BREAKING: 88 of Amy Coney Barrett’s faculty colleagues at Notre Dame have released a letter saying she should withdraw from consideration for the Supreme Court.
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Jonathan Alter
@jonathanalter
Husband, father; author (of books on FDR, Obama and Carter); MSNBC analyst; documentary filmmaker; columnist; founder, oldgoats.substack.com
jonathanalter.comJoined February 2009
Jonathan Alter’s Tweets
If we “move on”, the GOP will refuse to concede future elections, then judge-shop until they steal one. There must be a price paid for sedition or we will lose our democracy. This is critically important work in the next couple of years.
A serious proposal: All major news organizations should temporarily replace their White House reporters with medical reporters so that the daily briefing is primarily about public safety. The political reporters can ask the press office about squabbles with governors etc.
The US admitted five states—Wyo. Montana, Idaho, N. Dakota & S.Dakota—to Union in 1889-90. The explicit aim was to give the GOP ten new senators. It’s a little rich watching senators from those lightly populated states argue that opposing DC statehood is a matter of principle.
Paging all lawyers who want to prevent Trump’s postal coup: Forget DOJ. All states have laws against election interference. Because mail-in ballots include candidates for state office, AGs and DAs have standing to bring criminal cases against USPS. Start with PA, WI and MI.
Here’s what Pelosi said when Rep. Scalise was shot at a cong. ballgame: “On days like today, there are no Democrats or Republicans, only Americans united in our hopes and prayers for the wounded.” Compare that to crickets from Trump.
In 1966, my late parents held a small fundraiser at our Chicago home for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Total take: about $1,000). He gave a short, intimate version of his "I Have a Dream" speech in our living room. I was 8-years-old and got his autograph. It helped shape my life.
Why is it that almost none of the discussion of the Wall includes the fact that illegal immigration into the US peaked 11 years ago and has declined ever since? Seems kinda elemental.
This is mind blowing. The Republicans are literally stealing the election in state after state. twitter.com/AlexMohajer/st
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Biden--who is doing well now on CNN-- doesn't know it, but he won Michigan tonight. Trump said he told Pence not to call back governors like Whitmer who weren't "appreciative."The ad writes itself: "President Trump put himself and his pettiness ahead of Michigan, costing lives."
Note to Democrats and media: Do not use ever use “chain migration.” It’s a loaded right wing phrase like “death taxes.” The proper phrase for the provision, according to the Immigration Act of 1965, is “family reunification.”
The Jan. 6 Committee is really throwing down the gauntlet to Merrick Garland. He will either act or have to explain why he isn’t doing so. Silence from DOJ is no longer possible.
I’m ashamed that Newsweek—the magazine where I spent 28 good years (1983-2011)—would publish this piece of racist fact-free legal sophistry by a dude who ran against Harris for AG and didn’t disclose it. I must have missed this guy’s piece about Ted Cruz’ eligibility.
. might be interested to learn that John McCain’s economic adviser, Mark Zandi, just backed the Inflation Reduction Act. He joined 7 Nobelists and 2 treasury secretaries.
Breaking: obscure law requires Sen confirmation for WH aide like Bannon to serve on NSC. 50 U.S. Code § 3021 law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/50
Mueller was FBI director for more than a decade and Gingrich always loved him. In 2016, he loved FBI Hillary probe. Now he calls FBI and Mueller “totally corrupt” because they’re investigating his team. Totally disgusting.
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We're expect insane stuff from Newt Gingrich. But even for Newt this is insane and dangerous.
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The "Wall of Moms" in Portland is a brilliant tactic that may forever change social protest. If adopted everywhere--and protesters mostly stay behind it--this "good wall" (like non-violence) will reinforce that demonstrators have the moral high ground. It wrecks Trump's argument.
Infestation in Baltimore? Yes, in many of the 20,000 crappy apartments owned by Jared Kushner.
Trump attacks Pelosi and lies about her in CBS interview to air during the Super Bowl. CBS should either run that part only on “Face the Nation” where it can be corrected by the panel or give Pelosi equal time. The latter would set a good precedent for respecting Congress.
Any pundit who ever again praises Paul Ryan's brain and policy chops after this pathetically inept health care bill should leave journalism.
Kelly must go. He knew that Porter’s interim security clearance expired Jan 15 and that the FBI had a serious problem with Porter handling top secret material.
About 130 years ago, my great-grandfather, Jacob Alter, fled anti-Semitism in Hungary. 75 years ago, Hungary gladly offered up its Jews to Hitler’s ovens. Today, Orban has made Hungary the most anti-Semitic country in Europe. The GOP response to Trump’s praise of Orban? Crickets. twitter.com/TVietor08/stat
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Reporters should cut through the noise and ask GOPs a simple question: “Why do you want to make it harder to vote?” When they answer with blather about “ballot integrity,” reporters shld stand firm, explain that 2020 was an historically clean election—and ask the question again.
This myth that a sitting president cannot be indicted is getting tiresome. That is nowhere in the Constitution and the Supreme Court has never ruled on it. A DOJ guidance policy has no legal standing. Mueller has said his mandate isn't to indict but fed prosecutors in NY could.
In commentary, I will no longer refer to them as “detention centers”. In the spirit of “Hoovervilles”—a brilliant coinage by a DNC official in 1931—they should be called “Trump Hotels”—which will drive Trump nuts. If that’s too subtle, “baby jails” and “kid cages” will do.
Hakim Jeffries just made a key point: “At no time was there a federal investigation of the Bidens.” The U.S. never sub-contracts corruption investigations of Americans to foreigners.
Sexual assault claim against Biden makes me skeptical: Ex-prosecutor. Pretty convincing.
The Tara Reade story is now officially dead. With her credibility shot, any reporters asking Biden about it or mentioning it in Biden stories should include similar accusations against Trump in the same sentence or, preferably, not mention Reade at all.
Putin must have amazing leverage for Trump to feel obliged to give back the staging areas for their assault on the United States.
Let's see--8 golf dates and 11 rallies in the period when ANY other president would have been replenishing stockpiles, rolling out testing & preparing the country for a crisis. Other world leaders did that, but not Trump, who golfed and rage tweeted while 100,000 American died.
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This was the point I made on MSNBC the day after the election. A huge number of Republicans are misogynists. Full stop.
2. GOP starting to realize that Obamacare Medicaid folks aren't poor blacks they've demonized for so long. They're older white Trump voters.
This is fascistic. First the White House goon cuts 's mic, then he grabs it from her. This isn't the first time the White House has cut mics. Why isn't this a bigger issue?
Trump doesn’t understand that the White House is not his house. The flag there represents the people, not his pathetic jealousy and bitterness. The guy better never, ever lecture us again on NFL players respecting the flag, and if he does, NFL owners must ignore him.
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pres trump - you are commander in chief by law, duty bound to honor sen mccain
ignoring his death is a disgrace
Voters need to think hard about Bernie's decision to launch a conspiracy theory claiming something suspicious in the timing of today's Washington Post piece saying the Russians are intervening in the election on his behalf. Really? The editors and reporters timed it? Trumpish.
I took a home Covid test today and tested positive, though I only have a super-mild sniffle. As a 64-year-old with a cancer history of immuno-suppression, I have little doubt I'd be in trouble if I wasn't triple-vaxxed. Those anti-vaxxers on TV have blood on their hands.
Message to Fox Repubs: Our country was attacked by a hostile foreign power. Full stop. Imagine if you learned that in 2012 the government of Iran had intervened massively in our election to help re-elect Obama. Are you really telling me if he hadn’t colluded you wouldn’t care?
It’s time we start calling Trump’s behavior what it is—UnAmerican.
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Nothing funny about tired Saturday Night Live on Fake News NBC! Question is, how do the Networks get away with these total Republican hit jobs without retribution? Likewise for many other shows? Very unfair and should be looked into. This is the real Collusion!
Sanders just said he won’t release his medical records. That’s Trumpish. Letters from his doctors are not the same. He also said if he’s the nominee he won’t need Bloomberg’s $500 million to beat Trump. Really? Do Democrats want a nominee without the money to win?
The Comm. on Pres. Debates should announce tomorrow that the vice presidential debate will proceed but the next two presidential debates will be cancelled because the president will not observe the rules and show common decency. It will be no loss. There’s nothing left to learn.
Those kids and others with high SATs didn’t mobilize a national movement and land on the cover of TIME. Based on their scores, they should be smart enough to know that using test scores alone is a stupid way to select an interesting class of freshmen. twitter.com/JesseKellyDC/s
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Democrats will rue the day they demanded resign. They’ve given into the conflation of crimes (Weinstein, Moore) and power abuse (bosses) with boorishness. It won’t get more women voters and will lose more anti- PC men. Sucker’s game.
As someone who has argued publicly that Biden is too old to run for reelection, I must admit: He sure wasn't too old tonight.
Mind blowing interview moments ago with unhinged Stephen Miller. Must be watched in its entirety. Tapper did the best he could with a stupid, obsequious Roy Cohn wannabe.
It looks like Trump could go down on felony bank fraud for inflating the value of a Bedford estate by six-fold to get a loan from Deutsche Bank to buy the Buffalo Bills.
Mike Holmgren, former Green Bay Packer coach, delivers serious blow to Trump in WI.
I strongly agree with on this. Past press secretaries have all said the only thing they have is their credbility. Sanders’ is shot. No White House reporter should ever ask her a question again. It’s a total waste of time.
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No self-respecting White House reporter should ever quote or interview @PressSec again.
Mueller documented her outright lie about the @FBI.
Freeze her out.
Collins is apparently worried about a 2020 primary challenge if she votes no. But she’ll lose the general if she votes yes. Obvious solution: Follow Angus King example and run and win as an independent. If she lets McConnell bully her, she deserves to lose.
No smoking gun? To the contrary, Volume II is a smoking artillery range. It depicts 11 cases of clear obstruction of justice, establishes criminal intent, and recommends that Congress act on the voluminous evidence to “uphold the principle that no person is above the law.”
Taken as a whole, the McCain civic rites show America’s consistent capacity for renewal. Today makes me think the good guys will win. The only question is when and how much damage will be done in the meantime.
Mind-blowing ignorance. The president who is destroying 230 years of liberal democracy and fulfilling decades of predictions of the decline of the West doesn't know what either even means.
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As his lack of comprehension of the words used in @peterbakernyt’s question shows, the President of the United States is breathtakingly ignorant. twitter.com/DavidNakamura/…
U.S. vs. Nixon was 8-0 in favor of requiring president to respond to a subpoena. Rehnquist recused himself because he served in Nixon Admn. Kavanaugh was nominated by Trump (equivalent to serving) and has declared his views on relevant case (Morrison vs. Olsen). He must recuse.
Minor point but Philbin just repeated that Mueller Report found "there was no collusion." That is NOT what Mueller found. He said there was not enough for a CONSPIRACY charge, which is not the same thing. And he found 11 examples of obstruction of justice.
Words matter. It’s essential that new money for physical and human infrastructure be called what it is—INVESTMENT, not “spending,” which is pejorative and imprecise.
Great line by : Trump may not have known a lot about the framers, but they knew a lot about him."
Why can't the Dems vote 51-50 to require a "talking filibuster" on the 1/6 commission? That way, GOPs on the floor--sleeping on cots where the Natl Guard just did--will have to explain around the clock to the Capitol Police why they are betraying the very people protecting them.
An important piece by a former Secretary of State. I can’t think of an historical precedent of someone of Albright’s stature warning of fascism in the United States.
Kavanaugh has this rep in clubby Washington legal world of being a nice guy. But when he gets out in the real world, where the consequences of court decisions are felt, he turns into a rude physical coward.
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Father of Slain Parkland Teen (Fred Guttenberg) Says Not Only Did Kavanaugh Turn Away As Soon As He Mentioned His Murdered Daughter. But Kavanaugh Himself Asked Security to Remove Guttenberg and ID'd Him to Security By the Bracelets He Wears for His Daughter.
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Thanks, My late father, Jim Alter, who flew 31 combat missions in a B-24 over Europe during WWII (and was shot down) is smiling somewhere. He despised what he called “Phony Rightwing Patriots” and liked to point out that few saw action.
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Donald Trump does not own the flag. The American people do. 
This new video from @donwinslow is absolutely spot on 
#DemocratsStandTall
#NotTrumpsFlag
This new video from @donwinslow is absolutely spot on
#DemocratsStandTall
#NotTrumpsFlag
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This is an utterly terrifying column from former top official. It suggests that next month the GOP may try to sneak through a huge court packing scheme that—my words—amounts to a judicial coup attempt by Trump.
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Trump is packing the courts. And that's just the start of the court packing. It could get ALOT worse. My latest for the @washingtonpost washingtonpost.com/opinions/conse
A Fla. prosecutor on MSNBC just called Trump’s call the “Four Seasons Landscaping version of the ‘perfect’ Ukrainian call.”
Hard to imagine Labor Secry Acosta can keep his job after this devastating piece. And the House next year needs to find out exactly when Trump was on Jeffrey Epstein’s yacht and who else was aboard that day. While they’re at it, let’s find out when Bill Clinton was aboard, too.
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Replying to @MiamiHerald
Multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein was accused of sexually assaulting dozens of teen girls. Their stories were dismissed by prosecutors, who cut Epstein a lenient deal. His victims have never had a voice, until now.
Part 1 of #PerversionofJustice: miamiherald.com/news/local/art
Obama just delivered an historic and terrifying speech about the stakes in 2020 for American democracy. He waited four years—then threw the shade of a mighty oak.
If Trump yanks ANY credentials, the entire White House press corps must walk out and say it won't return until he restores the credentials. Anything short of that is craven capitulation to a dictator.
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The Fake News is working overtime. Just reported that, despite the tremendous success we are having with the economy & all things else, 91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake). Why do we work so hard in working with the media when it is corrupt? Take away credentials?
This is sad, . You know perfectly well that Trump walked away from a deal to protect Dreamers in exchange for more for border security. Trump admitted to Schumer in the Oval Office TV mtg that he would take responsibility for the shutdown. Why won't you let him?
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Bottom line: @chuckschumer is closing the government and creating genuine hardship for hundreds of thousands of federal employees b/c he’s afraid of his “base” which wants zero border security funding. It’s all on @chuckschumer, period. rollcall.com/news/politics/
What part of “shall furnish” tax returns to the House does Mitt think is moronic—the “shall” or the “furnish”? The law is the law. Nothing ambiguous here.
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What @MittRomney said about Trump's tax returns is, to use his word, "moronic." Like most Republicans, he and his new senate staff don't know the law. twitter.com/atrupar/status…
This has now become a character test for every host and analyst on Fox. Are they journalists like Chris Wallace and Shep Smith or in-the-tank bootlicking shills like Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham?
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Here's Fox News' Chris Wallace saying that "the spinning that's been done by the president's defenders over the last 24 hours since this very damaging whistleblower complaint came out ... [is] not surprising but it is astonishing and I think deeply misleading." 
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Republicans saying Mueller is biased because some of his subordinates are Democrats. But Mueller is from the president’s party. Ken Starr was from the opposite party, as were ALL of his prosecutors of Clinton. Didn’t hear Repubs yelling bias then.
Trump lawyer just said Rockefeller not subjected to this when he became VP in 1974. False. He released his taxes.
Maybe the most malign force in the Republican caucus— —is exposed as a liar in a case where he apparently turned a blind eye to sex molestation (like the Penn State coaches who were prosecuted) He has always been a smear artist and should be pressed to resign pronto. twitter.com/aravosis/statu
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This is a weak story, which leaves out that both and Rep. Jim Jordan reject the whole idea of investigating 1/6 and see the probe as entirely anti-Trump. Of course had to prevent them from serving on a committee they intended to subvert.
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After two and half centuries of our nation's history, it's come to this:
The President's lawyers argue on the Senate floor that he can withhold aid, coerce an ally, and try to cheat in an election,
And there's nothing we can do about it.
Our Founders would be aghast.
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He just lied again. He WAS at home on summer weekends in 1982, as the FBI would have learned, which is why he didn’t want the FBI to investigate. BK is melting down.
Trump acts as if we don't have any vetting now and "anyone" can come in. It's another lie. #socalledpresident
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What is our country coming to when a judge can halt a Homeland Security travel ban and anyone, even with bad intentions, can come into U.S.?
Democracy is crumbling much faster than in Weimar Germany. People of good will must answer the call and do anything they can to stomp the Republicans in the next two elections.
This timeline is key: AFTER weird Russian meets Trump high command, Trump publicly invites Russians into U.S. election.
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Replying to @ericgarland
The Trumps were so disturbed at this offer from the Russians that The Donald asked Russia to hack Clintons emails a few weeks later!
The Democratic senators realize the managers won something big today: Once the defense attys said House witnesses didn’t talk directly to Trump, they opened selves up in Q session to why not call Bolton and Mulvaney for direct evidence?
July 27, 2016: A future president asks a hostile foreign power to commit crimes and attack the United States at the core of our democracy, and by evening that hostile power complies. A day that will live in infamy.
I had stage 4 mantle cell lymphoma—a nasty variant— in 2004 and am here to tell the tale. Hang in there. cnn.com/2020/10/19/ent
The idea that Democrats as a whole will suffer if they impeach Trump is fallacious and a misreading of 1998 history. Their pres. candidates can lay out a positive vision while the House performs its constitutional duty. A Senate trial is a necessary part of repairing democracy.
The next step is obvious: the US Senate must immediately censure the President of the United States. Every senator should be asked today if he or she supports censure. Impeachment and removal is a longer process but censure can be done this week.
Elizabeth Warren on Maddow now and making a completely convincing argument for impeachment.
If reporters and others were offended by Michelle Wolf—fine. But after rationalizing vicious insults for two years, all Trump supporters have forfeited all claims of outrage.
Durbin just eviscerated Barrett for a horrible double standard: She is arguing that the 2nd amendment is more important than the right to vote.
Tough letters from House and Senate Democrats to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy telling him to cut the crap are fine but he's a Trump donor and lap dog with a business that competes with USPS. The House may have to impeach him. Maybe his Senate trial will get his attention.
What should Republicans of good will do next? It’s obvious. Form “McCain Republicans for O’Rourke,” “McCain Republicans for McGrath,” “McCain Republicans for Lamb,” “McCain Republicans for Harbaugh” etc. for every Democrat McCain would support. Remember “Democrats for Reagan”?
Sorry —the last 21 months under Obama were better than the first 21 months under Trump. Facts are stubborn things, my friend. Respect them.
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“America now has the best economy in the history of our country. I knew it was going to happen. I just didn’t know it would happen this fast.” —@realDonaldTrump twitter.com/hughhewitt/sta…
Sorry, but you’re trivializing the anti-Trump argument.Very few people are saying Trump directly caused a deranged man to act. But many are rightly saying he created a climate where it’s more likely. Attacks on Jews are up 57% since he took office. Coincidence? Nope.
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Why is it so hard to accept that a clearly deranged man carried out deranged acts? The “false flag” conspiracy theories on one side & the “it’s Trump’s fault” on the other shows how unhinged politics has become. This isn’t incivility. It’s a society that has lost common sense. twitter.com/marcorubio/sta…
Note how spoke up on behalf of Sadler after she slimed the dying McCain. Schlapp is the same pious hypocrite who walked out of the WHCD because a comedian joked about Sarah Saunders’ makeup. axios.com/white-house-sa
This should be new standard for ALL of journalism. Don’t quote Trump if he’s lying. Just because he says it doesn’t make it news. The stories can be covered by other sound bites, including the rare times he opens his mouth without lying.
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This is @maddow last night, explaining why she tries to avoid playing clips of Trump talking.
Biden’s answer to that Second Grader and her fears of Covid was pitch perfect because it was an entirely authentic reflection of who he is.
I’ve known Tucker a bit for nearly 30 years and this is 100 percent true.
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"Tucker Carlson wasn't a zealot who held extreme beliefs. He was a con man who held no beliefs. He was singularly, besides Donald Trump, the most cynical performer on all of television."
Get my reaction to Fox parting ways with Tucker Carlson: youtu.be/4KX9veSUahM
This is a good example of where and his often-useful models fall short. For those of us who covered John Anderson, Ross Perot and Ralph Nader, there is zero doubt —zero—that a “goo-goo” indy candidate like Schultz hurts Democrats. Promise.
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It's not at all clear IMO whether an Old Rich Business Guy running a 3rd party bid would be more likely to hurt Trump or to help him. People are assuming the latter but not really presenting much in the way of proof.
My father, too, cast his first vote in 1944 from an air base in southern Italy where he was flying a B-24 over the Reich. It was by the absentee ballot Lincoln established during the Civil War.
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My dad and mom at age 23 and 22 cast their first votes in a presidential election not at their Nebraska polling places but by mail, because it was 1944, and he was on a boat in the South Pacific and she was working at a cryotography office outside D.C., both fighting fascism.
. right now sounds like the most “presidential” candidate. “Mayor Pete” is calm, deeply intelligent, pragmatic and great on TV. He is also in fashion—the artisanal candidate. His hard-to-pronounce name and sexual orientation could actually help him stand out.
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Interesting @PeteButtigieg answer on whether Mueller findings could end the Trump presidency. Short answer: Not really!
Every Republican must decide: Am I a McCain Republican or a Trump Republican? Do you think ten years from now you’ll want to tell your grandchildren you preferred the lying draft dodger to the principled war hero? What will they think that says about you?
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Sen. Chris Coons calls on Pres. Trump to "apologize" for tweets attacking the late Sen. John McCain: "I've long thought that his personal and direct attacks on Sen. McCain was one of the most detestable things about Pres. Trump's conduct as a candidate" abcn.ws/2TTUKC2
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What usually terrific forgets is that everyone has right to free speech but no one has a right to his or her own television show. If you say stupid, hurtful stuff, you may deserve to lose it. Economic pressure from citizens should not be confused with Gov censorship
“Collusion” is not a legal term. The crime is “conspiracy“ and “wire fraud” (computer laws). The bar isn’t that high. It merely requires a “mutual understanding” to plan something illegal, not to succeed in doing it. June 9 in the smoking meeting.
I’ve learned that the decision to announce Rosalynn Carter’s dementia was made by Rosalynn herself in the interest of helping others, especially the caregivers she has long championed. The word only dates to the 1970s and the role was largely unappreciated—until Rosalynn.