@13:30, , 1/27/20, REC

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1

World

Harry and Meghan’s Big Funding Source Is Private. Sort of.

By Benjamin Mueller | Jan 26th 2020

Prince Charles’s pledge to help support the couple as they forgo public funding has put a spotlight on his own sources of wealth, including a billion-pound real estate conglomerate.

Britain is feudal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feudalism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magna_Carta
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magna_Carta#17th%E2%80%9318th_centuries
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magna_Carta#19th%E2%80%9321st_centuries
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eminent_domain
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eminent_domain#England_and_Wales
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_purchase_in_England_and_Wales

2

U.S.

Trump Opens Door to Cuts to Medicare and Other Entitlement Programs

By Alan Rappeport and Maggie Haberman | Jan 22nd 2020

The president signaled a willingness to scale back Medicare, a shift from his 2016 platform of protecting entitlement programs.

Donald Trump was and is known to lie.
Racism is the basis of the modern Republican party.

3

Smarter Living

5 Cheap(ish) Things to Radically Make Over Your Closet

By Jennifer Hunter | Jan 23rd 2020

Get the upper hand against closet clutter.

First: Catch your closet.

4

Opinion

The American People Are Being Scammed by Mitch McConnell

By Noah Bookbinder | Jan 22nd 2020

Senators have a duty to conduct a fair and full trial. The Republican leader is trying to make sure they can’t.

True

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilien_Robespierre

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Maurice_de_Talleyrand-P%C3%A9rigord

5

Opinion

John Roberts Can Call Witnesses to Trump’s Trial. Will He?

By Neal K. Katyal, Joshua A. Geltzer and Mickey Edwards | Jan 27th 2020

Democratic House managers should ask the chief justice to issue subpoenas for John Bolton and others.

I have no knowledge of Chief Justice Roberts mind.
Witnesses and documents should be presented and examined at the trial.

6 

Technology

Jeff Bezos, Tabloid Man

By Karen Weise | Jan 23rd 2020

Just a year ago, the world’s richest man seemed to have a pretty low-key life. Times sure have changed.

Jeff Bezos must think it worthwhile.

7 

U.S.

Day in Impeachment: Key Moments From the Managers’ Opening Arguments

By Peter Baker and Eileen Sullivan | Jan 22nd 2020

The House impeachment managers began laying out their case and Adam Schiff challenged the Senate to demand that the president provide the information he has blocked.

Trump has no effective defense.

8

Business

When the Prince of Wales Is Your Landlord

By Amie Tsang | Jan 24th 2020

On England’s southwestern coast, a community built by the Duchy of Cornwall is attracting residents who have bought into Prince Charles’s housing philosophy.

Prince Charles as the Duke of Cornwall is the landlord. The householders own the structures but lease the land they stand on. The Duke owns the streets and sets the rules.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leasehold_estate

9

World

Chaos as Militants Overran Airfield, Killing 3 Americans in Kenya

By Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Eric Schmitt, Charlie Savage and Helene Cooper | Jan 22nd 2020

The brazen Shabab assault at Manda Bay, Kenya, a sleepy seaside base near the Somali border, on Jan. 5 left three Americans dead, raising complex questions about the military’s mission in Africa.

Shabab opines it is fighting a war.
Borders have little meaning in a war.

10 

World

As Coronavirus Fears Intensify, Effectiveness of Quarantines Is Questioned

By Chris Buckley, Raymond Zhong, Denise Grady and Roni Caryn Rabin | Jan 26th 2020

Amid news the coronavirus is spreading at an accelerating rate, concern is growing that China’s lockdown of cities may not only have come too late but could even make the situation worse.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/28/world/asia/china-coronavirus.html

Right Now

After repeated offers of assistance, China will allow in international health experts to help with research and containment.

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@1:30, , 1/27/20, REC

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1

Style

Love in the Time of Low Expectations

By Michelle Dowd | Jan 24th 2020

“Never count on a man,” her father had told her. “They will always let you down.” So she didn’t, and they still did.

There is the mountain her mother taught.
The sea supports you.

2

U.S.

Lamar Alexander, Set to Leave Office, Is G.O.P. Wild Card on Witnesses

By Sheryl Gay Stolberg | Jan 25th 2020

The Tennessee Republican was a protege of Senator Howard H. Baker Jr., another Republican from Tennessee, who turned against Richard Nixon. Now Mr. Alexander may hold the fate of President Trump in his hands.

I can't guess.

3

World

China’s Omnivorous Markets Are in the Eye of a Lethal Outbreak Once Again

By Steven Lee Myers | Jan 25th 2020

The coronavirus that has spread from Wuhan has been linked to the sale of live wildlife at a market that experts describe as a perfect incubator for novel pathogens.

Coronavirus is out.

4

World

Coronavirus Live Updates: More U.S. Cases Emerge, as China’s Death Toll Rises

By The New York Times | Jan 26th 2020

The number of dead climbed to at least 80, while in the United States, five cases were confirmed.

Coronavirus is out.
I will see how bad it becomes.

5

Style

I Quit Sex for 12 Years

By Steven Kurutz | Jan 21st 2020

It was no mean feat for Sophie Fontanel. In France, love of sex is expected.

I miss touch.

6

U.S.

Pompeo Denounces News Media, Undermining U.S. Message on Press Freedom

By Edward Wong | Jan 25th 2020

In an extraordinary statement, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized a veteran NPR reporter, Mary Louise Kelly, and said the news media was “unhinged.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/16/books/review-very-stable-genius-donald-trump-philip-rucker-carol-leonnig.html

How would he know?

7

U.S.

Now Testifying for the Prosecution: President Trump

By Peter Baker | Jan 24th 2020

Barred so far from presenting witnesses, the House managers prosecuting the president have focused on turning his own words against him.

He was asked.
I think the fifth amendment does not apply.

8

Opinion

The Darkness Where the Future Should Be

By Michelle Goldberg | Jan 24th 2020

What happens to a society that loses its capacity for awe and wonder at things to come?

Doing nothing new is the darkness.  

9

World

Mystery of the Royal Family of Oudh Unravels a Bit More

By Ellen Barry and Suhasini Raj | Jan 23rd 2020

Times readers and government documents have provided new information about a family who for decades convinced journalists and Indian officials that they were royalty.

https://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/2020/01/27

10

Opinion

Let Us All Now Weep for Donald Trump

By Frank Bruni | Jan 21st 2020

In his Senate trial as in all else, he’s a profile in persecution.

Crocodile tears. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodile_tears


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@0:51, , 1/26/20

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1

Good night, Iowa.

Maggie Astor at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 hour ago

The weekend is over. The senators on the campaign trail are turning into pumpkins, as Amy Klobuchar put it. And we’re signing off for the night.

Sooner is better.   As soon you can is best.

Beauty contest. 

Recording Shows That the Swamp Has Not Been Drained

Kenneth P. Vogel and Eric Lipton at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 hour ago

The recording of a dinner President Trump held with big-dollar donors in 2018 demonstrates just how alive and well special-interest access and influence remains in Washington.

The Bolton revelation sinks in on the campaign trail.

Nick Corasaniti and Thomas Kaplan at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 hour ago

The candidates were in Iowa, but in Washington there was a major impeachment development.

Jonathan Van Ness and a Fan in Iowa

NYT > U.S. > Politics - 3 hours ago

The “Queer Eye” star stopped for a photo with an out-of-towner who happened to be traveling through the state.

Surrogates tout Biden’s appeal beyond Iowa.

Thomas Kaplan at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 3 hours ago

”Joe Biden puts Texas in play,” Representative Colin Allred of Texas said. “He absolutely puts Texas in play.”

‘I’m really up in the air’: some Iowans are still undecided.

Reid J. Epstein at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 4 hours ago

And they’re losing sleep. “Sometimes I can’t fall asleep at night,” one woman said. “I just can’t stop thinking about it.”

‘There’s a shift occurring’: Ayanna Pressley stumps for Warren in South Carolina.

Astead W. Herndon at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 4 hours ago

“I don’t put much stock in the polls,” Ms. Pressley said, asked about Ms. Warren’s support among black voters. “You can’t poll transformation.”

In Florida speech, Bloomberg warns about rising anti-Semitism.

Rebecca R. Ruiz and Elizabeth Dias at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 4 hours ago

“The violence that has always threatened Israel is rearing its ugly head here in America, with alarming frequency,” Michael Bloomberg said.

Biden debuts his smallest, and cutest, campaign surrogate yet.

Lisa Lerer at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 4 hours ago

“Ten years old!” Mr. Biden exclaimed. “Ten years old!”

Sanders shifts focus to turnout.

Sydney Ember at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 4 hours ago

“You win elections, especially against Trump, by having the largest voter turnout in the history of this country,” he said in Storm Lake on Sunday. “We are the campaign to do that.”

T Minus 8 Days: A Frenetic Weekend on the Trail in Iowa

Maggie Astor at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 4 hours ago

The candidates gave their stump speeches. They took photos and shook hands. They tried mightily to address the polling elephant in the room without appearing to concern themselves with it.

5 Takeaways on Trump and Ukraine From John Bolton’s Book

Noah Weiland at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 4 hours ago

New revelations from the former White House national security adviser could complicate President Trump’s impeachment trial.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGJ_IyFwieY 

Michael Bennet is done with Iowa.

Maggie Astor at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 4 hours ago

In the limited time he has to spend on the trail during the impeachment trial, Mr. Bennet plans to campaign solely in New Hampshire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGJ_IyFwieY 

6 Revelatory Moments From the Video of Trump’s Private Donor Dinner

Aimee Ortiz, Michael Levenson and Mihir Zaveri at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 4 hours ago

The video of the 2018 event made headlines for capturing conversations now tied to the impeachment inquiry. But it also showed remarkable exchanges that weren’t about Ukraine.

Bloomberg Warns of Anti-Semitism ‘Rearing Its Ugly Head’

Rebecca R. Ruiz and Elizabeth Dias at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 5 hours ago

Speaking at a prominent synagogue near Miami, the former New York City mayor spoke of his Jewish heritage and his support for Israel.

‘I was raised in the black church politically,’ Biden says at N.A.A.C.P. event.

Thomas Kaplan at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 6 hours ago

Mr. Biden’s strong support from black voters may not play a significant role in the Iowa caucuses, but it is of vital importance in future nominating contests.

Klobuchar prepares to ‘turn into a pumpkin’ and return to Washington.

Nick Corasaniti at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 6 hours ago

During one of several campaign stops in Iowa before leaving for the impeachment trial, Amy Klobuchar focused on health care and drug prices.

Trump Tied Ukraine Aid to Inquiries He Sought, Bolton Book Says

Maggie Haberman and Michael S. Schmidt at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 6 hours ago

Drafts of the book outline the potential testimony of the former national security adviser if he were called as a witness in the president’s impeachment trial.

The testimony is not in evidence. 

Biden hits back at Sanders over Social Security.

Katie Glueck at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 6 hours ago

The two leading candidates have clashed repeatedly over the subject, which is of great importance to older Iowa caucusgoers.

Caucuses are a minefield for Iowans with disabilities.

Maggie Astor at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 6 hours ago

We talked to caucusgoers, advocates and the Iowa Democratic and Republican Parties about accessibility.

@14:24, , 1/26/20, REC

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1

U.S.

Democrats Seek to Pre-empt Trump’s Defense in Impeachment Trial

By Sheryl Gay Stolberg | Jan 24th 2020

The House impeachment managers sought to undercut the central elements of President Trump’s defense, wading into a detailed defense of former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.

The Managers appear to have been successful.

2

U.S.

In Impeachment Case, Schiff Accuses Trump of Trying ‘to Cheat’ in Election

By Michael D. Shear | Jan 22nd 2020

The House impeachment managers began presenting their oral arguments against President Trump in the Senate trial, arguing that his conduct warranted his removal.

I agree with Representative Adam B. Schiff of California.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/16/books/review-very-stable-genius-donald-trump-philip-rucker-carol-leonnig.html

3

Magazine

My Grandmother Kept Telling Us About the Nazis. Now I Know Why.

By Andrea N. Goldstein | Jan 23rd 2020

Marianne Goldstein spent her life recounting her family’s escape to America in 1939. Only recently did I realize she wanted to do more than remember what happened.

Antisemitism has never disappeared.
The public memory of the camps and the exclusion has faded under pressure
from the Christian Right and Organized Capitalism.
The I.L.G.W.U. has not been forgiven.

4

Business

It May Be the Biggest Tax Heist Ever. And Europe Wants Justice.

By David Segal | Jan 23rd 2020

Stock traders are accused of siphoning $60 billion from state coffers, in a scheme that one called “the devil’s machine.” Germany is the first country to try to get its money back.

Good luck to the European authorities.
There are always cheaters that read the rule book first.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gpFpueTFW4&list=PLtFxVpWmPmSk1VU_-qu1dTRSlpd2O4B_t

I buy and hold.
It takes lots of time and some thought first.

5

U.S.

Now Testifying for the Prosecution: President Trump

By Peter Baker | Jan 24th 2020

Barred so far from presenting witnesses, the House managers prosecuting the president have focused on turning his own words against him.

Trump is not good at silence.

6

Style

Love in the Time of Low Expectations

By Michelle Dowd | Jan 24th 2020

“Never count on a man,” her father had told her. “They will always let you down.” So she didn’t, and they still did.

Porn is made by the gay for the strait.
They forget.

7

Opinion

How to Convince a White Realtor You’re Middle Class

By Karyn Lacy | Jan 21st 2020

Black people expend daily energy to counteract racial stereotypes and get fair treatment.

I regret the necessity.
I expect it cuts both ways.

8

Science

The Freshwater Giants Are Dying

By Rachel Nuwer | Jan 21st 2020

Overharvesting and habitat loss endanger most of the world’s freshwater “megafauna.” But many species may yet be saved.

Trump has been incredibly foolish.
All water is ultimately one.

9

Climate

Trump and the Teenager: A Climate Showdown at Davos

By Mark Landler and Somini Sengupta | Jan 21st 2020

President Trump and Greta Thunberg dominated the first full day of the annual gathering of the rich and powerful in the Swiss Alps.

Greta Thunberg is correct.

10

Opinion

The Darkness Where the Future Should Be

By Michelle Goldberg | Jan 24th 2020

What happens to a society that loses its capacity for awe and wonder at things to come?

" In his 1955 mission statement for National Review, William F. Buckley Jr. famously wrote that the magazine “stands athwart history, yelling Stop.”"

That is a succinct statement of the problem.
Doing nothing new is the darkness.

We must give up fossil carbon.
That will in half a century stop the heating from getting worse.
Some of the population will survive.
The ecology will survive if people work at it.
Culture will survive the new dark age if knowledge survives.
There will be riots if we are lucky.
If not there will be wars.
Libraries must survive.  Computers may not survive.

The future must remember all of the past.



+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

1

U.S.

Democrats Seek to Pre-empt Trump’s Defense in Impeachment Trial

By Sheryl Gay Stolberg | Jan 24th 2020

Trump is defending ineffectively.

2

U.S.

In Impeachment Case, Schiff Accuses Trump of Trying ‘to Cheat’ in Election

By Michael D. Shear | Jan 22nd 2020

The quid pro quo is established.
The defense claims it is trivial and common practice.

3

Magazine

My Grandmother Kept Telling Us About the Nazis. Now I Know Why.

By Andrea N. Goldstein | Jan 23rd 2020

Dogma does not change easily.

"American laws at the time posed a tremendous obstacle to the Nellhaus family’s attempts to resettle in the United States. The Johnson-Reed Immigration Act of 1924 imposed a strict quota for each country, greatly reducing the number of people that could enter the United States from Germany, Poland and other countries that were home to large Jewish populations."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogma

4

Business

It May Be the Biggest Tax Heist Ever. And Europe Wants Justice.

By David Segal | Jan 23rd 2020

Europe wants income.

5

U.S.

Now Testifying for the Prosecution: President Trump

By Peter Baker | Jan 24th 2020

Trump Twitters.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/16/books/review-very-stable-genius-donald-trump-philip-rucker-carol-leonnig.html

6

Style

Love in the Time of Low Expectations

By Michelle Dowd | Jan 24th 2020

Sooner is better.  As soon as you can is best.

Steam Punk is amusing fiction.

"Women hold up half the sky"
The daylight half.

7

Opinion

How to Convince a White Realtor You’re Middle Class

By Karyn Lacy | Jan 21st 2020

The reverse is also true.

8

Science

The Freshwater Giants Are Dying

By Rachel Nuwer | Jan 21st 2020

Overharvesting and habitat loss endanger most of the world’s freshwater “megafauna.” But many species may yet be saved.

People must work at it.
Trump is foolish.

9

Climate

Trump and the Teenager: A Climate Showdown at Davos

By Mark Landler and Somini Sengupta | Jan 21st 2020

President Trump and Greta Thunberg dominated the first full day of the annual gathering of the rich and powerful in the Swiss Alps.

Greta Thunberg wins.

10

Opinion

The Darkness Where the Future Should Be

By Michelle Goldberg | Jan 24th 2020

What happens to a society that loses its capacity for awe and wonder at things to come?

Doing nothing new is the darkness.



+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++=++++++\

1

Business

It May Be the Biggest Tax Heist Ever. And Europe Wants Justice.

By David Segal | Jan 23rd 2020

Small change as things go.

"The best government money can buy"

2

Style

Love in the Time of Low Expectations

By Michelle Dowd | Jan 24th 2020

Sooner is better.   As soon as you can is best.

3

Opinion

How to Convince a White Realtor You’re Middle Class

By Karyn Lacy | Jan 21st 2020

How to convince a realtor, black or white.

The long green.

4

World

Scale of China’s Wuhan Shutdown Is Believed to Be Without Precedent

By Michael Levenson | Jan 23rd 2020

In sealing off a city of 11 million people, China is trying to halt a coronavirus outbreak using a tactic with a complicated history of ethical concerns.

New York metro area = twenty two million.

It has not worked.

5

U.S.

Now Testifying for the Prosecution: President Trump

By Peter Baker | Jan 24th 2020

He makes himself known.

6

U.S.

Architect of C.I.A. Interrogation Program Testifies at Guantánamo Bay

By Carol Rosenberg | Jan 21st 2020

Appearing for the first time at the military war court, James Mitchell was defiant, saying he was there for the benefit of the victims of the 9/11 attacks and their families.

Any just prosecution blew up.

7

The Upshot

Childhood Obesity Is a Major Problem. Research Isn’t Helping.

By Aaron E. Carroll | Jan 20th 2020

Something is missing with many study methods.

Sugar; the bitter truth
Fructose is toxic.

8

World

China’s Omnivorous Markets Are in the Eye of a Lethal Outbreak Once Again

By Steven Lee Myers | Jan 25th 2020

The coronavirus that has spread from Wuhan has been linked to the sale of live wildlife at a market that experts describe as a perfect incubator for novel pathogens.

Now what?  The virus is spreading through human contact.

9

U.S.

Ousted From Washington, Ex-Spy Valerie Plame Asks Voters to Send Her Back

By Simon Romero | Jan 23rd 2020

Ms. Plame is celebrating her C.I.A. past in a race for a congressional seat. But as she finds herself cast as an outsider, she’s running into trouble.

Send her.  She thinks.

10

World

34 Troops Have Brain Injuries From Iranian Missile Strike, Pentagon Says

By Helene Cooper | Jan 24th 2020

A Pentagon spokesman said that eight of the affected service members returned to the United States from an American military hospital in Germany.

Trump does not get things right.


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@22:56, , 1/25/20, REC

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1

New York

Officer Charged in Murder of Son, 8, Kept in Freezing Garage, Police Say

By Rebecca Liebson | Jan 24th 2020

“Get your hands off his mouth”: Audio was captured hours before the boy’s death at the hands of his N.Y.P.D. father, officials said.

Yuck.

2

Opinion

Anyone but Trump? Not So Fast

By Bret Stephens | Jan 25th 2020

Let’s not exchange one reckless president for another.

Yes,  Anyone but Trump or another puritan.

3

Style

20 Stories of People Who Walked Away

By The Styles Desk | Jan 21st 2020

They quit their jobs, their religion, their relationships and even quitting itself.

Quitting everything is self destructive.

Quitting self defeat is better policy.

4

Opinion

Dear Harry and Meghan, Some Friendly Canadian Advice

By Monica Heisey | Jan 21st 2020

For one thing, stick with Drake.

Something about "Out of the frying pan into the fire".

5

Smarter Living

An Adult’s Guide to Social Skills, for Those Who Were Never Taught

By Eric Ravenscraft | Jan 23rd 2020

It’s a shame so few of us are taught the basics of how to interact constructively with each other. If you never were, we’re here to help.

Still working on the problem.

6

New York

My AirPods Fell Through a Subway Grate. Here’s How I Got Them Back.

By Sandra E. Garcia | Jan 21st 2020

Over 7,000 electronics items were found throughout the subway system last year. Earbuds are the most common thing lost.

Fashion in toys is excessively expensive.

7

World

Glenn Greenwald Charged With Cybercrimes in Brazil

By Ernesto Londoño and Letícia Casado | Jan 21st 2020

Mr. Greenwald is accused of being part of a “criminal investigation” that hacked into the cellphones of prosecutors and public officials.

Brazil is an autocracy.
They are ahead of us.
I don't want to play catch-up.

8

U.S.

Rebuke From Roberts Signals His Limited Role in Trump’s Senate Trial

By Adam Liptak | Jan 22nd 2020

A call for civility by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. underscores the delicate balance he is trying to maintain.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keeping_Up_Appearances

9

Opinion

What if Trump Gave Alaska to Putin?

By Nicholas Kristof | Jan 22nd 2020

Republicans seem to think no president’s misbehavior could ever be bad enough to warrant removal.

Nicholas Kristof is watching events.
He understands the problem.

10

Technology

This Company Says It Will Fix Your Smile. It May Shush You if It Doesn’t.

By Erin Griffith and Peter Eavis | Jan 21st 2020

SmileDirectClub, which sells teeth aligners online, has worked to limit information

Censorship is not always government censorship.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9qZ5jE_yMw

Truth works better.    Learn to run.

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