The Trump Presidency | Biden Inaugurated
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He should ask Obama about area 51 and the hell to the rest.President-elect Donald Trump is about to learn the nation’s ‘deep secrets’
What President-elect Donald Trump did on his trip to Washington
Trump arrives at the White House for a meeting with Obama and on Capitol Hill to meet with Republican congressional leaders.
One of the most important phases of the transition to power for President-elect Donald Trump includes briefings on U.S. intelligence capabilities and secret operations as well as separate descriptions of the extraordinary powers he will have over the military, especially contingency plans to use nuclear weapons, according to officials.
In 2008, after then-President-elect Obama was given one sensitive intelligence briefing at a secure facility in Chicago, he joked, “It’s good that there are bars on the windows here because if there weren’t, I might be jumping out.”
Though Trump has been given some intelligence briefings on threats and capabilities, there are a series of separate briefs scheduled for the president-elect into what Obama has called “our deep secrets.”
Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks said she could not provide any information on the schedule for the briefings. Previous presidents received them over the course of the entire transition.
First is a detailed look at technical and human intelligence sources and methods that provide critical information on Special Access Programs — the most sensitive top-secret undertakings — for drone strikes and other intelligence operations. This would include the disclosure, if Trump wants the names, of the dozens of officials abroad paid by the CIA, to the tune of millions of dollars. Though entitled, presidents normally have not asked for names unless the secret relationship involves a particularly important CIA asset.
Other methods include the most sensitive technical capabilities of the National Security Agency to intercept communications abroad, store them and make them instantly available to analysts and operators.
Trump will learn that the president is considered “The First Customer” by the intelligence community, which has a tradition of responding to any and every presidential request.
A second briefing will be on the covert actions undertaken by the CIA that are designed to change events abroad without the hand of the United States being revealed publicly. There are currently about a dozen such “Findings” — intelligence orders signed by the president. Some are broad authorities to conduct lethal counterterrorism operations in dozens of countries. Others are narrow, such as support for clandestine efforts in a single country to stop genocide or payments to political opposition or rebels.
Under law and procedures, such covert-action orders are issued by the office of the president, and Obama’s orders will continue unless Trump, as president, changes them. Normally, the president-elect will review current covert actions and decide before the inauguration whether he wants to continue, modify or cease any. He also could add new covert operations after taking the oath.
Obama received his briefing on covert action Dec. 9, 2008.
Under law, the president can decide to launch new covert operations but must inform the Senate and House intelligence committees. For particularly sensitive operations, the president has to see only that the Gang of Eight is informed. The eight are the two party leaders of both the Senate and House, plus the chairman and ranking member of the intelligence committees.
Among the most important “Findings” are counter-proliferation operations designed to prevent a country from obtaining a nuclear weapon or a nuclear weapon delivery capability.
Other operations are offensive aggressive cyberattacks involving stealthy computer hacking designed to break into computer systems of foreign governments. Previously, they have been called the Computer Network Attack (CNA) and are among the most highly secret undertakings of the U.S. government.
In addition, Trump will receive information on domestic counterterrorism overseen by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security. After the 9/11 attacks, the FBI was turned loose to stop the next attack. Efforts to penetrate banks, communications and foreign corporations in the United States have been significantly expanded.
Trump will also be given information about “Continuity of Government,” which are the plans and procedures designed for implementing the line of presidential succession. That could be in case of a terrorist attack or other emergency in which the president dies or could not carry out the duties of his office.
A third briefing will be on nuclear-war plans and options. The “football,” a briefcase carried by the military aide to the president, includes authentication codes designed to ensure that any launch order comes only from the commander in chief.
The “football” also contains a book of options benignly called the “Presidential Decision Handbook.” This top secret/code-word book, known as the “Black Book,” of about 75 pages has separate contingency plans for using nuclear weapons against potential adversaries such as Russia and China.
The president can select nuclear strike packages against three categories — military targets, war-supporting or economic targets and leadership targets. There are sub-options, and the menu allows a president to withhold attacks on specific targets.
Two officials said that the “Black Book” also includes estimates on the number of casualties for each of the main options that run into the millions, and in some cases over 100 million. Officials who have dealt with nuclear-war options said that learning the details can be horrifying and that there is a “Dr. Strangelove” feel to the whole enterprise.
President-elect George W. Bush did not receive his briefing on nuclear options until five days before inauguration in 2001.
Top White House officials say that presidents in the past have had no love and little interest in getting the nuclear war plans briefing and almost recoil at the prospect of having such authority. Under practice as the commander in chief, the president can employ U.S. military forces as he sees fit.
The system of authentication and options is designed for quick response to attack in an emergency. A president might have to make a decision in a matter ofminutes with little or no time to consult the secretary of defense, military leaders or the National Security Council.
In addition, Trump will receive briefings from the Pentagon on current military operations, including the deployments in the ongoing wars in Afghanistan, against the Islamic State and other Special Operations actions abroad.
After one of the briefings in 2008, Obama told a close adviser that it was perhaps one of the most sobering experiences of his life. He said, “I’m inheriting a world that could blow up any minute in half a dozen ways, and I will have some powerful but limited and perhaps even dubious tools to keep it from happening.”
In an Oval Office interview on July 10, 2010, Obama confirmed that he had made that sort of comment.
“Events are messy out there,” he said. “At any given moment of the day, there are explosive, tragic, heinous, hazardous things taking place.” He acknowledged that as president it was his responsibility to deal with all these problems. “People are saying, ‘You’re the most powerful person in the world. Why aren’t you doing something about it?’ ”
The power of the presidency has two sides. On one, it is an extraordinary concentration of constitutional and legal authority. On the other, as Obama said, it can be limited and dubious.
Soon, Trump will experience both the power and its limits.
Evelyn Duffy contributed to this report.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...f9bc40-a847-11e6-8fc0-7be8f848c492_story.html
When Obama was first elected a similar reaction occurred, if not worse actually.
The KKK literally protested his election victory, people hung up noose's from trees, Students painted signs such as "lets shoot that nigger" and "let Obama hang" then of course, white males decided to beat up black males, because the (then) new president was black. School kids chanting assassinate Obama.
In fact on the topic of assassination - does nobody remember how genuine the threat that someone would actually kill Obama was back then?
Are people's memories that short?
That's because you are a thoroughly loveable and decent chap. However, I think you're in for shit when you clock out mate. Going to have to explain how you are such a lying, devious, rude, obnoxious, arrogant, argumentative, and nasty fecker. When playing WW game lol x x x x x
And I pretty sure the people who did the "lock her up" chants would calmly accept it if Clinton won.
My niece's husband is from Guatemala and he voted for Trump (he supported Obama)
This is exactly what I mean. It's hypocrisy.
If Clinton won, the cries of "fixed, corruption, establishment, wall-street, lobbyists" etc. would hound her entire presidency. Just like Obama supposedly being a Kenyan Muslim hounded his presidency.
So I say, why should Trump get an easy ride?
My Indian neighbor here, in his thick accent, actually said its good that Trump is getting rid of people who are here illegally.
Yes. And some people are glad to see this shift. I think it's some sort of impulse that wants you to think everything's under control.
Wankers like this always get away with it. See brexit and 300m a week for the NHS.
Arrogance in here is incredible.
When I see the word "white" I laugh a bit, I'm Portuguese and work for a school district, ignorance is a fact from most white descendant from north of Europe (and teachers), for them I'm not white but Hispanic - is not a race but anyway and most of them think Portugal must be a small country in central America, also in US they use the word Latino wrong, any country their language has Latin influence are Latinos and beside South and Central America we have Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Romania. I see the word "white" a lot on this forum and the link has nothing to do with the elections but a bit of info for some people here.
http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-10-28/im-white-barcelona-los-angeles-im-hispanic
P.S. My son is blonde and has blue eyes and is after his grand-father.
Evolution in any form can hardly be squared with traditional religious beliefs. The idea that all life on this planet, including human life, developed from purely random, incremental processes, from its inception 3.5 billion years ago to the present day, isn't compatible with the oversight of an all powerful Deity with a primary interest in human beings. When life was stalled at the unicellular stage for several billion years after its beginnings, the temptation for such a Being to kick the can along the road would surely have been irresistible.
On the other hand, although the contradictions are carefully ignored, elements of evolutionary logic don't sit will with liberal ideology either. Particularly on issues like Race. Ask a left wing biologist about the differential evolution of geographically separated human populations over the last 50,000 to 70,000 years and listen to some waffle.
Yeah I catch myself doing the same, the thought that this man is going to lead the world is still unbearable to me, so I escape into the hope that he isn't the man I know him to be.
So i'm told to give him a chance... You know what? I have. I've given him 1000 chances to redeem himself. I tried to listen to him (his actual rallies, not the media coverage). I looked at his "contract with the american people" and thought about his policies. Truth be told, I make and laugh at the odd misogynistic joke myself, so that didn't stir me too much. But he has promised to make America great again, he's promised his folks heaven on earth. A heaven he told them they deserved. A heaven that should be theirs, a heaven he says that is being kept from them by the "elites". And he doesn't have an iota of a clue how to bring that heaven to those people (BECAUSE EARTH JUST FECKIN ISN'T HEAVEN).
So what will those people do when things don't improve? What will those masses of people do when their situation gets worse, as it inevitably will. Are they going to turn on their saviour? They've already said he's their last chance. "Maybe he shakes up washington, it can't get worse for us". Feck they will. But he will know EXACTLY who's fault it all is...
Where are you going with this?
There's a good reason that some races have more melanin in their skin and brown eyes are more common in hot climates than cold. That's actually a great example of evolution in action. Can't think of any left wing biologist who would have any problem with what you're describing.
Or am I missing something?
I think he means a difference in mental abilities as a consequence of evolution in different conditions. My intuition may be wrong of course.
I kind of assumed it would be something pejorative about non-white people, knowing his politics. Was hoping he'd come out and say it as opposed to the usual hit and run insinuations.
I can't speak for Pedro, but if I think if I'm honest with myself most of my positions are not that far off from "mainstream economics". But that's not what economists are writing 90% of the time in their newspaper columns or op-eds, but rather what's written in academic papers, textbooks, etc. Its not that I automatically endorse anything you find out there, a lot of it is fluff by grad students and young professors that just need to get published. Unlike some people though, that called for the whole field to be thrown out post-08, I still believe its worth the time to think, gather data, and try to come out with some hypotheses for all that we see going on in the world.
One of the things I think most economists would agree on is that neither the current levels of deficit spending, nor the ones we now project if Trump goes ahead with his plans, are long-term beneficial in any way. Developing countries can justify deficit spending if they're investing in the things that'll significantly grow their economy, and hence their ability to pay down the debt in the future. Its a much harder sell when a developed country is trying to do the same.
That's related to the melanin, too, but in an inverted way.
Self-interest as well. They aren't going to suffer personally, so what the hell, enjoy the ride.
And the "let's judge him on what he does and treat him normally till then" is so ass-backwards it's unreal. You judge him on what he's said, be vigilant, HOPE he doesn't carry out what he's threatened and if he tries, fight it. Not this nauseating crap some are trying to push.
The picture with Trump and Farage also had Raheem Kassam in it. He was born into a Muslim family in the UK and is now a prominent member of UKIP. It takes all sorts as they say round my way.
some are saying there was a lot of voter suppression because of certain portions of the Civil Rights Act being struck off . I did not see anything in the news.
Anyone hear anything?
Anyone hear anything?
Raheem Kassam is one of the most bigoted people around in UK politics at the moment.
The idea that people with brown skin can't be bigotted or racist is kind of racist in itself.
/shitstirring
/shitstirring
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They've become reconciled to genetically mediated 'superficial' differences (although there's still a little discomfort), but when the discussion turns to significant physical, cognitive or temperamental differences, the ideological shutters come down.
After all the human brain is our primary tool in interacting with the world, the part of us which, individually or collectively, most determines our success or failure in the battle of life. It should be the quickest organ to react to the differing demands of different environments.
Because there is no point on doing so. Republicans - by being total arseholes in the senate - did very bad for US. If Democrats do the same, it will be bad for the US.
I hated Trump as much as anyone, but now that he is President-elect, I hope that all will try to work with him. If Trump is a success, then US (and most of the world) would be in a good position. If Trump fails, then so will US.
It's the most plastic organ in the body. Genotypically identical brains can develop radically differently in different environments. Which is where the idea of genetically superior brains for white people that I think you're hinting at falls apart.
Bernie's post-morten.....
Well, at least it's better than the black people being the 14th cursed tribe of Israel who were sinners and abomination before God theory.
I think the evidence points more to Orientals, Pogue.
But it's a tricky subject which can't be properly investigated because of the aforementioned taboos,
Shame that Bernie is already 75 years old. He would have walked the next Democrat primaries if he was a little bit younger.
of course people will work with him. But I'm not part of the American political system why should I forget the disgusting campaign he ran?
Dunno though, all these discussions of financial impropriety are from the past so maybe we should just let sleeping dogs lie?
Not sure I understand this whole "if he's a success it will be good for all of us" line of thinking. Success to Trump and the Republicans could look very different to what you would consider success.
Plenty. Most of it was in the election thread. A google should bring up some results.
Success for them would be repealing the Affordable Care Act and defunding Planned Parenthood
Pretty sure a significant growth in GDP would be good for more than just Trump voters.
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