Trump's Card

[ursus arctos]

van der Zwaan is married to the daughter of an oligarch, which just makes TAB’s story more interesting.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

ooh which one? the story was that he was straight, but was feeling so confident, and focused and alert and energetic that he was ready to try new frontiers.

[Lang Spoon]

Good old talk shite powder, breaking taboos and increasing eventual shame and regret with every bump.

[ursus arctos]

German Khan. BP's former joint venture partner and owner of Alfa Group.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Hmm I may remove that just in case, though it may be sufficiently idiomatic to break google.

[Satchmo Distel]

I'm quite sure that the likes of Kelly and Miller have realised that they are better off being able to bleat about a lack of funding for "the Wall" rather than actually having to face all of the engineering challenges that make it impossible.

That's all true but if they had any hope of Trump getting his base out in a 2020 campaign, the wall would be a deal-breaker for many of those drooling racists. That and only a partial Muslim ban and Obamacare not formally repealed albeit crippled. I think these issues are black and white for the base not "we'll settle for the watered down option."

[Tubby Isaacs]

Trump might be able to run against his party on some of that. The party might have a problem.

[ursus arctos]

https://twitter.com/aliceollstein/status/981224135803265024?s=21

[San Bernardhinault]

I'm not sure which of Zinke or Pruitt I'd be happier to see go.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Would replacements have to be confirmed by the Senate?

[ursus arctos]

Yes, unless they had already been confirmed for other Cabinet level positions in this Administration.

Bolton didn't have to be confirmed because the NSA is not a Cabinet-level position (strangely given his/her current role).

[San Bernardhinault]

Is Pompeo's previous job at CIA "cabinet level"? Or will he have still to go through confirmation. And does that mean Trump could slide someone like Pruitt into the AG seat without confirmation hearings?

[ursus arctos]

Pompeo needs to be confirmed.

Pruitt was briefing anyone who would listen that he should be the new AG and using the fact that he would not have to be confirmed as his primary argument.

Calling this administration a shitshow is unfair to excrement.

[San Bernardhinault]

I knew that Pruitt had been pitching himself for basically every job that's more senior (including President), but I didn't realise that his argument was just that he could get in under the radar.

[ursus arctos]

It’s really the best argument he has.

Second best being his access to donors looking for favours.

[Tubby Isaacs]

So, changes in Wisconsin? Rebecca Dallett wins Supreme Court seat.

[ursus arctos]

Important to note that Walker’s Wingnuts still have a 4-3 majority in the court (and that Supreme Court elections are appalling policy), but it throws into relief why Walker had to be be compelled by the courts to hold special elections for vacant state seats.

He's taking it well, too

https://twitter.com/scottwalker/status/981363816884785152?s=21

Someone appears to have sent a memo on “outside agitators”, as the governor of Oklahoma is accusing “Antifa” of being behind the teacher strikes

[Tubby Isaacs]

It's incredible to me that you can not hold elections if you don't want to.

[Tubby Isaacs]

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Democrat Phil Bredesen leads Republican Marsha Blackburn in the Tennessee Senate race by 10 points: 45% to 35%.

She is an idiot.

[ursus arctos]

It's incredible to me that you can not hold elections if you don't want to.

Well, three courts have now ruled that you can't, but a significant feature of our current shitshow is that legislators are not abashed about violating the law and willing to force courts to stop them.

[Tubby Isaacs]

We've got politicians who ignore courts, but not over elections, so far.

[San Bernardhinault]

I’m actually with Tubby here. Despite now being in this country for half a decade, I’ve not yet got my head round how much control the elected have over the process that gets them elected. It seems just insanely open to - even designed for - abuse.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Swamp draining latest.

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/04/04/p...ion/index.html

The Environmental Protection Agency's top ethics watchdog clarified his earlier analysis of whether Administrator Scott Pruitt's rental arrangement broke the federal gift rule, saying he didn't have all the facts when evaluating the lease, according to a memo provided to CNN.

Does this mean Pruitt withheld information?

[San Bernardhinault]

That Bredesen - Blackburn poll is hilarious. I doubt it’ll hold up. This is Tennessee after all. But even so, it’s hilarious and people will start going nuts.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Probably.

Though his governor re-election went rather well, even by 2006 standards.