the cast of the 24th season of the ABC series was announced today on the networks Good Morning America.
Heres the full list of celebrity dancers and their professional partners:
Bull rider-turned-model Bonner Bolton with Sharna Burgess; singer & Vegas legend Charo with Keo Motsepe; former Saturday Nigh Live comic Chris Kattan with Witney Carson;two-time World Series champ David Ross with Lindsay Arnold; dance pop starErika Jayne with Gleb Savchenko;actress Heather Morris with Maksim Chmerkovskiy; actor and 80s icon Mr. T with Kym Herjavec;former ice skater and Tonya Harding foe Nancy Kerrigan with Artem Chigvintsev; Bachelor Nick Viall with Peta Murgatroyd;Fifth Harmony singer Normani Kordei with Valentin Chmerkovskiy; football player Rashad Jennings with Emma Slater; and gymnast Simone Biles with Sasha Farber.
Democrats Prep Prebuttle to POTUS Congressional Speech, Kellyanne Conway Is Caught Feet Up in the Ov
After President Trump"s first big speech to Congress,Stephen Colbert hosted a livebroadcast of The Late Show annotating the addressand taking digs at the administration.
Colbert aired a clip showing Trump being announced Tuesday night asthe president of the United States!
Any chance theres a mistake and Moonlight is the president? Colbert quipped, crossing his fingers.
He also took a jab at Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway, who was back in the news earlier in the day over a photo showing her kneeling on an Oval Office couch. Although Conway has been a favorite markamong late-night comics, Colbert did not reference any specific incident. But he showed a clip from Trump"s address in which the president said he had placeda hiring freeze on nonmilitary and nonessential federal workers.
Nonessential federal workers, Colbert repeated. So Kellyanne Conway is out? You will be missed.
[President Trumps surprisingly presidential speech to the nation, annotated]
Colbert began his routine referencing Trump"s well-known motto.
The theme of the speech was renewal of the American spirit, which, Ive got to say, really just sounds like a Chinese bootleg of Make America Great Again, Colbert said. And to begin the evening, Trump spoke in uplifting terms.
President Trump promised to lower taxes, combat terrorism and replace the Affordable Care Act in a speech to a joint session of Congress, Feb. 28. Here are key moments from that speech. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)
Then he took on Trump, point by point. Here are some highlights.
Trump: Each American generation passes the torch of truth, liberty and justice in an unbroken chain all the way down to the present.
Colbert: Then he extinguished that torch with a coconut and asked the Democrats to leave the island.
Trump on his immigration plan: Bad ones are going out as I speak tonight and as I have promised.
Colbert:Bad ones out, good ones in. This nuanced policy comes from Trumps immigration director, Secretary Incredible Hulk.
Trump on his standards for immigrants: It is a basic principle that those seeking to enter a country ought to be able to support themselves financially.
Colbert: Just like the Statue of Liberty says, "Give us your tired, your poor, but not so poor they cant afford a two-bedroom apartment and, like, a Mitsubishi."
Trump on terrorism: We have seen the attacks in France, in Belgium, in Germany and all over the world.
Colbert: And just because we havent seen the attacks in Sweden doesnt mean they did not happen, all right? Invisible terrorists are everywhere.
Trump: Tonight, as I outline the next steps we must take as a country, we must honestly acknowledge the circumstances we inherited.
Colbert: Honestly, I dont know what we inherited; you inherited, like, $100 million. Lets be honest.
Trump on government spending: With this $6 trillion we could have rebuilt our country twice. And maybe even three times if we had people who had the ability to negotiate.
Colbert: Maybe even rebuild it 10 times if we had people who refused to pay their contractors.
Trump: Tonight, I am also calling on this Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare [applause].
Colbert: Ive got to say, that must have been hard on Trump: People got so excited just hearing Obamas name.
Trump: Everything that is broken in our country can be fixed.Every problem can be solved.
Colbert: Well, theres one problem we cant solve for four years, but, other than that, I agree with you.
And this surprised me. This next thing I did not expect at all, Colbert added. Trump came out as pro-choice when it comes to schools.
Trump: These families should be free to choose the public, private, charter, magnet, religious or home school that is right for them.
Colbert: Wait, you can choose a different home school? Then I choose your home it seems really nice.
Trump on law and order: And we must support the victims of crime.
Colbert: Unless they are plaintiffs against me. Those women are lying.
Trump: The time for trivial fights is behind us.
Colbert: Adding just one more thing: Suck it, Nordstrom.
So, as we come to end of tonights address to Congress, Colbert added, I think we can all agree on one thing one down, seven to go.
[Stephen Colbert channels Keyser Sze to blast Trumps Russia ties]
Other late-night talk shows, which appeared to be previously recorded, touched on Trump"s address but did not go into specifics for that reason. Jimmy Kimmel, indeed, declared it Trump-free Tuesday.
This is a special night tonight, Kimmel said. Tonight we"re having a Trump-free Tuesday.
The president spoke tonight before a joint session of Congress and we"re going to ignore it for a very good reason, and the reason is I need a break from it, to be honest with you, he added. Tonight if anyone says the name of the orange-colored man with the Russian boyfriend, they will have to put $100 in that jar thatGuillermo is holding right now.
Host Seth Meyers also explained that his show was filmedbefore Trump"s address.
Now, our show tapes early so we don"t know what happened, Meyers said.But I"ll bet that people who were there aren"t that sure what happened, either.
[Morning Joe host says Kellyanne Conway was banned because everything she said was disproven]
Since thedivisive presidentialelection,late-night talk show hosts havehomed in on Trump"s campaign and his tumultuous first month in office. Earlier this month,Colbertcreated a parodyusing the storied Hollywood villainKeyser Sze.
Joe Scarborough talked toColbert last week about why hebanned her from his own show.
It got to a point where Kellyanne would keep coming out and everything she said was disproven like five minutes later, Scarborough said. And it wasn"t disproven by a fact-checker it was somebody else in the administration that would come out and actually say, well, actually, no, that"s not true.
There"s a quicker way to say that entire sentence, Colbert replied. She just lied.
It seems that this pivot back to politics has helped grow TV audiences for some late-night hosts.
As The Washington Post"sCallum Borchersreported,Colbert has been gaining on late-night king Jimmy Fallon, who is far less inclined to take on the president in a harsh manner.
Borcherswrote:
Conventional wisdom is that Fallons approach works best on a major broadcast network. When the Hollywood Reporter commissioned a survey of late-night viewers in the fall of 2015, shortly after Colberts debut on CBS, it found that Fallon appealed to people across the political spectrum. The Tonight Show hosts audience was 36 percent Democrat, 31 percent Republican and 27 percent independent.
Colberts audience skewed sharply to the left: 47 percent Democrat, 17 percent Republican and 31 percent independent.
Read more:
Trump seeks to parlay post-speech boost into action on contentious agenda
A tale of two speeches: The contradictions of Donald Trumps presidency
Winners and losers from President Trumps big speech to Congress
Fact-checking President Trumps address to Congress
One person is dead and 14 people are injured after four tornadoes were reported near Ottawa, Ill., the Ottawa Fire Department said. Strong to severe storms produced large hail, high winds and heavy damage across the area Tuesday.A total of 14 people were taken to OSF Saint Elizabeth Medical Center in Ottawa for storm-related injuries. A hospital spokesperson said several injuries were the result of falling tree limbs and the inability of drivers to see as they traveled home.
Two people were taken to OSF Saint Francis in Peoria in critical condition. Everyone else was checked and released, the spokesperson said.
Displaced residents are encouraged to go to the Love Gym at Ottawa Township High School. The American Red Cross is also working closely with local authorities and have set up at least two shelters in the Ottawa-Utica area, according to James Joseph, Illinois Emergency Management Agency.
The Red Cross has set up shelters and canteen services at Ottawa High School at 211 E Main St, Ottawa, as well as helping set up a reception center at Waltham School at 248 W Canal St, North Utica.
Doppler 7 MAX CLICK HERE to see the latest radar view from LIVE Doppler 7 MAX
Multiple tornadoes were reported on the ground, all in and around the area of Ottawa in La Salle County, Ill. Tornadoes were reported in Standard, Ottawa, Marseilles and Morris between 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
MAJOR DAMAGE REPORTED IN OTTAWA AND NAPLATE
Downed trees, broken windows, widespread power outages and gas leaks were reported by residents of Ottawa and Naplate. Ameren Utility Company, which handles electricity for the area, reported about 7,400 customers were without power in the Ottawa-Naplate area and surrounding towns.
The Ottawa Fire Department requested assistance from nearby fire departments to help them respond to the storm. Governor Bruce Rauner activated the State Emergency Operations Center to help with the response. Rauner said he will survey the tornado damage in ottawa at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
Peggy Foltynewicz was on her way home when the tornadoes hit. She said lightning hit electrical polls in her neighborhood, causing explosions like fireworks. Then, she said, she was trapped.
"I couldn"t get in the garage because of the electricity so I pulled alongside of the garage and then the wind started, and then the tornado started coming through. Debris everywhere. I took shelter between my car and my garage. The neighbors, all their stuff came over on my side and hit me, but that"s okay. I"m alive. It was scary," she said.
Foltynewicz said she prayed to live as the tornado passed, then immediately took shelter inside.
"I hung onto my car, because it was still windy, but then the debris quit, and then the wind died down, and then it hailed, and then I got into the house and I went directly into the basement," she said.
Christine Carberry was on her way home with her 10-year-old son on the north side of Ottawa when the storm hit.
"The sky turned green and then all of a sudden the wind was brutal, to say the least, so as soon as we got to the house I grabbed my son and we ran and huddled in the bathroom," she said.
The cleanup began immediately, as crews removed trees that fell over into the street and onto power lines. Several trees crashed into homes and garages.
Damage was also reported near the La Salle County Nursing Home west of Ottawa. The nursing home tweeted that everybody is fine.
Reports of hail ranged from penny to baseball sized. Quarter-sized hail was reported in Joliet and baseball-sized hail was reported in Ottawa.
The tiny town of Naplate isn"t the same place it was Tuesday morning. Everything changed in not much longer than a heartbeat.
"I"ve been through h**l. I live in an upstairs apartment, had to get in the bathtub to survive," said Penny, a Naplate resident.
Wednesday the people in Naplate, population only 620, woke up to find their world upended. Officials said at least 50 homes were badly damaged.
"I"m 65 years old, I"m retired, I may just have to move on," said Mike McGrath, a Naplate resident.
They"ll move on together, just as they survived together.
FLOODING TRAPS CARS IN CHICAGO SUBURBS
In south suburban Homewood, one downpour after another caught drivers off guard. At least two cars had to be towed from the flooded viaduct at Park Avenue and Dixie Highway.
In one of those incidents, firefighters had to be called in to help a woman and her child out of their car. The water level was up to the car"s license plate and high enough for the vehicle to stall. The mother and child were not injured.
All night drivers described extremely treacherous road conditions.
"It was blowing rain, heavy, real scary at one point. It almost looks like the clouds went from light to dark. The phone came up with a tornado warning, so you know, kind of worried about something like that, but it"s all in G*d"s hands, but we made it through," one driver said.
Water receded, but then another downpour caused it to flood again and another car got stuck. The driver said the water did not look as high as it actually was.
The lesson: Don"t chance it. Driving through this kind of water isn"t worth it.
CLICK HERE for the latest 7-day outlook from the First Alert Weather Team:
Democratic Response to Trump"s State of the Union Speech, "He"s Done Absolutely NOTHING"
Tuesday, February 28, 2017 at 1:30 p.m.
Office of Rep. Ruben Gallego
Tonight, President Donald Trump will give his first address before Congress. In the audience will be two Mesa teenagers: Angel and JacquelineGarcia de Rayos, whose mother was deported earlier this month.
They"re in Washington as the guests of CongressmenRuben Gallego and Raul Grijalva.
Both Democrats have criticized Trump"s immigration policies, andquestioned Immigrations and Customs Enforcement"s decision to deport Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos, who hadlived in the United States since she was a teenager and regularly checked in with ICE for eight years.
"Congressman Grijalva and I invited Angel and his sister Jaqueline to the address because we believe it is important for Donald Trump to face the people who have been victimized by his disastrous policies," gallego said in a statement.
"in the first month of Trumps presidency, we have seen a wave of raids and arrests that have torn many immigrant families apart. These actions have also caused deep fear and uncertainty in communities across the country."
This morning, Angel and Jacqueline Garcia de Rayos joined a press conference outside the Capitol. They called for an end to harsh immigration policies that lead to families being split up.
"It"s been weeks since my mom"s deportation, and it"s been really hard for my family," Angel said. "Deporting hard-working parents doesn"t make America great again, it really doesn"t."
Jacqueline added,"It"s been three weeks since my mom was deported, and the house feels really, really empty."
"We aren"t criminals, we just work, we don"t do anything bad. Our community now lives in fear of being separated from our families."
They won"t be the only ones at the Capitol tonight whose presence is designed to make a political statement.Democrats from Illinoisplan to bring a group of immigrant-rights advocates, including two DACA recipients, Estefania Garcia and Maria Torres, as their guests.
AndTrump"s own guests will include three people whose relatives were killed by illegal immigrants sending a very different message than the one that Gallego and Grijalva hope to make.
Wheels On The Bus | Popular Nursery Rhymes Collection for Children | ChuChu TV Rhymes Zone By Tiernan Ray
William Blairs Ralph Schackert this morning reiterates an Outperform rating on shares of Alphabet (GOOGL), after the companys YouTube business yesterday announced a long-awaited subscription bundle for $35 a month, called YouTube TV, including the four major broadcast networks, CBS, FOX, NBC and ABC, plus ESPN (but without Viacom (VIAB) properties such as Comedy Central and without Turner properties such as CNN.)
Schackert is a bull on over-the-top video like YouTubes, and he expects a warm reception from TV advertisers, based on conversations hes had:
During our discussions with ad agencies and other industry participants over the past couple of years, we have heard repeatedly that advertisers were looking forward to YouTube launching its own OTT service as it creates the opportunity for much better targeting and measurement than a linear TV environment as well as the opportunity to reach a younger audience. We also heard from agencies that YouTube needed more premium content to become a must buy, and we believe that having a cable-like subscription offering will increase the likelihood of attracting premium content to its current YouTube Red offering. Further, the new platform will also increase the opportunity for YouTube to partner with other premium content producers and potentially invest in more of its own original content down the road, in our view (we note that all YouTube Red original series and movies are included with a YouTube TV subscription).
Schackert notes that this new offering is unlikely to be a material driver for Alphabet, but he also points out TV advertising is a $185 billion annual market, and pay TV is $275 billion, therefore, both are very attractive markets for youtube to chip away at over the longer term.
Alphabet shares yesterday closed down $4.74, or half a percent, at $844.93.
Wait, school choice? you may well be asking yourself. Does she mean choice in the sense that, if these institutions had not been pioneers during the era of racial segregation, black students would have had the choice to go to school or gonowhere?Does she not know what the word choice means?
Well, unclear. Letssee what the statement has to say!
A key priority for this administration is to help develop opportunities for communities that are often the most underserved. Rather than focus solely on funding, we must be willing to make the tangible, structural reforms that will allow students to reach their full potential.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have done this since their founding. They started from the fact that there were too many students in America who did not have equal access to education. They saw that the system wasnt working, that there was an absence of opportunity, so they took it upon themselves to provide the solution.
HBCUs are real pioneers when it comes to school choice. They are living proof that when more options are provided to students, they are afforded greater access and greater quality. Their success has shown that more options help students flourish.
Their counsel and guidance will be crucial in addressing the current inequities we face in education. I look forward to working with the White House to elevate the role of HBCUs in this administration and to solve the problems we face in education today.
What?
HBCUs were created for African-Americans because they had no choice and were unable to attend schools due to segregation laws, said Texas Southern Universitys puzzled President Austin Lane, according to Politico.
There is no choice like, er, no choice!
If this is the kind of school choice that DeVos is hoping to bring nationwide, we are up a worse creek than previously thought. By this broad definition, tangible, structural reforms that will allow students to reach their full potential sound like they could includerestoring segregation to the land. After all, it was segregation that created this wonderful pioneering set of school choices in the first place.
Butmaybe I have been too narrow in my definition of what options are.Once you remedy that, history becomes a lot better.
Internment was just a lovely way of providing more housing options to people. Before, U.S. citizens and noncitizens of Japanese descent did not have the option of moving to a cool gated community with a watchtower and barbed wire fences, but, afterwards, they did. Similarly, with the Indian Removal Act, President Andrew Jackson created a whole range of options for many communities. Instead of the option of staying in the place where they lived, they had the option of moving! With help from the U.S. Cavalry.
This was clearlythe essence of Jim Crow laws: giving people a greater range of options.Without Jim Crow laws, there would only have beenoneset of water fountains for everyone.
Being denied the right to vote for years was a way of increasing womens options. Everyone else had to go to the polls but women were given the option to do literally anythingelse during that time. Except own land and property. But, again, those so-called restrictions were just ways of increasing their ability to do other things.
In a way, there are no limitations. Limitations are just in your mind.If you do not have enough money to afford private school, that is not a limitation. With Betsy DeVos in charge, soon you may havethe wonderful option ofnot sending your child to any school at all.
FULL SPEECH: President Donald Trump Speech to Joint Session Of Congress 2/28/2017 Trump Live Speech
Here are how claims made by President Trump during his speech to Congress stack up with the facts.
Trump overstates origin of terror suspects
TRUMP: According to data provided by the Department of Justice, the vast majority of individuals convicted for terrorism-related offenses since 9/11 came here from outside of our country. We have seen the attacks at home from Boston to San Bernardino to the Pentagon and yes, even the World Trade Center.
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THE FACTS: Its unclear what Justice Department data hes citing, but the most recent government information that has come out doesnt back up his claim. Just over half the people Trump talks about were actually born in the United States, according to research from the Department of Homeland Security revealed last week. That report said of 82 people the government determined were inspired by a foreign terrorist group to attempt or carry out an attack in the U.S., just over half were native-born citizens.
Even the attacks Trump singled out werent entirely the work of foreigners. Syed Rizwan Farook, who along with his Pakistani wife killed 14 people in the deadly 2015 attack in San Bernardino, California, was born in Chicago.
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Its true that in the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11, the FBIs primary concern was with terrorists from overseas feared to be plotting attacks in the United States. But thats no longer the case.
The FBI and the Justice Department have been preoccupied with violent extremists from inside the U.S. who are inspired by the calls to violence and mayhem of Islamic State militants. The Justice Department has prosecuted scores of IS-related cases since 2014, and many of the defendants are U.S. citizens.
***
As share of budget, Trump hike not the top
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TRUMP: His budget plan will offer one of the largest increases in national defense spending in American history.
THE FACTS: Three times in recent years, Congress raised defense budgets by larger amounts, in percentage terms, than the $54 billion, or 10 percent, increase that Trump proposes. The base defense budget grew by $41 billion, or 14.3 percent, in 2002; by $37 billion, or 11.3 percent, in 2003, and by $47 billion, or 10.9 percent, in 2008, according to Defense Department figures.
***
Trump distorts an immigration report
TRUMP: According to the National Academy of Sciences, our current immigration system costs Americas taxpayers many billions of dollars a year.
THE FACTS: Thats not exactly what that report says. It says immigrants contribute to government finances by paying taxes and add expenditures by consuming public services.
The report found that while first-generation immigrants are more expensive to governments than their native-born counterparts, primarily at the state and local level, immigrants children are among the strongest economic and fiscal contributors in the population.
The report found that the long-run fiscal impact of immigrants and their children would probably be seen as more positive if their role in sustaining labor force growth and contributing to innovation and entrepreneurial activity were taken into account.
***
Trump claims credit for jobs that predate him
TRUMP: Since my election, Ford, Fiat-Chrysler, General Motors, Sprint, Softbank, Lockheed, Intel, Walmart and many others have announced that they will invest billions of dollars in the United States and will create tens of thousands of new American jobs.
THE FACTS: Many of the announcements reflect corporate decisions that predate Trumps presidential election, making it unlikely that his administration is the sole or even the primary reason for the expected hiring.
In the case of Intel, construction of the Chandler, Arizona, factory referred to by Trump actually began during Barack Obamas presidency. The project was delayed by insufficient demand for Intels high-powered computer chips, but the company now expects to finish the factory within four years because it anticipates business growth.
Still, even as some companies create jobs, others are laying off workers. The best measure of whether more jobs are actually being created are the figures in the monthly employment reports issued by the Labor Department, which nets out those gains and losses. The department will issue its report for February, the first full month of Trumps term, on March 10.
***
Trump actions threaten those he wants to help
TRUMP: We will stop the drugs from pouring into our country and poisoning our youth and we will expand treatment for those who have become so badly addicted.
THE FACTS: Addicts and mentally ill people who gained access to treatment programs for the first time as a result of the Obama-era health care law are worried about the consequences if its repealed as Trump calls for. Repeal could end coverage for 1.8 million people who have undergone addiction or mental health treatment, and cut $5.5 billion in spending on such services, according to estimates by economist Richard Frank, a former Obama administration official now at Harvard Medical School.
The key question is what will happen to Medicaid as a result of changes Republicans are pursuing. Broadly speaking, Republicans want to transform the health insurance program for low-income people from an open-ended federal entitlement to a system that provides states with a limited amount of financing and gives them latitude on how to spend it.
If Congress is too stingy with the state allotments, states would be hampered dealing with emergencies like the opioid epidemic.
***
trump takes undue credit for F-35 savings
TRUMP, on his achievements in office: Weve saved taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars by bringing down the price of the F-35 fighter jet.
THE FACTS: The cost savings he persists in bragging about were in motion before he became president.
The head of the Air Force program announced significant price reductions in the contract for the F-35 fighter jet Dec. 19 after Trump had tweeted about the cost but weeks before he met the companys CEO about it.
Pentagon managers took action even before the election to save money on the contract. Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with the aerospace consulting firm Teal Group, says there is no evidence of any additional cost savings as a result of Trumps actions.
***
Trumps overly downbeat view of health law
TRUMP, in prepared remarks: Obamacare is collapsing ... so I am calling on all Democrats and Republicans in Congress to work with us to save Americans from this imploding Obamacare disaster.
THE FACTS: There are problems with the 2010 health care law, but whether its collapsing is hotly disputed.
One of the two major components of the Affordable Care Act has seen a spike in premiums and a drop in participation from insurers. But the other component, equally important, seems to be working fairly well, even if its costs are a concern.
Trump and congressional Republicans want to repeal the whole thing, which risks leaving millions of people uninsured if the replacement plan has shortcomings. Some critics say GOP rhetoric itself is making things worse by creating uncertainty about the future.
The health law offers subsidized private health insurance along with a state option to expand Medicaid for low-income people. Together, the two arms of the program cover more than 20 million people.
Republican governors whose states have expanded Medicaid are trying to find a way to persuade Congress and the administration to keep the expansion, and maybe even build on it, while imposing limits on the long-term costs of Medicaid.
While the Medicaid expansion seems to be working, the markets for subsidized private health insurance are stressed in many states. Also affected are millions of people who buy individual policies outside the government markets, and face the same high premiums with no financial help from the health law.
Larry Levitt of the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation says implosion is too strong a term. An AP count found that 12.2 million people signed up for this year, despite the Trump administrations threats to repeal the law.
***
Trump on massive tax cut for middle class
TRUMP, in prepared remarks: At the same time, we will provide massive tax relief for the middle class.
THE FACTS: Trump has provided little detail on how this would happen. Independent analyses of his campaigns tax proposals found that most of the benefits would flow to the wealthiest families. The richest 1 percent would see an average tax cut of nearly $215,000 a year, while the middle one-fifth of the population would get a cut of just $1,010, according to the Tax Policy Center, a joint project by the Brookings Institution and Urban Institute.
Trump touts actions since taking office in speech to Congress
