ZUG-ZUG: Modern Humans Had Sex With Denisovan Cousins Too, Not Just Neanderthals.
(Classical reference in the headline, as Ed might remind you.)
Author Archive: Stephen Green
March 16, 2018
HMM: Hacker Adrian Lamo dies at 37.
The Colombian-American hacker, who resided in Wichita, Kansas, first rose to notoriety in the early-2000s by hacking into systems at The New York Times, Microsoft, and Yahoo, which he was subsequently convicted for.
Lamo was more recently widely known for his involvement in passing information on whistleblower Chelsea Manning, a former US Army soldier who befriended Lamo. In an internet chat, Manning told Lamo that she had downloaded and burned classified files to a disk.
Lamo, with help from two friends in military intelligence, informed the US military of the breach.
Cause of death has not been released.
PHIL GRAMM: How to Complete the Escape From ObamaCare. “Congress eliminated the individual mandate. There’s a way around the other onerous regulations.”
Democratic leaders in Congress were quick to recognize that Idaho’s plan to grant health-care freedom to its citizens posed a mortal threat to ObamaCare. Sens. Patty Murray and Ron Wyden were joined by Reps. Frank Pallone and Richard Neal in sending an intimidating letter to the director of Idaho’s Department of Insurance, threatening massive fines and demanding emails and phone records. Since Idaho has shown no sign of backing down, this battle is certain to escalate. Democrats clearly understand that if Idaho is able to market its “Freedom” insurance, as many as 30 Republican-led states will quickly follow its lead. Health-care freedom in Idaho could lead to the de facto end of ObamaCare throughout America.
The Trump administration and Congress are also working to expand health-care freedom nationwide. When the current administration reversed President Obama’s policy of making cost-sharing payments to keep insurance companies in the exchanges, insurers responded by raising the price of their federally subsidized benchmark insurance options. This premium increase on the benchmark policies triggered an automatic increase in the subsidies, all funded by federal taxpayers. State insurance regulators conveniently looked the other way in 2017, but ObamaCare specifically granted the federal government rate-review powers to prevent insurance companies from gaming the system. The benchmark ruse is unlikely to pass HHS scrutiny in 2018.
Before the repeal of the tax penalty, Democrats couldn’t bear the political cost of being seen as dismantling ObamaCare, but they will be forced to act as the program contracts. As healthier families flee the exchanges and premiums spiral, Democrats will be desperate to boost the subsidies. Politically, it will be very difficult for Democrats to deny people who have voluntarily left the exchanges the freedom to buy their own health insurance independent of ObamaCare regulations. Their stubborn reluctance to permit more-flexible plans will provide cover for Republicans to oppose increasing subsidies to the exchanges.
Since actually repealing ObamaCare proved too much for hundreds of Republicans who ran for years on just such a promise, this might be the next best thing.
NEWS YOU CAN USE: 5 Affordable Spring Break Destinations for Families.
SEE THE VIOLENCE INHERENT IN THE LEFTISM: Capitol Police Arrested Male Dem Operative For Assaulting Female Trump Admin Official.
BRANDON MORSE: The Censorship Of Conservatives On The Internet Is Approaching Critical Levels Of Bad.
Instapundit is never censored, never shadowbanned, and never de-platformed.
IF YOU HAVE TO ASK…: Teacher on Leave After Questioning Whether School Would Let Pro-Life Students Walk Out, Too. “Would that be allowed by the administration?”
Julianne Benzel told CBS13 that she suspects she got in trouble for suggesting that schools administrators who condoned the student walkout might be practicing a double standard.
“And so I just kind of used the example which I know it’s really controversial, but I know it was the best example I thought of at the time,” said Benzel. “[If] a group of students nationwide, or even locally, decided ‘I want to walk out of school for 17 minutes’ and go in the quad area and protest abortion, would that be allowed by our administration?”
Her students saw her point, and the discussion—which took place last week—was fruitful, according to Benzel. But on Wednesday, the teacher received a call that she had been placed on leave.
It is unwise to ask difficult questions, comrade.
REVEALED: Peter Strzok Had Personal Relationship With Recused Judge In Michael Flynn Case.
The pair even schemed about how to set up a cocktail or dinner party just so Contreras, Strzok, and Page could speak without arousing suspicion that they were colluding. Strzok expressed concern that a one-on-one meeting between the two men might require Contreras’ recusal from matters in which Strzok was involved.
“[REDACTED] suggested a social setting with others would probably be better than a one on one meeting,” Strzok told Page. “I’m sorry, I’m just going to have to invite you to that cocktail party.”
“Have to come up with some other work people cover for action,” Strzok added.
“Why more?” Page responded. “Six is a perfectly fine dinner party.”
It is not known whether the proposed party happened as planned.
While working as one of the top counterintelligence officials at the FBI, Strzok reportedly took part in the FBI’s interview of on January 24. Flynn later pleaded guilty to one charge of providing false information to federal investigators. Strzok later left the FBI to join Mueller’s special counsel team, which obtained the indictment of Flynn.
As Glenn has been saying for a while now, this whole thing stinks.
COLD WAR II: DHS and FBI warn Russia is behind cyberattacks on US infrastructure. “Energy, nuclear, aviation and manufacturing sectors are among those affected.”
LATE-STAGE SOCIALISM: Market Gives Venezuelan President Maduro 12 Months Max.
Like many Wall Streeters with an eye on Venezuela, Nomura and its clients have investments in PdVSA bonds. Many distressed asset and global emerging market bond fund managers have been buying the debt of the Venezuelan oil company for years, hoping for a regime change. Instead, they’ve gotten late payments and headaches. A hard default is still very likely.
Morden said Wednesday that she shifted her thesis on regime change to match the consensus view among the participants of the Emerging Markets Trade Association in January. The EMTA members believe there will be a political transition within the next 12 months.
“This has only recently gained traction on the optimism of the election headlines,” she says. Snap elections are being held next month. PSUV is expected to walk away the winner, having banned most brand-named opposition leaders from running.
“The election cycle offers a convenient venue for a transition but still requires direct military intervention,” she thinks. If the sole opposing candidate Henri Falcon withdraws from the race, this would dampen market sentiment but not necessarily decrease the (likelihood) for regime change.”
Maduro must agree. He is currently purging military members who are not Chavistas or PSUV loyalists.
A comfortable exile for Maduro in exchange for a peaceful transition would be a decent outcome, but is Maduro willing to let go of the reins?
DON’T YOU DARE QUESTION XIS GENDER: A man with a violent criminal record is suing a battered women’s shelter for refusing to take him in.
BLUE ON BLUE: Heitkamp on when Hillary Clinton will go away: ‘Not soon enough.’
Heitkamp, who is facing a tough re-election race in a state Donald Trump won in 2016, was asked Tuesday by her brother, KFGO host Joel Heitkamp, when Clinton will “ride off into the sunset.”
“I don’t know, not soon enough, I guess,” she responded.
The host asked, “What’s the answer?”
And Heitkamp said again: “Not soon enough.”
“I mean, she’s bashing the middle of the country and my state again. I don’t need her to do that,” the host said during the exchange about Clinton that began about 12 minutes and 30 seconds into the interview.
“Yeah, I know,” Heidi Heitkamp responded.
But other than that, Senator, what did you think of Hillary’s performance in India?
PHILIP ELLIOTT: Democrats Shouldn’t Get Too Cocky About Their Big Win in Trump Country.
The bigger fight in 2018 is unlikely to be a carbon copy of what narrowly happened in Appalachia for a number of reasons. For one, Democrats avoided a messy primary fight in picking Lamb, a Marine veteran who secured the nomination by winning over 319 Democrats’ backing in a high school gym filled with 554 activists back in November. In other scenarios, an energized activist base on the Left — populated by newcomers to the process who demand ideological purity — may have prevented Lamb from winning the nomination had there been a real contest. In recent weeks, more than a few progressive activists grumbled that whether Lamb won or lost, another white male who wasn’t a full-throated supporter of abortion rights would represent the district. (Lamb said he supported abortion rights but was personally opposed to the legal procedure, a stance that matches Democrats’ 2016 VP nominee Tim Kaine. Republicans called Lamb’s position “pro-life-ish.”)
At the same time, Lamb steadfastly avoided nationalizing the race and brushed off most questions about Trump. While liberals are largely united in their disdain of the President, Lamb gamely avoided moving him to center stage. Many of the loudest voices on the Left have tried to cast 2018 as a referendum on Republicans’ national agenda. Instead, Lamb kept the focus at home and talked about policy areas that matched the voters.
Democrats have acknowledged their problems with recruiting the right candidates. For every Lamb victory, there are at least as many idealists who fire up online activists and donors — only to fall in defeat when their progressive ideas are rejected by the voters who actually matter.
And maybe voters have wised up some since the 2006 election, when all those newly elected “moderate” Democrats voted in virtual lockstep with Nancy Pelosi.
LIZ SHELD’S MORNING BRIEF: McMaster Whiplash, Bridge Collapse and Much, Much More.
Plus: Anatomy of a deep state hit job.
RICH LOWRY: Don’t Bork Gina Haspel.
Haspel is connected in the press to the Zubaydah interrogations, although the CIA hasn’t confirmed her participation in the oversight of any particular detainee and insists much of the reporting about her work in this period is erroneous. Again, the Mitchell book suggests a man, not a woman, was in charge at the time. A New York Times report places her at the site in Thailand in question beginning in 2003, when Zubaydah was subjected to waterboarding in 2002.
But let’s consider Zubaydah’s case. He was not a detainee who had nothing to tell us, as he is often portrayed by critics of the CIA. Shortly after his capture, he identified Khalid Sheikh Mohammed as the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks and provided information about the so-called Dirty Bomb plot. In the run-up to the use of harsh interrogations techniques, according to the 2014 Senate Intelligence report on the interrogation program, “Abu Zubaydah provided information on Al-Qa’ida activities, plans, capabilities, and relationships,” in addition to information on “its leadership structure, including personalities, decision-making processes, training and tactics.”
The enhanced interrogations were brutal. Zubaydah was struck, placed in stress positions, confined in small boxes and repeatedly waterboarded. During one session, he became unresponsive, until he received medical care. By any standard, this was extreme and right up to the legal line.
The CIA didn’t learn of any planned attack in the U.S.; it did became confident that he wasn’t holding back any information about one. From his capture to his transfer to the Department of Defense on Sept. 5, 2006, there were 766 intelligence reports based on information from Zubaydah.
I’m not sure why the Left hates Haspel more: Because she’s a potential First Woman to [Blank] but not a Democrat, or because she’s an effective intelligence officer.
Update: And let’s not forget that the Thailand story has been debunked — not that that will change any minds on the Left.
LET THE SUNSHINE IN: Authorities release video showing outside of Parkland high school during shooting.
The video footage released offers a limited viewpoint that focuses mainly on Broward Deputy Scot Peterson.
t begins shortly after gunfire erupted, with Peterson and civilian security monitor Kelvin Greenleaf walking with purpose outside an administration building, clearly alarmed by sounds. When the fire alarm is triggered — apparently by the smoke of the gunfire — the two begin running, get into a golf cart and speed toward Building 12.
The angle of the remaining footage shows the two pull up to the southeast corner of Building 12 as what appears to be a group of students – the images are blurred under orders from the judge – appear to be moving about frantically on a lawn. Peterson and Greenleaf can be seen waving, then the school officer assumes a position that is partially obstructed by a pole.
The footage apparently shows Peterson remaining in that area for the next 20-plus minutes of the clip. Greenleaf appears to leave the view. Other officers show up, though it is not clear from the video whether they are BSO or Coral Springs officers, and students are eventually led out of the building.
It has appeared all along that Peterson was being set up as the Broward County fall guy, but the rot in that sheriff’s department starts much higher up.
IF IT MOVES ELECTRONS, TAX IT: EU Becomes A Graveyard For AAPL, FB, GOOGL, AMZN.
Reportedly, the European Commission (“EC”) is planning to impose “digital tax” on Apple AAPL, Facebook FB, Alphabet GOOGL, Amazon AMZN and Netflix. Per MarketWatch, which quoted a report by FT, these companies will be taxed on their revenues instead of profit in order to put a check on large tax avoidance.
A tax of 3% will be levied on the company’s advertisement revenues, subscription revenues and revenues earned by selling digital data. Per FT, European Commission is estimated to raise Euro 5 billion annually by implementing this tax.
EU’s aim on extracting as much tax revenues from these U.S-based tech giants has already gained support from 10 member countries including Germany, Italy, Spain, France and Portugal. Reportedly, Britain has also lent its support to this initiative.
How to pick a favorite between eurocrats and America’s pushiest tech giants?
To paraphrase Henry Kissinger, it’s a pity they can’t all lose.