Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[eschatological]

Boring? New York is moving to straight up dissolve the NRA, and pressing charges against at least 4 of its members. They can fight it of course, but assuming the New York AG can back up their claims, this has a good chance of making the NRA go away. Permanently.

Obviously a new gun lobby group is going to pop up, but that is going to take a long time before it gains the critical mass the NRA had. This is a giant blow to the GOP if it lands.

I don't think it's boring....

...I think it's a potentially volatile political issue. Biden will have to duck and dodge questions about whether he thinks the NRA should be dissolved. I hope the case is so ironclad as to be irrefutable...

...who'm I kidding, the right wing will cry conspiracy no matter how evident the corruption of the NRA is.

[cubby]

Boring? New York is moving to straight up dissolve the NRA, and pressing charges against at least 4 of its members. They can fight it of course, but assuming the New York AG can back up their claims, this has a good chance of making the NRA go away. Permanently.

Obviously a new gun lobby group is going to pop up, but that is going to take a long time before it gains the critical mass the NRA had. This is a giant blow to the GOP if it lands.

Apologies - objectively, it's not boring. You are entirely correct - definitely major news, and certainly a potential major blow to the GOP.

I am apparently unhealthily fixated on the financial and tax records. I think even if Trump shot someone on Times Square, I would be asking if that would finally get his financials.

[Benggaul]

I don't think it's boring....

...I think it's a potentially volatile political issue. Biden will have to duck and dodge questions about whether he thinks the NRA should be dissolved. I hope the case is so ironclad as to be irrefutable...

...who'm I kidding, the right wing will cry conspiracy no matter how evident the corruption of the NRA is.

They already are. Apparently they were fine with the NRA stealing money from them. *shrug*

[Thekri]

I don't think it's boring....

...I think it's a potentially volatile political issue. Biden will have to duck and dodge questions about whether he thinks the NRA should be dissolved. I hope the case is so ironclad as to be irrefutable...

...who'm I kidding, the right wing will cry conspiracy no matter how evident the corruption of the NRA is.

Well it is going to be dicey, naturally. The Right wing is going to be furious and rage about conspiracy theories. Naturally. I am done giving a fuck about what they think, they are going to rage and spin conspiracy theories anyway. Biden needs to learn how to properly differ to the courts on these matters, executive leaders shouldn't have an opinion on current court cases. Just because those norms have been constantly broken doesn't mean it isn't important.

As far as the case itself, it looks like it is all based on financial crimes, and the good news there is those are really, really, really hard to wriggle out of. Because everything has to be documented, either the government has all the documents it needs to prove their case, OR the lack of documentation to prove their case, because lacking documents is a crime itself.

[Benggaul]

The part I chuckled at was apparently the precedent they are using for the dissolution of the NRA is the dissolution of the Trump Foundation.

[Ursus]

Ohio governor Mike DeWine (73 years old) has tested positive for COVID-19, just before he was about to meet with Trump. I love how Trump says we're doing too much testing, yet everyone who is going to come into contact with him has to undergo a mandatory test. "Do as I say, not as I do" at its finest.

[Paranoid Android]

JUST IN: Trump says COVID-19 vaccine may be ready "right around" Election Day

Along with this we will have world peace, cure for cancer and everyone gets a free car. Yeah I'm skeptical.

[Rasulis]

Saudi Arabia, With China’s Help, Expands Its Nuclear Program

Saudi Arabia has constructed with Chinese help a facility for extracting uranium yellowcake from uranium ore, an advance in the oil-rich kingdom’s drive to master nuclear technology, according to Western officials with knowledge of the site.

The facility, which hasn’t been publicly disclosed, is in a sparsely populated area in Saudi Arabia’s northwest and has raised concern among U.S. and allied officials that the kingdom’s nascent nuclear program is moving ahead and that Riyadh is keeping open the option of developing nuclear weapons.

Even though Riyadh is still far from that point, the facility’s exposure appears certain to draw concern in the U.S. Congress, where a bipartisan group of lawmakers has expressed alarm about Saudi nuclear energy plans and about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s 2018 vow that “if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible.”

It is also likely to cause consternation in Israel, where officials have warily monitored Saudi Arabia’s nuclear work.The Saudi Energy Ministry said in a statement it “categorically denies” having built a uranium ore facility in the area described by some of the Western officials, adding that mineral extraction—including uranium—is a key part of the country’s economic diversification strategy.

The Saudi statement said the kingdom has contracted with the Chinese on uranium exploration in Saudi Arabia in certain areas. A spokesman declined to elaborate on the ministry’s statement. Saudi Arabia has no known nuclear-weapons program, operating nuclear reactors or capacity to enrich uranium. But it says it wants to acquire nuclear plants that Saudi authorities say will generate power and reduce its reliance on oil, its principal export.

Information about the yellowcake facility has been tightly held within U.S. and allied governments, the officials said, and some details couldn’t be learned—including whether it has begun operations. The site doesn’t violate international agreements the Saudis have signed, experts on nuclear nonproliferation said.

That can't be good.

[Breccia]

McConnell is simply trying to dodge the Senate being blamed for a failed relief negotiation.

By attempting to dodge it, he has failed.

- - - Updated - - -

And the NY AG has stated she’ll have an announcement tomorrow of national importance. Hope everyone has their popcorn ready.

Wake me when it happens.

Zzzzzzzzzz.....zzzzzzz.....zzzzzzzzzz..

New York Attorney General Moves To Dissolve The NRA After Fraud Investigation

Zzzsnork wha huh huh how?

The attorney general of New York took action Thursday to dissolve the National Rifle Association following an 18-month investigation that found evidence the powerful gun rights group is "fraught with fraud and abuse."

Attorney General Letitia James claims in a lawsuit filed Thursday that she found financial misconduct in the millions of dollars and that it contributed to a loss of more than $64 million over a three-year period.

The suit alleges that top NRA executives misused charitable funds for personal gain, awarded contracts to friends and family members, and provided contracts to former employees to ensure loyalty.

Seeking to dissolve the NRA is the most aggressive sanction James could have sought against the not-for-profit organization, which James has jurisdiction over because it is registered in New York. James has a wide range of authorities relating to nonprofits in the state, including the authority to force organizations to cease operations or dissolve. The NRA is all but certain to contest it.

Holy shit, NYState has Trump flanked.

[Thee ANCOM]

good, fuck the NRA. join a real gun rights group.

[Breccia]

Considering the NRA’s influence and support of the GOP this is actually a pretty big deal.

The information publicly available does not say "laundered Russian money to donations". It appears mostly about taking donation money and buying huge mansions, and no-bid contracts with friends of theirs. Sounds a lot like the last "charity" NYState shut down.

You know the one.


Trump. Trump's "charity".

[Auxora]

The NRA in normal times spams their members relentlessly with doomsday scare tactic emails begging for funds. So this will take that to a whole other level. They were already spamming that their existence was under attack and that they were fighting for their lives due to liberal attacks 6 months ago. I can only imagine what these will lead to. I doubt anything legally will come of it. But it will be immediately twisted into attack ads that Biden wants to ban all guns, just like they did when Obama was elected claiming falsely that he was "coming to take your guns". Gun owners will recall the run on ammo because of it in about 2009 from the fear tactics, even though it turned out not true then also.

It's an easy lie, and it does work, which is why they keep using it. If anything Biden and liberals need to get much better at deflecting and correcting the false narratives. Because the GOP has already gone full photoshop/fiction/fabrications/lying is A-OK for these elections. Maybe it's out of desperation. Just yesterday a new GOP ad came out of Biden with his microphone photoshopped out of his hand from the original picture to make it look like he was struggling.

If I'm an undecided centrist trying to determine who to vote for, and 1 side has to use photoshop editing (not just filters which all ads use, but actually editing objects in/out) to try to make their case, even if you know zero else about either candidate that should be enough to make up your mind. Vote for the person who deserves your vote, not a group trying to mislead you by editing photoshop pictures to try to trick you into thinking their opponent is incompetent. Even just attempting to do it is insulting to voters. It's saying they really believe that voters are too lazy or dumb to fact check them, so they think they can lie and fool you. Although I have no doubts anymore that there are masses of (really) shockingly easily manipulated people in the US. I guess that's why snake oil and carnival cons still work.

[Thepersona]

JUST IN: Trump says COVID-19 vaccine may be ready "right around" Election Day

Along with this we will have world peace, cure for cancer and everyone gets a free car. Yeah I'm skeptical.

Even if its ready by election day or sooner, its impossible to have 200 million+ doses ready by that date, which is the bare minimum to stop the disease in the US. And also, there're like 7 billion other people that desperately need said vaccine.

- - - Updated - - -

good, fuck the NRA. join a real gun rights group.

Is there any leftist gun rights group in the US? Asking out of curiosity.

[Benggaul]

Is there any leftist gun rights group in the US? Asking out of curiosity.

There's the Liberal Gun Club. And the Socialist Rifle Association. And the Pink Pistols. And the National African American Gun Association.

[Kathandira]

Even if its ready by election day or sooner, its impossible to have 200 million+ doses ready by that date, which is the bare minimum to stop the disease in the US. And also, there're like 7 billion other people that desperately need said vaccine.

As someone in the know. he is wrong. Patients haven't been enrolled in the Trial yet.

[Thepersona]

As someone in the know. he is wrong. Patients haven't been enrolled in the Trial yet.

Oh, dont worry, i wasnt meaning the pfizer vaccine (or the one that's being tested in the US)

I meant the chinese/english one.

[Adam Jensen]

Trump is tweeting that Joe Biden will come to your house, unannounced, and take your guns away.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...35765575176192

That's the tweet of a gibbering moron.

[swiftowner]

@Breccia the Deustche Bank subpoena was so immoral they complied. And the NY AG has stated she’ll have an announcement tomorrow of national importance. Hope everyone has their popcorn ready.

Zzzzzzzzzz.....zzzzzzz.....zzzzzzzzzz..

New York Attorney General Moves To Dissolve The NRA After Fraud Investigation

Zzzsnork wha huh huh how?



Holy shit, NYState has Trump flanked.

Just pointing out a minor pun. “National” importance... “N”RA... I bet they found it somewhat funny making the announcement yesterday, given the topic of the announcement.

[Machismo]

Trump is tweeting that Joe Biden will come to your house, unannounced, and take your guns away.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...35765575176192

That's the tweet of a gibbering moron.

In an interesting twist, that's what Trump already called for.

“Take the guns first, go through due process second,”

[Breccia]

That's the tweet of a gibbering moron.

Nah, it's the tweet of a panicked and cowering bunker dweller. The NRA doesn't have the clout anymore (I just posted on that in another thread) but they were one of his louded backers. They've just been silenced, or more properly, suppressed. The real concern is flipping the Senate, something that went from "long shot" in 2018 to "let's turn Texas Red" in 2020. Biden, or Trump for that matter, can't sign a bill that never reaches his desk.

In theory, a 51/49 Senate could "go nuclear" and send Biden some radical gun control laws. Could. Under current circumstances, seems like blowing your cooldowns on trash to do that.

In theory and in practice, a Republican Senate can block anything from getting to the Oval Office, regardless if the inhabitant is a fraudulent swamp-dweller with diapers and dementia, or if it's Joe Biden.

Trump's tweet is putting bullets downrange, but the sights are off. That's the Senate's defense, not Trump's.