bostonangler

Bolton Was Concerned That Trump Did Favors for Autocratic Leaders, Book Says WASHINGTON — John Bolton, the former national security adviser, privately told Attorney General William Barr last year that he had concerns that President Donald Trump was effectively granting personal favors to the autocratic leaders of Turkey and China, according to an unpublished manuscript by Bolton. Barr responded by pointing to a pair of Justice Department investigations of companies in those countries and said he was worried that Trump had created the appearance that he had undue influence over what would typically be independent inquiries, according to the manuscript. Backing up his point, Barr mentioned conversations Trump had with the leaders, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and President Xi Jinping of China. Bolton’s account underscores the fact that the unease about Trump’s seeming embrace of authoritarian leaders, long expressed by experts and his opponents, also existed among some of the senior Cabinet officers entrusted by the president to carry out his foreign policy and national security agendas. Bolton recounted his discussion with Barr in a draft of an unpublished book manuscript that he submitted nearly a month ago to the White House for review. People familiar with the manuscript described its contents on the condition of anonymity. The book also contains an account of Trump telling Bolton in August that he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations of political rivals, The New York Times reported Sunday. The matter is at the heart of the articles of impeachment against the president. Early Tuesday, the Justice Department’s spokeswoman, Kerri Kupec, posted a statement on Twitter disputing aspects of Bolton’s account. “There was no discussion of ‘personal favors’ or ‘undue influence’ on investigations, nor did Attorney General Barr state that the President’s conversations with foreign leaders was improper,” the statement said. “If this is truly what Mr. Bolton has written, then it seems he is attributing to Attorney General Barr his own current views — views with which Attorney General Barr does not agree.” A spokesman for the National Security Council declined to comment on Barr’s conversations with Bolton. In a statement on Monday, Bolton, his publisher and his literary agency said they had not shared the manuscript with The Times. “There was absolutely no coordination with The New York Times or anyone else regarding the appearance of information about his book, ‘The Room Where It Happened,’ at online booksellers,” Bolton, Simon & Schuster and Javelin said in a joint statement. “Any assertion to the contrary is unfounded speculation.” Dean Baquet, the executive editor of The Times, responded that “The Times does not discuss its sources, but I should point out that no one has questioned the accuracy of our report.” Bolton wrote in the manuscript that Barr singled out Trump’s conversations with Xi about the Chinese telecommunications firm ZTE, which agreed in 2017 to plead guilty and pay heavy fines for violating U.S. sanctions on doing business with North Korea, Iran and other countries. A year later, Trump lifted the sanctions over objections from his own advisers and Republican lawmakers. Barr also cited remarks Trump made to Erdogan in 2018 about the investigation of Halkbank, Turkey’s second-largest state-owned bank. The Justice Department was scrutinizing Halkbank on fraud and money-laundering charges for helping Iran evade sanctions imposed by the Treasury Department. Erdogan had been making personal appeals to Trump to use his authority to halt any additional enforcement against the bank. In 2018, Erdogan told reporters in Turkey that Trump had promised to instruct Cabinet members to follow through on the matter. The bank had hired a top Republican fundraiser to lobby the administration on the issue. For months, it looked as if the unusual lobbying effort might succeed; but in October, the Justice Department indicted the bank for aiding Iran. The charges were seen in part as an attempt by the administration to show that it was taking a tough line on Turkey amid an outcry over Trump’s endorsement of its incursions in Syria. Bolton’s statements in the book align with other comments he has made since leaving the White House in September. In November, he said in a private speech that none of Trump’s advisers shared the president’s views on Turkey and that he believed Trump adopted a more permissive approach to the country because of his financial ties there, NBC News reported. Trump’s company has a property in Turkey. Trump has repeatedly praised dictators throughout his presidency. Last year, he said, “Where’s my favorite dictator?” as he waited to meet with President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt, The Wall Street Journal reported. Trump’s soft spot for authoritarians dates at least to his presidential campaign, when he praised Saddam Hussein for being “good” at killing terrorists and suggested that the world would be better off were Col. Moammar Gadhafi, the deposed Libyan dictator who was killed in a violent uprising in 2011, “in charge right now.” Trump then suggested the ouster of both men was ultimately worse for the Middle East because the Islamic State had filled the void. Trump declared himself “a big fan” of Erdogan as they sat side by side in the Oval Office last fall after Trump cleared the way for Turkish forces to invade Syria, though he warned Erdogan behind the scenes against the offensive. Of Xi, Trump has been similarly effusive. When the Chinese Communist Party eliminated term limits, allowing Xi to keep his tenure open-ended, Trump extolled the outcome. Xi had personally asked Trump to intervene to save ZTE, which was on the brink of collapse because of tough U.S. penalties for sanctions violations. Lifting the sanctions on ZTE, a Chinese telecommunications giant that also serves as a geopolitical pawn for its government, most likely helped Trump negotiate with Xi in the trade war between the two countries. But Republican lawmakers and others objected to helping a Chinese company that broke the law and has been accused of posing a national security threat. Bolton’s reputation for muscular foreign policy was always an odd fit with Trump, who often threatens excessive force but rarely reacts with it. Bolton was pleased when Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, including the United States, that the Obama administration had entered into. Other Trump advisers had urged him against it. But Trump’s lack of action after Iranian aggression against the United States rankled Bolton. Bolton’s book has already netted significant sales. Shortly after the disclosure of its contents Sunday night, Amazon listed the book for purchase. By Monday evening, it was No. 17 on Amazon’s bestseller list. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Is that what you call "An Inconvenient Truth"? B/A

Trump's former chief of staff, John Kelly, sides with John Bolton and says the Senate should call witnesses in impeachment trial President Donald Trump's former chief of staff, John Kelly, said he believes former national security adviser John Bolton's allegations concerning Trump's Ukraine pressure campaign. Bolton reportedly wrote in his forthcoming book that the president told him last year he would withhold military aid to Ukraine until the Ukrainian president initiated investigations into Trump's political rivals. "If John Bolton says that in the book I believe John Bolton," Kelly, a retired general who previously served as Trump's secretary of homeland security, told a Florida audience on Monday night. Kelly described Bolton as honest and said he supports the Senate calling witnesses in its impeachment trial — something the president and Republican leaders have staunchly opposed. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. President Donald Trump's former chief of staff, John Kelly, said he believes former national security adviser John Bolton's allegations concerning Trump's Ukraine pressure campaign. The New York Times reported on Sunday that Bolton wrote in his forthcoming book that the president told him last year he would withhold military aid to Ukraine until the Ukrainian president acceded to his demands for investigations into his political rivals. Bolton's allegations contradict Trump's repeated claim that he didn't leverage the military aid to pressure Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and other Democratic opponents. "If John Bolton says that in the book I believe John Bolton," Kelly, a retired general who previously served as Trump's secretary of homeland security, told a Florida audience on Monday night. Kelly described Bolton as honest and said he supports the Senate calling witnesses in its impeachment trial — something the president and Republican leaders have staunchly opposed. "Every single time I was with him ... he always gave the president the unvarnished truth," Kelly said of his former White House colleague, according to Florida's Herald-Tribune. Kelly's comments are an astonishing rebuke of the president, for whom he served as a close West Wing adviser for 18 months. Trump has denied Bolton's claims and argued his former top adviser is simply trying to sell his book. "I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens," the president tweeted on Sunday. "If John Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book." Read the original article on Business Insider That crappy general doesn't know anything... Deep State Warning B/A

There are no sacred cows when you are a stable genius. B/A

What are they afraid of??? Truth? B/A

Or he and his folks could testify under oath and show the documents in question... Doesn't it make you pause for one minute that they refuse to cooperate? Don't you question the obvious lies about knowing people, or the fact so many people have put their careers and reputations on the line to testify... Are all these people lying and Trump is the only one telling the truth? Do you really believe that? B/A

If it was only about selling books, he would have praised Trump... Trump's followers would have bought them hand over fist. Look at Jr.'s book it sold millions to party members.... Now Trump will say Bolton, Who's Bolton I don't know the guy.... LOL B/A

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Crazy isn't it? Their president was a comedian and ours hosted a reality show.... So much for statesmanship. B/A

Man I haven't heard this song in forever.... Thanks B/A

2nd coronavirus case confirmed in US A second U.S. case of the new coronavirus has been confirmed in a patient in Chicago, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The patient, a woman in her 60s and a Chicago resident, had traveled to Wuhan, China, in December. She was admitted to the hospital and is in stable condition, according to Illinois health officials. "We understand that some people are worried about this virus and how it may impact Americans," Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases said at a Friday news briefing. "The immediate risk to the U.S. public is low at this time," Messonnier said. Sixty-three people in the U.S. are being evaluated to determine if they have coronavirus. Of those individuals, 11 have tested negative and two have tested positive for the virus. Patient samples are currently being tested at the CDC in Atlanta, and health officials are working to get those tests to states, which would speed diagnosis times. MORE: College student quarantined in Texas with suspected coronavirus case This announcement comes as the U.S. State Department is warning Americans not to enter China's Hubei province due to the coronavirus, as Chinese authorities announced Thursday that the death toll from the virus has increased to 25. The U.S. is also pulling out most of its diplomats and their families from the consulate general in Wuhan, the Hubei city of 11 million where cases of the new virus were first discovered. The State Department issued a new travel advisory late Thursday, declaring the Hubei region Level 4, Do Not Travel, the strongest of the four travel warning levels issued by the U.S. government. That puts it on par with hot spots and war zones like North Korea, Syria, and Iran. China's National Health Commission announced Thursday that the death toll from the virus has increased to 25 from the previously-reported total of 17. PHOTO: A security guard stands outside the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market where the coronavirus was detected in Wuhan on January 24, 2020. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images) The additional eight deaths included China's first death outside the central Hubei province, where an 80-year-old man died in the northern province of Hebei after returning there following a two-month stay in Wuhan, according to The Associated Press. The health agency said that in addition to the eight new deaths, 259 new confirmed cases had been reported in 27 provinces across China, with six new cases cured and discharged. In response to the virus, officials at Shanghai Disneyland said that the giant theme park would close until further notice “in order to ensure the health and safety of our guests.” The move comes during one of the park's busiest weeks of the year. The park, located in Pudong, Shanghai, is about a two-hour flight from Wuhan. MORE: What we know about the new coronavirus fueling worldwide anxiety The U.S. State Department says China itself remains on travel advisory Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, because of arbitrary detentions and law enforcement concerns, including the so-called exit bans where U.S. citizens are prevented from leaving the country, often for the government to gain leverage over relatives that it is after. A senior State Department official said the U.S. had seen “positive signs” in China’s response to stem the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, but added that China has lacked transparency in the past and has shown it can be more preoccupied with saving face publicly than admitting and treating the problem. “We’re concerned, but cautiously optimistic,” the official said. MORE: 1st confirmed case of new coronavirus reported in US: CDC U.S. health officials reported the first U.S. case of the coronavirus on Tuesday, when it was diagnosed in a Washington state man in his 30s who had recently traveled to Wuhan. A total of 830 cases of the coronavirus have been reported to date in China. In addition, China's National Health Commission reports that three cases have been reported in Thailand, two have been reported in Vietnam, and one case apiece has been reported in Japan, Singapore and South Korea. https://www.yahoo.com/gma/us-warns-against-travel-chinese-province-coronavirus-death-061413437--abc-news-topstories.html B/A

Australia bushfires contribute to big rise in global CO2 levels: UK's Met Office LONDON (Reuters) - Australia's bushfires are contributing to one of the biggest annual increases in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere since record-keeping began more than 60 years ago, according to a forecast published by Britain's Met Office on Friday. While human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are responsible for the bulk of the increase in CO2 levels, Australia's bushfires have made the problem measurably worse, underscoring the impact of the catastrophe on the global climate system. "A forecast of the atmospheric concentration of carbon-dioxide shows that 2020 will witness one of the largest annual rises in concentration since measurements began at Mauna Loa, in Hawaii, 1958," the Met Office said in a statement. It said the atmospheric concentration of CO2 is expected to peak above 417 parts per million in May, with the average for the year forecast to be 414.2 ± 0.6ppm. This annual average represents a 2.74 ± 0.57 ppm rise on the 2019 average. Concentrations of CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere have already far surpassed what scientists consider to be safe limits. At a climate summit in Madrid in December, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that 400 ppm had once been considered "an unthinkable tipping point." The last time there was a comparable concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere was between 3 and 5 million years ago, when the temperature was between 2 and 3 degrees Celsius warmer and sea levels were 10 to 20 meters higher than today, scientists say. Although the data series started in 1958 has always shown CO2 concentrations increasing year-on-year, driven by fossil fuel burning and deforestation, the rate of rise has not been perfectly even, the Met Office said. Fluctations in the amount of CO2 absorbed by tropical forests and other natural carbon sinks can affect overall levels of the gas in the atmosphere. "Overall these are expected to be weaker than normal for a second year running," said Richard Betts, of the Met Office Hadley Centre and University of Exeter. This year, the Met forecasts that the impact of weather patterns on global ecosystems will increase the annual human-caused rise in CO2 concentration by 10%, with emissions from the Australian fires accounting for one-fifth of that increase. Australia's fires are themselves a foretaste of the kind of catastrophes that are liable to become normal as the planet warms, with prolonged drought and low humidity making arid landscapes more vulnerable to huge blazes, scientists say. The CO2 forecast underscored the urgency of the task facing negotiators trying to persuade big countries to cut emissions under the 2015 Paris Agreement to combat climate change, which is still nowhere near on track to spare the world from devastating temperature increases. The accord enters a crucial implementation phase this year, with governments due to submit more ambitious plans for climate action ahead of a summit in Glasgow in November. Australia's government is regarded as among the main laggards. Last month, the 2020 Climate Change Performance Index rated Australia as one of the worst performers among 57 high-emitters, awarding it 0 out of 100 possible points for its policies. https://www.yahoo.com/news/australia-bushfires-contribute-big-rise-050808858.html Man made????? 24 Australians arrested for deliberately setting fires this season Two dozen Australians in the state of New South Wales have been arrested since early November for intentionally setting fires as record-large blazes continue to burn across the country. There have been 24 people charged with deliberately setting fires among 183 facing legal action in the state, according to the New South Wales Police Force. In addition to those facing the most serious charges of starting fires intentionally, authorities said another 53 people are facing legal action for not complying with the state's fire ban and 47 people have faced legal action for discarding a lit cigarette or match on land. MORE: Using US map to examine scale of massive Australia wildfires Starting a bushfire intentionally and being reckless in causing its spread can result in up to 21 years in prison, authorities said. Legal actions can range "from cautions through to criminal charges," according to NSW police. A car travels on a road through thick smoke from bush fires in Bemboka, in Australia's New South Wales state, Jan. 5, 2020. A car travels on a road through thick smoke from bush fires in Bemboka, in Australia's New South Wales state, Jan. 5, 2020.Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images At least 24 people have been killed and over 2,000 homes have been destroyed by the bushfires, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Monday. Over 12 million acres have burned in Australia since the start of the fire season. New South Wales, in the southeastern part of the country, has been particularly hard hit by fires this season. The state includes the capital of Sydney, Australia's largest city, as well as Newcastle, Maitland, Central City and Wollongong. It is the country's most populous state. MORE: Climate change can ‘supercharge’ Australia fires through more extreme heat, drought The University of Sydney estimated 480 million animals have perished in Australia's fires in New South Wales alone. "The fires have also been devastating for Australia’s wildlife and wild places, as vital areas of bush, forests and parks have been scorched and many millions of animals killed or injured," Dr. Stuart Blanch, senior manager land clearing and restoration with World Wildlife Fund-Australia, told ABC News. "Until the fires subside the full extent of damage will remain unknown." An RFS Crew attempts to put out a smoldering pile of railway sleepers. The sleepers measured over 600 degrees on a thermal temperature gauge two days after the fire front had passed... more An RFS Crew attempts to put out a smoldering pile of railway sleepers. The sleepers measured over 600 degrees on a thermal temperature gauge two days after the fire front had passed through on Jan. 6, 2020 in Wingello, Australia.Brett Hemmings/Getty Images The Insurance Council of Australia said Tuesday local time the estimated damage bill with insurance claims has reached $485 million U.S., while Morrison said Monday that the government was committing an extra $1.4 billion U.S. toward the recovery effort. Tens of millions had already been promised to the cause. The fires have received worldwide attention in recent weeks, with many politicians and celebrities rallying to the cause. Late Monday U.S. time, Australian actor Chris Hemsworth pledged $1 million to fight the wildfires. Celebrities such as singer Pink, Australian actress Nicole Kidman and musician husband Keith Urban have donated $500,000 each to the cause. SLIDESHOW: Wildfires rage through parts of Australia Many have also called attention to the affects of climate change and global warming for accelerating the spread of bushfires. "Approaches that ignore the fact that the climate is changing and the odds that these kinds of hazards like wildfires, like heat waves, like heavy rainfall, like extreme storm surge flooding -- not acknowledging that these hazards are changing is a recipe for continuing to be exposed to these kinds of unprecedented conditions,” Noah Diffenbaugh, a climate researcher and earth system science professor at Stanford University, told ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/International/24-australians-arrested-deliberately-setting-fires-season/story?id=68108272 B/A

This is very interesting but I don't get The Deep State reference. B/A

LOL B/A

In his mind he didn't know.... LOL We do it all the time. Get over it.... LOL We invented the wheel.... LOL He and his best hires are cracking me up... And to think people like you give him money and actually tell other people they support him.... LOL B/A

Lindsey Graham Bizarrely Defends Trump: ‘He Did Nothing Wrong In His Mind’ Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Thursday came up with a bizarre explanation for why President Donald Trump shouldn’t be removed from office: He didn’t think he was doing anything wrong. “If thought he was doing something wrong, he would probably shut up about it,” Graham told reporters. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lindsey-graham-trump-defense-twitter_n_5e29f14cc5b6779e9c2f8373 He didn't know... Oh that explains it... That's the new defense... In his mind.... Does that mean he's mentally incompetent? Is that what Graham is saying? B/A

You're paying for it.... Just like the rest of us... Doubling his rate on tax payers..... LOL B/A

DORAL, Fla. ― The president’s Miami golf resort that puts money into his pocket more than doubled its room rates just before the White House announced his Thursday visit ― possibly increasing taxpayer costs for staff who must travel there in advance. Donald Trump’s plan to address the Republican National Committee’s winter meeting at Trump National Doral next to the Miami airport has been in the works since mid-January, about the same time that the resort raised the nightly rate for its least expensive rooms from $254 to $539. That higher figure is just under the maximum per-night rate federal government rules permit for a hotel in South Florida, and is triple the normal “per diem” rate employees are supposed to follow. The White House would not reveal how much Trump’s Secret Service agents or other members of his “advance” team are paying for the days prior to his visit. Trump is only scheduled to be at the property for a few hours, but at least two dozen staff typically need to get there a few days ahead of time to prepare for his arrival. Doral officials refused to discuss how much they are charging for U.S. government employees staying there for Trump’s visit. The Trump Organization, the president’s family business that owns and operates the resort, also did not respond to queries from HuffPost. A Secret Service spokesperson declined to give details about the visit: “For operational security reasons, the Secret Service does not discuss our protectees or our protective means and methods. This includes personnel numbers associated with a particular protective visit.” Robert Weissman, president of the liberal watchdog group Public Citizen, said the episode illustrates Trump’s continued use of his office to enrich himself. “What better way to defend yourself in an impeachment trial over abuse of power than to jet to your private golf resort on the public dime, secure lots of publicity for the club on the public dime, and then, possibly, rip off taxpayers by forcing them to pay extra for the staff whose costs at the resort are billed to ‘we the people,’” Weissman said. Room Rates Spiked With Trump’s Visit If, in fact, two or three dozen government employees have spent several days there, that would have put tens of thousands of public dollars into Trump’s cash registers, between the room rates and the higher-than-average cost for food at the on-site restaurants. That is on top of the $500,000 or so that the RNC is likely to wind up paying for staff hotel rooms, meeting rooms and catering for its three-day gathering, as well as the $1,000 or more each of the 168 individual RNC members is paying out of pocket to attend. RNC officials declined to reveal how much, exactly, the meeting is costing its donors. However, records filed with the Federal Election Commission show the RNC already paid Doral $169,763 on Nov. 6, likely as a deposit for the meeting. The party previously spent $602,765 at Doral for its 2018 spring meeting, and $84,822 for a lunch fundraiser it held there in June 2019. The timing of that November payment means the RNC settled on holding its winter meeting at Doral just 18 days after Trump backed down from his plan to award a multimillion-dollar government contract to the resort to host the Group of Seven conference there this June. Trump had claimed he would not make any money from the contract, but never made clear how that was possible. He is the sole beneficiary of the trust that owns Trump Organization, and Trump Organization owns his hotels and golf resorts, including Doral. Because Trump insists on playing golf at his own properties, American taxpayers have been the source for at least a few million dollars that have gone to the Trump Organization in the form of rooms, meals and other expenses for Secret Service agents and other government employees who have stayed on-site with Trump at his golf courses in Florida, New Jersey, Scotland and Ireland. The exact amount is not known because the White House refuses to release those records. Trump was not originally planning to attend this week’s RNC meeting. He started considering doing so early last week, which was when the hotel also raised its room rates for the nights of and just prior to his visit. For the latter half of December and the first days of January, Doral’s website advertised rates as low as $254 per night for nonrefundable rooms for the days of the RNC meeting, and a $299 rate that allowed cancellation until five days before the first night of the booking, according to HuffPost’s tracking of the room rates. Those numbers suddenly jumped to $459 a night on Jan. 13, soon after the White House first began planning for a potential Trump trip to the meeting. The next day it jumped to $539 a night, before falling to $499 per room on Jan. 15, but with rooms only available for the final night of the RNC meeting, and the first two nights sold out. Rooms for RNC members, in contrast, were available in a block for $289 per night. Yet even that rate appears to be substantially more than what the market will bear. On Monday, for example, the hotel website was showing rooms available for that night at just $209. On Tuesday, the least expensive room available was $224 a night. Making Money Off The Presidency The jump in room rates at Doral continues a pattern of Trump properties hiking rates to take advantage of campaign and election-related events hosted by Republicans. In 2016, Trump nearly quintupled the rent he charged his campaign for space in Trump Tower after he secured the GOP nomination and had access to the RNC’s donors, from $35,458 a month to $169,758, even though the number of employees remained the same. In 2017, according to documents obtained by the group Property of the People under the Freedom of Information Act, Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach refused to lower its room charges below the legal maximum $546 a night for administration officials staying there, despite State Department requests to bring them into line with the government per diem of $182. The White House ultimately also approved a $1,005.60 bar tab after the State Department would not do so. And in November, according to the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Trump’s Washington, D.C., hotel a few blocks from the White House raised its rates threefold ― to more than $1,300 a night for its cheapest rooms ― for nights coinciding with a fundraising retreat for Senate Republicans. That hotel has similarly raised its cheapest rates to $1,600 for this November’s election night. “Not only is the president personally profiting from his office by the increased political patronage of his business, the business raises rates when he does so he’ll profit even more,” said CREW’s Jordan Libowitz. “What we’re seeing is a blending of Trump’s political career and his business, which is certainly not something you want to see from the president of the United States.” It is also questionable whether Republicans and other supporters are getting their money’s worth at Doral when they have so many other South Florida options to choose from. Trump likes to boast that his resort is first-rate, but it has suffered financially since Trump became president while also suffering in contrast to other resorts in the area. While the city of Doral is in Miami-Dade County, it is removed from the attractions most people have in mind when they think of Miami. The golf resort boasts plenty of ornate chandeliers and baroque fountains — but lies directly beneath the flight path of Miami International Airport’s takeoffs and landings, and is miles from the closest beach. During the RNC’s meeting there in 2018, the troubled property appeared to be skimping on maintenance costs. At least one of the guest buildings smelled of mildew, as did its guest rooms, while the restaurant on the lower floor in the main lodge had a mustiness tinged with the fraternity house odor of spilled alcohol. Nearly two years later, at this current RNC meeting, the mustiness appears to remain, at least in some areas. The downstairs restaurant, however, seems to have eliminated the stale beer odor. https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/trump-doral-room-rates-110000219.html Cha Ching. B/A

His actual words.... Graham also speaks a good presentation. And Kennedy of LA says, 9 out of 10 republican senators never read the impeachment documents and the 10th one is lying if they say they did... In other words, they are surprised by what they are learning. History will remember who stood for what... Truth, Justice, The American Way... Some politicians don't care about their legacy, but others don't want history to remember them in a bad way... They all know the truth... But will they stand for truth? We'll see. B/A

GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz praised Democrats' impeachment presentation and skewered Trump's defense as looking like 'an 8th-grade book report' Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, one of President Donald Trump's most vocal congressional allies, praised House Democrats for the way they presented the case against Trump in his impeachment trial. The Democrats made their case to the public as if it were "cable news," Gaetz told Politico, commending their use of multimedia during the trial. Meanwhile, the defense team's case looked like "an eighth-grade book report," Gaetz told Politico. "Actually, no, I take that back," he said, adding that an eighth-grader would know how to use PowerPoint and iPads. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida is one of President Donald Trump's most vocal defenders in Congress. He has repeatedly gone to bat for the president and shielded him amid a snowballing impeachment process in which Trump was charged with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The president is standing trial in the Republican-controlled Senate, which is widely expected to clear him of wrongdoing. But Gaetz doesn't seem impressed with Trump's defense so far. After the first day of opening arguments on Wednesday, during which seven House impeachment managers — acting as prosecutors — laid out their case against the president, Gaetz told Politico they presented their case to the public as if it were "cable news," and he praised their use of multimedia. Meanwhile, the defense team's case looked like "an eighth-grade book report," Gaetz told Politico. "Actually, no, I take that back," he said, adding that an eighth-grader would know how to use PowerPoint and iPads. Other Republican lawmakers also offered grudging praise of the Democrats' performance. Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana told reporters during the first day of the prosecution's opening arguments that the evidence itself was news to many senators. "Nine out of 10 senators will tell you they haven't read a full transcript of the proceedings in the House," Kennedy said. "And the 10th senator who says he has is lying." House impeachment managers took center stage again on Thursday for the second day of opening arguments. On Wednesday, they gave senators — and the public — an overview of Trump's months-long scheme to force Ukraine to launch politically motivated investigations targeting his rival while withholding vital military aid and a White House meeting that Ukraine's president desperately sought. On Thursday, the impeachment managers began laying the constitutional groundwork they said supports Trump's impeachment and removal from office. Arguments began at 1 p.m. ET and are expected to go until roughly 9:45 p.m. Democrats will get one more day to make opening arguments, after which Trump's defense will get a chance to mount a rebuttal. https://www.yahoo.com/news/gop-rep-matt-gaetz-praised-193837056.html B/A

Health experts issued an ominous warning about a coronavirus pandemic 3 months ago. Their simulation showed it could kill 65 million people. A coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China, has killed 18 people and infected more than 630. The virus has been reported in at least eight other countries, including the US, where a man in Washington who recently visited China was confirmed to have the illness. A scientist at Johns Hopkins last year modeled what would happen if a deadly coronavirus reached a pandemic scale. His simulated scenario predicted that 65 million people could die within 18 months. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Eric Toner, a scientist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, wasn't shocked when news of a mysterious coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China, surfaced in early January. Less than three months earlier, Toner had staged a simulation of a global pandemic involving a coronavirus. Coronaviruses typically affect the respiratory tract and can lead to illnesses like pneumonia or the common cold. A coronavirus was also responsible for the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in China, which affected about 8,000 people and killed 774 in the early 2000s. "I have thought for a long time that the most likely virus that might cause a new pandemic would be a coronavirus," Toner said. The outbreak in Wuhan isn't considered a pandemic, but the virus has been reported in Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore, and Saudi Arabia. The US reported its first case on Tuesday: a man in his 30s living in Washington's Snohomish County, north of Seattle, who recently visited China. So far, the virus has killed 18 people and infected more than 630. "We don't yet know how contagious it is. We know that it is being spread person to person, but we don't know to what extent," Toner said. "An initial first impression is that this is significantly milder than SARS. So that's reassuring. On the other hand, it may be more transmissible than SARS, at least in the community setting." Toner's simulation of a hypothetical deadly coronavirus pandemic suggested that after six months, nearly every country in the world would have cases of the virus. Within 18 months, 65 million people could die. A viral pandemic could kill 65 million people Toner's simulation imagined a fictional virus called CAPS. The analysis, part of a collaboration with the World Economic Forum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, looked at what would happen if a pandemic originated in Brazil's pig farms. (The Wuhan virus originated in a seafood market that sold live animals.) The virus in Toner's simulation would be resistant to any modern vaccine. It would be deadlier than SARS, but about as easy to catch as the flu. coronavirus BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images The pretend outbreak started small: Farmers began coming down with symptoms that resembled the flu or pneumonia. From there, the virus spread to crowded and impoverished urban neighborhoods in South America. Flights were canceled, and travel bookings dipped by 45%. People disseminated false information on social media. After six months, the virus had spread around the globe. A year later, it had killed 65 million people. Wuhan virus Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, by contrast, claimed as many as 50 million lives. Toner's simulated pandemic also triggered a global financial crisis: Stock markets fell by 20% to 40%, and global gross domestic product plunged by 11%. "The point that we tried to make in our exercise back in October is that it isn't just about the health consequences," Toner said. "It's about the consequences on economies and societies." He added that the Wuhan coronavirus could also have significant economic effects if the total number of cases hits the thousands. On Tuesday, Hong Kong's stock market fell by as much as 2.8%. The drop was led by the tourism and transportation sectors, including airlines, tour agencies, hotels, restaurants, and theme parks. An age of epidemics People wear masks to defend against coronavirus Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images In the CAPS simulation, scientists were unable to develop a vaccine in time to stop a pandemic. That's a realistic assumption: Even real coronaviruses like SARS or MERS (a virus that has killed more than 840 people since 2012) still don't have vaccines. "If we could make it so that we could have a vaccine within months rather than years or decades, that would be a game changer," Toner said. "But it's not just the identification of potential vaccines. We need to think even more about how they are manufactured on a global scale and distributed and administered to people." If scientists don't find a way to develop vaccines quicker, he said, dangerous outbreaks will continue to spread. That's because cities are becoming more crowded and humans are encroaching on spaces usually reserved for wildlife, creating a breeding ground for infectious diseases. "It's part of the world we live in now," Toner said. "We're in an age of epidemics." Read the original article on Business Insider

Always look on the bright side of life! B/A

The CBI is a private bank... Bush, Obama, Trump. None of them had/have any power over the CBI.. Now if Rothschild says it will change, then I will believe. B/A