WEEK 38: EXPERTS IN AUTHORITARIANISM ADVISE TO KEEP A LIST OF THINGS SUBTLY CHANGING AROUND YOU, SO YOU’LL REMEMBER.

   

Week #38:  August 5, 2017

This week, as his popularity hit new lows, Trump and his regime's white nationalist push became more conspicuous and aggressive. Trump continues to irreverently lie -- one such false statement on Donald Jr.'s June 9 meeting could directly implicate him in covering up the Russia scandal, which entered a new phase as Mueller impaneled a grand jury in Washington DC. As a continuation of a theme over the past two weeks, the Republicans are finally pushing back on Trump, as Congress took steps to keep him in check. Trump seems prepared to fight Congress, along with battles he is already waging against the judicial branch and the media. ____________________________________________________________

1.

On a Fox News interview, Conway advised White House staffers not to address Trump by his first name, and to treat him with "deference and humility."   Read More About This

2.

On his Sunday show, Fareed Zakaria cautioned with Trump in power, the US faces something worse than being feared or derided -- the US is "becoming irrelevant."   Read More About This

3.

On Sunday, Putin ordered the US diplomatic missions in Russia to reduce their staff by 755 personnel, the single largest forced reduction, comparable only to the months after the Communist revolution in 1917.   Read More About This

4.

The Trump regime had no response to Putin's order on Sunday, or for the entire week.

5.

ProPublica reported Customs and Border Protection is set to jumpstart Trump's wall in a Texas national wildlife refuge. The agency will use money allotted by Congress for other purposes.   Read More About This

6.

A spokesperson for Pruitt's EPA told WAPO the agency will make changes to the EPA Museum. For example, the exhibit on Obama's Clean Power Plan will be removed, and coal may be added.   Read More About This

7.

CBN News reported nearly all of Trump's cabinet officials attend Bible lessons with a pastor who compares Trump to biblical heroes.   Read More About This

8.

In a statement released Tuesday, 56 retired generals and admirals came out against Trump's transgender military ban, arguing it would be disruptive and degrade military readiness.   Read More About This

9.

CBC News reported Montreal's Olympic Stadium is being used to house a surge in asylum seekers crossing from the US. More than 1k crossed from the US into Quebec in July alone.   Read More About This

10.

The NAACP issued its first-ever travel advisory for a state. NAACP cited Missouri legislation making discrimination cases harder to win, recent racist incidents, and racial disparities in traffic enforcement.   Read More About This

11.

Kobach appealed an order requiring him to answer question under oath about two documents containing plans for changes to US election law.   Read More About This

12.

A top EPA official, Elizabeth Sutherland, resigned after 30 years at the agency. In a scathing letter, she wrote, "The environmental field is suffering from the temporary triumph of myth over truth."   Read More About This

13.

The Trump regime will redirect resources of the DOJ toward investigating and suing universities over affirmative action admissions policies, which the regime claim discriminate against white applicants.   Read More About This

14.

ProPublica reported Candice Jackson, DeVos's pick to head the Civil Rights Office, said she faced discrimination for being white while at Stanford because of a help section reserved for minority students.   Read More About This

15.

WAPO reported Lizandro Claros Saravia, a standout soccer player who had a scholarship to play college soccer, was deported to El Salvador along with his brother after going to ICE to report he got into college.   Read More About This

16.

Documents released to the Daily Beast under the FOIA show high-level DHS officials ordered staff to stiff-arm members of Congress and treat lawyers with deep suspicion in the first hours of Trump's Muslim Ban.   Read More About This

17.

In an ICE press release, the agency admitted in Kelly's final sweep as DHS head, designed to catch Central Americans who had come to the US as family unit, 70% of those captured were not people being targeted.   Read More About This

18.

Tillerson's State Dept is considering eliminating the promotion of democracy from its mission statement.   Read More About This

19.

Amateur hackers at the DefCon conference in Las Vegas were able to exploit vulnerabilities in five voting machine types within 24 hours.   Read More About This

20.

POLITICO reported that by firing of Priebus, Trump severed one of his few remaining ties to the Republican Party.   Read More About This

21.

In a bombshell story, WAPO reported Trump dictated Donald Jr.'s misleading statement claiming Russian adoption was the rationale for the June 9 meeting, while flying back from the G20.   Read More About This

22.

Trump dictated son's misleading statement on meeting with Russian lawyer   Read More About This

23.

WAPO further reported Kushner's lawyers first learned about the June 9 email trail while researching their response to Congressional investigators weeks prior. Advisers and lawyers for Trump, Donald Jr. and Kushner had mapped out a strategy for disclosing the information.   Read More About This

24.

WAPO further reported that with this misleading statement, Trump is now directly implicated in trying to cover up Russia scandal.   Read More About This

25.

The day after reports that Trump crafted Donald Jr.'s statement, CBS reported Congressional investigators requested Donald Jr.'s phone records around the time of the June 9 meeting.   Read More About This

26.

Trump ally former Sheriff Joe Arpaio was found guilty of criminal contempt of court for defying a court order to stop detaining suspected undocumented immigrants.   Read More About This

27.

Phoenix New Times reported Arpaio was a no-show for his pre-sentencing hearing on Thursday.   Read More About This

28.

Ahead of his first cabinet meeting with Kelly as chief of staff, Trump referred to the Cabinet Room as a "board room."   Read More About This

29.

Sec of Interior Zinke told GQ in an interview that Rick Perry was didn't understand what his position is about, "I think he thought his department was more about energy than…science. Mostly, it's science."   Read More About This

30.

WAPO reported lobbyists are taking credit in the Trump era for writing bills to protect their industry that are passed in Congress with minimal input from the public, and little of no discussion in Congress.   Read More About This

31.

NYT reported Lewandowski has a new "advisory" business, which again is testing the ethical boundaries of Trump giving significant access and power to friends and loyalists not on the government payroll.   Read More About This

32.

WAPO reported Secret Service vacated its command post inside Trump Tower following a dispute over terms of the lease for the space. The post has been relocated to a trailer on the sidewalk.   Read More About This

33.

Six months after leaving office, Pence handed over state-related emailstransmitted from his personal AOL account. Some requests for Pence's emails are more than a year old.   Read More About This

34.

Pence's attorney, also a top fundraiser for Trump and Pence, determined which emails to release, raising concerns from watchdog groups.   Read More About This

35.

A US Court of Appeals ruled that 17 states and DC could pursue the Trump regime for their efforts to sabotage Obamacare.   Read More About This

36.

Ivanka said, "We are committed to supporting the American worker," as 100% of her companies' goods are manufactured overseas, and the Trump Organization and Eric's winery seek to bring in foreign workers.   Read More About This

37.

WSJ reported the US attorney issued subpoenas to Kushner Cos. Employees and Kushner family members have allegedly been offering green cards in exchange for $500k investments in their properties.   Read More About This

38.

Kelly asserted his authority as chief of staff on Monday, firing Scaramucci immediately.   Read More About This

39.

Kelly's first priority will be to gain control of the information that reaches Trump, with a goal of cutting out backchannels and bad information.   Read More About This

40.

Chief of Staff General Kelly reportedly called AG Jeff Sessions to tell him his job is safe.   Read More About This

41.

CNN reported Kelly was so upset about the handling of Comey's firing, Kelly called Comey afterward and said he was considering resigning.   Read More About This

42.

Bowing to criticism on transparency, Tillerson held his first press briefing, saying he is not "very happy" with Congress' vote to sanction Russia.   Read More About This

43.

Tillerson acknowledged the understaffed State Dept: 22 of 24 assistant secretary slots are either unfilled or staffed by Obama holdovers.   Read More About This

44.

Greg Andres, a former DOJ official, became the 16th member of Mueller's team. Andres has vast experience with white-collar crime, including fraud and illegal foreign bribery.   Read More About This

45.

A story on Golf.com recounted a scene at Trump's Bedminster golf club, in which he tells members the reason he stays away from Washington is because the White House is a "real dump."   Read More About This

46.

Trump tweeted, "I love the White House, one of the most beautiful buildings (homes) I have ever seen," and referred to Golf.com as "Fake News."   Read More About This

47.

Golf.com responded with a podcast about the story, saying at least 8 people heard Trump call the White House a dump.   Read More About This

48.

At a tense July 19 meeting with generals, Trump complained about the options in Afghanistan, saying, "We are losing." Trump also compared US efforts to the renovation of the 21 Club, infuriating the generals.   Read More About This

49.

Trump complained the US wasn't getting a piece of Afghan's mineral wealth, and said he was considering firing Gen. Nicholson.   Read More About This

50.

As Kelly established an organizational structure, McMaster fired two Bannon loyalists from the NSC: Rich Higgins and Ezra Cohen-Watnick.   Read More About This

51.

As the turf battle heated up between McMaster and Bannon, rumors circulated that Trump may send McMaster off to Afghanistan to replace Nicholson.   Read More About This

52.

McMaster cleared Susan Rice and said she will keep her top-secret security clearance. Circa reported Trump was not aware of McMaster's decision.   Read More About This

53.

Conservative media turned on McMaster, calling him a "sycophant" and "deeply hostile to Israel and Trump." A new app that tracks Russian troll activity also found "firemcmaster" as the most tweeted item.   Read More About This;  Click here, also

54.

NPR reported on a lawsuit that alleges Fox News and Ed Butowsky, a wealthy Trump supporter, with the knowledge of the WH, created a fake story about murdered DNC staffer Seth Rich leaking DNC emails to WikiLeaks to help Trump deflect from Russian involvement.   Read More About This

55.

The story started May 10, the day after the Comey firing. A few days later, Butowsky texted Wheeler, the expert suing for being inaccurately cited in the story, that Trump "wants the article out immediately."   Read More About This

56.

ABC reported Spicer met with two Fox News contributors about the Seth Rich story at the WH, and asked to be "kept abreast of developments."   Read More About This

57.

Yahoo reported the lawyer who is suing Fox News on behalf of Wheeler will seek to depose Trump and Spicer.   Read More About This

58.

Reporter Andrew Feinberg, who worked at Sputnik, said he was pushed to cover the Seth Rich story: "It's really telling that the White House is pushing the same narrative as a state-run Russian propaganda outlet."   Read More About This

59.

Newsweek reported Russia is using LinkedIn to target critics by damaging their reputations and chances for employment, and possible exposing them to physical harm beyond social media.   Read More About This

60.

Flanked by senators Cotton and Perdue, Trump introduced a bill to slash immigration levels in half over the next decade.   Read More About This

61.

Trump said the bill, named the RAISE Act, will favor green card applicants who speak English, financially support themselves, and contribute to the economy.   Read More About This

62.

AP fact checked Trump's speech and found it was full of false statements.   Read More About This

63.

The bill was sharply rebuked by Democrats and Republicans. Catholic Bishops issued a strong statement against RAISE, saying it will weaken family bonds and impact ability to respond to those in crisis.   Read More About This

64.

At a contentious press briefing after the RAISE Act announcement, Stephen Miller said the 1883 "huddled masses" poem inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty doesn't matter since it was "added later."   Read More About This

65.

Miller also acted aggressively towards a NYT and CNN reporters. Miller said CNN's Jim Acosta, son of Cuban immigrants who did not speak English, had a "Cosmopolitan bias."   Read More About This

66.

'Cosmopolitan' is an anti-Semitic term used by 20th century authoritarian regimes.   Read More About This

67.

The Anne Frank Center tweeted that Nazis found Anne Frank on August 4, 1944, after her family was denied entrance to the US in 1941, for "Reasons refugees hear now."   Read More About This

68.

Trump told the WSJ the head of the boy scouts called him to say his jamboree speech was "the greatest speech that was ever made to them." The Boy Scouts denied any call from national leadership was made.   Read More About This

69.

Trump also told the WSJ that Mexican president Peña Nieto called him and told him fewer people were crossing the border. This is also a lie.   Read More About This

70.

WH press secretary Sanders revised Trump's statements to say an individual Boy Scout leader called Trump, and the statement from Peña Nieto took place in a conversation at the G20.   Read More About This

71.

Trump signed the Russia sanctions bill behind closed doors and with no press coverage. Trump criticized Congress, but said nothing of Russia interference or the 755 US embassy members removed.   Read More About This

72.

In a statement, Trump called the measure "significantly flawed." Trump also said it "encroaches on the executive branch's authority to negotiate," adding, "I built a truly great company worth many billions of dollars."   Read More About This

73.

Trump again attacked Congress, tweeting, "Our relationship with Russia is at an all-time & very dangerous low," and you can thank "the same people that can't even give us HCare!"   Read More About This

74.

McCain responded, "You can thank Putin for attacking our democracy, invading neighbors & threatening our allies" for the dangerous low.   Read More About This

75.

Russia PM Medvedev said the Trump regime "has demonstrated full impotence." He also tweeted the Trump regime has shown its "total weakness" in handing power to Congress "in the most humiliating way."   Read More About This;  Click here, also

76.

Trump approval dropped to new lows: Rasmussen (38 approve), Gallup (36–60) and Quinnipiac (33–61). Trump used to cite Rasmussen as his favorite when his approval there reached high 50s.   Read More About This;  Click here, also

77.

Quinnipiac also found American voters say 54–26 that they are embarrassed to have Trump as a leader.   Read More About This

78.

Two bipartisan pairs of senators (Graham/Booker, Tillis/Coons) released legislation to block Trump from firing Mueller without good reason.   Read More About This

79.

Buzzfeed reported the RNC has instructed staff not to delete or modify any documents related to last year's campaign, given "the potentially expansive scope of the inquiries and investigations."   Read More About This

80.

WSJ reported Mueller impaneled a grand jury in Washington to investigate Russia's interference in the 2016 election, a sign his inquiry is growing in intensity. Trump's special counsel Cobb, was not aware.   Read More About This

81.

A grand jury is already impaneled in Alexandria, VA to investigate Flynn. The second grand jury and recent hires shows the investigation has entered a new phase. The location gives Mueller's team easy proximity.   Read More About This

82.

Reuters reported grand jury subpoenas have been issued in connection to the June 9 meeting between Donald Jr., Veselnitskaya and others.   Read More About This

83.

Trump held a campaign rally in WV in which he called the Russia investigation a "hoax," and presided over cheers of "Lock her up!"as he called for an investigation into Hillary's deleted emails.   Read More About This

84.

Also of note at the rally, the supporters standing behind Trump as he spoke, a group typically carefully selected by staffers, was 100% white.   Read More About This

85.

As the Senate adjourned for the summer, WAPO reported this is a historically unproductive period of governance as Republicans had no major legislative achievements despite controlling Congress and the WH.   Read More About This

86.

The Senate unanimously agreed to a "pro forma" sessions before leaving for break, meaning Trump cannot make recess appointments. Murkowski, attacked by Trump in Week 37, did the wrap-up.   Read More About This

87.

The Interior Dept's Office of the Inspector General launched a preliminary investigation of Zinke's threats to the Alaska senators in an apparent effort to sway Murkowski to vote for the Obamacare repeal.   Read More About This

88.

NBC reported SCL Group, a private British behavioral research company related to Cambridge Analytica, was awarded several contracts by the State Dept.   Read More About This

89.

On their website, SCL Group advertised "our methodology has been approved by" with the State Dept and NATO logos. After NBC's report, NATO and the State Dept asked that their logos be removed.   Read More About This

90.

AP reported Flynn will file an amended public financial filing to show he entered into a consulting agreement with SCL Group, a subsidiary of Cambridge Analytica.   Read More About This

91.

After Trump, "big data" firm Cambridge Analytica is now working in Kenya   Read More About This

92.

Flynn's amended filing will also include $28k from the Trump transition team, and $5k as a consultant for an aborted Middle East nuclear power deal. Per Week 32, that Middle East deal was a venture with Russia.   Read More About This

93.

CNN reported that one year into the FBI's Russia investigation, now headed by Mueller, the probe has expanded to focus on possible financial crimes, some of which are not connected to the 2016 elections.   Read More About This

94.

Investigators are looking into whether financial laws were broken, and whether Trump dealings could put members of the regime in a compromising position with Russia.   Read More About This

95.

Further, the FBI noticed a spate of curious communications between the Trump campaign and Russian intelligence in the summer of 2016, including contact with Manafort on information damaging to Hillary.   Read More About This

96.

Carter Page has been under a FISA warrant since 2014.   Read More About This

97.

VOX reported that as many as 10 or more senior intelligence officials, including Comey and McCabe, are likely to be interviewed as part of Mueller's obstruction of justice investigation.   Read More About This

98.

WAPO released the transcripts of Trump's phone calls with Mexican President Peña Nieto and Australian PM Turnbull during Trump's first week in office.   Read More About This

99.

When Peña Nieto said Mexico would not pay for the wall, Trump responded, "You cannot say that to the press," acknowledging talk about the wall was more about image management than economic policy.   Read More About This

100.

Trump told Peña Nieto he won New Hampshire (a lie) because the state is "a drug-infested den."   Read More About This

101.

Despite Trump claiming early on that reports of him berating Turnbull on the call were "fake news," the transcript does confirm this. Trump told Turnbull he had a more pleasant call earlier with Putin.   Read More About This

102.

Trump balked at taking refugees from Australia as required in a deal struck by Obama, saying he hates taking these people, and they could "become the Boston bomber in five years."   Read More About This

103.

As Trump departed for a three-week vacation at this golf course in Bedminster, GQ labelled him "the laziest president in American history."   Read More About This

104.

Likewise, the cover of Newsweek referred to Trump as "Lazy Boy" and pictures him a chair watching television and eating junk food. The accompanying article refers to him as "America's boy king."   Read More About This

105.

Staffers of Republicans on the House Intel Comm traveled to London to track down Steele, author of the dossier. POLITICO reported growing tensions as Democrats on the House Intel Comm, Sen. Intel Comm members, and Mueller were not notified.   Read More About This

106.

In a press conference Friday, Sessions threatened the DOJ may prosecute journalists over suspected leaks. Sessions also said he is reviewing the DOJ's policies affecting media subpoenas.   Read More About This;  Click here, also

107.

NYT reported Mueller's special counsel made its first formal request to the White House to hand over documents. Mueller seeks information on the financial dealing of Flynn related his company's work for Turkey.   Read More About This

108.

Flynn was paid $530k. Investigators (Mueller) want to know if the Turkish government was behind the payments, and if Flynn Intel Group made kickbacks to Ekim Alptekin, for concealing the source of the money.   Read More About This

109.

Flynn's now third version of financial disclosure forms list $1.8mm in income, $400k more than in his prior forms.   Read More About This

110.

Failing to register as a foreign agent is a felony, and trying to hide to source of money by routing it through a private company, and using kickbacks to a middle man, could lead to criminal charges.   Read More About This

Replicated from:   https://medium.com/@Amy_Siskind/week-38-experts-in-authoritarianism-advise-to-keep-a-list-of-things-subtly-changing-around-you-so-4730486b719a

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