Trump has been burning the place up since yesterday. He called John Brennan “a very bad person,” he called Montenegro “aggressive” and speculated it could get us into World War III being so aggressive, he ranted about Trump Derangement Syndrome and its responsibility for our failure to be awed by his success at kissing Putin’s bum.

Vanity Fair:

“Membership in NATO obligates the members to defend any other member that’s attacked,” Carlson said to Trump. “So let’s say Montenegro, which joined last year, is attacked. Why should my son go to Montenegro to defend it from attack?” In response, Trump told Carlson that he sympathized with his view. “I’ve asked the same question. Montenegro is a tiny country with

They’re smoothing the way for Putin.

The White House eliminated the position of cybersecurity coordinator on the National Security Council on Tuesday [last week], doing away with a post central to developing policy to defend against increasingly sophisticated digital attacks and the use of offensive cyber weapons.

A memorandum circulated by an aide to the new national security adviser, John R. Bolton, said the post was no longer considered necessary because lower-level officials had already made cybersecurity issues a “core function” of the president’s national security team.

Cybersecurity experts and members of Congress said they were mystified by the move, though some suggested Mr. Bolton did not want any competitive power centers emerging inside the national security apparatus.

Yes … Read the rest

Oh honestly.

https://twitter.com/CathyYoung63/status/1019297409925636098

Talk about tribalism, or groupthink, or living in a bubble, or whatever you want to call it. It takes some heavy duty ignorance of Obama not to realize that he has been saying this pretty much his whole life. It’s his theme. He annoyed colleagues at the Harvard Law Review when he was editor because he kept seeking out conservative contributions. It’s actually quite likely we’d be better off now if he’d been more of a street fighter for team slightly-left, but whether that’s true or not it’s absurd to claim he hasn’t urged listening to a wide range of opinion until just now.… Read the rest

Trump gives a report on his trip.

President Trump discusses his meetings at NATO and with U.K. Prime Minister May. pic.twitter.com/0wzcx18cWO

— The White House 45 Archived (@WhiteHouse45) July 17, 2018

Fortunately his people wrote down the words for him, so that he could say them without having to think, but he had a hard time anyway, because he did have to read the words. He did it haltingly and clumsily, as if he were 6 years old and just starting out.

He didn’t say about Russia in this clip. Maybe his people are waiting to release that part until…erm…the seas rise a little higher? Something explodes and we’re looking the other way? I don’t know; I’d quite like to … Read the rest

Trump’s presidential PR team has put out its official spin on the lovefest in Helsinki:

Bold American diplomacy in Finland

When President Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday, he continued a proud American tradition on the world stage. “From the earliest days of our republic, American leaders have understood that diplomacy and engagement is preferable to conflict and hostility,” the President said.

America has no illusions when it comes to Russia. President Trump directly addressed the issue of Russian interference in U.S. elections with President Putin, and the Trump Administration has implemented a range of tough sanctions on Russian individuals and entities. “The disagreements between our two countries are well known,” President Trump said. “But if

The DOJ press release on the arrest of Maria Butina:

A criminal complaint was unsealed today in the District of Columbia charging a Russian national with conspiracy to act as an agent of the Russian Federation within the United States without prior notification to the Attorney General.

The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie K. Liu, and Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

Maria Butina, 29, a Russian citizen residing in Washington D.C., was arrested on July 15, 2018, in Washington, D.C., and made her initial appearance this afternoon before Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson in the U.S.

More reactions:

Unreal. Asked whether he would hold Russia accountable for literally anything, Trump DOES NOT MENTION GEORGIA, MH-17, CRIMEA, UKRAINE, OR ELECTION INTERFERENCE. Says the US and Russia have "both" been "foolish," we've "both made mistakes." Then discusses his election victory.

— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) July 16, 2018

He believes a murderous dictator, an enemy who assassinates dissidents, over his own intelligence officers.

To any Republicans: I am imploring you to help us wrest our country back from Russia. And to Democrats: Get. Out. The. Vote. https://t.co/dFqIUqjlGP https://t.co/p9oGiCsZwI

— Phil (Newsletter link in bio) Plait (@BadAstronomer) July 16, 2018

Trump, asked by press to denounce Russian election interference, asks where Clinton’s are. He says Putin told him it wasn’t