Larry

Actually, what he's saying is more along the lines of

"Fearless Leader?"

(And other posters). However, newspapers have always had the ability to endorse candidates. And Freedom of the Press gives them the authority to slant their paper. (It's not quite unlimited, but it's pretty close.) While I think we can, say draw the line at things like allowing Candidate X to run full page ads at no cost, while refusing to allow his opponent to even purchase them, I think "anything of value" is WAY too broad, especially when we're dealing with freedom of Press (and political speech).

Dewey, Cheatam, and Howe, Your Honor, representing Mr Morningstar. I just have to ask, here, though, exactly where this action supposedly crosses whatever line has been broken here. I hope we'd all agree that Freedom of the Press permits a newspaper to choose not to run a story that would damage a candidate that they're supporting. So where's the crime? Was it paying for the story? (I doubt it.) Was it coordinating with the campaign? (I could see maybe complaining about that. But also see it being a grey area. I mean, campaigns have press offices. Both the campaign and the press have people who's job is to communicate with the other.)

Waiting for Trump to actually tweet about the National Enquirer suddenly becoming "fake news".

I admire the way they say Rudy "risks blurring lines". Remember when the Clinton Foundation (which Hillary did not join until after leaving her SecState job) (and which spent 98% of the money it took in, on actually doing charitable work) was a treasonous cover for accepting bribes for foreign governments?

I know I'm potentially hijacking a porn thread, here. (Who am I kidding? Never happen.) But am I the only one who notices that supposedly $86,000 is the average annual income in China? Can that possibly be correct?

Do not Google Risk Santorum.

Well, some of them probably will.

Also admiring the comment that aides say “Once the president has been aggravated to that level, there’s no coming back from that and re-focusing.“ Reminding me of the opening scene from Roger Rabbit. Embedded as a link due to NSFW. (And admiring the similarities between Baby Herman and Trump.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4OZ68hBtsE

Do Not Congratulate!

So, "aides were more rattled" by the thought that Trump might have hurt their plan to blame a planned government shutdown on a party which doesn't yet have power? Not sure I ever expected to say this, but Trump shooting off his mouth isn't what ruined this plan, here.

I'm sure this thing is making Trump real popular behind closed doors in the GOP. I mean, it combines: 1) Shutting down the government when the GOP is still fully in charge of the whole thing. 2) And forcing them to choose between voting for something that will increase the deficit (in a small, but highly visible way) 2a) At a time when the GOP is gearing up for their standard maneuver of sudden;y noticing the deficit (which they've intentionally inflated) so they can loudly demand that somebody else must do something about it (in a manner which the GOP demands, but doesn't want to say that they actually did.) 2b) On a huge waste of money which a majority of voters oppose. 3) Or, ticking off the loony wing of the Party. And here's Trump, loudly demanding that the GOP must make this choice Right Now.

Flake doesn't have a problem confirming a Republican incompetent, either. Flake voted against him because he was (supposedly) attempting to force his colleagues to vote on the question on whether a sitting POTUS has the authority to fire any law enforcement officer who is investigating him. Something which not one other Republican wants to go on record, voting on.

So, let me get this straight. 1). Trump is is threatening to shut down the government before the Dems take control of Congress, if the Republicans don't authorize deficit spending for the wall. (Which he claims is already being built.) 2). And he's calling the Dems to the White House, and threatening to blame it on them? I bet Pelosi and Schumer had trouble keeping straight faces till they made it to their cars.