1/25/18
These pages are a modest attempt to provide up-to-date news that is relevant to the areas of mathematics, education, computer science or information technology. Reader should keep in mind that old links often disappear.
TechNews for the week: January 25; January 23;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
Congressional leaders, Trump reach tentative deal to temporarily reopen government without wall funds; Trump announces deal to reopen federal government through Feb. 15;
Senate approves bill to reopen the government; House approves bill to reopen the government, sends measure to Trump for his signature;
Right wing rips Trump over no-wall shutdown deal;
Trump shutdown deal leaves $130 billion bill for $5.7 billion wall; Government will owe $6 billion in back pay by end of this week;
White House seeks list of programs that could be cut if shutdown lasts into March, a sign it is bracing for a lengthy funding lapse;
Lara Trump tells federal workers that their missed paychecks are sacrifices for the 'future of our country';
Commerce secretary doesn't understand why unpaid federal workers use food banks; George W. Bush delivers pizza to his unpaid Secret Service detail;
Trump Offers Temporary Protections for 'Dreamers' in Exchange for Wall Funding; Trump's Immigration Announcement; a Compromise Snubbed All Around;
Here's why Trump isn't budging on his border wall;
Senate rejects Trump's plan to end shutdown with $5.7 billion in funding for wall and temporary protection for some immigrants;
Democrats' bill to reopen the government also fails in Senate; No. 3 House Democrat floats possible $5.7 billion in border funding;
Senate Republicans all but surrender to Trump on wall despite shutdown's toll ;
At the One-Issue White House, the Standoff Over a Border Wall Displaces Other Priorities; Federal Courts, Running Out of Money, Brace for Shutdown's Pain;
Trump spins asylum restrictions as humanitarian relief;
Trump administration to start sending asylum seekers back to Mexico, keeping migrants out of U.S. as cases are processed;
'This is your fault': GOP senators clash over shutdown inside private luncheon;
'It's Not a Wall,' but Steel Slats and Barbed Wire Roil a Border Town;
Around the globe, Trump's style is inspiring imitators and unleashing dark impulses;
Israel Air Force strikes southern Syria; Syria says repels Israeli air attack, Israel says downs Golan rocket;
Israeli politicians lash out at Netanyahu as Hamas refuses Qatari grant; over Israeli conditions; Qatar to disburse Gaza aid in 'coordination with UN';
U.S. Ambassador says Trump peace plan to be revealed in April;
Kushner will push Trump peace plan before heat of 2020 race ; Pompeo says Preparations under way for peace plan after Israeli elections;
Russia accuses Turkey of failing to live up to Syria deal; Tankers on fire in Crimea linked to breach of US sanctions on Russia;
Iran says it has a new tank that equals the best in the world; U.S. jails journalist who works for news outlet overseen by Iranian government;
Satellite imagery raises suspicions that Saudi Arabia can produce ballistic missiles;
After Deadly Assault on Afghan Base, Taliban Sit for Talks With U.S. Diplomats;
Britain is operating as if a Brexit delay is there for the taking. It's not;
South Korea says troop talks deadlocked as U.S. demands 'unacceptable' funding increase;
Document Shows Deripaska and Allies Could Benefit From Sanctions Deal;
Venezuelan opposition leader declares himself president; U.S. recognizes him as interim president, fueling uprising aimed at Maduro;
Venezuelan President Maduro gives U.S. diplomats 72 hours to leave; U.S. to defy Venezuelan order; Russia warns US over 'quasi coup' in Venezuela;
U.S. diplomats hunker down in Venezuela Embassy amid standoff with Maduro;
Escort, Who Claimed to Have Evidence of Russian Election Meddling Is Deported in Thai Sex Case; Model 'dragged' into Russian detention;
Moscow Skyscraper Talks Continued Through 'the Day I Won,' Trump Is Said to Acknowledge; Giuliani walks back startling claims on talk about Trump's Moscow tower plan;
U.S. Policy on Russia? Trump and His Team Might Give Different Answers;
Trump confidant Stone arrested, faces obstruction charge; Mitch McConnell's Brother-in-Law One of the Masterminds of Trump-Russia;
Supreme Court Allows Redacted Appeal in Possible Mueller Case; Manafort faces sealed hearing on allegations he lied to Mueller team;
Michael Cohen postponing his Feb. 7 testimony before a House committee; Cohen subpoenaed by Senate committee, a day after Cohen sought to back out of House testimony;
Supreme Court's inaction leaves DACA program for young migrants intact for now; allows Trump restrictions on transgender troops in military to go into effect;
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to decide quickly whether citizenship question can be placed on 2020 Census;
Trump tells Pelosi he will deliver State of the Union before Congress next week, despite her request for a delay during shutdown;
Pelosi tells Trump no State of the Union in House chamber during shutdown; Trump says he'll postpone State of the Union speech until the government shutdown is over;
Trump says he directed Sarah Sanders 'not to bother' with WH press briefings; Trump-era briefings are exercises in futility - and lying. But we need them anyway;
North Carolina judge declines to certify congressional race as fraud investigation continues;
Federal judges choose Va. redistricting map favorable to Democrats; six GOP House districts would get bluer ;
Kansas Lawmakers Defect to Democrats as G.O.P. Struggles in Suburbs;
A $450 dinner, $45 glass of whiskey: Two financial regulators ring up the expenses;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
Government Shutdown May Have Permanently Damaged U.S. Security; What We Learned from Malware Attacks in 2018; The Evolution of Darknets;
DNC Says It Was Targeted by Russian Hackers After Midterm Elections; Internet Celebrities Use Hackers to Recover Instagram Accounts from Hackers;
DHS Issues Emergency Directive to Secure Domain Name Records; U.S. Intelligence Strategy Emphasizes Threats from New Technology;
24M Financial, Banking Documents Exposed in Security Lapse Online;
China Deletes 7 Million Pieces of Online Information;
Hacking the GCHQ Backdoor; Clever Smartphone Malware Concealment Technique; Construction cranes are vulnerable to hacking;
Math and science
As Shutdown Continues, Researchers Struggle and Scientific Progress Grinds To A Halt;
Glaciers Are Retreating. Millions Rely on Their Water; Study: Soil And Plants Approaching Limit Of CO2 Absorption;
Swiss Researchers Develop Robot To Deliver Drugs Inside The Body;
Researchers Learning How To Farm On Mars;
Waymo Self-Driving Cars Are Getting Confused By Rain, Crowded Parking Lots;
How Exercise May Help Keep Our Memory Sharp;
Web, computing and technology issues
In 'right to be forgotten' ruling, Google ordered to remove search results; Advocacy Groups Want FTC to Break Up Facebook Because of Privacy;
How to stop spam calls and robocalls from destroying your life; Verizon to roll out free spam alert and call blocking tools to all wireless customers;
Hacks to clean and de-clutter your computer (inside and out);
FAA Announces New Rule Proposals For Drone Flights;
Microsoft's Bing Returns to China After Apparent Blockage;
SC News and Politics
For Democrats, South Carolina Already Looms Large for the 2020 Race;
George Will: Why do people such as Lindsey Graham come to Congress?
ONR Gives Horry Georgetown Technical College Cybersecurity Grant;
Business and Economics
U.S. Jobless Claims Fall to 49-Year Low Despite Federal Shutdown;
'I see people panicking': In a Coast Guard town, hardship and resolve amid the shutdown; As many industries get shutdown relief, those without clout feel left behind;
The shutdown is undercutting the IRS, just in time for a particularly difficult tax season; At least 14,000 IRS workers did not show up for work due to shutdown;
As TSA closes checkpoint at BWI airport, many screeners say lack of cash keeps them at home; FAA delays flights at New York's LaGuardia airport, citing staffing shortages;
Wilbur Ross says furloughed workers should take out a loan. His agency's credit union is charging nearly 9%;
As global recession fears grow, calls escalate for Trump to end shutdown and trade war;
World Leaders at Davos Call for Global Rules on Tech; The lesson of Davos: China has arrived;
US commerce secretary says US is 'miles' from China trade deal;
Chinese economy slows to lowest growth rate in 28 years; China's Economy, by the Numbers, Is Worse Than It Looks;
China Proceeds With Belt and Road Push, but Does It More Quietly; Beijing's blockade of U.S. credit card companies may finally end - now that Chinese companies dominate;
Trump Proposals Could Increase Health Costs for Consumers; After Falling Under Obama, America's Uninsured Rate Looks to Be Rising;
EPA fines for polluters drop 85 percent under Trump administration, which former officials say cripples efforts to deter wrongdoing;
Senate Democrats Request Legal Clarification On Shutdown Offshore Drilling Efforts;
PG&E Says Judge's Proposals For Fire Prevention Could Cost $150 Billion; PG&E Is Cleared in Deadly Tubbs Fire of 2017;
Study Finds Ride Hailing Companies Reason Behind Decline In Public Transportation Ridership;
Citing high costs, some police departments drop body-camera programs;
'Knock them in the teeth.' How Trump turns crises into leverage;
Finance
The High-Yield Bond Market Is Flashing Danger Signals;
Other news
George Will: The shabbiest U.S. president ever is an inexpressibly sad specimen; Damage report: For two years, Trump has been undermining American democracy;
An alternative to Trump's extortion; President Trump made 8,158 false or misleading claims in his first two years;
'Absolutely out of control': Cliff Sims's book depicts life in Trump's White House;
Five myths about conspiracy theories;
The calculated art of making people uncomfortable; The MAGA hat is not a statement of policy. It's an inflammatory declaration of identity;
Education:
How More Than 200 Scholars Reached the Top Academic Job on Campus, and Where They Went Next;
Private colleges' surprise tactic: Slashing tuition; To See How the World Sees Your College Look on YouTube;
'College meltdown': Small private schools disappear in face of changing educational landscape; Small Colleges Get Experimental in Bid to Survive;
Colleges Lose a 'Stunning' 651 Foreign-Language Programs in 3 Years;
California Community College California Community College Allows Students To Bypass Remedial English;
Study: Students Admitted To Louisiana Colleges Without Meeting Standards Had Worse Outcomes;
Los Angeles teachers agree to end week-long strike and could return tomorrow to nation's second-largest school system;
Some Colleges Allowing Students Affected By Shutdown To Delay Payments; Guide: How Furloughed Employees Can Manage Student Loan Debt;
Forbes Contributor Praises Bipartisan Senate FAFSA Bill; State Authorization Rules Again Up For Discussion;
How George Mason University changed overnight when it let 25 semiautonomous robots roam its campus;
Community-College Professor Fired After Making a Nazi Salute at a System Meeting;
State Lawmaker Criticizes U. Wisconsin Professor's Syllabus Over Characterization of Trump;
1/18/18
TechNews for the week: January 18; January 16; January 14;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
As U.S. Exits Syria, Mideast Faces a Post-American Era; Start of Syria withdrawal disempowers Bolton, Pompeo;
White House reportedly explored military options for U.S. strike on Iran; Pentagon Officials Fear Bolton's Actions Increase Risk of Clash With Iran;
Pompeo's Anti-Iran Tour Pompeo's Anti-Iran Tour Faces Obstacles of a Fractious Middle East; Satellite images show complete destruction of Iranian weapons cache;
Israel has been launching raids into the heart of Ramallah; Israel refuses entry to member of UK Labour Party;
Zionist Organization of America says U.S. must erase legal opinion condemning West Bank settlements; U.S. tax dollars prop up the intellectual heirs to an Israeli terrorist;
In role reversal, Abbas pressures Hamas as Israel allows aid;
Hardcore Brexit supporters push to leave European Union with no deal; May faces immediate no-confidence vote after MPs hand her humiliating Brexit defeat;
China's advances seen to pose increasing threat to American military dominance;
White House says Trump to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at end of February;
Trump Discussed Pulling U.S. From NATO, Aides Say Amid New Concerns Over Russia; Some in GOP split with White House on Russia sanctions;
Pentagon seeks to expand scope and sophistication of U.S. missile defenses on scale not seen since Reagan's 'Star Wars' initiative;
Trump's changing vision of the wall; How a border wall would compare to past emergencies;
House Armed Services chairman: Trump's border wall obsession rooted in 'racism';
Inside Trump's defiance on the longest federal shutdown ever; Trump Reportedly Flays Mick Mulvaney In Shutdown Meeting;
Americans blame Trump and GOP much more than Democrats for shutdown; FACT CHECK: Trump isn't holed up nonstop at White House;
Shutdown gives some Trump allies what they want: A smaller government; Senate Republicans stand with McConnell on the sidelines of shutdown fight;
Former Trump economic adviser Gary Cohn: Shutdown is 'completely wrong';
Compelled to work without pay, federal employees sue Trump, accusing him of violating 13th Amendment;
Judge refuses to compel the government to pay federal employees who have been forced to work without pay during shutdown;
State Dept. employees ordered back to work as Trump nixes Pelosi trip and Davos delegation, citing shutdown;
Despite the shutdown, the IRS plans to bring back more than half of its workforce as tax season kicks into gear;
Trump Orders Thousands Back to Work Without Pay to Blunt Shutdown Disruption; Senate GOP blocks bill to reopen Homeland Security;
Pelosi asks Trump to postpone State of the Union address or deliver it in writing; Pelosi's bold letter, annotated;
Trump says he's cancelling Pelosi's foreign trips a day after she asked him to delay his State of the Union address;
Pelosi congressional delegation planned to fly commercially to Afghanistan but postponed trip as leaks increased security threat;
Attorney general nominee vows to let Mueller finish Russia probe. Here's what Barr will say at his confirmation hearing, annotated;
AG nominee sent memo on Mueller probe to Trump's lawyers;
AG nominee Barr says he would not fire Mueller at the president's order unless there was cause; suggests Mueller's long-awaited Russia probe report might not be made public;
Supreme Court turns aside challenge to Whitaker as acting attorney general;
Old land deal Old land deal quietly haunts Mick Mulvaney as he serves as Trump's chief of staff;
General Services Administration 'ignored' constitutional concerns by allowing Trump to keep his D.C. hotel lease;
T-Mobile announced a merger needing Trump administration's okay. The next day, 9 executives had reservations at Trump's D.C. hotel;
U.S. officials say Trump has gone to extraordinary lengths to hide details of talks with Putin, such as taking interpreter's notes;
F.B.I. Opened Inquiry Into Whether Trump Was Secretly Working on Behalf of Russia; Trump Tweets Lengthy Attack on F.B.I. Over Inquiry Into Possible Aid to Russia;
New court filing indicates prosecutors have extensive details on Manafort actions not yet made public;
Law firm that drew Mueller's attention agrees to pay $4.6 million for unreported Ukraine work;
Ex-Trump lawyer: rigging polls 'was at the direction of' Trump; Liberty U. Senior Official Accepted Bag of Money for Helping Trump in Online Polls;
Democrats demand investigation over report that Trump directed Michael Cohen to lie to Congress; Trump says Michael Cohen's father-in-law should be investigated;
Mueller's Office Disputes BuzzFeed Report That Trump Told Cohen To Lie To Congress;
Rudy Giuliani: 'I never said there was no collusion' between Trump campaign and Russia ;
Largest single group of migrants ever tunnels under border wall in Arizona, says Border Protection;
Trump Appointee Who Compiled Loyalty List at U.N. and State Steps Down;
Federal judge rules against Trump administration's push for citizenship question on 2020 Census, case likely headed to Supreme Court;
Second ruling on ACA birth-control coverage mandate pauses Trump effort to roll it back, allows requirement to continue nationwide;
Ask the Trump White House for comment and you might get a non-denial denial;
House Republican leaders move to strip Rep. Steve King of his committee assignments over comments about white nationalism;
Republican lawmaker who yelled 'Go back to Puerto Rico!' apologizes to Latino colleague;
Grassley will fend off demands to see president's tax returns;
V.A. Seeks to Redirect Billions of Dollars Into Private Care;
President Trump serves fast food to Clemson in bizarre White House visit;
Justice officials were briefed months ago on allegations against McCrae Dowless, operative at center of N.C. election fraud scandal;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
January Crypto-Gram Newletter, security, fraud, data breaches and more; Why Internet Security Is So Bad; Evaluating the GCHQ Exceptional Access Proposal;
Shutdown Renders Government Websites Insecure, Inaccessible; 773 million emails, 21 million passwords exposed in breach;
Eastern European Hackers Charged with Breaking Into SEC Database; Fortnite Flaw Allowed Hackers to Use Players' Credit Cards on File;
Huawei's Reclusive Founder Rejects Spying and Praises Trump;
Trump Vows to Reinvent Missile Defenses, but Offers Incremental Plans;
Prices for Zero-Day Exploits Are Rising;
Math and science
How the Shutdown Is Delaying Climate Data and Undercutting Scientists; Shutdown snarls a study of wolves and moose - the world's longest predator-prey research;
Study: Antarctic ice loss sextupled since 1970s If pace continues, small islands, low-lying areas face major flooding threat;
Astronomers spot black hole spinning unbelievably fast as it swallows up a star; Report: Hubble Space Telescope Will Last Through The Mid-2020s;
Chinese Lander Sprouts First Plant On Moon; China Outlines Plans For Future Lunar Missions;
Mars Researchers Considering Sending Drone To Study Titan;
A blood-red supermoon will happen Sunday, and the entire U.S. will be able to see it;
U Delaware Professor: Termite Guts Can Be Used To Achieve Clean Coal;
Physics Explains Why Time Passes Faster as You Age;
Rocking beds and pillows that nudge when you snore: Tech wants into your bed;
Tim Harford: how behavioural economics helped kick my phone addiction;
Michael Atiyah, Mathematician in Newton's Footsteps, Dies at 89;
Web and computing issues
Quantum computer: We're planning to create one that acts like a brain;
Shutdown will not delay net neutrality case;
Apple CEO Calls for FTC to 'Establish a Data-Broker Clearinghouse'; Germany to Ban Facebook from Collecting User Data from Third Parties;
FAA Announces Proposal Allowing For Drone Flights At Night, Over Crowds;
Facebook disables hundreds of accounts tied to Russian news agency for hiding their identity;
False RGB conspiracy theories Flood YouTube; Roku reneges on offering Alex Jones' InfoWars channel, removes it amid backlash;
10 new ways to use your Google Assistant;
SC News and Politics
Graham urges Trump to reopen government, declare national emergency later; Trump's denial of Pelosi's aircraft 'sophomoric';
President Trump's extravagant, $3,000, 300-sandwich celebration of Clemson University;
Duke Energy makes offer to purchase troubled South Carolina utility;
Business and Economics
Border Wall and Trump's Obsession with National Security; Obsession Has Little to Do With Immigration Control;
Shutdown could reduce economic growth to zero this quarter if it continues; U.S. housing markets softens at year end;
'Could you make these guys essential?': Mortgage industry gets shutdown relief after appeal to senior Treasury officials;
Federal Shutdown's Uneven Toll: Some Americans Are Devastated, Others Oblivious; Shutdown Squeezes Contractors as Checks Stop and Invoices Stall;
FAA Recalling 3,000 Safety Employees; Looking to help farmers hurt by shutdown, Trump administration recalls 2,500 USDA workers;
BOEM To Bring Back Additional Workers To Push Trump Administration's Offshore Drilling Agenda;
Trump Administration Moving Forward With National Petroleum Reserve Drilling Plans Despite Shutdown;
China Plans $1 Trillion Buying Spree to Reduce US Trade Deficit; Obstacles Clutter China's Path To Automate Agriculture;
Washington's China hawks fear Trump will yield in trade war; Competing Against Chinese Loans, U.S. Companies Face Long Odds;
Tiny Indian state proposes world's biggest experiment with guaranteed income;
Shutdowns Of Coal Plants Increased Under The Trump Administration; Aging Coal and Natural Gas-Fired Plants Closing Will Be Offset By New Plants;
PG&E to file for bankruptcy following devastating California wildfires; PG&E Bankruptcy Tests Who Will Pay for California Wildfires;
US Oil, Gas Rig Count Plummets As Oil Prices Surge;
U.S. Steel Companies Face Downturn Despite Trump Claims of Revival; 'This is not controversial': Bipartisan group of economists calls for carbon tax;
Justice Department Opinion Could Create Limits for Online Gambling;
Trump Tweets Promise Of Changes To H1-B Program;
Advancements In Vehicles Will Create Thousands Of Jobs That The US Can't Fill;
Finance
Why the 10-Year U.S. Treasury Yield Matters;
Flashing Red Indicator Warns of Rising Risk of Financial Crisis;
How Much Cash Should be Keep in the Bank?
Other news
'The buck stops with everybody': How Trump twists cliches to do his bidding; Sister Norma wanted to show Trump what it is like on the border. He didn't care to listen;
The President Is Mentally Unwell - and Everyone Around Him Knows It; Here are 18 reasons Trump could be a Russian asset;
Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-N.J.): Why is Congress so dumb?
Baseball Is Broken. Can Anything Short of a Strike Fix It?
90 year old Cyclist Tested Positive for a Steroid;
Education:
Less-Selective Colleges With the Highest and Lowest Retention Rates ; Public Colleges Might Escape a Tax on Million-Dollar Employees. Here's Who They Are;
What the Government Shutdown Means for Higher Ed.; If History Is Any Guide, End of Federal Shutdown Won't Bring Quick Relief for College Researchers;
Students in Rural America Ask, 'What Is a University Without a History Major?';
Obama's Goal Of Increasing College Graduation Rate Behind Schedule;
More Classrooms Are Using Game-Based Learning Tools, Despite Skepticism Over Efficacy; Study Uses Data To Show MOOCs Didn't Achieve Their Goals;
Remedial Class Alternatives; Colleges Are Getting Smarter About Student Evaluations;
Veterans' Advocates Warn Against Higher Education Deregulation; VA Warns California Regulators About Move Against Ashford University;
ED Won't Penalize Western Governors University Over Audit; Stay Awake for These 5 Issues During Negotiated Rulemaking;
L.A. Teachers Strike for First Time in 30 Years, the Nation's Largest School Walkout; At Teachers' Strike, a Rallying Cry: More Funding, Fewer Charters;
Program Directors Work to Keep Centuries-Old Promises to American Indians;
UNC Chancellor Steps Down and Orders the Removal of Silent Sam's Remains;
Natural Light Donating $10M To Help College Grads Pay Down Student Loans;
Elizabeth Warren Blasts Wells Fargo's Operations On College Campuses;
1/11/18
TechNews for the week: January 11; January 9; January 7;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
Trump Comments Provoke Shock and Outrage in Israel and India; U.S. military has begun withdrawing troops from Syria, initiating a drawdown that has blindsided allies;
Bolton Puts Conditions on Syria Withdrawal, Suggesting a Delay of Months or Years; 'No different from my original statements': Trump denies changes to Syria exit plan;
Erdogan scolds Bolton over demand for Kurdish fighters in Syria; As Iraq's Shiite militias expand their reach, concerns about an Islamic State revival grow;
How critical are American boots on the ground for Israel to defeat Iran's war machine in Syria; Will Turkey invade Northeast Syria?
Israel launches further Hamas strikes after Gaza rocket fired; Israelis, Palestinians segregated on new West Bank highway;
Shin Bet Chief: Foreign country will interfere in Israeli election; Former Israel cabinet minister convicted of spying for Iran;
Yesh Atid leader accuses Netanyahu of being 'hysterical';
Netanyahu demands the chance to confront state's witnesses; Did Netanyahu's televised 'dramatic announcement' break campaign laws?
Bolton tells Netanyahu Chinese should not manage Haifa Port;
Who defines Jewish identities; Anti-Zionism and Jewish ultranationalism taken root on the margins of Judea and Samaria;
Named as a key Saudi suspect in Khashoggi killing, former top royal adviser drops out of sight;
100 days after Jamal Khashoggi's killing, the Saudi crown prince's repressive ways seem unchanged;
Kim Jong Un visits China for talks with Xi Jinping;
Millions face delayed tax refunds, cuts to food stamps as Trump administration scrambles to understand shutdown's consequences;
White House decides it can issue tax refunds during shutdown, will bring back some furloughed workers;
Shutdown relief for mortgage lenders came after appeals to Treasury Dept. officials. Critics called the move an industry favor.;
Federal workers in Washington aren't the only ones going without pay; Amid uproar, federal agencies are told to suspend pay raises for top administration officials;
National Park Service to use entry fees to tackle trash, shutdown-related issues at parks;
Coast Guard families told they can have garage sales to cope with government shutdown;
The shutdown's latest impact: A payday with no pay. Here's what will come next; Prison guards aren't getting paid' on edge as tensions rise in federal facilities;
In shutdown talks, Trump administration seeks $5.7 billion for "a steel barrier" and offers $800 million for humanitarian aid;
The Trump administration puts a misleading spin on immigration, crime and terrorism; The Border Wall: What Has Trump Built So Far;
'Crazed lunatics': Trump again attacks the news media as 'the enemy of the people';
Trump claimed ex-presidents told him they wanted to build a wall. Four of them say it's not true;
Mulvaney squirms his way through Trump's claim that other presidents want a border wall;
Trump is spreading border wall 'misinformation' TV unchallenged. In Europe, that can be against the law;
Trump aides lay foundation for emergency order to build wall, saying border is in 'crisis'; Trump's Border Wall and National Emergency Powers, Explained;
A growing number of Americans blame Trump for shutdown; Wall fight underscores Trump's weaknesses;
White House Considers Using Storm Aid Funds as a Way to Pay for the Border Wall; Trump threatens to cut FEMA funding for California wildfires;
A Border Wall to Stop Terrorists? Experts Say That Makes Little Sense; Trump calls wall only solution to 'growing humanitarian crisis' at border;
Fact-checking President Trump's Oval Office address on immigration; Annotated transcript of Trump's Oval Office address;
House passes bill that would end shutdown, but Senate unlikely to take up; Trump walks out of shutdown talks after Pelosi refuses to give in on wall funding;
Federal workers rally at White House for end to shutdown; Safety net for poorest Americans at risk as impasse drags on;
A beefed-up White House legal team prepares aggressive defense of Trump's executive privilege as investigations loom large;
Trump administration lays groundwork to declare national emergency to build wall, eyeing unused Army Corps money;
Trump backs away from the idea of declaring emergency for border wall;
Trump denies saying Mexico would cut a check for a border wall. Here's a look at the ways he has said Mexico might pay.;
'The story keeps changing': Trump falsely asserts he never promised Mexico would directly pay for wall;
Pence rules out deal involving protections for 'dreamers';
In Texas Visit, Trump Presses His Argument That There's a Border 'Crisis'; Trump's wall needs private property. But some Texans won't give up their land without a fight;
Donald Trump Jr. Says Border Wall Is Like A Zoo Fence Protecting You From Animals;
Migrants' Despair Is Growing at U.S. Border. So Are Smugglers' Profits;
Russian lawyer who attended Trump Tower meeting and became a key figure in Mueller probe is charged in separate case;
Russian firm indicted in Mueller probe accuses Trump-appointed judge of 'bias';
Supreme Court rules against mystery corporation from 'Country A' fighting subpoena in Mueller investigation;
Court filing says Manafort shared 2016 presidential campaign polling data with ex-employee whom FBI tied to Russian intelligence;
Rosenstein expected to depart DOJ in coming weeks if new attorney general confirmed;
Prosecutors Examining Ukrainians Who Flocked to Trump Inaugural; 7 key questions about the state - and the troubles - of Trump's business;
In His First Supreme Court Opinion, Justice Brett Kavanaugh Favors Arbitration; Supreme Court considers whether predecessors made a mistake 40 years ago;
Ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to testify publicly before Congress next month;
House Democrats to Introduce a Massive Voting Rights and Anti-Corruption Bill;
Democratic lawmakers call for delay in lifting sanctions on close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin; Dems block Senate bill on Israel boycotts, citing shutdown;
Ocasio-Cortez called Trump a racist. The White House response may have proved her point;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
Hackers Leak Details of German Lawmakers, Except Those on Far Right; Court: Blocking Politician's Critic on Facebook Violates First Amendment;
Could a Chinese-made Metro car spy on us? Many experts say yes;
Russian Cybersecurity Firm's Tip Led to Arrest of Former NSA Contractor; South Korean Court Sentences Woman to Four Years for Revenge Porn Site;
Ryuk ransomware gang probably Russian, not North Korean; Russia Exploits Vulnerabilities In US Electric Grid;
Election Security Bills Finally Progressing in Congress;
The history of U.S. border apprehensions;
Security Vulnerabilities in Cell Phone Systems; Machine Learning to Detect Software Vulnerabilities;
Using a Fake Hand to Defeat Hand-Vein Biometrics;
Math and science
Why the Far Side of the Moon Matters So Much; Chinese Spacecraft Power Up Observation Equipment On Moon;
New Device May Monitor Abnormalities And Deliver Corrective Electrical Signals To The Brain In Patients With Parkinson's Disease;
U.S. greenhouse gas emissions spiked in 2018 - and it couldn't happen at a worse time; New Research Finds Ocean Warming Is Accelerating Faster Than Thought;
US Government Shutdown Could Delay Hubble Telescope Repairs; Quantum Satellite Is 'New Chapter';
What's behind the confidence of the incompetent? This suddenly popular psychological phenomenon;
We are not nearly as determined by our genes as once thought;
Love After Life: Nobel-Winning Physicist Richard Feynman's Extraordinary Letter to His Departed Wife;
Web and computing issues
This Search Engine Could Save Your Life; App Uses Smartphone To Measure Respiration And Call For Help If Breathing Stops;
CES 2019: It's the Year of Virtual Assistants and 5G; IBM Unveils Integrated Quantum Computing System; IBM keeps U.S. patent crown in 2018;
Seniors were most likely to share fake news in 2016;
Facebook Accused of Violating Law By Allowing Anti-Vietnamese Comments;
Facebook literally can't be deleted on some phones;
Government shutdown: TLS certificates not renewed, many websites are down;
SC News and Politics
South Carolina Joins Offshore Drilling Lawsuit;
Tim Scott: Why are Republicans accused of racism? Because we're silent on things like Rep. Steve King's opinions;
Business and Economics
Far from Washington, cities dependent on government jobs feel shutdown's pinch; As Big Retailers Seek to Cut Their Tax Bills, Towns Bear the Brunt;
Trump administration promises to pay food stamp benefits through February despite shutdown but says program lacks funds for March;
Already reeling from tariff war, some farmers aren't receiving bailout checks; USDA says Trump farm bailout money will go to Brazilian-owned meatpacking firm;
On the Border, Little Enthusiasm for a Wall: 'We Have Other Problems That Need Fixing'; 'This is ridiculous': Small-business owners can't get loans as shutdown enters Day 20;
Three economists ran the numbers Trump's border wall is a bad investment; Building the wall could take at least 10 years, even with 10,000 workers;
The partisan warrior leading the White House's shutdown response;
Wall Street firms back new exchange rival to NYSE, Nasdaq; Investors Were Spooked About Profits. Now Come the Facts;
A California Dream for Paid Leave Has an Old Problem: How to Pay for It;
World Bank president Jim Yong Kim abruptly resigns;
Traffic jam rehearsals and 1 million bottles of wine: Britons prepare for a no-deal Brexit;
Foreign Tech Workers Flock To Canada Amid Trump Administration's Immigration Policy;
Russia High-Rise Collapse an Emblem of Hardships in the Hinterlands;
China Offers Trump a Trade Peace Deal. It May Not Be Enough; Chinese Tech Investors Avoid Silicon Valley Amid Tightened Scrutiny;
China gives long-awaited OK for GMO crops, including DowDuPont soybeans; Huawei Files Patent Licensing Lawsuit Against InterDigital in China;
NY Subway Leader Praises Governor's Plan To Call Off L Train Shutdown; Amtrak chair to study Cuomo's L train fix for its own tunnels;
IBM: Quantum Yield; AI Professors Increasingly Leaving Education For Lucrative Tech Giant Projects;
'Marketers are having a field day': Patients stuck in corporate fight against generic drugs;
Forty-One Railroad Carriers Met PTC Deadline, Avoids Potential Federal Penalties;
Competition Heats Up To Build Texas Ports Amid U.S. Oil Export Boom; Silverstein: US Behind The Curve On Renewables;
SoftBank Bets Big on WeWork. Again;
Finance
This Expert Called the Market Plunge. Here's What He Sees in 2019;
How tax brackets actually work: A simple visual guide;
Other news
Bringing Older Americans Back Into the Fold;
The Great Court Takeover;
Why Donald Trump lies: a psychoanalyst's theory;
Education:
Colleges With the Most Students Who End Up Working In State and Out of State; Many College Graduates Go To Technical School To Qualify For A Job;
Early applications surge at prestigious colleges. So does early heartache;
Proposed Rule Could Make It Easier For Colleges To Access Federal Student Aid; Think the Federal-Aid Process Is Crazy? Here's Some 'Bureaucratic Sanity';
Education Dept Says Cutting Oversight of Accreditation Will Spur Innovation. Critics Say Not So Fast; ED Sets Up Panel For Higher Education Negotiated Rulemaking;
Statistics Show Decline In Humanities Majors; Analysis Examines How Tech Companies View MBA Graduates;
English Language-Learning Students More Likely To Study STEM Courses In High School, College;
American Universities Are Next Battlefront for U.S.-China Tech Debate;
Higher Education Waiting To See Effects Of New Tax Law;
After a months-long impasse, 30,000 Los Angeles teachers are set to strike;
Professors Worry About the Cost of Textbooks, but Free Alternatives Pose Their Own Problems; How to Keep Faculty Searches on Track;
Stung by Scandal, Duke U. Retooled Its Sexual-Assault Policies; Harvard Cracks Down on All-Male Clubs. But It's Women's Groups That Have Vanished;
Proceedings Start Against 'Sokal Squared' Hoax Professor;
1/4/18
TechNews for the week: January 4; January 2;
War, Politics and Reports (Also, see Finance and Economics)
Syria's Kurds, Feeling Betrayed by the U.S., Ask Assad Government for Protection; Trump to Allow Months for Troop Withdrawal in Syria;
The U.S. put a Yemeni warlord on a terrorist list. One of Washington's closest allies is still arming him;
Did a Russian-Made Missile Really Hit an Israeli Air Force F-35 Stealth Fighter;
Israel's Netanyahu said he would not resign during possible indictment hearing; Israeli hard-line ministers to form new party ahead of vote;
North Korea's Kim renews commitment to denuclearization, but warns U.S. not to misjudge patience; If U.S. Keeps Sanctions, North Will Keep Nuclear Program;
Xi offers promises and threats as he calls China's unification with Taiwan inevitable; Unification Plan From China Finds Few Takers in Taiwan;
Spurning Erdogan's Vision, Turks Leave in Droves, Draining Money and Talent;
'What an absolute disgrace': E.U. citizens react angrily to British government's Brexit settlement video;
Trump threatens to close border 'entirely.' Here's why he can't;
Office of Personnel Management says Advice for furloughed workers was posted by accident; Trump orders pay freeze for federal workers, as expected;
Union sues Trump administration for making government employees work without pay; Shutdown Leaves Food, Medicine and Pay in Doubt in Indian Country;
What Is and Isn't Affected by the Government Shutdown;
Trump's error-filled holiday tweets on the border wall; Trump wrongly claims there's a 10-foot wall around the Obamas' D.C. home;
Trump's shutdown has paralyzed immigration courts; No pay for agents, no courts open, no verifications: Shutdown strains immigration process;
A defensive Trump calls a Cabinet meeting and uses it to boast, deflect and distract; Trump's bizarre history lesson on the Soviet Union, Russia and Afghanistan;
Trump falsely claims Mexico is paying for wall, demands taxpayer money for wall in meeting with Democrats;
Trump has spent only 6 percent of the funds allocated for the border 'wall', lawmakers argue;
Pence and top Trump appointees to get $10,000 raises as hundreds of thousands of federal workers go without pay in shutdown;
McConnell at center of shutdown impasse but uncharacteristically disengaged; McConnell Faces Pressure From Republicans to Stop Avoiding Shutdown Fight;
As Trump Holds Firm on Shutdown, He Never Mentions One Group: Federal Workers;
Nancy Pelosi reclaims the House speaker's gavel on Day One of a new, divided Congress; Defying veto threat, House approves bills to reopen agencies and deny wall funding;
Trump, Democrats hold 'contentious' talks, fail to end shutdown; Trump told lawmakers he's willing to keep the government shut down for 'years' over the border wall;
Trump says he is considering declaring a national emergency to build a border wall;
As they leave House Republicans release findings from probe of FBI, Justice Dept.;
Trump Says Mattis Resignation Was 'Essentially' a Firing, Escalating His New Front Against Military Critics;
Top Pentagon spokeswoman resigns amid internal investigation;
John Kelly paints yet another dim portrait of Trump; Retired Army Gen. McChrystal calls Trump dishonest and immoral;
The Justice Dept. is investigating whether former interior secretary Ryan Zinke lied during ethics probes, a potential criminal act;
Whitaker's role in 2006 raid previewed stance at Justice Dept.;
Mueller grand jury's term extended;
A Holiday Mystery: Why Did John Roberts Intervene in the Mueller Probe; Indicted Russian firm says Mueller has collected 'nude selfie' in probe;
Donald Trump: Paul Manafort 'worked with ex-Russian spy while running campaign for White House';
Beyond 'no comment': The White House has no response - at all - to many media questions;
Trump calls media reports of White House chaos 'fake!' But they keep getting proved right;
Trump's focus on pleasing his most ardent supporters raises questions about reelection strategy;
The foremost experts on various topics according to Trump, most of whom are Trump;
Mitt Romney Says Trump 'Has Not Risen to the Mantle of the Office';
Donald Trump hits back after Democrat Rashida Tlaib uses expletive to call for his impeachment;
Liberal revolt threatens to derail House Democrats on their first day in charge;
House Democrats unveil bill targeting Trump on tax returns and transparency;
Trump administration considers rollback of anti-discrimination rules;
Supreme Court to hear partisan gerrymandering cases that found congressional maps in N.C. and Md. violated the rights of voters;
Math, science and technology:
Security issues
China's APT10 hacking group; Iranian Authorities Preparing to Add Instagram to List of Banned Services;
Cyber Security Researcher Cancels Briefing on Cracking Apple's 'Face ID'; Long-Range Familial Searching Forensics;
Math and science
A Journey Into the Solar System's Outer Reaches, Seeking New Worlds to Explore; NASA's New Horizons spacecraft just visited the farthest object ever explored;
SpaceX Successfully Launches US Air Force's GPS III Satellite In First National Security Mission; Checkout May Take Nine Months;
China lands spacecraft on the far side of the moon, a historic first;
Nearby galaxy is hurtling towards Milky Way on collision course which could wipe out life on Earth;
Federal Judge: Oregon Law Defining Who Is An "Engineer" Violates Free Speech;
Federal Shutdown Upending Scientific Research; New E.P.A. Plan Could Free Coal Plants to Release More Mercury Into the Air;
This million-core supercomputer inspired by the human brain breaks all the rules;
In baseball, mental coaches were once seen as for the 'weak-minded.' Now they're essential;
Web and computing issues
5G Is Coming This Year. Here's What You Need to Know; Microsoft Researchers Develop Tool To Help Web Users Control Their Data;
Netflix Blocks Show in Saudi Arabia Critical of Saudi Prince; Patreon's Decision to Remove Users for Hate Speech Sparks Protests;
Judge Dismisses Privacy Suit Against Google Over Photo Sharing, Storage;
Overlooked No More: Karen Sparck Jones, Who Established the Basis for Search Engines;
SC News and Politics
Dominion Energy completes SCANA merger; Announces Leadership Team for SCANA Operations;
Business and Economics
U.S. economy added 312,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate was 3.9%, marking a strong finish to 2018;
The Federal Reserve took Donald Trump's advice on interest rates. Now he's not happy; Trump: December's stock market fall a 'glitch';
'Do we throw in the towel?' Shutdown makes itself felt beyond federal agencies;
Empty Homes and Protests: China's Property Market Strains the World; Apple Cuts Revenue Forecast Because of Slow iPhone Sales in China;
Bill Gates' nuclear venture hits snag amid U.S. restrictions on China deals;
Trump Considers National Emergency Executive Order Barring Huawei, ZTE;
As a grocery chain is dismantled, investors recover their money. Worker pensions are short millions;
National Grid Reaches Tentative Agreement With United Steelworkers To End Lockout;
The Demographic Time Bomb That Could Hit America;
Waymo Records More Attacks On Autonomous Vehicles In Arizona;
Court declines to speed review to help Atlantic Coast Pipeline scheduling woes;
Judge Blocks N.Y. Law Requiring Online Home Rentals to Disclose Customers;
New York Officials Say Damaged Subway Tunnel Can Be Repaired Without Shutting It Down;
Researchers: Texas Could Rely Exclusively On Solar, Wind Power; Shell, EDF To Co-Develop New Jersey Offshore Wind;
DOE Pursues Initiatives To Support Coal Industry; EPA To Reconsider Rationale For Mercury Standards;
Increase In Electricity Usage Due To Decrease In Usage Of Other Sources;
Finance
You Should Freeze Your Child's Credit. It's Not Hard. Here's How;
How Will the Government Shutdown Affect Tax Returns in 2019;
The new 'Dogs of the Dow,' a simple investing strategy that beat the market last year;
Other news
The most popular fact checks of 2018; Trump's year of unprecedented deception; The key factor in the rise of Trumpism that we continue to ignore;
Don't Have 10,000 Hours to Learn Something New? That's Fine - All You Need Is 20 Hours;
Gridlock in the sky;
Education:
How One College Made Its Gen-Ed Program Feel More Relevant;
For American Colleges, China Could Be the New Travel Ban - but Worse ;
Several Federal Agencies Involved In University Research Impacted By Shutdown; Democrats Launch Investigation Into Education Corporation Of America Closures;
California For-Profit Group Narrows Fight Against Borrower Defense Rules; Career Education Agrees To Forgive $500 Million In Student Loans;