Weekend Digest: The Tom Cotton Letter Edition

TV PREVIEW: THE TOM COTTON LETTER
On this week’s edition of Talk Business & Politics, which airs Sundays at 9 a.m. on KATV Ch. 7, tune in for the following:

Sen. Tom Cotton. He’s stirred the conversation on the Obama administration’s negotiations with Iran. Has anything changed though? And what could happen next? Sen. Tom Cotton is our guest.

An 8-year old mystery gets a new twist. The remains of Little Rock businessman John Glasgow have been discovered at Petit Jean mountain, where his car was left in 2008. What do we now know? We’ll explore.

And from the state capitol, bill filing season ends. Lobby Up’s Bradley Phillips runs through the numbers and the week’s most intriguing bills.

Plus, our roundtable discusses the latest political controversies. Political Animals Club President Rex Nelson, TB&P contributor Michael Cook and KATV’s Janelle Lilley join host Roby Brock to talk politics.

Tune in Sunday for Talk Business & Politics at 9 a.m. on KATV Ch. 7.

GUESS WHO ALMOST BOUGHT YAHOO?
It’s all revealed in a highly anticipated new biography Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution Of A Reckless Upstart Into A Visionary Leader by longtime Steve Jobs and Apple reporter Brent Schlender and Fast Company executive editor Rick Tetzeli. Fast Company reports the book is due to hit stores March 24.

The book is chock-full of revealing stories about the late Apple cofounder — details which paint a vivid picture of both Jobs the businessman and Jobs the human being, a person who cultivated some very special friendships throughout his life and career.

One of those special friendships was with Walt Disney’s CEO and chairman, Bob Iger.

Before Jobs’s liver transplant in 2009, the two would talk “three or four times a week” — and their decisions together have had lasting ramifications in Silicon Valley today.

What were some of those decisions and how did they come about? Connect to this link for more gems from Jobs’ soon-to-be-released book.

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION PLAYS HARDBALL ON HEALTH CARE
National Journal says “The current debate in Florida over Medicaid funding could be a sign of things to come.”

Since 2012, more than 20 states have rejected Obamacare funds to expand Medicaid because of Republican opposition, and the administration has had little recourse beyond rhetoric and a willingness to accommodate alternative programs more palatable to conservatives to change their minds. The states have held all the cards.

Until now.

The feds find themselves with some leverage, intentionally or not, and state lawmakers in one of the biggest holdouts — Florida — are feeling the pressure.

Why is that? Go to this link to find out.

DESPITE LUMBER LIQUIDATORS’ BAD PRESS, STOCK SOARS
It’s all about the safety of Lumber Liquidators’ laminated floors that came into question during a recent report on “60 Minutes”.

The “60 Minutes” broadcast, which aired on March 1, claimed that the company sold Chinese-made laminated floors with formaldehyde levels that surpassed California health standards. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen.

This past week the lumber and flooring company went on the defensive.

What did Lumber Liquidators say during an hour-long conference call with investors that sent its stock soaring and how did “60 Minutes” respond in return?

For the complete story, click on this link.

MARCHING WITH DR. KING
Lawyer and former Democratic Senator Harris Wofford, a member of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legal team, tells Politico, “Martin Luther King Jr. liked to joke that I was the one member of his legal team who would help him go to jail rather than using all the tricks of the trade to keep him out.”

I’d originally connected with King after returning from travels in India in 1949, soon after Gandhi was assassinated. My wife and I had followed Gandhi’s trail and gotten to know many of his supporters. And while I was learning everything I could about Mahatma Gandhi, King was doing the same.

Before the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott, E.D. Nixon, leader of the Montgomery NAACP, had shared with King a Hampton University talk in which I argued that the burgeoning American civil rights movement should embrace Gandhian civil disobedience as one of its core tactics. In the years ahead, I had a fascinating window into the movement King was creating.

Take a look into that “fascinating window” – which included Dr. King’s understanding of when to practice civil obedience and disobedience – at this link.

HILLARY CLINTON AND THE EMAIL CONTROVERSY
If anything, the storm around Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email account while she was Secretary of State intensified after her press conference this past week defending the use of the account.

The Hill reports it was her first press conference in almost two years.

…the likely presidential candidate defended the account, saying it was chosen only for the “convenience” of not having to use two personal devices while serving as Secretary of State.

“Looking back, it would’ve been better if I’d simply used a second email account and carried a second phone, but at the time, this didn’t seem like an issue,” she said.

While Clinton allies hoped the press conference at the United Nations would help her turn the page, it instead seemed to guarantee that the controversy will persist as she prepares to launch an expected run for the White House this spring.

How many emails were deemed work related as opposed to private and how many were deleted? How was that determined and who has them now?

For the full story including reactions from both sides of the aisle, go to this link.

CLASSIC JAMES CARVILLE
Huffington Post reports, “In a letter published in the LSU student newspaper on Tuesday, political strategist James Carville said that refusals by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) and a group of state legislators to raise taxes were akin to ‘two over-sexed teenagers dry humping in a backseat of car parked behind a levee wondering how far they can go while maintaining their purity or virginity.'”

Carville, a Louisiana native and professor at Tulane University, slammed Jindal and the group of over two dozen state legislators for cutting the state’s higher education budget by $211 million while refusing to raise taxes when the state faced a $1.6 billion budget shortfall. Jindal and the legislators have all signed a pledge by Americans for Tax Reform not to raise taxes.

The former operative for President Bill Clinton said in the letter that Jindal – who is considering a White House bid in 2016 – and the legislators were obsessed with preserving their “tax virginity.”

Oh my. Louisiana politics at its best and raunchiest. It gets better at this link.

STATES TAKE ACTION TO SOLVE TRANSPORTATION FUNDING CRISIS
Transportation for America says, “After years of depressed revenues and growing needs, states are making big moves on transportation this year. Whether or not they have long-term economic payoff will hinge on the degree to which their cities and towns get the resources and latitude they need to compete in the 21st century.”

This year started with a transportation bang for many states across the country. In the last few weeks, four states in particular have made major strides in funding transportation and infrastructure projects as gas prices continue to remain low.

Who are these states and what innovative actions have they taken? Full details here.

HOT DOG, WHAT A TIP!
AOL reports, “A waitress recently got a generous tip, along with a sweet note, thanks to one man’s tradition of honoring his late brother.”

How much was the tip and how does he honor his brother each year?

For a real good feel good, click here.

BASKETBALL PLAYERS DEFEND A BULLIED CHEERLEADER
Her name is Desiree Andrews and she’s in the eighth grade at Lincoln Middle School in Kenosha, Wisconsin. She also has Down Syndrome.

But when she was being bullied from the stands during a game, three players from the team decided to support her by walking out on their own game.

Now the boys and other students have an affectionate nickname for their gym in honor of Desiree. Go to this link to learn more about their courageous stand.