Comment on A Very Unproductive Congress

The FBI found more than 150 homemade bombs during a raid on a Virginia farm when they arrested a man on a firearms charge, Axios reports.

Crocodile Dundee was 1986 movie that struck gold and became an international sensation. It cost roughly 8.8 million dollars to make and grossed around 328 million dollars. Paul Hogan became a star as well as crocodiles in general. Today we learn that Burt, the giant crocodile that featured in hit Australian comedy Crocodile Dundee, has died at around 90 years-old. Crocosaurus Cove, an aquarium and exhibition space in Darwin, Australia, where Burt was housed, announced the news on social media, saying that the crocodile “passed away peacefully” and was “estimated to be over 90 years old” In Crocodile Dundee, Burt features in a scene where American reporter Sue Charlton (played by Linda Kozlowski) is rescued by Mick Dundee (Paul Hogan) from a crocodile attack.

“Donald Trump has appointed Justin Caporale, the man credited with some of his most eye-catching campaign gambits on the path to his second presidential election victory, to a White House role, signalling that high-profile publicity stunts are likely to be a key feature of his second presidential term,” The Guardian reports.

“Pro-Palestinian groups in the U. S. are staring down a new challenge: Donald Trump and Republicans,” Politico reports. “The movement has tended to focus its efforts on who controls the White House and Democrats, whom its leaders view as more persuadable to soften support for Israel. But 15 months into the war in the Middle East, as the GOP trifecta prepares to control the White House and Congress, leaders in the movement find themselves with far less leverage — and much more to lose.”

“House Republicans on Wednesday released their proposed rules package for the 119th Congress, which includes several notable changes to the rules that governed the lower chamber for the last two years,” Axios reports. “The most crucial alteration raises the threshold to introduce a motion to vacate — a measure to force a vote on ousting the House speaker.” “Instead of any single House Republican being able to force such a vote, now the motion will have to have eight additional GOP co-sponsors.” Politico: House rules would make it harder to oust speaker in next Congress.

“A 42-year-old Texas man with the flag of the Islamic State on his pickup rammed the vehicle into celebrating crowds on Bourbon Street in the early hours of New Year’s Day, officials said. The attack killed at least 10 people and injured about 35 others,” the New York Times reports. “The suspect, who died in a shootout with police officers, was identified by the F.