Putin and Trump Meet, Counterprotesters Outnumber KKK Members, Martial Arts Star Wins Mongolian Presidential Election: A.M. Links

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  Mikhail Klimentyev/ZUMA Press/Newscom

  Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met for the first time.

• Donald Trump Jr. acknowledged that before the election he met with an unbeknownst to him Kremlin-connected lawyer who had said she had information that could help his father's campaign.
• More counterprotesters than Klan members showed up at the KKK rally in Virginia.
• The prime minister of Iraq arrived in Mosul to declare "victory" over ISIS.
• Martial arts star Khaltmaa Battulga won the presidential run-off in Mongolia.
• The Sun is entering its solar minimum.
• 44-year-old Bartolo Colon signed a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met for the first time.

THAT WE KNOW OF.

[Rufus The Monocled]

Hello.

[EscherEnigma]

Trump used to brag that he knew Putin, before he started claiming he didn't know Putin or a thing about Putin.

So who knows.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The prime minister of Iraq arrived in Mosul to declare "victory" over ISIS.

Mission accomplished banner in tow.

[Fist of Etiquette]

More counterprotesters than Klan members showed up at the KKK rally in Virginia.

Turned out to be a Kool Kweers of Kolor rally anyway.

[Princess Trigger]

And then we DANCED!

[DJF]

It was a weekend and the FBI did not want to pay overtime for their army of KKK infiltrators.

[Greg Loves His Woodchipper]

Did you notice how Richard's face got all serious and he walked out? Do you think that was in response to the Kool Kweers of Color reference or the Skull and Bones reference? God I love him.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I took it as the latter.

[Eek Barba Durkle]

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met for the first time.

What kind of idiot doesn't even interview a guy before installing him as President?

[Anomalous]

Srsly.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Martial arts star Khaltmaa Battulga won the presidential run-off in Mongolia.

More like a presidential round kick.

[AlmightyJB]

I hope they had a cage match

[Crusty Juggler > You]

The Number of U.S. Adults Without Health Insurance Has Risen by Two Million This Year

The Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index, published Monday, found that the uninsured rate among U.S. adults was 11.7% in the second three months of this year, compared with a record low of 10.9% at the end of last year. Though small, the change was statistically significant, survey analysts noted.

McConnell has been considering easing some of the bill's Medicaid cuts, beefing up health care tax credits to help people buy private insurance and adding billions of dollars to counter the opioid epidemic. That might comfort GOP moderates. To placate conservatives, McConnell is weighing demands to make it easier for insurers to offer skimpier policies.

[Citizen X - #6]

IT"S TRMUP"S FAULT MAKING PEOPLE DIE IN THE STEREET

[Philadelphia Collins]

Thank Obama we even have streets in which to die.

[loveconstitution1789]

To anyone who still thinks that the media are not biased to Obama, even out of office.
Obama at airport national news

[Rufus The Monocled]

Wait. This happened under Obamacare, correct?

[Citizen X - #6]

Nope. On January 20th of this year, the seas began to rise again, millions of polar bears died, and everybody lost their health insurance.

[Rhywun]

And the opioid virus escaped from the lab.

[Citizen X - #6]

No, Trump's Russian backers started handing out free samples of painkillers on playgrounds back in the '90s in preparation for his ascendancy.

[Juice]

At this point, the Repubs really should just back off and let the thing die on its own.

[EscherEnigma]

Even if they don't repeal it, you can bet they'll continue to undermine it as they have been since 2010. So "die on its own" isn't really an option.

[The Last American Hero]

Undermine it how?

[Get To Da Chippah]

By not allowing the Democrats to 'fix' it, DUH!

[BYODB]

What do I care what people choose to do with their money?

[Lord_at_War]

I absolutely HATE the "skimkpier" benefits" arguement. I lost my policy that I was happy with because it had a 6 million dollar life time limit.

But unless Goldman-Sachs call me in to work, my lifetime earnings will be about $1.5-2 mil

[Fist of Etiquette]

The Sun is entering its solar minimum.

When Democrats heard they voted to impose a mandatory increase to that minimum.

[Rhywun]

I was hoping this was going to lead to an article about The Sun going bankrupt or something.

[The Last American Hero]

No, but we have to do something about the lumens gap between our average working class sun and those evil capitalist supernovas.

[Crusty Juggler > You]

Does Trump Have a Point About Obama and Russia?

For President Trump to say so carries more than a whiff of hypocrisy given that even now he refuses to unreservedly accept that the Russians were responsible and in nearly six months in office has done nothing about it himself. But even top Democrats are now increasingly acknowledging that he may have a point about Obama.

Obama's former national security adviser, Thomas Donilon, says as much in a new interview for The Global Politico, telling me there's "no doubt about it" that Obama should have publicly pinned the blame on the Russians much sooner and taken more aggressive steps to retaliate.

[Citizen X - #6]

and taken more aggressive steps to retaliate.

It's still kind of hard to believe how many Democrats seem to want an actual war with Russia.

[Eek Barba Durkle]

A global war with Russia where millions of innocents die would prove that the country didn't REALLY reject the Democrats and their ideas in 2016 in favor of a belligerent narcissist half-wit reality TV star..

Fair trade, all day long.

[Kreel Sarloo]

While I go along with the "narcissist half-wit" part, I have to dispute whether Trump was more "belligerent" than Hillary. I'd have to say that the Donald was an absolute dove compared to Hillary.

It's astonishing that so many people are so convinced that Hillary is the voice of peace and reconciliation. It is somewhat forgivable that people living abroad* should believe such nonsense but for residents of the US it is not.

Mind you, I expect no more from Trump in delivery of a less interventionist foreign policy than we got from GWB's promise of a "more humble" one when he ran as the less hawkish candidate in 2000.

*While foreigners may believe that get more news about the USA, than Americans get about them, they often don't get the kind of news that would give them any context for what they hear. Most of the news foreigners get about US political campaigns is filtered through a Social Democrat lens that promotes the myth that the Democratic Party is the party of peace, understanding and of "the little guy", while the GOP is the party of "big business" and "Wall Street".

[Citizen X - #6]

I think Trump can be called belligerent in the sense that he doesn't shy away from going on the attack on Twitter or in interviews if someone's cheesed him off, not necessarily in the war-all-the-time sense of a Clinton or a McCain.

[Rhywun]

Most of the news foreigners get about US political campaigns is filtered through a Social Democrat lens

So is most of the news that Americans get about everything.

[Citizen X - #6]

It's Social Democrats all the way down.

[Kreel Sarloo]

Actually, I was referring to the idea that foreigners actually think differently than americans. The filtering I am referring to is being done by the readers themselves.

IOW, while foreign readers read the same filtered stories that we do, they take them at face value, while some of us here in the US view them with varying degrees of skepticism. That is why "we" keep choosing leaders the rest of the world disapproves of. 🙂

It's also interesting that they keep complaining about our "cowboy", "warmonger" leaders until someone, somewhere in the world needs someone to blow someone's ass up.

[Zeb]

It's all about appearances. Trump behaves belligerently in public, so he's the belligerent one. Clinton is also belligerent both in foreign policy and personally, but pretends she isn't.

Neither major party is in any sense a party of peace/anti-war.

[Eek Barba Durkle]

I simply meant temperamentally. Temperamentally, Trump is a bit of a belligerent douchenozzle. He certainly campaigned as one.

Also...I don't expect anyone to remember who I am from one post to the next, but if you do, you can ALWAYS stipulate that my post is not in any way a defense of, or argument for, Hillary Clinton. I despise Trump, but there is nothing he could do that would dim my shine in the least that that hag is never going to be President.

[loveconstitution1789]

But are you willing to give Trump praise when he does something good- like nominate Gorsuch?

[BYODB]

The thing I think I'll never forget about the Trump vs. Hillary election was how bizarrely terrifying Hillary was when she spoke about Russia. It sounded like she was planning on nuking them after being elected, and while I hold zero belief that she would have done so the rhetoric on it's own was enough to convince me not to vote for her.

Of course, there were about a zillion other reasons not to vote for her but the Russia issue alone was enough for me. I greatly dislike Russia for a whole lot of reasons, but going to war with them is beyond a fools errand. We've spent at least half a century trying to avoid it at all costs.

And of course that's no defense of Trump, but he didn't sound as unhinged as Hillary when it came to Russia which is an accomplishment when you really think about it.

[Rhywun]

the Russians were responsible

Responsible for what? Tricking the Dems to reveal how awful they are? Mind-control of voters in select counties of Michigan and Ohio?

[loveconstitution1789]

Yes. The Russians have literally become the best in the World at getting Trump elected. Russian clandestine services are the much better than they used to be when it was the KGB.

[Philadelphia Collins]

But they still can't catch moose and squirrel.

[Gaear Grimsrud]

"For President Trump to say so carries more than a whiff of hypocrisy given that even now he refuses to unreservedly accept that the Russians were responsible and in nearly six months in office has done nothing about it himself."

Trump, July 6: "I think it was Russia. And I think it could have been other people and other countries. It could have been a lot of people interfered. I've said it very simply. I think it could very well have been Russia but I think it could very well have been other countries, and I won't be specific. But I think a lot of people interfere. I think it has been happening for a long time. It has been happening for many, many years."

I see nothing unreasonable about Trump's statement and he is correct that "it has been happening for a long time. It has been happening for many, many years." Notably by the U.S. government. But because he has failed to unreservedly blame Russia exclusively he's obviously unstable. And he's a hypocrite because he hasn't done anything about it in 6 months during which congress, the intelligence community, a special prosecutor, WAPO, and the NYT have done little else. But we've established that interference in the election (AKA hacking) consisted of broadcasts by RT and Sputnik (media 99% of the electorate probably never heard of prior to the SCANDAL) and leaks of DNC emails. These are clearly acts of war and Trump is clearly guilty of treason. I just hope the impeachment doesn't interfere with our war on Russia.

[damikesc]

?More counterprotesters than Klan members showed up at the KKK rally in Virginia.

Isn't that the case at ALL KKK rallies?

And if you take out FBI informants, it was probably a really significant drop in KKK numbers.

[Citizen X - #6]

More counterprotesters than Klan members showed up at the KKK rally in Virginia.

For real, the KKK is only like six dudes anymore.

[mad.casual]

For real, the KKK is only like six dudes anymore.

As has been pointed out, hate-crime murders constitute less than 80 murders a year. If you only count hate crimes where the aggressor actually made physical contact with the victim (rather than just making threats or shouting obscenities) the total number of hate crimes drops by like 50-80%.

The Klan is less dangerous than riding a bicycle on a public street.

[colorblindkid]

Hate crime murders average only 8 per year, according to the FBI's new stats. Fearing Muslim terrorists makes more statistical sense, although neither are in any way rational fears. I just find it ridiculous that the Republicans get accused of fear-mongering all the time while the left tells everybody that they are at risk of being brutally murdered by a racist white male Trump supporter at any second.

[The Last American Hero]

zero is less than 80.

[Scarecrow Repair & Chippering]

Welll ..... if L is 50 and M is 1000, then K must be 2.5. 2.5 + 2.5 + 2.5 is ..... 7.5! So you are pretty close.

[widget]

More like 9, if count the two black dudes.

http://www.kkkknights.com/photos

[Citizen X - #6]

My 10th-grade English teacher told us a story about the time her black brother-in-law went to a Klan rally in South Carolina and asked if he could join. It got real awkward when no one could figure out how to tell him no.

[BYODB]

*cut to Dave Chappelle skit of the blind, self-hating black KKK member*

[loveconstitution1789]

Clayton Bigsby, I presume?

Stealing all the white man's air!

[Gaear Grimsrud]

Umm, accuse him of cultural appropriation?

[Isaac Bartram]

I have not been able to find the story from the sixties when a Klan leader in Western PA* committed suicide when it was revealed that he was Jewish.

*While the Klan in the South was actively anti-union, it is interesting to note that outside of the South, the areas where the Klan was strongest were also those areas where unions were strongest. EG, Oregon, Indiana, Ohio and western PA.

[End Child Unemployment]

But but but....I have it on good authority from the Southern Poverty Law Center that hate crimes are up 14,000%. 600,000 Americans die per year from hate crime violence! And that's not even including the number of flowers who wilt to death under the steady oppression of microagressive violence.

[loveconstitution1789]

FBI dumps SPLC from hate crimes web page.
FBI dumps hate group SPLC

SPLC racket for keeping hate and ignorance alive.
Federalist article

[Fist of Etiquette]

44-year-old Bartolo Colon signed a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins.

Seems like a deliberate slap in the face to National Hockey League fans here that this is even a link.

[kV]

So, you're saying you want to see Bartolo Colon on ice? I think there's some sort of weight limit on the pond.

[Fist of Etiquette]

HE'S A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE.

[Scarecrow Repair & Chippering]

SO ARE SUMO WRESTLERS.

[Citizen X - #6]

Martial arts star Khaltmaa Battulga won the presidential run-off in Mongolia.

That is the most Mongolian thing i have heard in a while.

[loveconstitution1789]

Gengis Khan approves this message.

[yet another dave]

I hope he changes his name to Khaltmaa Khan

[Citizen X - #6]

"Khan" is a popular surname among Indian Muslims, but it's a title in Mongolian. He wouldn't be Khan unless he reinstates the Mongol Empire.

[Bob K]

god damn Mongolians tear down my shitty wall

[loveconstitution1789]

If people would only stop calling them mongoloids they would not get pissed and tear down walls.

[BYODB]

I made that mistake once. Checked the dictionary, and thought 'oops'.

[Rhywun]

unless he reinstates the Mongol Empire

I'm OK with this. Gotta be better than most of what replaced it...

[yet another dave]

I know I was suggesting he whip up the mongel hordes again and march through the Himaylayas, we could meet him at the Bosphorous and tell him to enjoy his new empire

[yet another dave]

"Khan is a popular surname" because Gengis was... uh... popular? with the ladies.

[loveconstitution1789]

That's an understatement.

A 2003 study showed that 10% of the men that reside within the border of the Mongol Empire at the time of Gengis Khan's death have his "Y" Chromosome. That's about 16M people.

[Pro Libertate]

KHAAAN! KHAAAN! KHAAAN!

[Crusty Juggler > You]

Horrifying moment a Minneapolis police officer SHOOTS two Staffordshire terriers as they approach him with wagging tails after he climbed over a woman's backyard fence

CCTV footage captured the moment that Jennifer LeMay's Staffordshire terriers approach an officer, who is in their backyard investigating a burglary report.

Neither of the dogs, named Ciroc and Rocko, appear to be acting aggressively and one can clearly be seen wagging its tail.

Despite this the officer draws his firearm and shoots one pet, then the other.

The dogs can be seen on the ground writhing in agony before running away, while the officer climbs the fence and leaves the yard.

Both of the dogs survived the encounter but Ms LeMay was left with thousands of dollars in veterinarian bills.

Climbed a fence, dropped into the backyard, shot the dogs, climbed back out.

[Rufus The Monocled]

Heroes!

[Fist of Etiquette]

It would have been irresponsible to shoot them through the fence.

[Princess Trigger]

Went home safe that night -- had good and wild fucking of wife-beast.

[loveconstitution1789]

Nobody discusses the War on Dogs!

[Citizen X - #6]

Justice would be the officer paying the vet bills out of his pocket, or else getting his wages garnished in order to do so.

I don't expect justice.

[68W58]

I was once in a class with a retired game warden and the topic of how to deal with dogs came up. According to him if you sprayed some of your OC spray on your pants leg they would not come close to you (his exact words were "it's like a force field"). You'd think that something like this would be common knowledge among those who have to deal with dogs occasionally.

[Rhywun]

Why is this British tabloid news, but not news anywhere in America except (maybe) Minneapolis?

[TrickyVic (old school)]

Because Trump didn't do it.

[notJoe]

25 dogs killed by cops *every day*???

F-ing heroes I tell you.

[MarkLastname]

I don't see any mention of what color dogs were, so I assume they're white?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Donald Trump Jr. acknowledged that before the election he met with an unbeknownst to him Kremlin-connected lawyer who had said she had information that could help his father's campaign.

...and hurt his father's administration.

[Crusty Juggler > You]

The West Is a Portable Idea, Not Blood and Soil

I've written against so many of Trump's policies and behaviors, but these words are stirring and true (as is much of Spengler's book) and it is about time that someone said them in this generation. But note what is distinct about his formulation. He took pains to say that these traits belong to a certain "community of nations," a particular people united behind a certain way of life.

Unlike his predecessors in office, he refused to describe these as hallmarks of the human ideal, a universal longing, but rather centered this outlook on a particular people ? not the ideas that the people hold (ideas can be ported anywhere) but somehow embedded in a certain demographic.

[Jerryskids]

Good piece.

The right and left have become intensely partisan, unreasonable, internal, and vituperative in their tribal loyalties, and this is precisely what their leadership wants. They are two tribes fighting over the spoils of a corrupt and failing system. In this war, no one can win.

And looking at "Western values" I'd like to think that Jefferson was on to something when he wrote that bit about self-evident truths and all men being created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that makes individualism a universal thing rather than merely Western - tribalism belongs to the unevolved and unenlightened.

[Citizen X - #6]

Yes. Of course, you can make a lot of enemies around here with that last line, which is sad.

[Jerryskids]

Well, dang, I was so hoping Martial Arts Star was the guy's name, taken from a factory second T-shirt his non-English speaking parents had gotten in an aid package.

[Crusty Juggler > You]

Comey's private memos on Trump conversations contained classified material

More than half of the memos former FBI chief James Comey wrote as personal recollections of his conversations with President Trump about the Russia investigation have been determined to contain classified information, according to interviews with officials familiar with the documents.

This revelation raises the possibility that Comey broke his own agency's rules and ignored the same security protocol that he publicly criticized Hillary Clinton for in the waning days of the 2016 presidential election

Will he go to prison? LOLOLOLOLOLOL he isn't a garbage person!

[Crusty Juggler > You]

Also, for those of you who click the link, note the story on the left of the sidebar. On a scale of 1 - MJGreen, how awful is she?

[loveconstitution1789]

Sidebar story: MJGreen awful!

[KerryW]

Well of course he won't go to jail, he only had a few insecure memos, whereas every single Clinton communication while SoS was insecure.

Sadly, some people will be saying "See how hard it is to follow the rules, of course Hillary shouldn't be charged."

[Crusty Juggler > You]

Long After Protests, Students Shun the University of Missouri

Whitney Matewe, a black student from McKinney, Tex., who will be a senior in the fall, said that after the protests, her parents asked if she wanted to transfer, but she decided to stay because she is in Missouri's prestigious journalism school.

But, she said, she understands why black students might not apply to a campus where they are all but invisible. A friend's boyfriend obliviously told her she looked like Aunt Jemima, and she was dismayed that her friend did not object.

"Being 'the other' in every classroom and every situation is exhausting," she said.

By sheer numbers, the drop in white students has caused the greatest damage, since they make up a majority of those on campus.

Tyler Morris, a white student from St. Louis, said he was afraid of being stereotyped as a bigot if he went to Missouri. So he decided to go to Missouri Valley College, "just down the road" in Marshall.

"The discrimination wasn't against white people, but I didn't want to be that person who I guess was stereotyped because I was white," he said.

This is in the NYT, so I assume it's LOL fake news LOL. Also, I have no idea what's happening in that story.

[Citizen X - #6]

A lot of people's feelings are hurt for reasons that they think they understand but really don't at all.

[Crusty Juggler > You]

I'm pretty sure this comment makes you a racist.

[Citizen X - #6]

Probably. [kicks pebble]

[Rufus The Monocled]

Well does she?

Look like Aunt Jemima.

*It *would* make for a great comedy sketch wouldn't it? A woman that looks like AJ complaining about being told by a white cracker (redundant?) she looks like AJ.

[Rich]

Or a woman who looks like Halle Berry complaining about being told by a white cracker she looks like AJ.

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

She's a college student, so it's probably not a close match.

[Rhywun]

Who knows but I bet ten bucks that never happened.

[mad.casual]

For a journalism major and/or the NYT, I'm a little confused as to how someone '*obliviously* told her she looked like Aunt Jemima'.

[Citizen X - #6]

Well, she is transparent and filled with syrup...

[Meh.]

That's Mrs. Butterworth... who actually has never been pictured and might be raceless. I only know the difference because I just got done googling all of this because I couldnt remember what Aunt Jemima looked like. She's just a matronly-looking face, so I can understand why that would be offensive to a college student. But googling the older advertising, I can see how someone could consider this a racist remark as well.

[Citizen X - #6]

Thanks for calling me out as a syrupist. Jeez.

[that.is.not.who.i am]

Very funny. I just snorted pancake out of my nose.

[Tom Bombadil]

"But, she said, she understands why black students might not apply to a campus where they are all but invisible. A friend's boyfriend obliviously told her she looked like Aunt Jemima, and she was dismayed that her friend did not object.

"Being 'the other' in every classroom and every situation is exhausting," she said."

Well, which is it: are you invisible or are you 'the other'.
Can't be both.

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

but

[Rhywun]

And if "the drop in white students has caused the greatest damage" (whatever that means), how are blacks "all but invisible"?

[BYODB]

Who shortens Texas to Tex. for an article one wonders?

[Citizen X - #6]

BYODB refers to a certain type of Southwestern cuisine as "Texas-Mexican."

[BYODB]

That would be a menu rather than an article, but perhaps the author of that story was hungry when they wrote it. Last I checked an AP style guide, Texas is spelled in full but I don't think I've bought a copy since 2009.

[KerryW]

40-plus years ago, I was a high school student visiting the U of MO for an academic contest. At the lunch break, two other students and I (we were all 17 years old) visited a local deli in Columbia -- two white dudes with a black girl. Boy did we get a few stares. No hostility, though.

[Crusty Juggler > You]

Kate Steinle's father: We didn't coin 'Kate's Law'

Kate Steinle's father says he doesn't want his daughter's name at the center of political controversy following passage of a prominent bill targeting undocumented immigrants.

"I don't know who coined 'Kate's Law,'" Jim Steinle told San Francisco Chronicle editorial page editor John Diaz for a piece published Friday. "It certainly wasn't us."

The comments came in a piece titled "Leave Kate Steinle out of the immigration debate," which called for public figures to stop invoking her name in the immigration debate.

Politicians: the worst people, or the worst people?

[Citizen X - #6]

At this point, anyone who doesn't recognize seeking political office as a symptom of a dangerous psychosis should probably get their head checked.

[Scarecrow Repair & Chippering]

Politicians: the worst people, or the worst people?

Why can't it be both?

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

Her existence belongs to us now.

[Dillinger]

jumping to conclusions on the people part.

[ATL]

Donald Trump Jr.'s Two Different Explanations for Russian Meeting

Don Jr., Manafort, and Kushner--all agents of Don--agreed to meet with a Russian agent to receive damaging information against Hillary to use in the Trump campaign.

It's hard to think of a more textbook case of collusion between a political campaign and an enemy foreign power.

[Tom Bombadil]

Please list the kosher sources of dirt on Hillary.

[Tony]

Domestic ones.

[Citizen X - #6]

SOMEONE was so hopped up on amyl he missed the entire '90s.

[Tom Bombadil]

Shut the fuck up, Donny.

A hefty portion of Hillary's long list of corruption took place, well everywhere. Why wouldn't foreign evidence be legit?
Not to mention the domestic apathy our press has to exposing those who are anointed.

[Tom Bombadil]

Tony = Donny

[Sevo]

"A hefty portion of Hillary's long list of corruption took place, well everywhere. Why wouldn't foreign evidence be legit?"

Well, Tony will tell us that only US citizens donated to the Clinton Special Access Slush Fund!

[MarkLastname]

I won't believe Tchebychev's theorem until it's proved by a 'murican!

[RT]

4+ years ago it was "the 80's called and want their foreign policy back", now it's "enemy foreign power".

I mean, during the Cold War one could refer to the USSR that way, but then we had two opposed ideologies battling it out. Now it's more "Great Game" politics, eh?

For the record, have never been a fan of the Soviets/Russians, although Yeltsin briefly tempered my dislike of the them.

[Crusty Juggler > You]

Now it's more "Great Game" politics, eh?

Large numbers of people think that Russia not only interfered in the election, but is a legitimate threat to America's sovereignty, so Putin has already won the game.

[RT]

My point wasn't to downplay the Russian threat, but more of a comment on the political opportunism of Russia-bashing. Nothing new under the sun, I suppose, but still...

In the case of great game politics, I do think the hysteria plays into Putin's hands. I mean, comments from the Russian foreign ministry about private discussions with Trump, et all are reported breathlessly as received truth, while Administration denials are dismissed outright. I mean, as awful as the Russians are (or are perceived to be), wouldn't they have a reason to mischaracterize what happens in those meetings? Of course, Trump's credibility deficit doesn't help...

[loveconstitution1789]

Its clearly not about credibility. Hillary Clinton has zero credibility and she got away with murder- literally.

[Rhywun]

What Russian threat? They are not a threat to us in any meaningful sense. Putin is more a threat to his own people and to the immediately-adjacent countries than to us. The left really needs to seek a doctor's attention for this warboner they have.

[Crusty Juggler > You]

I do think the hysteria plays into Putin's hands.

That's the only point I was trying to make. Whatever Russia's goals were - if they had any, other than "let's fuck with them a little," - have probably been surpassed just by the way the stories have been covered.

[RT]

I definitely think their goals were probably most along the lines of "let's fuck with them a little". I also consider it a fool's errand to form some kind of "alliance" with them, as our interests don't really align with theirs. I guess the idea of a counter against potential Chinese aggression might have some merit, but I don't think Trump is that strategic, and even if he were he would have a hard time bringing the rest of the country along, as he's portrayed as a Russian puppet. India would probably be a better bet.

[loveconstitution1789]

Wikileaks
Secret meetings and deals between Hillary, Mueller and the Russians are okay though.

"Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak was just doing his job "talking about bilateral relations" with Trump campaign officials ? and did the same thing with Hillary Clinton associates, Vladimir Putin's spokesman said Sunday.
In an interview with CNN host Fareed Zakaria on "GPS," Dmitry Peskov said the meetings weren't an attempt to interfere in the 2016 election."
Newsmax

[Dillinger]

>>>more textbook case of collusion

Ted Kennedy. 1984.

[EscherEnigma]

Based on the admissions so-far, the meeting doesn't sound illegal.

However, lying to investigators about the meeting? That could be.

This really might be a case where the cover-up is worse then the act that's being covered up. Like hiding an affair with a murder.

[MarkLastname]

Or like breaking the law to circumvent a potential FOIA request from political opponents eager to find evidence of wrongdoing while Secretary of State.

[Dillinger]

>>>Martial arts star Khaltmaa Battulga won the presidential run-off in Mongolia.

swept the leg. bodybag.

[Crusty Juggler > You]

Seth Rich's family calls on public to stop using their son as a 'political football' on anniversary of killing

In a statement, the family said it recognized the "futility of the request," but said the false information surrounding the July 2016 murder and subsequent harassment of their family and friends "does nothing to bring justice to his killers."

Political opportunists trying to profit off a tragedy: the worst people, or the worst people?

[Domestic Dissident]

Note that this guy who accuses me of being obsessed with the Seth Rich story is constantly on the lookout for Seth Rich news and bringing it up here all the time even when nobody else here is. But he's one of the guys who wants everyone to believe he was killed by a random 'hood rat.

Seems like you're more obsessed with this story than anyone else here, bro. I wonder why?

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

Confirmed: the worst people.

[Dillinger]

i think the angle here is "politicians are dicks"?

[Crusty Juggler > You]

Note that this guy who accuses me of being obsessed with the Seth Rich story is constantly on the lookout for Seth Rich news and bringing it up here all the time even when nobody else here is. But he's one of the guys who wants everyone to believe he was killed by a random 'hood rat.

Seems like you're more obsessed with this story than anyone else here, bro. I wonder why?

Why do you think, bro?

[Domestic Dissident]

It's partly projection, and partly that you're a left liberal democrat/media party operative who's always looking to push the mainstream media preferred narrative on every topic. In short, you're an Obama momma.

[Crusty Juggler > You]

Thank you so much.

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

How much do they pay you to push their mainstream narrative in the Reason comments? A pretty penny, I would hope.

[Citizen X - #6]

He got to meet a fireman!

[Citizen X - #6]

Not to defend Crusty by any means, but you're retarded, and i mean that medically.

[Citizen X - #6]

Damn, Crusty, way to give Simple Mikey a chance to feel like it's all about him.

[widget]

D.C. police have repeatedly said they think Rich was killed in a random robbery attempt...

And the robbers forgot to take his wallet. They committed a capital offense but didn't want to go down for a felony. Yeah, OK.

If it wasn't a hit the next most likely cause would be that Rich was victim of polar bear hunting, which is another political football. Even if Sean Hannity was off in the broccoli he kept the murder in the news. Why on earth would Rich's parents not want to keep the pressure on to solve the case?

[Crusty Juggler > You]

Smells fishy.

[Citizen X - #6]

The Tidal Basin always smells like that.

[Domestic Dissident]

Funny how we've never been allowed to see any video footage of the incident either, and DC is blanketed with enough security cameras to catch two ants fucking in a sidewalk crack.

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

I've never mugged anyone, but if it got to the point where we struggled and I shot the person I was trying to rob, my first priority might be to get the hell out of dodge.

And the hitmen forgot to double tap him. They were assigned to shut him up and they left him alive and talking for an hour. Yeah, OK.

[Ron]

payed off to quell the stories

[Azathoth!!]

Maybe something like this--

'CNN reserves the right to publish his identity should any of that change'?

I mean they came right out and said it--and don't see what's wrong with that. Do you have any idea how prevalent blackmail must be that CNN no longer recognizes that it's criminal? That it sees it's actions as normal?

Who knows what 'encouragements' have been laid before Seth Rich's family?

[Domestic Dissident]

This. His family has probably been given the proverbial "offer they can't refuse". They even have a permanent "minder" in this Brad Bauman character!

[Ken Shultz]

"Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met for the first time."

Someone might mention that they made a ceasefire agreement in a limited part of Syria, and 24 hours later, at least, the ceasefire seems to be holding.

Let's hope the ceasefire holds and spreads and then Trump can take ISIS in Syria off of our agenda completely.

[widget]

Yes. I support a very modest foreign policy. Killing every single member of ISIS/ISIL is well within a modest foreign policy. Take no prisoners. Is that what you meant, Ken?

[Ken Shultz]

No.

I meant that when the only parties still fighting against Assad, Hezbollah, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and Russia in Syria is ISIS, then a) ISIS won't stand much of a chance and b) ISIS in Syria will be their problem--not ours.

It's better when Syria's problems are Syria's problems rather than Syria being our problem to solve (no matter what the intelligence services, the Pentagon, and the neocons say), and bringing about a ceasefire that holds is a necessary step in making that happen.

Hopefully, the ceasefire will hold and spread. That's how wars end.

[Ken Shultz]

"The prime minister of Iraq arrived in Mosul to declare "victory" over ISIS"

Taking ISIS off our agenda in Iraq doesn't seem like a bad idea either.

[Libertarian]

How was this not a morning link?

Anal Botox

http://nypost.com/2017/06/21/p.....nal-botox/

[Citizen X - #6]

I call dibs on the band name.

[yet another dave]

Are you sure that wasn't your nick name in college? Asking, for a friend

[BestUsedCarSales]

As someone with a deeply ingrained fear of my asshole, it is quite interesting to see a whole world of people so excited to look at and discuss their own.

[loveconstitution1789]

Assholes are like assholes...everyone knows one.

[loveconstitution1789]

Why would want to get rid of anus wrinkles?

They keep your anus the great orifice it is.

[BYODB]

?The Sun is entering its solar minimum.

So what! We completely understand the sun and our environment!

The solar minimum also has an effect on Earth's upper atmosphere and satellites in low Earth orbit, as there is less ultraviolet radiation from the sun. The number of galactic cosmic rays that reach the upper atmosphere also increases as the sun's magnetic field is weaker, meaning it provides less of a shield from them.

The last solar minimum was of particular interest as it displayed some highly unusual behavior in 2010. For example, sunspots were almost completely missing for a period of two years?an absence not recorded for almost 100 years. Understanding whether this solar minimum was an anomaly, or if it is part of a longer fluctuation, is hugely important to our understanding of the sun.

Fake news?

/sarc

[loveconstitution1789]

Global shadowing... the new climate change.

[BYODB]

I'll admit the article confused me more than it actually helped since if there is less ultraviolet I'm not sure how they say there will be 'less protection'. I mean, sure, UV hitting our atmosphere is what creates O3 but...the O3 specifically isn't what protects us from radiation it's rather a by-product of the protection process.

Oh well.

[Vernon Depner]

"Unbeknownst"? Where's my red pencil?