It just got easier to go to Cuba

1. Smoking Cubanos with Castro in cabanas New rules on traveling to Cuba take effect tomorrow. [NYT / Peter Baker and Randal Archibold] While you still need a specific reason to go, you don't need a special license, and airlines providing flights don't need special licenses either. A senior Obama administration official says you'll probably be able to buy tickets to Cuba online soon. [Washington Post / Roberto Ferdman] The 12 allowed visit categories include: journalistic trips, educational activities, religious activities, family visits, public performances, and "support for the Cuban people." [Slate / Ben Mathis-Lilley] But some, like Cuba expert Julia Sweig, argue the rules could end up de facto legalizing regular tourism. [NYT / Peter Baker and Randal Archibold] You can read the basics of the overall Cuba deal — including non-travel provisions — here. [Vox / Amanda Taub] Cuba has released all 53 political prisoners it promised to let free as part of the deal. [CNN / Dana Ford and Juan Carlos Lopez] 2. Prepping for SOTU Obama reportedly will call for an almost 7 percent increase in discretionary spending at Tuesday's State of the Union address. [Bloomberg / Jonathan Allen and Anthony Capaccio] Discretionary spending is all federal spending not on "mandatory" programs like Social Security, Medicare, or food stamps. The biggest category is defense spending, but things like the National Institutes of Health, Pell Grants, Section 8 housing vouchers, the FBI and other federal law enforcement, NASA, and foreign aid are also discretionary. [CBPP] Defense spending has fallen recently, but non-defense discretionary spending has taken a massive hit: we spend less on it as a share of the economy than we have in over 50 years. [CBPP / David Reich] Obama, reportedly, wants to boost both defense and non-defense sepnding by $34 billion a year. [Bloomberg / Jonathan Allen and Anthony Capaccio] Sen. Jodi Ernst (R-IA) has been selected as the GOP respondent to the State of the Union. [Vox / Andrew Prokop] 3. Misc. Artificial intelligence-assisted magic tricks are a thing. [Slate / Lind Rodriguez McRobbie] Meet the Panama Unit, an anti-drug law enforcement task force on the Mexican border that became a major drug-theft ring. [Rolling Stone / Josh Eells] Public financing of campaigns decreases interest group influence — but increases political polarization. [Washington Post / John Sides] The poorest 20 percent of Americans pay twice as much, percentage-wise, in state and local taxes as the top one percent. [Slate / Elliott Hannon] A few things philosopher Peter Singer believes: eating meat is unethical, we're obligated to give as much as we can to charity, and … surfing is awesome. [Project Syndicate / Peter Singer] 4. Verbatim "More than half of the 79 kids who killed themselves at juvenile facilities over a five year period did so while in 'room confinement.' [i.e. solitary confinement]" [Mother Jones / Dana Liebelson] "[Economist Jacob] Vigdor found no evidence that poor people moved out of gentrifying neighborhoods at a higher than normal rate." [Slate / John Buntin] "Tiefland was the Third Reich’s Heaven’s Gate." [Tin House / Bruce Handy] "You know you’re a privileged person when the fun of complaining about injustice outweighs the pleasure of a just outcome." [Freddie deBoer] "Lest anyone worry how healthy an opinion [Tom] Steyer … has of himself, the memo was addressed to 'Team Cincinnatus' – presumably referring to the Roman statesman hailed as an icon of virtue, selflessness and humility after twice being chosen for, and then twice resigning, the mantle of dictator in order to protect the republic." [Political Blotter / Josh Richman] Read the latest Vox Sentences here!

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