Monday, April 29, 2019

OPINION - Shields and Brooks 4/26/2019

"Shields and Brooks on Biden’s 2020 launch, Trump stonewalling Congress" PBS NewsHour 4/26/2019

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SUMMARY:  Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks discuss the week’s news, including Joe Biden’s entrance into the 2020 Presidential campaign, Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s policy proposal on student loans and the adversarial dynamic between the White House and Congress over investigations into the Trump administration.

Judy Woodruff:  The 2020 Democratic Presidential primary field continued to fill up this week.  Former Vice President Joe Biden's entrance into the race was just one of several political stories this week, bringing us, as always, to the analysis of Shields and Brooks.

That is syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks.

Hello to both of you.  It's Friday.

So let's talk about Joe Biden.  He finally is in the race, David.  And it was interesting, his message, the launch video message yesterday contrasting himself with President Trump and Charlottesville and a President who would condone the kind of violence in Charlottesville.

What did you make of that?

David Brooks, New York Times:  I thought it was a smart strategy.

First, if you're a Democrat and you think all we have to do is nominate someone normal, and not screw this up, we can beat Trump, and Joe Biden is normal, and the country knows him.  He's been through it all before.  So him vs. Trump, if you just want to beat Trump, he's probably your safest bet.  That's a pretty good argument.

Second, I actually like the way he made this all about values.  I mean, there are a lot of other things that are going to go on this campaign, but what America stands for and what our values are is a central one.  And he really made it about that.

And then he really wrapped himself around the Constitution, the American founding, and said, this is not who we are.

And so if you're worried the Democrats sort of don't like the founding documents or something like that, then he said, no, we're American, we like the documents, we just want to live up to them.

The one risky thing in the announcement was the emphasis on restoration, that we're going to restore what we had.  And there's a very forward focus in the electorate right now.  So that one, I think, might have been a little off.

Judy Woodruff:  What about that, Mark, and the stark choice that he seemed to put forward?

Mark Shields, syndicated columnist:  I think it's the best way for Joe Biden to run.

I think that he made it a Biden not against the rest of the field, but a Biden against Trump.  There was almost implicit in it a campaign I didn't cover, but should have, and that was the 1920 campaign of Warren Harding, return to normalcy.

There was almost a sense that we have been in the abnormal.  Let's become normal.  And I think Joe Biden, sort of the organizing premise of the campaign is a line that Joe Biden himself used in defense of Barack Obama, when Obama was being criticized by Democrats for not having lived up to his mission and his mandate in the first term.

And he said, compare him not to the almighty, compare him to the alternative.  And that's what he's asking, compare me to the alternative, Donald Trump.

And I think that makes sense for Joe Biden's candidacy, and there's a logic to it.

Judy Woodruff:  So he got some good news to start out with.  First 24 hours, I think we reported, he raised $6.3 million.  It's a little bit more than Beto O'Rourke and Bernie Sanders raised.

But he has also ran into some headwinds.  He went on this television show on ABC this morning, very popular show called "The View."  And they asked him about the issues you would expect, the Anita Hill hearings, where she still holds him accountable for what happened, and, most recently, the women who accused Joe Biden of being too familiar, touching them when they didn't ask to be touched.

David Brooks:  Right.

Judy Woodruff:  I wanted to just quickly show an excerpt of what he had to say when he talked — when they talked about it.

Joseph Biden:  I'm really sorry if they — what I did in talking to them and trying to counsel, that, in fact, they took it a different way.

And it's my responsibility to make sure that I bend over backwards to try to understand how not to do that.

Question:  Nancy Pelosi wants you to say, I'm sorry that I invaded your space.

Joseph Biden:  Sorry I invaded your space.  I am.  I'm sorry this happened.

But I'm not sorry in the sense that I think I did anything that was intentionally designed to do anything wrong or be inappropriate.

Judy Woodruff:  So, David, that wasn't good enough for some of the women this morning.  And then the reaction on social media, women were saying, wait a minute, he should have just directly apologized.

David Brooks:  He could have, yes, but I think he wanted to say this was not a sexual thing.

And I totally agree that.  Joe Biden's invaded my space plenty of time.  That's just the way Joe Biden is.  And when it's across genders, then it becomes a different — a more sensitive subject, obviously.

And so his answer, I think, was the right one.  He's just an ebullient kind of guy who is — you know, who grabs you.  But he's — I think he's aware that this is not the way things are done now, in an era where we're much more sensitive about sexual harassment.  You just can't behave that way.

And so the not-good intent, but combined with, I have learned the new situation, I think that's a reasonably fair option.

There's one thing I have been thinking about with Biden over the last 24 hours, is that, if you looked at twitter, you would think nobody supports Joe Biden.  And yet he's number one in the fund-raising.

And you have got this weird phenomenon where the Republican elites are kind of moderate.  They'd be happy with Mitt Romney.  But the grassroots are radicalized.  On the Democratic side, the elites are kind of radicalized, but the grassroots are a little more moderate.

And so you have got these two different situations in the two parties.

Judy Woodruff:  So how is he navigating this, Mark?  And could it be a problem with women voters?

Mark Shields:  I guess it could be, Judy.

I'd say this, that 46 years in Washington, a city that lives by innuendo and thrives on rumors, none about Joe Biden.  I mean, Joe Biden lived an exemplary life in terms of straying from marital values or anything of the sort.  And I think it's important to emphasize that.

I think what he fails to do in his answer is to come up, quite frankly, with a disciplined answer, which ought to be three sentences, and it ought to be one paragraph, and he shouldn't deviate from it.

Just as an example, not bookend, George W. Bush, when he was about to run for President in 2000, faced charges about his own misspent youth all the way up to the age of 40.  And he had a simple answer every time someone came up, what about the drunk driving?  What about this fight you got into?

He had a simple answer.  When I was young and foolish, I was young and foolish.  After a while, reporters got tired of asking.  Joe Biden has to — not something quite that glib, but something that — times have changed, I have changed.

I think there's a big difference between invading someone's space and a hand on the shoulder and Anita Hill.  The Anita Hill — the Anita Hill has not been handled well by Biden so far.

Judy Woodruff:  But you're saying all he needs is a disciplined response?

Mark Shields:  I think — and the same one, so that he doesn't deviate from it.

LES MISERABLES - Modern Relevancy?

"The modern relevance of the ‘Les Miserables’ hero story" PBS NewsHour 4/26/2019

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SUMMARY:  PBS "Masterpiece" has a new spin on an old story, with a six-hour serial version of “Les Miserables.”  Unlike recent Broadway and film presentations, this one is not a musical, and its length offers the audience more time to connect to characters.  Jeffrey Brown talks to stars Dominic West, David Oyelowo, and Lily Collins; and Executive Producer Rebecca Eaton, about the hero story's current relevance.




AMERICAN POLITICS - Corruption in Baltimore

"Mayor’s corruption scandal further fuels Baltimore’s cynicism about politics" PBS NewsHour 4/26/2019

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SUMMARY:  Baltimore [Maryland] is once again beset by allegations of corruption.  The city’s mayor, Catherine Pugh, is accused of bestowing contracts and political favors on companies and organizations that purchased large orders of her book.  The scandal, plus rising crime and a lack of economic opportunity, keep Baltimore residents cynical about government.  William Brangham talks to Paul Jay of the Real News Network.

PRIMATES - More Like Humans?

"Why humans may have more in common with chimps than we thought" PBS NewsHour 4/25/2019

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SUMMARY:  What can humans learn about ourselves from studying chimpanzees?  Primatologist Frans de Waal has spent almost three decades studying the behavior and intelligence of chimpanzees.  Now, he’s focused on their emotional lives--and he’s found primates and people aren’t so different in how they react to circumstances and each other.  Jeffrey Brown talks to de Waal about the implications of his findings.




"Koko, gorilla who communicated with sign language and raised kittens, dies at 46" PBS NewsHour 6/21/2018

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SUMMARY:  Koko the gorilla who mastered sign language, raised kittens and once playfully tried on the glasses of the late actor Robin Williams, has died.  She was 46.

The Gorilla Foundation says the western lowland gorilla died in her sleep at the foundation’s preserve in California’s Santa Cruz mountains on Tuesday.

Koko’s capacity for language and empathy opened the minds and hearts of millions of people.

Koko’s capacity for language and empathy opened the minds and hearts of millions of people, the foundation said.  She appeared in many documentaries and twice in National Geographic.  The gorilla’s 1978 cover featured a photo that the animal had taken of herself in a mirror.

Williams, another San Francisco Bay area legend, met Koko in 2001 and called it a “mind-altering experience.”  The two hold hands and tickle each other in a widely shared video.

“We shared something extraordinary: laughter,” he says.  “Koko understands spoken English and uses over 1,000 signs to share her feelings and thoughts about daily events.  Life, love, even death.”

“It was awesome and unforgettable,” said the actor, who killed himself in August 2014.

Fans mourned Koko’s passing, and the foundation’s website experienced excessive traffic on Thursday.

“Legit bawling like a baby right now,” posted a person on the foundation’s Facebook page.  “From an early age I was fascinated with Koko and she taught me so much about love, kindness, respect for animals, and our planet.”

Another person posted:  “At least Koko can finally be reunited with All Ball.”

“All Ball” was the name of the first of several kittens Koko raised into cat-hood.  She chose the gray-and-white kitten from a litter for her birthday in 1984, according to a 1985 Los Angeles Times article.

“The cat was a Manx and looked like a ball.  Koko likes to rhyme words in sign language,” said Ron Cohn, a biologist with the foundation.

AMERICAN ECONOMY - Louisiana's Tax Exemptions

"In Louisiana, are billions of dollars in corporate tax exemptions paying off?" PBS NewsHour 4/25/2019

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SUMMARY:  Louisiana’s abundant natural resources represent enormous wealth, yet the state consistently ranks at or near the bottom nationally for many quality-of-life indicators.  Like other states, Louisiana grants tax exemptions to businesses it wants to attract, but some are questioning whether its unusually high rate of corporate subsidy is really paying off.  Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports.

ISIS - Caliphate Lost But Not Defeated

"Despite loss of caliphate, why ISIS is ‘far from defeated’" PBS NewsHour 4/25/2019

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SUMMARY:  The deadly Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka have refocused attention on the Islamic State, which claims connection to the eight believed suicide bombers.  Judy Woodruff talks to Rukmini Callimachi of The New York Times about indicators of the terror group’s influence on the Sri Lanka attacks and how ISIS maintains robust media presence and recruiting levels.

WARNINGS FROM ANTARCTICA - For Science and Peace?

"Can Antarctica remain a refuge for science and peace?" PBS NewsHour 4/24/2019

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SUMMARY:  Antarctica is virtually uninhabited by people.  There are no roads, no cities, no government.  But thanks to a remarkable Cold War diplomatic breakthrough, the last continent ever discovered remains a place devoted almost exclusively to science.  William Brangham reports on how humans first found Antarctica, and how it proves that occasionally, even rivals can become partners.


SITE LINK "Warnings From Antarctica"

AMERICAN BOY SCOUTS - Sexual Abuse Response

"Lawyer calls Boy Scouts’ response to sexual abuse scandal ‘grossly deficient’" PBS NewsHour 4/24/2019

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SUMMARY:  For decades, the Boy Scouts of America maintained a confidential blacklist of staff and volunteers accused of sexual abuse.  The magnitude of that list, known internally as the perversion files, is only now being realized.  John Yang talks to Jeff Anderson, an attorney who represents abuse survivors, about the “grossly deficient” response from the Boy Scouts and why the files should be made public.

AMERICA ADDICTED - New York Federal Court vs RDC

"How federal case against drug distributor could change opioid fight" PBS NewsHour 4/24/2019

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SUMMARY:  Amid the ongoing opioid epidemic, drug manufacturers, doctors and pharmacists have all come under fire.  But it's a drug distributor, a company called RDC [Rochester Drug Coop], at the center of a new federal criminal case that equates its business operations with illegal drug trafficking.  William Brangham talks to The Washington Post’s Lenny Bernstein about whether the new charges could change the opioid business.

VOTE 2020 - Protecting Our Elections

"After Mueller revelations, how to protect election integrity in 2020" PBS NewsHour 4/24/2019

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SUMMARY:  Although the Mueller report concluded Russia intervened in the 2016 election in a “sweeping and systematic fashion," the Trump administration has at times downplayed the interference, as well as 2020 election security.  Judy Woodruff asks former Homeland Security official Juliette Kayyem, and Thomas Rid author of a forthcoming book on influence campaigns, about what has and hasn't been done.




"Here’s what voters are saying about 2020 election integrity" PBS NewsHour 4/24/2019

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SUMMARY:  The Mueller report continues to make headlines in Washington, as some Democrats talk impeachment and battle the Trump administration over additional investigations and subpoenas, but how prominent is the subject among voters outside D.C.?  Judy Woodruff talks to Chris Buskirk of American Greatness and Kent State University’s Connie Schultz, about reactions to the report and election security fears.

AMERICAN POLITICS - Mueller Report, Just Saying No

"Mueller report reveals how Trump’s advisers protected his presidency by saying no" PBS NewsHour 4/23/2019

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SUMMARY:  Nearly half of the Mueller report focuses on whether President Trump obstructed justice.  Though it does not reach a definitive conclusion, it makes clear that Trump was sometimes protected by his advisers’ unwillingness to yield to his demands.  Yamiche Alcindor talks to The Washington Post's Carol Leonnig about who in the President’s orbit pushed back and the pressure they felt when they did.

2020 CENSUS - The Citizenship Question

Note that the census is supposed to be an 'enumeration' (count) of the people in the U.S., not a count of citizens.

"Supreme Court hears arguments over citizenship question on census" PBS NewsHour 4/23/2019

"Why census experts fear a citizenship question would jeopardize results" PBS NewsHour 4/23/2019

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SUMMARY:  Counting the roughly 327 million people currently living in the U.S. is a massive effort.  And this year, before the next census moves forward, the Supreme Court must decide whether the Trump administration should be allowed to add a citizenship question to it, over the concerns of census experts.  Judy Woodruff talks to the National Law Journal’s Marcia Coyle and NPR’s Hansi Lo Wang for analysis.

DEMOCRATS - Impeach or Not?

First, I am not a Democrat nor Republican.  The Democrats have a real dilemma here.  Trump is a really talented con-man and can use any push to impeach him as a rallying cry for re-election.  The Democrats would have to provide prof-positive reason to impeach Trump.

Their best bet is to present a presidential team in 2020 that can overcome Trump's talent as a salesman who is selling himself.  Then convince the majority of voters that they need to vote Democrat if they want Trump out of office.  They cannot afford to have what happened in 2016 where Bernie supporters did not vote because he was not on the ticket.

"Why Pelosi is trying to slow Democrats’ impeachment momentum" PBS NewsHour 4/22/2019

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SUMMARY:  Although Congress is currently on spring break, there continues to be plenty of political activity in the wake of the release of a redacted version of the Mueller report.  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi circled Democrats in a conference call Monday, to survey their opinions about how to react and potentially head off momentum around impeachment.  Judy Woodruff talks to Lisa Desjardins.




"What 2020 Democrats are saying about impeachment" PBS NewsHour 4/22/2019

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SUMMARY:  The 2020 Democrats were on the campaign trail over the weekend, unveiling new policies and positions.  Though Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts was the only contender to call for impeaching President Trump, Pete Buttigieg agreed that Trump “deserves to be impeached."  Meanwhile, Rep. Seth Moulton entered the race, and former Vice President Joe Biden is expected to.  Yamiche Alcindor reports.




"On impeachment, Democrats weigh principle against popularity" PBS NewsHour 4/23/2019

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SUMMARY:  Democrats in the House and on the 2020 campaign trail are divided on whether to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Trump.  While many feel his actions warrant impeachment, there is concern that public sentiment wouldn't support it.  But Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) thinks refraining from impeachment would violate a fundamental responsibility of Congress, as he tells Judy Woodruff.

SRI LANKA - Easter Massacre

Note that Sri Lanka is 70+ % Buddhist, which is not a religion in the sense that they do not worship a god, it is a way of life that believes in coming into harmony with everything.

"After deadly Easter attacks, Sri Lankan officials blame jihadists, admit they had warning" PBS NewsHour 4/22/2019

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SUMMARY:  A wave of suicide bombings in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday has the country grieving, on edge and under a national emergency.  At least 290 people died in the attack, which the government blamed on a little-known Jihadist group.  Police arrested multiple suspects and worked to disarm additional bombs, as officials admitted they had ignored warnings of an attack weeks before.  Judy Woodruff reports.




"As bombing death toll tops 300, grieving Sri Lanka looks for answers" PBS NewsHour 4/23/2019

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SUMMARY:  The death toll from Sri Lanka's Easter massacre has risen to 321, as the country observed a national day of mourning Tuesday.  Although the Islamic State made an unconfirmed claim of responsibility for the bombings, officials in Colombo blamed a local group and suggested the attacks might have been retaliation for the recent mass killing of Muslims in New Zealand.  ITN's Debi Edward reports.




"Sri Lanka remains on edge as authorities investigate bombing suspects" PBS NewsHour 4/24/2019

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SUMMARY:  In Sri Lanka, investigators have learned more about the Islamist militants they blame for a series of Easter Sunday bombings.  At least 58 people have been arrested, many of them from well-off Sri Lankan families whose neighbors expressed shock at their apparent involvement.  The death toll from the attacks now stands at 359.  Debi Edward of Independent Television News reports from Colombo.

Saturday, April 27, 2019

GOVERNMENT BY EXECUTIVE ORDER - Free Speech on Campus

"How Trump’s executive order on campus free speech could affect colleges" PBS NewsHour 3/21/2019

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SUMMARY:  President Trump signed an executive order Thursday requiring that U.S. colleges seeking federal research funding must certify that their policies support free speech in order to receive it.  Amna Nawaz talks to Jerry Falwell Jr., and Georgetown University’s Sanford Ungar about how free expression is constrained on college campuses and what the president’s action will do to change that.

Monday, April 22, 2019

CHERNOBYL - 33 Years Later

"The impact of Chernobyl’s nuclear disaster 33 years later" PBS NewsHour 4/21/2019

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SUMMARY:  It will be 33 years this week that the former Soviet Union experienced a devastating nuclear disaster in what is now a part of Chernobyl, Ukraine, killing 29 people and causing permanent evacuations for miles.  For more on the aftermath of the accident, Hari Sreenivasan is joined by Adam Higginbotham, author of “Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster.”

OPINION - Shields and Brooks 4/19/2019

"Shields and Brooks on the Mueller report" PBS NewsHour 4/19/2019

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SUMMARY:  Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to analyze the week’s news, including what the Mueller report's details mean for the Trump Presidency and American politics, whether House Democrats should pursue impeachment, and how Attorney General William Barr’s handling of the report reflects on him.

Judy Woodruff (NewsHour):  And now to help us understand the broader implications of the Mueller report, we turn to the analysis of Shields and Brooks.  That's syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks, who joins us tonight from Vancouver.

And hello to both of you.

So, the Mueller report is out, still generating a lot of controversy, as we heard a few minutes ago on the show.

But, Mark, I want to ask the two of you, what do you — what is your main takeaway from this?  What is most important here?

Mark Shields, syndicated columnist:  I guess sadness, more than anything else, Judy, sadness about the state of the leadership of the country.

I mean, every White House is inevitably a mirror reflection of the President at the top of it, whether it's in terms of optimism of a Reagan or sort of the paranoia of a Nixon.

But this White House, it may be good at some level to have worked in Donald Trump's White House for somebody, but it's terrible for one's self-respect.  I mean, at no point in the entire narrative does any sense of the President's unselfishness or patriotism or larger national interest ever emerge in any way.

And I'm grateful that people who are there who didn't come with a heroic reputation did heroic things by resisting his orders to do corrupting acts.

Judy Woodruff:  David, your main reaction?

David Brooks, New York Times:  That we have a lot of threats to the infrastructure of our society.

Donald Trump is a threat to the systems of government we have, and a threat to the basic honesty of our system.  There are all the — every time he appears in the Mueller report, he's running roughshod over what he's supposed to be doing.  He's interfering with an investigation.  He's ordering somebody to fire somebody else.

He just takes all the procedures and all the systems we have in place in our government and he just runs right through them.

And then the second character in the report are the Russians, and they're undermining the informational infrastructure of our society, the fact that we can have a debate based on solid facts and solid information, and they are systematically, as the report says, aggressively trying to undermine that.

And then the third player in the report is Julian Assange and WikiLeaksAnd they're trying to undermine the idea that we can have privacy in our society, the idea that organizations can deliberate with each other.

So what I see are three players who in either a tight alliance or a loose alliance that are all engaged in the same project which is disrupting the basic infrastructures of our society.

PBS NEWSHOUR - The Mueller Report

NOTE:  See links to report here

"Trump claims exoneration from report Democrats call ‘damning’" PBS NewsHour 4/18/2019

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SUMMARY:  The redacted Mueller report on possible collaboration between the Russian government and members of the Trump campaign has been publicly released.  Running 448 pages, it is broken into two volumes, one focusing on Russian election interference and the other on whether President Trump obstructed justice in that investigation.  As Judy Woodruff reports, reaction to its findings varies widely.




"How 3 legal experts interpret the Mueller report" PBS NewsHour 4/18/2019

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SUMMARY:  Special counsel Robert Mueller’s extensive report covers not only his investigation’s findings, but also how he believed U.S. criminal law applied to them.  Three legal experts are here to offer analysis: Mary McCord former acting head of the Justice Department’s national security division, George Terwilliger former deputy attorney general, and Bob Bauer White House counsel under President Obama.




"On Mueller report, Trump is ‘completely clueless,’ says Jeffries" PBS NewsHour 4/18/2019

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SUMMARY:  President Trump’s reaction to the release of a redacted version of the Mueller report was to again claim exoneration.  But according to the House Judiciary Committee's Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) that claim is not at all supported by the facts.  Rep. Jeffries tells Judy Woodruff that the President is “lying to the American people” and says Congress needs to hear from Robert Mueller directly.




"Trump tried to stop Mueller investigation, but staff wouldn’t let him, says report" PBS NewsHour 4/18/2019

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SUMMARY:  With a redacted version of the special counsel’s report public, President Trump is again claiming vindication.  In fact, Robert Mueller's findings document extensive contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian operatives, as well as attempts to interfere with the investigation.  Judy Woodruff sits down with Yamiche Alcindor, Lisa Desjardins, Nick Schifrin, and NPR’s Carrie Johnson for analysis.




"How Moscow used ‘unconventional’ means to influence Trump’s policy" PBS NewsHour 4/18/2019

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SUMMARY:  The Mueller report reveals new details about successful Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election and establish communication with the Trump campaign.  Special correspondent Ryan Chilcote, who lived in Russia for 20 years, tells Judy Woodruff about the “extraordinary lengths” the Kremlin went to in support of this goal and how Russian businessmen acted as policy intermediaries.




"Responding to Mueller report, Russia dismisses sweeping evidence of interference" PBS NewsHour 4/19/2019

What?!  We don't tell the truth?  (sarcasm off)

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  After the release of the Mueller report, what does the Kremlin think about the special counsel's evidence of a sweeping Russian campaign to disrupt the 2016 U.S. Presidential election?  Special correspondent Ryan Chilcote, who has lived in and reported extensively on Russia, talks to Judy Woodruff about Moscow's dismissive reaction and why Russian business operatives fear additional U.S. sanctions.




"Is Mueller report a ‘final determination’ or an ‘impeachment referral?’" PBS NewsHour 4/19/2019

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SUMMARY:  With a redacted version of the special counsel’s report now public, how should we understand the conclusions Robert Mueller arrived at from the evidence he gathered?  Judy Woodruff talks to Robert Ray who was independent counsel during the Whitewater Investigation into President Clinton, and Garrett Graff a contributor to Wired magazine and the author of a book on Robert Mueller and the FBI.

WARNINGS FROM ANTARCTICA - Tourism Effects

"How Antarctica’s tourist boom could affect Earth’s ‘last great wilderness’" PBS NewsHour 4/17/2019

Personal comment on effects of tourism.  My late sister and brotherinlaw were big motor homers, and one of the first trips they took was to the Grand Canyon, which they re-visited many times.  The commented that the first time they went they just drove up, found a motor home parking and stayed for 3 days.  Later they found out that you had to make reservations, motor home or hotel, weeks in advance and traffic could be stop-and-go in the park.  The last visit they had to make reservations 3 months in advance.  With prosperity comes more people who could afford vacations to big attractions, which means more people crowding venues like the Grand Canyon.

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SUMMARY:  Antarctica was the last of the seven continents to be discovered, and it wasn’t until the late 1950s that commercial tourism began there.  But now, Antarctica has become a popular travel destination, amid growing concerns about the effect that increasing numbers of people could have on its pristine environment.  William Brangham reports from Antarctica.

COLUMBINE - Mass Shooting 20 Years Later

"How survivors of Columbine are coping, 20 years later" PBS NewsHour 4/17/2019

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SUMMARY:  It has been nearly 20 years since the first mass school shooting in the U.S. -- the shocking tragedy at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, on April 20, 1999.  As a “credible” threat closed Columbine and hundreds of other Denver schools Wednesday, John Ferrugia of Rocky Mountain PBS shares part of an upcoming documentary [video link] featuring survivors of the massacre in their own words.




"What we have learned, 20 years after Columbine" PBS NewsHour 4/17/2019

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SUMMARY:  How are those closest to the Columbine school shooting observing its 20th anniversary?  Coni Sanders’ father, David, was a teacher and coach at Columbine and the only adult killed -- but not before he warned hundreds of students to safety.  David Cullen is a journalist who was at the scene.  Lisa Desjardins talks to both of them about their memories of horror and how life has moved forward since.




"Twenty years after Columbine, what’s changed and what hasn’t" PBS NewsHour 4/20/2019

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SUMMARY:  Today marks 20 years since the Columbine High School shooting near Denver, Colorado, where two students killed 12 classmates and a teacher before turning their guns on themselves.  As members of the community gathered Saturday for a day of remembrance, Dave Cullen who wrote a book about the massacre, joined Hari Sreenivasan to talk about what’s changed, and what hasn’t, since Columbine.

CUBA - Trump Diplomacy, Cuba

"On Cuba policy change, Bolton says, ‘I can’t wait for the lawsuits’" PBS NewsHour 4/17/2019

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SUMMARY:  The White House says Americans will now be able to sue businesses operating on land confiscated by the Castro regime.  Previous administrations declined to enforce the related Helms-Burton Law.  Canada and the EU, which have private-sector interests on Cuban land, decried the move.  Nick Schifrin talks to National Security Advisor John Bolton about that, plus U.S. policy on Venezuela and North Korea.

NEWSHOUR BOOKSHELF - "The Second Mountain"

"David Brooks on emerging from loneliness to find ‘moral renewal’" PBS NewsHour 4/16/2019

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SUMMARY:  In his new book, "The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life," New York Times columnist and NewsHour regular David Brooks explores the current American cultural moment, in which he argues we have become self-centered and cognitive at the expense of joy and community.  Brooks sits down with Judy Woodruff to discuss his personal struggles with social isolation and his choice to be "broken open."



REF: Weave: The Social Fabric Project

AFRICA - Effects of Climate Change in the African Sahel

"In Niger, rising temperatures mean barren fields — but fertile ground for terrorism" PBS NewsHour 4/16/2019

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SUMMARY:  In the African Sahel, located between the Sahara Desert and the equator, the climate has long been inhospitable.  But now rising temperatures have caused prolonged drought and unpredictable weather patterns, exacerbating food shortages, prompting migration and contributing to instability in countries already beset by crisis.  Special correspondent Mike Cerre reports from Niger.

RWANDA - Speedy Delivery

"How drones are delivering lifesaving medical supplies in Rwanda" PBS NewsHour 4/16/2019

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SUMMARY:  Getting medical supplies to where they are needed fast can mean the difference between life and death outcomes, but moving them efficiently across long distances to remote and rural areas can be difficult for traditional transportation.  Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports from Rwanda on how one innovative company is leveraging new technology to accelerate these critical deliveries.

TIGER WOODS - Redemption

GO TIGER!

"The ‘fairy tale’ redemption of Tiger Woods" PBS NewsHour 4/15/2019

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SUMMARY:  At age 43, Tiger Woods is now a Masters winner for the fifth time.  On Sunday, the legendary golfer secured his 15th major tournament title, and his first since 2008.  Nick Schifrin talks to Armen Keteyian co-author of a book on Woods; for the story of the golf superstar’s early rise, catastrophic fall, and triumphant return to the highest levels of his sport.

AMERICAN POLITICS - Bully Trump vs Ilhan Omar

"Trump escalates feud with Rep. Ilhan Omar" PBS NewsHour 4/15/2019

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SUMMARY:  President Trump has again gone on the offensive toward Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn).  On Friday, he Tweeted a 9/11 video alongside Omar’s comments about the terrorist attacks, which critics said downplayed them.  Rep. Omar says she has since been threatened.  As Yamiche Alcindor reports, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic 2020 candidates criticized the President for his incendiary rhetoric.


FRANCE - Notre Dame Cathedral

My heart goes out to France and its citizens.

"‘Catastrophic fire’ inflicts major damage on Notre Dame Cathedral" PBS NewsHour 4/15/2019

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SUMMARY:  In Paris and across the globe, stunned spectators watched in horror as the Notre Dame Cathedral burned Monday.  The fire started in the evening, shortly after the building was closed to the public, and appears to have caused “catastrophic” damage to one of the world’s most famous cultural and artistic landmarks.  Judy Woodruff talks to Kate Moody of the French news channel France 24 for the latest.




"Notre Dame fire prompts global grief for a landmark of civilization" PBS NewsHour 4/15/2019

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SUMMARY:  A devastating fire consumed parts of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Monday.  While the biggest question is whether the structure itself will survive, there is no doubt that the artistic and historic landmark sustained losses that won’t be recoverable.  Judy Woodruff talks to art historian Elizabeth Lev about the “shock” incurred by observing this “iconic monument” engulfed in flames.




"Why Notre Dame is part of France’s national identity" PBS NewsHour 4/15/2019

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SUMMARY:  Notre Dame Cathedral is a seminal touchstone of French history, art and culture, and seeing it sustain devastating damage in a huge fire on Monday sent shockwaves of grief throughout France and the world.  Judy Woodruff talks to Gerard Araud, France’s Ambassador to the U.S., about the structure’s role within French national identity and feeling as if a part of himself were burning.




"Amid the ashes, France vows ‘resurrection’ for Notre Dame" PBS NewsHour 4/16/2019

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SUMMARY:  In Paris, the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral is extinguished, but devastating damage remains.  Parisians stood alongside global travelers at the site Tuesday, paying tribute to the landmark of cultural achievement that has stood for nearly a millennium.  Amid the ashes, the rescue of several of the most beloved artifacts seemed miraculous.  Special correspondent Malcolm Brabant reports from Paris.




"Investigation into Notre Dame fire accelerates as France plans to rebuild" PBS NewsHour 4/17/2019

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SUMMARY:  French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral within five years, in time for Paris to host the 2024 Olympics.  To meet the ambitious schedule, Macron said architects from around the world would be invited to submit designs for the famous spire that fell in Monday’s fire.  Meanwhile, the investigation continues into what started the blaze.  ITN’s Paraic O’Brien reports.

Friday, April 19, 2019

AMERICAN POLITICS - The Mueller Report

Here are two sources for the Redacted Report:

Special Counsel's Office, Department of Justice (download link)

"Read the redacted Mueller report" Politico (including searchable version)

I just started to read, but here's what I noted in "Introduction to Volume I"

As set forth in detail in this report, the Special Counsel's investigation established that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election principally through two operations.  First, a Russian entity carried out a social media campaign that favored presidential candidate Donald J. Trump and disparaged presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.  Second , a Russian intelligence service conducted computer-intrusion operations against entities, employees, and volunteers working on the Clinton Campaign and then released stolen documents.  The investigation also identified numerous links between the Russian government and the Trump Campaign.  Although the investigation established that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome, and that the Campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts, the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.

The report describes actions and events that the Special Counsel's Office found to be supported by the evidence collected in our investigation.  In some instances, the report points out the absence of evidence or conflicts in the evidence about a particular fact or event.  In other instances, when substantial, credible evidence enabled the Office to reach a conclusion with confidence, the report states that the investigation established that certain actions or events occurred.  A statement that the investigation did not establish particular facts does not mean there was no evidence of those facts.

In evaluating whether evidence about collective action of multiple individuals constituted a crime, we applied the framework of conspiracy law, not the concept of "collusion."  In so doing, the Office recognized that the word "collud[ e ]" was used in communications with the Acting Attorney General confirming certain aspects of the investigation's scope and that the term has frequently been invoked in public reporting about the investigation.  But collusion is not a specific offense or theory of liability found in the United States Code, nor is it a term of art in federal criminal law.  For those reasons , the Office's focus in analyzing questions of joint criminal liability was on conspiracy as defined in federal law.  In connection with that analysis, we addressed the factual question whether members of the Trump Campaign "coordinat[ ed]"-a term that appears in the appointment order-with Russian election interference activities.  Like collusion, "coordination" does not have a settled definition in federal criminal law.  We understood coordination to require an agreement-tacit or express - between the Trump Campaign and the Russian government on election interference.  That requires more than the two parties taking actions that were informed by or responsive to the other's actions or interests.  We applied the term coordination in that sense when stating in the report that the investigation did not establish that the Trump Campaign coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.

American citizens, read the entire document and judge for yourself.

Monday, April 15, 2019

OPINION - Shields and Brooks 4/12/2019

"Shields and Brooks on Trump’s sanctuary city idea, Democrats’ reparation views" PBS NewsHour 4/12/2019

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SUMMARY:  Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Amna Nawaz to discuss the week in politics, including whether reparations can be a viable campaign issue, social media in politics, the President’s rhetoric on moving immigrants to sanctuary cities, a shakeup at the Department of Homeland Security and the congressional testimony of Attorney General William Barr.

Amna Nawaz (NewsHour):  And now to the analysis of Shields and Brooks.  That's syndicated columnist Mark Shields, and New York Times columnist David Brooks.

Happy Friday.  Good to see you guys.

Mark Shields, syndicated columnist:  Thank you.

David Brooks, New York Times:  And to you.

Amna Nawaz:  I want to pick up where Yamiche's report left off and get your take on it, because, David, you have written about this.  You have had your own evolution when it comes to your views on reparations.

How should people today look at some of comments made by people like Mr. Biden all those years ago?

David Brooks:  Well, first, on the Biden thing, I think it's ridiculous to judge somebody by a statement made in 1975.  I was in junior high school then.  People evolve and people change their minds.  And we should allow people to change their minds.

On reparations, I support them, but not for the reasons Joe Biden says.  It's not an act of guilt.  It's not an act of, we did something wrong.  It's a show of respect.  It's a show of respect for the injustices that minorities, members of the African-American community have suffered in our society for hundreds of years, not just slavery, but red-lining and all the way up to the President.

So we show respect, and we do it as an act of regard and as an act of resetting.  And I have just come to the conclusion.  I changed my mind about it, because the practicalities of doing it are really hard.  But I changed my mind about it because it just feels like we're in a make-or-break moment on race.

The election of Trump, the atmosphere this has created has created a movement where aggressive gestures have to be taken to show that we're all part of the same country.

Amna Nawaz:  Mark, what about you?  Do you think the candidates should have a stance on this, a ready answer if they're asked?

Mark Shields:  They can have a stance if they want it.  I think it's a nonstarter as an issue in 2020, Amna.

I think David makes a legitimate point, a moral point and an ethical point.  I think, politically, you have a choice, especially beginning with Joe Biden.  You either have converts or you have heretics in politics.  You either say, that person was wrong, and therefore they're doomed to perdition and keep them away from me, or converts, those who come and join our side and are welcome and sit in the front row.

And Joe Biden's record on civil rights, I think, speaks a lot louder than the one quote from 43 years ago.

And you have a choice in politics.  You can look forward or you can look backward.  And I think, in 2020, this is not an issue that comes up voluntarily on the part of voters.  I think David raises the question.  It is next to impossible to do it.

I mean, the African-American girl who graduated from Sidwell whose father is a dentist and whose mother's a lawyer is not in the same position as somebody who is a direct lineal descendant at discrimination and servitude.

It is — what works in this country is when we include everybody in a program.  And there's no question that African-Americans have suffered economically, socially and politically.  But it ought to be a policy that's directed to lifting up all those who lag behind, who have been, through no fault of their own, left behind and hurt.

And I think that, in spending more money, it means an investment in city schools.  There's no reason, as John McCain said, that a bad congressman should earn more than a good schoolteacher.  And I think that's a good place to start.

Amna Nawaz:  Well, we have seen it coming up now on the campaign trail.

I want to ask you about some of the people who are going to be making the decision about who makes their way further down that campaign trail.  Those are the Democratic voters.

There is a fascinating analysis I think you both have seen as well in The New York Times by Nate Cohn and Kevin Quealy looking at who those Democratic voters really are.  And I think some people might be surprised about what was in there.

It said some of the loudest voices on social media, the very progressive voices, are not necessarily representative of the whole.

Mark Shields:  Yay!

(LAUGHTER)

Amna Nawaz:  One number that stood out to me, among Democrats who self-identify as moderate or conservative, 29 percent of those Democrats are on social media; 53 percent of other Democrats identify that way.

Did that surprise you?

Mark Shields:  No, it really doesn't.

I thought it was a great piece.  And good for The Times for putting that on the front page, forcing people who read The Times, including myself, to address this, this reality, I mean, that the loudest voices are not necessarily representative, and, in many cases, as we — those who read Twitter know there's no satisfying them.

You give them nine, and, well, wait a minute, what about nine more?  And so, no, I think it's — the problem for the Democrats is — Charlie Cook put it very well, the analyst.  He said 45 percent of the people are against Donald Trump, 35 percent are for him.  There's 20 percent who are out there.

If you win 10 percent of them, you have won an enormous landslide.  You get 55 percent of the vote.  But those people are not on Twitter, that 20 percent.  And they're not into the exotic, erotic issues that sort of excite so many of these activist Democrats.

Amna Nawaz:  David, you looked at the numbers.  What did you — what did you make of them?  What is your take?

David Brooks:  Yes.

Well, it's, of course, true.  Like, Twitter is not reality.

Amna Nawaz:  Right.

David Brooks:  We pray that to be the case.

Mark Shields:  Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

David Brooks:  But I guess I would say two things.

The people who are on Twitter and those hard-core people, they want a culture war.  A lot of Democrats want a lot of economic changes, a lot of policy changes.  But a lot of Twitterites, they want a culture war.

So, for example, a story that was big in the conservative world, but didn't really make it out this week was Chick-fil-A getting disinvited from some airports because the owner of Chick-fil-A gave money to the Salvation Army, which is deemed conservative — or progressively incorrect, because it's a religious organization.

And so that that's what drives conservatives up a wall, the idea that they can't practice their faith.  And most Democrats don't really care about that kind of issue.

The one thing, final thing I would say is that just because the social media people are a minority doesn't mean they can't drive the train.  A passionate minority often drives the train.  And if the candidates are afraid of angering the passionate minority, and they feel they have to toe certain lines, or else they just get a hailstorm of abuse, then the passionate minority drives the train.

Amna Nawaz:  Speaking of social media, the President was back on Twitter talking about an issue that's key to his heart, key to his campaign moving forward for 2020 as well.  Of course, that's immigration.

I want to show you the tweet from this morning.  He was talking about a proposal to bus detained migrants into sanctuary cities.  He said:  "We are, indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing illegal immigrants in sanctuary cities.  Only" — he said that would be as political retribution for people who have opposed his policies.

But this was — David, this was a proposal that the White House had said they'd floated, they considered, and then they rejected it.  The President is still talking about it.  What do you make of that?

David Brooks:  Well, he's confused with the reality that you can do a Twitter prank and own libs and forget the fact there are real human beings at stake here.

Mark Shields:  Mm-hmm.

David Brooks:  And so, like, he's just insulting and further insulting a group he's insulted pretty much consecutively for three or four years.

We have got chaos on the border, and we could in — place a system in place so we actually have the border under control.  We could expand the detention centers.  We could send more judges down to take care of the backlog.  We could give counselors to the people, so they know how to manipulate the system — or they don't have to just work the system.

We could do a lot of things to make the situation on the border functioning.  And that's what a normal President would be focused on.  That's what a governor would be doing.  That's what a mayor is doing.

Instead of doing actual policy, he's just doing — he's treating it all as a Twitter game to make his base feel good about themselves.

Amna Nawaz:  Well,we know one of the reasons it was pushed back upon was because it is illegal.  And when the President was down on the border with his new DHS acting head, Kevin McAleenan, last week, there's now new reporting out today that he was pushing him to perhaps act illegally.

Allegedly, he asked Kevin McAleenan to close the border earlier than expected and also said that he would pardon him if he were to act illegally and prevent migrants from entering.  Those are all reports that came out late this afternoon.

Just weigh in on this, Mark, for me.  What do you make of all these reports and the allegations being made here?

Mark Shields:  Well, from all we know about Kevin McAleenan, he's talking to the wrong guy, is Donald Trump, when he makes that sort of a proposition or sort of an offer.  He's a law-abiding law person.

As far as President Trump is concerned, I mean, David's right, in the sense that the Presidency and the White House is, above all else, a place of preeminently moral leadership.  And there has been none.  David has pointed out that the Democrats have an obligation, which they do, to help formulate new policy on immigration.

But I would just point out that twice in the last 10 years, we passed in the Senate overwhelmingly comprehensive immigration reform.  We passed it with 80 percent of the votes being for Democrats.  And of the 14 Republicans who dared to vote for it in the Senate, John McCain's gone, Jeff Flake is gone, Dean Heller's gone, Lee Ayotte is gone.

You go right through the list.  Bob Corker is gone.  They haven't been replaced by pro-consensus, pro-compromise immigration supporters.  So I raise that, that the Democrats do have a responsibility.  But, I mean, when you don't even get a vote in the Republican House under George W. Bush, who pushed for it, to his credit, and for Barack Obama, who pushed for it — and it got through the Senate in both cases — we have got a problem in this country.

And it's a moral problem.  It's a political problem as well.  And I don't think we should hide from that.

Amna Nawaz:  When you look at what's happened at DHS — and, of course, immigration is not the only thing they do.  It is a big part of what they do, though.

You take a look at the shakeup that happened just this week, I think it's easy to forget.  These things happen so quickly.  This was just this week.  On Sunday, the homeland security secretary was out, on Monday, the U.S. Secret Service director, Tuesday, the acting deputy secretary of homeland security, on Wednesday, the ICE acting director.

What is — what does this shakeup mean?

David Brooks:  Well, it means that the President adopted a policy on immigrants, and especially from Central America, that was based on cruelty and based on the idea of deterrence.  If we're cruel enough, it will deter them from coming.

And that has turned out not to be the case.  Now we have got 700,000 or 800,000 people coming, seeking asylum.  And so they were trying to solve for the wrong problem.  And so the idea of deterrents failed, and so the situation turns out to be worse.

And so the President first blames the people in the agency for not carrying out his cruelty, and then he blames them for the situation being worse.  And so it's a situation where you had a lot of people who just, like, some of them cooperated with a cruel policy.  Some of them didn't want to.

But, at the end of the day, they couldn't take it.  And, at the end of the day, he [Trump] was sick of them.  And so you have a failed policy, which is being blamed on the enactors, basically.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - Loretta Lynn at 87

"Inside country legend Loretta Lynn’s ‘first birthday party’ (at age 87)" PBS NewsHour 4/12/2019

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SUMMARY:  Loretta Lynn's six decades of boundary-breaking country music and a 1980 film adaptation of her life, "Coal Miner's Daughter," took her from Kentucky poverty to American legend.  But in all those years, she says she never had a birthday party...until now.  In early April, country superstars and 12,000 fans came together to celebrate her life and musical legacy in Nashville.  Jeffrey Brown reports.




BIOGRAPHY - "The Matriarch"

"New biography explores the ‘underestimated’ Barbara Bush" PBS NewsHour 4/12/2019

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SUMMARY:  It has been nearly a year since the death of Barbara Bush.  Now, Susan Page’s new biography of the former first lady, “The Matriarch,” reveals the heartache and happiness that shaped Bush’s life.  Judy Woodruff sits down with Page to discuss Bush’s childhood, her conflicted feelings about the women’s movement, her “terrible relationship” with Nancy Reagan and more.

TECHNOLOGY - 5G is Coming

"How the FCC is trying to pave the way for widespread 5G technology" PBS NewsHour 4/12/2019

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SUMMARY:  President Trump announced a series of moves Friday aimed at boosting development of a new frontier of high-speed mobile networks.  Known as 5G, as in the fifth generation of cellular networks, the technology could eventually offer speeds up to 100 times faster than those available now.  Amna Nawaz talks to Ajit Pai chairman of the FCC, about how the government is trying to make it easier for companies to offer 5G coverage.



"What is 5G? Everything you need to know" TechRadar

TRUMP TAX REFORM - The Grift the Implications

"Grift"

"The financial, political and psychological implications of tax reform" PBS NewsHour 4/11/2019

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SUMMARY:  The deadline for filing your taxes is right around the corner, on Monday, April 15.  This is the first year that fully incorporates major updates to the tax code signed into law by President Trump in 2017.  Amid the changes, some taxpayers are expressing confusion and alarm at how the new rules affect them.  Lisa Desjardins talks to Jim Tankersley from The New York Times.

FLORIDA - Year After Hurricane Irma

"Why the Florida Keys still need support, a year and a half after Hurricane Irma" PBS NewsHour 4/11/2019

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SUMMARY:  In March, FEMA ended its temporary housing program for people affected by Hurricane Irma, which slammed the Florida Keys in September 2017.  But as rebuilding continues after one of the costliest storms in U.S. history, shelter for survivors and volunteers continues to be a major challenge in an area known for a critical shortage of affordable housing.  Special correspondent Alicia Menendez reports.

INTERNATIONAL SPY - Julian Assange

IMHO:  Julian Assange is not a advocate of information transparency as he claims.  He is an international spy for terrorists, drug cartels, and other entities dangerous to the world.  His methods give information to these entities that allow them to continue their threat to the world, while hiding behind a FALSE claims of 'transparency' and being a whistleblower.

"Controversial WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange arrested in London" PBS NewsHour 4/11/2019

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SUMMARY:  Julian Assange, the controversial figure who founded anti-secrecy organization WikiLeaks, was arrested Thursday in London, seven years after taking refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy there.  Assange was defiant while being carried out by police.  The U.S. will seek his extradition on federal charges just unsealed, in connection with a leak of U.S. intelligence nearly a decade ago.  Amna Nawaz reports.




"What U.S. charges against Julian Assange mean for journalists" PBS NewsHour 4/11/2019

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SUMMARY:  The arrest of Julian Assange renewed attention on the long-running U.S. attempt to prosecute the controversial WikiLeaks founder.  Amna Nawaz talks to Jesselyn Radack of the whistleblower and source protection group ExposeFacts, former federal prosecutor Amy Jeffress, and Jamil Jaffer former senior counsel for the House Intelligence Committee, about the specific computer fraud charge Assange faces.

CRISIS RESPONSE - At Risk Disaster Zones

"In Mozambique, Yemen and Venezuela crises, access for aid is hard to come by" PBS NewsHour 4/10/2019

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SUMMARY:  Mozambique’s official death toll from a deadly cyclone in March has topped 1,000.  In the storm’s aftermath, survivors face lack of power, food and supplies, plus deadly outbreaks of diseases like cholera and malaria.  Amna Nawaz talks to David Beasley executive director of the World Food Program about his organization's response to that catastrophe, as well as those in Yemen and Venezuela.

JUNK SCIENCE - The Anti-Vax Movement

The Anti-Vax Movement is putting OTHER people at risk, including entire communities.  These people are just science deniers which are willing to put their own children and other children at risk.

"Amid measles outbreak, NYC health officials strive to promote vaccination, dispel myths" PBS NewsHour 4/10/2019

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SUMMARY:  The U.S. is battling one of the largest outbreaks of measles in decades, with 465 cases confirmed nationwide and 78 new cases in the last week alone.  New York City alone has 285 confirmed cases since last fall.  Dr. Oxiris Barbot, commissioner of its Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, talks to Judy Woodruff about efforts to work with the community to promote vaccination and dispel myth.

ANTARCTICA - Losing Ice and Sea Level Rise

"Antarctica is losing ice at an accelerating rate. How much will sea levels rise?" PBS NewsHour 4/10/2019

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SUMMARY:  The frozen continent of Antarctica contains the vast majority of all freshwater on Earth. Now that ice is melting at an accelerating rate, in part because of climate change.  What does this transformation mean for coastal communities across the globe?  William Brangham reports from Antarctica on the troubling trend of ice loss and how glaciers can serve as a climate record from the past.

Editor’s Note:  Peril & Promise is an ongoing series of public media reports telling the human stories of climate change.  Lead funding for Peril & Promise is provided by Dr. P. Roy Vagelos and Diana T. Vagelos. Major support is provided by Marc Haas Foundation.