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☆ Jack Teixeira: Accused Pentagon leaker's violent rhetoric raises fresh questions about top secret vetting process
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Natasha Bertrand Sean Lyngaas Zachary Cohen Haley Britzky | Natasha Bertrand | Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

But that didn’t stop the Pentagon from granting a top-secret security clearance to Jack Teixeira, who prosecutors say had an arsenal of weapons at home and a history of violent online rhetoric. And the Air Force’s Inspector General investigation is specifically examining the Pentagon’s vetting process and whether any procedures were violated or ignored, Pentagon officials said. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters on Thursday that when vetting someone for a security clearance, the adjudicator examines “a sufficient period” in someone’s life to determine if they are eligible. That program – largely run by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) – aims to continuously vet security clearance holders for warning signs than periodically investigate them every five to 10 years. “Social media is a new world that the government really hasn’t gotten ahold of yet,” said Brad Moss, a lawyer who specializes in national security and security clearance law.

☆ Two U.S. Air Force commanders suspended in unit of accused intelligence leaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Dan Whitcomb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force has suspended two commanders from the National Guard unit where accused classified intelligence leaker Jack Teixeira served, a USAF spokesman said on Wednesday. The Air Force spokesman said on Wednesday that it had suspended the operation commander and detachment commander of the 102nd Intelligence Wing, where Teixeira served. The Air Force did not identify the commanders by name. "This means that both the squadron's state Air National Guard operational commander and current federal orders administrative commander have been suspended pending completion of the Department of the Air Force Inspector General Investigation," the spokesman said. "Also, the Department of Air Force has temporarily removed these individuals' access to classified systems and information," he said.

☆ The Lockdowns Are Over, but the Damage Goes On
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Allysia Finley | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Images: AP/Shutterstock/Reuters Composite: Mark KellyThe World Health Organization on Friday acknowledged that the Covid-19 emergency is over, six days before the Biden administration’s declaration is set to expire. How about addressing more pressing public-health problems that have festered as they’ve obsessed about the virus? Developing countries are seeing a resurgence of deadlier infectious diseases such as cholera, tuberculosis, measles and polio. In the U.S., young people are experiencing persistent problems that were aggravated by lockdowns including increased deaths, mental illness, drug overdoses and a detachment from the workforce. Call the phenomenon “long Covid lockdowns.”

☆ Billionaire LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman reveals 2 Buddhist principles that shape his worldview and help him navigate failure
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In an interview with The Generalist, Hoffman said he's been most influenced by Buddha. Hoffman also said in the interview that Aristotle initially inspired him to study philosophy. Hoffman, who cofounded LinkedIn, announced he was stepping down from the board of OpenAI last month. Hoffman holds a master's degree in philosophy from Oxford and planned to go into academia at one point. Hoffman, who calls himself an "accidental technologist," credits his philosophical instincts as the reason he is in the industry.

☆ In ‘Fatal Attraction,’ Lizzy Caplan Makes a Mess
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Alexis Soloski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Despite spray tans and brief stints as a blonde, she could rarely convince producers to see her as the heroine, the nice girl. “That’s the journey of every brunette.”The joke came by way of a video call in early April from her home in North London. (She and her husband, the English actor Tom Riley, spend half the year there and the other half in Los Angeles.) Jesse Eisenberg, her co-star in the FX limited series “Fleishman Is in Trouble,” expressed a similar observation. “She has such an unusual, distinctive quality of world weariness and humor, jadedness, but also hopefulness,” he said in a phone interview.

☆ Witness Testimony Helps Prosecutors Advance Trump Election Case
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Alan Feuer | Glenn Thrush | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Among those who have worked with him, Mr. Smith is seen as a diligent manager bent on collecting the information needed to make a decision while remaining cognizant of the time pressures and the highly partisan atmosphere in which he is operating. How Times reporters cover politics. So while Times staff members may vote, they are not allowed to endorse or campaign for candidates or political causes. They have been receiving regular briefings from aides who are getting updates from members of Mr. Smith’s team, according to two people familiar with the situation. The legal battles over privilege began well before Mr. Smith was appointed to the special counsel post and have pitted two powerful forces against each other.

☆ LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman credits Buddha as his biggest influence
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In an interview with The Generalist, Hoffman said he's been most influenced by Buddha. Hoffman also said in the interview that Aristotle initially inspired him to study philosophy. Hoffman, who cofounded LinkedIn, announced he was stepping down from the board of OpenAI last month. Hoffman holds a master's in philosophy from Oxford and even planned to go into academia at one point. Hoffman, who calls himself an "accidental technologist," credits his philosophical instincts as the reason he is in the industry.

☆ North Carolina's Outer Banks beach struggles with lost home — as mysterious item appears on shore
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

On Monday, a mystery item was found on the beach north of Rodanthe Pier, reports say. It later turned out to belong to the US Navy, but disappeared before it could be recovered by the military. On Monday, the same day a local house washed out to sea, Kyle Barniak found something had washed in just north of North Carolina's Rodanthe Pier in the Outer Banks. Barniak learned the vessel belonged to the US Navy's Norfolk Naval Air Station in Virginia nearly 100 miles north of Rodanthe. "The county doesn't have the funds to pay for a beach nourishment project," Dare County Manager Bobby Outten told WRAL.

☆ The biggest problem with Russia's tanks in Ukraine is the way Moscow tried to use them
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Alex Hollings | Sandboxx News | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +21 min

By September, the tally of lost and captured Russian tanks reached 1,000 — more than all the tanks in the British, French, German, and Finnish militaries combined. The first time these British tanks found a fight, only 25 of the 49 of them actually moved when ordered to commence the attack. Nonetheless, before the conflict was over, Churchill himself would decide tanks had, once again, run their course, declaring, "we have too much armor — tanks are finished." And that is the real lesson we can glean from the performance of Russian tanks in Ukraine over the past year. Maxim Shemetov/ReutersThis point becomes evident when you look at Russian tank losses recorded by the Oryx Blog between February and April 2022, when Russian tank losses were at their absolute worst.

☆ Eye Drops May Stave Off Nearsightedness in Children
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Sarah Toy | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Myopia tends to progress most quickly in very young children and tapers off after puberty. Drops commonly used to dilate pupils before eye exams could stave off nearsightedness in children, researchers said. Using low-concentration atropine eye drops in children could delay the onset of myopia, or nearsightedness, according to research published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Severe myopia puts people at greater risk of sight-threatening issues, such as retinal detachment, glaucoma and cataracts, eye doctors say. About one-third of the U.S. population is myopic, and eye researchers expect the number will increase to almost 60% by 2050, as people spend more time on their phones and indoors on their computers.

☆ A top general said the US could use balloons in the Middle East, where the US military has seen suspected Chinese spy balloons
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A top US general said the US military could use balloons for surveillance in the Middle East. His comments come after the US downed a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina. A Thunderhead High-Altitude Balloon System, launched by US Army Pacific Soldiers takes flight during Balikatan 22 on Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, April 1, 2022. The general's comments come a little over a week after the US shot down a high-altitude Chinese surveillance balloon that had crossed over the continental US, fueling tensions between Washington and Beijing. The Pentagon later revealed that the Chinese balloon is part of a broader global network that Beijing operates.

☆ Hate your commute? It might actually be good for your mental health, scientists say.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The commute is often seen as a chore, but the pandemic showed it can be good for your mental health. You need protected time to mentally switch gears after work to prevent burnout, two experts said. This happens on two fronts, the researchers said: psychological detachment and psychological recovery. In an unpublished study, the researchers asked 80 university employees to discuss situations when they were able to mentally switch off. Remote workers, who don't tend to have a commute, can also learn to switch off by creating a fake commute for themselves.

☆ The Western-made tanks heading to Ukraine are unique — but that creates unique problems for Ukraine's military
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

While most modern tanks run on diesel, the Abrams uses a Honeywell 1,500-horsepower gas-turbine engine that functions best when burning JP-8 jet fuel. Challenger tanks were credited with destroying 300 Iraqi tanks. When Turkish Leopard 2s battled ISIS fighters in Syria in 2016, the results were less than impressive. Leopard manufacturer Rheinmetall has 22 Leopard 2s and 88 older Leopard 1s in its inventory, but those can't be made battle-ready until at least 2024. What matters is how many Ukraine will receive — 31 Abrams and 14 Challenger 2s are not a lot — and how Ukraine's military uses them.

☆ The US's powerful Abrams tanks are heading to Ukraine, but generals disagree over how hard it'll be to use them on the battlefield
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Sebastien Roblin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

The US has pledged to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine, joining a bevy of Western-made tanks. Here comes the M1 Abrams for UkraineA M1A2 Abrams tank fires at a target during an exercise. The same day, word spread that US President Joe Biden would announce he was sending 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. But Hertling disagreed that withholding the M1 Abrams was a "political decision" and didn't find the examples of non-US Abrams operators persuasive. M1 Abrams: training and sustainmentAn M1A2 Abrams drives into the woods during an exercise in Hohenfels, Germany.

☆ Britain’s Boris Johnson says Putin threatened him with missile strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

“He threatened me at one point, and he said, 'Boris, I don’t want to hurt you but, with a missile, it would only take a minute’ or something like that. Jolly,” Johnson said, recalling the “very long” and “most extraordinary” call in February 2022 which followed a visit by the then prime minister to Kyiv. Johnson, who stepped down in September in the wake of a series of scandals, sought to position London as Kyiv’s top ally in the West. While in office he visited Kyiv several times and called Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy frequently. He also visited again this month.

☆ Boris Johnson says Putin threatened him with a missile strike in an 'extraordinary' phone call weeks before Russia's invasion of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Boris Johnson said Putin threatened the UK with a missile strike before it invaded Ukraine. He said Putin told him: "I don't want to hurt you but, with a missile, it would only take a minute." He added that he told Putin that war would be a "utter catastrophe" and that Russia's apparent fear that Ukraine would join the NATO military alliance would not come true "for the foreseeable future." He also told Putin that invading Ukraine would result in sanctions from the West and more NATO troops stationed along Russia's borders, according to his recollection. Johnson was seen as one of Ukraine's biggest allies following the Russian invasion, and has made multiple trips to the country, both during his time as prime minister and after.

☆ Britain's Boris Johnson says Putin threatened him with missile strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened him with a missile strike during a phone call in the run up to the invasion of Ukraine. "He threatened me at one point, and he said, 'Boris, I don't want to hurt you but, with a missile, it would only take a minute' or something like that. Jolly," Johnson said, recalling the "very long" and "most extraordinary" call in February 2022 which followed a visit by the then prime minister to Kyiv. Johnson, who stepped down in September in the wake of a series of scandals, sought to position London as Kyiv's top ally in the West. While in office he visited Kyiv several times and called Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy frequently.

Where to watch 'Top Gun: Maverick'"Top Gun: Maverick" is now available to watch on Paramount Plus and Epix Now. You can watch "Top Gun: Maverick" for free if you sign up for a trial to Paramount Plus or Epix Now. After you purchase "Top Gun: Maverick" you'll be able to stream it whenever you like with no restrictions. Getty ImagesYou can watch the first "Top Gun" movie from 1986 on Paramount Plus and Epix Now. The first "Top Gun" movie follows Maverick as he and a group of naval aviators are given the chance to train in the Navy's Top Gun program.

☆ Russia and China to Hold Joint Naval Drills
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Ann M. Simmons | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The warship the Aldar Tsydenzhapov, right, will take part in the joint Russian-Chinese military exercise. MOSCOW—Russia said it would hold joint naval drills with China, highlighting the close partnership between the two nations as the Kremlin seeks to bolster support among partners to offset Western isolation for its war in Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Defense said Monday that a detachment of warships of the Pacific Fleet from Vladivostok has been put to sea to participate in naval exercises with their Chinese counterparts, starting Wednesday and running through Dec. 27.

☆ Russia, China to Hold Joint Naval Drills as Moscow and Belarus Vow to Cement Ties
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Ann M. Simmons | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

MOSCOW—Russia said it would hold joint naval drills with China, highlighting the close partnership between the two nations as the Kremlin seeks to bolster support among partners to offset Western isolation for its war in Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry said Monday that a detachment of warships of the Pacific Fleet from Vladivostok has been put to sea to participate in naval exercises with their Chinese counterparts, starting Wednesday and running through Dec. 27.

☆ Social media is a doubled-edged sword for entrepreneurs like Something Navy's founder Arielle Charnas
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Alexandra York | Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Arielle Charnas founded her blog Something Navy in 2009, which evolved into a clothing brand in 2020.Insider reported that Charnas detached from promoting her brand on social media, among other missteps. Charnas' behavior shows how social media can quickly build and destroy brand loyalty. Insider published a recent article outlining late merchandising payments, meager sales, an employee exodus, and Charnas' detachment from promoting her brand on social media. For example, Charnas didn't acknowledge hiring Betty Wang as company president on social media and has been frequently photographed sporting designer clothing instead of her own products. Charnas' behavior on social media shows the positive and negative impacts the platforms can have on a business, especially when they're vital to an entrepreneur's success.

☆ Putin's war in Ukraine looks more and more like a failure. Past Russian leaders haven't survived similar mistakes.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Joy Neumeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Instead, Russia's failing war effort has raised doubts about Putin's hold on power. For now, Putin looks secure, but past Russian leaders have suffered at home for blunders abroad. By the following summer, the Germans had taken huge swathes of Russian-controlled territory and a million Russian soldiers were dead. Captured Russian soldiers after the defeat at Tannenberg, in present-day Poland, on August 30, 1914. After an ineffectual troop surge, Gorbachev gave up on trying to improve the situation, and the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989.

You'll also be able to stream it with a Paramount Plus subscription ($5/month) starting December 22. The box office hit will also be available on Paramount Plus starting December 22. When will 'Top Gun: Maverick' be available on Paramount Plus? "Top Gun: Maverick" will finally hit Paramount Plus on December 22. Getty ImagesYou can watch the first "Top Gun" movie from 1986 on Paramount Plus.

In the early 2010s, Mr. Mellow set out for still more distant shores, traveling to many famous surf breaks in the South Pacific. Mr. Abdul-Rashed and Mr. Danian traveled to Hawaii to connect with Mr. Mellow, their spiritual guide and Pacific expedition leader. Mr. Mellow posted an ad on Facebook and Craigslist offering $10,000 for passage to the South Pacific. Mr. Schmidt was in sync with the young seekers when it came to fear of Big Brother and vaccines, but dreading port officials brandishing nasal swabs struck even Mr. Schmidt as a little unhinged. When asked if he was at all responsible for what had happened to Mr. Danian and Mr. Abdul-Rashed, Mr. Mellow looked genuinely confused.

☆ Russian soldiers are surrendering to Ukrainian drones, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Footage shared by Ukraine's MOD appears to show a Russian soldier surrendering to a drone. Both Ukrainian and Russian forces have claimed to have used drones to advise combatants to surrender. Ukraine has claimed other successes in getting Russian soldiers to surrender, most prominently through its "I Want to Live" hotline, which it says has received more than 3,500 calls. Russia's defense ministry also says it is using drones to ask Ukrainians to surrender, state-controlled news agency TASS reported in early November. Russia's primary use of drones in the fall has been aggressive, deploying Iran-made drones to attack Ukrainian forces — and infrastructure — in swarms, as Insider's Michael Peck reported.

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