Trump says he'll raise election meddling with Putin in Helsinki meeting

Former  President Obama  says  this is just too hilarious !!!

Thomson Reuters              JEFF MASON             Jun 29th 2018 
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE, June 29 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he would raise the issue of alleged Russian meddling in U.S. elections during his planned meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki next month.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to New Jersey, Trump also said he would discuss the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine and other international issues with Putin during the July 16 summit.

"I'll talk to him about everything," Trump said.

"We're going to talk about Ukraine, we're going to be talking about Syria. We'll be talking about elections ... we don't want anybody tampering with elections."

Russia has denied U.S. intelligence agencies' assessment that Moscow sought to interfere with the 2016 U.S. election to boost Trump's prospects of becoming president.

After Trump and Putin met briefly in Vietnam in November 2017, Trump was criticized in the United States for saying he believed Putin when he denied Russian meddling.

Trump denies wrongdoing and calls an investigation into possible collusion between his presidential campaign and Russia a "witch hunt."

Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and the sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States in response, and its military intervention in the war in Syria to support President Bashar al-Assad are major causes of strain in the two countries' relations.

Asked if the United States would recognize Crimea as part of Russia, Trump said: "We're going to have to see."

He gave a similar answer when he was asked if he would lift the sanctions on Russia. "We'll see what Russia does," Trump said.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Writing by Mohammad Zargham; Editing by David Gregorio and Cynthia Osterman)

Hereeeee's Witchy
tRUMP  should not be allowed to meet with Putin alone or at all.  Not until this investigation is over.  He has done NOTHING to stop the cybur attacks by Russia nor does he even want to. This, despite all of the evidence from our 17 intelligence agencies. He's going to 'discuss it" with Putin?  Discuss how to help Putin is more like it!! Cons? How on earth do you not see what is going here ???
Without a doubt. Why would any sitting president want to meet up with a man that has sent men to be killed, (poisons). This Putin is a monster, manipulating his people and the way they THINK. Two bad doesn't make a "right".
tRUMP  better watch out... Secret service are F.B.I, they might have to report any crimes that happen with tRUMP  & Putin.
It took 12 minutes into January  20th, 2017 for Trump to fail at the one job he was voted in for:
"Preserve and Protect the office, nation, and Constitution from attack by any foreign power."
tRUMP  failed, day one. Before he was even being sworn in, before Flynn was fired for lying to the V.P. Trump failed the moment Flynn Texted: "We're going to rip up those sanctions."
Just who and how was he going to get those Russian Sanctions lifted for, and why is  tRUMP  covering  up for Flynn's ties to Russia and Rosatom.
tRUMP  is known for shooting off his mouth and he admitted that he had help and the election was rigged during the campaign. First when he stated that he could shoot someone and still be elected. What does that tell you. One he knew the election was rigged, and two he believes he is above the law. Also there was the taped statement where he suggested the Russian hackers find Clinton's emails. This is asking agents of a foreign government for help with an election, which is against the law. So, no matter how much he denies having done anything, he is guilty. The people need to demand a new election, because the last one was a mess.
Stay tune  for more off  'As The Stomach Turns'

Jeff Flake calls on Congress to stand up against President Trump

Geobeats          June 24th 2018 
Senator Jeff Flake has asserted that his fellow Congressional Republicans need to stand up against President Trump, citing “this crisis we’re in.” 

During an appearance on ABC News’ “This Week” Sunday, the lawmaker said, “A lot of people—Republicans in the House and Senate—look at us with a 14 percent institutional favorability rating and long for the president’s 40 percent. So it makes it difficult for a lot of my colleagues…to say, ‘Hey, let’s stand up to the president.’”

“But we ought to more jealously guard our institutional prerogative in this crisis we’re in,” Flake added. “I think the judiciary has stood up well, the press has stood up well—in terms of institutions that balance—but the Congress has been lacking.” 

He then suggested the Senate should fight, for example, against President Trump’s tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and the European Union, adding, “If we don’t [push back], why are we there?” 

The senator has been an outspoken critic of Trump resulting in the president blasting back by calling him “a Flake.”

According to a report by The Arizona Republic earlier this month, “Trump and Flake’s mutual antagonism resulted in Flake’s poll numbers cratering and led to his October decision to abandon his 2018 Senate re-election bid.” 

Their friction aside, others in the media have also questioned Republicans’ lack of opposition to the president’s often controversial comments and decisions. 
Witchy Sez:
Flake is correct. The GOP is now 100% the party of Donald J Trump (Orange Monkey). That means white nationalism, children in cages, ignorance, juvenile name calling, Russia coverup and widespread corruption.
It is true that we can vote them out but you need to think really hard about who you will be voting in. That is how tRUMP became president.  We need to get rid of all the lobbyists  and the dumb 'A$$ESS'.

Congress and Senate can not change the rules when it suits them. This is not a game. Real people get hurt when politicians do the wrong thing. The Republicans stopped Obama from helping the country and now they are to scared to stop tRUMP from destroying it. The Democrats have no leadership and no real plan. They want to do the right things but don't know how. All of them on both sides are so worried about getting reelected that they won't do what needs to be done. For starters trump has to be stopped, by everyone.
The gutless congress will not do anything to arouse the ire of their tweeter- in-chief. They are afraid tRUMP would start his childish name calling tweeter attack against them & their fragile egos could not take that. There are 3 branches of government for a reason. They are suppose to provide checks & balances against a dictator want- to- be. Or, a leader that has gone senile.

There are 3 separate and equal branches of government and Congress has had the lowest rating of the 3 for about a decade.   Congress had a 9% approval rating in 2013 so they're up 5 points since that exceptionally horrible historical low.  You can't blame their low ratings in 2013 on Trump or their perpetually low ratings for a decade.  

From inauguration 2009 to the end of Obama's first year, he lost 12 points.  Reagan lost 15 points in his first year.  Most presidents approval numbers drop in their first years.  Trump's approval numbers in his first year went up.
This Congress?  This Anti-American, Unpatriotic Congress that has knowingly worked o the detriment of the American People for almost 8 years now?  They don't have what it takes to do anything in defense of America or the American people...that's why the amount of GOP trash that is retiring is at an all time high.
The approval rate has not been above 20% since the do-nothing congress held their secret meeting in 2009 to do nothing to help Obama nor the economy nor the American public.

With all due respect to Flake, why is it always the Congressman that are no longer running for office that want to call Trump out.  Kind of says something about the spine of Congress doesn't it?
Stay tune for more of "As The Stomach Turns"

The DOJ has turned over additional FISA records to Republicans, and former intelligence officials say the implications could be 'catastrophic'

Business Insider
SONAM SHETH (SSHETH@BUSINESSINSIDER.COM)        June 23 , 2018
 The Department of Justice has turned over additional surveillance records of President Donald Trump's associates that were collected under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to House Republicans, according to two congressional sources with direct knowledge of the matter.

The surveillance was conducted as part of the department's Russia-related investigation, which is examining whether members of the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow to tilt the 2016 presidential election in his favor.

The news was first reported by CNN, which said the DOJ also provided lawmakers with other FBI records related to the Russia probe and the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server when she was secretary of state.

The move comes as House Republicans and the White House continue pressuring the DOJ and deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein to comply with subpoena requests for classified information.

While Republicans say the requests are part of their congressional oversight responsibility, Democrats accuse their colleagues across the aisle of using classified information to play politics and compromise the Russia investigation.

Leading the Republican charge are House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes, and House Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy.

Nunes has been under the spotlight since last year, when it surfaced that he traveled to the White House to brief administration officials on classified information about the Russia probe before informing his colleagues on the panel. He has since been conducting a separate investigation into what he characterizes as surveillance abuses by the DOJ and FBI.

Earlier this year, Nunes drew scrutiny for publicly disclosing FISA information about the former Trump campaign aide Carter Page. And in April, the DOJ turned over the document that first prompted the FBI to launch the Russia probe to House Republicans.
Donald J. Trump
   

                            ✔
@realDonaldTrump
 So disgraceful that the questions concerning the Russian Witch Hunt were “leaked” to the media. No questions on Collusion. Oh, I see...you have a made up, phony crime, Collusion, that never existed, and an investigation begun with illegally leaked classified information. Nice!

The implications could be 'catastrophic'
Asked about lawmakers obtaining additional FISA records related to the Russia investigation, one former senior FBI official said it was "hard to put into words" how "damaging it could to be to national security if details about the US's most sensitive intelligence-gathering process leaked out."

"It would be catastrophic," they added. "Look at the damage that's already been done."

The immediate concern, said former CIA operative Glenn Carle, is that turning over information related to FISA records could compromise sources and methods.

"Congressional oversight is not operational control, it's policy control," Carle said. "So it's not really appropriate for an oversight body and its members to have detailed knowledge of sources and methods, because they are not trained in how to handle that."

Republicans said Friday that the DOJ still has not complied with all their requests and indicated that they would be open to using all tools at their disposal to compel document production.

Addressing the matter this week, House Speaker Paul Ryan said "we expect compliance." Ryan met with Goodlatte, Nunes, and Gowdy on Friday morning, CNN reported.

Nunes said there would be "hell to pay" if the DOJ does not comply with all document requests.

A spokesperson for GOP Rep. Mark Meadows, the head of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, said in a statement to Business Insider that "if the Deputy Attorney General continues withholding documents and denying Congressional requests for oversight, there need to be consequences."

"Contempt is certainly an option on the table," the spokesperson added.

Carle said it was telling that subpoena and document requests for intelligence related to the Russia and Clinton investigations have come from the Republican side of the aisle.

See Also: Restaurant bombarded with Yelp reviews after refusing to serve Sarah Huckabee Sanders

"If something is coming from an entire committee, rather than a party, then the government is speaking through that committee," he said. "If it's coming from one party, that indicates political bias and could skew the outcome and fly in the face of the oversight function itself."

Meanwhile, Republican threats to penalize Rosenstein have attracted significant media coverage and speculation about what it could mean for the DOJ if its No. 2 official is held in contempt.

In all likelihood, it would mean very little.

When either chamber of Congress votes to hold an official in contempt, the case goes to the US attorney's office in Washington, DC for criminal prosecution.

See Also: ICE seeks up to 15,000 additional beds for detained immigrant families

In other words, if the House votes to hold the deputy attorney general in contempt, "they'd essentially be referring Rosenstein to himself for prosecution," said Jeffrey Cramer, a longtime former federal prosecutor who spent 12 years at the DOJ.

The last time any executive branch official was prosecuted for contempt was in 1983, when Rita Lavelle, who worked for the Environmental Protection Agency, was indicted on perjury charges.

In the event that Rosenstein is referred to the DOJ for prosecution and the department does not pursue the case — which, in all likelihood, it won't — then congressional Republicans could pursue civil charges against him.

But as of now, Cramer said, "They're just shaking their fists and making a lot of noise."

Trump Bends Under Pressure ..... Reverses Order to Separate Children From Parents

 

 U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order to keep families together at the border, but says that the 'zero-tolerance' prosecution policy will continue, during an event in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Wednesday.  I can't help it, but Pence gives me the creeps. He is always in the background with that spooky half smile.

Bowing to pressure from anxious allies, Donald Trump abruptly reversed himself Wednesday and signed an executive order halting his administration’s policy of separating children from their parents when they are detained illegally crossing the U.S. border.
It was a dramatic turnaround for Trump, who has been insisting, wrongly, that his administration had no choice but to separate families apprehended at the border because of federal law and a court decision. In fact Trump passed that law and put in place the policy to tear children from the arms of their families. 

The order does not end the “zero-tolerance” policy that criminally prosecutes all adults caught crossing the border illegally. But, at least for the next few weeks, it would keep families together while they are in custody, expedite their cases and ask the Defence Department to help house them. It also doesn’t change anything yet for the some 2,300 children taken from their families since the policy was put into place.

The news in recent days has been dominated by searing images of children held in cages at border facilities, as well as audio recordings of young children crying for their parents — images that have sparked fury, questions of morality and concern from Republicans about a negative impact on their races in November’s midterm elections.

Until Wednesday, the president, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and other officials had repeatedly argued the only way to end the practice was for Congress to pass new legislation, while Democrats said Trump could do it with his signature alone. That’s just what he did.

“We’re going to have strong, very strong borders, but we’re going to keep the families together,” said Trump, who added that he didn’t like the “sight” or “feeling” of children separated from their parents.

Really? Then why did you create and  pass this nightmare into legislation? Is it because the children of' criminals' and 'rapists' should be treated accordingly? Explain yourself to the young mother who had her baby pulled from her arms while breast feeding and was handcuffed when she protested.

Horse Hockey ! Mr Trump , You couldn't take the backlash of public horror and disbelief. You couldn't withstand world wide disapproval and negative press so close to mid-term elections. Even the Pope made sure you knew he abhorred this abuse of children and babies. This is on you Trump.

Trump Fans...Please take a closer look

Reading my QUORA DIGEST the other day, I noted a reader making this comment:
"I am filled with pride because Trump is the president. What do liberals think about this?"

He was answered by Mathew Stern:
"I have to ask, what about him makes you feel proud? Your answer may say something about President Trump and his supporters, but it says more about you as a person.
 I judge politicians by their actions rather than their ideology. There is plenty about President Trump that seriously concerns me. You can point to the strong economy and prospects for denuclearizing North Korea, but there is also the sense that things can go downhill fast, possibly with a single errant tweet.
He has alienated our closest allies, edged closer to a global trade war, defunded and understaffed critical departments, allowed widespread corruption, dismantled environmental and consumer protection, attacked the free press, sought to undermine the rule of law, and engaged in cruel policies from separating children from their natural parents, who were immigrants seeking asylum, to criminal negligence in hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico. And what if conditions turn negatively against him, like an economic disaster, or the Democrats taking one or both houses in Congress, or if the Mueller investigation leads to indictments against him and his family? How would he react? How would you and other Trump supporters react and feel?"
 I agree with Mr. Stern. If you are filled with pride that Trump is your president, then you have not been reading the same articles that I have. Do more research about him. Dig deep into his past. One or two seemingly good deeds that he has managed does not make up for a plethora of bad deeds. It doesn't make up for racism, xenophobia and misogyny. Did I mention cheating people out of money  with a phony  university and a phony charity? Don't fall for the hype and the rhetoric. The man is a master of lies and deceit. He can twist the truth like a pretzel and use it against anyone who displeases him. Or he may twist it to make himself look good in your eyes and other starry eyed Trump sycophants.
He is only concerned with himself and how he is represented to the American people. Honestly, he is merely acting like a president. Or, at least, the way he perceives a president should act and the emphasis is on 'act'. Apparently he reads very little, not even documents he is required to read, but he watches hours of TV and tweets pretzels until the wee hours of the morning. Other than that, you can  find  him on the golf course. This is not the stuff you want your president to be made of.

Step back and look at the broader view, the big picture. History will not regard Trump in the same light that you do.  They insist on facts.

Putin says he's ready for a one-on-one meeting with Trump

 Newsy          GABRIELLE WARE        June 10th 2018 
Russian President Vladimir Putin says he's ready to meet with President Donald Trump whenever the U.S. is ready. The two would discuss the countries' nuclear efforts.

Putin made the announcement Sunday, the same day Trump arrived in Singapore ahead of a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

On Saturday, a Kremlin spokesperson suggested Vienna as a potential meeting location.

The timing of the comments may not be arbitrary — they come just days after Trump advocated for Russia, saying it should be allowed to rejoin the G7 summit.

Russia was kicked out in 2014 after annexing Crimea.

Putin and Trump have discussed the idea of a one-on-one meeting over the course of several recent phone calls, and Putin reportedly asked Austria's chancellor to set one up this summer.

The Wall Street Journal reported June 1 that the White House was planning a meeting with Putin to discuss nuclear arms, Syria and Ukraine, but that those talks were in very early stages. The potential meeting would be the third between the two.

Witchy sez let's take a trip with her sown memory lane . 
“We will take America without firing a shot ... we will bury you! “We can’t expect the American people to jump from capitalism to communism, but we can assist their elected leaders in giving them small doses of socialism, until they awaken one day to find that they have communism. “We do not have to invade the United States, we will destroy you from within.” >>> Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev<<<
Look at all the Interference and Obstruction to stop the Mueller investigation and the President claiming no collusion, no collusion there is absolutely no collusion and " I am innocent ". Thou doth protest to much… You are GUILTY GUILTY GUILTY...
tRUMP  has yet to sign the Russian sanctions??
The Senate overwhelmingly voted to impose new sanctions on Russia, joining the House in approving the measure by veto-proof margins.The vote on the bill passed on Tuesday by a combined vote in the House and Senate of 419-3.Congress could enact the bill over a Trump veto by two-thirds' votes in both chambers — far less than the 98 percent-plus support they've already given it. 
Republicans, remember when the Russians were the bad guys? They still are. Who's side are you on, patriots?
And the GOP is to Cowardly to bring it to a VOTE!!! Putin owns trump 100%!!! Sad but true.

Putin says he's willing to rejoin the Group Of Seven after Trump's invite

HuffPost US       NINA GOLGOWSKI     June 10,2018
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday said he welcomed President Donald Trump’s call for allowing his country back into the Group of Seven, even as that proposal was dismissed by most of the leaders of the other nations that comprise the partnership.

Putin, whose country was expelled in 2014 from what was then the Group of Eight major industrial nations over Russia’s annexation of Crimea, also suggested hosting the organization’s next summit in Moscow.

“We did not (choose to) leave it, our colleagues refused to come to Russia due to known reasons at some point,” Putin told reporters at a briefing in the Chinese city of Qingdao, Reuters reported. “Please, we will be glad to see everyone here in Moscow.“

Trump on Friday suggested that Russia should be reinstated to the group, telling reporters that his view “may not be politically correct” but “we should have Russia at the negotiating table.”

Donald J. Trump

  @realDonaldTrump
 So disgraceful that the questions concerning the Russian Witch Hunt were “leaked” to the media. No questions on Collusion. Oh, I see...you have a made up, phony crime, Collusion, that never existed, and an investigation begun with illegally leaked classified information. Nice!

Italy’s new prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, seconded Trump’s idea. But other G-7 leaders showed no interest in it.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Saturday the group is not “even remotely” considering readmitting Russia. Aside from the dispute over Russia annexing the Crimea from Ukraine, the Kremlin’s standing within the international community has been eroded by its meddling in elections in other countries. These include the U.S., France, Germany, Norway, Spain and Ukraine, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said on Friday.

Trump faces his own problems with the G-7′s other members, especially over trade policy.

Trump on Saturday withdrew support for a joint statement issued by the other G-7 nations ― Canada, the U.K. Germany, France, Italy and Japan ― just hours after expressing support for it. He took the step of disavowing the statement as he and Trudeau exchanged barbs over Trump’s move to impose tariffs on aluminum and steel imports from Canada, Mexico and the European Union

As part of the bickering, Trump threatened to “stop trading” with some of the U.S.′ closest allies and to impose tariffs on foreign automobile imports from Canada.

He left the summit early on Saturday, skipping out on a discussion on global climate change to travel to Singapore ahead of his Tuesday summit there with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un on Monday.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday hit back at Trump over trade policy and other matters on which the president with other G-7 nations, saying in a Twitter that “maybe the American president doesn’t care about being isolated today, but we don’t mind being six, if needs be.”

The six remaining nations, he said, “represent values” and a “true international market force.”

A photograph capturing Macron and Trump shaking hands on Friday showed the imprint of the French leader’s fingers left on the president’s hand, suggesting he gave Trump a particularly forceful grip.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost

Hey, Hey , Hey ... Witchy in her human form :

This is insanity. He is destroying our country and the spineless Republican party is doing nothing to stop him. Having tRUMP in office is like Christmas every day for Putin.
As much as he can, Trump does Putin's bidding. It's obvious that Trump knows that Vladimir has so much dirt on him that he cannot refuse a Putin request. All of the oligarchs who gave Trump and his family enterprises hundreds of millions of dollars report directly to Putin. These monies have been laundered into Trump real estate. If Trump isn't Russian friendly, Putin will drop a dime to Mueller and the Justice Dept. who will then have no choice but to take action. ******This is only my opinion and is not worth any more or any less than yours.

Assuming there is still a United States when Trump is through using it for his personal benefit, we're going to have to write a whole new set of laws outlining what president can and can not do. Considering how much Trump has twisted, distorted, and outright broken the law as president, it may take a few decades to cover everything. With any luck they'll actually enforce them.
Stay tune : As The Stomach Turns

G7 summit ends in disarray as Trump abandons joint statement

What is the G7?

It is an annual summit bringing together Canada, the US, the UK, France, Italy, Japan and Germany, which represent more than 60% of global net worth between them.
Economics tops the agenda, although the meetings now always branch off to cover major global issues.
Russia was suspended from the group in 2014 because of its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. On Friday, Mr Trump made a surprise call for Moscow to be readmitted but German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other members were against the idea.

What are the tariffs?

On 1 June, the US imposed a 25% tariff for steel and 10% for aluminium on imports from the EU, Canada, and Mexico. Mr Trump said the move would protect domestic producers that were vital to US security.
The EU then announced tariffs on US goods ranging from Harley-Davidson motorcycles to bourbon. Canada and Mexico are also taking action in retaliation.

 

US President Donald Trump has retracted his endorsement of the joint communique issued at the end of the G7 summit, accusing Canada of "dishonesty".

He said that other countries were imposing "massive tariffs" on the US.
The joint communique, advocating a "rules-based trading system", was reached despite tension over US tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed afterwards to press ahead with retaliatory tariffs on 1 July.
Speaking at a news conference, he described as "insulting" Mr Trump's decision to invoke national security concerns to justify steel and aluminium tariffs.
"It would be with regret but it would be with absolute clarity and firmness that we move forward with retaliatory measures on 1 July," Mr Trudeau said. "Canadians are polite and reasonable but we will also not be pushed around."
His speech contained nothing he had not said before, both in public and in private conversations with Mr Trump, his office said later.
The EU said it would stick to the joint communique despite Mr Trump's decision.
"We stand by the commitments made in the G7 communique," a senior UK government source said.

Tweeting en route to his next summit in Singapore, Mr Trump said he had instructed US officials "not to endorse the communique as we look at tariffs on automobiles".
He said the move was based on Mr Trudeau's "false statements at his news conference, and the fact that Canada is charging massive tariffs to our US farmers, workers and companies".
He suggested Mr Trudeau was "very dishonest and weak".

Donald J. Trump      

 @realDonaldTrump

PM Justin Trudeau of Canada acted so meek and mild during our @G7 meetings only to give a news conference after I left saying that, “US Tariffs were kind of insulting” and he “will not be pushed around.” Very dishonest & weak. Our Tariffs are in response to his of 270% on dairy!

7:04 PM - Jun 9, 2018

 

Mr Trump had earlier signed the joint statement agreed by all the G7 nations despite the trade row.

He also tweeted defiantly about not allowing "other countries to impose massive tariffs and trade barriers on its farmers, workers and companies".

 

Canada talks tough

Until just a few weeks ago, the relationship between Mr Trump and Mr Trudeau could have been called cordial. Despite differences between the two countries over trade - from tiffs over everything from softwood lumber and newsprint to the major renegotiation of the trilateral North American Free Trade Agreement - the two men tended to speak positively about each other.

No longer.

The recent US decision to impose metals tariffs on Canada, the EU, and Mexico was a turning point. Mr Trudeau, who had taken a conciliatory approach towards Mr Trump, began using a much harsher tone. Polls indicate Canadians support the tougher tone.

The fact remains that the two countries' economies are deeply integrated, with jobs on both sides of the border counting on smooth trade between the neighbouring nations.

Whether or not this new phase in the Canada-US relationship will allow some of the trade sticking points to be resolved is still to be seen.

 

Does trump look intimidated??

 

In the communique, the group of major industrial nations - Canada, the US, the UK, France, Italy, Japan and Germany - agreed on the need for "free, fair, and mutually beneficial trade" and the importance of fighting protectionism.
"We strive to reduce tariff barriers, non-tariff barriers and subsidies," they said.
Other agreements reached include:

• Russia: A joint demand that Moscow "cease with its destabilising behaviour". The leaders called on the Kremlin to stop with its attempts to "undermine democracy" and to withdraw its support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
• Iran: A pledge to "permanently" ensure Tehran's nuclear programme remains peaceful. The group said they were committed to ensuring Iran would "never seek, develop or acquire a nuclear weapon"
• Climate: An agreement to disagree. The US refused to sign a pledge to implement the Paris climate change accord after Mr Trump announced he was pulling out of the agreement last June in the hope of a new "fair" deal

What else did Trump have to say?

President Trump earlier told reporters he had proposed the idea of a tariff-free G7 to other leaders and described his talks with them as "extremely productive".
"The United States has been taken advantage of for decades and decades," he continued, describing America as a "piggy bank that everyone keeps robbing".
President Trump said retaliation tariffs from his allies were a "mistake" and warned that if it got as far as a trade war, then the US would "win that war a thousand times out of a thousand".

Canada warns immigrants in the US about fleeing to the north

ZZZZZ Geobeats          SUSANA VICTORIA PEREZ          June  9th 2018 

Canada officials want to make it clear for would-be immigrants looking to cross the US-Canada border that they should do so legally.

According to Newsweek, Randy Boissonnault, an adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is trying to spread the message amid a surge of immigrants in the U.S crossing illegally into Canada, mostly via the Quebec province.

Boissonnault told USA Today, quote, “People seem to think that if they cross the border there’s this land of milk and honey on the other side.” 

In August alone, Royal Canadian police caught more than 5,000 mostly Haitian immigrants trying to cross in the country. 

The ending of the U.S’s Temporary Protected Status has made Canada the closest destination for people fleeing war and natural disasters.

And even though the Canadian government and the Canadian people are very supportive of taking in refugees, fewer people crossing the border are being granted refugee status.

Let's hear from Witchy

We need to stand united with Canada in securing our borders. The U.S needs to take a much tougher stance on these illegals they are costing this country an exorbitant amount of money all courtesy of the American tax payer.

The media also needs to stop playing at the heart strings of the American people when one of these illegals ends up on the wrong side of the fence!

I think Justin should build a wall and have the US pay for it.

If they are illegal while here, what makes the Canadians think they will enter their country legally.  They are, fast, going to find out that this wave of migration is not going to do things legally.

Robert Mueller hits ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort with third indictment that also charges Russian operative

New York Daily News    CHRIS SOMMERFELDT  June8,2018
Special counsel Robert Mueller on Friday hit embattled ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort with a third superseding indictment, charging him and a shadowy Russian operative with obstruction of justice.

Manafort and Konstantin Kilimnik “knowingly and intentionally” tried to secure false testimony from two potential witnesses in the investigation into Russian election meddling, Mueller charged in the federal Washington, D.C., court filing. 

Kilimnik, widely believed to be a former agent for the Kremlin’s top intelligence agency, GRU, has been working for Manafort in various capacities since they lobbied for Russian-backed ex-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in the early 2000s.

Since Feb. 23, Mueller alleges Manafort and Kilimnik have tried to get in touch with two people connected to the so-called Hapsburg group, a consulting firm made up of Kremlin-friendly European politicians.

Donald J. Trump
     

   ✔
@realDonaldTrump
 So disgraceful that the questions concerning the Russian Witch Hunt were “leaked” to the media. No questions on Collusion. Oh, I see...you have a made up, phony crime, Collusion, that never existed, and an investigation begun with illegally leaked classified information. Nice!

The new charges relate to a filing made by Mueller earlier this week accusing Manafort of witness tampering.

Prosecutors allege Manafort and Kilimnik “repeatedly” contacted the two witnesses to influence their testimony.

A few words from Witchy

Why is congress so quiet?  Where is Ryan, Issa, Gomert, Trey, Mitch and all the Obama haters on all these illegal acts being committed by tRUMP? The silence is deafening. Maybe they are as guilty of being in on collusion, perjury, and conspiracy as tRUMP.
 How can there be law and  order when the guy in the WH is a criminal? From day one, tRUMP attacked our FBI and Intel officials. Why is it that the FBI were seen as honorable until tRUMP came along? tRUMP is supposed to represent the law and all the people of this country. Instead, he chooses to enforce the law on others like DACA while claiming foul when he himself is under criminal investigation. 
 Can we please learn a lesson from this? Never allow a person to run for office that refuses to show his tax return, declared bankruptcies, can’t get a security clearance, American banks will not give him a loan, known to be an ill moral person or has shown himself to lack wisdom!
This was Trump's CAMPAIGN MANAGER. Think about that for a while.
Mueller should issue a statement now that any pardon or even talk of pardon will be seen as obstruction of justice. Furthermore that he will not hesitate to file criminal charges against Trump if warranted. Let the Supreme court sort it out.
It is sweet but won't be complete until they get the Orange bloated Russian collusion chief fake president. Has the Orange doody head tweeted yet?
Get your popcorn ready as it will get really entertaining as things heat up and  tRUMP  is finally perp walked from office - the world will rejoice!  Hallelujah!!!
Go Mueller!!!  For Truth and Justice and the American Way!  Rule of Law Rules!!!

'He can’t just lie his way out of every single box’

As a private businessman, Donald Trump managed to skate past bankruptcies and scandals, but as president he's finding it's harder to contradict his own statements.

By CHRISTOPHER CADELAGO and MATTHEW NUSSBAUM 06/03/2018 
President Donald Trump has been dogged by problems of his own making, with efforts to cut off one crisis creating even bigger controversies down the road. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Over his decades in real estate, Donald Trump was seemingly able to get away with anything, emerging from each consecutive bankruptcy and scandal ever more famous and with his brand ever more marketable.

As a candidate, he declared he could shoot someone in the middle of New York’s Fifth Avenue and not “lose any voters.”

But as president, Trump is running up against the limits of saying or doing whatever he wants.

The revelation by Rudy Giuliani that his client reimbursed his longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen for a $130,000 hush money payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels contradicted Trump’s own previous denials that he knew anything about the deal — and, despite Giuliani’s intent to tamp down concerns that the October 2016 payment violated campaign finance laws, raised a whole new set of questions about whether Trump failed to disclose a personal loan.

“As long as they believe that all that matters is the base and Fox News, they’ll keep doing it,” said Rick Wilson, a Republican strategist who has been critical of Trump’s presidency. “But at some point, when the law is the issue and not Trump’s bubble, you end up in a situation where he can’t just lie his way out of every single box.”

For much of his brief political career, Trump has been dogged by problems of his own making, with efforts to cut off one crisis creating even bigger controversies down the road.

In the wake of revelations that Donald Trump Jr. met during the 2016 campaign with a Kremlin-connected operator who promised “dirt” on Hillary Clinton, Trump and aides huddled on Air Force One and drafted a statement that the meeting was merely to discuss adoption policy.
That story was quickly disproved, and now the episode is of interest to special counsel Robert Mueller as he investigates possible collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign.

Before the Air Force One huddle, there was the episode that led to Mueller’s appointment in the first place: the firing of FBI director James Comey.

Trump was warned by close aides that the move could be politically disastrous, but he went ahead anyway, tapping Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to draft a memo to justify the firing.

That document focused on Comey’s handling of the Clinton email investigation — but Trump subsequently undermined that explanation, declaring on NBC News that he had fired Comey because of the Russia investigation. Trump then reportedly boasted in a meeting with senior Russian officials that firing Comey had taken “great pressure” off him.

Today in Trumpworld: Giuliani throws the White House into the hot seat over Stormy Daniels payment
A look at the White House's reaction to Rudy Giuliani's remarks on President Donald Trump's repayment to Michael Cohen. Produced by Beatrice Peterson.

That episode, too, is now a focus for Mueller.
The attempted clean-ups have proved damaging to those around Trump, too.

Last fall, amid criticism from a Democratic congresswoman about Trump’s comments to the widow of a Special Forces soldier killed in Niger, chief of staff John Kelly took the briefing room podium and misrepresented remarks the congresswoman gave at a 2015 event.

Former press secretary Sean Spicer was mocked on late night television for his infamous declaration that the administration’s travel ban was “not a travel ban,” only to have Trump declare it exactly that on Twitter.

The latest firestorm again sent the White House into damage control, with Giuliani’s remarks to Fox News’ Sean Hannity, along with the comment that the president “did know about the general arrangement,” contradicting past denials by Trump, his campaign and the White House.
White House leaps into Giuliani damage control

Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani are pictured. | Getty Images
By LOUIS NELSON and JOSH GERSTEIN
Giuliani’s declaration also ran counter to Cohen’s claim that he was never reimbursed.

Trump, on Thursday took to Twitter to expand on Giuliani’s case that the payment was not a campaign finance violation, contending that Cohen received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign, “from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA,” Trump wrote.

“These agreements are very common among celebrities and people of wealth.”

Trump has joined Cohen in a New York courtroom to limit the government’s access to documents and other materials seized in an FBI raid last month on Cohen’s New York apartment, office and hotel room, citing attorney-client privilege between the president and his longtime lawyer.

Cohen’s lawyers have acknowledged their client is under federal investigation by federal prosecutors in New York, including for potential campaign finance violations.

To Trump’s associates and longtime supporters, the decision to send Giuliani out on TV was textbook Trump. Few are better at exploiting a news cycle and media ecosystem whose hunger for a new development, anything loud or scandalous, is never sated.

Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani says president probably can pardon himself

Thomson Reuters        
YASMEEN ABUTALEB AND ARSHAD MOHAMMED
WASHINGTON, June 3 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump, under pressure from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 U.S. election, probably has the power to pardon himself but does not plan to do so, his attorney Rudy Giuliani said on Sunday.

Asked whether Trump has the power to give himself a pardon, Giuliani said, "He's not, but he probably does." Giuliani added that Trump "has no intention of pardoning himself," but that the U.S. Constitution, which gives a president the authority to issue pardons, "doesn't say he can't."

Speaking on ABC's "This Week" program, Giuliani added, "It would be an open question. I think it would probably get answered by, gosh, that's what the Constitution says."

Mueller is investigating whether Russia meddled in the presidential election and whether Trump's campaign colluded with Moscow. Mueller, whose investigation already has led to criminal charges against Trump campaign aides including former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, is also looking into whether Trump unlawfully sought to obstruct the Russia investigation.

Both Russia and Trump deny collusion, and the president has denied obstructing the probe.
Donald J. Trump

                                  ✔
@realDonaldTrump
 So disgraceful that the questions concerning the Russian Witch Hunt were “leaked” to the media. No questions on Collusion. Oh, I see...you have a made up, phony crime, Collusion, that never existed, and an investigation begun with illegally leaked classified information. Nice!

Giuliani noted that the political ramifications of a self-pardon could be severe. Giuliani told NBC's "Meet the Press with Chuck Todd" that "the president of the United States pardoning himself would just be unthinkable. And it would lead to probably an immediate impeachment."

Under the Constitution, a president can be impeached by the House of Representatives and then removed from office by the Senate.

The possibility of a self-pardon appeared to be raised in a Jan. 29 letter from Trump's lawyers to Mueller, published by the New York Times on Saturday, arguing that the president could not have obstructed the probe given the powers granted to him by the Constitution.

"It remains our position that the President's actions here, by virtue of his position as the chief law enforcement officer, could neither constitutionally nor legally constitute obstruction because that would amount to him obstructing himself, and that he could, if he wished, terminate the inquiry, or even exercise his power to pardon if he so desired," Trump's lawyers wrote.

The letter did not explicitly describe the possibility of Trump pardoning himself.

Whether Trump may pardon himself is a matter of some debate.

A Justice Department memo dated four days before former President Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 during the Watergate political corruption scandal took the view that "under the fundamental rule that no one may be a judge in his own case, the President cannot pardon himself."

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, made clear he did not think Trump or any other president should pardon himself. "I don't think a president should pardon themselves," he told CNN's "State of the Union."
'MINOR LEGAL ARGUMENT' :
Former Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, fired by Trump last year along with numerous other federal prosecutors, said it would be "outrageous" for a sitting president to pardon himself and that doing so would represent "almost self-executing impeachment."

"Whether or not there is a minor legal argument that some law professor somewhere in a legal journal can make that the president can pardon, that's not what the framers could have intended," Bharara said on said on CNN's "State of the Union" program, referring to the authors of the Constitution.

Trump has not been shy about using his pardon power.

The president on Thursday pardoned conservative commentator and filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza, who pleaded guilty in 2014 to U.S. campaign finance law violations.

Trump also said he was considering pardoning lifestyle maven Martha Stewart and commuting the prison sentence of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, convicted of corruption charges. Critics accused Trump of subverting the rule of law.

Giuliani told ABC it is an "open question" whether Trump would sit for an interview with Mueller but that the president's lawyers were leaning against having him testify.

Giuliani also said the president's legal team planned to challenge any potential subpoena from Mueller's office as harassment or as unnecessary because the White House has turned over more than a million documents and several witnesses.

Trump took to Twitter on Sunday to again rage against the FBI and Justice Department, saying he would not have hired Manafort if he had been told Manafort was already under investigation.

"As only one of two people left who could become President, why wouldn't the FBI or Department of 'Justice' have told me that they were secretly investigating Paul Manafort (on charges that were 10 years old and had been previously dropped) during my campaign? Should have told me!" Trump tweeted.

"Paul Manafort came into the campaign very late and was with us for a short period of time ... but we should have been told that Comey and the boys were doing a number on him, and he wouldn't have been hired!" Trump wrote, referring to former FBI Director James Comey, who Trump fired last year.

(Reporting by Yasmeen Abutaleb and Arshad Mohammed; Additional reporting by Alexia Garamfalvi in New York Writing by Arshad Mohammed Editing by Will Dunham)

Mr. Humble wants to know :
 Why would Rudy even talk about this, I thought that his client was totally and absolutely innocent?  Trump  supporters, please explain.
They cannot for in their darkest, most lonely moments explain why Trump is so stupid, they know he is as guilty as sin!


Why don't  Trump's lawyers simply advise him to go in and talk to Mueller and tell him the TRUTH to avoid perjury?  Why can't trump go in and look Mueller straight in the eye and say "There was no collusion" if he is so innocent.  Then Mueller could just wind things up as everyone would like....... 
Just my humble opinion

Timeline: Donald Trump-Kim Jong-un Singapore summit on June 12

 

 

 

US president says he will meet North Korean leader in June to talk about denuclearisation in the Korean Peninsula.

1 Jun 2018:

Trump said he does not expect to sign any agreement with Kim Jong-un on June 12

After what seemed like an endless back-and-forth, a highly-anticipated summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore on June 12 is officially on - again.

Trump made the announcement on Friday after welcoming Kim Jong-un's right-hand man, Kim Yong-chol, to the White House to talk about Washington's demands of denuclearisation in the Korean Peninsula.

"The process will begin on June 12 in Singapore," he told White House reporters. But he conceded that Kim Jong-un "wants to be careful" with his decision, and that "he is not going to run and do things" as demanded by the US government.

"I told them, take your time. We can go fast, we can go slow."
Trump's made-for-television announcement on Friday was the latest twist in the trans-Pacific political and diplomatic drama that at times unfolded in real time, and has been closely followed on social media.
Disputes between Washington and Pyongyang led Trump to cancel the June 12 meeting on May 24 - only to see a flurry of diplomatic efforts surrounding the proposed summit in recent days.
On that same day, North Korea had announced that it had "demolished" its nuclear facility at Punggye-ri.
A number of diplomatic events ensued, including a surprise second meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Kim at the North Korean side of the border village of Panmunjom on May 26.

Trump, centre, Kim Yong-chol, left, and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo following their meeting at the White House on Friday [AP]

Here are some of the important highlights, developments and diplomatic twists about the Korean Peninsula and the Singapore meeting leading to Trump's announcement on Friday:
January 1: Following months of provocative weapons tests that included the detonation of a purported thermonuclear warhead and three long-range missile launches, Kim says in his New Year's address that he has a nuclear button on his desk but also calls for improved relations with South Korea. Trump responds that he has a bigger and more powerful nuclear button, "and my Button works!"
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Donald J. Trump          ✔              @realDonaldTrump

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!

8:49 PM - Jan 2, 2018

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January 9: North and South Korean officials meet in Panmunjom and agree on North Korea sending athletes and delegates to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. North Korea sends hundreds of people to the event in February, including Kim's powerful sister, Kim Yo-jong, who conveys her brother's desire for a summit with Moon.
February 9: South Korean and North Korean athletes march as one delegation during the opening of the Olympics. Kim's sister and the North's ceremonial head of state, Kim Yong-nam, joined Moon and his wife at the viewing stand.
March 7: After visiting Kim in Pyongyang, Chung Eui-yong, the South Korean presidential national security director, says the North Korean leader is willing to discuss the fate of his nuclear arsenal with the US.
March 9: Trump accepts Kim's invitation to meet following a conversation with Moon's envoys.
March 27: Kim makes a surprise visit to Beijing for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in an apparent move to strengthen his leverage in advance of his negotiations with Trump.
April 18: Trump confirms that Mike Pompeo, then the CIA chief, had met secretly with Kim in North Korea and said "a good relationship was formed" heading into the adversaries' anticipated summit.

 

April 27: Kim holds a summit meeting with Moon. The leaders announce aspirational goals of a nuclear-free peninsula and permanent peace.
April 21: North Korea says it has suspended nuclear and long-range missile tests and plans to close its nuclear test site as part of a move to shift its national focus and improve its economy. Trump tweeted, "This is very good news for North Korea and the World" and "big progress!"
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Donald J. Trump          ✔              @realDonaldTrump

North Korea has agreed to suspend all Nuclear Tests and close up a major test site. This is very good news for North Korea and the World - big progress! Look forward to our Summit.

6:50 PM - Apr 20, 2018

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May 7: Kim meets Xi again in China and calls for stronger "strategic cooperation" between the traditional allies amid shifts in the region's political environment.
May 9: Mike Pompeo, now US secretary of state, makes another visit to Pyongyang to prepare for the planned Trump-Kim summit. North Korea releases three Americans who had been imprisoned, and they return with Pompeo to the US.
May 10: Trump announces he will meet Kim in Singapore on June 12. He tweets: "We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!"
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Donald J. Trump          ✔              @realDonaldTrump

The highly anticipated meeting between Kim Jong Un and myself will take place in Singapore on June 12th. We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!

10:37 AM - May 10, 2018

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May 12: North Korea says it will hold a ceremony to dismantle its nuclear test site between May 23 and 25 and foreign journalists will be invited to attend.
May 16: North Korea breaks off a high-level meeting with South Korea and threatens to cancel Kim's summit with Trump in protest over US-South Korean military exercises. North Korea says it won't be unilaterally pressured into abandoning its nukes.
May 22: Trump and Moon meet at the White House and express optimism for a successful summit between Trump and Kim. Moon says the "fate and the future of the Korean Peninsula hinge" on the meeting in Singapore.
May 24: North Korean senior diplomat Choe Son Hui releases a statement referring to Vice President Mike Pence as a "political dummy" for his comments on North Korea and saying it was up to the Americans whether they would "meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown".

 May 25: North Korea says it's still willing to sit for talks with the US "at any time, (in) any format." Moon says Trump's move to cancel the summit was "very perplexing" and calls for Washington and Pyongyang to get the talks back on track.
 Okay, after all this back and forth and preliminary build-up to the summit, let's hope something positive comes out of it and that Mr. T doesn't stick his big foot in his big mouth again.