President Donald Trump throws down the gauntlet on terrorism

#President Donald Trump threw down the gauntlet to leaders of 55 Islamic countries in a speech in Saudi Arabia in which he not only urged them to unite in a war against Islamist terrorism but called for a new birth of tolerance in the #Middle East between Muslims, Christians, and Jews. The tone of the speech was as much religious as it was political.

President Donald Trump has gone to Saudi Arabia ready to do business

Besides going to #Saudi Arabia to create an Arab NATO and to exhort the Sunni Arab states to reject jihadism and to join the war on terror, #President Donald Trump went prepared to do business. Not only did the president sign a $110 billion arms deal ($350 billion over ten years) but facilitated $50 billion in business with American companies that will have a profound impact on the United States economy.

Jeff Bezos lays out his vision for a lunar settlement for school children

Amazon and Blue Origin CEO #Jeff Bezos was at the Seattle Museum of Flight recently when he conducted a #Question And Answer session with a group of school children. The event took place against a backdrop of the museum’s Apollo exhibit which features pieces of an F1 Saturn V engine that Bezos had recovered from the bottom of the Atlantic as well as an intact F1 that was never flown during the talk and question and answer. The Internet billionaire laid out his vision of a lunar settlement.

Why having AI as a president is a stupid idea

A recent article in Wired offers the modest proposal of electing an artificial intelligence computer as #President of the #United States. The theory is that an AI president would not make dumb decisions based on ego or any other human failing. The idea is a supremely stupid one, even if one has never seen a science fiction film in which such things go terribly wrong.

Alabama lawmakers move to preserve symbols of the Confederacy in the state

Ever since Dylann Roof massacred a number of African American parishioners while at Bible study, politicians throughout the south have been scrambling to remove every vestige of the old #Confederacy and the Civil War. Schools which were named after #Civil War figures are being renamed. Confederate battle flags are being hauled down from public spaces. New Orleans has even gone so far as to remove public statues of Confederate figures such as Robert E. Lee. However, the state of Alabama is moving in a slightly different direction where it comes to Confederate heritage.

How Ted Cruz saved us from the RompHim

Few people, especially his enemies, would ascribe to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas a sense of humor, not to mention consider him an arbiter of men’s fashion. But, thanks to a caption contest run by the Washington Free Beacon, he seems to have accomplished both roles with alacrity. Cruz also may have “ruined” or saved us from, depending on one’s point of view, men’s rompers or, as some are calling it, the RompHim.

New York Times: Beto O’Rourke is 2018’s version of Wendy Davis

The #New York Times has an interesting piece about Rep. Beto O’Rourke, a Democrat who is running to take Ted Cruz’s Senate seat away from him. O’Rourke, by all accounts, has become the latest heartthrob of Democrats, especially those who have never sullied themselves by actually visiting the Lone Star State. Surely this time O’Rourke will turn deep red Texas blue by defeating Ted Cruz. Sadly, from the point of view of the left, O’Rourke is likely to be 2018’s version of #Wendy Davis.

New York Times: Beto O’Rourke is 2018’s version of Wendy Davis

The #New York Times has an interesting piece about Rep. Beto O’Rourke, a Democrat who is running to take Ted Cruz’s Senate seat away from him. O’Rourke, by all accounts, has become the latest heartthrob of Democrats, especially those who have never sullied themselves by actually visiting the Lone Star State. Surely this time O’Rourke will turn deep red Texas blue by defeating Ted Cruz. Sadly, from the point of view of the left, O’Rourke is likely to be 2018’s version of #Wendy Davis.

Anthony Weiner cops a plea to sexting a 15-year old girl

The fall of #Anthony Weiner, whose once promising career in Congress was cut short by a sexting scandal, is now all but complete. He has copped a plea admitting to transmitting obscene material to a minor, a 15-year-old girl, which is a felony with a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, though he may get just two years. At the same time, his long-suffering wife, Huma Abedin, a consigliere to #Hillary Clinton, has filed for divorce. There will be no reconciliation.

About what happened on ‘The Blacklist’ season four (spoilers)

“#The Blacklist” has finished its fourth #season with some tumultuous changes in the lives of several of its characters, especially the James Spader character, Ray Reddington. The series also concluded for the spring with not just one but two big reveals.

Bob Beckel fired from Fox News – again

#Bob Beckel, the long term on-again, off-again liberal talking head at #Fox News, has been fired from the cable news network – again. This time he was said to have made “an insensitive remark to an African-American employee.” One would have to assume, though it is by no means certain, that the remark was racial in nature. Beckel, as one of the original co-hosts of the panel discussion shows, “The Five,” was famous for his “insensitive” remarks during the many political back-and-forth arguments that took place on the program.

Russian space chief casts doubt on SpaceX moon mission

When SpaceX’s Elon Musk first announced that he had two paying customers willing to take a trip around the moon on a specially outfitted Dragon spacecraft launched by a #Falcon Heavy in 2018, the announcement was met with a combination of excitement and skepticism. The excitement stems from the fact that Musk is one of the cool kids in the aerospace community and such announcement, such as the one about the Mars colony, are given a certain weight that no one else, even NASA, enjoys. The skepticism comes from the other fact that Musk has a tendency not to hit targets he has set for himself. The Falcon Heavy, for example, due to be test launched later in 2017, is years behind schedule.

California Gov. Jerry Brown snarks that tax opponents are ‘freeloaders’

The burgeoning tax revolt taking place in California has given conservatives hope that, at long last, Californians have grown tired of the #Abusive Relationship they have with their state government. Certainly, Gov. #Jerry Brown is not amused. He recently called those people who are objecting to a new tax hike on gasoline and diesel, along with an increase in auto licensing fees, as “freeloaders.”

Are you ready for FBI Director Joe Lieberman?

The name of former Sen. #Joe Lieberman has risen to the top of the list for a new FBI Director according to a number of reports. The notion seems to run counter to the conventional wisdom among political observers that President #Donald Trump should choose someone who is a non-politician with heavy law enforcement experience. Lieberman, though a life-long Democrat, is pretty much hated by the base of that party. Ironically he is very popular among Republican senators.

Report: Jim Bridenstine to NASA and Scott Pace to the National Space Council

One of the burning questions facing the Trump Administration is when to roll out a new #Space policy. News reports abound about plans to an early return to the moon and commercial partnerships. We also know that the president intends to reestablish the White House National Space Council, to be chaired by Vice President Mike Pence. But highest in the minds of space policy observers is who will be nominated to be #NASA administrator, and who will be nominated to direct the National Space Council? NASA Watch is reporting that those people are likely to be Jim Bridenstine, a Republican congressman from Oklahoma, and Scott Pace, a former NASA official, respectively.

Statewide ride-sharing bill passes Texas Legislature

The #Texas Legislature has passed a bill that establishes a statewide regulatory regime for ridesharing companies such as Uber and Lyft. The bill was drafted in response to a number of local governments such as #Austin’s which imposed onerous regulations, mandating fingerprinting of drivers, that resulted in the two major ride-sharing companies leaving the cities where such rules were imposed. The bill is headed to the desk of Gov. Gregg Abbott who is expected to sign it. The moment the bill goes into effect, both Uber and Lyft intend to return to Austin and expand their services throughout Texas.

Does President Donald Trump have a persecution complex?

Twice in about a week, #President Donald Trump suggested that he is being persecuted more than any other politician in history. He said so before the graduating class at the Coast Guard Academy, claiming, “No politician in history, and I say this with great surety, has been treated worse or more unfairly.” Then he tweeted, just after Robert Mueller was appointed as a special counsel to investigate alleged ties between Russia and his campaign. “This is the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history!” He also complained that he was being subjected to a double standard that was not applied to President Barack Obama or #Hillary Clinton.

‘Young Sheldon’ is a portrait of an annoying genius and a young boy

Spinoffs of hit TV shows rarely turn out well. But, if the trailer for “Young Sheldon.,” the spinoff of “The Big Bang Theory,” is any indication of the quality of the series, it might be the exception. The series, due to air in the fall, is essentially a portrait of an annoying genius as an even annoying #Young Boy. Nine-year-old Sheldon Cooper, living in a town in East Texas, is being bumped up to the ninth grade. What could go wrong?

How Roger Ailes changed the face of TV news forever

While it is unfortunate that #Roger Ailes went out of #Fox News and now out of life under a cloud of accusations of sexual harassment, that circumstance should not overshadow the enormity of how he changed the face of television news. No one who came of age after October 1996, the month Fox News came on the air, will understand the extent of his accomplishment. In a way, FNC has made more people mad than what Ailes is alleged to have done to female employees.

Ted Cruz to hold hearings on whether and how to amend the Outer Space Treaty

Space News is reporting that Sen. #Ted Cruz, R-Texas, the chair of the Senate subcommittee that oversees NASA, intends to conduct the second in a series of hearing regarding the future of the space program and commercial space. The subject of the planned May 23 hearings is the #outer space treaty and how it might be amended to account for the realities of 21st Century space exploration which is increasingly featuring private players as well as national space agencies.