Here’s your political post of the day, some might even call it a “political briefing,” if you want to receive “briefings” from a celebrity gossip blogger. Today is election day in some parts of the country, so remember to VOTE. Especially Ohioans, you peeps really need to vote your asses off. Meanwhile, Paul Manafort’s trial is going at a steady clip and it’s already been quite… exciting. Manafort’s former business partner Rick Gates totally rolled on him:
Rick Gates — the star witness against President Trump’s former campaign chairman — admitted in federal court Monday that he committed a host of crimes with his former boss, and confessed to stealing from him and others. In his first hour on the witness stand, Gates catalogued years of illegal activity, saying most of his wrongdoing was committed on behalf of his former boss, Paul Manafort, while other crimes were for his own benefit, including the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Gates also made clear that he was testifying against Manafort with the hope of receiving a lesser prison sentence, having pleaded guilty in February as part of a deal with special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.
Manafort’s trial in Alexandria, Va., is the first to arise out of the Mueller probe and marks a major public test of that investigation’s credibility. Mueller’s team is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and whether any Trump associates conspired with those efforts.
It “marks a major public test of that investigation’s credibility…” Except that the overwhelming majority of people believe in what Bob Mueller is doing and believe that there is a shady Trump-Russia connection. Let me put it this way: more people believe that Trump is Putin’s puppet than believe Trump is doing a good job as president.
Speaking of the orange one, he tweeted this yesterday:
California wildfires are being magnified & made so much worse by the bad environmental laws which aren’t allowing massive amounts of readily available water to be properly utilized. It is being diverted into the Pacific Ocean. Must also tree clear to stop fire from spreading!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 6, 2018
I saw one comment which was basically “pity the science advisor who tried to explain any of this to him.” He literally has no idea how water works, how fire works, how any of this works. California is in the midst of a natural disaster and he’s trying to score some cheap, bad-science political points.
What else? Jared Kushner is a little snowflake who got the New York Observer to delete articles which were critical of himself and his friends. And I saved the worst one for last: Stephen Miller still has plans to target naturalized citizens and legal immigrants who are in the process of becoming citizens. This story is so depressing, I can’t even excerpt from it. It’s awful.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
Add one more: on Who is America, Sasha Baron Cohen tricked Joe Arpaio into agreeing that he would like a sex act from drump.
Really? BWAHAHA must watch. I signed up for the app just so i could watch his show
Not surprising at all. *off to bleach my brain*
I saw that last night. SBC is just what we need these days.
I live in Arizona and am praying Trump doesn’t give Arpio any kind of endorsement because Trump voters will likely vote for him despite all the damage he’s done to my state and specifically Maricopa county. My dad would vote for Arpio just to be a dick and I’m sure other Trump voters would do the same.
I discussed this with people on reddit yesterday and Phoenix residents seemed pretty sure he has no shot because Maricopa and Pima county HATE him, but I don’t have much faith in anything anymore, so fingers crossed… Our primary date is 08/28 so if any of my fellow AZ peeps happen to see this please, please, please vote blue!
Californian here. I cannot begin to describe my anger at him for his damaging and asinine tweets. Where were the words of support for our brave and exhausted fire fighters and first responders? Where were the words of sympathy for those that have lost lives, loved ones, homes, jobs, and communities? Where was the sorrow over the destruction of wildlife, resources, and our beautiful outdoor spaces? Sure, say nice things about Putin and White Supremacists but nothing for your fellow citizens who are suffering from a disaster? This person representing our country has zero empathy or tact or basic humanity. This is only a game to him.
No kidding. It’s abhorrent and unconscionable. He is utterly lacking in humanity. He doesn’t even get that he should at least pretend to be compassionate.
Great points,Coco!
He’s an intentionally destructive monster, especially to people who are in crisis or are vulnerable.
We must take over Congress this November. Living with him, his hideous family and administration in the WH is intolerable.
He only “cares” about people who support him, everyone else is a loser. So he’s written off the entire state of California. It’s really disgusting and yet another completely mind-blowing thing he’s somehow allowed to get away with as President.
kind of how he wrote off Puerto Rico.
because brown skin & Spanish speaking = not real americans.
he’s such a piece of excrement.
which is actually not even true, because even excrement has a use. this guy has none. he’s more like the slime trail left behind as a snail crawls around.
@whatWHAT? don’t forget that Puerto Ricans cannot vote in elections if they are legal residents of Puerto Rico, in spite of the fact that they are American citizens who (I’m assuming) pay taxes.
But y’know. “Taxation without representation,” and all that jazz.
Puerto Ricans don’t pay the same set of federal taxes as Americans from the 50 states do. Most don’t pay personal income tax, for instance. Not that Trump knows anything about any of it.
allegedly, a LOT of folks from PR have moved to the continental states, some permanently…and my hope is that they ALL have registered to vote.
I’m sure Steven Miller (that evil Nazi) is working on kicking out Puerto Ricans too. Sue sue sue. Miller doesn’t even deserve to eat out. He can go grab a box of ramen and chef boyardee.
I drove through the Central Valley this weekend—this is a dog whistle to the conservative farmers there (remember prop 8?). Of course his tweet makes no sense, but control of water rights is big $$$ in CA and that’s what is on his mind.
Totally agree that it is horrible. He never reacted to the Napa fires with any sympathy either, which at the time seemed vaguely surprising. Now it’s par for the course unfortunately.
Native Central valley Californian and life long resident here….unfortunately, all the conservative Trumpsters around me are as staunch as ever. Even as their crops lose money. They believe his nonsense, even as the fire chiefs fighting the fires say he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
He is just dumb as a box of rocks. Divert water to the ocean??? And clear cut trees, presumably so there’d be nothing to catch fire??!!
Californian here also and his tweets make me rage. Hey Trump, you know what is causing these fires to be so bad? CLIMATE CHANGE. Something Obama made a pretty substantial effort to combat and which you seem to be gleefully stoking the fires on. Everyone reading this who is troubled by these fires and other extreme climate events we’ve been experiencing (not just in CA but all over the US and the world), I really encourage you to write ALL your elected officials and tell them that you want taxes on carbon and methane emissions, you want the higher fuel standards that Trump wants to undo, you want more money spent on education and family planning in developing countries. Call your utility company and tell them you want to get more of your electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar. Examine your own life and see what you can do right now to reduce your impact. This issue really does threaten human survival and will severely impact the lives of many people alive today.
@Cate. Word!
I’m so sad for your guys in California!!!! When I heard he tweeted that message I wanted to pull my hair out. I’m from Texas and I was just as angered when he tweeted that Texans hindered the rescue efforts in Houston during Harvey so they could get out and watch the hurricane!!! That is such bullshit!!!! What a complete and utter idiot. Those people got out in their boats and risked their lives to save people. He has no humanity…not one ounce…
I’m really sorry for Cali residents who have to try and stay strong while your beautiful state burns. It’s heartbreaking to think of the damage wrought, the animals lost, the homes gone and the god-awful destruction of everything. I have nothing but admiration for the fire fighters, the civilians fighting, the National Guard water bombers, SAR, and everyone else fighting this hell.
COCO wish I could upvote your comment 1000 times
They said that Manafort just turned ice cold when Gates was giving testimony.
And YES, please VOTE today. I am making sure I get out of work on time to head to my poll.
*Goes off the listen to Rick Ashley*
Yes Kaiser. I DO want political briefings from you. I know you may not have set out to be the calming voice of reason in this nightmare, but we NEED you! This place is my sanctuary. It keeps me sane. Your writing is poignant and hilarious and you should compile a book of all of your political pieces when this is all over. Also, thank you to all the lovely people that comment here as well. You all are the antidote to the crazy pills that have been force-fed to America. Cheers!
I feel the same. The day after the election I was so distraught I was physically ill. Then I found this website and Kaiser’s commentary has been brilliant. It’s been essential to my feeling connected to like minds. I’ve learned heaps from Kaiser and everyone who comments.
So agree with this! Kaiser you can write anything! Your posts and everyone’s commentary on our political nightmare keeps me sane! Seriously we help each other stay strong through this Upside down world we are living in.
Agreed. Thanks, Kaiser. And to the other writers for keeping the blog rocking.
Yes, me too. It is the main reason I come here. Kaiser’s posts and the commenters here help keep me sane.
Same! I’m so glad this site exists!
aw, thanks you guys!!
You are doing a great job, and yes–I add my voice to those which say that this is a comforting place to be during these difficult times. I feel like a get a rest when I come here and read what people say on your political posts. This means a lot to me and to the many others who feel this same way.
Thank you, Kaiser! This place is a refuge for this blue girl living in a red state. When it seems like everyone around me is a complete brainwashed, racist, bigot, I can come here and get a healthy dose of sanity. Thanks for helping me feel not so alone!
Nervous Canadians also appreciate the work you do, Kaiser. Thank you for making it understandable.
Honestly, I don’t know what I would do without the political commentary and discussion here.
Same. I am tired of being upset and am done with Facebook. I need ya’ll!
+100 good to have a place to have discussions with people on my side, and no batshit crazy Trumpsters.
When the news cycle has me practically tearing my hair out, I come here knowing that there will be support and relief. My migraines have increased since the election, and my doctor says that I’m not unusual. Kaiser, you’re practically a pain relief specialist these days!
This is the only site I read about Trump, because I know the comments are actually sane unlike the dailymail, which is just full of crazy deplorables, I check in everyday to see the Trump stories, so keep it up, it gives me hope to think we all can see what a horror show he is.
Same.
Yes, this is great and Kaiser, you do a great job of summarizing all this godawful nonsense. I appreciate having a (forgive me) safe space for sharing political commentary and also getting insight from many of our well-informed and astute participants.
I agree as well!! Between Celebitchy and some private pages on Facebook, these outlets do provide some relief during The Insanity.
Just came here to agree with what the others have said. We NEED these briefings!
I agree. And I just can’t bring myself to care (or comment) on silly celeb stuff when our country is being torn apart. These articles are my current go-tos.
Tiffany, I too find myself so not interesting in the celebrity everyday posts. I am worried and thinking about real life with the political posts. The reel post is so unimportant in these dark times in our country. Kaiser, please keep the political posts coming our lives depend on what is happening to us everyday with this deranged madman.
I just saw this comment on another site: A lawyer, a spy, a mob boss, and a money launderer walked into a bar. The bartender says, “ you guys must be here to talk about adoptions.” 😝 😆 😂.
Loved the joke, BnA! Thanks for sharing. 😀
Just wanted to chime in. YES we want to receive “briefings” from a celebrity gossip blogger! Kaiser you are always spot on, and it helps to know at least someone else gets it. And of course Celebitchy commenters are super smart – I always learn something! XOXO to everybody.
The Trump administration coming after AMERICAN citizens who were born somewhere else was preductable af. First, undocumented immigrants (see ICE), then legal immigrants (see the shutdown negociations), and now… this. They will go after any non-white person living in this country.
But economic anxiety, eh?
But there are a lot of white, non-Americans legally living in the US. My mother is one of them: green-card holder who has lived here for over 50 years. She’s been stressing out about her status since Trump was first elected. At the time I reassured her that there was no way he would go after legal non-Americans…
I no longer feel confident in saying that.
@Kitten, don’t get it wrong. The intention behind Stephen Miller’s actions is to target non-white people, period. But the unintended consequence will be that a lot of white, non-Americans will get penalized as well. But the people in the crosshairs are absolutely non-white immigrants, and I suspect that even if white people get caught up in the process, he’s not going to care.
I have friend that is a DREAMER that served in the military for 4 years. Multiple deployments to war zones. He offered his life for this country and now has to live in fear of deportation to a country he never set foot in. In my opinion he is more an American citizen that most of Dotard ‘s base, so why should HE leave?! The dotard and his supporters, including members of my own family, should go live in Russia, which they apparently love more than America.
WRONG PLACE – see below! Forgot to add this: International adoptees are also people who often had name changes, so if one of the flags for the INS/ICE is name discrepancies, that heightens the risk.
Kitten, I hope your mother can keep busy and positive.
Here’s another community of people who have been stressing: International adoptees. Americans adopted from outside the country prior to 2000 depended on their parents to apply for citizenship. Not all parents did. Now these people, often in very young adulthood, are at risk. There has been at least one case of an adoptee from Korea, raised from infancy in the USA, who ran into trouble with the law and was deported to S Korea, a place where he had no language, no history, no ties.
In 2000, a law was put in place to give automatic citizenship to children adopted from outside the USA.
Parents of international adoptees need to be aware of the necessity of obtaining citizenship for their children who arrived in the US prior to 2000/2001. It was not automatic. Adoptees who are of majority age need to look into this for themselves.
One extra thing, same group needs to present proof of citizenship to the Social Security Administration to have status flipped from Permanent Resident to Citizen.
The government has made it harder to obtain a Certificate of Citizenship and the price has gone way up, but it’s still extremely important. A passport is not sufficient.
—
Separate note: It’s especially galling that they lump acquiring coverage under the Affordable Care Act together with other government benefits. It’s not an entitlement (though entitlements are fine because people pay taxes for them). All of it is galling anyway: Immigrants pay taxes into the system and are entitled to the same benefits as citizen taxpayers. The media should present this information more carefully.
Pure demographics … gerrymandering and voter suppression is not enough to prevent the shrinking of the GOP. Since new Americans are less likely to vote Republican, they will make it difficult for new Americans to vote at all. Transparently hypocritical to punish new Americans for welfare use, since GOP’s existent base is more likely to rely on welfare than immigrants.
Minorities are also less likely to vote conservative, hence why states are currently going buckwild over the SC’s blatantly exploitative Ohio ruling and purging votes left and right to prepare for November – even in situations where it’s clearly illegal because they know the legal battle to follow will take longer than people have to reinstate their registration. People need to be checking their voter registration ahead of the midterm ASAP. Use paper registration if necessary to have a paper trail. Get your absentee ballots ready. Do not let them take this single voice that you have away.
His policies are not only immoral and heartless, they are profoundly STUPID. With unemployment so low, with inflation ramping up, our country needs MORE workers to help meet demand and keep productivity going. It has always been true, but desperately now: The US needs immigrants.
His policies might appeal to the bigoted tendencies of his base, but eventually this will seriously harm the economy and his voters. Not to mention all of the human beings that will suffer needlessly.
**Time to check your voter registration, folks! SCOTUS gave states the right to purge voter rolls, so please actively reach out and confirm you haven’t been purged!**
The desire to get rid of immigrants goes hand in hand with the attack of women’s reproductive rights. Their idea is that we can throw out the brown people and force white women to stay home and pump out babies, which is just as stupid as it is sexist, racist, and downright impractical.
Under his eye.
That Stephen Miller looks like Squidward from Spongebob Squarepants.
Shaved head Pauly Shore
Dead- eyed sociopath.
Stephen “Vlad” Miller Is a dead-eyed creep.
He really looks like Joseph Goebbels.
yes, he does…….
Completly, his eyes are dead.
I bet that man has never spent time with a woman where his credit card number or a large amount of cash wasn’t part of the deal. Look at him–he looks like a serial killer. Dead eyes, dead soul.
Lumps of coal where his eyes ought to be.
I think he looks like Gargamel from the Smurfs.
When I saw that tweet yesterday, I reread it because it didn’t make much sense, and I thought I must’ve misunderstood it. These tweets prove he doesn’t care about American citizens, and doesn’t want to learn anything. Even saying “thoughts and prayers, ” would’ve been better. I feel so bad for these people losing their homes and having to watch everything they own being destroyed by these fires. Fires are absolutely devastating
The fact that they’re going after legal immigrants shows this for what it is – IMO it is ethnic cleansing. Miller is a nazi. Very horrifying.
He is such a lowlife creep.
I hope his rich parents in Santa Barbara are proud. They should be shunned for producing that thing.
I read his tweet 3-4 times and I’m still not sure what it meant. It doesn’t make any sense.
I bet a fifth grader would be able to explain how wildfires happen and how to fight it in a better way (excuse my grammar English is not my first language ^^).
That reminds of the TV show,”Are you smarter than a 5th grader?”
The POTUS is not smarter than a 5th grader.SMH
Profiterole—your English is far better than our president’s.
It’s a dog whistle to convince people that laws protecting ecosystems are hindering America. It may not make any real sense here to anybody vaguely educated, but it draws a direct line in people’s minds between regulatory legislation and negative event, making the more amenable to them being overturned.
Michael Lewis wrote an article in Vanity Fair several months ago about the USDA. It’s a chilling look at the complete and total incompetence of this administrations total disregard of science and as a result the departments inability to combat natural disasters. The forced retirement of the Under Secretary ( inarguably the best secretary of USDA ) was asked what the greatest threat we’d face and his unequivocal answer was
” forest fires”
Caught part of last night’s Broadway show at Occupy Lafayette Park. Looked wonderful.
Tonight: bagpipes and a birthday salute to Mueller. Hopefully there will be plenty of streamed footage.
Those people are my heroes.
Yesss!! I’ve been watching #KremlinAnnex on Twitter and it just been amazing! I so wish i could be there.
Rosie was on MSNBC just prior to going to the protest, and she was amazing. I was cheering! She said everything I think. More Rosie, less Trump!
The creativity involved in #KremlinAnnex has been amazing. They have had opera singers, drum groups, puppet shows, dancing sharks.
Oh I know! Being in the UK, I have been enjoying waking up in the morning and seeing what they did that day. I just wish I could be there.
Maybe I’ve missed it, but I’ve hardly heard about the ongoing protests. Too many tweets and rally ramblings for MSM to cover, I guess.
Kaiser:
Your commentary has been nothing short of brilliant. Keep up the great work on Emperor Zero and his MAGAt clan. IL Douche is panicky and clearly feeds the Deplorables with pseudo-science. Californians aren’t biting on his marble-mouthed mumblings.
Happy Birthday Robert Swan Mueller!
Omg!!! Bob Meuller and I share the same birthday!! Lol!
Happy birthday
Happy birthday!
Haha! Thanks! Counting down to my birthday dinner complete with homemade pasta and lots of vino! Can’t wait to cozy up to the news later and see the blue wave hit from tonight’s election results… *hoping* *praying* 🤞🤞
What amazes me most about the Manafort trial is what it reveals about how incredibly stupid some rich people are. They just don’t suffer for it as much because they always have a golden parachute waiting to deploy when they fall.
Good lord, please keep Mueller protected. This Gates testimony is probably the tip of the iceberg…
A lot of corruption!
Can you imagine what mr Mueller found in the dotard closet, I bet it’s a million times worst than manifold’s.
Minnesotans! We have a primary next Tuesday! You can still get your absentee ballot!
And Kaiser, never quit the politics. I appreciate knowing that more people are paying attention!
Excuse me?? I am a legal immigrant. We are using Obama care, because what else should we use, when there is no insurance offered by my employer. I am paying a ridiculous amount of money for insurance that is not worth it, because there are no real other options and because I have to, and now I am going to be punished for this?? What the fuck?
The man is the devil, he looks like the devil and acts like the devil. Let’s prey Mr Mueller put a stop 🛑 to his evil ways, btw don’t forget Stephen Miller he’s the architect of this new plan.
Please continue the political briefings and coverage; we are screwed rn and we appreciate and need it!!
Sing it, Gates, SING IT. He is going to sing his little heart out because his TRUTHFUL testimony about every.single.thing. is paramount to his plea deal. He lies, deal is off. If he does anything that is not part of his plea deal–it is off. Gates is a much younger man than Manafort–lifetime in prison is some SERIOUS time behind bars–30 maybe even 40 years.
That means Gates’ four children will grow up without their father, he will never see them graduate school, get married, meet his grandchildren (unless it’s behind protective glass)…definitely an added incentive to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Even still–Gates agreed to spend time in jail–like 4 to 7 years (?)–in exchange for the unvarnished truth. PLUS. PLUS, PLUS–Gates was in the pre-meeting with Bigly Jr. and Manafort in Trump Tower AND was in the actual Trump Tower meeting about getting dirt on Hillary. . .
Don’t forget this is Manafort’s FIRST trial that’s on the books. Trial #2 starts in September, in DC about other nefarious dealings…so Manafort’s not even close to being out of the limelight. Pretty soon they will start making those big connections between Manafort and EZ…and there is literally nothing EZ can do about it. He can tweet until his fingers fall off but that will NOT stop these people for giving it all up to save their own asses.
Now I understand why the dotard was having a nervous breakdown last week. He knows all the dirt is coming out and to make matters worst Mr Mueller I’m sure has his income taxes. We are in for a hot summer, pass the sweet tea jr.
It might be time to start popping some popcorn, too! 🙂
The other thing is we don’t know what Mueller has waiting in the wings for EZ and his clan of incompetents. Example: We didn’t know until 4-5 months later that the FBI / Mueller’s team nabbed Papadopoulos at the airport and got his testimony for a plea deal.
Michael Flynn hasn’t testified yet and he was right there in the middle of it–so that will be juicy.
Maria Butina, admitted Russian spy is sitting in jail now. We just found out a couple of weeks ago, that the FBI raid her house in APRIL and she has already testified before the Senate Intelligence committee. We don’t know the extent of what they got from her–yet. But we do know that she’s already talking about her contacts, and their plans to funnel money through the RNC and the NRA–and that this whole thing started somewhere in 2015. . .
We’ve got Cohen who’s pissed off at Trump for hanging him out to dry and sending Ghouliani out on TV shows calling Cohen a liar, etc. Cohen is like Gates — he’s got a wife and younger kids, so I’m guessing spending the next 3-4 decades in jail does not appeal to him. And he’s said, he’s willing to deal, he’s got the goods, and he will testify against Bigly and family…
Even Ghouliani is caught up in this thing–he’s out there dancing and drooling making himself look dumb so everyone forgets he had a role in this Russian scandal as well–bad enough to send him to jail too…
Bigly Jr — the Trump tower Meetings are going to sink him. We already know that he LIED to the Senate Intelligence Committee when he testified, so they’ve already got him on perjury–and Cohen and Gates and Manafort can all attest to the fact that Bigly Jr was in both meetings…as was. . . Jared K…and let’s not forget there is video footage of Princess Nagini in the lobby leading everyone to the elevator into that meeting. . .
That’s A LOT, but Mueller has requested literally dozens and dozens of subpoenas, so we haven’t even scratched below the surface of this dirty, dirty plot of thieves and traitors. If we are lucky, it will be the most amazing “reality show” of all time where for once, people who should go to jail actually WILL.
None of this matters unless Dems re-take Congress. The GOP is complicit and will do nothing to threaten its power. I’m watching the results out of Ohio tonight, and right about now it’s getting a little depressing.
That Stephen Miller story should scare people, especially white people who have immigrated from other countries. The overall intention on the part of Miller is to punish minorities for immigrating to the US in any capacity whatsoever. But make no mistake about it, there will be white people who will get caught up in the net at some point. That is when, I suspect, we’ll see some real push back to that type of policy.
The other thing people have to understand is that Stephen Miller and others who support that type of thing are operating from a desire to keep America a white majority ethnostate. I want to say that this administration has thrown in its lot with white supremacists, but the truth is, this is nothing new for the US government sadly. They have a long and disheartening tradition of upholding white supremacy by default at the expense of minorities, and it’s honestly become somewhat frustrating to see well-meaning liberals ignore that history in favour of thinking all of this is shocking and new. For anyone who’s ever paid attention to politics, it’s not.
They should have cast Stephen Miller as Golem and saved the makeup costs
Of course Stephen Miller is still targeting immigrants and naturalized citizens, I have been saying for weeks that the press needed to keep theirs eye on him because he was in the shadows creating chaos.
I know Donald Trump is a city child. But what does he have against rivers and trees?
The judge in the Manafort case is still being inappropriate. He taunted one of the prosecutors telling him that he was crying and saw tears in his eyes. During Rick Gates’ testimony, he interrupted to say that Rick Gates was the mastermind and that Manafort had no idea what was going on. Ellis needs to be recused, his actions are hurting this case.