DONALD TRUMP'S ADMIRATION FOR RUSSIAN LEADER VLADIMIR PUTIN

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Crippled America: How To Make America Great Again, by Donald J. Trump (Threshold Editions, An Imprint 0f Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York, NY, 2015, 193 pages).

Book Review by Dennis Moore

January 2, 2016 (San Diego's East County) - Donald J. Trump, the very definition of the American success story, has now delved into politics with his candidacy for the White House, and explains why in his very provocative book; Crippled America: How To Make America Great Again. Trump, a graduate of the Wharton School of Finance, an accomplished author and having written more than fifteen bestsellers, with his first book, The Art of the Deal, being considered a business classic and one of the most successful business books of all time. There is no question that trump has been a very successful entrepreneur and businessman – but does that necessarily translate into his being a great politician or President of the United States?

In his book, Trump states: “Look at the state of the world right now. It’s a terrible mess, and that’s putting it mildly. There has never been a more dangerous time. The politicians and special interests in Washington, DC, are directly responsible for the mess we are in. So why should we continue listening to them? It’s time to bring America back to its rightful owners – the American people.”

Trump specifically states in his book: “This book is my blueprint for how to Make America Great Again. It’s Not Hard. We just need someone with the courage to say what needs to be said. We won’t find that in Washington, DC.”

If it is true that “a picture is worth a thousand words”, the numerous pictures in this book, such as Trump shaking hands with President Ronald Reagan at the White House, Trump’s confirmation at First Presbyterian Church, and Trump International Hotel & Tower on the river in my hometown of Chicago, certainly says a lot about this man.

With all the success that Trump has had in his life, one might ask why delve into politics? He answers that in a rhetorical question on the very first page of his book by stating: “SOME READERS MAY BE wondering why the picture we used on the cover of this book is so angry and so mean looking. I had some beautiful pictures taken in which I had a big smile on my face. I looked happy, I looked content, I looked like a very nice person. My family loved those pictures and wanted me to use one of them. The photographer did a great job. But I decided it wasn’t appropriate. In this book we’re talking about Crippled America. Unfortunately, there’s very little that’s nice about it.”

In this provocative book, Trump pulls no punches, and spares no one in his aim and professed desire of Making America Great Again! On the back cover of this well written book, it states: “EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT DONALD TRUMP”, with the following examples;

“I’m glad he’s in there, because him being the way he is, and saying what he says the way he says it, I think shakes things up, and I think that’s very needed.”

-          Robert Redford, in an interview with Larry King

“Far from destroying our democracy, he’s exposing all its phoniness and corruption….And changing it in the process.”

-          New York magazine

“We finally have someone who genuinely loves America and is not beholden to the donors….He will be beholden to no one except regular Americans.”

-          Ann Coulter, in an interview with Simon Conway

“Probably the best thing to happen to politics in a long, long time.”

-          Mark Cuban, on Cyber Dust

“Trump fills the vacuum left by a political faction that has for years promised its voters it would do things it had no intention of doing.”

-          The Federalist

“Trump has the fire in his belly to make America great again and probably do it the right way.”

-          Mike Ditka, in a Chicago Sun-Times interview

Of course, there are many that are opposed and disagree with Trump’s ideas about being the next President, and what it would take to make this country great again. That is what is so beautiful about this country we live in. Yes, everyone is talking about Donald Trump! Just recently, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said U.S. presidential front-runner Trump’s rhetoric on Muslims is ignorant and irresponsible. Trudeau said painting the Islamic State Group with a broad brush that extends to all Muslims “is not just ignorant, it’s irresponsible.”

Trump came out swinging with some of the most outlandish statements in his run for the presidency, such as building a wall between the United States and Mexico, and making Mexico pay for it. As a matter of fact, his hawkish stand on immigration seems to resonate with a lot of people in this country, which has kept him atop the polls. Perhaps his most profound and incendiary position has been his proposing a temporary ban on Muslim immigration into the United States, which Rich Lowry, editor of National Review, states; “might be the most roundly and fiercely denounced idea in America since the British Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts (in 1774).” Trumps Muslim position and pronouncement came on the heels of the recent Paris and San Bernardino massacres.

In a recent Republican debate, Trump’s call for temporarily banning Muslims from the U.S. – a proposal roundly criticized by his rivals – dominated much of the discussion heading into the debate, saying he wasn’t seeking to discriminate against Muslims, and specifically stating: We are not talking about isolation; “we’re talking about security,” he said. “We are not talking about religion, we are talking about security.” Another Republican candidate for President, Jeb Bush, countered by stating: “Donald is great at the one-liners, but he’s a chaos candidate and he’d be a chaos president.” That remains to be seen!

Ironically, and in further regard to the comment made by Jeb Bush regarding Trump, in a recent and new biography by Pulitzer Prize winning historian Jon Meacham; Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush, a Bush-Trump presidential ticket was first revealed. The book claims Trump was the one seeking to be veep and asked Bush aide Lee Atwater to vet him for the ticket. But Trump claims it was the other way around.

In his book Crippled America, Trump has even weighed in on the gun control issue, proudly claiming to be a member of the National Rifle Association (NRA), along with his sons Donald and Eric. He states in his book: “Gun owners should be allowed to purchase the best type of weapon for their needs, whether it’s for self-protection, sport shooting, or any other purpose.” That is a scary thought!

Since declaring himself a candidate for President of the United States, Trump seems to have taken potshots at everything and everyone, even Chief Justice John Roberts of the Supreme Court, questioning his conservatism. It makes me wonder if all this bombast is just theatrics, or a carryover from his “The Apprentice” show. Many people seem to be wondering who is the real Donald Trump?

For a person wanting to be President and Make America Great Again, I have never known someone such as Donald Trump to be so mean-spirited and to take potshots at virtually everyone, examples given; Rosie O’Donnell, Megan Kelly, Mexicans (Mexicans are rapists), President Obama and Chief Justice John Roberts. Surprisingly, he says nothing critical or negative about Russian leader Vladimir Putin or Syrian leader Bashar Assad. Yet, these antics seem to resonate with a fringe element of Americans.

In regard to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Trump expresses admiration for him, referring to him as a “powerful leader” who is “highly respected within his own country and beyond.” Rich Lowry, editor of the National Review, states: “Trump’s call to steal Iraq’s oil and kill the families of terrorists is in a Putinesque key.” Is this Trump’s idea of How to Make America Great Again?

Trump also recently assailed Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton by calling her husband, former President Bill Clinton, “one of the great abusers of the world”, referring to Bill Clinton’s affair with White House intern Monica Lewinski – Trump specifically stated: “And she wants to accuse me of things. And the husband’s one of the great abusers of the world. Give me a break. Give me a break. Give me a break.”

Until reading Cripple America: How To Make America Great Again, I never knew or heard about Trump’s religion, as mostly what anyone heard was about his business savvy and acumen. If it is of any relevance, in his book Trump proudly professes to be a Christian. Just as he takes bold and somewhat controversial stands on gun control and immigration, he has some opinionated stands on religion. He states: “I think people are shocked when they find out that I am a Christian, that I am a religious person. They see me with all the surroundings of wealth so they sometimes don’t associate that with being religious. That’s not accurate. I go to church, I love God, and I love having a relationship with Him. I’ve said it before – I think the Bible is the most important book ever written – not even close. Perhaps The Art of the Deal is second. (Just kidding!)"

Surprisingly, about this book is the fact that at the back the author would include his personal financials, or net worth, which he proclaims: “My current net worth is more than ten billion dollars.” This is uncharacteristic of a politician to be so forthcoming, and especially without any prodding. But then again, Donald J. Trump is not the typical politician. This book, Crippled America: How To make America Great Again, no matter what your political or philosophical leanings are, will be found to be an insightful read and a window into the world of this enigmatic person.

Trump excludes from his book the role he played in the infamous "Central Park Five" case, in which in 1989 five young black men were wrongfully convicted of raping a woman jogging in New York City.

Surprisingly, Trump does not say anything in his book about his stance on the "Central Park Five", or his views on race relations, as they have become an issue in his presidential campaign. Trump actually paid a reported $85,000 to take out advertising space in four of the city's newspapers, including the New York Times. Under the headline "Bring Back The Death Penalty. Bring Back Our Police!" and above his signature, Trump wrote: "I want to hate these muggers and murderers. They should be forced to suffer and, when they kill, they should be executed for their crimes. They must serve as examples so that others will think long and hard before committing a crime or an act of violence."

One year after the Central Park Five were convicted, John O'Donnell, a former executive who ran Trump Plaza hotel and casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, published a tell-all alluding to his former boss's casual racism behind closed doors, according to a story by Oliver Laughland in "The Guardian".

O'Donnell quoted Trump as saying: "I've got black accountants at Trump Castle and at Trump Plaza. Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only kind of people I want counting my money are short guys that wear yarmulkes every day."

In a later interview with Playboy magazine, Trump labelled his former employee a "fucking loser" but added: "The stuff O'Donnell wrote about me is probably true."

The Central Park Five would later be exonerated, after Matias Reyes, a violent serial rapist and murderer already serving life inside, came forward and confessed to the Central Park rape. He stated that he had acted alone and DNA evidence proved it.

Following a 14-year court battle, the Central Park Five settled a civil case with the city for $41 million in 2014. But far from offering an apology for his conduct in 1989, Trump was furious.

Just days into office as President of the United States, President Donald Trump kept one of his campaign promises by attempting to ban Muslims from entering our country. Fortunately, a New York federal judge, United States District Judge Ann M. Donnelly would issue an order on January 28, 2017 against President Trump and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) enjoining them from doing so. See attached order here.

Perhaps to gain further insight into this man that wants to "Make America Great Again", one need to read the attached "Cohen v. Trump lawsuit here.

Ironically, and in the Trump University lawsuit in San Diego, which is being heard by the judge that Trump refers to as "Mexican", the attached sworn deposition by Trump speaks volumes here.

The judge that Donald Trump refers to as "Mexican" is actually Judge Gonzalo Curiel, and he was born in Indiana, and is pictured here in 1974 as a member of the predominately black Kappa fraternity.

 

And now, the Attorney General that President Trump has recently criticized, Jeff Sessions, has had a federal lawsuit filed against him and his Department of Justice by the City of Chicago, for threatening to withhold federal funds to Chicago for their alleged support and stance as a Sanctuary City. Read lawsuit here.

Dennis Moore is the Associate Editor of the East County Magazine in San Diego and the book review editor for SDWriteway, an online newsletter for writers in San Diego that has partnered with the East County Magazine, as well as a freelance contributor to EURweb based out of Los Angeles, and having written more than 175 book reviews. Mr. Moore is also the author of a book about Chicago politics; “The City That Works: Power, Politics, and corruption in Chicago.” He can be contacted at contractsagency@gmail.com or you can follow him on Twitter at: @DennisMoore8.

 

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Comments

Crippled America: How To Make America Great Again, by Donald J.

Dennis, Pertaining to your most recent comment, "I have no words". Our President, at times, doesn't think before he speaks, many of his supporters like that about him, some of them are afraid to speak against him, and his tough bravado bodes well with his base. And just hours ago he was able to get sufficient votes to repeal and replace Obamacare, and was happy to state that it only took eight weeks!! Most likely the Senate will give the "go" as well. Additionally, your book review earlier this year is insightful, carefully thought out, thorough and a masterpiece in my opinion. You captured the essence of the man (now President), his motives, his self-absorption and the ideas and causes he stands for. I remember the Central Park Five Ad that he ran against those innocent teenagers who were forced into signing confessions, and years after being free many still believe that they had something to do with the rape despite the fact that the true rapist took ownership of the crime. I was engrossed with your review, and liked the fact that we can read "The Decision and Order" as it pertains to the Muslim Ban, as well as "Cohen v. Trump lawsuit pertaining to Trump University. Submitted by Jacqueline Carr - Author of "Quiet Thoughts" and "A Selected Few Just For You."

What's most shocking is Trump's apathy toward Russian hacking.

It is a fact confirmed by intelligence agencies under both Trump and Obama that Russia did hack nito numerous election systems in multiple states. (It's unknown whether any votes were changed.)

If Trump's team was NOT complicit, or even if some may have been, but without Trump's knowledge, why wouldn't he want to do everything possible to stop Russian cyberhacking in the future and protect the integrity of our elections?

Yet he's repeatedly denied that any hacking occurred, ignoring evidence provided by his own intelligency agency leaders.

The only way that position makes sense is if he's afraid any invsteigation might show complicity by himself or his top team members in helping Russia rig and influence the outcome of the election to help him win.  Either that, or if he's been silenced because of something the Russians are holding over him; he does owe a lot of money to Russian banks.

Why else wouldn't he just pledge resources to have his administration investigate the cyberhacking by Russia and do everything possible to put a stop to it, whether or not it actually affected his own election or not? That's what any honest person would do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did Trump really “Make America Great Again”???????

Did former President Donald Trump really make America great again, and for whom? After writing subject book review, and many others, and his recent conviction in Federal Court on all 34 counts, one could easily say he did not! And with numerous other lawsuits and indictments facing him, the judgment is still out on him and the wisdom of him even running for President is suspect!

The USA is supposed to be a democracy,

where the representatives of the people enact laws which are then administered by the president. Unfortunately that procedure has been dumped, and the president acts as an autocrat according to what he wants to do. It really started full-blast with Clinton and his executive orders. . .Trump did do some things which interest me, including pulling troops out of Iraq and Syria (later to be replaced), a plan for getting out of Afghanistan (later enacted by Biden), and a plan to better relations with North Korea and then withdrawing US troops from South Korea, which was dead on arrival. Gotta have all those troops still in South Korea for the never-ending Korean War, 75 years and still on 'cuz it's near China. Trump tried but failed to end it. . .BTW Trump was tried in state court not federal court. He put an income tax expense in the wrong place. OMG that's a panties-twister.

President Trump sent me a Tweet this morning!

President Trump sent me the following Tweet this morning: "It now seems the General Flynn was under investigation long before was common knowledge. It would have been impossible for me to know this but, if that was the case, and with me being one of two people who would become president, why was I not told so that I could make a change? He was told by Sally Yates, Acting Attorney General, and President Obama. Judge Emmett Sullivan opens up the Mueller Report to reveal this revelation about Michael Flynn here.

City of Chicago files federal lawsuit against Attorney General

The City of Chicago filed a federal lawsuit against President Trump appointed Attorney General Jeff Sessions, whom Trump has been critical of recently for recusing himself of the Russia investigation, with the City of Chicago seeking injunctive relief for Sessions threatening to withhold federal funds due to Chicago's stance and support as a "Sanctuary City". Other cities across the country are taking a similar stance as Chicago. Read lawsuit here.

Comey: Trump pushed to 'lift cloud'

Fired FBI Director James Comey testified under oath yesterday that President Donald Trump repeatedly pressed him for his "loyalty" and directly pushed him to "lift the cloud" of investigation shadowing his White House by declaring publicly the president was not the target of the probe into his campaign's Russia ties.

President Trump

I think that one of the most resonating statements that President Trump has made so far is his reevaluation of his belief that making America great again is "not hard." His admission that the job is harder than he thought is a step forward! The whole world is watching.

Pope:Take in as many refugees as you can

Poped Francis urged nations recntly to take in as many refugees as they can integrate into their societies,but to invest in places like Africa so migrants won't turn to human traffickers to reach countries that can offer a better life, according to an Associated Press story by Alessandra Tarantino.

Making America Great Again

Why are all the comments on Trump small and negative. How is this country Great as it was 50, 100 years ago? It is not. Crime is rampant. Cities are a mess with drive by's and out of work or the working poor, if many don't even speak a word of English. Millions out of work lost to other countries. I wonder if a working man, proud of his job would have the energy to do nightly drive by's or gang activities. Drug cartels (yes they are here as well) take over on border walkers, human trafficking, and kidnapping (see UNDERWORLD). What's wrong with organized borders? Why not know who is coming here, where and why? What are the leader's motives in all this. Why are police not getting backup in many cities. It is a war zone for years, I can prove that. How can we afford medical, food, and support for women who fly in 9 months pregnant, have a baby here and leave with income, when we cannot afford these for ourselves. How many millions have this income for these motivated alien parents? Why are the in command taking money from Muslim Saudi Arabia that fosters and teaches their children a hate for Americans in grade school, forbid women from driving, and more, and behead it's citizens in their public parks? (Saudi Arabia Uncovered - on Netflix now). So sure.. maybe all this anti Trump talk can get us what we already have, out of work citizens, unknown terror people here, violence in cities, unsafe borders, millions taking from our country (press one to send money to Mexico) and most not contributing, but taking. Whats wrong with a working alien here many years being a supporting citizen? Taking back our jobs? Having safe cities and secure borders? Better foreign policies? We must take care of ourselves to be able to help others.

Giuliani: WH wants classified info briefing

President Donald Trump's legal team wants a briefing on the classified information shared with lawmakers about the origins of the FBI investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 presidential election and may take it to the Justice Department as part of an effort to scuttle the ongoing special counsel probe, according to an Associated Press story today by Jonathan Lemire and Eric Tucker.

 

Rudy Giuliani, one of Trump's attorneys, told The Associated Press on Friday that the White House hopes to get a readout of the information next week, particularly about the use of a longtime government informant who approached members of Trump's campaign in a possible bid to glean intelligence on Russian efforts to sway the election. Trump has made unproven claims of FBI misconduct and political bias and has denounced the assest as "a spy." In a related story, Congressman Devin Nunes' letter to Rosentein is here.

 

 

 

 

GOP to Trump: Lay off Mueller, take no action

More Republicans are telling President Donald Trump in ever blunter terms to lay off his escalating criticism of special counsel Robert Mueller and the Russia probe. But party leaders are taking no action to protect Mueller, embracing a familiar strategy with the president - simply waiting out the storm.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicts 13 Russians

Just today, a lawyer embroiled in the Russian matter, after Special Counsel Robert Mueller had indicted 13 Russians last week, pleaded guilty in the expanded Russian collusion/obstruction of justice matter. This is further evidence that the Russians meddled in our 2016 elections, yet Trump still will not say a negative word about Putin.

Not everyone thinks things were great 100 years ago.

Women couldn't vote, black people didn't have civil rights, segregation was legal and rampant, and Native Americans didn't have citizenship or voting rights either.

 Some things have gotten worse in recent years, with corporations taking jobs overseas and crime rising in some areas.  But it's simplistic to scapegoat immigrants for all of that.  In fact a new study shows that the highest number of terror attacks in the U.S. last year were committed by white supremacists, not people of color or immigrants or refugees.

A lot of people don't know that currently there is no legal path to citizenship for people who came here illegally (unless you marry a citizen or a couple of other loopholes) no matter how many years you live here, how hard you work, how many degrees you earn, or how much you contribute to society.

Trlump Indicted!

A lot of us did not see this coming, an indictment of the former president on RICO charges in Georgia!

 

Trump indicted again - yawn

Trump got indicted (this time) for a "conspiracy" which led him to say things that may not be true, exercising crazy reckless free speech just like anybody else in Washington.

He did a whole lot more than that.

I just posted a story.  He signed documents he knew were false. He pressured officials in several states to break the law and change votes,  personally, with phone calls.  He knowingly participated in a scheme to get people to pose as electors and the fake electors met at Georgia's statehouse and elsewhere and sent in their votes to official channels asif they were real, even though Biden won those states. He was in a meeting when his own lawyer said what Trump was asking Pence to do was flatly illegal under the Constitution, yet he continued to make those demands and bully all the officials who refused to do illegal acts. His minions in Georgia even broke into voting machines and got hold of ballots and voters' private data,and an out of state person working for Trump went to poll worker Ruby Freeman's house to harass and intimidate her.  Georgia's Republican Governor and Sec. of  State both say Biden won and Trump was wrong to ask them to violate the law.  Trump also signed court documents with claims he knew were false, totally made up with no evidence at all. 62 judges rejected his legal challenges including judges he appointed.  Just how much evidence will it take to convice you Trump was the kingpen of a conspiracy to steal the election, all the while accusing others of doing what he was trying to do?

Try turning off Fox News, which has admitted in the Dominion Voting Machine lawsuit that it's "news" people lied repeatedly (and are still doing so). Try other media or better yet, read the actual indictments.

 

Trump wants his generals to be like Hitler’s!

I was stunned to get this revelation this week from former President's Trump's Chief of Staff John Kelly that Trump wanted his generals to be like Hitler's, which seems to be a tacit endorsement of Hitler.

It is hard to know where to begin.

Putting aside whatever you think of Trump the person, what the Dems are doing is putting American democracy at grave risk. Not only are they trying to destroy Trump, but they are waging a very heavily funded effort to try to destroy No Labels as well, so as to eliminate any potential competition to their seizing power. This is what just happened in Pakistan, and what they did in Russia to the leading opposition person. We knew from Russiagate, the Dems would stop at nothing to get rid of Trump who they view as a threat to their power, and their massive corruption, but now they have gone over the line so far as to raise serious question as to the legitimacy of the Democratic party. Whatever Trump did in GA is no different than what Gore did in FL. Dershowitz, who was in charge of the Gore effort, said what Trump did was no different, and Dershowitz is anti-Trump and a very liberal Dem. The Dems have put the nation at serious risk, and the whole world in a dangerous place by upending the beacon of liberty and democracy. If you take the indoctrination of kids starting in elementary school, the effort to bar parents from knowing anything, the corruption of the press, the pressures on corporations by Black Rock and Vanguard, and now the attacks on a presidential candidate and a legitimate third party during the election season, there is a pattern of dictatorial power grab that is truly frightening. We have never faced such a threat to the nation since the civil war. We can do something. Newt said it right. These are simply very bad corrupt people. The appointment of Weiss as special counsel boggles the mind, and once again just proved Garland to be nothing more than a tool of the White House who needs to be impeached soon over this. Section 600.3 of DOJ regs says special counsel is to be a person outside of the government. To appoint Weiss, who let the statute of limitations lapse and who agreed to the phony plea deal, is beyond imagination. It was clearly done to try to stymie the House from digging further into Joe. It was idiotic. All they accomplished was to ramp up corruption and visibility to the point that even CNN has now raised issues that this stinks. They should charge Garland with obstruction of justice, and violating his obligations of his office, and impeach him. It all just goes to show the extent they will go to in order to try to save Joe. Special counsel Smith was resoundingly reversed by a unanimous SCOTUS when he set out to destroy Governor McConnell of VA. The press likes to keep saying Weiss is a Trump appointee. While that is true, he was recommended by the two Dem Senators from Delaware so he is really a Dem selection which explains everything.

Whistleblower Complaint against President Trump

The recent Whistleblower Complaint against President Trump, in which he asks the President of Ukraine for political help against former Vice President Joe Biden, has brought about the call for impeachment. Listen to the audio of the whistleblower complaint here.

Trump: OK to answer questions, under oath

President Donald Trump declared he's "looking forward" to being questioned - under oath - in the special counsel's probe of Russian election interference and possible Trump obstruction in the firing of the FBI director. Trump said he would be willing to answer questions under oath in the interview, which special counsel Robert Mueller has been seeking.

AG queried in Russia probe; Trump soon?

Attorney General Jeff Sessions was questioned for hours in the special counsel's Russia investigation, the Justice Department said Tuesday, as prosecutors moved closer to a possible interview with President Donald Trump.

CNN: Putin, The Most Powerful Man In The World

CNN, in a TV special just about an hour from now, will present a special about Vladimir Putin; "The Most Powerful Man In The World." That is stunning, and I definitely will be watching, a I always thought that the President of the United States was considered the most powerful man in the world. Perhaps the host of the show coming on tonight at 9PM ET has revelations that needs to be seen and considered.

Oil tycoon with ties to Putin may head State Dept.

In a decision that could alter U.S. relations with one of its principal rivals, President-elect Donald Trump is expected to choose Rex Tillerson, a powerful oil tycoon with close ties to Russia's president, as secretary of State, according to media reports, as reported by Tracy Wilkerson in Sunday's Los Angeles Times News Paper. Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson would likely face rocky confirmation hearings, according to Wilkinson. Many in Congress already are worried about Trump's refusal to recognize what the U.S. intelligence community has concluded was hacking by Russia and an attempt to help Trump win the presidential race, again according to the reporting by Wilkinson. Putin bestowed Russia's "Order of Friendship" on Tillerson in 2013, two years after Exxon Mobil signed a multi-billion-dollar deal with Russia's largest state-owned oil company, Rosneft, for joint exploration and production.

Trump adds new administration picks

President-elect Donald Trump pressed forward Friday with two more administration picks, as failed Green Party candidate Jill Stein took steps to force recounts across key Midwestern battlegrounds that could complicate Trunp's push for national unity. Trump tapped Fox News analyst Kathleen Troia "KT" McFarland to serve as deputy national security adviser and campaign attorney Donald McGahn as White House counsel.

"Don't overlook Trump's ableism"

Ableism, the individual or systematic discrimination against and stigmatization of people with disabilities or people perceived to have disabilities, is still an unfamiliar concept to many Americans - some of whom aren't even willing to admit that racism or sexism are real, according to David Perry, a disability rights journalist and history professor at Dominican University. Ableists convey the message that disabled people are not full members of our society, leading to exclusion and even abuse. Perry further indicates in his Opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times that Donald Trump is fully complicit in sending precisely that message.

 

Perry specifically states : "Bizarrely, Trump's supporters have lately been using the candidate's routine ableism as a defense against accusations that he mocked a disabled New York Times reporter last November. Supporters are arguing that Trump wasn't specifically insulting the reporter, but that he routinely uses spastic arm motions - what Ann Coulter calls 'standard retard' - to make fun of people.'

"Black guys counting my money! I hate it."

One year after the Central Park Five were convicted, John O'Donnell, a former executive who ran Trump Plaza hotel and casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, published a tell-all alluding to his former boss's casual racism behind closed doors, according to a story by Oliver Laughland in "The Guardian". Although examples of overt racism were perhaps kept behind closed doors in the late 1980s, O'Donnell quoted Trump as saying: "I've got black accountants at Trump Castle and at Trump Plaza. Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only kind of people I want counting my money are short guys that wear yarmulkes every day."

 

 

DONALD TRUMP AND THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE

Yusef Salaam was 15 years old when Donald Trump demanded his execution for a crime he did not commit, according to a story by Oliver Laughland in The Guardian. In 1989 five young black men were wrongfully convicted of raping a woman jogging in New York City. Leading the charge against them was a real estate mogul whose divisive rhetoric can be found in his presidential campaign today. These young black men were exonerated from this dastardly deed through DNA evidence, and actually received a $41 million settlement. Still, Trump took out an ad against these young men. Is this the "Making America Great Again" that Trump advocates for, or does he intend to exclude blacks?

Donald Trump

In my opinion, anyone who resorts to insults and name-calling when backed into a corner, is not the leader we want to have. Any time anyone has ever asked him a pertinent question, he has hedged on it, and started insulting the questioner, or he blurts out something stupid--something like 'there has to be some form of punishment' (to women) for having an abortion. I believe Donald Trump is a narcissist who doesn't accept consequences for his own words and deeds. Look at his reaction to the judge who is siding with the 'losers' who attended Trump University. He says he is biased because of his Mexican heritage. In a few of the books I've written, I have characters, with behaviors similar to Donald Trump, causing harm to come to others. In "Perfect" there was Steven. He acts very much like Trump. In "Choices" there was Nelson, as well as Angie. And since I'm talking about personality disorders, I can't possibly leave out Derek, in "Testosterone Poisoning." I have a Master's in Behavioral Health, and I have been educated and trained to pick up on these types of disorders. Trumps has more than one trait leaning toward a personality disorder. Great review, Dennis Moore. I can see where it is sparking a lot of controversy.

Haiti, 'shocked, outraged'

Haitians reacted with outrage Friday to reports that President Donald Trump questioned why the U.S. would accept more immigrants from Haiti and "shithole countries" in Africa at an Oval Office meeting held on the eve of the anniversary of the 2010 earthquake, one of the deadliest disasters in modern history. President Jovenel Moise's government issued a strongly worded statement denouncing what it called a "racist" view of Haitian immigrants and people from African countries.

FBI probe of Trump - Russia ties began 3 months before election

The FBI's counterintelligence investigation into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, confirmed by FBI director James Comey in congressional testimony Monday, began as early as late July - just weeks after a former British spy briefed bureau agents about evidence he had collected about such ties, sources tell Yahoo News.

 

Christopher Steele, a former British MI-6 intelligence officer who specialized in Russian operations, had been hired as an investigator by an opposition research firm (initially retained by Trump's Republican primary opponents and later by supporters of Hillary Clinton). Accoring to one of the sources, it was Steele who first alerted FBI agents on July 5 to evidence he had compiled that advisors to the Trump campaign and Kremlin officials were in contact about the 2016 election.

TRUMP: LITIGATOR AND CHIEF?

On the anniversary of the start of his presidential campaign, Donald Trump spent much of the day in a setting he knows well - a room oh high-priced lawyers battling out a civil lawsuit, according to a story by Nick Penzenstadler and John Kelly in USA TODAY. If the Republican becomes president, an unprecedented number of unresolved lawsuits could become a distraction in office. They point out in their story that 4,000-plus lawsuits have been filed by and against Donald Trump and his companies, according to an ongoing USA TODAY investigation, and that 75 lawsuits are pending, as of today, involving Trump as a plaintiff or defendant, and that 3 active lawsuits against Trump University alleging fraud, one of which is an action by the New York attorney general.

Trump: "Did Tulsa officer get scared, Choke?"

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump responded to an unarmed black man being shot and killed by white police officer Betty Shelby, by stating: "Maybe people like that, people that choke, people that do that maybe cannot be doing what they are doing." Trump also Tweeted: "very troubled" by Tulsa police shooting: Did cop "get scared? Was she choking" What happened"

Melania plagiarism

As an editor I can tell you if a writer turned in a work with two paragraphs plagiarized almost entirely word-for-word with no atribution, they would be fired.  This was not a gray area -- the plagiarism was blatant. She is not the candidate of course, nor is she a journalist.  But the campaign should have someone vet all speeches. She told the speechwriter that Michele Obama's speech was an inspiration to her, so she clearly knew where that material came from and should have insisted it be paraphrased or simply give credit for the direct quotes.

It clearly calls her ethics into question, especially now that news has broken that she also lied on her resume about having a college degree, when she never graduated. 

Section 3 of 14th Amendment disqualifies Trump!

Yesterday in "The Atlantic" two noted legal authorities published a piece indicating that former President Donald Trump has disqualified himself to be president by his embrace and support of the January 6th insurrection, according to Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. One of those legal scholars was Professor Lawrence Trump.

 

The visionary lies to himself, the liar only to others

One man keeps saying it didn’t even happen.  

"This Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story. It's an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should've won," said President Donald Trump in an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt in May.

On Twitter in September, Trump said, "The Russia hoax continues, now it's ads on Facebook. What about the totally biased and dishonest Media coverage in favor of Crooked Hillary?"

And during an overseas trip to Asia in November, Trump spoke of meeting with Putin: "Every time he sees me, he says, ‘I didn't do that.’ And I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it." In the same interview, Trump referred to the officials who led the intelligence agencies during the election as "political hacks."

Trump continually asserts that Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election is fake news, a hoax or a made-up story, even though there is widespread, bipartisan evidence to the contrary.

When the nation’s commander-in-chief refuses to acknowledge a threat to U.S. democracy, it makes it all the more difficult to address the problem. For this reason, we name Trump’s claim that the Russia interference is a hoax as our Lie of the Year for 2017.

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