Washington Shocked! Shocked That AP's George Jahn Is a Tool for Iran Deal Opponents
Greg Sargent this morning walks us through the latest math from the Washington Post on Congressional war hawks trying to obstruct the breakthrough P5+1 agreement with Iran limiting its nuclear technology. Not only does the Post find that Congress…
What's the Difference Between Saudi Arabia and ISIS?
At Politico, Will McCants has an excerpt from his new book, in which he argues that ISIS differs from Al Qaeda in its apocalyptic vision.
The Islamic State’s brutality and its insistence on apocalypse now and caliphate now set it apart from…
The Rise of the Counter-Drone Industry
This was predictable.
After Congress pushed for years for the Federal Aviation Administration to rush through permissions to let drones fly above America, local authorities are discovering what countries throughout the Middle East at least…
Mankiw’s Principles of Economics Part 9: Prices Rise When the Government Prints Too Much Money
The introduction to this series is here.
Part 1 is here.
Part 2 is here.
Part 3 is here.
Part 4 is here.
Part 5 is here.
Part 6 is here.
Part 7 is here.
Part 8 is here.
Mankiw’s ninth principle of economics is: Prices Rise…
Predictably, GOP Candidates Have Started Calling for Drone Strikes against Immigrants
Two days ago, as part of a Twitter discussion about how wasteful and ineffective a border wall would be, I predicted the Republican presidential candidates would recommend massively increased drone patrols and strikes on immigrants at the border,…
Is the US Thwarting China's Anti-Corruption (and Political Crime) Campaign to Retaliate for the OPM Hack?
Two weeks after floating a story to the NYT the Obama asked for some creative ways to retaliate against China for the OPM hack, the NYT reported (in both English and a prominently linked Chinese translation) that "in recent weeks" the US told…
Air Travel, Disrupted: Welcome to the New Normal
Air travelers along the U.S. east coast experienced flight cancellations and delays this past Saturday, due to initially unspecified "technical issues" attributed to the air traffic control system.
Beginning some time late morning, hundreds…
Throwing Umm Sayyaf to the Kurds
Today Ali Watkins had a long report on the problems with the High Value Interrogation Group, which Obama instituted in 2009 to try to standardize on scientific alternatives to torture. Among its problems: it has no institutional structure,…
The Alleged Death Ray Klan Terrorist
As Yahoo reported, yesterday the trial for upstate New Yorker, Glendon Scott Crawford, started. Crawford is the rare white man charged with terrorist enhancement charges -- including Conspiracy to Use a WMD.
Back in 2012, Crawford, who is…
Tim Pawlenty Makes It Clear Banks Want Immunity for Negligence
The business community is launching a big push for the Cyber Information Sharing Act over the recess, with the Chamber of Commerce pushing hard and now the Financial Services Roundtable's Tim Pawlenty weighing in today.
Pawlenty is fairly…
How Would Microsoft's User Agreement Work with CISA?
When Jim Comey talks about wanting back doors into Apple products, he often claims that some software providers have managed to put back doors into allegedly secure products.
I keep thinking of that claim when I hear about the many privacy…
The [Emails Sent to] Clinton Story May End Up Being about Loyalty
I was surprised that this story voicing concerns that Clinton backers fear "old weaknesses stalk" her campaign (stalk!) didn't mention one of the weaknesses from 2008 that bothered me the most: loyalty.
Don't get me wrong. Loyalty is a good…
What's a Little (or a Lot) Cooperation Among Spies?
A key point in the ProPublica/NYT piece on AT&T's close cooperation with the NSA (and, though not stated explicitly, other agencies) on spying is that AT&T was the telecom that helped NSA spy on the UN.
It provided technical assistance…
AT&T Pulled Cell Location for Its "Mobility Cell Data"
ProPublica and NYT have an important story that confirms what we've long known -- that AT&T, operating under the Fairview program -- is all too happy to do business with the NSA. As part of the story, they note that in 2011, AT&T started…
Along with Outdated Toothpaste and Caitlin Jenner Covers, Manning in Trouble for Reading Torture Report
As you've likely heard the authorities at Leavenworth have put Chelsea Manning in indefinite solitary confinement for -- among other things -- having an expired tube of toothpaste (and also sweeping some crumbs onto the floor).
She just posted…
The SEKRIT Drones in Hillary's [Staffers'] Emails
From the start of the Hillary Clinton email scandal, I've maintained that there are real reasons to be critical of her use of a private email.
There are big governance reasons to be concerned that Clinton has been in control of all her official…
On the Apple Back Door Rumors ... Remember Lavabit
During the July 1 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on back doors, Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates claimed that the government doesn't want the government to have back doors into encrypted communications. Rather, they wanted corporations…
BREAKING: What emptywheel Reported Two Years Ago
The NYT today:
The National Security Agency has used its bulk domestic phone records program to search for operatives from the government of Iran and “associated terrorist organizations” — not just Al Qaeda and its allies — according…
Was the White House Involved in the Decision to Unapologize to Dianne Feinstein?
A must-read Jason Leopold piece on the fight between the Senate Intelligence Committee and CIA over the torture report reveals that John Brennan apologized about hacking the SSCI website -- before he unapologized .
John Brennan was about…
Mankiw’s Principles of Economics Part 8: A Country’s Standard of Living Depends on Its Ability to Produce Goods and Services
The introduction to this series is here.
Part 1 is here.
Part 2 is here.
Part 3 is here.
Part 4 is here.
Part 5 is here.
Part 6 is here.
Part 7 is here.
Mankiw’s eighth principle of economics is: a country’s standard of living…