US Intel Says Insider Threats Are 'Likely' During the Election

A government memo viewed by WIRED states that insider threats “could derail or jeopardize a fair and transparent election process.”

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The bulletin cites the Department of Homeland Security's definition of an insider threat: someone who “will use his or her authorized access, wittingly or unwittingly, to do harm to an entity.”

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...This warning comes as election deniers across the US have assumed positions at all levels of the electoral system.

DHS threat bulletin

Feds see uptick in online chatter among extremists preparing for ‘civil war’

A Department of Homeland Security report says the discussions are tied to the 2024 election and concerns about immigration.

 

Caro, Master of the Senate

After 108 pages--finally--the Master, not the Senate.

This is the darkest time of my life.

🤷‍♂️

👀

I'm really shocked.

"It’s time to get organized and get ready. To prepare for what’s to come."

 I am prepared. I know what I'm going to do. 

 "Taking a Stand in Baton Rouge" leshia Evans, nurse, Pennsylvania, July 9, 2016. Photo by Jonathan Bachman, Reuters.

"It is a far, far better thing...It is a far, far better rest..."

...people seem to be both misdiagnosing and underestimating what happened at the Washington Post. This isn’t about censorship or the media. It’s catastrophic failure of the rule of law.

No. What?

This is a watershed moment that suggests we are in greater danger than we realized.

I agree. Bezos did it because he is convinced that trumpie will be the next POTUS. It is democracy that is both the cause and the casualty of a second trumpie presidency. I understand that that is not spiffy for the rule of law, but first things first. The people are preparing to democratically throw off democracy.

It’s time to get organized and get ready. To prepare for what’s to come.

...

What we witnessed on Friday....was something much, much more consequential. It was about oligarchy, the rule of law, and the failure of the democratic order.

 When Bezos decreed that the newspaper he owned could not endorse Trump’s opponent, it was a transparent act of submission borne of an intuitive understanding of the differences between the candidates.

Bezos understood that if he antagonized Kamala Harris and Harris became president, he would face no consequences. A Harris administration would not target his businesses because the Harris administration would—like all presidential administrations not headed by Trump—adhere to the rule of law.

Of course a Harris admin wouldn't "target" Amazon or Blue Origin, but the Post? The Post already has been hurt by Bezos. It is a money-loser anyway but has had one editor resign and has had canceled subscriptions. If a newspaper falls in the forest and there was no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? No. A newspaper exists to be heard, to have influence. No one in a Harris admin would read the Post, give them an interview, return their calls. The writer here, Jonathan V. Last both goes too far and doesn't go far enough. He goes too far in the consequences to the Post from a Harris admin. He doesn't go far enough in not recognizing that Bezos knows that Kamala is not going to win. Bezos would not have taken this action, which may destroy WaPo as we know it, if he believed Kamala would win.

Bezos likewise understood that the inverse was not true. If he continued to antagonize Trump and Trump became president, his businesses very much would be targeted.

...

 What Trump understood was that Bezos’s submission would be of limited use if it was kept quiet. Because the point of dominating Bezos wasn’t just to dominate Bezos. It was to send a message to every other businessman, entrepreneur, and corporation in America: that these are the rules of the game. If you are nice to Trump, the government will be nice to you. If you criticize Trump, the government will be used against you.

Which is why Trump met with Blue Origin on the same day that Bezos yielded. It was a demonstration—a very public demonstration.

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The Bezos surrender isn’t just a demonstration. It’s a consequence. It’s a signal that the rule of law has already eroded to such a point that even a person as powerful as Jeff Bezos no longer believes it can protect him.

So he has sought shelter in the embrace of the strongman.

Bezos made his decision because he calculated that Trump has already won—not the election, but his struggle to break the rule of law.

Last has a reasoned position, I just don't think it's the rule of law that has been broken. Bezos is using the rule of law to sue trumpie for not giving Amazon government contracts. I assume that it is not a baseless suit, that there are laws that trumpie broke or distorted. I just don't think you have to go all the way to "he broke the rule of law". I am 100% sure that Bezos didn't sit down and calculate, "Well, the law can't protect my business, I better seek "shelter" from the strongman." I'm pretty sure Bezos made a more pedestrian calculation. He read the tea leaves, followed the polls, saw the trend line, talked to some people and concluded, as I did, that trumpie was going to win. I don't think it was 50-50 in Bezos' mind. "Well, I don't know, 538 says it's a toss up!" No. Bezos was convinced, convinced to a standard that he was willing to sacrifice WaPo, that trumpie was going to win.

New England (2-6) 25 New York "Jets" (2-6) 22

 Are there any more friends of Aaron Rodgers that the Fast Planes can sign? 5L.

"Quid Pro Quo"

Executives of Blue Origin briefly met with Trump within hours after paper spiked endorsement of Harris 

 

...executives from [Bezos'] aerospace company met with Donald Trump on the same day the newspaper prevented its editorial team from publishing an endorsement of his opponent in the US presidential election.

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 Amazon and the space exploration company Blue Origin are among Bezos-owned businesses that still compete for lucrative federal government contracts.

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Friday’s announcement did not mention Amazon or Blue Origin. But within hours, high-ranking officials of the latter company briefly met with Trump after a campaign speech in Austin, Texas, as the Republican nominee seeks a second presidency.

Trump met with Blue Origin chief executive officer David Limp and vice-president of government relations Megan Mitchell, the Associated Press reported.

Meanwhile, CNN reported that the Amazon CEO, Andy Jassy, had also recently reached out to speak with the former president by phone.

Those reported overtures were eviscerated by Washington Post editor-at-large and longtime columnist Robert Kagan, who resigned on Friday. On Saturday, he argued that the meeting Blue Origin executives had with Trump would not have taken place if the Post had endorsed the Democratic vice-president as it planned.

“Trump waited to make sure that Bezos did what he said he was going to do – and then met with the Blue Origin people,” Kagan told the Daily Beast on Saturday. “Which tells us that there was an actual deal made, meaning that Bezos communicated, or through his people, communicated directly with Trump, and they set up this quid pro quo.”

AP Top 25

1. O (61 of 62 1st place votes)
2. UGA (the other 1st place vote)
3. Paterno-Sandusky
4. Ohio
5. UMG I got UMG and Texas reversed.
6. Texas
7. Rocky Top-Oh God, I inadvertently left Tn out of my projections.
8. The University of Our Lady of the Lake }Even aside from Tn, I did very poorly. I had Iowa State 8th.
9. BeeYEw-I got BeeYEw right.
10. Texas DEI } I had Indiana here.

________________________________________

18. Pitt-I had us 17th. They moved us up one spot.

Oh God! Shohei Otani partially dislocated his shoulder last night!

Yes, it was.

 

Michelle Obama Makes a Searing Appeal to Men: ‘Take Our Lives Seriously’

Restraint

Iz thinks this is in their best interests. I thought they had a "chessboard upsetting" move to play here for the entire world, but they didn't play it. That's fine.

Another L, another round of Mike Norvell buyout articles

If I were Half Ass Ew admin, I would fire him for cause. He abdicated when the Semiholes didn't make the playoff last season; that caused the players to quit, resulting in a 63-3 humiliation to UGA in the Orange Bowl, and players quitting this reason, resulting in 1-7. The firing would be for cause, and that's the cause. (It wouldn't succeed in court.)

Projecting the AP top ten (and Pitt)

1. Oregon should be unanimous.

2. Georgia

3. Paterno-Sandusky but they will gain on UGA.

4. Ohio after unimpressive win at home over Neb.

5. Texas after unimpressive win at Vanderbilt.

6. Miami Gardens

-Clemson, Iowa State, BYU were 8, 9, and 10 last week (LSU falls out). IPTAY and Cyclops didn't play and BYU routed the line and woeful UCF in Orlando. The three were separated by 74 votes last week. IPTAY has a loss, the other two are unbeaten. I have a distaste for major teams with a L ahead of major unbeaten teams, a distaste that I know the cognos share, but which they get over.What will the cognos do? Not what I would do.-

7.  Clemson

8. Iowa State

9. BYU

10. Indiana I think the AP voters will jump the Hewwzeers over Notre Dame

________________________________________________________________

Now it gets hard. How far does two-loss LSU fall? How far does two-loss Alabama (15th) rise after a thoroughly impressive demolition of fading Mizzou? One-loss DEI (14)? Kansas State, 1L, was 16th, Boise State, 1L, was 17th, and Olé Miss, a 2L, was 18th last week. Only three points separated K-State and Boise and they both won, unimpressively, over mediocre and worse opponents. Olé Miss was far behind, 165 votes behind, Boise, and didn't cover the spread against crumbling Oklahoma. Pitt, 19, was close (12 votes) on the Rebels' heels. And LSU is going to fall somewhere in here. Lord, a 2L band of Bayou Bandits over an undefeated Airplane Conference team? What will the cognos do?

16. LSU

17. Pitt

18. Olé Miss

19. Boise State

20. Kansas State

The cognos, I believe, will drop slightly Kansas State (16) and Boise State (17), both 1L's after unimpressive wins over mediocre opponents.

Michelle Obama's Sobering Message to Men: "We as women will become collateral damage to your rage."

In Kalamazoo, MI, the former First Lady delivered an extaordinary speech directed to men:

"I am asking y'all from the core of my being to take our lives seriously.

"To the men who love us, let me just try to paint a picture of what it will feel like if America, the wealthiest nation on earth, keeps revoking basic care from its women and how it will affect every single woman in your life."

Obama argued a woman affected by the policies could be "in legal jeopardy if she needs a pill from out of state or overseas, or if she has to travel across state lines because the local clinic closed up."

"Your daughter could be the one too terrified to call the doctor if she’s bleeding during an unexpected pregnancy. Your niece could be the one miscarrying in her bathtub after the hospital turned her away.

"And this will not just affect women; it will affect you and your sons," she said, suggesting both men and women would suffer from "the devastating consequences of teen pregnancy.

“Your wife or mother could be the ones at higher risk of dying from undiagnosed cervical cancer because they have no access to regular gynecological care.

“And then there is the tragic but very real possibility that in the worst case scenario, you just might be the one holding flowers at the funeral,” she later added. “You might be the one left to raise your children alone.”

Obama also addressed voters who were considering not casting ballots or voting for Trump or a third-party candidate in protest, arguing that "we as women will become collateral damage to your rage."

"Are you as men prepared to look into the eyes of the women and children you love and tell them that you supported this assault on our safety?" she asked.

Obama contended that some people are "holding Kamala to a higher standard than her opponent."

"We expect her to be intelligent and articulate, to have a clear set of policies, to never show too much anger, to prove time and time again that she belongs," she said. "But for Trump, we expect nothing at all. No understanding of policy, no ability to put together a coherent argument, no honesty, no decency, no morals."

The Obamas have delivered the two most effective appeals to men in Kamala's campaign.

Pennsylvania's two major universities are 14-0 in tackle football

SMOO escaped!

They prevailed over the Blue Demons 28-27 in OT last night, setting up the biggest game in Airplane Conference history--Pitt-SMU in Dallas!

K-State (16) will survive. 29-27, :45 left. "Wildcats" can kneel it out.

That's IT! I'm turning off the phone.

FT DEI 38 two-loss Elle Esse Ew (8) 23. DEI was -1.5.

Undortunately, K-State (16) has a 29-27 lead over KU with 1:42 left.

Smoo and Duke go to OT 21-21.

I lied. I love the excitement.

Duke has tied SMU 21-21 and they have the ball at the Ponies' 38 but it's 4th and 9, 2:45 left.

I want Pitt to rise in the rankings, they are the lowest rated undefeated team next to Army. The games that could shake loose a slot or two for them are:

-Boise State's (17) close win at UNLV Friday night.

-DEI's 15-point demolition of no.8 Elle Esse Ew, with 2:36 to play. This will be the Bandit Tigers second loss. Admittedly, it's a sharp fall from 8 to 19 but this is a sharp loss.

-Particularly, K-State (16) is trailing woeful Kansas in Manhattan 27-26, 2' left but the "Wildcats" are at the KU 33.

Okay, Bees and Gees, that's gonna do it for me

I had a great day with the bookies, lucky really. They cleaned my clock last week. They're good, man. They're pretty accurate at this point in the season. Not on UCF-BYU, though. 

UMG has ended thrashing Half Ass Ew, it's 36-7, 1:50 to play, but it wasn't as dominant as it looks. UMG just steadily added points.

PSU is still holding off Wi., it's not over, 6:19 4Q, 13-21, but the House set the line right and I'm reasonably confident that's going to be about the final margin. 

Down Tobacco Road way Smoo has taken a 14-point lead (the line was -11) on the Blue Demons. There's still 3:49 in the 3Q, but again, the margin is close to predicted, and without a financial interest, I'm too tired to stay up to see how right the House was. They're damn good and I respect them.

In the sparkliest World Series ever, which has drawn even me, a baseball-phobe, the "Trolley Didgers" are poised to fly to New Amsterdam with a two games to nil lead.

Good night yinz yinzers!

Oh! Drew Allar got hurt! Wi 13 PSU 21, 10:01 4Q

"Lower body injury"--he was shown with a brace on his left knee--late in the 1H. Hasn't played in 2H.

UMG has pulled away. They've covered the spread. 29-7, 4:09 4Q

Damn, Wisconsin still hanging with PSU 13-14, 2:10 3Q

Lates

UMG (6) 23 Half Ass Ew 7, End 3Q

Texas DEI (14)  7 ElleEsseEw (8) 17

HT Dook 7 EssEmmEw 14

🏀 FT Chazz 106 Miami 45's 114

Man, this game could hardly be closer in every statistical category.

UMG leads Half Ass Ew 20-7, 4:50 3Q

This is a HUGE rivalry game but this is the worst, quittingest tribe of "Seminoles" I've seen in 40 years. UMG is no. 6 and was a 21.5 point favorite. They should have lost two games if there was justice in the universe! I really thought that they would scalp the "Seminoles", I really think they should scalp the, but they're not exactly doing that at this particular moment in the rent fabric of space time.

Okay Boogers, HT 10-7. Dju see what PSU did in the 2H to USC?

They're looking ahead to Ohio next week and as he did last week in La-La James Franklin is going to rip his team in the locker room and they will come out, seize this game by the balls and win. Wisconsin is better than USC, they're really coming on, but. This is the most promising PSU team of the Franklin era. They are solid everywhere, have an elite QB, and...James Franklin is not going to have them lose to fucking Wisconsin. I will say this additionally: James does not have the Michigan-Ohio double wammy every year anymore. They don't play M at all this year. If Wisconsin beats PSU you'll hear the howls for Franklin's head in State College all the way from Madison. T'AIN'T gonna happen.

Gardeners (6) got a FG to end the half, lead 17-7.

Man, the B1G is boring--good, but boring. PSU leads the Boogers in Madison 7-3, 3;57 2Q.

Dook 7 EsseEmEw (22) 0, 13:08 2Q but the Ponies are expressly on the Demons 1.

Ahead of their annual Space Game, Hairy Boner is getting shaved in Tucson by the 'Eers 17-7, HT.