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Post by carolhathaway Tue 28 Mar 2017, 17:05

I just found this video on a German newssite,  hope it works for everybody.
It's just a little reminder about what Trump said about Obamacare during his campaign and what he says now:

http://m.spiegel.de/#ref=article-body
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Post by Donnamarie Tue 28 Mar 2017, 19:27

Carol, I went to the link but all I saw were various Spiegel articles, all of which were in German. I couldn't make out a specific article on Trump and Obamacare.
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Post by carolhathaway Tue 28 Mar 2017, 20:10

Sorry Donna,
you're right, I checked the link. It seems to be impossible to copy the link of the video.
The video starts with Trump and Pence in the Oval Office. Trump says that he'd never said he would repeal and replace Obamacare immediately. Followed by videos of him saying exactly that during the electi campaign, describing it as his 'no. 1 priority', he would'ask congress to replace it on day one'.
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Post by party animal - not! Tue 28 Mar 2017, 20:12

Just a little enquiry

Why is this man still where he is?

https://twitter.com/NewYorker/status/846791535156977665

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Post by Donnamarie Tue 28 Mar 2017, 21:20

PAN, because Speaker of the House Paul Ryan won't remove him. Maybe if there is enough pressure from others within Congress to do so then the less than credible Ryan may take him off the committee. Two problems remain. I don't think the House Intel Committee's work can really continue as it stands now. Their work has been compromised by this Chairman. The other problem is who would take Nunes' place. At least one of the Republican members who would be considered is already very biased. That would be Rep. Gowdy. At the last Intel hearing Gowdy kept harping on the leaks as opposed to the Russian/Trump connections. He seems to be a bit dismissive of the point of the committee's work. Someone else mentioned that Rep. Peter King might take Nunes' place. But IMO I just think the Senate Committee will have to take the lead on this congressional investigation. Too bad tho. I really have admired Rep. Adam Schiff and the integrity he has shown during the course of this investigation.
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Post by annemarie Tue 28 Mar 2017, 22:00

http://people.com/politics/president-trump-signs-executive-order-rolling-back-obama-era-environmental-regulations/



[size=37]President Trump Signs Executive Order Rolling Back Obama-Era Environmental Regulations[/size]

BY JUSTIN WORLAND

POSTED ON MARCH 28, 2017 AT 4:49PM EDT


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The Serious Side - part 3 - Page 5 Trump-environmental-executive-order2.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C3500px%2C2332[url=https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fpolitics%2Fpresident-trump-signs-executive-order-rolling-back-obama-era-environmental-regulations%2F&media=https%3A%2F%2Fpeopledotcom.files.wordpress.com%2F2017%2F03%2Ftrump-environmental-executive-order2.jpg%3Fw%3D1024&description=President Trump Signs Executive Order Rolling Back Obama-Era Environmental%C2%A0Regulations][/url]
U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SIGNS AN EXECUTIVE ORDER ON "ENERGY INDEPENDENCE," ELIMINATING OBAMA-ERA CLIMATE CHANGE REGULATIONS, DURING AN EVENT AT THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) HEADQUARTERS IN WASHINGTON, U.S., MARCH 28, 2017. REUTERS/CARLOS BARRIA - RTX333NN
This article originally appeared on Time.com.
President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order Tuesday intended to shift the direction of U.S. environmental policy and begin the process of undoing some of the most significant Obama-era environmental regulations.
The executive order, billed as a measure to promote “energy independence” and create jobs, will target a slew of environmental measures aimed at combating climate change including the Clean Power Plan, the centerpiece of President Obama’s global warming efforts. Some directives take effect immediately, like the end to a moratorium on new leases for coal mining on federal land, while others, like the review of the Clean Power Plan, require a rule making process that could take years to complete.
Speaking at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Trump declared an end to what he called “the war on coal” and promised a “new energy revolution” with a thriving coal and natural gas industry. “The action I’m taking today will eliminate federal overreach, restore economic freedom and allow our companies and our workers to thrive and compete on a level playing field,” said Trump, standing beside coal miners and members of his cabinet. “Together we are going to start a new energy revolution, one that celebrates American production on American soil.”
The move drew praise from some energy interest groups that have long-complained about regulation of their industry, but experts do not expect the order to alter market trends significantly or contribute to a revival of the ailing coal industry. At the same time, the move will all but ensure that the U.S. does not meet its non-binding international commitments to address climate change and will diminish the country’s position as a leader on the issue cultivated under Obama.
“The wrecking ball that is the Trump presidency continues,” says Ken Kimmell, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists, in an emailed statement. “The executive order undercuts a key part of the nation’s response to climate change, without offering even a hint of what will replace it.”



Trump’s executive order follows weeks of speculation. Administration officials said the White House worked to ensure that the order did not encounter many of the legal issues that troubled its early immigration executive order.
Read More: President Trump’s Energy Policy Remains a Work in Progress
The Clean Power Plan ranks as the most significant regulation targeted by the executive order, and Trump cannot undo that measure with a simple stroke of the pen. Instead, his move Tuesday will direct the EPA to begin reevaluating the rule. A senior White House official told journalists Monday that the process could result in “revising, improving or updating” the regulation and not necessarily outright repeal appeal.
Completely scrapping the rule would require the EPA to replace it with an alternative. The Supreme Court has previously held that the EPA must regulate gases that contribute to climate change unless the agency provides a scientific reason not to do so. The EPA did the opposite in 2009 when it issued a document known as the endangerment finding that used science to explain the dangers posed by carbon dioxide.
Research from the Energy Information Administration suggests that the use of coal for electricity will flatline without the Clean Power Plan and continue to decline with it. Either way growth in natural gas, which has declined precipitously in cost over the last decade, will continue to outpace coal. And renewable energy companies, namely those in wind and solar, now employ far more people than the coal industry.
Read More: Donald Trump Says He’ll Bring Back Coal. Here’s Why He Can’t
“It’s nonsense,” says Mark Barteau, director of the University of Michigan Energy Institute, of Trump’s promise to restore coal. “Coal is not coming back. It’s going to continue to lose to cheap natural gas.”
The executive order also ends a moratorium launched under Obama on new leases of federal land for coal mining, scraps a measure of the economic impact of climate change used to justify regulation known as the “social cost of carbon” and changes how climate change is considered in federal policy-making.



The measure does not address whether the U.S. will remain in the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the White House official said Monday that the global climate deal remains “under discussion.” Trump promised to withdraw from the agreement on the campaign trail, but has reportedly reconsidered under pressure from his daughter Ivanka and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
The White House has described the executive order as one of many measures that will help the administration fulfill its campaign promises on energy, particularly job creation. But energy experts are skeptical it will move the needle independent of some change in market dynamics.
“I don’t think the primary barrier is regulation,” says Jason Bordoff, an Obama energy advisor who runs Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy. “I think the ability for us ability for oil and gas production to ramp back up will depend on what happens in the market.”
This article originally appeared in Time.com

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Post by carolhathaway Tue 28 Mar 2017, 22:09

An independent commission would be necessary to clean this mess, but who's independent?

And annemarie,
we all know that climate change is a big lie Rolling Eyes
Who needs the environment, clean air and water, trees, animals, oceans and poles with ice?
Nobody if we're sirious - as long as we don't live near the coasts, on islands who lie on sea level like the Maldives (remember Nasheed's press conference some years ago?) or in industrial areas. Maybe that's Trump's idea to reduce the world's population...

To clarifiy: That was irony!
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Post by LizzyNY Tue 28 Mar 2017, 22:41

Donnamarie - You seem to understand this stuff. Most committees have methods by which they can choose their officers. If the Intel Committee chair can act independently of his committee, why can't the reverse happen? Why can't the committee act independently of the chair and conduct an investigation without him? Or better yet, why can't the committee unseat the chairman? Why does Ryan have to be involved?
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Post by LizzyNY Tue 28 Mar 2017, 23:58

I've been trying to find the rules by which the committees operate. What I did find was that the committee's minority can issue a Minority Report on an issue, but not the procedure to do so. I don't know whether they can conduct an investigation on their own or if they can choose to look into something the majority doesn't want to investigate. If anyone knows how it works, I'd like to know.
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Post by annemarie Wed 29 Mar 2017, 00:47

Yep Carol climate change is a lie scientists made it all up. Irony aside, what is really crazy is the rich seem to think
that when the planet is destroyed they will some how not suffer. They think their money will save them we all know that won't happen.

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Post by Donnamarie Wed 29 Mar 2017, 04:33

LizzyNY wrote:Donnamarie - You seem to understand this stuff. Most committees have methods by which they can choose their officers. If the Intel Committee chair can act independently of his committee, why can't the reverse happen? Why can't the committee act independently of the chair and conduct an investigation without him? Or better yet, why can't the committee unseat the chairman? Why does Ryan have to be involved?

Lizzy, I don't know for sure but I don't think the committee has the authority to unseat the Chairman. When members of this committee or other Members of Congress have spoken out about Nunes they all point to Ryan to make the move. I think the Chairman of any House committee can only be removed by the Speaker of the House. Just my guess. No one has offered up any other solution to this problem other than having Nunes removed by Ryan or Nunes recusing himself. There's no way the committee can work independently of the Chairman if he won't recuse himself. So really Ryan needs to grow a pair and remove him.
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Post by Katiedot Wed 29 Mar 2017, 04:42

annemarie wrote: what is really crazy is the rich seem to think that when the planet is destroyed they will some how not suffer. They think their money will save them we all know that won't happen.
To a large extent it will protect them. Worst comes to the worst, they've got the money to grow their own food on indoor farms and live in huge hermetically sealed mansions with their own oxygen supply.
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Post by carolhathaway Wed 29 Mar 2017, 06:39

Annemarie,
even if there's a 0,01% possibility that climate change is not influenced by us, why is it so unthinkable to save CO2 just in case the 99,99% are right?
We know that most of the natural resources on this planet weren't endless. Why isn't  it possible to preserve some for our descendants? Why don't we start to use alternative energies like solar or wind energy. We do this in Germany, and you've got deserts and endless coasts in the States, why can't you?
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Post by annemarie Wed 29 Mar 2017, 10:37

The rich don't believe in climate change  they won'r be prepared.

Carol the rich want to make money what they have will never be enough , so if destroying the planet and killing us all including themselves is what it takes so be it.

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Post by party animal - not! Wed 29 Mar 2017, 11:33

The irony is that the States have very good figures on alternative energy - they have quite a lot of room for things like wind farms and solar panels!

But I understand people are signing up for all the clean energy programmes in droves - they prefer it.

But I wouldn't put it past Trump's government to put up the taxes on those companies to scupper that - especially if they don't have shares in it!

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Post by LizzyNY Wed 29 Mar 2017, 13:38

PAN - You put your finger on exactly why Trump and his friends won't abandon fossil fuels: that's where their money comes from. Oil, coal, lumber and all the satellite industries (especially banking) that go along with them are what made, and keep, them rich and they're not going to risk a penny on anyone but themselves.
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Post by Donnamarie Wed 29 Mar 2017, 17:59

Coal is never coming back to be competitive. It's already been replaced by natural gas as our leading source of energy. The U.S. has been making great strides in wind and solar. They are being subsidized quite a bit now but eventually with more investment their contribution to the energy market will more substantial. If the U.S. doesn't keep investing in solar and wind it will lose out globally on the energy market. China will gladly take the lead. It is in our best interests to continue to push natural gas, wind and solar.

All that Trump is doing is making promises he can't possibly keep to the coal mining community and taking our country backwards, not forwards.
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Post by annemarie Wed 29 Mar 2017, 18:54

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4360706/Melania-reemerges-attend-Women-Courage-ceremony.html

'Wherever women are diminished, the entire world is diminished with them' says Melania as she makes rare appearance to honor 'International Women of Courage' - some from countries hit by her husband's travel ban

  • Melania Trump attended a ceremony at the State Department Wednesday honoring Women of Courage

  • On Tuesday night she attended an event with her husband at the White House for senators and their spouses

  • In a White House written statement she calls for 'acts of collaborative and individual bravery'

  • 'Wherever women are diminished, the entire world is diminished with them'

  • Melania lives in New York with Barron Trump, and last weekend attended a GOP fundraiser in Florida while her husband remained in Washington 

  • Her appearance comes after the announcement the first lady has hired a new communications director 

  • Lawyers for President Trump said in a court filing this week that he was immune from a sexual harassment lawsuit, citing the Bill Clinton Paula Jones harassment case 





First Lady Melania Trump made a rare public appearance today at the State Department at an event honoring 'International Women of Courage.' 
'I am deeply humbled to be here today to honor these 12 remarkable and inspirational women, who have given so much for so many, regardless of the unimaginable threat to their own personal safety.' 
Among the honorees were women from Iraq, Yemen and Syria, countries included in President Trump's original travel ban. The second iteration left Iraq off.  
'Together, we must declare that the era of allowing the brutality against women and children is over while affirming that the time for empowering women around the world is now,' the first lady said. 
'For wherever women are diminished, the entire world is diminished with them. However, wherever women are empowered, towns and villages, schools and economies are empowered, and together we are all made stronger with them,' she continued. 
Scroll down for video 
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First lady Melania Trump visited the State Department Wednesday, making a rare public appearance to dole out the International Women of Courage awards
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Melania Trump (left) poses with human rights activists Najib Thabet of Yemen (right). Yemen is among the countries targeted in President Trump's travel ban 
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'Wherever women are diminished, the entire world is diminished with them,' Melania Trump said today at the State Department 


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Melania Trump fixes her hair before presenting the 2017 Secretary of State's International Women of Courage awards at the State Department today 
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First lady Melania Trump (left) stands alongside acid burn victim Natalia Ponce de Leon (right) of Colombia (right) during today's State Department ceremony 
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First lady Melania Trump (right) crouches down to pose with honoree Malebogo Molefhe (left), from Botswana
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First lady Melania Trump (left) was introduced at the State Department by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas A. Shannon (right) 
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First lady Melania Trump leaves the podium at the State Department after giving remarks at the International Women of Courage awards 
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First lady Melania Trump sported a French manicure to the State Department today as she handed out International Women of Courage awards to 12 recipients 
Melania Trump talked about some of the horrors the honorees have faced: domestic abuse, gender bias, violence, terrorism, war, corruption and government oppression. 
'Let us try to envision ourselves in their place, struggling with gender bias and discriminatory loss, which serves to protect the perpetrators of unthinkable crimes, while punishing their victims should they even dare to speak out,' the FLOTUS said. 
'Ask yourself if you would have the fortitude of spirit, the courage of your convictions and the enormous inner strength required to stand up and fight against such an overwhelming odds,' she continued.
'Amazingly, each of our honorees have courageously answered "yes" to those questions for it is their strength and the strength of others like them which will ignite a global battle against inhumanity,' the first lady added. 
Mrs. Trump said the United States needed to send a clear message to the world that 'we are watching' and explained the importance of shining a light on victories achieved by women around the globe.
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First lady Melania Trump presented awards to 12 women from around the world, including Yemen and Syria, countries hit by her husband's travel ban 
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First lady Melania Trump (left) chats with one of the award recipients, acid burn victim Natalia Ponce de Leon (right) of Colombia 
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First lady Melania Trump sported some chic shoes to the State Department today, as she gave out awards to International Women of Courage 
'I believe that bravery is the ability to live one's life refusing to be discouraged, and instead, choosing a life of purpose,' the first lady said, noting how the 12 recipients of the award fit this mold. 
She also had a message for the young people in the audience. 
'I ask you to allow the triumphs exemplified by these heroic women to inspire you in your own lives and to remind yourself that you, too, are capable of greatness,' she said. 'I urge you to not be afraid to fail. As failure will never have the power to define you as long as you learn from it.' 
'As you go forward, remember their journeys, push ahead and strive to bring about a better community, a better country and a better world in an ongoing fight for right over might,' she advised.  
She was introduced at the event at State by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas A. Shannon, who brought up a number of her charitable causes, while noting that she planned to take on the issue of cyber bullying as first lady. 


[size=18]Melania Trump speaks at the Women of Courage ceremony


besides bringing up the issue at a speech outside of Philadelphia directly before the election, Melania Trump has yet to make any moves to signal that she plans to still make cyber bullying her cause.
[/size]
State would absorb major budget cuts to its program under President Trump's budget. Funding would be cut by 29 percent, second only to the EPA in reductions it would absorb.
The award is in its 11th year. It has recognized 100 women, and is 'meant to showcase and support a group of women who put their personal safety and sometimes lives at risk in order to help improve their communities,' according to the White House.
The presentation of an award can send a political message.
In 2014, First Lady Michelle Obama was there to award Eurovision singer Ruslana Lyzhychko of Ukraine. She is a civil society activist, human rights advocate and a leader of Ukraine's Maidan movement for democratic reform.
The U.S. imposed sanctions on Russia in 2014 for its invasion of Ukraine. 
The first lady appeared in Washington last night too, at a White House dinner with senators and their spouses.
The first lady brought her flare for style, as it appeared she was wearing a $2,390 Whistler stretch-crepe dress designed by Roland Mouret.
She issued a statement saying she plans to continue hosting lawmakers.
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First lady Melania Trump (right) was also on hand at a dinner at the White House last night with President Trump (left) as they welcomed senators and their spouses to the executive mansion 
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Trump looks on as President Donald J. Trump makes remarks at a reception for US Senators and their spouses in the East Room of the White House
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CONTINUITY: First lady Michelle Obama (L) listens to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during the presentation ceremony of the International Women of Courage Awards at the State Department March 8, 2012
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SOLIDARITY: First Lady Michelle Obama (L) applauds for Eurovision singer Ruslana Lyzhychko (R) of Ukraine  - a civil society activist, human rights advocate and a leader of Ukraine's Maidan movement for democratic reform - as she is awarded the US Secretary of States International Women of Courage Award 2014 during a ceremony at the State Department in Washington
'It was my great pleasure to open the doors of the White House to these esteemed members of the United States Senate, along with their spouses and invited guests,' she said. 
'This is the people's house and I intend to continue the tradition of hosting the elected officials who work alongside my husband to serve the American people.'
The first lady's public appearance comes after the announcement the first lady has hired a new communications director, Stephanie Grisham, who traveled with reporters during her husband's campaign.
'Mrs. Trump's life story is an inspiration to millions of mothers and female entrepreneurs, and to me personally,' Grisham said in a statement announcing her hiring. 
'I deeply respect and admire her commitment to our country, her family, and to the important role of the First Lady. I look forward to helping her communicate her unifying message of kindness and empowerment,' Grisham said. 

[size=18]Melania Trump hosts a luncheon for International Women's Day




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[size=18]Oh the places you'll go: Melania Trump reads Dr. Seuss to kids




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Melania Trump stood by her husband after the emergence of the infamous 2005 'p****' tape, where Donald Trump made crude remarks about grabbing women
Melania Trump received praise as well as scorn from different members of the public for standing by her husband after the emergence of the infamous 'p****' tape that should him making crude comments about women.
Lawyers for President Trump said in a court filing this week that Trump was immune from a sexual harassment lawsuit, citing the Bill Clinton Paula Jones harassment case, which they said 'immunizes President Trump from being sued in this action while he is in office,' the LA Times reported.
Former 'Apprentice' contestant Summer Zervos brought the suit. She says she got 'ambushed by Mr. Trump on more than one occasion and was 'subjected to unwanted sexual touching.'

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Post by Donnamarie Wed 29 Mar 2017, 20:00

Very thoughtful speech by Melania. Whether she is genuine in her thoughts I can't say. But the speech is ironic and flies in the face of her husband's own words and actions. Trump has diminished women, lacks empathy, and has never shown any courage whatsoever. And he wants to drastically cut the State Dept. budget which might affect the continuation of programs just like this one .... honoring women of courage.

Thanks annemarie for posting all of these Trump articles. Seems like there is never a lack of material on the Trumpster!
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Post by annemarie Wed 29 Mar 2017, 21:08

It is ironic seeing as how completely disrespectful to women her husband is.

Your welcome Donnamarie.

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Post by carolhathaway Wed 29 Mar 2017, 21:16

In every pic I've seen of Melania so far she looks strict, restrained and controlled. She doesn't show affection and doesn't seem to enjoy her life. I don't mean it in a mean or mocking way, that's just my impression.
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Post by LizzyNY Wed 29 Mar 2017, 21:37

Until recently I've felt sympathy for Mrs. Trump. Being married to that man must be excruciating. But the more she acts the part of dutiful, supportive wife the more I think she's as big a hypocrite as he is.
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Post by carolhathaway Wed 29 Mar 2017, 22:29

Lizzy,
maybe she hates being First Lady or / and being to this... (you're free to fill in every adjective which comes to your mind) man.
But I don't havd the impression that she has no other choice, so I guess that she's made her choice. She could be a strong FLOTUS, a counterpart to balance his politics. But she seems to have the role of the 1950s wife...
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Post by Donnamarie Thu 30 Mar 2017, 00:34

Only a certain kind of woman can appreciate being the First Lady of the U.S. I don't think Melania has it in her to enjoy the part but I do think she will go through the motions as best she can. I agree that she really doesn't have a choice right now. I wouldn't wish her life on anyone ... especially with that man.
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Post by LizzyNY Thu 30 Mar 2017, 01:03

I could be wrong, but I get the impression that none of the Trump tribe have much use for Melania. It seems to me that if Trump could leave her in NY without people commenting he'd hardly spend any time with her at all. Ivanka seems to be his choice for FLOTUS - not Melania.
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Post by annemarie Thu 30 Mar 2017, 01:17

I don't think she wants to be first lady. I think she wanted the role even less when she found out she couldn't
use her position to make money.

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Post by annemarie Thu 30 Mar 2017, 01:24

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4362234/Ivanka-takes-unpaid-White-House-job-working-dad.html

Ivanka takes unpaid job in her father's White House saying she has 'heard the concerns' over ethics - but lays herself open to new financial disclosure 

  •  Ivanka Trump will take an official but unpaid job in her father's administration

  •  She has a West Wing office and has applied for a security clearance

  •  Her husband Jared Kushner is one of President Trump's top advisor

  • She said she 'heard the concerns some have with my advising the President in my personal capacity' 

  • Her lawyer initially said she would follow federal rules on a 'voluntary' basis

  • Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote a government ethics office Monday demanding answers about the unusual arrangement 

  • She will be subject to financial disclosure and government ethics rules 

  • The White House says the decision shows 'commitment to ethics, transparency, and compliance'




Ivanka Trump is officially joining her dad's White House and taking a government job that will require her to abide by federal ethics rules.
The position will be unpaid. 
"I have heard the concerns some have with my advising the president in my personal capacity while voluntarily complying with all ethics rules and I will instead serve as an unpaid employee in the White House office, subject to all of the same rules as other federal employees," she said in a statement.
The statement signaled that the president's daughter bowed to pressure from government ethics groups who had complained that even if she followed the rules voluntarily, she could always withdraw at some point.
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Ivanka Trump is taking an unpaid job in her father's administration and will follow a financial disclosure form, the White House and her lawyer said
Others have expressed general concerns about having a member of the president's family serve in his White House. Congress enacted anti-nepotism laws following the Kennedy administration, but the White House contends they apply only to executive agencies and not the White House itself.
Craig Holman of Public Citizen called it 'good news' that Ivanka was abandoning the voluntary arrangement. 
'Ivanka was just getting too imbedded in the White House. She got this coveted office space right in the West Wing,' he told DailyMail.com. 'Once you get out your’e clearly and obviously a government employee. I’m sure even the White House counsel said we can’t even pull this one off.'
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GOVERNMENT WORK: First daughter Ivanka Trump meets with students at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington
Ivanka will have to fill out a financial disclosure form about her business holdings, and the federal Office of Government Ethics will scour it for potential conflicts.
She might have to sell or otherwise remove herself self-named business. Her husband transferred authority over many of his business holdings after negotiating his own ethics agreement.
If she wants to divest of holdings and get a tax break meant to benefit people who comply with ethics guidance to avoid conflicts, she will need to get a sign-off from the OGE that would be made public.
Ivanka has already been serving as a de facto top advisor to her father. 
Her surprise announcement came after White House press secretary Sean Spicer defended the arrangement as originally announced, although in a terse fashion.
Her lawyer, Jamie Gorelick said she will file the financial disclosures federal employees must file will be bound by ethics rules.
The White House said it was "pleased that Ivanka Trump has chosen to take this step,' the Associated Press reported.
The action came on the same day liberal firebrand Sen. Elizabeth Warren fired off a blistering letter to the federal Office of Government Ethics about Trump's arrangement.

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FLYING HIGH: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos (R), along with first daughter Ivanka Trump (L), meet with students at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, USA, 28
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SHARED COMMUTE: Husband Jared Kushner is a senior advisor to the president
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Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel (L) and Ivanka Trump (R) talk before a meeting with President Donald Trump and business leaders in the Cabinet Room of the White House
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INSIDER: Ivanka Trump steps out of her Kalorama, Washington D.C home wearing a spring dress on Wednesday morning
'Ms. Trump has substantial interests at stake: for example, she has retained ownership of Ivanka Trump Marks LLC, a retail clothing brand. Ms. Trump's increasing, albeit unspecified, White House role, her potential conflicts of interest and her commitment to voluntarily comply with relevant ethics and conflicts of interest laws have resulted in substantial confusion,' Warren wrote.
Ivanka Trump added in her statement: 'Throughout this process I have been working closely and in good faith with the White House counsel and my personal counsel to address the unprecedented nature of my role.'
Her title will be assistant to the president, the New York Times reported.
Gorelick told the paper: 'She will file the financial disclosure forms required of federal employees and be bound by the same ethics rules that she had planned to comply with voluntarily.'
Ivanka’s service as an unpaid employee furthers our commitment to ethics, transparency, and compliance and affords her increased opportunities to lead initiatives driving real policy benefits for the American public that would not have been available to her previously,' the White House told the paper in an email.
Read more:

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Post by carolhathaway Thu 30 Mar 2017, 12:11

I just read an article in our local newspaper which tried to explain why people voted for Trump (I know it's too late) and still believe in him. It's about Keystone, a small town in McDowell County, West Virginia, former coal mining industry. I tried to translate most of it, if anybody's interested:


Offering Obamacare, looking for a job:
Nowhere in the States life expectancy is as low as in the McDowell county. Nowhere else so many people voted for Donald Trump. They offer the hart-fought health care for a job. A visit offsite society.


Keystone
The afternoon pays off. Mike Patterson fishes for one hour at the river near Keystone, and has already caught his third big fish, a catfish. Patterson is excited. It might be an idyllic moment in the nature, if this man was just fishing for fun. But Patterson is fishing to get by. Although he’s no fisherman nor really poor.
“My wife was in hospital for two weeks. When we’ll get the bill, it will be hard with paying by installments for their house.” So every fish helps.
To buy food or pay the bills for the hospital? Patterson is a self-employed electrician. He grew up in the mountains of West Virginia. His father and grandfather had both worked in coal industry, he himself had always dreamt to be a self-employed craftsman. “That wasn’t a bad plan at all. But maybe it’s the wrong place and the wrong time.” There aren’t enough employers who can afford to hire an accomplished electrician. And a disease can become a financial risk rather than anywhere else in the States.
But Patterson doesn’t want to complain: “We’re lucky, we have ACA. The extra payments are high, but we’ll able to manage it.” So most of the costs of his wife’s hospital stay are covered. But some of his friends have lost their houses because they couldn’t pay their medical bills anymore.
Obamacare is essential for most people in this area. But nevertheless most people here support the greatest opponent of the health care act, President Donald Trump. Is this an objection?


Keystone in McDowell county  is a conflict area. During the last 40 years, half of the population left the area, countless houses are rottening, most of the shops are closed. Nowhere in the States life expectancy is as low as in this region. The average woman dies here at the age of 72 – like in India or Tadzhikistan. Keystone just reaches top in statistics about unemployment rate, drug abuse and adiposity. The former centre of the American coal mining has become a place people just want to leave.
This town has just some hundred inhabitants, but in April 1960 John F. Kennedy came to Keystone to proclaim the ‘war against poverty’. Thanks to the ideas Kennedy had gotten here, his follower Lyndon B. Johnson installed food stamps, followed by Medicair and Medicaid who were expanded by Obama. Fifty years after Johnson had signed the Social Security Act, 76 % of the voters in McDowell county voted for Trump – knowing that they would lose their health care.
This doesn’t surprise Louise Reese at all. She’s a doctor from Charleston , knows the area very well and also knows the desperate situation for many people: “Donald Trump has promised to bring back every single job. That’s what the people believe.” Many people haven’t realized that the jobs in the coal industry haven’t just fallen apart due to environment protection, but in particular to industrial automation and price decline on the global market. “People don’t know for sure if Trump will succeed with his plan. But he gives them hope”, says the doctor. She herself is relieved that Trump’s plan to repeal and replace Obamacare has been stopped.
The consequence for a new health care could be devastating for Keystone, Reese believes. The local clinic ‘Tug River Health Association’ has had more than 12,000 consultations paid for by Medicaid. 2013, before Obamacare had worked and more people had been covered by health care, just about 5,000 consultations had been paid for by Medicaid. “Many people were afraid of the costs and didn’t come at all – or came when it was almost too late. That’s the reason for the low life expectancy”, Reese explains.
She doesn’t accuse the people in the area. The social injustice was a result of the unbalanced economic structure for generations in these regions of Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia.
Donald Trump wasn’t the only one who realized the potential of voters: Jim Justice was the owner of the local coal mining industry. Seven years ago the billionaire sold the mine for more than $500 million to a Russian concern who reduced the mining due to the price decline, until it was shut down. Juctice bought it back for $5 million to reactivate the mining in the Trump era – and hire at least some of the former workers.
Many people in Keystone think that Justice will succeed and support him by electing him as governor of West Virginia. His campaign slogan was: Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. No word about welfare program.
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Post by party animal - not! Thu 30 Mar 2017, 14:07

Take a little look at this......

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-39435786

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Post by carolhathaway Thu 30 Mar 2017, 14:39

I'd like to ask a few questions about the Keystone article.

What I don't understand is that the people in that area get no perspective, no alternative to leaving the region.
We had big mining industries in Germany as well, most of them situated in the west. Most of them closed in the 1970s and 1980s (because of higher environmental standards, because less coal was needed and because there wasn't much left in the working meines), and there were big programs to train the workers in other jobs, give them new jobs. Of course this was a loss of jobs, but the air was so much better, the rivers are much cleaner now etc. And these regions now have other industries which comprehense the mining industry. Why isn't this possible in the States? Of course everybody needs a perspective...
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Post by party animal - not! Thu 30 Mar 2017, 15:53

Right folks, here we go. Let's see where this takes us............

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/russian-trolls-hilary-clinton-fake-news-election-democrat-mark-warner-intelligence-committee-a7657641.html

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Post by carolhathaway Thu 30 Mar 2017, 16:38

What a surprise!
So France will vote in April, Germany in September.
We'll see where it'll take us...

By the way: Any suggestions thar the Brexit referendum might have been influenced aus well? Since, if you want to weaken Europe and the EU, this referendum would be a logical try as well.
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Post by Donnamarie Thu 30 Mar 2017, 18:36

carolhathaway wrote:I'd like to ask a few questions about the Keystone article.

What I don't understand is that the people in that area get no perspective, no alternative to leaving the region.
We had big mining industries in Germany as well, most of them situated in the west. Most of them closed in the 1970s and 1980s (because of higher environmental standards, because less coal was needed and because there wasn't much left in the working meines), and there were big programs to train the workers in other jobs, give them new jobs. Of course this was a loss of jobs, but the air was so much better, the rivers are much cleaner now etc. And these regions now have other industries which comprehense the mining industry. Why isn't this possible in the States? Of course everybody needs a perspective...


Carol, the situation you described in Germany is somewhat similar to ours. Coal production reached its peak in 2008. It has been on the decline since because of cheaper forms of energy .... natural gas, renewable energy and the lower cost of wind and solar production. As I mentioned in an earlier post coal is no longer competitive. Plus other forms of energy are cleaner and more environmentally friendly than coal. Despite the evidence coal advocates continue to say there is a market for it and it is cleaner than it used to be. But it's never going to bring back a substantial number of jobs to those states that used to thrive on coal mining. Trump has given the people in these areas false hope. And almost as bad are the Republicans who support his rhetoric. Lastly, the people from these areas are uninformed or misinformed as to the future of coal as a answer to their financial survival. I have to wonder and in some waythink a lot of blame should fall on the state governments who have not done more to reinvigorate some of these depressed areas of the country by trying to bring in new business manufacturing, like alternative energy, and put together a program to retrain former coal miners to a new line of work. Listening to some people speak out in these rural areas there is also the problem that they don't want to embrace change and attempt to reeducate themselves to make them viable in a new economy.
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Post by Donnamarie Thu 30 Mar 2017, 18:58

party animal - not! wrote:Right folks, here we go. Let's see where this takes us............

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/russian-trolls-hilary-clinton-fake-news-election-democrat-mark-warner-intelligence-committee-a7657641.html


PAN, I have read about these bots but don't really understand them. But after reading  the article about the prolific amount of fake Clinton stories that were online I do wonder how they might have affected the election.  Hardly any Democrat will say publicly that Russian interference in our election really affected the outcome.  I know Trump is worried that is the case.  

If these stories were being put out on a regular basis and  bolstered by the regular Wikileaks dumps about Clinton I do have real concern.  There may have been a considerable number of people who after being exposed to all of this crap chose either to not vote for Clinton, or vote at all, because they were turned off by what they read, or they were leaning Trump and the stories were the last straw. They voted for him.  
.


Last edited by Donnamarie on Thu 30 Mar 2017, 19:02; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : added text)
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Post by LizzyNY Thu 30 Mar 2017, 19:34

Donnamarie - I'm guessing it's mostly the older generation that doesn't want to retrain or move on to a new kind of work. The younger workers will pack up and move on or give up and get stoned.

These older workers, though, have probably lived and worked in the same place all of their lives. They raised their families here. They've done their jobs well and took pride in their work. This is their home.

It's easy to say they should retrain and do other work, but most likely that would involve leaving everything they've ever known. It's as terrifying for them as it is for the migrants swarming into Europe.

I don't have the answer. That has to come from the business community and the government. As long as Trump is in office I don't think these people have a prayer. He seems to favor short-term solutions to long-term problems, ie. re-opening coal mines.

PS - It seems like the Intelligence community is pretty sure about Russian meddling - although not the extent of Trump's involvement - if any. They also seem pretty sure about the Russians tampering with elections in Europe. I wonder if it occurred to anyone before that they could have influenced Brexit?
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Post by carolhathaway Thu 30 Mar 2017, 21:00

Lizzy,
your description is very accurate IMO: Trump favors short-term solutions to long-term problems.
People shouldn't be forced to leave their hometown because the industry there is shut down. My hometown was a center for can and tin production for more than hundred years, we also had a big factory which produced convenience meals, the farmers also delivered their vegetables to them. They all were family businesses.
Then one of the tin factories was sold to a British company which closed the factory after a few years. The other one was sold to a French company which, after a short time, was sold to an American concern. They still produce but just need 25 % of the employees which had worked there before. The factory which produced convenience meals, was sold to Heinz, and they also closed some years ago. Our biggest employer now is a clinic for rehab.
But of course many people left the region to live where their jobs are.
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Post by LizzyNY Thu 30 Mar 2017, 21:17

Carolhathaway - That's what's been happening here as well. Partly because of outsourcing, but mostly because of automation (IMO) and some businesses becoming obsolete, there just aren't replacement jobs for the people who are out of work - at least not the kinds of jobs they are used to and comfortable doing. With so many industries being phased out I don't know where these people are supposed to find work that will support them and their families.
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Post by carolhathaway Thu 30 Mar 2017, 22:25

Lizzy,
It's also a loss of security:
Generations of people knew where they would be working once they left school since their ancestors had worked there before and always told them: "When you're old enough, you'll work there as well!" And then the fathers took their sons to their foremen and they trained them. So they knew they would have a job, make a living, be able to start a family, build a house...
Or if you just think about the farmers: 
WhennI was a child (about 40 years ago), we had ten farmers who had cows, pigs and arable farm land in my village of about 800 people, and they and their families were able to feed their families. We bought milk, eggs and meat directly from the farms. Now there's one farmer left who runs agriculture, and a few who are part-time farmers. Nobody has animals anymore. My uncle is 72, his son now runs their family farm (about 15 miles away), and he said that they were milking their cows by hand when he was a child, he installed milking machines, and his son now has robots who milk their cows. If you think about this technical progress, it's just unbelievable. But my cousin is able to now handle five times more cows than his father with the same number of people.
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Post by Donnamarie Thu 30 Mar 2017, 22:40

I think Trump's efforts to bring jobs back to certain states and reenergize the coal industry to name two campaign promises are shallow efforts fulfilled. There is no real "meat" to these actions. It's all a show. He makes it look like he is succeeding because it makes for good headlines.

I've heard a number of former coal miners who are in their 30s complaining about no coal jobs. They are in their prime and a number of them could move themselves and their families if they were seriously motivated and willing to learn new skills. I think it's more about a self-fulfilling prophecy. I'm reading "Hillbilly Elegy" right now which talks about the conundrum of certain rural Americans.
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Post by LizzyNY Thu 30 Mar 2017, 23:27

Donnamarie - Saying that those in their prime could move themselves and their families if they were "seriously motivated to learn new skills" is (if you'll forgive me) the kind of thinking that lost the Democrats a lot of votes. Yes, it's logical thinking and from a distance it makes sense, but it is a bit callous and condescending.

It suggests that these people shouldn't care what they do for a living, as long as they have work. That it doesn't matter where they want to live or raise their families. That their ties to a place - to friends and family - don't matter. (They also realize that the more of them that move away, the more damage they do to the remaining economy of their town. They know they're putting more of their neighbors out of work)

Trump made these people feel like he understood their pain and would help them get back what they lost without too much disruption to their lives. He was lying, of course, but they bought it because he didn't dismiss their fears. Sadly, he exploited them while the Democrats, IMO, dismissed them as ignorant and unrealistic.  While to some extent that may be true, these people are still deserving of respect. They're decent, hard working people who just want a good life for their families and don't understand how the bottom fell out of their world.

(Sorry if I'm ranting, but this sort of hits home.)
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Post by Donnamarie Fri 31 Mar 2017, 04:44

Lizzy I understand what you're saying but I don't see it as being condescending. I don't mean to paint a whole population of struggling Americans from the rust belt with one broad brush. But I think there are many who do fall into the category of not pushing themselves to better their lives, to face reality and act on it. Many of these small towns are dying economically for lack of an industry to support their local economy. Those young people who can do so leave their hometowns because there is no future there. But many don't have the financial means. I see that. But if you're hurting you take whatever job you can to help support yourself and your family.

There isn't one answer to this problem. What I do find fault with is the willingness of many to believe a snake oil salesman. Trump did exploit their fears and made promises to them that are not realistic. Clinton tried to make that point several times during the campaign but she was dismissed for telling a harsher truth and for seemingly not understanding their predicament. I think she did but she also realized there are no easy answers.
The plans she spoke of to bring new business and training skill programs to coal mining towns wasn't what people wanted to hear. They wanted their old jobs back.

I'm fine with the rant Lizzy. Very Happy It hits very close to home for me too. Family and financial struggles were a big part of my early life.
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Post by carolhathaway Fri 31 Mar 2017, 06:53

I think that it's really important what you're both saying, Lizzy and Donna!

You can't brush millons of struggling people from the rust belt with one paint brush, but what do you do when there's no job? To expect to learning new skills to find a new job in another business works for somebody in his twenties or thirtees, but can you expect the same flexibility from somebody who's 55?
To expect to move thousands of miles for a new job also doesn't work for everybody, people who are very close to their families or their region, will find it very hard to move. Not to be able to see your old parents every day, walk the same streets, meet your friends you have since you were a small child...

This also gives us a feeling of security, we know who we are and where we belong to, just like knowing as a child: "When I'm old enough, I'll start working at my parents' farm".

But what's the alternative? You can't create new businesses when there are no. Some industries need a certain infrastructure or certain preconditions (like you can only open a coal mine where you have coal).
 One fact we should Not forget when we talk about that is that many people have a poor school education. When you just finished high school and started to work in a factory or a shop, have never done any further education or training, it's much more difficult to find something else than for someone with better qualifications.

When I first met my niece's boyfriend, he told me that he doesn't work. He always wanted to work as a paramedic, but when he trained for this job, he had a n epileptic seizure and had to stop this training. He's still hanging on that dream and isn't willing to compromize. I talked to a relative who works as a labor office. He said that he knows this guy and has offered him several new jobs, but he never finished his training. When I asked my niece's boyfriend, he told me that none of these jobs was of any interest for him.
This guy is 32 now and has never had any serious job, lives on social welfare. His perspective is at least questionable.
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Post by LizzyNY Fri 31 Mar 2017, 12:38

Carolhathaway - What you said in the beginning of your post is exactly what I meant. There has to be a way to bring  work to these areas instead of telling people to go where the work is and personal considerations be damned. Yes, Hillary told a hard truth that these people didn't want to hear, but she told that truth in a way that made her listeners feel unimportant and dismissed. They were basically told to "suck it up and get on with it". Not helpful and not, IMO, not very nice. No wonder she didn't get their votes.

These people know their industries aren't coming back - at least not as they knew them. They want help rebuilding their lives where they are. They don't want to move away. They don't want to kill the towns they helped create. Yes, there are some who give up (or who never wanted to work in the first place), but I'd bet the majority would be willing to retrain if it didn't mean uprooting themselves and their families. The work needs to come to them - not the other way around.
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Post by party animal - not! Fri 31 Mar 2017, 13:15

............sadly it won't, tho, if it doesn't make a profit for the owners. 

Maybe the infrastructure programme is a good idea, but presumably that would have to come from State funds........which come from folks' taxes.

Slightly off subject, I see the man who said 'lock her up' now wants immunity....!? Beyond belief

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Post by Donnamarie Fri 31 Mar 2017, 15:55

party animal - not! wrote:............sadly it won't, tho, if it doesn't make a profit for the owners. 

Maybe the infrastructure programme is a good idea, but presumably that would have to come from State funds........which come from folks' taxes.

Slightly off subject, I see the man who said 'lock her up' now wants immunity....!? Beyond belief



I think some struggling communities in our country can be brought back to life if businesses are willing to invest in them. But it won't work for everyone who is hurting. So those people are facing harsh realities. I still question the apparent lack of support from state governors and legislators to bring about economic recovery to affected areas in their states. On the state level private/public sector endeavors could make a difference. Why aren't we seeing more of that? Supporting a big infrastructure bill in Congress would be a good start too. But if it means increasing the budget the hard right Members in Congress will not support it. Obama came up against the same pushback when he was in office and tried to get through a big infrastructure bill.

Yea Flynn. Thing is we don't know what he wants immunity from. It could be nothing more than to not face criminal charges for not filing as a foreign agent while he was working on the Trump campaign. I think the FBI already decided not to pursue charges against Flynn over lying to them about talking sanctions with the Russian ambassador. At this point I'm not so sure he would spill the beans on any of the complicit/collusion allegations. But hey everyday always brings another surprise.
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Post by party animal - not! Sat 01 Apr 2017, 12:00

Has anybody been keeping an eye on this?

Some extremely interesting evidence......

https://twitter.com/foreignpolicy77/status/847486984318722049

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Post by Donnamarie Sat 01 Apr 2017, 14:59

This guy was interviewed by Rachel Maddow last night.  He is good.  Very serious.  I'll try to find the segment from her show and post the link here.


Here it is. This is the whole show .... which focuses on Russia again and is really interesting if you have the time. If not you can pick up her set-up for Clinton Watts around the 20 minute mark


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guoolfwxaSU


Last edited by Donnamarie on Sat 01 Apr 2017, 15:11; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : added text)
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Post by LizzyNY Sat 01 Apr 2017, 15:17

PAN - Even though I believe what this gentleman is saying, his testimony (at least in this clip) is not specific enough to constitute proof - except maybe for what he said about Manafort. And when he threw in the birther claims, he declared himself partisan, which weakens his testimony. If you scrolled down through the comments you saw that Trump's supporters will need a lot more than this to change their minds.

Donnamarie - Don't have time to watch. Does he come off more impartial with Madow? Does he present verifiable facts? If he sounds as partisan as he did in PAN's clip, IMO his opinion becomes just that - an opinion.
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Post by Donnamarie Sun 02 Apr 2017, 04:03

Lizzy I thought Watts was really impressive as a witness. He has a really impressive resume too. His testimony alone though isn't going to prove a direct connection between Russia and Trump. But he provided great background on Russian propaganda operations, cyber terrorism and how it was used effectively by some Trump associates. I don't think he would have been selected as a committee witness if it was thought he was partisan. Watts pointed out that Marco Rubio and other Republican candidates had also been attacked during the primaries by Russian propaganda. I saw the birtherism comment as a tie-in with all the other fake news stories he spoke of circulating on social media and the effect it had on forming public opinion. We all know the birtherism story was not true. It was bogus. I don't see that as a Dem or Repub issue.
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Post by LizzyNY Sun 02 Apr 2017, 14:34

Donnamarie - All I've had time to see was the clip PAN posted, and that was what I commented on. I'm sure Watts had valuable information to present. I just found that clip to sound a bit biased. And don't fool yourself- plenty of people still believe everything Trump says - including the birther story.
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