Reading archive 2021-07-20

Where Trump’s Conspiracy Theory About Who Shot Ashli Babbitt Came From

Never mind Sean Hannity. Steve Doocy is the rare host at Fox actually promoting vaccines.: Despite vague words from Hannity, it’s the ‘Fox & Friends’ stalwart who has been unusually loud in his vaccine advocacy, amid pushback from co-hosts.

Hungary’s spyware scandal is a crisis for Europe

On the list: Ten prime ministers, three presidents and a king: Among 50,000 phone numbers, the Pegasus Project found those of hundreds of public officials

U.S. and E.U. security officials wary of NSO links to Israeli intelligence: Officials and analysts say the Israeli surveillance tech firm makes a world-class product, but some suspect a relationship with Israel’s government - "A former member of Israel’s security services said young Israelis who perform their compulsory military service in the intelligence branches see their training the way Americans view college. The government is developing their technological skills with the expectation that they will go to work in the private sector or start companies — but there is also an understanding they will maintain close relationships with the military and the security services, the former official said."

What were the Capitol rioters thinking on Jan. 6? - "If you believe many of the defense arguments made during the past half year, you might conclude that what happened Jan. 6 was a brief eruption of collective madness, and that responsibility for the event is spread so thin that true culpability doesn’t exist."

“I’M GETTING THE WORD OUT”: INSIDE THE FEVERISH MIND OF DONALD TRUMP TWO MONTHS AFTER LEAVING THE WHITE HOUSE: In an hours-long interview with Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker for their book I Alone Can Fix It, the former president repeated his election lies, bashed Mitch McConnell (“he’s a stupid person”), and teased a triumphant comeback. - "'Statistically, it wasn’t even possible that [Biden] won. Things such as, if you win Florida and Ohio and Iowa, there’s never been a loss.' 

"He was referring to conventional wisdom that historically the winner of the presidential election has carried that same trio of states that Trump won. This was one of the traits that had led Trump to the White House on full display: his extraordinary capacity to say things that were not true. He always seemed to have complete conviction in whatever product he was selling or argument he was making. He had an uncanny ability to say with a straight face, things are not as you’ve been told or even as you’ve seen with your own eyes. He could commit to a lie in the frame of his body and in the timbre of his voice so fully, despite all statistical and even video evidence to the contrary.

...

"Trump singled out Justice Brett Kavanaugh, suggesting that he should have tried to intervene in the election as payback for the president standing by his nomination in 2018 in the face of sexual assault allegations. 'I’m very disappointed in Kavanaugh,' he said.

...

"Congressman Dan Crenshaw, a Texas Republican and former Navy SEAL, also came by, interrupting the interview to tell Trump that life in Palm Beach was obviously agreeing with him. 

"'You look great, sir,' Crenshaw said. 'What’s your secret?'"