Back in January 2017, Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater and an informal adviser to Mr. Trump’s team during the presidential transition, had a clandestine meeting in the Seychelles with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the ruler of the United Arab Emerites (UAE). It was revealed in April that the purpose of that meeting …
Tag: Trump Administration
Nov 13 2017
John Oliver : The Lasting Consequences of the Troll President
Last night John Oliver, host of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight,” gave an insightful dissertation on the techniques that Trump and his followers have used to undermine norms of governing and how Americans talk about ideas. Allowing Trump’s techniques to spread to other politicians and media outlets so that it becomes the pervasive doctrine of the …
Oct 20 2017
Niger: American Deaths and Lack of Paper in Chad
Could a lack of passport paper in Chad, which led to it being placed in Trump’s travel ban list, have caused the deaths of four American soldiers? Chad has been a key player in the fight against ISIS in central Africa. After it was placed on the travel ban list in late September, it withdrew …
Oct 19 2017
What Happened in Niger?
There are a lot of questions that are not being asked about the deaths of four US Army Special Forces soldiers? “This might wind up to be Mr. Trump’s Benghazi.” Those are the words of Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, a Florida Democrat who was present during a controversial phone call between President Donald Trump and the …
Sep 27 2017
New Travel Ban Includes Chad. Why?
Trump’s latest list of travel banned from countries he deems unworthy now includes the African nation of Chad leaving experts scratching their heads, some calling it “sheer stupidity.” “It makes no sense whatsoever. In fact I wonder if there wasn’t some sort of mistake made,” John Campbell, a former US ambassador to Nigeria, told BuzzFeed …
Jul 28 2017
Mooch the Mouth
Incoming White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci made his debut last week at a press conference. Hired over the objections of chief of staff Reince Preibus, chief advisor Steve Bannon and, now former press secreatry Sean “Spicey” Spicer who felt Scaramucci did not have the qualifications for the job, Scaramucci immediately proved them right. The …
Jul 27 2017
The Russian Connection: The Russian Mob
Update 16:24: This just dropped at TPM: Felix Sater, who worked obtaining financing for Trump projects including the Trump SoHo, told TPM that the “peace plan” came up in the course of his attempts to broker an agreement to sell energy abroad from Ukraine’s nuclear power plants with Andrii Artemenko, at the time a Ukrainian …
Jul 26 2017
Trump Bans Transgenders From Military Service
Update 15:37 ET: A report in Poltico claims that this ban is all about money in the budget for the border wall. When anti-trans Republicans from the House told Trump they would hold up funding for the border wall unless he banned Transgender people from the Military, Trump, obviously, didn’t hesitate. In the middle of …
Jun 15 2017
The Russian Connection: Yes, Mr. Trump, You Are under Investigation
It was said about Watergate, a two bit burglary of the Democratic National Committee campaign headquarters, was that it wasn’t the crime that got everyone into so much trouble but the cover-up. Donald Trump fired FBI Director after he refused to end the investigation of former National Security advisor Michael Flynn and publicly affirm that …
Jun 14 2017
The Resistance: Resisting Trump’s Shock Doctrine
Author of “The Shock Doctrine,” Naomi Klein, has been around the worlds documenting major crises and shocks to countries for years. Now she brings her attention to the United States and the “rolling shock” of the Trump presidency. She used to think that just saying no was enough but with the continued daily shocks of …
Jun 01 2017
We’re Melting
This afternoon Donald will announce his decision whether to stay in the Paris Climate Accord. Withdrawal from the pact would be disastrous for our climate but we are currently governed by a man who is not only ignorant and uninformed but determined to dismantle the Obama administration legacy. A few months back, John Oliver, host …
May 23 2017
The Russian Connection: More Revelations
Yesterday the Washington Post reported that Trump appealed to two intelligence chiefs for help to push back the FBI investigation into his campaign after then Director James Comey revealed its existence in March. Trump made separate appeals to the director of national intelligence, Daniel Coats, and to Adm. Michael S. Rogers, the director of the …