Sondland...

During the 2016 United States presidential election, Sondland initially supported Donald Trump, but cancelled a fundraiser and repudiated Trump for his attacks on Khizr and Ghazala Khan.^[2] In April 2017, it was revealed that 4 companies registered to Sondland donated $1 million to the Donald Trump inaugural committee. 

On March 12, 2018, the Wall Street Journal reported that President Trump selected Sondland to be the next United States ambassador to the European Union.^[29][30] On May 10, 2018, the White House announced that Sondland's nomination had been sent to the U.S. Senate.^[31] He was confirmed by the Senate on June 28, 2018.^[3] On July 9, 2018, Sondland presented his credentials at the European Commission and to President of the European Council Donald Tusk.^[32]

Sondland's nomination received bipartisan support during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on June 21, 2018.^[4] Both Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) testified in support of Sondland.^[33] Sen. Wyden suggested that Sondland’s "family history is both fascinating and instructive as to why he has the experience and understanding to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the E.U.," noting how his Jewish parents fled Nazi Germany before coming to the United States.

Crazy...

Former President Barack Obama urged Democrats to offer proposals for progress on health care and inequality in rare remarks on the 2020 presidential campaign  but he cautioned that most voters aren’t the same as “left-leaning Twitter feeds” and “don’t want to see crazy stuff” from Democratic presidential candidates.

He did not mention any candidates by name as he addressed the Democracy Alliance, a group of liberal donors who gathered to discuss their spending plans for the 2020 election. 

Obama appeared to critique the candidates pushing major change in the Democratic primary such as Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren — as well as former Vice President Joe Biden, who has hugged Obama’s legacy close on the campaign trail, even as Obama says he's eager for the party to move beyond the markers he set.

Hearings...

Whatever is happening today in the impeachment interviews, there is one thing definitely clear. Many politicians think that the president of the United States of America should be a politician like them.

We have over two dozens of politicians on the democratic side competing for that same spot.

Did we like any?

Some promised us the moon. Did we believe any?

The Democrats are looking for any one who can beat Trump. Do we have any?

It started with Avenatti,  Sanders, Warren, Biden, Buttigieg.... then...

Theft...

The MTA claims that the Traffic Mobility Review Board  which will recommend toll prices for drivers entering Manhattan's central business district  isn't required to follow the state's open meetings laws, the New York Post first reported. Government bodies subject to these laws are required to post notices of their meetings and allow members of the public to attend the meetings as well as access and copy meeting minutes.

An MTA spokeswoman told the Post that the panel won't have to follow the open meetings laws because it won't perform a "governmental action subject to the open meetings law."

Congestion Pricing was a major part of this year's state budget and Gov. Andrew Cuomo expects the policy to raise at least $15 billion for MTA capital projects. 

The MTA awarded a $507 million contract to a company called TransCore to design, install and maintain what the MTA calls a "first-of-its-kind" tolling system below 60th Street in Manhattan. 

Sucking the money out of poor people of New York.

Norman...

Compare to the master of Norman Rockwell.

Shoot...

Imagine...

The country is witnessing one of only a handful of times in its history that Congress has gone through with public hearings on whether to impeach a president.

And yet, the overwhelming majority of Americans across parties say nothing they hear in the inquiry will change their minds on impeachment, according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll.

Half of Americans said they approve of the impeachment inquiry.  Respondents are also split on whether they think Trump should be impeached and removed from office. 

But 65% of Americans say they can't imagine any information or circumstances during the impeachment inquiry where they might change their minds about their position on impeachment. 

Fallen...

The value of Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil giant has fallen below the $2tn target after a tepid response from international investors to its stock market flotation.

Saudi Aramco will sell up to 1.5% of the world’s most profitable company. This would value the company at between $1.6tn and $1.7tn.

The IPO was initially expected to be the largest market debut of any company, offering up to 5% of the company.

 After a series of delays, Aramco’s IPO will offer a far smaller stake.

A Bloomberg poll of international money managers found the majority put Aramco’s valuation at between $1.2tn and $1.5tn.

Prices of oil has deteriorated in the past few years with no hope for recovery.  Climate change, electric cars and renewable energy, gave no chance for oil to be anywhere in the coming 10 years. 

Stents...

Stents and coronary artery bypass surgery are no more effective than intensive drug treatment and better health habits in preventing millions of Americans from heart attacks and death, a large study is shedding new light on a major controversy in cardiology.

Researchers have fiercely debated for years how best to treat people who have narrowed coronary arteries but aren’t suffering acute symptoms.

The standard treatment has been to implant stents—wire mesh tubes that open up clogged arteries—or to perform bypass surgery, redirecting blood around a blockage.    

Those procedures are performed even though these patients either have no symptoms or feel chest pain only when they climb a few flights of stairs or exert themselves in some other way.

The study is the largest and among the most rigorous research yet to suggest that while stents and bypass surgery can be lifesaving for people who are having heart attacks, they aren’t necessarily better than cholesterol-lowering drugs and other changes in health habits for most people with chronic, or stable, coronary artery disease, which affects about 9.4 million Americans.

Just a thought.

Lock...