together

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/1852261

The fact that Donald Trump might very well be a Russian asset, and has definitely tried to obstruct justice (on top of every horrible other thing about him that he hasn't bothered trying to hide) isn't enough to keep big Republican donors away, not anymore. The millionaires and billionaires who bankrolled George W. Bush, John McCain, and Mitt Romney (but spurned Trump in 2016) are going all-in for Trump 2020.

On May 7, elite big-moneyed Republicans will formally unveil their Trump project at "a closed-door event with Trump 2020 aides," which will undoubtedly be at the Trump D.C. hotel so he can make even more money off of it. Party officials explained to Politico that the plan will be that "high-performing bundlers who collect at least $25,000 for Trump Victory, a joint Trump 2020-Republican National Committee fundraising vehicle, will earn rewards like invitations to campaign-sponsored retreats, briefings and dinners." Probably at Trump properties, where he can make an additional buck off of them. Because Republicans love them some grift.

It gets grosser. "Party officials have been reaching out to top fundraisers in recent weeks and wooing them with the prospect of joining 'raiser clubs,' with names like 45 Club, Trump Train and Builders Club." Like this is all completely normal and Trump isn't burning the whole country down around our ears. Of course, they're still reaping the benefits of his big tax scam, and they're probably all old enough that they don't particularly give a shit that the republic is being destroyed. They're well-insulated from it, and figure their progeny will inherit so much from them, they'll be protected as well.

The Republican Party should just plaster a big gold TRUMP on party headquarters and call it good.

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/1852261

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/1852257

Stephen Miller’s obsession with immigrants is so deep-seated that during an official visit to France last year, the White House aide apparently interrupted some downtime along the Seine to take a phone call in which he “spent several minutes loudly pressing administration officials on the other end of the line to deport an individual who had been detained by immigration authorities,” Politico reports. 

That any 30-something White House aide is ordering around federal immigration officials or directing officials on how to decide individual immigration cases seems out of bounds, but this is the Trump administration we’re talking about, and, in particular, Stephen Miller, who has reportedly been a hateful asshole even as far back as his teen years, when he disowned a friend just for being Latino.

Now that this ghoul has the power to make the lives of many more brown people miserable, he’s been busy doing just that, reportedly calling “administration officials at all levels” to pressure them “about changes to immigration rules and regulations, and [demand] stepped-up enforcement.” In private meetings, unnamed officials say, Miller rants about “immigrant criminals” and other garbage, while effectively firing top administration officials he feels weren’t being shitty enough to immigrants. 

It’s disturbing that anyone would ever think that a government that has carried out state-sanctioned kidnapping at its southern border, for example, isn’t cruel enough, but that’s who and what he is. Once again, he’s obsessed. “It’s not an overstatement to say Stephen Miller wakes up every morning thinking about illegal immigration,” another unnamed source told Politico, “and goes to sleep thinking about it as well.”

What a comment, considering Miller appears to have no problem with his boss’ businesses abusing undocumented workers. Told about the Politico piece, one of these former workers, Sandra Diaz, said that “when Stephen Miller goes to sleep at Trump properties, like Bedminster, he is sleeping in a bed made by undocumented immigrants. When he wakes up, he is fed by them. The same is true for the Trump family. They rely on our labor even as they attack us and our communities. What a bunch of hypocrites. Cruel, demeaning hypocrites.”

Cruel, demeaning hypocrites that should be held accountable. Last week, Rep. Elijah Cummings, the chair of the House Oversight Committee, invited Miller to testify in front of lawmakers. The chair acknowledged that getting White House advisers to testify before congressional committees isn’t all that common. But Miller’s acting like a department head, so he should be treated like one. Drag him in.

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/1852257

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/1852125

My friend Herman Cain, a truly wonderful man, has asked me not to nominate him for a seat on the Federal Reserve Board. I will respect his wishes. Herman is a great American who truly loves our Country!

Ms. Doud-Martin works for U.C. Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, where she recently led a successful effort to make the school’s Chou Hall the “greenest academic building in the country.”

This year it was certified as TRUE Platinum Zero Waste, meaning the building sends almost nothing to the landfill. Like, ever.

“We encourage a ‘pack in, pack out’ mentality, like going into a forest,” Ms. Doud-Martin told me.

Here And Now: These Maps Show How Climate Change Has Already Transformed The Earth

Our planet is in the grip of rapid climate change. Explore how your city has already changed.

RadioPublic|LibSyn|YouTube|Patreon|Square Cash (Share code: Send $5, get $5!)

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/1852125