The ConversationFollow

By Luis Gomez

A daily feed of conversations surrounding the news of the day. From the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Opinion
Ted Cruz wants 'El Chapo' to pay for Trump's U.S.-Mexico wall
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
Sen. Ted Cruzmay have just found a way to pay forDonald Trump’s border wall. On Tuesday, the Texas Republican introduced a bill that proposes to use …
Opinion
After scathing UC audit, California leaders look to stop recent tuition hike
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
Some high-profile California politicians from both political parties are angrily asking the University of California to block or reverse its recent …
Fossils suggest first Americans were in San Diego 130,000 years ago. Cue the 'Encino Man' jokes.
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
A cache of prehistoric fossils first discovered 25 years ago appear to suggest that the first humans to arrive or live in North America were, at one …
Opinion
Just how close was Trump to pulling U.S. out of NAFTA? This close.
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
President Donald Trump on Wednesday tempered his threat to pull the United States out of NAFTA after an eleventh-hour phone call with leaders from …
Opinion
Four things Obama said are wrong with U.S. politics today
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
A lot has happened since Barack Obama left the White House, so it should surprise no one that in the former president’s return to the spotlight …
Opinion
Does Ivanka Trump deserve to be booed for defending her father?
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
At a summit in Berlin Tuesday to discuss female entrepreneurship and empowerment, first daughter Ivanka Trumpfound herself defending her father as she …
Opinion
San Diego man turns in $676 check, luck instantly turns around
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
A man down on his luck last week is on an upswing today after he discovered a $676 cashier’s check on the street by his car and tracked down the …
Sorry, San Diego. Santa Rosa is America's microbrew capital.
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
Feel free to disagree, but new research data suggests that San Diego is not the microbrewery capital of America as most of us would like to …
Mike Pence
Mike Pence: 'Hoosiers' is the 'greatest sports movie ever made'
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
The greatest sports movie ever made is … “Hoosiers”? Vice President Mike Pence kindled a fiery online debate Friday when word got out that he forced …
Opinion
It's official: Bill O'Reilly is done at Fox News
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
Update: It’s official — 21st Century Fox announced Bill O’Reilly “will not return to the Fox News …
Opinion
Clinton aides deny Titanic-like woes documented in new book, 'Shattered'
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
It may be that we’ll never stop talking about the 2016 campaign. This week former aides of Hillary Clinton are working to discredit a new book that …
NCAA ends North Carolina 'bathroom bill' boycott. Will others follow?
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
The NCAA announced Tuesday that it was ending a boycott that kept college tournaments and playoffs out of North Carolina following the state’s repeal …
Bannon gone from National Security Council, more questions come up
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
The removal of former Breitbart boss Steve Bannon from his position on the National Security Council, as first reported by Bloomberg News, drew mixed …
Opinion
Ad boycott of Bill O'Reilly's show triggers debate on media impact
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
As of Wednesday afternoon, CNN reported that at least 47 brands had pulled their advertisements from “The O’Reilly Factor” show on Fox News in …
Opinion
Susan Rice denies White House leaks: 'I leaked nothing to nobody'
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
President Obama’s national security adviser, Susan Rice, found herself Monday at the center of an online debate about White House leaks and the …
No, looking into Rex Tillerson's eyes will not turn you to stone
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
A wild rumor found in a Washington Post story that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had instructed diplomats to avoid making eye contact with him was …
'Ghost in the Shell' flops. Is 'whitewashing' criticism to blame?
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
Was the futuristic thriller “Ghost in the Shell” dead on arrival when it hit U.S. movie theaters over the weekend? Hollywood executives may be trying …
Space Travel
What SpaceX's historic rocket launch means for new space era
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
The historic launch of a partially recycled SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket into space on Thursday drew cheers from Americans who celebrated what could be the …
Trump vs. Freedom Caucus: Will 2018 elections get ugly for GOP?
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
President Donald Trump may have just declared war with the influential Republican members of the Freedom Caucus, saying in a Thursday morning tweet …
Opinion
Raise California gas tax? What Brown's $52 billion plan could cost you
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
Do Californians want to pay more at the pump to fix roads, highways and bridges? That’s the big question California Gov. Jerry Brown and other …
George W. Bush
Wait. George W. Bush reportedly said what about Trump's inauguration?
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
“That was some weird sh*t.” That’s what George W. Bush allegedly said about Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration on Jan. 20, according to a New …
Did Trump land a win for coal miners in reversing Obama's climate plan?
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
Surrounded by coal miners and with the stroke of a pen, President Donald Trumpon Tuesday brought horror to environmentalists and cheer to the coal …
Is Raiders' $750 million Las Vegas subsidy peak public stadium financing?
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
San Diego Chargers fans (assuming there are any left) know all too well that, in the NFL, money speaks louder than loyalty. The remaining Raiders fans …
Sanctuary Cities
What Sessions' 'sanctuary city' funding threat means for California
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessionsannounced Monday that so-called “sanctuary cities” risk losing funding from the Department of Justice if they …
Two teenagers in leggings land United Airlines in tights spot
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
United Airlines found itself in a tights spot on Sunday and was still facing a backlash on Monday after two teenage girls were barred from boarding a …
Missing D.C. girls spark outcry on social media, for better and worse
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
A social media-driven story about a number of missing teenage girls in Washington, D.C., has captivated the nation, Twitter and even lawmakers on …
Opinion
If GOP health care bill fails, who gets the blame — Trump or Ryan?
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
With the Republican replacement for the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, seemingly on life support Friday ahead of a postponed vote in the House, …
Donald Trump
London attack: What Donald Trump Jr. got wrong about Mayor Sadiq Khan
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
As Britain and the rest of the world tried to make sense of a “terrorist incident” that left several people dead and many injured in London on …
Read Obama's 11th-hour appeal to save Obamacare ahead of GOP repeal vote
sandiegouniontribune.com - Luis Gomez
Just ahead of a monumental vote by House Republicans on whether to repeal and replace key parts of the Affordable Care Act, former President Barack …