What's in the news?

[Lustful Bride]

It sounds like something straight out of 1984

So funny you should say that. The sales of 1984 have gone up a lot since the 'alternative facts' statement.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jan/24/george-orwell-1984-sales-surge-kellyanne-conway-alternative-facts

[Oniya]

So funny you should say that. The sales of 1984 have gone up a lot since the 'alternative facts' statement.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jan/24/george-orwell-1984-sales-surge-kellyanne-conway-alternative-facts

* Oniya read it in 1983

<-hipster glasses

[Lustful Bride]

A little more of the Greatest generation passes away.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/harold-hayes-survivor-of-secret-world-war-ii-odyssey-dies-at-94/ar-AAmbtv2?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15


$17.5 Million discovered in a bed.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/this-box-spring-contained-dollar175-million-%e2%80%94-in-cash/ar-AAm9zcB?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

[TheGlyphstone]

A little more of the Greatest generation passes away.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/harold-hayes-survivor-of-secret-world-war-ii-odyssey-dies-at-94/ar-AAmbtv2?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15


$17.5 Million discovered in a bed.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/this-box-spring-contained-dollar175-million-%e2%80%94-in-cash/ar-AAm9zcB?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

Why has this man's story not been made into a movie? Screw Private Ryan and saving him, that adventure's a Hollywood blockbuster by itself.

[Lustful Bride]

Dow hit 20K for the first time. I don't understand economics but hey, good news right? I hope at least.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/topstories/dow-hits-20000-for-the-first-time-ever/ar-AAmdswq

[CuriousEyes]

Dow hit 20K for the first time. I don't understand economics but hey, good news right? I hope at least.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/topstories/dow-hits-20000-for-the-first-time-ever/ar-AAmdswq

Generally yes, although the concern is that the market run is less to do with some new efficacy or emerging market so much as investor optimism at the likelihood of corporate tax breaks and the dismantaling of government/environmental regulations.

Which will have the effect of boosting corporate profits, but comes with its own slew of economic and social pitfalls that could easily mean more long term harm than good.

And could completely unravel should Agent Orange actually get us involved in a tariff war.

[Cassandra LeMay]

Government of the Netherlands states it will set up a fund to help NGOs who lose their funding because of Trump's reinstatement of the so-called "Mexico City policy".

[Anteros]

The US was just demoted from "full democracy" to "flawed democracy: https://mic.com/articles/166629/the-us-was-just-demoted-from-full-democracy-to-flawed-democracy#.F0wjsTqgE

[Lilias]

George Orwell's '1984' is suddenly a bestseller

Well, what a surprise that wasn't.

[ShadowFox89]

 Shia LaBeouf arrested for assaulting someone who shouted "hitler did nothing wrong " at an anti-trump art piece he did

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/jan/26/shia-labeouf-arrested-anti-trump-art-installation-he-will-not-divide-us-new-york

[Valerian]

The "doomsday clock" has been moved to 2.5 minutes to midnight, the closest since 1953.

Originally an indicator of how close we are to nuclear war, the clock now also measures other wide-ranging concerns such as cyber warfare, bioweapons, and climate change.

[Cassandra LeMay]

The "doomsday clock" has been moved to 2.5 minutes to midnight, the closest since 1953.

Originally an indicator of how close we are to nuclear war, the clock now also measures other wide-ranging concerns such as cyber warfare, bioweapons, and climate change.

Possible Trump reactions (by Tweet, naturally). Take your pick:

Scientists say world is more dangerous than ever. Only way for America is to be STRONG again. I WILL MAKE AMERICA STRONG!

World closer to nuclear war than ever. TOGETHER we can WIN. Proud to lead America in this dark time.

Fearmongering from lying media and false science. No one will attack America because we have the GREATEST nukes!

[Lustful Bride]

Wow....So this is what it must have felt like for the Romans :/

I guess after we collapse the Second Dark Age can be rather fascinating for future generations

in other news Mccain is standing up to trump.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/mccain-comes-out-swinging-against-trump-administration/ar-AAmfuDc?li=BBnbcA1&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

Hopefully more will follow his example and nothing will get done. A Lameduck presidency is the best we can hope for right now.

[Oniya]

Wow....So this is what it must have felt like for the Romans :/

I plan on watching Les Mis this weekend.  At least two of those characters had a deservedly happy ending.

[Eikichi]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/mexican-president-cancels-visit-to-washington-as-tensions-with-trump-administration-intensify/2017/01/26/ececc3da-e3d9-11e6-a419-eefe8eff0835_story.html?utm_term=.f2a6cbfe7825

Mexican Border Wall will be paid for by a 20% import tax.
Guess American consumers will be paying the wall.

[Beguile's Mistress]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/mexican-president-cancels-visit-to-washington-as-tensions-with-trump-administration-intensify/2017/01/26/ececc3da-e3d9-11e6-a419-eefe8eff0835_story.html?utm_term=.f2a6cbfe7825

Mexican Border Wall will be paid for by a 20% import tax.
Guess American consumers will be paying the wall.

It could be that Trump thinks Mexicans living her are the only ones who buy Mexican goods.  It's a two-edged sword in his hand.  He taxes what they buy and punishes them for all the illegal votes that kept him from winning the popular vote.  He's such a genius - not.

[gaggedLouise]

Wow....So this is what it must have felt like for the Romans :/

I guess after we collapse the Second Dark Age can be rather fascinating for future generations

There was a tv programme when I was a kid called The New Middle Ages - dealt with the outlook for a world with reduced energy needs and more forests and old-style farming, after the use of oil, coal and nuclear power would have burnt the industrialized world to a standstill. Now if some heavy-duty war and sea level rises are added into the equation, it would start to look really cinematic and gothic. 

Anyway, as long as that world doesn't include a hardcore IS Caliphate stretching from Italy and Libya to India... 

[Valerian]

http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/govt-and-politics/federal-judges-order-wisconsin-legislature-to-create-scott-walker-to/article_730a3dfd-b5b4-53f4-a5a6-80c5362c40d6.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=user-share

In a nutshell, the good news is that Wisconsin's gerrymandered district map (the main reason Paul Ryan still has his job) has been overturned by a panel of three federal judges, saying that they must be redone before the November 2018 elections.

The bad news is that the court is letting the Republicans redraw the maps instead of the court doing so themselves.  But at least they'll have to cut down on Ryan's unfair advantage, so that's something.  And it helps set a decent precedent for other such cases.

[MiraMirror]

http://usuncut.com/politics/trump-christian-refugees/

Fuck the Constitution, I guess.

[Beguile's Mistress]

Why do I have the feeling there is someone behind me with a knife?

[Lilias]

http://www.learnprogress.org/dan-rather-ends-retirement/

Shit just got real.

[Oniya]

Dan's got a Facebook page - both a personal one and one called News and Guts.  I was thrilled to find them.

EDIT:  And this is what I get for not clicking the headline - the article is telling people about the Facebook N&G page.

[Beguile's Mistress]

http://www.learnprogress.org/dan-rather-ends-retirement/

Shit just got real.

Saw this a bit ago on the net.  I'm so glad he's back.  We need him.  His re-entry should spur others to get real, too.

[Beguile's Mistress]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/personalfinance/trumps-wall-could-cost-an-estimated-dollar120-per-us-household/ar-AAmjTaJ?li=BBnb7Kz&OCID=AVRES007

I'm not paying for that wall!

[Missy]

http://usuncut.com/politics/trump-christian-refugees/

Fuck the Constitution, I guess.

I know he's a narcissist and probably even a pathological liar, but he knows historians aren't sycophants right? If he keeps it up the only legacy he's going to have is the most dishonest president in US history. The "Age of Fiction" anyone?