Home · News · News Dec 2019 · Dec 18 2019
Wednesday December 18, 2019

Capitol Hill digs in as Trump's impeachment looms
Axios | Mike Allen | 12/18/19

Ahead of today's historic House vote to impeach Donald John Trump, he dispatched a seething six-page letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi contending that a Democratic "partisan attempted coup" had treated him worse than "those accused in the Salem Witch Trials." She told reporters at the Capitol that the letter was "really sick."

Why it matters: The bitter exchange is a fitting denouement for the 86-day impeachment inquiry, which changed few minds in the country -- and none at the Capitol. The process, which is supposed to be the Constitution's death penalty, deepened a divide that has red and blue America speaking what sound to each other like foreign political languages. ... Read more

Read Trump's Letter to Pelosi Protesting Impeachment
NYT | staff | 12/17/19

We fact-checked President Trump's rambling and angry letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi in which he expressed his "most powerful protest" against the impeachment process. The House is expected to vote on two articles of impeachment against Mr. Trump on Wednesday. ... Read more

Letter from President Donald J. Trump to the Speaker of the House of Representatives | White House website | 12/17/19

Trump's Letter to Pelosi, Annotated by FactCheck.org
factcheck.org | staff | 12/18/19

On the eve of a House vote on two articles of impeachment, President Donald Trump sent a six-page letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, claiming the impeachment "represents an unprecedented and unconstitutional abuse of power."

We annotated the Dec. 17 letter, providing brief summaries and links to more information for statements that we have fact-checked before.

The president made several false and misleading statements about the impeachment process -- for instance, claiming the whistleblower started a "hoax with a false report of the phone call that bears no relationship to the actual phone call that was made." The whistleblower's report on the call was accurate, and, in the words of Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire "in alignment with what was released" by the White House in a rough transcript of the July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Trump also distorted the facts on several other topics, including immigration and his Electoral College victory. See our annotation for more. ... Read more

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker of House.pdf
Interview with Alan Grayson on His New Book
Donald Trump's Criminality Exceeds Every Past Impeachment (w/ Alan Grayson) | Thom Hartmann | 12/16/19 | 12.25
HIGH CRIMES:: The Impeachment of Donald Trump by Former Congressman Alan Grayson
"HIGH CRIMES" explains why. Here is a uniquely engaging 'take' on a political movement constantly in the news:
  1. SPECIFICS -- Here, at last, is a comprehensive compendium of Donald Trump's high crimes and misdemeanors: not only the collusion and obstruction of justice addressed in the Mueller Report, but also Trump's impeachable divided loyalties, corruption, conflicts of interest, emoluments violations, pervasive obstruction of justice, habitual abuse of power, campaign misconduct, sexual misconduct, tax evasion, and incessant conduct unbecoming a President. In fact, it's hard to identify an impeachable offense that Donald Trump hasn't committed.
  2. HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE -- Read about not only the 'high crimes and misdemeanors' of Donald Trump, but also those of 35 other officials who have faced impeachment (including Presidents Nixon, Clinton and Andrew Johnson). Here is much-needed historical context on the subject of impeaching Donald Trump: Trump is measured against the worst scoundrels of American political history, and he comes out worse than them. In fact, Trump's high crimes and misdemeanors make them look like amateurs by comparison.
  3. COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH -- No, you don't have to read them, but there are almost 500 endnotes here. (In the end, of course.) Trump's own high crimes and misdemeanors are cited directly to news reports, the Mueller Report, etc. The impeachment stories of other corrupt officials go all the way back to primary sources, like the Congressional Record, House Reports, Cannon and Hinds House Precedents, etc. -- often, in their own words, and the words of the Congressmen and Senators who passed judgment on them.
  4. SOPHISTICATED ANALYSIS -- Author Alan Grayson served in Congress, and he voted on two impeachments. That helps to bring the impeachment process to life.

impeach Book website
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Wednesday, December 18 [9:14]
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Wednesday, December 18 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. "Not the End of It": If GOP Senate Saves Trump, Rep. Al Green Says He Can Face Impeachment Again
  3. Impeachment Day? House Votes on Charging Trump with Abuse of Power & Obstruction of Justice
  4. Activists Cheer Approval of Driver's Licenses for Undocumented Immigrants in New York, New Jersey
Melting Greenland Could Displace 400M People; UN Climate Deal Does Little to Help | TRNN | 12/17/19 | 7:58
Trump Fighting With Mitch McConnell Over Impeachment Trial | TYT | 12/17/19 | 10:45
The Two People Who Could Take Trump Down | TYT | 12/17/19 | 5:56
Are These Signs of Oncoming Economic Disaster? | Thom Hartmann | older 12/03/19 | 11:53
The1a.org
The Confirmation Of Brett Kavanaugh | 1a.org | 12/18/19 | 1hr
In the fall of last year, a professor named Christine Blasey Ford testified that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her while the two were in high school. Despite testimony that transfixed the nation and other allegations of sexual misconduct, the Senate confirmed Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus' new book chronicles how Justice Kavanaugh made it to the Supreme Court and the legacy of his confirmation.

One of her recent pieces compares the current impeachment proceedings to the Kavanaugh hearings.
Unprecedented: Is A Threat Protected Speech? | 1a.org | 12/18/19 | 1hr
It's been difficult to interpret the First Amendment in the age of the internet and social media. But that's the task the Supreme Court took on in Elonis v. United States.

In 2010, 27-year-old Anthony Douglas Elonis was charged with making unlawful threats via a post on Facebook that referenced his estranged wife. The alleged threats, however, were often communicated in the form of rap lyrics, with Elonis even adopting the Facebook alter ego "Tone Dougie."

Once the case went to trial, Elonis and his lawyer insisted that he was utilizing the conventions of rap music. But the court didn't buy his argument, and he was sentenced to almost four years in prison.

Four years ago, the Supreme Court overturned that conviction, arguing that prosecutors must do more than prove that reasonable people would view statements as threats. So what is a "true threat"? And what makes a person "reasonable"?
Pelosi responds to Trump's 'really sick' letter | | | 10:42
See the most stunning lines in Trump's letter to Pelosi | | | 9:53
Here's what Trump's letter didn't mention | Anderson Cooper | CNN | | | 10:03
Sen. Schumer Offers Opening Bid In Senate Impeachment | | | 7:29
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Trump Complains Of "Spiteful Actions" And "Egregious Conduct" In Angry Letter To Nancy Pelosi | Stephen Colbert | 12/17/19 | 7:11
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse of Trump Supporters on Impeachment | Trevor Noah| 12/16/19 | 6:08
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Every Crime President Trump Has Ever Committed | Seth Meyer | 12/18/19 | 1:16
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Lie Witness News -- 2019 Year End Edition | Jimmy Kimmel | 12/13/19 | 3:46

12.18.2019. 19:56



Special Interest Important stuff
GOOD Shorts Videos

Note: To view a video, click on code at left of the title

I'm still working on this

GOOD Short Videos
Newer Documentaries You Might Not Have Seen

Note: To view a video, click on code at left of the title

I'm still working on this

Newer Documentaries
Documentaries You've Never Seen

Note: To view a video, click on code at left of the title
Documentaries (small | pop-up)
Documentaries (big | full screen)
Good YouTube Documentaries

Note: To view a video, click on its name/title
Great YouTube Docs. (small | pop-up)
Good YouTube Docs. (big | full screen)

Lindsey Graham Mashups
Lindsey Graham

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said the quiet part aloud on why he’s still so close to former President Donald Trump: because we can use him for our goals. "President Trump has gotten people who wouldn't give me or Romney or anybody else the time of day. They believe he is on their side," the senator told the America First Agenda Summit crowd on Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

Or click here for a tablet or a small screen device
Environment & Climate Change
Environment

The term "climate change" is often used to refer specifically to anthropogenic climate change (also known as global warming). Anthropogenic climate change is caused by human activity, as opposed to changes in climate that may have resulted as part of Earth's natural processes.

Or click here for a tablet or a small screen device
AI - Artificial Intelligence | Machine Learning | Deep Learning
AI - Artificial Intelligence

AIArtificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence demonstrated by machines, as opposed to the natural intelligence displayed by animals including humans. AI research has been defined as the field of study of intelligent agents, which refers to any system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its chance of achieving its goals.

The term "artificial intelligence" had previously been used to describe machines that mimic and display "human" cognitive skills that are associated with the human mind, such as "learning" and "problem-solving". This definition has since been rejected by major AI researchers who now describe AI in terms of rationality and acting rationally, which does not limit how intelligence can be articulated.
Or click here for a tablet or a small screen device
Quantum mechanics | AI - Artificial Intelligence
Quantum mechanics

Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles.  It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, quantum field theory, quantum technology, and quantum information science.
Classical physics, the collection of theories that existed before the advent of quantum mechanics, describes many aspects of nature at an ordinary (macroscopic) scale, but is not sufficient for describing them at small (atomic and subatomic) scales. Most theories in classical physics can be derived from quantum mechanics as an approximation valid at large (macroscopic) scale.
Or click here for a tablet or a small screen device
Economy, Wall Street and Banksters

Wall Street and Banksters

Wall Street is an eight-block-long street running roughly northwest to southeast from Broadway to South Street, at the East River, in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, the American financial services industry (even if financial firms are not physically located there), or New York-based financial interests.

Or click here for a tablet or a small screen device
Intelligence Agencies/Deep State?

Intelligence Agencies/Deep State?

An intelligence agency is a government agency responsible for the collection, analysis, and exploitation of information in support of law enforcement, national security, military, and foreign policy objectives. Means of information gathering are both overt and covert and may include espionage, communication interception, cryptanalysis,.

Or click here for a tablet or a small screen device
Daniel Ellsberg | Pentagon Papers
Daniel Ellsberg

Daniel Ellsberg and Paul Jay explore Ellsberg's latest book, The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner. In the introduction to the book, Ellsberg writes: "No policies in human history have more deserved to be recognized as immoral or insane. The story of how this calamitous predicament came about and how and why it has persisted over a half a century is a chronicle of human madness".

Or click here for a tablet or a small screen device
Nukes
Nukes

Nuclear weapons have come a long way and come in all types of different sizes. Some are relatively small while others are enormous, so big they boggle the mind at what they can be capable of, i.e. the Soviet 'Tsar Bomba' is/was 3,000 times greater than the Hiroshima bomb.

Or click here for a tablet or a small screen device
Rana Foroohar and Fall of American Business
Rana Foroohar

Ms. Foroohar says financialization delivers stagnant wages, inequality and economic crisis; the Financial Times columnist and author of "Makers and Takers" says the financial sector represents only 7 percent of the U.S. economy, but takes around 25 percent of all corporate profit while creating only 4 percent of all jobs.

Or click here for a tablet or a small screen device
The Untold History of the United States by Oliver Stone & Petere Kuznick

The Untold History of the United States by Oliver Stone & Petere Kuznick | 2014 | 10 Episodes

Oliver Stone and American University historian Peter J. Kuznick began working on the project in 2008. Stone, Kuznick and British screenwriter Matt Graham cowrote the script. It covers "the reasons behind the Cold War with the Soviet Union, U.S. President Harry Truman's decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan, and changes in America's global role since the fall of Communism." Stone is the director and narrator of all ten episodes.

Or click here for a tablet or a small screen device
Kuznick Interviews

Kuznick Interviews

Historian Peter Kuznick says Eisenhower called for decreased militarization, then Dulles reversed the policy; the Soviets tried to end the cold war after the death of Stalin; crazy schemes involving nuclear weapons and the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba put the world of the eve of destruction - with host Paul Jay

The Untold History of the United States by Kuznick, Peter.mobi | Book | 6.99 MB

Or click here for a tablet or a small screen device
China Valley of Tunnels

China Valley of Tunnels

A report written by a Georgetown University team led by Phillip Karber conducted a three-year study to map out China’s complex tunnel system, which stretches 5,000 km (3,000 miles). The report determined that the stated Chinese nuclear arsenal is understated and as many as 3,000 nuclear warheads may be stored in the underground tunnel network.

Or click here for a tablet or a small screen device
911
911

On September 11, 2001, 19 terrorists attacked the Unites States. They hijacked four airplanes in mid-flight. The terrorists flew two of the planes into two skyscrapers at the World Trade Center in New York City. The impact caused the buildings to catch fire and collapse. Another plane destroyed part of the Pentagon (the U.S. military headquarters) in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth plane crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Officials believe that the terrorists on that plane intended to destroy either the White House or the U.S. Capitol. Passengers on the plane fought the terrorists and prevented them from reaching their goal. In all, nearly 3,000 people were killed in the 9/11 attacks.

Or click here for a tablet or a small screen device
The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War

Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's ten-part, 18-hour documentary series, THE VIETNAM WAR, tells the epic story of one of the most consequential, divisive, and controversial events in American history as it has never before been told on film. Visceral and immersive, the series explores the human dimensions of the war through revelatory testimony of nearly 80 witnesses from all sides--Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as combatants and civilians from North and South Vietnam. Ten years in the making, the series includes rarely seen and digitally re-mastered archival footage from sources around the globe, photographs taken by some of the most celebrated photojournalists of the 20th Century, historic television broadcasts, evocative home movies, and secret audio recordings from inside the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations.

Or click here for a tablet or a small screen device
Trump's Mashups
Trump's Mashups

Donald Trump talks a lot, but what is he actually saying? VICE News' "Trump Talk" mashup series tries to answer that. And, we're happy to say, it was just nominated for two Webby Awards. Now you can watch all the nominated videos.

Or click here for a tablet or a small screen device
Trump's Sexcapades
Trump's Sexcapades.

Jessica Leeds (1980s)
Kristin Anderson (1990s)
E. Jean Carroll (1995 or 1996)
Lisa Boyne (1996)
Cathy Heller (1997)
Temple Taggart McDowell (1997)
Karena Virginia (1998)
Mindy McGillivray (2003)
Jennifer Murphy (2005)
Rachel Crooks (2005)
Natasha Stoynoff (2005)
Juliet Huddy (2005 or 2006)
Jessica Drake (2006)
Ninni Laaksonen (2006)
Cassandra Searles (2013)
Allegations of pageant dressing room visits(1997)
Mariah Billado,
Victoria Hughes,
and three other Miss Teen USA contestants
Bridget Sullivan (2000)
Tasha Dixon (2001)
Unnamed contestants (2001)
Samantha Holvey (2006)

Or click here for a tablet or a small screen device
Trump's Speeches | Rallys |Interviews
Trump's Speeches | Rallys

Donald Trump talks a lot, but what is he actually saying? Watch Trump at some of his rallys and see what you think.

Or click here for a tablet or a small screen device
Sponsors

I'm looking for sponsors to financially help with this site.  If you might be interested please send me a message using the Contact form.

Donation


I am one of those "once" middle class, over 60, over educated, under-employed, semi retired, soon to be poor workers, that everyone is talking about. 
But I have a modest standard of living so I plan to give all extra donation, beyond my immediate needs, to several of my favorite charities.

save-the-children

News Pages
News June 2024
News May 2024
News April 2024
News March 2024
News February 2024
News January 2024

News December 2023
News November 2023
News October 2023
News September 2023
News August 2023
News July 2023
News June 2023
News May 2023
News April 2023
News March 2023
News February 2023
News January 2023

News December 2022
News November 2022
News October 2022
News September 2022
News August 2022
News July 2022
News June 2022
News May 2022
News April 2022
News March 2022
News February 2022
News January 2022

News December 2021
News November 2021
News October 2021
News September 2021
News August 2021
News July 2021
News June 2021
News May 2021
News April 2021
News March 2021
News February 2021
News January 2021

News December 2020
News November 2020
News October 2020
News September 2020
News August 2020
News July 2020
News June 2020
News May 2020
News April 2020
News March 2020
News February 2020
News January 2020

News December 2019
News November 2019
News October 2019
News September 2019
News August 2019
News July 2019
News June 2019
News May 2019
News April 2019
News March 2019
News February 2019
News January 2019

News December 2018
News November 2018
News October 2018
News September 2018
News August 2018
News July 2018
News June 2018
News May 2018
News April 2018
News March 2018
News February 2018
News January 2018

News December 2017
News November 2017
News October 2017
News September 2017
News August 2017
News July 2017
News June 2017
News May 2017
News April 2017
News March 2017
News February 2017
News January 2017

News December 2016
News November 2016
News October 2016
News September 2016
News August 2016
News July 2016
News June 2016
News May 2016
News April 2016
News March 2016
News February 2016
News January 2016

News December 2015
News November 2015
News October 2015
News September 2015
News August 2015
News July 2015
News June 2015
News May 2015
News April 2015
News March 2015
News February 2015
News January 2015

News December 2014
News November 2014
News October 2014
News September 2014
News August 2014
News July 2014
News June 2014
News May 2014
News April 2014
News March 2014
News February 2014
News January 2014

News December 2013
News November 2013
News October 2013
News September 2013
News August 2013
News July 2013
News June 2013
News May 2013
News April 2013
News March 2013
News February 2013
News January 2013

News December 2012
News November 2012
News October 2012
News September 2012
News August 2012
News July 2012
News June 2012
News May 2012
News April 2012
News March 2012
News February 2012
News January 2012

News December 2011