The Drumpfster Fire Chronicles Week 12

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Drumpfster Fire

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The

Drumpfster Fire

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A Talbot‑‑Heindl Experience LLC Zine By: Chris Talbot‑‑Heindl

April

8 2017

ome news outlets wondered if Drumpf bombed Syria as publicity as well as sending a “message.” “Entering a war with a righteous cause is a time-honored way for leaders everywhere to rally flagging public support for their rule,” wrote Washington Post.

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n an interview at Drumpf Turnberry Golf Resort in Scotland, Eric Trump explained just what Ivanka would influence her daddy to do – since it isn’t battle climate change or provide women equal rights. He told reporters that Drumpf bombed Syria because Ivanka was upset. “Ivanka is a mother of three kids and she has influence. I’m sure she said, ‘Listen, this is horrible stuff.’ My father will act in times like that.”

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illary Clinton spoke about her loss to Drumpf saying, “Certainly misogyny played a role. I mean, that just has to be admitted. And why and what the underlying reasons were is what I’m trying to parse out myself.” Research backs it up. There is clearly a double standard for the genders. Research has found that women can’t be themselves, voters care whether their female politicians are likeable (they don’t care with men), voters are concerned about female politicians’ personal lives (specifically their “struggle” to balance motherhood and their careers), etc.

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rumpf’s bombing in Syria were completely useless as a “message” to Bashar al-Assad to quit bombing Syria, as warplanes returned to bomb the already bombed Syria. Bombs hit the same airbase Drumpf struck, but instead of bombing nothing, they hit Islamic State positions. There were also Syrian and Russian bombs in the Damascus, Aleppo, Idlib, and Daraa provinces – all striking civilians.

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April

9 2017

n another round of “What the Hell is the Administration’s Viewpoint on Anything?” leaders took to media to tell different stories. On CNN, United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, she advocated for removing President Bashar alAssad. “We’ve got to go and make sure that we actually see a leader that will protect his people…And clearly, Assad is not that person...In no way do we see peace in that area with Russia covering up for Assad. And in no way do we see peace in that area with Assad at the head of the Syrian government.”

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ecretary of State Rex Tillerson stated on CBS that the US goal is to “navigate a political outcome in which Syrian people in fact will determine Bashar al-Assad’s fate and his legitimacy.” When asked about Assad’s war crimes against his own people, Tillerson changed the subject. “it’s important that we keep our priorities straight, and we believe that the first priority is to defeat ISIS.”

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rumpf demanded that Russia stop supporting the Syrian government or face the US. Secretary Tillerson stated on ABC that Russia was partially responsible for the chemical attacks on civilians for backing President Bashar al-Assad. “I hope Russia is thinking carefully about its continued alliance with Bashar alAssad, because every time one of these horrific attacks occurs, it draws Russia closer into some level of responsibility.”

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rumpf set a fleet of US Navy aircraft carriers to the Korean Peninsula “to maintain readiness” (read: threaten with force) against further missile launches in North Korea. Kim John Un plans to hold a military parade to celebrate the 105th birthday of Kim Il Sung, and to mark the 85th anniversary of the Korean People’s Army. This seems counter productive since North Korea stated it was not afraid of a military airstrike like the one we just accosted Syria with because it could defend itself with its “tremendous military muscle with a nuclear force.”

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April

10 2017

he Republican plan for taxes could cost the elderly dearly. They plan to cut trillions in taxes, but the proposal will set off inflation according to a report from the nonpartisan Peterson Institute for International Economics – which will blast those on fixed income, like those living off retirement. Those that have retirement benefits that are indexed to inflation – like Social Security – could have some protection, but other elderly folk will be screwed, especially those with savings invested in bonds and certificates of deposit.

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ttorney General Jeff Sessions ended the National Commission on Forensic Science – a 30-member advisory panel of scientists, judges, crime lab leaders, prosecutors, and defense lawyers – that worked to raise forensic science standards. Because why bring science into forensic science?

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hen finally faced with real consequences for his sex scandal, Republican Governor Robert Bentley resigned. And by resigned, I mean, it was part of his deal with prosecutors for a reduced sentence, although you wouldn’t know it from his statement: “I have decided it is time for me to step down as Alabama’s governor.”

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uring the swearing in for the newly stolen Supreme Court seat, Drumpf congratulated some of the Republicans that made it happen before bragging about his own prowess. “In fact, I’ve always heard that the most important thing that a President of the United States does is appoint people…to the United States Supreme Court. And I can say this is a great honor. And I got it done in the first 100 days – that’s even nice. You think that’s easy?”

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ecretary of State Rex Tillerson issued the following blanket warning to all nations everywhere, opening the floodgates for unilateral military attacks, the warning that the USA would punish those “who commit crimes against innocents anywhere in the world.” He issued the statement at a memorial to a Nazi massacre in Italy.

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10 2017

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ress Secretary Sean Spicer indicated that he believed that Drumpf would use the military not just as retaliation against chemical weapons, but also run-of-the-mill weapons, “If you gas a baby, if you put a barrel bomb into innocent people, I think you will see a response from this president.” This is a particularly horrifying thought since 495 barrel bombs were used in March alone; 12,958 were used in 2016.

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he first question asked of Press Secretary Sean Spicer during the press briefing: “Why is okay to bomb Syria but not okay to assist the refugees?” Spicer’s answer was all over the place and backward. He claimed that it would “stop the proliferation and deterrence of chemical weapons.” He claimed it would stop ISIS, “by us taking action and deescalating what’s going on in Syria, that’s the greatest ting you can do to support those people.” He also claimed that working with allies, including Russia, would be important. But the bombing didn’t stop the proliferation of chemical weapons. It doesn’t defeat ISIS, and it pissed Russia off.

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ress Secretary Spicer was asked what the Drumpf doctrine might be. He stated the doctrine was “America is first…we’re not just going to become the world’s policeman running around the world, but that we have to find a clear and defined national interest whenever we act and that it’s our national security, first and foremost, that has to deal with how we act.” The reporter followed up, “The action in Syria fits in that doctrine?” Spicer claimed that the proliferation of “weapons of mass destruction” was a “clear danger to our country and to our people.” Bush III, anyone?

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hen asked which is Drumpf’s policy, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s policy of having the Syrian people determine Bashar al-Assad’s legitimacy or US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley’s policy that peace will not happen with Assad in power, Spicer answered “I don’t think that’s – I don’t think those are mutually exclusive statements.”

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umerous times, Press Secretary made mention of the #altfact that people all over the world approved of and praised Drumpf’s attack on Syria. “I think the action that we took last week has been widely praised, domestically and internationally, as a great step to ensure the deterrence and proliferation of chemical weapons and of action against innocent people.” “The attack on Syria won not just bipartisan praise here at home, but world praise.”

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Chinese-American doctor was ripped forcibly from his seat on a United Airlines flight and knocked unconscious before being dragged out, while blood streamed from his nose and mouth. He was forced to give up his seat on the flight after United Airlines was unable to find four volunteers to give their seats to United Airlines employees. The doctor claimed that he needed to see his patients in the morning and couldn’t miss the flight. While this isn’t a direct result of anything Drumpf has done, it is a systemic issue of the Republican Party’s insistence that the rights of corporations trump the rights of individuals. In this case, the rights of a corporation to save money, time, and themselves any inconvenience trumping the rights of an individuals dignity and safety.

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nited Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz made a half-assed apology, apologizing for having to “re-accommodate” people. He then sent a letter to the airline’s employees, which was leaked, thanking them for dealing with a “disruptive and belligerent” passenger. “I also emphatically stand behind all of you, and I want to commend you for continuing to go above and beyond to ensure we fly right.”

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10 2017

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former UK Ambassador to Syria, Peter Ford, explained on BBC how we don’t know yet what happened in Syria, and that the US acted without that knowledge. He also stated that the US’s retaliatory attack make further bombings with chemical weapons more likely rather than less likely. “Trump has just given the jihadis a thousand reasons to stage fake flag operations. Seeing how successful and easy it is, with a gullible media, to provoke the West into intemperate reactions.”

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hite House officials emailed reporters in response to Press Secretary Spicer’s comments that Drumpf would bomb the shit out of anyone using barrel bombs. “Nothing has changed in our posture. The president retains the option to act in Syria against the Assad regime whenever it is in the national interest, as was determined following that government’s use of chemical weapons against its own citizens.”

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an Bernardino had another school shooting. The shooter, Cedric Anderson, walked into the classroom and opened fire on his estranged wife, Karen Elaine Smith, who was the teacher of students with special needs, before killing himself. Two of her students were also struck by the bullets – leaving one in critical condition and one dead. Anderson had a criminal record including domestic violence, weapons possession, and drug possession.

If proposed gun control laws had been enacted, this wouldn’t have happened. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, who earlier supported Drumpf’s promise to ban gun-free zones around schools instead took to Twitter asking “everyone to join me in keeping the victims and all those impacted by today’s senseless violence in your prayers.”

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federal judge ruled that the Republican Texas voter ID law was enacted to discriminate against black and Hispanic voters and violated the Voting Rights Act. Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos pointed to attempts by Democrats to take away some of the racial impact of the law through amendments that Republicans rejected, including allowing additional types of photo ID. So, really Republicans have no one to blame but themselves.

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he special election to replace Mike Pompeo in Kansas’s 4th Congressional District was a close one when it should have been a Republican slam-dunk. Drumpf had won the district by 27 points in November, but Republican Ron Estes won by a mere 7 points and it was neck and neck for much of the night.

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April

1 2017

rumpf began his day by tweeting a thinly veiled threat to North Korea, and possibly stating that the USA would be bombing once again: “I explained to the President of China that a trade deal with the U.S. will be far better for them if they solve the North Korean problem!” followed by, “North Korea is looking for trouble. If China decided to help, that would be great. If not, we will solve the problem without them! U.S.A.”

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he White House Correspondents’ Association announced that comedian Hasan Minhaj will host the White House Correspondents’ dinner later in the month. Drumpf already said he would not attend back in February, saying that he would be treated badly. Minjah is highly critical of Drumpf in all of his comedy. He’s referred to Drumpf as a “racist Cheeto” and “white ISIS.” The White House Correspondents’ Association President Jeff Mason stated that Minhaj would “bring the message we hope to get across that night, and that is that the First Amendment is critical and the work of the White House press corps and journalists around the world is very important.”

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he White House finally held a briefing on Syria specifically. A senior administration official was asked about what happened in a timeline. That official started, “let me start with the narrative of what we think happened in the attack…we believe the Russian and Syrian narratives are false.” The official then explains that the chemical attack began at 6:55 local time from an aircraft out of the Shayrat airfield “which is regime-controlled.” He stated that “personnel historically associated with the chemical weapons program” were at the airfield in March and on the day of the attack. The official also explained the “leakage around the actual weapon that we think the sarin came from, not explosive debris that we would expect if it had been an explosive munition that it hit chemicals or something that would be consistent with a Russian attack.”

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ecretary of State Rex Tillerson, speaking in Italy, ominously said that President Bashar al-Assad’s reign in Syria was “coming to an end” and warned Russia against supporting him. The problem is that if Syrians are meant to fight off Assad and decide their own fate as Tillerson has suggested, that is unlikely to happen. It kind of makes one wonder what the Drumpf administration plans on doing, why all the mixed signals, and if we’ll know before it happens.

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hen asked during the press briefing what can be expected in relation to Syria – such as the sanctions that were suggested, Press Secretary Sean Spicer did his standard. “Great question. I think you know well enough at this point that we’re not going to announce any of that kind of action until it’s ready to go…so I’m not going to get ahead of what he’s planning to announce or when, but as he has made clear on a variety of circumstances, he’s not one to telegraph his actions until he’s ready to make those announcements.” It makes one wonder why they even hold press briefings at all.

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reporter asked if Drumpf was moved enough by Syrian refugees to “reconsider that aspect of his travel ban” – being the one that bans all refugees from coming to the United States. Press Secretary Spicer went into his spiel, that Drumpf just wants to “make sure that we protect our people, our country, and to keep those people from having to flee…the goal isn’t to figure out how many people we an just import to this country. I think there’s clearly a security concern that we have to be – “

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1 2017

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reporter asked about Drumpf’s tweet to China: “North Korea is looking for trouble. If China decides to help, that would be great. If not, we will solve the problem without them! USA.” The reporter inquired about what “solve the problem” means. He got the Spicey Standard: “I think he has been very clear that he will not tolerate some of this action by North Korea. But to answer your question, I think I’ve said this before on a variety of topics, the President is not one who is going to out there and telegraph his response.”

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uring the press briefing, Press Secretary Spicer referenced Hitler while talking about the chemical attacks by President Bashar alAssad. “You had someone as despicable as Hitler, who didn’t even sink to using chemical weapons.” This is of course, ridiculous and incredibly insulting to the Jewish community.

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reporter asked Press Secretary Spicer about the statement from Eric Trump that Drumpf was moved to bomb Syria due to Ivanka’s influence. Spicer went through the timeline of the decision-making, but ended with, “That being said, there’s no question that Ivanka and others weighed into him as – it was asked earlier, Hallie asked it – that when he himself saw images, he was very, very moved.”

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sked to clarify his horrific comments on Hitler, Press Secretary Spicer made things worse: “When it comes to sarin gas, he was not using the gas on his own people the same way that Assad is doing…He brought them into the Holocaust centers, I understand that. I was saying in the way that Assad used them where he went into town, dropped them into the middle of town. I appreciate the clarification. That was not the intent.”

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fter the press briefing, Press Secretary Spicer released a statement that he was not trying to “lessen the horrendous nature of the Holocaust, however, I was trying to draw a contrast of the tactic of using airplanes to drop chemical weapons on innocent people.” If he wasn’t trying to lessen it, maybe he shouldn’t have said anything or called concentration camps where Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, political dissidents, and others were killed in gas chambers with the chemical gas Zyklon B, “Holocaust centers” on the first day of Passover – one of the holiest days in Judaism.

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1 2017

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he suggestions made by Press Secretary Spicer dehumanize the Jewish people who were murdered by Hitler. Either it is an outright Holocaust denial (“Hitler didn’t even sink to using chemical weapons”), or suggests that Jewish people are not real Germans (“he was not using the gas on his own people”), or that the Jewish people who were killed weren’t innocent “Assad… dropped down to innocents”).

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ress Secretary Spicer got very defensive in questions about Secretary of State Rex Tillerson not being able to meet with President Vladimir Putin. “I think it’s interesting that we went from all of these direct links to Russia, to now, are we disappointed that we can’t even get a meeting with them. There’s a bit of irony in your question.” The reporter asking stated, “I don’t even understand your point.” Neither do we, neither do we.

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rumpf’s announced new Drug Czar, Representative Tom Marino.

He advocates for a mandatory inpatient substance abuse treatment for nonviolent drug offenders, including recreational marijuana users. “Once the person agrees to plead guilty to possession, he or she will be placed in an intensive treatment program until experts determine that they should be released... then the charges are dropped against the person. The charges are only filed to have an incentive for that person to enter the hospital-slash-prison, if you want to call it.”

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hree Republicans in the North Carolina House filed a new bill to ban gay marriage. The “Uphold Historical Marriage Act” claims that the Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage violated “constitutional bounds” when it overturned North Carolina’s Amendment One. Larry Pittman, Michael Speciale, and Carl Ford sponsored the bill saying that SCOTUS overstepped “the decree of Almight God that ‘a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24, ESV)’” Apparently Pittman, Speciale, and Ford also take umbrage to the Constitutional Right of freedom of religion.

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ecretary of Education Betsy DeVos withdrew the Obama memorandums that required the Federal Student Aid office to do more to help borrowers manage or discharge their debt. In her written memo, she stated that she was removing demands to “demonstrate sound fiscal stewardship of public dollar” and limit the cost to taxpayers. Reports show that 8.7 million Americans default on their student loans, or one person every 29 seconds.

Republicans had previously reduced the taxpayer money going into student loans in the first place several times to “balance the budget,” making a college education incredibly expensive, requiring more student loans.

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ecretary DeVos’s withdraw of protections for graduates will likely cause more people to default and puts the money, and time of loan contractors above the dignity and livelihoods of student loan debtors. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan summarized the move as, “The Department of Education has decided it does not need to protect student loan borrowers.”

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1 2017

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ews was released that the Drumpf campaign person that the FBI was investigating was Former Foreign Policy Advisor, Carter Page. The FBI and Justice Department had a warrant after proving there was probably cause to believe he was acting as an agent of Russia. In order to obtain a permit, the FBI has to collect a dossier of proof. Carter’s dossier included contacts he had with a Russian intelligence operative in New York City that were also brought up in an espionage case.

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n an interview with The Post Carter Page compared himself to Martin Luther King Jr. He stated, “This confirms all of my suspicions about unjustified, politically motivated government surveillance” before comparing surveillance of himself to the eavesdropping against civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

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rumpf told reporters about his Chief Strategist Stephen Bannon who he recently demoted from the National Security Council: “I like Steve, but you have to remember he was not involved in my campaign until very late. I had already beaten all the senators and all the governors, and I didn’t know Steve. I’m my own strategist, and it wasn’t like I was going to change strategies because I was facing crooked Hillary.”

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n interviews, foreign ambassadors based in DC revealed they were as baffled by Drumpf’s apparent lack of a game plan in any diplomatic matter as the rest of the nation is. “Nobody can tell us on Russia what the American policy is, on Syria what the American policy is, on China what the American policy is. I’m not sure there is a policy. They will listen to me and tell me, ‘We will get back to you when there is a policy.’” stated one ambassador.

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nother ambassador stated, “I don’t know what will happen. You had a president who took three months to take a decision, and now you have one who takes three seconds. It’s very worrying.”

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n airstrike by an American-led coalition fighting ISIS killed 18 Syrian fighters that were allied with them in Syria. This was the third time in a month that American-led airstrikes may have killed civilians or allies, and happened while the Pentagon investigates the last two airstrikes. Maybe they should just stop bombing the shit out everything and take a moment to fully investigate.

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he Anne Frank Center is requesting that Drumpf fire Press Secretary Sean Spicer following his white-washed comments claiming that Adolf Hitler didn’t use chemical weapons during World War II. “On Passover no less, Sean Spicer has engaged in Holocaust denial, the most offensive form of fake news imaginable, by denying Hitler gassed millions of Jews to death,” Steven Goldstein said in the statement. “President Trump must fire him at once.”

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April

12 2017

rumpf began the morning as he usually does, with an #altfact tweet. “Great win in Kansas last night for Ron Estes, easily winning the Congressional race against the Dems, who spent heavily & predicted victory!” #Altfact 1: it wasn’t easily won, it was incredibly close considering the usual voting record of that district; #Altfact 2: Dems didn’t spend heavily, no one did, since it was a special election and there wasn’t time; #Altfact 3: Dems never expected to win. That district always runs red. It voted Drumpf by a 27 point margin.

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rumpf began his bizarre interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo by generally talking about how amazing he’s been – unprompted. “We have done so much for so many people. I don’t think that there is a presidential period of time in the first 100 days where anyone has done nearly what we’ve been able to do.”

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rumpf blamed the under staffing of the White House on obstruction. “Yes, I am waiting right now for so many people…

Hundreds and hundreds of people. And then they’ll say, why isn’t Trump doing this faster? You can’t do it faster, because they’re obstructing. They’re obstructionists.” This is an #altfact.

Drumpf hasn’t nominated people. There are 1,200 positions in the White House that require Senate confirmation and 533 of those are considered “key” positions. The vast majority of those positions haven’t even been nominated. Drumpf himself has also mentioned numerous ties he has no intention of filling some of those positions because he doesn’t need them and wants to “drain the swamp.”

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rumpf claimed that health care did not fail. “It’s been very much misreported that we failed with health care. We haven’t failed, we’re negotiating and we continue to negotiate and we will save perhaps $900 billion.” By this metric, nothing will fail, even when no one has any interest in it, and you can’t get it passed with a clear majority, until he’s no longer president.

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rumpf claimed it was party divisions, “hostility,” and “hatred” that prevented health care from getting passed, not that the Drumpfcare plan was absolute garbage that would knock tens of millions of people out of the market. “Well, as an example, on health care, I won’t get one Democrat vote, even though many of them think it’s an incredible plan.” Literally, no Democrat thinks it’s a competent plan, never mind “incredible.” Half of his own base doesn’t like Drumpfcare.

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rumpf also of course took the time to blame Obama. “What I did should have been done by the Obama administration a long time before I did it, and you would have had a much better – I think Syria would be a lot better off right now than it has been…

He didn’t do it. I don’t know what happened, but he didn’t do it…

Even the Obama people admitted he was wrong for not doing it.”

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12 2017

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bama did want to do something back in 2013. And at that time Drumpf wrote the tweets: “We should stay the hell out of Syria, the ‘rebels’ are just as bad as the current regime. WHAT WILL WE GET FOR OUR LIVES AND $BILLIONS? ZERO.”; “The only reason President Obama wants to attack Syria is to save face over this very dumb RED LINE statement. Do NOT attack Syria, fix U.S.A.”

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rumpf blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for the crisis in Syria during the interview. “I really think there’s going to be a lot of pressure on Russia to make sure that peace happens, because frankly, if Russia didn’t go in and back this animal, we wouldn’t have a problem right now…Putin is backing a person that’s truly an evil person, and I think it’s very bad for Russia, I think it’s very bad for mankind, it’s very bad for this world.”

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n a grossly exuberant part of the interview, Bartiromo asked about the specifics of the launch of the airstrikes, whilst giggling.

He began to talk about his “most beautiful piece of chocolate cake that you’ve ever seen” and how he launched the missiles, how we have the best missiles, how it’s unheard of that they would all strike their targets from hundreds of miles away, but he didn’t seem to understand who we attacked – “heading to Iraq,” he said.

He bragged about being able to launch the airstrikes while having dessert with President Xi of China, mentioning dessert five times.

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rumpf’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort was advised that he needed to register with the Department of Justice as a foreign agent. It was verified that Manafort received at least $1.2 million and a suspected $12.7 million in off-the-books payments from former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych while the Russia-allied leader was still in power. The announcement was somewhat hilarious in light of Drumpf’s constant lingo of “draining the swamp” and his attacks on Hillary Clinton for taking “massive sums of money from registered foreign lobbyists.” Turns out he was doing the same, except his foreign lobbyists couldn’t be bothered to follow the law and register.

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n the Joint Conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Drumpf claimed that NATO was no longer obsolete because it took his suggestions and improved. “The Secretary General and I had a productive discussion bout what more NATO can do in the fight against terrorism. I complained about that a long time ago and they made a change, and now they do fight terrorism. I said it was obsolete. It’s no longer obsolete.” Drumpf just doesn’t seem to understand the point of NATO – which is to support a member under attack, not to support a member when it decides to unilaterally attack another country.

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rumpf babbled absolute garbage through the question portion of the Joint Conference, stating “I can only tell you what I would like to do. I would love to be able to get along with everybody.

Right now the world is a mess. But I think by the time we finish, I think it’s going to be a lot better place to live. And I can tell you that speaking for myself, by the time I’m finished, it’s going to a lot better place to live in because right now it’s nasty.”

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12 2017

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ATO Secretary General Stoltenberg seemed to be attempting to explain what NATO is and does throughout his answers during the question part of the Joint Conference – probably for Drumpf’s benefit as much as anyone else’s. “The message from NATO is that what we do is proportionate; it is defensive. And we don’t want a new Cold War, we don’t want a new arms race. And actually we strongly believe that there is no contradiction between a strong NATO, a credible deterrence and defense, and political dialogue with Russia.”

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he sculptor who created the Wall Street public art piece, “Charging Bull,” Arturo Di Modica held a presser about the erection of “Fearless Girl” that was installed last month on International Women’s Day saying that it corrupted the artistic integrity of his sculpture. He claimed that the statue was not art, but a publicity stunt. “That is not a symbol! That’s an advertising trick. My bull is a symbol for America. My bull is a symbol of prosperity and for strength.” The bull may have started out as a symbol of America, but it has already been co-opted to become a symbol of financing bros. The girl is a symbol that women are no longer going to be stunned silent or removed from the table; hopefully women including the artist who made it.

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fter Drumpfcare fizzled and died, Drumpf declared, “Health care is a very, very complicated issue. In a way [taxes are] a lot simpler.” In an interview with Fox Business, Drumpf changed course. “The tax reform and the tax cuts are better if I can do health care first.” Perhaps tax reform is more complicated than anyone knew…

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ecretary of State Rex Tillerson held a news conference with his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov. Tillerson stated, “There is a low level of trust between our countries…The world’s two foremost nuclear powers cannot have this kind of relationship.” This sentiment came after two days of Tillerson and Drumpf slamming Russia for its involvement in Syria and offering veiled threats.

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oreign Minister Lavrov provided Tillerson a history lesson of all the examples of botched American-led regime changes – Slobodan Milosevic, Saddam Hussein, Colonel Muammer elQuaddafi – and suggested that if the USA got involved with President Bashar al-Assad, it would go the same way.

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n an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Durmpf threatened to end the funding of cost-share-reduction subsidies that helps poor Americans to get actual health care (covering co-pays and other medical care) in order to force Democrats to support an end to Obamacare. The payments actually go to the insurers, so if he pulled them, more companies would pull out causing the program to collapse. Explaining how he planned to use people’s lives as bargaining chips, he said, “Obamacare is dead next month if it doesn’t get that money. I haven’t made my viewpoint clear yet. I don’t want people to get hurt…What I think should happen and will happen is the Democrats will start calling me and negotiating.”

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12 2017

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ecretary of Education Betsy De Vos appointed a new acting head of the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, Candice Jackson, who claims to have been “discriminated” against because she’s white. She went to a minority-tutoring program not knowing it was for minority students. “I am especially disappointed that the University encourages these and other discriminatory programs. We need to allow each person to define his or her own achievements instead of assuming competence or incompetence based on race.”

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andice Jackson also denounced feminism and glowed about an economist who criticized the Civil Rights Act of 1964. She wrote an article opposing affirmative action, writing, “As with most liberal solutions to a problem, giving special assistance to minority students is a band-aid solution to a deep problem. No one, least of all the minority student, is well served by receiving special treatment based on race or ethnicity.”

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andice Jackson also wrote a condemnation of feminism on campus, “In today’s society, women have the same opportunities as men to advance their careers, raise families, and pursue their personal goals. College women who insist on banding together by gender to fight for their rights are moving backwards, not forwards.” Her job will be to protect students from racial, gender, disability, and age discrimination. In other words, you honestly couldn’t pick a worse head.

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epublican General Assemblyman from North Carolina, Larry Pittman, called Lincoln “the same sort of tyrant” as Adolf Hitler on Facebook while responding to a comment about how ridiculous attempting to end same-sex marriage is. He was trying to advocate that the decision of same-sex marriage should be left to the states, but got a bit off track stating, “And if Hitler had won, should the world just get over it? Lincoln was the same sort if [sic] tyrant, and personally responsible for the deaths of over 800,000 Americans in a war that was unnecessary and unconstitutional.”

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he body of New York’s first African-American woman to serve on the Court of Appeals and the United States’ first ever female Muslim judge, Sheila Abdus-Salaam, was found in the Hudson River. She had been reported missing earlier in the day.

Judge Abdus-Salaam regularly sided with the vulnerable (the poor, immigrants, the mentally ill) over the establishment and corporations. Police are investigating her death.

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April

13 2017

ormer member of the Reagan administration, Jeffrey Lord, referred to Drumpf as “the Martin Luther King of health care because, “Dr. King kept putting people in the streets in harm’s way to put pressure on for the [civil rights] bill to be put forward.”

Symone Sanders, a political commentator and black woman responded, “Dr. King was marching for civil rights because people that looked like me were being beaten…Basic human rights were being denied to these people merely because of the color of the skin. Let’s not equate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – a humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize winner – to the vagina-grabbing President Donald Trump.”

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he US military dropped its largest non-nuclear bomb in Afghanistan – a bomb that was developed during the Iraq War but never used. The bomb, called “Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb” or “MOAB” but nicknamed the “Mother of All Bombs” by military personnel is a 21,600 pound, GPS-guided bomb.

The target was a series of ISIS tunnels, caves, and personnel.

Retired Lt. Colonel Rick Francona said the blast would “feel like a nuclear weapon to anyone near the area.”

We are waiting for the assessment of civilian deaths.

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nvironmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt said on an appearance on Fox & Friends that the Paris Accord was a “bad deal for America” that “we need to exit in my opinion.”

When asked why he believed that, he claimed that China and India had no obligations until 2030. This is an #altfact. He also stated that both countries “are polluting far more than we are.” This is an #altfact. India does not pollute more. China does, but they also have more than four times as many people. On a per capita basis, the US produced more than double the carbon dioxide emissions of China and more than eight times more than India.

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PA Administrator Pruitt also decided to halt the Obama regulation to limit the dumping of toxic metals such as arsenic and mercury from power plants into public waterways. “I have decided that it is appropriate and in the public interest to reconsider the rule.” He said it would cost the industry hundreds of millions of dollars a year to comply with it. He’d much rather the EPA poison the waterways, wildlife, and citizens than have those companies pay extra money to dispose of it properly. “This action is another example of EPA implementing President Trump’s vision of being good stewards of our natural resources, while not developing regulations that hurt our economy and kill jobs.”

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April

13 2017 continued

rumpf signed legislation allowing states to withhold family planning money from clinics that provide abortion services in an attempt to defund Planned Parenthood in secret. Usually the signing of legislation is done in front of cameras, but this was completely closed to the press. He also did not issue a statement about the bill or the signing. After its signing, the Director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Seema Verma told reporters, “President Trump is delivering on his promise to give states the flexibility that they need to make health care decisions that best meet their citizens’ unique needs.”

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ress Secretary Sean Spicer began the Press Briefing speaking about the bombing of Afghanistan. “The United States takes the fight against ISIS very seriously. And in order to defeat the group, we must deny them operational space, which we did. The United States took all precautions necessary to prevent civilian casualties and collateral damage as a result of the operation. Any further details, I would refer you to the Department of Defense on that.”

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ress Secretary Spicer misrepresented HJ Resolution 43 stating that it would overturn a “regulation that was put in place by the previous administration on their way out the door that would have taken away the right of states to set their own policies and priorities for Title 10 family-planning programs.” The only thing that signing the legislation does is defund federal dollars for women’s health programs that also provide abortion services – that can’t use federal money already.

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reporter wanted reassurance that a bomb like the one used to bomb Afghanistan wouldn’t be used in “another flashpoint around the world, like Syria” or North Korea. Spicer didn’t answer, but instead said, “As I noted at the beginning, John, I would refer you to the Department of Defense on specifics.”

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reporter mentioned that there’s a proposal to punish members of Congress who don’t pass the spending plan, including withholding salary or arrest. She asked if that would really happen. Spicer answered: “Let’s see. I think we’re making significant progress. I feel very good about the momentum and so I don’t want to start getting into whether – who’s going to be naughty and nice.”

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April

14 2017

he Afghan Defense Ministry said 36 fighters were killed and three large caves were destroyed in the massive MOAB bomb that was dropped on a network of tunnels and bunkers. Local residents are worried about the impact of the bombing on their health and farmland. A tribal elder said some civilians had been in the area when the bomb fell - two disabled women and an elderly man there and brought them to Shadal Bazaar. Shrapnel and rocks fell on the house of a tribal elder two miles from the blast site. A resident three miles from the blast site said four houses had been destroyed in the Pekhe area.

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rumpf refused to say who ordered the dropping of the MOAB bomb on Afghanistan, but Fox News was told that General John Nicholson made the decision on his own. Nicholson defended the use of it saying it was the right bomb and the right time to obliterate a large area with it.

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ormer Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta warned that Drumpf’s language could escalate tensions with North Korea. “The words from the administration are creating even higher volume of terms of the provocations that are going on…We should not engage in any precipitous action. There is a reason no US president in recent history has pulled the trigger on North Korea…We have the potential for a nuclear war that would take millions of lives. So I think we have got to exercise some care here.”

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he White House announced that it will keep visitors of the White House complex secret, citing “grave national security risks and privacy concerns.” The Obama administration had released the names of six million visitors, including lobbyists in an act of transparency. The Drumpf administration has said it will only release them through Freedom of Information Act requests.

Seems to be the opposite of “draining the swamp” since donors, lobbyists, and special interest groups may access the White House and have influence on decisions with no transparency to the public.

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