All-purpose news and politics thread: Two Steps Beyond!(Part II)

[SquirrelMan]

Yessir, the lamestream media are totally sleeping on the fact that Sanders is smarter than the rest because he was not autismed by vaccines as a child.


If he ever was a child. I saw footage for the 70s where he looked old.

[Tazirai]

[Tazirai]

[Tazirai]

Maddow walks through the shocking degree to which the Obama administration went to protect evidence against Russia

“The Rachel Maddow Show” on Wednesday recounted the extraordinary actions by Barack Obama’s administration to preserve evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Maddow reminded how the Obama administration ejected 35 suspected Russian intelligence operatives, seized two Russian “big, luxury compounds” and announced new sanctions.

[SquirrelMan]

Then again, Sanders also spent decades more breathing in chemtrails than his younger competitors.

It would explain why he is so angry all the time.

[Iron Maiden]

Again, last time Bernie gave you more of his voters than Hillary gave to Obama. Bernie voters were still spit on over it. It’s more that the party unity schtick was a bs lie to get away with bad behavior to get others to serve an interest.

Also it’s not all or nothing. The vast majority of Bernie voters would go for Warren.

Obama had a comfortable margin over Romney so he had enough to win the states that would give him the lead in the electoral college.

Obama electoral votes = 332 vs Romney's 206
Obama popular vote = 65,915,795 (51.1 %) vs Romney 60,933,504 (47.2%)

Hillary's 2012 totals almost match Obama's 2016 total of 65,446,032

Remember what lost the election for Clinton was the electoral college. It boiled down to the Cook Political Report has shown that just three counties, representing 77,759 voters in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, determined the outcome of the election.

The Forbes article also shows how in many states, Clinton's totals don't match Obama's. It's hard to say if these were Bernie voters that didn't vote or it could even have been a gender bias. This country has shown a history of being unable to support candidates who are women. IMO there's no reason why we shouldn't have had a woman President by now. Great Britain has a had a couple of women as PM's, we have Angela Merkel in Germany, etc.

[BeastieRunner]

Considering the amount of data they confiscated from Roger Stone's computers and the additional evidence they've been getting from the House since the Blue Wave happened, I seriously doubt he'll be ready before a few more months.

Robert Mueller’s “collusion” case so far, explained.
A decent, slightly biased summary of what is about to happen.

It’s Mueller time (apparently). Here are four big questions.
1. Will we ever see the “report" — or anything close to it? Barr said probably not and any recommended charges or prosecutive or declination decisions will remain confidential. After the Starr Report, it's going to take an act of Congress to get this bad boy out in the open.
2. What will we learn about Trump? As it sits now, the existing Justice Department guidelines say a sitting president can’t be indicted. So we're going to get a lot indirect answers. Barr did say he believes a sitting POTUS can commit obstruction of justice.
3. Does it come with any big indictments — possibly for Jerome Corsi or even Donald Trump Jr.? My gut says it will contain a speaking indictment on 2-4 people, as Team Mueller has done in the past.
4. What is Mueller’s ‘impeachable’ threshold? This will be telling and depend on if Congress gets the whole report. Starr listed nearly a dozen impeachable offenses committed by Bill Clinton. If he determines the threshold has been breached, it's really going to depend on how Barr handles and if/when Congress gets to see the full report.

7 Scenarios for How the Mueller Probe Might 'Wrap Up'.
Here's our options:

• A declination letter
• A roadmap akin to Watergate
• A narrative to dissect like Starr did
• A final round of speaking indictments like Mueller is known for
• A progress report like what is given to Congess on foreign affairs
• A shutdown notice with handing off cases to other places/departments/prosecutors
• A recommendation to prosecute after announcing one or more sealed indictments are now unsealed

[ZombieHavoc]

That all kinda sounds like the Mueller report will amount to...nothing?

[Iron Maiden]

With all the trash talking Putin was doing on Wednesday , why haven't we heard Trump threaten him with "fire and fury"?

Putin fleshed out his warning in detail for the first time, saying Russia could deploy hypersonic missiles on ships and submarines which could lurk outside U.S. territorial waters if Washington now moved to deploy intermediate-range nuclear weapons in Europe.
"(We're talking about) naval delivery vehicles: submarines or surface ships. And we can put them, given the speed and range (of our missiles)... in neutral waters. Plus they are not stationary, they move and they will have to find them," Putin said, according to a Kremlin transcript.

[BeastieRunner]

That all kinda sounds like the Mueller report will amount to...nothing?

It's conditional and depends on what Barr does and how Congress reacts to it.

The current body of evidence suggests that it is not over UNLESS:

A) the 35 people and business indicted/convicted/plead guilty are the only guilty actors;

or

B) there's a speaking indictment for somebody (or more) higher up;

or

C) it recommends impeachable offense(s).

So, IMHO, it's a jump ball. 50% chance it's a progress report or 50% chance of one of those 3 things occurring.

[Cimmerian]

That all kinda sounds like the Mueller report will amount to...nothing?

It won’t lol

$30+ million of the tax payers dollars well spent...

[BeastieRunner]

TEAM MUELLER UPDATE:

Stone ... is in big trouble ...

Here's a live feed:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...-a8790736.html

Quick recap since we're on recess.

* Roger Stone and his SoFla-based defense team are taking their seats in the courtroom. His lawyers include Bruce Rogow (First Amendment attorney who back in the 90s repped 2 Live Crew), Robert Buschel & Grant Smith.
I thought he was broke? These are big-time first amendment lawyers.

* Stone took the witness stand. Defense agreed to cross!!! Stone's lawyers put the client on the stand to admit to violating the order and subjecting him to cross under oath shows how bad this is for him.

* "I believe I abused the order, for which I am heart fully sorry. I am kicking myself over my own stupidity... I offer no excuse for it, no justification..." Calls it a lapse in judgement called by stress. Claims he can't pay for food or rent.

* Judge is now questioning Stone about the Instagram post. Judge is interested in the notion that he's not responsible for what gets posted on his Instagram. Asks if he knows how to Google. "How hard was it to come up with a photograph that doesn't have crosshairs in the corner?"

* This is not going well for Stone, who can't say who sent him the image, or whether it was sent via text or email. Says he has five or six volunteers.

* JUDGE: "You saw it, and you said, 'Okay, I'm going to post this'?" STONE: "I'm sorry, it was a mistake .."

* STONE: "My house is like a headquarters, I have many volunteers." JUDGE: I thought you said five? STONE: Five is a lot.

* Stone has named four of his volunteers, after testifying he has five or six. Stone says he can't recall all the names of the volunteers working for him a few days ago.

* Stone attorney says his client is a person who is "used to talking," but has learned his lesson. Lawyer says Stone wants a second chance. Again says Stone apologizes. Lawyer: "It's not even close, it's indefensible." Judge: "I agree with you there."

* 15 minute recess.

[BeastieRunner]

Judge is back!

* Judge Amy Berman Jackson says she's not convinced that Stone is all talk. Says the post created a very real risk. "These were deliberate choices."

* Judge says Stone has "decided to pursue a strategy of attacking others." Says Stone couldn’t keep story straight on the stand. Says Instagram post had a “more sinister message.” Roger Stone, fully understands the power of words and symbols, she says.

* JUDGE to STONE: "Thank you, but the apology rings quite hollow."

* Judge says Stone’s release under current conditions would pose a risk to the public.

* JUDGE: “No, Mr. Stone, I’m not giving you another chance.” Modifying conditions, says Stone cannot speak publicly about the case.

* Full gag, non contact with non-legal team, no bond, no bail, no release if this continues.

* "Any violation of this order will be a basis for revoking your bond or detaining you pending trial... If you do not comply with today's order, I will find it necessary to 'adjust your environment'."

[PaulBullion]

It won’t lol

$30+ million of the tax payers dollars well spent...

The cost is more than covered with the money they got out of Manafort alone. Roger Stone's fortune will be the cherry on top and may even finance your fucking wall.

[BeastieRunner]

Current Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta has been found to have used his AG position to devise a non-prosecution agreement to not fully prosecute a sex-trafficking ring. 15 days to comply.
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/sta...226577419.html

Team Trump, folks!

BTW: this case links up with a dot in the Mueller investigation. That dot being the Steel Dossier, alegding Trump and allies are indebted because they run a sex-trafficking ring.