Idiocracy

The New York Times reports: The federal courts are running out of money as the partial government shutdown continues with no end in sight, raising concerns that the legal system will be significantly hobbled if the standoff is not resolved soon. Judges and court officials around the country are bracing for the likelihood that the federal judiciary will be unable …

The New York Post reports: Hours after President Trump grounded House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s planned trip to visit the troops in Afghanistan, first lady Melania Trump was winging her way to Mar-a-Lago — on a government jet. Politico writer Jake Sherman made the discovery while listening to air traffic control and noted that EXEC1F was headed to Palm Beach airport. …

The Associated Press reports: The number of furloughed federal employees seeking unemployment benefits jumped in the first two weeks of the shutdown, topping 10,000 during the week of Jan. 5. The Labor Department said Thursday that is double the number of federal workers who sought aid in the previous week. Typically fewer than a thousand former federal employees apply for …

ABC News reports: The broader impact of the shutdown on the U.S. economy may be double what was expected, White House economists confirmed on Wednesday, Day 26 of the political standoff. Meanwhile, thousands of employees have been called back to work without pay because of the risks posed for their agencies if, for example, airports continue to run with fewer …

The Associated Press reports: A top member of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said Wednesday that flying is “less safe today than it was a month ago” due to the partial government shutdown. “I would say [flying] is less safe today than it was a month ago, absolutely,” Trish Gilbert, the executive vice president of the labor union, said …

The Independent reports: First they burned their Nike trainers. Now conservatives are taking their rage out on razors. Gillette has been bombarded with footage of angry men throwing away their shavers in response to an advert warning about toxic masculinity. The campaign, which references the #MeToo movement, workplace sexism and male violence, has been praised by many for its message. …

Raw Story reports: President Donald Trump on Tuesday issued an incoherent early-morning tweet in which he badly bungled the spelling of the word “hamburgers.” Trump on Tuesday morning boasted of having the champion college football team from Clemson over to the White House on Monday, where he served them piles of fast food that he had ordered. Burger King, whose …

The Rising reports: A National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) official warned Tuesday that if the partial government shutdown continues for another few months, there won’t be any workers left, citing many cannot sustain working without due pay. “If this thing were to drag on for two months, three months, maybe even six; what would the effects be for the …

Reuters reports: President Trump on Tuesday questioned why Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) continues to receive a salary during a prolonged partial government shutdown, which has left hundreds of thousands of federal workers without pay. Pelosi’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but her spokesman, Drew Hammill, tweeted in response to Trump that the House has “repeatedly …

Glorious Leader is even lying about how many hamberders: The grand total? According to our count, Trump spent about $2,911.44 on feeding the team. A sixth of that is the fries alone, though, so take with a grain of salt. (The fries; also the estimate.) Half of the cost was incurred at McDonald’s alone. This total includes 319 sandwiches, 177 …

The Hill reports: President Trump on Monday credited his administration’s policies for the price of gas, and swiped at Hillary Clinton over the suggestion that she would not stop to admire low gas prices. “I’m riding in this incredible car, and I’m driving and I’m looking at gas stations to see how much is the gas,” Trump said. “You think …

LOL Rasmussen: The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that 43% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Fifty-five percent (55%) disapprove. The latest figures include 32% who Strongly Approve of the job Trump is doing and 46% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -14. The president’s overall …

The Hill reports: President Trump on Monday urged Democrats to “get to work now” on negotiations as a partial government shutdown enters its 24th day. Trump, who made the comment on Twitter, wrote in a second tweet that Democrats could “end the Shutdown in 15 minutes” and claimed that they are to blame for the funding lapse, which was sparked …

Reuters reports: President Trump on Sunday hit Democrats for their hesitance to include protections for beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in talks to end a prolonged government shutdown, despite his own administration’s insistence that the program be left out of negotiations. The president’s tweet contradicts comments he and Vice President Pence have made in recent …

ABC News reports: A majority of Americans hold Donald Trump and congressional Republicans mainly responsible for the partial federal shutdown, now the longest in history, according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll. Fifty-three percent in the national survey said that Trump and the GOP are mainly responsible for the shutdown, while 29 percent blamed congressional Democrats, nearly a 2-1 …

The Wall Street Journal reports: President Trump’s National Security Council asked the Pentagon to provide the White House with military options to strike Iran last year, generating concern at the Pentagon and State Department, current and former U.S. officials said. The request, which hasn’t been previously reported, came after militants fired three mortars into Baghdad’s sprawling diplomatic quarter, home to …

CNBC reports: The partial government shutdown became the longest funding lapse in U.S. history Saturday, as it dragged into its 22nd day. Congress failed to break an impasse this week over President Donald Trump’s demand for more than $5 billion to build his proposed border wall, even as 800,000 federal workers started to miss paychecks Friday. The closure of nine …

The Hill reports: White House chief economic adviser Kevin Hassett said furloughed workers are “better off” because they didn’t have to use vacation days over the holidays due to the government shutdown. Hassett told PBS during an appearance on “NewsHour” that the timing of the shutdown coming during the holidays allowed furloughed workers to avoid having to use vacation days. …

CNBC reports: If the government shutdown lasts another two weeks, the total cost to the U.S. economy would exceed the price of building the proposed border wall. According to an estimate by S&P Global, it will only take another two weeks to cost the economy more than $6 billion, exceeding the $5.7 billion that President Donald Trump demanded to fund …

The Wall Street Journal reports: The White House has asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to look into projects approved in a bill providing disaster relief for Puerto Rico, Texas, California and Florida to see where funding could be diverted to build a wall along the border with Mexico, according to a congressional aide familiar the discussions. Almost three …