David Frum, writing about Trump’s failure to advance health care legislation, observes the truth about Trump: Regular reminder that Donald Trump’s core competency is not dealmaking with powerful counter-parties. It is duping gullible victims. — David Frum (@davidfrum) March 24, 2017 That’s right, and cannot be said enough: Trump’s a confidence man, and he preys…
Trump
America, City, Conflicts of Interest, Trump
How Foreign Powers Could Try to Buy Trump
by JOHN ADAMS •
Donald Trump is an unprecedentedly wealthy president, who owns or licenses his name to buildings, casinos, and luxury hotels around the world. An ethics watchdog group has already brought a lawsuit against him for violating the Constitution’s “Emoluments Clause,” which prohibits government officials from receiving gifts from foreign states. Trump has taken few steps to…
America, Elections, Politics, Putin, Russia, Trump
Rep. Adam Schiff’s Opening Statement Outlining Basis of Russia Investigation
by JOHN ADAMS •
Prepared text of the statement that Rep. Schiff delivered in the video embedded above: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank Director Comey and Admiral Rogers for appearing before us today as the committee holds this first open hearing into the interference campaign waged against our 2016 Presidential election. Last summer, at the height…
Kakistocracy, Trump
Trump White House Posts Satirical Essay That Actually Ridicules Trump Budget Plan
by JOHN ADAMS •
Hard to believe but true: the official White House Daily 1600 (a daily briefing @ https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600daily) touts a Washington Post satirical essay mocking Trump’s budget approach as though the essay were favorable (as of 11:37 AM ET). Alexandra Petri’s Trump’s budget makes perfect sense and will fix America, and I will tell you why must have…
Putin, Russian Federation, Trump
Trump’s Ex-National Security Adviser Flynn Paid Tens of Thousands by Russian Companies
by JOHN ADAMS •
Putin takes care of his useful friends. March 16, 2017 12:00 p.m. CT – Documents obtained by a congressional oversight committee reveal business interests that were previously undisclosed: President Trump’s former national security adviser, Mike Flynn, was paid tens of thousands of dollars by Russian companies shortly before he became a formal adviser to the…
Crime, Putin, Trump
U.S. indicts Russian spies in breach of 500 million Yahoo accounts
by JOHN ADAMS •
Ellen Nakashima reports on U.S. Justice Department’s charges against agents of the Putin regime – whose leader Trump only recently praised (“I always knew he was very smart!“) – for a vast hacking of American business (Yahoo & realated entities) and consumers: The Justice Department announced Wednesday the indictments of two Russian spies and two criminal hackers in…
Kakistocracy, Law, Mendacity, Trump
Axl Rose on Jeff Sessions
by JOHN ADAMS •
Putin, Russia, Trump
Mark Hamill’s Two-Point Plan
by JOHN ADAMS •
Regarding Trump, Mark Hamill (that Mark Hamill, the one who plays Luke Skywalker), tweeted that two aspects of recent politics deserve diligent inquiry: Focus on 2 things: #1) Investigation of Russia’s involvement in 2016 Election #2) His Tax Returns. America has a right to know.#Resistance https://t.co/OFSkY9hmL5 — Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) February 8, 2017 Of all…
Authoritarianism, Politics, Trump
An Eminent Psychiatrist on Trump
by JOHN ADAMS •
Dr. Allen Frances, professor emeritus of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University Medical College, who served as chairman of the task force that wrote the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV (D.S.M.-IV), on 2.14.17 sent a letter to the New York Times in which he addresses questions about Donald Trump’s mental state. (See, An Eminent Psychiatrist…
Authoritarianism, Law, Liberty, Trump
A Grand Coalition Forms
by JOHN ADAMS •
Conservative Jennifer Rubin describes, in E Pluribus Unum vs. Trump, both the building coalition against Trump and the powerful nature of that coalition. She’s right that what seemed unlikely a few weeks ago is real now: Just a couple of weeks ago, critics of post-inaugural protesters argued the anti-President Trump movement lacked coherence. Too many small,…
History, Language, Trump
Full Transcript of Trump’s Black History Month Remarks
by JOHN ADAMS •
Politics, Trump
The ‘Balls & Strikes’ View
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s an interesting exchange between conservative Trump-critic Evan McMullin and conservative Josh Hammer worth considering. The exchange shows the divide among conservatives about Trump. (There’s also a divide among conservatives about whether anti-Trump conservatives are, in fact, conservatives. To this libertarian, they all look sufficiently conservative; that intra-tribe debate is not one in which I’m engaged.) First…
Foreign Affairs, Kakistocracy, Trump
Britian’s Foreign Minister Uses Van Halen Defense to Justify Trump State Visit
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s a debate in Parliament about whether to extend a state visit to Donald Trump. Trying to mount a defense of a Trump visit, the British foreign minister had this to say about why Trump should be accorded the honor: Boris Johnson tells the House that he believes “both Nicolae Ceausescu and Robert Mugabe have been entertained by…
Federal Government, Kakistocracy, Law, Trump
David Frum Asks: Should a Patriotic American Work for Donald Trump?
by JOHN ADAMS •
Conservative David Frum (with whom a libertarian would have many differences) yet asks and answers rightly the question, Should a Patriotic American Work for Donald Trump? Frum draws a distinction between personal service to Trump and government positions that are removed from the president: A law-abiding person will want to stay as far as possible…