So plans to gut ethics office are temporarily scrubbed. Why? because House Republicans looked like kids caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Because that's what they are.
Resistance matters.
CJR:
10 resolutions for managers leading newsrooms in 2017
Everyone will have their favorite but I am partial to #3, categorizing Trump tweets:
- Boast-tweets
- Salute-tweets
- Info-tweets
- Promise-tweets
- Threat-tweets
- Spite-tweets
Carl Hulse/NY Times:
Republicans Stonewalled Obama. Now the Ball Is in Their Court.
Now they must show they can deliver. And they know it.
“When you have both houses and the presidency, there is no acceptable excuse for not passing major legislation,” said Representative Tom Cole, a senior Republican from Oklahoma. “There is a lot of pressure on Republican members to produce and to produce quickly.”
Our job is to highlight, resist where possible, and hold them accountable for what they have done.
Gallup:
Many in U.S. Skeptical Trump Can Handle Presidential Duties
- Less than half confident that Trump can handle several duties
- Solid majorities were confident in Obama, Bush and Clinton
- Greatest confidence in Trump's ability to handle economy, work with Congress
This cuts across party lines.
CJR on the Washington Post:
The Post’s turnaround, in a terrible period for newspapers, has made Martin Baron, its editor, a journalism rock star (Pulitzer Prize, dominating coverage of the 2016 election, portrayal by Liev Schreiber in an Oscar-winning movie). But it has also raised the profile of the paper’s tech team, who have become stars in their own right on the digital-media conference circuit. If a paper like the Post can right itself digitally, perhaps there’s hope for everyone else.
Libby Nelson/Vox:
The annual New Year’s Eve party at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida was a festival of ostentatious excess. Celebrities and the wealthy sipped on champagne with their caviar and foie gras. But the hundreds of people who bought a ticket to the sold-out event enjoyed something even more elite: access to Donald Trump, who profited personally from their $500 entry fee.
Trump showed up to the event and gave a brief speech to club members, according to the New York Times. While it’s common for presidents to attend glitzy events to raise money for their political campaigns, their party, or for charity, the Mar-a-Lago event is different. The proceeds from the event benefit Trump, who owns the club, directly.
The Mar-a-Lago incident illustrates a fundamental question about Trump’s presidency: Will his personal financial interests come first — shaping US policy at the expense of the country?
Scam artist continues to fleece the rubes. Evergreen comment.
Andrew Prokop/Vox:
The 2018 midterms are nearly two years away. Start paying attention now.
Amen.
STATnews with “why drinking, smoking and stress are bad for you”:
You may have more control over aging than you think, say ‘The Telomere Effect’ authors
Lily Hermon/TeenVogue with better reporting than most other outlets:
But while the GOP claims to be pro-Israel and Jewish culture, there's one glaring way they could show their support: They could pressure Trump to get rid of Steve Bannon, his chief strategist who's been known to make anti-Semitic remarks. As for the bill itself, it'll still have to go through a lengthy process of hearings and amendments before it's voted on.