Democrats win the House, and he’s already fired Sessions: Trump thread 87

[TheClaws]

We start this new thread on a brighter note: the mid-terms were a win for the Democrats, securing the House of Representatives and further seats in the Senate. This means more scrutiny for POTUS and the GOP, and bargaining power.

He’s still a feckless, vain bully, oddly admired by some varieties of Christians - enjoy the cartoon by Mike Luckovich.

Texas agrees to reinstate Hillary Clinton to their history books (really), as well as Moses (really) and Helen Keller. Poor kids who missed out on key learning areas and will likely miss out in the future due to pure idiocy and denial.

www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2173288/one-history-books-texas-reverses-decision-remove

Moses??

The Associated Press
‏
Verified account

@AP
Following Following @AP
More
North Korean media say leader Kim Jong Un observed successful test of unspecified "tactical weapon."

Details about North Korea’s test of new ‘tactical’ weapon, whatever that is. (KCNA)

Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un Supervises Newly Developed Tactical Weapon Test

Font Size Korean English Chinese Russian Spanish Japanese
Pyongyang, November 16 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, visited the test ground of the Academy of Defence Science and supervised a newly developed ultramodern tactical weapon test.

After seeing the power of the tactical weapon, Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un was so excited to say that another great work was done by the defence scientists and munitions industrial workers to increase the defence capability of the country and the weapon system whose development Chairman Kim Jong Il had chosen personally and directed step by step with his special attention paid to it was born at last. He added that the weapon is just like a posthumous weapon and he missed Kim Jong Il very much while seeing the great success of its test.

Kim Jong Un highly praised the officials, scientists, technicians and munitions industrial workers for successfully conducting the test of an ultramodern tactical weapon, to which the Party has attached importance in ardent expectation.

He expressed great satisfaction, saying the great success serves as another striking demonstration of the validity of the Party policy of prioritizing defence science and technology and the rapidly developing defence capability of the country and as a decisive turn in bolstering the fighting capacity of the Korean People's Army.

He was accompanied by Choe Ryong Hae, Ri Pyong Chol, Ri Jong Sik, Jo Yong Won, Kim Yong Su, Kim Chang Son and Pak Jong Chon. -0-

Sorry, cozie I was incorrect about Moses. He’s not allowed in Texas yet. As per the article: ‘The body must also still contend with other thorny issues, such as whether to keep the Biblical figure Moses on a list of key political thinkers who influenced America’s founders.’

Yes, I can see why that might be a difficult issue

Sorry, that’s still not clear - Moses is still on the list of key political thinkers that influenced America, and the issue is whether to keep him there or not. I know what side I’m on!

Julian Assange has been charged, and prosecutors revealed it inadvertently in a court filing

www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/world/national-security/julian-assange-has-been-charged-prosecutors-reveal-in-inadvertent-court-filing/2018/11/15/9902e6ba-98bd-48df-b447-3e2a4638f05a_story.html

Olga Lautman
@olgaNYC1211
Russian media reporting that Assange’s lawyer believes a plan was put into place via a trilateral agreement for Ecuador to release Assange to Britain and then he will get extradited to America

Btw Russian media reporting this because Assange’s lawyer gave an interview to a Russian outlet

Darren Samuelsohn
@dsamuelsohn
Mueller/Manafort attorneys confirm talks since guilty plea & ask judge for 10-day extension - deadline is Friday - to file joint status report which “will allow them to provide the court with a report that will be of greater assistance in the court’s management of this matter.”

mobile.twitter.com/dsamuelsohn/status/1063230571650920449

What Trump’s Latest Outburst About Mueller Could Mean
The president was unusually specific in his attacks against the special counsel.

www.theatlantic.com/amp/article/575971/

What could a Democratic Congress do if Mueller is fired?

www.businessinsider.com/how-mueller-could-investigate-trump-even-if-he-is-fired-2018-11

I don't think it will come to that.

ErikWemple
‏*@ErikWemple*
Judge just ruled in favor of @Acosta: Cnn TRO is granted and press pass must be restored

Josh Marshall
‏*@joshtpm*
.@acosta thanks colleagues, judge for support, restoring press pass.

twitter.com/joshtpm/status/1063456845975691266

Acosta has been awarded his pass back, temporarily?

Paul McLeod
@pdmcleod
BIG: Judge Kelly rules Jim Acosta’s first amendment rights overrules the White House’s right to have orderly press conferences.

And here it is! Kelly says plaintiffs have shown likelihood fifth amendment rights were violated, and there is irreparable harm.

Judge Kelly orders the White House to reinstate Jim Acosta’s hard pass.

Kelly was a Trump appointee - Trump's probably stunned that appointing a judge doesn't mean automatic loyalty.

I feel a SCOTUS referral?

I am in love with "genuinely obstruct or simply perform obstruction as gauzy interpretive dance" from this article, though it is a bit more serious than that makes it seem.

slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/11/jeff-flake-stand-against-trump-matters.html

NRA staffers are "freaking out" after executives eliminated some key employee perks, the latest indication that the gun group is hurting for cash.

The National Rifle Association is doing away with free coffee and water coolers for employees at its Fairfax, Virginia, headquarters — a cost-cutting move that has NRA insiders “freaking out,” The Trace has learned.

“The whole building was freaking out,” said one former employee who remains in contact with current staffers. Three other sources familiar with the gun group’s operations confirmed the story to The Trace.

The coffee cutback is the just latest indication that the NRA is hurting for cash. Membership revenue declined by $35 million last year, and the NRA recently rolled out its second dues increase in as many years. In May, the gun group sued Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York, claiming that his state’s zealous regulatory efforts against its Carry Guard insurance program had cost the NRA “tens of millions of dollars” in lost revenue, legal fees, and other damages. (A federal judge recently ruled that the suit can go forward.)

Perhaps the most vivid evidence of belt-tightening at the NRA was its drastically reduced spending on the 2018 midterm elections. The group shelled out just under $10 million on House and Senate candidates this cycle — less than half of what it spent on congressional races in 2014 and 2016.
www.thetrace.org/rounds/nra-kills-coffee/

Carrie Johnson
@johnson_carrie
BREAKING Justice Department says in new filing it is engaged in talks "regarding a potential resolution of this matter" involving accused Russian agent Maria Butina and ask a court to postpone status conference for two weeks while they figure out whether they can make a deal.

So happy about the Acosta ruling. It will be interesting to see if/how fast the WH files for a temp stay of the order.

I'm sure Scrotus is pitching a hissy ass fit over 'his' judge 'betraying' him. IF, that is, they've found anyone brave enough to tell him about the ruling.

Oh, but maybe it's 'policy time', or 'potty time', or whatever so they haven't said anything yet. They'll have to wait for the proper 'time'. Maybe 'tantrum time'?

Kaitlan Collins
@kaitlancollins
President Trump says he has finished the answers to the special counsel’s questions but hasn’t submitted them yet. He says his lawyers didn’t write them, he did.

He says his lawyers didn’t write them, he did.

I smell burning trousers.

But then again there is a subtle difference between 'wrote' as in formulated the answers himself, and 'wrote' as in 'I picked up a pen and wrote the words someone told me to'.

Once again, plausible deniability, as if his answers put him in deeper shit, he'll just say that 'wrote' was interpreted incorrectly.

He says his lawyers didn’t write them, he did.

This is good, no? I mean, whiff of burning keks aside (eww), his next stunt when pulled up on content was going to be to claim he DIDN'T write them.

For a pathological liar, ANY signed statement is a perjury trap: he just can't help himself.

Trump commends Antonin Scalia for having a lot of sex twitter.com/atrupar/status/1063503503606337536/video/1

What was it that Sneerah said about demanding decorum in the White House?