You can't really trust what any of the participants are saying (or leaking) at this point. Trump, for one, has lied about this so often since the beginning of this war that what he says/posts isn't worth anything. I'm content to wait to see what the actual, signed "deal" says.

Graham's statement is only semi-coherent (and sloppy), and his emphasis on "perception" rather than the reality of a deal is just odd.

I get that our government has for decades opposed communism as a form of government/economy, but what's the justification for invading or attacking Cuba? Does it pose a security threat to the U.S.? Is overthrowing governments that we don't like what we do now?

"They" leaked tax returns that (1) he promised to disclose and (2) every prior President for decades had disclosed. This wasn't to destroy him; it was to create transparency.

Regardless of his history as Trump's personal lawyer, Blanche continues to abase himself in his desparate effort to be nominated as AG. Ironically his disgraceful efforts to remain in Trump's good graces make his confirmation more problematic.

He remains liable in NY state court for falsifying financial records. The amount of the financial penalty imposed by the trial court was reversed by the appelate court and remanded to the judge for re-consideration, but that is still pending.

Blanche's statement is disgraceful. Trump goes through so many audits in part because he consistently underpays on his taxes.

Blanche's response is incredibly deceptive. Sure, such people get their Social Security checks, tax refunds, etc. That's clearly not what the question is directed to. He doesn't want to answer the question.

Is this why the Treasury Dept's General Counsel resigned?

Peters was convicted in state court, not Federal court. As I understand it, that makes her ineligible for this fund. But the fact that Vance thinks she's the victim of weaponization is a large part of what's wroing with ths slush fund.

This fund is just outrageous. But every government official fired by the Trump Administration for political reasons should file a claim under this fund. Let's see how those claims are addressed.

What did I miss during the Biden Administration? What actions did the FCC take against conservative media subject to its regulations? How did it "weaponize" the FCC?

Although the authors of the Amici memorandum don't take a position on whether there's a real controversy, it's clear from their analysis that the court would have to find there is none, unless the court completely rejects their analysis (which it won't do). The case would have been dismissed 1/2

Also--Trump isn't capable of doing any planning for this meeting or for anything else involving policy. Normally, principals' meetings are preceded by extensive staff work & meetings with counterparts on the other side, to reach agreements on issues. But Trump thinks it's all about his 1/2

In that 6 month period, what exactly did Trump do to try to reduce energy costs? Did he actually do anything?

That sounds like an average of about 35 trades every work day. Trump does have another job, which he should be devoting his full attention to.

I don't get this guy. What could possibly make this guy, or anyone not in thrall to Trump, to say we need a ballroom?

38. I don't count Middlemarch, which I started 3 times but never finished.

And what's with him denying he knows the subcontractor after saying he picked them? He's deeply unwell.

The best interpretation of this is that he genuinely doesn't know how to answer the question. He's not being properly briefed for this (or any other) trip (his own fault), and if he is briefed, he's not capable of retaining information.

They say this all the time, but are they actually finding significant amounts of fraud? Are they even looking?

It's a recognition by him--or at least by advisors--how bad it would look for him to accept money personally from the IRS as a settlement of his ridiculous lawsuit. But, of course, this looks nearly as bad.

Not my area of law, but how does the DOJ have standing to sue the DC bar over a lawyer's disciplinary proceeding?

So that person in Italian custody required the Director of the FBI to make a personal appearance?

He just won't answer the question. I'd love to see Coons push back harder and demand Hegseth stop talking all around the point and answer directly. And say, directly, that Hegseth is avoiding answering the question.

Points out an aspect of this Administration. It has no competence at, or real interest, in serious governing. No serious policy analysis or planning, it's all about meaningless optics. This seems to be across the board in this Administration.

Why would Duffy say that? It's phenominally stupid; it's not going to convince anyone that gas prices aren't high and it's just going to remind them how expensive a road trip will be.

Hard to believe. What possible legal/constitutional justification could there be for the DOJ to intervene in a purely civil case?

Who paid for this and how much did they/it pay?

Increased credit card spending could reflect increased online spending compared to in-person spending. It could also mean more credit card debt, which isn't a good sign. Increased cc spending alone tells us nothing. And he should know that.

He's implying that there's other evidence to support the claim of Comey's intent. My bet is that all they have are social media posts and the like by Comey saying how terrible Trump is. That's not even close to supporting the claim.

I've been asking: Why is Bessent, who knows nothing about Iran, the MidEast, National Security, the military, the Administration's Baghdad Bob?

To give Rudy credit where due, for about a month or so after 9/11, his performance as the public face of New York City was excellent. But his career before and after--from not so great to downright terrible.

A very ill-considered opinion but my guess is it did help Biden. I think Trump would have gone after Biden but for concern that the immunity decision would be narrowed down by the SC in a way that would expose Trump when he's out of office.

Many people don't get it until it hits them personally. Remember R Senator Rob Portman, an opponent of same-sex marriage until his son came out as gay.

But their presence in Germany helps bolster the German economy a bit, which is no doubt why Trump thinks this is payback to Germany for criticism of him.

There's no evidence that Blanche had an affinity for the Federalist Society. Before representing Trump he was a registered Democrat. That his work in the Administration is the basis for this award suggests the degradation of the Federalist Society.

Is he making a confession, or is he really that un-selfaware?

Besides the fact that Trump knows nothing, contradicting Witkoff only serves to undermine his authority to negotiate for Trump. That's going to make it harder to make a deal.

If black voters exceeded white voters' turnout in 2 of 5 elections, does that mean that white voters exceeded black voters' turnout in the other 3?

Administration officials and GOP members of Congress spent huge amounts of time on television trying to convince us that down is up. They are committed to a program of lying to the American public.

I'm fine with his statement on the assumption that he doesn't really mean it. He rightly wants the Democrats to focus campaigning on inflation/economy/corruption/Iran/tarrifs/immigration overreach etc.

📌Barack Obama was targeted 11 times in assassination attempts during this two terms. I bet you don't remember any of them because they were handled through proper channels, professionally, and he isn't a whiny bitch.

Is anyone going to actually believe that a ballroom is essential to national security?

A possible resolution to the issue of the strait is that the US and Iran agree to return the strait to its prior open status, possibly with Iran being entitled to some reasonable tolls. In some future situation, Iran could presumably take steps to resume control over it.

What are the chances that the DOJ will make this absurd argument in its motion papers?

I think Republican officials are happy to focus on the ballroom instead of more serious issues. Most people know it's ridiculous, but they also don't really care about it the way the care about the economy/inflation, the Iran war, rampant government corruption & Trump's increasing dimensia.

What kind of lawyer would make a claim like this? It's beyond absurd.

The question of whether that venue had appropriate security for Trump's appearance is completely unrelated to the ballroom. Unofficial events that POTUS decides to attend aren't going to be held in the WH ballroom. Spending $300 Million + for a handful of state dinners over a Term is wasteful.

Because you started a war of choice without informing or conulting with NATO or building a concensus with the NATO countries, and you then wanted them to clean up your mess when you wouldn't do it yourself.