Trump administration now says he was not told Russia was paying bounties to kill U.S. soldiers in Af

[disciple Clint]

"We investigated ourselves, and we found no wrongdoing."

So this one is from the outside. Do you think that might turn out differently?

Since the law required the officers to either provide him a reasonable suspicion of a crime, or to let him go on his way, that's going to be a major issue, yes.

wait and see.

 

[RDKirk]

I don't know if Trump ever claimed to be a friend of Putin, but he still needs to deal with the devil so they may appear to be friends but we know they're actually mortal enemies.

Putin is the leader of the world's biggest Mafia organisation known as the (KGB). He's a brutal dictator and his hands are covered with the blood of 1,000's innocent people, so the man is pure evil. Regan called the Russian Federation an "evil empire", I'm sure Trump still see's it as just that but he has to put on a friendly face for the sake of peace.

Reagan didn't pretend a friendly relationship. Russian hasn't actled like a friend. Why does Trump feel a need to pretend friendly relationship?

Please answer that question. I want an answer from you. Russian doesn't act like a friend and Reagan never pretended such a relationship so why does Trump do so? Give me an answer to that question.

 

[Dan1988]

Reagan didn't pretend a friendly relationship. Russian hasn't actled like a friend. Why does Trump feel a need to pretend friendly relationship?

Please answer that question. I want an answer from you. Russian doesn't act like a friend and Reagan never pretended such a relationship so why does Trump do so? Give me an answer to that question.

Trump can't afford to treat Putin like the murdering Mafia boss that he is, because he's too powerful. Putin already knows that Trump hates him and Trump knows that Putin hates him.

These two men are the most powerful in the world, so they have to put their differences aside for the sake of "peace". I think Trump is much wiser than the old gunho cowboy Regan, Trump is more concerned with economics than he is with playing power games.

Trump is being diplomatic, but he still holds his ground and gets what he wants. If Hilary became president, we would be at war with Russia. I'm glad that Trump isn't ruled by his emotions or ego, he's very wise and mature. I believe he's the best leader the world has seen in a very long time.

 

[The Barbarian]

Trump can't afford to treat Putin like the murdering Mafia boss that he is, because he's too powerful.

In fact, Trump sided with Putin against our own intelligence people, even when they presented him with evidence showing Putin tried to interfere in our elections.

Trump did Putin's bidding when he changed the republican platform on Ukraine to suit the Russian dictator.
He did Putin's bidding when he announced he was removing U.S. troops from Germany, something Putin has repeatedly called for.
He did Putin's bidding when he called for Russia to be re-admitted to the Group of Seven, even though he knew Putin had put a bounty on the lives of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Why he is so subservient to Putin is unclear. It may become more clear when Congress gets to see his tax returns:

A number of reports have indicated the Trump Organization received substantial financing from Russia when the business was struggling in the mid 1990s and again during the Great Recession, since major U.S. banks had refused to loan money to him. Most recently, Reuters reported that a group of 63 Russia billionaires have invested nearly $100 million in several Trump properties in Florida. Donald Trump Jr. himself famously said in 2008 that “Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets. We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia.”Donald Trump has maintained that neither he nor his businesses have any ties to Russia whatsoever
Eric Trump Reportedly Bragged About Access to $100 Million in Russian Money

Putin already knows that Trump hates him

He knows Trump fears him. The question is "why?" Why is he giving Putin everything Putin wants?

 

[RDKirk]

Trump can't afford to treat Putin like the murdering Mafia boss that he is, because he's too powerful. Putin already knows that Trump hates him and Trump knows that Putin hates him.

These two men are the most powerful in the world, so they have to put their differences aside for the sake of "peace". I think Trump is much wiser than the old gunho cowboy Regan, Trump is more concerned with economics than he is with playing power games.

Trump is being diplomatic, but he still holds his ground and gets what he wants. If Hilary became president, we would be at war with Russia. I'm glad that Trump isn't ruled by his emotions or ego, he's very wise and mature. I believe he's the best leader the world has seen in a very long time.

That's a good reason to be civil. Not a good reason to be buddies.

 

[Dan1988]

In fact, Trump sided with Putin against our own intelligence people, even when they presented him with evidence showing Putin tried to interfere in our elections.

Trump did Putin's bidding when he changed the republican platform on Ukraine to suit the Russian dictator.
He did Putin's bidding when he announced he was removing U.S. troops from Germany, something Putin has repeatedly called for.
He did Putin's bidding when he called for Russia to be re-admitted to the Group of Seven, even though he knew Putin had put a bounty on the lives of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Why he is so subservient to Putin is unclear. It may become more clear when Congress gets to see his tax returns:

A number of reports have indicated the Trump Organization received substantial financing from Russia when the business was struggling in the mid 1990s and again during the Great Recession, since major U.S. banks had refused to loan money to him. Most recently, Reuters reported that a group of 63 Russia billionaires have invested nearly $100 million in several Trump properties in Florida. Donald Trump Jr. himself famously said in 2008 that “Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets. We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia.”Donald Trump has maintained that neither he nor his businesses have any ties to Russia whatsoever
Eric Trump Reportedly Bragged About Access to $100 Million in Russian Money



He knows Trump fears him. The question is "why?" Why is he giving Putin everything Putin wants?

These reports are not documented facts, they all sound like fake news. I personally don't watch or read any socialist left winged media reports, because they always lie.

The US is a sinking ship, it's going down because the people are divided. You have the socialist left, wanting to sell the country out to China and Russia and the conservative right who want to make America great again. The American people cannot be reconciled or united again because one side has decided to betray the forefathers.

China and Russia are both waiting for it to sink into anarchy, so they can impose their brutal dictatorship on the scattered remains of the once mighty US.

 

[Dan1988]

That's a good reason to be civil. Not a good reason to be buddies.

Trump doesn't have any choice in the matter, Putin rules his united country and has 95% support. Trump hasn't been given a mandate to rule his country, so he just represents a small percentage of his people.
The US president has very little power compared to the Russian, that's why he has to bow down to him. Putin is the richest and most powerful man on the planet.

 

[The Barbarian]

These reports are not documented facts, they all sound like fake news.

They are from U.S. intelligence sources. More than one of them. Putin calls it fake news, but then he wants America to fail.

I personally don't watch or read any socialist left winged media reports

That's what you've just done. America isn't the enemy. Russia is the enemy. At least that's how it is for Americans.

 

[The Barbarian]

Trump doesn't have any choice in the matter, Putin rules his united country and has 95% support. Trump hasn't been given a mandate to rule his country, so he just represents a small percentage of his people.
The US president has very little power compared to the Russian, that's why he has to bow down to him. Putin is the richest and most powerful man on the planet.

Russia is declining into a 2nd-rate power, economically, militarily, and politically. They now take a back seat to the U.S. and to China, likely will be surpassed by the EU in the next few decades.

Putin's problem is the kleptocracy that funnels money away from the declining middle class. That never goes well for a nation.

 

[FenderTL5]

Trump administration now says he was not told Russia was paying bounties to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan..

If true, then that could mean there's hope for the Republican party.
Not involving Trump in matters of serious consequence would indicate that someone actually cares for the USA and understands the danger of the White House occupant.

 

[The Barbarian]

If true, then that could mean there's hope for the Republican party.
Not involving Trump in matters of serious consequence would indicate that someone actually cares for the USA and understands the danger of the White House occupant.

When Richard Nixon descended into a deep depression in the depths of Watergate, and started acting as Trump is, his chief of staff carefully let the chiefs of staff know that they were to check with him, before obeying any of Nixon's orders.

Hopefully, there's still an adult or two left who would derail any crazy moves that might happen.

 

[The Barbarian]

This will apparently be known as the "dementia" election:
Tom Joseph
@TomJChicago
This is tragic & totally expected. Trump can’t remember what they talked about. He goes blank. He is deeply impaired from dementia, yet he still retains a title. He should be in a tracksuit watching TV. Rs need to face reality- he’s too far gone to even act like a 2020 candidate.

Aaron Rupar
@atrupar
TRUMP: "We are going to pursue ... what we said. We will be pursuing it and we will be pursuing it strongly, Tim. Right? Okay."

12:47 PM · Jun 16, 2020

 

[The Barbarian]

And this will apparently be remembered as the "Dementia election."

He forgot what they were "going to pursue." He just went blank and started winging it.

 

[jgarden]

Trump doesn't have any choice in the matter, Putin rules his united country and has 95% support. Trump hasn't been given a mandate to rule his country, so he just represents a small percentage of his people.
The US president has very little power compared to the Russian, that's why he has to bow down to him. Putin is the richest and most powerful man on the planet.

Given that Putin is a dictator, nobody really knows as to how popular he is with the Russian people but apparently he doesn't feel secure enough to stop jailing his opponents who also have the bad habit of falling out of windows!

Given that international oil and gas prices remain depressed, the Russian economy was hurting long before the pandemic struck - unlike the Chinese, what Russian products have made their way onto American shelves to generate foreign currency and improve Putin's balance of trade?

 

[Dan1988]

Given that Putin is a dictator, nobody really knows as to how popular he is with the Russian people but apparently he doesn't feel secure enough to stop jailing his opponents who also have the bad habit of falling out of windows!

Given that international oil and gas prices remain depressed, the Russian economy was hurting long before the pandemic struck - unlike the Chinese, what Russian products have made their way onto American shelves to generate foreign currency and improve Putin's balance of trade?

I think Putin was handed the presidency, because he possessed all the qualities of a Mafia boss. Russia's Royal Family was murdered and the country was eventually hijacked by the Mafia known as the KGB.
The Mafia stays in power by eliminating everyone who gets in their way. This particular crime boss just happens to the richest man on the planet, and he also has a nuclear arsenal. So Trump has to tread carefully, when dealing with this evil man.
I personally think that China is the biggest threat to world peace, it's an Atheist robotic machine hell bent on world domination at any cost.

 

[Dan1988]

Russia is declining into a 2nd-rate power, economically, militarily, and politically. They now take a back seat to the U.S. and to China, likely will be surpassed by the EU in the next few decades.

Putin's problem is the kleptocracy that funnels money away from the declining middle class. That never goes well for a nation.

Placing sanctions on Russia has hurt it's economy, but it has also raised the likelihood of a war with Russia. History has shown that dictators resort to war when they feel like they're being unfairly punished.
The German people felt that they were being unfairly punished after WW1, so Hitler was able to convince the Germans that the only way they could get justice was through a war.
Putin's propaganda machine is working hard to convince the Russian people and their allies, that all of their problems are caused by the US and it's allies.
I can't envisage a peaceful resolution to East vs West tensions and the Arab Israeli conflict. The prospect of an all out world war looks to be unavoidable.

 

[jgarden]

List by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
2020 Fact Sheet (for 2019) - Top 10 Defence Budgets 2019

Rank - Country - Spending (US$ bn) - % of GDP
******************************************************************************************************
1 United States of America 732.0 (3.4%)

2 People's Republic of China 261.0 (1.9%)

3 India 71.1 (2.4%)

4 Russian Federation 65.1 (3.9%)

5 Saudi Arabia 61.9 (8.0%)

6 France 50.1 (1.9%)

7 Germany 49.3 (1.3%)

8 United Kingdom 48.7 (1.7%)

9 Japan 47.6 (0.9%)

10 South Korea 43.9 (2.7%)

World total 1,917 (2.2%)

List of countries by military expenditures - Wikipedia
**************************************************************************************************************

Placing sanctions on Russia has hurt it's economy, but it has also raised the likelihood of a war with Russia. History has shown that dictators resort to war when they feel like they're being unfairly punished.
The German people felt that they were being unfairly punished after WW1, so Hitler was able to convince the Germans that the only way they could get justice was through a war.
Putin's propaganda machine is working hard to convince the Russian people and their allies, that all of their problems are caused by the US and it's allies.
I can't envisage a peaceful resolution to East vs West tensions and the Arab Israeli conflict. The prospect of an all out world war looks to be unavoidable.

America's projected 2020 annual military budget is approximately 3X that of China and 11X that of Russia - in fact, the Russian military has declined to 4th in terms of spending with India moving up to 3rd!

Realistically, no nation would seriously consider trying to match its military strength against the US, whether it be conventional or nuclear - none could hope to match its myriad of modern weapon systems and rapid deployment capabilities!

In addition, 6 of the world's top 10 military powers are all allies of the US and their combined military budgets, excluding America, are actually greater than that of China and Russia together!

With China devoting just 1.9% GDP to military spending, it would appear that she has no intention, at present, of mounting a serious effort to challenge America as the world's premier military power!

Russia, on the other hand, is devoting 3.9% GDP to military spending, more than 2X that of its Chinese counterpart (1.9% GDP), but like the former USSR, it still lacks a domestic economy that would allow it to compete with either America or China for military supremacy!

 

[Dan1988]

List by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
2020 Fact Sheet (for 2019) - Top 10 Defence Budgets 2019

Rank - Country - Spending (US$ bn) - % of GDP
******************************************************************************************************
1 United States of America 732.0 (3.4%)

2 People's Republic of China 261.0 (1.9%)

3 India 71.1 (2.4%)

4 Russian Federation 65.1 (3.9%)

5 Saudi Arabia 61.9 (8.0%)

6 France 50.1 (1.9%)

7 Germany 49.3 (1.3%)

8 United Kingdom 48.7 (1.7%)

9 Japan 47.6 (0.9%)

10 South Korea 43.9 (2.7%)

World total 1,917 (2.2%)

List of countries by military expenditures - Wikipedia
**************************************************************************************************************

America's projected 2020 annual military budget is approximately 3X that of China and 11X that of Russia - in fact, the Russian military has declined to 4th in terms of spending with India moving up to 3rd!

Realistically, no nation would seriously consider trying to match its military strength against the US, whether it be conventional or nuclear - none could hope to match its myriad of modern weapon systems and rapid deployment capabilities!

In addition, 6 of the world's top 10 military powers are all allies of the US and their combined military budgets, excluding America, are actually greater than that of China and Russia together!

With China devoting just 1.9% GDP to military spending, it would appear that she has no intention, at present, of mounting a serious effort to challenge America as the world's premier military power!

Russia, on the other hand, is devoting 3.9% GDP to military spending, more than 2X that of its Chinese counterpart (1.9% GDP), but like the former USSR, it still lacks a domestic economy that would allow it to compete with either America or China for military supremacy!

I hope the US government can restore law and order and allow the president to do his job. America seems to be divided into two camps at the moment. The progressive left wants to destroy it's foundations and turn it into a socialist country and the conservative right is trying to hold onto it's original identity.
The enemy is seeking to divide and conquer, I hope they don't succeed because it spell the end of stability for the whole world.
The world has enjoyed peace and prosperity, since the US ended WW2. If the US disintegrates, then the rest of us become cannon fodder.
The enemy has deceived the whole world with lies, so the real war is on the truth. It seems that most people hate the truth, they find it very offensive.

 

[th1bill]

I think Putin was handed the presidency, because he possessed all the qualities of a Mafia boss. Russia's Royal Family was murdered and the country was eventually hijacked by the Mafia known as the KGB.
The Mafia stays in power by eliminating everyone who gets in their way. This particular crime boss just happens to the richest man on the planet, and he also has a nuclear arsenal. So Trump has to tread carefully, when dealing with this evil man.
I personally think that China is the biggest threat to world peace, it's an Atheist robotic machine hell bent on world domination at any cost.

Ans in my study of that section of history I found more than one current Historian that teaches that the estimated, recorded 35 Million was a horrible miscarriage of history because A. Hitler is considered the world's worst mass murder and because of their research they both said Lennon had murdered no less than fifty million of his own people. And with Putin at the reigns no longer of the KGB but rather driving the nation, the KGB has changed and it is not so public but it will n Communism at the helm it is still growing, unseen, more, and more powerful.

 

[The Barbarian]

because A. Hitler is considered the world's worst mass murder and because of their research they both said Lennon had murdered no less than fifty million of his own people.

Ah... I remember...

"while Lennon read a book on Marx, the quartet practiced in the park..."

Not Lennon. Not Lenin, either. Stalin. An intentional famine that killed tens of millions.