Saturday, July 15, 2017
The strikingly broad consequences of the argument that Donald Trump Jr. broke the law by expressing interest in Russian dirt on Hillary Clinton - The Washington Post
The strikingly broad consequences of the argument that Donald Trump Jr. broke the law by expressing interest in Russian dirt on Hillary Clinton - The Washington Post:
"As I noted Wednesday, some people are arguing that Donald Trump Jr. committed a crime by expressing willingness to accept unspecified information that came from the Russian government and that was offered as “part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump.”
(The incident happened before the hack of the Democratic National Committee was revealed, so there’s no indication that Trump Jr. thought that the offered information had been obtained illegally.)
The theory is this:
(The incident happened before the hack of the Democratic National Committee was revealed, so there’s no indication that Trump Jr. thought that the offered information had been obtained illegally.)
The theory is this:
- A federal statute makes it a crime for “a foreign national, directly or indirectly, to make … a contribution or donation of money or other thing of value … in connection with a Federal, State, or local election.”
- Politically damaging information, especially deliberately assembled opposition-research-style information, is a “thing of value.”
- Therefore, when someone offered the unspecified information to Trump Jr., saying it was “some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary [Clinton] and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father,” and Trump Jr. responded, “if it’s what you say I love it,” Trump Jr. was soliciting the commission of a crime — the crime of a foreign national making a contribution of a thing of value in connection with a federal election — and such solicitation was itself a crime.
As I argued Wednesday, though, reading “thing of value” to include such politically damaging information would outlaw a broad range of constitutionally protected opposition research.
Such a reading would therefore make the statute unconstitutionally overbroad, in violation of the First Amendment..."
Such a reading would therefore make the statute unconstitutionally overbroad, in violation of the First Amendment..."
Interesting!
Read it all!
Exclusive: DOJ let Russian lawyer into US before she met with Trump team | TheHill
Exclusive: DOJ let Russian lawyer into US before she met with Trump team | TheHill:
"The Russian lawyer who penetrated Donald Trump’s inner circle was initially cleared into the United States by the Justice Department under “extraordinary circumstances” before she embarked on a lobbying campaign last year that ensnared the president’s eldest son, members of Congress, journalists and State Department officials, according to court and Justice Department documents and interviews.
This revelation means it was the Obama Justice Department that enabled the newest and most intriguing figure in the Russia-Trump investigation to enter the country without a visa."
This revelation means it was the Obama Justice Department that enabled the newest and most intriguing figure in the Russia-Trump investigation to enter the country without a visa."
Corporate Handouts Run Amok [Mackinac Center]
Corporate Handouts Run Amok [Mackinac Center]
Corporate Handouts Run Amok
Corporate Handouts Run Amok
July 14, 2017 MichiganVotes weekly roll call report-Posted by Jack McHugh on July 14, 2017 at 12:00pm
The Legislature met for one day this week, for the purpose of authorizing a new round of state subsidies for certain corporations. The next session day is scheduled for Aug. 16.
Senate Bill 242, Authorize giving state revenue to a few particular corporations: Passed 71 to 35 in the House
To authorize giving up to $200 million worth of state tax revenue to certain business owners, in particular a foreign company said to be involved in iPhone manufacture. Earlier this year the Legislature also authorized up to $1.8 billion in state payouts to companies owned by Detroit developer Dan Gilbert and possibly some others.
Senate Bill 244, Require state disclose which companies get of selective corporate subsidies: Passed 71 to 35 in the House
To require the state agency in charge of granting special corporate tax breaks and subsidies to disclose the companies that receive the cash payments authorized by Senate Bill 242 (previous bill).
The agency has claimed that some $9 billion in ongoing corporate handouts authorized by an earlier subsidy program called MEGA are exempt from disclosure, citing the same tax return confidentiality provisions that apply to regular taxpayers. (Around half of those payments are reportedly collected by the Big Three automakers.) An amendment to also disclose details of those handouts was defeated on a voice vote.
History for July 15
History for July 15 - On-This-Day.com:
Rembrandt Van Rijn 1606, Clement Clarke Moore 1779, Clive Cussler 1931
Alex Karras 1935, Jan-Michael Vincent 1944, Linda Ronstadt 1946
1099 - Jerusalem fell to the Crusaders.
1806 - Lieutenant Zebulon Pike began his western expedition from Fort Belle Fountaine, near St. Louis, MO.
1916 - In Seattle, WA, Pacific Aero Products was incorporated by William Boeing. The company was later renamed Boeing Co.
1918 - The Second Battle of the Marne began during World War I.
1942 - The first supply flight from India to China over the 'Hump' was carried to help China's war effort.
1958 - Five thousand U.S. Marines landed in Beirut, Lebanon, to protect the pro-Western government. The troops withdrew October 25, 1958.
1971 - U.S. President Nixon announced he would visit the People's Republic of China to seek a "normalization of relations."
2006 - The social networking service Twitter was launched.
Friday, July 14, 2017
New FBI Document Dump Reveals Secrets of Flawed Hillary Clinton Investigation
"Over 40 pages of heavily redacted documents from the FBI’s criminal investigation into Hillary Clinton’s mishandling of classified information shows just how badly Obama’s DOJ and FBI handled it."
Yeah, it's a joke.... or is it?-----CNN Report: Millions Of American Voters May Have Colluded To Elect Trump
CNN Report: Millions Of American Voters May Have Colluded To Elect Trump:
"U.S.—A new, exclusive CNN investigative report revealed Thursday that millions of American voters may have potentially colluded with the Trump campaign to elect Donald Trump as President of the United States.
While Russia has been accused of interfering in the election, the breaking report indicates that the collusion may have extended to a significant portion of the U.S. population—“as many as 60 million citizens, and possibly even more.”
“The conspiracy goes much deeper than anyone expected,” Jake Tapper said on his news segment The Politics Lead.
“We’re talking tens of millions of people involved in this secret plot to make sure Hillary didn’t make it into the White House and to prop up Donald Trump as the winner.”
The CNN report does not accuse anyone of hacking or rigging the vote, but rather suggests that those colluding with the real estate mogul in the far-reaching scheme may have simply walked into voting booths and cast their vote for Donald Trump, giving him the electoral college victory.
“It’s far more sinister than we thought,” a visibly disturbed Tapper said."
"U.S.—A new, exclusive CNN investigative report revealed Thursday that millions of American voters may have potentially colluded with the Trump campaign to elect Donald Trump as President of the United States.
While Russia has been accused of interfering in the election, the breaking report indicates that the collusion may have extended to a significant portion of the U.S. population—“as many as 60 million citizens, and possibly even more.”“The conspiracy goes much deeper than anyone expected,” Jake Tapper said on his news segment The Politics Lead.
“We’re talking tens of millions of people involved in this secret plot to make sure Hillary didn’t make it into the White House and to prop up Donald Trump as the winner.”
The CNN report does not accuse anyone of hacking or rigging the vote, but rather suggests that those colluding with the real estate mogul in the far-reaching scheme may have simply walked into voting booths and cast their vote for Donald Trump, giving him the electoral college victory.
“It’s far more sinister than we thought,” a visibly disturbed Tapper said."
Without action, Social Security trust fund will be tapped out in 17 years - Jul. 13, 2017
Without action, Social Security trust fund will be tapped out in 17 years - Jul. 13, 2017:
"If Congress doesn't act soon, tens of millions of Americans will only receive about three-quarters of their Social Security benefits when they retire in the future.
In an annual report released Thursday, trustees of the government's two largest entitlement programs -- Social Security and Medicare -- urged lawmakers to act quickly to assure Americans they'll be able to get their full retirement benefits.
The trustees projected that the Social Security trust fund will be tapped out by 2034...
"The trajectory is still alarming," said Tom Price, secretary of the Health and Human Services Department in a joint press conference at the Treasury Department..."
"If Congress doesn't act soon, tens of millions of Americans will only receive about three-quarters of their Social Security benefits when they retire in the future.In an annual report released Thursday, trustees of the government's two largest entitlement programs -- Social Security and Medicare -- urged lawmakers to act quickly to assure Americans they'll be able to get their full retirement benefits.
The trustees projected that the Social Security trust fund will be tapped out by 2034...
"The trajectory is still alarming," said Tom Price, secretary of the Health and Human Services Department in a joint press conference at the Treasury Department..."
Blog: What counts as treason differs depending on the letter after your name
Blog: What counts as treason differs depending on the letter after your name:
"In summary, Democrats can do whatever they want with foreign countries, including enemies like Iran and Russia, including giving them uranium. But any Republican, especially someone connected with Trump, had better not ever talk to these people, even when he gets nothing in return, or there will be continuous investigations and wall-to-wall reporting.
We should all remember that this really has nothing to do with Russia. Democrats, with the help of the media, are seeking to block anything that restrains the power of government. Where are the stories of Democrats obstructing Trump? We saw constant reports on Republicans obstructing Obama."
"In summary, Democrats can do whatever they want with foreign countries, including enemies like Iran and Russia, including giving them uranium. But any Republican, especially someone connected with Trump, had better not ever talk to these people, even when he gets nothing in return, or there will be continuous investigations and wall-to-wall reporting.We should all remember that this really has nothing to do with Russia. Democrats, with the help of the media, are seeking to block anything that restrains the power of government. Where are the stories of Democrats obstructing Trump? We saw constant reports on Republicans obstructing Obama."
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