Steve Thomas

Trump sought deals with Moscow mayor By NATASHA BERTRAND 09/28/2020 https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/28/donald-trump-moscow-mayor-deals-422642 "In an interview with Russian state media last year before his death, Luzhkov, who served as Moscow’s mayor from 1992-2010, revealed that Trump had been in talks with the city government about building an underground mall there in the 1990s. “Trump was in Moscow,” Luzhkov told Russia’s Interfax news agency, adding that Trump had made contact with former Moscow construction chief Vladimir Resin “on matters related to the construction of the Okhotny Ryad underground shopping complex on Manezhnaya Square.” “He intended to take part in the construction of this complex,” Luzhkov said. He noted, however, that the project ultimately fell through. "There were intentions, there were discussions — they related to this very underground complex, but this did not go further,” Luzhkov said. The underground mall was not the only deal Trump pursued in Moscow during Luzhkov’s tenure, however. In 1997, Trump was negotiating a $175 million deal with the city of Moscow to renovate the Moskva Hotel, just across from the Kremlin, according to a press release included in a January 1997 SEC filing as well as press reports from the time. “The venture expects to create the premier hotel in Russia, including 600 guest rooms, 200 private condominiums, a convention center, banquet halls, retail shops and extensive public space,” the filing reads, noting that the city of Moscow would receive a minority of the equity. Trump also won initial approval to renovate the Rossiya Hotel in Moscow in a deal that would have been worth about $800 million, according to Fortune. But in 1998 the Rossiya’s general director Yevgeny Tsimbalistov was murdered in a mafia contract killing; Trump later put the hotel projects on the “back-burner,” his assistant Norma Foerderer said at the time." Steve Thomas

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Andrew, The Proud Boys are celebrating tonight. Steve Thomas

A town in Romania reelects their dead mayor Carla Sinclair 10:49 am Tue Sep 29, 2020 https://boingboing.net/2020/09/29/after-a-romanian-mayor-dies-of-covid-19-his-town-reelects-him-anyway.html On Sunday, 57-year-old Ion Aliman was reelected as mayor of Deveselu, Romania. A member of the Social Democrat Party, he won by an overwhelming landslide. The only glitch is that he had died 10 days before the election from COVID-19. From AP: His death came too late to remove his name from Sunday's ballot, but the news of his passing spread fast through the village, home to just over 3,000 people… To honor the man they admired, hundreds of Deveselu villagers went to the polling stations Sunday and voted for Aliman anyway. After preliminary election results showed late Sunday that Aliman had won 1,057 out of the 1,600 votes cast in Deveselu, a large group of villagers visited his grave to light candles and pay their respects. A video shared widely on social media showed people with flashlights and candles gathered around Aliman's grave, some of them saying "This is your victory" and "We will make you proud, we know that from somewhere up there you are watching." Steve Thomas

Don't miss the Ivanka Trump bombshell buried in the Times tax story Analysis by Chris Cillizza, CNN Editor-at-large Updated September 28, 2020 https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/28/politics/ivanka-trump-donald-trump-tacves/index.html “But there's another massive revelation contained in the Times' reporting that isn't getting nearly enough attention: Trump wrote off $26 million in unexplained "consulting fees" between 2010 and 2018, with almost $750,000 apparently going to his daughter, Ivanka, in one disclosure.” “But it appears as though the Times may only have found the tip of the iceberg here. Why? Because of the $26 million that Trump wrote off as "consulting fees" between 2010 and 2018, none is allocated to any specific person or entity. (The Times figured out the $747,622 payment by matching an amount paid in Trump's tax returns to the same sum reported by Ivanka Trump on her financial disclosure forms filed when she went to work in the White House in 2017.) So we don't know who received the other $25-ish million that Trump wrote off to "consulting fees" during that time. (Worth noting: The Times reports that Trump wrote off roughly 20% of all income he made on projects over that time to "consulting fees.") Given the apparent payment to Ivanka Trump revealed by the Times, however, it's not terribly far-fetched to wonder whether all (or much) of those "consulting fees" went through a similar process: Paid to one of Trump's offspring who were serving as both managers of these operations for the Trump Organization and as consultants to the projects as well.” Steve Thomas

- Eric Trump - https://twitter.com/LornestoToledo/status/1310916725312020483 "The LGBT community, they are incredible. And you should see how they come out in full force for my father every single day. I'm part of that community, and we love the man. Thank you for protecting our neighborhoods, thank you for protecting our cities” I wonder if he thinks the LGBTQ people are part of Chad Wolf's force of Little Green Men? I don't think Eric's upcoming deposition is going to go very well. Steve Thomas

Turkey Sends ISIS Warlord to Azerbaijan to Face-Off Against Putin’s Armenian Allies WHOEVER WINS… WE LOSE Former ISIS fighters have been dispatched to fight in a European showdown between Turkish and Russian proxies. by Muhammad al-Binshi Updated Sep. 29, 2020 https://www.thedailybeast.com/turkey-sends-sayf-balud-isis-warlord-to-azerbaijan-to-face-off-against-putins-armenian-allies?ref=home “500 Hamza Brigade fighters were flown last Tuesday from southern Turkey to the Azeri airbase at Sumqayit [30 kilometers north of the Azeri capital of Baku]”, according to a source within the Syrian National Army (SNA) rebel outfit who requested anonymity. “Two days later, on Thursday, another 500 fighters from the Sultan Murad brigades rebel faction were similarly flown out to Azerbaijan.” These claims were echoed by the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a Syrian opposition body that monitors human rights violations in the country. SOHR sources suggest more batches of Syrian rebel fighters are preparing to be deployed to Azerbaijan. In Azerbaijan, Turkey is looking to demonstrate loyalty and prop up an oil-rich regime with which it has maintained close military ties since the 1994 ceasefire. Since 2005, they have launched numerous lucrative oil and gas initiatives including a pipeline that exports 1.2 million barrels of Azeri oil per day to the European Union (EU), earning Turkey upwards of $200 million in annual transit fees. In 2006, this cooperation expanded following the launch of the South Caucasus natural gas pipeline that annually exports 8.8 billion cubic meters of much needed Azeri gas to the Turkish market, a net importer of energy. In 2011, Turkey began work on an expansive natural gas production network called the Trans Anatolian Pipeline, which is projected to export 31 billion cubic meters of Azeri gas to the EU by 2026. Turkish shareholders, who own a 30 percent stake in the project, stand to make huge profits. Turkey’s push to transform Azerbaijan into a lucrative oil and gas export hub is also motivated by Ankara’s desire to come out from under Russia’s shadow. Turkey depends on Russia for 40 percent of its fossil fuels, a reliance that has forced Ankara to treat Russia as a friendly nation despite the fact that the two countries share almost no common interests. The “Southern Gas Corridor,” a term referring to the various pipelines emerging out of Azerbaijan, has been heavily cheered on by the EU, which also wants to break its dependence on Russian gas. No surprise then that Russia is on the other side in the ongoing dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.” Steve Thomas

Trump supporters who took hydroxychloroquine for COVID could be denied health insurance if GOP kills Obamacare Published on September 28, 2020 By Bob Brigham https://www.rawstory.com/2020/09/trump-supporters-who-took-hydroxychloroquine-for-could-be-denied-health-insurance-if-gop-s-obamacare/ "One of the bizarre reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic was President Donald Trump continually pushing supporters to take Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate. While there never evidence the drug could successfully treat coronavirus, Trump began pushing it regardless — even after his own agencies issued warnings the drug could harm patients. The people who took the drug, including the president himself, could be denied health insurance. Larry Levitt, the executive vice president for health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, noted that patients who had taken Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate used to receive automatic “medication denials” before Democrats passed the Affordable Care Act during the Obama administration. This means, if Trump’s Department of Justice is successful in overturning the Affordable Care Act, Republicans who listened to Trump may have a hard time buying insurance in the individual market. “I was just looking through an insurance underwriting manual from before the ACA. You know what would have gotten you denied individual insurance? Using hydroxychloroquine in the previous 12 months. pic.twitter.com/y55Ya6ftfd — Larry Levitt (@larry_levitt) September 28, 2020”" Steve Thomas

Paul, I don't know. I suspect Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, but that's just a guess. Steve Thomas

The President’s Taxes How Reality-TV Fame Handed Trump a $427 Million Lifeline By Mike McIntire, Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig Sept. 28, 2020 https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/09/28/us/donald-trump-taxes-apprentice.html “Mr. Burnett wasted no time spinning the illusion of a successful and high-minded Mr. Trump, telling The Times in October 2003 that the new show was all about “Donald Trump giving back” by educating the public on how his can-do spirit had provided jobs and economic security. “What makes the world a safe place right now?” Mr. Burnett said. “I think it’s American dollars, which come from taxes, which come because of Donald Trump.”” Steve Thomas

LATINOS FOR BIDEN HORSE PARADE!!! https://twitter.com/AdrianEngGast/status/1309947983518035968 Steve Thomas

I personally find it very suspicious that Parscale goes nutso on the day that the Trump tax story breaks. Sticking him in a psychiatric hospital effectively puts him out of reach. Steve Thomas

Trump suggested naming his daughter Ivanka as his running mate in 2016, according to new book by Rick Gates https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-ivanka-rick-gates-book/2020/09/28/ea2000a2-ff5c-11ea-8d05-9beaaa91c71f_story.html “As Donald Trump’s top campaign aides began a discussion in June 2016 about who the presumptive Republican presidential nominee should select as his running mate, the candidate piped up with an idea. “I think it should be Ivanka. What about Ivanka as my VP?” Trump asked the assembled group, according to a new book by his former deputy campaign manager Rick Gates set to be published Oct. 13. Trump added: “She’s bright, she’s smart, she’s beautiful, and the people would love her!” In Gates’s telling, Trump’s suggestion of naming to the ticket his then-34-year-old daughter — a fashion and real estate executive who had never held elected office — was no passing fancy. Instead, he brought up the idea repeatedly over the following weeks, trying to sell his campaign staff on the idea, insisting she would be embraced by the Republican base, Gates writes. Trump was so taken with the concept of his eldest daughter as his vice president — and so cool to other options, including his eventual selection, then-Indiana Gov. Mike Pence — that his team polled the idea twice, according to Gates. It was Ivanka Trump who finally ended the conversation, Gates writes, going to her father to tell him it wasn’t a good idea. Trump eventually came around and selected Pence, after the governor won him over by delivering a “vicious and extended monologue” about Bill and Hillary Clinton at a get-to-know-you breakfast later that summer, according to Gates’s account. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.” Steve Thomas

Paul, I say that he co-opted the name because there was a real 488th Military Intelligence Detachment. It had an organizational structure with a recognized chain of command. It's been claimed that Crichton's 488th had only one commander during the life of its existence. It's been said that Crichton reported to the Assistant Chief of Staff Intelligence at the Pentagon. The real 488th reported to the Defense Intelligence Agency. Crichton ran for Governor of Texas in 1964 and lost to John Connally. As far as him being “related to the underground communications bunker”, I have seen those claims repeated over and over again, but I don’t know what they are based on. I’ve seen claims that he was somehow “in charge of” the communications at the Continuity of Government communications network at the Fairgrounds, but I’ve never seen any real evidence or proof for that. Steve Thomas

https://www.local10.com/news/local/2020/09/28/former-trump-campaign-manager-brad-pascale-armed-barricades-self-in-fl-home-police-called/ FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – "Former campaign manager for Donald Trump, Brad Parscale, who was replaced by the President less than four months before the 2020 election, was reportedly armed with a gun and threatening to harm himself at his Fort Lauderdale home on Sunday afternoon. Police responded to a home in the upscale Seven Isles neighborhood around 4 p.m. in reference to a man barricaded inside a house. When officers arrived on the scene, they made contact with the woman, the man’s wife, who had called 911. She told police that her husband was armed, had access to multiple firearms inside the house and was threatening to kill himself. Police have not confirmed that the barricaded man was Parscale, who worked for Trump, but records confirm that the property in the 2300 block of Desota Drive in Fort Lauderdale is owned by Parscale, 44, and his wife, Candice. Local 10 spoke to neighbors who also said it was the home of the former advisor to the President. Fort Lauderdale Police said that man was transported to Broward Health Medical Center where he was placed under a Baker Act." Steve Thomas

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The Kleptocrats’ Money-Laundering Middleman Who Did Deals With Trump EXCERPT by Tom Burgis Sep. 27, 2020 From Kleptopia: How Dirty Money Is Conquering the World; Copyright © 2020 By Tom Burgis. https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-kleptocrats-money-laundering-middleman-who-did-deals-with-trump?ref=home “In office, Trump helped to construct a new global alliance suited to the times. It was an alliance of kleptocrats. They might at times seem like rivals, even enemies. In truth they were united in their common resolve to advance the privatization of power. And what progress they had made. With Trump’s election, they controlled the three great poles of power. In the White House, a launderer, installed with the help of Putin’s Kremlin. And in Beijing, Xi Jinping. They had prime access respectively to the great repositories of plunder: the world’s biggest economy, the riches of the former Soviet Union, the one-party state containing a fifth of humanity.” Steve Thomas

Mark, Thank you. Oooooooh - Security Analyst for General Dynamics huh? That raises some questions. 4159th US Army Reserve Forces School A group portrait of the soldiers of the 4159th U.S. Army Forces School prior to the unit's demobilization. The company was a reserve unit called to active duty during Operation Desert Storm They were based at Fort Hood. https://nara.getarchive.net/media/a-group-portrait-of-the-soldiers-of-the-4159th-us-army-forces-school-prior-2b3041 Training and Organization of the US Army Reserve Components, June, 1989. https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a236572.pdf page 81 They were attached to the 5th U.S. Army 4159TH USARF SCHOOL 2800 Crestline Road (817) 571-6822 Sergeants Major Academy Fort Worth, TX 76107-308 Steve Thomas

Mark, In his 1991 study, entitled, Reforming Military Intelligence Reserve Components: 1995-2005, Colonel, Thomas Cagley showed that there was a real 488th Military Intelligence Detachment. https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a233391.pdf On page 14 of his Study (p. 21 of the pdf file), he shows that the 488th MID was one of the Military Intelligence Detachments that reported directly to the Defense Intelligence Agency. There is also a 2012 obituary of a Captain Jack E. Earnest who served with the 488th between 1956 and 1962. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/houstonchronicle/obituary.aspx?pid=160976735#sthash.mX3LJS6E.dpuf “In June 1956, he was assigned to the 488th Strategic Intelligence Detachment until 1962, achieving the rank of Captain.” I still haven’t found out what ARCOM (Army Reserve Command) the 488th was attached to. It is my personal belief that Jack Crichton co-opted the 488th’s name. I think that Paul’s suggestion that the 488th was attached to the 90th Infantry Division is a good one. I’ve also toyed with the possibility that it might have been attached to the 49th Armored Division. PS: Where did you learn that Wright was promoted to Lt. Col. in 1981 and at that time he was still a member of the 4159th? Steve Thomas

Ray, Watch her sing it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw9b3mhsOHg Steve

Humble and Kind by Lori McKenna You know there's a light that glows by the front door Don't forget the key's under the mat When childhood stars shine Always stay humble and kind Go to church 'cause your mamma says to Visit grandpa every chance that you can It won't be wasted time Always stay humble and kind Hold the door, say "please", say "thank you" Don't steal, don't cheat, and don't lie I know you got mountains to climb But always stay humble and kind When the dreams you're dreamin' come to you When the work you put in is realized Let yourself feel the pride But always stay humble and kind Don't expect a free ride from no one Don't hold a grudge or a chip and here's why Bitterness keeps you from flyin' Always stay humble and kind Know the difference between sleeping with someone And sleeping with someone you love "I love you" ain't no pick-up line So always stay humble and kind Hold the door, say "please", say "thank you" Don't steal, don't cheat, and don't lie I know you got mountains to climb But always stay humble and kind When those dreams you're dreamin' come to you When the work you put in is realized Let yourself feel the pride But always stay humble and kind When it's hot, eat a root beer popsicle Shut off the AC and roll the windows down Let that summer sun shine Always stay humble and kind Don't take for granted the love this life gives you When you get where you're going don't forget turn back around And help the next one in line Always stay humble and kind Steve Thomas

Bill, On pp. 24-26 of that document (pp13-15 of the file), it mentions Lieutenant D.A.Byrd of the Vice Section of the Special Service Bureau of the DPD. I wonder if he was related to the D. Harold Byrd of TSBD fame. Steve Thomas

The president wants you dead — and so do his friends and advisers. It’s that simple By David Masciotra, Salon – Commentary September 27, 2020 https://www.rawstory.com/2020/09/the-president-wants-you-and-so-do-his-friends-and-advisers-its-that-simple/ “Recent revelations should force Americans to consider an even darker reality, and gather insight into the malevolence of humanity that is typically accessible only in barbaric episodes of history and frightening stories of literature. The most powerful man in the federal government delights in the infliction of pain, misery and grief.” “Sharpening Occam’s razor, it is important to note that Trump’s cruelty surpasses indifference. He is not only refusing to help — he is actively promoting the spread of the virus with his mockery of masks and packed indoor rallies.” “It is by now common to compare Trump to a cult leader. As Jonestown, Heaven’s Gate, the Order of the Solar Temple and many other cults have demonstrated, the leaders of especially destructive cult movements eventually turn on their own people, ordering mass suicide as the ultimate exercise of power.” I read something a long time ago that I have always kept to heart. "Never underestimate the capacity for man's inhumanity to man." Steve Thomas

'Army For Trump' ads incite armed militias to intimidate voters in 'election security operation', also Don Jr. doesn't look so good By Xeni Jardin Fri Sep 25, 2020 https://boingboing.net/2020/09/25/army-for-trump-ads-incite-armed-militias-to-intimidate-voters-in-election-security-operation-also-don-jr-doesnt-look-so-good.html President Donald Trump's son stars in this new "defend your ballot" ad, and says: "We need every able-bodied man and woman to join Army for Trump's election security operation…we need you to help us watch them." "Holy *** "I mean, what else does one even say about these insane nwq Trump-Pence ads, and the curiously addled Don Jr., who resembles a crackhead in the throes of addiction? What else does one say, but holy ****. Long past time for Twitter and Facebook, where these ads are trending, to take action — the ads are lying, and they're inciting armed violence against Americans." Steve Thomas

One of the best resources I've ever encountered is a webiste called Erasing the past to protect a fairytale, by Arjan Hut. https://jfk.boards.net/thread/121/erasing-past-protect-fairytale Arjan has collected over 400 instances where the evidence just doesn't line up, or is missing. He tries not to draw conclusions, just present the evidence. I once tried to convince him to collect these and put them in printed form in case his website crashed. I don't know if he ever did; but for now, you can find them in the site shown above. Steve Thomas