Caroline Kennedy --- 2020

[BBB]

It's all fake news. Go watch Fox. Or something like that...

[Cookietruck]

here is some real news. serious LOL's here, i don't care for twitter but sometimes it's good in my book.

Ivanka Trump Looked Thirsty AF While Glancing At Justin Trudeau | The Huffington Post

[choke]

oh man, Flynn is already out, hopefully congress with do what's right and investigate. Isn't this possibly treason?

It doesn't come close to being treason, defined by the Constitution as "Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort."

He could be charged under the Logan Act but that has only been used one time since it came into effect in 1799. IMO the only real thing he's guilty of is lying.

[Scott G.]

[snip] IMO the only real thing he's guilty of is lying.

Comrade General Flynn is guilty of being a FNG, he tripped on the carpet.
Lots of that going on right now. Another entry for the FSB laugh reel at the annual party party.

[Cookietruck]

It doesn't come close to being treason, defined by the Constitution as "Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort."

He could be charged under the Logan Act but that has only been used one time since it came into effect in 1799. IMO the only real thing he's guilty of is lying.

i meant isn't this possibly treason, more along the lines of: it's looking more likely that the campaign worked with Russia to leak information during the election.
I wasn't talking only about Flynn lying about communication of sanctions with a Russian (enemy) ambassador to help them with strategy...

[djg21]

i meant isn't this possibly treason, more along the lines of: it's looking more likely that the campaign worked with Russia to leak information during the election.
I wasn't talking only about Flynn lying about communication of sanctions with a Russian (enemy) ambassador to help them with strategy...

I don't know about treason. The US historically has had to be on a declared war before one could could adhere to, or give aid and comfort to an enemy. But given the undeclared "wars" in Korea and Vietnam, the "Cold War," and the ongoing "war on terror,"and argument can be made that the requirement of a declaration of War is an anachronism. But we know which way the originalists would go, especially with a Republican serving as so-called President.

Five myths about treason - The Washington Post

[vertical_doug]

Calling Bullshit

it looks like a great course, check out the case studies

[monadnocky]

Calling Bullshit

it looks like a great course, check out the case studies

Beautifully articulated. Statistics as principled argument. The case example regarding food stamp fraud is elegantly simple.

[davids]

How timely: Forget the tax returns; show me his brain scans - The Boston Globe

[colker]

The attacks on the press, news media and worse, not allowing the members of the press to attend the speech, is unnacceptable. A clear breach w/ the fundamentals of democracy: the press is the 4th power and w/ the 3 others, is responsible for checks and balances. Calling the press "corporations w/their own agenda" and "enemies of the people" is the typical fascist move.
NOw what? Judges who question executive orders will be arrested?

[Dallas Tex]

As the media loses more and more credibility, its role in shaping public opinion is being dramatically reduced. The blurred line of opinion pieces & real reporting, as well as bias has helped to destroy the trust between the press and the public. News has become infotainment, important issues are ignored while a misspelling or misspoken word gets 95% of the attention. Once great traditional mainstream media is circling the drain like once great retailer Sears. And it's their own fault.

[choke]

Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to John Norvell, 1807:

To your request of my opinion of the manner in which a newspaper should be conducted, so as to be most useful, I should answer, "by restraining it to true facts & sound principles only." Yet I fear such a paper would find few subscribers. It is a melancholy truth, that a suppression of the press could not more compleatly deprive the nation of it's benefits, than is done by it's abandoned prostitution to falsehood. Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper. Truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle.

Amendment I (Speech and Press): Thomas Jefferson to John Norvell

[spopepro]

Or how about that time that government officials anonymously* penned opinion pieces to run in a few newspapers. You would think that the press would be more careful about presenting anonymous opinion, especially when it comes from a government source. They totally should have found out who this "Publius" guy was before printing anything.

The Federalist Papers - Wikipedia




*yes, pseudonymously, to be totally accurate. But it's too nice of a fit when the FBI is being told to print propaganda to fight anonymously delivered facts.

[colker]

As the media loses more and more credibility, its role in shaping public opinion is being dramatically reduced. The blurred line of opinion pieces & real reporting, as well as bias has helped to destroy the trust between the press and the public. News has become infotainment, important issues are ignored while a misspelling or misspoken word gets 95% of the attention. Once great traditional mainstream media is circling the drain like once great retailer Sears. And it's their own fault.

That may be 100% true and yet no governement has any business on persecuting the press.
The same token will apply to the press: it cannot campaign to destabilize the role of politicians in a democracy. Or the role of judges.
Nor will judges persecute congress.
Bannon and Trump not only attacked the press but attacked the politicians and judges calling them a corrupt bureaucracy.
It´s sabotage of democracy using "the people" as an excuse.
The press, congress and the judiciary system are pillars of democracy and freedom. It does not matter if it´s a bad press or a good press: it will not be persecuted by the state.

[becomingblue]

That may be 100% true and yet no governement has any business on persecuting the press.
The press, congress and the judiciary system are pillars of democracy and freedom. It does not matter if it´s a bad press or a good press: it will not be persecuted by the state.

A lot of the press I see is complete junk. It doesn't matter if it's politics or the weather. What mechanism is in place to keep them in check? Are there any standards to follow or uphold, or can anyone with an iphone call themselves the press now because they have a camera, a recorder and an opinion.

[Saab2000]

I'll take my chances with educated journalists and people capable of critical thought vs. the statements that are demonstrably false (lies like Bowling Green and Sweden, etc.) that keep coming from the White House, thank you very much.

[GonaSovereign]

As the media loses more and more credibility, its role in shaping public opinion is being dramatically reduced. The blurred line of opinion pieces & real reporting, as well as bias has helped to destroy the trust between the press and the public. News has become infotainment, important issues are ignored while a misspelling or misspoken word gets 95% of the attention. Once great traditional mainstream media is circling the drain like once great retailer Sears. And it's their own fault.

Foreigner here, so my politics stay out of your country. That said, the New York Times has maintained the same level of journalistic integrity and decent objectivity since 1850 or so. Ditto the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. You'll note they're positioned across the political spectrum. There are some excellent journalists and media outlets in your country. If they're calling BS, it's because it's objectively BS.

You can safely read the news presented by those at the left and right of center of this graphic.
CzkRAkUVQAA6EIZ.jpg

[Matthew J]

If ye ain't an outlaw, then know comes yer wearin' that mask?

[Scott G.]

Just read the Economist, the WSJ has dropped a grade level since it was Murdoched.
Read the FT instead. The NYT for your commie liberal/statist media, (lefties and righties both hate the NYT)

[vertical_doug]

The WH included BBC and Guardian with the LATimes, NYTimes, and CNN. The Guardian was wiling to help Snowden, so I doubt Trump will be able to bully them. Once it realizes he cannot bully, he will try to pass some executive order or get some legislation which prohibits some press activities. This is the route Erdogan, Putin and others typically go.

The US economy is like this great ocean liner which cannot turn on a dime. Now Trump takes credit for the economy which is really the trend left from the Obama administration.