All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[Amadeus Arkham]

Sorry but I just started laughing at the possibility of Trump doing a Bill Cosby and still tweeting even in jail.

Because that actually seems likely to happen, even if he gets the book thrown at him.

[Tami]

These Are The Last Batch Of FBI Memos From The Mueller Probe

The final batch of summaries of interviews conducted for former special counsel Robert Mueller's two-year criminal investigation into the 2016 election has been released by the government six weeks before President Donald Trump is set to leave office.

Over the past 13 months, the Justice Department has turned over thousands of pages of FBI records to BuzzFeed News and CNN in response to lawsuits filed under the Freedom of Information Act. The documents have shown what hundreds of people told the special counsel’s office during its inquiry into Russian interference in the presidential election and Trump’s alleged attempts to obstruct justice.

More than 5,000 pages of these witness interview summaries, known in FBI jargon as 302s, have been released since November of last year. Those documents are excerpted throughout the special counsel’s final 448-page report, which was released in April 2019. But many details have never before been revealed to the public, such as assertions by Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney, that it was “not his idea” to write a statement to Congress that contained lies about the Trump Tower Moscow project. Or that Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin personally organized a last-minute $10 million loan to the 2016 Trump campaign from the candidate himself.

[Amadeus Arkham]

Trump Has Discussed With Advisers Pardons for His 3 Eldest Children and Giuliani

“President Trump is said to have talked about pre-emptive pardons for Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka Trump, as well as Jared Kushner. He also discussed a possible pardon with his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, who is promoting baseless claims of election fraud, as recently as last week.”

[shooshoomanjoe]

Trump Has Discussed With Advisers Pardons for His 3 Eldest Children and Giuliani

“President Trump is said to have talked about pre-emptive pardons for Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka Trump, as well as Jared Kushner. He also discussed a possible pardon with his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, who is promoting baseless claims of election fraud, as recently as last week.”

The funny thing is that by wanting trump to do these pardons means that the 'party of family values' is aware the trumps are a crime family and have no issues with it.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Per my NBC News colleagues: Trump may announce for 2024 on inauguration day. Either way, he won't attend the inauguration and does not plan to invite Biden to the White House or even call him.

Hmm, while Trump likely isn’t attending the inauguration I’m not sure he’s made up his mind up on whether he wants run again or not.

If Trump goes on trial after leaving office and is convicted, that 2024 bid goes down the toilet, even if he never spends a day in the big house. As for Biden, I’m sure he wouldn’t be disappointed if the Man Baby doesn’t show up on inauguration day, hell, I doubt ANYONE wants Trump there.

Trump Has Discussed With Advisers Pardons for His 3 Eldest Children and Giuliani

“President Trump is said to have talked about pre-emptive pardons for Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka Trump, as well as Jared Kushner. He also discussed a possible pardon with his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, who is promoting baseless claims of election fraud, as recently as last week.”

I’m surprised Trump gives enough of a damn about Beavis and Butthead to consider pardons for them. I figured it’d be only Ivanka and Jared and maybe Rudy who’d receive stay out of jail cards while Don Jr and Eric are left to twist in the wind.

The funny thing is that by wanting trump to do these pardons means that the 'party of family values' is aware the trumps are a crime family and have no issues with it.

The ‘party of family values’ still needs the support of Trump’s cultists, so they’ll continue looking the other way like they have for the last four years.

[AnakinFlair]

Trump Has Discussed With Advisers Pardons for His 3 Eldest Children and Giuliani

“President Trump is said to have talked about pre-emptive pardons for Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka Trump, as well as Jared Kushner. He also discussed a possible pardon with his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, who is promoting baseless claims of election fraud, as recently as last week.”

Poor Tiffany

[Tami]

Trump threatens defense veto over social media protections

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is threatening to veto a defense policy bill unless it ends protections for internet companies that shield them from being held liable for material posted by their users.

On Twitter Tuesday night, Trump took aim at Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which protects companies that can host trillions of messages from being sued into oblivion by anyone who feels wronged by something someone else has posted — whether their complaint is legitimate or not.

Trump called Section 230 “a serious threat to our National Security & Election Integrity,” adding, “Therefore, if the very dangerous & unfair Section 230 is not completely terminated as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), I will be forced to unequivocally VETO the Bill.”

Another example of how Trump is an idiot. Not getting into the pros and cons of Section 230, but if removing it leads to extreme hardship for Social Media companies, he might end up losing his favorite platforms like Twitter.

Trump is his own worse enemy.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Trump threatens defense veto over social media protections



Another example of how Trump is an idiot. Not getting into the pros and cons of Section 230, but if removing it leads to extreme hardship for Social Media companies, he might end up losing his favorite platforms like Twitter.

Trump is his own worse enemy.

He's doing this over anger at the diaper Don stuff being shared on twitter. Its the same way he suddenly went crazy over Tik Tok back in the summer when the kids tanked his Tulsa rally.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

He's doing this over anger at the diaper Don stuff being shared on twitter. Its the same way he suddenly went crazy over Tik Tok back in the summer when the kids tanked his Tulsa rally.

DING DING DING! You are correct, sir! This is all about Trump having his Depends in a bunch (pun intended) over that #DiaperDon hastag on Twitter which is driving him insane. So, he'll screw over the troops who he professed to having much love for. Yet another lie.

[worstblogever]

7 more weeks of this jackass. And then, we wait for the indictments to unseal.

It's not a coincidence he pardoned Flynn, and we're hearing noise about his kids, him, and Rudy. He's desperate and it's sinking in. He's doomed.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

7 more weeks of this jackass. And then, we wait for the indictments to unseal.

It's not a coincidence he pardoned Flynn, and we're hearing noise about his kids, him, and Rudy. He's desperate and it's sinking in. He's doomed.

I’ve always been of the belief Trump wouldn’t have the balls to flee the country to avoid that trial hanging over his head once his term is over and he officially loses presidential immunity, however, I’m starting to have second thoughts. Is it in any way possible Trump actually would sneak out of Washington in the middle of the night and jet to a country with no extradition treaty (the obvious destination of course being Russia), with or without Melania and his kids?

[Zauriel]

Trump Has Discussed With Advisers Pardons for His 3 Eldest Children and Giuliani

“President Trump is said to have talked about pre-emptive pardons for Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka Trump, as well as Jared Kushner. He also discussed a possible pardon with his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, who is promoting baseless claims of election fraud, as recently as last week.”

I didn't even know they have been convicted of a crime...yet.

[Mister Mets]

Historically, artists have always required subsidies to survive, think about how the Medicis patronized the works of da Vinci and Michelangelo, none of those would have ever come into being if the artists had purely commercial incentives. The thing is that good art is one of those things that the general public benefits from the presence of, but is largely unwilling to pay for directly, whereas the kind of stuff that is marketable to mass audiences tends to be forgotten rather quickly. So if you want to create the kind of art that leaves a lasting cultural legacy, you do need the sponsorship of wealthy benefactors, or in modern times, support from the state, to give artists the room to be creative without having to spend all their time churning out commercialized garbage just to pay the bills. Not all of these are going to turn out to be good, but the small handful of great works that come out of it will be well worth the financial investment in the long term.

I'm not sure if art for the masses has a worse track record than other art. A lot of great art has been rather popular. Dickens and Twain were able to make a living as writers. HBO had produced some of the best TV shows ever.

Some art does require subsidies, but it doesn't stand to reason that the government needs to be the primary patron.

[Zauriel]

The Democratic Party held 235 House seats since last elections. Now it is down to 222 seats. They still retain the House majority but lost about 13 seats. They also failed to capture the Senate. In the senate, there are currently 46 Democrats, 2 Independents aligned with the Democrats and 50 Republicans. Georgia senate election results are not yet confirmed but one senate seat will likely go to the Republicans and the Democrats will probably win the other.

Well, they did take back the White House.

I doubt the Democrats are entirely satisfied with the election results. I don't think they are entirely disappointed either. Maybe Speaker Pelosi needs to resign her position and hand it over to a fresh young new face.

Both the Democratic and Republican Parties perhaps need new blood. Moscow Mitch, Lindsey Graham, Grassley, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi have been in politics for too long and they need to retire from politics.

[Kirby101]

Both Georgia Senate seats will have a new, runoff election in January, if the Democrats get both, they will have the majority with 50 seats and the Vice President casting the deciding vote.