The collision is a cover story Associated Press: A Russian fighter jet struck the propeller of a U.S. surveillance drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday in a “brazen violation of international law,” causing American forces to bring down the unmanned aerial vehicle, the U.S. said. But Russia insisted its warplanes didn’t hit the MQ-9 Reaper drone. Instead, it said the drone maneuvered sharply and crashed into the water following an encounter with Russian fighter jets that had been scrambled to intercept it near Crimea. “Struck the propeller” of the MQ-9, says the Pentagon. Seriously? Without actually crashing into it and bringing down both aircraft? The AP report adds: The U.S. European Command said two Russian Su-27 fighter jets intercepted the drone while it was operating within international airspace. It said one of the Russian fighters struck the propeller of the MQ-9, causing U.S. forces to bring it down in international waters. Prior to that, the Su-27s dumped fuel on the MQ-9 and flew in front of it several times in “a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner,” the U.S.
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Well, Trump and DeSantis anyway You know the presidential primary campaigns have begun in earnest when political reporters start trudging around Iowa and hanging out in diners to find out what the Real Americans are thinking. This week we got our first dose of this quadrennial ritual when both Donald Trump and his closest rival Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis showed up to give speeches and mingle with the hoi polloi. According to the Washington Post, Trump remains his “freewheeling” self while DeSantis is tightly scripted, which is not exactly news. But there are some subtle changes. For instance, Trump is making a point of showing up unannounced at some local businesses to pretend to be a regular guy in order to contrast himself with DeSantis who is known to be cold and off-putting. DeSantis, meanwhile, is sticking to his prepared speeches in order to appeal to Republicans who are sick of Trump’s incendiary rhetoric and want to hear a normal political speech. In other words, it’s all about style because when it comes to policy, they are clones of each other, furiously pandering to the base, each of them trying to out MAGA the other.
Some more jurors in the Atlanta election case speak out The Atlanta Journal Constitution interviewed five members anonymously and got an inside look at what went on at the Special Grand Jury. They don’t appear to be quite as weird and cryptic as the jury foreperson who came forward earlier. But it’s truly fascinating. The jurors discussed details surrounding their eight months on the panel but declined to talk about their internal deliberations or share their indictment recommendations… “One of the most important things we’ll be a part of in our life was this eight month process that we did,” one juror told the AJC. It was “incredibly important to get it right.” […] The jurors who spoke to the AJC declined to talk about portions of the document which remain under seal, including who they recommended Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis indict. They also remained mum on their internal deliberations. In a previous interview with the AJC, jury foreperson Emily Kohrs said “it’s not a short list” when asked how many people the special grand jury suggested be indicted.
Curious wingnut real estate investments I don’t know what this is about but it’s interesting: At first glance, the flurry of real estate sales two blocks east of the U.S. Capitol appeared unremarkable in a city where such sales are common. In the span of a year, a seemingly unrelated gaggle ofrecently formedcompanies bought nine properties, all within steps of one another. But the sales were not coincidental. Unbeknown to most of the sellers, the limited liability companies making the purchases — a shopping spree that added up to $41 million — are connected to a conservative nonprofit led by Mark Meadows, who was chief of staff to President Donald Trump.The organization has promoted MAGA stars like Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.). The Conservative Partnership Institute, as the nonprofit is known, now controls four commercial properties along a single Pennsylvania Avenue block, three adjoining rowhouses around the corner, and a garage and carriage house in the rear alley.
A recurring row has broken out over the island of Rockall, an uninhabited rock in the Atlantic whose ownership is disputed between the UK and Ireland. The Scottish government, under whose jurisdiction Rockall falls, has banned Irish vessels which traditionally fish there from doing so. This is an article in the Derry Journal today: Donegal […]
The post Sweet Rockall appeared first on Craig Murray.
Empresa São Cleófas Energias Renováveis prevê a instalação de 372 aerogeradores no sertão do Seridó, onde há bens arqueológicos de 9 mil anos e comunidades quilombolas.
The post Projeto de energia eólica ameaça destruir passado e futuro do Brasil numa tacada só appeared first on The Intercept.
… contains the seed of a good idea but his version is an inequitable mess That’s the headline for my latest piece in the Guardian , over the fold It is always disappointing when an important, and potentially transformational, policy idea is introduced in a form that almost certainly guarantees its rejection. That’s even more […]
DeSantis is pulling a Trump It’s the old “you can believe me or you can believe your lyin’ eyes”: In remarks last week intended to spin the narrative in his favor, DeSantis accused the “mainstream media, unions and leftist activists” of propagating a “nasty hoax” about classroom libraries being left empty due to a law he passed last year seeking to address the non-issue of “pornography” in schools. “It’s a hoax in service of trying to pollute and sexualize our children,” he said. “A lot of what’s been going on is an attempt to create a political narrative.” For those who’ve dealt with the effects on the ground, DeSantis is the one spreading falsehoods. “It’s complete gaslighting,” Marie Masferrer, a Hillsborough County Media Specialist who’s been campaigning against the law on the ground over the past year, told TPM. “The other thing that’s happening is teachers and librarians are censoring their own library themselves because they’re afraid.
I don’t pretend to understand all the nuances of this crisis and I’m withholding judgement until we see how it all shakes out. But this is someone who knows a lot and is always worth listening to: So the Feds stepped in to protect all deposits at Silicon Valley Bank, even though the law says that deposits only up to $250,000 are insured and even though there was a pretty good case that allowing big depositors to take a haircut wouldn’t have created a systemic crisis. S.V.B. was pretty sui generis, far more exposed both to interest risk and to potential runs than any other significant bank, so even some losses for larger depositors may not have caused much contagion. Still, I understand the logic: If I were a policymaker, I’d be reluctant to let S.V.B. fail, merely because while it probably wouldn’t have caused a wider crisis, one can’t be completely certain and the risks of erring in doing too much were far smaller than the risks of doing too little. That said, there are good reasons to feel uncomfortable about this bailout. And yes, it was a bailout.
They’ ve all be blathering “woke” every other work in the past week, but this takes the cake: These guys really love this word, don’t they? Do you think Larry Kudlow has any idea what “woke” is? Apparently, they all believe that this word is magic that explains everything. Just spit it out and everyone gets that whatever perceived problem we have in this world is caused by “wokesters” who aren’t going along with the white supremacy these people are pushing. That includes the military and bankers now. Who’s left?