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The Colorado wall, now with the spin I imagined.
The Colorado wall
“In building a wall in New Mexico, President Trump is also protecting Coloradans from,” &c., &c.
Elijah Cummings (1951–2019)
“When we’re dancing with the angels, the question will be asked: in 2019, what did we do to make sure we kept our democracy intact? Did we stand on the sidelines and say nothing?”
Aaron Rupar’s Twitter
the journalist Aaron Rupar’s Twitter account is a great resource for choice bits of the Donald Trump Improv Tour. Contrast, say, this bland Associated Press sentence — “[Pastor Andrew] Brunson led Saturday’s audience in a prayer for the president” — with what was said. Don’t hide the madness.
No quid pro quo?
“It was a quid pro quo, but not a corrupt one”: spoken by someone familiar with the upcoming testimony of Gordon Sondland, the United States ambassador to the European Union.
Whoa again
“Two business associates of President Trump’s personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani have been charged with a scheme to route foreign money into U.S. elections, according to a newly unsealed indictment.” But wait — there’s more!
Some others
I’ve made this post to memorialize my amazement that things are much, much worse than I’ve imagined.
“The Whistleblower Complaint”
Music for these times by Elaine Fine.
Others
What most strikes me in reading the whistle-blower’s complaint is how many other people were aware of the actions that the whistle-blower has reported to Congress. One person spoke out. May others follow.
Queeg
Donald Trump’s press conference (happening now) is turning into the courtroom scene from The Caine Mutiny.
Impeachment
It’s happening.
Guess I’m dumb
Notice how Trump projects: not “Do you think I’d be dumb enough to” but “Is anybody dumb enough to.”
Not to forget
Let’s not forget: Donald Trump told Corey Lewandowski — who was not a member of his administration — to direct Jeff Sessions to limit the scope of the Mueller investigation to interference in future elections and to prohibit inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Got obstruction?
WTF’s chief meteorologist at work
The Washington Post reports that the directive to rewrite the weather came from the chief meteorologist himself.
Wilbur Ross at work
The New York Times reports that Wilbur Ross threatened to fire NOAA employees after a tweet contradicted the presidential assertion that Hurricane Dorian might hit Alabama.
More maps
I don’t know how to read spaghetti plots, but I know that I don’t know how, and I know that there are people who do.
The Alabama loop
Hurricane Dorian has always been at war with Alabama.
Ordering
The vice president and Cabinet are hereby ordered to invoke the 25th Amendment.
The present King of Greenland
This reality-television show, now in its third season, is going off the rails.
Not competent, not well
If you had a close relation who carried on in this way, you’d want to intervene.
Also saying what must be said
“There is truly nothing more un-American than calling on fellow citizens to leave our country — by citing their immigrant roots, or ancestry, or their unwillingness to sit in quiet obedience while democracy is being undermined.”
Victor Blackwell says what must be said
About Baltimore.
“By our people, through our franchise, and not by some hostile foreign power”
House Intelligence Committeee chair Adam Schiff (Democrat, California-18), in his opening statement this afternoon, addressing Robert Mueller: Your report laid out multiple offers of Russian help to the Trump campaign, the campaign’s acceptance of that help, and overt acts in furtherance of Russian help. To most Americans, that is the very definition of collusion, whether it is a crime or not. They say your report found no evidence of obstruction, though you outline numerous actions by the President intended to obstruct the investigation. They say the President has been fully exonerated, though you specifically declare you could not exonerate him. In fact, they say your whole investigation was nothing more than a witch hunt, that the Russians didn’t interfere in our election, that it’s all a terrible hoax. The real crime, they say, is not that the Russians intervened to help Donald Trump, but that the FBI had the temerity to investigate it when they did. But worst of all, worse than all the lies and the greed, is the disloyalty to country, for that too, continues. When asked, if the Russians intervene again, will you take their help, Mr. President? Why not, was the essence of his answer. Everyone does it. No, Mr. President, they don’t.
Represent
“He can’t look a child in the face and justify why this country is throwing them in cages, so instead he tells us I should go back to the great borough of the Bronx and make it better, and that’s what I’m here to do.”
Three mistakes
If the best Richard Cohen can do is to say that no one is being whipped, no one is being worked to death, he has chosen to see what is not normal as already normal.
Concentration camps
Masha Gessen: “It is the choice between thinking that whatever is happening in reality is, by definition, acceptable, and thinking that some actual events in our current reality are fundamentally incompatible with our concept of ourselves — not just as Americans but as human beings — and therefore unimaginable.”
“Scientifically” vs. “just words”
Donald Trump, yesterday: “It’s documented scientifically, not just words.” An odd sentence, in several ways.
America, if you’re listening
“I had nothing to do with Russia helping me to get elected.” Russia helped him. He just said so.
Mueller speaks!
My translation: I'm done. Congress, it's up to you. Read the report, everyone. Oh, and also: we weren’t allowed to charge him with a crime.
Q & non-A
Ayanna Pressley questions Ben Carson.