Trump in Paris: The curious case of his friend Jim
This headline would make an unwatchable romcom
Trump Stumbling into War in Syria
The U.S. now finds itself in a much more dangerous situation in the Middle East, where the war against ISIS, which has broad bipartisan support, could become a wider regional conflict of the type that Trump specifically promised to avoid.
Power Causes Brain Damage
Subjects under the influence of power, he found in studies spanning two decades, acted as if they had suffered a traumatic brain injury—becoming more impulsive, less risk-aware, and, crucially, less adept at seeing things from other people’s point of view.
Recapping a stunningly bad two weeks for the Trump White House
It really has been quite a ride
The Data That Turned the World Upside Down
This is an article from January about Cambridge Analytica using psychometrics for the Trump in 2016 – the same company that worked for the Brexit campaign, and is tied to both Bannon and Robert Mercer.
UPDATED TRUMP DOCTOR LETTER
Since being sworn in, Donald Trump has lost 50 pounds and gained 17 inches of height. He’s the longest president who has ever lived. His livers are both functioning flawlessly. His blood sets an all-time record for the state of New York for “most” and his blood pressure was rated “excellent” by seven different Fox News Twitter polls. He doesn’t even have one cholesterol.
The one little number that — so far — is all the protection Donald Trump needs
That number is 84 percent, Trump’s job approval rating among Republicans in the most recent weekly average from Gallup.
This will keep Hill Republicans behind him until those numbers start to sag.
Jeff Sessions is in deep trouble, and here’s why
He could be disbarred for being involved in the Comey firing after he refused himself.
The President Admits to Obstruction on National TV
Impeachable offence
If Trump fired Comey to impede the Russia investigation, he possibly engaged in obstruction of justice. That is a crime. That is a case for impeachment. In fact, the first of the three articles of impeachment filed by the House judiciary committee against Richard Nixon in 1974 was for obstruction of justice.
It’s Now Up to Democrats to Save American Democracy
Jeet Heer:
By firing Comey, Trump has created the biggest political crisis in American politics since Watergate. The Democrats have very few weapons to wield against Trump right now, but they can continue to poke and prod him, using the ensuing controversy to rally opposition to Trump. American democracy is in real danger, and the Democrats now have a duty—one that transcends partisan politics—to make those stakes clear to the electorate.
Days Before He Was Fired, Comey Asked for More Resources for Russia Investigation
Not suspicious at all
Senate Russia investigators ask Treasury for Trump team financial information
Missed that this also happened yesterday, before the Comey firing.
Senate Russia investigators have sent a request to the Treasury Department’s criminal investigation division for any information related to President Donald Trump, his top officials and his campaign aides, the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee told CNN Tuesday.
Grand jury subpoenas issued in FBI’s Russia investigation
Oh man.
There is only one reasonable conclusion that can be drawn from the decision to fire Comey: that there is grave wrongdoing at the center of the Russia scandal and that it implicates the President. As I write this, I have a difficult time believing that last sentence myself. But sometimes you have to step back from your assumptions and simply look at what the available evidence is telling you. It’s speaking clearly: the only reasonable explanation is that the President has something immense to hide and needs someone in charge of the FBI who he believes is loyal.
How Trump Could Get Fired
Pretty good overview. My takeaway is that it’s unlikely to be anything other than impeachment, which would require Dem control of the House, and theoretically a supermajority in the Senate. This was kinda great though:
The White House maintains that it was unaware of any links to the Kremlin, and the details of the investigations are classified. But select members of Congress who oversee the intelligence agencies have access to the findings. Recently, one of them, Senator Mark Warner, of Virginia, the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, privately told friends that he puts the odds at two to one against Trump completing a full term.
Democrats exploring lawsuit against Trump
Re: emoluments clause
Sources: Russia tried to use Trump advisers to infiltrate campaign
The FBI gathered intelligence last summer that suggests Russian operatives tried to use Trump advisers, including Carter Page, to infiltrate the Trump campaign, according to US officials.
I’d say they were quite successful.
Racism motivated Trump voters more than authoritarianism
FBI obtained FISA warrant to monitor Trump adviser Carter Page
“This confirms all of my suspicions about unjustified, politically motivated government surveillance,” Page said in an interview Tuesday. “I have nothing to hide.” He compared surveillance of him to the eavesdropping that the FBI and Justice Department conducted against civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
Good luck with that comparison, Carter.
Why FBI Can’t Tell All on Trump, Russia
Super-deep dive on Felix Sater. Shows how far back the Trump-Russia stuff goes.
Our investigation also may explain why the FBI, which was very public about its probe of Hillary Clinton’s emails, never disclosed its investigation of the Trump campaign prior to the election, even though we now know that it commenced last July. Such publicity could have exposed a high-value, long-running FBI operation against an organized crime network headquartered in the former Soviet Union. That operation depended on a convicted criminal who for years was closely connected with Trump, working with him in Trump Tower — while constantly informing for the FBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ), and being legally protected by them.
Why Michael Flynn may be seeking immunity
pretty good analysis
Trump Russia dossier key claim ‘verified’
“Watergate doesn’t even come close.” There are a lot of new allegations here, including hacking of voter rolls in coordination with the Trump campaign.