November 30, 2017

Paul Manafort Reaches Bail Deal With Mueller

Source: Talking Points Memo




By TIERNEY SNEED Published NOVEMBER 30, 2017 1:16 PM

A month after turning himself in for charges he faces connected to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort reached a bail deal with Mueller’s team, according to court documents filed by Manafort’s lawyers Thursday.

Manafort’s lawyers are now seeking for a federal judge to approve of his release under the conditions laid out in the court filing. Manafort has offered Mueller as bail four of his real estate properties in New York, Virginia, and Floridia, which his lawyers claimed were worth a total of $11.65 million.

Additionally, Manafort and his wife have agreed not to travel internationally, and Manafort would also limit his domestic travel to Florida, Virginia, New York and the District of Columbia. For any additional domestic travel, Manafort would seek the permission of the court, his lawyers said.

A separate court document filed by his lawyers Thursday indicated that Manafort had offered Mueller’s team two people who who can serve as sureties if the value of the real estate drops below the $10 million the government is seeking in bail.

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/paul-manafort-bail-deal-with-mueller

November 30, 2017

TPM EDITOR'S BLOG. Everything Falls Away But the Racism - Josh Marshall

By JOSH MARSHALL Published NOVEMBER 30, 2017 11:17 AM

If the ‘Tillerson swapped out for Pompeo and then Pompeo replaced by Tom Cotton‘ shakeup actually happens, it will be amazing the degree to which Trump’s core campaign message – disengagement from aggressive, regime change-oriented policies in the Middle East – turned out to be unmitigated bullshit.

It’s not that it’s surprising of course. Trump campaigned as a champion of middle class ‘real Americans’ against Wall Street and coastal elite fat cats. He’s ended up presiding over an extreme Club for Growth handouts to Wall Street economic policy. But Trump’s anti-Middle East interventionism seemed a bit more core to his beliefs.

Don’t get me wrong. It was always 100% clear to me that Trump would have a highly militaristic foreign policy. What drives Trump isn’t ideology or policy but character. No personality so driven by impulse and the need to dominate would have a remotely pacific or, frankly, sane foreign policy. But if you had to pick one member of the current US Senate most in line with, most identified with the militarist, neoconservative foreign policy that drove Bush foreign policy in his first term, it’s Tom Cotton. Not even close. He carries the water for that crew and he is part of that crew.

What it all boils down to is that racism – white racial grievance, immigration restriction, generalized bashing of basically any political or cultural assertion by African-Americans – is the only consistent and persistent line connecting the campaign to the presidency. This is not quite the same as saying that that’s the only real bottom line for his supporters – though there’s a lot of truth to that. But for Trump, that’s clearly the only thing that isn’t opportunistic and situational. Those all fall away. The only thing that doesn’t is the ethno-nationalism and racism. It’s the real him.

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http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/everything-falls-away-but-the-racism

November 30, 2017

Judge orders government disclosures on American held by U.S. military

Source: Politico




Little is known about the prisoner, who is accused of fighting for ISIS in Syria.

By JOSH GERSTEIN 11/30/2017 01:24 PM EST

A visibly frustrated federal judge ordered the government on Thursday to disclose whether an American detained by the U.S. military on suspicion of fighting for ISIS in Syria was advised of his rights to an attorney and whether he indicated that he wants to pursue legal action challenging his detention.

During an hourlong hearing in U.S. District Court in Washington, Judge Tanya Chutkan repeatedly expressed surprise and concern at the government’s stance regarding the prisoner, who has been in U.S. custody since Sept. 12 and has not been publicly identified.

When Chutkan first asked Justice Department lawyer Kathryn Wyer whether the detainee had been told of his right to an attorney, Wyer replied that the Pentagon had not provided information to the court.

“That’s not stated in the declaration,” Wyer said. “The Defense Department has not given an official statement on that,” she added, as the judge pressed the issue. “You’re not answering my question, and I’m not trying to be impatient but I’m growing impatient,” said Chutkan, an appointee of President Barack Obama. “The court feels the need for that information in order to make an adequate determination in this case. … Frankly, I’m amazed you didn’t come to this hearing with that information.”

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/30/government-disclosure-us-detainees-271757

November 30, 2017

Barton to retire after nude selfie fallout

Source: Politico




He had announced plans to run for reelection less than a month ago.

By KYLE CHENEY 11/30/2017 12:56 PM EST

Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) announced Thursday that he won’t run for reelection in 2018, following a string of stories about him sending lewd texts and nude photos and videos to women.

Barton, the ninth most-senior member of the House, told the Dallas Morning news in an interview, “There are enough people who lost faith in me that it’s time to step aside.” Local GOP leaders had begun calling for Barton to step down in recent days.

Barton decision to retire comes after fallout in Texas over an anonymous Twitter user’s move to post a nude selfie Barton sent to a former paramour. His announcement also came a day after the Fort Worth Star-Telegram posted racy text messages Barton sent to an Arlington GOP activist while he was still married.

He had announced plans to run for reelection less than a month ago.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/30/joe-barton-to-retire-after-nude-selfie-fallout-271366

November 30, 2017

GOP leaders struggle with shutdown strategy

Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell’s initial plan was rejected by members of their own party.

By RACHAEL BADE, SEUNG MIN KIM and KYLE CHENEY 11/30/2017 01:05 PM EST

Congressional Republicans are scrambling to come up with a plan to avert a government shutdown, squeezed by their own divided conference and the demands of Democrats they worry have the upper hand in negotiations.

Just 24 hours ago, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) were considering a hard-line strategy of jamming Democrats and daring them to vote no on a short-term government funding bill. While Democrats have demanded a solution for Dreamers be included in any spending deal, Republican leaders’ initial plan would have continued current spending into January without an immigration fix. But their own members upended that strategy almost immediately: House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) put his foot down, telling GOP leaders that defense hawks would not start 2018 without a budget boost for the Pentagon.

That sent leadership back to the drawing board. Now, the latest strategy includes passing two short-term funding bills or “continuing resolutions” to keep the government running at current levels until a bigger spending deal is reached. House GOP whips told vote-counters in a closed-door meeting Thursday morning that the first would extend government funding from Dec. 8 to Dec. 22; the second would likely last until sometime in January.

“Nearly everyday we are reminded of the consequences of underfunding our men and women in uniform,” said Claude Chafin, House Armed Services Committee communications director. “Chairman Thornberry remains committed to the NDAA funding level — which overwhelming bi-partisan majorities in both chambers voted to support — as the minimum amount needed to begin rebuilding readiness.”

more
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/30/republican-government-shutdown-strategy-271367

November 30, 2017

Trump Is Using Putin's Playbook

November 30, 2017 at 8:05 am EST By Taegan Goddard

Bret Stephens: “If you want to understand the ways in which Donald Trump’s presidency is systematically corrupting the American mind, I have a book recommendation for you. It’s about Vladimir Putin’s Russia.”

“The book is Peter Pomerantsev’s Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible. It was published in 2014, and it brilliantly tells the story of the (Soviet-born) British author’s sojourn as a producer for Russian TV. As the title suggests, at its heart it’s the tale of the substitution of reality with ‘reality,’ of factual truth with interpretive possibility.”

“That’s also the central task of Donald Trump’s presidency.”

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https://politicalwire.com/2017/11/30/trump-literally-using-putins-playbook/

November 30, 2017

The Case for Normalizing Impeachment

November 30, 2017 at 8:23 am EST By Taegan Goddard

Ezra Klein: “We have grown too afraid of the consequences of impeachment and too complacent about the consequences of leaving an unfit president in office. If the worst happens, and Trump’s presidency results in calamity, we will have no excuse to make, no answer to give. This is an emergency. We should break the glass.”

“Impeachment is not a power we should take lightly; nor is it one we should treat as too explosive to use. There will be presidents who are neither criminals nor mental incompetents but who are wrong for the role, who pose a danger to the country and the world. It is a principle that sounds radical until you say it, at which point it sounds obvious: Being extremely bad at the job of president of the United States should be enough to get you fired.”

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https://politicalwire.com/2017/11/30/case-normalizing-impeachment/

November 30, 2017

Durbin Will Block Funding Without Dreamer Protections

November 30, 2017 at 8:37 am EST By Taegan Goddard

Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) said he is encouraging his colleagues to join him in blocking spending legislation if the legal status of “dreamers” isn’t resolved, the Washington Post reports.

“Durbin has repeatedly said in recent months that Congress needs to resolve the status of dreamers by the end of the year, but he is now the highest-ranking Democratic senator to raise the specter of a government shutdown sparked by an impasse over immigration… Durbin’s position is shared by at least four members of his caucus — Sens. Kamala Harris (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT).”

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https://politicalwire.com/2017/11/30/durbin-will-oppose-spending-bill-without-dreamer-protections/

November 30, 2017

McAuliffe Considering Presidential Bid In 2020

November 30, 2017 at 9:45 am EST By Taegan Goddard

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) is “seriously” considering the 2020 presidential race, The Hill reports.

Said one McAuliffe friend: “He’s given me every indication that he’s taking it seriously. I don’t think he’s 100 percent decided that this is something he’s planning to do but it is something he’s seriously considering.”

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https://politicalwire.com/2017/11/30/mcauliffe-considering-presidential-bid-2020/

November 30, 2017

Young People Will Pay for GOP Tax Plan

November 30, 2017 at 7:16 am EST By Taegan Goddard

Ron Brownstein: “The baby boom is being evicted from the penthouse of American politics. And on the way out, it has decided to trash the place.”

“That’s probably the best way to understand the generational implications of the tax legislation Republicans are driving through Congress.”

“The House and Senate measures shower enormous benefits on households at the top of the economic ladder, a group that by all indications is older and whiter than the population overall. Then it hands the bill for those benefits largely to younger generations, who will pay through more federal debt; less spending on programs that could benefit them; and, eventually, higher taxes.”

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https://politicalwire.com/2017/11/30/young-people-will-pay-gop-tax-plan/