Section: AlterNet (USA)
Russia is finally getting its money’s worth with Trump’s latest Kremlin gift basket
Just in time for Christmas. Despite the overwhelming influence of a convergence of interests between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, many skeptics about a potential conspiracy or covert alliance between the two have argued that the Kremlin hasn’t gotten much in exchange for its efforts to help Trump get...
Robert Reich: Trump’s private transactions are terrifying — here’s why
After two years of Trump we may have overlooked the essence of his insanity: His brain sees only private interests transacting. It doesn’t comprehend the public interest. Trump has described the payments his bag man, Michael Cohen, made to two women during the 2016 campaign so they wouldn’t discuss their alleged affairs with him, as...
Ivanka Trump played an undisclosed role funneling inauguration funds to the family business — raising the ‘potential for undue enrichment’
As the inaugural committee planned the landmark celebration, internal concerns were raised about whether Trump’s Washington hotel was overcharging for event space. The spending could be a violation of the law. When it came out this year that President Donald Trump’s inaugural committee raised and spent unprecedented amounts, people...
Flynn associates claim he was in contact with Russian ambassador about a ‘grand bargain’ during 2016 campaign
“Trump’s chief national security aide was secretly interacting with the representative of a foreign power as that government was mounting information and cyber warfare against the United States.” When Michael Flynn, former national security advisor in the Trump Administration, agreed to cooperate in special counsel Robert...
Here are the 5 things Paul Manafort has been lying to Robert Mueller about
Mueller laid out the case in a new court filing — and said his team could back it up with evidence, if need be. When Special Counsel Robert Mueller declared that President Donald Trump’s former Campaign Chair Paul Manafort was in breach of his plea deal, observers were immediately asking: What did he lie about?Now we know. In a new court...
This Russian oligarch reportedly bragged of his U.S. influence after Trump’s election — and he has a direct tie to Michael Cohen
The sprawling connections between Trump and Russia never end. Viktor Vekselberg is among the Russian oligarchs that Michael Cohen came into contact with during his years as President Donald Trump’s personal attorney. The 61-year-old Ukraine-born Vekselberg has had business and political contacts in the U.S. for decades—and after the 2016...
A major think tank resignation has the political class asking about the ethics of accepting donations from oligarchs
Right-wing anti-Kleptocracy think tank Hudson Institute turned over by revelation of oligarch donor The founder and executive director of the Hudson Institute’s Kleptocracy Initiative has resigned after learning that it accepted a donation from a Ukrainian-born billionaire who he considers to be an oligarch.”Russian kleptocracy has...
Here’s why Trump’s proposed Moscow project is even dirtier than it looks
Just another real estate deal, you say? Not quite: Trump’s deal with a Kremlin-owned bank was blatantly illegal Weirdly, it kind of makes sense that Donald Trump’s supporters on Fox News and elsewhere are brushing off last week’s revelations about the Trump Tower Moscow deal as a “nothingburger.”This knee-jerk reaction makes...
Kremlin official backs Trump into a corner on Putin meeting as Mueller encircles president
A defiant Russian official said the country will not “beg” Trump for a meeting with Putin. A defiant Russian official said the country will not “beg” President Donald Trump for a meeting, Bloomberg News reports.“We won’t beg the American side or impose ourselves,” Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov reportedly said Tuesday. “Now it all...
Here are the 10 best Christmas songs for atheists
What do you do if you’re an atheist who likes Christmas carols? It’s widely assumed that atheists, by definition, hate Christmas. And it’s an assumption I’m baffled by. I like Christmas. Lots of atheists I know like Christmas. Heck, even Richard Dawkins likes Christmas. Plenty of atheists recognize the need for rituals...
