House Republicans say more investigation is needed into decisions made by the FBI and the Justice Department in 2016 as they brought an unceremonious end to their yearlong look at the department's handling of probes into Democrat Hillary Clinton's emails and Donald Trump's ties to Russia.
Monday, December 31, 2018
GOP Garbage
NY Daily News: House GOP quietly ends probe into FBI's 2016 decisions By MARY CLARE JALONICK
A Cure For Childhood Leakaemia
Guardian UK: ‘For 30 years I’ve been obsessed by why children get leukaemia. Now we have an answer’ - Newly knighted cancer scientist Mel Greaves explains why a cocktail of microbes could give protection against disease
To do this, Greaves and his team have started working on the bacteria, viruses and other microbes that live in the human gut. These help us digest our food but they also give an indication of the bugs we have been exposed to in life. For example, people in developed countries tend to have far fewer bacterial species in their guts, it has been found – and that is because they have been exposed to fewer species of microbes in the early stages of their lives, a reflection of those “cleaner” lives they are now living.
Investigate
Guardian UK: Democrat-controlled House faces question: what not to investigate? After two years of a compliant Congress, Trump can expect scrutiny into alleged collusion, obstruction and corruption
When Democrats formally assume the US House majority in January for the first time in eight years, they will contend with a president long dubbed by most members of their party as unfit and unqualified to serve.
Warren Announces
NY Times: Elizabeth Warren Announces She Is Running for President in 2020 By Astead W. Herndon and Alexander Burns
Senator Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts Democrat and a sharp critic of big banks and unregulated capitalism, entered the 2020 race for president on Monday, becoming the first major candidate in what is likely to be a long and crowded primary marked by ideological and generational divisions in a Democratic Party desperate to beat President Trump.
Digs In
NY Times: Trump Digs In, Darkening Hopes for a Deal to End the Shutdown
Yours truly wrote a comment on this article on the NY Times site. Here it is -
"After two unbearable years with the GOP in control of the House, the Senate, and the presidency, there's no funding for 'the wall'. The GOP itself while completely in charge of the entire federal government, recognized that 'the wall' was a boondoggle, a waste of funds, a worthless idea and consequently they did not fund 'the wall'. Now with the Democrats poised to take back the house in four days, 'the wall' is somehow according to Trump and the GOP, the Democrats problem, fault, and responsibility. Clearly the only people who resonate with Trump's less than clear and less than rational explanations are his beloved base. The vast majority of Americans know better, this mess lies completely in the hands of Donald Trump. What really burns the majority of Americans though, are the steady stream of lies coming from Trump and his minions. Trump and company without the least little bit of conscience, conflate all border security with 'the wall', all terrorism and potential terrorism with 'the wall', all that is bad and scary in America with ' the wall', as if a 15th Century BC outdated ridiculous idea could somehow or other fix it all. How stunning, how truly disingenuous, how amazingly despicable this spectacle has become. Once upon a time America was the leader in ingenuity and brain power, yet in two short years we are a laughing stock ruled by the political and vane whims of modern troglodytes. We can do better, I just know it."
Yours truly wrote a comment on this article on the NY Times site. Here it is -
"After two unbearable years with the GOP in control of the House, the Senate, and the presidency, there's no funding for 'the wall'. The GOP itself while completely in charge of the entire federal government, recognized that 'the wall' was a boondoggle, a waste of funds, a worthless idea and consequently they did not fund 'the wall'. Now with the Democrats poised to take back the house in four days, 'the wall' is somehow according to Trump and the GOP, the Democrats problem, fault, and responsibility. Clearly the only people who resonate with Trump's less than clear and less than rational explanations are his beloved base. The vast majority of Americans know better, this mess lies completely in the hands of Donald Trump. What really burns the majority of Americans though, are the steady stream of lies coming from Trump and his minions. Trump and company without the least little bit of conscience, conflate all border security with 'the wall', all terrorism and potential terrorism with 'the wall', all that is bad and scary in America with ' the wall', as if a 15th Century BC outdated ridiculous idea could somehow or other fix it all. How stunning, how truly disingenuous, how amazingly despicable this spectacle has become. Once upon a time America was the leader in ingenuity and brain power, yet in two short years we are a laughing stock ruled by the political and vane whims of modern troglodytes. We can do better, I just know it."
The Market On Monday
Good morning. At 9:35 a.m. ET the DOW is +188 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market has opened significantly higher.
CNN: Stocks try to round out 2018 with a big gain By Chris Isidore
CNN: Stocks try to round out 2018 with a big gain By Chris Isidore
Friday, December 28, 2018
Inevitable
NY Times: The Inevitability of Impeachment - Even Republicans may be deciding that the president has become too great a burden to their party or too great a danger to the country. By Elizabeth Drew - Ms. Drew is a journalist based in Washington who covered Watergate.
While Mr. Trump’s case is more complex than Mr. Nixon’s, the evident dangers of keeping an out-of-control president in office might well impel politicians in both parties, not without controversy, to want to make a deal to get him out of there.
Climate Crisis
The Atlantic: Democrats Establish a New House ‘Climate Crisis’ Committee - But it will likely lack the broad powers favored by supporters of a Green New Deal. by Robinson Meyer
It’s official: When Democrats take control of the House of Representatives next month, they will form a special new committee to examine climate change, Nancy Pelosi said in a statement on Friday.
Unconscionable Trump, The Worst President, The Hopeless Narcissistic Thoughtless Imbecile
NY Times: Trump Iraq Visit Is Called a Political Rally By Annie Karni
“He has to understand that there exist some audiences that should not be addressed as part of his base, because they are not,” Mr. Hertling said. “It’s a violation of protocol by the president.”
Hello Shutdown
NY Times: With No Votes Scheduled, a Government Shutdown Will Greet the Democratic House by By Nicholas Fandos and Catie Edmondson
“We will vote swiftly to reopen government and show that Democrats will govern responsibly in stark contrast to this chaotic White House,” Ms. Pelosi said in a statement.
It's The Truth
Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Minister of Propaganda and Public Enlightenment under Adolf Hitler
"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such ime as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State."
We're F'd
from a deep operative
Dissident Voice: Human Delusion and Our Destruction of the Biosphere: We Aren’t Even Trying! by Robert J. Burrowes
Dissident Voice: Human Delusion and Our Destruction of the Biosphere: We Aren’t Even Trying! by Robert J. Burrowes
But before ranging beyond the climate to highlight other threats to the biosphere, did you know that governments and corporations around the world are currently planning or have under construction 1,380 new coal plants? That’s right. 1,380 new coal plants. In 59 countries.
The Market On Friday
Good morning. At 9:25 a.m. ET DOW futures are +94 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open significantly higher.
CNN: Stocks try something new for a change: Go up 3 straight days By David Goldman
CNN: Stocks try something new for a change: Go up 3 straight days By David Goldman
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Toddler Throws Tantrum
Salon: Trump goes all-in on the shutdown: Here's why it's a losing bet - Trump thinks his military visit will help him sell the shutdown. But the public is already turning against him by Amanda Marcotte
Trump is best dealt with on the emotional level where he lives -- that of a toddler throwing tantrums. That means letting him cry it out until he's tired, instead of giving him what he wants.
Troops Get A 2.6% Raise, Trump Lies And Says More Than 10% To Our Troops
Trump in Iraq - “[People said] we could make it (a military raise) 3 percent. We could make it 2 percent. We could make it 4 percent," he told the troops. “I said, ‘No, make it 10 percent. Make it more than 10 percent.’ Because it’s been a long time. It’s been more than 10 years. That’s a long time.”
Military.com: 2019 Military Pay Raise
Military.com: 2019 Military Pay Raise
Troops will get a 2.6 percent pay raise in 2019 thanks to a measure passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump.
The Worst
Politico: The Worst Political Predictions of 2018 - Spoiler alert: Everyone was wrong—again. By ZACK STANTON and DEREK ROBERTSON
2.“Our economic news is only going to get brighter in 2018.” Made by: Laura Ingraham, Fox News
Iraq
Guardian UK: Trump hails foreign policy shift on surprise visit to US troops in Iraq - President’s first visit to a war zone comes a week after he announced he would withdraw troops from Syria
“We’re no longer the suckers, folks,” he told the troops. “We’re respected again as a nation.”
Trump Is Literally Destroying The Environment
NY Times: Mr. Trump’s retreat on the environment is unfolding in consequential ways for the health and safety of Americans.
Since Mr. Trump took office, his approach on the environment has been to neutralize the most rigorous Obama-era restrictions, nearly 80 of which have been blocked, delayed or targeted for repeal, according to an analysis of data by The New York Times.
With this running start, Mr. Trump is already on track to leave an indelible mark on the American landscape, even with a decline in some major pollutants from the ever-shrinking coal industry.
Danger
NY Times: Trump Imperils the Planet - Endangered species, climate change — the administration is taking the country, and the world, backward. By The Editorial Board
“The United States has an abundance of natural resources and is not going to keep them in the ground,” he said. “We strongly believe that no country should have to sacrifice their economic prosperity or energy security in pursuit of environmental sustainability.”
The Market On Thursday
Good morning. At 9:25 a.m. ET DOW futures are -370 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market will tank at the opening bell.
CNN: Dow set to tumble after biggest point gain in history David Goldman byline By David Goldman
CNN: Dow set to tumble after biggest point gain in history David Goldman byline By David Goldman
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
Trump And Russian Money
Foreign Policy: How Russian Money Helped Save Trump’s Business - After his financial disasters two decades ago, no U.S. bank would touch him. Then foreign money began flowing in. By Michael Hirsh
By the time he ran for president, Trump had been enmeshed in this mysterious overseas flow of capital—which various investigators believe could have included money launderers from Russia and former Soviet republics who bought up dozens of his condos—for a decade and a half. And Felix Sater was pitching Cohen on a Moscow deal as recently as mid-2016—as Trump was clinching the Republican nomination, according to a sentencing memo recently unveiled by the Mueller probe.
Climate Change - Turtles
Guardian UK: 'It's warm water now': climate change strands sea turtles on Cape Cod shores - The Gulf of Maine’s rapidly warming waters draws in larger numbers of Kemp’s ridley turtles, enticing them to stay longer
At the New England Aquarium’s sea turtle hospital in a repurposed shipyard building south of Boston, the casualties of climate change swim in tanks as they recover after being pulled stunned from the beach.
The Shutdown
Guardian UK: #Shutdownstories: federal employees reveal impact of government closure - Social media posts from the frontline catalogue tales of disruption and hardship imposed by shutdown of 25% of government
Federal employees affected by the partial shutdown of the US government have been voicing their frustrations of spending the holidays worrying about their next paycheck.
What's There Now
NY Times: Trump Wants a Border Wall. See What’s in Place Already. byy SARAH ALMUKHTAR and JOSH WILLIAMS
Most of the hard drugs that are smuggled into the United States come through these crossings — or under them. Hundreds of smuggling tunnels snake under border towns like Nogales, in Arizona.
Yemen
NY Times: Arms Sales to Saudis Leave American Fingerprints on Yemen’s Carnage By Declan Walsh and Eric Schmitt
When a Saudi F-15 warplane takes off from King Khalid air base in southern Saudi Arabia for a bombing run over Yemen, it is not just the plane and the bombs that are American.
The Market On Wednesday
Good morning. At 9:25 a.m. ET DOW futures are +143 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open significantly higher.
CNN: Stock market attempts a bounce-back after worst-ever Christmas Eve By Sherisse Pham
CNN: Stock market attempts a bounce-back after worst-ever Christmas Eve By Sherisse Pham
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
Holiday Greetings Trump Style
The Daily Beast: Trump: ‘It’s a Disgrace What’s Happening in Our Country But Merry Christmas’ - The president doubles down on border wall funding, attacks Democrats, and repeats his “no collusion” mantra in a holiday briefing. by Allison Quinn
“It’s a disgrace what’s happening in our country. But other than that, I wish everybody a very merry Christmas,” he added.
Amoral
adjective
1a : having or showing no concern about whether behavior is morally right or wrong
1b : being neither moral nor immoral specifically : lying outside the sphere to which moral judgments apply
2 : being outside or beyond the moral order or a particular code of morals amoral customs
Morning Joe - Trump Over His Insande About Border Wall, Gov't Shutdown And Mattis Out
A compilation so to speak.
Riders On Earth
Riders on Earth Together, Brothers in Eternal Cold By ARCHIBALD MACLEISH December 25th 1968, inspired by the Apollo 8 mission to the moon.
Men's conception of themselves and of each other has always depended on their notion of the earth. When the earth was the World -- all the world there was -- and the stars were lights in Dante's heaven, and the ground beneath men's feet roofed Hell, they saw themselves as creatures at the center of the universe, the sole, particular concern of God -- and from that high place they ruled and killed and conquered as they pleased.
And when, centuries later, the earth was no longer the World but a small, wet spinning planet in the solar system of a minor star off at the edge of an inconsiderable galaxy in the immeasurable distances of space -- when Dante's heaven had disappeared and there was no Hell (at least no Hell beneath the feet) -- men began to see themselves not as God-directed actors at the center of a noble drama, but as helpless victims of a senseless farce where all the rest were helpless victims also and millions could be killed in world-wide wars or in blasted cities or in concentration camps without a thought or reason but the reason -- if we call it one -- of force.
Now, in the last few hours, the notion may have changed again. For the first time in all of time men have seen it not as continents or oceans from the little distance of a hundred miles or two or three, but seen it from the depth of space; seen it whole and round and beautiful and small as even Dante -- that "first imagination of Christendom" -- had never dreamed of seeing it; as the Twentieth Century philosophers of absurdity and despair were incapable of guessing that it might be seen. And seeing it so, one question came to the minds of those who looked at it. "Is it inhabited?" they said to each other and laughed -- and then they did not laugh. What came to their minds a hundred thousand miles and more into space -- "half way to the moon" they put it -- what came to their minds was the life on that little, lonely, floating planet; that tiny raft in the enormous, empty night. "Is it inhabited?"
The medieval notion of the earth put man at the center of everything. The nuclear notion of the earth put him nowhere -- beyond the range of reason even -- lost in absurdity and war. This latest notion may have other consequences. Formed as it was in the minds of heroic voyagers who were also men, it may remake our image of mankind. No longer that preposterous figure at the center, no longer that degraded and degrading victim off at the margins of reality and blind with blood, man may at last become himself.
To see the earth as it truly is, small and blue and beautiful in that eternal silence where it floats, is to see ourselves as riders on the earth together, brothers on that bright loveliness in the eternal cold -- brothers who know now they are truly brothers.
Indeed, What Happened
NY Times: We Are All Riders on the Same Planet - Seen from space 50 years ago, Earth appeared as a gift to preserve and cherish. What happened? By Matthew Myer Boulton and Joseph Heithaus
When the Apollo 8 commander, Frank Borman, addressed Congress upon his return, he called himself an “unlikely poet, or no poet at all” — and quoted MacLeish to convey the impact of what he had seen. “To see the Earth as it truly is,” said the astronaut, quoting the poet, “small and blue and beautiful in that eternal silence where it floats, is to see ourselves as riders on the Earth together, brothers on that bright loveliness in the eternal cold — brothers who know now that they are truly brothers.”
Chinese Food On Christmas
NY Times: Nothing Is More American Than Chinese Food on Christmas - Jewish families and others used to flock to Chinese restaurants because that was all that was open, but now it’s almost as traditional as milk and cookies for Santa. By Lillian Li
As most Americans know: Chinese restaurants almost never close on Christmas.
Monday, December 24, 2018
Chaos
Guardian UK: Trump ponders Jim Mattis successor with non-military figures in the frame - Lindsey Graham and Tom Cotton among possible replacements - Trump brings forward departure piqued by resignation letter
Mattis’s removal came amid a government shutdown and as the Washington Post and New York Times published long reports on a White House in apparent meltdown. In the newspaper, Trump was depicted calling close advisers “fucking idiots” and complaining that so much of Washington and the media is against him, he faces “a war every day”.
The Inept Disgrace In The White House
NY Times: The Steady Bedlam of the Trump White House - Making sense of the never-ending turnover in the administration. By Michael Tomasky
These numbers, while interesting, are not especially surprising to anyone who follows the news. The Trump administration is, to employ a seasonal metaphor, an island of misfit toys. And it’s presided over by a mercurial and minatory chief executive who can’t be easy to work for on a number of levels. (He doesn’t listen to people, he might turn on you in a flash, etc.)
The Blame Goes To Trump
NY Times: Stock Market Rout Has Trump Fixated on Fed Chair Powell
President Trump has unabashedly hitched his political fortunes to a rising stock market. Now, with stock prices in retreat, he has become increasingly fixated on the idea that one man is to blame for the recent rout: Jerome H. Powell, chairman of the Federal Reserve.
The Market On Monday
Good morning. At 9:25 a.m. DOW futures are -102 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is set to tank at the opening bell.
CNN: Stocks set to fall after Steven Mnuchin's odd statement fails to calm markets By Rich Barbieri
CNN: Stocks set to fall after Steven Mnuchin's odd statement fails to calm markets By Rich Barbieri
Friday, December 21, 2018
Shutdown
I suspect Trump believes the shutdown will somehow prevent Democrats from investigating him starting January 3rd. It's a Hail Mary pass.
Guardian UK: Trump warns shutdown will last 'a very long time' if wall isn't funded - President threatened ‘shutdown today’ after House passed budget bill on Thursday with $5.7bn for border wall built in
Guardian UK: Trump warns shutdown will last 'a very long time' if wall isn't funded - President threatened ‘shutdown today’ after House passed budget bill on Thursday with $5.7bn for border wall built in
Recapping Trump's Chaos
NY Times: Upheaval in National Security, Government and the Markets: Here’s the State of Play
The Trump administration on Thursday announced the withdrawal of about 7,000 American troops from Afghanistan in the coming months, around half of what the American military has there now.
Trump Generated Chaos
NY Times: Jim Mattis, Defense Secretary, Resigns in Rebuke of Trump’s Worldview
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, whose experience and stability were widely seen as a balance to an unpredictable president, resigned Thursday in protest of President Trump’s decision to withdraw American forces from Syria and his rejection of international alliances.
The Market On Friday
Good morning. At 9:20 a.m. ET DOW futures are +9 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open slightly higher.
CNN: Fear on Wall Street; Chaos in Washington; Carlos Ghosn rearrested By Ivana Kottasová
CNN: Fear on Wall Street; Chaos in Washington; Carlos Ghosn rearrested By Ivana Kottasová
Thursday, December 20, 2018
How Indeed
NY Times: It Is So Much Worse Than I Thought - How can a family that can’t run a charity run a country? By Charles M. Blow
I had no idea how immoral Trump actually is.
Don Excerpt
Don DeLillo is a great writer, the real deal.
The Atlantic: ‘It Satisfies Every Childlike Curiosity’ - Don DeLillo's literary interpretation of an astronaut’s “endlessly fulfilling” view of our home planet
The Atlantic: ‘It Satisfies Every Childlike Curiosity’ - Don DeLillo's literary interpretation of an astronaut’s “endlessly fulfilling” view of our home planet
Big
Guardian UK: Americans are getting fatter but not taller, study finds - Average US adult just a few pounds from obese - Men’s average height fell very slightly in last decade
The average woman in the early 1960s was 5ft 3in and 140lb. Now, women are a half-inch taller and about 30lb heavier, on average.
Other survey findings include that in the last decade, the average weight of men rose about 2lb, to 198. For women, it rose 6lb, to nearly 171.
Men have 40in waistlines, on average. Women’s waistlines are a little under 39in.
Alarming
NY Times: Trump’s Decision to Withdraw From Syria Is Alarming. Just Ask His Advisers. This isn’t the first time the president and his administration have sent mixed messages. By The Editorial Board
It was less than three months ago that John Bolton, the national security adviser, declared an expanded objective for American troops in Syria.
Putin Gives Trump His Orders On Syria
NY Times: Vladimir Putin Calls U.S. Withdrawal From Syria ‘the Right Decision’ By Andrew E. Kramer
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Thursday welcomed President Trump’s announcement of a withdrawal of American troops from Syria, calling it “the right decision.”
The Market On Thursday
Good morning. At 9:15 a.m. ET DOW futures are -49 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open significantly lower.
CNN: Central bank action; Latest on Carlos Ghosn; Nike earnings By Ivana Kottasová
CNN: Central bank action; Latest on Carlos Ghosn; Nike earnings By Ivana Kottasová
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Justice Served
NY Times: Trumpian Spin Had Its Day in Court By The Editorial Board - The editorial board represents the opinions of the board, its editor and the publisher. It is separate from the newsroom and the Op-Ed section.
In New York, the state attorney general announced that the president had agreed that the “charity” he used as a piggy bank has no reason to exist.
In Washington, a federal judge let a former top presidential aide know that you can parrot political spin or you can tell the truth, but you can’t do both to someone who can send you to prison.
Abuse
NY Times: The Impolite Realities of Observing Police Abuse - I stepped outside of work to get a slice of pizza — and ended up embroiled in an all-too-common case of aggressive policing. By Talmon Joseph Smith
...saw a group of police officers pushing an African-American man outside the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
The Market On Wednesday
Good morning. At 9:30 a.m. the DOW has opened +147 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market opened significantly higher.
CNN: Investors to Corporate America: You've got a debt problem By Matt Egan
CNN: Investors to Corporate America: You've got a debt problem By Matt Egan
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Judged
BBC News: Michael Flynn: Judge suggests ex-Trump aide 'sold out' US
At one point, Judge Sullivan asked the prosecutor whether the special counsel's office had ever considered charging Flynn with treason.
The judge told Flynn: "Arguably, you sold your country out."
Judge Sullivan also said he "can't hide my disgust, my disdain" for the offence.
Vanishing
Scientific American: Arctic Lakes Are Vanishing by the Hundreds - Warming temperatures may be causing tundra ponds to evaporate or drain into thawing permafrost By Chelsea Harvey
Research suggests that small lakes and ponds across the Arctic tundra are also steadily disappearing. Hundreds, in fact, have vanished from the landscape in the last few decades alone.
Trolls Helped Trump
NY Times: Yes, Russian Trolls Helped Elect Trump - Social media lies have real-world consequences. By Michelle Goldberg
But it looks increasingly as though it did. On Monday, the Senate Intelligence Committee released two reports it commissioned about the nature and scale of Russia’s social media disinformation campaign.
Flynn
NY Times: Trump Wishes Michael Flynn Good Luck Before Sentencing By Sharon LaFraniere and Adam Goldman
Michael T. Flynn, President Trump’s first national security adviser, is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday for lying to federal investigators about his conversations with the Russian ambassador during the presidential transition.
The Market On Tuesday
Good morning. At 9:20 a.m. ET DOW futures are +142 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open significantly higher.
CNN: Xi fails to impress; Oil drops below $49; Global market jitters By Ivana Kottasová
CNN: Xi fails to impress; Oil drops below $49; Global market jitters By Ivana Kottasová
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