Shutdown Timeout
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Trump says $5.6 billion isn’t much for border security.
Pelosi says, “We are giving the Republicans the opportunity to take yes for an answer,” “Senate Republicans have already supported this legislation, and if they reject it now, they will be fully complicit in chaos and destruction of the President’s third shutdown of his term.”
But no money for a wall.
They’re meeting this afternoon in the situation room.
Happy New Year Data
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Electronic Frontiers Foundation took a look back at 2018 data privacy scandals.
The Marriott hack that stole data from up to 500 million visitors made the cut. But the report says the really bad actors “were the tech companies themselves, harvesting of mountains of users’ data and employing flawed systems to use and share it.”
Sears New Year Liquidation Sale
Sears chairman Eddie Lampert stepped in with a last minute $4.4 billion offer to buy the bankrupt company. CNBC says Sears advisers have until Jan 4 to decide if he’s a “qualified buyer.” “Only then could ESL take part in an auction against liquidation bids on Jan. 14.”
Stock Market December to Remember
Your 401 (k) Goes Bungee Jumping
It was the night before Christmas and the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 653 points. But the day after Christmas the bull bounced back for a record 1,000 point gain. Alas, the stock market December to remember continued as the Dow dropped 600 points the following morning. But not to worry. Late in the day the Dow made a record 850 point u-turn to finish with a 260 point gain.
Syria Pullout
ISIS J.V. Team
President Trump got off the phone with Turkish President Erdogan and announced he’s pulling the troops out of Syria. And Secretary of Defense James Mattis resigned.
Democrats and Republicans found common ground slamming the Syria pullout decision. They say the pullout sells out the Kurds and creates a vacuum that ISIS will fill. Same as when Obama pulled out of Iraq. (At least the Republicans say that.)
Pro Syria Pullout
But Reason’s Nick Gillespie and Andrew McCarthy of NR think Trump did the right thing. If we stay in Syria we’d have to choose sides in a war between Turkey and the Kurds. Erdogan’s nasty but Turkey is a NATO ally. Besides, we’re there illegally. Congress never approved it and that makes it unconstitutional.
