How to Get Caught Spying | The Republican Party’s Supreme Court | Your IQ Matters Less Than You Think

“Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation.” – Walter Cronkite

“A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special.” – Nelson Mandela

“Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas.” – Marie Curie

How to Get Caught Spying: Last April Dutch authorities apprehended four Russian intelligence IT specialists who were trying to execute a hacking attempt on the international chemical weapons watchdog’s headquarters in The Hague. The plan seemed so elementary and the arrest so obvious it almost didn’t feel like a serious plot. The four men travelled from Moscow on diplomatic passports, arriving at Amsterdam’s airport on April 10, 2018. They were met by a Russian embassy official. On April 11 the four hired a car and spent the next two days on reconnaissance near the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) headquarters in The Hague. At the time the OPCW was investigating both the use of chemical weapons in Syria and the nerve agent attack in March on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England.

On April 13 the men parked their rental car in the Marriott hotel lot next to the OPCW building and began taking photographs. The Dutch intelligence service MIVD had had the men under surveillance the entire time, and at this point, agents intervened and apprehended the four. Dutch officials also found and retrieved an arsenal of specialist electronic wifi equipment, an antenna, computer, battery, transformer, what’s known as a hacker’s “wifi pineapple”, numerous mobile phones, access codes for the OPCW, and bundles of cash in amounts of 20,000 British pounds and 20,000 US dollars. Had this plot worked, the Russians apparently intended to travel to a Swiss OPCW lab by train on April 17 (they had their tickets already). If they were homesick for some comrade company, they also had Google Maps printouts of Russian consulates in the Swiss cities of Berne and Geneva.

ADDITIONAL READ: On Thursday the US justice department announced seven Russian spies had been indicted on cyberhacking charges linked to the leaking of Olympic athletes’ drug test data, part of an alleged attempt to undermine efforts to tackle Russian doping. Among the seven were four Russian officers intercepted by Dutch authorities in a plot against the global chemical weapons watchdog. The justice department stated the Kremlin had ordered the hacking of private computers and networks around the world in a “lengthy and wide-ranging conspiracy.”

Step-Sister At Best: Osaka, Japan has ended its 50 year “sister city” ties with San Francisco. The decision was made last November, when a monument to the 200,000 Korean, Chinese and Filippino “comfort women” who were forced to work as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during WWII was officially accepted by the US city. (BBC)

Tin Foil Hats: Apple, Amazon and Super Micro Computer are all categorically denying a new report in Bloomberg Businessweek that says a Chinese military unit has been planting virtually undetectable, tiny microchips into computer servers, giving China unfettered access to anything the server did and allowing it to potentially steal data, contact other servers and alter operations. Super Micro Computer, based in San Jose, California, sold the alleged compromised hardware, which found its way into data centers and operations of 30 companies, banks, hedge funds and government contractors, according to the report. The attack was said to have been discovered in 2015 by US intelligence services, as well as by Apple and Amazon. The latter companies denied knowing about “a supply chain compromise, an issue with malicious chips, or hardware modifications…” (Guardian)

– “While Nestlé extracts millions of litres from their land, residents have no drinking water: Just 90 minutes from Toronto, residents of a First Nations community try to improve the water situation as the beverage company extracts from their land” (Guardian)

– “‘You Just Don’t Touch That Tap Water Unless Absolutely Necessary’: ‘I mean, like showers and things — you have to do what you have to do. But other than that, no,’ she says. ‘I don’t know anybody that does.’” (NPR)

A Dog Eat Dog Government: Nelson Mandela had dreamed of a unified, stable, democratic South Africa whose people were free to pursue an education denied them under apartheid. But the post-apartheid trajectory of Mandela’s own party, the African National Congress (ANC), shows how far, in the almost 25 years it has been in power, it has strayed from creating a political order based on the rule of law. Once in power, the common purpose that had driven ANC members to collectively fight institutionalized racism has devolved into fighting each other for money, turf, and more power. Political assassination at the hands of hired hit-men has become the fate of many officials who have tried to shed light on their party’s endemic corruption. One ANC whistleblower now in hiding said: “If you understand the Cosa Nostra, you don’t only kill the person, but you also send a strong message. We broke the rule of omerta.”

About 90 politicians have been killed since 2016, but the government seems unable, or unwilling, to forcibly act. The new president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has lamented that the assassinations are tarnishing Mandela’s dream. But he has done little to stem the violence, even resisting demands to provide police protection for two ANC whistleblowers in the case involving the 2017 murder of 34-year-old councilor Sindiso Magaqa, something that has baffled anti-corruption officials. Magaqa was a rising star in the ANC who had become a national figure, but after accusing party officials of pocketing millions in the failed refurbishment of a historic building, he and two of his allies were killed in rapid succession.

The Republican Party’s Supreme Court: The FBI report, ordered last week following emotional testimony from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who had accused him of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers, concluded two days early on Wednesday. A single copy of the 46 page report was made available for all 100 Senators to read. It contains summaries of interviews the FBI conducted with just nine people; neither Kavanaugh nor Ford was interviewed. Investigators did not interview more than a dozen alleged witnesses whose names were provided by Ford. Police arrested more than 300 protesters Thursday who had gathered in a Senate office building to oppose the nominee. Republicans vow to hold a confirmation vote on Saturday. (BBC)

– “The Senate Should Not Confirm Kavanaugh: Signed, 2,400+ Law Professors” (NYT)

– “Planning to Vote in the November Election? Why Most Americans Probably Won’t: ‘I just got to the point, I said, ‘I’m not going do it anymore,’ said Ms. Hill, sitting on a couch in the lobby of the hotel she owns and runs, the Hotel Madison, 30 miles south of Charleston. ‘I just can’t vote for any of them in good conscience.’”

It’s Just As Hard To Ask For Forgiveness: In 2007, a federal program was implemented to allow public servants to have their student loans forgiven. Sounds great, right? Not quite. This year, out of the 28,000 applicants, only 96 had their loans forgiven. 70% of applicants did not meet the necessary requirements and many of the ones that did meet them, incorrectly filled out their forms. Unfortunately, the company in charge of signups, FedLoan, was never given any type of manual or instructions on the exact terms of eligibility. Because of this, they are unable to adequately inform applicants when they are submitting often confusing forms. (NYT)

– “At Elite Colleges, Racial Diversity Requires Affirmative Action: A close look at the numbers shows that the only effective way to increase racial diversity at elite colleges is by considering race when deciding who gets in.” (NYT)

– “Your IQ Matters Less Than You Think: In studies of children and historical figures, IQ falls short as a measure of success.” (Nautilus)

– “VP Pence calls on Google to end work on a search engine for China.” (TechCrunch)

– “The Meritocracy Against Itself: How Ivy League resentments took over the Kavanaugh debate.” (NYT)

-”The American Civil War, Part II: The nation is deeply divided, with each side seeing the other as “the enemy.” (NYT)

– “I Found Trump’s Biggest Fan: Lynette Villano’s grandson doesn’t speak to her because of it, but she’s still one of the president’s most die-hard supporters. Are there enough Lynettes for Trump to win in 2020?” (Politico)

– “Should A State Execute A Killer So Impaired He No Longer Recalls The Crime?” (NPR)

– “The Future of War Will Be ‘Liked’: In the social media age, what you share is deciding what happens on the battlefield.” (Foreign Policy)

– “Russia Made The King Of Chess. The U.S. Dethroned Him.” (FiveThirtyEight)

– “Juan Romero, Busboy Who Cradled Dying RFK, Dies At 68” (NPR)

– “Queens of Infamy: The Rise of Catherine de’ Medici: Kings and popes thought she was their pawn. The Merchant’s Daughter begged to differ.” (Long Reads)

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” – Albert Einstein

Please consider making a donation to Daily Pnut, an independently operated and bootstrapped publication. Many thanks to everyone who already supports us!