House Dems feuding before new Congress even begins

Progressives are slamming Nancy Pelosi’s rules package to govern the House.

The new Congress hasn’t even started and already the left is warring with Democratic leadership.

Welcome to 2019.

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Two leading progressive lawmakers on Wednesday vowed to oppose a rules package they believe will inhibit votes on key liberal priorities, including Medicare-for-All. That resistance — should it grow — could endanger the obscure collection of provisions that will govern the new Congress.

And it would be an embarrassment for incoming speaker Nancy Pelosi and her leadership team, who quickly moved to explain the decision and tamp down opposition. The rules package is one of the first votes of the new Congress, which begins Thursday. It needs 218 votes to pass and is typically a party-line vote, meaning 18 Democrats could sink it.

“PAYGO isn’t only bad economics… it’s also a dark political maneuver designed to hamstring progress on healthcare+other leg,” tweeted Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), referring to a budget provision in the rule. “We shouldn’t hinder ourselves from the start.”

Her tweet followed one from Rep. Ro Khanna, a progressive from California who also vowed to vote against the rules package.

Under the proposed rules, the cost of new entitlement spending or tax cuts must be offset in order to come to the House floor for a vote. That rule, known as “pay-go,” would make it harder to bring major progressive priorities like Medicare-for-All or a “New Green Deal” from receiving a vote due to their enormous cost.

However, as Pelosi’s spokesman Drew Hammill noted on Twitter Wednesday, a federal law already mandates pay-go rules. Under a law signed by President Barack Obama several years ago, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget is required to make across-the-board cuts to other programs if any new deficit-increasing legislation is enacted.

Thus, Hammill argued, if Congress were to pass a new entitlement program like those being championed by liberals, Trump’s acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, who also serves as OMB director, could take the scissors to other federal programs Democrats support, including Medicare.

“A vote AGAINST the Democratic Rules package is a vote to let Mick Mulvaney make across the board cuts, unilaterally reversing Democratic initiatives and funding increases,” Hammill tweeted at Khanna.

Khanna had tweeted his opposition to the measure earlier: “I will be voting NO on the Rules package with #PayGo. It is terrible economics. The austerians were wrong about the Great Recession and Great Depression. At some point, politicians need to learn from mistakes and read economic history.”

Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) also came out against the pay-go provisions, but stopped short of saying he’d vote against the rules package.

“We must not handcuff our new Democratic majority, so PAYGO is a no go for me,” Ryan said in a statement. “Critical investments in education, infrastructure, and health care should not be held hostage to budgetary constraints that Republicans have never respected anyhow.”

The entire debate could be seen as a theoretical one, as House leaders regularly waive rules that stand in the way of top priorities. Plus, the GOP-controlled Senate would never pass these costly progressive proposals anyway.

But the fight foreshadows the battle to come in the House Democratic Caucus this year. The party is currently grappling with how far to tack left leading up to the 2020 presidential race, with emboldened progressives cheering proposals like free tuition at public universities — and newly elected Democrats from red districts balking.

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This ferry can sail and even dock all by itself

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Maria Dermentzi

26 minutes ago

Rolls-Royce and Finferries partnered in 2015 to develop and test autonomous shipping technologies. One of the outcomes of the SVAN research project was a fully autonomous ferry that the companies demonstrated in December 2018. “Falco” has so far collected more than 400 hours of training in the archipelago near the city Turku, Finland. The ferry can autonomously follow a pre-defined route and even adjust it to avoid collisions. In case of an emergency, a human captain can take over the control of the vessel at any time from a remote operations center located on the shore.

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5G is coming in 2019, and it’s going to change your life

It’s hard to imagine life without smart phones and mobile devices. But it wasn’t until 3G that smart phones began to resemble the user experience now so ingrained in our daily lives. Since then, faster network speeds have been one of key enablers of the creation and widespread use of cloud technology enabling transformative services like ride-sharing apps, HD entertainment, and video calls that have become mainstream.

While 3G and 4G powered these services, 5G represents another connectivity leap beginning this year.

It is envisioned – per ITU-R’s IMT-2020 requirements — to support blazing-fast speeds of up to 20 Gbps, low latency as low as 1 millisecond, and 100x more capacity as compared to 4G, 5G is setting the stage for immediate improvements to existing experiences as well as the development of new, yet-to-be-imagined technological advancements.

Here’s a look at the change coming:

Everything will get faster

From day 1, 5G is designed to make virtually everything faster, providing fiber-like speeds to support insatiable demand for unlimited data. You should notice improved download speeds, superior quality video streaming and virtually instant cloud access in flagship 5G devices launching in 2019. And it should be easier than ever to download your favorite binge-worthy series at the airport or deliver massive files to colleagues when you’re on the go.

Instant access to cloud

5G brings extraordinary low latency. Latency is the time between data request and its delivery. 5G is purpose-built and designed to deliver entirely new real-time experiences we’ve never had before. We expect our new smartphones, tablets, and always-connected PCs* will be able to utilize 5G’s lower latency connectivity, higher capacity, in addition to its super-fast speeds, for the next level of cloud services.

Smooth real-time multiplayer gaming

Once online/cloud gaming make it easier for multi-player collaboration, then, live-stream gameplay with rapid map and level downloads will get a boost. Think of first-person shooter game where latency can be the difference between your character’s life and death.

Transformation to the Wireless Edge

As virtually everything gets connected in this new era, realizing 5G’s full potential requires transformation of the wireless edge. An architecture of distributed intelligence where intelligence that deals with immediacy is moved toward the edge (closer to or on the devices) while processing-intensive functions are kept in the cloud. 5G is enabled with the help of Qualcomm’s foundational inventions and mobile platforms, and is engineered to provide the high-speed low-latency link that connects them together.

One great use case of 5G and edge computing is extended reality (XR). Enough processing is kept in the headset while offloading nearly everything else, including rendering, to the cloud. With your 360-degree views effortlessly synchronized with your movements, XR experience is intended to feel immediate and photorealistic. Simply put, this could transform your experience from passive watching to living the moment.

Another use case is AR shopping. This is just beyond utility, it can make the shopping experience more fun, with the ability to virtually decorate with friends or family. An experience that can allow you to see how a couch will fit in your home – try it before you buy type of experience.

What’s next can only be imagined

Qualcomm, an inventor of breakthrough technologies for wireless, is focused on enterprise as well as consumer use cases. The next phase of 5G is designed to bring large-scale changes for the enterprise and business sides, allowing for innovation in autonomous driving, smart cities, social good, and beyond.

*Requires network connectivity.

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Giants’ Dave Gettleman on Odell Beckham Jr.: ‘We Didn’t Sign Him to Trade Him’

Timothy Rapp @@TRappaRTTwitter LogoFeatured ColumnistJanuary 2, 2019

New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham warms up prior to an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

The New York Giants don’t seem to have any interest in trading star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

During a press conference Wednesday, general manager Dave Gettleman said the team “didn’t sign [Beckham] to trade him,” per SNY:

SNY @SNYtv

Dave Gettleman says the Giants won’t be trading Odell: “We didn’t sign him to trade him” https://t.co/Mi9xGutoUT

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

Get the best sports content from the web and social in the new B/R app. Get the app and get the game.

Gettleman on Eli: We’ll Do What It Takes to Build Sustained Success

via Bleacher Report

AB Drama Highlights Need for Coaches to Be Tougher on Star Players

via CBSSports.com

Barkley Taking Advice from Frank Gore on Offseason Training

via SNY

Collins Heads into Offseason of Uncertainty

via SNY

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White House: Democrats’ plan to end shutdown is a ‘non-starter’

Donald Trump and US congressional leaders from both political parties are set to meet for a White House border security briefing on Wednesday, the 12th day of a partial federal government shutdown triggered by the Republican president’s demand for more than $5bn to fund a border wall.

Senior Department of Homeland Security officials will brief the congressional leaders, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said, on the last day of the Republican-controlled 2017-2018 Congress.

It was unclear if the meeting would lead to a breakthrough in the standoff over a funding dispute that centres of Trump’s demand that $5bn in funding for a wall on the Mexican border be part of any spending measure. Democrats rejected the demand and, as a result, parts of the federal government have been shut down since December 22 because of lack of funding.

When Democrats, led by presumptive House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, take over the House on Thursday, they plan to approve a two-part spending package meant to end the shutdown. But its prospects of passage are grim in the Senate, where Republicans hold a majority.

The House Democrats’ measure does not contain the $5bn Trump wants for the wall – one of his key campaign promises – and sets up the first major battle of the new Congress between House Democrats led by Pelosi and Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The White House dismissed the Democrats’ proposal as a “non-starter”.

“It does not fund our homeland security or keep American families safe from human trafficking, drugs, and crime,” Sanders said in a statement late on Tuesday.

Trump remains committed to “an agreement that both reopens the government and keeps Americans safe,” she said.

Trump said last month he would be “proud” to shut down the government over the issue but then blamed Democrats.

McConnell has said Senate Republicans will not approve a spending measure that Trump does not support.

Democrats’ plan

The Democrats’ two-part package includes a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security at current levels through February 8 and provide $1.3bn for border fencing and $300m for other border security items including technology and cameras.

The second part of the package would fund federal agencies that are now unfunded, such as the Justice, Commerce and Transportation departments, through September 30.

Trump says the wall is crucial to curbing illegal immigration. Democrats disagree, with Pelosi calling the wall immoral, ineffective and expensive. Trump repeatedly said during his presidential campaign that Mexico would pay for the wall, but Mexico has refused and US taxpayers likely will be left footing the bill.

The Democratic package could put Trump and his Republican allies in a tough position. If they reject funding bills for departments unconnected to border security, Republicans could be seen as holding those agencies and their roughly 800,000 affected workers hostage to Trump’s desire to build a wall.

More than half are working without pay, while the rest are furloughed.

Last week, federal employees sued the US government over the requirement that workers deemed “essential” must work without pay during the shutdown.

In the past, Congress has approved back pay for federal workers, but the American Federation of Government Employees, which announced the lawsuit on Monday, called the requirement to work without pay “inhumane”.

On Wednesday, the Smithsonian museums and National Zoo in Washington, DC, closed due to the shutdown.

Due to the #GovernmentShutdown, Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo are closed. We will update our operating status as soon as the situation is resolved. We do not plan to update social media other than to inform you of our operating status.

— Smithsonian (@smithsonian) January 2, 2019

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Trump aims to jump-start shutdown talks in meeting with congressional leaders

government shutdown

Wednesday’s meeting is the first between the president and top lawmakers since the shutdown started before Christmas.

President Donald Trump will use his face-to-face meeting with Capitol Hill leaders Wednesday afternoon to try to find a way out of the partial government shutdown, which is beginning to sting across the country as it enters its 12th day.

Trump will “try to figure out whether he can strike a deal” with Democrats, according to a senior GOP lawmaker. The 3 p.m. meeting between the White House and congressional leaders of both parties is the first sit-down since the shutdown started before Christmas. But Democrats aren’t expecting an immediate breakthrough.

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Discussions will take place as larger swaths of the country start to feel pain from the shutdown, from the closing of the Smithsonian museums in the nation’s capital to a temporary halt to rural agriculture loans. Wednesday also would have been the first day back from the New Year holiday for roughly 380,000 federal workers.

The meeting with the top two leaders from each party in the House and Senate — which has been specifically billed as a briefing on border security by top officials from the Department of Homeland Security — is hardly expected to end the budget impasse, however.

“It’s not a meeting, it is a briefing. We expect a one-sided, non-factual presentation. Expect Democrats to again have to correct the record in the meeting and afterward,” a senior Democratic aide said Wednesday, which is technically the final day of a fully GOP-controlled government.

The briefing is being held in the White House Situation Room, a move that may be intended to add some theatrical flourish for Trump as he tries to sell the public on the need for tougher border security.

Despite their view of the event as a stunt, Democrats said they could get something out of the visit with Trump.

“Not often the president gets to hear people tell him when he’s wrong. Democrats intend to do that today,” said Justin Goodman, a spokeswoman for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Democrats remain firmly opposed to devoting more taxpayer dollars to Trump’s border wall, and have hatched their own plan to reopen government this week without any new border money. The White House rejected that plan on Tuesday night, with press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders saying any funding bill without that additional cash would be a “nonstarter.”

On Thursday, incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats will retake control of the House, swearing in a robust freshman class that is eager to deny Trump his long-sought border money.

The shift in power will embolden Pelosi and her deputies, who announced earlier this week that they have drafted a two-part spending proposal to reopen the nine shuttered federal agencies.

First, the House will pass six of the Senate’s own full-year spending bills in an attempt to lure Senate GOP leaders to follow suit, or be seen as holding thousands of workers’ jobs hostage. As an extra sweetener, the package would include a 1.9 percent pay raise for federal workers that Trump himself has opposed.

Second, the House will pass a short-term bill to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, while freezing its budget to the exact same levels as before. That includes $1.3 billion for border barriers that the White House and Republicans secured in a compromise last year, but not a penny more.

The plan is intended to put pressure on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who, like Pelosi, is a former appropriator who has opposed a shutdown from the start. McConnell, however, has said he will only put a spending plan on the floor that has explicit backing from the president. And Sanders made clear Tuesday night that the White House does not support the Democrats’ proposal.

“The Pelosi plan is a non-starter because it does not fund our homeland security or keep American families safe from human trafficking, drugs, and crime,” Sanders said.

Meanwhile, the stakes are getting higher for federal workers, with roughly 380,000 people told to stay home Wednesday. Another 420,000 people have been told to work without pay, with no guarantee that their next paycheck will go out.

Across the country, the shutdown is causing more pain as federal entities are forced to shutter operations as they run out of back-up plans to get cash — including in parts of the country that voted for Trump. Starting Jan. 1, the Department of Agriculture will no longer issue new loans for rural development or grants for housing.

Without funding for the Department of the Interior, trash is piling up and toilets are left uncleaned in places like California’s Joshua Tree National Park, as well as along the National Mall in Washington.

There are other looming deadlines. For instance, the next federal pay period ends on Jan. 5, though checks don’t go out until the following week. On Jan. 11, the budgets for federal courts is expected to run dry, after largely operating on court fees and other funds for weeks.

Burgess Everett contributed to this report.

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Windows 10 is now the most popular desktop operating system in the world

Microsoft ended 2018 with a bang thanks to Windows 10.

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By Matt Binder2019-01-02 15:58:45 UTC

Microsoft finished 2018 by hitting another major milestone.

Windows 10, the company’s newest desktop operating system, is now the most popular in the world. It surpassed 9-year-old Windows 7, according to Net Applications via The Verge.

Windows 10 now holds more than 39 percent of the marketshare for desktop operating systems as of December. Windows 7 only makes up less than 37 percent.

The report also claims that more than 700 million devices now run on Windows 10. These devices include PC, Xbox One, tablets, and phones.

Microsoft ended most support for Windows 7 in 2015. Extended support for the OS officially ends in 2020. The company has urged users to upgrade and Windows 7’s market share has experienced a steady decline ever since.

Windows 10 was released in 2015 meaning it took about three and a half years for Microsoft to achieve this record.

While owning the desktop OS market, Microsoft has still fallen well short of its original goal from when Windows 10 was first released. The computer giant had originally aimed for Windows 10 to be installed on one billion devices within a three year timeframe.

Regardless, even with a few stumbles, Microsoft had quite a 2018 and Windows 10 certainly played a part.

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Mitt Romney goes after Trump in op-ed and Twitter is ready with plenty of jokes about frowning politely

By Nicole Gallucci2019-01-02 15:51:27 UTC

New year, new political beefs. Of course!

It’s only Jan. 2, but 2019 has already kicked off with a political bang. The government remains partially shut down and on Tuesday night a scathing op-ed written by Mitt Romney, former Republican presidential nominee and current senator-elect, was published in The Washington Post.

In the 13-paragraph editorial, Romney unleashed his brutally honest criticisms of President Trump, saying his “character falls short” of that needed to successfully shape the nation. And on Wednesday morning, Trump addressed Romney’s words with a single 280-character tweet, saying he should be happy “for all Republicans.”

Here we go with Mitt Romney, but so fast! Question will be, is he a Flake? I hope not. Would much prefer that Mitt focus on Border Security and so many other things where he can be helpful. I won big, and he didn’t. He should be happy for all Republicans. Be a TEAM player & WIN!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2019

Naturally, the good and very consistent people of the internet have already taken Romney’s quest for political justice to Twitter. Some dove into the inescapable political archives to discuss Romney’s acceptance of past Trump endorsements and call him a hypocrite.

Looks like Fox News today is mainly going to be about making the obvious, accurate point that Mitt Romney is a hypocrite for accepting Trump’s endorsement, getting elected, then assailing his character. pic.twitter.com/W89LOthxTD

— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) January 2, 2019

While others applauded the senator-elect for choosing to publicly speak out against a fellow Republican.

I get the skepticism over Romney, but we keep demanding R’s speak out against Trump, and he just did. It matters, he should be applauded for it, and I wish more would join him. Now let’s see what he does in the Senate.

— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) January 2, 2019

It is so easy for people to take shots at Mitt Romney. He has done plenty to deserve that. But while you are stewing in your own cynicism remember that the future of our country is likely to depend on whether a few Republicans step up—for whatever reason—and challenge Trump.

— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) January 2, 2019

And still others went straight for the jokes.

That Mitt Romney op-ed reveals that the most dangerous thing Trump could do would be to become 10% more polite

— Andy Richter (@AndyRichter) January 2, 2019

mitt romney yells “darn it” into a mayonnaise jar and throws it into the sand, what bravery

— erin “auld lang” ryan (@morninggloria) January 2, 2019

Can someone help me? Tried reading Mitt Romney’s op-ed but it just said “trombone sound” a few hundred times

— Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) January 2, 2019

In the op-ed, Romney began by acknowledging that Trump was never his choice for Republican nominee, but that he hoped after winning, Trump’s administration would abandon petty approaches like anger and name-calling.

“But, on balance,” Romney concluded, “his conduct over the past two years, particularly his actions this month, is evidence that the president has not risen to the mantle of the office.”

The presidency “shapes the public character of the nation,” Romney wrote, noting a person with Trump’s power should unite the American people, defend the free press, and display honesty and integrity.

“With the nation so divided, resentful and angry, presidential leadership in qualities of character is indispensable. And it is in this province where the incumbent’s shortfall has been most glaring.”

Romney pledges he will work alongside Trump and other members of the Senate to improve the country, but it remains to be seen how aggressive he’ll be in standing up to the president.

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WWE Hall of Famer ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund Dies at Age 76

Photo credit: WWE.com.

Legendary WWE interviewer “Mean” Gene Okerlund has died at the age of 76, WWE.com announced Wednesday.

Okerlund joined WWE in 1984 after spending nearly 15 years in the AWA. He remained with WWE from 1984-1993 and then worked for WCW from 1993-2001 and became the most notable interviewer in professional wrestling history in the process.

His contributions were celebrated in 2006 when he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

After WWE bought WCW in 2001, Okerlund returned to the company as a jack of all trades and announced the gimmick battle royal at WrestleMania X-Seven alongside fellow Hall of Famer Bobby “The Brain” Heenan.

While he didn’t appear regularly on weekly programming, Okerlund showed up sporadically and acted as a host and narrator for many WWE side projects, including DVDs and WWE Network content.

More recently, Okerlund was among the stars on the WWE Network reality series Legends’ House, which aired in 2014 and featured other WWE Hall of Famers, including “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan.

In January, Okerlund made a special appearance on the 25th anniversary edition of Raw and interviewed AJ Styles.

Several current and former Superstars paid homage to Okerlund on Twitter, including Triple H, The Iron Sheik and Big E:

The South Dakota native will be remembered for several unique traits, including his signature mustache, horseshoe-pattern hair and velvety voice.

He also notably had remarkable chemistry with Hulk Hogan, who started each interview with Okerlund by uttering the famous phrase, “Let me tell you something, Mean Gene.”

Hogan also offered some kind words following Okerlund’s death:

Mean Gene was present throughout the rise of Hulkamania in WWE, and he was an underrated aspect of Hogan’s enormous success.

Few non-wrestlers have made an impact on the business as big and long-lasting as Okerlund’s, and there will likely never be another backstage interviewer as beloved and appreciated as him.

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Lana Del Rey’s New Song Title Is So Long It Won’t Fit Here

Lana Del Rey didn’t let 2018 escape without pointing us in the direction of her next creative endeavor: a Jack Antonoff-produced album called Norman Fucking Rockwell that features two atmospheric new songs. The first, “Mariners Apartment Complex,” was a gauzy, Mazzy Star-type slow burn with an excellent hook (Lana singing “I’m your man” in deep Leonard Cohen breaths), and the second was a 10-minute acid odyssey called “Venice Bitch.”

Next week, she’s planning to release her third NFR single, and from what she shared on social media late Tuesday night (January 1), it’ll be just as moody. It’s called “Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have — But I Have It.” (Almost as long as I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It!)

It’s hard to hear much past Lana’s lyrics here, so there’s no confirmation yet whether this will be a rainy-day walk by the crags or a psychedelic journey like the previous two songs. But one standout moment is that she rhymes “debutantes” with “white yachts,” which seems right.

Her accompanying caption reveals a plan to release the song on January 9. Lana also revealed she’d “finished a short book of poetry I’ve been writing over the last 13 months that I’ll be putting out later.” She also alerted fans that she’d have to miss some upcoming shows that will presumably be announced soon.

“In the meantime though I’d like to apologize in advance for upcoming cancellations of shows you’ll be hearing about,” she wrote. “I wish I could fulfill those obligations but I won’t be able to.”

Still, with Norman Fucking Rockwell, a new poetry book, “Hope Is a Dangerous Thing…,” and potential new vlogger energy all on the horizon, 2019 is already shaping up to be Lana’s year. Check out the song’s clip in the IG post above.

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