[Headline from DRJ]

WH projects $1 trillion deficit for 2019:

The White House projects that the federal deficit will surpass $1 trillion this year, the only time in the nation’s history the deficit has exceeded that level excluding the 4-year period following the Great Recession.

“The 2019 deficit has been revised to a projected $1.0 trillion,” the White House Office of Management and Budget wrote in its mid-year review.

As a candidate, President Trump had promised to not only wipe out the deficit, but the entire federal debt, which has surpassed $22 trillion.

The government fiscal year is over September 30, 2019. Still time for spending more money.

— DRJ

[Headline from DRJ]

President Trump has doubled and tripled down on an argument that unites the Democrats against him when they were divided. Trump is doing this on purpose.

Trump wants the House to impeach him and soon, if not already, there will be no way for Pelosi to stop it:

Houston Congressman Al Green announced he plans to bring a vote to impeach President Trump to the House of Representatives by the end of the month.

In a press conference Monday, Green said he felt compelled to lead this effort because of recent demeaning statements President Trump made.

Trump knows the Senate will not convict him — notice how few Republican Senators are condemning him — and he doesn’t care what he has to do to get re-elected. With the Mueller Report over, Trump could run against the media but that might not be enough. Impeachment is the best way to create an US VS THEM election, and Trump likes the binary choice model.

— DRJ

[guest post by Dana]

From the Washington Post:

Alan Turing, a founding father of computer science and artificial intelligence, was revealed Monday as the face of Britain’s new 50-pound bank note.

Turning was also famed as a World War II codebreaker whose work was widely credited with hastening the end of the war and saving thousands of lives. He committed suicide after he was convicted of engaging in homosexual activity, then a criminal offense in Britain.

Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England, said that “as the father of computer science and artificial intelligence, as well as war hero, Alan Turing’s contributions were far-ranging and pathbreaking.” He called Turing “a giant on whose shoulders so many now stand.”

…

The new note, expected to enter circulation at the end of 2021, will include an image of Turing, ticker tape of his birth date in binary code, and a table and formulas from a 1936 paper that introduced the concept of how computers could operate.

It will also include a quote from Turing, given to the Times of London newspaper in 1949: “This is only a foretaste of what is to come, and only the shadow of what is going to be.”

The shortlist included 12 candidates from the fields of mathematics and science.

Note: Queen Elizabeth II granted Turing a royal pardon for his “crime” of homosexuality in 2013.

Here is the concept image of the new Turing 50-pound note:

Here is a rundown of what is included in the image:

A photo of Turing taken in 1951 by Elliott & Fry which is part of the Photographs Collection at the National Portrait Gallery.

A table and mathematical formulae from Turing’s seminal 1936 paper “On Computable Numbers…

The Automatic Computing Engine (ACE) Pilot Machine which was developed at the National Physical Laboratory as the trial model of Turing’s pioneering ACE design. The ACE was one of the first electronic stored-program digital computers.

Technical drawings for the British Bombe, the machine specified by Turing and one of the primary tools used to break Enigma-enciphered messages during WWII.

A quote from Alan Turing, given in an interview to The Times newspaper on 11 June 1949: “This is only a foretaste of what is to come, and only the shadow of what is going to be.”

Turing’s signature from the visitor’s book at Bletchley Park in 1947, where he worked during WWII.

Ticker tape depicting Alan Turing’s birth date (23 June 1912) in binary code. The concept of a machine fed by binary tape featured in the Turing’s 1936 paper.

(Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.)

–Dana

[guest post by Dana]

Yesterday, we saw President Trump unwisely step in and distract Democrats from their infighting by making himself the focus of their attention with his inaccurate and inflammatory tweets attacking members of their caucus. Last night, he doubled down on his perceived righteousness in the conflict. This morning, he is tripling down by way of calling for an apology from the same Democratic Congresswomen that he suggested go back to where they came from and then come back to govern:

When will the Radical Left Congresswomen apologize to our Country, the people of Israel and even to the Office of the President, for the foul language they have used, and the terrible things they have said. So many people are angry at them & their horrible & disgusting actions!

If Democrats want to unite around the foul language & racist hatred spewed from the mouths and actions of these very unpopular & unrepresentative Congresswomen, it will be interesting to see how it plays out. I can tell you that they have made Israel feel abandoned by the U.S.

It’s ironic that, along with helping the Democrats by his reckless tweeting, President Trump has once again forced the hand of the GOP’s sitting members of Congress. Does the elected official ignore his own moral compass and remain silent in order to stay in Trump’s good graces, or is he compelled to follow his own conscience and publicly condemn the President’s bigoted comments – consequences be damned?

Sen. Pat Toomey isn’t afraid to follow his conscience:

President Trump was wrong to suggest that four left-wing congresswomen should go back to where they came from. Three of the four were born in America and the citizenship of all four is as valid as mine. I couldn’t disagree more with these congresswomen’s views on immigration, socialism, national security, and virtually every policy issue. But they are entitled to their opinions, however misguided they may be. We should defeat their ideas on the merits, not on the basis of their ancestry.

With this latest kerfuffle, Jonathan Swan revisits Trump’s assertion made during the presidential campaign that he could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and he wouldn’t lose any voters. It was true then, and sadly, it appears to be true now:

Trump knows he can say whatever he likes and face no consequences from the party he has conquered.

The few Republicans who dared to defy him either got crushed by pro-Trump candidates in primaries (Rep. Mark Sanford), quit the party (Rep. Justin Amash) or retired (Sens. Jeff Flake and Bob Corker). One remaining critic, Sen. Mitt Romney, mostly pushes back by issuing stern but ineffectual tweets. And Sen. Ben Sasse, who used to lambaste the president, has mostly gone silent.

No modern president, besides George W. Bush immediately after the 9/11 attacks, has enjoyed such popularity with Republican voters.

UPDATE: Via Sahil Kapur of Bloomberg and Dallas News, these are the Republicans that have joined Sen. Toomey in denouncing President Trump for his comments toward the four Democratic congresswomen: Rep. Mike Turner, Rep. Will Hurd, Rep. Pete Olson, Rep. Chip Roy, Sen. Tim Scott, Sen. Susan Collins.

And via Alison King of NBC10 Boston, comes this weak tea from Mitt Romney:

“I certainly feel a number of these new members of Congress have views that are not consistent with my experience and not consistent with building a strong America.”

“At the same time, I recognize that the Pres has a unique and noble calling to unite all Americans regardless of our creeds or race or place of our national origin and I think in that case, the Pres fell far short.”

I’ll continue to update the post with any further responses from GOP members as I see them published. If you see some that I’ve missed, please let us know in the comments.

(Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.)

–Dana

[guest post by Dana]

This happened early Saturday morning before the ICE raids were set to begin:

A rifle-armed 69-year-old has been fatally shot by the police after throwing incendiary devices at an immigration centre in Tacoma, Washington

Officers were called to the privately run prison at around 4am where the man, identified in local media as Willem Van Spronsen of Vashon Island, had set a vehicle alight with the explosives.

He is also believed to have attempted to ignite a large propane tank outside the building.

His target, the Tacoma Northwest Detention Centre, has long served as a holding facility for migrants as they are about to be deported.

More recently it has also housed parents separated from their children at the border under Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy towards undocumented immigrants.

The incident took place roughly six hours after a peaceful rally against deportations outside the centre.

Individuals who knew Van Spronsen believe that this was a suicide:

One friend of twenty years, Deb Bartley, told The Seattle Times she and others had received letters from him which read “just saying goodbye” along with what she described as a manifesto.

She added: “I think this was a suicide. But then he was able to kind of do it in a way that spoke to his political beliefs… I know he went down there knowing he was going to die.”

Unsurprisingly, the attacker was already known to law enforcement:

A protest outside the federal immigration detention center in Tacoma last year drew headlines when a 68-year-old man wrapped his arms around a police officer’s throat and shoulders in an apparent attempt to free another protester.

When police got the man into handcuffs, they found a collapsible baton and knife in his pocket, leading to criminal charges.

Fellow anarchists are celebrating the “martyr” for the cause:

The group Seattle Antifascist Action described assailant Willem Van Spronsen a “good friend and comrade” who “took a stand against the fascist detention center in Tacoma” and “became a martyr who gave his life to the struggle against fascism.”

“He was kind and deeply loved by many communities; we cannot let his death go unanswered,” the group wrote in a Saturday Facebook post. “Throughout history we idolize figures like John Brown for their courage to take the ultimate stand against oppression, and today we stand strong in our support for yet another martyr in the struggle against fascism. May his death serve as a call to protest and direct action.”

P.S. In the so-called “martyr’s” manifesto that he sent to friends the day before the attack, he wrote “I am Antifa”. That sounds about right.

(Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.)

–Dana

[Headline from DRJ]

China says will freeze out U.S. companies that sell arms to Taiwan:

China’s government and Chinese companies will cut business ties with U.S. firms selling arms to Taiwan, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday, declining to give details of the sanctions in a move likely to worsen already poor ties with Washington.

China claims self-ruled and democratic Taiwan as its own and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under Beijing’s control. China regularly calls Taiwan the most sensitive issue in its relations with the United States.

Last week, the Pentagon said the U.S. State Department had approved the sale of the weapons requested by Taiwan, including 108 General Dynamics Corp (GD.N) M1A2T Abrams tanks and 250 Stinger missiles, which are manufactured by Raytheon (RTN.N).

Should Trump be the only leader allowed to use trade as a weapon?

— DRJ

[Headlines from DRJ]

As Tropical Storm Barry moves ashore on the Gulf Coast, the extra rain can make it hard to drive and some drivers turn on their hazard lights. The Louisiana State Police warn that, in Louisiana, driving with flashing lights in a storm is illegal and unsafe:

When the rain starts to pour, there always seems to be people on the road who drive with their flashers on. Louisiana State Police issued a tweet Sunday amid Tropical Storm Barry rainfall that not only is driving with flashing lights irritating for some drivers, but it’s also illegal.

“Hazard lights should only be used if a vehicle is disabled in the roadway or on the shoulder,” Louisiana State Police said. “There is no need to use your flashers while driving in the rain.”

In a follow-up tweet, the agency explained exactly why this could be an unsafe problem for other drivers on the road.

AAA’s Digest of Motor Laws surveys the traffic laws in the US and Canada on the legality of using hazard lights while driving. The rules vary among the States.

— DRJ

[Headline from DRJ]

Trump to end asylum protections for Central American migrants at US-Mexico border:

The Trump administration is moving to end asylum protections for most Central American migrants, the Department of Justice announced Monday.

According to a new rule published in the Federal Register, asylum seekers who pass through another country before reaching the U.S. will be ineligible for asylum when they reach the southern border.
***
Under the rule, those who have been the victims of trafficking are granted exceptions. The rule also allows exceptions for migrants passing through countries that have not signed major international refugee treaties and for migrants who have been denied asylum in the countries they traveled through.

ADDED: More at Sara Carter’s blog on today’s Stricter Asylum Rules: Immigrants Must Apply In First Safe Country They Enter, including:

“The rule’s bar on asylum eligibility for aliens who fail to apply for protection in at least one third country through which they transit en route to the United States also aims to further the humanitarian purposes of asylum,” Barr stated in Monday’s decision. “It prioritizes individuals who are unable to obtain protection from persecution elsewhere and individuals who are victims of a “severe form of trafficking in persons” as defined by 8 CFR 214.11, many of whom do not volitionally transit through a third country to reach the United States.”

This makes sense and can be defended in court.

— DRJ