Here is a list of News Blogs ordered by Last Commented, posted by members. A Blog is a journal you may enter about your life, thoughts, interesting experiences, or lessons you've learned. Post an opinion, impart words of wisdom, or talk about something interesting in your day. Update your blog on a regular basis, or just whenever you have something to say. Creating a blog is a good way to share something of yourself with others. Reading blogs is a good way to learn more about others. Click here to post a blog.
Quote of the day - Chris Christie
"Quite frankly," Trump's "legal team has been a national embarrassment"
"Elections have consequences. We can't go on claiming something happened, when it didnt."
~ Chris Christie
"Elections have consequences. We can't go on claiming something happened, when it didnt."
~ Chris Christie
Trump loses yet again - Federal judge says PA case is without merit
Breaking News from The New York Times;
The only ones fooled by Trump's nonsense are his dimwitted supporters.
In response to:
BREAKING NEWS
A federal judge dismissed President Trump’s last major legal bid to delay Pennsylvania’s vote certification, saying it was “unsupported by evidence.”
Saturday, November 21, 2020 8:00 PM EST
In a scathing order, Judge Matthew W. Brann wrote that President Trump’s campaign, which had asked him to effectively disenfranchise nearly seven million voters, should have come to court “armed with compelling legal arguments and factual proof of rampant corruption” in its efforts to essentially nullify the results of Pennsylvania’s election.
But instead, Judge Brann complained, the Trump campaign provided only “strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations” that were “unsupported by evidence.”
BREAKING NEWS
A federal judge dismissed President Trump’s last major legal bid to delay Pennsylvania’s vote certification, saying it was “unsupported by evidence.”
Saturday, November 21, 2020 8:00 PM EST
In a scathing order, Judge Matthew W. Brann wrote that President Trump’s campaign, which had asked him to effectively disenfranchise nearly seven million voters, should have come to court “armed with compelling legal arguments and factual proof of rampant corruption” in its efforts to essentially nullify the results of Pennsylvania’s election.
But instead, Judge Brann complained, the Trump campaign provided only “strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations” that were “unsupported by evidence.”
The only ones fooled by Trump's nonsense are his dimwitted supporters.
Trump in more tax evasion trouble
It seems that in an effort to evade taxes, Donald Trump wrote off excessive consulting fees......to his daughter. 
Yesterday in the New York Times;
Yesterday in the New York Times;
In response to:
Trump Tax Write-Offs Are Ensnared in 2 New York Fraud Investigations
Inquiries into the president and his businesses, one criminal and one civil, are now looking at tax deductions taken on consulting fees. Some of the payments appear to have gone to Ivanka Trump.
By Danny Hakim, Mike McIntire, William K. Rashbaum and Ben Protess
Nov. 19, 2020
Two separate New York State fraud investigations into President Trump and his businesses, one criminal and one civil, have expanded to include tax write-offs on millions of dollars in consulting fees, some of which appear to have gone to Ivanka Trump, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
The inquiries — a criminal investigation by the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., and a civil one by the state attorney general, Letitia James — are being conducted independently. But both offices issued subpoenas to the Trump Organization in recent weeks for records related to the fees, the people said.
The subpoenas were the latest steps in the two investigations of the Trump Organization, and underscore the legal challenges awaiting the president when he leaves office in January. There is no indication that his daughter is a focus of either inquiry, which the Trump Organization has derided as politically motivated.
The development follows a recent New York Times examination of more than two decades of Mr. Trump’s tax records, which found that he had paid little or no federal income taxes in most years, largely because of his chronic business losses.
Among the revelations was that Mr. Trump reduced his taxable income by deducting about $26 million in fees to unidentified consultants as a business expense on numerous projects between 2010 and 2018.
Some of those fees appear to have been paid to Ms. Trump, The Times found. On a 2017 disclosure she filed when joining the White House as a presidential adviser, she reported receiving payments from a consulting company she co-owned, totaling $747,622, that exactly matched consulting fees claimed as tax deductions by the Trump Organization for hotel projects in Hawaii and Vancouver, British Columbia.
The subpoenas were focused on fees paid to the firm on her disclosures, TTT Consulting L.L.C., and represented just a portion of the $26 million, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. The name of the firm appears to be a reference to Ms. Trump and other members of her family.
Ms. Trump was an executive officer of the Trump companies that made the payments, meaning she appears to have been treated as a consultant while also working for the company. While companies can deduct professional fees, the Internal Revenue Service requires that consulting arrangements be market-based and reasonable, as well as “ordinary and necessary” to running a business.......
Trump Tax Write-Offs Are Ensnared in 2 New York Fraud Investigations
Inquiries into the president and his businesses, one criminal and one civil, are now looking at tax deductions taken on consulting fees. Some of the payments appear to have gone to Ivanka Trump.
By Danny Hakim, Mike McIntire, William K. Rashbaum and Ben Protess
Nov. 19, 2020
Two separate New York State fraud investigations into President Trump and his businesses, one criminal and one civil, have expanded to include tax write-offs on millions of dollars in consulting fees, some of which appear to have gone to Ivanka Trump, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
The inquiries — a criminal investigation by the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., and a civil one by the state attorney general, Letitia James — are being conducted independently. But both offices issued subpoenas to the Trump Organization in recent weeks for records related to the fees, the people said.
The subpoenas were the latest steps in the two investigations of the Trump Organization, and underscore the legal challenges awaiting the president when he leaves office in January. There is no indication that his daughter is a focus of either inquiry, which the Trump Organization has derided as politically motivated.
The development follows a recent New York Times examination of more than two decades of Mr. Trump’s tax records, which found that he had paid little or no federal income taxes in most years, largely because of his chronic business losses.
Among the revelations was that Mr. Trump reduced his taxable income by deducting about $26 million in fees to unidentified consultants as a business expense on numerous projects between 2010 and 2018.
Some of those fees appear to have been paid to Ms. Trump, The Times found. On a 2017 disclosure she filed when joining the White House as a presidential adviser, she reported receiving payments from a consulting company she co-owned, totaling $747,622, that exactly matched consulting fees claimed as tax deductions by the Trump Organization for hotel projects in Hawaii and Vancouver, British Columbia.
The subpoenas were focused on fees paid to the firm on her disclosures, TTT Consulting L.L.C., and represented just a portion of the $26 million, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. The name of the firm appears to be a reference to Ms. Trump and other members of her family.
Ms. Trump was an executive officer of the Trump companies that made the payments, meaning she appears to have been treated as a consultant while also working for the company. While companies can deduct professional fees, the Internal Revenue Service requires that consulting arrangements be market-based and reasonable, as well as “ordinary and necessary” to running a business.......
Breaking News ! GA vote Officially Reaffirmed. Biden wins !
Moments ago from The New York Times;
In response to:
BREAKING NEWS
Joe Biden’s victory in Georgia was reaffirmed after the state finished its recount of nearly five million ballots with few meaningful vote changes.
Thursday, November 19, 2020 7:41 PM EST
The Trump campaign had asked Georgia’s secretary of state for a full hand recount one week after Election Day.
The audit of roughly five million votes was completed late Wednesday.
BREAKING NEWS
Joe Biden’s victory in Georgia was reaffirmed after the state finished its recount of nearly five million ballots with few meaningful vote changes.
Thursday, November 19, 2020 7:41 PM EST
The Trump campaign had asked Georgia’s secretary of state for a full hand recount one week after Election Day.
The audit of roughly five million votes was completed late Wednesday.
Hey Trumpette lemmings ! Time to pony up.
It's time to put your money where your mouth is.
Either that, or shut the hell up and finally accept that Trump lost......by a lot !
Trump asks you for $$$$ to get a Wisconsin re-count.
It will cost $7.9 Million (US) to pay for it.
At least, that is what Wisconsin seeks. It costs more this year due to Covid-19 concerns,
Trump may funnell some of that money to other worthy causes, like golf fees, Russian hookers, and personal debts, champagne for porn stars, and some other less than worthy causes.
So, perhaps pony up $25 Million and maybe that will get it done.
Of course, no guarantees the count will be much different. In fact even if he did win Wisconsin, he's till lose the election.
Perhaps if you act now, he'll throw in one of those nifty made in China MAGA caps, or perhaps a tin foil one
with a Q on top.
Now don't all rush at once.
Yesterday from Huffington Post;
Either that, or shut the hell up and finally accept that Trump lost......by a lot !
Trump asks you for $$$$ to get a Wisconsin re-count.
It will cost $7.9 Million (US) to pay for it.
At least, that is what Wisconsin seeks. It costs more this year due to Covid-19 concerns,
Trump may funnell some of that money to other worthy causes, like golf fees, Russian hookers, and personal debts, champagne for porn stars, and some other less than worthy causes.
So, perhaps pony up $25 Million and maybe that will get it done.
Of course, no guarantees the count will be much different. In fact even if he did win Wisconsin, he's till lose the election.
Perhaps if you act now, he'll throw in one of those nifty made in China MAGA caps, or perhaps a tin foil one
with a Q on top.
Now don't all rush at once.
Yesterday from Huffington Post;
In response to:
Trump Will Have To Pay $7.9 Million If He Really Wants Wisconsin Recount
The president has until Wednesday to decide whether to pony up the money for the recount.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — President Donald Trump will have to pay $7.9 million if he wants a statewide recount of unofficial results in Wisconsin showing him losing to Democrat Joe Biden by about 20,500 votes.
That is four times higher than what the recount cost four years ago, a cost increase that elections officials said was driven by expenses related to conducting a recount during the coronavirus pandemic.
Counties had until Tuesday to certify the election results. Assuming the last county canvass isn’t filed until Tuesday as expected, Trump would then have until 5 p.m. on Wednesday to request the recount. The recount could begin as soon as Thursday and be done no later than Dec. 1.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission on Monday released the recount timeline and cost estimate, which was based on costs submitted by the 72 counties.
“We still have not received any indication that there will or will not be a recount,” said Meagan Wolfe, the state’s chief election official. “But we want Wisconsin’s voters to know we are ready.”
Trump has made unfounded claims of voting irregularities and fraud, even though Wisconsin elections officials have said there were no irregularities or widespread problems reported. Separately Monday, three voters who filed a federal lawsuit last week seeking to exclude some ballots in Milwaukee, Dane and Menominee counties withdraw their lawsuit. Attorney James Bopp said he could not say why because of attorney-client privilege. The voters had alleged widespread fraud in absentee balloting.
Trump has been raising money off the expected recount and has indicated that he will move ahead with it, even though Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes would not be enough to change the outcome of the race.
Trump’s Wisconsin campaign spokeswoman Anna Kelly did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the estimated cost.
Recounts are not automatic under Wisconsin law. But any losing candidate who is within 1 point of the winner can request one. Trump lost by about six-tenths of a point, based on unofficial results. Candidates must pay for recounts if they are more than 0.25 points behind the winner.
As of midday Monday, 68 of 72 counties had completed certification of the vote. Those results, which include provisional ballots that were counted after Election Day, show that Biden picked up 122 votes and Trump gained 107 statewide so far. The net gain was 15 for Biden. ....
Trump Will Have To Pay $7.9 Million If He Really Wants Wisconsin Recount
The president has until Wednesday to decide whether to pony up the money for the recount.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — President Donald Trump will have to pay $7.9 million if he wants a statewide recount of unofficial results in Wisconsin showing him losing to Democrat Joe Biden by about 20,500 votes.
That is four times higher than what the recount cost four years ago, a cost increase that elections officials said was driven by expenses related to conducting a recount during the coronavirus pandemic.
Counties had until Tuesday to certify the election results. Assuming the last county canvass isn’t filed until Tuesday as expected, Trump would then have until 5 p.m. on Wednesday to request the recount. The recount could begin as soon as Thursday and be done no later than Dec. 1.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission on Monday released the recount timeline and cost estimate, which was based on costs submitted by the 72 counties.
“We still have not received any indication that there will or will not be a recount,” said Meagan Wolfe, the state’s chief election official. “But we want Wisconsin’s voters to know we are ready.”
Trump has made unfounded claims of voting irregularities and fraud, even though Wisconsin elections officials have said there were no irregularities or widespread problems reported. Separately Monday, three voters who filed a federal lawsuit last week seeking to exclude some ballots in Milwaukee, Dane and Menominee counties withdraw their lawsuit. Attorney James Bopp said he could not say why because of attorney-client privilege. The voters had alleged widespread fraud in absentee balloting.
Trump has been raising money off the expected recount and has indicated that he will move ahead with it, even though Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes would not be enough to change the outcome of the race.
Trump’s Wisconsin campaign spokeswoman Anna Kelly did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the estimated cost.
Recounts are not automatic under Wisconsin law. But any losing candidate who is within 1 point of the winner can request one. Trump lost by about six-tenths of a point, based on unofficial results. Candidates must pay for recounts if they are more than 0.25 points behind the winner.
As of midday Monday, 68 of 72 counties had completed certification of the vote. Those results, which include provisional ballots that were counted after Election Day, show that Biden picked up 122 votes and Trump gained 107 statewide so far. The net gain was 15 for Biden. ....
It might be time to invoke the 25th Amendment
Clearly, Trump is incapable of fulfilling the duties of the office.
Today from The New York Times;
Today from The New York Times;
In response to:
Trump, Trying to Cling to Power, Fans Unrest and Conspiracies
Michael D. Shear
Mon, November 16, 2020, 8:07 AM EST
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede the election has entered a more dangerous phase as he stokes resistance and unrest among his supporters and spreads falsehoods aimed at undermining the integrity of the American voting system.
More than a week after President-elect Joe Biden was declared the winner, Trump continues to block his successor’s transition, withholding intelligence briefings, critical information about the coronavirus pandemic and access to the vast machinery of government that Biden will soon oversee.
Some former top advisers to Trump have said that his refusal to cooperate is reckless and unwise. John F. Kelly, Trump’s former chief of staff, called it “crazy” on Friday. John R. Bolton, the president’s former national security adviser who wrote a scathing memoir about his time in the administration, said the refusal “harms the country.”
“Every day that he delays under the pretense that he’s simply asking for his legal remedies ultimately is to the country’s disadvantage,” Bolton said on ABC’s “This Week” program on Sunday morning.
The president’s attempt to cling to power played out against a backdrop of protests by Trump supporters and opponents late Saturday, with sporadic clashes near the White House. The police arrested 21 people as one protester was stabbed and four officers were injured. Rather than seek to calm tensions, Trump lashed out.
“ANTIFA SCUM ran for the hills,” he posted on Twitter on Saturday as he urged the police to move in aggressively. “DC Police, get going — do your job and don’t hold back!!!”
By Sunday morning, the president seemed to briefly acknowledge defeat, but he quickly reversed himself, declaring “I concede NOTHING!” He repeated lies about the vote-counting process, falsely insisting that Biden’s victory was the result of a “RIGGED ELECTION” orchestrated by the “Fake & Silent” news media.
Facing his final 65 days in office, Trump appears unwilling to break from the gut instincts that have guided his pursuit of the presidency and his exercise of authority in the past 5-1/2 years: a fierce determination to act only in his self-interest and a near-total refusal to accept blame or responsibility for his failures.
As the total number of coronavirus cases in the United States soared past 11 million and deaths neared 250,000, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease specialist, warned that 200,000 more people could die by spring if Americans did not more fully embrace public health measures, even with an effective vaccine.
“We are not going to turn it on and off, going from where we are to completely normal,” Fauci said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, challenging Trump’s claims that the virus would go away quickly once a vaccine was ready. “It’s going to be a gradual accrual of more normality as the weeks and the months go by, as we get well into 2021.”
Fauci said health officials had not begun working with Biden’s transition team. He also said the president had not attended a meeting of his coronavirus task force in “several months,” vanishing from participation in the panel.
But anyone hoping for a similarly quiet withdrawal from Trump as he leaves the presidency appears destined not to get it. He continues to deny facts and science in favor of baseless conspiracy theories and has moved aggressively to remove anyone he views as disloyal: a fact underscored by a purge of top officials at the Pentagon last week that was followed by an implicit rebuke by the military’s top general. ....
Trump, Trying to Cling to Power, Fans Unrest and Conspiracies
Michael D. Shear
Mon, November 16, 2020, 8:07 AM EST
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede the election has entered a more dangerous phase as he stokes resistance and unrest among his supporters and spreads falsehoods aimed at undermining the integrity of the American voting system.
More than a week after President-elect Joe Biden was declared the winner, Trump continues to block his successor’s transition, withholding intelligence briefings, critical information about the coronavirus pandemic and access to the vast machinery of government that Biden will soon oversee.
Some former top advisers to Trump have said that his refusal to cooperate is reckless and unwise. John F. Kelly, Trump’s former chief of staff, called it “crazy” on Friday. John R. Bolton, the president’s former national security adviser who wrote a scathing memoir about his time in the administration, said the refusal “harms the country.”
“Every day that he delays under the pretense that he’s simply asking for his legal remedies ultimately is to the country’s disadvantage,” Bolton said on ABC’s “This Week” program on Sunday morning.
The president’s attempt to cling to power played out against a backdrop of protests by Trump supporters and opponents late Saturday, with sporadic clashes near the White House. The police arrested 21 people as one protester was stabbed and four officers were injured. Rather than seek to calm tensions, Trump lashed out.
“ANTIFA SCUM ran for the hills,” he posted on Twitter on Saturday as he urged the police to move in aggressively. “DC Police, get going — do your job and don’t hold back!!!”
By Sunday morning, the president seemed to briefly acknowledge defeat, but he quickly reversed himself, declaring “I concede NOTHING!” He repeated lies about the vote-counting process, falsely insisting that Biden’s victory was the result of a “RIGGED ELECTION” orchestrated by the “Fake & Silent” news media.
Facing his final 65 days in office, Trump appears unwilling to break from the gut instincts that have guided his pursuit of the presidency and his exercise of authority in the past 5-1/2 years: a fierce determination to act only in his self-interest and a near-total refusal to accept blame or responsibility for his failures.
As the total number of coronavirus cases in the United States soared past 11 million and deaths neared 250,000, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease specialist, warned that 200,000 more people could die by spring if Americans did not more fully embrace public health measures, even with an effective vaccine.
“We are not going to turn it on and off, going from where we are to completely normal,” Fauci said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, challenging Trump’s claims that the virus would go away quickly once a vaccine was ready. “It’s going to be a gradual accrual of more normality as the weeks and the months go by, as we get well into 2021.”
Fauci said health officials had not begun working with Biden’s transition team. He also said the president had not attended a meeting of his coronavirus task force in “several months,” vanishing from participation in the panel.
But anyone hoping for a similarly quiet withdrawal from Trump as he leaves the presidency appears destined not to get it. He continues to deny facts and science in favor of baseless conspiracy theories and has moved aggressively to remove anyone he views as disloyal: a fact underscored by a purge of top officials at the Pentagon last week that was followed by an implicit rebuke by the military’s top general. ....
A Blog is a journal you may enter about your life, your thoughts, interesting experiences, or lessons you have learned. It's your own page on Connecting Singles that you can update on a regular basis, or just whenever you have something to say. You can write about an opinion, impart words of wisdom, or talk about something interesting in your day. Creating a blog is a good way to share something of yourself with Connecting Singles members. Reading blogs is a good way to learn more about members you have met here. Please be sure to read the blog rules before posting.
Would YOU like to post a blog on Connecting Singles? Have you written blogs that you'd like to share with other members? Posting your blogs shows your skill and creativity and helps members get to know you better. Your blog will appear on the Connecting Singles Blogs page and also in a link on your profile page. Click here to post a blog »