A report card on the Biden administration

[Sandy Shanks]

The Biden economy is humming along. The voters finally realized that and gave the Democrats a break in the mid-terms. If it is not broken, don't fix it.

ABC reports, "Americans stepped up their spending at retailers, restaurants, and auto dealers last month, a sign of consumer resilience as the holiday shopping season begins amid painfully high inflation and rising interest rates.

"The government said Wednesday that retail sales rose 1.3% in October from September, up from a flat reading in September from August. The increase was led by car sales and higher gas prices. Still, excluding autos and gas, retail spending rose a solid 0.9% last month.

"Even adjusting for inflation, spending increased at a solid pace. Prices rose 0.4% in October from September, much less than the overall sales figure.

"Steady job growth, rising wages, and higher savings after many people cut back on travel and entertainment during the pandemic have enabled surprisingly steady spending by consumers.

"Analysts said Wednesday's government report on retail sales points to a healthier economy than previously expected. Morgan Stanley revised its forecast for growth in the October-December quarter to 1.7% at an annual rate, up from an earlier projection of 0.7%."

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Donald Trump is an idiot, and the largely rural voters that make up the Republican base are fools for making him their savior. Their unrelenting support for Trump cost their party a great deal in the mid-terms, including a defeat in the Senate and attaining only a razor-thin majority in the House.

How foolish is Trump? Let's allow CNBC to explain.

"Former President Donald Trump announced Tuesday night that he was running for president in 2024, laying out an aggressively conservative agenda that includes executing people convicted of selling drugs.

The campaign will be Trump’s third run for president, but his first time trying to win votes since his refusal to accept his 2020 election loss and his frantic effort to hold onto power led to the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

"Trump barely mentioned the 2020 presidential race, nor did he bring up his two separate impeachments trials, the first for leveraging U.S. foreign aid in an effort to extort Ukraine into investigating the Biden family, and the second for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

"Trump said the “gravest threat to our civilization” was what he called the weaponization of the Justice Department and the FBI, which is currently investigating his handling of classified documents and his role in a massive effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election results and prevent Congress from certifying Biden’s victory.

"Trump also said he would demand a sweeping new slate of election restrictions, including requiring only paper ballots, only allowing voters one day to vote, requiring photo ID in order to vote and “all votes counted by election night.”

Trump doesn't know that the states control elections, not the federal government.

The Florida governor is widely expected to run for the Republican presidential nomination, but he showed no signs of urgency to enter the race now that Trump is in.

“I mean, seriously. We just ran an election,” DeSantis said. “We have this Georgia runoff coming, which is very important for Republicans to win that Georgia runoff.”

This is a perfect strategy for DeSantis to take – and one that makes Trump look a) needy and b) more focused on himself than the Republican Party.

Trump's overriding reason for announcing his candidacy? He loves the attention ... even if he looks stupid attaining it.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

In the face of a barrage of criticism regarding their party, Republicans continue their policy of total silence.

I can't wait for these investigations to begin. The number one question -- What in the world are Republicans going to investigate? They don't know. They speak in vague generalities.

CNN reports, "After clinching the majority in the House of Representatives in the midterm elections, top Republicans on Thursday outlined a broad range of investigative targets focused on President Joe Biden and his family’s business dealings."

“In the 118th Congress, this committee will evaluate the status of Joe Biden’s relationship with his family’s foreign partners and whether he is a President who is compromised or swayed by foreign dollars and influence,” said Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee. “I want to be clear: This is an investigation of Joe Biden, and that’s where the committee will focus in this next Congress.”

The perfect illustration of "vague generalities."

To find grounds for impeachment, the Republicans are going to investigate Biden's son.

"Comer said Republicans have made connections between the president’s son, Hunter Biden, and the president that they believe requires further investigation. Comer said his team has spoken with multiple whistleblowers who say they were involved in schemes involving the Biden family, reviewed Hunter Biden’s laptop, and received “previously unknown transactions,” CNN.

That's ludicrous. Some Republicans say they want to impeach our President, but they have no idea what they are going to impeach him for.

This is to get back at Democrats for their investigation of President Trump's role in the coup attempt to overthrow our elected government and his theft of classified documents when he left the White House. Both are the subject a criminal probe by the DOJ.

Trump said the “gravest threat to our civilization” was what he called the weaponization of the Justice Department and the FBI.

President Biden is prepared.

CNN explains, "More than four months before voters handed Republicans control of the House of Representatives, top White House and Department of Homeland Security officials huddled in the Roosevelt Room to prepare for that very scenario."

No doubt Republicans will continue their silence. It is the smart thing to do.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

David A. Andelman writes, "Each day, it would seem, Russian President Vladimir Putin has become ever more adept at creating more victims and new enemies – solidifying, even enlarging, the ranks of those arrayed against him, and strengthening the resolve of those he would seek to conquer. At home and abroad, there seems to be no limit to Putin’s appetite to wreak mayhem in pursuit of an ever more elusive victory.

"The first missile to have landed in Poland – a NATO member – on Tuesday may well have been a Ukrainian anti-aircraft rocket intercepting an incoming Russian missile a short distance from one of Ukraine’s largest cities, Lviv, as suspected by Polish and NATO leaders. (President Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, has insisted the missile was not Ukrainian)

"But the proximate reason for this action was in fact Putin’s utterly inhumane carpet bombing of Ukrainian infrastructure. This is all part of Putin’s misguided, and likely futile, effort to hammer the nation into submission – a hail of rockets designed to knock out electricity, water, and other critical civilian infrastructure as winter looms.

"But beyond these most recent missile attacks lies a laundry list of horrors Putin has launched that only seems to have driven his nation further from the pack of civilized powers that he once sought so desperately to join."

We are not getting the complete story.

Viewers have seen large chunks of these missiles on news reports. From these pieces, it is a relatively simple matter to discover the origin of the missiles. Instead, we get weak responses like "possibly" or "most likely" the missiles were from Ukrainian air defense weaponry.

At first, Zelensky disagreed with that reasoning, but he backed off and now agrees with the NATO and Polish assessment.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The [Republican] Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday [4/21/2020] reaffirmed its support for the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the goal of putting Donald Trump in the Oval Office. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/...rms-russia-aimed-to-help-trump-in-2016-198171

"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.

"A federal appeals court is allowing the Justice Department to continue looking at documents marked as classified that were seized from former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home and resort.

NBC reports, "Former President Donald Trump will be the subject of a second special counsel investigation, this one focused on his handling of classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago home and “key aspects” of the investigation into his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Friday.

"Garland said that on Friday morning he signed a letter formally naming John L. Smith, known as Jack Smith, a prosecutor at The Hague and a former federal prosecutor, to begin serving as special counsel “immediately.” Smith was previously the chief of the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, where he oversaw public corruption and elections-related investigations.

"Smith is assigned with investigating whether anyone violated the law in connection with efforts to “interfere with the lawful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election or the certification of the Electoral College vote held on or about January 6, 2021, as well as any matters that arose or might arise directly from this investigation.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia will continue investigating those individuals who stormed the U.S. Capitol.

"Garland said that Smith will also have in his portfolio "the ongoing investigation involving classified documents and other presidential records" taken from Trump's White House "as well as the possible obstruction of that investigation.”

"In an interview with Fox News, Trump criticized the probes as "so unfair" and "so political," saying he will "not partake" in the special counsel's investigation."

 

[Sandy Shanks]

In the face of a barrage of criticism regarding their party, Republicans continue their policy of total silence.

Donald Trump is gone. He just doesn't know it. As this thread shows, his cult members, rural voters that form the Republican base, do not have the intelligence and knowledge to defend him, mostly because his criminal acts are true -- instigating a coup attempt on Jan. 6, 2021 and the theft of classified documents recovered by the FBI.

Republican leaders have had it with him, too. Trump was voted into office by losers, and the Republican Party has been paying the price for that ever since.

NBC reports, "At the same time former President Donald Trump was declaring his third bid for the White House on Tuesday night, a ballroom full of GOP governors, donors and lobbyists were tuned in to the Republican many have indicated they would prefer: Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida.

"DeSantis, fresh off a decisive victory that reinforced Republicans’ grip on power in his home state, made no mention of Trump, or the announcement taking place 168 miles away. The move by the party’s de-facto leader hardly appeared to register — though the next presidential primary was top of mind.

"In interviews, attendees of the annual meeting of the Republican Governors Association said there were plenty of discussions about 2024, what lessons the party can take from the midterms and how they should adjust their messaging. Those Republicans said they felt additional contenders were present at the conference as both parties see a number of governors as attractive potential alternatives to Trump and President Joe Biden, should the president’s intent to seek re-election change.

"Lombardo was the only Trump-endorsed gubernatorial candidate to win a state Biden carried in 2020. But Republican nominees for governor fell short in critical battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Arizona — where the party lost control of the governors’ mansion — with candidates who hugged Trump tightly."

Little wonder as to why Republican leaders are disenchanted with Trump. Trump is a loser. As Republican Governor Mike Hogan pointed out, Trump is responsible for losses in the last three elections.

Republicans will maintain their silence on this thread.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Donald Trump is done. He just doesn't know it.

CNN reports, "Meet the “Never-Again Trumpers.”

"That’s how former House Speaker Paul Ryan described himself in an interview with ABC News that aired over the weekend. Here’s what he said:

“I’m proud of the accomplishments [during the Trump administration] – of the tax reform, the deregulation and criminal justice reform – I’m really excited about the judges we got on the bench, not just the Supreme Court, but throughout the judiciary. But I am a Never-Again Trumper. Why? Because I want to win, and we lose with Trump. It was really clear to us in ’18, in ‘20 and now in 2022.”

CNN continued, "Ryan, who left Congress in 2019, has grown increasingly outspoken about his feelings about Trump and the future of the Republican Party.

"In late October, he told Fox Business Network that the “new swing voter in American politics is the suburban voter, and it’s really clear the suburban voter doesn’t like Trump, but they like Republicans.” And he added: “So I think anybody not named Trump, I think is so much more likely to win the White House for us.”

"Ryan’s position on Trump is an interesting one. It gives the former president credit for what he accomplished in office while suggesting he is neither the present nor the future of the GOP.

"Which is where, I think, some of the more serious challengers to Trump in 2024 will land. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, for example, would do well to echo Ryan’s viewpoint – give Trump credit for what he did as president while making clear that his political appeal has shrunk to the point where it would be a mistake for Republicans to nominate him again."

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Some wonder, which is greater, the National Debt or Trump's attorney fees?

ABC reports, "Cases involving former President Donald Trump are playing out in four different courtrooms Tuesday, underscoring the legal challenges he faces as he mounts a third run for the White House.

"Four days after Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to oversee the entirety of the Justice Department's criminal investigation into Trump's handling of classified materials after leaving office, the Justice Department was expected Tuesday to ask a federal appeals court in Atlanta to remove the special master -- the independent arbiter appointed to review the materials -- from the case.

"The special master had been appointed by a [Trump-allied] federal judge in Florida to review materials seized from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate."

Note: The federal judge has been overruled by the 11th Circuit a number of times. It is expected that she will be overruled again by the 11th Circuit again. The sole purpose of the special master proposed by Trump's lawyers is to delay proceedings. The court is comprised of three Republican judges, two appointed by Trump.

ABC continued, "The Justice Department already succeeded in extracting documents with classified markings from the review, but now the DOJ is seeking unfettered access to everything taken from Mar-a-Lago in their August raid of the property. Trump has denied wrongdoing.

"In New York City Tuesday, the prosecution was expected to rest its criminal case against the Trump Organization.

"Also Tuesday, attorneys representing Trump were scheduled to appear in New York State Supreme Court at a hearing in the state attorney general's civil lawsuit against Trump, his children and his company.

"Finally, former Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll was scheduled to appear Tuesday in federal court in New York City for a hearing in her defamation lawsuit against Trump. Carroll sued him in November 2019 after Trump denied raping her by questioning her credibility and saying that she was "not my type."

Trump is the Republican candidate for the Presidency in 2024.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

CNN reports, "South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham on Tuesday appeared before a Georgia grand jury investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

"Prosecutors in Fulton County, who are investigating efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to subvert the results of the 2020 election in the Peach State, had long wanted to question Graham about calls he made to Georgia election officials after the presidential election, as well as his interactions with the Trump campaign.

"Graham had fought for months to quash his subpoena. The Supreme Court ultimately declined to block the subpoena for the Republican senator’s grand jury testimony.

"A federal appeals court noted that “coordination with the Trump campaign regarding its post-election efforts in Georgia, public statements regarding the 2020 election, and efforts to ‘cajole’ or ‘exhort’ Georgia election officials” did not constitute legislative activity.

"After Graham’s 2020 phone call to [the Republican] Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Raffensperger said he was under the impression that Graham was suggesting he should discard some ballots.

Republicans on this forum will remain silent. After all, what can they say? Their boy is going to be indicted. Under the circumstances, silence is best.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

ABC reports, "Iran has begun producing enriched uranium at 60% purity at the country's underground Fordo nuclear plant, official media reported Tuesday, describing it as a response to a resolution by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog.

"From Vienna, the U.N. nuclear watchdog — the International Atomic Energy Agency or IAEA — said the 60% enrichment at Fordo comes on top of similar production at the Natanz plant in central Iran.

"The IAEA also said that Iran plans a “significant expansion” in its production of low-enriched uranium at Fordo and a second production building at Natanz. Fordo is some 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of the capital of Tehran.

"Enrichment to 60% purity is one short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Nonproliferation experts have warned in recent months that Iran now has enough 60%-enriched uranium to reprocess into fuel for at least one nuclear bomb.

"Earlier this month, the IAEA said it believes that Iran has further increased its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. As recently as last week, the agency criticized Tehran for continuing to bar the agency’s officials from accessing or monitoring Iranian nuclear sites.

"It has been nearly two years since IAEA officials have had full access to monitor Iran’s nuclear sites, and five months since the surveillance equipment was removed."

Our thanks go out to President Trump for these developments. He destroyed the Iranian Nuclear Agreement in May 2018 which prevented Iran from making a nuclear bomb.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

."The Supreme Court cleared the way on Tuesday for a House committee to obtain former President Donald J. Trump’s tax returns, refusing his request to block their release after a yearslong fight to obtain them.

"The court’s brief order, which was unsigned and did not note any dissents, was another decisive defeat for Mr. Trump delivered by a court that had moved to the right with his appointment of three justices. The decision means the Treasury Department is likely to soon turn over six years of his tax returns to the House, which has been seeking his financial records since 2019," the Times.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Trump lost the popular vote in 2016. The Trump administration had multiple setbacks in the 2018 election as it lost control of the House, state houses, and state legislatures. Trump lost reelection in 2020 by seven million votes. Democrats are praying he is the Republican nominee for President in 2024.

ABC reports, "From the moment he left the White House in defeat last year, Donald Trump has teased the prospect of a third presidential campaign. But in the week since he officially declared his candidacy, the former president has been uncharacteristically low key.

"There has been no massive stadium kickoff rally, notable for someone who has turned such events into a signature of his public life. His newly reinstated Twitter account, which helped fuel his political rise nearly a decade ago, sits silent with its more than 87 million followers.

"He hasn't announced plans to visit the key early voting states that will shape the contest for the Republican nomination, nor has he sat for a round of high-profile interviews. Indeed, since his announcement speech, Trump hasn't held a public event.

"The former president, who has spent his post-White House years positioning himself as the undisputed leader of the GOP, is now facing heated criticism inside the party for contributing to a disappointing showing in this month's midterms. And other Republicans are openly teasing presidential runs of their own, making clear they won't stand aside for Trump's nomination.

"Meanwhile, the legal pressure on Trump is intensifying. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel last week to oversee the Justice Department’s investigation into classified documents recovered from the former president's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, as well as key aspects of a separate probe involving the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and efforts to undo the 2020 election. And on Tuesday, the Supreme Court cleared the way for the imminent handover of Trump’s tax returns to a congressional committee after a three-year legal fight."

In short, Trump is a loser. By their silence, Republicans will agree. They never discuss their own party.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

According to the Times, The deadliest mass shooting in the country so far this year was the massacre in which 19 children and two teachers were killed at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24. It happened 10 days after 10 people were shot and killed in a supermarket in Buffalo.

Nov. 22: Chesapeake, Va.​

A longtime store manager at a Walmart opened fire in a break room as the store was preparing to close for the night, killing six people, the authorities said. The gunman was found dead, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the police.

Nov. 20: Colorado Springs​

At least five people were killed and 18 injured in a shooting at an L.G.B.T.Q. nightclub. The gunman was injured and taken to a hospital.

Nov. 13: Charlottesville, Va.​

Three University of Virginia students, all of whom were players on the football team, were killed and two were wounded when a gunman, a former football player, opened fire in a garage after a field trip to see a play in Washington.
********************************************************************************************************************************************
Despite these massacres and countless more, the NRA-sponsored Republican Party refuses to allow meaningful federal gun regulations to keep guns out of the hands of the deranged and the criminal element. They quickly change the subject from the mass murders which are occurring every week to a question of Second Amendment rights.

The ludicrous argument targets the educationally challenged that make up the Republican base in America's rural counties.

No one with a high school diploma can accept this laughable argument.

There are two separate issues that are mutually exclusive.

Every American of legal age and no negative history has a right to bear arms. No American has the right to arm himself with an assault rifle or automatic pistol and senselessly murder other Americans.

But the Republican Party refuses to admit the difference between a Constitutional right and mass murder.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

There are Americans among us who want to restrict voting.

They are called Republicans!

CNN reports, "The Georgia Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to block counties from offering early voting on Saturday, rejecting an emergency request from Republicans.

"Counties in Georgia are not required to offer early voting on Saturday, but many have said they will do so, after Democrats successfully sued to challenge instructions from state officials claiming that early voting the Saturday after Thanksgiving was unlawful.

"The move is a victory for Democrats, including Sen. Raphael Warnock, who is seeking reelection in a December 6 runoff election against Republican Herschel Walker. Three Republican Party committees had sought to block voting on the Saturday after Thanksgiving."

Republicans will remain silent. They never talk about what their party is doing.

Why is that?

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The Republican Party refuses to admit the difference between a Constitutional right and mass murder.

After 3 Mass Shootings, a Thanksgiving With 14 Empty Chairs

A janitor working his shift at a Virginia Walmart. A 40-year-old woman returning home to Colorado Springs for the holidays. A young man at his girlfriend’s side, watching her friend perform in a drag show.

Three college football players. A mother who worked to help foster children. One bartender who remembered your drink and another who danced.

White and Black, gay and straight, old and young. The collection of the newly dead from just three of this month’s mass shootings are the very picture of the ideals — inclusivity, setting aside differences — that America prides itself on at this time each November.

Fourteen people who did not know their last Thanksgiving was already behind them.

What in the world are Republicans thinking? We don't have a clue, and they won't tell us.

Republicans captured the House in the November mid-terms, and their leader is the leading candidate for the Presidency in 2024.

Something is seriously wrong with America right now.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Fourteen people who did not know their last Thanksgiving was already behind them.

What in the world are Republicans thinking? We don't have a clue, and they won't tell us.

Republicans captured the House in the November mid-terms, and their leader is the leading candidate for the Presidency in 2024.

Something is seriously wrong with America right now.

The NRA-sponsored Republican Party refuses to consider the reinstatement of an assault weapons ban despite the massive carnage.

The AP reports, "When President Joe Biden speaks about the “scourge” of gun violence, his go-to answer is to zero in on so-called assault weapons.

"America has heard it hundreds of times, including this week after shootings in Colorado and Virginia: The president wants to sign into law a ban on high-powered guns that have the capacity to kill many people very quickly.

"A weapons ban is far off in a closely divided Congress. But Biden and the Democrats have become increasingly emboldened in pushing for stronger gun controls — and doing so with no clear electoral consequences.

"Just over half of voters want to see nationwide gun policy made more strict, according to AP VoteCast, an extensive survey of more than 94,000 voters nationwide conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago. About 3 in 10 want gun policy kept as is. Only 14% prefer looser gun laws," AP

Republicans do nothing and they remain silent on the issue.

Consequently, Americans will continue to kill each other.

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving. a man went shopping in Chesapeake, Virginia. He purchased a semi-automatic pistol. Later that day he killed six people.

No doubt Republican legislators had a fine Thanksgiving dinner two days later.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

"We will protect the Second Amendment and our right to keep and bear arms," Glenn Youngkin, the Republican governor of Virginia.

Three Virginia football players killed; ex-player in custody
Nov 14, 2022 — Police have an ex-Virginia football player in custody after a shooting Sunday night that left three University of Virginia football players dead and two students wounded.

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving. a man went shopping in Chesapeake, Virginia. He purchased a semi-automatic pistol. Later that day he killed six people.

No doubt Governor Youngkin had a fine Thanksgiving dinner two days later.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

More good news ... maybe.

CNN reports, "Most of 2022 has been pretty dismal for investors, and Monday was no exception: The Dow fell about 500 points, or 1.5%, Monday.

"Still, the stock market remains in the midst of one heck of a fourth-quarter rally. The Dow enjoyed its best month in nearly a half-century in October and it’s up nearly another 3% in November. The-chip index is down only about 7% for 2022 — and just 8% below its all-time high.

"It would be a stunning comeback if the Dow reclaims all its lost ground and finishes the year in positive territory. As recently as mid-October the Dow was in bear-market territory for 2022, down more than 21%.

"What’s happened? Top industrial stocks in the Dow such as Boeing (BA), Caterpillar (CAT) and Honeywell (HON) have surged. So have shares of retail/consumer giants Walgreens (WBA), Home Depot (HD) and Nike (NKE), as well as leading financials Goldman Sachs (GS) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM).

"The S&P 500 and Nasdaq are still pretty deep in the red for 2022, off 17% and almost 30% respectively. Both indexes were down more than 1.5% Monday. But even those indexes have rebounded sharply from their year-to-date lows in recent weeks.

"There are a few factors at play. First, there’s a growing sense that the Federal Reserve might be done with the most significant portion of its massive rate hikes. Inflation seems to be peaking.

"And there are hopes that the US economy will either experience a so-called soft landing or just a mild recession. If that were to happen, consumer spending may not fall off a cliff. Neither would corporate profits. That would be good for stocks."

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Still another close associate to President Trump appeared before the Jan. 6 Select committee, which is expected to issue its final report before the end of the current Congress on January third.

NBC reports, "Former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway met for nearly five hours Monday with investigators on the House committee probing the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

"Conway spoke to the committee on the record, two sources familiar with her appearance said.

"Speaking to reporters around 3 p.m. after the meeting ended, Conway said she did not invoke the Fifth Amendment at any point Monday.

"Earlier, when Conway left the meeting room for a break, she told reporters, “I’m here voluntarily.” Asked by a reporter when she last spoke with Trump, Conway said he called her last week.

"Conway worked as a senior counselor to Trump from the beginning of his term through August 2020. She decided to leave the administration because, she said, she needed to focus on her family. She also was a campaign manager for Trump's 2016 presidential bid.

"Conway told reporters Monday that she is not working on Trump's 2024 campaign, and she refused to detail previous discussions with Trump about the 2020 election.

"The committee is expected to release a final report about its investigation before the end of the year, before the new Congress convenes in January. The panel is not expected to exist in the new, GOP-controlled House next year."

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Led by the biggest liar of them all, the Republican leader and a candidate for the Presidency, Donald Trump, Republicans have Turned prolific lying into a political tactic.

Why? Because the educationally-challenged rural base of the Republican Party believes whatever is said. That is particularly true of their savior, former President Donald Trump.

To prove a point, there is Kevin McCarthy, the Republican minority leader in the House and Speaker of the House hopeful.

ABC reports, "House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, the likely next House speaker, defended former President Donald Trump on Tuesday, a week after Trump dined at his Mar-a-Lago resort with white nationalist Nick Fuentes and rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, who has made antisemitic remarks.

"I don't think anybody should be spending any time with Nick Fuentes," McCarthy told ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce after meeting with President Joe Biden and other congressional leaders."

Then came the expected lie.

"He has no place in this Republican Party. I think President Trump came out four times and condemned him and didn't know who he was," McCarthy said.

No, he has not! There is no evidence Trump condemned Fuentes.

McCarthy said that because it was convenient. He needs Trump to get the speakership. When something is convenient for Republicans, they lie.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

McCarthy said that because it was convenient. He needs Trump to get the speakership. When something is convenient for Republicans, they lie.

Fortunately, that is not true of all Republicans. There are still some honest ones left.

ABC reports, "Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday went further than McCarthy, condemning Trump's meeting with Fuentes, opening his weekly press conference by rejecting not only "antisemitism" and "white supremacy" but saying Trump's association with the ideologies could keep him from winning a second term in the White House.

"There is no room in the Republican Party for antisemitism or white supremacy," McConnell said, flanked by Republican Senate leadership. "And anyone meeting with people advocating that point of view, in my judgment, are highly unlikely to ever be elected president of the United States."

McCarthy is a legislative ally of Trump's while McConnell has broken with the former president a number of times, including criticizing him over the Jan. 6 insurrection. The GOP leaders' comments came after a number of other high-profile Republicans condemned what Trump has insisted was an impromptu meal."

There is hope yet for the country. It rests with the Republican Party and its willingness to shed its right-wing extremists who are members of our Congress.

Men like McCarthy, who will lie to protect a charlatan.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The fact of the matter is, Donald Trump is extraordinarily stupid. He has proven that countless times; and President Biden has overcome most of the damage Trump created as President.

Want further proof? Look who he invited for dinner.

The entire Republican Party is scrambling to deal with that political disaster inasmuch as Trump is the leader of their party and a candidate for President in 2024.

A week after Donald Trump dined with a White nationalist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy finally addressed the controversy.

He did so with a monstrous lie.

“I don’t think anybody should be spending any time with Nick Fuentes. He has no place in this Republican Party. I think President Trump came out four times and condemned him and didn’t know who he was.”

Trump has never condemned Fuentes. McCarthy tied a truth to a lie, dense enough to think he would get away with it.

Chris Cillizza writes, "In the aftermath of the dinner, Trump has claimed on several occasions that he didn’t know who Fuentes was, but never actually condemned him. In one Truth Social post last Friday, Trump wrote: “This past week, Kanye West called me to have dinner at Mar-a-Lago. Shortly thereafter, he unexpectedly showed up with three of his friends, whom I knew nothing about. We had dinner on Tuesday evening with many members present on the back patio. The dinner was quick and uneventful. They then left for the airport.”

"Rather than condemn Fuentes, Trump has spent the last few days pushing all sorts of false election conspiracy theories – and even took time to attack GOP consultant Karl Rove.

"Then, there are the claims that Trump didn’t know who Fuentes was.

"As a former president of the United States – and an announced candidate for the 2024 Republican nomination – it’s Trump’s responsibility to know who he’s meeting with! An audience with the former president is a VERY big deal and confers a certain statue and status. You have to know that if you are Trump."

But Trump obviously did not know that. He is not bright enough to see the distinction.

That is obvious, too!

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The fact of the matter is, Donald Trump is extraordinarily stupid. He has proven that countless times; and President Biden has overcome most of the damage Trump created as President.

Want further proof? Look who he invited for dinner.

Want more proof?

Trump attracted far right whackos like the Oath Keepers.

 

[Nickyjo]

So foolish. Half the nation, the democrats may be having a feelingof optimism but the other half, republicans don't share that feeling.
So a former press secretary for Biden has come out with more dirt on the Bidens, Joe and Hunter. I'm curious, if we find out that all the dirt on Hunter and Joe taking money from Ukraine, China and Russia is true, what would be your reaction?

Mine might be pretty negative: that we elected another Trump.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Led by the biggest liar of them all, the Republican leader and a candidate for the Presidency, Donald Trump, Republicans have turned prolific lying into a political tactic.

Why? Because the educationally-challenged rural base of the Republican Party believes whatever is said. That is particularly true of their savior, former President Donald Trump.

Then there are Republicans who are dumb enough to be brutally honest, a fatal flaw if one is a politician.

CNN reports, "Georgia Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker, facing renewed and growing questions about his residency in the final week of the runoff campaign, described himself during a campaign speech as living in Texas and said he decided to run for Georgia’s Senate seat while at his Texas “home.”

"Georgia Democrats have called for an investigation by state officials into Walker’s residency after CNN reported last week that Walker was getting a tax break in Texas intended for a primary residence, possibly running afoul of Texas tax law and some rules for establishing Georgia residency for voting and running for office.

“I live in Texas,” Walker said in January of this year, when speaking to University of Georgia College Republicans. Walker was criticizing Democrats for not visiting the border when he made the comments. “I went down to the border off and on sometimes,” he said.

"Earlier in the speech, Walker said he decided to run for Georgia’s Senate seat while at his Texas home after seeing the country divided."

Good Lord!

Walker has been endorsed by Donald Trump, the leader of the Republican Party.