Pelosi Wants Ethics Probe of John Conyers, Uber Paid Hackers to Hide Data Breach, Mugabe Resigns: A.M. Links

• 

  Alyson Fligg/Sipa USA/Newscom

  House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called for a House Ethics investigation into Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), whose previously sealed settlements with ex-staffers who accused him of sexual misconduct have recently become public.

• The Robert Mueller Trump-Russia investigation is reportedly looking into Jared Kushner this week.
• Uber paid hackers $100,000 to keep a data breach that exposed 57 million accounts secret.
• Robert Mugabe resigns as president of Zimbabwe.
• Syria's president, Bashar Assad, made a surprise visit to Russia to meet with Vladimir Putin about bringing the Syrian civil war to an end.
• Saad Hariri returns to Lebanon for the first time since announcing he would resign as prime minister while he was in Saudi Arabia, leading to speculation that he had been held hostage then.
• David Cassidy of The Partridge Family died, aged 67.

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

David Cassidy of The Partridge Family died, aged 67.

That's right, everyone who remembers that show? You're old.

[lafe.long]

This morning I woke up with this feeling
I didn't know how to deal with and so I just decided to myself
I'd hide it to myself and never talk about it
And did not go and shout it when you walked into the room
I think I love you (I think I love you)

[Rufus The Monocled]

Hello.

[Rich]

Hi, Rufus!

[Tom Bombadil]

I can't imagine what that show would look like now, but at the time, it was a great show for a kid to watch.
The Partridge Family theme:

Hello, world, hear the song that we're singin'
C'mon get happy!
A whole lot of lovin' is what we'll be bringin'
We'll make you happy!

[Fist of Etiquette]

That was all drug references.

[Rufus The Monocled]

Bend over I'll show you we'll make you happy.

[loveconstitution1789]

Hello.

[Bacon-Magic glib reasonoid]

Out in the open now eh? Rufus harassed me! #METOO

[Chipper Morning Truthjammer]

Happy Thanksgiving to all you degenerates!

Do they celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada? Or is more of a "Sorry, eh"-giving?

[Rufus The Monocled]

We have it in October. We spread it out.

Not one month from Christmas.

Hey-ho!

#Americandeplorables

[loveconstitution1789]

Don't you mean "Eh-ho!"?

[Azathoth!!]

"We have it in October. We spread it out.

Not one month from Christmas."

Wouldn't that be 'clumping it up'? Having Halloween and Thanksgiving in the same month?

[loveconstitution1789]

A widowed mother and her five kids form a band and make a hit record, then travel around the country in a groovy school bus.
The 1970s. *puke

[Rufus The Monocled]

With a dorky friend of the family.

[Tom Bombadil]

Name a better decade than the 70's.

[Rhywun]

The 80's. No contest.
Hell, I would even go out on a limb and add the 90's.

[Chipper Morning Truthjammer]

The 60s were great with all the free love and all, but it was hairy love. I am going with the 00s.

[Juice]

70s: Everybody fuck everybody and get high on shitty weed and stop shaving
80s: Everybody get high on coke and fuck and get AIDS and start shaving again
90s: Everybody get high on ecstasy and wear flannel and riot
00s: Everybody stop fucking and get on the internet share your whole boring life with everybody
10s: Everybody get high on legal weed and share your whole life with everybody whether you like it or not and riot

[Zeb]

I thought the 90s were more about LSD and wearing Tweed. But maybe that's just me.

[Tom Bombadil]

The 70's for the music. I was too young to care about gas shortages or high interest rates. For me, the 70's was the pivot decade for the 'modern' world. The world was one way before the 70's and very different after the 70's.

[loveconstitution1789]

Classic rock is the only good thing from that decade. Maybe a few good movies.

The 1970s are the only decade that I have a bunch of material to make fun of. Disco was horrible.

[Juice]

70s Rock Must Die

[Fist of Etiquette]

Robert Mugabe resigns as president of Zimbabwe.

And will be running against Roy Moore for the Senate seat for Alabama.

[Rich]

Uber paid hackers $100,000 to keep a data breach that exposed 57 million accounts secret.

Uber negotiates with terrorists.

[Chipper Morning Truthjammer]

If you pay for Uber Black.....nevermind, I am not gonna joke about something as serious as terrorism.

[Fist of Etiquette]

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called for a House Ethics investigation into Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.)...

In other news, Hell has reached a record low of 31.

[Enjoy Every Sandwich]

Hmph. Being old and cynical, I'm expecting that the "investigation" won't find jack shit that we didn't already know, and hence will be labeled by Pelosi as "old news" when it wraps up--years from now.

[Bearded Spock]

Calling for an ethics investigation is the equivalent of throwing B'rer Rabbit into the Briar Patch: it's precisely where Conyers wants these allegations to go.

It will take weeks, if not months or years, for anything to be resolved and if Conyers is even still alive at that point he'll get little more than a slap on the wrist.

[Tom Bombadil]

I was watching some news show and a head was saying an ethics investigation is basically a bullshit farce. It's a way to get a shady character out of the news by saying 'it's being investigated'. Further, it's a great way for a faction to pretend it's being tough and policing itself. Check out even Franken calling for an investigation on himself. At some point in the future, he can say "Well, I was investigated and guess what? No sanctions. Move along now." Hillary's been using a similar tactic for years to get around answering to her family's shady past.

I don't know if that's true about the ethics committee but sounds about right for the Congressional fraternity/sorority.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Since both parties are (uniquely) represented equally in this committee, I suppose that's its purpose. Seems like the way to remedy this would be to remove during that investigation one member of the party whose congressman has been accused.

I have a fix for everything, but no one will listen.

[Hank Stamper]

I like it but how does that work for a non-major party member being investigated?

[Fist of Etiquette]

It works the same since this committee, unlike the others, has an equal number from each party, who I believe can veto anything that helps their man.

[Tom Bombadil]

"I have a fix for everything, but no one will listen."

Fix of Etiquette. Has a nice ring to it.

[Pro Libertate]

The Office of the Censor should be handling such matters.

[Chipper Morning Truthjammer]

That's Celsius.

[What's that smell?]

The only reason for an ethics probe is to look like they're doing something w/o actually doing anything.

Mark my words NO democrat in congress will have to resign. And in the next election cycle if an opponent brings up sexual misconduct issues (because the press sure as fuck won't) They will pull a Clinton and calm the allegations were looked into and NOTHING happened, it's old news. The next step is to let the press do it's job of calling a democrats challenger, racist, sexist, and any and all phobic.
Yay modern American politics

[TrickyVic (old school)]

What I find funny is what outcome do they expect?

If an ethics probe says nothing was unethical, what does that say about congress and sexual abuse? That's it's ok?

[Fist of Etiquette]

The Robert Mueller Trump-Russia investigation is reportedly looking into Jared Kushner this week.

As opposed to all the other weeks?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Syria's president, Bashar Assad, made a surprise visit to Russia...

So it's official. Assad is as bad as Snowden.

[Rich]

"Bad Assad". Not bad.

[Chipper Morning Truthjammer]

He should spend more time banging his hot wife, and less time killing his subjects.

[Rich]

Pelosi called for a House Ethics investigation into Rep. John Conyers

Rich called for such internal stuff to be done gratis and on congresscreatures' own time.

[Fist of Etiquette]

...whose previously sealed settlements with ex-staffers who accused him of sexual misconduct have recently become public.

Seems like someone broke a contract.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Uber paid hackers $100,000 to keep a data breach that exposed 57 million accounts secret.

Looks like in this case it was Uber...

[dons sunglasses]

...that was taken for a ride.

[loveconstitution1789]

This hack clearly happened too fast and furiously.

[Tom Bombadil]

Uber uber alles.

[Chipper Morning Truthjammer]

The donning of the sunglasses should go after "that was," Fist. Have you no sense of cadence? My God.

[Tom Bombadil]

I was going to comment the same but refrained because Fist's screwed the pooch a few times recently while donning his sunglasses and has been called on it.

I promise to never show mercy again (Libertarian oath)

[Rich]

The problem comes when diametrically opposed viewpoints abound ? the Google algorithm can not identify which is misinformation and which is truth.

Can't the Google algorithm just pray about it?

[Rhywun]

It's cute that Google thinks that's in their job description.

[Rich]

Yep. It's also cute that Google thinks it's doable:

"I view those things as bugs as a computer scientist, so if you are manipulating the information and then our system is not doing a good enough job of properly ranking it ... as a computer scientist, I can tell you, this stuff can be detected," says Schmidt.

[Rhywun]

Since the election of President Donald Trump, major tech companies have been condemned for their role in spreading misinformation and fake news.

LOL. I wonder if Google will fix their algorithms in time for the election of the next Democrat when the news will be nothing but truth again.

[BYODB]

Haha, oh Google. First you thought math could drive cars and now you think math can determine objective truth in matters of political opinion.

So adorable! Next thing you'll know, they'll have an algorithm for determining who gets put up against the wall first! (Of course, that's an easy one because it doesn't really matter if you're wrong. It just matters that you're setting an example for all the wreckers!)

[BestUsedCarSales]

Someone needs to tell them logical positivism died off about a 100 years ago! AM I RIGHT?

[Ken Shultz]

Well, we can't have people running around just thinking for themselves!

Oh, and what does that say about the future of AI if an algorithm can't definitively distinguish between truth and lies? What does that say about the singularity?

Uncertainty isn't just an inescapable feature of the human condition. It's an aspect of a limited perspective. Anything we make with a limited perspective will always suffer the same uncertainty we do.

[BYODB]

It's been a known thing that Google has a pretty massive god complex. Actually, it seems that once a tech company gets to a certain size it's almost inevitable that they end up with a god complex.

Perhaps The Terminator films weren't wrong after all?

[TrickyVic (old school)]

""It's cute that Google thinks that's in their job description."'

I think it was in Winston Smith's job description.

[mad.casual]

Can't the Google algorithm just pray about it?

I think it's awesome that in the 30+ yrs. since I was a little kid the robots are still holding off their invasion for fear of being hit with a logic bomb.

This statement is fake news.

[BYODB]

As long as William Shatner is alive, we have protection from AI. Any time he talks to one, somehow it self-destructs.

[Rich]

Sheesh, Reason -- lighten up with the Conyers link!

[Ken Shultz]

"The Robert Mueller Trump-Russia investigation is reportedly looking into Jared Kushner this week."

End game, amirite?

The trail of breadcrumbs can't lead any higher. It's the end of the road.

[Rich]

I don't know about that. Barron's been looking especially glum lately.

[BYODB]

We're on, what, Official Impeachment Attempt #2 now aren't we? All before the investigation is complete, let alone any evidence of supposed crimes that necessitated a Special Council have been proven? Not even that, those supposed crimes appear not to exist at all, in any shape or form.

I guess I should look forward to Official Impeachment Attempt #3, because it's definitely going to happen and it will almost certainly be just as revealing on how much 'evidence' the Democrats need to attempt impeachment.

I'm starting to think that maybe Republicans should have continually voted to impeach Obama for 8 years. It doesn't really matter for what, all that matters is that they 'do something' right? I'd be curious to hear why Democrats are ok with voting to impeach someone over nothing more than vague allegations. Would they be ok with every Democrat President being constantly harried by spurious impeachment attempts going forward?

And yeah, they 'believe' Trump is guilty of something but without being able to actually cogently say what Trump did it seems like they truly believe the President should be God-Emperor, they just refuse to accept that the God-Emperor is not one of them.

Ugh.

[TrickyVic (old school)]

""I'd be curious to hear why Democrats are ok with voting to impeach someone over nothing more than vague allegations"'

In their eyes, it's not vague allegations, it's the hard core truth. They refuse to be skeptical and accept it in full. To them challenging their positions is blasphemy, while intelligent people would just consider it critical thinking.

[BYODB]

Luckily for the Democrats, Republicans haven't decided to go that far with obstructionism but I'm no so sure that will remain true in a post-Trump Republican party.

I definitely get the sense that there's a certain one-upmanship going on where Democrats destroy this time-honored tradition, and when Republicans come into power they destroy a different one in retaliation (filibuster rules, for example).

I wonder what the United States will look like when every politician is constantly being impeached, but never convicted. Perhaps they'll be too busy fucking each other to fuck with us? Maybe. But then the Regulatory State will just make up the difference, I think.

And so dies the Republic...?

[Bubba Jones]

The Dems killed the filibuster. Not republicans.

[loveconstitution1789]

Some Vietnam veterans have been found to be infected with parasites from Southeast Asia after all these years and the Flukes can cause bile duct cancer.
Flukes may be causing cancer in Vietnam vets and killing them
Who else wants government run healthcare?

[Tom Bombadil]

What is the connection between parasite infection in SE Asia and gov health care?

Shouldn't your question be: Who else wants government run foreign intervention?

[loveconstitution1789]

The US gov health care system has know for years that flukes can cause cancer and that Vietnam veterans fought in an area infested with the parasites. The VA decided not to check veterans for infection.

I would say cost for testing all those veterans was a factor in that decision.

But yeah, the oreign intervention thing too.

[An Non]

The VA is government-run healthcare.

I live in an area where the VA hospital is basically where you send somebody else whose well-being is a low priority. Just how badly they mess up is not predictable--but their incompetence is well-enough known that the other hospitals in the region will accept 'nearest hospital was the VA' as a reason for highly urgent treatment getting delayed...

[Rhywun]

I'm so disappointed I missed last night's net neutrality debate.

[loveconstitution1789]

Ending net neutrality will literally DESTROY THE INTERNET!

Now you're caught up.

[Rich]

"Meet The Girl Who Broke The Internet With One Photo"

[Chipper Morning Truthjammer]

I'd like to see this photo.

[Rhywun]

I thought Kim Kardashian's deformed ass broke the internet some time ago.

I don't want to meet that.

[Rhywun]

That's the impression I got from my morning newsheads - it was all frowny faces and clucking at this latest example of Trump's callous disregard for freedom.

[loveconstitution1789]

I find it amusing that all the lefty's frowny faces make me and other Libertarians have smiley faces.

[Bubba Jones]

Literally every post on Reddit right now.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The big corporations probably throttled your bandwidth so you couldn't stream it.

[DJF]

Your tax dollars at work. The Army wants to complete the buy of this new system before they buy another unnamed system to replace it.

""""Army Looks To Replace $6 Billion Battlefield Network After Finding It Vulnerable""""

http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/.....ulnerable/

[loveconstitution1789]

Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.
-Sun Tzu

[Chipper Morning Truthjammer]

An honest smile masks a swift kick to the nuts.
- Sun Tzu

[Bacon-Magic glib reasonoid]

A little pee in your coke never hurt you all.
-Sun Tzu

[Tom Bombadil]

Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker.

-Willy Wonka

[Veritas et Libertas]

Woman who sits on judge's lap receives honorable discharge
- Confucius

[loveconstitution1789]

Man who sit on toilet, high on pot.
-Confucius

[Jimbo]

Panties not best thing on earth, but next to it.
- Confucius

[Ken Shultz]

"Syria's president, Bashar Assad, made a surprise visit to Russia to meet with Vladimir Putin about bringing the Syrian civil war to an end.

There's been a Russian led Syrian summit on the schedule for some time. This is just a meeting ahead of that summit. These sorts of agreements are usually ironed out beforehand in Putinland, and that's what this meeting is about. The summit is for making announcements, not negotiating.

Trump/Putin's ceasefire between Assad's allies and the rebels--and subsequently concentrating their efforts on fighting ISIS rather than each other--is what led to ISIS's total defeat. And that, my friends, is the most undereported story in generations. I suppose it doesn't really fit with the media's narrative about Trump's corrupt relationship with Putin, but for goodness' sake . . .

It's as if FDR's strategy of coordinating with Stalin had defeated the Nazis, but the press all but refused to even acknowledge that the Nazis had been defeated. Instead we get, "Trump collaborated with Putin for no reason but to defeat Hillary, and Mueller's gonna prove it!" all the way down.

[loveconstitution1789]

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called for a House Ethics investigation into Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), whose previously sealed settlements with ex-staffers who accused him of sexual misconduct have recently become public.
As if former Speaker of the House was not aware that taxpayers pay off accusers while hiding said allegations from constituents.

You cannot just "fire" elected persons based on allegations or sleazy people would just accuse politicians they don't like to get them out of office. On the other hand, the Constitution allows Congressional salaries to be changed starting a new term.

Any ethics committee decision of misconduct should result in 50% decrease in pay starting the next term. That and impeach more congressmen on a steady basis.

[Rich]

Any ethics committee decision of misconduct should result in 50% decrease in pay starting the next term.

Unless, of course, the congresscreature in question coughs up the appropriate bribes.

[Juice]

You cannot just "fire" elected persons based on allegations or sleazy people would just accuse politicians they don't like to get them out of office.

If Congress votes to kick out one of its members, that member is out (fired).

[Eidde]

Sure, but it takes 2/3, i. e., there needs to be a bloc of voters from the person's own party willing to vote to expel him.

[Pro Libertate]

There's impeachment. Something that should happen MUCH more often.

[Bubba Jones]

What if I choose to elect a serial harasser?

[Domestic Dissident]

I'm thankful that Weigel and Citizen Crusty have started their Thanksgiving early and are stuck somewhere in traffic or something.

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

Boop.

[Zeb]

You really need to get out more.

[BestUsedCarSales]

I like your name because it always makes me think of Dissident Aggressor by Judas Priest. And I always love when I'm reminded of Priest.

[Eidde]

"Robert Mugabe resigns as president of Zimbabwe."

Now maybe the people of Zimbabwe will have a fighting chance at a decent life, though of course it's not guaranteed.

As to Mugrabme, is it too much to hope that there's a prison term in his future? Or was part of the deal that he resign to avoid prosecution?

[Juice]

Dude's 93. Where's he gonna go?

[Pro Libertate]

Busch Gardens, Tampa. Part of the deposed African despot exhibit.

[Sevo]

"Breaking
Huge wildfires can wipe out California's greenhouse gas gains "
http://www.sfchronicle.com/
So 'man-made' causes of climate change can be overwhelmed by some wildfires?

[Tom Bombadil]

I think California's wildfires should be taxed and the money sent to Kiribati. Before it's too late.

[Juice]

The 7th largest economy in the world can afford it, so I've heard.

[Gilbert Martin]

"Huge wildfires can wipe out California's greenhouse gas gains "

I wasn't aware that the land of fruits and nuts had any "greenhouse gas gains"

Did they put muzzles on all the politicians in Sacramento?

[loveconstitution1789]

The states affected by the smoke should sue Commifornia for messing up their air quality.

[BYODB]

It's more like, having adjusted their CO2 output downward, natural variability laughs at California's feeble efforts to control planet Earth.

Needless to say, if all of mankind took our CO2 output down to zero (impossible due to respiration, unless you're interested in mass murder) than it still wouldn't matter since the Earth itself emits the lions share of CO2 even today in our industrialized world.

Oops.

[Pro Libertate]

Then the Earth itself has to go. Besides, it obstructs Mars' view of Venus.

[BYODB]

Heh, "We Must Destroy Earth To Save It" ^_-

[Gilbert Martin]

"Then the Earth itself has to go"

Don't worry.

The sun will take care of that in about 5 billion years.

[Gilbert Martin]

"House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called for a House Ethics investigation into Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), whose previously sealed settlements with ex-staffers who accused him of sexual misconduct have recently become public"

Yeah and just like Sgt Schultz on "Hogans Heroes" she knew NOTHING, NOTHING about it beforehand.