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kpete
kpete's Journal
kpete's Journal
June 14, 2018
https://twitter.com/james_acton32/status/1007269531667099651
OMG: The surprise on Kim's face...
https://twitter.com/james_acton32/status/1007269531667099651
June 14, 2018
“It’s disgraceful, and it’s terrible to see families ripped apart and I don’t support that one bit,” the evangelist said.
Evangelist Franklin Graham, a staunch backer of President Donald Trump, has denounced a new Trump administration policy that separates immigrant parents from their children at the U.S. border.
“It’s disgraceful, and it’s terrible to see families ripped apart and I don’t support that one bit,” Graham, son of the famous evangelist Billy Graham, told the Christian Broadcasting Network on Tuesday.
“I blame politicians for the last 20, 30 years that have allowed this to escalate to the point where it is today,” Graham added. “We are a country of a laws, laws need to be obeyed, no question about that, but the situation we have today as a result of our lawmakers in Washington over generations ignoring this.”
MORE:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/franklin-graham-blasts-trump-border_us_5b223db7e4b09d7a3d7a7c16
Franklin Graham Blasts Trump's Immigrant Family Separations At Border as "Disgraceful"
Franklin Graham Blasts Trump’s Immigrant Family Separations At Border“It’s disgraceful, and it’s terrible to see families ripped apart and I don’t support that one bit,” the evangelist said.
Evangelist Franklin Graham, a staunch backer of President Donald Trump, has denounced a new Trump administration policy that separates immigrant parents from their children at the U.S. border.
“It’s disgraceful, and it’s terrible to see families ripped apart and I don’t support that one bit,” Graham, son of the famous evangelist Billy Graham, told the Christian Broadcasting Network on Tuesday.
“I blame politicians for the last 20, 30 years that have allowed this to escalate to the point where it is today,” Graham added. “We are a country of a laws, laws need to be obeyed, no question about that, but the situation we have today as a result of our lawmakers in Washington over generations ignoring this.”
MORE:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/franklin-graham-blasts-trump-border_us_5b223db7e4b09d7a3d7a7c16
June 14, 2018
Lawrence O'Donnell: "Note to News Media - The Last Time Trump Made A Deal Was With Stormy Daniels."
?1528928203
June 13, 2018
Unredacted gov exhibit shows alleged attempts by Manafort & Kilimnik to influence witness testimony
Unredacted government exhibit showing alleged attempts by Manafort and Kilimnik to influence witness testimonies has been released. The witnesses, journalists Alan Friedman and Eckart Sager, produced the messages to the FBI.
https://twitter.com/NatashaBertrand/status/1006986884550098944
https://twitter.com/emptywheel/status/1007017175712968705
June 13, 2018
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1006974620547854342
Trump Tweet from November 25, 2013.
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1006974620547854342
June 13, 2018
Trump isn’t trying to win over North Korea’s leader. He’s using him to win over you.
By WILLIAM SALETAN
At the press conference following his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore on Tuesday, President Trump called himself “an emissary of the American people” and spoke of “my instinct, my ability, or talent” for negotiation. “My whole life has been deals,” said Trump. “I’ve done great at it.”
Three times during his press conference, Trump was asked about North Korea’s failure to honor previous agreements in which it made similar pledges. Each time the question was asked, Trump blamed the collapse of these agreements on previous American presidents. As evidence, Trump claimed that during the summit, Kim had told him that North Korea lacked “confidence” in Trump’s predecessors. In a post-summit interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Trump said Kim had explained that “he was let down by the United States.” Far from challenging this statement, Trump used it to bolster his argument that no other American president could have worked with North Korea as Trump has. “I don’t think they honestly could have done it,” said Trump.
This is the key to understanding the Trump-Kim relationship: Trump isn’t competing with Kim or even trying to win him over. He’s using Kim to compete for status with previous American presidents. “A lot of people are saying it’s historic,” Trump told Stephanopoulos, referring to the summit. “We’ve done something that’s very unique. Nobody’s met with the [Kim] family … No president has, certainly.”
...............
Trump isn’t trying to impress Kim. He’s trying to impress you. He starts by lowering the bar, claiming that any summit outcome is better than the nuclear holocaust people feared after Trump escalated the war of words with Pyongyang. “You could have lost, you know, 30, 40, 50 million people” in a nuclear war, Trump pointed out in the press conference. Then, to pad the tally of gains from the summit, Trump double-counts things North Korea had done beforehand: releasing hostages and suspending missile launches. Trump demands extra credit for not giving North Korea $150 billion, which he falsely claims Obama gave up in the nuclear deal with Iran. (Spoiler: It was Iran’s money.)
...................
MORE:
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/06/trumps-deal-with-kim-jong-un-is-a-con-job-and-youre-the-mark.html
The Kim Con - Trump isn't trying to win over North Korea's leader. He's using him to win over you.
The Kim ConTrump isn’t trying to win over North Korea’s leader. He’s using him to win over you.
By WILLIAM SALETAN
At the press conference following his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore on Tuesday, President Trump called himself “an emissary of the American people” and spoke of “my instinct, my ability, or talent” for negotiation. “My whole life has been deals,” said Trump. “I’ve done great at it.”
Trump is indeed a skilled salesman, and his presentation of the new U.S.–North Korean denuclearization agreement is a fine sales job. But the target of that sales job isn’t Kim. It’s you. Trump and Kim are working together to pass off their toothless pact as a milestone. It’s a con, and you’re the mark.
Three times during his press conference, Trump was asked about North Korea’s failure to honor previous agreements in which it made similar pledges. Each time the question was asked, Trump blamed the collapse of these agreements on previous American presidents. As evidence, Trump claimed that during the summit, Kim had told him that North Korea lacked “confidence” in Trump’s predecessors. In a post-summit interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Trump said Kim had explained that “he was let down by the United States.” Far from challenging this statement, Trump used it to bolster his argument that no other American president could have worked with North Korea as Trump has. “I don’t think they honestly could have done it,” said Trump.
This is the key to understanding the Trump-Kim relationship: Trump isn’t competing with Kim or even trying to win him over. He’s using Kim to compete for status with previous American presidents. “A lot of people are saying it’s historic,” Trump told Stephanopoulos, referring to the summit. “We’ve done something that’s very unique. Nobody’s met with the [Kim] family … No president has, certainly.”
...............
Trump isn’t trying to impress Kim. He’s trying to impress you. He starts by lowering the bar, claiming that any summit outcome is better than the nuclear holocaust people feared after Trump escalated the war of words with Pyongyang. “You could have lost, you know, 30, 40, 50 million people” in a nuclear war, Trump pointed out in the press conference. Then, to pad the tally of gains from the summit, Trump double-counts things North Korea had done beforehand: releasing hostages and suspending missile launches. Trump demands extra credit for not giving North Korea $150 billion, which he falsely claims Obama gave up in the nuclear deal with Iran. (Spoiler: It was Iran’s money.)
...................
MORE:
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/06/trumps-deal-with-kim-jong-un-is-a-con-job-and-youre-the-mark.html
June 13, 2018
https://twitter.com/PeterHamby/status/1006933624959262720
How Joe McCarthy played the journalists assigned to cover him
https://twitter.com/PeterHamby/status/1006933624959262720
June 13, 2018
At the Singapore summit, the U.S. president let Kim off the hook.
BY MICHAEL J. GREEN | JUNE 12, 2018, 2:07 PM
https://img3.daumcdn.net/thumb/R430x0.q70/?fname=
In Singapore on Tuesday, the president of the United States demonstrated that he has the authority to give unconditional pardons not only to felons at home, but also on the international stage. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s regime has violated multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions by continuing to test ever more dangerous ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons and was found guilty of crimes against humanity by a U.N. Commission of Inquiry in 2014. In Singapore, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he trusted Kim, said it was an honor to meet him, and declared peace on the Korean Peninsula. The situation on the peninsula is so horrible in terms of human suffering and threats to peace that one wants to hope for the best with this diplomatic pageant. Maybe I am just another “hater and loser” — but parsing what we know thus far, it is hard to see what we have achieved for the North Korean people or the safety of the world in exchange for pardoning Kim.
It is clear what Kim achieved. First, after two decades of North Korean leaders trying to lure a U.S. president to give de facto recognition to the regime for its nuclear weapons achievement, Kim struck gold. Isolated because of his nuclear weapons program, until recently Kim could not even score a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the leader of North Korea’s only ally. Now, he has two meetings with Xi, two with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and a meeting with Trump under his belt, with who knows how many more to come. Second, Kim has blunted the “maximum pressure” he knew he would face after escalating his missile and nuclear tests. The United States may keep sanctions on for the duration of talks, but China — which accounts for 90 percent of North Korean trade — has already visibly backed off from sanctions pressure on the North. Even U.S. sanctions, which the government significantly strengthened last September, require active application against North Korean and third-country entities, and that appears to be off the table. Third, Kim won an unexpected bonus with Trump’s commitment to end annual military exercises with South KoreaKim won an unexpected bonus with Trump’s commitment to end annual military exercises with South Korea, a unilateral pledge that blindsided South Korea and Japan and that will leave U.S. forces less prepared to deal with a North Korean military that is no less dangerous than it was before the Singapore summit. Even more stunning was Trump’s claim that he would eventually like to withdraw troops from Asia, an alliance-rattling statement that will warm hearts in Beijing and Moscow.
What did Trump achieve beyond high television ratings? He was not talking about fire and fury, at least — but the president should not have used those threats of war in the first place when a strategy of speaking softly and carrying a big stick would have been more effective and gained far more support among U.S. allies and in Congress. It is good that North Korea has ceased testing missiles and nuclear weapons, but that is instantly reversible and arguably not worth the irreversible gains Kim pocketed in terms of de facto sanctions relief and prestige. Kim’s “firm and unwavering commitment” to denuclearization is the same “firm and unwavering” commitment the regime made before embarking on a series of nuclear and missile tests in the last round of diplomacy. Pyongyang has figured out that nuclear weapons states make that pledge to join the club: In Article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the five declared nuclear weapons states committed to the same, and Kim has stated unequivocally that North Korea is now a nuclear weapons state itself. We may see some symbolic and limited disablement of North Korean rocket test sites. Kim would be foolish not to do something along those lines to keep the current process going, but that would not constitute a real step toward complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization.
The real test will come when U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo follows up in the weeks and months ahead. If he can persuade the North Koreans to turn over a full declaration of their nuclear, chemical, biological, and missile programs, then there might be cause to dial back the skepticism. North Korea was supposed to take this step under both the Agreed Framework and the six-party talks and never did, and both those agreements were far more specific about North Korean actions than what we know about the Singapore agreement. A declaration would not mean North Korea intends to denuclearize, but it is a necessary first step in the process that we have never see. Pompeo will have less leverage now to achieve that objective, but perhaps the goodwill generated in Singapore will compensate for diminished international pressure. That was supposed to be the logic of liberal internationalists, but here we are. In the meantime, one hopes the president’s advisors have enough sense of history to discourage him from waving his peace declaration in the air as he steps off Air Force One.
The rest:
http://foreignpolicy.com/2018/06/12/trump-pardons-another-celebrity-criminal-kim-singapore-north-korea/
Trump Pardons Another Celebrity Criminal
At the Singapore summit, the U.S. president let Kim off the hook.
BY MICHAEL J. GREEN | JUNE 12, 2018, 2:07 PM
https://img3.daumcdn.net/thumb/R430x0.q70/?fname=
In Singapore on Tuesday, the president of the United States demonstrated that he has the authority to give unconditional pardons not only to felons at home, but also on the international stage. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s regime has violated multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions by continuing to test ever more dangerous ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons and was found guilty of crimes against humanity by a U.N. Commission of Inquiry in 2014. In Singapore, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he trusted Kim, said it was an honor to meet him, and declared peace on the Korean Peninsula. The situation on the peninsula is so horrible in terms of human suffering and threats to peace that one wants to hope for the best with this diplomatic pageant. Maybe I am just another “hater and loser” — but parsing what we know thus far, it is hard to see what we have achieved for the North Korean people or the safety of the world in exchange for pardoning Kim.
It is clear what Kim achieved. First, after two decades of North Korean leaders trying to lure a U.S. president to give de facto recognition to the regime for its nuclear weapons achievement, Kim struck gold. Isolated because of his nuclear weapons program, until recently Kim could not even score a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the leader of North Korea’s only ally. Now, he has two meetings with Xi, two with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and a meeting with Trump under his belt, with who knows how many more to come. Second, Kim has blunted the “maximum pressure” he knew he would face after escalating his missile and nuclear tests. The United States may keep sanctions on for the duration of talks, but China — which accounts for 90 percent of North Korean trade — has already visibly backed off from sanctions pressure on the North. Even U.S. sanctions, which the government significantly strengthened last September, require active application against North Korean and third-country entities, and that appears to be off the table. Third, Kim won an unexpected bonus with Trump’s commitment to end annual military exercises with South KoreaKim won an unexpected bonus with Trump’s commitment to end annual military exercises with South Korea, a unilateral pledge that blindsided South Korea and Japan and that will leave U.S. forces less prepared to deal with a North Korean military that is no less dangerous than it was before the Singapore summit. Even more stunning was Trump’s claim that he would eventually like to withdraw troops from Asia, an alliance-rattling statement that will warm hearts in Beijing and Moscow.
What did Trump achieve beyond high television ratings? He was not talking about fire and fury, at least — but the president should not have used those threats of war in the first place when a strategy of speaking softly and carrying a big stick would have been more effective and gained far more support among U.S. allies and in Congress. It is good that North Korea has ceased testing missiles and nuclear weapons, but that is instantly reversible and arguably not worth the irreversible gains Kim pocketed in terms of de facto sanctions relief and prestige. Kim’s “firm and unwavering commitment” to denuclearization is the same “firm and unwavering” commitment the regime made before embarking on a series of nuclear and missile tests in the last round of diplomacy. Pyongyang has figured out that nuclear weapons states make that pledge to join the club: In Article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the five declared nuclear weapons states committed to the same, and Kim has stated unequivocally that North Korea is now a nuclear weapons state itself. We may see some symbolic and limited disablement of North Korean rocket test sites. Kim would be foolish not to do something along those lines to keep the current process going, but that would not constitute a real step toward complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization.
The real test will come when U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo follows up in the weeks and months ahead. If he can persuade the North Koreans to turn over a full declaration of their nuclear, chemical, biological, and missile programs, then there might be cause to dial back the skepticism. North Korea was supposed to take this step under both the Agreed Framework and the six-party talks and never did, and both those agreements were far more specific about North Korean actions than what we know about the Singapore agreement. A declaration would not mean North Korea intends to denuclearize, but it is a necessary first step in the process that we have never see. Pompeo will have less leverage now to achieve that objective, but perhaps the goodwill generated in Singapore will compensate for diminished international pressure. That was supposed to be the logic of liberal internationalists, but here we are. In the meantime, one hopes the president’s advisors have enough sense of history to discourage him from waving his peace declaration in the air as he steps off Air Force One.
The rest:
http://foreignpolicy.com/2018/06/12/trump-pardons-another-celebrity-criminal-kim-singapore-north-korea/
June 13, 2018
As attorneys for Michael Cohen rush to meet Judge Kimba Wood’s Friday deadline to complete a privilege review of over 3.7 million documents seized in the April 9 raids of Cohen’s New York properties and law office, a source representing this matter has disclosed to ABC News that the law firm handling the case for Cohen is not expected to represent him going forward.
To date, Cohen has been represented by Stephen Ryan and Todd Harrison of the Washington and New York firm, McDermott, Will & Emery LLP.
No replacement counsel has been identified as of this time.
Cohen, now with no legal representation, is likely to cooperate with federal prosecutors in New York, sources said. This development, which is believed to be imminent, will likely hit the White House, family members, staffers and counsels hard.
................
https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-lawyer-michael-cohen-cooperate-attorneys-leave-case/story?id=55861988
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1006907835287003142
https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1006906114259156992
**Interesting update***
Person close to Cohen says he hasn’t flipped yet, “he’s sending up a smoke signal to Trump: I need help.”
https://twitter.com/gabrielsherman/status/1006928433480421377
https://twitter.com/vanityman/status/1006942171499356160
Michael Cohen's attorneys have left his case. Cohen is likely to cooperate with federal prosecutors
Michael Cohen's attorneys have reportedly left his case. Cohen is likely to cooperate with federal prosecutors, sources tell ABC News.As attorneys for Michael Cohen rush to meet Judge Kimba Wood’s Friday deadline to complete a privilege review of over 3.7 million documents seized in the April 9 raids of Cohen’s New York properties and law office, a source representing this matter has disclosed to ABC News that the law firm handling the case for Cohen is not expected to represent him going forward.
To date, Cohen has been represented by Stephen Ryan and Todd Harrison of the Washington and New York firm, McDermott, Will & Emery LLP.
No replacement counsel has been identified as of this time.
Cohen, now with no legal representation, is likely to cooperate with federal prosecutors in New York, sources said. This development, which is believed to be imminent, will likely hit the White House, family members, staffers and counsels hard.
................
https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-lawyer-michael-cohen-cooperate-attorneys-leave-case/story?id=55861988
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1006907835287003142
https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1006906114259156992
**Interesting update***
Person close to Cohen says he hasn’t flipped yet, “he’s sending up a smoke signal to Trump: I need help.”
https://twitter.com/gabrielsherman/status/1006928433480421377
https://twitter.com/vanityman/status/1006942171499356160
Profile Information
Member since: Fri Sep 17, 2004, 03:59 PMNumber of posts: 71,980
