18:55:46 The fact that a @Starbucks cup was left in Game of Thrones makes me want to reconsider my decision not to hurry up and catch up on the previous seasons before it ends. :-)
20:37:52 Retweeted @McFaul20:20:56 In light of new accommodation for North Korea & new threats for Iran, reupping: ” Trump’s denuclearization strategies for Iran and North Korea are totally opposite. Why?” https://t.co/QH88vHStIB
22:09:56 This is the kind of thing that infuriates me. Mnuchin telegraphed what the response would be from the beginning. Any “consulting with counsel” could have been done well in advance, anticipating the result so as to respond instantly, not with another delay. This is just stalling. https://t.co/PvGEA7BFJO
22:24:18 Retweeted @gelliottmorris22:15:09 The 2020 Democratic nomination is now apparently a close race for third, with Bernie in second & Biden, propelled by disproportionate support from African Americans and moderate whites, way ahead at 40%+.We don’t know the future, of course, but this trend is pretty incredible. https://t.co/7MbbYg1NGo
01:48:25 Retweeted @KhalilAndani2019-05-04 15:09:30 Difference between academic study of religion by scholars & the faith-based study of religion by believer is not grasped outside academia. A summary of key differences in 2 approaches from Harvard’s Intro to Islam course. This table still generalizes & doesn’t capture all nuance https://t.co/z9JucLrcd4
13:51:13 Retweeted @soledadobrien10:51:10 “He also knows I am with him”. Helllo? Any GOP leadership want to step up and call out the President’s embrace of the North Korean dictator? Helloo? Where’s Ben Sasse on this? Mitt Romney? Anybody? https://t.co/UnnJ3uRqNC
13:55:47 Retweeted @JoyAnnReid13:51:13 Biden is consistently able to get the framing he wants, at least for now, from mainstream press. On social media however, the pushback is strong. It’s arguable in electoral politics the former matters more given who votes most reliably (older voters who consume more local news). https://t.co/fAyjCvCC8W
13:57:29 Retweeted @davidfrum02:51:49 Free speech to malign poor murdered Seth Rich. Free speech to persuade parents to expose their children to infectious diseases. Free speech to harass the parents of the children slaughtered at Sandy Hook.But kneel at an NFL game? You’re a “whiny little virtue-signaling bitch.”
14:47:16 Retweeted @AshaRangappa_2019-05-04 02:29:04 Impeachment is important not because of the outcome, but because of the *process*: It’s an assertion that we believe and stand by the principles that underlie our system of government, regardless of the outcome — which is exactly what the rule of law is about.
14:48:52 Retweeted @BFriedmanDC14:09:44 Point about Americans having no “appetite” for impeachment: Voters are open to impeachment 49-48.This is with Democratic leaders actively trying to *suppress* talk of impeachment. If Democrats took to the airwaves and made the case for it, we’d see 60-40 in favor. https://t.co/7LymdS4np5
19:34:44@ezralevin Also perhaps consider significant federal incentives for people to move to lower population states, especially those with struggling economies. Would both help with the differential voting power issues and help boost areas that have been struggling. in reply to ezralevin
On this week’s Curmudgeon’s Corner, Ivan and Sam cover four topics: The 1965 movie Doctor Zhivago, the idea of sending migrants to sanctuary cities, the Mueller/Barr conflicts, and Venezuela. And at the start, Ivan sings! Enjoy!
Click below to listen and subscribe!
1-Click Subscribe in iTunes View Podcast in iTunes View Raw Podcast Feed Download MP3 File Follow the podcast on Facebook Support us on Patreon
Show Details:
Recorded 2019-05-03 Length this week – 1:16:51
(0:00:00-0:01:21) Jenny
(0:01:21-0:02:44) Agenda
(0:02:44-0:17:46) Ivan: Sam Movie: Doctor Zhivago (1965)
(0:17:46-0:29:55) Sam: Illegals to sanctuary cities
(0:29:55-0:56:03) Ivan: Mueller and Barr
(0:56:03-1:13:19) Sam: Venezuela
(1:13:19-1:16:51) Closing
The Curmudgeon’s Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch.
00:45:26 Retweeted @moorehn00:37:43 This is super important. Workplaces need a RANGE of ages where young people and older people can learn from each other. A lot of workplaces where everyone is young are based not only on ageism but also on exploiting labor cheaply. https://t.co/SEfF0334gx
02:21:27 Retweeted @arawnsley01:17:01 Remember that what separates this from a big deal isn’t where people who actually understand missiles place this on 0 to BFD scale but where one specific person who knows nothing about them and doesn’t particularly care to learn thinks about it in reply to arawnsley
02:21:49 Retweeted @AlexWardVox02:11:54 Someone familiar w/ White House scene post North Korea missile briefing to me:
– “Trump is pissed off, like Kim fucked him over.”
– WH staff “urging him not to tweet anything, to talk to [ROK President] Moon first before he does anything.”
– ROK staff calling WH urging restraint
02:50:01 Retweeted @WJXTvic02:46:24 Thank God! @JFRDJAX Chief tells me 142 people on board 737 in river. All alive and accounted for. Some transports to hospital, precautionary.
07:19:10 Listening to The Trump Report – AfterBuzz TV Should An Older White Male Represent Democrats in 2020? – Trump Report https://t.co/NPzRgdusHp
15:21:38 Retweeted @AmesCG12:38:57 Good morning, the President is gleefully retweeting a conspiracy theorist whose network terrorized grieving families after their children were killed in a mass shooting, and a crypto-fascist friend of Richard Spencer’s. Big thank you to the @GOP for making this all possible. https://t.co/NIM2EcA6BC
15:27:08 Retweeted @sannewman15:08:14 This is going to be my easiest day of tweeting ever, it will be like shooting raccoons in a barrel like if you were an evil person who was willing to shoot raccoons in a barrel, in which case, oops, I just shot you and now I am freeing the raccoons in reply to sannewman
15:37:26 Retweeted @JuliusGoat15:06:59 This hypothetical, presented as in defense of the electoral college, actually shows just how terribly unfair the electoral college is.If you can win the most votes but lose in a landslide then the system is perverse. https://t.co/WA0m8ruIeY
16:35:47 Retweeted @ForecasterEnten15:31:21 This is from the midterms and current polling… You can quibble with the exact numbers (i.e. there are margins of error)… but it’s all pretty clear. Dem voters are ollllllld… and they sure as heck ain’t very liberal. https://t.co/1c6WpbipgV
17:31:45 Retweeted @emmataylorwords2019-05-02 06:41:53 How do I know so many made-up stories about how the Enigma code was cracked and didn’t know until yesterday how interesting the real story is? A volunteer at the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park just casually blew my mind with a bit of the story. /1
19:39:33 Retweeted @JuddLegum19:37:43 If Donald Trump is an aberration that doesn’t represent the Republican Party why is virtually every member of the Republican Party thrilled to have him represent them?There has never been a more popular president among Republicans.
00:11:51 Retweeted @mattyglesias2019-05-02 11:40:50 I hope Democrats understand that whoever they nominate in 2020 is going to end up as the subject of a criminal investigation initiated by the White House and approved by AG Barr and FBI Director Wray.
00:13:16 Retweeted @NBCNews2019-05-02 22:45:15 JUST IN: House Judiciary Cmte. has begun discussions directly with Special Counsel Mueller’s team about him testifying before the cmte., a source familiar with the discussions tells @NBCNews. – @AlexNBCNews
19:13:23@DaveMc99TA I thought they did say though that if they had more than 20 that met one of their two criteria, that they would give preference to candidates that met both. But that doesn’t say who drops off the bottom, just who doesn’t. Right now 10 qualify for both, another 7 for one. in reply to DaveMc99TA
20:13:23 Retweeted @smotus19:44:13 Smart @MaxBoot piece. One problem with the whole “Don’t impeach, just hold Trump accountable in the 11/20 election” idea is that he is committing impeachable acts *now* and believes he can do so as long as he holds office. https://t.co/mw3OarJ8g0
21:35:29@PollsAndVotes@gelliottmorris Flexible visualizations, an easy to use API to grab polls to do my own, as inclusive as possible on sources with ways to filter, quick updates once polls are released… um, basically start with what the old one had? :-) in reply to PollsAndVotes
22:12:15 Retweeted @MollyMcKew22:11:02 It’s worth pointing out that ad transparency only matters if it gets reported on. And if the same story is being pushed by POTUS advisers, a weird NYT story, and sketchy paid propaganda all at the same time — it’s worth exploring why that overlap is happening. https://t.co/QuXxFjK5I8
00:24:37 Retweeted @ThePlumLineGS2019-05-01 15:25:01 If this hearing is revealing one thing, it’s the utter and inexplicable folly of making the decision of whether to launch an impeachment inquiry contingent on whether Republicans agree to it.
01:15:40 Retweeted @WajahatAli2019-05-01 19:40:58 Unsolicited recommendation for Democrats: now is the moment to attack. You were elected in a blue wave midterm for a reason. People demand accountability and oversight over this corrupt and tainted administration. Be bold. Attack.
13:33:04 When I heard that interview I knew there would be headlines like this and people taking it out of context. But WaPo? Really? Come on! https://t.co/vcDmlVG9rJ
14:43:06 Retweeted @daveweigel2019-05-01 14:21:34 One big rhetorical difference between Biden and Warren sticks with me. Warren says she’ll pay for plans with her 1/2% wealth tax — which IDs a villain, and is memorable. Biden talks about ending the stepped up basis loophole, which… you’re already asleep, aren’t you?
14:51:45 One question every witness that comes before congress should be asked: “Given what has happened, what NEW laws do we need?” https://t.co/4MzgAL6WUB
21:09:35 This seems to be working people up today. Seems like standard due diligence to me though. -> F.B.I. Sent Investigator Posing as Assistant to Meet With Trump Aide in 2016 – The New York Times https://t.co/Y6IMgsFwYu
00:03:59 Retweeted @joshtpm2019-04-30 23:57:24 Times and Post versions of Mueller Letter story are replete with those transparently bogus claims from Barr aides, which are nonetheless passed along as good faith descriptions of their views/reactions.
15:22:58 Retweeted @kylegriffin115:05:46 Barr just explained that there is apparently a difference between Trump ordering Don McGahn to fire Mueller and ordering Don McGahn to “have him removed based on conflict.”
15:23:40 Retweeted @maggieNYT14:15:59 For those saying Mueller letter somehow was really about media not capturing Barr letter accurately, here’s the actual letter. It is all about Barr and confusion he says Barr created. https://t.co/yVta1RAFl6
15:28:28 Retweeted @JesseCharlesLee15:10:33 Barr saying Mueller would have said Trump was guilty if he felt that way is *explicitly* contradicted by the report, which explains that Mueller felt it would be unfair to deem Trump guilty without a process at hand to give Trump his day in court to contest. It’s in black & white
15:31:16 Retweeted @AshaRangappa_15:03:22 According to Barr if you feel like you are being investigated unfairly you can obstruct an investigation, and the fact that investigators are prevented from obtaining evidence because of your obstruction and don’t ultimately charge you is evidence that you were right to obstruct.
16:29:42 Retweeted @HeerJeet16:26:39 Let’s push this useful point a little bit further: we have a group of people who have repeatedly, demonstrably lied. We shouldn’t take anything they say on face value unless there is independent verification. This should be the rule going forward. https://t.co/kzP5wasoey
18:02:14 Retweeted @joshtpm17:52:23 The entirety of Barr’s discussion is based on lying about what Mueller clearly explained he was doing in the report.
18:06:51 Retweeted @joshtpm17:28:48 lol. Really hard for Bill Barr to say that having your volunteer campaign chair on the payroll of a Russian oligarch is a problem. https://t.co/xoCHrCGg52
18:09:42 Retweeted @nycsouthpaw18:04:56 Hirono trying this, asking if various of Trump’s actions are okay. Barr’s response, paraphrasing: “I’m willing to talk about whether it’s criminal.” https://t.co/5iLSyQNkDN
18:13:15 Retweeted @HoarseWisperer18:05:20 Hirono asks if Barr thinks Trump’s conduct was okay.Not whether it was criminal. Whether Barr thinks it’s okay for a president to ask a White House counsel to lie.
Asks whether it’s okay for a president to dangle pardons and threaten witnesses.
18:13:49 Retweeted @5thCircAppeals17:41:26 The questions, over and over and over again, should be: “Do you see where it says X in the report? Do you believe that is acceptable behavior for a president?” Repeat. Forget about formal criminal prosecution. Build the public record for removing him from office.
18:19:24 Retweeted @ABCPolitics18:16:14 Sen. Mazie Hirono to Attorney General William Barr: “Now the American people know that you are no different from Rudy Giuliani or Kellyanne Conway or any of the other people who sacrificed their once decent reputation” https://t.co/UyviQ1DWt6https://t.co/XZ2sbz9Mes
18:21:55 Retweeted @AJentleson18:16:46 Senator Hirono made the choice not to treat Trump or the people around him as normal. She stated simple facts about who he is and what he does. It was powerful and more Dems should follow her lead. There is no reason to normalize this lying, racist, sexual-assaulting grifter. https://t.co/Va4CaqXIbd
18:23:12 Retweeted @RadioFreeTom17:16:06 Shorter Klobuchar: I read the damn report and you know this is obstruction.Shorter Barr: I know. I don’t care.
18:30:49 Retweeted @kylegriffin118:29:22 Kamala Harris asks Barr if Trump or anyone at the WH has asked or suggested that he open an investigation into anyone.Barr says he’s trying to grapple with the word suggest. He says he wouldn’t say anyone has asked.
Harris wonders: Hinted? Inferred?
Barr says he doesn’t know.
18:35:22 Retweeted @mattyglesias18:30:14 The other senators should hire Kamala Harris to be like a player/coach designated questioner instead of all wasting time with their rambling.
18:35:45 Retweeted @BenjySarlin18:29:50 When I asked voters at early Harris events how they heard about her, it was usually televised exchanges like this. Barr making an in-kind contribution. https://t.co/uJfaNH6jgG
18:37:24 Retweeted @RadioFreeTom18:30:34 Harris: Yes or noBarr: I don’t like those kinds of questions, I’d like Sen. Ernst back please
18:37:56 Retweeted @Amy_Siskind18:30:38 Barr just admitted he did not look at the evidence in the Mueller report. Nor did Rosenstein. Nor did anyone in the DOJ. But he made the charging decision on whether evidence was sufficient.Kamala Harris on fire!
20:12:44 Retweeted @LisPower119:30:23 Fox News’ Chris Wallace: Some opinion people who appear on this network who might be pushing a political agenda don’t think the Mueller letter is a big deal. But we have to deal in facts — the fact is this letter was a clear indication that Mueller was very upset w/ Barr. https://t.co/YSedEZ8NRL
20:53:41 Retweeted @JRubinBlogger20:08:47 If Harris isn’t on winning ticket but D’s win she MUST be AG to prosecute Trump for obstruction. No one better
22:03:23 Retweeted @mkraju21:40:34 No Bill Barr tomorrow before House Judiciary; subpoena coming
06:36:47 Retweeted @sarahkendzior2019-04-29 14:45:39 Dems need to go faster. Trump’s lifetime strategy has been running out the clock. He does this to dodge accountability, overwhelming law enforcement and attempting to exhaust opponents. Meanwhile the atrocities continue. Act now: this is a crisis, not a little legal dispute. https://t.co/VSCMAPNVBf
14:10:18 Listening to Digital, New Tech & Brand Strategy – https://t.co/ugHUI0JWmU Why Artificial Intelligence Will be a Positive Force for the Future with futurist and author Calum Chace (MDE325) https://t.co/1CAkdXzyYZ
20:51:49 Retweeted @sarahkliff15:35:15 One of the most heartbreaking things I’ve read in our ER bill database:A 2-year-old eats a dangerous drug. Poison control tells her mom to take the toddler to the ER immediately.
But the family is already in debt from another ER bill. They can’t afford another one. (1/2)
23:52:08 Retweeted @ForecasterEnten21:56:00 If you wanna argue that the polls will change, that’s perfectly fine. But we’ve had a slew of polls today clearly indicating Biden running away from everyone else right now. They’re not all wrong. in reply to ForecasterEnten