Western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of staging dozens of attacks and other incidents across Europe since the invasion of Ukraine three years ago, according to data collected by The Associated Press.
The US has now recorded over 300 measles cases just three months into 2025, exceeding the yearly case counts for all years after 2019. read more
Billionaire Elon Musk took his campaign to cut the U.S. federal government into uncharted waters on Friday, holding an unprecedented top-level meeting at the Pentagon and calling for the prosecution of any Defense Department officials leaking "maliciously false information" about his visit. read more
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy really wants to reduce management layers. During a recent internal all-hands meeting, Jassy reiterated his commitment to de-layering, a move he thinks will cut bureaucracy. Amazon previously announced a plan to increase the ratio of individual contributors to managers by 15% by the end of March.
A small clinical trial suggests the treatment could help keep pancreatic cancer from returning
Related?
US suspends some efforts to counter Russian sabotage as Trump moves closer to Putin
www.reuters.com
... Several U.S. national security agencies have halted work on a coordinated effort to counter Russian sabotage, disinformation and cyberattacks, easing pressure on Moscow as the Trump Administration pushes Russia to end its war in Ukraine.
Former President Joe Biden last year ordered his national security team to establish working groups to monitor the issue amid warnings from U.S. intelligence that Russia was escalating a shadow war against Western nations.
The plan was led by the president's National Security Council (NSC) and involved at least seven national security agencies working with European allies to disrupt plots targeting Europe and the United States, seven former officials who participated in the working groups told Reuters.
Before President Donald Trump was inaugurated, his incoming administration was briefed by Biden officials about the efforts and urged to continue monitoring Russia's hybrid warfare campaign, the former U.S. officials said.
However, since Trump took office on Jan. 20 much of the work has come to a standstill, according to eleven current and former officials, all of whom requested anonymity to discuss classified matters. Reuters is the first to report on the full extent of the Biden administration effort and how multiple different U.S. agencies have since paused their work on the issue.
Regular meetings between the National Security Council and European national security officials have gone unscheduled, and the NSC has also stopped formally coordinating efforts across U.S. agencies, including with the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department, the current and former officials said. ...
Measles arrives in Kansas, spreads quickly in undervaccinated counties
arstechnica.com
... Measles has arrived in Kansas and is spreading swiftly in communities with very low vaccination rates. Since last week, the state has tallied 10 cases across three counties with more pending.
On March 13, health officials announced the state's first measles case since 2018. The case was reported in Stevens County, which sits in the southwest corner of the state. As of now, it's unclear if the case is connected to the mushrooming outbreak that began in West Texas.
That initial case in Kansas already shows potential to mushroom on its own. Stevens County contains two school districts, both of which have extremely low vaccination rates among kindergartners. By the time children enter kindergarten, they should have their two doses of Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine, which together are 97 percent effective against measles. In the 2023"2024 school year, rates of kindergartners with their two shots stood at 83 percent in the Hugoton school district and 80 percent in the Moscow school district, according to state data. Those rates are significantly below the 95 percent threshold needed to block the onward community spread of measles -- one of the most infectious viruses known to humankind. ...
Let's wait and see the personnel information that is redacted in the Epstein file are released.
"Ludicrous" Situation: Jeffrey Epstein Case Redaction Takes Over FBI's New York Office
www.vanityfair.com
... The bureau's New York field office normally chases drug dealers and spies.
Right now, according to multiple sources, priority one is redacting the sex trafficker's case files. ...
Gee, I wonder what name might be redacted in this high priority effort to protect the apparent guilty?
Any guesses?
OK, this one is from back in the day when prog rock was a thing. Long (timewise) songs that told a story, usually a good story.
That said ...
Triumvirat - Illusions On A Double Dimple (1973) (24 minutes)
www.youtube.com
Lyrics excerpt ...
...
[Verse]
A song for all who've tried and lost
A sad and bitter tale
You can't succeed your whole life long
But some folks always fail
So we all know we have to die
The thought is full of pain
You make the grave your last farewell
Your life has been in vain
[II. Schooldays 00:57-04:19]
[Instrumental Intro 0:57 - 2:24]
[Verse 1]
So sorry, teacher
But I don't know the things you made me learn for today
We've got ten kids at home, have little room
Although my daddy's gone away
This is the last time you will have had the chance
Don't you believe that I'm your fool, keep it cool
[Verse 2]
There's a lot of work outside
Please take your books I'd like to see you leave that school
Where is the open hand
That guides me into a land with a friendly sky, oh, so wide?
...
Yeah, those lyrics don't seem to make sense.
But take a step back and look at them again when you have some time to ponder ...
The PACT Act and your VA benefits
www.va.gov
... The PACT Act is a law that expands VA health care and benefits for Veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances. This law helps us provide generations of Veterans"and their survivors"with the care and benefits they've earned and deserve.
And starting March 5, 2024, we're expanding VA health care to millions of Veterans -- years earlier than called for by the PACT Act. ...
Trump administration plans to cut 80,000 employees from Veterans Affairs, according to internal memo (March 9, 2025)
apnews.com
... The Department of Veterans Affairs is planning a reorganization that includes cutting over 80,000 jobs from the sprawling agency that provides health care and other services for millions of veterans, according to an internal memo obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press.
The VA's chief of staff, Christopher Syrek, told top-level officials at the agency Tuesday that it had an objective to cut enough employees to return to 2019 staffing levels of just under 400,000. That would require terminating tens of thousands of employees after the VA expanded during the Biden administration, as well as to cover veterans impacted by burn pits under the 2022 PACT Act. ...
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