FYI - Due to me having a large commitment this weekend, there won't be a list next week. I'll be back at mid month with a countdown for the week of 10/8.
20) The European Central Bank has done an extensive analysis of Trump's trade policies and has determined the US has FAR more to lose when compared to China in a prolonged trade battle. Trump said trade wars are easy to win, but the ECB stated "estimates...suggest the US's net export position would deteriorate substantially...US firms will invest less and hire fewer workers." They added growth in the US would be cut by at least 2%, wiping out most economic expansion forecasts. China on the other hand will gain from being able to export into countries where there are already tariffs on Ameircan products. The ECB did make this sobering admission; A trade war would be bad for everyone in the long run, as global trade would decrease 3%, due to Trump. (9/26)
19) Rob Goldstone, the music publicist who set up the infamous Trump Tower meeting, might have just exposed Trump son in law Jared Kushner as lying about the meeting. Goldstone, recalling the meeting, stated they "all" stayed for the entire meeting and "all" left at the same time. Kushner is on record stating he though the meeting was boring, got confused, and left the meeting early. Goldstone has already testified he feels there's no way Trump didn't know about the meeting. (9/25)
18) It's discovered there is another reason Trump should be fearing a potential Democratic take over of the US House. There is a 100 year old statute which allows the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee to examine anyone's tax returns, including the President. This statute has been used before, under Nixon, when lawmakers revealed he had underpaid his taxes by $500,000. Democrats have stated they are aware of the statute and would contemplate using it. (9/29)
17) Trump was sweating like a pig at a speech to supporters in West Virginia when he broke into a completely fabricated made up history of the Democratic Party, or as he insisted, The Democrat Party (because Republicans think saying it like that infuriates the Democrats...I know). Facts-challenged Trump seemed to be pulling his history lesson out of his caboose, as a simple fact-check proved everything he said was a lie. He also claimed he and North Korean despot Kim Jong-un "fell in love" after overcoming their differences, after Kim "...wrote me beautiful letters..." (9/29)
16) In 2016, Trump went on a rampage when he found out his campaign had to pay for the transition team. In a story in the Guardian, Trump called former transition point person Chris Christie and former campaign manager Steve Bannon to a meeting to scream at them about how they were stealing his money, adding "what the F*** is this?" When they tried to explain the law to him, he said "F*** the law! I don't give a F*** about the law. I want my F***ing money." His plan was to shut down the transition office, a unique move to say the least, but he decided against it because he was afraid the media would make fun of him for doing so. (9/27)
15) Trump's Director of FEMA is in real big trouble. Brock Long used $151,000 in tax payer dollars to get himself chauffeured around, a luxury he's not entitled to have. He had the chauffeur when he was on vacation in Hawaii and at his home in North Carolina. The expenses were never authorized. Then one of Long's aides, Keith LaFoucade, destroyed the evidence detailing the chauffeur in an attempt to cover up the expenses from further investigation. (9/26)
14) White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders proved exactly how dumb she is. Sanders insisted Trump SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh deserved an up or down vote, just as "every single" SCOTUS nominee has gotten. It took less than one second for everyone to say 'Merrick Garland.' She hasn't responded to requests for clarification on her statement. (9/25)
13) ***SPOILERS*** Trump, apparently tired of hauling foreign leaders into his rants against accusers claiming sexual misconduct against his SCOTUS nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, decided to have a press conference at the UN, and it was a doozie! He implied he didn't understand how the 25th Amendment worked, the Amendment which allows his cabinet to remove him from office, an Amendment numerous White House staff have mentioned talking about. He then claimed former President Obama was going to go to war with North Korea during his term, offering nothing to back up the claim. CNN's Jim Acosta called Trump out for not taking any questions from female reporters, and when Trump finally did, he kept interrupting them, telling one she went too long and for her to sit down. He discovered there was a Kurdish reporter in the press corps at the UN, and referred to him as "Mr. Kurd." He claimed George Washington himself would not be confirmed by the Democrats in the Senate if he was up for a Supreme Court seat, but then himself acknowledged former President Washington might have a issue getting appointed today. Trump then screwed that up by attributing former President Jefferson's affairs to Washington (I'm sure the whole slave owner issue would be a non-starter for both of them today). Trump also claimed only 4 women have accused him of sexual misconduct. More than a dozen women have formerly accused him. (9/26)
12) A federal judge says a lawsuit against Trump can move forward. The lawsuit, filed by 200 Congressional Democrats, states Trump is undeniably violating the Constitution's emoluments clause by doing business with foreign governments through his hotel properties. He's technically taking checks for foreign states, a big no-no. (9/28)
11) The Trump Administration is vigorously fighting to prevent Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross from having to give a deposition explaining his decision to ask a citizenship status question on the 2020 US Census. The lawsuit filed by numerous State Attorney Generals was granted the deposition, but the US Justice Department is trying to prevent them, stating the US Supreme Court needs to weigh in on the matter. They're also trying to prevent the deposition of another Justice Department Official, John Gore, who helped craft the question. (9/30)
10) Trump went to speak at the UN on Tuesday and it led to one of the most embarrassing moments of his term. He stated "In less than two years, my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of the county." An awkward silence followed. He added "so true." The entire UN erupted into mocking laughter. Trump then went on to brag, to the UN, about the stock market and the US economy. Later in the speech he attacked Iran, right after making compliments about the Iranian President on Twitter. Trump finished his UN trip, talking with the press after the speech, aggressively attacking Trump SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh's second accuser, calling her drunk. Another proud USA moment on the international stage. (9/25)
9) Conflicting reports surfaced around Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. The first report stated Rosenstein verbally resigned to Chief of Staff John Kelly, but a conflicting story emerged reporting Rosenstein didn't resign, but had only stated he felt he was about to be fired by Trump. A meeting had been set up between the Rosenstein and Trump, but it was eventually delayed for a week. With Rosenstein's potential removal, Trump's lawyers are already insisting the Mueller investigation against Trump should be put on hold. Later in the day, sources stated Trump was floating the idea of removing Rosenstein, in an effort to get the Brett Kavanaugh scandals off the front pages. (9/24)
8) In what appears to be an attempt to stop losing immigrant children, the Trump Administration and immigration officials have been shipping immigrant children to a tent city in south Texas. The number of immigrant children the Trump Administration was responsible for but has has lost is near 3000. It should be noted, when it comes to Trump Administration actions, there are two different types of immigrant children. The first (A) are the ones ripped away from their parents at the border and placed into baby/child prisons. The ones referenced in this story (B) are the immigrant children who come to the border by themselves, and are placed in a foster care or shelter environment. The Trump Administration has lost almost 3000 of those children. They have no idea where those 3000 children are. It's reported 1600 (B) children have been moved to south Texas, many of them in the middle of the night to avoid media scrutiny, to the town of Tornillo. The conditions in the tent city are considerably worse than in the foster homes and shelters the kids had been kept in. The kids are kept in tents sleeping 20 kids per room. The tent city is not subjected to the same safety and education requirements the previous facilities were required to have, meaning the kids are less safe and are not receiving any education. The Trump Administration hopes to eventually house 3800 kids at this one facility alone. (9/30)
A SIX WAY TIE FOR SECOND PLACE! Each day of the Kavanaugh debacle will get it's own spot, but since they are all part of one monster, I'll call it a tie. Fun fact, it's not the #1 story this week!!!
2 Monday) After allegations of one sexual assault became two more allegations of sexual misconduct against Trump SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh, a potential 4th victim is getting ready to step forward, and reports are numerous people are willing to testify under oath against Kavanaugh in the sexual misconduct allegations. Trump has gone all out attack mode on the potential victims, claiming they're only saying these things for political reasons. Brett Kavanaugh later went on Fox News to tell the world he couldn't have been guilty of sexually assaulting women in high school and college, as he was a virgin during that time, and for many years afterward. Proud moment. It was then revealed The Virgin Brett Kavanaugh's yearbook is full of notes alluding to sexual conquests of women throughout his high school days (9/24)
2 Wednesday) Trump Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh did not have a good day. It started out with Stormy Daniels' lawyer Michael Avenatti presenting a third accuser of sexual misconduct, whose allegation hints at Kavanaugh being present at a 'gang rape.' Then a fourth victim was revealed, one accusing Kavanaugh of slamming her against a wall in a sexually suggestive way, outside of a Washington DC bar in 1998, well past his school days. A 5th person came forward claiming Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her on a boat in Newport, Rhode Island when he was 20, but soon afterward recanted her story. Every Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee has formally requested Kavanaugh withdraw his nomination. (9/26)
2 Thursday) The testimony of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and the rebuttal from Trump Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh could not have gone worse for Trump, Kavanaugh and the Republicans. Dr. Ford's testimony was straight forward, honest and believable, and without a doubt opened up the door for the question of why no FBI investigation has been conducted. The GOP's prosecutor, Rachel Mitchell, asking questions of Dr. Ford while the white male Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee all hid behind her, tried to catch Ford up, but failed spectacularly every time. Trump apparently was fuming in the White House at Dr. Ford's testimony, because she sounded credible. When it came to Kavanaugh's rebuttal, he was a short tempered, angry, interrupting mess, displaying the exact behavior Dr. Ford and others have accused him of. He also engaged in conspiracy theories, blaming this mess on a scheme by the Clintons, a fact which points to undeniable bias, a character flaw which should disqualify him from the Supreme Court. Most experts feel as if it would be suicide for the Republicans to try to vote Kavanaugh through without at least an investigation into Dr. Ford's story, and many have said the only safe path for the GOP is to withdraw Kavanaugh. (9/27)
2 Friday) In a day of partisan wrangling, with Republicans claiming sexual assault allegations against Trump SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh didn't matter, that it was the Democrats refusing to do everything the Republicans told them to do who were forcing their hand to NOT investigate Kavanaugh's past(???), and with Democrats calling out the Republicans clearly flawed process, even staging a walk out at one point, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to send Brett Kavanaugh to the full Senate for a vote. But that's when thing got interesting. Many analysts don't believe the Republicans have the votes in the Senate to get Kavanaugh confirmed, but added Republicans are concerned he might not get a vote at all, hence their urgency. Then Senator Jeff Flake, a Republican who has butted heads with Trump, who'd been verbally attacked in the Capitol by victims of sexual assault for his reluctance to act, demanded a seven day hold be put on a Kavanaugh vote while the FBI conduct a quick review of the Dr. Christine Blasey Ford allegations against him. Flake was quickly joined by another GOP Senator Lisa Murkowski in the demand to be thorough. After a closed door session with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a reluctant Republican leadership put forward a request for a limited review of Dr. Ford's allegations of Kavanaugh by the FBI. Trump, reportedly furious with Senator Flake, reluctantly agreed to the review. (9/28)
2 Saturday and Sunday) If you think Trump was going to have an honest investigation into the sexual assault claims against Brett Kavanaugh, think again. Trump has put forward an extremely limited review of the Kavanaugh case, listing a myriad of things the FBI can not investigate, including ANYTHING to do with the third accuser, Julie Swetnick's claim of a gang rape allegation, or certain elements of Kavanaugh BFF Mark Judge's time as a grocery-bagger, a fact which would help set up a timeline of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's allegation. The FBI is also forbidden from talking with many of Kavanaugh's class mates from his school days. When Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked about the limiting of the FBI's investigation, she initially avoided answering if the White House had put up limits, saying Trump wasn't micro-managing. She then insisted the FBI investigation should not be a witch hunt into Kavanaugh, and insisted if everyone wasn't questioned by the FBI it was really the Senate Republicans fault. It's also reported Dr. Christine Ford has not been called by the FBI. Experts speculate they might be reluctant to talk to her as that could put Kavanaugh into a position of lying to the FBI. (9/29, 30)
1) Last month, buried deep in a environmental impact statement, the Trump Administration made a shocking admission: The Trump administration is pegging global warming, on it's current course, to make the planet 7 degrees Fahrenheit (4 Celsius) warmer by the end of this century. If this is true, a lot of life on this planet will start dying off within 100 years (that's not an opinion. Read Mark Lynas' exceptional book 'Six Degrees.' A lot of life on Earth will cease to exist at such a temperature increase). Here's the INSANE part of the Trump Administration's admission. As opposed to point this out as an argument to immediately halt green house gas emissions, the Trump Administration is actually arguing we've screwed up the planet so much, to a point where we can't stop the inevitable die off of many living things, hence there's no need to enforce federal fuel-efficiency standards for cars and light trucks built after 2020. Not only is this admission being used to justify a potentially pathetic small victory for the Trump Administration, it begs we ask the question what the hell is wrong with you people?!? Why the hell aren't we trying to stop a massive global die off in the next 100 years, a massive global catastrophe you now admit WILL happen?!? The White House, when reached, refused to comment. (9/30)
The reason the Trump climate change admission is higher than the week long colossal Kavanaugh freak show is simple. Kavanaugh even if he is confirmed, if only on that bench for a few decades. The Trump Administration is admitting the world is about to see a change which will lead to the deaths of billions of people, not to mention much of the rest of the life on Earth. Scope and magnitude should factor into the placement.
Once again, there is no guarantee ANY Democrat will win squat in November. If you want a Blue Wave to happen, then you need to act. Help Democrats running in toss up districts, or in districts currently held by Republicans! Make a donation! Door knock! Make sure your friends, family and neighbors are all registered to vote!
If your state offers early voting, then go vote now, and then you are free to help others get to the polls on election day! If the Democrats don't win in November, I fear the America we know and love will cease to exist.
The next Countdown is in two weeks. #2018IsEverything! Peace...
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