Is Donald Trump Cabinet planning a coup?

August 21, 2019: PROGRESSIVE STREET NEWS BYTES...Where Liberals Walk

Donald Trump's lies finally catching up with him  

LYING: The epitome of Donald Trump

Although Anthony Scaramucci doesn't name names in this particular article, he says "that some current administration officials will soon turn on Trump and work against his 2020 re-election." Scary Tony adds...

“It’s a little bit like a cycle,” Scaramucci said. “I mean, if you can get the cycle started, some people that are fear-based due to the president’s bullying or the nonsense on his Twitter feed or how he handles himself personally, they’re intimidated by him.”

It has been obvious how some have been irked at the Oval Office lunatic, like former Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson who once called Trump a "fucking moron." Scaramucci concluded with...

“What we saw over the week is the balloon is coming out of the president’s bombast,” he added. “The balloon is coming out of his rhetoric.”

 And then Scaramucci came out with, "These 6 former Trump officials are the most likely to throw him under the bus in 2020," Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Former Defense Secretary James Mattis, Former chief of staff John Kelly, Former DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, and Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Additional comments...

"The president has not been shy about expressing his disdain for Tillerson ever since he left his position, and he sent out an angry tweet calling his former top diplomat 'dumb as a rock.'”

"In his resignation letter, Mattis took thinly veiled shots at the president’s notorious disdain for America’s system of international alliances."

"He [John Kelly] was caught on camera twice shoving his face into his hand when the president did something embarrassing, such as when he referred to North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un as 'Rocket Man' in front of the United Nations."

Fact checking for Donald Trump lies has become a major business...

There's more you can read in the AlterNet article. And in the 'I can't believe Trump told that lie" column, he made the claim that Google threw over 2.6 million votes to Hillary Clinton. "On Monday’s edition of CNN’s “Cuomo Prime Time,” fact-checker Daniel Dale told host Chris Cuomo that not only is President Donald Trump’s claim a lie, the professor he’s citing, Robert Epstein, has repudiated Trump’s interpretation of it."

Now, the clincher is that "Trump is in panic mode because his ability to lie to his fans may soon face its greatest test," and he may fail miserably. Here's how...

"Economic reports increasingly warn of a coming recession, likely to be exacerbated by the pointless trade war with China, which was largely launched as an ego boost for Trump. So Trump and his allies are clinging to their favorite strategy — lying their heads off — in order to convince his followers that the U.S. economy is going great."

A documentary of Donald Trump lies...

Here's more from Maggie Haberman of the New York Times...

"Trump’s main response to reports of a possibly looming recession is to go into full conspiracy-theory mode, accusing his own hand-picked chair of the Federal Reserve and the news media of conspiring against his re-election chances."

But with the American public finally getting smart about the White House maniac, "Trump’s presidency is backfiring as the public grows more and more opposed to his views." While still wildly popular among his hardcore far-right base, it's not representative of the United States on the whole. Although in agreement with T-rump's views in the past, “There’s just one catch: the public is turning against Trump’s views.” This because of at least one major factor...

a Reuters poll found that Americans “were more likely to empathize with African-Americans” — including “whites without a college degree,” who played an important role in Trump’s victory over Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Now on to 2020.

READ MORE of my posts on Donald Trump Lies. 

Donald Trump: The great betrayal

WEDNESDAY-SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 NEWS BYTES

An anthology of Donald Trump follies...  

The absurd #45

If ever there was a news media's dream, it is Donald Trump's absurdities in the White House. They come so fast that they have to be collected in anthologies. This is one of those and includes some of the most recent stupid moves this maniac has made. The Congress can see this but does nothing because a GOP headed up by lowlife Mitch McConnell can only think of maintaining the power of the right wing radicals. Something that will soon change.

Now Trump's tariff trade war has finally caused a slowdown' among American small businesses. Business optimism hit a five-month low in August, this from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), a lobbying group. Here's the situation...

"Pantheon Macroeconomics said in an email that the main optimism figure was "dragged down by declines in expectations for the economy and business sales." Both measures fell significantly, by eight points and five points respectively, Pantheon said."

And...

"the trend remains weak and continues to signal a clear downshift in business investment through the end of this year and into early 2020."

These small business owners "are reluctant to make major spending commitments," in part due to Donald Trump's bizarre war on China with a steady increase in tariffs, which brings a like response from Xi Jinping.

Barack Obama knew the importance of small business to the economy...

The number of uninsured Americans for health insurance has increased under the Donald Trump White House.,,

"data suggest that the economic expansion, now the longest on record at more than 10 years, is still struggling to provide widespread benefits to the U.S. population."

Also, "household income rose last year at its slowest pace in four years and finally matched its previous peak set in 1999. There's more...

"Solid gains in household incomes in the past four years have returned the median only to where it was two decades ago. And despite strong growth last year in the number of Americans working full time and year-round, the number of people with private health insurance remained flat."

"An estimated 27.5 million people, 8.5% of the population, went without health insurance in 2018. That was an increase of 1.9 million uninsured people, or 0.5 percentage point."

T-rump must be stopped before these numbers are completely out of control.

Chris Cillizza on Trump and Obamacare...

Donald Trump fired war monger John Bolton, or Bolton quit, according to him. No matter, we're rid of the guy who could have started World War III. Apparently Johnny 'finger on the button' had a rivalry with Mike Pompeo, Sec. of State, and the Oval Office lunatic didn't like some of his recent moves. This is how the Guardian sees it...

"The US president’s antipathy to globalism and multilateralism will remain but there will be a rebalancing towards Trump’s instinctive anti-interventionism, coupled with his penchant for personal diplomacy. At best, it may also lead to greater policy coordination between Washington’s national security agencies and, as a result, more consistent advice being handed to an often under-briefed president."

I think that might infer that John Bolton stood in the way of some national security briefings that weren't getting to Trump. Not sure what difference that made cause T-rump probably wouldn't read them, and, if he did, wouldn't understand them. If you are interested in Bolton's positions on Afghanistan, Venezuela, Iran, Russia and No. Korea, suggest you read the article.

Read more 'Donald Trump Dumb' here

Donald Trump does Arizona and Gov. Doug Ducey swoons

Donald Trump was only in Arizona around three hours but was able to turn the state's governor, Doug Ducey, into a replica of himself. Ducey is now a clone of Donald Trump.

The clone is on

Doug Ducey has never been known to be a Rhodes Scholar, but, then, how much mental capacity does it take to sell ice cream in Arizona. However, the Oval Office lunatic just visited Phoenix, touring the Honeywell plant where they manufacture medical face masks for coronavirus. The douchebag did his standard suckup welcoming T-rump, following him around for the exposure, then he promptly did this...

"Arizona ended the work of a team of scientists who predicted that the peak of its outbreak had not yet arrived.

"The experts, from Arizona universities, were making models for the state, and had predicted that the peak could come on May 22 or later.

"But the state's health department stopped their work hours after Republican Gov. Doug Ducey announced some businesses can reopen this week, ABC 15 Arizona and the Arizona Republic reported.

"The state now says it will rely on other sources of information and on federal modelling."

Georgia...on everybody's mind...

Discharged but still vocal...

the modeling team, made up of at least 23 volunteer experts from Arizona State University and the University of Arizona, had predicted in late April that peak of the outbreak in the state hasn't arrived yet — and could come on May 22 or later.

Just another stupid Republican governor that espouses we should let the people of the U.S. just hurry up and die? There are more as dumb or dumber. In early April "eight US governors decided against issuing statewide directives urging their residents to stay at home as the outbreak of the coronavirus escalates and spreads across the country, the last holdouts in the nation." Trump continued to refuse a nationwide closure, citing the Constitution as his reason.

Atlanta Mayor in rebuttal to Governor Kemp...

And "Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms pleads for residents to stay home, despite Governor Brian Kemp lifting shelter-in-place orders and reopening some nonessential businesses." Salon reports the Founding Fathers started this country with "no president, no federal judiciary and essentially no federal government." They subsequently decided to set up a stronger central government, but couldn't have visualized the nightmare that exists today.

Congress has relinquished its power over the years to the White House, in part because the president needs the ability to wage war, among other emergencies like an invasion or, say, a pandemic. It is interesting to note here that Donald Trump's free rein to address the COVID-19 crisis resulted in a colossal failure these Founding Fathers could never have imagined. He has not recovered from the initial ineptness, thus, the country's governors either follow suit or do their own thing.

11 times Donald Trump downplayed the coronavirus...

Salon continues...

"Donald Trump has been blustering about his "power" since he was elected, even fatuously declaring, 'I have an Article II, where I have to the right to do whatever I want as president.' More recently, he argued that he had "total authority" to make states withdraw their stay-at-home orders, before backing off."

Since the coronavirus crept up on our beaches and spread throughout our cities, "Trump has actually been impotent in every important way." Still, he has "been on TV almost every day blathering about what a great job he's doing." What he hasn't done, and by far the most important, is that he has not led the country in a time of dire crisis. On a daily basis Donald Trump comes off as a blundering idiot, which he definitely is.

Again, the "massively powerful tool" called the Defense Production Act is put forward, something he has already used "hundreds of thousands of times" as president. But instead, this is what the White House maniac did, he told state governors, "Respirators, ventilators, all of the equipment — try getting it yourselves." This resulted in...

"bidding wars and cloak-and-dagger black market purchases. He complained mightily that they weren't doing their jobs. But it was he who wasn't doing his."

"Way ahead on testing - Best in the world on testing...yeah, sure - Bullshit...

It is clear why Donald Trump doesn't want a nationally coordinated approach to the surge of COVID-19, more so a federally backed testing program for the virus. It will produce numbers that embarrass him, like the fact we are already averaging close to 2,000 deaths per day from the disease with no hope of improvement in sight. New cases are currently running around 25,000 daily, but a new model from Trump's White House predicts 200,000 per day by June.

This frightening figure is a result of the opening of the economy by T-rump and select governors around the country, and promises to produce a new daily death toll of at least 3,000. Trump's own model predicts that, based on reopening, plus relaxed restrictions on social distancing, it will put the status of the coronavirus pandemic right back to where it was mid-March. Since Trump has failed so miserably at any progress, he figures the relapse won't be that noticeable.

Here's Senator Chuck Schumer's take on the current situation...

“By muzzling science and the truth, it will only prolong this health and economic crisis. The president’s failure to accept the truth, and then his desire to hide it, is one of the chief reasons we are lagging behind so many other countries in beating this scourge.”

The United States looks disgraceful up against other countries of the world. You can check it in the WORLDOMETER report reflecting results from countries. Scroll down to the breakdown by country. It's more than frightening.

10 reasons Donald Trump won't be reelected in 2020

August 13, 2019: TODAY'S NEWS BYTES on PROGRESSIVE STREET...Where Liberals Walk

Donald Trump won't repeat and here's why  

If you are looking for some sound reasons why Donald Trump will likely be back in his Trump Tower after 2020, look no more. Quinnipiac University reminds us that his approval rating is at 40 percent while his disapproval is at 54 percent and here is some of the logic thanks to AlterNet...

Donald Trump - The Washington bigot

1. Most Americans think Trump is racist.
2. Large majorities of both black and Latinos think Trump is racist.
3. Unlike Trump, 78 percent of Americans think it is never “acceptable for a presidential campaign to obtain information on a political opponent from a hostile foreign power.”
4. A huge majority of people (87 percent) believe campaigns should be forced to report receiving information from foreign governments.
5. 54 percent say they will “definitely not vote” for Trump.
6. Only 32 say they will “definitely” vote for Trump.
7. Voters aren’t buying Trump’s spin on the horrific conditions his administration forces upon immigrants.
8. Trump’s hope to make 2020 about the supposed dangers of immigration will probably fail.
9. 88 percent of people say “lack of civility in politics today is a serious problem.”
10. Indeed, more voters blame Trump for lack of civility than Democrats.

A vote whether Donald Trump should be reelected...

The 32%, above, who say they will definitely vote for Trump are the same double-digits you see standing behind him at rallies, and those who gloat over his online tweets. The 54 percent who say they will “definitely not vote” for Trump, and if they, in fact, come out to vote, will hopefully save this country from  another four years of a raving ego-maniac that is driving the U.S. into the ground.

Assuming the democrats are not dumb enough to let the Electoral College beat them again, there is a good chance this country will return to normal after the 2020 elections.

The White House maniac hasn't a clue on coronavirus...

UPDATE

Coronavirus isn't yet out of hand in the U.S.; although it is spreading throughout the country. "As of March 05, 2020 at 18:17 GMT, there have been 164 confirmed cases and 11 deaths due to coronavirus COVID-19 in the United States." Here's the lineup by state:

• 27 in Washington State (including 9 deaths and 1 recovered)
• 24 in California (including 2 recovered)
• 4 in Illinois (including 2 recovered)
• 3 in Florida
• 3 in Oregon
• 2 in Arizona (including 1 recovered)
• 2 in Georgia
• 2 in Massachusetts (including 1 recovered)
• 2 in New York
• 2 in Rhode Island
• 2 in New Hampshire
• 1 in North Carolina
• 1 in Texas
• 1 in Wisconsin (including 1 recovered)

And all this while Donald Trump tries to "minimize" the problem, just to protect the stock market and his chances to win in November. Here's the scenario...

“Trump’s playing down of the California patient at his news conference underscores the administration’s slapdash and often misleading attempts to contain not just the virus, but also potential political damage from the outbreak — which has tanked financial markets, slowed global commerce and killed some 3,000 people worldwide, including the first U.S. death, announced Saturday,” the Washington Post reports.

So much for a president who is looking out for the people...READ MORE...

Mike Pence defends Trump, Jr. comment, "Democrats hope coronavirus 'kills millions of people' in the US because they want to bring his father down." 

And this is what number two dumb had to say, "he was merely 'pushing back' at politicisation of the viral outbreak by Trump opponents." Considering number two Trump can't help it since he undoubtedly inherited the double-digit IQ from his father, what is Pence's excuse? Now consider, it is this moron that T-rump has put in charge of the coronavirus program. If it wasn't for the few level heads sparsely interspersed withing this administration, the U. S. would be doomed.

The look of, 'What the f*#+ do we do?'

This dimwit even added, “It’s time for the other side to turn down the volume.” This is the guy who wants to "pray" away the virus rather than work on how to protect the citizens of this country. The people of Indiana who elected this numbnuts governor are no doubt supporters of the Oval Office lunatic, and look how he screwed up an HIV outbreak there. This is indeed the biggest crisis Donald Trump has faced yet, and so far he is a total failure...READ MORE...

CNN asks how bad will the coronavirus get. This following their headline for the article: "Trump meets a new enemy." The combination of the two is more than frightening, with the implication that Donald Trump is out of his league, again, when it comes to dealing with another crisis, which will impact his favorability rating. The author's meaning, of course, applies to...

"the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus around the world, the resulting stock market plunge and the concern about whether America's political leaders are up to the challenge."

 

Sort of like what I said but with a different twist. There will be an outbreak says Dr. Nancy Messonnier, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. and we have already experienced that, as you can see from the illustration, above. What is worse is Dr. Leana Wen, Baltimore's former health commissioner comments...

"the disease will test our government's response and resiliency. How we weather the outbreak also hinges on our trust that the government has our best intentions at heart. We don't yet know if the trajectory of COVID-19 will be mild, moderate, or severe" but it makes sense to prepare for the worst case."

The key here is can we, 'trust that the government has our best intentions at heart?' So far, we haven't been able to count on anything Donald Trump says or does. And he continues to push forward with false facts and completely inaccurate information every time he opens his mouth. The markets reacted with, "the Dow plunging 3,583 points, making it by percentage terms the worst week since October, 2008. Trump's worst nightmare...READ MORE...

Gloomy outlook as public-health experts say Coronavirus may never disappear. Their evaluation is...

"there are only three possible endings to this story: The outbreak could be controlled via public-health interventions and disappear (as SARS did), a vaccine could be developed, or the coronavirus could become a permanent part of the repertoire of human viruses like the seasonal flu."

They contend, "That third option is the most likely, the new virus probably won't ever truly disappear." So what is the Oval Office lunatic's latest move? He blames it on former President Barack Obama, as you can see in the video here. No consideration for the fact that Trump appointed Mike Pence has screwed up testing from the beginning so we don't actually know how many cases are really in the U.S.

The outbreak never ends say expert...

Here's Amesh Adalja, an infectious-disease expert at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security who said...

"I think it is a pandemic; the official declaration is not important to me. We're seeing efficient, community-wide spread in multiple countries."

Here is another alarming effect...

"According to researchers at the World Health Organization (WHO), an average person with the new coronavirus passes it to 1.4 to 2.5 other people."

In closing, here is the latest from the CDC on the spread of COVID-19.
READ MORE...

Jim Carey will cast Trump/Giulianiin in Dumb and Dumber 3

I can see us now-Maybe even a new star on the "Walk"

Jim Carey, of Bruce Almighty, and the Dumb and Dumber series, just released his latest work of art depicting Donald Trump crucifying Jesus Christ, whom Trump would have us believe was a loser simply because he failed as a carpenter. This is a hobby of Carey that I would like to think he picked up because he loathes Donald Trump as does most of rest of the sane individuals in this country. Re-casting Dumb and Dumber 3 is my idea, but one that has merit because my suggestion for new characters has enormous promotional possibilities. 

Donald Trump and Rudy Giulianiin are the most gullible publicity mongrels on the planet today, and both of them probably just dumb enough to accept the parts. Trump expresses his stupidity on a daily basis but Giulianiin's latest resulted in CNN's assessment of him demonstrating that maybe “lawyer to the president” isn’t the best job for him. After denying making a comment on the Michael Flynn/James Comey "take it easy" request, James Tapper played the tape of Giulianiin clearly saying it. He then turned to obstruction of justice to try and change the subject, most points also wrong.

How this moron ever ran the city of New York completely amazes me, and he must have had one hell of a support team that did most of the work on the 9/11 disaster.

Could Julian Assange U.S. return sink Trump's ship?

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. said following Julian Assange's arrest at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, "He is our property." The agreement was unanimous in Washington...

Julian Assange

"from Congress to the intelligence services. Assange committed the unpardonable sins of embarrassing the establishment — from members of Congress to intelligence officials to the news media."

It's hard for me to understand how anyone could embarrass a Congress consisting of such a gang of idiots. USA Today's take on the Assange case...

"What could be the most important free speech and free press case in our history could well be reduced to the scope and substance of an unauthorized computer access case."

Assange has had his ups and downs with Donald Trump thinking his presidency would benefit him when...

"it was the Trump Administration that sought to redefine WikiLeaks as a 'non-state hostile intelligence service'—an organization that did not belong within the ambit of journalism."

 In 2016 Donald Trump said he loved WikiLeaks, later refuting he knew anything about it. And then Mike Pence adds his usual confusing and laughable comment...

"Trump’s acclaim for an organization his own administration has identified as a cutout of Russian intelligence services was not actually an 'endorsement.'”

Now, doesn't that just out-dumb everything? But it is yet another reminder that we have not one, but two imbeciles in the White House.

The question is why did Equador dump their most prestigious guest? Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno said...

“We’ve ended the asylum of this spoiled brat. From now on we’ll be more careful in giving asylum to people who are really worth it, and not miserable hackers whose only goal is to destabilize governments.”

In turning his tiny office-cum-bedroom into a new headquarters for the WikiLeaks’ operations, he made the mistake of interfering in politics, most importantly "releasing stolen emails related to Hillary Clinton’s campaign." Then he even turned on his host's President Moreno, accusing him of financial irregularity. Assange also abused the very staff that was caring for him and astoundingly spread feces on the walls.

So, the man's a pig and gave up information that was critical to U.S. security, but does he know something that can sink Donald Trump's ship? Assange was very vague when talking to Meghan Kelly in 2016, saying he would release anything he had, adding...

"it's really hard for us to release anything worse than what comes out of Donald Trump's mouth every second day."

LATE BREAKING NEWS-For liberals only

The only side Mitch McConnell has is a dark side, in contrast with a piece in Politico featuring the inference this slime ball might have some worthwhile virtues. He doesn't. Politico says, "The Senate majority leader is relishing his turn as villain to the left." I posted this by Robert Reich saying, "Mitch McConnell is destroying the Senate – and American government." Reich states...

"The majority leader cares only for winning, not rules or democracy itself. He is doing more damage than Trump"

 Politico says...

Call him “Cocaine Mitch,” “Nuclear Mitch” or the steward of the “legislative graveyard.” Mitch McConnell says he’s the “Grim Reaper” anyway, so he’s loving every minute of it.

The “Grim Reaper” comment illustrates a sickness in this pariah who craves his power as head of the Senate, with the sole intention of getting his way and the way of the Republican Party over all that is good for this country. Donald Trump is the bottom of the barrel but Mitch McConnell is the ground under the barrel. The left will no doubt tell us that the country would be much better off with a Democratic Congress, particularly with a Dem in the White House.

Joe Biden wants to be that Dem and he's running ahead in the "brigade-sized Democratic field," described by The Hill. He has a...

"double-digit lead not only nationally, but in the key early primary states of New Hampshire and South Carolina. He is also currently even leading Sen. Kamala Harris in her home state of California."

But wait, The Hill says that polling is fickle...

"At this point in 2007, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was way ahead in the Republican race, and Hillary Clinton was leading Barack Obama by double digits. In the 2012 GOP race, the assortment of one-time poll front runners included, at various times, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, and even Herman Cain."

Will he or won't he, but could Bernie Sanders still be the dark horse? Although Biden was once tentative on Roe v. Wade, just recently he said he would support abortion rights "if necessary." Doesn't sound too convincing, especially when "Two-thirds of Americans want Roe v. Wade left in place." In a CBS News poll, 67% say Keep it as it is; only 28% want to overturn it. But 48% claim they would be angry if it was overturned. That is fairly dramatic.

It isn't likely a Democratic House will allow a bill to repeal Roe v. Wade, but New state abortion laws are threatening the law, like the recent legislation in Alabama. It has been judged by many as going much too far and is already being challenged in court. The real fear by the left is when one of these laws is brought up in the ultra-conservative Supreme Court. Meanwhile, back at the White House with Rex Tillerson, who once called Donald Trump "a fucking moron."

Rex Tillerson Secretly Meets With House Foreign Affairs Committee to Talk Trump, was reported by the Daily Beast...

"In a more than six-hour meeting, he told members and staffers that the Trump administration actively avoided confronting Russia about allegations of interference in the election in an effort to develop a solid relationship with the Kremlin, a committee aide told The Daily Beast."

Tillerson's meeting comes on the heels of the Mueller Report release, and the refusal of Don McGhan to appear before the Democratic House. Trump recently had this to say about Tillerson...

"Rex Tillerson, a man who is 'dumb as a rock' and totally ill prepared and ill equipped to be Secretary of State, made up a story (he got fired) that I was out-prepared by Vladimir Putin at a meeting in Hamburg, Germany. I don't think Putin would agree. Look how the U.S. is doing!"

 This is after Trump chose Rex Tillerson to be his secretary of state ...

in December 2016, he praised the former head of Exxon Mobil for his "tenacity, broad experience and deep understanding of geopolitics." In a tweet touting the pick, Trump called Tillerson "one of the truly great business leaders of the world."

Donald Trump is a certifiable lunatic!

And that's the current wrap up. Please give me your comments. 

Here is the Trump/Zelensky Ukraine transcript

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019 NEWS BYTES

Here come the Ukrainegate transcript...  

Hard to read but it's there

While we wait for the White House to release the transcript of the whistleblower complaint, there may be a bump in the road reported by Fox News, always a questionable news source. Fox says "the intelligence community inspector general found the whistleblower had 'political bias in favor of 'a rival candidate' of the president." First, the report come from the unreliable Fox News, second, Donald Trump appointed Michael Atkinson ICSG.

The above, which started out as today's post, has been left with strikethrough because it makes two important points. One is the fact that Fox News is mostly unreliable if you're looking for facts, and second, the guy who determined the whistleblower was biased in his statement was a Trump appointee. That said, the L A Times reports it would appear that not only did T-rump ask Ukraine's Zelensky...

"to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, he also urged the foreign leader to look into CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm that did work for the Democrats in the 2016 election."

Here's coverage of the transcript...

Trump pushed it even further by adding to congratulations for the new Ukrainian leader that he should "speak with U.S. Atty. Gen. William Barr and Rudolph W. Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney, who was leading Trump’s efforts in urging Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son, Hunter." Here's the scenario...

"Trump has insisted he has done nothing wrong. But the transcript shows Trump urged a foreign government to intervene in the 2020 election against his rival..."

"Trump had already acknowledged that he asked Zelensky to investigate Biden, whose son Hunter had a contract with a Ukrainian gas company. Trump also acknowledged this week that he held up military aid intended for the Ukrainian government in the same period. He has denied that the delay in releasing the aid money was a form of pressure to prompt the investigation."

The Democrats aren't satisfied and say there are more questions to be answered. To begin with, the document released Wednesday was only a memorandum of the Zelensky conversation, according to The Washington Post, not a verbatim account. BINGO! There was a cautionary note with the memorandum warning...

"that the text reflects the notes and memories of officials in the Situation Room and that a number of factors 'can affect the accuracy of the record.'”

BINGO! again. The WP piece goes on to point out some background on the call and specifics that relate to the conversation. It all boils down to the fact that the American president, who is running for a second term, asks the president of a foreign nation to investigate what he thinks is wrongdoing by his opponent in the election. Although the $400 million in aid promised, but withdrawn just prior to the call to Zelensky, isn't mentioned, at least as far as we know, the implication was always there.

Trump response to transcript: If you want dumb here's dumb...

Is there a transcript of the actual recording? If so, why wasn't that made available instead of the "notes and memories " of those in the Situation Room? This is just a continuation of the ambiguous Donald Trump the American people have had to live with since he entered the White House. So far Speaker Pelosi is moving ahead with impeachment but dealing with such an enigmatic administration will continue to make the effort look like madness at times.

Mick Mulvaney Trump taxes statement just...stupid

Mick Mulvaney

The release of Donald Trump's taxes, its legality, and whether he was elected in spite of the fact he refused to release the information is not the point here. Newly elected Presidents normally release their tax returns as a matter of transparency, and Donald Trump did not. Mike Mulvaney is either just dumb or he thinks the American public is dumb and will buy his bullshit over the issue. He said the Democrats would never see T-rumps's taxes, then added...

"Nor should they (obtain the documents)" Mulvaney told "Fox News Sunday." "Keep in mind, that's an issue that was already litigated during the election. Voters knew the President could have given over his tax returns, they knew that he didn't and they elected him anyway. Which, of course, is what drives the Democrats crazy."

Don't you just love the reasoning of these idiot Republicans, their arrogance, and how they attempt to protect the Oval Office lunatic. There should be no doubt in anyone's mind that Donald Trump is trying to hide something. The question is why, and if his constituency doesn't care, then they are dumber than Mike Mulvaney. Trump's attorney said...

"that the requests for Trump's tax information 'are not consistent with governing law, do not advance any proper legislative purpose, and threaten to interfere with the ordinary conduct of audits.'"

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff responded that, "there is no legal ground for them here." And the beat goes on.

Obama's COVID-19 Playbook denied by Moscow Mitch

Mitch McConnell wasn't smart enough to bring Barack Obama down when he was President, and McConnell was Senate head, and he is still lying about the former Obama administration.

The team that created Obama's coronavirus Playbook...

Moscow Mitch, along with Donald Trump, has regularly criticized the former president for leaving T-rump in a lurch on specific issues, this time for not providing a "game plan" on a potential crisis like COVID-19. To begin with, the White House maniac has created every "lurch" he has found himself in. Second, the accusation is an outright lie, since McConnell knows full well Obama left a 69-page Pandemic Playbook.

Daniel Dale of CNN reports...

"The playbook -- 40 pages plus appendices -- contains step-by-step advice on questions to ask, decisions to make, and which federal agencies are responsible for what. It includes sample documents that officials could use for inter-agency meetings. And it explicitly lists novel coronaviruses as one of the kinds of pathogens that could require a major response." 

Dale adds...

"The color-coded, checklist-style document addresses issues like testing, funding, personal protective equipment, emergency declarations, border control measures, diplomacy, the use of the military, public communication, even mortuary services."

Obama warned Trump of COVID-19 back in 2014...

What Barack Obama failed to realize, or perhaps being the nice guy he is, simply was giving them the benefit of the doubt, that Republicans, particularly Trump and McConnell, need a literal blueprint, a picture drawn to point out what needs to be done. Since no one in Donald Trump's administration was bright enough to follow the playbook, the boss resorted to lying, along with his pathetic ally. Or, was it just to deny Obama's efforts yet again?

Aside from being stupid and unable to read, the lowlife McConnell has absolutely no empathy. He is callous and cold-blooded to the point of nit giving a shit about the American public. CNN reports...

"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he would rather bankrupt states rather than send federal aid during the coronavirus pandemic.

If it doesn't advance his power in Congress, or help the Republican Party, Moscow Mitch is not interested. There's more...

"The Kentucky Republican, whose state is among the most heavily dependent on federal aid, told talk radio host Hugh Hewitt that states should be allowed to declare bankruptcy to get out from beneath burdensome public employee pension costs."

Obama defines Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic...

In other words, screw the people, those who have worked hard for their pensions, just hang them out to dry, with little hope, especially in today's situation, which is experiencing unemployment at a rate comparable to the depression. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo tore into McConnell for his statement saying...

“this is really one of the dumb ideas of all time,” adding that not funding state and local governments is “incredibly short-sighted’ Cuomo went on to say that McConnell’s plan ignores police and fire departments, teachers and schools.

Cuomo goes on and on over McConnell's ignorance but one of his major questions about withholding funding was, “How do you not fund police and fire and teachers and schools in the midst of this crisis?” Cuomo asked incredulously. But there is one bright spot in all this, Democrats are grabbing on to the opportunity of using this against him in his Kentucky Senate race against Amy McGrath. The race is close with McGrath leading in fundraising. 

Why GOP may be planning Trump impeachment

Trump and Flynn the Bobbsey twins

I am back after ten days of great vacation in the Prescott, Arizona mountains. We stayed at a small resort hotel there by the name of Forrest Villas. The service was exceptional and we plan a return trip in the future. I capped it off with a speeding ticket in Prescott Valley, receiving my ticket from one of the nicest cops I think I have ever met. However, I do need regular reminders that I drive too fast and this was my latest $100 one. The interesting thing is that when we both stopped and he got out of the car, my wife was more worried about the cop getting hit by traffic than the ticket I was getting.

Spent the time barely looking at news but couldn't avoid hearing regularly about what the current person in the Oval Office--the idiot doesn't act like a President so no sense calling him one--was doing. Now Prescott is heavily conservative and many of the residents are still supporting Donald Trump, but we have a friend there who shares our liberal views who welcomed talking to a couple of Progressives. It gave me some time to think about what has been happening and just where the whole political movement may be going. I have come to a conclusion.

But first it is necessary to review just what has gotten this now identified moron into the mess he has created. It started with the suspected Russian intervention in the 2016 election that helped Trump beat Hillary Clinton. Then he fired Michael Flynn and now it has been learned that the administration knew all along of Flynn's ties with Turkey. Then he, for some stupid, reason gives up sensitive U.S. Data in a meeting with Russian officials. Finally, perhaps the stupidest of all, he fires FBI Director James Comey, supposedly re. Clinton emails but most likely to disrupt the Director's investigation.

Until the latest rash of idiotic moves, the Republican Congress had pretty much stuck with him, as the Washington Post explained it, "compartmentalizing" to help them ignore the facts. But recent events have seemed to overshadow the issues before Congress, like Obamacare and the tax bill. And then the shit hit the fan with Comey's firing combined with the WP's release that the dumb Donald had "shared highly classified intelligence with Russian officials." And if that wasn't enough...

"...on Tuesday, the New York Times published another stunner, reporting that in February the president sought to persuade Comey to back off the FBI investigation into fired national security adviser Michael Flynn."

It would appear now that WP feels that Congress is looking "beyond" the President, a statement I interpret as implying impeachment. As they put it...

"Increasingly, it will be difficult for Republicans to avoid recognizing the responsibility that comes with being the majority party in separate branch of government, rather than seeing events primarily through the prism of a political alliance, no matter how awkward at times, between members of Congress and a president who won the November election as their nominee."

There have been a number of reasons for GOP pessimism over the Oval Office with the zany things T-rump has done since being elected. There have been notable disagreements on the issues; even though he claims to be the big deal maker, he failed miserably with healthcare. And the insane tweets keep coming. Republicans don't want a special prosecutor but with pressure to do the right thing, they could cave on this. In the end, Congress must forego their support of Trump and do their job in providing a check against the Presidency.

Tomorrow, my reason for the GOP to impeach Donald Trump. 

Trump coronavirus racism and lack of virus testing unconscionable

That, and there is something else to consider...testing...

The increase on Donald Trump's approval for coronavirus handling would be good, except it doesn't consider all the facts. The U.S. lags miserably behind other countries in testing, thus, the number of cases is no doubt drastically more than those recorded so far. As an example, Forbes is reporting...

"As of March 11, South Korea had conducted 4,099 tests per million of its inhabitants while the U.S. only managed 26. The most recent government data was compiled by website Our World in Data and it shows that by March 17, South Korea's number of tests per million people climbed to 5,567 while the U.S. figure increased to 125 tests per million of the population. Even though that should climb steadily over the next couple of days, it is still cause for serious concern."

In other words, T-rump is being given credit for doing a job that is much less than even half done. But, it gets worse. The favorability increased, incidentally, right after he adopted the racist approach of calling COVID-19, the "Chinese virus." His double-digit followers loved it, as did those others who make up the 55% approval rating. RawStory's explanation...

"This is the kind of crisis that opportunistic racists barely dared dream of before. Indeed, Fox News host Tucker Carlson has been all but pleading for weeks for Trump and his fellow right-wing talking heads to move away from denialism and towards racist exploitation."

The obtuse oaf explaining his racism...

[Trump] "like all racist trolls, is playing dumb when called out for it. He’s said it’s 'not racist at all, no, not at all' and that he wants 'to be accurate' and that the virus 'comes from China.'” And listen to this...

"Trump’s racist trolling is sending Carlson into bouts of near-orgasmic ecstasy. On Tuesday, he swooned that the president’s 'Chinese virus' rhetoric was an example of 'Trump at his very best.'”

Which points out the fact of just how racist Fox News is, as well as being the country's largest purveyor of misinformation. Carlson plods on with absurd conspiracy theories that aren't worth mentioning, and then Sean Hannity agrees with lowlife Rush Limbaugh "that the coronavirus crisis was a hoax." Between Fox News and Donald Trump, COVID-19 could be the "death" of the United States.

You're on Progressive Street...Where Liberals Walk...

The Agony of Stupidity Ensemble...Donald Trump, Teenage Gun Maker in Georgia, Norway Dumb

 

Unfortunately, things are occurring way too fast to report on only one stupid event. The stupids population around the world is escalating and proliferating to the point that a measurement is needed to track the activity. Here's today's menu...

Donald Trump, in his usual act of defiance, failed to reveal he has contracted Covid three days before his 2020 debate with Joe Biden. Here's the take from The Washington Post's Editorial Board...

"President Donald Trump willfully deceived the American people about the pandemic, the gravest public health catastrophe in a century. He knew the coronavirus was highly transmissible early on, but concealed it. He wrongly claimed that rising case numbers resulted from more diagnostic testing. He made a false assertion that doctors were inflating the death toll from covid-19 to “get more money.” There were so many other deceptions."

And then they go on to say...

"Three days before a presidential debate, Mr. Trump knew but did not say he had tested positive for the coronavirus. Instead, he carried on his campaign and presidential schedule, endangering all those with whom he came in contact."

Read the opinion. 

Then, in the somewhat backward state of Georgia--has to be half crazy to elect M.T. Greene to Congress--a 13-year-old brother is attempting to sell a homemade gun, when the gun was snatched by the buyer who ran. The brother shot at the fleeing thief, hitting and killing his 14-year-old sister. Weird, true and tragic.

Read the whole story.

And now around the world to Norway where you have to question the judgment of 120 people to gather at an event in Oslo, knowing full well of the potential consequences. Only vaccinated people were admitted but, unfortunately, one had recently returned from South Africa and later was found to carry the new Omicron variant. Now this is downright dumb. They're not yet sure of the 60 positive Covid cases, how many are Omicron.

Dr. Tine Ravlo, a local chief physician said...

“We are expecting more of them to likely be Omicron infections,” she said.

 Read the article.

Donald Trump supporters are way beyond stupid

THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE TO DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTERS IS PROTESTERS KNEELING DURING PLAYING OF THE NATIONAL ANTHEM: That is in comparison with more restrictions for gun control at a time when children are being murdered regularly in their own schools, and other innocent Americans are dying daily from gun violence in their own neighborhoods. It is obvious to say the priorities of these dullards is misplaced, to say the least.

So now we've passed over 'gun rights at any cost' for trashing an athlete that believes in a cause that many Americans support. But, then, it's a "black" thing and the Trump bunch is considered a gang of racists. Trump attacked LeBron James and CNN commentator Don Lemon recently calling them both dumb. They are both black. Melania came to James defense praising his school for needy he opened in Akron, OH. You have to wonder if Trump followers are simply mentally ill?