Sessions Questioned On Russia Ties

Sessions questioned at House Judiciary hearing. WaPo: "Attorney General Jeff Sessions is scheduled to testify Tuesday before the House Judiciary Committee, where he is likely to again draw sharp questions about his and other former Trump campaign aides’ dealings with Russians leading up to the 2016 election. In recent weeks, unsealed court documents have called into question the attorney general’s previous testimony about his interactions with Russians, and his knowledge of others’ interactions, when he was an official with the Trump campaign. Democrats have said they plan to ask Sessions about what they see as the discrepancies, some of which he has yet to address publicly."

Tax Cuts Benefit Richest

Proposted GOP tax cuts benefit richest most. NPR: "In 2019, the majority of tax filers making $30,000 and more would have a sizable cut in their taxes. That would diminish over time. In 2027, it's only in the groups of people making $50,000 or more that the majority of taxpayers would see a decline in their taxes under the House bill... but it's also true that a bill being sold as a "middle class" tax plan could increase taxes on a sizable chunk of middle- and lower-income Americans — for a few middle-class income groups, around one-fifth would see a tax hike as of 2027 under the House bill. And it's also true that a majority of the lowest-income Americans would see little change at all in their tax bills. In the Senate bill, fewer middle-class homes would potentially see a tax hike, but the homes most likely to see a sizable tax cut would still be the richest."

Unfit Federal Judge Pick Fails To Disclose WH Ties

Unfit federal judge nominee's wife is top Trump lawyer. CNN: "resident Donald Trump's nominee for an Alabama federal court judgeship is being criticized for not disclosing in his confirmation process his wife's role in the White House. Brett Talley did not disclose his wife's position as chief of staff for White House Counsel Donald McGahn on his Senate questionnaire, according to The New York Times. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate judiciary committee, said the full Senate should not consider Talley's nomination until he explains why he failed to disclose the potential conflict of interest. 'By failing to disclose that his wife is one of President Trump's lawyers,' Feinstein said in a statement, 'Talley has betrayed his obligation to be open and transparent with the Senate and American people.' The Senate judiciary committee advanced Talley's nomination along a party-line vote Thursday and a full Senate vote is expected soon."

Surge In Women Candidates

The Trump Effect, one year later: thousands of women running for office. Truthout: "In the year since Trump won the presidency, groups working toward women's political empowerment have reported an unprecedented surge of interest in politics, especially at the local level. Thousands of women who had not considered or embarked on bids for office began stepping up, nominating themselves for everything from school boards to US Congress. Deborah Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, said the day of the election she worried that women would 'just pull the covers over their heads.' Instead, she saw the opposite: The next day, she started receiving applications for CAWP's Ready to Run campaign training camp. By the end of the year, the number of registrations had surged by a factor of 10."

Sanders Challenges Dems To Reform

Sanders challenges Dems to reform funding, party control. Politico: "There is nothing, nothing more important than defeating Donald Trump and his extreme right-wing agenda. But this will not happen without an effective opposition party. Victories in Virginia, New Jersey, Washington, Maine and other states around the country on Tuesday are an important first step in pushing back against Trump’s radical agenda. It was especially gratifying to see thousands of working people and young people jump into the political process, volunteering, knocking on doors and winning elections to state legislatures, city councils and school boards. But the longer-term trend for the Democratic Party is worrisome."

The Making Of An American Nazi

The making of an American Nazi. The Atlantic: "How did Andrew Anglin go from being an antiracist vegan to the alt-right’s most vicious troll and propagandist—and how might he be stopped?... Like so many emotionally damaged young men, Anglin had chosen to be someone, or something, bigger than himself on the internet, something ferocious to cover up the frailty he couldn’t abide in himself. Fantasy overtook reality, and now he couldn’t escape. Who was he if not the king of the Nazi trolls?"