This President President Just Took Three Big Broadsides in 24 Hours

Yes, really, SO much going on and honestly, precious little of it good or positive for this President Trump.

First up, this was released yesterday.

Former DHS official blasts Trump, endorses Biden

Miles Taylor, who served as the Department of Homeland Security's chief of staff, in a video endorsement of Biden said that working under the current administration was "terrifying."

"What we saw week in and week out, for me, after two and a half years in that administration, was terrifying. We would go in to try to talk to him about a pressing national security issue — cyberattack, terrorism threat. He wasn't interested in those things. To him, they weren't priorities," Taylor says in the video, which was produced by the group Republican Voters Against Trump.

Taylor said that many of the things President Donald Trump wanted DHS to do were impossible and in some cases illegal. He characterized the president as vindictive and self-centered.

"Given what I have experienced in the administration, I have to support Joe Biden for president. And even though I am not a Democrat, even though I disagree on key issues, I'm confident that Joe Biden will protect the country, and I'm confident that he won't make the same mistakes as this president," Taylor, who was at DHS from 2017 to 2019, adds in the video.

That was brutal.

Then this came out this morning, in the last hour or two. And check the source.

Bipartisan Senate report describes 2016 Trump campaign eager to accept help from foreign power

The report highlights some never-before-seen evidence, including allegations about women and potentially compromising material tied to Trump trips to Russia

WASHINGTON — In a thousand-page bipartisan report released Tuesday, the Senate Intelligence Committee said the Trump administration obstructed its investigation with "novel claims" of executive privilege. It painted a portrait of a Trump campaign eager to accept help from a foreign power in 2016.

The Senate report, the most detailed account to date of the Trump campaign's embrace of Russian election interference, also asserted that the allegations that Ukraine interfered in the election — which President Donald Trump perpetuated — originated with Russian intelligence agencies.

The report highlighted some never-before-seen evidence about Trump and Russia, including three allegations of potentially compromising material relating to Trump's private trips to Russia that were unconnected to the dossier compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele...

..."Russia and other countries took advantage of the Transition Team's inexperience, transparent opposition to Obama Administration policies, and Trump's desire to deepen ties with Russia, to pursue unofficial channels through which Russia could conduct diplomacy," the report said. "The lack of vetting of foreign interactions by Transition officials left the Transition open to influence and manipulation by foreign intelligence services, government leaders, and co-opted business executives."

It added, "Russian officials, intelligence services, and others acting on the Kremlin's behalf were capable of exploiting the Transition's shortcomings for Russia's advantage. Based on available information it is possible — and even likely — that they did so."

On Ukraine, the report said that Russian-government operatives from late 2016 until at least January 2020 consistently spread "overlapping false narratives which sought to discredit investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 elections and spread false information about the events of 2016."

I personally, strongly recommend reading that entire article.

And there's more from and about this, too.

Senate report finds Manafort passed campaign data to Russian intelligence officer

Between even just these two events in the last 24 hours, this President took a couple of big, big hits, folks. And with these revelations on his campaign working with the Russians, etc., it's two big problems for him, among at least a few, if not several others, not least of which is the State of New York looking into prosecuting him.

Trump Flails Against Growing Financial Probe 

in New York

Thirdly and finally, this was announced yesterday.

Appeals court lets emoluments case against Trump continue

This President always was in over his head, so to speak. It's my contention he never knew what he was getting into because he clearly never knew our government and/or what's involved or what it takes.

As I keep saying, thanks, Republicans.  That's quite the guy you foisted on us all.

Calm, Unemotional Logic on the November 3 Vote

From actor and activist Robert Redford because we seem to be lacking calm, clear, unemotional logic and thought lately.

"I have a lot of vivid memories of growing up in Los Angeles in the 1940s, but one in particular keeps coming back to me today, in these troubled times. I remember sitting with my parents -- actually, my parents were sitting; I was lying on the floor, the way kids do -- and listening to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt talking to us over the radio. He was talking to the nation, of course, not just to us, but it sure felt that way. He was personal and informal, like he was right there in our living room.

I was too young to follow much of what he was saying -- something about World War II. But what I did understand was that this was a man who cared about our well-being. I felt calmed by his voice. It was a voice of authority and, at the same time, empathy. Americans were facing a common enemy -- fascism -- and FDR gave us the sense that we were all in it together. Even kids like me had a role to play: participating in paper drives, collecting scrap metal, doing whatever we could do. That's what it was like to have a president with a strong moral compass. It guided him, gave him direction, and helped him point the nation toward a better future.
Maybe this strikes you as simple nostalgia. I've got a touch of that, sure (who doesn't right now?). But I'm too focused on the future to sit around pining for the old days. For me, the power of FDR's example is what it says about the kind of leadership America needs -- and can have again, if we choose it.

But one thing is clear: Instead of a moral compass in the Oval Office, there's a moral vacuum. Instead of a president who says we're all in it together, we have a president who's in it for himself. Instead of words that uplift and unite, we hear words that inflame and divide. When someone retweets (and then deletes) a video of a supporter shouting "white power" or calls journalists "enemies of the state," when he turns a lifesaving mask against contagion into a weapon in a culture war, when he orders the police and the military to tear gas peaceful protestors so he can wave a Bible at the cameras, he sacrifices -- again and again -- any claim to moral authority.

Another four years of this would degrade our country beyond repair. The toll it's taking is almost biblical: fires and floods, a literal plague upon the land, an eruption of hatred that's being summoned and harnessed, by a leader with no conscience or shame. Four more years would accelerate our slide toward autocracy. It would be taken as free license to punish more so-called "traitors" and wage more petty vendettas -- with the full weight of the Justice Department behind them. Four more years would mean open season on our environmental laws. The assault has been ongoing -- it started with abandoning the historic agreement that the world made in Paris to combat climate change, and continued, just last month, with using the pandemic as cover to let industries pollute as they see fit. Four more years would bring untold damage to our planet -- our home.

America is still a world power. But in the past four years, it has lost its place as a world leader. A second term would embolden enemies and further weaken our standing with our friends.

When and how did the United States of America become the Divided States of America? Polarization, of course, has deep roots and many sources. President Donald Trump didn't create all of our divisions as Americans. But he has found every fault line in America and wrenched them wide open.

Without a moral compass in the Oval Office, our country is dangerously adrift. But this November, we can choose another direction. This November, unity and empathy are on the ballot. Experience and intelligence are on the ballot. Joe Biden is on the ballot, and I'm confident he will bring these qualities back to White House.

I don't make a practice of publicly announcing my vote. But this election year is different. And I believe Biden was made for this moment. Biden leads with his heart. I don't mean that in a soft and sentimental way. I'm talking about a fierce compassion -- the kind that fuels him, that drives him to fight against racial and economic injustice, that won't let him rest while people are struggling.

As FDR showed, empathy and ethics are not signs of weakness. They're signs of strength. I think Americans are coming back to that view. Despite Trump -- despite his daily efforts to divide us -- I see much of the country beginning to reunite again, the way it did when I was a kid. You can see it in the peaceful protests of the past several weeks -- Americans of all races and classes coming together to fight against racism. You can see it the ways that communities are pulling together in the face of this pandemic, even if the White House has left them to fend for themselves.

These acts of compassion and kindness make our country stronger. This November, we have a chance to make it stronger still -- by choosing a president who is consistent with our values, and whose moral compass points toward justice."

--Robert Redford, July 8, 2020

Vote, folks.

November 3, be sure to vote.

And vote blue.

Great News on this coming Fall Election!

Check this out from very business-friendly Forbes Magazine this past Saturday.

Nearly 20 Swing State Polls Were Released Today–Biden Leads In All Of Them

Yet more reason, reasons for hope, campers!

On to November!

Vote!!

And vote blue!!

Have You Seen This Ad for the Republicans?

I've seen this ad on TV multiple times and I have to say, I just love it.



"America first", it says and shows Vice President Mike Pence.

But that's it.

Not once do they show the Trumpster.

They seem to be clearly running from him.

Fantastic.

And why shouldn't they? Check out these articles today.

Broad disapproval for Trump's handling of coronavirus

Biden leads Trump by 8 points, holds big advantage among undecided voters: poll

Biden Now Leads Trump In Texas, 

Poll Finds

Bring it on. 

On to November.

Vote blue.

#BlueWave

Donald Trump and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

At least, "Donald Trump and the Absolutely Roteen, Very Bad, No Good Day for Him."

For the rest of us, it was a good day. Some would say it was even a great day.

First there's this.

Virus Whistleblower Dr. Rick Bright’s Testimony Devastates Trump

It was excellent. It was an instance of someone speaking truth to power.

Dr. Rick Bright’s testimony about the Trump administration’s failure to act and refusal to listen to warnings about the coronavirus is devastating for Trump.

Dr. Bright said, “Congresswoman, we’ve known for quite some time that our stockpile is insufficient and having those critical personal protective equipment, so once this virus began spreading and became known to be a threat, I did feel quite concerned that we didn’t have those supplies. I began pushing urgently in January, along with some industry colleagues as well, and those urges, those alarms were not responded to with action.”

Bright added that instead of reacting to his alarms, the Trump administration cut him out of meetings, “I was told that my urgings were causing a commotion and I was removed from those meetings.”

Not done there, this was announced yesterday.

Graham to start hearings on Russia probe, Flynn in June

This, to me, is stunning and for a few reasons.

First, it's who's calling for it. 

Senator Lindsey "Clutching My Pearls and Always for Trump" Graham.

The FBI and all 16 of our other intelligence agencies all said the Russians interfered with our 2016 election, to start. Added to that, it's known, it's public knowledge that several members of this Republican President's election campaign met with Russians throughout the campaign and repeatedly.

How is that not collusion?

Added to it the Russians gave millions to the NRA during the election to help their man win.

Sure, Republicans control the Senate but when Democrats get to ask questions, as they inevitably, unavoidably will, it won't be pretty. At least, it won't be pretty for this President and his administration. It will be good for the United States and Democracy and the Constitution and America and Americans but it won't go well for this President. The Republicans want to say the FBI worked for the Obama administration in "attacking" Trump during the campaign. They may well get very much more than they bargain for with this investigation. 

Then, next up today, Senator Graham frankly stunned me with this.

Sen. Lindsey Graham rejects Trump’s call to summon Obama to testify on alleged ‘Obamagate’ conspiracy

And sure, there's no "there" there regarding Trump's imagined "Obamagate" but you have to know this President took this as a negative, if not even an out and out attack on him personally. If Senator Graham keeps this up, I might one day think he's for the rule of law and the American people.

And the Michael Flynn case is nothing if not a travesty of justice and law and laws and lots of legal authorities have come out and said just that.

‘Never Seen Anything Like This’: Experts Question Dropping of Flynn Prosecution

Abandoning the case is the latest step in a pattern of dismantling the work of the Russia investigators. A former prosecutor likened it to eating the department from the inside out.

‘Dangerous’: Legal experts blast ‘corrupt’ Bill Barr’s ‘shadow pardon’ for Flynn

Then, third, this also came out yesterday. This is huge.

Appeals Court Rules Emoluments Lawsuit Against Trump Can Proceed

The suit alleges that Trump is in violation of the Constitution’s emoluments clause, which forbids him from accepting money from foreign entities.

A sweeping setback for Trump’s foreign business dealings

President Trump’s decision not to divest himself of his businesses, in particular his foreign holdings or holdings that derive income from foreign governments, was a fateful error that flew in the face of precedent, clean government and the Constitution. Now, a federal appeals court has held he cannot derive income from foreign governments that frequent his businesses.

The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, sitting en banc on Thursday, overruled a decision from a panel on the same court that prevented a case brought by Maryland and the District of Columbia from proceeding. The case alleged that Trump’s hotel business with foreign governments violates the emoluments clause, and the specific issue for the full 4th Circuit was whether to intervene to force the district court to allow an interlocutory appeal and thereby prevent the district court from proceeding with discovery (which would entail the investigation of Trump’s finances).

The 4th Circuit held that no, the case could proceed as the district court ordered. The majority held that dismissal of the entire action was not warranted because Maryland and D.C.'s argument that emoluments include “all profits and other benefits [accepted from a foreign or domestic government] that [the President] accepts through the businesses he owns” is plausible.

Again, huge, forgive the repeat. The President can, in fact, be tried in court for breaking, if not shattering, the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution which says he shouldn't be taking in money, profiting, while he is, in fact, President.   For all 44 other Presidents, this had been settled.

Not done there, not done yesterday, this hit today, this morning.

Prestigious Medical Journal Slams Trump as Coronavirus Death Toll Hits 85,000

And then the pièce de résistance, at least for now, today.

Biden says if elected he would not pardon Donald Trump

Go get 'em, Joe. Atta' boy. "Sleepy Joe Biden", my posterior.

Amazingly not done there, this came out today also.

Trump declines to say if he's 'standing by' nominee under investigation

Check out this little beauty.

President Trump on Friday declined to say if he is sticking with his nominee to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media, after a top senator disclosed that the individual is under investigation.

Trump was asked about Michael Pack's nomination to be the chief executive officer for the agency, which oversees Voice of America, during a Rose Garden event on Friday.
It just keeps getting better and better.

Additionally, this President is even be evaluated by his own political party. Hmmm. Also came out yesterday. 's'wunnerful.

23% of Republicans Think GOP Should Nominate Someone Other Than Trump

Finally today, check this out. This is what he did today.

Trump unveils official Space Force flag

We're experiencing, suffering from, suffering through the worst, most killing international pandemic in the last 100+ years and he's out introducing a flag for his utterly unnecessary, spending boondoggle, his "Space Force."

Who are we supposed to be out there fighting against in space, anyway?

Thanks, Mr. President!
Thanks, Republicans!

At least Nero fiddled while Rome burned.

Someone probably enjoyed the music.

So yes, all in all a very bad day for Mr. Trump all around.

And it didn't stop yet today, either.

Think happy thoughts, campers, Americans. There may be hope for us all yet. Heaven knows there's a great deal to be concerned with, still, between this pandemic and this administration but at least we have some glimmers of hope. Strong glimmers, too, I think.

Links:

Obamagate was the worst crime ever committed and here is what it was

We need to prepare for the possibility of Trump rejecting election results

Joe Biden?

That's the best we can do?

Joe Biden?

What is that about?

What is this, the "reassuring old white guy to calm down the racists"?

Let's face it, the racists aren't going to vote for Obama, no matter what.

Who, exactly, does Joe Biden bring to the table, in terms of votes come November, that we wouldn't already have gotten?

Hillary would have brought more votes.

Same with Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas--or any intelligent, capable woman on the ticket.

But Joe Biden?

Don't get me wrong, I think he's smart and capable and, yes, God knows he's experienced and he's on the correct side of a lot of issues. His work has been good and admirable. And, sure, he knows how the system works and yeah, we hope he won't just be a "yes man" in Obama's Administration but geez, what exactly does he add to the ticket?

What, we didn't have the requisite "old white guy" on the ticket so we have to counter-balance the opposition?

I don't get it.

What part of "Change" is this?



On a completely different subject and as part of a trend I've described and discussed here in the past, the nation's 9th bank failure occurred last evening, in case you didn't see or hear of it.