Linkee-poo Sunday July 10

James Can, and so it goes.

"After analyzing data gathered when NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collected a sample from asteroid Bennu in October 2020, scientists have learned something astonishing: The spacecraft would have sunk into Bennu had it not fired its thrusters to back away immediately after it grabbed dust and rock from the asteroid’s surface… It turns out that the particles making up Bennu’s exterior are so loosely packed and lightly bound to each other that if a person were to step onto Bennu they would feel very little resistance, as if stepping into a pit of plastic balls that are popular play areas for kids."

"We are now just (less than) five days away from the public release of the first science images from the James Webb Space Telescope, and anticipation is running pretty high. After more than two decades, and $10 billion, it's time for Webb to pay off… Early indications are that it will."

"Methane is four times more sensitive to global warming than previously thought, a new study shows. The result helps to explain the rapid growth in methane in recent years and suggests that, if left unchecked, methane related warming will escalate in the decades to come.">

"In a former gold mine a mile underground, inside a titanium tank filled with a rare liquified gas, scientists have begun the search for what so far has been unfindable: dark matter… Scientists are pretty sure the invisible stuff makes up most of the universe’s mass and say we wouldn’t be here without it – but they don’t know what it is. The race to solve this enormous mystery has brought one team to the depths under Lead, South Dakota."

"A team of scientists in Argentina say they have discovered a new giant predatory dinosaur that had a huge head - but tiny arms for its size."

"Jeni Rae Peters would make promises to herself as she lay awake nights after being diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago… Multiple surgeries, radiation, and chemotherapy controlled the cancer. But, despite having insurance, Peters was left with more than $30,000 of debt, threats from bill collectors, and more anxious nights thinking of her kids."

"Physicians caution, however, that rest is an important part of weathering a COVID-19 infection. Plugging away from home is better than putting others at risk of getting infected, but it can still strain the immune system, worsening the toll of a COVID infection, experts say."

"Job growth accelerated at a much faster pace than expected in June, indicating that the main pillar of the U.S. economy remains strong despite pockets of weakness… Nonfarm payrolls increased 372,000 in the month, better than the 250,000 Dow Jones estimate and continuing what has been a strong year for job growth, according to data Friday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics."

Meanwhile, on Bullshit Mountain… "The U.S. posted strong job growth in June, but the total number of employed Americans remained below its pre-pandemic level, federal data showed."

"Job gains have slowed since the first third of the year, when employers were adding nearly 500,000 jobs per month on average. But economists say a slowdown isn't surprising, now that the U.S. has replaced most of the jobs lost during the pandemic downturn two years ago. Employment at private-sector businesses is higher now than it was in February of 2020, while government employment still lags."

"Mortgage rates dropped for the second week in a row, notching the largest decline since December, 2008… The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5.30% in the week ending July 7, down from 5.70% the week before, according to Freddie Mac. That is still significantly higher than this time last year when it was 2.90%"

"The assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday stunned and saddened people in a country where firearms are strictly regulated and political violence is extremely rare."

"Police say Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, fired two shots at Abe as he was making a political speech in the city of Nara. The first shot missed, but the second hit Abe's chest and neck, and despite attempts to revive him he died several hours later."

"One of Canada's largest mobile and internet providers, Rogers, has apologised for the country-wide outage of its services which began on Friday… The company's CEO Tony Staffieri said the failure followed "a maintenance update in our core network'."

"India risks damaging its reputation among foreign investors with its "frequent investigations" into Chinese companies, Beijing said this week… China's embassy in India said in a statement Thursday that probes by Indian authorities into Chinese companies were disrupting "normal business activities" and chilling 'the confidence and willingness of market entities from other countries, including Chinese enterprises to invest and operate in India.'"

"Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia is just getting started in its war with Ukraine, despite the conflict dragging on for over 130 days and Moscow's forces suffering heavy casualties… The Associated Press reported on Putin's statements at a Kremlin parliament meeting, where the Russian leader said it was clear that 'the West wants to fight us until the last Ukrainian.'"

"The Russian foreign minister left the G20 meeting of leading economies early after telling his counterparts that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was not responsible for a global hunger crisis and that sanctions designed to isolate Russia amounted to a declaration of war."

"The Fourth of July parade shooter's location -- concealed on a rooftop along Highland Park's Central Avenue -- made it hard for law enforcement to figure out immediately where bullets were raining from when he opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle, the Illinois city's police chief said Thursday… 'The noise was bouncing off the buildings. People were pointing in different directions,' Chief Lou Jogmen told CNN of the scene of fear and chaos that left seven people dead and dozens more wounded in yet another mass shooting in America."

"A Pennsylvania 911 operator faces a rare charge of involuntary manslaughter for failing to send an ambulance to the rural home of a woman who died of internal bleeding a day later, despite a plea from the woman's daughter that without medical help 'she's going to die.'"

"A Georgia prosecutor described the apparent targeting of a mysterious monument (the Georgia Guidestones) with an explosive device as an 'act of domestic terrorism,' saying Thursday that the alleged crime was aimed at the county authorities that own the site."

"First Amendment advocates are considering their options in response to an Arizona law signed last week making it a crime to record video police officers from closer than 8 feet away… The law, which was signed on Wednesday by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, states that people can be charged with a misdemeanor if they record police from less than 8 feet away after getting a verbal warning, as they are conducting law enforcement activity like arrests, questioning suspicious individuals, and handling those who are emotionally disturbed."

"Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to 21 years in a federal prison for violating George Floyd's civil rights. Chauvin, who pleaded guilty in December, will also be required to pay restitution."

"The actions Biden outlined are intended to head off some potential penalties that women seeking abortion may face after the ruling, but his order cannot restore access to abortion in the more than a dozen states where strict limits or total bans have gone into effect. About a dozen more states are set to impose additional restrictions… Biden acknowledged the limitations facing his office, saying it would require an act of Congress to restore nationwide access to the way it was before the June 24 decision."

"Former President Donald Trump quietly removed himself from the board of his budding social media venture shortly before it was hit with federal subpoenas "by both the Securities and Exchange Commission and a grand jury in Manhattan," documents obtained exclusively by The Sarasota Herald-Tribune have revealed… On Thursday, the Florida newspaper reported that on June 8th, Trump, the then-chairman of Trump Media and Technology Group, joined five other executives – 'Kashyap Patel, Trump's former point man in the White House; Scott Glabe, a former assistant to Trump who was counsel for the media company; and Donald Trump, Jr.' – in a mass exodus from the organization."

"The House Jan. 6 committee Saturday issued a statement describing the input of an ex-White House lawyer as 'reinforcing' alleged misconduct by former President Donald Trump… The idea that the former Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone might have confirmed other witnesses' damning accounts in his much-anticipated private interview Friday was initially tempered by the possibility that he may have invoked executive privilege, a legal concept intended to allow presidents to speak freely with legal advisers." While his attempt to grab the steering wheel or choke one of his detail are certainly the most "Hollywood" and headline seeking accusations, unless the agents would file charges, they aren't criminal. I really wish the media would focus on what is important.

"Former Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone invoked executive privilege in his closed-door interview Friday with the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol despite the panel's attempts to pose questions that would not have required such a response, according to a person familiar with the interview." And, again, you can see Trump's defense taking shape. "Cipollone told the committee that he didn't believe the 2020 election was stolen but that he thinks Trump did and still does hold that belief, according to the source." For many of the crimes Trump could be accused of, intent is a very big part of it. If Trump can show he honestly believed the election was "stolen," while his actions are still horrible, they lack criminal intent.

"Steve Bannon -- who defied a congressional subpoena and is set to go to trial on criminal contempt charges -- told the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, insurrection on Saturday that he is now willing to testify, ideally at a public hearing, according to a letter obtained by CNN… Bannon's reversal comes after he received a letter from former President Donald Trump waiving executive privilege, although both the House select committee and federal prosecutors contend that privilege claim never gave Bannon carte blanche to ignore a congressional subpoena in the first place." Nah, still take him to court over refusing to testify.