Water, Bankruptcy, $'s, and Bill's a farmer.

1. Former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, criminally charged in the Flint water crisis. Important because they are holding a public official accountable after office. Trump is done.

2. National Rifle Association files for bankruptcy: Moving to Texas: 60 Million in Debt. Major NRA donor to challenge gun group's bankruptcy over alleged fraud. 

3. The Great Grift- as another multi-trillion dollar stimulus plan is being proposed, what really could have been done with those dollars that would have been of more help?

4. Bill Gates is now the number one farm landowner in the United States.

Be a Politicable supporter! Your contribution helps us pay for the cost of producing the podcast - https://anchor.fm/politicable/support.

SOURCES:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/8-former-michigan-officials-criminally-charged-along-ex-governor-flint-n1254286

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/16/nra-donor-bankruptcy-dave-dellaquila-wayne-lapierre

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/15/business/nra-bankruptcy-new-york-texas/index.html

https://www.profgalloway.com/the-great-grift?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NMNM20210115

https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/bill-melinda-gates-top-us-farmland-owners-us

Here’s why definitions matter.

A coup is the overthrow of the government with the aid of the military or their complicity. An insurrection is a mob uprising. Also, Trump is the current President, so by sheer definition, he’s currently in power. Example: He’s appealing to the citizens for an uprising (which could become a coup if the uprising takes over and the military stands by and refuses to put the uprising down).

From the NYT - Corporate America punishing elected officials who encouraged the riot - “Just a few days ago, this would have been unthinkable,” Judd Legum — the author of the Popular Information newsletter, who has done the best recent reporting on corporate donations.

The list is long and getting bigger -

But - What’s the bottom line? Ross Sorkin, the Times columnist who has spent two decades covering corporate leaders, said that the announcements amounted to “temporary defensive moves.” The real question was whether, six months from now, the companies would go back to donate to the politicians who supported overturning a presidential election

It’s hard to be a coup leader - or a guy with horns on his head and no shirt and no organic food in jail.

Flight risk - Does Trump face criminal charges once he's out of office?

Burnin’ and Lootin: stuff walking out of the White House: -

The radicalization of the religious and non-religious right.

QAnon Woke Up the Real Deep State - Democrats and their Homeland Security Moment.

Be a Politicable supporter! Your contribution helps us pay for the cost of producing the podcast - https://anchor.fm/politicable/support.

SOURCES:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/09/was-us-capitol-riot-really-coup-heres-why-definitions-matter/

https://youtu.be/blxT61F-Ris

https://youtu.be/ibWJO02nNsY

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22227717/brands-corporate-response-capitol-dc-riot-insurrection-mob-pac-donations

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/13/politics/notable-arrests-capitol/index.html

https://twitter.com/beschlossdc/status/1349813596503597057?s=21

https://marker.medium.com/the-real-reason-so-many-companies-are-ditching-trump-8c86b7ab67b3

https://gizmodo.com/parler-users-breached-deep-inside-u-s-capitol-building-1846042905

https://gwenfrisbiefulton.medium.com/the-things-you-are-getting-wrong-about-white-supremacists-is-what-allows-them-to-grow-553fa1cf54c8

https://arcdigital.media/qanon-woke-up-the-real-deep-state-72bbfcb79488

10 Great Things, 2 Downers, and 5 Cool Space Events 

1. A reliable COVID-19 vaccine. 

2. A new American President will be inaugurated at the beginning of the year. 

3. Music! Bands! Concerts! Clubs! 

4. Lots of Movies Released, Hopefully in Theaters: "The French Dispatch," to "No Time to Die," to "The Quiet Place II," to "Black Widow," to "Fast and Furious 9," to "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It," to "Dune," to "West Side Story,"  

5. Godzilla vs. Kong!!! A sequel to Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Kong: Skull Island, the next movie in Legendary's MonsterVerse will premiere on HBO Max the same day it hits theaters. 

6. Traveling! Planes! and Cars! and Ferries! 

7. Tokyo Olympics - Five new sports - Surfing, skateboarding, baseball, karate, and sport climbing - July 23 - August 8  

8. UEFA EURO CUP - postponed from 2020 - June 11 to July 11  

9. 6G Cellular - what makes it unique -Automated cars, cellular surfaces, Wi-Fi implants - because we are not paranoid enough 

10. Nostradamus predicted in 1503 a Zombie Apocalypse in 2021 

Two Downers 

1. Pepperoni - This week, it was announced that pizzerias are struggling to find pepperoni. A shortage has also kept pepperoni off of some local store shelves. It's unclear when supplies will rebound, so expect to see shortages this winter as well. 

2. COVID Passport - International Air Transportation Association  (IATA) Travel Pass  

AND 5 VERY COOL SPACE EVENTS!   

1. The Mars fleet arrives NASA, CHINA, UAE - Three Mars missions launched from Earth during the summer of 2020, and all three are now approaching the Red Planet 

2. More Space X Starship Flights at Higher Altitudes 

3. James Webb Space Telescope launches in October 2021 

4. Massive Rocket Development - Get ready to go to the moon and mars 

5. China's Space Station - Taikonauts watching us literally 24/7 

And 1 bonus tip if it all goes wrong! 

1. Why worry? We have Suborbital Space Tourism - Virgin Galactic 

Be a Politicable supporter! Your contribution helps us pay for the cost of producing the podcast - https://anchor.fm/politicable/support.

SOURCES: 

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/the-5-new-olympic-sports-to-watch-at-the-tokyo-summer-games 

https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro-2020/news/0254-0d41684d1216-06773df7faed-1000--euro-2020-all-the-fixtures/ 

https://www.highspeedinternet.com/resources/6g-internet

https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/super-full-moon.html 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3581652/ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9xhJrPXop4 

https://www.distractify.com/p/are-zombies-coming-in-2021

https://www.space.com/uae-mars-hope-mission-halfway-to-red-planet#:~:text=The%20United%20Arab%20Emirates'%20first,8) 

https://guide.michelin.com/gb/en/article/features/these-things-will-happen-in-2021 

https://wakeupwyo.com/weird-predictions-for-2021/ 

https://blog.wego.com/iata-travel-pass/ 

https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/01/there-are-an-insane-amount-of-cool-space-things-happening-in-2021/

Big Loss for Republicans, Someone is Watching You, Great Win for a Great Guy, and Stacey Abrams Is a Jedi.

Georgia Democrats win both US Senate seats! Raphael Warnock defeated Kelly Loeffler, and Jon Ossoff won his race against David Perdue, historic for many reasons.

Russian hackers access the Justice Department email accounts as part of a government-wide attack.

The Good Guy Finally Wins! President-Elect Biden nominates Merrick Garland for Attorney General, restoring morale, sanity, and the peoples' attorney.

The spirit of the upcoming Biden Presidency is qualified hard work; the crony reward system will be dismantled. Instead, if you can do something, get it done.

Be a  Politicable supporter! Your contribution helps us pay for the cost of producing the podcast - https://anchor.fm/politicable/support.

SOURCES:

Somebody's Watching Me https://youtu.be/jXSHs3fSyXE

https://apnews.com/article/Georgia-election-results-4b82ba7ee3cc74d33e68daadaee2cbf3

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/06/politics/ossoff-perdue-georgia-election-news/index.html

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/06/republicans-turn-on-trump-georgia-loss-455305

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/06/solarwinds-hackers-justice-department-email-455478

https://www.axios.com/biden-merrick-garland-attorney-general-89569ffd-925e-418e-83e5-a0f428437584.html

Looking for Frankenstein, the Mob Invades the Capitol!

MAGA answers Giuliani's call to arms, proving he is the Zombie Pied Piper.

Some Republicans blame Trump.

Daddy let Pence drive while on vacation.

25th Amendment? - It is not likely to happen given who is on his Cabinet.

Impeachment (again) - Nope, Susan Collins said Trump learned his lesson.

FINALLY, AFTER YEARS OF ABUSE

It’s even too much for these guys - YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter clamp down and block Trump.

Be a Politicable supporter! Your contribution helps us pay for the cost of producing the podcast - https://anchor.fm/politicable/support.

SOURCES:

Guns N’ Roses - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bDD914rahc

Mob invades the Capitol https://www.cnn.com/

https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/article248307650.html

https://www.khq.com/elections/acting-secretary-of-defense-d-c-national-guard-activated-after-speaking-with-vp-pence-pelosi/article_d0453d0f-9a51-5eca-99a9-f787d33092f6.html

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/532988-democratic-lawmakers-call-for-pence-to-invoke-25th-amendment-remove

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/01/impeach-trump-again/617573/

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/532988-democratic-lawmakers-call-for-pence-to-invoke-25th-amendment-remove

End of Year Podcast - Including 5 Bonus Events

1. We learned to appreciate the selfless dedication of nurses, orderlies, doctors, and other health workers who risked their lives to save ours — and the selfless dedication of truck drivers, grocery stockers, farmworkers, and so many more who risked their lives to keep the economy from collapsing. ALSO, FOOD BANK WORKERS and TEACHERS WHO HAD TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL TO TEACH FROM CLASS

2. We connected and reconnected with friends, relatives, colleagues, and therapists across great distances as we became accustomed to Zoom calls and FaceTime video chats. 

3. Advances we made in telehealth, remote work, and virtual gatherings will outlast the pandemic.

4. WE VOTED:  A record number of Americans turned out to vote in our national election, pandemic notwithstanding.

5. BLM, RIP George Floyd: His death led to an outpouring of protest and reflection and, in many cities and state capitals, the beginning of reform.

6. SPACE FORCE IS SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY: The United States launched astronauts to the International Space Station on a U.S.-made rocket, after years of dependence on Russian technology. 

7. CAR POLLUTION WENT DOWN: Carbon dioxide emissions declined.

8. Kobe Bryant DIED: Before the pandemic, fans said goodbye to the N.B.A. star, who died in a helicopter crash along with his daughter Gianna and seven others in January. The first of many significant losses this year. RIP RBG!

9.Killer HORNETS: Not that big of a deal.

10. Americans rushed to adopt and foster pets in need amid the pandemic.

BONUS ROUND

1. TikTok blew up, and our boredom was cured!

2. Zoom flubs brought comedic relief, like this ABC reporter who forgot to put on pants.

3. WE KEPT THE LEAD FASHION: Wearing sweatpants and tees became a thing.

4. WE WENT ON A BINGE: Tiger King” some choices all day, every day.

5. We realized how much we love and need sports and their ability to unite us.

AND THE BIG ONE, THE LOS ANGELES DODGERS WIN THE WORLD SERIES! 

Be a  Politicable supporter! Your contribution helps us pay for the cost of producing the podcast - https://anchor.fm/politicable/support.

SOURCES:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/12/15/20-good-things-that-happened-2020/?arc404=true

https://messaging-custom-newsletters.nytimes.com/template/oakv2?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20201228&instance_id=25452&nl=the-morning&productCode=NN®i_id=148752464&segment_id=47907&te=1&uri=nyt%3A%2F%2Fnewsletter%2F5bdb8c9b-afba-5208-9791-6395b46bb4d3&user_id=b5b2073dccd35317283281a36150a8ba

https://mashable.com/article/what-happened-2020/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2020/07/29/100-good-things-from-2020-positive-stories-news/3257222001/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKR7vvnvdmc

Smiling Amazon Boxes

Not for the Darth Vader of Retail - applause for MacKenzie Scott! (Ex. Mrs. Jeff Bezos) who, along with Bill & Melinda Gates And Warren Buffet - take the pledge to give away billions. Scott has already given away upwards of $10+ billion.

“The Trump That Stole Christmas”

No Stimulus Bill (yet).

No National Defense Authorization Act, Trump wants Tech Company liability.

We at Politicable, along with many pundits (are we pundits?), seem to have gotten the 2020 General Election's underlying results wrong.

Trump did better in inner cities than he did in 2016: (Philly and Detroit).

It was the suburbs that made the difference. Trump did better with urban Latinos and Blacks than in 2016

So, our original analysis that Trump would lose because the white suburban women (and men) and other suburbanites had had enough of him was the right call.

Republicans who were not named Trump did well in the 2020 election.

Vaccines: Who is cutting in front of the line?

Republican congressional members who said the whole thing was a hoax.

Hey Anti-vaxxers: This is how they deal with Anti-vaxxers in France. No transit for you!

Be a Politicable supporter! Your contribution helps us pay for the cost of producing the podcast - https://anchor.fm/politicable/support.

SOURCES:

https://www.vogue.com/article/7-things-to-know-about-philanthropist-mackenzie-scott

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/trump-refuses-to-sign-coronavirus-relief-bill-demands-2000-checks/

https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/23/politics/trump-ndaa-veto/index.html

https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-trumps-urban-myth-20201205-4ieoerklq5gojch7nixiiwqj5i-story.html

https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/politics/elections/2020/11/13/donald-trump-lost-election-suburbs-not-cities-despite-claims/6263149002/

https://www.npr.org/2020/11/11/933435840/the-2020-election-was-a-good-one-for-republicans-not-named-trump

https://www.unionleader.com/news/health/coronavirus/outrageous-congress-cutting-line-to-get-vaccine-sununu-says/article_e930b31c-50ed-5f5e-b67d-c5330ee6b3f0.html

https://www.barrons.com/news/anti-vaxxers-could-face-public-transport-ban-in-france-01608649204

No Trump Here (we talk about anything but Trump).

“The Greatest Gift” | Xfinity 2020 Holiday Commercial

When not wearing a mask and letting people do super spreader activities doesn’t work.

Tony Hsieh - Pronounced “Shea” (Zappos Shoes) dies in house fire:

The Monolith has disappeared:

The Monolith has reappeared!!!!

Whiskey for the pandemic: house flippers find dozens of bottles of depression-era  whiskey and scotch inside the walls of a house

Politicable Good News: Check this out…!!!

Rosa Parks Freedom Fighter - 65 years ago

Dutch Man Invents Coffin That Turns Bodies into Mushrooms: ‘We are nutrients, not waste.’

Second Brain Resources (Ben has too much time on his hands!)

Be a Politicable supporter! Your contribution helps us pay for the cost of producing the podcast - https://anchor.fm/politicable/support.

SOURCES:

https://youtu.be/63o9tgPK9r8

https://www.fox5ny.com/news/oklahoma-declares-day-of-prayer-as-virus-surges

https://www.businessinsider.com/tony-hsieh-ex-ceo-zappos-died-aged-46-2020-11

https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/28/us/utah-monolith-disappars-trnd/index.html

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/mystery-monolith-identical-one-disappeared-23093133

https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/25/us/whiskey-bottles-found-new-york-home-walls-trnd/index.html

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/events061201/

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/bob-hendrikx-living-cocoon-mushroom-coffin/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjZSy8s2VEE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zhCd04a-4w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvLLVCcPsIE&t=2967s

How much more? (is going on in the world).

The Trump Machine Still Works. His “greatness” is always based on some truth - What he did accomplish from his party’s point of view. His 5 biggest accomplishments.

1. Supreme Court - 3 conservative seats filled - not even close to a record.

2. Tax break - It depends on who you ask as to whether this helped or hurt.

3. Moving the embassy in Israel to Jerusalem - Bright shiny thing for the base.

4. Re-engaging the “Moral Majority” - The true under-core of the American evangelical movement.

5. Deconstruction of regulations (across the board and for whatever reason).

The Trump "Screw-up Legacy" in Business

As President - the list is too long.

And finally, don't let your dog get into the treats.

Be a Politicable supporter! Your contribution helps us pay for the cost of producing the podcast - https://anchor.fm/politicable/support

SOURCES:

https://www.fox29.com/news/which-president-has-selected-the-most-supreme-court-justices

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/news/2020/10/28/492473/6-ways-trump-administration-rigging-already-unfair-tax-code/

https://www.vox.com/2018/5/14/17340798/jerusalem-embassy-israel-palestinians-us-trump

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/08/ben-howe-evangelical-christians-support-trump/596308/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_career_of_Donald_Trump#:~:text=The%20six%20bankruptcies%20were%20the,Trump%20Entertainment%20Resorts%20(2009)

Have a SAFE holiday!

COVID reaching “wildfire” levels in some states… Health officials pleading for no travel during Thanksgiving:

BUT AMERICA DOESN’T LISTEN - A record number of COVID era air travelers since this past Sunday…

Bill Gates on the virus: He’s putting his money and organization where his mouth is:

What else happened in the world while the media was obsessed with Tantrum Watch 2020:

MONOLITH discovered in Utah Desert: It's been there for 5 years!

And if you live outside of the Seattle/Portland corridor, your Amazon order may not arrive in time:

GSA releases funds for Biden transition team…

“He averaged about 48 minutes on camera every day in 2020. He has spent about 50 minutes on camera since Nov. 3.” -  according to Factba.se

Politicable Book Read: The Innovation Delusion by Lee Vinsel and Andrew Russell: “How Our Obsession with the New Has Disrupted the Work That Matters Most"

Be a Politicable supporter! Your contribution helps us pay for the cost of producing the podcast - https://anchor.fm/politicable/support

SOURCES:

https://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Health-experts-urge-against-Thanksgiving-15746323.php

https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/23/business/thanksgiving-air-travel-pandemic/index.html

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/bill-gates-the-virus-and-the-quest-to-vaccinate-the-world/

https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/23/us/utah-monolith-trnd/index.html

https://futurism.com/the-byte/metal-monolith-location-google-earth

https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2020/11/23/amazon-pushes-holiday-shoppers-to-pick-up-packages-at-stores.html

https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/23/politics/transition-biden-gsa-begin/index.html

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Analysis-Notoriously-noisy-president-goes-15746802.php

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0525575685/ref=as_sl_pc_as_ss_li_til?tag=benandjeff202-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=288c97fb55955f5b705e376ec33d4ac9&creativeASIN=0525575685