John Oliver Explains How America's Neglected Infrastructure Is Like A Lego Set

If you weren't aware that U.S. roads, bridges and dams are in serious state of disrepair, allow John Oliver to put it plainly: "We aren't just flirting with disaster, we're rounding third base and asking if disaster has any condoms."



On Sunday's "Last Week Tonight," Oliver broke down the sorry state of America's neglected infrastructure, including "hold your breath" bridges, killer potholes, a severe lack of inspectors and potential floods from our half-century old dams.



"Much like most Botox recipients and competitive cloggers, the average dam is 52 years old and has something deeply broken inside of it," said Oliver.



As Oliver explains, The White House is counting on the closure of corporate tax loopholes, no one wants to raise the gas tax and House Speaker John Boehner has his own ideas about fixing the problem which involves two years of not doing anything followed by ignoring Oliver's phone calls, emails and Vines.



During a montage of politicians cutting ribbons with oversized scissors, Oliver also points out that repairing infrastructure isn't as "sexy" as building anew, and backs it up with the perfect Legos analogy.



"Infrastructure is like Legos," he said. "Building is fun, destroying is fun, but a Lego maintenance set would be the most boring fucking toy in the world."



To top it off, Oliver presents a trailer for a new kind of summer blockbuster movie, one that's more about fixing cracks and less about explosions.



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21 Ways Road Tripping Was Different in the '90s

By: Sophie-Claire Hoeller





Credit: Shutterstock




Let's face it: you don't hang onto a D.A.R.E t-shirt from 1996 because it's still in style. It's all about the nostalgia. And the same goes for your memories of road trips in the '90s -- sure, new technology in cars, stereos, and maps have made just about every aspect of a long haul in a car better. But that doesn't mean you'd trade in your dashboard Discman for anything in the world. Except maybe a 6-disc changer and subs in the trunk, of course.



Let's relive the glory days of road trips in the time of Trapper Keepers, TGIF, and Tamagotchis.



More: How to Quit Your Job to Travel the World






Credit: Flickr/Felix Prado




You blasted tunes on your Discman



You were only super cool if you had a Discman parked on your dashboard with one of those fake tapes that plugged into your tape deck. And it was powered by your cigarette lighter, because cars still had those. You bumped such hitmakers as Ace of Base, Jamiroquai, and Green Day.



Your car was littered with CDs



A few were probably straggling around in the backseat on their own, but you likely kept your 96-disc CD wallet back there, too. And you DEFINITELY had one of those behind-the-visor sleeves where you kept your 10 go-to discs. And it DEFINITELY had a Cranberries album in there. Which you're DEFINITELY still pissed about not getting back from Chad. Chad DEFINITELY sucks.





Credit: Flickr/Jurriaan Persyn




You kept an atlas under the passenger seat



Rand McNally wasn't just a name that sounded like a weirdly pretentious Irish singer. In fact, it was an essential part of your car. You knew how to look at that grid and figure out where you were better than you could find books at the library using the Dewey Decimal system. You probably even had a paper map in the glove compartment. Although you could never figure out how it was originally folded.



You got lost... often



Even with Siri hurling directions you, you get lost. Back in the '90s? Well, in the pre-Mapquest days, if you didn't have somebody tell you the route, you'd have to plot it out yourself. And if you're anything like every dad who's ever driven a car, you were bound to miss an exit or make a wrong turn, but never own up to the mistake before you were 20 miles down the road.





Credit: Flickr/Kevin Trotman




You took questionable rest breaks



When you gotta pee, the next rest stop is 40 miles away, and Yelp is just a glint in some nerd's eye, you could make a number of bad choices. Like, eating anything from the salad bar at a roadside diner. Or actually talking to a trucker at a truck stop and thinking he's just really friendly and has no interest in you, drugs, or you taking drugs.



Everything was DIY



Don't like the look of Seedy Motel? You'll have to drive down the street to Roach Motel to find out it's just as bad -- but at least it has a pool. There were no TripAdvisor photos or reviews to guide you in your quest to find the best $29/night hotel room in Chickasha.





Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Amborg




Hidden gems actually existed



Rather than eating at an Internet-approved restaurant, you asked locals and ate where they ate. And that gas-station/BBQ joint you never would have tried turned out to be better than your eventual destination. Maybe you even made a friend or two without swiping right on anything in the process. It's nearly unfathomable these days.



Staying in touch took work



If you were ahead of your time, you'd give out your Hotmail address, ICQ or AIM screen names. But barring you actually having dial-up access, you had to give people your phone number and/or address. You know, that thing that was plugged into a jack in the wall that had a keypad like an iPhone, but didn't have Angry Birds.





Credit: Flickr/zhelen




Address books were imperative



Here's a thing that basically doesn't exist anymore: a handwritten log of people's names, addresses, and phone numbers, all in one place. You probably memorized your phone numbers, your best friend's, and your girlfriend's, even. But if you were visiting someone from out of town, you needed that stuff written down.



You had to be on time



Punctuality is still appreciated, of course -- but back in the '90s, you had to designate a meet-up time and spot, or otherwise risk not catching up with the rest of your crew. And imagine if you met the Funky Bunch with no Marky Mark, just because nobody made sure Mark knew to meet at TCBY at 4:30 p.m.



From cheap gas to payphones, head to Thrillist.com for 11 more ways road tripping was different in the '90s!



More from Thrillist:



The 11 Most Dangerous Vacation Activities Around the World



15 Ways Flying Was Totally Different in the '80s



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Chicago's Black Voters Key As Jesus 'Chuy' Garcia Battles To Defeat Rahm Emanuel In Mayoral Race

By Mary Wisniewski and Tracy Rucinski



CHICAGO, March 2 (Reuters) - Winning more support from Chicago's black community, which makes up about one third of the electorate, will be essential if Jesus "Chuy" Garcia is to cause one of the biggest political upsets of recent years by defeating incumbent Rahm Emanuel in a run-off and become Chicago's first Hispanic mayor.



He will need to overcome tensions between the black and Hispanic communities in the city, aggravated under the 22-year term of Mayor Richard M. Daley, which ended in 2011. There was a widespread perception in the black community that Hispanic supporters of Daley were favored in getting city jobs.



But while in 2011 majority African-American wards gave overwhelming backing to Emanuel, who was previously President Barack Obama's chief of staff, some disillusionment has set in since. A persistently high crime rate, the decision to close 50 schools in mostly poor areas, and a sense that Emanuel is out of touch with the community and its problems has hurt him among black voters, some political activists say.



After spending more than $7 million on television ads alone, Emanuel won 45.5 percent of the vote in the first round last Tuesday - the largest tally of the five contenders but short of the 50 percent plus one vote needed to avoid an April 7 run-off.



Garcia, a soft-spoken 58-year-old Mexican immigrant and county commissioner, who raised less than $1.5 million and only bought TV ads in February, came in with 33.6 percent of the vote.



Emanuel's backing in predominantly black wards slipped to just 42 percent, from about 59 percent in 2011, according to the Illinois Election Data web site, while Garcia had 26 percent of the votes. The other 32 percent in those wards went to the three other candidates - two blacks and one white - who have now been eliminated from the race, leaving those votes up for grabs.



Emanuel has stronger support in majority-white wards, with 52 percent, which is the same level that Garcia received in majority-Hispanic wards.



In his bid for re-election, Emanuel has stressed that he is the only candidate who can make tough decisions to rein in the city's budget deficit, expected to grow to $1.2 billion by next year, and deal with massive unfunded pension obligations for city workers. Garcia has criticized Emanuel's authoritarian style, and said that while he knows sacrifices are needed he would listen to residents before making controversial cuts.





WASHINGTON'S COALITION



Chicago is a city where racial politics tend to spell out the calculus of victory, especially given the three major ethnic groups each have roughly the same number of votes.



There are, though, plenty of complexities - for example, the Hispanic vote includes people with various countries of origin, particularly Mexico and Puerto Rico. About 5.5 percent of the population is of Asian descent.



In Chicago, building an African-American and Hispanic coalition is no easy task. A "black-brown" coalition formed under the city's first black mayor, Harold Washington, in the early 1980s, but was never solid and fell apart after Washington's death in 1987, said Delmarie Cobb, an African-American political consultant.



The resentment among blacks that was built up under Daley's rule persists today, Cobb noted.



"Now, there's even more of a feeling of us versus them," Cobb said. "That's what Jesus has to overcome."



Emanuel does have powerful allies among African-American and Hispanic leaders, including Obama and Illinois Congressman Luis Gutierrez, who said after Tuesday's election Emanuel was "well-positioned" to win the run-off.



"Rahm's campaign is about making Chicago better for all Chicagoans - from every neighborhood, background and family, and he's making his vision for one strong Chicago clear everywhere he goes," said Emanuel campaign spokesman Steve Mayberry, when asked about support in black and Hispanic wards. He cited in particular the mayor's push for a higher minimum wage, and initiatives to expand a kindergarten program and to make community college places more accessible.



Garcia must convince residents of all ethnicities that he is a viable politician to run the city and not just a protest candidate used to send a warning to Emanuel, political strategists said.



He must also get more of the vote out - overall turnout for all voters was 33.6 percent last Tuesday.



"If Chuy can win this race, it's because he can put together all these different groups who aren't talking with each other as much as they should be," said Kevin Lampe, a political consultant. "He has to build a new coalition."





BRIDGING THE GAP



Garcia does have some major supporters within the black community.



He has, for example, the backing from Karen Lewis, the charismatic black president of the powerful Chicago Teachers Union. Lewis had planned a run against Emanuel herself but backed out after being diagnosed with a brain tumor, and then threw her weight behind Garcia.



Jonathan Todd, a black community activist, said Garcia's ethnicity may have hurt him among some blacks. "We have to find a way to bridge that racial gap," said Todd, who supports Garcia.



Despite his small campaign fund, Garcia has much positive momentum, said political strategist Vince Casillas, Obama's Spanish-language press secretary in 2008, who has friends on both sides. One thing that will help is if Lewis campaigns for him, said Casillas. Another strategy would be to organize in areas where schools were closed.



Cobb said that in the black community, Garcia needs to point to both his alliance with Mayor Washington, and his current job as floor leader for Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, another powerful black politician.



Tamika Ford, 33, an African-American shop assistant who graduated from one of the shuttered public schools, said Garcia's ethnicity doesn't matter to her.



"Chuy could probably change things up a little," said Ford. "Obama did it so why not Chuy? He's from a different culture and he's looking out for all cultures, not just one side." (Additional reporting by Fiona Ortiz; Editing by David Greising and Martin Howell)





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Obama: Minnie Minoso Had A 'Quintessentially American Story'

President Barack Obama on Sunday commemorated the life of Minnie Minoso, the first black major league baseball player in Chicago. Minoso's death was announced earlier in the day by the Cook County medical examiner.



In a statement, Obama praised Minoso for the role he played in integrating the major leagues.



Read Obama's full statement below:

For South Siders and Sox fans all across the country, including me, Minnie Minoso is and will always be "Mr. White Sox."



The first black Major Leaguer in Chicago, Minnie came to the United States from Cuba even though he could have made more money elsewhere. He came up through the Negro Leagues, and didn't speak much English at first. And as he helped to integrate baseball in the 1950s, he was a target of racial slurs from fans and opponents, sometimes forced to stay in different motels from his teammates. But his speed, his power -- and his resilient optimism -- earned him multiple All-Star appearances and Gold Gloves in left field, and he became one of the most dominant and dynamic players of the 1950s.



Minnie may have been passed over by the Baseball Hall of Fame during his lifetime, but for me and for generations of black and Latino young people, Minnie's quintessentially American story embodies far more than a plaque ever could.



Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to his family and fans in Chicago, Cleveland, and around the world.

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Chicago's First Black Major League Baseball Player Minnie Minoso Dies

JAY COHEN, Associated Press



CHICAGO (AP) — Minnie Minoso, who hit a two-run home run in his first at-bat when he became major league baseball's first black player in Chicago in 1951, has died, the Cook County medical examiner said Sunday.



The medical examiner's office did not immediately offer further details. There is some question about Minoso's age but the White Sox say he was 92.



Minoso played 12 of his 17 seasons in Chicago, hitting .304 with 135 homers and 808 RBIs for the White Sox. The White Sox retired his No. 9 in 1983 and there is a statue of Minoso at U.S. Cellular Field.



Minoso made his major league debut with Cleveland in 1949 and was dealt to Chicago in a three-team trade two years later. He made his White Sox debut on May 1, 1951, and homered in his first plate appearance against Yankees right-hander Vic Raschi.



It was the start of a beautiful relationship between the Cuban slugger and the White Sox.



Minoso, regarded as baseball's first black Latino star, was a Havana native who spent most of his career in left field. He is one of only two players to appear in a major league game in five different decades. He got his final hit in 1976 at age 53 and went 0 for 2 in two games in 1980 for the White Sox, who tried unsuccessfully over the years to get the "Cuban Comet" into baseball's Hall of Fame.



"When I watched Minnie Minoso play, I always thought I was looking at a Hall of Fame player," White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf said in an informational package produced by the team for a 2011 Cooperstown push. "I never understood why Minnie wasn't elected.



"He did everything. He could run, he could field, he could hit with power, he could bunt and steal bases. He was one of the most exciting players I have ever seen."



Saturnino Orestes Armas Minoso Arrieta was selected for nine All-Star games and won three Gold Gloves in left. He was hit by a pitch 192 times, ninth on baseball's career list, and finished in the top four in AL MVP voting four times.



Despite the push by the White Sox and other prominent Latin players, Minoso has never made it to Cooperstown. His highest percentage during his 15 years on the writers' ballot was 21.1 in 1988. He was considered by the Veterans Committee in 2014 and fell short of the required percentage for induction.



"My last dream is to be in Cooperstown, to be with those guys," Minoso said in that 2011 package distributed by the White Sox. "I want to be there. This is my life's dream."



Minoso, who made his major league debut with Cleveland in 1949, hit .298 for his career with 186 homers and 1,023 RBIs. The speedy Minoso also led the AL in triples and steals three times in each category.



Playing in an era dominated by the Yankees, Minoso never played in the postseason.



"Every young player in Cuba wanted to be like Minnie Minoso, and I was one of them," Hall of Fame slugger Tony Perez said. "The way he played the game, hard all the time, hard. He was very consistent playing the game. He tried to win every game. And if you want to be like somebody, and I picked Minnie, you have to be consistent."



Minoso appeared in just nine games in his first stint with the Indians, but he took off when he was dealt to Chicago as part of a three-team trade in 1951 that also involved the Philadelphia Athletics. He went deep in his first plate appearance against Yankees right-hander Raschi, and hit .375 in his first 45 games with the White Sox.



Minoso finished that first season in Chicago with a .326 batting average, 10 homers and 76 RBIs in 146 games for the Indians and White Sox. He also had a major league-best 14 triples and an AL-best 31 steals.



It was Minoso's first of eight seasons with at least a .300 batting average. He also had four seasons with at least 100 RBIs.



"I have baseball in my blood," Minoso said. "Baseball is all I've ever wanted to do."



___



Associated Press writer Caryn Rousseau contributed to this report.





Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



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Aaron Schock Repays $40,000 For 'Downton Abbey' Office Decor

WASHINGTON (AP) — Illinois Rep. Aaron Schock repaid $40,000 from his personal checking account for redecorations to his congressional office in the style of the TV show "Downton Abbey," according to financial records reviewed by The Associated Press.



Schock paid $35,000 earlier this month to the owner of the Illinois decorating firm Euro Trash, and $5,000 more on Thursday, the records showed. His official House expense account had previously paid the group for its services.



Schock, a rising star in the Republican Party, has been under scrutiny for using taxpayer money to pay for the redecorating, as well as using his official and campaign funds for flights on donor-owned planes and concert tickets.



The Washington Post was first to describe the office decorations in early February. A watchdog group has since requested a House ethics review of the congressman's spending.



Schock's office said Friday his payments made good on an earlier promise to personally shoulder the costs of the office renovation. Schock wrote two checks — for $25,000 on Feb. 4 and $10,000 on Feb. 6 — to Tracy "Annie" Brahler, owner of Euro Trash. He wrote a third check for $5,000 on Thursday.



"Congressman Schock has fulfilled his commitment to pay for all the renovation costs," his office said Friday in a prepared statement. It said that while congressional office costs are usually paid from office expense accounts, "the congressman believed it appropriate to pay these costs himself."



Schock, 33, is in his fourth term representing the Peoria and Springfield areas.



This week, Schock brought on board a team of campaign finance lawyers and public relations experts to address the controversy about his expenses. His financial charges — including the use of his donors' private aircraft and concert tickets — were detailed by the AP and other news organizations since news of the decoration work became public.



An AP review this week identified at least a dozen flights worth more than $40,000 on contributors' planes since mid-2011, tracking Schock's reliance on the aircraft partly through the congressman's pictures uploaded to his Instagram account. The AP extracted hidden location data associated with each image; it then correlated it with flight records showing airport stopovers and expenses later billed for air travel against Schock's office and campaign records.



Lawmakers can use office funds for private flights as long as payments cover their share of the costs. But most of the flights Schock covered with office funds occurred before the House changed its rules in January 2013. Those earlier rules prohibited lawmakers from using those accounts to pay for flights on private aircraft, allowing payments only for federally licensed charter and commercial flights.



Schock previously told the AP he travels frequently throughout his Peoria-area district "to stay connected with my constituents," and that he takes compliance with congressional funding rules seriously.



Schock also spent thousands more on tickets for concerts, car mileage reimbursements — among the highest in Congress — and took his interns to a sold-out Katy Perry concert last June.



His office is still reviewing those transportation and entertainment charges.



The Post first reported that Brahler donated her services as she decorated Schock's Washington office with red carpet and red walls accented with antique-looking frames and sconces reminiscent of "Downton Abbey." The popular PBS show depicts the lives of aristocratic families and their servants in 1920s England.



Brahler refunded to the U.S. government $35,000 paid to her from Schock's congressional office expense account, records show, within days of the Post's report.



A liberal-leaning group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, had requested an investigation by the Office of Congressional Ethics, an outside panel that reviews ethics complaints against House members.



___



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Chicago Credit Downgrade Pushes City Closer To Fiscal Free Fall

(Recasts; adds details of financial pressures, comment from watchdog group, trading of bonds)



By Karen Pierog



CHICAGO, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Chicago drew closer to a fiscal free fall on Friday with a rating downgrade from Moody's Investors Service that could trigger the immediate termination of four interest-rate swap agreements, costing the city about $58 million and raising the prospect of more broken swaps contracts.



The downgrade to Baa2, just two steps above junk, and a warning the rating could fall further still, means the third-biggest U.S. city could face even higher costs in the future if banks choose to terminate other interest-rate hedges against fluctuations in interest rates. All told, Chicago holds swaps contracts covering $2.67 billion in debt, according to a disclosure late last year.



"This is an unfortunate wake-up call for anyone still asleep over the fiscal cliff facing the city of Chicago," said Laurence Msall, president of the Chicago-based government finance watchdog, The Civic Federation.



Chicago's finances are already sagging under an unfunded pension liability Moody's has pegged at $32 billion and that is equal to eight times the city's operating revenue. The city has a $300 million structural deficit in its $3.53 billion operating budget and is required by an Illinois law to boost the 2016 contribution to its police and fire pension funds by $550 million.



Cost-saving reforms for the city's other two pension funds, which face insolvency in a matter of years, are being challenged in court by labor unions and retirees.



State funding due Chicago would drop by $210 million between July 1 and the end of 2016 under a plan proposed by Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner.



Given all the financial pressures, both Moody's and Standard & Poor's, which affirmed the city's A-plus rating, warned on Friday that Chicago's credit ratings have room to sink.



Moody's said Chicago's rating could be cut if Illinois courts find pension reform laws enacted to shore up the state's financially ailing pension system and for two of Chicago's retirement systems are unconstitutional. A ruling by the Illinois Supreme Court on one of the laws could come as early as this spring.



S&P warned of a multi-notch downgrade if the city fails to come up with a sustainable plan this year to pay its escalating pension contributions.



In a report, Moody's noted that the downgrade to Baa2 moves the city closer to termination of 11 more swaps deals. Termination on those contracts would potentially cost Chicago an additional $133 million, Moody's noted.



Chicago has the financial resources at hand to cover the initial $58 million termination payments on the four swaps if the city is unable to renegotiate terms, Moody's said.



"The city's available liquidity is more than sufficient to cover these termination costs," Moody's stated.



If the rating falls below Baa3, Chicago could be forced to pay about $1.2 billion if banks that provide liquidity facilities like letters of credit for city debt demand immediate collateral, Moody's said.



In an affidavit late last year, the city's chief financial officer, Lois Scott, acknowledged that a single-step downgrade by either Moody's or S&P could trigger about $50 million in immediate payments and expose the city to variations in interest rates.



A spokeswoman for Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.



The downgrade and violation of terms on the swaps agreement likely will become an issue in Emanuel's re-election campaign. The first-term mayor, a former chief of staff to President Barack Obama, failed on Tuesday to win a majority of votes in a primary election, and faces a runoff vote April 7 against a Cook County commissioner, Jesus "Chuy" Garcia.



Moody's based its one-notch downgrade affecting $8.3 billion of general obligation bonds to Baa2 with a negative outlook on the city's growing costs related to its big unfunded pension liability.



Chicago is defending a 2014 Illinois law that boosted pension contributions by the city and its workers to two of its retirement funds and reduced benefits. In the affidavit and in testimony earlier this month in Cook County Circuit Court, Chicago CFO Scott quantified the city's exposure to a variety of credit instruments as a result of further rating downgrades.



Under a three-notch downgrade, Chicago would default on about $2.8 billion of credit facilities, including letters of credit, that the city would likely not be able to replace, according to Scott. Moody's analysts said most of Chicago's $806 million of variable-rate GO bonds are tied to swaps.



The city, under Mayor Rahm Emanuel, has eliminated hundreds of millions of dollars in risk by terminating or renegotiating 18 interest rate swap or swaption contracts and those efforts are continuing, spokeswoman Libby Langsdorf said last month.



Shawn O'Leary, a senior research analyst at Nuveen Investments, said banks tend to renegotiate terms on swap agreements.



"I would be surprised if the parties demand termination payments," he said.



Some Chicago debt is trading at worse levels than bonds sold by Illinois, which is paying the biggest yield penalty among states in the U.S. municipal bond market due to its own fiscal woes.



The spread on Friday for Chicago bonds due in 2019 over the market's benchmark triple-A scale hit 125 basis points, which is 25 basis points over Illinois' so-called credit spread, according to Municipal Market Data. (Reporting by Karen Pierog; editing by Phil Berlowitz, David Greising and Bernard Orr)





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