Just concluded a great meeting with my Intel team in the Oval Office who told me that what they said on Tuesday at the Senate Hearing was mischaracterized by the media - and we are very much in agreement on Iran, ISIS, North Korea, etc. Their testimony was distorted press....

...I would suggest you read the COMPLETE testimony from Tuesday. A false narrative is so bad for our Country. I value our intelligence community. Happily, we had a very good meeting, and we are all on the same page!

In a December 18, 2018 order by Chief Judge of the 10th Circuit, Timothy Tymkovich, it was concluded that the judicial council lacked power to consider the complaints, despite calling them "serious", because an intervening event (Kavanaugh's elevation to the SC) made him no longer a "judge" covered by the Judicial Conduct and Disabilities Act.

In one appeal, it is contended that the order violates the "time-of-filing" rule, which holds that a Court's jurisdiction depends on "the state of things at the time of action brought"..and that Kavanaugh was a judge when the complaints were filed.

In a second case, it is argued that the judicial council should be disqualified from acting on the appeal because it had earlier ruled on the complaints. And, that the term "intervening event" relies erroneously on a "novel and excessively generous" interpretation of "covered judge" to reach a decision.

These appeals bring to bear the issue of who can hear the appeals, if they are to be heard--- reconsideration by the 10th Circuit or a Judicial Conference Committee.

It's easy to build a metaphorical wall. After all, nothing is cheaper than empty talk.

A real wall, like any form of actual construction, is more complicated. Mr. Trump has put a price tag on his signature wall of $5.7 billion dollars. (A cynic might use this opportunity to point out that in real life, everything always takes longer and costs more, but I would never stoop to that.)

The obvious question about this number is, what is the basis for it? As we know, a real wall would require materials, design, labor, land acquisition through eminent domain, legal fees, permits, and a few dozen other expenses. How does this figure of $5.7 billion break down these areas? How do we look at the spread sheet to make sure nothing has been left off and that the expenses were properly identified? Who compiled these figures for the president, and what are that person's qualifications to do so?

If only the United States had some form of "media" that would ask these questions, I wouldn't have to.

Amid rampant speculation that he is strongly considering running for president, and most likely as a Republican, former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld told WMUR on Thursday that he will have nothing to say about the matter for about two weeks but will make his plans known in New Hampshire.

The nuclear weapons treaty with Russia is going to expire - with the blessings of the Trump administration.

So what are the Dims talking about?
Trump's tax returns.
Their "border security" is better than Trump's.
Fighting Trump on finally getting our troops out of Syria and Afghanistan.

Mueller's team seized 'voluminous and complex' evidence from Roger Stone

The court papers said investigators grabbed hard drives containing several terabytes of information, including "FBI case reports, search warrant applications and results (e.g., Apple iCloud accounts and email accounts), bank and financial records, and the contents of numerous physical devices (e.g., cellular phones, computers, and hard drives)."

And this

The special counsel requests that U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson label the case "complex" in light of the scope of potential evidence.

Facing serious opposition from republicans on the emergency krap I think we are seeing the "new plan".

Just lie and say the wall is being built.  I swear.  That's what he is doing.  I think he is just going to pivot and start saying the wall "much of which has already been built, about 120 miles I think".  The wall is being built.  It's under construction.

I suppose hes done for.  Probably should be. I have to say the republicans screeching offense rings a bit hollow.  Some of the democrats seem a bit opportunistic.

The whole blackface thing is a bit complicated for southerners.  Admittedly 1984 is not "long enough ago".  I get that.

Personal story
When I was in about the 4th grade.  I cant remember specifically.  There was some kind of pageant and my class did a black face minstrel show.
It makes me cringe to think about that now.  But I was, like, 10.  It was the teacher who chose the minstrel show.  No one thought much about it.
This was, what, about 1960-61?

The civil right movement was underway.

There is no point to this story.  I just, personally, would like for people to be judged for who they are now not so much who they were decades ago.

I will probably need to read this piece by Andrew Sullivan ,who occasionally seems like a rational person, again because the first time I couldn't stop giggling.  Then it just made my head hurt.

The TERF argument is that viewing "gender identity" as interchangeable with sex, and abolishing clear biological distinctions between men and women, is actually a threat to lesbian identity and even existence -- because it calls into question who is actually a woman, and includes in that category human beings who have been or are biologically male, and remain attracted to women. How can lesbianism be redefined as having sex with someone who has a penis, they argue, without undermining the concept of lesbianism as a whole?

Three takeaways: (1) he'd read the indictment and said it looks like they got most of the info from wiretaps/intercepts, thus flipping seems not an option, (2) when they bring this kind of case, "you're going down", explaining why 96% of federal defendants plead out (3) when it's all said and done, between his pensions lost, lawyers fees, etc., etc. going to trial and being convicted wound up costing him an estimate $10 million.