PNUT GALLERY
It’s been an amazing year for the Pnut and it wouldn’t have been possible without your help, thank you! We’ve got a couple of exciting announcements for you. We are almost as psyched about Pnut’s future as John Kerry is that he found Dunkin’ Donuts in Moscow.
IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ
#pnut4prez: Republican Debate
Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio (and seven other people) squared off in the fifth Republican Presidential debate in Las Vegas last night. Terrorism and national security dominated the debate. Here is a quick summary of what went down:
First, Marco and Ted:
The two senators went toe to toe on surveillance, defense budgets, immigration and how they would carry out the war against ISIS. Marco called Ted’s approach as “not leading at all” vs. Obama’s “leading from behind” and Ted insinuated that deep down inside Marco already agreed with him so it wasn’t worth debating it much further. Both candidates vied to position themselves as the “not-Trump” candidate.
And the rest:- Donald Trump: As usual, he avoided anything of substance, falling back on statements like “we need toughness” and “we need to penetrate the internet” (not sure what that means). He spoke less than in previous debates and didn’t insult everyone as much.
- Chris Christie: Best debate for the New Jersey governor yet. He captured what most audience members were thinking when he said his eyes glazed over during a debate between Rand Paul and Marco Rubio. He did, however, promise to work with King Hussein of Jordan… who has been dead for 16 years.
- Jeb Bush: Had a small, fleeting moment of greatness when he gave Trump a “taste of [his] own medicine” by repeatedly interrupting him but failed to convert it into a substantial win (he did enjoy it though).
- Rand Paul: Called out Trump for wanting to “shut down the internet” (aka violating the first amendment) and wanting to kill the families of terrorists (aka violating the Geneva Convention).
- Carly Fiorina: May or may not have described a classified partnership during her time at HP when highlighting private sector cooperation with the government.
- Ben Carson: He complained that he wasn’t getting enough air-time, which, to be fair, was probably doing him a favor, since it was a foreign policy focused debate (not his forte).
- John Kasich: He was present… that’s about it.
NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ
Iran Sends Mixed Signals To Confuse Everyone And Derail Deal A leaked UN confidential report indicates that an Iranian missile test in October violated a UN ban, putting in jeopardy the Iran Deal and the upcoming lifting of sanctions. The report comes after the nuclear watchdog IAEA (same group that said Iraq didn’t have WMDs) said that Iran hadn’t conducted any nuclear weapons related research since 2009. The mixed signals are bound to confuse officials who were excited to start implementing the Iran Deal.
LA: Sunny Skies, Terrible Traffic And The Occasional Overreaction
The LA school system shut down all of its schools yesterday after receiving a bomb threat via email, “forcing” 700,000 students to not have to sit through classes. NYC, which received the same threat, kept their schools open because they felt that the threat was not credible and called LA’s decision a “significant overreaction” (burn). The email, which is being investigated as a hoax, appears to be the work of a “Homeland” show fan… thanks, Carrie.
Seattle May Create An ‘Uber’ Big Union To ‘Lyft’ Drivers’ Wages
Seattle, the leader of the $15/hour minimum wage, passed a law that would allow Uber/Lyft employees to form a union and collectively bargain for better wages. The move threatens Uber’s business model, which relies on the fact that drivers are “independent contractors” and not employees. The move underscores an ongoing debate to figure out labor relations in the age of the “sharing economy.”
EU Setting Up New Agency To Fail To Tackle Crises
The EU Schengen Zone announced that it’s taking control over its borders, deploying a common border patrol force and coast guard. The large flow of refugees has strained relations between the 26 countries that make up the visa-free travel zone known as Schengen. But some people view the announcement as an “overreach” by the EU, which gave itself the right to intervene without host country consent creating all sorts of exciting new bureaucratic nightmares.
Keeping Our Eye On…
- Govt. Shutdown: Looks like things are coming together for next year’s budget as the US Congress sprints to avoid a shutdown deadline this week. Drop us a line if you can tell us why this keeps happening… we’re confused.
- Brazilian House Of Cards: Things got testy in Brasilia yesterday when police raided the home of the Speaker of the Lower House of Congress Eduardo Cunha. He is implicated in a bribery scandal to do with the oil company Petrobras and openly at odds with President Roussef (who faces impeachment).
- Fed Rates: Things are going to get exciting today as the Federal Reserve gets ready to announce if it will/won’t raise interest rates (at 2 PM EST). Get the popcorn ready, and pray for your portfolio…
- Weird Pnut: A Delhi woman who gave birth in the back of a cab has named her baby Uber. The baby was delivered by an Uber driver after an ambulance failed to arrive in time. This isn’t as weird as a New Zealand baby who was named Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii (luckily this was ruled illegal).
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