Instagram for iOS is testing a change that is sure to be controversial. The company says it will expand its “Suggested Posts” feature such that you’ll now see suggested posts directly in your primary feed of the app. That is, Suggested Posts will appear inter-mixed, and in some cases above, posts from people you actually follow.

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Article URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/23/science/coronavirus-sequences.html

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27609919

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Apparently, Matt Gaetz thinks wailing about critical race theory will distract from him being under investigation for trafficking underage girls and then witness tampering about it.

During a House military budget hearing, Gaetz and his Republican colleagues wanted to make the teaching of "critical race theory" in the US Military academies a thing. It's not a thing.

And of course Republicans didn't really want an answer from witnesses on that topic, they were showing off in the hopes that their outrage alone would make it onto the Fox News primetime lineup.

So Democrat Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania yielded some of her time to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Mark Milley, to give his thoughts. Which were perfect, and went immediately viral.

GEN. MARK MILLEY, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: Sure. Critical race theory, et cetera, a lot of us have to get smarter on whatever the theory is. I do think it's important actually for those of us in uniform to be open-minded and be widely read. The United States Military Academy is a university. And it is important that we train and we understand.

And I want to understand white rage, and I'm white and I want to understand it.

So what is it that caused thousands of people to assault this building and try to overturn the Constitution of the United States of America? What caused that? I want to find that out.

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Proof positive that no matter what Vice President Kamala Harris does, the winger press is going to skewer her for it. Witness Psaki-bomb masochist Peter Doocy in today's press briefing.

"About today's announcement, why is the vice president visiting the border this week, when earlier this month, she dismissed a trip like that, saying it would be a grand gesture?" he asked Jen Psaki.

She replied, smiling, "She also said, in an interview with NBC, that she would be open to going to the border if it was an appropriate time. She said that after she said that, so that's important context as well."

Not that Doocy would recognize context, since it's doubtful he's up to the "C"s, yet, but here we are.

He soldiered on, not having gotten his fill of correction, with the following: "Okay, and important context, I've got the NBC interview right here, she was talking about how she hasn't been to the border, she hasn't been to Europe, either. So, does she think that these two things are the same?"

Sure, Petey. Harris thinks Europe and the southern border are exactly the same.

Psaki was more professional, as usual, than I would have been.

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Apple TV has made its latest straight-to-series order, this time for an adaptation of the popular Strange Planet series by Nathan Pyle. And teaming up with Pyle as a co-creator for the new TV series is Dan Harmon, best known for Rick and Morty and Community.

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The post Apple TV orders ‘Strange Planet’ adaptation from Nathan Pyle and ‘Rick and Morty’ creator Dan Harmon appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Proof-assistant software handles an abstract concept at the cutting edge of research, revealing a bigger role for software in mathematics. From a report: Mathematicians have long used computers to do numerical calculations or manipulate complex formulas. In some cases, they have proved major results by making computers do massive amounts of repetitive work -- the most famous being a proof in the 1970s that any map can be coloured with just four different colours, and without filling any two adjacent countries with the same colour. But systems known as proof assistants go deeper. The user enters statements into the system to teach it the definition of a mathematical concept -- an object -- based on simpler objects that the machine already knows about. A statement can also just refer to known objects, and the proof assistant will answer whether the fact is 'obviously' true or false based on its current knowledge. If the answer is not obvious, the user has to enter more details. Proof assistants thus force the user to lay out the logic of their arguments in a rigorous way, and they fill in simpler steps that human mathematicians had consciously or unconsciously skipped. Once researchers have done the hard work of translating a set of mathematical concepts into a proof assistant, the program generates a library of computer code that can be built on by other researchers and used to define higher-level mathematical objects. In this way, proof assistants can help to verify mathematical proofs that would otherwise be time-consuming and difficult, perhaps even practically impossible, for a human to check. Proof assistants have long had their fans, but this is the first time that they had a major role at the cutting edge of a field, says Kevin Buzzard, a mathematician at Imperial College London who was part of a collaboration that checked Scholze and Clausen's result. "The big remaining question was: can they handle complex mathematics?" says Buzzard. "We showed that they can."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Tuesday pushed back against Sen. Ron Johnson's (R-WI) suggestion that residents of her city don't deserve statehood because they have a greater interest in the federal government than other Americans.

The confrontation occurred during a hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

"Those individuals who are within the District obviously have a vested interest in a very powerful federal government," Johnson said while arguing against statehood. "Which is counter to the power vested in the states [and] the states want to maintain their sovereign power."

"To me, this seems just like a naked power grab," he continued. "In 2020, 92.2% of D.C. votes went to the Democratic candidate; 5.4% went to the Republican candidate. In the last 80 elections, no Republican candidate has gotten more than 10% of the vote."

Johnson went on to cite the median income of the residents as a point against statehood.

"In the end, people choose to live here," he added before turning to Bowser to complain about how insurrectionists were treated after breaching the Capitol on Jan. 6.

"Have you seen any information as to how much damage was done during the summer rioting?" Johnson wanted to know.

But Bowser insisted on responding to Johnson's suggestion that D.C. residents do not deserve equal representation because they have a vested interest in the federal government.

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Today the Supreme Court sided against a school district that tried to punish a high school student for sending a "vulgar message" away from school grounds. The ACLU defended the student, and good for them. Free speech is free speech, and it should protect even kids on their own time.

But then there's this:

Say it with us:

Fuck school.
Fuck softball.
Fuck cheer.
Fuck everything.

We know our First Amendment rights and we will use them. Get the new Fuck Everything tee today.https://t.co/yd7ojHzXwh pic.twitter.com/4fACzyXSRb

— ACLU (@ACLU) June 23, 2021

Really? Are they trying to make sure to offend the public over this? Shouldn't our goal be to get people on our side, not to make them wonder if this is the right side after all?

Come on, people. Think. We're supposed to be the adults here.

On September 17, a French court will be hearing a case brought by the finance ministry against Apple, according to a report by Reuters. Similar to what happened with the Epic Games vs. Apple case, the French finance ministry alleges abusive contractual terms imposed by Apple for selling software on the App Store.

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In the months that have passed since thousands of Donald Trump supporters assaulted the Capitol on Jan. 6, much of the horror of that day has been replaced by frustration. Trump himself was impeached—for a second time—following the incident, but not only did Republicans refuse to mete out any punishment for Trump’s actions, they’ve made it clear they are all members of team Big Lie.

Additionally, though at least 465 people have been indicted over the events of that day, many of the charges seem to be extremely minor considering what all of America watched unfolding. And no one has yet faced even a judicial slap on the wrist for plowing through police lines, smashing through doors and windows, and prowling the halls of Congress with murder in mind. This may finally be about to change.

As The Washington Post reports, 49-year-old Indiana resident Anna Morgan-Lloyd is expected to be the first person sentenced in relation to the events of Jan. 6 when she steps before a federal judge on Wednesday. But no one should be expecting Morgan-Lloyd to exit the chamber in an orange jumpsuit. Prosecutors have already recommended that she “receive no jail time, perform 40 hours of community service, complete three years of probation, and pay $500 in restitution” for being one of those who invaded the Capitol during the insurgency. And that’s before her attorney wrote a letter explaining how she’s embarked on a self-education program that included watching Schindler’s List. So she may not even go away with a sore wrist.

However, Morgan-Lloyd may be the first to stand before a judge over the events of the insurrection, but she won’t be the last. That includes several members of the white supremacist group Oath Keepers, who just learned today that one of their own has agreed to fully cooperate with federal prosecutors.

You can watch the speech here:

From the Washington Post:  Biden’s plan to tackle rising homicides: Tighten gun regulations, bolster police

President Biden will announce measures Wednesday to crack down on gun stores that don’t follow federal rules, step up programs for recently released convicts and provide more support for police departments across the country as the administration grapples with spikes in homicides and other violent crimes across major cities.
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Biden will direct the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to seek to revoke licenses from gun sellers the first time they are caught willfully selling a weapon to a person who is not permitted to have one, neglecting to run a required background check or ignoring a federal request to provide trace information about a weapon used in a crime. The policy attacks a source of crime guns, which in some instances can be traced to sloppy or irresponsible dealers, experts say.
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The president also wants to reduce recidivism by opening opportunities to those leaving prison, including hiring more of them in federal jobs and encouraging business to do so. Biden also wants to offer additional federal housing vouchers for them, according to administration officials.
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And Biden will allow $350 billion in federal stimulus funds to be used to pay to fund police departments in areas that have seen an increase in crime, administration officials said.
Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland are slated to meet with a handful of mayors and local officials and advocates Wednesday afternoon to discuss the administration’s strategy.

While we wait for that to start, what else is going on?

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Article URL: https://elpais.com/economia/2021-06-23/el-fundador-del-antivirus-mcafee-john-mcafee-se-suicida-en-una-prision-de-barcelona.html

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27609027

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Reuters: Antivirus creator John McAfee, 75, was found dead in his prison cell in Barcelona after the Spanish high court had authorised his extradition to the US, the Catalan justice department said, confirming an earlier report from El Mundo newspaper. Everything points it could be a death by suicide, the department said in a statement. The high court had agreed to extradite him back to the US where he faces tax evasion charges. Spanish newspaper El Mundo's story. AFP has corroborated the news.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

This is the town of Big Pine, taken from halfway up Highway 168 with the Eastern Sierra in the background. It's hard for a suburban boy like me to imagine waking up every morning to this view.

February 17, 2021 — Big Pine, California

As GOP lawmakers rush to recreate Arizona's sham audit in their home states, most Americans still have enough of a foot in reality to see the “fraudits” for exactly what they are: purely partisan disinformation campaigns.

A new Monmouth University poll found that 57% of Americans view the fraudits as "partisan efforts to undermine valid election results” based on what they’ve heard about the reviews. Only a third of respondents viewed the so-called audits as legitimate efforts to identify potential voting irregularities. Twice as many Americans also say the reviews will weaken U.S. democracy versus strengthening it, 40%-20%, while about a third of the public believes they will have little impact.

The day after Senate Republicans unanimously rejected even the idea of talking about free and fair elections, the bipartisan group of senators who say they are working on an infrastructure deal continues to talk. Those two issues—the filibuster on the For the People Act and infrastructure negotiations—are inextricably linked. There are a handful of moderate Democrats in that gang who are squishy on filibuster reform, so what happens in those negotiations will affect how they view moving forward on the rest of President Biden's legislative agenda.

Reports are mixed as to whether the group is getting anywhere. The Wall Street Journal says "negotiators see progress." That's ahead of a meeting between Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi with White House officials on moving forward. The WSJ says that at the end of Tuesday, lawmakers in the group "said they had largely agreed on how to spend the proposed $973 billion over five years, including $579 billion in spending above expected federal levels, but were still working on how to offset the cost." That, by the way, has been the point of disagreement for three months of bipartisan negotiations, first between Biden and West Virginia Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, and now this group.

"These things are always complicated and tough," Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio told the WSJ. "It takes a while to write this stuff and do it correctly, but we’re getting there." He also said a deal is possible by the end of the week. Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat, isn't interested in waiting that long. "I think we're going to have a deal this afternoon … or we just say we can't do that," he told reporters Wednesday.

At the end of last year, Google’s 2FA app got a big iOS update that introduced a redesign and dark theme, as well as bulk account transfers. Google Authenticator can now require Face or Touch ID confirmation before showing your codes.

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In some good news for the day, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that a police officer who followed a driver into his garage over a minor traffic offense had no right to do so without a warrant. Arthur Lange was blasting music and honking his horn when he caught the attention of a highway patrol officer who started following him, the court stated in a synopsis included with its opinion. “Rather than stopping, Lange drove a short distance to his driveway and entered his attached garage,” the court stated. “The officer followed Lange into the garage.

“He questioned Lange and, after observing signs of intoxication, put him through field sobriety tests. A later blood test showed that Lange’s blood-alcohol content was three times the legal limit.”

I know I should be talking about the SCOTUS rulings or something important, but all I really want to talk about is produce. I picked up another flat of strawberries this morning, and I gave a couple quarts to my parents and some other folks. I also picked up some just absolutely gorgeous tomatoes, and a couple large onions and fresh garlic, both of which had just been pulled out of the ground and were not even cleaned when I bought them.

I had my first tomato sandwich of the summer, and tomorrow, after it is done marinating, will have my first cucumber/onion/tomato salad. My house smells like fresh garlic, the sky is blue, there is no humidity, and today is just a very good day. I had a very good session with Steve under the canopy from the pergola, just sitting there doing nothing for an hour. It was very nice.

The post Open Thread appeared first on Balloon Juice.

Uber added a disclosure to its food delivery app saying menu item prices may be higher than those charged by restaurants, bowing to pressure from attorneys general. From a report: The disclaimer will only be shown to customers in Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., after the attorneys general there pressed for a concession from the company. They said in a joint statement Tuesday that the change will offer customers more price transparency. Before customers finalize an order, Uber will show a message that reads, "Prices may be lower in store."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.