All-purpose news and politics thread: Two Steps Beyond!

[Tami]

The Trump klan is still at it


Jared Kushner Tried and Failed to Get a Half-Billion Dollar Bailout From Qatar

After the election, Kushner Companies found many more suitors interested in doing business, one of the sources, who is U.S.-based, said. One of the investors taking the deal more seriously in the end of 2016 and early 2017, the U.S. source said, was “Hamid bin what’s-his-name,” referring to HBJ. Top executives at Kushner Companies, the source said, “are dumb enough to not know that why they want to deal with them has nothing to do with the real estate. Around the New Year they were like, ‘LPs” — industry slang for limited partners, or investors — “are engaging more!’ It’s like, I wonder why?”

Or, perhaps, they know quite well what’s going on. The $500 million still left the Kushners far short, and to try to fill the financing hole, the company turned to China. An insurance firm there with close ties to the country’s ruling elite had been pursued for months, but, like the other investors, wasn’t truly interested in the deal until after the election. (A source familiar with the dealmaking said that the Kushners had been been in discussions with HBJ since before Trump announced his candidacy in June 2015. When a potential deal with Anbang was first reported by the New York Times in January 2017, company spokeswoman Risa Heller said the talks began “well before the president-elect’s victory,” right around when he officially sealed the Republican nomination.)

In March, the details of the talks between Kushner and the firm, Anbang, became public. Anbang would invest $400 million in the project and the Kushners would put up $750 million, and additional investors, of which the Intercept’s sources say HBJ was to be one, would contribute a total of almost $2 billion more, according to a document being shown to investors that was shared with Bloomberg. The investment would have fit a trend of increasing Qatari investment in New York city real estate: Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, which HBJ used to run, has increased its investment in New York city real estate in recent years, and HBJ has a number of property investments in London and New York.

Anbang’s $400 million, plus $100 million from other investors, would flow to the Kushners, meaning the family would recoup the entirety of their initial $500 million investment, a startling turnaround given that the New York Times’ detailed analysis of the building’s woes found the Kushners investment was now essentially worthless.

[Iron Maiden]

The Trump klan is still at it


Jared Kushner Tried and Failed to Get a Half-Billion Dollar Bailout From Qatar

So much for the boy wonder. He's following in his father- in-laws footsteps

[JBatmanFan05]

Were you around for the Reagan era? There was a huge arms build up and Reagan called Soviet Russia "an evil empire" What changed for the right?

Maybe some actually listened to our ever wise President Obama: “The 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back because you know, the Cold War has been over for 20 years.”

[Judge Dredd]

Maybe some actually listened to our ever wise President Obama: “The 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back because you know, the Cold War has been over for 20 years.”

Are you pro Trump? If so legit interested in your thoughts on the intelligence groups saying Russia interfered in election vs Trump saying they did not and him basically rolling over to show his belly to Putin. I was under the impression he and his supporters were not going to do that and have strong leadership, but looks to be a lie.

[JBatmanFan05]

If so legit interested in your thoughts ...

Clearly you're not. You know what you think, how you view it. Don't lie.

[Scott Taylor]

Maybe some actually listened to our ever wise President Obama: “The 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back because you know, the Cold War has been over for 20 years.”

The Russia stuff really does feel alot like 1983 or so.

[Judge Dredd]

Clearly you're not. You know what you think, how you view it. Don't lie.

No I am very much am, however any Trump supporter I see goes to fake news or it is Clinton's fault. I would like an actual answer and some input from the other side. I was pro giving Trump a chance as Washington needs a serious shake up. However it seems to be more of the same, and one of the big things was he is not going to be a push over for other countries as it was when Obama was in office. However whenever you try to get info from a supporter still they just deflect and do not actually discuss the topic just like you did.

[Kevinroc]

The Russia stuff really does feel alot like 1983 or so.

That's too modern for the Republican Party considering they're trying to get rid of Johnsoncare.

[JBatmanFan05]

Trump has been strong leadership on foreign policy from the beginning (including with China and N.Korea). The strike on Syria was essentially a military strike on Russia, a huge not so subtle message to them, Russia who is trying to muscle into the Mid East more via Syria, Iran, Turkey, etc. Hitting Russia where their real game is. Late last month, there were more sanctions by the Trump Treasury dept on Russian entities and individuals, asset freezing and inability to do business with US companies. So you have sanctions upon sanctions on Russia since the fall. Trump went at Putin on the interference and Putin did what everyone on earth should have expected: kept denying. His only shield. Just yesterday Trump threatened Russia by saying sanctions won't even be considered for easing unless there is Russian remediation of the Syria and Ukraine unrest they're keeping going (either of which would be huge game changing blows to Russia's long term imperialistic strategy).

[Scott Taylor]

That's too modern for the Republican Party considering they're trying to get rid of Johnsoncare.

Yah but this is from the Democrats. They going back in time?

[Judge Dredd]

Trump has been strong leadership on foreign policy from the beginning (including with China and N.Korea). The strike on Syria was a military strike on Russia, a huge message to them, Russia who is trying to muscle into the Mid East more via Syria, Iran, Turkey, etc. Late last month, there were more sanctions by the Trump Treasury dept on Russian entities and individuals, asset freezing and inability to do business with US companies. So you have sanctions upon sanctions on Russia since the fall. Trump went at Putin on the interference and Putin did what everyone on earth should have expected: kept denying. His only shield. Just yesterday Trump threatened Russia by saying sanctions won't even be considered for easing unless there is Russian remediation of the Syria and Ukraine unrest they're keeping going (either of which would be huge game changing blows to Russia).

See this is a well thought out argument I was looking for. I was all for his bombing of that airport in Syria, may not have killed a bunch but direct action was needed and any chemical attacks should lead to more bombing to prevent that from happening. Same when he dropped the MOAB was a fan and want to see it more. If that is what he said it sounds like sanctions will be staying in place as the truce was semi broken by gunfire on Sunday, but something does need to be done about the situation there along with North Korea, I like that Trump is trying to push China, but I do not think he or anyone will make China actually make a move until after bombs from NK have killed people in SK.

[JBatmanFan05]

but something does need to be done about the situation there along with North Korea, I like that Trump is trying to push China, but I do not think he or anyone will make China actually make a move until after bombs from NK have killed people in SK.

I think I read a very recent NYT article that said Trump is taking the right approach to NK. The article was of the opinion that we continue to push/incentivize, even sanction China (we sanctioned a bank last month), toward cutting off NK's oil, which could perhaps coax Kim to a physical meeting in China, where he could be quietly removed, a comfortable exile. (Though I wonder if Kim could be coaxed out, but he might not a have a choice by the time he would say yes to such a meeting, the unrest would presumably be that bad)

That's the question: Is there a true negotiation, a true deal that could be pushed and pulled for to push China to end this nonviolently? China would want to have a role in ending this so that they maintain their border security. And we'd accept a sad communist China-friendly NK as long as it was denuclearized i.e. de-Kim-ized.

[PaulBullion]

Yah but this is from the Democrats. They going back in time?

Russia wasn't a thread for a long time. When Obama said what Batdude up there quoted, Russia wasn't much of a thread - at least on the surface.

Then Putin started his ploy to destabilize the West. Oil prices went down, Russians are doing worse economically. So he is making them feel good about Russia by playing the nationalism card. Invading countries. Destabilizing others. Using the weapons of the 21st century along with those of the 20th.

It's incredibly ignorant to think Putin's Russia is as toothless as the Russia he inherited from Yeltsin.

[Judge Dredd]

I think I read a very recent NYT article that said Trump is taking the right approach to NK. The article was of the opinion that we continue to push/incentivize, even sanction China (we sanctioned a bank last month), toward cutting off NK's oil, which could perhaps coax Kim to a physical meeting in China, where he could be quietly removed, a comfortable exile. (Though I wonder if Kim could be coaxed out, but he might not a have a choice by the time he would say yes to such a meeting, the unrest would presumably be that bad)

I cannot see him leaving the country he is probably to paranoid for that, but yeah China needs to cut them off to accomplish the goal of removing him. China seems to be playing the fence in this situation, they know he is crazy, but do not want that power vacuum left in his wake, or the possibility of someone crazier taking the helm. Now the latter is not likely has it would be hard to top him as far as crazy go, but Trump is using the right tactic as it all really comes down to China.

I would love all of the Trumps to stay of social media and focus on his goals instead of media battle, I agree with his goals of putting America first and building borders and economy up as he had talked about during his campaign. I get why they do fight it having so much thrown at you it is just human nature to fight back, but he could save big headaches if he just stayed off social media. I hate the left so much with the PC and all the other nonsense they go over board with, we needed a good republican leader, but does not look like we have any decent leaders on both sides.

[Scott Taylor]

Russia wasn't a thread for a long time. When Obama said what Batdude up there quoted, Russia wasn't much of a thread - at least on the surface.

Then Putin started his ploy to destabilize the West. Oil prices went down, Russians are doing worse economically. So he is making them feel good about Russia by playing the nationalism card. Invading countries. Destabilizing others. Using the weapons of the 21st century along with those of the 20th.

It's incredibly ignorant to think Putin's Russia is as toothless as the Russia he inherited from Yeltsin.

Its also incredibly ignorant to think that Russian's threat level is somehow exponentially higher in 2017 than it was in 2012. They became who they currently are when Putin got "elected."