Wiretap: Ceasefire in Aleppo, staying tough on Russia and why scientists are hoarding climate data

Aleppo ceasefire

A second ceasefire plan went into effect in Aleppo that would allow civilians to be evacuated from the rebel-held eastern part of the city. The bombing apparently stopped, at least briefly, but the question is whether this ceasefire will hold long enough for tens of thousands of civilians to escape. Via the Guardian.

Smoke got in our eyes

A critic’s notebook: They keep coming, both the bombs and the images from Aleppo, and the besieged wonder how so many, including most in the United States, can manage to look away. Via Michael Kimmelman at the New York Times.

Standing up to Russia

One of the first big questions for Republicans in Congress as the Trump era begins: Are they going to hang tough on Russia or are they going to cede the ground to the Democrats? Via the New York Times.

All quiet on the tweeting front

NBC News reports that U.S. intelligence officials believe Vladimir Putin played a direct role in the Russian campaign to interfere with the 2016 election campaign. No tweeted response yet from Trump.

Race panic

An Obama pollster argues that Obama’s election in 2008 resulted in what he calls “America’s racial aversion crisis” — and that the racial panic it caused became a powerful force in U.S. politics. Via Vox.

Doomsday prepper

Why one scientist is collecting as much data on climate change as he can before Trump takes office. Via the Washington Post.

Replacing Obamacare

From the National Review: Eight priorities that should be a part of any GOP plan to replace Obamacare.

School’s out

One thing we’re waiting to hear from charter-school booster Betsy DeVos, Trump’s secretary of education nominee, is any suggestion that the public school is a public good. Via the New Yorker.

Voting sessions

What Jeff Sessions could mean for voting rights if he becomes the next attorney general. (Hint: It’s not good.) Via the National Journal.

Yahoo hacking

If you can’t do the math, Yahoo can. It said that as many as a billion accounts were hacked in 2013. Via the Los Angeles Times.

Photo credit: kr428, Creative Commons, Flickr 
He has covered Dr. J, four presidential inaugurations, six national conventions and countless brain-numbing speeches in the New Hampshire and Iowa snow.