Reach Out and Touch Someone 📞
NYT: Paul Krugman: What Does the G.O.P. Have Against America?
While Democrats tear themselves apart over President Biden’s disastrous debate performance and his refusal to consider stepping aside, the Republican National Committee, without much fanfare, has released its 2024 platform.
Compared with previous platforms, it dials back references to abortion — downplaying what is, for Republicans, a losing issue. That choice goes along with Donald Trump’s recent attempt to distance himself from the extremist Project 2025 — even though that blueprint was concocted by some of his close political allies. Here, Trump is clearly employing sleight of hand in an effort not to be seen as autocratically inclined. But at this point, if you believe that, I have a degree from Trump University I’d like to sell you.
NYT: He Was Sent to Prison for Killing His Baby. What if He Didn’t Do It?
The case did not look like the abuse cases she saw as a public defender; rather than hiding their son away, the Mazes put him in front of doctors again and again. But Eaton knew that once investigators and then prosecutors settle on the theory of a case, the state’s narrative calcifies, and D.A.s will go to great lengths to defend it. District attorney’s offices often reflexively reject innocence claims and even block defendants' efforts to have the courts consider potentially exonerating evidence. Their faith in the underlying police work, and their certainty about a defendant’s guilt, can make prosecutors resist acknowledging a mistake. So, too, can the political pressure to protect the office’s record and to appear tough on crime. “It’s ingrained in some prosecutors to fight for the sake of fighting,” says Jason Gichner, the Tennessee Innocence Project’s deputy director, who now represents Russell Maze.
NYT: Biden’s News Conference Answered Many Questions. But Not the Big One.
On a national TV stage, Mr. Biden answered the individual questions, often comfortably, sometimes defensively, with depth and engagement and flashes of passion. As for the uber-question, the answer was incomplete. He was not the uncomfortable, lost presence of the debate, but he didn’t erase the memory of that version of himself either. He came across as the president he wants to be, but not necessarily the candidate his critics have said he needs to be.
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The telecast had the daredevil feel of a live walk through a minefield.
I watched the whole press conference. That pretty much sums up how I felt.
Downtown Bedford IN: Limestone Heritage Festival
I don’t want to forget this.
NYT: Alec Baldwin’s Trial Pauses as Unexamined Rounds Are Brought Into Court
The trial of Alec Baldwin took a dramatic turn on Friday when a manila envelope of previously unexamined evidence was brought into the courtroom, prompting the judge to put on blue latex gloves, cut it open with a pair of scissors and then get down from the bench to examine ammunition in the well of the courtroom.
And she does not look happy.
Daring Fireball: AT&T Only Learned of Massive 2022 Data Breach This April; Delayed Revealing It at the Request of U.S. Law Enforcement
In a written statement shared with KrebsOnSecurity, the FBI confirmed that it asked AT&T to delay notifying affected customers.
“Shortly after identifying a potential breach to customer data and before making its materiality decision, AT&T contacted the FBI to report the incident,” the FBI statement reads. “In assessing the nature of the breach, all parties discussed a potential delay to public reporting under Item 1.05(c) of the SEC Rule, due to potential risks to national security and/or public safety. AT&T, FBI, and DOJ worked collaboratively through the first and second delay process, all while sharing key threat intelligence to bolster FBI investigative equities and to assist AT&T’s incident response work.”
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It remains unclear why so many major corporations persist in the belief that it is somehow acceptable to store so much sensitive customer data with so few security protections. For example, Advance Auto Parts said the data exposed included full names, Social Security numbers, drivers licenses and government issued ID numbers on 2.3 million people who were former employees or job applicants.
Daring Fireball: Google Chrome, Along With Other Popular Chromium Browsers, Grants System Monitoring Privileges to *.google.com Domains
Luca Casonato:
So, Google Chrome gives all *.google.com sites full access to system / tab CPU usage, GPU usage, and memory usage. It also gives access to detailed processor information, and provides a logging backchannel.
This API is not exposed to other sites - only to *.google.com.
This is interesting because it is a clear violation of the idea that browser vendors should not give preference to their websites over anyone else’s.
Tell me again what happened to Google’s motto, “Don’t be evil”?
LA Times (Yahoo): Former top LAPD official found guilty of tracking a fellow officer with AirTag
Former Los Angeles assistant police chief Alfred “Al” Labrada has retired from the department after a disciplinary board found that he secretly tracked a fellow officer he was romantically involved with and then tried to cover his tracks, according to three sources familiar with the case.
The board found Labrada guilty Monday of all seven counts he faced, including that he lied to internal affairs detectives and tried to persuade a witness not to testify in a department investigation into the matter, according to a source who requested anonymity to discuss the normally secret proceedings.
The three-member panel was supposed to reconvene in October to decide on an appropriate penalty for Labrada, who faced termination. But Labrada confirmed through a spokesperson Friday that he was leaving the department; his retirement is retroactive to July 1, the spokesperson said.
The woman who was targeted by Labrada is suing the department, and well she should.
Wales Online: Having these foods in your kitchen ‘can add 13 years to your life’
The findings came from a study by researchers at the University of Bergen in Norway found life expectancy could be increased by up to 13 years for those aged 20 who made sustained diet changes. By contrast, a person aged 60 could lengthen their life by around eight-and-a-half years and even 80-year-olds could boost their lifespan by an average of 3.4 years if they changed their eating habits.
TL;DR: Leafy greens, nuts, berries, whole grains, avocados, fatty fish, legumes, cruciferous vegetables, garlic, green tea (but they have lots of specific examples).
BBC: East Anglian fishermen vow to fight new medical requirements
5.Apr.2023
Fishermen will need a doctor-approved medical certificate to work at sea from November onward.
An ML5 medical certificate asks patients to declare whether they have a body mass index (BMI) above 35.
The government said it was important fishermen did not cause a risk to themselves or others.
A 6 foot tall (18 hands, 1.83 m) fisher with a weight of 260 lb (18.6 stone, 118 kg) would be over the BMI limit. However, such a person could be very fit or unfit. The goal is laudable, but I think BMI is poorly suited to the task.
NYT: Judge Dismisses Alec Baldwin Case in ‘Rust’ Shooting: What to Know
The actor was accused of involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of the cinematographer on the film “Rust.” The judge dismissed the case after ruling that the state had withheld evidence.
Last Updated: 12.Jul.2024 23:59 EDT
