Donald Trump alert - Thank God for expert Parisian firefighters

A fire broke out at the landmark Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris on April 15, potentially involving renovation works being carried out at the site, the fire service said.

Daily Maine UK by Francesca Chambers and Geoff Earle

Notre Dame sanctuary still in tact thanks to the heroic work by Parisian firefighters

Images posted on social media showed flames and huge clouds of smoke billowing above the roof of the Gothic cathedral, the most visited historic monument in Europe.

In what amounted to a jealous move to grab the headlines, Donald Trump said the Notre Dame bells will ring again and called for using aerial water tankers to put out the flames.  His caustic remarks about using water tankers was another stupid comment. Moreover, the world is truly disgusted by his idiotic litanies.

Yes, the Notre Dame bells will ring again, but not because Donald Trump says so. In fact, the bells were not severely damaged.

'Those bells will sound again' because firefighters were experts about how to prevent the fire from doing more damage than was initially anticipated.

• French ambassador said water tankers would 'only worsen the situation of the building' that firefighters were ultimately able to save
• Trump did not mention the aerial approach again, and the White House avoided any mention of it in a readout of a call he placed to France's Emmanuel Macron.

Donald Trump called France's Emmanuel Macron to offer the United States condolences on the Notre Dame fire and U.S. assistance in restoring the iconic cathedral. 'France is the oldest ally of the United States, and we remember with grateful hearts the tolling of Notre Dame’s bells on September 12, 2001, in solemn recognition of the tragic September 11th attacks on American soil. Those bells will sound again,' the White House said in a Tuesday afternoon statement. (Stupid Donald Trump was wrong to make this correlation because he was leaping to a wrong minded conclusions.  There was no terrorist attack made on the magnificent Notre Dame Cathedral.)

The message readout made no reference to Trump's suggestion while the structure burned that the French use damaging 'flying water tankers' to douse the flames. Trump made the outrageous recommendation from aboard Air Force One en route to Minnesota on Monday, without acknowledging the professionalism of the Parisian fire fighters, while viewers around the world watched iconic cathedral go up in flames. Obviously, Donald Trump could not deal with something other than himself being in the world's headlines.

Hours after Trump's stupid tweet, the French government explained that air drops could have caused the cathedral's walls to implode, bringing the structure down and ruining the artwork inside.

France's ambassador to the U.S. Gerard Araud told CNN, 'It's not possible to use water tankers which could only worsen he situation of the building.' He mentioned the difficulty of containing the fire with intense heat and tons of wood acting as fuel. 'So I think we have only to pray now,' he said.

The French civil security division posted a tweet that appeared to rebut Trump – posting a single English-language missive on its French-language account.

'Hundreds of firemen of the Paris Fire Brigade are doing everything they can to bring the terrible #NotreDame fire under control. All means are being used, except for water-bombing aircrafts which, if used, could lead to the collapse of the entire structure of the cathedral,' the tweet said.

First lady Melania Trump, who did work in Paris during her modeling career, also tweeted about the fire.

'My heart breaks for the people of Paris after seeing the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral. Praying for everyone’s safety,' Melania Trump wrote.

Melania forgot to thank the expert Parisian firefighters.

I will do so for her.  Merci Parisian firefighters.

Proof that Donald Trump really did say he would make Mexico pay for his stupid border wall

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6578511/Trump-DID-say-Mexico-write-check-wall.html

Trump DID (indeed!) say how he would get Mexico to write a check for his wall.

A fact check by the Anneberg Public Policy Center found Trump's claim of indirect payment by Mexico to be false. 

Trump's "Mexico will pay for the wall" proposal on his campaign website

Reported in the Daily Mail news - A detailed 'three-day plan' on his website described how to make it happen - and he even joked about it on Saturday Night Live

Donald Trump offered a detailed plan during his 2016 campaign on how he would pressure Mexico into paying for the border wall

He outlined a plan that would forbid money transfer companies from transferring funds outside the U.S. by anyone who couldn't prove they were here legally.

Trump often said on the campaign trail Mexico would pay for his border wall.

After he announced his presidential bid, Trump appeared in a sketch on NBC's 'Saturday Night Live' where he was given a check for the wall by Mexico

By Emily Goodin

Donald Trump publicly offered a detailed plan during his 2016 campaign on how he would pressure Mexico into coughing up cash for his border wall - and it is still posted on his website.

Donald Trump publicly offered a detailed plan during his 2016 campaign on how he would pressure Mexico into coughing up cash for his border wall - and it is still posted on his website.

The two-page proposal outlines a three-day plan that would forbid money transfer companies like Western Union from transferring funds outside the United States by anyone who couldn't prove they were in the United States legally.

The revelation of the old campaign document is in contrast to what Trump said when he was challenged about the payment about about the useless wall.
''When during the campaign I would say Mexico is going to pay for it. Obviously I never said this and I never meant they are going to write out a check," he said at the White House.But he even joked about Mexico paying for the wall when he appeared on Saturday Night Live in 2015, pocketing a check for $20 billion from its 'president', played by Beck Bennett.

But he even joked about Mexico paying for the wall when he appeared on Saturday Night Live in 2015, pocketing a check for $20 billion from its 'president', played by Beck Bennett.

Trump's 2106 proposal outlined a three-day plan to make Mexico pay. It is still published on his website DonaldJTrump.com, and was also promoted by being sent to the Washington Post's Bob Woodward after the paper asked how he was going to make Mexico pay.

On Day One, the administration would propose a regulation that 'no alien may wire money outside of the United States unless the alien first provides a document establishing his lawful presence in the United States' - meaning any illegal from Mexico in the United States would not able to wire money back to that country.

On Day Two, the Trump team notes they expect Mexico to protest. Team Trump argued of Mexico: 'They receive approximately $24 billion a year in remittances from Mexican nationals working in the United States. The majority of that amount comes from illegal aliens. It serves as de facto welfare for poor families in Mexico.

The campaign offered no details on where it obtained the $24 billion figure.

'On day 3 tell Mexico that if the Mexican government will contribute the funds needed to the United States to pay for the wall, the Trump Administration will not promulgate the final rule, and the regulation will not go into effect,' the document states.  

The plan also included thoughts on raising trade tariffs and canceling visas to push Mexico into paying. 

'It's an easy decision for Mexico: make a one-time payment of $5- 10 billion to ensure that $24 billion continues to flow into their country year after year,' the Trump campaigns argues.  

The Post reported the $24 billion the Trump campaign claims was transferred from people in the U.S. to Mexico actually includes cash from around the world, not just the United States.

The president said multiple times on the campaign trail that Mexico would pay for his border wall and gave the impression America's Southern neighbor would be sending cash directly to the U.S. for it.

During his presidential announcement speech on June 16, 2015, Trump said, "I will build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall".

And, on November 7, 2015, a few months after he announced his candidacy for the presidency, Trump appeared on NBC's 'Saturday Night Live' in a sketch that took place in the Oval Office in an imagined year two of a Trump presidency.

Trump played himself while cast members played wife Melania and various advisers, all of whom praised the then-business mogul for his accomplishments.

'Just like I promised, right?' Trump told them.

Half way through the skit, an actor playing the president of Mexico came in to hand Trump a check for the border wall.

'Donald I brought you the check for the wall,' he said, handing Trump a check for $20 billion and containing the seal of the Bank of Mexico.

'This is far too much money,' Trump responded.

'No I insist. Consider it an apology for doubting you. As history shows us, nothing brings two countries together like a wall,' he said.

In recent days, Trump and his administration have been arguing Mexico will pay for the wall indirectly as they try to secure the $5 billion in funds needed to build it.

However, one Trump adviser admitted tax payers will bear the cost.

U.S. tax payers will pay directly for the wall, White House spokesperson Mercedes Schlapp said on CNN.

"Yes," Schlapp said when asked about taxpayers paying for the wall. 

But, there is nothing in the trade agreement that requires Mexico to pay for the wall. The administration is making a more nuanced argument that taxpayers and businesses will be saving money on goods and services that they will inject back into the U.S. economy.

The latest salvo comes on day 20 of a cruel and unnecessary partial government shutdown and as both sides are at an impasse over reopening it.

Trump is holding firm for his $5.7 billion and Democrats aren't budging from their $1.3 billion. 

Donald Trump left for the southern border to gin up support for his border barrier as Democrats vow not to fund his wall and he vowed not to sign any legislation to fund the government that doesn't fund his wall.

The USMC trade agreement isn't even legal yet. Although the three leaders of the U.S., Canada and Mexico signed the trade deal, the legislative bodies in each respective country must approve it before its binding. None of them have done so.

And there's no direct line of revenue from the agreement to the U.S. Treasury. Tax revenue generated by the trade provisions would not come from Mexico but from U.S. tax payers and corporations.

A fact check by the Anneberg Public Policy Center found Trump's claim of indirect payment by Mexico to be false.