- Newt Gingrich: Margaret Thatcher is the real model for the Trump presidency (WaPo) "Trump’s speech was not designed to reconcile with the Washington power structure. Furthermore, the address represented a direct threat to the value system of the left. Reagan was focused on breaking the power of the Soviet Union, not breaking the power of political correctness and the elite media that has increasingly dominated the United States. Those who fear Trump’s protectionism might note that one of his first goals is to begin working on a bilateral agreement with Britain (which may become a trilateral agreement if the Canadians are invited in). This is a much more sophisticated president than his critics believe."
- George Will: Protectionism: Trump’s Trade Policies Reduce Prosperity by Stopping Competition (National Review) "Reactionary liberalism has long held, and today’s faux conservatism agrees, that existing jobs should be protected by policies that reduce the economic dynamism that threatens those jobs. Such protection means a net decrease in jobs but an increase in the self-esteem of blinkered protectionists who see the jobs 'saved' but not those that, as a result of lost dynamism, are lost or never created."
- David Brooks: The Politics of Cowardice (NYT) "If Reagan’s dominant emotional note was optimism, Trump’s is fear. If Reagan’s optimism was expansive, Trump’s fear propels him to close in: Pull in from Asian entanglements through rejection of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Pull in from European entanglements by disparaging NATO. It’s not a cowering, timid fear; it’s more a dark, resentful porcupine fear. We have a word for people who are dominated by fear. We call them cowards. Trump was not a coward in the business or campaign worlds. He could take on enormous debt and had the audacity to appear at televised national debates with no clue what he was talking about. But as president his is a policy of cowardice. On every front, he wants to shrink the country into a shell. Trump has changed the way the Republican Party sees the world. Republicans used to have a basic faith in the dynamism and openness of the free market. Now the party fears openness and competition."
- Charles Krauthammer: Trump’s foreign policy revolution (WaPo) "Trump outlined a world in which foreign relations are collapsed into a zero-sum game. They gain, we lose. Some claim that putting America first is a reassertion of American exceptionalism. On the contrary, it is the antithesis. It makes America no different from all the other countries that define themselves by a particularist blood-and-soil nationalism. What made America exceptional, unique in the world, was defining its own national interest beyond its narrow economic and security needs to encompass the safety and prosperity of a vast array of allies. A free world marked by open trade and mutual defense was President Truman’s vision, shared by every president since. We are embarking upon insularity and smallness. For 70 years, we sustained an international system of open commerce and democratic alliances that has enabled America and the West to grow and thrive. Global leadership is what made America great. We abandon it at our peril."
BUSINESS/ECONOMY:
- Was Brexit All a Storm in a Teacup? (Ozy) "While early signs aren’t all rosy — several large financial institutions have recently announced plans to move jobs from London to the Continent — predictions of imminent contraction have proven to be very, very wrong. Of the many key predictions made before the referendum, the only one to have been completely fulfilled has been a fall in the value of the pound, which is now filtering into increased inflation. Still, many economists now think that the Brexit downturn will bite in 2017, as inflation erodes consumer spending power and more companies finalize their investment decisions, before negative impacts on trade become more important in the medium to long term. The departure from the EU hasn’t even begun yet, and so nobody really knows what is going to happen." and Donald Trump told a strange, unnecessary lie about Brexit in his press conference with Theresa May (Quartz) "'I happened to be in Scotland in Turnberry cutting a ribbon when Brexit happened and we had a vast amount of press,' Donald Trump said during a remarkably short press conference on Friday with British prime minister 'Theresa May. “And I said Brexit—this was the day before, you probably remember—and I said Brexit is going to happen and I was scorned in the press for making that prediction. I was scorned.' In fact, it is easy to confirm that Trump was not in Scotland on the day before the Brexit vote. As his own tweets from that week show, he landed in the country the morning after the referendum, at which time he congratulated the people there—apparently ignorant of the fact that the majority of Scotland had voted against leaving the EU."
HEALTH:
- Behind closed doors, Republican lawmakers fret about how to repeal Obamacare (WaPo) "The concerns of rank-and-file members appeared to be at odds with key congressional leaders and Andrew Bremberg, a top domestic policy adviser to President Trump, who laid out their plans to repeal the ACA using a fast-track legislative process and Trump administration executive actions. However, these leaders acknowledged in Thursday’s meeting, as they have before, that the law known as Obamacare cannot be fully undone — or replaced — without Democratic cooperation." and In leaked audio, Republicans destroy their own public talking points on Obamacare (WaPo) "However, in so doing, they basically admit in various ways that Republicans will be responsible for the mess that repealing the law — which would probably be done on a delay while Republicans come up with a replacement — is expected to make. 'We’d better be sure that we’re prepared to live with the market we’ve created' with repeal, said Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.). 'That’s going to be called Trumpcare. Republicans will own that lock, stock and barrel, and we’ll be judged in the election less than two years away.' But we have to ask: Given that Republicans have supposedly been preparing for the chance to repeal (and replace) the ACA for years, why do they seem so surprised by this?" and In Private, Republican Lawmakers Agonize Over Health Law Repeal (NYT) "Now, as Republicans try to devise a replacement for the law, they have set a nearly impossible standard for themselves: They have promised that none of the 20 million people who gained coverage through the Affordable Care Act will lose it if the law is repealed, even as they lift its mandates and penalties, pull back the tax increases that pay for it and pledge to enact a new program that will be cheaper for taxpayers and consumers. Republicans say they can get the same results for less money and without a statutory mandate that most Americans have insurance. But without that requirement, budget analysts say, it will be difficult for Republicans to achieve coverage gains as large as those achieved under the Affordable Care Act."
- Cassidy-Collins, the GOP replacement plan that lets liberal states keep Obamacare, explained (Vox) "Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) held a press conference Monday to roll out the Patient Freedom Act. They propose giving states three options: Keep Obamacare, switch to a different insurance expansion, or go forward with no coverage expansion at all. The Cassidy-Collins proposal is a sharp departure from the plans offered by House and Senate leadership... The Cassidy-Collins proposal is a compromise, one that could preserve the Affordable Care Act in some places while letting other states try something new."
NEWS:
- ‘Up Is Down’: Trump’s Unreality Show Echoes His Business Past (NYT) "Nearly 30 years ago, in his best-selling book 'The Art of the Deal,' Mr. Trump memorably extolled the advantages of 'truthful hyperbole,' which he described as “an innocent form of exaggeration — and a very effective form of promotion.” It is one thing when the hyperbole comes from a reality TV star exaggerating his ratings to a roomful of television critics. The stakes are infinitely higher when it comes from the leader of the free world, and this reality is provoking alarm from many across the political spectrum."
- Trump Administration Defends Bannon’s Role on Security Council (NYT) "The new memo said that the intelligence director and the Joint Chiefs chairman would attend the 'principals meetings' — the meeting of cabinet-level officials — only when 'issues pertaining to their responsibilities and expertise are to be discussed.' Susan E. Rice, Mr. Flynn’s predecessor as national security adviser, denounced the downgrading of the intelligence director and the Joint Chiefs chairman. 'This is stone cold crazy,' she wrote on Twitter. Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, also appearing on ABC, questioned the wisdom of the move. John Bellinger, who was the counsel to the National Security Council during Mr. Bush’s administration, noted in a commentary on the Lawfare blog that Mr. Bannon’s role was highly unusual. But in the early days of the Obama administration, David Axelrod, also a top political strategist, did attend many meetings resetting policy on Afghanistan and Pakistan — as a guest and an observer, but not as a full member of the council."
- Donald Trump’s Muslim Ban Is Cowardly and Dangerous (NYT) "The order lacks any logic. It invokes the attacks of Sept. 11 as a rationale, while exempting the countries of origin of all the hijackers who carried out that plot and also, perhaps not coincidentally, several countries where the Trump family does business. The document does not explicitly mention any religion, yet it sets a blatantly unconstitutional standard by excluding Muslims while giving government officials the discretion to admit people of other faiths." and Immigration Ban Is Unlikely to Reduce Terrorist Threat, Experts Say (NYT) "The larger point of experts is that jihadist attacks garner news media attention that far outstrips their prevalence in America, and the president’s order appears to be designed to address not a rational calculation of risks but the visceral fears that terrorists set out to inflame."
- Is Trump a genius? (Medium) "But at some point we need to step back and wonder — is this man a genius? Not in the ordinary, comfortable sense of the term. Not a Yo-yo Ma sense of 'genius' — incredibly talented, endlessly decent, the perfect conversationalist. Instead, 'genius' in an idiot savant sense of genius. However clumsy, or repulsive, or pathological, a genius in just the ability to see just the right move, even when that move is “obviously the wrong move” according to everyone else."
- Donald Trump and the Theater of Access (NYT) "'He [Trump] never once failed to invite his crowds to heckle us,' he wrote. 'He was placing us on display like captured animals. And it worked.'"
- Border Patrol Union: Trump’s Border Plan ‘Gives Us the Tools We Need’ (Breitbart) "Through the NBPC, agents have been able to relay vital information to Trump and his staff about the realities of the border and what is needed in each particular sector." and Border Patrol chief removed from post after clashing with powerful union (WaPo) "'The union has been very vocal about someone from outside of the Border Patrol becoming the head of the Border Patrol,' Kerlikowske said. 'The union supported this candidate for president, and now very much appears to be directing things – which is absolutely unheard of in law enforcement. The union used their influence to have him removed.’'" and Donald Trump is building his wall with Mexico as undocumented border crossing reaches a 40 year low (Quartz)
- Reality check: Many of Trump’s early vows will probably never happen (WaPo) "On immigration, for instance, Trump’s call for a border wall paid for by Mexico first has to be funded by Congress. On trade, Trump can withdraw from and renegotiate trade agreements, as he promised during the campaign. But there is no guarantee that he will have willing partners with whom to renegotiate better trade deals, and certainly not necessarily with better terms. And change will hardly be instantaneous: Under the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement, for example, the president or any other leaders must give six months’ notice of his or her intention to withdraw. Trump has also promised to order an investigation into his false claims that 3 to 5 million people voted illegally in November for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton... But there is no evidence to support Trump’s claim... Trump, however, does not seem to realize the limited power of his executive orders and has made public signing ceremonies a trademark of his first week. Many Republicans, however, think that Trump’s supporters may give him a generous amount of time and latitude before demanding concrete results."
- Macomb v media: voters who read little news think Trump had a great first week (The Guardian) "Trump has proclaimed war on the media, was accused of serial lying, declared open season on environmentalists and undocumented immigrants, outraged the Mexican president, begun stripping millions of Americans of healthcare coverage, and revived the prospect of torturing terror suspects. On the one hand, there is Trump as seen through the lens of the coastal mainstream media that has called him out with historic bluntness... Then there is how residents of Macomb County, an overwhelmingly white working-class suburb of Detroit, see their new commander-in-chief. In Macomb County...a slightly different narrative appears to be unfolding. It’s not that people are living in their own media bubbles so much as they are actively choosing to ignore news that they do not want to hear, or even more alarmingly, receiving no news at all. The sharpest criticism of Trump that could be found on the streets of Macomb County was that all his tweeting and expostulating about illegal voting and crowd sizes is distracting him from the task at hand."
- What is an executive order? And how do President Trump’s stack up? (WaPo) "Basically, an executive order is an official statement from the president about how the federal agencies he oversees are to use their resources. An executive order is not the president creating new law or appropriating new money from the U.S. Treasury — both things that are the domain of Congress; it is the president instructing the government how it is to work within the parameters that are already set by Congress and the Constitution. While Trump's first days in office have seemed to be full of executive actions, that's not really all that uncommon. Back in 2009, for example, Obama signed nine executive orders in his first 10 days and 16 total in January and February. Trump is under that curve so far."
- Steve Bannon’s War on the Press (New Yorker) "To many of Trump’s critics, myself included, his first week has amply demonstrated why he isn’t fit for office. But many of his supporters, I’d be willing to bet, see a strong President who is carrying out his campaign pledges to build a wall, protect American jobs, and put America first. What’s new isn’t that we have a President who uses the media whenever he can. It’s that, simultaneously, he has made demonizing the press a central part of his political strategy. So that when damaging stories appear the Administration can dismiss them."
READ THIS:
- American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin) "J. Robert Oppenheimer is one of the iconic figures of the twentieth century, a brilliant physicist who led the effort to build the atomic bomb for his country in a time of war, and who later found himself confronting the moral consequences of scientific progress."
SPORTS:
- Tom Brady and Bill Belichick’s secret? It’s not personal; it’s just business (WaPo) "The success of their collaboration rests on two simple understandings, neither of which is particularly deep. First, they share a workaholic absorption in the tedium of football strategy, a love for cataloging tendencies, and almost mechanistic work habits. Second, they share an instinct that self-deprecation is the heart of real leadership. Brady willingly lets Belichick use him as the example, in everything from renegotiating cap-friendly contracts to absorbing Belichick’s scathing sarcasm for mistakes. The message is that Belichick demands from all players equally, and Brady has been secure enough to accept it. Belichick has made it clear he believes Brady is the best of all time, and Brady has learned to admire Belichick’s ability to build and manage highly flexible rosters that withstand losses to injury..."
TECHNOLOGY:
- How Alexa Fits Into Amazon’s Prime Directive (WaPo) "Amazon decided to call it Alexa, shorthand for Alexandria, as in the ancient Library of Alexandria in Egypt. The entire enticing promise of Amazon and Alexa: a much more efficient and manageable life, one in which you can outsource mundane tasks while you do something more important, like spend time with your family."
BOTTOM OF THE NEWS:
- How to Remember Your Dreams (NYT) "So before going to bed, drink three full glasses of water — not beer or wine, because they suppress R.E.M. sleep — which will force you to get up and go to the bathroom. On waking up, don’t open your eyes, don’t move, don’t say a thing — any sensory perception or movement tends to wipe out memories of a dream. For two weeks, tell yourself to remember your dreams every night and morning."
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- Macomb v media: voters who read little news think Trump had a great first week (The Guardian) "Trump has proclaimed war on the media, was accused of serial lying, declared open season on environmentalists and undocumented immigrants, outraged the Mexican president, begun stripping millions of Americans of healthcare coverage, and revived the prospect of torturing terror suspects. On the one hand, there is Trump as seen through the lens of the coastal mainstream media that has called him out with historic bluntness... Then there is how residents of Macomb County, an overwhelmingly white working-class suburb of Detroit, see their new commander-in-chief. In Macomb County...a slightly different narrative appears to be unfolding. It’s not that people are living in their own media bubbles so much as they are actively choosing to ignore news that they do not want to hear, or even more alarmingly, receiving no news at all. The sharpest criticism of Trump that could be found on the streets of Macomb County was that all his tweeting and expostulating about illegal voting and crowd sizes is distracting him from the task at hand."
- What is an executive order? And how do President Trump’s stack up? (WaPo) "Basically, an executive order is an official statement from the president about how the federal agencies he oversees are to use their resources. An executive order is not the president creating new law or appropriating new money from the U.S. Treasury — both things that are the domain of Congress; it is the president instructing the government how it is to work within the parameters that are already set by Congress and the Constitution. While Trump's first days in office have seemed to be full of executive actions, that's not really all that uncommon. Back in 2009, for example, Obama signed nine executive orders in his first 10 days and 16 total in January and February. Trump is under that curve so far."
- Steve Bannon’s War on the Press (New Yorker) "To many of Trump’s critics, myself included, his first week has amply demonstrated why he isn’t fit for office. But many of his supporters, I’d be willing to bet, see a strong President who is carrying out his campaign pledges to build a wall, protect American jobs, and put America first. What’s new isn’t that we have a President who uses the media whenever he can. It’s that, simultaneously, he has made demonizing the press a central part of his political strategy. So that when damaging stories appear the Administration can dismiss them."
READ THIS:
- American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin) "J. Robert Oppenheimer is one of the iconic figures of the twentieth century, a brilliant physicist who led the effort to build the atomic bomb for his country in a time of war, and who later found himself confronting the moral consequences of scientific progress."
SPORTS:
- Tom Brady and Bill Belichick’s secret? It’s not personal; it’s just business (WaPo) "The success of their collaboration rests on two simple understandings, neither of which is particularly deep. First, they share a workaholic absorption in the tedium of football strategy, a love for cataloging tendencies, and almost mechanistic work habits. Second, they share an instinct that self-deprecation is the heart of real leadership. Brady willingly lets Belichick use him as the example, in everything from renegotiating cap-friendly contracts to absorbing Belichick’s scathing sarcasm for mistakes. The message is that Belichick demands from all players equally, and Brady has been secure enough to accept it. Belichick has made it clear he believes Brady is the best of all time, and Brady has learned to admire Belichick’s ability to build and manage highly flexible rosters that withstand losses to injury..."
TECHNOLOGY:
- How Alexa Fits Into Amazon’s Prime Directive (WaPo) "Amazon decided to call it Alexa, shorthand for Alexandria, as in the ancient Library of Alexandria in Egypt. The entire enticing promise of Amazon and Alexa: a much more efficient and manageable life, one in which you can outsource mundane tasks while you do something more important, like spend time with your family."
BOTTOM OF THE NEWS:
- How to Remember Your Dreams (NYT) "So before going to bed, drink three full glasses of water — not beer or wine, because they suppress R.E.M. sleep — which will force you to get up and go to the bathroom. On waking up, don’t open your eyes, don’t move, don’t say a thing — any sensory perception or movement tends to wipe out memories of a dream. For two weeks, tell yourself to remember your dreams every night and morning."
Sign up for email distribution of the Day's Most Compelling News below or by visiting Top of the News
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