All purpose news and politics thread part v: The quickening

[Tami]

President Trump was booed loudly by the fans at Nats Park when he was shown on the big screen.
Then came a loud chant: “Lock him up.” @wusa9

Tweet with video

[Mister Mets]

Lavrentiy Beria: Stalin’s Architect of Terror

Reminds me of Trump and Pence, if Trump had unrestricted power -



I promise my last non-current news post.

Say what you will about Trump and Pence, we probably don't have to worry about mass graves popping up on their property, as was the case with Beria.

I'll add one more endorsement for The Death of Stalin. That was an excellent film. Simon Russell Beale's Beria is one of the best film villains in recent years.

[Mister Mets]

Trump was golfing when the raid occurred. Photo of Trump was staged after the fact.

It's not that clear-cut.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/tr...on-room-photo/

There seemed to be some misunderstanding about the timing of the mission.

Moreover, these claims of a “staged photograph” are based on the premise that the raid in Syria was underway or had concluded by 3:30 p.m. EDT on Oct. 26, which doesn’t appear to be the case. New Yorker reporter Ben Taub, for example, noted the first “on-the-ground posts about a helicopter raid in Idlib started surfacing shortly after 11:00 p.m. local time in Syria.” As well, a Time/AP news report described “an attack carried out by a squadron of eight helicopters accompanied by a warplane … in the Barisha area north of Idlib city, after midnight”

Idlib, Syria, was six hours ahead of Eastern time on the day the raid occurred, so if the operation was indeed unfolding between 11:00 p.m. and midnight in Syria, that would correspond to the interval from 5 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. in Washington, D.C., at a time when the situation room photograph’s metadata indicated it was snapped.

We’re awaiting more precise information about the timing of various events that day, but the available evidence does not seem to support the notion that Trump was away from the White House during the entirety of the Syria operation, and that the photograph of him with his national security team in the White House Situation Room was therefore taken after its conclusion.

Yeah, some Sunday copy editor messed up. But Mets. no comments about all the out and out lies Trump has made about this? Surely if you are upset about this mischaracterization, Trump's insane presser would trouble you?

I don't plan to comment on every news item. There's a lot of stuff going on in the world.

My dislike of Trump is well-established, but there isn't much value in spending any time telling you guys things you already know.

[Kirby101]

I don't plan to comment on every news item. There's a lot of stuff going on in the world.

My dislike of Trump is well-established, but there isn't much value in spending any time telling you guys things you already know.

Fair enough.

[Kirby101]

I'll add one more endorsement for The Death of Stalin. That was an excellent film. Simon Russell Beale's Beria is one of the best film villains in recent years.

It is truly a very funny and very dark film.

[worstblogever]

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I saw a Trump supporter online whooping up al-Baghdadi's death not because a monster had been killed, but because, "Trump just won re-election in 2020! YEAAAH! He is, of course, a moron, and probably is probably celebrating something for the wrong reasons, and making one hell of an incorrect conclusion, given the Pentagon has people leaking to the press that the raid was carried out semi-successfully in spite of Trump's decisions rather than because of his decisions on Syria.

Further, when you consider the response to Osama bin Laden's death in 2010 were cheers outside the White House and in NYC, and this has been met with the president being booed and ridiculed... well... I wouldn't think a second term is guaranteed.

[InformationGeek]

Tweet with video

And let's follow that up with his reaction.

[master of read]

and once again, john oliver breaks down shit in a way that anyone can understand.

[Gray Lensman]

Say what you will about Trump and Pence, we probably don't have to worry about mass graves popping up on their property, as was the case with Beria.

I'll add one more endorsement for The Death of Stalin. That was an excellent film. Simon Russell Beale's Beria is one of the best film villains in recent years.

And Jason Isaacs turns in a wonderfully hammy (in all the best ways) performance as Zhukov. They could have leveled criminal charges against him for all the scenes he stole.

[Celgress]

Say what you will about Trump and Pence, we probably don't have to worry about mass graves popping up on their property, as was the case with Beria.....

Probably not, although Pence does fit neatly into the "he was always so quiet and polite" personality type of many serial killers.

I'm kidding, of course.

[4saken1]

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What would have made this even better is if they would have gotten Obama to throw the first pitch of the game.

[Darkspellmaster]

I think Stalin was a ruthless psychopath who took advantage of a situation to gain ultimate power. Sure, Hitler might be higher in the hierarchy of evil (for various reasons) if you will but Stalin was still a monster. All the evidence points to Stalin being a brutal dictator who cared little about his people and craved power. Everyone the man knew ended up hating and fearing him.

Can give an example of why the science community in Russia loathes Stalin. Catlin, of Ask a Mortician fame, had a video this week about the Romanovs and, among other aspects discussed (including why two of their children are not allowed to be buried with their family by the Orthodox church, inspite of an out cry from the people of Russia and the remaining family, which has to do with them, the church and Putin, believing that the Jews actually killed the Czar and his family), she mentioned that one of the reasons why the team that was put on identifying the bodies had to go outside of Russia to get the DNA tested is because they were way behind the curve on DNA tests. And the reason why that is, is because Stalin had an entire team of Scientists who were working on creating DNA testing in Russia shot dead and cancelled the program.

This is the the sort of man he was.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

California Governor Declares Statewide Emergency Over Wildfires

High winds and low humidity threaten to worsen a spate of wildfires across the state of California.

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Pelosi: Trump Told Russia About Baghdadi Raid Before Congressional Leaders

The House speaker demanded that the White House brief lawmakers on the operation, which led to the death of the ISIS leader. Well, Trump had to keep his boss appraised of what happened after all. What did Pelosi expect? Meanwhile....

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Chris Wallace Grills Mike Pence: Why Didn’t Trump Notify Pelosi About ISIS Raid?

President Trump said he didn’t alert “some” congressional leaders ahead of the U.S. operation that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Of course Red Grant wasn't going to give anything in the way of an answer.

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Top Defense Republican: Trump’s Vivid Statement On Baghdadi ‘A Little Uncomfortable’

In the graphic account of the so-called Islamic State leader’s death, the president described him as having been “whimpering and crying and screaming.” Tact has never been Trump's strong suit, so his account of what happened with Baghdadi didn't surprise me.

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Veterans For Impeachment Score With Signs Right Behind Home Plate At World Series

The signs were snatched by security, but not before they captured lots of attention. Heh! Well played, gentlemen!

[shooshoomanjoe]

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So this is what a crowd of Americans that aren't trump supporters or paid actors look like around trump.

[Tami]

In Iowa, Tulsi Gabbard’s supporters don’t just see a sign — they see many, plastered across the state

DES MOINES — Matthew Hunt’s pledge to support a presidential candidate started with a sign.

Not a mystic apparition from above, but an actual billboard on Eisenhower Avenue in Mason City, where he saw a face and a name in bright red letters: “Tulsi.”

“Let’s not kid around, I thought she was attractive, so I looked her up on Facebook,” said Hunt, a 53-year-old service technician. That led him to learn about Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s antiwar stance, her military experience and, more recently, her public spat with 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. When he heard Gabbard (D-Hawaii) talk about the importance of living “Aloha” at a recent campaign event, he decided to throw his support to a woman on the fringes of Democratic politics.

“Tulsi comes out with her message of peace, sitting around and talking to people like adults and sitting at the table with everyone,” Hunt said. “I have a 17-year-old son. He’s never seen a year of peace.”

In my part of the country, I have heard from Campaign Pros that Yard signs don't work and are often a waste of money. Billboards? Who knows.