The Serious Side - part 3

It's a great idea, but unfortunately the interns would not be given accreditation (or security clearance) by the White House to do that.

(Although someone like Obama might have suggested a one-off like that as part of their training)

I'm not sure how the credentialing process works. I'm pretty sure the White House can't dictate which reporters are assigned to the White House press corps, except maybe by denying someone security clearance - which would be really hard to get away with if the person is a well-known reporter.

The one thing they could do, for which I would be eternally grateful, is to stop plastering Trump's smirking face all over the place. Report the news without pictures of him or his family. We know what they look like. Enough is enough - and it would drive him nuts! Publicity is one of the few perks of the office he understands. Take it away, and he might begin to uderstand how much he is disliked.

Re the media and how they fed Trumpism--Samantha Bee nailed it Saturday!

https://twitter.com/yottapoint/status/858541728210468864/video/1

Not sure how to post the actual video-- I couldn't find it except on Twitter

Things have taken a turn for the better today:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-wiretap-claims-walks-out-cbs-interview-john-dickerson-a7711856.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/trump-civil-war-causes-andrew-jackson-interview-us-president-doesnt-know-basic-details-a7711841.html

Every time he opens his mouth you just cringe he is such an idiot. And of course he stopped the interview he couldn't say he out and out lied.

annemarie - Of course he couldn't. His ego would implode. Ann Coulter was on The View this morning and "defended" him by saying he doesn't lie - he bullshits. Amazing, isn't it? A supposedly intelligent woman who thinks there's a difference between lying and not telling the truth.

She has proven she is not as intelligent as she thinks she is.

LizzyNY wrote: A supposedly intelligent woman who thinks there's a difference between lying and not telling the truth.

Not that I want to defend Ann Coulter (God forbid!!) but there is a difference: to tell a lie, you have to be aware of what the truth of the matter is, and also be aware that what you're stating is not the truth. I don't think Trump can do that.

As I said before, I worked with someone like that: lied all the time, except it wasn't lying: he changed reality as often as he wanted and whatever he said was now the truth. You can't argue with people like that: they just get incredibly, irrationally furious and explode. Cause to many explosions and you're out of a job.

Katie - You're 100% right about Trump. Truth to him is whatever comes out of his mouth at the moment. No thought, no rationale - just words. He's an idiot.

I was talking about Coulter, who the conservatives tout as an intelligent talking head for their agenda. Trump may not know that making up bullshit is basically lying, but Coulter does. To say on national tv that Trump doesn't lie, he bullshits makes it obvious that either she's as stupid as mud or she thinks we are!

He is an idiot who believes whatever someone tells him. So basically he tells other peoples lies and people buy the bull.

http://people.com/politics/donald-trump-doubles-down-claim-andrew-jackson-could-have-stopped-civil-war/

• SHARE
  
• TWEET
  
• EMAIL
  

[url=https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fpolitics%2Fdonald-trump-doubles-down-claim-andrew-jackson-could-have-stopped-civil-war%2F&media=https%3A%2F%2Fpeopledotcom.files.wordpress.com%2F2017%2F03%2Fdonald-trump-20001.jpg%3Fw%3D1024&description=Trump Doubles Down on Claim That Andrew Jackson Could Have Stopped Civil War: %E2%80%98He Saw It%C2%A0Coming%E2%80%99][/url]
RON SACHS/PICTURE-ALLIANCE/DPA/AP IMAGES
President Donald Trump didn’t back away from his remarks that President Andrew Jackson could have prevented the Civil War, despite him dying 16 years before it began. Instead, Trump doubled down on the claim, saying the nation’s seventh president “saw it coming.”
“President Andrew Jackson, who died 16 years before the Civil War started, saw it coming and was angry,” the commander-in-chief declared in a tweet on Monday. “Would never have let it happen!”

 Follow
Donald J. Trump 

✔@realDonaldTrump
[ltr]President Andrew Jackson, who died 16 years before the Civil War started, saw it coming and was angry. Would never have let it happen![/ltr]


8:55 PM - 1 May 2017

• 
  
  
   
  
• 
  
   9,8439,843 Retweets
   
  
• 
  
   45,09645,096 likes
  

The follow-up tweet comes after backlash from Trump’s interview with the Washington Examiner‘s Salena Zito, in which he questioned the necessity of America’s Civil War.
“I mean had Andrew Jackson been a little bit later you wouldn’t have had the Civil War. He was a very tough person, but he had a big heart,” said Trump. “He was really angry that he saw what was happening with regard to the Civil War, he said, ‘There’s no reason for this.’ ”
Trump continued, “People don’t realize, you know, the Civil War, if you think about it: why? People don’t ask that question, but why was there the Civil War? Why could that one not have been worked out?”



RELATED VIDEO: Watch: Natasha Stoynoff Breaks Silence, Accuses Donald Trump of Sexual Attack






Watch: Natasha Stoynoff Breaks Silence, Accuses Donald Trump of Sexual Assault
Natasha Stoynoff claims she was sexually assaulted by Donald Trump while on assignment for People at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

Jackson died in 1845 and the Civil War didn’t begin until 1861, prompting some to question Trump’s knowledge of American history.
Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton answered his question in a tweet.
“1 word answer: Slavery,” she said. “Longer: When Andrew Jackson died in 1845 (16 yrs before the Civil War began), he owned 150 men, women and children.”

 Follow
Chelsea Clinton 

✔@ChelseaClinton
[ltr]1 word answer: Slavery. Longer: When Andrew Jackson died in 1845 (16 yrs before the Civil War began), he owned 150 men, women and children. https://twitter.com/isaacdovere/status/859020505034231809 …[/ltr]


9:23 AM - 1 May 2017

• 
  
  
   
  
• 
  
   24,41624,416 Retweets
   
  
• 
  
   44,89344,893 likes
  

Jackson did own approximately 150 slaves, according to the website for The Hermitage, his former plantation and occasional home in Tennessee.



In the Washington Examiner interview, which aired on SiriusXM P.O.T.U.S.’s “Main Street Meets the Beltway” show on Monday, Trump also discussed his visit to The Hermitage in March, where he laid a wreath at Jackson’s tomb and hailed him as the “people’s president.”
“It was amazing,” Trump added of his visit to Jackson’s home. “The people of Tennessee are amazing people. They love Andrew Jackson. They love Andrew Jackson in Tennessee.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-first-term-two-to-one-chance-completion-democrat-on-house-committee-senator-mark-warner-a7712621.html

And apparently Sean Spicer tweeted a bitcoin number which people thought might also be his password. Bizarre behaviour or maybe some sort of message to someone.

He left the room without taking questions from the press today........

This is so bizarre...

Anybody wants to know about scary people in the rest of the world?
In January, a gun was found hidden in a restroom at Vienna airport. The police trapped it to find out who had hidden it and caught a German soldier, first lieutenant, who said that he'd found the gun and didn't know what to do with it.This sounded so unrealistic that he was imprisoned. When they checked his fingerprints, they matched to those of a registrated refugee, which sounded - well, at least, strange. 
During the last months the Austrian and German authorities found out that, though he was serving in France, he had applied for asylum as a Syrian refugee - and was granted asylum last year, telling a story that he was from a certain Syrian area, from a Christian Family, he spoke Arabic etc. And they suspect that he's a neo-nazi who had planned a terror attack in Germany to claim that refugees are terrorists.
At the moment, our authorities try to find out if there's a right-wing extremist network inside our armed forces. That's why our defense secretary cancelled her trip to Washington yesterday...

Gosh CarolH....thats a movie all there in one post!...

So the guy was the living embodiment of a "fake news" story....and possibly attempting to create a massacre...WTF.....AND it may/more than likely, involve a network within your armed forces.....WOW WOW WOW.....

Thank you so much for this.....

party animal - not! wrote:http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-first-term-two-to-one-chance-completion-democrat-on-house-committee-senator-mark-warner-a7712621.html

And apparently Sean Spicer tweeted a bitcoin number which people thought might also be his password. Bizarre behaviour or maybe some sort of message to someone.

He left the room without taking questions from the press today........

Things are tense everywhere.....

BTW....

Have you noticed the stunning similarities between The Don and Pope Alexander VI.....physical profile match, personality profile match, life etc......
Have a look it's uncanny......https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Alexander_VI

I love Italy during that era....I'm off to Venice again this year, I like to go during the film festival....Venice has a special buzz then....

You can really feel that era in the streets...you can image that not much has changed....other than twitter.....

http://people.com/politics/president-trump-vladimir-putin-very-good-phone-call/

• SHARE
  
• TWEET
  
• EMAIL
  

[url=https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fpolitics%2Fpresident-trump-vladimir-putin-very-good-phone-call%2F&media=https%3A%2F%2Fpeopledotcom.files.wordpress.com%2F2017%2F05%2Fgettyimages-6329161381.jpg%3Fw%3D1024&description=President Trump and Vladimir Putin Had a %E2%80%98Very Good%E2%80%99 Phone%C2%A0Call][/url]
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 28: PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SPEAKS ON THE PHONE WITH RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN IN THE OVAL OFFICE OF THE WHITE HOUSE, JANUARY 28, 2017 IN WASHINGTON, DC. ON SATURDAY, PRESIDENT TRUMP IS MAKING SEVERAL PHONE CALLS WITH WORLD LEADERS FROM JAPAN, GERMANY, RUSSIA, FRANCE AND AUSTRALIA. (PHOTO BY DREW ANGERER/GETTY IMAGES)
President Donald Trump had a “very good” telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin Tuesday about the ongoing conflict in Syria and the escalating tension with North Korea, the White House said.
The two leaders spoke of implementing safety zones in Syria to help quell the violence, agreeing that it had gone on for too long, and “that all parties must do all they can to end the violence.”
Although Trump and Putin have praised each other frequently and the FBI has confirmed it is investigating possible collusion between the two camps during the 2016 election, tensions between the two countries hit a high last month after a chemical attack in Syria killed over 80 people, including children. The White House blamed Russia-backed Syrian President Bashar-al Assad for the attack. Russia vetoed a U.N. resolution that would have condemned the use of chemical weapons
“Assad has no incentive to stop using chemical weapons as long as Russia continues to protect his regime from consequences,” U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said last month after the attack. “If Russia has the influence in Syria that it claims to have, we need to see them use it. We need to see them put an end to these horrific acts. How many more children have to die before Russia cares?”
Cease-fire talks regarding the conflict will be held in Kazakhstan starting May 3, and the White House will send representation.
On North Korea, the White House said the the two spoke about the best way to resolve the escalating situation after he country conducted several missile tests. A readout from the Kremlin however, said that Putin called for restraint, Reuters reports.



The readout from the Kremlin also reported the two leaders were planning a face-to-face meeting at the G20 summit in Germany this summer, according to Reuters.
This article originally appeared in Time.com

http://people.com/politics/celebrities-react-house-republicans-pass-bill-repeal-obamacare/

• SHARE
  
• TWEET
  
• EMAIL
  

[url=https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fpolitics%2Fcelebrities-react-house-republicans-pass-bill-repeal-obamacare%2F&media=https%3A%2F%2Fpeopledotcom.files.wordpress.com%2F2016%2F10%2Fmark-ruffalo-touts.jpg%3Fw%3D1024&description=%E2%80%98Sick%E2%80%99: Mark Ruffalo, Debra Messing and More Stars Slam House Republicans as They Pass Bill to Repeal%C2%A0Obamacare][/url]
ANDREW TOTH/WIREIMAGE
Mark Ruffalo, Debra Messing and more stars lashed out at House Republicans on Twitter on Thursday after they passed a controversial bill to repeal Obamacare that could leave millions of Americans uninsured.
“Because rich people need tax breaks,” Ruffalo tweeted along with a link to an article about the bill’s passage in the House. “Sick.”
Messing, meanwhile, was busy retweeting the names of all of California’s GOP House members who voted to pass the Republican health care bill. “Say these names like Arya Stark,” read one of her retweets.
The actress also retweeted a list of 20 House Republicans who voted “no” to the bill. “THANK THESE GOP House members who put their constituents FIRST,” she wrote, adding two clapping emojis.

 Follow
Mark Ruffalo 

✔@MarkRuffalo
[ltr]Because rich people need tax breaks. Sick. Republican Obamacare replacement bill passes House - CNBC https://apple.news/AzwSVyjdNR_KND57QTJSUzg …[/ltr]
2:41 PM - 4 May 2017

Republican Obamacare replacement bill passes House

The bill seeks to repeal and replace key parts of the Affordable Care Act, and could lead to big drops in the number of Americans with health coverage.
apple.news

• 
  
  
   
  
• 
  
   470470 Retweets
   
  
• 
  
   874874 likes
  

 Follow
Debra Messing 

✔@DebraMessing
[ltr]THIS [img(16.05px,16px)]https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f525.png[/img][img(16.05px,16px)]https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f525.png[/img][img(17.05px,16px)]https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f525.png[/img][img(16.05px,16px)]https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f525.png[/img] https://twitter.com/adrienneelrod/status/860204148893110272 …[/ltr]
2:56 PM - 4 May 2017

• 
  
  
   
  
• 
  
   6767 Retweets
   
  
• 
  
   158158 likes
  

 Follow
Debra Messing 

✔@DebraMessing
[ltr]THANK THESE GOP House members who put their constituents FIRST. [img(16.05px,16px)]https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f44f-1f3fb.png[/img][img(16.05px,16px)]https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f44f-1f3fb.png[/img] https://twitter.com/wsjpolitics/status/860199801446649856 …[/ltr]
3:06 PM - 4 May 2017

• 
  
  
   
  
• 
  
   208208 Retweets
   
  
• 
  
   427427 likes
  

[size]




Anna Paquin, Patton Oswalt and other celebrities also spoke out on Twitter. Here’s what they had to say:

[/size]

 Follow
Anna Paquin 

✔@AnnaPaquin
[ltr]Postpartum Depression, C-Section just to name two of several... #IAmAPreExistingCondition[/ltr]
2:33 PM - 4 May 2017

• 
  
  
   
  
• 
  
   2222 Retweets
   
  
• 
  
   110110 likes
  

 Follow
Patton Oswalt 

✔@pattonoswalt
[ltr]The #MAGA C.H.U.D.S. on Twitter right now, cheering the #AHCA being passed. 

Cattle cheering McDonald's.[/ltr]
2:43 PM - 4 May 2017

• 
  
  
   
  
• 
  
   2,3162,316 Retweets
   
  
• 
  
   6,7956,795 likes
  

 Follow
Mia Farrow 

✔@MiaFarrow
[ltr]Big day for hypocrites: 
AM- Trump hosts Christian show at White House. 
PM- massive cuts in healthcare for the poor and disabled[/ltr]
2:53 PM - 4 May 2017

• 
  
  
   
  
• 
  
   164164 Retweets
   
  
• 
  
   229229 likes
  

[size]





[ltr]
View image on Twitter


[/ltr][/size]

 Follow
George Takei 

✔@GeorgeTakei
[ltr]Nice healthcare you got there, Congressman. Would be a shame if anything happened to it.[/ltr]
3:03 PM - 4 May 2017

• 
  
  
   
  
• 
  
   1,3281,328 Retweets
   
  
• 
  
   3,5193,519 likes
  

 Follow
Alyssa Milano 

✔@Alyssa_Milano
[ltr]#votethemout https://twitter.com/latimes/status/860198299252527104 …[/ltr]
2:44 PM - 4 May 2017

• 
  
  
   
  
• 
  
   456456 Retweets
   
  
• 
  
   587587 likes
  

[size]




Actress Alyssa Milano also shared a list of California Republicans who voted for the bill, adding the hashtag: #votethemout. She urged followers in several other states to attend upcoming town halls held by congressmen who voted for the bill.



RELATED VIDEO: What to Know About the Republican Health Care Bill




[/size][size]
[size=14]What to Know About the Republican Health Care Bill
House Republicans voted on Thursday to repeal Obamacare, making good on a seven-year campaign promise that could reshape health care in the United States and dramatically reduce the number of Americans with health insurance
[/size]
She also retweeted another critic who said, “Very smart for the Republicans to tie their futures to a bill almost no one likes just to appease the most unpopular president ever.”

[/size]

 Follow
Alyssa Milano 

✔@Alyssa_Milano
[ltr]This, @GOP. SHAME. SHAME. SHAME. SHAME. SHAME. SHAME. https://twitter.com/ikebarinholtz/status/860200979165327361 …[/ltr]
2:43 PM - 4 May 2017

• 
  
  
   
  
• 
  
   381381 Retweets
   
  
• 
  
   945945 likes
  

[size]




“This, @GOP,” she captioned. “SHAME. SHAME. SHAME. SHAME. SHAME. SHAME.”

sponsored stories

[/size]

http://time.com/money/4763609/pre-existing-conditions-ahca/


50 Health Issues That Count as a Pre-existing Condition
Alicia Adamczyk
May 04, 2017
[size]


The Republican plan to repeal and replace the the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which narrowly passed a vote in the House today, rolls back protections for people with pre-existing conditions, which could increase health care costs for an estimated 130 million Americans.

The American Health Care Act stipulates that states can allow insurers to charge people with pre-existing conditions more for health insurance (which is banned under the ACA) if the states meet certain conditions, such as setting up high-risk insurance pools. Insurers still cannot deny people coverage outright, as was a common practice before the ACA's passage, but they can hike up premiums to an unaffordable amount, effectively pricing people out of the market.



In fact, premiums could reach as high as $25,700 per year for people in high-risk pools, according to a report from AARP. People who receive insurance through their employer would not be affected, unless they lost their job or moved to the individual insurance market for some other reason.


Photo illustration by Sarina for MONEY; Getty Images (5) 


But what counts as a pre-existing condition? While it depends on the insurer—they have the right to choose what counts as "pre-existing"—these ailments and conditions were universally used to deny people coverage, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit focusing on health care research.

[/size]

• AIDS/HIV
  
  
• Alcohol or drug abuse with recent treatment
  
  
• Alzheimer’s/dementia
  
  
• Anorexia
  
  
• Arthritis
  
  
• Bulimia
  
  
• Cancer
  
  
• Cerebral palsy
  
  
• Congestive heart failure
  
  
• Coronary artery/heart disease, bypass surgery
  
  
• Crohn’s disease
  
  
• Diabetes
  
  
• Epilepsy
  
  
• Hemophilia
  
  
• Hepatitis
  
  
• Kidney disease, renal failure
  
  
• Lupus
  
  
• Mental disorders (including Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Schizophrenia)
  
  
• Multiple sclerosis
  
  
• Muscular dystrophy
  
  
• Obesity
  
  
• Organ transplant
  
  
• Paraplegia
  
  
• Paralysis
  
  
• Parkinson’s disease
  
  
• Pending surgery or hospitalization
  
  
• Pneumocystic pneumonia
  
  
• Pregnancy or expectant parent (includes men)
  
  
• Sleep apnea
  
  
• Stroke
  
  
• Transsexualism
  
  

[size]

But Cynthia Cox, Kaiser's associate director, notes that the above list is a conservative sampling of all of the issues and maladies that insurers could count as pre-existing conditions. " There are plenty of other conditions, even acne or high blood pressure, that could have gotten people denied from some insurers but accepted and charged a higher premium by other insurers" says Cox.

Here are some examples of those other conditions that experts have noted could hike premiums:

[/size]

• Acid Reflux
  
  
• Acne
  
  
• Asthma
  
  
• C-Section
  
  
• Celiac Disease
  
  
• Heart burn
  
  
• High cholesterol
  
  
• Hysterectomy
  
  
• Kidney Stones
  
  
• Knee surgery
  
  
• Lyme Disease
  
  
• Migraines
  
  
• Narcolepsy
  
  
• Pacemaker
  
  
• Postpartum depression
  
  
• Seasonal Affective Disorder
  
  
• Seizures
  
  
• "Sexual deviation or disorder"
  
  
• Ulcers
  
  

[size]

The left-leaning Center for American Progress notes that high blood pressure, behavioral health disorders, high cholesterol, asthma and chronic lung disease, and osteoarthritis and other joint disorders are the most common types of pre-existing conditions.

Just how expensive are pre-existing conditions? A recent report from the Center for American Progress found that insurers could charge people with metastatic cancer as much as $142,650 more for their coverage, a 3,500% increase.




 
[ltr]SPONSORED STORIES[/ltr]
[/size]

• 
  
  Teen Goes Missing In Aruba. But 10 Years Later, Police Uncover TruthDirect Expose
  
  

• 
  
  Sofas You Can't Afford To Miss!Joss and Main
  
  

• 
  
  The Highest Paying Cash Back Credit Card Has Arrived (No Annual Fee)Credit.com
  
  

• 
  
  Don't Forget To Do This Every Time You Turn On Your PC...Web Life Advice
  
  

[size]
[ltr]Recommended by[/ltr]

RELATED CONTENT

CONGRESSThe House Voted to Repeal Obamacare. Will the Senate Follow Through?





CONGRESS5 Quotes Haunting Republicans as They Vote on Health Care


CONGRESSHouse Votes to Repeal and Replace Obamacare




[/size]
[ltr]y[/ltr]

This is staggering, for want of a better word, Annemarie.

As someone with a 'pre-existing condtion' since my teens, and in need of investigative operations sometimes on a yearly basis, and having had three caesarians, I am truly grateful that I live where I do.

I find it reprehensible really that some people seem to be believe it's okay to make money out of people's ill-health

A UK headline today:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-health-american-healthcare-act-pregnancy-insurance-obamacare-trumpcare-a7717216.html

I have never been so disgusted or ashamed of my government in my entire life. That a bunch of callous, spoiled paper-pushers are now celebrating the fact that they are stripping millions of health care makes me sick!

And it isn't just that people will get sick and die for lack of care. Those who have managed to keep afloat financially until now will go broke trying to pay medical bills if they get sick. So much for making America great again! It's only true if you're rich or in the insurance industry.

IMO, it's time to strip the Congress of all medical insurance perks and let them fend for themselves like the rest of us.

PS- Just saw "The Rainmaker", with Matt Damon and Danny DeVito that deals with the issue of insurance companies not paying out legitimate claims. Good flick. Feel good movie after yesterday's news.

Okay, we don't know the details yet (but frighteningly, the members of congress didn't seem to know it either). 
But I can't tell you how happy I am right now that I don't live in the States...

Hope this news makes you feel a bit better, Lizzy


http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2017/05/05/senate-asks-trump-team-for-russia-docs?via=desktop&source=copyurl

Thanks for trying, PAN. Short of Trump and all the Republicans in Congress resigning there's not a lot about our politics that will cheer me up.

Tomorrow will be presidential elections in France, Macron vs LePen..
And hundreds of e-mails from Macron's team were hacked and leaked, mixed with lies (aka fake news).

Does that sound any familiar to you?
In Germany we'll have elections in September, and I'm really worried about what might be made up then.
And I just hope that the people in France are able to differ...

It is so incredibly disappointing carolhathaway that the American people were well aware of the hacking by Russia into our election process before the November election. Despite the knowledge that Russia was trying to influence our election by putting out fake news stories people didn't take it seriously or just didn't care.
Hopefully the disastrous outcome here in the states will give the French pause before they vote. I understand Macron is way ahead in the polls. Hopefully their polling capabilities are more accurate than ours was in November.

Does that really surprise anybody?


[size=0]Main Menu


The New York Times
Search




[/size]

• [url=https://www.facebook.com/dialog/feed?app_id=9869919170&link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2017%2F05%2F06%2Fworld%2Fasia%2Fjared-kushner-sister-nicole-meyer-china-investors.html%3Fmwrsm%3DFacebook&name=Jared Kushner%E2%80%99s Sister Highlights Family Ties in Pitch to Chinese investors&redirect_uri=http%3A%2F%2Fmobile.nytimes.com%2F2017%2F05%2F06%2Fworld%2Fasia%2Fjared-kushner-sister-nicole-meyer-china-investors.html][/url]
  
• [url=https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnyti.ms%2F2pgWq5p&text=Jared Kushner%E2%80%99s Sister Highlights Family Ties in Pitch to Chinese Investors][/url]
  
  

[size=10]SUBSCRIBE
LOG IN
Asia Pacific

Jared Kushner’s Sister Highlights Family Ties in Pitch to Chinese Investors

[/size]

• [url=https://www.facebook.com/dialog/feed?app_id=9869919170&link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2017%2F05%2F06%2Fworld%2Fasia%2Fjared-kushner-sister-nicole-meyer-china-investors.html%3Fmwrsm%3DFacebook&name=Jared Kushner%E2%80%99s Sister Highlights Family Ties in Pitch to Chinese investors&redirect_uri=http%3A%2F%2Fmobile.nytimes.com%2F2017%2F05%2F06%2Fworld%2Fasia%2Fjared-kushner-sister-nicole-meyer-china-investors.html][/url]
  
• [url=https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnyti.ms%2F2pgWq5p&text=Jared Kushner%E2%80%99s Sister Highlights Family Ties in Pitch to Chinese Investors][/url]
  
  

[size]




Jared Kushner’s sister Nicole Meyer, right, made a pitch soliciting $150 million in financing for a Jersey City housing development, known as One Journal Square, before a room of more than 100 Chinese investors gathered at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Beijing.

CAO LI FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES


By JAVIER C. HERNÁNDEZ, CAO LI and JESSE DRUCKER
MAY 6, 2017

BEIJING — Jared Kushner has said that he has stepped away from the day-to-day business of his family’s real estate company while he serves as a senior adviser to his father-in-law, President Trump.
But Mr. Kushner’s relatives are working feverishly to solicit overseas money for projects in the United States, and they are highlighting their ties to Mr. Kushner as they court investors.
On Saturday afternoon, Mr. Kushner’s sister Nicole Meyer made a pitch to attract $150 million in financing for a Jersey City housing development, known as One Journal Square, to more than 100 Chinese investors gathered at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Beijing.
The money would be provided through a much-criticized government program known as EB-5 that awards foreign investors a path to citizenship in exchange for investments of at least $500,000 in American development projects.


Speaking in a ballroom, Ms. Meyer said the project “means a lot to me and my entire family.” She mentioned her brother’s service as chief executive of Kushner Companies, the family business from which he resigned in January, saying he had left to serve in the Trump administration.

The project was advertised to Chinese investors as the latest offering from the “star Kushner real estate family.” The project, which includes two towers, 1,476 luxury apartments and even a medical center for pets, was promoted as “Kushner 1.” Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2018.


[size=12]An advertisement for the project reads, “Government supports, star developer builds.”

JONATHAN ANSFIELD FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Risa Heller, a spokeswoman for Kushner Companies, declined to comment.
Mr. Kushner, who is married to Mr. Trump’s daughter Ivanka, has become a central voice on China, serving as a conduit between Beijing and Washington.
As a businessman, he courted Chinese firms, most notably Anbang Insurance Group, the financial firm linked to members of the country’s ruling Communist Party. In March, Kushner Companies said it had ended talks with Anbang for an investment in its headquarters at 666 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. The potential deal raised eyebrows because of its favorable terms for the Kushners, who are seeking help with the troubled property.
Even as Mr. Kushner seeks to keep a distance from the family business in his new role, his persistent ties to the company have come under scrutiny.
He remains the beneficiary of a series of trusts that own his stakes in Kushner Companies properties and other investments, worth as much as $600 million, and probably more. Since his move into politics, he has divested his stakes in dozens of other entities used to hold the investments, although he has held on to the vast majority.
Mr. Kushner’s government ethics disclosure form shows he was a manager or president at six entities associated with the Jersey City project until January. He divested his stake in one of them, K One Journal Square LLC, in January. It is unclear what happened with the other entities.


“Mr. Kushner divested his interests in the One Journal Square project by selling them to a family trust that he is not a beneficiary of, a mechanism suggested by the Office of Government Ethics,” said Blake Roberts, an attorney at WilmerHale advising Mr. Kushner on ethics issues. “As previously stated, he will recuse from particular matters concerning the EB-5 visa program.”

His relatives’ embrace of the EB-5 program may also pose complications for Mr. Kushner. The program has been labeled “U.S. citizenship for sale,” and it has come under scrutiny after a series of fraud and abuse scandals. Watchdogs have noted the program’s lax safeguards against illicit sources of money.


A slide displayed during the event identifies President Trump as a “key decision maker” on the fate of the EB-5 investor visa program.

CAO LI FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Government ethics experts have criticized Mr. Kushner for retaining an interest in the business, given his broad White House portfolio, which could affect his financial position. The company has declined to make public a complete list of its partners and lenders.
Noah Bookbinder, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a liberal nonprofit group, said the sales pitch by Kushner Companies in China was “highly problematic” and could be interpreted as selling access to Mr. Kushner. He called on Mr. Kushner to recuse himself from any decisions related to the EB-5 program.
Lawmakers are considering major changes to the program, through which investors, mostly from mainland China, receive about 10,000 visas each year. Some critics have urged the government to abolish it entirely. A slide displayed at the event on Saturday identified Mr. Trump as a “key decision maker” on the fate of the EB-5 program.
The program provides a cheap source of financing to developers, since investors are generally not looking for high returns, only a green card. Mr. Kushner raised about $50 million from Chinese investors for a different project in Jersey City, a Trump-branded luxury apartment tower that opened in November.

Kushner Companies has declined to identify the investors it found through the program.
On Saturday, Ms. Meyer talked about how family values had shaped Kushner Companies. She spoke of her grandparents, who survived the Holocaust, and about her father, Charles Kushner, who founded the company in 1985. He later spent time in prison for illegal campaign donations, tax evasion and witness tampering.


“As children we would spend our Sundays visiting properties with my father and staying up late through the night, by his side, when closing an acquisition,” Ms. Meyer said. “Our father taught us about respect for our partners, hard work, dedication and most importantly, perseverance.”

As Ms. Meyer spoke, journalists for The New York Times and The Washington Post were removed from the ballroom and told by organizers it was a “private event,” even though it had been publicly advertised. It was hosted by Qiaowai, a Chinese immigration agency that helps Chinese families move abroad. Ms. Meyer is scheduled to appear in other Chinese cities in the coming days.
Ms. Meyer was asked after the event whether she was concerned about possible conflicts of interest facing her brother, but she did not respond. A man accompanying her, growing angry, shouted, “Please leave us alone!”
Javier C. Hernández and Cao Li reported from Beijing, and Jesse Drucker from New York.[/size]

RELATED COVERAGE

[/size][list="headlines touchstates"]
[*]No Deal Between Kushners and Chinese Company Over Fifth Avenue Skyscraper MAR 29, 2017
[*]Kushners, Trump In-Laws, Weigh $400 Million Deal With Chinese FirmMAR 14, 2017
[*]Jared Kushner, a Trump In-Law and Adviser, Chases a Chinese DealJAN 7, 2017
[/list]
[size]

Most Popular on NYTimes.com

[/size]

• 
  
  18 Penn State Students Charged in Fraternity Death
  
  
• 
  
  2017 Kentucky Derby Contenders: The Experts Make Their Picks
  
  
• 
  
  Police Officer Who Fatally Shot 15-Year-Old Texas Boy Is Charged With Murder
  
  
• 
  
  Eliud Kipchoge Runs World’s Fastest Marathon, in Nike’s Special Shoes
  
  
• 
  
  Judy Woodruff, the Woman of the Hour
  
  
• 
  
  In Rare Unity, Hospitals, Doctors and Insurers Criticize Health Bill
  
  
• 
  
  In Venezuela’s Chaos, Elites Play a High-Stakes Game for Survival
  
  
• 
  
  

  FACT CHECK

  Fact Check: Rumors, Claims and Context on G.O.P. Health Bill
  
  
• 
  
  When That Feisty Neighbor Becomes the President
  
  

Back to top

• Home
  
• World
  
• U.S.
  
• Politics
  
• The Upshot
  
• New York
  
• Business Day
  
• Technology
  
• Sports
  

• Opinion
  
• Science
  
• Health
  
• Arts
  
• Photos
  
• Style
  
• Video
  
• Most Emailed
  

[size]


More Sections

Settings

[/size]

Download the NYTimes app

• Help
  
• Subscribe
  
• [email=nytmobilefeedback@nytimes.com?subject=NYT%20Mobile%20Web%20Feedback&body=%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A------------------------------%0A%0AUser%20agent%3A%20Mozilla%2F5.0%20(Linux%3B%20Android%206.0%3B%20E691X%20Build%2FMRA58K)%20AppleWebKit%2F537.36%20(KHTML%2C%20like%20Gecko)%20Chrome%2F58.0.3029.83%20Mobile%20Safari%2F537.36%0AURL%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fmobile.nytimes.com%2F2017%2F05%2F06%2Fworld%2Fasia%2Fjared-kushner-sister-nicole-meyer-china-investors.html%3F_r%3D1%26referer%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fm.spiegel.de%2Fpolitik%2Fausland%2Fa-1146476.html%0AReferring%20URL%3A%20http%3A%2F%2Fm.spiegel.de%2Fpolitik%2Fausland%2Fa-1146476.html%0ALogged%20in%3A%20No%0ASubscriber%20username%3A%20%0ACookie%20length%3A%201096%0A%0AThe%20above%20information%20about%20your%20device%20can%20help%20us%20if%20you%27re%20reporting%0Aa%20technical%20issue%2C%20but%20feel%20free%20to%20delete%20it%2C%20if%20you%27d%20like.]Feedback[/email]
  
• Terms of Service
  
• Privacy
  

© 2017 The New York Times Company

The State Department retweeted a tweet marketing  Ivanka's book and after a barrage of criticism they deleted it.
This government is disgusting they are doing whatever they want and there seems to be no way to stop the madness.

Macron won the presidential election in France vs LePen by nearly 2/3 of the votes

annemarie wrote:The State Department retweeted a tweet marketing  Ivanka's book and after a barrage of criticism they deleted it.
This government is disgusting they are doing whatever they want and there seems to be no way to stop the madness.

They are doing it again and again, and nobody ever seems to check the ethics of their actions, and they also don't seem to fear consequences.

Glad to know the French are still sane. If only we were as lucky.

Today's NY Daily News is reporting that Jared Kushner's sister, Nicole Kushner Meyer, is in Beijing  looking for Chinese investors. She offered them green cards (through the EB-5 program that grants visas) if they invested $500,000 or more in her family's luxury development in Jersey City. What are they going to do next? Pimp out Ivanka? These people make me sick!

Relieved to hear of Macron's win.  Maybe this will bode well for Merkel in her upcoming reelection bid.

It is plain to see that Trump has a serious contempt for ethics ... as does his family.  There is an official federal Office of Government Ethics that must be investigating a number of dubious actions that Trump and his family are entangled in.  I hope that it's just a matter of time before the s*** hits the wall for this sorry bunch.

Donnamarie wrote:Relieved to hear of Macron's win.  Maybe this will bode well for Merkel in her upcoming reelection bid.

Donna,
it's still a long time until our parliament will be elected in September 24th.
When Martin Schulz, the social democrat who had been president of the EU parliament before, announced that he's running for chancellor, many people were very enthusiastic at first. But, as you all know, this glorification fades after a while. Journalists start to ask tough questions like "How do you want to resolve this pledge?" or "But you're a member of the head of the German Social Democrats for years and years, and your own party was in charge for more than half of the time (including now since we have a grand coalition), you could have done a lot to change our government's politics!"
We die have federal elections in one of our federal states today as well, and the Social Democrats lost their majority to Merkel's conservative party. Next Sunday we'll have federal elections in one of our biggest federal states which always was governed by the Social Democrats, run by a very charismatic politician. So we'll see what's going to happen then.

The galling and audacious comments just keep coming from the Trumpster and Spicey.  This am Trump tweeted  it was Obama who gave Flynn the highest security clearance (so in essence trying to pin blame on Obama for Flynn fiasco).  And yet it was Obama in his meeting with Trump after the election who warned Trump about hiring Flynn because of his possible Russian connections.  And then on top of Obama's warning Sally Yates ALSO warned in her meeting in January with the White House Counsel of serious concerns about Flynn and his contacts with Russia.  And then it took two weeks before Flynn was fired.   But no this isn't Trump's mistake.  It's Obama's!  What idiot doesn't see through this incredible BS!

Oh Donnamarie there are a lot of idiots who don't see through his bs.

He will blame Obama for everything he is a coward and a liar .

Here are a few 'fun' facts about Don Mccahan fromsomebody who knows him well.......

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/04/don-mcgahn-trump-white-house-counsel

Very pleased to see that Adam Schiff seems to be ahead of the game from his Twitter feed

PAN -  Why are you determined to ruin my day? It's absolutely gorgeous outside and I just came in from a lovely walk to news that there's yet another troglodyte working to bring down our government! Of course he's working to destroy the agency he heads - he's a Trump man. When these guys get through we'll be lucky if we have a country left.

Sorry, Lizzy. I'm a bit confused.

I thought Adam Schiff was the good guy - and a democrat..........

PAN - Not Schiff - the creep he was writing about!

http://people.com/politics/james-comey-fired-reactions/

• SHARE
  
• TWEET
  
• EMAIL
  

[size=10]
[size=10]Loaded: 0%

Progress: 0%


 
[/size][/size]





[size][size]
Diddy Sued for Sexual Harassment by Former Chef Who Claims She Had to ‘Serve Him a Post Coital Meal’
Former chef claims she would enter the room and find Mr. Combs naked
[/size]
Politicians, commentators and celebrities alike are reacting with shock and outrage over President Trump‘s sudden firing of FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday evening.
“This is an investigator investigating the White House who was just fired by the White House. This doesn’t happen in the United States”— except in Richard Nixon’s White House during Watergate, said a visibly exasperated CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin.
Former Clinton campaign press secretary Brian Fallon called into CNN to join the chorus of analysts reminding Americans that Comey was in the middle of investigating Trump for collusion with Russia.



“Donald Trump is doing this to get out from under the Russia investigation,” Fallon said. “We need a special counsel inside the Justice Department who does not owe their job to Donald Trump to investigate Donald Trump. … Otherwise the firing of James Comey means we’ll never get to the bottom of” allegations of collusion between Russia and the Trump camp.
CNN White House correspondent Jeff Zeleny reported that Trump’s termination letter was hand-delivered to Comey by Trump’s long-time private security bodyguard who now serves as director of Oval Office operations.
NBC News Justice Department correspondent Pete Williams, who has covered Comey for years, made the point on air that no one wants to be fired — let alone publicly and by the president of the United States. But, Williams added on MSNBC, “This is going to take an especially heavy toll on James Comey, who has always prided himself on being America’s No. 1 Boy Scout, always guided by ethics.”
Meanwhile, on Twitter, Democratic Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine claimed the move was part of a “growing pattern” by the White House to “cover up the truth.”

[/size]

 Follow
Senator Tim Kaine 

✔@timkaine
[ltr]Trump firing Comey shows how frightened the Admin is over Russia investigation[/ltr]
6:16 PM - 9 May 2017

• 
  
  
   
  
• 
  
   6,3736,373 Retweets
   
  
• 
  
   12,50112,501 likes
  

2h
Senator Tim Kaine 

✔ @timkaine
[ltr]Comey firing recommended by Sessions. I thought he had recused himself from Russia investigation![/ltr]

 Follow
Senator Tim Kaine 

✔@timkaine
[ltr]Comey firing part of a growing pattern by White House to cover-up the truth[/ltr]
6:22 PM - 9 May 2017

• 
  
  
   
  
• 
  
   1,5621,562 Retweets
   
  
• 
  
   3,3893,389 likes
  

[size]




Kaine, who was Hillary Clinton’s running mate during the 2016 presidential election, also said the firing “shows how frightened the Admin is over Russia investigation.” Clinton’s campaign was upended just days before the election when Comey announced that the FBI had discovered emails that could be related to the Clinton email controversy.
American Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Anthony D. Romero said the firing endangers the fundamental principle that “the president does not operate above the law.”



“Regardless of how one judges the performance of James Comey in either the Hillary Clinton or Russia investigations, President Trump’s dismissal of a sitting FBI director raises serious alarm bells for our system of checks and balances,” he said in a statement.
Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey described Tuesday’s firing as “Nixonian” and called for a special counsel to continue the Trump-Russia investigation, reported CNN’s congressional correspondent Phil Mattingly, who also tweeted reactions from several other senators.

[ltr]
View image on Twitter


[/ltr][/size]

 Follow
Phil Mattingly 

✔@Phil_Mattingly
[ltr]Dem Sen. @SenBobCasey calls Comey firing "Nixonian," calls for special prosecutor for Russia probe:[/ltr]
6:26 PM - 9 May 2017

• 
  
  
   
  
• 
  
   9595 Retweets
   
  
• 
  
   119119 likes
  

[size]





[ltr]
View image on Twitter


[/ltr][/size]

 Follow
Phil Mattingly 

✔@Phil_Mattingly
[ltr].@SenWhitehouse: Comey firing "raises massive questions."[/ltr]
6:31 PM - 9 May 2017

• 
  
  
   
  
• 
  
   179179 Retweets
   
  
• 
  
   250250 likes
  

[size]





[ltr]
View image on Twitter


[/ltr][/size]

 Follow
Phil Mattingly 

✔@Phil_Mattingly
[ltr]Clear that Dems will, to a person, use Comey's firing to pressure appointment of special prosecutor/commission on Russia. @SenBillNelson:[/ltr]
6:29 PM - 9 May 2017

• 
  
  
   
  
• 
  
   4747 Retweets
   
  
• 
  
   9494 likes
  

[size]




Here’s what others on Twitter — including Edward Snowden — are saying:

[/size]

 Follow
Edward Snowden 

✔@Snowden
[ltr]This FBI Director has sought for years to jail me on account of my political activities. If I can oppose his firing, so can you. https://twitter.com/Snowden/status/862067649748119553 …[/ltr]
6:17 PM - 9 May 2017

• 
  
  
   
  
• 
  
   16,83616,836 Retweets
   
  
• 
  
   22,53122,531 likes
  

 Follow
Joe Scarborough 

✔@JoeNBC
[ltr]Republicans trying to whitewash this gross abuse of power, stop.
The President is trying to kill the investigation into his ties w/ Russia.[/ltr]
6:43 PM - 9 May 2017

• 
  
  
   
  
• 
  
   5,0975,097 Retweets
   
  
• 
  
   8,7158,715 likes
  

 Follow
George Takei 

✔@GeorgeTakei
[ltr]The wheels are coming off the crazy bus. He can fire those who might discover it, but the truth will out. Tick tock, time's almost up.[/ltr]
6:47 PM - 9 May 2017

• 
  
  
   
  
• 
  
   1,9481,948 Retweets
   
  
• 
  
   6,2086,208 likes
  

 Follow
George Takei 

✔@GeorgeTakei
[ltr]Let me get this straight: The AG who had to recuse himself bc of Russia, gives the recommendation to fire the guy investigating #Russiagate?[/ltr]
6:51 PM - 9 May 2017

• 
  
  
   
  
• 
  
   4,0324,032 Retweets
   
  
• 
  
   7,0927,092 likes
  

[size]





[ltr]




[/ltr][/size]

 Follow
Meghan McCain 

✔@MeghanMcCain
[ltr]My twitter feed right now...[/ltr]
6:30 PM - 9 May 2017

• 
  
  
   
  
• 
  
   6767 Retweets
   
  
• 
  
   411411 likes
  

[size]




RELATED VIDEO: Watch: Natasha Stoynoff Breaks Silence, Accuses Donald Trump of Sexual Attack






[/size][size]
[size=14]Watch: Natasha Stoynoff Breaks Silence, Accuses Donald Trump of Sexual Assault
Natasha Stoynoff claims she was sexually assaulted by Donald Trump while on assignment for People at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
[/size]
Comey’s abrupt dismissal had all the makings of a Washington bombshell. It was announced in a statement from White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer 50 minutes after Spicer’s staff alerted the White House press corps that they had a “lid,” indicating no more news would be made.



The on-the-record statement was curiously followed by a background paper that Spicer’s office passed around to the White House press pool listing links to four online news articles on Democrat lawmakers denouncing Comey’s job performance.
“Chuck Schumer Says He’s Lost Confidence in James Comey,” was the top headline on the White House list, linking to a November 2016 article on The Huffington Post.[/size]

Definitely shades of Watergate.

Very interesting what Snowden has said tho. Also a strange coin
cidence that Sessions recommended this - and he's had to recuse himself from investigative committee because of his possible links!

Trump's firing of Comey couldn't be more transparent. He's not fooling anyone. And the White House didn't even have the mere courtesy of calling Comey and telling him personally. They sent "Guido" to the FBI office to deliver a letter from Trump ... and that was after the news had already hit the media! Comey found out from seeing the news on TV.

It seems the White House is surprised by huge reaction to Trump's firing of Comey. Really? They must truly not have their finger on the pulse of Washington. This news is explosive with possible dire consequences. But I bet most Republicans will support Trump. So sad. What cowards. They would be wise to now allow a special prosecutor to head up the investigation.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4490182/Official-Trump-meet-Russian-diplomat-White-House.html




[size=34]Trump to meet Russian Foreign Minister one day after firing James Comey amid FBI investigation into 'collusion with Russia'
[/size]

• President Trump is scheduled to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Wednesday
  
  
• Sergey Lavrov was already scheduled to meet with Sec of State Rex Tillerson
  
  
• Will be Trump's highest level, face-to-face contact with Russia
  
  
• The meeting comes one day after Trump fired former FBI Director James Comey
  
  
• Comey publicly confirmed the FBI is investigating a possible connection between Trump's campaign and Russia
  
  

President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Vladimir Putin's top diplomat at the White House on Wednesday, just one day after firing former FBI Director James Comey, who was heading an investigation that was looking into the relationship between the Trump campaign and Russia.
The meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Trump would be the highest level, face-to-face contact with Russia in Trump's presidency. 
It would also signal that the two countries have improved ties that Trump recently described as being at an 'all-time low'.
The meeting between Lavrov and Trump is scheduled to take place in the Oval Office at 10.30am. That will be after Lavrov meets with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, which had already been scheduled to discuss Ukraine and Syria among other issues.


+9


Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, right, will be meeting with President Donald Trump Wednesday after a meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, left 


+9


Trump, pictured Sunday, is scheduled to meet with Lavrov, Vladimir Putin's top diplomat, on Wednesday morning in the Oval Office, which will be the highest level, face-to-face contact with Russia in Trump's presidency
A Russian plan to stabilize Syria after more than six years of civil war is the most urgent foreign policy topic. 
But the meeting will be impossible to separate from the Trump administration's unfolding political drama in Washington, where an FBI and congressional investigations are looking into possible collusion between Trump campaign associates and the Kremlin related to last year's presidential election. US intelligence agencies accuse Moscow of meddling to help Trump's chances of victory. 


+9


The meeting between Trump and Lavrov comes one day after Trump fired former FBI Director James Comey, pictured. Comey was heading the FBI's investigation into possible collusion between the Russian government and Trump's advisers during the 2016 presidential campaign
There has been speculation that Trump fired Comey Tuesday because of the FBI's investigation into a possible relationship between Trump's advisers and the Russian government during the 2016 presidential election.
However, several White House spokespeople have denied those claims, saying Comey was fired because Trump no longer had confidence in Comey's ability to 'faithfully execute his duties'. 
The taint of Russia probes has been impossible for Trump to shake.
Less than a month into Trump's presidency, he fired his national security adviser, Michael Flynn, saying Flynn misled senior administration officials about his pre-inauguration talks with Sergey Kislyak, Russia's ambassador in Washington.
In a Senate hearing Monday, former acting Attorney General Sally Yates said she bluntly warned Trump's White House in January that Flynn 'essentially could be blackmailed' by the Russians because he apparently had lied to his bosses about his contacts with Kislyak.



Share


+9


The White House has denied that Trump fired Comey because of the Russia investigation. Several of Trump's spokespeople have said Comey was fired because Trump, pictured, no longer had confidence in Comey's ability to 'faithfully execute his duties'


+9


Lavrov, left, was already scheduled to speak with Rex Tillerson, right, on Wednesday during his visit to the US. They are supposed to be discussing Ukraine and Syria, among other issues


+9


Trump's meeting with Lavrov, far right, will also signal that the two countries have improved ties that Trump recently described as being at an 'all-time low'. Lavrov is pictured with Tillerson, far left, at a meeting at the World Conference Center in Bonn, Germany in February
Trump has said he has no ties to Russia and isn't aware of any involvement by his aides in any Russian election interference. He calls the various investigations a 'hoax' driven by Democrats still bitter that their candidate, Hillary Clinton, was defeated last year.
But in the meantime, his hopes for a possible rapprochement with Moscow, so regularly repeated on the campaign trail, have been derailed. Ties soured further in April after the U.S. blamed a Russian ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad, for a deadly chemical weapons attack on civilians and Trump fired some 60 cruise missiles at a Syrian air base in response.
After Tillerson visited Putin and Lavrov in Moscow on April 12, Trump said flatly, 'Right now we're not getting along with Russia at all.'
Still, Tillerson's meeting provided a blueprint for how the former Cold War foes might go about improving ties.


+9


Trump has said he has no ties to Russia and isn't aware of any involvement by his aides in any Russian election interference. Pictured from left to right are Germany's Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, Tillerson and Lavrov ahead of the G20 foreign ministers meeting


+9


Trump has called the various investigations into Russian collusion with his presidential campaign a 'hoax' driven by Democrats still bitter that their candidate, Hillary Clinton, was defeated last year. Lavrov and Tillerson are pictured in Moscow when Tillerson visited Russia in April
A main focus is Syria, where both governments want to end a civil war that has killed up to 400,000 people, contributed to a global refugee crisis and allowed the Islamic State group to emerge as a global terror threat. The continued fighting between rebels and Assad's military has complicated U.S. efforts to defeat IS.
Lavrov will be coming to the American capital with a Russian plan to end the violence, after hashing out an agreement with Iran and Turkey last week.
It focuses on the creation of four de-escalation zones. Critical details still need to be finalized and the U.S. response has been cautious, with top officials such as Defense Secretary Jim Mattis saying they're still studying the concept and its various unanswered questions. The would-be safe zones would not cover areas where the U.S.-led coalition is fighting IS.
Despite the lack of clarity, the possibility of a meeting between Trump and Lavrov would in itself be a sign of some progress.
The Russian diplomat hasn't visited Washington at all since 2013, a year before Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region and two years before it intervened militarily in Syria to help Assad remain in power.


+9


Lavrov, right, will be coming to the American capital with a Russian plan to end the violence, after hashing out an agreement with Iran and Turkey last week. He has not been in Washington since 2013. Lavrov is pictured with Tillerson, left, in Moscow in April

Thanks annemarie for the latest from Trumpland.  I try not to comment negatively on someone's looks but I have to say those pics of Trump in this article show such a revolting man.  Ugly on the inside and out.  What a sorry man he is.

[size=0]Main Menu


The New York Times
Search




[/size]

• [url=https://www.facebook.com/dialog/feed?app_id=9869919170&link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2017%2F05%2F10%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Fcomey-russia-investigation-fbi.html%3Fmwrsm%3DFacebook&name=Days Before Firing%2C Comey Asked for More Resources for Russia inquiry&redirect_uri=http%3A%2F%2Fmobile.nytimes.com%2F2017%2F05%2F10%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Fcomey-russia-investigation-fbi.html][/url]
  
  

[size=10]SUBSCRIBE
LOG IN
Politics

Days Before Firing, Comey Asked for More Resources for Russia Inquiry

[/size]

• [url=https://www.facebook.com/dialog/feed?app_id=9869919170&link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2017%2F05%2F10%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Fcomey-russia-investigation-fbi.html%3Fmwrsm%3DFacebook&name=Days Before Firing%2C Comey Asked for More Resources for Russia inquiry&redirect_uri=http%3A%2F%2Fmobile.nytimes.com%2F2017%2F05%2F10%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Fcomey-russia-investigation-fbi.html][/url]
  
  

• 827
  

[size]



The seal of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the bureau’s J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington.

CHIP SOMODEVILLA / GETTY IMAGES


By MATTHEW ROSENBERG and MATT APUZZO
MAY 10, 2017

WASHINGTON — Days before he was fired, James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, asked the Justice Department for a significant increase in resources for the bureau’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the presidential election, according to four congressional officials, including Senator Richard J. Durbin.
Mr. Comey made his appeal to Rod J. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, who also wrote the Justice Department’s memo that was used to justify the firing of Mr. Comey this week, the officials said.





[size=12]Graphic | How Every Lawmaker Has Reacted to Comey’s Firing So Far Reaction has ranged from support for the decision to calls for a special counsel.

“I’m told that as soon as Rosenstein arrived, there was a request for additional resources for the investigation and that a few days afterwards, he was sacked,” said Mr. Durbin, a Democrat of Illinois. “I think the Comey operation was breathing down the neck of the Trump campaign and their operatives, and this was an effort to slow down the investigation.”
Mr. Comey briefed members of Congress in recent days, telling them about his meeting with Mr. Rosenstein, who is the most senior law enforcement official supervising the Russia investigation. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself because of his close ties to the Trump campaign and his undisclosed meetings with the Russian ambassador.
The timing of Mr. Comey’s request is not clear-cut evidence that his firing was related to the Russia investigation. But it is certain to fuel bipartisan criticism that President Trump appeared to be meddling in an investigation that had the potential to damage his presidency.



[size=11]By SUSAN JOAN ARCHER, ROBIN LINDSAY and DAVE HORN 2:34Trump Fires Comey: Key Moments in a Public Scuffle

[url=https://www.facebook.com/dialog/feed?app_id=9869919170&link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Fvideo%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2F100000005089236%2Ftrump-vs-comey-key-moments-in-a-public-scuffle.html%3Fsmid%3Dfb-share&name=Trump Fires Comey: Key Moments in a Public scuffle&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fmobile.nytimes.com%2F2017%2F05%2F10%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Fcomey-russia-investigation-fbi.html%3Femc%3Dedit_na_20170510%26nl%3Dbreaking-news%26nlid%3D77048151%26ref%3Dcta%26_r%3D0%26referer%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fm.spiegel.de%2Fpolitik%2Fausland%2Fa-1147062.html][/url][url=https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnyti.ms%2F2q1Pn4m&text=Trump Fires Comey: Key Moments in a Public Scuffle][/url][url=whatsapp://send?text=Trump Fires Comey: Key Moments in a Public Scuffle https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Fvideo%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2F100000005089236%2Ftrump-vs-comey-key-moments-in-a-public-scuffle.html%3Fsmid%3Dwa-share][/url]
Video President Trump often publicly pushed back against the now-fired director of the F.B.I., James Comey, including over Hillary Clinton’s emails and Russia links. Here’s a closer look.

GABRIELLA DEMCZUK FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
[/size]
The F.B.I. declined to comment. But Sarah Isgur Flores, the Justice Department spokeswoman, said “the idea that he asked for more funding” for the Russia investigation was “totally false.” She did not elaborate.


In his briefing with members of Congress, Mr. Comey said he had been frustrated with the amount of resources being dedicated to the Russia investigation, according to two of the officials. Until two weeks ago, when Mr. Rosenstein took over as deputy attorney general, the investigation was being overseen by Dana Boente, who was acting as the deputy and is now the United States attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Mr. Comey has said he was hoping that he would find a supportive boss in Mr. Rosenstein, and according to the officials, pressed for more resources so he could accelerate the investigation, which is also examining possible collusion between Trump associates and the Russian interference campaign. It was unclear how Mr. Rosenstein reacted to the request, or whether the White House was informed of it.

To a president who puts a premium on loyalty, Mr. Comey represented a fiercely independent official who wielded incredible power. Mr. Comey made his career standing up to members of the George W. Bush administration on matters of surveillance. And his advisers have cast his handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server as evidence that he was equally willing to criticize the Democratic nominee for president.
Mr. Comey’s handling of the Clinton investigation was the stated reason for his termination, and the White House has insisted it had nothing to do with the Russia inquiry, which has become a major distraction for the Trump administration.
Mr. Comey broke with longstanding policies by speaking publicly about the Clinton investigation twice last year. He also termed Mrs. Clinton’s handling of classified information as “extremely careless,” an estimation that went far beyond what the authorities normally say in cases where nobody is charged.
Follow Matthew Rosenberg @AllMattNYT and Matt Apuzzo @mattapuzzo on Twitter.
Charlie Savage contributed reporting.
Get politics and Washington news updates via Facebook, Twitter and in the Morning Briefing newsletter.[/size]

[/size]

• 827COMMENTS
  

[size]

RELATED COVERAGE

[/size][list="headlines touchstates"]
[*]White House Says Trump Had Weighed Firing Comey Since JanuaryMAY 10, 2017
[*]F.B.I. Director James Comey Is Fired by Trump MAY 9, 2017
[*]Live Briefing: The Latest on Comey: ‘He Was Not Doing a Good Job,’ Trump Says MAY 10, 2017
[*]McConnell Defends Trump as Schumer Calls for Special ProsecutorMAY 10, 2017
[*]Firing Fuels Calls for Independent Investigator, Even From RepublicansMAY 9, 2017
[/list]
[size]

Most Popular on NYTimes.com

[/size]

• 
  
  F.B.I. Director James Comey Is Fired by Trump
  
  
• 
  
  Updates and Reactions to F.B.I. Director Comey’s Firing
  
  
• 
  
  Jimmy Kimmel Responds to Critics Over Health Care
  
  
• 
  
  

  NEWS ANALYSIS

  In Trump’s Firing of James Comey, Echoes of Watergate
  
  
• 
  
  

  EDITORIAL

  Trump’s Firing of Comey Is All About the Russia Inquiry
  
  
• 
  
  Why Everything We Know About Salt May Be Wrong
  
  
• 
  
  

  FEATURE

  How Homeownership Became the Engine of American Inequality
  
  
• 
  
  The Birth of a Mother
  
  
• 
  
  How the White House Explains Waiting 18 Days to Fire Michael Flynn
  
  

Back to top

• Home
  
• World
  
• U.S.
  
• Politics
  
• The Upshot
  
• New York
  
• Business Day
  
• Technology
  
• Sports
  

• Opinion
  
• Science
  
• Health
  
• Arts
  
• Photos
  
• Style
  
• Video
  
• Most Emailed
  

[size]


More Sections

Settings

[/size]

Download the NYTimes app

• Help
  
• Subscribe
  
• [email=nytmobilefeedback@nytimes.com?subject=NYT%20Mobile%20Web%20Feedback&body=%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A------------------------------%0A%0AUser%20agent%3A%20Mozilla%2F5.0%20(Linux%3B%20Android%206.0%3B%20E691X%20Build%2FMRA58K)%20AppleWebKit%2F537.36%20(KHTML%2C%20like%20Gecko)%20Chrome%2F58.0.3029.83%20Mobile%20Safari%2F537.36%0AURL%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fmobile.nytimes.com%2F2017%2F05%2F10%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Fcomey-russia-investigation-fbi.html%3Femc%3Dedit_na_20170510%26nl%3Dbreaking-news%26nlid%3D77048151%26ref%3Dcta%26_r%3D0%26referer%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fm.spiegel.de%2Fpolitik%2Fausland%2Fa-1147062.html%0AReferring%20URL%3A%20http%3A%2F%2Fm.spiegel.de%2Fpolitik%2Fausland%2Fa-1147062.html%0ALogged%20in%3A%20No%0ASubscriber%20username%3A%20%0ACookie%20length%3A%201102%0A%0AThe%20above%20information%20about%20your%20device%20can%20help%20us%20if%20you%27re%20reporting%0Aa%20technical%20issue%2C%20but%20feel%20free%20to%20delete%20it%2C%20if%20you%27d%20like.]Feedback[/email]
  
• Terms of Service
  
• Privacy
  

© 2017 The New York Times Company

It's getting more and more interesting...

And by interesting, we mean fucked up, yes?

I never thought that these things could happen in a democracy. I mean, usually presidents are advised by bis/her secretaries/ government and controlled by the countries' parliament. To see that a leader of a democratic country is able to act like an autocrat, frightens me. And it tells me a lot about how Hitler and the Nazis got into power in 1933...
(Sorry for this comparison, it's the way Trump acts without being stopped and still being supported by many, many Americans who knew what he was going to do but either didn't believe or think that he's right because it suits their view of the world.)

Carolhathaway - Don't apologize for comparing Trump to Hitler. Many people here have said the same thing. Trump admires that kind of power and the people who use it. He admires the political bullies of the world like Putin and Duterte while he insults and disrespects our allies for being too weak.

There are many here who want Trump out of office. Every outrageous move he makes angers or disenchants more people - even some of his supporters. They're starting to realise he really is lying - not just exaggerating - and, worst of all- he's lying to them!

The Republican party is starting to understand that aligning itself with Trump is not as good a political move as they thought it was. When they do hold town hall meetings their constituents are giving them hell. Down-ticket races in areas usually strongly Republican are much closer than they expected. They're losing their base to the Democrats.

Little by little the tide is beginning to turn. Hopefully, we will be free of Trump before he destroys our country.

From the Washington Post today:


https://twitter.com/TheRickWilson/status/862510161461743616/photo/1

http://people.com/politics/story-behind-trump-oval-office-photo-with-russians-putins-special-request/

• SHARE
  
• TWEET
  
• EMAIL
  

[url=https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fpolitics%2Fstory-behind-trump-oval-office-photo-with-russians-putins-special-request%2F&media=https%3A%2F%2Fpeopledotcom.files.wordpress.com%2F2017%2F05%2Fsergey-lavrov.jpg%3Fw%3D1024&description=The Story Behind Trump%E2%80%99s Chummy Oval Office Photo with the Russians%E2%80%93It Was Vladimir Putin%E2%80%99s Special%C2%A0Request][/url]
RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY PHOTO/AP
Photos of President Donald Trump‘s meeting with Russian diplomats in the Oval Office on Wednesday raised eyebrows as well as security concerns when the pictures were released by the Russian government rather than the White House.
The images show the president laughing and looking chummy with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak. U.S. reporters and photographers were shut out. The meeting, Politico reports, occurred at the request of Russian President Vladimir Putin during a recent phone call with Trump.
“He chose to receive him because Putin asked him to,” a White House spokesman told the outlet of Trump’s meeting with Lavrov. “Putin did specifically ask on the call when they last talked.”
The ongoing scandal over allege

[ltr][/ltr]
[quote]