And Now the Good News #230: Astronomy with Neural Networks!

• “Enormous promise for new parasitic infection treatment” 
• “Light-Driven Reaction Converts Carbon Dioxide Into Fuel” 
• “Neural networks promise sharpest ever images”

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/9IDiQoa3Evg

Michael Flynn And National Security In Trump’s Administration (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Let’s step back for a minute here. We’ve got the national security adviser to the [resident of the United States out after 20-some days. Reports all over of chaos in the National Security Council. The president coordinating response to a North Korean missile test in full view of diners on the terrace at Mar-a-Lago. The general in charge of U.S. Special Operations lamenting “unbelievable turmoil.” Is this just politics? Are we safe? This hour On Point, national security and the Trump White House. — Tom Ashbrook
Interview:
http://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2017/02/15/mike-flynn-admin-fire-nsa

Trump says his budget will make government ‘lean.’ It’s really a scam.

What if I told you that I could save you thousands and thousands of dollars a year, and you don’t even have to cut back on anything important in your life? What if I promised you that, just by saving a penny a day, your whole life could change for the better? What if I said you could improve your overall finances by working less and spending more?...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/02/28/trump-says-his-budget-will-make-government-lean-its-really-a-scam/

George W. Bush: Donald Trump, Russia Ties Need Answers

Former President George W. Bush weighed in on the calls for a special prosecutor to investigate the connections between the Trump campaign and Russia during an interview with NBC's Today show on Monday.

"I think we all need answers," Bush said. "Whether or not the special prosecutor is the right way to go or not you're talking to the wrong guy."...
http://time.com/4683734/george-w-bush-donald-trump-russia-today/

The clearest part of Trump's economic plan is also the most delusional part (Business Insider)

Three percent GDP growth. Three percent GDP growth. Three percent GDP growth.

Get it stamped on your brain. Get it tattooed somewhere. Have some t-shirts made - because this is team Trump's goal for the economy. In a time of extreme policy confusion, 3% GDP growth is one of the only firm targets we have to hang on to.

The problem is, in interview after interview, Trump and his surrogates have demonstrated that they have no idea how to get there....
http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-3-gdp-growth-plan-makes-no-sense-2017-2

The 3 investigations into Trump and Russia are all hopelessly compromised (ThinkProgress.org)

The case for an independent investigation just got stronger. ...
https://thinkprogress.org/the-three-investigations-into-trump-and-russia-are-all-hopelessly-compromised-3f277465f601#.dgiea17aa

This GOP Bill to Dismantle the EPA Is More Destructive Than You Think (VICE)

A GOP freshman congressman recently introduced a bill to eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with more cosponsors than sentences in its text. The entirety of Rep. Matt Gaetz's (R-FL) proposal is one sentence.

Following the boilerplate "Be it enacted," legislative language, it reads, simply, "The Environmental Protection Agency shall terminate on December 31, 2018."

This is remarkably unserious lawmaking. ...
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/this-gop-bill-to-dismantle-the-epa-is-more-destructive-than-you-think

US foreign aid expected to be biggest casualty of Trump's first budget

Prioritization of defence worries organizations who see in administration's retreat from overseas aid the potential for humanitarian crises to fester ...
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/feb/27/trump-first-budget-us-foreign-aid?CMP=oth_b-aplnews_d-1

Border agents stopped Muhammad Ali Jr. Here’s how we can all fight back

They stopped Muhammad Ali Jr.

On 7 February, border agents at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood international airport held the son of the boxing legend Muhammad Ali for two hours. According to his lawyer, they repeatedly asked him about his religion.

Just last June, the world mourned the passing of his father, perhaps the most famous Muslim on the planet, as an American hero. Eight months and a presidential election later, Muslim Americans, including those with notable fathers, can’t even return to their own country without problems.

But, they keep telling us, it’s not a Muslim ban....
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/feb/26/muhammad-ali-jr-trump-travel-ban-muslims-border-agents?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=GU+Today+USA+-+Collections+2017&utm_term=215103&subid=22113254&CMP=GT_US_collection

Much-Hyped Pro-Trump Rallies Were Poorly Attended: Photo Evidence

President Donald Trump last week called on his supporters to hold massive rallies on his behalf, and on Monday some of them did their best to meet his demands....
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/much-hyped-pro-trump-rallies-were-poorly-attended-photo-evidence

Today in Obamacare: what focus groups found Obamacare enrollees want from GOP plans (Vox)

We ran focus groups with people who use Obamacare. We learned what they liked about GOP plans — and what they very much didn't....
http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/2/27/14745210/obamacare-enrollees-repeal-plans

Donald Trump's first budget: big hike for defense spending as most agencies cut

White House officials say Trump will uphold campaign promise to build up military, at the expense of foreign aid and environmental programmes ...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/27/trumps-budget-54-billion-increase-defense-spending?CMP=oth_b-aplnews_d-1

Conservative Hardliners Are Already Threatening the House GOP's Health Care Plan (Slate)

Late last week, a draft version of the House GOP's evolving Obamacare replacement leaked to the media, offering the most detailed peek yet at what Republicans might have in mind for health reform. But those still young, painstakingly laid plans already look like they might be in trouble, as North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows, who chairs the powerful and hardline House Freedom Caucus, has told CNN that he'd vote against the legislation were it to hit the floor of Congress tomorrow....
http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2017/02/27/conservatives_are_already_threatening_the_house_gop_s_health_care_plan.html

Spicer’s latest misdirection on Russia got refuted before he even ended his presser

The White House really wants this story to go away....
https://thinkprogress.org/spicers-claim-that-trump-s-russia-ties-are-old-news-was-refuted-before-his-presser-was-finished-9d9bef22da48#.dffzhxdg7

SCHUMER: The GOP is in 'disarray' over Obamacare repeal, and the 'odds are very high' it won't happen (Business Insider)

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer isn't so sure Republicans can repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, the law better known as Obamacare.

In a "prebuttal" Monday to President Donald Trump's joint address to Congress on Tuesday, Schumer said the GOP's plan to overhaul the healthcare system is already falling apart and likely won't get done. ...
http://www.businessinsider.com/chuck-schumer-obamacare-repeal-trump-2017-2

Most problems 'do not have military solutions' — Top generals warn Trump on dangers of cutting State Department (Business Insider)

More than 120 retired U.S. generals and admirals urged Congress on Monday to fully fund U.S. diplomacy and foreign aid, the same government functions expected to be targeted for cuts in President Donald Trump's first budget proposal. ...
http://www.businessinsider.com/generals-cutting-state-department-2017-2

The Bernie Wing Is Starting To Make Its Peace With Tom Perez (The Huffington Post)

When the final results of the Democratic National Committee chair race were announced, the throngs of activists in the hall to support Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison were livid. There were boos and at least one cry of "bullshit!" ...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-peace-with-tom-perez_us_58b20c99e4b0780bac2a0267?

The First 100 Lies: The Trump Team's Flurry Of Falsehoods

To say that President Donald Trump has a casual relationship with the truth would be a gross understatement. He has repeatedly cited debunked conspiracy theories, pushed voter fraud myths, and embellished his record and accomplishments. The barrage of falsehoods has been so furious that journalists have taken to issuing instant fact-checks during press conferences and calling out false statements during cable news broadcasts.

All presidents lie, but lying so brazenly and so frequently about even silly factoids like his golf game has put Trump in his own category. His disregard for the truth is reflected in his top aides, who have inflated easily disproved figures like the attendance at his inauguration and even cited terror attacks that never happened.

The Huffington Post tracked the public remarks of Trump and his aides to compile a list of 100 incidents of egregious falsehoods. Still, it is likely the administration has made dozens of other misleading and exaggerated claims....
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-administration-lies-100_us_58ac7a0fe4b02a1e7dac3ca6

AP FACT CHECK: Trump And His Overdrawn Rhetorical Apocalypse (TPM)

In President Donald Trump's estimation, the U.S. border isn't merely porous, it's "wide open." Darkness and danger are everywhere, even Sweden. American infrastructure isn't just in need of improvement but it's in "total disrepair and decay." The health law is not only flawed, but it's an "absolute and total catastrophe."

His apocalyptic view of everything he intends to fix leaves no nuance, but that's where reality often resides. For example, Trump himself actually likes parts of former President Barack Obama's health overhaul, such as the extended coverage for older children. And the U.S. remains an economic powerhouse able to transport goods in a stressed system of roads, bridges and ports that are not in total decay. ...
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/ap-fact-check-donald-trump-apocalyps

'Pro-life' Republicans want women to pay through the nose for maternity care

One of the perennial complaints about Obamacare, coming mostly from old white men, is that maternity coverage one of the essential health benefits the law said has to be included in all insurance plans. They, of course, think that means that they are paying for strange women's pregnancy with their premiums, and there's nothing more horrifying. Never mind that plenty of women have been helping to cover their prostate exams, and none of us spend a lot of time or energy resenting that. But the argument has trickled up the food chain, and trimming essential benefits—including maternity coverage—is on the table....
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/1636976

Meet the 16-year-old Canadian girl who took down Milo Yiannopoulos (Vox)

This is the real story of how the video that took down Milo surfaced. ...
http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/2/24/14715774/milo-yiannopoulos-cpac-pedophile-video-canada

AP FACT CHECK: President Trump Giving Himself Too Much Credit (TPM)

President Donald Trump is giving himself too much credit for sending criminal foreigners out of the country and saving money on fighter planes. He's getting too much credit from one of the few women with a top White House job for elevating women in the administration. ...
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-too-much-credit-deporting-saving-money

CPAC attendees trolled into waving Russia flags during Trump’s speech

A liberal activist says "most people did not have a clue about what was going on." ...
https://thinkprogress.org/cpac-attendees-trolled-into-waving-russia-flags-during-trumps-speech-dae47540a455#.35i7jw1f2

Lance Wallnau Says The Media Is Using 'Mind Control And Witchcraft' To Whip Up Opposition To Trump

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPJPwJ8Kc-E

RWW News: Loudon: Russia, Liberals And Islamists Are Plotting Against Trump

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMOY9bQJB2k

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Brain tumor patient removed from hospital, detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Less than a week after reports surfaced that an undocumented immigrant in El Paso, Texas, was detained after claiming to be a victim of domestic abuse and receiving a protective order, yet another undocumented immigrant has been rounded up while at her most vulnerable. An undocumented Salvadoran immigrant known only as Sara was involuntarily taken to Prairieland Detention Center despite her having a brain tumor, according to a report by The Hill. At the time she was apprehended, Sara was a patient at Huguley Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, and receiving treatment for her illness....
http://www.salon.com/2017/02/23/brain-tumor-patient-removed-from-hospital-detained-by-immigration-and-customs-enforcement/

‘Greatest threat to democracy’:

Commander of bin Laden raid slams Trump's anti-media sentiment....

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/02/23/greatest-threat-to-democracy-commander-of-bin-laden-raid-slams-trumps-anti-media-sentiment/?utm_term=.45b99da5f210

In Response to Christian Group, Atheists Begin “Young Skeptics” Club at CA Elementary School

It was more than two years ago when a small group of atheists announced they were going to respond to a Christian club that targeted elementary school students with one of their own. In every school that permitted a “Good News Club,” they wanted to form a Young Skeptics group (naturally sponsored by “The Better News Club, Inc”)....
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2017/02/21/in-response-to-christian-group-atheists-begin-young-skeptics-club-at-ca-elementary-school/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

No, Florida GOP, the Second Amendment Doesn’t Trump the First Amendment (Slate: Slate)

Docs vs. Glocks Shows the Threat to Free Speech Is the Pro-Gun Right...
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2017/02/the_11th_circuit_strikes_down_florida_s_docs_vs_glocks_law.html

In the past decade, fracking caused nearly 2 spills a day in just these 4 states

Researchers call for better reporting by oil and gas companies....
https://thinkprogress.org/6600-spills-fracking-four-states-92df12858f6e#.3y5sfv4e9

GOP May Trim 10 Essential Health Insurance Benefits

As Republicans look at ways to replace or repair the Affordable Care Act, many suggest that shrinking the list of services that insurers are required to offer in individual and small group plans would reduce costs and increase flexibility.

That option came to the forefront last week when Seema Verma, who is slated to run the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in the Trump administration, noted at her confirmation hearing that coverage for maternity services should be optional in those health plans....
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/02/22/516465156/gop-seeks-reduction-in-health-law-s-10-essential-benefits?ft=nprml&f=1001

I'll Never Take My Phone on an International Flight Again—Neither Should You

You can’t hand over a device that you don’t have....
http://www.alternet.org/human-rights/ill-never-take-my-phone-international-flight-again-neither-should-you

Airport GunFAIL: It's not just for passengers, anymore. GunFAIL CCXXXI

...Top stories this week? The police officer who accidentally discharged his weapon in DC’s Reagan National Airport. The Tennessee woman who took her gun with her to investigate strange noises outside her home, slipped on some ice, and accidentally shot herself in the leg. The Mississippi 4-year-old who found a parent’s gun (in an unlocked safe) and shot his 14-month-old sibling. And the old standby: the Alaska man who tried to balance his gun on top of the toilet paper dispenser in a supermarket restroom, and was accidentally shot in the leg when it fell off and discharged. A typical week, in all respects, I’d say.

The rest of the week’s stories are below the fold....
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/1627630

What America Can Learn From Smart Schools in Other Countries

...Generally speaking, the smartest countries tend to be those that have acted to make teaching more prestigious and selective; directed more resources to their neediest children; enrolled most children in high-quality preschools; helped schools establish cultures of constant improvement; and applied rigorous, consistent standards across all classrooms...
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/06/upshot/what-america-can-learn-about-smart-schools-in-other-countries.html

Warren Buffett and Bill Gates on Why America Is Already Great (The Atlantic)

Two of the world's three richest people extol the virtue, and relevance, of optimism in the age of Trump—and predict a comeback for fact-based discourse. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/02/buffett-gates/517833/

The GOP's Obamacare plan targets Planned Parenthood — and private abortion insurance coverage (Vox)

A leaked draft of House Republicans' plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act has major repercussions for women's health.
http://www.vox.com/identities/2017/2/24/14727778/obamacare-repeal-leaked-draft-planned-parenthood-defund

Mission unaccomplished, 15 years later: The misuse of American military power, the Middle East in chaos (Salon)

The United States has already lost — its war for the Middle East, that is. Having taken my own crack at combat soldiering in both Iraq and Afghanistan, that couldn't be clearer to me. Unfortunately, it's evidently still not clear in Washington. Bush's neo-imperial triumphalism failed. Obama's quiet shift to drones, Special Forces and clandestine executive actions didn't turn the tide either. For all President Donald Trump's bluster, boasting and threats, rest assured that, at best, he'll barely...
http://www.salon.com/2017/02/25/mission-unaccomplished-15-years-later-the-misuse-of-american-military-power-the-middle-east-in-chaos_partner/ 

Cancer can bankrupt its victims. Obamacare was designed to stop that. (Vox)

Millions are in jeopardy under Obamacare repeal-and-replace plans.
http://www.vox.com/2017/2/23/14700634/cancer-obamacare-republican-repeal-replacement

Father Of SEAL Killed In Yemen To Trump: 'Don’t Hide Behind My Son’s Death' (TPM)

The father of a U.S. commando killed during the first counter-terrorism operation of President Donald Trump's term in office said Friday that Trump shouldn't "hide behind" his son's death to avoid an investigation into the mission.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/william-owens-seal-killed-yemen-raid-donald-trump

Trump Claims DNC Chair Race Was 'Totally Rigged,' Offers No Evidence (TPM)

President Donald Trump on Sunday claimed that the election for Democratic National Committee chair was "totally rigged" but offered no evidence to back up his allegations. ...
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-claims-dnc-chair-race-rigged-no-evidence

Trumpcare vs. Obamacare (The New Yorker)

The pitchforks are changing hands. In 2009, it was Democratic members of Congress supporting health-care reform who were set upon by outraged constituents. When they passed the Affordable Care Act anyway, it cost their party control of Congress in the 2010 midterm elections. House Republicans subsequently voted more than fifty times to repeal or cripple the A.C.A. Nineteen Republican-led states spurned the offer of federal funds to expand Medicaid coverage. In January, Donald Trump's first act s President was to order government agencies to avoid implementing, as much as is legally possible, what has become known as Obamacare.

But Obamacare, it turns out, has done a lot of good....
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/06/trumpcare-vs-obamacare?mbid=rss

WaPo Hits Back: Report Trump Called 'Fake' Led To Flynn's Ouster

The executive editor of the Washington Post on Friday dismissed President Donald Trump’s apparent allegation that the paper had "made up" sources while reporting on the White House.

In a statement to the Post's Erik Wemple, executive editor Marty Baron referred to the newspaper's report that led to the ouster of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who discussed sanctions on the phone with Russia’s ambassador to the United States before Trump was inaugurated. Flynn was fired after it came to light that he misrepresented the nature of that call to the vice president....
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/washington-post-marty-baron-fake-news

The Bureaucratic Revolt Against President Trump Is Underway (GQ)

Some career civil servants are ready and willing to call the White House on its bullshit....
http://www.gq.com/story/donald-trump-muslim-ban-dhs

Key Lawmaker Questions Senate Russia Probe After Trump Contacts (Bloomberg)

The Senate Intelligence Committee's top Democrat warned the panel's chairman over reports that the Republican worked with the White House to try to squash negative stories about Russian interference in last year's U.S. elections, calling it a threat to the integrity of the top congressional probe into the issue.
https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-02-25/key-lawmaker-questions-senate-russia-probe-after-trump-contacts?bpolANews=true

Democrats Invite Immigrants To Trump's First Speech To Congress (TPM)

Democrats have invited immigrants and foreigners to President Donald Trump's first address to Congress in an effort to put a face on those who could be hurt by the Republican's policies....
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/democrats-invite-immigrants-to-trump-address-to-congress

Turns Out You Can't Confirm Someone Who Wants to Destroy the EPA Without Angry Voters Showing Up

"Why did you vote for a man who doesn't believe in climate change?" http://motherjones.com/environment/2017/02/senator-who-voted-pruitt-facing-backlash

Experts on authoritarianism say Trump’s presidency ‘has gotten scarier’

A month of executive experience has not moderated the president’s anti-democratic tendencies....
https://thinkprogress.org/experts-on-authoritarianism-say-trumps-presidency-has-gotten-scarier-b9b5c12f647#.w6stzbatv.

Rep. King: ‘Screaming’ Town Hall Protesters ‘Diminish Democracy'

Rep. Peter King (R-NY) said Thursday that he had decided not to hold town halls with his constituents because he thought such events turned “into a screaming session." Asked if angry protesters at town halls were being paid, King said he thought the town hall attendees were “legitimate,” but that yelling at the events “diminishes democracy.”....
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/peter-king-town-hall-protesters-diminish-democracy

Wayne LaPierre Longs For The Days When Those Who Leaked Gov't Info Were 'Hung For Treason'

Right Wing Watch reports on the extreme rhetoric and activities of key right-wing figures and organizations by showing their views in their own words. In this video, the NRA's Wayne LaPierre declares that the media is out to destroy President Trump and longs for the good old days where those who leaked government info were hung for treason....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPaFqpF5JT8&feature=youtu.be

Nearly half of states are facing budget shortfalls. Here's why that matters. (PBS NewsHour)

Trump and congressional Republicans' evolving fiscal plans have created uncertainty at the state level, as states scramble to get their finances in order while planning for potential federal tax cuts. Both Mr. Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan have said they want to overhaul the federal tax code, a move that could lower taxable income at the state level as well. ...
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/nearly-half-of-states-are-facing-a-budget-shortfall-heres-why-that-matters/

Americans United Wins Big In Mich. Government Prayer Case

Yesterday, a federal appeals court ruled 2-1 that county commissioners in Jackson County, Mich. – all of whom are Christian – can no longer deliver prayers that are exclusively Christian prior to their meetings....
https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/americans-united-wins-big-in-mich-government-prayer-case

Iowa farmer gives Senator Grassley some perspective on Obamacare

“We’re gonna create one great big death panel in this country”...
https://thinkprogress.org/prominent-gop-senator-faces-pro-obamacare-backlash-in-his-home-state-a869228a9a6c#.1l5e8dpah

Iowa Farmer Warns GOP Senator That Obamacare Repeal Will Create 'One Great Big Death Panel'

A pig farmer confronted Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) at a town hall meeting early Tuesday morning to warn that Republicans would essentially create a giant death panel if they repealed the Affordable Care Act. ...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/chuck-grassley-town-hall-obamacare-death-panel_us_58ac9325e4b02eb3a982e1cf?

That Professor Who Predicted Donald Trump’s Win Is Now Making the Case for Impeachment (TIME)

Allan Lichtman is releasing a book on President Trump's potential impeachment ...
http://time.com/4677042/donald-trump-impeachment-book/

America’s True Terroristic Threat isn’t ISIS it’s Donald Trump and The Republican Party

ISIS isn’t threatening to take away your healthcare....
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/americas-true-terroristic-threat-isnt-isis-its-donald_us_58ab725ce4b0417c4066c1ce

Trump Adviser Stephen Miller Championed Big Tobacco's Alarming Lies

Miller and Mike Pence both had a history of spreading lies about the dangers of smoking....
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/stephen-miller-tobacco-truther-lies