Thread for obviously newsworthy stuff

[JohnT]

[spambot]

@ uncle sparky

[Dinner]

Hits the spot. Extra strong Vietnamese Coffee with sweetened condensed milk (a 19th century French colonial classic) with a ham and cheese

crescent. Perfect for late night snacking. The coffee was sweet and strong though so I will probably be up for a while.

[spambot]

Working With Trump 'Was Like Making the Court Jester the King' Says 'Apprentice' Producer

TV producers described how they smoothed out President Donald Trump’s rough edges in The Apprentice, helping mold the image that lifted the serially bankrupt businessman to the presidency.

“I don’t think any of us could have known what this would become,” Katherine Walker, a producer on five seasons of the NBC reality show told The New Yorker for its January 7 edition. “But Donald would not be President had it not been for that show.”

The Apprentice was first aired in 2004, and presented Trump as the ultra-successful real estate deal-maker who would choose from a cast of candidates competing for a job in the Trump Organization. Trump’s catch phrase on the show was, “You’re fired,” which he would deliver pointing at that week’s unsuccessful candidate.

Editor Jonathan Braun told the publication that Trump would fire contestants on the show on a whim, forcing editors to “reverse engineer” programs to make Trump’s decisions seem coherent.

Show producer Mark Burnett remarked, “We know each week who has been fired, and therefore, you’re editing in reverse.” Amid a series of firings and resignations in the Trump administration, he remarked, “I find it strangely validating to hear that they’re doing the same thing in the White House.”

Production staff described how their job was to elevate Trump’s image, whose star had fallen since his 1980s heyday of fame.

“Most of us knew he was a fake,” Braun, who worked on six series of the show, told The New Yorker. “He had just gone through I don’t know how many bankruptcies. But we made him out to be the most important person in the world. It was like making the court jester the king.”

Trump used the image burnished by his reality TV stardom to launch his bid for presidency, presenting himself as a no-nonsense dealmaker who would “make America great again” and rolling out his “you’re fired” catch phrase on the campaign trail.

It's not the first time producers have spoken out about their time on the show, and Trump's subsequent election as 45th president of the United States.

"Did we think this clown, this buffoon with the funny hair, would ever become a world leader? Not once. Ever," remarked producer Bill Pruitt in a 2016 interview with Vanity Fair.

https://www.newsweek.com/working-trump-was-making-court-jester-king-says-apprentice-producer-1274414?piano_t=1

[ZEE]

Now now silly Gribbler. Calm down the fake news and Librul paranoia.

Everything is fine and Donald Trump has this country completely happy and secure. America is Great Again!

[spambot]

New Jersey AG has obtained evidence of possible crimes at Trump's golf club — and Mueller, FBI are involved in probe

New Jersey prosecutors have collected evidence that supervisors at President Trump’s Garden State golf club may have committed federal immigration crimes — and the FBI as well as special counsel Robert Mueller have played part in the inquiry, the Daily News has learned.

Anibal Romero, a Newark attorney who represents several undocumented immigrants who used to work at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, said Friday he recently met with investigators from the state attorney general’s office and handed over fraudulent green cards and Social Security numbers that management at the club allegedly procured and gave his clients, Victorina Morales and Sandra Diaz.

Before he met with the state prosecutors, Romero said he reached out to Mueller’s office because, while he wanted to contact federal authorities, he was concerned about looping in the Justice Department, which was headed by Jeff Sessions at the time.

“I wasn’t sure, one, if they’d take me seriously and, two, if this could backfire on my clients,” Romero told The News, referencing the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration agenda.

Mueller’s office, which is separately investigating Trump’s campaign for possible collusion with Russians during the 2016 election, made contact and informed Romero the matter was not within their jurisdiction.

A few weeks later, an FBI agent in New Jersey called Romero.

“He said to me that he had received a referral from Robert Mueller’s office and that he already knew the specifics and that he wanted to meet with me in person,” Romero said.

Romero then met with two agents at a federal office in Branchburg, N.J., and outlined the same evidence he had already given the AG prosecutors. The agents said they would “coordinate” with the AG’s office, according to Romero.

Romero said he’s stayed in touch with the FBI and the attorney general’s office but declined to confirm whether either of the agencies have formally opened investigations.

“I’m confident that federal and state authorities will conduct a complete and thorough investigation,” Romero said.

An FBI spokesman declined to comment and so did Mueller’s office.

Sharon Lauchaire, a spokeswoman for New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, said her office has a policy “to neither confirm nor deny investigations.”

A White House spokeswoman did not respond to emailed questions.

Morales, a Guatemalan national who is still employed at the club but has stopped going to work, and Diaz, a Costa Rican national who used to work there and has since obtained legal status, are among at least five undocumented housekeepers at the club who allege they were set up with fraudulent documents and subjected to abuse and racial harassment.

Morales and Diaz first came forward with their allegations in interviews with The New York Times earlier this month.

Both women allege management at the Trump club knew they were undocumented and set them up with fake work documents.

In Morales’ case, Romero said a supervisor compiled all of her information and then took her photo in the laundry room of the club.

A few days later, the boss — who’s not being named by The News — told Morales he had received her fake documents and said he would hold on to them.

“This was a practice and pattern,” Romero said. “My clients felt like they were trapped and they felt like the fake documents could be used against them.

A spokeswoman for the Trump Organization did not return multiple requests for comment.

Romero said Morales understands her coming forward could result in legal repercussions but says she is motivated to speak out because of the blatant hypocrisy in Trump employing undocumented immigrants at his golf club while at the same time demonizing them from his Oval Office pulpit.

Harry Sandick, a former assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said the undocumented workers may have committed immigration fraud by knowingly using fake documents — a federal offense that could result in prison time, hefty fines and deportation.

Sandick also said the supervisor who allegedly procured the fake documents — as well as anyone else involved in the process — could be charged with the same crime. Considering the high-profile nature of the case, Sandick said prosecutors may try to send a message by indicting the supervisor.

“Immigration crimes are hard to prosecute so the government may see something like this as a possible deterrent case,” Sandick said. “To show that even someone who works at the President’s golf club is under the microscope is very impressive and tells you that anyone can be charged.”

Romero said his clients have not been given any assurances but said charging them with any crimes would be missing the point.

“They are the victims here,” Romero said. “Any attempt at charging them would ignore the real problem.”

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-pol-fbi-ag-evidence-crimes-trump-golf-20181228-story.html

[pchang]

Looks like Putin basically owned Manafort.

[ZEE]

CNN is a Clinton proxy.

[Aeson]

CliNtoN

[ZEE]

CNN is the most dangerous corporation in the world and is a front company for the Clinton Deep State and their Illuminati brethren.

[pchang]

Says the person who is so whacked out they did not even notice that none of the recent news links have been from CNN.

[Dauphin]

That’s what they want you to believe.

[ZEE]

[ZEE]

Hillary Clinton is actually the leader of the New World Order; we as a people have to stand up to her and say, "NO MORE!" Donald Trump will save us all!

[ZEE]

I am good at the conspiracy theory stuff because I am actually a real schizophrenic. It comes natural to me.

It's fun too.