- Why I Can No Longer Call Myself an Evangelical Republican (NYT) "Both the Republican Party, which was created to end slavery and preserve the Union, and evangelicalism, a transdenominational effort to faithfully represent Christ in word and deed, shaped my life and outlook, helping me to interpret the world. Yet the support being given by many Republicans and white evangelicals to President Trump and now to Mr. Moore have caused me to rethink my identification with both groups. I consider Mr. Trump’s Republican Party to be a threat to conservatism... ...the events of the past few years — and the past few weeks — have shown us that the Republican Party and the evangelical movement (or large parts of them, at least), have become what I once would have thought of as liberal caricatures. I hoped the Trump era would be seen as an aberration and made less ugly by those who might have influence over the president. That hasn’t happened. Rather than Republicans and people of faith checking his most unappealing sides, the president is dragging down virtually everyone within his orbit. Where exactly is the bottom? And at what point do you pull back from associating yourself with a political party and a religious term you once took pride in but that are now doing harm to the things you treasure? ...for those of us who still think of ourselves as conservative and Christian, it’s enough already."
- The attacks on Mueller push us closer to the precipice (WaPo) "...we learned last week that Republicans are deepening their complicity in derailing Mueller’s investigation and burying the facts. The more Mueller imperils Trump, the more McCarthyite the GOP becomes. When Republicans are FBI haters who are sidetracking probes into Russian subversion, the world truly is turned upside down. Only recently, it was widely assumed that if Trump fired Mueller, many Republicans would rise up to defend our institutions. Now, many in the party are laying the groundwork for justifying a coverup. This is a recipe for lawlessness. Trump himself told us plainly on Friday night in Pensacola, Fla., that he will do whatever it takes to hold power, and he should be taken seriously. 'There are powerful forces in Washington trying to sabotage our movement,' he declared. 'These are bad people, these are very, very bad and evil people. . . . But you know what, we’re stopping them. You’re seeing that right now.' We are far closer to the edge than we want to think."
- Donald Trump Is Guilty (FP) "The question is no longer whether there was collusion between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign. The question is whether Trump’s collusion was limited to the public realm or was there a secret dimension to it? There is circumstantial evidence that Trump was well aware of what his aides were up to. The issue is what special counsel Robert Mueller will be able to prove. Already the evidence of Trump’s obstruction of justice — the same offense that brought down Richard Nixon — is compelling, which is why a White House lawyer is advancing the novel argument that the president can’t be guilty of obstruction. A recent Washington Post article on the Mueller team ended with a revealing vignette: 'People familiar with the Mueller team said they convey a sense of calm that is unsettling. ‘These guys are confident, impressive, pretty friendly — joking a little, even,’ one lawyer said. When prosecutors strike that kind of tone, he said, defense lawyers tend to think: ‘Uh oh, my guy is in a heap of trouble.’ Contrast the special counsel’s calmness with the flop-sweat evident on Trump’s Twitter account: He is desperately trying to distract attention from his own worsening legal situation by impugning 'Crooked Hillary' and even the FBI. The contrast is telling, and, for Trump’s dwindling band of defenders, it should be deeply discomfiting: the confident prosecutors, building their case piece by piece against the panicked president lashing out at all directions because he is terrified that he will be found guilty of colluding with a hostile foreign power to undermine American democracy."
- It Is Now an Obstruction Investigation (National Review) "I continue to believe that this is the real danger for President Trump: A report by the special counsel, either through the grand jury or some other vehicle, concluding (a) that the president had obstructed the FBI’s investigation of Flynn and of Trump-campaign collusion with Russia, and (b) recommending that the matter be referred to Congress for consideration of next steps, potentially including impeachment and removal."
- While Democrats call for resignations, conservative women stand by colleagues accused of sexual misconduct (WaPo) "After female Senate Democrats prompted the resignation of Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) last week, saying they could no longer ignore the growing number of women who alleged he had kissed or groped them against their will, Republican women mostly have responded with shrugs or silence to accusations against men in their party. Few have spoken out against the candidacy of Roy Moore, the Alabama Republican running for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat in Tuesday’s special election, despite accusations that he pursued or sexually touched teenage girls as young as 14 when he was an assistant district attorney in his 30s."
- In an emotional speech on the Senate floor, Al Franken says he'll resign amid allegations of sexual misdeeds (LA Times) "'There is some irony that I am leaving while a man who bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office, and a man who preyed on young girls runs for Senate with the full support of his party,' he [Franken] said, referring to President Trump and candidate Roy Moore of Alabama." and Rep. Trent Franks of Arizona resigns amid sexual harassment investigation (LA Times) "Franks admitted that he had talked with two women who worked for him about bearing a child for him by surrogacy. He insisted he had done nothing wrong, but said he was stepping down because in the 'midst of this current cultural and media climate' an investigation would be 'distorted and sensationalized.'"
BUSINESS:
- 1,000 People Own 40% of the Bitcoin Market (Bloomberg) "Holders of large amounts of bitcoin are often known as whales. And they’re becoming a worry for investors. They can send prices plummeting by selling even a portion of their holdings. Many of the large owners have known one another for years and stuck by bitcoin through the early days when it was derided, and they can potentially band together to tank or prop up the market. They can send prices plummeting by selling even a portion of their holdings." and Bitcoin futures are now tradable on the CBOE (TechCrunch) "Many think that the futures product will help stabilize the price of bitcoin, as well as hasten its adoption by Wall Street."
- How AI Could Make You a Better Investor (Wired) "...successful investing can be less about high income or knowledge, and more about behavior, like living beneath one’s means. The promise of AI is that it can analyze behaviors and circumstances on a deeper level so that instead of four or five broad categories, there might be tens of thousands. Tools like personal digital assistants can then adapt their approach based on what works best for each individual personality."
- It Is Now an Obstruction Investigation (National Review) "I continue to believe that this is the real danger for President Trump: A report by the special counsel, either through the grand jury or some other vehicle, concluding (a) that the president had obstructed the FBI’s investigation of Flynn and of Trump-campaign collusion with Russia, and (b) recommending that the matter be referred to Congress for consideration of next steps, potentially including impeachment and removal."
- While Democrats call for resignations, conservative women stand by colleagues accused of sexual misconduct (WaPo) "After female Senate Democrats prompted the resignation of Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) last week, saying they could no longer ignore the growing number of women who alleged he had kissed or groped them against their will, Republican women mostly have responded with shrugs or silence to accusations against men in their party. Few have spoken out against the candidacy of Roy Moore, the Alabama Republican running for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat in Tuesday’s special election, despite accusations that he pursued or sexually touched teenage girls as young as 14 when he was an assistant district attorney in his 30s."
- In an emotional speech on the Senate floor, Al Franken says he'll resign amid allegations of sexual misdeeds (LA Times) "'There is some irony that I am leaving while a man who bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office, and a man who preyed on young girls runs for Senate with the full support of his party,' he [Franken] said, referring to President Trump and candidate Roy Moore of Alabama." and Rep. Trent Franks of Arizona resigns amid sexual harassment investigation (LA Times) "Franks admitted that he had talked with two women who worked for him about bearing a child for him by surrogacy. He insisted he had done nothing wrong, but said he was stepping down because in the 'midst of this current cultural and media climate' an investigation would be 'distorted and sensationalized.'"
BUSINESS:
- 1,000 People Own 40% of the Bitcoin Market (Bloomberg) "Holders of large amounts of bitcoin are often known as whales. And they’re becoming a worry for investors. They can send prices plummeting by selling even a portion of their holdings. Many of the large owners have known one another for years and stuck by bitcoin through the early days when it was derided, and they can potentially band together to tank or prop up the market. They can send prices plummeting by selling even a portion of their holdings." and Bitcoin futures are now tradable on the CBOE (TechCrunch) "Many think that the futures product will help stabilize the price of bitcoin, as well as hasten its adoption by Wall Street."
- How AI Could Make You a Better Investor (Wired) "...successful investing can be less about high income or knowledge, and more about behavior, like living beneath one’s means. The promise of AI is that it can analyze behaviors and circumstances on a deeper level so that instead of four or five broad categories, there might be tens of thousands. Tools like personal digital assistants can then adapt their approach based on what works best for each individual personality."
- Walmart now sells meal kits, just like Amazon and Blue Apron (The Verge) "The company appears to be working with several brands, such as Takeout Kit and Home Chef, to offer diverse cuisines... Some meal kits have reportedly already sold out, as originally over 30 meal kits were offered on Walmart.com beginning early this week. While each meal kit order from Walmart is a one-time purchase, both brands also offer subscription services on their own sites, so Walmart could be a gateway for consumers to get hooked onto these Blue Apron competitors."
CLIMATE CHANGE:
- Greater future global warming inferred from Earth’s recent energy budget (Nature - Paywall) "...climate change is happening faster than previously predicted. The Carnegie Institution report is, based on a decade’s worth of satellite information concerning sunlight reflection and escaped infrared radiation, among other data points. 'Our results suggest that achieving any given global temperature stabilization target will require steeper greenhouse gas emissions reductions than previously calculated,' the paper states. Ken Caldeira, a climate researcher and co-author of the paper, tells MIT Technology Review’s James Temple that one challenge in his field is that the climate is changing faster than the models can improve. 'We’re increasingly shifting from a mode of predicting what’s going to happen to a mode of trying to explain what happened.'"
NEWS:
- The legacy of Newtown: Lockdowns, active-shooter training and school security (WaPo) "...for America’s students, lockdowns...and active-shooter training are now as commonplace as fire drills. Buzzers and locks have fortified school doors that were once left wide open. The sight of police officers, even in elementary schools, is now common. And some districts allow staff members to carry weapons at school for what they believe is an added layer of security. But school shootings continue unabated."
- Ventura fire causes havoc as winds push flames toward Ojai, Santa Barbara coastal communities (LA Times) "The Los Angeles Police Department is asking drivers not to use navigation apps. The apps are doing what they are supposed to be doing, directing drivers to traffic-free streets. It just so happens some of those streets are traffic-free because they are on fire."
- If the U.S. treated women more like Norway it would be $1.6 trillion richer (Quartz) "In the U.S., the proportion of women participating in the workforce peaked in 2000 and has been drifting lower ever since. If women entered and stayed in the workforce at the same rate as they did in Norway, the U.S. economy would be $1.6 trillion larger than it is today, according to economists at S&P.
- U.S. Diplomat’s Resignation Signals Wider Exodus From State Department (FP) "Elizabeth Shackelford, who most recently served as a political officer based in Nairobi for the U.S. mission to Somalia, wrote to Tillerson that she reluctantly had decided to quit because the administration had abandoned human rights as a priority and shown disdain for the State Department’s diplomatic work..."
TRUMPTEL:
- Inside Trump’s Hour-by-Hour Battle for Self-Preservation (NYT) "As he ends his first year in office, Mr. Trump is redefining what it means to be president. He sees the highest office in the land much as he did the night of his stunning victory over Hillary Clinton — as a prize he must fight to protect every waking moment, and Twitter is his Excalibur. Despite all his bluster, he views himself less as a titan dominating the world stage than a maligned outsider engaged in a struggle to be taken seriously, according to interviews with 60 advisers, associates, friends and members of Congress. Before taking office, Mr. Trump told top aides to think of each presidential day as an episode in a television show in which he vanquishes rivals. For most of the year, people inside and outside Washington have been convinced that there is a strategy behind Mr. Trump’s actions. But there is seldom a plan apart from pre-emption, self-defense, obsession and impulse. Mr. Trump’s difficult adjustment to the presidency...is rooted in an unrealistic expectation of its powers, which he had assumed to be more akin to the popular image of imperial command than the sloppy reality of having to coexist with two other branches of government."
- I study liars. I’ve never seen one like President Trump. (WaPo) "By telling so many lies, and so many that are mean-spirited, Trump is violating some of the most fundamental norms of human social interaction and human decency."
TECHNOLOGY:
- The FCC Says Net Neutrality Cripples Investment. That's Not True (Wired) "Comcast, the nation’s largest internet provider, increased its capital expenditures— spending on buildings, equipment, transmission lines and the like—for cable communications by about 13 percent in 2015, and by another 8.6 percent in 2016, to a total of $7.6 billion. Verizon’s investment in its wireless business was slightly higher in 2016 than 2014..."
- Virtual reality might save my long-distance relationship (Mashable) "The most romantic place I’ve ever been was a grassy hill overlooking a campground. It was late evening; lit-up tents and cabins dotted the valley that sprawled before us. In the distance, stood a black mountain range, the bright edges of the northern lights peering out from behind. I was surrounded by the warm night, a waxing gibbous moon, a canopy of stars. At least, that’s what it felt like. In reality, I was sitting in the corner of a New York City office, wearing an Oculus Rift headset. This was my first experience with Facebook Spaces, Facebook’s new virtual reality platform, and for long-distance couples, like me and my boyfriend, I think it could change everything."
- How to Encrypt All of the Things (WIred) "Thanks in part to drop-dead simple, increasingly widespread encryption apps like Signal, anyone with a vested interest in keeping their communications away from prying eyes has no shortage of options."
BOTTOM OF THE NEWS:
- People Try to Smuggle Ridiculous Things on Airplanes. And TSA Instagrams Them All (Wired) "You would think that Americans would by now know that trying to carry a gun-shaped knife, a bullet-adorned gas mask, or an inert anti-tank mine onto an airliner is a very bad idea. But no. Apparently some people still haven't received the memo."
- DanTDM named richest YouTuber of 2017 after making £12.3m (BBC) "The 26-year-old boasts nearly 17 million followers and over 11 billion views on his YouTube channel, where fans watch him play video games and offer pithy zingers."
TODAY'S SONG:
- An Otherwise Disappointing Life (Frightened Rabbit)
CLIMATE CHANGE:
- Greater future global warming inferred from Earth’s recent energy budget (Nature - Paywall) "...climate change is happening faster than previously predicted. The Carnegie Institution report is, based on a decade’s worth of satellite information concerning sunlight reflection and escaped infrared radiation, among other data points. 'Our results suggest that achieving any given global temperature stabilization target will require steeper greenhouse gas emissions reductions than previously calculated,' the paper states. Ken Caldeira, a climate researcher and co-author of the paper, tells MIT Technology Review’s James Temple that one challenge in his field is that the climate is changing faster than the models can improve. 'We’re increasingly shifting from a mode of predicting what’s going to happen to a mode of trying to explain what happened.'"
NEWS:
- The legacy of Newtown: Lockdowns, active-shooter training and school security (WaPo) "...for America’s students, lockdowns...and active-shooter training are now as commonplace as fire drills. Buzzers and locks have fortified school doors that were once left wide open. The sight of police officers, even in elementary schools, is now common. And some districts allow staff members to carry weapons at school for what they believe is an added layer of security. But school shootings continue unabated."
- Ventura fire causes havoc as winds push flames toward Ojai, Santa Barbara coastal communities (LA Times) "The Los Angeles Police Department is asking drivers not to use navigation apps. The apps are doing what they are supposed to be doing, directing drivers to traffic-free streets. It just so happens some of those streets are traffic-free because they are on fire."
- If the U.S. treated women more like Norway it would be $1.6 trillion richer (Quartz) "In the U.S., the proportion of women participating in the workforce peaked in 2000 and has been drifting lower ever since. If women entered and stayed in the workforce at the same rate as they did in Norway, the U.S. economy would be $1.6 trillion larger than it is today, according to economists at S&P.
- U.S. Diplomat’s Resignation Signals Wider Exodus From State Department (FP) "Elizabeth Shackelford, who most recently served as a political officer based in Nairobi for the U.S. mission to Somalia, wrote to Tillerson that she reluctantly had decided to quit because the administration had abandoned human rights as a priority and shown disdain for the State Department’s diplomatic work..."
TRUMPTEL:
- Inside Trump’s Hour-by-Hour Battle for Self-Preservation (NYT) "As he ends his first year in office, Mr. Trump is redefining what it means to be president. He sees the highest office in the land much as he did the night of his stunning victory over Hillary Clinton — as a prize he must fight to protect every waking moment, and Twitter is his Excalibur. Despite all his bluster, he views himself less as a titan dominating the world stage than a maligned outsider engaged in a struggle to be taken seriously, according to interviews with 60 advisers, associates, friends and members of Congress. Before taking office, Mr. Trump told top aides to think of each presidential day as an episode in a television show in which he vanquishes rivals. For most of the year, people inside and outside Washington have been convinced that there is a strategy behind Mr. Trump’s actions. But there is seldom a plan apart from pre-emption, self-defense, obsession and impulse. Mr. Trump’s difficult adjustment to the presidency...is rooted in an unrealistic expectation of its powers, which he had assumed to be more akin to the popular image of imperial command than the sloppy reality of having to coexist with two other branches of government."
- I study liars. I’ve never seen one like President Trump. (WaPo) "By telling so many lies, and so many that are mean-spirited, Trump is violating some of the most fundamental norms of human social interaction and human decency."
TECHNOLOGY:
- The FCC Says Net Neutrality Cripples Investment. That's Not True (Wired) "Comcast, the nation’s largest internet provider, increased its capital expenditures— spending on buildings, equipment, transmission lines and the like—for cable communications by about 13 percent in 2015, and by another 8.6 percent in 2016, to a total of $7.6 billion. Verizon’s investment in its wireless business was slightly higher in 2016 than 2014..."
- Virtual reality might save my long-distance relationship (Mashable) "The most romantic place I’ve ever been was a grassy hill overlooking a campground. It was late evening; lit-up tents and cabins dotted the valley that sprawled before us. In the distance, stood a black mountain range, the bright edges of the northern lights peering out from behind. I was surrounded by the warm night, a waxing gibbous moon, a canopy of stars. At least, that’s what it felt like. In reality, I was sitting in the corner of a New York City office, wearing an Oculus Rift headset. This was my first experience with Facebook Spaces, Facebook’s new virtual reality platform, and for long-distance couples, like me and my boyfriend, I think it could change everything."
- How to Encrypt All of the Things (WIred) "Thanks in part to drop-dead simple, increasingly widespread encryption apps like Signal, anyone with a vested interest in keeping their communications away from prying eyes has no shortage of options."
BOTTOM OF THE NEWS:
- People Try to Smuggle Ridiculous Things on Airplanes. And TSA Instagrams Them All (Wired) "You would think that Americans would by now know that trying to carry a gun-shaped knife, a bullet-adorned gas mask, or an inert anti-tank mine onto an airliner is a very bad idea. But no. Apparently some people still haven't received the memo."
- DanTDM named richest YouTuber of 2017 after making £12.3m (BBC) "The 26-year-old boasts nearly 17 million followers and over 11 billion views on his YouTube channel, where fans watch him play video games and offer pithy zingers."
TODAY'S SONG:
- An Otherwise Disappointing Life (Frightened Rabbit)
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