July 1, 2016

Conservative: "Why Brexit Persuaded Me to Vote for Hillary Clinton"

By Kori Schake
July 01, 2016

Last Friday, people across the United Kingdom woke up shocked to learn that their nation had actually voted to leave the European Union. More than a million people now reportedly would like to change their vote from “leave” to “remain”; more than 3 million signed a petition for a second referendum. EU institutions and major corporations based in London announced they would move operations and jobs from Britain to EU countries.

My reaction was a little different: I decided to endorse Hillary Clinton for president.

It wasn’t an easy decision. As a conservative, I find Hillary Clinton stands for the opposite of a number of things I believe strongly: that our government is involved in too many areas of our lives, that its profligacy is spending our country into bankruptcy, and that it very often makes problems worse because it knows too little to keep pace with change. Clinton has a seemingly inexhaustible list of government programs to address every social concern, and no conceivable way to pay for it all.

So, I have deep misgivings about a Clinton presidency, but the anguish of British voters who cast a protest vote thinking it wouldn’t matter — that their vote wouldn’t be decisive — convinced me that something much bigger is at stake in this election. The unthinkable, I realized, was actually possible this year. In the British referendum, major polling firms had the “Remain” vote leading by as much as 8 percent. As little as five hours before results were announced, betting markets gave Remain a 96 percent chance of success. And I realized I didn’t want to wake up on November 9 to find Donald Trump elected president and wish I had done more to prevent it.

As one of the signatories of the national security experts’ “never Trump” letter, I genuinely believe the erratic statements Donald Trump has made would be disastrous if adopted as American policies. His candidacy is itself bad for our country: after watching him win primary after primary, our allies have already begun questioning the durability of long-standing American commitments.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/06/how-brexit-convinced-me-to-vote-for-hillary-clinton-214006#ixzz4DCdZJhsl

July 1, 2016

The Report? No, but Stephen's Still Got It!

July 1, 2016

Puerto Rico makes historic default

Source: CNN

by Heather Long
July 1, 2016: 3:05 PM ET

Puerto Rico just did something that hasn't happened since 1933.

The deeply indebted island defaulted Friday on debt that is supposed to be guaranteed by the Puerto Rican constitution. In other words, Puerto Rico was supposed to pay creditors who hold general obligation bonds before paying anyone else, even police.

But Governor Alejandro García Padilla said: No. He argued that paying teachers, emergency personnel and other critical needs must come first. "This administration continues to take historic steps to ensure the residents of Puerto Rico continue to receive essential services while the commonwealth continues to face a delicate financial situation," a spokesman said Thursday.

The island isn't planning to make any of the $800 million payment to its bondholders due on July 1. Puerto Rico's government says it is in a "dire" financial position with only about $350 million in cash on hand right now.

Puerto Rico's default Friday marks the first time that a state or state-like entity (Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory) has failed to pay general obligation bonds since the Great Depression.



Read more: http://money.cnn.com/2016/07/01/investing/puerto-rico-defaults-general-obligation-bonds/index.html

July 1, 2016

To the Guardians of the Watchtowers of the North: Happy Canadeh?

Yes, I know it's really named Canada Day. And yes, I know you don't end every sentence with "eh", but come on! You've got universal healthcare, gun laws that are actually sane, and a political system that's actually capable of getting shit done. Ya gotta give us some leeway!

On a personal note, I want to thank you for inventing hockey, my favorite sport. I also thank you for William Shatner, Jim Carrey, Dan Ackroyd, Martin Short, and the late, great John Candy.

BUT

In the sweet Blessed name of Cernunnos, take back Justin Bieber and Celine Dion!!!

July 1, 2016

Juno Probe Now on Autopilot Ahead of July 4 Jupiter Arrival

Source: Space.com

By Mike Wall, Space.com Senior Writer | July 1, 2016 12:24am ET



NASA's Juno spacecraft is now flying solo ahead of its highly anticipated July 4 entry into Jupiter orbit.

On Thursday afternoon (June 30), Juno's handlers sent a command to the spacecraft known as "ji4040," which is designed to transition the probe into autopilot mode, NASA officials said.

"Ji4040 contains the command that starts the Jupiter orbit insertion sequence," Juno mission manager Ed Hirst, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said in a statement. "After the sequence executes, Juno is on autopilot. But that doesn't mean we get to go home. We are monitoring the spacecraft's activities 24/7 and will do so until well after we are in orbit."

The major element of the Jupiter orbit insertion (JOI) sequence is a 35-minute engine burn, which Juno is scheduled to perform on Monday night (July 4). This burn should slow the spacecraft down enough to be captured by Jupiter's powerful gravity.

Read more: http://www.space.com/33326-nasa-juno-jupiter-probe-autopilot.html

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1. Yes, I'm a total nerd.
2. A reminder that our country can still actually do things.

July 1, 2016

July 4 gas prices lowest in more than a decade

Source: Detroit Free Press

Kianna D. Harris and Zlati Meyer, Free Press Staff Writers
10:40 p.m. EDT June 30, 2016


Here's something to celebrate this holiday weekend: Gas prices across the country are the lowest in 11 years, according to GasBuddy.com. The average cost per gallon is $2.27, compared to $3.66 in 2014, a savings of about 38%.

This is good news for the millions of people traveling for the holiday weekend.

AAA anticipates nearly 43 million Americans will travel between Thursday and Monday, making this holiday's travel volume the highest since the AAA began keeping track of this data in 2001. That's 5 million more than the number of travelers over Memorial Day weekend.

Read more: http://www.freep.com/story/money/business/2016/06/30/july-4-gas-prices-lowest-more-than-decade/86530704/

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Question: We all know that when gas prices were high a few years back, the Republicans were loudly blaming it on Obama. So why are the Dems in Congress so goddam silent now? They should be crowing, ffs!

July 1, 2016

Biden says Sanders will endorse Clinton

Source: CNN

By Kevin Liptak, CNN White House Producer
9:22 PM ET, Thu June 30, 2016

(CNN) Bernie Sanders has assured Vice President Joe Biden that he'll eventually endorse his Democratic primary rival Hillary Clinton, Biden told an interviewer Thursday. But the Vermont senator quickly pushed back, saying, "We're not there quite yet."

"Oh, I've talked to Bernie, Bernie's going to endorse her, this is going to work out," Biden told National Public Radio in an interview for "Weekend Edition" that will air on Sunday. A portion of the interview was released Thursday evening.

"The Democrats are coalescing even before this occurs," he added.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/30/politics/joe-biden-bernie-sanders-hillary-clinton/index.html

July 1, 2016

Federal judge blocks new Florida abortion law

Source: Associated Press

By GARY FINEOUT
Jul. 1, 2016 12:31 AM EDT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge late Thursday blocked key portions of a new Florida law that places restrictions on abortions clinics in the state.

U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle issued his ruling just hours before the law passed by the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature was due to take effect.

Planned Parenthood challenged three parts of the law that Gov. Rick Scott signed into law earlier this year, including one that prevents any state or local funds from going to an organization if that organization also provides abortions. Planned Parenthood officials estimated that provision would prevent their clinics from receiving about $500,000 to pay for health care screenings and a school dropout prevention program.

Hinkle in his ruling said the provision is "based not on any objection to how the funds are being spent ... but solely because the recipients of the funds choose to provide abortions separate and apart from any public funding."


Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/135b184c1f9a420883f18abebf55df5c/federal-judge-blocks-new-florida-abortion-law

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June 30, 2016

Trump supporter mocks Elizabeth Warren with chant

Trump supporters aren't all rich, but they are all 8 years old!

June 30, 2016

Turkish official: Attackers were from Russia, Central Asia

Source: Associated Press

By DOMINIQUE SOGUEL and SUZAN FRASER
Jun. 30, 2016 2:28 PM EDT

ISTANBUL (AP) — As the death toll from the Istanbul airport attack rose Thursday to 44, a senior Turkish official said the three suicide bombers who carried it out were from Russia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and police raided neighborhoods for suspects linked to the Islamic State group.

Turkish authorities have said all information suggested the Tuesday night attack on Ataturk Airport, one of the world's busiest, was the work of IS, which boasted this week of having cells in Turkey, among other countries.

The police raided 16 locations in three neighborhoods on both the Asian and European sides of Istanbul, rounding up 13 people suspected of having links to the Islamic State group.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility by the militant group, which has used Turkey as a crossing point to establish itself in neighboring Syria and Iraq. IS has repeatedly threatened Turkey in its propaganda publications, and the NATO member has blamed IS for several major bombings in the past year in both Ankara and Istanbul.


Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/5228732503834ffa908de8092a12d31a/report-turkish-security-forces-kill-2-militants

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PUTIN!!! I KNEW IT!!!!!