 | Monday 04.01.19 It's April Fool's Day, so keep your guard up! And all you tricksters and fool-makers out there, please be kind. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.
By AJ Willingham | |  | | Campaign 2020
The horses are out of the gate for the 2020 presidential race, and we're already seeing several stumbles. Over the weekend, probable Democratic candidate Joe Biden had to answer to allegations from Nevada Democratic politician Lucy Flores that the former VP made her feel uneasy by smelling her hair and kissing the back of her head at a campaign rally in 2014. Biden responded, saying he's never felt as if he's acted inappropriately. Elsewhere in crisis management, Pete Buttigieg was chided by Hillary Clinton's former campaign manager for remarks he made in January about her campaign, seemingly criticizing Clinton for implying America was "already great" in her messaging. Buttigieg defended the comments, saying he has "enormous respect" for her and she was "ill-served by a strategy and media environment." Meanwhile, Beto O'Rourke recently had to explain unearthed patterns of policy reversals. "Listening to people, seeing things from a different perspective, owning when you've made a mistake" is "part of who I am," O'Rourke told CNN. | |  | | Amazon
| |  | | Aid cuts
The State Department announced this weekend that the US is cutting off aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, just one day after President Trump claimed the countries "set up" migrant caravans for entry into the United States. Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney elaborated on the decision on Sunday, saying the countries "could do more" to mitigate the "humanitarian crisis" at the southern border. The President has long placed the blame for the migrant crisis at the southern border on the Central American countries from which many of the migrants come. In October, he tweeted a threat to cut off aid from the same countries, saying they "were not able to do the job of stopping people from leaving their country and coming illegally to the US." It's not clear how much money would be withheld, but some experts say halting aid isn't effective in reducing the number of migrants heading toward the US. | |  | | Venezuela
The ongoing economic and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela worsened over the weekend when another major blackout hit the country. While smaller blackouts have become a daily occurrence across Venezuela, this one marked the third major blackout in the month of March. The outages don't just affect power -- they halt transit, put hospital services at risk and diminish supplies of clean water. Embattled President Nicolas Maduro and his government blame the United States and its allies inside the country, accusing them of sabotaging power plants and the electricity grid. Juan Guaido, the president of the country's National Assembly, who is recognized by many countries as Venezuela's interim president, says the blackouts are another example of Maduro mismanaging the income from the country's massive oil reserves and failing to maintain public infrastructure. | |  | | Slovakia
The small Central European country of Slovakia just elected their first ever female head of state. Zuzana Caputova is sometimes called "Slovakia's Erin Brockovich" because of a 14-year legal battle she waged against a controversial businessman who wanted to build an illegal landfill in her hometown. However, Caputova's election is about far more than glass ceilings and Hollywood nicknames; it is a big vote against the rising tide of populism in Europe. During her campaign, Caputova voiced support for minority communities in her country and called for more LGBT rights (same-sex marriage is illegal in Slovakia). | |  |  People are talking about these. Read up. Join in. | | $100,000
The final selling price of a rare Harry Potter book recently bought at auction. That's going to be quite a trip to Gringotts! | | |  What the hell was he thinking? From now on I ain't never gonna (say) no Jussie -- you're a Jessie from now on. You don't get the 'u' no more. That 'u' was respect. You don't get no respect from me. | | |  | Sssoooo sssoothing
Not to blow your mind, but this video of people making art is, in and of itself, art. I KNOW. HAPPY MONDAY. (Click to view) | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment