- Trump has visited his resorts 154 times and played 121 rounds of golf in 99 weeks. So much for being too busy to play golf. At the same point in his administration, Obama had played 55 rounds.
- FactChecker creates a new category of false statements for often repeated lies. It is called "Bottomless Pinocchio". Trump has already been awarded 14 of this new category.
- Paul Manafort blows his plea deal by lying to the Special Counsel team. A stupid move on his part. Barring a Trump pardon, Manafort will probably spend the rest of his life in prison and may lose any financial protection deal for his family.
- Michael Cohen pleads guilty to lying to Congress and says the Trump Organization's Russian real estate negotiations lasted well into 2016. Trump says Cohen is lying but even if he isn't there was nothing illegal. A typical Trump scenario. Deny, maybe it happened, it did happen but not illegal, what about Hillary, everybody does it... Pretty much all Trump BS and lies.
- Trump claims major trade progress with China. It's only a 90-day truce on new tariffs. The same premature claim of victory as with North Korea and the NAFTA replacement.
- 12/04 - The Trump Administration threatens funding for HIV research because it uses fetal tissue. The attack on science continues. MASA - Make America Stupid Again.
- 12/04 - Mueller recommends no jail time for Michael Flynn because he has cooperated with the special counsel.
- 12/05 - The lame duck Wisconsin GOP legislature passes a law to limit the powers of the newly elected Democratic governor, Tony Evers, and Democratic attorney general, They also reduced early voting dates. A slap in the face if the Wisconsin voters. If Republicans can't win playing by the rules, they just change the rules.
- 12/05 - Global carbon emissions reach a record high in 2018. Bad news for our planet. We're going in the wrong direction and the Trump administration is exacerbating the situation. They don't admit climate change is really a threat and they continue to roll back emission regulations.
- Trump plans to rollback environmental protections on millions of acres in Alaska so oil exploration can begin. Once again siding with big business and big energy over the environment.
- Huawei chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, is arrested in Canada at the request of the US. It has to do with Huawei circumventing US sanctions against Iran. The arrest exacerbated the stock markets declines amid fears of US-China trade wars.
- 12/06 - The country and the world mourned the death of George H.W. Bush for a week. He was remembered as a kindler and gentler politician. A WWII combat veteran. A man who served his country for over 50 years. A decent, moral, family man. A great contrast to the man currently in the Oval Office. Thank you #41 for your service.
- 12/06 - Kathy Kraninger was approved by the Senate 50 to 49 to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. She has no previous consumer finance experience and is expected to continue the GOP and Trump's efforts to curtail the bureau's powers. Again, big business over consumers.
- Voting irregularities in North Carolina's 9th Congressional District have been known for a long time. Funny, the GOP is always harping about voting fraud. Turns out they are the ones actually doing it. Ironic.
- 12/07 - The US added 155K jobs in November, below expectations. The unemployment rate remained at 3.7%.
- Trump will nominate Willliam Barr as Attorney General. Barr served as AG under George H.W. Bush. He is a supporter of strong executive powers, a critic of the Russian investigation and Mueller's team, and favors investigation of Hillary Clinton. All right up Trump's alley.
- Trump will nominate State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. She is a former Fox News co-host of Fox and Friends. She has very limited government and no diplomatic experience. Another "only the best people" appointment by Trump.
- 12/07 - Trump tweets that former Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, was "dumb as a rock" and lazy. A typical tantrum tweet by our tweeter-in-chief.
- Trump shows how talented he is by causing the Dow to drop about 1,500 points in a few days. It only took his "Tariff Man" tweet and the arrest of a Huawei corporate official.
- Trump will nominate General Mark Milley, US Army Chief of Staff as the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
- 12/08 - Trump announces Chief of Staff John Kelly will leave by the end of the year. Another adult bails or is pushed out.
- The Supreme Court declines to review rulings by lower courts concerning lawsuits against states that cut off funding for Planned Parenthood and the blocking of those actions.
- British prime minister, Theresa May, postpones the Parliament vote on Brexit. This is a complete self-inflicted clusterfuck for the UK. Stock markets are down significantly on this news.
- Russian gun rights activist Maria Butina will plead guilty to charges she was working as an agent for the Kremlin. She attempted to influence the NRA and conservative leaders.
- 12/13 - Butini pleads guilty to conspiring to act as an agent of the Kremlin.
- The Fact Checker creates a new category, the Bottomless Pinocchio, to describe the level and number of Trumps lies.
- Trump Administration will roll back many clean water protections. Many in place for 25 years. Who needs clean water?
- 44 former Senators, from both parties, write an open letter to current Senators imploring them to defend democracy, the rule of law, the Constitution, our governing institutions and our national security.
- Trump, Pelosi, and Schumer have a contentious and public meeting on the budget, border security, and the Wall. Trump vows to shut down the government if he doesn't get Wall funding. Looks like the next couple of years will go swimmingly.
- Chinese intelligence said to be behind the Marriott hack. This won't help the trade negotiations or the stock markets.
- Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer and fixer, is sentenced to three years in prison and almost $2 million in penalties.
- 12/12 - Congress finally agrees on new sexual harassment policies but they have yet to be voted on by either chamber. #MeToo, too little, too late.
- 12/12 - UK Prime Minister Theresa May survives a no-confidence vote by a 200-117 margin. Her Brexit plan is still in danger of failure.
- 12/12 - Federal prosecutors disclose a plea deal with The National Enquirer's parent company and CEO, David Pecker. The entities have provided information about Trump's hush money payments. The noose tightens, the evidence mounts.
- 12/12 - Lobbyist Sam Patten pleads guilty of failure to register as a foreign agent and to steering foreign funds to the Trump inauguration fund. The foreigner was a pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarch.
- 12/12 - The former number three person at the Vatican, Cardinal George Pell, is convicted of sexual abuse charges. Way past time to fix this problem in the Catholic Church. Time for drastic action.
- 12/13 - The US Senate votes to end US participation in the Yemen war. They also unanimously passed a measure blaming the Saudi crown prince for the ghastly murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Both votes a rebuke of Trump's MBS and Saudi support.
- North Carolina GOP House candidate, Mark Harris, allegedly directed the hiring of ballot harvesting operative Leslie McCrae Dowless. The election results have yet to be certified while a voter fraud investigation is underway.
- Federal prosecutors are investigating whether foreigners illegally donated to Trump's inaugural committee and a pro-Trump PAC.
- New Washington Post Factchecker poll shows fewer than three in ten Americans believe Trump, fewer than four in ten Republicans. A morally corrupt pathological liar.
- 12/14 - Outgoing GOP Wisconsin governor, Scott Walker, signs the bill stripping powers from the incoming governor and attorney general, both Democrats. A complete disregard for the will of the voters.
wjh
No comments:
Post a Comment