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Archives for 2017

Re: Russian Spy Accused of Treason

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Josh Marshall is following an odd but disturbing bit of news out of Russia. Note that this is going on as Trump officials are being investigated about their ties to Russia. Has someone in the White House “outed” one of the US’s own assets to the Russians?

Last night I noted that a top Russian spy who is the number two person in the FSB department which allegedly oversaw the US election hacking operation had been arrested and charged with treason. Was he a sacrificial lamb and olive branch to Trump? A way for Putin to claim that his spy services had perhaps gone rogue? Or was he suspected of being a source to US intelligence? People who fall from grace in Putin’s Russia are often dealt with with trumped up criminal prosecutions. But treason is a special charge.
Well, now we have reports that Sergei Mikhailov is suspected of being a US asset at the heart of Russian intelligence.

Source: Wow, It Gets Bigger

Donald Trump said 11 false things in his first major TV interview as president

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Astonishing. Not much more to say.

WASHINGTON—Trump sat down with ABC’s David Muir on Wednesday for his first major television interview as president. He showed no sign of abandoning his campaign penchant for littering interviews with false claims. We counted 11 — not including the outlandish but uncheckable claim that he was told he received “the biggest standing ovation since Peyton Manning had won the Super Bowl.”

Source: Donald Trump said 11 false things in his first major TV interview as president | Toronto Star

Executive Orders aren’t magic?

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As a friend wrote derisively on Facebook, “what, Executive Orders aren’t magic?”

Trump’s flashy executive actions could run aground (Politico)

The breakneck pace of Trump’s executive actions might please his supporters, but critics are questioning whether the documents are being rushed through without the necessary review from agency experts and lawmakers who will bear the burden of actually carrying them out. For example, there are legal questions on how the country can force companies building pipelines to use materials manufactured domestically, which might not be available or which could violate trade treaty obligations. There’s also the question of whether the federal government can take billions from cities who don’t comply with immigration enforcement actions: Legal experts said it was unclear.

Why Trump’s Staff Is Lying

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From Tyler Cowen in Bloomberg View:

Trump specializes in lower-status lies, typically more of the bald-faced sort, namely stating “x” when obviously “not x” is the case. They are proclamations of power, and signals that the opinions of mainstream media and political opponents will be disregarded. The lie needs to be understood as more than just the lie.

Source: Why Trump’s Staff Is Lying – Bloomberg View

Note that Cowen is a Libertarian frequently associated with the Koch brothers, which makes this analysis particularly interesting.

Why people are afraid: domestic edition

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This comes from Slate today: The Trump-Era Assault on Marriage Equality Has Begun in Texas.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage decisions undoubtedly prohibit the government from depriving couples of marriage rights merely because they are gay. Yet the Texas Supreme Court’s inaction prompted outrage from state Republican officials and anti-gay activists, who urged the justices, who are elected, to take the case and allow Texas cities to discriminate against same-sex couples. And on Friday, the court took the first step, caving to Republican demands and agreeing to hear the case in March—a worrying sign that the justices, fearful of a re-election fight, may soon yield to political pressure and roll back marriage equality in Texas.

Source: The Trump-Era Assault on Marriage Equality Has Begun in Texas

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