When Bush and Cheney decided to lie us into a war with Iraq, and take down a Sunni government, it became inevitable that Iraq, a Shia majority country, would end up with Shia control and align itself with Shia controlled Iran.

The only way to prevent that from being a disaster for the United States was to work out a deal with Iran, which Obama did.

When Trump blew up that deal, he made even worse the stupid mistake of Bush and Cheney and set us again on the path to war.

Now his assassination of the number three guy in the Iranian government is an act of war without congressional approval. This will not end well.

-Thom

Friday's Daily Stack

Hour One: Mid-day with Mark
- Congressman Mark Pocan (D-WI, 2nd District)

Article: "Explosive report indicates that Donald Trump's loans from Deutsche Bank were backed by Russia" by Mark Sumner.

Article: "Congressman Ted Lieu Accuses Trump Of Stock Market Fraud And Opens Investigation" by Andrew Bradford.

Article: "Unredacted Emails Reportedly Reveal 'Clear Direction' From Trump on Ukraine" by Tamar Auber.

Article: "On multiple occasions Donald Trump tweeted predictions that President Obama would order an attack on Iran." by David Mikkelson.

Article: "In Old Tweets, Trump Warned a President Would Attack Iran in 'Desperate' Attempt to Win Reelection" by Jake Johnson.

Tweet: "@BarackObama will attack Iran in the not too distant future because it will help him win the election. If the... (cont) http://deck.ly/~RSKCl" by Donald J. Trump, Nov 14, 2011.

Tweet: "@BarackObama will attack Iran in order to get re-elected." by Donald J. Trump, 17 Jan 2012.

Tweet: "Just as I predicted, @BarackObama is preparing a possible attack on Iran right before November." by Donald J. Trump, 3 Jul 2012.

Tweet: "I always said @BarackObama will attack Iran, in some form, prior to the election." by Donald J. Trump, 16 Aug 2012.

Tweet: "Now that Obama's poll numbers are in tailspin - watch for him to launch a strike in Libya or Iran. He is desperate." by Donald J. Trump, 9 Oct 2012.

Article: "Here's The Unverified And False Information Spreading About The Killing Of Qassem Soleimani" by Jane Lytvynenko (incl. Eric Trump tweet "Bout to open up a big ol' can of whoop ass).

Article: "Trump's order to kill Iran's top general is his biggest gamble yet" by David Smith.

Article: "'Harsh retaliation awaiting': Iran's supreme leader Khamenei after US strike kills Gen Soleimani" by Indian Express (mentions others who were killed).

Article: "Iran vows 'harsh' response to killing of top general as U.S. tells citizens to leave Iraq" by AP.

Tweet: "Archduke Ferdinand was just assassinated.

This is not going to end well. #WWIII

" by Thom Hartmann.

Article: "Iran, Russia and China carry out naval drills in Indian Ocean" by Telegraph.

Article: "Pelosi demands briefing on US-Iran strike, Graham says he was informed beforehand" by Libby Cathey.

Bill: "H.R.1 - For the People Act of 2019" by Rep. Sarbanes, John P. [D-MD-3].

Bill: "H.R.1562 - SAFE Act" by Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2].

Article: "The GOP's Stealth War Against Voters" (Interstate Crosscheck) by Greg Palast, August 24, 2016.

Article: "Wisconsin judge orders 234K voter registrations removed from rolls" by Eileen AJ Connelly.

Clip: "Iraq sits on top of 10 percent of the world's oil reserves, very significant reserves, second only to Saudi Arabia." Vice President Dick Cheney, Meet the Press, September 14, 2003.

Video: U.S. Killing of Soleimani Is Major Escalation, Could Spark “Another Round of Civil War” in Iraq.

Article: "Did Trump Propose SSI Changes That Could End Disability Benefits for Thousands?" by Dan MacGuill.

Article: "'A National Disgrace': Trump Proposes Social Security Change That Could End Disability Benefits for Hundreds of Thousands" by Jake Johnson.

Article: "Rules Regarding the Frequency and Notice of Continuing Disability Reviews" by SSA (comments by January 17, 2020).

Article: "Transcript for Sept. 14, 2003 w/Dick Cheney" by Meet the Press.

Article: "Ryan cools Congress's fervor for new AUMF war debate" by Stephen Dinan.

Article: "List of countries by number of military and paramilitary personnel" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran" by Wikipedia.

Article: "25th Amendment Section 4" "Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President..."

Article: "Name Trump or not? Senate responses to Soleimani killing highlight 2020 tightrope" by Bridget Bowman.

Article: "Mnuchin dismisses question about putting Harriet Tubman on $20 bill" by Patrick Temple-West.

Article: "Embassy of the United States, Baghdad" by Wikipedia (peak staffing of 16,000 employees and contractors).

Article: "Constitution of the United States" Article 2 section 1. "The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be encreased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them." (domestic emoluments clause).

Article: "Constitution of the United States" Article 1 section 9. "No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States: and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state." (foreign emoluments clause).

Article: "Trump orders US troops out of Syria, declares victory over ISIS; senators slam action as mistake" by Tom Vanden Brook and David Jackson.

Article: "Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi" by Wikipedia.

See Hour One for further relevant links.

Article: "Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria" by Wikipedia.

Article: "List of countries by oil production" by Wikipedia.

Article: "White House budget official told Pentagon that order to hold Ukraine aid came from Trump, national security site reports" by Zachary Cohen, Sara Murray and Ryan Browne.

Article: "Cheney 1994 Argues Against Going Into Baghdad. Bush Said, "Bring It On!"" by Bcgntn.

Quote: "if we can stand up a good representative government in Iraq, that secures the region so that it never again becomes a threat to its neighbors or to the United States, so it's not pursuing weapons of mass destruction, so that it's not a safe haven for terrorists, now we will have struck a major blow right at the heart of the base, if you will, the geographic base of the terrorists who have had us under assault now for many years, but most especially on 9/11." Vice President Dick Cheney, Meet the Press, September 14, 2003.

Article: "Study of Disputed Florida Ballots Finds Justices Did Not Cast the Deciding Vote" by Ford Fessenden and John M. Broder, November 12, 2001.

Article: "American Contractor Killed in Rocket Attack in Iraq" by Julian E. Barnes.

Article: "Eric Trump" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Age Limits Within Military Service Branches" by Stewart Smith.

Quote: "American people have to focus on something else, which is the sacrifice and the service that is given by our law enforcement officer. And they have to start showing, more than they do, the respect and support that law enforcement deserves - and if communities don't give that support and respect, they might find themselves without the police protection they need." - Bill Barr.

Article: "Where Can You Find a Copy of a Police Officer's Oath of Office?" by reference.com.

Article: "Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Federal judge rules indicted Giuliani associate Lev Parnas can give records to Schiff committee" by AP.

Article: "Pentagon to deploy roughly 3,500 more troops to Middle East with others placed on alert status, amid tensions with Iran" by Elizabeth McLaughlin.

Article: "Fayez al-Sarraj" (Libya PM) by Wikipedia.

Article: "Khalifa Haftar" (Libya Field Marshal) by Wikipedia.

Article: "Erik Prince" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Notorious Mercenary Erik Prince Is Advising Trump From The Shadows" by Jeremy Scahill.

Article: "Hundred Years' War" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Wars of the Roses" by Wikipedia.

Quote: "Our men are so happy at home that they will not hire themselves to be shot at for a shilling a day. Hence we can have no standing armies for defence" - Thomas Jefferson.

Article: "Fixing repo market a 'trial and error' process, former Atlanta Fed president says" by Jesse Pound.

Article: "Civilian Conservation Corps" (CCC) by Wikipedia.

Article: "Works Progress Administration" (WPA) by Wikipedia.

Article: "TVA: From the New Deal to a New Century" by Tennessee Valley Authority.

Article: "Does FAFSA Register You For The Draft? What To Know About Rumors That Circulated After Iranian General Killed" by Jenni Fink.

Book: The Conservative Mind: From Burke to Eliot, Russell Kirk.

Article: "Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists" (AUMF) by Wikipedia.

Article: "Pelosi: I Don't Think Founders Expected Rogue President And A Rogue Leader In The Senate The Same Time" by Ian Schwartz.

Video: Col. Wilkerson: Dick Cheney is an Idiot, Should be Jailed!.

Hour Three: The Escalating Conflict Between the U.S. and Iran
- Jamal Abdi, President - National Iranian American Council (NIAC)

Article: "Iranian Commander Qassem Soleimani Assassinated By U.S. In Baghdad Airstrike" by Carla Herreria, Akbar Shahid Ahmed.

Article: "Democrats Warn Of Massive Consequences After Assassination Of Soleimani" by Sanjana Karanth.

Article: "Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: 'Harsh Retaliation Is Waiting' For U.S. After General's Assassination" by Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Zeina Karam.

Article: "U.S. kills top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani" by Dave Lawler.

Tweet: "....Iran will be held fully responsible for lives lost, or damage incurred, at any of our facilities. They will pay a very BIG PRICE! This is not a Warning, it is a Threat. Happy New Year!" by Donald J. Trump.

Article: "Iranian commander to Trump: 'If you begin the war, we will end it'" by David Reid.

Article: "Soleimani posted memes antagonizing Trump on social media" by Avi Selk.

Tweet: "That guy has tweeted that we see Iran responsible for the events in Baghdad & we will respond to Iran.
1st: You can't do anything.
2nd: If you were logical -which you're not- you'd see that your crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan... have made nations hate you." by Khamenei.ir (Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader).

Article: "Europeans to toughen up Iran stance: Diplomats" by Reuters.

Article: "Qasem Soleimani: Boris Johnson not told about US airstrike" by BBC.

Article: "European leaders call for de-escalation of crisis after Suleimani killing" by Patrick Wintour.

Article: "Chaos in Syria, Washington after Trump call with Erdogan unleashed Turkish military" by Carol E. Lee and Courtney Kube.

Why He's Challenging Former Gov. John Hickenlooper in the Primary...
- U.S. Senate Candidate Andrew Romanoff (D-CO) (running against former CO Gov. John Hickenlooper)

Video: "Home" - Andrew Romanoff.

Article: "Andrew Romanoff" by Wikipedia.

Site: Andrew Romanoff for Senate.

Article: "Accelerating gender parity in Globalization 4.0" by Saadia Zahidi.

Article: "Democratic Debate Moderator Panel Of All Women Is Celebrated By Viewers" by Josephine Harvey.

Article: "Me Too movement" (#MeToo) by Wikipedia.

Article: "Bush Commutation Flashback: "Please Don't Kill Me"" by Jon Perr.

Coming up Monday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 12-3pm ET

We'll have the latest news and information...everything you need to know to win the water cooler wars...

And, the best of the rest of the news along with your calls right here on...

The Thom Hartmann Program, Occupying The Media 3 hours a day 5 days a week" for "we the people"

And don't forget...Democracy is NOT a spectator sport...it begins with you...

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