Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to 8 charges today in New York.

The Information (charges against him) is here. More interesting is his plea agreement which is available here. [More...]

Original Post, 8/16/18, Manifort Jury Deliberating: The jury is out in the Paul Manafort trial. His charges:

• willfully subscribing and filing false income tax returns (Counts 1 through 5),
• willfully failing to file foreign bank account
  reports (“FBARs”) (Counts 11 through 14),
• bank fraud (Counts 25 through 27, 30 and 32),
• bank fraud conspiracy (Counts 24, 28, 29, and 31)

It's interesting to see all the media articles with photos of Manafort and counsel arriving at the courthouse and Manafort and his wife leaving the courthouse. The photos are all from prior court appearances. Manafort is detained during trial, his bond having been revoked in June. There are no photos of him coming to or leaving the courthouse during the trial. [More...]

As for Rudy's comment the other day that the truth is not the truth, I think he's right in the context of cooperating with the Government. But his explanation is lame .

My statement was not meant as a pontification on moral theology but one referring to the situation where two people make precisely contradictory statements, the classic “he said,she said” puzzle. Sometimes further inquiry can reveal the truth other times it doesn’t.

I think what he really meant was, when you agree to cooperate with the Government, you are obliged to tell the truth. But it's the Government's truth you have to tell, because if your truth differs from the Government's truth, you get nothing. (Just ask Susan McDougal).

Time for a new open thread, all topics welcome.

I'll be out when this is announced today, but according to Reuters, the U.S. and Mexico have agreed on a new strategy in the war on drugs.

President Lopez-Obrador (AMLO) has suggested a peace/amnesty plan in the past. Today's announcement may be a joint decision to go after the money.

Details of the plan will be made at a joint news conference in Chicago on Wednesday afternoon, the official said. The official said representatives from Mexico’s current government would be present but did not name them.

Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a left-leaning nationalist, has vowed to shake up Mexico’s war on drug cartels after he takes power in December. He wants to rewrite the rules, aides have said, suggesting negotiated peace and amnesties rather than a hardline strategy that critics say has only perpetuated violence.

No amount of "police, soldiers and intelligence officers" can win the war on drugs. Mexico needs to start with the corruption among high government officials, military and police and the U.S. needs to start with reducing demand. Long prison terms do nothing. They certainly are not a deterrent to others. Amnesty and legalization together would be a good start.

Carey Dean Moore was executed this morning with a four drug concoction that included fetanyl. Nebrasks wins the title of being the first state in the country to intentionally kill someone using Fetanyl. Nevada intended to be first until stopped by a court last month.

According to the Nebraska Dept of Corrections, it took 23 minutes for Moore to die after receiving the first drug.

The first of four substances was administered at 10:24 a.m. The Lancaster County coroner pronounced Moore’s time of death at 10:47 a.m.

According to witnesses:

One media witness, Brent Martin of the Nebraska Radio Network, said that Tuesday's execution in the Nebraska State Penitentiary took longer than the 13 executions he witnessed in Missouri. In those executions, it took about five minutes to complete the lethal injection process.

About 15 minutes into the execution, ight after administering the last injection, officials closed the curtains for about 8 minutes, so the process was not as transparent as it should have been. When officials re-opened the curtains, Moore was already dead. Witnesses said his face was "darker purple, and mottled."

The four drugs used were: Diazepam was first, and then the fentanyl, then cisatracurium and then the heart-stopper, potassium chloride. [More...]

Imagine having your mother's brother give you a public smack-down in writing for ignoring your heritage and working for a boss who engages in the same tactics as the Nazis to instill fear of immigrants in Americans.

Meet Dr. David S. Glosser is a retired neuropsychologist: formerly a member of the Neurology faculties of Boston University School of Medicine and Jefferson Medical College. His op-ed in today's Politico is titled, Stephen Miller Is an Immigration Hypocrite. I Know Because I’m His Uncle."

I have watched with dismay and increasing horror as my nephew, who is an educated man and well aware of his heritage, has become the architect of immigration policies that repudiate the very foundation of our family’s life in this country.

[More...]

The only thing that's changed about Omarosa since her days on the Apprentice is she's learned how to modulate her voice a bit, so she isn't always screaming at the top of her lungs.

Here's a smither of her taped call with Trump and another with John Kelly.

As for the big taped call no one has heard that she now claims she has heard (since her book was printed), it's a tape that has been talked about for years. I remember an Apprentice employee claimed to have heard many of them on seasons I and 2. Mark Burnett threatened to sue any employee for $5 million if any Apprentice tapes were released. Media Matters offered to pay the $5 million in damages if he'd release it to MM, but he got no takers. [More..]

I have been "off the grid" for a week -- I plan on returning tonight or tomorrow. It's been wonderful not giving a moment's thought to the cartoon with a desk in the oval office.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

It's too nice to stay indoors today. I didn't see much in the news, so I'm reading about Denver's growth spurt (there seems to be a crane on every corner in and around downtown, way too many -- I'd much rather they kept the parking lots), food (recipes and new local restaurants) and of course, Central and Latin America and Mexico.

What's on your agenda this weekend? If you've found something binge-worthy to watch, or something great to cook, please share.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

The judge in the Paul Manafort trial is keeping a tight reign on the prosecution. According to Fox News, the judge told Team Mueller today they would not be able to prove conspiracy without calling Rick Gates. Prosecutors began floating the idea yesterday Gates might not testify.

Manafort's defense seems to be that Gates did all the bad stuff.

Manafort is being tried in the Eastern District of Virginia. He is charged with tax and bank fraud crimes. From a brief the Government filed today (Doc. 193): [More...]

Our last open thread is full. I will be back blogging soon, just not today.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.