Friday, January 12, 2018

WHAT A SH!%HOLE!

TOP OF THE NEWS:


- Immigration Talks Muddled Amid Trump’s Vulgar Comments (WSJ-Paywall) "A bipartisan group of senators said Thursday they had reached an agreement to protect young undocumented immigrants, but President Donald Trump roiled the debate by questioning why the U.S. would admit people from 'shithole countries.' Mr. Trump made the comments at a private White House immigration meeting in questioning why the U.S. would want to admit people from Africa, the source of many diversity lottery applicants, according to two people briefed on the meeting. 'What do we want all these people from these shithole countries here. We should have people from places like Norway,' the president said, according to these two people. Mr. Trump also expressed dismay with granting a legal status, in particular, to people from Haiti. One person said he asked, 'What do we want Haitians here for?'" and (Fox News) Meanwhile, the top talking point on Fox was that 'this doesn't move the needle at all' (Jesse Watters) and Trump supporters won't leave him (Joe Concha)."

- John Kasich and Jeb Bush Jr.: A Bad Idea on Immigration (NYT) "As Republicans, whose party has consistently and rightly advanced policies to support the essential role of families in America, we are deeply troubled by the harm that is about to be done to hundreds of thousands of families that have legally called America home for more than two decades. ...it is worth remembering that this century opened with a tale of family and migration that was as contentious as many of the stories that punctuate our current debate: the case of Elián González. Regardless of your views of the underlying legal arguments in the case, the image of a small, frightened boy being pulled from the arms of a sheltering adult by a team of heavily armed federal agents remains seared in the minds of many people as a low point in the immigration debate."


BUSINESS/INVESTING:

- When a $1 million retirement nest egg isn't enough (USA Today) "Naturally, depending on where in the U.S. you live, the longevity of a $1 million nest egg varies. Those dollars stretched furthest in states like Mississippi, Arkansas and Tennessee, where retirees could live a life of leisure for at least a quarter of a century."

SOCIALIZED MEDICINE:

- Trump Administration Says States May Impose Work Requirements for Medicaid (NYT) "Ms. Verma said the Trump administration was responding to requests from Medicaid officials in 10 states that wanted to run demonstration projects testing requirements for work or other types of community engagement like training, education, job search, volunteer activities and caregiving. Advocates for Medicaid beneficiaries said the new policy was likely to be challenged in court if people were denied coverage for failure to meet a state’s work requirement."

TRUMPTEL:

- FISA ACT Vote (Axios) Trump tweet one (7:13 am): 'House votes on controversial FISA ACT today. This is the act that may have been used, with the help of the discredited and phony Dossier, to so badly surveil and abuse the Trump Campaign by the previous administration and others?"

Trump tweet two (9:14 am): "With that being said, I have personally directed the fix to the unmasking process since taking office and today’s vote is about foreign surveillance of foreign bad guys on foreign land. We need it! Get smart!"

"Trump did a double backflip, on Twitter, over a policy issue of grave national security importance. Senior GOP aides described the first tweet as among his most irresponsible ever."

- What is FISA? Here are 4 things to know about the controversial spy law (Fast Company) "The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is a roughly 40-year-old federal law limiting how U.S. spy agencies can monitor Americans’ communications... In 2008, Congress passed a number of changes to FISA, including a provision known as Section 702, which allows warrantless monitoring of phone and internet use by non-Americans outside the United States. But since Edward Snowden’s leaks in 2013 revealed the extent of warrantless digital monitoring, critics have argued that the spy agencies too frequently take advantage of a loophole in the law... Legislators on both sides of the aisle have called for changes to limit how that incidentally [loophole] collected data about Americans could be used without a warrant."

- Trump calls off trip to London, blaming Obama for Bush embassy decision (USAToday) "President Trump said he canceled a planned trip to London because he doesn't want to cut the ribbon at the new U.S. embassy there that he described as a 'bad deal.' 'Reason I canceled my trip to London is that I am not a big fan of the Obama Administration having sold perhaps the best located and finest embassy in London for 'peanuts,' only to build a new one in an off location for 1.2 billion dollars. Bad deal. Wanted me to cut ribbon-NO!' The problem with that explanation is that Trump's tweet misrepresented the history of the U.S. Embassy move. According to the State Department and the U.S. Embassy itself, it was the administration of President George W. Bush — not Obama — that decided to build a new embassy in 2006 and chose the new location in 2008."

- A Year Later, Trump Is Less Popular Across Voting Blocs. See by How Much. (NYT) "President Trump’s approval rating fell across a wide swath of demographic groups over his first year in office, including among those seen as important to his base, like white voters, evangelical Christians and those who live in rural areas. Despite losing some support across many groups, Mr. Trump remains popular with many of the constituencies that helped usher him into the White House. His largest declines were among groups that never supported him much to begin with."

BOTTOM OF THE NEWS:

- I Slept With A Sleep Robot (And I Liked It) (Fast Company) "This cuddly robot is like a Teddy Ruxpin for insomniacs. It promises to lull you to sleep with slowed simulated breathing and soothing sounds."

- Viral Tattoo Photos Lead to Arrest of Fugitive Yakuza Boss (Japan Times and Bangkok Post) "Shigeharu Shirai, 74, reportedly showed off his elaborate tattoos to his chess partners in a small town north of Bangkok. One admirer Facebooked snaps of his well-inked torso, attracting 10,000 shares and the attention of Japanese authorities..."

TODAY'S SONG:


- Gone (Day Wave)


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