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Francisco 2.0

Certifiably Surly
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Posts posted by Francisco 2.0

  1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/national-enquirer-sent-stories-about-trump-to-his-attorney-michael-cohen-before-publication-people-familiar-with-the-practice-say/2018/06/21/3978aff4-57a4-11e8-858f-12becb4d6067_story.html?utm_term=.84b01e313922

     

    Quote

    During the presidential campaign, National Enquirer executives sent digital copies of the tabloid’s articles and cover images related to Donald Trump and his political opponents to Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen in advance of publication, according to three people with knowledge of the matter — an unusual practice that speaks to the close relationship between Trump and David Pecker, chief executive of American Media Inc., the Enquirer’s parent company.

    Although the company strongly denies ever sharing such material before publication, these three individuals say the sharing of material continued after Trump took office.

    “Since Trump’s become president and even before, [Pecker] openly just has been willing to turn the magazine and the cover over to the Trump machine,” said one of the people with knowledge of the practice.

    During the campaign, “if it was a story specifically about Trump, then it was sent over to Michael, and as long as there were no objections from him, the story could be published,” this person added.

    Quote

    Once Enquirer editors sent a story or cover image, sometimes a request for changes came back, according to two of the people with knowledge of the relationship. Stories about Trump were positive in nature, and changes related to the stories were not dramatic, according to one person with knowledge of the matter, who said most of the changes in stories sent to Cohen resulted in more flattering cover photos or changes to cover headlines.

    Trump suggested stories to Pecker on a regular basis, one of these people said, and had access to certain pieces — including one about Hillary Clinton’s health — before publication.

    These people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared legal action or professional retribution if they spoke publicly about Trump or AMI, which publishes other celebrity-focused titles including Us Weekly, the Globe and Star.

    Quote

    During the campaign, in addition to stories written about him, Trump was particularly interested in stories about Clinton’s health, two of the people said. They cited two cover stories: the one published in September 2015 that declared she had “SIX MONTHS TO LIVE!” and another a year later that purported to disclose her secret medical file. The cover on the latter issue portrayed Clinton as so pale and aged that she looked, in the words of one former AMI employee, “like a zombie.”

    That cover story was sent to Cohen in advance, according to people with knowledge of the situation.

    Cohen, Pecker and Howard communicated about Trump rivals such as Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina and other Republican primary candidates, according to the three knowledgeable people, plus a fourth person aware of the practice. Two of these people cited a story on Carson, a neurosurgeon, about his alleged botched operations as an example of a story Trump suggested to Pecker.

    Quote

    During the primary, the paper ran a story on Ted Cruz’s father’s purported link to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy; his campaign called it “garbage.” There was also a story about Cruz’s rumored affairs. Cruz attacked that story — of which there was never any evidence — as a plant from the Trump campaign. But Howard said that Enquirer cover on Cruz grew out of a tip from operatives close to Marco Rubio.

     

     

  2. 4 minutes ago, trauma babe said:

    Why the fuck does Dean Cain appear on Fox and Friends? Grandparents don't know who Dean Cain is. 

    To be fair, the A, B, C, and D-listers in the celebrity world aren't coming close to Fox, or don't have the time.  

  3. 3 minutes ago, Hugo Stiglitz said:

    Yesterday I thought long and hard about how incredibly difficult it must be for a secret service agent assigned to Donald Trump.  That might be the worst job in America right now.

    Actually, it's probably pretty easy.  He never leaves the Whitehouse, unless it's to A) trek off to one of his properties for something, like golf, or B) hang out at the Capital for a team-building cheer session, or C) go hang out with some true believers at a campaign rally.

     

     

  4. 2 hours ago, Michael Knight said:

    And the followup:

     

    https://splinternews.com/twitter-is-punishing-users-who-tweeted-our-stephen-mill-1826993497

     

    Quote

    Now, Twitter users who have either shared the post or posted Miller’s phone number have had their accounts temporarily suspended, with Twitter citing a violation of the site’s rules against publishing personal information. It’s safe to assume a shit-stirring campaign by all manner of internet assholes and tattletales was also effective:

     

  5. 4 minutes ago, kevwun said:

    Wonder how he's going to claim victory from this one?  No wall and no new immigration policy are gonna make it a challenge.

    "I'm signing this to immediately end this horrible issue of separating families, and I'm doing this because those heartless Democrats refused to do anything about it".

     

    Millions will cheer.

  6. 8 minutes ago, OatmealRaisinCookie said:

    Come on, that is hilarious. We can't lose our sense of humor in times of crisis like this, that, I firmly believe.

    Imagine if you will a foreign leader, say Gorbachev, throwing candy at Reagan and telling him "here Ronald, don't say I never gave you anything" and walking away.

    Yeah.  Hilarity.  

    It's only hilarious to #MAGA mouthbreathers.  

    • Like 3
  7. Just now, Chuckie Finster said:

    That Nielsen lady must really want her Mexican food.

    Funny; on Sunday she said there was no policy on separating families.

    Now, she's allegedly drafted a policy to prevent it from happening.

    Meanwhile, we have the policy drafted by the AG who says this needs to happen.

     

  8. "He stood up, he put his hand in his pocket... and he took two Starbursts candies out, threw them on the table and said to Merkel, 'Here, Angela. Don't say I never give you anything.'"
     

     

  9. 1 minute ago, TornACL said:

    I gotta imagine ms-13 loves all this free publicity they're getting. Must really help with recruiting. 

    Shit, I wouldn't be surprised if MS-13 members were setting up recruiting stations outside of the concentration camps tent villages summer camps.

  10. Even Jeff Sessions' church is getting involved:

    http://s3.amazonaws.com/Website_Properties/news-media/documents/A_Complaint_regarding_Jefferson_Sessions.pdf

     

    Quote

    We, the undersigned laity and clergy of the United Methodist Church, issue a formal complaint against fellow United Methodist layperson Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, by our understanding a lay member of Ashland Place United Methodist Church, in Mobile, AL, and an active participant in Clarendon United Methodist Church, Arlington, VA. While we are reticent to bring a formal complaint against a layperson, Mr. Sessions’ unique combination of tremendous social/political power, his leading role as a Sunday School teacher and former delegate to General Conference, and the severe and ongoing impact of several of his public, professional actions demand that we, as his siblings in the United Methodist denomination, call for some degree of accountability.

    We write to you, Mr. Sessions’ pastors, copying his District Superintendents and Bishops, in the hopes that you will, as members of our connectional system, dig deeply into Mr. Sessions’ advocacy and actions that have led to harm against thousands of vulnerable humans. As members of the United Methodist Church, we deeply hope for a reconciling process that will help this long-time member of our connection step back from his harmful actions and work to repair the damage he is currently causing to immigrants, particularly children and families.

    Pursuant to Paragraph 2702.3 of the 2016 United Methodist Book of Discipline, we hereby charge Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, Attorney General of the United States, a professing member and/or active participant of Ashland Place United Methodist Church (Mobile, Alabama) and Clarendon United Methodist Church (Alexandria, Virginia), with the chargeable offenses of:

    Child Abuse (examples: advocacy for and implementation of documented practices that indefinitely separate thousands of young children from their parents; holding thousands of children in mass incarceration facilities with little to no structured educational or socio-emotional support)

    Immorality (examples: the use of violence against children to deter immigration; advocating and supporting the separation of children from their families; refusal of refugee/asylee status to those fleeing gang or sexual violence; oppression of those seeking asylum or attempting to enter the United States with refugee status; directing employees and staff members to kidnap children from their parents)

    Racial discrimination (examples: stopping investigations of police departments charged with racial discrimination; attempting to criminalize Black Lives Matter and other racial justice activist groups; targeting incarceration for those engaged in undocumented border crossings as well as those who present with requests for asylum, with a particular focus on those perceived as Muslim or LatinX)

    Dissemination of doctrines contrary to the standards of doctrine of the United Methodist Church (examples: the misuse of Romans 13 to indicate the necessity of obedience to secular law, which is in stark contrast to Disciplinary commitments to supporting freedom of conscience and resistance to unjust laws)

     

    • Like 1
  11. 1 minute ago, Mojo Hand said:

    He also cares deeply about saving jobs in China, but, on the bright side, only when saving those jobs would hurt our national security   help his family's bottom line:

     

     

    Had to do some minor editing.

  12. 56 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

    I like how Trump is supposedly just enforcing Obama's policy but Obama was weak on immigration.

    I like how Trump squeals with glee over repudiating everything Obama did with executive orders, etc. but is powerless to toss this "law" aside.  

  13. Yeah.  Totally the same.

    http://thehill.com/homenews/media/392922-laura-ingraham-describes-child-detention-centers-as-essentially-summer-camps

    Quote

    Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Monday described the child detention facilities housing immigrant youth as “essentially summer camps.”

    Ingraham’s comments come amid growing outcry over the Trump administration’s policy to prosecute migrants crossing the border illegally, leading to thousands of children being separated from their parents and housed in what the government is calling "tent cities."

    “As more illegal immigrants are rushing the border, more kids are being separated from their parents,” Ingraham said. “And temporarily housed at what are, essentially, summer camps.”

     

  14. Today's sign of the coming apolocalypse:

    https://www.axios.com/kim-jong-un-nancy-pelosi-favorable-poll-e675f74a-eebb-4fa3-a661-10dd008a123b.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=organic&utm_content=1100

     

    Quote

    19% of Republicans view Kim Jong-un favorably, while just 17% have a favorable view of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, according to a new poll from Ipsos and The Daily Beast.

    Why it matters: While it's just one poll, it stands as an example of the current hyper-partisan state of American politics — where an extended career and continued partisan attacks can severely damage a major figure's public perception. In addition, it highlights the effect that President Trump's non-traditional diplomacy can have on public opinion.

     

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