Stream of Reading (Prepare to be Forwarded) – An Archive of What I'm Reading
Trump took a phone call about North Korea’s missile test in full view of Mar-a-Lago guests, and the nuclear football made a Facebook cameo. Donald Trump’s administration is being accused of jeopardizing national security after a string of high-profile controversies over its handling of sensitive information, with Democrats and independent experts accusing the president of…
The U.S. Senate voted to confirm former banker and Hollywood financier Steven Mnuchin as Treasury secretary. (Reuters) The Senate confirmed Steven T. Mnuchin as treasury secretary Monday evening, putting an end to a contentious and protracted debate while adding another former banker to President Trump’s roster of advisers. Mnuchin ran a bank, OneWest, that foreclosed on tens…
Michael Flynn resigned as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser Monday night, amid a growing scandal over his contacts with Russian officials. The White House announced the resignation after days of uncertainty about Flynn’s fate after reports that he’d obfuscated the details of his conversations with Russian officials to Vice President Mike Pence and other…
Yesterday, I asked readers how they felt about setting up independent commissions to handle redistricting in each state. Commenter Mitch Beales wrote: “It seems to me that an ‘independent panel’ is about as likely as politicians redistricting themselves out of office. This is the twenty-first century. How hard can it be to create an algorithm to…
Sears and Kmart have also dropped Ivanka Trump’s collection of Trump Home items, because no one wants to buy them. Sears Holdings, the parent company of both Sears and Kmart, patiently explained in a statement to ABC news on Saturday that they care too much about making money to continue selling the Trump line. “As…
Two weeks into the Trump Administration, thousands of documents detailing animal welfare violations nationwide have been removed from the website of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which has been posting them publicly for decades. These are the inspection records and annual reports for every commercial animal facility in the U.S.—including zoos, breeders, factory…
We the Sheeple Several state legislatures have proposed bills that would create harsher penalties for protesters, but none has yet been made into law. CLAIM Lawmakers are creating harsher criminal penalties for protesters mixture RATING mixture WHAT’S TRUE Several state legislatures have proposed bills that would increase the criminal penalties associated with protest activity….
Something unexpected happened in the Oklahoma Legislature on February 8 that had Karo Chowning feeling pretty optimistic. That morning, lawmakers in the House Public Health Committee blocked one anti-abortion bill and a second was tabled without discussion. It was certainly unusual for a deeply conservative Republican government that over the years has distinguished itself by passing…
A war of words between Airbnb and New York, its largest market, has escalated with the first fine issued by the city in what is expected to be a crackdown on “hosts”. Tatiana Cames, a host who advertised “shabby chic” apartments in Brooklyn to tourists and business travelers, was fined $5,000. Penalties will escalate if…
WASHINGTON — These are chaotic and anxious days inside the National Security Council, the traditional center of management for a president’s dealings with an uncertain world. Three weeks into the Trump administration, council staff members get up in the morning, read President Trump’s Twitter posts and struggle to make policy to fit them. Most are kept…