I never met someone from NM to discuss MN. Honest. Trump thread cont

[amispartacus]

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2864604-FAKE-news-LIES-fake-lies-We-need-the-Trump-Oracle?msgid=67323987

AprilDRyan‏ @AprilDRyan 2m2 minutes ago
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As I said before! Morehouse College President: We Got Played www.theroot.com/morehouse-college-president-we-got-played-1792916254?utm_medium=sharefromsite&utm_source=The_Root_twitter … via @TheRoot

Some people seem to think this is the end of Sessions:

Wall Street Journal - Jeff Sessions Used Political Funds for Republican Convention Expenses

"Records show attorney general used campaign account for travel expenses to Cleveland, where he met Russian envoy"

Some republicans backing the call for Trump's tax returns according to this Newsweek article.

Trying desperately to keep up with these threads but struggling. Just wanted to say thank you to everyone for all your informative posts - feel like I know more than I ever have about politics in the UK as well as in the US.

You're all doing GREAT work - GREAT, GREAT work.

squishy I posted an interesting article in the guardian about the Dutch elections either on this thread or the last one. It was aging that Wilders could get the largest share of the vote, not because more people vote for him but because more people are voting for a greater range of smaller parties. The vote is being fragmented across more groups so you need a smaller number to be the biggest.

I do think it is one to watch. UKIP have demonstrated that you don't need to be a big party or anywhere near power to have an undue influence on a countries direction.

I suppose it will depend on post-election alliances.

This is a problem that has happened in other countries and it looks like the Netherlands too.

The most voted party may not end up in government if they can't secure enough support in parliament. Instead, the second most voted could form a coalition that secures a parliament majority. It doesn't look like anyone in the Netherlands will secure a 50% majority.

Ari Melber‏Verified account @AriMelber 4m4 minutes ago
Trump staff either "most forgetful team in political history or the most intimate with Russia"
www.today.com/video/trump-russia-investigations-where-do-they-go-from-here-889292355803 …

This is vaguely a propos and is the first thing to have made me laugh today!

Bigly and Lweji

Do you consider that there's a possibility that the vote will not be so fragmented though, as a result of people seeing the antics in the USA?

France is more worrying, but Marine Le Pen is predicted (hopefully) to lose on the second round

"The same poll predicts that in a Macron-Le Pen run-off, Mr Macron would win with 63 per cent of the vote."

Not a great win, though. In the previous election where the other Le Pen got to the second round, the difference was much larger.
And things could quickly change. For example, if there is another terrorist attack.

But both Fillon and Le Pen have been plagued by scandal and accusations.

www.express.co.uk/news/world/735118/French-election-2017-results-latest-polls-odds-tracker-win

Looking at these polls, the Dutch election will be fragmented.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_general_election,_2017

Sorry, it's the link that's fragmented:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_general_election,_2017

Wow. Talk about dodging questions.

POLITICO‏Verified account @politico 2m2 minutes ago
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.@realDonaldTrump campaign adviser admits meeting with Russian ambassador at RNC politi.co/2llAZD5 via @BiancaJoanie

The Russian Ambassador was at the RNC?

I'm feeling a need to be able to visualise this Ambassador.

Anyone have a photo?

Ah. Sergei Kislyak. A Cold Warrior.

Sorry. Sergey.

I wouldn't bother, apparently he is very forgettable cozie

Yes. Seems so.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/sergey-kislyak-russian-ambassador-centre-trump-controversy/

He may be "forgettable", but it seems he's well connected.

"Moscow's top diplomat in the US has become the Kevin Bacon of the Trump White House's Russia imbroglio."

__
And at least some veterans didn't like to see Trump in military gear, considering he did his best to escape Vietnam.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/03/epitome-hypocrisy-donald-trump-fire-veterans-wearing-flight/

What's worse than becoming a prisoner of war? Faking an illness to escape that war.

They showed a picture of Sergey Kislyak on the BBC news this afternoon. He looks like a larger version of Boris Johnson's dad!

Anyone for a game of six degrees of Sergey Kislyak?

This is the game for Kevin Bacon: oracleofbacon.org/help.php

I'd love to see one for Russian diplomats and the WH. I bet the average number of links wouldn't be more than 2.

Someone at the Guardian is losing their marbles:

If Trump’s goal is friendship with Russia, it’s a prize worth lying for. Simon Jenkins

"So why has Trump’s “opening to the east” seemed so underhand, so enveloped in mendacity and denial? Why not come clean and declare a massive and constructive change of policy? Let’s try to get inside Putin’s insecurities, notably in relation to his neighbours. He could just say: let’s stop fatuous sanctions, which help no one and hurt many, and establish red lines round areas of aggression and areas of agreement and cooperation; let’s use soft as well as hard diplomacy."

Not sure what he's suggesting there. It sounds a lot like the sort of speech Trump would deliver.

Also interesting development in France. While Fillon faces pressure to step down, his replacement would be Juppé, who would go through with Macron, instead of Le Pen, according to a recent poll. But it's all rather close.

Interesting other para in that article, Lweji.

'The answer may be that Trump is plain naive and lacking in executive competence. His accident-prone appointees seem not up to their jobs. Rumours abound that Trump has had some link to Putin’s sinister finances. Anyway, if he really intends a seismic shift in western policy towards Russia, the more we know about the backstory the better. Congress has set up a hue and cry, and tends to do these things thoroughly. Trump would be well advised to come totally clean.'