Wiretap: Echo chambers, a failing dam and the corporate tax cuts Wal-Mart hates

Twitter war

The new media: Barack Obama says on a podcast with his old pal David Axelrod that he would have beaten Donald Trump for a third term (if, say, the Constitution permitted such a thing.) On Twitter, Trump replied, “NO WAY!” (His caps, not mine.) Via the New York Times.

Trouble ahead

The economy is, of course, in much better shape than advertised. The question then: What does Trump do if/when the numbers suddenly go south? Via the Washington Post.

Beast of burden

House Republicans are proposing a huge corporate tax cut that may well also give Donald Trump what he wants. A couple of problems, though: Walmart hates it. And so do the Koch brothers. Via Vox.

Under pressure

ISIS remains a huge problem, of course, but it may not be the most dangerous problem in Iraq. The Mosul dam is failing, and a catastrophic breach could kill hundreds of thousands of people. Via the New Yorker.

After the win

We know how much Trump admires General Patton. But if you saw the movie, or, gosh, maybe even read a biography, you know that Old Blood and Guts had more than a few faults — some of which The Donald-elect may share. Via Politico.

Sphere of influence

In a blow to conservative hopes, it’s looking like Mike Pence’s influence in a Trump administration may not be nearly as large as expected. Via RealClearPolitics.

Assassinated characters

Carl Cannon: Jeff Sessions and Keith Ellison are both victims of character assassination. Via the Orange County Register.

Echo chamber

One liberal professor writes that despite what you may have heard even from some liberals, the campus liberal echo chamber is a myth. Via the New Republic.

Cancel subscription

It’s tough all over for journalism these days. But it’s even tougher when you’re an Oklahoma newspaper and you endorsed Hillary Clinton. That’s when the cancellations came pouring in. Via the New York Times.

 

Photo credit: Mike Kalasnik, Creative Commons, Flickr