via CNN:
Washington is broken:
Political careers may be made and lost Friday as President Donald Trump and Republicans and Democrats in Congress trade blame while the government races toward a midnight shutdown deadline.
But while Washington fixates over the partisan stakes of the funding drama, the real victims of the latest lurch into government dysfunction are powerless to influence their fates, and can only look on in rising panic and fear.
It’s not that Washington politicians don’t understand the human consequences of their delay and inability to compromise. They just don’t know how to get it done in an era of deep polarization and when goodwill and bipartisan solutions between the parties have long since disappeared.
Trump set to leave Washington ahead of shutdown deadline:
The President is planning to spend the weekend at Mar-a-Lago for the one-year anniversary of his inauguration. However, his trip comes amid the looming shutdown deadline as Congress battles against the clock to keep the government open.
“We believe that the bill will pass and the President will have an opportunity to sign it,” White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah told reporters Thursday. “I mean, some of the timing and logistics of travel will have to reflect the reality, but we expect it to be passed. And we expect the President to be able to travel to Florida this weekend.”
Trump is scheduled to depart Washington in the 4 p.m. hour Friday.
Vice President Mike Pence is also scheduled to leave Washington Friday evening, on his three-country swing to the Middle East. Pence will go to Egypt, Israel and Jordan.
Family of patient found at a cold bus stop demands justice:
A passerby recorded the incident and posted the video online, which sparked widespread outrage.
In the video, the distressed woman appears dazed and cries out in anguish, as her breath can be seen in the cold air. The weather was in the 30s that night. Her hospital gown flaps in the wind exposing her bare skin. Her family’s lawyer said it was patient dumping.
USA Gymnastics cuts ties with Karolyi Ranch and its memories of abuse:
“USA Gymnastics has terminated its agreement with the Karolyi Ranch in Huntsville, Texas. It will no longer serve as the USA Gymnastics National Team Training Center,” Kerry Perry, president and CEO of USA Gymnastics, said in a series of tweets on Thursday.
USA Gymnastics originally
agreed to buy the Karolyi Ranch in 2016, but the organization decided not to proceed with the
purchase in May 2017, citing a variety of reasons including “unexpected financial expenditures.” Perry said it has been her intent to end the agreement since she took over in December.
SAG Awards get ready for #MeToo close-up:
Even before the Globes, which were punctuated by Oprah Winfrey’s
rousing speech, SAG — Hollywood’s largest guild, representing 160,000 performers and journalists — had announced plans for an all-female presenter lineup. The event’s producer
told the Hollywood Reporter the goal was to offer “a unifying salute to women who have been very brave and speaking up.”
Still, the entertainment industry’s efforts to address sexual harassment and inequality, unleashed by allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein and a host of others, has stoked some reservations about whether award shows, and organizations like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, are particularly well equipped to tackle problems that require action by studios and other major employers.
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