- Disagreement on North Korea policy derails White House choice for ambassador to South Korea (WaPo) "Cha is well-known in Washington’s foreign policy circles, having served as Asia director at the NSC under Bush. He participated in the Six-Party talks with North Korea as the deputy head of the U.S. delegation, and was generally considered hawkish on security issues involving the North."
- Victor Cha: Giving North Korea a ‘bloody nose’ carries a huge risk to Americans (WaPo) "I empathize with the hope, espoused by some Trump officials, that a military strike would shock Pyongyang into appreciating U.S. strength, after years of inaction, and force the regime to the denuclearization negotiating table. I also hope that if North Korea did retaliate militarily, the United States could control the escalation ladder to minimize collateral damage and prevent a collapse of financial markets. In either event, the rationale is that a strike that demonstrates U.S. resolve to pursue 'all options' is necessary to give the mercurial Kim a 'bloody nose.' Otherwise he will remain undeterred in his nuclear ambitions."
BUSINESS/ECONOMY:
- It ‘feels a bit like 2006’ for stocks and the economy. That should scare us. (WaPo) "So what should we be worried about? Several fears were mentioned...in the midst of lavish Davos celebrations. North Korea. China. Beyond a trade war, there's alarm over how much debt China's companies have taken on in recent years. The Federal Reserve. Several bank chief executives warned the market is not pricing in high interest rates yet. Another tech bubble. Over 100 U.S. start-ups are valued at over $1 billion each, according to CBInsights. ...there could be a big awakening on Wall Street and beyond if some of these 'tech unicorns' go public at less than their last private valuation. He predicts that would rile investors and trigger fears of another Dot-com style bust. The bottom 60 to 80 percent go bust. The U.S. failing to invest in the future."
NEWS:
- Democracy in Decline (Economist) "Less than 5% of the world’s population currently lives in a 'full democracy', and more than 30% endures authoritarian rule, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index, which is based on 60 indicators across five categories."
-Internal Justice Department probe eyes McCabe’s role in final weeks of 2016 election (WaPo) "A major line of inquiry for the inspector general has been trying to determine who at the FBI and the Justice Department knew about the Clinton emails on the Weiner laptop, and when they learned about them."
- Ryan defends release of memo on alleged surveillance abuses but warns against tying it to Mueller probe (WaPo) "Several Republicans and conservative pundits have seized on the memo as a reason to question the underpinnings and legitimacy of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s ongoing probe of alleged connections between the Trump campaign and Russian officials. But on Tuesday, Ryan firmly warned people against drawing such links. 'This is a completely separate matter from Bob Mueller’s investigation, and his investigation should be allowed to continue,' Ryan said, adding that the 'institution' of the FBI and Justice Department are “very important for American life.'"
READ THIS:
- 4 3 2 1 (Paul Auster) "As inventive and dexterously constructed as anything Paul Auster has ever written, yet with a passion for realism and a great tenderness and fierce attachment to history and to life itself that readers have never seen from Auster before. 4 3 2 1 is a marvelous and unforgettably affecting tour de force."
TECHNOLOGY:
- Qualcomm Is (Almost) Ready To Take On Apple’s AirPods Now (Fast Company) "The company’s upcoming QCC5100 chip is three times more battery-efficient than its predecessor for basic audio playback, and builds in support for new features such as active noise cancellation, fitness tracking, and hands-free voice commands. To handle all those activities, it’s also twice as fast. For companies that don’t have the time or resources to design custom chips–like Apple did with the custom W1 chip for AirPods–Qualcomm’s solution should be a huge step up."
WINTER OLYMPICS:
- Norway Ski Team’s Sweater Gets Tangled in a Neo-Nazi Uproar (NYT) "Designed at a time when public interest in Viking culture is experiencing a renaissance, the theme for Norway’s Alpine ski team uniforms this season is 'the Attacking Viking,' a homage to the team’s nickname. But the sweater features a symbol known as the Tyr rune, which neo-Nazis want to claim as their own."
BOTTOM OF THE NEWS:
- This Is What It’s Like To Not Own A Smartphone In 2018 (Fast Company) "While I remain in an ever-shrinking minority, there are are a few people (besides Warren Buffett) who are also committing to dumb phones. The Light Phone, which came out last year, is marketed as an “anti-smartphone.” It only sends and receives calls, can store just 10 phone numbers, and is designed to be used 'as little as possible.' It’s so popular that there’s currently a waiting list to buy one."
TODAY'S SONG:
- Bette Davis Eyes (Rogue Wave)
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