Linkee-poo Friday

Sorry, alligators up to my armpits.

Pan-spermia. "Space rocks that fell to Earth contain ribose, an essential molecule for life’s genetic machinery, and other related sugars. The finding, reported online November 18 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, lends support to the idea that many of life’s ingredients were delivered to Earth by interplanetary debris." The universe is alive.

"A glitch in Medicare’s revamped prescription plan finder can steer unwitting seniors to coverage that costs much more than they need to pay, according to people who help with sign-ups as well as program experts." A "glitch."

"You’ll soon be able to buy merchandise featuring the breakout star of 'The Mandalorian,' CNBC has learned… Other products will also arrive at the Disney Store, ShopDisney and at the Disney Parks before the holidays." They say that like you wouldn't be able to. Like viral marketing is a "new concept" to them.

"The Tesla pickup truck is here. Elon Musk presented the Tesla Cybertruck tonight in Los Angeles, putting one giant bow on this year’s L.A. Auto Show that’s already seen the reveal of the electric Ford Mustang Mach-E. Tesla played it completely straight with its reveal, but we're still struggling to believe that the whole thing wasn't one big joke. If it isn't, well, here are all the details." It looks like someone jacked up their uncle's DeLorean on big wheels.

"Israel’s attorney general on Thursday formally charged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a series of corruption cases, throwing the country’s paralyzed political system into further disarray and threatening his 10-year grip on power. Netanyahu angrily accused prosecutors of staging 'an attempted coup.'" Uh, Benny, you're not actually the prime minister. You couldn't form a government coalition.

So, how's that recession coming along? "Americans are hungry for personal loans that they can use as quick cash to pay for anything from vacations to credit card debt, a potential red flag for the economy… Personal loans are up more than 10 percent from a year ago, according to data from Equifax, a rapid pace of growth that has not been seen on a sustained basis since shortly before the Great Recession. All three of the major consumer credit agencies — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — report double-digit growth in this market in recent months."

"The entrenched trade and investment challenges mean governments must make deeper changes beyond simply rolling back tariffs of the last two years. This could mean updating global rules and reducing subsidies with harmful effects on trade, the OECD said." Ah, one more tax cut for the rich should do it.

"South Korea on Friday said it would not suspend its intelligence-sharing deal with Japan, in a dramatic, last-minute reversal that signaled a breakthrough after months of frigid relations over their painful wartime history." Or their fear that the US is going to withdraw from the peninsula.

"Donald Trump Jr.’s new book, Triggered, hit the top of the New York Times’ bestsellers list this month with the help of nearly $100,000 in purchases from the Republican National Committee… Federal Election Commission records list a $94,800 payment — identified as 'donor mementos' — to BooksAMillion.com on Oct. 29." That's one way to juice your numbers for the NYT bestseller lists. (Grokked from Kathryn Cramer)

"The under-fire White House adviser Stephen Miller said in a 2016 radio interview that immigration could see America lose its sovereignty and be 'decimated', echoing racist and white nationalist themes at the heart of a current scandal that has seen growing demands for him to resign."

Meanwhile, on Bullshit Mountain, "Their (Democratic lawmakers) letter (asking for the removal of Stephen Miller) came after the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) -- a left-wing group known for accusing conservatives of 'hate' -- published its findings from more than 900 emails it obtained from former Breitbart editor Katie McHugh."

"The California Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a state law that would have required President Trump to release his tax returns in order to appear on the state’s primary ballot."

"An FBI official is under criminal investigation after allegedly altering a document related to 2016 surveillance of a Trump campaign adviser, several people briefed on the matter told CNN." The rumors are the change was significant enough to alter the meaning of the document. However it is "a" document, and Carter Page bragged about getting with Russians (which is how the investigation was launched). Although expect to hear how this completely vindicates the president. (Grokked from Xeni Jardin)

"Gordon Sondland made a LOT of news in his opening statement to the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday. There was a quid pro quo between the Americans and the Ukrainains. Everybody in the White House knew about it. And the Ukrainians knew too… But there was one piece of Sondland's testimony that didn't get as much attention as it should have… 'He had to announce the investigations. He didn't actually have to do them, as I understood it.'" And now Lindsey Graham announces he'll do the investigations of the Bidens. "In a way, Graham’s attempt to find something, anything that will make it look like Trump was after something legitimate, shows how little there is to hold on to in defense of the president’s indefensible conduct."

"President Donald Trump presented little in the way of defense in the opening phase of his impeachment proceedings… He refused to give Congress documents. He ordered subordinates to defy subpoenas. And he issued blanket proclamations of his innocence, over Twitter and in exchanges with reporters, without testifying under oath on Capitol Hill." Good thing the Republicans were there to spin their conspiracy theories for the president.

"But Hill also had a warning for Democrats. In response to questions from House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, Hill said: 'The Russians’ interest is frankly to delegitimize our entire presidency,' noting that her point would likely resonate with Republicans. 'The goal of the Russians was really to put whoever became president, by trying to tip their hands on one side of the scale, under a cloud,' she said. 'We need to be very careful as we discuss all of these issues not to give them more fodder than they can use in 2020.'" And now you know why Pelosi was so reluctant to launch an official impeachment inquiry. The opinion article then goes on to lie about the Steele Dossier. Although it is true we should view anything (even information that seems "friendly") with skepticism. But eventually you have to separate the truth from the dross, because there are truths here. Also, while removing the president might "damage" our democracy in the short term (but probably would decimate the Republican Party long term, there has already been talk of the GOP dividing), the long term health of our country would be helped and our rule of law reinforced. So attempts to "wave off" the impeachment (which seems a foregone conclusion at this point, unless the president resigns) fall into the dross category. Removal of the president would be a restatement of our commitment to the Constitution and the rule of law (at least, for me, the president is guilty of abuse of power and abandoning his oath of office, this is just the latest in a long string of his crimes).

"'Everyone was in the loop,' Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the EU, told Congress on Wednesday. As he made clear, that very much included Vice President Mike Pence… Sondland’s testimony that he had informed Pence about Trump’s Ukranian squeeze – and that Pence simply responded with a nod — elicited what at first glance appeared to be denials from Pence’s office, but really weren’t." What did the VP know and when did he know it. Accessory is also a crime.