CHELSEA CLINTON: ‘I Am Not Running for Public Office’

But, wait — there’s more:

“If someone steps down or something changes, I’ll then ask and answer those questions at that time. But right now, no, I’m not running for public office.”

Yep, she’ll run for public office.

MAKING DO: Etihad to lend US-bound passengers iPads as ban workaround.

Signing into your iCloud account would give you access to all of your email, notes, bookmarks, iTunes downloads, etc during the flight — just don’t forget to sign back out before your arrival.

IT’S PRETTY: The Black Cuillin Is a 1930s Art Deco Coupe for the 21st Century.

REPORT: FBI to charge State Department employee. “Candace Claiborne, who worked in the Caucasus Affairs office of the State Department, is being charged, the report said. She is reportedly accused of lying to the FBI. The FBI’s investigation of Claiborne included surveillance done under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, Reuters added in a tweet, citing a federal prosecutor.”

UPDATE: Much more here. “Candace Marie Claiborne is a U.S. State Department employee who possesses a Top Secret security clearance and allegedly failed to report her contacts with Chinese foreign intelligence agents who provided her with thousands of dollars of gifts and benefits. . . . Claiborne used her position and her access to sensitive diplomatic data for personal profit. Pursuing those who imperil our national security for personal gain will remain a key priority of the National Security Division.”

She was hired during the Clinton Administration.

AT AMAZON, save in Heating, Cooling, and Air Quality.

Plus, deals on Game Downloads.

PATRICK POOLE: Did a US Airstrike Kill 200 Civilians in Mosul? Maybe Not.

SOMETIMES WORLDS COLLIDE AND THINGS COME TOGETHER, EVEN IN COURT FILINGS: HA! Title of motion in lawsuit against Buzzfeed is amazing!

BETTER DEAD THAN RUDE: What the Jim Webb Debacle in Annapolis Is Teaching the Military.

Not least of which, this is what “fundamental transformation” looks like.

(Classical reference in headline.)

SURPRISE: Turns out Congressional Republicans Don’t Really Want to Cut Spending.

Congress doesn’t seem to want to cut the regulatory state and President Trump has promised not to pursue entitlement reform.

Our longterm fiscal path remains as unsustainable as ever.

WHY RUNWAYS should be round.

GOOD LORD: Indonesian Python Swallows Man Whole, Video Shows.

At least it wasn’t spiders.

DAMON LINKER: The futility of filibustering Neil Gorsuch.

If Democrats had a way to exert power in an act of equal-and-opposite retaliation against Republicans (as they would have if they’d managed to win control of the Senate last November), they’d be justified in doing so. That would be very bad for the Supreme Court, keeping it hobbled with only eight justices. But it might have the salutary effect of teaching Republicans a lesson and therefore making possible a compromise down the road. But Democrats have no such power.

The only thing that gives a filibustering senator the power to prevent a floor vote is a Senate rule requiring 60 votes to end debate. (Republicans hold only 52 seats and so would need at least eight Democrats to break ranks in order to clear that hurdle.) But this rule can itself be changed with a simple majority — and Democrats opted to take this so-called “nuclear option” back in November 2013, when they eliminated the filibuster for other kinds of nominations. This created a precedent that McConnell claims he will follow if Democrats attempt to block Gorsuch: He and his fellow Republicans will simply change the rule, allowing a simple majority to end debate for Supreme Court nominations. An up-or-down floor vote would then follow.

This prospect is what brings Democrats to their dilemma: Should they filibuster Gorsuch and risk having this counter-majoritarian power taken away from them for good?

The answer is no — because Democrats need to hold onto this meager power for the next opening on the court, when the stakes could be far, far higher for liberals.

The beauty of the Reid Option is that it remains just as viable for the GOP to exercise in 2018, 2019, or 2020 as it is today.

And Allahpundit, riffing on yesterday’s post, tweeted, “Really basic strategy, but the left is going to force Schumer to jump off the cliff anyway.”

Everybody knows you never go full Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid…

THE MARTIN B-10B: According to the caption, this airplane was used throughout WW2.

THE SCIENCE IS SETTLED: Cats Are Actually Nice, Scientists Find. “In fact, the study concluded, cats like interacting with humans more than they like eating food. Let that sink in: more than food.” I dunno. I don’t want to be anti-science, but I’m kinda skeptical. Does that make me a cat-denier?

WE”RE SEEING LOTS OF “ACTIVITIES” AT NORTH KOREA’S NUCLEAR WEAPONS TEST FACILITIES:

Recent commercial satellite imagery of the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center indicates activities are taking place at a number of key facilities directly related to the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons.

It’s another reason strategic patience is over.

THEY TOLD ME IF TRUMP WERE ELECTED, WEB CENSORSHIP WOULD RUN RAMPANT. AND THEY WERE RIGHT! Alternative facts alert: Proposed legislation bans “fake news.”

The new proposal bars the online publication of a “false or deceptive statement designed to influence the vote.” Bye-bye online news. On the flip side, this legislation would probably outlaw lawmakers’ and candidates’ online speech, too.

The bill is proposed by California Assemblyman Edwin “Ed” Chau, a Democrat representing a section of Southern California. The proposal, which is likely unconstitutional on its face, was supposed to have a committee hearing Tuesday afternoon, but it was pulled at the 11th hour.

The measure does have a laudable goal, however. It’s designed to combat the so-called “fake news” that filled the 2016 election season. Intentions aside, the Electronic Frontier Foundation on Monday began campaigning against the proposal.

“At a time when political leaders are promoting ‘alternative facts’ and branding unflattering reporting as ‘fake news,’ we don’t think it’s a good idea to give the government more power to punish speech,” the EFF said.

Actually, EFF, it’s never a good time to give the government more power to punish speech. Even when a Democrat is in power. You know, like Ed Chau. Or Hillary, who wanted people jailed for making a film that was critical of her, and who did jail a filmmaker when it provided a handy cover story. Making it sound like it’s somehow a Trump related problem in this context is unfair and dishonest.

DOC SHARING: Tech Innovator ‘Nomad’ Hopes to Become the ‘Airbnb of Healthcare’

DREAM BIG: Architects Want To Hang A Skyscraper From An Asteroid.

Clouds Architecture Office is noted for its collaboration with NASA to design a Martian habitat called Mars Ice Home.

The building will be suspended in air by a string of cables. The asteroid will be repositioned for that purpose in a geosynchronous Earth orbit.

Every day, the fancy tower will embark on a journey carving a figure-eight path over Earth’s surface, according to the officials of Clouds Architecture.

Taking the orbital path of Earth, the figure-eight formation will go above the northern and southern hemispheres and cover cities like Havana, Panama City, and New York. The skyscraper will revert to the same position in the sky at the end of each day after 24 hours.

Suitable adjustments in the asteroid’s orbit can make the slowest point of the path happen above New York City.

Presumably Mars Ice Home residents could then drop in for a visit.

READER BOOK PLUG: From reader Avery Gilbert, Smothering The Savage.

21ST CENTURY HEADLINES: Secretive Robotaxi Startup Zoox Prepares for Real-World Testing.

IT WAS OFF THE TABLE BY SUNDAY WHEN THE WHITE HOUSE STARTED TALKING ABOUT WORKING WITH DEMOCRATS: Republicans Claim That Obamacare Repeal Is Still On The Table, Don’t Believe Them.

TO BE FAIR, WHAT DOESN’T PUTIN COVET? Why Vladimir Putin Covets Montenegro.

YOUR SCIENTISTS WERE SO PREOCCUPIED WITH WHETHER OR NOT THEY COULD THAT THEY DIDN’T STOP TO THINK IF THEY SHOULD: Scientists Discover Way to Transmit Taste of Lemonade Over Internet.

AT SEWANEE, the Order of the Gownsmen has become the Order of the Gown. “I think this is a first, major and necessary step in the path I envision for the Order, one of community engagement and activism.”

COUNTING VOTES: Gorsuch May Need Nuclear Path to Supreme Court.

Politico reports Mitch McConnell is working “behind closed doors” to make that happen.