The Post It Note 8/20/18

August 20, 2018 6:00 pm EDT Beth News Notes (Open thread) 50

News from the note…

A round up of the day’s news that might be of interest to you.

This is an OPEN THREAD,  folks. Chat about any of the stories listed, share links to stories that caught your eye today, and generally have a good time discussing whatever you want.

175 former US officials added to list denouncing Trump for revoking Brennan’s security clearance

One hundred and seventy-five former US officials spanning service across intelligence agencies, the State Department, the National Security Council and the Department of Defense added their names on Monday to a list of intelligence officials denouncing President Donald Trump’s decision to revoke former CIA Director John Brennan’s security clearance.

“All of us believe it is critical to protect classified information from unauthorized disclosure. But we believe equally strongly that former government officials have the right to express their unclassified views on what they see as critical national security issues without fear of being punished for doing so,” the letter states.

“Our signatures below do not necessarily mean that we concur with the opinions expressed by former CIA Director Brennan or the way in which he expressed them,” the group statement added. “What they do represent, however, is our firm belief that the country will be weakened if there is a political litmus test applied before seasoned experts are allowed to share their views.”

CNN

Dems raise concerns over Bolton’s suspect ties to Russia

Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are questioning whether national security adviser John Bolton’s ties to Russia were properly vetted before he joined the White House this year.

In a letter to White House chief of staff John Kelly, Democrats cite recent reports indicating that Bolton worked with a Russian woman who was charged last month for failing to register as an agent of a foreign power in the U.S.

In their telling, Bolton “worked directly with a Russian citizen who has now been charged by federal prosecutors with infiltrating [the NRA] and spying against the United States for years.”

Politico

Ex-CIA director ‘would consider it an honor’ if Trump revoked security clearance

Former CIA Director Michael Hayden says that he would be honored if President Trump revoked his security clearance.

During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, Hayden said he “would consider it an honor” if the president also took away his security clearance “so I can add my name to the list of men and women who have spoken up against your presidency.” 

Hayden’s remark came days after the president’s decision to pull former CIA Director John Brennan’s security clearance. The move was widely regarded as an attempt to retaliate against a vocal critic of the administration and was met with considerable backlash from former top intelligence officials. Hayden has also been a harsh critic of Trump.

The Hill

Va. governor calls special session to redraw districts

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) on Monday called a special session on Aug. 30 for the Virginia General Assembly to redraw House of Delegates districts that a court said were gerrymandered.

“It is in the public interest for the General Assembly to finalize constitutional maps as soon as possible — Virginians deserve that clarity,” Northam said in a statement. “I am calling a special session so we can focus our collective attention on doing what’s right: working together to draw lines that represent Virginians fairly.”

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia ruled 2-1 in June that 11 House of Delegates districts were gerrymandered along racial lines. The court ordered lawmakers to redraw the lines by Oct. 30.

The Hill

Pentagon: Trump canceled military parade before being briefed on cost

President Trump canceled his desired military parade before Pentagon officials briefed him on cost estimates for the event, a Defense Department spokesman said Monday.

“The president was not briefed by any member of the Department of Defense on any cost associated with the parade,” Col. Rob Manning told reporters at the Pentagon.

The statement seems to contradict Trump’s own tweet from Friday morning, in which he claimed he axed the event after receiving a high cost estimate. The parade’s $92 million price tag leaked to the media on Thursday.

The Hill

Putin makes flying visit to Austrian foreign minister’s wedding

Russian President Vladimir Putin was a guest at the Austrian foreign minister’s wedding on Saturday, in a move that opposition politicians say undermines the European Union’s position on Moscow.

Putin dropped in on Karin Kneissl’s wedding in a remote area of southern Austria, on his way to a meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel in neighboring Germany later that day.

…the invitation came under fire from some Austrian opposition politicians, who said it undermined the EU’s foreign policy on Russia. The EU rolled out a raft of sanctions against Russia in 2014, in response to its occupation, and then annexation, of the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine.
Added to this, was the expulsion of Russian diplomats from many EU countries earlier this year. That move was a response to British allegations of Kremlin involvement in the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury in March.

Austria, which is led by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz of the Austrian People’s Party (OVP) in a coalition with the far-right Freedom Party (FPO), was one of the few EU countries not to follow suit and expel Russian diplomats. Kurz was also photographed at Saturday’s wedding. The FPO has a cooperation agreement with Putin’s United Russia party, according to Reuters.

CNN 

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About Beth 2709 Articles
*Principle above party * Politically Homeless * Ex GOP * Tribalism is stupid* NeverTrump ≠ Pro Hillary. Anti-GOP ≠ Pro Dem. Disagreeing with you ≠ Liberal. https://universeodon.com/@NoMorePlatosCave https://post.news/nomoreplatoscav Counter Social: @NoMorePlatosCave
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50 Comments

  6. Of course Donnie’s reading list comes from the morons over at Fox News. Books full of conspiracies and Trump love. Trump is shameless and pathetic.

  7. Sounds like Mr. President gave Reuters a tremendous interview. He is gonna stay out of the investigation for now, but he doesn’t have to, he could run it if he wants.

  9. Key difference in the CNN article about POTUS 44 and 45’s books. Obama’s list are books he is reading. Trump’s list are books he’s “recommending”. I seriously doubt Trump has read any of those books, and his knowledge is confined to a reported excerpt likely broadcast on FOX news.

  11. Over 1.9 million acres in the West have been consumed by fire this year, and what’s the President’s public statement? That California is ‘diverting’ water to the Pacific.

  14. Funny, odd. 43 is an avid reader but that does not fit the narrative of him being stupid so…
    Always amazed that someone who completes flight school is considered stupid.
    Sorry, have to give a shout out to a fellow Mitch Rapp fan. 😉

  18. Col Peters on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 just now made an excellent point, noting that people are missing the boat comparing Mueller’s investigation to Watergate. Peters notes that it more closely compares to a standard DOJ investigation of a mob boss.

  19. Yes, yes….”unhinged” is certainly the operative word

  20. Even if I am telling the truth, that makes me a liar, says Trump in a Reuters interview.

    Hannity, Limbaugh, Levin and Fox are not your friends, Mr. President. What plays well with their audience will not play well with most of America.

  22. I don’t usually get involved in true crime stories, but every once and awhile one grabs my attention, and this one in Colorado where the husband murdered his pregnant wife and two daughters has. Probably because it reminds me of the Susan Smith case, which was one that really bothered me. I just don’t understand how any parent could murder their child; little kids are so trusting… how do you do something like that? I will never, ever understand it, and I’m not sure I want to.

  24. Awwwwwwwwwwww…Hannity is wailing about poor widdle Paul Manafort………..awwwww……..just minding his own business until the evil Mueller and the Deep State Conspiracy started their horrendously evil witch hunt. At this point there’s very little of Sean Fu’s soul left.

  30. Humor break:

    • I hate them. From Paul Ryan, to Rand Paul, to Ted Cruz.

      These assholes properly called out Obama’s crew when they were dishonest…

      Now…they are not only the same as that crew, they are worse. They are hypocrites.

  33. Mock them. Mock them relentlessly. For when it came to standing on their purported conservative principles most of the Republican pundit class went full Honey Booboo. They.embraced the most dysfunctional, least self aware segments of the electorate.

  34. OMG. Stupid Trump admin wants to take away Obama’s and Mueller’s security clearance. How about someone take away his before he does more damage. This man is truly insane.

  36. There has been a huge number of what they used to say was ink spilled- I guess it’s now 1’s and 0s spilled? Over the mental ability of Donald Trump. And, while that is a legitimate and growing concern, there is another person whose health is an even bigger concern.

    The person whose health we should all be watching is Rupert Murdoch.

    Given Trump’s viewing habits, and his crack whore-like dependence on it for coverage, and cover-were Murdoch to pass- or at least pass control (fully) to his sons , or “God Forbid” someone outside the family, someone who did not share, or at the very least allow, the cult-like devotion to Orange Julius, this Trump Derangement would subside.

    Donald Trump can be bat guava crazy with no concern, as long as he is enabled and defended by the blonde of the day and the “Great American.” Without Fox “News”, Trump is just another ridiculous old babbling lecher sitting at the end of the bar hitting on girls who won’t give him the time of day.

    Were it not for Rupert, and the enablers he hired, Trump would not be where he is.

  37. Levin using the “I worked in the Reagan admin” card is as stupid as if I went around saying “You, know I worked in retail. Respect me.”

  38. Relating to my commnet below about “Big Talk Radio” covering for Trump I will reflect on the last time a listened to Limbaugh. It was in mid December 2015 I was at work and tuned my radio into Rush, as I had for years although I had been getting annoyed with him as of late.

    Well he spent his first hour monologue (We all know he loves to talk) doing his whole laughing at the way Trump is “playing the media” and marveling at Trump schtick. It must have been around 12:50 PM Eastern time, probably around December 15th when I put Limbaugh in my rearview forever. I was so pissed off at him, that I was in a bad mood the rest of the day.

  46. Not sure if this is the newest iteration of Lenny….he’s always in some kind of Deep Space. But props to whomever…

  47. So if Trump nixed his special parade before he was briefed on the excessive cost of the charade, err parade, then why did they give him an estimate of how much it would cost after it was cancelled? What would be the purpose of that?

    Do these people actually think we are as stupid as the base? Or are all these lies meant for the base only?

  48. Just how compromised is the GOP with Russian assets? They got their hooks in a lot of organizations, donors, etc.

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