Votes are still coming in about how you want info organized, date-wise, and it's neck and neck. If you haven't voted already and want to, please go to yesterday's entry and make your voice heard.
And now, a relatively joyful day of the media actually calling a scandal a scandal-- though don't worry, the republicans are still doing enough to keep a righteous fire under you.
- On February 14th, 2017, the Office of Government Ethics has received no notice or proof that Kellyanne Conway has been disciplined by the White House, and that, “There is strong reason to believe that Ms. Conway has violated the standards of conduct and that disciplinary action is warranted.” In a bizarre series of events, she RTed an outspoken white nationalist on Twitter today (so outspoken it is literally in his bio), then lied that "someone else" was using her Twitter account at the time and she does't know who. She also removed DT from her Twitter photo today, while he unfollowed, and then refollowed her. Given that DT's moods are most transparent on Twitter, it seems clear that there is discord between the two.
- Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/14/us/politics/Kellyanne-Conway-ivanka-trump-ethics.html
- Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-kellyanne-conway-ethics-office-federal-rules-20170214-story.html
- Source: http://gizmodo.com/whats-going-on-with-kellyanne-conways-twitter-account-1792369725
- Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/tasneemnashrulla/kellyanne-conway-said-love-you-to-a-white-nationalist-twitte?utm_term=.jsLq2ABrD#.yv3PKGBrY
- On February 14th, 2017, Foreign Policy published a great story titled "Donald Trump's Russia Scandal is Just Getting Started." Read this-- Flynn was not a rogue element.
- On February 14th, 2017, the New York Times reported that DR campaign aides and personal contacts had repeated contact with Russian intelligence and Russian government officials, contrary to the newspaper's reports immediately before the election.
- On February 14th, 2017, Representative Ed Perlmutter announced that he would be co-sponsoring Representative Jerry Nadler's Resolution of Inquiry into DT's Russian ties and business conflicts of interest.
- On February 14th, 2017, Senate Republicans finally said they would look into DT's Russia links, at least by way of investigating Flynn. Senator Mitch McConell, best known for his wild and blatant hypocrisy on how he treats DT compared to President Barack Obama, and Senator Bob Corker, who, despite thousands of letters begging him not to, voted for Betsy DeVos, have said probe is likely.
- On February 14th, 2017, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released a statement I will post in its entirety, because it's fantastic.
““The truth and consequences of the Russia connection: the American people deserve to know the full extent of Russia’s financial, personal and political grip on President Trump and what that means for our national security.
“Flynn’s resignation is a reflection of the poor judgment of President Trump and demands answers to the grave questions over the President’s involvement. By what authority did Flynn act and to whom did he report?
“The FBI must accelerate its investigation of the Russian connection with the Trump Administration, and Congress must call for a bipartisan, independent, outside commission to fully investigate Russia’s influence on the Administration and the election.””
- On February 14th, 2017, in case you thought there was anything at all that these craven republicans couldn't blame on women, Representative Chris Collins of New York said that the reason that republican lawmakers were not commenting on Mike Flynn's resignation in disgrace this morning was because it was Valentine's Day and they were probably "having breakfast with their wives."
- Source (mediaite is not a vetted source, but the CNN video is reposted here): http://www.mediaite.com/online/gop-rep-says-republicans-are-quiet-on-flynn-because-its-valentines-day-theyre-having-breakfast-with-their-wives/
- On February 14th, 2017, in the middle of Black History Month, a right wing cartoonist released a reprehensible cartoon based on Norman Rockwell's famous painting of The Problem We All Live With, showing six-year-old Ruby Bridges walking to school between US Marshals during the 1960 desegregation crisis in New Orleans. The cartoon shows a tiny Betsy DeVos in Ruby Bridge's position, flanked by men in suits, with the word "CONSERVATIVE" scrawled on the wall behind her where Rockwell had painted a barely legible racial slur. On the left, where Rockwell's painting faintly read "KKK" the cartoon trumpets "NEA" for some reason. The NEA and the Department of Education are not linked, and DeVos has no control whatsoever over the NEA, which DT has vowed to dismantle.
- On February 14th, 2017, Reuters reported that one of the people detained in ICE raids last week and over the weekend, Daniel Ramirez Medina, was a well documented immigrant protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, better known as a "dreamer" -- someone who came to the US when they were too young to decide whether or not to immigrate.
- On February 14th, 2017, the Des Moines Register reported that DT's numbers in Iowa are at a disastrous low, despite his winning the state by 9 percentage points in November. His poll standing in Iowa is at 42% approval, 49% disapproval, similar to his numbers nationwide.
- On February 14th, 2017, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe filed to block the easement granted by DT to allow the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline to go forward.
- On February 14th, 2017, House Republicans blocked attempts by House Democrats to use an obscure law to demand access to DT's tax returns to investigate conflicts of interest stemming from his businesses.