is required, and rejecting every idea for winning more votes in white flyover states out of hand didn't work in 2016 and won't work in the future either. Either Democrats develop a better message, or the electoral college, our malapportioned structure and Trumpism will win forever. You fight against the Constitution you have.

Well, Bill Clinton did it. And thinking about your comment made me realize that this is not only the reason for the grotesque hatred for Hillary on the right, but also for the IMO bad judgement of the Democratic Party in choosing her as their candidate (I didn't like Sanders either, what is it with this return to the 80's thing??). There is no doubt that liberals are confused and scared by what happened and that this is hurting their capacity for straight thinking. And it is happening on both sides of the Atlantic.
But it's just 4 1/2 years since the same WWC reelected Obama, and he left office with high ratings. It's not like common sense died out completely within those four years. The American system has huge built-in problems, and only some of them can realistically be resolved. But none can be resolved if Democrats won't vote at the mid-terms, or engage in local and state elections. Local involvement is not only necessary for technical reasons — local engagement is also what identifies local issues and creates synchronicity between state and national parties. It is a way of creating a bottom-up source of knowledge and policy. Hillary had all the right answers to all the questions, but no one knew. And though messaging is an important factor, anchoring in all communities is at least as important, if not more. Liberals (again — across the globe) have been too dependent on messaging, and not enough on anchoring.

There's still a lot of room for moving the US baseline condition in a positive direction before we have the luxury of worrying about Denmark's problems.

Yes, I know, here even the fascists are socialists compared to the US. But that only makes it more clear what their real agenda is.
posted by mumimor at 7:25 AM on June 3, 2017 [9 favorites]

Huh. Oddly specific:

Justice Gorsuch says he does not share Republican ‘cynicism’ about government

Gorsuch, the newest member to the nation’s top court, spoke about the value of an independent judiciary during an evening event at Harvard University that also featured fellow Justice Stephen Breyer.

Gorsuch reflected on how the “government can lose in its own courts and accept the judgement of those courts without an army to back it up.”

posted by Room 641-A at 7:27 AM on June 3, 2017 [18 favorites]

Gorsuch reflected on how the “government can lose in its own courts and accept the judgement of those courts without an army to back it up.”

I guess Gorsuch will have to recuse himself from any cases involving this particular executive branch, then!

/hamburger?
posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:42 AM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

Marching to the Sound of Gunfire: A Surge in Activism Could Reinvigorate the Democratic Party

Oh, you know, just our homegrown small scale activist groups being reported by the Economist :D

Also John Fetterman has thoughts about "Pittsburgh Not Paris."

He may be right, he may be wrong, but my reaction was 100% just sudden lizard brain white hot burning rage. I can't help that, dude. Be surprised all you want.
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:50 AM on June 3, 2017 [11 favorites]

Gorsuch, the newest member to the nation’s top court, spoke about the value of an independent judiciary

Did he not already say something to that affect during his confirmation hearing?

LA Times: Gorsuch promises he would be independent on Supreme Court, including from President Trump

Judge Neil M. Gorsuch, President Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court, sought to assure senators Tuesday he would be independent, impartial and willing to rule against the occupant the White House.

“Nobody is above the law in this country, and that includes the president of the United States,” he said.

posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 7:50 AM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

More French trolling of Trump and Republicans. From the official Twitter of the French Foreign Ministry:

@francediplo_EN
We’ve seen the @WhiteHouse video about the #ParisAccord. We disagree – so we’ve changed it. #MakeThePlanetGreatAgain. [video]
posted by chris24 at 7:58 AM on June 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

T.D. Strange: So. Some amount of reengagement with the hinderlands is required, and rejecting every idea for winning more votes in white flyover states out of hand didn't work in 2016 and won't work in the future either.

corb: I know this means I'm going to lose a lot of things I hold dear, but better that than my fucking soul, which this asshole doesn't understand, is what you are giving up when you are supporting [Pussy grabber]*.

We could always just take Jesus at his word. Beattitudes, love one another, that whole deal is lined right up with progressive values. It's pretty sick that that whole God system has been co-opted by money and power (not that that hasn't ever happened before, right?) and it would be utterly righteous to re-claim that societal norms delivery system for the side that would see society progress (again).
^{* SORRY this script that changes POTUS surname to 'Pussy grabber' in my home browser is maybe the only thing keeping me sane rn. It also changes [senator] to 'Elf-lord' and [debate] to 'dance-off' and [horsepower] to 'horsemeat.'}
posted by carsonb at 8:00 AM on June 3, 2017 [8 favorites]

Did he not already say something to that affect during his confirmation hearing?

Saying it the day after Trump says he wants to send the travel ban to SCOTUS makes it seem like something he didn't just say to get confirmed.
posted by Room 641-A at 8:05 AM on June 3, 2017 [5 favorites]

On the one hand you have a mysterious all-powerful force encouraging life and joy and living together peacefully for everybody and on the other a facts- and evidence-based all-powerful force encouraging living together peacefully on the whole planet. Seems to go hand-in-hand.

And then there's a group who encourages living together profitably, at the expense of anybody and the whole planet.
posted by carsonb at 8:05 AM on June 3, 2017 [5 favorites]

Good weekend, everyone. *ahem* one, two, three, four

Cov-fe-fe you're so fine you're so fine you blow my mind Covfefe!
x! |* |* x!
Cov-fe-fe!
x! |* |* x!

Cov-fe-fe you're so fine you're so fine you blow my mind Covfefe!
x! |* |* x!
Cov-fe-fe!
x! |* |* x!

You're quite welcome.
posted by petebest at 8:21 AM on June 3, 2017 [19 favorites]

America’s CEOs fall out of love with Trump (Ben White and Annie Karni - Politico)

The relationship between corporate America and Donald Trump’s White House has chilled. The regular parades of business titans into the West Wing are gone. A gathering of executives led by Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman initially planned for next week fell apart amid scheduling conflicts.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Disney CEO Bob Iger quit as outside advisers to President Donald Trump following his rejection of the Paris climate accords. Dozens of other executives also publicly rebuked the White House over the decision, including Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein—a former colleague of many top administration officials—used his first-ever tweet to criticize the Paris decision, calling it a “setback for the environment and for the U.S.'s leadership position in the world.”

Chief executives and senior corporate lobbyists are also dismayed that the administration’s big Capitol Hill agenda – including repealing Obamacare and passing massive tax cuts – appears stalled. And the White House is now engaged in a very public fight with itself over how and when to raise the debt limit, a terrifying prospect for Wall Street and the rest of corporate America. Executives also remain puzzled by regular reports of imminent shakeups in the West Wing, including the possible replacement of chief of staff Reince Priebus.

posted by Barack Spinoza at 8:24 AM on June 3, 2017 [16 favorites]

Ben Sasse is far from perfect, but like Egg, I wish more Republicans were like him.

@BenSasse
Am walking off a redeye from LAX.
3 reflections on @billmaher
1. I’m a 1st Amendment absolutist. Comedians get latitude to cross hard lines.
2. But free speech comes with a responsibility to speak up when folks use that word. Me just cringing last night wasn’t good enough.
(2of4?)
3. Here’s what I wish I’d been quick enough to say in the moment: “Hold up, why would you think it’s OK to use that word?...
(3of4?)
(4of4)
"...The history of the n-word is an attack on universal human dignity. It’s therefore an attack on the American Creed. Don't use it.”
posted by chris24 at 8:37 AM on June 3, 2017 [67 favorites]

Tampa Bay Times: Hurricane season starts with Trump appointees missing at FEMA and NOAA, the agencies that deal with hurricanes: Trump nominated someone at the end of April — Brock Long, former head of Alabama's Emergency Management Agency — but Long has yet to be confirmed by the Senate.

Meanwhile, Trump has not appointed anyone to run the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the agency in charge of the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service, which provide hurricane forecasts and warnings in advance of a major storm.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 8:50 AM on June 3, 2017 [8 favorites]

I hate to say it but where I'm from, this Bill Maher thing will "humanize" Democrats (or at least BM specifically) to a lot of the rednecks.
posted by piglord at 8:52 AM on June 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

I hate to say it but where I'm from, this Bill Maher thing will "humanize" Democrats (or at least BM specifically) to a lot of the rednecks

~~economic anxiety strikes again~~
posted by Barack Spinoza at 8:54 AM on June 3, 2017 [38 favorites]

Last night Rachel Maddow had a good analogy about all the breaking news from the last 24 hours. She said it's like we were in the forest, hacking through the trees, and now we finally broke through to a clearing and we can get the lay of the land. (Poorly paraphrased, sorry.)

I really agree. Personally, I feel a lot more focussed.
posted by Room 641-A at 8:56 AM on June 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

Jeffrey Sachs Calls Out Trump Shill Stephen Moore For His Ties To The Koch Brothers

This should happen every time a Republican goes on air.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:07 AM on June 3, 2017 [19 favorites]

the state of the conservative movement

Is your week better because Dimms & globalists are having a lousy week? [ Yes ] [ No ]

posted by tonycpsu at 9:12 AM on June 3, 2017 [4 favorites]

> [real] or [fake]?

[real]

> And what is a "Dimm"?

"Dimmocrats"

yuk yuk yuk
posted by tonycpsu at 9:25 AM on June 3, 2017 [4 favorites]

I really agree. Personally, I feel a lot more focussed.

Glad I'm not the only one. I've been having an unexpected reaction to the Paris pull-out, even though I new from the beginning it was more then likely to happen. I realize that I had been holding out some underlying hope I guess and the announcement felt like it solidified a big change and that I was glad it was just done so we can move on.

I've way more calm and and less stressed then I have been since the election. At first I thought maybe it was just becoming numb but I've been that before an that's not it. I think it really is more of feeling that okay the US as geo-political entity is just done as we have known it. It is so much more clear that we are indeed dealing with a realignment of the world order. It's scary and worrisome as any sort of instability is but I'm also feeling the relief of at least knowing for sure that yes it's definitely happening like it or not. No more speculation needed.
posted by Jalliah at 9:25 AM on June 3, 2017 [16 favorites]

It's a term (usually with an "h" as the second letter) that basically says that liberals support Islamic extremism/terrorism. Dobbs is not-even--really-dogwhistling Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.
posted by zombieflanders at 9:26 AM on June 3, 2017 [4 favorites]

We could always just take Jesus at his word. Beattitudes, love one another, that whole deal is lined right up with progressive values.

On the other hand, the poor will always be with us.
posted by busted_crayons at 9:30 AM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

Last night Rachel Maddow had a good analogy about all the breaking news from the last 24 hours. She said it's like we were in the forest, hacking through the trees, and now we finally broke through to a clearing and we can get the lay of the land. (Poorly paraphrased, sorry.)

okay, i'm feeling kind of dim, here. what was it about the last 24 hours that made things clear? it just seems like a continuation of the chaos we've seen from day 1 from where i'm standing.
posted by murphy slaw at 9:30 AM on June 3, 2017 [10 favorites]

Here's Dobbs himself tweeting his poll, with "the enviro-left" added just to make it a little more disgusting. 95% (over 8,000 votes by humans-by-strictest-definition-only) voted yes.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:31 AM on June 3, 2017

Lou Dobbs seems to always be on business shows. Considering his entire branding since the early 2000s is virulent Islamaphobia, what exactly does he talk about when he's not dehumanizing people?
posted by Yowser at 9:33 AM on June 3, 2017 [5 favorites]

On the other hand, the poor will always be with us.

When Jesus says this, he's quoting Deuteronomy 15.11: "Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, "Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.'"

It also, though, needs to be read in the context of vs. 4-5: "There will, however, be no one in need among you, because the Lord is sure to bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you as a possession to occupy, if only you will obey the Lord your God by diligently observing this entire commandment that I command you today."

For the Deuteronomists, there were two great national sins that led to Israel being conquered and deported by Babylon; idolatry and economic injustice. Jesus is placing himself within that tradition. There shouldn't be anyone in poverty, but there always will be because people suck.
posted by EarBucket at 9:41 AM on June 3, 2017 [32 favorites]

Not sure if this has been posted yet. I couldn't find anything except the news about about Bloomberg's donation. It's only part of what he is doing.

And holy shit batman. This is something different. ---Fuck you Donald, me and my peeps are just going to directly deal with the UN ourselves. Has this sort of thing ever happened before?

Billionaire Michael Bloomberg is launching a coalition to defy Trump and uphold the Paris Agreement

Thirty cities, three states, more than 80 university presidents, and more than 100 companies are part of a growing group intending to uphold the Paris Agreement, the climate-change accord that President Donald Trump on Thursday announced the US would be exiting.

The group is being organized by the billionaire philanthropist Michael Bloomberg.

The coalition plans to submit a plan to the United Nations that commits to greenhouse-gas limits set in the Paris Agreement, according to The New York Times. It is negotiating with the UN to form its own National Determined Contribution — a set of emissions standards for each participating nation under the Paris Agreement — that is accepted alongside the other countries in the accord.
posted by Jalliah at 9:41 AM on June 3, 2017 [58 favorites]

re: wwc. fuck 'em. mobilize young non-voters with progressive reforms that can profoundly change their lives: single payer, free state college, make current fed loans dischargeable in bankruptcy-or outright forgive them, peg minimum wage to a % of the highest compensated senator, prosecute white collar crime, really take on wage theft...
posted by j_curiouser at 9:43 AM on June 3, 2017 [18 favorites]

okay, i'm feeling kind of dim, here. what was it about the last 24 hours that made things clear? it just seems like a continuation of the chaos we've seen from day 1 from where i'm standing.

Sorry, should have been more clear with all the shit going on. Specifically about all the different investigations and allegations of wrongdoing. I feel like there's a path forward now, especially with Sessions being named as part of everything.
posted by Room 641-A at 9:48 AM on June 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

And now I'm feeling dim: what's WWC?
posted by Room 641-A at 9:51 AM on June 3, 2017

Could someone provide context on Maher's remark? I actually was watching the show live, and I recall the Sasse segment, but evidently I wasn't paying full attention (one of the distractions being this thread!). I have no recollection of him saying the word. What was the conversation around it, the usage, etc.?
posted by CommonSense at 9:52 AM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

White working-class, I think.
posted by msalt at 9:52 AM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

Republicans are holding "CNN is ISIS" signs at the Trump rally. #CNNisISIS is trending on twitter. Live video for masochists.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:52 AM on June 3, 2017

And now I'm feeling dim: what's WWC?

White working class.
posted by CommonSense at 9:53 AM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

WWC = white working class
posted by chris24 at 9:53 AM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

The coalition plans to submit a plan to the United Nations that commits to greenhouse-gas limits set in the Paris Agreement, according to The New York Times. It is negotiating with the UN to form its own National Determined Contribution

Does anyone know if this has the potential to run afoul of the Logan Act (i.e. 18 U.S. Code § 953)?
posted by RichardP at 9:54 AM on June 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

WWC = those who some hope will stop voting against their interests if Bill Maher delivers the critical amount of N-bombs.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:56 AM on June 3, 2017 [11 favorites]

The "CNN is ISIS" thing appears to be a paid promotion by Infowars, so these people are the alt-right version of somebody getting paid to stand in front of a fast food restaurant in a hot dog costume.
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:59 AM on June 3, 2017 [47 favorites]

Lord is sure to bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you as a possession to occupy, if only you will obey the Lord your God by diligently observing this entire commandment that I command you today

Thanks, I did not understand the context of the quote and always felt ambivalent (on the basis of very little theological knowledge) about claims regarding Jesus's supposed "progressive" bona fides (which one hears kind of frequently, e.g. in the comment I was responding to, I think). Actually, I still feel ambivalent, because it sounds a lot like the Lord our God is predicating his gifts on diligent adherence to an authoritarian commandment, which sounds a little different from a modern/"progressive" notion of economic justice.

I think I still feel like economic justice should be argued for on its own merits, without dragging in Jesus for his propaganda value (which is how I understood the original comment about using Jesus's supposed attitudes about "engaging with the hinterland").
posted by busted_crayons at 10:00 AM on June 3, 2017 [4 favorites]

Is it too late for Canada to stop any more Keystone XL pipeline construction? Canadians, call your representatives and demand they stop any Canada-side construction of that pipeline. It would be a very tangible and immediate step that Canadians could take and about the most direct way to tell Trump that for the first time in his life, his actions will have consequences. The actual effects of forcing oil extractors to send their product by train rather than pipeline will be fairly minimal, but KXL is real and immediate and it's something Trump campaigned on. The justification is obvious: Canada had believed that the US would take at least minimal steps to saving the environment, but with the Agreement withdrawal they showed the US is not even capable of that. Therefore, the US does not deserve a pipeline of Canadian oil.

There may be a backlash against Trudeau in Canada, and while it's certainly better that his party control the government over the Conservatives, it is difficult to see how Trudeau would get the blame for stopping Keystone rather than Trump. After all 190 other countries signed the agreement--what the US has done is unique and terrible.

Further, Trump would react to news of losing Keystone in his characteristic dumb way. He will blame Trudeau, possibly even the Liberal Party, but most of all Trump will blame Canadians for betraying him, which is not the way to win friends and influence Canadians. Trump had an 80% disapproval rating in Canada in February. Stopping KXL could be a huge political winner and a signal to the rest of the world that telling Trump to go fuck himself is a great way to win votes.

In addition, the 190 signatories of the Paris Agreement should band together and set environmental tariffs against any products produced in the US that are not part of that NY-MA-WA-CA multi-state alliance. The tariffs should be enacted the moment the US leaves the agreement four years from now. We will have become a rogue state undercutting countries that are serious about reducing global greenhouse gases, and we should be treated like one. Trump will no doubt come up with stupid retaliatory tariffs, meaning Democrats will be able to run on a platform of keeping retail prices low as well as keeping jobs in export-heavy states like Texas, Florida and Michigan.

The time for action is now: what we've learned about the Trump administration is that his actions get more normalized every day they aren't immediately countered. Some horrible Trump-related event will thrust the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement out of the news very soon, and so time is running out.
posted by Luminiferous Ether at 10:00 AM on June 3, 2017 [10 favorites]

Republicans are holding "CNN is ISIS" signs at the Trump rally. #CNNisISIS is trending on twitter. Live video for masochists.

It looks like there are more people taking pictures and/or watching them then are rallying.
posted by Jalliah at 10:01 AM on June 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

So I guess we found those paid protesters. Trump's mirror strikes again.
posted by Room 641-A at 10:04 AM on June 3, 2017 [42 favorites]

Does anyone know if this has the potential to run afoul of the Logan Act (i.e. 18 U.S. Code § 953)?

nobody has ever been prosecuted under the Logan Act, and it may be unconstitutional (though it's never been tested in court). only one person has ever been indicted under the act.

if they want to nail these guys, they'll hit them with a more substantial charge.
posted by murphy slaw at 10:09 AM on June 3, 2017

RichardP Does anyone know if this has the potential to run afoul of the Logan Act?

As murphy slaw says, the Logan Act has zero teeth. Nobody has ever been convicted, and only one person has ever been prosecuted since it was enacted in 1799. That said, as long as these agreements are voluntary and non-binding like the Paris Agreement itself is then I don't think there's any room for a Logan Act allegation. These agreements are going to be on the order of "sister city" declarations, not binding treaties.
posted by zrail at 10:11 AM on June 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

As someone who grew up outside the Abrahemic religions and only read the Bible for the first time in high school, it is a wildly inconsistent document (even just the NT taken by itself). Which makes sense from a historical point of view given how many people wrote and edited it over such a long time span. But there's not a whole lot there to hang your hat on that doesn't get contradicted elsewhere in such a way as to require theology to clear it up. And I don't think policy should be predicated on anything that requires theological interpretation and clarification.
posted by soren_lorensen at 10:12 AM on June 3, 2017 [14 favorites]

Agreed on the Logan Act analysis. Not to mention, if they're dumb enough to prosecute Bloomberg for violating the Logan Act, we turn right around and demand Jared's head on the exact same grounds for his pre-inaugural "activities" abroad.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 10:13 AM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

So I guess we found those paid protesters. Trump's mirror strikes again.

Yeah, it's a pattern of behavior that has become so common among conservatives that you can set your watch by it. First, make up an outrageous claim about something horrible that progressives aren't doing, then fake some more outrage about the fact that nobody has been punished for the horrible thing they aren't doing, then realize that actually the thing is just horrible enough to be attractive to you and do it yourself.

It's worth keeping an eye on this cycle as it applies to the claims that the right is making now about the left being out to commit a campaign of organized violence against political leaders (for example, James Buchal in the wake of the Portland murders).
posted by IAmUnaware at 10:21 AM on June 3, 2017 [21 favorites]

Gallup Daily: Trump Job Approval June 2, 2017

Approval rating: 37%
Disapproval: 57%
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 10:23 AM on June 3, 2017 [20 favorites]

‘No innocent explanation for this’: Kurt Eichenwald exposes reasons for Kushner meeting with Russian bankers
posted by Room 641-A at 10:31 AM on June 3, 2017 [8 favorites]

Then at the end Kelly asked the audience to give Pooty-Poot a round of applause.

It should not be regarded as coincidence that a week after Trump disported himself in full-on Ugly American asshole mode in the Middle East and Europe that Putin been running a charm offensive from Paris to St. Petersburg. As anyone would have predicted, Russia's ruthless ex-KGB strongman and troll-in-chief is coming off as less obnoxious by comparison.

By the way, I came back from the tail end of the local March for Truth rally today, which unfortunately was not as well attended as previous marches and ended early. The people who hung around longest were counter-protesters: one with a MAGA hat, "proud deplorable" t-shirt, and Trump flag, like some kind of Trumpist cosplay; the other with what I discovered was a Kekistan flag—which is "ironically" based on a Nazi ensign. There's a generation of Trump supporters who will be the unflushable turds of the American political toilet.
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:40 AM on June 3, 2017 [6 favorites]

March for Truth did not give themselves enough time to fundraise and organize, unfortunately. I tried to help get one together in my city, but since they announced a date less than a month in advance, there was no time to fundraise to afford permits, porta potties, sound equipment, and insurance. Not surprised the ones that happened were less well attended. Not enough time for publicity either... and it's easier to put together a smaller event quickly. Too bad, because this is a really vital message.
posted by OnceUponATime at 10:53 AM on June 3, 2017 [8 favorites]

Shit, I'm only to mid-afternoon yesterday in this thread and I'm totally gonna run out of favorites.

maybe I should skip ahead and cut my losses

or go outside cuz it's a beautiful sunny day
posted by wallabear at 10:54 AM on June 3, 2017 [4 favorites]

Our March for Truth in our area isn't until 7 p.m. What?
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:57 AM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

There's a Die-In for Healthcare tomorrow in Manhattan at 11:45 a.m. (Plaza 33, 7th Ave/33rd St next to Penn Station), which I haven't seen much publicity about either. The first hundred participants get to use a tombstone, so, just like the Republican health care plan, it's best if you die early.
posted by Soliloquy at 11:14 AM on June 3, 2017 [13 favorites]

Which makes sense from a historical point of view given how many people wrote and edited it over such a long time span. But there's not a whole lot there to hang your hat on that doesn't get contradicted elsewhere in such a way as to require theology to clear it up.

You've summarized the conservatives beautifully.
posted by petebest at 11:22 AM on June 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

CNN is ISIS

Did I miss something? Has CNN re-taken Mosul? Have they forced their interns to execute captured NBC reporters?
posted by thelonius at 11:31 AM on June 3, 2017 [10 favorites]

CNN is ISIS

Did I miss something? Has CNN re-taken Mosul? Have they forced their interns to execute captured NBC reporters?

Although there's really no telling with these broken alt-reality people, I'm pretty sure the line of thought goes: Kathy Griffin did a fake-beheading of the Donald -> ISIS beheads people -> Griffin worked at CNN -> CNN is ISIS.
posted by dis_integration at 11:35 AM on June 3, 2017 [9 favorites]

That's more effort than I would have put intones explaining it, I would have just said all Republican skulls have been cored out and they are only capable of nonsense word salad now.*

* okay, I guess in a lot of cases it was a pre existing condition.
posted by Artw at 11:40 AM on June 3, 2017 [6 favorites]

One can't overstate how much Kathy Griffin is dominating the right-wing crankosphere right now, to the point of even superseding Seth Rich.

Case in point: this anti-Ossoff ad
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:41 AM on June 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

I think people are getting serious protest fatigue. We're having one about once a week here; it seems like half have been organized by one guy (!!). I didn't attend the March for Truth today because Reasons, but I'm guessing it was ill-attended both because of rain and because people are just tired of everything all the time. Unless we see some results, or something really jarring happens (not just the drip drip drip of RussiaGate), I don't know how we can persist.
posted by AFABulous at 11:45 AM on June 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

Some of it's "I don't like this thing, also I don't like that thing, therefore this thing = that thing". But a lot of it is that fash don't say things like that to communicate about reality, they say things like that to justify their violence.
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:46 AM on June 3, 2017 [9 favorites]

I've been looking for a good analysis on the campaign finance law issues around collusion, because there are all sorts of criminal laws that could be implicated, laws that are enforced in court outside the impeachment process. Fortunately, one just popped up in my feed, written by no less an authority than Bob Bauer, who has served as President Obama's personal attorney, general counsel for Obama for America, and White House Counsel: Campaign Finance Law: When “Collusion” with a Foreign Government Becomes a Crime

Yet even on the information so far available, there are solid grounds for paying close attention to the potential campaign finance violations. The case is more or less hiding in plain sight.

The law prohibits foreign nationals from providing “anything of value … in connection with” an election. The hacking of the Podesta emails, which were then transmitted to Wikileaks for posting, clearly had value, and its connection to the election is not disputed. None other than the Republican nominee said so publicly, egging on the Russians to locate and publish Clinton emails to aid his campaign. He famously declared: “I will tell you this, Russia: If you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing.” One well known Trump confidante, Roger Stone, is among those backing the President’s candidacy who offered similar contemporaneous statements about the value placed on these disclosures (and who, having intimated that he had inside information about when the materials would be released, now faces inquiries from the Congress (and from the Special Counsel’s investigation)).

posted by zachlipton at 11:52 AM on June 3, 2017 [10 favorites]

Wow, the proposed reductions in the USGS budget for 2018 (pdf) are horrifying. (via)
posted by dhruva at 11:55 AM on June 3, 2017 [11 favorites]

Let's not forget those fundraising emails the campaign sent abroad. Blatantly illegal. At the time, they seemed like a minor bit of stupidity that nobody would be too bothered about, but if someone's building a case for systemic lawbreaking in getting foreign assistance, this is the sort of evidence that helps create a very solid foundation.
posted by Devonian at 12:00 PM on June 3, 2017 [16 favorites]

More fuckery at the NYTimes

@Michael Cohen There's something odd abt this @nytimes article on small biz owners cheering Trump's decision to leave Paris treaty [Small Businesses Cheer ‘New Sheriff in Town’ After Climate Pact Exit]

... it's remarkably similar to this article written 3 months ago in NYT about small biz owners cheering Trump [The President Changed. So Has Small Businesses’ Confidence.]

In fact the two articles are so similar the top photo is of the SAME SMALL BUSINESS OWNER

In fact two people are quoted in both articles extolling Mr. Trump's virtues

And their positive words about Trump are used as evidence that small business owners are behind the president

.. in reality it's evidence that literally the same people who supported Trump in March are supporting him now

... let's put aside the fact that anecdotal evidence of small biz owners supporting Trump is not data

... but here the "evidence" is a NYT reporter interviewing the same Trump supporters three months apart!

... you know what's even more amazing about these photos. The small business owner is wearing the same green pullover in both pics!

It's not just Mr. Soltis who gets double billing - this guy is quoted in both articles, three months apart [Jeffery Korzenik, Investment Strategist]
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 12:00 PM on June 3, 2017 [107 favorites]

Wow, the proposed reductions in the USGS budget for 2018 (pdf) are horrifying.

Wildlife conservation cut 25%. Climate Research and Development Program funding reduced 100% to $0.

I used to work for USGS. It's full of good people trying to do vitally important work with poor resources. Needless to say this is a disaster: people would die and a number of species would probably go extinct from this budget alone.
posted by Rust Moranis at 12:02 PM on June 3, 2017 [25 favorites]

> Mr. Griggs said that he was concerned about health care, particularly since Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City announced last month that it would pull out of the insurance exchanges established under the Affordable Care Act, potentially affecting many Missouri residents. However, he said he still believed the administration would come through on its promise to replace the Affordable Care Act with something better.

Good luck with that, Mr. Griggs.
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:05 PM on June 3, 2017 [7 favorites]

WaPo: Trump plans week-long focus on infrastructure, starting with privatizing air traffic control

President Trump will seek to put a spotlight on his vows to privatize the nation’s air traffic control system and spur $1 trillion in new investment in roads, waterways and other infrastructure with a week-long series of events starting Monday in the Rose Garden.

The events — billed as “infrastructure week” — are part of a stepped-up effort since the president’s return a week ago from his first foreign trip to show that the White House remains focused on its agenda, despite cascading headlines about his administration’s ties to Russia.

Trump’s plans next week also include a trip to the Ohio River, where it separates Ohio and Kentucky, to talk about the importance of waterways and to lay out his vision of infrastructure investments more broadly, aides say. And before the weekend, he will also welcome a bipartisan group of mayors and governors to Washington to discuss the topic and venture to the Transportation Department to talk about roads and railways.

My husband sometimes points out that I like starting new projects but find it difficult to finish. I guess I have that in common with Trump. He still hasn't delivered a healthcare bill or a tax plan that will pass both houses-- but hey! On to the next thing.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 12:09 PM on June 3, 2017 [25 favorites]

Yes, when the average American complains about crumbling infrastructure, what they really mean is privatize air traffic control
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:14 PM on June 3, 2017 [100 favorites]

I was just thinking "you know what would improve airline safety? Make air traffic control a bottom line driven business."
posted by Joey Michaels at 12:16 PM on June 3, 2017 [61 favorites]

Here comes the big sell off, I guess. Goldman Sach, assorted Russians and various Trump associates to be the big beneficiaries no doubt.

Don't expect anything to work afterwards.
posted by Artw at 12:17 PM on June 3, 2017 [9 favorites]

> The events — billed as “infrastructure week” — are part of a stepped-up effort since the president’s return a week ago from his first foreign trip to show that the White House remains focused on its agenda, despite cascading headlines about his administration’s ties to Russia.

"The boat is sinking, but the captain is still determined to crash it and cause as much damage as he can before it goes down."
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:25 PM on June 3, 2017 [11 favorites]

2001...

Republicans: These terrorist attacks are an outrage!
Everyone else: You're damn right! We've got to take action against Al Qaeda!
Republicans: Let's invade Iraq!
Everyone else: Yeah! ... wait, what?

2008...

Republicans: This financial meltdown is an outrage!
Everyone else: You're damn right! We've got to take action against unchecked corporate greed!
Republicans: Let's remove all government regulations!
Everyone else: Yeah! ... wait, what?

2017...

Republicans: This crumbling infrastructure is an outrage!
Everyone else: You're damn right! Let's fix our roads, bridges and airports!
Republicans: Let's make air traffic control a profit-driven monopoly!
Everyone else: Yeah! ... wait, what?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:26 PM on June 3, 2017 [137 favorites]

So the Trump Campaign is now sending out email blasts that link to Infowars, in case you thought there was the slightest separation between the GOP and it's crazy wing. Getting high off its own supply is now 100% complete.

Exactly. Republicans are Infowars now. There's zero difference from Alex Jones to Trump, and every single elected Republicans supports Trump 100%. There's no 'Alt-right'. There's no Infowars. There's no fever swamp. They're all the Republican party.
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:27 PM on June 3, 2017 [41 favorites]

week-long
focus
those are two words you don't see next to each other very often in government

i expect the pattern will be the same:

trump and his inner circle say "we want to do this thing"
some other republican reminds them they need a law to do the thing
trump says "okay, i'll make a law!"
republican explains that he has to make congress do that
trump presents a draft bill on a napkin that is unworkable and/or electoral poison
repeat

also (while nitpicking trump policies seems a bit like critiquing a kid's sandcastle):

isn't air traffic control one of the worst targets for privatization? there can't be any competition because having more than one air traffic control center at an airport is a recipe for disaster, so all that will happen is that the government will hand a local monopoly to the rent-seekers, who will cut costs until someone dies
posted by murphy slaw at 12:28 PM on June 3, 2017 [53 favorites]

Karen Clay, Vox: I’m a climate change researcher in Pittsburgh. What is Trump talking about?

But we will move forward without our president’s support. What is happening in Pittsburgh is happening all around the world. Government and business leaders realize that green, future-focused jobs will bring local economic benefits and efforts to address climate change will also bring local public health benefits from decreased air pollution. The benefits of decreased air pollution are beginning to become salient in developing countries in India and China, where air pollution is severe. I will continue to do research designed to inform other countries and future administrations in the United States about the tradeoffs inherent in changes in greenhouse gas emissions.

If President Trump weighs the economic and public health costs and benefits, he will see that the nation and the world will benefit from a green, low carbon future, whether that’s in Pittsburgh or in Paris.

posted by tonycpsu at 12:29 PM on June 3, 2017 [9 favorites]

I wonder for how long people are going to be able to get their "How Trump doesn't make sense!" takes into publications.
posted by rhizome at 12:32 PM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

Major Insurance Company’s Payment Decision Angers ER Doctors: Emergency room doctors are questioning letters than have gone out to some Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield members in three states that threaten a crackdown on reimbursements.

"Save the ER for emergencies — or cover the cost," reads a letter sent last month to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia members.

"Going to the emergency room (ER) or calling 9-1-1 is always the way to go when it's an emergency. And we've got you covered for those situations," it reads.

"But starting July 1, 2017, you'll be responsible for ER costs when it's NOT an emergency. That way, we can all help make sure the ER's available for people who really are having emergencies."

Similar letters have gone out to members of plans owned by Anthem, Inc. in Missouri and Kentucky.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 12:38 PM on June 3, 2017 [10 favorites]

save millions of column inches with this short article!

TRUMP WRONG AGAIN
Today, President Trump made a number of statements. We carefully checked each statement with a panel of experts in each topic area to which he referred. Each one responded with a statement equivalent to "President Trump is so clearly wrong on this issue that it is not even worth our time to refute. He's just making shit up again."

When asked about the statements, Press Secretary Sean Spicer stated that "they speak for themselves" and that there would be no further comment from the administration.

posted by murphy slaw at 12:40 PM on June 3, 2017 [64 favorites]

all that will happen is that the government will hand a local monopoly to the rent-seekers, who will cut costs until someone dies

I am absolutely certain that at some point over the next three and a half years, I'm going to find myself thinking At least it was only one plane crashing...
posted by Etrigan at 12:41 PM on June 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

Because Trump is so good with airplanes!

Narrator: He wasn't.

Trump Shuttle never turned a profit.[
posted by Room 641-A at 12:42 PM on June 3, 2017 [6 favorites]

Exactly. Republicans are Infowars now. There's zero difference from Alex Jones to Trump, and every single elected Republicans supports Trump 100%.

Isn't this the Alex Jones who recently admitted in court that you shouldn't take anything he says seriously, as it's all performance art and he's playing a character?

So that means... um, yes. As you were.
posted by Devonian at 12:52 PM on June 3, 2017 [13 favorites]

BigLeaguePoliticscom is reporting that infowars offered $1000 to anyone who got a "CNN is ISIS" sign on CNN.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 12:56 PM on June 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

Nikki Haley confirms that the President believes in anthropogenic climate change, so we can now start the countdown timer until the 4am tweet in which he says it's a Mexican hoax
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:57 PM on June 3, 2017 [26 favorites]

it's only performance art when he's trying to get custody of his children.

the same way that republicans are only not racist when they think someone who could harm them is watching.
posted by murphy slaw at 12:57 PM on June 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

More fuckery at the NYTimes

I don't know why Putin would have blackmail fodder on the president and all the key leaders of both parties, but not on key media figures also. The NYT caved during the campaign. I think the puppet masters pulling the strings are getting greedy about not even letting them put fig leafs out to not appear so obviously in the bag. Then again, being obvious hasn't had much down-side for anyone else yet other than public ridicule, and who cares about that?
posted by ctmf at 12:57 PM on June 3, 2017 [6 favorites]

Looking forward to Sean Spicer being asked to confirm this... "The Ambassador's statement speaks for itself; I haven't had time to ask the President what he thinks. Next question."
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:59 PM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

also

The events — billed as “infrastructure week”

BUT WHEN IS SHARK WEEK
posted by murphy slaw at 1:01 PM on June 3, 2017 [5 favorites]

When the oceans rise above us, of course. Then every week is shark week.
posted by Pope Guilty at 1:04 PM on June 3, 2017 [35 favorites]

TRUMPNADO!
posted by Room 641-A at 1:09 PM on June 3, 2017 [7 favorites]

I knew there was a weird story about infowars that I read this morning, I just had to look it up.

Raw Story:
InfoWars editor admits to rare disorder — he literally eats books'
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 1:21 PM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

He's since declared that he was lying and that reporting on this fact just proves you can't trust the media.
posted by Pope Guilty at 1:24 PM on June 3, 2017 [6 favorites]

InfoWars editor admits to rare disorder — he literally eats books'

Uhm, I ate the TV Guide when I was a kid. Every week. O.O
posted by xyzzy at 1:38 PM on June 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

Gonna need a real or a fake on that one before I snark.
posted by Yowser at 1:39 PM on June 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

Anyone notice that when you mix up [real] and [fake] you get a [fael]?

A Rake
posted by Devonian at 1:46 PM on June 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

Uhm, I ate the TV Guide when I was a kid.

Not Reader's Digest?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:48 PM on June 3, 2017 [22 favorites]

Not Reader's Digest?

What is she, a ruminant?
posted by Pope Guilty at 1:49 PM on June 3, 2017 [5 favorites]

CNN: Ivanka Trump: America's most powerful Jewish woman - The First Daughter's unique role at a time of rising anti-Semitism

Uproxx: CNN Seems To Think Ivanka Trump Is ‘America’s Most Powerful Jewish Woman,’ And The Reactions Are Glorious
posted by Room 641-A at 2:05 PM on June 3, 2017 [28 favorites]

Yeah, its pretty objectively wrong to say that the woman who keeps sending out PR people to say that she's fine even though the President keeps ignoring the positions she professes to have in public is more powerful than a Supreme Court Justice or the Federal Reserve Chair.

Why do these idiotic articles keep getting written? Do Ivanka and Jared really provide such good anonymous quotes that they must be sucked up to constantly?
posted by zachlipton at 2:09 PM on June 3, 2017 [26 favorites]

Anthem sez:

"Emergency" or "Emergency Medical Condition" means a medical or behavioral health condition of recent onset and sufficient severity, including but not limited to, severe pain, that would lead a prudent layperson, possessing an average knowledge of medicine and health, to believe that his or her condition, sickness, or injury is of such a nature that not getting immediate medical care could result in: (a) placing the patient's health or the health of another person in serious danger or, for a pregnant woman, placing the woman's health or the health of her unborn child in serious danger; (b) serious impairment to bodily functions; or (c) serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part. Such conditions include but are not limited to, chest pain, stroke, poisoning, serious breathing problems, unconsciousness, severe burns or cuts, uncontrolled bleeding, or seizures and such other acute conditions as may be determined to be Emergencies by us.

I once went to the emergency room with severe abdominal pain, which turned out to be a small kidney stone. It required no emergency treatment and passed the following day. I guess Anthem thinks I should have stayed home, and indeed I would have been fine if I had. A couple years later, I had very similar abdominal pain, and I thought it was another kidney stone, and I went to the emergency room again. I guess Anthem would have preferred me to just stay home and let my appendix burst.
posted by Faint of Butt at 2:09 PM on June 3, 2017 [44 favorites]

People desperately want to be able to say something nice about these fucks so the can pretend this is business as normal.
posted by Artw at 2:10 PM on June 3, 2017 [11 favorites]

possessing an average knowledge of medicine and health

There are the weasel words.
posted by AFABulous at 2:12 PM on June 3, 2017 [11 favorites]

Climate change as culture war: Trump’s Paris pullout is a giant middle finger to the left. Amanda Marcotte.
For American conservatives, climate change is not fundamentally understood as an environmental, economic or moral issue. Instead, it has become a symbolic front in the culture war that has metastasized in the past couple of decades, touching on every aspect of life, from how we eat to the kind of cars we drive.
posted by adamvasco at 2:15 PM on June 3, 2017 [10 favorites]

I guess Anthem would have preferred me to just stay home and let my appendix burst.

Well, sure. Their policies don't have to pay any funeral expenses.
posted by leotrotsky at 2:21 PM on June 3, 2017 [20 favorites]

It just occurred to me to wonder what would happen if Jared and Ivanka appeared at my (extremely progressive) congregation and then my consciousness crashed and I had to reboot.
posted by bq at 2:22 PM on June 3, 2017 [6 favorites]

I don't know why Putin would have blackmail fodder on the president and all the key leaders of both parties, but not on key media figures also.

Hey! Hey! *snap* *snap* listen - Jeffrey Zucker has never, never done anything he could be extorted for. His 40 Million dollars and the legacy of having Conan O'Brien arrested and puffing up his friend DJ Trump for Presidente speak only to great moral character and I will not hear any more about it! This man is a saint and you should feel honored he agreed to run one of the more influential thought programming centers before Ur-merica's unfortunate and wierdly grotesque demise.
posted by petebest at 2:42 PM on June 3, 2017 [5 favorites]

And now I'm feeling dim: what's WWC?
White working class.

Nah, "WWC" may have started with some truth within Michigan, but in 2017, it's a myth based on class hatred. Middle Class whites elected Trump. Remember "Soccer Moms"?

US working class people, percentagewise, don't vote. That said, people making under $50k went for the democratic candidate. As a reminder, 51% of working americans made less than $30k in 2015.
posted by eustatic at 2:44 PM on June 3, 2017 [30 favorites]

Apropos Jeff Zucker, and the media in general, from Climate change as culture war: Trump’s Paris pullout is a giant middle finger to the left, posted by adamvasco above:

Part of the reason that it’s so easy for conservatives to view climate change in culture war terms, Hymas argued, is that the mainstream media has failed to educate the public about the seriousness of the problem. A Media Matters study of television news coverage of climate change found that in 2016 ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox combined devoted 50 minutes to climate-change coverage in their nightly and Sunday morning news programs. Not a single segment of that coverage was devoted to the potential climate consequences of the presidential election.
posted by mumimor at 2:46 PM on June 3, 2017 [20 favorites]

so you are saying the whole thing is a cry for help?
I'm saying the whole thing is a cry for attention.
posted by oneswellfoop at 2:51 PM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

MetaFilter: Gonna need a real or a fake on that one before I snark.
posted by Surely This at 2:57 PM on June 3, 2017 [5 favorites]

Opera vs Trump (Rossini Edition) (slyt)
posted by chaoticgood at 3:02 PM on June 3, 2017 [9 favorites]

Nah, "WWC" may have started with some truth within Michigan, but in 2017, it's a myth based on class hatred. Middle Class whites elected Trump. Remember "Soccer Moms"?

US working class people, percentagewise, don't vote. That said, people making under $50k went for the democratic candidate. As a reminder, 51% of working americans made less than $30k in 2015.

I wonder if the myth of the angry white working class has risen because the truth is unbearable: the people who voted for Trump are the people who are supposed to be the pillars of American society: the job-creating, church-going, lawn-mowing and hard-working white middle class. Those journalists doing anthropology in the Appalachians are doing it because they can't stand up to the real Trump majority, their own moms and dads.
posted by mumimor at 3:06 PM on June 3, 2017 [84 favorites]

mumimor, it is pretty horrifying to realize that any random white person I'm likely to run across has a better than 50% chance of having voted for Trump. I know it intellectually but when I think of e.g. my physical therapist (a white woman) basically voting to kill me, it's just gut-wrenching. I know my parents did.
posted by AFABulous at 3:17 PM on June 3, 2017 [24 favorites]

Hey, RF Simpson, we've been really clear that we're not relitigating the election and we're definitely not jumping back a thousand comments to restart a fight about Hillary. If you have problems with moderation, they go to the contact form or metatalk, not in-thread.
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 3:18 PM on June 3, 2017 [9 favorites]

it is pretty horrifying to realize that any random white person I'm likely to run across has a better than 50% chance of having voted for Trump. I know it intellectually but when I think of e.g. my physical therapist (a white woman) basically voting to kill me, it's just gut-wrenching

Remember to account for physical location too! Like for example those odds go way down if you're in a major city, which rejected him pretty soundly.

I mean, this is at least what I'm telling myself to move forward.
posted by corb at 3:41 PM on June 3, 2017 [10 favorites]

Why do these idiotic articles keep getting written? Do Ivanka and Jared really provide such good anonymous quotes that they must be sucked up to constantly?

They're young, rich, good looking White people. Those are the best kind. How could they be bad? It's just not possible, I've seen enough TV to know.
posted by bongo_x at 3:55 PM on June 3, 2017 [4 favorites]

> They're young, rich, good looking White people. Those are the best kind. How could they be bad? It's just not possible, I've seen enough TV to know.

... and this is why 80s movies were important, and why we need more 80s movies now. folks have to know that when they look at people like Prince Jared and Princess Ivanka, they're looking at people who want to bulldoze your community center and keep your team from winning the dance competition.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 3:58 PM on June 3, 2017 [83 favorites]

It took me about two weeks after the election to even LOOK at a white person I didn't already know. I was afraid I might just hiss "This is all YOUR fault!!" to total strangers.
posted by thebrokedown at 3:59 PM on June 3, 2017 [25 favorites]

> Nah, "WWC" may have started with some truth within Michigan, but in 2017, it's a myth based on class hatred. Middle Class whites elected Trump. Remember "Soccer Moms"?

Ian Masters had a segment the other day with the author of The White Working Class, whose thesis as I understood it (haven't read it) is precisely that, that it is all about resentment based on class identity for a large segment of these voters. Class is not defined by income bracket.
posted by mubba at 4:11 PM on June 3, 2017 [6 favorites]

folks have to know that when they look at people like Prince Jared and Princess Ivanka, they're looking at people who want to bulldoze your community center and keep your team from winning the dance competition.

That's what I'm screaming! And the Porky's movies? Should be required viewing. Also, soap operas? Rich, beautiful white people are the worst. Ivanka's likely to be expecting Don Jr.'s child who will be grown by next summer and probably a serial killer.

Case in point: Hot off interviewing Putin, great white hope Megyn Kelly will soon be interviewing Alex Jones.
posted by octobersurprise at 4:14 PM on June 3, 2017 [6 favorites]

Hey, guys, there is a British politics thread over here for British stuff -- please note that not every piece of breaking news needs to be in the US politics thread just because it's breaking -- and over there British members have asked us NOT to liveblog the London situation. If you want to keep an eye on that thread for any substantive updates, that'd be fine, but we're not going to be liveblogging it in either thread. And if you've had a comment deleted and don't know why, contact the mods, don't just repost it. Thanks.
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 4:18 PM on June 3, 2017 [11 favorites]

Kim Weaver, who was running for Steve King's seat, is dropping out of the race, citing death threats, concern that she won't be able to get health insurance again after quitting her job to campaign full-time, and her mother's health.
posted by zachlipton at 4:19 PM on June 3, 2017 [12 favorites]

"Next week on Megyn Kelly, we resurrect Hitler and ask him to tell his side of the story"
posted by AFABulous at 4:20 PM on June 3, 2017 [10 favorites]

> whose thesis as I understood it (haven't read it) is precisely that, that it is all about resentment based on class identity for a large segment of these voters. Class is not defined by income bracket.

I haven't read this either, but the way the blurb plays with terminology seems deliberately tendentious. Quote:

Williams explains that many people have conflated “working class” with “poor”—but the working class is, in fact, the elusive, purportedly disappearing middle class.

So what this means is that Williams has written a book about the white petit-bourgeoisie and their support of fascism, but has decided to for whatever reason refer to them as the white working class.

the thing is: the actual working class (which is largely not white) really does support leftist insurgency, as working classes generally do, and the white petit-bourgeois class really does support fascism, as the petit bourgeoisie generally do. The only thing that complicates this story at all is that the white petit-bourgeois class in the United States really, really, really enjoys LARPing as working class. This doesn't mean that we should talk about them as if they were working class, though.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 4:20 PM on June 3, 2017 [51 favorites]

"I may not be able to have health care if I become a political candidate" goes on the list of reasons both our current health care system and our political system suck.
posted by Archelaus at 4:21 PM on June 3, 2017 [37 favorites]

mumimor, it is pretty horrifying to realize that any random white person I'm likely to run across has a better than 50% chance of having voted for Trump.

I really have to check myself and not prejudge people over this. Luckily I've had a couple of blatant cases to help. I may have told some of these before.

1. A couple of years ago I come out of a store and a White middle aged business looking guy, dockers and all, is standing at my car arms crossed and scowling. My car has anti-Republican, pro Socialist stickers on it. "Is this your car?" Oh jeez. I get ready for the bullshit. "Yes". "I like your stickers, I'm going to have to get some".
2. During the election I pull up to a convenience store, I'm wearing my Clinton tshirt. A big White guy with a big beard in a big truck starts yelling across the parking "hey, HEY, HEY!" I stop. "Love the shirt!" and gives me a thumbs up.
3. A few weeks ago I'm in a Goodwill store and there's a really loud super redneck couple in there, I actually think they seem like the type that's going to start trouble in the store. Then a woman in a hijab walks up to them. They great each other loudly and warmly. Apparently she just moved here and these people have befriended her and her family and are helping them settle in. A few minutes later an older Black woman greets them the same way. Almost the same scenario was repeated for my benefit a few days later.
posted by bongo_x at 4:24 PM on June 3, 2017 [93 favorites]

whose thesis as I understood it (haven't read it) is precisely that, that it is all about resentment based on class identity for a large segment of these voters. Class is not defined by income bracket.

I was actually talking about this with a friend recently as a thought experiment - I tried to take things that middle-class white people would have thought of as normatively "part of their class" in the 50s and 60s, and then ran some numbers on "what would that cost today"? For a variety of reasons, costs have increased much more so than inflation, and I think that's what's driving a lot of these crazy voting blocs - not understanding that nothing they do is going to bring that back.

The general "idealized age" that people want to get back to is the 1950s, so let's take a look at it.

In 1950, the median home price was $7,354. Adjusting for inflation, that's $74,615 in today's dollars - but the median home price today is, per the National Association of Realtors, $232,500.

Essentially, if you could save two years' worth of earnings, by living with your parents or what have you, you could buy a brand spanking new house, for cash, no mortgage, and then all you would have to worry about would be the property tax. Today, taking the average middle class income, you'd be doing it for about six years.

Likewise, college tuition (sending your 2.5 kids to college was a normal, average middle class dream) has increased from roughly 20% of a year's average middle class income to send one kid to a decent college, to roughly 80% of a year's average middle class income today.

The same thing with summer camp, buying a car, daycare, etc. etc. etc. ad nauseum for a lot of class markers. People whose parents were middle class, by measuring themselves against that standard, are thinking that they have slipped in class - from middle class to working class. Those who previously considered them working class are slipping to poor, if measured by 1950s standards.

So it's not just about income, if you want to measure class anxiety - you need to measure what their parents had, and what they expected to have when they grew up. And there is the history of the Trump voter, unfortunately, I think - people who expected to be middle class and are now finding it's impossible.
posted by corb at 4:33 PM on June 3, 2017 [84 favorites]

UGGGHHHHH, @realdonaldtrump is exploiting the London situation to push for his racist travel ban.

On the plus side (relatively speaking), that's not going to do him a lot of favors in the courts.
posted by zombieflanders at 4:34 PM on June 3, 2017 [10 favorites]

when they look at people like Prince Jared and Princess Ivanka, they're looking at people who want to bulldoze your community center and keep your team from winning the dance competition.

*grips bannister grimly*

Call cryogenics. Tell them to get Loggins ready.

*smash edit of intense prepping*
posted by petebest at 4:35 PM on June 3, 2017 [8 favorites]

bongo_x: so, Not All White People is what you're saying?

hamburger
posted by AFABulous at 4:36 PM on June 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

It's more than ten years ago I first ran into the WWC argument, and I've mentioned it here on the blue before (sorry, can't find that former comment).
I was working in an urban development project in an area that still today has a very high percentage of immigrants. Part of my job was attending many, many meetings with engaged citizens who had expressed an interest in some activity, enough that I could write a novel about all the weird things that happened. There was a fist fight over renovation economy, and a beautiful day when a group of Somali single mums ganged up to create a future for themselves (and they prevailed).
On the sad side was a group who were assigned to plan local events. The thing was, before this area was an entry place for immigrants, it was a socialist commune, and the old radicals were still living there. And one of these guys had decided to do some outreach work and participate in the event group. So he suggested there should be a pork roast competition. TBH, the Muslim members of the group were incredibly cool. I was the one who flipped out. And we had a discussion where this former Communist explained that the real issue we needed to deal with was brown people.
Right now, I'm tired. I'll get back to all the words tomorrow. But back then I never imagined that an old hateful leftist would be the defining image of resistance to neoliberal disruption, and I never imagined that position could be racist.
I'm not going to accept that understanding of our options and I'm not going to accept any form of hate.
posted by mumimor at 4:42 PM on June 3, 2017 [10 favorites]

They scrapped Tamron Hall so Megyn Kelly could normalize Putin and Alex Jones
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 4:47 PM on June 3, 2017 [14 favorites]

The general "idealized age" that people want to get back to is the 1950s, so let's take a look at it.
*snip some excellent observations about the cost of the middle-class lifestyle*

the right wants to bring back the race relations, gender roles, and sexual mores of the eisenhower administration but they never seem to mention the 90% top tax bracket and the 25% unionized workforce.
posted by murphy slaw at 4:50 PM on June 3, 2017 [70 favorites]

The White House has so little commitment to accuracy that NBC News won't pass on information relayed by the President because it's unconfirmed.
posted by zachlipton at 4:53 PM on June 3, 2017 [69 favorites]

Class is not defined by income bracket.
Based on another definition of Class, Trump is one of the lowest-class people in America, if not the world. Trump voters saw how that worked out for him, and see him as a role model. That's why Economic Class groupings aren't very relevant.

In other newsprint, the only magazine I still subscribe to it MAD. Here's their latest cover. Considering the lead-time for something like that, it's somewhat prescient. I'll have more after I've read it through.
posted by oneswellfoop at 5:00 PM on June 3, 2017 [5 favorites]

I was just thinking "you know what would improve airline safety? Make air traffic control a bottom line driven business."

Most countries do have some form of privately funded (i.e. by user fees) and operated air traffic control. Those countries also have strict oversight committees that make sure these private air traffic control operators are held to strict standards.

But if there's one thing Republican reps are all about it's government oversight and strict standards. What does that mean? We're so fucking broken that we can't even make private enterprise work in workable spaces.
posted by Talez at 5:09 PM on June 3, 2017 [5 favorites]

the eisenhower administration

Ike? That commie? They're taking it back to "Old Hickory" Jackson days! No, really, they actually are. It's horrible and threatens to impoverish every American, and put the nation in very real danger with respect to hostile foreign powers.
posted by Slap*Happy at 5:14 PM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

it is all about resentment based on class identity for a large segment of these voters. Class is not defined by income bracket.

I don't think corb is wrong, but I feel like the 21st century information enviroment plays a role in this, too. (Many) Class signifiers have become entirely detached from actual economic "class," to the extent that "class" as it is reported tends to be performative.
posted by octobersurprise at 5:15 PM on June 3, 2017 [6 favorites]

bongo_x: so, Not All White People is what you're saying?

hamburger

Pretty much. Actually just pointing out what a judgemental jerk I am.
posted by bongo_x at 5:22 PM on June 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

I'm glad Trump called it a ban again today. Spicer can tell us on Monday if the tweet speaks for itself.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 5:26 PM on June 3, 2017 [16 favorites]

NPR: Trump's disapproval numbers are fine. (12 hours ago)

While his approval rating has fallen and the gap between approval and disapproval has widened considerably, it has not shifted in any extraordinary sense.

So it's, like, big, but it's not, like, rilly big?

This is, in part, because of how those charts are scaled, as well as the fact that they show the widening gap between approval and disapproval (and that he started lower than past presidents — there is only so low you can go).

To be clear, this isn't to say that those are misleading. But it is to say that with more historical context, Trump's sliding approval rating really hasn't slid that much.

(Long discussion about Gallup numbers and . . . typically approval ratings rise as do disapproval ratings but Gallup changed the way they - hey here's a chart showing everything's fine did you know Ford was unpopular?)

A big part of this is, of course, that his approval is so low that it doesn't have as much room to fall as it otherwise might. From that perspective, it could be considered notable that his approval rating has fallen as much as other presidents whose approval ratings were much higher.

Hm. NPR, hey, so, like, walk me through what the fuck you're doing? As a news organization. Cough twice if you can't talk because someone's there.
posted by petebest at 5:32 PM on June 3, 2017 [44 favorites]

@realDonaldTrump on London van incident: "We need the Travel Ban as an extra level of safety!"

Does he think they're going to drive across the Atlantic?
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 5:34 PM on June 3, 2017 [11 favorites]

It seems to me that the removal of Iraq from the second travel ban really crystallizes just what a stinking pile of hateful nonsense that ban is. Because, did they remove Iraq because Iraq had adopted different policies? Did they remove Iraq because of a perceived change in the risk of allowing Iraqi citizens into the USA? Did they remove Iraq in order to help the travel ban pass constitutional muster? No, they removed Iraq because the government of Iraq was outraged, and the US military, having worked closely with Iraqi citizens, shared their outrage. It was politically expedient, and the entire exercise is political theater, with the side effect of ruining lives and hardening hearts.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:02 PM on June 3, 2017 [46 favorites]

Three days to say anything about the Portland terror attack. Insta-tweet about travel ban after the London incidents. Not my president.
posted by Joey Michaels at 6:07 PM on June 3, 2017 [115 favorites]

> Based on another definition of Class, Trump is one of the lowest-class people in America, if not the world. Trump voters saw how that worked out for him, and see him as a role model. That's why Economic Class groupings aren't very relevant.

GUYS IT'S TIME FOR SOME BEAN THEORY

1/ the (white) small business owner/petit bourgeois/middle class stratum is Trump's base.

2/ That class is marked by tastes that fetishize a certain "working-class" image — think the aesthetic of the NFL, here.

3/ But the working-class signifiers they've adopted, they've adopted in a way that excludes the real working-class. Think, again, of the NFL: everything associated with attending a game or demonstrating one's fandom (for example, team jerseys) is exorbitantly expensive. Think also of bigass expensive trucks with country music tracks in their advertisements.

4/ So displaying those signifiers serves two purposes: demonstrating that one has a rough-and-tumble working class attitude, and also demonstrating that one isn't actually working class — that you're not one of them, the people who can't afford this shit.

5/ Trump himself is not of this class. But due to his personality disorders and overall — let's be blunt — stupidity, people of his actual class (the big bourgeoisie) won't give him the time of day. And so he's continually slumming it with the upper slices of the small business owner class, and running his dumb company like a small business, and watching media aimed at the white middle class — and note that demonstrating white middle class status means an expensive performance of a parody of working-class habits.

6/ Trump identifies with the white petit bourgeoisie, but has real (big bourgeoisie) money to play with. And so his tastes are a hypertrophied version of petit bourgeois tastes. Whereas they take working-class habits and make them tacky and expensive, he takes utter shit and literally covers it in gold. This is how Trump lacks class, in that other sense; petit bourgeois tastes are the definition of tacky

7/ The fact that the shit he's gilded is shit makes him seem approachable to the white petit bourgeoisie, since the shittiness of all his stuff echoes the shittiness of their stuff in a way that real quality doesn't. And his ability to play the exclude-the-proles-through-price-of-tacky-shit game so much better than they can inspires respect.

8/ This aesthetic also why he's such a good fit with evangelicals, since his "badly assembled Versailles" style matches the aesthetic of megachurches, and for the same reason: it's what happens when you take petit bourgeois tastes and make them monstrous by putting huge amounts of money behind them.

9/ The petit bourgeoisie have always been the prime motors of fascism. Fascism's shambling brute-force stupidity is what happens when someone with their aesthetic takes power.

10/ If you haven't read Walter Benjamin's The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction since the disaster started, you really should. I absolutely completely did not appreciate what he meant when he described fascism as the introduction of aesthetics into political life. But what we're seeing play out in the Trump disaster is what he's talking about; the new fascist movement intensely desires to see their aesthetic — a monstrously tacky aesthetic, but never mind that — written into the world, and they value seeing their aesthetic in the world so much that they are willing to both put up with and inflict any amount of oppression to make it happen.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 6:30 PM on June 3, 2017 [142 favorites]

Update: the ACLU thinks the tweet can speak for itself.

I think this infrastructure thing will be interesting to follow. In light of the rest of us counting down to Thursday morning, does Trump have any shot of controlling the narrative of this early week, even with his base?
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 7:11 PM on June 3, 2017 [4 favorites]

Turkey plans to build giant wall between itself, Iraq, Iran

Ankara, Turkey • Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his country plans to build walls along its borders with Iraq and Iran, similar to the one currently being erected along the frontier with Syria.

Erdogan said Thursday that Turkey has so far completed the construction of a 650-kilometer (403-mile) stretch of the wall along the 911-kilometer border with Syria.

Wow, you delusional, unopposed dictators-for-life and your border walls, huh?

Oooohhhh - Turkey gave the idea to Flynnsie, who told Der Trump, who forgot the recipe. That's why he wants Flynnsie back so bad. Well, that is a pickle.
posted by petebest at 7:12 PM on June 3, 2017 [12 favorites]

Turkey is so desperate to be part of the EU that they'll do everything they can to get rejected by the EU. Makes sense to me!
posted by Yowser at 7:13 PM on June 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

Oooohhhh - Turkey gave the idea to Flynnsie, who told Der Trump, who forgot the recipe. That's why he wants Flynnsie back so bad. Well, that is a pickle.

To summarize, we're talking about a recipe for pickled turkey, right?
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:15 PM on June 3, 2017

In other news, NOAA's revenge? Hurricane Names... this year, the 4th big storm will be named "Don". And if we get enough storms to alphabetically get to S, it'll be "Sean"... Nothing for for other members of Family Trump, "M" is Maria, "I" is Irma and "J" is Jose, which has its own relevance. But next year's "M" is Michael.
posted by oneswellfoop at 7:25 PM on June 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

murphy slaw: "isn't air traffic control one of the worst targets for privatization? there can't be any competition because having more than one air traffic control center at an airport is a recipe for disaster, so all that will happen is that the government will hand a local monopoly to the rent-seekers, who will cut costs until someone dies"

So are ATC employees going to be able to strike if they aren't working for the government any more?
posted by Mitheral at 7:35 PM on June 3, 2017 [6 favorites]

Michael Tracey of TYT was "assaulted" again, this time by rep. Maxine Waters while trying to get to the bottom of trumpistania, poor guy.
posted by xcasex at 7:45 PM on June 3, 2017 [17 favorites]

Ahh TYT, still stumping for Trump. The most useful idiots of them all.
posted by Yowser at 7:51 PM on June 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

Well, Trump does think The Young Turks are the sons of President Erdoğan...
posted by oneswellfoop at 7:55 PM on June 3, 2017 [5 favorites]

Three days to say anything about the Portland terror attack. Insta-tweet about travel ban after the London incidents. Not my president.

Motherfucker didn't tweet anything from @RealDonaldTrump or say shit about Portland. Some staffer finally put out some generic pablum from @POTUS. And every one of his fascist fucks knows exactly what that means.
posted by chris24 at 7:59 PM on June 3, 2017 [56 favorites]

UGGGHHHHH, @realdonaldtrump is exploiting the London situation to push for his racist travel ban.

Haven't really followed the latest London tragedy, but it's quite possible the perpetrators are British citizens -- which of course would mean the travel ban wouldn't apply to them.
posted by Slothrup at 8:01 PM on June 3, 2017

Not the travel ban he proposed, but the one he wished he could propose sure would. The "ban all Muslims" ban.
posted by Justinian at 8:03 PM on June 3, 2017 [10 favorites]

(note: assuming facts not yet in evidence of course, but it's the assumption Trump is making.)
posted by Justinian at 8:04 PM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

The fact that our bad guys are so rarely asshole rich white people anymore is a good point. I think the reverence for the wealthy is also tied to the rise in reality TV, both the idea that anyone can become rich by competing on TV and the fetishization of extravagant lifestyles in shows that are really just luxury brand ads.
posted by threeturtles at 8:18 PM on June 3, 2017 [10 favorites]

In 1950, the median home price was $7,354. Adjusting for inflation, that's $74,615 in today's dollars - but the median home price today is, per the National Association of Realtors, $232,500.

Essentially, if you could save two years' worth of earnings, by living with your parents or what have you, you could buy a brand spanking new house, for cash, no mortgage, and then all you would have to worry about would be the property tax. Today, taking the average middle class income, you'd be doing it for about six years.

Unfortunately, you have some real bullshit arithmetic there. Back in 1950 the median family income was only $3300. Today the median family income is $56,000. But in 1950 the median home size was 1000 square feet. Today the median home size is 2700 square feet.

If you work out the numbers, adjusting for size and inflation, the median family today in living is a fabulously better and affordable home than in the 1950s. Ask anyone who lived in the 1950s and the average family would not say they had a better life back then, living in tiny houses.

There are certain areas, say LA or NYC that have much higher housing costs but that is because they are the most desirable places in the U.S. to live. In middle America, say, Ohio and Pennsylvania, people are living in much better homes than in the 1950s.

This bullshit about white working class losing ground is more complicated. What is true is that white middle class families today are no better than their parents. In previous generations there was the expectation that children would do better than their parents and that is no longer necessarily true. That is a result of rising inequality due to Republican policies for upward distribution of income.

No, the white working class isn't losing ground compared to their parents. They are just staying in the same place as their parents. Where they are losing ground is compared to minorities who are catching up and that is what they resent.
posted by JackFlash at 8:35 PM on June 3, 2017 [34 favorites]

A house is a house, whether it's 1000 square feet or 2700 square feet.
posted by Yowser at 8:44 PM on June 3, 2017 [6 favorites]

And I don't believe you when you say that the median house is 2700 square feet anyways.
posted by Yowser at 8:44 PM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

I live in a neighborhood almost entirely developed 1950-1970 for middle class families. The 50s homes are tiny. Our first house in this neighborhood was 800 sq ft. Most homes up here have an addition, or the single car integral garage has been turned into a bonus room. The house we live in now is 1200 sq ft.

2700 sq ft is the median size of new homes. I did find an article saying that U.S. average home size is 2100 sq ft.
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:51 PM on June 3, 2017 [8 favorites]

House size debate officially complete, this is a LONG THREAD.
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 9:01 PM on June 3, 2017 [24 favorites]

I think I asked this already but: apparently there are anti-Muslim marches happening on June 10th in many places around the country, and there are counter protests, but I can't find where they are, and I don't want to go to the white supremacist websites to find out. Can anyone help answer this?

(really what i want to know is if there are any marches in New Jersey but I imagine that other people would want to know about other places)
posted by Rainbo Vagrant at 9:39 PM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

The Portland one moved up to Westlake Plaza in Seattle - though I doubt it's much of a match, unless they're going to go around Westlake in a circle.
posted by Artw at 9:46 PM on June 3, 2017

(Not that having a central part of downtown taken over by Nazis will be anything less that horrifying.)
posted by Artw at 9:47 PM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

Here's a list of cities, although if you want an up-to-date list, you'll have to turn on industrial-strength virus protection and a VPN and check out the actual white supremacy sites (if you're really paranoid).
posted by Yowser at 9:56 PM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

From n2doc at DU:
Weekend Toon Roundup 1 - Climate destroyer
Weekend Toon Roundup 2 - the rest
posted by valetta at 10:12 PM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

Think also of bigass expensive trucks with country music tracks in their advertisements.

Yeah. I was thinking about this the other day when I saw a $40,000 truck with a confederate flag plate next to the MA license plate. Keep in mind this is suburban Greater Boston. With some white trash hick, wife beater and all, displaying his "souther pride". It took all my energy to not shout out "hey dumbass, you're in a union state, and we won the war".
posted by Talez at 10:33 PM on June 3, 2017 [8 favorites]

Michael Tracey of TYT was "assaulted" again, this time by rep. Maxine Waters while trying to get to the bottom of trumpistania, poor guy.

After checking out his Twitter feed and some of his Medium articles, if anyone needed their privilege checked with a clue-by-four it would be this dipshit.
posted by Talez at 10:41 PM on June 3, 2017 [8 favorites]

This guy is literally claiming that he got beat up by a grandma. (And then had to backtrack and admit that she didn't really even shove him.) The whining and victim complex of these right-wingers is astonishing.
posted by msalt at 11:18 PM on June 3, 2017 [17 favorites]

Ahh TYT, still stumping for Trump. The most useful idiots of them all.

I have never paid attention to TYT, and now I'm confused. I tried looking stuff up, but it didn't help.
posted by bongo_x at 11:44 PM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

I've just been informed that Michael Tracey went to Kurt Eichenwald's home liquidation sale in April (in other news I wish I didn't know, Kurt Eichenwald randomly sold off a ton of stuff from his house) and took pictures of his socks. So there's really a pretty big competition for "most Michael Traceyist thing Michael Tracey ever did."

Moving on, I saw Aparna Nancherla do a set yesterday, and while I'm butchering her excellent delivery here, she hit on something that infuriates me about this whole administration. Some people walk around the world caring so much about whether they're doing the right thing that they spend time worrying about whether they "smiled enough at the barista." Meanwhile, do you think any of the main players in this administration spends one minute lying awake at night concerned about what they're doing? Do you think any of them have ever once stopped to think about the implications of making their primary strategy for governance "make the other side cry?" Some of us are spending all our energy being neurotic about this stuff, and these jerks violate every rule of basic human decency without a care in the world.

I've seen plenty of bad governmental decisions, but the awful part of this is just how much these folks flaunt, without a care in the world, being horrible as if it was a virtue.
posted by zachlipton at 12:10 AM on June 4, 2017 [47 favorites]

the awful part of this is just how much these folks flaunt, without a care in the world, being horrible as if it was a virtue.

But this is endemic in our society, and is sadly independent of political affiliation or creed. This is speculative and unsupported by anything other than experience, observation and intuition, but I really do believe that pervasive mediation has something to do with it.
posted by adamgreenfield at 12:21 AM on June 4, 2017

But this is endemic in our society, and is sadly independent of political affiliation or creed.

While I'm sure there are few right bastards and twits tucked away among the democrats, it was the Republicans that adopted a "let's display contempt towards (and withhold government services from) black folk and more broadly the Other, since we have no compassion for their suffering" approach when they went for the Southern Strategy and scooped up all the ex-Dem racists.

There is no analogous systematized feeding and milking of contempt taking place on the part of the left.
posted by sebastienbailard at 1:48 AM on June 4, 2017 [17 favorites]

Theresa May just appeared to announce a sharp change in the UK's stance on domestic terrorism. "To be frank, there is far too much extremism in our country..." and ended with "Enough is enough..." There's more I would want to quote but accurate transcripts should be coming out momentarily.
posted by XMLicious at 2:44 AM on June 4, 2017

In case anyone thought they weren't going to campaign today...
posted by Grangousier at 2:52 AM on June 4, 2017 [3 favorites]

Sorry, I managed to leave out a rather key word from that Theresa May comment: "To be frank, there is far too much tolerance of extremism in our country..."

New Zealand Radio this morning interviewed documentary film maker Leanne Pooley about her career and her current project Why We March about the international Women's March of January 21st. The project is evidently still seeking funding, but is soliciting stories about the event at http://whywemarch.film. She says that they're particularly interested in the marches that took place outside of North America but did mention a former member of the U.S. military who was in Washington D.C.
posted by XMLicious at 3:39 AM on June 4, 2017 [1 favorite]

I saw the videos of London police treating bar-goers like extras from Children of Men.

I saw what your candidate Ann Myatt said about Jo Cox. I remember Brexit. I'd say the problem is far too much tolerance for the fascist ideas of your Conservative party, and you should step aside and let the adults run your country for awhile.
posted by Yowser at 4:15 AM on June 4, 2017 [17 favorites]

Reminder: there's a UK election thread over here, if folks want to talk British politics.
posted by taz (staff) at 4:26 AM on June 4, 2017 [4 favorites]

Donald's weirdo rant today, so far. @realdonaldtrump:

We must stop being politically correct and get down to the business of security for our people. If we don't get smart it will only get worse

At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is "no reason to be alarmed!"

Do you notice we are not having a gun debate right now? That's because they used knives and a truck!
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 4:47 AM on June 4, 2017 [5 favorites]

"The world should look to the Netherlands for dealing with climate change" says Russell Shorto in an interview with Dutch newspaper NRC about climate change, American mentality in that regard, and the US president's.
In Dutch, so if you can't read that, use your translation engine of choice.
posted by Too-Ticky at 4:50 AM on June 4, 2017

You motherfucker. Three people in Portland, you evil, evil fuck.
posted by Yowser at 4:50 AM on June 4, 2017 [46 favorites]

And for the record, Mayor Sadiq Khan said there no reason to be alarmed about increased police presence.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 4:57 AM on June 4, 2017 [9 favorites]

Human-rights activist/satirist Faisal Saeed al Mutar, in his latter role, explains why The Terrorists would rather deal with an enemy like Trump.
posted by oneswellfoop at 4:57 AM on June 4, 2017 [7 favorites]

Historian Timothy Snyder: “It’s pretty much inevitable” that Trump will try to stage a coup and overthrow democracy (Salon)
Maybe this was in another thread? Once or twice I've skipped a couple hundred comments to get up to date. Anyway, generally I've stopped reading Salon because they are too sensationalist for me, but this was posted by a FB friend and it seems well argued
posted by mumimor at 5:14 AM on June 4, 2017 [9 favorites]

Do you notice we are not having a gun debate right now? That's because they used knives and a truck!

Does he notice that they killed far fewer people than Anders Brevik did as one person? If only I could work out why.
posted by jaduncan at 5:23 AM on June 4, 2017 [54 favorites]

Actually, a slow-motion coup may already be taking place. It's not necessarily anything planned out, but a failure to appoint officials has slimmed down the lines of executive authority; a failure to appoint judges is weakening the judiciary; and the ground has been laid to declare some security agencies (e.g., the FBI) disloyal or subverted. At the same time, other parts of the security apparatus (particularly ICE) have been expanded, and encouraged to be more authoritarian.

This doesn't mean a coup has been planned (I can't even imagine what a successful coup might be like) but I can see that if there were a coup, a lot of this stuff might in retrospect look as though it had been done in preparation.
posted by Joe in Australia at 5:29 AM on June 4, 2017 [47 favorites]

Historian Timothy Snyder: “It’s pretty much inevitable” that Trump will try to stage a coup and overthrow democracy (Salon)

There's even an argument to be made that this has already happened.

Edit: What Joe said.
posted by sour cream at 5:31 AM on June 4, 2017

Or, just fulfilling the Grover Norquist dream of shrinking the federal government to the size where it could be drowned in the bathtub. A perfect role for a businessman who has bankrupted and closed down so many of his enterprises.
posted by oneswellfoop at 5:36 AM on June 4, 2017

How did the Republicans get to this point?

How G.O.P. Leaders Came to View Climate Change as Fake Science
posted by klausness at 5:38 AM on June 4, 2017 [6 favorites]

“It’s pretty much inevitable” that Trump will try to stage a coup

That's a clickbait headline. He does say he thinks it is pretty much inevitable that Trump will try some kind of Reichstag fire thing, but then he says "My gut feeling is that Trump and his administration will try and that it won’t work. Not so much because we are so great but because we have a little bit of time to prepare. I also think that there are enough people and enough agencies of the government who have also thought about this and would not necessarily go along."

The headline is terrifying, discouraging. But the things Snyder says in the interview are the opposite. This in encouragement. Literally, he is calling on us to have courage. "Be as courageous as you can." He is trying to give us hope.

The thing that matters the most is to realize that in moments like this your actions really do matter. It is ironic but in an authoritarian regime-change situation, the individual matters more than [in] a democracy. In an authoritarian regime change, at the beginning the individual has a special kind of power because the authoritarian regime depends on a certain kind of consent.
[...]
The last lesson in “On Tyranny” is to be as courageous as you can. Do you actually care enough about freedom that you would take risks? Do individuals actually care about freedom? Think that through. I think if enough of us take the little risks at the beginning, which aren’t really that significant, this will prevent us from having to take bigger risks down the line.

We are still at a stage where protest is not illegal. We’re still at a stage where protest is not lethal. Those are the two big thresholds. We are still on the good side of both of those thresholds and so now is the time you want to pack in as much as you can because you could actually divert things.
[...]
Don’t obey in advance because you have to start by orienting yourself against the general drift of things. If you can manage that, then the other lessons — such as supporting existing political and social institutions, supporting the truth and so on — those things will then come relatively easily if you can follow the first one, which is to get out of the drift, to recognize that this is the moment where you have to not behave as you did in October 2016. You have to set your own habits now.

His book, On Tyranny is full of this sort of thing, and it is great. It is short. You can read it in an afternoon. It is a little how-to manual for resisting Trump, and it is specifically about resisting Trump, not just "tyranny" in the abstract. It is "how to apply the lessons of history to this specific present moment we are in right now."

Here are the chapter titles (they are just a couple of pages each), to give you the idea:

1. Do not obey in advance.
2. Defend institutions.
3. Beware the one-party state.
4. Take responsibility for the face of the world.
5. Remember professional ethics.
6. Be wary of paramilitaries.
7. Be reflective if you must be armed.
8. Stand out.
9. Be kind to our language.
10. Believe in truth.
11. Investigate.
12. Make eye contact and small talk.
13. Practice corporeal politics.
14. Establish a private life.
15. Contribute to good causes.
16. Learn from peers in other countries.
17. Listen for dangerous words.
18. Be calm when the unthinkable arrives.
19. Be a patriot.
20. Be as courageous as you can.

You should read both the interview and the book. Don't let the headline scare you.
posted by OnceUponATime at 6:08 AM on June 4, 2017 [88 favorites]

I have never paid attention to TYT, and now I'm confused. I tried looking stuff up, but it didn't help.

They're contrarian for the sake of feeling smarter than anyone else. You know that dumb shit that everyone knows that said "I'm not wrong for voting for Jill Stein, everyone else just needs to wake up". That's what those assholes essentially are. They think they're fucking Socrates for being the gadfly of the left but they're just a bunch of cynical dipshits who think they're too cool to be part of the big tent party.

Also, they're deniers of the Armenian Genocide which just makes them super assholes.
posted by Talez at 6:39 AM on June 4, 2017 [27 favorites]

Do you notice we are not having a gun debate right now? That's because they used knives and a truck!

Does he notice that they killed far fewer people than Anders Brevik did as one person? If only I could work out why.

"The most reasonable position, therefore, is to harness the power of fifty trucks and knives into a single weapon, make it legal to carry on one's person, preferably without a permit, collude with its manufacturer to promote its ownership among fucking everyone, inspire fear and paranoia, and conflate owning such a weapon with freedom, patriotism, and common sense." [Fake]
posted by Rykey at 6:44 AM on June 4, 2017 [22 favorites]

Seconding the recommendation for Timothy Snyder's actual book and the interview it was based on. I find them inspiring, energizing, and (cautiously) optimistic. I've been losing respect for Salon for some time; they have gone from being a really good left-leaning site back when online news was a new concept, to "let's post this clickbait to get eyeballs on the page." I still read some of their columnists, but I don't take them seriously for news any more.

In good news: The U.S. Climate Alliance is up to nine states! (California, Washington, Oregon, New York, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Vermont.) Take THAT, Apricot Asswipe and the Climate Deniers!
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 6:44 AM on June 4, 2017 [42 favorites]

Mark Townsend, Guardian: Far right raises £50,000 to target boats on refugee rescue missions in Med

The threat from the far right infuriates charities operating in the Mediterranean. One senior official, who requested anonymity, said politicians had helped create a climate where supporters of the far right felt emboldened to act in such a way. “When the British government and its European counterparts talk about ‘swarms’ of migrants, or perpetuate the myth that rescue operations are a ‘pull factor’ or a ‘taxi service’, that gives fuel to extreme groups such as this. The simple reality is that without rescue operations many more would drown, but people would still attempt the crossing,” the official said.

Simon Murdoch, a researcher at the London-based anti-racist organisation Hope not Hate, which is monitoring the Identitarian movement, said: “While these actions are appalling, unfortunately they don’t shock us. The fact that these far-right activists are seeking to prevent a humanitarian mission, helping some of the most vulnerable people in the world today – including women and children at risk of drowning – speaks volumes about them and where their compassion lies.”

posted by Johnny Wallflower at 6:55 AM on June 4, 2017 [22 favorites]

The whining and victim complex of these right-wingers is astonishing.

it's an old business practice

embrace (the language of your political/class rivals)
extend (the original meaning of the words until meaningless)
(extinguish (all meaningful debate/discussion on the topic through obfuscation and distraction))
posted by entropicamericana at 7:05 AM on June 4, 2017 [12 favorites]

Hm. NPR, hey, so, like, walk me through what the fuck you're doing? As a news organization. Cough twice if you can't talk because someone's there.

You ain't kidding, a few weeks ago during the 2-3 minute intro where they preview their upcoming features, my local NPR announcer said something to the effect of:

"Up next, Michael Flynn has been in the news quite a bit recently, in this report we take a look at some of his local ties to the area and why they're not all bad."

Almost slammed my brakes and gave my passengers whiplash.

The crazy thing is, the feature itself was pretty critical of Flynn, but that lead line sounded like an excerpt from Infowars.
posted by jeremias at 7:08 AM on June 4, 2017 [12 favorites]

With his London tweets, Trump embarrasses himself -- and America -- yet again: Jennifer Rubin, WaPO

Warner calls reports about Trump 'very, very troubling: Madeline Conway, Politico

America in Retreat: NYT Editorial Board
posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:23 AM on June 4, 2017 [16 favorites]

Re that Guardian story, it really does feel like we've slipped into the same reality as that (truly execrable) show The Following. I thought the premise of a serial killer forming a cult made up of other serial killers was ludicrous but here we are with open associations of sociopaths acting together to harm as many people as possible.

(Also I finally cancelled my local NPR affiliate membership. I grew up listening to NPR news twice a day every day and I feel such a sense of betrayal.)
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:23 AM on June 4, 2017 [10 favorites]

From a few days ago, but haven't seen it linked here: Roger Sollenberger digs into fully-weaponized SEO. How the Trump-Russia Data Machine Games Google to Fool Americans
posted by Surely This at 7:24 AM on June 4, 2017 [8 favorites]

I'm currently halfway through "Reinventing Organizations" by F. Laloux.
The first chapter offers a historical rundown of types of organizations since the dawn of time. Ignoring the "evolutionary" teal type for a moment, Laloux identifies the following major ones, which developed over time:

Impulsive - Tribal, with a chief who constantly needs to exercise power in order to keep the troops in line. Fear is the glue of the organization. Highly reactive, short-term focus.
Current examples: Street gangs, tribal militias
Guiding metaphor: Wolf pack

Conformist - Organized in a hierarchical pyramid. Top-down command and control. Stability is valued above all. Therefore, high emphasis on loyalty.
Current examples: Military, Catholic church, government agencies
Guiding metaphor: Army

Achievement: Still hierarchical but with added elements such as innovation, accountability and scientific method. Goal is to achieve profit and growth. Long-term planning. High emphasis on merit (meritocracy).
Current examples: Most major companies
Guiding metaphor: Machine

Pluralistic: Focus on culture and empowerment. Stakeholder values.
Current examples: Ben & Jerry's, SW Airlines
Guiding metaphor: Family

Now consider what Laloux has to say about the impulsive type:

"... people [in impulsive organizations] often express their needs through tantrums and violence. One is largely unaware of other people's feelings. The orientation is still mostly to the present. ... Thinking is shaped by polar opposites, which makes for a black and white worldview - for example strong/weak, my way / your way. ... Their glue is the continuous exercise of power in interpersonal relationships. Wolf packs provide a good metaphor: rather like the "alpha wolf" uses power when needed to maintain his status within the pack, the chief of an [impulsive] organization must demonstrate overwhelming power an bend others to his will to stay in position. ... To provide some stability, the chief surrounds himself with family members (who tend to be more loyal) and buys their allegiance by sharing the spoils. ... Overall, there is no formal hierarchy and there are no job titles."

Sound familiar? That's right, Donald Trump isn't trying to run the government like a business - he's trying to run the government like a wolf pack.

Now, it's important to note that these are more archetypes and no organization is a pure embodiment of these principles. Also, different members of the same organization might act according to different principles. So whereas DJT might see himself as the wolf pack leader, others in the inner circle might subscribe to the conformist/army paradigm.
posted by sour cream at 7:25 AM on June 4, 2017 [17 favorites]

"Up next, Michael Flynn has been in the news quite a bit recently, in this report we take a look at some of his local ties to the area and why they're not all bad."

"Up next: the regime has declared NPR to be a terrorist organization. We'll be talking to Secretary of Purity Gorka about his plans to keep America safe from the threat of (((Globalist))) cuckery, and we'll also be taking a loo-"

(black bag is placed over announcer's head and he/she is trundled off into an armored torture van)
posted by Rust Moranis at 7:25 AM on June 4, 2017 [6 favorites]

How G.O.P. Leaders Came to View Climate Change as Fake Science

That's a weird article. It's got a lot of good info about who is manipulating the message behind the scenes, but it starts in 2008. No mention of Al Gore, no indication that the IPCC was formed in the 1980s, back when Reagan was president. It's like it's this new thing.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 7:26 AM on June 4, 2017 [7 favorites]

Warner calls reports about Trump 'very, very troubling'

Warner, the John McCain of the Democratic party.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:36 AM on June 4, 2017 [12 favorites]

From TFA:

Warner (D-Va.) said he plans to ask Comey, as well as Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and National Security Agency Michael Rogers, whether Trump pressured them to downplay the Russia investigation, as has been reported in news outlets.

posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:38 AM on June 4, 2017 [4 favorites]

Today's pool report states that Trump is at the golf club for the second day in a row.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 7:43 AM on June 4, 2017 [3 favorites]

Yeah, Warner's not all empty words. I'd like him to be a bit less "bi-partisan," but he's all right.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:45 AM on June 4, 2017 [2 favorites]

And the fact that he's not otherwise a bomb-thrower will make his pointed questions to Comey (under oath!) all the more potentially damning.

Dude doesn't have to be a firebrand to be an ally in the fight.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:48 AM on June 4, 2017 [7 favorites]

I saw Aparna Nancherla do a set yesterday

I'm jealous, she's hilarious.
posted by biogeo at 7:53 AM on June 4, 2017 [3 favorites]

For those wondering why the American Right is totally a-okay with Russia and Russian collusion to effect our government, I submit this story from today's NYT:

Bared Breast Enthralls Future Czar, and Stokes a Culture War

Putin's Russia is everything the American Right wants this country to be. It's important to investigate the Trump administration's treasonous connections to Russia, and I have hope that, legally speaking, this is what can bring them all down, but do not expect anyone in the Republican Party to express serious disapproval of Putin's ideology and the way he runs his country. They'd looooove to do the same right here.
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:58 AM on June 4, 2017 [23 favorites]

> Bared Breast Enthralls Future Czar, and Stokes a Culture War

From which I learned that the last Czar, Nikolai II was canonized, no less, in 2000. How far we have come!
posted by stonepharisee at 8:11 AM on June 4, 2017 [1 favorite]

> Putin's Russia is everything the American Right wants this country to be.

Then let's fucking move them all there and let liberals pay for it.
posted by tonycpsu at 8:12 AM on June 4, 2017 [21 favorites]

Bared Breast Enthralls Future Czar, and Stokes a Culture War

From this article I learned there is a Russian culture warrior who is young and blonde and is thus popular on the internet with a certain sort of user

They have made her into an anime icon

She's the public prosecutor in Crimea
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 8:18 AM on June 4, 2017 [4 favorites]

Normally - normally! - when a head of state says or does something damaging to an international relationship, the affronted party has a word with the US ambassador and asks for the message to be passed on.

I guess someone tried to do that from London today, but just got voicemail.

If 45 really wants to help, he should staff up the State department and appoint some ambassadors. Not sabotaging his intelligence services might be useful, too.

(Actual thoughts today re the man - unpostable, even on Metafilter.)
posted by Devonian at 8:18 AM on June 4, 2017 [7 favorites]

They're not going to staff State, or anything else. It's a deliberate strategy to cut out, attack and punish "Obama holdovers", otherwise known as the professional civil service, who they hate and fear. This is the coup in action in front of our eyes.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:24 AM on June 4, 2017 [63 favorites]

Isn't it preferable for the country to have the Acting directors there indefinitely?

one way that it's not preferable is that having holdovers from the previous administration in these positions leaves the trumpistas a convenient scapegoat when anything goes wrong, i.e. "don't blame us, we were sabotaged by obama appointees who wouldn't follow orders"
posted by murphy slaw at 8:47 AM on June 4, 2017 [2 favorites]

How a ‘shadow’ universe of charities joined with political warriors to fuel Trump’s rise (Robert O'Harrow Jr. and Shawn Boburg, WaPo)

Long before Trump promised to build a wall, ban Muslims and abandon the Paris climate accord, Horowitz used his tax-exempt group to rail against illegal immigrants, the spread of Islam and global warming. Center officials described Hillary Clinton as evil, President Barack Obama as a secret communist and the Democratic Party as a front for enemies of the United States.

The Freedom Center has declared itself a “School for Political Warfare,” and it is part of a loose nationwide network of like-minded charities linked together by ideology, personalities, conservative funders and websites, including the for-profit Breitbart News.

Horowitz’s story shows how charities have become essential to modern political campaigns, amid lax enforcement of the federal limits on their involvement in politics, while taking advantage of millions of dollars in what amount to taxpayer subsidies.

posted by Room 641-A at 8:48 AM on June 4, 2017 [13 favorites]

one way that it's not preferable is that having holdovers from the previous administration in these positions leaves the trumpistas a convenient scapegoat when anything goes wrong, i.e. "don't blame us, we were sabotaged by obama appointees who wouldn't follow orders"

"Maybe you should have bothered to appoint someone?"
posted by jaduncan at 9:10 AM on June 4, 2017 [4 favorites]

Is it good or bad that it would mean they were preemptively planning to fail at everything?
posted by Artw at 9:13 AM on June 4, 2017

Can someone explain to me whether there are actual legal differences in the abilities of "Acting" Executive Branch leaders compared to their future Trump-appointed Senate-confirmed replacements? Isn't it preferable for the country to have the Acting directors there indefinitely?

For one thing, acting positions are subject to a 210-day time limitation, or supposed to be anyway, under the Vacancies Reform Act of 1998. As far as I know there's no other strict difference in legal authority, only in apparent legitimacy and mandate.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:26 AM on June 4, 2017 [2 favorites]

A tweet in which Gabby Giffords destroys the POTUS' insane statement this morning: Mr. President, every day we are having a gun debate because every day 90 people in our country die from gun violence. Many of them are kids.

She could have told just told him to go fuck himself, but she's so nice.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 9:31 AM on June 4, 2017 [104 favorites]

Everything said so far about how the modern GOP came about is correct, to a degree: it's the final result of the congealing of many vile trends and forces that themselves have always been a part of America. If you follow these causes back, you'll mostly find their roots predate the 60s, a time of living memory for the Aileses and Gingriches and Trumps, and the time their parents lives their whole lives in. It's the ghosts of a time of red scares, segregation and anti-miscegenation statutes, criminalized sexual identities, lynchings and Comstock laws and dropping bombs out of planes on striking laborers. Retrace the GOP's ideology and behavior just little further, to the living memory of the preceding generation, and you get to anti-immigrant Know Nothings, you get the Chinese Exclusion Act, bison herds turned to mountains of bleached skulls, you get the open genocide of Native Americans and huge chunks of the population willing to fight and die for the right to own and abuse other human beings.

The Republican Party makes a lot of sense when viewed as a golem composed of zombified bits and pieces of American history's greatest shames. The Shame Golem Party.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:19 PM on June 3 [77 favorites +] [!]

So like, why do you hate America? Why would you tell the truth if you didn't hate America? You hate America. You must want to destroy the American family, huh? And give guns to felons and pagans and gays huh? Don't even try to tell me they can already have guns, because I know they can, because this is America and everyone but felons and pagans and gays has guns. Why do you hate Everything Good and Beautiful? Is my comment not logical or something? America hater. Skulls for the skull throne. Why do you hate America?
posted by saysthis at 9:51 AM on June 4, 2017 [5 favorites]

That's a weird article. It's got a lot of good info about who is manipulating the message behind the scenes, but it starts in 2008. No mention of Al Gore, no indication that the IPCC was formed in the 1980s, back when Reagan was president. It's like it's this new thing.

The war on science had two branches. One was that of various industries (notably tobacco and asbestos) paying scientish people to dispute evidence against their products.

But the more direct predecessor was Ronald Reagan's attack on environmentalism at the Department of Interior and the EPA, led by the people he appointed to lead those agencies. That would be James Watt, who literally believed Jesus was returning so use it up fast, and Anne Burford, a corrupt bureaucrat who got married in the midst of her scandal and changed her name to Anne Gorsuch.

She is also the mother of new Supreme Court justice Neil Gorsuch.
posted by msalt at 10:20 AM on June 4, 2017 [47 favorites]

I feel like there's some kind of coordinated push going on right now to inundate social media with "both sides do it" lefty-fake-news exposees. I mean, duh, but the volume and breadth looks pretty suspicious for such a "no shit" thesis.
posted by ctmf at 10:22 AM on June 4, 2017 [6 favorites]

in regards to this (tweet), will trump need congressional legislation to privatize air traffic control? or it is something he can do via EO?
posted by localhuman at 10:28 AM on June 4, 2017 [1 favorite]

The Rude Pundit: Ignorant, Friendless, and Uncaring: Trump's Paris Agreement Decision Is a Reflection of Himself
posted by homunculus at 10:34 AM on June 4, 2017 [7 favorites]

I see plenty of lefty "fake news" on my feed (the most notable sharer is N. Irish so I get a lot of lefty fake news about the Tories) but it is so qualitatively different from the Right version, I don't know how anyone can claim equivalence. They are both dumb for-profit clickbait, but the left version isn't so much fake as just emotionally heightened. Yes, the thing happened, but no, it is not the harbinger of the downfall of the Right. Yes, person said the thing but no, conservatives are not weeping into their chardonnay over it. Meanwhile, someone just posted yesterday this utterly preposterous thing a Trumpet on their wall posted about how because our mayor is part of the Climate Alliance, Pittsburghers are now going to have to pay a $1000 fee to have babies, and Pittsburgh personally will pay the other Paris Agreement countries billions of dollars. Like, just complete and utter lunacy. It was "copied, not shared" which is code for "this originated with a paid troll, please cover the tracks." This person's friend, when confronted with the total lack of evidence for any of these claims just did a rhetorical shrug.
posted by soren_lorensen at 10:34 AM on June 4, 2017 [36 favorites]

For one thing, acting positions are subject to a 210-day time limitation, or supposed to be anyway, under the Vacancies Reform Act of 1998.

so what happens on August 18 for all the positions for which trump hasn't even made a nomination? from reading further in the text of the act:

(1) the office shall remain vacant; and
(2) in the case of an office other than the office of the head of an Executive agency (including the Executive Office of the President, and other than the Government Accountability Office), only the head of such Executive agency may perform any function or duty of such office.
(c) If the last day of any 210-day period under section 3346 is a day on which the Senate is not in session, the second day the Senate is next in session and receiving nominations shall be deemed to be the last day of such period

it sounds like those positions will have to be vacated and all of their powers will devolve to the cabinet secretary involved?
posted by murphy slaw at 10:52 AM on June 4, 2017 [6 favorites]

Mattis is saying whatever the next equivalent of WWII is the US will sit the first half of it out? I'm sure that will be of great consolation as Russian tanks roll into Poland.

We sat out the first half of the actual WWII when Russian tanks rolled into Poland (right after the Germans).
posted by kirkaracha at 10:59 AM on June 4, 2017 [9 favorites]

it sounds like those positions will have to be vacated and all of their powers will devolve to the cabinet secretary involved?

Which one presumes would be a bad thing, so this may be the plan...
posted by Devonian at 11:06 AM on June 4, 2017 [3 favorites]

Which one presumes would be a bad thing, so this may be the plan...

On the other hand, this presumes a base line of competence
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 11:18 AM on June 4, 2017 [4 favorites]

Trump's Razor Corollary: Never attribute to competence that which can be attributed to incompetence
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:30 AM on June 4, 2017 [15 favorites]

The federal government has way too many moving parts for cabinet secretaries and agency heads to be doing any of the hands-on dirty work that needs to be done, even if they wanted to. And this crew Trump's brought on don't seem like the hands-on workaholic type to me. If anything, I think the vacuum in the agencies hurts them by slowing down their ability to burn down all the shit they want to burn down. It also makes it awful for the people in those agencies because they're in limbo, but I'll take stasis over crisis.
posted by tonycpsu at 11:35 AM on June 4, 2017 [10 favorites]

Can you imagine Tillerson, like, doing anything? Dude only wakes from his slumber for Russian oil money.
posted by Artw at 11:36 AM on June 4, 2017 [6 favorites]

я даже не вставать с постели меньше чем за 1000000 рублей
posted by kirkaracha at 11:41 AM on June 4, 2017 [13 favorites]

Wait? The "not having a gun debate" thing was a Trump tweet?
I thought that was someone pointing out how much worse it could have been?!?!?

What. The. Fuck.

That doesn't even make sense for him to say it?
What's he saying?
I, what, ummm.

Fuck.
posted by fullerine at 12:15 PM on June 4, 2017 [21 favorites]

He's saying we'll still have terrorist attacks even if we don't have guns so no need to do anything about guns because cars and knives are also weapons. Typical NRA bullshit talking point scrambled through the Trump-inart.
posted by Joey Michaels at 12:17 PM on June 4, 2017 [27 favorites]

it sounds like those positions will have to be vacated and all of their powers will devolve to the cabinet secretary involved?

Typically when this sort of thing happens in a medium-to-large business setting, the result is increased efficiencies and a sharp upturn in innovative improvements. Also - and this is in most but not all circumstances - the business is parted out to offshore suppliers when the executives are indicted for fraud and sued by the shareholders.

tl;dr, Trump's Razor, smart money bets on continued deep concern of Sens. McCain and Graham.
posted by petebest at 12:20 PM on June 4, 2017 [1 favorite]

Freedom Bucket: "Perfect for the high volume patriot that enjoys target shooting. ... Country of Origin: Imported."
posted by Slothrup at 12:24 PM on June 4, 2017 [10 favorites]

Trump basically blundered his way through the London thing like your batshit elderly relative who believes forwarded emails then went golfing. He is not a president, he is the loudest shitty racist unlce on the planet.
It would be shocking if we didn't already know how incapable he was.
posted by Artw at 12:29 PM on June 4, 2017 [72 favorites]

There are times where Trump physically nauseates me. His SOU where he used the sobbing widow was one of those times. His using the horror those people in London experienced to make a non sequitur about guns is another. I experienced plenty of revulsion at W's policies and hated Reagan because I thought he'd get us all killed, but this is the first time in my life where Every. Fucking. Day. there is a new thing and I feel, there's no other word for it, hatred. It's a cumulative effect: if he'd just shut up for one fucking minute maybe I'd recover from, say, the withdrawal from the PA, but no.

I think that's one thing that Trump supporters are not getting: it's not liberal tears, this is rage, at least, that's where I'm at. I'm in a much darker place than I was at the Women's March. The Trump supporter who lives within view of my living room window had patriotic bunting and flags all over his house for Memorial Day; I wanted to tear down his flags and scream in his face. The guy has kids, too, and I should be *but the children* and instead I'm speculating at how these kids are probably getting a steady diet of Fox News and will be the Trump Voters of Tomorrow.

Anyway, I don't know what my point is, but I feel like I have a duty to not tune of current affairs but at the same time I can see that constant exposure to this malignancy that's infecting the republic is not exactly a recipe for mental health.
posted by angrycat at 12:39 PM on June 4, 2017 [69 favorites]

It would be shocking if we didn't already know how incapable he was.

Both in fiction and reality, people have long considered how to deal with a US president who becomes unable to fulfil the duties of his office. We didn't expect to have to deal with a president who is precisely as manifestly unable to fulfil his duties as before Election Day.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:43 PM on June 4, 2017 [12 favorites]

in regards to this (tweet), will trump need congressional legislation to privatize air traffic control? or it is something he can do via EO?

The FAA is authorized by law to run air traffic control, so it would take new legislation to privatize it. Republicans have been asking for this recently, here the NYTimes discusses some of the issues of their last proposed privatization legislation "Don’t Privatize Air Traffic Control" in Feb 2016.

Some of the issues are that there's no other country with as much air traffic as the US that has a privatized ATC so there's no direct comparison to be had, but Canada and the UK have done it and their costs have gone up (and the UK had to bailout their private ATC operator after 9/11, so there exists a moral hazard for providing essential safety services). Congressional oversight would be reduced since the House and Senate Appropriations and the House Ways and Means committees currently have oversight of the FAA and thus ATC performance, and congress is usually loath to reduce its own oversight power. And there also the fact that privatization would involve a $50ish billion dollar giveaway of existing towers, technology and other assets that have been paid for by taxpayers and passenger fees.
posted by peeedro at 12:59 PM on June 4, 2017 [17 favorites]

Trump reacts to London terror by stoking fear and renewing feud with Mayor (Philip Rucker, WaPo)

... in short, exactly the opposite as a true statesman or stateswoman would react.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 1:08 PM on June 4, 2017 [20 favorites]

To be fair he probably thinks Sadiq Khan and Khizr Khan are the same guy
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:27 PM on June 4, 2017 [22 favorites]

Why would Trump announce a push to privatize ATC when there is zero chance it passes a filibuster? You announce popular but unlikely to pass initiatives as a way to garner support for your party and increase disapproval of the opposition party. Announcing unpopular and unlikely to pass initiatives is... just stupid?
posted by Justinian at 1:29 PM on June 4, 2017 [8 favorites]

Could it be done under the Byrd rule?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:32 PM on June 4, 2017

His "populist" agenda has all been like that - I beleive he is working from exposure to only a very small, very badly informed group of peope.
posted by Artw at 1:33 PM on June 4, 2017 [9 favorites]

Metafilter! You must see this gif!

Who knew that if you turned Donald Duck upside down you get the other Donald?
posted by OnceUponATime at 1:42 PM on June 4, 2017 [34 favorites]

Could it be done under the Byrd rule?

Reconciliation? I don't think they could possibly argue that privatizing the ATC is primarily a budgetary issue. But they are shameless so 🤷
posted by Justinian at 1:54 PM on June 4, 2017 [1 favorite]

What I would like to see is Theresa May being openly a little loyal to her London Mayor and telling Trump what a jerk he is. But it seems that Trump is the only one who just says straight out what his brain is (sort of) thinking, while everyone else finds it ok to go on tiptoeing. Bah.
posted by Namlit at 2:09 PM on June 4, 2017 [1 favorite]

What the fuck is with all these Americans telling UK people that there wouldn't be terror attacks if there weren't any muslims. The IRA almost assassinated a sitting fucking PM.
posted by Talez at 2:11 PM on June 4, 2017 [71 favorites]

What I would like to see is Theresa May being openly a little loyal to her London Mayor and telling Trump what a jerk he is.

She is a weak, weak, leader and an utter coward, I wouldn't expect any nobility or dignity from her. Mostly shes going to want to use this for electoral advantage and to pass shitty internet laws.
posted by Artw at 2:11 PM on June 4, 2017 [6 favorites]

The US Ambassador to the UK wasn't all that subtle in contradicting Trump at least. Wonder how long he'll have that position.
posted by zachlipton at 2:14 PM on June 4, 2017 [13 favorites]

Just for the record, Lukens isn't the ambassador, he's the charge d'affaires (acting ambassador). He's one of those deep-state Obama appointees who's still working because someone has to keep the goddamn government running.

Though, confusingly, he is "Ambassador Lukens" because he was the ambo to Guinea-Bissau.
posted by Etrigan at 2:33 PM on June 4, 2017 [27 favorites]

Wonder how long he'll have that position.

It's sad times when this is indeed the first thought that crosses one's mind.
posted by Namlit at 2:34 PM on June 4, 2017 [1 favorite]

Acting US Ambassador. He'll have the post until 45 gets around to submitting someone for the position, so... well, see above.

I have to say, being lectured by one's cousins' crazy uncle about gun control and terrorism is really not going down well here. Nobody wants an American-style gunfest here - I don't know if the NRA has ever addressed the curious fact that countries with strict gun control laws really like it that way - and we had decades of terrorism that we managed to make go away. This attack lasted eight minutes before the bastards were shot by the police - so efficiently that the SAS didn't even have time to get out of their black helicopters.

Most of our police aren't armed. One of the first on the scene rushed one of the terrorists with just his baton, and got badly cut up for his pains, but I am pretty damn sure that this won't change opinions about whether we want more guns - even in the hands of the plod.

So, please, if you want a measure of just how badly your president is pissing people off, just ask the UK this evening.

(And if he follows through on his threat to visit next week - an election week! - I feel you won't need to ask, because our feelings will be made very plain indeed.)
posted by Devonian at 2:36 PM on June 4, 2017 [70 favorites]

In today's episode of Trump's mirror.

"@TheBigJamesG: What kind of president doesn't get playing golf after a cruel beheading isn't the thing to do? Detached from reality he is"

posted by Talez at 2:40 PM on June 4, 2017 [5 favorites]

Also re: ATC privatization, the 2016 legislation was sponsored by Pennsylvania Rep Bill Shuster. In his 16 years in congress he has only sponsored one other bill, the ironically named Transparent Airfares Act of 2014 which would make airfares less transparent by allowing airlines to advertise "base prices" without including the assorted taxes and user fees. This is also something that must have resonated with Trump as he's already made moves in this direction.

Being the chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Shuster seems to have a certain passion for the airline industry as they are his number one contributors, he hired an airline lobbyist to be the staff director of the aviation subcommittee, his chief of staff is married to an airline lobbyist, two of his former staffers are registered airline lobbyists, and his girlfriend is a airline industry lobbyist.
posted by peeedro at 2:51 PM on June 4, 2017 [21 favorites]

we had decades of terrorism that we managed to make go away

And managed to make it go away through diplomacy and not by trying to kill all the terrorists in the world.
posted by kirkaracha at 2:56 PM on June 4, 2017 [10 favorites]

Some sad links...

From April, but I just came across it:

Baltic states think Russia is laying the groundwork for looming 'kinetic operations'

Signs of an intensifying Moscow-led disinformation campaign have the Lithuanian government worried that Russia is laying the groundwork for "kinetic operations" - a euphemism for combat - similar to its recent actions in Crimea and eastern Ukraine.
...
"Russia is a threat," Lithuanian Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis told The Guardian. "They are saying our capital Vilnius should not belong to Lithuania because between the first and second world wars it was occupied by Poland."

"There are now reports that Klaipeda never belonged to Lithuania, that it was a gift of Stalin after the second world war," Karoblis said. Klaipeda is Lithuania's third-largest city.

"There are real parallels with Crimea's annexation [from Ukraine] ... We are speaking of a danger to the territorial integrity of Lithuania," Karoblis added.

Lithuanian officials said attempts to dispute or alter history could be a prelude to offensive action, similar to more than a decade of such disinformation efforts in Ukraine that led to Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

Hospitals Become the Front Line in the Syrian Civil War

In addition to military campaigns against rebel groups, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces have deliberately targeted medical facilities, schools, and infrastructure throughout opposition-held regions. Since 2011, 454 medical facilities have been targeted, according to a May 2016 report released by the Syria Campaign, an advocacy group that works to protect Syrian civilians. Assad regime and Russian forces were behind 91 percent of those attacks, according to the report; the Islamic State sometimes kidnaps doctors but has no airforce capable of aerial assaults.

From a Shining City on a Hill to a Banana Republic

When I became a United States ambassador, I swore an oath to “defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic.” It is the same oath that members of Congress take upon assuming office. If ever there were a time for them to fulfill their obligation to protect the Constitution against a foreign enemy, that time is now. Whether or not they do so will have profound implications not only for the state of our democracy, but also for our standing in the world.

posted by OnceUponATime at 2:56 PM on June 4, 2017 [27 favorites]

Raw Story (David Edwards):

Do you notice we are not having a gun debate right now? That's because they used knives and a truck!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2017

Steve Peers, professor of EU Law at the University of Essex, pointed out that the terrorists would have been able to kill “many more” than seven people if they had access to guns.

Which is why they didn't kill many more people. Were you genetically engineered to be this stupid? It's the only explanation. https://t.co/yyerX7w32z

— Steve Peers (@StevePeers) June 4, 2017

posted by Room 641-A at 3:05 PM on June 4, 2017 [67 favorites]

Man, poor Donald Duck
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 3:11 PM on June 4, 2017 [9 favorites]

I just have to add... I think Putin's recent threats of a military response if Sweden joins NATO could be seen a little differently in light of a potential invasion of Lithuania, mentioned in my comment above. The two are awfully close on the map, separated only by the Baltic Sea.
posted by OnceUponATime at 3:18 PM on June 4, 2017 [14 favorites]

What the fuck is with all these Americans telling UK people that there wouldn't be terror attacks if there weren't any muslims. The IRA almost assassinated a sitting fucking PM.

Racism outweighs reason in the average Republican brain by a factor of approximately a billion to one. They don't know anything about history, and they don't care to know. Not unless it can be used to justify their hatred.
posted by mrjohnmuller at 3:18 PM on June 4, 2017 [18 favorites]

Someone crated a bot (@RealPressSec) that turns Trump's tweets into official White House statements. It's as horrifying as you'd guess.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 3:23 PM on June 4, 2017 [13 favorites]

Germany’s largest bank refuses to hand over evidence in Trump-Russia probe: Dem source (Tom Sims, Reuters via RS)

The congressional inquiry is also seeking information about a Russian “mirror trading” scheme that allowed $10 billion to flow out of Russia.

“Congress remains in the dark on whether loans Deutsche Bank made to President Trump were guaranteed by the Russian government, or were in any way connected to Russia,” the Democrats wrote in their request to Deutsche Bank.

God and the Don - Presidents often turn to faith in times of crisis. That seems unlikely for Trump. (MJ Lee, CNN)

As a swarm of reporters waited in the gilded lobby, the Rev. Patrick O'Connor, the senior pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in Queens, and the Rev. Scott Black Johnston, the senior pastor of Manhattan's Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, arrived to pray with the next president. [...]

"I did very, very well with evangelicals in the polls," Trump interjected in the middle of the conversation -- previously unreported comments that were described to me by both pastors.

They gently reminded Trump that neither of them was an evangelical.

"Well, what are you then?" Trump asked.

They explained they were mainline Protestants, the same Christian tradition in which Trump, a self-described Presbyterian, was raised and claims membership. Like many mainline pastors, they told the President-elect, they lead diverse congregations.

Trump nodded along, then posed another question to the two men: "But you're all Christians?"

"Yes, we're all Christians."

posted by Room 641-A at 3:23 PM on June 4, 2017 [17 favorites]

What the fuck is with all these Americans telling UK people that there wouldn't be terror attacks if there weren't any muslims. The IRA almost assassinated a sitting fucking PM.

A Labour MP, Jo Cox, was assassinated by a far rightwing white supremacist last year for fucks sake.
posted by chris24 at 3:26 PM on June 4, 2017 [67 favorites]

Were you genetically engineered to be this stupid? It's the only explanation.

Man, Jill Stein voters must be kicking themselves
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:28 PM on June 4, 2017 [9 favorites]

Trump nodded along, then posed another question to the two men: "But you're all Christians?"

That would be damning if evangelicals gave a shit about faith or Christ or ethics. But he's not a person of color, not white, not a Democrat, and willing to hand them what they really worship: power and money. So they don't give a shit.
posted by middleclasstool at 3:30 PM on June 4, 2017 [9 favorites]

Man, Jill Stein voters must be kicking themselves

They'll just start up a crusade requiring labeling for genetically modified presidential candidates.
posted by Talez at 3:36 PM on June 4, 2017 [5 favorites]

Christianity isn't something that I know a whole lot about, but even I could confidently identify major denominations and their relationship with each other. It's part of the background knowledge for any educated Westerner. But this goes beyond ignorance: Trump's family church was Presbyterian and as recently as 2011 he described himself as Presbyterian. None the less, he couldn't identify two Presbyterian ministers as being Christian.

But it gors further than that: one of the ministers was the Reverend Patrick O'Connor, senior pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Queens. That's the same church where Trump was confirmed! He isn't even failing to recall common bits of knowledge; he can't even recall his own childhood. There is absolutely no doubt that Trump is suffering from some form of memory loss.
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:03 PM on June 4, 2017 [55 favorites]

He isn't even failing to recall common bits of knowledge; he can't even recall his own childhood. There is absolutely no doubt that Trump is suffering from some form of memory loss.

Mate I'm 35. I know the name of the guy who did my Christening, I know he's dead through the family grapevine but if you put him in a lineup I wouldn't know him from a hole in the ground. I don't think I have memory loss yet.
posted by Talez at 4:22 PM on June 4, 2017 [2 favorites]

Talez, that's different than not remembering Presbyterians are Christian, particularly when you were raised Presbyterian.
posted by leotrotsky at 4:31 PM on June 4, 2017 [34 favorites]

Right, I think Talez misunderstood what "he couldn't identify two Presbyterian ministers as being Christian" referred to.

The focus of that sentence is on the "as being Christian" not on the "couldn't identify two Presbyterian ministers". It's not that he didn't know their names, it's that he didn't know if they were Christian or not.
posted by Justinian at 4:36 PM on June 4, 2017 [2 favorites]

It's not that he didn't know their names, it's that he didn't know if they were Christian or not.

Also, Patrick o'Connor was probably introduced as "the senior pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Queens", which is the church where he was confirmed, presumably when he was in high school. I'm pretty sure most people would recognise the name of the church/temple/whatever they went to when they were that age, particularly if the name includes the actual suburb. But that didn't ring any bells, the denomination didn't ring any bells, and even his general knowledge wasn't up to the task. Seriously, I would take a bet that he's going through life in a fog, coasting on bluster and canned responses. We joke about him ignoring Tiffany, but it's perfectly possible that he literally doesn't know who she is.
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:54 PM on June 4, 2017 [14 favorites]

Talez, that's different than not remembering Presbyterians are Christian, particularly when you were raised Presbyterian.

Yeah. That's half the freaking country.
posted by Talez at 5:01 PM on June 4, 2017 [1 favorite]

I guess my point is there's already plenty of places where he's shitty and a fucking lunatic who needs to have the 25th invoked. We don't need to go on similar reaching both-sides-ism that Rs did to HRC.
posted by Talez at 5:02 PM on June 4, 2017 [1 favorite]

I gotta admit, #BroFlake is my new favorite word.
posted by bongo_x at 5:04 PM on June 4, 2017 [10 favorites]

Seriously, I would take a bet that he's going through life in a fog, coasting on bluster and canned responses

Having watched relatives do exactly that--and if the person was naturally gregarious or had a public-facing career they can be very good at it--I have no doubt, myself. I have a relative who greets me effusively whenever we meet but I'm damned if he could say who I am if pressed.
posted by octobersurprise at 5:05 PM on June 4, 2017 [15 favorites]

“Congress remains in the dark on whether loans Deutsche Bank made to President Trump were guaranteed by the Russian government, or were in any way connected to Russia,” the Democrats wrote in their request to Deutsche Bank.

Deutsche Bank is famous for laundering Russian money and famous for being the last bank willing to work with Trump. Probably just a coincidence.
posted by diogenes at 5:12 PM on June 4, 2017 [53 favorites]

Well as the old joke goes maybe Trump should order a church-monogrammed bedding set from the gift catalog of the First Unitarian Church of Kennebunkport, ME.

There's an old joke that goes like that?
posted by diogenes at 5:16 PM on June 4, 2017 [6 favorites]

Probably they'll spin it as "He was joking! It's a joke, har har 'we're all Christians here right?' -- stigginit to the libs who hate Jesus!"
posted by The otter lady at 5:27 PM on June 4, 2017

First Unitarian Church of Kennebunkport, ME.

Hah! That's my childhood church, possibly*! I haven't been there in a looooooooong time but back in January my mom sent me a picture of that small town's comparatively giant Women's March taken from the top of said church. I'm not a UU anymore but very glad those folks are around in the midst of the Emergency.

Anyway, nitpicky asterisks aside, thanks for reminding me about those folks; that improved my evening tremendously.

* the name is slightly different, though, in a way that's sadly initialism-relevant: the Unitarian church is FPUUCK ME, and it's in Kennebunk, not Kennebunkport. The latter has a FCCK ME, but no bedsheets for the Orange Fucking Menace as far as I know.
posted by busted_crayons at 5:35 PM on June 4, 2017 [7 favorites]

Probably they'll spin it as "He was joking!

No, they've already found their spin. It's in that article. He's a a "baby Christian."
posted by OnceUponATime at 5:37 PM on June 4, 2017 [2 favorites]

He's a a "baby Christian."

Yes, and he belongs in the crying room.
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:48 PM on June 4, 2017 [8 favorites]

Shit. I just saw a TV ad for an organization calling themselves "Make America Sober Again." I lol'd.
posted by octobersurprise at 6:00 PM on June 4, 2017 [4 favorites]

Thursday cannot come fast enough for me. Highest ratings ever for a Congressional hearing? Trump is all about the ratings.
posted by Justinian at 6:54 PM on June 4, 2017 [2 favorites]

Clear your calendars for Wednesday:

NSA Director Mike Rogers poised to ‘drop a bomb’ on Trump admin during Wednesday testimony: MSNBC

While a lot of people have focused on James Comey and that’s obviously a huge anchor in this,” Clemons said at the end of the segment, “watch the Senate Intelligence Committee hearings on Wednesday. National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers may have a bomb to drop in this, as well as Dan Coates. I have been tipped off that Mike Rogers has a story to tell as well that goes right along the lines that our friend David Corn has shared.”

posted by Room 641-A at 7:02 PM on June 4, 2017 [29 favorites]

Whats the read on the JCHEL?

Justinian Congressional Hearing Excitement Level
posted by petebest at 7:04 PM on June 4, 2017 [34 favorites]

The real reason Trump is pulling out of the Paris Accords is concern over the carbon footprint for microwave popcorn this week.
posted by peeedro at 7:07 PM on June 4, 2017 [6 favorites]

We're talking Christmas Eve at age 11 levels here, pete.
posted by Justinian at 7:09 PM on June 4, 2017 [69 favorites]

After about 2 years of breathlessly hyped bombshells, I'm resigned to disappointment.
posted by codacorolla at 7:18 PM on June 4, 2017 [24 favorites]

Der Spiegel: Donald Trump's Triumph of Stupidity: German Chancellor Angela Merkel was the last one to speak, according to the secret minutes taken last Friday afternoon in the luxurious conference hotel in the Sicilian town of Taormina -- meeting notes that DER SPIEGEL has been given access to. Leaders of the world's seven most powerful economies were gathered around the table and the issues under discussion were the global economy and sustainable development.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 7:20 PM on June 4, 2017 [22 favorites]

After about 2 years of breathlessly hyped bombshells, I'm resigned to disappointment.

Yeah. Me too. How I feel about the entire Trump campaign and subsequent presidency.
posted by Talez at 7:32 PM on June 4, 2017 [5 favorites]

I've heard this story before from people. It'll bounce right off. Like the rape accusations and the pussy tape.

Democracy dies, film at eleven.
posted by steady-state strawberry at 7:35 PM on June 4, 2017 [7 favorites]

I think you are probably right but I hope to god or whatever that you're wrong.
posted by rifflesby at 7:43 PM on June 4, 2017 [9 favorites]

On the plus side, Puerto Rico vote for statehood in a week which seems ridiculously likely to pass.

We'll see what the Republicans have to say about two extra solid D senate seats and 3-5 extra D house members. Chances are they tell Puerto Rico to FOAD, whites only.
posted by Talez at 7:45 PM on June 4, 2017 [21 favorites]

Nothing Rogers or Comey can or will say will move Republicans to act. Nothing. They're all 100% in league with the Putin-Trump administration to transform America into a white ethnofacist state. Absolutely nothing will change one single Republican from that course except electoral defeat.

This is more then likely true. However it is still important for the public and other power players to know the extent of what they are dealing with. The worse it is the more isolated he becomes and although he can do a lot with just GOP support there is a lot of things that government does that aren't dependant on it. He needs to be hamstrung as much as possible both nationally and internationally.
posted by Jalliah at 7:49 PM on June 4, 2017 [7 favorites]

i have been doing some refresher research on watergate and i must report:

compared to watergate, this scandal is stupid and obvious. i have to draw a goddamn diagram to keep track of all of the dramatis personae in watergate. there were people who did things for semi-noble motivations like loyalty or sense of responsibility. there were layers of indirection between the burglars and the president!

with rus-a-lago, everyone's motivations are stupid, venal, and painfully obvious and trump himself is so dumb that he handles the cover-up with the opposite of finesse, like a hippopotamus trying to waltz. he doesn't even realize that obstruction of justice could be a thing!

in the seventies we made our scandals at home, with good old fashioned american hubris and paranoia. these days we outsource the hard part and fuck up what's left over.

america deserves better scandals, is what i'm saying.
posted by murphy slaw at 7:50 PM on June 4, 2017 [80 favorites]

NSA Director Mike Rogers poised to ‘drop a bomb’ on Trump admin during Wednesday testimony: MSNBC

I feel like there's a 70% chance that the Rogers 'bomb' has already dropped, and it's this: NSA Chief Admits Trump Colluded With Russia.
posted by dis_integration at 7:53 PM on June 4, 2017 [3 favorites]

in the seventies we made our scandals at home, with good old fashioned american hubris and paranoia. these days we outsource the hard part and fuck up what's left over.

Extremely good line, 10/10 would retweet
posted by rifflesby at 7:54 PM on June 4, 2017 [17 favorites]

On the plus side, Puerto Rico vote for statehood in a week which seems ridiculously likely to pass.

Wait, what? How have I not heard about this? That seems... really interesting. Talez, any chance that you, or another knowledgeable person, could make an FPP on this?
posted by Tsuga at 7:58 PM on June 4, 2017 [8 favorites]

NSA Chief Admits Trump Colluded With Russia.
Two questions:
(1) Why hasn't every non-Trumpist media entity picked this up and screamed it from the rooftops?
(2) Why was it reported by Observer.com, which is owned by Jared Kushner?!?
posted by oneswellfoop at 8:00 PM on June 4, 2017 [5 favorites]

Which is why they didn't kill many more people. Were you genetically engineered to be this stupid? It's the only explanation. https://t.co/yyerX7w32z

— Steve Peers (@StevePeers) June 4, 2017

I hesitated to link this earlier today to avoid any hint of self-linkage. I have known Steve since we were 13 and he is probably the smartest guy I know. I was very pleased to see his tweet make its way around the world this weekend.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:01 PM on June 4, 2017 [38 favorites]

(2) Why was it reported by Observer.com, which is owned by Jared Kushner?!?

Yeah I'm kind of baffled by that. But maybe (1) is explained by (2). I didn't know what to think of it until this rumor of a Rogers bombshell dropped today.
posted by dis_integration at 8:02 PM on June 4, 2017

I don't think Comey's testimony is going to instantly destroy the Trump regime or anything but it could still be important! SURELY THIS.
posted by Justinian at 8:08 PM on June 4, 2017

There's a bit of news tonight:

* Bahrain, Egypt, UAE, and Saudi Arabia have cut off diplomatic relations with Qatar
* Saudi Arabia will shut down sea, airspace and land crossings with Qatar
* Bahrain instructs all citizens of Qatar to leave the kingdom within 14 days
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 8:09 PM on June 4, 2017 [12 favorites]

Wait wut? I can barely keep track of what's going on in US foreign relations. What did Qatar do?
posted by jferg at 8:11 PM on June 4, 2017 [9 favorites]

I can't say whether there is something in particular that triggered this now, but the general issue is that Qatar is signaling they want to make nice with Iran and the Saudis cannot abide that.
posted by Justinian at 8:14 PM on June 4, 2017 [7 favorites]

It might be nice to have a functioning State department tomorrow.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:16 PM on June 4, 2017 [37 favorites]

Can someone with more knowledge of the Gulf make an FPP of this Qatar business? It seems like a big deal.
posted by Glibpaxman at 8:16 PM on June 4, 2017 [4 favorites]

Interesting. And, at last check, we have a significant military presence in Qatar, which is pretty critical to activities in Iraq and Afghanistan.
posted by jferg at 8:16 PM on June 4, 2017 [1 favorite]

(A rough analogy might be like if Finland, during the height of the Cold War, had signaled they wanted to move closer into the USSRs orbit.)
posted by Justinian at 8:17 PM on June 4, 2017 [2 favorites]

We only have 10,000 troops or so in Qatar and the 5th Fleet based in Bahrain, so there's no way this won't blow up in our faces.
posted by zachlipton at 8:21 PM on June 4, 2017 [5 favorites]

I'd be concerned if we didn't have an adult in the White House.

(I'm concerned.)
posted by Barack Spinoza at 8:26 PM on June 4, 2017 [5 favorites]

uh, the saudis haven't taken delivery of the giant pile of military hardware that kushner lined up yet, right?
posted by murphy slaw at 8:28 PM on June 4, 2017

Well we can't move against our good friends the Saudis. They just gave us a medal and let us touch an orb. We'll have to stay out of this regional conflict but if Iran gets involved then we can support our orb sharing, medal giving allies by doing all of the fighting for them.
posted by Joey Michaels at 8:32 PM on June 4, 2017 [7 favorites]

in other words, welcome to World War One, here's our Serbia.
posted by Joey Michaels at 8:33 PM on June 4, 2017 [4 favorites]

So I don't have TV and I have internet data restrictions. I need the political equivalent of a sports bar for these hearings. But as my husband pointed out, around here it would near to be team-affiliated to avoid...unpleasantness.
posted by threeturtles at 8:36 PM on June 4, 2017 [2 favorites]

Re: Qatar - Al Jazeera is saying in this brief breaking news piece that "the dispute between Qatar and the Gulf's Arab countries started over a hack of Qatar's state-run news agency. It has spiralled since," which links to this story from May 25, titled "Cyberattack against Qatar puts fake news in focus."
posted by glonous keming at 8:40 PM on June 4, 2017 [10 favorites]

ELECTIONS NEWS

GA-06 -- Torrid pace continues through day 6 of EV. 46K ballots so far, will likely exceed the TOTAL vote for first round on Mon or Tue.

Odds & ends:

-- NBC: Trump support dropped sharply in counties with military bases, from +7 at 100 days to -9 in May.
-- Kim Weaver, who was planning to run against Steve King (R - Moonbat), has dropped out due in part to alleged death threats.
-- Kaiser Health Tracking poll finds most Americans want major changes in the AHCA or for it not to be passed at all. Also, majorities oppose Medicaid cutbacks.

posted by Chrysostom at 8:40 PM on June 4, 2017 [31 favorites]

Oh god, what's the fuck did Trump agree to let the Saudis do? Do you you think he even knows?
posted by Artw at 8:42 PM on June 4, 2017 [4 favorites]

Apparently Qatar hosts a bunch of major funders of terrorism, and the U.S. has been grumbling about that for a long time (while simultaneously using Qatar as a major air base). Who knew? Not me.
posted by clawsoon at 8:45 PM on June 4, 2017 [1 favorite]

"put one hand on the orb if we shouldn't invade qatar, both hands if we should"
posted by murphy slaw at 8:50 PM on June 4, 2017 [3 favorites]

Good thing no Saudis have ever been involved in a high-profile terrorist attack
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 8:51 PM on June 4, 2017 [49 favorites]

Thank god the Saudis, enemies of all things terrorism related, are on the case!
posted by Justinian at 8:51 PM on June 4, 2017 [13 favorites]

*shakes fist at RVP*
posted by Justinian at 8:52 PM on June 4, 2017 [8 favorites]

Probably going to be a lot of articles like this soon: What’s going on with Qatar? (WaPo)
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 8:53 PM on June 4, 2017 [4 favorites]

Oh of course Rupert Murdoch is involved. FFS.
posted by Yowser at 8:55 PM on June 4, 2017 [2 favorites]

Good thing no Saudis have ever been involved in a high-profile terrorist attack

That's the great thing about spreading the wealth around to two thousand family members. You get all of the benefits of funding your ideology's terrorist strains while keeping plausible deniability for the upper echelons.
posted by Talez at 8:55 PM on June 4, 2017 [4 favorites]

The der Spiegel article linked above is terrifying. President Ban on and puppet 45 are driving us straight into war with our own allies. And now, Qatar heats up? Perfect.

Seriously gang, I don't know what we can do but prepare for it to get very bad. Even if we got rid of the current swarm of evil infesting the white house, every one in the line of succession is also terrible, hates the very notion of democracy, and would be glad to see the rise of Gilead.

A trade war with south America and Europe would fuck all sorts of supply chains for everything from cars to vegetables. Another land war in the middle east will sink the treasury, and sacrifice my son's generation to pointless death on foreign soil for no benefit to the nation.

I have lost the ability to find hope in any of this. I fear we have doomed the United States for the lulz.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 9:07 PM on June 4, 2017 [4 favorites]

msalt: "Here's a bumper sticker/t-shirt you can all have:

"Make America Great Again: IMPEACH TRUMP""

Here ya go.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:10 PM on June 4, 2017 [8 favorites]

That's the great thing about spreading the wealth around to two thousand family members.
And if you don't you get situations like in Syria several decades ago, when the father of the current Assad kicked out several first cousins including one who ended up in Los Angeles working with my father as a Liability Insurance Underwriter. Syria's loss, Swett & Crawford's gain. But that's why I still think of Insurance when I hear the name Assad.
posted by oneswellfoop at 9:10 PM on June 4, 2017 [12 favorites]

But that's why I still think of Insurance when I hear the name Assad.

I kind of want to log on to Fiverr and get someone to do a serious promotional video with this copy.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 9:20 PM on June 4, 2017 [6 favorites]

The WaPo story on Qatar says that the Emir is (falsely?) reported to have 'described Hamas as “the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people”', on May 23rd. Just yesterday, there was a report that Qatar is expelling Hamas leaders from the emirate. I don't know whether this disproves the claims made about the emir's statement about Hamas (and by extension, the other claims in the same report) or whether the expulsion of Hamas was an attempt to get ahead of the story, true or false. It's a mess, and the coordinated anti-Qatar action of so many Arab states indicates that this was planned in advance. Someone is playing a very dangerous game, and I really wish there were a grownup in the White House at this time.
posted by Joe in Australia at 9:27 PM on June 4, 2017 [6 favorites]

Re: the Observer.com article about Miles Rogers

1) Yes it is indeed the website owned by Jared Kushner and should be ignored.
2) The article in no way justifies the headline. The article doesn't seem newsworthy at all. We know that people have seen evidence that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia. That is quite different to saying definitively that the President did so.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:33 PM on June 4, 2017 [4 favorites]

A trade war with south America and Europe would fuck all sorts of supply chains for everything from cars to vegetables. Another land war in the middle east will sink the treasury, and sacrifice my son's generation to pointless death on foreign soil for no benefit to the nation.

I have lost the ability to find hope in any of this. I fear we have doomed the United States for the lulz.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 1:07 PM on June 5 [2 favorites −] Favorite added! [!]

The Aristocrats!
posted by saysthis at 9:39 PM on June 4, 2017 [5 favorites]

Notice that No Ever Says Trump Has "No Fixed Ideology" at Moments Like This?

The only president we've got responded to last night's London terror attack just the way a Fox News commentator would: [...]

We're often told that Trump has "no fixed ideology," that he used to be a political centrist and that he might move to the center -- or even the left -- at any moment on any issue.

But no one's saying that right now. It isn't just that Trump seizes every opportunity to stir up trouble on Twitter, even when the moment calls for dignity and shared resolve -- it's that all of Trump's angry tweets consist exclusively of Fox-style talking points. The enemy is political correctness. Liberals and Muslims won't acknowledge the true nature of terrorism. Out-of-control judges are going to get us all killed. Guns don't kill people, people do.

What do we learn about Trump in a fraught, challenging moment? That the ideas and values he falls back on are exclusively Republican -- specifically, Fox News Republican.

posted by tonycpsu at 9:40 PM on June 4, 2017 [50 favorites]

The Oligarchs!
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:41 PM on June 4, 2017 [4 favorites]

The Kakistocrats!
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:45 PM on June 4, 2017 [21 favorites]

"Make American Great Again: Impeach Trump"
Here ya go.
From my lips to Zazzle's ears! Oh my gosh, this is so amazing. I want to thank the academy....
posted by msalt at 9:54 PM on June 4, 2017 [2 favorites]

What do we learn about Trump in a fraught, challenging moment? That the ideas and values he falls back on are exclusively Republican -- specifically, Fox News Republican.

And more specifically, Fox & Friends. He repeatedly just parrots whatever is on this fucking show.

President Trump's talking points on the terror attack in London appear to come from a familiar source -- "Fox & Friends." Trump decried political correctness and ripped the mayor of London in a series of tweets Sunday that echoed his favorite cable news program.

"We must stop being politically correct and get down to the business of security for our people," Trump tweeted at 7:19 a.m. ET. "If we don't get smart it will only get worse." "Fox & Friends" had aired an interview around 6:30 a.m. ET with psychologist James Mitchell, who was asked how to confront "radicalism" in the U.K. "The first thing they have to do is stop being politically correct," said Mitchell, who helped develop the CIA's post-9/11 enhanced interrogation program.

As Trump was sending his first tweet, a Fox News host asked another guest about the response of London mayor Sadiq Khan's response to the attack. Khan had told the BBC earlier in the day that Londoners would see more police on the streets on Sunday, but explained that their presence was "no reason to be alarmed." Roughly 10 minutes later, Trump mentioned Khan in a tweet. "At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is 'no reason to be alarmed!'" he tweeted...

Trump also alluded to the broader gun control debate."Do you notice we are not having a gun debate right now?" Trump tweeted at 7:43 a.m. ET. "That's because they used knives and a truck!" The same thought -- and the same language -- was used by a "Fox & Friends" host earlier in the program.

posted by chris24 at 10:08 PM on June 4, 2017 [52 favorites]

Gotta start getting some legislation to rein in the possibilities of this shit. I'd say "Parliamentary Now!" but I think it would be better in the short term to just get a got dam leash on that man.
posted by rhizome at 10:17 PM on June 4, 2017

Reuters: Germany’s largest bank refuses to hand over evidence in Trump-Russia probe

Der Spiegel: Merkel's aim is that of creating an alliance against Trump. If she can't convince the U.S. president, her approach will be that of trying to isolate him. In Taormina, it was six countries against one. Should Trump not reverse course, she is hoping that the G-20 in Hamburg in July will end 19:1. Whether she will be successful is unclear. Trump has identified Germany as his primary adversary.

I wonder who we might find that could pressure Deutsche Bank to release that evidence?
posted by msalt at 10:33 PM on June 4, 2017 [8 favorites]

Re: the Observer.com article about Miles Rogers 1) Yes it is indeed the website owned by Jared Kushner and should be ignored.

I believe Kushner sold that newspaper earlier this year, though he may still have influence there. But also, don't discount administration infighting via pet publications. For example:

New Republic (in April): It sounds like Trump is about to step over Steve Bannon’s body. ...Bannon is now engaged in a fierce White House turf battle with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Which makes Trump’s comments all the more significant, since Kushner often uses the New York Post as an outlet for leaks.

Breitbart: Roger Stone: Jared Kushner Leaking Anti-Bannon Stories to MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough
posted by msalt at 10:42 PM on June 4, 2017 [3 favorites]

I wonder who we might find that could pressure Deutsche Bank to release that evidence?

Hmm. Deutsche Bank was in the news last year because its global operations had "broken" it. If it was involved with Trussia it would have been more of the same sort of thing. The problem is, that the global operations didn't just expose the bank to risk, it also shifted a lot of its regulatory power offshore. If Merkel puts enough pressure on the bank it could very well fracture, especially if the offshore administration is desperate to avoid an investigation.
posted by Joe in Australia at 11:35 PM on June 4, 2017 [3 favorites]

If it was involved with Trussia it would have been more of the same sort of thing.
DB was the only bank that would lend to Trump when every other bank got tired of him constantly go into bankruptcy. DB also got fined a few billion for dirty dealings at the tail end of the Obama administration so I'm sure they will try hard not to roll over on Trump while he can get that fine removed.
posted by PenDevil at 11:48 PM on June 4, 2017

Merkel isn't going to touch Deutsche Bank.
As far as the Germans are concerned they're too big to fail.

A DB collapse leading to an EU meltdown would be a plausible goal for Putin and the Brexiteers*.

*The World's shittiest Electro-Swing band.
posted by fullerine at 11:58 PM on June 4, 2017 [20 favorites]

Good thing no Saudis have ever been involved in a high-profile terrorist attack

That's the great thing about spreading the wealth around to two thousand family members. You get all of the benefits of funding your ideology's terrorist strains while keeping plausible deniability for the upper echelons.

More on this here (Grauniad, D Leigh & R Evans): BAE: secret papers reveal threats from Saudi prince

"Saudi Arabia's rulers threatened to make it easier for terrorists to attack London unless corruption investigations into their arms deals were halted, according to court documents revealed yesterday.

Previously secret files describe how investigators were told they faced "another 7/7" and the loss of "British lives on British streets" if they pressed on with their inquiries and the Saudis carried out their threat to cut off intelligence.

Prince Bandar, the head of the Saudi national security council, and son of the crown prince, was alleged in court to be the man behind the threats to hold back information about suicide bombers and terrorists. He faces accusations that he himself took more than £1bn in secret payments from the arms company BAE.

He was accused in yesterday's high court hearings of flying to London in December 2006 and uttering threats which made the prime minister, Tony Blair, force an end to the Serious Fraud Office investigation into bribery allegations involving Bandar and his family.

The threats halted the fraud inquiry, but triggered an international outcry, with allegations that Britain had broken international anti-bribery treaties."
posted by progosk at 1:39 AM on June 5, 2017 [52 favorites]

Wow. That's a great point, fullerine.

The DB subplot might be a deliberate attempt to manipulate the allied response to Russian interference.

That's exactly the kind of tactical opportunism skilled intelligence operatives trade in, so it would be completely plausible Putin and the Foreign Intelligence Services would leak fake info implicating DB to do further economic harm to Germany (to weaken their opposition) and undermine the Eurozone for the same broader, expansionist strategic purposes as the other moves they've been making.

This might be the start of a more open trade war. Arguably, with Brexit, that's already begun. It's been a low level, clandestine trade war waged with propaganda and perception manipulation until more recently, but now it's starting to become clearer what the goals have been all along and the conflict is rapidly escalating.
posted by saulgoodman at 1:57 AM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

Al Jazeera has nothing new on Hamas, and certainly nothing about expulsion. My understanding is that this has a lot to do with the Muslim Brotherhood, which is loathed by both SA and Egypt, but strongly supported by Qatar. I know we tend to see things through an exclusively Sunni/Shia lens, but the socialist-like Islamicism of the MB is a constant annoyance to the Authoritarian regimes of the area, including Turkey of course.
posted by stonepharisee at 2:33 AM on June 5, 2017 [15 favorites]

Great point, stonepharisee!
posted by mumimor at 2:56 AM on June 5, 2017

To expand: I think that what MB, Hamas, Hizbollah and Iran have in common is what you call "socialist-like Islamism", and all that Sunni-Shia divide stuff is distracting.
Has anyone done an ideological mapping of the Muslim world? That would be interesting and maybe clear up some of the confusion going on right now.

Does anyone else in the room think the Saudis have realized exactly how stupid and buyable the Trump administration is, and are doing another Putin on us all now?
posted by mumimor at 3:14 AM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

Why would Qatar (a country led by an absolute monarchy like SA and the UAE member states) support the MB?
posted by PenDevil at 3:22 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

Trump is doubling down on calling the travel ban a travel ban on twitter.

People, the lawyers and the courts can call it whatever they want, but I am calling it what we need and what it is, a TRAVEL BAN!.

He is really a very stupid man.
posted by Justinian at 3:34 AM on June 5, 2017 [69 favorites]

Tweet number 2 is even stupider. Let's just scream Muslim ban.

@realDonaldTrump:
The Justice Dept. should have stayed with the original Travel Ban, not the watered down, politically correct version they submitted to S.C.
posted by chris24 at 3:36 AM on June 5, 2017 [42 favorites]

Has anyone done an ideological mapping of the Muslim world?

I would imagine creating such a mapping would be an extraordinarily laborious task if it were to be useful. I'm skeptical about it being a feasible undertaking. Does such a thing exist for the Christian world?
posted by bardophile at 3:38 AM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

Thank god when fascism came to America it was wrapped in idiocy and carrying a grudge.
posted by chris24 at 3:41 AM on June 5, 2017 [79 favorites]

I am almost at the point of feeling quite sorry for relevant DOJ lawyers. They are going to be in the position of having incentives to argue in different cases that Presidential assurances should be taken seriously and that they shouldn't. It's going to be tempting to give up the claim that they should always be given weight and largely assumed to be true.

I hope they don't; it would be a really quite fundamental change in the seriousness of the Presidency.
posted by jaduncan at 3:54 AM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

I'm skeptical about it being a feasible undertaking. Does such a thing exist for the Christian world?

My question came out of remembering maps like this in the early days of the EEC, when religion was still a big issue. (As in: the Catholics breed like rabbits and they will overflow Northern Europe and drink wine instead of milk and take our jobs and force us to convert. Yes, it was a thing). Maps were used on both sides, as far as I remember, but I was a child and the memory is vague.

Right now, I think there are a lot of false assumptions out there, and it's really difficult to get an overview. I remember when I was young not knowing the difference between Slovenia and Slovakia. I'm certain a lot of people have no idea that Muslims in Morocco and in Malaysia have completely different cultures and political situations.
posted by mumimor at 3:57 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'm certain a lot of people have no idea that Muslims in Morocco and in Malaysia have completely different cultures and political situations.
posted by mumimor at 15:57 on 6/5

Sure. I'm trying, unsuccessfully, to communicate that a country level mapping, perhaps even a provincial one, would be insufficiently granular, partly because there are so many different axes along which ideological differences can be charted,and partly because members of different ideological groups don't live in like-minded enclaves.
posted by bardophile at 4:12 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

I would just say "do you think there are differences between Baptists, Catholics and UUians in the US?"
posted by jaduncan at 4:14 AM on June 5, 2017

More Trump: The Justice Dept. should ask for an expedited hearing of the watered down Travel Ban before the Supreme Court - & seek much tougher version!

In any event we are EXTREME VETTING people coming into the U.S. in order to help keep our country safe. The courts are slow and political!

You could not even write this as fiction.

Politico: Trump National Security Team Blindsided by NATO Speech: What’s not is that the president also disappointed—and surprised—his own top national security officials by failing to include the language reaffirming the so-called Article 5 provision in his speech. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson all supported Trump doing so and had worked in the weeks leading up to the trip to make sure it was included in the speech, according to five sources familiar with the episode. They thought it was, and a White House aide even told the New York Times the day before the line was definitely included.

The president appears to have deleted it himself, according to one version making the rounds inside the government, reflecting his personal skepticism about NATO and insistence on lecturing NATO allies about spending more on defense rather than offering reassurances of any sort; another version relayed to others by several White House aides is that Trump’s nationalist chief strategist Steve Bannon and policy aide Stephen Miller played a role in the deletion. (According to NSC spokesman Michael Anton, who did not dispute this account, “The president attended the summit to show his support for the NATO alliance, including Article 5. His continued effort to secure greater defense commitments from other nations is making our alliance stronger.”)
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 4:33 AM on June 5, 2017 [28 favorites]

The courts are slow and political!

And they love it when you attack the judiciary. Especially right before you have a big case in front of them. Well played Donny, well played. Art of the Deal indeed.
posted by chris24 at 4:37 AM on June 5, 2017 [42 favorites]

Video. This trolling aired on MSNBC shortly before Donald's tweet-fest.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 4:38 AM on June 5, 2017 [12 favorites]

The MB is historically and ideologically fascist, not socialist: it's a cult of national renewal, but the "nation" the MB is concerned with is the Muslim ummah, not a mere geographic entity. Its political program manifests differently in different countries, but it's certainly not inconsistent with monarchical rule provided that the monarch is religiously correct. I suppose the question is why the Trump administration should be so down on it.
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:41 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

@realDonaldTrump:
The Justice Dept. should have stayed with the original Travel Ban, not the watered down, politically correct version they submitted to S.C.

Just take a step back here. This man, the President of the United States, is talking about a presidential Executive Order, something approved and propagated solely by himself on his own authority, which might have subsequently received lawsuits made against it, which eventually, after many appeals, might have reached the judicial review of the US Supreme Court.

It's as if Tiger Woods were to say, "My caddy should never have chosen that wimpy five-iron when submitting that ball to the PGA Tour authorities."

But we are not dealing with Tiger Woods. We are dealing with Donald Trump, a man who may know something about golf but lacks the most basic knowledge about his day job, the most important job in the world.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 4:50 AM on June 5, 2017 [29 favorites]

> certainly not inconsistent with monarchical rule provided that the monarch is religiously correct

We probs don't need a derail, but the situation in the Gulf is warming up and it would be good to keep some realism in the discussion. Calling MB fascist is not helpful because it obscures that which is particular to the MB and conflates it with the bogey men like Hitler, Mussolini and Franco. And it is incompatible with monarchy. And MB hates the House of Saud. Yes, they are concerned with the ummah, and many in the West are repelled by that, but they have their own political ideology (see especially Sayyid Qutb) which needs to be understood on its own terms and not as just an Arab version of West European ideology.
posted by stonepharisee at 4:50 AM on June 5, 2017 [11 favorites]

Meanwhile, Reuters reports:

The United States is expected to signal on Tuesday that it might withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council unless reforms are ushered in including the removal of what it sees as an "anti-Israel bias", diplomats and activists said.
posted by stonepharisee at 5:02 AM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

If Donald Trump wants to stick with the original executive order, he has to:
1) Print it out.
2) Sign it.

Presumably this is too complex a task for him.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 5:02 AM on June 5, 2017 [7 favorites]

I'm probably not the only one who doesn't know what 'MB' stands for, and it's pretty hard to search for... a pointer, please?
posted by Too-Ticky at 5:04 AM on June 5, 2017

Is it the Muslim Brotherhood?
posted by Too-Ticky at 5:05 AM on June 5, 2017

Muslim Brotherhood
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 5:06 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

MB: Muslim Brotherhood.
posted by stonepharisee at 5:06 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

I have no idea what this means, but apparently Trump told his friends at golf yesterday that if we can't get the weather right, how are we supposed to get science on climate change? (link goes to a tweet from Politico)
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 5:12 AM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

I think I know what it means: he's a fucking idiot
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 5:13 AM on June 5, 2017 [43 favorites]

National Treasure John Oliver on pulling out of the Paris Agreement

If Trump supporters were sincere in their concerns, John Oliver could allay their fears and change their mind in 20 minutes. About anything. All of the them!
posted by Room 641-A at 5:22 AM on June 5, 2017 [9 favorites]

Being British he's really more of an International Treasure, which I am now proposing as the next Nicolas Cage movie
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 5:24 AM on June 5, 2017 [11 favorites]

america deserves better scandals, is what i'm saying.

America so deserves Omnigate. It's a Blockbuster! SEE every single schmuck and toady be pulled into the Vortex of Collusion! THRILL to not one, not two, but multiple constitutional crises, sometimes overlapping each other! FEEL the "very grave concern" of John McCain! POP all the corns!

O M N I G A T E . Tweet the Fuckery™
posted by petebest at 5:31 AM on June 5, 2017 [18 favorites]

roomthreeseventeen: I have no idea what this means, but apparently Trump told his friends at golf yesterday that if we can't get the weather right, how are we supposed to get science on climate change? (link goes to a tweet from Politico)

The same reasoning your idiot gasbag uncle employs at Christmas dinner (here in Canada): "It's snowing out there and I'm supposed to believe in global warming???"
posted by hangashore at 5:35 AM on June 5, 2017 [24 favorites]

The fact that he hears something on Fox & Friends and then tweets it out is infuriating to me; that show's message does not need to be amplified. It's bad enough that we are stuck with this idiot but we are also stuck with FOX News political opinions and policies. FOX News! It hurts my brain.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 5:43 AM on June 5, 2017 [17 favorites]

idiot gasbag uncle
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 5:44 AM on June 5, 2017 [5 favorites]

I can't see that it's any more helpful to describe an authoritarian, clericalist movement as socialist. Really the Muslim Brotherhood is its own thing, of course, but the idea of national decadence and renewal is intrinsic to both the Muslim Brotherhood and fascism, and it shapes their political programs accordingly. As for the Muslim Brotherhood and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: they used to be friends; as of last year they have reportedly had a rapprochement; who knows what the future will bring.
posted by Joe in Australia at 5:45 AM on June 5, 2017

FOX News! It hurts my brain.

Be thankful that Infowars isn't on cable.
posted by jaduncan at 5:55 AM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

I'm not certain if this is a derail, given the unpredictability of current events.
When I first visited the Middle East, a year after 9/11, I was really surprised to learn that the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Hamas in Israel and Hizbollah in Lebanon were seen first and foremost as providers of welfare by their supporters, and also that it made sense, because there was no other source of assistance for the poor, old, young, sick. Later I saw the same in Iran, when I wondered about the popular support for what we call the hard-liners.
I had the opportunity to ask a Hizbollah person about it - why was this not just socialism? And he was extremely offended and couldn't see any similarity at all. So of course they are not socialists in the sense we would use to describe political parties in other parts of the world, they don't participate in socialist theory. BUT, their support and power come from the services they provide to ordinary people. People who are not necessarily religious nuts but who need healthcare, schools for their kids, economic assistance when there are no jobs.
Saudi Arabia, and their horrible terrorist spurn seem to recognize this and they do try to create civil society and welfare as they go, but they also seem to be really bad at it because they are such ideological /religious purists. Writing this I suddenly get why Republicans stick to the Saudis.
Basically, if the US had done the same thing in Afghanistan and Iraq as they did with the Marshall plan in Europe after WWII, they would probably have achieved the same thing, and it might even have accomplished what they hoped, a radical change in the entire Middle East and Central Asia. But Bush was famously against nation-building and the people who went out there were famously incompetent. Some of them are now Trump's generals.
I don't know enough about Qatar to understand where and how they are placed on this line of policies. One thing I learnt from the posted links is that while they are also Wahhabis, they do not want to be run over by the Saudis and they are also geographically in a situation were it doesn't make sense to make a lot of enemies.
Just to make it clear: I have no love for any form of Islamists. But if you want to end terror, you have to know what drives the terrorists and their supporters. Painting them as irrational loonies will not get you there, and as someone noted several months ago, most governments' predilection for employing straight, white conservative males in intelligence and security functions works directly against the end goal.
With Afghanistan and Iraq, the Bush administration was making extremely important decisions based on very little knowledge, and faulty information, often provided by Saudi and Israeli sources. Now we are seeing a farcical repeat of this.
posted by mumimor at 5:59 AM on June 5, 2017 [39 favorites]

Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, and Bahrain sever ties with Qatar (Kareem Fahim (@kfahim) in WaPo)

Four Arab nations severed diplomatic relations with Qatar on Monday, moving swiftly to isolate the small but influential country after accusing Qatar’s rulers of supporting terrorist factions and stoking regional conflicts.

The four countries — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain — released separate and apparently coordinated statements saying they would cut air, sea and land links with Qatar, which hosts a forward base for the U.S. military’s Central Command and is home to the widely watched Al Jazeera network.

posted by kingless at 6:05 AM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

-- Kim Weaver, who was planning to run against Steve King (R - Moonbat), has dropped out due in part to alleged death threats.

I'm actually a little irritated that people are focusing so much on the death threats aspect of this, because I actually think it's not as significant as the other reasons that she gave for dropping out. She can't afford to run for congress. She's a Medicaid caseworker and state-appointed advocate for people in nursing homes, and her salary last year was $60,000. In 2016, she worked full-time at her job while campaigning, and neither she nor anyone else thought that worked very well. Running a real campaign isn't a side gig. But she doesn't have the kind of job that you can take a leave of absence from, and she needs her job to live (and, as she pointed out, for health insurance.) If we want non-rich Americans to be able to run for office, especially in long-shot districts, we're going to need to figure out a way to deal with this problem.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 6:11 AM on June 5, 2017 [129 favorites]

> I'm actually a little irritated that people are focusing so much on the death threats aspect of this, because I actually think it's not as significant as the other reasons that she gave for dropping out.

Yeah, I had the same thought. In the reporting I saw, it felt more like "death threats" was tacked on to make her decision to drop out sound more legitimate. As if "I don't want to do this anymore" wasn't legitimate enough.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 6:18 AM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

idiot gasbag uncle

This has been the longest uncomfortable thanksgiving dinner ever.
posted by srboisvert at 6:21 AM on June 5, 2017 [10 favorites]

The same reasoning your idiot gasbag uncle

Or, you know, Oklahoma Senator.
posted by leotrotsky at 6:23 AM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

If you want a vision of the future, imagine a racist uncle thanksgiving-ing on a human face, forever
posted by Rust Moranis at 6:25 AM on June 5, 2017 [22 favorites]

CNN on the situation in the Gulf.

"There are two competing theories," Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, senior fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations says about the origin of the spat.
"One is that Saudi Arabia felt emboldened after Donald Trump's visit, and Trump's administration has had a strong stance on Iran, which is backed by Qatar.
"Another theory is that this is a product of month's tension, all brought to a breaking point after the Qatar news agency hacking story."

Also way down at the bottom:
The US' biggest concentration of military personnel in the Middle East are located at Qatar's Al Udeid Air Base.
The sprawling base 20 miles southwest of the Qatari capital of Doha is home to some 11,000 US military personnel.
posted by mumimor at 6:26 AM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

"Oh good, an international incident that requires nuance! That's where I'm a Viking!"
posted by leotrotsky at 6:29 AM on June 5, 2017 [46 favorites]

trump has a masterful ability to seize the narrative, but so far his efforts to steer it seem less successful:

NBC: Tweeting and Fuming, Trump Spirals Further Into Crisis

For a presidency that's already in crisis — see his 36% job-approval rating per Gallup or this Thursday's upcoming testimony by former FBI Director James Comey — the last 24 hours or so have been extraordinarily horrendous for President Trump.

also i think i get some kind of cake for predicting the outcome of infrastructure week:

The goal is to create millions of jobs while doing much-needed reconstruction and updating. But the actual details of the initiative are unsettled, and a more intricate blueprint is still weeks or even months from completion." But to get infrastructure passed through Congress, Trump will need Democratic votes. And here's the current reaction from that side of the aisle: "POTUS is NOT proposing money for infrastructure. It's tax cuts for financiers, privatizing public property. Not infrastructure," Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) tweeted.

posted by murphy slaw at 6:38 AM on June 5, 2017 [49 favorites]

Here is another perspective on something that could be influencing the Qatar situation. I've seen some talk about this floating around and this post sums most of it up. I don't know enough to verify it but the folks that are talking about including this guy have been pretty solid on other foreign policy issues in the preceding months.

TLDR: Timing may be driven at least partially by the fact that Qatar has invested heavily in defense equipment but it either hasn't been delivered yet or set up. Once it is, it will be more difficult for anyone, like Saudi Arabia to do what they want to do. So it's happening now.

Saudi Arabia sees a window closing with Qatar
Publicly stated reason for these drastic measures is prolonged support of terrorism and extremism by elements within Doha government. Reason seems somewhat far fetched as all of the six nations that severed ties with Qatar are also plagued with extremism and Saudi Arabia is widely considered as the biggest financier of terror and extremist Islam in the world.

An important underlying issue are the Qatari oil and natural gas reserves that are the third largest in the world. And as Saudi Arabia has been burning through their own oil-based wealth with an increasing speed, the temptation to annex some more reserves and production may be too strong to resist.
While the actual political reasons and agendas might not be known, the timing seems to be driven by defense technical aspects rather than any current subversive activities by the Doha government.
posted by Jalliah at 6:41 AM on June 5, 2017 [12 favorites]

So it seems going to be the Kuwait invasion except this time with the US standing by or on the side of Iraq? Bloody great.
posted by Artw at 6:46 AM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

Those tweets about the Travel Ban are among his scarier ones -- bald Overton Window shifters that undermine the Court's legitimacy, and law in general. His followers may even thrill at the possibility that he's hemmed in by his own office, that constitutionality itself opens us to untenably dangerous risk.

Yeah, if he was smarter or had any self control I'd think this might be an intentional ploy to get in front of a case he knows he's going to lose and set up blaming the courts when a US attack happens so he can consolidate power, destroy democracy. He's going to try that anyway if something happens but he's stumbling into it only because of his stupidity and authoritarianism.
posted by chris24 at 6:47 AM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

.@foxandfriends Dems are taking forever to approve my people, including Ambassadors. They are nothing but OBSTRUCTIONISTS! Want approvals. -- @RealDonaldTrump

uh you know you have to nominate people before they can be approved, right
posted by murphy slaw at 6:47 AM on June 5, 2017 [71 favorites]

see his 36% job-approval rating per Gallup

The fact that 36% of any sample can be found to support him is a shameful indictment of our country.
posted by winna at 6:47 AM on June 5, 2017 [33 favorites]

We're back to domestic now. Trump complaining that Dems are obstructing his appointments.

HE HASN'T SUBMITTED ANYONE. He's provided names for less than 10% of the positions requiring senate confirmation.
posted by Talez at 6:49 AM on June 5, 2017 [14 favorites]

"Oh good, an international incident that requires nuance! That's where I'm a Viking!"

The Vikings were known for many things, but nuance in international relations was not one of them.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 6:50 AM on June 5, 2017 [7 favorites]

That bot that converts Trump tweets to official White House statements is gold, Jerry--gold!
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:50 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

> For a presidency that's already in crisis — see his 36% job-approval rating per Gallup or this Thursday's upcoming testimony by former FBI Director James Comey — the last 24 hours or so have been extraordinarily horrendous for President Trump.

JOURNALISM PRO TIP: to save time, cut out the section of this sentence between the dashes and replace it with the scandal(s) of the day, leaving the rest as it is.
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:50 AM on June 5, 2017 [10 favorites]

The Vikings were known for many things, but nuance in international relations was not one of them.

It's a Simpsons reference.
posted by Talez at 6:50 AM on June 5, 2017 [7 favorites]

blaming the courts when a US attack happens so he can consolidate power, destroy democracy.

His handlers have been encouraging his idolization of Andrew Jackson. There's a vanishingly small chance that we're not going to see a tweet in the near future saying, verbatim: "John Roberts has made his decision, now let him enforce it!"

I'm not joking.
posted by Rust Moranis at 6:52 AM on June 5, 2017 [13 favorites]

Yes, i know it's a Simpson's reference. The irony here is that Donnie and Co. are DEFINITELY going to act like Vikings in this situation, whereas Ralph Wiggum was just a nose picker.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 6:53 AM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

Weird how quickly the world shifted with the elections.

Obama was leaning into strengthening relations with Iran relative to KSA. That always made sense given that Iran (while certainly not to be mistaken for Norway) is closer to a functioning democratic country than KSA. Women drive, vote, work, go to university, and run for office. Americans are better liked in Iran than any other country in the Middle East, and they've just re-elected a moderate leader who helped hammer out the nuclear deal. They've got close ties to Lebanon, the another country close to liberal democracy in the Middle East*. Iran also has relatively good relations with Qatar, we've got lots of troops in Doha, and Al-Jazeera is run out of there. It also reduces their dependence upon Russia, which is always a good thing.

KSA, by contrast, is a semi-medieval monarchy that provides lots of funding to extremist movements (yes, I know Iran is no saint here, either).

Obama's math made sense. If Hillary was elected, and pursued Obama's strategy of rapprochement, I don't think this incident happens.

*Yes, I know about Israel. Yes, I know about Turkey.
posted by leotrotsky at 6:53 AM on June 5, 2017 [12 favorites]

Morning Joe should try doing a segment about how Trump isn't man enough to resign.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:53 AM on June 5, 2017 [75 favorites]

pretty sure that trump is locked in the bathroom at the residence leaning against the door with all of his might as staffers prepare improvised battering rams to get to him and destroy his phone:

Pathetic excuse by London Mayor Sadiq Khan who had to think fast on his "no reason to be alarmed" statement. MSM is working hard to sell it! -- @RealDonaldTrump

posted by murphy slaw at 6:54 AM on June 5, 2017 [20 favorites]

HE HASN'T SUBMITTED ANYONE. He's provided names for less than 10% of the positions requiring senate confirmation.

In this case I can actually see him not having a clue that he hasn't done this. I could also see some of his people flatly lying to him about the situation or even about what he is supposed to do and him just taking it at face value.
posted by Jalliah at 6:56 AM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

Good lord, these threads have gone on for so long we're about to re-litigate literal vs. figurative Viking.
posted by penduluum at 6:57 AM on June 5, 2017 [58 favorites]

Why is he *so* keen to smear Sadiq Khan? If only there was some depressingly prejudiced way to explain his unjustified yet repeated complaints about a Londoner who grew up to run London.
posted by jaduncan at 6:57 AM on June 5, 2017 [49 favorites]

someone offered the trump's razor explanation above: he thinks Sadiq Khan and Khizr Khan are the same person
posted by murphy slaw at 6:58 AM on June 5, 2017 [11 favorites]

Why is he *so* keen to smear Sadiq Khan? If only there was some depressingly prejudiced way to explain his unjustified yet repeated complaints about a Londoner who grew up to run London.

Because high profile Muslims that are perfectly normal and respectable people disrupt the whole brown people are terrorists narrative. On the other hand, if he's implied to be a terrorist sympathiser...
posted by Talez at 6:59 AM on June 5, 2017 [11 favorites]

His handlers have been encouraging his idolization of Andrew Jackson. There's a vanishingly small chance that we're not going to see a tweet in the near future saying, verbatim "John Roberts has made his decision, now let him enforce it!"

The horrifying corollary: US Marshals are under DOJ jurisdiction not the courts.

Implementing the travel order (against a clear ruling by the courts) requires actual competent work. To put it mildly, the Trump administration isn't particularly strong in that skill set. They're much happier to have somebody to blame for their inability to accomplish anything.

Also, can you imagine the bureaucratic caltrops that are going to get thrown down by the career folks inside the departments? They could slow implementation down to an absolute crawl if they had the inclination. I mean, it's DHS, which has a higher than average fascist asshole quotient than say, Transportation, but still.
posted by leotrotsky at 7:02 AM on June 5, 2017

I have the Daily Shows 'make Trump tweets eight again' chrome extension that turns all of Trumps tweets into little kid writing. It's on mornings like these that I really appreciate it. It makes reading them a little easier.
posted by Jalliah at 7:03 AM on June 5, 2017

Video. This trolling aired on MSNBC shortly before Donald's tweet-fest.

Dang, I wish Joe and Mika had used the phrase "Muslim ban" rather than "travel ban." The Trump would've said it and probably made it impossible even for his little pal Gorsuch to rule in his favor. But referring to the second version as "watered down and politically correct" comes awfully close to admitting it's disingenuous CYA bullshit -- and beating up on his own Justice Dept. too, ha ha ha.

How much do you think Rod Rosenstein regrets taking that job now?
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:04 AM on June 5, 2017

as far as stress response to a collapsing presidency goes, between nixon getting drunk and abusing his staff and trump staying sober and abusing the internet, i'll take nixon every time.
posted by murphy slaw at 7:05 AM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

He's going to try that anyway if something happens but he's stumbling into it only because of his stupidity and authoritarianism.

McKay Coppins' "What Trump Really Fears" for The Atlantic has quotes from unnamed sources like

Meanwhile, the former campaign staffer went so far as to suggest Trump’s aides could have colluded with Russia without knowing it was illegal. “Is it possible that [Trump] was surrounded with people who didn’t even realize what they were doing was inappropriate? You’d have to be pretty stupid. But there are some pretty stupid people in the Trump camp.”

The look at Donnie's lawyer Michael "Mickey" Cohen is the most interesting part of the piece.

"Instead, two sources told me, he made much of his money with a hodgepodge assortment of miscellaneous business ventures—including taxi medallions and real-estate deals—while also dabbling in Trump’s various political and entertainment ventures.

Summary: Donnie's run his bidness like a gang of pirate freebooters for decades and who really knows what any of them might have done.
posted by octobersurprise at 7:05 AM on June 5, 2017 [23 favorites]

How much do you think Rod Rosenstein regrets taking that job now?

He appointed Mueller. He comes out of this smelling like roses if when that pans out. Doesn't matter if he was cornered into it; he's got a plausible story to tell where he does a hard pivot comes out a good guy. That's because, unlike most of the folks in the Trump administration, he's not a blithering idiot. He ain't one of the tzaddikim, but I'll take it.
posted by leotrotsky at 7:06 AM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

america deserves better scandals, is what i'm saying.

It's as if the classic Watergate movie, "All The President's Men", was remade by Michael Bay as a Tom Cruise vehicle.
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:09 AM on June 5, 2017 [34 favorites]

Implementing the travel order (against a clear ruling by the courts) requires actual competent work. To put it mildly, the Trump administration isn't particularly strong in that skill set. They're much happier to have somebody to blame for their inability to accomplish anything.

You'd think that but DHS, particularly ICE, are ready to fuck the courts and have been for over a decade.
posted by Talez at 7:09 AM on June 5, 2017 [7 favorites]

So it seems going to be the Kuwait invasion except this time with the US standing by or on the side of Iraq? Bloody great.

And also the US has a gigantic military base in Kuwait (Qatar) but might support an invasion anyway while US forces in country are supposed to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:11 AM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

How much do you think Rod Rosenstein regrets taking that job now?

He appointed Mueller. He comes out of this smelling like roses if when that pans out.

I wasn't talking about his reputation, just about the fun of having a boss who, in your first month on the job, forces you to write a ludicrous memo stating fake reasons for firing someone, then admits on TV that your memo was fake, then insists on taking his illegal Muslim ban to the Supreme Court just before more or less admitting to the world that he knows it's illegal while at the same time accusing your agency of being wimps for doing their job.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:15 AM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh: Some penny ante exurban PA talk radio host completely fabricated a list of ludicrous steps our Mayor will take (note: exurban areas are not in the city of Pittsburgh, our mayor is not, in fact, this person's elected representative) now that we've entered the Climate Alliance, put it on Facebook without attribution or any citations (because there aren't any, because it's 100% made-up fake news bullshit), and it is now fucking everywhere including Scott Baio. People trying to argue with friends on FB about how this is obvious bs and they're all just like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ but it sounds legit to me!
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:15 AM on June 5, 2017 [17 favorites]

america deserves better scandals, is what i'm saying.

It's as if the classic Watergate movie, "All The President's Men", was remade by Michael Bay as a Tom Cruise vehicle

After having seen Pain and Gain the main question I'm weighing now is whether Mark Wahlberg should play Spicer or Preibus.

Or a heavily made up Bannon.
posted by bl1nk at 7:15 AM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

Honolulu Civil Beat Poll: Tulsi Gabbard’s Surprising Plunge In Hawaii

Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard’s star has been rising on the mainland, where she is popping up on lists of possible presidential contenders in 2020. But her popularity has fallen here at home.

Two years ago, 64 percent of statewide respondents to a Honolulu Civil Beat poll approved of Gabbard’s performance. A similar poll conducted last month found that her job approval rating had dropped to about 50 percent, after she drew criticism for meeting with Donald Trump before his inauguration and for visiting Syria surreptitiously.

(full poll results and crosstabs at the link)
posted by melissasaurus at 7:15 AM on June 5, 2017 [8 favorites]

> .@foxandfriends Dems are taking forever to approve my people, including Ambassadors. They are nothing but OBSTRUCTIONISTS! Want approvals. -- @RealDonaldTrump

uh you know you have to nominate people before they can be approved, right

How much you want to bet that he has given names to someone (or that someone has told them they gave names) but they weren't actually submitted. Either because no one in the "outsider" white house knows the right way to do it (see also light switches), or they just didn't do it on purpose.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 7:16 AM on June 5, 2017 [10 favorites]

or they just didn't do it on purpose.

betting some low-level staffer realized that all of his nominees for the federal bench were professional wrestlers and conveniently misplaced the list
posted by murphy slaw at 7:19 AM on June 5, 2017 [14 favorites]

AP FACT CHECK: Attack draws visceral Trump tweets, not facts (Calvin Woodward and Jim Drinkard)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump can’t be counted on to give accurate information to Americans when violent acts are unfolding abroad.

posted by Room 641-A at 7:19 AM on June 5, 2017 [38 favorites]

Indeed. Now, if he complained about Sadiq Khan on the basis that he hasn't handled TFL very well, we might have something to talk about.

It's an ongoing thing, though:

Mr Khan also accused Mr Trump of being "ignorant" about Islam and making both the US and UK "less safe".
Mr Trump responded by challenging Mr Khan to an IQ test, and said he was offended by Mr Khan, adding: "He doesn't know me, never met me... I will remember those statements."

The mere fact that the blood is barely mopped up won't stop Trump from following up an incredibly petty vendetta, of course.
posted by jaduncan at 7:20 AM on June 5, 2017 [14 favorites]

@broderick via Twitter: If you replace Sadiq Khan's name with "Superman" in Trump's tweets about the London Bridge attack you end up with Lex Luthor's Twitter feed
posted by Servo5678 at 7:20 AM on June 5, 2017 [67 favorites]

Need cheering up?

John Oliver is less than impressed with US media coverage of the London attacks but he's super happy to raise a glass to the guy featured in the last clip.
posted by Mister Bijou at 7:22 AM on June 5, 2017 [14 favorites]

Ariana Grande Understands Counterterrorism Better Than Jim Mattis
posted by zombieflanders at 7:23 AM on June 5, 2017 [17 favorites]

Pathetic excuse by London Mayor Sadiq Khan who had to think fast on his "no reason to be alarmed" statement. MSM is working hard to sell it! -- @RealDonaldTrump

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Come on. This is insane. SURELY THIS.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 7:24 AM on June 5, 2017 [15 favorites]

If we want non-rich Americans to be able to run for office, especially in long-shot districts, we're going to need to figure out a way to deal with this problem.

Yeah, but does this nation want non-rich Americans in office, really?
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:25 AM on June 5, 2017 [5 favorites]

Can you imagine how hard Trump would backpedal if Khan actually took him up on that IQ test challenge?
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:25 AM on June 5, 2017 [19 favorites]

as far as stress response to a collapsing presidency goes, between nixon getting drunk and abusing his staff and trump staying sober and abusing the internet, i'll take nixon every time.

Nixon was a collapsing presidency. This is a prolapsing presidency.
posted by Rust Moranis at 7:26 AM on June 5, 2017 [57 favorites]

incredibly petty vendetta

Say that ten times fast.
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:27 AM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

Can you imagine how hard Trump would backpedal if Khan actually took him up on that IQ test challenge?

posted by The Card Cheat at 7:25 AM on June 5 [2 favorites +] [!]

Id be all about joining a campaign to get him to do so, but hes probably busy running a city and responding to a terrorist attack, so maybe some other time. . .
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 7:30 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

“Is it possible that [Trump] was surrounded with people who didn’t even realize what they were doing was inappropriate? You’d have to be pretty stupid. But there are some pretty stupid people in the Trump camp.”

Well . . they ARE the team that visited the UK, and then immediately mailed letters around the world asking for foreign donations to their campaign. Until the FEC had to break the news to them it was illegal. Just sayin . .
posted by rc3spencer at 7:31 AM on June 5, 2017 [10 favorites]

Can you imagine how hard Trump would backpedal if Khan actually took him up on that IQ test challenge?

Ironically he can offer because at heart he knows that he's a jester idiot and Khan isn't.

Khan is British and talking to a British audience. The best thing is to just let your social opponent embarrass themselves whilst not lowering yourself to respond. Right now Trump is just a incoherently drunk tourist shouting through an open window; he really doesn't get to be taken seriously any more.
posted by jaduncan at 7:37 AM on June 5, 2017 [13 favorites]

Some SCOTUS orders in the NC redistricting cases (NC v. Covington [1] [2]) out this morning. A summary from TPM: Supreme Court Affirms Ruling Striking Down NC Legislative Districts. Basically, the court affirmed that the districts were racially gerrymandered, but vacated the proposed remedy (redraw + special election) and remanded to the District Court for reconsideration. Text of the order vacating the remedy (issued per curiam) is available here (District Court didn't do the proper analysis before deciding on the remedy). AFAIK, there isn't a published order affirming the case on the merits (affirmed by summary disposition).
posted by melissasaurus at 7:38 AM on June 5, 2017 [17 favorites]

It's as if the classic Watergate movie, "All The President's Men", was remade by ~~Michael Bay~~ Ed Wood as a ~~Tom Cruise~~ Nic Cage vehicle.
posted by soundguy99 at 7:42 AM on June 5, 2017 [20 favorites]

The C-Span schedule has Huckabee Sanders up today at 1:30pm. I guess Sean is busy.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 7:43 AM on June 5, 2017

Nick Cage actually has some charisma. This is a Tommy Wiseau operation.
posted by phearlez at 7:44 AM on June 5, 2017 [12 favorites]

I think the aforementioned Pain and Gain is the movie that most accurately captures the tone of Trump and his administration, because it's *kind* of like a Coen brothers movie but too dumb to be a truly effective farce or satire.
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:46 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

Trump's tweets this weekend leave me simultaneously impressed that anyone could shoot themselves in the foot so precisely and stupider for having been exposed to them.
posted by marshmallow peep at 7:47 AM on June 5, 2017 [7 favorites]

Lead counsel for Hawaii in the travel ban case about this morning tweets.

@neal_katyal:
Its kinda odd to have the defendant in HawaiivTrump acting as our co-counsel.We don't need the help but will take it!
posted by chris24 at 7:47 AM on June 5, 2017 [62 favorites]

Trump's tweets this weekend

Those were all this morning though. He spent the weekend golfing with his buddies.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 7:48 AM on June 5, 2017 [5 favorites]

If you replace Sadiq Khan's name with "Superman" in Trump's tweets about the London Bridge attack you end up with Lex Luthor's Twitter feed

Evil, balding millionaire president owning skyscrapers in several major US cities? I don't buy it
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:49 AM on June 5, 2017 [22 favorites]

Never mind the IQ test, I am having trouble thinking of any kind of inter-personal competition where I think Donald Trump could beat Sadiq Khan. Everyone agrees he cheats at golf. I defy you to make up a modern pentathlon that Trump wins.

Scrabble? Madden? Fistfight? Rap battle? Iron Chef?

Khan, five for five.
posted by box at 7:50 AM on June 5, 2017 [11 favorites]

Horrible shit subsidized by taxpayers? This is an Uwe Boll film.
posted by Behemoth at 7:53 AM on June 5, 2017 [8 favorites]

>It's as if the classic Watergate movie, "All The President's Men", was remade by Ed Wood as a Nic Cage vehicle.

weird it's almost like history repeats itself first as tragedy then as farce
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 7:54 AM on June 5, 2017 [26 favorites]

DVR alert: Russian Interference in U.S. Elections

In his first public appearance since his dismissal last month, former FBI Director James Comey testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Airing LIVE Thursday, Jun 08 10:00am EDT on C-SPAN3
posted by petebest at 7:54 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

Superman comics may have once featured Superman gaining the ability to shoot mini-Supermans out of his hands, but I reckon if someone proposed that President Lex Luthor might not understand what a executive order was, the editors would have shot it down as implausible
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:54 AM on June 5, 2017 [12 favorites]

I am having trouble thinking of any kind of inter-personal competition where I think Donald Trump could beat Sadiq Khan

Pussy-Grabbing.
Burnt Steak Eating Competition.
Insane Tweet Race.
Golf.
Fox News Endurance.

Kahn might best him at golf, but otherwise it's probably 4 for 5.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 7:56 AM on June 5, 2017 [11 favorites]

I think the upcoming Rogers and Comey testimony is driving him crazy. The tweets are an attempt at distraction but much more indicative of panic.
posted by chris24 at 7:58 AM on June 5, 2017 [15 favorites]

If you replace Sadiq Khan's name with "Superman" in Trump's tweets about the London Bridge attack you end up with Lex Luthor's Twitter feed

Luthor is too self-possessed. Trump is way more like the Red Skull. Plus, you know, hangs out with nazis.
posted by phearlez at 7:59 AM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

Burning the World Down in a Firey Clownblaze competition
posted by ian1977 at 7:59 AM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

I think the upcoming Rogers and Comey testimony is driving him crazy. The tweets are an attempt at distraction but much more indicative of panic.

He'd better hope he never faces a real FBI interrogation.
posted by jaduncan at 8:00 AM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

NYT's Glenn Thrush is live-tweeting what seems to be a dumpster fire rollout of the infrastructure briefing.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 8:01 AM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

From Thrush's tweets:

Doing air-traffic first cos it was "low-hanging fruit" & Rep Shuster had it in the can.

Glenn, this is bad enough without the phrasing.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:04 AM on June 5, 2017 [12 favorites]

He'd better hope he never faces a real FBI interrogation.

Trump's been deposed a number of times. Oddly, he suffers severe memory loss in his very good brain whenever it happens.
posted by dis_integration at 8:12 AM on June 5, 2017 [5 favorites]

> I defy you to make up a modern pentathlon that Trump wins.

Cheating, lying, bullying, tweeting and insulting. GOLD MEDAL
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:12 AM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

I wonder what's happening to Sadiq Khan's approval rating. I would have said there was no realistic chance of Jeremy Corbyn becoming Prime Minister this week, but maybe he could start goading Donald Trump on Twitter?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:14 AM on June 5, 2017 [5 favorites]

> I defy you to make up a modern pentathlon that Trump wins.

Cheating, lying, bullying, tweeting and insulting. GOLD MEDAL

I'll give you the first one. He's made a lot of money off it.

But a good component of lying is that people believe you. Even Trump's supporters admit that he doesn't really mean all of his lies.

Bullying? Please. He routinely folds when he's in the presence of people he talks tough about.

Tweeting? Not by volume or impact (unless you want to call it "self-inflicted damage via Twitter).

And Don Rickles wouldn't even waste a contemptuous glance on Trump.

Give Khan a week to train, and he'd take at least three of those.
posted by Etrigan at 8:17 AM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

I wonder what's happening to Sadiq Khan's approval rating.

Sadiq is at +35% approval rating in London. Pretty much everyone that doesn't like him is either an enthusiastic Tory or an actual UKIPper. He's probably close to his ceiling.
posted by jaduncan at 8:19 AM on June 5, 2017 [9 favorites]

What is the point of saying this? Are we, the "gang," supposed to throw up our hands, agree with you, and head sadly for our custom private wine-stocked fallout shelters in Tierra Del Fuego? Plant beans? Buy guns? Go back to bed and hide under the covers? Spend our evenings imagining the socialist utopia we could have had and remembering when we used to debate whether misogyny or racism was worse and what about the white working class huh? Or maybe just march down to the sea and jump in?

Things are already really bad. And hey, for lots of people they were really bad before too. Preparing for them to get worse might be smart. But we are damn sure not out of things to do. If you're posting to metafilter you're not about to get sent to a gulag.
posted by spitbull at 6:37 AM

The fuck, man? Excuse me for having a goddamn moment of fucking despair. What I really needed was to be attacked by theoretically my own side. Thanks. I guess all the marching, the food banks, the local work with undocumented people, no, you're right, I should just go back to my comfortable life being a goddamn Arab in Texas.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 8:20 AM on June 5, 2017 [37 favorites]

Huge props to lalex for the great thread title.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 8:24 AM on June 5, 2017 [7 favorites]

I can actually see the UK media forcing Theresa May to actually criticise Trump publicly over this.

She's been under pressure over the failure to be critical of the pull out from the Paris Accords, which was just different policies. This is Trump publicly criticising a popular British mayor who is in the middle of dealing with the aftermath of a terrorist incident. I have no idea how much weight is put on the old 'special relationship' on that side of the pond, but Trump is causing major damage to it with this.
posted by MattWPBS at 8:27 AM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

Y'all, shit's weird and hard and stressful out there, let's try and be kind to each other here.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:28 AM on June 5, 2017 [70 favorites]

Haven't been keeping up with the reaction to the Paris agreement withdrawal over the weekend, but here's a couple interesting thoughts.

China and the EU are indeed affirming their resolve on clean energy, rightly seeing a vacuum of leadership as the US steps out.

As the United States begins the process of withdrawal, a joint EU-China statement on Friday underscored the commitments of both sides to the Paris accord and to "strengthen efforts over time" to combat climate change.

"We are going to see closer cooperation between China and the European Union in accelerating the energy transition into a low-carbon economy," said Frank Yu of energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie.

Christiana Figueres, former head of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC):

Thank you Trump. You have provoked an unparalleled wave of support for Paris and determined resolve on climate action. Deeply grateful.

Michael Liebreich, founder of Bloomberg New Energy Finanace:

1. I'm not sure @RealDonaldTrump pulling the US out of the Paris Agreement is such a bad thing. We may be surprised at how things play out.

2. The figures Trump quoted on the costs of Paris to US are pure tosh. If that's all he's got, it's trivially debunked, will not age well.

3. It's no longer possible to pretend Trump is anything other than a buffoon. This will have domestic as well as international consequences.

4. Internationally, US officials will be shocked by their pariah status, not just on climate. The world has moved on since the Dubya years.

5. Far from encouraging other countries to quit Paris, it will strengthen their resolve. The EU and India must now deliver or be humiliated.

6. Domestically, this should mark the point when sensible Republicans finally start rowing back to the scientific and social mainstream.

7. This will spur a tidal wave of climate action by US states, cities, businesses & citizens. I bet the US will meet its Paris 2030 pledge.

8. So pulling out of Paris stiffens everyone else's resolve to act on climate, marginalising Trump and the anti-climate headbangers. Sweet!

posted by Existential Dread at 8:35 AM on June 5, 2017 [60 favorites]

6. Domestically, this should mark the point when sensible Republicans finally start rowing back to the scientific and social mainstream.

I know I use this one a lot but... ahahahahahahahahaha.
posted by Talez at 8:37 AM on June 5, 2017 [22 favorites]

Imagine if the day after 9/11, Tony Blair had publicly ridiculed Rudy Giuliani.
posted by WordCannon at 8:38 AM on June 5, 2017 [47 favorites]

Yeah, point 6 is laughable, but points 5 and 7 are being borne out. It'll be interesting to see what happens with point 4.
posted by Existential Dread at 8:39 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

Domestically, this should mark the point when sensible Republicans finally start rowing back to the scientific and social mainstream.

They're rowing because of the rising flood waters due to Global Climate Change, right?
posted by Fizz at 8:39 AM on June 5, 2017 [5 favorites]

A 2 foot rise in sea level would just be punishment for all the SIN coastal elites get up to whilst not busy making all the money that pays for Republicans fundie asses.
posted by Artw at 8:42 AM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

Internationally, US officials will be shocked by their pariah status, not just on climate. The world has moved on since the Dubya years.

There are a great number of administration officials who would be delighted by disengagement with international bodies, I would imagine. In before ((Globalists)) and all that.
posted by jaduncan at 8:43 AM on June 5, 2017

A 2 foot rise in sea level would just be punishment for all the SIN coastal elites get up to whilst not busy making all the money that pays for Republicans fundie asses.

Yeah but the models are showing that all those beautiful red-leaning counties are gonna be ass-deep in severe drought before that happens. Nobody gets a free ride in this shit.
posted by Existential Dread at 8:43 AM on June 5, 2017 [9 favorites]

A 2 foot rise in sea level would just be punishment for all the SIN coastal elites get up to whilst not busy making all the money that pays for Republicans fundie asses.

They're going to be surprised when we build a wall that's both needed and works.

Meanwhile America's heartland will become one giant dust bowl. Maybe we'll get 2030s Okies heading to California for food and single payer healthcare.
posted by Talez at 8:44 AM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

A 2 foot rise in sea level would

Turn Mar-a-lago into a bay.

I know he's stupid, but I'm baffled that a golf course owner in Florida would be unconcerned about sea level rise, just even out of pure self-interest.
posted by leotrotsky at 8:45 AM on June 5, 2017 [22 favorites]

They're rowing because of the rising flood waters due to Global Climate Change, right?

I can't draw, but we need a This Is Fine cartoon where instead of the dog in a burning house, it's a Republican sitting beachside in Florida with the water to his chin.
posted by chris24 at 8:45 AM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

I can't draw, but we need a This Is Fine cartoon where instead of the dog in a burning house, it's a Republican sitting beachside in Florida with the water to his chin.

That meme was already done.
posted by Talez at 8:47 AM on June 5, 2017 [7 favorites]

“Single-payer! Single-payer! Single-payer!”

It's like if the Democrats had won the presidential election with majorities in both houses of Congress, and fucked it all up so badly they wound up making gun ownership mandatory, outlawing abortion and lowering the top tax rate to 1%.
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:48 AM on June 5, 2017 [19 favorites]

Trump’s latest unhinged tweetstorm could hasten his downward spiral - Greg Sargent (WaPo)
- includes the "Morning Plum" update and collated links/analysis for the day
posted by Barack Spinoza at 8:48 AM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

Turn Mar-a-lago into a bay.

R'lyeh-a-Trumpo
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:49 AM on June 5, 2017 [10 favorites]

8. So pulling out of Paris stiffens everyone else's resolve to act on climate, marginalising Trump and the anti-climate headbangers. Sweet!

Please god save us from "clever" tweet threads that show how the very bad thing will really turn out to be good because reasons. They will be the death of me.
posted by dis_integration at 8:50 AM on June 5, 2017 [10 favorites]

/twiddles thumbs, waits for Delaware to calve off of the Larsen C ice shelf
posted by Existential Dread at 8:50 AM on June 5, 2017 [5 favorites]

I was at a small gathering this weekend, and there was a poli sci professor there who was outed as a Republican. I sidled up to her and said, "I hate to be that person, but I've surrounded myself with liberals so you're my token conservative and I have to ask, what is your thinking on this?" She said that 1. She was raised by a single mother who did it all by herself, so 2. Other than defense, government should stay out of people's business, and 3. It's like religion. People just hew to what their parents believed. Readers, I sidled off again and spoke no more to her. As I scuttled away, she called, "I don't let people know I'm Republican anymore!" This is in small-city Mississippi. At least she has a sense of shame, even here. But good goddam! I've cut back on drinking somehow, but in my heyday, she would not have known what hit her had I had a few in me. You are a PROFESSOR? Of POLITICAL SCIENCE? Did Trump University give you that degree? Don't. Get. Me. Started. The only comfort I could take from it was that she's feeling the need to keep her mouth shut even in the Bible Belt. I feel like I let everyone down not letting her have it, but I was sort of stunned, and it was at a birthday party so a scene would have been rough on the birthday-haver. But what the hell, lady?
posted by thebrokedown at 8:51 AM on June 5, 2017 [39 favorites]

President Trump Announces the Air Traffic Control Reform Initiative Live Because That's Totally What People Want With Regard To Infrastructure
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:52 AM on June 5, 2017 [23 favorites]

R'lyeh-a-Trumpo

Too generous. Elder Gods, at least, engage in long term planning/thinking.
posted by leotrotsky at 8:55 AM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

GOP strategists plot anti-media strategy for 2018 elections (Alex Roarty and Lindsay Wise, McClatchy

But interviews with Republican strategists and party leaders across the country reveal that what started as genuine anger at allegedly unfair coverage — or an effort to deflect criticism — is now an integral part of next year’s congressional campaigns.

The hope, say these officials, is to convince Trump die-hards that these mid-term races are as much a referendum on the media as they are on President Trump. That means embracing conflict with local and national journalists, taking them on to show Republicans voters that they, just like the president, are battling a biased press corps out to destroy them.

posted by Room 641-A at 8:56 AM on June 5, 2017 [12 favorites]

GOP strategists plot anti-media strategy for 2018 elections

This is parallel to "it's not the treason, it's how we found out about the treason that's the real issue."

When your message is crap and inconsistent with reality, you end up attacking the messenger.
posted by leotrotsky at 8:59 AM on June 5, 2017 [23 favorites]

weird it's almost like history repeats itself first as tragedy then as farce

history repeats itself first as WTF then as LOL
posted by kirkaracha at 9:03 AM on June 5, 2017 [12 favorites]

3. It's like religion. People just hew to what their parents believed.

Hoo boy. Of course, that may or may not be true in any given case, but it's hardly incontrovertible, for either religion or politics.
posted by holborne at 9:04 AM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

I expect the profit-minded monopoly of air traffic control will provide just as excellent a service to its users as Comcast Cable
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:08 AM on June 5, 2017 [8 favorites]

You are a PROFESSOR? Of POLITICAL SCIENCE?

For real. Those responses boil down to, "I haven't really thought much about it, so I just go with what I know." Is that person's specialty, like, the bureaucratic exam system in Tang Dynasty China or something equally removed from the current geopolitical climate? Because if not, yikes.
posted by soren_lorensen at 9:08 AM on June 5, 2017 [29 favorites]

That means embracing conflict with local and national journalists

For those of us still operating under the impression that corporate news media create content freely, and of their own perspective, stock up on evens for the inevitable:

TV NEWS: Republicans blame "the media" for all failures
GOP: [grimaces, screaming]
CHUCK TODD: Are we really that bad? We were accused of screwing up the 2016 election, so it's an absolutely valid point. It's time to give the GOP a break.
posted by petebest at 9:08 AM on June 5, 2017 [9 favorites]

7. This will spur a tidal wave of climate action by US states, cities, businesses & citizens. I bet the US will meet its Paris 2030 pledge.

I have been thinking about states, cities, and individuals pledging to "do the right thing, even if the federal government doesn't" - whether the right thing refers to

- Climate change
- Health Care
- Education

And a small portion of my disappointment in my fellow Americans is lessened, and that is a good thing . (And more importantly, people are committing to solve those issues as best they can!)

But I think about the DOJ orders to not act on civil rights violations by police departments, or cutting funding for NOAA, and not nominating anyone to multiple key positions in different departments . And then I think about how the (R) house and senate continue to stand by this administration, even in the face of all of the Russia scandal.

And basically, I see the groundswell of promises for 'local' support and implementation of these issues to be part of the narrative that the all of the conservatives have been pushing for years:

That isn't the federal government's job: that is a state issue.

At the end of this presidency, no matter where it ends, major progress will have been made to undermine the faith of the federal government (who knew it could go lower!?) .

And even MORE progress will have been made on the "State's rights!" front. Which , to speak clearly is a dogwhistle for controlling women's bodies, controlling who can and can't marry, and eliminating federal oversight of police (read: control of non-whites). With the added bonus that federal funding will be cut, lowering the taxes of those advocating this plan in the first place.

These people want a 'brexit at home' and they want a "united states of white land owners"

And i am afraid that even the positive news re: local commitment to the Paris accords depresses me now....and makes me even more paranoid.
posted by das_2099 at 9:09 AM on June 5, 2017 [17 favorites]

Trump's currently waxing pathetic on the merits of privatizing air traffic control, and all I hear is a D- student with a rich dad reading a poorly researched book report by some C- student he bullied into writing for him at the last minute. And still, they applaud.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 9:10 AM on June 5, 2017 [43 favorites]

“Does anyone want to see a reporter badly injured? No,” said Tobe Berkovitz, a Boston University advertising expert who advises congressional and gubernatorial election campaigns. "But there are some people who think this is their comeuppance: ‘You’ve been strutting around with no accountability and maybe you should be held accountable.’”

I bet Republicans wake up in a cold sweat from nightmares in which they've been forced to take accountability for their words and actions. Can you imagine???
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:11 AM on June 5, 2017 [15 favorites]

Evil, balding millionaire president owning skyscrapers in several major US cities? I don't buy it

Lex Luthor knew his ass from a hole in the ground, though
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 9:11 AM on June 5, 2017 [10 favorites]

At the end of this presidency, no matter where it ends, major progress will have been made to undermine the faith of the federal government (who knew it could go lower!?) .

That'll likely exacerbate the economic hollowing of the republican states. What knowledge economy company wants to headquarter in a state that hates gay people and books?
posted by leotrotsky at 9:13 AM on June 5, 2017 [9 favorites]

sensible Republicans
makes more sense if you add "all four of the..."

Turn Mar-a-lago into a bay.
I assumed that the only thing he regrets about that property is that it's not beachfront, and is setting out to fix that.
posted by oneswellfoop at 9:14 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

“Does anyone want to see a reporter badly injured? No,” said Tobe Berkovitz, a Boston University advertising expert who advises congressional and gubernatorial election campaigns.

Sadly, I'm pretty sure the answer to this is probably "yes" for some people out there.
posted by longdaysjourney at 9:14 AM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

maybe you should be held accountable.

What, exactly, would accountability look like in this scenario? Accountable to who? By who? Accountable in what way? What's the carrot and what's the stick, here? Who enforces this? Are any laws being broken? What the everloving fuck does this even mean? I'm irrationally (or perhaps completely rationally) annoyed by this throwing out of a word without any regard to its meaning or implications.
posted by soren_lorensen at 9:15 AM on June 5, 2017 [18 favorites]

We must stop being politically correct

But he complained about Kathy Griffin's decapitation doll.
posted by kirkaracha at 9:16 AM on June 5, 2017 [18 favorites]

waxing pathetic

*golf clap*

/dibs on sockpuppet
posted by petebest at 9:17 AM on June 5, 2017 [14 favorites]

What knowledge economy company wants to headquarter in a state that hates gay people and books?

The knowledge economy company I work for is moving jobs to states with a lower cost-of-living so they can pay lower salaries. I don't think they particularly care about the state's record on civil rights.
posted by diogenes at 9:19 AM on June 5, 2017 [12 favorites]

I don't think they particularly care about the state's record on civil rights.

They might once they find they are having trouble finding talent.
posted by soren_lorensen at 9:22 AM on June 5, 2017 [7 favorites]

3. It's like religion. People just hew to what their parents believed. ... You are a PROFESSOR? Of POLITICAL SCIENCE?

So just for the record, that's what a half-assed and grossly simplified version of the outdated-but-not-really-wrong understanding of partisanship from _The American Voter_ looks like. It's not crazy, even if the rest of your conversation was.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:23 AM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

Ah, Conway rejected the position because Trump isn't effective enough at being evil, got it
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:23 AM on June 5, 2017 [8 favorites]

some perspective on this air-traffic presentation - it's a potemkin bill signing!

Trump isn’t signing a bill. He’s signing a list of “principles” on air traffic control. It’s a faux bill signing ceremony. Amazing. -- Igor Bobic, HuffPo political correspondant

posted by murphy slaw at 9:26 AM on June 5, 2017 [65 favorites]

Both Trump and Luthor frequently make false attacks against resident aliens
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:27 AM on June 5, 2017 [9 favorites]

1. Air. Air is everywhere. amazing folks, truly amazing.
2. Traffic. we have all this traffic IN THE AIR. People are saying this is really important.
3. Control. We are going to start controlling the 'air traffic' immediately. Believe me.
(fake)
posted by ian1977 at 9:28 AM on June 5, 2017 [13 favorites]

imma need a real/fake tag on that plz
posted by entropicamericana at 9:30 AM on June 5, 2017 [11 favorites]

Trump isn’t signing a bill. He’s signing a list of “principles” ...

I'm fine with Trump playacting at governing instead of doing the hard work of actual governing. Let him sign lists of principles all day long.
posted by diogenes at 9:31 AM on June 5, 2017 [44 favorites]

Germany has no choice but to begin the process of pulling its forces out of Incirlik Air Base in Turkey as the Turkish government will not allow all German lawmakers to visit troops there, Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Monday.

Incirlik has also gotten less hospitable for U.S. forces recently.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 9:31 AM on June 5, 2017 [17 favorites]

Germany has no choice but to begin the process of pulling its forces out

You never want to have your forces incirlikled.
posted by kirkaracha at 9:38 AM on June 5, 2017 [9 favorites]

I’m still hazy on how Turkey ties in to Trump/Putin, but obviously the counter-coup makes Turkey a very bad fit for NATO, which is to Putins benefit. I mean, it might be a bit of luck, but Putin bag-man Michael Flynn is awash in Turkish money so it seem like there is something there.
posted by Artw at 9:42 AM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

(Not letting them into the EU, which I always thought was a bad move, now looks prescient)
posted by Artw at 9:43 AM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

New military alliance: Trump, Putin, Erdogan. Notoriously Autocratic Tyranny Organization
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:45 AM on June 5, 2017 [9 favorites]

The Hill: Dem senator mocks Trump tweet: 'Murphy denounces kids for eating breakfast he made'
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:12 AM on June 5, 2017 [12 favorites]

Murphy is in the running for my favorite Senator of the Trumpublican Occupation.
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:23 AM on June 5, 2017 [5 favorites]

The flurry of controversies come as the House and Senate reconvene in Washington. GOP lawmakers were hopeful the president would stay on message but instead walked into a Trump-driven buzzsaw.

The mental image of Trump angrily driving around at random in a bulldozer with a buzzsaw attached to its blade pretty much sums up his Presidency.
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:26 AM on June 5, 2017 [34 favorites]

The Trumpian Chainsaw Massacre
posted by oneswellfoop at 10:30 AM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

@TerryMcAuliffe
BREAKING: Virginia is joining the U.S. Climate Alliance

(both Northam and Perriello support the decision)
posted by melissasaurus at 10:32 AM on June 5, 2017 [72 favorites]

CNN:

[Trump] argued that moving the system to a private non-profit corporation will help speed up the shift from using land-based radar to using more precise GPS tools. Trump and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said the change would also reduce costs and fuel consumption for airlines.

"The current system can not keep up and hasn't been able to keep up for many years," Trump said. "At a time when every passenger has GPS technology in their pockets, our air traffic control system still runs on radar and ground-based radio systems that they don't even make anymore. Many controllers must use slips of paper to track our thousands and thousands of flights."

The FAA has been moving towards a GPS system for a number of years, but it's not scheduled to be fully implemented until at least 2020.

So, cutting through the garbage framing, can anyone speak to the GPS v radar thing? I can see a few advantages to GPS, but at a minimum I'm hard pressed to think of a system that wouldn't still need some sort of radar tracking underneath it all for planes that accidentally or maliciously don't have a functioning GPS transponder.

Is this statement just 45 waxing poetic about NEW! Digital! Technology! ?
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 10:35 AM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

Thanks for that, lalex. Like father-in-law, like son.
posted by Melismata at 10:36 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

I’m still hazy on how Turkey ties in to Trump/Putin, but obviously the counter-coup makes Turkey a very bad fit for NATO, which is to Putins benefit.

During the election, there was a Russian propaganda story which Manafort repeated on US TV, about how Incirlik was supposedly attacked by terrorists. I wonder if that story has anything to do with this story?

It seems to me there is definately some kind of relationship between Putin and Erdogan which hasn't been officially acknowledged yet. Maybe because Turkey is formally our ally and doesn't want to jeopardize the benefits that come from that by publicly siding with Putin. But...

Back in March I tried to count up all the other places where stories about Russia and stories about Turkey overlapped. You can click through, but to spare you having to load another long thread, they were:

*Michael Flynn took money from both, met with Putin, and also talked about turning over a Turkish dissident to the Turkish government.

*Turkish bankers in New York trying to smuggle money to Iran in violation of sanctions being represented by the same lawyers (Rudy Giuliani and Michael Mukasey) who defended Russians in the Prevezon money laundering case.

*Turkey pissing off the Dutch and French by campaigning for the "make Erdogan dictator for life" referendum on their territory right before their elections, in ways that probably helped the Russian-backed nationalist/anti-Islamic parties there

*Cyprus -- Russian criminals' favorite route to get stolen money out of Russia, and home of some of Paul Manafort's and Wilbur Ross's biggest bank accounts -- has a lot of historical connections to Turkey as well.

*In Syria, Turkey doesn't like us arming the Kurds to fight Assad, and Russia doesn't like anyone trying to fight Assad. (Flynn temporarily scuttled the "arm the Kurds" plan, which is now back in effect.)

*Oh, and there's this story which I missed in that last round-up:

[Donald Trump's real estate development partner at Bayrock, who is from the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan] Tevfik Arif went on trial with nine others in the Turkish Mediterranean city of Antalya. Charges against the other suspects include people smuggling and encouraging prostitution, the Anatolia news agency said.

Turkey deported nine Russian and Ukrainian women, including two under the legal age of consent, after authorities said they broke a prostitution ring aboard the Savarona in September.
[...]
The agency reported that the indictment alleges that Arif bankrolled the party aboard the ship.
[...]
This article was amended on 2 April 2012 to reflect the fact that, in April 2011, Tevfik Arif was acquitted of all charges. The Court judgment also recorded that all the women on board the yacht were aged over 18. Mr Arif says that he was falsely accused and wrongly prosecuted over these matters.

posted by OnceUponATime at 10:37 AM on June 5, 2017 [24 favorites]

hopeful the president would stay on message but instead walked into a Trump-driven buzzsaw.

GOP lawmakers, "This time I'm sure he won't pull the football away."
posted by leotrotsky at 10:40 AM on June 5, 2017 [10 favorites]

hopeful the president would stay on message but instead walked into a Trump-driven buzzsaw.

GOP lawmakers, "This time I'm sure he won't pull the football away."

Hey, Lucy knew what she was doing. We're seeing the equivalent of Rerun getting distracted just before Charlie Brown goes for the kick.
posted by Etrigan at 10:42 AM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

He doesn't pull the football away on purpose so much as he forgets he's supposed to be playing football and wanders off to pee in the pool of one of kids on his team.
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:43 AM on June 5, 2017 [16 favorites]

I'm hard pressed to think of a system that wouldn't still need some sort of radar tracking underneath it all for planes that accidentally or maliciously don't have a functioning GPS transponder.

When mass murderers took over the cockpits of four American airliners on Sept. 11, 2001, one of the first things they did was turn off the transponders, so the planes would not register properly on civilian radar.

If the transponders had not gone silent on 9/11, air traffic controllers would have quickly realized that two jetliners en route to Los Angeles had made dramatic course changes and were bound straight for Manhattan. Instead, controllers lost precious time trying to figure out where the aircraft were.

posted by kirkaracha at 10:43 AM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

So, cutting through the garbage framing, can anyone speak to the GPS v radar thing?

I can tell you that GPS is vulnerable to interference in ways that ground based radar is not. If a foreign adversary shot down our GPS satellites (there are only a couple of dozen of them) or jammed their signals, we do not want planes to be unable to navigate or air traffic control to be unable to track them. GPS is fine, as long as there is a very reliable back up system which doesn't have the same vulnerabilities.
posted by OnceUponATime at 10:44 AM on June 5, 2017 [10 favorites]

> [Trump] argued that moving the system to a private non-profit corporation

Just so nobody has to update their marketing materials, let's call it the MITRE Center for Advanced Aviation System Development.
posted by tonycpsu at 10:46 AM on June 5, 2017 [7 favorites]

The VA is scrapping its VistA electronic health record system in favor of a commercial product, dumping a much beloved in-house system for one that will cost the government a gazillion dollars.
posted by zachlipton at 10:48 AM on June 5, 2017 [28 favorites]

So, cutting through the garbage framing, can anyone speak to the GPS v radar thing?

Traditionally, air traffic is managed much like highway traffic. There are defined highways in the sky printed on a map that planes must follow and there is precise spacing between planes much like car-lengths of separation on a highway. It is like the interstate highway system connecting major cities.

With GPS, there is the potential for airplanes to fly directly from point to point. They don't have to follow a highway. They can maintain safe separation in three dimensions instead of having follow a predefined line because GPS allows them and other planes to know the precise location of every plane in three dimensions with an accuracy of a few feet.

That's the simplified version. The FAA and air traffic control agree that this is a worthy goal to reduce congestion and increase capacity. They are working on it.
posted by JackFlash at 10:48 AM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

the GPS v radar thing?

. . . is not a derail but is legitimizing . . . whatever tf he's doing. Zero stars. Would not recommend.
posted by petebest at 10:50 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

Is this statement just 45 waxing poetic about NEW! Digital! Technology! ?

So Digital is good enough to navigate planes with, but not to launch them from our aircraft carriers?
posted by ArgentCorvid at 10:56 AM on June 5, 2017 [8 favorites]

Say, once a private company hoses the VA, it can't be used as an exemplar of a government-run healthcare provider that would be the model for single-payer. Whattaya know!
posted by wenestvedt at 10:58 AM on June 5, 2017 [15 favorites]

So Digital is good enough to navigate planes with, but not to launch them from our aircraft carriers?

Oh boy. I had misremembered that catapult thing as Donald being exasperated at using steam technology on our fancy modern fleet, but that's right, it was actually Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad, Gotta Be Einstein to Understand It, Digital (That Starts with D, Which Rhymes with T, That Stands For Trouble) Catapults.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 11:04 AM on June 5, 2017 [5 favorites]

Can we get Accenture, the contractor that has fucked up every government IT project ever, but has a talent for putting in low (but still way more than they're worth, considering what you get) bids?
posted by ctmf at 11:04 AM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

So this is a new explanation for what happened with Qatar: Qatar paid up to $1bn to release members of the Gulf state's royal family who were kidnapped in Iraq while on a hunting trip (link to tweet since FT is paywalled, click through in tweet to bypass). That "up to" is doing a lot of work there, but handing that kind of cash to an al-Qaeda affiliate and Iran isn't going to go over well.
posted by zachlipton at 11:10 AM on June 5, 2017 [12 favorites]

Deutsche Bank asks for more time for U.S. enquiry on Trump, Russia: source (Reuters / Tom Sims)

Germany's largest bank has asked for more time to respond to a request from Democrats on a U.S. House of Representatives panel for details about U.S. President Donald Trump's possible ties to Russia, a person familiar with the matter said on Monday.

posted by Barack Spinoza at 11:10 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

If the year offshore it all to Russia, sure!
posted by Artw at 11:10 AM on June 5, 2017

The VA is scrapping its VistA electronic health record system in favor of a commercial product, dumping a much beloved in-house system for one that will cost the government a gazillion dollars.

Ehhhh...I work with the VA system every day, it's...ok. Better than illegible hand written notes from a medical practice that only uses paper, but does every single provider than touches the case need to repeat the entire case history every time they add a new record? Some of the VA files can get to 5000+ pages quickly, with 90% of that repeating the same information. It's kind of hellish to sort through. We don't have the same access as the actual medical providers, so maybe their experience is better than having third party review access, but there's much better integrated electronic records systems out there like Kaiser uses.
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:11 AM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

President Trump Just Held a Signing. He Had Nothing to Sign

After announcing his goal to privatize the nation's Air Traffic Control System, President Donald Trump sat down at a desk on Monday and signed two documents. There was only one problem: He wasn't actually signing something that would have any tangible impact on what he had just proposed.

Trump's proposal was actually based on legislation introduced by Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Bill Shuster, the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The bill never made it to the House floor for a vote and reportedly faced bipartisan opposition in the Senate.

I'm really wondering if Trump had any idea what was actually happening. He has clearly demonstrated that he has basically no understanding of the legislative process, so have we reached the point where his own staff are setting up fake bill signings in order to make him feel presidential? Does he now go away feeling like he accomplished something while the proposal just gets thrown in the trash as soon as he leaves the room?
posted by parallellines at 11:13 AM on June 5, 2017 [68 favorites]

Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the worst, defending Trump's tweets just now. She should just say they speak for themselves.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 11:14 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'm really wondering if Trump had any idea what was actually happening. He has clearly demonstrated that he has basically no understanding of the legislative process, so have we reached the point where his own staff are setting up fake bill signings in order to make him feel presidential?

I suspect that he insisted on having a "bill signing" today, and this is the best his staff could come up with on short notice. Whether or not he's aware that it was a sham is an open question.
posted by diogenes at 11:15 AM on June 5, 2017 [11 favorites]

I'm really wondering if Trump had any idea what was actually happening. He has clearly demonstrated that he has basically no understanding of the legislative process, so have we reached the point where his own staff are setting up fake bill signings in order to make him feel presidential? Does he now go away feeling like he accomplished something while the proposal just gets thrown in the trash as soon as he leaves the room?

That's... not a bad plan, actually.
posted by MrVisible at 11:16 AM on June 5, 2017 [33 favorites]

Somebody slip him a resignation letter. They can call it the Making America Great Again Act.
posted by The Card Cheat at 11:18 AM on June 5, 2017 [71 favorites]

She should just say they speak for themselves.

Sometimes his tweets speak for themselves. Sometimes they mean the exact opposite of what they appear to mean. Sometimes both! It's very confusing.
posted by diogenes at 11:18 AM on June 5, 2017 [9 favorites]

You could always sneak in a single payer health care EO to one of those mock signings. I doubt he reads what's placed in front of him.
posted by Devonian at 11:18 AM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

On the bright side, Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that they won't invoke Executive Privilege to stop Comey for testifying, which isn't something they've been willing to commit to before.
posted by zachlipton at 11:20 AM on June 5, 2017 [7 favorites]

Huckabee Sanders: Trump's tweets matter, but you shouldn't pay any attention to them.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 11:20 AM on June 5, 2017 [24 favorites]

He's not really apologetic and certainly doesn't deserve a prize for "seeing the light", but in addition to confirming your most cynical suspicions he does include some interesting quotes from Ailes and other Fox "actors.

"Tobin Smith on Medium: FEAR & UNbalanced: Confessions of a 14-Year Fox News Hitman: How Roger Ailes & Fox News Got Rich Scamming America’s La Z Boy Cowboys and Selling Out America’s Soul

The Fox News opinion panel scam works like this. More often than not, in my panel segments I was the protagonist or “designated hit man” aka the one called on by the host (as instructed by the producers in my ear or the ear of the host) to “kill ‘em.” You’d know I was the designated hit man when the panel show hosts tossed the final death blow 15–20 seconds to me when they say “Toby you have the final word.”

But before I delivered the final rhetorical death blow …the producer of the segment had given me my script 24 hours BEFORE the show started . I knew 24–48 hours in ADVANCE of how the designated liberal was going to argue his/her point…and more important how I was going to win.

posted by Room 641-A at 11:22 AM on June 5, 2017 [37 favorites]

On the bright side, Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that they won't invoke Executive Privilege to stop Comey for testifying

...which means there's at least a 50% chance that they will
posted by mightygodking at 11:23 AM on June 5, 2017 [43 favorites]

The VA is scrapping its VistA electronic health record system in favor of a commercial product, dumping a much beloved in-house system for one that will cost the government a gazillion dollars.

My understanding is that there are better systems out there.

The VA lost the battle to keep VistA once the DOD decided to go the commercial route. Both the DOD and VistA systems needed upgrades and there were serious drawbacks to not having one centralized group constantly tinkering with and updating the code to match the newer platforms they ran on. VistA is also not really cross compatible with the Department of Defense or private-sector healthcare providers, which means that active duty records have to be transferred from one system to another rather than being readily available. Also, private providers supply a pretty large percentage of care to veterans. I've read that the current system doesn't allow the agencies to digitally share diagnostic scans, for example.

When a patient's records aren't entirely available, providers will only get a section of their medical history, not their longitudinal profile. The VA cares for a population of over 9 million -- many of whom may some sort of disability or long-term injury. Having an incompatible system is a quality of care issue. In this day and age you can't have proper managed care without a shared, compatible system. In a worst case scenario, errors arising from lack of knowledge could conceivably be fatal, but the system is just slower or less efficient.

It definitely would have been ideal if they had kept the current system and overhauled for all parties, creating a shared, easily updated, compatible database for medical records.
posted by zarq at 11:36 AM on June 5, 2017 [9 favorites]

Trump Allegedly Dismissed Climate Issues Because Weathermen Are Often Wrong

Trump's post-Paris analysis: they can't even get the weather report right, so how come they think they can get that right?

posted by kirkaracha at 11:38 AM on June 5, 2017 [17 favorites]

She took 15 entire minutes of questions before she decided the reporters were being mean to her and left. [real, basically]

By this time next year, the press briefing will just be a Trumpy coming to the podium, farting, and then leaving
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 11:39 AM on June 5, 2017 [8 favorites]

You could always sneak in a single payer health care EO to one of those mock signings. I doubt he reads what's placed in front of him.

I've fantasized about someone giving him an EO to sign that instructs SSA to accept a bare attestation that the applicant is over 65 for the purposes of Medicare eligibility, and eliminates the penalty for fraud in this instance.

God, even my fantasies are pathetically nerdy
posted by tivalasvegas at 11:42 AM on June 5, 2017 [20 favorites]

that is the BEST fantasy though.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 11:44 AM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

I'm really wondering if Trump had any idea what was actually happening.

I'm a year older than Barack Obama, and probably once a week, for eight years, I wondered how on earth I could ever be president. (Narrator: she couldn't.)

I look at Trump and realize that I could actually do the job and not be the worst president of all time.
posted by Room 641-A at 11:47 AM on June 5, 2017 [74 favorites]

'I'm well over 65 in several very popular units of time!'
posted by ian1977 at 11:48 AM on June 5, 2017 [12 favorites]

Having worked in the Electronic Medical Records arena, dealing mostly with integration between my system and back-end HIS systems, they were all walled gardens, but Vista was old and nearly impossible to work with in any modern way. We're talking screen scraping and stuff. If it's beloved, it's because all the VA employees who work with it have learned all its quirks, and don't care if it runs in a web browser...
posted by Windopaene at 11:49 AM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

Yeah, Room 641A I have had the same experience. If you made me president right now I would not be the best qualified person to do it by any stretch, but I damn sure would do a better job than Trump. He has buried the bar so deep almost anyone could step over it.

It's weird living in this timeline.
posted by emjaybee at 11:50 AM on June 5, 2017 [19 favorites]

Also... (I apologize in advance for banging on about this...)

Veterans can sometimes have more complex medical needs than the average person. Managed care today is as much about analysis (especially between medical professionals) as it is about gathering data. For the latter, shared medical records mean (among other things) that everyone can make their notes in one place. As T.D. Strange notes, this can help eliminate duplications in a given patient's record. But it can also allow doctors to view each others' assessments in real time and perhaps give greater depth to diagnoses.
posted by zarq at 11:51 AM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

I look at Trump and realize that I could actually do the job and not be the worst president of all time.

I don't think I'd even be in the bottom three.
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:52 AM on June 5, 2017 [8 favorites]

the bottom three.

Donald, John and Trump?
posted by Too-Ticky at 11:56 AM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

It's kind of hellish to sort through. We don't have the same access as the actual medical providers, so maybe their experience is better than having third party review access, but there's much better integrated electronic records systems out there like Kaiser uses.

The problem with third party solutions is that they come from a third party. You don't own the code so if you need to have any changes made, it's a huge PITA. You don't really have much leverage to get them to make changes so you're often counting on it being a problem for multiple other customers. Then they don't have to listen to you in implementing the change.

With a home-grown solution the only limitation to what you can change is limited by the resources you have to throw at it. You can change whatever you want however you want and the whole thing is custom build for your solution.

Third party solutions will include tools that you don't have a use for and others that mostly fit functions you need but you end up using them a little differently than intended.

Sometimes you get lucky and a third party solution exists that does exactly what you need in exactly the way you would have built it but for the most part I think that every solution that can be built in house should be.
posted by VTX at 12:02 PM on June 5, 2017 [11 favorites]

Oh my God that Tobin Smith piece! Everyone go read it right away!

What continues to blow me away to this day is . . most Fox News fans STILL don’t seem to get that the Fox opinion programming they are addicted to is just as fixed and fake as pro wrestling.

But the worst part of this “news” farce is how families and children are losing their fathers (and some mother’s too) into the abyss of Fox News performance art. Hundreds of thousands of >70 aged men, addicted to rush they feel as they watch the staged gladiatorial fight of good and evil for hours a day, have simply lost touch with non-Fox reality.

posted by OnceUponATime at 12:04 PM on June 5, 2017 [62 favorites]

just as fixed and fake as pro wrestling

Except that professional wrestlers get seriously injured and destroy their bodies for our entertainment, while the people who are hurt by Fox News are the viewers and the public at large.
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:06 PM on June 5, 2017 [19 favorites]

Hundreds of thousands of >70 aged men, addicted to rush they feel as they watch the staged gladiatorial fight of good and evil for hours a day, have simply lost touch with non-Fox reality.
...even without the "hundreds of thousands", ONE in particular with way too much power...
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:08 PM on June 5, 2017 [8 favorites]

Ok that Tobin Smith article... if that guy is telling the accurate truth about Fox News then I hope he has some hard evidence of what he's saying. Otherwise he's just switched from playing the credulous right to playing the credulous left and tells people what they want to hear. This is the problem with reformed dirt bags. You can never be totally certain they reformed or just changed tactics.
posted by Green With You at 12:09 PM on June 5, 2017 [15 favorites]

Oh my God that Tobin Smith piece! Everyone go read it right away!

Yes, do! But, be prepared for formatting that mimics right wing fake news sites omg so much random h3.
posted by soren_lorensen at 12:09 PM on June 5, 2017 [15 favorites]

Hundreds of thousands of >70 aged men, addicted to rush they feel as they watch the staged gladiatorial fight of good and evil for hours a day, have simply lost touch with non-Fox reality.

A few years ago, I was sharing a bench at a Denali campground shuttle stop with a family of seven -- three generations camping together, including a white-haired grandfather with a flag hat. The mother said to the grandpa, "It's been three days since you've watched Fox news. How does it feel?"

And the grandpa said, "It feels really good." Like a weight had been lifted.
posted by mochapickle at 12:15 PM on June 5, 2017 [57 favorites]

But before I delivered the final rhetorical death blow …the producer of the segment had given me my script 24 hours BEFORE the show started .

All "talking heads" shows (i.e. "Sunday morning shows") do this, just usually not that far in advance. And they have a blurt more scruples about it.

I honestly thought that was fairly well known
posted by petebest at 12:15 PM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

The Tobin Smith piece didn't tell me anything I didn't know either--it's blatantly obvious to anyone with moderate media literacy--but it's interesting to hear it from someone who (supposedly) witnessed the sausage being made.
posted by soren_lorensen at 12:19 PM on June 5, 2017

In short: there is NO better feeling in life than when a person’s existing beliefs are attacked and then a smart sounding expert PROVES you right all along.

Huh. Well, I can think of a *lot* of things which feel better than that, which I guess explains why I'm not a Republican and why they seem to hate people who actually enjoy their lives.
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:26 PM on June 5, 2017 [11 favorites]

I'm surprised this hasn't been posted here yet. This is horrifying, and another example of the violent radicalization of the right-wing in America.

From Ken Stickney (USA Today), Louisiana congressman on radicalized Islam: 'Kill them all':

Rep. Clay Higgins' fiery Facebook post on America's "war with Islamic horror" has attracted widespread attention and some criticism.

"Not a single radicalized Islamic suspect should be granted any measure of quarter," Higgins, the Louisiana Republican and freshman congressman, posted Saturday after an attack on unarmed people in London. "Their intended entry to the American homeland should be summarily denied. Every conceivable measure should be engaged to hunt them down. Hunt them, identity them, and kill them. Kill them all. For the sake of all that is good and righteous. Kill them all."

The Facebook post, made on Higgins' campaign FB page but not on his congressional page, garnered hundreds of comments over the weekend, including criticism from the "political left," according to Higgins' campaign adviser, Chris Comeaux.

posted by galaxy rise at 12:27 PM on June 5, 2017 [23 favorites]

People who don't want to "Kill them all", the definition of "them" being, presumably, hundreds of millions of brown people, are the "political left"
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 12:30 PM on June 5, 2017 [24 favorites]

David Rank, the #2 official at the US Embassy in Beijing and a 27-year veteran of the foreign service, just resigned, saying that "he could not deliver a demarche to the PRC govt over US withdrawal from @ParisAgreement."
posted by zachlipton at 12:33 PM on June 5, 2017 [54 favorites]

So... Okay, wait. Is Kellyanne outtie, then? Because if her husbing is shooting his tweeter off about how the resident's Muslim ban tweets are "sad"--a phrasing that must be deliberate and that is guaranteed to enrage--then she has to have been canned, right? Or maybe, even though she is clearly doing the job she was born for and that she's better than than anybody in recent history and maybe ever, maybe despite this the two of them are finally sick of relying on her fabrications and deflections to pay the mortgage so they're conspiring to GET her fired? Or is her husband trying to burn her and bail out of the family? Or did he drink a box of wine this morning?

What.

For real.

What's happening to the Conways.
posted by Don Pepino at 12:34 PM on June 5, 2017 [12 favorites]

So through a noted election law scholar's blog, I saw this report, which the scholar says could be a "big deal" if true. The report says that at least 26,000 citizens of Pennsylvania were potentially disenfranchised by, essentially, administrative delays that caused their voter registration to fail to go through in time for the 2016 general. That includes more than 17,000 in Philadelphia.

That's not a swing amount in a state that Trump carried by more than 44,000. But it is definitely a problem we need to address, among the many other problems with our elections.
posted by prefpara at 12:34 PM on June 5, 2017 [16 favorites]

Every conceivable measure should be engaged to hunt them down. Hunt them, identity them, and kill them. Kill them all. For the sake of all that is good and righteous. Kill them all.

Higgins went on to add, "The only solution to violent religious extremism is to slaughter our enemy in the name of God."
posted by leotrotsky at 12:34 PM on June 5, 2017 [43 favorites]

In short: there is NO better feeling in life than when a person’s existing beliefs are attacked and then a smart sounding expert PROVES you right all along.

This is done by "viral" lefty Faceboook news sites, too. It drives me bonkers because this shit is utterly meaningless. I feel like I lose brain cells every time someone shares another "Boom! Watch Maddow Utterly Take Down GOP!" post. Like, yay for Maddow, they're still in power, please call me when something real actually happens.
posted by soren_lorensen at 12:35 PM on June 5, 2017 [43 favorites]

Or did he drink a box of wine this morning?

In the Conway household, that's referred to as "breakfast."
posted by leotrotsky at 12:36 PM on June 5, 2017 [15 favorites]

National Treasure Alexandra Petri, WaPo: An Excerpt From My Definitely Not a Presidential Campaign Book

There’s nothing special about me, so I won’t talk about myself too much. Just for the length of this one book.

I’m just an ordinary American like so many millions of ordinary Americans. Like you, I was raised by six heterosexual eagles deep in the womb of this great land, and I drive a truck, and also I respect my wife so much that it physically pains me to talk about it.

People always ask me what I’m passionate about, and I tell them the following story: When I was a little kid, my grandmother took me to see an injustice. I got so mad! I threw my red white and blue popsicle down on the ground. My grandmother picked it up and said, “Winner, these colors are sacred. Never let them drop.” And I said, “I know, Grandma, but I don’t like to see injustice!” and she said, “That’s just the world we live in. Unless you grow up and devise common-sense policy solutions to do something about it. And don’t forget the men who died to give that right to you, and proudly stand up to defend her still today.”

And that is why I am a member of my political party, because I believe in what my grandma said, and that’s what my party is all about. In a nutshell. Nobody’s perfect, but I sure think we get closer than anyone else.

posted by Johnny Wallflower at 12:40 PM on June 5, 2017 [27 favorites]

Tobin Smith, btw, is the guy who was fired by FOX for allegedly fraudulently promoting his penny stock scam on the air.

Having read his piece, I don't doubt the gist of his claims. Those all seem pretty obvious. But he does deliver them in the most breathless possible way. Maybe that's an occupational hazard.
posted by octobersurprise at 12:41 PM on June 5, 2017 [7 favorites]

Mr. Conway isn't trying to get Mrs. Conway fired; he's just trying to make himself employable anywhere EXCEPT where she's working (and like so many male members of two-income families, doesn't give a flying pho-k how it affects her work status).
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:41 PM on June 5, 2017 [11 favorites]

What's happening to the Conways.

Well, given the previous report [1] [2] [3] of kellyanne hating trump, it's not too surprising, maybe? I personally think that she's the source for all the WH leaks, and she's doing it just to generate outrage which she probably gets a payout for, just for showing up on teevee to smooth stuff over.
posted by and they trembled before her fury at 12:43 PM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

LOL, keep it up Gorka!
posted by orrnyereg at 12:45 PM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

Hunt them, identity them, and kill them. Kill them all. For the sake of all that is good and righteous. Kill them all.

They hate us for our freedoms.
In this case, freedom of speech.
posted by kirkaracha at 12:45 PM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

Maybe that's an occupational hazard.

During the election, I would sometimes listen to the Radio Free GOP podcast, hosted by former Republican comms guy Mike Murphy. It was frequently an interesting #NeverTrump listen but the production was 1000% conservative talk radio and bordering on insufferable. The stings and jingles, the way Murphy would introduce segments, it was like broken glass in my ear. I'm just a simple public broadcasting listening gal. I like soothing voices talking close to the mic in dispassionate, measured tones. I used the fastforward button a lot on Radio Free GOP.
posted by soren_lorensen at 12:46 PM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

WTF? The Intercept: Top Secret NSA Report Details Russian Hacking Effort Days Before 2016 Election

RUSSIAN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE executed a cyberattack on at least one U.S. voting software supplier and sent spear-phishing emails to more than 100 local election officials just days before last November’s presidential election, according to a highly classified intelligence report obtained by The Intercept.
...
The report indicates that Russian hacking may have penetrated further into U.S. voting systems than was previously understood. It states unequivocally in its summary statement that it was Russian military intelligence, specifically the Russian General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate, or GRU, that conducted the cyber attacks described in the document:

posted by zachlipton at 12:50 PM on June 5, 2017 [63 favorites]

Don't forget the advertisements for gold bars and apocalypse seed supplies
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 12:50 PM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

Higgins went on to add, "The only solution to violent religious extremism is to slaughter our enemy in the name ~~of God~~ the Emperor."
posted by octobersurprise at 12:55 PM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

I can't help but wonder if the Tobin Smith thing isn't part of a plan. Probably not, but I was just thinking yesterday about how Fox could change their tone. It would be hard. If they gradually moved more to the center I don't see how they wouldn't just lose the faithful without gaining anyone, at least for a decade. My thought was that the only way to do it would be knock it down and start over. Maybe go full Lefty for a minute, then shift back to the center. Many people would tune in just for the spectacle, and there would be a lot of publicity.
posted by bongo_x at 12:56 PM on June 5, 2017

After having seen Pain and Gain the main question I'm weighing now is whether Mark Wahlberg should play Spicer or Preibus.

The other day my girlfriend and I watched Captain America: TFA again. I realized Sean Spicer totally reminds me of a really really dumb Arnim Zola.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 12:56 PM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

"The only solution to violent religious extremism is to slaughter our enemy in the name of ~~God~~ ~~the Emperor~~ the God-Emperor."

fixed that for you
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 12:57 PM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

Trump's post-Paris analysis: they can't even get the weather report right, so how come they think they can get that right?

This more proof that he is mentally trapped in an earlier era when he could still lay down long term memories.

Weather forecasting is now so ridiculously accurate I can plan runs during short breaks in rainstorms. I am not sure what weather forecast problems he is having but I sure don't have them.
posted by srboisvert at 1:01 PM on June 5, 2017 [34 favorites]

RUSSIAN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE executed a cyberattack on at least one U.S. voting software supplier and sent spear-phishing emails to more than 100 local election officials just days before last November’s presidential election, according to a highly classified intelligence report obtained by The Intercept.

Holy hell. I wonder if that's the bombshell that folks have hinted about in NSA Director Mike Rogers testimony.

Is it possible that Trump actually didn't win the election?
posted by leotrotsky at 1:02 PM on June 5, 2017 [38 favorites]

Charlie Warzel visits the fever swamps so you don't have to.

June 5 issue of Infowarzel, and
Twitter's Pro-Trump Bot Crisis Is Really A Human Crisis (Buzzfeed)
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 1:03 PM on June 5, 2017

Puerto Rico and Minnesota have also joined the U.S. Climate Alliance! That makes what, thirteen states now? Most of them economic powerhouses, as well. This is great news! And, I know I keep beating this drum, this is why local politics is important, kiddies!

Come to the sunny side, we have cookies! Mixed and baked with solar power!
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 1:03 PM on June 5, 2017 [55 favorites]

Trump's proposal was actually based on legislation introduced by Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Bill Shuster, the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The bill never made it to the House floor for a vote and reportedly faced bipartisan opposition in the Senate.

I did more digging on Bill Shuster, and he isn't too popular with Republicans. Among others, there's a RedState article from before the election with the title "Trump Endorser Bill Shuster Is A Weak, Unethical, Corrupt Trump Supporter That Endorsed Trump". In 2016 Shuster was primaried from the right by a tea party guy who came 1000 votes short of defeating him. This republican primary opponent went on to win the democratic primary as a write-in candidate to challenge him in the general election.

The National Review and HotAir are both quite sour on the ATC privatization plan calling it "the opposite of draining the swamp" (not linking to that garbage). Mike Pompeo, Trump's CIA Director, came out against it as a congressman saying "is not a private-sector solution, it is a government-endorsed monopoly designed to benefit special interests at the expense of the American people."

Shuster gave Trump an early endorsement and campaigned with/for him in his reliably red southwestern PA district, demonstrating Trump's fealty-based legislative agenda. There is an upcoming bill to re-authorize the FAA in September, Shuster has signaled he'll use this to push Trump's infrastructure agenda:

Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), who chairs the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said that the FAA measure could be a legislative vehicle that attracts other interests, especially because the bill includes a revenue component.

Shuster predicted that Trump’s promised rebuilding package to fix U.S. roads, bridges and airports could even be folded into the measure. Trump has also called for spinning off air traffic control from the federal government, which could land in the FAA reauthorization bill. Last year, Democrats unsuccessfully tried to attach energy tax riders to the FAA legislation.

“It’s a must-pass bill. It’s one of those bills that who knows who’s going to hitch a ride on it,” Shuster said at an infrastructure event hosted by Axios on Tuesday. “There’s a revenue piece to it, so it will be very be popular.”

“It may turn into the infrastructure bill,” he added.

So that's something to look forward to.

To follow on my previous comment on Shuster's ethical problems, it's too funny not to mention that he is following in his father's footsteps, literally. His congressional seat was previously held by his father, Bud Shuster, who also served as the Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Bud Shuster left congress under a cloud of suspicion involving a romantic relationship with a former staffer turned transportation lobbyist who was later indicted for bribery and embezzlement.
posted by peeedro at 1:05 PM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

WSJ GOP Leaders to Present Senate Republicans With Proposals to Shape Health-Care Bill

WASHINGTON—GOP leaders are expected to present Senate Republicans options for the major policy decisions shaping their health-care bill during a closed-door lunch Tuesday, Senate GOP aides say.

The proposals are expected to include a prolonged phaseout of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion. There is also growing interest in possible steps to shore up fragile individual insurance markets, according to people familiar with the discussions.[...]The focus on a shorter-term stabilization bill also reflects growing doubt among some Senate Republicans about their ability to get the simple majority—50 votes with Vice President Mike Pence breaking the tie—that they would need to pass legislation. A stabilization bill might require support from Senate Democrats, and could create a showdown with the House.

posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 1:20 PM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

"cyberattack on at least one U.S. voting software supplier and sent spear-phishing emails to more than 100 local election officials"

Not sure how this is more of a bombshell than the already-known fact that they targeted election systems in more than 20 states and successfully broke into voter registration systems in Arizona and Illinois. This appears to be more detail about that targeting.

Holy hell. I wonder if that's the bombshell that folks have hinted about in NSA Director Mike Rogers testimony.

That was a clickbait headline not backed up by the article.

Is it possible that Trump actually didn't win the election?

The Intercept article says registration systems were targeted, not vote counting systems. (Which tend not to be networked.) Let's keep our heads, here.

The Obama administration saw no sign of tampering. The major thrust of their response to what they knew the Russians were doing was to focus on preventing tampering (and it seems to have worked.) They were not as worried about propaganda as we know with hindsight that they should have been, but they WERE worried about potential vote tampering, and worked hard to prevent it. A full recount in Wisconsin turned up no evidence of votes or vote counting being interfered with.

Probably the break-in in the registration systems was to gather marketing data to help target messages on social media. Clinton Watts said "Russia had every ability to create fake social media accounts by mimicking profiles of voters in key election states and precincts in the 2016 election, and use a mix of bots and real people to push propaganda from state-controlled media outlets like Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik [...] Clinton Watts, a senior fellow at the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security at The George Washington University, said many social accounts during the election pushing questionable news looked just like real voters in states like Wisconsin and Michigan."

Gonna go ahead and plug the site I made to collect all these links, again, since I'm mostly copying and pasting from there. It now has convenient "share" buttons!

2016 Active Measures
posted by OnceUponATime at 1:24 PM on June 5, 2017 [36 favorites]

Having an incompatible system is a quality of care issue. In this day and age you can't have proper managed care without a shared, compatible system.

Yeah, it all sounds good, except: the interests of the DoD and the ostensible interests of the VA are not the same. I worry that a system where all DoD records are visible will actually result in increased denial of care for veterans.

DoD is interested in putting its soldiers back to work, and doctors frequently under-diagnose, especially when it comes to conditions that make someone unfit for service. The VA, historically, has been better at diagnosing the conditions that are actually there, not the ones that would be easier for VA. This may interfere with that, and I wonder if that's not part of the reason.
posted by corb at 1:29 PM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

Do note that our Young Turkish friend Cenk and his gang of idiots are paid by ... Russia Today,

I tried to find some support for this in a quick Google, but, humorously, instead I found conflicting information. TYT are funded either by George Soros, Buddy Roemer, or Qatar. The only one I give credence to is the LA Times story about Buddy Roemer, supported by other news media. Does anyone have a link to the RT connection? If true, I would like to let my sister know, because she's a big fan.
posted by Mental Wimp at 1:31 PM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

Is it possible that Trump actually didn't win the election?

Jesus Christ, why will nobody on earth even my closest friends and family ever listen to me?

Of course it's possible--even likely. The point of this was to make us doubt our grasp on reality and mistrust each other. Security experts concluded many of our voting systems were insecure and that hacking them would be untraceable during the Gore v. Bush debacle and congress never did anything about it.
posted by saulgoodman at 1:34 PM on June 5, 2017 [27 favorites]

The Intercept article says registration systems were targeted, not vote counting systems.

which could imply a method to disenfranchise voters, make them fill out provisional ballots, etc. maybe.

If this was the "bombshell", then our Rogers-mas gift was a sweater.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 1:38 PM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

Of 559 key positions requiring Senate confirmation …

No nominee: 441
Awaiting nomination: 16
Formally nominated: 63
Confirmed: 39
posted by kirkaracha at 1:39 PM on June 5, 2017 [25 favorites]

Trump Allegedly Dismissed Climate Issues Because Weathermen Are Often Wrong
Trump's post-Paris analysis: they can't even get the weather report right, so how come they think they can get that right?

Your children's children will starve in an apocalyptic future, but at least they're doing it for the best of reasons.
posted by chris24 at 1:46 PM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

You guys. There is nothing Russia would like better than to undermine the institution of the presidency. To cripple the American government by robbing it of legitimacy.

The Intercept... Well, just remember that Greenwald knows Assange and breathlessly reported the WikiLeaks releases during the election.

The Obama administration was warned, and reached out to help states harden their systems. Our election tabulation systems are decentralized and off-line. There was a recount in Wisconsin and partial recounts in MI and PA.

Let us not be Putin's patsies, here. Let us not fall for the same "I knew it!" rush that Fox News uses to sucker people. Let us not take a report which elaborates on a known issue and use it to launch speculation which we present as fact. Please don't turn this into leftist "fake news." Don't play into Putin's hands that way.
posted by OnceUponATime at 1:48 PM on June 5, 2017 [39 favorites]

I just saw Harold Ford, Jr. on MSNBC

He thinks Trump is going to sober up

This is the pivot guys
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 1:49 PM on June 5, 2017 [9 favorites]

this is also the year of linux on the desktop
posted by entropicamericana at 1:50 PM on June 5, 2017 [48 favorites]

Trump's Feud with Lord Mayor of London Escalates. "Your ermine robe is the worst. You do not bring to mind the heroism of Dick Whittington, your streets crawling with rats. Sad!"

(not real)
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:51 PM on June 5, 2017 [7 favorites]

> Trump Allegedly Dismissed Climate Issues Because Weathermen Are Often Wrong

You know some people say their methods were too extreme but this mess is making me think that the Weathermen were maybe on the right track.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 1:52 PM on June 5, 2017 [19 favorites]

You don't need a weatherman to tell you this presidency is blowing
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:53 PM on June 5, 2017 [66 favorites]

There's no proof in there that votes were manipulated. Nothing should be read to conclude that. And yes, spreading FUD about the election results absolutely plays into Putin's hands. But what would you like to do exactly? Pretend this didn't happen?

The Intercept... Well, just remember that Greenwald knows Assange and breathlessly reported the WikiLeaks releases during the election.

So are you saying the NSA report in the article is fake or that we should ignore actual Russian efforts to phish a broad range of local election officials? Greenwald isn't even an author of the article.
posted by zachlipton at 1:55 PM on June 5, 2017 [14 favorites]

even if votes weren't directly changed, they could've removed democratic registrations from voter rolls, or used the databases to specifically target propaganda to manipulate voting.
posted by and they trembled before her fury at 1:58 PM on June 5, 2017 [5 favorites]

I just saw Harold Ford, Jr. on MSNBC

He thinks Trump is going to sober up

This is the pivot guys

With just about anyone else you could guess that at some point you'd reach the low. But if there's one thing we've learned from Trump is that there is no bottom. There will be no norm he won't destroy or nadir he won't plunge below. Which is why the Republicans will have to eventually have to do something or be active participants in a fascist coup. Because he will never stop being worse. I would've thought this was obvious and stopping him before he ruins your future and party would be the smart move. But it seems that most will only step up after they're already forever stained, if at all.
posted by chris24 at 1:58 PM on June 5, 2017 [16 favorites]

this is also the year of linux on the desktop

It's been the year of POSIX on the desktop for over 15 years now.
posted by leotrotsky at 2:00 PM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

So are you saying the NSA report in the article is fake or that we should ignore actual Russian efforts to phish a broad range of local election officials? Greenwald isn't even an author of the article.

No. I'm just saying whoever supplied the report may have approached the Intercept because the Washington Post might not have wanted to run a story like this (which has low news value once you subtract out the breathless framing, being details about something we already knew...) exactly because they would be worried about playing into Putin's hands.

The leadership at the Intercept seems to be less worried about issues like that.
posted by OnceUponATime at 2:01 PM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

Weather forecasting is now so ridiculously accurate I can plan runs during short breaks in rainstorms

Yes and no. We're great at predicting weather a few hours in advance. But stretch that out to days or weeks and the best laid predictions can all go to shit very quickly.
posted by C'est la D.C. at 2:01 PM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

We're great at predicting weather a few hours in advance. But stretch that out to days or weeks and the best laid predictions can all go to shit very quickly.

Either way, it doesn't matter. Weather forecasting works very differently than climate prediction.
posted by Slothrup at 2:04 PM on June 5, 2017 [8 favorites]

We're great at predicting weather a few hours in advance. But stretch that out to days or weeks and the best laid predictions can all go to shit very quickly.

I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but climate =/= weather and Trump's reasoning is completely specious, and only serves to reinforce the idiot climate deniers in his base. It's incredible that we have an executive branch that doesn't even give two shits for the wellbeing of the nation.
posted by Existential Dread at 2:06 PM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

I just saw Harold Ford, Jr. on MSNBC

He thinks Trump is going to sober up

This is the pivot guys

I wouldn't trust Harold Ford, Jr any further than I could throw him.
posted by teleri025 at 2:07 PM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

NPR is talking about Medicaid cuts in Trump's budget without ever mentioning that the Trump budget is completely DOA. That seems like bad reporting.
posted by leotrotsky at 2:17 PM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

ICE agents arrest father after newborn son's surgery

Republicans' ethnic cleansing is the one part of their agenda that's functioning very, very well.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:18 PM on June 5, 2017 [40 favorites]

The weather comment came from esquire, can we just let it go?
posted by AlexiaSky at 2:19 PM on June 5, 2017

(Frantically catching up with the thread after a hiatus to follow WWDC.)

@RealPressSec bot is amusing - it just reformats Trump tweets into Presidential releases. It's a masterpiece of deadpan comedy, as long as you don't mind that it's the whole world laughing at us, not with us.

And linked from way upthread:

Josh Marshall, Taking Stock of Trump’s Weekendus Horribilis: [The word] I am struggling to find is the experience of not being remotely surprised by the President’s action and yet marveling that the expected action – or transgression in this case – has managed to find a new depth of awfulness to penetrate and explore.

... which, yeah.
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:19 PM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

The really remarkable thing about these Mefi political FPP discussions is how quickly out of date the body of the posts are within hours (and sometimes minutes) of being posted.
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:23 PM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

Why do they insist on taking everything at face value, taking this administration at its word?? I about drove into a ravine last week when they quoted Sean Spicer--not available facts--and ended the segment without further analysis. If friggin' NBC can do it, I feel like NPR could try and frame this nonsense more appropriately.

NPR appears to have this enormous institutional blind spot when it comes to not being able to handle people who don't act in good faith. I don't understand it, but it's been a glaring problem since at least the middle of the 2016 campaign (arguably way further back). It baffles me. Their reporters and editors are smart people, they obviously know what's going on. But some organizational directive just keeps everything bound up.
posted by the phlegmatic king at 2:25 PM on June 5, 2017 [26 favorites]

@RealPressSec bot is amusing - it just reformats Trump tweets into Presidential releases. It's a masterpiece of deadpan comedy, as long as you don't mind that it's the whole world laughing at us, not with us.

This morning on NBC, Kellyann Conway tried to spin Trump's tweets as casual communications that aren't official statements. The interviewer pointed out that Trump hasn't given an interview in three weeks, so Twitter is now his preferred method of communication with the American public. And in truth, it always has been.

It's more accurate to reframe his tweets this way. No matter how much Conway and his staff would probably prefer otherwise, when Trump posts to Twitter, those are (frequently unhinged) statements made by the President. It's good for people to remember that Presidents normally do not speak this way in public, and when they do issue printed statements, their words carry weight.
posted by zarq at 2:28 PM on June 5, 2017 [13 favorites]

How can we know what's in the heart of someone who's constantly demonstrating exactly what's in their heart?
posted by OverlappingElvis at 2:28 PM on June 5, 2017 [37 favorites]

Senate Republicans fear ‘train wreck’ in September

Check this shit out:

“We’ve done an awful lot, but the Democrats have stopped almost everything else. Anything,” complained Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

“Maybe they could stop using the filibuster on everything that moves,” said Don Stewart, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). “It doesn’t have to be this way. Democrats have a choice in their behavior — they choose to attempt dysfunction. Despite that, legislation is moving.”

And when they're not whining about Democratic obstruction (which of course follows eight years of Republicans blocking everything they could because OBAMA), they're complaining about the impending train wreck, which if it happens will be caused by a guy they willingly supported who not only can't drive a train but was openly contemptuous of trains and anyone who knew how to drive one:

“Everything piles up, we go to the edge of the cliff, shut down the government, then we have an omnibus or a continuing resolution where we can vote yes or no. No amendments, no improvements, nothing,” McCain added.

“When are we going to do the appropriations? We’re not talking about that,” moaned Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.). “It’s gonna go to a [continuing resolution] or an omnibus. We get an up-or-down vote on the whole thing, which is what I’m yelling about.”

“I’m very frustrated ... we’re going to do all these things by Sept. 30? Give me a break. We’re going to cut taxes, pass health care, set aside sequestration?” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). “We should have an agenda. We know we’re not going to pass a budget with sequestration caps. I’m not.”
posted by The Card Cheat at 2:28 PM on June 5, 2017 [32 favorites]

Today's madness: they want to eliminate a rule that prevented nursing homes from making patients agree to give up their right to sue (the rule in question is currently being challenged by nursing home owners in court).

I'm sure this is what people were thinking when they heard "drain the swamp," right?
posted by zachlipton at 2:29 PM on June 5, 2017 [36 favorites]

> I'm sure this is what people were thinking when they heard "drain the swamp," right?

I saw it phrased as "drain the swamp ... into the White House".
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:31 PM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

Come to the sunny side, we have cookies! Mixed and baked with solar power!

Workin on it as fast as I can....reconnaisance trip scheduled for July...
posted by yoga at 2:32 PM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

When have the Democrats used the filibuster since Trump took office?

The point is Schumer didn't call up McConnell and say "hey Mitchy-boy you can bring all your controversial bills to the floor, all 48 of us have promised not to filibuster anything" which is just rude frankly
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:39 PM on June 5, 2017 [33 favorites]

The "swamp" they wanted to drain (and are in the process of doing) is a thriving wetlands environment, only to leave a desert where only coyotes and cactus thrive. Capitalist coyotes and Christianist cactus. Or was that the other way around?
posted by oneswellfoop at 2:41 PM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

“Maybe they could stop using the filibuster on everything that moves,” said Don Stewart, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). “It doesn’t have to be this way. Democrats have a choice in their behavior — they choose to attempt dysfunction. Despite that, legislation is moving.”

Fuck. You. Republicans started the use of the filibuster against Obama's every move on day 1. Eat your own fucking medicine, Republicans. Mitch fucking McConnell saying this is beyond farcical.

When have the Democrats used the filibuster since Trump took office? Other than an aborted attempt during the Gorsuch nomination?

Republicans started the idea that a filibuster doesn't have to be a 'talking' filibuster, they just have to tacitly threaten it and Democrats would roll over and agree without forcing them to actually do it, or even to vote on cloture in many cases. Harry Reid refused to play hardball and make Republicans put up and actually take the votes, so "the filibuster" morphed into a de facto 60 vote threshold on Senate legislation, without anyone have to take time out from fundraising and knobschlobbering billionaires to actually speak for hours on the Senate floor. That same dynamic is still going on in reverse, where the whole world assumes Democrats will filibuster most everything, but they don't have to actually stand there and do it.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:43 PM on June 5, 2017 [40 favorites]

“It doesn’t have to be this way. Democrats have a choice in their behavior — they choose to attempt dysfunction. Despite that, legislation is moving.”

It's nice to see McConnell come out of his shell and acknowledge that he can move slowly
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:43 PM on June 5, 2017 [14 favorites]

This morning on NBC, Kellyann Conway tried to spin Trump's tweets as casual communications that aren't official statements.

What she seems to be saying is that we should regard his words as the rantings of a Mad King. We should only pay attention to the official communications of the regents that speak for the Mad King.

In other words, every one in this administration is covering for a demented crazy man.
posted by JackFlash at 2:45 PM on June 5, 2017 [35 favorites]

>“Maybe they could stop using the filibuster on everything that moves,”

This has the sounds of a statement finely tuned to be true but misleading: none of the presidents legislation has had any hope of movement, so to say the Dems have filibustered everything that moves is a technically correct way of pointing out that they have not used a tool not available to them to not do anything.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 2:48 PM on June 5, 2017 [10 favorites]

This focus on the so-called nakedness of the emperor is the kind of "gotcha" journalism that's hurting the empire. The emperor has plenty of clothes, and you'll be able to see them at official events planned and controlled by Imperial communications staff
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:48 PM on June 5, 2017 [9 favorites]

DOJ has announced charges against an intelligence contractor named Reality Leigh Winner [real!] for leaking classified information to the press. It appears that it might have been the information in The Intercept's report upthread.

The complaint says that an audit of her desk computer revealed she had email contact with "the News Outlet," which does not sound like a good strategy for someone leaking to the press.
posted by zachlipton at 2:50 PM on June 5, 2017 [29 favorites]

They created the worst timeline.
They controlled the government.
They made the laws.
But they didn't count on

REALITY WINNER
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:53 PM on June 5, 2017 [64 favorites]

That same dynamic is still going on in reverse, where the whole world assumes Democrats will filibuster most everything, but they don't have to actually stand there and do it.

*speechless*
posted by zarq at 2:55 PM on June 5, 2017

I need to see more mainstream news outlets putting out headlines like "Dems too strong for us, says McConnell" and "Weakened Trump humiliated by bad advice from Bannon."
posted by LobsterMitten at 2:55 PM on June 5, 2017 [27 favorites]

"Reality Winner" is being prosecuted for leaking information?

We're living in a simulation, and its creators got bored and are fucking with us. The evidence could not possibly be stronger. Next time you pull up to a stoplight, the license plate in front of you will read UR IN MTRX. Clouds will spell out tomorrow's winning lottery numbers. But you won't be surprised, because "Reality Winner".
posted by 0xFCAF at 2:56 PM on June 5, 2017 [86 favorites]

NPR appears to have this enormous institutional blind spot when it comes to not being able to handle people who don't act in good faith. I don't understand it, but it's been a glaring problem since at least the middle of the 2016 campaign (arguably way further back). It baffles me. Their reporters and editors are smart people, they obviously know what's going on. But some organizational directive just keeps everything bound up.

I feel like their blind spot is precisely as large as the funds from Koch (and similar) that support them.
posted by emjaybee at 2:57 PM on June 5, 2017 [13 favorites]

"Reality Winner" is being prosecuted for leaking information?

We're living in a simulation, and its creators got bored and are fucking with us.

I came here to say the same thing. In almost those words. At the same time. Wait a minute... Are you me? Somebody turn this thing off!
posted by diogenes at 3:00 PM on June 5, 2017 [25 favorites]

No! Don't turn it o
posted by Barack Spinoza at 3:02 PM on June 5, 2017 [35 favorites]

REALITY WINNER YOU ARE CHARGED WITH CYBERCRIMES AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT, GIVE YOURSELF UP NOW OR FACE THE CONSEQUENCES
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:02 PM on June 5, 2017 [19 favorites]

If Reality Winner turns out to be in any way connected to the word "covfefe" I'm going to lose my shit.
posted by diogenes at 3:07 PM on June 5, 2017 [8 favorites]

Reality Winner and Max Power were married in a private ceremony in their hometown of Experiment, Georgia.
posted by AndrewInDC at 3:07 PM on June 5, 2017 [25 favorites]

The thing that's been tripping me out lately is that if we get through this mess alive, all the weird shit is going to be in history books. Bored kids in high school will look at that creepy orb picture in their textbooks. They'll learn about covfefe. Reality Winner will be an answer on a multiple choice test. They'll write essays about top keks.

and most of them won't fully understand or accept that, yes, we really were that dumb.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 3:07 PM on June 5, 2017 [34 favorites]

Reality Winner

Ok Aliens, machine elves, god, whoever

a little more effort please
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 3:09 PM on June 5, 2017 [21 favorites]

Wow. CBS, ABC, and Fox will air the Comey hearing live on broadcast (NBC probably too, but unconfirmed).

I realize Comey didn't ask for this, but it won't do much to put a damper on the idea that he has a taste for the dramatic.
posted by zachlipton at 3:10 PM on June 5, 2017 [28 favorites]

He can come in wearing a Phantom of the Opera mask if it helps get someone impeached
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:13 PM on June 5, 2017 [79 favorites]

Regrettably, school boards being what they are, bored kids in high school will never hear about any of this mess. They'll be provided a highly sanitized paragraph offering anodyne statements about the Trump years, accompanied by the official Presidential photo. It won't be until they get to upper-division college courses in political science and history that they'll begin to get a glimpse of just what a completely corrupt, narcissistic idiot DJFT really was.
posted by darkstar at 3:13 PM on June 5, 2017 [32 favorites]

Reality Winner and Max Power were married in a private ceremony in their hometown of Experiment, Georgia.

And they took their honeymoon in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico (a town which no sitting president has ever visited).
posted by nickmark at 3:14 PM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

let's hope that history books talk about the trump year, not the trump years.

but I dunno if the trump year/years will get whitewashed. I vaguely recall high school textbooks that were fairly open about what Nixon got up to, and this guy is way more baroquely awful than nixon was.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 3:16 PM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

I realize Comey didn't ask for this, but it won't do much to put a damper on the idea that he has a taste for the dramatic.

Thursday is my wife's birthday, and I don't have any very good gift ideas, so I'm really hoping it's going to be pretty fucking dramatic.

C'mon, Jim - don't let me down.
posted by nickmark at 3:17 PM on June 5, 2017 [13 favorites]

Yeah, I was gonna say, have you looked at a high school history book lately? Even genuinely interesting wild political shenanigans get distilled down to a paragraph or two. You might get a particularly representative interesting/crazy story, and an AP textbook might have a little more detail, but all the madness we're living through is going to turn into a handful of inches of column space in a high school textbook. Maybe, maybe there'll be an insert on Trump's awful twitter, or protests against him. Maybe the AP exam will have some WaPo article as a the primary source to analyze.
posted by yasaman at 3:18 PM on June 5, 2017 [7 favorites]

Wow. CBS, ABC, and Fox will air the Comey hearing live on broadcast (NBC probably too, but unconfirmed).

Necessarily pre-empting their regularly scheduled programming and bringing Omnigate up to Watergate speed in less than half the time.

*Indycar whizzing by noise*
posted by petebest at 3:18 PM on June 5, 2017 [11 favorites]

I'm worried that expectations for the Comey hearing are getting built up to a point where even the realistic best-case scenario feels like a huge disappointment.

I am steeling myself to expect nothing new and, at best, get confirmation from Comey directly that Trump asked him to dial down or stop his investigation.
posted by prefpara at 3:19 PM on June 5, 2017 [26 favorites]

Kids will learn about the Trump years the same way Finn and Rey learned about the Jedi.

"Crazy thing is...it's true. Trump. The GOP. All of it. It's all true."
posted by The Card Cheat at 3:21 PM on June 5, 2017 [37 favorites]

I was thinking this morning after I read his tweets that today was a bad morning to be working for the Justice Department. You wake up, you've got this POS EO that you have to defend in the courts and now he is telling all of America that you suck. And he just made defense of the bill that much harder. You either:

1. Quit your job. Sorry but your dream job is now officially a nightmare.
2. You decide to ride out this terrible Presidency in hopes that things will get better but you need lots of alcohol and maybe some pills to get through it.
3. You say, "Fuck it. I don't give a shit." and you just go through the motions without caring one or another about the outcome.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 3:23 PM on June 5, 2017 [8 favorites]

it won't do much to put a damper on the idea that he has a taste for the dramatic.

I hope Comey is locked up safe somewhere, rehearsing his answers and going for the most dramatic delivery he can manage. Even if he doesn't reveal anything new, he has plenty of damning evidence to recite on live TV in grave, soundbite-ready form, and that's important to do in terms of public opinion even if it's stupid or inconsequential in terms of contributing to the investigation. What's going to turn congressional Republicans against Trump is pissed off constituents threatening their seats, and this hearing has very high pissing-off potential.
posted by contraption at 3:23 PM on June 5, 2017 [10 favorites]

I am steeling myself to expect nothing new

"New"s-wise, that's a fair bet; what I'm expecting is a good adverb/verb pairing that triggers a thousand bobbling talking heads to repeat that Trump's collusion with Russia to influence the election with laundered mob money is AN IMPEACHABLE OFFENSE.

Which, of course it is, so - get to it quisling Republicans!
posted by petebest at 3:25 PM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

Look...

The whole "Reality Winner" thing is my fault.

I have this thread open in eLinks...

I *may* have cross posted some code from REALTICS that *may* have vialoted the ring security model...

My bad.
posted by PROD_TPSL at 3:26 PM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

Well, the good news is that we definitely have a Winner in the Most Implausible Names category.
posted by diogenes at 3:26 PM on June 5, 2017 [13 favorites]

As for impeachment, I'm not even sure it's a goal I'm hoping for any more.

The line of succession runs thence to Pence, then Ryan and then Sessions. All three of those assholes are far more ideologically conservative, focused and competent in their devilry than DJFT (damning with faint praise though that may be). And if he's impeached, Pence would surely pardon him for any crimes.

If our Clown Regnant is still President in '20, I think the Dems stand a much better chance of winning the Oval Office than, say, against an incumbent Ryan. And with Trump's personality disorder(s), it undermines building support for his initiatives, whereas a more focused successor might do even greater harm.

Having Trump remain in office as a politically wounded pariah may be the least worst option for now. And I can't believe I'm saying that.
posted by darkstar at 3:29 PM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

Depends on what you mean by "lasting impact"? It won't be a SURELY THIS moment. But have you ever watched Comey's testimony about the race-to-the-hospital thing with Ashcroft? He is a dream witness capable of giving detailed, thoughtful, riveting testimony about whatever he is being asked to speak on.

It's not so much that I expect a bombshell but that I expect this to be the single most credible and impossible to rebut detailing of Trump being a stupid asshole.
posted by Justinian at 3:33 PM on June 5, 2017 [26 favorites]

I wouldn't say I'm expecting Comey's testimony to be decisive. But impeachment is a political process, not a legal process. Anything that helps Trump's approval rating plummet further will get us closer to a time when Republicans might fear for their careers if they do not impeach the President. And if not, it will help us get closer to an overwhelmingly Democratic House willing to do the same thing in 2019.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:33 PM on June 5, 2017 [11 favorites]

the single most credible and impossible to rebut detailing of Trump being a stupid asshole

Other than Trump's own words and actions of course.
posted by diogenes at 3:36 PM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

During the election campaign, we all had the experience that Trump was unable to be damaged by negative stories. Indeed, there's a sentiment that Trump's scandals actually helped him. It's not true. Looking at the changing polls over time shows that when there was dominant negative news about Clinton, she suffered, and when there was dominant negative news about Trump, he suffered. It just so happened that thanks to one Director James Comey, one of Clinton's troughs coincided with election day.

Trump's base of support is astonishingly, absurdly resilient, but he is still extremely unpopular overall and, with the right combination of scandals, capable of becoming so unpopular his own party is forced to abandon him in an attempt at protecting their careers.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:37 PM on June 5, 2017 [8 favorites]

I know we've had this conversation endlessly, but Pence, Ryan, and Sessions are already running the show. In literally no way does Trump oppose them or stop them from living their best life. However, removing him does lift his finger from the nuclear trigger, and may remove Bannon from his position of influence.

Yeah, this. I would love to remove this mentally incompetent pig from the highest office in the land, presiding over the drone-killing of children while slobbering on his leathery steak from the grill at Mar a Lago and putting us all at risk of nuclear annihilation. I want to see his children tarred with his vile legacy of corruption, even as he skates under presidential pardon from Mike "The Indiana HIV Crisis" Pence. I want to see Jared Kushner as fall guy under indictment, and Steve Bannon to slither back under his rock. That won't spare us the heinous acts that ol' Evil Keebler gets up to at DOJ, or dead-eyed Ryan eliminating Medicaid, but it will rid us of the alarming lurch from end to end on foreign policy at the Twittering behest of an insomniac narcissist.
posted by Existential Dread at 3:40 PM on June 5, 2017 [16 favorites]

WSJ: Trump Hotel Received $270,000 From Lobbying Campaign Tied to Saudis

President Donald Trump’s Washington hotel received roughly $270,000 in payments linked to Saudi Arabia as part of a lobbying campaign by the Gulf kingdom against a controversial piece of terrorism legislation last year.

The payments—for catering, lodging and parking—were disclosed by the public relations firm MSLGroup last week in paperwork filed with the Justice Department documenting foreign lobbying work on behalf of Saudi Arabia and other clients.

As part of a lobbying effort against the bipartisan Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, or JASTA, Saudi Arabia’s Washington lobbyists and consultants spent approximately $190,000 on lodging, $78,000 on catering, and $1,600 on parking at the Trump International Hotel. The Daily Caller website first reported on the payments.

To lobby against allowing people to sue Saudi Arabia for sponsoring terrorism, Saudi Arabia spends big bucks in Trump's hotel. This all checks out.
posted by zachlipton at 3:40 PM on June 5, 2017 [50 favorites]

Every evil thing Pence and Ryan would do is something Trump will do anyway. But he'd also do crazy shit that they'd never even consider. And hell, he comes up with it at 3am and puts it on Twitter.

There is an evil there that does not sleep.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 3:42 PM on June 5, 2017 [12 favorites]

My biggest hope for the Comey testimony is not that there will be eye-popping new details but that his testimony is must-see-TV. Most people are not glued to twitter and Metafilter all day. Most people are a little hazy on all the details about what happened to Comey-- in fact most people probably don't even know who Comey is. If his testimony is as riveting as I hope then maybe people will start getting interested in the Russia ties and the obstruction of justice charges.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 3:42 PM on June 5, 2017 [26 favorites]

From New York, it's The Shitty That Never Sleeps
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:44 PM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

Regardless of the outcome of the testimony on Thursday, remember, Comey is not your friend. His abuse of office last July, when he defied department procedure to knee-cap Clinton and again in October, a week before the election is the cause of the situation we are in now. He is responsible for Trump being President. Any action he takes now is too little, too late.

Comey is not to be trusted.
posted by JackFlash at 3:46 PM on June 5, 2017 [34 favorites]

> NYT: Trump Administration Starts Returning Copies of C.I.A. Torture Report to Congress. This is your regularly scheduled reminder that Sen. Burr is the worst and can't be trusted to with his investigation, even if he's not quite as obviously awful as Nunes.

Could Trump's White House Bury or Even Destroy the Landmark 2014 Senate Report on CIA Torture?
posted by homunculus at 3:46 PM on June 5, 2017 [7 favorites]

Twitter is now his preferred method of communication with the American public.

Decades from now, will they be referred to as the 'Fireside Tweets'? Or perhaps the "Bedside Tweets!"
posted by pwnguin at 3:46 PM on June 5, 2017

Comey is not your friend

But he is most certainly the enemy of my enemy.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:47 PM on June 5, 2017 [24 favorites]

More like the potty tweets.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 3:48 PM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

Charmin-side Tweets
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:48 PM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

Comey is not your friend

But he is most certainly the enemy of my enemy.

As long as we realize the enemy of your enemy is not your friend. For evidence, look to literally all of American history, including whatever happened in the last five minutes.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 3:49 PM on June 5, 2017 [5 favorites]

But he is most certainly the enemy of my enemy.

You would be making a mistake if you rely on that.
posted by JackFlash at 3:50 PM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

The Meatshits meet the Tweetshits
posted by Existential Dread at 3:51 PM on June 5, 2017

Again with the snark from National Treasure Alexandra Petri, WaPo: Stop obstructing President Trump’s many wonderful nominees

Look, I don’t want to hold things up. If we need more ambassadors, I am happy to volunteer. […] As long as people wouldn’t mind if I sometimes did a bad job and started a speech by saying, “Indeed we are all Danishes!” when I was actually in Luxembourg. Though I suppose I could get around it by always speaking in vague generalities. For instance, I could just say, “Ah, it is good to be here, in the home of the best people in the world!” and there, already, you see, diplomacy is happening. “Your people have a rich and valuable tradition, and I support you in your territorial dispute!” And if there were any other problems, the translator could handle it. (I should mention that I do speak at least one language, as well as enough French to demand prophylactics when what I actually want is jam, and vice versa.)

posted by Johnny Wallflower at 3:52 PM on June 5, 2017 [26 favorites]

Decades from now, will they be referred to as

The Midnight Dingleberries. Trump's Dumps.
posted by pracowity at 3:56 PM on June 5, 2017 [5 favorites]

On the bright side, Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that they won't invoke Executive Privilege to stop Comey for testifying, which isn't something they've been willing to commit to before

Because if there's anything Trump is known for it's not throwing his press office under the bus.
posted by Talez at 3:59 PM on June 5, 2017 [8 favorites]

Republicans started the idea that a filibuster doesn't have to be a 'talking' filibuster

Sorry, but that's just wrong. The talking filibuster was essentially done away with in the filibuster reforms of 1974 or 1975. These traded the need for a talking filibuster with no longer having every other bit of Senate business held hostage by the filibuster.

they just have to tacitly threaten it and Democrats would roll over and agree without forcing them to actually do it, or even to vote on cloture in many cases.

The only circumstances where a competent majority leader would schedule a cloture vote that the majority was sure to lose are (a) to set up a nuclear option play, or (b) if that losing vote was good enough political theater to be worth wasting a lot of time on.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 4:02 PM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

Chris Matthews is talking to Carter Page again. Come on man, get off the television. His smirk every time he's on TV makes me think he's just waiting for the right moment to stand up and yell IT WAS ALL A JOKE and reveal he's just some youtube prankster who tricked his way into a job as a Russian stooge for the Trump campaign.

On the other hand, Tim Kaine is on CNN talking about the Russian hacking and clearly isn't a happy camper.
posted by Justinian at 4:12 PM on June 5, 2017 [8 favorites]

How the NSA identified Reality Winner.

Honestly, it's chilling that a source was arrested.
posted by Waiting for Pierce Inverarity at 4:12 PM on June 5, 2017 [16 favorites]

Kaine is talking about potential collusion, obstruction of justice, or treason. His words.
posted by Justinian at 4:12 PM on June 5, 2017 [15 favorites]

even though she is clearly doing the job she was born for and that she's better than than anybody in recent history and maybe ever

Yes, but it's not Trump-dependent, she's a hired gun, a political mercenary. She did it for Ted Cruz before Trump and will do it for another piece of human and/or "human" garbage after Trump.

Republicans' ethnic cleansing is the one part of their agenda that's functioning very, very well.

Trump Believes in Eugenics, According to Trump's Biographer (Sammy Nickalls, Esquire)

The family subscribes to a racehorse theory of human development. They believe that there are superior people and that if you put together the genes of a superior woman and a superior man, you get a superior offspring."

posted by Room 641-A at 4:15 PM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

One of the Intercept's sources burning another source has got to be the kind of thing that makes a reporter vomit.
posted by zachlipton at 4:15 PM on June 5, 2017 [12 favorites]

Ugh this poor Winner kid. Do we know what kind of time she might be facing?

Daily Beast:

Winner-Davis said the allegations against her daughter were vague when they spoke Sunday.

“I don’t know who she might have sent it to,” she said. “[DOJ] were very vague. They said she mishandled and released documents that she shouldn’t have, but we had no idea what it pertained to or who.”

The most detail she got was about Winner’s pets.

“She called us yesterday night. She asked if we could help out with relocating her cat and dog,” Winner-Davis said.

posted by Existential Dread at 4:16 PM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

Do we know what kind of time she might be facing?

Ten years.
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:18 PM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

This is like a 20 minute interview with Carter Page. Dude just does not give a crap.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 4:18 PM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

Note to all potential leakers of classified info: Stick to major newspapers with experience in these matters. If they don't want your info, that's probably a good clue you're risking your freedom unnecessarily.
posted by Justinian at 4:20 PM on June 5, 2017 [15 favorites]

The family subscribes to a racehorse theory of human development. They believe that there are superior people and that if you put together the genes of a superior woman and a superior man, you get a superior offspring."

Why is it eugenists that believe in their genetic superiority always look like they came from the shallow kiddie end of the gene pool? The one with all the urine?
posted by leotrotsky at 4:21 PM on June 5, 2017 [17 favorites]

I'm trying to make sense of Trump's weirdly specific obsession with air traffic control.

At it's most benign, I think it may be Trump acting out of pure self interest to save money on fuel costs for his private plane(s).

But it could also be part of more nefarious half baked schemes that begins with enabling a path for his shady international business partners to come and go "under the radar" by corrupting/planting a few of the private air traffic controllers. Or even worse, a pony for Putin to ease secret travel in and out of the US.
posted by p3t3 at 4:23 PM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

For it to be an obsession it needs to last at least a week. This is almost certainly another ephemeral brain fart that will waft away in the fetid effluence of his addled senility as soon as Hannity starts bellowing again.
posted by leotrotsky at 4:26 PM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

Everything Trump does can be explained by one of the following of his desires 1) Enrich or flatter himself 2) Obey Russia 3) Spite Obama.

I thought it was a riff on Reagan, personally. Look, I'm just like Saint Ronnie! Gonna fight with the air traffic controllers! Gonna try to find my own personal Ollie North! Gonna suffer from dementia in office!
posted by Existential Dread at 4:29 PM on June 5, 2017 [26 favorites]

I'm trying to make sense of Trump's weirdly specific obsession with air traffic control.

People who have enough money to fly frequently love little more than complaining about airports, airplanes, and air travel generally. It's certainly something he's done a shitload of in the past. Now, as President, he gets to do more than your average cranky grandpa who's sure he knows the obvious solution, and his worthless advisors who are desperate for an easy win are happy to feed him bullshit about how his idea is great and will save everyone money.
posted by Copronymus at 4:31 PM on June 5, 2017 [5 favorites]

Ugh PLEASE make it stop! I hope these stupid Trump "Americana" hotels crash and burn.
posted by thebrokedown at 4:31 PM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

Dampnut's obsession with air traffic control is predicated on Reagan's busting of the ATC union in the 80's and his obsession with being a Reagan-esque figurehead in the Republican pantheon. That's my unfounded opinion anyway.
posted by Fezboy! at 4:32 PM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

Well, the good news is that we definitely have a Winner in the Most Implausible Names category.

... I see what you did there.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 4:50 PM on June 5, 2017 [8 favorites]

All my life I have yearned to stay in a rebranded Comfort Inn with an old Coke machine in the lobby.
posted by The Card Cheat at 4:51 PM on June 5, 2017 [13 favorites]

Everything Trump does can be explained by one of the following of his desires 1) Enrich or flatter himself 2) Obey Russia 3) Spite Obama.

4) Pay all due worship and obeisance to the Orb.
posted by octobersurprise at 4:53 PM on June 5, 2017 [16 favorites]

well to be fair we can all agree that Eric and Don Jr. are living Adonises, pleasing to the gaze of all who may be fortunate enough to behold them. Moreover they are possessed of intellects unparalleled in human history; Newton, Einstein, Shakespeare, Goethe, Hypatia, even Aristotle and Plato are mediocre-minded compared to Eric and Don Jr.

I know this is a joke and it's a good joke don't get me wrong but I feel compelled to rebut even false mocking praise of these elephant-murdering shitheads

and so I say: no. they suck.
posted by prize bull octorok at 4:58 PM on June 5, 2017 [17 favorites]

On the subject of Trump's private pilot, here's Father John Misty's cover of Tim Heidecker's song, "Trump's Private Pilot."
posted by Rust Moranis at 5:03 PM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

2016: Nervous about flying
2017: Also nervous about walking around outside if there are airplanes overhead
#TrumpsAmerica
posted by Cookiebastard at 5:16 PM on June 5, 2017 [10 favorites]

One of the Intercept's sources burning another source has got to be the kind of thing that makes a reporter vomit.

What the what, now? I must have missed that in the links

Can we please mark Twitter links accordingly? They look like article or blog links, but brother, they ain't.
posted by petebest at 5:17 PM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

of these elephant-murdering shitheads

Hey! Elephant AND prairie dog murdering shitheads, thankyouverymuch.

And on Earth Day, too, as if the symbolism of their evil wasn't already enough.
posted by darkstar at 5:23 PM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

so this is an opinion piece, not an editor's letter, but this seems to be a new level of Can't Even, even for the washington post:

WaPo: Trump is out of control

The statements President Trump issued on Twitter in recent days lead to a chilling conclusion: The man is out of control.

I know that is a radical thing to say about the elected leader of the United States, the most powerful individual in the world. And I know his unorthodox use of social media is thought by some, including the president himself, to be brilliant. But I don’t see political genius in the invective coming from Trump these days. I see an angry man lashing out at enemies real and imagined — a man dangerously overwhelmed.

posted by murphy slaw at 5:25 PM on June 5, 2017 [38 favorites]

CNN v. Gorka (the versus v., not the gorked-up Nazi v. From upthread. Sarah K. Burris, RawStory)

“This is about national security,” Gorka said, claiming that people are too obsessed with Trump’s tweets and not the policies. As a fact check, Trump’s tweets were about his policies.

“And maybe he shouldn’t tweet about it,” Cuomo called back. “Listen, the fact is that he took the opportunity in the wake of the attack on London to

“That’s a lie, Chris,” Gorka said.

“It’s a lie he didn’t tweet that?” Cuomo asked. Gorka said the ban on Muslims was a lie.

Gorka then went on to talk about how they don’t give away sensitive information. Sarcastically, Gorka said, “we leave that up to leakers.”

“Giving intelligence to the Russians, though, that was alright?” Cuomo countered.

Oh mercy! Why Mr. Cuomo you do know how to call bullshit, don't you?
*fans self*
posted by petebest at 5:27 PM on June 5, 2017 [30 favorites]

Tim Kaine is on CNN talking about the Russian hacking and clearly isn't a happy camper.

That's kind of sad, because Tim Kaine has the sort of face that belongs on a happy camper, the happiest camper in the happiest camp who was just told that his whole bunk was going on a field trip to the unicorn farm.
posted by Joe in Australia at 5:28 PM on June 5, 2017 [45 favorites]

What the what, now? I must have missed that in the links

This tweet excerpts the affidavit: one of the reporters contacted another source had has a prior relationship with, a contractor for the government, and asked him to look at the leaked documents, revealing the method by which they were sent, the city on the postmark, and a theory about the facility they came from. The contractor reported it to the agency.

Can we please mark Twitter links accordingly? They look like article or blog links, but brother, they ain't.

How should they be marked exactly? A lot of news breaks on twitter, and linking to 10 page PDF affidavits isn't as helpful as linking to the actual thing under discussion in a tweet. I certainly try to link to the actual article where one exists instead of a tweet just referencing it. I'm not sure what kind of marking is going to be more useful than mousing over and seeing "twitter.com" in the URL, but if there's a way to make them more readable, I'm all eras.
posted by zachlipton at 5:29 PM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

Chris Matthews is talking to Carter Page again. Come on man, get off the television

But if he does that, who will interview Carter Page!
posted by queenofbithynia at 5:31 PM on June 5, 2017 [9 favorites]

One of the Intercept's sources burning another source has got to be the kind of thing that makes a reporter vomit.

What the what, now? I must have missed that in the links

The Intercept's reporter took photos of the leaked NSA documents and sent those to another government contractor for verification. That second contractor reported the interaction. It may or may not have had anything to do with creases in the paper, because it's unbelievably trivial to see who had access to that report, plus who printed it from their work computer. Ridiculously terrible opsec by both the leaker and the Intercept, who has a guide on this saying basically not to do everything they did in this instance.

(Also they can identify exactly what specific printer by the microdot patterns)
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:31 PM on June 5, 2017 [25 favorites]

Oh, her name is Reality Winner. I just had a chance to read about it and everything makes sense now. Trump is totally going to tweet at 5AM and call her Reality Loser, isn't he?
posted by guiseroom at 5:36 PM on June 5, 2017 [8 favorites]

I would bet on a general long time dislike of air travel and his pilot having bitched about air traffic control at some point being a kind of background motivation. Then more recently there was some incident where he felt slighted by or because of air traffic control.

"Sorry Mr. President, ATC hasn't cleared us to land yet."

"BUT I HAVE TO GET BACK TO ONE MY PROPERTIES SO I CAN MAKE A POOPY!"

"We have facilities on the aircraft sir."

"Look, I can only 'go' at one of my properties. Okay?"

"I should do the whole world a favor and crash this plane into the middle of the ocean."

"What?"

"I'll have us on the ground as soon as I can sir."

The worst part is that he actual reason is probably some how dumber than that. There are probably a whole bunch of issues that Trump has a general feeling about for dumb reason just waiting for a specific incident to set him off and cause him to take action.
posted by VTX at 5:38 PM on June 5, 2017 [9 favorites]

How should they be marked exactly?

I was thinking like (TL) or TWT- or even (T). Whichever works, we'd get used to it, right Tehhund? *tch-tch / finger guns*

But if he does that, who will interview Carter Page!

"I wish to clear up the many multitudinous misconceptions created by Carter Page during his interview of June 8th, posted to the Carter Page channel of Youtube. These were malicious and underwhelming falsies of gregarious origin, and have no place in reconnoitering missives thereupon described by even those.

Sinserely,
Carter Page, (Dr.)"

You know textbooks of the future are full of these clips.
posted by petebest at 5:42 PM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

British party leader calls for Donald Trump to be banned from UK for attacking London mayor during crisis David Edwards, RS)
posted by Room 641-A at 5:43 PM on June 5, 2017 [54 favorites]

Remember the Twitter thread There's something odd abt this @nytimes article on small biz owners cheering Trump's decision to leave Paris treaty?

I wrote to the NYTimes (after reading about it here), and actually received a response
Thank you for your note, and I certainly understand your concern about our article. We received several similar emails from readers pointing to the similarity between the stories.

The explanation we received from the business editors was that this piece was intended as a followup of sorts on the earlier story, though this was not mentioned clearly at first. In the original article, our reporter interviewed a number of small business owners and returned to speak to them again about their opinion regarding the president's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement.

If you return to the more recent piece, you'll see that it now mentions that certain individuals quoted in it were interviewed before, and it also links back to the March story.

Keep telling me what letters to write, Metafilter!
posted by armacy at 5:51 PM on June 5, 2017 [61 favorites]

Thanks! Video on how your printer drops the dime

via eff.org
posted by petebest at 5:59 PM on June 5, 2017 [8 favorites]

Cancel Trump state visit, says Sadiq Khan, after London attack tweets: Appearing on Channel 4 News on Monday evening, Khan said Trump was wrong about “many things” and that his state visit should not go ahead.

“I don’t think we should roll out the red carpet to the president of the USA in the circumstances where his policies go against everything we stand for,” he said.

“When you have a special relationship it is no different from when you have got a close mate. You stand with them in times of adversity but you call them out when they are wrong. There are many things about which Donald Trump is wrong.”
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 6:06 PM on June 5, 2017 [60 favorites]

You would think that anyone who works for The Intercept, of all places, would be a little more careful about...you know, protecting their sources. Or trusting people who work in the intelligence community, for that matter.

Granted, the tracks may not have been covered very well, but going to a source at the very agency this document was leaked from for comment? And sending said source, who is obligated to report shit like this, copies of the document? That is mind-bogglingly stupid.

If the reporters and editors behind this story didn't think there'd be any risk to doing that...then shame on them. It's one thing to be sitting on a big scoop, but you should at least give a damn about whether the person who hands it to you will suffer any consequences.
posted by otenba at 6:15 PM on June 5, 2017 [15 favorites]

He's tweeting again: "That's right, we need a TRAVEL BAN for certain DANGEROUS countries, not some politically correct term that won't help us protect our people!"

I feel like this article that just popped up is highly related—NYT: Trump Grows Discontented With Attorney General Jeff Sessions
posted by zachlipton at 6:23 PM on June 5, 2017 [38 favorites]

It's pretty funny that Trump thinks he isn't supposed to say travel ban because of political correctness, and not because it makes it impossible for his lawyers to argue for it in court.
posted by diogenes at 6:27 PM on June 5, 2017 [58 favorites]

And I'm a little unclear on how the words used to describe the idea impact its effectiveness.
posted by diogenes at 6:30 PM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

I'm just amazed that he's calling it by the politically correct term "travel ban" while decrying political correctness when he obviously wants to say "Muslim ban." I mean he said it before; you know he wants to say it again.
posted by zachlipton at 6:31 PM on June 5, 2017 [25 favorites]

Seriously, is the White House / Kremlin coordinating with the Intercept to arrange for the arrest of sources? This seems like a honeypot sting
posted by localhuman at 6:31 PM on June 5, 2017 [9 favorites]

the paragraph about how Trump is being super duper careful and meticulous in his next FBI director pick because he knows he can't fire another one!!!!!!

that anonymous official who said that thing to the NYT is trying harder than anybody should be trying at anything, at this point. hope they take great personal satisfaction in their devotion to their boss. the very idea that Trump would feel his hands were tied & he couldn't fire Director Cole or Director Bryson or Director Cooper or whoever it happens to be, if there ever even is another director. the idea that he would restrain himself from doing a thing he wants to do because it would make him look bad and would not be the done thing. that is exquisite. white house staffer-source, get drunk tonight. you earned it.

I also love the idea that Trump hates Jeff Sessions because it supports the idea that he turned on Steve Bannon because he decided everybody hated him, Donald Trump, because of his wicked and unpopular advisers. that is exactly correct. just fire Jeff Sessions, and then fire Betsy Devos, and keep going until you get rid of everybody who is making you look so bad, and then everybody will love you, like you deserve. that is sure to work.
posted by queenofbithynia at 6:32 PM on June 5, 2017 [27 favorites]

Decades from now, will they be referred to as

I can no longer comprehend such spans of time. Consider how this thread began, with news that Mike Dubke was out and that the president* was going to make an announcement about the Paris Accord during sweeps week. Feels like months. The thread began 158 hours ago.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:33 PM on June 5, 2017 [32 favorites]

I feel like this article that just popped up is highly related—NYT: Trump Grows Discontented With Attorney General Jeff Sessions

I feel like the total focus of everyone who is trying to tear down the Trump administration should switch to this. Getting Sessions out would be a huge win, since he's one of the few people in the inner circle with any experience getting stuff done in government.
posted by Copronymus at 6:33 PM on June 5, 2017 [15 favorites]

And I'm a little unclear on how the words used to describe the idea impact its effectiveness.

We're talking about a guy whose anti-terrorism strategy was to say the words "racial Islamic terrorism" just once, and *poof*, all the terrorists would be defeated by his words. Insisting that people use the correct magic words is the only trick he's got.
posted by zachlipton at 6:33 PM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

Yo I figured it out.

Reality Winner is obviously the Player Character, having picked a fourth-wall breaking name during character creation.
posted by save alive nothing that breatheth at 6:34 PM on June 5, 2017 [24 favorites]

White House Pushed to Drop Russia Sanctions—Even After Firing Michael Flynn: The White House explored unilaterally easing sanctions on Russia’s oil industry as recently as late March, arguing that decreased Russian oil production could harm the American economy, according to former U.S. officials.

State Department officials argued successfully that easing those sanctions would actually hurt the U.S. energy sector, according to those former officials and email exchanges reviewed by The Daily Beast.

In one email exchange, a State Department official feels the need to explain that lowering punitive sanctions on the Russian oil industry would be rewarding Moscow—without getting anything from the Kremlin in return.

“Russia continues to occupy Ukraine including Crimea—conditions that led to the sanctions have not changed,” the official wrote.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 6:40 PM on June 5, 2017 [16 favorites]

ICE is
Isis.
Coincidence?
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 6:49 PM on June 5, 2017

Feels like months. The thread began 158 hours ago.

AAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaAAAAaaaaaaaaaAAaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
posted by fluttering hellfire at 9:42 PM on June 5 [7 favorites −] Favorite added! [!]

eponyst...ah, fuck it
posted by A Terrible Llama at 6:49 PM on June 5, 2017 [14 favorites]

Even if the Intercept leaker had maintained perfect tradecraft/opsec the reporter fucked them over and would have gotten them arrested anyway. I hope the Intercept never gets another significant leak due to this stunning display of incompetence and utter lack of concern for their sources.
posted by xyzzy at 6:54 PM on June 5, 2017 [37 favorites]

The hoopla over Trump's plan to privatize ATC may be a bit overblown. Turns out it's just a letter to Congress saying this is something he'd like for them to do. Remember, he's a salesman & a con artist not an actual executive with an interest in governing.

From Time Magazine: President Trump Just Held a Signing. He Had Nothing to Sign

A White House aide told reporters Trump had signed a "a decision memo and letter transmitting legislative principles to Congress," surrounding the privatization of the Air Traffic Control system, which he had just spent the last few minutes advocating for. But in order for his goal to come to fruition, Congress would need to pass pass legislation implementing it. Before Trump gave remarks Monday, White House officials had told reporters that the President is only dictating his legislative goals of separating air traffic controls from the FAA. Congress is not required to follow through on these goals.

posted by scalefree at 6:55 PM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

Remember that Ms. Winner-Davis knowingly named her daughter "Reality," so I'd take anything she says with some side-eyed suspicion.

Are you kidding? We should take everything she says with the respect and awe accorded to the time traveler she so clearly is. How did she know, twenty-five years ago, that Reality would be a value - like Faith, Hope, and Charity - that we would someday be needed to be reminded to cherish? Besides, her daughter suffered through years of mockery in middle school just so that she could give us the gift of headlines that might finally bring a befuddled nation to its senses -

Reality Under Attack by Trump!
Trump's War On Reality
Trump's Federal Prosecutors Make Their Case Against Reality
Protesters Rally In Front of Court House In Support Of Reality
Reality Takes Stand, Makes Case Against Trump Administration
Late Night Trump Tweet: 'Reality? We've Never Met But I'm Not A Fan'
Trump Removed Under 25th Amendment, Long National Nightmare Comes To An End, 'Thank You All For Believing in Me,' Says Reality.

I mean, apologies for making the obvious jokes that the rest of you have been so far too mature/proud to indulge in, but honestly it's just another sign that there's no one competent in the Trump administration that nobody said: hey, you know what? The optics on arresting someone named Reality for exposing the truth about the government might not be the greatest look for us right now - maybe she shouldn't be the first leaker we decide to publicly prosecute? Isn't there someone named Unpatriotic McTraitor we could throw the book at instead?

Sheesh.
posted by pretentious illiterate at 6:55 PM on June 5, 2017 [87 favorites]

And sending said source, who is obligated to report shit like this, copies of the document? That is mind-bogglingly stupid.

Yes, the second source had no choice but to report. No choice. WTF was the Intercept thinking, sending classified material to someone and asking for comment? Recipient: How do I know it's not a sting? How do I know you're not going to blab later about showing it to me? I'm probably already blown for talking to you before, now that you've sent me this now. JFC.
posted by ctmf at 6:57 PM on June 5, 2017 [25 favorites]

British party leader calls for Donald Trump to be banned from UK for attacking London mayor during crisis David Edwards, RS)

It sounds more impressive than it actually is. It's the Lib Dem leader, Tim Farron, (and yes, I had to look up his name because he is unmemorable). It would be like lending credence to Jill Stein saying we should ban someone from the US.
posted by Talez at 6:59 PM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

Rep. Joaquín Castro Leading Trip to Mexico to Meet With Deported Veterans (Suzanne Gamboa, NBC News)

The visit is intended to focus attention on the estimated more than 230 military veterans deported from the U.S. and on the need for a more rigorous process to ensure legal residents recruited with promises of citizenship are naturalized.

Two L.A. Area Congresspeople Go To Mexico To Visit Deported Vets (Julia Wick, LAist)

"Anyone who fights for the freedom of our country should be granted citizenship. Period," Barragán said, adding that she is doing everything she can to help Barajas obtain U.S. citizenship so he can return to the country—and his young daughter, who lives here in Los Angeles.

posted by Room 641-A at 7:01 PM on June 5, 2017 [32 favorites]

After the BS leaks from WH staff that Bannon was on the outs last month (he's not, after all), I'm not falling for the NYT/Dershowitz quote that Sessions has somehow fallen into disfavor. The NYT are either suckers for that crap, or administration mouthpieces.
posted by klarck at 7:02 PM on June 5, 2017 [8 favorites]

[Comey] can come in wearing a Phantom of the Opera mask if it helps get someone impeached.

COMEY enters, wearing mask and cape:
♫ Stranger than you dreamt it
Can you even dare to look
Or bear to think of Trump?
This loathsome gargoyle ♫
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:02 PM on June 5, 2017 [11 favorites]

Reality Winner is obviously the Player Character, having picked a fourth-wall breaking name during character creation.

Well then she has seriously screwed the pooch on this game, and I really hope her last save point was in October.
posted by biogeo at 7:05 PM on June 5, 2017 [20 favorites]

They're talking about how Reality Winner got caught. People, if you're going to give out HIGHLY CLASSIFIED material for gods sake don't print it from your work computer. Or at all, really. But seriously.... we're not exactly talking about top tier spycraft here.

She's going to pay for that with years of her life, unfortunately.
posted by Justinian at 7:09 PM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

Sources: Acting US ambassador to China quit over Trump climate decision (CNN)

Acting US ambassador to China David Rank resigned from his post in Beijing over President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, several sources familiar with the decision told CNN.

A career foreign service officer since 1990, Rank assumed the position of deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Beijing in January 2016 and had been serving until the arrival of Trump's pick for the job, former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, who was confirmed by Congress late last month. {...} But sources familiar with the decision indicated that Rank's departure is directly tied to Trump's controversial move to pull out of the accord.

It's only a symbolic gesture, but hopefully one that will add to the ever-accumulating criticism of Trump's astoundingly stupid decision.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:09 PM on June 5, 2017 [8 favorites]

Trump's Federal Prosecutors Make Their Case Against Reality

Genius. This must happen regularly.

"Trump's Reality Show"

Ooh! Did I do it?
posted by petebest at 7:10 PM on June 5, 2017 [5 favorites]

[Comey] can come in wearing a Phantom of the Opera mask if it helps get someone impeached.

♫What a way to
run a country!
Spare me these
unending trials!
Half your country is in tears,
but the crowd still cheers!
GOP!
To hell with Vlad and Comey
It's a scandal that'll pack 'em in the aisles!

Damnable!
Will they all impeach?
This is damnable!
Donnie, please don't shout ...♫

All this time, we thought we were doing Hamilton, but nope, it's been Phantom all along.
posted by zachlipton at 7:11 PM on June 5, 2017 [13 favorites]

United States v. Winner
posted by ctmf at 7:13 PM on June 5, 2017 [14 favorites]

[Comey] can come in wearing a Phantom of the Opera mask if it helps get someone impeached.

♫Past the point of no return
No backward glances
The loyalty games you've played now are at an end
Past all thought of if or when
No use resisting
Abandon thought and let impeachment descend♫

posted by corb at 7:23 PM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

> Well then she has seriously screwed the pooch on this game, and I really hope her last save point was in October.

There's always the possibility that she's playing Classic/Lunatic as per Fire Emblem... If that's the case, not only are we are probably out of luck, it would go far to explain so much of what seemed like a sure victory being a sudden and critical loss.
posted by MysticMCJ at 7:23 PM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

from 5 facts about Reality (Chris Bucher, Heavy.com, "we raided her Instagram so you don't have to")

The Intercept’s report described details about Russian efforts to hack voting systems in the U.S. about one week before the 2016 presidential election. The document said that it “raises the possibility that Russian hacking may have breached at least some elements of the voting system, with disconcertingly uncertain results.” [Emphasis added]
posted by petebest at 7:24 PM on June 5, 2017

The Intercept's brand is unofficial leaks. They're... toast.
posted by Yowser at 7:29 PM on June 5, 2017 [7 favorites]

[Comey] can come in wearing a Phantom of the Opera mask if it helps get someone impeached.

♫Through leaks that follow me
In memos filed
Although I fired him
He drives me wild
And in this covfefe
I turn and find
James Comey of the FBI is here
Inside my mind!♫

All this time, we thought we were doing Hamilton, but nope, it's been Phantom all along.

The show that's basically a flashback to the shadowy crimes, almighty crash, and hunt for blood that destroyed the institution? Yes.
posted by Joe in Australia at 7:30 PM on June 5, 2017 [13 favorites]

> And I'm a little unclear on how the words used to describe the idea impact its effectiveness.

I do believe the logic is that it is a callback to when he referred to the first EO as a muslim travel ban; continuing to use this wording, even with the one word omitted, can be argued as statement of intent.
posted by Enturbulated at 7:31 PM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

from 5 facts about Reality (Chris Bucher, Heavy.com, "we raided her Instagram so you don't have to")

Don't these millennials know the blonde girl only gets immunity if she shreds incriminating documents about the executive branch's treason?
posted by Talez at 7:32 PM on June 5, 2017 [8 favorites]

The Intercept's brand is unofficial leaks. They're... toast.

Never fear, Greenwald's useful idiocy will never go out of style.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:33 PM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

Variety: ABC, CBS News to Carry James Comey Senate Testimony Live: ABC and CBS will break into their daytime programming on Thursday to cover James Comey’s appearance before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

ABC’s George Stephanopoulos will anchor the network’s coverage, while “CBS This Morning” co-hosts Norah O’Donnell, Gayle King and Charlie Rose will anchor coverage for that network. Rose, King and O’Donnell will be joined in New York by “Face the Nation” anchor and chief Washington correspondent John Dickerson and chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford. The former FBI Director’s testimony is set to begin at 10 a.m. ET.

NBC News has yet to confirm whether or not they will carry the hearing live.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 7:37 PM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

How The Intercept Outed Reality Winner
The document leaked by the Intercept was from a printer with model number 54, serial number 29535218. The document was printed on May 9, 2017 at 6:20. The NSA almost certainly has a record of who used the printer at that time.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:38 PM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

I wonder if NSA Snitch was a double-agent, and had been used successfully and trusted by The Intercept before.
posted by rhizome at 7:41 PM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

NBC has MSNBC which will be carrying it live so it may be they want to drive ratings there.
posted by Justinian at 7:42 PM on June 5, 2017

The document leaked by the Intercept was from a printer with model number 54, serial number 29535218. The document was printed on May 9, 2017 at 6:20. The NSA almost certainly has a record of who used the printer at that time.

This is a disaster. I hope this is the end of The Intercept. Their own stupidity put this woman in jail.
posted by dis_integration at 7:45 PM on June 5, 2017 [36 favorites]

Uggggh guys I am so embarrassed Illinois hasn't joined the climate compact yet, we have a GOP governor and we haven't had a budget in 2 years, try not to judge us too much. But srsly we need to be in it like everyone else.

"Regrettably, school boards being what they are, bored kids in high school will never hear about any of this mess. They'll be provided a highly sanitized paragraph offering anodyne statements about the Trump years, accompanied by the official Presidential photo. "

Hahahahaha. My school board caught some mega-flak for not televising Obama's inauguration live to the whole district, and when MANY parents came to complain, the school board president and vice president literally cried because the reason we didn't show it in every single classroom of our majority-minority district is that we got royally fucked under the GWB school internet funding system and we simply couldn't stream to that man classrooms. Instead we had our AV people record it and work overtime that night to copy it to dozens of tapes so everyone could watch it the next day. A poor facsimile, but we wanted to make sure everyone saw it.

When a small handful of ultra-conservative GOP types asked why we hadn't shown the Trump inauguration, everyone just laughed. Because DUDE. That was shown in basically zero classrooms. There's hardly any classroom in our district of 14,000 that doesn't know someone Trump wants to deport. We don't talk about politics with our kids (they were too upset by Hillary's loss), but they have picked up from random people talking at school that Trump wants to deport everyone (we've had to explain they're not at risk), and that Trump is "being fired" by the people. They had a half-hour debate this morning about whether he'd already been fired or not.

"Found it: "Trump's expert on aviation? His personal pilot." (Chris Isidore February 9, 2017)"

Terrifying. We have a relative who's the private pilot for the sheik of Bahrain, and he sends us non-stop insane Fox news rants, he is our only relative who does that. He ends every e-mail "inshah allah" BUT ALSO wants to kill all Muslims because they're all terrorists.

"LA Times: "Muslims and Latinos unite during Ramadan, breaking fast with tacos at mosques."
"After daily fasting as part of the holy month of Ramadan, dozens of local Muslims joined their Latino neighbors Saturday night in the parking lot of the new Islamic Center of Santa Ana to take part in the inaugural event of the campaign dubbed Taco Trucks at Every Mosque."

They're doing this in Peoria too! The local Muslim group is hiring out locally-owned fast-food/fast-casual places and buying dinner for everyone who shows up in a 2-hour period after sunset, for all of Ramadan, and celebrating the breaking of the fast that way. They've been highlighting like all my favorite restaurants! It's a really great outreach, I think, and it seems like it's been nationally coordinated?
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:48 PM on June 5, 2017 [52 favorites]

You guys, our mayor has changed his Twitter profile pic to the Lombardi Trophy covered in Heinz ketchup and it is delightful
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:51 PM on June 5, 2017 [15 favorites]

It's a really great outreach, I think, and it seems like it's been nationally coordinated?

the most delicious of radical Islamic conspiracies
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:51 PM on June 5, 2017 [5 favorites]

In other media-driven news, "Simpsons did it first?". It's from 'Beyond Blunderdome', the Season 11 premiere episode, airing Sptember 26, 1999, and it's the ending of a Mel Gibson movie that Homer has rewritten for guest star Gibson to "punch it up". This increases the likelihood that Real Life is now being either written by The Simpsons staff or plagiarized from them by .02%.
posted by oneswellfoop at 7:52 PM on June 5, 2017

NYT: Trump Grows Discontented With Attorney General Jeff Sessions

Independent journalist Sarah Kendzior is skeptical of this angle:

Wait for more sources on this story. NYT telling bullshit palace intrigue tales for months. Remember Bannon, Gorka on outs? Please. 😒
"Palace intrigue" tales give illusion of internal dissent instead of autocratic consolidation. I explain more here
At this point, it's beneficial for Trump and Sessions to appear as if feuding since both signed off on Comey fire, are implicated w/Russia
He hosted a reality TV show of manufactured feuds. He spent his whole life manipulating business world and media.
This is an arena he knows
[...]There is likely no feud. Most likely: narrative created to offset Comey testimony.

It's true, the NYT has cried wolf before in stories about internecine WH conflicts. Kissing Sessions goodbye on the Grey Lady's say-so is premature to say the least. It's also true, however, that (a) Sessions has been drawing a lot more heat from the Mueller investigation lately and (b) Trump thrives on chaos among his subordinates and even actively promotes it. A lot is going to depend on Comey's testimony, one way or the other.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:52 PM on June 5, 2017 [18 favorites]

It's a really great outreach, I think, and it seems like it's been nationally coordinated?
They need to reach out with this shit right over here. I drive by the Islamic Center every day and this past Friday I do not know what they were cooking up in there but it smelled so delicious I wanted to cry.
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:54 PM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

wait so her name really is Reality Winner?

mrw
posted by entropicamericana at 7:55 PM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

My students wanted, expected to see the Obama inauguration. But you see, I think they had bets on an attempt on his life. After that, Utah made it that students had to have parental consent, to view Obama on a classroom TV.
posted by Oyéah at 7:58 PM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

I started a new job today (HUZZAH!!!) and couldn't compulsively refresh MeFi and now I have no idea what any of you are talking about. This shit is crazy.
posted by Space Kitty at 7:58 PM on June 5, 2017 [50 favorites]

Most likely: narrative created to offset Comey testimony.

I mean sure, if only because that NYT article said Trump's anger was "burning" in "occasional spurts" which I am not sure if it is a mixed metaphor or merely disgusting, but either way one doesn't want to reward them for writing such things. but

1. who in Trump's employ would, or could, create a narrative? that's a pretty sophisticated endeavor. I think the ability to construct a narrative out of a bunch of suggestive images is some kind of psychological test in itself, to pass which one must have a rudimentary psychology.

and 2. it's a narrative that makes him look like a big dumb idiot. so if it is made up, whose benefit is it made up for? Is the Comey testimoney going to be so damaging that it's worth making up a story about how DT is sad and mad and bad in a different dumb way than the way we are expecting to hear about?
posted by queenofbithynia at 8:00 PM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

If anybody is creating a narrative, I think the more likely explanation is that Sessions is trying to distance himself a bit from Trump. I can't see how "Trump is mad that Sessions isn't interfering in the investigation" is a useful narrative for the White House to be pushing, but it's a very useful one for an AG who doesn't want Comey's testimony spilling back on him.
posted by zachlipton at 8:03 PM on June 5, 2017 [5 favorites]

1. who in Trump's employ would, or could, create a narrative?

Steve Bannon, for one.

2. it's a narrative that makes him look like a big dumb idiot. so if it is made up, whose benefit is it made up for?

If Bannon could convince that big dumb idiot Trump that, say, Reince Priebus was behind the leak, Trump would be more favorably disposed to Bannon for his loyalty.

But who knows, maybe it's Pence. He was fingered as a potential leaker for the embarrassing details about Trump's chaotic interviews with FBI director candidates since he has everything to gain from Trump leaving office one way or another.

Really, this ain't a Shakespearean drama, it's reality TV beamed from the White House.
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:07 PM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

Aside from the unusual name and journalistic OpSec angles, does anyone have thoughts about the leak itself? At least it doesn't seem like the hack would have directly affected voting machines or tabulation, although the breadth of the effort is nonetheless quite concerning, and the NSA seems very confident that this was coming directly from the Russian military, which is more concerning than non-state-affiliated actors with their own motives would be.
posted by Copronymus at 8:08 PM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

That yellow dots = secret printer code thing is like a puzzle from a spy-themed video game.
posted by theodolite at 8:23 PM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

Like how is this tweet from our actual timeline and not the ARG for Lost season 5
posted by theodolite at 8:24 PM on June 5, 2017 [7 favorites]

The leak itself is weak sauce hardly worth going to jail for 10 years over. The Russian government spearfished a couple hundred people in an attempt to penetrate voter rolls with the apparent aim of being able to adjust them. *yawn* Of course they did. The Russians have been interfering in US elections using psy ops for decades, concentrating most of their efforts on undermining the confidence of the American public in their democratic system of government. That this leak even exists is good for the Russians--it helps sell the idea that even our electoral system can't be trusted and the Presidency and other elected officials are easily invalidated.
posted by xyzzy at 8:24 PM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

Congrats, Space Kitty! That's some damn good news in a mostly terrible thread.
posted by greermahoney at 8:27 PM on June 5, 2017 [13 favorites]

A better question isn't whether this election was affected, but how the US will respond to the intrusion. It's as if you found a stranger's footprints inside your front door. Yes, it's a good idea to see if anything has been stolen, but the best scenario is that it was an intrusion test and they'll be back later. It's imperative that you secure your premises immediately even if nothing was taken.

So now the US knows Russian hackers are willing and able to penetrate US election systems, but is anything going to happen to secure those systems? Because this election is a done deal, but the next election is still vulnerable.
posted by Joe in Australia at 8:27 PM on June 5, 2017 [16 favorites]

Congrats, Space Kitty. Try not to leak any classified info from your new job in the dumbest way possible!
posted by Justinian at 8:28 PM on June 5, 2017 [19 favorites]

which I am not sure if it is a mixed metaphor or merely disgusting,

Both *shudder*
posted by Room 641-A at 8:56 PM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

> his unorthodox use of social media is thought by some, including the president himself, to be brilliant

Apropos this and everything else that is currently going on, it is interesting look at 538's overview of Trump's approval rating in comparison with all the other U.S. Presidents going back to Lyndon Johnson.

Overall, Trump's first months taken as as whole are very clearly lower than any other president.

Some presidents about equal him in low-ness for some certain moments. But Trump started lower and stayed lower and kept trending lower far more steadily than any of his predecessors.

Right now, he is in the same general approval territory as:

GHW Bush right before he lost his re-election bid
Jimmy Carter just before he lost his re-election bid
Gerald Ford for most of his presidency, before losing re-elecdion
Lyndon Johnson before deciding not to run again, and
Richard Nixon just before resigning

So, that is not a happy place to be as President.

Of course, almost all of those took a full four years to drop to those kind of depths, whereas Trump was there right out of the blocks. GW Bush at the very end of his time in office was actually lower in popularity than Trump is now, but it took GWB seven full years of war and destruction post-9/11 to get there.

Trump, it didn't even take 7 months.

He's like some kind of prodigy of terrible-ness, really. The best at being the worst.

One interesting thing is that Bill Clinton's & Trump's approval ratings were almost identical at the point of the presidency Trump is currently at (about 4 months in). But--that low approval rating represented Clinton's lowest point, he spent but a brief moment at that very low point, and his approval rating climbed pretty steadily from that point to the end of his two terms in office.

If you are a Republican right now, you are wondering just exactly what Trump is planning to do to raise his approval rating from the place it is now. Because so far he hasn't shown any evidence of being able to do anything at all that would have even a remote chance of raising it even by a little bit.

The further it goes down, the more he acts in a way that is going to drive it down even further.

His 25% core of supporters are going to get more and more enthused about him. But the rest of the electorate--I just can't see it happening . . .
posted by flug at 9:03 PM on June 5, 2017 [26 favorites]

ELECTIONS NEWS

** GA-06:

-- GOP superPACs outspending Dem ones 5-1 (KS and MT were even more so).
-- Latest Ossoff ad attacks Handel's history with the Susan Komen Foundation and Planned Parenthood.
-- Day 7 of EV reaches 55K, exceeding the total votes for round 1, still pacing the 2016 general. Still unclear who has the advantage - Nate Cohn has some tea leaf reading that m-a-y-b-e bodes well for Ossoff, but really, no one knows anything.

** SC-05 -- DCCC dumping $275K in to support Parnell.

**Odds & ends:

-- SCOTUS has summarily affirmed in NC vs Covington, agreeing with the district court that state legislative districts were drawn in a racially biased fashion. Separately, SCOTUS remanded the district court's solution of a special election for more analysis. In the short term, this means that 2017 specials become a long shot, but Rick Hasen argues the SC's reasoning actually means we'll probably see more specials as remedies in the future. The outcome is likely to give the Dems a very good shot at breaking the GOP's supermajorities (and thus making governor vetoes sustainable), if nothing else.

-- New WaPo poll finds Americans oppose withdrawing from the Paris Accord 59/28.

-- 538: Dems outperforming in special elections all over.

-- Roll Call: Dems see good pickup opportunities in impending TX forced redistricting.

-- 538 is tracking the average of the generic ballot, which has a strong correlation to House results. On Election Day 2016, Dems had a only a 1 point lead (45/44). Today it is nearly 8 points (44/36).

-- Alabama has enacted legislation narrowing the felony crimes which cause loss of voting rights. Still not ideal, but a step forward.

posted by Chrysostom at 9:05 PM on June 5, 2017 [47 favorites]

Am I the only one who immediately wondered if there was a tie-in with Cambridge Analytica when it was reported voter registration info was targeted?
posted by azpenguin at 9:07 PM on June 5, 2017 [11 favorites]

T.D. Strange: "American Prospect has a huge round up of articles on how Democrats can win back white working class voters"

“In short, the narrative that attributes Trump’s victory to a ‘coalition of mostly blue-collar white and working-class voters’ just doesn’t square with the 2016 election data. According to the election study, white non-Hispanic voters without college degrees making below the median household income made up only 25 percent of Trump voters. That’s a far cry from the working-class-fueled victory many journalists have imagined.”
posted by Chrysostom at 9:09 PM on June 5, 2017 [9 favorites]

If you look at those approval ratings they basically parallel Obama, -20. It's probably the best fit for our age of hyperpartisanship. If you fast forward to midterm election day Trump could be looking at 25% approval ratings. The war of attrition he is facing is just brutal.
posted by Glibpaxman at 9:13 PM on June 5, 2017

If you are a Republican right now, you are wondering just exactly what Trump is planning to do to raise his approval rating from the place it is now. Because so far he hasn't shown any evidence of being able to do anything at all that would have even a remote chance of raising it even by a little bit.

No. Republicans are planning now how to end what remains of American democracy and install a Republican dictator. They would've preferred someone else, but they're proceeding with the same plan behind Trump regardless. There are no Republicans against it, the entire party is behind Trump as president for life. They don't intend to ever face free elections again. Nothing will make them admit fault, impeach Trump, or acknowledge democratic rule as we've known it. They're much more concerned with suppression and destruction of the media and democratic institutions than irrelevant concerns like approval rating.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:18 PM on June 5, 2017 [20 favorites]

Someone make a tumblr I can peruse of gross things more popular than trump that gets worse over time.
posted by AlexiaSky at 9:21 PM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

Congressman: Russian operatives hacked Illinois elections board (Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune)

Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley said Monday that Russian operatives hacked into the State Board of Elections last year to view voter database files, a potential move toward trying to make voters distrust the state and federal election system. [...]

Quigley's declaration of Russian involvement in the hacking of the state elections board marked the first time the country had been definitively identified as behind the attack last year, though it had been widely suspected.

"The Russians hacked into the Illinois State Board of Elections," Quigley said after a meeting with the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board.

They got into the database," he said. "I believe they're on the doorstep to hacking into our voting systems. That is my educated guess.

Tbh I can't even tell if this is the same as the thing above or the thing Wednesday or what but I didn't see it linked here.
posted by Room 641-A at 9:23 PM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

If you want to retain the last of your evens, do not read this story. Prolly shouldn't read the headline, even.

Jason Wilson, Guardian: Republicans use 'alt-right' Portland rally to recruit new members

The effort was led by James Buchal, chair of the Multnomah County Republican party, who urged attendees at the rally on Sunday to join to the GOP. Details of his efforts were uncovered in a recording from the rally.

“I want to say, since I am involved in the Republican party, that the structure to change the government officials in a party, a political party,” Buchal told the crowd . “And we are looking for young conservatives to get active in the Multnomah County Republican party.”

[…]

Buchal praised the Oath Keepers in his speech on Sunday, comparing them to the two men who victims who were allegedly murdered by Christian.

“Now, there’s been a lot of attacks on people like the Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters. People say that they’re racist and they’re evil, well you know what? I think they’re acting from the same moral impulse that Rick Best and Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche had.”

He continued: “They are there to protect. They see that wolves are on the rise, and they step forward like sheep dogs to protect us. The people who can’t see that, the people sitting in that office over there who can’t see that? They are morally blind.”

posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:25 PM on June 5, 2017 [27 favorites]

Someone make a tumblr I can peruse of gross things more popular than trump that gets worse over time.

In all seriousness, tweet something to that effect at PPP (@ppppolls) and see if they include questions like that sometime soon.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:27 PM on June 5, 2017

Nevermind, I guess. Politico: White House ices Russia war room idea: "Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie won’t join the administration to handle crisis response for the time being, and inquiries will be directed to Trump’s attorney in New York."

The press has already started to notice that "Trump's attorney in New York" doesn't return their calls, so I'm guessing this strategy will just lead to some increasingly ugly fights in the briefing room, which are good for ratings, but of questionable utility.
posted by zachlipton at 9:27 PM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

Uggggh guys I am so embarrassed Illinois hasn't joined the climate compact yet, we have a GOP governor and we haven't had a budget in 2 years, try not to judge us too much. But srsly we need to be in it like everyone else.

Ditto Maryland. Like every blue state, we periodically slip and put a Republican in the Governor's mansion. Unfortunately, we're stuck with a do-nothing GOP shithead right now. Granted, hes a Never-Trumper, but big fuckin' whoop. Were it not for this jackass, we'd be on board with the other progressive states, guaranteed.

FFS, when freakin' VIRGINIA beats us to it (thanks to their fluke Dem governor), it's just more salt on the wound. (Disclaimer: I may have had a bug up my ass about Virginia my entire life, having been born here on the right side of the Potomac.)
posted by CommonSense at 9:28 PM on June 5, 2017 [7 favorites]

Rex Tillerson is visiting my home town Wellington, New Zealand, today and has been greeted in appropriate fashion. Apparently, the media were surprised at the reaction.

Bird-flipping welcome for US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in New Zealand
posted by vac2003 at 9:33 PM on June 5, 2017 [30 favorites]

christ, the bullshit never ends. remember those stories of jared setting up that 110 billion dollar arms deal prior to trump's visit?

Brookings Institution: The $110 billion arms deal to Saudi Arabia is fake news

I’ve spoken to contacts in the defense business and on the Hill, and all of them say the same thing: There is no $110 billion deal. Instead, there are a bunch of letters of interest or intent, but not contracts. Many are offers that the defense industry thinks the Saudis will be interested in someday. So far nothing has been notified to the Senate for review. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the arms sales wing of the Pentagon, calls them “intended sales.” None of the deals identified so far are new, all began in the Obama administration.

posted by murphy slaw at 9:37 PM on June 5, 2017 [52 favorites]

Bird-flipping welcome for US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in New Zealand

I've been flipping him off from Auckland, I hope he can see it. Hahahaha get fucked Tillerson. Take two muchacho 🖕🖕. I hope this sends Bill English into fits as well as he tries to walk the line between playing nice with President Looney Tunes and his representatives, and the fact that everyone in New Zealand despises the Trump administration.
posted by supercrayon at 9:38 PM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

Couple comments deleted; I assume it's in good humor but still let's not leap into a Maryland vs Virginia fight.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 9:40 PM on June 5, 2017

Aside from the unusual name and journalistic OpSec angles, does anyone have thoughts about the leak itself?

When you talk about hacking elections everybody immediately thinks of the tabulation machines that count the votes. But there's lots of less obvious ways to put your thumb on the scales. With the systems that hold registration records the primary objective would be to prevent the opposition's supporters from voting at all. One simple but effective method would be changing their records in a subtle way that would tend to cause their identity to be questioned at the polls, for instance changing their middle initial or one digit of their date of birth. Another would be to add records for voters in other states to try to trigger the already heinous Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program & have their vote denied that way. And once you have a foothold you can always see if there are other systems to break into or maybe even plaintext credentials stored in applications & email spools.
posted by scalefree at 9:43 PM on June 5, 2017 [26 favorites]

CommonSense: "FFS, when freakin' VIRGINIA beats us to it (thanks to their fluke Dem governor)"

The GOP has not won a statewide election in VA in 8 years, I wouldn't call McAuliffe a fluke.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:46 PM on June 5, 2017 [11 favorites]

Am I the only one who immediately wondered if there was a tie-in with Cambridge Analytica when it was reported voter registration info was targeted?

Way ahead of you.
posted by scalefree at 9:49 PM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

Bird-flipping welcome for US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in New Zealand

The people of New Zealand are well trained in bird flipping.
posted by mmoncur at 9:51 PM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

I’ve spoken to contacts in the defense business and on the Hill, and all of them say the same thing: There is no $110 billion deal. Instead, there are a bunch of letters of interest or intent, but not contracts.

I think we can safely say this is a pattern for Team Trump, something to keep a sharp eye out for going forward. They tend to overstate or mischaracterize the import of a document coming from them. Sales letters become done deals, letters to Congress become executive orders. At heart he's a self-aggrandizing conman. Never take what he says at face value.
posted by scalefree at 9:59 PM on June 5, 2017 [19 favorites]

They don't intend to ever face free elections again. Nothing will make them admit fault, impeach Trump, or acknowledge democratic rule as we've known it.

They're not afraid of elections, but they should be afraid of each other. Dictators are kind of known for having periodic purges, and the newly-out-of-favor typically don't get to retire quietly and spend more time with family.
posted by ctmf at 10:01 PM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

> American Prospect has a huge round up of articles on how Democrats can win back white working class voters

Thanks for linking to these. I was about to complain about how the American Prospect has gone downhill by buying into the "white working class voters are the only voters" meme, but it turns out this is actually an okay series of articles, and perhaps the best treatment of the "white working class" problem that I've seen anywhere. It probably deserves its own FPP, because it's far enough away from "what has Trump fucked up today" to lead to an interesting discussion.

With that said, I don't really care for the way the series is framed -- I wish it had instead been a series on working class voters as a whole, with perhaps more attention devoted to whites within that group because of their outsize demographic importance in winning the gerrymandered House. Still, there's some thought-provoking stuff in there. Many of the pieces are very nuanced in how they articulate the problem. Most acknowledge that there are risks to increased outreach to "WWC" voters, and that it's very important not to alienate the party's base. The overriding message is "if we don't win the House, we're fucked, and we can't win the House without doing better with these people, so let's find ways to do it without selling our souls."

I'm still not sold on the idea that the Democrats will be able to thread the needle in ways that help progressives win without compromising on core principles, but of all of the "WWC" takes out there, this series contains some of the better ones I've read.
posted by tonycpsu at 10:20 PM on June 5, 2017 [7 favorites]

Uggggh guys I am so embarrassed Illinois hasn't joined the climate compact yet, we have a GOP governor and we haven't had a budget in 2 years, try not to judge us too much. But srsly we need to be in it like everyone else.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:48 PM on June 5 [23 favorites +] [!]

I called Governor Rauner's office in Springfield today to ask why he hadn't come out in support of the Paris Accord yet - and the the woman who answered the phone was actually FRIENDLY with me! She said she didn't know why he hadn't, but that they were receiving a lot of phone calls about it and she would be happy to pass my comment on to the governor. It was the FIRST time his office has ever been friendly with me, maybe I'm being too hopeful - but if you live in Illinois call the Governor's Office and ask Rauner to join the other Governor's in pledging to uphold the Paris Accord. I plan on calling every day. I think we may get this one from our Idiot of a Governor.
posted by W Grant at 10:39 PM on June 5, 2017 [25 favorites]

Living in bluer-than-blue Baltimore, you'd think our mayor would've been on this from the get-go. Radio silence, though.

WTF Baltimore?
posted by CommonSense at 10:43 PM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

murphy slaw: "uh, the saudis haven't taken delivery of the giant pile of military hardware that kushner lined up yet, right?"

Doktor Zed: "It's true, the NYT has cried wolf before in stories about internecine WH conflicts."

I think we should also consider the possibility that the stories were true *when reported*. Trump a) loves to pit subordinates against each other, and b) basically has very few fixed opinions. It's entirely possible for Bannon to be flying high this week and on the outs two weeks from now.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:47 PM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

A bit of help for anyone reading the actual leaked document. The document as a whole & each paragraph has classification markers. Here's what they mean.

TOP SECRET: I think you can guess this one.
SI: Special Intelligence, including Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) & Communications Intelligence (COMINT)
ORCON or OC: CONtrolled by ORiginator, must get their approval to disseminate
REL TO: RELease TO, it's OK to release to named intelligence partners
FVEY: Five Eyes: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK, US
FISA: Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
DIRNSA: DIRector NSA
posted by scalefree at 11:17 PM on June 5, 2017 [11 favorites]

Am I the only one who immediately wondered if there was a tie-in with Cambridge Analytica when it was reported voter registration info was targeted?

Data Laundering is the new Money Laundering?
posted by mikelieman at 11:49 PM on June 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

With the systems that hold registration records the primary objective would be to prevent the opposition's supporters from voting at all. One simple but effective method would be changing their records in a subtle way that would tend to cause their identity to be questioned at the polls

And keep in mind, they also had the DNC's data, and probably the RNC's too, so should be able to target pretty precisely.

Data Laundering is the new Money Laundering?

But what I really wonder is whether hacked data was laundered through something like Cambridge Analytics, for use in "legitimate" voter roll purges in places like Wisconsin, where we know voter suppression had some influence.
posted by dirge at 11:53 PM on June 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

But what I really wonder is whether hacked data was laundered through something like Cambridge Analytics, for use in "legitimate" voter roll purges in places like Wisconsin, where we know voter suppression had some influence.

I would be surprised if that wasn't the entire point.

Anything that slows down the process works in the favor of those who would game the system, and nothing slows down your vote getting counted than a Provisional ballot.
posted by mikelieman at 11:56 PM on June 5, 2017 [7 favorites]

Not to abuse the edit window, continuing that thought, I've long said that wait times > 20 minutes are a defacto denial of service attack.
posted by mikelieman at 11:56 PM on June 5, 2017 [11 favorites]

Most voter registration data is a public record anyway, something the RNC and Cambridge Analytica would have already had. For this theory to hold up, it seems important to identify what information exactly would have been hacked and how it would have been used.

Also remember that the phishing described in the document (there could have been other breeches of course) took place around October 31-November 1. That's way too late for data gathering for voter roll purges (at least for the 2016 election) or any kind of stuff with Cambridge Analytica. It wouldn't be too late to manipulate the rolls and disenfranchise people, but there's no evidence that happened at this point. It would be a perfect time to just demonstrate that they're capable of obtaining access and spread uncertainty and discord about the results of the election, without actually doing anything more than gathering credentials.
posted by zachlipton at 12:01 AM on June 6, 2017 [3 favorites]

" if you live in Illinois call the Governor's Office and ask Rauner to join the other Governor's in pledging to uphold the Paris Accord. I plan on calling every day."

Ditto ditto.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 12:04 AM on June 6, 2017 [1 favorite]

Uggggh guys I am so embarrassed Illinois hasn't joined the climate compact yet, we have a GOP governor and we haven't had a budget in 2 years, try not to judge us too much. But srsly we need to be in it like everyone else.

Me too, but Chicago's in, and although I hadn't realized it, we are - per the LATimes - one of the states that already had explicit emissions targets, so it could be worse. Hopefully we can either kick Rauner out on the next go round or at least nag him until he lets us officially join the other sane states.
posted by ubersturm at 12:06 AM on June 6, 2017

Agreed on all points zachilpton. However, if they were able to alter registration records, I think it's worth bearing in mind the resources they'd have had available to determine how best to do so.

As for the consequences of hacks that happened earlier... The thing is, it seems like the ordinary course of business in a lot of states, is for the Republican SecState to outsource a contract to some shady data analysis consultancy to come up with a list of possibly invalid voter registrations. In practice, this usually means people with hispanic surnames or something like that, depending on the state, thinly disguised by some "algorithm" that just coincidentally works out that way. So, legal voter caging, basically.

If efforts like those were fed by hacked data laundered through Trump campaign or RNC affiliated organizations, that'd be kind of a big deal. (n.b. by "if," I mean this is rank speculation.)
posted by dirge at 12:08 AM on June 6, 2017 [1 favorite]

From what my ma said, the Portland rally was a few angry guys surrounded by (in her words) "young hippies, old hippies." The unkempt Nazis, as per her, were effectively mocked by the crowd until the unkempt Nazis were angry like Spicey Time.

That doesn't sound like a good sell: You too can be mocked into red rage by hordes of hippies.
posted by angrycat at 12:16 AM on June 6, 2017 [10 favorites]

Bird-flipping welcome for US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in New Zealand

Came here to post this. *Wipes away a small tear* So ruddy, bloody proud.
posted by Pink Frost at 1:30 AM on June 6, 2017 [15 favorites]

angrycat: pretty much. The Trumpeters were surrounded on three sides by a much larger crowd; hippies and peaceniks to the west, antifa to the north, union folks (pretty clean cut) to the east. I made an FPP that has a lot of live blogging and photos on it starting here.

>"James Buchal, chair of the Multnomah County Republican party, continued:
>'“[Oath keeps &c.] are there to protect. They see that wolves are on the rise, and they step forward like sheep dogs to protect us."

Bad audience analysis. Wolf T-shirts and hats were one of the most common costumes that the Trump folks wore. One guy had what looked a lot like an entire wolf head and pelt draped over his helmet and body. Those guys did not want to be called sheep anything.
posted by msalt at 1:43 AM on June 6, 2017 [20 favorites]

3.053 comments. About time for a Congressional Hearing themed new thread?
posted by msalt at 1:45 AM on June 6, 2017 [3 favorites]

That this leak even exists is good for the Russians--it helps sell the idea that even our electoral system can't be trusted and the Presidency and other elected officials are easily invalidated.

I disagree that it's necessarily good for them. It's only good for them if the official response is to downplay the importance of securing our elections systems, because that sends a clear message we don't really care about the reality of the integrity of our election results but only the appearance of legitimacy and meaningful democratic process, that our elections are just symbolic.

A healthy, real democracy would do everything in its power to ensure the integrity of voting systems and would respond vigorously to any attempts to capture or manipulate those processes fearlessly, from the conviction it's the right thing to do in substance, never mind perception.

The very fact anyone would be willing to accept the possibility those systems have been compromised but argue we shouldn't make a fuss about it for appearance's sake speaks to the fragility of our belief in real democracy, which furthers Russia's goal of making our commitment to democracy look like a sham.
posted by saulgoodman at 3:16 AM on June 6, 2017 [8 favorites]

WSJ Slams Trump (Again) — President Is His Own ‘Most Effective Opponent’ (WSJ OpEd via Mediaite)

If this pattern continues, Mr. Trump may find himself running an Administration with no one but his family and the Breitbart staff. People of talent and integrity won’t work for a boss who undermines them in public without thinking about the consequences. And whatever happened to the buck stops here? … Mark it all down as further evidence that the most effective opponent of the Trump Presidency is Donald J. Trump.

posted by Room 641-A at 4:14 AM on June 6, 2017 [14 favorites]

Mr. Trump may find himself running an Administration with no one but his family and the Breitbart staff.

That's square one, though, right?
posted by Rykey at 4:32 AM on June 6, 2017 [3 favorites]

In Trump’s White House, Everything’s Coming in ‘Two Weeks’: Trump’s habit of self-imposing -- then missing -- two-week deadlines for major announcements has become a staple of his administration as it’s struggled to amass policy wins. The president has used two-week timelines to sidestep questions from reporters or brag to CEOs at the White House. But his pronouncements have also flummoxed investors, Congress and occasionally even members of his staff.

The president’s inability to meet his own deadlines highlights his struggle adjusting to the pace of Washington. It also foreshadows the trouble that lies ahead as his administration faces a series of hard deadlines in Congress over the next few months.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 4:49 AM on June 6, 2017 [17 favorites]

Well, the press is obsessed with his tweets, and won't talk about al the things he's accomplishing. Like, uh, the things.
posted by thelonius at 4:57 AM on June 6, 2017 [3 favorites]

I have a feeling Thursday could be busy enough to fill a thread on its own. Maybe let this one limp along until Wednesday evening?
posted by jammer at 4:58 AM on June 6, 2017 [2 favorites]

Oh thank you sweet kind lalex.
posted by Joe in Australia at 5:04 AM on June 6, 2017 [4 favorites]

They see that wolves are on the rise, and they step forward like sheep dogs to protect us.

Wolves and sheepdogs. Like American Sniper was a documentary. Like 'good guys' and 'bad guys' was insufficiently stupid.
posted by box at 5:09 AM on June 6, 2017 [8 favorites]

This morning's Twitterage:

"@realdonaldtrump: The FAKE MSM is working so hard trying to get me not to use Social Media. They hate that I can get the honest and unfiltered message out." (real)
posted by Superplin at 5:12 AM on June 6, 2017 [17 favorites]

"@realdonaldtrump: The FAKE MSM is working so hard trying to get me not to use Social Media. They hate that I can get the honest and unfiltered message out."

Yes, Donald, please stop incriminating yourself in public. We hate when you do that. [sarcasm]
posted by Servo5678 at 5:14 AM on June 6, 2017 [26 favorites]

MSM to Trump: please proceed.
posted by lydhre at 5:15 AM on June 6, 2017 [38 favorites]

"@realdonaldtrump: The FAKE MSM is working so hard trying to get me not to use Social Media. They hate that I can get the honest and unfiltered message out." (real)

Oh please, Mr. "So-Called" President, don't tweet me into no briar patch!
posted by Freon at 5:16 AM on June 6, 2017 [21 favorites]

But wait, there's more:

During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology. Leaders pointed to Qatar - look!

Sorry folks, but if I would have relied on the Fake News of CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, washpost or nytimes, I would have had ZERO chance winning WH
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 5:16 AM on June 6, 2017 [3 favorites]

ProTips®:

1) Classic Theme, full stop
2) Use the "preview" function to write your comments, and it won't lag as you type.

#NewThread
posted by petebest at 5:17 AM on June 6, 2017 [5 favorites]

I'm not sure there's a more vague acronym than 'MSM' he could have used. Hard to grok what he's talking about.
posted by rc3spencer at 5:19 AM on June 6, 2017

I have a feeling Thursday could be busy enough to fill a thread on its own. Maybe let this one limp along until Wednesday evening?

We still have to get through Wednesday's NSA hearings. Do we need a separate thread for those? Live blogging and/or reactions are going to happen.
posted by Room 641-A at 5:19 AM on June 6, 2017 [1 favorite]

As someone who comes from the world of LGBTQ advocacy, I always assume he's talking about men who have sex with men.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 5:20 AM on June 6, 2017 [44 favorites]

During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology. Leaders pointed to Qatar - look!

uh, don, they're not mad at qatar for aiding terrorists, they're mad at them for aiding the wrong terrorists
posted by murphy slaw at 5:21 AM on June 6, 2017 [36 favorites]

During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology. Leaders pointed to Qatar - look!

Holy shit is this dude getting played by world leaders like a string fiddle.
posted by PenDevil at 5:23 AM on June 6, 2017 [53 favorites]

I'm not sure there's a more vague acronym than 'MSM' he could have used. Hard to grok what he's talking about.

That's easy: his family and "friends" are showing him all the stuff posted above from WSJ, WP, NYT, CNN etc. in order to convince him that he is damaging himself. Because nothing they can say works. Showing him articles from respected media doesn't work either. [insert maniacal laughter]

uh, don, they're not mad at qatar for aiding terrorists, they're mad at them for aiding the wrong terrorists

Jup. SA owned him.
posted by mumimor at 5:24 AM on June 6, 2017 [14 favorites]

As someone who comes from the world of LGBTQ advocacy, I always assume he's talking about men who have sex with men.

As someone who graduated from University of Missouri - Rolla, it always parses as "Missouri School of Mines" to me.
posted by jferg at 5:29 AM on June 6, 2017 [6 favorites]

Sorry folks, but if I would have relied on the Fake News of CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, washpost or nytimes, I would have had ZERO chance winning WH
If any of those "MSM" entities had done their jobs, he would be today in a Federal Prison instead of the White House.

Leaders pointed to Qatar - look!
IF he'd "looked", he might have noticed the 10,000 US troops stationed in Qatar. If he doesn't remove them pronto, they're gonna be kicked out...
posted by oneswellfoop at 5:30 AM on June 6, 2017 [34 favorites]

well. oiled. machine.

Q Sarah, what was the President’s reaction to the move by several Middle Eastern allies to sever ties with Qatar?

MS. SANDERS: The President is committed to continuing to have conversations with all of the people involved in that process, with all of those countries. We want to continue to deescalate that. And at this point, we're continuing to work with each of those partners.

Q Secondly, did the President get any word that this was going to happen when he was in Saudi Arabia a couple of weeks ago?

MS. SANDERS: I'm not aware of that. But the State Department would probably be best suited to answer that question.

posted by murphy slaw at 5:35 AM on June 6, 2017 [7 favorites]

People of talent and integrity won’t work for a boss who undermines them in public without thinking about the consequences.

"The Impact of Narcissism on Leadership and Sustainability" is a good primer for anyone who might be considering that they could actually work to influence DJT and his policy decisions. Short answer: get ready for the uphill battle of your life. Or don't bother.
posted by Brak at 5:36 AM on June 6, 2017 [6 favorites]

Reality does not phase the narcissist, you can only not feed him.
And the presidency is one large buffett table reserved for one. Until his staff ignores him, he's going to think everything is grand.
posted by AlexiaSky at 5:38 AM on June 6, 2017 [2 favorites]

Man, The Intercept is run by morons.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 5:47 AM on June 6, 2017 [7 favorites]

Tillerson, McMaster and Mattis are busy playing rock/paper/scissor right now to decide which one of them has to go in an explain that they have 10 000 troops in Qatar who are quickly becoming 10 000 targets.

"Okay, nobody can go in there unless you can start talking about this without using the word 'Motherfucker' in the first sentence."
"Does it count if I don't emphasize the 'fucker' part?"
"Not yet. Maybe in an hour."
posted by Etrigan at 5:48 AM on June 6, 2017 [12 favorites]

Now that the Trump name is mud, and not the luxury kind of mud, the Trump Organization has decided to knock a couple of stars off their future hotels and name them "American Idea"
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 5:49 AM on June 6, 2017

"@realdonaldtrump: The FAKE MSM is working so hard trying to get me not to use Social Media. They hate that I can get the honest and unfiltered message out." (real)

The exasperations of Mad King Donald.
posted by Mister Bijou at 5:57 AM on June 6, 2017 [3 favorites]

From the stupidly obvious headline dept., courtesy of this morning's WaPo: "As Trump lashes out, Republicans worry it could put their agenda at risk." Ya think?? Haven't they said this a hundred times already?
posted by Melismata at 6:07 AM on June 6, 2017 [2 favorites]

WaPo: Trump is out of control
The statements President Trump issued on Twitter in recent days lead to a chilling conclusion: The man is out of control.

No shit, Sherlock.
posted by sour cream at 6:23 AM on June 6, 2017 [5 favorites]

Once upon a time I had a weird affection for Greenwald because of the essays he's written about rescue dogs and because he looks like Gentleman Caller. Friends, that weird affection died in a dumpster fire this year.
posted by pxe2000 at 6:24 AM on June 6, 2017 [8 favorites]

The statements President Trump issued on Twitter in recent days lead to a chilling conclusion: The man is out of control.

The Exasperations of Mad King Donald.
posted by Mister Bijou at 6:33 AM on June 6, 2017

I want to give you All The Favorites for that suggestion, lalex. Mid-2000s is where my iPad starts to whine and fuss, but regular turnover at 3000 would be acceptable.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 6:36 AM on June 6, 2017 [3 favorites]

*FINALLY* made it to the bottom of the thread... (looks up) OH COME ON!
posted by Molesome at 6:49 AM on June 6, 2017 [16 favorites]

Mid-2000s is where my iPad starts to whine and fuss

Yeah, sometime early in the Bush years.
posted by box at 7:01 AM on June 6, 2017 [13 favorites]

So we can call the new imperative "Metafilter Starts new Thread every 3000 comments".... or "MST3K".
posted by oneswellfoop at 7:07 AM on June 6, 2017 [52 favorites]

I called Governor Rauner's office in Springfield today to ask why he hadn't come out in support of the Paris Accord yet - and the the woman who answered the phone was actually FRIENDLY with me! She said she didn't know why he hadn't, but that they were receiving a lot of phone calls about it and she would be happy to pass my comment on to the governor. It was the FIRST time his office has ever been friendly with me, maybe I'm being too hopeful - but if you live in Illinois call the Governor's Office and ask Rauner to join the other Governor's in pledging to uphold the Paris Accord. I plan on calling every day. I think we may get this one from our Idiot of a Governor.

Governor Rauner is all for pristine environments. Look at his 'workshop' in his TV commercials. It is so clean and tidy it is as if he has never done any woodworking in it all.
posted by srboisvert at 7:24 AM on June 6, 2017 [6 favorites]

Talking Points Memo/Brookings: $110bn Saudi Arms Deal No Existe
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:25 AM on June 6, 2017 [4 favorites]

The statements President Trump issued on Twitter in recent days lead to a chilling conclusion: The man is out of control.

Ironically this makes it hard for me to chill
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:26 AM on June 6, 2017 [7 favorites]

whoops wrong thread
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:27 AM on June 6, 2017

This seems like the right time&place to store/share some links on a ~~pet fascination of mine~~ tangential-yet-core Trump issue regarding the impact this administration is now having abroad: the implications of translating him.

A. Kaku (Aug '16): Translating for a President Trump Would Be a Nightmare.

Trump is one of the best practitioners of the peculiar vaudeville that is modern fame. A wink and a nudge from head to Artioli-shod toe, he exhales a cloud of words in which listeners see their chosen shape: a castle, a pony, a grinning skull.
[...]
For those of us experienced in recasting VIP statements in another language, what immediately sets Trump apart from the usual pack of weasel-worders is the sheer number of escape hatches he blasts into every statement. I don't know, probably, maybe, I'm not sure, other people say, the lawyers say, I haven't looked at it, I'm not familiar… Where other candidates might have five outs tastefully embedded into the stonework, Trump will have twenty punched straight through load-bearing walls, edges still smoking. That's a problem for translation, which relies on the identification of ideas and intent.
[...]
People expect—demand, really—more from translated content than they do from utterances made in their own language. Specifically, people expect translated content to make sense.
[...]
When it comes to someone as accomplished as Trump is at committing himself to nothing, the current approach to translating his statements will only make it harder for those outside the English-speaking world to get an accurate picture of what the hell is going on with this runaway train of a presidential race.
[...]
International diplomacy may suddenly find itself hampered by a language barrier, the like of which we've never seen—a great, great wall indeed.

L. MacLellan (Quartz, Oct '16): Interpreters Say It’s Nearly ‘Impossible’ To Translate Donald Trump’s Rhetoric Into Other Languages

R. Zaretsky / B. Viennot (LARB, Jan '17): Lost in Trumpslation: An Interview with Bérengère Viennot

The act of translating consists in carrying a meaning from one set of readers to another, and to make sure that the readers of your words will feel the same as the readers of the original text. For the translator is an author: if the thoughts are not hers, the words definitely are. It is a huge responsibility. If accuracy is essential in conveying the meaning of the discourse, translators have absolute freedom in the choice of words. We select in our own language the lexical field that matches the original text, but since this still gives us quite a lot of leeway, translators of political discourse have to be extra careful.
[...]
Here’s the other problem with Trump: even once you’ve understood his point (or lack thereof), you must still express it in your own language. You realize, at that moment, that you have written something very unpleasant to read. Trump’s vocabulary is limited, his syntax is broken; he repeats the same phrases over and over, forcing the translator to follow suit. If she does not, she betrays the spirit of the original piece. The translator has to translate the content and the style. So that is what I do, and reading Trump in French, which is a very structured and logical language, reveals the poor quality of his language and, consequently, of his thought.
[...]
Translating Trump into French is really shocking. We are used to hearing or reading people who take a lot of care in what they say — and when they don’t, when they utter something with a double meaning or that could be misinterpreted, everybody sees it, discusses it, and s/he has to justify it. And we tend to analyze the political discourse of foreign politicians just as we do that of our own — and in this case there is a translation of words and meaning but not a translation of context or culture. So you can imagine that if Trump’s culture is already very different from your “average” politician in the United States, it is light-years away from ours.

R. Hackville (euronews, Jan '17): Translating Trump: How the president’s language may pose policy problems

V. Doshi / J. McCurry (Guardian, today): Trump in translation: president's mangled language stumps interpreters

Interactions with world leaders have left interpreters scratching their heads about how to communicate what Trump is trying to say, when his speech baffles even native English speakers. His idiosyncratic take on the English language is causing trouble for interpreters around the world. In Asia, where the middle classes pride themselves on their English ability, Trump’s fumbles are widely mocked.
[...]
Exchanging strategies for dealing with Trump-isms is a common topic of discussion among English-to-Japanese interpreters. “Our job now entails reading dictionaries of cultural expressions rather than conventional ones,” said Tsuruta.
[...]
The biggest problem, she added, was the occasional absence of logic from Trump’s streams of consciousness. “I tell my students that with simultaneous interpretation, the trick is to anticipate the speaker’s intentions and tell a story, to be slightly ahead of the game. But when the logic is not clear or a sentence is just left hanging in the air, then we have a problem. We try to grasp the context and get at the core message, but in Trump’s case, it’s so incoherent.
[...]
In Hindi, [India]’s national language, Trump’s fumbles are barely noticed. English-speaking urbanites may laugh along with the rest of the world, but those who don’t speak English are left with a handful of quotations. Speeches are rarely translated in full, and even short quotes are chosen deliberately to leave out the confusion caused by Trump’s language.
“Donald Trump is difficult to make sense of, even in English,” said Anshuman Tiwari, editor of IndiaToday, a Hindi magazine. “His speech is unclear, and sometimes he contradicts himself or rambles or goes off on a tangent. Capturing all that confusion in writing, in Hindi, is not easy,” he added. “To get around it, usually we avoid quoting Trump directly. We paraphrase what he has said because conveying those jumps in his speech, the way he talks, is very difficult. Instead, we summarise his ideas and convey his words in simple Hindi that will make sense to our readers.”
[...]
Indian politicians, especially on the political right, often deploy an elevated rhetoric of the kind also found in retellings of ancient Hindu epics. “We are used to that kind of grandiosity from politicians so when we translate Trump, we fall into the pattern of using those words,” he said. And Trump sometimes benefits from the custom, Pandey said. “It’s what our audience is used to, it’s what they expect. If you took out Trump’s name, the quote we used during Trump’s election could very well be from prime minister Narendra Modi. They both emphasise the greatness of the nation and national pride. Tiwari said: “In English, Trump may not sound very intelligent, but when you translate that with context in Hindi, it makes him sound much better than he is,” Tiwari added.
posted by progosk at 7:42 AM on June 6, 2017 [42 favorites]

"Why is it eugenists that believe in their genetic superiority always look like they came from the shallow kiddie end of the gene pool? The one with all the urine?"

White supremacists are, to a one, perfect rebuttals to their thesis.
posted by notsnot at 9:22 AM on June 6, 2017 [10 favorites]

For those of us experienced in recasting VIP statements in another language,

OH MAY I?

为保证北京2022年冬奥会及冬残奥会期间供货产品的质量及专属性，xx集团将建立奥运专属供应链，实现包含奥运专属牧场、奥运专属工厂、奥运专属库房的奥运专属供应链，并实现全程的可视化质量追踪，保证供应北京冬奥的高品质的奥运产品。
To ensure the quality and exclusivity of products during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, the XX Group will establish a dedicated Olympic supply chain, which will include dedicated Olympic pastures, factories, and warehouses, and which will be fully and visibly traceable throughout the supply chain, guaranteeing the provision of high-quality Olympic products to the Beijing Winter Olympics.

This excerpt comes from a very official governmenty source. It reads as awkwardly in Chinese as it does in English, they know, we know, and 官话/officialspeak is just a thing we all know exists and which you are kinda required to go with in a lot of contexts. A translator can only fix so much, and they don't want you skipping words or rewriting too much because They Come From On High. I didn't go floppy here - this is the best you're gonna massage out of this paragraph. It's from a bid for the Olympics by a state-owned enterprise, and it's Very Important that everything is Reflected Accurately.

This is where we're headed if Trump wins language. Is this what you want? Then take it back. Take English back, dammit. So you, you speak plain, you speak proper, you speak right. Say words that mean things, and keep English concise and intelligible. Take solace in knowing this is how I'm expected to handle officialspeak at the level of a document maybe 10 people will read. But once the germ gets in the system, once the translators are expected to do this...we will. We will do precisely this to America. We give clients what they ask for, and clients at a remove from reality ask for this. People downstream will learn to speak like the Orange Fuck.

Please, America, don't.
posted by saysthis at 9:30 AM on June 6, 2017 [15 favorites]

As an addendum to the above comment, they're trying to say that - "We have chosen a particular pasture for raw milk supply for the Beijing Winter Olympics, and the packaging will bear a QR code which contains data regarding the source and time of milking, manufacture, warehousing, shipping, and sale." This is the thing they mean. I am not exaggerating when I say it takes them two thousand words to get there.
posted by saysthis at 9:53 AM on June 6, 2017 [2 favorites]

I will say this for now in the dead thread, but I'm hoping there is either a dedicated thread or something for liveblogging the hearings, at least the Comey one. I can't watch it live, so I'm going to be relying on the internet to keep up. And I'd prefer getting the scoop from Mefites.
posted by threeturtles at 1:03 PM on June 6, 2017 [3 favorites]

I'm not sure there's a more vague acronym than 'MSM' he could have used. Hard to grok what he's talking about.

Mary Syler Moore, obviously.
posted by msalt at 3:39 PM on June 6, 2017

Bird-flipping welcome for US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in New Zealand

Came here to post this. *Wipes away a small tear* So ruddy, bloody proud.

It would be nice if someone wrote a twitter bot to immediately @-reply to any administration tweet with a flippie photo. It would be even better if thousands of people did that.
posted by ctmf at 5:02 PM on June 6, 2017 [1 favorite]

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this kid is insane, man May 30, 2017 4:05 AM Subscribe

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this kid is insane, man
May 30, 2017 4:05 AM Subscribe