Tag: build the wall

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News Round-Up: March 26, 2022

Transphobic author J.K. Rowling had to scramble after Russian President Putin tried to align himself with her
J.K. Rowling (screen capture)
Some news items you might have missed: • Out: J.K. Rowling had to scramble after Russian President Putin defended her against cancel culture.  The Harry Potter author basically said, “I’m a transphobe, but not that kind of transphobe.” Continue reading “News Round-Up: March 26, 2022”

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Trump Adviser Arrested On ‘Build The Wall’ Money Laundering Charges

L-R Brian Kolfage, Stephen Bannon (via social media)
From Buzzfeed News:

Stephen Bannon, a former top aide to President Donald Trump, and Brian Kolfage, the leader of the crowdfunded “We Build The Wall” effort, have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, federal prosecutors said Thursday.

Kolfage, the criminal complaint said, “covertly took more than $350,000 in funds that has been donated to “We Build The Wall” for his personal use.”

Kolfage allegedly spent his money on “home renovations, payments toward a boat, a luxury SUV, a golf cart, jewelry, cosmetic surgery, personal tax payments, and credit card debt.”

Bannon and the other two spent on “travel, hotels, consumer goods, and personal credit card debts.” The four men found out they would potentially be subjected to a criminal investigation in October 2019, at which point they allegedly “took additional steps to conceal the fraudulent scheme.”

The New York Times reports prosecutors say that after siphoning money from the project, Mr. Bannon plowed nearly $1 million into paying off his personal expenses. Of course, asked about the arrests and indictments, Trump now knows practically nothing about the project and in his recollection, Bannon was barely a part of his team. When asked about other Trump allies like Roger Stone, Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort and others who’ve been indicted on serious charges, Trump pivots, “Well, there was great lawlessness in the Obama administration.”

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Donald Trump: #TrumpShutdown ‘Is Only Because Of The 2020 Presidential Election”

Donald Trump

As the new Congress is sworn in today, Donald Trump is already railing at the Democrats for not budging on funds for his infamous ‘wall’ along the southern border.

Blaming the current government shutdown on ‘the 2020 Presidential Election,’ the Donald again speaks in the third person hailing ‘all of the achievements of “Trump:”‘

In truth, there was an agreement to continue funding the federal government among Democrats and Republicans in Congress. The legislation was approved 100-0 in the Senate on a voice vote.

But when far-right nuts like Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter publicly took Trump to task for not standing his ground for ‘the wall,’ Trump reneged and reversed course. And in doing so, closed down 25% of the federal government.

As Jeff Zeleny of CNN reminds us, on December 12 Trump proudly said on camera in the Oval Office, “I am proud to shut down the government. I will take the mantle.”

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Trump: “Much Of The Wall Has Already Been Fully Renovated Or Built”

Donald Trump

Donald Trump tweeted today that his infamous ‘wall’ is actually being paid for via the recently announced trade negotiations known as United States/Mexico/Canada Trade Deal.

The Donald also asserts that ‘much of the wall has already been fully renovated or built.”

???

If it’s ‘fully renovated or built’ why shutdown the government?

Ken Meyer at Mediaite has more:

So, let’s see. Mexico is supposedly paying for the wall with an updated NAFTA deal that will presumably stimulate U.S. economic activity enough to offset the wall’s cost through tax revenue. Even if this federal revenue increase does happen as Trump claims, the actual end result here is American taxpayers will supply the money for the wall, not Mexico.

At a briefing today, Trump told reporters he’d ‘rather not say’ if he would accept less than $5 billion for his wall to bring the government shutdown to a close

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Mick Mulvaney Admits Mexico Can’t/Won’t Pay For ‘The Wall’

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During an appearance on ABC News’ This Week, incoming ‘acting’ White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney acknowledged (outloud!) that Mexico can’t actually “pay for the wall.”

Mulvaney tried to sell the idea that the wall is getting built and Mexico is taking part in improved border security. But host Jon Karl points out that Mexico isn’t ‘paying for the wall.’

Mulvaney – “Technically, you and I both know that it cannot work exactly like that.”

Shhhhhh – don’t tell the Donald.

Watch below.

In related news, Mulvaney told Fox News Sunday that, “It is very possible that the shutdown will go beyond the 28th and into the new Congress.”

So. Much. Winning.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

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News Round-Up: December 21, 2018

• Handsome InstaHunk Jim Newman (above) has been running a fabulous "Days of Christmas" campaign over on his Instagram taking pics au naturel with items in his home blocking just the barest of body parts. Well, worth clicking over to as this was the most tame I can post here ;)

Some news items you might have missed:

• Handsome InstaHunk Jim Newman (above) has been running a fabulous “Days of Christmas” campaign over on his Instagram taking daily pics au naturel with items in his home blocking just the barest of body parts. Well-worth clicking over to as this was the most tame I can post here 😉

• An amateur photographer from England received a 16-year jail sentence for drugging and raping male models. “I get a kick out of robbing a straight guy out of his masculinity,” he shared in a conversation.

• Donald Trump, who promised his infamous wall along the Mexican border would be paid for by Mexico, now says “The wall will pay for itself.”

• Even though the play opened to very good reviews, the Broadway revival of Harvey Fierstein’s Torch Song, starring out actor Michael Urie, has announced it will close January 6.

• The stock market moved into bear territory this week as the Dow fell another 417.11 points today, closing the week with a loss of 6.75% – its worst weekly decline since October 2008. #ThanksTrump

• In a year of ups and downs, the world searched for “good” more than ever before — according to Google Trends. From the epic headlines to the everyday moments, here’s to all the good that people discovered in 2018.

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Trump Goes Back To Government Shutdown Threats Over Wall Funding

After indicating he would go along with a continuing resolution to keep the government open, Donald Trump reversed course today and said he would not sign the bill unless it included money for his long-promised wall.
Donald Trump

After indicating he would go along with a continuing resolution to keep the government open, Donald Trump reversed course today and said he would not sign the bill unless it included money for his long-promised wall.

ABC News reports:

House Speaker Paul Ryan emerged from a last-minute White House meeting Thursday between President Donald Trump and House Republicans to say that the president told them he will refuse to sign a stopgap funding bill as it’s currently written — a measure that would avert a shutdown before a Friday midnight deadline.

Ryan told reporters that he and other GOP leaders were going back to try to add more border security funding to the legislation.

“The president informed us that he will not sign the bill that came over from the Senate last evening because of his legitimate concerns for border security, so what we’re gonna do is go back to the House and work with our members,” Ryan, R-Wis., said. “We want to keep the government open but we also want to see an agreement that protects the border.”

At the signing of a federal farm bill, Trump addressed his decision:

Earlier this week, after the White House indicated Trump would not shut down the government over funding for his wall, The Washington Examiner reported that conservative pundit Ann Coulter was heavily critical of the president saying she would not vote for him in 2020.

“No. Nor will, I think, most of his supporters. Why would you? To make sure, I don’t know, Ivanka and Jared can make money? That seems to be the main point of the presidency at this point.

“They’re about to have a country where no Republican will ever be elected president again. Trump will just have been a joke presidency who scammed the American people, amused the populists for a while, but he’ll have no legacy whatsoever.”

The stock market immediately reacted on today’s news:

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Trump Argues Over Funding His Mexico Wall With Democrats As Cameras Roll

Donald Trump just sparred with expected Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and soon-to-be-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, in the Oval Office with cameras rolling, over the passing of a budget bill that would include the funding for Trump’s precious wall.

Trump threatened a partial government shutdown if he doesn’t get the funding he wants.

From The Hill:

“I am proud to shut down the government for border security,” Trump told House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) during a contentious, 11-minute exchange at the White House.

“I will take the mantle,” the president added. “I will be the one shut it down, I’m not going to blame you for it.”

Trump’s vehemence left Pelosi and Schumer exasperated, with both leaders pleading with the president not to debate the funding request in front of the news media.

“Unfortunately, this has spiraled downward,” Pelosi said, after arguing with the president over the need for a border wall and whether Republicans have the votes to pass funding through the House.

“You will not win,” Pelosi told Trump.

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Trump Threatens Government Shutdown Over Funding “The Wall”

Donald Trump threatens to shut down federal government over “wall funding”

Remember all during the 2016 presidential campaign Donald Trump’s promises of building a wall along the U.S. southern border and Mexico would pay for it?

Over and over he told his followers how “easy” it would be to get the Mexican government to pay for ‘the wall.’

Not sure whatever happened to that plan because now the Trumpster is threatening to shut down the federal government if Democrats in Congress don’t vote to give him tens of billions of dollars to build ‘the wall.’

This morning, Trump tweeted, “I would be willing to “shut down” government if the Democrats do not give us the votes for Border Security, which includes the Wall! Must get rid of Lottery, Catch & Release etc. and finally go to system of Immigration based on MERIT! We need great people coming into our Country!”

And the Twitterverse responded:

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Trump: National Guard Will “Seal” The Southern Border

Donald Trump

Trump took to Twitter today to tout his plan to have National Guard troops head to the U.S.-Mexico border to help with border security.

From Politico:

On Friday, the first wave of troops left Arizona and Texas en route to their deployment.

As he has in the past, Trump slammed Democrats for not being tougher on immigration, but his plan to send troops to the border mirrors similar actions by then-Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush.

Trump tweeted, “We are sealing up our Southern Border. The people of our great country want Safety and Security. The Dems have been a disaster on this very important issue!”

The move begs the question: If the National Guard can “seal” the southern border, why do we need to build a $40 billion wall?

(h/t JoeMyGod)