Day 172: Campaign Laws

Wow, Donald Trump Jr (aka "Donny") has landed himself in some hot water. The NY Times has had a series of articles over the past few days, and the internet has lit up. Let's dive into it!

• Here's the original story, from Saturday night. What's serious about it is that it is the first concrete evidence of collusion (or at least, attempted collusion) with Russia. It involves not only Donny, but also Kushner and Manafort. Here's the follow-up from the next day, where the reason for the meeting was revealed.
• Here's why it's a big deal.
• This rather seriously complicates the Trump family's ever-changing lies. If you need a refresher on how the Russian story has evolved, here's a reasonable article. It's pretty damning.
• Donny has put out a series of statements at this stage, essentially all conflicting with each other, as more and more information gets released. The consensus is that he's digging himself an ever-deeper legal hole. He seems to have realized that too, as has now lawyered up.
• Trump is presently claiming he was unaware of the whole thing. I think I actually believe him, but only because the idiot is unaware of everything.

In other news:

• Pence looks like he's preparing for a Presidential campaign. Ugh.
• Trump's suggestion that a US-Russia cyberwarfare unit be created was met with much derision, and it appears he's backed down after realizing how terrible his idea was.
• The Australian Broadcasting Corporation recently had a go at Trump over his G20 performance. The reporting is a thing of pure beauty.
• Cutting funding to Planned Parenthood would have a devastating effect on the women who use it, according to study one gazillion. Shakesville writes: "If the Republicans can't successfully take away everyone's health insurance, they'll just start finding ways to strip healthcare facilities, procedures, and protocols for populations they don't like, one by one."
• The ACLU has sued the administration over their election integrity sham. Good.