23

Archived version

Nation-state threat actors backed by Beijing broke into a "handful" of U.S. internet service providers (ISPs) as part of a cyber espionage campaign orchestrated to glean sensitive information, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

The activity has been attributed to a threat actor that Microsoft tracks as Salt Typhoon, which is also known as FamousSparrow and GhostEmperor.

"Investigators are exploring whether the intruders gained access to Cisco Systems routers, core network components that route much of the traffic on the internet," the publication was quoted as saying, citing people familiar with the matter.

The end goal of the attacks is to gain a persistent foothold within target networks, allowing the threat actors to harvest sensitive data or launch a damaging cyber attack.

23
submitted 20 hours ago by tardigrada@beehaw.org to c/politics@beehaw.org

Many Americans still don't know about Project 2025, the plans Republicans will implement if Trump becomes president. There's a hilarious but scary 'Schoolhouse Rock' video (4 min) about Trump's Project 2025 that's worth watching and sharing. Just like the original Schoolhouse Rock videos, the simple song explains the horrible details of Trump's plan in a way that gets the point across.

In another must-watch video on Trump's Project 2025, Mehdi Hassan summarizes all 30 chapters of Project 2025 in just two minutes. Watch this video and share it with people who haven't heard about Trump's plan to turn America into a theocracy.

[-] tardigrada@beehaw.org 4 points 20 hours ago

Read Trump's Project 2025. It's aiming at the same things.

[-] tardigrada@beehaw.org 6 points 22 hours ago

You have not been alone with this if I may say so :-))

15
submitted 23 hours ago by tardigrada@beehaw.org to c/politics@beehaw.org

Archived version

If you are a U.S. citizen living overseas, for more information about voting from abroad you may go to: https://www.fvap.gov

With his "absurd and baseless rant on 'Truth' Social, Americans abroad join a host of other groups of US citizens Donald Trump has threatened and feels shouldn’t be allowed to participate in our elections," the organization says in a statement.

"This represents yet another assault by Trump on the 'suckers and losers' he believes make up the US military; the Department of Defense is the agency entrusted with administering the entire overseas voter program."

[...]

Democrats Abroad International Chair Martha McDevitt-Pugh had this to say in response to Trump's un-’Truth’:

“Trump’s Project 2025 campaign is premised on stripping away the rights and freedoms that Americans enjoy. Now this election denying, two-time popular vote loser is attempting to preemptive delegitimize the votes of deployed military and civilian voters abroad. That we’re in Trump's head, and he perceives us as a threat to his scraping a win, is yet more evidence of the critical importance of overseas voters and Democrats Abroad, which mobilizes them. We expect many Americans abroad to use votefromabroad.org and help finally turn the page on this MAGA-maniac. As Vice President Harris says ‘when we vote, we win!”

48

Archived version

Yesterday we learned that Kevin Roberts, the cosplaying Yall Qaeda coal roller truck driving, Lucchese cowboy boot-wearing president of the Heritage Foundation whose Project 2025 preaches the centrality of “the family” as the foundation of American society, a foundation to be achieved in part by forcing impregnated incest and rape victims to give birth, is so far astray from the teachings of Jesus that he reportedly once bragged about killing a neighbors’ dog with a shovel.

[...]

Today [...] Opus Dei [a Catholic organization that exists today at the red-hot center of the judicial and right-wing donor world in Washington D.C.] has achieved influence at the highest echelon of American power. The organization has been increasingly active in Washington since at least the early 1990s when it set up shop at 15th and K — the heart of the capital lobbying industry. From there, one of its priests (wearing a spiked garter under his robes to restrict his bodily urges) converted at least a half dozen of the top right-wingers in Washington to the Opus Dei brand of regressive Catholicism. Among his converts — future Trump administration National Economic Advisor Larry Kudlow, and other men in the highest echelons of American law and government — future House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Senator Sam Brownback, failed Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork, and many other leaders who found themselves in need to priestly guidance.

Some of the most powerful figures in American politics and political finance today have Opus Dei connections. One of the most effective Opus Dei-affiliated Catholics in DC today is Leonard Leo, bagman for rightist billionaires, who spent decades working to capture the federal judiciary for the anti-choice movement. Five of the six members of the right side of the Supreme Court are right-wing Catholic — Chief Justice Roberts, Amy Coney Barrett, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh who replaced Opus Dei adjacent Antonin Scalia after Mitch McConnell refused to let Obama fill his vacancy for almost a year. These modern-day priest-kings have been working to force American law into line with a creed most Americans — including the vast majority of Catholics — reject — all under the guise of “religious freedom.”

[...]

31

Archived version

Democratic group launches legal fund to help secretaries of state in key U.S. states defend against an anticipated post-election deluge of lawsuits.

In plans shared first with NBC News, the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State plans to spend at $5 million to support top election officials in Maine, Michigan, North Carolina and Nevada. Officials with the group said they may expand their reach to other states as needed and could spend more if fundraising is strong.

The group began aggressively raising money and campaigning to elect Democratic secretaries of state, who oversee elections in many states, in the wake of former President Donald Trump's false claims of voter fraud in 2020. It first funneled money to deal with postelection litigation to then-Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs in 2022 to deal with postelection litigation.

“This is us trying to help our people but also help democracy,” said Travis Brimm, the group’s executive director.

4

Archived version

Vladimir Putin’s statements about the Kremlin’s updated nuclear doctrine reveal his fear that Ukraine might be allowed to use long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russia, Lithuanian Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas has said.

“We have all heard Putin’s words; I believe the key message is not what he said, but that when he talks about the new concept, he clearly signals that granting long-range strike capabilities to Ukraine is a really important issue he fears,” Kasčiūnas told a press conference on Thursday.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, who is visiting Lithuania on Thursday, said the West is not intimidated by Putin’s “nuclear rhetoric”.

“I can reiterate that this is Putin’s rhetoric; he speaks loudly and spreads his threats, and we should not be intimidated by that. We will do what we consider right. He can spread this through his channels, but it will not scare us,” Pistorius said.

[...]

Putin said later on Wednesday that the changes [in the political situation] would allow Russia to launch a nuclear response to a “massive air attack”.

Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had not yet received permission from the United States or the United Kingdom to use long-range missiles to strike targets on Russian territory.

[Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky is urging the West to allow this, but Washington is seeking more detailed information on how Kyiv would use these weapons and how their use would fit into a broader war strategy

[...]

17
submitted 1 day ago by tardigrada@beehaw.org to c/news@beehaw.org

A Hong Kong Court has jailed two journalists who led a pro-democracy newspaper after they were found guilty in a landmark sedition case last month.

Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam, editors at the now-defunct Stand News media outlet, had published articles about the crackdown on civil liberties in the city under China.

Chung was sentenced to 21 months, while Lam was given 11 months, but was released on medical grounds. The publisher behind Stand News - Best Pencil - has been fined HK$5,000 (US$643; £480).

It is the first sedition case against journalists in Hong Kong since the territory's handover from Britain to China in 1997.

After a lengthy trial, which began in October 2022 and was originally scheduled to last just 20 days, district court judge Kwok Wai-kin Kwok found that 11 articles published by Stand News were seditious and that Stand News had become a "danger to national security".

Their newspaper's editorial line supported "Hong Kong local autonomy", Mr Kwok said in a written statement.

"It even became a tool to smear and vilify the Central Authorities [in Beijing] and the [Hong Kong] SAR Government," he added.

4

A Hong Kong Court has jailed two journalists who led a pro-democracy newspaper after they were found guilty in a landmark sedition case last month.

Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam, editors at the now-defunct Stand News media outlet, had published articles about the crackdown on civil liberties in the city under China.

Chung was sentenced to 21 months, while Lam was given 11 months, but was released on medical grounds. The publisher behind Stand News - Best Pencil - has been fined HK$5,000 (US$643; £480).

It is the first sedition case against journalists in Hong Kong since the territory's handover from Britain to China in 1997.

After a lengthy trial, which began in October 2022 and was originally scheduled to last just 20 days, district court judge Kwok Wai-kin Kwok found that 11 articles published by Stand News were seditious and that Stand News had become a "danger to national security".

Their newspaper's editorial line supported "Hong Kong local autonomy", Mr Kwok said in a written statement.

"It even became a tool to smear and vilify the Central Authorities [in Beijing] and the [Hong Kong] SAR Government," he added.

13
submitted 1 day ago by tardigrada@beehaw.org to c/news@beehaw.org

Archived version

Vladimir Putin’s statements about the Kremlin’s updated nuclear doctrine reveal his fear that Ukraine might be allowed to use long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russia, Lithuanian Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas has said.

“We have all heard Putin’s words; I believe the key message is not what he said, but that when he talks about the new concept, he clearly signals that granting long-range strike capabilities to Ukraine is a really important issue he fears,” Kasčiūnas told a press conference on Thursday.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, who is visiting Lithuania on Thursday, said the West is not intimidated by Putin’s “nuclear rhetoric”.

“I can reiterate that this is Putin’s rhetoric; he speaks loudly and spreads his threats, and we should not be intimidated by that. We will do what we consider right. He can spread this through his channels, but it will not scare us,” Pistorius said.

[...]

Putin said later on Wednesday that the changes [in the political situation] would allow Russia to launch a nuclear response to a “massive air attack”.

Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had not yet received permission from the United States or the United Kingdom to use long-range missiles to strike targets on Russian territory.

[Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky is urging the West to allow this, but Washington is seeking more detailed information on how Kyiv would use these weapons and how their use would fit into a broader war strategy

[...]

[-] tardigrada@beehaw.org 2 points 1 day ago

Jan. 6 investigator says he has ‘receipts’ on Clarence and Ginni Thomas -- (archived version)

A former House GOP lawmaker says Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should be removed from the bench over his “unethical” behavior and taunted people to challenge him.

“Come at me. I got receipts,” Denver Riggleman posted to X, calling Thomas’ wife, Ginni Thomas, “disturbed.”

Riggleman posted in response to a clip of Donald Trump saying at a rally that “people should be put in jail for the way they talk about our judges and justices.”

“Clarence Thomas is, at the least, unethical. Should be removed from the bench. His wife, Ginni Thomas, is disturbed. Come at me. I got receipts.” Riggleman said.

[-] tardigrada@beehaw.org 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Just stumbled upon this blog post: Elsevier selling access to an open access article, again (2024 edition)

Addition: It's really time to change this system.

44

Archived version

Cannon went to an event in Arlington, Virginia, honoring the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, according to documents obtained from the Law and Economics Center at George Mason University. At a lecture and private dinner, she sat among members of Scalia’s family, fellow Federalist Society members and more than 30 conservative federal judges. Organizers billed the event as “an excellent opportunity to connect with judicial colleagues.”

A 2006 rule, intended to shine a light on judges’ attendance at paid seminars that could pose conflicts or influence decisions, requires them to file disclosure forms for such trips within 30 days and make them public on the court’s website.

It’s not the first time she has failed to fully comply with the rule.

In 2021 and 2022, Cannon took weeklong trips to the luxurious Sage Lodge in Pray, Montana, for legal colloquiums sponsored by George Mason, which named its law school for Scalia thanks to $30 million in gifts that conservative judicial kingmaker Leonard Leo helped organize.

Current rates for standard rooms at Sage Lodge can exceed $1,000 per night, depending on the season. With both Montana trips, Cannon’s required seminar disclosures were not posted until NPR reporters asked about the omissions this year as part of a broader national investigation of gaps in judicial disclosures.

Cannon did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

[...]

49
submitted 1 day ago by tardigrada@beehaw.org to c/news@beehaw.org

Speaking on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the actress pointed out that even animals had more rights now in Afghanistan following increased restrictions on women.

In response, a Taliban spokesman said they "highly respected" women and would "never compare them to cats".

Streep's comments come after the Taliban government last month introduced a new set of "morality laws".

Among other things, these rules state that women's voices can no longer be heard in public and that they are not allowed to look directly at men they are not related to by blood or marriage.

The measures add to a litany of restrictions that the regime has imposed on Afghan women and girls since returning to power three years ago.

Women have to completely cover their faces and bodies when leaving their homes. Women and girls are also prevented from going to schools, parks, gyms and sport clubs. There are restrictions on the type of work that they are allowed to do.

"Today in Kabul a female cat has more freedom than a woman. A cat may go sit on her front stoop and feel the sun on her face, she may chase a squirrel in the park," Streep said on Monday at an event to raise awareness of Afghan women's rights at the UN headquarters in New York.

[-] tardigrada@beehaw.org 4 points 1 day ago

As parts of the U.S. prepare for the landfall of the Hurricane this week, a friendly reminder that Donald Trump's Project 2025 would eliminate the National Weather Service and NOAA.

75

Archived version

Immigrants are no longer welcome in Donald Trump’s America. Instead, the Republican presidential nominee posited that under his potential second administration, he would round up and mass-deport noncitizens based on their “serial numbers.”

Speaking with Full Measure’s Sharyl Attkisson, Trump argued that the United States—which was founded by and has historically been a nation of immigrants—shouldn’t be a “dumping ground” for newcomers.

[...]

Attkisson then asked Trump how he even intends to carry out mass deportations. “A lot of the millions of people have had children who are American citizens, and don’t you think the first time there is an image on television of a family tearfully being told to board a bus that that whole program would end?” she asked.

Trump agreed and offered a solution: less media coverage.

“That’s right,” he said. “If you take a young woman with two beautiful children, and you put her on a bus, and it ends up on the front page of every newspaper. It makes it a lot harder."

[...]

[-] tardigrada@beehaw.org 48 points 4 weeks ago

Naomi Wu and the Silence That Speaks Volumes (August 2023)


[Archived version]

When China's prodigious tech influencer, Naomi Wu, found herself silenced, it wasn't just the machinery of a surveillance state at play. Instead, it was a confluence of state repression and the sometimes capricious attention of a Western audience that, as she asserts, often views Chinese activists more as ideological tokens than as genuine human beings.

[...]

Naomi Wu's devastating July 7th [2023] tweet alluded to a pressure that had long been feared by many, yet optimistically hoped she could manage to avoid indefinitely.

Ok for those of you that haven't figured it out I got my wings clipped and they weren't gentle about it- so there's not going to be much posting on social media anymore and only on very specific subjects. I can leave but Kaidi can't so we're just going to follow the new rules and…

— Naomi Wu 机械妖姬 (@RealSexyCyborg) July 8, 2023

[-] tardigrada@beehaw.org 33 points 2 months ago

Trump Rally Gunman Was ‘Definitely Conservative,’ classmates recall


(Archived)

Why Thomas Matthew Crooks tried to assassinate Donald Trump is a mystery to investigators and his ex-classmates [...]

[Former classmate] Max R. Smith recalled taking an American history course with Crooks as a sophomore. He did recall Crooks making political statements — but they shed no light on his actions Saturday.

“He definitely was conservative,” he said. “It makes me wonder why he would carry out an assassination attempt on the conservative candidate.”

Smith recalled a mock debate in which their history professor posed government policy questions and asked students to stand on one side of the classroom or the other to signal their support or opposition for a given proposal.

“The majority of the class were on the liberal side, but Tom, no matter what, always stood his ground on the conservative side,” Smith said. “That’s still the picture I have of him. Just standing alone on one side while the rest of the class was on the other.”

[-] tardigrada@beehaw.org 36 points 3 months ago

One thing that's obvious here on Lemmy is that whataboutism works only in one direction. If an article is critical of China, Russia, Iran, or other dictatorships, you'd read, "But about U.S./EU/the West". But there are tons of articles here critical of Western countries, and it's accepted. Why is this? Just wumaos?

[-] tardigrada@beehaw.org 30 points 4 months ago

Yeah, his name is Abdulaziz Alwasil.

Human Rights Watch says about women's rights in Saudi Arabia:

The Personal Status Law [in Saudi Arabia] requires women to obtain a male guardian’s permission to marry, codifying the country’s longstanding practice. Married women are required to obey their husbands in a “reasonable manner.” The law further states that neither spouse may abstain from sexual relations or cohabitation without the other spouse’s consent, implying a marital right to intercourse.

While a husband can unilaterally divorce his wife, a woman can only petition a court to dissolve their marriage contract on limited grounds and must “establish [the] harm” that makes the continuation of marriage “impossible” within those grounds. The law does not specify what constitutes “harm” or what evidence can be submitted to support a case, leaving judges wide discretion in the law’s interpretation and enforcement to maintain the status quo.

Fathers remain the default guardians of their children, limiting a mother’s ability to participate fully in decisions related to her child’s social and financial well-being. A mother may not act as her child’s guardian unless a court appoints her, and she will otherwise have limited authority to make decisions for her child’s well-being, even in cases where the parents do not live together and judicial authorities decide that the child should live with the mother.

[-] tardigrada@beehaw.org 47 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Amazon has been having problems with books written by LLMs for almost a year, and it doesn't appear to do anything about it. For example:

AI Detection Startups Say Amazon Could Flag AI Books. It Doesn't (Sep 2023)

A new nightmare for writers shows how AI deepfakes could upend the book industry—and Amazon isn't helping (August 2023)

These are just two examples, you'll find many more. But people keep buying there and support this business.

[Edit typo.]

[-] tardigrada@beehaw.org 52 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

I don't want to disturb the thread here about religion, islam, and the like, but the point here is that a young girl was forced into a marriage at the age of 15, then raped and beaten by her 'husband', and then hanged by an autocratic regime because she obviously found no other way out of the horror. The Iranian regime is in charge of that, the people responsible are to be held accountable, rather than any religion, ideology, or the like.

[-] tardigrada@beehaw.org 31 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

@umbrella

There is ample evidence that China is suppressing its own people, including prohibiting emigration. One good source among many is the Safeguard Defenders, an NGO focusing on China.

You'll find many good sources, including here on Lemmy. The situation has even been getting worse in recent years.

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tardigrada

joined 2 years ago