|
|
Post by mhbruin on Jan 15, 2024 9:39:03 GMT -8
When two egotists meet, it's an I for an I.
Previous Guy Will Win in Iowa. Somebody Will Come in Second. It Will be Cold There.
Yawn!
Cable News Will Spend Hundreds of Hours Covering the Least Interesting and Important News Around
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on Jan 15, 2024 9:48:16 GMT -8
Aren't There Penalties for Lawyers Lying to the Court?
Donald Trump will stand trial once again this week for defaming a woman he sexually abused, and a legal expert threw cold water on his last-minute attempt to delay the case.
The former president's attorneys filed a request Friday afternoon asking U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan to push back the start date so that Trump can attend his mother-in-law's funeral. The request was denied and the trial will begin as scheduled on Tuesday.
MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin on Monday pulled apart what she said was a flimsy application.
"He certainly doesn't have to be there," Rubin said, noting that he has campaign events scheduled for Wednesday.
"Former president Trump said in a letter through his lawyer, Alina Habba, he needed to be with his family on Wednesday and Thursday in preparation for the funeral for Melania's mother. The problem, of course, is not only does he have a campaign event scheduled, but they scheduled the campaign event after the court rejected the request. It really undermines their explanation."
Rubin said most of the major issues at stake in the upcoming trial had already been decided at the trial of a previous defamation lawsuit, also filed by journalist E. Jean Carroll.
"In terms of what we expect this week, this is going to be a much shorter trial," Rubin said. "The reason is, most of the issues in dispute really have already been decided by a jury last May. It's not up for discussion whether Donald Trump sexually assaulted E. Jean Carroll. It's not up for discussion whether Donald Trump defamed E. Jean Carroll and did so with malice. T
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on Jan 15, 2024 9:50:04 GMT -8
Sometimes You Need to Believe Your EyesThey are known as Israel's eyes on the Gaza border. For years, units of young female conscripts had one job here. It was to sit in surveillance bases for hours, looking for signs of anything suspicious. In the months leading up to the 7 October attacks by Hamas, they did begin to see things: practice raids, mock hostage-taking, and farmers behaving strangely on the other side of the fence. Noa, not her real name, says they would pass information about what they were seeing to intelligence and higher-ranking officers, but were powerless to do more. "We were just the eyes," she says. It was clear to some of these women that Hamas was planning something big - that there was, in Noa's words, a "balloon that was going to burst". The BBC has now spoken to these young women about the escalation in suspicious activity they observed, the reports they filed, and what they saw as a lack of response from senior Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officers. They were Israel's 'eyes on the border' - but their Hamas warnings went unheard
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on Jan 15, 2024 9:52:54 GMT -8
I Owe. I Owe. So Off To Steal I Go.Two British brothers have admitted raiding a museum in Switzerland and making off with iconic Chinese Ming dynasty era artefacts worth millions in order to "clear a debt", a court heard. Prosecutors said the Museum of Far Eastern Art in Geneva was burgled in June 2019 by a gang of three who used tools to break through the front door. Two 14th Century vases and a bowl were taken in the heist. Stewart and Louis Ahearne admitted their involvement at a court in Geneva. The pair, from south-east London, appeared before a panel of three judges at the Palais de Justice in Geneva on Monday facing charges of theft, trespass and damage to property.
British brothers raided Swiss museum 'to clear a debt'
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on Jan 15, 2024 9:55:15 GMT -8
I Don't Want Her, You Can Have Her, She's Not Fat Enough for Me.A Turkish doctor selling weight-loss "holidays" abroad told an undercover BBC reporter to gain weight so she could have gastric sleeve surgery. Dr Ogün Erşen told the reporter to "eat some snacks" so she could increase her body mass index (BMI) to qualify for his weight loss surgery. The BBC reporter had a BMI of 24.4, which is within the healthy weight range. "You must eat, eat. Eat something and reach 30," Dr Ersen said. The reporter gave the weight-loss clinic information which would have meant her BMI was 29 but she was not weighed and no medical checks were carried out during her consultation. Instead, Dr Erşen offered to book her in for surgery in three months' time and told her to try to put on weight. A health expert told the BBC it was completely unethical to push a patient to gain weight to hit the threshold for surgery. (Ya Think?)Weight-loss surgeon told patient to 'eat, eat, eat'
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on Jan 15, 2024 10:00:02 GMT -8
The Wrong Way to Take a Bite Out of Crime
The Innocence Project says at least 36 people have been exonerated after having been wrongfully convicted based on now-debunked bite mark comparisons. One of them, Eddie Lee Howard, was on death row in Mississippi when he was freed in 2021 after crime scene DNA was matched to someone else. Four separate governmental scientific bodies have concluded that bite mark analysis has no basis in science. That includes the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, which said in 2016 that “available scientific evidence strongly suggests that examiners not only cannot identify the source of bitemark with reasonable accuracy, they cannot even consistently agree on whether an injury is a human bitemark.” The National Institute of Standards and Technology, the gold standard of measurement science, said in 2022 that bite mark forensics “lacks a sufficient scientific foundation” because “human dental patterns have not been shown to be unique at the individual level.” One 2016 study found that self-described experts couldn’t distinguish between human and animal bite marks. Others have documented how marks in human skin change over time through healing or decomposition. “People that were board certified did not agree about what a bite mark was,” said Adam Freeman, a forensic dentist who once “drank the Kool-Aid” of bite mark analysis but has since become one of its biggest critics within the profession. “If a science is not a science, and it’s not reproducible, and it’s not reliable, courts of law should not allow it in, period.” Bite mark analysis has no basis in science, experts now say. Why is it still being used in court?Charles McCrory is spending his 38th year behind bars, convicted of killing his wife. The bite mark expert in his case recanted his testimony, saying he now knows he cannot say whether a bite mark on the victim matched McCrory’s teeth. Yet the Alabama courts have declined to free McCrory. Famous Bite Mark Expert
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on Jan 15, 2024 10:04:18 GMT -8
I Said "Doctor, Mr. MD. Can You Tell Me What's Wrong with Me?" He Said "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah>"12 million adults are misdiagnosed every year in the U.S. In a study published Jan. 8 in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers found that nearly 1 in 4 hospital patients who died or were transferred to intensive care had experienced a diagnostic error. Nearly 18% of misdiagnosed patients were harmed or died. In all, an estimated 795,000 patients a year die or are permanently disabled because of misdiagnosis, according to a study published in July in the BMJ Quality & Safety periodical. Some patients are at higher risk than others. Women and racial and ethnic minorities are 20% to 30% more likely than white men to experience a misdiagnosis, said Dr. David Newman-Toker, a professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the lead author of the BMJ study. “That’s significant and inexcusable,” he said. Common medical errors kill scores each year in the U.S., especially women and minorities
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on Jan 15, 2024 10:06:40 GMT -8
It's those Damned Republicans
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on Jan 15, 2024 10:08:58 GMT -8
More QOP Disarray
Troubled state GOP operations extend far beyond Michigan
Lackluster fundraising follows leadership fights and refusal to move on from 2020
As the battle over who is the actual leader of the MIGOP continues to play out in dueling press releases and alternate websites from Chair Kristina Karamo and Co-Chair Malinda Pego, the core function of the party — raising money to get Republicans elected to office and keeping them there — has been derailed by a fundraising drought and leadership selection process that seemingly caters to an ever more extreme faction within the party.
“[Former President Donald] Trump’s endorsed candidates always win primaries, but the election deniers, they’re making the Democrats’ job easy,” Miles Coleman of the University of Virginia Center for Politics told the Michigan Advance.
Coleman adds that it’s not a surprise that finances have become an issue in those party operations that have lost focus on successfully electing candidates to office.
“If you are the Arizona Republican Party, instead of spending money on voter outreach or ads or field operations, you’re spending potentially millions of dollars on recounts,” he said.
Meanwhile, Back in Reality
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on Jan 15, 2024 10:12:06 GMT -8
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on Jan 15, 2024 10:15:57 GMT -8
Previous Guy Asks His Supporters to Die for Him. The Same Guy Calls Soldiers Who Die for Their Country, "Suckers" and "Losers".
Donald Trump is urging even his sickest supporters to turn out in force at Iowa’s caucuses on Monday ― including people so ill that they may be at death’s door.
“If you’re sick as a dog, you say, ‘Darling, I gotta make it,’” Trump said at a rally on Sunday. “Even if you vote and then pass away, it’s worth it.”
Does He Want Dead People to Vote For Him?
I am pleased to report that another proven, verified case of voter fraud has been found and prosecuted. Naturally, it comes from Team Trump. This voter fraud actually does involve the dead voting. Robert Rivernider, a man active in the Villages [of Florida] For Trump group, has been sentenced to six months in prison for voting on behalf of his dead father.
In the usual fashion of Trump, and Trumpers, Rivernider originally claimed his prosecution was political. He claimed DeSantis supporters were out to get him for supporting Trump. He argued that the three year delay in prosecution proved it was political. Does that sound familiar?
Ironically, Rivernider himself was ineligible to vote in Florida because of a prior felony fraud conviction where he has not yet paid complete restitution. So he had his dead father vote for him.
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on Jan 15, 2024 10:18:23 GMT -8
They Are Proud as a Peacock
The Saturday NFL playoff game where the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Miami Dolphins wasn't the only win that night. The game also set a record for the most streamed US event, averaging 23 million views, according to Comcast.
Until now, the NFL had yet to test out placing any major games exclusively on a streaming platform.
Maybe fans tuned in to watch the 26-7 Kansas victory or to see Taylor Swift cheering on Chef's athlete Travis Kelce from a private booth.
Either way, they had to download the NBCUniversal streaming app Peacock and pay a $6 subscription fee to tune into the Wild Card game — as it wasn't broadcast on TV.
The Peacock and NFL bet was planned last year after NBCUniversal paid the NFL $110 million to hold a streaming-only playoff game.
The first-ever live-streamed playoff game hit 27.6 million total viewers, according to Nielsen. The test paid off for the Peacock, which until now has been an underdog in the streaming wars.
The game also led to Peacock's largest single-day in audience usage, engagement, and time spent, with a record 16.3 million concurrent devices, according to NBCUniversal.
"We couldn't be prouder of our partnership with Peacock and are thrilled with the results of the first-ever exclusively live-streamed NFL playoff game," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. "To best serve our fans, we need to ensure games are available to them as their viewing habits change, and this includes digital distribution as we continue to help shape the future of the sports and entertainment industry."
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on Jan 15, 2024 10:20:46 GMT -8
They Have an Explanation and Like Jumping Jack Flash, It's a Gas, Gas, Gas.Scientists are putting forward a new explanation for the giant exploding craters that seem to be randomly appearing in the Siberian permafrost. These craters, first spotted in 2012, have been popping up in the deserted Siberian permafrost, puzzling scientists. They can be substantial, reaching more than 160 feet in depth and 65 feet in width, and blasting chunks of debris hundreds of feet away. Some reports have suggested the blasts can be heard 60 miles away. Now scientists are proposing that hot natural gas seeping from underground reserves might be behind the explosive burst. The findings could explain why the craters are only appearing in specific areas in Siberia. The area is known for its vast underground reserves of natural gas, the study's lead author Helge Hellevang, who is a professor of environmental geosciences at the University of Oslo in Norway, told Business Insider. "When climate change or atmosphere warming is weakening the other part of the permafrost, then you get these outbursts — only in Siberia," he said. The mystery of Siberia's strange exploding craters may have finally been solved
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on Jan 15, 2024 10:22:13 GMT -8
Which Women Want to Move to Texas?
Apple has reportedly told 121 employees in San Diego to relocate to Austin or face being laid off.
Bloomberg reported the news, citing people familiar with the matter.
The tech giant issued the ultimatum and gave the workers until the end of February to choose whether they want to move. If they opt not to, they will be terminated on April 26, the report says.
People with knowledge of the matter said the employees told Bloomberg the majority of the 121 workers weren't willing to relocate.
The group of employees, part of the Data Operations Annotations team that works on Siri, were informed of the news Wednesday, the report said. Upon relocation they will merge with their Texas counterpart of the group, it added.
At Least They Don't Have to Move to Iceland
In the wake of Sunday’s catastrophic eruption in southwestern Icelandic town of Grindavik, a local newspaper has described the natural disaster as a "black day" for the Nordic island.
Morgunbladid, a daily publication, published the words on their front page alongside an image of burning homes in Grindavik, where at least 3,800 people were evacuated following a number of small earthquakes before the eruption.
The comments reflected those made by Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir during a press conference on Sunday: "Today is a black day for Grindavík and today is a black day for all of Iceland, but the sun will rise again," she said, adding that they will deal with this shock together.
Meanwhile, Iceland’s President Gudni Th. Johannesson described the disaster as "a daunting period of upheaval” for the nation during a televised national address on Sunday evening.
A volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula erupted before 8 a.m. local time on Sunday, sending molten lava to the fishing town and setting several houses alight. A 450 meter (1,476 ft.) crack emerged in the ground Sunday morning turned into a fissure of about 900 meters (2,953 ft.) by the evening, according to the Meteorological Office.
A second fissure opened at around midday and was measured at 100 meters by the evening, the office added. Both fissures have been spewing lava since but less activity has been observed as of Monday.
No casualties were reported but displaced individuals—currently placed in the homes of friends, family, or strangers—are awaiting a long-term living solution from the government. So far flights have been interrupted and Keflavik International Airport remains open, but tourist hotspot Bluer Lagoon spa, a short distance from the volcano site, is closed.
The lava has already caused major damage and severed the pipes that took hot water from the nearby power station into the town. Homes now have no heat, meaning that it is uninhabitable given freezing temperatures this time of year.
The volcanic eruption is Iceland’s fifth in three years, and second in less than a month. An eruption on Dec. 18 saw semi-molten rock projected into the air from a 2.5 miles long crack near Grindavik. Evacuated locals returned to their homes on Dec. 22 when volcanic activity had ceased.
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on Jan 15, 2024 10:26:44 GMT -8
The Most Important News This Week Isn't About What is Happening in Iowa.
The Supreme Court could deal a massive blow to the regulatory power of federal agencies when ruling on a challenge brought by commercial fishermen.
The justices on Wednesday will hear two cases—Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless v. Department of Commerce—that argue Congress never gave federal regulators the authority to require fishermen to pay the salaries of federal compliance monitors.
But more broadly, the court—which has a 6-3 conservative majority—has been asked to overturn a doctrine called Chevron deference. It stems from the court's 1984 ruling in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, which says courts should defer to a federal agency's interpretation of laws when they are ambiguous or unclear.
Chevron deference "incentivizes a dynamic where Congress does far less than the Framers (of the U.S. Constitution) anticipated, and the executive branch is left to do far more by deciding controversial issues via regulatory fiat," attorneys for the fishermen wrote in a brief.
Chevron, one of the most frequently cited Supreme Court cases, has become a frequent target of conservatives, who argue it gives federal agencies too much power. If the precedent is overturned, it would potentially make it harder to sustain government regulations.
The ruling in Chevron established that a court "must defer to an agency's reasonable readings of a statute when it's reviewing regulations rather than override its expert judgment because Congress tapped the agency, not courts, to fill in blanks left by legislation," Kimberly Wehle, a law professor at the University of Baltimore, wrote in an op-ed for Newsweek in October.
"If the Supreme Court overrules Chevron, it would put thousands of regulations in legal jeopardy, simultaneously thrusting the industries they regulate in economic uncertainty. It would also enhance the Court's power, as judges would become the deciders of regulatory policy."
|
|
