A report card on the Biden administration

[Sandy Shanks]

ABC reports, "A Republican candidate for Michigan governor pleaded not guilty Thursday for his actions during the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when he says he and other supporters of then-President Donald Trump were exercising their free speech rights.

"Ryan Kelley appeared via video for a brief hearing in federal court, weeks after the real estate broker was arrested at his home in western Michigan and charged with several misdemeanors for his role in the riot.

"Kelley said little during the hearing, but at a debate Wednesday night he said he and others at the Capitol were unhappy with the 2020 presidential election when Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

“That was a First Amendment activity by a majority of those people, myself included," Kelley said. "We were there protesting the government because we don’t like the results of the 2020 election, the process of how it happened. And we have that First Amendment right. And that’s what 99% of the people were there for that day.”

President Donald Trump’s assault on American democracy began in the spring of 2020, when he issued a flurry of preemptive attacks on the integrity of the country’s voting systems. The doubts he cultivated ultimately led to a rampage inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, when a pro-Trump mob came within seconds of encountering Vice President Mike Pence, trapped lawmakers, and vandalized the home of Congress in the worst desecration of the complex since British forces burned it in 1814. Five people died in the Jan. 6 attack or in the immediate aftermath, and 140 police officers were assaulted. The Washington Post.

With Donald Trump as President for four years, Republicans running for office have learned the art of lying to the American people.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

ABC reports, "The European Union's parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly condemned the end of constitutional protections for abortion in the United States and called for such safeguards to be enshrined in the EU's fundamental rights charter.

“It teaches us a lesson: Women’s and girls’ human rights can never be taken for granted, and we must always fight to defend them,” Swedish politician Helene Fritzon said.

"Underscoring fears that anti-abortion movements might expand in Europe, some legislators said they wanted to see EU-wide protections adopted."

“The United States has clearly shown why we must use every tool available to safeguard abortion rights in the European Union," said Stéphane Séjourné the president of the Renew Europe group in the EU Parliament.

Congratulations to the Republican Party. Because of the powerful influence of the religious right. the Republican Party has made the United States a pariah among nations.

Once again Vladimir Putin is pleased that he helped Donald Trump become President in 2016. Trump's three selections to the Supreme Court made all this possible.

The forum's Republicans will probably remain silent about these issues. They rarely talk about their own party. It is off-limits. Also, they don't care, and they don't have the background to respond.

Most will have to consult the nearest Webster's to find out what pariah means.

Republicans are expected to win control of Congress in November because the Democrats are busy blaming the Democratic President because his goals are being blocked by Senate Republicans.

I am proud to be an Independent.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Democrats are blaming our President. Combined with Republicans, President Biden's poll numbers are in the toilet. Because Democrats are casting blame on a Democratic President for the gridlock, these same Democrats are likely to lose control of the House and Senate in November.

I guess Democrats think Republicans can do a better job.

The Republican inspired Supreme Court overruled Roe vs. Wade, thus approving government control of women's health when a pregnancy is involved. Our President strongly disapproves of the decision.

So do most Americans. Suddenly, certain Republican oriented Supreme Court justices have become very unpopular, and they have walled themselves off from the American people.

That has never happened before.

The AP reports, "President Joe Biden on Friday condemned the “extreme” Supreme Court majority that ended a constitutional right to abortion and delivered an impassioned plea for Americans upset by the decision to “vote, vote, vote vote” in November. Under mounting pressure from fellow Democrats to be more forceful in response to the ruling, he signed an executive order to try to protect access to the procedure.

"The actions Biden outlined are intended to head off some potential penalties that women seeking abortion may face after the ruling, but his order cannot restore access to abortion in the more than a dozen states where strict limits or total bans have gone into effect. About a dozen more states are set to impose additional restrictions.

"Biden acknowledged the limitations facing his office, saying it would require an act of Congress to restore nationwide access to the way it was before the June 24 decision."

Currently, Senate Republicans will not allow that to happen.

President Biden said that he would support making an exception to the filibuster – the 60-vote threshold in the Senate needed to pass most legislation – in order to codify abortion rights and the right to privacy through legislation passed by Congress. However, two Republican leaning Democratic Senators, Manchin of West Virginia and Sinema of Arizona, are opposed to changing the filibuster rule. Consequently, the President needs two additional Democrats in the Senate and to maintain control of the House to codify Roe vs. Wade.

Hence the plea for votes.

Combined with the public's indictment of the former Republican President for attempting to overthrow the elected government, the Democrats have a shot in November.

But only if the Democrats quit blaming the Democratic President for the Republican Party's opposition to Democratic goals.

I know that the last sentence makes no sense, but there it is. It's called politics and several Democrats are acting like children. They are not getting their way, so, they blame daddy.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Combined with the public's indictment of the former Republican President for attempting to overthrow the elected government, the Democrats have a shot in November.

But only if the Democrats quit blaming the Democratic President for the Republican Party's opposition to Democratic goals.

ABC reports, "The U.S. saw stronger than expected job growth in June, as the economy added 372,000 jobs and the unemployment rate remained at 3.6%, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday.

"The new data arrives at a precarious moment. Across the economy, acute financial distress could grow as the Fed pursues a series of rate hikes that aim to dial back sky-high inflation but risks tipping the economy into a recession. At its most recent meeting, last month, the Fed raised its benchmark interest rate 0.75%, its largest rate increase since 1994.

"Speaking at the White House on Friday, President Joe Biden touted the employment data as a sign of strong economic performance, despite persistent inflation."

When are Americans going to learn? A byproduct of prosperity is inflation. Deflation is a byproduct of recession. That is economics 101. Yet Americans are blaming the President for inflation.

Prosperity or recession? Americans need to ask themselves, which would you rather have?

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The AP reports, "Former White House counsel Pat Cipollone met for a private interview with the Jan. 6 committee for about eight hours Friday regarding his role in trying to prevent then-President Donald Trump from challenging the 2020 presidential election and joining the violent mob that laid siege to the Capitol.

"Cipollone, once a staunch presidential confidant who had defended Trump during his first impeachment trial, had been reluctant to appear formally for an on-record interview. Like other former White House officials, it is possible he claimed his counsel to the Republican president as privileged information he was unwilling to share with the committee.

"It remained unclear after he left the Capitol Hill building Friday afternoon whether he had remained within those parameters during the hourslong interview.

"Cipollone has been a sought-after witness after bombshell testimony revealed his apparently desperate and last-ditch efforts to prevent Trump’s actions. The panel was told he warned the defeated president would be charged with “every crime imaginable” if he went to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, trying to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s election. Cipollone was subpoenaed for his testimony."

Cipollone was the White House counsel. As such, Trump was not his client. The Executive Branch, or the Office of the President, was his client.

 

[Manc Skipper]

So. Pleading the fifth doesn't take eight hours, and one report says he never contradicted the testimony of previous witnesses!

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Democrats are virtually guaranteeing that the Democratic Party will lose control of Congress in November.

Republicans are responsible for the overturning of Roe vs, Wade, thus approving the government's control of a woman's health when a pregnancy is involved.

Republicans are responsible for the attempted overthrow of our elected government.

Republicans will not allow meaningful gun control measures, thus causing rampant crime in our cities and shooting massacres.

Republicans will not allow a ban on assault rifles, the type of weapon used in the massacres in Buffalo, Uvalde, Highland Park.

Who do Democrats blame? The Democratic President, of course, thus assuring a Republican victory in the fall.

The Times reports, "President Biden is facing an alarming level of doubt from inside his own party, with 64 percent of Democratic voters saying they would prefer a new standard-bearer in the 2024 presidential campaign, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll, as voters nationwide have soured on his leadership, giving him a meager 33 percent job-approval rating."

The President has very little control over the economy, and inflation is caused by the pandemic, supply problems, natural consequence of full employment and prosperity, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Who do Democrats blame? The Democratic President, of course.

The Times resumes, "Widespread concerns about the economy and inflation have helped turn the national mood decidedly dark, both on Mr. Biden and the trajectory of the [Democratically controlled] nation."

This is reminiscent of the 2016 Presidential election. Young Democratic voters were depressed that their boy, Bernie Sanders, did not get the Democratic nod, and they turned their anger on the Democratic Party. They voted in large enough numbers for Trump in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania to give Trump the Presidency.

Now Democrats are doing their best to do it all over again in 2022. Go figure.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Trump and Steve Bannon lie so much they no longer can distinguish reality from fantasy.

ABC reports, "Steve Bannon, a former top adviser in Donald Trump's White House, recently told the House panel investigating the Capitol riot that he would be willing to testify since Trump now says he won't cite executive privilege.

"In a letter on Saturday to the committee, obtained by ABC News, Bannon said he would prefer testifying in a live, public hearing after the former president had sent him a separate letter on Saturday."

Bannon thinks the Jan. 6 committee will allow him to appear on live television to expound on his zany, baseless conspiracy fantasies? He definitely has a problem with reality. That is not going to happen.

ABC explains, "Jan 6 committee member Rep. Zoe Lofgren suggested that a public testimony may be unlikely. "This goes on for hour after hour after hour. We want to get all our questions answered, and you can't do that in a live format."

Then there is the matter of executive privilege. This is where fantasy collides with reality when Trump and Bannon are involved.

Again, ABC explains, "Both the House committee and federal prosecutors who sought to speak with Bannon have said the executive privilege claims never covered him, since the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection took place long after Bannon left his post as chief White House strategist in 2017.

"Bannon previously defied a subpoena from the committee and is awaiting trial on criminal contempt charges."

Suddenly, Bannon now wants to cooperate with the committee ... governed by his conditions, of course. As mentioned, that will not happen.

ABC continued, "In Trump's letter to Bannon, Trump reiterated his criticisms of the House committee."

"He wrote, "When you first received the Subpoena to testify and provide documents, I invoked Executive Privilege. However, I watched how unfairly you and others have been treated. Therefore, if you reach an agreement on a time and place for your testimony, I will waive Executive Privilege for you, which allows you to go in and testify truthfully and fairly..."

"The Justice Department revealed in an early Monday morning court filing that federal investigators interviewed former President Donald Trump's attorney Justin Clark two weeks ago in connection with former Trump adviser Steve Bannon's criminal contempt case.

"Prosecutors say that Clark confirmed in the interview that at no point did Trump ever invoke executive privilege over Bannon's testimony."

Who is lying? I really have no idea, but Clark was under oath to federal investigators. Trump and Bannon are free to lie. They were not under oath. The reader can decide.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

CNN reports. "Former White House counsel Pat Cipollone testified for eight hours in front of the House Jan. 6 Committee on Friday in a closed-door interview. Here are some key moments of his testimony played at the committee's seventh hearing on Tuesday.

"He did not think there was sufficient evidence of election fraud: In his testimony, Cipollone said he agreed with former Attorney General Bill Barr, who concluded there was insufficient evidence of election fraud. He recounted former chief of staff Mark Meadows saying in November 2020 that then-President Trump should have conceded, to which he said he agreed. Jason Miller, a former senior adviser to Trump, told the committee that Cipollone called John Eastman's theory to overturn the election "nutty." Cipollone did not refute this statement.

"He was verbally attacked during the Dec. 18, 2020 meeting at the White House. Cipollone told the committee he walked into the Dec.18 meeting attended by Trump, former Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell, former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne.

"The meeting, which lasted six hours, was described as “unhinged” by former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson. Ideas circulated about overturning the election including Flynn's suggestion to invoke martial law and inspection of voting machines.

“I don’t think any of these people were providing the President with good advice,” Cipollone told the committee.

"After asking where the evidence was for claims of voter fraud, Cipollone said that he and Meadows were verbally attacked for questioning where the evidence was for Trump’s claimed victory."

CBS reports, "Tuesday's hearing began with a tweet Trump sent at 1:42 a.m. on Dec. 19, 2020, which said, "Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!"

"On January 6, Trump knew the crowd was angry," committee member Raskin said. "He knew the crowd was armed. He sent them to the Capitol anyway."

"When you catch somebody in a fraud, you are allowed to go by very different rules."
We fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
Now it is up to Congress to confront this egregious assault on our democracy. And after this, we’re going to walk down, and I’ll be there with you. We are going to try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country,” part of President Trump's instructions to the mob on Jan. 6, 2021.

Was this the President giving orders to those in the audience?

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Republicans no longer declare the Jan. 6 insurrection was caused by antifa. They no longer say it was a peaceful protest. They no longer say the intruders of our capitol were tourists who "stayed between the ropes."

In fact, they don't say anything about the insurrection that resulted in five deaths and over a hundred capitol defenders were injured.

Why are Republican leaders silent about Jan. 6? Their lives were at risk on that day, and all we get from them is silence?

On December 19, President Trump, for all practical purposes, circled the date. The Times reports, "For weeks, President Trump and his supporters had been proclaiming Jan. 6, 2021, as a day of reckoning. A day to gather in Washington to “save America” and “stop the steal.”

“Big protest in D.C. on January 6th,” Trump tweeted on Dec. 19, just one of several of his tweets promoting the day. “Be there, will be wild!”

“We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.”

“When you catch somebody in a fraud, you are allowed to go by very different rules."

“We fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”

"Now it is up to Congress to confront this egregious assault on our democracy. And after this, we’re going to walk down, and I’ll be there with you. We are going to try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.”
********************************************************************************Donald J. Trump, Jan. 5, 2021

Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, chimed in.

“If they ran such a clean election, they’d have you come in and look at the paper ballots. Who hides evidence? Criminals hide evidence. Not honest people. Over the next 10 days, we get to see the machines that are crooked, the ballots that are fraudulent, and if we’re wrong, we will be made fools of. But if we’re right, a lot of them will go to jail. Let’s have trial by combat.”

Little wonder as to why Republican leaders wish to remain silent on the subject.

In the meantime, Trump remains beloved by the members of his cult, the grassroots Republican. That is a dilemma for the Republican Party.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Trump remains beloved by the members of his cult, the grassroots Republican. That is a dilemma for the Republican Party.

CNN reports, "Republican leaders are trying to send a not-so-subtle signal to Donald Trump these days: Do NOT announce for president before the November midterm elections."

“Yeah, I think we’d like to just kind of keep the accelerator down and push hard into November,” Sen. John Thune, the second-ranking Republican in the chamber, said Monday. “I think we’ve got, you know, the issues set and everything the political landscapes, environment’s favorable. And I think the fewer disruptions obviously, the better, but, you know, I don’t have any control over what he may or may not do or when he may do it.”

"Thune’s warning comes amid increasing signs that Trump is itching to announce a third candidacy – and to do so before the midterms.

"The party's message is clear: Don’t screw this up for us."

 

[Sandy Shanks]

CNN reports, "As President Joe Biden arrived here on Wednesday, he is doing something he has never done on a foreign trip: Embracing one of his predecessor’s legacy achievements.

"While much of his foreign travel in his first 18 months in office has focused on reversing the foreign policy of former President Donald Trump and shoring up battered alliances, Biden on his first trip to the Middle East will embrace the Trump-era Abraham Accords that normalized relations between Israel and several Arab countries and pursue an expansion of growing Arab-Israeli security and economic ties."

"The Biden administration’s focus on the Abraham Accords more broadly, though, also reflects a recognition that a fundamental shift in regional dynamics has begun.

“In some ways, it’s a policy earthquake,” said David Makovsky, a distinguished fellow at The Washington Institute.

“Saudi Arabia, the way we see it, is that it is a very important country in the Middle East and beyond. In expanding Israeli normalization with the Arab world, we would also like to see Saudi Arabia as part of that expansion,” a senior Israeli official told CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/15/politics/israel-uae-bahrain-white-house-analysis-intl/index.html

 

[Sandy Shanks]

"When you catch somebody in a fraud, you are allowed to go by very different rules."
We fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
Now it is up to Congress to confront this egregious assault on our democracy. And after this, we’re going to walk down, and I’ll be there with you. We are going to try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country,” part of President Trump's instructions to the mob on Jan. 6, 2021.

CNN reports, "The House January 6 hearings have evolved from documenting a stain on history to a warning of a violent and tyrannical future that awaits if Donald Trump is allowed to again unleash America’s pent-up extremism.

"In the latest episode of its limited season television event, the House select committee on Tuesday traced Trump’s links to and inspiration for far right-wing groups that came to Washington to help his mob smash its way into Congress in early 2021. These were the forces that heeded the ex-President’s call to “fight like Hell” to thwart President Joe Biden’s election, including the Oath Keepers militia and the Proud Boys he once told to “stand back, and stand by” on national TV.

This continuing effort to undermine American institutions and the rule of law is showing that Trump’s threat to democracy didn’t end in 2021. Whatever impact the committee has on the ex-President’s future political prospects, and whether or not he ends up facing criminal charges, there’s a sense that while documenting Trump’s past transgressions, the committee is also racing to keep up with his new ones.

The public hearings are an effort to expose a seam of far right-wing extremism that exists below the surface of American political life, CNN.

In the meantime, the forum's Republicans remain totally silent about all this. Congressional Republicans are the quietest bunch of lawmakers in American history, and, if they say anything at all, it is to complain about inflation. According to a recent poll, 49% of GOP voters favor Trump becoming the Presidential candidate in 2024. The Democrats are doing all they can to ensure Republicans win control of Congress in November.

There is something seriously wrong with America.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

In the meantime, the forum's Republicans remain totally silent about all this. Congressional Republicans are the quietest bunch of lawmakers in American history, and, if they say anything at all, it is to complain about inflation. According to a recent poll, 49% of GOP voters favor Trump becoming the Presidential candidate in 2024.

There is something seriously wrong with America.

The WSJ reports, "Members of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol are discussing the next steps in their investigation, including whether to seek an interview with former Vice President Mike Pence and potentially ex-President Donald Trump, according to one of the Republican members of the panel.

"Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R., Ill.), the panel member who will be leading some of the questioning at next Thursday’s prime-time hearing, said in an interview ahead of a meeting Thursday that the panel could decide to request a written interview with Mr. Pence. The committee could also discuss whether to issue a subpoena to the former vice president to try to compel him to testify, he said.

"The committee is also weighing whether it will ask Mr. Trump to testify, Mr. Kinzinger said. Earlier this year, Chairman Bennie Thompson (D., Miss.) had signaled it was unlikely that the panel would call Mr. Trump but other members indicated it was still under consideration."

The committee is unwilling to provide a soapbox for Trump's baseless conspiracies. That said, Republicans need to ask themselves a question.

The committee has not turned away anyone who wishes to testify. Why is it Donald Trump refuses to testify in his own defense?

The WSJ continued, "The next hearing, which hasn’t been formally scheduled, is expected to focus on what was happening during a 187-minute period on Jan. 6 that culminated in a 4:17 p.m. video by Mr. Trump in which he asked rioters, whom he called “very special,” to leave the Capitol."

“The information we’re going to present is going to be so compelling in terms of what was happening during the 187 minutes,” Mr. Kinzinger said

 

[Sandy Shanks]

This is surreal!

CNN reports, "Indiana’s Republican attorney general said Thursday that authorities in his state are investigating – for potential failure to report child abuse – a doctor who said she recently helped a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio obtain an abortion in Indiana, even as the attack already had been reported by the girl’s mother and Ohio police were investigating.

"Attorney General Todd Rokita first made the announcement Wednesday on Fox News.

"Dr. Caitlin Bernard, an Indianapolis-based Ob-Gyn, told CNN earlier this month that she helped the girl after Ohio banned abortion as early as six weeks of gestation following the US Supreme Court’s ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. The young girl was raped in early May and police in Columbus were first alerted of her pregnancy on June 22, according to police documents and court testimony. A little more than a week later, the girl underwent an abortion in Indiana."

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Julian Zelizer writes, "Younger voters are frustrated and angry. To many of them, American politics feels broken. Elected officials are too old and out of touch. Gridlock and dysfunction have been the norm. On issue after issue, it seems crises go unaddressed.

"In a recent New York Times report on the generational anger that is brewing in 2022, a voter in her 20s doubted the abilities of President Joe Biden and other Democratic leaders and asked, “How are you going to accurately lead your country if your mind is still stuck 50, 60 or 70 years ago?”

"Many young Americans who were keen to vote former President Donald Trump out of office are now profoundly unhappy with Biden as well. Only 1% of 18 to 29-year-olds strongly approve of the way Biden is handling his role, according to a survey from the Times and Siena College."

Can't they wait? Or, apparently, these young Democrats think the Republicans can do better because they are virtually assuring that the Democrats will be turning control of Congress over to Republicans in November.

It was younger Democrats who gave us Trump in 2016. They voted in disgust in large enough numbers in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania to give the Presidency to Trump, by far, the worst President in our history. A year and a half after leaving office Americans are still trying to undo the damage caused by Trump.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Can't they wait? Or, apparently, these young Democrats think the Republicans can do better because they are virtually assuring that the Democrats will be turning control of Congress over to Republicans in November.

Republican leaning Joe Manchin just threw a wrench into President Biden's plans. He makes a habit of doing this. He is from rural West Virginia, coal country with marginal educationally equipped voters. Many of Trump's followers are from West Virginia.

The Times reports, "First, he killed a plan that would have forced power plants to clean up their climate-warming pollution. Then, he shattered an effort to help consumers pay for electric vehicles. And, finally, he said he could not support government incentives for solar and wind companies or any of the other provisions that the rest of his party and his president say are vital to ensure a livable planet.

Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, who took more campaign cash from the oil and gas industry than any other senator, and who became a millionaire from his family coal business, independently blew up the Democratic Party’s legislative plans to fight climate change. The swing Democratic vote in an evenly divided Senate, Mr. Manchin led his party through months of tortured negotiations that collapsed on Thursday night, a yearlong wild goose chase that produced nothing as the Earth [heats up]."

Democrat Joe Manchin and young Democrats are virtually guaranteeing that the Democrats will lose their control of Congress in November. The party that led a coup attempt to overthrow our elected government will take over.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The Post reports, "A government watchdog accused the U.S. Secret Service of erasing texts from Jan. 5 and 6, 2021, after his office requested them as part of an inquiry into the U.S. Capitol attack, according to a letter sent to lawmakers this week.

"Joseph V. Cuffari, head of the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, wrote to the leaders of the House and Senate Homeland Security committees indicating that the text messages have vanished and that efforts to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, attack were being hindered."

“The Department notified us that many U.S. Secret Service (USSS) text messages, from January 5 and 6, 2021 were erased as part of a device-replacement program,” he wrote in a letter dated Wednesday.

"Cuffari emphasized that the erasures came “after” the Office of Inspector General requested copies of the text messages for its own investigation."

The explanation from the Secret Service is nothing short of extraordinary.

The Post continued, "Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said Thursday that the agency did not maliciously delete text messages following a request.

“In January 2021, before any inspection was opened by OIG on this subject, USSS began to reset its mobile phones to factory settings as part of a pre-planned, three-month system migration. In that process, data on some phones was lost,” he said.

Let's examine that explanation with one question. Is there anyone here dumb enough to replace their old computer with a brand new computer and not transfer the data from the old computer?

It is easy to assume the data was injurious to someone or several someones. Was the Secret Service loyal to Trump? Before anyone answers, it is one thing to be protective of the President. It is something quite different to be politically aligned with the President. The latter is a violation of the integrity of the Secret Service.

CNN reports, "The Department of Homeland Security inspector general on Friday briefed all nine members of the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack about the Secret Service erasing text messages from the day of the riot and the day before.

"The committee now plans to reach out to Secret Service officials to ask about the erasure of text messages from the day of the US Capitol attack and the day before."

 

[Sandy Shanks]

CNN reports, "President Joe Biden is on a landmark trip to the Middle East. One country he won’t be visiting, however, is dominating the agenda: Iran.

"Biden’s itinerary includes just two countries, Israel and Saudi Arabia. Those are Tehran’s biggest regional foes, and they are coming closer together than ever before.

"Saudi Arabia has been pressuring the US for security guarantees that would contain Iran should nuclear talks fail. The last round of talks in Doha two weeks ago resulted in a standstill, with the US saying Iran added unrelated demands to the table.

"Early on Friday, just hours before Biden was due to touch down in the kingdom, Saudi Arabia moved one step closer to normalizing relations with Iran’s arch-enemy Israel by opening its airspace to all airlines. Israeli carriers were previously barred from entering Saudi airspace on most flights.

"Last month, US lawmakers introduced legislation to create an integrated air defense system to increase cooperation between Israel and its Arab neighbors, including the countries whose leaders Biden will meet in Saudi Arabia this week. The defense system is aimed to protect those states from Iran."

While forgetting that diplomacy was not invented to communicate with our friends, but to communicate with our adversaries, the media is greatly concerned about a murder that took place a year and half ago along with fist pumps and handshakes. In the meantime our President quietly goes about his job without fanfare or controversy. In other words, our kind of President.

Unfortunately, too many Democrats are seeking to get Trump back.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Diplomacy was not invented to communicate with our friends, but to communicate with our adversaries.

That is how the major wars in our history have ended. Adversaries talking to one another and coming up with an agreement to end the fighting and the killing. This is known as diplomacy.

Our President greeted an adversary last week and we still haven't heard the end of it.

Politico reports, "Upon Biden’s arrival at Al Salam Royal Palace, where he was scheduled to participate in a meeting with the king, the crown prince was on hand to greet the president as he stepped out of his vehicle. Biden and bin Salman then fist-bumped one another before walking inside.

"The exchange prompted immediate backlash from human rights activists who criticized Biden for offering what they called too-friendly of a greeting to the crown prince. The president also received criticism from Washington Post publisher Fred Ryan, who called the fist bump “shameful.'"

Fred is unaware of the meaning of diplomacy.

Immediate backlash? The former President sponsored and, perhaps, led a coup attempt on Jan. 6, 2021, to overthrow our elected government. Where is the backlash to that?

A fist pump vs. the first ever coup attempt in American history, the former receives an "immediate backlash," the latter, a ho-hum. The coup attempt is low on the list of priorities for voters.

The former President is the leading candidate for the Republican nomination for President in 2024, and his party is likely to win Congress in November.

Americans have their priorities screwed up.

Politico continued, "A reporter asked whether he can be sure a murder like Khashoggi’s won’t happen again. Biden responded: “God love you. What a silly question. How can I possibly be sure of any of that?”

I like this President.

Incidentally, our relations with Saudi Arabia are complicated. It can be argued that Saudi Arabia is more of a friend than Turkey.

Turkey is a member of NATO.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

CBS reports, "The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol assault expects the Secret Service to hand over text messages that the panel subpoenaed by Tuesday, committee member Rep. Zoe Lofgren said Sunday.

"The committee issued the subpoena last Friday after the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general told lawmakers that the Secret Service had erased text messages from Jan. 5 and Jan. 6, 2021. DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari said the messages were deleted after his office requested them, and the Secret Service claimed some phone data was deleted unintentionally as a part of a pre-planned system migration.

"In a statement, a Secret Service spokesman said the agency "confirmed to OIG that none of the texts it was seeking had been lost in the migration." On ABC's "This Week," Lofgren said the committee expects to receive the relevant messages "by Tuesday."

The inspector general said that he had been trying to get this information, but it had been deleted after he asked for the text messages.

"There was a statement made by the spokesperson for the [Secret Service] saying that it wasn't true, it wasn't fair, and that they, in fact, had pertinent texts — and we go, fine, if you have them, we need them. And we expect to get them by this Tuesday. So we'll see," Lofgren said.

There is something really strange about all this. At first glance, it appears the Secret Service can't get its story straight. Lofren agreed with this.

She was "shocked" to hear the Secret Service didn't back up the data before resetting agency iPhones, calling that "crazy."

Or extremely unlikely. No one could be that stupid.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

This is surreal!

CNN reports, "Indiana’s Republican attorney general said Thursday that authorities in his state are investigating – for potential failure to report child abuse – a doctor who said she recently helped a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio obtain an abortion in Indiana, even as the attack already had been reported by the girl’s mother and Ohio police were Postinvestigating.

The Post reports, "A misconduct complaint alleges Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita intended to “harass and intimidate” doctors who perform abortions when he publicly cast doubts about whether an Indianapolis OB/GYN complied with state law after helping a 10-year-old rape victim terminate a pregnancy.

"The newly filed complaint against Indiana’s top prosecutor is expected to trigger a probe by the state’s Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission after Rokita, a Republican, claimed last week on Fox News that physician Caitlin Bernard had a “history of failing to report” abortions in child-abuse cases and rapidly launched an investigation into her licensure.

"A record obtained by The Washington Post showed that Bernard, who administered the abortion medication to a girl forced to travel from her home state of Ohio for the service, reported the incident to relevant state agencies as required by Indiana law."

Rokita first announced he was going after the doctor on Fox News.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

"In a statement, a Secret Service spokesman said the agency "confirmed to OIG that none of the texts it was seeking had been lost in the migration." On ABC's "This Week," Lofgren said the committee expects to receive the relevant messages "by Tuesday."

There is very little doubt now. The Secret Service intentionally deleted those text messages on Jan. 5 and 6, 2021.

That becomes self-evident when the Secret Service, after a sequence of confusing statements, was forced to admit that the messages are unrecoverable. Unrecoverable means they were deleted permanently so the committee could not get their hands on them.

It is apparent that the Secret Service is hiding something. There simply is no other explanation.

The Times reports, "The Secret Service said it may [may?, bull] not be able to recover a batch of erased text messages from phones used by its agents around the time of the attack on the Capitol last year, a development that comes amid intensified scrutiny over lapses in the agency’s accounting of its actions during the riots.

"The Secret Service informed the House Jan. 6 committee that it was still attempting a forensic search for the phone records on Tuesday morning, when it delivered not the missing text messages the panel was seeking but “thousands of pages of documents” and other records related to decisions made on Jan. 6, according to the agency’s spokesman, Anthony Guglielmi."

Later, in an interview, Mr. Guglielmi said the phone records were probably not recoverable, the Times.

This is the song and dance the Secret Service gives, according to the Times.

"The Secret Service has said the missing messages were purged as part of a technology update and were not related to its work around Jan. 6. Other messages directly related to the work of its agents during that period, the agency has said, were backed up and have been turned over to the inspector general."

Of course, they can say anything they want regarding the missing messages. The Secret Service destroyed them. They must really think Americans are stupid.

All of this is simply another nail in Trump's coffin. It is circumstantial evidence that the Secret Service was attempting to hide what Trump was doing that day.

That becomes an interesting question when one realizes that our capitol was under attack, the lives of the members of Congress were being threatened, and the Commander-in-Chief did nothing for over three hours.

Donald Trump is currently the leader of the Republican Party, and he is expected to announce his intentions of running for President in 2024. Grassroots Republicans adore him.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

CNN reports, "Matthew Pottinger, who served on former President Donald Trump’s National Security Council before resigning in the immediate aftermath of January 6, 2021, will testify publicly at Thursday’s prime-time hearing held by the House select committee investigating the US Capitol attack, according to multiple sources familiar with the plans.

"Pottinger is slated to appear alongside former Trump White House aide Sarah Matthews.

"CNN previously reported that Matthews, who served as deputy press secretary in the Trump White House until resigning shortly after January 6, 2021, was expected to testify publicly. When she resigned, Matthews said she was honored to serve in Trump’s administration but “was deeply disturbed by what I saw.” She said at the time, “Our nation needs a peaceful transfer of power.”

"The committee’s vice chairwoman, Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, described Pottinger like this during one of the committee’s previous hearings: “A former Marine intelligence officer who served in the White House for four years, including – including as deputy national security adviser, was in the vicinity of the Oval Office at various points throughout the day.”

"The committee played a video clip from Pottinger’s interview in which he described the moment he knew it was the moment to resign."

“One of my staff brought me a printout of a tweet by the President, and the tweet said something to the effect that Mike Pence, the vice president, didn’t have the courage to do what he – what should have been done. I – I read that tweet and made a decision at that moment to resign. That’s where I knew that I was leaving that day once I read that tweet.”

Dare I say it. Still another nail in Trump's coffin. This is Trump's inner circle at the White House.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

A strong majority of Americans favor meaningful gun control laws and a ban on assault rifles.

The NRA sponsored Republican Party is vehemently opposed to meaningful gun control laws and a ban on assault rifles.

When it comes to abortion, a strong majority of Americans support the woman's right to decide her health decisions as well as decisions on related matters.

The Republican Party strongly opposes the woman's rights in this matter and favor government control of the woman's health.

The Earth is heating up and people are dying. A strong majority of Americans favor enacting climate change initiatives.

The oil, gas, and coal sponsored Republican Party along with Senator Manchin are opposed to climate change legislation because it is inflationary. Beyond that, their sponsors wouldn't like it.

Republicans are better than Democrats at managing the economy. Really? U.S. economic history belies that myth promulgated by Republicans.

10 of the last 11 recessions started under Republican presidents. Every Republican president since Benjamin Harrison, who served from 1889 to 1893, had a recession in their first term in office. Below is the start date of recessions; the following list includes the president in office at that time and their party:

1.) February 2008 (Bush 43 / R) House - D / Senate - D

2.) December 2007 (Bush 43 / R) House - D / Senate - D

3.) March 2001 (Bush 43 / R) House - R / Senate - R

4.) July 1990 (Bush 41 / R) House - D / Senate - D

5.) July 1981 (Reagan / R) House - D / Senate - D

6.) January 1980 (Carter / D) House - D / Senate - D

7.) November 1973 (Nixon / R) House - D / Senate - D

8.) December 1969 (Nixon / R) House - D / Senate - D

9.) April 1960 (Eisenhower / R) House - D / Senate - D

10.) August 1957 (Eisenhower / R) House - D / Senate - D

11.) July 1953 (Eisenhower / R) House - R / Senate - R

12.) November 1948 (Truman / D) House - R / Senate - R

The economy was in recession for 49 quarters from 1949-2013; 8 of these quarters were under Democrats, with 41 under Republicans.

Our latest recession took place under the Republican administration of Donald Trump in 2020. Recovery took place under the Democratic Biden administration. We currently have full employment and healthy spending by consumers.

Within the next few months, while under investigation by the DOJ for sedition, Donald Trump is expected to announce his candidacy for President in the next few months.

Question: Why in the world are Republicans expected to win control of Congress in November? Sheer ignorance? Americans vote against their interests? Party first, their own interests second?

Our economic history was provided by this source, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._...mocratic_and_Republican_presidents#Recessions