As far as Nunes can tell, none of us have even met with Trump

[PerkingFaintly]

Devin Nunes Gets A Pretty Basic Fact Wrong In Defending His Memo
Nunes suggested that Donald Trump had never met with George Papadopoulos. There's a photo of them sitting at the same table.
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/devin-nunes-memo_us_5a788b57e4b01fe513a60603

And we certainly didn't have a national security meeting right here:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3150505-The-one-in-which-Trump-orders-his-staff-to-fire-Mueller-and-they-give-him-the-finger?pg=1

I don't know about the BBC.

Every news outlet suffers to some extent from "churnalism" – they're under such pressure to get stuff out fast that they tend to repeat (often verbatim for some outlets!) the press releases they've been fed.

So put out a press-release to Reuters or AP or direct to the networks, and bingo, you're 80% of the way to getting the story told the way you want it.

I've found the BBC to suffer from this, but to aspire to do better. I've several times complained, with a well-referenced rebuttal, and a few hours later they've significantly changed their tune.

I did think their North America correspondent, Anthony Zurcher, was insufficiently curious, and not thinking sufficiently critically, about the information he was being fed in the early days of the Trump govt. But he seems to be more questioning now.

In fact if anyone has the energy this morning (sorry, I'm not feeling great), you can choose one of the routes here to comment/correct a story.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/20039682

They're quite good about actual inaccuracies, even quite subtle ones, if you can find a specific one rather than "generalised bias."

Back to that claig-thread post...

By the way did you see the Democrat campaigners video explanation and evidence of how they deliberate start violence at Trump rallies for the TV cameras?

Yeah, we've noted for a while that what they accuse other people of doing is a good indication of what they themselves are doing.

That particular quote is frighteningly apposite given the recent scuffle at a political meeting in the UK. I've been carefully not reading too closely or saying anything because it all sounds just too crazy and I didn't want to be sucked in, but what the hell.

Rees-Mogg has a meeting with Bannon about strategy. A few weeks later he is involved playing the hero in front of cameras at a scuffle at his own political meeting (first time in his decades of political career?). Supposed scuffler is "outed" as some sort of Momentum or anti-facist by Brei tbart v shortly after the scuffle. Evidence being Facebook or other social media page. One of Rees-Mogg's companions is now accused of physically starting the scuffle.

If I'm factually wrong in any of that, please do correct. I haven't had the strength to keep following that one. And scuffling hecklers aren't unusual around political meetings so I'd have assumed it was the usual arseholes... if it hadn't been for all the staginess around it. Now I'm not assuming either way.

Add me to the crazy club too perking as this is from upthread:

A new worry re: Brexit is that TRump has made it clear that he doesn't want protests and now in the last week, Jacob Rees Mogg has met with Bannon and been caught up in a fracas (that looks as though it might have been started by one of JRM's bodyguards though this isn't confirmed so treat accordingly) and David Davis yesterday talked about being intimidated by protesters and Zac Goldsmith has said his constituent has received a threatening letter from "The Real 48%"/Europe First and the talking points are all about new laws to stop intimidation, which I think might be used to limit protests [that is speculation on my part] and also is suspiciously reminiscent of the culture wars Bannon likes to wage.

Sorry I missed that from upthread, Pain, and thanks for repeating it.

I'm finding it really hard to keep up at the moment.

It wasn’t an admonishment perking but was posted for solidarity to show you’re not alone in feeling that way!

Hope you feel better soon, it’s rubbish being under the weather

Yy, I understood.

Sorry, I'm coming out rather "flat" at the moment because... I am flat!

I'm v grateful for people having patience and repeating for me – in real life too.

It's been posted before but apparently it's #worldcatday and I don't need much of an excuse to post pictures of cats.

BREAKING: McMaster: “With FBI indictment, evidence of Russian interference [in US elections] is incontrovertible.”

Whether Trump says that is a separate question. But this is a big statement from the Natl Sec Advisor, either way.

twitter.com/ianbremmer/status/964834728846155776

Not unexpected but also not for those who would rather not be exposed, even from afar, to Trump's psycho-sexual hell (plus the fact that he is a racist shit).

www.newsweek.com/trump-black-racist-playboy-affair-809013?utm_campaign=NewsweekTwitter&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Social

A-hem.

www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/donald-trump-a-playboy-model-and-a-system-for-concealing-infidelity-national-enquirer-karen-mcdougal?mbid=social_twitter

Progress indeed!

Maddow (and others on twitter) have pointed out that the likelihood of the indicted Russians actually coming to trial in the US are slim to none but that the indictments:

1. sets out that interfering on social media with paid cutouts is illegal and may act as a deterrent (those who have been indicted won't be handed over by Putin but should they wish to travel to the UK of France etc, they may find themselves in hot water so they are now constrained in ways they weren't before)
2. makes it harder for Trump to fire Mueller as it would be a clearer case of obstruction
3. establishes the notion that there was a conspiracy against the USA taking place, which could be used to set up charges against US citizens who aided and abetted the Russians.

Sorry chaps, just saw this reference to watching “some telly-telly.”

We really need that disgust emoticon.

A somewhat traditional approach to propaganda and fake news. This starts with a forged letter, designed to discredit Maxine Waters.

thinkprogress.org/forged-letter-maxine-waters-50425afc394e/?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=5a86a11604d30175a414896e&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter

Mueller runs a tight ship, plays the long game and keeps his cards close to his chest. All at the same time.

Genius multi-tasking.

www.politico.com/story/2018/02/16/muller-indictment-trump-election-legitimacy-416163

I'm finding it a bit through the looking glass-esque with yesterday's news of indictments. Whilst the identities and details/emails of the Russian bot troll farmers weren't all in the public domain, it's being hailed as a great break through, which can see it is, but on the other hand the picture it paints was already known and out there. And I don't mean just through internet pundits but through actual professionals who's jobs it is to work out this stuff.

Re: McMaster, it is good he's acknowledging it but the intelligence communities (and not just those from the US!) have been saying this loudly for over a year so whilst it's progress, it's progress from a very, very low bar.

I think that we're on a very long road, Pain. Make sure you have sturdy shoes.

Natasha Bertrand
@NatashaBertrand
Kushner, who has an interim security clearance, “issues more requests for information to the intelligence community than any White House employee” aside from NSC staffers, per the Post

t.co/K39qV6R0Ax?amp=1

*dilutes

This is sort of petty but really not. I hope it's true.

politicsspot.com/healthcare/white-house-erupting-in-rage-after-obama-gets-invited-to-royal-wedding-trump-got-denied/

Indivisible.

Oh Lordy! I do hope there's an invite for the Obama's.

Although Trump will probably make out that he couldn't possibly attend anyway because his security detail would be too much of an intrusion of something.