Random Politics & Religion #13

Interesting. In the two possible ways my question could be taken you chose the negative path and addressed it fully while ignoring the neutral path. I'm not attacking you with that question, there is no need to be defensive. I'll use bold to clarify.

The media, reporting on what he said, made Trump. The media, reporting on what he said, are destroying Trump.

The media giveth and the media taketh away.

French authorities will Monday begin clearing "The Jungle," the makeshift refugee camp at Calais, giving the thousands of people living there the option to seek asylum in France or to return to their country of origin.
The plan is to have the camp completely torn down by December, according to the French Ministry of the Interior.

Some 6,900 people, more than 1,200 of them children, live in the sprawling encampment, a jumble of squalid tents and temporary shelters near the northern French port town.
On Sunday, foot patrols of volunteers will distribute flyers explaining that the camp is to close, and outlining the two options open to them: seek asylum in France and be relocated within the country or return to their country of origin.

Authorities say residents of the Jungle will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis, beginning Monday at 8am, local time.
A large police presence will be on hand to prevent crowd problems; more than 1,250 officers have been mobilized for the first three days of the eviction operation.
Most of those living in the camp are from sub-Saharan Africa -- Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia -- and Afghanistan; they have spent months or even years there in the hope of reaching the UK, some 30 miles away across the English Channel. Refugees from war torn Iraq and Syria have also set up temporary homes in the Jungle.

Those who choose to apply for asylum will be offered the choice of two French regions; they will be taken to the location they choose by bus almost immediately and offered temporary accommodation in a shelter while their claim is processed.
Up to 60 buses are expected to leave the camp on Monday, with dozens of further departures through the week.
Special provisions are to be made for unaccompanied minors.
The evacuation operation is expected to last a week, but a ministry spokesman told CNN: "If it takes more time so be it. We have all the time in the world."

Anyone who opts to go home will be taken there by plane.
Jungle inhabitants who have already sought asylum elsewhere within the European Union will be returned to that country while their application is dealt with.
Cleaners are expected to begin work at the site on Tuesday, expanding their "cleaning zone" as the evacuation proceeds.

The announcement comes days after a court challenge to halt the demolition of the camp failed.
At a press briefing in Geneva earlier this week, UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards said the closure was welcomed, as long as the French government provided a suitable solution for the displaced. He noted that the lives of children would be particularly at risk during the demolition.
"This is important so that children don't move on to other destinations and risk becoming exploited by human traffickers or end up living on the streets without any support," he said. "Strengthened measures must be taken to reunite children with relatives in Europe."

The UN says 200 of the unaccompanied children in Calais have been identified as having family links to the UK; the British government has pledged to offer them a home, but only a handful have so far been taken to the UK.

The Madea, you say?

At rally for Donald Trump Friday, the nominee’s son Eric Trump and his wife, Lara, posed for a photo with a young woman wearing a shirt that said “Latina contra Trump.”

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton expressed skepticism over the weekend about the announced AT&T deal to buy Time Warner for $85.4 billion.

Speaking to his supporters Saturday about the merger of the media companies, the GOP presidential nominee said it would result in too much concentration of power.

“As an example of the power structure I’m fighting, AT&T is buying Time Warner and thus CNN, a deal we will not approve in my administration because it’s too much concentration of power in the hands of too few,” he said in a speech in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Trump’s senior economic adviser, Peter Navarro, also released a statement Sunday about the campaign’s position.

“Donald Trump will break up the new media conglomerate oligopolies that have gained enormous control over our information, intrude into our personal lives, and in this election, are attempting to unduly influence America’s political process,” Navarro said.

Clinton’s vice presidential running mate Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia was asked about the merger on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday and whether he’s similarly skeptical.

“I share the concerns and questions,” Kaine said. “We have to get to the bottom of them.”

Kaine said that “pro-competition” and “less concentration” are generally helpful, especially when it comes to media.

Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon was also asked for the campaign’s reaction to the deal and pointed mainly to Kaine’s remarks.

He also added that, “In general, we think that marketplace competition is a good and healthy thing for consumers and so there’s a number of questions and concerns that arise in that vein about this announced deal but there’s still a lot of information that needs to come out before, before any conclusions should be reached. Certainly, [Clinton] thinks that regulators should scrutinize it closely.”

Trumps weakness and strength is displayed here as he isn't afraid to speak his mind while the Clinton campaign seems to be skirting the issue.

Related to both of their personal interests, really. They're both acting in their own best interests, consistent with their respective histories.

Trump v. media started long before he ever had any serious political aspirations.

Trumps battle with the media may very well produce favorable results for us.

Proof that Eric Trump is even more clueless than his dad:



Close up of the Tshirt:



HuffPo Linky

Maybe. I doubt it.

I'm not a fan of this merger, but Donald doesn't really care about the far-reaching implications of the merger on consumers. He just knows he wants a weaker, toothless media that he can cow with lawsuits.

Isn't government interference in the free market a liberal idea?

No, that's what the right enjoys pitching it as to put it in a negative light.

It'a a fairly complex issue going back to the bell breakup...

breakup of ma bell

Hey, when can we meet? I also want to get your Atlas folks to recommend oversamples for our polling before we start in February. By market, regions, etc. I want to get this all compiled into one set of recommendations so we can maximize what we get out of our media polling.