Tuesday

Trump and Putin

• From Juan Cole - DC Elites Shocked at Trump Bromance with Putin but Give Israel’s Netanyahu a Pass 

The real issue I have with Russia-gate is that basically all the people complaining about Russian interference know that Israel had a huge influence on the election, from the things listed in Cole's post above, to the huge donations from Sheldon Adelson to Trump and the R's, to an Israeli firm working with the Russians and the Trump camp. Israel played a huge part in the election of Trump and no one even mentions it. How can that be?  

No nation should be allowed to interfere in our process, not Russia, not Israel, not the Saudis, not England,... no one.

• Also....Qatar funded Zionist Organization of America with a direct link to Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

The Left and Israel

• A good post here On Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Palestine, and the Left. The young stars of the left need a fresh, smart, consistent line on Israel-Palestine. It is the one issue where one misstep can bury any American Politician. 

Just this morning, I've seen three pieces on her handling of the word "occupation"

Hit Jobs

• Sacha Baron Cohen still knows how to punk America, but his new show erodes what little trust we have left

"Cohen is still an undisputed genius at punking a variety of targets, from the ultra-gullible to seemingly savvy. But if “Who Is America?” is worth any praise, then what are we to say about the techniques of Project Veritas, the conservative, undercover operation that has tried to infiltrate and expose liberal bias among news organizations and community organizers? 

What Cohen does is not all that different."

Well, one big difference is the reaction, when James O'Keefe's work first hit, the D's immediately caved, Acorn was killed, Planned Parenthood took a hit. We'll see if there are any policy changes or resignations over this.

O'Keefe's work was very one-sided and was meant to bring Ds down. Baron's may be targeted at Rs, but at this point seems mostly just for laughs. I mean Sarah Palin and Dick Chaney aren't going anywhere. It would be like O'keefe hitting Dennis Kucinich.

O'Keefe's donors were mostly hidden from view we know Baron's was Showtime. It sounds like the people in this case had to sign releases. Did O'Keefe's?

Overall, O'Keefe and Veritas have been quite a bit dirtier, more political, and targeted.

Russian Hacking

• The 2 ways Russia may have helped Trump steal the election aren't what you think | Will Bunch

Economics

• A new way to inflate the economy. Single-dose testosterone administration increases men’s preference for status goods

"we find that administering testosterone increases men’s preference for status brands, compared to brands of similar perceived quality but lower perceived status. Furthermore, testosterone increases positive attitudes toward positional goods when they are described as status-enhancing, but not when they are described as power-enhancing or high in quality"