Category: Domestic Affairs,

Embattled Florida elections supervisor Brenda Snipes rescinds resignation, vows to fight governor

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Gulf Coast Region,Leave a comment

Scott replaced Snipes with his former general counsel general counsel, Peter Antonacci, to lead the department even though he has no elections experience. Snipes responded by rescinding her previous resignation — and will now be “fighting this to the very end,” her attorney said during a Saturday news conference.

“We believe these actions are malicious,” said Burnadette Norris-Weeks, who said that Broward County voters should be concerned about what Scott is trying to do in the Democratic stronghold by putting in an ally who could oversee the office into the 2020 elections.

Embattled Florida elections supervisor Brenda Snipes rescinds resignation, vows to fight governor – CBS News

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Pelosi creates new House leadership position after moderate Democrats tried sabotaging Barbara Lee – ThinkProgress

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,Leave a comment

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) is rated as one of the most progressive members of Congress.

…[Pelosi] acted quickly to quell displeasure from Lee’s disappointed supporters, who correctly noted that the lack of a woman of color in Democrats’ leadership ranks would not be a good look.

Politico reports Pelosi has created a leadership position for Lee on the panel “that determines committee assignments for Democrats,” expanding “leadership of the panel from two co-chairs to three.”

Pelosi creates new House leadership position after moderate Democrats tried sabotaging Barbara Lee – ThinkProgress

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Bernie Sanders Eyes ‘Bigger’ 2020 Presidential Run Despite Some Warning Signs

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,Leave a comment

The Vermont senator has indicated he would step aside if another candidate with a better shot at beating Donald Trump should emerge

…His loyalists are sizing up a prospective 2020 Democratic field likely to feature a collection of ambitious liberal leaders — and not the establishment-minded Hillary Clinton.

…Weaver, like Sanders himself in a recent interview, suggested that the senator would step aside if he believes another candidate has a better shot at denying Trump a second term. There are no clear indications from Sanders or those closest to him, however, that he currently has that belief.

Bernie Sanders Eyes ‘Bigger’ 2020 Presidential Run Despite Some Warning Signs | HuffPost

1.) Bernie’s ego and love of the spotlight is too big for him to step aside, even if there was a much better candidate. The idea that he would strikes me as just as big a delusional, ignorant fairy tales as the idea that he would been able to beat Trump the first time.

2.) He didn’t step aside when someone else had a better chance of beating Team in 2016, why would anyone beliwve he’d do it in 2020?

The Patrician President and the Reporterette: A Screwball Story

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,Leave a comment

Poppy wasn’t perfect. I recoiled when he beat Michael Dukakis with the race-baiting Willie Horton campaign designed by Lee Atwater and Roger Ailes. And again when he sent his national security adviser, Brent Scowcroft, to Beijing for a secret midnight champagne toast with the leaders who perpetrated the Tiananmen Square massacre. And again when he didn’t do nearly enough to combat the AIDS epidemic. And again when his White House directed the defense of his Supreme Court nominee, Clarence Thomas, that tried to discredit Anita Hill. Unlike President Trump, who does his own wet work, the Bushes took the more refined route of outsourcing their ends-justify-the-means moves.

But, as politicians go, 41 had many good qualities. Most of the time, he tried to do the right and decent thing, as he saw it, to act for the good of the country and the world.

Opinion | The Patrician President and the Reporterette: A Screwball Story – The New York Times

The most interesting thing about the #41 memorial essays in how they refer to a time when we viewed our politicians through a more nuanced lens.

Manafort held secret talks with Assange in Ecuadorian embassy, sources say

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,, Privacy,Leave a comment

Manafort’s first visit to the embassy took place a year after Assange sought asylum inside, two sources said.

…Visitors normally register with embassy security guards and show their passports. Sources in Ecuador, however, say Manafort was not logged.

…According to sources, Manafort’s acquaintance with Assange goes back at least five years, to late 2012 or 2013, when the American was working in Ukraine and advising its Moscow-friendly president, Viktor Yanukovych.

Why Manafort might have sought out Assange in 2013 is unclear. During this period the veteran consultant was involved in black operations against Yanukovych’s chief political rival, Yulia Tymoshenko, whom Yanukovych had jailed. Manafort ran an extensive lobbying operation featuring European former politicians.

…One person familiar with WikiLeaks said Assange was motivated to damage the Democrats campaign because he believed a future Trump administration would be less likely to seek his extradition on possible charges of espionage. This fate had hung over Assange since 2010, when he released confidential US state department cables. It contributed to his decision to take refuge in the embassy.

…Last week a court filing released in error suggested that the US justice department had secretly charged Assange with a criminal offence. Written by the assistant US attorney, Kellen Dwyer, the document did not say what Assange had been charged with or when the alleged offence took place.

Manafort held secret talks with Assange in Ecuadorian embassy, sources say | US news | The Guardian

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Democrats overwhelmingly nominate Pelosi as Speaker amid rebellion

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,Leave a comment

The tally in the secret-ballot vote was 203-32, with three lawmakers leaving the ballot blank. One Pelosi supporter, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), was absent as he seeks treatment for an illness in New York.

…[Pelosi] could only afford to lose 17 Democratic votes and reach the magic 218 number.

…It was notable that the votes cast against her were well below the 63 votes won by Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) in his 2016 challenge to the longtime Democratic leader.

…What’s less clear is whether lawmakers who voted against Pelosi in Wednesday’s secret ballot — in many cases with a green light from Pelosi herself — will be willing to do so with the cameras rolling on the House floor and plenty of pressure to back the California lawmaker.

…“I guarantee you, Nancy Pelosi will have the votes,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.). “I don’t have any doubt about that.”

…Sixteen Democrats signed an anti-Pelosi letter last week calling for new leadership.

…A number of other elected Democrats who have not committed to Pelosi did not sign the letter, raising questions of how far they will be willing to take their opposition.

…The Wednesday vote mostly pointed to Pelosi’s muscle and vote-counting skills and leaves her with weeks to pick off opponents or to convince them to vote present on Jan. 3, which would lower the number of total votes needed to win the Speakership.

…Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), …[began to do something that resembled a scorched-earth style sort of  backtracking on Monday and said] that the debate had become too focused on Pelosi and suggested negotiations that could lead to changes to the rest of the Democratic leadership team.

Moulton’s comments were directed at Reps. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and James Clyburn (D-S.C.), who along with Pelosi have been in power since before Democrats last won the House.

Democrats overwhelmingly nominate Pelosi as Speaker amid rebellion | TheHill

Jeezus, Seth… Jame Clyburn is a freaking civil rights hero. Apparently, an amount deference to one’s superiors in the military as a component and prerequisite  for moving up doesn’t translate into civilian life for you?  Change can actually be achieved without scorching the earth on your own side, you know…

Mueller and Michael Cohen Bring Trump-Russia Link Into the Open

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The details that emerge in the document are fascinating and rich.

But the main takeaway is that Cohen and others in the Trump organization were actively doing a Russia deal that linked Trump’s emerging presidential candidacy with his business interest in a Moscow Trump Tower. And Trump knew about it, to a degree yet to be revealed.

Until now, many have speculated that there must be some link between Trump’s business interests in Russia and his campaign conduct. The Cohen plea provides more concrete evidence of such a link.

…Cohen’s latest revelations on their own don’t constitute evidence of a crime or impeachable offense by Trump. However, they do show that Trump was part of a negotiation that linked his status as a candidate to his business interests in Russia. They bring Mueller’s team an important step closer to explaining Trump’s Russia ties during the campaign.

Mueller and Michael Cohen Bring Trump-Russia Link Into the Open – Bloomberg

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Separated by travel ban, Iranian families reunite at border …

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,, Race,, Religion,Leave a comment

Estahbanati, like many Iranian students in the United States, has a single-entry visa and can’t leave the country without risking that she won’t be allowed back in. And her parents, as Iranian citizens, are blocked by U.S. President Donald Trump’s travel ban from visiting her in the United States.

She didn’t want to miss her destination: the Haskell Free Library and Opera House.

Estahbanati and her family had agreed to meet around 9 a.m. at the library, which through a historic anomaly straddles the U.S.-Canada border – and today has been thrust into an unlikely role as the site of emotional reunions between people separated by the administration’s immigration policies.

…”This is a neutral area, but the U.S. government doesn’t accept this situation, and they put a lot of pressure on us,” said Sina Dadsetan, an Iranian living in Canada who traveled to the library to see his sister the same day Estahbanati saw her family.

…As they approached each other at the border, demarcated outside the library by a line of flower pots, a U.S. Border Patrol agent quickly got out of a car parked close by.

“He said, ‘It’s been about a month that we’ve closed this; we don’t allow anyone to meet here,'” Izadmehr said. “I asked him, ‘Can you at least give me permission to hug my sister?'”

The agent allowed them to embrace but barred them from exchanging the gifts they had brought – dresses, Swiss chocolates and a watch – and kept a close eye on them as they talked from opposite sides of the flower pots.

The sisters finally entered the library when a staff member offered them a tour, but Border Patrol agents later chastised the staff member, said Izadmehr, who witnessed the exchange.

…The library is vulnerable to pressure from authorities because although the building sits on American and Canadian land, its entrance is on the U.S. side. U.S. officials allow staff and visitors from Canada to walk a few yards onto American soil without going through an official port of entry.

“Often there’s altercations with either RCMP or (U.S.) border security,” head librarian Joel Kerr said in a brief interview in early November, on a day in which two Iranian families reunited at the library. “They mostly harass us and threaten to shut us down.”

…The Iranians were mostly oblivious to signs stating in English and French that, by order of the library’s board of trustees, “family gatherings are not permitted.” Kerr said the signs had gone up just the week before.

Separated by travel ban, Iranian families reunite at border …

Jeezus…

Robert Mueller appears laser-focused on Roger Stone. These emails explain why. – ABC News

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,Leave a comment

Stone instructed Corsi to contact Julian Assange, the controversial WikiLeaks founder, about the imminent release of information meant to damage Hillary Clinton’s campaign for president.

A third email suggests that Corsi — who Stone hired to conduct research in advance of the election – was successful in establishing a line of communication to Assange and later informed Stone of the pending release of information the special counsel has alleged was provided to WikiLeaks by a hacker with ties to Russian military intelligence, perhaps drawing a link between the Trump campaign and Russian operatives.

…The authenticity of the emails, provided to ABC News by a source with direct access to the exchanges, were confirmed by Stone and two separate sources. They also appear to match those cited by Mueller in a draft of a plea agreement Corsi told ABC News he was offered by the special counsel in exchange for his cooperation.

Robert Mueller appears laser-focused on Roger Stone. These emails explain why. – ABC News

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Manafort pardon would be impeachable, indictable and convictable

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,Leave a comment

The case for obstruction of justice involving efforts to impede the Mueller investigation is far stronger, based on publicly known evidence, than our public discussion would suggest.

…It is now reported that Manafort was essentially double-dealing against Mueller and his investigators, with his lawyers allegedly reporting confidential information to Trump’s lawyers about his discussions with Mueller while he was supposedly cooperating with Mueller.

…Additionally, I would assert that while a president can lawfully pardon almost anyone, for almost any crime, a pardon could also be crucial evidence in support of an obstruction of justice case, and potentially an additional count in an obstruction of justice case.

If a pardon is offered to influence a witness in a criminal investigation, that pardon could indeed be a crime.

…Additionally, if Manafort is pardoned, he would almost immediately be required by Mueller to testify before a grand jury, under penalty of perjury, and would have to testify truthfully, or he would be indicted for new crimes of perjury that would not be covered by the pardon.

Manafort pardon would be impeachable, indictable and convictable | TheHill

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Pelosi shuts down critics in tense meeting

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Democratic Reps. Kathleen Rice of New York, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, and Tim Ryan of Ohio, want her to go, or at the very least commit to passing the gavel by a certain deadline. But Pelosi doesn’t feel like she needs to and isn’t even considering such a concession.

…Freshmen could be punished for backing her in 2020, they continued.

Pelosi, however, dismissed their argument entirely, vowing to help these incoming freshmen by raising them money to fend off any such attacks.

…Indeed, just an hour after she left that session, Pelosi won a strong show of support for her leadership during a Democratic Caucus meeting. …Pelosi handily won the House Democratic nomination to be speaker in a closed-door caucus meeting. She only lost 32 votes, well below the 63 who opposed her in caucus in 2016. 

…The current House minority leader has already demonstrated that she can pick off major players in the group of insurgents organizing against her, flipping Reps. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) and Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.) just before Thanksgiving. And she appears close to a deal with Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), who exited a meeting with Pelosi Wednesday expressing confidence in her ability to win the gavel.

…If the anti-Pelosi faction is able to block her on the House floor in January, the caucus — and the broader party apparatus beyond Capitol Hill — would devolve into chaos.

…“It’s not just about her. They want her to put a timeline on herself. That erodes the authority of the entire Democratic majority.”

Pelosi shuts down critics in tense meeting – POLITICO

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Pelosi balances commitments to progressives and moderates in path to speaker’s gavel

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Dangling committee assignments, office budgets and promises to address certain issues in committee and on the House floor, Pelosi secured the support of the majority of the caucus and its new freshman class, from suburban moderates to fiery progressives supported by party activists.

..“It’s going to be necessary to have someone who has the experience to take on this administration, and fight back and make sure we have the checks and balances that are needed,” progressive Rep.-elect Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., told reporters after backing Pelosi.

…Pelosi offered Rep.-elect Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., a seat on the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and a commitment to take up gun violence legislation in exchange for her support. She won over Rep.-elect Tom Malinowski, D-N.J., with a commitment to revisit the state and local tax deductions in the GOP tax reform bill, and secure federal funding for the Gateway Tunnel project linking New Jersey and New York City.

…Ocasio-Cortez was one of the many freshmen who supported Pelosi.

…Pelosi has made some inroads with moderates, striking a deal with nine Democrats who wanted changes to House rules to help facilitate bipartisan legislation… …which include giving preferential treatment to amendments with bipartisan support and the creation of a “consensus calendar” to bring up select bipartisan legislation stalled in committee, take little floor authority away from majority leadership.

Pelosi balances commitments to progressives and moderates in path to speaker’s gavel – ABC News

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Last election of 2018 gives Democrats cause for hope in 2020 — and despair. Here’s why.

On By peanutgallerynhIn Gulf Coast Region,Leave a comment

In particular, he seems to have benefited from a motivated black electorate. With some ballots still to be counted, turnout for the runoff has met or surpassed its Nov. 6 level in a dozen of the state’s 82 counties. And of those dozen counties, eight are majority-black, mostly in the Delta region, where Espy racked up enormous margins.

Espy’s statewide total was also helped by the suburbs, especially fast-growing DeSoto County, which abuts the Tennessee border and has become a hotspot for Memphis commuters. Here, Espy collected 41 percent of the vote, far better than recent Democratic candidates like Hillary Clinton (31 percent in 2016) and Barack Obama (33 percent in 2012, and 30 percent in 2008).

…[Espy] suffered in many heavily white rural areas, especially in the northeast corner of the state, where Hyde-Smith ran close to — and in a few cases even matched — the levels of support Donald Trump received in 2016.

Last election of 2018 gives Democrats cause for hope in 2020 — and despair. Here’s why.

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Kushner makes White House policy power play

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Rollins’ ascension at the DPC would give Kushner a foothold in an often unsung corner of the White House, which coordinates policy areas including education, transportation, housing, labor and health care. Over the past two years, the council has developed changes to the Affordable Care Act, crafted an executive order on welfare reform and played a key role in several legislative debates such as the farm bill, prison reform and an effort to rein in drug prices.

…The hottest policy issue under the purview of the Domestic Policy Council has been immigration, but senior adviser Stephen Miller has entirely co-opted that process and runs it independent of DPC staffers, said one former White House official.

…Under this approach, Miller would take over all immigration policy, formalizing a role he’s long played in this White House as Trump’s top immigration guru. Rollins could take over the remaining set of domestic issues, giving Kushner, by proxy, influence in yet another part of the West Wing.

Kushner makes White House policy power play – POLITICO

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Trump Child Rape Allegations Shine Light on Gatsby-Like Pedophile’s Ties to Both Campaigns

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Chick Stuff,, Domestic Affairs,, Money, Class, and Poverty,Leave a comment

There’s also a Gatsby-like mystery surrounding his business dealings. Epstein has many times claimed that he helps manage wealth for an exclusive client list restricted to billionaires, yet no one knows who he represents, how much his company earns or what exactly he trades. There simply isn’t a footprint in the financial world or on the trading floors, which mystifies those in the industry. 

Trump Child Rape Allegations Shine Light on Gatsby-Like Pedophile’s Ties to Both Campaigns

Lurid details, gossip, innuendo, and severe grossness aside, the money part is just weird.