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[palsch]

Guess what time it is? It's time for more previously undisclosed contacts between Trump administration and Russia to be disclosed!

Also JD Gordon during the Republican convention. He has now come out and claimed that he met twice with the ambassador, once with Carter Page and Walid Phares. Gordon claims he was then part of a Trump-directed campaign to change the Republican platform to soften their stance on Russia. He explicitly says it was language given to him by Trump in May.

Based off of this CCN video summarising a phone call with Gordon.

This directly conflicts with Trump's own account, claiming he wasn't involved in the change at all.


I can honestly imagine a scenario where the policies are based off of honestly held political beliefs, where the meetings with Russian officials are due to political work and official duties, the speeches are attended out of genuine interest, and where all the communications are entirely above board.

But I can't combine that reality with one where they react to those policies, meetings, speeches and communications in this way. From day one they have been treating them as something shameful to be hidden, denied and lied about, even when they literally risk nothing. Sessions could easily have genuine reasons to meet with the Russian ambassador, so why lie about it in a confirmation hearing? Trump had public pro-Russia views in a campaign, so why pretend he didn't push for a softening of the platform during the RNC? Why deny Flynn's conversations when they knew there was a record of them and investigations into them, to the point of deceiving the Vice President, when it's obvious Trump didn't have a problem with what he did and there were no likely direct legal consequences?

Even the publicly visible political incompetence of the Trump team only goes so far to explain this sort of complete clusterfuck. At some point you have to guess malevolence and something seriously damaging they are trying to hide.



EDIT: This is one of Trump's national security advisors, outright claiming that 'radical Islamic terrorism' are magic words and, "key to Victory against Global Jihadism." Gorka has been central to another minor buzz today over whether he has a security clearance or not, and what level if so. He has been on TV seemingly claiming access to material that would be codeword, but according to leaks he doesn't even have a secret clearance. Again, this is the guy with negative respect from the IC, who yelled down the phone at a journalist who re-tweeted a critical article, who has ties to far-right anti-Semitic Hungarian political groups and whose credentials are questionable to say the least. But Trump hired him.


EDIT2: I need to stop looking at my feeds when I need to sleep.

Both Carson and Perry have been confirmed by Senate votes. Both have famously shown a lack of understand of what their new departments do. Perry famously tried to call for the DoE to be shut down, but forgot it existed. He reportedly changed his mind when - after many long years in politics and serving as governor of Texas - he discovered the DoE has authority over the nation's nukes. Carson publicly disclaimed any cabinet position due to lack of experience (despite running for president...) before accepting the job at HUD.


Mike Pence used a personal email server for state business while governor. It was hacked.

Vice President Mike Pence routinely used a private email account to conduct public business as governor of Indiana, at times discussing sensitive matters and homeland security issues.

Emails released to The Indianapolis Star in response to a public records request show Pence communicated via his personal AOL account with top advisers on topics ranging from security gates at the governor’s residence to the state’s response to terror attacks across the globe. In one email, Pence’s top state homeland security adviser relayed an update from the FBI regarding the arrests of several men on federal terror-related charges.

Cybersecurity experts say the emails raise concerns about whether such sensitive information was adequately protected from hackers, given that personal accounts like Pence's are typically less secure than government email accounts.In fact, Pence's personal account was hacked last summer.

EDIT3: Just stop, I need to sleep...

JUST IN: White House EPA budget proposal cuts climate protection program 70 percent to $29 million - source

Alongside the news that Trump wants to build two new aircraft carrier for reasons completely unexplained. I'm assuming one will be the USS Trump. Given the US carrier fleet has never been more vulnerable I can't imagine the justification for expanding it.

[redwallzyl]

Mike Pence used a personal email server for state business while governor. It was hacked.

oh the delicious irony.

[Wolfhunter107]

Actually, we do need a couple more aircraft carriers. Right now, the current fleet isn't large enough to cover everything, since for every carrier that's deployed, you need 2-3 others in maintenance, on training, ect. That said, we're building one right now and have two more planned/in the early stages of construction, so...

Also, all the talk about the carriers being "more vulnerable than ever" is massively overexaggerated.

[smjjames]

I wouldn't say carriers are vulnerable, after all, carrier groups are a thing. Not sure if Trump was referring to the two that are planned or meant two in addition to the ones planned.

Also, the current one (the one he was on I believe) is two years late, whatever is up with that.

[martinuzz]

Also, the current one (the one he was on I believe) is two years late, whatever is up with that.

It got carried away

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Also, the current one (the one he was on I believe) is two years late, whatever is up with that.

It got carried away

Know that when the shadows grow long against the backdrop of human ignorance and the stars in the sky blossom with dying crimson, that I shall remember what you have done here today.

[redwallzyl]

http://www.npr.org/2017/03/02/518136415/attack-ad-marks-new-era-for-millennials-running-for-office

Republican attack strategies continue to reach new levels shitty and underhanded.

[smjjames]

http://www.npr.org/2017/03/02/518136415/attack-ad-marks-new-era-for-millennials-running-for-office

Republican attack strategies continue to reach new levels shitty and underhanded.

Politics has always been a mudfight, it's just taking advantage of the newer medium. Chances are BOTH candidates will have unflattering stuff, so, it goes both ways.

[Max™]

At least if I ended up running for office, my camwhore days were before the conflux of storage space, compression algorithms, and bandwidth which today mean you flash something online... it's not really a flash, it's up there now.

[TheBiggerFish]

And this is why I eschew social media.

[Max™]

Well, I mean it's generally a good idea, in a misguided attempt to help the missus out I got a facebook page and got her to set one up, it just stressed her out and annoyed me, we stopped going last year and our lives are literally better, noticeably even!

[Strife26]

Correction
March 2, 2017
A previous version of this story incorrectly said Jon Ossoff had played both Han Solo and Darth Vader in a college Star Wars parody video. He only played Solo.

Best bit of the article.

[Sergarr]

I still don't get what makes so many people gleefully reveal every detail of their personal life for everyone to see. Same about selfies everywhere. Weird.


FCC Chairman and His Predecessor Set the Stage for Another Battle Over Net Neutrality

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is no fan of the agency’s current approach to net neutrality, and on Tuesday, he made it clear that loosening the current regulations is on his agenda.

Speaking at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Pai said that it has become “evident that the FCC made a mistake” in its passage of net neutrality rules in 2015, in which the agency reclassified internet service as a common carrier. Pai, along with other critics of the move, consider the approach “last-century, utility-style regulation to today’s broadband networks.”

“Our new approach injected tremendous uncertainty into the broadband market. And uncertainty is the enemy of growth,” Pai said at the event. “After the FCC embraced utility-style regulation, the United States experienced the first-ever decline in broadband investment outside of a recession.”

He said that the agency was now “on track” to return to what he called “light touch” regulation.

Pai has not said how he will pursue a revise or repeal of the rules. In his speech, he said that they “recognize that government does have a role to play when it comes to broadband.”

“So our approach will be not zero regulation, but light-touch regulation — rules backed by long-standing principles of competition law,” he said.

[Lord Shonus]

Actually, we do need a couple more aircraft carriers. Right now, the current fleet isn't large enough to cover everything, since for every carrier that's deployed, you need 2-3 others in maintenance, on training, ect. That said, we're building one right now and have two more planned/in the early stages of construction, so...

Each Ford-class carrier is a direct replacement for an existing ship, which will be scrapped before the replacement Ford comes online.

[Wolfhunter107]

Actually, we do need a couple more aircraft carriers. Right now, the current fleet isn't large enough to cover everything, since for every carrier that's deployed, you need 2-3 others in maintenance, on training, ect. That said, we're building one right now and have two more planned/in the early stages of construction, so...

Each Ford-class carrier is a direct replacement for an existing ship, which will be scrapped before the replacement Ford comes online.

Then yeah, we probably need a couple more.