News Burst: May 17, 2017

Hey All,

Good news: I found this amazing Italian deli in Santa Monica, and now I’m going to gain five pounds a month. As such, I walked 8.2 miles today, all the way to Venice Beach and back. I have to be honest… it was actually really nice. Beautiful weather, good vibes… I’m having a good day.

There’s nothing else to report, other than that I slightly re-edited tomorrow’s video (made it about a minute shorter), and that when I’m done writing this, I’m gonna make a couple of grilled cheeses. Because your boy Colin M. is famished.

Special Counsel Into Russia Probe Named: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/17/justice-dept-to-appoint-special-prosecutor-for-russia-probe-238524

My Take: I feel like this is a smart move. I was describing to my dad before on the phone that I think this, for me, is a 60/40, or even a 65/35 kind of deal, in that I’m more confident than not that there’s nothing here, and that if there is something there, my assumption is that Trump himself isn’t directly involved, or -- as he seems to be a little more simple in some respects than I initially thought -- he’s totally unwitting. I just have an impossible time believing that Trump wittingly and willingly worked with, colluded with, or otherwise clandestinely affiliated himself with the Russians. I just don’t believe it.

That said, Robert Mueller is the man who will get to the bottom of it, and he’s of the utmost caliber when it comes to character and results. For those of you who don’t know, Mueller was FBI Director for many years, taking the reins of the job just before 9/11, during the W administration, and served consecutively for about 12 years, leaving in 2013, when Obama was in his second term. That’s when and where Comey came in, the man at the center of another, unrelated-but-kind-of-related Trump whirlwind.

This really is a fine choice on behalf of the powers-that-be, and I 100% believe that whatever he finds will be conclusive and trustworthy. Could he have an axe to grind with Trump, since Trump has a problem with Mueller’s beloved FBI? I suppose so, but he’s so well-respected on both sides of the aisle, and he’s apparently above reproach when it comes to his approach and his fairness. I will be most eager to see what he discovers. (He’ll not be reporting to the Attorney General, as is typical in situations like these, since Jeff Sessions recused himself. Instead, he’ll report directly to the Deputy Attorney General.)

(Related Story | Get to Know Robert Mueller: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/333989-five-things-to-know-about-the-justice-departments-choice-for-special)

Preparing For President Pence: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/17/mike-pence-president-trump-238525

My Take: I don’t think it’s beyond the realm of possibility whatsoever that Donald Trump gets impeached by the House, but people need to understand what that actually means in order to grasp a different fundamental aspect of the process: Being impeached by the House merely means that the Senate will then try the subject. Both presidents that have been impeached in the past (Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton) survived their Senate trials (Johnson by a single vote). Nixon, who resigned, was about to be impeached, but was never officially brought up on charges.

I bring that up only because I think the Senate voting 2/3 in the affirmative on the issue -- which would be necessary to actually remove Trump from office -- is incredibly unlikely, far more unlikely than the House bringing him up on charges in the first place. But let’s say the House does bring him up on charges -- either for the Russia connection with Flynn or with obstruction of justice with Comey, or whatever else -- and then the Senate does vote to remove him. As long as Mike Pence isn’t implicated along with Trump, which seems like it almost certainly wouldn’t happen, you’re looking at a Pence Presidency until at least 2020.

I don’t know about you, but I can deal with that. Say what you will about Pence’s religious slant or (seemingly previous) hardcore social stances; he’s a normal Republican politician who has respect on The Hill, he has predictable, standard stances for a GOP president, and both sides could -- and I think would -- work with him. I can’t help but wonder where Mike Pence’s head is right now, knowing in his gut he’s unlikely to serve, knowing in his heart that it’s wrong to root against Trump, and yet also understanding that he’s as close to the presidency right now as any Veep has ever been.

Related Story | Congressman Al Green Directly Calls For Trump’s Impeachment: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/al-green-impeach-donald-trump_us_591c4751e4b0a7458fa47e13?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009)

Erodgan’s Thugs Attack American Protesters on American Soil: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/05/bodyguards-turkish-president-violently-clash-protesters-dc

My Take: I’m actually having a hard time wrapping my head around this one, having just very recently -- like, right before starting this write-up -- familiarized myself with this fiasco for the first time. For those that are like me and haven’t seen this yet, what basically happened is that President Erodgan of Turkey came to the United States for a series of meetings with Donald Trump and administration officials, protesters were protesting in Washington D.C. over his presence (he’s an extremely complicated and authoritarian-leaning leader, but I won’t get into that here), and his bodyguards (thugs, really) attacked these protesters. Viciously.

I mean, just click the link above and watch the video. I’m actually disturbed by what I saw. That was truly tough to watch, and really makes me question what the fuck is going on in the United States anymore. Because that’s some despicable shit. People protest outside of embassies all the time, all around the world. Having your brownshirt henchmen go in and break some skulls -- in broad daylight, in the United States, in front of the DC Police -- is many steps too far for me. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I couldn’t believe that the cops were barely doing anything to stop them, and, on the contrary, seemed to also be under attack.

As far as I understand, these goons aren’t protected by any sort of diplomatic immunity, and if I were at the DC Police and with the FBI, I’d bring these men up on charges as soon as possible. The update to the linked story notes that the local police are working with the State Department to get to the bottom of this and “hold all subjects accountable.” But we’ll see if that holds up. Something tells me no one will be arrested for what happened.

The Stock Market is Taking A Beating: http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/17/us-markets.html

My Take: Not a huge surprise, I guess. The markets rallied heavily following Donald Trump’s election and inauguration, but there are also plenty of signs in the economy that things should be -- and are -- far more sluggish in the real world than the stock market lets on. With all that’s going on with Donald Trump right now, it appears that things are adjusting some, but perhaps more precipitously than anyone would like.

As such, the DJIA was down 370 points, the S&P 500 is down 1.8%, and NASDAQ was down 2.6%. Not pretty at all. We’ll see how things adjust and possibly rebound later in the week, but for now, it seems the market is finally being roiled by a Trump presidency, and hopefully, things don’t continue to fall apart from here.

Trump Considers Joe Lieberman, Three Others For FBI Director: http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-considering-joe-lieberman-fbi-director-spicer-n761151

My Take: Not an incredible amount to say, here. At least, not yet. Consider this more of a “watch this space” kind of warning, because the role of FBI Director is an essential, vital one, and it needs to be filled with haste. Press Secretary Sean Spicer confirmed that Trump is therefore considering ex-Connecticut Senator and Al Gore’s 2000 running mate Joe Lieberman for the job, along with Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, ex-Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating, and ex-FBI official Richard McFeely.

You have to assume McCabe and Lieberman have the inside track, and I think Lieberman -- as a self-proclaimed Independent with Democratic leanings -- would be a smart political choice. We shall see.