'Dave Matthews is the Jimmy Buffett of our time.'
Month: November 2018
👓 Trump is in big trouble now that Democrats control the House — and he knows it | CNBC
After American voters hit the brakes on his administration by flipping the House to Democratic control, Trump called a White House news conference to insist he had won "almost a complete victory." And then he made plain he understands viscerally what he has lost.
👓 Trump’s acting attorney general was part of firm US accused of vast scam | the Guardian
Matthew Whitaker sat on advisory board of World Patent Marketing, which was ordered to pay $26m settlement in May
👓 What Sessions’s Resignation Means for Robert Mueller | The Atlantic
His temporary replacement, Matthew Whitaker, has expressed skepticism over the scope of the Russia investigation—which he’ll now oversee.
📺 "Chopped Junior" Nest Test | Food Network
Directed by Michael Pearlman. With Ted Allen. A "birds' nest" in the first basket is actually a common dish in disguise; when making entrees, the chefs learn a new word for a special type of chicken and must hustle to get it cooked through; and the judges are served similar kind of desserts before declaring a winner.
👓 The Latest Drama in Trump’s Slow-Motion Saturday Night Massacre | The Atlantic
The president seemed to jump the shark at a White House news conference, threatening Democrats and reporters—and then he fired Jeff Sessions.
👓 The 10 Most Dumbfounding Moments From Trump's Post-Election Press Conference | The Atlantic
The day after the midterm elections, the president mocked candidates who didn’t embrace him and went after the media.
👓 Brian Kemp’s Lead in Georgia Needs an Asterisk | The Atlantic
If the governor’s race had taken place in another country, the State Department would have questioned its legitimacy.
👓 The Commons: The Past Is 100% Part of Our Future | Flickr
We are very proud of the The Flickr Commons photos uploaded by galleries, libraries, archives, museums, and governmental institutions. These photos won’t be deleted as a result of any of our announ…
Great to see them explicitly address the questions they’ve been getting about archival value of photos as well as the commons and Creative Commons licensed photos on their service.
👓 How the Case for Voter Fraud Was Tested — and Utterly Failed | ProPublica
From a new Supreme Court ruling to a census question about citizenship, the campaign against illegal registration is thriving. But when the top proponent was challenged in a Kansas courtroom to prove that such fraud is rampant, the claims went up in smoke.
I knew the voter fraud panel Trump convened had fizzled, but I didn’t hear that there was a court case and the concept flopped so painfully. This is some fantastic reporting. Glad I ran back across it while looking at the midterm elections results relating to Georgia and the massive voter suppression efforts that have been happening there this year.
🎵 The Revolution Begins: The Flying Dutchman Masters by Gil Scott-Heron (BGP, 2012)
The three albums that Gil Scott-Heron recorded for Bob Thiele's Flying Dutchman label are among the most important in black music history. They showed a multi-talented artist coming to full fruition with his first efforts on wax. The Revolution Begins contains every piece of music he released for the label from 1970-1971. In recent years Gil has become a lauded as one of the all-time greats. This music is the reason why.
It includes classic performances, including both the spoken word and band versions of The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, Home Is Where The Hatred Is, Lady Day and John Coltrane, Pieces Of A Man, Whitey On The Moon and Free Will.
It’s been ages since I’ve sat and actively listened to music for its own sake rather than simply having it on in the background as “noise”. I’m glad I chose this one tonight. It’s refreshing to sit and just listen to music like this again.
Whitey on the Moon, Who’ll Pay Reparations on My Soul, and No Knock are my new favorite songs. What a stunning collection this is. I’m reminded again how highly relevant The Revolution Will Not Be Televised still is almost 50 years later.
If you’re not familiar with Scott-Heron’s work, then carve out some time in your life.
📺 PBS NewsHour full episode November 7, 2018 | PBS NewsHour
Wednesday on the NewsHour, Jeff Sessions is fired from his role as attorney general. We examine what that means for the future of the special counsel's investigation into President Trump. Also: The midterm election creates a new balance of power in Congress and exposes deep divides in our nation.
Synopsis of the Sessions firing:
Kellyanne Conway: Trump hates Sessions because he recused himself and couldn’t make the Mueller investigation go away. She makes no mention of any other potential job failings of Sessions.
Judy Woodruff: The new temporary AG has a record of being against the investigation, will he kill or slow-walk the investigation?
Kellyanne Conway: The investigation is winding down. (Where she gets this perception is anyone’s guess.) We don’t want him to impinge on the investigation.
Kellyanne Conway: Trump hates Sessions because he recused himself and couldn’t make the Mueller investigation go away. She makes no mention of any other potential job failings of Sessions.
Judy Woodruff: The new temporary AG has a record of being against the investigation, will he kill or slow-walk the investigation?
Kellyanne Conway: The investigation is winding down. (Where she gets this perception is anyone’s guess.) We don’t want him to impinge on the investigation.
Why didn’t Woodruff take the opportunity to point out the painful circular flaw in the administration’s logic? Why do we need a new person to “not fire Mueller” when the old one was doing just fine at it and there was no other reason given for his firing?
Conway also said this was one of the most accessible administrations in years. Why no pushback on this patent lie? Trump has given far fewer press conferences compared to his recent predecessors, and daily press briefings have trickled into non-existence. This is not transparency.
Trump also complains about a combative press, but he doesn’t even bother to attempt to answer questions at these conferences. He dodges the questions and gives no useful information. They give him some relatively simple soft-ball questions and he can’t even articulate a thumbnail sketch of any of his policies much less detailed descriptions. He’s only got himself to blame for his lack of non-responsiveness.
I’m glad that Judy pushed back on the atrocious way that Yamiche Alcindor was treated at the press conference. Rather than even make a half-assed attempt to answer what was a simple question, Trump attacked her and accused her of asking a “racist question”. How tone deaf can he possibly be? He might have at least come up with an answer that was a lie, but this was just painful to watch.
📺 The Daily Show with Trevor Noah – November 6, 2018 – Midterm Election Night Special – Full Episode | Comedy Central
The World's Fakest News Team weighs in on the 2018 midterm election results, and senior writer for Rolling Stone Jamil Smith sits down with Trevor.
👓 Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospitalized After Falling, Fracturing 3 Ribs | NPR
The 85-year-old justice fell in her office at the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday evening. She has been hospitalized for "observation and treatment."
After the last few days, this is the type of news that could give a person a heart attack. Democrats should have done far more to swing back the Senate.