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Kevin DrumJul. 1, 2017 10:21 PM

Ford Williams/U.S. Navy via ZUMA

A reader emails to ask why I havent written about Seymour Hershs story from last week that accuses Donald Trump of ignoring evidence that Syrias chemical attack in April wasnt actually a chemical attack at all. Its worth an answer.

First off, theres some background. Hershs main outlet was the New Yorker until a few years ago. But they refused to publish his 2013 article making the same accusation against the Obama administration, so the London Review of Books published it instead. But the LRB declined to publish his latest one, so it ended up in a German newspaper. Thats two well-respected publications that have parted ways with Hersh. Why?

Second, Hershs latest piece is almost completely single-sourced to a senior advisor to the American intelligence community. Thats mighty vague. And boy, does this advisor know a lot. He seems to have an almost photographic recall of every meeting and every decision point that preceded Trumps cruise missile attack. Its hardly credible that a civilian advisor could be as plugged in as this guy apparently is.

These things dont inspire confidence. So now lets take a look at the piece he wrote. Heres an excerpt:

Some American military and intelligence officials were especially distressed by the presidents determination to ignore the evidence. None of this makes any sense, one officer told colleagues upon learning of the decision to bomb. We KNOW that there was no chemical attack the Russians are furious. Claiming we have the real intel and know the truth I guess it didnt matter whether we elected Clinton or Trump.

And now heres an excerpt from his 2013 piece:

The same official said there was immense frustration inside the military and intelligence bureaucracy: The guys are throwing their hands in the air and saying, How can we help this guy Obama when he and his cronies in the White House make up the intelligence as they go along?

This is way too similar. In fact, the whole 2017 piece reads like a warmed-over version of his 2013 article. I just dont trust it.

Plus theres this: the Trump administration is one of the leakiest in memory. If Trump flatly ignored the advice of every one of his military advisorswhich is what Hersh saysits hard to believe that this wouldnt also have leaked to one of the legion of national security reporters in DC, who have demonstrated that theyre pretty sourced up. But so far, no one has even remotely corroborated Hershs story.

Is this because the mainstream media is afraid to report this stuff? Please. Theyd see Pulitzers dancing before their eyes. Theres not a reporter in the entire city who wouldnt go after this story.

You never know. Maybe Hersh will turn out to be right. Its certainly a compelling and detailed story he tells. But for now, I dont believe it.

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Did Donald Trump Invent a Chemical Attack in Syria? - Mother Jones

More states are pushing back against President Donald Trump's Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.

As of Friday, 25 states have refused to give partial or full requested information, according to the Washington Post . Some states cited state laws prohibiting them from releasing certain voter information, while others opposed the information request due to the commission itself, the Post reported.

Trump tweeted about the subject Saturday morning writing, "Numerous states are refusing to give information to the very distinguished VOTER FRAUD PANEL. What are they trying to hide?"

Trump's commission on voter fraud asked each state to provide personal data on all registered voters going back to 2006.

California, New York and Virginia were the first states to balk at the request. Mississippi's Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann gained attention for his statement on refusing to provide the information.

"They can go jump in the Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi is a great state to launch from," Hosemann, a Republican, said Friday. "Mississippi residents should celebrate Independence Day and our state's right to protect the privacy of our citizens by conducting our own electoral processes."

Continue reading here:
'What Are They Trying to Hide?' President Trump Questions 25 States Refusing to Hand Over Voter Information - TIME

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, June 20, 2017, in Washington. Evan VucciAP

Updated: Jul 01, 2017 10:50 AM ET

President Donald Trump on Saturday said that MSNBC fired anchor Greta Van Susteren because she did not agree with the network's so-called "Trump hate."

The President made the claim in an early-morning tweet that read: "Word is that @Greta Van Susteren was let go by her out of control bosses at @NBC & @Comcast because she refused to go along w/ 'Trump hate!'"

Van Susteren happened to be on Twitter at the time but did not directly respond to the President's tweet. Instead, she quoted a tweet from a fake Kim Kardashian West account mentioning Trump that was posted several minutes after his tweet.

"You know what? TRUMPET," the account tweeted at the President.

"What does this mean?" Van Susteren replied.

Van Susteren, who was hired in January to host For the Record with Greta, announced she was "out" at MSNBC on Thursday, with her husband and a close friend saying that the news came without warning, according to CNN Money.

Vanity Fair , who first reported news of Van Susteren's termination, attributed the decision to a lack of ratings. A New York Times profile of the network last month touched on the issue, as well.

Its not breaking out, NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack said of her show in the Times piece. Everybody wants every new show to break out Day 1. I think it takes time, and Ive got a lot of patience.

Van Susteren wasn't the only MSNBC host mentioned by the President on Saturday morning. Shortly after his comment about Van Susteren, he turned his attention back to Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.

"Crazy Joe Scarborough and dumb as a rock Mika are not bad people, but their low rated show is dominated by their NBC bosses. Too bad!" Trump tweeted.

His latest comments follow a Thursday tweet in which he said that Brzezinski was "bleeding badly from a face-lift." The remark was widely condemned by both Republican and Democratic lawmakers.

He also railed against CNN, again calling the network "fake news."

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President Trump: MSNBC Fired Greta Van Susteren for Not Going Along With 'Trump Hate' - Fortune

BBC News

Donald Trump warns North Korea of 'determined response' BBC News US President Donald Trump says that years of "strategic patience" with North Korea have failed and it is now time for a "determined response". "Together we are facing the threat of the reckless and brutal regime," Mr Trump said at a press conference ... Trump to White House reporters: 'You guys are getting worse'Washington Times South Korea's Moon Jae-in Is Meeting with Donald Trump. Here Are 5 Things to KnowTIME Trump declares 'patience is over' with North KoreaThe Guardian Telegraph.co.uk -CNN International -The Independent all 1,493 news articles »

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Donald Trump warns North Korea of 'determined response' - BBC News

President Trump launched personal attacks against us Thursday, but our concerns about his unmoored behavior go far beyond the personal. Americas leaders and allies are asking themselves yet again whether this man is fit to be president. We have our doubts, but we are both certain that the man is not mentally equipped to continue watching our show, Morning Joe.

The presidents unhealthy obsession with our show has been in the public record for months, and we are seldom surprised by his posting nasty tweets about us. During the campaign, the Republican nominee called Mika neurotic and promised to attack us personally after the campaign ended. This year, top White House staff members warned that the National Enquirer was planning to publish a negative article about us unless we begged the president to have the story spiked. We ignored their desperate pleas.

(Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

The presidents unhealthy obsession with Morning Joe does not serve the best interests of either his mental state or the country he runs. Despite his constant claims that he no longer watches the show, the presidents closest advisers tell us otherwise. That is unfortunate. We believe it would be better for America and the rest of the world if he would keep his 60-inch-plus flat-screen TV tuned to Fox & Friends.

For those lucky enough to miss Thursdays West Wing temper tantrum, the president continued a year-long habit of lashing out at Morning Joe while claiming to never watch it. During his early-morning tirade, Mr. Trump spit out schoolyard insults about low I.Q. Crazy Mika, Psycho Joe and much worse. He also fit a flurry of falsehoods in his two-part tweetstorm.

Mr. Trump claims that we asked to join him at Mar-a-Lago three nights in a row. That is false. He also claimed that he refused to see us. That is laughable.

The president-elect invited us both to dinner on Dec. 30. Joe attended because Mika did not want to go. After listening to the president-elect talk about his foreign policy plans, Joe was asked by a disappointed Mr. Trump the next day if Mika could also visit Mar-a-Lago that night. She reluctantly agreed to go. After we arrived, the president-elect pulled us into his familys living quarters with his wife, Melania, where we had a pleasant conversation. We politely declined his repeated invitations to attend a New Years Eve party, and we were back in our car within 15 minutes.

Mr. Trump also claims that Mika was bleeding badly from a face-lift. That is also a lie.

Putting aside Mr. Trumps never-ending obsession with womens blood, Mika and her face were perfectly intact, as pictures from that night reveal. And though it is no ones business, the presidents petulant personal attack against yet another womans looks compels us to report that Mika has never had a face-lift. If she had, it would be evident to anyone watching Morning Joe on their high-definition TV. She did have a little skin under her chin tweaked, but this was hardly a state secret. Her mother suggested she do so, and all those around her were aware of this mundane fact.

More significant is Mr. Trumps continued mistreatment of women. It is disturbing that the president of the United States keeps up his unrelenting assault on women. From his menstruation musings about Megyn Kelly, to his fat-shaming treatment of a former Miss Universe, to his braggadocio claims about grabbing womens genitalia, the 45th president is setting the poorest of standards for our children. We were heartened to hear a number of Republican lawmakers call out Mr. Trump for his offensive words and can only hope that the women who are closest to him will follow their examples. It would be the height of hypocrisy to claim the mantle of womens empowerment while allowing a family member to continue such abusive conduct.

(Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

We have known Mr. Trump for more than a decade and have some fond memories of our relationship together. But that hasnt stopped us from criticizing his abhorrent behavior or worrying about his fitness. During the height of the 2016 presidential campaign, Joe often listened to Trump staff members complain about their bosss erratic behavior, including a top campaign official who was as close to the Republican candidate as anyone.

We, too, have noticed a change in his behavior over the past few years. Perhaps that is why we were neither shocked nor insulted by the presidents personal attack. The Donald Trump we knew before the campaign was a flawed character but one who still seemed capable of keeping his worst instincts in check.

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Donald Trump is not well - Washington Post