Meliana

One good thing of the hot dry weather is the archeology it's revealing:

UK heatwave: Hidden landscapes the heatwave is revealing

There You'll Be

We talked about the Strozk grilling further up the thread. He embarrassed the GOP. Badly.

"Disgrace"? No, he betrayed America. He sold us off for his own gain. He looked like the puppet he is. It's borderline treason, not a disgrace. He proved himself a traitor. "Treason" and "traitor" have to be included in the conversation.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44864739 Meanwhile, all he's concerned with is that people are criticizing his performance, saying his meeting with NATO went well, but his meeting with Putin went even better. He will be speaking on the news in a few minutes. I expect him to double down, attack the media, blame Hillary...wash, rinse, repeat.

Maria Butina was indicted yesterday. She ties the GOP and NRA, and the DNC hack all together. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/16/u...ndictment.html This could be a huge deal, towards proving collusion with the GOP and Russia. Not Trump, but, who knows where it will end up.

A boss gave his employee the keys to his car, and the car, for walking throughout the night to get to a job for his first day-20 miles. It really is a good story, not just about that walk, but about his life story. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44854370

Claire, that's very cool. I always wonder what's been hidden by nature. It's awesome you get to see some of that wonder.

canflam

Well I think there's more than 1 person who thinks the flag is racist, but I don't know any Muslims, so can't say for certain how most of them feel about that flag. The far-right in England though has a history of hijacking symbols & causes though. Another example is far-right English group called the ''EDL'' or ''English Defence League'' hijacking the Union Jack flag.

I did see some of Peter Strzok's testimony & last week & thought he came off fine. I don't how I'd have reacted to people hammering me about the same thing over & over again for so many hours & then 1 of them bring up an affair I had with another consenting adult that really had nothing to do with the hearing to begin with. Strzok handled it I think the best he could in the circumstances I thought.

Facing heavy criticism, Trump now says he misspoke over Putin-friendly remarks

sunnykerr

Minority hate groups always try to foment division. That's their whole point. But I honestly haven't heard from any legitimate source that ye olde Saint George cross is somehow controversial. So, I don't know. I don't feel like feeding the panic, you know?

Thanks for bringing that over, Claire. I had read about it, but wasn't sure if anyone else would be interested in discussing it. Isn't it neat how the landscape is making itself known again? I wonder what new discoveries will be made as a result of this.

Of course POTUS backtracked his comments now that he's away from his puppeteer. It's not like the man will ever stick with any solid statement or beliefs. And it's not like he really cares either way. So, when he's with Putin, obviously the Russians are blameless. When he's with genuine U.S. servicemen and politicians, then it's back to U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

I doubt the link between Maria Butina, the NRA and the Russian collusion in the elections will get the news coverage it deserves, honestly. The same way that I doubt enough children will ever be murdered in the United States for the NRA to start losing some of its feathers, you know? That organization always survives, no matter what it does or supports.

I'm not sure I'd ever walk 20 miles for any job, to be honest. I've grown too reliant on public transportation, I think.

Meanwhile, the U.S. isn't the only country where dissent is becoming less and less permitted: Israeli parliament votes to ban state and army critics from schools I mean, this is a democratic country, right? I mean, that's what it's supposed to be, isn't it?

And the rest of the world doesn't seem to believe that trade agreements are an enemy to commerce: Japan-EU trade deal 'light in darkness' amid Trump's protectionism

canflam

So much news. Thanks for that info on the U.K. heatwave. We're getting 1 here in the Portland area as well. Here's some Iran news: Iran sues US in international court over sanctions |

I wasn't thinking they would sue over this, but I suppose it's not surprising.

Meliana

Thanks everyone, I find that kind of archeology fascinating. Of course pretty much anyone can take aerial pictures now too.

Future husband of Kelly.

Trump corrects record after a slip in speech the day before by saying "The sentence should have been ‘I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia,'”

Trump said on July 17, correcting the word “would” to “wouldn’t” from his statement from the day before.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/trump-...s_2594867.html

No need to worry, l don't think he is a traitor, he just made a mistake. I've done similar mistakes many times where leaving off some letters has the opposite meaning. Think about it....to say he doesn't believe Russia is involved would make him look really bad and a puppet, so much more likely he has made an error in speech. It is not Trump's style to act like a puppet.

Remember also that Trump talked about the Russia problem existing before he took office, so naturally he isn't going to deny it isn't Russia.

reason to believe

Trump has so many "mistakes" since 2016, all of those should be enough to get one fired from their job.... remember his tag line from his reality show? He can't back track what he said now. We all heard it quite clearly. Russia is practically his lover.

sunnykerr

Everyone can have a slip of the tongue. It happens to everyone. That's why one usually looks to context to give greater meaning to a person's intention. The problem with Trump is that he's constantly shifting his position.

Two days ago, he sided with Putin over the FBI, the U.S. intelligence committee and U.S. law enforcement agencies.

Yesterday, he said he misspoke and meant the opposite of what he had said the day before.

Today, he's back to saying that Russia isn't a threat to U.S. democracy.

I'll start believing him when he starts supporting his allies and standing up to dictators. You know, the very least you expect from U.S. presidents. Like, the lowest possible bar to clear.

canflam

Pussy Riot give update on arrested members following World Cup Final

They want all prisoners set free including Oleg Senstov, illegal arrests to be stopped, political competition to be allowed in Russia, & not have criminal accusations ''fabricated'' or or keep people in jails for no reason. These causes sadly seem lost I think, but wish em well.

There You'll Be

He's could barely read what Mike Pompeo and Mike Pence wrote for him to say, changing one word. He hasn't been able to keep that comment straight yet. Also, he added "Russia and who knows who else may have..." or something to that effect, which is still covering for Putin. Not once has he said anything against Putin.

Do I hate the man? Yes. Does that make him any less of a traitor? No. The rest of this is just showing more information that Russia owns him, and the GOP. Spoiler tagging it so you don't have to scroll past it.

Meanwhile, the Senate GOP voted down more funding to fight Russian attacks on our elections https://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...=.e84f09e79b86. Jim Jordan literally said voter ID would stop it. Seriously, they are calling for another investigation into Hillary's emails in the meantime.

Israel has passed a law characterizing the country as a principally Jewish state https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-44881554

sunnykerr

Yeah, I'm not sure where this is all headed with Israel. Right-wing parties are in power right now. So I don't agree with what they're doing, but I also know it doesn't represent all Israelis. I'm really hoping it doesn't even represent most Israeli. You can't spit in your neighbour's faces like that. So all I can do, in Israel as in other countries, is to hope that the next election brings around a change.

As for Trump... I think the Time Magazine cover speaks for itself, doesn't it? A certain segment of society may have been bamboozled into buying into the Russian version of events about the so-called "deep state" and its various conspiracies. Occam's razor says that, when there are competing theories about a phenomenon, the simpler of the two must be true. So is the evidence we're seeing proof of what it's proving or is this all some sort of play put on for the world by forces of evil only Russian oligarchs can save us from? You tell me.

New York state launches tax probe of Trump Foundation I thought they had done that already, back when he was running for the GOP candidacy. Seriously, what are they waiting for? The guy used money his foundation raised to buy himself portraits of himself and finance his campaign.

There You'll Be

I'm hoping the same for Israel. I'd hate to see it divide Israel, and cause more fear, hate, and violence.

Yeah, when they went after the Trump Foundation a few months ago, they referred the case also to the IRS. Thanks for that link-I've been waiting to hear that it's happening. He paid his son Barron's $7. Boy Scout dues out of foundation money. I mean seriously?

So, Putin has had the welcome mat laid out-to the US, and the WH, and the Oval Office. I just can't believe this is even happening. That it's being allowed to continue. I'm sure I'll be trading in my US flag for a Russian one before Trump is out of office. What's left except to give Putin the actual land of the US. He's coming right before the midterms. I guess so they can celebrate together, in the country he's overtaken?

Sooner or later, celebrities, and officials, are going to realize social media is not their friend if they want to spread hate, or inappropriate content. James Gunn, Guardians of the Galaxy director, has been fired. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44906019

sunnykerr

Dave Bautista, an actor on Guardians of the Galazy and possibly the most guileless celebrity I have ever seen, is defending James Gunn. So... that sorta makes me think there may be more to it than I realize. I mean, he could be wrong, I could be wrong. But Dave Bautista is such a genuinely good person that the fact that he's defending James Gunn (and he knows him way better than I ever will) is making me think twice here...

So all that back and forth Trump did in Helsinki and after Helsinki over whether he's with the United States or with Russia against the United States comes down to this, doesn't it? Putting out the welcome mat to Putin tells you where his priorities lies. And, honestly, I'm not even sure it's about politics for Trump. Like, I don't think he understands or cares to understand about the political implications. It's all about Russia being a good place for unethical businessmen to prosper for him.

Trump claims Cohen tape may be illegal and insists he did nothing wrong Everything Trump does is wrong, so that's that. But, beyond that, he clearly doesn't understand that the law isn't just there for him. And his counsellors should explain to him how you can record someone like that and that recording can then be seized by the FBI.

Steve Bannon plans foundation to fuel far right in Europe You know, I'm not Christian, but if there ever was someone in the running for anti-Christ... I think we've found him.

canflam

Thanks for this news. Ted Cruz wants James Gunn prosecuted. I doubt that will happen, but curious if it does. I didn't even know of this guy. What were his tweets that are now apparently deleted? Can they be posted here with the censored smiley or not at all, because of the inappropriateness?