Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
demmiblue
demmiblue's Journal
demmiblue's Journal
June 11, 2018
Inside Obama's secret meetings with 2020 contenders
Still the reluctant leader of the Democratic Party, Obama has been providing counsel to Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and other presidential hopefuls.
Barack Obama has in recent months met with at least nine prospective 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden and Deval Patrick, pulling them in for one-on-one sessions at his Washington office.
All the meetings were arranged quietly, without even some close advisers to the people involved being told of the conversations, in part because of how much Obama bristles at his private meetings becoming public knowledge. All have been confirmed to POLITICO by multiple people who have been briefed on the secretive sit-downs.
The meetings have been at Obama’s personal office on the third floor of the World Wildlife Fund building in D.C.’s West End neighborhood, and they show how a stream of ambitious, searching politicians are looking for guidance and support from the man who has remained the reluctant leader of the Democratic Party, eager to be involved, though not directly. He's not making any promises of support, though, and is not expected to endorse in the 2020 race until after a nominee has emerged.
Obama so far has avoided direct conflict with President Donald Trump — save for a few public statements criticizing his moves attempting to dismantle the Iran nuclear deal, Obamacare and the protection program for Dreamers, though without naming Trump.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/11/obama-2020-elections-sanders-warren-635165
Barack Obama has in recent months met with at least nine prospective 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden and Deval Patrick, pulling them in for one-on-one sessions at his Washington office.
All the meetings were arranged quietly, without even some close advisers to the people involved being told of the conversations, in part because of how much Obama bristles at his private meetings becoming public knowledge. All have been confirmed to POLITICO by multiple people who have been briefed on the secretive sit-downs.
The meetings have been at Obama’s personal office on the third floor of the World Wildlife Fund building in D.C.’s West End neighborhood, and they show how a stream of ambitious, searching politicians are looking for guidance and support from the man who has remained the reluctant leader of the Democratic Party, eager to be involved, though not directly. He's not making any promises of support, though, and is not expected to endorse in the 2020 race until after a nominee has emerged.
Obama so far has avoided direct conflict with President Donald Trump — save for a few public statements criticizing his moves attempting to dismantle the Iran nuclear deal, Obamacare and the protection program for Dreamers, though without naming Trump.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/11/obama-2020-elections-sanders-warren-635165
June 11, 2018
Scott Pruitt's Anti-Choice, Anti-Environment Protege Is About to Become a Federal Judge
And he’s on Trump’s Supreme Court shortlist.
A former lackey of Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt known for his role in a controversial death penalty case is about to become a federal judge. In April, President Donald Trump nominated Patrick Wyrick, currently a justice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court, to an Oklahoma district court judgeship. Wyrick, whose nomination hearing was on May 23, was grilled by the two Senate Judiciary Committee members who showed up about his relationship with his former boss Pruitt and about a sharp rebuke he received in 2015 from Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who accused him of misleading the court during a death penalty case. The committee is expected to vote on Wyrick’s nomination as early as this week, after which his nomination will go to the full Senate. He is expected to be confirmed.
At 37 and with little more than a year of experience on the bench, if confirmed, Wyrick would be the youngest federal judge of the 42 so far confirmed under Trump. Wyrick is also on the president’s shortlist for the Supreme Court. The court’s lifetime term means Wyrick could shape influential decisions for decades to come: If he joined the nation’s highest court today, he would be the youngest Supreme Court justice in modern history by a long shot (a few early justices were younger).
At Mother Jones, we’ve documented Trump’s propensity to nominate judges that are overwhelmingly white, male, and conservative. Unsurprisingly, Wyrick’s record is in line with the administration’s goals of rolling back reproductive rights and ending environmental protections. Here are the biggest issues that have defined Wyrick’s legal career and what his confirmation might mean for the court:
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/06/scott-pruitts-anti-choice-anti-environment-protege-is-about-to-become-a-federal-judge/
A former lackey of Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt known for his role in a controversial death penalty case is about to become a federal judge. In April, President Donald Trump nominated Patrick Wyrick, currently a justice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court, to an Oklahoma district court judgeship. Wyrick, whose nomination hearing was on May 23, was grilled by the two Senate Judiciary Committee members who showed up about his relationship with his former boss Pruitt and about a sharp rebuke he received in 2015 from Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who accused him of misleading the court during a death penalty case. The committee is expected to vote on Wyrick’s nomination as early as this week, after which his nomination will go to the full Senate. He is expected to be confirmed.
At 37 and with little more than a year of experience on the bench, if confirmed, Wyrick would be the youngest federal judge of the 42 so far confirmed under Trump. Wyrick is also on the president’s shortlist for the Supreme Court. The court’s lifetime term means Wyrick could shape influential decisions for decades to come: If he joined the nation’s highest court today, he would be the youngest Supreme Court justice in modern history by a long shot (a few early justices were younger).
At Mother Jones, we’ve documented Trump’s propensity to nominate judges that are overwhelmingly white, male, and conservative. Unsurprisingly, Wyrick’s record is in line with the administration’s goals of rolling back reproductive rights and ending environmental protections. Here are the biggest issues that have defined Wyrick’s legal career and what his confirmation might mean for the court:
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/06/scott-pruitts-anti-choice-anti-environment-protege-is-about-to-become-a-federal-judge/
June 10, 2018
https://twitter.com/joshrogin/status/1005814934293360640
What could possibly go wrong?!
Sooo... "Trump and Kim will first meet 1 on 1 with only translators."
Josh Rogin Verified account @joshrogin
.@JenniferJJacobs says Trump and Kim will first meet 1 on 1 with only translators. Does Bolton or Pompeo think that's a good idea? I don't. @ThisWeekABC
10:12 AM - 10 Jun 2018
.@JenniferJJacobs says Trump and Kim will first meet 1 on 1 with only translators. Does Bolton or Pompeo think that's a good idea? I don't. @ThisWeekABC
10:12 AM - 10 Jun 2018
https://twitter.com/joshrogin/status/1005814934293360640
What could possibly go wrong?!
June 10, 2018
Meet the guys who tape Trump's papers back together
The president's 'unofficial filing system' involves tearing up documents into pieces, even when they're supposed to be preserved.
Solomon Lartey spent the first five months of the Trump administration working in the Old Executive Office Building, standing over a desk with scraps of paper spread out in front of him.
Lartey, who earned an annual salary of $65,969 as a records management analyst, was a career government official with close to 30 years under his belt. But he had never seen anything like this in any previous administration he had worked for. He had never had to tape the president’s papers back together again.
Armed with rolls of clear Scotch tape, Lartey and his colleagues would sift through large piles of shredded paper and put them back together, he said, “like a jigsaw puzzle.” Sometimes the papers would just be split down the middle, but other times they would be torn into pieces so small they looked like confetti.
It was a painstaking project that was the result of a clash between legal requirements to preserve White House records and President Donald Trump’s odd and enduring habit of ripping up papers when he’s done with them — what some people described as his unofficial “filing system.”
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/10/trump-papers-filing-system-635164
Solomon Lartey spent the first five months of the Trump administration working in the Old Executive Office Building, standing over a desk with scraps of paper spread out in front of him.
Lartey, who earned an annual salary of $65,969 as a records management analyst, was a career government official with close to 30 years under his belt. But he had never seen anything like this in any previous administration he had worked for. He had never had to tape the president’s papers back together again.
Armed with rolls of clear Scotch tape, Lartey and his colleagues would sift through large piles of shredded paper and put them back together, he said, “like a jigsaw puzzle.” Sometimes the papers would just be split down the middle, but other times they would be torn into pieces so small they looked like confetti.
It was a painstaking project that was the result of a clash between legal requirements to preserve White House records and President Donald Trump’s odd and enduring habit of ripping up papers when he’s done with them — what some people described as his unofficial “filing system.”
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/10/trump-papers-filing-system-635164
June 8, 2018
Trump calls for readmitting Russia to G-7 four years after it was expelled for its role in Crimean c
Source: WaPo
President Trump said Russia should be readmitted to the Group of Seven leading economies, breaking with other world leaders who have insisted Moscow remain ostracized following its involvement in the 2014 Crimean crisis.
Trump’s comments, made as he was departing to Canada for the annual G-7 summit, have the potential to further upend talks with other world leaders. U.S. officials believe Russia interfered in the 2016 election, and part of this year’s G-7 summit was supposed to focus on protecting democracies from foreign meddling.
Trump has sought to improve relations between the United States and Russia since taking office. The U.S. government and other nations have imposed strict sanctions on Russia related to its involvement in Crimea, and those penalties remain in effect.
This is a developing story. It will be updated.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/06/08/trump-calls-for-readmitting-russia-to-g-7-four-years-after-it-was-expelled-for-its-role-in-crimean-crisis/
June 8, 2018
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1004909785547001856
https://twitter.com/ddale8/status/1004910615436103680
The Twit tweets: Take down your tariffs & barriers or we will more than match you!
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1004909785547001856
https://twitter.com/ddale8/status/1004910615436103680
June 8, 2018
Trump to depart G-7 summit early
Source: Politico
President Donald Trump will leave the G-7 summit before its conclusion, the White House announced on Thursday night, following a day of back-and-forth with fellow world leaders that foreshadowed confrontations during the meeting of the world's largest advanced economies.
Trump will be depart the summit in Quebec at 10:30 a.m. Saturday and head directly to Singapore, the site of his June 12 meeting with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. The G-7 summit is scheduled to wrap up later on Saturday.
Before the announcement, President Emmanuel Macron of France and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada both promised to confront Trump over his recent decision to impose tariffs on U.S. allies.
Trump, in response, laid into the two leaders on Thursday evening over those plans.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/07/trump-g7-trudeau-macron-632988
Trump to skip climate portion of G7 after Twitter spat with Macron and Trudeau
(CNN)President Donald Trump plans to depart from this weekend's Group of 7 summit in Canada several hours early, the White House announced Thursday, punctuating an explosion of acrimony between Trump and his foreign counterparts on the eve of the talks.
The White House said Trump would depart mid-morning on Saturday, skipping sessions on climate change and the environment. An aide will take his place, the White House said.
The announcement came as Trump engaged in a bitter back-and-forth with French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over Twitter, both of whom he'll meet face-to-face on Friday.
Trump is expecting a knock-down, drag-out fight with top US allies over trade during his time at the conference, held in remote Quebec. It's a battle he believes he can win, but which he's unenthusiastic about waging in person, people familiar with his thinking say.
(CNN)President Donald Trump plans to depart from this weekend's Group of 7 summit in Canada several hours early, the White House announced Thursday, punctuating an explosion of acrimony between Trump and his foreign counterparts on the eve of the talks.
The White House said Trump would depart mid-morning on Saturday, skipping sessions on climate change and the environment. An aide will take his place, the White House said.
The announcement came as Trump engaged in a bitter back-and-forth with French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over Twitter, both of whom he'll meet face-to-face on Friday.
Trump is expecting a knock-down, drag-out fight with top US allies over trade during his time at the conference, held in remote Quebec. It's a battle he believes he can win, but which he's unenthusiastic about waging in person, people familiar with his thinking say.
June 7, 2018
When he landed in Michigan in late May, all the weary little boy carried was a trash bag stuffed with dirty clothes from his dayslong trek across Mexico, and two small pieces of paper — one a stick-figure drawing of his family from Honduras, the other a sketch of his father, who had been arrested and led away after they arrived at the United States border in El Paso.
An American government escort handed over the 5-year-old child, identified on his travel documents as José, to the American woman whose family was entrusted with caring for him. He refused to take her hand. He did not cry. He was silent on the ride “home.”
The first few nights, he cried himself to sleep. Then it turned into “just moaning and moaning,” said Janice, his foster mother. He recently slept through the night for the first time, though he still insists on tucking the family pictures under his pillow.
José’s separation from his father is part of the Trump administration’s latest and most widely debated border enforcement policy. Last month, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the government would criminally prosecute everyone who crosses the border illegally, a directive that is already leading to the breakup of hundreds of migrant families and channeling children into shelters and foster homes across the country.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/07/us/children-immigration-borders-family-separation.html
Absolutely gut wrenching. These people (Trump et al.) are heinous monsters.
'It's Horrendous': The Heartache of a Migrant Boy Taken From His Father
When he landed in Michigan in late May, all the weary little boy carried was a trash bag stuffed with dirty clothes from his dayslong trek across Mexico, and two small pieces of paper — one a stick-figure drawing of his family from Honduras, the other a sketch of his father, who had been arrested and led away after they arrived at the United States border in El Paso.
An American government escort handed over the 5-year-old child, identified on his travel documents as José, to the American woman whose family was entrusted with caring for him. He refused to take her hand. He did not cry. He was silent on the ride “home.”
The first few nights, he cried himself to sleep. Then it turned into “just moaning and moaning,” said Janice, his foster mother. He recently slept through the night for the first time, though he still insists on tucking the family pictures under his pillow.
José’s separation from his father is part of the Trump administration’s latest and most widely debated border enforcement policy. Last month, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the government would criminally prosecute everyone who crosses the border illegally, a directive that is already leading to the breakup of hundreds of migrant families and channeling children into shelters and foster homes across the country.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/07/us/children-immigration-borders-family-separation.html
Absolutely gut wrenching. These people (Trump et al.) are heinous monsters.
Profile Information
Member since: Thu Feb 14, 2008, 11:58 AMNumber of posts: 36,841
