Beltway Insider: Trump Angers Allies; Giuliani/Cohen Daniels Payoff; McCain; Skakel Conviction Vacated; Hawaii; Justify

President Donald Trump has hired form New York City Mayor and Federal Prosecutor Rudy Giuliani as his personal attorney after Michael Cohen became the subject of a federal investigation over the payments to known adult porn star Stormy Daniels.

According to Gallup, President Trump job approval, over the past week, increased by three percentage points to 42% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness as President decreased by two percentage point to 53%.

Trump Angers Allies Over NRA Remarks

After what appeared to be a successful week of bi-lateral meetings with French president Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkle, as well a winter whit house bi-lateral with Japanese Prime Minister Abe, President Trump has angered allies with his NRA speech.

Trump, who has been known to alienate friend and colleagues for the accoldes of the moment, took aim at France and Germany, indicating stricter gun laws wouldn't have prevented the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris and repeatedly used foreign terrorist activities, whom he praised the coalition effort in meetings and toasts only one week prior, to drive home his rhetoric of the moment.


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With allies angered Trump, when it comes time for a gathering will eloquently praise them, each of them for their continued efforts in the ultimate destruction of ISIS. The black-market weapons, which were used during the 2015 Paris Attacks were not purchased legally.

Trump, who may be facing impeachment come November or the grilling of special prosecutor Robert A. Mueller over the alleged collusion Russian involvement in the 2016 election. Even more so the money crimes, pay offs, and prostitutes could become the downfall to someone who is known to be morally corrupt.

Rudy Giuliani, Michael Cohen and The Prostitute Payoff

With the hiring of Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York City and former federal prosecutor, as his personal lawyer President Trump continues to beat the witch hunt drum even as Giuliani makes several televised missteps during his first week.

Defending Giuliani, Trump insisted that "When Rudy made the statement, Rudy is great, but Rudy had just started, and he wasn't totally familiar with every, you know, with everything.  And Rudy, we love Rudy, he's a special guy.  What he really understands is that this is a witch hunt.  He understands that probably better than anybody. But when he made a certain statement — he just started yesterday.  So that's it.

Trump has original vetted Giuliani for his Secretary of State immediately after his historic win. Giuliani has always been on the side of the law and within a week, and again in no official White House capacity but as a personal lawyer advising the president on matters outside the scope of his office, which may or may not overlap into the office of the presidency, Giuliani suggested Trump may have already broken the law.

Will the former U.S. Federal Prosecutor suggest the president should sit for Robert Mueller?

And again, as the entire White House Press corps is attempting to simply the "What did you know?" and "When did you know it?" timelines, it appears that Mr. Trump may be so wealthy or bored with everyday life, prior to the presidency that when his then lawyer explained he would be paying an adult porn star in exchange for her silence and he, Trump, would then be repaying the lawyer the then candidate trump wasn't listening?

A sample of the exchanges "The President did talk about monthly retainers in his tweet, and then Rudy Giuliani said that the President only knew about this 10 days to 2 weeks ago.  How can you only be aware of something 10 days to 2 weeks ago, but at the same time be in the process of paying monthly retainers that apparently covered this reimbursement to Michael Cohen?"

If I could just follow up on, you said, on March 7th, "There was no knowledge of any payments from the President, and he's denied all of these allegations."  Were you lying to us at the time, or were you in the dark?

MS. SANDERS:  The President has denied and continues to deny the underlying claim.  And again, I had given the best information I had at the time.  And I would refer you back to the comments that you, yourself, just mentioned a few minutes ago about the timeline for Mayor Giuliani.

China Militarizes South China Sea Islands

The Republic of China has been raising concerns in the region as well as in Washington with its militarization of the South China Sea. U.S Intelligence has indicated the Chinese have installed new missile platforms on islands which are disputed territories and are also basing military personal in the same region.

Intelligence has also reported preparations are underway for the Chinese to launch Surface to Surface (SSM) or Ground to Ground (GGM) from installations currently under construction.

"We're well aware of China's militarization of the South China Sea.  We've raised concerns directly with the Chinese about this.  And there will be near-term and long-term consequences.  And we'll certainly keep you up to date," reported White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.

Senator John McCain Plans Funeral

Arizona Senator John McCain, 81, who is fighting a rare form of brain cancer, has asked two former Presidents, George W. Bush and Barack Obama to deliver eulogies at his funeral according to sources close to both men.

McCain, a former Vietnam Prisoner of War in the infamous Hanoi Hilton, has also requested Vice president Pence to attend as part of the official white House delegation in place of President Trump.

A U.S Senator for thirty years, the funeral will reportedly be held in the Washington National Cathedral.

Then candidate Trump, who without hesitation or reservation attacked every Republican whom he thought to be a stronger and more probable candidate for President attacked the war record of the Arizona senator calling him saying of the five and a half years spent in the prisoner of war camp, "He's not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured," reported FOX News.

"He seems uninterested in the moral character of world leaders and their regimes," he writes of the president, according to the [New York] Times, which obtained a copy of the book. "The appearance of toughness or a reality show facsimile of toughness seems to matter more than any of our values. Flattery secures his friendship, criticism his enmity," FOX News reported.


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Former Vice President Biden recently returned from a lengthy visit at the Senator's Sedona Ranch who has recently underwent surgery, While he is continuing medical treatment McCain admitted the prospects of him beating this cancer which also killed Senator ted Kennedy of Massachusetts and Biden's son, Beau, are nearly non-existent.

Skakel Conviction Overturned

Michael Skakel, the Kennedy cousin convicted of the 1975 bludgeoning death of Greenwich, Connecticut, neighbor Martha Moxley has won a major victory in his quest to clear his name with the recent conviction reversal by the Connecticut Supreme court.

The decision which vacated the original verdict and ordered a new trial was made after evidence was presented indicating Skakel's attorney, Michael Sherman, failed to identify an alibi witness for his client, which resulted in prejudice to the petitioner" and that as a result, Skakel was deprived of a fair trial," CNN reports.

What was even more shocking the alibi for Skakel is based on a statement by Tony Bryant, the cousin former Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant, and a former classmate of Skakel's who said on videotape two of his friends had admitted to killing Moxley.

The death of Moxley, 15, has been one of the most intensively researched and examined cold cases as the alleged killer is a member of the once dominate Kennedy family, a political dynasty at the time, and the nephew of Ethel Kennedy the widow of Robert F. Kennedy, the second Kennedy brother to be murdered.

Moxley, was last seen alive October 30, 1975. According to Wikipedia, "She left with friends to attend "Mischief Night", where the neighborhood kids pulled [minor] pranks.  Moxley began flirting with Thomas Skakel, Michael's brother. She was last seen with Thomas near the pool in the Skakel backyard around 9:30 p.m. The next day, her body was found underneath a tree in her family's backyard. Her trousers and underwear were pulled down, but she had not been sexually assaulted. Pieces of a broken six-iron golf club were found near the body. An autopsy indicated she had been both bludgeoned and stabbed with the club, which was traced back to the Skakel home."

Over the next twenty-five years the investigation which had always centered on Michael Skakel, grew cold. There was never the big break, although his Kennedy privileged, a belief in entitlement, and the need to boost of events true or not, became building blocks in the prosecution's case that already centered on Skakel.

Finally arrested and brought to trail in 2002, 27 years after the murder, Skakel was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years to life. In 2013 he was granted a new trial and released on $1.2MM bail. Three years later the Connecticut Supreme court reinstated the conviction.

Skakel had served about half of his original 20 years to life sentence before he was released pending a new trial. With the conviction vacated, it is as if he was never convicted and all the pieces move back to square one.

The prosecutor has the right to retry Skakel and will after reviewing the evidence made a decision.

Hawaiian Volcano Erupts; Earthquake Follows

The usually tranquil life on Hawaii's Big Island has turned precariously uncertain as a triple threat of potentially deadly natural disasters are quickly shattering the serene existence many have realized while living in this island paradise.

The Kilauea volcano erupted last week spewing searing hot, molten lava cascading down, sending sparks flying into the air, with the lava flow inching forward toward Leilani Estate, an enclave of homes near Hawaii's eastern edge.

With the lava, which has a top heat of 1165F, crusting on top the embers, which could be reach more than 1600F underneath and when the rock is seriously melting, such as the world is witnessing in the volcano in Kilauea, temperatures an reach 2,120F which in turns sparks fires and melt everything in its path.

The heat from the volcano is so intense that the earth is splitting. The Fissures, or cracks in the earth's surfaces like the results from fracking. Suddenly a split occurs and hot steam escapes.

Media have reported at least 26 homes in the Leilani estates have been destroyed due to fissures and the volcano. Waves of orange red lava, with black crusted tops creep across land, roads, yards, turning well-manicured greenery into a hotbed of hellfire.

If that weren't enough, a 6.9 earthquake was reported on Friday, on day after the Volcanic eruption, sending frightened homeowners into the streets as building swayed and already weakened earth splits grew wider.

Friday's quake was a difficult blow to a hard hit region and according to the U.S. Geological Survey seismic activity is not over yet as aftershocks are expected to continue. With the first 24 hours, it was reported nearly 500 aftershocks rumbled across the Big Island, with residents barely noticing them.

The intense heat is weakening plate stability resulting in shifting which causes the earthquakes. With each day Kilauea activity continues the chance for a greater, more devastating, earthquake becomes a reality.

Justify Wins the Kentucky Derby

Justify the three year old thoroughbred racehorse and winner of the 144th Kentucky Derby gave fans more than a record return on their bets, after breaking away in the back stretch, the 3-to-1 favorite crossed the finish winning  by two and a half lengths.

Despite the wettest running on record the first race in the coveted Triple Crown at Churchill Downs, in Louisville, Kentucky proved to be one of the most exciting in decades with the colt overcoming a soaking rain, muddy track, and one of the longest held records in Derby history to prove age ain't nothing but a number.

It has been a strongly held belief and almost a religion that two year colts are at top form and as with all sports to win, an algorithm is developed, and one expects the procedures to be the guidelines. Justify proved everyone wrong destroying a record held for 136 years to win the race without racing as a two-year-old.

With the Preakness and Belmont Stakes the next hurdles in the Triple Crown of Horseracing, those in the know are declaring Justify, the three year old colt a serious contender for the Triple Crown title.

For more information on President Donald Trump: www.whitehouse.gov

Sources: Whitehouse.gov, Wikipedia.com


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