[Free Beacon] The chair of the House Intelligence Committee accused the FBI and Department of Justice of stonewalling a sprawling investigation into claims the Trump campaign colluded with Russia with the hope of running out the clock until the November elections, when they anticipate Democrats will regain control of the House and dissolve an ongoing probe that has uncovered evidence U.S. officials sought to cripple Trump's campaign.
Rep. Devin Nunes (R., Calif.), in a wide-ranging audio interview with his House colleague Rep. Sean Duffy (R., Wis.), accused top officials at the FBI and DOJ of "putting all their chips on the Republicans losing the House" so that their Democratic allies can "shut down" the longstanding Intelligence Committee probe, which has unearthed information disputing claims of collusion in recent months.
#1
Democrats will regain control of the House and dissolve an ongoing probe that has uncovered evidence U.S. officials sought to cripple Trump's campaign.
I'd vote against the Dems just because they are doing this.
[Guardian] Since launching his bid for America’s top office, Donald Trump has figured prominently in Canada’s national conversation; he’s been called a fascist, and a bully, and was unanimously condemned by parliamentarians after he lashed out at the prime minister, Justin Trudeau.
But one voice has consistently lauded the US president: Conrad Black, the man who once controlled one of the world’s largest English-language newspaper empires.
From his home in Toronto, Black has emerged as one of the president’s most outspoken supporters, arguing America’s 45th president is exactly what the US needed.
"I think he’s done quite well," said Black, rattling off a list of claims that have been widely challenged ‐ or proven to be untrue. "I think you would have to say that he’s cut illegal immigration by 50%, he’s certainly produced economic progress and has dealt effectively with the greatest single foreign policy issue so far: North Korea."
Such assertions reflect the breezy, positive spin that is at the heart of Black’s latest book, Donald J Trump: A President Like No Other.
[FOX] New York billionaire George Soros said former President Barack Obama was his "greatest disappointment," during a wide-ranging interview with the New York Times published on Tuesday, while also appearing to distance himself from partisan politics.
The wealthy liberal donor, who was an early supporter of Obama’s 2008 presidential run, told The Times that Obama was "actually my greatest disappointment," before he was reportedly prompted by an aide to clarify that he was dissatisfied on a "professional level," rather than with his presidency.
At another part of the interview, he told the paper that Obama "closed the door" on him after he secured the presidency.
#1
At another part of the interview, he told the paper that Obama "closed the door" on him after he secured the presidency.
Oh, dear! You spend all that time and effort getting your puppet in place and they don't follow orders. Sucks to be You!
[Barley a Blog] Stephen Cohen, professor emeritus of Russian studies, history, and politics at New York University and Princeton University, to Tucker Carlson:
"I want my president to do what every other president has done. Meet with the head of the Kremlin to avoid an existential crisis‐war‐between the two nuclear superpowers. Sit with the other side and walk back the conflict. The Trump hunters, however, prefer trying to impeach Trump to averting nuclear disaster.
[American Thinker] I spent a good part of yesterday watching the vast army of those incapable of generating an original thought ‐ namely, the majority of talking heads on radio and television as well as politicians in both parties, droning on about the disaster that was the Trump-Putin press conference in Helsinki. Once the first narrative was proffered by one of this gaggle, the rest dutifully repeated the talking points as if they were ventriloquist dummies. The bottom line: Trump is a buffoon inalterably subservient to the puppet master, thus betraying his country.
Having watched the press conference, I did not come away this inane version of events.
I come to this subject matter of Donald Trump as someone, during the primary season of 2016, who was unalterably opposed to him, going so far as to write an article, "Why I cannot vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton." However, in November, when standing in the voting booth, staring at the ballot and the prospect of a Hillary Clinton presidency, I voted for Trump. I am still bothered by some of his mannerisms and, at times, his buffoonish governing style as well as his refusal to address out-of-control spending. But, on the whole I am gratified that he has successfully pursued a predominantly conservative agenda at home and an America First agenda overseas, despite the constant ankle-biting by the mainstream media and the Washington Establishment's determined use of its considerable arsenal to marginalize and ultimately obliterate his presidency.
Regarding the Helsinki press conference and his performance, I come to that issue from the perspective of someone who has experienced firsthand the horrors and the travails of those who survived the most devastating war in human history and the travails extant in the immediate aftermath. I do not wish to see, in my lifetime or in the future, the world again subject to a conflict of that magnitude, made possible by a careless remark or insult or the egocentricity of a megalomaniac.
There is no question that Russia and China are this nation's primary geopolitical foes. While the current Russian Federation is not as powerful as its predecessor, the Soviet Union, it is, nonetheless, a formidable adversary, particularly with Putin at the helm. There is little doubt that the Russians spied on the United States and attempted to sow the seeds of discontent during the 2016 election. Almost as soon as the old Soviet Union was born in the 1920s, it, as national policy, cast a wide net of espionage and destabilization throughout Europe and America. America responded slowly and did not fully reciprocate with its own espionage activities until after World War II and the dawning of the Cold War. This chess match is now approaching its 90th anniversary.
#2
Now that CNN and MSNBC have gone to DEFCON-1, I'm tempted to borrow a page from Orson Welles and phone in a report that Russian battleships are coming up the Mississippi River and disembarking Russian marines equipped with chainsaw bayonets. Attach a photo of a Russian battleship cleverly disguised as a Carnival Lines cruise ship. I'd give it a 50-50 chance of being reported.
Posted by: Matt ||
07/18/2018 11:39 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Why are those so eager to see Trump humiliated and undermined so willing to denigrate and provoke this nation's historical rival? What purpose would it have served to gratuitously insult Putin in front of the entire world? Is destroying Trump of such paramount importance that the potential of Russian retaliation could escalate into further reprisals on both sides leading to a possible lethal conflict as Putin is first and foremost a nationalist and not the most stable of international leaders?
Could Trump have chosen his words better regarding his confidence in the American intelligence community? Yes. But after nearly 18 months of unrelenting leaks and harassment, this same group, led by Robert Mueller, has made it exceedingly difficult to govern, and his annoyance and frustration bubbled out. It should not have, but, nonetheless, it is understandable, as 14 months of Mueller's investigations has revealed no criminal activity by the Trump campaign despite desperately seeking collusion under every rock.
Unlike so many others, I do not want any president of the United States to gratuitously and publicly insult an adversary, be it Russia or China, but instead to hammer out difficult issues in private. Over the history of mankind, too many conflicts and resultant casualties have occurred because of the egocentricity of the leaders over minor issues. Regardless of the hysteria, the Russian attempt to sow chaos during the 2016 election season is a minor issue, as the attempt was not only largely unsuccessful, but amateurishly executed.
Thank you, Donald Trump, for not succumbing to the rabble and instead leaving the door open for candid communication with Russia when and if a major crisis rears its ugly head.
#4
Thank you, Donald Trump, for not succumbing to the rabble and instead leaving the door open for candid communication with Russia when and if a major crisis rears its ugly head.
Mind you, you'll have to take care of the rabble sooner rather than later.
[PJ] What? Did you just read that headline correctly?
Yes, you did. Writing it I assumed people's heads would explode. It's about as far as you can can get from today's conventional wisdom (i.e. what David Gergen thinks). Virtually every member of the smart set from Pelosi to McCain to some ninety-five percent of the media, including several cowards on Fox News, to, alas, Lindsey Graham (who should know better) are going out of their minds excoriating Trump for being soft on Putin, even for being "owned" by the neo-Soviet strongman. John Brennan -- once a communist himself, so he should know -- accused Trump of treason.
Okay, time for that familiar cliche -- the thought experiment. Suppose Trump had done the opposite, exactly what these people demanded -- verbally and viciously assaulted Putin for all his totalitarian tropes from annexing the Crimea to humiliating John Podesta for being so dumb as to fall for a phishing attack (all right -- I'll be fair. For invading the computers of Democratic Party operatives, allegedly to elect Trump) and so forth?
[PJ] Democrat candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has made a huge splash since trouncing incumbent Democrat Joe Crowley in the NY-14 primary, calls herself a socialist and is big on activism, if not geopolitics.
So big on activism, in fact, that in an interview with Democracy Now! on Monday, she called for the "occupation" of airports and ICE offices as part of the effort to "mobilize" the so-called Resistance.
As Newsweek noted, Ocasio-Cortez is now one of the most recognizable faces of the absurd "Abolish ICE" movement that, despite the hesitation of more politically and governmentally savvy Democrats, is gathering steam among the grassroots.
"Our nation is in a moral crisis," said Ocasio-Cortez in response to a question about why she went to the border just three days before the primary election.
"Every day that we allow these two thousand children that have been ripped from their parents -- which is an internationally recognized human rights violation, this is being done in our name, this is being done in representation of us as United States citizens -- every day that we allow the continued violation of those children's rights is the day I believe the moral character of the United States is at stake."
#2
...well, from the bleachers its fun watching full force Socialists parading themselves as the new 'Democrats'. They don't even mask themselves anymore. It's refreshing. Now if only we can get the GOPe to join the #WalkAway movement and stop calling them liberals.
[The Hill] Former FBI Director James Comey called on Americans to vote for Democrats in the midterm elections.
In a tweet Tuesday night, Comey ‐ a longtime Republican who distanced himself from the party in April ‐ slammed the GOP for not standing up to President Trump.
"This Republican Congress has proven incapable of fulfilling the Founders’ design that ’Ambition must ... counteract ambition,’" he tweeted. "All who believe in this country’s values must vote for Democrats this fall."
"Policy differences don’t matter right now," he added. "History has its eyes on us."
[Real Clear Politics] NYU Russia expert Stephen F. Cohen and FNC's Tucker Carlson discuss the president's meeting Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and calls of "treason" from Democrats and Intel officials.
TUCKER CARLSON, FNC: Assess, if you would, the reaction today to this press conference and to the summit between Putin and Trump/
STEPHEN F. COHEN: The reaction by most of the media, by the Democrats, by the anti-Trump people is like mob violence. I've never seen anything like it in my life.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
07/18/2018 8:08 Comments ||
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#2
Why do so many people in charge now dislike the current leader of Russia more than they disliked the communists?
Because the current leader is NOT a communist and they love communists which they saw (and still see) as the harbinger of their socialist, globalist utopia.
The elites are all looking for the system that will provide them with their Dacha on the Don.
Bernie has two. It's the sign of belonging to the right class so they can't deny it.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The Middle East situation on the ground is significantly different in comparison to a short while ago. There were times when Iran sought to become the leading hegemon in the region.
With Tehran’s honeymoon coming to an end after eight years of Obama at the helm in Washington, the regime is finding itself severely marginalized. There are also analysts saying the days of Iran’s holy mans in power are numbered, especially with protests spreading throughout the country.
h/t puppyblender
[LibertyBlitzkrieg]...The CIA’s former chief of Russia operations, Steven L. Hall, told Shane: "If you ask an intelligence officer, did the Russians break the rules or do something bizarre, the answer is no, not at all." Hall added that "the United States ’absolutely’ has carried out such election influence operations historically, and I hope we keep doing it."
...Nothing gets the phony "Resistance," corporate media and neocons more hysterical than when Trump isn’t belligerent enough while meeting with foreign leaders abroad. While the pearl clutching was intense during the North Korea summit, the reoccurring, systematic outrage spectacle was taken to entirely new levels of stupidity and hyperbole during yesterday’s meeting with Putin in Finland.
The clown parade really got going after compulsive liar and former head of the CIA under Barack Obama, John Brennan, accused Trump of treason on Twitter ‐ which resistance drones dutifully retweeted, liked and permanently enshrined within the gospel of Russiagate.
#1
the reoccurring, systematic outrage spectacle was taken to entirely new levels of stupidity and hyperbole during yesterday’s meeting with Putin in Finland.
I think we are just seeing the beginning. If these people weren't such a pain in the arse and obstructionists, they'd be laughable. The more that gets uncovered, the more the left-wing insanity gets ratcheted up.
At some point the populist rebellion will outgrow its personality roots and be asked to articulate a program. It is never enough in the long run to merely be against something; it is always necessary to be for something. Inside the chaos of the last decade a few themes have appeared to risen above the bedlam. The following is an attempt to speculatively predict these trends in the knowledge the estimate may be completely wrong.
The basic premise is the populist crisis has been created by the 21st century itself. As the post World War 2 order aged the existing elites simply evaded the question of quo vadis secure in the belief they were at the end of history. They started rearranging the flowers on the margin, tidying up the carbon, de-triggering speech and pursuing gender equality. Like some physicists at the start of the 20th century they had presided over an achievement so great that psychologically they may have felt that nothing could be added. There was no sense of being under geopolitical threat, even after 9/11, the rise of China or the stirrings of Russia.
...By contrast the Chinese elites were both strategically restless and uninhibited. They didn't stop in the middle of a thought and ask "is this gender neutral"? The only question China asked was: does this work for China? They saw the in the 21st technology not a perfection of destiny but an obvious opportunity to leapfrog and break away. A race was on and only China, among the major powers, seemed to hear the starting gun. The Western public heard it too, but their ruling elites did not.
The Western publics sensing the erosion, with a dread amplified not only by the indifference of the elites but by a lack of a clear conception of the threat and alternatives to it, attempted to enter any port in the storm. Populism presented itself in the motley attire of borrowed, half-baked political finery. Because it was half-baked it appeared to its opponents in bewildering guises. Few noticed one crucial common factor: it arose in the West through elections. Neither Russia nor China produced anything similar.
Clearly if Western populism is to become not simply a negative force or hijacked in a wayward direction the sooner it articulates its objectives the less confusing and threatening it will be. A careful listener will hear themes in the apparent cacaphony. The inner logic of its tendencies imply a political program resembling something like the following:
Goal
Dominate the technological civilizational developments of the 21st century instead of China.
Be the first and dominant nation into outer space economy. "How the Waste Was Won"
Strategy to achieve the goal
Break the elite structures standing in the way of innovation
Neutralize Russia and neuter radical Islam
Make [America, Europe, UK ...] capable of taking on a China that is presently more efficient in key areas
Tactical Elements of each strategic element
Wage class warfare against the elites
Provide a modest middle class tax cut to win over the liberal working class
Throttle illegal immigration to open low end jobs and raise wages for African Americans (operation Walk Away)
Collapse Russia, defang the MENA oil powers
Increase oil and gas production. Make America a bigger oil producer than Saudi Arabia
Increase defense spending
Create a Space Force
Rearrange Navy deployments to increase readiness. The Navy is wearing out as shown by USS McCain, Fitzgerald collisions
Create a competitive America by increasing subsidiarity within the limits of the Constitution
Corporate tax cut to repatriate investment to America from corporate money parked overseas;
Drastically reduce regulatory bureaucracy;
Allow individuals to own their own knowledge instead of appropriating it as AI training sets.
Dump all encumbrances standing in the way of American dominance in
Biotech;
Nanotechnology and materials
Advanced computing;
Orbital and space engineering
Of course this is not the actual program of populism; at present there is no such thing. It represents a guess at what politicians are actually doing, even unconsciously. Yet someday something deliberate must arise to fill the void that became obvious in 2016. The era of Trump, Farage, etc like things human, must come to an end. Even liberalism may finally leave its 19th century Marxist roots behind. The one thing no one can stop is the march of time.
The great political opportunity of the next decade is to find a consensus strategy built on the best instincts of MAGA and the Resistance. It will be a great race with China and better for the world if there is more than one runner in the lists.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Guardian] Since launching his bid for America’s top office, Donald Trump has figured prominently in Canada’s national conversation; he’s been called a fascist, and a bully, and was unanimously condemned by parliamentarians after he lashed out at the prime minister, Justin Trudeau.
[PJ] Democrat candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has made a huge splash since trouncing incumbent Democrat Joe Crowley in the NY-14 primary, calls herself a socialist and is big on activism, if not geopolitics.
