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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 3 years

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LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

February 22, 2021

Heather Cox Richardson

Today the United States passed the heartbreaking marker of 500,000 official deaths from COVID-19. President Biden held a ceremony tonight to remember those lost, saying "On this solemn occasion, we reflect on their loss and on their loved ones left behind. We, as a Nation, must remember them so we can begin to heal, to unite, and find purpose as one Nation to defeat this pandemic." The South Portico of the White House was illuminated with 500 candles—one for every thousand lives lost—and the president will order flags on federal property lowered to half staff for five days in their memory.

And yet, there is good news on the horizon: By the end of March, Pfizer plans to ship more than 13 million vaccine doses per week to the United States; Moderna plans to deliver 100 million doses; and Johnson & Johnson expects to ship at least 20 million doses. This means that by the end of March, the United States is on track to receive 240 million doses. By mid-year, we should receive about 700 million doses, which is enough to vaccinate our entire population. By the end of the year there should be 2 billion doses for the whole world.

Sixty-seven percent of Americans, including 34% of Republicans, approve of Biden’s response to the coronavirus.

Aside from the pandemic news, there were two important developments today on the national level: a series of Supreme Court decisions and Merrick Garland’s confirmation hearings for the position of attorney general. Together, these showed quite strikingly that Trump supporters are retreating into a politics of grievance while Democrats are embracing policy and governance.

The Supreme Court (often abbreviated SCOTUS, for Supreme Court of the United States), today denied former president Trump’s request to block a grand jury subpoena for his financial records. In its investigation into hush money allegedly paid by the Trump Organization to Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential race, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance’s office subpoenaed eight years of financial information from Trump’s accountant, Mazars USA. Trump has fought the subpoena all the way to SCOTUS, but today the court upheld the decision of the lower court that his accountant must produce the information. Mazars USA should turn over the documents, which run to millions of pages, this week.

The former president issued a statement rehashing his usual litany of complaints about how he is treated, saying this was “a continuation of the greatest political Witch Hunt in the history of our Country.” He said the decision, made by a court on which three of his own appointees sit, was “all Democrat-inspired.” It is, he said, “political persecution.”

SCOTUS also refused to hear eight cases Trump or his allies had brought over the 2020 presidential election. It appears SCOTUS is done with the former president.

But Trump is not done with politics. He will be speaking this Sunday at the annual conference of the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC), which has turned into a pro-Trump gathering. Senators Mike Lee (R-UT), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Tom Cotton (R-AR), and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) are all scheduled to speak at the convention, on topics like “Why the Left Hate the Bill of Rights… and We Love It,” and “Fighting for Freedom of Speech at Home and Across the World.”

Mike Allen of Axios heard from a longtime Trump advisor that, in his speech on Sunday, Trump will indicate that he is the Republicans’ “presumptive 2024 nominee” and is in control of the party. He is eager to take revenge on those who have not supported him, and plans to encourage primary challengers to them in 2022. He is expected to lay into President Biden as a failure of the Washington, D.C., swamp, and to promise to take on that swamp again from the outside.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) reported today that Trump reported his earnings from his businesses during his four years as president at $1.6 billion.

Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings for the confirmation of Judge Merrick Garland as attorney general. Garland is famously a moderate, and his confirmation is expected to sail through. The senators questioning him could use their time as they wished, and the results were revealing.

Pro-Trump Republican Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) seemed to be creating sound bites for right-wing media. They complained that the Democrats under the “Obama-Biden” administration had politicized the Department of Justice, including the Russia investigation, and demanded that the abuses they alleged had occurred under Obama be addressed. They made no mention of Attorney General William Barr and his use of the office as an arm of Trump’s White House.

It was striking to hear long-debunked complaints about 2016 reappear in 2021. Honestly, it felt like they were just rehashing an old script. They are clearly pitching for 2024 voters, but will their politics of grievance resonate in three more years?

Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Ben Sasse (R-NE) tried to carve out their own space in the presidential pack, as well. Cotton tried to get Garland to admit that Biden’s call for racial equity, rather than racial equality—by which Biden means that some historically marginalized groups may need more than equal treatment—was itself racist. It was an obscure point that didn’t land. Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE), who voted to convict Trump in his impeachment trial, pressed Garland somewhat interestingly on the president’s power, then nodded to QAnon with a statement against the notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

In contrast to them was the performance of the new Democratic senator from Georgia, Jon Ossoff, who asked Garland first about protecting voting rights, then about funding public defenders, then about civil rights investigations, using the specific example of Ahmaud Arbery, murdered in 2020 in Georgia while jogging. Ossoff’s focus on policy and governance illustrated the difference between Senate Republicans and Democrats.

For his part, Garland hammered home his conviction that the Department of Justice should represent the people of the United States and should enforce the rule of law for all. When Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) asked him to explain why he wanted to give up a lifetime appointment as a judge to take the job of attorney general to fight “hate and discrimination in American history,” Garland answered:

“I come from a family where my grandparents fled anti-Semitism and persecution. The country took us in and protected us. And I feel an obligation to the country to pay back. And this is the highest, best use of my own set of skills to pay back. And so, I want very much to be the kind of attorney general that you’re saying I could become. I’ll do my best to try to be that kind of attorney general.”

—-

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#quotes #political #Letters From an American #Heather Cox Richardson #Attorney General #corrupt GOP #criminal GOP #Biden Cabinet #Justice Department #COVID-19

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bountyofbeads · 5 years

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http://nymag.com/intelligencer/amp/2019/10/the-full-case-for-trump-impeachment.html?__twitter_impression=true

The (Full) Case for Impeachment

A menu of high crimes and misdemeanors.

By Jonathan Chait | Published October 14, 2019 | New York Magazine | Posted October 15, 2019 |

The crimes for which impeachment is the prescribed punishment are notoriously undefined. And that’s for a reason: Presidential powers are vast, and it’s impossible to design laws to cover every possible abuse of the office’s authority. House Democrats have calculated that an impeachment focused narrowly on the Ukraine scandal will make the strongest legal case against President Trump. But that’s not Trump’s only impeachable offense. A full accounting would include a wide array of dangerous and authoritarian acts — 82, to be precise. His violations fall into seven broad categories of potentially impeachable misconduct that should be weighed, if not by the House, then at least by history.

I. Abusing Power for Political Gain

Explanation: The single most dangerous threat to any democratic system is that the ruling party will use its governing powers to entrench itself illegitimately.

Evidence: (1) The Ukraine scandal is fundamentally about the president abusing his authority by wielding his power over foreign policy as a cudgel against his domestic opponents. The president is both implicitly and explicitly trading the U.S. government’s favor for investigations intended to create adverse publicity for Americans whom Trump wishes to discredit. (2) During his campaign, he threatened to impose policies harmful to Amazon in retribution for critical coverage in the Washington Post. (“If I become president, oh do they have problems.”) He has since pushed the postmaster general to double rates on Amazon, and the Defense Department held up a $10 billion contract with Amazon, almost certainly at his behest. (3) He has ordered his officials to block the AT&T–Time Warner merger as punishment for CNN’s coverage of him. (4) He encouraged the NFL to blacklist Colin Kaepernick.

II. Mishandling Classified Information

Explanation: As he does with many other laws, the president enjoys broad immunity from regulations on the proper handling of classified information, allowing him to take action that would result in felony convictions for other federal employees. President Trump’s mishandling of classified information is not merely careless but a danger to national security.

Evidence: (5) Trump has habitually communicated on a smartphone highly vulnerable to foreign espionage. (6–30) He has reversed 25 security-clearance denials (including for his son-in-law, who has conducted potentially compromising business with foreign interests). (31) He has turned Mar-a-Lago into an unsecured second White House and even once handled news of North Korea’s missile launch in public view. (32) He gave Russian officials sensitive Israeli intelligence that blew “the most valuable source of information on external plotting by [the] Islamic State,” the Wall Street Journal reported. (33) He tweeted a high-resolution satellite image of an Iranian launch site for the sake of boasting.

III. Undermining Duly Enacted Federal Law

Explanation: President Trump has abused his authority either by distorting the intent of laws passed by Congress or by flouting them. He has directly ordered subordinates to violate the law and has promised pardons in advance, enabling him and his staff to operate with impunity. In these actions, he has undermined Congress’s constitutional authority to make laws.

Evidence: (34) Having failed to secure funding authority for a border wall, President Trump unilaterally ordered funds to be moved from other budget accounts. (35) He has undermined regulations on health insurance under the Affordable Care Act preventing insurers from charging higher rates to customers with more expensive risk profiles. (36) He has abused emergency powers to impose tariffs, intended to protect the supply chain in case of war, to seize from Congress its authority to negotiate international trade agreements. (37–38) He has ordered border agents to illegally block asylum seekers from entering the country and has ordered other aides to violate eminent-domain laws and contracting procedures in building the border wall, (39–40) both times promising immunity from lawbreaking through presidential pardons.

IV. Obstruction of Congress

Explanation: The executive branch and Congress are co-equal, each intended to guard against usurpation of authority by the other. Trump has refused to acknowledge any legitimate oversight function of Congress, insisting that because Congress has political motivations, it is disqualified from it. His actions and rationale strike at the Constitution’s design of using the political ambitions of the elected branches to check one another.

Evidence: (41) Trump has refused to abide by a congressional demand to release his tax returns, despite an unambiguous law granting the House this authority. His lawyers have flouted the law on the spurious grounds that subpoenas for his tax returns “were issued to harass President Donald J. Trump, to rummage through every aspect of his personal finances, his businesses and the private information of the president and his family, and to ferret about for any material that might be used to cause him political damage.” Trump’s lawyers have argued that Congress cannot investigate potentially illegal behavior by the president because the authority to do so belongs to prosecutors. In other litigation, those lawyers have argued that prosecutors cannot investigate the president. These contradictory positions support an underlying stance that no authority can investigate his misconduct. (42) He has defended his refusal to accept oversight on the grounds that members of Congress “aren’t, like, impartial people. The Democrats are trying to win 2020.” (43) The president has also declared that impeachment is illegal and should be stopped in the courts (though, unlike with his other obstructive acts, he has not yet taken any legal action toward this end).

V. Obstruction of Justice

Explanation: By virtue of his control over the federal government’s investigative apparatus, the president (along with the attorney general) is uniquely well positioned to cover up his own misconduct. Impeachment is the sole available remedy for a president who uses his powers of office to hold himself immune from legal accountability. In particular, the pardon power gives the president almost unlimited authority to obstruct investigations by providing him with a means to induce the silence of co-conspirators.

Evidence: (44–53) The Mueller report contains ten instances of President Trump engaging in obstructive acts. While none of those succeeded in stopping the probe, Trump dangled pardons and induced his co-conspirators to lie or withhold evidence from investigators. Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen testified to Congress that Trump had directed him to lie to it about his negotiations with the Russian government during the campaign to secure a lucrative building contract in Moscow. And when Cohen stated his willingness to lie, Robert Costello, an attorney who had worked with Rudy Giuliani, emailed Cohen assuring him he could “sleep well tonight” because he had “friends in high places.” Trump has publicly praised witnesses in the Russia investigation for refusing to cooperate, and he sent a private message to former national-security adviser Michael Flynn urging him to “stay strong.” He has reinforced this signal by repeatedly denouncing witnesses who cooperate with investigators as “flippers.” (54–61) He has exercised his pardon power for a series of Republican loyalists, sending a message that at least some of his co-conspirators have received. The president’s pardon of conservative pundit Dinesh D’Souza “has to be a signal to Mike Flynn and Paul Manafort and even Robert S. Mueller III: Indict people for crimes that don’t pertain to Russian collusion and this is what could happen,” Roger Stone told the Washington Post. “The special counsel has awesome powers, as you know, but the president has even more awesome powers.”

VI. Profiting From Office

Explanation: Federal employees must follow strict rules to prevent them from being influenced by any financial conflict. Conflict-of-interest rules are less clear for a sitting president because all presidential misconduct will be resolved by either reelection or impeachment. If Trump held any position in the federal government below the presidency, he would have been fired for his obvious conflicts. His violations are so gross and blatant they merit impeachment.

Evidence: (62) He has maintained a private business while holding office, (63) made decisions that influence that business, (64) and accepted payments from parties both domestic and foreign who have an interest in his policies. (65) He has openly signaled that these parties can gain his favor by doing so. (66) He has refused even to disclose his interests, which would at least make public which parties are paying him.

VII. Fomenting Violence

Explanation: One of the unspoken roles of the president is to serve as a symbolic head of state. Presidents have very wide latitude for their political rhetoric, but Trump has violated its bounds, exceeding in his viciousness the rhetoric of Andrew Johnson (who was impeached in part for the same offense).

Evidence: (67) Trump called for locking up his 2016 opponent after the election. (68–71) He has clamored for the deportation of four women of color who are congressional representatives of the opposite party. (72) He has described a wide array of domestic political opponents as treasonous, including the news media. (73–80) On at least eight occasions, he has encouraged his supporters — including members of the armed forces — to attack his political opponents. (“I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump — I have the tough people, but they don’t play it tough until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very bad, very bad.”) (81) He has threatened journalists with violence if they fail to produce positive coverage. (“If the media would write correctly and write accurately and write fairly, you’d have a lot less violence in the country.”) (82) There have been 36 criminal cases nationwide in which the defendant invoked Trump’s name in connection with violence; 29 of these cited him as the inspiration for an attack.

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arcticdementor · 5 years

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I’ve lived through a few coups. They’re insane, random, and terrifying, like watching sports, except your political future depends on the score.

The kickoff begins when a key official decides to buck the executive. From that moment, government becomes a high-speed head-counting exercise. Who’s got the power plant, the airport, the police in the capital? How many department chiefs are answering their phones? Who’s writing tonight’s newscast?

…

On Thursday, news broke that two businessmen said to have “peddled supposedly explosive information about corruption involving Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden” were arrested at Dulles airport on “campaign finance violations.” The two figures are alleged to be bagmen bearing “dirt” on Democrats, solicited by Trump and his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.

Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman will be asked to give depositions to impeachment investigators. They’re reportedly going to refuse. Their lawyer John Dowd also says they will “refuse to appear before House Committees investigating President Donald Trump.” Fruman and Parnas meanwhile claim they had real derogatory information about Biden and other politicians, but “the U.S. government had shown little interest in receiving it through official channels.”

For Americans not familiar with the language of the Third World, that’s two contrasting denials of political legitimacy.

The men who are the proxies for Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani in this story are asserting that “official channels” have been corrupted. The forces backing impeachment, meanwhile, are telling us those same defendants are obstructing a lawful impeachment inquiry.

This latest incident, set against the impeachment mania and the reportedly “expanding” Russiagate investigation of U.S. Attorney John Durham, accelerates our timeline to chaos. We are speeding toward a situation when someone in one of these camps refuses to obey a major decree, arrest order, or court decision, at which point Americans will get to experience the joys of their political futures being decided by phone calls to generals and police chiefs.

My discomfort in the last few years, first with Russiagate and now with Ukrainegate and impeachment, stems from the belief that the people pushing hardest for Trump’s early removal are more dangerous than Trump. Many Americans don’t see this because they’re not used to waking up in a country where you’re not sure who the president will be by nightfall. They don’t understand that this predicament is worse than having a bad president.

…

Imagine if a similar situation had taken place in January of 2009, involving president-elect Barack Obama. Picture a meeting between Obama and the heads of the CIA, NSA, and FBI, along with the DIA, in which the newly-elected president is presented with a report complied by, say, Judicial Watch, accusing him of links to al-Qaeda. Imagine further that they tell Obama they are presenting him with this information to make him aware of a blackmail threat, and to reassure him they won’t give news agencies a “hook” to publish the news.

Now imagine if that news came out on Fox days later. Imagine further that within a year, one of the four officials became a paid Fox contributor. Democrats would lose their minds in this set of circumstances.

…

Leaks from the intelligence community most often pertain to foreign policy. The leak of the January, 2017 “meeting” between the four chiefs and Trump – which without question damaged both the presidency and America’s standing abroad – was an unprecedented act of insubordination.

It was also a bold new foray into domestic politics by intelligence agencies that in recent decades began asserting all sorts of frightening new authority. They were kidnapping foreigners, assassinating by drone, conducting paramilitary operations without congressional notice, building an international archipelago of secret prisons, and engaging in mass warrantless surveillance of Americans. We found out in a court case just last week how extensive the illegal domestic surveillance has been, with the FBI engaging in tens of thousands of warrantless searches involving American emails and phone numbers under the guise of combating foreign subversion.

The agencies’ new trick is inserting themselves into domestic politics using leaks and media pressure. The “intel chiefs” meeting was just the first in a series of similar stories, many following the pattern in which a document was created, passed from department from department, and leaked.

…

Russiagate birthed a whole brand of politics, a government-in-exile, which prosecuted its case against Trump via a constant stream of “approved” leaks, partisans in congress, and an increasingly unified and thematically consistent set of commercial news outlets.

These mechanisms have been transplanted now onto the Ukrainegate drama. It’s the same people beating the public drums, with the messaging run out of the same congressional committees, through the same Nadlers, Schiffs, and Swalwells. The same news outlets are on full alert.

…

Trump stands accused of using the office of the presidency to advance political aims, in particular pressuring Ukraine to investigate potential campaign rival Joe Biden. He’s guilty, but the issue is how guilty, in comparison to his accusers.

Trump, at least insofar as we know, has not used section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to monitor political rivals. He hasn’t deployed human counterintelligence “informants” to follow the likes of Hunter Biden. He hasn’t maneuvered to secure Special Counsel probes of Democrats.

And while Donald Trump conducting foreign policy based on what he sees on Fox and Friends is troubling, it’s not in the same ballpark as CNN, MSNBC, the Washington Post and the New York Times engaging in de facto coverage partnerships with the FBI and CIA to push highly politicized, phony narratives like Russiagate.

…

I don’t believe most Americans have thought through what a successful campaign to oust Donald Trump would look like. Most casual news consumers can only think of it in terms of Mike Pence becoming president. The real problem would be the precedent of a de facto intelligence community veto over elections, using the lunatic spookworld brand of politics that has dominated the last three years of anti-Trump agitation.

CIA/FBI-backed impeachment could also be a self-fulfilling prophecy. If Donald Trump thinks he’s going to be jailed upon leaving office, he’ll sooner or later figure out that his only real move is to start acting like the “dictator” MSNBC and CNN keep insisting he is. Why give up the White House and wait to be arrested, when he still has theoretical authority to send Special Forces troops rappelling through the windows of every last Russiagate/Ukrainegate leaker? That would be the endgame in a third world country, and it’s where we’re headed, unless someone calls off this craziness. Welcome to the Permanent Power Struggle.

#matt taibbi #substack.com #coup #read the whole thing #deep state

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vinayv224 · 4 years

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Trump, Jr. said Democrats “seemingly hope” the coronavirus “kills millions.” Pence defended him.

Donald Trump, Jr. and Vice President Mike Pence wave to supporters at a February 2020 Trump rally. | Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe/Getty Images

Donald Trump, Jr. claimed Democrats want coronavirus deaths in order to “end Donald Trump’s streak of winning.”

The novel coronavirus and Covid-19, the disease it causes, have become a global health issue. But increasingly for President Donald Trump, a member of his family, and his administration officials, the virus is being seen as a weapon the president’s enemies hope to use against him as much as it is a public health concern.

The president’s son, Donald Trump, Jr., offered the most pointed encapsulation of this view on Friday, when he told Fox News that Democrats “seemingly hope that it comes here, and kills millions of people so that they could end Donald Trump’s streak of winning.”

No elected official, Democratic or otherwise, have said any such thing. Some Democrats — and some Republicans — have, however, been critical of the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus. Republican Sen. Richard Shelby and Democrat Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have both called on the administration to spend more to combat the virus, for example.

Despite this, on Sunday, Vice President Mike Pence — who is in charge of the White House’s efforts to deal with the outbreak — defended the president’s son’s remarks as “understandable.”

“This is no time for politics. And frankly, I think that was Don Jr.’s point: that there has been some very strong rhetoric directed at the president by some members of Congress,” Pence told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “But responding to the kind of things that have been hurled is understandable.”

Pence’s defense of the president’s son is just one of several examples of how he and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar argued on the Sunday morning that Democrats and liberal commentators — not the Trump administration or the right — were to blame for the politicization of the coronavirus.

When NBC’s Chuck Todd questioned Pence on Meet the Press over politicizing rhetoric on the right, such as right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh’s claim that Democrats have “weaponized” the coronavirus as well as Trump Jr.’s inflammatory remarks, Pence declined to condemn them. Instead he drew attention to liberals.

Pence said Trump Jr. was “pushing back” at Trump critics, and that “it’s time for the other side to turn down the volume.”

Pence cited Gail Collins’s New York Times column entitled, “Let’s call it Trumpvirus” as an example of how “there have been irresponsible voices” on the left criticizing the president. Beyond pressure from Democrats for the administration to speed and better fund its response efforts, it is not clear what “volume” Pence was referring to.

Trump himself has claimed that criticism of his handling of coronavirus in the US is part of a Democratic Party “hoax.”

“One of my people came up to me and said, ‘Mr. President, they tried to beat you on Russia, Russia, Russia. That didn’t work out too well. They couldn’t do it,’” the president said at a rally in South Carolina Friday. “They tried the impeachment hoax. And this is their new hoax.”

Here’s Trump at his rally tonight in South Carolina dismissing worries about the coronavirus as the “new hoax” pic.twitter.com/Q58d7dI1cb

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 29, 2020

At a Saturday press conference, the president made it clear he used the word hoax in connection to the coronavirus — which has killed at least 2,990 people globally and infected at least 22 people in the US — because he felt his administration’s work was being attacked.

When questioned over the use of the term hoax on Saturday, Trump said that it referred to “the action that [Democrats] take to try to pin this on somebody because we’ve done such a good job.”

He added, “I don’t like it when they are criticizing [government officials], and that’s the hoax.”

When ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos asked Azar about Trump’s use of the term hoax, Sunday Azar deflected.

“He’s talking about the partisan sniping that we’re seeing, it’s unnecessary, we don’t need to have this made a political issue,” Azar said. “We’re in a public health crisis here, we need to all be banding together.”

The partisan sniping seems to be one-sided — but the coronavirus does inarguably call for banding together. There is still much that isn’t known about it, and new cases within the US are being reported daily. It is true that the US has far fewer Covid-19 cases than other countries, but that does not make the president and his allies’ use of the virus to to attack political rivals any less worrying — or any less of a distraction from life-or-death work that needs to be done.

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iris-sistibly · 7 years

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4R’s: Encantadia (Jan. 31, 2017 episode review)

Episode 142

Recap:

Return from Devas

Amihan and Kahlil joined forces against Hagorn’s Hadezars, Agane’s suspicions were correct. Amihan died on purpose to become an ivtre, and what’s more is that she brought Kahlil with her back to Encantadia. While the two were busy fighting the Hadezars, Hagorn and his troop wasted no time and went back to the camp of the remaining sang’gres, diwatas and Sapirians. Ybrahim regained consciousness and the first encantado he saw was Kahlil, he was ecstatic to find out that his son has returned from Devas, what added to his happiness was the fact that it wasn’t only Kahlil who has returned but also his beloved Amihan. Both were very happy to be with each other again, Amihan didn’t break her promise, she has returned. But it wasn’t the time to celebrate, for they have to eliminate the Hadezars once and for all. Ybrahim went ahead (back to the camp) while Amihan and Kahlil took care of the remaining Hadezars.

A battle with the goddess

Cassiopeia was glad and thanked Emre for letting Amihan and Kahlil return to Encantadia. Now it was her turn to do what she has to and asked Emre for guidance. Cassiopeia went to the ruins of Etheria and summoned the goddess Ether, the latter appeared before her, Cassiopeia challenged her in a one-on-one duel. Ether transformed into her encantada form and fought the brave diwata. If Cassiopeia defeats Ether, then she could ask Emre to also turn her into a deity, a goddess who will protect and look after the diwatas, something which Ether will never allow. Cassiopeia took her down, but Ether wasn’t going to give her the joy of defeating her, Ether transformed back into a giant snake and just like that, Cassiopeia’s life was placed in danger.

Love at first sight?

Lila Sari single-handedly fought another group of Hadezars, finally being able to turn her curse to her advantage, Lila Sari took off her mask and turned the vidaljes into stones. Amarro came just as Lila Sari wore her mask back. Amarro was charmed by Lila Sari’s beauty but the latter was quick to dismiss him. Lila Sari met Hitano and went back to the camp. The damas, and Imaw quickly escaped while the sang’gres stayed behind to fight off the enemies. Abog’s wife forgot to give him his necklace which protects the soldier from harm, she wanted to go back to give it to him but Imaw did not allow her and urged her to go with them instead.

Mira’s disappointment

The diwanis Lira (who was still looking for her father) and Mira also braced themselves for battle, a wave of vidaljes arrived, the princesses fought alongside the older sang’gres. Abog got injured but Danaya immediately healed him and ordered Muros to take him to safety. Alena appeared and informed Danaya that she was needed at the other side for there were many injured encantados, Danaya went there leaving Alena to fight alongside Lira and Mira. The diwatas, took down another wave of vidaljes…almost, unfortunately Lira let her guard down and this gave the last ivtre an opportunity to stab her from behind, Ybrahim came just in time to witness this, he was initially terrified but his fears turned into outrage and immediately defended his daughter. Danaya and Hitano came back and helped them kill the Hadezars, Danaya quickly healed her hadiya. Before Lira recovered, Hagorn and his troop came, threatening to eliminate them all, Alena used the water gem and created a barrier to shield them from the Hadezars. From behind, Pirena came and was about to kill Hagorn, but she remembered the words Ether spoke to her, that she will take her life once Pirena fights the goddess or Hagorn, Pirena changed her mind and ran away much to Mira’s distaste. Hagorn and Agane decided to go back to Amihan and left the Hadezars to kill their enemies. Lira was healed and was ready to fight again. Alena’s shield couldn’t hold on any longer, Danaya stepped up and used her earth gem and took down the ivtres just as Alena’s barrier faded. Lila Sari and Hitano re-joined them and prepared themselves for a fight to the death. Mira secretly stepped out of the way and followed Pirena, the former confronted her mother and told her how disappointed she was for letting go of the opportunity to kill Hagorn and regain the fire and spirit gems. Pirena stressed that Hagorn was still her father and she made a deal with Ether, regardless of Pirena’s reason, Mira did not care to listen and left.

A spark of hope

Hagorn, Agane, Amarro and Asval saw Amihan and Kahlil’s progress, and because they were blessed by Emre, Hagorn knew it was impossible to defeat the two. Thus they have to kill the remaining diwatas and Sapirians as soon as possible, Hagorn, Asval and Amarro went back to the camp, ready to eliminate them all. Alena quickly created a shield to protect all of them, Lira was starting to lose hope and knew they were all going to die. Lira prayed and asked for a divine intervention. Emre was quick to grant her prayers, Agane re-joined her king and pointed Amihan and Kahlil from afar, fighting off the Hadezars wave after wave. Lira could not believe what she was seeing, Ybrahim confirmed that her mother’s ivtre has returned and so is Kahlil’s. Alena too was stunned at the sight of her son. Hagorn knew they will be defeated this time, thus the Hathors and the remaining ivtres on their side were forced to retreat. The battle ended for now. Lira was overjoyed to see her mother once again, Alena was beyond glad to finally meet her son. It was a happy reunion for both mothers and their children. Pirena came and was also glad to see Amihan again, the latter noticed Mira was missing, they looked around but no Mira showed up. Unfortunately, the Hathors saw Mira on their way back, abducted her and took her to Hathoria, Hagorn will use his own granddaughter against Amihan, the battle isn’t over.

Raves:

💙💧 Amihan and Kahlil teaming up against the Hadezars was so freakin’ awesome, one thing that lacked in the 2005 version is that the younger sang’gres didn’t have that much bonding moments with their Ashtis, well…except maybe for Lira, and Amihan and Kahlil never really got to know each other so it’s nice to see them having some sort of bonding in a different, badass kind of way.

💚💧 The Amihan-Lira and Alena-Kahlil reunion though, oh my gosh! As usual, Kylie and Mikee’s mother and daughter chemistry is on point, but I have to commend Gabbi for nailing that mommy role (FINALLY!), Gabbi and Avery’s mother and son team up for me wasn’t really “up there” like the Kylie and Mikee tandem, but hey, they did a good job and their chemistry was enough to make me believe that they are mother and son.

💙💪 Of course, let us not forget the lechon for tonight. DMR has been generous lately and has been showering us with loads of YA goodness, though we all know the reason why, I still don’t know how this story will turn out but we just have to trust the team. Like what Ms Suzi said on one of her tweets, they are listening.

💛💂 I gotta use these emojis to emphasize DanQuil 2005 😂 Alfred Vargas and Diana Zubiri has proven that nothing beats the original. I gotta say Alfred and Diana still has that DanQuil spark even after almost twelve years. Nothing changed, still the same DanQuil we all loved. Gosh LilaMarro anyone?

Rants: No rants, all love

Best performer for this episode: Gabbi Garcia 🌊 (I wanted to include KyRu, but, I gotta give Gabbi some solo moment)

Rating: 9 out of 10💎s

Photo credits: From Twitter: @GMAEncantadia (Encantadia 2016-2017 official twitter acct) @gmanetwork (GMA network); official website: gmanetwork.com @GMADrama (GMA Drama)

From Facebook: Encantadia 2016

Video credits: gmanetwork.com via YouTube & dailymotion

#tv series #encantadia #encantadiapagasa #sanya lopez #ruru madrid #mikee quintos #pirena #ybrahim #mira #4Rs

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fleetfootedchangx · 7 years

Text

Meet the Parents || Cherry

TAGGING: Mike Chang & Rachel Berry

WHEN: January 30th; Evening

WHERE: Mike’s house

GENERAL NOTES: Rachel officially meets Mike’s parents. Awkwardness ensues.

WARNINGS: None

Rachel was nervous. More nervous than she had been in a very long time. Tonight, she would be meeting Mike's parents and she knew she had to make a great first impression; she just hoped they'd give her a chance. Removing any and all "skank" like items from her person, the brunette dressed in a simple little, black dress with heels and her hair in soft curls. With her make-up light, not a smokey eye in sight, Rachel parked her car in the Chang's driveway before she slowly approached the front door. Ringing the doorbell, the nervous teenager took a step back as she waited for someone to answer, hoping like hell that someone was Mike.

Mike didn't know what to expect from the evening. His mom had promised to try to rein in the more difficult parts of his father's personality, but they both knew that was a more difficult task than it sounded. The older man had a prickly personality on his best days and Mike wasn't looking forward to subjecting Rachel to it, but it was important to him that they at least give it a shot. He wanted his parents to recognize that she was important to him and not just a high school distraction from studying like his father was quick to assume. As the minutes ticked closer to the time Rachel had agreed to come by, Mike made his way downstairs so that he would be able to circumvent anyone else getting to the door before he did; just as he reached the last step, the doorbell rang out and he all but launched himself at the door, ignoring his mom's stifled laugh from the next room. "Hey," he greeted, fixing a warm and reassuring smile that he didn't entirely feel to his face as he opened the door. Rachel relaxed somewhat when she locked eyes with Mike before returning the smile. "Hey, yourself." She greeted, not knowing whether she could kiss him so instead she opted to hug him. Allowing her boyfriend to lead her inside, the brunette bit down on her bottom lip nervously as she gripped onto Mike's forearm as she waited to see who would greet her next

Mike picked up on her nervousness almost as soon as the door swung open; the way she clung to his arm once she was inside the house only made it clearer, and he wished there was some way he could telegraph to her that there was nothing to worry about. A platitude he didn't quite believe himself, if the knot in his stomach was anything to go by. For all the times Rachel had been at the house, it had always been when his parents were gone and he couldn't imagine that this was a fun experience for her. Thankfully, his mom was the one they ran into next. " Your father is in his office," she informed him before turning her attention to Rachel, and Mike shot her a grateful look at the warm greeting she extended to his girlfriend.

Rachel relaxed a little bit more as Mike's mother greeted her in a way that could only be described as warm and welcoming. "It's so nice to meet you." Rachel smiled. "You have a lovely home." She added, repeating what she had seen on so many movies and TV shows.

Mike was tempted to stare at Rachel out of the corner of his eye as she seemed to shift into a different personality, making light small talk with the older woman. This definitely wasn't how he had pictured the evening going, but it was a welcome surprise. He removed himself slightly from the conversation, letting the two of them talk more in hopes that it would help put Rachel at ease.

Rachel kept her grip on Mike tight as she and his mother continued talking. After ten or so minutes, the brunette was beginning to relax when I footsteps began to approach the three of them.

Mike stiffened at the sound of the approaching footsteps. His father barely approved of him on a good day, and he was his father's only child. There was no telling how he would react to Rachel. Still, he didn't want to stress her out or anything, so he tried to disregard the feeling of needing to walk on eggshells around the older man. When Michael Sr. stepped closer, Mike had to resist the urge to shrink back under the weight of his cold gaze. "Dad," he nodded, "this is my girlfriend, Rachel."

Rachel offered Mike's dad a smile before reaching out her hand for him to take, which never happened. Dropping it back at her side, she bit down on the inside of her cheek and forced another smile. "It's nice to meet you."

Mike cringed at his father's lack of response, noting the embarrassed look that flashed across his mom's face as she took in the scene as well. "Nǐ bǎozhèngguò," he muttered under his breath, trying to save face as much as he could while reminding his father that he had, at least at one point, agreed to meet Rachel and to give her a chance. Slipping his arm out of Rachel's grip, he wrapped it around her waist instead, trying to ease the awkward sting of his father's attitude.

Rachel had no idea what was happening besides the fact Mike's dad clearly did not like her. With her boyfriend's arm wrapped around her waist, the brunette tried to relax into his embrace but found herself as stiff as a board.

Mike hated this feeling. Confrontation was something he avoided at all costs and being in a position to directly confront his father made him want to turn around and leave the house immediately. It wasn't fair to Rachel, though, not to at least say something. "You could say 'hi'," he spoke up pointedly, staring the older man down until he stretched a hand forward toward Rachel.

Rachel was having trouble biting her tongue. She knew she wasn't every parents dream girl for their child but Mike could certainly do a hell of a lot worse. The brunette cared about their son and Rachel just wished the Chang's could know and see that. Accepting the delayed greeting, the brunette decided to do what she does best; talk. "I'm so excited to meet the people who raised such an amazing and talented man. Your son is rather remarkable, I bet you are so proud!"

Mike felt the tips of his ears flush as Rachel began speaking. It was strange to hear someone talk about him that way, he was more used to hearing about the times he failed to live up to expectations. But this was why he couldn't understand how anyone saw Rachel as anything other than generous and supportive when she was the first person who had ever made him feel like he wasn't invisible. Before his father had time to do more than nod, his mom jumped back into the conversation. "That's very sweet of you," she enthused. "And I hear you're quite talented yourself."

Rachel blushed as Julia compliment her back before shrugging. "I can sing a little. Mike taught me everything I know about dancing though. He's kind of amazing." She smiled, locking eyes with her boyfriend before leaning into his side.

Mike snorted. "Saying you can sing a little is the biggest understatement I've ever heard." His father's face darkened at the explicit mention of dancing; there had never been a problem with it when he was younger, but as Mike got older and it became increasingly clear that dance wasn't something he was going to outgrow on his own, his father's attitude had become more outwardly disapproving of the hobby.

Rachel nudged him gently with her shoulder. "Okay, okay maybe it's a slight understatement but I don't know how far it will get me." She laughed.

Mike relaxed a little as he let out a slight laugh along with her. The banter was familiar and light enough that the strange pressure of the situation slipped his mind for a second. But only for a second, as his father took that opportunity to remind them of his presence. "There's too much instability in the arts to be a feasible career choice," Michael Sr. weighed in. "It would not be wise to count on singing as a path to the future. Just like Michael and his dancing."

Rachel stopped laughing when Michael Sr. weighed in on the situation. "I would agree." She replied before adding. "But Mike's talents are anything but subpar. If he was just a mediocre dancer than he'd have trouble making a career out of dancing but have you actually seen your son perform? He's amazing and incredibly talented to a point where he could easily teach the craft if nothing else though I highly doubt he'd be a teacher should he pursue it. He's gifted and I just think maybe you should know that." Rachel rambled before her eyes widened when she realized what she had just said. "I'm sorry."

Mike made a mental note to thank Rachel for the support sometime when they were alone. He had been trying to convince himself that dancing wasn't what he really wanted to do for months so that it wouldn't sting so bad when his father eventually shut that plan down, but her willingness to defend him without even seeming to think about it meant a lot. Before his father could argue any further, Mike spoke up, directing his comment toward his mom. "Is dinner ready?" He asked, knowing she would pick up on the pointedness behind the question. As the woman nodded and began leading them toward the table, Mike took a step back, guiding Rachel away for a moment for a quick kiss to try to express his gratitude.

Rachel was about to follow Mike's parents to the dining room table when her boyfriend stepped back and guided her away from his parents. Turning to face Mike, the brunette looked up at her taller boyfriend before biting her bottom lip. "I'm sorry for speaking to your dad like that."

Mike bit down on the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. "Don't be," he tried to reassure her. "I'd never have the guts to stand up to him myself, but I might have enjoyed hearing someone finally do it more than I should admit. That was amazing. You're amazing."

Rachel relaxed when she realized he wasn't mad. "Well, it's true. You could be a professional dancer with ease. You are so talented." She whispered, leaning up to press a quick kiss to Mike's lips. "We should probably join your parents, I wouldn't want them thinking any badly of me."

Mike was reluctant to pull away, the idea of hiding out with Rachel sounding better to him than joining his parents. Still, he knew she had a point, so with one last quick kiss they moved into the other room. "Sorry," he stated sheepishly as his mom shot him a knowing look.

Rachel hummed in agreement. "Yeah, sorry." She replied sincerely before taking her seat at the table.

Mike sat down across the table from Rachel. The restless feeling was back as he eyed his father nervously out of the corner of his eye, but it was his mom who surprised him by speaking up first as she brought the last of the food to the table. "So, Rachel, you mentioned that you sing a bit. What else do you enjoy doing?"

Rachel cringed at Julia's question. She didn't really do anything else beside singing and smoking weed but she hardly doubted they'd be pleased about that. "Um... Not much, really. I mostly spend time with my friends and do homework."

Mike held back a laugh as Rachel answered the question. It wasn't surprising that she didn't want to get into the details of how she spent her free time; Mike doubted his parents would have appreciated hearing about the skanks and Rachel's position within the group. Luckily Julia seemed to pick up on Rachel's disinterest in discussing the subject, simply responding with a "Well, friends and homework are important at your age."

Rachel nodded her head in agreement. "Totally." She replied before biting down on the inside of her cheek. The brunette was usually so good at reading situations but she wasn't sure if Mike's mother liked her or was merely tolerating her because of Mike.

Mike tried to keep quiet through the rest of the awkward dinner, only cutting in to interject when he felt he needed to. For the most part, the conversation kind of died down, with his mom occasionally making small talk and his dad talking about how things were going at the office, so both he and Rachel were spared the interrogation he had been half expecting all night. Once they'd all finished eating and Mike had helped his mom clear the table, he moved back to where Rachel was sitting. "Now that you've survived the awkward dinner, want to get out of here for a while?"

Rachel remained pretty quiet throughout the rest of dinner with Mike's family. She answered questions when prompted but for the most part, she just kept to herself. With dinner finished and Mike's father excusing himself from the table, Rachel remained in her seat as Mike and his mother cleaned up. "I would love that." She whispered before standing from her seat. "Would you like us to help you with the washing up first?" Rachel offered out to Julia who quickly thanked Rachel but declined.

Mike breathed a sigh of relief when his mom declined Rachel's offer of help. He wouldn't have minded helping out a little, but the idea of the chance to get away from the awkward, stifling atmosphere was appealing. "Awesome," he replied, flashing his girlfriend what was probably the first real smile that had crossed his face all evening. "What do you feel like doing?"

Rachel said one last goodbye to Mike's mother as the young couple made their way towards the front door. "Maybe we could spend time by the lake?" She suggested, knowing the fresh air would be a good change compared to the cramped style that was dinner.

Mike nodded, taking ahold of Rachel's hand as they slipped through the front door. It was a short walk to his car, and he only let go of her hand once they reached the passenger door to open it for her. "Sorry that was kind of...awkward," he told her as he climbed into the car. "My mom's pretty cool, but my dad isn't exactly the warmest person."

Rachel buckled her seatbelt before turning to face Mike as he made himself comfortable in the driver's seat. "It's okay." She replied sincerely. "My dad isn't exactly a stand up guy so I get it. No judgement."

Mike hadn't heard Rachel say much about her other dad before. It wasn't like the reason he wasn't around was a secret around Lima Heights, but Mike had never felt like pushing her on the subject to find out the exact story. As he started the car and shifted into reverse to back out of the driveway, though, he glanced over at her. "Do you miss him?"

Rachel wasn't expecting Mike's question so the brunette had to pause for a moment. "Yes." She finally admitted once they were out of the Chang's street. "I haven't seen him since he was sentenced. It's too hard. My daddy doesn't understand it but I just... Can't see him locked up."

Mike kept his gaze focused on the road in front of him, aware that the conversation had the potential to blow up in his face. "I wouldn't be able to either," he finally replied. "There've been studies showing that exposure to situations like that can be just as hurtful to kids as the act of the parent being in prison in the first place. That being said, if it were my dad, I'm not sure I would even want to see him."

Rachel smiled sadly. "I love my dad." She replied honestly, her voice barely above a whisper. "He was my hero. He was such an amazing man but I'm angry that he did the things he did. That he's not here anymore. Just like I'm angry that Puck's dad who was super involved in all the shady shit, didn't get a single day in jail. My dad, the black guy, was the only person who was sentenced. It's not fair."

Mike stayed silent for a moment as he navigated the streets toward the lake. The truth was, he wasn't entirely sure what to say, knowing that none of the thoughts running through his head came close to being effective. The fact that Puck's dad had been involved came as a shock, making Mike wonder how she had managed to stay friends with the other male throughout everything. "The criminal justice system is screwed," he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Rach. I can't even imagine what that must be like."

Rachel shrugged her shoulders. "It is what it is." She replied quietly before reaching out her hand to rest on her boyfriend's arm. "Just listening to me helps... Nobody really does that besides you."

Mike nodded. "Anytime," he answered sincerely. A few moments later they reached the lake and he pulled the car into a spot in the deserted parking lot.

Rachel smiled softly at Mike. She knew he was being sincere and honest. He was always there for her and willing to be by her side. Unbuckling her seat belt, Rachel opened the car door and stepped out into the cool breeze. Stretching slightly, she walked around the front of the car to greet Mike who was now standing and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Tonight was good." She whispered, wanting to reassure her boyfriend that she had enjoyed herself.

Mike pocketed his keys as he got out of the car. The only sound that greeted them was the soft sound of the water lapping against the shore; it was peaceful and calming to the frayed edges of his nerves. He wrapped his arms around Rachel's waist when she approached, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as she spoke. "Thank you for being there," he replied before leaning in and capturing her lips against his.

Rachel smiled against his lips before kissing him back and moving her body closer to his. "My pleasure." She whispered, running her fingers through the hair at the back of his head.

Mike moaned against her lips softly as her fingers played with his hair, a shiver going across the sensitive skin at the back of his neck. It was hard to believe that she had actually had anything even remotely resembling fun at the dinner, but even if she was just pretending, he appreciated the effort.

Rachel smirked softly as the sound of Mike's moan filled her ears. "Next up is meeting my daddy... I know you too have met in passing but I know he wants to meet you officially."

Mike shrugged one shoulder lightly. "That's only fair." He paused, looking down as he scuffed his shoe against the gravel of the parking lot. "He's not going to hate me for that time I drove you to the point of disappearing for a weekend, is he?"

Rachel bit down on her bottom lip. "No and like I said, it wasn't you. It was everything... He doesn't hate you."

Mike nodded, but he wasn't entirely convinced. Despite what Rachel said, he couldn't help but feel like their fight had been a major part of the reason she had left. "I know, but still. I feel bad. But I'd love to officially meet him whenever you want."

Rachel shook her head. "Don't feel bad." She whispered before kissing him again. "Now, I have a few hours before curfew... Want to spend it making out in your car?" She grinned

Mike didn't need to be asked twice. "I like the way you think," he laughed. Using the arm that was slung around her waist to guide them back a few steps to the backseat of the car.

#cherry 1x1 #mike chang rp #rachel berry rp #theskankberry

1 note · View note

thewebofslime · 5 years

Link

The messages shared with The Daily Beast cast additional light on the circumstances that preceded McCabe’s firing from the FBI. Betsy Woodruff Political Reporter Updated 09.09.19 9:52AM ET / Published 09.09.19 4:42AM ET EXCLUSIVE Alex Wong/Getty For months, a huge question has hovered over Washington’s legal community: Would the Justice Department charge former acting FBI director Andrew McCabe with a crime? In the wake of a New York Times report that his lawyers met with the deputy attorney general about the DOJ’s investigation of McCabe, many suspect charges could be coming. And the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office has scrutinized allegations that McCabe was not candid with FBI investigators about his role in a news story concerning the FBI’s probe into the Clinton Foundation. Now, emails reviewed by The Daily Beast cast additional light on the circumstances that preceded McCabe’s firing from the FBI. They show that one FBI official felt the need to clarify to then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that the FBI’s internal investigation into McCabe’s behavior wasn’t being slow-walked. And they show that former director of national intelligence James Clapper urged FBI Director Chris Wray to shield McCabe from being fired. They also show that in the weeks before the 2016 presidential election, McCabe shared more information about his media contacts with then-FBI Director James Comey than was previously known. McCabe has sued the Justice Department over his firing. The issues these emails shed light on—whether he deserved to be fired and whether the FBI handled the decision correctly—are sure to be front and center if the lawsuit goes to trial. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a government watchdog group, obtained the emails through FOIA litigation and shared them with The Daily Beast. They are also available in the FBI’s FOIA vault. CREW’s litigation is ongoing. Some of the emails in the tranche cast light on the FBI’s scramble to deal with media coverage in the final days of the 2016 presidential campaign. On Oct. 21, 2016, McCabe sent Comey an email with the subject line “Updates.” Copied on the email were James Rybicki, who was then Comey’s chief of staff, and David Bowdich, who was then associate deputy director of the FBI. McCabe opened with an update on a cyberattack. He then turned to the subject of media. “In the more bad news category, Mike K informed me that Devlin Barrett at WSJ is putting together an article claiming I had a conflict of interest on MYR as a result of Jill’s campaign connections to Gov. McCaulife [sic],” McCabe wrote, referring to then-Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe. “I will work with mike to provide some basic facts to push back. And, as always, will keep you advised. I am incredibly sorry for adding to the drama on this.” “Mike K” referred to Mike Kortan, then the FBI’s public affairs chief. “MYR” referred to Midyear, the FBI’s nickname for its investigation of Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server when she was secretary of state. “Outstanding,” Comey replied to McCabe. “Don’t sweat it.” Two days later, McCabe updated Comey and Rybicki on his participation in the then-forthcoming Wall Street Journal story. “The only additional notable news is that Mike K and I spent a good part of the day trying to shape the WSJ story on my alleged conflict.” — Email from Andrew McCabe “Not too much in the update,” he wrote. “The only additional notable news is that Mike K and I spent a good part of the day trying to shape the WSJ story on my alleged conflict,” he wrote. “Looks like they may try to release it on line tonight. The reporter also called Jill for a comment, so we are working that as well.” The Justice Department Inspector General did not mention the emails in his damning report on McCabe, which focused on his role in a second Wall Street Journal story. The report alleged that McCabe lacked candor when he told FBI investigators about how the Journal obtained information about the Bureau’s internal deliberations for that second story. RELATED IN POLITICS DOJ Watchdog: Comey Leaks ‘Set a Dangerous Example’ The Amendment That Ate the Constitution ‘Moscow Mitch’ Still Doesn’t Get It One issue has been whether McCabe told Comey about his participation in that story; McCabe has said he did, but Comey has said he has no recollection of McCabe making the disclosure to him. McCabe’s lawyers, meanwhile, argue that the Inspector General’s report is seriously flawed. Scrutiny of McCabe’s work at the FBI grew over the following two years, with congressional Republicans and the president calling for McCabe to be fired and punished. But McCabe also had defenders. Clapper—who has also become a target of the president—sent a handwritten letter to FBI Director Chris Wray on Feb. 25, 2018, praising McCabe and calling for Wray to intercede on his behalf. That letter is in the tranche of documents CREW obtained. In it, Clapper called the criticism of McCabe “completely unjustified and profoundly unfair.” “We often appeared as witnesses together at Congressional hearings, where, as you also know, ‘bonds’ with fellow witnesses can quickly form,” he wrote. “I came to know and rely on Andy as steady, straightforward, candid, forthright, and honest.” He also praised McCabe for his “sharp intellect, insightful wisdom, unwavering commitment to the mission, self-effacing humility, staunch devotion to the men and women of the Bureau, and, importantly, his impeccable integrity.” “I would hope you will consider my observations, which I know are shared uniformly by virtually everyone who knows Andy, and will use your influential voice to insure he is able to complete his career and retire after his 21 years of distinguished service to the Bureau and this nation,” Clapper concluded. Clapper’s letter came as the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) was scrutinizing McCabe. The Inspector General had referred his case to OPR so they could make a recommendation to the Attorney General on how to handle it. In an email sent on March 5, 2018, Candice Will—then the head of the OPR office—updated Bowdich on her team’s review of the McCabe investigation. That note includes a line that seems to hint at outside pressure to speed it up. “I sent the DAG [Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein] a short email advising that FBI OPR had received the referral from the OIG, we are actively working it, we anticipate providing a proposed action to the subject this week, we will make the file available to the subject—all in accordance with standard procedures—for him to prepare a written response,” she wrote. “In doing so, I let the Dept know that we are doing what should be done, not slow walking—we are following established procedures.” Bowdich responded by noting that the Bureau would face criticism regardless of how it handled the decision on McCabe. “Thanks Candice, as you know we will be second guessed by some every step of the way however this ends up,” he wrote. “As long as we follow the regular process we are where we should be on this issue.” It is unclear why Will felt the need to clarify to Rosenstein that her office was “not slow walking” the McCabe review. An FBI spokesperson declined to comment for this story, as did a spokesperson for McCabe. On March 19, 2018, just hours before McCabe would have been eligible to retire and receive his pension, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced his firing. The move horrified his allies, but cheered critics of the Russia probe. And Trump’s personal lawyer at the time, John Dowd, praised the move and said Mueller’s investigation should be shut down next. The timing of McCabe’s firing—and the question of whether Trump’s allies pushed for it to be expedited—has become a major point of contention. The emails suggest there may be more to all these pieces of the McCabe story than currently known—and that civil litigation or a criminal trial could generate much more information.

#TheWebOfSlime

0 notes

newseveryhourly · 5 years

Link

Alex Wong/GettyFor months, a huge question has hovered over Washington’s legal community: Would the Justice Department charge former acting FBI director Andrew McCabe with a crime? In the wake of a New York Times report that his lawyers met with the deputy attorney general about the DOJ’s investigation of McCabe, many suspect charges could be coming. And the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office has scrutinized allegations that McCabe was not candid with FBI investigators about his role in a news story concerning the FBI’s probe into the Clinton Foundation. Now, emails reviewed by The Daily Beast cast additional light on the circumstances that preceded McCabe’s firing from the FBI. They show that one FBI official felt the need to clarify to then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that the FBI’s internal investigation into McCabe’s behavior wasn’t being slow-walked. And they show that former director of national intelligence James Clapper urged FBI Director Chris Wray to shield McCabe from being fired. They also show that in the weeks before the 2016 presidential election, McCabe shared more information about his media contacts with then-FBI Director James Comey than was previously known. McCabe has sued the Justice Department over his firing. The issues these emails shed light on—whether he deserved to be fired and whether the FBI handled the decision correctly—are sure to be front and center if the lawsuit goes to trial. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a government watchdog group, obtained the emails through FOIA litigation and shared them with The Daily Beast. They are also available in the FBI’s FOIA vault. CREW’s litigation is ongoing. Some of the emails in the tranche cast light on the FBI’s scramble to deal with media coverage in the final days of the 2016 presidential campaign. On Oct. 21, 2016, McCabe sent Comey an email with the subject line “Updates.” Copied on the email were James Rybicki, who was then Comey’s chief of staff, and David Bowdich, who was then associate deputy director of the FBI. McCabe opened with an update on a cyberattack. He then turned to the subject of media. “In the more bad news category, Mike K informed me that Devlin Barrett at WSJ is putting together an article claiming I had a conflict of interest on MYR as a result of Jill’s campaign connections to Gov. McCaulife [sic],” McCabe wrote, referring to then-Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe. “I will work with mike to provide some basic facts to push back. And, as always, will keep you advised. I am incredibly sorry for adding to the drama on this.” “Mike K” referred to Mike Kortan, then the FBI’s public affairs chief. “MYR” referred to Midyear, the FBI’s nickname for its investigation of Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server when she was secretary of state. “Outstanding,” Comey replied to McCabe. “Don’t sweat it.”Two days later, McCabe updated Comey and Rybicki on his participation in the then-forthcoming Wall Street Journal story. “Not too much in the update,” he wrote. “The only additional notable news is that Mike K and I spent a good part of the day trying to shape the WSJ story on my alleged conflict,” he wrote. “Looks like they may try to release it on line tonight. The reporter also called Jill for a comment, so we are working that as well.”The Justice Department Inspector General did not mention the emails in his damning report on McCabe, which focused on his role in a second Wall Street Journal story. The report alleged that McCabe lacked candor when he told FBI investigators about how the Journal obtained information about the Bureau’s internal deliberations for that second story. One issue has been whether McCabe told Comey about his participation in that story; McCabe has said he did, but Comey has said he has no recollection of McCabe making the disclosure to him. McCabe’s lawyers, meanwhile, argue that the Inspector General’s report is seriously flawed. Scrutiny of McCabe’s work at the FBI grew over the following two years, with congressional Republicans and the president calling for McCabe to be fired and punished. But McCabe also had defenders. Clapper—who has also become a target of the president—sent a handwritten letter to FBI Director Chris Wray on Feb. 25, 2018, praising McCabe and calling for Wray to intercede on his behalf. That letter is in the tranche of documents CREW obtained. In it, Clapper called the criticism of McCabe “completely unjustified and profoundly unfair.” “We often appeared as witnesses together at Congressional hearings, where, as you also know, ‘bonds’ with fellow witnesses can quickly form,” he wrote. “I came to know and rely on Andy as steady, straightforward, candid, forthright, and honest.” He also praised McCabe for his “sharp intellect, insightful wisdom, unwavering commitment to the mission, self-effacing humility, staunch devotion to the men and women of the Bureau, and, importantly, his impeccable integrity.” “I would hope you will consider my observations, which I know are shared uniformly by virtually everyone who knows Andy, and will use your influential voice to insure he is able to complete his career and retire after his 21 years of distinguished service to the Bureau and this nation,” Clapper concluded. Clapper’s letter came as the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) was scrutinizing McCabe. The Inspector General had referred his case to OPR so they could make a recommendation to the Attorney General on how to handle it. In an email sent on March 5, 2018, Candice Will—then the head of the OPR office—updated Bowdich on her team’s review of the McCabe investigation. That note includes a line that seems to hint at outside pressure to speed it up.“I sent the DAG [Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein] a short email advising that FBI OPR had received the referral from the OIG, we are actively working it, we anticipate providing a proposed action to the subject this week, we will make the file available to the subject—all in accordance with standard procedures—for him to prepare a written response,” she wrote. “In doing so, I let the Dept know that we are doing what should be done, not slow walking—we are following established procedures.”Bowdich responded by noting that the Bureau would face criticism regardless of how it handled the decision on McCabe. “Thanks Candice, as you know we will be second guessed by some every step of the way however this ends up,” he wrote. “As long as we follow the regular process we are where we should be on this issue.”It is unclear why Will felt the need to clarify to Rosenstein that her office was “not slow walking” the McCabe review. An FBI spokesperson declined to comment for this story, as did a spokesperson for McCabe. On March 19, 2018, just hours before McCabe would have been eligible to retire and receive his pension, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced his firing. The move horrified his allies, but cheered critics of the Russia probe. And Trump’s personal lawyer at the time, John Dowd, praised the move and said Mueller’s investigation should be shut down next. The timing of McCabe’s firing—and the question of whether Trump’s allies pushed for it to be expedited—has become a major point of contention. The emails suggest there may be more to all these pieces of the McCabe story than currently known—and that civil litigation or a criminal trial could generate much more information. Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

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Donald Trump, Jr. and Vice President Mike Pence wave to supporters at a February 2020 Trump rally. | Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe/Getty Images

Donald Trump, Jr. claimed Democrats want coronavirus deaths in order to “end Donald Trump’s streak of winning.”

Pence said Trump Jr. was “pushing back” at Trump critics, and that “it’s time for the other side to turn down the volume.”

Trump himself has claimed that criticism of his handling of coronavirus in the US is part of a Democratic Party “hoax.”

Here’s Trump at his rally tonight in South Carolina dismissing worries about the coronavirus as the “new hoax” pic.twitter.com/Q58d7dI1cb

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 29, 2020

When questioned over the use of the term hoax on Saturday, Trump said that it referred to “the action that [Democrats] take to try to pin this on somebody because we’ve done such a good job.”

He added, “I don’t like it when they are criticizing [government officials], and that’s the hoax.”

When ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos asked Azar about Trump’s use of the term hoax, Sunday Azar deflected.

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4R’s: Encantadia (Jan. 26, 2017 episode review)

Episode 139

Recap:

Death of Hara

Amihan was ready to face her death.

All of a sudden, Alena appeared and aided her in battle. Using the lupig and the water gem, Alena fought the Hathors and Hadezars. Amihan didn’t want to get Alena involved and urged her to leave immediately, but Alena insisted on staying and took Amihan away. Alena found Danaya and Hitano, a puzzled Danaya asked what was going on. Alena apologized to Amihan and knocked her unconscious, Alena revealed that she knew what Amihan has been planning, she cannot allow Amihan to die and told her youngest sister that it is her who is much worthy to make the sacrifice and left, Danaya failed to stop her. The youngest sang’gre healed Amihan’s wounds and when the queen finally regained consciousness, she immediately followed Alena. Danaya knew her sisters must be stopped.

Upon learning from Pirena about Amihan and Alena’s plans, Ybrahim persuaded Pirena to teleport them back to Sapiro, but Pirena refused, saying that her sisters’ decisions were final, and there was nothing they can do to stop them. Ybrahim was disappointed at Pirena for she haven’t changed, she’s still the same selfish Pirena they know. Ybrahim went to Lira and told her that they have to go back to Sapiro “if Lira still wants to see her mother and Ashti Alena alive,” though Lira was quite puzzled, she and Ybrahim whisked their way back to the kingdom.

Alena went back to the throne room and faced Hagorn and his troop once again, and though Alena was clearly powerful, the Hadezars made it difficult for her to defeat Hagorn’s forces and ended up getting injured badly. Amihan appeared shortly after and defended Alena after regaining consciousness thanks to Danaya’s earth gem, Alena witnessed how Amihan was taken down and was terrified at the sight of her sister slowly succumbing to her death. In a last attempt to protect Amihan, Alena created a barrier using the water gem and shielded the both of them, now weak and dying, Amihan urged Alena to leave. The downside of being the sister’s queen is that she too is also bound to follow orders, Alena had no choice but to leave the throne room.

Lira and Ybrahim found Danaya and Hitano who were also searching for Amihan and Alena, Lira asked once again what was going on but it wasn’t the time for explanations and started searching. Danaya and company found Alena who was badly injured, the sang’gre revealed that Amihan was at the throne room fighting Hagorn by herself. Lira and Ybrahim wasted no time and immediately left with Hitano. Danaya tended to Alena’s wounds first and when the latter regained strength, she and Danaya decided to go back to the throne room as well.

Now it was only Amihan left, Hagorn was getting impatient at how the sang’gres seem to be fooling him. Hagorn gave Amihan one last chance to spare her life—surrender everything, something which Amihan swore to never do. Hagorn finally used the spirit gem and ended Amihan’s life, the queen has fallen. Just as Danaya and Alena were about to follow the prince and his diwani daughter, the air gem appeared before the sisters, a gentle wind caressed them and heard Amihan’s voice telling them they love them. Words Amihan spoke before she parted ways with Danaya. The sisters knew Amihan has died, back in the camp, Pirena also heard Amihan telling her she loves her, Pirena knew something happened to Amihan.

By the time Lira and Ybrahim came, it was already too late. Amihan’s body lay lifeless on the throne room of Sapiro. Lira and Ybrahim immediately ran towards the queen and tried to wake her up, but Hagorn revealed that Amihan is already dead. Danaya and Alena appeared and were heartbroken at the sight of their dead sister. Ybrahim was enraged, but Danaya and Alena stopped him for it was useless to fight Hagorn at this point. Hagorn told them to take Amihan’s body and promised to give them time to mourn for their queen.

Aquil went to Hathoria and fought the Hathorian guards leaving one Hathor for him to interrogate about the Hadezars, and how Hagorn was able to free the ivtres from Balaak, the Hathor revealed that it was through the help of their gods Arde and Ether which is why Hagorn succeeded to free the ivtres. Hagorn and his troop came but didn’t mind him killing his men (also because of Amarro’s plea to spare him) and told him instead to go back to his allies for the queen is already dead. Amarro attempted to win Aquil on their side, but hearing the news only made Aquil more determined to fight for the diwatas.

Lira was the most devastated at the death of the Lirean queen, the young sang’gre begged her Ashti Danaya to heal her mother but there is no cure for death. It was also then that Lira found out that both Alena and Danaya knew what Amihan was planning after Alena resented that it was Amihan who died instead of her. Lira was angry at her Ashtis for keeping this from her and refused to listen to Danaya and Alena’s explanations, that Amihan wanted this to happen, and the sisters has to follow the queen’s orders, it was painful, but it was their only chance to win against Hathoria. Still, it wasn’t enough for Lira to feel better, because no matter how much they try to console her, it will never bring back the life of her mother. Mira appeared and was also devastated at the sight of the dead queen and regretted not being able to spend more time with her. Pirena also appeared and found out that Amihan is dead. Unfortunately, Pirena also knew what Amihan has been planning which only made Lira’s pain worse, even Ybrahim couldn’t bring himself to comfort his daughter for he too was in great pain.

Meanwhile, in the lair of the lambanas, the winged creatures noticed that the tree lit up once again, it was a sign that another diwata has died. The leader of the lamabanas ordered Muyak and a group of pixies to fetch the dead body of whoever died. The lambanas came along with Muyak and was shocked to find out that it was the queen whom they will be taking to Devas.

Raves:

💎 The saddest episode ever! So much angst among the characters right now especially for Ybrahim and Lira’s parts. But everyone did so well tonight! Congrats Enca team! Once again, you have exceeded my expectations! Your hard work, dedication and team work is what makes this show a great success, well done team! Well done!

💙 ‘Till the very end, Amihan has proven that she is and will always be the greatest leader Encantadia has ever had, and I just remembered Cassiopeia’s prophecy, that Amihan will be one of the brave leaders who will make Hathoria crumble into ashes, so that means Amihan isn’t leaving just yet. Either she will be given more time by Emre to fulfill her destiny or she will be granted a second life just like the original. As for Kylie, I have no idea how she managed to slay those fight scenes even if she’s pregnant but damn girl you da queen! The baby sure will be kicking some ass if he or she comes out. This may seem out of topic but I watched Kylie’s interview and I saw how happy she was, it makes me feel happy for her as well. Although I am really looking forward for more KyRu projects after Enca, I guess we’ll just have to wait.

💚 Yaaaas Gabbi! That staff does look like a spear and I had goosebumps watching Gabbi work Adhara’s staff, there’s no other weapon suitable for Alena than a spear. Also, seeing Adhara’s Lupig and Alena’s water gem’s powers combined was THE BOMB! It was dangerously breathtaking, Alena wielding both tools is indeed rave-worthy, both powers synced so beautifully and I have to commend the Enca staff for this great special effect.

💜💪 Hugs for father and daughter, although I would have liked it if Mikee showed some really intense emotions—grief and anger combined while she attempts to avenge her mother and fight Hagorn. That would have been epic for Lira’s character. I still want to see a more serious side of Lira, like “dark” Lira, and then she will be more determined to show to everyone that she is worthy to be Lireo’s crown princess, and become a leader just like Amihan. It really sucks for her right now because she lost her mother twice, the first being Amanda, her foster mom. I am sad that Amihan died, but I am also excited for Lira 2.0! I don’t know but I think Amihan’s death will contribute a lot to Lira’s character development.

💎 That “E correi diu whisper” to Danaya, Alena and Pirena 😭 virtual hugs for everyone in the fandom! Huhuhu!

Rant: 🙄 I was expecting Piry to appear out of nowhere and fight Hagorn! My Emre! Kaloka bes, sobrang duwag and selfish! Well, as the saying goes, you can’t change someone overnight.

Best performers for this episode: Everyone nailed it! 💎

Rating: 10 out of 10 💎s

Photo credits: From Twitter: @GMAEncantadia (Encantadia 2016 official twitter acct) @gmanetwork (GMA network); official website: gmanetwork.com @GMADrama (GMA Drama)

From Facebook: Encantadia 2016

Video credits: gmanetwork.com via YouTube & dailymotion

#encantadia #parasaencantadia #4Rs

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