GUILTY

on all 34 felony counts. The wrap up on NPR. Sentencing on July 11, just a few short days before the RNC. And then we'll have the appeal. In the mean time there will be joy, followed by nastiness and whatevertherfuck the militias have been brewing. But a big win for the rule of law today. And the best part of today? It is no longer a high bar to charge abd convict a former president of felony crimes. Because its now been done.

Linkee-poo Memorial Day

"This year’s Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be extremely active, putting tens of millions of Americans in the eastern half of the country at risk from flooding and damaging winds, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center warn. The increased activity is partially caused by abnormally warm ocean temperatures driven by climate change."

"Hospital staff are forced to write notes by hand and deliver orders for tests and prescriptions in person in the ongoing fallout from a recent ransomware attack at the national health system Ascension… Ascension is one of the largest health systems in the United States, with some 140 hospitals located across 19 states and D.C." In healthcare we are never that far from paper systems. But mostly this is about hardening systems and creating actual penalties for the asshats who make these attacks.

"But Braun’s scramble to find long-term care for a loved one is an experience shared by many families. And many of them are unprepared for what can be an emotional, costly and guilt-inducing process… Advance planning helps, but an AP-NORC poll in 2021 showed most Americans don’t discuss the possibility of long-term care, let alone prepare for it."

"For thousands of older Americans like the Whites, Third Age Adult Day Center and similar adult day services provide safe, stimulating places for those who have physical or cognitive disabilities and give respite to their caregivers."

"More than 100 hospitals have downsized services or closed altogether over the past decade in rural communities like Williamston, where people openly wonder if they’d survive the 25-minute ambulance ride to the nearest hospital if they were in a serious car crash." And just like the Red Lobster story where they blamed "unlimited shrimp" when the actual problem was having been bought by private capital, had their property stripped out from under them (to enhance profit skimming by the private capital company) and having been locked into a high cost single supplier, I wonder how many VPs/Directors/Chairs this hospital had?

"More and more people who started taking the new GLP-1 agonist drugs are now confronting the realities of their limitations; medications like Wegovy and Mounjaro tend to help with sustained weight loss only while people are on them. But because of cost, for example, negative side effects, or supply shortages, many people are having to transition off of them — while trying not to regain the weight."

"Governor Gavin Newsom (D) announced in late April that California hit the 10 gigawatt mark for installed battery capacity, well beyond what any other states — or entire countries — have achieved. That’s about 13 times more battery capacity than the state had installed just five years ago, and it’s enough to make batteries a meaningful portion of the state’s power supply. For reference, 10 gigawatts are enough to meet about 20 percent of the peak electricity demand recorded in the grid managed by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO)."

"Jobless claims for the week ending May 18 fell by 8,000 to 215,000, down from 223,000 the week before, the Labor Department reported Thursday."

"The job posting sparked outrage and accusations of discrimination when it circulated online last year, reading, 'Only Born US Citizens [White] who are local within 60 miles from Dallas, TX [Don’t share with candidates].' The words in brackets are not paraphrases; they appeared in brackets in the posting, the Justice Department noted."

"An Israeli airstrike triggered a fire that killed 45 people in a tent camp in the Gazan city of Rafah, officials said on Monday, prompting an outcry from global leaders who urged the implementation of a World Court order to halt Israel's assault."

"The U.S. Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday announced a settlement with Norfolk Southern Railway Company over the railroad’s discharge of toxic substances following the 2023 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio… Under the agreement, Norfolk Southern will pay nearly $235 million to cover the EPA’s past and future clean-up costs for the contaminated air, water, and soil in and around where the train derailed."

"As some Republicans try to moderate their messaging on abortion over concerns about voter backlash this November, some activists are trying to go much further." There is no moderation. It's faked. It's always been about rolling back the sexual revolution and shaming women. They will come for birth control, even banning condoms, they will come for fertility medicine, they will not stop until it's all shoved back into a closet.

"But amid confusion over what abortion care is allowed in Mississippi, Regina says she was unaware Ashley qualified for an abortion in Mississippi under the law's exception for cases of rape. Yet, even if she was aware, it's unlikely Ashley would have been able to get an abortion in Mississippi; with heavy restrictions in effect and the high penalties on physicians who violate the abortion ban, it is unlikely she would have found a doctor willing to perform a procedure… Ashley, now 13 years old, is the mother of an 8-month-old baby boy nicknamed Peanut."

"Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., a member of the Judiciary panel, wrote Roberts on Thursday asking him for a meeting to discuss Supreme Court ethics and to take steps to ensure that Alito recuses himself from any cases before the court concerning the Jan. 6 attack or former President Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat."

"The Democratic political consultant behind a robocall that used artificial intelligence to impersonate President Biden is facing a steep federal fine and criminal charges in New Hampshire." Good.

"A New Jersey electrician who repeatedly attacked police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, siege at the U.S. Capitol was sentenced on Friday to 12 years in prison by a judge who called him 'a menace to our society.'" He seems smart.

Linkee-poo May 23

Girding my loins for the annual Summer of Remembering People Who Died for Your Freedom bullshit. The traditional launch of which occurs on Memorial Day, which ironicly is a day set aside for us to remember those who have died to protect our freedom (or at least our "national interests" for the various definition of those). So in honor of those who gave all, don't forget to shop the crazy sales of mattresses, cars, and everything else.

"The economic damage wrought by climate change is six times worse than previously thought, with global heating set to shrink wealth at a rate consistent with the level of financial losses of a continuing permanent war, research has found." We're boned.

"The crew of a sinking yacht was rescued off the coast of Spain this week after a pod of orcas apparently rammed the vessel – the latest "attack" by the marine mammals in the area that has left scientists stumped, several boats at the bottom of the ocean and scores more damaged." Team Orca.

"More than 200 people with diabetes were injured when their insulin pumps shut down unexpectedly due to a problem with a connected mobile app, the US Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday… Version 2.7 of the t:connect Apple iOS app – used with the t:slim X2 insulin pump with Control-IQ – has been recalled due to a software issue that causes the app to crash and relaunch. This cycle drains the pump battery, causing it to shut down sooner than expected and suspend insulin delivery." Oopsie.

"So Americans are not likely to get those other sunscreens — which do a better job of blocking UVA rays that can cause skin cancer and lead to wrinkles — in time for this summer, or even the next… Sunscreen makers say the U.S. approval standards are unfair because companies, including BASF Corp. and L'Oréal which make the newer sunscreen chemicals, submitted safety data on sunscreen chemicals to the European Union authorities some 20 years ago."

"'Steward Health Care has done everything in its power to operate successfully in a highly challenging health care environment,' said Steward's CEO Ralph de la Torre… Flanked by health care officials, union leaders and the state's attorney general Monday morning, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey placed the blame for Steward's bankruptcy squarely on the shoulders of company leaders… 'This situation stems from and is rooted in greed, mismanagement and lack of transparency on the part of Steward leadership in Dallas, Texas,' Healey said."

"Military servicemembers like Grahfls are known as 'atomic veterans,' and they're on the verge of losing federal benefits meant to compensate for the long-term health effects of their work… They're part of a group fighting for a critical lifeline known as the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA. The 34-year-old law is set to expire next month."

"Red Lobster, America's largest seafood chain known for its shrimp and Cheddar Bay biscuits, has filed for bankruptcy… Its seafood restaurants are in hot water after a series of bad choices by a parade of executives, including an ill-fated promotion for all-you-can-eat-shrimp starting at $20." Most of the articles surrounding this site the "all you can eat shrimp" but then hide… "A private equity firm bought the chain ten years ago… The firm… funded the deal partly by selling Red Lobster's real estate… That's now a major financial factor in Red Lobster's bankruptcy filing, which asks the court to reject 108 leases, letting the company abandon those locations… After massive financial losses during the pandemic, followed by increases in the costs of food and wages, Thai Union pursued extensive cost-cutting at Red Lobster. The chain was run by a conveyor belt of executives; it had no CEO for a year." So I'm thinking it wasn't really the shrimp deal.

"Congress has less than a decade to fix Social Security before the popular program runs short of cash, threatening a sharp cut in benefits for nearly 60 million retirees and family members, according to a government report released Monday." Remove the income cap for paying Social Security and Medicare taxes. Reclassify streams of income that have been removed from taxes (pass through, capital gains, etc) back into "earned income."

"President Biden has quadrupled tariffs on electric vehicles from China — from 25% to an eye-watering 100% — in a move designed to bolster U.S. jobs and manufacturing." Now the question is, while American businesses take the baton and run with it. History points to no. We tried to do the same thing with HD TV. And what did we do? American companies produced a fairly robust system, and then sold all their IP to Asian companies (or at the very least, outsourced the manufacture and licensed the IP).

"About 8.9% of credit card balances fell into delinquency over the last year, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York — a sign that a growing number of borrowers are feeling the strain of rising prices and high interest rates." Rhut rho.

"Major U.S. airlines are suing the U.S. Transportation Department over a new rule requiring upfront disclosure of airline fees, the latest clash between air carriers and the Biden administration." On noes, someone is upset they have to be honest and forthright with their customers.

"Target says it is dropping the prices of 5,000 common items, joining a growing list of stores trying to draw inflation-weary shoppers… Target's list of price cuts, posted on Monday, includes 'milk, meat, bread, soda, fresh fruit and vegetables, snacks, yogurt, peanut butter, coffee, diapers, paper towels, pet food and more.' The company said it has already lowered prices of about 1,500 items and will continue to do so throughout the summer." If they can lower the prices, that means they raised the prices without cause in the first place.

"Lawyers for Scarlett Johansson are demanding that OpenAI disclose how it developed an AI personal assistant voice that the actress says sounds uncannily similar to her own… Johansson's legal team has sent OpenAI two letters asking the company to detail the process by which it developed a voice the tech company dubbed 'Sky,' Johansson's publicist told NPR in a revelation that has not been previously reported." OpenAI thinks it can do whatever it wants because they have been able to get away with it so far.

"Individual members of Israel’s security forces are tipping off far-right activists and settlers to the location of aid trucks delivering vital supplies to Gaza, enabling the groups to block and vandalise the convoys, according to multiple sources… Settlers intercepting the vital humanitarian supplies to the strip are receiving information about the location of the aid trucks from members of the Israeli police and military, a spokesperson from the main Israeli activist group behind the blockades told the Guardian."

"Photos: Authorities move in to clear pro-Palestinian protesters from UC Irvine."

"Spokespeople at several Ohio universities, including Ohio State, Kent State and University of Akron have said they are reviewing race-based scholarships and programs for potential noncompliance." Segregation comes in many forms.

"The problem is getting worse. Sheriffs' officers are twice as deadly as they were a decade ago, according to a CBS News analysis of FBI data, and increasingly, they are taking on a larger role in policing American towns, since small police departments have been shutting down and ceding their responsibilities to county sheriffs… A dozen sheriffs interviewed by CBS News said they hold themselves to a high standard. But some acknowledged that there is little is in place to hold them accountable if they don't. Many attribute that to their unique status as independently elected officials who are, nonetheless, empowered with the discretion to take away a person's life or liberty."

"A new report adds to a growing line of research showing that police departments don’t solve serious or violent crimes with any regularity, and in fact, spend very little time on crime control, in contrast to popular narratives."

"For decades, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has routinely warned its agents that the white supremacist and far-right militant groups it investigates often have links to law enforcement. Yet the justice department has no national strategy designed to protect the communities policed by these dangerously compromised law enforcers. As our nation grapples with how to reimagine public safety in the wake of the protests following the police killing of George Floyd, it is time to confront and resolve the persistent problem of explicit racism in law enforcement."

"Republican lawmakers in Tennessee gave final approval on Monday to an aggressive plan to split Nashville, a Democratic bastion, in a deeply Republican state, into several congressional districts as part of an effort to tilt the state’s congressional map in their favor. The plan is now waiting for approval from Governor Bill Lee, who is likely to sign it."

"After the 2020 presidential election, as some Trump supporters falsely claimed that President Biden had stolen the office, many of them displayed a startling symbol outside their homes, on their cars and in online posts: an upside-down American flag… One of the homes flying an inverted flag during that time was the residence of Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., in Alexandria, Va., according to photographs and interviews with neighbors." They're not really hiding anymore. Although, when the shit hit the fan, Alito started blaming everyone else, including his wife and a neighbor.

"Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, argued that President Joe Biden should have pardoned Donald Trump after the Justice Department brought indictments against the former president and pressured New York prosecutors not to pursue Trump's ongoing hush money trial." Romney is so wrong, it's almost impossible for him to even see what is right.

"Donald Trump’s lawyers rested their defense Tuesday without the former president taking the witness stand in his New York hush money criminal trial, moving the case closer to the moment the jury will begin deciding his fate."

"Arizona prosecutors have tried for weeks – and so far failed – to serve Rudy Giuliani with notice of his indictment related to an alleged scheme to overturn the 2020 election results in that state."

And then… "Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani was officially served with a felony indictment on Friday night for allegedly interfering in Arizona's 2020 presidential election. Officials with the office of Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes served Giuliani in front of nearly 100 guests at his 80th birthday celebration in the Palm Beach, Florida area."

"In 2010, Kennedy, now 70, experienced severe memory loss and mental fog, he said in a deposition two years later. According to the Times, he consulted top neurologists familiar with the medical history of his uncle, the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, who had died of brain cancer in 2009. A New York doctor, after reviewing a scan of his brain, told him that his health issues could be 'caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died,' Kennedy said in the 2012 deposition, which concerned a divorce from his second wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy. Robert Kennedy said at the time that his earning power had been negatively affected by the cognitive issues, the Times reported." In a normal election, that would be the end of his campaign.

"Former President Donald Trump posted a video on Monday showing images of a fake newspaper article that references a 'unified Reich' if he’s reelected in 2024… The video details 'what happens after Donald Trump wins”' with a narrator reading hypothetical headlines like 'Economy Booms!' and 'Border is closed,' styled as World War I-era newspaper clippings. Under one headline that reads 'What’s next for America?' is a reference to the 'creation of a unified Reich.'"

"Nearly three in five Americans wrongly believe the US is in an economic recession, and the majority blame the Biden administration, according to a Harris poll conducted exclusively for the Guardian. The survey found persistent pessimism about the economy as election day draws closer… The poll highlighted many misconceptions people have about the economy…" It's like there's a constant stream of misinformation that is sometimes amplified by the media. No, the information war has not ended. "Another thing that hasn’t changed: views on the economy largely depend on which political party people belong to." Shocked, shocked I am…

Linkee-poo May 9

"New York police entered Hamilton Hall at Columbia University to end a student-led occupation of the building late Tuesday after Columbia University said it was left 'with no choice.'"

"But this initial hesitance from Columbia to allow reporters onto campus amid a crisis was only the beginning of a day marked by suppression of free press unlike anything we’ve ever seen during our time on Spectator."

"'The idea that we will halt the war before achieving all of its goals is out of the question. We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there — with or without a deal — in order to achieve the total victory,' Netanyahu said, according to a statement released by his office… More than a million displaced Palestinians have fled to Rafah, the city along the Gaza Strip's southern border with Egypt." So, no reason to have negotiations then.

"Astronomers expect that this year you'll be able to see the explosion of a star system in our Milky Way galaxy by simply looking up at the sky."

"Almost from the start, arguments about mitigating climate change have included an element of cost-benefit analysis: Would it cost more to move the world off fossil fuels than it would to simply try to adapt to a changing world? A strong consensus has built that the answer to the question is a clear no, capped off by a Nobel in Economics given to one of the people whose work was key to building that consensus."

"Almost a third of all working adults in the United States are carrying some kind of medical debt — that’s about 15% of all U.S. households. This debt is also the leading cause of bankruptcies in the country."

"More than half of cats around the first Texas dairy farm to test positive for bird flu this spring died after drinking raw milk from the infected cows, scientists reported this week, offering a window into a toll the virus has taken during its unprecedented spread through the cattle industry." Oopsie.

"A former U.S. Marine was sentenced Monday to nine years in prison for firebombing a Southern California Planned Parenthood clinic in 2022, federal prosecutors prosecutors said."

"Feeling burned out and looking for reasons to work less? A new study shows that working nights and volatile schedules in young adulthood can leave you vulnerable to depression and poor health in middle age." Rhut rho.

"An owl. A sharky looking bullet. The Hindu deity Ganesh. The Yin and Yang sign. All painstakingly selected and etched onto a microchip that measures about an inch square. Each microscopic silicon doodle was the handiwork of engineers at Qualcomm Incorporated, a San Diego-based company that creates wireless technology-related products and services. The engineers slipped the drawings into Qualcomm's Q1650 data decoder with care not to disturb any of the chip's functions."

"Armed to educate; teachers across the state are picking up their weapons and vowing to protect their students… State leaders say they're pledging to train those educators by purchasing two modular 'shoot houses' demonstrating live active shooter simulations." Hey, ho, way to go Ohio.

"A Maryland high school athletic director is facing criminal charges after police say he used artificial intelligence to duplicate the voice of Pikesville High School Principal Eric Eiswert, leading the community to believe Eiswert said racist and antisemitic things about teachers and students."

"Terra Morehead, who retired as a federal prosecutor last August, has agreed to turn over her law license as part of an agreement with a Kansas disciplinary board. As a Wyandotte County prosecutor in the 1990s, Morehead helped KCKPD Detective Roger Golubski frame an innocent man who spent 23 years in prison."

"Each girl was to receive a proclamation to recognize their projects. Lindley’s original proclamation would’ve told the full story of her unique project to fight book bans, as well as detailed the School Board’s decisions that inspired her project. Then, of all the Girl Scout proclamations, Cold Harbor District Supervisor Michael Herzberg decided to change only Lindley’s. The revision stripped the proclamation of any mention of book banning and censorship, including a line that explicitly referenced Hanover County Public School libraries’ book bans. Herzberg’s unnecessary changes were approved almost unanimously by the Board."

"The Arkansas Legislative Audit released a report on Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ purchase of a lectern Monday afternoon, saying the governor may have broken state law after she spent tax money on a pricey Falcon podium… In June, the governor spent in-total $19,029 on the purchase. The price of the podium itself was a little over $11,000, combined with an additional $2,500 for consulting fees, $2,200 for a road case, plus additional costs for freight, shipping and taxes. The report says even the governor found this price to be high."

"Fox News has pulled down a six-part series in which it staged a mock trial of hypothetical criminal charges against Hunter Biden after the president's son threatened to sue the network… The series, which was first posted on the cable network's right-wing streaming service back in October 2022, was removed only a day after Biden's legal team publicly made its threat. Biden says the network defamed him, among other accusations." Wow, look at that old dog learning new tricks.

"The Supreme Court announced on (April 15) that it will not hear Mckesson v. Doe. The decision not to hear Mckesson leaves in place a lower court decision that effectively eliminated the right to organize a mass protest in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas… Under that lower court decision, a protest organizer faces potentially ruinous financial consequences if a single attendee at a mass protest commits an illegal act."

"Trump’s response stunned several of the (oil and gas) executives in the room overlooking the ocean: You all are wealthy enough, he said, that you should raise $1 billion to return me to the White House. At the dinner, he vowed to immediately reverse dozens of President Biden’s environmental rules and policies and stop new ones from being enacted, according to people with knowledge of the meeting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a private conversation." He's selling us out, and he isn't even in office. And these idiots are just dumb enough to buy it. "'(Fossil fuels) got a great return on their investment during Trump’s first term, and Trump is making it crystal clear that they’re in for an even bigger payout if he’s reelected,' (Alex Witt, a senior adviser for oil and gas with Climate Power) said." That's not how this scam works, Alex. Will Trump trash the environment? Yes. But that's a given if the oil and gas industry pays him or not. But if you think you're in line for a payout if you give Trump his billion and he gets in, you're sorely mistaken. Because he'll ask you for a cut. And then he'll ask you for your business. And if you don't give it to him, he'll move you out of the way just take it. That's how a protection racket works.

"About a year ago, Florida Governor- and then presidential candidate- Ron DeSantis passed one of the toughest crackdowns on immigration in the country... Many local Florida businesses say the new law has led to workers leaving the state that's hurt their bottom line. 'A lot of people are scared,' says Sanchez. 'A lot of people went north and never came back.'... The Federal government estimates that nationwide over 40% of farmworkers are undocumented." Time for all those retirees to get a job picking fruit.

"A Delta Air Lines flight that departed from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City was forced to make an emergency return to the airport Friday morning after an emergency slide came apart from the Boeing 767, the airline said. A search for the slide was ongoing."

"Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee said Monday that he thinks workers at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga made a mistake by voting to unionize under the United Auto Workers in a landslide election but acknowledged the choice was ultimately up to them."

"The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 on Thursday to reclassify broadband as a public utility, such as water and electricity — to regulate access to the internet. The move to expand government oversight of internet service providers comes after the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the magnitude of the digital divide, forcing consumers to rely on high-speed internet for school and work, as well as social and health support."

How goes the war? "Ukraine has sidelined U.S.-provided Abrams M1A1 battle tanks for now in its fight against Russia, in part because Russian drone warfare has made it too difficult for them to operate without detection or coming under attack, two U.S. military officials told The Associated Press."

"All charges have been declined against the 57 people arrested in connection with Wednesday's pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas... The Travis County attorney's office said the 57 arrests, which were all criminal trespassing charges, lacked probable cause."

"Columbia University students who inspired pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the country said Friday that they had reached an impasse with administrators and intended to continue their encampment until their demands were met."

"The owner of a suburban Detroit business that caught fire and exploded, killing a man, was arrested at a New York airport as he was preparing to depart for Hong Kong on a one-way ticket, authorities said Friday."

"Recognizing that some members of cleanup crews had likely become sick, BP agreed to a medical claims settlement two years after the 2010 disaster. Experts hailed it as 'an extraordinary achievement' that would compensate workers fairly with little hassle... But it hasn’t turned out that way."

"A Maryland high school athletic director is facing criminal charges after police say he used artificial intelligence to duplicate the voice of Pikesville High School Principal Eric Eiswert, leading the community to believe Eiswert said racist and antisemitic things about teachers and students." Not where I thought it would emerge first, but sure. Right on time.

Conservative can't be that bad. Like they don't shoot their dogs or anything. "South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem — a potential running mate for presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump — is getting attention again. This time, it’s for a new book where she writes about killing an unruly dog, and a smelly goat, too." And look, yes, the dog was trouble and would probably never be the working dog she wanted, but it could be a family pet, or some family's pet.

"The Supreme Court on Thursday appeared likely to reject former President Donald Trump’s claim of absolute immunity from prosecution over election interference, but several justices signaled reservations about the charges that could cause a lengthy delay, possibly beyond November’s election."