Greta Van Susteren, APP Baron? You of course remember Greta from her long tenures on CNN and Fox News and her brief one on MSNBC, right? Now, she’s about to release an “APP” that she wants you to install on your phone. It’s called Sorry:
It’s easy to criticize what seemingly silly things really rich people do with their money, but perhaps Greta is on to something, since social media is built on human conflict.
Washington, D.C., Government to Pay for Parking Lot for Rich Foodies. It’s always enjoyable to watch one of America’s most liberal city councils disappoint its most liberal denizens. Recently, the council voted to spend $36 million on 600 parking spots outside of Union Market, a privately owned foodie food court. Here’s Chad Hughes, a contributor to the website GreaterGreaterWashington, criticizing the decision:
Of course this is a waste of money. Progressive transportation advocates are right, but for the wrong reason: Not because of it being a garage, but because it’s so obviously a subsidy for a very specific private business. (Which roads supposedly are, too, according to anti-car advocates.)
Should you wake up at 4 a.m. to be more productive? Probably not, but these folks seem to think it’s a good idea.
Senate Democrats Resurrect the Assault Weapons Ban. NBC News is reporting that Dianne Feinstein and 22 other Senate Democrats are going to propose a new ban on so-called “assault rifles.”
The original Federal Assault Weapons Ban passed in 1994 expired in 2004. There have been failed attempts to restore it, most recently by Senator Feinstein in 2013.
Here’s what Feinstein’s proposing:
Current owners of such firearms, Feinstein says, will be grandfathered, provided they are owned lawfully. It appears grandfathered owners could sell, gift, or trade their grandfathered weapon, but doing so would require a background check on the new owner. One exception would be magazines that store more than 10 rounds, which the bill would outlaw the transfer of. The legislation would supposedly require that all such firearms be stored in “secure gun storage” or be locked with a safety device, such as a trigger lock. And the legislation would ban “bump stocks” used by the Las Vegas shooter.
Republicans have already signalled interest in banning “bump stocks” in the wake of the Las Vegas massacre. That is perhaps the only room for agreement between the Senate’s pro-Second Amendment right and the Senate’s liberals. But since the NRA has pushed back against such efforts, this likely means even that is not going to happen.
Basically, such legislation is a marker, as it was in 2013 when Feinstein last pushed it. Her press release on the bill says as much:
Just don’t expect a debate or a vote anytime soon.
Why Johnstown, Pa., Loves Trump. Politico Magazine has a longform story talking with folks in sleepy Johnstown, Pennsylvania. on Year No. 1 of Trump.
All too often, stories like these are basically explainers for costal liberals as to how to think of people / feel sorry for people in the Rust Belt and understand why they don’t share the same worldview. This is certainly one of those sorts of articles, but it is also depressingly a whole lot more. There’s a lot to unpack in the piece.
The opioid crisis there is … bad. While some jobs are coming back, they’re having trouble filling them: “We just don’t have the workforce,” said Liston, the city manager. “If they are employable, and have a skill set, basically they already moved out of the area.”
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