Today’s comic by Matt Bors is President baby boy:
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• A cogent defense of the Waters of the U.S. Rule:
To streamline the process of identifying Waters of the United States on parcels of land, the EPA and corps jointly developed a set of rules that defined regulated bodies of water within the U.S. They produced an initial document based on scientific expertise and research. Public review followed, involving over one million comments and more than 400 meetings. [...]
But before it could be fully implemented, the rule was quickly challenged in the courts by Republicans, nearly 30 states, and a range of business interests, all claiming that it represented a major overreach of federal power. It remains in litigation.
• Not exactly a surprise, eh?
Men outnumber women by more than 2-to-1 among top aides to President Trump so far, according to the White House and an analysis by USA TODAY.
If that ratio holds as the president finishes filling out his staff, the percentage of women in the West Wing would be smaller than at least five of the last six presidential terms, the analysis shows.
• Remembering a miracle on ice for Team USA from the 1980 Olympics.
• Block-granting low-income programs means less money for them historically:
Funding for housing, health, and social services block grants has fallen significantly over time, an examination of several decades of budget data demonstrates. This is a red flag, since Congress may soon consider proposals to convert more programs into block grants. This includes programs that serve families and individuals who are low income or otherwise vulnerable, such as Medicaid, which President Trump and some Republicans in Congress have called for block-granting.
• I tracked myself with $170 smartphone spyware that anyone can buy:
Welcome to the largely unregulated industry of consumer spyware—powerful, malicious software for computers and mobile phones that jealous lovers, commercial competitors, or crooked cops can buy online.
• Of course he does. Mark Cuban calls universal basic income 'one of the worst possible responses' to robot automation:
More preferable to Cuban is beefing up job-creating programs like Americorps, a federally-subsidized program that slots workers in full- or part-time positions, he said. President Trump recently announced Americorps is one of the programs he's considering shutting down.
"There are plenty of communities that need social support services that can be filled by qualified people who can add value," he told Business Insider.
• On today’s Kagro in the Morning show: Greg Dworkin rounds up news from the livelier town hall meetings, plus thoughts on shared values, the Milo crash, and Trump’s penchant for generals. The 4th Circuit upholds MD’s assault weapons ban. And an in-depth look at just WTF Comey was up to.
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