Trump insulta a Los Puertorriqueños

 Los tweets de Trump de esta mañana eran dificiles de creer:

Trump diciendo (o twitando) que los trabajadores de Puerto Rico no pueden hacer su trabajo y quieren que otros lo hagan por ellos.

Lo primero que se me vino a la mente fue que era solomente uno mas, entre tantos comentarios ignorantes de Trump. 

Pero mientras mas he pensado en este asunto en particular (o mas bien; en estos tweets en particular), he llegado a la conclusion de que este tipo de comentarios pueden haber sido algo planeado estrategicamente por Trump.

Debido a que, si te pones a pensar, la unica manera que Trump y los republicanos tiene de seguir ganando elecciones (ya que su agenda no es popular: cuestiones como quitar el poco seguro medico que tiene la gente, o rebajar los impuestos a los ricos no son populares con la mayoria del electorado). Bien, debido a esta agenda republicana nada popular, la unica manera que los republicanos tienen de ganar elecciones es fomentando el odio entre los blancos hacia los Latinos (diciendo que son flojos, o criminales) o contra los AfroAmericanos (diciendo que no son patriotas y odian a las autoridades). 

Es la unica manera que Trump tiene de aumentar el porcentaje del voto entre los racistas blancos que estan al margen de la base republicana. 
Y Tweets como los de arriba, estan dirigidos a convencer a este tipo de gente de la unica solucion es seguir votando por Trump y por el partido republicano. 

Y de la misma manera, tambien a los votantes blancos de la base republicana que no se consideran racistas, Trump los esta tratando de convencer con este tipo de tweet, de que a los que hay que culpar son a "los otros", "los no blancos AngloSajones": ya sea el Latino, el Afro-Americano, el Musulman, etc. 
Es la unica jugada que les queda a los republicanos y especialmente a Trump.

En cuestion a la respuesta de Trump hacia Puerto Rico: obviamente ha sido negligente pero Trump nunca lo va a admitir.

Trump no puso la suficiente atencion a la devastacion sino hasta que las noticias norteAmericanas de cable fueron a Puerto Rico y televisaron al mundo la devastacion. Hasta entonces, Trump por fin empezo ha hacer algo. 
Pero es obvio que durante esta ultima semana que Trump pudo haber empezado a coordinar la ayuda a Puerto Rico, a Trump le gusto mas el mitote y el chisme (de que si Los jugadores de futbol Americanos se Incaban o no, etc). Mientras Trump se ocupaba de eso, Puerto Rico seguia sufriendo las consecuencias de la mala respuesta del gobierno Federal al huracan Maria.

Is Puerto Rico Trump's 'Katrina'? & "Tom (Price), you're fired!"

I was watching the news this afternoon when I saw the following chyron in reference to the ongoing disaster in Puerto Rico:

That is the question, isn't it? How does the devastation in Puerto Rico compare to what happened after Katrina? 
& also -- Is the slow and inadequate response after the cat 5 monster of a hurricane hit Puerto Rico (see image below when it was about to make landfall), a direct result of negligence from the Trump administration since they knew the devastation it would cause? 

The response is ongoing. But so far, all we've heard from Trump are excuses & talk about Puerto Rico's "debt". 
Today, I even heard Trump say his administration has been slow to act because Puerto Rico "is an island surrounded by water, big water, ocean water" (It's about 1000 miles away from the mainland U.S.).

If we don't have an administration capable of the effort it will take to rebuild Puerto Rico the consequences could be far-reaching. Because rebuilding the island will be a mammoth effort, similar to a smaller-scale Marshall Plan, since the devastation "set Puerto Rico back nearly 20 to 30 years": 

"Devastation From Hurricane Maria Set Puerto Rico Back “Nearly 20 to 30 Years”

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/09/24/devastation_from_hurricane_maria_set_puerto_rico_back_nearly_20_to_30_years.html

'"So far, the death toll from the strongest storm to hit the U.S. territory in almost 90 years stands at 10 although it seems certain to rise over the coming days. Some Puerto Ricans are describing the conditions in their communities as “apocalyptic,” according to CNN. Maria killed at least 31 lives across the Caribbean.

Authorities are now working to figure out the full extent of the damage, but they’re warning it could take a long while for the island to recover. “The devastation in Puerto Rico has set us back nearly 20 to 30 years,” said Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez. “I can’t deny that the Puerto Rico of now is different from that of a week ago. The destruction of properties, of flattened structures, of families without homes, of debris everywhere. The island’s greenery is gone.”'

As a direct result of the incredible damage, there are now reports of thousands of Puerto Ricans leaving the island (which is a United States territory) & moving to mainland U.S. to escape the devastation: 
"Puerto Rico's Exodus Begins with a Trickle into Orlando"
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/09/29/puerto-ricos-exodus-maria-orlando-215659

Also happening today, Tom Price was fir... I mean he resigned. Because similarly to Trump Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin:"Mnuchin won't commit to commercial only flights for Treasury travel" http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/28/politics/steven-mnuchin-military-jet-use/index.html 

& Trump EPA administrator Scott Pruitt: "EPA's Scott Pruitt also used private plane for government business"

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/27/politics/scott-pruitt-plane/index.html

As well as Trump Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke: "A row over Trump administration officials' use of charter flights for business trips has deepened amid reports of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's use of the costly option."
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41446590

Trump HHS secretary Tom Price also used private planes. 
But unlike Mnuchin, Pruitt or Zinke, Price was indeed fir... I mean he resigned:
"Health Secretary Tom Price Resigns After Drawing Ire for Chartered Flights"

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/29/us/politics/tom-price-trump-hhs.html

"WASHINGTON — Tom Price, the health and human services secretary, resigned under pressure on Friday after racking up at least $400,000 in travel bills for chartered flights and undermining President Trump’s promise to drain the swamp of a corrupt and entitled capital.

Already in trouble with Mr. Trump for months of unsuccessful efforts to repeal and replace President Barack Obama’s health care program, Mr. Price failed to defuse the president’s anger by offering regret and a partial reimbursement. His departure was the latest from an administration buffeted by turbulence at the top, and capped a week of setbacks for the president."

#Boycottnfl, #Standforouranthem and #Takeaknee: Russians hackers get involved in U.S. political debate

I was watching the news this afternoon (see above). & I gotta say, I wasn't really surprised when Twitter & Russia-linked accounts appeared in the same chyron.

If you've been on twitter (or have watched/listened to U.S. sports shows) lately (where there has been intense political debate), you know there's something different going on in our country. 

With Trump saying any athlete (often any African-American athlete) who kneels while the National Anthem plays, is a"son of a bitch", the political debate is reaching a higher decibel as it expands to include a broader audience. Because not everyone is interested in politics, but most everyone watches sports. 
Thus, now every American citizen is being forced to take a side.

And while this often emotional debate among Americans continues, there are news reports that Russian hackers are also getting involved:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/27/technology/twitter-russia-election.html

"Twitter, With Accounts Linked to Russia, to Face Congress Over Role in Election"

"SAN FRANCISCO — After a weekend when Americans took to social media to debate President Trump’s admonishment of N.F.L. players who do not stand for the national anthem, a network of Twitter accounts suspected of links to Russia seized on both sides of the issue with hashtags such as #boycottnfl, #standforouranthem and #takeaknee.

As Twitter prepared to brief staff members of the Senate and House intelligence committees on Thursday for their investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election, researchers from a public policy group have been following hundreds of accounts to track the continuing Russian operations to influence social media discourse and foment division in the United States."

Rachel Maddow mentioned a similar point in her show last night (as far as Russian operations to influence social media discourse). 

However, if you really think about it & admit it, you know it's an effective strategy by the Russians: foment division in a hostile nation (the United States) to weaken it from within. & what better way to weaken a nation & make it less focused than to create divisions among its populace? 

"...Mr. Putin also sought to darken the image of the United States, making it a less attractive model for other countries and reducing its international influence, said Mark R. Jacobson, a Georgetown professor and co-author ofa new report on Russian influence operations."

And no platform seems more effective (& accessible) for hackers to "weaponize" against a nation than Twitter.
Mainly, because Twitter makes it so easy for hackers to create multiple accounts. From the same NYTimes article (link above):

"Twitter has struggled for years to rein in the fake accounts overrunning its platform. Unlike Facebook, the service does not require its users to provide their real name (or at least a facsimile of one) and allows automated accounts — arguing that they are a useful tool for tasks such as customer service. Beyond those restrictions, there is also an online black market for services that can allow for the creation of large numbers of Twitter bots, which can be controlled by a single person while still being difficult to distinguish from real accounts."

And I believe it's likely to get worse. Because Trump constantly attacks social-media companies (like Facebook), while at the same time he fights charges of collusion & denies Russian interference in our elections. Therefore, it would follow that the Trump administration wouldn't have enough of an incentive to allow its intelligence agencies to mount an effective digital counterattack, or to even have a defensive position:
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/28/facebook-google-twitter-asked-to-testify-on-russian-meddling.html
"On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump attacked Facebook in a tweet and suggested the world's largest social network had colluded with other media outlets that opposed him. The president has been skeptical of the conclusions of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in the election and has denied his campaign colluded with Moscow." 

Trump releases tax plan (& deletes tweets supporting losing Alabama candidate)

Today, one week after the devastation from hurricane Maria was first brought upon them, Puerto Rico continues to suffer. But it's no longer because of the hurricane itself, the U.S. Citizens of Puerto Rico are now being affected by the Federal government's apparent incompetence:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hurricane-maria-aftermath-puerto-rico-relief-supplies/

"Frustration mounts in Puerto Rico as people in need wait for relief supplies"

"SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- One week after Hurricane Maria invaded Puerto Rico, frustration is growing as relief supplies are arriving on the island, but getting them to the nearly 3.5 million people in desperate need is close to impossible.

Power is still out, and the FCC said Wednesday more than 91 percent of cellphone sites are out of service."

Meanwhile, Trump was busy sending several tweets down the memory hole:

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2017/sep/27/what-does-law-say-about-donald-trumps-deleted-twee/

"President Donald Trump backed the wrong horse in Alabama’s special senate election — but if his recently deleted tweets are any measure, he’s trying to change the narrative.

In a Republican primary runoff, Trump threw his weight behind Sen. Luther Strange, R-Ala. But after challenger Roy Moore won on Sept. 26, Trump deleted several tweets espousing his support for Strange (now available via ProPublica)."

But deleted tweets are never disposed of (see link above), & now even international news organizations are posting them:
"Donald Trump: Is it illegal for the US President to delete his tweets?"
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-28/is-it-illegal-for-donald-trump-to-delete-his-tweets/8995370

As far as the Alabama election, it appears Roy Moore won by linking Luther Strange to Mitch McConnell in campaign ads. Needless to say, this would seem to be a good strategy for democrats to employ in general elections as well: especially given how unpopular McConnell & Paul Ryan are in the general population.

Most importantly though, today Trump released his long-awaited tax plan. What would it be? Tax cuts for us & the rich paying their fair share? Or tax cuts for the rich & us getting crumbs from the rich man's table (trickle-down economics)? 

Well, just check out the NYTimes article's headline:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/27/us/politics/trump-tax-plan-wealthy-middle-class-poor.html

"Trump Tax Plan Benefits Wealthy, Including Trump"

"WASHINGTON — The tax plan that the Trump administration outlined on Wednesday is a potentially huge windfall for the wealthiest Americans. It would not directly benefit the bottom third of the population. As for the middle class, the benefits appear to be modest.

The administration and its congressional allies are proposing to sharply reduce taxation of business income, primarily benefiting the small share of the population that owns the vast majority of corporate equity. President Trump said on Wednesday that the cuts would increase investment and spur growth, creating broader prosperity. But experts say the upside is limited, not least because the economy is already expanding.

The plan would also benefit Mr. Trump and other affluent Americans by eliminating the estate tax, which affects just a few thousand uber-wealthy families each year, and the alternative minimum tax, a safety net designed to prevent tax avoidance."

Social media info from Naturalized U.S. Citizens to be collected by Trump's DHS

For all those U.S. Naturalized Citizens who thought they wouldn't be affected by Trump's DHS, there are some bad news tonight:
"Homeland Security plans to collect immigrants’ social media info" https://www.cnet.com/news/homeland-security-plans-to-collect-immigrants-social-media-info/

'Every US immigrant's social media history is up for grabs starting Oct. 18.

The US Department of Homeland Security quietly introduced a proposed amendment to its records regulations last week that would allow the agency to collect data from all immigrants' social media history, including posts from their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. It would also affect green card holders and naturalized citizens. The new provision, introduced to the Federal Register on Sept. 18, was first spotted by Buzzfeed News.  

The update adds to increased government scrutiny of immigrants' internet activity, which has been growing since the administration of President Barack Obama and has continued into the presidency of Donald Trump.  On Sept. 13, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation sued the DHS after 11 travelers had their laptops and phones searched without warrants at US borders. It's been reported that border agents have also been checking people's Facebook profiles. The US Department of State in May said it wanted to search through five years of social media history to grant US visas. (However, Border patrol agents said in July that they wouldn't search through a person's cloud data.)'

From the CNET.com article (link above), Jill Bronfman (privacy law expert) makes the obvious point about the fact Naturalized Citizens are also being targeted; "That just seems crazy to me":

'What's more, the updated rules apply to naturalized citizens, not just new visa applicants. "That just seems crazy to me," said Jill Bronfman, privacy law expert at UC Hastings College of the Law. "I don't know of very many incidences in the law in which we make a distinction between naturalized citizens and [native born citizens]."'

As mentioned above in the CNET article, the new provision, introduced to the federal register on sept. 18, was first spotted by "Buzzfeed News": https://www.buzzfeed.com/adolfoflores/people-are-worried-about-dhs-plans-to-gather-social-media?utm_term=.sbpY5aBLzo#.thM8Nv63e1

"WASHINGTON — Federal officials are planning to collect social media information on all immigrants, including permanent residents and naturalized citizens, a move that has alarmed lawyers and privacy groups worried about how the information will be used.

The Department of Homeland Security published the new rule in the Federal Register last week, saying it wants to include "social media handles, aliases, associated identifiable information, and search results" as part of people's immigration file. The new requirement takes effect Oct. 18.

DHS and US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Adam Schwartz, an attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which advocates for privacy and free expression, said the plan was disturbing.

"We see this as part of a larger process of high-tech surveillance of immigrants and more and more people being subjected to social media screening," Schwartz told BuzzFeed News. "There's a growing trend at the Department of Homeland Security to be snooping on the social media of immigrants and foreigners and we think it's an invasion of privacy and deters freedom of speech."

This would also affect all US citizens who communicate with immigrants, Schwartz said, who could self-censor out of fear that information they exchange with someone overseas could be misconstrued and used against them."

It appears the Trump administration doesn't just want to get rid of "bad hombres", but wants to look for excuses (even in social media) to get rid of immigrants in general (even Naturalized U.S. Citizens).

Arizona Cardinals & the NFL regular season's week 3

Yesterday, the day started with Trump wanting people to boycott the NFL: i.e. "Turn off the NFL" Facebook ads being run by the Trump campaign (which I must say; is a very anti-business attitude from the Donald). 
I was wondering what Trump's team-owner friends would say about the Donald wanting to negatively affect their business thus their ad revenue. Because for them as for everybody: "Playing with my money is like playing with my emotions" as was perfectly expressed by "Big Worm". Looking at it cynically & judging by Jerry Jones kneeling tonight (even if it was before the anthem), looks like they're not too happy with Trump telling them what to do:

Monday Night Football: despite great effort by Fitzgerald:
https://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2017/9/25/16364954/larry-fitzgerald-turned-a-sure-interception-into-an-incredible-reception & Palmer:
http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/250210/carson-palmer-larry-fitzgerald-connection-not-enough-for-cardinals Cardinals lost to the Dallas Cowboys 17 to 28. Arizona is now 1-2, Dallas 2-1:

"Dak Prescott leads Cowboys to hard-fought win"

http://www.espn.com/blog/dallas-cowboys/post/_/id/4762653/dak-prescott-leads-cowboys-to-hard-fought-win

Elsewhere in the NFL: of course yesterday #TakeTheKnee was trending on Twitter as a direct result from Trump insulting NFL players & pretty much daring them to protest during the opening ceremonies of football games. Therefore, in response the players (& sometimes even the owners) protested in a peaceful manner (I wrote a post about it yesterday):
https://genxmillennlatino.blogspot.com/2017/09/taketheknee-trump-picking-fights.html

Also happening yesterday, the Giants lost yet again in a close game 24 to 27 to the Eagles & are now 0-3.

Lions had a controversial loss to the Falcons 30 - 26:
"The Lions are no strangers to the controversial losses. They suffered another one after what looked like a game-winning touchdown catch by Golden Tate was overturned by replay review with eight seconds on the clock.

The Lions had no timeouts remaining and, by rule, a review triggers a 10-second run-off, which ended the game.

As former head of officials Dean Blandino explained on the broadcast and later on Twitter, the rule was put into place because it’s unrealistic for a team to scramble to the line, get set and snap the ball within 10 seconds.

There’s just one tiny problem with Blandino’s theory: The Lions proved it wrong just last year…"

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/09/nfl-lions-twitter-dean-blandino-10-second-runoff-falcons

Saints beat the Panthers 34 to 13:

"Kenny Vaccaro, Saints' defense bounce back after hitting bottom"

http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/250003/kenny-vaccaro-saints-defense-bounce-back-after-hitting-bottom

"CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- No unit in the NFL had a worse start to this season than the New Orleans Saints' defense, which allowed more than 1,000 yards and 65 points in a pair of lopsided losses.

And, by extension, no individual player probably had a tougher week than Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro, who was the subject of trade rumors before being temporarily benched last Sunday.

So did anyone have a better Week 3 than the Saints’ defense, which shut down the Carolina Panthers in a 34-13 rout?

Or Vaccaro, who intercepted one pass and tipped one up that led to another pick by teammate Marcus Williams?"

Bears beat the Steelers 23 to 17, & are now 1-2 before facing the 2-1 Packers on this week's installment of Thursday Night Football:
"Some thoughts and observations after watching the film and going through the stats of the Bears’ 23-17 overtime time against the Steelers on Sunday (as previously shared on Twitter)":
http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/17-takeaways-from-the-bears-23-17-overtime-win-vs-steelers/

Patriots finally have a winning record this season 2-1 by beating the Texans 36 to 33. But according to this columnist:
"Borges: Despite win, Patriots defense ugly as sin"
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/columnists/ron_borges/2017/09/borges_despite_win_patriots_defense_ugly_as_sin

Redskins beat the Raiders during Sunday night football 27 to 10.
"Kirk Cousins and the Washington Redskins (2-1) put on a show on Sunday night, shutting downDerek Carr and the Oakland Raiders (2-1), 27-10, at FedEx Field in Week 3."
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000851116/article/cousins-thompson-lead-redskins-romp-over-raiders

As for the rest of the games; here's the NFL's page with the regular season's schedule & results for week 3: 

http://www.nfl.com/schedules/2017/REG3

Who'll lead the #Democrats?

I was browsing through the new "Time" magazine this evening when I came across this page:

I was talking to a visiting relative about it (she supported Hillary), & she immediately said Bernie shouldn't be a front-runner. I asked her "why not?". "Because he's too old", she replied. 

As I've said before, if Democrats allow the Bernie-Hillary divide to continue into the midterms & into the next presidential election, Democrats & Progressives will lose again.

Just like my relative immediately dismissed Bernie, I've seen a lot of Progressives immediately dismiss Kamala Harris, for example. 

I think both camps are wrong. 

There'll have to be a long & tough fight as well as vigorous, no-holds-barred debate between several candidates until one is left standing. & of course, the DNC cannot get involved in the fight or choose a favorite. 

Each & every single candidate will have to prove themselves in front of the democratic base in order to earn the support of every single constituency within it.

That's the only way a true Democratic leader will emerge. 

I tend to support Bernie even if people say he's old: "he'd still win" is what I often reply (simple as that). 

However, if kamala Harris were to out-debate everybody & have a connection with the democratic electorate, & win the nomination, I'd accept it & support her. Same goes for the rest of the candidates. 
However, Democrats can't allow the presidential nomination to devolve into a coronation because whichever candidate is eventually coronated WILL lose the general. 

At this time last year, very few people (including republicans) thought we would be hearing the words "president Trump" in 2017. Nevertheless, the republican party stayed away from "assigning" a more "mainstream" candidate like Marco Rubio. & despite everything (including having a historically unpopular candidate), the GOP actually ended up winning. 
It's cliché but true: if Democrats fail to learn from the mistakes of the 2016 election, they'll be doomed to repeat them.

#TakeTheKnee: Trump picking fights & injecting politics into sports

I don't like LeBron James. I think Lebron thinks too highly of himself & I like it when his team (Heat, Cavs, Knicks? Lakers?) loses. 
During the past two NBA Finals, even though I'm a Suns fan, I've rooted for Curry (who I do like) & the Warriors against Lebron & the Cavs.

Which is why I was surprised when I first heard LeBron had a "Twitter beef" with Trump. I thought to myself: "Hey! I may actually have something in common with Trump in a mutual dislike of Lebron James".
But no, it turns out Lebron James was actually standing up for Curry:

So now I respect Lebron James. Trump's name is so toxic, it's actually uniting sports stars from rival franchises & making unlikable athletes likable.

For instance, today there are black NFL athletes from different teams taking a knee before game-time while the star-spangled banner plays. Mostly, because Trump asked NFL owners to fire the players if they were to do that exact thing:
"Trump: NFL owners should fire players who protest the national anthem"

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/22/politics/donald-trump-alabama-nfl/index.html

I gotta be honest: I don't give a shit what Trump says, but I, myself, wouldn't take a knee while the star-spangled banner played (not that it matters since I'm not a high-paid athlete). Mainly, because of nostalgia from my childhood. I saw how hard my dad (mechanic with minimal education) studied & worked to become a U.S. citizen. & I was very proud when our whole family went to the ceremony downtown when he officially became a citizen. Then afterwards, he proudly waved the little U.S. flag that was given to him while a patriotic song played. 

But also, because in public I tend to keep a low profile (I post in this blog anonymously so that should give you a clue). My friend told me she saw me on the local news during the recent protests against Trump & I was bummed ("I hope nobody else recognized me" I thought).

That being said, I respect somebody's right to peaceful protest, because we're far from perfect. No country in the World can ever be perfect & people have a right to protest what they see as inequality or discrimination as we strive for a "more perfect Union" (Obama's phrase). 

I also respect what the NFL athletes are doing because they're not disrespecting America, they're protesting racism, the killing of unarmed Black men by police, & Trump's statement. & most importantly, no "low profile" from these NFL athletes, they are risking a major backlash which could cost them financially: thus their actions are admirable. 

This morning, I heard a member of Trump's cabinet say the NFL athletes are disrespecting the U.S. Military & first responders. That's bullshit. U.S. soldiers & first responders are from all races & backgrounds & I'm sure many support the NFL athletes's actions.  

Trump doesn't get to decide who is Patriotic & who is not. Or what action is Patriotic & what action is not. His administration is under investigation for having colluded with Russia to steal the election: why would we listen to him?
Not to mention the Donald lost the election by three million votes! The majority of Americans don't like him or his administration. And many downright detest him like I've never seen before (not even in the W. Bush years). 

The Trump versus Kim Jong Un "beef" used to divert attention

Trump loves to be the center of media attention. However, he makes it very obvious when he wants to distract us from real issues affecting his presidency.  
For example: just to name 3 issues which somehow Trump doesn't want to tweet or talk about (from the latter part of this week):

1) Manafort & the #TrumpRussia Mueller investigation:

"ROBERT MUELLER BRINGS DOWN THE HAMMER ON PAUL MANAFORT"

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/09/robert-mueller-paul-manafort-investigatiON

"While more than a dozen Trump associates are considered to be central players in the Russia investigation, special counsel Robert Mueller has been pursuing Paul Manafort with scorched-earth tactics that seem calculated to inspire fear—or force his cooperation." 

2) Trump's cabinet members using private chartered planes at taxpayers' expense:

"HHS watchdog investigating Tom Price's travel"

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hhs-watchdog-looking-into-tom-prices-travel/

"The Health and Human Services' inspector general is now investigating HHS Secretary Tom Price's reported frequent use of government-funded private charter planes for work, CBS has confirmed, making Price the second cabinet member whose travel is under review by an agency watchdog.

The OIG is looking into Price's travel habits, amid a Politico report that Price has used private charter planes at least two dozen times to the tune of $300,000 since he joined the administration in February, sometimes on jaunts that typically have a number of commercial flights scheduled." 

3) Puerto Ricans (U.S. citizens) seemingly forgotten by mainland U.S. politicians after hurricane Maria:
"Hurricane Maria: Don't forget Puerto Rico needs our help"
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/the-conversation/sd-puerto-rico-hurricane-maria-20170922-htmlstory.html
"Even as good Samaritans worldwide hurry to help the people of Mexico with rescue and recovery efforts after this month’s massive earthquakes, the people of Puerto Rico need assistance, too, after a hurricane ravaged their island.
Homes, neighborhoods and towns were devastated by Hurricane Maria this week and at least six people are dead on the island. And that’s on top of what the American territory already suffered though Hurricane Irma.
“There’s a humanitarian emergency here in Puerto Rico,” Gov. Ricardo Rosselló told the Associated Press. “This is an event without precedent."

What the Donald does to divert attention from these type of issues is, he goes to rallies where he enjoys being cheered on by his base (like in Alabama tonight where his base also booed John McCain). But more often that not, what the Donald does to divert attention is he goes on Twitter & blasts familiar & dependable targets like the "fake news media" as well as "crooked" Hillary:

The tweet above is relatively harmless since Hillary Clinton is not a political figure with any real governing power anymore. However, the problem is when the Donald uses his "beef" with a certain North-Korean dictator as a way to distract from other issues. Besides using the "RocketMan" nickname, Trump will also make vague threats:

Kim Jong Un took notice. & yesterday, the DPRK released a statement from Kim Jong Un in direct response to Trump's insults. The N Korean dictator called Trump a "dotard" which according to dictionary.com is defined as:
a person, especially an old person, exhibiting a decline in mental faculties; a weak-minded or foolish old person.
(does DPRK intelligence know something we don't?): 
"Kim Jong Un Just Called Trump A Mentally Deranged "Dotard" And Threatened The US"
https://www.buzzfeed.com/claudiakoerner/kim-jong-un-just-called-trump-a-mentally-deranged-dotard

"The war of insults continued Thursday with a fiery statement from Kim carried by North Korean state media, calling Trump's UN speech "unprecedented rude nonsense." The personal statement from Kim was in itself rare, experts on North Korea noted.

"A frightened dog barks louder," Kim said.

The North Korean leader cautioned Trump to speak more carefully, particularly when on the world stage.

"He is unfit to hold the prerogative of supreme command of a country, and he is surely a rogue and a gangster fond of playing with fire, rather than a politician," Kim said."

It appears Trump's insults are having an effect on the North-Korean dictator. But the consequences are unknown. 

And unknown consequences is the key point here. On the positive side, the markets are not paying attention to the Trump vs Kim Jong Un "beef":

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-stock-futures-fall-after-north-korean-nuclear-bomb-threat-2017-09-22

"Some analysts said the stock market has become desensitized to threats from North Korea.

“As long as there is no military action from the either side, markets will continue to ignore the threats from North Korea,” said Wouter Sturkenboom, senior investment strategist at Russell Investments.

North Korea returned to the forefront after the country’s foreign minister Ri Yong Ho said late Thursday at a United Nations that his country might consider a nuclear bomb of “unprecedented scale” in the Pacific.

Ri’s comments came shortly after North Korea’s President Kim Jong Un released a statement threatening to make President Donald Trump “pay dearly” for his fiery speech to the U.N. on Tuesday, calling the U.S. leader a “mentally deranged U.S. dotard.”

The statements follow Trump’s U.N. speech on Tuesday, where he pledged to “totally destroy” North Korea if Pyongyang provoked the U.S. or its allies. Trump on Thursday ordered expanded sanctions against North Korea, targeting individuals or companies trading with the country.

“The market has looked at this ongoing kerfuffle and said, ‘Meh.’ Right now there are just words being thrown back and forth, and it won’t care until that changes or escalates,” said Malcolm Polley, president and chief investment officer of Stewart Capital Advisors. “So long as rates stay low there’s no real catalyst to drive the market down, even though no place in it looks particularly cheap and we think the risk premium being assigned to stocks is too low.”

I'm glad the markets are ignoring all the rhetoric, however, N Korea is not. The tension between the U.S. & North-Korea could escalate which somehow doesn't seem to bother Trump. In his continuing effort to distract voters, the Donald doesn't seem too concerned with inflaming tensions with Kim Jong Un, but I'm afraid that could spell disaster in the long-term.