Just in case you are still not aware of how badly Donald Trump crashed and burned during his Fox and Friends interview yesterday, I present this tweet as proof.

As a citizen you should know how much the president really lost it by the end of this interview today... pic.twitter.com/3cnueHZl45

— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) April 27, 2018

Keep in mind that was just one small piece of a rambling 30 minute interview, during which Trump seemed to be purposefully committing political and legal suicide.

Here are some other highlights (Or if you prefer, lowlights.).

On his, at the time, pick to head the VA Ronny Jackson:

"(Jackson) has a perfect record. He's got this beautiful record unblemished."

Boy that worked out well didn't it?

Decision to fire James Comey:

"I did a great thing for the American people by firing him."

Uh huh.

On interfering with the Mueller investigation:

" I'm very disappointed in my Justice Department but because of the fact that it's going under, and I think you'll understand this, I have decided that I won't be involved. I may change my mind at some point because what's going on is a disgrace."

"And our Justice Department, which I try and stay away from, but at some point I won't."

So he MIGHT interfere. But then again, he might not.

Trump history lesson:

"If you go back to the Civil War it was the Republicans that really did the thing." 

Yeah, you know the Republicans did the thing, at that place, during, you know, the time.

Trump grades his own presidency:

"I would give myself an A+."

I have to wonder if after this bizarre performance even Trump's most staunch supporters would give his presidency anything but an F-?

Donald Trump welcomed the book by James Comey with open arms. Just kidding, it inspired this unhinged Twitter rant.

James Comey just threw Andrew McCabe “under the bus.” Inspector General’s Report on McCabe is a disaster for both of them! Getting a little (lot) of their own medicine?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 19, 2018

I watched Rachel Maddow talk about the release of the Comey memos last night with James Comey, AS they were being released.

Comey did not necessarily defend Andrew McCabe, he suggested that the process needed to play out, but he also did not "throw McCabe under the bus."

Comey: McCabe had authority to speak to press but did not consult me, which I would have expected pic.twitter.com/aQIseJeV9u

— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) April 20, 2018

"Under the bus" is where Trump associates tend to end up.

James Comey Memos just out and show clearly that there was NO COLLUSION and NO OBSTRUCTION. Also, he leaked classified information. WOW! Will the Witch Hunt continue?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 20, 2018

Yeah about those memos.

Courtesy of the NYT:  

The memos are exacting in their specificity, including details about who was sitting where, the precise times that conversations began and their durations. In some cases, Mr. Comey shared his accounts with others immediately afterward. 

These details add credibility to Mr. Comey’s account of events. Mr. Trump has disputed some parts, including asking Mr. Comey to shut down an investigation into Mr. Flynn.

Exactly! Rather than indict James Comey for wrongdoing, these memos actually back up the testimony that he provided to the Senate and the details that he wrote about in his book.

So General Michael Flynn’s life can be totally destroyed while Shadey James Comey can Leak and Lie and make lots of money from a third rate book (that should never have been written). Is that really the way life in America is supposed to work? I don’t think so!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 20, 2018

Okay well first off Michael Flynn confessed to lying to the FBI and is now cooperating with the Mueller investigation.

The only one who destroyed Michael Flynn's life, is Michael Flynn.

Now back to those memos.

Exactly WHEN did Vladimir Putin brag to Donald Trump about the quality of Russian hookers?

Rachel Maddow is killing it.

Courtesy of Forbes:  

In March, The Rachel Maddow Show finished as the highest-rated show in cable news, with an average total audience of 3.058 million viewers--the show's best-ever performance in the 9 p.m. ET hour. FNC's Hannity was second, with 3.000 million viewers. Maddow also won among viewers 25-54, the demographic most valued by advertisers, finishing March with an average audience of 671,000 compared to Hannity's 616,000. CNN finished a distant third in the hour, with 382,000 viewers 25-54. 

MSNBC has been experiencing a dramatic rise in ratings, finishing the first quarter of 2018 as the only cable news network to grow compared to Q1 2017: MSNBC ratings were up 30%, while both Fox News and CNN experienced declines. 

In March, MSNBC's programming in prime time, daytime and total day all broke records for the network. The network's prime-time lineup averaged 2.398 million total viewers, finishing as the No. 2 network across all of cable TV. While Fox News continued its run as the top-rated network in cable news, MSNBC's prime lineup was up 8% from 2017, while both Fox (down 18 percent) and CNN (down 16 percent) were off year-over-year. 

The March ratings results suggest Fox News' unrivaled status as the dominant force in cable news may be facing one of the strongest challenges in years.

I know that people are starting to turn away from cable news, and looking for alternative information sources, but for my money MSNBC is consistently the highest quality news that you can get via television.

Their reporting is top notch, they have tons of contributors from the world of print journalism, and they deliver the facts in a straightforward manner.

Sure they lean left, but then typically so do the facts.

And Rachel Maddow is clearly the shining jewel in the MSNBC crown.

Even if I think I know a story that I have been reporting on all day, she will almost always add a different dimension to it, and dredge up facts that had not yet been reported.

By the way she also terrifies those on the Right, who constantly attack her, and Donald Trump, who takes great pains not to.

Trump confidante says that White House changes are not over yet. Oh goody.

Christopher Ruddy in a super relaxed pose with Donald Trump.

Courtesy of WaPo: 

A friend of President Trump said Sunday that the president has told him he expects to make one or two more major personnel changes in his administration soon, amid mounting signs that Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin is on the way out. 

Christopher Ruddy, chief executive of Newsmax, said others in the White House, but not Trump, have told him that Shulkin is “likely to depart the Cabinet very soon.” 

Ruddy, who speaks frequently to Trump, said on ABC News’s “This Week” that Trump believes that, on the whole, the White House is operating “like a smooth machine” and has been “perplexed” by news reports of chaos. 

“He did say that he’s expecting to make one or two major changes to his government very soon,” Ruddy said.

If this White House is running like a "smooth machine" than I would hate to see what it would look life if it were falling apart at the seams.

Hang on, we are actually witnessing EXACTLY what that would look like.

There are already so many people jumping ship or being thrown overboard that if there are any more Rachel Maddow will have to stand outside on the street so that all of the names can be beamed onto the side of 30 Rock in order to fit in one graphic.

That is NOT what a "smooth machine" of a presidency looks like.

That is what train wreck of a presidency looks like.

Or to put a finer point on it, that is what a Donald Trump presidency looks like.

And the list...just...keeps...on...growing.

This never gets old. (via @maddow) pic.twitter.com/W31wrX49It

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) March 7, 2018

Seriously there are administrations that last the entire eight years and never see this level of turnover.

But remember, according to Trump "Everybody wants to work in the White House."

Ha ha ha ha ha!

You KNOW this is true.

When the memo comes out ...

one cable news network will treat it like the Bible

one will have memo supporters yelling at memo critics

one will have Rachel @maddow telling you the truth

— Lawrence O'Donnell (@Lawrence) February 2, 2018

Rachel Maddow did an incredible job of explaining the bombshells contained in the testimony of Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson before the House Intelligence Committee.

Here are a few more highlights from other news outlets.

Courtesy of HuffPo: 

Glenn Simpson, co-founder of the firm behind the infamous dossier on President Donald Trump’s potential connections to Russia, told Congress that he believes the Russian government has “infiltrated” the National Rifle Association. 

“It appears the Russians, you know, infiltrated the NRA,” Fusion GPS co-founder Simpson said while testifying before the House Intelligence Committee on Nov. 14. His testimony was part of a federal investigation into potential links between the Kremlin and Trump’s 2016 campaign associates. 

“And there is more than one explanation for why,” he added. “But I would say, broadly speaking, it appears that the Russian operation was designed to infiltrate conservative organizations. ... They seem to have made a very concerted effort to get in with the NRA.”

New: Glenn Simpson said the Kremlin used the release of the dossier as a justification for a purge - arrests and killings https://t.co/0U9f2a489B

— Betsy Woodruff (@woodruffbets) January 18, 2018

SHOT: A Russian gangster ran a high-stakes gambling ring out of Trump Tower, per Fusion GPS cofounder Glenn Simpson.

CHASER: Trump was with that Russian gangster in the VIP section at the 2013 Miss Universe pageant (along with other "Kremlin biggies"). pic.twitter.com/zoa9OA60yk

— Caroline O. (@RVAwonk) January 18, 2018

The marriage of Ivanka and Jared was largely a business deal, Fusion GPS's Simpson suggests (page 86) https://t.co/hQZ0UbsNih pic.twitter.com/HyCx7xJNLR

— David S. Joachim (@davidjoachim) January 18, 2018

Simpson, looking at a Kushner project, realized that the EB-5 VISA scam could be a way for foreign intel services to GET SPIES INTO AMERICA DISCREETLY. pic.twitter.com/RkbU2ubOIz

— Eric Garland (@ericgarland) January 18, 2018

It should be noted that I visited Fox News yesterday and they are STILL claiming all of this a Democratic hoax designed to undermine the Trump presidency.

For the anti-Maddow troll that always seems to show up here,  I should warn you that yes Rachel moves her hands a lot, she uses big words that may prove confusing, and yes she is still a lesbian.

(H/T to Raw Story.)

So do we really believe that Trump's doctor's note about his physical is real?

Just going to take a wild guess that Dr. Jackson didn't actually write that note the White House put out. pic.twitter.com/yvZuv7tXrr

— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) January 13, 2018

Courtesy of Share Blue:  

Following Donald Trump’s much awaited medical exam on Friday, the White House released a statement purportedly written by the doctor who administered the exam. The note said the exam went “exceptionally well” and pronounced Trump to be “in excellent health.”

There’s just one problem: As Rachel Maddow pointed out Friday night, it appears that the note was not, in fact, written by White House physician Ronny Jackson.

The statement was signed “Dr. Ronnie Jackson,” so unless the White House doctor suddenly forgot how to spell his own name, it would appear that someone else in the White House released the note and put the doctor’s name on it. 

It should also be noted that most medical doctors sign their name, followed by their degree (for example, “Ronny Jackson, MD, FAAEM“), rather than using their title (“Dr.”).

And then there's this.

But in 2010, the WH Physician did issue a more detailed same-day report on Pres Obama's first physical in office. Feb 28, 2010, including lab results.

— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) January 13, 2018

You know you would think that a White House that lies as often, and as casually as this one does would be better at this sort of thing.

I would think that there must be a ton of reporters working to get an interview with this doctor right now.

And if they are not they are really falling behind on the job.

"Excellent health" my ass.

Rachel Maddow explains what we know is factual about the Russian dossier, and that despite what they say the Senate Intelligence Committee can talk to Christopher Steele essentially anytime they want.

This came on last night right after I had finished reading through some rather ignorant comments on my post yesterday about the Senate Intelligence Committee.

So here was Rachel doing her deep dive to explain all of the things we know that are factual about the Russian dossier, and also putting to rest the allegation from Richard Burr that Christopher Steele will not return his phone calls.

If you ever had any doubts about the importance of this dossier I think Rachel does an excellent job of explaining, in detail, what makes it so important, and how hard people are working to damage its credibility or make the dossier itself the scandal.

Now let me take a moment to point out that during the 2016 election IM received an unusual amount of visits from Russia.

This started well before we knew much about the Russian interference and at first I was kind of puzzled.

Typically the most visits come from the US and the second highest number are from Canada, and way back in third place is usually Australia. 

But in the spring of 2016 that changed and suddenly the second highest number of visits were coming from Russia, and now I think we all know why that was the case.

Well now that is happening again.

So if you read a comment on IM where somebody is working a little too hard to call into question the validity of the Russian investigations, or poo pooing this dossier, just keep in mind that they may have an agenda. 

Rachel Maddow does a deep dive into Russian interference around the world.

I wanted to share this with you this morning because when I watched it last night I was blown away by how clearly Maddow ties all of the threads together.

Maddow connects the dots between the invasion of Ukraine and the Facebook ads which caused such divisiveness in 2016, to Russia's long term goal of disrupting democracy around the world.

Facebook clearly has a lot to answer for, and in response to these reports they may be forced to significantly alter their business model.

Now I know that there is at least one of you who will be unable to follow Rachel as she uses multi syllable grown up words and uses hand gestures while making a point.

For you there are handy subtitles included to help you understand what Maddow is saying.

If you still find yourself confused then I guess you can always turn your TV to Fox News and let that ignorance wash over you cleansing your palate.

But for the rest of us, pay very close attention to what she is saying. And then spread it far and wide.

Rachel Maddow talks about the testimony provided to the House Judiciary Committee on the notorious Russian dossier, and what that means for the investigations.

Courtesy of Politicususa:  

The reason this is such a big deal is that, again, nothing in the dossier has been overtly disproved. And if it really is a roadmap to the investigation, well, that’s a very serious roadmap to somewhere for the Trump White House. Because the two main claims in the dossier are that Russia was cultivating Trump for years, including them collecting information on him for years that could potentially oblige him to do Russia’s bidding, and the other part of it is that it alleges overt, knowing collusion between Trump and Russia and Russia’s effort to interfere in the presidential election in order to hurt Hillary Clinton. That’s what the dossier says. And if the dossier is about to be publicly defended and explained and backed up, that’s conceivably the whole ballgame. 

I don't typically like to share videos that are more than about 5 to 6 minutes long because I am well aware that people are often too busy to watch them if they are too long.

However I am making an exception here, as I think this is absolutely the best explanation available for what this testimony means moving forward with these investigations.

Keep in mind that this Glenn Simpson guy testified for TEN HOURS, and provided 40,000 pages of documents to back up what was in that infamous dossier.

And while you are mulling that over remember that according to his attorney, Simpson completely stands behind the information reported on the dossier and is willing to have his testimony to the House Judiciary Committee made public.

And the Chairman of that committee supports that as well.

It has also been reported that Christopher Steele, the former MI6 agent who did the research on the dossier, has handed over a list of the sources that he used to compile it.

So instead of this Russian dossier being swept aside and forgotten, it appears that it is about to take center stage in these ongoing investigations into Trump's possible collusion with Russia.

And that can only be bad news for Trump, but great news for the rest of us. 

MSNBC is now the number one cable news channel. Deal with it!

Courtesy of Variety: 

MSNBC ranked as the number one network across all of cable in total viewers for the first time in its history, according to Nielsen data. 

For Wednesday, Aug. 16, MSNBC averaged 1.52 million viewers for the total day across all of cable, edging out second place Fox News, who averaged 1.5 million. CNN ranked fourth among all cable networks for the day with 1.13 million total viewers. Nickelodeon was third with 1.17 million. However, in the key adults 25-54 demographic, CNN was number one among the cable news networks for the total day, averaging 381,000 viewers in that measure. Fox News was second in the demo for total day with 353,000 viewers, and MSNBC was third with 343,000. 

In primetime, MSNBC was also first in total viewers among the cable news networks with 2.61 million viewers. Fox News was second with 2.4 million. CNN was third with 1.59 million. In the key demo for primetime, MSNBC was first with 613,000. Fox News narrowly outpaced CNN for second place with 560,000, with CNN averaging 557,000. 

Across all of broadcast in primetime, Wednesday’s episodes of “The Rachel Maddow Show” and “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” were among the top 10 shows of the night in total viewers, with Maddow averaging 3.25 million viewers at 9 p.m. and O’Donnell averaging 2.54 million at 10. They were both the highest-rated and most-watched cable news programs in their respective time slots, with Maddow also nabbing 778,00 viewers in the key demo and O’Donnell nabbing 597,000.

This has been my go to cable news channel since 2004 so I am glad to see they are finally getting the recognition they deserve. 

Rachel Maddow still remains my all time favorite, but I am loving me some Joy Reid. Katy Tur, and Lawrence O'Donnell as well.

Donald Trump continues to hype a possible military response to North Korea, while North Korea does that same.

Military solutions are now fully in place,locked and loaded,should North Korea act unwisely. Hopefully Kim Jong Un will find another path!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 11, 2017

#USAF B-1B Lancer #bombers on Guam stand ready to fulfill USFK’s #FightTonight mission if called upon to do so https://t.co/O3oVeFrNrG pic.twitter.com/IAm2qLwcWY

— U.S. Pacific Command (@PacificCommand) August 11, 2017

Those were Trump's early morning tweets today, though he also took a moment to suggest that Mitch McConnell might need to quit his job.

Yep Trump seems very committed to escalating this thing all out of proportion.

And North Korea seems totally down with that.

Courtesy of Mediaite:  

In brief footage played during Shepard Smith Reporting, an unidentified spokesman blasted the U.S. President as “senile” on North Korean state media. 

“We cannot have a sound dialogue with a senile man who can’t think rationally,” the spokesman said. “And only absolute force can work on him. This is the judgment made by our soldiers of the strategic force.”

I hate it when I find myself somewhat agreeing with an unnamed North Korean spokesman. (Not about the absolute force part of course, but definitely with the senility part.)

But here's the thing, it is a strong possibility that both of these so-called "world leaders" are overreacting to hype.

Yesterday during the opening of her show Rachel Maddow made the point that the initial reporting on North Korea's ability to miniaturize an atomic warhead and place it in a missile was from a single source, that had been wrong about this very thing four years ago.

Here is Rachel discussing this very issue with a former CIA analyst and professor who specializes in North Korean relations. As you can see not only does this interview raise questions about the veracity of this recent reporting, but it also points out that Trump's reaction to it has been unnecessarily aggressive in response to the actual threat.

However now that Trump has reacted in this way, he has triggered a similar chest thumping response from North Korea and now we really ARE  facing a potential catastrophe.

When all of this first started to heat up at the beginning of this month I suggested that all of this might be nothing more than a distraction designed to pull our attention away from the Russian probes.

And that may very well be true. But the problem is that if more journalists like Rachel Maddow don't start raising that possibility and working to verify the sources suggesting that we are headed to World War 3 are accurate, we may well find ourselves actually IN World War 3.

As Bloomberg points out from the time that Trump gives the order it might only take five minutes before a nuclear armed missile is leveling the city of Pyongyang.

The question we have to continually ask ourselves is "How many people is Donald Trump willing to sacrifice in order to shut down the investigations into his possible collusion with Russia?"

I think we all know the answer, and it is terrifying.

Fox News is no longer the most watched cable news network. That honor goes to MSNBC.

Courtesy of The Independent: 

Fox News was knocked off the number one slot as the most-watched primetime cable television network in America, after being overtaken by MSNBC. 

According to figures from global research company Nielsen, the network was the most-watched station during the weekday prime evening slot from 7pm to midnight between 17 and 21 July. 

During this time the more centrist network gained 2.34 million viewers, while Fox News had 2.25 million.

The sought-after evening slots include shows from Fox presenters Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson, and the network previously gained the highest number of viewers. 

The Rachel Maddow Show, which was the first television show to expose two pages of Donald Trump’s 2005 tax returns, also gained more viewers than Fox News and CNN for the fourth consecutive week in the prime slot between 9 to 10pm.

Man you know that Roger Ailes is spinning is his grave like a rotisserie chicken right about now.

This is really great news, and so well deserved.

MSNBC needs to recognize why this is happening, and the hunger people have for good journalism, and stop bringing on those Fox News castoffs for "balance."

MSNBC is what it is and people love it.

Currently I do not have too many must watch shows.

But the Rachel Maddow Show is at the top of my must see TV list every single day.

The only other show that attracts that kind of allegiance from me is "Game of Thrones." And Rachel Maddow does not even have to use dragons.

Despite numerous reports to the contrary, Sean Hannity showed up for work last night, and immediately started obfuscating for Donald Trump.

If you did not get through that entire fourteen plus minutes I don;t blame you, I did not make it through last night myself.

Thankfully TPM offers the low points:

“I have to start tonight on a personal note of something that happened last week. Now, I was asked by the family of the DNC staffer that was killed in July to pull back covering the story of the death because their son and their family was hurting,” he said on his show. “Now out of respect for the family’s wishes, well, I decided for the time being not to discuss it unless there were further developments.” 

“But I also promised you, my audience, my loyal audience, that I will not stop investigating. I will not stop asking questions,” he continued. “And at a very high level, the bottom line here is the family wants the truth and I think the country deserves the truth, because this impacts so much of what the narrative in this country is now about, which is the left and their conspiracy theory. Now I can report, I am making progress. We will have a lot more coming probably sooner than later.”

First off before his "vacation" Hannity was on the Seth Rich story like white on....on...well on the average Fox News viewer.

So for him to suddenly start considering the feelings of the family sounds more like he received an ultimatum and caved in order to keep his show.

Secondly Hannity, and his supporters, have come up with an interesting response to those calls for this advertisers to abandon his program.

He is joining with a group called #StoptheScalpings, formed by two Right Wing talk radio hosts Melanie Morgan and Brian Maloney, in calling for a similar attempt directed at Rachel Maddow.

Courtesy of Think Progress:  

Stop the Scalpings is targeting Maddow because she “has been the biggest purveyor of lies and propaganda in the media today,” Morgan writes. She goes on to allude to Maddow’s regular coverage of the Trump campaign’s shady dealings with Russia, which she dismisses as a conspiracy theory despite an active FBI investigation and the appointment of a special prosecutor. 

“We will continue to announce the advertisers that finance these efforts and support these hosts who allow lies and conspiracy theories to permeate the airwaves,” she continues. “If Media Matters ceases these type of assaults, we will do the same… Until then, we will list every advertiser that supports hosts like Rachel Maddow, an outright liar, and someone who deceives the public and defames conservatives on a daily basis.”

In other words these idiots are now attacking actual journalism in an attempt to protect their right to broadcast fake news and conservative disinformation. 

Rachel Maddow now dominates cable news.

Courtesy of Variety:

For the first three nights of this week, Maddow’s 9 p.m. broadcast on MSNBC was the most-watched on cable-news in primetime – a position that had long been enjoyed by the 8 p.m. hour in the Fox News schedule, where O’Reilly had a roost for more than two decades,and where Tucker Carlson now holds court. 

Maddow’s recent gains are part of a viewership surge at the NBCUniversal-owned network that comes as a chaotic White House has driven viewers to MSNBC in ways the executives really haven’t seen since the days of Keith Olbermann. Last week, MSNBC’s primetime schedule was tops in the demographic most coveted by advertisers – people between 25 and 54 – for the first time since the week of December 29, 2008. MSNBC’s “Maddow,” “The Last Word” and “11th Hour” are all leading in that viewership category for the month to date, according to data from Nielsen.

“MSNBC’s ratings surge is entirely due to the ongoing crisis of fake news – the more that news designed to deceive plays a role in politics and our lives, the more people hunger for news they can trust and which is demonstrably true,” said Paul Levinson, a professor of media studies at Fordham University.

Well as a long time fan, I am quite happy to see Rachel finally getting the attention she deserves.

She has been my go to news source for many years now, and I am never disappointed. 

It appears that Russian hackers are now trying to influence French presidential election. Deja vu anybody?

Courtesy of the New York Times:

On the eve of the most consequential French presidential election in decades, the staff of the centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron said late Friday that the campaign had been targeted by a “massive and coordinated” hacking operation, one with the potential to destabilize the nation’s democracy before voters go to the polls on Sunday. 

The digital attack, which involved a dump of campaign documents including emails and accounting records, emerged hours before a legal prohibition on campaign communications went into effect. While the leak may be of little consequence, the timing makes it extremely difficult for Mr. Macron to mitigate any damaging fallout before the runoff election, in which he faces the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, who has pledged to pull France out of the euro and hold a referendum to leave the European Union.

The hacking immediately evoked comparisons to last year’s presidential election in the United States, during which American intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, ordered an “influence campaign” to benefit the Republican nominee, Donald J. Trump. 

Groups linked to Russia, that are also believed to have been involved in the hacking related to the 2016 United States presidential campaign, have previously been accused of trying to breach the Macron organization. Security experts tracking the activity of suspected Russian hackers say they believe those same groups were involved in this latest attack.

In a statement, the Macron campaign said the hackers had mixed fake documents along with authentic ones, “to sow doubt and misinformation.”

As stated in this article this is made worse by the fact that there is currently a news blackout, which is customary before an election in France, but which is keeping the Macron campaign from defending itself and keeping journalists from reporting on what is factual and what is false in the data dump. 

Rachel Maddow tried to do her part last night by reporting on this in the hopes that some in France will watch the segment and realize that they are being manipulated.

It should be noted that Macron's opponent Marine Le Pen recently visited Russia to meet with Vladimir Putin so there is no pretense here that this is not designed to help her win the election, just like Russia's interference helped Donald Trump emerge victorious here in America.

Keep in mind that Putin is looking to break up the European Union and to destabilize the power of the Western countries. He wants to move Russia up the food chain and is working to accomplish that by turning the other big fish into minnows.

In my mind that should have people in France flocking to vote for Emmanuel Macron, but then again I made the same argument for why people needed to vote for Hillary in 2016.

Here's hoping that the French are smarter than the Americans.

With Bill O'Reilly out of the picture Rachel Maddow emerges as new juggernaut of cable news.

Courtesy of CNN: 

Fox News normally ranks #1 among cable news channels. But lately MSNBC's Rachel Maddow has been challenging Fox at 9 p.m., the centerpiece of the prime time schedule.

Maddow's surge is being fueled partly by her day-in, day-out criticism of the Trump administration. There is an increased appetite for the liberal arguments she has been making for years. 

"There's a reason Rachel is beating Fox and CNN," MSNBC president Phil Griffin told CNNMoney in an email. "She's a talented storyteller who's helping her audience cut through all the confusion coming out of Washington. She's connecting dots in ways no one else is.

"The week of April 10, for instance, Maddow just barely beat Carlson -- she averaged 542,000 viewers in the demo while he averaged 541,000. CNN ranked third with an average of 396,000 in the demo. 

Maddow's show has been MSNBC's tentpole, its highest rated program, for many years. The difference now is the competition with Fox News.

Maddow's increased popularity has even inspired one longtime Right Wing propagandist to become a little hyperbolic.

Macron. Flying cars. Maddow #1 in TV news. Welcome to hell.

— MATT DRUDGE (@DRUDGE) April 24, 2017

(Wait, we have flying cars now?)

 I have long suspected that there is something hinky about Fox's ability to dominate cable news, but so far there has never been any revelations about paying off TV ratings services or anything of that nature. (Though let's face it, we certainly would not put it past News Corp to do just that.)

There ARE a few theories out there: 

Fox news enjoys betters ratings precisely because it is "biased, selfish, manipulative & hate-filled". It is exciting stuff for the irrational or ignorant whom would like to be politically involved, but do not have the proper foundation of studies (Economics/Politics/Government/Finance/Law). Therefore, they can push an agenda without corresponding facts to suit the theories and behavior promoted. 

Sounds reasonable to me.

It should also be pointed out that the Fox News viewers are easily the MOST partisan group of cable news watchers out there, far more conservative than either CNN or MSNBC viewers are liberal.

And for years Fox News was their one stop shop to feed their confirmation bias.

On the other hand Rachel Maddow has an actual PHD and seems to be determined to follow the facts wherever they might lead her.

Her shows are incredibly informative, often containing history lessons, instruction about the way government works, and plenty of heretofore unknown trivia about both.

She also does not utilize tried and true Fox News methods such as inviting scantily clad blondes to discuss the news of the day, or yelling at her guests and calling them stupid when they have the temerity to disagree with her.

Instead she continues, day by day, to deliver the truth.

And in the era of Donald Trump the thirst for that truth has never been more deeply felt.

Elizabeth Warren discussing how motivated the Democrats are to fight back against Donald Trump and how she is energized by the protesters is exactly the shot in the arm we need today.

There is just something very therapeutic about listening to Elizabeth Warren talk about the state of liberal politics in this America today, and her hopes for the future.

And yes Sarah Palin she did once again tell that anecdote about the little female protester with the sign that said "I fight like a girl," and unlike when you screeched it out at a conservative rally it was in fact inspiring.

For my money Elizabeth Warren is the face of liberal politics right now and whether she runs for President or not, I am positive she will continue to bravely stand up to the policies of Donald Trump and continue to be a strong voice for progress.

In the middle of an investigation into Russian meddling to help elect Donald Trump, his Secretary of State's former employer asks for a waiver on Russian sanctions.

Courtesy of the New York Times:  

Exxon Mobil is pursuing a waiver from Treasury Department sanctions on Russia to drill in the Black Sea in a venture with Rosneft, the Russian state oil company, a former State Department official said on Wednesday. An oil industry official confirmed the account. 

The waiver application was made under the Obama administration, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity, and the company has not dropped the proposal. 

The proposal is now before the Trump administration at a delicate time in Russian-American relations, with rising tensions over the war in Syria and a looming congressional inquiry into reports of Russian efforts to influence the United States presidential election.

Here is how John McCain responded to the news.

Are they crazy? @WSJ: "Exxon Seeks U.S. Waiver to Resume #Russia Oil Venture" https://t.co/CHKS3sjOa8

— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) April 19, 2017

Well that seems an appropriate question.

As you might remember Rachel Maddow reported on this Rosnef deal way back in January, and actually suggested it had a lot to do with why the Russians were so keen on helping Trump win the White House.

Back then she even stated that the deal was "Biggest oil deal in the history of deals. So big it was expected to change the historical trajectory of Russia."

Yesterday Maddow tweeted this in response to the Wall Street Journal's reporting.

Ka-ching! Payout time.https://t.co/fovQGP09AQ

— Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) April 19, 2017

How could this NOT be our first response to hearing Exxon make this request?

So the question to ask is whether the Trump Administration is actually arrogant enough to grant this request, and what Russia will do if they do not?