Tag: Donald Trump

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News Round-Up: June 4, 2019

InstaHunk Anthony Bowens

Some news items you might have missed:

• Today’s InstaHunk lead photo was not even hard to decide. Thanks to out pro-wrestler Anthony Bowens for the awesome inspiration. Caption:

“Happy Pride everyone! Let’s spread the love and focus on things that bring us together as human beings rather than our differences. Let’s remember those that have paved the way for us to live openly and freely. Let’s continue fighting for those who have yet to have that freedom and provide hope that they will soon love in a world where they can. How will you celebrate pride?”

• A homophobic prosecutor in Tennessee (do I even need to continue?) says he doesn’t prosecute domestic violence cases involving same-sex couples because bigot.

• Actor Kevin Spacey appeared in court on Monday in Nantucket for a pretrial hearing where he is accused of groping a male teenager in 2016. Spacey’s lawyers say the teen’s mother deleted text messages from his phone (that could help prove Spacey’s innocence) before turning it over to authorities.

• A UK teenager mowed a giant penis shape in the field along the Stansted Airport flight path as a welcome to Donald Trump as he landed for a state visit to London early Monday morning.

• A Florida man is facing a manslaughter charge after deputies say he accidentally shot and killed a woman during an act of foreplay with his handgun. The man told police he and the woman were using the loaded weapon for ‘sexual excitement.’ #smh #straightpeople

• Donald Trump’s campaign held a rally in El Paso, Texas, in February but has refused to pay bills from the city to the tune of more than $470,000. The Trump campaign, using an old Trump tactic, says the city of El Paso is ‘overcharging.’

• The city of Boston, one of the most pro-LGBTQ cities in America, may have agreed to issue a permit for a ‘Straight Pride Parade.’ #IsntThatEveryDay?

And SmashMouth takes it for the win:

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Schiff: The GOP Has Become ‘A Cult Of Trump’s Personality’

House Democrats continue to wrestle within their own party regarding the idea of beginning impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump.

This was front and center today as House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos that he’s ‘just not convinced, not yet,’ that it’s the best thing for the country right now.

“In terms of the impeachment process, it’s not mandated by the Constitution. We can avail ourselves of this when the president demonstrates acts that are high crimes or misdemeanors. It is certainly true that much of his conduct qualifies for that, but at the same time we have to recognize the reality that one party, the Republican Party, has turned itself into a cult of the president’s personality and is not likely to act consistent with its constitutional obligations. And we have to figure out in that context, is this the right thing for the country, and I’m just not convinced, not yet, that that’s the case.”

Several freshman rank and file Democrats are ready to dive into impeachment proceedings, but as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said earlier this week, even if articles of impeachment pass in the Democratic-controlled House, the GOP-led Senate (which acts as the judge and jury over such allegations) will never find Trump guilty.

That would then make Trump a martyr to his followers and could embolden them even more in the 2020 election.

Plus, were he to be found ‘not guilty’ by the Senate, that verdict could dissuade any charges being brought against Trump in the private sector once he’s out of office.

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Trump Finally Recognizes Pride Month In Two Tweets

After campaigning on a promise to protect LGBTQ Americans, then ignoring Pride Month for his first two years in office, Donald Trump has finally acknowledged the annual celebration.

After campaigning on a promise to protect LGBTQ Americans, then ignoring Pride Month for his first two years in office, Donald Trump has finally acknowledged the annual celebration.

In two tweets, Trump wrote about ‘the outstanding contributions of LGBT people’ and standing in ‘solidarity’ with those who live in countries that execute us.

“As we celebrate LGBT Pride Month and recognize the outstanding contributions LGBT people have made to our great Nation, let us also stand in solidarity with the many LGBT people who live in dozens of countries worldwide that punish, imprison, or even execute individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation,” Trump tweeted.

I guess he really is moving into campaign mode.

Can you imagine the tantrum Mike Pence threw when he heard the news?

In his tweets, he references his administration’s proposed ‘global campaign to decriminalize homosexuality’ around the world, which is to be led by openly gay U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell.

But shortly after the announcement of that plan in February, Trump was asked about the campaign and he seemed unaware of the effort saying, “I don’t know, uh, which report you’re talking about. We have many reports.”

Quick fact check: Trump’s administration has been the most anti-LGBTQ in recent times. He’s rolled back many Obama-era protections and has been particularly hideous to transgender Americans.

A quick search of the WhiteHouse.gov website did not find a proclamation acknowledging Pride Month as was normal practice during all 8 years of the Obama administration.

Although, in 2018, Trump did take time to recognize Great Outdoors Month, National Ocean Month, National Caribbean-American Heritage Month, African-American Music Appreciation Month, and National Homeownership Month.

But, in these wild times, some acknowledgement is better than none…?

To be fair, in terms of history, this does make the Trumpster the first Republican occupant of the Oval Office to even recognize Pride Month.

The Twitterverse was underwhelmed by the tweets. Here’s just some of the reactions beginning with House co-sponsor of The Equality Act, Rep. David Cicilline:

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Pelosi: Trump “Wants Us To Impeach Him” So He Can Be Exonerated By GOP-Senate

“I think the president wants us to impeach him,” Pelosi told Kimmel. “He knows it’s not a good idea to be impeached, but the silver lining for him is then, he believes, that he would be exonerated by the United States Senate.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi

As more and more Democrats feel the need to push for impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has shown restraint regarding rushing into things.

On one hand, the more info we get about 10+ episodes of obstruction detailed in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report, the more it makes sense that Trump did indeed attempt to obstruct the investigation and he should be held accountable.

But the danger lies in the fact that Trump would not be found guilty by a Republican-led Senate. And a ‘not guilty’ verdict in the Senate would embolden his supporters.

During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night, Pelosi explained her thinking as well as what she believes Trump wants to see happen.

“I think the president wants us to impeach him,” Pelosi told Kimmel. “He knows it’s not a good idea to be impeached, but the silver lining for him is then, he believes, that he would be exonerated by the United States Senate.

“And,” she added, “there is a school of thought that says, ‘If the Senate acquits you, why bring charges against him in the private sector when he’s no longer president?’ So when we go through with our case, it’s got to be ironclad. Ironclad.”

I completely agree. Watch below.

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Kim Jong Un Ordered Nuclear Envoy Executed After Failed Summit With Trump

Kim Jong Un (L) and Donald Trump (R)

According to USA Today, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un ordered his special nuclear envoy to the United States executed in March after the failed summit between his country and the U.S.

North Korean newspaper Chosen Ilbo reported the news on Friday.

Kim Hyok Chol was executed by firing squad in March along with four other foreign ministry officials, the paper reported, citing an unidentified North Korean source.

North Korea neither confirmed nor denied the report. South Korea’s government was not able to confirm the claim. Previous media reports about the fate of North Korean officials who have fallen afoul of Pyongyang’s leader have proven to be false.

Chosun Ilbo reported Kim Hyok Chol and the other senior officials were shot after being accused of spying for the United States.

The paper reported Kim Jong Un ordered the purge amid mounting dissatisfaction with the summit in Hanoi – the second time Kim and Trump met for face-to-face talks. In Vietnam, they failed to reach a deal because of conflicts over the White House’s call for complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and North Korean demands for sanctions relief.

Chol led working-level negotiations for the March nuclear summit.

Donald Trump has repeatedly acknowledged his respect and admiration for the North Korean leader.

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Whoops Of The Day

Donald Trump

Donald Trump’s tiny thumbs tweeted, and then deleted, this message today:

“Russia, Russia, Russia! That’s all you heard at the beginning of this Witch Hunt Hoax…And now Russia has disappeared because I had nothing to do with Russia helping me to get elected. It was a crime that didn’t exist. So now the Dems and their partner, the Fake News Media,…”

"Russia, Russia, Russia! That's all you heard at the beginning of this Witch Hunt Hoax...And now Russia has disappeared because I had nothing to do with Russia helping me to get elected. It was a crime that didn't exist. So now the Dems and their partner, the Fake News Media,..."

Whoops.

(Bolding is mine)

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Nancy Pelosi On Mueller’s Comments: “Congress Will Continue To Investigate”

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has issued a statement in response to this morning’s comments by Special Counsel Robert Mueller:

“The Special Counsel’s report revealed that the President’s campaign welcomed Russian interference in the election, and laid out eleven instances of the President’s obstruction of the investigation. The Congress holds sacred its constitutional responsibility to investigate and hold the President accountable for his abuse of power.

“The Congress will continue to investigate and legislate to protect our elections and secure our democracy. The American people must have the truth. We call upon the Senate to pass H.R. 1, the For The People Act, to protect our election systems. We salute Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his team for his patriotic duty to seek the truth.”

Pelosi urged Democrats to whoa up on impeachment calls, saying, “We want to do what is right and what gets results.”

The House Speaker added, “We do want to make such a compelling case that even the Republican Senate will be convinced of the path that we have to take as a country.”

Several Democratic candidates for president weighed in with their thoughts as well:

Oh, and the Trumpster had to chime in as well:

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Mueller: “If We Had Confidence That The President Had NOT Committed A Crime We Would Have Said So”

Special Counsel Robert Mueller

For the first time since the conclusion of the Special Counsel probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible obstruction of justice by Donald Trump, Robert Mueller spoke at the Department of Justice about his team’s report.

Mueller reiterated his office’s conclusion was that there was “insufficient evidence to charge a broader conspiracy” against the Trump campaign in relation to Russian efforts to interfere with the election.

He also made clear that Trump was not cleared of obstruction of justice by the Special Counsel.

“If we had had confidence that the president clearly did not committed a crime, we would have said so. We did not, however, make a determination as to whether the president did commit a crime,” Mueller said about the conclusion of the Russia investigation.

He added that he did not charge Trump with obstruction of justice because Department of Justice policy prohibits charging a sitting president with a federal crime. “Charging the president with a crime was therefore not an option we could consider,” said Mueller.

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Trump Is Tweeting More, But Getting Less Reactions From Followers

Donald Trump

Axios’ Neal Rothschild has taken a look at Donald Trump’s Twitter account, and data from CrowdTangle shows his infamous tweets don’t get the same reaction from supporters reports as they once did.

Trump’s Twitter interaction rate — a measure of impact, given how much he tweets and how many people follow him — has noticeably declined.
The Donald’s interaction rate fell from 0.55% in November 2016 to 0.32% in June 2017 — then down to 0.16% this month, through Saturday. 
The number crunchers looked at retweets and likes per tweet, divided by the size of his following.

Some think perhaps the novelty of his constant tweet storms may have worn off, but folks in the Trump camp say it’s merely a brief lull before the 2020 election.

Trump is tweeting more, which could make individual tweets stand out less.

During his first six months in office, Trump tweeted 157 times per month. He’s now upped his game to 284 tweets per month over the past six months. His biggest single month was 348 tweets in August 2018.
But that record is about to be broken as data shows he’s already tweeted 343 times this month.

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Mayor Pete: If Trump Had Served In The Military, Maybe He’d Understand NFL Player’s Right To Kneel

Mayor Pete Buttigieg

Mayor Pete Buttigieg is standing up for NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s right to kneel during the national anthem.

“The way I feel about it is the flag that was on my shoulder when I served represented, among other things, our right to free speech,” said Mayor Pete to TMZ while in New York City. “You don’t have to like it, but one of the reasons we serve was to defend that right, the right of peaceful protest and the idea that we can protest what is wrong with our country.”

“If the president had served, maybe he’d feel a little more strongly about some of those freedoms,” Pete added. “And, I get that there’s a lot of strong opinions about this, but that’s part of why we served.”