Posted on Categories News & Comment

PBC News & Comment: Part 1, Top Stories of the Day

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