Trump II

[Alan Klein]

I just learned that the attack on Raqqa has started with Syrian Kurdish and Arab forces under the command of US who is also providing air and artillery cover.  America forces have attacked Iranian forces who ventured too close to American troops. 

[Alan Klein]

I don't want to get ahead of myself.  But after ISIS is defeated, Trump's next step is to push Russia and Iran out of Syria and further minimize Iranian influence in the Middle East.  Then he'll see if he can work an arrangement between Israel and the Palestinians.   Meanwhile the liberal press and the Democrats will still be talking about collusion. 

[LesPalenik]

Germans just came up with a new word - Trumpisierung Of World Politics.

According to their definition, Trumpisierung is the obvious and unreserved willingness to escalate any situation, that characterizes Donald Trumps foreign policy.

[Schewe]

Right... and then there is this:

CNN Caught Being Fake News - Staging A Backdrop Of Muslim Protesters

Oh wow...so you're saying CNN bussed these people in, printed their signs talked the bobbies into letting them cross the police tape, wrote their scripts for what they wanted to say, bought them flowers and "staged" their peaceful protest just for CNN? Just wanna be sure what YOU think is fake...

----------

Meanwhile DailyMail had a bit of a different slant, they actually reported the story and the "Fakeness" of the video is, uh, maybe not so real.

CNN reporter is caught up in 'fake news' row after being accused of 'setting up' a Muslim counter-terror protest
(note the headline has changed from Caught Being Fake News  to caught up in 'fake news' row)

CNN has denied online claims that it 'set up' a counter-extremism demonstration behind one of its reporters.

A group from the London Fatwa Council came to the police cordon near the London Bridge terror attacks with banners proclaiming 'ISIS will lose' yesterday afternoon. But a video which emerged of the group apparently being positioned by TV reporters led to claims online that the channel was 'creating a narrative'. The video shows the group being ushered past the media and positioned so that cameras can see them.

(the video mentioned is the same video Slobodan linked to)

CNN has denied claims it positioned anti-extremism demonstrators behind its cameras to 'create a narrative', insisting the group arrived to be seen by TV cameras. Reporter Becky Anderson mentioned the protesters' signs in her news report on the terror attack.

She said: 'Behind me you can see a sign here, hashtag 'turn to love'', hashtag 'for London', hashtag 'ISIS will lose', and flowers left in remembrance of those who left their lives.' She called the demonstrators a 'poignant scene' and urged the camera to pause on them to viewers 'how people feel here on the streets of London'.

The man who filmed the footage, a Twitter user called @markantro, tweeted: 'CNN creating the narrative #FakeNews' His video was shared more than 14,000 times on the social network and liked more than 16,000 times.

The man who filmed the footage, who describes himself as an 'AnarchoCapitalist', claimed white police officers left the protest scene around the time news crews were filming, leaving minority officers visible - another example, he claimed, of the footage being staged.

Both CNN and the demonstrators vehemently deny that anything was staged.


The protesters insist they went to the site on their own initiative and were not manipulated.


Chairman of the London Fatwa Council, Mohammad Raza, said the protesters went to police cordon
themselves to show that they opposed religious extremism

They insisted the same scene was filmed by other broadcasters, including the BBC and ITV, who had positioned themselves at the police cordon.

A CNN spokesman said: 'This story is nonsense. The group of demonstrators that was at the police cordon was being allowed through by officers so they could show their signs to the gathered media.

'The CNN crew along with other media present simply filmed them doing so.'

Mohammad Raza of the London Fatwa Council, who took part in the demonstration, told MailOnline suggestions the event was staged were 'completely false'. He said: 'Nothing was set up. We all decided to go down there. We are members of a faith foundation which includes Jewish, Christian and Muslim members.

'We went down there on our own initiative to lay flowers at the scene.'

He insisted any actions by TV crews was their own concern and his group had not been told what to do.

The row over the news channel came as US President Donald Trump launched an online attack on Sadiq Khan.


The protesters also appeared at the side of the BBC's coverage of the terror attack aftermath

Or did a producer just tell them where to stand in order to be on camera and other press people were around to also shoot the protest while some wing nut released a video claiming CNN was faking the news? And maybe you fell for it because it fit your pro Trump narrative? Or maybe you'll say you were sure that video was fake and the muslim peace protesters were real?

[Schewe]

Uh oh...

Trump may have gone further than we knew in his bid to get the FBI off Michael Flynn's back

President Donald Trump's apparent attempts to get federal investigators to stop looking into his former national security adviser may have gone further than initial reports indicated.

Trump in March asked the Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, for his help to convince then-FBI Director James Comey to back off of Michael Flynn, The Washington Post reported Tuesday night.

The Post's Adam Entous wrote that Trump and several government officials met for a briefing at the White House on March 22. After the meeting, Trump asked everyone to leave the room, except for Coats and Mike Pompeo, who heads the CIA.

"The president then started complaining about the FBI investigation and Comey’s handling of it," The Post reported.

Trump's complaints came just days after Comey confirmed in a hearing before the House Intelligence Committee that the FBI is looking into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian officials.

So, Thurs will be interesting. Wait, Actually tomorrow will be interesting–the hearings kick off Wednesday when some of America’s top national security officials — Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence; Adm. Michael S. Rogers, director of the National Security Agency; Andrew McCabe, acting FBI director; and Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general — will testify.



Then Jim Comey on Thurs which, by the way, will be telecast on all broadcast networks including ABC, NBS and CBS. So, all those daytime TV show addicts will be getting some different fare...

[Schewe]

This will piss off the Trumpsters...

Donald Trump is the best 2020 recruiter Democrats could hope for

CNN)Democrats were distraught in the wake of the 2016 election.

Hillary Clinton's defeat was stunning enough. But the fact that she lost to Donald Trump led Democrats to question whether they had fundamentally misread the American public, and whether their party and its message needed a total overhaul.

Then Trump actually became president.

Suddenly Democrats' gloom lifted -- even as Trump's poll numbers sagged. And candidates willing to take Trump on began to emerge -- more like pour -- out of the woodwork.

As Karen Tumulty writes in a piece in the Washington Post today:
"Presidential buzz seems to be building around an unusually large and varied group of Democrats and famous names from outside of politics -- a parlor game that includes pretty much every current Democratic senator and governor, mayors and House members, barons of the business world and, of course, the occasional wild-card celebrity. The Hill newspaper recently tallied 43 people who might run against Donald Trump."

43 people!

[Schewe]

This can't be good...

President Trump Says Jared Kushner 'Has Become More Famous' Than Him. He Said the Same Thing About James Comey Before Firing Him

President Trump joked that his son-in-law Jared Kushner has become "much more famous than me" while meeting with Congressional leaders on Tuesday.

"Jared's actually become much more famous than me," he said. "I'm a little bit upset about that."

Kushner came under scrutiny in the probe into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia after it was reported in May that he told Russian ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak that he wanted to open a private communications channel with Moscow.

Trump comments are similar to what he said about former FBI Director James Comey during a law enforcement ceremony in January.
"He's become more famous than me," Trump said, inviting Comey for a hug.Trump fired Comey on May 9.

[LesPalenik]

Oh wow...so you're saying CNN bussed these people in, printed their signs talked the bobbies into letting them cross the police tape, wrote their scripts for what they wanted to say, bought them flowers and "staged" their peaceful protest just for CNN? Just wanna be sure what YOU think is fake...

They don't have to buss them in, maybe the organizer just called CNN - "be there at 3:30 to get some authentically looking shots".
----------

Meanwhile DailyMail had a bit of a different slant, they actually reported the story and the "Fakeness" of the video is, uh, maybe not so real.

CNN reporter is caught up in 'fake news' row after being accused of 'setting up' a Muslim counter-terror protest
(note the headline has changed from Caught Being Fake News  to caught up in 'fake news' row)

Or did a producer just tell them where to stand in order to be on camera and other press people were around to also shoot the protest while some wing nut released a video claiming CNN was faking the news? And maybe you fell for it because it fit your pro Trump narrative? Or maybe you'll say you were sure that video was fake and the muslim peace protesters were real?

To me, both setups look staged. Bigger group, different models, but not very authentic. They may as well use a green screen or studio. If a casual browser has only one second to look at the picture, he would fall for it, but if you have more time to look at the whole scene, it looks quite artificial. You would expect better from a news agency such as CNN.

[Schewe]

Does anybody else think the irony is getting deep and thick in Washington?

Trump, who has been SCREAMING about all the leaks coming out of the government, finally has somebody to point at as a real-life leaker (who is facing up to 10 yrs in prison). So, here's the irony, the "leak" is areport about Russian hackers attacking the US voting system (it's those darn Russians again 

...and, it's a Reality Winner that did it...


"Don't worry...be happy!"
(he actually said that over the weekend)

Trump just can't get a break 

[Schewe]

Trump's bombing of the Syrian airfield and MOAB in Iraq made his bones.

---snip---

Like I said, you're not paying attention.

Technically, Trump goofed up in the interview when asked about sending the Cruise missiles somewhere :~)

Iraq or Syria? Trump recalls dessert perfectly, forgets who he bombed & internet erupts (VIDEO)

“We had finished dinner, we’re now having dessert,” Trump began. “And we had the most beautiful piece of chocolate cake that you’ve ever seen and President Xi was enjoying it.”

“We’ve just fired 59 missiles, all of which hit by the way, unbelievable, from hundreds of miles away, it’s brilliant, it’s genius, what we have in terms of technology no-one can come close to competing,” he continued.

“So I said, we’ve just launched 59 missiles, heading to Iraq,” said the President, seemingly oblivious to his mistake. 

“Heading to Syria,” host Maria Bartiromo interjected. “Yes,” Trump replied, “heading toward Syria.”

So, who wasn't paying attention?

As for the MOAB...there's some confusion about who approved what...

Trump, Spicer won't say if president specifically authorized "mother of all bombs"

President Trump didn’t say Thursday whether he specifically authorized the use of the “mother of all bombs” in Afghanistan hours earlier, simply remarking his White House has given the military “total authorization.”

“What I do is I authorize my military,” Mr. Trump said in response to reporters’ questions about the bomb drop during a White House meeting with first responders from the recent Atlanta bridge fire.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer also refused to say during Thursday’s press briefing whether Mr. Trump specifically authorized the bomb dropped on an ISIS cave complex in Afghanistan, or whether Mr. Trump was briefed ahead of time, referring all questions to the Pentagon.

--snip--

Pentagon officials said the strike had been in the works for months and that the bomb was moved into Afghanistan during the Obama administration, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports. Authority to use it had been delegated to Gen. John Nicholson, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, although he notified Washington in advance.

So, I suppose if Trump authorized his generals to do what it takes, then ok, I suppose Trump was involved even if he didn't specifically authorize the bomb. Neither Trump nor Spicy mentioned it was Obama who ordered the MOAB into the theater or war.

You said:

He sent our carrier task forces back into the China Sea to stop China from militarizing any more islands.

You mean that very powerful armada that Trump deployed to North Korea (that stopped to play with Australia first)?

Donald Trump's 'very powerful armada' he claimed to be sending to North Korea was actually heading to AUSTRALIA

The aircraft carrier strike group the President warned Kim Jong-un with was still far from the Korean peninsula, and headed in the OPPOSITE direction



When Donald Trump warned North Korea he was sending a "very powerful armada" to the region, it was actually heading to AUSTRALIA, it has emerged.

The aircraft carrier strike group the President boasted of was still far from the Korean peninsula, and headed in the opposite direction. It was even further away over the weekend, moving through the Sunda Strait and then into the Indian Ocean, as North Korea displayed what appeared to be new missiles at a parade and staged a failed missile test.

He later added: "We are sending an armada. Very powerful. We have submarines. Very powerful. Far more powerful than the aircraft carrier. That I can tell you.

"And we have the best military people on earth. And I will say this: He is doing the wrong thing."

The US military's Pacific Command explained on Tuesday that the strike group first had to complete a shorter-than-initially planned period of training with Australia.

Was Trump paying attention?

[jeremyrh]

Putin must be laughing himself senseless - playing chess with an opponent who hasn't even mastered tiddly winks

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/07/qatar-fbi-says-russian-hackers-planted-fake-news-story-that-led-to-crisis-report?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

[mecrox]

In order to defeat ISIS, I believe Mattis and Trump are going to use our Arab, Turkish (maybe) and Kurdish friends as the troops on the ground. Europe is out or will be given minor roles to play.  America will provide the  air power, strategy, coordination and command structure,  etc.  Using Christian Europeans and Americans on the ground might make the work harder. Plus Americans won't go for the idea.   I think that's the secret deal Trump made with the Saudi king when he visited a couple of weeks ago.  I think that's why Qatar happened.  If you're in the Middle East, you now have to take sides.   The lines are being drawn.  You either get with the program of defeating Islamic terrorism, or you'll go down along with the terrorists.  The Saudis just made that known with Trump's approval by making Qatar an example.  The message has now been sent to all the players.  I'm sure the Russian, Syrians and Iranians are thinking hard how this all effects them.

Regarding Europe, he's more concerned about the 2%.

The main aim of Western policy in the Gulf is and always has been to keep the oil flowing by propping up the rotten regime in Saudi Arabia. The real power in the region is Iran but for as long as they were designated our mortal enemies this could never be admitted. And likely it still can't be because of the extent to which Khomeini humiliated the USA. In this sense, Iran has already won. All Iran has to do is sit back and wait while the rest of  the region tears itself apart under the influence of a long succession of Western adventurers and their entourage of laughing arms salesmen. Islamic terrorism cannot be defeated militarily because it is primarily a cultural and religious phenomenon that's been largely funded by our new "friends", the Wahhabis of Saudi Arabia. And all this before the meddling of Russia and others. Honestly, don't expect a result from this dreadful mess. Selling them yet more guns may keep the oil flowing a bit longer and the Saudi princes in more slaves and prostitutes but it won't solve anything. In the end, the West or what's left of it will have to settle with Iran and stop taking sides in the centuries-old enmity between Sunni and Shia.

[Otto Phocus]

We have a US president "challenging" someone to an IQ test?  Really? Well, that's a new one in the American Presidency.  I wonder what's next?  Arm wrestling?  Is this the new state of presidency?  Are we now in the playground during elementary school recess?

As a US Citizen, I want other nations to respect the US.  This is with the understanding that this respect must be earned and maintained... and reciprocated by the US.

I don't want other nations to fear the US.  Fear is not the same as leadership. Fear leads to bullying. Leaders do not bully. Leaders don't challenge people to IQ tests.

I honestly don't think of Trump as any type of leader; certainly not in a foreign policy context.

[Alan Klein]

To me, both setups look staged. Bigger group, different models, but not very authentic. They may as well use a green screen or studio. If a casual browser has only one second to look at the picture, he would fall for it, but if you have more time to look at the whole scene, it looks quite artificial. You would expect better from a news agency such as CNN.

More fake news from CNN and the liberal press.  What else do you expect?  Reminds me of Brady,  the famous photographer during America's civil war.   He moved the dead bodies around before he snapped his pictures.   I suppose he wad just trying to follow the Rule of thirds. Maybe that's what CNN wad doing.

[Alan Klein]

The main aim of Western policy in the Gulf is and always has been to keep the oil flowing by propping up the rotten regime in Saudi Arabia. The real power in the region is Iran but for as long as they were designated our mortal enemies this could never be admitted. And likely it still can't be because of the extent to which Khomeini humiliated the USA. In this sense, Iran has already won. All Iran has to do is sit back and wait while the rest of  the region tears itself apart under the influence of a long succession of Western adventurers and their entourage of laughing arms salesmen. Islamic terrorism cannot be defeated militarily because it is primarily a cultural and religious phenomenon that's been largely funded by our new "friends", the Wahhabis of Saudi Arabia. And all this before the meddling of Russia and others. Honestly, don't expect a result from this dreadful mess. Selling them yet more guns may keep the oil flowing a bit longer and the Saudi princes in more slaves and prostitutes but it won't solve anything. In the end, the West or what's left of it will have to settle with Iran and stop taking sides in the centuries-old enmity between Sunni and Shia.

I agree with a lot of what you said.   But the immediate concern is Islamist terrorism and their bombs going off around the world.   Hopefully the incentive for terror will fade when ISIS is destroyed.   What other choice is there?  Also,  the Saudis and Other allies there will take over the role of checking Iran's influence since Iraq has become a quasi Shia state since America's unfortunate decision to take out Saddam who we used to check the Iranians before.  But i agree that the middle East is a cesspool that we would be better off staying out of,  if we could.   

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

To me, both setups look staged. Bigger group, different models, but not very authentic. They may as well use a green screen or studio. If a casual browser has only one second to look at the picture, he would fall for it, but if you have more time to look at the whole scene, it looks quite artificial. You would expect better from a news agency such as CNN.

Amen, brither!

A photojournalist friend told me that, about twenty years ago, when news organizations were still trying to preserve a modicum of integrity, his photographs of protests would be rejected if someone would even be looking directly into camera, in fear that it would be seen as staged, or, worse, that the subject acted for the camera.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

.... Islamic terrorism cannot be defeated militarily because it is primarily a cultural and religious phenomenon...

Oh, no! How can you say that!?

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

Amen, brither!

A photojournalist friend told me that, about twenty years ago, when news organizations were still trying to preserve a modicum of integrity, his photographs of protests would be rejected if someone would even be looking directly into camera, in fear that it would be seen as staged, or, worse, that the subject acted for the camera.

Europeans should be supporting us.  The quicker we get rid of ISIS the quicker the bombs and trucks and knives and hammers will end in Europe.  Isn't that what you want?  We should be together in that mission.

Europeans are supporting the effort.

Even my small country (17 million inhabitants) has been joining for years and is still joining in multiple missions. We stopped our Syrian mission with F-16 air-recon and strikes in July 2016 to be succeeded by the Belgian airforce.

Current (as per this moment) international operations by Dutch military are taking place in Mali (Minusma), Irak (military trainers), Afghanistan (Resolute Support), Somalia (Atalanta, VPD, EUTMS), South-Sudan (Unmiss), Bahrein (CMF), Baltic States (BAP), Lithuania (eFP), Gaza Strip (EU BAM and USSC), Israël, Syria (UNDOF), Kosovo - EULEX, Libanon, Syria en Israël (UNTSO), United Arab Emirates (FSE Mirage), Libia (EUBAM), Mali (EUTM and UNMAS), Uganda (ACOTA).

In addition, we provide Humanitarian aid to various countries.

So stop whining that the USA has to do it all alone.

Cheers,
Bart

P.S. Trump's embarrassing performance at the NATO summit, and the G7 meeting, and by pulling out of the Pris accord on climate, doesn't help with motivating to continue our efforts in support of the USA.

BTW, Turkey has denied German politicians access to the forward airforce base near the Syrian border, which in turn forced the Germans to pull out their troops from Turkey. The lack of action by the USA in response to Erdogan's bodyguards, abusing peaceful protesters may have emboldened Turkey in their stance (in an effort to get Fettulah Gulen extradited from the USA, because they consider the USA administration as weak, and increasingly in need of recognition from just about anybody left). 

[ah693973]

But my main point was that it along with the missiles attack on the Syrian airbase sent a message to potential enemies.  You notice you haven't seen any Iranian speedboats making runs at American ships since Obama retired. That's not a coincidence.  The Iranians have to think hard about such folly against Trump.  My feeling is that there are new rules of engagement and those have been also sent to the Iranian Navy. 

I think your main point is wrong:

https://news.usni.org/2017/03/06/u-s-navy-surveillance-ship-harassed-iranian-attack-boat

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4446274/US-destroyer-close-encounter-Iranian-boat-sea.html

Andy

[Alan Goldhammer]

Bob Kraft, the NY Jets owner, is close friends with the Donald, for years.  Actually that's a smart pick for Trump.  While he's in the UK, he can keep an eye on Trumps golf courses for him.

Kraft owns the NE Patriots.  It's Woody Johnson who has been nominated.