The Trumpster has dismissed Putin's KGB/violent background as unimportant or on other occasions has offered a whataboutism excuse:

You think we're so innocent? We kill people, too.

However, the last time I checked we--meaning the US government--were not knocking off journalists doing their jobs, investigating awkward or politically charged material. I have no doubt the Trumpster would have no problem trying his hand at this because he has demonstrated his MiniMe proclivities and has a boy-crush on Vlad. He also hates the press. I think he's quite capable of ordering a kill on an enemy. If he thought he could get away with it, that is. Which is far harder in this country (at least so far) to pull off successfully, particularly when you've totally pissed off your intelligence community.

But in Putin-World, journalists and nay-sayers winding up dead happens at a mysterious, alarming rate. Journalists, dissidents, diplomats and critics of every shape, size and gender have died from gunshots, falls, inexplicable heart attacks and strokes, self-inflicted poisonings or mysterious beatings/assaults. The nature of these unfortunate 'accidents' always have a common denominator: the victims all have a critical eye on the Kremlin and/or possess information that could bury Putin's grand expectations.

Or maybe coincidence hangs around Putin like a bad smell. Poor guy.

Today's headlines of three dead Russian journalists is a case in point. They were in Central Africa putting together a documentary on a mercenary group linked to Putin. The sort of mercenary group that attempted to storm a US installation in Syria, a group Putin has never acknowledged. Because if you don't acknowledge it, it never happened.

The journalists' car was ambushed. All three were shot dead while their driver was left alive. Robbery is being broadcast as the official motive.

So strange though. How these incidents keep bubbling up, only to be tamped down with: Nothing to see here, people. Move long.

Another coinky-dink, I guess. Or not.




https://themoscowtimes.com/news/russian-journalists-killed-central-africa-republic-ambush-reports-62404

Hullabaloo has an interesting article up today regarding the current tariff snafu and the Trumpster's willingness to partially bailout US farmers. It's obvious that the move is for political reasons--the November elections, tumbling poll numbers and the blowback the Trumpsters are getting for their sheer incompetence. But the Hullabaloo piece pulls the threads together into a recognizable garment--the nature of the grift that is Trump:

The major challenge the Trump administration faces in creating Shakedown Nation is to properly calibrate the amount of protection. It's essential that the protection never be complete, making those "protected" ever more desperate to prove their loyalty in order to get what they can from a too-small pool of goodies. But it's also important that the protection not be so inadequate as to create an organized revolt.


Interesting theory considering all we know about the Trumpster: The Grift has always been the point because the Imposter-in-Chief knows no other way.


https://digbysblog.blogspot.com

Scroll down to second article

Hectic days of seemingly inexplicable events. But there are people out there putting the pieces and people together in this political clusters*ck. Picked up this extended thread over at Eric Garland's twitter feed. If Louise Neufy is correct, the warnings that Hillary Clinton tried to give us in 2016 were because . . . she absolutely knew what was going on and was willing to take a knee for the country.

Think about that.

Just another reminder: Vote for America in November. Vote for our principles and ideals, even though we don't always reach them. Vote for our better angels.

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1019070469624991744.html

Hoarse Whisperer has a heads up on 'coincidental' happenings behind the scenes. As he suggests: there are games afoot. Because there are aways games

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1018185265414852609.html

To be honest, I periodically muted the TV during the Republican interrogation of Peter Strozk. The nonsense gave me a splitting headache. But I heard enough.

Republicans were obviously expecting an wide-eyed whipping boy to enter their den because the mythical monster they'd envisioned and whined about to the Kool-aid Troops was an easy target, engorged on Trumpster-hate, besotted with Hillary-love, basically a toothless, shivering remnant of 2016.

Surprise!

They had their asses handed to them in the same way the 11-hour Benghazi interrogation tuned decidedly sideways, making them all look and sound like utter fools.

Some fools never learn, as in Louis Gohmert a man who really needs to return to his asparagus fields.

Rick Wilson shares my opinion of today's clown show. A small sample here:

Because Trump supporters live in a hermetic media echo chamber, these hearings are part of a predictable, hokey Kabuki dance. They’re a device for generating a new round of hyperbolic base-only stories that will follow the same, dumb arc as all the rest; in the coming days, you’ll see Sean Hannity flirt with apoplexy, coating the camera lens with flecks of spittle as he rants over Strzok’s perfidy. You’ll see pro-Trump columnists herniate themselves stretching to turn flippant text messages into a vast conspiracy. Twitter will be a flood of moronic memes, white-hot takes, and promises that Strzok will soon be in Gitmo alongside Hillary, Obama, Podesta, and Soros.


Same old, same old. Because some fools never learn. Sadly, we're all paying for it.

Complete piece by Wilson at the Daily Beast:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/republicans-thought-peter-strozk-would-be-a-punching-bag-he-just-knocked-them-out

Okay, this Reverend Jeff Black says it better than I can. He says it with enough punch and passion that it's worthwhile referencing in those moments of doubt and uneasyness.

https://twitter.com/threadreaderapp/status/1017084156365492224

The danger is real but not insurmountable. Concentrate on the core issue going forward and offer up Faces of Flint . . . Spark a Fire.

Love this! Because it rings true.

The reader app will unspool the entire thread.

Seth Grossman running for NJ's 2nd district has lost his GOP endorsement due to . . . bigotry and how it has no place in society, let alone American politics.



Apparently, bigotry is okay in the White House but not in the House of Representatives. How quaint.

Grossman has made a number of provocative statements during his long history of trying to run a viable campaign in the Garden State. However, his more recent comments about 'diversity being a bunch of crap' and African Americans being the biggest threat to blacks and non-blacks alike was a step too far.

I suspect the Republican's internal polling in the district was a huge factor and perhaps some other nasty details about Grossman are floating round. Grossman has not withdrawn his candidacy, so it remains to be seen what further steps will be taken. But at this point his funding and GOP support is over. Pretty much, Dead Man Walking.



https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2018/07/09/republicans-pull-endorsement-of-new-jersey-candidate-citing-bigotry/?utm_term=.59da67392781

In addition to trashing two dying American public servants--Poppy Bush & John McCain, the second block of text was also in the Montana rally/rant/howling at the moon event.

https://twitter.com/Mikel_Jollett/status/1015247999272800256

Stunningly incomprehensible!

Chris Hayes also had this . . . whatever it is posted on his show tonight. This reminds me of an unedited Trumpster interview conducted by the Wall St Journal last year--in that it makes no frigging sense.

This is what a breakdown sounds like. The man is hanging on by his hairpiece.

And he's meeting with Vlad (in private) in less than two weeks!

Short list of clear, no-nonsense recommendations from Tea Pain:

https://twitter.com/TeaPainUSA/status/1013879156751421440

Btw, judging from recent polls (inside those approval/disapproval %s), the vast majority of voters are looking for a Check on Trump. So,

A Check on Trump? Vote Democratic.