What does a TRUMP presidency look like?

[CountDeMoney]

They gave him crayons and everything.

[derspiess]

I hope he mentions "American workers" at least 50 times.

[LaCroix]

Do we actually believe he is writing a speech?

of course, this is a Big Moment for trump

[HisMajestyBOB]

At 140 characters, it will be the shortest inauguration speech in American history.

[mongers]

At 140 characters, it will be the shortest inauguration speech in American history.

I laughed.

[celedhring]

Meanwhile, in China 

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/29/world/asia/trump-china-rooster-statue.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur



This will end up in tears, won't it?

[Syt]

At 140 characters, it will be the shortest inauguration speech in American history.

Don't think he'll need that many characters, though.

"Suck it, bitches!"

[CountDeMoney]

Meanwhile, in China 

This will end up in tears, won't it?

Not only is it the Year of the Rooster, but a nod to Aesop's fable of the tyrannical rooster.  Best part is, Trump will never figure it out without a pop-up book.

Well played, you scheming little red bastards.

[Ed Anger]

I suddenly want chicken Quesadillas. BRB

[garbon]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/29/barack-obama-sanctions-russia-election-hack

Obama orders sanctions on Russia after campaign hacking during US election

The Obama administration on Thursday announced its retaliation against Russia for what US intelligence services believe to be its efforts to interfere with the US electoral process, ordering sanctions that included the expulsion of 35 Russians and the closure of two Russian compounds in the US.

US intelligence services believe Russia ordered cyber attacks on the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Hillary Clinton's campaign and other political organizations, in an attempt to influence the election in favor of the Republican candidate, Donald Trump.

In a statement issued two weeks after the president said he would respond to cyber attacks by Moscow "at a time and place of our choosing", Obama said Americans should "be alarmed by Russia's actions" and pledged further action.

"I have issued an executive order that provides additional authority for responding to certain cyber activity that seeks to interfere with or undermine our election processes and institutions, or those of our allies or partners," he said.

"Using this new authority, I have sanctioned nine entities and individuals: the GRU and the FSB, two Russian intelligence services; four individual officers of the GRU; and three companies that provided material support to the GRU's cyber operations.

"In addition, the secretary of the treasury is designating two Russian individuals for using cyber-enabled means to cause misappropriation of funds and personal identifying information."

Obama added: "These actions are not the sum total of our response to Russia's aggressive activities. We will continue to take a variety of actions at a time and place of our choosing, some of which will not be publicized."

In a conference call with reporters, senior White House officials said its actions were a necessary response to "very disturbing Russian threats to US national security".

"There has to be a cost and a consequence for what Russia has done," a senior administration official said. "It is in a extraordinary step for them to interfere in the democratic process here in the United States of America. There needs to be a price for that."

In Moscow a Putin spokesman said Russia regretted the new sanctions and would consider retaliatory measures.

Diplomatic expulsions are normally met with exactly reciprocal action. In this case, however, Moscow may pause for thought. With Trump, who has spoken positively about Russia and president Vladimir Putin repeatedly, just three weeks away from the White House, the Russians may feel it is inadvisable to kick out 35 US diplomats.

On Thursday, Konstantin Kosachyov, chairman of the international affairs committee in the upper house of the Russian parliament, was quoted by the RIA news agency as saying the US move represented "the death throes of political corpses".

The Twitter feed of the Russian embassy in London, meanwhile, called the Obama administration "hapless" and attached a picture of a duck with the word "lame" emblazoned across it.

On the White House call, officials were asked about the prospect of Trump overturning the sanctions upon taking office. They acknowledged that a future president could reverse course, but warned against the "inadvisable" step of reopening US intelligence compounds to Russians who were seeking to undermine the democracy of both the US and its allies.

"We have no reason to believe that Russia's activities will cease," a senior official said. "One reason why I think it is necessary to sustain these actions is because there's every reason to believe Russia will interfere with future US elections."

On Capitol Hill, Democratic lawmakers applauded the president's action, called for further measures and emphasized bipartisan support for a thorough investigation into Russian hacking.

"I hope the incoming Trump administration, which has been far too close to Russia throughout the campaign and transition, won't think for one second about weakening these new sanctions or our existing regime," incoming Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.

"Both parties ought to be united in standing up to Russian interference in our elections, to their cyber attacks, their illegal annexation of Crimea and other extra-legal interventions."

Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee, called for further sanctions from the new Congress when it convenes in January.

Trump and leading Republicans have consistently rejected reports of Russian interference. On Thursday, GOP leaders were quick to frame the new sanctions as too little too late.

"Russia does not share America's interests," House speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement. "In fact, it has consistently sought to undermine them, sowing dangerous instability around the world.

"While today's action by the administration is overdue, it is an appropriate way to end eight years of failed policy with Russia. And it serves as a prime example of this administration's ineffective foreign policy that has left America weaker in the eyes of the world."

On Wednesday, Trump was asked by reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida if the US should sanction Russia over hacking activities. He said: "I think we ought to get on with our lives.

"I think that computers have complicated lives very greatly. The whole age of computer has made it where nobody knows exactly what's going on."

On Thursday his nominated White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, used an appearance on CNN shortly before the announcement of the sanctions to suggest the DNC should have protected its email accounts more effectively.

"The question hasn't even been asked," he said "Did you take basic measures to protect the data that was on there? Where's the responsibility of them to protect their systems?"

A statement from the US state department said the diplomatic expulsions were a response not only to hacking but to "a pattern of harassment of our diplomats overseas, that has increased over the last four years, including a significant increase in the last 12 months".

The statement said the harassment has included "arbitrary police stops, physical assault, and the broadcast on state TV of personal details about our personnel that put them at risk".

For some time, US diplomats in Russia have anecdotally reported being followed and harassed by police every time they leave the embassy, or having their cars stopped by traffic police repeatedly.

In June, a US diplomat was wrestled to the ground by a policeman as he scrambled to get inside the embassy. Russian authorities said the man was a CIA agent operating under diplomatic cover.

[celedhring]

Trump was asked by reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida if the US should sanction Russia over hacking activities.. He said: "I think we ought to get on with our lives. I think that computers have complicated lives very greatly. The whole age of computer has made it where nobody knows exactly what's going on."

[Syt]

And I thought Merkel's comment two or so years ago that the internet is still "new territory" for everyone was bad.

[CountDeMoney]

35 Russians?  That's quite a crowd to walk back to Checkpoint Charlie.

[jimmy olsen]

Trump was asked by reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida if the US should sanction Russia over hacking activities.. He said: "I think we ought to get on with our lives. I think that computers have complicated lives very greatly. The whole age of computer has made it where nobody knows exactly what's going on."

"Nobody knows what's going on" is just Trumps go to answer to questions he doesn't want to answer. Since nobody knows,  he can't give an opinion, and anyone else who does is pulling a fast one.

[11B4V]

Trump was asked by reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida if the US should sanction Russia over hacking activities.. He said: "I think we ought to get on with our lives. I think that computers have complicated lives very greatly. The whole age of computer has made it where nobody knows exactly what's going on."

"Nobody knows what's going on" is just Trumps go to answer to questions he doesn't want to answer. Since nobody knows,  he can't give an opinion, and anyone else who does is pulling a fast one.

Keep tabs on Twitter.