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January 2017

Posted by Andrew Branca on January 20, 2017 56 Comments
I've spent the last week at the gun industry SHOT Show convention in Las Vegas, and I'm pretty sure I need a hip replacement after walking mile after mile of exhibits of guns, guns, more guns, related gun stuff, and guns. Perhaps the biggest gun-related news event of the week, however, wasn't anything on display at the SHOT Show. Rather it was the US Army's announcement that they had finally--FINALLY!--chosen the pistol to replace the Beretta M9 handgun adopted back in the 1980s, which in turn had replaced the 1911 "Government model" 45 first designed by gun genius John Moses Browning way back in--wait for it--1911. The newly chosen pistol is to be the Sig Sauer P320, a semiautomatic striker-fired 15+ round 9mm handgun (seen in featured picture above).

Posted by Mary Chastain on January 20, 2017 23 Comments
The Senate has confirmed retired General James Mattis to become the Secretary of Defense, the first confirmation of President Trump's Cabinet. He won confirmation with a 98-1. WOW. But who doesn't like or approve of Mad Dog Mattis?

Posted by New Neo on January 20, 2017 18 Comments
Today is a day of pomp and circumstance. It's also a day many people thought would never come: Donald Trump is now the 45th president of the United States. But as I type those words, they seem far less strange than they did a year ago. Some feel a sense of relief as they watch Obamas say good-bye and fly away. I am feeling that emotion plus a cautious optimism about what Trump will actually do as president. Quite some time ago I noticed that people tend to describe themselves in different modes. If you were to ask people to give a brief summary of who they are, the first one might use words of emotion and relationship: I am a kind person who likes to talk to people and hear what they say. I have a good sense of humor. That sort of thing.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on January 20, 2017 28 Comments
If history has taught us anything, it's that setting fire to municipal trash cans brings about rapid political change... During the inaugural ceremonies, anti-Trump rioters burned things and smashed car windows.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on January 20, 2017 13 Comments
In the tense political maneuvering between California's progressive representatives and the Trump administration, our state may have just blinked first. The repeal and replacement of Obamacare has been one the most consistent promises of President Donald Trump during his successful campaign. And, controlling illegal immigration has been just about the biggest plank in Trump's platform. So, in the height of the general election campaign, our state's politicians decided it would be a great idea to be the first state to offer Obamacare to illegal immigrants.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on January 20, 2017 13 Comments
When the final acts of now former President Obama are analyzed, it will be hard to determine which one was the slimiest. There are many possible contenders for that dishonor, but the transfer of a significant amount of American taxpayer-dollars per a U.N. climate change agreement Donald Trump opposes should be high on that list.
Barack Obama has heeded calls to help secure the future of the historic Paris agreement by transferring a second $500m instalment to the Green Climate Fund, just three days before he leaves office.

Posted by Mark Finkelstein on January 20, 2017 30 Comments
Joe Scarborough reported something stunning on today's Morning Joe—an insight into just how blatantly, consciously biased one of America's leading newspapers was in its effort to elect Hillary Clinton. Said Scarborough:

"There was somebody that held an extraordinarily important position in print media who brought their people together after Hillary Clinton lost and literally said, 'we did the best we could do. We tried and we failed. But we did the best we could do.'"

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on January 20, 2017 41 Comments
President-elect Donald J. Trump's inauguration is finally here.  We'll be streaming live coverage and updating throughout the day as events unfold. Highlights that I am eagerly anticipating: 12:00 p.m. (EST):  Vice-president Elect Mike Pence requested that Justice Thomas swear him into office.  This is a hugely historic moment, and I think it will be a wonderful thing to witness.  Pence is also going to use Reagan's Bible for his swearing in; again, an historic choice.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on January 20, 2017 72 Comments
My anti-Trump rantings, concerns, conjectures, and complaints are well chronicled in the LI annals. Those have not changed. But looking ahead to the next administration, I'm hopeful. I've been critical of Trump from day one. That won't change. He's a politician (now) and they're never to be trusted. But it's refreshing that the tone of the incoming administration is one that loves our country and sees her for the good she is rather than shaming her for her shortcomings. That much is a welcome change. I'm encouraged by his cabinet picks and the experience they bring to the table. Some are Beltway standard fare. Many are not.

Posted by Mark Finkelstein on January 19, 2017 24 Comments
It was a remarkable live-TV moment. During Tucker Carlson's Fox News show, reporter Griff Jenkins was at the scene of an anti-Trump demonstration in DC where a fire had been set in the street. Suddenly, a young boy [maybe 10-11] stepped up to say that he "kind of started the fire." When Jenkins asked why he started the fire, the boy, who identified himself as "Carter," said "because I felt like it and I'm just sort of saying, screw the president."

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on January 19, 2017 30 Comments
Hard to believe it was eight years ago that President Obama made history by becoming the first black president. Today marks the last of his reign. As the country prepares for its next peaceful transition of power, we've chronicled today's highlights.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on January 19, 2017 12 Comments
Around this time last year, notorious drug kingpin, "El Chapo" was taken into custody after months galavanting as a fugitive. Less than 24 hours before Donald Trump will be sworn in as the forty-fifth president, El Chapo is on a plane to New York. From the NYT:
A federal court in Mexico denied an appeal by Mr. Guzmán’s lawyers to block the extradition, clearing the way for his transfer to the American authorities in New York, where he faces numerous charges for his role as the chieftain of the Sinaloa cartel.

Posted by Mary Chastain on January 19, 2017 5 Comments
Treasury Secretary nominee Steven Mnuchin faced the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday for his confirmation hearing, answering questions about the dollar and his own investments. Mnuchin worked at Goldman Sachs for 17 years before he "became an investor at ESL Investments and then with his own fund Dune Capital Management." He rescued IndyMac Bank for $1.6 million, renaming it to OneWest. The project succeeded for Mnuchin, who sold it to CIT Group for $3.4 billion in 2015. However, the project faced scrutiny over its foreclosure practices, which Mnuchin defended during his testimony:
About foreclosures, Mnuchin said OneWest extended 100,000 loan modifications to delinquent borrowers. "In the press it has been said that I ran a 'foreclosure machine.' This is not true. On the contrary, I was committed to loan modifications intended to stop foreclosures. I ran a 'Loan Modification Machine,'" Mnuchin said. He also sought to counter the idea that a foreclosure was financially beneficial to OneWest versus a modification.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on January 19, 2017 21 Comments
I suspect the "Golden Age of Hollywood" would not have been so golden if today's technology were available. Back in the classic era of the American entertainment industry, actors and singers would have agents who would control their appearances to avoid embarrassing episodes that would go public and alienate potential fans. Now, armed with an i-phone and selfie sticks, there is no such layer of protection between celebrities and their buffoonery.
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