As always, please go to the links for the full articles/ op eds.
The cabinet of loser
Donald "Not Exonerated" Trump has been notable mostly for its incompetence and corruption, following the example of the Extremely Stable Genius (check out
David Graham's refresher on the stinkers). Now another name has been added to the hall of shame,
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao -- not coincidentally the wife of vile turtle/ troll hybrid Sen. Mitch "Missy" McConnell (R-Swamp):
Ms. Chao’s office had made a series of unorthodox requests related to
her first scheduled visit to China as a Trump cabinet member, according
to people with knowledge of the email. Among them: asking federal
officials to help coordinate travel arrangements for at least one family
member and include relatives in meetings with government officials.
In
China, the Chaos are no ordinary family. They run an American shipping
company with deep ties to the economic and political elite in China,
where most of the company’s business is centered. The trip was abruptly
canceled by Ms. Chao after the ethics question was referred to officials
in the State and Transportation Departments and, separately, after The
New York Times and others made inquiries about her itinerary and
companions.
“She
had these relatives who were fairly wealthy and connected to the
shipping industry,” said a State Department official who was involved in
deliberations over the visit. “Their business interests were
potentially affected by meetings.”
Although the trip in 2017 was cancelled due to those ethics concerns, Chao has long been active working to benefit her family's company in China and influence American policies toward China. The article goes on to detail the swampy nature of the Chao- McConnell- China connection. The common denominator for them is the same as it is for all Republicans: the point of government service is to fatten my wallet, suckers!
Speaking of incompetence and corruption, Trump has now arrived in London for a state visit prior to the commemoration of the D-Day landings 75 years ago. Before landing, he lashed out at the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, on Twitter:
The mayor's office had the proper response:
Khan’s spokesman responded by saying “childish insults” should be “beneath the president of the United States.”
They added: “Sadiq is representing the progressive values of London and our country, warning that Donald Trump is the most egregious example of a growing far-right threat around the globe, which is putting at risk the basic values that have defined our liberal democracies for more than 70 years.”
On Sunday, Khan stoked the ire of the president by describing him as “just one of the most egregious examples of a growing global threat” and compared the language he has used to that of the “fascists of the 20th century.”
Meanwhile, the stupid twit is complaining because
he can't get his morning Fox & Friends fix.
America, devolving one decade at a time.
As Mayor Khan noted, the far- right threat of which "Trump is the most egregious example" is growing globally,
perhaps most disturbingly in Germany given its shameful history:
The German government's anti-Semitism commissioner on Saturday warned
the country's Jewish community to avoid donning yarmulkes,
the traditional Jewish head coverings for males, in some public spaces
due to a rise in anti-Semitic crimes.
"I cannot advise Jews to
wear the kippah everywhere all the time in Germany," Felix Klein said in
an interview carried by the Funke media group, using another word
for yarmulke.
The official said he had "changed his mind (on the subject) compared to previously."
The
number of attacks against Jews in Germany increased from 1,504 in 2017
to 1,646 in 2018 — a rise of 10%. The number of reported violent cases
against Jews rose from 37 to 62 over the same period, according to
official figures.
Justice Minister Katarina Barley told the Handelsblatt newspaper the increase was "shameful for our country" but added that the police were "vigilant."
This stomach- churning news should not received by smug Americans as validation of their moral superiority. The Anti- Defamation League reports that in 2018 there were
1,879 recorded attacks against Jews and Jewish institutions in the US, the third highest year on record since the 1970s, including the murderous assaults on the Chabad synagogue in California and the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh.
The link for the report on the German warning came from
Infidel 753's link round- up, which we consider an essential read every week.
