Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Intel Chiefs: Issue Warning to Congress of Global Threat in Fragile World Order

L-R: DIA; FBI; CIA; DNI; NSA; State Cyber Research

TIME has a story that is very concerning and worrisome at the same time with this their article headline:

“U.S. Intel Chiefs Warn of Threats to Increasingly Fragile World Order”

U.S. intelligence leaders warned on Monday (March 11) that the country faces an “increasingly fragile world order” as it navigates a range of global threats exacerbated by adversaries' use of emerging technologies like AI. 

The hearing represents an annual opportunity for lawmakers to publicly question the country’s top intelligence chiefs. In addition to DNI Haines also on the panel were: CIA Director William Burns; FBI Director Christopher Wray; Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research Brett Holmgren; NSA Director Lt. Gen. Timothy Haugh; and the head of the DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency), Lt. Gen Jeffrey Kruse, all appeared before the Senate panel.

Ms. Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) told the Senate Intelligence Committee at its annual hearing on the top threats to the nation that:The threat of malign actors exploiting these tools and technology to undercut U.S. interests and democracy is particularly potent as voters go to the polls in more than 60 elections around the globe this year.”

U.S. intelligence agencies are focused on China's efforts to manipulate the 2024 presidential election and the potential for bad actors to use AI tools to create and amplify disinformation campaigns.

In the overall intelligence community’s new 40-page unclassified report on worldwide threats, they wrote: “The U.S. is facing an ambitious but anxious China, a confrontational Russia, some regional powers such as Iran, and more capable non-state actors [who] are challenging longstanding rules of the international system as well as U.S. primacy within it.”

Here are some of the threats covered in the hearing:

China may target the 2024 U.S. elections: Officials assess that China “may attempt to influence the U.S. elections in 2024 at some level because of its desire to sideline critics of China and magnify US societal divisions,” according to their 40-page report.

DNI Director Haines said:Under President Xi Jinping, Chinese leaders believe it is essential to project power globally in order to be able to resist U.S. pressure. Xi's focus on boosting China’s economy may temper any election interference, which would jeopardize the relationship with the U.S. and potentially damage China’s ability to attract foreign investment.” 

TikTok under fireLawmakers from both parties raised concerns about the popular social-media app, which is mentioned briefly in the intelligence report.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said:China uses the TikTok data from Americans to basically read your mind and predict what videos you want to see. The problem is the algorithm that powers it is controlled by a company in China that must do whatever the Chinese Communist Party tells them to do.”

In the report, U.S. spy chiefs noted that China is “demonstrating a higher degree of sophistication in its influence activity, including experimenting with generative AI.”

TikTok accounts run by a Chinese propaganda arm reportedly targeted both Democrat and Republican candidates from during the 2022 U.S. midterm elections.

There is bipartisan agreement that TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company, ByteDance, poses a national security threat.

A House bill that would require the company to divest from the massively popular platform, which has about 170 million U.S. users, or face a ban is expected to come to a vote in the House this week.

The bill requires ByteDance to sell TikTok within six months or be banned from Apple, Google, and other U.S. app stores and web-hosting services. The measure is sponsored by Republicans, but has significant bipartisan support.

President Joe Biden, whose campaign recently created its own TikTok account, told reporters:If they pass it, I’ll sign it.”

High risk of escalation in the Middle EastThe war in Gaza and the resulting humanitarian crisis has galvanized Arab countries in the region, where there is rising “public sentiment against Israel and the United States for the death and destruction,” the intelligence officials say in their report.

DNI Haines also told lawmakers at the hearing, which was repeatedly interrupted by anti-war protestors inspired by Hamas:That terrorist groups including al-Qaeda and ISIS have directed supporters to conduct attacks against Israeli and American interests as the war drags on. While it is too early to tell, it is likely that the Gaza conflict will have a generational impact on terrorism.”

Read More Here: Inside the Israel-Hamas Information War.

The Intelligence report also states that the U.S. intelligence community assesses that:Iranian leaders did not orchestrate nor had foreknowledge of Hamas’ October 7 assault on Israel, attacks by Iranian-backed groups are threatening to destabilize Lebanon, Iraq, the Gulf, and the Red Sea. The risk of escalation into direct interstate conflict, intended or otherwise, remains high.”

U.S. support for Ukraine remains criticalAs the war in Ukraine enters its third year, U.S. intelligence chiefs emphasized the importance of continued U.S. military support.

CIA Director Burns told the panel:The Ukrainians are not running out of courage and tenacity, they're running out of ammunition. And we're running out of time to help them,” then he added: If the U.S. is seen as walking away from support for Ukraine, not only is that going to feed doubts amongst our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific, it's going to stoke the ambition of Chinese leadership.”

Intelligence leaders noted the challenge posed by Russia's strengthening ties with China, Iran, and North Korea, which they said was bolstering its defense production and economy.

DNI Haines also told the panel:Putin's strategic goals remain unchanged. He continues to see NATO enlargement and Western support for Ukraine as reinforcing his long-held belief that the United States and Europe seek to restrict Russian power and undermine him.”

More on this story at the link provided above and here.

Directly related to TikTok is this GOP House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on banning TikTok seen here.

My 2 Cents: We must stay alert, vigilant, and smart to see and detect, avoid, and report any nonsense in the upcoming 2024 election cycle ... which may end up worse than 2020, and more so if Trump loses again which I honestly think he will and by much larger margin than his loss to Joe Biden in 2020. 

The above Intel agency’s report is alarming and noteworthy and especially as it relates to China, Russia, and Iran activities and their massive disinformation campaigns which are ongoing right now. 

Our right to vote in a free, fair, safe, and secure election is the number one priority of our country that keeps us who we are: free and democratic – nothing nor no one can be seen to hamper that right. 

Thanks for stopping by.


Saturday, March 9, 2024

Sen. Katie Britt post SOTU: What a Shameful Display of Arrogance, Deceit, and Downright Lying

First of all, listen to the difference between Alabama Senator Katie Britt’s natural voice and her speech voice in this short video clip - was she auditioning for movie role?

Senator, Actress Wannabe, Liar, or Maybe All Three

Now below is Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) and her whopper story post-SOTU address on National TV from here with this headline question:

“Was Trump supporter Katie Britt caught in whopping lie about graphic sex trafficking story?”

Related article here from NEWSWEEK.

Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) told a graphic sex-trafficking story about a woman who was sexually abused “over and over” by members of Mexican drug cartels on the United States side of the Rio Grande. Britt implied also that the woman had confided the story to her and that the events had occurred during President Biden’s administration. 

But reporter Jonathan Katz, in a lengthy video posted to social media, connects the dots on the story, and Britt lied. 

FACT: The woman told her story many times publicly, including to Congress; the events didn’t occur in the United States; and they didn’t happen under President Biden; it happened during George W. Bush’s presidency (2004-2008).

Britt precisely said:When I first took office, I did something different. I traveled to the Del Rio sector of Texas, where I spoke to a woman who shared her story with me. She had been sex trafficked by the cartels starting at age 12. She told me not just that she was raped every day, but how many times a day she was raped. The cartels put her on a mattress in a shoebox of a room, and they sent men through that door, over and over again, for hours and hour’s on-end. We wouldn’t be OK with this happening in a third-world country. This is the United States of America, and its past time we start acting like it. President Biden’s border crisis is a disgrace. It’s despicable. And it’s almost entirely preventable.”

AL senators it seems are famous liars – first Tuberville and now Britt.

My 2 Cents: Sen. Britt if she had any dignity at all and it seems she does not, then she should resign from the Senate … seems she might be a George Santos wannabe or maybe already is.

The story above stands as proof.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sunday, March 3, 2024

AI Not Totally Trustworthy: 100% Wide Range Oversight Needed in This 2024 Election Cycle

Devious Hands Are Already in Play A Proven Fact

Two thought-providing articles that mankind had better pay attention to the massive and sudden growth of AI … check out this first article from BUSINESS INSIDER on the subject with this headline:

“An AI weapons race may create a world where everyone stays inside out of fear of being ‘chased down by swarms of slaughterbots’ warns the founding Skype engineer.”

We could be reaching an “Oppenheimer moment” that is in other words: Researchers are questioning their responsibility for developing technology that might have unintended consequences just like the first A-bomb had.

Tesla’s Elon Musk; Apple’s co-founder Steve Wozniak; Stability AI CEO Emad Mostaque; researchers at Alphabet's AI lab DeepMind; and notable AI professors signed an open letter issued by the “Future of Life Institute” calling for a six-month pause on advanced AI development saying part:Advanced AI could represent a profound change in the history of life on Earth, and should be planned for and managed with commensurate care and resources. Unfortunately, this level of planning and management is not happening, even though recent months have seen AI labs locked in an out-of-control race to develop and deploy ever more powerful digital minds that no one — not even their creators — can understand, predict, or reliably control.”

The second article on the same subject focuses on election tampering is here from Campaign Legal Center (CLC) with this headline:

“How Artificial Intelligence Influences Elections, and What We Can Do About It:

AI technologies could easily be used to manufacture fake images and false evidence of misconduct, such as ballot tampering or shredding.

That would not only erode public trust in the results of elections, it could fuel additional public threats of violence against election administrators.

The year 2024 will be the first election year to feature the widespread influence of AI before, during, and after voters cast their ballots, including in the making and distribution of public messages about candidates as well as electoral processes. CLC has been working hard to help address the impact of AI on our democracy.

That includes educating the public about what to expect in upcoming political campaigns and recommending policy solutions lawmakers should adopt to mitigate the greatest risks to our election system.  

CLC has particularly highlighted the danger of political ads that use AI technology to generate deceptively realistic false content — such as “DEEPFAKES”: Which are manipulated media that depict people doing or saying things they didn’t say or do, or events that didn’t really occur — to mislead the public about what candidates are asserting, their positions on issues, and even whether certain events actually happened.

If left unchecked, these fraudulent and deceptive uses of AI could infringe on voters’ fundamental right to make informed decisions. 

In addition to influencing the voters’ perceptions of candidates, AI could be used to manipulate the administration of elections, including by spreading disinformation to suppress voter turnout.

Bad actors could use AI tools to create and distribute convincingly false messages about where or when to cast a ballot, or to discourage voters from showing up to their polling locations in the first place.  

For example, shortly before the 2024 NH primary election, an AI-generated robocall simulated President Biden’s voice and urged voters not to participate in that election, falsely suggesting that voters should “save” their vote for the 2024 general election in November.

The average voter hearing this message might reasonably have concluded that Biden had actually recorded the message, and that they should comply with his request — effectively disenfranchising them.  

Looking ahead, it is not hard to imagine other fabricated messages from trusted voices being used to dissuade citizens from voting, undermine their ability to vote or to raise false alarms about emergency situations like a fire or an attack that would persuade voters to stay at home on Election Day.  

Moreover, there is a real risk that AI could be used to worsen the disproportionate targeting of disinformation at Black and brown voters who already face too many barriers to equal participation in the democratic process. 

AI also creates new opportunities for bad actors to undermine election administration or sow unjustified doubt about election results. 

AI technologies could easily be used to manufacture fake images and false evidence of misconduct, such as ballot tampering or shredding. That would not only erode public trust in the results of elections, it could fuel additional public threats of violence against election administrators.

In recent years, nonpartisan election workers have already faced unprecedented levels of threats and harassment while trying to ensure our democratic process is smooth and fair. AI technology could make their situation even worse. 

Even after all the ballots have been cast, AI could be used to fabricate audio of a candidate claiming they rigged the results, or to generate other misinformation that could persuade the supporters of a failed campaign to disrupt vote counting and certification procedures, which are already increasingly politicized and served as the basis for the effort to sabotage the 2020 presidential election (and we all recall who from).

Fake media made with AI have already been used to influence major elections in Argentina and Slovakia. To be clear, the risks of election manipulation, voter suppression, and misinformation all predate the arrival of AI-based media tools.

AI undoubtedly provides bad actors with easy access to new tools to harm our democracy more easily and effectively, increasing the urgency of a robust response.

Many necessary solutions also go beyond regulating new technologies, and laws often lag behind even well-established tech. 

States have taken action; or passed a bill, drafted legislation, even citizen groups proposing bills ranging from mandatory disclaimers that would inform voters when AI is being used in elections, to legislation banning political DEEPFAKES.

At the federal level, bipartisan legislation has been introduced in Congress that would prohibit the distribution of deceptive AI-generated content to influence an election or to fund raise.  

Federal agencies are also considering what they can do to safeguard our democracy in the age of AI, with some proposals that would extend beyond elections but nevertheless help address the specific risks voters face.

For example, in response to the AI-generated fake Biden robocall in NH Hampshire (cited above), the FCC outlawed certain robocalls containing voices generated by AI.  

Finally, new education efforts are underway to simply prepare the public for AI-generated media being used to influence and possibly manipulate elections, which will hopefully help mitigate its worst effects.

Twenty major tech companies, including Google; Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram); OpenAI; X (formerly Twitter); and TikTok have all recently pledged to take concrete steps to detect, track, and combat the use of DEEPFAKES and other election interference efforts. 

Of course, they must follow through on those promises.  

Although it is encouraging to see widespread interest in preventing AI-based election manipulation, many proposed solutions are still a long way from providing tangible protection for voters and the electoral process.

This is why the CLC continues to urge policymakers across the country to redouble their efforts and take strong action to address the unique challenges AI creates for our democracy in this by far and most-critical election year in our national political history.

My 2 Cents: All I can say we all had better be alert this election cycle

Otherwise we may hear this phrase from that famous movie line by Arnold Schwarzenegger who said: “I’ll be bach…” (A little humor). 

Just kidding, but not very much – this whole AI topic is real and fast moving and very critical. We must not allow it to get out of hand. Rules and safeguards can and must be in place to protect our right to vote free, fair, safe, and secure and then in other aspects of human survival.

This is not hyperbole, just realistic concern keeping in mind the first word in AI is “Artificial” and artificial means “not real,” and yet possibly harmful or dangerous nevertheless.

So, why don’t the AI controllers just speak the truth and say: “That news report this is not real news; that image is not a real person; that is now so and so speaking; the election results you see are not real; your vote was not counted – your mail-in ballots came into late, etc., etc., etc.)? I guess the truth hurts?

Well, I say that truth is countermanded by the most-important word of all in politics and that word is “power” – Power’s goal is just that simple and it is built on: Name, Fame, and Fortune.

Thanks for stopping by.


Monday, February 26, 2024

Biden vs Trump 2024: Looks Like 2020 Rematch Biden Moving Forward as Trump Seeks Revenge

Achievements close only on few items
(Biden Experience & Leadership More Than Trump)

Biden vs. Trump on top 4 Key Issues Based on the Facts and Reality here in part from BARRON’S (formatted to fit the blog) with this headline:

“The Trump vs. Biden Economy: A Comparison in 10 Areas”

#1: Inflation: During the Trump era, Americans enjoyed relatively low inflation, following the historically low levels of the Obama years. 

The Consumer Price Index hit a high in June 2018 of only 2.9%. Then CoVID and massive pandemic changed inflation’s trajectory as the supply-chain snarled as government stimulus spending and pent-up demand combined to send prices sharply higher.

The Russia’s attack on Ukraine added further price pressures, particularly in the energy sector. The CPI reached a peak of 9% in June 2022, in the second year of Biden’s term. 

Inflation has since fallen to 3.1% year over year, based on the latest CPI reading. Credit goes largely to the Federal Reserve, which raised interest rates 11 times in the past two years, to a targeted range of 5.25% - 5.50%, to cool price growth. 

Still, high costs, particularly for food, have dogged the Biden presidency. Government data show that food costs are up more than 20% from the start of Biden’s term.

#2.  Gross Domestic Product (GDP): Gross domestic product, which measures economic output, is a fundamental indicator of the economy’s performance. Real GDP, adjusted for inflation, averaged 2.6% during Trump’s first three years in office, a decent performance but below the 4% economic growth he had pledged to deliver. Much of that growth came from tax cuts and spending increases related to CoVID.

From Biden’s inauguration in January 2021 through the end of last year, real GDP grew by an average of about 3.4% a year. Much of the growth in 2021 was due to “automatic recovery mechanisms in the economy” after CoVID-related shutdowns. Still, GDP grew by 2.5% last year, after much of the recovery bounce arguably had dissipated. The New York Federal Reserve estimate for this year’s first quarter stands at 2.8%.

#3. Government Debt:  The Trump and Biden administrations were birds of a feather in one regard: Borrowing and spending.

“They both spent money hand over fist.” Public debt stands at $34.3 trillion today, equal to $101,976 per American.

Biden added $3.8 trillion to the national bill largely through the American Rescue Act, pandemic-era stimulus legislation passed at the start of his presidency and much other spending legislation under Biden has been bipartisan, so his administration shouldn’t shoulder sole responsibility.

Contrast Trump with that under Biden: The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that Trump added $8.4 trillion to the debt, including about $3.8 trillion in 2020 that included stimulus legislation to shore up the U.S. economy.

Trump’s 2017 tax cuts are expected to add $2.2 trillion in debt over a 10-year period. 

Both administrations opted to run the U.S. economy hot and fiscal experts have mostly said: “That probably appeared to work more successfully for Trump, because it didn’t create inflation, but it did create a huge legacy of debt — a legacy that Biden also has, but not to a great extreme as of yet.

#4. Unemployment: Trump presided over a strong job market: He took office with unemployment at 4.7% and heading to 3.5% in September 2019 — a then-50-year low. The economy added 6.4 million jobs during his term, before the arrival of CoVID.

Biden inherited a labor market beset by pandemic-related chaos. The economy shed 9.3 million jobs in 2020, and unemployment reached 6.4% by the start of 2021.

By January 2023, as the CoVID crisis eased and the economy reopened, unemployment had fallen to 3.4%, the lowest rate in 54 years — and it isn’t much higher today. Plus, the U.S. economy added 14.8 million new jobs from 2021 to 2023, with monthly payroll gains averaging 412,000.

The past seven years have witnessed demographic shifts that will see the U.S. population grow at a slower rate, while the share of Americans over 65 climbs to record levels. Both trends curtail the labor supply, which should keep the unemployment rate low.

#5. Final Areas of Interest and Concern: PERSONAL DEBT; THE BORDER – tied to: NATIONAL SECURITY; and AID TO UKRAINE, ISRAEL & TAIWAN.

THE BORDER: There is a large bi-partisan Senate bill (70-29 vote passed) now pending GOP-run House approval that Speaker “MAGA Moses” Mike Johnson (R-LA) is blocking as a separate matter before anything else, and that my friends makes Putin happy as hell… ergo: the GOP pleases Putin – how ironic is that?

Personal delinquency rates, or the percentage of debt that is past due, averaged 4.7% in Trump’s first three years in office, and 2.8% in Biden’s first three years.

There’s an easy explanation for the difference: Pandemic-era practices and policies proved beneficial to many households’ financial health early in Biden’s term. Not only did people spend less during the CoVID “lockdown”, but Biden’s stimulus payments also boosted savings.

Now as Americans draw down their pandemic savings, delinquency rates are rising again. They topped 3% in the fourth quarter, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. But there is no need to panic: Delinquency rates hit 12% at the end of 2009, following that GOP-driven financial crisis and recession that they generated under then-President Obama.

My 2 Cents: The final chapter of Biden’s presidency has yet to be written, but this far, it’s a fine working administration once he gets the border under control that is.

But, based on economic results so far, Mr. Biden has been stellar. He and Trump have plenty to crow about — and some issues to duck, too, but Biden has more in the plus and truth departments.

This upcoming 2024 presidential election is apt to be far worse than 2020 – if Trump does not win – but conversely really bad if Trump were to win – which I think fairly he cannot – but he won’t let another loss go unacted on … it could be and possibly will be worse than January 6 – and, yes, we must take him at his word on this revenge trip as he calls it.

The one element lacking bigly is that Trump is a serial liar and Joe Biden is not. We must take Trump at his word when he says what he will do if reelected – that must never happen.

Thanks for stopping by.


Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Comer & Jordan's Biden Impeachment: Lot's of Theories & Star Witnesses But No Real Evidence

Other Republicans know the truth
 (Theymentioned above: Comer & Jordan wackos)

Well, this headline from MEDIAITE and also from SALON tells a great predictive story for a very long time for Rep. Comer that there never was a there, there regarding impeachment of President Joe Biden and now we know for sure there was no there, there.

“James Comer Admits He Might Have to Throw in the Towel on Biden Impeachment Quest Because The Math Keeps Getting Worse

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) conceded in a recent interview that his impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden may very well not result in an impeachment vote.

Comer spoke to Spectrum News last week and said the GOP-led House may not even hold a vote based on his committee’s report because the “math keeps getting worse” –referring to both the GOP’s shrinking majority and skepticism inside the Republican conference.

Comer’s investigation has slung bombastic corruption allegations at the president, has yet publicly disclose any concrete evidence of wrongdoing – a fact even some House Republicans admit (as noted above from Rep. McCaul).

Comer told Spectrum News that how the Democrat-controlled Senate handles the recent impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will be telling for House Republicans, saying:I think the conference will get to see what happens with this Mayorkas impeachment in the Senate and how serious the Senate treats that as to whether or not we impeach Joe Biden over here or are we just focused on holding him accountable? The accountability, I hope will come this year, but it may come next year with a new president, a new attorney general.”

Comer then suggested that Mr. Biden could face a DOJ investigation after leaving office if Trump becomes president, and I say: Not likely.

Comer then concluded:At the end of the day, my goal is to get the truth out there and hold people accountable for wrongdoing. That may encompass impeachment. If it doesn’t, that’s fine with me.”

My 2 Cents: FYI – this post is a follow up of my earlier posts here, here, and here on this same dismal failure of Rep. Comer and Rep. Jordan, and of Comer’s own woes posted here.

My basic message and fact for every 2024 voter this year is just this simple. This clown show explained above shows the worse possible shape that this GOP-run house and GOP are in. 

They have blundered in just about everything they have tried to accomplish and honestly, they have failed at every twist and turn. They are in a word: Pathetic and unproductive.

This GOP’s new party label today should be: “Get Outta Politics.”

Comer and his other committee sidekick in this phony impeachment hunt for President Biden, Rep, Jim Jordan (R-OH), should save face and both just resign from office – they both are pitiful.

Need more proof of those two clowns and the entire House GOP: These 7 pages are sheer joy.

Thanks for stopping by.


Monday, February 12, 2024

Delay, Delay, Delay: Trump's Escape Route from Justice & Accountability for His Crimes

I'm gonna beat Biden's FBI, Deep State, and Courts
(Gather around and trust me I'm gonna win)

No comparison between Sleepy Joe and Me
(Don’t trust the left media only trust me)

This startling headline from VOX.com is one of two things: (1) It serves and excuses Trump from any part of the January 6 insurrection, (and yes, it was an attempted insurrection), or (2) It nails him and holds him accountable for that horrible day and justice will be served (formatted to fit the blog):

“The Supreme Court will soon decide whether to sabotage Trump’s most important criminal trial”

The Supreme Court is about to have two Trump-sized problems to deal with.

First to deal with is the 14th Amendment case:

On February 8, the Nine Justices heard oral arguments in Trump v. Anderson, the case in which Colorado’s Supreme Court held that former Trump is ineligible for the presidency because of his incitement of the January 6 insurrection under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.

Based on the justices’ questions at oral arguments, the Court appears likely to rule in favor of Trump — on narrow grounds that states are not the right forum to determine whether a presidential candidate is disqualified from office or not.

Second case is his demand for immunity for all 91 charges:

Recently a federal appeals court rejected Trump’s argument that he is immune from prosecution for any “official acts he engaged as president.” 

This is one of the least surprising developments in modern legal history, because Trump’s arguments were truly outlandish. Among other things, his lawyer told a judges “that the former president could not have been prosecuted even if he ordered SEAL Team 6 to assassinate his political rivals  unless Trump were also impeached and convicted by the Senate first.”

How it could play out:

Often, when a federal case is on appeal to a higher court, the trial court loses jurisdiction over the case until the appeal is resolved. That’s what happened in this case of Trump.

Judge Tanya Chutkan has already announced once that she will have to postpone Trump’s March 4 trial thanks to the delay caused by this appeal. 

Every delay, moreover is a big win for Trump. If he can delay his trials long enough, he can avoid being convicted of a crime before voters have to weigh in on whether he should be president this November. And should he prevail in that election, he can simply order the Justice Department to drop its prosecutions against him and even pardon himself.

In any event, the DC Circuit, when it issued its opinion rejecting Trump’s immunity claim, also took some steps to prevent Trump from dragging this case out until it is too late. When an appeals court is finished with a case, it issues a document known as a mandate that formally returns control over the case back to the trial court. 

This process takes several weeks, but DC Circuit issued an order expediting this process. Basically, the order said the mandate would issue at the end of the day on Monday, February 12 unless Trump sought an order from the Supreme Court asking the justices to delay issuing it. Now that Trump has made that request deadline, the DC Circuit’s order says that Judge Chutkan will regain control over the case upon “the Supreme Court’s final disposition of Trump’s request to delay the mandate.”

The Court will probably give Special Prosecutor Jack Smith’s office a brief period of time to respond to Trump’s request. Then the justices will issue one of the most consequential orders of this election cycle.

Three ways the Court could resolve the question of whether to delay Trump’s trial or not:

The best-case scenario for Smith, and for anyone else to see Trump face justice is: (1) The Supreme Court denies Trump’s request immediately, or:  (2) The Court could issue a rare order, called a summary affirmance that effectively gives the justices’ blessing to the DC Circuit’s immunity decision. Either one of those two outcomes would return this case to Judge Chutkan right away.

The best outcome for Trump is: (1) The Court grants his request to delay his trial without qualification, or (2) The Court could simply sit on his request for a very long time without taking any action on it, and thus preventing the DC Circuit from issuing its mandate.

In either of these scenarios, Trump’s trial is delayed, and such a delay could last a very long time. If the Court granted an indefinite stay, that order would likely remain in effect until the justices fully consider and decide the question of whether Trump is immune from prosecution.

Under the Court’s rules, Trump wouldn’t even have to formally ask the justices to give this case full consideration until 90 days after the DC Circuit’s judgment, and an unqualified stay would remain in effect during this entire period. But, there are also ways for Trump to delay filing this request even longer.

Then the justices would have to receive briefing, hear oral arguments, and write opinions — all while the time between now and Election Day is slipping away.

Then there’s that third possibility.

The justices could grant the stay, but also call for an expedited hearing on whether Trump is actually immune from prosecution — allowing them to decide this question and lift the stay in a matter of weeks, rather than months.

But even a brief stay would reward Trump’s tactic of raising absurd legal arguments on appeal and then using the mere fact that these arguments are before an appeals court to delay his criminal trial.

So, again, Trump’s legal argument is that he would be immune from prosecution even if he had turned the U.S. military into a death squad targeting his enemies, and certainly we don’t need the Supreme Court of the United States to tell us he’s not allowed to do that.

My 2 Cents: “Art of Con” in play with Trump v. the Voters. 

Will his ploy of delay, delay, and delay really work? 

Boy, I pray is does not. 

Thanks for stopping by.


Friday, February 9, 2024

Rep. Tenney (R-NY): Out of Wack Wanting to Remove President Biden Under XXV Amendment

Tenney's smug, arrogant horrible person look
(She is a typical conservative Republican)

Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) a very troubled woman working for Trump against President Biden based on this NBC News story with this headline – very concerning issue:

“GOP lawmaker asks Merrick Garland to invoke 25th Amendment to remove Biden from office”

Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) said in a letter to AG Garland that she has “grave concerns” about Biden following Special Counsel Robert Hur’s classified documents report that cleared Mr. Biden.

Tenney is calling on Attorney General Merrick Garland to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Joe Biden from office after special counsel Robert Hur’s report said that while the president should not be prosecuted for mishandling classified documents, he does suffer from a poor memory.

In her letter to Garland, Tenney expressed her “grave concerns” about Hur’s findings. 

She said that Hur’s reasons for not bringing charges against Biden, even though the president “knowingly and willfully removed, mishandled, and disclosed classified documents over a period of decades, were alarming.”

Hur said President Biden's actions and such had presented serious risks to national security, and described in his report several instances of the president suffering from memory loss. 

He added that part of the reason he didn’t pursue charges against Biden was because the president could portray himself as an “elderly man with poor memory” who would be sympathetic to a jury.

My insert: S/C Hur’s remarks are his personal opinions and not factual nor related to the case he was assigned to investigate, in which the president was totally cleared of any wrongdoings re: the classified documents he had DE and elsewhere which is BTW: totally the opposite of Trump and his documents scandal at Mar-a-Lago and elsewhere.

Tenney criticized that reasoning in her letter to Garland, saying: We don’t prosecute or decline to prosecute people based on their personalities, or on the public’s anticipated perception of them. If the Special Counsel finds that the evidence forms a reasonable basis to bring charges, he must do so.

Tenney compared Hur's decision in his investigation of Biden to special counsel Jack Smith's bringing charges against former President Donald Trump for his handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, saying in part:The DOJ cannot ethically bring charges against Trump because he has mental acuity and a forceful personality, while declining to bring charges against Biden because of his “cognitive decline.”

FYI: Trump now still faces several charges by S/C Jack Smith which include the willful retention of national defense information, false statements and representations, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and corruptly concealing documents. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges in that case.

Tenney also wrote:President Biden needs to be charged, or he needs to be removed. There is no middle ground. It incumbent upon you Garland to begin proceedings to remove the Biden using the 25th Amendment.” 

Fact: The 25th Amendment was ratified in 1967, based upon the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. 

It provides the procedure for replacing the president in the event of death, removal, resignation, or incapacitation. 

One of its sections provides the vice president and majority of either the Cabinet (8 of the 15 cabinet members), or such other body as Congress may by law provide, with the mechanism to transfer power from the president to the VP citing that he is unfit or unable to fulfill his presidential duties.

Biden responded forcefully to Hur’s report asking:How in the hell dare he raise that?” in response to Hur describing an instance in which Biden couldn’t remember when his son Beau had died adding: the report cleared him of wrongdoing, and Mr. Biden added: “My memory is fine.”

My 2 Cents: Rep. Tenney is now my new Rep. in this CD (and I am a lifelong DEM in a very heavy RED district here in Upstate NY). 

I say as clearly as possible that she is totally wrong with her request to AG Garland for him to push and remove President Biden under the provisions of the 25th Amendment.

There simply is no grounds to say that Mr. Biden is not fulfilling is presidential duties – his accomplishments tell the story – he is doing an excellent job as president and the facts prove that.

Tenney and others are trying to please Trump – just that simple and S/C Hur as outlined above is helping the GOP run with that very weak approach. That too is my view – just that plain and simple.

S/C Hur is acting just like Comey did against Hillary Clinton in 2016 that basically lost her the election against Trump based on nothing about her emails and such – and that was proven bogus after all the  GOP hearings proved there was no there, there.

We seem to be heading down that same path now once again with this new GOP scheme. 

We must not allow that to happen again.

Thanks for stopping by.


Wednesday, February 7, 2024

GOP Blame Gamers: Hey, Look in the Nearest Mirror to See Both Cause and Affect

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) Lack of Leadership
(Look at who controls him)

My new name for the GOP: Get Outta Politics” that is based on two failed votes that show a total lack of leadership by Speaker MAGA Mike Johnson (R-LA) and the GOP base itself as seen in this SALON article and their headline which shows the utter chaos within the GOP on those two high-profile issues that failed. 

It is also covered here from POLITICO:

“What the hell are they thinking: Furious Republicans erupt over embarrassing defeats”

Emotions ran high among House Republicans on Tuesday following a double defeat on HSD Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas impeachment and the aid package for Israel. Criteria to impeach the President, Vice President, and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors. U.S. Const. Art. II, § 4.

The vote on Mayorkas ended in a 215-215 tie after three members of the House GOP — Reps. Ken Buck (CO); Mike Gallagher (WI); and, Tom McClintock (CA) — voted against it.

The hotly debated proposed impeachment was the result of House GOP efforts to oust Mayorkas for: (1) “perceived failure to enforce U.S. immigration policies at the border, violating public trust,” and (2) “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law” (re: Washington Post). 

Multiple hearings were held to discuss the impeachment proceedings, with many Democratic lawmakers claiming that they were baseless and politically motivated, also highlighting previous and ethically questionable border proposals made by Trump, including building alligator moats along the border.

The final vote which was 250-180 (a 2/3 majority was needed to pass) — served as a “House GOP counter-measure to the Senate's attempts to pass a bill that would allocate funds toward Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, and border security.”

GOP Irate Member Reactions:

1. Rep. Ryan Zinke (MT) said:I knew that we would have, the ability to block the DEM agenda. We've exceeded my wildest expectations on blocking, because we not only blocked the DEMS we blocked the Republican agenda. We don't have command of the field.”

The notion of bipartisan agreement has been treated as increasingly taboo by some GOP lawmakers, as seen with their heavy opposition to bipartisan-border related legislation only after Trump spoke out against it.

2. Rep. Troy Nehls (TX) told Axios that that vote on Mayorkas was shameful, adding: I mean, what the hell are they thinking? We should have gotten this done.”

3. Rep. Cory Mills (FL) shared his frustration, saying: There's a plethora of reasoning and justification and evidence ... I just don't understand why we can't do the one thing the American people want.”

4. Rep. Mark Alford (MO) said:It's very frustrating as a freshman to realize that we don't have the cohesiveness and the fortitude to come together to vote what's right for America.”

5. Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene (GA), well-known for unabashedly speaking her mind on any topic, said she didn't have anything to say to Buck, Gallagher, and McClintock, then adding:I think they'll hear from their constituents.”

6. Rep. Eric Burlison (MO) suggested that absence of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (LA) (recovering from cancer treatment) was the deciding factor saying:If Scalise comes in tomorrow then we've got the votes. So I think it just delays it.” 

7. Rep. Derrick Van Orden (WI) saying:Frustrating' is not the right word … it's maddening.”

8. Rep. Max Miller (OH) called the Israel vote: Embarrassing claiming that they're trying to save face and do the right thing that should have been done to begin with … No one has to wonder how we got here, the speaker did it.”

My 2 Cents: However possible and I hope the November election will prove in a massive turnout that will give both the House and Senate to total large DEM majorities, and puts President Biden in his second term.

That would serve the nation 100% better than this wild GOP-run House under MAGA Mike Johnson. DEMS do get things done for the country as a whole policy and program fact.

This GOP is, as a lot of news has labeled them, “a clown show” and even some of their own members have said so.

They are so divided that it’s hard to measure – they are perhaps the worse in the last 25 or so years, and especially under Speaker Johnson who kowtows to the seriously divided GOP and a dozen or more completely out of control members: e.g., Taylor Greene, Jim Jordan, James Comer, Gosar, Gaetz, and Boebert, and others of that same ilk.

All they do is blame, offer crazy ideas, and not much else by just controlling Speaker Johnson with their nutty ideas and policies getting him to bend to their whims and no matter the cost that the two failed votes on the issues described above plainly show.

FYI: My earlier post related to this same topic is here.

Thanks for stopping by.