Friday, March 31, 2017

CEO says Climate Change is real and a concern for business.

http://www.bipartisanreport.com/2017/03/30/business-guru-devastates-trumps-pride-with-hilarious-mockery-this-is-hilarious/


Jeff Immelt took Trump to task in an internal company blog post that POLITICO obtained, over his rollback of Obama-era climate regulations, including the Clean Power Plan. Immelt is seen as one of the United States’ most successful and foremost business leaders, acting as the CEO of General Electric (GE) since 2000.
Immelt strongly condemned Trump for his disbelief in climate science and expressed profound concerns that this administration would back out of the Paris Climate agreement. Furthermore, he is asking fellow multinational executives to ignore Trump and pick up his slack in terms of continuing forward with climate-conscious policy.
In his message, he asserted that:
‘Companies must be resilient and learn to adjust to political volatility all over the world. Companies must have their own “foreign policy” and create technology and solutions that address local needs for our customers and society.’
‘We believe climate change should be addressed on a global basis through multi-national agreements, such as the Paris Agreement. We hope that the United States continues to play a constructive role in furthering solutions to these challenges, and at GE, we will continue to lead with our technology and actions.’
Immelt previously slammed the Trump administration over the Muslim ban he enacted — before it was shot down as unconstitutional. At the time, Immelt stated:
‘I understand many of you are very concerned about the potential impacts of this order and I share your concern. [W]e will continue to make our voice heard with the new administration and Congress and reiterate the importance of this issue to GE and to the business community overall.’
He is not however, a die-hard liberal or human rights activist by any stretch of the imagination. He served under Obama as the head of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness and was a near-constant thorn in the administration’s side over Obamacare because of the adverse way it affected GE’s profit margin.
He has also supported Trump publically in the past, given his commitment to regulatory reform:
‘We are stripping away years of bad regulatory and economic practices to promote competitiveness.’
What this likely indicates is that Jeff Immelt is a businessman through and through. Acknowledging climate change and adding green into their business plan has helped them make more money, so they’re all for doing the right thing when it doesn’t cost them.
All evaluations of Immelt aside, this is another piece of evidence showing that President Donald Trump doesn’t know a thing about politics, policy, or effective business/economic strategies.

Rachel Maddow: Michael Flynn ASKS FOR IMMUNITY and will testify if given. video - poor Trump is in trouble.

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/rachel-maddow-mike-pences-role-in-flynns-scandal-is-flashing-like-a-red-beacon/


Over and over, Rachel Maddow has questioned how it is possible that Vice President Mike Pence couldn’t have known that Gen. Mike Flynn was lying about his Russia conversation.
In a March 9 interview with Bret Baier on Fox News, Pence swore that the story about Flynn lobbying for Turkey was news to him. “[H]earing that story — today is the first [he’s] hearing of it,” he told Baier, who asked him the question twice, just to be sure.
“That cannot be true,” Maddow remarked.
Thursday, Maddow came back to her examination of Pence, as PoliticusUSA noted. Pence was the head of the Trump transition team after Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) was booted from the job. Presumably, Flynn was vetted by that transition team, which would have brought up these concerns.
“As leader of the transition, he was notified in writing by members of Congress about Flynn’s apparent financial ties to the government of Turkey,” Maddow outlined, referring back to a letter sent by Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD). “The transition was also apparently notified twice by Flynn’s own lawyers about his financial relationship with the government of Turkey, but nevertheless, Vice President Mike Pence says he has no idea about any of that.”
Maddow pointed out that Pence claims he knew nothing despite being notified multiple times.
“Mike Pence’s role in the Mike Flynn scandal is flashing like a red beacon for anyone who sees him as the normal Republican in this setting,” she continued.
As the dominoes continue to fall around the Trump White House for one Russian tie after another, Pence comes out looking clean. Until, of course, the evidence of warning after warning he received about those strange Russian ties and the mounting problems caused by Flynn’s presence in Trump’s inner circle.
Watch the full video from Maddow 

Thursday, March 30, 2017

Trump gets blasted on Bill O'Reilly's show

http://crooksandliars.com/2017/03/fox-news-security-expert-blasts-trumps


Click and watch the video

Lt.. Col. Ralph Peters used his entire segment to undermine any arguments supporting Trump's diverting wiretapping narrative, blasted Chairman Nunes and said that here was no question Russia tried to influence our elections, and if Putin did penetrate the Trump campaign.
Boom!
Bill O'Reilly recapped the bizarre White House actions Rep. Nunes took as best he could and asked Peters, his security expert if there was a scandal here.
Peters said there is a "sort of scandal" because "the fact that this wasn't the National Security Council sourcing these documents. It was a couple of Trump appointees assigned to the National Security Council."
He continued, "It clearly another attempt to divert attention from the main issue, which is the question of whether or not Vladimir Putin's regime was able to penetrate the Trump campaign and potentially the administration?"
Yes, yes it is!
Bill O'Reilly tried to defend Trump if members of his team were unmasked while getting caught up in incidental coverage, he said, "I think that is an important story, is it not?"
Peters shot back, "I think it is a B.S. story and it is phony and nobody's released those..."
Peters worked for the intelligence community and said they take great care to mask names unless they are under investigation. "But this is another red herring, it diverts attention from the primary issue," he chided. "As for Congressman Nunes, this week -- and last weekend this week, he stepped on more banana peels and a caterpillar has feet."
Bill conceded that Chairman Nunes handled things poorly, but tried to smear the people in the intelligence community who don't like Trump.
Peters shot back, "No, I think that's absolutely untrue," reminding BillO that most of the intel world would never have voted for Clinton.
Peters is in agreement with us and said all Nunes had to do was take Rep. Adam Schiff with him to view the information and it wouldn't have caused a conflict.
As for Bill's suggestion that Nunes should have gone to a neutral location, Peters said, "Well, this all stinks. It all stinks."

President Trump used Russia's Active Measures against his opponents to win the Presidency - video

http://shareblue.com/intel-hearing-bombshell-cyber-expert-says-commander-in-chief-used-russian-active-measuresagainst-his-opponents/


Watch the video.

WATTS: The answer is very simple and it’s what nobody is really saying in this room. Which is, part of the reason active measures have worked in this U.S. election is because the Commander-in-Chief has used Russian active measures at time, against his opponents. On 14 August 2016, his campaign chairman, after a debunked –
LANKFORD: When you say his, who’s his?
WATTS: Paul Manafort —
LANKFORD: Okay.
WATTS: — cited the fake Incirlik story as a terrorist attack on CNN, and he used it as a talking point. On 11 October, President Trump stood on a stage and cited a – what appears to be a fake news story from Sputnik News that disappeared from the Internet. He denies the intel from the United States about Russia. He claims that the election could be rigged. That was the number one theme pushed by RT, Sputnik News, white outlets, all the way up until the election. He’s made claims of voter fraud, that President Obama’s not a citizen, that, you know, Congressman Cruz is not a citizen.
So, part of the reason active measures works, and it does today in terms of Trump Tower being wiretapped is because they parrot the same line.
The investigation is proceeding despite Republican attempts at sabotage, and the evidence of Russian meddling, while also in contact with the Trump team continues to pile up. It is vital for Americans to know what happened to their election, and what Donald Trump’s role in Vladimir Putin’s attack was.

Trump's next scandal is coming to the surface FAST!

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/3/30/1648494/-Trump-s-next-scandal-is-already-starting-to-simmer


 Yesterday I wrote in a DIARY that whatever happened to the Trump campaign-Russia scandal, Trump was not off of the hook, people would most likely already be looking into his past life for other acts of possible criminal or professional skullduggery. Turns out that they are, and Mein Furor’s next public nightmare may already be out there simmering, and just waiting to boil over.
     For a guy who probably has a little shrine to Putin, complete with votive candles in a private room at the White House, Trump sure is cagey about whether he has ever even had a conversation with any other Russians, I’m not sure he’d even admit that he knows who Elena Sharparova is. But Russian businessmen? Nope, never heard of ‘em.
     Well, maybe not so much. There is a new REPORT in USA Today that chronicles Trump’s longstanding business ties with quite possibly shady Russian “businessmen”. And the best part of the report is that it is not based on “anonymous sources” and unquoted documents. The reporting is based on good old fashioned digging, it’s based on court records, government and legal documents, and an interview with a former federal prosecutor.
     Back in February the petulant man child told reporters that he “had no dealings in Russia. No deals that could happen in Russia because we’ve stayed away. I have no loans in Russia”. That is not disputed in the article, independent research in Russia about oligarchs and rich Americans can’t be easy, or usually satisfying. The article went at the problem in the other direction with transactions in the US, where documents and information can be found.
     Which were. Quite a few of them in fact, and they create a fascinating picture. Trump and his companies have been associated with at least 10 wealthy Russians that have alleged ties to criminal activities and money laundering, they include;
• A member of the firm that developed the Trump SoHo Hotel in New York is a twice-convicted felon who spent a year in prison for stabbing a man and later scouted for Trump investments in Russia.
•  An investor in the SoHo project was accused by Belgian authorities in 2011 in a $55 million money-laundering scheme.
• Three owners of Trump condos in Florida and Manhattan were accused in federal indictments of belonging to a Russian-American organized crime group and working for a major international crime boss based in Russia.
•  A former mayor from Kazakhstan was accused in a federal lawsuit filed in Los Angeles in 2014 of hiding millions of dollars looted from his city, some of which was spent on three Trump SoHo units.
•  A Ukrainian owner of two Trump condos in Florida was indicted in a money-laundering scheme involving a former prime minister of Ukraine.
     Notice the heavy interest in the Trump Soho property? Now, there is certainly no crime in a real estate developer having investors and in selling units in his property, that’s how they make a living. But the catch here is the investors and buyers themselves. Buying foreign real estate is a well known practice for money laundering and protecting illegal or ill gotten gains from seizure back home. Trump has never even been accused of any wrongdoing in these deals, much less charged. But the subject of money laundering is an uncomfortable one for Das Donald, since he’s already admitted to it and paid a fine in the past for it. To quote the report;
Money laundering was an issue for Trump's Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City, which was fined $10 million in 2015 for failing to report suspicious transactions. Federal rules are designed to protect the U.S. financial system from being used as a safe haven for dirty money and transnational crimes, Jennifer Shasky Calvery, then-director of the U.S. Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCen), said at the time. It was the largest penalty the agency ever levied against a casino since reporting requirements began in 2003, according to The Wall Street Journal.
     Hmmmm. This is by no means any kind of indictment, but it is an interesting starting point for an investigation. And considering the fact that Trump tried to build in plausible deniability by operating through third parties and shell companies, this investigation is likely going to have to come from either the FBI or the Justice Department, in order to use subpoena powers to obtain documents and testimony. But at least a bit of that has already leaked out, and is in the article.
     A New York real estate agent told USA Today that she had sold 65 units in Trump World in Manhattan to rich Russian businessmen. She was lucky enough to have contacts in Moscow with rich people wanting to invest in the US. And guess what? According to the real estate agent, they all wanted to meet Trump, and you’d never guess what comes next. They mostly got their way, the agent stated that many of these meetings took place in Trump’s office in Trump Tower, and some were at sales events. Make of it what you will. A Trump representative denied the story entirely, claiming that all of the units were owned and sold by third parties, not The Orange Julius. Notice the lack of a statement on the cozy little fireside chats with the buyers in his office. Why would buyers obtaining a property from a third party ask for a personal meeting with Trump? Inquiring minds want to know. Pity we’re never going to see his taxes. Not unless this gets messy, and a committee in congress subpoenas them to view. Certainly not this year, but if we git ‘er done in 2018, who knows.
     There is a reason for this to be a front and center issue, and it is provided by a former prosecutor who spent years researching Trump’s business dealings, and the possibility that the foundation of his company may rest on millions of Russian dollars. The big concern is this;
“The FBI is always concerned if public officials can be blackmailed,” McCallion said. “It’s Russian-laundered money from people who operate under the good graces of President Putin. If these people pull the plug on the Trump Organization, it would go down pretty quickly.”
     Gee, maybe it’s more than the fact that Putin has flatter abs than the Tiny Thumbs Diktator that turns him on so much? Salon.com already did a story of their own referencing the information and linking to the USA Today report, just like I’m doing now. This is going to attract more and more eyes, from some people who may well have contacts, and won’t mind digging. If anybody is actually able to come up with some solid financial skinny, this will become serious, especially if the investigations start to provide direct evidence or testimony about collusion between the campaign and the Russians, the threat of Trump being a tool, witting or unwitting of the Russian government becomes a grave concern. Senators like Lindsey Graham, John McCain, and Marco Rubio have already directly criticized Trump for his stance on Russia, what will they think of this? The article is long, but it is richly detailed and even has some comprehensive profiles of some of the major Russian players. It is well worth the read. But whatever you do, don’t touch that dial.  

The Senate Is now checking into the Trump - Russia connection and they sound serious. Video

http://shareblue.com/sen-warners-brilliant-opening-at-intel-hearing-tells-you-everything-you-need-to-know-about-trump-and-russia/#.WN0lFkV9rj0.facebook

Click the above link and watch listen to Sen Mark Warner talk about the Trump - Russia taking of the US Presidential Election.  This sounds like it might be a real investigation.  CLICK THE LINK!!




http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/this-isnt-fake-news-this-actually-happened-to-us-sen-mark-warner-lays-out-case-against-russia/

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

COAL JOBS ARE NOT COMING BACK!! Gas, Solar and wind are cheaper!! Pres Trump Lied - same old, same old.

http://theweek.com/speedreads/689019/trump-wont-bring-back-many-coal-jobs-but-could-quash-americas-fastgrowing-cleanenergy-industry


When President Trump signed a series of executive orders at the Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday aimed at dismantling his predecessor's attempt to counter climate change, he touted them as fulfilling a campaign promise to bring back lost coal jobs. Few people think that will happen, including Robert Murray, the CEO of America's largest privately held coal-mining company, Murray Energy, and a big supporter of Trump and his energy policy. "I would not say it's a good time in the coal industry — it's a better time," he told The Guardian.
There were 98,505 U.S. coal-mining jobs in 2015, versus 127,745 in 2008, according to the Mine Safety and Health Administration, but most of those job losses are due to technology and cheaper and cleaner energy sources like natural gas and renewables, not regulation. When he spoke with Trump about coal and jobs, "I suggested that he temper his expectations — those are my exact words," Murray said. "He can't bring them back." 

On the other hand, clean-energy jobs outnumber coal and oil jobs in the U.S. by a 5-1 margin, according to a new Sierra Club analysis of Energy Department jobs data, and there are more jobs in solar, wind, energy efficiency, battery storage, and smart energy grid technology than oil, gas, and coal jobs in 41 states. And Trump's attempt to reverse the "war on coal" will not just contribute to climate change but could harm those growth industries and the jobs they create. "These facts make it clear that Donald Trump is attacking clean energy jobs purely in order to boost the profits of fossil fuel billionaires," said Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune.
Thomas Friedman is more searing, arguing in Wednesday's New York Times that Trump's energy policy suggests he's "a Chinese agent" who's "clearly out to make China great again." China's "new five-year plan is a rush to electric cars, batteries, nuclear, wind, solar, and energy efficiency — and a cap-and-trade system for carbon," he wrote. "Trump’s plan? More coal and oil. Hello? How can America be great if we don’t dominate the next great global industry — clean power?" California alone, he notes, "has far more advanced energy jobs than there are coal miners in America, and the pay is better and the work is healthier," but by "doubling down on coal," Trump is "squandering our lead in technology." Read the rest at The New York TimesPeter Weber


Rachel Maddow is DOMINATING the Cable News Shows: President Trump has pushed her to the top.

http://theweek.com/speedreads/688894/rachel-maddow-show-dominating-cable-news


MSNBC just celebrated the biggest quarter in its 21-year history, and leading the charge is Rachel Maddow, whose Rachel Maddow Show ranked as the top cable news program among adults between the ages of 25 and 54 in March. As TVNewser observes, "Maddow, the dominant voice for progressives on cable news, may be benefiting the most from the Trump administration's first 100 days."
Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tonight is the usual winner in Maddow's time slot. MSNBC has never before earned a 9 p.m. win over Fox News in the coveted 25-54 demographic. Maddow's show also celebrated its biggest audience ever in March when Maddow teased a scoop about President Trump's tax returns.
Other shows on MSNBC are also doing well, including Morning Joe, which celebrated its most-watched quarter ever and ranked second in total viewers among all cable news programs in the time period. MSNBC is now the fastest growing cable news network, TVNewser reports. Jeva Lange



Tuesday, March 28, 2017

PEOPLE ARE PILING ON GOP NUNES for protecting Pres Trump from investigations re: Russia and STEALING THE US ELECTION!

https://www.yahoo.com/news/democrats-pile-on-nunes-as-intrigue-swirls-over-house-russia-probe-143127397.html


Watch the Video!

House intelligence committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., is resisting growing calls for him to step aside over the revelation he had gone to the White House grounds to receive classified information related to committee’s investigation into Russian interference in last year’s election.
Speaking to reporters as he arrived on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning, Nunes said the investigation is “moving forward.”
“We’ve been investigating Russia for many, many years,” he said.
Asked if he felt he could continue to lead the investigation, Nunes replied: “Why would I not?”
His comments came amid a chorus of Democrats calling for his recusal.
“This is what a cover-up to a crime looks like,” Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., a member of the committee, said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “Going over to the White House, he went to receive information that you know, Joe, we can receive at the Capitol. We have our own secure facility.”
“I do think it is time for Mr. Nunes to step aside for the sake of this investigation,” Rep. Joseph Crowley. D-N.Y., said on CNN, “so we can get to the bottom of this without innuendo or suspicion.”
Nunes sparked a firestorm last week when he declared that had seen information leading him to believe that communications from President Trump or his associates may have been “incidentally” picked up by U.S. intelligence agencies.
His statement, provided without evidence, was seized by Trump, who said it supported his own apparently baseless claim that former President Barack Obama ordered a wiretap of his Trump Tower headquarters. The White House called on the House and Senate intelligence committees to investigate Trump’s wiretapping claim while they probe the Kremlin’s efforts to influence the U.S. election.
Nunes apologized to his committee members for briefing the White House on his findings before them, and intrigue has swirled as to who, exactly, gave the California lawmaker his secret intel. On Monday, reports indicated that he had talked to his mystery source on the White House grounds.




Sen. McCain on Nunes controversy, health care, Russia protests