- We Tracked Down A Fake-News Creator In The Suburbs. Here's What We Learned (NPR) "During the run-up to the presidential election — fake news really took off. 'Well this isn't just a Trump supporter problem. This is a right wing issue. Sarah Palin's famous blasting of the lame-stream media is kind of record and testament to the rise of these kinds of people. The post-fact era is what I would refer to it as. This isn't something that started with Trump. This is something that's been in the works for a while. His whole campaign was this thing of discrediting mainstream media sources, which is one of those dog whistles to his supporters. When we were coming up with headlines it's always kind of about the red meat. Trump really got into the red meat. He knew who his base was. He knew how to feed them a constant diet of this red meat. We've tried to do similar things to liberals. It just has never worked, it never takes off. You'll get debunked within the first two comments and then the whole thing just kind of fizzles out.'"
BUSINESS/FINANCE:
- You may be higher up the global wealth pyramid than you think (Economist) "But most Americans are much better off. Over 40% belong to the top tenth of the global wealth distribution (and over 18m belong to the global 1%). If you were lucky enough to own over $744,400 you could count yourself a member of the global 1% that voters everywhere are rebelling against. Some of those railing against the global elite probably do not know they belong to it."
- Frequent Flier Miles Are Dead. Now It’s All About Credit Cards (Wired) "Since 2015, American, United, and Delta Airlines have each changed the basis of their rewards programs from miles flown to money handed over. You get points based on what you pay, not how far you go. They’ve made it harder for passengers to reach the elite statuses that come with perks like seat upgrades."
- What Rate of Return Can You Expect from Your Portfolio? (Kiplinger) "If you're happy with the return expectations using only indexes and benchmarks to guide you, a passive indexing approach may suit your needs just fine. You will minimize one component of portfolio drag—expenses, as most index funds and exchange-traded funds will have overall expense ratios of 0.5% or less."
HEALTH:
- Many LASIK patients may wind up with glare, halos or other visual symptoms, study suggests (WaPo)
- How Surgeons Stay Focused for Hours (WSJ)
LISTEN TO THIS:
- How Uncertainty In The Korean Peninsula Could Be A 'Recipe for Disaster' (NPR) "One of the dangers is North Korea's growing nuclear arsenal, estimated at anywhere between 10 to 16 warheads and an unclear number of bombs. Pyongyang twice this year tested nuclear devices and has launched missiles dozens of times. It is the only nation in the world to have tested nuclear weapons in the 21st century. 'When it comes to changing Pyongyang's behavior, it's tough,' President Barack Obama said in September, acknowledging the fruitlessness so far of efforts to stop or slow North Korea during his time in office."
NEWS:
- How Jared Kushner Won Trump The White House (Forbes) "No resources at the beginning, perhaps. Underfunded throughout, for sure. But by running the Trump campaign–notably, its secret data operation–like a Silicon Valley startup, Kushner eventually tipped the states that swung the election. And he did so in manner that will change the way future elections will be won and lost. 'Jared understood the online world in a way the traditional media folks didn’t. He managed to assemble a presidential campaign on a shoestring using new technology and won. That’s a big deal,' says Schmidt, the Google billionaire."
- How Trump naming Mattis as Pentagon chief would break with 65 years of U.S. history (WaPo) "Mattis’s candidacy to be secretary of defense has thus far received positive responses from current and former U.S. officials ranging from Sen. John McCain (R.-Ariz.) to Michèle Flournoy, a former Pentagon undersecretary who was considered a front-runner to run the Defense Department in a Democratic administration. It also has been greeted with support from many rank-and-file troops and veterans. But both chambers of Congress must pass new legislation in order for Mattis to serve in the role, and the Senate must confirm him." and What Trump may not know about the generals he’s eyeing for top positions (WaPo) and Inside Trump’s freewheeling vetting operation (Politico) and Questioning Donald Trump (NYT) "We would applaud any sensible change of position, however arrived at. Mr. Trump’s apparent flexibility, combined with his lack of depth on policy, might be grounds to hope he will steer a wiser course than the one plotted by his campaign. But so far he is surrounding himself with officials eager to enact only the most extreme positions. His flexibility would be their springboard. And in one area, Mr. Trump remained quite inflexible: He made clear he has no intention of selling his businesses and stepping decisively away from corrupting his presidency with an exponentially enhanced version of the self-dealing he accused Hillary Clinton of engaging in."
SCIENCE:
- This rocket engine breaks a law of physics. But a NASA test says it works anyway. (WaPo) "Its thrust seems to come from the impact of photons on the walls of the copper cavity. That would be like moving a car forward by just banging against the windshield."
SPORTS:
- ESPN Subscriber Loss Hurts Disney Income, Sports Giant Continues Rapid Decline (Breitbart) "Other Disney TV properties have also taken hits, but ESPN’s subscription face-plant, highlighted by the earth-shattering loss of 621,000 subscribers in October, has Disney most concerned, considering that ESPN accounts for a huge portion Disney’s operating income."
BOTTOM OF THE NEWS:
- The Flaming Glory of Deep-Fried Turkeys Gone Wrong (Ozy)
- TIME’s 100 Most Influential Images of All Time (Time)
- Vatican debuts confession finder app predictably nicknamed 'Sindr' (SFGate)
Sign up for email distribution of the Day's Most Compelling News below or by visiting Top of the News
BUSINESS/FINANCE:
- You may be higher up the global wealth pyramid than you think (Economist) "But most Americans are much better off. Over 40% belong to the top tenth of the global wealth distribution (and over 18m belong to the global 1%). If you were lucky enough to own over $744,400 you could count yourself a member of the global 1% that voters everywhere are rebelling against. Some of those railing against the global elite probably do not know they belong to it."
- Frequent Flier Miles Are Dead. Now It’s All About Credit Cards (Wired) "Since 2015, American, United, and Delta Airlines have each changed the basis of their rewards programs from miles flown to money handed over. You get points based on what you pay, not how far you go. They’ve made it harder for passengers to reach the elite statuses that come with perks like seat upgrades."
- What Rate of Return Can You Expect from Your Portfolio? (Kiplinger) "If you're happy with the return expectations using only indexes and benchmarks to guide you, a passive indexing approach may suit your needs just fine. You will minimize one component of portfolio drag—expenses, as most index funds and exchange-traded funds will have overall expense ratios of 0.5% or less."
HEALTH:
- Many LASIK patients may wind up with glare, halos or other visual symptoms, study suggests (WaPo)
- How Surgeons Stay Focused for Hours (WSJ)
LISTEN TO THIS:
- How Uncertainty In The Korean Peninsula Could Be A 'Recipe for Disaster' (NPR) "One of the dangers is North Korea's growing nuclear arsenal, estimated at anywhere between 10 to 16 warheads and an unclear number of bombs. Pyongyang twice this year tested nuclear devices and has launched missiles dozens of times. It is the only nation in the world to have tested nuclear weapons in the 21st century. 'When it comes to changing Pyongyang's behavior, it's tough,' President Barack Obama said in September, acknowledging the fruitlessness so far of efforts to stop or slow North Korea during his time in office."
NEWS:
- How Jared Kushner Won Trump The White House (Forbes) "No resources at the beginning, perhaps. Underfunded throughout, for sure. But by running the Trump campaign–notably, its secret data operation–like a Silicon Valley startup, Kushner eventually tipped the states that swung the election. And he did so in manner that will change the way future elections will be won and lost. 'Jared understood the online world in a way the traditional media folks didn’t. He managed to assemble a presidential campaign on a shoestring using new technology and won. That’s a big deal,' says Schmidt, the Google billionaire."
- How Trump naming Mattis as Pentagon chief would break with 65 years of U.S. history (WaPo) "Mattis’s candidacy to be secretary of defense has thus far received positive responses from current and former U.S. officials ranging from Sen. John McCain (R.-Ariz.) to Michèle Flournoy, a former Pentagon undersecretary who was considered a front-runner to run the Defense Department in a Democratic administration. It also has been greeted with support from many rank-and-file troops and veterans. But both chambers of Congress must pass new legislation in order for Mattis to serve in the role, and the Senate must confirm him." and What Trump may not know about the generals he’s eyeing for top positions (WaPo) and Inside Trump’s freewheeling vetting operation (Politico) and Questioning Donald Trump (NYT) "We would applaud any sensible change of position, however arrived at. Mr. Trump’s apparent flexibility, combined with his lack of depth on policy, might be grounds to hope he will steer a wiser course than the one plotted by his campaign. But so far he is surrounding himself with officials eager to enact only the most extreme positions. His flexibility would be their springboard. And in one area, Mr. Trump remained quite inflexible: He made clear he has no intention of selling his businesses and stepping decisively away from corrupting his presidency with an exponentially enhanced version of the self-dealing he accused Hillary Clinton of engaging in."
SCIENCE:
- This rocket engine breaks a law of physics. But a NASA test says it works anyway. (WaPo) "Its thrust seems to come from the impact of photons on the walls of the copper cavity. That would be like moving a car forward by just banging against the windshield."
SPORTS:
- ESPN Subscriber Loss Hurts Disney Income, Sports Giant Continues Rapid Decline (Breitbart) "Other Disney TV properties have also taken hits, but ESPN’s subscription face-plant, highlighted by the earth-shattering loss of 621,000 subscribers in October, has Disney most concerned, considering that ESPN accounts for a huge portion Disney’s operating income."
BOTTOM OF THE NEWS:
- The Flaming Glory of Deep-Fried Turkeys Gone Wrong (Ozy)
- TIME’s 100 Most Influential Images of All Time (Time)
- Vatican debuts confession finder app predictably nicknamed 'Sindr' (SFGate)
Sign up for email distribution of the Day's Most Compelling News below or by visiting Top of the News
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