Image 01 Image 03

Russia Tag

Fidget spinners -- a $5 annoyance that can be purchased at gas stations, grocery stores, and every other place things are sold. I can only assume they were invented by grandparents in what they believed was a hilariously vengeful move. Teachers hate them, kids love them. Contrary to some claims, there's zero evidence these spinning gadgets help youngsters with difficulty focusing.

Since German Chancellor Angela Merkel embarked on her feckless and reckless refugee policy, Germany has encountered many problems with rising crime rates.  The latest serious problem is a gang of self-appointed "Sharia police" who are terrorizing women and gay people in Berlin. The International Business Times reports:
A gang of armed Chechen Muslims are terrorising women in Germany who do not adhere to their strict interpretation of the Quran. Reports suggest up to 100 men belong to the vigilante group, which 'punishes' Chechen women who are seen to behave immorally, including fraternising with non-Chechen men, smoking, drinking or visiting swimming pools.

The Petya ransomeware took off yesterday across the globe, affecting state-owned and private businesses in Russia, Europe, and the U.S. The BBC has now reported that it "may have started via corrupted updates on a piece of accountancy software." The ransomeware hit Ukraine hardest since it attacked the country's "power grid, banks and government offices" and disrupted some flights at Kyiv's Boryspil Airport. Other companies hit included pharmaceutical giant Merck and Russia's state owned energy company Rosneft.

Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson testified before the House Intelligence Committee over the Russia probe into possible interference and collusion into our presidential election. Last summer, the Democrats accused the Russians of hacking into their system after a trove of emails appeared on Wikileaks. But Johnson told the committee that the DNC didn't want DHS's help with the investigation.

Tuesday, Attorney General Sessions testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee to answer questions about former FBI Director Comey and Russia. The hearing began at 2:30 EST. We updated this post real-time during the hearing, so you'll find highlights in sequential order.

30 years ago today, President Reagan stood before the Brandenburg Gate in western Germany and demanded Mikhail Gorbechav “tear down this wall.” Two years later, the wall was gone, and families separated by the wall were reunited. Known now as the "Berlin Wall" speech, Reagan's address is one of the most iconic addresses of his presidency and of the era. His words remain as true today as they were thirty years ago.

Progressive media outlets have been feeding the "resist we much" mobs since President Trump's election, and one of their favorite lines of attack has been hammering the Russia "collusion" / "hacking" non-story.  Recently, however, progressive sites have been warning against pursuing it . . . even as Democrat politicians stay focused on it, seemingly to the exclusion of all else.  As Comey gets ready to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee, it will be interesting to see how this all plays out. Among those calling for Democrats to pivot away from "the Russia story" are the editor and publisher of The Nation, the Daily Kos, the Young Turks.  What is not entirely clear is why they are urging this shift after spending so much devoted, almost single-mindedly, to it.

Speaking at a tech conference in California this week, Hillary Clinton launched into another diatribe about the forces which conspired against her in the 2016 election. In the process, she referred to her very real email scandal as a "nothing burger." Douglas Ernst writes at the Washington Times:
Hillary Clinton says email server scandal ‘biggest nothing-burger’ of 2016 election Hillary Clinton says her secret email server scandal was the “biggest nothing-burger” of the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

A large-scale ransomware attack, WannaCry, that infected computers all over the world left governments, health care institutions, and companies reeling. Britain's National Health Service was infected, resulting in the temporary closure of some emergency rooms. Ransomware infects a computer, locking users out of certain applications or files until a ransom is paid. PC casualties were expected to rise today as workers return to work to find WannaCry infecting their work PCs.