Category Archives: Around the World

“The indictment is a reminder that Trump won a tainted election”

Mother Jones: Mueller’s Latest Indictment Shows Trump Has Helped Putin Cover Up a Crime. “By continuing to cast doubt on Russian involvement, the president is helping the Kremlin get away with its election attack.”

“This means that Mueller’s probe could yield additional information regarding the details and breadth of the Russian campaign to intervene in the election to assist Trump. The president, who has yet to say anything in public showing he is committed to preventing Russian meddling in this year’s election, can continue to dismiss such material as “fake news“ produced by a “witch hunt.“ (According to the Washington Post, in his first year as president, Trump said the Russia probe was a Democratic hoax 44 times.) Hours after Friday’s indictment, Trump issued a statement once again dismissing the Russia investigation for producing “outlandish partisan attacks, wild and false allegations, and far-fetched theories.“ But with this indictment—and possibly others—Mueller has demonstrated that Trump, by refusing to acknowledge fully the Russian assault of 2016, has been helping Putin cover up a crime. “

Link via dangerousmeta!.

The total number of school-children killed by bullets to date (as of February 1, 2018) is 218 school-children.

Add 17 to the total, which now rises to 235 (source).

Another school shooting in the USA. No need to link, it’s all over the internet. For this foreigner who has spent her whole life in a country were very few people have guns and where regulations are strict (and became even stricter after the Winnenden school shooting in 2009 in which 15 students were killed) it is still incomprehensible why the majority of US politicians (and citizens? voters?) still support the current status quo and the second amendment.

Garret proposes to take over the NRA. I wonder if that would work.

“We are a nation of second chances.” (President Obama)

Nation of Second Chances. “During his presidency, President Obama granted clemency to 1,715 people —
mostly nonviolent drug offenders serving sentences in federal prison — more than any other president in history. Through beautiful photos and powerful words, Nation of Second Chances tells their stories.”

Link via MetaFilter.

The “more than any other president in history” doesn’t seem to be quite correct though. Obama has granted clemency “more than any other president in recent history” is more exact, since Harry S. Truman pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 2,044 people, and before him Franklin D. Roosevelt granted 3,687 pardons in his four terms in office, while Barack Obama pardoned 212 people and commuted the sentences of a further 1,715 people, 1,927 people in all. (Source: Wikipedia, but the numbers seem to agree with those of the United States Department of Justice.)

“I’m gobsmacked by this sticky wicket full of codswallop”

BBC Culture: How Americans preserved British English. “Americans today pronounce some words more like Shakespeare than Brits do… but it’s in 18th-Century England where they’d really feel at home.”

How Americanisms are killing the English language. “A book released this year claims that Americanisms will have completely absorbed the English language by 2120. Hephzibah Anderson takes a look.”

Why British English is full of silly-sounding words. “From ‘gazump’ to ‘gobsmack’, ‘squiffy’ to ‘snog’, British English is full of words that sound like barmy balderdash. Christine Ro explains why.”

The Mueller investigation appears to have been picking up steam in the last three weeks —and homing in on a series of targets.

Wired: Bob Mueller’s Investigation Is Larger – and Further Along – Than You Think. By Garrett M. Graff.

“President Trump claimed in a tweet over the weekend that the controversial Nunes memo “totally vindicates“ him, clearing him of the cloud of the Russia investigation that has hung over his administration for a year now.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, if anything, the Mueller investigation appears to have been picking up steam in the past three weeks—and homing in on a series of targets.”

The author lists five separate investigative angles:

  1. Preexisting Business Deals and Money Laundering.
  2. Russian Information Operations.
  3. Active Cyber Intrusions.
  4. Russian Campaign Contacts.
  5. Obstruction of Justice.

Link via MetaFilter.