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FBI agents were told to ‘flag’ any Epstein records that mentioned Trump, Sen. Durbin says

Posted on r/politics | Score: 36546 | Comments: 1627

Senator Richard Durbin revealed that FBI agents reviewing Jeffrey Epstein's files were instructed to flag any documents mentioning Donald Trump. Durbin has demanded explanations from the Justice Department and FBI regarding discrepancies in handling the Epstein files, adding pressure on the Trump administration over Attorney General Pam Bondi's decision to withhold evidence.

Key Points:
  • FBI agents were told to flag Epstein records mentioning Trump.
  • Senator Durbin is pressing the Justice Department and FBI for explanations on handling Epstein files.
  • Attorney General Pam Bondi faces criticism for withholding Epstein-related evidence despite prior promises.
  • Trump denies writing a 'bawdy' letter to Epstein, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
  • Durbin's letters highlight discrepancies between past statements and a recent Justice Department memo.

""Why were personnel told to flag records in which President Trump was mentioned?" he asked."

— From the article
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White House has files on $1.5bn Epstein money trail, says senator

Posted on r/politics | Score: 21716 | Comments: 507

Senator Ron Wyden claims the White House possesses files detailing a $1.5 billion money trail linked to Jeffrey Epstein, involving thousands of wire transfers and Russian banks. Wyden criticizes the Trump administration for not investigating these transactions, despite their potential relevance to Epstein's sex trafficking operations.

Key Points:
  • Senator Ron Wyden alleges the White House has confidential files on Epstein's $1.5 billion money trail.
  • The files include 4,725 wire transfers, some involving Russian banks, but the Trump administration has not pursued investigations.
  • Wyden questions the Justice Department's decision to close the Epstein case without examining these financial transactions.
  • Epstein's wealth sources and usage remain a mystery, with limited public information from civil litigation and news reports.
  • Suspicious activity reports (SARs) from banks, which could reveal illegal activities, remain undisclosed to the public.

"“The Treasury’s Epstein file details 4,725 wire transfers … adding up to nearly $1.5 billion, flowing in and out of just one of Mr Epstein’s banks,” Wyden said on the floor of the Senate."

— From the article
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House Republicans Again Block Resolution Which Would Force Release of the Epstein Files

Posted on r/politics | Score: 14447 | Comments: 549

House Republicans have blocked a bipartisan resolution for the second time this week that would force the release of the Epstein files, despite growing public outcry. The resolution, introduced by Reps. Massie and Khanna, aimed to release the files while protecting sensitive information, but was rejected along party lines.

Key Points:
  • House Republicans blocked a bipartisan resolution to release the Epstein files for the second time this week.
  • The resolution, introduced by Reps. Massie and Khanna, included protections for sensitive information like victim details and national security.
  • Republicans instead proposed a non-binding resolution requesting the files' release, which critics called ineffective.
  • The vote followed reports of a 2003 letter from Trump to Epstein, which Trump denies writing.
  • Democrats criticized the process as a 'smokescreen' and 'glorified press release.'

""Congress thinks you’re stupid," Mr. Massie said. "The rules committee passed a NON-BINDING Epstein resolution, hoping folks will accept it as real. It forces the release of NOTHING.""

— From the article
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Colbert’s Cancellation Is a Dark Warning

Posted on r/politics | Score: 6469 | Comments: 364

The article discusses CBS's cancellation of Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show,' linking it to Colbert's criticism of Paramount's settlement with Donald Trump. It warns of a dangerous trend where corporate interests and political pressure threaten cultural freedom and independent journalism.

Key Points:
  • CBS canceled Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show' shortly after he criticized Paramount's $16 million settlement with Donald Trump.
  • The cancellation is seen as part of a broader pattern of corporate capitulation to Trump's authoritarian tactics.
  • The article warns that this move signals a threat to cultural and media independence.
  • Colbert's show was the highest-rated in late-night, casting doubt on CBS's claim that the cancellation was purely financial.
  • The piece highlights the broader implications for free expression and journalism under political pressure.

"If this can happen to Colbert and a storied franchise, this can happen to anyone. The only upside is that Colbert will soon be free to go scorched earth against a president he detests."

— From the article
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NIH Is Far Cheaper Than The Wrong Dependency

Posted on r/programming | Score: 6 | Comments: 0

The article argues that dependencies in coding come with significant costs, including learning time, complexity, and potential security risks. It advocates for a critical evaluation of dependencies using a framework that considers ubiquity, stability, depth, ergonomics, and watertightness.

Key Points:
  • Dependencies in coding are not free and come with costs like learning time and complexity.
  • The article introduces a framework to evaluate dependencies based on ubiquity, stability, depth, ergonomics, and watertightness.
  • Examples of good dependencies include POSIX System Calls and ECMA-48 Terminal Control Codes.
  • The article highlights the importance of choosing dependencies wisely to avoid unnecessary complexity and risks.
  • Tigerbeetle is cited as an example of a project that avoids dependencies to minimize risks and complexity.

"Dependencies, in general, inevitably lead to supply chain attacks, safety and performance risk, and slow install times. For foundational infrastructure in particular, the cost of any dependency is further amplified throughout the rest of the stack."

— From the article
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Cloud security is a mess collected every useful script I could find

Posted on r/programming | Score: 4 | Comments: 0

The article discusses the increasing sophistication of cloud security attacks, highlighting unique vulnerabilities in cloud environments such as misconfigured containers and IAM policies. It emphasizes the need for advanced security measures beyond traditional approaches due to the scalable and API-driven nature of cloud infrastructure.

Key Points:
  • Cloud security attacks exploit unique cloud-specific vulnerabilities like misconfigured containers and IAM policies.
  • Traditional security tools are ineffective against cloud-specific attack patterns.
  • The shared responsibility model in cloud computing creates security gaps that attackers exploit.
  • Cloud breaches are costly, with an average cost of $4.45 million per incident in 2024.
  • API-driven architecture in cloud services introduces multiple entry points for attackers.

"What makes cloud security attacks particularly dangerous is their ability to scale rapidly across multiple services and regions. Think about it this way when attackers breach your on-prem server, they get one server. But crack into a cloud account? Suddenly they’ve got access to resources spanning continents."

— From the article
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How I Fixed Ruby's Most Annoying Problem: 60-Second Gem Installs

Posted on r/programming | Score: 3 | Comments: 0

The article details the author's journey to solve the frustratingly slow installation of the rdkafka gem in Ruby, which involved months of tackling compatibility issues and static linking to create precompiled binaries. The solution aimed to save millions of CPU hours wasted on repetitive compilations and improve developer experience.

Key Points:
  • The rdkafka gem's slow installation was a major pain point for Ruby developers, consuming significant CPU time globally.
  • The author identified static linking as the solution to create self-contained binaries that work across different systems.
  • Compatibility hell, due to varying library versions across platforms, made the task particularly challenging.
  • The success of other gems like nokogiri inspired the approach to precompiled binaries.
  • The solution significantly reduced installation times and improved reliability for developers.

"The rdkafka gem gets downloaded over a million times per month. Each installation takes about 60 seconds to compile. That's 60 million seconds of CPU time every month - nearly two years of continuous processing power wasted on compilation alone."

— From the article
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How Go 1.24's Swiss Tables saved hundreds of gigabytes

Posted on r/programming | Score: 3 | Comments: 0

The article discusses how Go 1.24's Swiss Tables optimization significantly reduced memory usage for Datadog, saving hundreds of gigabytes. This improvement highlights the impact of efficient data structures in large-scale systems.

Key Points:
  • Go 1.24's Swiss Tables optimization led to substantial memory savings for Datadog.
  • The improvement demonstrates the importance of efficient data structures in performance-critical applications.
  • Datadog's use case showcases real-world benefits of language runtime optimizations.
  • The savings were achieved without compromising functionality or performance.
  • This optimization is part of broader efforts to enhance Go's efficiency for large-scale deployments.

"How Go 1.24's Swiss Tables saved us hundreds of gigabytes"

— From the article
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