monitoring Trump and relevant contemporary events

Trump has turned out to be the Norma Desmond of authoritarians, a senescent has-been whose delusions are propped up by obsequious retainers. From his fantasy world in the White House, he barks dictatorial and often illegal orders, floats conspiracy theories, tweets insults and lies unceasingly. But much of the time he’s not fully in charge. He has the instincts of a fascist but lacks both the discipline and the loyal lieutenants he’d need to create true autocracy.

That doesn’t mean, however, that the country isn’t coming undone. Trump’s bumbling incoherence, coupled with his declining political fortunes since the midterms, makes him seem less frightening than he once did. But, two years in, the jaded weariness many of us have developed might obscure how bad things are. We’re living through an unprecedented breakdown in America’s ability to function like a normal country.

Quote:

US President Donald Trump has put on a fast food feast at the White House, blaming the partial government shutdown for the lack of catering staff.

He welcomed the winners of the national college football championship, the Clemson Tigers, with more than 300 burgers as well as fries and pizzas.

"Because of the shutdown... we went out and we ordered American fast food paid for by me," he told reporters.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-46873386

he never picks up a check.

You go, girl!

Suspected militants have attacked a luxury hotel complex in Nairobi, killing a number of people.

Gunfire and blasts were heard at the compound in the Westlands district of the Kenyan capital, which houses the DusitD2 hotel as well as offices.

The Somalia-based militant group al-Shabab said it was behind the attack but gave no details.

People - some with bullet wounds and covered in blood - were escorted out of the building by heavily armed police.

The attack began at about 15:00 local time (12:00 GMT). The gunmen threw bombs at vehicles in the car park before entering the lobby, where one blew himself up, Kenyan police chief Joseph Boinnet told reporters.

A woman working in a neighbouring building told Reuters news agency: "I just started hearing gunshots, and then started seeing people running away raising their hands up and some were entering the bank to hide for their lives."

Police then rushed to the scene. One officer told the BBC's Ferdinand Omondi at the scene: "Things are not good. People are dying."

Mr Boinnet later said most of main building had been secured, but police were still working to flush out any surviving gunmen.

The number of victims remains unclear. One photographer for Agence France-Presse reported five bodies slumped over tables on a restaurant terrace in the complex.

The five-star DusitD2 hotel has 101 rooms. Located in the Westlands suburb, minutes from the capital's business district, it has its own spa and several restaurants.

Kenya has seen a number of terror attacks in recent years - most notably in areas close to the Somali border and in the country's capital.

Every person escaping the Dusit complex has the same story - heavily armed men firing indiscriminately, using bombs and automatic rifles to kill. Most were too shaken to talk. They were all relieved to have escaped.

They were coming out in small groups, many hours after the first explosions. The blasts could be heard across the city. I was in my flat round the corner when they happened, followed by the unmistakable sound of gunfire.

The pictures that have been coming from inside are truly horrific. Ordinary people going about their business, murdered as they had lunch or did their jobs.

This has a personal feel, too. The restaurant that seems to have taken the brunt of the explosions is a place I know well. It was full of lovely staff who would always greet you with a smile. As I sit watching the survivors escape, I wonder how many of them didn't make it.

Can you name another president that did that?

This may seem very far away but it was the American Embassy bombings in 1998 that set off a cycle that lead to 9/11 and all the crap that followed that.

Phrase of encouragement, used alone.

Can you name another president who had to do that because he bragged about being a "billionaire"?

Why Aren’t Democrats Punishing Their Own Congressional Racists?

Ilhan Omar, the newly elected Congresswoman replacing Keith Ellison from Minnesota, famously tweeted her racist views: “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel. #Gaza #Palestine #Israel.” For those unfamiliar with Jew hatred,

“Omar used a well-worn anti-Semitic trope about the preternatural ability of a nefarious Jewish cabal to deceive the world. It’s something you would expect to read in the Protocols of the Elders of Zion or hear from a professor of comparative literature at Columbia University, not a US congresswoman.”

And she’s not alone. Her colleague, the famously potty-mouthed Michigan representative Rashida Tlaib, has a history of anti-Semitism as well. Take what Jonathan Tobin recently documented:

Far more important was a statement Tlaib made days later about a debate in the Senate about a bill seeking to prevent those who do business with the federal government from complying with boycotts of Israel and its citizens. Tlaib tweeted that those who are supporting the bill “forgot what country they represent.”

The implication was clear. Tlaib’s accusation reeked of the classic anti-Semitic trope of dual loyalty, which smears Jews as seeking to manipulate the US against its interests.

Ronald Reagan is probably rolling over in his grave to see an American president, Donald Trump, as a lap dog and puppet to Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Defying Boycotters, Monty Python Star John Cleese Plans Tel Aviv Shows in 2019

Artists, who make the decision to perform in Israel, have increasingly become a target of the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which advocates for the total destruction of the Jewish State.

A highly entertaining read--thanks, Boss.

You go, girl!

Hell, he's making enough on emoluments to make his presidential salary look like chump change.

Teen stabbed in attack by 3 alleged MS-13 members from his high school on Long Island