World War Tweet: The Megaton Thread!

[Admiral Yi]

Peter Thiel, citizen of New Zealand.

[The Minsky Moment]

The lawyer Thiel paid to go after gawker was also hired by Melania Trump. 

[garbon]

BB that's because Trump is deep closet.  Decor by Liberace.  "Grab em by the pussy" - what hetero would ever say that?  Everything screams overcompensation.

I don't know about that but really Donald (who used to be a Dem) isn't all about conservative values. Sure he's latching on to current trends (like hating muslims) but that doesn't say much about largely outmoded things (like hating on gays). Really, we're largely irrelevant to him...though I would not be surprised if it was a big 'ol queen who has helped with some of that over the top decorating.

[citizen k]

...though I would not be surprised if it was a big 'ol queen who has helped with some of that over the top decorating.

That stereotype is probably the way Trump thinks all gay people are. 

[garbon]

...though I would not be surprised if it was a big 'ol queen who has helped with some of that over the top decorating.

That stereotype is probably the way Trump thinks all gay people are. 

[jimmy olsen]

I think Putin may be starting to have buyers remorse. 

Money is right, we're probably all going up in nuclear fire.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-putin-idUSKBN15O2A5?il=0

Exclusive: In call with Putin, Trump denounced Obama-era nuclear arms treaty - sources


By Jonathan Landay and David Rohde | WASHINGTON

In his first call as president with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump denounced a treaty that caps U.S. and Russian deployment of nuclear warheads as a bad deal for the United States, according to two U.S. officials and one former U.S. official with knowledge of the call.

When Putin raised the possibility of extending the 2010 treaty, known as New START, Trump paused to ask his aides in an aside what the treaty was, these sources said.

Trump then told Putin the treaty was one of several bad deals negotiated by the Obama administration, saying that New START favored Russia. Trump also talked about his own popularity, the sources said.

"The president's conversation with President Putin is a private call between the two of them, and I'm going to leave it at that," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said when asked about the accounts of the call.

It has not been previously reported that Trump had conveyed his doubt about New START to Putin in the hour-long call.

New START gives both countries until February 2018 to reduce their deployed strategic nuclear warheads to no more than 1,550, the lowest level in decades. It also limits deployed land- and submarine-based missiles and nuclear-capable bombers.

During a debate in the 2016 presidential election, Trump said Russia had "outsmarted" the United States with the treaty, which he called "START-Up." He asserted incorrectly then that it had allowed Russia to continue to produce nuclear warheads while the United States could not.

Two Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, senators Jeanne Shaheen and Edward J. Markey, criticized Trump for deriding what they called a key nuclear arms control accord.

"It's impossible to overstate the negligence of the president of the United States not knowing basic facts about nuclear policy and arms control," Shaheen said in a statement. "New START has unquestionably made our country safer, an opinion widely shared by national security experts on both sides of the aisle."

Daryl Kimball, the executive director of the Arms Control Association, a Washington-based advocacy group, said: "Unfortunately, Mr. Trump appears to be clueless about the value of this key nuclear risk reduction treaty and the unique dangers of nuclear weapons."

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said he supported the treaty during his Senate confirmation hearings.

During the hearings Tillerson said it was important for the United States to "stay engaged with Russia, hold them accountable to commitments made under the New START and also ensure our accountability as well."

Two of the people who described the conversation were briefed by current administration officials who read detailed notes taken during the call. One of the two was shown portions of the notes. A third source was also briefed on the call.

Reuters has not reviewed the notes taken of the call, which are classified.

The Kremlin did not immediately respond to requests for comment.


CONCERNS OVER PHONE CALLS

The phone call with Putin has added to concerns that Trump is not adequately prepared for discussions with foreign leaders.

Typically, before a telephone call with a foreign leader, a president receives a written in-depth briefing paper drafted by National Security Council staff after consultations with the relevant agencies, including the State Department, Pentagon and intelligence agencies, two former senior officials said.

Just before the call, the president also usually receives an oral "pre-briefing" from his national security adviser and top subject-matter aide, they said.

Trump did not receive a briefing from Russia experts with the NSC and intelligence agencies before the Putin call, two of the sources said. Reuters was unable to determine if Trump received a briefing from his national security adviser Michael Flynn.

In the phone call, the Russian leader raised the possibility of reviving talks on a range of disputes and suggested extending New START, the sources said.

   New START can be extended for another five years, beyond 2021, by mutual agreement. Unless they agree to do that or negotiate new cuts, the world's two biggest nuclear powers would be freed from the treaty's limits, potentially setting the stage for a new arms race.

New START was ratified by the U.S. Senate in December 2010 by a vote of 71 to 26. Thirteen Republican senators joined all of the Senate's Democrats in voting for the treaty, although Republican opponents derided it as naive.

The call with Putin was one of several with foreign leaders where Trump has turned to denounce deals negotiated by previous administrations on trade, acceptance of refugees and arms control.

In a phone call with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Trump questioned an agreement reached by the Obama administration to accept 1,250 refugees now being held by Australia in offshore detention centers.


(Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammad and John Walcott; Editing by John Walcott, Kevin Krolicki and Ross Colvin)

[CountDeMoney]

It actually irks him that the Russians may have a few more warheads.  Seriously.

[mongers]

Come on guys a few fake Trump tweets was funny, but this is tiresome, it's not even like he'd post something this outlandish:

I feel "BITCHES" is missing from that tweet.

Donald J. Trump ‏@realDonaldTrump  4m4 minutes ago

SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!

* Cross posted from the other thread, plus Tim is posting non-tweet stuff in this one. 

[11B4V]

 

[viper37]

I think Putin may be starting to have buyers remorse. 

Money is right, we're probably all going up in nuclear fire.

seriously?  where do these leaks all come from?  Private call between him and Putin, call at 3:00 am to Flynn about the dollar, all the other stuff we don't usually hear about...  Did the CIA bug his office and bedroom and started leaking it themselves??

[jimmy olsen]

Mattis is the only competent one among them, but how much will he really be able to influence events?

http://dailycaller.com/2017/02/08/mattis-may-be-much-tougher-on-china-than-his-public-comments-suggest/

The secretary of defense reportedly distrusts China and is willing to challenge it if necessary.

During his recent visit to Tokyo, Secretary of Defense James Mattis publicly emphasized "diplomacy" over "dramatic military moves" in the South China Sea, but he allegedly made much more forceful comments in private, according to the Nikkei Asian Review.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Japanese counterpart Defense Minister Tomomi Inada, Mattis said that the U.S. should use diplomacy to contribute to the resolution of regional disputes.

"What we have to do is exhaust all efforts, diplomatic efforts to try and resolve this properly, and maintain open lines of communication. Certainly, our military stance should be one that reinforces our diplomats in this regard," Mattis explained, "At this time, we do not see any need for dramatic military moves at all."

His comments on the South China Sea appeared designed to walk back those of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, who advocated militarily restricting China's access to its artificial islands and said that the U.S. would prevent China from dominating the region.

Mattis' public criticisms of China were limited. "China has shredded the trust of nations in the region, apparently trying to have a veto authority over the diplomatic and security and economic conditions of neighboring states," he argued, adding that China is "increasingly confrontational."

In private, Mattis reportedly expressed stronger anti-China sentiments, inside sources told reporters.

The defense secretary apparently compared China's assertive behavior and quest to control the region to imperial China's subjugation of its neighbors through the tributary system during the Ming Dynasty.

Mattis told Japanese officials that such activities will not be accepted in today's world.

He is reported to have said that the U.S. will no longer tolerate provocative Chinese behavior in the South China Sea. Mattis indicated that not only will the U.S. take an active role in protecting freedom of navigation, but it will also adopt a more aggressive stance than that of the Obama administration to curb the Chinese military buildup in the region.

The previous administration began conducting freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea in October, 2015. While the operations were expected to be occur regularly, former President Barack Obama only carried out four, and some observers suggest that those were not true freedom of navigation operations.

Mattis reportedly said that the frequency of freedom of navigation operations will be stepped up under the new U.S. administration. During the press conference, he stated that "freedom of navigation is absolute, and whether it be commercial shipping or our U.S. Navy, we will practice in international waters and transit international waters as appropriate."

[mongers]

And he's back after a 14 hour hiatus:

Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump    7m

LAWFARE: "Remarkably, in the entire opinion, the panel did not bother even to cite this (the) statute." A disgraceful decision!
View details ·   

[mongers]

And now back to that old standby, the New York Times:

Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump    50m

The failing @nytimes does major FAKE NEWS China story saying "Mr.Xi has not spoken to Mr. Trump since Nov.14." We spoke at length yesterday!

[Solmyr]

World War: postponed.

Trump backs 'One China' policy in first presidential call with Xi

[DontSayBanana]

And now back to that old standby, the New York Times:

Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump    50m

The failing @nytimes does major FAKE NEWS China story saying "Mr.Xi has not spoken to Mr. Trump since Nov.14." We spoke at length yesterday!

lulz; Getting through an editor isn't instantaneous.  Apparently, they need to go back to stamping "at the time of this writing" on everything.