Trump, June 2017: From [Covfefe] with Love

So this is (further) confirmation that he talks to his TV.

As if he's having a conversation with the people on the other side of the screen.

I've been having daydreams lately of getting invited to the White House to accept some award and then attending just to tell him "go fuck yourself, you piece of shit" to his face.

i keep waiting for someone to do that

Ticks within ticks
it's 25 o'clock

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OctrGD4JW8U

Tick tock tick tock just another blip on the statscock

I love the smell of trashfires in the morning. It smells like...flopsweat.

Meantime, an oddity.

Why this warning now? And at 3am? https://t.co/n3DxmcjoYo

— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) June 30, 2017

Also, I think this counts as a self-own.

BREAKING! THIRD O’Keefe STING VIDEO HITS CNN: Trump is a ‘f**king crazy’ ‘clown’ https://t.co/X5gyqGWCwJ pic.twitter.com/OhPQcQxkW1

— The Right Scoop (@TheRightScoop) June 30, 2017

Ah but don't worry, serious plans!

https://www.axios.com/exclusive-trump-plots-trade-wars-2450764900.html

With more than 20 top officials present, including Trump and Vice President Pence, the president and a small band of America First advisers made it clear they're hell-bent on imposing tariffs — potentially in the 20% range — on steel, and likely other imports.

The penalties could eventually extend to other imports. Among those that may be considered: aluminum, semiconductors, paper, and appliances like washing machines.

One official estimated the sentiment in the room as 22 against and 3 in favor — but since one of the three is named Donald Trump, it was case closed.

No decision has been made, but the President is leaning towards imposing tariffs, despite opposition from nearly all his Cabinet.

In a plan pushed by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, and backed by chief strategist Steve Bannon (not present at the meeting), trade policy director Peter Navarro and senior policy adviser Stephen Miller, the United States would impose tariffs on China and other big exporters of steel. Neither Mike Pence nor Jared Kushner weighed in either way.

Everyone else in the room, more than 75% of those present, were adamantly opposed, arguing it was bad economics and bad global politics. At one point, Trump was told his almost entire cabinet thought this was a bad idea. But everyone left the room believing the country is headed toward a major trade confrontation.

xpost Now, see, that Holder tweet ... between that and all the other intimations afoot, does indeed seem like something wicked this way comes.

Neither Mike Pence nor Jared Kushner weighed in either way.
Neither Mike Pence nor Jared Kushner weighed in either way.
Neither Mike Pence nor Jared Kushner weighed in either way.
Neither Mike Pence nor Jared Kushner weighed in either way.
Neither Mike Pence nor Jared Kushner weighed in either way.
Neither Mike Pence nor Jared Kushner weighed in either way.

America's moral voice!

He might as well be.

I'm sorry, but Trump's behavior is not just beneath the dignity of the Presidency...but that of any decent man.

— Jerry Springer (@jerryspringer) June 30, 2017

At one point, Trump was told his almost entire cabinet thought this was a bad idea.

sorry jerry, but i need you to stand in front of a brick wall while saying that

Jerry Springer is both classier than Trump and has more successful executive experience (former mayor of Cincinnati.)

He might run for Congress, they say.

jfc @ trade war

The head of the NRA said: "academic elites, political elites, and media elites. These are America’s greatest domestic threats"

— JenAshleyWright (@JenAshleyWright) June 29, 2017

Good things these guys can't do anything about it

So the WSJ story about the (I guess now dead?) guy who may have worked with/for Flynn to get emails was apparently the "boom" to Wittes' "tick?" If they can prove that connection, and prove Flynn was working on behalf of Trump, yeah, that could be pretty bad. But I'm not sure they can prove it, which just makes it look bad for Flynn, even though he doesn't really need any more help on that front. I guess if they flipped him he could point more fingers, but I don't see Flynn flipping. Manafort, sure, but not Flynn.

Isn't the assumption that Flynn has already flipped?

^^ a lot of reporting today is saying that this may be the story that carries the Trump/Russia investigation forward

TPM had an interesting article a week ago arguing that Flynn may have already flipped
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/sheldon-whitehouse-flynn-cooperating-special-counsel-russia-investigation

Can't wait!

Chaffetz to write book about the ‘deep state’ https://t.co/gvG4kpqnqH

— Roll Call (@rollcall) June 30, 2017

I have to admit, I was amused by this response:

I guess he's postponing his autobiography, "I Am One Stupid Ex-Jew," until he finishes this one. https://t.co/s7UTkZhhp8

— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) June 30, 2017

I feel for them

Email from Speaker Ryan's press office, sounds like they need a hug

"Despite What You May Hear, We Are Getting Things Done"

— Erica Werner (@ericawerner) June 30, 2017

"Despite What You May Hear, We Are Getting Things Done"

This sounds like the title of a good short story or a prize-winning novel.

"Despite all this rage, we are still just rats in a cage."

The Chaffetz Origin Story

Surprised Chaffetz can read, let alone write. (I know he's not the only righty with a book deal that I've said that about, but he really does seem like someone waters him twice a day.)

It's all fun!

NEW: Jared Kushner told Joe Scarborough: Talk to President Trump about "Enquirer" dirt https://t.co/xGTTJe7Zdy pic.twitter.com/e1UFvi2hjf

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) June 30, 2017

Best bit might be the end.

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich, a top informal Trump adviser who rarely holds back in conversations with reporters, quickly ended a phone conversation when asked about the drama unfolding on Twitter. “No comment,” Gingrich interjected as soon as The Daily Beast mentioned the words “Morning Joe.”
“Goodbye,” he said, before abruptly hanging up.

i cant stop thinking about kush's voice after hearing it last week

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/opinions/donald-trump-is-not-well/2017/06/30/97759ee0-5d0f-11e7-9b7d-14576dc0f39d_story.html

This is dumb as hell.

"We have known Mr. Trump for more than a decade and have some fond memories of our relationship together. "

Also apparently Trump was threatening to plant a negative story in the Enquirer? How can he even do that?

It's well known he and the NE crew are pals.

It's all so stupid

Anyway it sounds like a lot of senators have already headed out so I'm guessing the likelihood of something new being released and sent to the CBO re health care is pretty low.

Also apparently Trump was threatening to plant a negative story in the Enquirer? How can he even do that?

"The National Enquirer's Fervor for Trump", from the current New Yorker.

Meanwhile: https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060056858

The disclosure follows the administration's suggestions over several days that it supports reviewing climate science outside the normal peer-review process used by scientists.

It will be just like science, except better!

No more #FakeScience!

Weirdly specific tin hat tweets going around right now hinting that WaPo has proof (including audio) of Russia collusion, but that IC asked them to hold or spike it because the intelligence comes from another country. Who knows, right? But that would make Rosenstein's non sequitur press release about trusting foreign sources make some sense, and might also explain the weird "collusion isn't illegal" pre-emptive argument. Some thoughts on it here:

THREAD. Thanks for this. I have not heard the rumor, but it brings up an impt point re the tension bw classified info and public's interest: https://t.co/nVjcQBwHb2

— Asha Rangappa (@DeanAsha) June 30, 2017

shakey 1) is there a california politics thread? 2) is this fair https://theintercept.com/2017/06/30/california-single-payer-organizers-are-deceiving-their-supporters-its-time-to-stop/

STEELE!!!

“5 states that have declined to provide Kobach with their files make up nearly a quarter of all of the active voters in the United States” https://t.co/S373cV7Sxg

— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) June 30, 2017

because the intelligence comes from another country

Schindler in particular has been beating this drum for a while.

The tone is histrionic but the core point re: Prop 98 is correct - funding is the huge issue and a ballot initiative would be required to make it work. The cynical assesaments of various factions' motivations, however, are not particularly relevant.

Xp

i cant stop thinking about kush's voice after hearing it last week

― marcos, Friday, June 30, 2017 4:36 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I intentionally avoided it and hope to never hear it. I just want to live in this world of mystery.

Meanwhile, worth noting, esp. since some of these are notably red states.

So far CA, KY, VA, MA, NC, MN, UT, OK, NY, TN & NM say they won't hand over sensitive voter data to Kris Kobach

— Ari Berman (@AriBerman) June 30, 2017

I refuse to hear Kush as anything other than Gilbert Godfrey.

Alexandra Petri, excellent as always.

I stand with my colleagues in Congress to say: The president’s tweet is beneath the dignity of the office.

This is not making America great.

The president has at last done the unthinkable: He has insulted a morning television personality in crude and ghastly terms
and I must — in consequence of this hideous and vile breach of the dignity of the office — withdraw none of my support from his legislative agenda. (If you can call it a legislative agenda and not a ragtag collection of bad ideas quickly stapled together with a dead pigeon in the middle.)

...

Everything else the president has done is fine — the continued attacks on the media’s legitimacy, the carelessness toward history and diplomacy, the harmful rhetoric about Muslims, the — well, it is all fine. This is too much, though, and I am putting my foot down, here, on my way to vote against icebergs.

...

By God, this is not what George Washington would have wanted, and I am thus withdrawing my support for everything but the legislation Trump would like us to pass. His words are a shame, but it is too important that we end health insurance for indigent seniors in Ohio.

hot lead for anyone looking for work

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/29/politics/mike-pence-chief-of-staff-replacement/index.html