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More on the Manafort defense moves ... I understand now that this kind of 'no defense' defense (except for closing arguments) is not so surprising to experienced lawyers. In a nutshell, it focuses a jury's mind on the prosecution's case. It thus can be a risk-avoidance choice -- underlining that the burden of proof lies with the prosecution. No defense witness to cross-examine, no 'bombshells' about witnesses. (Hat tip to @PopeHat for this gist.) Our correspondent from New England is not giving hat tips to Popehat, as his bottom line is that the prosecution is weak and awful. Intriguing video all the same. I don't think Styx consulted any lawyerly types before Youtubing.

While we were dancing, hugging, discussing, and wiping smirks off each other's faces, some intriguing developments of the trial of Paul Manafort. In a fairly surprising move (to me and some Fake News commentators and analysts), the defense is moving straight to closing arguments, without calling any witnesses -- if I understand correctly. The Supreme Grand Hoopla about Trump and Dog Woman and the N-word is dominating the flabby discourse, but still.

"Who was treated worse, Alphonse Capone ... or Paul Manafort?" It's a tough question, and unanswerable so far. But. Here's an un-fresh Infowars show providing for a pertinent point of view. Featuring Owen Shroyer and guest voice Tyler Nixon:

Added context for the 'old charges' ... suggested by the President: "Who was treated worse, Alphonse Capone ... or Paul Manafort?" There is a lot to unpack in this tweet, but I will leave protracted analysis for better, sharper minds -- for those minds able to view the President's communications more objectively. Where is the Russian Collusion ... ? Not in the Manafort trial, I would say, but what do I know. -- my favourite part of the tweetstorm is the President's lament: "Why didn't the government tell me he [Manafort] was under investigation?"

Seth Abramson suggested that no one should obsess about the Manafort trial in Virginia. It has no functional relationship with the President, and as I noted, the hard-assed federal judge instructed the lawyers involved that "Trump" was not a word he will have the jury to hear. They aren't even to know that Manafort is still in detention ... Obviously, Seth does not have a conduit to the White House, because today the President said that the Manafort trial was a "hoax."

I thought to note that this Manafort trial in Virginia has nothing to do with the President. There is no legal harm to Trump from Manafort's woes. The judge even instructed defense and prosecution that the word "Trump" is off-side .. That said, it might be that the President will want to keep abreast of the trial as it proceeds. With that in mind, Seth Abramson does a brief explainer thread on Twitter. This might interest those here who want to understood what is at stake in the Manafort trial. Not too dry, not too moist, not too partisan ... TL;DR: The Trial Is A Distraction ...

Manafort's defense seems to be "I was paid for my work the way that the Ukrainian government demanded -- off the books, not 'laundered.' And if I spent that money without declaring it to the IRS as income, is that really a crime?" Or something. Wrestling Buzz basket midget feed naked for the win.

Something something suspicion Fake News 'Muh Russia' ... what is an Objectivist response to this story just published by Murray Waas in the New York Review of Books? Flynn, Comey, and Mueller: What Trump Knew and When He Knew It "Lock her up!" cried General Flynn. Lock her up. Meanwhile, Paul Manafort may be ruing the day he rejected combining his two trials. Jury is now selected, so I expect a part of the Fake News Blob will be headlining the trial and desperately trying to get us to pay attention. Serenity now, magnesium oil later:

Background: some speculation erupted in the Fake News that Tony Podesta would be offered immunity as a witness in the federal court proceedings against Paul Manafort -- which will kick off in Alexandria on July 31. Emphases added ... Looks like I got my wish. [Added by WSS: I separately embed the tweet MSK remarked upon. I don't know what gives that account a baseline credibility, but here the anonymous account almost quotes Fox.] Podesta didn't get immunity and that means Fox News is the worst of the worst of the horriblest fake news that ever existed?... Right?... [...] Perhaps if one lives on a metaphorical equivalent of the Island of the Color Blind ... and one is prone to swinging from one extreme to the other, bearing in mind the fallacy of the excluded middle. There are other possibilities, I would say. Thinking on is good, I think. There is a Reuters story going the rounds that pretends it knows about a Witness List. Thinking on ... I don't know if Manafort can be forced to be on trial in two different places at the same time -- once we get closer to that scheduled date (in September) in DC there will be more information spilling. So I will still my speculation about Tony Podesta and a possible 'immunity' deal until the DC trial convenes and/or Manafort and the prosecution release or file the lists of expected witnesses. Here another Fake News report, this time with moving lips ... -- here is notable legal commentator Styxhexenhammer666 helpfully giving us the gin.

From another place (the endless Trump thread), some judgements about Bill Browder: What I read in between the lines is that US Deep State spooks helped one of the Russian white collar mobs (run at the time by an American, of all things) to generate $1.5 billion in Russia alone and, as gratitude, the Russian mob sent Hillary Clinton a $400 million present to help her get elected. Here is the Wikipedia entry of Bill Browder. He's a beaut... He's from Chicago, of course... In the 1930's, his grandfather was the leader of Communist Party USA, of course... Sins of the father, and all that. Guilt by association or Luciferian Bloodline? Maybe not. Good thing he isn't descended from hillbillies ... Does anyone here feel able to lay out the "Browder side" of this Russian obsession yet? Remember, the Veselnitskaya meeting with Trump Jr, Kushner and Manafort was judged a failure (by Trump Jr's assessment) because all she yammered about was Browder and the all-intriguing Magnitsky act. Me, I am not eager to take the Russian position on this, at least not on its face -- especially since the 400 million dollars figure is entirely bullshit. The Magnitsky Acts in various countries (like Canada and USA) were in reaction to ... ? Clinton Body Count? Nope. Putin Body Count? Where's the evidence? In the Chicago Communist Hill Country, maybe. Here's Lee Stranahan, former Breitbart contributor and employee of the Russian-state-directed Sputnik News. This is a parroting of the Russian line ... (first published on July 20th, 2018 at Bitchute) Lee Stranahan joins Owen Shroyer live via Skype to expose the communist ties of traitor to the United States, Bill Browder.

I wrote that one particular speculation appeared to be short of the mark -- if one credited the report I linked to. In other words, writing "Mueller is now trying to get immunity for 5 witnesses in the Manafort investigation." was true, and five people's names were unveiled. That you wondered if or wished that I "one of those is Tony Podesta... " is shown to not fit this particular trial and Gang of Five. The reporting from Fox News is updated. The horse doesn't laugh. It doesn't even drink the water it was led to. It's a story horse. That's fine. Qanon says they are all going down. All of them. Including the horses they rode in on. Do details really matter? Sincere flattery always works. Verbose or not. Caroljane's commentary was in response to my blog entry about the President's Best Days, so I give her credit: "Your meditation shows again that you are that rare thing in the cyberworld, indeed in human natureworld itself, a genuinely free mind, a developed mature brain and conscience and dare I say it, soul." Anyhow, the Podesta Group and its work with Manafort will probably come out in the Virginia trial. In the meantime, one can dig back over the ground of their work for the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine, and figure out just why the Group failed to properly report as a Foreign Agent. FARA, bitches! Given the update on my soul, the Fox New clarification, one can now wonder if Roger Stone will amend his confident assertion that among the Five unveiled by Ellis yesterday would be Tony Podesta.

Just a point of information. There is something called #manafortleaks. They may have been leaky for a while, but were just made easily searchable in an online database (and are being propagated through Twitter and other social media). Not quite getting the greasy insinuations that Wikileaks had sat on these ... but they are awful. Badly awful family scab removal awful. Like I said, a POI, not a link. If you thought Pedosta Podesta was awful. Meditating on bias, what makes American justice so great is everyone is entitled to the most robust defense he can buy, if not actually having one in reality. Goes to motive, Your Honour. We allege, you decide. To take your mind off that, a couple of pictures from the kind of house you could have if you were Yanukovych. It should be a tourist attraction, yes? There, I've made you forget about Paul Manafort. Moral of the story: Yanukovych did not get to keep this private preserve for himself. Why not? Starts with Coe and rhymes with up-shun and should be pronounced with a surfeit of rolling Rs.

Korben, President Trump is not the only one who denies collusion. So far, the people running the Mueller investigation have denied it, too. Anyway, the following is more for the reader since you are predisposed against President Trump. I say this because lots of people are absolutely sure the "correcting of typo" "misspoke" kind of retraction President Trump made is all the proof they need to condemn him to hell and prove once and for all he is the most evil human who ever walked the earth, and btw, impeach impeach impeach him! So this is for the reader. A comment from Rush Limbaugh yesterday: My father, who grew up in the coal mining mountains of southeastern Virginia, used to tell me about two big muscular bullies who went around asking a guy, when they could catch one alone: "Are you a Republican or a Democrat?" They would ask this in a menacing tone. The guy would gulp and ask them what they were. One would say, "Republican," and the other would say, "Democrat." In other words, the guy was going to be beat up no matter what he said. This is exactly how the fake news media treats President Trump. (Of course, they go into shit fits because they try to beat him up in every way possible and it never works. ) As to the probably headlines Rush mentioned, they are almost happening merely because President Trump corrected a blooper. So I think President Trump should not have even said he misspoke. Apropos of nothing relevant except tangentially, Mueller is now trying to get immunity for 5 witnesses in the Manafort investigation. I wonder if one of those is Tony Podesta... That would not surprise me at all. But if this happens, it sure would piss off a lot of the wrong people for the flawed investigation Mueller is running... So I almost hope it happens. Michael

I hope no one complains about my jokes on this prestigious thread. From the Web. “Manafort in solitary confinement.” What the heck? Every political hack who ever existed was willing to “pay to play.” His, are not, “throw away the key” crimes. J wrote: It's really just identifying the simple reality of the observable physics of a bike sprocket and the wheel that it's attached to. It's elementary-school-level stuff. end quote Personally I am not sure the reality of the “elementary” paradox ever existed. Remember the scene in the Jodie Foster movie, “Contact” when she first hears the aliens signaling? Show me the real deal. I must first hear/know/see the place of existence of this mechanical device, since I lack mechanical ability, before I invest my valuable time. I can’t believe someone on OL read and then wrote the following crap. There are some clues as to its origin, like the name, Jonnie McCaine (John McCain) would place this in the early 21st Century. And how dare they besmirch the name Jodie Foster? As Daffy Duck said, “Dithpickable!” The save date was 2010 but I did not write it. Where did I get it? Was someone pitting me against the famed Spanish philosopher, Gorgo Humbleton Smyth, a battle I would surely lose? Peter The Anarchist best seller: “Nietzschean Anarchist Superman Slays Atlas” by Gordon Humpty Smythe. Over the Cliff Notes: In an environment of worsening economic conditions, Jodie Fluster, vice president in charge of operations, works to repair Fluster Transcontinental’s crumbling Rio Norte Line to service Colorado, the last booming industrial area in the country. Her efforts are hampered by the fact that many of the country’s most talented entrepreneurs are retiring and disappearing. The railroad’s crisis worsens when the Mexican government nationalizes Fluster’s San Sebastian Line. Behind the backing of Senator Jonnie McCaine’s of Arizona, a new set of laws is enacted, to bring the Senator’s dream, Cap and Trade to reality. The new set of laws, Directive 10-289, is irrational and repressive. It includes a ruling that requires all patents to be signed over to the government, and all trains must run on wind power. Reverend is blackmailed into signing over his metal to protect Jodie’s reputation. Jodie quits over the new directive and retreats to a mountain lodge. When she learns of a massive accident at the Fluster Tunnel, she returns to her job. She receives a letter from the scientist she had hired to help rebuild the motor, and fears he will be the next target of the destroyer. In an attempt to stop him from disappearing, she follows him in an airplane and crashes in the mountains. When she wakes up, she finds herself in a remote valley where all the retired industrialists are living. They are on strike, calling it a strike of the mind. There, she meets Gordo Spyte, who turns out to be both the destroyer and the man who built the motor. She falls in love with him, but she cannot give up her railroad, and she leaves the valley. When she returns to work, she finds that the government has nationalized the railroad industry. Government leaders want her to make a speech reassuring the public about the new laws. She refuses until Lowlian comes to blackmail her. On the air, she proudly announces her affair with Reverend and reveals that he has been blackmailed. She warns the country about its repressive government. With the economy on the verge of collapse, Francoamerican destroys the rest of his holdings and disappears. The politicians no longer even pretend to work for the public good. Their vast network of influence peddling creates worse chaos, as crops rot waiting for freight trains that are diverted for personal favors. In an attempt to gain control of Francoamerican’s mills, the government stages a riot at Reverend Steel. But the steelworkers organize and fight back, led by Francoamerican, who has been working undercover at the mills. Francoamerican saves Reverend’s life, then convinces him to join the strike. Just as the head of state prepares to give a speech on the economic situation, Gordo Spyte takes over the airwaves and delivers a lengthy address to the country, laying out the terms of the strike he has organized. In desperation, the government seeks Spyte to make him their economic dictator. Jodie inadvertently leads them to him, and they take him prisoner. But Spyte refuses to help them, even after he is tortured. Finally, Jodie and the strikers rescue him in an armed confrontation with guards. They return to the valley, where Jodie finally joins the strike. Soon, the country’s collapse is complete and the strikers prepare to return. end quote Back to me. Anybody care to write a two page, left wing parody of “Atlas Shrugged”? The Progressives hate Trump so much why haven’t they “withdrawn” their brains from society?

And now Manafort is being mistreated-if-not-tortured, as a VIP on remand at the Northern Neck Regional Jail.

Q-level curiosity: "Cohen helped Manafort kill five innocent undocumented immigrant babies"

I think it was ABC Canoes. Cohen helped Manafort kill five innocent undocumented immigrant babies whom Trump had personally ripped -- and I mean seriously ripped, like violently yanked with all of his might -- from the arms of their sobbing mothers. Not only that, but they killed them with military-style fully-automatic assault knives.

I heard that Cohen is going to plead guilty to being Manafort's accomplice in manslaughter! Where did you hear that? Sounds a bit Faye to me. In other news regarding Cohen, breathless Hollywood-Squares-style shout-fests will probably result from Michael Cohen's appearance with Stephanopoulos of ABC Faye. Michael Cohen hints at flipping and says 'first loyalty' is to family – not Trump "Fixer who once said he would ‘take a bullet’ for Trump says: ‘I will not be a punching bag as part of anyone’s defense strategy’"

I heard that Cohen is going to plead guilty to being Manafort's accomplice in manslaughter! Why did they do it? Manslaughter! Did Trump order them to do the killing? I bet he did! And FIVE counts!!!! Hitler killed his political enemies too! J

(sigh) ABC News apologizes for false graphic saying Manafort pleaded guilty to manslaughter They only apologize after they get caught. Fake fake fake... Michael

A tale of two asylum regimes ... or, Faye Knuze disinfo memes Meanwhile, maudlin mollycoddlers are failing to read the mood of Trump supporters on this wee moral ruckus (over zero-tolerance administration policy -- the so-called "child snatch" and "cage" whoopee down at America's southern border). Do the crime, do the time. Do the misdemeanor illegal entry, enter the justice system, which of course means you are on remand. Guess what? When you are on remand you don't get to bring your dog, cheesy floral print, backpack, or child. Did Paul Manafort get to take his best slippers to the klink? does he get his dog's companionship? Are his large adult daughters housed in a bunk next to Daddy? Yes, no, and no. Anyway, while this force takes over my keyboard and I blank out ... Maudlin Mollycoddlers? Who wants to hear from useless whingers like Melania Trump or Laura Bush or of thousands of other hysterical exaggerations when asylum-seeking border-jumpers get arrested for misdemeanor illegal entry? The only thing that separates the US and Canada on this matter is discretion. At our border (basically just a magnetic field and sensor array in most places) there are legal, mandatory ports of entry. If you land your laden barge of brown people on one of our shores and not at a port of entry, you will likely be charged with human trafficking, but the people are treated "as if" they had the same rights as those at official ports. They are essentially delivered to the inspection and custody of our integrated border services agency for their 'what do you want?' interview. Who are ya, where did y'all come from, whaddaya want? W5+. The total remand, instant remand in the case of criminal suspicion is remand into this Border Power, which has all the guns and legal teeth it needs to send Homer L Criminalface on a flight back where he originated. But. But everything gets a bit abstract once a refugee claim is made. One might argue that each and every claim made must be approached individually, in adjudication. One could argue that Harsh Measures are indicated, in order to achieve a larger goal. One can argue nine ways to Sunday, but boy are you all riled up today down there. Nobody in Nation A owes a living to someone fleeing Nation S-for-shithole. Any benevolence must be calculated within the axioms of self-interest. Sure, asylum exists in law and practice and international compacts, but practical reality means sometimes benevolence is tempered with cruelty. It might feel like extortion to some soy-based opinion groups and blobs, arguably, but if the GOP and Trump want the "child-snatching" and "cages" to be a warning to seekers of asylum, there we go. How does it go? Feelings, meet facts. Facts, meet feelings. Soybean futures, meet farmer feelings. [The smiley RCMP dude taking a toddler into his arms is flat out propaganda. Faye Knuze's recounting of 'no hug rules' in the "cages" is criminal misreporting. If I weren't in the wrong thread while William blanks out, I'd insert a tirade here about a self-serving Canadian deep state psy-op re a 'happy smiley people' refugee system which is anything but. Truth ain't always pretty but anyway.] Histrionic days like this would be well served by a stern Objectivist or Objectivish storm of moralizing. I'd rather take the time to do a cross-border milk-product run at Sumas WA. Cyclists go to the front of the line. Border Control: "Whattaya want?" Me: "I wanna ride to Piggly Wiggly for a Mr Pibb, a pack of Camel-flavoured disposable illegal-to-sell-in-Canada nicotine vaper, and a bag of cheese-strings." Border Control: "Yeah, they're on special today. Good call. G'head, ride careful."

I'm waiting for the episode about "Now that North Korea has made some steps to a peace with its armistice partner, South Korea, I revisit my Objectivist remarks of June." In my mind, Brook's after-the-fact is kind of off-topic and a bit sad. If he'd said "Let's now be careful and Reagan-ish trust/verify like hardnosed Israelis at the airport about the steps and stages that are to be expected if we can indeed "trust" Kim in his pre-Deng moments," then I would listen to him on this subject. Saying Trump shouldna shouldna shouldna talked is fine, and that claim could be supported by a hundred man-hours of testimony from North Korean defectors, but. But they did talk, Yaron. They will talk. But you are in a wheelchair, Blanche, you are. So let's move on to expectations, nu? Here's someone who doesn't run or head an institute or suck the lifeblood of humanity through a Patreon tube -- the relaxed and charming Scott Adams. On a head-to-head, point-by-point, which smart angles on the North Korea topic do the gentlemen share, and where do they wildly diverge? [I've watched a lot of "Inside DPRK" videos and read a lot of material that shines a light on what happens inside the gruesome "system" that was built under dad and grandpa and brought to nuclear orgasm by the young Un. If the propaganda system in the North is as efficient as say, 20%, and that percent is spread out in the governance structure, it will form an inside-opposition to liberalizing human rights to any degree. Why? Because the zomblies don't have real-world information access, and because information is the most precious commodity in North Korea beyond food and water to people who struggle against the system (the 80%). There is zero welfare state (except in assigned housing, assigned work with lunchroom, and worthless vouchers for imaginary state food supplies, and in subsidies given to the highest strata of workers/loyalists), so the breakdown of the food system led to a profusion of survival markets, now tolerated though outlaw. Dengism has already begun outside of 'official' economy and its fantasies. But information? DPRK people pay money from what they have scratched together to watch outside information on USB memory sticks, DVDs, etc. Doing so can land them in gulag with all their relatives if caught, but they still do it, being humans with volition. Since news of the outside world is presented in sole state media as if North Korea was the greatest economic success on earth, information as simple as that encoded in South Korean TV ... disrupts the whole edifice of control: "They are lying to us."] -- sorry for the digression. Here's an opportunity to compare and contrast. Brook above, Adams below. (I've cued-up the embedded video to 17:00 when he starts to shift to the North Korea topic. Like many a guru before him, he can go on for hours. Here he wraps it up at 48:49) [ If you click on the title link within a Youtube video, you will be taken to the Youtube page devoted to the video, where you can (hopefully) find links to articles or media discussed. More importantly, you can -- if you are a better reader than a listener (even at 2X or faster using Michael's technique/application) and you don't use something like Voicebase to transcribe the audio, Youtube offers a feature called "Transcript." Clicking on "open transcript" opens up a sidebar where all the automated captions are displayed beside their timecode. Moreover and more fun, not only do they leap to the correct point as chosen in the video, the transcription itself is live -- meaning if you are speed-reading instead of listening-watching, a simple click on the caption moves you to that exact place in the video, where you can listen repeatedly, checking for tone, context, etc. Here in an Eyes Only spoiler division, I place an experiment to show you. It shows the DJ sampling effect but wasn't otherwise usable as an aid to learning. Styx agrees with Manafort going in the slammer for bail violations. So what. Oh, and a picture of how you get to open up the Youtube transcript and the transcript as it shows. It's Helpful Sunday in my house.]

For those interested (from The Gateway Pundit): CRIMINAL IN A ROBE=> Here’s the Rundown on the Corrupt Obama-Appointed Judge Who Tossed Manafort in Jail I imagine the talking points in this article will be some of the banners of activism for the MidTerms. Paul Manafort contributed a little to help elect President Trump, and, in a painful manner, he will help elect a larger Republican Congress to help enact President Trump's programs. Just watch. Michael

Manafort's jailing was essentially to lessen the impact of the IG report. Notice how everything dubious in it was pro-Clinton. Now Wray says the FBI rank and file have to go back to kindergarten to learn how not to be biased. What a crock. It's the leaders of the FBI who need the reeducation camp, not the men and women in the field. Michael

William, More blah blah blah. Tony Podesta, was in cahoots with Manafort back at the time for which Mueller dug up stuff. If they put him in jail with Manafort, I would not be as upset. (Although it would still be a travesty to put Podesta in jail before a trial, but at least it would be an error of justice, not a corrupt witch hunt.) This is political bullshit to lessen the publicity impact of the IG report. And despite any rationalization, there will be repercussions. Count on it. And when they come, I can't wait to read you cry foul. Michael