Trump 32: Pissing off the World, One Country at a Time

[fraurosena]

Because why would they? Nobody's going to hold them accountable anyway...

White House stonewalling government watchdog, agency says

Quote

The White House is not cooperating with requests from the government's chief watchdog, House Democratic lawmakers said, calling for a hearing to look at the administration's "dramatic decision" to ignore inquiries from the oversight agency.

Government Accountability Office general counsel Thomas Armstrong said in a letter earlier this month to White House counsel Don McGahn that he understood that "attorneys from your office and the National Security Council will not respond to inquiries or otherwise engage with GAO staff during the course of our reviews."

Armstrong asked for a response from McGahn by May 25 — a request that was not met, according to a separate letter dated Tuesday from Democrats on the House Oversight Committee.

The lawmakers, led by ranking member Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), asked committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) to hold a hearing to shed light on “why the Trump Administration has so severely reversed course to deny GAO access to information it has obtained for years.” The lawmakers made both letters public this week.

Armstrong wrote in his letter to McGahn that the White House's refusal to comply with the watchdog's requests "represents a clear departure from past practice.”

He said the GAO has sought information on the cost of presidential travel and security measures, vacancies in the office of the inspector general and the role of the NSC in conflict-prevention efforts abroad. He said staff “have either refused to have any discussion … or not responded at all.”

Armstrong said he was “concerned” that the White House’s “new policy” will hinder the agency from carrying out its work, which is aiding Congress in carrying out its “constitutional oversight.”

Gowdy has not yet responded to the request for a hearing on the oversight issues. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. 

 

[fraurosena]

The presidunce is the bigliest, bestest at job growth!  Oh, wait....

 

[GreyhoundFan]

[AmazonGrace]

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[fraurosena]

8 minutes ago, AmazonGrace said:

 

If the Aussies knew about his ties to the mob more than thirty years ago, it’s incomprehesible to me that no one knew about it in America two years ago.

[laPapessaGiovanna]

3 hours ago, fraurosena said:

If the Aussies knew about his ties to the mob more than thirty years ago, it’s incomprehesible to me that no one knew about it in America two years ago.

Oh they knew, they just didn't care. A mobster was better than Killary /sarcasm

[Howl]

6 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

 

Yes, Martha Mitchell.  I'd say what happened to her goes far beyond being "roughed up."  This entire Trump dumpster fire has a side effect of reacquainting a new generation with Watergate. 

[Howl]

"White House suddenly flip-flops on sanctions after Chinese company hires former Trump campaign aide"

With Trump, the graft, corruption, influence is right there in your face; in his mind, it's how business is done.  Trump's shock n' awe campaign  crossed every red line without repercussion; we should have seen this coming.  What we didn't see coming was how Republicans would roll over and play along with every outrageous thing.  

Maybe the economic instability from trade wars will be the final straw but, really, I doubt it. 

[AmazonGrace]

Things are going great when you have to look in pardoning yourself

[AmazonGrace]

 

[fraurosena]

Way to MAGA, Presidunce!

U.N. Expert: America’s Poor Becoming More Destitute Under Trump

Quote

Poverty in the United States is extensive and deepening under the Trump administration whose policies seem aimed at removing the safety net from millions of poor people, while rewarding the rich, a U.N. human rights investigator has found.

Philip Alston, U.N. special rapporteur on extreme poverty, called on U.S. authorities to provide solid social protection and address underlying problems, rather than “punishing and imprisoning the poor”.

While welfare benefits and access to health insurance are being slashed, President Donald Trump’s tax reform has awarded “financial windfalls” to the mega-rich and large companies, further increasing inequality, he said in a report.

U.S. policies since President Lyndon Johnson’s war on poverty in the 1960s have been “neglectful at best,” he said.

“But the policies pursued over the past year seem deliberately designed to remove basic protections from the poorest, punish those who are not in employment and make even basic health care into a privilege to be earned rather than a right of citizenship,” Alston said.

Almost 41 million people or 12.7 percent live in poverty, 18.5 million in extreme poverty, and children account for one in three poor, he said. The United States has the highest youth poverty rate among industrialized countries, he added.

“Its citizens live shorter and sicker lives compared to those living in all other rich democracies, eradicable tropical diseases are increasingly prevalent and it has the world’s highest incarceration rate ... and the highest obesity levels in the developed world,” Alston said.

However, the data from the U.S. Census Bureau he cited covers only the period through 2016, and he gave no comparative figures on the extent of poverty before and after Trump came into office in January 2017.

The Australian, a veteran U.N. rights expert and New York University law professor, will present his report to the United Nations Human Rights Council later this month.

It is based on his mission in December to several U.S. states, including rural Alabama, a slum in downtown Los Angeles, California, and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.

A U.S. official in Geneva, asked for comment, told Reuters: “The Trump Administration has made it a priority to provide economic opportunity for all Americans.”

 “SHAMEFUL STATISTICS”

Citing “shameful statistics” linked to entrenched racial discrimination, Alston said that African Americans are 2.5 times more likely than whites to live in poverty and their unemployment rate is more than double. Women, Hispanics, immigrants, and indigenous people also suffer high rates.

At least 550,000 people are homeless in America, he said.

“The tax reform will worsen this situation and ensure that the United States remains the most unequal society in the developed world,” Alston said. “The planned dramatic cuts in welfare will essentially shred crucial dimensions of a safety net that is already full of holes.”

The tax overhaul, which sailed through the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress in December, permanently cut the top corporate rate to 21 percent from 35 percent. Tax cuts for individuals, however, are temporary and expire after 2025.

Trump has said they will lead to more take-home pay for workers and has touted bonuses some workers received from their employers as evidence the law is working.

Alston dismissed allegations of widespread fraud in the welfare system and criticized the U.S. criminal justice system. It sets large bail bonds for a defendant seeking to go free pending trial, meaning wealthy suspects can afford bail while the poor remain in custody, often losing their jobs, he said.

“There is no magic recipe for eliminating extreme poverty and each level of government must make its own good-faith decisions. At the end of the day, however, particularly in a rich country like the United States, the persistence of extreme poverty is a political choice made by those in power,” he said.

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[AmazonGrace]

I guess Putin is getting what he wanted here. NATO is going to be much weaker if everyone can't get along.

[fraurosena]

33 minutes ago, AmazonGrace said:

 

I haven't read the article itself (I'm not giving Brainfart any clicks if I can help it), but, good grief! I believe he thinks he can intervene in European politics, but.. yeah. Let's just say he has feelings of grandeur that have no basis in reality. With 28 member states, European politics are a quagmire with a great many parties to contend with. Good luck trying to interfere into that! 

47 minutes ago, AmazonGrace said:

I guess Putin is getting what he wanted here. NATO is going to be much weaker if everyone can't get along.

Or the other NATO members are going to pull together and simply push America to the side.

[laPapessaGiovanna]

1 hour ago, AmazonGrace said:

 

My amswer: fuck you evil moron! Fucking go away! We Europeans don't need you nor your disruption.

[AmazonGrace]

This is a trainwreck

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[Howl]

I disagree with Joe Sudbay and Will Bunch.  This could be stopped in a heartbeat, but the Republicans refuse to do anything to call out and stop the blatant illegality and corruption; as John Boehner said, there is no longer a Republican party, there's only the Party of Trump.  They pour gas on the dumpster fire every. fucking. day.

And thanks for linking that, @AmazonGrace.  It's an incredibly powerful piece. 

[Howl]

This is a repentance post.  Upthread, I posted a super snarky NY Post cover pic about Kim Kardashian meeting Trump in the Oval Office. 

Turns out Kim Kardashian was there to advocate on behalf of a black woman who has served 20 years of a life sentence for involvement in cocaine dealing, no previous criminal history.  It was a big cocaine ring, this was not small potatoes.  But yet, a life sentence with no previous criminal history?   

[Botkinetti]

@Howl I need to repent with you. I found the photos ridiculous and looked no further into why she was there. I assumed they both considered it a photo op . I think it does all of us good to be metaphorically slapped upside the head and examine our own biases. Thank you for digging deeper and bringing the story behind the meeting to my attention.

[AmazonGrace]

Generally if you did nothing wrong self-pardoning doesn't come up in the conversation https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1003616210922147841?s=19

[CTRLZero]

1 hour ago, Howl said:

Turns out Kim Kardashian was there to advocate on behalf of a black woman who has served 20 years of a life sentence for involvement in cocaine dealing, no previous criminal history.

I knew the story about the woman who was imprisoned for cocaine dealing, but am always suspicious when someone like Jared Kushner is involved in prison reform.  Although in his case, he is probably a natural choice since many of his acquaintance are no doubt headed in that direction...

In any event, good on Kim Kardashian if she was there for a worthy cause.  I'll continue to doubt the motivations behind the likes of Kushner.

[formergothardite]

I'm glad she was there to advocate for a good cause, but I can't help but wonder if she was doing this to help their image after Kanye praised Trump and said awful things about slaves. Has Kim been willing to publicly condemn any of Trump's words/actions?