The Apprentice audiobook

Greg Miller’s “The Apprentice: Trump, Russia, and the Subversion of American Democracy” is, perhaps, the most up-to-date, cumulative, and concise historical overview of the whole current mess surrounding our president and his potential ties to Russia since last year’s “Russian Roulette” by Michael Isikoff and David Corn, but considering the fact that the Mueller investigation is still on-going and God knows how it will end for Trump (at this point, any rational-minded person is thinking, “not well”), it is still incomplete.Given that, Miller’s book is still an amazing and wonderful piece of journalism. It is, I daresay, what Bob Woodward’s “Fear” should have been but wasn’t. It is also somewhat more in-depth than the afore-mentioned book by Isikoff/Corn. While “Russian Roulette” reads like a lengthy series of news articles (albeit extremely well-written and informative), “The Apprentice” reads like a fast-paced and suspenseful Daniel Silva novel.Miller, the national security correspondent for The Washington Post, has clearly spent lots of time, effort, blood, sweat, and tears on investigating the Trump Administration, the Russian computer hacking, the state of affairs in Washington, D.C., and everything in between. Indeed, he was one of several Washington Post reporters who recently won a Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Journalism. In his Acknowledgements, he gives recognition of the fact that his book is, technically, a group effort of the numerous reporters, editors, and political sources that combined to create it.It’s impossible to convince people of the importance of something, and it’s almost equally impossible, if not moreso, to convince people that they are gravely mistaken about what they think or believe on any given subject. Understandably, telling someone that their political views are incorrect or based on misinformation and/or a disregarding of the facts puts one in an untenable position of perceived arrogance, self-righteousness, and sophomania (the delusion that one possesses superior intellect).Today, Trump supporters and Trump himself have become rigidly sophomaniacal. Trump, during the campaign, even bragged about his “high IQ” and his “good brain” and how he doesn’t feel the need to have advisors because his best advisor is himself.His supporters feel the same way. Ask a Trump supporter what they feel that Trump has accomplished in office, and they will give a litany of answers, most of them vague, unsubstantiated, or blatantly untrue. But they will not listen to reason. Or, if they claim to try, they will get antagonistic and nasty when confronted with facts that dispute their own. They will claim that it is “the liberal mainstream media” that is perpetuating an “anti-Trump agenda” with “fake news”.The truth is, the only truly “fake news” that has been created has (based on all evidence by CIA, NSA, FBI, and a myriad of other intelligence agencies) as its source a rather nondescript and innocuous four-story office building in St. Petersburg, Russia. The building houses the Internet Research Agency, a rather dull title for an agency that essentially created millions of fake memes, tweets, Facebook posts, news articles, and comments that managed to shift and shape Americans’ opinions and views prior to the 2016 election. The IRA is the world’s largest and most effective Russian troll factory. Also according to every intelligence agency, incontrovertible evidence shows that Russia hacked into the computer systems of both the Democratic National Convention (DNC) and the Republican National Convention (RNC). We know this because of all the thousands of leaked e-mails from the DNC that were dumped on Facebook and other social media outlets during the summer and fall of 2016. We know that while voting machines weren’t tampered with or hacked (owing to the archaic and still predominantly paper-based voting machines used in most states), Russia’s trolls still managed to effect the outcome of the election by creating doubt, sowing seeds of mistrust, and taking the heat off of Trump’s numerous pecadillos by branding Hillary Clinton a criminal and a monster.We know that Vladimir Putin hated Hillary, and while there is no smoking-gun evidence that Putin actually orchestrated the whole thing, government agencies say that the evidence overwhelmingly supports the theory that a cyber attack of this magnitude could have only been perpetrated by a foreign government and that Russia is the only foreign government who had so much to gain from it.All of this is, of course, bullshit to a Trump supporter, and Trump himself, which is frightening in its complete disregard for truth and its obvious desperation and blind loyalty to a man who continually creates new constitutional crises every day that he is in office.Miller’s book is an absolutely essential book to read if you believe in things like freedom and democracy and holding people like Trump---and his supporters---and bad-acting countries like Russia accountable for their actions.

In steady, emotionless sentences, Miller relates the bone-chilling, soul-crushing, fear-inducing treasonous steps the Trump Organization has taken in dismembering democratic structures and Constitutional safeguards in its rise to power. Because the story unfolds at this moment and because Miller is a journalist and not a theorist, he lets the facts show us what is happening.I will infer and state what Miller has portrayed: It can happen here. Fascism is upon us, American-style, and the sooner we recognize this fact, the sooner we can work to dismantle and destroy its insidious, destructive ways. Trump has committed treason in plain sight in Helsinki, 2018.I know Mueller and his SCO is working on this. I must believe it will work. But our Union is in peril at this moment--in far greater peril than what we saw on September 11, 20o1. The mobilization then was immediate, swift, and vast. Today, with the danger greater than on that particular Tuesday, fewer people seem to know or if they do know, don't care. The good news is that at least Miller has fulfilled his job in letting us know. Read this book!

A book about Crossfire Hurricane, the investigation into Russian tampering of the 2016 election. It’s very breezy and engaging. It also provides a very thorough account of what happened. This is told from a journalist’s point of view. A breath of fresh air because it isn’t about someone who was involved but writing about them. I highly recommend this book.

This reads like a spy thriller but it's real life. I almost expected it to have a happy ending but turns out Trump is still president. Apologies to all friends for politic-ing up your feed.

Highly readable & coherent Greg Miller’s The Apprentice is a highly readable and coherent account of the Russian intervention in the 2016 US presidential election. While involving a highly complex series of events, he manages to make it understandable through a compelling writing style. The book clearly shows that Trump’s presidential campaign was targeted by Russian surrogates seeking pro-Putin influence. The Russians spread massive disinformation during the last 3 months if the election, generating 8.7 Facebook interactions, estimated to reach over 125 million Americans. Estimates are there was more false news distributed on Facebook by the Russians than actual real news. While some may assert this disinformation had no influence on the election, it stretches all credibility to stick to that assertion (though the current president insists on doing just that). This type of pro-Trump “advertising” certainly had to have had an impact. Given that candidates and businesses spend billions on campaign adds, it is impossible to believe these Facebook and Twitter posts had no impact. This book doesn’t produce a smoking gun in terms of linking Trump to this Russian campaign. There is no evidence that the President was knowingly and directly involved with the Russians. But was the campaign as innocent as they claim? I think that there were players like Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, and Carter Page who knew exactly what they were doing. In terms of the President and his family, I suspect at best they were naive in their interactions with the Russians. The current president was so blinded by his lust for office that while maybe not colluding he at least turned a blind to those around him who might have been. This book isn’t likely to change the minds of any of the President’s supporters. That isn’t its purpose. But if one seeks a coherent explanation of the Russian case and how it creates this current presidency, Greg Miller has written this excellent book to explain these events.

Another reviewer already captured my initial reaction to this book perfectly by stating, "If one has fallen asleep in 2015 and woke up in 2019 and did not know what has happened in the past three years, this would be the perfect book to read."I have been a voracious consumer of Trump-era books this last year. Some are more substantive than others, some are more memoirs with a dash of Trump, some try to dissect how we got where we are. It's probably not a healthy habit, to constantly delve into the depths of our country's current crisis and our democracy at risk. I need to mix in some more escapist reading, some more fiction to provide a needed escape.But like the other reviewer said, if I were to recommend just ONE book to someone who wanted to gain a big picture understanding about the Trump campaign and presidency so far, and exactly how Russia successfully attacked our Democracy, then this is the one book I would recommend. Written by a Washington Post reporter who wrote many of these stories when they first broke in the news, this book allows him to now weave them altogether, layering on still more information revealed since they were originally reported. It's a fast and unnerving read.And of course, this story's far from over. I'm writing this review two days before the 2018 mid-term elections, one in which ALL agree is a real referendum on Trump, regardless of the fact that he's not himself on the ballot. Will voters endorse his lies and hate mongering? Or will they instead vote for a Congress that will serve as a check on Trump? Will there be any indication that Russia has again attacked our elections, and cast doubt on any of the results? And with the election over, what will come next from the Mueller probe? So yes, read The Apprentice to refresh your memory and strengthen your grasp on recent events, then pay close attention every day to the news, because the first draft of the sequel is being written every day.

3.8|5• Book Riot’s 2019 Read Harder Challenge - 5. A book by a journalist or about journalism •

An important read. Shocking. The world needs to know what Putin (and Trump) are really up to.

While a few books about the Trump era have received the most press, mainly Bob Woodward’s Fear and Michael Wolff's Fire and Fury, The Apprentice by Washington Post’s national security reporter Greg Miller may be the most important. With the news cycle spinning dizzily these days, it’s easy to forget the now-verified details of the Russian digital invasion into the minds of American voters. Miller captures all these fragmented pieces into a cohesive tome that covers the clandestine digital war, the lack of response from the Obama administration and their predicament after Republicans shrugged at the evidence, and the Trump administration’s known relationships to Russian oligarchs and spies and the ensuing Muller investigation. In retrospect, Russia’s troll farm’s efforts to infiltrate American voters through Facebook and social media, creating groups to inflame racist rhetoric and divide the democratic landscape, was much more successful than first believed. The Russian pages included groups such as “Woke Blacks” and “Stop the Islamization of Texas,” and “Being Patriotic.” The trolls went so far as to set up competing protests on the same day in Houston, drawing out protestors with homemade signs on both sides who yelled at each other from across the street. The Russian trolls also paid a Florida woman to dress as Hillary Clinton in a prison uniform. The Russian trolls even had some fun, once manipulating an unnamed man to stand in front of the White House with a happy birthday sign to their boss. The Russian trolls also used Twitter to create innocuous pages such as @KansasDailyNews and @Today Pittsburgh for their disinformation campaigns, mixing in local and national news with their disinformation posts. They created hashtags such as #Clintoncollapse and #Hillaryshealth and were known to use the derogatory term Killary. Miller writes, “Russia’s pro-Trump propaganda flooded into the Facebook and Twitter feeds of tens of millions of voters in an election decided by fewer than 80,000 ballots across just three states.”Miller recaps the history of the dossier, and how the claims led investigative reporters to research and peel back many of the truths in the document. He explores the facts known about Trump officials Paul Manafort, George Papadopoulas, and James Flynn, who are all facing jail time after investigations for lying to the government officials about their relationships to or knowledge about Russian actors.Trump’s bizarre coddling of Putin and denials of Russian interference are covered in detail. On the day after Don Jr met with Russians in Trump Tower, Don Sr stood at a podium and asked Russians to release the emails. Trump’s involvement with drafting the highly misleading statement about the meeting at Trump Tower shows his willingness to deceive. Trump’s hiring of Flynn as a security advisor and reluctance to fire him once it was discovered Flynn had lied about telephone calls with Kislayak is also a bizarre story. As if all these connections and denials aren’t enough, we’re also reminded that Congress has been forced to strip Trump of his authority on sanctions because of Trump’s pro-Russia impulses. And then, there’s the Mueller investigation, and Trump’s several attempts to obstruct the investigation, including firing Comey. For sure, the story in this book has not come to an end. There are many questions for us to ponder - and for Mueller to investigate. Had Flynn freelanced when he talked to Kislyak or had he done so with Trump’s knowledge? What had Trump done after being warned by Sally Yates? What are the details of Trump’s attempts to enlist Coats, Rogers, and others to contain the expanding probe? Comey’s firing and trump’s contradictory explanations are also at the core of the scandal. Shortly after Putin showed a video simulation of a missile heading towards Florida, Tillerson released a harshly worded statement against Russia. Trump fired Tillerson in a tweet a few hours later. And why did Trump draft a misleading statement about the Trump Tower meeting? So many unanswered questions the American people need to know. Towards the end of the book, Miller recaps, “Russia had set out with its interference campaign to discredit American democracy. The President was succeeding in doing much the same, damaging the reputations of institutions that are supposed to enforce America’s laws and protect its citizens.” For those who feel they’ve struggled to stay on top of the facts about the Russian interference, this book will bring you almost up-to-date. I can definitely see an addendum or a sequel on the horizon.

Andy Thomas has updated his hugely popular painting of Republican presidents by adding Donald Trump in. I think, after reading this detailed exploration of the pro-Trump meddling by Russians of the 2016 Election, that he should do one of Trump at the Resolute desk sharing a laugh with Putin and Julian Assange.That aside, is fascinating and detailed account of how the Democratic National Committee (DNC) was first infiltrated by the Russian hacker groups Cozy Bear and Fancy Bear as well as Facebook ads buys in rubles, etc. Of course, Trump found this quite helpful:Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing, I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.— Donald J. TrumpAlong with "shithole countries" and other things I have heard, it seems this exchange in here is just as revealing about the man:McMaster had recruited an internal ally on Russia in March with the hiring of Fiona Hill as the senior Russia adviser on the NSC. Hill shared McMaster’s distrust of the Kremlin and had even written a critical biography of Putin. Her relationship with Trump couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start. In one of her first visits with the president in the Oval Office—a planning session for a call with Putin on Syria—Trump appeared to mistake Hill for a member of the White House clerical staff and handed her an edited document to type up. When she responded with an arched brow, Trump lashed out at what he perceived to be insubordination. “What’s the matter with this one?” he shouted, motioning for McMaster to intervene. McMaster followed Hill out the door and scolded her. Later, he and others explored ways to repair her damaged relationship with the president. As it turned out, she was still in the White House long after McMaster had been fired.

Gold star Greg Miller 🌟 This was incredibly disturbing, but also really helped me to understand what Russian interference in the 2016 election looked like practically. A book of legal/political reporting might seem like an odd sort of book to devour, but I couldn’t put it down

Unfortunately the story doesn’t have an end. The book is based almost entirely on reporting by the Washington post, so if you’re a subscriber and have been paying close attention almost nothing in here will be a surprise. The book does a nice job of consolidating these stories into a larger narrative with a bit of perspective that isn’t possible just by rereading the previous news stories, which you can look up in an extensive bibliography in the back. If you didn’t read these stories the first time or somehow forgot how brazenly the administration has lied, obfuscated, and moved the goal posts regarding their involvement with Russia, this book may be shocking by how obvious it has been.