Veteran Atlanta journalist breaks down the 'degeneration' of the Republican Party in the era of Donald Trump - Raw Story

Veteran journalist Jay Bookman wrote an extensive thread on how the modern Republican Party has managed to deteriorate into an embarrassment and a catastrophe in the era of Donald Trump. ....
https://www.rawstory.com/2019/01/veteran-atlanta-journalist-breaks-degeneration-republican-party-era-donald-trump/

Robert Reich: 3 Signs Trump Is Becoming a Dictator - Truthdig

Rule of law is based on three fundamental principles. The U.S. president is violating every one of them. ....
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/robert-reich-3-signs-trump-is-becoming-a-dictator/

GOP moves to block anyone from running a 2020 primary challenge against Trump - ThinkProgress.org

Amidst collapsing poll numbers and an unmitigated defeat in his standoff with House Democrats, one contingent still has President Donald Trump's back: the Republican National Committee (RNC), which is planning to stonewall any efforts from potential GOP challengers for the 2020 nomination.....
https://thinkprogress.org/gop-moves-to-block-anyone-from-running-a-2020-primary-challenge-against-trump-ddaecd967c7a/

PragerFU: God and Suffering, Part 1

https://youtu.be/AbaysWD7K-A

Ray Smock and Annuity Rant 2 (The Phil Ferguson Show podcast 291)

Interview with Ray Smock. His is a former Historian of the US House of Representatives and former Director of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education at Shepherd University.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_W._Smock
Investing Skeptically: Annuity Rant 2
Additional audio: Segments from a speech by Madalyn Murray O'Hair.
Interview:
https://www.spreaker.com/user/8084919/291-Q3eX3F

How low will the S&P 500 go? Buffett and Shiller know - MarketWatch

Whatever will be, will be, but the long-term is ours to see. ....
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-low-will-the-sp-500-go-buffett-and-shiller-know-2019-01-23

Check Yourself with Lateral Reading: Crash Course Navigating Digital Inf...

Look to your left. Look to your right. Look at this video. Today, John Green is going to teach you how to read laterally, using multiple tabs in your browser to look stuff up and fact check as you read. Real-time fact-checking an help you figure out what's real and what's not on the internet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoQG6Tin-1E&feature=youtu.be

How much money Americans think you need to make to be considered 'rich' - CNBC

Data firm YouGov asked more than 1,000 Americans about the annual income it takes to be considered rich. It also asked respondents if they themselves were rich or poor: A quarter of Americans said they are "poor," while just 5 percent considered themselves to be "rich." ....
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/23/how-much-money-americans-think-you-need-to-make-to-be-rich.html

Iowa 'fetal heartbeat' abortion restriction declared unconstitutional - USA TODAY

Court rules Iowa's fetal heartbeat law, the strictest abortion limit in the country, may not be enforced.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/01/23/iowa-fetal-heartbeat-abortion-law-ruling/2655252002/

Why are we relying on tech overlords like Microsoft for affordable housing?

Microsoft is pledging $500m for housing in Seattle, but that plan isn’t as generous as it looks....
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/22/microsoft-affordable-housing-crisis-seattle

New intelligence strategy identifies emerging tech as major threat - The Hill

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats on Tuesday released the strategy meant to guide the U.S. intelligence community over the next four years, placing an emphasis on threats posed by new and emerging technologies. ....
https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/426491-new-intelligence-strategy-identifies-emerging-tech-as-major-threat

Auto accidents higher in 4 states where pot is legal, comparison study says - The Washington Post

According to a recent study, motor vehicle crashes are up 6 percent in four states that have legalized recreational marijuana compared with four neighboring states where the drug is restricted or illegal....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/auto-accidents-higher-in-4-states-where-pot-is-legal-comparison-study-says/2019/01/18/2030c0c8-1913-11e9-88fe-f9f77a3bcb6c_story.html

Why you shouldn’t post photos of friends without permission

If your friends and family are deliberately keeping themselves off social media - extend the courtesy by asking before you put pictures of them online....
https://www.theguardian.com/media/shortcuts/2019/jan/22/why-you-shouldnt-post-photos-of-friends-without-permission-social-media-online

Woman Failed to Report Husband’s Child Sex Abuse Because of Her Religion | David Gee | Friendly Atheist | Patheos

An Idaho woman could face prison time for covering up for her husband’s child sex abuse because reporting it would have been against her religion. Sarah Kester, who was already convicted of a felony for her crimes, will find out her fate next month. Her husband Lester Kester (yes, really) already admitted to molesting five children over the course of more than 20 years.....
https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2019/01/20/woman-failed-to-report-husbands-child-sex-abuse-because-of-her-religion/

A move by China puts U.S. small-town recycling programs in the dumps - The Washington Post

Big cities have shielded their residents from the impact of China’s decision last year to curtail the solid waste it will accept from other countries. But rural and small-town residents are starting to get squeezed by a change that is wreaking havoc on the global recycling market.....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/a-move-by-china-puts-us-small-town-recycling-programs-in-the-dumps/2019/01/18/6a043642-1825-11e9-8813-cb9dec761e73_story.html

What the Roger Stone Indictment Left Out: How He Helped Russia Attack the 2016 Election - Mother Jones

Roger Stone, the conniving conspiracy theorist and self-proclaimed dirty trickster whose motto is "admit nothing, deny everything," was indicted Friday morning by special counsel Robert Mueller for allegedly lying to the House intelligence committee about his efforts to interact with WikiLeaks during the 2016 presidential campaign. ....
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/01/what-the-roger-stone-indictment-left-out-how-he-helped-russia-attack-the-2016-election/

Dithering GOP Stalls House’s New Trump-Russia Probe - The Daily Beast

Democrats now in control of the crucial intelligence committee want to get back to their Russia probe. It can't happen until the Republicans formally join. ...
https://www.thedailybeast.com/dithering-gop-stalls-houses-new-trump-russia-probe

Elizabeth Warren’s “wealth tax” proposal is popular — and Donald Trump had it first | Salon.com

Elizabeth Warren’s nascent presidential campaign has already benefited quite a bit from good timing. After announcing her bid in an awkward New Year’s Eve rollout, the Massachusetts senator enjoyed a week in the national media spotlight before a number of other Democratic contenders jumped in the already crowded race. On Thursday, her first big campaign proposal was inadvertently boosted upon arrival by the very billionaires her plan targets....
https://www.salon.com/2019/01/26/elizabeth-warrens-wealth-tax-proposal-is-popular-and-donald-trump-had-it-first/

‘What does Putin have on the president?’: Pelosi comes out swinging on the Mueller investigation – ThinkProgress

Hours after winning the shutdown, Pelosi issues her strongest statement to date about Trump's potential Russia ties....
https://thinkprogress.org/what-does-putin-have-on-the-president-pelosi-statement-roger-stone-f40d9c1d6c1e/

Trump is peddling conspiracy theories to try and undercut Roger Stone’s indictment - Vox

Trump is talking about Hillary's emails one day after his longtime advisor was arrested by the FBI.....
https://www.vox.com/2019/1/26/18198456/trump-conspiracy-roger-stone-indictment