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Rich People Will Not Stop Giving Huge, Unnecessary Donations to Rich Colleges

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Rich People Will Not Stop Giving Huge, Unnecessary Donations to Rich Colleges

Today, another very rich man has given an enormous amount of money to a very rich university that doesn’t really need it. This gift is supposed to make the world better. But it is a very big waste.

http://gawker.com/stop-giving-mo...

Phil Knight, the billionaire founder of Nike, is giving $400 million to Stanford—a school that already has an endowment of more than $22 billion, and that just last year received more donations than any other school in America. This is the academic charity equivalent of giving a donation to a Michael Bloomberg election campaign: it’s not necessary, and it could do a lot more good elsewhere.

Knight’s grand idea is to establish an endowment for a graduate program that will “attract the best graduate and professional students from around the world.” They’ll receive a full ride to come to Stanford and “commit to working on important issues in small, multidisciplinary teams.” (In a hilarious demonstration of the self-awareness level of the average billionaire, the example Knight uses as a problem that these students might study is Mark Zuckerberg’s failed $100 million gift to the Newark public school system. Judge not lest ye be judged, Phil.)

The theory at work here (other than pure rich person ego) is that, by funding the education of these Very Smart Students at a Very Good School, the money will have an incalculable effect on Saving the World, because these students will go out and do Great Things. There are a few problems with this theory.

1. Since these scholarships will ostensibly go to some of the best students in the world, you are not giving something to someone needy who otherwise would not have had it; you are simply redirecting talented students to Stanford, rather than to whatever other schools they would have gone to. In this sense, the gift subsidizes Stanford’s reputation more than it subsidizes the education of these students, who certainly would have found other places to go and study.

2. Phil Knight believes these students will go on to do great things for the world. Will they? Who knows? It is impossible to say. If, however, he donated the same amount of money to, for example, the fight against malaria, we can calculate that he would save more than 100,000 human lives.

3. The reputation of Stanford University is not more important than 100,000 human lives.

Charitable donations can quite literally save lives in a measurable and immediate way. Stanford University is rich as hell and does not need an enormous donation. Poor people who might otherwise die do. Even if Phil Knight believes that giving money to education has a great multiplier effect, he could give the money to educate poor people who otherwise would not get educated, rather than to the most elite students in the world.

“But any donation is better than no donation!” Yeah. And a smack in the face is better than a kick in the balls. That doesn’t mean it is the standard to which we should aspire.

Stop giving money to rich universities. Stop it.

[Photo of an unwise philanthropist: AP]


Donald Trump Thanks the “Poorly Educated” Voters Who Helped Him Win Nevada

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Donald Trump won his third straight primary in a row Tuesday, attributing his victory in part to the poorly educated voters who supported him in the Nevada caucus.

“We won the Evangelicals. We won with young. We won with old. We won with highly educated. We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated,” Trump said.

And the poorly educated love him. According to CNN, Trump, a graduate of the Wharton School of Business, polled highest in Nevada among those with a high school education or less.

Trump, to be fair, won among most people in Nevada, ultimately garnering 45.9 percent of the vote. Rubio took second place over Ted Cruz by a mere 2,000 votes, and Ben Carson and John Kasich are still technically candidates.

http://gawker.com/marco-rubio-ba...


Remember When Ross Perot Tried to Infomercial His Way to the Presidency?

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Remember When Ross Perot Tried to Infomercial His Way to the Presidency?

Donald Trump isn’t the first American businessman to spend his way into the voters’ line of sight. Among the many rich men in whose footsteps he walks is a big-eared Texan who in 1992 snagged 18.9 percent of the popular vote with a strategy based, in part, on infomercials.

You gotta see these fucking infomercials.

Perot was already somewhat well-known when he leapt into politics. Thanks to his company Electronic Data Systems, for one thing, he was very wealthy. Then there was the time he dispatched a team of commandos to rescue EDS execs arrested in the midst of the Iranian revolution, which Ken Follett—at Perot’s urging—made into the bestselling “non-fiction novel” On Wings of Eagles, which NBC turned into a made-for-TV movie currently available on YouTube.

The Chicago Tribune and others would later downplay the story, and the movie was full of over-the-top touches—as the Tribune notes, even in Perot’s telling, the prisoners were freed rather than actually busted out by the commandos. But it was the type of story that, for obvious reasons, really resonated with Americans at the tail end of the dismal, embarrassing 1970s.

Entering the race as a third-party candidate, Perot worked the media, sure, becoming a regular presence on TV. But late in the campaign, he also put part of his considerable fortune into a series of infomercials, which allowed him to pump his message into homes across America, completely unfiltered by the media. For instance!

These videos are a strange mix. They’re dense and slow and most of the time you’re watching as Perot, seated behind a desk, rattles on about debt, the economy, and balancing the budget. There are detailed charts. It’s like being trapped in an elevator with a low-level analyst for the kind of conservative think tank dedicated to fluffing corporations rather than fighting gay marriage, and he doesn’t watch TV or movies or even know any Internet memes, and all he wants to do is talk to you about sales tax rates.

At moments—intense Texas drawl notwithstanding—he sounds like Trump, like when he harps upon all the job growth and infrastructure investment in Asia and German and frets about how to Make American Great Again. Then again, when he talks about reducing tax exemptions for the rich, I almost get a little taste of of THE BERN, too. There’s also some symmetry in his repeating again and again that “trickle down didn’t work,” when of course he was running against Reagan’s former VP—George H.W. Bush.

And people did watch. In the late-October homestretch, the New York Times reported that according to Nielsen, 16 million people watched his first ad, which ran October 6. By the end of the month his audience had dropped—with a mere 12 million having watched at least part of his most recent dispatch. But then how could you look away from political ads with titles like, “Chicken Feathers, Deep Voodoo and the American Dream”? (For a real treat, listen to a C-SPAN announcer say those words.)

He did so many of these, too, at least eight, and several of them in time slots like 8pm and 8:30pm. Some of them ran a full hour. Here he talks about the economy and jobs. More damn charts.

He also enlisted some character witnesses, trotting his loved ones to vouch for him. “I have literally been able to live the American dream!” he says. His wife talks about him; his son talks about him; his daughters talk about him. Forget handing Melania and Ivanka the mic at a victory speech—this very wealthy man paid for 30 full minutes of airtime so that his immediate family could talk on national television about how awesome he is. That REALLY happened! You know what? Ross Perot was able to live the American dream.

Of course, Perot couldn’t quite seal the deal. It didn’t help that he pulled out of the race in July then reentered in October—surely one of the wackier moves in the history of presidential politics. Even so, having gotten 18.9 percent as a third-party candidate ain’t nothing.

The comparison to Trump is obvious. But if Perot is the forerunner of anything, really, it’s the rise of a Reddit/Facebook-based political discourse where people furiously share charts designed to reinforce opinions they already held. Charts never lie!


Photo via AP Images.

Donald Trump Nabs Key Endorsement From Vaping Congressman

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Donald Trump Nabs Key Endorsement From Vaping Congressman

Representative Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), the vaping congressman in the pocket of big vape, today blew a sick cloud of e-ndorsement over the Donald Trump campaign.

http://gawker.com/oh-my-god-a-u-...

Hunter tells The Politico that he likes Trump in part because he’s sure Trump doesn’t care about him at all, which seems as good a reason as any to support him.

In an interview on Wednesday, Hunter told POLITICO that Trump has the strength needed for the job. “We don’t need a policy wonk as president. We need a leader as president,” Hunter said, adding that he has told his colleagues much of the same thing. “I’m in, and I’ve been in,” he said in a telephone interview.

Noting that he and Trump see eye-to-eye on a number of issues, including border security, manufacturing and national security, Hunter said he also likes Trump for another reason. “I don’t think Trump wants my endorsement,” Hunter said, while also remarking that he has not heard from the candidate himself. “And that’s one reason why I like him,” he added. Trump said earlier Wednesday that “endorsements mean very little.”

Hunter, who got his first job in politics when he took over his father’s congressional seat in 2012, says he’s liked Trump from the beginning—if you can ever believe it.


The First Bernie Sanders Action Figure Has More Realistic Hair Than Trump

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The First Bernie Sanders Action Figure Has More Realistic Hair Than Trump

Last year saw the introduction of the first Hillary Clinton action figure, and as the 2016 presidential election heats up, it’s only fair that Bernie Sanders be miniaturized as well. So starting today you can pre-order the first Bernie figure, and help his campaign at the same time.

The First Bernie Sanders Action Figure Has More Realistic Hair Than Trump

Designed by FCTRY (the same people behind the Hillary figure) and artist Mike Leavitt, the Bernie Sanders figure certainly looks the part, but it’s light on articulation. Don’t expect to pose Bernie like he’s roaring into battle. At best you’ll be able to make him stand behind a podium, ready for his next debate.

The First Bernie Sanders Action Figure Has More Realistic Hair Than Trump

Before it’s made available on FCTRY’s website, the Bernie Sanders action figure is premiering on Kickstarter today where it can be pre-ordered for $20. That not only includes the cost of shipping, but if the crowdfunding campaign is successful, $1 from every figure ordered will be donated to Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign.

And if you need any further convincing about why you need a Bernie Sanders action figure, this commercial, an homage to the classic My Buddy ads from the ‘80s, will have even Republicans pre-ordering one.

[Bernie Action Figure]


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Constituent Accuses Mayor of Fucking His Wife in Wild Town Meeting

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Constituent Accuses Mayor of Fucking His Wife in Wild Town Meeting

A Spring Valley, New York village meeting descended into chaos yesterday when a constituent publicly accused the mayor of breaking up his marriage. The Journal News reports that maintenance worker Reginald Alfred grabbed the mic to claim Mayor Demeza Delhomme used his “power to get into my house.”

You can watch the Journal News’ video of the incident above, which plays out like a scene from Desperate Housewives. “Mr. Delhomme is trying to use his power to get into my house!” Alfred says in the video. “He destroyed my house. He destroyed my family. I have two daughters.”

Delhomme denied any involvement, shouting, “I don’t know this man! I’ve never met this man.”

A village trustee shouted back, “You screwed his wife and you say you don’t know him?”

As The Journal News notes, Alfred did not provide any receipts, so whether or not the mayor fucked his wife remains an open question.

What we do know is that Delhomme is a bad mayor, in general; he has previously declared himself “king of the village,” vowed to discriminate against Jewish land developers, and allegedly ordered village workers to install a generator at his girlfriend’s house during a snowstorm. The Journal News has a full accounting of his shady dealings here.


One Man's Inspiring Moment Offers Hope for America in a Trying Time

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One Man's Inspiring Moment Offers Hope for America in a Trying Time

A few days ago, when I was riding the train, my girlfriend asked me for a debriefing on the big news of the last week. So I told her: death of a Supreme Court justice, and no one’s sure how he’ll be replaced; battle between giant tech corporation and giant law enforcement agency over the fate of your smartphone privacy; increasingly real possibility that an openly racist reality TV star will take the Republican presidential nomination. “Now I’m feeling really depressed,” she answered. “I wish I hadn’t asked.”

She’s not the only one. These are dark times, my friends. Every time you turn on the TV or open a newspaper, it’s outrage, deception, crushing inequality.

That’s why it’s so important to share the positive stories, too. Yesterday, my friend Tyler Bower shared one such story on Facebook. “I KID YOU NOT,” his post began. “I had some store credit at a thrift store for selling some clothes. Moments ago, I redeemed my credit and my name in their records was, Tyler BONER. I had a credit of $69.69.”

I know, I know. It seems to good to be true. I didn’t believe him at first, either. Then, a few hours later, he posted photographic proof. And now, it seems like there may be a way out of the darkness after all.

Tyler told me that the clerk at the thrift store may have misread his name, or the error may have been a simple typo. Either way, he’s glad it happened. After the clerk at the store noticed the mistake, “We both started cracking up then he told me that my credit was $69.69 and we continued to laugh but in a subdued manner because it was just so strange,” he said. “I remember it being kind of hard to leave because we had some sort of bond due the absurdity of the transaction.”

He added that he’s always wondered what life might be like if the third letter in his surname were swapped out. “Being ‘Tyler Boner” instead of ‘Tyler Bower’—I’d be a completely different person—Imagine how different I’d be! So In a way I was just waiting for something like this to happen,” he said.

A chance at a different future, grasped, if only for a brief moment. For Tyler. For all of us. Boner $69.69. Let’s try not to forget it.

One Man's Inspiring Moment Offers Hope for America in a Trying Time

Image via Tyler Bower/Facebook. Contact the author at andy@gawker.com.

A Guide To Spinning Your Favorite Republican Candidate's Slaughter At the Hands of Donald Trump

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A Guide To Spinning Your Favorite Republican Candidate's Slaughter At the Hands of Donald Trump

Last night, your favorite Republican candidate once again got massacred by Donald Trump. It might seem like things are getting pretty dire. It’s going to be hard for you to defend your favorite Republican candidate to your co-workers at the water cooler, where you all discuss politics daily. But you really shouldn’t worry. Honestly. Your favorite Republican candidate is going to beat Donald Trump, there’s no question about it. Just listen to their campaigns!

Your Favorite Republican Candidate is: Marco Rubio

Okay. You of all people literally have nothing to worry about. It’s true that Marco Rubio has yet to win a single primary or caucus—despite that as recently as two months ago Nevada was being described as his “firewall”—but there’s been a development that you might not have heard about: It turns out the primary season hasn’t really even started yet. Said Marco today on what Washington insiders have long-called “the in-flight morning show of Air Force One,” Good Morning America:

“Yeah, I think what people need to understand about these contests between now and March 15, all of these are places that award delegates, which is how the nomination is decided,” he said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “It’s not decided by how many states you win, it’s decided by how many delegates you have, and it’s awarding them proportionally,” Rubio said.

“By the time you get to March 15, now you’re in some big states like Ohio and Florida that award all their delegates at once,” he explained. “That’s where you have to start winning states, and we feel very confident about where we’re going to be come March 15.”

Not only do the 23 state primaries and caucuses between now and March 15 have no bearing on the outcome of the election, but your favorite Republican candidate Marco Rubio has the most prized possession in politics, the one thing money can’t buy, momentum:

Not only will he ride the wave of voters making up their minds two days before the election on through the next 23 primaries and caucuses that don’t actually matter, but if the rest of the candidates mysteriously perish prior to March 15, Rubio might as well skip right to scouting vice presidential hopefuls.

When you go to sleep every night between now and March 15, just picture this Fox News #SpecialReport from last week.

But really, why would you even be sleeping poorly anyway?

Your Favorite Republican Candidate is: Ted Cruz

Well, frankly, it seems weird to even include you in this list, since your favorite Republican candidate came out on top last night:

Nothing tastes as good as winning feels, and boy, has the Ted Cruz campaign gotten used to winning. Unlike Marco Rubio, who is not planning on winning a primary until after the release of Pitbull’s forthcoming album Climate Change (release date TBA), your favorite Republican candidate knows he has history on his side. As he said last night:

“History teaches us that nobody has ever won the nomination without winning one of the first three primaries, and there are only two people who have won one of the first three primaries: Donald Trump and us,” he said, referencing his victory in the Iowa caucuses. “The first four states have shown, the only campaign that has beaten Donald Trump, the only campaign that can beat Donald Trump, is this campaign.”

You can’t argue with history. Ted Cruz has absorbed each of history’s lessons and uses them as his guiding light in this inevitable march to the White House. And anyway, Rubio can’t even see your man. I mean:

Like:

Go ahead and print up those “Whobio” shirts you’ve been designing. CafePress supports the modern small business owner. Look, with Jeb out, Marco thinks he’s just going to pick up the centrist vote without even trying. But if so, where them votes?

And if he has the party elites on his side then why are Mitt Romney’s old advisors talking shit about him in the Los Angeles Times like he’s the nerd all the cool kids know is lying about having been invited to Jason’s graduation party:

“To win, you have to win. And you don’t win by doing well,” said Stuart Stevens, the top strategist to Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign.

Despite his campaign’s claims of “Marco-mentum,” it is Trump, not Rubio, who is amassing the necessary delegates. Polls show that a growing number of Republicans believe Trump will be the nominee, while Rubio continues to be most voters’ second choice.

“We’re past the point of trying to lower expectations,” said Kevin Madden, a GOP consultant and Romney’s former spokesman. “When you’ve got someone with Donald Trump’s momentum, you’ve got to start beating expectations.”

Bye bitch.

Your Favorite Republican Candidate is: Ben Carson

The doctor is in... fourth place. But it’s fine. Things are really, finally, definitely starting to happen here. Just ask him:

“I believe that things are starting to happen here,” Carson said during a speech as results for the Nevada caucuses came in.

Got it, but it seems unclear where exactly he means by “here.” I think it’s... in your stomach?

“We have a bunch of fire extinguishers, we are going to put the fire out and put the fire in our bellies,” Carson said.

It’s in your stomach. If any GOP candidate knows the inner workings of the human body, it’s Dr. Ben Carson right? And, really, he hasn’t even gotten motivated yet:

He said that he does best when people say things are “impossible” and “can’t be done.”

“Unless I hear those words I don’t even get excited,” Carson said.

Having sex with Ben Carson seems like it would be weird but that’s okay because you’re only just voting for him.

Your Favorite Republican Candidate is: John Kasich

While everyone else in the GOP field is playing checkers, John Kasich is playing, that’s right, game theory. Very classic John Kasich stuff. There was an extremely long article in (on) The New York Times (dot com) explaining how your favorite Republican candidate could fuck Marco Rubio all the way up.

Right now, it looks like we’re in the “threats” phase. Via *The* Politico:

In the memo, Kasich senior strategist John Weaver characterized Rubio’s performance in Nevada as “disappointing,” writing that Rubio delivered a disappointing return on investment for his donors and suggested that the Florida senator unlikely to improve in future contests.

“Republicans are now left to wonder whether investing in Marco Rubio is throwing good money after bad. Of the four viable candidates left in the race, Senator Rubio spent the most in New Hampshire, spent the most in South Carolina and spent the most in Nevada. The return has been dismal,” Weaver wrote.

Now, Rubio senior advisor Jason Roe did later tell CNN that your boy John “spent no resources and he got 5 percent of the vote,” but it’s like, you didn’t even try to get any votes and still got them? That’s supposed to be bad?

Anyway, John Kasich has a plan, and that plan is to win Michigan, which is a state that nobody else is actively trying to win, so how hard could it really be? “We’ll treat it like we’re running for governor,” top aide John Weaver told The Detroit News, which helpfully points out that Weaver “worked on Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s successful campaigns.” If there’s one thing you really want in Michigan right now it’s as many connections to Rick Snyder as possible.

And, hey, your favorite Republican candidate is in it for the long haul. Even though polls currently show Donald Trump beating John Kasich in his home state of Ohio, Kasich will not be dropping out, and in fact he’s even a bit insulted that he’s not considered the favorite:

“I’ve spent the least amount of money and am rising in the polls. I can win my home state. Why would I clear the decks for them? They ought to be consolidating around me.”

Just, whatever you do, please do not click the link to this story headlined “John Kasich: ‘I Don’t Know If My Purpose Is to Be President’.”

Your Favorite Republican Candidate is: Jim Gilmore

True love is everlasting.


Contact the author at jordan@gawker.com.


The Only Way Republicans Win This Supreme Court Fight Is by Confirming Barack Obama's Nominee

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The Only Way Republicans Win This Supreme Court Fight Is by Confirming Barack Obama's Nominee

With headlines dominated by accounts of primaries and caucuses and badly subtitled shouting matches on national television, it is easy to forget that one Barack H. Obama (remember him?) is still President of the United States, and he has a full 330 days remaining in his term.

Presumably, he remains empowered during those 330 days to fulfill all of his presidential duties, up to and including making viral video magic with fabulous 106-year-old ladies. Yet since the recent death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Senate Republicans have apparently decided that when it comes to the president’s responsibility to fill Supreme Court vacancies, it is appropriate to round the remaining length of the term down to the nearest zero. Only about an hour (!!) after reports of Justice Scalia’s death were confirmed, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell issued this head-scratcher of a statement:

The American people‎ should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new President.

In reply to the obvious retort that, don’t worry, Senator, the American people have a voice, and that voice was embodied in their decision in 2012 to re-elect by a margin of five million votes the person who appoints Supreme Court justices, Senator McConnell and company proudly point to things like the so-called “Schumer Standard.” This concept takes its name from a 2007 speech by New York Senator Charles Schumer in which he argued that when it comes to Court nominees, the Senate, controlled at that time by Democrats, should reverse what he called the “presumption of confirmation.” From Politico:

New York Sen. Charles E. Schumer, a powerful member of the Democratic leadership, said Friday the Senate should not confirm another U.S. Supreme Court nominee under President Bush “except in extraordinary circumstances.”

“We should reverse the presumption of confirmation,” Schumer told the American Constitution Society convention in Washington. “The Supreme Court is dangerously out of balance. We cannot afford to see Justice Stevens replaced by another Roberts, or Justice Ginsburg by another Alito.”

Republicans are right that Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution imposes absolutely no obligation on the Senate to confirm a given nominee to the Court. But what Senator McConnell ignores in triumphantly crowing about this ten-year-old declaration is that it was effectively a thought experiment: There were no vacancies on the Court when Senator Schumer made this proclamation, and there are no nominees to which the Senate ever applied this “standard.” A hypothetical, inconsequential talking point does not justify Senator McConnell’s preemptive, flat-out refusal to consider a real live nominee to a real live Court vacancy.

Senator McConnell goes on to make the breathtaking assertion that the will of the people should be divined not by their choice of president, but instead by their most recent choice of legislators. All emphasis mine:

We also know that Americans issued a stinging rebuke to this president and his policies in our latest national election, delivering a landslide for the opposition party as they handed control of the Senate to Republicans in 2014.

Given that we are in the midst of the presidential election process, we believe that the American people should seize the opportunity to weigh in on whom they trust to nominate the next person for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court. It is today the American people, rather than a lame-duck president whose priorities and policies they just rejected in the most-recent national election, who should be afforded the opportunity to replace Justice Scalia.

This is a particularly silly logical leap to take for someone who just finished citing the portion of the Constitution that grants to the president the power to nominate justices to the Supreme Court. It’s difficult to imagine Justice Scalia, he of textualist and originalist fame, giving much credence to this argument.

Set aside, though, the question of whether refusing to consider President Obama’s candidate is right in any normative sense, and consider that it might be a good strategic decision for Senate Republican leadership to reverse course, hold a hearing, and even confirm President Obama’s nominee. Doing so could boost the Republican Party’s chances at winning the presidency, holding on to the legislature, and controlling the long-term trajectory of the Supreme Court.

Take President Obama’s position first. He wants to replace Justice Scalia, but he also knows that the looming election is going to make it more difficult than ever to get his choice approved by the Republican-controlled Senate. As a result, he will look to make it as difficult as possible for the GOP to both reject his nominee and also come out looking like a fair, impartial, and reasonable bunch. You could see the outline of this strategy in the White House’s statement issued after Justice Scalia’s death in which President Obama, essentially staring down Senate Republicans, pointedly pledged to fulfill his “constitutional responsibility” to name a successor to Justice Scalia.

I plan to fulfill my constitutional responsibilities to nominate a successor in due time. There will be plenty of time for me to do so, and for the Senate to fulfill its responsibility to give that person a fair hearing and a timely vote. These are responsibilities that I take seriously, as should everyone. They’re bigger than any one party. They are about our democracy. They’re about the institution to which Justice Scalia dedicated his professional life, and making sure it continues to function as the beacon of justice that our Founders envisioned.

By framing the issue in the context of Justice Scalia’s lifelong dedication to the Constitution’s plain meaning, President Obama threw down a clear challenge to intransigent Senate Republicans. But while he would probably love to fill Justice Scalia’s seat with a staunchly liberal replacement, he also knows that if he taps a far-left ideologue, no observer would view the Senate’s subsequent rejection of that pick as disingenuous. President Obama wants to make Republicans look recalcitrant, petulant, and childish. Throwing to the Judiciary Committee a nominee with whom its majority obviously and fundamentally disagrees would not accomplish this goal.

Thus, the president will probably nominate a moderate, reasonable candidate whose qualifications are beyond reproach and at whom few stones can be cast. Doing so will place tremendous pressure on the Senate and ensure that President Obama either replaces Justice Scalia or, failing that, makes the Republican Party look very, very silly.

In other words, the political landscape actually places significant limits on the scope of the president’s realistic options. On Tuesday, President Obama foreshadowed this approach in a guest post on SCOTUSblog, noting his “duty” to fill Court vacancies and also tipping his hand on what he’ll look for in Justice Scalia’s successor. All emphasis mine:

First and foremost, the person I appoint will be eminently qualified. He or she will have an independent mind, rigorous intellect, impeccable credentials, and a record of excellence and integrity. I’m looking for a mastery of the law, with an ability to hone in on the key issues before the Court, and provide clear answers to complex legal questions.

Second, the person I appoint will be someone who recognizes the limits of the judiciary’s role; who understands that a judge’s job is to interpret the law, not make the law. I seek judges who approach decisions without any particular ideology or agenda, but rather a commitment to impartial justice, a respect for precedent, and a determination to faithfully apply the law to the facts at hand.

Sure, every president says something like this, pledging to tap a fair, reserved jurist before putting a nominee through the wringer of Senate confirmation hearings. But President Obama’s choice to preempt the dreaded “judicial activist” label so early and often in the nomination process strongly suggests that he is willing to sacrifice ideological like-mindedness for unimpeachable qualifications. Justice Scalia will not be replaced by a liberal firebrand, at least if Barack Obama gets to appoint his successor.

Meanwhile, the GOP is not enjoying a great election cycle. Its only two candidates to have carried states so far would get absolutely buried in a general election—not because either Democratic candidate is particularly great, to be honest, but because they have left at least a little room to run to the middle and court moderate voters. Republican contenders cannot say the same. Gleefully promising to carpet-bomb civilians and pledging your allegiance to the always-charming Jeff Sessions might play on Fox Business Network, but it won’t on a national stage. With a week until Super Tuesday, Republicans are still searching for a moderate candidate with a real shot at winning the nomination. (Cue John Kasich and the Ghost of Jeb Bush nodding sadly).

However, Justice Scalia’s passing could allow the GOP a rare and unexpected opportunity to court elusive moderate voters. Sure, Senate Republicans would rather have a future, hypothetical Republican president nominate Justice Scalia’s successor. But they also know how bad their refusal to consider President Obama’s pick will appear to swing voters, and how difficult it will be for the GOP nominee to defend this move during debates all summer. Imagine Hillary asking Marco Rubio, a sitting senator, why he finds it appropriate to take his constitutional duties seriously only when his party deems it politically expedient, and Rubio just melting into a sweaty puddle on national television.

But by considering and perhaps even confirming President Obama’s nominee, Republicans concede the battle but earn a chance to win the war. Replacing Justice Scalia with President Obama’s safe, moderate pick is unlikely to hurt the conservative movement. More importantly, considering the nominee in good faith would allow Republicans to portray themselves as reasonable, fair, and principled. Opportunities to endear the party to swing voters have been rare in this primary season concerned more with things like wall-building and pig’s-blood-dipping. Here, the GOP can deprive the Democrats of general election attack ad fodder and allow the Republican nominee to show that his party places the rule of law above political maneuvering. Confirming Justice Scalia’s successor may help the Republican Party win what is otherwise a very grim-looking election.

And if they do, look out. The party would hold the White House and control both chambers of the legislature, setting the stage for an era of potentially dramatic policymaking success. This would not come at the expense of the opportunity to swing the Court’s ideological balance. Justices Ginsburg and Breyer, two of the Court’s reliability liberal voices, are 82 and 77, respectively, while the notoriously hard-to-predict Justice Kennedy will turn 80 in July. The next president is likely to nominate two or even three new justices to the Court, particularly if he or she manages to win reelection in 2020. With more than just the one empty seat at stake, the long game is the smart play.

Of course, confirming President Obama’s nominee may not prove to be enough to stop Hillary or Bernie from winning in November. (Disclosure: I, um, hope this is the case). But for as long as it remains unable to appeal to moderate voters, the Republican Party will continue to struggle to gain traction in a general election. And a President Clinton or President Sanders, armed with a fresh electoral mandate, would likely nominate a successor to Justice Scalia who is much scarier for the conservative movement than President Obama’s eventual pick.

Republicans have a fighting chance to use Justice Scalia’s passing to tip the balance of power in their favor for years to come. But it’s going to require some unconventional thinking from Senate Judiciary Committee hearing rooms this summer. Those still vying for the Republican Party’s nod should hope that Senator McConnell and friends are sharp enough to figure it out.


Jay Willis is a lawyer and writer in Seattle. He owns a puppy named after a bar, misses the Sonics, and blogs regularly at Needs Further Review. Find him on Twitter @FarragutWest.

Photo via Getty

Give Everyone Money

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Give Everyone Money

The economy, both at home and abroad, needs stimulating. Governments have been trying to do this since the 2008 recession, without full success. Is it time to just... give everyone some money?

When everything went to hell in 2008, you may have noticed that the most prominent way that the government and the central banks tried to get the economy going again was to pour money into banks. The idea was: recapitalize the banks, make them healthy again, and they will start lending that money again, and the economy will get moving again.

[THIS IS A SIMPLIFICATION, YES, IT’S OKAY.]

But—and I apologize for the utterly disgusting simplicity of this question, coming as it is not from an economist or Wall Street Guy but just from A Guy—did you ever wonder why, if the goal was to get the economy going again, they didn’t just give the money directly to you and me and your broke ass friends and neighbors and everyone else? Instead of to the banks? Because banks do not in fact lend all that money out. They tend to keep a nice chunk on their balance sheets. But you and me and regular people, by contrast, who do not have a lot of money, would tend to go out and spend that money, which would do exactly what the goal was in the first place—stimulate the economy.

Of course, if you ever wondered this, you probably thought to yourself, “I’m sure there is a good sophisticated economic finance-y explanation for why this staggeringly obvious idea is not done,” and then went along with your day. Because who wants to be the ignorant fool that asks the dumb questions, such as “Why not give the ‘stimulus’ money directly to humans?” It might make you feel better, though, to know that some real live economists also believe that such a plan could be a good idea! So don’t be so hard on yourself.

Give... people... money... to spend. A wild notion. But too wild for reality? Not at all. Advocating a universal basic income or a big new government jobs program is really just another way of advocating direct transfers of government money into the pockets of regular people. These sorts of ideas are regarded by many economic policy makers and even by a hefty portion of regular people (particularly those on the right) as socialist tripe, right up until they are put into place, at which point they become regarded as indispensable quasi-rights. Hence the people waving those famous “Keep Government Out of My Medicare!” signs.

I bring all this up because in our current global economy—shaky, fearful, in need of some sort of increase in demand to get everything moving again, but hobbled by the fact that central banks have already used almost all of their traditional tricks—the idea of just giving people money seems... almost... realistic? Behold this column from Martin Wolf in the trusty establishmentarian FT!

The OECD argues, persuasively, that co-ordinated expansion of public investment, combined with appropriate structural reforms, could expand output and even lower the ratio of public debt to gross domestic product. This is particularly plausible nowadays, because the major governments are able to borrow at zero or even negative real interest rates, long term. The austerity obsession, even when borrowing costs are so low, is lunatic

[THIS MEANS THAT A BIG GOVERNMENT STIMULUS PROGRAM LIKE oh I don’t know REBUILDING ALL OUR FUCKED UP ROADS would be a good idea right now]. And there’s more!

If the fiscal authorities are unwilling to behave so sensibly — and the signs, alas, are that they are not — central banks are the only players. They could be given the power to send money, ideally in electronic form, to every adult citizen. Would this add to demand? Absolutely. Under existing monetary arrangements, it would also generate a permanent rise in the reserves of commercial banks at the central bank. The easy way to contain any long-term monetary effects would be to raise reserve requirements. These could then become a desirable feature of our unstable banking systems.

[THIS MEANS THAT GIVING MONEY DIRECTLY TO REGULAR PEOPLE WOULD NOT ONLY INCREASE ECONOMIC DEMAND, THEREBY STIMULATING THE ECONOMY, BUT THAT THE MONEY WOULD ALSO FLOW BACK INTO THE BANKING SYSTEM AND WE COULD MAKE THE BANKS HOLD ONTO MORE OF IT TO MAKE THE BANKS LESS PRONE TO BLOWING THE FUCK UP, NECESSITATING A PUBLIC BAILOUT.]

We’ve tried giving money to banks and letting it trickle it out to the rest of us. Now give us money and let it trickle back into the banks.

And stay there!!!

It seems crazy but it just might work. “How will we pay for all this??” you fret? John Maynard Keynes, motherfucker.

[Why yes, I would love to hear your more learned discussion of this issue complete with economic jargon in the comment section! Photo: Getty]

Melania Trump Donated to Hillary Clinton's Campaign in 2006

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Melania Trump Donated to Hillary Clinton's Campaign in 2006

Speaker of literally dozens of words Melania Trump is her husband’s biggest supporter—despite the fact that she doesn’t seem to actually understand what Donald Trump’s platforms are. And apparently, it’s better that way. Because as Buzzfeed News reported earlier today, back in 2006, Melania Trump donated $2,000 to Clinton’s then-campaign committee, Friends of Hillary.

It wasn’t just Hillary she contributed to, though. Our First Lady-to-be also donated to John McCain several times over, as you can see in the FEC listings below.

Melania Trump Donated to Hillary Clinton's Campaign in 2006

The later donations did, however, keep in line with her husband’s stated beliefs, at least according to his tweets:

Until he changed his mind, that is.

As far as this election cycle goes, we are perfectly happy not knowing what it is Melania will be donating to her candidate of choice.

Make America great again.

[h/t Buzzfeed]


Contact the author at ashley@gawker.com. Image via Getty.

500 Days of Kristin, Day 396: "White Beauties" 

Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

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Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

A $270 ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson bladeless fans, and a Zippo hand warmer kick off Wednesday’s best deals. Bookmark Kinja Deals and follow us on Twitter to never miss a deal. Commerce Content is independent of Editorial and Advertising, and if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale. Click here to learn more, and don’t forget to sign up for our email newsletter.

http://deals.kinja.com/todays-best-ap...


Top Deals


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

For a few years now, Antec’s USB-powered HDTV bias light has been one of our most reliably popular deals whenever it went on sale. The problem: It only got a significant discount once every few months. Luckily, a copycat has emerged to fill in the gap.

http://bestsellers.kinja.com/bestsellers-an...

Just like the Antec model, these Vansky LED light strips plug directly into your TV’s USB port for power, and sticks to the back of the set via built-in adhesive. Once you turn your TV on, the light strip will cast a soft glow on the wall behind it, which can reduce eyestrain when watching in the dark, and improve your TV’s perceived black levels.

Whenever we post a deal on the Antec light, it sells out within hours. I’m not sure if that’ll be the case today, but I wouldn’t take any chances.

Vansky® Bias Lighting for HDTV USB LED Strip Multi Color RGB ($19) | Amazon | Use code AR5DAZR8

Vansky® Bias Lighting for HDTV USB LED Strip Normal Bright White Backlight Kit for Flat Screen TV LCD ($15) | Amazon | Use code GRDPURB5

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A9RN0UK


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

If you fly Southwest with any regularity, this deal is basically free money. Pro tip: Use the money you saved to buy Earlybird check in. [$100 Southwest Airlines Gift Card, $90]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2522978391...


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

Amazon’s in-house exercise bar is fairly priced at its usual $20, but for a limited time, they’re knocking it down to $16, the first discount they’ve ever offered. [AmazonBasics Pull-Up and Exercise Bar, $16]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R3N0782


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

Update: Back in stock!

Featuring an eight foot power cord, 11 AC outlets, plus coax and phone line protection, this APC surge protector is exactly what you need behind your home theater. Amazon will sell you one for $16 right now, which is an all-time low. [APC SurgeArrest Surge Protector, $16]

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

For a limited time, Anker’s highly-rated cases and glass screen protectors for the iPhone 6/6s and 6/6s Plus are on sale for just $2 each. Be sure to note the promo codes; they’re different for each item.

iPhone 6/6s

iPhone 6 SlimShell Case ($2) | Amazon | Promo code ANK78006

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...

iPhone 6 ToughShell Case ($2) | Amazon | Promo code ANK78003

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...

iPhone 6 Tempered Glass Screen Protector ($2) | Amazon | Promo code ANK78001

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...

iPhone 6/6s Plus

iPhone 6 Plus SlimShell Case ($2) | Amazon | Promo code ANK78004

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...

iPhone 6 Plus ToughShell Case ($2) | Amazon | Promo code ANK78005

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...

iPhone 6 Plus Tempered Glass Screen Protector ($2) | Amazon | Promo code ANK78002

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

The Dell XPS 13 is still the Windows laptop to beat, and you can get one packed with 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and a 3200x1800 IPS touchscreen for just $1,000 today. That’s not exactly cheap, but it’s undoubtedly a bargain if you expect a lot out of your laptop. [Dell XPS 13, $1,000]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-XPS-1...

http://gizmodo.com/dell-xps-13-re...


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

It’s not often that Amazon features a laptop as one of its deals of the day, so anyone who uses a desktop at home or work should definitely check out this $270 Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga for their portable computing needs.

This model’s 4GB of RAM is double what you’d find in most similarly priced Chromebooks, and the 128GB SSD is positively spacious compared to the 16-32GB flash chips included in Google’s alternatives. The real highlight feature though is the touchscreen. Sure, at 11.6", and 1366x768 resolution, this probably won’t be your main computer. But since it’s a Yoga, you can flip it into all sorts of different poses. Need to carry it around? Turn it into a tablet. Finished working on a plane, and just want to watch a movie? Flip it into stand mode to get the keyboard out of the way.

Is it an amazing laptop? No. But it seems like a hell of a deal at $270. [Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga 2-in-1 Convertible, $270]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B16MXLU/...


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

Dyson’s bladeless fans look like something out of science fiction, and at their usual prices, they might as well be fictional for most of us. However, a bunch of refurbished models are on sale today in Amazon’s Gold Box, so it might be time to give them another look.

To be clear, at $150-$170, these are still not cheap fans. But if you’ve had one on your wish list, that sure beats swallowing their usual $200-$350 price tags. My pick of the litter is the AM04 Hot+Cool for $155, which can act as a fan and a space heater, but be sure to head over to Amazon to see the full list.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...

Like all Gold Box deals, these prices are only available today, and the best stuff might sell out early, so lock in your orders before they get blown away. [Dyson Fan Gold Box]


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

Unlike those disposable chemical hand warmers, this Zippo lasts for up to 6 hours at a time, and can be reused by filling it with a splash of lighter fluid. Plus, it just looks really cool hot. [Zippo 6-Hour Chrome Hand Warmer, $10]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013HLGULG/...


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

The Xbox One is getting DVR functionality this year, and the TV tuner you’ll need to take advantage of it is marked down to $50 right now, matching an all-time low. [Hauppauge Digital TV Tuner, $50]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...

http://kotaku.com/dvr-functional...

Don’t forget, you’ll need an OTA antenna to go with it.

http://www.amazon.com/Mohu-Paper-thi...

http://lifehacker.com/how-to-choose-...


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

Not only can this LED desk lamp put out three different color temperatures at four brightness settings; it can also charge your phone via its built-in USB port. What more could you possibly need? [ANNT LED Touch Desk Lamp with USB Charging Port, $26 with code MLXJQ3LE]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014KN8ZT0/...


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

Contigo makes some of the best liquid vessels you can buy, and their Addison water bottle and Autoseal travel mug are both on sale today.

http://co-op.kinja.com/the-best-trave...

Contigo Addison Water Bottle, 24-Ounce ($10) | Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C69F5AS/...

Contigo Autoseal West Loop Stainless Steel Travel Mug with Easy Clean Lid ($15) | Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Contigo-Autose...


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

In the world of USB battery pack deals, it doesn’t get much better than $9 for 10,000mAh. We’ve seen this deal a few times before, and to say it’s been popular wouldn’t really do it justice. [KMASHI 10000mAh External Battery Power Bank, $9 with code JDI3KZ3Y]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JM59JPG/...

http://bestsellers.kinja.com/bestsellers-km...


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

Gaming mice don’t get much better than this. Razer’s Mamba Tournament Edition sports an absurd 16,000 DPI sensor, lift-off cut-off distance as of 0.1 mm, and the most insane backlighting system I’ve ever seen. It’s also never been cheaper. [Razer Mamba Tournament Edition - Chroma, $70]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013HSWF40/...

For $16 less, you can still score the DeathAdder Chroma, which has a slightly less impressive backlight, and merely a 10,000 DPI sensor. [Razer DeathAdder Chroma, $54]

http://www.amazon.com/Razer-DeathAdd...

http://lifehacker.com/why-i-started-...

http://co-op.kinja.com/five-best-gami...


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

Camelbaks are essential gear for any avid camper or hiker, and Amazon’s offering all-time low prices on several models today.

CamelBak Lobo Hydration Pack, Exuberance/Charcoal : Sports & Outdoors ($49) | Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OBVNEW0/...

CamelBak Lobo Hydration Pack, Charcoal/Atomic Blue : Sports & Outdoors ($55) | Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OBVNER0/...

Camelbak Products Men’s Rim Runner 22 Hydration Pack, Fallen Rock/Orchid Orange, 100-Ounce : Sports & Outdoors ($56) | Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FJN766E/...

Camelbak Products Trailblazer 15 Hydration Pack, Limoges/Skydiver, 50-Ounce : Sports & Outdoors ($42) | Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EPGTCBS/...

Camelbak Products Trailblazer 15 Hydration Pack, Pomegranate/Silver, 50-Ounce : Sports & Outdoors ($42) | Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EPGTCUY/...


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

Smartphone camera lens attachments have been around for years, but I’ve always held off because I didn’t want to use a specific case on my phone, or pay for a new set of lenses every time I bought a new device. This clip-on solution from Aukey though seems to be a more versatile alternative, and looks like an awesome option at $10.

Unlike most lens add-ons, Aukey’s 3-in-1 kit uses a clamp to attach to your device, which means it should work with virtually any smartphone. Once that clip’s in place, you get to choose from three different lenses: Fisheye, wide angle, and macro. A handful of Amazon reviewers have uploaded sample photos and videos, and they look pretty great to my eyes, particularly the close-up macros.

The whole system is very reasonably priced at $17, but today you can use promo code FNKXYPLR to save an extra $7. [Aukey 3 in 1 Clip-on Cell Phone Camera Lens Kit, $10 with code CVDFD4N4]

http://www.amazon.com/Aukey-Fisheye-...


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

At $2.50 per bulb, it’s officially time to transition your entire house to LED. Plus, many power companies will even give you a $1-$2 statement credit for each one with proof of purchase. [Philips 60W Equivalent Soft White A19 LED Light Bulb (4-Pack), $10]

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Philips-60W-...


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

A good deal on a clothing iron probably isn’t the most exciting thing we’ve ever posted, but everyone should own one, and you could do a lot worse than this 4.5 star-rated Rowenta.

Amazon lists the price at $83, but the $6 coupon on the page will drop it to $77 at checkout, which is the second lowest price they’ve ever listed. [Rowenta DW5197 Focus Steam Iron, $77 with $6 coupon]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

Some people can’t live without their coffee. For me, it’s fizzy water. We’ve seen this SodaStream starter pack slightly cheaper before, but $50 is still a great deal, so be sure to grab it before it goes flat. [SodaStream Fountain Jet Soda Maker Starter Kit, $50]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SodaStream...


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

Mpow’s Swift Bluetooth headphones were a breakout hit on Kinja Deals in 2015, and today, the 2nd-gen models are on sale for under $20. [Mpow Swift 2nd-Gen Bluetooth 4.0 Wireless Sports Headphones, $18 with code B7CLEELZ]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013Y07LUY

http://bestsellers.kinja.com/bestsellers-mp...

And though they have fewer reviews, these SoundPeats alternatives add in an over-ear hook for added security. [SoundPEATS Q9A Wireless Bluetooth Sweatproof Secure Fit Earbuds (Black), $16 with code SDQ9A15U]

http://www.amazon.com/SoundPEATS-Q9A...


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

One of the only downsides of cast iron pans is that they can be a nightmare to clean, but this 4.6 star-rated chainmail scrubber can scrape away caked-on food without hurting your seasoning, or resorting to soap. [Hudson Cast Iron Cleaner XL 7x7 Premium Stainless Steel Chainmail Scrubber, $14]

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...

http://bestsellers.kinja.com/bestsellers-lo...


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

Victorinox’s Fibrox 8" chef’s knife is one of your favorite kitchen blades, and today, the nimbler 6" version is all the way down to $20. I’ve been using the same 8" knife for years, and it’s maintained a fantastic edge with very little maintenance. [Victorinox 40570 Cutlery 6-Inch Chef’s Knife, $20]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000CFDD5?...

http://gizmodo.com/five-best-chef...


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

Today’s best console deals are nothing if not unique. If you’re interested in an Xbox One, this Gears of War Bundle comes with a free bonus Halo gamepad and a copy of Far Cry Primal, for some reason. If you’d prefer a PS4, this Star Wars Battlefront bundle costs $50 more than usual, but it comes with a Sphero BB-8 droid toy, which is a $140 value on its own.

Xbox One Gears of War Bundle + Far Cry Primal + Halo Controller ($350) | eBay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Xbox-One-5...

Sony PS4 Star Wars Battlefront Bundle + Sphero BB-8 ($400) | eBay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-PlayS...

http://toyland.gizmodo.com/sphero-bb-8-re...


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

ExOfficio’s Give-N-Go boxer brief was one of your favorite pairs of men’s underwear, and the best-selling variety of underwear we’ve ever posted. If you prefer standard briefs though, today’s you lucky day. [ExOfficio Men’s Give-N-Go Brief, $12. Black only]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0036ZA0F6/...

http://co-op.kinja.com/four-best-mens...


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

2016 will be the year of Quick Charge 3.0, which can take your phone from zero to 80 in 35 minutes, and you can get ready with some of the first deals we’ve seen on compatible chargers.

http://gizmodo.com/qualcomms-new-...

AUKEY Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 USB Wall Charger ($15) | Amazon | Use code TS8778MR

http://www.amazon.com/Qualcomm-2-0-C...

AUKEY Quick Charge 3.0 USB Car Charger ($14) | Amazon | Use code KUTGGMWI

http://www.amazon.com/Qualcomm-2-0-C...


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

You don’t need a yard, or even any gardening skills to grow your own food at home; you just need Miracle-Gro’s Aerogarden line. These fully-integrated, soil-free indoor gardens can grow herbs, vegetables, and salad greens up to five times faster than regular soil, and nearly the entire lineup is on sale right now.

Prices start at just $45 for the Sprout model, which can grow three pods at a time, and range up to $198 for the Bounty, which fits nine. All of these prices are either all-time lows, or the best we’ve seen outside of special one-day promotions, so don’t hesitate. If you need help deciding, each Amazon page has a comparison chart with all of the main features.


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

Your Mac probably doesn’t have enough USB ports, but this brushed aluminum 4-port hub will look right at home next to the rest of your Apple gear. [Aukey 4-Port Aluminum USB Hub, $11 with code KKR7ZNJE]

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...


Today's Best Deals: ThinkPad Yoga, Dyson Fans, Zippo Hand Warmer, and More

Want Bluetooth audio and handsfree calling in your older car? This little dongle takes the Bluetooth signal from your phone, and retransmits over a 3.5mm AUX connection, or to the FM radio station of your choice. If you go the FM route, the sound quality will take a hit, but it’ll be a truly wireless experience, and probably your best option short of buying an entirely new stereo. We’ve seen deals on similar products before, but rarely for this cheap. [Senbowe SW-BFT-01 Wireless In-Car FM Transmitter with Bluetooth, $11 with code BI25OHDH]

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...


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Uber's Gun Policy Only Has One Problem

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Uber's Gun Policy Only Has One Problem

As after most mass shootings in this country, the murder spree conducted by Jason Dalton in Kalamazoo, Mich. isn’t going to turn our attention to the gun lobby. Instead, this time, we have a villain that is far flashier and still maybe vulnerable: Uber.

http://gawker.com/the-ultimate-l...

Dalton was an Uber driver who reportedly picked up passengers in between pulling into parking lots and killing unassuming strangers. This is a very inconvenient fact for Uber, which is fighting local and state governments all over the country, and now has to contend with the notion that any of their drivers could turn murderous at a moment’s notice.

As Fusion reported today, Uber does have a gun policy. It is very brief and is titled “Uber Firearms Prohibition Policy”:

We seek to ensure that everyone using the Uber digital platform—both driver-partners and riders—feels safe and comfortable using the service. During a ride arranged through the Uber platform, Uber and its affiliates therefore prohibit possessing firearms of any kind in a vehicle. Any rider or driver found to have violated this prohibition may lose access to the Uber platform.

Uber bans its drivers from carrying weapons while on the clock, and threatens to fire drivers who do not comply. There is only one (big) problem with this policy: it’s entirely unenforceable.

This is a function of Uber’s very being. A driver gets into his or her car and opens the Uber app and starts picking people up. There is no way to prevent that driver from bringing a rocket launcher into that car, let alone a concealed handgun.

Uber’s very business model also means that there isn’t even a functional, incentivized self-enforcement of the policy. Fusion notes that New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission installs dividers that separate drivers and passengers, and that a yellow cab driver carrying a gun would risk losing his or her taxi medallion, which costs hundreds of thousands of dollars and is necessary for operating a cab in the city.

But Uber doing something like installing barriers in cars would completely upend their business model, and the stakes for drivers—who mostly work part-time to pick up extra income—are low enough that they might carry a weapon even if it means they could be banned from working for Uber. Fusion cites a quote given by an Austin, Tex. Uber driver to a site called The Trace about riding with a gun:

One Reddit user who claims to drive for Uber tells The Trace he carries a concealed weapon on the job in full knowledge of Uber’s policy. “I carry because I would much rather lose the ability to work with Uber than be robbed, physically assaulted, or need to defend myself and be unable to,” he wrote in a message.

Of course, this doesn’t exactly apply to Jason Dalton, who just decided to go on a shooting rampage. But it does highlight that along with overtaking the entire public transportation industry, Uber also has to figure out how to make sure its drivers won’t—and can’t—shoot people.


No One Wants to Sit Next to Ted Cruz

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No One Wants to Sit Next to Ted Cruz

Bane of his family’s existence Ted Cruz isn’t very popular among his colleagues, either—this much we knew. Ted, however, still seems to be struggling with the concept. Because while attending Antonin Scalia’s funeral this past weekend, he kept insisting on sitting next to other humans. And absolutely no one wanted to sit next to Ted.

This sort of rejection almost surely brought flashbacks to moments like this...

No One Wants to Sit Next to Ted Cruz

... in addition to, we imagine, almost every single minute of his adult and adolescent life.

http://gawker.com/no-one-wants-t...

This has been the latest installment of “Things People Hate About Ted Cruz.” Join us next time when we’ll discussing “everything.”



NYPD Captain Says Teen Park Slope Serial Muggers Come From "Good Families" (White)

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NYPD Captain Says Teen Park Slope Serial Muggers Come From "Good Families" (White)

Last night at a city council meeting, NYPD 78th precinct commanding officer Frank DiGiacomo told attendees that recently apprehended suspects in a string of muggings in Park Slope are bike-riding teens that come from “good families” from “around the neighborhood.” What do you think he likely means by that?

Per DNAinfo, DiGiacomo said:

“Most of the kids are from good families,” DiGiacomo said. “They weren’t coming from bad areas around the city.”

He probably means something specific here.

He added later that the suspected thieves are kids “from around the neighborhood”

Yes.

with “good parents”

Uh huh.

who are “doctors and lawyers.”

I think he means they’re white.


Contact the author at jordan@gawker.com.

Brooklyn District Attorney Drops Charges Against All 5 Teens Accused in Brownsville Gang Rape

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Brooklyn District Attorney Drops Charges Against All 5 Teens Accused in Brownsville Gang Rape

On Wednesday, the New York Times reports, Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson said that prosecutors would dismiss first-degree rape charges against the five teenagers who were accused of attacking an 18-year-old woman in Brooklyn early this year.

The young woman initially told police that she and her father had been walking through Osborn Playground, in Brownsville, Brooklyn, on January 7, when they were come upon by armed suspects, who threatened the father and took turns assaulting the woman. However, the suspects claimed that the encounter was consensual, and that the woman had been having sex with her father when they crossed paths in the park.

Four of the five suspects—Denzel Murray, 14; Ethan Phillip, 15; and Travis Beckford, 17; and Onandi Brown, 17—were released without bail a few days after their arrest, when the Brooklyn DA failed to meet the deadline to obtain indictments. Shaquell Cooper, 15, remained in jail, as he faced an unrelated assault charge.

The woman and her father admitted to investigators that they were having sex when the five suspects found them in the park, according to the Times. A rape test showed the presence of DNA from two of the five, including one to whom the woman had not given her consent. However, the woman recently stopped cooperating with investigators and said she was unwilling to testify.

“That night, this young woman’s father and the five young men engaged in conduct that was reprehensible, and wrong, but because of the lack of reliable evidence, criminal charges simply cannot be sustained,” Thompson said in a statement.

Officials said that the woman, who has moved around between foster families, group homes, and other facilities for most of her life, learned her biological father’s identity when she turned 18. After contacting him through Facebook, she came to New York City last July to meet him. From the Times:

Besides the statements the woman made to the police and others, she also met three times with prosecutors in their offices in Downtown Brooklyn. When she was interviewed, it was outside the presence of her father, the officials said. Prosecutors treated the case with sensitivity, the officials said. Experienced sex crimes investigators spoke with her. Counselors and social workers were available to assist her.

But in the last of those interviews, on Feb. 18, the woman told prosecutors she was unwilling to go forward with the case. She portrayed all of what had happened in Osborn Playground as a result of her consensual actions — saying she did not stop the suspects from advancing. At one point, she told investigators she “doesn’t do” court, the officials said. At another, she said she could not explain why she made conflicting statements in the past.

“She didn’t want to testify,” said one of the officials. “She didn’t want to bring the case. She expressed a complete unwillingness to cooperate in any criminal prosecution.”

Spencer Leeds, a lawyer for one of the suspects, Onandi Brown, said he disagreed with Thompson’s description of his client’s conduct as “reprehensible and wrong.”

“I have great respect for him,” Leeds said, “but I respectfully disagree with that characterization he put forth there. I don’t view Onandi’s conduct at any time as being reprehensible, based on our investigation of the case.”

Because the woman is no longer cooperating with investigators, prosecutors cannot bring incest charges against her father. “It is my fervent hope that this young woman gets all the support that she needs going forward,” Thompson’s statement continued. “My office, including our victim advocates who have been working with this young woman, stand ready to provide her with any assistance she may need.”


Suit: South Carolina Woman Died in Jail After She Was "Deprived of Water"

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Suit: South Carolina Woman Died in Jail After She Was "Deprived of Water"

On July 22, a day after she was arrested at a hospital for failing to pay court fines, Joyce Curnell, 50, of Edisto Island, South Carolina, was found dead at the Charleston County jail “because she was deprived of water,” her family alleges.

Curnell was being treated for a stomach illness at Roper Hospital when she was arrested on an outstanding bench warrant related to a shoplifting charge from 2011. Detention officers found Curnell unresponsive while making security rounds in their assigned housing unit, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. From the Charleston Post & Courier:

She spent the last 27 hours of her life behind bars. During that time she became too sick to eat or call for help, according to court documents filed this week. She vomited all night and couldn’t make it to a bathroom, so jailers gave her a trash bag. Some medical staffers ignored the jail officials’ requests to tend to her, the documents alleged.

Curnell’s family filed a notice Wednesday to sue the jail’s medical contractor, Carolina Center for Occupational Health, for malpractice. Unless a settlement is reached, a lawsuit likely will follow. The filing cited expert opinion from a local doctor, who said Curnell’s death “more likely than not” would have been prevented if she had been properly treated for gastroenteritis and dehydration.

The family attorney, James Moore III, said in a statement that her death resulted from a “deliberate failure.” While a suit in state court is planned, Moore said one in federal court could follow.

A copy of the filing is available here. In an affidavit, Maria Gibson, a Medical University Hospital doctor serving as an expert witness for the Curnell family, blames “a series of conscious violations.”

Suit: South Carolina Woman Died in Jail After She Was "Deprived of Water"
Suit: South Carolina Woman Died in Jail After She Was "Deprived of Water"

According to the Post & Courier, Curnell had been on a payment plan since April 2012 to cover the $1,148.90 in fines related to the 2011 shoplifting charge, but she stopped paying the following January. A bench warrant was issued in August 2014, after she did not respond to a letter from the court.

Suit: South Carolina Woman Died in Jail After She Was "Deprived of Water"
Evans Moore, LLC

It is unclear, the Post & Courier reports, how, when, or why law enforcement was made aware that there was a warrant out for Curnell’s arrest as she lay in a hospital being treated for gastroenteritis.

In a statement Wednesday, one of the family’s attorneys, James Moore, said, “It is incomprehensible that in the year 2015, in the United States of America, we have members of our community suffering and dying from thirst and dehydration...Providing access to reasonable medical care to those under police custody is a necessity, not a privilege. It is a Constitutional right.”

Another attorney, Scott Evans, added: “This is not a situation in which Joyce needed access to cutting edge medical care to save her life. She needed fluids and the attention of a doctor. Not only has nobody been prosecuted in connection with Joyce’s death, it does not appear that any employee has even been reprimanded.”


Did This 'Tiara-Wearing Lunatic' Bite a Fellow Plane Passenger or Is It Just a Case of Class Envy?

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Did This 'Tiara-Wearing Lunatic' Bite a Fellow Plane Passenger or Is It Just a Case of Class Envy?

New York art curator Stacy Engman (who has a very colorful Instagram, for what it’s worth) was issued a summons for assault after allegedly biting a fellow first class passenger on a flight from Istanbul to JFK last summer. The best detail of the case: Engman, ever the elegant lady, was wearing a tiara when the biting supposedly happened

In an article perfectly headlined “Tiara-wearing lunatic bites passenger on JFK-bound flight,” the New York Post reports that the confrontation occurred when a fellow passenger confronted Engman, 38, for taking up too much room:

After the fellow passenger bristled, Engman began to raise and lower the adjustable armrest into the woman’s leg before launching into a stream of insults.

When the other woman told her to cool it and turned away, Engman bit her on the backside, according to a criminal complaint.

Prior to the biting, according to the court papers, Engman “told anyone who would listen she had been on a yacht for five days.”

As one witness puts it, she “was aggressive from the beginning of the flight.”

Engman admits that she was wearing a tiara on the flight (why wouldn’t she), but counters that she did not bite anyone. She tells W:

“It was last summer and I had been to haute couture...I was on the boat and I had my sunglass-tiara on, because I got utterly, horribly sick on the boat. I had horrible food poisoning and I had to come back early.”

...So I when I was coming back, I just remember waking up and this girl is whacking me over the head with her seat cushion. The flight attendants were immediately engaged. There was absolutely no biting. This is the most absurd thing I can imagine. And the flight resumed and everything was completely fine.”

She describes the situation to the Post similarly: “I had fallen asleep. The next thing I know, she’s whacking me over the head with the armrest. This girl was extremely aggressive.”

Engman feels that she might be a victim of class envy and describes her accuser as a “sweatshirt-clad ‘total granola girl.’”

“I need to speak to my lawyer about how we move forward,” she adds. “This is like bullying.”

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.


Image via Getty.

Don't Forget Donald Trump Is Currently Fighting Off Two Multimillion Dollar Lawsuits Over the Super Fake "Trump University" 

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Late last year, on December 10, Donald Trump briefly slipped away from the public eye to give a closed-door, pretrial deposition in a class-action lawsuit filed against him in California, Yahoo News reports, relating to the now-defunct Trump University.

The lawsuit revolves around the school Trump launched in 2005, promising to turn “anyone into a successful real estate investor,” but which former students now say was little more than a bad “infomercial” that scammed them out of $60,000 for a bad seminar in a hotel ballroom. The lead plaintiff, Tarla Makaeff, a California yoga instructor, has accused Trump of threatening to ruin her financially for bringing the suit.

“None of it is true. No one was defrauded,” Alan Garten, the Trump Organization’s general counsel, told Yahoo News last year. “The people that take these classes go into it with their eyes open. A lot of people did very well [with Trump University]. A lot of people enjoyed it. But like everything else, if people don’t put the effort into it, they don’t succeed.”

But New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has also sued Trump, alleging in a $40 million lawsuit, in 2013, that the “university” was never accredited, awarded no degrees, and was essentially “an elaborate bait-and-switch.”

http://gawker.com/donald-trump-u...

“No one, no matter how rich or famous they are, has a right to scam hardworking New Yorkers,” Schneiderman said in a statement. “Anyone who does should expect to be held accountable.” The attorney general said that Trump appeared in advertisements making “false promises” that persuaded more than 5,000 people around the country, including 600 New Yorkers, “to spend tens of thousands of dollars they couldn’t afford for lessons they never got.”

In 2014, the Atlantic reported on a 41-page “Private & Confidential” playbook, printed on “Trump University” letterhead, that detailed the choreography for selling people on the allegedly fraudulent school.

The playbook, prepared for Trump University seminars in Texas in 2009, might be summed up in one word: sell. Or as the playbook puts it on page 23, “Sell, Sell, Sell!” The playbook posits a “Minimum Sales Goal” of $72,500 per seminar, meaning that the seminars leaders needed to convince at least 20 percent of attendees to sign up for three-day seminars costing $1,495.

Under the heading “Registration Goal & Procedure,” Trump U. staffers are instructed to “Welcome attendees and build a Trump-esque atmosphere,” “Disarm any uncertainty,” and “Set the hook.” The hook in this case consists of selling seminar attendees on increasingly costly additional courses, culminating in the “Trump Gold Elite” package, for a cool $34,995. Pricey, yes, but the playbook notes that the list price of the Trump Gold Elite package is $49,415, a savings to students of 29 percent. Even before Trump University students had made their first real-estate transaction, they had managed to get themselves a deal, of sorts.

The seminars were usually held in hotel meeting rooms, and the playbook spells out in painstaking detail how the space should be set up. Chairs should be close enough together to give attendees sufficient space, while still “bringing attendees out of their comfort zone.” Room temperature should be set at “no more than 68 degrees.” A sales corral was to be set up within close proximity to the door, “so that attendees need to walk past sales tables in order to exit.” It was at the sales tables that Trump U. staffers would hawk the pricey seminar packages.

As soon as attendees entered the registration area, the song “For the Love of Money” by the O’Jays greeted them. The tune had been used as the theme to Trump’s reality television shows “The Apprentice” and “The Celebrity Apprentice,” presumably because of the song’s incessant chant of “Money, money, money, money...money!”

Incidentally, Trump University has since changed its name to The Trump Entrepreneur Initiative.

For his part, Trump will likely have to take the witness stand in the California case, in San Diego, late this spring or early summer—the final pretrial conference is set for May 6, and court documents show the judge wants the case to move forward.

Meanwhile, in the New York case, Crain’s reports that a state judge has ruled that Trump is personally liable for damages, to be determined at a later time, resulting from the fact that Trump University lacked the required licenses. Trump’s lawyers have been ordered to take depositions from about 5,000 former students for whom the attorney general is seeking restitution.


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