Melbourne, Facebook, Winter Solstice: Your Thursday Briefing
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Excellent morning.
Here’s what you need to know:
Tax overhaul is a guarantee kept
• Soon after a year of legislative setbacks, Republicans demonstrated their manage of Washington on Wednesday, sending a $1.five trillion tax overhaul to President Trump for his signature.
It’s unclear if Mr. Trump will sign the bill ahead of the finish of the year, as it could have an effect on negotiations to fund the government and avert a shutdown.
The president and congressional Republicans have said that the new tax code will produce jobs and raise wages. If it does, it would contradict historical encounter and the assessments of several professionals.
• We clarifyhow to create off donations under the strategy, and answer the question on everyone’s mind: Will my taxes go up or down?
“We’re watching these votes”
• President Trump has threatened to finish American aid to any nation that votes these days in favor of a U.N. resolution denouncing his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
“Let them vote against us we’ll save a lot,” Mr. Trump mentioned. “We do not care.”
• Producing very good on the threat could imply cutting off help to some critical strategic allies in the Middle East. Some aid applications, like Egypt’s, are congressionally mandated.
Missed deadline, lost lives
• Following a deadly commuter train crash in California nine years ago, Congress ordered all passenger railroads to set up automatic-braking systems by 2016.
But the deadline was extended, and preventable crashes such as Monday’s deadly accident in Washington State keep taking place.
Railroads have cited the price and complexity of adding the technologies, named good train manage, estimating a total value of a lot more than $ten billion.
• “We place a man on the moon 50 years ago, more rapidly than we’ve been in a position to implement constructive train control,” a former member of the National Transportation Security Board stated. “I mean, come on.”
Building: S.U.V. plows into crowd in Australia
• The driver of the vehicle that injured at least 14 people, which includes a youngster, in Melbourne these days committed “a deliberate act,” the police said.
Two men and women have been arrested, although their names were not released.
• The police have not stated if the case is becoming investigated as a feasible act of terrorism.
Listen to ‘The Daily’: Sexual Harassment at Ford
Decades after the firm tried to tackle sexual misconduct at two plants, new allegations of abuse raise inquiries about the possibility of modify.
Enterprise
• Dozens of significant employers — which includes Amazon, Goldman Sachs and Target — placed recruitment ads on Facebook that were limited to particular age groups, an investigation by ProPublica and The Times located.
Facebook defended the practice, but several experts questioned whether it violated anti-discrimination laws.
• Glenn Thrush, a prominent political reporter at The Occasions accused of inappropriate sexual behavior, will stay suspended till late January and will then be removed from the team covering the White Residence.
“While we think that Glenn has acted offensively, we have decided that he does not deserve to be fired,” Dean Baquet, the executive editor, said.
• The author of the short story “Cat Particular person,” which was shared extensively on social media after appearing in The New Yorker this month, is mentioned to have received a seven-figure book deal.
• U.S. stocks have been down on Wednesday. Here’s a snapshot of international markets.
Smarter Living
Ideas, both new and old, for a far more fulfilling life.
• Understandhow to resolve The New York Instances crossword. (Beginners welcome.)
• Sexual harassment coaching isn’t sufficient. Here are factors that perform.
• Recipe of the day: Try roasted salmon glazed with brown sugar and mustard.
Noteworthy
• Dancing down the years
Today’s 360 video continues our series in which dancers of retirement age reflect on why they’re nonetheless practicing. “The physique has this outstanding way of healing itself and discovering itself anew,” Brenda Bufalino, 80, said.
• Catalonia votes, once again
Today’s election could determine no matter whether the Spanish area persists in its drive for independence or seeks a settlement with the central government following months of feuding. Here’s what to watch for.
• 1-vote win lasts for a single day
A day right after a recount gave Democrats a single-vote victory in a Virginia Residence of Delegates race, a panel of judges declared the race tied. Manage of the Property may possibly be decided by the equivalent of a coin toss.
• It’s the shortest day of the year
Or the longest, if you are in the Southern Hemisphere.
We clarify how the winter solstice works, and why humans may not exist without it.
• The year in sports
Relive the incredible comebacks, unbelievable shots and memorable performances of 2017.
• Greatest of late-night Television
Samantha Bee discussed the modest group of evangelical Christians who pushed for Jerusalem to be recognized as Israel’s capital. “Of course, Armageddon is the one particular thing that Trump occurs to get completed with absolute precision,” she said.
• Quotation of the day
“This has been a year of extraordinary accomplishment for the Trump administration.”
— Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, who has usually been at odds with the president, celebrating the passage of the tax overhaul.
Back Story
This is the time of year the Krampus, a mythical, furry, horned beast, prowls cities and towns in the Bavarian and Austrian Alps, scaring away evil spirits and reminding naughty children that Christmas is around the corner.
The tradition of the Krampus, a mountain goblin who is an evil counterpart to the very good St. Nicholas, has recently enjoyed a revival. Even ahead of the 2015 Hollywood horror version brought the tradition to millions of Americans, a new generation of Germans and Austrians was reviving a tradition cherished in childhood.
Dozens of “runs,” or parades of people dressed in horned masks and carrying whips or bells, take over towns in southern Germany and Austria from the last weeks of November to Dec. 23.
In a 2014 appearance on “The Tonight Show,” the actor Christoph Waltz explained Krampus to an American audience: the Austrian answer to Elf on the Shelf.
The Krampus, he stated, does not just spy on youngsters and report back to Santa, but arrives with a stick, a bag and threats. “If you weren’t good, you get stuck in the bag and hit and shipped off,” he stated.
Modern Krampus parades, even so, are bound by strictly enforced rules, like no drinking and no hitting. Scaring children and tourists is permitted, but not sticking anybody in a bag.
Melissa Eddy contributed reporting.
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Published at Thu, 21 Dec 2017 11:40:47 +0000
