Hope this works for you.
Open thread.
by TaMara| 154 Comments
This post is in: Open Threads, Vote Like Your Country Depends On It
This post is in: C.R.E.A.M., Hail to the Hairpiece, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Republicans in Disarray!, I Reject Your Reality and Substitute My Own
It’s the Democrats fault that I took hostages and the Republicans don’t care enough about them to pay the ransom.
Unfair! https://t.co/iK2U1yIGZx
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) March 23, 2018
As a matter of National Security I've signed the Omnibus Spending Bill. I say to Congress: I will NEVER sign another bill like this again. To prevent this omnibus situation from ever happening again, I'm calling on Congress to give me a line-item veto for all govt spending bills! https://t.co/kYwMk5AE5k
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2018
So credible. Much commitment. https://t.co/tK8xNXZtiK
— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) March 23, 2018
Of course Trump signed the budget bill — after dragging out the ‘suspense’ at least one installment & most of another too long — because his handlers told him no signing, no golfing. And he’d already missed one kickin’ Mar-a-Largo party over the last “shutdown” kabuki.
Also of course, he had to be both a showboater and a pissant about the whole thing. Per the Washington Post, paper of record for the company town whose industry is national politics:
President Trump jolted Washington on Friday when he began the day tweeting that he might veto a massive spending bill needed to prevent a government shutdown — and then appearing in front of cameras five hours later to say that he had signed the legislation.
Trump ripped into the $1.3 trillion funding package in remarks at the White House shortly after 1 p.m., calling it a “ridiculous situation,” filled with overspending yet lacking enough money for his border wall or a deal to resolve the future of the young, undocumented immigrants known as “dreamers.” He said he was only signing the bill because it contained a boost for the military…
Friday’s five hours of confusion showed once again how nothing is certain in Trump’s Washington and any deal is at risk of being blown up by the mercurial president. On Thursday, administration officials and congressional leaders said that the president would sign the bill — even though for days he had privately complained about the package in late-night phone calls and early morning rants — and the White House issued a news release touting its accomplishments.
It also highlighted Trump’s desire to be seen as his own political entity and still an outsider, separate at times from the Republican Party he leads. During his remarks at the White House, Trump sought to distance himself from a bill unpopular with his base but that his aides helped craft and the GOP-led Congress passed. At times he went so far as to portray himself as being almost helpless and having little choice but to accept the spending package…
The spending bill is widely expected to be the last major piece of legislation that Congress will pass before the November midterm elections, which increased pressure to jam it full of legislative odds and ends, including provisions on guns and combating invasive carp. The bill funds the federal government through Sept. 30, and provides $700 billion for the military and $591 billion for domestic agencies…
The details of this spending package should not have been new to the president. Short, Jonathan Slemrod and Kathleen Kraninger — all administration aides — were involved in the negotiations in recent days that went until the wee hours of the morning with congressional appropriators, according to three people familiar with the talks.
So members were perplexed when Trump, all of a sudden, seemed to not know what was in the bill Friday and said he might not sign it…
Eventually, White House officials said, Trump demanded having a public event, where he could show his political supporters that he didn’t like the bill while attacking Democrats — and labeling it all for the military.
Before cameras at the White House, Trump vented about the parts of the bill he disliked and called for the power to issue line-item vetoes — something the Supreme Court has deemed unconstitutional — and urged the Senate to junk the legislative filibuster, which has little support among senators.
But this battle was already over. He signed the bill before appearing before reporters.
(See, there are no pictures of Trump signing the bill. Next time he’s challenged, he’ll claim he never did sign it, it can’t be proved that was his signature…)
I'm really not understanding the point of a whole press conference to announce he didn't get what he wanted, that Democrats out maneuvered him, that Republican leadership didn't help him, that Mexico isn't paying for the wall and that he can't read quickly. What is the gain here?
— Ginger Gibson (@GingerGibson) March 23, 2018
Congress snuck new Russia sanctions into spending bill that Trump just signed https://t.co/9vQKWYsDjF
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) March 23, 2018
Then: GOPe needs to hand Obama a spending bill that works and if he vetoes, let the government shut down in perpetuity!
Now: Trump can't help it if Congress won't do what he wants!
— Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) March 23, 2018
The stunts feel increasingly lame don't they?
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) March 23, 2018
Remember how Trump budget said cut State Dept 28 pc?
He just signed omnibus that increased it 15 pc.— Charles Lane (@ChuckLane1) March 24, 2018
OK, now that that's all over, can we just savor one more time what Jim Risch did last night? https://t.co/vlVOm6Nq27
— Mike DeBonis (@mikedebonis) March 23, 2018
Risch, who objected to the spending bill because it would rename a wilderness area after a rival, is expected to chair the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he will have oversight of U.S. diplomacy. Revealing Senate scene from @mikedebonis https://t.co/vN1pRrrDNu
— Laura Helmuth (@laurahelmuth) March 23, 2018
Open Thread: Trump’s Wannabe Reality Show, Omnibudget EpisodePost + Comments (182)
by TaMara| 58 Comments
This post is in: Open Threads
I served as a medic at Camp Anaconda, Iraq from 2006-07.
I saw the injuries that a M-4 rifle can do to the human body.
An AR-15 is the same as the M-4 that I carried into war.
I'm a veteran & I support a ban on military assault rifles.#VeteransForGunReform#MarchForOurLives pic.twitter.com/c4WeC95dY5
— Red T Raccoon (@RedTRaccoon) March 23, 2018
Be safe today. Look out for each other. Hug a kid. I don’t think any of us could have ever predicted what we are witnessing, on any level.
You Can’t Explain It, You Can’t Predict ItPost + Comments (58)
This post is in: Foreign Affairs, Open Threads, Russiagate, Cybersecurity, Ever Get The Feeling You've Been Cheated?
New: Trump administration hits Iranian hacker network with sanctions, indictments in vast global campaign https://t.co/fdCPk4ZNff
— Shane Harris (@shaneharris) March 23, 2018
Of course, foreign espionage agents are always very bad news. But after Thursday’s press release, I can’t have been the only person hoping/fearing for a less… anodyne announcement:
The Trump administration on Friday announced sanctions and criminal indictments against an Iranian hacker network it said was involved in “one of the largest state-sponsored hacking campaigns” ever prosecuted by the United States, targeting hundreds of U.S. and foreign universities, as well as dozens of U.S. companies and government agencies, and the United Nations.
None of the alleged hackers were direct employees of the Iranian government, but all worked at the behest of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), officials said. While not the first such punishments imposed on Iran for such malicious acts, the new measures address more extensive Iranian efforts than previously alleged.
Nine of 10 named individuals were connected to the Mabna Institute, a Shiraz-based tech firm that the Justice Department alleged hacks on behalf of Iranian universities and the IRGC. The institute conducted “massive, coordinated intrusions” into the computer systems of at least 144 U.S. universities and 176 foreign universities in 21 countries, including Britain and Canada, officials said.
The hackers stole more than 31 terabytes of data and intellectual property — the rough equivalent of three Libraries of Congress — from their victims, prosecutors alleged. Much of it ended up in the hands of the IRGC, which has frequently been accused of stealing information to further its own research and development of weaponry. The Guard Corps is the division of Iran’s security forces charged with overseeing Iranian proxy forces abroad and is under the direct control of the country’s religious leaders…
The Trump Regency has gotten us into a very weird mindspace. Under normal circumstances, would one’s first thought be “Yes, yes, Mr. Bolton — those crafty Iranian terrorists, and their mad mullahs, always looking to DESTROY THE GREAT SATAN… “
Unintentionally (?) perfect coda:
… Also sanctioned was Behzad Mesri, who U.S. prosecutors announced last November had been indicted on a charge related to the hacking of HBO and theft of unaired episodes of programs including “Game of Thrones,” which the hacker threatened to release unless he was paid $6 million….
Mild Disappointments Open Thread: Rod Rosenstein & the Persian MenacePost + Comments (25)
This post is in: Gun nuts, gun safety, Open Threads
Thanks, or something, to commentor Butthurt Jordan Trombone (fka XTPD). From Bloomberg:
YouTube, a popular media site for firearms enthusiasts, this week quietly introduced tighter restrictions on videos involving weapons, becoming the latest battleground in the U.S. gun-control debate.
YouTube will ban videos that promote or link to websites selling firearms and accessories, including bump stocks, which allow a semi-automatic rifle to fire faster. Additionally, YouTube said it will prohibit videos with instructions on how to assemble firearms. The video site, owned by Alphabet Inc.’s Google, has faced intense criticism for hosting videos about guns, bombs and other deadly weapons…
The new YouTube policies will be enforced starting in April, but at least two video bloggers have already been affected. Spike’s Tactical, a firearms company, said in a post on Facebook that it was suspended from YouTube due to “repeated or severe violations” of the video platform’s guidelines.
“Well, since we’ve melted some snowflakes on YouTube and got banned, might as well set IG and FB on fire!,” Spike’s wrote on Facebook, where it has over 111,000 followers, referring to the social network and its Instagram app. A YouTube spokeswoman said the channel has been reinstated after it was mistakenly removed.
InRange TV, another channel devoted to firearms, wrote on its Facebook page that it would begin uploading videos to PornHub, an adult content website…
The jokes, they write themselves!… But srsly, good for YouTube. To be honest, isn’t there an argument that gun-sale and gun-assembly videos should be treated as adult-only content?
Open Thread: Gun-Humpers Find Their Natural Home?Post + Comments (165)
This post is in: Dog Blogging, Nature & Respite, Open Threads
PSA: #NationalPuppyDay is FRIDAY. Get those cute puppy pics ready to tweet. Bonus points if they are in Gators gear. pic.twitter.com/8vgPBDmYgl
— FLORIDA (@UF) March 20, 2018
Our three are rescues, so we don’t have puppy pics… but even at ages 16 (Zevon), 13 (Gloria), and 9 (Sydney), they’re still our puppies!
Now THAT is a good boy!
Send us your C’s #NationalPuppyDay pics and we’ll retweet some of our favorites ?☘️ pic.twitter.com/rrnWP3oQPe
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 23, 2018
Happy #NationalPuppyDay! We want to see photos of your doggos dressed in their best cosplay. Tweet us and we'll RT your pics throughout the day. :) pic.twitter.com/KAJVlY46uh
— Nerdist (@nerdist) March 23, 2018
Happy #NationalPuppyDay! Today we especially remember these two good boys, Jake and Scout, pictured here with their human, Leland Melvin (@Astro_Flow). This is one of the most popular astronaut portraits ever taken! You don't have to be a dog lover to know why. pic.twitter.com/83wzImsWNa
— NASA History Office (@NASAhistory) March 23, 2018
(You don’t have to join Twitter… go to twitter.com, type #nationalpuppyday into the search bar, and prepare to ‘waste’ ten minutes… )
Friday Evening Respite Open Thread: NATIONAL PUPPY DAY!Post + Comments (91)
by Adam L Silverman| 300 Comments
This post is in: America, Crazification Factor, Domestic Politics, Election 2016, Foreign Affairs, Open Threads, Politics, Popular Culture, Post-racial America, Republican Stupidity, Republican Venality, Silverman on Security, All Too Normal
John Bolton is basically Frank Burns from M*A*S*H* with more offensive facial hair. Bolton’s appointment to be the next Assistant to the President – National Security Advisor (APNSA or National Security Advisor for short) is the most recent dog to catch the car within this administration. He has now finally wormed himself into a key position very close to a US president, but like the dog with his teeth locked firmly onto the car’s bumper he has only two choices: he either has to let go or he has to sink his teeth in, hold on for dear life, and pray he doesn’t get dragged to death and/or run over. He’s an unguided, self directing weapon of mass destruction. He will cause so much chaos and confusion that he will actually wind up defeating himself. He will ultimately self destruct.
What pissed the President off about LTG McMaster is that he actually did the job the right way and took his duties and responsibilities seriously. Bolton couldn’t care less about the Interagency and Interagency process. If Secretary Mattis and Gen (ret) Kelly couldn’t get along with LTG McMaster, which, I think, was partially because they’re 4 stars and he’s only a 3 star, yet he was the national-security and foreign policy gatekeeper, they’re definitely not going to get along with Bolton. He will so degrade and destroy the process that the President won’t be able to achieve anything in terms of national security and foreign policy. Remember, the US economy is about to be overrun by the Chinese in the coming trade war. Do you really think Bolton has any idea how to manage the Interagency process to minimize the damage to the US economy? Not a chance.
Bolton is also a terrible supervisor and manager. The personnel on the National Security staff that are not detailed from the various agencies and departments within the government, as in the people that McMaster hired directly and work for the Executive Office of the President, will begin to leave quickly. Those actual detailed from the various agencies to the National Security Staff will ask for their assignments to be ended early and because of his reputation there won’t be volunteers to replace them. So the National Security Staff will atrophy, which will negatively impact the ability of the President’s national security and foreign policy initiatives. And despite a long history of being wrong on almost every national security and foreign policy issue, Bolton thinks everyone else is stupid and wrong. So he will ignore, if not actively piss off, Secretary Mattis, Gen Dunford, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as the Joint Chiefs themselves, the Secretary of State, Secretary of Energy, Director of National Intelligence, all of their deputies, etc. It is very difficult to conduct national security and foreign policy after you’ve alienated everyone involved in the national security and foreign policy process. Is is equally difficult to conduct national security and foreign policy without a functioning process, which is why the process we have now was created.
If you're wondering how Bolton will handle other NSC staff, this doesn't bode well for competent people currently working there. pic.twitter.com/igOf5nvINM
— Nada Bakos (@nadabakos) March 23, 2018
I’m not trying to minimize what is definitely a sub-optimal choice. Bolton’s appointment as AP-NSA will definitely make things more chaotic in the White House, while reinforcing the President’s worse instincts about negotiations as zero-sum exercises and cycling willy nilly from being bellicose and threatening to accommodating. But mark my words, it’s not sub-optimal just because Bolton is an always wrong, belligerent, double A type authoritarian (kiss up, kick down). Rather it is sub-optimal because Bolton is going to self destruct, because that’s who and what Bolton is. He can’t help himself.
Stay frosty!
Open thread.
A Few Thoughts On The New National Security AdvisorPost + Comments (300)