Dear Dictator, Katie Holmes, Trump uses KGB playbook, Gary Dellabate Birthday, Sour Shoes, Trump believes people are climbing, scaling & traversing the borders wall system, Rex Tillerson, Mike Pompeo, Gina Haspel, Conor Lamb, Trump's odd rationale about Democratic Win, Stormy Daniels' attorney Michael Avenatti says client was physically threatened, Andrew McCabe fired, Billy Bush on Bill Maher, Michael Cohen...Week In Review

I wish I was at SXSW. I just found out that Ali Velshi and Stephanie Ruhle are going to be there. I want to talk to those guys for as long as they are willing to talk.

Stephanie had a thing with Katy Tur mentioning Phish one day in the last couple weeks. Katy's reply was something like 'don't go there' to paraphrase and how Phish makes her happy. Stephanie also mentioned Ari Melber's love for hip hop. 

I am not sure where Katy could see shows this year unless she comes here to Camden or if she is down in DC, she could feasibly do Merriweather.

She has to bring Ashley Parker. I cannot tell yet if Ashley is married. I did notice some funky rings and jewelry she had on last night. She (Ashley Parker) is getting a lot of attention lately and you know why? She is so good at public speaking. I bet she gets a crack eventually at her having her own show. She is way too bright not to have one. I wonder where she went to school. Everyone is noticing how good she is too.

So anyway, we (with Ashley Parker of course) should all do Phish.

Ryan Grimm  was the first modern day news person I ever heard throw the Phish bomb around over the last few years. Then we had Robert Costa (Costa basically said something about going to Hartford on Meet the Press Daily and Chucky T said 'oh you're one of them' or maybe he said, 'oh, you do that?') toss it out next with Jake Sherman soon following which paved the way for Katy (Tur) whom has since gone off many times and actually, that Republican guy threw some some the best Phish references at Katy during one interview lately. That one 'through me for a loop' so to speak and I think it through Katy for a loop for a split second.

I wrote about that one in past weeks.

Monday and Tuesday were great for me. 

It was two of the first days I have not had arm issues in months.

I went back to Yoga this week. I started with Strength Training again Tuesday and my arm is a bit eh today on Wednesday. I am a pissed because I think I (re) aggravated it. I am taking off from doing everything over the next few days or until this arm is fully healed.

This Sour Shoes guy is so hilarious. 

I am cracking the hell up. Ocelot is lying on my desk staring at me while I laugh in hysteria. It is Gary Dellabate's Birthday today and Sour Shoes is not only going off, he is also talking in his normal voice.

Rex Tillerson was canned on Tuesday. 

It was surreal or maybe that is not the term I am looking to describe my feeling but at first I gasped at the feed only to then realize that this has been in the air for a while. Besides, it is not like Rex Tillerson was a good Secretary of State. He tore apart that division leaving almost 40 vacancies or maybe more if you count the top cabinet positions which have no staffers. He cut the department down alot and I know there are 38 cabinet positions still opened today. 

I also know most of the staff hated working for him.

The problem is that Mike Pompeo is worse. He will not only continue the deconstruction of that division, he will do it in better and in more meticulous ways. And, he is  a Trump neocon that will do whatever Trump wants.

Trump is odd. 

Did you hear him talk about how people are jumping over the walls to get into America? 

I think he really believes that is how people get through the borders when I can safely say that zero percent of the people coming over from Mexico are climbing, scaling and traversing some part of some wall.

Then Trump appoints the one woman that is more corrupt than him

This woman, Gina Haspel, set up a secret military site to basically not only torture people, they also tried to cover it up by throwing out the footage of it happening.
“She Tortured Just for the Sake of Torture”: CIA Whistleblower on T...
“She Tortured Just for the Sake of Torture”: CIA Whistleblower on T...
Democracy Now! 
Trump’s New CIA Nominee, Gina Haspel, Faces Possible Arrest Warrant...
Trump’s New CIA Nominee, Gina Haspel, Faces Possible Arrest Warrant...
Democracy Now!

And, the winner of Pennsylvania's special congressional election is a Dem, Conor Lamb. 

He attributes the race's outcome to hard work and he took nothing for granted on the campaign trail. Lamb also says that he wants new leadership for both parties in Washington. 

Trump of course after the loss said that reason why Lamb won was because he is a lot like Trump. 

They are nothing alike. 

I think one part of one platform (guns) were the same and besides, Lamb is half the age of Trump. And, he is actually a ex-Marine or a marine I should say whereas Trump deferred his status in the military a handful of times. Lamb does not agree with the tax cuts or with the repeal of health care. 

I am not sure why they would be deemed as being alike. 
Oh there I go again. I took Trump literal when he is lying since him and his little boy, Don Jr. campaigned big time on behalf of Lamb's opponent. Trump even said that because of his campaign style rally held last week, was why that opponent cut the gap by many percentage points. 

Before the election results in Pennsylvania, the president backed Rick Saccone, and after Conor Lamb's win in the red district, Republicans are praising Lamb and saying that he ran as a Republican. It is just very odd. It makes no sense but then again, they are lying because their base buys into it.
Stormy Daniels was threatened physically according to his attorney. 

Stormy Daniels' attorney Michael Avenatti said at the end of the Morning Joe show that not only are there more women who have come forward with stories of the president, he also says that Daniels was threatened physically!

Next, Mueller subpoenas the Trump Org for Russia records which if you remember, Trump said that rquest was the red line that could not be crossed by Mueller. This happened a while ago but it was confirmed by the NY Times that Special counsel Robert Mueller has subpoenaed the Trump Organization in recent weeks to turn over documents, including some related to Russia. Michael Schmidt reported that story this week for the New York Times.

I watched the movie called, 'Dear Dictator' last night. I loved it quite frankly. Katie Holmes, Michael Caine, Odeya Rush, Jason Biggs are in it but man does Katie Holmes steal the movie. She is great in it. She will get some major roles from now on and yes, she has those braces off from when she was on Donovan last season. Which was freaky for me to see for some reason. She could barely open her mouth last year but regardless, she is so great in this movie.
Speaking of last night, Andrew McCabe was fired from the FBI. Jeff Sessions announced it at like 10PM. Less than two days from his retirement. Trump is totally sending a huge message and speaking of it, his lawyer sent out some follow up message today that was calling for Rosenstein to end the probe. 

This POTUS is flailing and it shows. 

McCabe makes no bones saying that Trump called for his firing. Trump also seemed to have wanted to fire him before the resignation was up so therefore he would NOT be entitled to benefits. 

Trump's lawyer (John Dowd) calls for the end of Mueller probe. "I pray that Acting Attorney General Rosenstein will follow the brilliant and courageous example of the FBI Office of Professional Responsibility and Attorney General Jeff Sessions and bring an end to alleged Russia collusion investigation manufactured by McCabe's boss James Comey based upon a fraudulent and corrupt dossier," 

He (John Dowd) then followed up saying he felt the Mueller probe should be 'shuttered.' 

He does not call for Mueller's firing in that statement but he is calling for the probe to be shut down.

He also told Betsy Woodruff that this came via the POTUS itself at like 10AM today but then he stepped back that statement ten minutes later by him saying it came via his own self and not the POTUS.

Remember that all people initially told by James Comey about Trump's antics have been fired or reassigned in one case.

It is all very much calculated. 

I mean these moves made by Trump. They are meant to undermine the investigation into the Russian interference. 

They are meant to discredit the FBI. 

It is designed to discredit the Mueller investigation. 

And, most of all, it is a way to circumvent our laws. 

This all BTW, comes right out of the KGB playbook.

They had this plan and remember that this is way deeper than Vladimir Putin. This is decades old. 

This is how they were to operate against the CIA and the United States Law Enforcement. 

First thing done is to use activities that would demoralize, discredit and dis inform about their operations. Then, they were to always go after individual agents. They would go after their leadership and right now, Trump is engineering it.

Last week we spoke about that Michael Cohen lawyer guy. No matter how shady the guy is, it turns out that it may not have been illegal. There are two reasons why according to Ari Melber who tried hard to spell it out this week, but honestly, I am still confused by it. Regardless of my pea brain, I will try to remember what he said. I wrote a lot of it down though but the first reason is about something called the 'irrespective test.' And, the second reason is John Edwards which I think I raised that issue last week. In a sense that I raised it saying that people that offered up much less than out and out cash have indictments and prison time when Trump seems to get a pass.

When you look at that 'irrespective test' or rule, here is how the FEC determines what is a personal contribution or what is a campaign contribution. You cannot use campaign funds for personal use. Even if the expense would exist even in the absence of the candidacy, than the personal use ban applies. So if the expense candidates pay something that are 'irrespective' to them running for office, than its a personal expense. And, the campaign cannot pay for it. Even though Cohen orchestrated the payment during the campaign, this rule gives him the legal defense that Trump is making 'hush payments' 'irrespective' of being a candidate.

I have no fucking clue what I am even saying right now. None of this makes any sense and I am literally writing about it.

Ironically though, Trump can evidently win that claim if he continues to announce how he has always paid out 'hush money' to women. The bad thing is that he would have to publicize that he has done that many times or all of the time throughout his career or life.

If the payment was personal, then this claim falls apart on its face.

If he paid the money personally if you will and as a donation, and Trump did not declare it, that is illegal. 

And, if it was Cohen's money, than he exceeded the maximum amount allowed to give a campaign which is also illegal. 

If the money came via the Trump Organization than that broke the law since corporate donations are illegal in itself.

If the money paid out was personal, than all of those claims are out.

And, we all know the John Edwards story. I am not in the mood to rehash that end result.

Last, Billy Bush was on Bill Maher's show this week. Kathy Griffen was on last week. I think it's a good thing and I also think they both need to get back out there. I forgot about them both and now that I think of it, I have no clue what Billy Bush even does. I still think they should be able to carry on with their careers. After all, look at the bar with Trump. What is fine for him should be ok with anyone else that does less.

What they did was nothing in broad schemes of lives.

Overall, stay in touch and have a fun week!