Russia Builds Up, Russia Hacks Passwords
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Vol. 3, No. 218
Ukraine: NATO says Russia has massed 20,000 troops on the Ukraine border in a position to invade. The fear is that as Ukraine slowly defeats pro-Russian separatists, Russia will step in on the pretext of a humanitarian or peacekeeping mission.Russia had previously built up 40,000 troops in the area then pulled them back.
Press Enter: A Russian crime ring has amassed Internet login information for 1.2 billion people, possibly the largest collection of hacked user information ever. The stolen information, including 500 million email addresses, was discovered by a Milwaukee company called Hold Security, includes information from 420,000 websites. Computer experts say “change your passwords.”
Econ 101: Income inequality is slowing economic growth, according to a new report from the Standard & Poor’s credit rating agency. The report and its source are an indication that the subject of income inequality is leaving the think tanks and getting the attention of the people who actually work the gears of the economy. The report says “such income imbalances tend to dampen social mobility and produce a less-educated workforce that can’t compete in a changing global economy. This diminishes future income prospects and potential long-term growth, becoming entrenched as political repercussions extend the problems.”
Polticks: Kansas Republican Sen. Pat Roberts fought off a Tea Party challenger to hold onto his seat. Dr. Milton Wolf accused Roberts of being a worn out Washington insider and an absentee Senator. Wolf had never run for office before, which was evident when it was discovered that he used to post X-rays of his patients on his Facebook page with snarky commentary. A sample: “This is my favorite gunshot wound of all time.”
Nation: The senior American officer killed yesterday by an Afghan soldier has been identified as Maj. Gen. Harold Greene, the highest-ranking American officer killed in a combat zone since 1970 in Vietnam. Greene was part of the operation to get the Afghan army ready for the complete withdrawal of US troops. An engineer who worked to integrate technology and gadgets into the Army, Greene had never been in combat. He entered the Army immediately after graduation in 1980 from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in upstate New York.
The Obit Page: Former CBS News President Edward Joyce has died at age 81. Joyce presided over CBS News at a time when corporate bosses began to insist that the news divisions should make a profit. Joyce fired or pushed out 125 CBS News staffers in a cutback that was a shock to the industry and a turning point for all of network news. It was no longer a calling, it was a business.
On Your Right: Two double decker tour buses collided in midtown Manhattan yesterday, injuring 18 people, three of them seriously. One of the buses was shoved up onto the sidewalk and took down a traffic signal that nearly killed several people and narrowly missed a baby. One of the bus drivers was arrested.
Hoop Dreams: Former WNBA star Becky Hammon has been hired as an assistant coach by the San Antonio Spurs making her the first full time female coach in the NBA. They know what they’re doing. The Spurs just won the NBA championship.
Found: An Argentine woman who has spent her life trying to reunite children stolen by the military junta with their real families has found the child she most wanted. In the 1970s the Junta frequently killed political opponents, stole their babies, and handed them out to loyalists. Estela de Carlotto’s daughter Laura was one of 30,000 left wingers murdered, and her grandson became one of the missing children. Carlotto’s organization is called the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, named for the women who marched for years in protest. Through DNA testing, Carlotto’s grandson became the 114th stolen child they have found, 37 years after his abduction.
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