New York Times | In High Style, Obama Returns to the World Stage New York Times Now that the internet has turned us all into middle-school kids shooting Snapchat spitballs and gossiping in homeroom about the burning issues of the day How come Melania pulled the got to fix my hair trick to get out of holding Donald's hand in Rome? |
Read the rest here:
In High Style, Obama Returns to the World Stage - New York Times
President Donald Trump signs a letter of initiative to privatize the nation's air traffic control system during an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on June 5, 2017.(Photo: Pool, Getty Images)
President Trump blasted the Obama administration Monday for failing to modernize air-traffic control faster but the Federal Aviation Administration said it has made progress.
After billions and billions of tax dollars spent, and the many years of delays, were still stuck with an ancient, broken, antiquated, horrible system that doesnt work, Trump said in announcing his plan to move controllers from the FAA to a non-profit corporation. Other than that its quite good.
D.J. Gribbin, special assistant to the president for Infrastructure, said the corporation could borrow money to finance projects and avoid the cumbersomefederal procurement process.
Trump complained that the previous administration spent $7 billion on upgrading the system without much result.
Honestly, they didnt know what the hell they were doing, Trump said. A total waste of money.
The Government Accountability Office and the Transportation Departments inspector general have issued reports for years critical of FAA for falling behind schedule and going over-budget on the modernization program called NextGen.
But FAAAdministrator Michael Huerta has estimated that NextGen has already delivered $2.7 billion in benefits and is projected to provide $160 billion in benefits by 2030.
Much of the spending so far has built the foundation for GPS tracking with a network of stations to relay aircraft positions by satellite. Planes are required to install equipment to communicate with the network by 2020.
Airlines are already gliding to more efficient landings at some airports with new flight paths, rather than taking previous stair-step descents that burned more fuel.
Another facet of the program is to move from radio communications to text messages, for less confusion between controllers and pilots about complicated instructions. Controllers at 55 airports including Newark and Miami are already sending texts to pilots at a few airlines, such as United and UPS.
The proposal to create a separate, non-government air traffic control service provider is a step in a process that needs to involve all users of the airspace system and deliver benefits to the system as a whole, the FAA said Monday in a statement.
The top Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon, said FAA had huge procurement problems a decade ago, but is now making progress.
A decade ago, I would probably would have said, yeah, lets roll the dice, DeFazio said. But today the FAA is on a good path to procurement. The bottom line is this could be very disruptive.
Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2rMIB3h
The rest is here:
President Trump attacks Obama administration over air-traffic control - USA TODAY
Wall Street Journal (subscription) | Surveillance in the Obama Era Wall Street Journal (subscription) How far did the Obama Administration go in collecting intelligence on Americans, including members of the political opposition? This question has aroused little curiosity in much of the press corps or among Democratic politicians like Rep. Adam Schiff ... |
See the original post:
Surveillance in the Obama Era - Wall Street Journal (subscription)
(Pete Souza/White House Archives)
Even The Most Interesting Man In The World needs someone to look up to. And you cant do much better than Barack Obama.
In a delightful story that would fit right in during one of his legendary Dos Equis beer commercials, the actor who played the iconic TV pitchman writes in Politico about he struck up an unlikely friendship with President Obama.
The two men first met back in August 2011 when Jonathan Goldsmith, aka The Worlds Most Interesting Man was attending a fundraiser in Vermont for Obamas 2012 re-election campaign.
The two immediately hit it off, as it turned out Obama was a huge fan of the commercials, quoting some of Goldsmiths most famous lines like, Stay thirsty, my friends.
Months later, Goldsmith got a secret invite from the White House: he was being invited to attend President Obamas elaborate 50th birthday party weekend.
Theres no way he could have been as happy and amazed as I was to be there, Goldsmith wrote.
I thought, this must be a setup. Someone has to be playing a joke on me, and they had prompted him with information. But when Obama mentioned that he loved aNew Yorkerarticle about me and quoted from the commercials, I knew he was being sincere. I drove home feeling as if it was a dream.The president of the United States is interested in me, the imaginary most interesting man in the world.
Friends of Obama had invited Goldsmith as a surprise birthday present for the president.
But what was probably meant to be nothing more than an endearing gag, turned into a weekend where the two men struck up a friendship that continues to this day. For the surprise, Obamas team had Goldsmith show up during a trip to an archery course. Much like his fictional character, Goldsmith landed several arrows, prompting a comment from Obama, Damn, this guys good.
When Goldsmith finally revealed himself, Obama reportedly burst into laughter. By the end of the weekend, the two men were sharing a table and insider stories about the presidency.
Later in the piece, Goldsmith tells the equally cool history of how he first landed the Dos Equis gig. After a long career in Hollywood, he had retired. Along the way, Goldsmith had successfully launched a $150 million marketing company. But that went belly up, leaving the Gunsmoke veteran practically homeless, living in a camper tied to the back of his 1960s pickup truck. Needless to say, it was an incredible turnaround to becoming a nearly universally recognized face on TV and one that would become admired by the most powerful person in the world.
For the rest of us, the incredibly humble sounding Goldsmith offers a bit of parting advice:
As I approach my eighth decade, with more fans and adulation than I could ever deserve, I can say with certainty that to beinterestingyou have to beinterested.You can watch the parade that is lifeand live vicariously through others, as many door you can get in and participate in your own journey. And the best time to go for broke is when youre already there.
Visit link:
How Obama And "The World's Most Interesting Man" Have Quietly Become The Best Of Friends - GOOD Magazine
Michelle Obama will speak at Apple's WWDC.
Michelle Obama is making a stop in Silicon Valley on Tuesday.
The former first lady will join an open session of Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference for a "fireside chat," the company's CEO Tim Cook announced Monday.
"She'll talk about empowering people from all walks of life," Cook said as he concluded his keynote address on the first day of the five-day conference.
Under Cook's leadership, Apple has become more vocal on political and social issues. Along with taking strong stances on privacy and security, the company has put itself at the front of social causes like LGBT rights, racial equality and the tech industry's need to improve workforce diversity.
It also has condemned actions by the current US federal government, like President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. Cook wrote in a letter to employees that he pleaded with Trump to stay in the Paris climate accord, "but it wasn't enough." He wrote, "Climate change is real and we all share a responsibility to fight it. I want to reassure you that today's developments will have no impact on Apple's efforts to protect the environment."
Apple is known for its allegiances with some democratic leaders. Former Vice President Al Gore is on its board of directors, and the company hired former US Environmental Protection Agency chief Lisa Jackson tohead its environmental initiativesin 2013.
WWDC 2017: All the news so far
Read the original here:
Michelle Obama to talk empowerment at Apple's WWDC - CNET