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We Have a Problem.
Author: Raine    Date: 12/01/2016 14:22:06

Way back in the middle of November, it was widely reported that the President-Elect had a business meeting.
Last week, President-Elect Donald Trump took a break from his White House transition efforts to meet with three of his Indian business partners, raising yet more conflict-of-interest concerns regarding the relationship between the for-the-people Trump Administration and the for-profit Trump Organization. The Economic Times reports that Trump met Atul Chordia, Sagar Chordia, and Kalpesh Mehta at Trump Tower on Tuesday, after the trio flew to New York to congratulate Trump on his election victory. The three businessmen are building a Trump-branded apartment complex in western India, one of five luxury development projects underway in the country that have licensed the Trump name.


Around the same time, this story surfaced.
According to a report in the Argentine paper La Nacion, when President Mauricio Macri called Trump to congratulate him on winning the election, Trump used the opportunity to urge him to clear the way for a stalled office building development.

Talking Points Memo translated the story, which included comments from well-respected local journalist Jorge Lanata.


Today this happened.
There are few foreign policy topics quite as complicated as the relationship between India and Pakistan, South Asia’s nuclear-armed nemeses. Any world leader approaching the issue even obliquely must surely see the “Handle With Care” label from miles away, given the possibility of nuclear conflict.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, however, doesn’t seem to have read the memo, injecting a pronounced element of uncertainty about the position of the world’s only remaining superpower on this most complex of subjects in a call with the Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

According to a readout of the conversation from the Pakistani authorities, he apparently agreed to visit the country and said he was “ready and willing to play any role that you want me to play to address and find solutions to the outstanding problems.” He reportedly added: “You are a terrific guy. You are doing amazing work which is visible in every way.”

The hilarity of his hyperbole aside, Trump’s intervention could have serious consequences for both regional and global stability.


About that readout...
The full readout of the call, according to the Pakistani government, is below. Trump’s transition team has not released a readout.


The instances of all three of these stories are bothersome just for what they are. There is another, albeit more subtle, dangerous problem here: Not one of these stories originated with American journalism. Foreign media and foreign governments are reporting more about the transition than any of our reporters are.

There is a possibility that it won't get much better. This was published on November 7.
Trump not only refused to allow his traveling press corps to fly with him as Republican nominee, a break with tradition, but has ditched and mocked them for not keeping up. There is nothing here to give one confidence that he’d let reporters on Air Force One.

Journalists worry a lot about precedent because their access isn’t inscribed by law but hashed out through arrangements with the White House. Each presidential administration tangles with the White House press corps, but in the end, certain traditions are upheld. There’s nothing stopping Trump from deciding not to hold a daily press briefing or kicking media outlets off the White House grounds. His fans would likely love it.

(Snip)

Not only could Trump erode press freedom at home, but the Committee to Protect Journalists warned he was an unprecedented threat worldwide. “Any failure of the United States to uphold its own standards emboldens dictators and despots to restrict the media in their own countries,” the group said. “This appears to be of no concern to Trump, who indicated that he has no inclination to challenge governments on press freedom and the treatment of journalists.”

Trump has drawn comparisons to autocrats like Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and has appeared unbothered by mentions of how they’ve cracked down on free expression.


It's easy to broad brush mainstream media and demonize them as though all outlets are responsible for crappy reporting. We can say these things. As individuals, we have that as a protected right. We won't have it if we don't have a free press, and right now, from all appearances, the PE is doing his damn best to silence our media. That's about as terrifying as what his foreign policy is shaping up to be.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.


&

Raine
 

35 comments (Latest Comment: 12/01/2016 22:54:35 by Will in Chicago)
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Comment by Will in Chicago on 12/01/2016 14:39:04
Good morning, bloggers!!!

Raine, can you combine the stub I wrote with this blog. Also, the link for the La Nacion article did not work.



Comment by Will in Chicago on 12/01/2016 14:43:18
I am very concerned about Trump's business dealings. It can be very easy for foreign governments to help businesses owned by Trump or his family and hope for a few favors from the American government.

In a weird development, my interview yesterday was canceled. The recruiter called me to say that the position had been filled a week ago, despite my rescheduling a prior interview two weeks ago on the day she had to leave due to an emergency. However, another place called and so I have two interviews for today. We must have faith that we will find a way.

Comment by BobR on 12/01/2016 14:45:10
Quote by Will in Chicago:
Good morning, bloggers!!!

Raine, can you combine the stub I wrote with this blog. Also, the link for the La Nacion article did not work.


Here are the links you posted:
From Talking Poinst Memo, Your Road Map to Paul Ryan's Plan to Privatize Medicare.


From Think Progress: Get to know the incoming Treasury Secretary's 'foreclosure mill' bank.


From Talking Points Memo: Sanders, Warren on Trump Treasury Secretary: 'Hypocrisy At Its Worst.'


From Think Progress: Black Lives Matter has a plan for the Age of Trump.


From Think Progress: Keith Ellison's Plan to Save the Democratic Party: 'Organize, organize, organize.'



Let us remember that despair is not an option. To quote Frank Herbert from Dune" "Fear is the mind killer."


Comment by Will in Chicago on 12/01/2016 14:53:47
Thanks, BobR!! I wanted to put something up while the blog was coming.

Also, I hope that you feel better soon. My brother injured his wrist at work on Tuesday. He has some chips that broke off from two bones.

Comment by Mondobubba on 12/01/2016 15:02:44
I dunno if you have been following the Kellogg vs Breitbart saga or not. Short form version someone tweeted to Kellogg that ads for the products are on the site. Like most companies, Kellogg hires somebody to do their online ads. They had no clue there were ads on Breitbart. They have blacklisted Breitbart. This, of course, has caused a Breitbart to scream censorship and declare a boycott of Kellogg. It isn't going well as you might expect.

Comment by wickedpam on 12/01/2016 15:13:31
Morning

Comment by wickedpam on 12/01/2016 15:23:35
Did everyone get their Blogger Joe last night?

Comment by TriSec on 12/01/2016 15:31:01
I now hope my mother does not live to see a Trump inauguration. Indications are growing that she may not.

Comment by Raine on 12/01/2016 15:47:30
Quote by wickedpam:
Did everyone get their Blogger Joe last night?

ineed I did!

Comment by Raine on 12/01/2016 15:47:58
Quote by TriSec:
I now hope my mother does not live to see a Trump inauguration. Indications are growing that she may not.



Comment by wickedpam on 12/01/2016 15:57:40
Quote by TriSec:
I now hope my mother does not live to see a Trump inauguration. Indications are growing that she may not.


oh no

Comment by Raine on 12/01/2016 16:17:28
Comment by Mondobubba on 12/01/2016 16:18:08
Quote by TriSec:
I now hope my mother does not live to see a Trump inauguration. Indications are growing that she may not.


Q: Can 2016 get any worse?
A: Yes.

Comment by Raine on 12/01/2016 16:24:33

Dude is barely a Dem in my opinion.

He was against abortion rights and Marriage equality until a few years ago.

Comment by Raine on 12/01/2016 16:25:00
And fuck Tim Ryan for playing the Flyover state people being misunderstood thing. I am sick of it.

Comment by TriSec on 12/01/2016 16:35:22
Quote by Mondobubba:


Q: Can 2016 get any worse?
A: Yes.


Actually, since black humor is the only kind we have left, Mrs. TriSec and I have a side bet going on this. But we both picked Christmas Day, so it's unclear who is going to 'win'.

While it would suck, Christmas is such a big deal to us all, I'd be surprisingly OK if it happened that way. I can almost smile about it, as it seems altogether fitting for my mother.

Comment by wickedpam on 12/01/2016 16:46:32


I'm getting so sick and tired of the midwest being played as some sort of wholesome place that works harder then the rest of us, especially is we live on the coasts. Honestly I just want a land bridge between the Northeast + VA & MD and the West coast. Fuck the midwest at this point.

Comment by Raine on 12/01/2016 16:55:13
Hello?

Comment by wickedpam on 12/01/2016 16:59:29
Quote by Raine:
Hello?


Yes?

Comment by trojanrabbit on 12/01/2016 17:01:04
As much as I despise Pelosi, here's one Dago happy that Ryan, that fucking asshole, lost.

Comment by Raine on 12/01/2016 17:05:10
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Hello?


Yes?
The comments disappeared for a few moments again.


Comment by Mondobubba on 12/01/2016 17:06:35
Quote by TriSec:
Quote by Mondobubba:


Q: Can 2016 get any worse?
A: Yes.


Actually, since black humor is the only kind we have left, Mrs. TriSec and I have a side bet going on this. But we both picked Christmas Day, so it's unclear who is going to 'win'.

While it would suck, Christmas is such a big deal to us all, I'd be surprisingly OK if it happened that way. I can almost smile about it, as it seems altogether fitting for my mother.


You know that you are using black humor to get through this makes me weirdly happy. I am a big advocate of that brand of funny. If she does pass on her favorite holiday, perhaps she will go out with a smile, surrounded by family. If it does come to pass, I will hoist a glass in her honor. She sounds like she is a remarkable, tough old Sicilian lady.

Comment by livingonli on 12/01/2016 17:14:11
Since the majority of Americans live in those blue urban areas compared to the red rural areas, but less people and are the last homes of reactionary politics and Christian Fundamentalism. Fuck them when they're proud to be ignorant.

Comment by Scoopster on 12/01/2016 17:16:04
Comment by Raine on 12/01/2016 17:23:04

The comment about her being the sister to Eric Prince?

The entire Diary is interesting, tbh.

Comment by Scoopster on 12/01/2016 17:25:11
Quote by Raine:

The comment about her being the sister to Eric Prince?

The entire Diary is interesting, tbh.

Yeah I kinda had to respond to that one husband, not sister. Her brother is pretty awful himself, and has been involved in the effort to destroy Michigan for a very long time.

Comment by Raine on 12/01/2016 18:05:07
Comment by Raine on 12/01/2016 18:32:46



Comment by Raine on 12/01/2016 18:33:45
Quote by Raine:







Comment by Raine on 12/01/2016 18:55:09
Comment by Raine on 12/01/2016 18:58:07
Comment by Scoopster on 12/01/2016 19:08:46
Quote by Raine:


People commenting on that tweet are truly brainless. They're skeptical because the SOS website numbers don't match the tweet.

HIT YOUR F5 BUTTON MORON. I BET IT'LL CHANGE AGAIN

Comment by Will in Chicago on 12/01/2016 22:54:35
I have some sad news/

f you were a part of the various chatrooms or the Randi Rhodes Message Board or a few other sites over the years, you probably knew a poster who went by DearPru (short for Beatles' song "Dear Prudence")". DearPru's real name was Cherie. It came to my attention today that Cherie was in the ICU in Ohio where she lives and today I learned that she in hospice and given only a day or two to live. She has been a fighter for as long as I've known her. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts and/or prayers.