A suspicious package and device similar to others sent by Republican terrorists to top Democrats and others this week was sent to a building that houses offices for Tribeca Films and Tribeca Grill that Robert De Niro owns, law enforcement and sources tell NBC News New York. And two bombs sent intending to assassinate former Vice President Joe Biden were discovered at a USPS facility in New Castle.
Meanwhile, the White House and all Republicans immediately chose the Abuser’s Defense: It’s your fault we had to kill you. At an Axios event, Newt Gingrich claimed the toxicity of the current political climate is “everyone’s fault,” pointing to social media and the “tribalization” of cable news — specifically CNN — as some of the main factors. It couldn’t be the violent intolerant authoritarian tendencies of the right wing in general and the fascism of Trumpsters in particular.
The Abuser’s Defense theme permeated the White House. Sanders says CNN calls Trump and his supporters “evil” “day-in, day-out,” thus they deserve to all be killed. Sanders attacks CNN for “chos[ing] to attack and divide” in aftermath of bombs, thus they should be killed again. Trump attacks the media, says “Mainstream Media must clean up its act FAST!” Or else my people will kill you.
Fascism at its finest. Hitler would be proud.
Trump has spent the last 18 months deliberately and concertedly stoking civil and racial conflict on as many fronts as possible.
Pious Democratic laments about "divisions" and calls for a nicer "tone" just aren't going to cut it anymore.
My new piece: https://t.co/4qb4yQbKrE
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) October 25, 2018
Mike Allen: “Pipe bombs sent to prominent Democrats were a wired manifestation of the toxic trajectory of the country’s politics, with President Trump and the media blaming each other for the worst terror-by-mail campaign of the post-9/11 era.”
With President Trump fanning fear ahead of the midterms a dozen days from now, the nation’s political discourse is on track to be even hotter and more volatile during the 2020 campaign than it was when he ran the first time. We are playing with fire — and there are piles of dry kindling stacked throughout America and American politics right now.”
The divisive nature of current politics isn’t a force of nature, it’s a strategy deliberately crafted by plutocrats https://t.co/Zj2FM9i1ld
— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) October 25, 2018
Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor said that Jamal Khashoggi was killed in a planned operation, based on information it received from Turkish investigators in Istanbul, reversing earlier statement that the journalist had died in fistfight, the Washington Post reports.
Democrat @ACampaNajjar is facing some of the most racist attack ads of this entire election season pic.twitter.com/vkMPEkyA8M
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) October 25, 2018
Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office “has obtained communications suggesting that a right-wing conspiracy theorist might have had advance knowledge that the emails of Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman had been stolen and handed to WikiLeaks,” NBC News reports.
“Mueller’s team has spent months investigating whether the conspiracy theorist, Jerome Corsi, learned before the public did that WikiLeaks had obtained emails hacked by Russian intelligence officers — and whether he passed information about the stolen emails to Donald Trump associate Roger Stone.”
“Mueller’s investigators have reviewed messages to members of the Trump team in which Stone and Corsi seem to take credit for the release of Democratic emails.”
The pieties about civility miss the central issue: Trump believes he should control the news media https://t.co/dTnGiO7xdF pic.twitter.com/hN1xJSkqeh
— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) October 25, 2018
“As Donald Trump held midterm rallies this week in front of thousands, his one-time chief strategist Steve Bannon made his own, rather more low-key return to the campaign trail,” the Guardian reports.
“Bannon appeared in front of 200 people at a firehouse outside Buffalo, New York, ostensibly to campaign for Republicans based in the area. But in a visceral demonstration of just how far Bannon’s stock has fallen since leaving the White House 14 months ago, none of those Republicans running for office turned up.”
Democrats this year are fielding their most diverse roster of candidates ever, precisely as more Rs openly echo Trump's appeals to racial resentment & anxiety. That's a highly volatile combination which could shape US politics for years. My take. https://t.co/n9CHNFYY0U
— Ronald Brownstein (@RonBrownstein) October 25, 2018
President Trump denied a “long and boring” report that he often calls friends to gripe or solicit advice on his unsecure iPhones, allowing Chinese spies to listen in and gain valuable insights into how to deal with the U.S. administration, the Washington Post reports.
Said Trump: “The so-called experts on Trump over at the New York Times wrote a long and boring article on my cellphone usage that is so incorrect I do not have time here to correct it. I only use Government Phones, and have only one seldom used government cell phone. Story is soooo wrong!”
He tweet that denial from an unsecured iPhone. I am not kidding.
Unrecorded vote texts claiming to be from Trump spark panic in Kansas https://t.co/vkVV0mK308 pic.twitter.com/sbnFGr4Bvm
— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) October 25, 2018
Jonathan Swan: “President Trump will hold at least 10 midterms rallies between Oct. 31 and Election Day, with the possibility of bumping it up to two rallies each day in two different states, per three sources familiar with the planning. The White House and Secret Service are still working out the logistics.”
“This is a heavy load of campaigning for a sitting president, but it’s clear that Trump wants to overcome the historical pattern of presidents losing congressional seats in their first midterm election. And he’s viewed as the GOP’s best motivator to energize their base ahead of a tough election.”
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) told Roll Call the Senate is “highly unlikely” to pass a 10 percent tax cut for the middle class even after the midterm elections. Said Hatch: “I’ve seen miracles happen before.”
But he added that it would take “a real monumental effort” to get anything like Trump has proposed to rally Republicans to the polls for the Nov. 6 midterms through the Senate.
.@AndrewGillum: "In Trump's America so many of us have forgotten that we're all in this thing together. On November 6th we have an opportunity to send a loud, unapologetic message that common sense and decency still prevail." pic.twitter.com/mt7WVqAVjh
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) October 25, 2018
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) vowed that she will not mount a challenge against President Trump in the next general election if she wins her midterm race next month, the New York Daily News reports.
Said Gillibrand: “I will serve my six-year term.”
A year after Congress’s last major attempt at repeal, GOP candidates are airbrushing their history with the health-reform law, @DickPolman1 writes: https://t.co/HSBZgxzQat
— The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) October 25, 2018
Michael Avenatti told CBS News that the 2020 Democratic Party nominee for president needs to be a white man. Said Avenatti: “I think it better be a white male. When you have a white male making the arguments, they carry more weight. Should they carry more weight? Absolutely not. But do they? Yes.”
I hate Michael Avenatti and he can go the fuck back to whatever hell hole he came from and fast.
Defense Secretary James Mattis is expected to sign deployment orders that could send 800 or more troops to the border with Mexico to help border patrol authorities stop a caravan of migrants from Central America moving through Mexico to enter the US, CNN reports.
The Dallas Morning News endorsed Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) for U.S. Senate:
We have been at divisive political moments before, and we know those often end when leaders emerge who find ways to get along personally even when they are engaged in grand, tectonic political debates. That is one of the underappreciated stories of the 1980s, when President Ronald Reagan and House Speaker Tip O’Neill worked together. Even when they fought it out on tough issues, they fostered an enduring friendship.
For this reason more than any other, we favor U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke for U.S. Senate. The pivotal issue before our country is public leadership, and here we believe O’Rourke’s tone aligns with what is required now. This inclusive and hopeful tone, along with O’Rourke’s approach of starting with shared principles and working toward solutions, offset any policy differences we have with him. Leadership is more than policy, and whether we are addressing the very real challenges before us now turns on our ability to find points of agreement.
Mother Jones: “In early January, Roger Stone, the longtime Republican operative and adviser to Donald Trump, sent a text message to an associate stating that he was actively seeking a presidential pardon for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange—and felt optimistic about his chances.“
“The recipient of the messages was Randy Credico, a New York-based comedian and left-leaning political activist who Stone has identified as his backchannel to WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign—a claim Credico strongly denies.”
DD, Under “Employment Office” That is very untrue, this is what anyone needs to do….https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-get-a-permit-to-work-in-the-us-2064269
The NCCP fact sheet shows that among America’s poor children, 4.2 million are white, 4 million are Latino, 3.6 million are African American, 400,000 are Asian, and 200,000 are American Indian.
Approximately 12,700 veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation New Dawn (OND) were homeless in 2010. The number of young homeless veterans is increasing, but only constitutes 8.8% of the overall homeless veteran population.
And the left is concerned about people coming over the border, Illegally! Let’s take care of the US citizens, First!
Did you figure out what sanctuary cities are yet?
Why do you always frame this as an either/or situation? It’s not.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanctuary_city
In short, no. He had to look it up, then post it to prove he did. And here you though your child-rearing days were behind you.
Thought.
Yep, it was pretty obvious what he did.
LOL! I’m done raising kids! My youngest graduates college this coming May! *wipes brow*
Good one Al!
Pandora> Right, we should take care of the people who are here! If people from Guatemala, don’t like the situation that they are in, then march on your own government!
They’re mostly Hondurans. Considering how much the U.S. has meddled in the affairs of the Central American nations, this is literally the refugees of the violence we promote coming home to roost.
As always, you make this an either/or choice. It’s not.
Al, Are we taking care of our veterans, like we should?
Are we taking care of the homeless, persons with disabilities? All to the extent that we should. We have able bodied people, who are on the teet of the government.
So, close the border and what the hell do you care, you’re moving to France.
You would resent that, too, Anono. You would resent anyone getting any more help than they do, because that costs money. Most of the able-bodied people who are on government assistance are working. The rest are elderly (can’t work) or kids (can’t work). Which you know.
I am dead tired of your resentment politics. Dead tired. You want to hurt as many people as you possibly can, just because you think that are getting help you don’t get. And yet — if the minimum wage would rise, plenty of these folks would not be getting government assistance. They could get closer to paying market rents, paying for groceries and paying their own Obamacare. If you have made common cause with corporations who want the biggest serf class they can get, then the government is still going to provide some supports. And this is a subsidy to those businesses that they do not need.
You are in the middle of a place where people would absolutely want better treatment of veterans, the elderly, the disabled, the poor. That doesn’t happen because your resentment politics rules the day. So you can consider this problem your fault.
MY FAULT! Ha-Ha. You will spout off, but you’ll censor if it’s on the lines of race. Because, you can’t take it. And you know it’s untrue! This is because of the politics and the money the politicians make. There is a legal way to come into the USA and it’s not they way they are going to try to do it!
“There is a legal way to come into the USA and it’s not they way they are going to try to do it!”
And you would be wrong again. I’m sure there’s a wiki page on asylum seeking.
It’s BS and you know it! Their own government is sending them here! They could live with you!
So much resentment, so little intelligence…
Yes, they could live with me, but that’s not what would be best for them. What’s best for them is to settle in communities with others from their homeland, with help from Americans to teach them the language. I don’t speak Spanish, so the only “benefit” of them living with me would be your sense of smug satisfaction at seeing others suffer for their foolishness — that is, you think compassion for refugees is foolishness, and I should have to somehow suffer personally from my endorsement of it.
In short, you don’t see them as people, though your little dodge about pretending to care for “Americans first” is meant to show that you do so care about people; Cassandra has pointed out the inconvenient (for you) fact that every time someone proposes a bill or a program to help the poor you complain about the expense, showing that to be a lie.
The refugees don’t even get lip service. First you repeat unsubstantiated bullshit (how do I know? it’s their daily MO) about them, then you want to use them only as revenge towards pandora and I and anyone else who wants to deal with them compassionately.
We are a nation of 330 million. The caravan, last I read, is about 7,000. Are you seriously proposing that it represents some kind of threat to anyone, let alone “the country”?
The biggest threat to Americans is the number of mentally unbalanced Americans with access to weapons of mass murder. Whenever it’s pointed out that a higher-than-random number of these people hold right-wing views, right-wingers lament the mental health crisis but proceed to do nothing about it.
Please note that there are no insults in this comment. This is a sincere attempt to get you to understand why we find you lacking as a participant of this blog.
The only BS is what you’re spewing. Yet another subject you know NOTHING about. Read and learn
Yes, they should seek asylum, with the asylum for the wacko left wing nuts! Al, France is calling and don’t for get the clowns!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know you love that Apostrophe.
“Yes, they should seek asylum, with the asylum for the wacko left wing nuts! Al, France is calling and don’t for get the clowns!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know you love that Apostrophe.”
I’m embarrassed for you. You really don’t know anything. Just right-wing talking points – and yes, the “come here the right way” is a talking point that ignores our asylum laws/procedures. When asked to explain your points you devolve into the nonsensical, childish rant above.
Pandora: They are marching thru, Mexico. Why not Seek Asylum there or Belize, Costa Rica. Where, there is no language barriers?
And threat, how do we really know, what type of people are “seeking asylum” WE DON’T. And you can’t positively, with no shadow of a doubt, 100%, know who is coming here.
You are an idiot, Anono. These folks are coming here for the same reason your ancestors came here. And this is you, obsessed with people who want something better for themselves while there is right-wing violence on the loose right here in this country.
Add two more bomb packages to the list. Cory Booker and James Clapper.
Here’s the list – which lines up with who Trump attacks. If Trump has mentioned your name you should be very careful.
George Soros
The Obama family
The Clinton family
John Brennan
Eric Holder
Maxine Waters
Robert de Niro
Joe Biden
Cory Booker
James Clapper
Of course, the White House reported receiving a suspicious package, but that was, of course, not true.
I cant help but think whatever MAGAT is sending these bombs got de Niro and Mueller confused because of the SNL skit.
I dunno. One is a genuine crisis actor.
Tom Styer and Kamala Harris were targeted too.
Will be beyond interesting to see who the mad MAGABomber is if they catch him. Noticed some Republicans are trying to market their claim of a “false flag” and that the Dems are behind it. Sorry, but something about mailing bombs is just so very hard core Trump lover. And hey! How about that stock market?
Saw on Twitter that DOJ is reporting they have one suspect in custody.
And he’s a MAGAt.
Where was he radicalized? 😉
Good one, Pandora.
Thanks!
Our typical stable of MAGATS is quiet today. they must be awaiting talking points from Dear Leader.
Just another crazy, no different than the Bernie supporter that shot up the Republican congressional baseball practice last year.
The difference is that Bernie did not run around in rallies calling out a laundry list of people to target. The difference is that Bernie is not advocating belligerence or violence against anyone. The difference is that Bernie doesn’t set himself and his supporters up to be perpetual victims who are always being put upon by these pesky Democrats. The difference is that Bernie and every Dem disavowed every bit of this. The difference is that no one in the Media worked out a “both sides do it” narrative in order to minimize the severity of the action. The difference is that this guy did not have a van with Bernie stickers and photos of his targets with bullseyes on them. The difference is that this guy wasn’t a fully fledged radicalized terrorist.
Step lightly on this both siderism here. These bombs could have hurt alot of people — not just the targets, but the mail handlers and law enforcement deployed to deal with this. You are free to cheer on the terrorism, the belligerence, the specific need to hurt people demonstrated by MAGAts everywhere. You just won’t do it here.
Look at that van.
There is no way a black man would have been able to drive around with a van with targets on the faces of officials on it.
Im calling the cops on any car i see with more than 4 magat stickers.