President-elect Donald J. Trump's denunciation of a stopgap spending bill has left Republicans without a strategy to fund the government, and Speaker Mike Johnson is grasping for a way to avert a shutdown this weekend. Mr. Trump torpedoed the bipartisan deal Mr. Johnson had struck, leaving him caught between two seemingly untenable options: continue with a bill sapped of Republican support or try to implement Mr. Trump's demands, which will be a tough sell among Democrats, who still control the Senate, and some Republicans. Mr. Trump publicly turned against the deal after the billionaire Elon Musk, the world's richest man, spent much of Wednesday railing against the agreement.
President-elect Donald Trump's appointee to advise him on Middle East affairs, Massad Boulos, is reported to have significant discrepancies between his public profile and documented business background, casting doubt on the thoroughness of the former president's vetting process. read more
While these early European humans were long seen as a species which we successfully dominated after leaving Africa, new studies show that only humans who interbred with Neanderthals went on to thrive, while other bloodlines died out. In fact, Neanderthal genes may have been crucial to our success by protecting us from new diseases we hadn't previously encountered. read more
Upton, however, told The Mercury News that he had no plans to inter his cremated remains in the sunken hull of the Utah, an honor available to the crew members who survived the sinking. "I got off there once," he told the newspaper. "I'm not going back."
Interestingly, the last of the Japanese airmen who took part in the attack died this year: a bombadier who struck the ship on which Upton served (www.nytimes.com).
American Factory (2019) (youtu.be), well worth watching, is streaming on Netflix.