By Lauren Weber
Friday February 20th, 2015
TOP STORIES
HACKERS STILL IN STATE DEPARTMENT SYSTEM The U.S. has been unable to expel hackers from its unclassified State Department email system three months after their presence was discovered. Sources believe the hackers are of a Russian origin. [WSJ]
THE SIM HEIST: FORGET THE PRIVACY OF YOUR CELL PHONE CONVERSATIONS "American and British spies hacked into the internal computer network of the largest manufacturer of SIM cards in the world, stealing encryption keys used to protect the privacy of cellphone communications across the globe, according to top-secret documents provided to The Intercept by National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden." [The Intercept]
THE DANGER OF RIGHT-WING SOVEREIGN CITIZEN EXTREMISTS "They're carrying out sporadic terror attacks on police, have threatened attacks on government buildings and reject government authority. A new intelligence assessment, circulated by the Department of Homeland Security earlier this month and reviewed by CNN, focuses on the domestic terror threat from right-wing sovereign citizen extremists, and comes as the Obama administration holds a White House conference to focus efforts to fight violent extremism." [CNN]
DID BILL O'REILLY LIE ABOUT HIS WAR EXPERIENCE? Mother Jones thinks so. [Mother Jones]
CHRIS CHRISTIE FACING DONOR EXODUS The former 2016 shoo-in is facing a crisis of support. And as he loses momentum, Jeb Bush is swooping in for the kill. [NYT]
CLINTON FOUNDATION TO RECONSIDER FOREIGN INVESTMENTS If Hillary runs for president, according to a statement released yesterday. [WSJ]
RUDY GIULIANI CONTINUES TO DIG HIMSELF INTO A HOLE "Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) defended his accusation that Obama doesn't love America by arguing that Obama's upbringing by a white mother and attendance of a white school made his statement not racist." [HuffPost]
AS WALMART RAISES MINIMUM WAGE FOR 500,000 WORKERS, OTHER COMPANIES COULD FEEL THE HEAT The retail giant will raise the salaries of over half a million workers to $9 this spring and $10 by 2016. Observers hope the move is motivated by "coldhearted business strategy," which would in turn force the rise of employee salaries across the U.S. [NYT]
WHAT’S BREWING
SHARED STADIUM PROPOSAL FOR OAKLAND, SAN DIEGO "The Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers are planning a shared stadium in the Los Angeles area if both teams fail to get new stadium deals in their current hometowns, the teams said in a joint statement Thursday night, adding another layer of complexity to a possible NFL return to the region. The proposed $1.7-billion stadium would be in Carson, 15 miles south of downtown Los Angeles and home to the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team." So does this mean the St. Louis Rams are staying put? [AP]
MSNBC CANCELS 'REID REPORT' 'RONAN FARROW DAILY' "Thomas Roberts, who most recently hosted 'Way Too Early,' will now anchor from 1-3 p.m as part of the network's push to bring more straight news coverage to its dayside programming. Reid will serve as the MSNBC's national correspondent and appear as a regular contributor on the network's primetime programs. Farrow will stay on as a special correspondent and also host a series of primetime specials in which he interviews politicians, celebrities and public figures." [HuffPost]
WIN YOUR OSCARS POOL WITH A BETTOR'S OUTLOOK Because Vegas odds don't lie. [NYT]
THE DECLINE OF DIETS AROUND THE WORLD While the trend of putting bacon on everything isn't soley to blame, it's certainly not helping. [WaPo]
THE FALL OF LADY GAGA What happened to the former superstar? [HuffPost]
'THE POWDERPUFF GIRLS' ARE RETURNING It's a good day for justice on Cartoon Network. [HuffPost]
THE FIRST 'MAD MEN' TEASER FOR THE FINAL SEASON IS HERE Welcome to the 70s. [HuffPost]
JULIE ANDREWS, CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER TALK 'SOUND OF MUSIC' After 50 years, the hills are still alive. [Vanity Fair]
WHAT THE UCLA 'SUPERBUG' DOES TO YOUR BODY "Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae is a class of germs that is highly resistant to treatment with antibiotics … Infections with CRE are very difficult to treat and can be deadly. Because CRE is a group of germs, different kinds lead to different illnesses, including pneumonia, urinary tract infections and bloodstream infections, according to the CDC." [HuffPost]
WHY CRAFTERS ARE LEAVING ETSY Truth is, "David has turned into Goliath." [Wired]
ON THE BLOG
DEAR NEW MAMA "Here you are, sitting in the dark, waiting for your husband to get home and relieve you, wondering if you can really do this, because it's only been three days and you're so worn out you can barely think straight, and just today you found yourself wishing you could go back to the way it was before -- when you didn't have a baby who woke up screaming in the middle of the night, when you didn't have to worry about counting those wet and dirty diapers, when your body belonged to you and not someone else." [HuffPost]
BEFORE YOU GO
~ Photoshop before there was photoshop.
~ How to spend $300,000 on one dinner in Vegas.
~ The first trailer for the "Richie, Rich" Netflix reboot.
~ YouTube is launching an app for kids today.
~ Kim Jong Un got a haircut.
~ The return of JNCO jeans.
~ Meet the world's oldest twins.
~ There will be a J.J. Abrams Thomas Edison biopic.
~ Kim Kardashian's TBT photo yesterday was of her and Paris HIlton's 2006 trip to Ibiza. Remember when Kim was Paris's assistant? That was a thing.
~ Deciphering NYC's street markings.
~ "Two and a Half Men" ends with a whimper.
~ Can Will Smith sing "Gettin' Jiggy With It" more often?
~ Get "Cold Turkey," the "SelfControl" app that blocks your social media and games for PCs.
~ Congrats go out to Jaime King, who is pregnant with her second child after a public struggle with infertility.
~ Mo'Nique says she's been blackballed after her Oscar win.
~ Send emails in your handwriting.
~ And red pandas playing in the snow. Happy Friday.
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