Jackie Johnson's Continued Warm Forecast

At CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

MacKinlay Kantor, Andersonville

*BUMPED.*

Frankly, I'd never heard of this book, but I picked up a copy yesterday. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1956.

At Amazon, MacKinlay Kantor, Andersonville.

The novel's supposedly "the most powerful ever written about our nation’s bloodiest conflict," the Civil War.

Massive WikiLeaks C.I.A. Hacking Dump Reveals Spy Secrets, Possible Espionage on Americans (VIDEO)

I just don't know what to think anymore.

Absolutely nothing is safe these days from cyberhacking, and what's worse, the C.I.A. may well have been involved in domestic espionage, which is prohibited by statute. Either that, or other operators using the same technology.

In any case, at the New York Times, "WikiLeaks Releases Trove of Alleged C.I.A. Hacking Documents":

WASHINGTON — WikiLeaks on Tuesday released thousands of documents that it said described sophisticated software tools used by the Central Intelligence Agency to break into smartphones, computers and even Internet-connected televisions.

If the documents are authentic, as appeared likely at first review, the release would be the latest coup for the anti-secrecy organization and a serious blow to the C.I.A., which maintains its own hacking capabilities to be used for espionage.

The initial release, which WikiLeaks said was only the first part of the document collection, included 7,818 web pages with 943 attachments, the group said. The entire archive of C.I.A. material consists of several hundred million lines of computer code, it said.

Among other disclosures that, if confirmed, would rock the technology world, the WikiLeaks release said that the C.I.A. and allied intelligence services had managed to bypass encryption on popular phone and messaging services such as Signal, WhatsApp and Telegram. According to the statement from WikiLeaks, government hackers can penetrate Android phones and collect “audio and message traffic before encryption is applied.”

The source of the documents was not named. WikiLeaks said the documents, which it called Vault 7, had been “circulated among former U.S. government hackers and contractors in an unauthorized manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive.”

WikiLeaks said the source, in a statement, set out policy questions that “urgently need to be debated in public, including whether the C.I.A.’s hacking capabilities exceed its mandated powers and the problem of public oversight of the agency.” The source, the group said, “wishes to initiate a public debate about the security, creation, use, proliferation and democratic control of cyberweapons.”

The documents, from the C.I.A’s Center for Cyber Intelligence, are dated from 2013 to 2016, and WikiLeaks described them as “the largest ever publication of confidential documents on the agency.” One former intelligence officer who briefly reviewed the documents on Tuesday morning said some of the code names for C.I.A. programs, an organization chart and the description of a C.I.A. hacking base appeared to be genuine.

A C.I.A. spokesman, Dean Boyd, said, “We do not comment on the authenticity or content of purported intelligence documents.”

WikiLeaks, which has sometimes been accused of recklessly leaking information that could do harm, said it had redacted names and other identifying information from the collection. It said it was not releasing the computer code for actual, usable cyberweapons “until a consensus emerges on the technical and political nature of the C.I.A.’s program and how such ‘weapons’ should be analyzed, disarmed and published.”

Some of the details of the C.I.A. programs might have come from the plot of a spy novel for the cyberage, revealing numerous highly classified — and in some cases, exotic — hacking programs. One, code-named Weeping Angel, uses Samsung “smart” televisions as covert listening devices. According to the WikiLeaks news release, even when it appears to be turned off, the television “operates as a bug, recording conversations in the room and sending them over the internet to a covert C.I.A. server.”

The release said the program was developed in cooperation with British intelligence...

Keep reading.

And watch, at CNN:

Tough Resistance to GOP's #ObamaCare Overhaul

Ann Coulter's pretty tough, and she hates it!

Heh.

But see the Los Angeles Times, "Obamacare overhaul faces resistance in Congress from right and left":

Who wrote this piece of crap Obamacare replacement bill? Please be specific.

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) March 7, 2017

I have to give full identifying info as each health ins co goes bankrupt. What are names of the brain trust that wrote this piece of crap?

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) March 7, 2017

Also, I would like every person involved in the writing of this Obamacare replacement POS to take a ten-minute IQ test. Transparency!

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) March 7, 2017

House GOP leadership faced mounting opposition Tuesday after introducing an Obamacare repeal and replace bill that was rejected by small government conservatives, panned by Republican moderates and given only lukewarm support from President Trump.

One day after unveiling the GOP’s long-promised effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and replace it with something better, the new American Health Care Act already appears to be on life support, unlikely to survive the onslaught of friendly fire unless Trump personally rallies his party.

But Trump’s intervention looks uncertain. While the president embraced “our wonderful new healthcare bill” in an early morning tweet, he also suggested it’s just a starting point “for review and negotiation” — opening the floodgates to alternative ideas and proposals that could take weeks to sort out.

Later, in a White House meeting with House Republicans, he offered a stronger endorsement, saying he was "proud to support" their plan and expected it to pass “very quickly.”

At the same time, though Trump is also accepting back-channel calls from conservative Republican opponents — including Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) — who are warning him off legislation they view as nothing more than a revamped federal entitlement program. Conservative lawmakers are being backed by the Koch network, whose supporters rallied outside the Capitol on Tuesday, and other influential groups including Heritage Action and Club for Growth. They dismiss the GOP leadership’s bill as “Obamacare 2.0” or “Obamacare lite.”

“This is not the Obamacare repeal bill we’ve been waiting for,” said Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who is leading the GOP opposition with Paul and the House Freedom Caucus. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has also raised objections.“We promised the American people we would drain the swamp and end business as usual in Washington. This bill does not do that,” Lee said. “This is exactly the type of backroom dealing and rushed process that we criticized Democrats for, and it is not what we promised the American people.”

For seven years Republicans have promised to end Obamacare, and after winning repeated congressional elections on their promise to repeal and replace the law, they were confident Democrats would have no choice but to join them.

But Democrats have shown no interest in the GOP bill, saying it would drop millions of Americans from healthcare coverage without offering them viable alternatives. Rather than being spooked by their November election losses, Democrats have been buoyed by the outpouring of support for Obamacare by constituents and protesters flocking to lawmakers’ town hall meetings across the country...

Time to Shine Light on Obama Administration's Election Activities

From Professor Glenn Reynolds, at USA Today, "Did Obama spy on Trump?":

It isn't out of the question. The former president's administration wiretapped journalists and spied on Congress.

So President Trump set off a firestorm over the weekend with a series of tweets alleging that Obama had tapped Trump Tower. But getting hung up on imprecise language in the president's tweets isn't the right way to look at things. What seems to be at true is that the Obama administration spied on some of Trump's associates and we don't know exactly how much information was collected under what authority and who was targeted.

As former prosecutor Andrew McCarthy summarizes in National Review, the Obama Justice Department considered a criminal investigation aimed at a number of Trump’s associates. When they didn’t find anything criminal, they converted the investigation into an intelligence probe under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Elements of that story have been confirmed by The New York Times, the BBC and McClatchy newspapers.

FISA surveillance has to be approved by a special court, which almost always allows the government to spy on people when asked. But when the Justice Department asked to spy on several of Trump's associates, the court refused permission, according to the BBC. As McCarthy writes, this is notable because “the FISA court is notoriously solicitous of government requests to conduct national security surveillance.”

Not taking no for an answer, the Obama administration came back during the final weeks of the election with a narrower request that didn’t specifically mention Trump. That narrower request was granted by the court, but reports from the Guardian and the BBC don't mention the tapping of phones..

Former Obama officials issued denials that the former president had anything to do with it, which McCarthy calls “disingenuous on several levels.” Others have characterized them as a "non-denial denial.”

Of course Obama spied on Trump.

It's a no brainer.

But keep reading.

PREVIOUSLY: "NSA Whistleblower Backs Trump Up on Wiretap Claims."

NSA Whistleblower Backs Trump Up on Wiretap Claims

At Instapundit, "BILL BINNEY’S NOT JUST ANY WHISTLEBLOWER: NSA Whistleblower Backs Trump Up on Wiretap Claims":

President Donald Trump is “absolutely right” to claim he was wiretapped and monitored, a former NSA official claimed Monday, adding that the administration risks falling victim to further leaks if it continues to run afoul of the intelligence community...

Keep reading.

Shop Today

Thanks so much for the support.

I have a long Tuesday today. More blogging tonight, although I'll be with the hiring committee on my campus all day Wednesday and Thursday (conducting interviews), so I'm not sure how much blogging I'll be able to do.

It's a big week. I'll be looking forward to the weekend, heh.

In any case, at Amazon, Today's Deals.

BONUS: Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism.

'Turn The Beat Around'

Miami Sound Machine aluma, Gloria Estefan:

Santa Ana Seizes the 'Sanctuary City' Label

While seizing the "moment," Santa Ana risks losing the money.

At NYT above, and CBS News 2 Los Angeles at the video below.

"Sanctuary cities" should wear the label proudly https://t.co/ficPkrQCxw

— NYT Opinion (@nytopinion) March 7, 2017

Christina Hoff Sommers: What Gender Wage Gap?

She's the "Factual Feminist," and boy is she factual!

A great video, via Prager University:

'The fact that two different speeches triggered violence at two different campuses within the space of a month suggests that we may be entering into a new and more dangerous phase of the anti-free-speech movement...'

Well, you think?

It's Megan McArdle, via Instapundit, "MEGAN MCARDLE OFFERS ADVICE TO STUDENT PROTESTERS: Use Your Words."

Charles Murray, Coming Apart

*BUMPED.*

At Amazon, Charles Murray, Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010.

And from yesterday the other day, ICYMI, "Fanatical Left-Wing Mob Attacks Charles Murrary and Middlebury Professor Allison Stanger."

'Day Without a Woman'

These leftists "protests" get more stupid by the one. I mean, of course no one can go "a day without a woman." Just like no one can go a day without a man. People need people to have commerce, to interact, to keep the wheels of society going. What's the point?

Well, to cause chaos, for one thing. That's what leftists do.

At AL News, "'Day Without a Woman' protest forces schools to close Wednesday." And iOTW Report, "Women’s March Protest Causes ‘Burden on Parents’."

And here's the kicker, at the Seattle Times, "Day Without a Woman protest sparks debate on white privilege":

There are no A Day Without a Woman events planned for Wednesday amid charges of “white privilege.” What may be the only Puget Sound area event is a free yoga open house in Kirkland.

So maybe it wasn’t the best thought-out event, A Day Without a Woman general strike this Wednesday, on International Women’s Day.

“Stupid. That’s what I first thought,” says Angie Beem, the state director of the Women’s March that in Seattle drew tens of thousands of participants on Jan. 21.

“What’s the purpose of a strike when you can’t afford a day to not work? Women who could possibly do this are in an executive-type position. Life will go on for them. Their career is more stable. This screamed …”

Guess the next two words.

“White privilege,” concludes Beem.

Her group is not sponsoring any events associated with A Day Without a Woman, which also coincides with International Women’s Day.

There are strike events promised in New York, Washington, D. C., Boston and even Fairbanks.

Beem remembers a tweet coming a month or so ago from the national Women’s March group.

“It was just two women who decided it was going to happen. They put this out on social media without discussing it,” says Beem.

“Facebook blew up. There were a lot of people like myself saying, ‘This isn’t right.’ ”

She says she had the same misgivings about “A Day Without Immigrants” that took place Feb. 16 — that there’s too much risk. News reports said a number of protesters were fired for not showing up for work that day.

“People are desperate to take some action and some control over their lives,” says Beem. “Then they make the horrible choice of not going to work and their whole career is over.”

While Beem doesn’t agree with the strike, the event was later expanded to include avoiding shopping that day — except for at small women-and-minority owned businesses — and wearing red in solidarity.

About the color red, says the national group, “We have chosen red as a color of signifying revolutionary love and sacrifice. Red is the color of energy and action associated with our will to survive. It signifies a pioneering spirit and leadership qualities, promoting ambition and determination.”

Beem says she will wear red on Wednesday...

Keep reading.

Financial Red Flags at Celerity Charter School Group in Los Angeles

Well, staying on the education beat here, check out the Los Angeles Times, "Inside Celerity charter school network, questionable spending and potential conflicts of interest abound":

By her own account, Vielka McFarlane was an immigrant success story. She had escaped a childhood of poverty in Panama, made her way to Los Angeles and founded a nonprofit network of publicly funded charter schools called the Celerity Educational Group.

In 2013, she earned $471,842, about 35% more than Michelle King, the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, makes today.

McFarlane was prospering, and it showed. She wore Armani suits, ate at expensive restaurants and used a black car service.

Financial records obtained by The Times show that, as Celerity’s CEO, she paid for many of these expenses with a credit card belonging to her charter schools, which receive the bulk of their funding from the state.

It could not be determined whether McFarlane, 54, ever reimbursed the charter schools for her credit card purchases. Neither she nor a lawyer hired by Celerity responded to requests for comment about the transactions.

At a time when charter school advocates are determined to increase the number of such schools in L.A., the story of McFarlane and the Celerity schools offers a case study of the growing difficulty of regulating them. The task of spotting and stamping out risky financial practices in charters largely falls to the school district’s charter schools division, which employs about a dozen people dedicated to monitoring the schools’ fiscal health.

But as the number of L.A. charter schools has grown to more than 220, enrolling about 111,000 students, oversight has become a challenge for district officials, who are at once competitors and regulators...

Well, nice work if you can get it. And a "black car service"? Must be nice.

And I'm a fan of charters too!

Put me down for more regulation, though. Can't trust those Panamanian immigrants, it turns out.

Keep reading.

The U.S. Ranked 7th in 'Best Countries' Survey at U.S. News

Which is bull.

We're behind Switzerland (#1), Canada (#2), the U.K. (#3), Germany (#4), Japan (Japan! #5), Sweden (#6).

What a joke, really.

But there's a silver lining (for the world):

In a global ranking of "best countries," the United States drops to No. 7 https://t.co/Pnd8rB70xp

— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 7, 2017

There is one bright spot for the United States: It is still perceived as the most powerful nation on earth, running ahead of Russia, China, the United Kingdom and Germany.

You see, all those countries that are ranked as "better" than us, are also free-riding on the security we're providing. And honestly, Canada, Sweden, and Germany are already gone, turned over to leftists and Islamists.  Switzerland's a nice place for a vacation, but why would it be ranked the best country in the world? And Japan! California's better than Japan, and we're a Democrat Party hell-hole, heh.

Clearly, this survey interviewed a bunch of anti-Americans who hate President Trump (see, "Overall Best Countries Ranking").

Nina Agdal Gets Real (VIDEO)

She's one of my very favorites (but you already knew that, heh).

At Sports Illustrated:

Methods Behind the Campus Madness

Following-up from last night, "Charles Murray and the Flight 93 Election."

See Sumantra Maitra, at Quillette.

Jackie Johnson's Sunny and Warming Forecast

Remember, it's going to heat up midweek.

And Ms. Jackie looks so lovely!

At CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Nothing Good Comes from Dehumanizing Your Political Enemies

Following-up, from previously, "Charles Murray and the Flight 93 Election."

From Professor Allison Stanger, at Facebook:

When the event ended, and it was time to leave the building, I breathed a sigh of relief. We had made it. I was ready for dinner and conversation with faculty and students in a tranquil setting. What transpired instead felt like a scene from Homeland rather than an evening at an institution of higher learning. We confronted an angry mob as we tried to exit the building. Most of the hatred was focused on Dr. Murray, but when I took his right arm both to shield him from attack and to make sure we stayed together so I could reach the car too, that’s when the hatred turned on me. One thug grabbed me by the hair and another shoved me in a different direction. I noticed signs with expletives and my name on them. There was also an angry human on crutches, and I remember thinking to myself, “What are you doing? That’s so dangerous!” For those of you who marched in Washington the day after the inauguration, imagine being in a crowd like that, only being surrounded by hatred rather than love. I feared for my life...

RTWT.

ADDED: It's an excellent essay, but Professor Stanger unloads on President Trump in the conclusion, which blows it for me. I suppose she's trying to exonerate the left a bit, to justify leftist authoritarianism as a response to the so-called "evil" that President Trump's "unleashed." That's bullshit, and it's too bad. She otherwise offers a fine essay.

Charles Murray and the Flight 93 Election

At AoSHQ.

(Via Instapundit.)

I never did blog it at the time, but I recall some folks talking about it. It's the article, at the Claremont Review, "The Flight 93 Election."

I guess I was sold on this argument even before reading it, because Donald Trump didn't need to be anywhere near conservative for me. I just knew we needed him. We needed to give him a shot. To save the country.

(Ace also links Charles Murray's piece at AEI yesterday, "Reflections on the revolution in Middlebury.")