There's reportedly a new way for websites to spy on visitors: by monitoring how their computers' SSDs behave. The technique is called FROST, short for "fingerprinting remotely using OPFSbased SSD timing," and it runs through JavaScript on a web page. So far, this looks more practical in lab conditions than in the real world. read more
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett painted a rosy picture of the economy Sunday, downplaying Americans' growing pessimism about the economy amid high gas prices and rising inflation as the Iran war goes on. read more
Last week, the Justice Department began systematically removing material from its web sites regarding the many indictments and convictions related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The operation started without fanfare or formal announcement and proceeded largely unnoticed. Until, that is, journalists such as the Washington Post's Meryl Kornfield took notice of certain press releases and other materials that had conspicuously disappeared from www.justice.gov.
Comedian Bill Maher ribbed President Trump on Friday over his dismal poll numbers and the blowback to a massive upcoming bash on the National Mall celebrating America's 250th birthday. read more
A research project examining AI-driven recruitment hires across the US has revealed a systemic racial bias. read more
@#31 ... It was stopped
It was monitored
It was demonstrated, continuously that they were abiding by the agreement ...
The Historic Deal that Will Prevent The Historic Deal that Will Prevent Iran from Acquiring a Nuclear Weapon
How the U.S. and the international community will block all of Iran's pathways to a nuclear weapon
obamawhitehouse.archives.gov
...
On January 16, 2016, the International Atomic Energy Agency verified that Iran has completed the necessary steps under the Iran deal that will ensure Iran's nuclear program is and remains exclusively peaceful.
Before this agreement, Iran's breakout time -- or the time it would have taken for Iran to gather enough fissile material to build a weapon -- was only two to three months. Today, because of the Iran deal, it would take Iran 12 months or more. And with the unprecedented monitoring and access this deal puts in place, if Iran tries, we will know and sanctions will snap back into place.
Here's how we got to this point. Since October, Iran has:
- - - Shipped 25,000 pounds of enriched uranium out of the country
- - - Dismantled and removed two-thirds of its centrifuges
- - - Removed the calandria from its heavy water reactor and filled it with concrete
- - - Provided unprecedented access to its nuclear facilities and supply chain
Because Iran has completed these steps, the U.S. and international community can begin the next phase under the JCPOA, which means the U.S. will begin lifting its nuclear-related sanctions on Iran. However, a number of U.S. sanctions authorities and designations will continue to remain in place. ...
@#1 ... Must be a weird feeling for some of the GOPhers in Congress to actually say 'NO' to DJT. ...
It looks to me like only 20 days of both chambers of Congress being in session before the August recess.
rollcall.com
(scroll down a bit for the calendar)
So, maybe the GOP in Congress saw they had better battles to fight?
Related ...
OpEd: Saying we won' the Iran war is easy. Now's the hard part.
www.csmonitor.com
... "We've got to finish the job, right?"
When U.S. President Donald Trump made that remark at a rally in Kentucky back in March, the Iran war had barely begun. And with huge firepower at his command, he exuded confidence that the endgame would be a mere formality. The war, he told the crowd of supporters, had already been "won."
Yet 2 1/2 months on, Mr. Trump's definition of "finishing the job" has fundamentally changed. ...
More from the article ...
... "The Trump admin is quietly deleting info about the Capitol attack from the DOJ website as it prepares to give funds to J6ers," Kornfield posted. "This week, DOJ deleted a press release about one man with an ongoing child solicitation case who came to the Capitol with bear spray."
Then, with typical bombast, the Justice Department responded by taking issue with one particular aspect of Kornfield's characterization. "Nothing quiet' about it," the DOJ Rapid Response account replied. "We are proud to reverse the DOJ's weaponization under the Biden administration. We will do everything in our power to make whole those who were persecuted for political purposes. This includes stripping DOJ's website of partisan propaganda."
We are not erasing history quietly, the Justice Department seemed to suggest. We are erasing history loudly and proudly.
At Lawfare, we have restored the vast bulk of what was deleted[1]. We have also started to preemptively archive a raft of material that has not yet been deleted but probably will be, given its thematic relationship to the material that was 86ed.
====
1 - The January 6 Project www.lawfaremedia.org
Several Americans injured in Iranian attack in Kuwait, report says
www.stripes.com
... An Iranian missile strike injured several Americans at a Kuwaiti air base, according to a report Saturday, the latest escalation that could further complicate efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war.
Falling debris from an intercepted Iranian ballistic missile struck Ali Al Salem Air Base, causing minor injuries to about five Americans, including active duty personnel and contractors, Bloomberg reported.
One MQ-9 Reaper strike drone was destroyed and at least one other was seriously damaged, the report said.
The extent and exact number of injuries was not immediately available. Bloomberg said the attack occurred within the last 24 hours.
U.S. Central Command did not respond to emailed requests for comment Saturday. ...
@#3 ... Everything is fine. Nothing to see here. We are just weeks away. We have plenty of gas. So don't be selling any oil stocks ...
Exxon and Chevron Are Warning That Oil Prices Could Skyrocket in the Coming Weeks.
finance.yahoo.com
... Global oil inventory levels are approaching the danger zone.
Exxon's Neil Chapman warned that: "You can debate whether that's going to hit, those really low levels, in two weeks or three weeks. Once you get to that point, then you'll see the price shoot up."
Chevron's CEO Mike Wirth made a similar comment: "Over the next few weeks, we're likely to see those pressures flow through more directly to physical prices, and there's more upward pressure that I would expect as we get into June and certainly into July."
Chapman speculated that once oil inventories reach their all-time lows, Brent could skyrocket to $150 to $160 a barrel, surpassing its all-time high.
Others in the oil market have issued similar warnings.
JPMorgan previously cautioned that Brent could spike above $150 if the supplies through the Strait of Hormuz remained disrupted through mid-May.
Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs modeled a severely adverse scenario where crude prices could top $140 a barrel if the Strait of Hormuz doesn't fully recover by the end of July and there are issues bringing oil supplies back online across the Middle East. ...
Related ...
Iran Suspends Talks With US, Hails Dialogue with Oman Despite Trump Threat
www.newsweek.com
... Talks between Iran and Oman over control of the Strait of Hormuz are ongoing, according to Tehran, after President Donald Trump threatened to "blow up" the United States ally if traffic cannot pass freely through the vital waterway.
Tehran and Muscat have met repeatedly, and discussions are "well underway" on control of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's IRNA state news agency reported on Monday, citing Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei. ...
From the reporting I have heard, Romania may want to invoke Article 4 of the NATO agreement. But has not yet gone that far ...
Romania asks for NATO support after Russian drone crash
www.politico.eu
... Romania will ask NATO to fast-track air defense deliveries and will also shutter its only Russian consulate after a Russian drone crashed into an apartment building.
"This is an unacceptable and blatant violation of our airspace," Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu told POLITICO. "We have confirmation it is a Russian drone."
Toiu said NATO's top commander, U.S. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, has "agreed" to previous proposals by Bucharest asking the alliance to shift military equipment to the country. In response to the drone incident, she said Romania will ask to "accelerate" their delivery.
However, she stopped short of saying Bucharest would invoke the alliance's Article 4 provision, which requires alliance members to convene for urgent talks. ...
Pres Putin seems to be trying to probe how much he can get away with ...
NATO chief says alliance ready to defend every inch of Allied territory' after Russian drone hits member state Romania
www.cnbc.com
... A Russian drone collided with an apartment building in Romania, a NATO member state, early on Friday morning.
Romanian President Nicu'or Dan said in a post on X on Friday morning that he had convened a meeting of his national defense council in response to what he called "the most serious incident to affect the national territory" since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in early 2022.
The collision occurred in Galai, Dan said, a city near Romania's border with Ukraine.
"We will order proportionate measures in relation to the Russian Federation," he said, adding that the strike had resulted in injuries. "The unprecedented nature of the event demands a firm, coordinated, and appropriate response -- at the national, allied, and international levels." ...
Ancient Killer That Doctors Can No Longer Stop Is Spreading Worldwide: Study (2025)
www.ndtv.com
... A recent report from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has revealed a concerning increase in typhoid and paratyphoid fever cases in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. According to the provisional data, there were 702 cases in 2024, marking an 8% rise from 2023 and the highest annual total recorded so far.
The illnesses, caused by Salmonella bacteria and spread through contaminated food or water, are mostly contracted abroad. Alarmingly, drug-resistant typhoid is on the rise in countries like Pakistan, making treatment more challenging and increasing health risks, per UKHSA data.
According to a BBC report, it is estimated that there are 13 million cases of typhoid and paratyphoid A fever every year, resulting in 133,000 deaths. The condition mainly affects school-aged children in Asia and Africa. While often overlooked in developed nations, this persistent threat remains a significant danger, particularly in our modern interconnected world. ...
@#9 ... Ballwasher the MAGAT clown sits by and watches a pedophile rape America. ...
Brings to mind ..
Al Stewart - A Man for All Seasons (1978)
www.youtube.com
Lyrics excerpt ...
...
What if you reached the age of reason
Only to find there was no reprieve
Would you still be a man for all seasons?
Or would you just have to leave
[Verse 1]
We measure our days out
In steps of uncertainty
Not turning to see how we've come
And peer down the highway
From here to eternity
And reach out for love on the run
While the man for all seasons
Is lost behind the sun
...
[Verse 3]
And I should know by now
I should know by now
I hear them call it out all around
Oh, they go
There's nothing to believe in
Hear them
Just daydreams, deceiving
They'll just let you down
...
Stevie Wonder - Ngiculela-Es Una Historia - I Am Singing (1976)
www.youtube.com
Lyrics excerpt ...
...
This song, with lyrics in Zulu and Spanish [and English], talks about how love is what's music is all about.
Ngiculela ikusasa
Ngiyacula ngo thando
Ngicula ngelinyi langa
Uthando luyobusa
Jikelele kulomhlaba wethu
...
I am singing of tomorrow
I am singing of love
I am singing someday love will reign
Throughout this world of ours
I am singing of love from my heart
...
From page three of the agreement Pres Obama and other Countries negotiatied with Iran
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
Vienna, 14 July 2015
www.europarl.europa.eu