Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigns, scolding Trump over his military judgment - NBC News

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis announced his resignation Thursday afternoon, sending President Donald Trump a letter that implicitly criticized the president's military judgment.

In the letter, Mattis suggested Trump was not treating allies with respect and had not been "clear-eyed" about U.S. enemies.

The full article is available here

Mueller Investigation Has Earned Estimated Tens Of Millions For U.S. - Fortune

Mueller Probe Cost $25 Million So Far, Report Says. It’s Pulled in $48 Million From Tax Cheats

Though the Mueller investigation comes with a hefty price tag, it may have actually paid for its own investigation, with its probe leading to monetary estimated gains of up to $48 million for the government through the tax evasion the investigation has revealed.

Throughout the investigation, Trump has blasted the special counsel for its growing cost, but has never mentioned the evaded tax payments recouped or the asset forfeitures of Paul Manafort it has brought in.

The full article is available here

What Can We Learn From Russian spy Maria Butina's Plea Deal? A Lot - Renato Mariotti

Now that Butina will testify against him, Erickson faces what appears to be overwhelming evidence of his guilt. What did Erickson tell GOP leaders, NRA leaders, GOP operatives and others when he was connecting them with a Russian spy?

Russian spy Maria Butina pleaded guilty to conspiring to secretly work as a Russian agent within the United States. As part of her plea, Butina and federal prosecutors agreed on the facts that proved her guilt, and they are shocking.

Butina admitted that she - along with her former paramour and partner - longtime Republican operative Paul Erickson - drafted a proposal in Russian called "Description of the Diplomacy Project" that suggested Russia could use "unofficial channels of communication" to build relations with the Republican Party.

In the proposal, Butina claimed that she had been introduced to Republican Party leaders as "an unofficial representative" of Russian official Alexander Torshin, who sat at a dinner table with . Donald Trump Jr. at the 2016 NRA convention. Butina also famously met now-President Donald Trump at the 2015 NRA Convention.

Now that Butina will testify against him, Erickson faces what appears to be overwhelming evidence of his guilt. Indeed, Erickson received a target letter. That means that federal prosecutors intend to indict him.

What did Erickson tell GOP leaders, NRA leaders, GOP operatives and others when he was connecting them with a Russian spy? Those conversations will be of very great interest to federal prosecutors because they might reveal others who also acted as Russian agents.

The full article is available here

Trump Would Be "Proud" To Shutdown Government If Wall Isn't Funded - New York Times

Even as both Schumer and Pelosi kept warning him that the conversation needed to be in private, Trump got himself so worked up that by the end of the meeting he was boasting of his willingness to shut down the government if his wall isn't funded by Congress.

During a televised sit down with Democratic congressional leaders, Nancy Pelosi’s insistence that President Trump doesn’t have the votes in the House for a border wall seemed to set him off.  He proceeded to interrupt the likely House Speaker 15 times.

Even as both Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi kept warning him that the conversation needed to be in private, Trump got himself so worked up over the need for his conception of border security that by the end of the meeting he was boasting of his willingness to shut down the government.

Trump wants Congress to fund the construction of his border wall project.  

In the event during which he launched his presidential campaign in June of 2015, Trump famously stated:

"I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great great wall on our southern border and I’ll have Mexico pay for that wall."

The full article is available here

U.S. Conservative Movement Closely Mirrors Putin's Modus Operandi - Jared Yates Sexton

The reason Russia invested in and manipulated the U.S. Right is because they followed the same game-plan; nostalgic, populist rhetoric that concealed an agenda to further enrich the wealthy.

The United States' conservative movement closely mirrors the Russian movement that empowered Putin and the style of politics and manipulation Trump employs closely mirrors Putin's. The conservative Right in this country is flooded with Russian money and influence.

Regardless of whether you believe in collusion or not, this is what's going on. Either modern Republicans are following the same trend as Putin's ascent in Russia ... or else Russia has actively cultivated and exported their political movement to the U.S.

So, if you believe the former - that U.S. Republicans have just mirrored their culture from Russia - then you have to believe it's just a giant coincidence that Russia obviously invested in and manipulated them and then ALSO believe they failed to have an influence.

The reason Russia invested in and manipulated the U.S. Right is because they followed the same game-plan; nostalgic, populist rhetoric that concealed an agenda to further enrich the wealthy.

The full article is available here

Maria Butina, Accused Russian Agent Who Infiltrated NRA/National Prayer Breakfast, Reaches Plea Deal - ABC News

Butina's friend Aleksander Torshin - the deputy governor of Russia’s central bank, met with Donald Trump Jr in May 2016. Her partner Conservative operative Paul Erickson set up the meeting, suggesting that the convention could serve as a point of “first contact” between Trump and Russia and that “Putin is deadly serious about building a good relationship with Mr. Trump.”

The government has alleged Butina was introduced to having influence U.S. politics, including high-ranking members of the National Rifle Association and organizers of the National Prayer Breakfast, that would ultimately give her a surprising level of access to conservative politicians, including — in one memorable interaction captured on video — to then-candidate Donald Trump.

Butina has acknowledged that, with conservative operative Paul Erickson, she drafted a proposal called “Description of the Diplomacy Project” in March of 2015 which was later sent to the Russian Official, in which she said that she had already “laid the groundwork for an unofficial channel of communication with the next U.S. administration.”  The Russian Official, the agreement said, confirmed that her proposal would be at least partially supported.

Butina's friend Aleksander Torshin - the deputy governor of Russia’s central bank, met with Donald Trump Jr in May 2016.

Butina's partner Conservative operative Paul Erickson set up the meeting, suggesting that the convention could serve as a point of “first contact” between Trump and Russia and that “Putin is deadly serious about building a good relationship with Mr. Trump.”

The full article is available here 

It Seems There’s Nothing Terrible Trump Can Do That Will Change Some Supporters’ Minds - Jeff Wiersma

It seems that there are a significant amount of Trump supporters who will never make an ethical and moral stand and stop supporting Trump, regardless of what he does. 

A lot of ink has been used up by people attempting to assess and analyze why Donald Trump, despite plainly being an incompetent and malevolent disaster as POTUS, holds a certain sway over his ardent supporters.

But that doesn't mean I won't chime in.

In March 2016, then-candidate Donald Trump bragged that he could “stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody” and “not lose any voters.”

Besides the fact that bragging about something that terrible is the domain of a sociopath, I took this statement to be simply more of Trump’s trademark narcissistic, bellicose exaggeration.

But some 33 months later, with his approval rating among his base of support remaining steady despite Trump ...

• bragging about committing sexual assault 
• using white nationalist anti-Semitic rhetoric 
• making abhorrent misogynistic remarks 
• committing treason for Putin 
• mocking gold star families 
• mocking sexual assault victims 
• denying his part in fomenting right wing domestic terrorism 
• showing sympathy to neo-Nazi’s 
• supporting pedophile Roy Moore’s senate campaign 
• name-calling and seeking to undermine our closest allies 
• repeatedly expressing admiration for murderous dictators 
• paying off several adult film stars for adultery committed on his 3rd wife 
• separating children from their parents at the U.S./Mexico border 
• colluding with a hostile foreign dictator 
• and countless other acts that would have been nearly fatal for any other POTUS ... 

... I’m afraid that rather than just bellicose exaggeration, his March 2016 assertion was prescient.

It seems that there are a significant amount of Trump supporters who will never make an ethical and moral stand and stop supporting Trump, regardless of what he does.

It’s as stupefying as it is disconcerting.