Trump 33: Making Norman Bates Look Like a Choir Boy

[fraurosena]

Step right up and gather round for your daily dose of state-run propaganda, everyone!

The Trump administration will only allow U.S. Federal Workers to watch Fox News.

Quote

A leaked email sent to the staff of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggests that the Trump administration will only allow U.S. Federal Workers to watch Fox News.

Journalist Paul Thacker tweeted a screengrab of the message. His tweet was quickly denied by an FDA employee.

The message readers: “Please excuse me for sending this out to your entire group via your listserv, but I was alerted by a member in your group and I wanted to let everyone know that the reason for the change from CNN to Fox.

“The reason for the change is that a decision from the current administration administrative officials has requested that all monitors, under our control, on the White Oak Campus, display Fox News.

“Sorry for the inconvenience, but I am unable to change any of the monitors to any other news source at this time.”

The message was delivered to federal employees at the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), the branch that regulates medical products.

In an interview with ThinkProgress: an FDA spokesperson denied the email, despite proof of its existence.

“There was no directive or memorandum from the Administration that went out to employees about broadcast news channels displaying on monitors in common areas throughout the FDA’s White Oak campus.”

An anonymous CBER employee told BuzzFeed News that “a lot of staff were very upset about the change”.

A second FDA staffer explained the move: “’right wing’ news source playing in our halls…will drive away some people on the left who are already suspicious about the FDA being a shill for big pharma”.

President Trump has called CNN a “fake news” platform that is determined to undermine his presidency.

The administration even went so far as to block the news outlet, along with BBC, LA Times and New York Times from a media briefing earlier this year. Trump recently congratulated Fox News for its “amazing” spike in viewership.

Brainwashing at the FDA? This sounds like yet another move to form a U.S. dictatorship courtesy of an allegedly mentally ill Donald Trump.

Welcome to the Red State…

 

[fraurosena]

So of course he's accusing WaPo of  being a propaganda machine. Deflect by accusing others of that which you are guilty of.

 

[CTRLZero]

22 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

Step right up and gather round for your daily dose of state-run propaganda, everyone!

I tried to dig up more information on this unsettling event, and it looks like it was not necessarily the Trump administration (though I'm sure they'd love this to happen), but a decision made at the request of some employees to the FDA's Office of Facilities.  It would be great to learn some more on this, because they were running a mix of CNN, MSNBC and FOX on their various screens.  I am guessing it will be returned to the original mix of news programming, because there are a number of people complaining at the switch, and now the rest of us know this is going on.  It's good to be vigilant.

Quote

the email referenced had been sent by a customer service representative from the FDA's Office of Facilities in response to a group of employees.

 

[fraurosena]

Startling contrast, isn't it?

 

[fraurosena]

You might be forgiven for thinking this is from the Onion. But, no, it's actually true. I checked.

The White House Gift Shop is actually selling a coin for $95, which commemorates Donald Trump’s ’Genius’

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It wasn’t long ago that the White House Gift Shop caught some flak for trying to capitalize on a Trump/Kim Jong-un meeting which had yet been confirmed, via a collectors’ coin. The meeting did end up taking place, but the White House Gift Shop has been viewed as a bit of a joke ever since.

Well, if you thought that the Trump/Jong-un commemorative coin was a riot, wait until you hear about what the White House Gift Shop has in store next.

After making a quick visit to the “Coins” section of the gift shop website, one will notice that, in addition to the $39 Trump/Jong-un summit coin, the shop is selling ten other coins, many which are on pre-sale. The seventh option, however, stands out the most.

“#7 COIN IN HISTORIC MOMENTS IN GLOBAL HISTORY COLLECTION, TITLE “GENIUS MAKES ITS OWN RULES” AND INCLUDES A PUBLISHED 50 PAGE PRINT & DIGITAL MONOGRAPH “A STUDY IN GENIUS – THE PRESIDENCY OF DONALD J. TRUMP” PRE-ORDER SHIPS SEPT 30,” reads the description.

Yes, the White House Gift Shop is actually selling a coin for $95, which commemorates Donald Trump’s ’Genius’. The man who does’t appear to know the difference between ’to’ and ‘too,’ who considered pardoning Muhammad Ali, whose conviction was already overturned 47 years ago, and who thought Nambia was an actual country, is now getting a coin to commemorate his ‘genius’.

What’s even more baffling is the fact that, along with the coin, a 50 page print will be included. It certainly makes one wonder how they will fill up 50 pages of a book titled “A Study of Genius – The Presidency of Donald J. Trump”.

It is important to note that although the White House Gift Shop was founded in 1946 by President Truman and the Secret Service, the shop actually is its own private entity today.

 

[fraurosena]

So, let me get this straight, there was no collusion with Russia (so ridiculous), but there was Collusion with the Dems? You're getting worse, presidunce dear, now you're contradicting yourself in one and the same sentence.

Or are you saying that you didn't collude with the Russians, but you did collude with the Dems? 

[JMarie]

8 hours ago, fraurosena said:

Step right up and gather round for your daily dose of state-run propaganda, everyone!

The Trump administration will only allow U.S. Federal Workers to watch Fox News.

 

How many tvs will be turned off altogether, to avoid Fox News??

[GreyhoundFan]

27 minutes ago, JMarie said:

How many tvs will be turned off altogether, to avoid Fox News??

Maybe they'll start showing reality shows, since we have a bad reality show administration.

[Cartmann99]

1 hour ago, JMarie said:

How many tvs will be turned off altogether, to avoid Fox News??

That won't work for very long. They'll institute a rule that all televisions provided by the government must be showing Fox at all times, and can never be muted. 

 

[fraurosena]

The desperation is veritably dripping off his latest tweets. 

What did Peter Strok (sp?) testify that has gotten him so rattled? What did Peter say that has the Repugliklans in Congress so scared that they won’t even hand over a transcript of his testimony to Peter himself?

[AmazonGrace]

 

[Cartmann99]

12 hours ago, fraurosena said:

The desperation is veritably dripping off his latest tweets. 

What did Peter Strok (sp?) testify that has gotten him so rattled? What did Peter say that has the Repugliklans in Congress so scared that they won’t even hand over a transcript of his testimony to Peter himself?

Strzok is supposed to publicly testify this week, and I plan on watching it.

Also, a reminder about tomorrow night:

 

[Tikobaby]

17 hours ago, Cartmann99 said:

That won't work for very long. They'll institute a rule that all televisions provided by the government must be showing Fox at all times, and can never be muted. 

 

Mandatory Free-Vee running the Fox Network 24/7...shades of Stephen King.

[47of74]

Some in the press have decided to stop covering bund meetings.

Quote

The press has had enough, and they are saying no more to the coverage of Donald Trump’s rallies, as a consensus is growing that the President’s ramblings in front of his followers aren’t newsworthy.

There are so many things that this administration is doing that need to be given public attention that Trump’s rallies do feel like a waste of time and space. As the cable networks have done, PoliticusUSA monitor’s Trump’s events for newsworthiness, but we will not give a wide platform the President’s venting sessions that he disguises as rallies.

 

[AmazonGrace]

Oh I think they should have the incoherent Elton John organ thing playing on a loop until someone figures out what the hell is going on in his brain. 

 

Because of course he cheated on his taxes 

[GreyhoundFan]

"Trump is bent on wrecking NATO. Prepare for catastrophe."

Spoiler

U.S. AMBASSADOR to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison says “the overall theme” of this week’s summit meeting in Brussels “is going to be NATO’s strength and unity,” which is what it ought to be. There is considerable good news to celebrate: The alliance has substantially beefed up defenses of its eastern flank, facing Russia; it is recommitting to vital missions in Afghanistan and Iraq; and every one of its members is increasing defense spending — the biggest buildup by U.S. allies in 25 years. The summit is due to adopt an ambitious new plan that would allow NATO to deploy 30 battalions, 30 squadrons of planes and 30 ships within 30 days — a resource that could considerably bolster the ability of the United States to respond to crises.

Unfortunately, Ms. Hutchison cannot predict the potential behavior of the commander in chief, President Trump, who has kept security officials across Europe sleepless in anticipation of a possible blowup like he initiated at last month’s Group of Seven meeting. Behind closed doors in Quebec, Mr. Trump berated the alliance as “as bad as NAFTA” and defended Russia’s annexation of Crimea. He also dispatched letters to the leaders of Germany, Canada and several other nations, scolding them for failing to spend still more on defense.

The fear is not only that Mr. Trump will spoil the “unity” of the summit with harangues before flying to Helsinki for a far friendlier meeting with Russian President Vladi­mir Putin. It is that, having shrugged off the strong support for NATO among his national security team, he is bent on wrecking a multilateral organization he regards as obsolete and a means for European nations to freeload at the expense of the United States.

NATO is manifestly not a bad business deal, but a multiplier of power for the United States, giving it a vital strategic advantage over friendless China and Russia. Mr. Trump makes a valid point about defense spending, particularly by Germany, which devotes just 1.2 percent of its GDP to its military, with the result that all its submarines, half its tanks and most of its warplanes are not ready for duty.

That, however, is not a reason to undermine the Atlantic alliance, particularly at a time when Germany and all other members are raising spending. The allies committed to devote 2 percent of GDP to defense by 2024, and the number of member states on track to achieve that has grown from five to 16 since last year, according to the State Department. Mr. Trump himself has boasted in the past that “money is beginning to pour in”; he could celebrate and claim credit for the trend at the summit.

What the president ought to avoid is making a show of discord with the European allies as a prelude to a relations-mending summit with Mr. Putin. That would be not just unseemly but dangerous: It could cause the Russian leader to conclude that he might get away with a new round of aggression in Europe. Mr. Trump seems not to understand that maligning America’s allies while embracing its adversaries is more than a political game; it could have catastrophic consequences.

 

[Cartmann99]

5 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

Oh I think they should have the incoherent Elton John organ thing playing on a loop until someone figures out what the hell is going on in his brain. 

Apologies to Elton John and his song Tiny Dancer:

Please shut-up now tiny hands guy

Give us all a freakin' break

Eat your KFC in bed now

You sure did screw up things today

 

[Howl]

I can't live one. more. day. without a miniature chandelier ornament for my car.  Amazing video, beautiful and so melancholy. 

[GreatGirl]

Trump is coming to Europe. First Britain and then Finland to meet Putin. Finnish press have stories about preparations (where would he sleep?) but most worrying thing is that Trump wants to meet Putin alone.

What would they discuss? Would they compare which one has bigger button? Both Russian and American nuclear codes are in Helsinki next week. Or does Vladimir have a gift: Snowden?

One article I read described this as a meeting between skillful manipulator and world's biggest five-year-old. You can guess which is which. 

At least I won't go anywhere near city center next Monday.  Traffic will be horrible.

[WiseGirl]

2 hours ago, GreatGirl said:

Trump wants to meet Putin alone.

To meet his boss and get a review or new orders?

[fraurosena]

This is what happens when hatred is fostered.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

"As Trumpism takes hold, Republicans face increasing pressure to embrace policies they once opposed"

Spoiler

President Trump’s transformation of the Republican Party is taking full root — with the president in recent days shunning traditional alliances and values that have long been core tenets of the GOP.

The leader of what was once the party of free and open commerce escalated a trade war with China this month as the world’s two largest economies put in place new tariffs. Trump signaled that he plans to take a combative approach to the upcoming NATO summit, questioning the value of the alliance and warning Germany during a raucous political rally in Montana last week that “I don't know how much protection we get by protecting you.”

Even his signature hard-line immigration rhetoric is increasingly inflammatory — Trump accused Democrats last week of wanting “anarchy, amnesty and chaos” while insisting that migrants arriving at the border must be told “OUT . . . just as they would if they were standing on your front lawn.”

The hardening of Trump’s positions on key parts of his “America First” agenda comes just four months before November’s midterm elections. That is increasing the pressure on congressional Republicans to either embrace the most controversial tenets of his presidency or attempt to distance themselves from them in hopes of attracting the independent voters they are likely to need to retain control of Congress.

“I think that’s the drama we’re going to see in the next few years — whether the beliefs that are being espoused by President Trump are going to firmly take root and take over the party, or are they going to be tested in real life,” said Tony Fratto, who served as a spokesman in the George W. Bush administration. “I think we’re going to see foreign policy failures and trade failures that will lead Republicans to say, that was a mistake. We need to go back to where we were on those issues.”

But the president’s allies say Trump’s message of American dominance, even at the risk of retreating from traditional Republican principles, resonates deeply with voters who have long shared Trump’s skepticism of military alliances and trade deals. Polls show that Trump remains immensely popular within the Republican Party — indicating that, for now, efforts to confront Trumpism from within are likely to be a losing battle.

“They want to see America first,” said Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who represents one of the biggest Senate battlegrounds this fall and accompanied Trump to the rally in Great Falls last week. “They want to see jobs protected. And relating to NATO, they want to make sure everybody’s paying their fair share.”

The tensions among Republicans over Trump’s recent actions and comments come as the president takes the international stage this week, first at the annual NATO summit in Brussels, then Britain — where protests are expected to greet him, particularly in London — and finally next week in Helsinki, where Trump is to meet one-on-one with Russian President Vladi­mir Putin.

In advance of the stops abroad, Trump has taken a confrontational tone with allies, promising to tell NATO that “you got to start paying your bills” and complaining that European nations “kill us on trade.” 

“They make it impossible to do business in Europe, and yet they come in and they sell their Mercedes and their BMWs to us,” Trump said. “So we have $151 billion in trade deficits with the E.U. And on top of that, they kill us with NATO. They kill us.”

Trump also mocked critics of his closely watched summit with Putin and defended the former KGB agent: “You know what? Putin’s fine. He’s fine. We’re all fine. We’re people.”

GOP lawmakers endeavored to send a different message on their own trip to Russia and surrounding nations last week — a mission that sought to rebuild the frayed relationship with Moscow while stressing that Russia’s meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election was unacceptable. 

Before the Republicans traveled to Russia, they met with officials in Norway, a fellow NATO country. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), who was part of the delegation, said that while lawmakers stressed the importance of all countries making their contributions to NATO, they also wanted to make clear “from the congressional standpoint that we are very much committed to the alliance.”

“I hope that in the meetings with our NATO allies, that what comes out of that is a unified front,” Thune said of Trump’s upcoming European trip. “It makes it much harder for the Russians to make it an us versus them . . . issue if the Europeans and the NATO allies, we’re all on the same side.”

But indications are that Trump’s message out of the NATO summit will be far less accommodating. In addition to his comments at the Montana rally, Trump told senior aides recently that he wants to slash U.S. spending on Europe’s defense if allies are unwilling to contribute more to NATO, a senior administration official told The Washington Post.

In tweets on Monday morning, Trump again voiced his objections to lower levels of spending by other NATO members, particularly Germany, saying the situation “is not fair, nor is it acceptable.”

In April, during a visit with French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump was sharply critical of both British Prime Minister Theresa May and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, U.S. and European officials said. Trump is scheduled to meet with May in London after the NATO summit, and Merkel has been a frequent target of Trump’s ire. 

Few principles of the Trump doctrine have rankled Republicans more than trade, with GOP lawmakers reticent to embrace the president’s protectionist tendencies while Trump stands firmly behind them. 

The impact of Trump’s tariffs came into much sharper view this past week. On July 1, Canada officially imposed billions of retaliatory measures on U.S. products — such as yogurt and whiskey — in response to Trump’s tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum.

On Friday, the U.S. slapped duties on $34 billion in Chinese goods, prompting accusations from China that the United States had violated World Trade Organization rules and making it even more likely that Beijing will follow through on a pledge to impose levies on U.S. agricultural goods.

While Trump travels throughout the continent next week, pressure is likely to build again on Capitol Hill for legislative action to rein in Trump’s tariffs as the global trade war deepens. Sens. Patrick J. Toomey (R-Pa.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) are clamoring for a vote on their proposed legislation requiring congressional approval for tariffs imposed under a law intended to address national security concerns. 

They have yet to secure that vote, and some Republican lawmakers say their constituents continue to put faith in Trump’s negotiating tactics — even if the president’s tariff policies run counter to the party’s traditional free-trade values.

“I think a lot of Republicans are cutting the president some slack and giving him an opportunity to try to deal with trade abuses with certain countries and giving him the maximum amount of leverage,” said Thune, who has been a vocal critic of the administration’s trade policies. 

But noting that he plans to meet with soybean farmers from South Dakota this week in Washington, Thune added, “Some of the stuff is starting to bite.”

“What I’m saying to constituents is, give President Trump some room,” said Rep. Steve King (R), whose northwestern Iowa district produces massive quantities of pork and soybeans — products among the most vulnerable to Chinese retaliation. “Give him some room to freely negotiate here, and let’s see how it comes out. Don’t undercut the president and take the leverage away.”

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[AmazonGrace]