Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg accused of insider trading

Breaking on my phone.

Race, Not Economics, Drove Former Democrats to Trump

Some disproven theories simply refuse to die. Among them is the notion that President Donald Trump's 2016 victory was largely due to economic anxiety on the part of blue-collar whites.

Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg has made that argument repeatedly of late, citing "the failure of this enormous American prosperity to reach so many people in so many communities," and Trump's promises of radical change, as the reasons for the president's upset win.

But a major study published a year ago found that Trump's support among non-college-educated whites—arguably the key to his Electoral College success—was driven far more by sexism and racism than by economic anxiety.

Now, a new study that focuses on one key constituency—white people in Iowa who voted for Barack Obama, and later for Trump—comes to that same conclusion.

"Economic distress is not a significant factor in explaining the shift in Iowa voters from Democrat to Republican between 2008 and 2016," write Iowa State University sociologists Ann Oberhauser, Daniel Krier, and Abdi Kusow. "The election outcomes do not signify [a revolt] among working-class voters left behind by globalization."

Rather, in 2016, "the nativist narrative about 'taking back America' and anti-immigrant sentiment became stronger forces than economic issues," Oberhauser said in announcing the findings.




https://psmag.com/news/new-study-confirms-again-that-race-not-economics-drove-former-democrats-to-trump

Enten: Sanders should worry less about catching Biden right now and more on falling behind Warren

I'm still undecided, but Joe has one of the most important qualities in my book

I can trust him on Day One to set things right and repair Trump's damage at home and abroad.

Tweet of the Day

Quite possibly the best GoT scene ever.

Trump's washing machine tariffs are costing Americans almost $100 more per appliance

A little more than a year after President Donald Trump slapped a 20 percent tariff on imported washing machines, new research finds that American shoppers have been the ones to pay the price.

A study conducted by two researchers at the University of Chicago and a Federal Reserve Board Governor found that washers cost an average of 12 percent more after the imposition of the tariffs, or roughly $86 to $92 more per appliance.

“It’s a good example of how the benefits of free trade are extremely diffuse but then the benefits of protectionism are concentrated,” said David Dollar, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Collectively, Americans are paying more than $1.5 billion extra every year from this tariff alone. Another recent study by a trio of economists from Princeton and Columbia universities and the New York Fed found that the combined impact of all the Trump administration’s trade sanctions costs Americans $1.4 billion each month.

Although the tariff studied by the University of Chicago researchers was only on imported washing machines, the study found that the price increases were significantly more widespread. “Taking the effects on both goods together, the overall tariff elasticity of consumer prices is above 100 percent for the 2018 safeguard tariffs,” they wrote. “The costs of these 2018 tariffs are substantial.”


https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/trump-s-washing-machine-tariffs-are-costing-americans-almost-100-n999461?cid=public-rss_20190429

Share this with anyone who wants to ride a killer whale.

MONTEREY (CBS SF) – Dramatic footage shows a group of killer whales methodically ram, isolate and kill a gray whale calf passing through Monterey Bay with its mother, on Saturday.

The graphic attack was captured in its entirety on video by Monterey Bay Whale Watch, a company that organizes whale-watching trips led by marine experts to groups.

In the clip, a small pod of killer whales can be seen moving in just below the surface. The young whale desperately tries to escape while the mother rolls over to protect her baby, but the outcome is inevitable. The killer whales will have their meal.

It took about four hours for five orcas to batter and kill the calf, even as its mother tried to defend it.

The pair were traveling to Alaska during spring migration.

Whale Research Institute Director Joe Renard tells KPIX 5 the gray whales travel in groups.

“With the migration of 22,000 grays off our coast, they move in groups of mothers with babies, teens, singles,” explained Renard. “Adult Males all go at different times.”


https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2019/04/29/video-killer-whales-attack-kill-gray-whale-calf-monterey-bay/

Suspect arrested in connection with Los Angeles-area terror plot

NBC’s Pete Williams reports on a suspect that has been arrested in connection with alleged Los Angeles-area terror plot. The suspect allegedly discusses setting off explosives at Santa Monica pier, and L.A. freeways.



https://www.msnbc.com/katy-tur/watch/suspect-arrested-in-connection-with-los-angeles-area-terror-plot-1514464323622

Socialists Win In Spain

“Spain’s Socialist party stood poised to win the lion’s share of votes in a contentious snap election Sunday that will determine the future of the country’s legislature in a moment of bitter political polarization,” the Washington Post reports.

“The Socialists, the party of incumbent prime minister Pedro Sánchez, had won 123 parliamentary seats with over 70 percent of the vote counted. While the traditional center-right Popular Party appeared to suffer heavy losses, Vox, the extreme right, was on course to enter parliament for the first time.”

The Guardian: “With nearly 90% of votes counted, it seems certain that Pedro Sánchez’s socialist party will be able to govern without the support of the Catalan nationalists that brought down his previous administration, leaving the pro-independence movement with a voice in parliament but little leverage.”


https://politicalwire.com/2019/04/28/socialists-win-in-spain/