FBI Investigating Trump Associates, Gorsuch Hearings Extremely Partisan, David Rockefeller Dies: P.M. Links

• 

  Pete Marovich/EPA/Newscom

  In a House Intelligence Committee hearing today, FBI Director James Comey confirmed the FBI is investigating the extent of ties between President Donald Trump's associates and the Russian government and whether anything criminal happened. He also (along with others at the hearing) said he found no evidence that President Barack Obama had wiretapped Trump tower.

• Hearings for Neil Gorsuch's confirmation to the Supreme Court began and are showing themselves to be very partisan, to the surprise of absolutely nobody at all. But he has John Elway's support!
• Billionaire philanthropist David Rockefeller has died at age 101.
• Kellyanne Conway's husband, George, is expected be nominated by Trump to lead the Justice Department's civil division.
• A passenger plane with dozens aboard crashed in South Sudan. The good news is that there are survivors.
• Eric Trump and wife, Lara, are expecting their first child.
• Sesame Street is introducing a muppet with autism. No word on whether Oscar the Grouch will be blaming vaccines for her condition.

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

...he found no evidence that President Barack Obama had wiretapped Trump tower.

Depends on what your definition of wiretap is.

[Rufus The Monocled]

Hello.

"Sesame Street is introducing a muppet with autism."

This I gotta see.

[Entelechy]

The appalling neurological impact of mercury on the PBS Board of Directors has long been apparent.

[AlmightyJB]

The Count is going to be pissed. Count: 1, 2, 3 New muppet: There are 246 toothpicks. Count: Fuck you dude!

[Spartacus]

That will be a very challenging work of muppetry to pull off. And you all said that MFA was worthless!

[Ken Hagler]

Of course he didn't personally wiretap anything. That's what the NSA is for.

[DanO.]

Depends on what your definition of wiretap is.

Fist is stealing my material. Sad!

[Fist of Etiquette]

No word on whether Oscar the Grouch will be blaming vaccines for her condition.

LEAVE THE JOKES FOR DOWN HERE, SHACKFORD.

[Citizen X - #6]

Sesame Street is introducing a muppet with autism. No word on whether Oscar the Grouch will be blaming vaccines for her condition.

Mikey?

[Rufus The Monocled]

I always assumed they're all on the spectrum.

[Not a True MJG]

No one except SJW cows who need something to distract their transgender babies cares about Sesame Street. NO ONE.

[American Memer]

IDK, when I was a wee toddler it was basically the pinnacle of children's edutainment. Then again, that was the 90s, and this is now.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

A passenger plane with dozens aboard crashed in South Sudan. The good news is that there are survivors.

*sigh*

Do I have to click through to the link to find out what the bad news is?

[Unicorn Abattoir]

The bad news is the survivors are in South Sudan.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Bad news is the peanuts were stale.

[Bubba Jones]

I think we found our autistic muppet... 🙂

[Aloisius Kohalich]

The bad news is 49 suicide bomber vests were duds.

[Fist of Etiquette]

But he has John Elway's support!

No word on Troy Aikman's pick.

[John]

When he was nominated to the appellate court, Gorsuch was originally confirmed for a position in Indianapolis but he refused to serve until he was transferred to one in Denver.

[Anomalous]

I think it was originally supposed to be Baltimore, but then in the middle of the night, that appellate court was moved to Indianapolis.

[Fist of Etiquette]

YOU PEOPLE NEED TO LET THESE THINGS GO.

[Crusty Juggler - #2]

Let's go you Colts!

[John]

Yes. That is right.

[DRM]

The number of fucks I give for the people of Baltimore and their agony over the Colts leaving is strictly limited to the number of Super Bowls won by the Cleveland Browns.

[Crusty Juggler - #2]

Shocking footage shows alleged Tom Brady jersey thief Mauricio Ortega entering locker room behind Bill Belichick and leaving 15 minutes later with $500,000 prize under his arm

BUILD THE FUCKING WALL!

[John]

How did he think he was going to get away with that? What was he going to do with the jersey? Stick on e-bay and hope no one at the league office noticed? And hey, is there a better place to try and steal something than in the winning locker room after the Super Bowl? No cameras there to catch you in the act. What an idiot.

[Rufus The Monocled]

I heard he can be charged with imprisonment - 5 to 99 years plus a fine.

[Rich]

How did he think he was going to get away with that?

Claim to be a muppet with autism?

[Bubba Jones]

Well, they didn't catch him the first time he did it...

[Jerryskids]

Is that jersey technically Tom Brady's? Or is it the property of the New England Patriots or the NFL?

[John]

The jerseys, as a rule, belong to the team. Now if you are Tom Brady, you might have something in your contract that says you can keep your game worn jersey or you could just keep it anyway. I doubt the Patriots would sue him over it.

[Bubba Jones]

Yeah, but I am pretty sure that the players get first dibs and are simply assessed the cost of the jersey. Some of them like to trade with other players.

Like footballs after they score.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Not even a Mick?

[Jerryskids]

Sesame Street is introducing a muppet with autism.

Orange and furry and named Donald?

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

I'd recommend introducing a transgender muppet, but there's literally no way they could do that without offending someone.

[Rhywun]

I would have thought the same about Autismuppet but here we are.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

I'm pretty sure Animal, the drummer from the Muppet band was special.

[Bubba Jones]

From what I've read, it seems pretty good. The "actor" has a child with autism. The examples of traits they highlight are consistent with my own observations and are designed to demystify the condition and help teach neurotypical (normal) kids to play with autistic kids.

I hope it works.

[Unicorn Abattoir]

Don't badmouth Gossamer!!

LInk: Gossamer

[Crusty Juggler - #2]

Link: Gosselaar.

[Unicorn Abattoir]

Who would you rather?

[Crusty Juggler - #2]

Gosselin.

[Crusty Juggler - #2]

Gosset.

[Unicorn Abattoir]

Goslings

[AlmightyJB]

9 minutes 'till Gorsuch!

[Fist of Etiquette]

In a House Intelligence Committee hearing today, FBI Director James Comey confirmed the FBI is investigating the extent of ties between President Donald Trump's associates and the Russian government and whether anything criminal happened.

Good news for Trump is that no prosecutor would likely prosecute so it's all another Bureau circlejerk.

[american socialist]

Didn't he just say what was being said for months?

[Bubba Jones]

I wonder if they were able to build this case without wiretapping.

[Crusty Juggler - #2]

In New York, Bringing Broadband to Everyone by 2018

Under Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's "Broadband for All" initiative, New York's program is one of the most aggressive broadband expansions in the country, and is designed to help stem any losses a private company incurs through what is known as a reverse auction process.

Using data from the Federal Communications Commission to identify both unserved and underserved areas, the program divides the state into census blocks. The state then auctions off grant money for each census block, awarding the financing to the private company that seeks the lowest state subsidy.

Under New York's program, providers must offer 100 mbps speed ? fast enough to download a movie in high definition in 90 seconds ? for $60 a month. "That's pretty amazing," said Gigi Sohn, a former senior adviser at the F.C.C., acknowledging that it was a reasonable price given that prices elsewhere can be much higher. "But if you're really poor, can you afford it? I don't know. If you are a poor rural person living in Appalachia, that's a big bite out of your budget."

[Drave Robber]

This side of the pond: just today, I was looking at an offer of 250 mbps for 15 EUR/mo and thinking "do I really need that?".

[Juice]

Might as well. Seems like you're already paying for half of it whether you like it or not.

[Rhywun]

Goddamnit stop copying everybody else's stupid ideas. This dumbass can't be gone soon enough.

[Careless]

100 mbps speed ? fast enough to download a movie in high definition in 90 seconds

Mmhmm. 100x90/8=1.125 gB. iow, by that standard, you could fit four "HD" movies on a regular DVD

[Not a True MJG]

Under New York's program, providers must offer 100 mbps speed ? fast enough to download a movie in high definition in 90 seconds ? for $60 a month. "That's pretty amazing,"

NYS is a dynamite organization if it can get a price like that!

[Bubba Jones]

I pay $60 for 24 mbps. Hmmmm.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Sesame Street is introducing a muppet with autism.

It manifests itself by just crumbling cookies around its mouth in an effort to eat them.

[Sevo]

Courtesy of OBJ FRANKELSON in an earlier thread:

"California's Bullet Train may have received final, fatal fiscal hit"
http://legalinsurrection.com/2.....iscal-hit/

[Drave Robber]

final, fatal fiscal hit

Would be a good album name but it's too easy to read 'fecal' in it.

[Free Society]

Remember the case a few years ago of a guy who got shot for telling a police officer to get off his family's property? Well apparently

Patrick Swayze's widow was the ONLY hold-out juror who believed a Florida cop 'acted in good faith' when he fatally shot an unarmed 24-year-old plant nursery worker FOUR times

Lisa Niemi Swayze was among jurors in a trial to decide whether Sgt. Michael Custer used excessive force when he gunned down Seth Adams in 2012
Adams drove into the parking lot of his family's tree nursery in Loxahatchee late at night and found Custer in plain clothes, parked in an unmarked sheriff's car
An argument ensued and Adams was shot while trying to retrieve a cell phone in his pickup truck
Adams' family claimed he caught Custer in an embrace with his mistress after evidence of a second parked car surfaced
Palm Beach Sheriff's Office's lawyers argued Custer was on the job trying to break up a burglary ring, and believed Adams was reaching for a gun
Palm Beach Sheriff's Office deemed the shooting 'justified' after an investigation
Most court observers, and those on the jury, disagreed with the official line

[Free Society]

Apparenlty this was only a couple years ago. Here is Reason's write-up of the incident shortly after it occurred.

[Crusty Juggler - #2]

I thought she'd be bigger.

[John]

So was she holding out for a conviction or the only juror who didn't want to convict?

[Free Society]

She was the only one on the panel who believed Custer acted in good faith when he pumped four bullets into Seth Adams, then 24, on May 17, 2012 in Loxahatchee, Florida.

[John]

Wow. Hey good job by the DA in Voir Dire. Maybe you should have figured out that she was going to side with the cop no matter what?

[Juice]

Looks like the DA did his job and made it look like he didn't.

[John]

Yes. The defense certainly wasn't going to say anything. I find it hard to believe that there wasn't something in her questionnaire or answers in voir dire that didn't tip off that she was a nut.

[Crusty Juggler - #2]

Trump administration: Police agencies didn't help feds with deportations

The list shows that cities and towns are not helping immigration authorities deport potentially serious criminals, including people arrested on suspicion of or convicted of drunken driving, aggravated assault and homicide, Homeland Security officials said.

Advocates for immigrants say it is unconstitutional for local police to detain someone for a civil deportation proceeding when the judge in their criminal case has ordered them released on bail.

But the federal officials called the refusal to cooperate a "clear public safety" risk and said the number of cases will rise as the Trump administration targets a broader group of immigrants for deportation.

"There are some very serous crimes for which we asked the law enforcement agencies to turn over to us and they failed to do so," an immigration official said during the call.

Arrest them all for not following the law.

[Eternal Blue Sky]

Is there a law that says state and local law enforcement has to do jack shit about Federal laws??

I thought there wasn't, but I could be wrong.

I thought that was how states were able to "legalize" marijuana in the first place. Are Colorado's police legally required to try to stamp out marijuana??

[Lord_at_War]

Is there a law that says state and local law enforcement has to do jack shit about Federal laws??

I thought there wasn't, but I could be wrong.

It's called "federal funding". Why is every state's DUI limit .08?

[Sevo]

"Eric Trump and wife, Lara, are expecting their first child."

Name him Vladimir; watch the press melt down.

[Rufus The Monocled]

Heh.

Igor or Evgeni or Nikita.

[Rich]

Drumpf.

[DanO.]

My choice would be "Liberty Ordeth," or if that's too demented, "Pumpkin Spicer."

[Fatty Bolger]

Baby Maga.

[Conchfritters]

Yevgeni?

[Crusty Juggler - #2]

White House installs political aides at Cabinet agencies to be Trump's eyes and ears

Most members of President Trump's Cabinet do not yet have leadership teams in place or even nominees for top deputies. But they do have an influential coterie of senior aides installed by the White House who are charged ? above all ? with monitoring the secretaries' loyalty, according to eight officials in and outside the administration.

This shadow government of political appointees with the title of senior White House adviser is embedded at every Cabinet agency, with offices in or just outside the secretary's suite. The White House has installed at least 16 of the advisers at departments including Energy and Health and Human Services and at some smaller agencies such as NASA, according to records first obtained by ProPublica through a Freedom of Information Act request.

[Juice]

It's what I would do. I'd have eyes and ears in as many places as possible.

[american socialist]

Shadow government so ominous!

[neoteny]

In the Red Army they were called commisars.

[Fatty Bolger]

Yeah, totally the same thing. [rolls eyes]

[Unicorn Abattoir]

More fun with appropriation:

Woman Charged With Assaulting Female Hoops Player Over Culturally Appropriated Hair

[Free Society]

let me be the firs to tell you, linky no worky

[Unicorn Abattoir]

Test Link Before Posting

[Anomalous]

Becky with the bad hair?

[Rich]

the FBI is investigating the extent of ties between President Donald Trump's associates and the Russian government

Sheesh, I thought it was settled that the ties were made in *China*!

[Rich]

muppet with autism

Nice band name.

[Anomalous]

Disney would sue.

[Rich]

Nice band name.

[Eternal Blue Sky]

Naming a band "Disney Sues" would be fun, just to provoke Disney into causing the headlines to read "Disney Sues Disney Sues for Copyright Infringement".

[creech]

How will FBI investigate the Trump associates unless they were being surveilled at the time? Maybe they will claim they had agents following the Russians and overheard some incriminating evidence?

[WakaWaka]

Don't spoil the narrative

[Homple]

Parallel construction.

[Jerry on the sea]

"There is no evidence that there was any wiretapping at Trump Tower. But we do have been investigating Trump & Associates for the past 9 months."

[Fatty Bolger]

So this means Comey is a good guy again, right?

[Rich]

Hey, you know we can't comment on an ongoing investigation!

[Rich]

Comey declined to say Monday whether his team has launched an investigation into the leaks that led to former White House national security advisor Mike Flynn's ouster.

Comey was pressed by Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., to say whether he could confirm such an investigation is taking place, but Comey said he could not because it might confirm that classified information was leaked.

I'm sorry, but would someone *kindly* explain that to me?

[Bubba Jones]

They can't admit they are investigating a leak, without also admitting that a leak occurred.

[Fatty Bolger]

Sesame Street is introducing a muppet with autism.

Are they billing it as the first autistic muppet? Because you can't tell me Animal isn't somewhere on the spectrum.

[Rhywun]

I'm going to guess she's pretty high-functioning because trust me some of them are not a lot fun to hang around, unless "uncomfortable silences" are what they're going for.

[Bubba Jones]

In the bbc write up, they describe her not reacting normally to a greeting from big bird.

As a parent with a child who has autistic features, I hope this works out. My kid doesn't express her excitement in the same way. She will appear stand offish, and then later talk about how much she liked the person.

[x'); DROP USER Tony;]

I don't know a lot about autism, but I would think the dude who counts everything might fit in there.

I guess that's more of an OCD thing?

[John]

http://thefederalist.com/2017/.....men-women/

Trans Conference Celebrates Getting People Fired For Not Calling Men Women

But Shackford assures everyone that this whole thing isn't just a club the Progs are going to use to smite their enemies and assert further control over how everyone acts and thinks. Nope, not at all. Like gay marriage, the trans movement is just one of those wonderful things that Progressives and Libertarians can work together to achieve. Once again, Progressives mean well and are on the right side of things.

[Rich]

Chromosomes Don't Do or Mean Anything

*** facepalm ***

[John]

The last paragraph is pretty good.

Even after being trained, I still have questions. If gender is not biological, then why do we think someone who claims to be trans-black is crazy? Under what moral standard do we prosecute polygamists? Why don't we consider depression or suicide adequate lifestyle choices? Why is transgender considered a fulfilling life but those with Downs Syndrome should be aborted? Apparently, the only thing society can agree on is that nothing's worse than being a straight, white man.

I am not surprised but still saddened that so many libertarians have jumped on this bandwagon. So much for rationality and truth.

[Bubba Jones]

I assure you that being a straight white man is indeed the way to go. I highly recommend it.

It is a bit exhausting being responsible for damned near everything, but most things I can just delegate to my wife. Especially kid stuff.

So, yes, being a straight white male is the bomb.

[Unicorn Abattoir]

Guy deludes himself into thinking he's a woman - everyone has to join in the delusion.

Guy deludes himself into thinking he's Jesus Christ - his ass get's locked up.

False equivalence and all, but I'm just saying.

[The Last American Hero]

Wait until you see what they did to the guy that WAS Jesus Christ.

[Tony]

So you wouldn't mind if one of your coworkers referred to you as "she" and "her" every time they talked about you? For the express purpose of antagonizing you?

[John]

I would mind. The difference is that I actually am him. The reality is that I am male and they are required to respect that reality. They are not and should not, however, be required to respect my made up reality.

If I decided that Identified as an Admiral and insisted on them calling me Admiral, should my employer fire them if they didn't? Why not? If what I say I am rather than reality determine what they should call me, then their refusal to call me admiral is no different than their refusal to call a trans man she.

[Tony]

But the trans person would feel exactly the way you do. Are you going to lecture them on that point of fact too? Are their feelings irrelevant because you have declared yourself arbiter of objectivity?

Conservatives are funny. If it's the planet's environment being destroyed, eh, ignore it, it'll probably go away. A change in how you approach pronouns that probably will never affect you in any way?! Just sound the horns now, It's the end of decency, words, facts, and probably civilization!

[John]

But the trans person would feel exactly the way you do

Yes and if I honestly believed I was an admiral, I would feel exactly the same way as well when people didn't call me an admiral. So why do their feelings matter but mine don't?

And you don't think this matters because you are totally happy having the progressive hive tell you how to think. When the movement tells you that 2+2=5, you go along because that is what you do. The idea that being forced to accept and repeat a lie is an enormously grave violation of someone's freedom would never occur to you. Just like it would never occur to you that the power to do that would be used for more and more things until no one ever had a thought that was not approved.

Your sex or your gneder is not determined by your state of mind. it is determined by your body. And no amount of 'but feelings' changes that reality. And no amount of "what is the big deal" makes forcing people to participate in a lie any less objectionable.

[Tony]

It's not a lie. Definitions of words can change. We're not talking about chromosomes or genitals, we're talking about pronouns. It has always been the case since the beginning of time that pronouns referred to people on an arbitrary basis. Many cultures chose to invent words that distinguished pronouns by sexes. Others didn't. The culture we live in accepts the validity of claims to being transgender, and good manners require us to acknowledge that in our speech.

You're not making an argument for objective truth, you're making an argument for rudeness, and there is never an excuse for rudeness.

[Bubba Jones]

The only confusion seems to be between gender and sex.

Transgender males aren't shes. TransSEXUAL males are. Once they've lopped off the dangly bits.

[Fatty Bolger]

Have to say I agree with Tony on this one. If a guy wants to be called "she," so what? Why go out of your way to be rude? I've known a lot of people who don't go by their legal name. If I insisted on calling them by their legal name instead, that would probably irk my employer, too, and for good reason.

[call your mom]

You're not making an argument for objective truth, you're making an argument for rudeness, and there is never an excuse for rudeness.

Yes, there is. Fuck you.

[neoteny]

there is never an excuse for rudeness

That's an exceedingly rude thing to say.

[lap83]

and there is never an excuse for rudeness.

Tony is the Hyacinth Bucket of internet trolls

[Juice]

The reality is that I am male and they are required to respect that reality.

No. No one is required to respect that "reality." This is the problem. "Requiring" someone to respect your version of reality.

[Bubba Jones]

I have been called worse.

[Juice]

For the express purpose of antagonizing you?

The difference is that I do not attempt to require people to call me any particular pronoun for the express purpose of attracting attention and sympathy or the express purpose of antagonizing anyone, nor would I attempt to have someone fired for not bending to my desires.

[Juice]

Billionaire philanthropist David Rockefeller has died at age 101.

Not a word about it at infowars. That place has truly changed forever.

[Scarecrow Repair & Chippering]

The good news is that there are survivors.

Where will they be buried?

[The Last American Hero]

Not sure, but the last time this happened we got jerked off by a TV show for 6 years and left unsatisfied when it ended.

[DanO.]

Kellyanne Conway's husband, George, is expected [to] be nominated by Trump to lead the Justice Department's civil division.

No quid pro quo there. No sir!

[american socialist]

Is tony not very bright?

[american socialist]

In other thread of Comey confirms FBI

Tony: Russians helped Trump to win by releasing emails

AS: How did releasing those emails help Trump win?

Tony: The emails were irrelevant. they only contained things like recipes. Comey 2 weeks before came about private server

AS: If the emails were irrelevant and just recipes, how did that help Trump? The Comey/Hillary deal and server was a completely different issue

[call your mom]

Billionaire philanthropist David Rockefeller has died at age 101.

Every Time a Philanthropist Dies, An Angel Gets Their Wings!

[DOOMco]

Denver Meet update!
Day: Sunday, 26th
Time: 2-3pm till whenever.
Location: Wynkoop, upstairs.
there will be beer, fun drugs, and pool!

[Mickey Rat]

"Democrats said they were troubled by a judicial record they said was animated by a cold and literal reading of the law..."

The Democrats are troubled by a judge doing his job properly, of course.