Notations On Our World: On #Iraq & #SOTU

It has been a challenging day in our World as we reported earlier about another attack in Baghdad at a Mall claimed by #Daesh during our daily Social Grid Roundup over Twitter.  We also have been assessing another potential disaster out of Iraq on the potential disaster  that may befall Iraq as a result of the collapse of the Mosul Dam.  It was also quite a day as two major earthquakes were felt in Asia in the so-called "Ring of Fire".

It is also the prelude to a big day in Washington tomorrow on the eve of the State of the Union.   We received here @ our Virtual Studios an update from Speaker Ryan's Office as America and the World awaits the momentous day:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 11, 2016 http://spkrryan.us/1mQArkZ CONTACT AshLee Strong, Doug Andres, Mike Ricci 202-225-0600 Speaker Ryan Announces Guests for State of the Union WASHINGTON — The following guests will be seated in House Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) box in the House gallery during President Obama’s last State of the Union address tomorrownight. Hero in the Balcony Logan Barritt, Milton, WI. Inspired by a Veterans Day lesson, four-year-old Logan Barritt asked his mother if he could use change from his piggy bank to send care packages to servicemembers stationed overseas during Christmastime. “I want to give it to the soldiers,” he told his mother. All told, starting with the $1.90 Logan contributed, more than $1,300 was raised from around the community for the effort. In December, representatives of the Janesville U.S. Army recruiting station and local veterans’ service organizations surprised Logan with a thank-you ceremony at his preschool and a letter of appreciation from his congressman, Speaker Ryan. Logan will be joined in the gallery by his parents, Nick and Becky. “Kids can be heroes too,” Speaker Ryan said. “Logan reminded us that a little pocket change goes a long way, especially when it comes to giving back to the men and women who give everything for us. I look forward to welcoming the Barritt family to the Capitol.” Poverty Fighters Speaker Ryan’s guests include front line poverty fighters from Wisconsin’s First District and around the country: Rev. Melvin Hargrove, President of Racine Unified School District, Racine, WI. A native of Racine, Hargrove is also the Founder and Senior Pastor of Zoe Outreach Ministries, where he has created programs to combat poverty and drug addiction. Bishop Shirley Holloway, Founder, House of Help City of Hope, Washington, DC. Bishop Holloway gave up a successful career with the U.S. Postal Service to found a non-profit organization that has helped more than 40,000 people dealing with addiction and homelessness. Speaker Ryan highlighted her work in a TedxPennsylvaniaAvenue talk last June. Pastor Omar Jahwar, Founder, Vision Regeneration, Dallas, TX. The first gang specialist hired in Texas state prisons, Jahwar leads an organization that provides gang prevention, counseling, and mentoring services to 17 Dallas public schools. Antong Lucky, Founder, We Make Real Music, Inc., Dallas, TX. A former leader of the Bloods gang in Dallas, Lucky created a program while still in prison to help young people get out of gangs. After his release in 2000, he joined Vision Regeneration to help end gang violence in Dallas, and has now launched a recording studio to combat the glamorization of violence in music.   Robert Woodson, Founder and President, Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, Washington DC. Widely considered to be the “godfather” of the movement to empower neighborhood-based organizations, Woodson led Speaker Ryan on a “listening and learning” tourwith faith-based neighborhood healers around the country. Joanna Wynn, Founder, Walkin’ In My Shoes, Inc. Kenosha, WI. In 2004, Joanna Wynn was jobless and homeless until, after assistance from Speaker Ryan’s office, she began to receive disability benefits. Today, she leads a non-profit organization dedicated to helping young people break the cycle of poverty. “The answer to poverty isn’t the money in Washington,” Speaker Ryan said. “The answer to poverty is entrepreneurs and innovators like these who are actually making a difference, community by community.” Little Sisters of the Poor The Little Sisters of the Poor are an order of Catholic nuns who have been serving the elderly poor since their founding over 175 years ago. The Sisters have asked the Supreme Court for protection from the Affordable Care Act's HHS mandate through which the government is forcing them to change their healthcare plans to offer drugs that violate their religious beliefs and threatening them with $70 million in fines per year. The Court will likely hear their case in March. A bipartisan group of 206 Members—including Speaker Ryan—filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of their case. Pope Francis highlighted the organization’s work with a surprise visit to their residence in Washington last September.  Sister Loraine Marie Maguire, the organization’s Mother Provincial, and Sister Constance Veit will represent the Little Sisters of the Poor in the Speaker’s box. “All we ask is that our rights not be taken away,” Sister Loraine said in a recent release. “The government exempts large corporations, small businesses, and other religious ministries from what they are imposing on us – we just want to keep serving the elderly poor as we have always done for 175 years.” “For us, this has nothing to do with politics,” Sister Constance said in an interview. “We just want to take care of the elderly poor without being forced to violate the faith that animates our work.” “The Little Sisters of the Poor care for the most vulnerable among us, and they should be free to practice their faith without the threat of government interference or intimidation,” Speaker Ryan said. “The Sisters’ stand in defense of religious liberty – one of our most fundamental rights – is nothing short of courageous, and it’s my privilege to support their cause.”

	Speaker Ryan’s Press Office | H-232 The Capitol | 202-225-0600

Notations From the Grid (W-End Edition): On #Americas Watch w/the State of The US Campaign & The Final State of the Union

The State of the Campaign is getting to be quite interesting as Iowa and New Hampshire comes ever so closer.  The White House fired off an opening salvo with this guidance on it late last week as the final State of the Union By President Obama draws near: 

This  President Obama will deliver his final State of the Union Address. Yes, this is his last one!  And he doesn’t just want you to tune in, he wants you to lift your voice too. 

For a little sneak peek, WATCH President Obama’s State of the Union Trailer.  

And here are some things YOU can do! 

1.       Send a Tune In message to your list serves/members

2.       RSVP on Facebook to President Obama’s final State of Union

3.       Share with your list serve/members on Facebook. Click "Join" and then share the post with your followers by clicking "invite" and "share event."

4.       Host a State of the Union Watch Party!  Screen it live through go.wh.gov/WatchSOTU

5.       Stay Tuned by sending us your Digital POC for SOTU and get real time updates from the White House Digital Team

Regards,

Jesse Moore







On the day after, the White House Will host:

















In the meantime, the week also saw Congress quite busy as it passed a bill to repeal "Obamacare" and defund Planned Parenthood.  The President vetoed it and based on the assessment at hand, we believe that the veto will be sustained.  It will be also interesting to see the GOP Response by the Governor of South Carolina will be received.

Beyond the daily affairs in Washington, there is also the Campaign itself.     Jeb Bush sent this out based on the latest polling it saw in New Hampshire:    

 

—Begin Forwarded Message—

From: Team Jeb
Date: January 09, 2015
Subject: New Hampshire poll just released

BREAKING: Breitbart: Bush in 2nd as Rubio Fades

Last night a new poll was released showing Jeb in 2nd place in New Hampshire. That’s right, he’s beating Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, John Kasich and even Ted Cruz.

Jeb is surging just at the right moment with only 23 days until voting starts and 31 days until the New Hampshire Primary, but unless we can raise $100,000 in the next 48 hours, we could lose this momentum.

Please, Mike, we need all hands on deck for this. Contribute just $1 right now to help us hit this goal.

Our opponents are preparing to spend millions in the coming weeks on TV, radio and online ads misinforming voters about the Governor’s conservative record, so this cannot wait.

Every day you don’t help us fight back is a day that more false attacks will go unanswered.

That’s why it’s so important for us to hit this $100,000 goal in the next 48 hours. Show Jeb you have his back and you’re committed to victory by contributing just $1 right now:

Jeb2016.com/Stand-With-Jeb/

Thank you,

Team Jeb
 

Trump, in the meantime, continues to dominate the polls.    He had opponents ejected from events in Vermont and reports note that he ordered their coats to be seized so that they could freeze.   He also ordered a Muslim participant , Rose Hamid, be ejected as well.     His latest interesting comment had to do with The North Korean Leader, Kim Jung Un.   He spoke up for him by admiring how he "wiped off" his Uncle and took on the General.   Ted Cruz--so far the front runner in Iowa--has been trying to deal with his citizenship status as Trump has been attacking him.   Whether the attacks will work is an open question.

In the meantime, on the Democratic side, it continues to be Hillary Clinton's to lose as Bill Clinton was deployed.    As Bill Clinton hit the campaign trail, the allegations against him has resurfaced--although many of these were litigated over 20 years ago.   

It is bound to be interesting for the ensuing weeks.

The Friday Musical Interlude (2016): The Music of AR Rahman

As the year has begun in earnest here in #Outsiders, our team settled on a bit of an unconventional choice for the first Friday Musical Interlude of #2016:  The Indian Maestro AR Rahman.   As noted in the tribute by the Hindustan Times, he's got  "... two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, two Grammy Awards, four National Film Awards, a Golden Globe, 15 Filmfare Awards and 13 Filmfare Awards South to his credit. It was his Birthday this week and we hope all enjoy this (as we hope all enjoy the selections we're releasing throughout our properties):

Notations On Our World: On #Iran, Saudi Arabia & The On-Going Challenges

As we are going to press right now, we are monitoring a live feed from Russia Today as it has a panel on the challenges being faced in the aftermath of the It has been very troubling times in relations throughout the Muslim World.     It must be noted that we would be refraining from referring to the Middle East as the "Near East" (which will include Afghanistan): The Russia Today panel featuring Professor Marandi of Tehran University whose views typically reflects Iranian Government Views.   What he deemed as the "View from Tehran" was summarized as follows: This is a Wahabism vs. everyone else Saudis believe that everyone else is beneath them They are trying to divert attention from their profound domestic challenges It is clear that Saudi Arabia has profound challenges before it.   The war in Yemen is not going well at all.     Bahrain has been under defacto occupation of Saudi Arabia since Saudi Arabia sent its' National Guard to crush the uprising.   Syria remains an inferno ever more as the schism between the two major powers in the region continues in a major way.   What was interesting was how the Saudi Foreign Minister noted that Iran had to behave like a "Normal Country" as Saudi Arabia's record is less than stellar on Human Rights, Women's Rights and other key metrics under which countries are measured.   On the Yemen Front, it was of note that Kuwait has been the latest country to contribute ground troops to the Yemen War Effort--as it also stepped up its support of Saudi Arabia.  The recent announcement by Saudi Arabia on the massive budget deficit has contributed to the challenges being faced right now by the Saudi Royal Family.     There are also apparent schisms within the Royal Family as well which continues to contribute to the on-going challengs being faced.      The move by Saudi Arabia to cut ties has seen a rise of support for Saudi Allies and those dependent on Saudi support.    As we went to press, Qatar was the latest country to join the stampede to cut relations with Iran.   Egypt and Oman (a traditional neutral go-between) have also expressed sympathy with the moves by Saudi Arabia. As this war of words continues, Iran has tried to dampen the aftermath of the attacks.     On the night of the attack, the Tehran Chief of Police underscored that the attackers acted on their own--but our team's subsequent review of late breaking developments reflects the fact that those who have been opposing Rouhani's moves for openings to the west helped orchestrate this move to undermine potential electoral gains by factions supporting the reformist movement

What is striking is how Iran has sought out to criticize Saudi Arabia even though its' own record on human rights is extremely problematic.     A day does not pass by for us here at The Daily Outsider Virtual Studios as we see the plight of writers and screen writers who have been detained for months at at time.   Rozbeh Ghilasian and Elaheh Soroshnia were two such brave souls who have been detained for a number for a number of months:    Mohammad Reza Ali Payam, another writer, wrote an open letter to the Minister of Health noting that no one even bothered to ask about how he was doing for 8 hours after he was transferred from Prison to the Hospital to be checked.     This is also as Jason Rezayian of the Washington Post continues to be detained.   The schism within the ruling establishment in the country is also underscored by the attacks on Rafsanjani as he has come out saying that the Assembly of Experts that has 'oversight" responsibility for the Supreme Leader (Supreme Guide) needs to be enhanced further which has incurred the wrath of the Conservatives.    As the elections draws close, further challenges are ever so evident in the Country--One very troubling statistic was a very dubious distinction for Tehran:   The 30th polluted City in the World Today--and the 8th Worst City in the World for Traffic as this recent image from Tehran reflects:       The figure that blew us away was an admission by a Iran Government Offical that 18 divorces are being filed every hour on an average basis in Iran Today.    This is as Iran may have to contend with $ 15/Barrell price for Oil. Truly challenging times.......

Notations On Our World: On the "Virtual Beat" w/the US Election Campaign

It has been quite a week as January has begun on the campaign trail. Bill Clinton hit the campaign trail and was in his element as he noted, "...I am not mad at anybody..and I'm a happy Grandfather".    This is as the other campaigns were busy raising money by selling calendars (like the Marco Rubio Campaign) and attendance at the upcoming GOP debate in South Carolina.   Hillary Clinton's campaign raised 112 Million Dollars during the year as it gears up for the primary campaigns coming up.   

Donald Trump has also been on the attack prowl yet again especially as news was breaking on President Obama's moves on Gun (which our team released a notation on it yesterday).    His latest attack has been on Ted Cruz.    There was some controversy over Ted Cruz' status as a United States Citizen which was addressed--and Ted Cruz has been on the prowl attacking back as our team was on the "grid' yesterday.  What was telling was a pronouncement by Nate Silver noting that Donald Trump's chances to secure the GOP nomination was Next to nil as we noted in our Daily "Social Grid" Roundup:

On #Americas watch as @NateSilver538 says @realDonaldTrump unlikely to win nomination" https://t.co/53Jog6UiY2

— The Daily Outsider (@DailyOutsider) January 6, 2016

This was also a sampling of the latest Jeb Bush outreach that underscores the state of the Campaign right now: 



The 2016 election year is officially upon us, and Iowans vote in just 30 days. The fight to take back the White House starts right now with you.

Because you were such an important member of our team in 2015, I need you again.
Our team calculated it, and we need 10,000 2016 Founding Members in order to fund our efforts over the next thirty days before Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.

When you become a 2016 Founding Member, your money will go directly to advertising, field operations, campaign materials and orchestrating the most ambitious Get-Out-The-Vote operation of all the campaigns.

More than that though, this is about knowing you have my back in the crucial days that lay ahead.

Mike, if I can count on you, please contribute just $1 and become a 2016 Founding Member now:


Because of you, we’ll start 2016 prepared to win.



Onward,

Jeb


This is as the challenges beyond the shores of the United States are ever so with the blast in North Korea (roundly condemned around the World including China in a firm way) and the continued schism that has been going on in the aftermath of the Executions in Saudi Arabia.   

On the Virtual DC Beat as @POTUS makes his move & the House Begins....

It has been quite a day in Washington with the announcement from the President and the backlash from the Conservatives on this issue.   Here is the statement from the President and the reaction from the Conservatives as compiled by The Heritage Foundation's The Daily Signal.   It must also be noted that the House Appropriations Sub-Committee Chair in charge of Justice Department Funding has already threatened a defunding of the US Justice Department as well:

THE WHITE HOUSE

Today, President Obama announced additional actions he's taking to keep guns out of the wrong hands and reduce gun violence. Watch the full remarks now: Here are some highlights: "In Dr. King’s words, we need to feel the 'fierce urgency of now.' Because people are dying. And the constant excuses for inaction no longer do, no longer suffice. That’s why we’re here today. Not to debate the last mass shooting, but to do something to try to prevent the next one." "How did we get here? How did we get to the place where people think requiring a comprehensive background check means taking away people’s guns? Each time this comes up, we are fed the excuse that commonsense reforms like background checks might not have stopped the last massacre, or the one before that, or the one before that, so why bother trying. I reject that thinking." "So let me outline what we're going to be doing. Number one, anybody in the business of selling firearms must get a license and conduct background checks, or be subject to criminal prosecutions … We’re also expanding background checks to cover violent criminals who try to buy some of the most dangerous firearms by hiding behind trusts and corporations and various cutouts … And these steps will actually lead to a smoother process for law-abiding gun owners, a smoother process for responsible gun dealers, a stronger process for protecting the public from dangerous people." "All of us should be able to work together to find a balance that declares the rest of our rights are also important -- Second Amendment rights are important, but there are other rights that we care about as well. And we have to be able to balance them. Because our right to worship freely and safely -- that right was denied to Christians in Charleston, South Carolina. And that was denied Jews in Kansas City. And that was denied Muslims in Chapel Hill, and Sikhs in Oak Creek. They had rights, too. Our right to peaceful assembly -- that right was robbed from moviegoers in Aurora and Lafayette. Our unalienable right to life, and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness -- those rights were stripped from college students in Blacksburg and Santa Barbara, and from high schoolers at Columbine, and from first-graders in Newtown. First-graders. And from every family who never imagined that their loved one would be taken from our lives by a bullet from a gun." Read the full remarks. Jan. 5, 2016 President Obama this morning outlined unilateral executive action to further restrict gun ownership. We've got a roundup of tweets reflecting initial reaction tothe move. Why don't government agencies pay attention to watchdogs' suggestions for cutting waste? A Senate subcommittee is looking into entrenched resistance to cost-cutting. This afternoon's Capitol Bell also focuses on why thehousing market in 2015 wasn't what it should have been. Government interference is part of the story.   Here's how conservatives reacted to Obama's speech on guns. Throughout President Barack Obama’s speech today on his new executive orders on guns, conservatives tweeted their responses. Here are some of their top tweets. As this was going on, the Office of the House Speaker announced yet again that another attempt is to be made to repeal Obamacare as we saw reports that the Speaker had plans to turn the House into a "Conservative Policy House".   We found that report especially interesting in light of the power that organizations such as the Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute  and others already enjoy:  Obamacare repeal to hit president's desk for the first time January 4, 2016 |  VIEW ONLINE | http://spkrryan.us/1O6jKbR As promised, Congress will soon put a bill on the president's desk that repeals Obamacare and defunds Planned Parenthood. Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) makes the case for our plan in this week's Republican address. The House's vote takes place on Wednesday:  YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | Transcript “GOP promises House vote to repeal Obamacare, defund Planned Parenthood. House Republicans are starting off 2016 with a renewed legislative push to roll back the president's landmark health care legislation, with proposals to defund Planned Parenthood tacked onto the bill. … Hartzler promised that the bill, which would eliminate the individual mandate as well as the employer mandate to offer insurance, would be sent directly to the president's desk via the reconciliation process.” (CBS News) “Congressional Republicans are vowing that the first action upon returning to Capitol Hill will be to send a bill to President Obama that repeals his health care law and defunds Planned Parenthood. 'We were sent to Congress to fight for the American people,' Missouri GOP Rep. Vicky Hartzler saidSaturday. 'They do not want their healthcare dictated to them by Washington. And they don't want their tax dollars going to abortion providers. … If the president didn't hear the people's voices earlier, hopefully, he will through this bill.'” (Fox News) “Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) on Saturday touted legislation in the House that would repeal key aspects of Obamacare and defund Planned Parenthood. … By way of the reconciliation process, Hartzler said, the bill will go straight to President Obama’s desk, circumventing attempts in the Senate to block it. ‘As a result, President Obama will soon have a choice: Does he support the people and women’s health, or does he support Washington mandates and tax dollars going to Planned Parenthood?’ she said.” (The Hill) “The bill undoing the president's prized overhaul will be the first order of business when the House reconvenes this coming week…Republicans never before have succeeded in sending a full repeal bill to the White House.” (Associated Press) “The top 2016 goal of both Ryan and McConnell is to return Congress to ‘regular order’ — the step-by-step process of passing bills through the congressional committees and then each chamber. First up, the House is set to vote Wednesday to repeal Obamacare and defund Planned Parenthood, sending the measure to Obama's desk…” (Los Angeles Times) “Republicans in Congress are touting a bid to make President Obama veto a bill that guts the Affordable Care Act and stops federal funding from going to Planned Parenthood. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo., highlighted the bill in the GOP's weekly address Saturday. Hartzler argued the bill, which defunds parts of the healthcare law and ends requirements that individuals and businesses buy health insurance ‘would be a significant improvement to our health care system.’” (Washington Examiner) “The House of Representatives will vote in a matter of days to confirm the changes the Senate made to the reconciliation bill that would de-fund the Planned Parenthood abortion business, which was caught selling the body parts of aborted babies.” (LifeNews.com) “Congress will send a bill to the White House in hopes of repealing Obamacare and defunding Planned Parenthood next week, and Rep Vicky Hartzler said in Saturday's GOP address that the president will need to make some important decisions. ‘We owe it to the American people to take our best shot at repealing Obamacare, and that’s what we’ll do next week,’ the Missouri Republican said. ‘As a result, President [Barack] Obama will soon have a choice: Does he support the people and women’s health, or does he support Washington mandates and tax dollars going to Planned Parenthood?’” (Newsmax) “At the start of the new year, House Republicans will renew efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and stop taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood, according to the GOP’s weekly address. Rep. Vicky Hartlzer (R-Mo.) vowed in Saturday’s address to ‘set things right’ as the House prepares to vote on a bill which would eliminate parts of the so-called Obamacare, including repealing the individual mandate as well as the employer mandate.” (TheBlaze)

Notations On Our World: On the Latest w/Saudi Arabia & Iran

The events of the last 36 hours have been breathtaking in the aftermath of the Saudi Cleric's Execution.   This clip available on the New York Times website provided a good view of both sides of the on-going conflict:



Saudi Arabia's allies have been swift to move against Iran in light of the latest developments as we reported earlier in our Social Grid AM write-up.    The attack on the embassy underscores a determined effort by the opponents of Rouhani especially as the Country is about to be faced with elections both to the Council of Guardians and Parliament.

More Forthcoming...