In Trump Era, the Death of the White House Press Conference

Seeking more informal settings...

President Trump responding to a press question during

French President Macron's visit to the White House last week.

The presidential news conference, a time-honored tradition going back generations, appears to be no longer, Jill Colvin with the Associated Press reported today.

More than a year has passed since President Donald Trump held the only solo news conference of his administration -- a rollicking, hastily arranged, 77-minute free-for-all during which he railed against the media, defended his fired national security adviser and insisted nobody who advised his campaign had had contact with Russia, Colvin wrote.

But there are no signs the White House press shop is interested in a second go-round.  Instead, the president engages the press in more informal settings that aides say offer reporters far more access, more often, than past administrations, she adds.

"President Trump is more accessible than most modern presidents and frequently takes questions from the press," says White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, according to Colvin.

For more of Colvin's report: http://www.good4utah.com/news/politics/in-trump-era-the-death-of-the-white-house-press-conference/1150750546

Photos: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report: 
What You Should Know About Cataract Surgery.

The Puzzle of Sarah Huckabee Sanders

"She loves her job..."

Sarah Sanders briefing the White House press.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders is best known to the American pubic for running the White House daily briefing, a televised performance in which, without so much as raising her voice, the president's press secretary manages to deflect questions, flatly contradict fact and generally throw wet blankets on the countless fires burning around the administration of Donald Trump, Jason Schwartz reports on politico.com.

For a timely, in depth profile on Sanders: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/04/27/sarah-huckabee-sanders-profile-feature-2018-218014

Photos: politico.com

Next time on The Allen Report:

In Trump Era, the Death of the White House Press Conference.

Smile: Have a Great New Week

Enjoy...

Another fine mess.

For fun videos to start your new week:

-- GEICO:  The Avengers: Infinity War: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wUaV/geico-the-avengers-infinity-war-the-gecko-gets-hyped

-- GEICO: Extreme Landscaping: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wPDb/geico-extreme-landscaping

-- BMW: Special Delivery: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wdVE/bmw-race-to-11-million-sales-event-special-delivery

-- BMW: Wedding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpC2djFgv8U

-- Allstate: All Alone Dad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vOeKtGdlZs

-- Progressive: Cycling is my Passion: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wccR/progressive-cycling-is-my-passion

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:

The Puzzle of Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Musical Moments: Mozart, A Little Night Music

Wonderful...

Musical Moments features music and artists I've enjoyed over the years.

Today's selection is Mozart's wonderful, A Little Night Music:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb_jQBgzU-I

Photos: Pinterest

Next time on The Allen Report:

Smile: Have a Great New Week.

Darien Ends Busy Home Market Week

Weekly update...

Spring splendor.

Darien ended a busy residential real week today.

Results, according to the Darien MLS, were:

-- 10 new listings of property for sale;

-- 19 price changes;

-- Six accepted offers;

-- One property going under contract, and

-- 10 closings.

For more:

Next time on The Allen Report:

Musical Moments: Mozart, A Little Night Music.

North Korea Blast Buries its Own Nuclear Test Site

Is this one of the reasons for North Korea's sudden willingness to talk?

North Korea's mountain nuclear test site has collapsed, putting China and other nearby nations at an unprecedented risk of radioactive exposure, two separate groups of Chinese scientists studying the issue have confirmed, Stephen Chen reports on southchinamorningpost.com.

The last five of Pyongyang's six nuclear tests have all been carried out under Mount Mantap at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in North Korea's northwest, Chen wrote.

One group of researchers found that the most recent blast tore open a hole in the mountain, which then collapsed upon itself.  A second group concluded that the breakdown created a "chimney" that could allow radioactive fallout from the blast zone below to rise into the air, he added.

For more of Chen's timely report: http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2143171/north-koreas-nuclear-test-site-has-collapsed-and-may-be-why-kim-jong-un

USA Today, CNN, CBS and others carried similar reports today.

Photo: southchinamorningpost.com

Next time on The Allen Report:

The Latest Darien Real Estate Update.

Join the Most Interesting Man in the World for a Beer

Bar tending in Tampa on Friday...

Jonathan Goldsmith, famous as the most interesting man in the world.

"Stay thirsty, my friends," the most interesting man in the world is coming to Tampa to tend bar on Friday, Sharon Kennedy Wynne reports on tampabay.com

Jonathan Goldsmith, the face that launched a thousand memes, will be slinging cocktails at Tampa's trendy Hall on Franklin, the food hall announced on it Facebook page Tuesday, Wynne wrote.

The veteran actor played "the most interesting man in the world" on a 10-year run of the popular (and parodied) commercials for Dos Equis beer, she added.

The commercials featured a debonair gentleman with a voiceover informing viewers of traits like, "Both sides of his pillow were cool," and that, "He is the only man to ever ace a Rorschach test," Wynne wrote.

For more of Wynne's fun article: www.tampabay.com/things-to-do/events/The-most-interesting-man-in-the-world-will-be-tending-bar-in-Tampa-on-Friday_167625296

For some more fun, here's a collection of the most interesting man in the world spots: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U18VkI0uDxE

Photos: Giphy, Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:

North Korea Blast Buries its Own Nuclear Test Site.

The New Exodus Out of American Cities

Driven by high costs, low services...

Back to the suburbs and other areas with lower costs of living.

Am I the only one in my spinning class at Equinox in Manhattan who's fed up paying $200 every month for a gym with clean showers, $3,000 in rent every month for an apartment without cockroaches and $8 every morning for a cup of coffee, Kristin Tate asks on thehill.com.

Am I the only one moving through the greater part of New York City boroughs and seeing and inexorable march of urban decay matched with the discomfort of crowding and inexplicable costs, she adds.

I know I am not, she writes.

What's happening in the Big Apple is a microcosm of what's happening in the nation's blue states, cities and towns, Tate noted.

New York, Los Angeles, Chicago -- the places where power and capital have traditionally congregated -- have become so over-regulated, so over priced and mismanaged, and so morally bankrupt and soft on crime that people are leaving in droves, she wrote.

For more: http://thehill.com/opinion/finance/384536-the-great-exodus-out-of-americas-blue-cities?amp

Photo: Giphy.

Next time on The Allen Report:

Join the Most Interesting Man in the World for a Beer.

Intense, Combative: Covering the Trump White House

"A great time to be a reporter..."

April Ryan, American Urban Networks, says, "I actively get death threats just for asking a question."

On a chilly and gray Monday in D.C. a few weeks ago, President Trump was sitting on the South Lawn among a group of children during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, when CNN's chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, shouted a question at him, Ted Johnson reports on variety.com.

"Mr. President, what about the DACA kids? Should they worry about what is going to happen to them, sir," Johnson wrote.

Trump answered, blaming the situation on the Democrats, but Acosta persisted in a follow-up: "Didn't you kill DACA, sir? Didn't you kill DACA?"

Trump didn't respond, but plenty of others did.  Conservative sites were indignant, accusing Acosta of behaving "rudely." Sean Spicer the former White House press secretary called him a "carnival barker," and Brad Parscale, who is managing Trump's 2020 reelection campaign, tweeted, Pull his credentials for each incident, Johnson added.

For more of timely and fascinating look behind the scenes of covering the Trump White House: variety.com/2018/politics/news/trump-white-house-political-coverage-cnn-washington-post-1202782162/amp/

Photos: variety.com

Next time on The Allen Report: 

The New Exodus Out of American Cities.

Deepfakes: A Dangerous New Low on the Internet

Targeting Melania, Ivanka, Barack Obama and more...

Melania Trump.

Recently the Deep State, Fake News and more have been added to our everyday conversation.

Now comes deepfakes, and it's a doozy.

Google is making it very easy for anyone to find "deepfake" pornographic videos of first lady Melania Trump or President Trump's daughter Ivanka, David Gilbert reports on vicenews.com.

From turbocharging the fake news problem to undermining democracies and inciting violence, the ability to depict anyone saying anything has potentially catastrophic implications, Gilbert wrote.

As an example, Gilbert includes a deepfake video of Barack Obama with words put in his mouth off screen.

And, finally, there's a chilling video of Russian attitudes towards Putin's new war on the west, as economist.com has called it:  https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/evq94e/deepfake-video-melania-trump-google-fake-news?utm_source=vicenewsfb

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:

Intense, Combative: Covering the Trump White House.

Remembering Barbara Bush

Terrific...

One of the best photos in a long time.

Photo: Facebook.

Next time on The Allen Report:
Deepfakes: A Dangerous New Low on the Internet.

How to Delete Your Google Search History

Limiting your information...

YouTube, Panera, Facebook, Equifax.  Every week, it seems, there's a new hack to worry about, Alix Langone reports on time.com.

Deleting your Google web browser history and Google Google search history is one way to limit how much data you allow to be collected about you on the Internet, Langone wrote.

For tips on how to limit your information on Google: time.com/money/5221313/how-to-delete-your-google-search-history/

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:

Remembering Barbara Bush.

Smile: Here Comes Your New Week

Enjoy...

Ouch.

For fun videos to start your new week:

-- Ally Bank: Golf hook: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wggz/ally-bank-seriously-anything-future

-- Capital One: Take out box: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/w3Rn/capital-one-savor-card-takeout-box

-- Capital One: Louisiana: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wFFG/capital-one-louisiana

-- Chrysler: Pacifica: Soccer practice: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wv8I/chrysler-pacifica-s-style-mom-soccer-practice-ft-kathryn-hahn

-- Capital One: Speed suits: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/w0qr/capital-one-speed-suits

-- Ally Bank: 7,500 Allys: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wbHr/ally-bank-7500-allys

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report: 
How to Delete Your Google Search History.

First Ladies Gather at Barbara Bush Funeral

First ladies tradition...

Melania Trump, one of four first ladies, at Barbara Bush's funeral in Houston today.

A lot about being first lady is unofficial, Gilliam Brockell reports on washingtonpost.com.

The title is invented, the job unpaid and the mandate unclear: Be fashionable but not flashy; be involved but not interfering, Brockwell wrote.

Pick a cause, make a mark -- but not too much of a mark, she added.

For more about first ladies and the four -- Melania Trump, Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton -- who gathered today at Barbara Bush's funeral today in Houston as part of a tradition dating to the 1960s: https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/retropolis/wp/2018/04/21/barbara-bushs-funeral-why-melania-trump-michelle-obama-hillary-clinton-will-go/?noredirect=on

Photo: washingtonpost.com.

Next time on The Allen Report:

Smile: Here Comes Your New Week.

Musical Moments: Schubert, Symphony No. 8

One of the greatest...

Musical Moments features music and artists I've enjoyed over the years.

Today's selection is one of the greatest classical music pieces ever written: Schubert's Symphony No. 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRurBkG9MRg

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:
First Ladies Gather at Barbara Bush Funeral.

Darien Finishes an Active Real Estate Week

Weekly update...

Spring gold.

Darien finished an active residential real week today.

Results, according to the Darien MLS, were:

-- 18 new listings of property for sale;

-- 13 price changes;

-- Eight accepted offers;

-- Two properties going under contract, and

-- Three closings.

For more:

Next time on The Allen Report:

Musical Moments: Schubert, Symphony No. 8.

Reddit's Alexis Ohanian Opens Up

All about Reddit, Serena Williams, waffles and Metallica...

A bouncing Reddit logo.

Depending on your perspective, Reddit represents either the best of the web, or the worst, David Gelles reports on nytimes.com.

Critics say the freewheeling community forum website is a cesspool of hate speech and pornography, where anonymous trolls can make incendiary comments without facing consequences, Gelles wrote.

But the Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian argues that open debate is essential for a healthy democracy even if it pushes boundaries, and that the company is taking appropriate steps to curb harassment, Gelles added.

For a terrific interview with Ohanian: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/04/business/alexis-ohanian-talks-reddit-serena-williams-and-metallica.html

Photos: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:
The Latest Darien Real Estate Update.

Find Out if Facebook Shared Your Data

Beware...

Be on the lookout for new warnings from Facebook about your privacy.

Some Facebook users began seeing a message titled “Protecting Your Information” at the top of their news feed last week, Austin O'Conner reports on aarp.org.

There are reportedly two versions of the message, with one focusing specifically on the Cambridge Analytica situation and another offering tips on how to protect and control what information you allow Facebook to share with other apps and websites, O'Conner wrote.

Here’s the Facebook message to those affected: "We have banned the website 'This Is Your Digital Life,' which one of your friends used Facebook to log into. You can learn more about what happened and how you can remove other apps and websites any time if you no longer want them to have access to your Facebook information," O'Conner added.

If you’re a Facebook user and you haven’t seen the message, it’s likely that you’re not among the 87 million folks whose private information was dubiously shared with the data analytics firm. But it’s still advisable to make sure, and you can do that by going here, he noted.

For more: https://www.aarp.org/home-family/personal-technology/info-2018/facebook-data-shared.html?cmp=SNO-ICM-FB-FRD-SP&socialid=1470724483&kenshooID=150380754

Photo: aarp.org.

Next time on The Allen Report: 
Reddit's Alexis Ohanian Opens Up.

How She Calmly Landed Yesterday's Stricken Airliner

Nerves of steel...

Tammie Jo Schults, the pilot who flew the stricken Southwest plane to safety yesterday.

The pilot's voice was calm yet focused as her plane descended with 149 people on board, Samanthan Schmidt reports on washingtonpost.com.

"Southwest1380, we're single engine." said Tammie Jo Schults, a former fighter pilot with the U.S. Navy, according to Schmidt.

"We have part of the aircraft missing, so we're going to need to slow down a bit," Schmidt added.

She asked for medical personnel to meet her on the runway.  "We've got injured passengers," Schmidt noted.

For more on yesterday's ill-fated Southwest flight and the excellent pilot who safely landed the stricken airliner: https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/04/18/nerves-of-steel-she-calmly-landed-the-southwest-flight-and-broke-barriers-as-a-fighter-pilot/

Photos: Heavy.

Next time on The Allen Report: 

Find Out if Facebook Shared Your Data.

How to Cook Perfect Pasta

Pasta secrets...

Molto buono.

Are you cooking pasta the best way?

Missy Robbins of Lilia, a "pasta destination" in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood has earned high praise for pasta dishes, Kate Krader reports on bloomberg. com.

How does Robbins do it?

For her tips on creating the perfect pasta: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-13/nine-ways-you-re-cooking-pasta-wrong

Photo: Giphy.

Next time on The Allen Report:
How She Calmly Landed Yesterday's Stricken Airliner.

Why Buying a House is Harder Today Than in the Past

Changing times and requirements...

To understand just how unaffordable owning a home can be in American cities today, look at the case of a teacher in San Francisco seeking his or her first house, Patrick Sisson reports on curbed.com.

Educators in the City by the Bay earn a median salary of $72,340.  But, according to a new Trulia report, they can afford less than one percent of the homes currently on the market, Sisson wrote.

For an overview on how the nation's housing market has changed since the 1950s: https://www.curbed.com/2018/4/10/17219786/buying-a-house-mortgage-government-gi-bill

Photo: Giphy.

Next time on The Allen Report: 

How to Cook Perfect Pasta.

Warning: Avoid Romaine Lettuce Again

New E. coli outbreak...

A new outbreak of E. coli in 11 states has been linked by government investigators to bagged, chopped romaine lettuce grown in Yuma, Ariz., Jesse Hirsch reports on consumerreports.org.

Consumer reports is recommending -- for the second time since January -- that consumers avoid all romaine lettuce for now, Hirsch wrote.

For more: https://www.consumerreports.org/e-coli/avoid-eating-romaine-lettuce-again-consumer-reports-says/

Photo: consumerreports.org.

Next time on The Allen Report: 

Why Buying a House Today is Harder Than in the Past.

A Strange Syndrome Makes People Think Loved Ones are Impostors

Dementia delusions...

On a beautiful autumn afternoon in New York's Central Park, Carol Berman had the horrifying realization that her husband of 40 years no longer recognized her as his wife, Meeri Kim reports on washingtonpost.com.

In his eyes, she wasn't the real Carol but rather some strange woman pretending to be Carol -- effectively an impostor, Kim wrote.

For more on a strange syndrome that prompts people to believe that loved ones have been replaced by identical  duplicates of themselves: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/this-strange-syndrome-causes-people-to-think-their-loved-ones-have-been-replaced-by-identical-impostors/2018/04/06/0091f168-1be6-11e8-9de1-147dd2df3829_story.html?utm_term=.47d2e80877af

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:

Why Buying a House Today is Harder Than in the Past.

Smile: Enjoy Your New Week

Fun...

Typewriter habits can be hard to break.

Fun videos to start your new week:

-- Ring: Spotlight cam: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wrvL/ring-spotlight-cam-bill-featuring-shaquille-oneal

-- Sling TV:  Picky with the playlist: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/w_03/sling-picky-with-the-playlist-featuring-danny-trejo

-- Sling TV: Stop paying evil cable companies: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/AMzz/sling-stop-paying-evil-cable-companies-featuring-danny-trejo

-- Icy Pain: Shaq vs. Pain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1zsD9UWREI

-- GEICO: Oregon Trail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHnpp_GhINI

-- Mass Mutual: I'll Stand by You (extended version):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Bq_H1ci9ec

Photo: Buzzfeed.

Next time on The Allen Report:
Strange Syndrome Makes People Think Loved Ones are Impostors.

Musical Moments: Beethoven, Symphony No. 9

Terrific...

Musical Moments features music and artists I've enjoyed over the years.

Today's selection is a terrific rendition of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lNaajK3Scc

Photo: Pinterest.

Next Time on The Allen Report:

Smile: Enjoy Your New Week.

Darien Sees an Uptick in Real Estate Sales

Weekly update...

Darien saw an uptick in residential real estate sales in the week ending today.

Results, according to the Darien MLS, were:

-- Eight new listings of property for sale;

-- 12 price changes;

-- 11 accepted offers;

-- No properties going under contract, and

-- Seven closings.

For more:

Next time on The Allen Report: 

Musical Moments: Beethoven's Symphony No. 9