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12-2-2020
► ► Family Tree DNA We won’t share your DNA
► ► https://www.familytreedna.com
We have the world’s most comprehensive DNA matching database for autosomal DNA, Y-DNA and mtDNA.
We believe your DNA belongs to YOU and only you . . . period. For that reason, we will never sell your DNA to third parties. Can the other guys say that?
Is today’s vaccine news the end of the pandemic in the UK?
Professor David Salisbury says we have to be “cautiously optimistic” and achieve two main strategies – vaccinate the vulnerable and stop transmission among healthy young people.
https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/1334239930659332102
HIS LAST GRIFT
How Trump’s blizzard of misleading fundraising emails explains his refusal to concede
$170 million after Election Day. Fine print shows the money is largely being raised for things like paying down campaign debt and funding Trump’s post-presidency operation. Trump asked his supporters to donate to a nonexistent “Election Defense Fund”
https://www.vox.com/21820485/trump-misleading-fundraising-emails-post-election
@MarkHertling Let’s review:
-A lawyer posing death threats
-A retired general suggests martial law
-State GOP officials harassed for their integrity
-resources wasted on “recounts.”
-COVID deaths 2000+/day
-POTUS focus on pardons
And most GOP senators saying nothing. The @GOP has become a threat to national security.
LAW
Katie Porter is simply the best….here she is earlier dunking on Mnuchin for ‘Play-Acting’ as a lawyer
https://twitter.com/FirenzeMike/status/1334202193977683972
Big Law attorneys with a progressive pro bono practice are still Big Law attorneys.
Neal Katyal Litigator of the Year Grand Prize winner And he’s representing Nestle / Cargill in an international child slavery suit – spoiler alert – he’s not on the right side
► ► How can Corporations enslave people and get away with it?
https://twitter.com/mjs_DC/status/1333807610848555008
@mjs_DC This morning at the Supreme Court, @neal_katyal defended two U.S. corporations accused of aiding and abetting child slavery overseas. The question is whether alleged victims can sue these corporations for overseas crimes in U.S. courts.
The two U.S. corporations accused of slavery in this case are @Nestle and @Cargill
Second, Kagan asks Katyal: Can a former child slave can sue ten slaveholders as individuals?
Katyal says yes.
Kagan asks: Can a former child slave sue those ten slaveholders if they form a corporation?
Katyal says no.
Kagan asks: How does that make any sense?!
Third, Alito (!) asks Katyal: If a U.S. corporation hired foreign agents to kidnap children and hold them in bondage on a plantation in Africa, could those children sue the corporation in U.S. courts under this law?
Katyal says: Nope.
Here’s the terrific amicus brief by @oonahathaway that Justice Kagan cited. PDF
And you can listen to arguments here:
I’ve No More F***s To Give!
“fuckruptcy” Adopted, FOREVER into my vocabulary!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqbk9cDX0l0
Georgia residents: voter registration for the runoff ends in FIVE days.
American taxpayers spend $107,575,000,000 more on police than public housing.
Housing budget: Police budget:
Massachusetts lawmakers have voted to ban police and public agencies from using facial recognition across the state. Next stop, the governor’s desk.
“Pre-emtpive pardons” should not be words that we normalize. This completely abandons the principle of the rule of law.
Trump Has Put Jared Kushner in Charge of Pardons, Says Report
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-has-put-jared-kusher-in-charge-of-pardons-says-report
Remember Jared’s dad went to the big house for white-collar crime, so he knows a bit more about than the rest of this crew. JARED is currently in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, he will have a deal with the feds in hand ready to be signed when he comes back.
New legal explainer: Trump has discussed potential pardons that could test the boundaries of his constitutional power to nullify criminal liability.
Can Trump Pre-emptively Pardon Allies or Himself? Clemency Power, Explained
The president has discussed potential pardons that could test the boundaries of his constitutional power to nullify criminal liability.
CONGRESSIONAL SUBPOENAS ARE MEANINGLESS BECAUSE WE CAN’T ENFORCE THEM.
We can fix this by amending House Rules to execute our Inherent Contempt power.
Over 25 PPP loans worth more than $3.65 million were given to businesses with addresses at Trump and Kushner properties, paying rent to those owners. Fifteen of the properties self-reported that they only kept one job, zero jobs or didn’t report a number
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/release-ppp-loan-recipients-data-reveals-troubling-patterns-n1249629
With COVID-19 vaccine on the way, employers can make getting the vaccination mandatory and yes of course they should.
Today we already have 15-17% total deforestation in the Amazon. If we exceed 20-25% deforestation, then we reach the tipping point and 50-60% of the Amazon forest would become a savanna. At the current rates of deforestation, we are only 20-30 years away.
Why can we afford to give trillions in tax cuts to billionaires but not student debt relief to 45 million?
Musk is a modern-day robber baron. Elon Musk became the second-richest person in the world after illegally threatening to take away stock options if employees unionized and firing staff after telling them they could take unpaid time off.
Gov. Ducey (R-AZ) certifies Biden’s win in Arizona, and announces he will sign documents today so that Senator-elect Mark Kelly (D) can be sworn in “as swiftly as possible.”
QAnon sympathizer elected to Congress failed to disclose fundraising ties to Sen. Ted Cruz, FEC says
https://www.salon.com/2020/11/30/qanon-sympathizer-elected-to-congress-failed-to-disclose-fundraising-ties-to-sen-ted-cruz-fec-says/
Trump fired me for saying this, but I’ll say it again: The election wasn’t rigged ~ Christopher Krebs
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/christopher-krebs-trump-election-wasnt-hacked/2020/12/01/88da94a0-340f-11eb-8d38-6aea1adb3839_story.html
I’m not saying they DID install such unauthorized software. But the bug would have allowed them to do that without detection. I consider that a huge deal.
But: the “ES&S hash verification process
Both Wharton & @VerifiedVoting put all Diebold equipment in Dominion’s column bc Dominion bought the intellectual property rights to Diebold equipment. But ES&S kept most of Diebold’s servicing & maintenance contracts, which is where the control over elections comes from.
https://twitter.com/jennycohn1/status/1333848019335188480
Trump Issued an Executive Memorandum Giving Mnuchin a $50 Billion Slush Fund;
Mnuchin Gave Himself $386 Billion More
https://wallstreetonparade.com/2020/12/trump-issued-an-executive-memorandum-giving-mnuchin-a-50-billion-slush-fund-mnuchin-gave-himself-386-billion-more/
Senator Wyden Calls Mnuchin’s Grab of CARES Act Money “Sabotage.” Wyden Has a Right to be Suspicious of Mnuchin
https://wallstreetonparade.com/2020/11/senator-wyden-calls-mnuchins-grab-of-cares-act-money-sabotage-wyden-has-a-right-to-be-suspicious-of-mnuchin/
Tweety threatens to veto major defense bill unless Congress repeals Section 230 the LEGAL shield for tech giants.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/12/01/trump-repeal-section-230-ndaa/
Rethuglicans blocked the #SAFEAct, which would have banned internet connectivity to voting systems. Rs apparently thought such connectivity wld help them given Russia’s bromance w/ Trump & it’s attack on our infrastructure. They complain now only because Trump lost.
GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn blocks three election security bills.
https://www.axios.com/gop-senator-election-security-blocks-3f432161-42f4-4fa2-9207-d281ec857058.html
Trump’s Disgraceful Endgame
https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/11/trump-election-fraud-disgraceful-endgame/
The US Supreme Court has begun hearing arguments regarding a landmark case, and its ruling could have profound repercussions for the future of security research
US Supreme Court hears Van Buren appeal arguments in light of Computer Fraud and Abuse Act ambiguity
https://portswigger.net/daily-swig/us-supreme-court-hears-van-buren-appeal-arguments-in-light-of-computer-fraud-and-abuse-act-ambiguity
Court Suspends ‘Copyright Troll’ Lawyer From Practicing Law
https://torrentfreak.com/court-suspends-copyright-troll-lawyer-from-practicing-law-201201/
Good Riddence to Pai can’t stand this guy he was such a Pig!
Chairman Pai Announces Intent to Depart FCC in January
https://www.fcc.gov/document/chairman-pai-announces-intent-depart-fcc-january
The Supreme Court will hear its first big CFAA case
https://techcrunch.com/2020/11/29/supreme-court-van-buren-hacking/
The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Monday in a case that could lead to sweeping changes to America’s controversial computer hacking laws — and affecting how millions use their computers and access online services.
The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act was signed into federal law in 1986 and predates the modern internet as we know it, but governs to this day what constitutes hacking — or “unauthorized” access to a computer or network. The controversial law was designed to prosecute hackers, but has been dubbed as the “worst law” in the technology law books by critics who say it’s outdated and vague language fails to protect good-faith hackers from finding and disclosing security vulnerabilities.
HEALTH / MEDICAL
And with a whimper, after contributing to over 100,000 deaths, Scott Atlas is out! Possibly the most deadly voice in the US response to #COVID19.
COVID BECOMING A CHRONIC DISEASE: ~10-35% suffer persistent symptoms, mostly neurological: autonomic nervous system dysfunction, sleep, pain, dizziness, cognitive difficulties. A study even 1/3 after hospitalization had memory problems. #LongCovid #COVID19
https://nitter.dark.fail/DrEricDing/status/1333171614582714368
Still can’t let go of this:
Purdue Pharma is so corrupt in opioid peddling, but Sackler family doesn’t get any jail…
Despite Sackler family being exclusive deciders of the scheme.
And neither jail or fines for McKinsey that concocted the disgusting opioid $ kickback scheme.
DISGUSTING—Just learned something worse than McKinsey consulting being paid ~$4 mil to give simple advice on #COVID19…
McKinsey concocted plan to give a kickback to every opioid sold and dispense—all while knowing it’ll cause overdoses & addictions.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/27/business/mckinsey-purdue-oxycontin-opioids.html
https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1332523620938227712
A small portion of seaweed in cattle diets can reduce the amount of methane released by 98%. https://geneticliteracyproject.org/?p=2354357
In potential ‘gamechanger,’ blood test may accurately predict Alzheimer’s
https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-potential-gamechanger-blood-test-may-accurately-predict-alzheimers/
CREEPY
Holiday Tech Gift Guide: 2020’s Most Creepy Surveillance Gifts
https://debugger.medium.com/a-gift-guide-to-this-holiday-seasons-creepiest-surveillance-gadgets-d46a65fcd53e
Amazon Is Laying the Groundwork for Its Own Quantum Computer
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-01/amazon-is-laying-the-groundwork-for-its-own-quantum-computer
China has developed 80 times more transmission capacity in the past decade than the U.S.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-30/high-voltage-power-lines-are-ugly-and-the-u-s-needs-more
MONEY
Visa may issue USDC credit card after adding circle to ‘Fast Track’ program
https://www.coindesk.com/visa-connecting-global-payments-network-to-circles-usdc-on-ethereum-blockchain
Visa on Wednesday said it is linking its payments network of 60 million merchants to the USDC stablecoin developed by Centre, the consortium founded by Circle and Coinbase. Visa head of crypto Cuy Sheffield confirmed the news on Twitter, writing: “Circle will issue the first Visa corporate card connected to USDC to enable their business clients to spend USDC from their corporate treasury at 60M merchants.”
First Mover: PayPal Rushes In and Bitcoin Breaches $12K, While USDC Gains on Tether