Trump and the Republicans go bold for tax reform

The Washington Examiner is reporting that the Trump Administration and congressional Republicans are undertaking #Tax Reform that they feel will be even more transformational than the ones adopted during the Reagan presidency. The approach will be to cut tax rates for both individuals and businesses, including small businesses that generally do not incorporate, and at the same time cut out a large number of deductions. The corporate tax rate would be reduced to 15 percent, for example, making the United States a more attractive place to invest in. The new tax code would remove a lot of distortion that the old one has created in the American economy, hence fostering economic growth and job creation.

Latest North Korean missile test has United States considering options

The Washington Post is reporting that #North Korea has tested a new missile that national security experts fear is one step closer to a working ICBM capable of delivering a nuclear weapon. The missile was launched from a site near the #North Korean border with China, flew in a high arc of 1240 miles, and then hit the ocean 435 miles away from the launch pad.

Tax revolt brewing in California

People in deep blue #California may have had, at long last, enough. According to the Washington Times, a revolt is brewing over a massive, $52.4 billion tax hike imposed to finance an infrastructure repair and mass transit program. A drive has been mounted to put an initiative on the ballot to repeal the measure. Opponents are also starting a recall petition to oust state Sen. Josh Newman, a Democrat, seen as having cast the deciding vote for the tax increase. The proposition would be slated to go on the 2018 ballot, same time as the mid-term elections.

Michelle Obama accuses Trump of wanting the feed school kids ‘crap’

Several weeks ago, Agricultural Secretary Sonny Perdue ordered a rollback of some of the school lunch mandates that had been imposed on American public schools at the behest of former First Lady Michelle Obama. The changes seemed minor enough. Permissible salt levels were raised. Schools would be able to opt not to serve whole grain meals. Students would be offered one percent milk instead of fat-free. However, during a recent speech, Mrs. Obama reacted badly to what was, in effect, a change that would wipe out her legacy.

NBC decides to uncancel ‘Timeless’ after all

What a difference a few days makes. Of all the show cancellations that took place over the past few weeks, the one that NBC inflicted on “Timeless” seemed to be the most aggravating. “Timeless” depicted a trio of time travelers who were chasing a criminal throughout history to stop him from changing crucial events while at the same time unmasking a conspiracy so immense that it was spread out over time as well as space.

Kenneth Branagh’s next project may be ‘Keeper of the Diary’

Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Kenneth Branagh is in talks to star in and direct a movie entitled “Keeper of the Diary.” The film will depict the struggles of #Otto Frank to find a publisher for his daughter’s diary, kept when she, along with her family and others, were hiding in the secret annex in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation of Holland. The Franks and their friends were eventually caught and sent to concentration camps. Otto was the sole survivor of the group.

Trump administration nears $100 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia

The #trump administration is reported to be near an arms deal with #Saudi Arabia which will be initially worth $100 billion and eventually as much as $300 billion. The deal would enhance the desert kingdom’s ability to participate in the war on terror and to confront Iran. The agreement would not, coincidentally, be a big boost to American manufacturing and job creation. The deal may be announced during President Trump’s upcoming foreign trip which includes a stop in Saudi Arabia.

NASA and the White House decide not to send people around the moon in 2019

NASA announced that, after due consideration of a proposal by the #White House to put a crew on the first flight of the Orion spacecraft launched by a heavy lift #space launch system around the moon, that it will stick with the original plan to keep the mission uncrewed.

Ursula K. Le Guin’s ‘The Left Hand of Darkness’ coming to television

Variety is reporting that Critical Content picked up the TV rights to Ursula K. Le Guin’s 1969 science fiction novel “The #Left Hand of Darkness.” The material will be developed for television with Le Guin serving as a consulting producer. Le Guin has had two novels, “Earthsea” and “The Lathe of Heaven” previously adapted for the small screen.

Bill O’Reilly vows revenge on the ‘left wing cabal’ that drove him off the air

Bill O’Reilly, the long-time Fox News talking head, has not been heard from since he left on his vacation to the Vatican during which he was terminated from his show in connection with accusations of sexual harassment of female staffers and guests. O’Reilly recently granted an interview with Glenn Beck, a talk radio and Internet media mogul who had a show on Fox News several years ago. According to the Hollywood Reporter, O’Reilly vowed legal action against a “left-wing cabal” he says was behind the accusations and his subsequent dismissals.

China mulling a plan to capture an asteroid for eventual mining

The South #china Morning Post is reporting that the Chinese are considering a much more ambitious version of #Asteroid Redirect Mission that NASA has proposed. The idea is to find a resource-rich asteroid, attach rockets to it, and then fire it into #lunar orbit within the next decade. Eventually, the asteroid would be mined for its resources. However, the Chinese do not anticipate having the technology for large scale space mining for another four decades.

Tax lawyer statement fails to reassure Trump critics on Russian ties

To tamp down the furor over President #Donald Trump’s tax returns, which the president has successfully concealed from the media, his political opponents, and the American people, Trump’s tax lawyers have released a statement that not only didn’t help but may have made things worse. Essentially. Trump has not made any money from business deals with Russians nor does he owe any Russians money, with “few exceptions.” That last caveat had many people tittering on social media, removing any beneficial impact the statement may have had.

What just happened on ‘The Big Bang Theory?’

It’s time to discuss what happened on the season finale of “The #big bang theory,” the long-running sitcom about the socially maladjusted geniuses and the women who love them. The show has lasted so long because of the various ways that it has allowed the characters to grow and develop beyond the initial premise. Leonard married Penny, the pretty, wonderful girl next door. Now it is #Sheldon Cooper’s turn to grow as the result of a love of a woman.

What happens if the first intelligent life we find is more primitive than us?

One of the memes of science fiction has been what might happen if an advanced alien civilization contacted the Earth. The scenario has appeared on film ranging from cerebral offerings such as “Arrival” and “Contact” to more action oriented alien invasion stories such as “Independence Day.” However, a recent article in Discover invites us to consider what may happen if Earth discovers a preindustrial civilization residing on another Earth-like planet. Then Earth will be the advanced aliens with some decisions to make about dealing with the primitives.

Report: NASA cautions against crew on first flight of the Space Launch System

According to Bloomberg, a #NASA study has recommended against putting a crew on the first flight of an Orion launched on a heavy-lift #space launch system rocket. The study, ordered by acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot in the wake of the Trump Administration requesting a look at the scheme’s feasibility, suggests that immense scheduling and funding problems exist to execute the idea. Also, NASA is very leery about launching a new rocket with a crew on it for the first time.

SpaceX’s Elon Musk may send two Red Dragons to Mars in 2020

ArsTechnica is reporting that SpaceX is mulling the possibility of sending not just one but two Red Dragon landers to Mars in 2020. The theory is that the challenges of landing such a heavy vehicle on the Martian surface are so great that a little redundancy would be in order. If the first landing attempt fails, then it would provide enough data for the second try to be successful.

In the wake of Comey’s firing, Democrats call for a special counsel

One of the fallouts of the furor surrounding President Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey has been calls by Senate Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, for the appointment of a #Special Counsel to investigate contacts between the Trump campaign and the Russians. Democrats are pretty sure that Comey was getting too close to some imagined conspiracy between Trump and Vladimir Putin. Hence the president fired the FBI Director. The theory is ludicrous because the FBI investigation will proceed apace no matter who is running the Bureau.

NASA envisions a deep space gateway in lunar orbit to support Mars missions

Space.com is reporting that, as part of its #Journey To Mars program, NASA may conduct a yearlong mission in #lunar orbit sometime in the late 2020s. The announcement was made at a recent Humans to Mars Summit that took place in Washington D.C, by Greg Williams, NASA's deputy associate administrator for policy and plans in the agency's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate.

China conducting simulated moon base tests inside a ‘Lunar Palace’

Demonstrating that China is serious about pursuing a return to the moon program, Phys.org reports that a simulated #Moon Base experiment is being conducted using a 1,170 square foot facility called "Yuegong-1", or "#Lunar Palace.” Four postgraduate students, two men, and two women have entered the sealed lab to conduct tests of #Closed Loop environmental systems that will be needed for the long-term settlement of the moon.

Michael Dowd declines an independent run against Ted Cruz for the senate

Sen #Ted Cruz, R-Texas received some more good news in advance of his campaign for a second term as a #United States senator. Mathew Dowd, a political commentator and former official in the Bush 43 White House, has declined to launch an independent bid for Cruz’s seat. Previously, Democratic Rep Joaquin Castro decided to pass on a run against Cruz. That leaves only Rep.Beto O’Rourke as a Cruz challenger, thus far.