Author: KJ McElrath

Two Armed Syrian Drones and a Warplane: Was it Defense, or is the U.S. Escalating the Conflict?

Two Armed Syrian Drones and a Warplane: Was it Defense, or is the U.S. Escalating the Conflict?

Posted by | Jun 21, 2017 | , , |

This week, a U.S. fighter plane shot down an armed drone being operated by the Assad regime. It was the second one this month, and follows in the wake of the downing of a Syrian plane. That incident has led to threats from Assad’s allies in Moscow, who have announced that they would be suspending the operation of the special hotline between the Kremlin and the White House, the purpose of which has been to prevent “unintentional conflicts.” Calling the attack “a cynical violation of Syria’s sovereignty” and a “flagrant violation of international law,” the Russian Defense Ministry warned...

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If People Aren’t Concerned About the Health Dangers of E-Cigarettes, Maybe They Should Worry About Their Computers

If People Aren’t Concerned About the Health Dangers of E-Cigarettes, Maybe They Should Worry About Their Computers

Posted by | Jun 20, 2017 | , , |

The jury may still be out on the overall health dangers of e-cigarettes, but one thing has become abundantly clear: those devices pose a definite threat to one’s electronic equipment and data. This week, several media outlets reported that hackers are now using e-cigarettes as a method of infecting personal computers with malware and ransomware. The story first broke last week on Sky News in the U.K. Ross Bevington, a cybersecurity expert, gave a presentation at the international hacker convention Security BSides in London, demonstrating how an e-cigarette – a relatively low-tech device – can be used to bypass...

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SCOTUS to Hear Case on Wisconsin Gerrymandering: GOP May Lose Their Unfair Advantage

SCOTUS to Hear Case on Wisconsin Gerrymandering: GOP May Lose Their Unfair Advantage

Posted by | Jun 20, 2017 | , |

Yesterday, the Supreme Court announced that it will hear another case on the constitutionality of gerrymandering. This is not the first such case to come before the nation’s highest court, nor is it the only one scheduled to come up on the docket in coming months. However, the outcome will have major ramifications on elections across the nation going forward – particularly regarding the balance of power between the two major parties. The case is Gill v. Whitford. It specifically addresses the issue of whether or not either the GOP or the Democratic Party have drawn electoral district boundaries...

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CenturyLink Borrows Wells Fargo’s Fraud Scheme to Upsell Customers and Inflate Profits

CenturyLink Borrows Wells Fargo’s Fraud Scheme to Upsell Customers and Inflate Profits

Posted by | Jun 19, 2017 | , , |

It seems as if  there is a new business model in Corporate America: they are going to upsell you on their products and services by any means possible, whether you want them or not. Last week, Heidi Heiser, a former employee of telecom company and Internet provider CenturyLink, reported that she was fired in retaliation when she exposed the company for doing exactly that, through fraudulent sales practices and customer billing schemes. Those schemes bear an uncanny resemblance to those perpetrated by Wells-Fargo, for which they were investigated last year by Congress. Ms. Heiser has filed a wrongful termination...

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196 Members of Congress Launch Emoluments Lawsuit Against POTUS – More Legal Pains

196 Members of Congress Launch Emoluments Lawsuit Against POTUS – More Legal Pains

Posted by | Jun 16, 2017 | |

Next to golfing, Donald Trump’s favorite activity must be litigation. Over the past three decades, Trump has been involved in nearly 4100 lawsuits, both as defendant and plaintiff. Taking over the White House has not stemmed the onslaught of legal action, either. This week, two additional lawsuits were filed over alleged violations of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause, bringing the total based on that cause of action to three. Meanwhile, a fourth lawsuit over climate change – brought by plaintiffs who have the most to lose – has been given the green light by a federal judge. (Another climate lawsuit...

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