US Politics January 2018: "You All Just Got A Lot Richer"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH46Gc8fiPA

ROAD MAPS!!!

anyway, i came here to post this

On Flight to Davos, Trump Erupted Over DOJ Role in Russia Probe

Trump warned Sessions and others they need to excel at their jobs or go down as the worst in history, the two people said.

Uh... anyone want to break the bad news

release the memo

Per that article, this bit:

Per Bloomberg, John Kelly has been calling DOJ officials to "lecture them on the White House’s expectations...He has taken to ending such conversations with a disclaimer that the White House isn’t expecting officials to do anything illegal or unethical." https://t.co/cj2k0NV7xV pic.twitter.com/RKvacKISYQ

— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) January 29, 2018

Fundamental incompetence.

Republicans may have to recall all State of the Union tickets because they say "Uniom" not "Union," per two Dem aides. pic.twitter.com/FosSnznIHp

— Laura Barrón-López (@lbarronlopez) January 29, 2018

State of the Onion

You mean Oniom

I need to get that House of Representatives logo airbrushed onto my rear window

a computer should draw the districts

yes, I agree, let's hire the one that thought up "crockpot cold water" so it can draw each district as a "completely meat circle"

He has taken to ending such conversations with a disclaimer that the White House isn’t expecting officials to do anything illegal or unethical."

looking for a dude to come over and watch porn and maybe jo. straight jocks only. no gay shit.

(shitty uyd reference)

so nice of them to provide the February thread title

yes, I agree, let's hire the one that thought up "crockpot cold water" so it can draw each district as a "completely meat circle"

but even that would arguably be better than what we have now

i don't think it's ridiculous to suggest that a computer program would be able to produce fair district borders. that's not 2030 sci-fi tech, it's something that could have accomplished 20 years ago, if not earlier. in contrast, the current system, which is literally handing all the power to whichever party just won with the full expectation that they'll exploit the system. "okay, election's over, let's go ahead and fill up the back room with smoke so that the winners can get started on re-districting! after all, it's the fairest way to go about this process, and there is no other way to do it"

so nice of them to provide the February thread title

― frogbs, Monday, January 29, 2018 3:07 PM (seven minutes ago)

otm

Who the fuck lays out tickets in Word/Powerpoint that is not my coworkers?

possible alternative title?

"The president was silent for a moment and then turned on McCabe, suggesting he ask his wife how it feels to be a loser ...McCabe replied: 'OK, sir.' Trump then hung up the phone." https://t.co/mZhO0tMejM via @carolelee

— Rebecca Sinderbrand (@sinderbrand) January 29, 2018

something like redistricting is exactly the type of task that computers can currently do much better than humans. creating new recipes (or "creating" anything) is exactly the type of task that computers currently can't do better than humans.

XP Five Minutes Later, McCabe to self: "Maybe I should ask...YOUR WIFE...MISTER TRUMP!"

i'm impressed that he had the poise to just say "ok sir"

kinda surprised trump didn't just try to fire mccabe that day, too

wait what? breaking from NYT:

WASHINGTON — Andrew G. McCabe abruptly stepped down on Monday as the F.B.I.’s deputy director after months of withering criticism from President Trump, telling friends he felt pressure from head of the bureau to leave, according to two people close to Mr. McCabe.

Though Mr. McCabe’s retirement had been widely expected soon, his departure was nevertheless sudden. As recently as last week, Mr. McCabe had told people he hoped to stay until he was eligible to retire in mid-March. Instead, Mr. McCabe made his intentions known to colleagues on Monday, an American official said, and will immediately go on leave.

In a recent conversation, Christopher A. Wray, the F.B.I. director, raised concerns about a forthcoming inspector general report examining the actions of Mr. McCabe and other senior F.B.I. officials during the 2016 presidential campaign, when the bureau was investigating both Hillary Clinton’s email use and the Trump campaign’s connections to Russia. In that discussion, according to one former law enforcement official close to Mr. McCabe, Mr. Wray suggested moving Mr. McCabe into another job, which would have been a demotion.

BREAKING NEWS The F.B.I. chief, Christopher Wray, put pressure on his deputy director to step aside after months of criticism from President Trump

I like it:

I turned Piers Morgan’s Trump interview into the “Steamed Hams” scene from The Simpsons. Enjoy! pic.twitter.com/Q2Gh0Zksuy

— Jesse McLaren (@McJesse) January 29, 2018

this year is going to be a complete debacle, isn't it

state of the uniom? at this time of year? at this time of day? in this part of the country? localized entirely within your kitchen?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?

Rick Wilson otm about McCabe’s forthcoming book deal and television road show

Anyway fwiw my point was a computer was used to draw the gerrymandered districts after the 2010 census; having a computer do a thing solves nothing, it just does what people tell it to do, really fast

Smart move, president dummy, upgrading this bs to prime coverage 24 hours before your stupid speech.

Those State of the Uniom tickets will be going for so much cash on eBay. Like the upside down plane stamp, or the mispressing of Duran Duran's "Uniom of the Snake" single.

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/618058703044939776/TJgFq010_400x400.jpg

"Rick Wilson otm"

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

oh shit I just watched that w/ daughter this weekend! Sad song.

i only want to say
if there is a way
take this Trump
away from us

The guy who wrote this is a former vice admiral in the Navy, director of the Defense Nuclear Agency and vice president at Bechtel. It's always good to remember that at least 50% of US national security elites are functionally insane. https://t.co/NFiwyg0pHs pic.twitter.com/XcXWX8kWun

— Jon Schwarz (@schwarz) January 29, 2018

First, and most important, bring science back into DOE and DOD. President Trump must immediately terminate the moratorium on underground nuclear testing. It will take decades to recover, and we must start now. It may take five years and cost two billion dollars just to conduct out first nuclear test in Nevada.

DOE’s testing is urgently needed to ensure that the nine types of weapons in our stockpile are still reliable and effective. They must carry us for decades. We must design, test, and produce low-yield weapons. We must conduct advanced research and testing toward pure fusion weapons. We must test better earth-penetrating weapons — our adversaries are going deep underground. We must test and design advanced replacements for our over-age stockpile weapons. Russia’s and China’s hypersonic nuclear missiles require our testing nuclear warheads for missile defense.

DOD must immediately re-establish the Defense Nuclear Agency to rebuild the essential military science of nuclear weapons effects throughout DOD by underground testing for battlefield survivability in Nevada.

Finally, President Trump must terminate the moratorium on nuclear testing as the headline of America's Nuclear Posture Review, a final version of which will be published in the weeks ahead.

http://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/370901-only-trump-can-restore-americas-ability-to-win-a-nuclear-war

BEFORE YOU CAN SAY BLASTOFF!

Anyway fwiw my point was a computer was used to draw the gerrymandered districts after the 2010 census; having a computer do a thing solves nothing, it just does what people tell it to do, really fast

― El Tomboto, Monday, January 29, 2018 2:40 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/7xkmag/gerrymandering-algorithms

iow the argument isn't "let computers draw districts", but "let computers fix gerrymandering problem"

those algorithms embed the preferences and assumptions of their creators. their output will favor one party over another, so the choice to use them is ipso facto political. agreed upon metrics of gerrymandering and unelected redistricting commisions (such as https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Citizens_Redistricting_Commission in every state) are a better solution.

some senators about to do some huffing and puffing

The Trump admin has notified Congress that last year’s bipartisan Russia sanctions bill is serving as a “deterrent” and as such, specific sanctions aren’t needed at this time. From a State Dept spox: pic.twitter.com/rwkd6Vzh66

— Elana Schor (@eschor) January 29, 2018

jesus christ

Adam Schiff debriefing press on House Intel meeting:

House R's voted yes on releasing the Devin Nunes memo, "no" on releasing minority memo
House R's have unilaterally opened investigation into FBI

Can we safely say we are now having the "Consitutional crisis" everyone has feared?

seems like today was Bad!

While Congressional inaction is indeed a bad thing, keep in mind that dozens of congressmen and senators and investigators are privy to all sorts of stuff, so nothing is going to get buried if it is truly incriminating.

ME: We need a political party that will stand for universal health care, free housing, and an end to the carceral state
DEMOCRATS: What about a Kennedy that looks like Ron Weasley

— Gore Vidal Sassoon (@JimmyJazz1968) January 29, 2018

The name Kennedy is triggering Berniecrats & the Left

Why?

— Poll Cat (@gato_danger) January 29, 2018

I'm opposed to any political dynasty. It's just a cult of personality and ignores policy goals

— Gore Vidal Sassoon (@JimmyJazz1968) January 29, 2018

xp but Josh this isn't inaction, it's a deliberate, proactive effort to reach into DOJ and FBI and disrupt a criminal investigation. (I stopped counting on the congressional committees to do anything a long time ago.)

xpost These people would have pushed FDR out of the party.

I've kinda just given up hope at this point cos if this O'Keefian power play works on the general population, idk if I'll still be living here in 5 years anyway.

when things I thought weren't going to be happening anytime soon like legalizing gay marriage came to fruition, I thought to myself "oh we'll get blowback for this I'm sure", didn't realize it would be being held hostage by a 30 million strong pseudo-Christian cult.

Hey Mr President don’t do this please

John Bolton Remains Leading Candidate to Replace H. R. McMaster, my latest in @TheNatlInterest https://t.co/GJxgoMhRKu

— Curt Mills (@CurtMills) January 29, 2018

swimming in an inner orbit, eh

I feel like this memo bullshit s a new level of fucked up. But I can only assume it’s going to get so much worse.