BarryLaverty

You got anything else? Something on topic?

Da, you guessed it, comrade, if your answer was Russia. When did it become so acceptable to embrace our enemy to too many Republicans? https://www.yahoo.com/news/guess-where-marjorie-taylor-greene-205131841.html Guess Where Marjorie Taylor Greene Has Suddenly Gotten Popular? Hafiz Rashid Fri, April 19, 2024 at 3:51 PM CDT2 min read 495 Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene’s conspiracy theories, vitriolic language, and xenophobia have made her a darling of the right and a pariah on the left—and now, she’s gained admiration from Russian state television. Greene’s attempts to block aid to Ukraine, her criticisms of NATO, and her beliefs that the United States should withdraw from the alliance have drawn plaudits from TV hosts in Russia, The Daily Beast reported Friday. “She believes that Americans should help Putin win. Yes, you heard that right. To help him win in Ukraine,” says host Evgeny Popov in one clip. It’s a new development for Greene, who previously was mocked in the country for confusing gazpacho with Gestapo and claiming that Jewish space lasers caused the California wildfires. Russian TV even said her words were proof of “mental debilitation” in Western politics. But Greene may be happy to know that her echoing of Russian propaganda in the House of Representatives has paid off, despite the fact that the issue of aid to Ukraine has divided the Republican Party. It looks like former Representative Ken Buck was right on the money when he called her “Moscow Marjorie.” Some experts have even suggested that Russia is buying off American politicians just like they do in Europe. Greene wouldn’t be the only Republican to spew Kremlin talking points, but she seems to be the most popular so far. As the new darling of Russian state TV, she’s filling a void left by Speaker Mike Johnson, who in recent days has come out in support of aid in Ukraine after months of blocking it. Johnson was so beloved on Russian television for blocking aid to Ukraine that one TV host called him “Our Johnson.” Green also appears to have usurped erstwhile Fox News host Tucker Carlson, whose February interview with Putin fell flat, ending Russian TV’s love affair with him. Russia’s praise of Greene, and other conservative personalities before her, is just further proof that post–Donald Trump, a large part of the Republican Party has pledged its allegiance to Vladimir Putin.

Investment in protection of democracy and security for our allies is worth it, in my opinion.

Imagine what your day might go like if you didn't spin endless hours beating the drum for hatred, dancing on a string for whatever 'cause' was your dictated obsession. You might find time for a nap.

I may start to like this guy for standing up to right wing lunacy. https://www.yahoo.com/news/seeking-side-history-speaker-mike-194408100.html Seeking 'the right side of history,' Speaker Mike Johnson risks his job to deliver aid to Ukraine LISA MASCARO Fri, April 19, 2024 at 2:44 PM CDT6 min read 2 / 2 Congress Ukraine Israel Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks to reporters just after lawmakers in the House pushed a $95 billion national security aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies closer to passage, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, April 19, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) ASSOCIATED PRESS More WASHINGTON (AP) — Staring down a decision so consequential it could alter the course of history -- but also end his own career -- House Speaker Mike Johnson prayed for guidance. A conservative Christian, the speaker wrestled over whether to lead the House in approving $95 billion in desperately needed war-time aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies, which many in his own Republican majority opposed — some so strongly they would try to boot him from office. Or, he could do nothing, halting the flow of U.S. aid and potentially saving his own job but ensuring his place as the House speaker who led America’s retreat from the global stage and left Ukraine to fend for itself as it loses ground against the Russian invasion. As Johnson met with colleagues late into the night this week at the speaker's office, they prayed on it. “And then he told me the next day: I want to be on the right side of history,” said Rep. Michael McCaul, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Not quite six months on the job, Johnson’s leadership will help determine if the U.S. is able to hold its standing as what the speaker has called a “beacon of light” for the world, or if the military and humanitarian aid is left to crumble at a pivotal moment for the country, its allies and the speaker’s own livelihood. Voting is expected this weekend. “He's learning," said Newt Gingrich, the former Republican House speaker. Gingrich praised Johnson for not being cowed by the hard-right Republicans seeking to remove him from office, and instead reaching into his own deep well of beliefs as a Ronald Reagan-era Republican with an expansive view of the role of U.S., its allies and his own speakership to make a decision. “This is the U.S. House. This is not a political playground,” Gingrich said. "We’re talking about real history, we’re talking about whether Russia potentially occupies Ukraine.” Johnson tumbled into the speaker's office last fall, a relative unknown who emerged only after a chaotic internal party search to replace Kevin McCarthy, who was the first speaker in U.S. history to he booted from office. Almost an accidental speaker, Johnson had no training and little time to prepare. One of his main accomplishments was helping to lead Donald Trump’s failed legal efforts to overturn the 2020 election loss to Joe Biden in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. From the start, the question hanging over the fourth-term Louisiana lawmaker was apparent: Would Johnson become a speaker with a firm grasp of the gavel, utilizing the power of the office that is second in the line of succession to the president? Or would the House speaker, who portrays himself as a “servant leader” in the Christian tradition, be beholden to the unruly, essentially ungovernable Republican majority, many aligned with former President Trump. “This is a Churchill or Chamberlain moment,” said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democratic leader, referring to British leaders from the World War II era. After months of dithering delays over the Ukraine aid, Johnson appeared this week determined to move past the populist far-right flank, and rely on Democrats to push the package forward, highly unusual in the deeply polarized House. He had met recently with Trump, who objects to much overseas aid and has invited Russia to “do whatever the hell they want” in Ukraine, presenting his plan and avoiding public criticism from the former president. Trump also gave Johnson a needed nod of support by panning the effort from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of the presidential hopeful’s strongest allies in Congress, to evict the speaker. In return, Johnson told Trump he could be the “most consequential president yet” if he is returned to the White House. At the same time, Johnson has been speaking privately with President Biden, who gave Johnson a boost by quickly endorsing his foreign aid plan. Still, what used to be considered the way Congress worked, the shared commitment to bipartisan compromise, has become such a political liability that more Republicans, including Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Paul Gosar of Arizona, said they would join Greene's effort to oust Johnson. Some others said he should simply resign. “I don’t think he’s being courageous. I think he’s fallen right in line with the swamp," said Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., a hardliner who voted to oust McCarthy and is considering the same for Johnson. During his short term as speaker, Johnson has made a practice of convening lawmakers behind closed doors at his Capitol office for what are often long meetings. What some view as maddening sessions of endless arguing, shrinking the power of the speakership, others appreciate as him listening to lawmakers. As crowds of spring tourists ushered past his office this week, Johnson holed up with lawmakers. One meeting dragged until midnight. The next day he displayed an unusual resolve. "History judges us for what we do," Johnson said during an impromptu press conference in Statuary Hall. “I could make a selfish decision and do something that’s different, but I'm doing here what I believe to be the right thing,” he said. Johnson disclosed that his son is headed to the Naval Academy this fall. “To put it bluntly, I would rather send bullets to Ukraine than American boys,” he said. “This is a live-fire exercise for me, as it is so many American families. This is not a game. This is not a joke.” With the threat of his removal intensifying, Johnson said he would "let the chips fall where they may” on his own job. On Friday, an overwhelming majority of the House, more than 300 lawmakers, more Democrats than Republicans, voted to push the package toward passage. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., said of Johnson: “I, for one, am just very proud of what we would all refer to as a profile in courage in the face of these kinds of threats.” But Democrats said they were baffled and saddened it took Johnson so long to do what they see as the right thing. “This is a profile in delay,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md. Some Democrats are saying that, unlike their refusal to help McCarthy stay in office, they would vote to save Johnson's job — if he wants it. A growing list of Republican House speakers, starting with Gingrich, were chased from office or, like John Boehner and Paul Ryan, simply exited early.

If I were you, I would avoid mirrors.

Here's the sane and not bigoted view of the changes. And Betsy DeVos was an evil, abhorrent enemy of public education and all groups not WASPs. (NY Times) Biden Administration Releases Revised Title IX Rules The new regulations extended legal protections to L.G.B.T.Q. students and rolled back several policies set under the Trump administration. By Zach Montague and Erica L. Green Reporting from Washington April 19, 2024, 5:00 a.m. ET The Biden administration issued new rules on Friday cementing protections for L.G.B.T.Q. students under federal law and updating the procedure schools must follow when investigating and adjudicating cases of alleged sexual misconduct on campus. The new rules, which take effect on Aug. 1, effectively broadened the scope of Title IX, the 1972 law prohibiting sex discrimination in educational programs that receive federal funding. They extend the law’s reach to prohibit discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity. “These regulations make it crystal clear that everyone can access schools that are safe, welcoming and that respect their rights,” Miguel A. Cardona, the education secretary, said in a call with reporters on Thursday. Through the new regulations, the administration moved to include students in its interpretation of Bostock v. Clayton County, the landmark 2020 Supreme Court case in which the court ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects gay and transgender workers from workplace discrimination. And the administration took steps to roll back some of the more rigid campus sexual assault policies issued during the Trump administration, which drew condemnation from Democrats, including Mr. Biden, for being overly deferential to students accused of sexual violence. The rules deliver on a key campaign promise for Mr. Biden, who has faced pressure from Democrats and civil rights leaders to release them. They come as he tries to galvanize groups such as women who have lost abortion access and Black and progressive voters who have expressed disappointment with the president’s civil rights record. While the new rules are expected to restore protections for accusers and expand the set of harassment complaints that schools are required to investigate, they are far from the sweeping rollback of Trump-era rules that was anticipated. During a call with reporters ahead of the announcement, Jennifer Klein, the director of the White House Gender Policy Council, said the rules were designed to strike a balance. She added that the new rules would “restore and strengthen vital protections that were weakened by the prior administration, while reaffirming our longstanding commitment to fundamental fairness.” While the regulations released on Friday contained considerably stronger protections for L.G.B.T.Q. students, the administration steered clear of the lightning-rod issue of whether transgender students should be able to play on school sports teams corresponding to their gender identity. The administration reiterated that while exclusion from an activity based on gender identity causes harm, the new rule does not extend to single-sex living facilities or sports teams. The Education Department has proposed a second rule dealing with eligibility for sports teams. More than 20 states have passed laws that broadly prohibit anyone assigned male at birth from playing on girls’ and women’s sports teams or participating in scholastic athletic programs. Last year, House Republicans also passed a bill to enforce those prohibitions nationwide, though the bill was not taken up by the Democratic-controlled Senate. The changes concluded a three-year process and helped fulfill a campaign promise President Biden made while running in 2020, when he to pledged to undo regulations set under Mr. Trump’s education secretary, Betsy DeVos, that he said served only to “shame and silence survivors” of sexual violence. The DeVos-era rules, which took effect in 2020, were the first time that sexual assault provisions were codified under Title IX. They bolstered due process rights of accused students, relieved schools of some legal liabilities, laid out rigid parameters for impartial investigations and required schools to conduct courtroomlike proceedings. They represented a sharp departure from the Obama administration’s interpretation of the law, which had input from Mr. Biden, who was then vice president. The administration issued unenforceable “Dear Colleague” letters directing federally funded schools to ramp up investigations into sexual assault complaints under the threat of funding penalties. The Obama-era guidelines were hailed by civil rights advocates as having shepherded in a new era of accountability in addressing campus sexual misconduct, but they drew outcry from conservatives and civil liberties groups who felt they infringed on due process rights. They also received complaints from schools that said they felt pressured to tip the scale in accusers’ favor. Scores of students who had been accused of sexual assault went on to win court cases against their colleges for violating their rights under the Obama guidelines. The Obama administration also issued a letter to states saying that transgender students were protected under Title IX, including the ability to use bathrooms that corresponded with their gender identity. The Trump administration immediately rescinded that guidance, and asserted that transgender students were not covered under the federal law. The administration issued a memo after the Bostock ruling maintaining that position. Upon taking office, Mr. Biden ordered the Education Department to review those policies, in part to address what many schools saw as an overcorrection by the Trump administration that gave excessive protections to students accused of sexual assault and discouraged victims from reporting instances of sexual violence and harassment. Catherine E. Lhamon, the head of the department’s Office for Civil Rights, called the new rules the “most comprehensive coverage under Title IX since the regulations were first promulgated in 1975.” They largely provide more flexibility in how schools conduct investigations, adding something advocates and schools had lobbied for. They retain key provisions that Ms. DeVos instituted to bolster due process for accused students as well as “supportive measures” for victims. The department, however, said it would hold schools to a higher standard when determining whether they had properly handled cases than what it called the “deliberately indifferent” standard under the current rules. “The final regulations reaffirm our core commitment to fundamental fairness for all parties who exercise their Title IX rights because a fair process will help ensure that investigations lead to accurate and reliable and effective resolutions of sex discrimination complaints,” Mr. Cardona said. The new rules address the parts of the DeVos-era regulations that most alarmed victims’ rights advocates. Among the most anticipated changes was the undoing of a provision that required hearings in which students accused of sexual misconduct, and even their family members or classmates, could cross-examine accusers in person. The new rules allow for in-person hearings, but do not require them. They also mandate a “process enabling the decision maker to assess a party’s or witness’s credibility when credibility is in dispute and relevant,” including posing questions from the opposing party, according to a fact sheet issued by the Education Department. While it reviewed the DeVos-era regulations, the Biden administration released guidance to schools in 2021 about how to navigate their requirements under the law. The previous rules have stayed in effect for the past three years while the administration sifted through more than 240,000 public comments as part of the rule-making process. The DeVos-era rules bolstered due process rights of accused students, laid out new parameters for impartial investigations and required schools to conduct courtroomlike proceedings, and relieved schools of some legal liabilities. The drawn-out process has been a source of frustration for Democrats, victims’ rights advocates and students who have grown impatient for follow-through on the president’s promises. “The impact of leaving these regulations in place for so long is we’ve seen a really negative impact on the culture in schools around Title IX and around reporting,” said Emma Grasso Levine, a senior manager at Advocates for Youth, an advocacy group that focuses on sexual violence. “Many students that used to have faith in the Title IX process these days will say, ‘No, I don’t think you should report,’ because it’s too brutal, it’s too costly in terms of the negative emotional impact,” she said. Title IX was designed to end discrimination based on sex in educational programs or activities at all institutions receiving federal financial assistance, beginning with sports programs and other spaces previously dominated by male students. The effects of the original law have been pronounced. Far beyond the effects on school programs like sports teams, many educators credit Title IX with setting the stage for today’s academic parity today; female college students routinely outnumber males on campus and have become more likely than men of the same age to graduate with a four-year degree. But since its inception, Title IX has also become the vehicle through which past administrations have delivered guidance to schools governing how they should respond to problems such as sexual violence and harassment on campus as well as discrimination against L.G.B.T.Q. students. “One of the things that’s interesting about Title IX is how, with its original goals, how fully it succeeded, more so than any other civil rights law,” said R. Shep Melnick, a professor of American politics at Boston College. “And suddenly, the focus changed from ‘what were the opportunities within the educational institutions’ to ‘how are we going to change how people think about sex, gender, and generally how we’re going to undo stereotypes.’”

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but when you defame someone, insinuating that they were responsible for inventing diseases that killed people, and you are very wrong, that is low and wrong.

He's no more a doctor or researcher than Rodgers, for sure, but he also doesn't try to mount a public campaign against REAL SCIENCe and REAL MEDICINE and disparage and attack those who work in those fields out of some deep-rooted paranoia and government hatred. So, there is that difference.

The rebuttal from one of his targets. https://www.yahoo.com/news/gop-rep-dan-crenshaw-burns-033812568.html GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw Burns Tucker Carlson With 1 Stinging Question About His Job Ed Mazza Wed, April 17, 2024 at 10:38 PM CDT·1 min read 875 Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) fired back at Tucker Carlson with a reminder of one of his more embarrassing moments after the right-wing video host attacked him on social media. “Why do the reddest states produce the dumbest, most liberal Republicans?” Carlson tweeted. “Why aren’t John Cornyn and Dan Crenshaw bagging groceries at Walmart?” Crenshaw fired back: That was a blunt reminder of Carlson’s widely mocked trip to Russia, where he visited a Moscow supermarket and marveled at things such as a shopping cart return system, like those that can found at just about any Aldi in the United States. Carlson, a longtime apologist for Vladimir Putin, traveled to the country for an interview with the Russian leader that was so soft Putin himself mocked Carlson for it. Carlson was slammed by people on both sides of the aisle over the visit. “The Soviets had a term for people like Tucker: useful idiots,” another GOP lawmaker, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), said at the time. Crenshaw and Carlson have tussled before. Just last week, Crenshaw torched Carlson as “a cowardly, know-nothing elitist who is full of poop.” Carlson, who has admitted to lying on his show when he was on Fox News, was once the top host on cable television as he peddled racist conspiracy theories and anti-immigrant rhetoric. He and Fox News parted ways shortly after the conservative network agreed to pay $787.5 million to Dominion Voting Systems to settle a defamation lawsuit over unfounded claims on its shows about election fraud in 2020. Now he posts his videos on X, YouTube and a subscription website.

You're thinking of the OTHER crazy Green Bay QB, the one who ripped off the state of Mississippi.

Keeps hammering away with the crazy that I know some of you embrace. https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/aaron-rodgers-sparks-outrage-outlandish-213520618.html Aaron Rodgers Sparks Outrage After Outlandish Claims About U.S. Government, Dr. Anthony Fauci Creating HIV/AIDS Chris Malone Méndez Updated Thu, April 18, 2024 at 7:23 AM CDT·6 min read 3.3k Cooper Neill/Getty Images New York Jets star Aaron Rodgers has seemingly made as many headlines for his words off the field as he has for his work on the field. In his latest resurfaced controversial claim, the Super Bowl champ suggested that the HIV/AIDS pandemic that broke out in the 1980s was entirely manmade, and connected it to former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci. Rodgers explained his position on the Look Into It podcast back in March. According to the Jets quarterback, Fauci fumbled the fight against HIV and the rollout of antiretroviral drug AZT. Rodgers called this move the "blueprint" for the U.S. government's COVID response. "The blueprint, the game plan, was made in the '80s. Create a pandemic with a virus that’s going wild," he said. "Fauci was given over $350 million to research this, to come up with drugs—new or repurposed—to handle the AIDS pandemic. And all they came up with was AZT." "And if you do even a smidge of research, and I know, I’m not an epidemiologist, I’m not a doctor, I’m not an immunologist, whatever the ###. I can read, though. And I can learn and I can look things up just like any normal person. I can do my own research, which was so vilified, to even question authority," he added. "But that was the game plan back then. Create an environment where only one thing works. Back then AZT; now, Remdesivir until we get a vaccine." "By the way, we know Fauci had [a] stake in the Moderna vaccine and we know Pfizer is one of the most criminally corrupt ever, the fine they paid was the biggest in the history of the [Department of Justice] in 2009," he continued. "What are we talking about? We’re going to put our full trust in science that can’t be questioned?" Fauci's purported links to Moderna, which presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (who coincidentally was reportedly considering choosing Rodgers as a running mate) also espoused, have long been debunked. Rodgers' claims of Fauci and other researchers engineering HIV with the help of the U.S. government for the purpose of unleashing a pandemic on the public have—to put it lightly—not been historically or factually proven. AIDS is believed to have jumped from primates to humans as early as the late 1800s. Related: Aaron Rodgers Says He's Lost Millions Due to His COVID Stances Many online were furious about Rodgers' comments as they began to recirculate on social media. "So cool that the NFL effectively blacklisted Colin Kaepernick for his racial justice stances. But Aaron Rodgers can spout reckless conspiracies about HIV, Sandy Hook, etc., and continue to be one of the highest-paid players in the league," one person wrote on X. Another user jokingly contrasted some of Rodgers' public statements with those of retired seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady. "Tom Brady last week: 'I’m gonna work harder. I’m gonna care more. I’m gonna show up earlier. I’m gonna put more time in. I’m gonna work later. I’m gonna study more. I’m gonna do things other people aren’t willing to do.' Aaron Rodgers this week: 'The government created HIV,'" they said, adding, "It has been simultaneously overcovered and undercovered that one of the greatest athletes in history had their brain melted by COVID and is now a full-blown loon." "The first recorded AIDS death was a teenager in St. Louis in the late '60s. There's some evidence that HIV goes back to the 1920s. Aaron Rodgers is such a maroon [sic]," another chimed in. Others added to the chorus of evidence that HIV existed years before the panic of the '80s. "My uncle was a medical doctor in Africa. HIV existed decades before 1980s America. Aaron Rodgers is a #### moron," one person stated plainly. While Rodgers himself acknowledged he's not a medical professional, one person online pointed out that he doesn't even have any education credentials beyond a high school diploma. "Aaron Rodgers has no college degree. He majored in American Studies while he was at UC Berkeley. He left school early to join the NFL before he graduated and never return to finished his degree in American Studies. So obviously he’s an expert about the origins of HIV," they said. Another X user wants Fauci to take legal action against Rodgers for his reckless statements. "I really hope Dr. Fauci sues Aaron Rodgers into oblivion after he said Fauci created AIDS along with the U.S. government," they said. Rodgers is set to return to the field with the Jets later this year after his first season with the team ended after just four plays last year. Fauci stepped down from his longtime position as director of NIAID in 2022 and is now a faculty member at Georgetown University.

Yeah, we should aspire to be more like...Oklahoma! Said no self respecting Texan ever!

You've had that one stored away, eager to strike, haven't you??? On the topic, didn't you get the memo from the other Russian apologists and Putin admirers on here about them? Pay better attention in the meetings!

Sure, sure, da, they are our friends, and we overstate their enemy status? NYET. If they can do it in Muleshoe, they will try the rest of the country. (Washington Post) Tex. hack may be first disruption of U.S. water system by Russia Analysis by Ellen Nakashima April 17, 2024 at 9:06 a.m. EDT Tex. hack may be first disruption of U.S. water system by Russia In January, an alert citizen in Muleshoe, Tex., was driving by a park and noticed that a water tower was overflowing. Authorities soon determined the system that controlled the city’s water supply had been hacked. In two hours, tens of thousands of gallons of water had flowed into the street and drain pipes. The hackers posted a video online of the town’s water-control systems and a nearby town being manipulated, showing how they reset the controls. In the video on the messaging platform Telegram, they called themselves Cyber Army of Russia Reborn (CARR). “We’re starting another raid on the USA,” the video caption reads in Russian, with the hackers saying they would show how they exploited “a couple critical infrastructure facilities, namely water supply systems.” It was followed by a smiley face emoji. That water tank overflow in a Texas panhandle town may well be linked to one of the most infamous Russian government hacking groups, the cybersecurity firm Mandiant said Wednesday. If confirmed, analysts say it would mark a worrisome escalation by Moscow in its attempts to disrupt critical U.S. infrastructure by targeting one of its weakest sectors: water utilities. The hacking group, which private sector analysts once dubbed Sandworm, has achieved notoriety for briefly turning out the lights in parts of Ukraine at least three different times; hacking the Olympics Opening Games in South Korea in 2018; and launching NotPetya, one of the most damaging cyberattacks ever that cost businesses worldwide tens of billions of dollars. Although no one was hurt and service was not interrupted in Muleshoe, the prospect of Sandworm broadening its sites from Ukrainian power grids and French elections to American critical infrastructure is troubling, Mandiant chief analyst John Hultquist said. The U.S. government assesses Sandworm to be part of the GRU, Russia’s military spy agency. The team at Mandiant, which is owned by Google, observed social media accounts being created on YouTube for CARR using servers associated with Sandworm, Hultquist said, adding that Mandiant also has found CARR posting Ukrainian government data stolen by Sandworm hackers on Telegram. “We’ve been saying for a long time that CARR is just a front for the GRU,” Hultquist said. “Then we see them take credit for these acts in the U.S. against water utilities. Is GRU behind these attacks? If it isn’t GRU, whoever is doing this is working out of the same clubhouse. It’s too close for comfort.” The U.S. intelligence community has not yet made a determination whether CARR is run by the GRU, although intelligence analysts are scouring clues. Robert M. Lee, CEO and co-founder of Dragos, which specializes in industrial control system cybersecurity, said a team from his firm tracked CARR’s operations in January. He confirmed the water overflow in Muleshoe but could not specify whether this happened in other towns. “The adversary was definitely looking to do disruptions,” he said, noting that the trend over the last several years has been for state actors to seek to disrupt systems, whereas a decade ago, they were interested mostly in espionage. Another target was the nearby town of Abernathy. The city’s manager, Don Provost, said in an interview that the hack “didn’t interrupt anything.” The FBI and Department of Homeland Security got in touch quickly, he said. “It actually turned out to be a good thing,” he said. “It showed us where our vulnerabilities were.” In an interview, Muleshoe’s city manager, Ramon Sanchez, said the hackers brute-forced the password for the system’s control system interface, which was run by a vendor. That password hadn’t been changed in more than a decade, he admitted. “You don’t think that’s going to happen to you. It’s always going to happen to the other guy,” he said. The same vendor was used by at least two other towns in the area that were subjected to attempted hacks, Sanchez said. But the incident also forced changes. “We learned,” Sanchez said. “The biggest lesson is that we have to always be proactive and always update our cybersecurity.” He thinks Muleshoe was a “victim of opportunity,” adding: “I would have never thought that somebody tied to the Russian military would target Muleshoe.”

Always enjoy the indignation and sputtering when the cult leader's crown gets tarnished! So many pearls being clutched!

Really??? So that includes our weapons?

History being made and Trump sleeps right through it! Old guys need nappies! https://www.yahoo.com/news/dems-roast-trump-appearing-sleep-202802746.html Dems roast Trump for appearing to sleep in court Alex Gangitano Mon, April 15, 2024 at 3:28 PM CDT2 min read Dems roast Trump for appearing to sleep in court Democratic strategists are roasting former President Trump on Monday for appearing to fall asleep in a New York courtroom during the first day of his hush money trial. Trump at times during the day closed his eyes, appearing to nod off. He also would lean back in his chair motionless with his arms crossed for considerable periods, but opinions differed among the press corps about whether the former president was actually asleep. Maggie Haberman, senior political correspondent at The New York Times, reported that Trump looked like he was sleeping and later told CNN, “He appeared to be asleep. Routinely his head would fall down.” She added that Trump didn’t pay attention to a note his lawyer passed him and that his “jaw kept falling on his chest and his mouth kept going slack.” Photographers were only allowed in during the trial’s opening moments and do not appear to have captured the moments Haberman described. Kate Bedingfield, former communications director to President Biden, wrote in response to the reporting, “Sleepy Don.” Dan Pfeiffer, former senior adviser to President Obama, shared Haberman’s initial reporting and added, “If Trump is too old and weak to stay awake at his own criminal trial, what do you think will happen in the Situation Room?” Obama’s 2012 campaign manager Jim Messina shared Haberman’s CNN interview and highlighted her comment: “Well, Jake, he appeared to be asleep.” Democratic strategist Chris Jackson shared a photograph of Trump and said, “So sad.” Others on X argued that if Biden appeared to sleep during a similar moment, it would be a major story. Leah Greenberg, co-executive director of the progressive group Indivisible, posted on the social platform X, “you know what this means: it’s time for another round of stories about Biden’s age.” Additionally, journalist Jemele Hill argued in a post, “Now had this been Biden, it would have been the lead story on every newscast and Fox News would have talked about this for weeks.” Meanwhile, former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele joked, “When you’re old and on trial for falsifying official records you tire quickly. Let the man sleep but watch for that slack jaw, drooling could become a problem.” Trump is in court for his first criminal trial in a matter involving a hush money payment made to adult film actor Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 election. The trial began Monday with the jury selection process, which is expected to last at least several days before opening arguments begin and star witnesses take to the stand.

So, this IS a bad deal for Texas? And, this is not companies practicing purposefully greedy profiteering, but it is governmental support in a need area to bolster production so we won't be dependent on foreign-made products. Are you against that as well? Why do you hate America?

You always post half-baked garbage then act scornfully and butt hurt over anyone crossing you...you are MAGA personified...carry on your own dang self.

You'd be wrong there, as usual. I don't want complete gun prohibition. I want registered guns, prevention of violent felons or those on the terror watch list to own them, domestic abusers, and those who are underage. Longer waiting periods, less killing weaponry available.

Oh, so this IS a bad thing for Texas and those who will have jobs here? What I was expecting, well, that and the straw man arguments. When did 'conservatives' get so terrible at 'whataboutisms' that have ZIP comparison value?

Soon after you tell that to the countless more that are murdered here because of our gun obsession. I'll get right on it.

In the Austin area...sure this is a bad thing for some reason. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/biden-administration-agrees-6-4-090030949.html Biden administration agrees to provide $6.4 billion to Samsung for making computer chips in Texas JOSH BOAK Updated Mon, April 15, 2024 at 6:06 AM CDT2 min read 278 WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has reached an agreement to provide up to $6.4 billion in direct funding for Samsung Electronics to develop a computer chip manufacturing and research cluster in Texas. The funding announced Monday by the Commerce Department is part of a total investment in the cluster that, with private money, is expected to exceed $40 billion. The government support comes from the CHIPS and Science Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law in 2022 with the goal of reviving the production of advanced computer chips domestically. “The proposed project will propel Texas into a state of the art semiconductor ecosystem,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on a call with reporters. “It puts us on track to hit our goal of producing 20% of the world’s leading edge chips in the United States by the end of the decade.” Raimondo said she expects the project will create at least 17,000 construction jobs and more than 4,500 manufacturing jobs. Samsung's cluster in Taylor, Texas, would include two factories that would make four- and two-nanometer chips. Also, there would be a factory dedicated to research and development, as well as a facility for the packaging that surrounds chip components. The first factory is expected to be operational in 2026, with the second being operational in 2027, according to the government. The funding also would expand an existing Samsung facility in Austin, Texas. Lael Brainard, director of the White House National Economic Council, said Samsung will be able to manufacture chips in Austin directly for the Defense Department as a result. Access to advanced technology has become a major national security concern amid competition between the U.S. and China. In addition to the $6.4 billion, Samsung has indicated it also will claim an investment tax credit from the U.S. Treasury Department. The government has previously announced terms to support other chipmakers including Intel and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. in projects spread across the country.