February10, 2018


News and Views


IF AMERICAN ESCAPES THIS PRESIDENCY EVEN SOMEWHAT INTACT, I WILL BE GRATEFUL. THIS KIND OF STATEMENT REALLY DOES WORRY ME:
“HIS SPEECH WAS INTENDED TO SHOWCASE THE HEALTH OF THE ECONOMY, BUT HE VEERED INTO AN EXTENDED DIGRESSION ABOUT HIS RECENT ADDRESS TO CONGRESS AND ACCUSED DEMOCRATS OF “TREASON” FOR REFUSING TO CLAP AT POINTS. THE ECONOMIC MESSAGE WAS LOST.” I’M AFRAID HE REALLY IS INSANE.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/10/us/politics/tax-cuts-election-message-trump.html
POLITICS | NEWS ANALYSIS
G.O.P. Squirms as Trump Veers Off Script With Abuse Remarks
By JONATHAN MARTIN and ALEXANDER BURNS
FEB. 10, 2018

Photograph -- Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida, a first-term Republican, is one of the president’s most visible champions outside the White House staff. Credit Jose Luis Magana/Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Trump’s approval ratings have been nudging upward and his party’s political standing is improving, but the president’s unceasing habit of making inflammatory and insensitive remarks is galvanizing opposition against him — especially from women — that could smother Republican momentum going into the midterm campaign.

Saturday was a case in point. In a Twitter post, Mr. Trump appeared to raise doubts about the entire #MeToo movement, a day after he had offered sympathy for a former aide accused of spousal abuse.

“Peoples lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation,” the president wrote on Twitter, adding: “There is no recovery for someone falsely accused - life and career are gone. Is there no such thing any longer as Due Process?”

On Friday, the president had jumped into the controversy over the former aide, Rob Porter, who is accused by two former wives of physical and emotional abuse, defending him and offering no denunciation even for the idea of assaulting women. Mr. Trump, who himself has been accused of sexual misconduct, focused instead on Mr. Porter, saying that he was enduring a “tough time.”

The president’s seeming indifference to claims of abuse infuriated Republicans, who were already confronting a surge of activism from Democratic women driven to protest, raise money and run for office because of their fervent opposition to Mr. Trump.

“This is coming, this is real,” Stephen K. Bannon, Mr. Trump’s former chief strategist, said recently about the female-fueled wave of liberal energy.

Mr. Trump’s remarks illustrated a broader problem: Republican congressional leaders and strategists have pleaded with lawmakers and candidates to stay focused on economic growth and December’s tax cuts, a message they hope will be their salvation before the elections in November. But that may be little more than fantasy in a campaign that will turn more on the president’s conduct than any policy issue.

His comments on Friday, the first he had offered since images emerged of one of Mr. Porter’s former wives bearing a black eye, were the culmination of a week’s worth of politically ill-advised steps that suggest that the president and his lieutenants cannot stop themselves from blunting positive political momentum. By the weekend, Mr. Trump’s State of the Union address, strong employment and wage figures as well as the onset of tax cuts seemed washed away by the latest White House controversy.

The frustration in the Republican political class is bursting forward.

“For members or anybody else who cares about keeping control of Congress, if you find yourself talking about anything but the middle-class tax cut, shut up and stop talking,” fumed Corry Bliss, who runs the primary House Republican “super PAC,” the Congressional Leadership Fund. “Any time spent on TV talking about anything but how we’re helping the middle class is a waste of time and does nothing to help us win in 2018.”

Republicans have grown accustomed to the president’s lack of discipline and inability to reliably carry a message. But operatives overseeing the midterm effort and some lawmakers facing difficult re-elections are growing more alarmed that Mr. Trump’s fixation on the Russia inquiry, personal slights and personality clashes inside and outside his White House are only encouraging his congressional and conservative news media allies to swerve off message.

Photo -- Even as voters begin to see more take-home pay, companies add jobs and employees receive bonuses, their votes will not necessarily drift to the Republicans in November. Credit Tom Brenner/The New York Times

The party has finally gotten some good signs. The president’s approval ratings have been inching up in recent polling, fewer voters are indicating a preference for a Democratic Congress and some polls show Mr. Trump starting to get more credit for the booming economy than former President Barack Obama.

But even as voters begin to see more take-home pay, companies add jobs and employees receive bonuses, their votes are not necessarily going to drift to the Republicans in November. Many Americans are still uncertain that they will benefit from the tax measure, Mr. Bliss conceded. He cited a wave of private polling and focus groups that his organization has conducted this year revealing much of the electorate to be skeptical that they would receive a tax cut from the bill, which was signed into law in December.

That is in part because of what mainstream Republicans describe as a destructive cycle of incentives: Mr. Trump reacts to Fox News segments about the Russia investigation or another controversy, encouraging more such coverage and prompting House conservatives from largely safe seats to make their own incendiary comments, which win them television invitations and attention from the president. Such notoriety might help those lawmakers in their deep red districts, but they do nothing for the party’s overall political standing.

“These guys are performing for the president when they go on TV,” said Jason Roe, a longtime Republican strategist who is consulting on a series of at-risk House districts in California.

Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida, a first-term Republican who is one of Mr. Trump’s most visible champions outside the White House staff, all but said as much.

Mr. Gaetz, who used the State of the Union speech to snag a selfie with Mr. Trump in the House chamber, has said the president is “about as popular in my district as oxygen.” He acknowledged that the tax bill was far more politically urgent than arguments about Russia and conceded that his on-air denunciations of Mr. Mueller served no electoral purpose. But for good measure, he said, he has been urging colleagues to warn voters in 2018 that Democrats could impeach Mr. Trump.

He also boasted that he had found a particular audience for his cable news forays: Mr. Trump, he said, “calls me frequently and shares his thoughts on my television appearances.”

Far less visible are Republican lawmakers such as Representative Mimi Walters of California, who is facing a difficult campaign in an Orange County district where lobbing rhetorical bombs at the F.B.I. will do little with her centrist constituents but drawing attention to Disney’s bonuses could bear fruit.

“We talk about this all the time — we have got to get the message out on taxes,” Ms. Walters said.

Campaign veterans and Capitol Hill aides say part of the challenge, particularly in the House, is that many Republican lawmakers had until last year been in office only with a Democratic president and therefore are well practiced at oppositional politics but know little about trumpeting a positive message.

Photo -- During a speech in Ohio on Monday, Mr. Trump chided Democrats for not applauding his State of the Union address. Credit Tom Brenner/The New York Times

Party officials have for weeks sought to drive home to lawmakers and Mr. Trump how crucial it is that they sell the tax law, bluntly warning that it will take an ambitious campaign to transform the measure into an unambiguous political winner. Strategists have written memos for public consumption and published op-eds emphasizing the need to go on offense. Senior lawmakers have used private meetings to implore the president and their colleagues to stay focused on taxes.

At a gathering last month at Camp David, House Republican leaders invoked the example of Mr. Obama to Mr. Trump, who is often eager to act differently than his predecessor. The lawmakers told the president that Democrats suffered such deep losses in 2010 in part because Mr. Obama did not make a sufficient case for his economic stimulus measure, Republicans in attendance said.

Last week at a congressional Republican retreat in West Virginia, Representative Steve Stivers of Ohio, the head of the House campaign arm, opened and closed his presentation to lawmakers with “three takeaways,” according to a Republican in attendance: “Be ready, sell tax reform and run a campaign.”

Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, another member of the leadership, has even created a kit for lawmakers about how to stage district events to “tell the story of the tax cuts and jobs,” offering a “Gipper of the Week” award to Republicans who do top-flight communications works (the award: a jar of jelly beans, a favorite of Ronald Reagan’s).

David Winston, a veteran Republican pollster, made a presentation at the retreat arguing that many voters remained highly flexible in their views of the tax law, giving Republicans a chance — but so far, only a chance — to close the sale. But in an interview, Mr. Winston, who advises Speaker Paul D. Ryan, warned that the party could not trust public opinion on the law to continue improving on its own.

“There’s a need to make people aware of what’s in the legislation,” Mr. Winston said. “There is a large portion of the electorate that is aware of it, but there’s probably a larger portion of the electorate that’s not.”

Mr. Ryan has been uneasy about the attention devoted to the release of the House Intelligence Committee’s memo about the F.B.I. Instead, the speaker has mapped out a series of visits to businesses affected by the tax law to showcase his preferred 2018 message by example.

In a revealing sign of the party’s anxiety about Mr. Trump, the Republican National Committee has taken to trumpeting the “Trump tax cuts” and has urged campaigns and other Republican committees to credit Mr. Trump explicitly and often with enacting the new law, but has faced skepticism from Republicans wary of introducing Mr. Trump’s name into competitive elections.

Mr. Trump himself underscored the risk involved in tying him, as a personality, to the Republican economic agenda during a visit to Ohio this week. His speech was intended to showcase the health of the economy, but he veered into an extended digression about his recent address to Congress and accused Democrats of “treason” for refusing to clap at points. The economic message was lost.

The conundrum, several strategists and lawmakers conceded, is that Mr. Trump’s legal and culture wars are more politically galvanizing to the party’s conservative base than Ryanesque sermons on the free enterprise system.

“The G.O.P. base just doesn’t eat that up the way it does trending memo hash tags and firing-Mueller conspiracies,” Nick Everhart, a Republican strategist based in Ohio, said of the party’s economic message. “Thus, it’s no surprise members of Congress in super-red districts, immune to the perilous political environment we’re headed toward, put themselves and feeding the base first.”



HOW DARE TRUMP CALL THE DEMOCRAT MEMO “POLITICAL,” WHEN EVERYTHING HIS GROUP HAS DONE IS “POLITICAL” TO THE HILT. LINKING UP WITH AN ENEMY POWER TO GET ONESELF ELECTED BY POISONING THE WELL OF OUR ELECTORAL PROCESS IS NOT “POLITICAL,” I SUPPOSE. I AGREE WITH THE COMMENTER BELOW, JUSTIN AMASH, THAT BOTH MEMOS SHOULD BE RELEASED AND WITH FEW REDACTIONS. MORE INFORMATION IF IT IS REAL “INFORMATION,” NEVER HURTS, BUT IN THE USA, BOTH SIDES SHOULD HAVE THEIR VIEWS STATED NOT JUST THE DOMINANT PARTY. THANK YOU, REPRESENTATIVE AMASH!

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-tweets-about-not-declassifying-very-political-democratic-memo/
By KATHRYN WATSON CBS NEWS February 10, 2018, 10:02 AM
Trump tweets about not declassifying "very political" Democratic memo

President Trump took to Twitter Saturday morning to defend his decision not to declassify a memo written by Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee in response to a GOP memo the president declassified for release last week. He called the Democrats' memo "very political" and "long." It is 10 pages, while the GOP memo is four pages.

Mr Trump also claimed Democrats knew their memo could not be released in its current form because it would reveal "sources and methods," forcing the White House not to support its release.

Mr. Trump asked the committee to review the Democratic memo and, with the help of Justice Department officials, work on a revised version.


Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
The Democrats sent a very political and long response memo which they knew, because of sources and methods (and more), would have to be heavily redacted, whereupon they would blame the White House for lack of transparency. Told them to re-do and send back in proper form!

9:20 AM - Feb 10, 2018
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48.5K people are talking about this
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White House counsel Don McGahn said in a letter to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes Friday night that the president would not declassify the Democratic memo over national security concerns, even though the FBI warned against the release of the GOP memo over the same concerns.

The GOP memo attempts to make the case that surveillance warrants under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) were authorized against former Trump campaign official Carter Page because of an unverified and politicized dossier about Donald Trump's alleged connections to Russia, authored by former British spy Christopher Steele.

The Democratic memo, which the House Intelligence Committee voted to release last week, attempts to rebut and clarify the GOP memo. The White House also released a letter from the Justice Department, written at the request of the White House, confirming the existence of national security concerns.

The full House could still vote to release the Democratic memo in its current form. But without the president's support, that seems less likely.

Rep. Adam Schiff, R-Calif., the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said, "After promising to treat the Democratic response in precisely the same way (as the GOP memo), the White House now seeks to have the Democratic memo sent back to committee and revised by the same majority that produced the flawed Nunes document to begin with."

Even some Republicans supported the release of the Democratic memo. Rep. Justin Amash, R-Michigan, tweeted Friday night that he has seen both memos, neither jeopardize national security, and the Democratic memo should be released just like the Republican one was.


Justin Amash
✔
@justinamash
Both the Republican and Democratic #FISA memos should be released. I’ve read both memos. Neither one endangers national security. The American people deserve the opportunity to read both memos.

8:30 PM - Feb 9, 2018
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THE FULL TRANSCRIPT OF THIS MEET AND GREET IS AVAILABLE WITH THE INTERVIEW VIDEO ON THE WEBSITE. THE VIDEO ISN’T VERY LONG, BUT IT IS CLEAR THAT THE KIDS WERE ALL “PLEASED AS PUNCH” TO BE WITH A SENATOR, AND ESPECIALLY ONE WITH HIS STAR QUALITY.

http://www.mynbc5.com/article/bernie-sanders-gives-high-school-students-the-microphone/17008479
Bernie Sanders gives high school students the microphone
Sen. Bernie Sanders hosted a discussion with high school students to talk about issues facing the U.S.
Tom Garris
Reporter

MONTPELEIR, Vt. —
On a snowy Saturday morning at the Vermont Statehouse, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I–Vermont) hosted a group of high-achieving high school students.

It was a part of the 2018 State of the Union Essay Contest, where Vermont high schoolers could write short essays about an issue they would focus on as President of the United States.

They formed a panel, discussing each of the final essays. The students wrote about issues like LGBTQ rights, marijuana legalization and affordable college.

“They’re thinking about all of the most important issues,” Sanders said. “I mean we could have gone on hour after hour after hour.”

Nearly 600 entries yielded 20 finalists. They were chosen by a panel of teachers, so the judging was not based on political ideology.

Montpelier High School sophomore Hope Petraro wrote about “gerrymandering, voter suppression and ‘money in politics.’”

“It was such a privilege to be able to talk to the Senator and discuss the issues that mean the most to me and to discuss issues that mean a lot to my peers as well,” Petraro said.

Sanders also challenged the students to find counter-arguments.

“Having your own opinion, you need to know what the other side is thinking,” Ella Whitman, Champlain Valley Union High School senior, said. “We all have different views because we have different needs.

The students received framed copies of Constitutional Records commemorating their essays.



I’M NOT FINDING MUCH ABOUT SANDERS OR DEAN IN THIS ARTICLE, BUT IT SAYS A LOT ABOUT VERMONT, WHICH IS A NEAT STATE.

https://www.salon.com/2018/02/10/bernie-sanders-howard-dean-and-the-political-contradictions-of-vermont/
Howard Dean; Bernie Sanders
(Credit: AP/Getty/Wikimedia/Salon)
DAVID MASCIOTRA
02.10.2018•10:00 AM

Bernie Sanders, Howard Dean and the political contradictions of Vermont
Salon talks to Bill Mares about the Green Mountain State in the age of Trump

One of the great gifts of American life is its regional diversity, full of separate state identities. Modern technology, and the mass media, have the unfortunate tendency of muting that diversity in the creation of a repetitive and banal monoculture.

Vermont, home of John Dewey, Bernie Sanders, and Phish, is American to the bone and contains fascinating multitudes for those willing to look.

Bill Mares, a former reporter and member of the Vermont state legislature, has collaborated with Jeff Danziger, an award winning political cartoonist, to help Americans acquire a picture of Vermont political culture, one that is especially revealing in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s election.

Their book, "The Full Vermonty: Vermont in the Age of Trump," is a rollicking, humorous and insightful exploration of the unique qualities of a state that, in many ways, is one of the union’s most progressive, even if it is largely rural and mostly white. A contradiction of demography and ideology captures the essence of what makes the story of Vermont feel essential in the maddening quest to understand America and react intelligently to the still surreal presence of Trump in the White House.

"The Full Vermonty" includes chapters from a wide variety of contributors – politicians, journalists, activists and philosophers. I recently interviewed Mares over the phone.

In one of the introductory chapters of the book, you explain that you were searching for some utility of citizenship in the aftermath of Trump’s election, and since writing and editing are things you do well, you thought you could do them in service of the cause of your country. What is your ambition for the book, and is that ambition troubled by the worry that you are preaching to the choir?

Well, I’m very aware of preaching to the choir. Let me answer the first part in a roundabout way, though. I’m currently writing a book on beekeeping in Vermont. In some way, the purpose is similar, because we don’t expect the rest of the country to follow Vermont’s way of beekeeping, but we think it is a distinctive story, and no one else has done this kind of book. So, we want people in other states to take the lead and do their own book. The ambition is the same with the political book. I know Vermont. I grew up in Texas, but I’m not going back to Texas to do this kind of book. I’m not going to Indiana. Now, one of the treasures of the book is that we have so many different types of people who have contributed chapters with their own views. Yes, in a certain sense, we are preaching to one another, but one of our characteristics is trying to sort things out in a generous community manner. That’s a hallmark of town meetings. So, we aren’t aiming to just satirize and criticize Trump, but we are trying to articulate ways in which a state or community can change.

I’ve never visited Vermont. My impression of the state comes entirely from reading and speaking with people who do have a close connection to it. One of its fascinating elements is that, according to demographic and geographic category only, it fits the profile of right wing, Trump country. It is largely rural, white and working class. However, it is also one of, if not the most progressive states in the union. Can you explain that dichotomy?

Yes, of course, but first it is important to acknowledge that 90,000 Vermonters did vote for Trump. It was a much higher percentage voting for Clinton, but 90,000 did vote for Trump, and they were distributed largely in the rural parts of the state. I was just in a bookstore with one of the co-authors, Steve Terry. He knows the state much better than I do, because he once covered state politics and was an aide to former Governor George Aiken. He said that Burlington is a wonderful place. It is an economic driver, and there are a few other pockets that are similar, but most of the state, like Maine, is poor. Certainly, Bernie [Sanders] has tapped into voters on the left, because of his progressive views, but he also has support from the right, because he refused to support the assault weapons ban. The NRA loved him for it. Bernie is someone who can appeal to both right and left, and I’d love to see the numbers on how many Bernie supporters voted for Trump . . .

One study [the Cooperative Congressional Election Study] indicates that one out of ten voters who supported Sanders in the primary voted for Trump. If those calculations are accurate, it was more than enough to put Trump over the top.

For several reasons, I’m not surprised. Now, back to your question – Vermont has gone through quite a social revolution since the 1960s. Prior to that, there had not been a Democratic governor in 100 years. Then, Phil Hoff changed all of that, and he rode the wave of Back to the Land people, of which my wife and I were a part. We came here in 1970s, and I wrote a book called "Real Vermonters Don’t Milk Goats." It was about that shift in the 1980s when the flatlanders [Vermont slang for outsiders] took over the state. That period was the end of the tension between the people from elsewhere and the real Vermonters. Now, real Vermonters are almost an endangered species.

So is that what produces the progressivism of Vermont?

Yes, most of the people who moved to Vermont were already pretty liberal, even far to the left. In the 1960s, even Vermont’s Democrats were more like moderate Republicans. Then, the people who moved here from other places, like me, started pushing the Democrats more to the left. When I was in the state legislature in the early 1980s, it was the first time in 40 or 50 years when the Speaker was a Democrat. And that had solidified the influence of people from away. The transformation was gradual, and once it started it took 20 [to] 25 years.

What insight can organizers on the left draw from that story and Vermont’s political culture as it exists now?

Oh, man. I think that the people like David Zuckerman, our Lieutenant Governor, and others who coming out of the Bernie tradition are very conscious that they have to appeal to a broad spectrum of people within this state. Now granted, it is very white, but there is a range of views, and they have learned or have developed an instinct for persuading more quietly, not hectoring the audience and not preaching to the choir, except when a choir is assembled for them to preach to. They acknowledge it is a politically diverse state, and they campaign accordingly.

Now, if we look at Bernie. He’s certainly been consistent throughout all his years, and he is passionate. So, maybe passion and consistency is the message.

I like that – “passion and consistency.” It makes me think of Howard Dean, another Vermonter. The first vote I cast was for Howard Dean in the Democratic Party primary. Dean and Sanders are, in some ways, quite different, but what they share is that in their respective primaries they were both the candidates with the populist and progressive energy. Neither one prevailed, but is there some kind of Vermont characteristic that gave them both similar energy and ability to inspire?

Politics is still, by national standards, a very modest thing in Vermont. There’s almost no chance that national politics diminishes what you are in Vermont. So, what you are in public and on a rostrum is pretty much what you are in your own living room. Because Vermont is small, and mostly small towns, you can’t triangulate different behavior: I-O-Us to different groups and money bags. It is retail politics. You have to go to the chicken pot pie suppers and make your pitch. The freedom with which politics is carried on in Vermont allows people to stand up quickly, consistently and not have to constantly go though analysis of, “what can I say here? What can I say there?” They can just be – they almost have to be – themselves.

One of the writers in the book claims that Vermonters are going to be fine following the Trump election. They will continue to talk in the coffeehouses, diners and bars like they always do. You mentioned that 90,000 Vermonters voted for Trump. Is the state dealing with the same intense polarization and political hostility playing out across the rest of the country?

That insight is from Christopher Louras, who was mayor of Rutland, and lost his reelection, because he supporting bringing in more refugees from Syria. So, that is a reflection that there is intensity of bigotry here too. Now, to your question — no, we aren’t with daggers drawn. It is a little different here. Jeff and I have been speaking at bookstores, and the only time we seem to take heat is from the left. [Laughs.] They say, “Why are you only going after Trump? Why not Wall Street? Sell-out Democrats?” There is some animus, but because of the communal quality here, it is pretty soft.

Speaking of other writers — and I don’t want you to misunderstand me — you are a great writer, but having a diversity of contributors does strengthen the book’s appeal, because it gives a better impression of the state.

I wouldn’t have done it alone. I’m overjoyed to be amongst this group of wonderful people. They all have something important to say. They make it a great buffet of seriousness and satire.

So, how is Vermont reacting on the ground to all of the madness visible in D.C.?

Well, I’m no longer in the legislature and I’m no longer a reporter. I tend to spend most of my time with my family and my honeybees, but I’m not entirely isolated. The people who were dismayed after Trump’s election are even more dismayed. I think he is, consciously or not, the very notion of American government. I thought it would be bad, but not as bad as it has become. I’m not going to write another book of this sort, but I’m looking for other ways to express my dismay, [to] prevent myself from throwing up my hands and giving up, and we in Vermont are working hard to find and create signs of encouragement. So, for example, I’m on the board of the Vermont Digger, a digital newspaper. We have 15 reporters around the state. It is all Vermont stories, but we do have the occasional column on national affairs. To be on that board gives me daily satisfaction. Even though it doesn’t directly cover national news, it is another engine to enable, excite and encourage other people in other states to do the same thing. This service, and this hope to keep journalism and storytelling alive, gives me satisfaction. Few of us are on the frontlines, but we can all throw out a few auxiliary shells.

DAVID MASCIOTRA
David Masciotra is the author of four books, including "Mellencamp: American Troubadour" (University Press of Kentucky, 2015) and "Barack Obama: Invisible Man" (Eyewear Publishing, 2017).



JOHN MCCAIN’S DAUGHTER TALKS TRUMP

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/meghan-mccain-says-trump-wont-attack-her-father-again-criticizes-ivanka-trump/
By EMILY TILLETT CBS NEWS February 7, 2018, 10:55 AM
Meghan McCain says Trump won't attack her father again, criticizes Ivanka Trump

AUDIO INTERVIEW -- https://simplecast.com/s/e8ec1b64
PHOTOGRAPH -- PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 11: Meghan McCain, co-host TakePart Live, Pivot, speaks onstage prior to the 'HITRECORD on TV' panel discussion at the Pivot portion of the 2014 Winter Television Critics Association tour at the Langham Hotel on January 11, 2014 in Pasadena, California. FREDERICK M. BROWN / GETTY IMAGES

Meghan McCain, a political pundit and the daughter of Arizona Sen. John McCain, says she doesn't expect President Trump to criticize her father's war service any time soon. McCain made the comments on Politico's "Women Rule" podcast, where she detailed a phone conversation with the president that touched on his criticisms of her father.

"[Mr. Trump] actually reached out to me and we had a very nice conversation and I feel comfortable going forward if he would say or do anything in the realm of talking about my father's war injuries in that nature, I don't think he would go there again," said McCain, a co-host of ABC's "The View." She added, "I don't think at this point in his administration it would be beneficial to him in any way."

McCain said she was "deeply hurt" by Mr. Trump's comments during the campaign.

"He's not a war hero," Mr. Trump said at the Iowa Family Leadership Summit in 2015 when moderator Frank Luntz brought up Sen. McCain, the GOP's 2008 presidential nominee.

"He's a war hero because he was captured," Mr. Trump said at the time. "I like people that weren't captured, OK?"

McCain, a naval aviator during the Vietnam War and the son of an admiral, was shot down during a combat mission and held in captivity for over 5 years as a prisoner of war. He was frequently tortured by his captors.

"I wish there would be sort of more respect in general but my father never toes the party line no matter who's president," McCain said. She said added that it was "rational" her father would be a "thorn in Trump's side."

McCain said her father is now doing "really well" after briefly being hospitalized for side effects of chemotherapy treatments for brain cancer. She said the Republican Senator had a "rough bout" during Christmas but he still "loves being talked about."

McCain also took the president's eldest daughter to task, questioning Ivanka Trump's claims that despite her role in the Trump administration, she's not a "political person."

"The part that I find confusing about her is that she works in the administration; she has an office in the White House, and she has claimed not to be a political person," McCain said. She added, "You're an adviser to your father, who also happens to be the president, and you're not a political person? I don't like things like that."

McCain said she wishes she heard more from Ivanka Trump on "all politics" and not just issues like paid family leave or the child tax credit, two issues the first daughter has spoken out about repeatedly. McCain noted, however, that she can "only imagine how difficult and complicated her life is right now.

"I really only try to have compassion for it," McCain said.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



I WOULD HATE TO CONCLUDE THAT ULTRACONSERVATIVE PEOPLE ARE ALSO CRIMINAL, BUT IF THE TRUMP GROUP ARE ANYTHING TO JUDGE BY, IT APPEARS THAT THEY MAY BE. ONE ARTICLE FROM PSYCHOLOGY TODAY ON THE PSYCHOLOGY OF CONSERVATIVE PEOPLE STATED THAT THEY HAVE A TENDENCY TO BE VERY NEGATIVE, AND THAT INCLUDES HOSTILITY, DISHONESTY, GREED AND CLASSISM. YES, THAT STATEMENT IS BOTH ABUSIVE AND UNFAIR. WE SHOULD JUDGE PEOPLE AS INDIVIDUALS. I’M SORRY.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43012426
David Sorensen becomes second Trump aide to quit amid abuse claims
February 9, 2018

Photograph -- David Sorensen was a speechwriter who worked at the Council on Environmental Quality

A speechwriter has become the second White House aide this week to resign amid allegations of domestic abuse.

David Sorensen denies his former wife's allegations he was violent and emotionally abusive.

His departure comes just days after another Trump official, Rob Porter, quit over allegations of abuse from two ex-wives, something he denies.

The scandal has put pressure on Chief of Staff John Kelly, who has faced questions over what he knew and when.

Mr Kelly and the White House have both denied reports he offered to resign over his handling of the allegations made against ex-staff secretary Rob Porter.

The chief of staff initially called Mr Porter, 40, "a man of true integrity and honour" after allegations of domestic abuse involving two ex-wives surfaced on Tuesday.

It is alleged that Mr Porter gave one ex-wife a black eye while another filed a restraining order. He denies both.

White House regret over abuse claims
No longer all the president's men

On Friday, Mr Trump paid tribute to Mr Porter, who quit his White House position on Wednesday.

Speaking in the Oval Office on Friday, Mr Trump said: "We found out about it recently and I was surprised by it, but we certainly wish him well and it's a tough time for him.

Media captionTrump on Porter: 'We absolutely wish him well'
"We wish him well," he said in his first public remarks on the claims. "He worked very hard."

But Mr Trump did not refer to Mr Porter's accusers.

His comments sparked criticism from Democrats, with former Vice-President Joe Biden saying Mr Trump had downplayed the allegations against Mr Porter.

"That's like saying: 'That axe murderer out there, he's a great painter'", Mr Biden said.

What's the White House fallout?
Mr Kelly had some knowledge of the accusations against his deputy.

After initially praising Mr Porter, he later released a new statement saying he was shocked by the claims and stressed domestic violence was unacceptable.

Image copyrightREUTERS
Image caption
White House communications director Hope Hicks' (C) handling of the controversy has reportedly displeased Mr Trump

White House communications director Hope Hicks' handling of the controversy has reportedly displeased Mr Trump.

The 29-year-old aide has recently been in a relationship with Mr Porter, a Harvard graduate and former Oxford Rhodes Scholar.

Mr Trump was reportedly not consulted when Ms Hicks helped draft an initial statement defending Mr Porter.

'He wasn't happy until he had me all to himself'
Who knew what and when?

According to CBS News, Mr Porter approached White House Counsel Don McGahn in January 2017 to inform him his ex-wives might say unflattering things about him to background check investigators.

In June 2017, Mr Porter's preliminary file was sent from the FBI to the White House security office, containing the abuse allegations.

In November, Mr McGahn received a call from an ex-girlfriend of Mr Porter alleging physical violence by the aide.

Mr McGahn told the White House chief of staff there was an issue with Mr Porter's security clearance, although he was vague, reports CBS.

Mr Porter told Mr Kelly his ex-wives were saying false things about him.

A White House spokesman said on Thursday that Mr Kelly did not realise the extent of the claims until a photo of one of Mr Porter's former wives, Colbie Holderness, suffering a black eye, emerged on Wednesday.



IN THIS WASHINGTON POST ARTICLE, SENATOR SANDERS AND OTHERS DISCUSS VERSIONS OF MEDICARE FOR ALL, IN AND OUTSIDE THE USA. HIS METHOD IN THIS SETTING IS MORE LIKE EDUCATION THAN CAMPAIGNING, AND GIVEN THE RELATIVELY UNFAMILIAR LAY OF THE LAND TO THAT OF TYPICAL “MAINSTREAM” AMERICANS, DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM NEEDS SOME EXPLANATION. WE HAVE ALL BEEN SPOONFED THE AMERICAN ANTI-SOCIALIST OPINIONS THAT ARE SOCIETALLY DESIRED, WHICH ARE TO BE TAKEN AS GIVEN; AND WE REACT IN A KNEE JERK WAY TO BEING OFFERED SOMETHING DIFFERENT AND PERHAPS FORBIDDEN. WE LIVE IN A NATION WHICH ALLOWS -- AT THIS POINT IN TIME, AT LEAST – FREE THOUGHT, BUT WITHOUT ENCOURAGING IT. IT ANGERS ME. IF THAT’S MY ONLY CHOICE IN HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS, THEN I’LL SIMPLY READ A BOOK.

IF ALL KNOWLEDGE AND OPINION WERE PERFECT AND FULLY HONEST, I WOULDN’T DISLIKE THAT SO MUCH, THOUGH I PROBABLY WOULDN’T BE A BLIND FOLLOWER EVEN THEN. I WANT THE EXERCISE AND THE STIMULATION OF READING AND DISCUSSING THINGS. THAT’S WHY I WILL SOMETIMES PICK UP THE READER REACTIONS FROM THESE STORIES, IF THEY ARE MORE THAN HOSTILE JIBES AT ANY RATE, BECAUSE THOUGH THE COMMENTS ARE NOT PERFECT OR TOTALLY ELOQUENT, THEY ARE PERSONALLY HELD VIEWS. THEY HAVE THAT WARM HUMAN FEEL, WHICH IS THE PRIMARY THING I WANT IN A HUMAN RELATIONSHIP, THE FREE EXCHANGE OF IDEAS AND FEELING, WITH NOBODY BEING ISOLATED, PUT DOWN OR SILENCED. THAT IS ACCEPTANCE, FAIRNESS AND RESPECT.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2018/01/24/bernie-sanders-talks-universal-medicare-and-1-1-million-people-click-to-watch-him/
PowerPost
Bernie Sanders talks universal Medicare, and 1.1 million people click to watch him
By David Weigel January 24, 2018

Photograph -- Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks during a health-care bill news conference on Capitol Hill in September.(Bloomberg)

With more than 1 million people watching at home, and hundreds watching from the studio audience, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) leaned across his desk with a crucial health-care question.

“What’s the quality of the Norwegian system?” Sanders asked Meetali Kakad, an Oslo-based health researcher. “Is it good?”

In her view, it was: “Far better than Canada.”

Sanders’s “town hall on Medicare for All,” an event he’d organized after becoming convinced that it would never be produced by the mainstream media, never got more combative than that. Over 100 minutes, Sanders and nine guests — three at a time, taking turns — discussed the need to bring about single-payer health care, its benefits to business and its implementation around the world. (Kakad’s Canada joke was aimed at Danyaal Raza, there to defend his country’s system.)

“It’s a discussion you’re not likely to see on the mainstream news,” Sanders said at the outset. “This event will not be interrupted by commercials for the drug companies.”

Cable news has been relatively generous to Sanders, as compared to the usual relationship between corporate America and democratic socialists. To strong ratings, he’s appeared in town halls on MSNBC and “debate nights” on CNN. Last year, the senator appeared more on Sunday shows than any member of the Senate’s Democratic caucus. In an interview last fall, he revealed his approach to cable news: “I usually don’t answer the question that they asked.”

On Tuesday night, it was Sanders asking the questions, and getting answers he liked. In the room — the Congressional Auditorium, where in 2010 President Barack Obama revved up House Democrats ahead of their Affordable Care Act vote — Sanders’s audience alternated between rapt attention and grateful applause as experts explained how higher tax rates could replace America’s health-care system with universal Medicare. A mention of Tommy Douglas, the father of Canada’s health-care system who remains somewhat obscure in the United States, inspired loud applause.

“No billboards, no high salaries,” said former Medicare and Medicaid administrator Donald Berwick. “The complexity of the system just isn’t there. What we’ve got here is insane!”

“Is that a clinical term?” asked Sanders, jokingly.

The content of the town hall was familiar; Sanders has hosted Web videos and podcasts on the “Medicare for All” bill. What was new was the delivery system, a team-up between the left-leaning online video channels the Young Turks, Attn and NowThis.

All of those channels had run popular content from Sanders, and the senator had previously hired Armand Aviram away from NowThis to make bite-sized policy explainer videos. The town hall was designed to see whether the online networks could combine to draw a bigger audience than Sanders might get on cable. It worked: According to the partners, 1.1 million people watched the event, about as many as play the popular smartphone trivia game HQ during its twice-daily live episodes.

HQ offers prizes, while Sanders offered some lessons about how health care worked. His first panel delivered a grim view of America’s private health-care system, with the founder of Remote Area Medical describing how the rural poor lived without basic coverage. The next panel offered hope, with businessman Richard Master and brewery owner Jen Kimmich describing how universal coverage could relieve pressure from the private sector.

“Are you finding that more people in the business community going behind ideology and finding that Medicare for All would be good policy for them?” asked Sanders.

“Every day,” said Master.

Sanders, who largely sat and listened to his guests, clearly relished the chance to speak without the confines of a campaign or a TV show. After Kimmich compared the cost of health care with her tax burden, Sanders called himself “the recipient of 30-second ads that raised that issue” and went off.

“What people will say, is, ‘Oh, Sanders is trying to raise taxes,’ ” he said. “It’s true. Many people, not all, will pay more in taxes. But if I told you today that instead of paying $10,000 a year for health insurance, you could pay $7,000 in taxes and have comprehensive health-care coverage for your whole family? Well, what most Americas would say is: Where can I sign up?”

Republicans, who have fitfully engaged with Sanders on his Medicare plan, were not around to argue. Earlier in the day, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), who has asked for a Congressional Budget Office score of Sanders’s bill, attempted to bait the senator into a debate about “government-run” health care, even asking if cutbacks in the United Kingdom proved that the National Health Service was unworkable. (The U.K.’s Labour Party has blamed the cuts on the ruling Conservative Party’s austerity cuts.)

Sanders ignored the bait, and on Tuesday night, he seemed to be having fun. “Who’s that young guy?” he asked, after a screen showed footage of him from the 1990s — hair already white but noticeably wavier. He shared stories of conservative politicians in other countries recoiling at the cost of American health care. He warned the president that Kakad, while Norwegian, “does not want to move to the United States.”

The whole show ended at around 8:45 p.m. Fifteen minutes later, HQ trivia began. In a remarkable coincidence, one of the questions was about Tommy Douglas.*

Sort of.

“Which TV show’s lead actor is the grandchild of a legendary Canadian politician?” asked the app.
The answer was “24.”

TOMMY DOUGLAS* --

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Douglas
Tommy Douglas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thomas Clement "Tommy" Douglas PC CC SOM (20 October 1904 – 24 February 1986) was a Canadian social-democratic politician and Baptist minister. He was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in 1935 as a member of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF). He left federal politics to become the Saskatchewan CCF's leader and then the seventh Premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961. His government was the first social-democratic government in North America, and it introduced the continent's first single-payer, universal health care program.

After setting up Saskatchewan's medicare program, Douglas stepped down as premier and ran to lead the newly formed federal New Democratic Party (NDP), the successor party of the National CCF. He was elected as its first federal leader in 1961. Although Douglas never led the party to government, through much of his tenure the party held the balance of power in the House of Commons. He was noted as being the main opposition to the imposition of the War Measures Act during the 1970 October Crisis. He resigned as leader the next year, but remained as a Member of Parliament until 1979.

Douglas was awarded many honorary degrees, and a foundation was named for him and his political mentor Major James Coldwell in 1971. In 1981, he was invested into the Order of Canada, and he became a member of Canada's Privy Council in 1984, two years before his death. In 2004, a CBC Television program named Tommy Douglas "The Greatest Canadian", based on a Canada-wide, viewer-supported survey. . . . .



THIS IS A SHORT, BUT INTERESTING, ARTICLE WHICH TELLS ABOUT HOW BRAIN CELLS DIFFER IN THEIR FUNCTION IN SEVERAL COMMON KINDS OF MENTAL ILLNESS, BUT GIVES NO DETAILED DEFINITIONS OF ANY OF IT. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE INFORMATION, IN MOST CASES RATHER THAN LESS, AND THIS IS DEFINITELY ONE OF THOSE. IF YOU ARE WILLING TO BREAK IT DOWN FOR YOURSELF AND GOOGLE EVERY UNFAMILIAR WORD OR IDEA AS I DID, THIS ARTICLE IS USEFUL AS A PLACE TO BEGIN. WHAT THAT MAINLY TAKES IS CURIOSITY AND PATIENCE. HAVE A GO AT IT!

THIS ARTICLE IS IMPORTANT TO ME BECAUSE IT SHOWS A NEW DIRECTION IN STUDYING THE THINGS THAT AMOUNT TO MENTAL ILLNESS, OR ONE THAT I HAVEN’T SEEN MENTIONED BEFORE. TODAY BRAIN CHEMICAL BALANCE IS THE BASIS OF MOST THERAPY ALONG WITH CLASSIC GROUP OR INDIVIDUAL TALK THERAPY. I DON’T SEE A SIMPLE NEW THERAPY HERE, BUT REALLY UNDERSTANDING BRAIN FUNCTIONING IN DETAIL IS A HUGE STEP FORWARD. IT’S A REALLY COMPLICATED ORGAN, AND IT CAN’T BE REMOVED FROM A LIVING BEING WITHOUT CAUSING DEATH, SO WHAT TO DO? THERE IS TOMOGRAPHY AND SOME ELECTRICAL FUNCTION TESTING. THE DRUGS USED HAVE TO BE TESTED CAREFULLY AND PAINSTAKINGLY SO THAT THE PATIENT DOESN’T DEVELOP A WORSE PROBLEM FROM THE DRUG ITSELF.

MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT MOSTLY DYSFUNCTIONAL MOST OF THE TIME, BUT MOST OF US HAVE SOME LEVEL OF THESE AND SIMILAR CONDITIONS. WE LEARN TO WORK AROUND THEM OR MODIFY THEM WITH TALK THERAPY – A LEGITIMATE FORM OF ACQUIRING NEW WISDOM – AND MEDICATION. WHAT WE VIEW AS HIGHER INTELLIGENCE AND, ESPECIALLY, CREATIVITY, ARE AN ABILITY TO “THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX,” OR MOVE BEYOND THE AVERAGE, THE OBVIOUS AND THE TRADITIONAL. THEREFORE, THEREFORE PEOPLE WHO DO THAT TEND TO BE CALLED “ODD,” “WEIRD,” NON-CONFORMIST OR “DISTURBED.” ACTUALLY OUR “INTELLIGENCE” DEPENDS A LOT ON THAT KIND OF THINKING. THE INABILITY TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX IS EITHER A LIMIT ON INTELLIGENCE ITSELF (IQ) OR, MORE LIKELY, THE EMOTIONAL RESPONSE TO THE BROWBEATING AND BRAINWASHING THAT GOES ON IN FAMILIES, CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS. TO BE “GOOD,” WE HAVE TO ABSORB SOME OF THAT NEGATIVITY, BUT THE WORST OF THE WORST HUMAN BEHAVIOR SUCH AS GENOCIDE RESULTS FROM ABSORBING, WITHOUT QUESTIONING IT ENOUGH, TOO GREAT AN AMOUNT OF THE PEER PRESSURE STUFF, RATHER THAN BEING ALLOWED TO THINK OUR OWN THOUGHTS WITHOUT BEING OSTRACIZED. BEING OSTRACIZED, MANY OF US LEARN TO DO IT IN RETURN, THUS “NORMALIZING” SUCH DESTRUCTIVE GROUP PRESSURE.

BOTH GROUPTHINK AND TOO GREAT A DEGREE OF SELF WILL ARE CAUSES OF AMORAL BEHAVIOR. BY AMORAL I MEAN ADOPTING SOME FORM OF ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR WITHOUT CONSIDERING IT “WRONG.” BEFORE YOU ASK, NO, SIMPLE SHYNESS AND SOCIAL ANXIETY IS NOT “ANTISOCIAL,” THOUGH WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL I HEARD SOME PEOPLE CALL IT THAT. SHOPLIFTING, BULLYING, CHEATING ON TESTS, AND WORSE UP THE LADDER OF TYPES OF CRIME ARE “ANTISOCIAL.”

MOST OF WHAT THE NONANALYTICAL PERSON TENDS TO VIEW AS MENTAL DISABILITY IS TO SOME DEGREE OR ANOTHER COMMON TO ALL OF US. THAT’S WHY FAMOUS AND IMPORTANT PEOPLE HIT THE NEWS FAIRLY FREQUENTLY FOR SUCH CRIMES AND SINS AS CHILD MOLESTATION OR WIFE BEATING, AND EVERYBODY WHO KNOWS HIM PERSONALLY SAYS “HE COULDN’T DO THAT.” THE PROBLEM IS THAT WE ARE MIXED IN OUR EMOTIONAL/MENTAL ABILITIES.

NORMALITY COVERS A WIDE RANGE OF THINKING TYPES AND SKILLS, ONE OF THE KEY SKILLS BEING THE ABILITY TO COVER OUR INNER BEING WITH A POPULARLY ACCEPTABLE OUTER IMAGE. WE LEARN TO SMILE WHEN WE FEEL LIKE S**T AND SOLDIER ON. IN MY VIEW WHEN I SEE TOO MUCH OUTER “POLISH,” I WONDER WHAT THE PERSON IS TRYING SO HARD TO COVER UP. WHAT I WANT TO SEE IS A GENUINE OPENNESS AND HONESTY. I ALSO WANT TO SEE CREATIVITY AND INTELLIGENCE, BUT THEY ARE GIFTS WHICH PEOPLE HAVE, AGAIN, BUT TO VARYING DEGREES.

IN MY WORLD, ALL PEOPLE ARE CONSIDERED VALUABLE UNTIL THEY ARE PROVEN AS INDIVIDUALS RATHER THAN GROUPS, TO BE DANGEROUS, OR WORSE, “EVIL.” TO ME, SADISM AND CHILD ABUSE ARE “EVIL.” MOST OF US HAVE FELT LIKE “WRINGING SOMEBODY’S NECK,” BUT MOST OF US MANAGE TO AVOID DOING IT. TO UNDERSTAND OURSELVES BETTER AND MANAGE SUCH IMPULSES, TALK THERAPY AND PERHAPS A PSYCHOTROPIC DRUG WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY HELP.

WHAT I SEE AS THE TRULY “CONSERVATIVE” MINDSET IS ONE OF FEELING THAT ONE IS AN FINE EXAMPLE OF THE HUMAN RACE. THE BASIC REASON FOR THAT IS THAT THOSE PEOPLE CONFORM. ABOVE ALL, THEY WILL LET THE MOST POPULAR GROUP DEFINE PERSONAL AND INDIVIDUAL VIRTUE. AS A FRIEND OF MINE SAID, “THEY ARE BOTH GROUP FORMERS AND FORMED BY THE GROUP.” THEY ARE VERY LIKELY TO MAKE FUN OF PEOPLE EITHER BEHIND THEIR BACKS IN SPITEFUL LITTLE GOSSIP GROUPS OR TO THEIR FACES IN PHYSICAL BULLYING; AND TO CONSIDER THEMSELVES TO BE “GREAT.” THEY OFTEN LIKE DONALD TRUMP BECAUSE HE SAYS HE WILL “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.” TO ME, GREAT MEANS VIRTUOUS, BUT TO HIS PARTICULAR TYPE OF “CONSERVATIVE,” IT MEANS POWERFUL.

PERSONALLY, I PREFER THE LESS CONFIDENT INDIVIDUALS WHO DON’T CONSIDER THEMSELVES TO BE “BETTER THAN,” AND DON’T CONDONE IT IN OTHERS. IF THEY HEAR A PERSON USING THE N WORD, THEY WILL SPEAK UP AND SAY THAT DOING THAT ISN’T VERY KIND. EVEN IF THEY ARE WEALTHY, AND MANY ARE, THEY WOULDN’T JOIN A COUNTRY CLUB, BUT A DISCUSSION GROUP INSTEAD. THAT CAN MEAN THAT THEY ARE MINORITIES IN SOME WAY, BECAUSE THAT HUMBLER ATTITUDE USUALLY STEMS FROM PAIN. IT ALSO CAN INCLUDE HAVING A MENTAL CONDITION WHICH IS A HANDICAP TO SOME DEGREE. OVERCOMING IT OR LEARNING TO WORK AROUND IT IS THEIR “JIHAD.” ON THIS SUBJECT, I SUGGEST THAT YOU READ THE WONDERFUL BOOK – OR SEE THE MOVIE – CALLED “THE CHOSEN,” BY CHAIM POTOK.

MOST PEOPLE WHO CAN’T ASSOCIATE COMFORTABLY WITH THEIR PEERS ARE NOT INCOMPETENT, BUT THEY DO HAVE SOME INTERNAL STRUGGLE GOING ON, SUCH AS A PAINFUL MEMORY OR A MOOD DISORDER. THEY ARE ALSO FORMED BY HOSTILITY WITHIN THE FAMILY OR MARRIAGE, AND ESPECIALLY BY THE LACK OF LOVE THAT SOME RATHER FRIGID PARENTS HAVE. PARENTAL LOVE IS NOT SUFFICIENTLY EXPRESSED IN COOKING DINNER ALONE, BUT REQUIRES SOME GOOD WARM, SPONTANEOUS HUGS, TALKING AND RESPECTFUL TREATMENT AS WELL. THE SO-CALLED “UNDEMONSTRATIVE” PARENT ACTUALLY DOES CONSIDERABLE HARM TO SOME KIDS ESPECIALLY. IF A WARM-NATURED PERSON HAS TO DEAL WITH A “RESERVED” PARENT, THEY WILL FEEL REJECTED.

THE VERY FACT THAT THE INTROVERTS OF THE WORLD ARE RARELY DISGUSTINGLY SELF-SATISFIED AND SMUG; ARE USUALLY MORE EMPATHETIC, THAN JUDGMENTAL, AND ARE OFTEN CREATIVE, ALL OF WHICH CAUSE ME TO LIKE THEM MORE RATHER THAN LESS. THEY ARE USUALLY MUCH MORE TRUSTWORTHY AND MORE INTERESTING PEOPLE TO KNOW. IF PEOPLE CAN GET AWAY WITH THINKING THAT “GREED IS GOOD,” I DON’T SEE WHY I CAN’T PROCLAIM THAT A LITTLE INTROVERSION IS ALSO GOOD. THAT MEANS THAT THOSE WHO ARE HARDCORE EXTROVERTS WILL PROBABLY DISLIKE ME, BUT THAT’S OKAY BECAUSE FROM MY EXPERIENCE, I PROBABLY WON’T LIKE THEM EITHER. LIVE AND LET LIVE.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2160697-first-glimpse-of-how-genes-may-cause-mental-health-problems/?cmpid=ILC|NSNS|2017_webpush&utm_medium=ILC&utm_source=NSNS&utm_campaign=webpush-Roost-genesmentalhealth
In autism, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, genes influencing how brain cells called astrocytes function seem more active By Jessica Hamzelou

Photograph -- Nancy Kedersha/Science Photo Library

Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and autism seem to have some similar effects on the brain. Analysing gene activity is taking us a step closer to understanding what causes such mental health conditions.

Unlike cancer or Alzheimer’s, say, for which underlying biological causes have been identified, psychiatric disorders and some developmental disorders are defined by behavioural symptoms. We know that people born with certain gene variants can be more likely to develop schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and autism-like behaviour, but we don’t know what these genes might be doing, and how they might put people at risk.

“The brain is an incredibly complex organ – if something is out of whack, something else can step in to compensate, so it’s very difficult to identify the fundamental problem,” says Jehannine Austin at the University of British Columbia in Canada.

Now it seems that the way some brain cells work is changed in similar ways in these conditions. Daniel Geschwind at the University of California, Los Angeles, and his team have been studying brain tissue donated by people who had such brain-related conditions when they died, and working out how active different genes were in their brain cells.

Overlapping activity
The group looked at tissue from people who had any of five diagnoses: autism-like conditions, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and alcoholism. “We found substantial overlap,” says Geschwind. “This work shows that using molecular features we might be able to get a good picture of these disorders, and develop targeted therapies.”

The greatest overlap was seen between samples taken from people with autism, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, although these conditions also showed a smaller degree of overlap with depression.

This mirrors what doctors have seen across generations of families, says Austin. “We tend to see disorders like depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder all in the same family,” she says.

Geschwind’s analysis reveals why some of these conditions overlap. In the brain, star-shaped cells called astrocytes help neurons grow. In people with autism, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, genes involved in controlling how these astrocytes function seem to be more active.

Depression and addiction
But each condition also had unique elements. Brain samples from people with depression, for example, showed signs of stress and inflammation. This chimes with the growing body of evidence suggesting that brain inflammation plays a role in mood disorders, and that anti-inflammatory medicines might help treat depression.

Heather Whalley of the University of Edinburgh, UK, hopes studies like these will go on to help identify subcategories of depression. “Depression is such a heterogeneous disorder, it’s likely there are different subtypes with different mechanisms,” says Whalley. “It might make it easier to identify treatments.”

Geschwind’s team found no overlap between alcoholism and the other conditions they studied. This might be because the study only included a small number of people with alcoholism, says Austin. But it might hint that addictions work in a different way, says Kevin McGhee at Bournemouth University, UK.

Journal reference: Science, DOI: 10.1126/science.aad6469

Read more: Psychiatry is reinventing itself thanks to advances in biology



IMAGINE THE INTRODUCTORY TWILIGHT ZONE MUSIC PLAYING HERE

http://www.kens5.com/news/local/texas/fbi-says-border-patrol-agent-killed-in-west-texas-was-not-attacked-1/515892877
FBI says Border Patrol agent killed in West Texas was not attacked
Oscar Margain, KENS 12:46 AM. CST February 08, 2018

New details have emerged in the FBI investigation into the death of a West Texas Border Patrol agent last November.

There’s been much speculation about whether the agent was ambushed or if his death was an accident.

The FBI released a two-page update detailing the scope of their investigation regarding the death of agent Rogelio Martinez. The agency believes that Martinez was not attacked, as some officials have suggested.

The report comes more than two months after the Border Patrol agent was found dead at the bottom of a culvert off a West Texas highway near Van Horn.

When news broke on the morning of November 19, some officials suspected that neither Martinez or his unnamed partner had been attacked.

After more than 650 interviews conducted by dozens of FBI field offices, investigators say that none of the evidence collected and analyzed so far, “supports the existence of a scuffle, altercation, or attack.”

The FBI update comes after the El Paso County Medical Examiner’s Office completed the autopsy report, which indicated that Martinez had suffered multiple blunt injuries to the head.

The medical examiner was not able to determine the manner of Martinez’s death.

Martinez’s unnamed partner, who was also injured that night while they were both on patrol, told investigators that he doesn’t remember what happened.

Investigators say that they cannot conclusively determine how the men ended up in the bottom of the culvert.

The FBI continues to offer their reward of up to $50,000 for whomever can provide information to help close the case.

If you have any information, you may contact the FBI at 915-832-5000.

© 2018 KENS-TV