Monthly Archives: May 2018

REPORT: WH Aide Plotted Spying On His Coworkers To Catch Leakers Or Those Seen As “Disloyal” To Trump

The Daily Beast reports: A former National Security Council official now working for Attorney General Jeff Sessions explored ways to surreptitiously monitor the communications of White House staff for leaks or perceived political disloyalty to Donald Trump, according to three former Trump NSC officials familiar with the effort. Ezra Cohen-Watnick, whom former national security adviser Michael Flynn brought onto the …

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Retailers Group Recreates Ferris Bueller Scene To Teach Trump That Tariffs Are “B-A-D Economics” [VIDEO]

The Hill reports: Retailers are going straight to the source in an expanding effort to stop a potential flurry of steep tariffs proposed by President Trump on foreign-made goods coming into the United States. The National Retail Federation (NRF) has recreated an iconic scene with Ben Stein, an economist and an actor, about tariffs and voodoo economics in the iconic …

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Trump Rages That He Needs “Better TV Lawyers”

The Washington Post reports: The president vents to associates about the FBI raids on his personal attorney Michael Cohen — as often as “20 times a day,” in the estimation of one confidant — and they frequently listen in silence, knowing little they say will soothe him. Trump gripes that he needs better “TV lawyers” to defend him on cable …

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John Oliver Examines Crisis In Venezuela [VIDEO]

Bustle reports: On Sunday’s episode of Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver’s Venezuela segment highlighted the dire nature of the country’s political and economic crisis. Oliver’s segment comes several days before the 2018 Venezuelan presidential election, which current president Nicolás Maduro looks likely to win. In addition to shedding light on the crisis, which has left thousands of Venezuelans impoverished …

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LIVE VIDEO: Jerusalem US Embassy Opening Ceremony

The BBC reports: A small interim embassy will start operating on Monday inside the existing US consulate building in Jerusalem. A larger site will be found later when the rest of the embassy moves from Tel Aviv. The opening ceremony was brought forward to coincide with the state of Israel’s 70th anniversary. President Trump is expected to address those attending …

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ISRAEL: Pastor Robert “All Jews Go To Hell” Jeffress To Speak At Embassy Opening, Romney Denounces Him

Haaretz reports: One of the speakers at Monday’s ceremony marking the relocation of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem will be a Christian leader with a history of hateful comments against Muslims, Mormons, gay people and Jews. Dallas-based Robert Jeffress, a Baptist pastor with a large following in Texas, told Fox News that he would be leading a prayer during the …

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Multiple Daily Calls Between Trump And Hannity

New York Magazine reports: Their chats begin casually, with How are yous and What’s going ons. On some days, they speak multiple times, with one calling the other to inform him of the latest developments. White House staff are aware that the calls happen, thanks to the president entering a room and announcing, “I just hung up with Hannity,” or …

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Cohen’s Pitch To Uber: I’m The President’s Lawyer

The Wall Street Journal reports: Mr. Cohen’s pitch was blunt. He would tell prospective clients — large corporations worried about their lack of connections to President Donald Trump’s administration — that he didn’t know who was advising them, but that the companies “should fire them all,” a person familiar with Mr. Cohen’s approach said. “I have the best relationship with …

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ISRAEL: Violence Erupts Ahead Of Embassy Opening, 16 Palestinians Killed, Hundreds Wounded [VIDEO]

The Associated Press reports: Thousands of Palestinian protesters converged along the border with Israel on Monday, drawing Israeli fire that killed at least 16 people in the bloodiest day of weeks of demonstrations and casting a cloud over Israel’s festive inauguration of the new U.S. Embassy in contested Jerusalem. With their anger fueled by the embassy opening, protesters set tires …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Billboard Magazine reports: On the May 12 episode of Saturday Night Live, the NBC sketch comedy show parodied the Hulu dystopian drama The Handmaid’s Tale, but this time reimagined it as a spinoff of Sex and the City. In the spoof, called Handmaids in the City, SNL host Amy Schumer is joined by her fellow maids around the cafeteria table, …

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ISRAEL: Soccer Team Whose Far-Right Fans Chant “Death To Arabs” Changes Name To “Trump Jerusalem”

Bloomberg reports: An Israeli soccer team has changed its name to honor President Donald Trump, a day before the U.S. embassy is slated to move to Jerusalem. “For 70 years Jerusalem been awaiting international recognition, until President Donald Trump, in a courageous move, recognized Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel,” the Beitar Trump Jerusalem football club — formerly known …

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ISRAEL: Ivanka, Jared, And Steve Mnuchin Arrive For Opening Of New US Embassy In Jerusalem [VIDEO]

The BBC reports: US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, have arrived in Israel ahead of the opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem on Monday. The couple – both senior White House advisers – will attend the ceremony. Mr Trump himself will not be there. His decision to move operations from Tel Aviv angered …

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White House Spox On Staffer’s Mocking Of McCain’s Cancer: I Don’t Know If That Comment Was Even Made

The gaslighting is neverending: After dozens of calls for an official apology, the White House is still dodging questions over a comment made by one of its staffers. White House spokesman Hogan Gidley on Sunday refused to comment directly on special assistant Kelly Sadler mocking Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) brain cancer. Gidley, who was confronted about the comment on “Fox …

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Trump Vows To Aid Chinese Phone Company That Shut Down After US Sanctions Banned Selling Parts To Them

Business Insider reports: President Donald Trump’s crackdown on trade claimed a massive victim this week, as the Chinese tech giant ZTE shut down most of its operations. The Commerce Department recently banned the sale of US-made parts to ZTE, crippling its operations and leading to a shutdown of its factories. In a statement Wednesday, ZTE said that “the major operating …

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Serial Adulterer Celebrates Mothers Then Goes Golfing

The Hill reports: President Trump wished Americans a happy Mother’s Day in a video message on Sunday. In the 80-second video, the president spoke about his own mother, as well as the mothers throughout U.S. history whose “love and courage and devotion” he said have helped shape the nation. “America’s strength has come from the love and courage and devotion …

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YouTube Launches Opt-In “Digital Well-Being” Feature Reminding Users To “Take A Break” From Videos

Gizmodo reports: Google is well aware that YouTube is the internet’s biggest time suck, sending users down endless rabbit holes of related videos. Now, as part of the company’s apparent newfound interest in digital well-being, it’s introducing a feature that will encourage people to step away from the endless stream of videos—but only if they opt into it. The new …

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Federal Lawsuit Claims FDNY Recruit Was Taunted To Have Sex With Stripper To Prove He Isn’t A “Faggot”

The New York Post reports: They stripped him of his dignity. A former probie firefighter from Queens said his colleagues demanded he “have sex with a stripper” to prove his manhood, according to an explosive new federal discrimination lawsuit against the FDNY.  Michael Troina’s lawsuit, filed Saturday, alleges he “was singled out time and time again on account of his …

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Defense Contractor To Head Trump Intel Advisory Board

Politico reports: Stephen Feinberg, a billionaire financier, will head President Donald Trump’s Intelligence Advisory Board, the White House announced on Friday. Feinberg is the co-founder, executive chairman and co-chief executive officer of Cerberus Capital Management, an investment firm that also owns defense contractor DynCorp International. Shortly after taking office in 2017, the president reportedly asked Feinberg — a Trump supporter …

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State TV Host: Trump Has Fulfilled Biblical Prophecy

“Donald Trump recognized history, he like King Cyrus before him, fulfilled the biblical prophecy of the God worshipped by Jews, Christians and, yes, Muslims, that Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish state and that the Jewish people finally deserve a righteous, free and sovereign Israel. Trump has assured the world that his word is worth more than any …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

The New York Post reports: It’s no secret that UPS is keenly interested in upgrading its fleet of trucks to more environmentally friendly models. As a quick example, UPS just a few months ago agreed to purchase 125 Tesla Semi trucks, the largest order Tesla has fielded since pre-orders opened up. Taking things a step further, on Friday UPS announced …

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