Showing posts with label Barack Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barack Obama. Show all posts

Friday, October 18, 2024

Reading archive 2024-10-18 pt 1

Yahya Sinwar, architect of Hamas massacre in Israel, is killed: After years in Israeli prisons, he used his hard-line influence in Gaza to build Hamas into a powerful militia force against Israel.

A novel path to affordable housing in D.C.: Lawsuit, then settlement: The city’s Office of Attorney General announced a settlement that requires the owner of a troubled building in Shaw to keep apartment building affordable — or pay millions more.

Artificial nests can help endangered penguins breed, but design matters: Researchers assessed artificial nests made from four different materials to see which would help boost the population of endangered African penguins the most. - "Natural African penguin nests were historically created using burrows dug into accumulated bird droppings known as guano, Pichegru said. However, the nests were largely removed by humans in the 1800s and 1900s due to the practice of harvesting guano, which was used for fertilizer."

Man arrested for threatening FEMA workers speaks out: William Jacob Parsons, 44, defended his alleged actions at a Federal Emergency Management Agency site in storm-battered Lake Lure, N.C. - "Parsons said he was motivated by social media reports claiming that FEMA was withholding supplies from hurricane victims in western North Carolina. Such false claims are part of a wave of misinformation that has hampered hurricane recovery efforts across the Southeast.

...

"On Facebook, Parsons expressed support for Trump and espoused far-right, anti-government and anti-vaccination views and conspiracy theories, according to The Post’s review of dozens of publicly available posts made between 2018 and 2022." [ed. note: there's a fucking shock]

Between the Border and the Wall: Expanding the border wall in South Texas would leave more U.S. land in limbo - "At some locations, the wall has been placed as far as two miles away from the Rio Grande, leaving thousands of acres in the liminal space between the border and the barrier.

"The land is mostly farms and fields, but there are homes, historic churches and entire neighborhoods essentially cut off from the rest of the United States. A Washington Post analysis of U.S. Customs and Border Protection planning documents shows that the completion of the wall in the lower Rio Grande Valley would leave more than 100 square miles of U.S. territory — an area five times the size of Manhattan — on the wrong side of the divide.

...

"The project in Texas was different. The Rio Grande forms roughly two-thirds of the 1,954-mile U.S.-Mexico border. The land along the river has long been valuable — unlike most of the borderland farther west — because it has water access. Many parcels in Texas consist of narrow slivers of land running perpendicular to the river, allowing owners to draw water for cattle or crops."

Opinion Harris ought to send Bret Baier flowers for that Fox News interview: Harris’s combative interview with the Fox News anchor displayed her qualities -- and facts

This American fruit could outcompete apples and peaches on a hotter planet: The resilient, native fruit has a cult following and could be small farms’ hedge against climate change in a fast-warming world

Here’s how the Smithsonian Zoo grows bamboo for its pandas: At a 3,200-acre facility in rural Virginia, the zoo harvests over 13,000 bamboo stalks a year. The process is now ramping up for the new pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao.

Can Trump and Harris turn out the voters they need? A key county has clues.: Northampton County, Pa., which went for Obama, then Trump, then Biden as part of a 100-year track record of almost always voting for the winner, shows the challenges both candidates are confronting.

Va.’s AG accused an election worker of corruption. She’s suing him back.: The office of Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday.

Plan for more housing exposes a schism in a deep-blue Maryland county: Montgomery County officials want to allow denser housing in single-family zones. Opponents call it a “betrayal.”

Amazon doubles down on nuclear energy with deal for small reactors: The cloud computing and retail giant signed a deal to buy electricity generated by small modular nuclear reactors.

Montana ranger comes forward with account of Sheehy gun incident: Candidate says he was shot in Afghanistan; ranger witness to gun incident questions that account

Obama’s fears about Trump drive his stepped-up campaigning: Associates say the rallies are cathartic for the former president as he joins a Harris-Trump battle that could reflect on his own legacy.

Sunday, January 7, 2024

Reading archive 2024-01-07

Trump’s promotion of debunked election report reveals divisions in his circle

Obama, worried about Trump, urges Biden circle to bolster campaign: The former president shared his thoughts about the reelection campaign during a private lunch with Biden at the White House

Trump mocks Biden over stutter: Making fun of Biden’s childhood speech impediment marks the latest crass form of politics that Trump has exhibited throughout his career

Trump is promising to reduce inflation. His plans may reignite it. - "Both proposals would almost certainly lead to a major expansion of trade hostilities, which would mean not only higher prices for U.S. consumers but also make it harder for domestic producers to sell into foreign markets."

Longtime Israeli-Palestinian friendships fracture after Oct. 7 attack - "'The occupation does not distinguish between the people who are throwing rocks and between the civilians like me who are living in their houses,' Abdelsalem said. 

"Friendly workplace interactions with Israeli civilians have no impact on the behavior of soldiers, his brother said: They treat Palestinians 'with violence and brutality.'

"'The punishment for Palestinians is collective punishment.'"

Family-friendly drag queen faces hate and threats in hostile Florida

Trump allies seek to co-opt coming election-security case to bolster 2020 lie: The largely left-leaning plaintiffs in the federal civil case going to trial this week in Georgia allege that the state’s voting machines are vulnerable to hacking — not that they have been hacked

Monday, October 17, 2022

Reading archive 2022-10-17

Trump charged Secret Service ‘exorbitant’ rates at his hotels, records show - "In 2019, Eric Trump said the Trump Organization was saving the Secret Service agents — and taxpayers who paid the bill — huge sums.

...

"But the reality was different, the records reveal. During Trump’s presidency, Secret Service supervisors frequently asked for special waivers to let the agency pay far more than the government-approved nightly rate for a hotel in D.C. — usually $195 to $240. Instead, they paid the higher costs the Trump Organization was charging."

American technology boosts China’s hypersonic missile program - "Military research groups at the leading edge of China’s hypersonics and missile programs — many on a U.S. export blacklist — are purchasing a range of specialized American technology, including products developed by firms that have received millions of dollars in grants and contracts from the Pentagon, a Washington Post investigation has found.

...

"The Washington Post mapped more than 300 sales since 2019 of U.S.-origin technology to dozens of entities involved in China’s hypersonics or missile programs by analyzing contract solicitation and award documents issued by the groups, as well as speaking to six Chinese scientists working in military labs and universities who described almost unfettered access to American technology with applications in the design and testing of missiles. The scientists spoke to The Post on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive research."

Russia’s airstrikes, intended to show force, reveal another weakness

Opinion  Biden just pulled off a big diplomatic victory — and almost no one noticed - "Israel’s security establishment is firmly in favor of the deal not only because it will help safeguard Israel’s natural gas fields but also because it will help bolster the Lebanese government and economy. Israel does not want a failed state next door."

Opinion  So who’s ‘naive’ about Saudi Arabia, now?

Obama to campaign in Michigan, Wisconsin and Georgia: Additional travel dates are expected to be announced in the coming weeks

Opinion  Writers, be wary of Throat-Clearers and Wan Intensifiers. Very, very wary.

Alaska cancels snow crab season for first time after population collapses

Daryl Morey Changed the Game, but He Still Hasn’t Beaten It - "The Billy Beane of basketball revolutionized the modern NBA, but a championship still has eluded one of the most successful executives in league history. This year’s Sixers team, though, could be his best shot yet. Says Joel Embiid: 'What I like about him is that he’s always going for it. Whatever it takes.'"

Exxon fully withdraws from Russia after Putin seizes assets

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Reading archive 2021-04-27

How Barack Obama's eight years shaped Joe Biden's first 100 days: The story of Biden's early days in office mirrors the story of a Democratic Party changing course based on the lessons of the Obama era. - "'The biggest lesson learned is that Mitch McConnell doesn't act in good faith,' said David Litt, a former speechwriter for Obama. 'You see Mitch McConnell's Republicans running the same playbook. But Joe Biden and his administration and the Democrats — this time they know what's coming.' 

"He said GOP votes not to count Biden electors after the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 drove that home. 

"'The Biden administration came in saying: Maybe not all of these GOP lawmakers are totally committed to the whole democracy thing. And we should act accordingly,' Litt said. 

"McConnell has accused Biden of pursuing a left-wing agenda in contradiction to his campaign promises to seek unity. He offered similar criticisms of Obama early on. At the time, Democrats moderated their policies in search of GOP support — sometimes fruitlessly, as in the case of the Affordable Care Act."

Few Facts, Millions Of Clicks: Fearmongering Vaccine Stories Go Viral Online - "'The [social media] platforms look at an individual tweet from RT saying 23 people died in a nursing home after taking the Pfizer vaccine, and they can't do anything about it because it is technically true, while being wildly misleading,' Schafer said. 'That seems to be the new strategy.'"

Caitlyn Jenner, Ted Lieu Trade 'Condescending' Barbs Over California Crime

Brazil rejects Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, citing safety concerns

Israel is committing the crime of apartheid, new report says

Fresh off election falsehoods, Republicans serve up a whopper about Biden

Swift action to cut methane emissions could slow the Earth’s warming by 30 percent, study finds: “People talk about net zero in 2050 but what the temperature will be in 2050 will be determined by what we do now,” says one author.

When communities try to hold police accountable, law enforcement fights back: Civilian oversight is undermined by politicians and police, who contend citizens are ill-equipped to judge officers - "Jim Pasco, executive director of the national Fraternal Order of Police, described civilian monitors as well-meaning but ill-equipped to judge police officers. He said citizens lack the expertise and experience of trained law enforcement professionals. 

"'It would be akin to putting a plumber in charge of the investigation of airplane crashes,' he said. 'It doesn’t matter how good a plumber that he or she is. It gives no level of expertise in terms of evaluating the cause of a plane crash.'"

Escaping the anti-vax conspiracy rabbit hole - "Escaping the anti-vax conspiracy rabbit hole Close Catherine grew up in a family that lived an alternative lifestyle. When social media became a big part of her life, she became a huge believer in anti-vaccine conspiracy theories. 

"She told the BBC’s specialist disinformation reporter Marianna Spring what made her question her beliefs, and her ideas on how others can be helped out of the online rabbit hole."

Get ready! We predict cicadas will begin emerging next week.: Our first-ever cicada forecast calls for the bugs to really explode in about two weeks.

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Reading archive 2018-02-28

We studied thousands of anonymous posts about the Parkland attack — and found a conspiracy in the making

Hope Hicks Acknowledges She Sometimes Tells White Lies for Trump

Turkey’s president consoled a crying 6-year-old with talk of her glorious death in future combat

NSA director Mike Rogers’s remarkable comments about Trump’s Russia efforts — or lack thereof

Obama’s secret struggle to punish Russia for Putin’s election assault (from June 2017)

Corker Reconsiders Retirement, but He Must Win Over Trump to Do It

The Foiled Plot to Kick Mitt Romney Out of the [Utah] Republican Party: The Senate candidate's allies believed party activists were trying to change bylaws to exclude him—but a last-minute amendment preserved his eligibility.

North Pole surges above freezing in the dead of winter, stunning scientists

Shocker: Democrats’ predictions about the GOP tax cut are coming true

Trump’s Tax Cuts in Hand, Companies Spend More on Themselves Than on Wages

Trump lashes out at attorney general over alleged surveillance abuses

Sessions pushes back on Trump after 'disgraceful' insult

Clinton says Trump is surrendering to Russia's election meddling

Gus Kenworthy Reveals the Homophobic Messages He Gets Online: ‘Go Die of AIDS'

Cindy McCain sounds off on Trump: ‘We don’t need more bullying, and I’m tired of it’


Monday, October 23, 2017

Reading archive 2017-10-23

Trump is now effectively calling a Gold Star widow a liar, despite the White House not backing him up

Guy completely shuts down the anti-abortion argument with one question.

The Seeds of Trump's Victory Were Sown the Moment Obama Won

What Donald Trump has in common with Napoleon III: Alexis de Tocqueville famously extolled democracy in America, but his look at French politics may say more about us today.

The great dealmaker? Lawmakers find Trump to be an untrustworthy negotiator. - "Tony Schwartz, a longtime student and now critic of Trump who co-wrote the mogul’s 1987 bestseller 'The Art of the Deal,' said Trump’s dealmaking modus operandi is, 'I am relentless and I am not burdened by the concern that what I’m doing is ethical or truthful or fair.'
...
"Schwartz said playing to Trump’s ego, as Graham has with his golf compliments, is an effective way to manage him. His advice to those seeking to make deals with Trump: Find the most persuasive way to portray one’s agenda as a personal victory for the president, and be the last person to talk to him. 'Trump is motivated by the same concern in all situations, which is to dominate and to be perceived as having won,' Schwartz said. 'That supersedes everything, including ideology.'"

Donald Trump just hit a new low in the La David Johnson fiasco

Monday, October 16, 2017

Reading archive 2017-10-16

The Danger of President Pence: Trump’s critics yearn for his exit. But Mike Pence, the corporate right’s inside man, poses his own risks.

If Only 'Being a Colossal Dick' Was an Impeachable Offense

Obama aides lash out after Trump claims past presidents didn't call fallen soldiers' families - "Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser, called the president’s claim 'an outrageous and disrespectful lie even by Trump standards' and noted on Twitter that it was Trump, not Obama, who attacked a Gold Star family that had been critical of him."

Popovich issues blistering takedown of ‘soulless coward’ Donald Trump

Bomb kills investigative journalist in Malta who reported on Panama Papers

A group of Catholics has charged Pope Francis with heresy. Here’s why that matters.

The scamming runs very, very deep

Lies, Lies, Lies, Lies, Lies, Lies, Lies, Lies, Lies, Lies - Made-up sob stories about family farms broken up to pay inheritance taxes, magical claims about self-financing tax cuts, and so on go all the way back to the 1970s. But the selling of tax cuts under Trump has taken things to a whole new level, both in terms of the brazenness of the lies and their sheer number. Both the depth and the breadth of the dishonesty make it hard even for those of us who do this for a living to keep track.

The Bannon Revolution - "Which is not to say Bannon is delusional. He and his allies are the latest group to recognize the void at the heart of the contemporary Republican Party, the vacuum that somebody, somehow needs to fill. The activists and enforcers of the Tea Party era tried with a libertarian style of populism. Paul Ryan tried with his warmed-over Jack Kempism. My friends the “reform conservatives” tried with blueprints for tax credits and wage subsidies. They all failed, and the Bannon crew actually got furthest, in the sense that they got the most unlikely figure imaginable elected president on something resembling their platform."

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Reading archive 2017-09-05

Why the Works of Visionary Artist Jacob Lawrence Still Resonate a Century After His Birth: His vibrant and bold paintings tell stories of liberation, resistance and resilience

Obama calls President Trump’s decision to end DACA ‘wrong,’ ‘self-defeating’ and ‘cruel’

Officer shoots Ohio newspaper photographer after confusing his tripod and camera for a gun

The biggest beneficiaries of the government safety net: Working-class whites

Is Anybody Home at HUD? A long-harbored conservative dream — the “dismantling of the administrative state” — is taking place under Secretary Ben Carson. - "HUD has emerged as the perfect distillation of the right’s antipathy to governing. If the great radical-conservative dream was, in Grover Norquist’s famous words, to 'drown government in a bathtub,' then this was what the final gasps of one department might look like."

Disabled, or just desperate?: Rural Americans turn to disability as jobs dry up

Generations, disabled: A family on the fringes prays for the “right diagnoses”

The Upwards Failing of Colin Trevorrow and Why It Matters

The Art of Failing Upward

When the Rich Said No to Getting Richer

Our Broken Economy, in One Simple Chart

Democrats should take the class warfare message to upscale suburbs: It worked for Jeremy Corbyn, and the opposite failed for Jon Ossoff.

4 lies Jeff Sessions told to justify ending DACA

The Russian Company That Is a Danger to Our Security