03:48:00 Retweeted @jbarro2016-12-16 20:16:39 Obama’s attitude reflects this reality: Despite the Russian meddling, this election was a lay-up that Clinton failed to make.
19:23:10 Retweeted @mcclure11119:01:11 Among the interesting properties of donald trump is how all he has to do is misspell a word and nobody notices the sentence is plain false
On this week’s Curmudgeon’s Corner, Sam and Ivan’s biggest topic is of course Russia Russia Russia, as we discuss all of this last week’s hubbub about Russian interference with the election, and everybody’s responses to that. But we also take one last look at the Electoral College before they vote, and do a segment on Apple products. Rounding it out, we cover being sick, taking parents or kids to work, the drama over the North Carolina governorship, Ivanka as First Lady, and more…
Click below to listen or subscribe… then let us know your own thoughts!
1-Click Subscribe in iTunes View Podcast in iTunes View Raw Podcast Feed Download MP3 File Follow the podcast on Facebook Support us on Patreon
Show Details:
Recorded 2016-12-17
Length this week – 2:25:37
(0:00:10-0:17:15) But First
Agenda
Everybody sick
The unknown friend
Bring parents/children to work days
Sick kids at school
Salt rooms
(0:18:00-1:03:59) Russia Russia Russia
Didn’t we know this?
Intentional misdirection?
Was it decisive? Does it matter?
Clinton team blaming everything but themselves
Obama’s response
Tillerson Nomination
Hacking vs Disinformation/Propaganda
Republican response
Retaliation?
Snowden Comparison
Trump denial/connection?]
(1:04:38-1:29:35) Electoral College
Hamilton Electors
How many will be faithless?
Who will they vote for?
Record number of faithless electors?
House scenarios
State binding laws
(1:30:44-1:53:57) Apple Stuff
New TV app
MacBook Pro battery
Ivan’s iPad Pro
iPhone 6s batteries
Apple News
AllSides
(1:54:37-2:25:17) Lightning Round
North Carolina Governor drama
Some more Trump appointments
Facebook fake news effort
Sam and Brandy donations
Ivanka as First Lady
Trump can’t divest?
China goading Trump?
Trump Tower visitors
Future of Obamacare
The Curmudgeon’s Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch.
02:21:10 Retweeted @FINALLEVEL00:57:31 I just got call to perform at the Inauguration…. I didn’t pick up and Blocked the number.
04:04:09 Retweeted @peterdaou2016-12-14 17:11:57 If Trump had won by 3 million votes, lost electoral college by 80K and Russia had hacked RNC, Republicans would have SHUT DOWN AMERICA.
04:04:46 Retweeted @SteveKopack02:22:26 Trump will NOT divest from his businesses, WSJ’s Monica Langley reports. Concern from Trump Org. was that it would be “fire sale”
04:19:16 Reading – Swedish towns told to ‘make preparations regarding the threat of war and conflict’ with Russia (Orange) https://t.co/E9S9JSyuEr
04:33:54 Retweeted @GaryKIRO704:32:08 Update on Woodland Park Zoo fire.. Six hibernating turtles were inside burning building. Zoo officials say they don’t know if they survived.
04:46:42 Retweeted @HeerJeet04:30:58 Honestly, Trump’s pick to head National Endowment for the Arts has to be the Dilbert guy.
06:09:41 Retweeted @kurteichenwald2016-12-14 18:57:58 As a reporter, I say this: If reporters say they were not responsible for aiding a Russian disinformation campaign, they are ignorant fools.
06:42:47 Reading – We need an independent, public investigation of the Trump-Russia scandal. Now. (Paul Waldman) https://t.co/fGUyQrWqg5
16:15:09 Retweeted @Reuters16:03:54 BREAKING: China’s navy has seized an unmanned, underwater U.S. Navy vehicle in international waters of South China Sea.
16:19:30 Reading – No record of вЂfaithless elector’ Chris Suprun as a 9/11 first responder (Jason Whitely) https://t.co/2KBBRo3Cyn
16:45:18 FFS Hillary and Dems, in a close race EVERYTHING matters, but YOU should concentrate on the things YOU did wrong. Accept responsibility. in reply to abulsme
16:46:37 Meanwhile EVERYBODY ELSE should care more about Comey and Russia and external factors. But HRC campaign should concentrate on own failures. in reply to abulsme
19:44:19 Retweeted @mattyglesias19:43:25 Obama reminding us right now of what a braggy “America is already great,” everything is fine message would actually have looked like.
19:46:50 Given this has been hyped as an opportunity for Obama to say something substantial on Russia, interesting he is starting with an overview.
19:51:01 .@DaveMc99TA If he was going to dump a mass of declassified info, this would be a good day for it. I now suspect maybe Jan 19 for that. in reply to DaveMc99TA
19:54:58 Obama tone on this very conciliatory, put this behind us, prevent future occurrences, move on.
19:56:16 This is more a defense of Obama’s pre-election approach than about anything he will do in his remaining days.
19:59:34 Retweeted @nprpolitics19:58:25 .@POTUS says he told Putin to “cut it out” with respect to meddling in the U.S. election when they met in China over the summer.
20:00:02 Retweeted @dangillmor19:58:55 Good for Obama on calling out journalists’ “obsession” with personal trivia in leaks. Journos refuse to admit culpability, unfortunately.
20:00:31 Retweeted @eliasisquith19:59:03 some folks are misunderstanding a measured delivery – intended to make the issue seem non-partisan – as meekness
20:01:20 Retweeted @AlecMacGillis19:58:50 Obama should also be asked about Comey, whose intervention was more consequential than Wikileaks.
20:02:09 Retweeted @mikiebarb19:59:45 Am I missing something? Obama seems more critical of media than Russia/Putin in this press conference.
20:03:48 Retweeted @JYSexton20:00:58 Obama is a constitutional prof with an even keel disposition. He’s not a bomb thrower. 1/
20:03:52 Retweeted @JYSexton20:01:33 For eight years progressives have clamored for him to get angry, to get dirty. It’s not how he operates. This is a lecture. 2/ in reply to JYSexton
20:03:55 Retweeted @JYSexton20:03:16 I’m not saying he’s right, but it’s what’s happening. As any professor, he wants us to learn for ourselves. Not what people want 3/3 in reply to JYSexton
20:04:06 Retweeted @mikiebarb20:03:17 This is the height of cerebral Obama, in a way that feels oddly out of touch with the moment. Then again, we don’t know behind-scenes plans
00:55:27 Retweeted @kurteichenwald00:29:49 Its infuriating 4 me 2 watch media come in NOW with “exclusives” about conflicts & Russian interference with facts I reported pre-election.
00:57:26 Retweeted @JimCorrigan_2016-12-14 11:28:55 When someone says “only 37 electors,” remember who electors are: absolutely committed activists who won partisan elections to be electors.
01:04:06 Reading – What We Learned from the Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania Recounts (Mark Elias) https://t.co/9dt3GnmRkg
01:31:28 Retweeted @reidepstein01:28:18 Ellison on POTUS Trump: “I don’t know what stage in the whole spectrum of grief you may be at, but I think we need to arrive at acceptance.”
01:44:32 Retweeted @HeerJeet01:17:39 Even if, for the sake of argument, CIA revealed Trump did impeachable offences, that’s meaningless unless Congress feels compelled to act. in reply to HeerJeet
04:46:40 Retweeted @dangillmor04:36:18 Please, @POTUS, make the DNC evidence — if it exists — public. You damage your legacy, and the republic, every day you delay.
05:07:27 Retweeted @xeni04:26:49 What if a lot of the chaos and insanity is just what really good cyberwar and psyops looks like
05:33:26 Retweeted @peterdaou02:31:29 Two stories on an explosive collision course tonight:
1. Russian hacking was done at the highest levels
2. Team Trump knew what was going on
05:35:14 Retweeted @jswatz00:12:09 Twitter was bumped from the Trump tech meeting because the room already had too many characters.
05:40:14 Reading – Trump’s campaign is threatening “political reprisal” for defecting Republican electors (Matthew Rozsa) https://t.co/T4vgz37Me6
23:52:44 Retweeted @eliasisquith22:14:32 CNN is reporting that Trump’s refusal to acknowledge Russia interference has made White House decide orderly transition isn’t main priority
01:11:33 Retweeted @dcjohnson2016-12-11 17:19:48 So you’re in the intelligence community. You have a source embedded in the Russian govt. Do you brief Trump, risking the source’s life?
22:23:29 Retweeted @owillis21:36:32 when gop loses, they just insist america really loved them anyways and carries on.
when dems lose they go cry in their bed like a teen.
00:29:47 Retweeted @ananavarro2016-12-12 22:08:42 Hillary had share of mistakes, self-inflicted injuries & flaws, but man, given Putin, Stein, Weiner, Comey…it’s a wonder she got so close.
00:38:55 Retweeted @NyleDiMarco2016-12-12 21:03:04 I SHOOK OBAMA’S HAND and told him in Sign Language, “IM DEAF AND I LOVE YOU.”Obama laughed and replied back in ASL, “Thank you”
00:50:47 Reading – Harry Reid: The Trump Campaign ‘Was In On’ Russia’s Election Hacking (Stein/Grim) https://t.co/3NmsR6fV4f
00:51:41 Retweeted @ddale800:05:02 Trump’s big press conference wasn’t postponed, it went to press conference heaven with Melania’s big press conference.
02:14:51 Reading – Judge rejects Colorado presidential electors’ injunction request, calling it “a political stunt” (Frank) https://t.co/iRBTK6D5Id
04:27:47 Reading – Maddow previews вЂexplosive’ Newsweek story that hints at Turkey’s blackmail of Trump (Boggioni) https://t.co/j4JbQsPHWe
04:59:22 Retweeted @DannyZuker2016-12-10 05:32:07 PATRIOT TEST: If you’re cool with Russia meddling with our election because your candidate won, you’re not a patriot. Also fuck you.
05:07:27 Retweeted @tomtomorrow2016-12-12 13:29:40 Right now someone hacking Trump’s account could set off a stock market crash or a war. Hope he’s using 2-step verification, but I doubt it.
05:11:11 Retweeted @SimonMaloy03:44:52 you won’t find a better summation of the Obama-Trump transition than a nuclear physicist being replaced by a Dancing With The Stars washout
14:47:19 Retweeted @xeni14:39:09 Hey remember when Trump mocked the women he sexually assaulted or raped as being too ugly to be raped? I think about it every day.
02:16:17 Retweeted @JuddLegum01:20:52 UPDATE: GOP members supporting investigation of Russian interference in electionSen Graham
Sen McCain
Sen Lankford
Sen Corker
Rep McCaul
04:03:06 Reading – China flies nuclear bomber over South China Sea to ‘send a message’ to Donald Trump (Jon Sharman) https://t.co/OApT4deuQM
04:52:32 Retweeted @saletan00:00:54 Trump and aides went on TV to dismiss a CIA report they haven’t seen. That’s the story: They treat intel on Russian ops as a threat to Trump
04:59:25 Retweeted @kurteichenwald02:26:48 It needs to be said: Only reason a prez-elect would skip intel briefings is not because he’s too smart. It’s because he’s stupid and lazy.
17:38:45 .@shelleyaw123 Makes it so if they ever cross you, they look like fools & nobody trusts them. Ties them 100% to you & makes them dependent. in reply to abulsme
18:02:08 Retweeted @michaeldweiss17:23:27 FBI, CIA disagree on motive of Russia interfering in a US election. Not on the interference itself, which is the real story.
18:03:39 Retweeted @HayesBrown17:41:40 Also, wtf is the logic behind the “false flag” claim?
– US/Obama hacks DNC
– Leaks emails
– Gets Trump elected?
– Blames Russia
– …Profit?
18:12:16 On Trump picks and clearances -> President-elect Trump’s Picks Redefine “Two-Tiered System of Justice” (Moss) https://t.co/9W9khFuxaR
18:37:14 Reading – Clinton campaign backs call for intelligence briefing before Electoral College vote (Debenedetti/Cheney) https://t.co/i7g5Lgliym
18:38:47 The open letter from electors. Note 9 Ds, 1 R. Wake me when there are more R’s in these sorts of things. -> https://t.co/mPHc6KSkUQ
18:52:01 Retweeted @joeyayoub18:37:19 The messages I’m receiving from East Aleppo are all goodbyes. It’s haunting, beyond words. Humanity is dead.
18:56:05 Reading – With 7 days left, Trump resistance pins last hope on Electoral College (Byron York) https://t.co/srm96h3ZJn
19:00:38 Retweeted @Taniel18:49:10 If this somehow goes to House, behavior of GOP Reps who didn’t back Trump will be interesting—eg. Coffman could swing how CO casts its vote.
23:14:39 Retweeted @BreakingNews23:12:34 Officials: Trump to postpone until January a news conference to outline plan for handling his business operations – Bloomberg News
01:04:59 Retweeted @NickBaumann2016-12-10 23:41:58 It’s fun to imagine the stories about alleged Russian interference in the election except with the partisan politics exactly reversed.
02:40:36 Reading – FBI and CIA give differing accounts to lawmakers on Russia’s motives in 2016 hacks (Nakashima/Entous) https://t.co/dmdBvxcDFX
04:46:30 Retweeted @DecisionDeskHQ04:43:13 As the only operation of it’s kind, we made it through our first Presidential cycle.
04:52:25 Retweeted @jelani92016-12-10 23:31:31 The anti-vax movement can only exist bc few living Americans can recall what polio actually did to ppl. I fear the same is true of fascism.
04:56:49 Retweeted @jeffparker2016-12-10 03:28:02 This election is constant discovery that we’ve mostly depended on an understood set of scruples instead of having laws in place.
05:01:54 Retweeted @Anthony04:31:09 Just to be fair, the list of elections the U.S. government has interfered with is pretty long.
05:10:13 Retweeted @kurteichenwald00:40:13 Reality: Europeans arent going 2 let Trump/Putin alliance harm NATO. GOP might not investigate, but Europe intel already leaking like sieve.
20:22:05 Retweeted @wrmead19:35:30 As Dems transition away from Obama, 3 changes: 1) they hate Russia 2) they love federalism 3) the filibuster becomes a bulwark of liberty.
20:33:58 Concentration on “cyber” may miss the point on Russia. This isn’t just email hacking, but larger disinformation and propaganda campaign.
20:36:26 Retweeted @MarkAmesExiled2016-12-10 15:53:30 “Putin flipped 80,000 Rust Belt voters to his Manchurian Candidate using a teenaged Macedonian fake news troll” is not a conspiracy theory
20:38:32 Retweeted @JuddLegum10:54:05 Updated list of GOP members supporting investigation into Russian interference w/prez electionSen Graham
Sen McCain
Sen Corker
21:02:42 Reading – Kellyanne Conway calls CIA report on Russian election meddling вЂlaughable and ridiculous’ (Guerra) https://t.co/hXzijZVz4q
21:08:26 Retweeted @RadioFreeTom2016-12-10 18:17:02 If HRC chose a SecState who ran an oil giant and got a medal from Putin, the GOPers defending Trump would re-convene the Salem witch trials.
21:17:50 Retweeted @nycsouthpaw20:37:25 I don’t expect electors to change the trajectory we’re on, but I suspect that whatever eventually does will make EC shenanigans seem quaint. in reply to nycsouthpaw
21:24:39 Reading – The last time I loved a Star Wars movie as much as I loved Rogue One, it was 1977. (Wil Wheaton) https://t.co/G9hleagTsh
21:29:34 Retweeted @jaynordlinger18:34:11 Be clear: If a foreign intelligence operation had worked to elect the D, not the R, conservatives would talk of nothing else. Rightly.
04:10:56 Retweeted @mattyglesias02:36:19 Soon under Trump, the US's considerable surveillance skills will be able to join with Russia in influencing the French and German elections.
04:20:47 Retweeted @jbarro03:53:35 Investigating Russia's actions is a very good idea. Using them as a pretext to indulge in One Weird Trick replace-Trump fantasies a bad idea
04:20:56 Retweeted @FranklinFoer01:53:58 Russia tried to elect Trump…And Trump's campaign manager worked for Kremlin's inner circle for decades. But surely that's coincidence.
This is totally a constitutional crisis, isn't it?
05:49:04 Retweeted @chrislhayes00:54:29 A reminder to take every claim made by unnamed US officials about intelligence conclusions with healthy skepticism.
06:32:49 Retweeted @yashar04:33:12 Relative from Iran just emailed (in Farsi) about CIA/Russia Story in WaPo "I thought this kind of thing wasn't supposed to happen in the US"
06:33:47 Retweeted @andylassner05:58:05 I know nothing about being the president but I do know throwing the CIA under the bus and accusing them of lying would not end well for me.
06:34:31 Retweeted @DavidAFrench06:20:59 Imagine, Republicans, what you would think after losing a close election, then finding out Russia was interfering on Hillary's behalf.
06:38:59 Retweeted @Scout_Finch06:10:43 Seriously, if the Russians are sitting on hacked emails and other intel, who's to say there isn't blackmail happening right now?
06:39:41 Retweeted @nycsouthpaw02:04:03 The thing no one will say–from NBC to the WH–is they didn't tell the people what they knew bc they thought the election was in the bag.
06:55:05 Retweeted @KenJennings06:38:51 The Russians ABSOLUTELY have a sex tape of Trump and I just hope this ends without us having to watch any of it.
06:55:36 Retweeted @nycsouthpaw02:06:18 A whole lot of people didn't take risks to make disclosures about Trump because it was easier not to and every model said Clinton would win. in reply to nycsouthpaw
06:58:42 Retweeted @chrislhayes05:12:56 Wait was the whole election a proxy battle between the FBI and the CIA that the FBI won?
07:00:30 Retweeted @bruce_arthur01:33:45 Fun: imagine Hillary was elected with Russian help and gave donors cabinet posts and kept the Clinton Foundation and went on a victory tour
07:01:11 Retweeted @KenJennings01:47:49 It's not cool that if you live in California your vote counts less than someone in Wyoming or North Dakota or the Kremlin.
07:33:40 Retweeted @xenocryptsite02:43:05 The funny thing about close elections is everything mattered and nothing mattered for the same reason.
07:36:01 Retweeted @dandrezner05:24:40 It's fair to ask how much new info WaPo's Russia story contains. What can't be questioned is that the Trump team's response is asinine.
07:41:33 Not that any will happen, but remaining stop points: Electoral College, Congressional cert of electoral votes, 25th amendment, impeachment.
07:46:24 Retweeted @katherinemiller04:30:22 In terms of election, nothing in these reports on CIA really seems very different from what we could observe with our human eyes all year
07:46:43 Retweeted @_Drew_McCoy_04:46:51 BTW- Does anyone really believe that the Russians had access to DNC and RNC (as we're now hearing) but not Hillary's DIY home server?
07:48:56 Retweeted @Redistrict02:32:06 It now appears Hillary Clinton will fall just short of eclipsing Obama's 65.9 million tally in '12. She's at 65.7 million w/ almost all in.
07:52:55 Retweeted @mattyglesias03:25:13 Russian hackers could steal Podesta's emails but it took an ideologically diverse set of American writers to misrepresent what they said.
16:36:47 Retweeted @zeynep04:59:20 Key actor in this saga: People saw 70-90% Clinton win probability; didn't understand that 1-2% polling error would move that by 30-40%.
16:41:53 People minimizing Russia cause "Clinton didn't go to WI" or whatever, just stop. With close election basically ANY factor tips election.
16:44:50 Also, to "we already knew this", yes, we did. But official acknowledgment matters and lifts up the seriousness with which it is taken.
18:56:59 Retweeted @JoshHarkinson17:49:07 The biggest question right now isn't whether Russia influenced the election. It's whether Russia is secretly influencing Trump and the GOP.
This week on Curmudgeon’s Corner, Sam and Ivan’s main topics are Trump’s appointments so far, his call with the President of Taiwan, and the Pizzagate gunman incident. Aside from those, they talk a little about Sam’s “day of smells” and an issue with a computer monitor. Ivan’s brain exploded after talking about Pizzagate though, so no lightning round this week. Also, we recorded before the latest on Russia election interference, so maybe next week on that! :-)
Click below to listen or subscribe… then let us know your own thoughts!
1-Click Subscribe in iTunes View Podcast in iTunes View Raw Podcast Feed Download MP3 File Follow the podcast on Facebook Support us on Patreon
Show Details:
Recorded 2016-12-09
Length this week – 1:26:25
(0:03:30-0:15:33) But First
Agenda
Day of Smells
Monitor
(0:17:33-0:47:12) Trump Appointments
Who is really picking?
Generals? Regular Republicans? Crazies?
Against their own agencies
Executive power
Specific appointments
(0:48:25-1:05:40) Trump Conflicts
Trump’s plan to minimize conflict
Trump International
Who can do anything?
Trump supporter regrets?
(0:47:57-1:10:19) Trump Calls
How calls happen
Pakistan call
Taiwan call
Trump theatrics
(1:11:46-1:26:05) Pizza Gate Gunman
Crazy Stories
What is Pizzagate?
The gunman’s “investigation”
Fake news again
The Curmudgeon’s Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch.