ASSESSING RUSSIAN ACTIVITIES AND INTENTIONS IN RECENT U.S. ELECTIONS

TOP OF THE NEWS:

- Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent U.S. Elections (DNI) "We assess Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the U.S. presidential election. Russia’s goals were to undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump. We have high confidence in these judgments." and Trump, Putin, and the Big Hack (New Yorker) "The declassified report, however, said that the C.I.A., F.B.I., and N.S.A. had uniformly 'high confidence' that Putin ordered the operation in order to 'undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency.' The N.S.A. had only 'moderate confidence' on some details, while the C.I.A. and F.B.I. had 'high confidence.'"

- ‘What’s the Big Deal?’ Ask Trump Voters on Russia Hacking Report (NYT) "The Russians may have very well gotten involved, several people said. They added that kind of interference should be combated. But many assumed that foreign actors had long tried to play favorites in American elections, and that the United States had done the same in other countries’ elections. Even if the Russians did do it — which some were more willing to concede than others — what difference did it make? People did not need the Russians to make up their minds about Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Trump’s election opponent. Blaming her loss on the Russians was, as one Trump supporter here said, 'just being sore losers.'"

NEWS:

- To confront North Korea, talk first and get tough later (WaPo) "So the question is not whether but when Pyongyang will have a nuclear-armed ICBM. Its ICBM program is not yet operational, and it must take many difficult steps to make it so. But this is evidently a high-priority program moving at a fast pace. There is no reason to doubt that it will reach an operational capability, perhaps in the next few years."

- What If a President Loses Control? (New Yorker) "The machinery moves slowly: a Vice-President, with a majority of either the Cabinet or of Congress, may inform the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro tempore of the Senate, in writing, that the President 'is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.' In that case, the Vice-President takes over as 'Acting President.' But if the President objects—declaring in writing 'that no inability exists'—it gets complicated: then the Vice-President and a majority of the Cabinet, or of Congress, have to tell the Speaker and the president pro tem that the President can’t do his job. Then it’s up to Congress, which would have forty-eight hours to meet, twenty-one days to decide, and then to vote, by a two-thirds majority, on whether to give the President’s powers to the Vice-President—hurdles that would protect the Presidency from a seizure of power but, in case of a Strangelovian emergency, would be unrealistic."

- Where Trump Sees Economic ‘Disaster,’ Experts See Something More Complex (NYT) "Although Mr. Trump was able to capture the White House by portraying an American economy in shambles, many of the economic fundamentals are solid. The economy added an average of 180,000 jobs per month between January and November 2016. The unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent, the healthiest reading since before the Great Recession." and Obama’s Final Jobs Report Marks 75 Consecutive Months of Growth (Atlantic) "Although the pace of employment growth in 2016 slowed compared to 2014 and 2015—the height of the economic recovery—last year’s numbers put outgoing President Barack Obama ahead of George W. Bush (but behind Bill Clinton) when it comes to job creation."

POLITICS:

- Could Obamacare Save the Democrats? (New Yorker) "'Some Republicans think they can repeal ObamaCare and blame Mr. Obama for the fallout, but they are kidding themselves,' the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal, which itself has been a vehement opponent of the A.C.A., noted on Thursday. 'Republicans were elected on a promise to repeal and replace, and the statute of limitations on blaming Mr. Obama will soon expire.'"

SCIENCE:

- The crack in this Antarctic ice shelf just grew by 11 miles. A dramatic break could be imminent (WaPo) "The floating ice shelf is fed by glaciers that sit above sea level on the Antarctic Peninsula. As the shelf loses mass, these glaciers could flow more quickly — which would contribute to rising sea levels. Losses from the ice shelf alone, however dramatic, would not have that effect, as the shelf is already floating on water, just like an ice cube in a glass of water."

- Plastic planes will allow airlines to increase cabin pressure (Economist) "Much of the discomfort of flying comes from two factors: air pressure and humidity. A study conducted in coordination with Boeing found that while flying at 8,000 feet can cause a 4% decline in blood oxygen, flying at 6,000 feet is similar to being on the ground, in terms of the effects on passengers’ bodies. Now, on to humidity. The problem is that metal aeroplane frames corrode if there is too much humidity. As a Boeing representative told Hobica, 'Carbon fibre doesn’t care if it gets wet.'"

- Falcons, Drones, Data: A Winery Battles Climate Change (NYT) "As California endures a yearslong drought, the Jacksons, like other winemakers, are grappling with new realities. Grapes, though a surprisingly resilient crop, are ripening earlier. Nights are warmer. Aquifers are running dry."

TECHNOLOGY:

- How Soical Media Cash Made WeChat The App For Everything (FastCompany) "Today, out of WeChat’s 700-plus million active users, nearly 300 million have added their bank information to WeChat Pay, enabling them to withdraw from and add money to their virtual wallets. That’s contributed to the most bustling mobile payments economy in the world: In 2015, China’s mobile transactions surged to $235 billion, surpassing the U.S. for the first time. According to iResearch, China’s mobile payments market is estimated to be worth 15.7 trillion yuan in 2016—28 times the $62.5 billion forecast by eMarketer for the U.S. in 2017—and 28.5 trillion yuan in 2018."

- Bitcoin Will Never Be a Currency—It’s Something Way Weirder (Wired) "Through the idea of a blockchain, Carlson-Wee believes, it will power businesses that essentially own and run themselves—a role more important than any one currency."

BOTTOM OF THE NEWS:

- The vinyl jukebox is coming back into production after 25 years (Mashable) "For the first time in 25 years, record player manufacturer Crosley has decided to go retro and bring back the classic vinyl jukebox player, but with a modern twist. Its CR1209A full-sized Rocket Vinyl Jukebox will be the only jukebox in production."

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