Republicans: There was no Quid Pro Quo
Tons of witnesses there was total Quid Pro Quo
Republicans: They're all Hearsay, secondhand.
Sondland: I was there first hand it was totally Quid Pro Qou
Republicans: Never Trumpers.
Sondland: I gave millions to him and his inauguration fund.
Republicians: Benghazi! Hillary! E-Mails! Chick-fil-a!
Michael Cohen watching from prison like, "I told you dumb motherfuckers..."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ6SBdXS39A
LOL Sigh LOLLL Sondland OWNS Gym Jordan.....More Sondland, on reports he told Trump that Zelensky "loves your ass." "Sounds like something I would say," Sondland said. "That's how President Trump and I communicate."
Testimony in the depositions & hearings has made crystal clear that the publication of a Politico story was an inflection point. Here is that story:
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/28/trump-ukraine-military-aid-russia-1689531
Hunter Biden's position at Burisma was inappropriate. But Trump asking a foreign official to investigate that position, withholding aid to that foreign official's country to do so against a congressional mandate, appointing his personal lawyer to oversee the investigation and make sure everybody's "doing the right thing," removing an ambassador whose entire service career has been dedicated to removing corruption, firing other staff who didn't want to play along with the narrative he wanted to push, releasing a memo to make everything look as up-and-up as possible, and then constantly threatening retaliation against a whistleblower that came forward reporting all of this before the memo was released, is definitely inappropriate and TREASONOUS.
But was it a "perfect call"?
Trump just hinted Mick Mulvaney is on his way out after he publicly admitted to a quid pro quo with Ukraine
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-mulvaney-on-way-out-after-ukraine-quid-pro-quo-2019-11
Anyone else mildly concerned that no one at the top levels of government seems to be able to remember anything ever? This has been going on since Trump picked his first round of Cabinet members.
I need a TV that automatically adjusts volume down for Jordan and up for Hurd
I dont always throw the entire Presidential Administration under the bus but when I do... I do it under oath. Stay thirsty my friends.
https://twitter.com/bealdesigns/status/1197204162838237184
David Burnett covered the impeachment hearings of former U.S. presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton. He also captured crucial moments of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, and has taken photos at every Summer Olympic Games since 1984. And on Wednesday, he joined a throng of other photographers to capture the opening of the public impeachment hearings against current U.S. President Donald Trump. But unlike the other photographers, Burnett had to wait a couple of days to see how his photos turned out — because he was using a 1940s-era large-format wooden camera. His photos were still being developed when he spoke with As it Happens host Carol Off on Thursday. Here is part of their conversation. | The big camera for me is a kind of a self-inflicted challenge. I started shooting maybe 15 years ago, around the time of the 2004 Olympics. And I was looking for some other manifestation or artistic form of using cameras to take pictures, and that the pictures will represent an event.
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-friday-edition-1.5361026/why-this-photographer-brought-a-1940s-wooden-camera-to-the-impeachment-inquiry-1.5361028
https://twitter.com/davidb383/status/1194622347845742597
Note how Sondland is setting up Rudy Giuliani to be the ultimate fall guy
https://twitter.com/i/status/1197173928793378816
Mike Conway couldn't even dispute this statement because he knows it's TRUE. LOL moment: .@ConawayTX11: "The end of the article does go through that and also says 3 Pinocchios in spite of that…" @RepSpeier: "The President of the United States has 5 Pinocchios on a daily basis. So, let's not go there."
https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1197235481412587522
SPEIER: Would you say that the delay in military aid to Ukraine and the reluctance to have a White House meeting have a benefit to Russia?
SONDLAND: I think it could be looked at that way, yes.
"The defense of Trump resembles the Star Wars saga: a universe of storytelling, in multiple parts, much of it comprehensible only if you venture beyond the visual franchise to a huge appendix of fan fiction and Wikipedia pages."
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/11/devin-nunes-attack-press-misguided/602347/
The flaw in the Republican argument that the U.S. often withholds foreign aid & this Ukraine hold is nothing special is that all those instances GOP Chris Stewart just mentioned were publicly announced. The Ukraine hold was secret. And it came after U.S. ambassador was recalled. And the President is not allowed to pause or suspend aid.
"Why should you go to jail for a crime someone else noticed?"
Spier: "The president of the United States has 5 Pinocchios on a daily basis, so let's not go there."
Jordan is being intentionally dense about the accusations but he's much better at this deal than Nunes.
It's important to note the timing of Trump's "I want nothing..I want no quid pro quo" statement to Sondland: It occurred on September 9, the exact same day the House Intel Committee received the whistleblower's complaint....
This is why Jordan’s histrionics are so disingenuous. Aid flowed only AFTER the whistle was blown on the pressure campaign on Ukraine. The Ukrainians were prepared to submit to Trump’s demand for a public announcement opening the probes when the whole scheme blew up.
"They got caught." Thank you, Adam Schiff. Holy shit, I've got such a fucking headache because the Republicans keep glossing over this objective fact.
How Bad is the kompromat held against Republicans defending Trump?
How Bad will the financial impact be to their bank account if Trump is impeached?
How Bad will their re-election campaign be if they don't support Trump?
How Bad must their GOP colleagues be to keep everyone this much in line, convincing them to die on this hill?
Pretty Fucking Bad is consistently the answer.
Sondland didn't "flip" during the recess. Sewell just kinda isn't good at this.
In response to Castor's questions, Sondland is giving even more damaging information for Trump. As a lawyer, you never want to be in that position.
Pence's office attacking Sondland
Energy Dept attacking Sondland
Rudy attacking Castor
Trump said Oct. 2 he held up the aid because he wanted other European countries to pony up more money for Ukraine. "I don't like being the sucker country" He apparently never communicated this to his *Ambassador to the European Union.*
I know it's hard to believe this is not some photshoped mess but this needs to be saved by the library of congress.
I fucking love that the Republicans are trying to take the angle that a transcript not being released makes Sondland's testimony questionable, when Sondland himself said that the administration and State Department prevented him from accessing numerous notes and call transcripts/summaries. Gaslight, Obstruct, Project indeed.
Reminder: The first page of the “transcript” says it isn’t a transcript. Page 1 of part 2 of the Mueller Report says they are not exonerating the president.
Reminder: reminder, as GOP counsel slams Sondland for not having records, that Sondland has been pressing the State Department to let him have what records there are.
https://twitter.com/rickklein/status/1197199527914160130
I cannot comprehend the amount of delusion, dishonesty, immaturity, ignorance and general contempt for our country that it takes for the White House to tweet something like this - stop pushing for Fox and start acting like adults. If there are any left in this administration.
https://twitter.com/kurteichenwald/status/1197212577333469184
To the Office of the Special Counsel @US_OSC : Please investigate and shut down this partisan smear account operating under the name of OUR White House @WhiteHouse and by WH staff members paid with OUR taxpayer dollars.
https://twitter.com/mollysmcdonough/status/1197187675817725953
Shifty Schiff thinks he hasn’t gotten enough camera time. So during a brief break, he’s doing a press conference. New hoax. Same swamp.
https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1197185834228826114
Most people understand this: Trump didn’t want an investigation into Biden. He wanted a political show.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/11/20/20974201/gordon-sondland-impeachment-hearing-testimony-biden-show-trump
I think Castor is on the brink of crying.
Castor: complete silence for a few moments while he tries to get it together
Castor: *erugh*
Castor: "I'll try not use all this time as a courtesy to you."
Translation: "I can't ask 30 minutes of questions without making Trump look more guilty."
You know who would be the best person to have testify about giving foreign aid? The man who was eventually in charge of giving that aid, i.e. Trump. But nope, Nunes is highlighting this one person as the key to proving Trump's innocence. "This one person alone could exonerate him, it's just a shame they can't testify. You'll just have to take my word for it.
Ken Starr says "it's bribery. Game over"
https://twitter.com/neeratanden/status/1197189612525047808?s=20
Nunes goes on to accuse Sondland of doing “funny math” for having said earlier...wait for it...“2+2=4”
Republicans are TERRORISTS. They keep saying that it's unfair they can't interview the whistleblower, a SECOND-HAND SOURCE WHOSE TESTIMONY IS MOOT BECAUSE FIRST-HAND WITNESSES CORROBATED THE WHISTLEBLOWER COMPLAINT.....AND EXPANDED ON THE CLAIMS. FUCK REPUBLICANS. EVERYTHING TRUMP HAS DONE IS IMPEACHABLE. But I digress. Meanwhile the White House has publicly stated they will not cooperate and release documents and also told staff to defy subpoenas. They also cried for public hearings and are now crying that this should be done behind closed doors. Why do they want the whistleblower anyway? He/she is a second-hand witness, and now we've had a bunch of FIRST-hand witnesses corroborate and EXPAND on the claims.
Ken Starr making a strong case for obstruction and contempt of Congress charges on Fox right now. Cites Nixon. Says he's changed his mind on these proceedings. "It's over. There will be articles on impeachment." Starr added that Trump may have "covered himself" on the quid pro quo, but believes the other charges are now substantive and believes charges are being drawn up. To be clear, I'm citing Starr only as example of what even Trumpian outlets are now carrying live.
https://twitter.com/tomwatson/status/1197186961229959168
Sondland has absolutely shit all over the previous GOP defense, which is exactly why they're spouting off about "muh Burisma, muh Biden". They're desperately trying to change the subject. It's hilarious.
I understand why the black ledger is so important to Trump, Rudy and Manafort. If Ukraine under Zelensky is going to investigate public corruption an investigation into the Black Ledger will dig up more damning information on Manafort’s working in Ukraine. Last May Ukraine stopped helping with Mueller, when the president and State department finally sold Ukraine Javelin Missiles. The Ukrainian Prosecutor General put the investigations on hold. Now jump to a year later and when Zelensky the new Ukrainian leader wants to purchase Javelins again trump once more asks for something that will help him out.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/02/world/europe/ukraine-mueller-manafort-missiles.html
Sondland Opening Statement
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/11/20/us/politics/gordon-sondland-opening-statement-ukraine.html
No American should be working or in school right now. Everyone should be watching this
Sondland looking smug as fuck. He saw them looking to throw him under the bus and it taking great pleasure in turning it around with them.
"He had to announce the investigations, he didn't actually have to do them": That's the fucking thing right there. I've been saying that for a while that the investigation "announcement" seemed to be the most emphasized part. Hillary received a killing blow when Comey announced they were reopening the investigation into her. Trump wanted the implication of wrong doing without having to provide proof. He could push conspiracy theories all he wants but he wanted Ukraine to support these theories.
Nunes face when he realized GOP is fucked (he looked at the Republican counsel to his left)
https://twitter.com/aravosis/status/1197184057249062915
https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/facebook/000/030/710/dd0.jpg
Gordon Sondland just went down in history. This man brought emails, texts, and not a bus, but a steamroller.
GOP just got blindsided so hard Jordan had to leave the room. I'm gonna need some popcorn to accompany the show we're about to watch.
Gym: “Lieutenant Colonel Sondland....”
Sondland: “Ranking Member, it’s Mister.”
Sondland testified that this was a quid pro quo deal and was ordered by Trump to work with Giuliani and his indicted associates (Lev Parnas & Igor Fruman) against his wishes. Amb. Sondland stated that he was treated unfairly by the State Department and White House because they are refusing to give him access to his emails/phone records. Sondland was against withholding aid to Ukraine. Sondland believes the only way aid would be released was if Zelensky made a public statement of opening up investigations into Biden and the supposed Ukrainian 2016 election interference (it should be noted that both conspiracies have been debunked by other witness testimonies).[1]
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/20/trump-ordered-ukraine-quid-pro-quo-through-giuliani-key-witness-sondland-testifies.html
Sondland has implicated:
Trump
VP Pence
SoS Pompeo
Senator Ron Johnson
Energy Secretary Rick Perry
Amb. Volker
Giuliani
Tim Morrison
CoS Mick Mulvaney
Multiple NCS and State people mentioned by name
"My name is Gordon Sondland and I'm rich enough to decide that I don't need this shit and I don't want to go to prison."
"I was in over my head, I didn't understand what I did back then. Don't punish me."
Key Republicans walk out of hearing room apparently to get 'marching orders' from White House
https://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/key-republicans-walk-out-of-hearing-room-apparently-to-get-marching-orders-from-white-house-73745989528
And I'm fine with not punishing Sondland. Obviously he made poor judgement and was trying to push the bribe, but we have to have someone provide transparent info in order to "get to the bottom of things".
Volker yesterday: "The Three Amigos phrase makes me cringe."
Sondland today: "Here's the Three Amigo tattoo I got done. Love that name."
Even Fox News has switched from "Sondland throws Giuliani under the bus" to "Sondland testifies <everyone was in the loop,> implicates top echelon on Ukraine talks."
I just want thank Schiff for handling this entire process masterfully. He had no script to work off of, yet things could not be going better. You can tell which chair was a worked as a prosecutor and which is a fake farmer.
The White House pressed unsuccessfully to learn about Sondland’s testimony ahead of time, but his attorneys refused. The GOP members of the committee are leaving the room because everyone is scrambling, I don't think anyone on their camp expected to run into such a dangerous landmine this morning.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/white-house-denied-access-sondland-testimony-ahead-hearing
Sondland says Pence knew about concerns over the hold on military aid to Ukraine
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/sondland-says-pence-knew-about-concerns-over-the-hold-on-military-aid-to-ukraine
Yesterday Ambassador Volker stated that “I think the allegations against Biden are self-serving and not credible.” | Former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker testified in an impeachment hearing Tuesday that allegations against Joe Biden and former Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, which were promoted by former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko and spread in the U.S. by Rudy Giuliani, are "self-serving and not credible."
https://www.axios.com/kurt-volker-joe-biden-allegations-not-credible-8d11f887-228e-418e-af3a-feae31cb9a3d.html
Yesterday Lt. Colonel Vindman testified that the Ukrainian election interference conspiracy theory is a "Russian narrative that Putin has promoted." | Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman said during Tuesday's impeachment hearing that the conspiracy theory that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 ial election is "a Russian narrative that [Vladimir] Putin has promoted."
https://www.axios.com/impeachment-hearing-alexander-vindman-crowdstrike-ukraine-240ab248-1deb-4250-ad5a-aeb49999be21.html
Last week Ambassador Taylor testified that he was extremely troubled by withholding aid to an ally dependent on it as they are currently engaged in war with Russia. | "It's one thing to try to leverage a meeting in the White House,” Mr. Taylor testified. “It’s another thing, I thought, to leverage security assistance, security assistance to a country at war dependent on both the security assistance and the demonstration of support. It was much more alarming.”
https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/public-impeachment-hearing-taylor-kent/card/1573664766
Last week Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and the Caucasus George Kent described efforts to start politically motivated investigations were infecting U.S. policy towards protecting Ukraine against Russian aggression. Trump's personal attorney conducted a smear campaign against an anti-corruption U.S. official, former Ambassador Yovanavitch. | George P. Kent, a senior State Department official and one of two star witnesses at Wednesday’s impeachment hearing, testified that Rudolph W. Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer, conducted a smear campaign against the United States ambassador to Ukraine and led an effort to “gin up politically motivated investigations,” according to a copy of his opening statement. Mr. Kent, the deputy assistant secretary of state for Europe and the Caucasus, appeared before the House Intelligence Committee Wednesday morning along with William B. Taylor Jr., the top American diplomat in Ukraine, for the first public impeachment hearing as Democrats began to build their case that Mr. Trump committed extortion, bribery or coercion by trying to enlist Ukraine to help him in the 2020 elections. In his opening statement, Mr. Kent said that he concluded by mid-August that Mr. Giuliani’s efforts to pressure Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine to open investigations into Mr. Trump’s rivals “were now infecting U.S. engagement with Ukraine, leveraging Zelensky’s desire for a White House meeting.” Mr. Kent also assailed what he called a “campaign to smear” American officials serving in Ukraine, which succeeded with the ouster of Marie L. Yovanovitch, the former United States ambassador to Ukraine.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/13/us/politics/impeachment-hearings.html
During his testimony Ambassador Taylor painted a devastating picture of Trump pursuing his own personal interests by leveraging security and military assistance for politically motivated investigations against his domestic rivals. | Much of the rest of Mr. Taylor’s testimony was consistent with what he told the panel previously, an account that included vivid details of how he discovered that Mr. Trump was conditioning “everything” about the United States relationship with Ukraine — including needed military aid and a White House meeting for Ukraine’s — on the country’s willingness to commit publicly to investigations of his political rivals. His testimony made it clear that the Ukrainians were well aware of the prerequisites at the time.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/13/us/politics/impeachment-hearings.html
___________________________
Canadian conservatives spend $231 million tearing down working wind farms, including a farm just built that would have powered 60,000 homes (toronto.citynews.ca)
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2019/11/19/ford-government-spending-231m-to-cancel-renewable-energy-projects/
Mike Pompeo planning to resign because Trump ‘hurting his reputation’, report claims
https://www.yahoo.com/news/mike-pompeo-planning-resign-because-093230187.html
Nikki Haley Illegally Used System for Unclassified Material to Illegally Send ‘Confidential’ Information | Newly released emails suggest that in 2017 the then-ambassador lost her password for classified communication and illegally used a different system.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/nikki-haley-used-system-for-unclassified-material-to-send-confidential-information
Secretary of State Pompeo has been privately telling Republicans he’s planning to resign, but the Ukraine scandal is complicating his departure
https://www.businessinsider.com/mike-pompeo-looking-to-resign-in-preparation-for-senate-run-2019-11
Judge will rule by Nov. 25 in Don McGahn subpoena fight
https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/19/impeachment-mcgahn-subpoena-071653
Maria Butina's ex-boyfriend to plead guilty to money laundering and wire fraud charges
https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/19/politics/paul-erickson-guilty-plea/index.html
Ohio farmer who left GOP over Trump's agricultural policy to challenge Jim Jordan
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/471197-ohio-farmer-who-left-gop-over-trumps-agricultural-policy-to-challenge-jim
Former UK consulate worker says China tortured him
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-50457262
Referee files lawsuit, claims Rep. Jim Jordan ignored abuse allegations against Ohio State doctor
https://sports.yahoo.com/ohio-state-team-doctor-richard-strauss-abuse-allegations-referee-told-representitive-congress-jim-jordan-investigation-041337777.html
A federal judge blocked a Trump administration “conscience rule” late Tuesday that would have expanded protections for health care workers with religious objections to certain medical procedures, just two days before it was set to take effect.
https://www.courthousenews.com/2nd-judge-blocks-trump-administration-conscience-rule-for-health-workers/
The FBI recently sought to question the CIA whistleblower who filed a complaint over Trump’s July 25 Ukraine call — a move that came after a vigorous internal debate within the bureau over how to respond to some of the issues raised by the complaint’s allegations and whether they needed to be more thoroughly investigated, according to sources familiar with the matter. An FBI agent in the Washington field office in October reached out to one of the lawyers representing the whistleblower and asked to question the CIA analyst who triggered the congressional inquiry into the ’s conduct, one of the sources said. But no interview has yet to be scheduled. It is unclear what the intended scope of the interview would be or whether the whistleblower’s lawyers will agree to it. Mark Zaid, one of the lawyers for the whistleblower, said he and his co-counsel would have no comment. An FBI spokesperson also declined comment.
https://news.yahoo.com/fbi-seeks-interview-with-cia-whistleblower-121637359.html
Former Baltimore Mayor Pugh charged with 11 counts of fraud, tax evasion in children's book scandal - Baltimore Sun.
https://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-pol-pugh-20191120-kzmc2v7cafetjladglhgnyusdy-story.html
MLB’s sign-stealing investigation should not stop at the Astros – The Athletic
https://theathletic.com/1393498/2019/11/19/rosenthal-mlbs-sign-stealing-investigation-should-not-stop-at-the-astros/
Government watchdog group Democracy Forward Foundation filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the State Department asking for communications of senior officials related to a series of opinion columns by John Solomon in The Hill that have been blamed for fueling conspiracy theories at the center of the impeachment inquiry. Democracy Forward Foundation, a nonprofit watchdog group, says the Trump Administration has failed to fulfill a Freedom of Information Act request for communication between senior State Department officials and Solomon, a former columnist for The Hill whose articles contributed to the ousting of the Ukrainian ambassador and revived accusations that the Obama Administration covered up improper dealings of Vice President Joe Biden, his son Hunter and a Ukranian energy firm in that country. The group said its lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington D.C., fulfills an urgent public need to determine if senior government officials were complicit in publication of the articles that are at the heart of the impeachment inquiry and could amount to “covert propaganda that violates federal law.” The watchdog group said the State Department has not provided any information or recognition of receipt of their FOIA request within the time period required.
https://thehill.com/policy/international/471303-watchdog-group-sues-state-department-to-release-communications-related
Senators grill Trump’s FDA commissioner nominee on teen vaping epidemic
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/20/trumps-fda-chief-nominee-stephen-hahn-grilled-over-teen-vaping-epidemic.html
____________
Kevin Garnett is the only player in NBA History that is currently top 50 in Career Points, Rebounds, Assists, Steals, and Blocks
Paul George requested a trade to San Antonio in 2017 but the Spurs "lacked the assets" to make a trade happen
https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/dz4qba/espn_paul_george_requested_a_trade_to_san_antonio/
After $170M Max Extension, Sixers Still Waiting for Ben Simmons to Hit 3s
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2863327-after-170m-max-extension-sixers-still-waiting-for-ben-simmons-to-hit-3s
James Harden has moved into 1st on the bball-ref MVP Tracker. Close behind are Lebron and Giannis
https://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/mvp.html
This is a classic Mike Pompeo tell. Whenever he's worried, he attacks a reporter.
https://twitter.com/nahaltoosi/status/1197225713847480321
Pompeo throws a jab at the reporter who asked about Sondland's testimony today:
"I didn’t see a single thing today. I was working. Sounds like you might not have been. I was in meetings all day & haven’t had a chance to see any of that testimony."
https://twitter.com/kylieatwood/status/1197222928389222406
UK consulate worker says arrested Hong Kong protesters are being tortured in Shenzhen
https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1493463-20191120.htm
A response to an insensitive tweet and “purity vote” from AOC 'Yo dog' - the continuing resolution funds Medicaid for 900,000 people in Puerto Rico - many who will die without medication. Do progressive posturing some other time. You voted 'no' (thankfully few people joined you)
https://twitter.com/Deoliver47/status/1197099765437288448
Billionaires invest in giant Australian solar farm to supply power to Singapore via a 4,500km high-voltage direct-current transmission network, including a 3,800km submarine cable running through Indonesian waters. It could provide one-fifth of the island city-state’s power needs.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/20/billionaires-invest-in-giant-australian-solar-farm-to-supply-power-to-singapore
Benny Gantz, the former army chief, failed in his month-long attempt to put together a governing coalition Wednesday, prolonging Israel’s protracted political gridlock and making it likely voters will have to endure a third national election in less than a year. | For the next three weeks, the law allows any member of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, a chance to do what both Gantz and Netanyahu could not: cobble together the 61 votes needed to form a government. If this, too, falls short, as most analysts predict, the country’s deja-vu nightmare will continue with another election, probably in March.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/challenger-benny-gantz-fails-to-form-israeli-government-deepening-political-crisis/2019/11/20/9e6da19c-0b14-11ea-8054-289aef6e38a3_story.html
How the Collapse of Local News Is Causing a ‘National Crisis’ | The loss of local news coverage in much of the United States has frayed communities and left many Americans woefully uninformed, according to a new report.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/20/us/local-news-disappear-pen-america.html
I’m blown away by how much blowback this is getting from progressives. He’s not even suggesting cutting all the insane subsidies colleges get. Just not giving them more when we do nothing post secondary for non-college track students.....: Instead of providing free college tuition for the children of millionaires and billionaires, I will open doors of opportunity for Americans who choose not to go to college with massive investments in apprenticeships, workforce training, and lifelong learning programs.
https://twitter.com/PeteButtigieg/status/1196852531307204608
Kamala Harris
I prosecuted sex predators. Trump is one.
I shut down for-profit scam colleges. He ran one.
I held big banks accountable. He's owned by them.
I'm not just prepared to take on Trump, I'm prepared to beat him.
https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1197243216132804608
Bloomberg spending $15M-$20M to register half million voters
https://apnews.com/16abd2f36e624f2e8065303d4b8d9c50
Resurfaced video shows Lindsey Graham scolding senators for making up their minds on impeachment without listening to 'facts'
https://www.newsweek.com/resurfaced-video-shows-lindsey-graham-scolding-senators-making-their-minds-impeachment-without-1472981
A portion of Mick Mulvaney's October 17 exchange with @jonkarl on withholding of Ukraine aid was just played at the impeachment hearing. Watch part of the original exchange. https://abcn.ws/2OtvA8M #ImpeachmentHearings
https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1197244384959438848
Raja Krishnamoorthi: The president said today he hardly knows you. Sondland: "Easy come, easy go!"
Having historic congressional hearings and a presidential debate the same day is an impeachable offense
"I lost my amigos," Sondland says, laughing at his joke.
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney out here with that strong New York Irish cop energy as he gets Sondland to say clearly that the investigations Trump wanted would benefit Trump
https://twitter.com/HayesBrown/status/1197248787762122752
I thought secretly interviewing people was bad? Senate Repblicans Haves Been Interviewing People Involved In The Whistleblower Complaint Sen. Richard Burr, the chair of the committee, said Tuesday that the panel has been “interviewing people that might be tied to” the complaint.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emmaloop/senate-intelligence-whistleblower-complaint-trump
Sondland wants to be ANYWHERE but here right now. He's clearly not cut out for any of this, and he's not really handling it well. The differences between an ambassador that paid $1,000,000 for his job and one that has been a career official couldn't be more dramatic.
Maloney-Demings tag team is great, wish they both had more time
.@CongressmanRaja points out that Trump's "I want nothing, no quid pro quo" call was ON THE SAME DAY that the House opened an investigation into said quid pro quo.
https://twitter.com/PodSaveAmerica/status/1197253183912869889
Now Pompeo, like Pence, is disputing Sondland's sworn testimony through a spokesperson and not under oath. Testify UNDER OATH IN A CLASSIFIED SETTING AND IN PUBLIC.
News: The infamous disinformation account @breakingnlive, which was retweeted by President Trump, is permanently suspended. It consistently tweeted wrong information to its 127k followers. It was "suspended for violating our platform manipulation and spam policy," per Twitter.
https://twitter.com/oneunderscore__/status/1197247594386378752
Will Hurd is what the GOP would be if it were sane. He consistently asks the best questions about the limits and shortcomings of the evidence for impeachment.
Is anyone going to ask why the White House is still withholding $35 Million of the approved aid to Ukraine? Pentagon confirms $35 million in aid still being withheld from Ukraine despite impeachment inquiry
https://www.salon.com/2019/11/20/pentagon-confirms-35-million-in-aid-still-being-withheld-from-ukraine-despite-impeachment-inquiry/
SWALWELL: This anti-corruption president, who cares so much about rooting out corruption in Ukraine, did he ever call you after he put the hold on to say, 'Ms. Cooper what's going on it Ukraine'?
COOPER: No sir.
SWALWELL: Ambassador Hale, did he ever call you ... ?
HALE: No sir.
Rep. Swalwell tells Cooper her testimony "destroys two pillars" of Trump's defense.
Pillar 1: "No harm, no foul." Ukraine got the aid.
Pillar 2: Trump's an anti-corruption champion in Ukraine.
It's great that Swalwell follows Stefanik every time. He always does a good job calling out the Republican bullshit immediately.
Mr. Hale your Mr. Hale, correct? ..... Correct
Mr. Hale when I say correct you say correct, correct? ...... Correct
Mr. Hale, correct? ..... Correct
Correct? ...... Correct
Pentagon official Laura Cooper testified Ukrainian officials knew as early as July 25 there was an issue with US aid. In their defense of Trump, some Republicans have alleged no bribery could exist if the Ukrainians weren't aware aid was being withheld. There goes the Republican talking point that the Ukrainians couldn’t feel pressure because they didn’t know.
Back to Obama. Holy BEEP!
One more note about Cooper: she's had to be very patient this #impeachment inquiry. Her closed-door deposition was delayed because of the GOP's SCIF sit-in. And then her open hearing was delayed for Sondland's marathon. But her testimony has been rich in details both times.
I love how they spend 4:30 of their 5 min building up to one HUGE bombshell question.... that falls flat. EVERY TIME.
Republicans: "Obama should have given Javelins to a new Ukrainian president trying to purge Russians from his military, but Trump should not have given aid to a new Ukrainian president who had been deeply vetted as trustworthy."
You can tell that Schiff gets a hit of ASMR every time he refers to Nunes and Jordan as 'the minority'.
Since Rep. Himes came outta the gate citing the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, pointing out Trump's actions were illegal (full stop), it really seems the wind has been taken out of the GOP's sails.
Rep. Speier: "You certified in May that the conditions had been met...So then when you find out in July that they're concerned about corruption, you're scratching your head, right?"
Laura Cooper: "Yes, ma'am. We did not understand.
https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1197302415642562562
Lmfao Cooper telling Stewart to get his BEEP straight. Republican conspiracies lol. Sir, what in the absolute BEEP are you talking about?
The GOP's argument is that Obama should have sent lethal assistance in the form of javelins to a Ukrainian administration that the GOP claims was super corrupt LOL^infinity
The letter from John Rood at DoD, certifying Ukraine beat back corruption sufficiently and that it was deserving of U.S. aid.
https://twitter.com/BBuchman_CNS/status/1197295949074313222
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6547790-Pentagon-May-Letter-on-Ukraine-Aid.html
July 25 timeline, w/ Cooper's testimony:
9-9:33a.m.: POTUS-Zelensky call
2:31p.m. DOD receives email from State saying Ukrainian Embassy & HFAC are inquiring about aid
4:25p.m. DOD receives email from State saying Ukrainian Embassy knows to an extent about aid
SCHIFF: Would you agree, though, that it would be very unusual to place a hold on military aid to leverage a foreign country to get them to investigate a political opponent?
HALE: Yes.
SCHIFF: It would also be wrong, wouldn't it?
HALE: Certainly not what I would do.
Cooper on importance of U.S. aid to Ukraine: "If we were to withdraw our support, it would embolden Russia...and validate Russia's violation of international law [in invading Crimea in 2014]."
Remember: Catherine Croft testified Ukrainains knew about hold on aid earlier than Aug. 28 -- but were motivated to keep it secret. Public news would show Zelensky to be weak and to have a frayed relationship w/ U.S. Politico story made secrecy impossible to maintain.
Remember NYT previously reported Ukraine knew about the withheld military aid in **early August**. (Not much confirmation of that that I've seen.) But new State Dept emails, per Cooper, bring it to literally the day Trump spoke with Zelensky, July 25.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/23/us/politics/ukraine-aid-freeze-impeachment.html
Another email, also from the State Department, came at 4:25 p.m. Per Cooper, it said, “The Hill knows about the FMF situation to an extent and so does the Ukrainian embassy.” (FMF is basically grants from the State Department for Ukraine to buy weapons like the Javelin.)
The claim that nobody in Ukraine noticed a late check for $400 million voted by Congress was always farcically improbable
Cooper on July 25 contacts re: aid: "The Ukrainian Embassy staff asked what is going on with security assistance.”
Schiff: Did that connote that they thought there was something going on with it? Cooper: "Yes sir."
Cooper says the second email was sent on July 25 from Ukraine embassy officials that went to the State Department asking what was going on with the aid
Laura Cooper, just testified that the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington was asking the State Department about the freeze in security assistance already on July 25. Yes, that’s the day of the Trump-Zelensky call.
There goes the "Ukraine didn't even realize the funding was on hold" argument.
Ukraine knew aid was held on the day of the infamous phone call, Cooper has evidence showing the Ukrainians knew the aid was being withheld as early as July 25th, she has the July 25 emails and they implicate Mulvaney
Reminder: September 10th - Adam Schiff formally requested a previously unknown whistleblower complaint
https://intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/20190910_-_chm_schiff_letter_to_acting_dni_maguire.pdf
Reminder: September 11th - Trump administration reinstates military aid for Ukraine
Speaking to reporters at the end of his tour of the @Apple Mac Pro plant, Pres called today's Sondland hearing "fantastic," portraying it as clearing him of any allegations of imposing a quid pro quo on Ukraine's president. "It's over," he said. "This thing is over."
https://twitter.com/markknoller/status/1197275542044758019
He praised Sondland despite also claiming he did not know Sondland LOL.
Gordon Sondland has left the Capitol after nearly 7 hours of public testimony.
Schifff ends by building on his closing remarks from last night: "Getting caught is no defense. Not to a violation of the Constitution. Or to a violation of his oath of office. And it certainly doesn't give us a reason to ignore our own oath of office. We are adjourned." Laura Cooper and David Hale to testify beginning ???pm
Schifff : The question is not what the president meant, the question is not whether he was responsible for holding up the aid. He was ... the question is what are we prepared to do about it? Is there any accountability? Or are we forced to conclude this is now the world we live in?
Sort of an amazing moment here, where Sondland declines to say that he actually believed Trump when Trump said "I want nothing!"
https://twitter.com/chrislhayes/status/1197302131314872325
__________________
Trump denies that he said Zelensky should do the right thing "I didn't say that"
The Republican Trump administration is encouraging Obamacare individual market consumers to use outside brokers to sign up for coverage, who are allowed to sell skimpy health insurance plans that don't provide comprehensive coverage.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2019/11/20/critics-say-junk-plans-are-being-pushed-aca-exchanges/
DNA testing has established that Hunter Biden is the father of an Arkansas baby, according to a motion filed Wednesday | Hunter Biden, who initially denied having sexual relations with Roberts, eventually agreed to take a DNA test, according to documents filed by Roberts’ attorney, Clint Lancaster. I post this because for months he denied the baby was his and asked for the mother's case to be thrown out. The child is now one year old.
https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2019/nov/20/dna-test-shows-hunter-biden-father-arkansas-womans/
Rep Krishnamoorthi: Tim Morrison came in yesterday in his deposition testimony as well as yesterday and disparaged you too. He called you “The Gordon Problem.”
Sondland: That’s what my wife calls me. (laughter) Maybe they are talking. Should I be worried?
Krishnamoorthi: Maybe
Guess who made his flight
https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/1197267741192921090
“What did he gain?” Mr. Calvillo said of the gunman. “Nothing. What did we gain? Just pain, that’s all.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/20/us/el-paso-shooting-survivors.html
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney: "Secretary Pompeo should be ashamed of himself. When the people he's supposed to lead, supposed to protect & take care of, are out here getting attacked by the president for telling the truth, getting intimidated when they come before Congress."
Portland has waived F/C Pau Gasol, per Gasol. He’s been unable to successfully rehab left foot following surgery. Blazers had protections in 1-year deal. Gasol, Blazers working on details of coaching role as future HOFer remains in Portland to rehab.
https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1197272317681963010
Counterpoint: Ben Simmons was a near-unanimous #1 draft pick, a clear Rookie Of The Year and a sophomore All-Star all without attempting a 3-point shot.
Houston Food Bank tosses 1.8M pounds of food after ammonia leak in storage area | A fan had broken a week earlier in one of the vast rooms where produce is kept, severing a line containing ammonia that cools the space. The leak contaminated all of the nonprofit’s refrigerated food — including apples and oranges, beans and rice — and forced workers to shut the system down. | Next began the process of tossing food. Most of it was produce. Cabbage. Carrots. Onions. They lost the equivalent of about 62 truckloads — a hard amount to go without. Forty-five percent of what the food bank distributes is fresh.
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Houston-Food-Bank-is-cleaning-up-after-ammonia-14847393.php
Jeanette Manfra, senior DHS cyber official, to step down
https://www.cyberscoop.com/jeanette-manfra-dhs-resigning/
Trump just toured a Texas plant that has been making Apple computers since 2013 and took credit for it, suggesting the plant opened today. "Today is a very special day." Tim Cook spoke immediately after him and did not correct the record.
https://twitter.com/jacknicas/status/1197273684618039297
Trump has now falsely taken credit for the existence of three plants he has visited this year: one in Texas, one in Louisiana, one in Pennsylvania. It's his standard bit when he visits a manufacturing facility.
https://twitter.com/ddale8/status/1197300160491065346
'Cyborg' bots spread misinformation in Louisiana and Kentucky elections, researchers say | Accounts that use a mix of human direction and automation point to the continuous evolution of misinformation strategies.
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/cyborg-bots-spread-misinformation-louisiana-kentucky-elections-researchers-say-n1086271?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_np
A huge part of the Raven's success is how well Lamar Jackson fakes a handoff
Google will stop giving advertisers the ability to target election ads using data such as public voter records and general political affiliations, the company asserted Wednesday.
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/google-changes-election-ads-policy-limit-targeting-n1087681
If the regime in Iran topples (as all people of conscience hope) it will be in spite of the UK foreign office, which has been trying to accommodate these thugs for decades.
https://twitter.com/EliLake/status/1197304547464634368
Illinois to Take Emergency Action to Halt Isolated Timeouts in Schools | Gov. J.B. Pritzker called the practice of secluding children “appalling” and said he will work with legislators to end it. | The Illinois State Board of Education announced on Wednesday that it will take emergency action to end isolated seclusion of children in schools, saying the practice has been “misused and overused to a shocking extent.” Calling the seclusion of children in Illinois “appalling,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said that he directed the education agency to make the emergency rules, and that he will then work with legislators to make them law. The rules would not totally ban the use of timeout rooms, but children would be put in timeout only if a “trained adult” is in the room and the door is unlocked. Timeouts also must be used only for therapeutic reasons or to protect the safety of students and staff, the board said. The board also said it will begin collecting data on all instances of timeout and physical restraint in Illinois schools. State officials had not previously monitored these practices. The response comes a day after the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois published an investigation, based on thousands of school records, that revealed children were put in isolation every school day for reasons that often violate the law.
https://www.propublica.org/article/illinois-school-students-seclusion-rooms-state-emergency-action-pritzker-carroll
https://features.propublica.org/illinois-seclusion-rooms/school-students-put-in-isolated-timeouts/
Rep. Carolyn Maloney was elected to lead the House Oversight and Reform Cmte., the first woman to hold the job in the panel’s 92-year history.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/carolyn-maloney-chosen-first-woman-lead-house-oversight-panel-n1087671?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_np
Trump’s DOJ *retried* a man simply for providing humanitarian shelter and medical aid to 2 immigrants at a volunteer camp set up to rescue migrants. First jury deadlocked. Second jury: Total exoneration. Victory for humanity. Scott Warren was found not guilty on both felony harboring counts.
Speaking to one of the jurors outside the court, she tells me, “I think we all agreed that what he and these people do is fantastic.”
https://twitter.com/rdevro/status/1197293331878793216
Multiple jurors tell me the same thing: the government needed to prove that it was Warren’s intent to break the law — not provide humanitarian aid — and they failed
https://twitter.com/rdevro/status/1197295105897418757
The House is now fully entitled to hear from Pence, Pompeo, Mulvaney and Giuliani
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/11/20/house-is-now-fully-entitled-hear-pence-pompeo-mulvaney-giuliani/
SCOOP: In investigation of LEV PARNAS & IGOR FRUMAN, SDNY has subpoenaed:
▶️Top TRUMP fundraiser & lobbyist BRIAN BALLARD
▶️2 fundraisers for the pro-TRUMP @AmericaFirstPAC
▶️a businessman from whom Parnas sought $ for Fraud Guarantee to pay @RudyGiuliani
https://twitter.com/kenvogel/status/1197319399755124736
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/20/us/politics/trump-fund-raisers-subpoenaed.html
Toughski shitski, motion to subpoena Hunter Biden is tabled. Ditto for the Whistleblower, Chalupa, etc. All of which are being tabled by majority vote of the committee. THANK YOU DEMOCRATS.
Chairman Schiff: "We do have an anti-corruption policy around the world." When people see a president of the United States who does not represent values of anti-corruption or rule of law, Schiff concludes: "They are forced to ask themselves what does America stand for any more."
https://twitter.com/KlasfeldReports/status/1197318385169829888
Conaway objects to the votes occurring without being noticed. But Schiff ignores him and goes to a roll call vote.
Only four GOP members are still here -- not that it matters given the Dem majority but now the vote will be 13-4 instead of 13-9.
House Intel is now voting to table (aka kill) the Republican subpoena motions that Ranking Member Nunes made earlier today for Hunter Biden, the whistleblower and others to compel them to testify.
https://twitter.com/AlexNBCNews/status/1197319219039342592
Nunes looking like he caught the bubonic plague on that shot when he said no.
Rep Nunes: "I yield to Chairman Schiff for story time hour."
Rep. Schiff: "I thank the gentleman as always for his remarks."
Watch full #ImpeachmentHearing here: https://cs.pn/2QoK2Bw
https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1197317561341431808
“We’re supposed to believe that Donald Trump is a great corruption fighter...let’s look at his words and deeds.” Removing Yovanovitch, praising Lutsenko, tying aid to Biden investigation “is not anti-corruption, it is corruption”. - @RepAdamSchiff
https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/status/1197317765243293696
The difference in demeanor and eloquence between Democrats and Republicans is staggering.
Schiff is making a good point. If Trump was so anti-corruption, why did he get rid of Yovanovitch, as she has a stellar anti-corruption resume.
“I yield to Mr Schiff for story time hour,” Nunes says. Schiff responds: “I thank the gentleman, as always, for his remarks.” Hearing room laughs. Schiff cracks a smile, Nunes stone-faced
https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1197316818848890881
During closing remarks, Nunes gives the floor over to Schiff for what he described as his "story time"
Schiff, totally unmmoved, "Thank you as always for your comments." Laughter rang out in the chamber.
https://twitter.com/BBuchman_CNS/status/1197316556843364352
Lol Adam Schiff owned Nunes by just thanking him.
Fuck off Nunes. Time for adults to speak.
Even Nunes sounds sick of his own tirades......Projection! Rejection! Martyrdom! Nunes describing the GOP playbook...Look what you’ve unleashed, kids who bullied Devin Nunes in school....
Trump held up money because they weren't trustworthy but trusts them with an investigation into a political rival.
So Republicans won't give them aid cause they are corrupt, but they will give them Javelins. If the Ukraine admin was corrupt, why give them Javelins.
"Ambassador Volkland"
This may be why Gym is subdued: On Tuesday, outside the impeachment inquiry hearing, a mobile billboard truck began circling the Capitol Hill building, calling for a congressional investigation into that scandal, which continues to dog Jordan back home. The billboard message said: “Ohio State officials knew about Richard Strauss for nearly two decades.” “20 years later, sexual abuse still is unreported. This isn’t just a Strauss problem, this is a problem at The Ohio State University. Congress, it’s time to investigate.”
https://www.frontpagelive.com/2019/11/20/gop-attack-dog-jim-jordan-gets-pulled-back-into-ohio-state-sexual-abuse-scandal
DAVID HALE on Marie Yovanovitch: I only met her when I took this job, but immediately, I understood that we had an exceptional officer doing exceptional work at a very critical embassy in Kyiv. And during my visit to Kyiv I was very impressed by what she was doing there.
HECK: Are you saying that Yovanovitch is a dedicated and courageous patriot?
HALE: I endorse what you say exactly.
HECK: And that she served with grace and dignity in the face of this smear campaign?
HALE: Yes, she did ... I believe that she should have been able to stay.
HECK: And what happened to her was wrong?
HALE: Yes, sir.
Miss Cooper looks like she's had about enough of Gym Jordan's shit.
She's just looking at all of the House Republicans as if she can't believe that they're the ones governing this country.
.@RepSwalwell to Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary for Ukraine Laura Cooper: "Your testimony today destroys two of pillars of president's defense and one justification for his conduct." Watch #ImpeachmentHearing LIVE here: https://cs.pn/2QoK2Bw
https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1197307812461907969
.@RepSwalwell lays out how Cooper’s testimony debunks two key GOP defenses of Trump:
1. Ukraine “didn’t know that the hold was in place.” (THEY KNEW on July 25)
2. Trump was a “champion of anti-corruption.” (He didn’t mention corruption ONCE in calls with Zelensky)
https://twitter.com/CAPAction/status/1197306998762680324
The Ambassador seemed to relish his unlikely role at the center of the impeachment affair. He had real stage presence. ... There was no Gordon Problem, he argued. There was a Trump Problem."
https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-trumps-washington/ambassador-sondlands-revenge
7/25 Trump-Ze phoner
7/25 Ukrainians know $ frozen
8/12 whistleblower flags arms-for-dirt claim to IG
8/14-15 House approp aides find out money is frozen
8/28 Politico reports $ frozen
9/9 whistle report reaches WH
9/11 Trump releases $
9/12 Shelby tells S-Apps $ released
https://twitter.com/jonallendc/status/1197308413707005952
To normal people, this sounds crazy. But Hannity is inoculating his listeners against actual news bearing down on them. His listeners do not tune in to learn things, they listen to him to confirm things they already believe.
https://twitter.com/RadioFreeTom/status/1197255629833998337
https://twitter.com/jeremymbarr/status/1197247751093919745
Note Hannity is parroting Trump: Sean Hannity says on his radio show that Gordon Sondland's testimony has won it for the Republicans: "It is over. It is done. This is the end of this."
Trump press secretary backtracks claim Obama officials left 'You will fail' notes
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/nov/20/stephanie-grisham-obama-officials-you-will-fail-notes-claim
Trump considering withdrawing up to 4,000 U.S. troops from South Korea
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-southkorea-usa-military/trump-considering-withdrawing-up-to-4000-u-s-troops-from-south-korea-report-idUSKBN1XU2V4
South Korea is one of the most loyal U.S. allies. Now we’re being bullied by Trump. | On Sunday, South Korea signed a defense agreement with China. Under the accord, Seoul and Beijing will increase military hotlines and other exchanges. Many Americans have overlooked the news. They shouldn’t. This is the most dramatic evidence yet that the Trump administration’s bullying of one of its most loyal allies is damaging fundamental U.S. interests in East Asia. President Trump’s demand that South Korea boost its spending on U.S. troops in the country more than fivefold shows once again that he is willing to undermine a long-standing alliance relationship in return for domestic political gains. The White House is asking Seoul to pony up $5 billion for the 28,500 U.S. troops in the South in 2020 — up from $923 million this year. This might please his supporters at home, but it is seriously undermining the 70-year-old friendship between the two countries — a friendship sealed in blood. South Korean troops fought and died alongside U.S. troops in Vietnam, and South Korea sent non-combat troops to Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, though, some South Koreans are speaking of American betrayal. On Tuesday, representatives from the two sides started what was supposed to be two days of talks on the costs of U.S. deployment — but the meeting ended abruptly after just 80 minutes. Seoul has already increased the amount it pays for U.S. troops by 8 percent this year. An almost 500 percent hike for next year is almost unthinkable. Critics in Seoul say Washington’s behavior is approaching bullying, because it wants to set a precedent for upcoming negotiations for troop costs with Japan and NATO. Foreign Policy magazine recently reported that the United States wants Japan to raise its support for the 54,000 U.S. troops there by four times, to $8 billion. Trump argues that the United States is paying too much for the defense of other countries, saying that wealthy allies such as South Korea and Japan should bear more of the burden. But he’s missing a vital point: The soldiers in Korea are there not only to protect the capitalist South from North Korea, but also to maintain U.S. military dominance in northeast Asia, where China’s rising military might threatens regional stability. Increasing military cooperation between China and Russia is another justification for the U.S. military presence on the Korean Peninsula. The U.S. military presence overseas serves long-term U.S. interests by defending its allies’ democracies and free markets against authoritarian and totalitarian regimes. The current liberal international order built by the United States, and backed by its military presence overseas, has long helped the interests of U.S. institutions and businesses. Nowhere is that truer than in South Korea. Thanks to help from the U.S.-led United Nations during the Korean War, the South not only fended off invasion from the North, but has now become a mature and prosperous democracy, an achievement the United States can proudly cite as evidence of its successful foreign policy. Facing North Korea, China and Russia to the north, South Korea is now the front line of the U.S. sphere of influence in the Asia-Pacific region. If South Korea is left to confront its far more powerful adversaries alone, the United States will lose a vital foothold on the Asian continent. That helps to explain why the United States recently made a strategic choice to move its main military base from Seoul to the western port city of Pyeongtaek, one of South Korea’s closest points to China, just a few hundred miles across the Yellow Sea. The new base — the size of Washington, D.C., and the largest outside the United States — underlines the United States’ strategic imperatives. In addition to barracks and training fields, it has runways, eight playing fields, an 18-hole golf course and other amenities for 45,000 U.S. soldiers and their families. The garrison, opened last year, appears to be designed for a future when the threat of North Korea has vanished and if the two Koreas are unified. What the Trump administration prefers to overlook is the fact that 90 percent of the $10.8 billion spent on the garrison’s construction was paid by South Korea. Seoul also points out that South Korea imported nearly $7 billion worth of U.S. weapons during the past decade, becoming the third-largest importer of U.S. weapons after Saudi Arabia and Australia. So it should come as little surprise that a growing number of South Koreans are enraged by the Trump administration. Some even wonder whether the president’s outrageous demand is just an excuse for withdrawing U.S. troops from South Korea in case ongoing negotiations on the cost fall apart. That could be a worst-case scenario for both Seoul and Washington.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/11/20/south-korea-is-one-most-loyal-us-allies-now-were-being-bullied-by-trump/
https://news.yahoo.com/china-signs-defense-agreement-south-005403276.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/11/15/trump-administration-demands-south-korea-pay-more-for-us-troops/4200210002/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia-pacific/us-breaks-off-talks-with-south-korea-over-costs-of-military-alliance/2019/11/19/949773d8-0a9b-11ea-8054-289aef6e38a3_story.html?tid=lk_inline_manual_9
https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/11/18/trump-japan-south-korea-pay-united-states-troops-billions-asia-pacific/
https://time.com/5324575/us-camp-humphreys-south-korea-largest-military-base/
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20190127000224
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-southkorea-base/u-s-forces-chief-says-south-korea-paid-for-90-percent-of-biggest-overseas-base-idUSKBN1JP09X
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20190127000224
Everyone understood a political earthquake had occurred, but this is a capital that has lost its belief in the power of political earthquakes to move the immovable American public.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-trumps-washington/ambassador-sondlands-revenge
THURSDAY: Impeachment Inquiry Hearing with Fiona Hill and David Holmes – LIVE at 9am ET on C-SPAN3, @cspanRadio & online here: https://cs.pn/33TaXJr
https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1197323858862362625
Lev Parnas, an indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani, helped arrange meetings and calls in Europe for Rep. Devin Nunes in 2018, Parnas’ lawyer Ed MacMahon told The Daily Beast.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/lev-parnas-helped-rep-devin-nunes-investigations?via=twitter_page
Trump was evidently fully aware he was talking on an open line during sensitive call that Russia likely listened in on
https://theweek.com/speedreads/879671/trump-evidently-fully-aware-talking-open-line-during-sensitive-call-that-russia-likely-listened
Bolivian Military Carries Out Second Massacre Against Morales Supporters
https://www.democracynow.org/2019/11/20/headlines/bolivian_military_carries_out_second_massacre_against_morales_supporters
Teenage neo-Nazi convicted of planning terror attack targeting synagogues as part of race war.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/synagogue-attack-durham-terror-neo-nazi-race-war-antisemitism-a9210856.html
‘We’re in a deep hole’: Fossil fuel production on track to exceed Paris Agreement safe climate change limits by 120%
https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-crisis-fossil-fuels-un-report-oil-gas-coal-carbon-emissions-a9210276.html
Arizona border activist Scott Warren acquitted of harboring immigrants
https://www.abc15.com/news/state/arizona-border-activist-scott-warren-acquitted-of-harboring-immigrants
Vegan Meat To Hit $140 Billion Dollars By 2029 | The plant based alternative meat market as of 2019 sits at $14 billion dollars but by 2029 may very well be a 140 billion dollar industry and take up 10 percent of the global meat industry if things continue to progress as they are currently in the market forecasts the British investment bank. Barclays said in their report: “Due to rising demand and a growing population, global meat consumption is on the rise, especially in the US, which currently makes up about $270 billion of the $1.4 trillion global meat industry. We believe therefore that there is a bigger market opportunity for plant-based (and maybe even lab-grown) protein than was projected for electric vehicles ten years ago.”
https://vegannewsnow.com/2019/11/20/vegan-meat-140-billion-dollars-by-2019-barclays/
.@DevalPatrick is learning how hard it is to jump into the presidential race already in progress. He cancels event at @Morehouse, @AnnieGrayerCNN reports, after a crowd didn’t show up. Meanwhile, across town in Atlanta 10 candidates prepare to take debate stage.
https://twitter.com/jeffzeleny/status/1197323696274313216
Vindman’s Lawyer Asks Fox News to Retract Espionage Allegation
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/20/us/vindmans-lawyer-asks-fox-news-to-retract-espionage-allegation.html
No comments:
Post a Comment