In final visit to Capitol before Trump inauguration, President Obama rallies Dems to fight for Obamacare; can Dems block repeal?....
Program Note: in response to listener feedback, today's experiment delivers the full half hour podcast here, and the second half as a separate podcast. Send comments to peter@peterbcollins.com
--citizen complaints, not just Trump’s tweet, led GOP House rebels to abort their ethics gambit, and a bid to revive earmarks, too
--girding for legal battles with Trump’s Wrecking Crew, California legislature retains former AG Eric Holder
--in news article laced with opinion, NY Times chides Trump for appearing to “side with Assange over intelligence agencies” on unproven Russian hacking claims
--Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson sets an example for his boss: he is divesting his Exxon stock and complying with blind trust practices used by all but Dick Cheney in past
--new Trump golf club opening in Dubai is just the latest example of the major conflicts of interest that Trump keeps ignoring
--David Dayen at The Intercept exposes the sordid dealings of Treasury nominee Stephen Mnuchin at OneWest, where foreclosures were quick and often illegal
--in op-ed, Lindy West explains why she left Twitter
PBC News & Comment: Part 2, Justice Delivered, and Denied
In surprise verdict, despite Netanyahu’s interference, Israeli court convicts Sgt. Elor Azaria for brazen execution of unarmed, wounded Palestinian suspect….
--Florida’s “stand your ground law”, written by ALEC, has led to 32% jump in gun deaths, with major racial bias in favor of white shooters
--Oakland’s rogue police department gets first female chief, Anne Kirkpatrick of Chicago Police Department, who has “led reform efforts”
--but at The Intercept, Jamie Kalvin reports that reform efforts have been weak, and face uncertainty under Trump “Justice” Dept.
--in Alabama, civil rights activists are arrested for sit-in protest at Sen. Jeff Sessions’ office in Mobile, objecting to his nomination for Attorney General
--documentary about Don Siegelman nears completion, here’s a look at the trailer
--in major legal victory, federal judge orders Pennsylvania prisons to provide Hepatitis C medication to Mumia Abu Jamal
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