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yallerdawg
yallerdawg's Journal
yallerdawg's Journal
March 10, 2017
Source: Politico, by Ben White and Marianne Levine
President Donald Trump is about to get his first major economic report card.
The February jobs report, out on Friday morning, will be the first to measure employment gains that occurred entirely under Trump’s presidency, a key moment for a man whose pledge to “Make America Great Again” catapulted him to a surprise victory in November.
*****
But in 2016 after winning the New Hampshire primary, Trump told supporters not to believe “phony numbers” coming out of the U.S. Department of Labor. “The number is probably 28, 29, as high as 35,” he said of the unemployment rate. “In fact, I even heard recently 42 percent.”
These “phony” numbers are now Trump’s to own even though at this point his policies could not really be responsible for most of the jobs created in February. Analysts say renewed business confidence and soaring stock prices since the election could play a role if the jobs number comes in higher than expected. But mostly, it will reflect a continuation of a trend that began under Obama when unemployment peaked at 10 percent in October 2009.
*****
Trump is taking office during an economic expansion that is already among the longest on record. Even with his planned tax cuts, regulatory relief and infrastructure spending, driving the jobless rate even lower will be a difficult task. The early jobs reports of the Trump era could end up being the best he sees for a while.
*****
Read it all at: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/trump-economic-report-card-235868
Trump's first economic report card
Grade: F - for taking credit for someone else's work!
Source: Politico, by Ben White and Marianne Levine
President Donald Trump is about to get his first major economic report card.
The February jobs report, out on Friday morning, will be the first to measure employment gains that occurred entirely under Trump’s presidency, a key moment for a man whose pledge to “Make America Great Again” catapulted him to a surprise victory in November.
*****
But in 2016 after winning the New Hampshire primary, Trump told supporters not to believe “phony numbers” coming out of the U.S. Department of Labor. “The number is probably 28, 29, as high as 35,” he said of the unemployment rate. “In fact, I even heard recently 42 percent.”
These “phony” numbers are now Trump’s to own even though at this point his policies could not really be responsible for most of the jobs created in February. Analysts say renewed business confidence and soaring stock prices since the election could play a role if the jobs number comes in higher than expected. But mostly, it will reflect a continuation of a trend that began under Obama when unemployment peaked at 10 percent in October 2009.
*****
Trump is taking office during an economic expansion that is already among the longest on record. Even with his planned tax cuts, regulatory relief and infrastructure spending, driving the jobless rate even lower will be a difficult task. The early jobs reports of the Trump era could end up being the best he sees for a while.
*****
Read it all at: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/trump-economic-report-card-235868
March 9, 2017
"Survivor: Game Changers" starts now! *SPOILERS*
March 7, 2017
Joy Reid!
Source: Columbia Journalism Review, by Yochai Benkler, Robert Faris, Hal Roberts, and Ethan Zuckerman
Fig. 1: Media sources shared on Twitter during the election (nodes sized in proportion to Twitter shares).
Fig. 2: Media sources shared on Twitter during the election (nodes sized in proportion to Facebook shares).
Much, much more at: http://www.cjr.org/analysis/breitbart-media-trump-harvard-study.php?utm_content=buffer36ed1&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Study: Breitbart-led right-wing media ecosystem altered broader media agenda
Joy Reid!
Source: Columbia Journalism Review, by Yochai Benkler, Robert Faris, Hal Roberts, and Ethan Zuckerman
The 2016 Presidential election shook the foundations of American politics. Media reports immediately looked for external disruption to explain the unanticipated victory—with theories ranging from Russian hacking to “fake news.”
We have a less exotic, but perhaps more disconcerting explanation: Our own study of over 1.25 million stories published online between April 1, 2015 and Election Day shows that a right-wing media network anchored around Breitbart developed as a distinct and insulated media system, using social media as a backbone to transmit a hyper-partisan perspective to the world. This pro-Trump media sphere appears to have not only successfully set the agenda for the conservative media sphere, but also strongly influenced the broader media agenda, in particular coverage of Hillary Clinton.
We have a less exotic, but perhaps more disconcerting explanation: Our own study of over 1.25 million stories published online between April 1, 2015 and Election Day shows that a right-wing media network anchored around Breitbart developed as a distinct and insulated media system, using social media as a backbone to transmit a hyper-partisan perspective to the world. This pro-Trump media sphere appears to have not only successfully set the agenda for the conservative media sphere, but also strongly influenced the broader media agenda, in particular coverage of Hillary Clinton.
Fig. 1: Media sources shared on Twitter during the election (nodes sized in proportion to Twitter shares).
Fig. 2: Media sources shared on Twitter during the election (nodes sized in proportion to Facebook shares).
What we find in our data is a network of mutually-reinforcing hyper-partisan sites that revive what Richard Hofstadter called “the paranoid style in American politics,” combining decontextualized truths, repeated falsehoods, and leaps of logic to create a fundamentally misleading view of the world. “Fake news,” which implies made of whole cloth by politically disinterested parties out to make a buck of Facebook advertising dollars, rather than propaganda and disinformation, is not an adequate term. By repetition, variation, and circulation through many associated sites, the network of sites make their claims familiar to readers, and this fluency with the core narrative gives credence to the incredible.
Use of disinformation by partisan media sources is neither new nor limited to the right wing, but the insulation of the partisan right-wing media from traditional journalistic media sources, and the vehemence of its attacks on journalism in common cause with a similarly outspoken president, is new and distinctive.
Rebuilding a basis on which Americans can form a shared belief about what is going on is a precondition of democracy, and the most important task confronting the press going forward. Our data strongly suggest that most Americans, including those who access news through social networks, continue to pay attention to traditional media, following professional journalistic practices, and cross-reference what they read on partisan sites with what they read on mass media sites.
Rebuilding a basis on which Americans can form a shared belief about what is going on is a precondition of democracy, and the most important task confronting the press going forward. Our data strongly suggest that most Americans, including those who access news through social networks, continue to pay attention to traditional media, following professional journalistic practices, and cross-reference what they read on partisan sites with what they read on mass media sites.
Much, much more at: http://www.cjr.org/analysis/breitbart-media-trump-harvard-study.php?utm_content=buffer36ed1&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
March 7, 2017
If GPS Navigation was Southern
March 5, 2017
Source: Vanity Fair, by Bess Levin
*****
There’s Education Secretary Betsy Devos, who’s family is worth something in the range of $5.6 billion. There’s Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who clocks in at $2.5 billion, though he wishes it were more. There’s Deputy Commerce Secretary Todd Ricketts, whose Chicago Cubs–owning family is worth $5.3 billion. There’s Small Business Administration chief Linda McMahon who, thanks to World Wrestling Entertainment, sits on a $1.6 billion fortune. There’s Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, whose exact net worth is unknown but, thanks to serving as C.E.O. of oil giant ExxonMobil for years, is thought to be have some several hundred million to his name. That’s not to mention the lesser millionaires, like Goldman Sachs partner turned hedge-fund manager turned movie producer Steven Mnuchin; Housing and Urban Development secretary Ben Carson, who reportedly has around $26 million in the bank; and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, who, along with her husband, Mitch McConnell, bring about $20 million to the table.
There are also, of course, the handful of additional billionaires farther out in Trump orbit. Carl Icahn, a special adviser on regulatory matters, is worth approximately $16.4 billion and counting. Stephen Schwarzman, the chair of Trump’s economic advisory panel, is comfortable at $11.6 billion. But Donald “I want people who made a fortune” Trump always has room for another billionaire in his stable, which is perhaps why he is considering adding private-equity executive Stephen Feinberg (net worth: $1.26 billion) to his roster. For those who enjoy reading the Trumpian tea leaves, it appears Feinberg is moving closer to joining the team. Per Bloomberg:
As Bloomberg notes, “The potential appointment has spurred controversy, partly because Feinberg hasn’t worked in government or national security since serving in the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps in college.” O.K., sure, but this is Donald Trump’s America, and lacking actual qualifications for a job should not be viewed as an impediment to getting said job. Especially when the number next to your name gives your wealth-obsessed potential employer some 1.26 billion reasons to offer you the job.
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/03/donald-trump-stephen-feinberg
Donald Trump Has 1.26 Billion Reasons to Hire Stephen Feinberg
The private-equity billionaire may not have the usual qualifications, but he sure has one hell of a bank account.Source: Vanity Fair, by Bess Levin
*****
There’s Education Secretary Betsy Devos, who’s family is worth something in the range of $5.6 billion. There’s Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who clocks in at $2.5 billion, though he wishes it were more. There’s Deputy Commerce Secretary Todd Ricketts, whose Chicago Cubs–owning family is worth $5.3 billion. There’s Small Business Administration chief Linda McMahon who, thanks to World Wrestling Entertainment, sits on a $1.6 billion fortune. There’s Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, whose exact net worth is unknown but, thanks to serving as C.E.O. of oil giant ExxonMobil for years, is thought to be have some several hundred million to his name. That’s not to mention the lesser millionaires, like Goldman Sachs partner turned hedge-fund manager turned movie producer Steven Mnuchin; Housing and Urban Development secretary Ben Carson, who reportedly has around $26 million in the bank; and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, who, along with her husband, Mitch McConnell, bring about $20 million to the table.
There are also, of course, the handful of additional billionaires farther out in Trump orbit. Carl Icahn, a special adviser on regulatory matters, is worth approximately $16.4 billion and counting. Stephen Schwarzman, the chair of Trump’s economic advisory panel, is comfortable at $11.6 billion. But Donald “I want people who made a fortune” Trump always has room for another billionaire in his stable, which is perhaps why he is considering adding private-equity executive Stephen Feinberg (net worth: $1.26 billion) to his roster. For those who enjoy reading the Trumpian tea leaves, it appears Feinberg is moving closer to joining the team. Per Bloomberg:
Feinberg, the billionaire Wall Street investor who has held talks to take a national-security role in President Trump’s administration, joined the president in a visit to an aircraft carrier on Thursday.
Photos and video of the event show Feinberg accompanying Trump and Defense Secretary James Mattis on their way to the USS Gerald R. Ford in Newport News, Virginia. Feinberg, the founder of the $30 billion Cerberus Capital Management LP, has held discussions about jobs including one overseeing a review of the U.S. intelligence agencies.
As Bloomberg notes, “The potential appointment has spurred controversy, partly because Feinberg hasn’t worked in government or national security since serving in the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps in college.” O.K., sure, but this is Donald Trump’s America, and lacking actual qualifications for a job should not be viewed as an impediment to getting said job. Especially when the number next to your name gives your wealth-obsessed potential employer some 1.26 billion reasons to offer you the job.
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/03/donald-trump-stephen-feinberg
March 5, 2017
http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3426983/shin-godzilla-just-won-japanese-academy-award-best-picture/
http://www.godzilla-movies.com/news/shin-godzilla-wins-best-picture--director-at-japanese-academy-awards
Shin Godzilla Just Won the Japanese Academy Award for Best Picture (ICYMI)
Epic reboot of a revered franchise! Just plain good movie!
Yes, the King of the Monsters is an Academy Award winner.
Last Sunday night’s Academy Awards here in the States were pretty crazy, ending with a twist that not even M. Night Shyamalan could’ve seen coming. Meanwhile, Japan’s version of the Academy Awards (technically called Japan Academy Prize) celebrated its 40th anniversary with a ceremony today, and we’re happy to report that Toho’s Shin Godzilla totally swept the show.
The Kaiju film won Best Picture, while directors Hideaki Anno & Shinji Higuchi took home the directing statue. Toho’s latest Godzilla production also won awards for Editing (Hideaki Anno and Atsuki Sato), Cinematography (Kousuke Yamada), Art Direction (Yuji Hayashida & Eri Sakushima), Lighting (Takayuki Kawabe), and Sound Recording (Jun Nakamura & Haru Yamada).
Yes, that’s SEVEN total awards. Congrats, Big G!
Shin Godzilla (also known as Godzilla Resurgence) was the highest grossing live-action film released in Japan last year and also the highest-grossing Japanese Godzilla film of all time.
Last Sunday night’s Academy Awards here in the States were pretty crazy, ending with a twist that not even M. Night Shyamalan could’ve seen coming. Meanwhile, Japan’s version of the Academy Awards (technically called Japan Academy Prize) celebrated its 40th anniversary with a ceremony today, and we’re happy to report that Toho’s Shin Godzilla totally swept the show.
The Kaiju film won Best Picture, while directors Hideaki Anno & Shinji Higuchi took home the directing statue. Toho’s latest Godzilla production also won awards for Editing (Hideaki Anno and Atsuki Sato), Cinematography (Kousuke Yamada), Art Direction (Yuji Hayashida & Eri Sakushima), Lighting (Takayuki Kawabe), and Sound Recording (Jun Nakamura & Haru Yamada).
Yes, that’s SEVEN total awards. Congrats, Big G!
Shin Godzilla (also known as Godzilla Resurgence) was the highest grossing live-action film released in Japan last year and also the highest-grossing Japanese Godzilla film of all time.
http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3426983/shin-godzilla-just-won-japanese-academy-award-best-picture/
http://www.godzilla-movies.com/news/shin-godzilla-wins-best-picture--director-at-japanese-academy-awards
March 4, 2017
More than enough garbage bags!
It sure looks like "This is who we are" now.
Liar-in-Chief goes to RNC event (in pictures).
Source: The wonderful Palm Beach Daily News
Trump arrived on Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport at 3:44 p.m. for the fourth weekend of the seven since his inauguration. The president waved and gave a thumbs-up to several dozen cheering supporters, but did not personally greet them as he has in some past airport arrivals.
More than enough garbage bags!
Trump was scheduled to speak Friday night to the Republican National Committee’s spring retreat dinner at the Four Seasons, which was expected to draw a few hundred GOP donors.
It sure looks like "This is who we are" now.
March 3, 2017
TRUMP: "We are going to have very soon the finest equipment in the world."
THE FACTS: Pentagon leaders have said for years that the U.S. already has the world's best weaponry and military equipment...
TRUMP: "This great aircraft carrier provides essential capabilities to keep us safe from terrorism and take the fight to the enemy for many years in the future."
THE FACTS: Aircraft carriers are not the crucial element in the defense against terrorism...The Pentagon's counterterrorism campaigns rely more on special operations forces, Air Force fighters and surveillance drones, military trainers and advisers and the intelligence agencies.
TRUMP: "I am calling for one of the largest defense spending increases in history."
THE FACTS: Three times in recent years, Congress raised military spending by larger amounts, in percentage terms, than the $54 billion, or 10 percent, increase that Trump proposes.The base defense budget grew by $41 billion, or 14.3 percent, in 2002; by $37 billion, or 11.3 percent, in 2003, and by $47 billion, or 10.9 percent, in 2008, according to Defense Department figures...
TRUMP: "Our Navy is now the smallest it's been since, believe or not, World War I. Don't worry. It's going to soon be the largest it's been."
THE FACTS: No, the fleet is not growing to the largest it's been, or anything close.The fleet indeed shrank to its smallest size since the decade after World War I - bottoming out at 271 in 2015 before rising to 274 this year, compared with 139 in 1930...The fleet stood at a record high of 6,768 fighting ships during World War II, declined gradually in the 1950s and '60s and shrank significantly after the Vietnam War...
Some of the Liar-in-Chief's victims this time:
He'll lie anywhere, anytime, in front of anyone!
AP FACT CHECK: Trump's facts on Navy's size don't float by Robert Burns and Lolita C. BaldorTRUMP: "We are going to have very soon the finest equipment in the world."
THE FACTS: Pentagon leaders have said for years that the U.S. already has the world's best weaponry and military equipment...
TRUMP: "This great aircraft carrier provides essential capabilities to keep us safe from terrorism and take the fight to the enemy for many years in the future."
THE FACTS: Aircraft carriers are not the crucial element in the defense against terrorism...The Pentagon's counterterrorism campaigns rely more on special operations forces, Air Force fighters and surveillance drones, military trainers and advisers and the intelligence agencies.
TRUMP: "I am calling for one of the largest defense spending increases in history."
THE FACTS: Three times in recent years, Congress raised military spending by larger amounts, in percentage terms, than the $54 billion, or 10 percent, increase that Trump proposes.The base defense budget grew by $41 billion, or 14.3 percent, in 2002; by $37 billion, or 11.3 percent, in 2003, and by $47 billion, or 10.9 percent, in 2008, according to Defense Department figures...
TRUMP: "Our Navy is now the smallest it's been since, believe or not, World War I. Don't worry. It's going to soon be the largest it's been."
THE FACTS: No, the fleet is not growing to the largest it's been, or anything close.The fleet indeed shrank to its smallest size since the decade after World War I - bottoming out at 271 in 2015 before rising to 274 this year, compared with 139 in 1930...The fleet stood at a record high of 6,768 fighting ships during World War II, declined gradually in the 1950s and '60s and shrank significantly after the Vietnam War...
Some of the Liar-in-Chief's victims this time:
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Number of posts: 16,104
