Moscow Mitch

Uh-huh. "A spokesman for McConnell said the majority leader did not know that Bouchard had hopes of a deal with Rusal at the time McConnell led the Senate effort to end the sanctions." @thamburger @postroz https://t.co/zViU67Vnfr
— Dana Milbank (@Milbank) August 14, 2019

I don’t believe him.

Very interesting to see all the stories popping up in the last couple days that feature interviews with Braidy’s CEO (whose Kentucky mill is backed by a $200M Russian investment.) Worth revisiting our scoop from earlier this month. https://t.co/bepYD5fH9i
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) August 14, 2019

Does this have something to do with Mitch McConnell's refusal to allow the Senate to vote on an election security bill that would prevent future attacks on our elections by Russia? https://t.co/wIGWQWnJQD
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) August 14, 2019

Trump’s lies – updated 8/13/19

Trump lies more than ever. He realizes there are no bad consequences for him:

His cult believes him.

Democrats have no power.

Republicans have no guts and don’t rebut him.

He has more to lie about since he has been president for almost three years.

The media does not do enough to call his lies “Lies”.

New #FactChecker –> President Trump has made 12,019 false or misleading claims over 928 days https://t.co/RfB4cngIxO
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) August 12, 2019

He continued to deceive the families of lost soldiers. He continued to recite a fake approval rating. He urged the Fed to end a policy he had congratulated it for ending. He invented a fake crowd size while at a hospital.

Last week in Trump dishonesty: https://t.co/BJNnyyQFwl
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) August 14, 2019

Trump brings conspiracy theories from the darkest corners of the internet to the Oval Office.

Lies about Obama's birth, JFK’s death, or now, that the Clintons are responsible for murder…

Trump has lied over 12,000 times.

He’s the most dishonest president in our history.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) August 12, 2019

If Trump didn't utter another untrue statement or lie between now and Election Day 2020, he would still have averaged an untrue statement once every three hours as president to that point.

The smart money, though, is on the falsehoods coming more quickly.https://t.co/WjOuZLoQNy
— Philip Bump (@pbump) August 13, 2019

how many times can he tell this lie https://t.co/pcDU3qbduc
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) August 13, 2019

Trump says he's losing as much as $5 billion being president. To be absolutely clear: the President doesn’t have $3 billion to $5 billion to lose. He’s…wait for it…wait for it…lying. https://t.co/qvzJ8qh5dB
— Tim O'Brien (@TimOBrien) August 14, 2019

Statistics from the government and other sources do not support President Trump's claim about his policies’ effectiveness in drawing investment and jobs from abroad https://t.co/ZC65AEwLWy
— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) August 13, 2019

Then its a lie!

From the reporter who broke the news that eight El Paso patients rejected meeting with the president > https://t.co/fbLtIoFBs3
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) August 10, 2019

Tim won that lawsuit. And wouldn't you know it, @realDonaldTrump was revealed to be … (wait for it) … an order of magnitude liar and con artist.

Which we all knew.

But I never get tired of reiterating it.https://t.co/TuQNhU4l1o
— Mark Bardell (@MarkBardell1) August 8, 2019

The president said @Comey was somehow responsible for Rod Blagojevich’s indictment.

Comey was not in government between 2005 and 2013.

Blagojevich was arrested in December 2008.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) August 8, 2019

Trump lied – say it!

This argument has always been so strange, that “lie” can only be used very infrequently because of its “power.” We’re in the accuracy business. If someone commits 1,000 crimes, we don’t call two of them “crimes” and the other 998 “non-legal activities.” https://t.co/7ISAIk1Ofo pic.twitter.com/7DT5Hcvoib
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) August 8, 2019

Republicans want more tax cuts for rich people

The tax cut primarily helped rich people and corporations. It didn’t help the economy much and greatly increased the deficit. Now Republicans want to give more tax cuts to the wealthy. Sad!

as economy slows, recession risk rises and markets wobble, worth reviewing what 2017 tax cut has done so far

Trump WH/GOP Congress said it would rev up growth, investment and wages

in this thread, what Congressional Research Service has found /1https://t.co/apj4tITYw5
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) August 12, 2019

The Trump tax cuts were supposed to increase business investment and keep revenue constant via growth. They utterly failed. https://t.co/XUlxUe1XTg https://t.co/KpsTRIA8XY
— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) August 11, 2019

Last week: 21 Senate Republicans demanded immediate action from the Trump administration to cut capital gains taxes for the wealthy.

This week: 31 Americans are dead, and not a single one of these Senators has called for tighter gun laws.

Their priorities are clear.
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) August 5, 2019

GOP: Tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations will create jobs!

Economy: Fewer jobs created.

GOP: We just need more tax cuts!https://t.co/peqncoMZCe
— Patriotic Millionaires (@PatrioticMills) August 4, 2019

The #GOPTaxScam wasn’t reform—it was a heist. It showered corporations and the wealthy in tax giveaways and kicked everyone else to the curb. I’ve proposed real reform to ensure the wealthiest Americans and corporations pay their fair share.https://t.co/4IZmooXhld
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) July 30, 2019

This is the GOP long con in a nutshell. Trump blazes away with raw and hideous racism. Meanwhile, he and his party look for ways to ship yachtloads of cash to the super wealthy. Don’t let them get away w it.

Ted Cruz Demands Emergency Tax Cut for the Rich https://t.co/Z50EEDkRmY
— Ben Wikler (@benwikler) July 30, 2019

Target $1.5 trillion in tax credits to working people, and they will spend the bulk of that money in their communities; target it at millionaires and billionaires, and they will hoard the bulk of it. And that's exactly what has happened. https://t.co/MqQwALapxA
— DC37, AFSCME (@DistCouncil37) July 29, 2019

Love to see that new GOP populism in action… https://t.co/1qWU8jdwKz
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) July 29, 2019

Who really benefitted from Trump's tax cuts?

Pfizer –>
Donations to GOP: $16M
Tax Cut Received: $39B

GE–>
Donations to GOP: $20M
Tax Cut Received: $16B

Chevron–>
Donations to GOP: $13M
Tax Cut Received: $9B

It's socialism for the rich in exchange for campaign $$$
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) July 1, 2019

Tax cuts didn’t lead to more business investment

Republicans keep appointing judges

Republicans take judicial appointments much more seriously than Democrats do. As far as I know, no Democrat has raised it as a campaign issue. Republicans blocked Obama appointments and have loaded up with Trump appointed judges. The conservative judges will overturn progressive laws in the future.

Mitch McConnell pushed through nine more lifetime federal judges TODAY (13 this week), bringing Trump's total to 144.

There’s more than the presidency on the ballot in 2020. We need pro-civil rights senators who recognize the importance of the courts in the fight for our rights. https://t.co/a9VNpKeRXE
— Vanita Gupta (@vanitaguptaCR) August 1, 2019

It may be the most consequential thing Trump ever does yet there's little talk of it in the 2020 primary. Democrats haven't figured out how to talk about judges come election time; Republicans know how to message it effectively. https://t.co/TE3AYf78ZO
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) August 13, 2019

NPR this morning has an alarming report on how Trump has now appointed nearly 1 in every 4 federal appeals court judges.https://t.co/KV018xoV9p
— Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) August 2, 2019

Here's what we do know about the judicial nominees that McConnell is trying to fast track: 11 of the 19 refused to say that Brown v. Board was correctly decided. Call your Senators. 202-224-3121 https://t.co/KizS77JPiL
— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) July 31, 2019

Meantime, the Senate tonight is advancing 11 of Trump’s judicial nominees for lifetime seats on the federal bench
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) July 31, 2019

👉🏾18 states have never seated a Black justice.
👉🏾Right now, 24 states do not have a single justice of color on their state high court bench
👉🏾Women hold only 36% of state supreme court seats

Read more in our latest report: https://t.co/zQBTczv0XX pic.twitter.com/6Fj4LDWk1P
— Brennan Center (@BrennanCenter) July 27, 2019

Addressing the substantial racial and gender disparities on today’s state supreme courts is one of many necessary steps toward building a judiciary – and democracy – accessible to and reflective of the diverse communities in the United States. https://t.co/0EhqZQsWQs
— Brennan Center (@BrennanCenter) July 26, 2019

McConnell moves to confirm 19 judges next week and not 1 politician that wants Election Security should vote for them. #MoscowMitch #CriminalTrump https://t.co/84wfumD5Jd
— Not Exonerated 🆘 (@equalandallied1) July 26, 2019

Liberals are weighing whether to gut the few bipartisan norms still standing by expanding the size of the Supreme Court and completely eliminating the ability of senators to have a say on judges from their home states https://t.co/uJg6Mnoq2T
— POLITICO (@politico) July 22, 2019

I agree with both ideas.

Trump promotes conspiracy theories

Trump-pushed conspiracy theories:

-Clintons involved in Epstein
-Vince Foster
-Scalia foul play
-Birtherism (x3)
-3-5 mil illegal votes
-Wind farms cause cancer
-Global warming=Chinese hoax
-Asbestos=Mafia hoax
-Mass killing of white farmers in S. Africahttps://t.co/rnb5BBh1uU
— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) August 12, 2019

"…There is no bottom to this President's willingness to destroy democratic norms…He will lie reflexively and promote conspiracy theories until it starts to seem normal. It isn't. This isn't a reality show. This is our country." | @JohnAvlon, @CNNOpinion https://t.co/fi7HakxBYp
— CNN (@CNN) August 13, 2019

“Trump has a long history of spreading falsehoods drawn from the fringes.

“His rise to the White House was fueled in part by spreading the lie that President Obama was not born in the U.S., and he has trafficked in numerous others to malign his opponents” https://t.co/z8y8GuHWzq
— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) August 13, 2019

“It’s another example of something where he should stop and think about the fact that he’s the president of the United States, and stop his thumbs, but he never does,” said Rich Lowry. https://t.co/hj9HGxsSKd
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) August 13, 2019

“I started realizing that a lot of people were united in a belief in conspiracy theories because something bad had happened to them, and they were sort of looking for answers that mainstream explanations for things didn’t provide.” —@annamerlan https://t.co/zW90YV5Ncu
— Mother Jones (@MotherJones) August 14, 2019

Farmers suffer from the double whammy of Trump’s tariffs and weather

Trump’s tariffs have been disastrous for US farmers. China is shopping elsewhere and will never buy as much from the US again. Meanwhile climate change, which Trump has called a Chinese hoax, is making it harder to grow crops. Trump’s lack of acknowledgement will make it harder to combat the climate problems. The majority of Trump’s farm subsidies went to richer farms.

“Net farm income across the country right now is half of what it was six years ago. Every year it ratchets down. This trade uncertainty makes things far, far worse for farmers,” says Roger Johnson, president of the National Farmers Union, about the ongoing US-China trade war. pic.twitter.com/2MuvatkkvQ
— CNN (@CNN) August 13, 2019

Farm income is way down, bankruptcies are way up, and farmers are relying on government payments to make ends meet.

So, of course, it’s the perfect time for Sonny Perdue to joke about “whining” farmers. #CantMakeThisUp https://t.co/Mj26XbKmPv
— Chris Lu (@ChrisLu44) August 13, 2019

”Farmers’ discontent over President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war with China erupted into the open Wednesday as his agriculture secretary was confronted at a fair in rural Minnesota.” https://t.co/3uSFxhaoyd
— Tim O'Brien (@TimOBrien) August 7, 2019

'Trump is ruining our markets': Farmers lose a huge customer to trade war — China https://t.co/OPRWeX4IGQ
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) August 12, 2019

Due to bad weather conditions, slumping prices and a big trade war, farmers are resorting to side jobs including hosting pizza nights for tourists, to make ends meet. https://t.co/gyAVleyn6K
— Axios (@axios) August 9, 2019

‘Crops aren’t moving. There’s no market’: Why so many family farms are facing bankruptcy – The Washington Post https://t.co/dMEhnDzHqZ
— Le Chat Proud Democrat (@LeChatNoire4) August 7, 2019

BREAKING: Trump trade aid paid the top 1% of farmers an average $188,000 while the bottom 80% averaged less than $5,000, @ewg analysis finds. https://t.co/bWJbuoh0UZ via @markets
— Mike Dorning (@MikeDorning) July 30, 2019

Socializing Big Ag https://t.co/SvooQuGZOG
— Claude Taylor (@TrueFactsStated) July 31, 2019

Trump’s dumb trade war is hurting farmers so now taxpayers get stuck with the tab as he tries to buy back their votes https://t.co/w6VuRCR4WJ
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) July 26, 2019

Trump was asked what he got in return. He said China agreed to purchase ‘tens of billions’ in US farm products, but he has said this before & farmers have complained that no orders ever materialized.

Chinese officials confirmed nothing. https://t.co/7B2kuPHjnQ
— Andrew deGrandpre (@adegrandpre) June 29, 2019

Trump’s trade wars are pushing America’s rural economy toward a full-blown meltdown after years of financial hardship, and it's causing more farmers to default on loans while putting the squeeze on agricultural lenders https://t.co/wGpwQTkAkD
— POLITICO (@politico) June 24, 2019

“When he was on the campaign trail, Donald Trump promised to stop the ‘war on the American farmer.’ He has broken that promise, and Ohio's farm community is paying the price.” – @DavidPepper https://t.co/kIOYR8IAmS
— David C. DeWitt (@DC_DeWitt) August 14, 2019

"I'm scared for my future. I'm scared for my family's future." Farmers are the front lines of America’s climate crisis. So long as we allow special interests to control the narrative, agricultural communities will suffer – along with everyone else.https://t.co/eixZR1HubY
— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) August 13, 2019

Farmers are turning to drones and other technology to conserve water from a crucial river in the US West that's under pressure from climate change and booming cities. https://t.co/iwWsVZrlbk
— AP West Region (@APWestRegion) August 14, 2019

Buster Keaton films on TCM on 8/19/19

TCM will be showing a big selection of both his silent and sound films:

Silent films: Battling Butler, The Cameraman, The General, Sherlock, Jr., Seven Chances, Steamboat, Bill, Jr., The Navigator

They’re all great. The General is considered the best. I am partial to Steamboat Bill, Jr. which has the amazing stunt of the house front falling down around him (see below). The Cameraman was his first film for MGM and is as good as his earlier films which were made without studio restrictions. I have seen rumors that it will be released by Criterion.

The rest are sound films. I haven’t seen the ones from the 1930s that were made for MGM but they are not nearly as well thought of as his silent features.

TCM is also showing the excellent recent documentary, The Great Buster.

His pre-MGM films have been released on Blu-ray and DVD by Kino Lorber. Cohen has begun issuing Blu-rays with new transfers. The MGM films from the 1930s have been released on DVD by Warner Brothers.

We’re counting down every day this week until #BusterKeaton Day on #TCM’s #SummerUnderTheStars on August 19th; a whole day crammed full of Keaton movies! Here’s the line up, for those who like to plan ahead #TCMParty pic.twitter.com/F33gJDCfx2
— Buster Keaton (@BusterKeatonSoc) August 12, 2019

7 Days to Go til #BusterKeaton Day on #TCM’s #SummerUnderTheStars! #BattlingButler kicks off proceedings at 6am. An adaptation of a stage play, it featured a very well-built Keaton who trained hard to look the part. Given even the dummy fought back, he needed to! #TCMParty pic.twitter.com/0QtDczRNaF
— Buster Keaton (@BusterKeatonSoc) August 12, 2019

6 Days to Go til #BusterKeaton Day on #TCM’s #SummerUnderTheStars! At 7:30am it’s #TheCameraman; Buster falls for the girl, literally, in this picture. His first film for #MGM, he still had creative control & another box-office hit on his hands. #TCMParty pic.twitter.com/q3t9sTmxNV
— Buster Keaton (@BusterKeatonSoc) August 13, 2019

Keaton at Yankee Stadium in The Cameraman

from Steamboat Bill, Jr.

Trump’s lies in PA

great thread by CNN’s Daniel Dale:

Trump won the Pennsylvania county where he's speaking now by 18 points. He tells the crowd that he thinks it was "28 points."
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) August 13, 2019

Thousands of union workers at a plant being built outside Pittsburgh were given the choice of attending a speech by President Trump on Tuesday or staying away — and losing some of their pay for the week https://t.co/sN53HuhUF2
— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 17, 2019

Trump, at official WH event in PA: "We'll have to hit Pocahontas very hard again if she does win… What a group: Pocahontas and Sleepy Joe."
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) August 13, 2019

Disgusting attack on potential rivals. You can see how evil his campaign will be. He will do name calling instead of a discussion of issues.

Trump is joking about calling off the 2020 election and serving a 3rd term during a speech to energy workers in PA that is not supposed to be a campaign event pic.twitter.com/EI9jZA1HaO
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 13, 2019

His campaign should pay for this political speech.

President Trump remarks on U.S. Energy and Manufacturing at @Shell Pennsylvania Petrochemicals Complex in Monaca, PA – LIVE online here: https://t.co/o193g7Uysz pic.twitter.com/7ixuImlwC6
— CSPAN (@cspan) August 13, 2019

What always strikes me about Trump speeches like that is that they're covered by most media as if they're remotely normal. At most explicit, they'll be described as "freewheeling." The headline will be like "Trump talks up energy policies at Pennsylvania plant."
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) August 13, 2019

TRUMP falsely says he won Beaver County, Pa. by 28 points in 2016.

Trump won Beaver County by 18.5 points.

(H/t @ToluseO) pic.twitter.com/SmaBLLxZDD
— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) August 13, 2019

why lie about this?
Isn’t 18.5% a be enough win?

And do I have a deal for you, if you believe this…a very good deal, a red hat! https://t.co/mSgsS9Yjr5
— Muckmaker™ (@RealMuckmaker) August 13, 2019

Donald Trump headed to a Shell plant being built outside of Pittsburgh to give what was billed by the White House as a speech on “America’s Energy Dominance and Manufacturing Revival” https://t.co/VbsNtgBAfm
— POLITICO (@politico) August 13, 2019

At an energy policy event in Pennsylvania, Trump is going on about how no one watches the Academy Awards anymore
— Sam Stein (@samstein) August 13, 2019

"That's a lot of people back there for an 11 o'clock speech," Trump says in Pittsburgh at 2:41 pm.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) August 13, 2019

The Subject Was Supposed to Be Energy, but Trump’s Visit to a Chemical Plant Seemed More Like a Rally via ⁦@lfadulu⁩ and me https://t.co/z6nhk5jB6u
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) August 14, 2019

Trump claims credit for Shell plant announced under Obama (from @AP) https://t.co/hiCVxtW3XW
— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) August 13, 2019

Trump began yesterday's speech by saying, "This is my 13th visit to Pennsylvania during my administration, which is more than any other president to this point in the term."@markknoller, esteemed tracker of president data, says George W. Bush had made 21 visits to this point.
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) August 14, 2019

"Don't worry about the rain, umbrellas work very well, especially when they're made in America."https://t.co/eg07kNNwQb
— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) August 14, 2019

The president suggested in an official speech today that all the US exports to Japan is “wheat.” (Which he said Japan only buys out of pity, but anyway.) From the Japan page on the website of his Office of the US Trade Representative: pic.twitter.com/4XjSnoTAQO
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) August 14, 2019

Trump today “was cheered on by fluorescent-vest-clad workers who were paid to attend by Shell, their employer, which is building the facility.” https://t.co/26ch1uAMTX
— Jill Colvin (@colvinj) August 13, 2019

Narrator: "It was in fact the only thing keeping him out of bankruptcy court and prison." https://t.co/QmwIVEFaXB
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) August 14, 2019

President Trump claims that being president is costing him billions of dollars, "This thing is costing me a fortune, being president” https://t.co/yCIEu5ZggY
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 13, 2019

lie

Shell spent shareholder money to finance a Trump campaign event pic.twitter.com/FGotH78EZr
— David Frum (@davidfrum) August 16, 2019

Trump's large union crowd at Shell was given the option of not showing up — and not getting paid | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette https://t.co/qTOnfBHwwd
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) August 16, 2019

ICYMI: Shell workers who attended Trump's event on Tuesday were told to stand for hours, no lunch was provided, nothing "viewed as resistance will be tolerated," no overtime pay for those who skipped event. #CaptiveAudience https://t.co/oT60aU78i2
— Chris Lu (@ChrisLu44) August 15, 2019

The Great McGinty on TCM 8/13/19 at 8 pm

The Great McGinty (1940) was the first film directed by Preston Sturges and it’s one of his best.

Tonight on TCM #TCM

THE GREAT McGINTY (1940) pic.twitter.com/W8ArVDvubQ
— Film Freaks Forever! (@filmfreaks4ever) August 13, 2019

Tonight on TCM #TCM

THE GREAT McGINTY (1940) pic.twitter.com/NmrMiCk1YT
— Phoef Sutton (@phoefsutton) August 13, 2019

PRESTON STURGES born 29 August, 1898, he had 3 Oscar nominations & won one for Best Writing on The Great McGinty (40) pic.twitter.com/POg7jXYt0S
— On This Day In Film (@onthisdayinfilm) August 30, 2015

Contra the president, the best movie about politics ever made is "The Great McGinty."
— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) November 22, 2016

It was released on Blu-ray on 1/14/20.

Trump weakens protections for endangered species

Breaking News: The Trump administration announced plans to significantly weaken the Endangered Species Act, the nation’s bedrock conservation law https://t.co/jZYwFeVdxP
— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 12, 2019

The Endangered Species Act saved the bald eagle and was signed into law by a Republican president. This has nothing to do with conservative politics, and everything to do with giving handouts to special interests and rich pals.https://t.co/WapOIQz1NR
— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) August 12, 2019

"Everything about this rollback of protections is intended to make it more difficult to save wildlife and the habitat it needs to survive," writes @bruneski of the @SierraClub. https://t.co/jXS1leGeJ5
— CNN Opinion (@CNNOpinion) August 17, 2019