Apparently the 7.6 million missing jobs I keep writing about would be filled but for the fact that the unemployed are all smoking marijuana

From the story here:

[E]mployers ... are quietly taking what once would have been a radical step: They're dropping marijuana from the drug tests they require of prospective employees. Marijuana testing - a fixture at large American employers for at least 30 years - excludes too many potential workers, experts say, at a time when filling jobs is more challenging than it's been in nearly two decades.

If a tyrant is smart he will keep the warriors preoccupied with their business, not his

"Trump clears way for troop increase in Afghanistan as part of retooled strategy"

"TRUMP RENEWS AFGHAN COMMITMENT BUT SAYS 'NO BLANK CHECK'"

"Trump, who once backed withdrawal from Afghanistan, tries to sell the nation on deeper involvement"

Close Senate healthcare vote delayed because McCain recuperating from surgery: Watch, next week Murkowskie will stub her toe

Story here.

Visa overstays hit 740,000 through September 2016

From the story here:

Countries with the highest visa overstays during the period from October 2015 to September 2016 were Canada, Mexico, Brazil, China and India.

It's official: Trump disappoints us, tells AP he's not going after Dreamers

Trump's official policy?

He specifically campaigned on rescinding Obama's two immigration executive orders.

So he's flipflopped. He's disappointed us.

Expect lots more of that.

Here, today:

President Donald Trump says young immigrants shielded from deportation - often referred to as "dreamers" - should "rest easy" about his immigration policies.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Trump says he is "not after the dreamers, we are after the criminals." He says "that is our policy."

President Barack Obama changed enforcement priorities to protect many young people brought to the country illegally as children from deportation.

Attorneys say 23-year-old Juan Manuel Montes was recently deported to Mexico despite having qualified for deferred deportation. Montes sued Tuesday for access to records on his deportation.

Trump says Montes' case is "a little different than the Dreamer case," though he did not specify why.

Trump White House appears to be backing away from Larry Kudlow/Steve Moore supply side tax plan from the campaign

Another bad sign for economic growth prospects.

From the story here:

"It's a little frustrating that they feel they have to write a new tax plan when they have a tax plan," said Steven Moore, an economist at the conservative Heritage Foundation who helped formulate tax policy for the Trump campaign.

The way to Obamacare repeal is through repeal of the filibuster

Harry Reid's fateful end of the filibuster in 2013 for lower court and executive branch nominees looks set to be ended also for the higher court.

Once accomplished, nothing in principle stands in the way of removing the filibuster rule for legislation.

And that means Obamacare can be repealed with a simple majority of Republicans.

From the story here:

And now, with political polarization at an extreme, the Senate is on the verge of killing off the Supreme Court filibuster, the one remaining vestige of bipartisanship on presidential appointments. For now the filibuster barrier on legislation will remain, though many fear it could be the next to go.

Those who lament this development should look to themselves.

Popular election of Senators from 1913 has made the Senate little more than a Super House, where the filibuster ended in 1842. The continuance of the filibuster in the Senate is thus an anachronism and a farce in an age of rule by 535 demagogues.

If anyone wishes to imbue the Senate with the supposed august character of its past, start by rescinding the popular election of its membership, thus making the Senate once again the creature of the states the constitution meant it to be.

For such a Senate the filibuster might once again become appropriate, but not for this one. 

57-year old female spacewalker drops and loses 18-pounds of thermal shielding outside International Space Station

Can't they find anybody younger and stronger to do this job and do it right?

She's on her 8th spacewalk for crying out loud.

Story here.

Ben Carson confirmed by Senate to HUD 58-41 and Rick Perry to Energy 62-37

"Carson and Perry are the 17th and 18th of Trump's 22 Cabinet and Cabinet-level nominations to win Senate approval."

Sessions confirmed 52-47

Here.

Homeland Security swoops in on states at the last minute, designates election systems "critical infrastructure"

These bastards need to be rounded up, locked up and the key thrown away. We run this country, not the political appointees of a failed president. 50 US Secretaries of State, the Electoral College and the US Congress all have certified Election 2016. We don't believe a bunch of Obama hacks' fancy report.

From the story here:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A last-minute decision by the Obama administration to designate election systems as critical infrastructure drew intense criticism from state and federal elections organizations on Monday.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson announced the move Friday with 30 minutes' notice to the National Association of Secretaries of State and U.S. Election Assistance Commission, an independent bipartisan federal agency that develops voluntary voting guidelines and certifies voting systems. ...

McCormick said Homeland Security ignored commissioners' requests to delay a decision until there is more discussion. She called the move an example of "federal overreach" and said she will ask President-elect Donald Trump to review the decision. ...

Johnson's announcement came hours after U.S. intelligence agencies released a declassified report that said Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign aimed at the U.S. presidential election. The report said Russian intelligence services had "obtained and maintained access to elements of multiple U.S. state or local electoral boards," but didn't elaborate.

Outrageous: FBI gave immunity to Clinton Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills, Clinton executive assistant Heather Samuelson and John Bentel of the State Department

That's how badly James Comey doesn't want Donald Trump elected president.

From the Friday-afternoon-when-no-one-is-paying-attention-news-dump, here:

"No wonder they couldn't prosecute a case," said Chaffetz, R-Utah. "They were handing out immunity deals like candy." ...

The latest revelation brings the total number of people who were granted immunity as part of the FBI's investigation to at least five.

It had previously been reported immunity had been granted to Bryan Pagliano, a tech expert who set up Clinton's email server, as well as Paul Combetta, a computer specialist for a private firm that later maintained Clinton's email setup.

AP story, supposedly delayed for 3 years because of State Dept. stonewalling, says 55% of Hillary's private meet-ups while Secretary ended up donating to the Clinton Family Crime Foundation

The Associated Press story here outlines the corruption game of pay for play no doubt detailed in some of the 30,000 to 45,000 e-mails deleted by Hillary Clinton from her private server:

At least 85 of 154 people from private interests who met or had phone conversations scheduled with Clinton while she led the State Department donated to her family charity or pledged commitments to its international programs, according to a review of State Department calendars released so far to The Associated Press. Combined, the 85 donors contributed as much as $156 million. At least 40 donated more than $100,000 each, and 20 gave more than $1 million. 

Black cop shoots black perp, blacks burn down six Milwaukee businesses anyway, Governor Walker ready to send in the Guard

Walker would have made a good Chief Executive, except for the free-trade and illegal immigration stuff.  Like the Bush Clan, Walker lacks "the vision thing".

From the AP-Obama report, here:

Six businesses were burned and 17 people arrested in violence a few hours after a black police officer shot a black man. Police said the victim was fleeing a traffic stop and was holding a gun when he was shot. ... Walker says he took the step after receiving a request from Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke and talking with Mayor Tom Barrett and the Guard's leader. His announcement says the Guard will be in position to help "upon request."

Hypocrite Obama has tried to get around the law his entire presidency, today speaks up for it to make sure the history books trim his record

Quoted here:

"Attacks on police are an attack on all of us and the rule of law that makes society possible," Obama emphasized Sunday.

Unbound delegates pledge support for Trump, giving him 1,238 and securing the nomination

The Associated Press had the story, here:

Trump was put over the top in the Associated Press delegate count by a small number of the party's unbound delegates who told the AP they would support him at the national convention in July. Among them is Oklahoma GOP chairwoman Pam Pollard.

Lawyers on strike over new taxes in Greece push backlog of cases to the year 2032

Reported here:

Athens lawyer Thanos Koussoulos says self-employed professionals like him will feel the most pain, as the new measures will increase monthly pension contributions, taxable income, and levies on services. "An average lawyer will lose half his income and won't be able to survive," he said, speaking in an empty courtroom. "Every part of society has been affected by these measures, including groups once considered to be privileged. I think it's a good thing they are demonstrating." ... Ironically, the lawyers' strike has added pressure on the government to seek a quick way to raise revenue, as tax cases challenged in court have been held up.

Despite the hype, the current El Nino hasn't matched 1997-98

AP Obama reports here:

"[I]nitial figures for October-November-December match the same time period in 1997 for the strongest El Nino."

Well, so what?

The current El Nino took 9 consecutive periods to get to a 2.3 in OND whereas the 1997-98 episode took 7 periods. More importantly, the latter averaged 1.6 for the whole series up to that point while the current El Nino is averaging a less strong 1.3 so far.

What really counts is consecutive periods measuring 2.0 or above. There were 5 in 1997-98 but only 2 so far in the current El Nino.

The headline "METEOROLOGISTS: 'DARTH NINO' TIES RECORD FOR STRONGEST SEEN" is total bullshit.

Hillary thinks cops are pigs, but rolls out new campaign that love trumps hate

From the story here:

'Republicans scoff at the idea of Clinton preaching a gospel of love. "I think most voters see her as warm and cuddly as a porcupine," said Republican pollster Nicole McCleskey. "It has a hollow ring to it."'

Sixty percent of the states still collect less revenue than before the 2007 recession

From an Associated Press story here:

A majority of states have failed to climb back to their pre-recession status, in terms of tax revenue, financial reserves and employment rates, said Barb Rosewicz, who tracks the fiscal health of states for The Pew Charitable Trusts. ... Nationally, total tax revenue coming to the states has been rising, but the pace has been slow as employment continues to lag pre-recession levels in more than half the states, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. Pew also found that 30 states are collecting less revenue than at their peak.