monitoring Trump and relevant contemporary events

David Brooks is from the Right?
The PBS notion of the Right.

NBC/WSJ Poll: Trump’s Approval Rating At Its Lowest Since He Took Office

Quote:

David Brooks is from the Right?
The PBS notion of the Right.

Personally sought out and hired by Bill Buckley.

Hillary Clinton would probably be president if FBI Director James Comey had not sent a letter to Congress on Oct. 28. The letter, which said the FBI had “learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation” into the private email server that Clinton used as secretary of state, upended the news cycle and soon halved Clinton’s lead in the polls, imperiling her position in the Electoral College.

The letter isn’t the only reason that Clinton lost. It does not excuse every decision the Clinton campaign made. Other factors may have played a larger role in her defeat, and it’s up to Democrats to examine those as they choose their strategy for 2018 and 2020.

But the effect of those factors — say, Clinton’s decision to give paid speeches to investment banks, or her messaging on pocket-book issues, or the role that her gender played in the campaign — is hard to measure. The impact of Comey’s letter is comparatively easy to quantify, by contrast. At a maximum, it might have shifted the race by 3 or 4 percentage points toward Donald Trump, swinging Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Florida to him, perhaps along with North Carolina and Arizona. At a minimum, its impact might have been only a percentage point or so. Still, because Clinton lost Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin by less than 1 point, the letter was probably enough to change the outcome of the Electoral College.

And yet, from almost the moment that Trump won the White House, many mainstream journalists have been in denial about the impact of Comey’s letter.

All But 10 Houston Texans Take a Knee for Anthem After Owner Comments

If you looked at my twitter feed, you'd think everyone is going to be arrested tomorrow. So many interesting guesses.

US President Donald Trump has launched a Twitter tirade about the "guilt" of Hillary Clinton and the opposition Democratic Party.
His Sunday morning outburst came amid reports that the first arrest in the Russian collusion inquiry would be made this week, possibly as early as Monday.
Mr Trump insisted allegations of collusion between his campaign and Russia were "phony" and a "witch hunt".
He said Republicans were united behind him, before urging: "DO SOMETHING!"
Media reports say the first charges have been filed in the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election to assist Mr Trump.
It is not clear what the charges are and whom they are targeting, CNN and Reuters report, quoting unnamed sources.
Mr Trump issued a series of four tweets on Sunday morning:
"Never seen such Republican ANGER & UNITY as I have concerning the lack of investigation on Clinton made Fake Dossier (now $12,000,000?),....
"...the Uranium to Russia deal, the 33,000 plus deleted Emails, the Comey fix and so much more. Instead they look at phony Trump/Russia,....
"...'collusion,' which doesn't exist. The Dems are using this terrible (and bad for our country) Witch Hunt for evil politics, but the R's...
"...are now fighting back like never before. There is so much GUILT by Democrats/Clinton, and now the facts are pouring out. DO SOMETHING!"
About an hour later he tweeted: "All of this 'Russia' talk right when the Republicans are making their big push for historic Tax Cuts & Reform. Is this coincidental? NOT!"
Critics on Twitter were quick to accuse him of attempting to divert attention from the Russian investigation by complaining about the lack of focus on an opponent he defeated in the presidential election nearly a year ago.
US intelligence agencies have already concluded that the Russian government sought to help Mr Trump win the election.
Mr Mueller's investigation is looking into any links between Russia and the Trump campaign. Both deny there was any collusion.
His team is known to have conducted extensive interviews with several current and former White House officials.
Mr Mueller, a former FBI director, was appointed by the department of justice as special counsel in May shortly after Mr Trump fired FBI director James Comey.
Mr Trump said on Friday that it was now "commonly agreed" that there was no collusion between him and Russia but said that there were links between Moscow and Mrs Clinton.
Republican lawmakers have said that a uranium deal with a Russian company in 2010, when Mrs Clinton was secretary of state, was sealed in exchange for donations to her husband's charity.
A Congressional investigation has been opened into the case. Democrats say it is an attempt to divert attention from the alleged ties between Russia and Mr Trump.

The US has more citizens who are illiterate - some 16 million people - than many of its developed counterparts. Why is that?
Many complain that the system fails those who need extra help and there is a big disparity between rich and poor areas.
Being illiterate prevents people from getting jobs. But it is not only that.
Peggy Fleming, who lives in Kentucky, one of the worst-performing states, said she wanted to set an example for her children by being able to read and write. "I wanted to be a better mum," she says.
Aleem Maqbool reports for the BBC's America First? series.

It's more gripping than any box set we can get our hands on right now.
The investigations into Russian interference in the US election, and whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin, continue to deliver daily developments and drama worthy of anything seen in House of Cards.
There are several ongoing investigations into the Trump campaign's ties with Russia, and reports of imminent arrests.
Here is your viewer's guide to the main characters in the first three seasons of the only political drama that matters.

He really is a pathetic figure, still whining on about witch hunts.

That only works with the unthinking drones who make up his base. What's amazing is how unremittingly stupid that base is.

Puerto Rico's governor has called for the cancellation of a contract given to a tiny Montana firm to help rebuild the island's power grid.
The head of the US-controlled island's power authority said he accepted Ricardo Rossello's recommendation and intended to cancel the deal.
The contract was given to Whitefish Energy, which has little experience of work on such a scale, without a public bid process.
Several inquiries are under way.

Like the devil, mention an unthinking drone and it appears.

I don't bother with your posts,

you have all of five limited responses which you repeat ad nauseam. A bot is way more realistic and human sounding.

Why not get whoever that tells you what to think to come on to A2K, then an exchange may be possible.

You have no concept of what's going on, none whatsoever, you bring absolutely nothing to the conversation.

Please don't talk to me any more, it makes me feel dirty.

People have to be convicted before they can be pardoned,

I'm not joking, the similarities are frightening.

IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS outdid themselves this week when they took into custody a 10-year-old girl with cerebral palsy who had just undergone emergency surgery. Is this what President Trump had in mind when he promised that federal enforcement resources would be focused on the “bad hombres”?

Rosa Maria Hernandez, whose developmental delays put her on a mental par with a 4- or 5-year-old, faces deportation in a case that calls into question the judgment — not to mention humanity — of federal agents. It also should prompt reassessment of the change in policy from that of the Obama administration, which focused enforcement on recent arrivals and those with serious criminal records, to one in which anyone — anywhere — apparently is fair game.