DECEMBER 8, 2018


NEWS AND VIEWS


AWAY FROM CAUCUSES AND BACK TO PRIMARIES. OKAY. I THINK IT’S A FAIRER WAY TO SELECT CANDIDATES THAN CAUCUSES WHICH SEEM TO ME TO BE UNNECESSARILY CONFUSING AND DIFFICULT TO ATTEND IN ORDER TO VOTE FOR MANY PEOPLE WITHOUT CARS, OR WHO WORK DURING THE CAUCUS HOURS. WILL THIS AFFECT THE WAY THEY OPERATE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE DNC? PROBABLY NOT. AN INTERESTING SITE FOR SUCH INFORMATION IS CALLED THE GREEN PAPERS: https://www.thegreenpapers.com/P20/NE-D.

https://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/nebraska-democrats-vote-to-abandon-presidential-caucus/article_e6471fc0-d4ab-53ae-81cd-101705d181e7.html
EDITOR'S PICK TOPICAL
Nebraska democrats vote to abandon presidential caucus
DON WALTON Lincoln Journal Star Dec 8, 2018 Updated 2 hrs ago

PHOTOGRAPH -- In 2016, Sen. Bernie Sanders captured the Nebraska caucus, but Hillary Clinton ultimately won the party's nomination. The Associated Press

Nebraska Democrats on Saturday decided to abandon the presidential caucus they first instituted in 2008 and return to the traditional May presidential primary system in 2020.

The party's state central committee scrapped the caucus with an overwhelming voice vote at its weekend meeting in Ord. The debate lasted about 90 minutes and was attended by 120 committee members.

Opponents argued that the caucus diverted resources and focus from electing Democrats in Nebraska.

Sen. Barack Obama won the initial caucus in 2008 en route to the Democratic presidential nomination and subsequent election as president.

In 2016, Sen. Bernie Sanders captured the Nebraska caucus, but Hillary Clinton ultimately won the party's nomination.

There was no competitive caucus in 2012 when Obama sought re-election.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7248 or dwalton@journalstar.com.

On Twitter @LJSDon.


I GUESS TWO IMPOLITE AND ARROGANT MEN JUST CAN’T GET ALONG, RIGHT? SEE THE OCTOBER 12, 2018 VIDEO AND THE 12/7 CNN STORY.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4w66pRXdWg
John Kelly Insults Elizabeth Warren In Disclosed Email | The Last Word | MSNBC
MSNBC
Published on Oct 12, 2018
John Kelly calls Elizabeth Warren an impolite and arrogant woman in a newly disclosed government email. What does the exchange reveal about the culture inside the Trump White House? Ruth Marcus and Aisha Moody-Mills discuss.


https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/07/politics/john-kelly-chief-of-staff-donald-trump/index.html
Kelly expected to resign soon, no longer on speaking terms with Trump
By Kaitlan Collins, CNN
Updated 9:58 AM ET, Fri December 7, 2018

VIDEO – WHO IS JOHN KELLY?

Washington (CNN)John Kelly is expected to resign as White House chief of staff in the coming days, two sources familiar with the situation unfolding in the West Wing tell CNN.

Seventeen months in, Kelly and President Donald Trump have reached a stalemate in their relationship and it is no longer seen as tenable by either party. Though Trump asked Kelly over the summer to stay on as chief of staff for two more years, the two have stopped speaking in recent days.

Trump is actively discussing a replacement plan, though a person involved in the process said nothing is final right now and ultimately nothing is final until Trump announces it. Potential replacements include Nick Ayers, Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, who is still seen as a leading contender.

Kelly has been on the verge of resigning or being fired before, only to bounce back every time. But aides feel the relationship can't be salvaged this time. Trump is becoming increasingly concerned about Democrats taking over the House in January, and has privately said he needs someone else to help shape the last two years of his first term, which he predicts will be politically focused. He has complained repeatedly that Kelly is not politically savvy.

The expected departure would end a tumultuous tenure for Kelly, who was brought on to bring order to the White House but whose time as chief of staff has often been marked by the same infighting and controversy that has largely defined Trump's presidency from its beginning. Many of the storms in which Kelly became embroiled were by his own making.

CNN reported last month that Trump was considering potential replacements for several senior positions in his administration as part of a post-midterms staff shakeup.

News of Kelly's imminent departure was first reported by Axios.

Once seen as stabilizing force

Play Video -- Sources: Ayers may be Kelly's replacement 02:08

When Kelly first replaced Reince Priebus as chief of staff last summer, he ruled with an iron fist. He curbed Oval Office access, blocked certain outsiders from being able to call the White House switchboard and had broad authority over staffing.

But in the last months, Kelly has seen his status as chief of staff diminish. Trump began circumventing many of the policies and protocols he enacted, and he was on the verge of being fired or resigning numerous times.

Trump often vacillated between criticizing and praising Kelly, sometimes within minutes of each other. Kelly started holding increasingly fewer senior staff meetings -- once daily occurrences were whittled down to weekly gatherings -- and began to exert less control over who talks to the President.

White House officials believed Kelly was close to resigning after he got into a heated shouting match with national security adviser John Bolton in October. Bolton had criticized Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen during a discussion about the border, and Kelly stormed out of the West Wing after their profanity-laced argument.

Controversial tenure

Play Video -- Bolton, Kelly get into heated shouting match 02:12

Kelly's tenure working for Trump was pocked with controversies, and officials were often amazed at how he managed to survive. Weeks after taking over for Priebus, his predecessor who was unceremoniously fired over Twitter while he sat on a rainy tarmac, Kelly was faced with Trump's controversial response to the racially charged protests in Charlottesville, Virginia. He was photographed looking grim-faced in the lobby of Trump Tower as the President declared there were "good people" on both sides of the racist violence.

At times, Kelly was the source of his own downfall. He insulted Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Florida, using inaccurate information, later declaring he would "never" apologize. He said some of those eligible for protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals were "lazy."

But perhaps most damaging was his handling of the situation involving former staff secretary Rob Porter, who was accused by two of his ex-wives of abuse. Kelly's shifting accounts caused his credibility inside the West Wing to plummet, and it never truly recovered, according to officials. Kelly's highly criticized handling of the Porter controversy was an inflection point in his tenure, and some of his internal relationships became strained in the months that followed the former staff secretary's ouster.

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to remove an incorrect location for Kelly's heated argument with Bolton.

CNN's Kevin Liptak, Jeff Zeleny, Jeremy Diamond and Sarah Westwood contributed to this repo


THIS NEW DOCUMENTARY SERIES IS PROBABLY BASIC INFORMATION THAT WE SHOULD WATCH,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtYp21q1WIQ&feature=youtu.be
Enemies: The President, Justice & The FBI (2018) Official Trailer | SHOWTIME Documentary
Published on Oct 8, 2018

This four-part documentary series from Academy Award® winner Alex Gibney presents the long, complex history of presidents testing the rule of law and the FBI’s job to enforce it. It tells the story of the epic confrontations between the President and the FBI. From Nixon and Hoover to Trump and Comey, each battle illuminates a different facet of our democracy and the law. Using the present as a prism*, we look back to see which lessons held up, which didn’t and how the current investigation of the Trump administration might turn out.

Washington (CNN)John Kelly is expected to resign as White House chief of staff in the coming days, two sources familiar with the situation unfolding in the West Wing tell CNN.

Seventeen months in, Kelly and President Donald Trump have reached a stalemate in their relationship and it is no longer seen as tenable by either party. Though Trump asked Kelly over the summer to stay on as chief of staff for two more years, the two have stopped speaking in recent days.

Trump is actively discussing a replacement plan, though a person involved in the process said nothing is final right now and ultimately nothing is final until Trump announces it. Potential replacements include Nick Ayers, Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, who is still seen as a leading contender.

Kelly has been on the verge of resigning or being fired before, only to bounce back every time. But aides feel the relationship can't be salvaged this time. Trump is becoming increasingly concerned about Democrats taking over the House in January, and has privately said he needs someone else to help shape the last two years of his first term, which he predicts will be politically focused. He has complained repeatedly that Kelly is not politically savvy.

The expected departure would end a tumultuous tenure for Kelly, who was brought on to bring order to the White House but whose time as chief of staff has often been marked by the same infighting and controversy that has largely defined Trump's presidency from its beginning. Many of the storms in which Kelly became embroiled were by his own making.

CNN reported last month that Trump was considering potential replacements for several senior positions in his administration as part of a post-midterms staff shakeup.

News of Kelly's imminent departure was first reported by Axios.
Once seen as stabilizing force

Play Video -- Sources: Ayers may be Kelly's replacement 02:08

When Kelly first replaced Reince Priebus as chief of staff last summer, he ruled with an iron fist. He curbed Oval Office access, blocked certain outsiders from being able to call the White House switchboard and had broad authority over staffing.

But in the last months, Kelly has seen his status as chief of staff diminish. Trump began circumventing many of the policies and protocols he enacted, and he was on the verge of being fired or resigning numerous times.

Trump often vacillated between criticizing and praising Kelly, sometimes within minutes of each other. Kelly started holding increasingly fewer senior staff meetings -- once daily occurrences were whittled down to weekly gatherings -- and began to exert less control over who talks to the President.

White House officials believed Kelly was close to resigning after he got into a heated shouting match with national security adviser John Bolton in October. Bolton had criticized Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen during an Oval Office discussion about the border, and Kelly stormed out of the West Wing after their profanity-laced argument spilled over into the hallways.

Controversial tenure

Play Video -- Bolton, Kelly get into heated shouting match 02:12

Kelly's tenure working for Trump was pocked with controversies, and officials were often amazed at how he managed to survive. Weeks after taking over for Priebus, his predecessor who was unceremoniously fired over Twitter while he sat on a rainy tarmac, Kelly was faced with Trump's controversial response to the racially charged protests in Charlottesville, Virginia. He was photographed looking grim-faced in the lobby of Trump Tower as the President declared there were "good people" on both sides of the racist violence.

At times, Kelly was the source of his own downfall. He insulted Rep. Frederica Wilson,* D-Florida, using inaccurate information, later declaring he would "never" apologize. He said some of those eligible for protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals were "lazy."

But perhaps most damaging was his handling of the situation involving former staff secretary Rob Porter, who was accused by two of his ex-wives of abuse. Kelly's shifting accounts caused his credibility inside the West Wing to plummet, and it never truly recovered, according to officials. Kelly's highly criticized handling of the Porter controversy was an inflection point in his tenure, and some of his internal relationships became strained in the months that followed the former staff secretary's ouster.

This story is breaking and being updated.

CNN's Kevin Liptak, Jeff Zeleny, Jeremy Diamond and Sarah Westwood contributed to this report.


WHEN THE REPUBLICANS ATTACK SOMEONE VICIOUSLY ON THE PERSONAL LEVEL, THEY ARE ALWAYS LIBERAL, USUALLY BLACK AND A STRONG AND ASSERTIVE WOMAN. IN THIS CASE, REP FREDERICA WILSON, SHE ALSO IS ALWAYS SEEN IN A LARGE AND STRIKING HAT, WHICH DO COMPLIMENT HER LOOKS IN MY VIEW. LOOK AT HER PHOTOGRAPH ON WIKIPEDIA. HERE IS THE CURRENT VICTIM:

REP. FREDERICA WILSON,* D-FLORIDA

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederica_Wilson
Frederica Wilson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Frederica Wilson
Frederica Wilson official House portrait.jpg

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 24th district
17th (2011–2013)
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2011

Preceded by Kendrick Meek
Member of the Florida Senate
from the 33rd district
In office
November 5, 2002 – December 31, 2010

Preceded by Redistricted
Succeeded by Oscar Braynon
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 104th district
In office
November 3, 1998 – November 5, 2002

Personal details
Born Frederica Patricia Smith
November 5, 1942 (age 76)
Miami, Florida, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Paul Wilson
(m. 1963; died 1988)
Children 3
Education Fisk University (BA)
University of Miami (MA)
Website House website

Frederica Smith Wilson (born Frederica Patricia Smith, 1942) is a politician who has been a member of the United States House of Representatives since 2011. Located in South Florida, Wilson's congressional district—numbered the 17th during her first two years in Congress, and the 24th since 2013—is a majority African-American district that includes the southern parts of Broward County and the eastern parts of Miami-Dade County. Included within the district are Opa-locka, Hollywood, Miramar, and North Miami. She gained national attention in early 2012 as a result of her high-profile comments on the death of Trayvon Martin.[1][2]

Wilson is a member of the Democratic Party.[3] The seat she was elected to became available when the incumbent Kendrick Meek ran for a seat in the Senate in 2010.

Wilson is known for her large and colorful hats, of which she owns several hundred. She has gone through efforts to get Congress to lift its ban on head coverings during House sessions, which dates back to 1837.[4][5]


THIS CNN ARTICLE IS A STORY WITH NO CLEAR PLOT, BUT LOTS OF SPECIFIC INFORMATION. UNFORTUNATELY, I’M GOING TO WAIT UNTIL SOME NEWS REPORTER WRITES HIS BOOK ABOUT IT, AND PUTS IT INTO A NARRATIVE. TRYING TO READ AND RETAIN THIS INFORMATION IN THIS FORM IS LIKE THE PROVERBIAL IMAGE, “HERDING CATS” FOR ME. I SAW A GREAT CARTOON OF THAT, AND ALL THE CATS, RATHER THAN BEING “HERDED” TO A CENTRAL PLACE, WERE ALL RUNNING IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS. SOME OF YOU, THOUGH, WON’T HAVE MY REACTION, SO HERE IT IS. THE SECOND, BELOW, FROM NPR IS SIMILAR IN CONTENT, THOUGH WITH MORE CONCLUSIONS.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/07/politics/paul-manafort-robert-mueller-donald-trump/index.html
Mueller: Paul Manafort lied about contacts with Trump administration this year
By Katelyn Polantz and Marshall Cohen, CNN
Updated 7:53 PM ET, Fri December 7, 2018

Washington (CNN)Special counsel Robert Mueller said Friday that former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort lied about five major issues after agreeing to cooperate with prosecutors, including his "contact with administration officials."

Prosecutors want 'substantial term of imprisonment' for Michael Cohen

In a heavily redacted document, Mueller also said Manafort lied about his interactions with Konstantin Kilimnik. Mueller has said Kilimnik has ties to the Russian military intelligence unit accused of hacking the Democrats, and they've previously outlined how the two men may have worked together to tamper with witnesses following Manafort's arrest last year.

The accusations by Mueller add to growing signs that the special counsel's team has a wealth of evidence about contacts between people close to Trump -- even in the White House -- and Russians during the 2016 campaign.

The document also contains the stunning disclosure that Mueller can show, including with text messages, that Manafort was in contact with Trump administration officials early this year -- even after he was indicted in late 2017.

The new and damaging information for the White House comes at a time when every move by Mueller appears to bring his investigation deeper into the White House and Trump's inner circle, and shows it has expanded well beyond what may or may not have happened in the 2016 campaign.

Mueller last week accused Manafort of lying during his interviews, saying that his actions during his cooperation were criminal and breached his plea agreement.

The investigators also say they have evidence about electronic communications related to Kilimnik and travel records, and they make clear in the document they have investigated "meetings" between Manafort and Kilimnik.

The special counsel believes Manafort also lied about a wire transfer made to a firm he had working for him in 2017 and "information pertinent to another Department of Justice investigation."

READ: Special counsel Robert Mueller's filing on Paul Manafort

The filing is the first time prosecutors have summarized why and how they believe Manafort breached his plea agreement. Previously, Mueller simply told a federal judge Manafort "committed federal crimes by lying" to the FBI and special counsel's office during his cooperation interviews "on a variety of subject matters."

Manafort says he has been truthful over several meetings with the special counsel's office. His lawyers indicated last week that they may challenge the assertion that he lied.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders brushed off the filing from Mueller.

"The government's filing in Mr. Manafort's case says absolutely nothing about the President," Sanders said in a statement. "It says even less about collusion and is devoted almost entirely to lobbying-related issues. Once again the media is trying to create a story where there isn't one."

Prosecutors say Manafort lied about contacting officials

Mueller's team outlined how they believe Manafort lied "in multiple ways and on multiple occasions."

Manafort lied to the special counsel's office on contact with the administration this year, the document alleged.

He told a person via text message to talk to a Trump administration official in May, and separately he was in touch with the administration through February 2018, according to the document.

George Papadopoulos released from prison

The prosecutors also cite "additional contacts with administration officials," citing "electronic documents" they have.

Manafort was indicted last October and has been in jail since June.

Manafort told Mueller's office after he began cooperating, he had "no direct or indirect communications with anyone in the administration while they were in the administration and that he never asked anyone to try to communicate a message to anyone in the administration on any subject matter."

Prosecutors cite evidence they have of Manafort's contacts with "administration officials," including one who is a "senior administration official," in February and May of this year. They cite text messages as evidence, and a description they have from "another Manafort colleague."

The filing from prosecutors Friday does not say what Manafort was attempting to discuss with the administration while he was facing multiple charges from Mueller.

Manafort allegedly lied about meetings with Russian associate

Mueller said on Friday that Manafort lied to investigators about his interactions with Kilimnik, his former business associate who has ties to Russian intelligence. Specifically, prosecutors discussed with Manafort more than one meeting he had with Kilimnik.

There are very few public details about their interactions. But questions of collusion have swirled around Kilimnik, given his longtime closeness to Manafort and his links to Russian intelligence agencies that were aggressively meddling in the election. Mueller's team said earlier this year that the FBI believes Kilimnik had active ties to Russian spies in 2016.

Prosecutors said they caught Manafort in lies about Kilimnik because they have "electronic communications" and "travel records." Mueller's team said they confronted Manafort with this evidence and he acknowledged his lies. But besides these breadcrumbs, critical parts from Friday's filing about Kilimnik were heavily redacted by Mueller's office.

The Washington Post reported last year that Manafort and Kilimnik met twice during the campaign. Manafort acknowledged to the Post that they discussed WikiLeaks releases against the Democratic National Committee because they were in the news at the time. Mueller's team said Friday that Manafort lied to them about a "meeting with Kilimnik," but that section is heavily redacted.

The Post also reported that Manafort and Kilimnik exchanged emails in 2016 about offering "private briefings" about the campaign to Oleg Deripaska, a prominent Russian oligarch. Manafort has said those briefings never occurred.

Kilimnik has denied working for Russian intelligence. Manafort denies colluding with any Russians. Kilimnik and Manafort were charged with obstruction of justice in June for trying to influence witnesses who could testify at Manafort's trial. Manafort pleaded guilty to obstruction in September, but Kilimnik lives safely in Russia, out of the reach of US courts.

What Manafort knows

The details of what happened during Manafort's cooperation interviews with the special counsel have been one of the most intensely pursued questions of the Russia probe -- from what Manafort knows, to what happened in recent weeks. Even President Donald Trump's lawyers have tried to stay in the loop regarding what he and Mueller's team spoke about.

Manafort has long been considered the key to several questions central to Mueller's investigation into Russia and the 2016 campaign.

Giuliani says Mueller has accused Manafort of lying about Trump

Manafort attended the June 2016 campaign meeting at Trump Tower with Russians who had offered the campaign information on Hillary Clinton. His tenure on the campaign coincided with the Russian hackers' efforts to steal Democratic Party and Clinton campaign emails and distribute them publicly. He also led the campaign through the Republican National Convention, when the party decided to soften its stance on US assistance to Ukraine against Russian-backed militias.

At first last year, Mueller charged Manafort with crimes unrelated to his work as chairman of the Trump campaign.

But it later became clear the special counsel sought documents and information about Russians Manafort knew, including his longtime colleague Kilimnik and Deripaska, to whom Manafort owed millions.

Prosecutors have also looked for records Manafort may have had that showed possible campaign finance violations such as illegal contributions made from foreign nationals, according to search warrants of his condo.

Manafort's financial fraud trial centered around millions of dollars he earned doing Ukrainian political consulting years ago. Yet his trial on those charges veered toward his role on the Trump campaign when prosecutors alleged he used his proximity to Trump to secure a multi-million-dollar loan from a banker interested in being secretary of the Army or another top administration role.

What's to come

The failure of Manafort's cooperation could lead to more criminal charges, prosecutors have said. It also sets into motion a schedule that will lead up to his sentencing.

Manafort is now set to be the sixth Mueller defendant to face sentencing.

Both former Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen and former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the federal government and will be sentenced separately in the next two weeks.

Three other less-high-profile defendants earned between two weeks and 6 months in prison.

Manafort is scheduled to receive his first sentence, for eight financial convictions decided by a Virginia jury, in early February.

His second sentencing date, before the judge who's handling the breach of his plea agreement, is tentatively set for early March.

For the two charges he currently faces in DC federal court, Manafort could receive 17 to 22 years in prison, his plea agreement says.

The last time Manafort was seen in public he entered court in a wheelchair, with a foot bandaged, apparently suffering from an illness similar to gout. That was about two months ago.

This story has been updated.
CNN's Stephen Collinson contributed to this report.


https://www.npr.org/2018/12/08/674842607/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-manafort-and-cohen-court-documents
NATIONAL SECURITY
What You Need To Know About The New Manafort And Cohen Court Documents
December 8, 20187:00 AM ET
PHILIP EWING

PHOTOGRAPHS -- Court documents released Friday suggest that both former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort (left) and former Trump attorney Michael Cohen could end up in prison.
AP

Two of Donald Trump's former top aides are looking at years in federal prison — and Trump and his camp allegedly are connected to many of the crimes in which they've been charged.

Those were among the big takeaways from the release of court documents on Friday evening in a pair of cases that have ensnared Trump's former longtime personal lawyer and the veteran political pro who ran his presidential campaign for a time in 2016.

LAW -- Ex-Trump Lawyer Michael Cohen Should Get 'Substantial Prison Term,' Feds Say

The former, Michael Cohen, has been cooperating with federal authorities since pleading guilty to a number of crimes this year — but, the government says, he should not get away without punishment.

The feds say he still deserves years in prison, with some consideration for his help.

LAW -- Feds Detail What They Call Lies Told By Paul Manafort Since His Guilty Plea

The latter, Paul Manafort, said he would cooperate too, but prosecutors allege that he has been lying to them and so the government is no longer bound by a plea agreement it signed earlier this year.

That means the Justice Department won't ask a judge to go easy on Manafort, and prosecutors also may retry him on counts in an earlier case that resulted in a mistrial.

Cohen is scheduled to be sentenced next week in New York City. Manafort's sentencing has been scheduled for March 5.

Here's what else you need to know about the big stories involving Cohen and Manafort from Friday evening.

Trump allegedly directed Cohen's illegal payments

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York recounted a number of transgressions to which Cohen pleaded guilty in August, including payments to two women ahead of Election Day 2016.

But he apparently wasn't acting on his own when he arranged for intermediaries to buy the silence of the women, both of whom alleged they had had sexual relationships with Trump years before.

When Cohen made those arrangements, court documents say, "he acted in coordination with and at the direction" of Trump.

In other words, Trump directed him to break the law, prosecutors charge.

Trump has acknowledged the payments to one of the women but denied both of their underlying claims about sexual relationships with him.

The recounting of the payments in Friday's court documents strengthens the link to the president in what the prosecutors call "illegal campaign contributions," raising the question as to what, if any, action the Justice Department might take beyond Cohen's case and with respect to Trump.

Article continues after this message from our sponsor

Manafort allegedly lied about his talks with the administration

Manafort made an agreement with the Justice Department in September after pleading guilty to avoid trial in a case he was facing in Washington, D.C. As part of that deal, he agreed to help the government in whatever way it wanted, but prosecutors say that deal is now off.

Manafort has been lying, said a filing from the office of Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller. The document spells out five areas about which Manafort hasn't told the truth, but one that might prove most consequential is his continued contacts with the Trump administration.

NATIONAL SECURITY
Trump: Manafort Pardon Not 'Off The Table' After Briefings From Manafort's Lawyer

Manafort told officials he hasn't been in contact with people in the administration — but, in fact, he has, the Mueller filing said. That's important because it adds to a New York Times report that said Manafort's attorney was briefing Trump's legal team, filling it in on the things Manafort had been telling the government.

So Manafort, in effect, helped Trump's legal team craft its strategy for responding to Mueller's work. Those briefings by Manafort's lawyer also appear to have reportedly enabled Manafort to inform Trump's legal team that he hasn't implicated Trump's camp or the president himself.

Meanwhile, Trump has told reporters that he's holding open the prospect of clemency for people in the Russia investigations, including specifically when he has been asked about Manafort.

Mueller's office said in its Friday filing that it has electronic evidence that proves Manafort has been in touch with administration officials or authorized intermediaries to speak on his behalf.

White House: Nothing to do with us

President Trump addresses the Project Safe Neighborhoods National Conference on Friday in Kansas City, Mo.
Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Trump, the White House and his legal team said Friday's news has nothing to do with them.

The president and White House press secretary Sarah Sanders emphasized Cohen's admissions about lying — to Congress and the public — and asked why he should be believed now.

"The government's filings in Mr. Cohen's case tell us nothing of value that wasn't already known," Sanders said. "Mr. Cohen has repeatedly lied, and as the prosecution has pointed out to the court, Mr. Cohen is no hero."

As for Manafort, Sanders emphasized what she called the important absence of Trump from the court papers — and the dearth of references to any potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian election interference.

"Once again, the media is trying to create a story where there isn't one," she said.

Many hours of cooperation, but of what value?

Cohen and Manafort have spent a lot of time talking since their guilty pleas. The Mueller team's document about Cohen revealed that he has met with the special counsel's office seven times, "many of them lengthy, and continues to make himself available to investigators."

Manafort, meanwhile, met with Justice Department officials 12 times and testified before a grand jury twice.

But the several alleged falsehoods told by both men over the course of this saga — ones they've admitted and ones in which they may have been caught because the government had contradictory evidence — mean there may always be an asterisk next their names in the public's understanding.

Even Cohen, whom the government sought to reward by recommending a minor reduction in his potential sentence, "repeatedly declined to provide full information about the scope of any additional criminal conduct in which he may have engaged or had knowledge," the New York prosecutors wrote.

In short, it still may be the case that these men know more than they're saying or, according to prosecutors, may know that what they've said isn't true.

Russian outreach began early

One important storyline in the Russia investigation all along has been the outreach from Russians or their agents to the Trump campaign, and the Cohen documents suggest that there were more such contacts than previously known and that they began even earlier than once understood.

Russian honor guards march during a military parade at Red Square in Moscow last month. Discussions about possibly building a Trump Tower in Moscow have played a key role in the Cohen investigation.

Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images
Cohen told Mueller's office about what the document calls "attempts" by Russians to make contacts with the Trump team, including a meeting in November 2015 in which a Russian national offered "political synergy" with Moscow.

The person alluded to the potential Trump Tower project in Russia, prosecutors wrote, describing the "phenomenal" benefit that Trump might enjoy if he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Not only would that help Trump in a "political" dimension, but it would also help "in a business dimension as well," according to the court papers, because Putin's support for the Moscow Trump Tower would help the project along. Ultimately, Trump and Putin did not meet then, and there was no building project in Moscow.

NATIONAL SECURITY
Michael Cohen Admits Trump Tower-Moscow Talks Continued Well Into 2016 Campaign

Cohen has admitted, however, that the talks about the building project continued into June 2016 and involved him conversing with at least one top government official linked to Putin.

That undercuts Trump's denials from the time about having dealings with Russia — although the president has since acknowledged the 2016 Moscow Trump Tower talks — and it put powerful Russians in a position of knowing the realities about those public denials.

And, as the special counsel's office wrote, it was "material" to its investigation "because it occurred at a time of sustained efforts by the Russian government to interfere with the U.S. presidential election."

Through it all, however, there is no allegation that either Cohen or Manafort conspired with the Russians who were waging that attack on the 2016 election.


THE YOUNG NEO-NAZI JAMES ALEX FIELDS, JR. FROM THE CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA “UNITE THE RIGHT” RALLY HAS BEEN CONVICTED OF FIRST-DEGREE MURDER AND A NUMBER OF OTHER CHARGES. HE LOOKS HOLLOW-EYED AND DEPRESSED, BUT DEFIANT.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/12/07/small-measure-justice-heather-heyer-neo-nazi-james-alex-fields-jr-convicted
Published on
Friday, December 07, 2018
byCommon Dreams
'Small Measure of Justice for Heather Heyer' as Neo-Nazi James Alex Fields Jr. Convicted of Murdering Her With His Car
"Fields is the face of violent white supremacy in our country. Every last one of them must be held accountable."

byJessica Corbett, staff writer

Flowers, candles, and chalk-written messages surround a photograph of Heather Heyer on the spot where she was killed in August of 2017 when neo-Nazi James Alex Fields Jr. drove his car into a crowd of people protesting against a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Self-professed neo-Nazi James Alex Fields Jr. was convicted of first-degree murder on Friday for killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer when he intentionally drove his car into a group of counterprotesters at last year's violent Unite the Right rally that brought scores of white supremacists to the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia.

The 21-year-old with ties to the hate group Vanguard America is now facing up to life in prison. After more than seven hours of deliberations, the jury found him guilty of Heyer's murder and several other charges—five counts of aggravated malicious wounding, three counts of malicious wounding, and one count of leaving the scene of a crime—related to the dozens of others who were injured.

While Fields isn't scheduled to be sentenced until next week, news of his conviction was widely celebrated by anti-racist activists and many others as "a small measure of justice for Heather Heyer."

"We must always hold bigots accountable," tweeted writer and activist Shaun King, who has been a vocal critic of the white supremacist gathering in Charlottesville.

"This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Today, we have reclaimed our streets," local activist Rosia Parker proclaimed at a Charlottesville memorial for Heyer, according to The Daily Progress.

Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of National Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, connected it to the broader race issues that have plagued the United States since its founding and persist today. "Fields is the face of violent white supremacy in our country," she said. "Every last one of them must be held accountable."

The verdict on Friday followed an intense trial. As the New York Times reports:

The nine-day trial featured days of emotional testimony from victims who were seriously injured in the crash, including a man who pushed his girlfriend out of the way, bearing the brunt of the impact himself, and a single mother who suffered two broken legs and a broken back. Many of the victims returned to the courtroom day after day to listen to other witnesses, and jurors saw them hugging and comforting one another.

During the trial, prosecutors introduced evidence that Mr. Fields intended to commit harm when he drove from Ohio to attend the rally, which featured neo-Nazis bearing swastikas and Ku Klux Klan members. In a text message exchange with his mother before the rally, Mr. Fields was told to "be careful." "We're not the one[s] who need to be careful," he replied in a message that also included a photo of Adolf Hilter.

Earlier this week, BuzzFeed News had reported that in a phone call with his mother in December of 2017—months after plowing into Heyer and at least 35 other people with his vehicle—Fields had referred to Heyer as "that one girl who died, or whatever" and said her death "doesn't fucking matter."

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This is the world we live in. This is the world we cover.


WE NEED MORE STRIKES, IN THIS AND MANY AREAS FROM RESTAURANT, HOSPITALITY AND FOOD WORKERS, HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL WORKERS, TO OFFICE AND EDUCATIONAL WORKERS. THE FAILURE TO ORGANIZE OFFICE WORKERS IS THE WORST FLAW IN OUR SYSTEM, SINCE MOST PEOPLE WITH HIGH SCHOOL TO A FEW YEARS OF COLLEGE UNDER THEIR BELTS DO WORK IN OFFICES. I’M DELIGHTED TO SEE THIS STRIKE, EXCEPT THAT IT ILLUSTRATES THE STRONG NEED FOR REFORM. WHAT IS A "LIVING WAGE," GEARED TO LOCALITY? SEE THIS WEBSITE: http://livingwage.mit.edu/counties/12031. HERE IN DUVAL COUNTY, FLORIDA, THE LIVING WAGE* FOR ONE ADULT IS GIVEN AS $10.88, THE MINIMUM WAGE IS $8.25, AND THE POVERTY WAGE IS $5.80 PER HOUR.

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2018/12/08/charter-school-lobby-silent-charter-teachers-continue-strike
Published on
Saturday, December 08, 2018
by Common Dreams
Charter School Lobby Silent as Charter Teachers Continue Strike
If the operators of Acero charter schools in Chicago agree to a living wage* for teachers and lower class sizes, it sets a standard for the industry
bySteven Singer

PHOTOGRAPH -- Charter school teachers in Chicago are striking to demand a better environment for themselves and their students. (Photo: Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez/Twitter)

Charter school teachers in Chicago are in their fourth day of a strike.

Yet I wonder why the leaders of the charter movement are quiet.

Where is Peter Cunningham of the Education Post?

Where is Shaver Jeffries of Democrats for Education Reform?

Not a word from Campbell Brown or Michelle Rhee?

Nothing from Bill Gates, Cory Booker, Barack Obama, or Hillary Clinton?

Not a peep from Betsy DeVos or Donald Trump?

This is a historic moment. Teachers at various charter schools have unionized before, but it has never come to an outright strike—not once since the federal charter school law was established in 1994.

You’d think the charter cheerleaders—the folks who lobby for this type of school above every other type—would have something to say.

But no.

They are conspicuously silent.

I wonder why.

Could it be that this is not what they imagined when they pushed for schools to be privately run but publicly financed?

Could it be that they never intended workers at these schools to have any rights?

Could it be that small class size—one of the main demands of teachers at the 15 Acero schools—was never something these policymakers intended?

It certainly seems so.

For decades we’ve been told that these types of schools were all about innovation. They were laboratories where teachers and administrators could be freed from the stifling regulations at traditional public schools.

Yet whenever wealthy operators stole money or cut services to maximize profits or engaged in shady real estate deals or collected money for ghost children or cherry picked the best students or fomented “no excuses” discipline policies or increased segregation or denied services to special education kids or a thousand other shady business practices—whenever any of that happened, we were told they were just unfortunate side effects. Malfeasance and fraud weren’t what charters were all about. They were about the children.

And now when charter teachers speak out and demand a better environment for themselves and their students, these ideologues have nothing to say.

Funny.

It’s not hard to figure out what’s going on here.

The latest audit of Acero shows they have $10 million a year in additional revenue that they aren’t spending on the students. Yet they’re cutting the budget by six percent annually. Meanwhile, Acero’s CEO Richard Rodriguez is taking home more than $260,000 for overseeing 15 schools while Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson makes slightly less money for managing more than 500 schools.

If the school privatization lobby cared about kids, it shouldn’t be hard to come out against Acero and in favor of these teachers and students.

But nothing.

Silence.

It seems to prove what charter critics have been saying all along—and how full of crap the privatization lobby has always been.

In short, the charter movement is all about the rich getting richer. It has never been about helping students and families.

Well, maybe it was once upon a time when union leader Albert Shanker backed the plan. But even he turned against it when he saw how it enriched the moneymen and corporations while doing very little for children.

The fact of the matter is that the only people at charters on the side of teachers, parents, and students are the people generally associated with opposing them.

I, myself, am a huge foe of school privatization in all its forms—and that includes school vouchers and charter schools.

However, I have nothing against charter students, parents, or teachers.

I know many educators who’ve worked at charters. In most cases they are dedicated, caring professionals who’d rather work at a traditional public school but had to settle for employment where they could find it even if that meant less pay, longer hours, and fewer rights.

I know many parents who sent their kids to charter schools because of funding inequalities or rampant high stakes testing at traditional public schools. In every case, they are doing the best they can for their children—navigating a system they hate looking for the best opportunities.

I’ve taught many students who’ve gone to charter schools and then returned to my traditional public school classroom disillusioned from their subpar experience in privatized education. Without exception they are great kids who try their hardest to succeed despite huge deficits from the years lost at charters.

These people are not our enemy. We are their allies.

We are pushing for a better education system for all of us. And this strike is part of that.

If the operators of Acero charter schools in Chicago (formerly UNO’s charter schools) agree to a living wage for teachers and lower class sizes, it sets a standard for the industry. It helps push other charters to do the same. It pushes charter schools to become more like traditional public schools. And that’s a good thing.

The amenities at traditional public schools should not be rarities.

Every school should have an elected school board. Every school should have public meetings, transparency, and be accountable for how it spends tax dollars. Every school should have to accept the kids living in its borders and provide them the proper services and respect their rights. Every school should treat its employees like professionals and pay them a fair wage for a fair day’s work.

Ultimately, I think this means the end of the charter school concept. But that doesn’t have to mean the end of all these charter schools. Many of them that can operate effectively and efficiently should become traditional public schools. That may mean incorporation into existing districts or creations of new ones. It may mean additional funding from the state and federal government.

In the case of fly-by-night charters that do nothing but enrich their investors while cheating kids out of an education, they should be closed immediately and the persons responsible should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law (whatever that is, if at all possible).

I don’t have all the answers, and what’s right in one neighborhood may be wrong in another. However, I am confident that there is a solution.

No matter how this strike is resolved, the fact that it exists—and is probably a precursor to more such strikes—points the way to a brighter future for everyone.

It’s a victory for workers over wealth.

And that is a victory for students, too.

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