«a nominee with an evenly divided net confirmation rating may not be as imperiled in the Senate as he used to be — as long as his party is behind him.»

Source: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/brett-kavanaugh-is-polling-like-robert-bork-and-harriet-miers/

Mmmm, PCMCIA. THERE’S a blast from the past. These machines are still being sold, apparently.

Alt. U.S. Press Sec. (@AltUSPressSec) Tweeted:
DMA is good because it lets your computer move data around without occupying the CPU.

But it’s very very bad when security is a factor, because it is so low-level it almost universally routes around almost all security features. https://t.co/D4PoYBEbdU https://twitter.com/AltUSPressSec/status/1020315889827287041?s=17

https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/freedom-world-2018

Wheee!

«A quarter-century ago, at the end of the Cold War, it appeared that totalitarianism had at last been vanquished and liberal democracy had won the great ideological battle of the 20th century.
Today, it is democracy that finds itself battered and weakened. For the 12th consecutive year, according to Freedom in the World, countries that suffered democratic setbacks outnumbered those that registered gains.

….
two long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and a global recession soured the public on extensive international engagement, and the perceived link between democracy promotion on the one hand and military interventions and financial costs on the other has had a lasting impact.
….
The president’s behavior stems in part from a frustration with the country’s democratic checks and balances, including the independent courts, a coequal legislative branch, the free press, and an active civil society. These institutions remained fairly resilient in 2017, but the administration’s statements and actions could ultimately leave them weakened, with serious consequences for the health of U.S. democracy and America’s role in the world.»

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/07/trump-voters-putin-russia/565592/

Oh, man:

«there hasn’t been much polling data measuring how Americans feel about foreign governments interfering in United States elections; up to now, disapproval has simply been presumed.»

Here’s an old article indicating that democracy itself is becoming less valued, around the world. I wonder if anybody has re-done any of these surveys in the last year and a half?

https://plus.google.com/+JohnLusk/posts/3PbTgc1LsZ1

joe (@JoePlenzler) Tweeted:
When I was in the military, I deconstructed every writing attributed to #UBL and Ayman Al Zawahiri of AQ & analyzed the persuasive tools they employed. They exploited the reality that humans are more rationalizing than rational. Logic and analysis are hard. Playing to gut works. https://twitter.com/JoePlenzler/status/1019962592738140161?s=17

Good read. Will not leave you feeling good at the end.

«Lane Davis was a far-right, pro-Trump media figure looking for his big break. Then he stabbed his father to death.»

Source: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/josephbernstein/lane-davis-ralph-retort-seattle4truth-alt-right

http://www.itv.com/news/2018-07-19/skripal-novichok-poisoning-suspects-identified/

Lovely:

«Investigators are working to the theory that the substance was in a discarded perfume bottle found by Dawn Sturgess, 44, and her partner Charlie Rowley, 45 in a park or somewhere in Salisbury city centre, the source said.

It is thought Ms Sturgess sprayed the Novichok straight on to her skin as it is understood she was exposed to at least 10 times the amount of nerve agent the Skripals came into contact with.»

I love how he just assumes wreckage is a given.

Check out @dmarusic’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/dmarusic/status/1019563067603083266?s=09

«At this point, it would be better to let the President openly do what he think needs doing rather than providing mendacious cover for it. If you don’t like his program, quit and work on rebuilding the wreckage later. Fin.»