- There are no grounds for a special counsel to investigate Hillary Clinton (WaPo) "Mr. Sessions’s appearance Tuesday before the committee should put some of those concerns to rest. Mr. Sessions pushed back against demands for a special counsel to investigate Ms. Clinton, confirming that he intends to abide by Justice Department guidelines requiring a factual basis for initiating an investigation. In this light, the letter to Mr. Goodlatte may be read less as the Justice Department’s caving to political pressure than as a polite rebuff of the House Judiciary Committee’s request. Even if the Justice Department handles this particular inappropriate request appropriately, Mr. Trump shows no intention of letting up his efforts to degrade the democratic cornerstone of independent law enforcement."
Fox News BONUS
- Even Sean Hannity has had it with Roy Moore, gives candidate 24 hours to explain ‘inconsistencies’ (WaPo) "'You must immediately and fully come up with a satisfactory explanation for your inconsistencies,' Hannity said. 'You must remove any doubt. If he can’t do this, then Judge Moore needs to get out of this race. You know I do not and will never rush to judgment, because we have seen the media and politicians get it wrong so many times,' he said. But Moore’s conflicting accounts demanded a full explanation, he said."
BUSINESS:
- Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have more wealth than the bottom half of the country combined (LA Times) "To put an even finer point on it: That’s three people versus about 160 million people. To really comprehend just how insane the wealth concentration has become, consider Bezos, the head of Amazon. Worth about $90 billion, he recently was declared the richest man in the world. In October alone, his wealth jumped by $10 billion — or about $4 million per second." and America's wealth gap is bigger than ever (CNN) "In 2016, median household net worth improved across all income brackets -- up 16% overall since 2013 -- but those on the higher end of the income spectrum did the best. The top 10% of earners saw their household net worth increase 40% over the three-year period, according to the Fed. Here's another way of understanding it: The Top 1% now holds 38.6% of the nation's wealth, up from 33.7% in 2007. The bottom 90% now holds only 22.8% of the nation's total wealth, down from 28.5% in 2007. There are also differences within those income brackets. Low-income white people have seen their wealth nearly cut in half since the recession, while the net worth of black and Hispanic families who make a similar amount of money remained basically stable."
- U.S. Manufacturing Rides Rising Tide, Buoyed by Global Growth, Optimism (WSJ - Paywall) "Makers of everything from bulldozers to food products are on an upswing as production, spending and sentiment improve. Business investment has risen, a sign companies are spending to increase productivity. The gains have happened even though important parts of Mr. Trump's manufacturing agenda haven't come to fruition."
CLIMATE CHANGE:
- 15,000 scientists just signed the largest-ever warning about Earth’s destruction (Quartz) "Maybe the second time’s the charm? Twenty-five years after a letter from the Union of Concerned Scientists urged mankind to take action against environmental damage, the world’s researchers are at it again. Yesterday’s letter, signed by 15,365 scientists from 185 countries, says humans have failed to prevent 'potentially catastrophic' climate change, even warning that many species could be extinct by the century’s end. It’s not all bad news, though: They note that humans have stabilized the ozone layer, reduced extreme poverty and made significant gains in renewable energy."
- The seven megatrends that could beat global warming: 'There is reason for hope' (Guardian) "...a series of fast-moving global megatrends, spurred by trillion-dollar investments, indicates that humanity might be able to avert the worst impacts of global warming. 1. Methane: getting to the meat. The major source is livestock farming, in particular belching cattle and their manure. 2. Renewable energy: time to shine. Production costs for solar panels and wind turbines have plunged, by 90% in the past decade for solar, for example, and are continuing to fall. 3. King coal: dead or dying. Production now appears to have peaked in 2013. 4. Electric cars: in the fast lane. ...a surging market for battery-powered cars is starting to bite... 5. Batteries: lots in store. a megatrend is crushing prices for lithium-ion batteries, which are down 75% over the past six years. 6. Efficiency: negawatts over megawatts. ...good progress is being made in places such as the EU, where efficiency in homes, transport and industry has improved by about 20% since 2000. 7. Forests: seeing the wood. ...destruction of forests around the world...is the biggest megatrend not yet pointing in the right direction: annual tree losses have roughly doubled since 2000."
ENTERTAINMENT:
- Who Was Prince in Private? (New Yorker) "We knew only what Prince wanted us to know. ...whether after a show, on a plane, in a rehearsal, or in the early hours, Prince is always performing, always on."
NEWS:
- As gunman sprayed school with bullets, quick action prevented mass bloodshed (LA Times) "Teachers and staff had heard shots a quarter of a mile away, then rushed the children into classrooms and under desks, and locked the doors. When the gunman arrived, officials say, he shot at walls and windows, wounding two students, but could not enter the buildings and moved on to other targets. Police would later fatally shoot him."
- The next Davos forum will be co-chaired by seven women—and zero men (Quartz) "The forum, held in the posh Swiss resort of Davos every January, has in recent years been criticized as much for its gender imbalance as for its elitism. At its most recent gathering, women accounted for just over 20% of the 3,000 participants—a record for the event—and that was after the organizers offered special incentives to delegations that included at least one woman."
- Tillerson’s ‘redesign’ for State looks a lot like a retreat (WaPo) "In response, a State Department spokeswoman said that 'suggestions that drastic cuts to our Foreign Service ranks are taking place are simply not accurate,' that freezes on hiring and promotions 'are only temporary,' and that Mr. Tillerson’s commitment will be 'reinforced once the freezes on personnel movement, including hiring, are lifted at the appropriate time.'"
TRUMPTEL:
- Donald Trump Jr.’s incredible history of dumb decisions (WaPo) "This week brings word that the Trump campaign was in direct contact with WikiLeaks... This follows the discovery in July that Junior met with Russians during the campaign." and WikiLeaks Hitting Up Donald Trump Jr. Shouldn't Surprise You (Wired) "For the president's son, it’s yet another sketchy (and vaguely Russia-linked) dalliance that makes him look more like a fall guy than a conspirator. And WikiLeaks? Despite branding itself as a neutral conduit of information, WikiLeaks has spent the last few years acting (and tweeting) like an internet troll with a political agenda."
- Trump’s Voter Fraud Commission Has One Brave Member Who's Poised to Take It Down From the Inside (Slate) "On Thursday, Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, a Democratic member of the voter fraud commission, filed a bombshell lawsuit against the commission and its chairs, alleging that the group has been violating federal law. Dunlap alleges the committee is a cynical partisan effort to exaggerate the frequency of fraudulent voting, that it flouts legal regulations, and that its token Democratic participants have been systematically shunned."
- Taxpayers pay legal bill to protect Trump business profits (USAToday) "Taxpayers are footing the legal bill for at least 10 Justice Department lawyers and paralegals to work on lawsuits related to President Trump's private businesses, placing them in the unusual position of making legal arguments to protect his companies' ability to keep collecting profits from foreign governments and officials."
TECHNOLOGY:
Prince BONUS
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- Sessions won't take sides on GOP demands for Clinton probe (Politico) "Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) pressed Sessions on why it had taken the Justice Department months to hint, as it did Monday, at the prospect of considering a special counsel to probe years-old matters connected to Clinton. 'Looks like' is not enough basis to appoint a special counsel,' Sessions responded."
- Fox News’s Shepard Smith debunks his network’s favorite Hillary Clinton ‘scandal,’ infuriates viewers (WaPo) "'Hillary Clinton’s State Department approved the transfer of 20 percent of America’s uranium holdings to Russia. Well, nine investors in the deal funneled $145 million to the Clinton Foundation.' Smith called the statement 'inaccurate in a number of ways,' noting that 'the Clinton State Department had no power to veto or approve that transaction.' Rather, it must be approved by an interagency committee of the government consisting of nine department heads, including the Secretary of State."
- Fox News’s Shepard Smith debunks his network’s favorite Hillary Clinton ‘scandal,’ infuriates viewers (WaPo) "'Hillary Clinton’s State Department approved the transfer of 20 percent of America’s uranium holdings to Russia. Well, nine investors in the deal funneled $145 million to the Clinton Foundation.' Smith called the statement 'inaccurate in a number of ways,' noting that 'the Clinton State Department had no power to veto or approve that transaction.' Rather, it must be approved by an interagency committee of the government consisting of nine department heads, including the Secretary of State."
- Even Sean Hannity has had it with Roy Moore, gives candidate 24 hours to explain ‘inconsistencies’ (WaPo) "'You must immediately and fully come up with a satisfactory explanation for your inconsistencies,' Hannity said. 'You must remove any doubt. If he can’t do this, then Judge Moore needs to get out of this race. You know I do not and will never rush to judgment, because we have seen the media and politicians get it wrong so many times,' he said. But Moore’s conflicting accounts demanded a full explanation, he said."
BUSINESS:
- Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have more wealth than the bottom half of the country combined (LA Times) "To put an even finer point on it: That’s three people versus about 160 million people. To really comprehend just how insane the wealth concentration has become, consider Bezos, the head of Amazon. Worth about $90 billion, he recently was declared the richest man in the world. In October alone, his wealth jumped by $10 billion — or about $4 million per second." and America's wealth gap is bigger than ever (CNN) "In 2016, median household net worth improved across all income brackets -- up 16% overall since 2013 -- but those on the higher end of the income spectrum did the best. The top 10% of earners saw their household net worth increase 40% over the three-year period, according to the Fed. Here's another way of understanding it: The Top 1% now holds 38.6% of the nation's wealth, up from 33.7% in 2007. The bottom 90% now holds only 22.8% of the nation's total wealth, down from 28.5% in 2007. There are also differences within those income brackets. Low-income white people have seen their wealth nearly cut in half since the recession, while the net worth of black and Hispanic families who make a similar amount of money remained basically stable."
- U.S. Manufacturing Rides Rising Tide, Buoyed by Global Growth, Optimism (WSJ - Paywall) "Makers of everything from bulldozers to food products are on an upswing as production, spending and sentiment improve. Business investment has risen, a sign companies are spending to increase productivity. The gains have happened even though important parts of Mr. Trump's manufacturing agenda haven't come to fruition."
CLIMATE CHANGE:
- 15,000 scientists just signed the largest-ever warning about Earth’s destruction (Quartz) "Maybe the second time’s the charm? Twenty-five years after a letter from the Union of Concerned Scientists urged mankind to take action against environmental damage, the world’s researchers are at it again. Yesterday’s letter, signed by 15,365 scientists from 185 countries, says humans have failed to prevent 'potentially catastrophic' climate change, even warning that many species could be extinct by the century’s end. It’s not all bad news, though: They note that humans have stabilized the ozone layer, reduced extreme poverty and made significant gains in renewable energy."
- The seven megatrends that could beat global warming: 'There is reason for hope' (Guardian) "...a series of fast-moving global megatrends, spurred by trillion-dollar investments, indicates that humanity might be able to avert the worst impacts of global warming. 1. Methane: getting to the meat. The major source is livestock farming, in particular belching cattle and their manure. 2. Renewable energy: time to shine. Production costs for solar panels and wind turbines have plunged, by 90% in the past decade for solar, for example, and are continuing to fall. 3. King coal: dead or dying. Production now appears to have peaked in 2013. 4. Electric cars: in the fast lane. ...a surging market for battery-powered cars is starting to bite... 5. Batteries: lots in store. a megatrend is crushing prices for lithium-ion batteries, which are down 75% over the past six years. 6. Efficiency: negawatts over megawatts. ...good progress is being made in places such as the EU, where efficiency in homes, transport and industry has improved by about 20% since 2000. 7. Forests: seeing the wood. ...destruction of forests around the world...is the biggest megatrend not yet pointing in the right direction: annual tree losses have roughly doubled since 2000."
ENTERTAINMENT:
- Who Was Prince in Private? (New Yorker) "We knew only what Prince wanted us to know. ...whether after a show, on a plane, in a rehearsal, or in the early hours, Prince is always performing, always on."
NEWS:
- As gunman sprayed school with bullets, quick action prevented mass bloodshed (LA Times) "Teachers and staff had heard shots a quarter of a mile away, then rushed the children into classrooms and under desks, and locked the doors. When the gunman arrived, officials say, he shot at walls and windows, wounding two students, but could not enter the buildings and moved on to other targets. Police would later fatally shoot him."
- The next Davos forum will be co-chaired by seven women—and zero men (Quartz) "The forum, held in the posh Swiss resort of Davos every January, has in recent years been criticized as much for its gender imbalance as for its elitism. At its most recent gathering, women accounted for just over 20% of the 3,000 participants—a record for the event—and that was after the organizers offered special incentives to delegations that included at least one woman."
- Tillerson’s ‘redesign’ for State looks a lot like a retreat (WaPo) "In response, a State Department spokeswoman said that 'suggestions that drastic cuts to our Foreign Service ranks are taking place are simply not accurate,' that freezes on hiring and promotions 'are only temporary,' and that Mr. Tillerson’s commitment will be 'reinforced once the freezes on personnel movement, including hiring, are lifted at the appropriate time.'"
TRUMPTEL:
- Donald Trump Jr.’s incredible history of dumb decisions (WaPo) "This week brings word that the Trump campaign was in direct contact with WikiLeaks... This follows the discovery in July that Junior met with Russians during the campaign." and WikiLeaks Hitting Up Donald Trump Jr. Shouldn't Surprise You (Wired) "For the president's son, it’s yet another sketchy (and vaguely Russia-linked) dalliance that makes him look more like a fall guy than a conspirator. And WikiLeaks? Despite branding itself as a neutral conduit of information, WikiLeaks has spent the last few years acting (and tweeting) like an internet troll with a political agenda."
- Trump’s Voter Fraud Commission Has One Brave Member Who's Poised to Take It Down From the Inside (Slate) "On Thursday, Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, a Democratic member of the voter fraud commission, filed a bombshell lawsuit against the commission and its chairs, alleging that the group has been violating federal law. Dunlap alleges the committee is a cynical partisan effort to exaggerate the frequency of fraudulent voting, that it flouts legal regulations, and that its token Democratic participants have been systematically shunned."
- Taxpayers pay legal bill to protect Trump business profits (USAToday) "Taxpayers are footing the legal bill for at least 10 Justice Department lawyers and paralegals to work on lawsuits related to President Trump's private businesses, placing them in the unusual position of making legal arguments to protect his companies' ability to keep collecting profits from foreign governments and officials."
TECHNOLOGY:
- IT Transformation Altering Investment Forecast Across Industries (WSJ - Paywall) "As of Oct. 31, seven of the 10 largest companies by market cap come from the tech sector, up from two in 2009. More significantly, their influence is spreading throughout the economy in new ways."
BOTTOM OF THE NEWS:
- Weight Watchers debuts diet wine to toast the holidays (USAToday) "The company — which assigns values, called SmartPoints, to foods and then has members lose weight by limiting the number they consume — says Cense has 85 calories a glass compared to 120 calories for other white wines."
TODAY'S SONG:
- Raspberry Beret (Prince)
- Weight Watchers debuts diet wine to toast the holidays (USAToday) "The company — which assigns values, called SmartPoints, to foods and then has members lose weight by limiting the number they consume — says Cense has 85 calories a glass compared to 120 calories for other white wines."
TODAY'S SONG:
- Raspberry Beret (Prince)
- Kiss
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