Tag: Donald Trump

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Trump Calls NY Times “True Enemy Of The People”

Donald Trump

Donald Trump began his day attacking The New York Times, no doubt because of their extensive report yesterday regarding Trump reportedly asking then-acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker last year to shift Trump ally U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman to be in charge of the Michael Cohen investigation in New York’s Southern District.

According to the Times, Trump soured on Whitaker when he didn’t do as asked.

The publisher of the Times, A. G. Sulzberger, clapped back at Trump via an op-ed today which read, in part:

In demonizing the free press as the enemy, simply for performing its role of asking difficult questions and bringing uncomfortable information to light, President Trump is retreating from a distinctly American principle. It’s a principle that previous occupants of the Oval Office fiercely defended regardless of their politics, party affiliation, or complaints about how they were covered.

The phrase “enemy of the people” is not just false, it’s dangerous. It has an ugly history of being wielded by dictators and tyrants who sought to control public information. And it is particularly reckless coming from someone whose office gives him broad powers to fight or imprison the nation’s enemies. As I have repeatedly told President Trump face to face, there are mounting signs that this incendiary rhetoric is encouraging threats and violence against journalists at home and abroad.

Through 33 presidential administrations, across 167 years, The New York Times has worked to serve the public by fulfilling the fundamental role of the free press. To help people, regardless of their backgrounds or politics, understand their country and the world. To report independently, fairly and accurately. To ask hard questions. To pursue the truth wherever it leads. That will not change.

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Trump Administration To Launch Global Campaign To End Criminalization Of Homosexuality (Whaaat?)

LGBTQ advocates and activists were surprised (to say the least) today by the news that the Trump administration plans to launch a global campaign aimed at ending the criminalization of homosexuality in countries where it’s still illegal to be gay.
Donald Trump

LGBTQ advocates and activists were surprised (to say the least) today by the news that the Trump administration plans to launch a global campaign aimed at ending the criminalization of homosexuality in countries where it’s still illegal to be gay.

NBC News was first to report the effort, to be led by U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, which was apparently sparked by reports of a 31-year-old man being executed via hanging in Iran on allegations of same-sex activity.

Iran has long been seen as a high-priority opponent for the Trump administration.

Grennell, who is openly gay, will reportedly host a ‘strategy dinner’ tonight in Berlin with the U.S. embassy flying in LGBTQ activists from several European countries.

The focus of the campaign will be concentrated in Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean.

An official involved in planning the event tonight told NBC News, “It is concerning that, in the 21st century, some 70 countries continue to have laws that criminalize LGBTI status or conduct.”

The initiative will not be a broad, LGBTQ civil rights campaign but a tightly focused message on criminalization.

It’s not apparent that the new initiative represents a change of heart towards the gay community by the Trump administration.

Grenell has been a longtime critic of Iran, and while the Trump White House has managed to implement increased penalties against Iran, European allies have been slow to join in. Some see shifting the conversation on Iran to issues of human rights violations as a way to encourage Europe to come to the table.

The ambassador penned an op-ed for German news outlet Bild last month, calling news of the hanging a “wake-up call for anyone who supports basic human rights.”

“This is not the first time the Iranian regime has put a gay man to death with the usual outrageous claims of prostitution, kidnapping, or even pedophilia,” wrote Grenell. “And it sadly won’t be the last time they do it either. Barbaric public executions are all too common in a country where consensual homosexual relationships are criminalized and punishable by flogging and death.”

It’s notable that a global message denouncing the criminalization of homosexuality will also put the White House on a collision course with several close allies of the United States. Countries like Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Oman all have a history of targeting the LGBTQ community.

Saudi Arabia, which Donald Trump has shown great deference, currently has laws that make being gay punishable by death.

According to LGBTQ rights website Equaldex, there are currently 73 countries – primarily in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia – where homosexuality is illegal.

Since taking office, Donald Trump and his administration have attacked the LGBTQ community numerous times from attempting to discharge HIV+ soldiers and ban transgender military service members, to supporting laws that would allow legal discrimination against LGBTQ people, to fighting trans rights to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity.

The Human Rights Campaign keeps an up-to-date list of the many ways Trump has worked to undermine LGBTQ rights here.

Advocacy group GLAAD expressed its skepticism at the seemingly sudden change of heart towards LGBTQ people by the Trump administration tweeting, “We’d believe that the Trump administration will work to protect LGBTQ people around the world if they had not attacked LGBTQ people in the U.S. over 90 times since taking office.”

And the Human Rights Campaign tweeted several examples of the kinds of attacks on the LGBTQ community by the Trump/Pence administration.

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Randy Rainbow Trolls Trump With Madonna Parody “Border Lies”

Political satirist Randy Rainbow brightens our Tuesday with his latest video, a parody of Madonna's 1983 hit, "Borderline."

Political satirist Randy Rainbow brightens our Tuesday with his latest video, a parody of Madonna’s 1983 hit, “Borderline.”

In this version, Rainbow calls out Donald Trump’s wild exaggerations of a national emergency as “Border Lies.”

As always, the clever word play by our intrepid Mr. Rainbow is on point. Hit the play button below and enjoy.

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Sixteen States File Joint Lawsuit To Block Trump’s ‘National Emergency’

Sixteen states have filed a joint lawsuit to stop Donald Trump from using 'national emergency' powers to get funding for his long-promised wall on the southern border of the United States.
Donald Trump

Sixteen states have filed a joint lawsuit to stop Donald Trump from using ‘national emergency’ powers to get funding for his long-promised wall on the southern border of the United States.

From The New York Times:

The lawsuit is part of a constitutional confrontation that Mr. Trump set off on Friday when he declared that he would spend billions of dollars more on border barriers than Congress had granted him. The clash raises questions over congressional control of spending, the scope of emergency powers granted to the president, and how far the courts are willing to go to settle such a dispute.

The suit, filed in Federal District Court in San Francisco, argues that the president does not have the power to divert funds for constructing a wall along the Mexican border because it is Congress that controls spending.

Xavier Becerra, the attorney general of California, said in an interview that the president himself had undercut his argument that there was an emergency on the border.

“Probably the best evidence is the president’s own words,” he said, referring to Mr. Trump’s speech on Feb. 15 announcing his plan: “I didn’t need to do this, but I’d rather do it much faster.”

Joining California and New York are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon and Virginia.

You can read the full lawsuit here.

Since Congress enacted the National Emergencies Act of 1976, presidents have declared 59 national emergencies. Prior to Trump’s declaration, not one has been for funding of a political goal.

Throughout the 2016 campaign, Trump repeatedly told his followers he would ‘build the wall’ and Mexico would pay for it.

Using this emergency declaration, Trump will take funds previously allocated to law enforcement priorities and military construction.

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Andrew McCabe: Trump Disputed US Intelligence Reports “I Don’t Care – I Believe Putin”

Former FBI director Andrew McCabe on CBS’ 60 Minutes

Speaking to 60 Minutes’ Scott Pelley, former FBI director Andrew McCabe shared an episode from a security briefing with Donald Trump in which the president told intelligence heads he didn’t believe their reports on North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile capabilities.

When the intel chiefs explained their sourcing and report, Trump reportedly fired back, “I don’t care. I believe Putin.”

“The president launched into several unrelated diatribes. One of those was commenting on the recent missile launches by the government of North Korea. And, essentially, the president said he did not believe that the North Koreans had the capability to hit us here with ballistic missiles in the United States. And he did not believe that because President Putin had told him they did not. President Putin had told him that the North Koreans don’t actually have those missiles. Intelligence officials in the briefing responded that that was not consistent with any of the intelligence our government possesses. To which the president replied, ‘I don’t care. I believe Putin’.”

After the airing of 60 Minutes, Trump took to Twitter to retweet his attacks on McCabe, and added this:

(h/t JoeMyGod)

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SNL Spoofs Trump’s “Emergency” Announcement, Trump Calls For ‘Retribution’

SNL was not about to pass up the chance to address Donald Trump’s “national emergency” announcement this week.

Alec Baldwin’s “Trump” begins with a little boasting by sharing his recent physical results: “I’m still standing six foot seven 185 pounds shredded.”

Then, he moves on to announce the “national emergency” speaking in an oddly broken pattern: “We need wall because wall works. Wall make safe. You don’t have to be smart to understand that. In fact, it’s even easier if you’re not.”

Trump takes a question from a reporter from Playboy (“Sweet, sweet, sweet many nights in the grotto right?”), but threatens the journalist before he can even ask a question:

“Sit down or I’m switching back to Hustler.”

Changing the subject, Trump introduces his newly-sworn Attorney General William Barr saying, “Congratulations, this guy is going to do such a great job! But still, he’s working for me, so I give him three months tops, ok? Dead man walking!”

The Trumpster didn’t care for the skit so much, tweeting his outrage saying SNL is “the real Collusion” and called for “retribution” against the show.

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Trump Defensive When Questioned About Reality Of “National Emergency”

Reporters noted before Donald Trump’s press conference yesterday in the White House Rose Garden that no teleprompters were set up, a sign that Trump might be a bit freewheeling at the event.

Other than a few cards with notes, Trump announced he was declaring a ‘national emergency’ over border security, and then took questions from reporters.

CNN’s Jim Acosta tried to ask about the ‘disconnect’ between Trump’s proclamations of ’emergency’ versus data coming from the federal government that border crossings have been declining for years and presently at near record lows.

“I wonder if you could comment on this disconnect that we seem to have in this country where you are presenting information about what’s happening at the border,” Acosta said, “calling it an invasion, talking about women with duct tape over their mouths and so on, yet there is a lot of reporting out there, a lot of crime data out there, there is a lot of Department of Homeland Security data out there, that shows border crossings at a near record low.”

And Acosta is correct. Check out these stats from Trump’s own Customs and Border Protection:

Acosta also noted government data that shows “undocumented immigrants committing crimes at lower levels than native-born Americans.”

But the Trumpster became very defensive saying he uses “a lot of stats” to come up with his position, and soon segued into a classic episode of Trumpism attacking Acosta.

Trump: “You don’t really believe that, do you? Do you really believe that? Look at our federal prisons.”

Acosta: “I believe in facts and statistics. What do you say to your critics who say that you are creating a national emergency? That you are concocting a national emergency here to get your wall?”

Trump: “What do you think? Do you think I am creating something? Your question is a very political question because you have an agenda. You are CNN, fake news. You have an agenda.”

“The numbers that you gave are wrong,” Trump added. “Take a look at our federal prison population. See how many of them percentage-wise are illegal aliens. Just see. Go ahead and see. It’s a fake question.”

This was something. The video below is cued up to Acosta’s question, but you can watch the full on press event as well.

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Trump Declares National Emergency “I Didn’t Need To Do This, I Just Want To Do It Faster”

Donald Trump declares 'national emergency' over border security
Donald Trump declares ‘national emergency’ over border security

Donald Trump announced today from the White House Rose Garden that he will sign the $328 billion spending bill Congress passed Thursday to avoid another federal government shutdown before a midnight Friday deadline.

The spending package includes $1.375 billion for 55 miles of fencing along the southern border, much less than the $5+ billion Trump sought for his beloved wall.

Trump also said in his announcement today that he will declare a national emergency in order to redirect funds from elsewhere in the federal government, via executive powers, to cobble together an $8 billion slush fund to repair and build 234 miles of border barrier.

From Politico:

In addition to the funds Congress has appropriated, the White House will seek to redirect $3.6 billion from a military construction fund, $600 million from a Treasury Department drug forfeiture fund and $2.5 billion from a Pentagon drug prevention program, acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney told reporters Friday.

Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi called the emergency declaration “a lawless act” and “a gross abuse of the power of the presidency.”

Even some Republicans have been privately and publicly urging Trump to avoid such a step, fearful that the expansion in powers could propel a future Democratic president to take the same step on climate change or gun violence.

During his speech, Trump repeated his assertion regarding ‘national emergencies’ that, “This has been done many times in the past – President Obama did it – it’s not such a big deal.”

Trump also took a slap at ultra-conservative Ann Coulter.

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White House Says It’s ‘Absurd’ That Trump Encourages Violence At His Rallies

In the aftermath of a Trump supporter violently attacking BBC cameraman Ron Skeans at Donald Trump's El Paso rally this week, White House press secretary raised some eyebrows during an interview with Fox & Friends as she defended the president.

In the aftermath of a Trump supporter violently attacking BBC cameraman Ron Skeans at Donald Trump’s El Paso rally this week, White House press secretary raised some eyebrows during an interview with Fox & Friends as she defended the president.

“The idea that the president or anybody on his team or in his administration would encourage violence is absolutely absurd,” Sanders said. “The president stopped, asked and made sure everyone was okay before continuing on with the event. Certainly, we condemn violence in any form against anyone, and that certainly includes the press.”

As we all know, on several occasions, Trump has called for his supporters to address detractors with violence.

He has suggested “Maybe he should have been roughed up,” offered to pay the legal fees of supporters who “knock the crap” out of a protester, and even said himself, “I’d like to punch him in the face” regarding another protester.

Mediaite has much more of the Trumpster’s history of violent histrionics here.

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Podcast: Children Of Gay Parents, Trump On HIV, West Virginia & Wyoming

In this week's podcast: • Donald Trump says he wants to eliminate the HIV epidemic within 10 years • A state senator in Wyoming compared being gay to bestiality when she met with LGBTQ youth • A new study indicates children raised by same-sex parents do better in school • And, for the first time ever, a Disney character ever says the words “I’m gay” All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report

In this week’s podcast:

• Donald Trump says he wants to eliminate the HIV epidemic within 10 years

• A state senator in Wyoming compared being gay to bestiality when she met with LGBTQ youth

• A new study indicates children raised by same-sex parents do better in school

• And, for the first time ever, a Disney character ever says the words “I’m gay”

All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report