When a nation’s children marched, and their President ignored them - Trump cont.

[TheClaws]

For me, the Parkland children being belittled and abused in so many ways is utterly heartbreaking to witness. But they have been more adult than the adults in their response. They have shown us what faith means, and bravery. POTUS? He is made much, much smaller.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3198255--In-politics-stupidity-is-not-a-handicap-We-know-this-now-Trump-thread-cont

I hope no one minds my slight deviation into emotional spaces

Yes he did.

And no I don't.

Thanks for the new thread.

Thank you, Claws.

I have a vague memory of, right after the shooting, a child saying - with real anguish - something like 'You're the adults: you're supposed to protect us'..............

I felt very low.

Me too, cozie. As adults, we are entitled to fallibilities. We can’t always be a model citizen to our children, as much as we might wish to be. But to actively attack and malign for your own ends shows an emptiness of soul I have trouble with.

It is awful how they are attacking children (who are finding the courage to ask the adults to protect them from being attacked, ironically) but it betrays how threatened they feel. Change is happening

Vermont House approves gun restrictions as opponents look on

apnews.com/amp/113242dab70c41ed9ee25fe2ef2d4e6d

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — The Vermont House gave final approval to a package of gun ownership restrictions Tuesday night while opponents clad in orange hunting vests packed the Statehouse.

Lawmakers voted 89-54 to pass legislation that would raise the legal age for gun purchases, expand background checks for private gun sales and ban high-capacity magazines and rapid-fire devices known as bump stocks. The vote fell primarily along party lines.

Caroline O. @RVAwonk
58m58 minutes ago
More
For the past year, Jared Kushner has been calling John Bolton to brief him on important policy matters so that Bolton could parrot the admin's positions during his frequent appearances on Fox News.

Renato Mariotti
@renato_mariotti
Michael Cohen's attorney just claimed on @OutFrontCNN that Trump was not aware of the Stormy Daniels agreement or the payment, which means that there was no contract between Trump and Daniels, and Daniels can release the materials. Why would he admit this on national television?

C.H. Armstrong
C.H. Armstrong
@CHArmstrong
Replying to @renato_mariotti and @OutFrontCNN
Doesn’t it also mean that Cohen has violated some type of Bar regulation? Something about giving money to a client or paying expenses for a client? Not to mention acting on behalf of a client without his knowledge?

Renato Mariotti
@renato_mariotti
Yes.

Renato Mariotti
@renato_mariotti
And you're right that entering into a transaction on a client's behalf without authorization is also an ethical violation.

The Hoarse Whisperer
@HoarseWisperer
Michael Cohen’s zeal to keep Trump off the hook for a hush money payment essentially just voided the basis of her NDA.

#FreeStormy is gonna be lit.

I've seen so many times, something like 'But s/he's a lawyer..........' People forget that you get good lawyers and bad ones, bright lawyers and those who are........not so bright......etc etc.

Susan Simpson
@TheViewFromLL2

Jesus.

Cohen's attorney: "[Trump] was not aware of any of it, wasn't told about it. Michael Cohen left the option open. That's why he left that signature line, the option open to go to him. He chose not to. He chose to bind the LLC, EC LLC and Stormy Daniels into the contract."

“My client has agreed to the proposed contract with you. Just sign here, and here, and we're done. ... PSYCH! Guess what, you actually just entered into an agreement with FU LLC, the Delaware LLC I just created.

Man, I can't believe you fell for that. No take-backs fyi."

Cohen's stupid plan could never work. But it's even stupider because Cohen wrote the stupid contract in a way that makes it crystal clear WHY it couldn't work, specifying that Trump waives his claims against Stormy "as material inducements to [her] to enter into this Agreement."

"Each Party acknowledges that [Stormy] is executing this Agreement in reliance" on Trump releasing certain claims he has against Stormy.

Michael Cohen can't offer that. EC LLC can't offer that either. Only Trump can.

So if Trump ain't in the agreement, THERE IS NO AGREEMENT.

Incidentally, there is no proof for this beyond the fact it's completely fucking obvious from the contract, but the major promise being offered in the contract here is that Trump was to agree not to initiate a criminal prosecution against Stormy under revenge porn laws.

Trump "represents that, ... in connection with any of [Stormy's] attempts to sell, exploit and/or disseminate" "certain still images and/or text messages which were authored by or relate to [Trump]", Trump "will refrain... from disclosing [Stormy's] name to the authorities."

Remember this portion of Stormy's 60 Minutes interview? Yes of course $130K was too low, she knows that. But when she was given this "very strict" agreement, she jumped on the chance anyway.

Why? Well, if she was convinced she'd go to prison if she didn't, no wonder she signed.

None of which is to say any actual crimes were involved here.

Trump/Cohen likely threatened Stormy with prosecution because she offered a reporter "The Property," which the contract defines as "certain still images and/or text messages which were authored by or relate to DD."

There are so many variations on revenge porn laws in different states that there's no real way to evaluate the legality of any hypothetical conduct here.

But that just means Cohen would've had a lot of wiggle room to convince Stormy she'd committed a crime here when she hadn't.

Or sure, maybe Cohen had a semi-credible argument that Stormy could've violated some state's revenge porn law when she offered send a reporter corroborating evidence of her affair with Trump in the form of pics he texted her of him watching Shark Week. Maybe.

But the fact she's pursuing these claims so openly would suggest she's not afraid of criminal prosecution now.

But it seems like she was afraid of it back in October 2016. Afraid enough that Trump's promise not to disclose her name to the authorities was a material inducement.

Why might that have been the case? If anyone's taking bets on this, put mine down on the source of Stormy's fear being her attorney, Keith Davidson.

Nothing we've seen about him so far inspires confidence that it was his clients' interests that Davidson was advancing.

Davidson represented Karen McDougal too, who Trump also had an affair with. And as alleged in McDougal's complaint, Davidson was colluding Cohen – across multiple cases – to pressure McDougal and other women into signing agreements by misrepresenting to them the material terms.

And if there was any room for doubt about what's really going on here, just look at what Cohen has to say about Davidson.

Cohen, who threatens violence against reporters who merely call up with questions, speaks GLOWINGLY about an attorney who repeatedly threatened to sue Trump.

For all of Cohen's truly idiotic legal claims, repeated ethical breaches, & wannabe mobster ways, his sins here are the lesser ones. No one can say he wasn't zealously advocating for his client. But if Davidson did what the women allege he did, he can't be disbarred fast enough.

Zoe Tillman
@ZoeTillman
Just in: Paul Manafort is asking the judge in the DC criminal case to compel the special counsel's office to give him unredacted affidavits underlying search warrants (part of Manafort's research into whether he can argue evidence should be suppressed) (link: www.scribd.com/document/375057132/3-28-18-Manafort-Motion-to-Compel )

Judge set a deadline of April 6 for Manafort to file motions to suppress evidence/statements and any other pre-trial motions

Speaking of law enforcement, some cheerful news

Alex Jones
@RealAlexJones
BREAKING: FBI Detains Infowars Contributor Over Fake Russian Collusion Narrative [i am not linking to his site]

And

Paul Joseph Watson
@PrisonPlanet
BREAKING: The FBI is detaining contributors to Infowars (Ted Malloch) and accusing them of being "Russian agents" & forcing them to testify in front of a grand jury.

Join our live emergency broadcast at 7pm CST for more information.

[if you search for ted malloc on twitter, the panic and paranoia is almost amusing]

Sarah Kendzior
@sarahkendzior
This week's US infrastructure attacks:

• Atlanta city services paralyzed due to ransomware attack; deadline for ransom is today
• Baltimore 911 dispatch system hacked
• Boeing hit by serious virus, metastasizing quickly

In January, I wrote a long article on Russia's previous and ongoing cyberattacks on US infrastructure (link: amp.fastcompany.com/40515682/the-other-scary-foreign-hacking-threat-trump-is-ignoring )

In February, I wrote about the strange false nuclear strike alerts, and possibility of infrastructure hacks leading to war

t.co/CuEUlGsFHm

Much like Atlanta and Baltimore, Denver's core online city services and parts of its 911 system are no longer working, but they say it's not a hack (link: www.denverite.com/core-city-services-go-offline-denver-50142/amp )

Atlanta
Baltimore
Chicago (Boeing HQ)
Denver

How you doing, El Paso? #infrastructureweek

Just adding this to the thread. On Colorado:

Oh. Earlier this month the Colorado Dept of Transportation was also hit with a ransomware attack and the National Guard was called in (link: www.google.com/amp/s/www.9news.com/amp/article%3fsection=news&subsection=local&topic=next&headline=more-malicious-activity-on-cdot-computers-reported&contentId=73-524533756 )

Claws thank you for the thread and so agree with your OP.

This is a long but interesting article about the forthcoming Census and how the Trump effect will have a dramatic long term impact on federal funding in the areas it's needed.

www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/03/donald-trump-rigging-2020-census-undercounting-minorities-1/

White House: Police Shootings of African-Americans Are a ‘Local Matter

www.thedailybeast.com/white-house-police-shootings-of-african-americans-are-a-local-matter

And

AprilDRyan
@AprilDRyan
Fact: tension with the black community and police have been an issue since blacks were enslaved in this country. It was once whispered about but now we see fact with video footage. It is a national conversation.

And

The Grapevine
@TheGrapevineTV
We are all bearing witness to the evolution of lynching.

And

Eugene Scott
@Eugene_Scott
The President of the United States could weigh in on NFL players taking a knee at football games and a Jay-Z interview calling the "shithole" comment hurtful but police shootings of black men across America are "local matters" to be left up to local authorities ...

Bree Newsome
@BreeNewsome
Again, Black Americans live under actual tyranny. One week America watches a black man be murdered by police on national TV, the next week America watches a football game where black athletes risk losing their jobs or worse if they mention police violence or take a knee

And (from January)

Baltimore Cops Carried Toy Guns to Plant on People They Shot, Trial Reveals

One officer involved in the city's massive corruption scandal said officers kept the replicas "in case we accidentally hit somebody or got into a shootout, so we could plant them."

www.vice.com/en_us/article/8xvzwp/baltimore-cops-carried-toy-guns-to-plant-on-people-they-shot-trial-reveals-vgtrn

Republicans May Shoot Themselves In The Foot By Putting Citizenship In The Census

The controversial question may cost some GOP-led states seats in Congress and electoral votes in presidential elections.

m.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/republicans-census-citizenship_us_5abbb470e4b04a59a3138321

'Feet' might be the only thing the GOP has left unharmed come November.

(From yesterday)

Jeremy Diamond
@JDiamond1
Today was Hope Hicks’ last day working at the White House, per a senior WH official & admin official

And

White House staffers view post-Hope Hicks era with trepidation

www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/white-house-staffers-view-post-hicks-era-with-trepidation/

And

Inside the Cutthroat Battle to Be the Next Hope Hicks

amp.nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/03/inside-the-cutthroat-battle-to-be-the-next-hope-hicks.html

Maggie Haberman
@maggieNYT
This is a prelude to disaster, via @Olivianuzzi

Thanks for the new thread Claws

I watched SHS at last night's presser and it was appalling how she answered April Ryan when she tried to ask questions about police shootings of african americans. It was rude and dismissive, oh and uncaring and vile too.

That daily beast article doesn't do her rudeness justice.

Yet another very unsatisfactory Huckabee presser, I rarely watch them now because they have the capability of putting me in a bad mood

Forgot to include this in the white supremacy round up

Joy Reid
@JoyAnnReid
The defendants on terrorism conspiracy charge are using a novel defense for their threats to kill Muslims: their words, per their attorneys, were “locker room talk..." www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/fbi-informant-kansas-militia-muslim-massacre_us_5abc40f1e4b03e2a5c791690

Thanks for the new thread.
And to borrow from Whitney - "The (those) children are our future".
For that reason I do have hope.

I haven’t watched one in ages - you did well to stomach it yesterday. I saw that April Ryan had tweeted her thanks to another journalist for following up her question, which is heartening. I know there’s a lot to cover but it would be nice if they all agreed to keep drilling down on one issue beforehand to get some sort of substantive answer

Definitely not posting this because it gives me an excuse to sing “room where it happened”

Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
....In the interim, Hon. Robert Wilkie of DOD will serve as Acting Secretary. I am thankful for Dr. David Shulkin’s service to our country and to our GREAT VETERANS!

Kyle Cheney
@kyledcheney
Wilkie, for what it’s worth, was one of three Capitol Hill aides in the room at the RNC where the Ukraine platform debate occurred.

www.politico.com/story/2017/11/17/gop-platform-change-ukraine-russia-congressional-aides-paul-ryan-247665