US COVID Response Could Have Avoided Hundreds of Thousands of Deaths ; Google’s Security Teams Shut Down a Counterterrorism Operation ; and More Picks 3/30
US COVID Response Could Have Avoided Hundreds of Thousands of Deaths (DonkeyHotey)
The author writes, “The United States squandered both money and lives in its response to the coronavirus pandemic, and it could have avoided nearly 400,000 deaths with a more effective health strategy and trimmed federal spending by hundreds of billions of dollars while still supporting those who needed it. That is the conclusion of a group of research papers released at a Brookings Institution conference [last] week, offering an early and broad start to what will likely be an intense effort in coming years to assess the response to the worst pandemic in a century.”
Google’s Top Security Teams Unilaterally Shut Down a Counterterrorism Operation (Doug)
From MIT Technology Review: “Google runs some of the most venerated cybersecurity operations on the planet: its Project Zero team, for example, finds powerful undiscovered security vulnerabilities, while its Threat Analysis Group directly counters hacking backed by governments, including North Korea, China, and Russia. And those two teams caught an unexpectedly big fish recently: an ‘expert’ hacking group exploiting 11 powerful vulnerabilities to compromise devices running iOS, Android, and Windows. But MIT Technology Review has learned that the hackers in question were actually Western government operatives actively conducting a counterterrorism operation. The company’s decision to stop and publicize the attack caused internal division at Google and raised questions inside the intelligence communities of the United States and its allies.”
Union President Says Baseball Players Ready to Discuss Possibility of Moving All-Star Game Out of Georgia in Wake of Voter-Restriction Laws (Reader Steve)
From the Boston Globe: “The 91st MLB All-Star Game is scheduled to be played in Atlanta this July. But on Thursday, in the wake of voting-restriction legislation signed into law by the Georgia governor, the executive director of the MLB Players Association said the players are ready to discuss moving their annual midsummer exhibition out of Georgia. ‘Players are very much aware’ of the Georgia voting bill, which places restrictions on voting that some believe will make it particularly difficult for Black voters to reach the polls, said Tony Clark in an interview with the Globe. ‘As it relates to the All-Star Game, we have not had a conversation with the league on that issue. If there is an opportunity to, we would look forward to having that conversation.’”
Uighurs: China Bans UK MPs After Abuse Sanctions (Mili)
The author writes, “China has imposed sanctions on nine UK citizens — including five MPs — for spreading what it called ‘lies and disinformation’ about the country. The group are among the most vocal critics of China in the UK. It comes in retaliation for measures taken by the UK government … over human rights abuses against the Uighur Muslim minority group.”
We Are a Nation of Immigrants. Our Ecosystems Shouldn’t Be. (Russ)
The author writes, “We’re a nation of immigrants, and that cultural multiplicity is our greatest strength. Why shouldn’t we enjoy the loveliest flowers we can coax into growing, no matter where they originated? If what signals springtime to us is a spray of forsythia instead of the blooming branches of a serviceberry tree, what harm can there possibly be? Quite a bit of harm, actually. Plants aren’t people. Ambulatory and omnivorous, human beings are a migratory species. That’s not true for the vast majority of plants, which evolved to thrive as part of the unique web of life that makes up an ecosystem.”
Ontario Dog Stops Traffic to Rescue Owner Having a Seizure (Dana)
The author writes, “An Ontario dog is being hailed as a hero after she stopped traffic to get help for her owner, who was suffering from a seizure. Haley Moore of Ottawa said she was walking her 1 1/2-year-old dog, Clover, through her family’s Stittsville neighborhood last week when she had a seizure. ‘All I remember is waking up in the ambulance and being really confused; just like what is going on,’ Moore told CTV News. A neighbor’s security camera filled in the blanks in the story, showing Clover checking on Moore before running into the street to stop a passing truck.”
