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NOVEMBER 30,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:47 P.M. ET: 

LATEST TREND IN EDUCATION – FROM COLLEGE FIX:  Brown University is implementing a change to its graduate school application that will allow applicants to “self-identify” as persons of color. Multiple efforts by The College Fix to clarify the details of this change were ignored by campus officials.  The policy comes as a result of complaints made by graduate students on the Graduate School advisory board that international and Asian American students are not treated as members of historically underrepresented groups by the university, according to The Brown Daily Herald.  One graduate student, Lydia Kelow-Bennett, told The Herald that this decision has led to “institutional invisibility” for these students. Brown defines historically underrepresented groups as “American Indian, Alaskan Native, African American, Hispanic or Latinx and Native Hawaiian and/or Pacific Islander.” The school’s diversity initiatives are intended to benefit members of these groups.  Brown’s criteria for historical underrepresentation “caused some students to not receive invitations to certain events, such as a multicultural student dinner,” The Herald reported.  I personally will choose to identify as turquoise.  I've always liked it.  Bright, cheery, optimistic, yet diverse.  Please send me my dinner invitation.

TAX BILL HITS A BUMP –  The GOP Senate tax bill was sailing along toward passage until late afternoon, when a report indicated that would would add $1.0-trillion to $1.7-trillion to (check one) the national debt or budget deficit, depending on which news source you use.  It is incredible to see how these numbers and terms are just thrown around.  So now the lawmakers are meeting to find a way to avoid that warning, which is a dealbreaker to some members.  The vote, which was to be held tonight, has now been put off until Friday morning.  Republicans have had years to come up with a new tax plan, yet are still arguing down to the wire over provisions that should have been settled a long time ago.

NO JUSTICE FOR KATE – FROM ABC:   In a surprising verdict, the jury of six men and six women deliberated and came back with a not guilty verdict for Jose Ines Garcia Zarate. The defendant was facing second degree murder charges for killing 32-year-old Pleasanton resident Kate Steinle on July 1, 2015 at Pier 14 in San Francisco. While Garcia Zarate can technically walk out of the courtroom, it's expected that he will be taken into custody by Immigration officials and eventually deported back to his native Mexico.  The case gained notoriety because Garcia Zarate is an undocumented immigrant who had been deported several times and had a number of felony convictions. Steinle's death became part of the immigration debate in this country. During his campaign, President Trump criticized San Francisco for its sanctuary city status.   The verdict was a farce.  The jury could have chosen manslaughter instead of murder, but acquitted this creature of all counts except a technical weapons possession charge.  Of course, the San Francisco mentality holds that the murderer is really the victim.  I would have loved to hear the jury deliberations.  I wonder how many times the phrase "understanding other cultures" was used.

November 30, 2017       Permalink

HOW SAD – AT 10:22 A.M. ET:  It doesn't get much lower than this.  From the Washington Times:

The assistant leader of the House Democrats reportedly said Wednesday that the sexual-misconduct charges against Rep. John Conyers Jr. might be false because all the complaining women are white.

Rep. James E. Clyburn, South Carolina Democrat, made the purported remarks Wednesday at a meeting of the House Democratic Caucus, according to Robert Draper, a reporter for New York Times Magazine and National Geographic.

“At this morning’s House Democratic caucus: James Clyburn compared Conyers‘ accusers to the child murderer Susan Smith, who initially claimed a black man had abducted her kids. Clyburn said, these are all white women who’ve made these charges against Conyers,” Mr. Draper tweeted.

COMMENT:  It will be fascinating to see how the Democratic Party, which specializes in race-baiting identity politics, handles this hot potato.  They've made their own bed.

November 30, 2017       Permalink

BIG CHANGES? – AT 9:56 A.M. ET:  As readers know, we are very reluctant to highlight speculative stories.  However, this one is too juicy to ignore, and has the ring of truth.   From The New York Times: 

The White House has developed a plan to force out Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, whose relationship with President Trump has been strained, and replace him with Mike Pompeo, the C.I.A. director, within the next several weeks, senior administration officials said on Thursday.

Mr. Pompeo would be replaced at the C.I.A. by Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas who has been a key ally of the president on national security matters, according to the White House plan. Mr. Cotton has signaled that he would accept the job if offered, said the officials, who insisted on anonymity to discuss sensitive deliberations before decisions are announced.

COMMENT:  Sounds good to me.  Mike Pompeo, who graduated first in his class at West Point, is a sound strategic planner.  Tom Cotton is one of the best voices on national security, a man who gave up a brilliant legal career to serve in Iraq. 

It's hard to read Secretary Tillerson.  He was a surprise choice for his current post, having been CEO of Exxon/Mobil.  He may just be a poor fit.

Let's see if the White House tries to knock down the story.

November 30, 2017       Permalink

SELLOUT – AT 9:40 A.M. ET:  The NFL is trying to appease the forces that are causing its decline.  From Breitbart: 

The NFL’s sellout to their anthem-protesting players is starting to look a lot more like a buyout. According to ESPN, the league will offer nearly $100 million to causes designed to promote “social justice change.”

In a move unlike anything seen from a major American sports league, the league will offer the money in hopes that it will end the ratings-killing protest movement begun by Colin Kaepernick in the preseason of 2016.

According to ESPN:

The NFL’s multifaceted offer earmarks at least $89 million over a seven-year period for both national and local projects, according to documents reviewed by ESPN. On the national level, owners this year will allocate $5 million, with their commitment growing annually and maxing out at $12 million per year from 2021 through 2023. At the local level, owners will put up $250,000 annually and expect players to match that amount, totaling $500,000 for each team. Players and owners can exceed that amount if they choose, with no matching requirement. In addition, there would be other fundraising opportunities, including telethons and auctions of jerseys worn in games.
If the players approve their end of the deal, a vote on the appropriation of the money could come as early as March. Commissioner Roger Goodell is believed to have the support of the owners to proceed with the deal.

As far as how the money would be distributed, ESPN reports:

National funding would be allocated accordingly: 25 percent to the United Negro College Fund, 25 percent to Dream Corps and 50 percent to the Players Coalition, which has filed 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) paperwork for nonprofit status as a fiscally sponsored project. This week, the coalition hired the Hopewell Fund to oversee and advise the group, which hopes to work with grassroots and nonprofit organizations in its areas of focus.

Under the proposal, money at both the national and local level would provide grants for nonprofit organizations focused on law enforcement and community relations, criminal justice reform and education reform.

COMMENT:  The idea isn't bad, and the United Negro College Fund has done some fine work.  But we've seen "programs" like this in the past, where the funds strangely disappear into the pockets of activists and leaders.  If the funds can be carefully monitored and well spent, fine.  But that is always the issue.

November 30,  2017    Permalink

NOVEMBER 29,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:38 P.M. ET: 

THE LATEST TO FALL – FROM MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO:   ST. PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) is terminating its contracts with Garrison Keillor and his private media companies after recently learning of allegations of his inappropriate behavior with an individual who worked with him.  Last month, MPR was notified of the allegations which relate to Mr. Keillor's conduct while he was responsible for the production of A Prairie Home Companion (APHC). MPR President Jon McTaggart immediately informed the MPR Board Chair, and a special Board committee was appointed to provide oversight and ongoing counsel. In addition, MPR retained an outside law firm to conduct an independent investigation of the allegations. Based on what we currently know, there are no similar allegations involving other staff. The attorney leading the independent investigation has been conducting interviews and reviewing documents, and the investigation is still ongoing. We encourage anyone with additional information to call our confidential hotline 1-877-767-7781.  I've never been a fan of his, but I really would like to see some evidence, or evidence of a true investigation.  As he said, 50 years of work is destroyed by one announcement.  If guilty, he must be punished.  But I'm uneasy about these "executions" before the trial. 

PROGRESS ON TAXES – FROM THE HILL:   The Senate voted to begin debate on its tax cut bill Wednesday, edging Republicans closer to their first major legislative victory under President Trump as they seek to finish the chamber’s work on the measure by the end of the week.  Senators voted 52-48 to take up the House-passed legislation, which is being used as a vehicle for the Senate bill.  No Republicans voted against proceeding to debate, a huge accomplishment for GOP leaders who struggled earlier this year to corral their members around legislation to repeal and replace ObamaCare. No Democrats voted for the measure.  GOP Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Steve Daines (Mont.) and Jeff Flake (Ariz.) all said they would agree to start debate before it began, despite various worries about the legislation.   It is a flawed bill.  No one says it is perfect.  But it's better than what we have now, and if the middle class truly benefits, it will place our side in a much better position for the crucial 2018 midterms.  The Democratic failure to participate could well be a major campaign issue.

A MESS – FROM FOX:    Thousands of scheduled American Airlines flights are currently without pilots during the busiest travel season of the year.  The sudden shortage is being blamed on a glitch in the computer system that bids for pilots’ time off based on seniority, the Allied Pilots Association Union said. More than 15,000 flights from Dec. 17-31 have been affected, Reuters reported.  American Airlines is working quickly to solve the issue, which was created when a system malfunction showed that American had pilots scheduled for flights when it didn’t. "We are working through this to make sure we take care of our pilots and get our customers to where they need to go over the holidays," American spokesman Matt Miller said.  The solution is clear:  three by five cards.  Never fail.

November 29, 2017       Permalink

MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN – AT 1:41 P.M. ET:   Economic indicators continue strong.  America is coming back.  From Bloomberg: 

The U.S. economy’s growth rate last quarter was revised upward to the fastest in three years on stronger investment from businesses and government agencies than previously estimated, Commerce Department data showed Wednesday.

The latest results for GDP, the value of all goods and services produced, show the economy withstood major hurricanes to reach a more solid footing as it entered the final stretch of the year, thanks to stronger business spending that’s helping cushion a softer pace of consumption.

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said Wednesday, just before the GDP report, that the expansion is “increasingly broad based across sectors as well as across much of the global economy.”

While the revised growth rate is in line with President Donald Trump’s goal, economists generally see such a pace as unsustainable and expect growth to slow sometime in 2018. Trump and congressional Republicans are pushing a tax-cut plan with the aim of lifting GDP gains to 3 percent annually, though analysts expect any economic boost to be modest, on balance, if the proposal becomes law.

COMMENT:  Every bit helps.  Trump is a far more active president than Obama was, and his very activity increases public confidence.  The mainstream media will try to deny him any credit, but Americans are likely to be more generous, especially if they feel the progress in their wallet.

November 29, 2017       Permalink

NORTH KOREA'S LATEST MADNESS – AT 9:48 A.M. ET:   They are getting to the point where they can reach the United States with an ICBM.  From Reuters:

SEOUL/WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - North Korea said it successfully tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday in a "breakthrough" that puts the U.S. mainland within range of its nuclear weapons whose warheads could withstand re-entry to the Earth's atmosphere.

North Korea's first missile test since mid-September came a week after U.S. President Donald Trump put North Korea back on a U.S. list of countries it says support terrorism, allowing it to impose more sanctions.

North Korea, which also conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test in September, has tested dozens of ballistic missiles under its leader, Kim Jong Un, in defiance of international sanctions. The latest was the highest and longest any North Korean missile had flown, landing in the sea near Japan.

North Korea said the new missile reached an altitude of about 4,475 km (2,780 miles) - more than 10 times the height of the International Space Station - and flew 950 km (590 miles) during its 53-minute flight.

"After watching the successful launch of the new type ICBM Hwasong-15, Kim Jong Un declared with pride that now we have finally realized the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force, the cause of building a rocket power," according to a statement read by a television presenter.

State media said the missile was launched from a newly developed vehicle and that the warhead could withstand the pressure of re-entering the atmosphere.

Kim personally guided the missile test and said the new launcher was "impeccable", state media said. He described the new vehicle as a "breakthrough".

COMMENT:   Secretary of Defense Mattis was particularly grim in discussing this latest test.  Apparently, the Norks have made major breakthroughs, placing the United States mainland in danger.

The president this morning is promising major new sanctions on North Korea.  But sanctions have never worked with that regime. 

November 29, 2017       Permalink

BULLETIN:  MATT LAUER, PROBABLY THE BEST-KNOWN NEWS PERSONALITY AT NBC, HAS BEEN FIRED FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT.  FROM NBC NEWS:

Matt Lauer, the anchor of "Today" for two decades, was fired by NBC News after a detailed complaint about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.

"Today" co-anchors Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb announced Lauer's firing Wednesday, telling viewers at the top of the show that they were processing his departure but didn't yet know all of the details.

In a memo to employees sent Wednesday morning, NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack said the complaint, which was made by a colleague of Lauer's, prompted a serious review and represented a "clear violation of our company's standards."

Lack said it was the first complaint lodged against Lauer, 59, for his behavior since he took over as anchor of the show in 1997, but there was "reason to believe" it may not have been an isolated incident.

"Our highest priority is to create a workplace environment where everyone feels safe and protected, and to ensure that any actions that run counter to our core values are met with consequences, no matter who the offender," Lack said.

COMMENT:  I dunno.  I guess they have plenty of evidence.  Lauer, now gone, was a big money-maker for NBC.  The episode reminds us that another NBC bigwig, Brian Williams, was dropped as evening anchor after he was caught lying about stories.

Ah, the glories of the press.

We'll wait for further details.  I think anyone with a sense of fairness will want to examine evidence and process.  I have no problem with severe consequences for the guilty.  But the process must be fair, transparent, and with appropriate standards of justice.

Who's next?

November 29,  2017     Permalink