Beyond the horrific scenes in Los Angeles, our team has also been assessing the latest out of Washington. The FBI Director has been before the House Judiciary Committee refuting President Trump's Assertion about an FBI in tatters although our daily review of Fox News tries to push the narrative on an FBI in tatters. This is as the aftermath of President Trump's announcement has been felt throughout the Middle East. It was interesting that the State Department had advised Israel to refrain from public comments beyond what the Prime Minister Stated which underscores that apparently the Administration understood the gravity of the situation before it. What The Economist's Kal noted that we released over our Twitter Channel captured the essence of the current challenge being faced by President Trump right now:
There is also the matter of Senator Al Franken of Minnesota. He declared his intention to resign today. We just picked this from Professor Jonathan Turley during our review that is an interesting take on how Governor Dayton of Minnesota should consider his replacement:
The resignation reminded me of a column that I wrote when Franken first ran. I wrote about the striking difference between Franken and Peter Agre, a nobel prize winning humanitarian respected around the world. As I discussed in the column, the result seemed inevitable in American politics as voters decided between the cheap shot celebrity and the world renown scientist. Franken would respond to my column and went on to trounce Agre who would have doubled the IQ of the Senate by simply joining it.
As the governor of Minnesota looks for a replacement, it is worth noting that Agre is still available and still the more qualified candidate. In case Gov. Mark Dayton has lost his number, here is his academic email and site.
The 2007 column is below:
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As we have been assessing our Month and gearing up for 2018, one of the areas of focus for us has been on the problem of homelessness as we have periodically featured the Guardian of London's series "Outsider in America" on our propeties. What we received below courtesy of the National Alliance to End Homelessness underscores how the issue of homelessness continue to be profoundly challenging not here in the United States but World-Wide as in the United Kingdom, for instance, over 100,000 children are homeless during this Christmas Season:
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| HUD RELEASES 2017 ANNUAL HOMELESS ASSESSMENT REPORT |
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HUD’s newly-released 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress finds that on a single night in 2017, 553,742 people experienced homelessness. This represents an increase of less than one percent over last year, and is the first increase in total homelessness since 2010.
Despite the overall increase, the report also shows that the majority of states and communities in the nation reported decreases in homelessness. In fact, current levels of homelessness remain two percent lower than they were in 2015, and 13 percent lower than in 2010.
The report finds a 12 percent rise in unsheltered homelessness, with the largest increases in major cities. It also details small increases among homeless veterans – despite significant decreases for the past several years. |
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This is also a solemn day as it was on this day that Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor. We salute all our Soldiers, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guard and Naval personnel who are at the front lines as we leave you with this From General MacArthur:
Sen. Al Franken (D., Minn) will resign in light of the increasing number of women alleging sexual harassment and assault. It is the end of a remarkable career that took Franken from Saturday Night Live to the most exclusive club in Washington.
