{"id":38621,"date":"2020-01-04T07:58:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-04T15:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=38621"},"modified":"2020-01-04T07:58:00","modified_gmt":"2020-01-04T15:58:00","slug":"open-thread-1-4-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2020\/01\/04\/open-thread-1-4-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread – 1\/4\/2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s a tired Saturday here in the CatBox.  I had a kink in my back last night that was so severe, that I finally gave up at around 2:00 AM and took an Oxycodone.  The Republican war to retain power still dominates the news, and since I covered that yesterday, this is my only article today.  Today and tomorrow are Holy Days in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb, the Festival of Cards Gone Wild.  Good luck, Pat!  Tomorrow is also a WWWendy day to de-stink the rancid TomCat.  We have lots of chores to do do, so please expect no more than a Personal Update from me.  Have a peaceful weekend.<\/font><\/p>\n

Jig Zone Puzzle<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

Today’s took me 4:03 (average 5:11).  To do it, click here<\/a>.  How did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

Cartoon<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

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Short Takes<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

From Crooks and Liars<\/a>: <\/font>The reasons that Donald Trump would need a massive distraction at this point are numerous. Every day seems to produce fresh evidence that the White House was fully aware that Trump\u2019s delay of military assistance to Ukraine was simply against the law, and that multiple officials engaged in a criminal conspiracy<\/a> to cover up for Trump and retroactively create an excuse for an inexcusable act. Somewhere right now, Mitch McConnell is probably drafting a statement claiming that the Senate could not possibly consider an impeachment trial \u201cduring a time of war.\u201d<\/p>\n

But onto that stack of dog-wagging rationales add this one: According to Forensic News<\/a>, Trump\u2019s loans from Deutsche Bank were underwritten by a Russian state-owned bank. That news reportedly comes from a whistleblower with access to documents from both Deutsche Bank and Russia\u2019s state-owned VTB Bank. VTB Bank was also the proposed lender on the never-completed Trump Tower Moscow project. <\/p>\n

The question of why Deutsche Bank would extend a series of huge loans to Trump has been dangling since before he ever announced his candidacy for president on a golden escalator ride. When Trump first went to Deutsche Bank, he was worse than broke. He had just finished bankrupting multiple casinos in New Jersey, and then had convinced investors to back a takeover of those casinos at a fraction of the original value. Then Trump deliberately allowed the investment group to go bankrupt so he could grab the whole deal himself at a fraction of what his investors had paid. Then he went bankrupt. Again. And along the way he was socked with a massive fine for money laundering at his now bankrupt (again) casino. <\/p>\n

Trump was so fiscally radioactive that no American bank would let him in the door. But Deutsche Bank turned around and gifted Trump with loans that gave him a fresh start and an apparently miracle turnaround of his New York real estate empire. Those loans have always been the subject of head-scratching over just what Deutsche Bank could have been thinking. But if Forensic News is right, what Deutsche Bank was thinking was that it wasn\u2019t risking a damn thing, because the Russian government was actually vouching for Trump through VTB Bank. If Trump didn\u2019t come through, Vladimir Putin was offering to make it good. <\/p>\n

As I have said for over a year, Trump* is Putin’s Pet Pervert!  RESIST<\/strong>!!<\/font> <\/p>\n

From YouTube<\/a> (CNN Channel<\/a>): <\/font>Erin Burnett calls Trump’s 2011 video about Obama and Iran ‘unbelievable’ <\/p>\n