Weekend link dump for June 4

“The Las Vegas stadium is the new champion when it comes to extracting public largesse for private benefit, a distinguished title lineage that includes the Vikings’ new stadium, which was supposed to be paid for with electronic gambling that raised precisely zero dollars in its first year, or $35M less than expected; the new Braves’ stadium, upon which which Cobb County spent money earmarked for public parks; and Marlins Park, the skyrocketing costs of which will be costing Miami-Dade County through 2048.” But at least Sheldon Adelson also got screwed on it.

“This report highlights the paucity of the evidence behind the alleged robot apocalypse, particularly as mischaracterized in the media coverage of the 2017 Acemoglu and Restrepo (A&R) report.”

“The bottom line: CBO estimates confirm the AHCA is largely a tax bill paired up with Medicaid cuts to offset the costs. And, as in the earlier version of the bill, almost all the benefits go to the highest income households in the country.”

Eight reasons why you need to care about the 2020 Census.

“A budget is a moral document, a statement of collective priorities. It is a statement of who we want to be as a country and community. For Catholics, the first question to ask is: How does this proposal affect the poor and vulnerable? By calling for significant cuts to SNAP and other anti-poverty measures, the president’s budget proposal fails this most basic test.”

“Both Rep.-elect Greg Gianforte’s alleged assault upon reporter Ben Jacobs and the ceaseless promotion of the conspiracy theories around the death of former Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich provide bright-line tests of the decency and sanity of the GOP and the right; a startling number of people failed them.”

The world is running out of sand, in case you needed something else to worry about.

“A business trying to sell stock on the basis of a document half as hype-filled as the Trump budget would be a joke. No reputable investment bank would underwrite their offering.”

RIP, Frank Deford, award-winning sportswriter and NPR commentator.

“When Trump says something like he’s just learned that Barack Obama ordered his phones wiretapped, he’s not really trying to persuade people that this is true. It’s a test to see who around him will debase themselves to repeat it blindly. There’s no greater demonstration of devotion.”

“I know words. I have the best words. Like “covfefe”. That’s a great word. Tremendous.”

“Though the overall gun-homicide rate is indeed down over the last 25 years — and in some places down significantly — it actually ticked upward in 10 states, including New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.”

There’s no innocent explanation for Jared Kushner’s behavior.

Whatever else you can say about being a Mets fan (I am not one), at least it’s never boring.

“Trump seems oblivious to this reality. He sees every international treaty as a racket and every alliance as a ripoff. But by destroying the foundations of the international order that the U.S. built, he risks destroying the unprecedented power and wealth we have accumulated since 1945.”

“President Trump’s immigration crackdown is already crimping economic growth as undocumented workers fearful of deportation stay home and reduce their spending”.

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