A Spy Plan Against the World’s Largest Leaker

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mahatma Gandhi

“A man is but a product of his thoughts. What he thinks he becomes.” – Ibid

Summer Heat Rises as Air Conditioners Proliferate: Summer’s not yet here, but because 90% of American households have air-conditioning, many people are already running theirs. Air-conditioning is concentrated mainly in the US, Japan and, increasingly, China. But for the 2.8 billion people living in other really hot countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, only about 8 percent of the population owns an air-conditioner. There are approximately 1.6 billion air-conditioning units today, but according to a report issued Tuesday by the International Energy Agency, that number is expected to rise to 5.6 billion units by 2050.

Why are those numbers important? Because there is growing concern that as other countries adopt America’s love of air-conditioners, the electricity used to power them will overburden electrical grids and increase planet-warming emissions. The greenhouse gases released by coal and natural gas alone, as they generate electricity to power all those air-conditioners, would nearly double by mid-century. And because those emissions would be contributing to global warming, the demand for more air-conditioning would also be going up, with much of the demand in India, China, and Indonesia.  

Having access to air-conditioning on hot days isn’t just a choice to be “cooler.” It can be a matter of life and death. Chicago’s 1995 heat wave killed more than 700 people, while severe heat waves in Europe in 2003 and 2010 killed tens of thousands each time. So the answer isn’t to get rid of air-conditioners; they just must be made more efficient.

– Elections in Malaysia May 9 saw a stunning upset victory by the opposition Hope Pact party coalition. It was quite a blow for Prime Minister Najib Razak, leader of the political machine in power for the past 61 years. Not only that, but his former sponsor, 92-year-old Mahathir Mohamad, is the leader of the opposition that ousted Najib, something not thought possible just a few months ago. Oh, and now that he’s been kicked to the curb, maybe Najib will be prosecuted for that multibillion-dollar corruption scandal he’s involved in. (NYT)

– Here’s something you don’t want to hear if you’re in the news media in Mexico: Since the country launched its militarized war on drug cartels a decade ago, Mexico has become a cemetery for journalists. Radio and television news host Juan Carlos Huerta was shot dead Tuesday on the first anniversary of reporter Javier Valdez’s murder. (The Guardian)

– “But what if they didn’t want a T-shirt showing a map that ran all the way around?” US clothing retailer The Gap has apologized for selling T-shirts in China that depicted only the mainland and not all the disputed regions Beijing regards as Chinese territories. (NPR)

– “We’re sorry AND we don’t want you to see why.” Days after Prime Minister Theresa May apologized for the UK’s role in the kidnap and torture of an opponent of former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, government lawyers tried to block the release of documents detailing the UK’s links to Gaddafi. Nigel Ashton, professor of international history at the London School of Economics, had requested the files under the Freedom of Information Act. (The Guardian)

More News Reads:

• Taliban Claim They’ve Taken Control of Western Afghan City, Farah (NYT)
• Israel’s violent rule increasingly driving liberal American Jews on to the streets(The Guardian)
• Israeli forces kill two Palestinians near border as Gaza buries dead (Reuters)
• EU paid Airbus billions in illegal subsidies, WTO rules (BBC)
• Leaked report warns Cambodia’s biggest dam could ‘literally kill’ Mekong river(The Guardian)

The State Policy Network (SPN), a coast-to-coast alliance of 66 right-wing think tanks, has launched an aggressive anti-union marketing drive to persuade public-sector trade union members to tear up their membership cards and stop paying dues. SPN will run opt-out campaigns which could result in unions losing 5% to 20% of their revenue, posing a direct threat to the progressive movement in America. SPN is funded by billionaire conservative donors like the Koch brothers and the Walton Family Foundation (the family behind Walmart). (The Guardian)

• Mueller’s Probe Is Even More Expansive Than It Seems (The Atlantic)
• 10 Children Living Amid Feces Were Tortured For ‘Sadistic Purpose,’ Police Say (NPR)
• Pence Is Trying to Control Republican Politics. Trump Aides Aren’t Happy.(NYT)
• How The Congressional Baseball Shooting Didn’t Become The Deadliest Political Assassination In American History (Buzzfeed)
• Battered By Bleaching, Florida’s Coral Reefs Now Face Mysterious Disease(NPR)

Ecuador’s Spy Plan Against the World’s Largest Leaker: Julian Assange, the controversial founder of the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, has been housed in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since 2012, when he showed up and asked for political asylum. It was granted by the then Ecuadorian president, Rafael Correa, and the then foreign minister, Ricardo Patiño. This set off a major diplomatic row with the British government, including hoards of police surrounding the building, ready to pounce should Assange set outside. Amidst this feverish activity, Correa authorized a secret protection program to safeguard Assange, called “Operation Guest,” (later changed to “Operation Hotel”). The assistance allowed Assange to continue with WikiLeaks and all its activities during the 2016 presidential campaign, and beyond.

It is now known that the hidden intelligence budget for protecting and supporting Assange over the years has cost Ecuador at least $5 million. And what started as protection for its “guest” somehow evolved into spying on its “guest.” An international security company and undercover agents monitored Assange’s visitors, embassy staff, and even the British police. He had visits from British politician and broadcaster Nigel Farage, members of European nationalist groups, and individuals linked to the Kremlin, along with hackers, activists, lawyers, and journalists. “Operation Hotel”–coupled with parallel covert actions–cost an average of at least $66,000 a month, spent to “protect” one of the world’s most high-profile fugitives. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

North Korea’s Texas Hold’em Diplomacy: The summit meeting scheduled for June 12 in Singapore between President Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un could be jeopardized. On Tuesday, Kim suspended talks with South Korea and warned that defensive military drills conducted by South Korea and the US were “provocative military disturbances.” Kim said the US should carefully consider the fate of the upcoming meeting, referencing the drills.

The White House appeared to be caught off guard by reports of Kim’s comments. The State Department confirmed it has received no information from Pyongyang about the status of the talks. Spokeswoman Heather Nauert defended the joint military drills and said the US had not heard of any disruptions to either the planned exercises or the upcoming summit.

Anthony Ruggiero, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said: “North Korea’s actions today are not surprising. They come straight from the Kim Jong Il playbook on negotiations: Raise expectations of a diplomatic breakthrough, cancel/suggest Pyongyang might cancel the meeting and then push for more concessions to have the meeting.” Ruggiero continued with some hard-line advice: “The Trump administration must see through this blatant attempt to coerce additional concessions. The US should continue the defensive military exercises and remind Kim that the maximum pressure campaign will be increased if North Korea pulls out of the summit.”

– Parenting in 2018 reflects the nervousness of our era: There are major parental differences between the haves and have nots, tons of traps for parents who aren’t cautious (like crazy YouTube videos), foods spiked with high sugar content, and social media filled with noise. But here’s what we should definitely know about our kids and teenagers: They need sleep and one’s peer group is really important. There’s also a “surprising benefit of moving and grooving with your kid.” (The Verge, NPR)

– “Advice in parenting books is typically based not on rigorous scientific studies as is at times claimed but on the opinions and experiences of the authors and on theories from past parenting manuals—sometimes as long as the 18th century. And “since the late 1700s, ‘experts’ have flip-flopped recommendations over and over, from advising strict routines and discipline to a more permissive, laissez-faire approach and back again.” (NPR)

– If kids can’t get answers from their parents, then increasingly they are leaning on Amazon’s Alexa to provide the answers: “Hey Alexa, What Are You Doing to My Kid’s Brain?” (Wired)

– Are our workplace bosses our new parents? “‘Employers are monitoring computers, toilet breaks – even emotions. Is your boss watching you? From microchip implants to wristband trackers and sensors that can detect fatigue and depression, new technology is enabling employers to watch staff in more and more intrusive ways. How worried should we be?” (The Guardian)

– Trump loves watching Fox News. So much so that companies are specifically targeting TV advertising on Fox News to influence him. This feels so much more legitimate than paying his fixer. But this also makes us even more depressed about what this says about the health of our nation. (WaPo, NYT)

– Trump likes his Fox News but doesn’t like the “deep state”: “How the Administration’s loyalists are quietly reshaping American governance. Amid purges, infighting, and loyalty tests, civil servants liken the Administration’s tactics to a ‘hostile takeover and occupation.’” (The New Yorker)

– News today might make you gulp and worry. If you can gulp, that’s a good thing – the following two articles reminded us to simply appreciate the joy of eating normal: “1 in 25 adults experience a swallowing disorder.” And to help those with such disorders, there are cookbooks that serve up gels, foams, and purees. And here’s “what to do if you find yourself choking—and no one’s around.” (NPR, The Takeout)

More Fascinating News:

• Number of billionaires worldwide surged to 2,754 in 2017 (The Guardian)
• Researchers Uncover Two Hidden Pages in Anne Frank’s Diary (NYT)
• Google Employees Resign in Protest Against Pentagon Contract (Gizmodo)

“A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.” – Gandhi

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