Monday, February 19, 2018

Reading archive 2018-02-19

Conservatives urge Trump to grant pardons in Russia probe: As special counsel Robert Mueller builds his case, relatives of former national security adviser Michael Flynn are among those pressing the president to use his unique legal power and 'put these defendants out of their misery.'

Teachers say Florida suspect’s problems started in middle school, and the system tried to help him

HOW AN ALT-RIGHT BOT NETWORK TOOK DOWN AL FRANKEN

China’s fingerprints are everywhere

University rejects Chinese Communist Party-linked influence efforts on campus

Waking up to China’s infiltration of American colleges

Pennsylvania Court Issues New Congressional Map: New boundaries for Pennsylvania's 18 congressional districts are to take effect starting in the May 15 primary.

Trump spent the weekend tweeting about Russia. He lied, a lot.: Here are the three biggest whoppers from a very long list.

Russian election interference is far from over. I asked 9 experts how to stop it.: “US intelligence and law enforcement officials cannot protect us against threats if our own commander in chief does not acknowledge such threats.”

‘Why aren’t you married?’: In China, gay men and lesbians pair off to keep parents off their backs

THE I-5 KILLER: With the 428th pick in the 1974 NFL draft, the Green Bay Packers selected. . . one of the most violent killers in U.S. history. No one is saying football led Randall Woodfield down his dark path—but did it perhaps deter him from it, at least for a while?

Thursday, February 8, 2018

Reading archive 2018-02-08

George W. Bush: There’s clear evidence Russia meddled in U.S. election

How Nations Recover

Explain the Rob Porter story. Any of it. - "Explain how White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, who reportedly knew of the FBI reports, could assert, in a statement circulated before and after the abuse photos emerged, 'Rob Porter is a man of true integrity and honor and I can’t say enough good things about him. He is a friend, a confidante and a trusted professional.'"

In new statement, Kelly says he was 'shocked' by Porter allegations and condemns abuse: More than 24 hours after issuing a statement defending staff secretary Rob Porter amid abuse allegations, White House chief of staff John Kelly said in a second statement that he was 'shocked' and condemned domestic abuse. - "A senior administration official told POLITICO earlier Wednesday that Kelly and other top White House officials were aware of the allegations, including the 2010 protective order, weeks and in some cases months before they were made public."

Carrier Employees, Soon to Be Laid Off, Feel Betrayed by Donald Trump

‘Like we descended from Hitler’: Coming to terms with a slave-trading past

White House advises government agencies to prepare for shutdown as Congress struggles to pass budget ahead of midnight deadline

The Nunes memo shows the FBI did not eavesdrop on Trump’s campaign - "The FISA order on Page was issued Oct. 21, 2016. That timing proves that the Page warrant didn’t authorize any surveillance of the Trump campaign — because Page and the Trump campaign had parted ways before the warrant was issued. In fact, the Nunes memo makes it appear that the FBI was trying to avoid surveillance on the Trump campaign, even when doing so undermined the effectiveness of a then-months-old investigation into Russian election interference. Although the FBI had been interested in Page for some time, it was not until after the relationship between Page and the Trump campaign ended that the bureau got the FISA warrant."

Monday, February 5, 2018

Reading archive 2018-02-05

Republican lawmakers distance themselves from Trump on memo

Inside the FBI: Anger, worry, work — and fears of lasting damage

Trump’s latest stunt is about to blow up in his face - "It is still very possible that President Trump could use the Nunes memo as a pretext to try to quash or constrain special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s probe. Trump tweeted over the weekend that the memo “totally vindicates” his claim that the investigation is a “witch hunt,” which is an absurd lie in every possible respect, but it shows he’s still mulling a move on Mueller."

This is how Justin Timberlake lost the Super Bowl

Justin Timberlake Just Wasn’t Made for These Times: On his new album, the hermetic ‘Man of the Woods,’ the superstar entertainer just wants to get away from it all. Unfortunately, pop music and what we ask of its stars, has changed radically. And JT can’t keep up.

Boycott the Republican Party: If conservatives want to save the GOP from itself, they need to vote mindlessly and mechanically against its nominees. - "We understand why Republicans, even moderate ones, are reluctant to cross party lines. Party, today, is identity. But in the through-the-looking-glass era of Donald Trump, the best thing Republicans can do for their party is vote against it."

House panel clears release of Democrats’ rebuttal to GOP memo, forcing showdown with Trump

Trump thought the British were protesting their health service. They weren’t.

AN ARCTIC SPY MYSTERY: An arrest in Moscow shakes Norway’s far north

Kimberly-Clark Uses GOP Tax Break to Sucker Punch Wisconsin Workers

Kimberly-Clark to use savings from tax cuts to pay for layoffs