It's easy to forget how crazy this is. Every week of Donald Trump's presidency has felt like its own self-contained saga, but even by those dramatic standards, it's almost incomprehensible that his impeachment acquittal was only nine days ago.
Two prominent attorneys who advised the House Judiciary Committee during its impeachment investigation into President Trump are expected to leave the panel.Barry Berke confirmed to CNN on Friday he has left the committee, and a source familiar...
Things are not going swimmingly for the Democrats right now. President Trump was acquitted in his impeachment trial, and he gave a State of the Union address that made Democrats feel like the hapless Japanese military as they watched Godzilla stroll through downtown Tokyo. His polling is up to historic highs, and the economy is...
Sen. Susan Collins has done her best to walk back her ridiculous statement that impeached president Donald Trump learned a lesson from the impeachment process, and to absolve herself of any responsibility for a now totally unfettered Trump. The thing is, though: She can't. Because Trump himself is yelling out the real lessons he learned every damn day. Like on Thursday, when he trashed another presidential norm meant to keep chief executives in check and to protect national security.
In a radio interview with Geraldo Rivera, Trump talked about one of the lessons he’s learned: not to let officials listen in on his phone calls with world leaders. "Well, that's what they've done over the years," Trump said. "When you call a foreign leader, people listen. I may end the practice entirely. I may end it entirely." This came about in a discussion about Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who Trump was bitching about in the interview, calling him "insubordinate" for raising his concerns about Trump's call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. "I'm not a fan of Vindman," Trump added. Surprise.
Given his cavalier attitude toward classified intelligence, this latest lesson learned by Trump has the national security community freaking out. "Right now, President Trump is a nightmare to every intel and [national-security] officer, and this is all stuff he's done with their knowledge," a former senior National Security Agency official told Business Insider. "Allowing him to conduct these calls in private would be catastrophic for us."
A former National Security Council senior director under President Barack Obama, Edward Price, told Business Insider that allowing intelligence and national security people to listen to calls "is indispensable to the coordination and implementation of sound foreign policy and national-security practices,. […] No president—but especially not this one—can or should be relied upon to backbrief senior advisers on details that can often be extraordinarily nuanced." Of course it has happened with this impeached president. And it wasn't just a phone call, but also face-to-face meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin: On several occasions, Trump has talked with Putin without U.S. staff present.
So the lesson he did learn from Collins and the rest of the Republicans who let him off the hook is that that's the way he should always conduct foreign policy, with no one around him who can alert the rest of the government—including Congress—about the crime-doing.
Federal prosecutors in New York have advanced their investigation into President Donald Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, pursuing more documents and witness testimonies while the Justice Department simultaneously accepts information from the former New York mayor on Ukraine, according to The Washington Post.
Federal prosecutors in New York were pursuing an investigation related to Rudy Giuliani, President Trump’s personal attorney, as the Senate’s impeachment trial was concluding, The Washington Post reported Friday.The investigation, run out of the U.S...
Cheers and Jeers is a weekday blessing upon ye from the great state of Maine.
From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE…
Late Night Snark: We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Justice Edition
"Lt. Colonel Vindman, who testified during President Trump's impeachment, was escorted from the White House and fired. Now, you might recall that Vindman received the Purple Heart due to a wound in combat, while Trump has a Purple Heart because his blood type is hamburger grease."
—Michael Che, SNL
"In addition to firing two key impeachment witnesses, Trump also fired Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman's twin brother, an ethics lawyer who wasn't even involved in the trial. It's the kind of thing dictators do, although it’s hard to tell how much of Trump is dictator and how much is just a dick."
—Samantha Bee
Continued...
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"They told me I have 45 seconds up here, which is more than the Senate gave John Bolton this week. Maybe Quentin will make a movie about it and in the end the adults will do the right thing."
—Once Upon A Time...in Hollywood’s Brad Pitt at the Oscars
“According to a new report, Senator Bernie Sanders has had more fundraising success with Latinos than any other candidate. But once they hear Mike Bloomberg speak Spanish...that won’t change.”
—Seth Meyers
—via The Late Show
"Two candidates dropped out of the race last night: Andrew Yang and Michael Bennett. Andrew Yang told his supporters, 'Thank you for this amazing ride,' while Michael Bennett told his supporters, 'Come on, son, let's go home.'"
—Conan O'Brien
"The media is eager to crown a winner and dump on the losers, but the truth is it takes like 2,000 delegates to win the nomination. Iowa and New Hampshire combined have 65, and neither state is demographically representative of anything other than a Jimmy Buffet concert. So declaring a front-runner at this point is like picking a plastic surgeon based on two Yelp reviews."
—Jimmy Kimmel
"The virusssssssss. They're working hard. Looks like, by April, you know, in theory, when it gets a little warmer it miraculously goes away."
—Trump explaining his detailed plan for dealing with the coronavirus at his New Hampshire cult rally
"It would be fun to have Susan Collins as a teacher because she’d just give everyone A’s in the hopes they’ll one day learn something."
—Stephen Colbert
And now, our feature presentation...
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Cheers and Jeers for Friday, February 14, 2020
Note: Wanna play a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors? Great! You pick scissors and I'll pick rock. I win! Rematch?
Number of major (1,000 employees or more) labor strikes in 2019, versus an average of 15 per year between 2010 and 2018: 25
Percent of Democratic voters surveyed by Monmouth who say they want to maintain the existing nominating system where Iowa votes first: 7%
Percent of folks who voted in the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night who were LGBTQ, even though only 4.7% of the state's population identifies as LGBTQ: 7%
Estimated amount spent on "unwanted" Valentine's Day gifts last year, according to WalletHub: $9.5 billion
Percent of annual flowers sales that happen on Valentine's Day: 30%
CHEERS to a bit of per-speck-tive. Today seems like a good day to step back and ponder our place in the universe. And when I say step back I mean waaaaaay back—like 3.7 billion miles back. Today is the 30th anniversary of the famous "pale blue dot" photo snapped by the Voyager probe in 1990 as it took one last look back at our sorry asses. Now, thanks to advances in imaging technology, NASA has unveiled a new, clearer image that we recommend you and a mixed drink or toke of wacky tobbacky spend some time with in quiet contemplation, as Carl Sagan so eloquently did, this weekend:
As we can all plainly see, it's a reminder—simultaneously placid, eerie, and awe-inspiring—that no matter how insurmountable our problems may seem or how big the assholes are who rule us, we're just an annoying itch on the universe's butt, and one day, whether humanity is still here or not, we're going to get scratched. Also as we can also plainly see, would it kill ya to pick your underwear up off the floor? The universe hates a slob.
CHEERS to getting the chef's kiss of endorsements. Only eight days until the Nevada (correctly pronounced "nay-VAY-day" or they'll come down on you like a ton of Bunny Ranchers) caucuses, and the tension is palpable as the all-powerful Culinary Workers Union prepares to take its fresh-baked endorsement out of the oven. The dynamics at play are substantial and complicated, which is why the C&J elections team is here to lay out the odds:
If Biden gets it, it's bad news for Buttigieg but good news for Klobuchar.
If Klobuchar gets it, it's good news for Sanders but bad news for Warren.
True fact: the winner of the Nevada caucuses not only wins the most delegates, but also these lovely veggie trays.
If Warren gets it, it's bad news for Sanders but good news for Steyer.
If Steyer gets it, it's good news for Buttigieg but bad news for Biden.
If Sanders gets it, it's bad news for Warren but good news for Buttigieg.
If Buttigieg gets it, it's bad news for Klobuchar but good news for Biden.
If Gabbard gets it, she'll be sent to jail for bribing a union to rig a caucus.
And the Culinary Workers Union endorsement goes to—[Opens envelope]—oh my god it's an eight-way tie for nobody.I bet that's gonna be hard to swallow and tough to digest. It'll probably leave a bad taste in their mouths. And the union's certainly gonna get grilled by the stewing candidates simmering over that half-baked non-committal committal. I just hope it's not enough to stir up a recipe for disaster. We'll just have to keep our eyes peeled. Pass the yams.
CHEERS to women on the move. 100 years ago this week, the group that Republicans today call "that damned nuisance"—The League of Women Voters—was founded in Chicago under the direction of president Maud Wood Park. It still amazes me how hard women had to fight for basic equality in the land of "Liberty and justice for all." I guess we're just slow learners when it comes to complicated, high-falutin’ words like “all.” And while we’re on the subject, happy 200th birthday tomorrow to Susan B. Anthony:
"Men, their rights, and nothing more; women, their rights, and nothing less."
”There never will be complete equality until women themselves help to make laws and elect lawmakers.”
"I distrust those who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires."
“Oh, if I could but live another century and see the fruition of all the work for women! There is so much yet to be done.”
I have a great gift idea for her 200th birthday: a woman president.
CHEERS to ideas that will change the world (and selected outlying star systems). There’s a big deadline coming up on the Netroots Nation convention calendar: if you have an idea for a panel or workshop that you want to propose and coordinate for this year’s convention (August 13-15 in Denver), just click here for the guidelines and submission form. Entries will be accepted through midnight on February 28th, just 15 days from now. Here’s a closer look at what they’re looking for this year:
» Strategic conversations about how we'll work together as a movement to win in 2020, from local races to the White House
August 13-15
» Sessions about how to govern and enact progressive policies after we've won
» Panels focusing on the intersections of racism and electoral justice, environmental justice/climate change and disability justice
» Trainings that help new activists grow into successful organizers and candidates, and advanced trainings that focus on cutting-edge tools and techniques
The link for all the panel submission info is here. If you have a panel in mind but you want some live assistance, there’s a webinar on the 25th, which you can register for at this link.To avoid the embarrassment of duplication, please note that I’ve already prepared a proposal for a panel called “How to Avoid the Embarrassment of Duplication.” To avoid the embarrassment of it getting lost, I sent it in twice.
JEERS to incivility. On tomorrow’s date in 1798, the House of Representatives was the site of the first congressional brawl, when much knocking of noggins occurred after a hurling of insults followed by Rep. Matthew Lyon (Democratic-Republican-VT) spitting in the face of Roger Griswold (Federalist-CT). Among the weapons that were wielded: fireplace tongs. Based on his expression, the guy recording the minutes just got tonged in the crotch and kinda liked it...
And if you look in the lower left corner, you’ll see a dog is present in the chamber. That would be Thaddeus T. Woofington from the great state of New York. He only lasted one term. Once he got tax cuts for the Wilson company passed, he spent the rest of his life in a cushy job at a pro-tennis ball think tank.
CHEERS to the last useful thing the Vatican ever did. On Sunday's date in 600, Pope Gregory the Great decreed that "God Bless You" would become the religiously correct response to a sneeze. Mostly because the old response—"Dude, that sounds bubonic"—was scaring off the faithful.
CHEERS to home vegetation. The big TV news of the weekend is John Oliver's triumphant return for another season (his seventh…already???) of Last Week Tonight on HBO Sunday night at 11. God only knows where he’ll plant his shovel first. But things get started tonight with Chris Hayes, Rachel Maddow, and then HBO's Real Time, where Bill Maher talks with New Hampshire bronze medal winner Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Katie Couric, Van Jones, and Bret Stephens. Then at 11 Mark Ruffalo talks about his latest movie Dark Waters on The Graham Norton Show (BBC America).
Now on home video. (Spoiler alert: against all odds, my grandmother’s 1981 Ford Escort wins.)
New home video releases include Ford v. Ferrari and an interesting documentary called 16 Bars about a unique prison in Virginia. The NBA schedule is here and the NHL schedule is here. The PGA Tour moves out west for the Los Angeles Open, which first teed off back in 1926. Down Florida-way it’s the 62nd Daytona 500 Sunday at 2:30 (Fox). On 60 Minutes: the way video is "transforming the stage" of the latest Broadway revival of West Side Story. The sea captain finds the treasure he's been looking for all his life on The Simpsons, while Brian becomes an accidental hero on Family Guy. Season 3,219 of American Idol premieres Sunday at 8 on ABC. (True Fact: the first champion was Betsy Ross.) MSNBC premieres a new series on immigrants' contribution to our food supply called What's Eating America? At 9. And one has to wonder what part of the new episode of Curb Your EnthusiasmTrump will take out of context and tweet to the world, demonstrating once again he's dumb as rocks.
Now here's your Sunday morning lineup:
Meet the Press: 2020 candidates Joe Biden and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
CNN's State of the Union: Amy Klobuchar; House majority whip Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC); Rep. Nanette Barragan (D-CA) and Andrew Gillum are on the pundit panel; Pence chief of staff Marc Short (R-Moscow).
Amy’s making the Sunday morning rounds this weekend.
Face the Nation: Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the NIH Dr. Anthony Fauci; 2020 candidates Amy Klobuchar and Tom Steyer; Sen. John Kennedy (R-Moscow).
This Week: TBA, but taking a wild guess here: Amy Klobuchar.
Fox GOP Talking Points Sunday: Mayor Pete! Plus: Kellyanne Conartist.
Happy viewing!
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Ten years ago in C&J: February 14, 2010
CHEERS to bigots dropping like flies. Taking inventory of who no longer supports the military's 'Don’t Ask, Don't Tell' policy is getting to be a full-time job: Colin Powell, Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, National Security Advisor Jim Jones, Federalist Society attorney Ted Olsen, 75 percent of the public, the Reserve Officers Association, even the craziest critters of the far right and their ringleader Dick Cheney. Wow—Dick Cheney and I are in total synch. Pardon me while I go dunk my soul into a barrel of Purell.
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And just one more…
CHEERS to li'l sweet nothings. Happy Valentine's Day! I tossed some horny goat weed in my evening cocktail and now I'm madly in love with all of you and half the furniture in the house. Did you know that eight billion of those addictive Sweethearts candies (thankfully picked up by the Spangler Candy Company after the original maker, the New England Confectionery Company, went belly-up) are produced every year? It's TRUE!!! In a tradition we started a few years back, we present this year’s list of candy heart sayings for Trump-era Republicans:
BACKWARD TOGETHER
LIGHT MY TIKI TORCH
READY FIRE AIM
WHISPER SWEET NOTHINGS (IN ENGLISH ONLY!)
“Happy Valentine’s Day, my little lotus blossom. I got you a box of you Type-2 diabetes.”
STROKE MY GUN. I’M PRETTY SURE IT’S NOT LOADE
MY WALL OR YOURS?
BE MY GRIFTER
#1 DOTARD
FETCH MY SUPPER, WOMAN
YES, VLAD
CHICKS DIG NUKE STRIKES
RICH SINNERS GET MULLIGANS
U R THE CREAM IN MY COVFEFE
BEST THIRD WIFE EVUH
CAGE KIDS 4 JESUS
What can we say? That's amore.
Have a great weekend. Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today?
In our news wrap Friday, Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman will not be investigated over his impeachment testimony against President Trump, says Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy. Vindman already lost his job with the National Security Council. Also, Turkish-backed rebels shot down a Syrian helicopter near Aleppo, in northwest Syria, where renewed violence has driven more than 800,000 from their homes.
The Army will not launch an investigation into a decorated officer who was a key witness during the impeachment inquiry into President Trump and then removed from his White House National Security Council (NSC) position, officials said Friday.
