Daily News Dump – February 17

Trump attacks McConnell as ‘political hack,’ says he will back pro-Trump candidates

“Former president Donald Trump lashed out at Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday for a “lack of political insight, wisdom, skill, and personality,” just days after the Senate — with McConnell’s help — acquitted Trump on the impeachment charge that he incited the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

The lengthy and personal diatribe, issued through an affiliated super PAC, confirmed that Trump plans to be an active combatant in the battle for the direction of the Republican Party that threatens to play out in the months and years to come.

It escalated that growing rift in the party about whether it will be controlled by pro-Trump forces unwilling to question the actions and record of the former president or those viewed as more traditional Republicans focused on building the party around a political philosophy that will resonate with more voters.” via The Washington Post

Angry’s Thoughts: I’ve read the book, and I’m pretty sure the turtle *always* beats the hare (or the hair, in this case).

Rate of new coronavirus cases declining around the world, WHO says

“The number of new coronavirus cases has declined by 16 percent worldwide over the past week, the World Health Organization said, even as more virulent strains of the virus spurred outbreaks in multiple regions. There has been a 10 percent reduction in the number of global deaths over the past week, as well, the agency added.

Europe and the Americas, including the United States, in particular, have seen the greatest drops in new infections. The number of new U.S. cases has fallen by 23.7 percent in the past week; nearly 28 million cases and 486,000 deaths have been reported in the past year.” via The Washington Post

Angry’s Thoughts: This is great news, but it’s important that we don’t spike the football too early. Vaccine rollout is increasing in most places, and that is obviously playing a part – in addition to the apparent seasonality of covid-19 – but we have to keep our foot on the gas if we actually want to get past this thing.

Democrats demand answers about USPS delays and question postmaster general’s leadership

“Congressional Democrats are calling on Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to protect the country’s mail from future delivery delays and raising questions about his leadership, urging President Joe Biden to fill vacancies on the US Postal Service’s Board of Governors so that the board can “seriously consider” whether the Trump administration appointee “is suitable to continue in his role.”

In two separate letters sent to DeJoy and Biden this week, scores of Democratic lawmakers raised a number of complaints about the postmaster general, who has told those close to him he wants to stay in his role under the new President, two sources told CNN earlier this month, despite his troubled tenure at the helm of the USPS and his background as a supporter and donor to former President Donald Trump.

Together, the two letters underscore the party’s deep frustration with DeJoy, whose decisions in the run-up to the 2020 election were criticized by Democrats for hamstringing USPS at a time when many Americans were relying on it to cast mail-in ballots. Federal judges across the country issued unprecedented decisions to temporarily block DeJoy’s changes from being implemented ahead of the election.” via CNN

Angry’s Thoughts: There should be no “seriously considering.” DeJoy should be replaced as soon as possible. If that means completely revamping the Board of Governors in order to make it happen, so be it.

At this point, I’m disgusted that DeJoy hasn’t be criminally charged. He tried to steal an election, and he came entirely too close to actually doing it.

More than 11 million counterfeit N95 masks seized in recent weeks, DHS says

“The Department of Homeland Security has seized more than 11 million counterfeit N95 masks meant for front-line workers in recent weeks, officials said Wednesday. It was the latest reported victory in a long-running battle against fraudulent attempts to profit from the coronavirus pandemic.

The seizures stem from operations in five states, “with more enforcement actions expected in the coming weeks,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said at a news briefing. Officials say they expect criminal charges and underscored the danger of fraudulent protective gear that gives first responders a false sense of security.” via The Washington Post

Angry’s Thoughts: Disgusting.. PPE is quite literally the only thing keeping healthcare workers alive right now. It’s gross – but ultimately unsurprising – that we’re seeing attempts to profit off of this.

Biden team struggles to specify when schools will open, normalcy will return

“Anthony S. Fauci, the country’s leading infectious-disease expert, has said Americans can expect a return to normalcy by this fall. President Biden suggested on Tuesday that a better estimate for a return to the pre-pandemic normal would be Christmas.

Both goals come long after the end of July, when Biden promises there will be enough vaccine doses for every American, which is the benchmark that many people had believed would allow life to resume its normal course.

As the country approaches the one-year mark of the pandemic’s isolation and restrictions, the Biden administration is struggling to give precise, consistent answers to two key questions: When will the pandemic truly be behind us? And, short of that, when can children safely return to school?

Biden himself has blamed miscommunication for some of the inconsistency, but his administration — which has promised to use science and data as the basis for pivotal decisions — is also grappling with the fact that science and data don’t produce answers as tidy or linear as campaign promises.” via The Washington Post

Angry’s Thoughts: Breaking News: Pandemic that was ignored for 12 months can’t be fixed overnight.

I understand and respect the role the media has to play in holding officials accountable, but headlines like these are absolutely asinine. They spent four years acting like Trump was a normal President, and now it’s like they’re almost desperate to make it look like Biden is blundering, even as we’re seeing positive, quantifiable results in the trajectory of the pandemic.

Judge orders 2 Capitol insurrection suspects to remain in jail

A federal judge has ruled that two of the most memorable participants in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol should remain in jail while their trial is pending.

Eric Munchel, who notoriously hopped a guardrail in the Senate chamber while armed with a taser and zip ties, along with his mother, Lisa Eisenhart, espouse ideas so dangerous and chilling that they couldn’t safely be released into the community, U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth ruled on Wednesday.

Though neither defendant has an extensive criminal history or posed a serious risk of flight, Lamberth leaned heavily on their statements to local media — embracing armed revolution, and expressing willingness to commit violence and even die to stop the election results — as proof they would be dangerous to others.

“The Court takes Eisenhart at her word,” Lamberth, an appointee of President Ronald Reagan, wrote in a 17-page order he issued shortly after a hearing held via Zoom. “She, like her son, invoked the American Revolution, indicating support for violent revolt. In fact, she even indicated that she was willing to give her life in support of her cause. Thus, Eisenhart, too, has indicated that she is willing to repeat her behavior.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: I don’t know about you guys, but I’m thoroughly enjoying watching some of these people face the consequences of their actions for what seems to be the first time ever.

Munchel was the one I focused on helping identify from the beginning, because it was obvious that he wasn’t just there to look around. I’m glad he’s being denied release. Here’s to hoping they keep him for a a year or twenty.

North Korean hackers are ‘the world’s leading bank robbers,’ U.S. charges

Federal prosecutors on Wednesday announced charges against three North Korean government hackers accused of participating in a wide range of cyberattacks, including the destructive 2014 assault on Sony Pictures Entertainment hack, the global WannaCry ransomware attack in 2017 and a range of digital bank heists.

The three men — Jon Chang Hyok, Kim Il and Park Jin Hyok — worked for North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau, whose aggressive cyber teams are known by security researchers as the Lazarus Group or APT 38, the Justice Department said.

The newly unsealed indictment, building on earlier charges against Park for his alleged role in Pyongyang’s cyberattacks, adds new information about multiple criminal schemes, including a series of breaches of banks targeting more than $1.2 billion; infections of ATMs with malware that allowed unlimited withdrawals; digital extortion schemes using ransomware; and the development and distribution of fake, malware-laden cryptocurrency apps that opened backdoors into victims’ computer networks.

It also incorporates earlier allegations about North Korea’s role in the massive Sony hack, which allegedly retaliated for the studio’s release of a satirical film about leader Kim Jong Un, and the WannaCry ransomware outbreak, which infected networks in 150 countries and may have caused as much as $4 billion in losses.

“North Korea’s operatives, using keyboards rather than guns, stealing digital wallets of cryptocurrency instead of sacks of cash, are the world’s leading 21st century nation-state bank robbers,” John Demers, the assistant attorney general for national security, told reporters during a press call.” via Politico

Angry’s Thoughts: If you haven’t read about the exploits of Lazarus Group/APT 38, you definitely should – they don’t get as much media coverage as the other major players in the cyber arena (CYBERCOM, PLA Unit 61398, GRU, etc.), but they’re easily one of the most prolific offensive cyber teams on the planet.

A lot of North Korea’s weapons programs are thought to be funded at least in part via these hacks.

CDC Gearing Up to Track Three Covid Variants in U.S., Chief Says

“Three worrisome Covid-19 variants are now circulating in the U.S. and the federal government needs significant resources to track their progress, according to the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The variants, which emerged initially in the U.K., South Africa and Brazil, have all now been seen in the U.S., said Rochelle Walensky, the CDC chief, in a question and answer session hosted by the Journal of the American Medical Association.” via Bloomberg

Angry’s Thoughts: These variants are obviously worrying, but the Biden administration announced today that they’re going to allocate $1.6 billion in order to expand testing and genomic sequencing to help understand exactly how and where these variants are spreading.

Hard to describe how refreshing it is to have an administration take the pandemic seriously.