U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley slammed Russia and Iran after a deadly suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria this weekend, and warned that the U.S. would respond, amid pressure from top lawmakers to counter Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and his supporters.
To hear the president's allies tell it, the FBI raid Monday on the offices of Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen was the latest indication of a politically charged Justice Department run amok. Fox News’s Sean Hannity bellowed that special counsel Robert Mueller has “ostensibly tonight declared war against the president of the United States.” Trump concurred, renewing his attacks on Mueller’s investigation as “a total witch hunt,” “a real disgrace,” and “an attack on our country” by people with “the biggest conflicts of interest I’ve ever seen.”
As speculation mounted on Monday night that President Donald Trump may soon order a strike in retaliation for a deadly suspected chemical attack carried out over the weekend by the Syrian government, Republican senators expressed support for such a strike and said it would not require congressional approval.
I got my rear derailleur replaced by a mechanic in Del Rio (locally pronounced “Del Ree-uh”) and finally bought new tubes. My plan was to leave the highway behind and take Old Mines road to Laredo, a 114-mile gravel stretch that cuts right along the Rio Grande, and I couldn’t afford to take any mechanical chances.
Mysterious ships!Each day as I drive into #TheSwamp™, I see a random barge as I cross the Potomac river on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge out near National Harbor. What is this barge, and why has it been there for so long?Washington Post to the rescue! Turns out, there’s long been a tugboat anchored out on the Potomac as well.
“Just ‘a typical Chicago Cubs busy night.’”That’s what Chicago police put in their report, documenting a scruff between two reporters hanging out off-duty at a baseball game.Deadspinreports:
Milwaukee television reporter A.J. Bayatpour was arrested on battery charges after police said that he punched a reporter from a rival network at Friday’s Brewers game, according toFTV Live. Bayatpour was taken into custody on Saturday and has since been released on bail.
Bayatpour works for FOX affiliate WITI Channel 6, while the man he allegedly assaulted, Ben Jordan, works for NBC affiliate WTMJ Channel 4. Neither was attending Friday night’s game against the Cubs for work. Per the police report obtained by FTV Live, Bayatpour had been “ridiculing” one of his coworkers, Madeline Anderson, who is dating Jordan. When Jordan stepped in, Bayatpour is said to have punched him and “caused a significant injury.”
Maybe the writers of Anchorman can take note for their latest installment.
Laws named after victims are well intentioned, but usually a bad idea…Even more so when people want to add them to a state’s constitution. In New Hampshire, legislators are trying to put a version ofMarsy’s Law, which grants rights to crime victims and their families, in the state’s constitution. Nevermind that the state already has a statutory victim’s bill of rights.
Of course, Marsy’s Law has its roots in California, where amending the state’s constitution can be done by ballot initiative, which is generally a terrible idea.
Were Marsy’s Law proposed as a statute instead of a constitutional amendment, would it violate the New Hampshire or US Constitutions? We believe the answer is “yes.” Why then would we add such language to our state constitution? Why not consider alternative language that is constitutionally sound?
The discussion around CACR 22 is also an opportunity to learn from other states’ experiences. For instance, in North Dakota, where Marsy’s Law was enacted in April 2017, bond hearings are already taking longer and requiring more time to schedule. Due in part to such delays, Marsy’s Law is estimated to cost North Dakota roughly $2 million per year to implement.
South Dakota has experienced so many consequences from its version of Marsy’s Law that the GOP House Speaker intends to introduce legislative changes this year, and is considering giving voters an opportunity to revoke it.
Except in New Hampshire, it’s the legislators showing they’re as short sighted as the voters. Perhaps a better solution would be to amend the underlying law. Not everything needs to be in a state constitution.
Call Your Mother!That’s the name ofa forthcoming bagel shop and deli in Washington, D.C. There are not enough good delis here in Washington, and this one looks promising:
“If Montreal and New York-style bagels had a baby, that’s sort of what we’re going for. We’re just trying to blend the best of both worlds,” Dana said.
As for what goes on and between the bagels, Dana and his team have a few ideas up their sleeves. First up, is a from-scratch cream cheese, which they’re making using dairy from Trickling Springs Creamery and serving at theFRESHFARM Dupont and Silver Spring markets.
When Call Your Mother’s Georgia Avenue location opens, look for bagel sandwiches with pastrami, egg and cheese — plus whitefish and salmon options. And because Dana said the concept is a “Jew-ish” deli, there will also be a bacon, egg and cheese bagel sandwich.
At lunch, deli sandwiches will be served on homemade challah, rye and wheat breads. Come dinner, the space will switch to a communal supper club concept, featuring rotating menus and themes.
“We’re talking about fried chicken dinner, a Peking duck dinner. We want to do a New York-style pizza night, with big pies, fried calamari, garlic knots — your stereotypical New York-style pizza dinner, but done really well,” Dana said.
If you have too many bagels, perhaps the “Doomsday Diet” is for you.Garrett Graff’swonderful ode to the survival cracker, “the US government's Cold War-era nutrition solution for life after a nuclear blast” is worth reading.
Forgotten Grumman TLRV.Next time you’re in Pueblo, Colorado,check out this futuristic hovertrain. It’s neat, but probably wouldn’t have worked out. Kind of like Hyperloop.
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