Politics

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Wednesday Link-Off: White Hat

emilia-clarke-jenna-coleman-mebeforeyou16-02Is a story really an insider story when it was extracted by less than kosher means? If the facts can’t be obtained any other way, maybe it’s for the greater good. Anonymous is pretty divisive but you have to admit their hactivism doesn’t make them villains. While the law doesn’t seem to take too kindly to White Hat Hackers, there’s definitely a need for them out there if they’re serving the public good.

Anyway, it’s Wednesday which means that we usually do the links. Let’s kick off with Emilia Clarke and Jenna Coleman.

Hackers got into Hilary Clinton’s campaign servers and the Democratic National Committee’s servers and went from there to hack info from all sorts of politically affiliated groups. (Bloomberg)

The real damage might be done by Guccifer 2.0 who found and posted all sorts of Clinton campaign docs. Maybe Bernie should stick around until the convention in case he’s needed. (Washington Examiner)

Meanwhile, Donald Trump is being accused of using his Foundation as a political slush fund. (The Daily Beast)

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Sunday Link-Off: Crime and Punishment

salma-hayek-red16-01You know, somehow, I forgot to have the weekly Game of Thrones review post on Friday. The change of month screwed up the post scheduling so expect a double dose of GoT this week. We’ll also have the start of E3 news at the tail-end of the week. Next Saturday will probably be a Saturday Link-Off rather than an ELO because Sunday will be E3 previews.

Anyway, since it’s Sunday, we have to do the links. Let’s kick things off with Salma Hayek.

A Secret Service agent from the Clinton White House is writing a tell-all book. That’s probably not good for the Clinton campaign. (Daily Mail)

By the way, Hilary hasn’t held a press conference in half-a-year. (Washington Free Beacon)

Make sense of this: A judge sentenced a Stanford student who raped an unconscious woman to six months in prison because a lengthy prison sentence would have a “severe impact” on him. (New York Magazine)

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Wednesday Link-Off: No Fists, Just Flip-Flops

jessica-simpson-swimsuit16-04A lot of politicians have a reputation for flip-flopping but this has been exceptionally good week for people changing their mind. The problem is that people changing their mind don’t come off well in politics for whatever reason. Thinking is considered a weakness but that might have to do with general distrust of politicians so they assume they’re up to no good.

Anyway, it’s Wednesday so it’s time for the links. Let’s kick off with Jessica Simpson. Remember her?

It took a while but former US Attorney General Eric Holder is finally glad that Edward Snowden revealed America’s surveillance state issues to the world. (CNN)

Hilary’s emails could really sink her campaign, especially with her tendency to lie about it. (PolitiFact)

Facebook is so powerful that Mark Zuckerberg has been likened to being a dictator. I’m not sure everyone would call him a benevolent dictator. (Fortune)

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Wednesday Link-Off: The Reality of Falsehood

anne-hathaway-alice16-01As sad as it sounds, most of today’s reality is a construct of big media who are trying to generate a narrative to serve their own interests. From fictional TV to allegedly real TV to factual TV, everyone is trying to piece together a narrative that serves their own purpose. Is there anyone left in this world that we can trust besides ourselves? That diatribe probably has nothing to do with the links that follow but meh.

Anyway, it’s Wednesday which means that it’s time for the links. Let’s kick things off with Anne Hathaway.

I think we’ve had one of these before but it’s a premortem postmortem on how Donald Trump might win the Presidency. (The Atlantic)

Speaking of The Donald, is his hair just a really expensive hair weave? (Gawker)

There are many issues in the Democratic Party right now but none of it is being helped by DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. (Salon)

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Wednesday Link-Off: Rage Against the Machine

jessica-chastain-mtvmovieawards16-01It’s been a while since we’ve had a good theme running through a linkdump but today’s WLO features a bunch of links about people fighting back against the establishment. A lot of older people see that as millennials being entitled but isn’t it just everyone acting differently than previous generations because they have access to information that no other generation had to make their decisions?

Anyway, it’s Wednesday which means that we have to do the links. Let’s kick things off with Jessica Chastain.

Access to information is changing how people think and act in the social media age. For example, access to info and social media is what is causing people to turn against Hilary and her repeated controversies. (Baltimore Sun)

All hell broke lose at the Nevada Democratic Convention as tensions rise between Bernie supporters and the DNC establishment. (The Hill)

A US Senate report on torture was “mistakenly” nearly destroyed. What a shame that would have been for the CIA and its watchdog group in the Senate. (Yahoo News)

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Sunday Link-Off: Death and Taxes

jennifer-lawrence-harpersbazaar16-01As I’m writing today’s links, I’m watching the F1 Spanish Grand Prix. Tomorrow’s write-up will be pretty good considering all that’s happened during this race. All Formula One needed to make things interesting was to get the Mercedes out of the way. Granted, we already knew that but it certainly a refreshing race.

Anyway, it’s Sunday which means that it’s time for the links. Since there’s another X-Men movie coming soon, let’s kick things off with Jennifer Lawrence.

Donald Trump isn’t going to release his tax returns until November. That’s kinds of a big deal. (Vox)

Are the media the ones to blame for Bernie Sanders’s populist movement failing next to Trump/Clinton’s elitist? (Salon)

Speaking of unreleased documents, Hilary still hasn’t released her Wall Street speeches. (Death and Taxes)

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Wednesday Link-Off: Panama and Politics and PACs, Oh My

emma-stone-metgala16-01In the grand scheme of post titles, I’ve probably come up with worse. I doubt there have been many worse than this but it does summarize this week’s biggest stories. Granted, politics and money are big stories any day of the week but not every week has the Panama Papers database released.

Anyway, it’s Wednesday so that means that we have to do the links. Let’s kick things off with Emma Stone.

Former Facebook workers say that the social networking site would suppress conservative news. (Gizmodo)

Contrast this with the pro-Hilary Correct the Record PAC that promotes Hilary on social media. (LA Times)

With the Panama Papers database being uploaded online, hundreds of leading economists are calling on world leaders to end tax havens. (SCMP)

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Wednesday Link-Off: Follow the Money

elizabeth-olsen-captainamerica16-02It’s nice when good links just fall into your lap. For example, it’s not everyday that a Presidential candidates supporters launch a social media war against the other candidate or that two major American magazines spotlight the Canadian Prime Minister or that there is thematically appropriate news on 4/20.

Anyway, it’s Wednesday which means that we have to do the links. Let’s kick off with Elizabeth Olsen who has parlayed success as an indie movie darling to blockbuster movie paydays.

In one day, two Supreme Court rulings dismantled Stephen Harper’s tough-on-crime agenda. Losing in the court room, losing in polls. Boy, old Stevie’s had a rough eight or so months. (Canada.com)

Prime Minister Trudeau was named one of Time’s 100 most influential people the same week he landed a GQ cover. Not bad. (MacLean’s)

While it’s not about Attawapiskat, NPR looks at Inuit suicides in Greenland. (NPR)

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Sunday Link-Off: The War of Five Kings

emilia-clarke-gameofthrones16-01bTrump, Clinton, Sanders, Kasich and Cruz. They’re all that’s really left in the US Presidential primary battle at this point. That number is going to dwindle down quite quickly though whether that is as bloody as the War of Five Kings in Game of Thrones / A Song of Ice and Fire is a matter of debate. But Game of Thrones is back tonight! Review coming later this week.

Anyway, it’s Sunday so that means it’s time for us to do the links. Let’s kick off this post with Emilia Clarke.

Politics is becoming more divisive than ever and the extremes ends of political ideology are feeding off each other. (Daily Intelligencer)

A declassified memo details the long-rumoured connections between Saudi leadership and 9/11 terrorists. (Fox News)

Since Game of Thrones is back tonight, which Presidential candidate would belong to which house. (Vox)

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Wednesday Link-Off: 4/20

selena-gomez-gq16-01bThe new Canadian government was elected with a key part of their platform being that marijuana would be legalized. Now, they’re only something like six months into governance but wouldn’t it have been fitting if their new law went into effect or was introduced on 4/20. At least they have a whole twelve months to target that date again. I’d love to see what pot sales are like from 4/13 to 4/20 and compare that to the weeks before and after.

Anyway, if you’re reading this, then it’s likely Wednesday which means you’re here for the links. Let’s kick off with Selena Gomez.

Megyn Kelly organized a secret meeting with Donald Trump to organize a one-on-one interview. The secret message some observers are taking is that Kelly is trying to up her stock in the run up to contract negotiations. (Daily Intelligencer)

Bernie Sanders lost the Democratic primary in New York but he’s still seemingly in a battle with his own party. His team is trying to get the DNC to look into fundraising practices of the Clinton campaign. (Vice)

Ben and Jerry of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream fame were arrested for taking part in a protest in Washington last weekend. (CNN)

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