OPPOSITE DAY

Trump's upside-down world

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/you-know-im-smart-person
He also indicated that, as president, he would not take the daily intelligence briefing that President Obama and his predecessors have received. Mr. Trump, who has received the briefing sparingly as president-elect, said that it was often repetitive and that he would take it “when I need it.” He said his vice president, Mike Pence, would receive the daily briefing.  “You know, I’m, like, a smart person. I don’t have to be told the same thing in the same words every single day for the next eight years,” he said. . . .

http://prospect.org/article/donald-trumps-epistemological-netherworld

"Personally, it could be Russia. It—I don't really think it is. But who knows? I don't know either. They don't know and I don't know." Asked why he has rejected the daily briefings previous presidents have gotten from intelligence officials, Trump said he didn't need them, because "I'm, like, a smart person." He called climate change "a big scam for a lot of people to make a lot of money" but insisted, "I'm still open-minded. Nobody really knows."  Into that knowledge vacuum, Trump moves with his own reality, one in which facts as discrete, objective objects are utterly absent. And as usual, his supporters are enthusiastic participants in this journey to an epistemological netherworld. . . . [read on]

More: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/11/1609780/-Trump-says-he-doesn-t-read-the-Presidential-Daily-Brief-every-day-because-he-s-a-smart-person

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/12/11/donald-trump-keeps-blaming-everybody-but-russia-for-election-hacking.html
Donald Trump Keeps Blaming Everybody But Russia For Election Hacking

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/trump-says-democrats-made-russian-hacking
Trump Says Democrats Made Up Russian Hacking As An 'Excuse' For His 'Major Landslide Victory'

[NB: EIGHTY THOUSAND VOTES out of 130 million cast.]

The beginnings of a bipartisan push to get to the bottom of Russian interference in the election

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/12/11/trump-denies-cia-report-russia-intervened-to-help-him-win-election/?utm_term=.d432ed945d16
On Sunday morning, Republican Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) joined Democratic Leader-elect Charles Schumer (N.Y.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) in calling for a thorough investigation of the cyberattacks.  “Recent reports of Russian interference in our election should alarm every American,” the group said. “Democrats and Republicans must work together, and across the jurisdictional lines of the Congress, to examine these recent incidents thoroughly and devise comprehensive solutions to deter and defend against further cyber-attacks.” 

More: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/11/1609767/-Citing-grave-threats-to-security-Republicans-join-effort-to-investigate-Russian-influence 

http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2016/12/house-divided
 

Here's one reason why this isn't the blockbuster it should be -- we had hints and indications of Russian interference (and Trump's ties to Putin) all along. The fact that it's more or less proven now doesn't really change anybody's mind

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/so-how-many-times-did-cl-talk-about

More: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/11/1609840/-Sen-Mitch-McConnell-needs-to-answer-for-his-role-covering-up-Russian-election-attacks
Sen. Mitch McConnell needs to answer for his role covering up Russian election attacks

Who is Rex Tillerson?

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/rex-tillerson-from-a-corporate-oil-sovereign-to-the-state-department
The news that President-elect Donald Trump is expected to nominate Rex Tillerson, the chairman and chief executive of ExxonMobil, as his Secretary of State is astonishing on many levels. As an exercise of public diplomacy, it will certainly confirm the assumption of many people around the world that American power is best understood as a raw, neocolonial exercise in securing resources. . . .

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/he-goes-where-oil-kellyanne-conway
'He Goes Where The Oil Is': Kellyanne Conway Explains Rex Tillerson's Cozy Ties To Putin  

More: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/12/10/who-is-rex-tillerson-the-exxonmobil-chairman-who-may-become-secretary-of-state/?utm_term=.40e6384e7af4
Tillerson received the Order of Friendship from Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2013. Tillerson's work with ExxonMobil included a stretch working for Exxon Neftegas Ltd., putting him in charge of the subsidiary's fields in Russia and the Caspian Sea.  Two years before receiving the award, ExxonMobil won a contract to explore for oil in a Russia-controlled portion of the Arctic Ocean, which was made more economically viable for drilling in part thanks to the sea ice decline that's followed global warming. Putin himself announced the deal

Tillerson opposes sanctions
 
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-trump-tillerson-secretary-of-state-20161210-story.html
Exxon discovered oil in a well it drilled in the Kara Sea, but the joint partnership was put on ice after Russian intervention in Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea led to international economic sanctions. As secretary of state, Tillerson, who has been critical of the sanctions, would be in a position to argue for easing them, which could allow Exxon to resume operations. . . .

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/11/rex-tillerson-secretary-of-state-trump-russia-putin
If the sanctions were lifted, the Arctic project would probably go ahead and Tillerson’s retirement fund of Exxon Mobil stock would increase in value. He would most likely have to divest himself of stock by the time he entered the office on the seventh floor of the state department. It might be harder to divorce his judgments entirely from the oil company where he spent his career.

More on sanctions: http://heavy.com/news/2016/12/rex-tillerson-exxon-mobil-ceo-donald-trump-secretary-of-state-wife-kids-who-is-bio-russia-putin-global-warming-age/

How does Russia feel about it?

http://www.dailywire.com/news/11519/russian-government-official-praises-trumps-frank-camp
"Selecting Tillerson - sensation. This businessman, by definition, a pragmatist, but still with a lot of experience with Russia. Trump continues to amaze."

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/12/report-trump-picks-exxons-tillerson-for-secretary-of-state.html
Russian state TV excited about Rex Tillerson rumors, say he could improve relations between Moscow and DC.

John Bolton for Asst Sect'y?

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/rand-paul-threatens-block-john-bolton
Kentucky's junior senator, Rand Paul is known for his non-interventionist stance with regards to international affairs. However, the latest appalling Trump nomination for Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, C.E.O. of Exxon-Mobil, is not problematic to Paul, just yet. Apparently, conflating business interests over the interests of the State is not that big a deal to Baby Paul. More concerning is Trump's pick for Undersecretary or Assistant Secretary of State, neocon warmonger John Bolton. . . .

More: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/12/john-bolton-set-be-2-state-department
John Bolton? This is hardly unexpected, but holy shit. Bolton is a lunatic. Here he is on Fox News today:  Bolton is seriously suggesting that the hacks into Democratic Party computers might have been false flag operations, presumably with the goal of making it look like Russia supported Donald Trump. This would ruin Trump's reputation and guarantee a win for Hillary Clinton. This is completely nuts. It's deranged. It's unhinged. . . .

Trump's ties to Russia

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/election-2016-donald-trump-ties-to-russia-go-back-years-dnc-email-hack/
While the Republican presidential nominee has denied any ties to Russia, his connections to the country and its president go back years. Trump has talked about Russia being a hot business climate, and he has been trying to bring his brand to Moscow for decades, reports CBS News correspondent Julianna Goldman. . . .

More: http://time.com/4433880/donald-trump-ties-to-russia/
Donald Trump’s Many, Many, Many, Many Ties to Russia

https://ig.ft.com/sites/trumps-russian-connections/
The Republican candidate’s links to Russia are a mix of bling, business and bluster spanning 30 years. . . .

https://www.scribd.com/document/330757147/The-Dworkin-Report-by-The-Democratic-Coalition
Evidence Linking Donald Trump to Russia

Trump seems to be treating the CIA like the New York Times. The problem is when you don't like what the intelligence agencies are telling you, you can't just diss them with a tweet

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/11/1609869/-As-Trump-again-attacks-CIA-former-intelligence-officers-expect-retaliation-against-the-agency
As Trump again attacks CIA, former intelligence officers expect retaliation against the agency 

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/11/us/politics/cia-judgment-intelligence-russia-hacking-evidence.html
Central Intelligence Agency officials presented lawmakers with a stunning new judgment that upended the debate: Russia, they said, had intervened with the primary aim of helping make Donald J. Trump president. The C.I.A.’s conclusion does not appear to be the product of specific new intelligence obtained since the election, several American officials, including some who had read the agency’s briefing, said on Sunday. Rather, it was an analysis of what many believe is overwhelming circumstantial evidence — evidence that others feel does not support firm judgments — that the Russians put a thumb on the scale for Mr. Trump, and got their desired outcome. It is unclear why the C.I.A. did not produce this formal assessment before the election, although several officials said that parts of it had been made available to President Obama in the presidential daily briefing in the weeks before the vote. But the conclusion that Moscow ran an operation to help install the next president is one of the most consequential analyses by American spy agencies in years. 

Evan McMullin, ill-fated third party candidate (and no liberal) says what a lot of us want to say. Go Evan!

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/evan-mcmullin-trump-not-loyal-american
McMullin, a former CIA operative and House GOP aide, made the comment while slamming Trump's reported pick of Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson for secretary of State.  “It must be clear that Donald Trump is not a loyal American and we should prepare for the next four years accordingly," McMullin wrote on Twitter.

Trump's proxies are pushing back HARD against the Russia story, outraged and lying and trying to change the subject. They realize how devastating it is

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/12/11/reince-priebus-lies-about-russian-hacking-on-tv.html
Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee and President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming chief of staff, tried in an interview Sunday on Meet the Press to dismiss news reports that the CIA believes Russia aimed to boost Trump’s election chances. . . .

http://dailycaller.com/2016/12/10/rnc-spokesman-slams-wp-nyt-report-the-russians-never-hacked-us-video/
Sean Spicer told CNN’s Michael Smerconish Saturday morning that the reports claiming the Russian government hacked the Republican National Committee during the 2016 election are false. . . .

http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/conway-russia-hacking-undercuts/2016/12/11/id/763356/

[Kellyanne Conway] Bristling during an interview on CBS' "Face The Nation," the former Trump campaign manager pushed back at questions over the CIA's reported secret assessment that Moscow aimed to help Trump's win of the White House . . .

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/12/11/kellyanne-conway-calls-cia-report-on-russian-election-meddling-laughable-and-ridiculous/?utm_term=.49322dba168b

Conway calls CIA report on Russian election meddling ‘laughable and ridiculous’

You have to enjoy these moments: after all their brash talk and promises, the Republicans have NO IDEA what to do about Obamacare

http://www.salon.com/2016/12/12/after-health-care-repeal-vote-some-in-gop-fear-a-cliff/

Bonus item: Sam Bee on a President who lies 24/7

http://www.vox.com/culture/2016/12/6/13853950/samantha-bee-trump-voter-fraud-tweet

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sharing its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com) with others via email or social media.

Thanks for helping to spread the word!

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WE WAS ROBBED

Okay, I promise to only do this once. Here's what we know. The Russian government interfered systematically in the election to try to help Trump. The CIA knew this, told government leaders about it, but they sat on the story until after the election because they didn't want to appear "partisan." Meanwhile, James Comey, the Director of the FBI, released a letter at a crucial moment in the election, announcing the breathless discovery of "new Clinton emails" that, after they actually looked at them, revealed . . . absolutely nothing. Pollsters for both campaigns agree that this stymied Clinton's momentum going into the final days and drove some voters away. Voter suppression laws in several key states with clearly racist intent prevented people from voting. We had not one but two third party campaigns, which pulled net support away from Clinton. A lot of people who were polling as Clinton supporters either switched at the last moment, or stayed home.

And for all that, Trump narrowly squeaked through the electoral college only because of about 80,000 voters in three states. He lost the popular vote by the largest margin ever for a "winning" candidate. Vote totals in key states widely diverged from exit polls, which are so accurate they are used around the world to test the validity of elections.

There is plenty of evidence here for the conclusion that Trump's election is the worst instance of electoral theft in our lifetimes -- much worse than Florida 2000.

The issue of Russia intervening in the campaign to help Trump ought to be a huge story

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/harry-reid-russiagate-james-comey-j-edgar
HARRY REID: ...I did not believe, that James Comey was the new J. Edgar Hoover. I thought that he would do the right thing for the country. The FBI had this material for a long time. Comey, who is of course a Republican, refused to divulge this information regarding Russia and the Presidential election. . . .

JOY REID: Just to be clear, Senator Reid, you contend that Jim Comey, the FBI director, had this information, and deliberately withheld it before the election. Is that your contention, sir?  

HARRY REID: Yes, that is true.

More: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/10/1609468/-McConnell-gave-Russia-the-green-light-refused-to-sign-on-to-protecting-election
With Russia identified as the agent behind DNC email break-in, the prime suspect in carrying out thefts of private emails from Democratic insiders, and actively trying to do more, President Obama put out a call for a bipartisan agreement to protect the election from Russian hacking. . . But there were at least two Republicans who wouldn’t agree. Chief among them, the Republican Majority Leader in the Senate.

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/war-russia-isnt-issue-treason
In Comey's case, it goes one step farther because Comey actually deflected attention away from Russian interference in order to refocus media on emails, which measurably impacted the outcome.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/schumer-intel-community-must-hand-over-info-on-russian-hacking
Senate Dem Leader: Intel Community Must Hand Over Info On Russian Hacking

[NB: Let's play "imagine this" shall we? Imagine that any foreign government, but especially Russia, was interfering in a presidential election to help a DEMOCRAT to win. What would the Repubs be saying now? What would Fox News be saying? How many people would be howling for this candidate to step aside, or for the Electoral College to reject them? Oh, and what if the Republican opponent had also won the popular vote by 3 million votes?]

Trump trashes the CIA. Hey, buddy -- they work for you now

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-dismisses-cia-in-response-to-wapo-report-on-russian-electoral-interferences
President-elect Donald Trump's transition team was dismissive of the CIA in a response to a Washington Post report that the agency had found in a secret assessment that Russian actors sought to boost Trump in the election. "These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction," the statement. "The election ended a long time ago in one of the biggest Electoral College victories in history. It’s now time to move on and 'Make America Great Again.'”

[NB: "One of the biggest Electoral College victories in history"?]

Given this revelation, is Trump going to get away with appointing an openly pro-Putin candidate for Sect'y of State?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/10/1609563/-Putin-awarded-Rex-Tillerson-Exxon-CEO-apparently-to-get-the-nod-for-secretary-of-State-next-week

Remember this? http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/08/03/trump-campaign-changed-ukraine-platform-lied-about-it.html
Trump Campaign Changed Ukraine Platform, Lied About It

No, I don't think he ever had an intention to appoint Romney. But he got what he wanted out if it -- look at those two faces

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2016/12/a-lesson-for-everyone.html
He just wanted to make him grovel before him. Then he stuck the shiv in and twisted it.  Any rival or opposition who tries to co-opt him is going to meet the same fate. He's not "someone we can work with." He'll use you, but you will be his lackey. I hope Democrats pin this picture on their wall and look it every morning. . . . 

The Cabinet so far

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/12/swamp-watch-10-december-2016 

Trump has a good chance to become the worst president, ever

http://www.salon.com/2016/12/10/dear-donald-trump-heres-how-not-to-be-the-worst-president-in-history/  

Yes, he actually said this

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/trump-lock-her-played-great-election-now
Tonight at his "thank you rally" in Michigan he started to tell the story of Hillary Clinton coming to Michigan to campaign with the Obamas. The crowd started to chant "Lock Her Up." . . . Trump brushed them off. "No, no. That played well before the election. Now? We don't care."  

Trump has weaponized Twitter, targeting individuals, even ordinary citizens, who have dared to challenge or criticize him. Someone is gonna get hurt

http://www.vox.com/2016/12/10/13901238/trump-twitter-harassment-criticism-jones

More: http://www.vox.com/culture/2016/12/10/13898352/trump-twitter-harassment-policy-bannable
Donald Trump’s behavior on Twitter is a bannable offense

What would our State Dept say about an election run this way, in another country?

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/12/11/how-do-we-know-our-elections-are-fair.html
In recent years, domestic and international organizations have increasingly turned to exit polls to verify the officially reported results in the transitional elections of emerging democracies. . . . [read on]

How will the Dems handle the next four years?

http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/12/10/13867490/senate-democrats-trump-strategy
Senate Democrats aren't facing the question of exactly where to take on Donald Trump next year. They’re deciding where they shouldn’t. . . .

More: http://washingtonmonthly.com/2016/12/10/governing-principles

Bonus item: SNL on Trump's pick to head the Drug Enforcement Agency

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/snl-mocks-donald-trumps-cabinet-picks-bryan-cranstons/story?id=44118782

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sharing its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com) with others via email or social media.

Thanks for helping to spread the word!

I don’t get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don’t run ads, etc.). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a “mission,” it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***

HACKED

The biggest underreported story in this election, by far, was the role of Russian hacking and interference. Obama (finally) authorizes an investigation into it. And a Washington Post story tells us now what we should have known two months ago

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/obama-russia-possible-hacking-investigation

More: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/12/09/what-happens-if-russia-did-interfere-in-our-election/?utm_source=rss_plum-line&utm_term=.9ee024b9a4cc
Which raises three questions. First, what might investigators find? Second, what would happen if evidence of serious interference were discovered? And third, why do this now?  It’s unclear whether the findings of the investigation will ever be released . . . [read on]

Here's what we know now

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/10/1609342/-Secret-CIA-assessment-says-Russia-intervened-not-just-to-meddle-but-specifically-to-elect-Trump
Adam Entous, Ellen Nakashima, and Greg Miller report that the CIA told “key senators” in a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill last week that the agency’s intelligence has shown Russia intervened in the U.S. election with the “quite clear” intention of getting Donald Trump elected . . .  

More: http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/mitch-mcconnell-squelched-disclosure
Intelligence agencies had arrived at their conclusion in September, and briefed a bipartisan group in the Senate and House about it then, along with President Obama. The President wanted to go forward with a full disclosure of the report, but Mitch McConnell quashed it, threatening to taint any disclosure with the claim that it was being made merely for political gain. . . .

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/12/donald-trump-really-really-doesnt-want-hear-about-how-russia-got-him-elected
The New York Times adds this: "They based that conclusion, in part, on another finding — which they say was also reached with high confidence — that the Russians hacked the Republican National Committee’s computer systems in addition to their attacks on Democratic organizations, but did not release whatever information they gleaned from the Republican networks..."



Trump's cabinet is full of people who made a fortune selling garbage to people. Mr "Burgers and Bikinis," the head of World Wrestling, hedge fund managers, the head of Breitbart, and of course Trump himself. Trump appeared in a WWE brawl with Vince McMahon. Classy! No surprise that one of his closest supporters is the publisher of the National Enquirer (which Trump considers a serious news source) and one of his first meetings post election was with Fabio. All profiteers from the debasing of American culture

The worst of Carl's Jr: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Carl%27s+Jr.+ads

The worst of WWE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyg7Pcs6OYI

The worst of Breitbart: http://mediamatters.org/blog/2016/08/17/breitbart-news-worst-headlines/212467

Trump's version of "populism"

http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/12/9/13884838/puzder-populism
On matters big and small, Trump aligns himself not with the pocketbook interests of low-wage workers but with the cultural values and preferences of working-class Americans. . . [read on]

Hillary got paid for all those speeches to Goldman Sachs, and everyone howled that she was WAY too cozy with the big bankers. Why, who knows, she would probably have even put one of them in her Cabinet . . . . oh . . . . wait

http://www.vox.com/2016/12/9/13898984/gary-cohn-goldman-sachs-trump
Goldman Sachs alumni will likely have the two top Trump economic policy jobs

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/goldman-sachs-president-trump-gary-cohn-national-economic-council
Goldman Sachs president Gary Cohn has been offered the directorship of the Trump White House's National Economic Council . . . In Trump’s closing advertisement before Election Day, a two-minute spectacular focused on blood-sucking elites, Cohn’s only senior at Goldman, CEO Lloyd Blankfein, flashed on screen while Trump said: “It’s a global power structure that is responsible for the economic decisions that have robbed our working class, stripped our country of its wealth, and put that money into the pockets of a handful of large corporations and political entities.” Cohn joins several Goldman Sachs alumni already expected to be in the new administration. Steve Mnuchin, Trump’s pick for Treasury secretary, spent 17 years at Goldman Sachs before striking out on his own. His father and brother also had high-profile careers at the investment bank. Steve Bannon, formerly Trump’s campaign CEO and now his chief strategist, worked at Goldman Sachs in the 1980s in mergers and acquisitions.  Anthony Scaramucci, one of Trump’s top transition advisers and a frequent cable news talking head, had two separate stints at Goldman Sachs, most recently as vice president in private wealth management . . .

More: http://www.salon.com/2016/12/09/donald-trump-appoints-gary-cohn-another-goldman-sachs-alum-to-his-administration/

http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2016/12/why_trump_keeps_hiring_goldman_sachs_bankers.html

Turns out that just about the time he learned that Trump was meeting with Mitt Romney to try to tempt him into becoming Sect'y of State, Rudy Giuliani pulled out of the running. But we're only hearing about it now, more than a week later. Hmm. . . 

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/rudy-giuliani-out-of-running-secretary-of-state

More: http://www.salon.com/2016/12/09/rudy-giuliani-pulls-himself-out-of-the-running-for-donald-trumps-cabinet/
Trump's left behind his campaign's top backers: Rudy Giuliani, Chris Christie, Corey Lewandowski & Newt Gingrich 

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/12/rudy-giulianis-moral-decline-isnt-such-a-mystery-at-all.html
Rudy Giuliani’s Moral Decline

Heh

http://www.salon.com/2016/12/09/paula-broadwell-who-got-classified-information-from-david-petraeus-is-shocked-that-hes-under-consideration-for-secretary-of-state/
Paula Broadwell, who got classified information from David Petraeus, is shocked that he’s under consideration for secretary of state 

You won't believe the current leading candidate for Sect'y of State

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/12/scriptwriter-trump-show-needs-get-grip
Trump is planning to nominate a wealthy, inexperienced fossil-fuel mogul whose only qualification—literally—is that he's sort of chummy with Vladimir Putin? And Republicans are expected to confirm him? . . . [read on] 

Another anti-environmental Cabinet appointment, this time for Dept of the Interior

http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/309628-trump-to-pick-rep-mcmorris-rodgers-for-interior-secretary-report

They're making a list . . . checking it twice . . . gonna find out who's naughty and nice

http://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2016/12/9/13903860/trump-energy-department-climate-memo
Trump’s team is asking for the names of Energy Department employees who worked on climate issues

More: http://www.salon.com/2016/12/09/donald-trumps-transition-team-is-looking-through-president-obamas-energy-staffers/

A lack of intelligence: Trump has reduced his daily intelligence briefings to once a WEEK

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-intelligence-briefing

More: http://www.salon.com/2016/12/09/see-no-evil-hear-no-evil-donald-trump-is-turning-away-his-intelligence-briefings/

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-skips-intel-briefings-questions-intensify

Why Air Force One is so expensive -- and why Trump can't just "cancel the order"

http://www.vox.com/2016/12/9/13893044/trump-boeing-twitter-air-force-one-expensive-terrorism-nuclear

The Cesspool

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-owned-businesses-received-millions-trumps-campaign 
Trump-owned businesses received millions from Trump’s campaign

More: http://www.vox.com/2016/12/9/13799904/trump-corruption-conflict-of-interest
All of Donald Trump’s known conflicts of interest in one place

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/he-won-t-because-he-can-t
TPM reader JG adds some details to my suggestion that Trump may be refusing to divest himself of his business because he can't. . . .

The Women's March on Washington is being kept far away from Trump's inauguration activities

http://www.salon.com/2016/12/09/womens-march-on-washington-barred-from-protesting-donald-trump-inauguration/

Kellyanne Conway is getting worse and worse

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/conway-trump-apprentice-obama-golf
Kellyanne Conway, Donald Trump's former campaign manager, on Friday morning defended the President-elect's decision to stay on as an executive producer of NBC's "The Apprentice," comparing the move to President Obama's time playing golf. . . .

More: http://www.salon.com/2016/12/09/kellyanne-conway-is-fine-with-donald-trumps-moonlighting-on-the-apprentice-work-is-his-work-and-work-is-his-hobby/

Trump is STILL bitching about Time magazine giving him the "Person of the Year" award and not the "Man of the Year"

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/12/09/trump-surveys-rally-goers-on-whether-time-magazines-person-of-the-year-is-too-pc/?utm_term=.70fb1a8e8f24
“For years it was ‘Man of the Year,’ and I think even if a woman won, it was ‘Man of the Year,’” the president-elect said . . .

It sure looks as if Trump's tweets violate Twitter's rules

http://www.salon.com/2016/12/09/donald-trumps-twitter-posts-seem-awfully-close-to-violating-the-platforms-rules-on-abusive-behavior/

The Dems are going to have to be very smart in how they fight back against Trump. So far, they're off to a pretty good start

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/09/1609133/-Senate-Democrats-drive-wedge-between-Trump-Republicans-in-government-shutdown-threat

More: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/12/09/republicans-admit-it-okay-yes-we-really-are-big-hypocrites/?utm_source=rss_plum-line&utm_term=.5f291d835b47
Republicans admit it: Okay, yes, we really are big hypocrites 

Trump might have won, but people still don't like the Republicans

http://washingtonmonthly.com/2016/12/09/the-strangest-winner-on-election-night-was-not-trump

More: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/12/are-republicans-crazy-enough-to-go-after-social-security.htm
Are Republicans Crazy Enough to Go After Social Security? 

Meanwhile, Trump keeps throwing shade on the election results

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/donald-trump-early-voting-polling-places-locked
Trump Hits Early Voting

Bonus item: Trump's phone calls with world leaders -- secret audio!

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/09/1608506/-Cartoon-Exclusive-Audio-Trump-Phone-Calls

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sharing its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com) with others via email or social media.

Thanks for helping to spread the word!

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MEAT DEPARTMENT

Trump's new labor secretary is a man after his own heart

http://www.vox.com/identities/2016/12/8/13889708/andy-puzder-trump-secretary-labor-hardees-carls-jr-sexist-ads
Trump's labor secretary pick: “I like beautiful women eating burgers in bikinis”

More: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/12/trump-gives-middle-finger-to-wage-earners-with-labor-pick.html

http://washingtonmonthly.com/2016/12/08/why-andy-puzder-shouldnt-run-the-labor-department/

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/12/08/in-andy-puzder-donald-trump-makes-the-worst-possible-pick-for-secretary-of-labor.html

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/andrew-puzder-trump-pick-secretary-labor-accused-by-ex-wife-domestic-abuse
Trump’s Pick For Labor Was Accused Of Domestic Abuse In The '80s

A slaughterhouse for labor

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/08/1608801/-The-new-labor-Secretary-doesn-t-just-hate-labor-he-has-it-in-for-human-beings
Trump’s choice for secretary of labor goes beyond just hating unions and hating the minimum wage. He hates people. . . .

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/09/1608355/-Incoming-Republican-labor-chair-says-organized-labor-has-lost-its-reason-for-being
The incoming chair of the congressional panel that oversees labor issues on Monday questioned the need for unions . . . 

Trump: http://www.salon.com/2016/12/08/donald-trump-attacks-carrier-union-leader-blames-employoees-for-being-laid-off/
Chuck Jones, who is President of United Steelworkers 1999, has done a terrible job representing workers. No wonder companies flee country! . . . If United Steelworkers 1999 was any good, they would have kept those jobs in Indiana. Spend more time working-less time talking. Reduce dues 

Baloney, indeed. Good to see that Trump is expanding his Sect'y of State search to consider ALL the qualified candidates

http://www.salon.com/2016/12/08/secretary-of-state-candidate-dana-rohrabacher-thinks-russias-human-rights-violations-are-baloney/
Secretary of state candidate Dana Rohrabacher thinks Russia’s human rights violations are “baloney” 

More: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/rohrabacher-china-russia-yahoo-interview

Trump's cabinet is composed almost entirely of generals and gazillionaires

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/after-chiding-the-elite-team-trump-adds-another-multimillionaire
 
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/12/how-many-generals-too-many

More: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-cabinet-made-fortune
Trump On Cabinet: 'I Want People That Made A Fortune'

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2016/12/big-brass-picks.html
"It's beginning to look like Seven Days in May"
 
General disarray

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/barry-mccaffrey-michael-flynn-demented-tweets
McCaffrey Changes Opinion On Flynn After Reading 'Nearly Demented' Tweets  

More: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/08/1608651/-Gen-Barry-McCaffrey-withdraws-support-of-Trump-National-Security-Advisor-calls-for-investigation
Gen. Barry McCaffrey withdraws support of Trump national security advisor, calls for investigation

Un-believable

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/trump-will-remain-executive-producer
According to Variety, Trump will stay on as executive producer of The Apprentice after he takes office. . . . The larger issue for MGM, NBC, and the White House is the payment that Trump will receive for the series. It’s unclear what his per-episode fee is, but it is likely to be in the low five-figures, at minimum. . . . And it's not just the fee. There's more. There's always more. Trump is also a profit participant on the “Apprentice” franchise, which has been sold as a format in various markets around the world since it first became a hit on NBC in 2004. . . . The fact that a sitting president will be on the payroll of a current TV show is another example of the thicket of potential conflicts of interest raised by Trump’s segue from private businessman and TV star to commander-in-chief.

The Cesspool: see how quickly we get desensitized?

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/rnc-party-trump-hotel
RNC Will Reportedly Host Christmas Party At Trump DC Hotel

Trump's 35% import tariff: he can't impose it, the GOP hates it, and it won't work

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/12/08/trumps-35-percent-tariff-wouldnt-keep-jobs-in-the-u-s-heres-why/?utm_term=.3fe976674c5b

Yes, it could happen

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/12/08/donald-trump-is-going-to-get-somebody-killed/?utm_source=rss_plum-line&utm_term=.78e3fcfb3e65
We’ve long known that Trump is so petty and insecure that he can’t stop himself from lashing out at anyone who criticizes him.  But now we have to seriously ask how long it’s going to be before his vindictiveness gets somebody killed. . . .

We saw this again and again during the campaign: Trump would get criticized by someone like Khizr Khan or Alicia Machado, and instead of just brushing it off like someone with a modicum of sense or class would do, he’d get into an extended battle with them. He’s so petty and insecure that he simply can’t help himself, even when it’s doing him political damage. And now that he’s about to become president, nothing has changed.  So think for a moment about what it means when the president of the United States, the most criticized person in the world no matter who is occupying the office, is routinely getting into nasty squabbles with ordinary citizens. We expect a high level of dignity and decorum from our president, and that expectation isn’t just about his own image. What Trump is doing could have very serious consequences. 

Fact-free zone

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/12/08/nearly-a-third-of-republicans-dont-know-that-trump-lost-the-popular-vote/?utm_term=.d1e00e9370a2
Nearly a third of Republicans don’t know that Trump lost the popular vote

What. A. Jerk

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-cabinet-made-fortune
The President-elect also took a dig at Time Magazine, which named him "Person of the Year" this week. "They used to call it ‘Man of the Year’ but they can’t do that anymore — they want to be politically correct, that’s OK," he said.

Bonus item: How we die

http://www.vox.com/2016/12/8/13875150/life-expectancy-us-dropped-first-time-decade
Life expectancy in the US has dropped for the first time in more than two decades

More: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/12/08/heroin-deaths-surpass-gun-homicides-for-the-first-time-cdc-data-show/?utm_term=.9e689cca5c36

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sharing its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com) with others via email or social media.

Thanks for helping to spread the word!

I don’t get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don’t run ads, etc.). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a “mission,” it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***