Daily Archives: August 6, 2021

Rubio takes an interest in the right’s NSA conspiracy theory – MSNBC

Posted: August 6, 2021 at 10:46 pm

It was in late June when Fox News' Tucker Carlson claimed on the air that the National Security Agency was "monitoring" his electronic communications, as part of a scheme to take his show "off the air." The host offered no proof, but several congressional Republicans rallied behind him -- with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) even asking Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calf.) to launch some kind of probe into the odd allegations.

Weeks later, the GOP's willingness to take the matter seriously hasn't gone away.

The top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee is calling on the director of national intelligence to investigate allegations that the federal government "unmasked" Fox News host Tucker Carlson. In a letter to Avril Haines, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said that recent media reports that "Mr. Carlson was unmasked by a government agency" have "only fueled the perception that unmasking is being used as a political hammer or to satisfy curiosity."

In his written request to the DNI, the Republican senator not only referenced the "perception" of political improprieties, Rubio also argued that the public is "attuned to the perception of widespread misconduct." His letter also referenced "public suspicion and distrust."

Or put another way, the Florida Republican -- the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee and the panel's former chairman -- isn't aware of any wrongdoing on the part of the intelligence community, but he is aware of "perceptions."

Of course, those perceptions may very well exist, though that doesn't make them true.

Let's circle back to our earlier coverage to review how we arrived at this point. NBC News reported last month that after Carlson raised the allegations, the NSA took the unusual step of issuing a written statement, explaining that the Fox News personality "has never been an intelligence target of the Agency and the NSA has never had any plans to try to take his program off the air. NSA has a foreign intelligence mission. We target foreign powers to generate insights on foreign activities that could harm the United States."

NBC News' report added, "The conservative host has a history of making false or exaggerated claims."

It was against this backdrop that Axios moved the ball forward with a related report, adding that Carlson was "talking to U.S.-based Kremlin intermediaries about setting up an interview with Vladimir Putin shortly before the Fox News host accused the National Security Agency of spying on him."

Axios added that U.S. officials "learned about Carlson's efforts to secure the Putin interview. Carlson learned that the government was aware of his outreach and that's the basis of his extraordinary accusation."

If Axios' sources were correct, it raised the possibility of a scenario in which the Fox News host may have been in communication with a Kremlin official who was under surveillance. Under such a scenario, the NSA wasn't monitoring Carlson's communications; it was monitoring the communications of the person Carlson was talking to.

If you connected with a member of Vladimir Putin's team, the NSA would probably be aware of that, too. It would not, however, be proof of an NSA plot to derail your professional career.

It also wouldn't warrant a congressional investigation or weird partisan conspiracy theories.

All of this was reminiscent of Donald Trump's insistence that U.S. intelligence agencies "spied on" his 2016 campaign. When pressed for proof, Republicans have pointed to instances in which members of Team Trump were in communication with their Russian allies.

But again, this wasn't because anyone was spying on the Trump campaign, it was because U.S. intelligence agencies were spying on Russians -- whom Team Trump was chatting with before taking office four years ago.

If the reporting is correct, and something similar happened to Carlson, it wouldn't be shocking in the slightest.

So why is Marco Rubio taking an interest in this weeks later? It's possible that the senator, given his powerful position on the Intelligence Committee, has uncovered relevant information that sparked new interest in the story.

And it's also possible that the ambitious Republican is playing a partisan political game, so that he can tell his party's base and conservative media outlets that he played along with their suspicions, indifferent to whether those ideas are rooted in fact.

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Congress pressures US spy agencies as Tucker Carlson feuds with NSA – Yahoo News

Posted: at 10:46 pm

U.S. intelligence officials face bipartisan congressional pressure to explain their use of surveillance powers, following a rebuke from a federal judge and Fox News host Tucker Carlsons high-profile dispute with the National Security Agency.

Our institutions are only as good as the American publics confidence in them, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio wrote a top intelligence official, requesting an investigation of Carlsons allegation the NSA violated his privacy. The NSA publicly responded to Mr. Carlsons allegations with a statement on Twitter that frankly only created more questions.

Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, did not dispute the NSAs denial of wrongdoing in Carlsons case. Yet, Rubios request for a formal inquiry into Carlsons complaint coincided with a sharper rebuke of the FBI, which has drawn bipartisan ire due to a federal judges revelation of pervasive misuse of data collected by the NSA.

We each share an obligation to protect Americans civil liberties, Indiana Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz and California Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren wrote in a Tuesday letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray. However, the FBI has repeatedly violated the civil liberties of Americans through widespread misuse of Section 702 data.

TUCKER CARLSON'S NAME IN NSA INTERCEPTS REVEALED THROUGH 'UNMASKING': REPORT

Section 702 is a provision of federal law that allows the NSA to collect the communications of foreign targets overseas without a warrant. That surveillance authority looms over both controversies, as a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judge revealed FBI officials have failed to follow the rules designed to prevent the Section 702 program from being used in violation of the Fourth Amendment rights of Americans.

The FBIs failure to properly apply its querying standard when searching Section 702-acquired information was more pervasive than was previously believed, the judge wrote in a November 18, 2020, opinion that the Office of the Director of Intelligence published in April.

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Carlson, for his part, has accused President Joe Bidens administration of spying on him and planning to leak his plans to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin.

I wasn't embarrassed about trying to interview Putin. He's obviously newsworthy, Carlson said last month. But still, in this case, I decided to keep it quiet. I figured that any kind of publicity would rattle the Russians and make the interview less likely to happen. But the Biden administration found out anyway, by reading my emails.

NSA officials denied that Carlson was a target of surveillance, while his account spurred outside analysts to surmise the U.S. spy agencies tasked with monitoring the communications of Putins associates detected Carlsons interview request a phenomenon known as incidental collection.

By law, I should have been identified internally merely as a U.S. journalist or American journalist, Carlson said. But that's not how I was identified. It was identified by name. I was unmasked.

Rubio, following Carlsons demand for an explanation from National Intelligence director Avril Haines and NSA Director Paul Nakasone, urged Haines to coordinate with the NSA to launch a formal inquiry into both aspects of the controversy: the initial information gathering and the alleged unmasking.

However, the senator did not dispute the NSAs denial and suggested a transparent investigation might clear the air.

Our institutions are only as good as the American publics confidence in them, Rubio wrote to Haines. As such, it is essential that the IC under your leadership hold itself to account if misconduct has occurred, and convincingly reassure an American public increasingly attuned to the perception of widespread misconduct where it has not occurred.

Spartz, Lofgren, and 15 other House lawmakers took up the FISA court judge's findings rather than Carlson's complaint. They signaled to Wray they are confident the FBI is guilty of misuse of raw Section 702 data, although they did not refer to Carlson. They set a deadline for the FBI chief to schedule a classified briefing on the controversy.

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The FBI has systematically failed to comply with Section 702 restrictions and its own regulations to protect Americans civil liberties, Spartz, the Indiana Republican, said Tuesday in a statement accompanying the release of the Aug. 2 letter. The core function of the government is to protect our constitutional rights, and members of Congress should be briefed by FBI officials regarding the bureaus efforts to remediate this issue.

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Tags: News, Foreign Policy, National Security, Tucker Carlson, Russia, Marco Rubio, NSA, Avril Haines

Original Author: Joel Gehrke

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Cybersecurity among ‘4 pillars of cooperation’ in NSA meeting between India, SL, Maldives – Republic World

Posted: at 10:46 pm

Ina trilateral security meeting held between Sri Lanka, India, and the Maldives on August 4, the nations identified four pillars of cooperation in areas related to terrorism and radicalization, marine safety and security, trafficking and organized crime, and cybersecurity, the Indian High Commission said in a statement on Friday. Held virtually due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the first Deputy National Security Adviser (NSA) level meeting of the Colombo Security Conclavewas hosted by Sri Lanka to hold discussions on vital cooperation and coordination to address the key contemporary security challenges in the region.

The high-level NSA meet was held under the Chairmanship of Chief of Defence Staff and Army Commander General Shavendra Silva with the participation of Deputy National Security Adviser of India Pankaj Saran and National Security Advisers Office Secretary at the Presidents Office of Maldives Aishath Nooshin Waheed. Bangladesh, Mauritius, and Seychelles participated as observers, and were participated by Principal Staff Officer to Armed Forces Division of Bangladesh Army Lt. Gen. Waker Uz Zaman, Mauritius Prime Ministers Office Permanent Secretary Pusmawatee Sohun, and Seychelles Peoples Force Chief of Defence Forces Colonel Micheal Rosette.

The NSA talks were held under the widened format of the Colombo Security Conclave, which held talks over the specific proposals for cooperation related to the four pillars of cooperation identified by the participant countries. The three nations agreed to hold regular interactions, joint exercises, capacity building, and training activities and enhancing their capabilities to keep up with the spirit of regional cooperation.

"The meeting was marked by convergence of views on common security threats and was held in a warm, positive and forward looking manner," Indian High Commission said in a statement on Friday. The meeting identified four pillars of cooperation under the Colombo Security Conclave, namely, Marine Safety and Security, Terrorism and Radicalisation, Trafficking and Organised Crime and Cyber security," the mission added.

The decision to establish the Colombo Security Conclave was agreed upon in November 2020 at the NSA-level meeting of India, Lanka, and the Maldives. The meeting aims to strengthen cooperation on the maritime and security issues trilaterally among the three key Indian Ocean nations.

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Tooba and Hamed Shafia Now: Where Are Zainab Shafia’s Family and Killers Today? Update – The Cinemaholic

Posted: at 10:44 pm

Investigation Discoverys Forbidden: Dying for Love: Love and Dishonor takes the audience through the heinous murders of Zainab Shafia, her sisters, Sahar and Geeti Shafia, and Rona Mohammad Amir, who were found in a submerged car in Rideau Canal in Kingston, Ontario. Initially thought of as a terrible accident, evidence soon pointed otherwise, and Zainabs father, Mohammad Shafia, along with his son, Hamed, and wife, Tooba Shafia, came under suspicion. With Mohammad convicted of the crime, if you want to know where Tooba and Hamed are at present, we have you covered.

Mohammad Shafia is originally from Afghanistan, although the family had residences in Australia and even the United Arab Emirates. He initially married Rona Mohammad Amir, but his wife failed to give him children. Thus, unsatisfied with her, he engaged in polygamy and married a second time. His second wife, Tooba Shafia, bore him seven children, including the three victims and their brother, Hamed Shafia.

On June 30, 2009, the police were informed about a submerged vehicle near a Kingston Mills lock in Kingston, Ontario. Upon investigating, they were able to recover the bodies of three teenagers and a 50-year-old woman. They were later identified as Zainab, Sahar, Geeti, and Rona. Meanwhile, the teenagers father, Mohammad Shafia, reported that the four went missing while returning from a trip to Niagara Falls. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary initially, and the police deemed it to be an accident. However, developments soon hinted otherwise.

Through their investigation, they learned that Rona Mohammad Amir was stuck in a loveless marriage and was not treated well by Mohammad and (allegedly) his second wife, Tooba. Mohammad also refused to divorce her. Additionally, the father believed that his daughters had brought dishonor to the family. He was especially enraged by Zainab as she had been spotted with a boyfriend and even fled from home to a womens shelter to escape her fathers wrath.

Officers also realized that both Tooba Shafia and Hamed Shafia were in support of Mohammad. The police finally received a viable clue when Hamed reported that the family SUV had met with an accident on the day of the murder. Once the police examined the damages, they were sure that the SUV was used to ram the smaller vehicle containing the women into the water. Thus, Hamed Shafia, Mohammad Shafia, and Tooba Shafia were arrested and charged with murder.

Once arrested and produced in court, both Tooba and Hamed insisted that they were innocent. Both claimed they had nothing to do with the killings and alleged that the arrest was unjust. However, the jury ultimately found Tooba and Hamed guilty of four counts of first-degree murder. Subsequently, both were sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 25 years.

They did try to get their conviction overturned in 2015, but the petition remained unsuccessful. Tooba has since changed her stand and claimed that she found freedom after being incarcerated. She further told the parole board that she was in control of her life and even filed for divorce from Mohammad. Both Tooba and her son, Hamed, remain incarcerated in Canada as of the present. Although there are no reports about Hameds deportation, Tooba, who will be eligible for parole in 2034, had her permanent residency status removed in 2018 and will be deported once released.

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Couple in relationship with teen reveal throuple bedroom issue – NEWS.com.au

Posted: at 10:44 pm

This couple has now become a throuple after they invited a teenage girl to join their relationship and she accepted.

Eliana Cuchietti and Nazareno Fernandez started out as a couple like any other in the Argentine city of Mendoza, where they managed a call centre together.

Maira Fernandez was just 18 when she joined the company and the three quickly hit it off, becoming friends and often socialising outside work hours.

We started seeing that we felt things we didnt understand, Maira, now 23, told local newspaper Dario Los Andes.

The three of us got together without problems, but if I got together just with Eli, we would miss the other one. Something was going on.

RELATED: 10 ways to know your relationship is healthy and happy

If there were just two of us, whatever we did, we would miss the other person, she said.

This led to the question of how we would continue. We have a polyamorous relationship of three. Were not in an open relationship, were not swingers. Were a throuple and we love each other.

Though neither Eliana nor Maira had previously had a same-sex relationship, it was the women who made the first move.

We had organised a get-together at our house and we decided not to go out dancing, Eliana said.

We were having a meal after spending the whole day together.

At one point, Mai and I decided to play a prank on Naza, and we told him we were going to be girlfriends because we no longer liked men.

We had dinner, I offered him wine. He said no and she said yes. Then we kissed. It all became clear.

Nazareno described that moment as a male fantasy but he didnt believe it was going to lead to a lasting, meaningful relationship.

As a man, its a normal fantasy. I was in the middle of two beautiful women, but I didnt believe that I was about to form part of a three-way relationship.

Everything was natural and problem-free from the outset. What we were feeling happened: The three of us loved each other, we protected each other.

It was what the relationship was missing because we had previously noted that just the two of us felt incomplete.

Months later, Maira moved in with Eliana and Nazareno who has three daughters, each from different relationships and they bought a bigger bed.

Nazarenos father accepted his sons new three-way relationship straight away, as did Elianas parents, even though she initially found it difficult to tell them.

With Maira, it was a different story she initially told her dad she was in a relationship with Nazareno, now 41, which was difficult for him to accept because she was just 19 when she told him.

He eventually accepted their relationship, and she and her mother who already knew then told him about Eliana.

She said: He went through a process and he now asks me about them more than about me.

The three will shortly be celebrating their fifth anniversary and they would like to get married, even though polygamy is not legal in Argentina.

Nazareno added: We would like to be parents but its still too early.

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How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom Episode 5 – Anime News Network

Posted: at 10:44 pm

Okay, uh... let's start with the positives I guess.

I think there are a few neat world-building wrinkles in episode five. I'm a sucker for anything involving slimes, so the slime info dump and the dish made from them was good fun. I enjoyed the bits regarding this land being more western in style with naming conventions and the comedic beat of Kazuya realizing this. It also sets up a neat little alter ego/secret identity in the form of "Kazuya" for when he needs to go undercover. I also thought that Ikumi Hasegawa's performance as Aisha during the last scene was good, with her slurping noodles and talking with her mouth full adding that extra bit of texture to her line delivery. Souma realizing that polygamy is the norm in this world is kinda great. It's presented as a very practical "yeah bro it's normal here?" a rare moment where Souma finds himself intellectually on the back foot and not automatically telling others how things should be.

The rest of the episode was... less enjoyable for me. Much of the first half of the episode was the cast slurping noodles or planning a date for Kazuya. Perhaps it would have been more engaging if I felt more attached to the cast, but at the moment I don't feel like I know enough about them to appreciate downtime scenes like this. Low tension scenes can work for me, but I either need to be more familiar with the cast or more character development needs to happen in these moments for them to really pop. I simply was not engaged for the first half or so.

When the date proper started to ramp up is when things began to happen, but not in the way I was hoping. Look, I'm just not a fan of harem stuff as a rule. I didn't like Tenchi Muyo! when a friend begged me to check it out in the '90s, and in the decades since I haven't found it any more appealing. Aisha absolutely throwing herself at Kazuya with the "please use me" stuff, the cast sitting around talking about which day of the week they'll have... I dunno gang, I get that a lot of people enjoy this stuff but it's not for me. I guess all I can do is hold out hope that the cast ends up being more distinctive than their hair color and their day of the week in Souma's schedule...

Rating:

Grant is the cohost on the Blade Licking Thieves podcast and Super Senpai Podcast.

How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom is currently streaming onFunimation.

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INFERTILITY AS A CAUSE OF BROKEN HOMES (PART 1) – THISDAY Newspapers

Posted: at 10:44 pm

Parenthood is undeniably one of the most universally desired goals in adulthood, with most people having life plans that include children. However not all couple who desire a pregnancy will achieve one spontaneously and a proportion of couple will need medical help to resolve underlining fertility challenges while some may never be able to have their own genetic children and will result to use of donor gametes (sperm/egg) or even adoption.

Infertility is a global health problem and a social destabilizing condition for couples associated with stigmas and a major cause of marital frictions. Many homes go through the pains of the childlessness with the issues of infertility fast becoming a common occurrence in the county. According to the World Health Organization, infertility prevalence rates are difficult to determine due to the presence of both male and female factors which may only address the woman and an outcome of a pregnancy diagnosis or live birth.

The African society places a high premium on the size of the family, be it nuclear or extended. The womans place in marriage remains precarious till confirmed through child bearing. In most case, a woman has to prove her womanhood through motherhood, and the man also having to confirm his manhood in the same fashion. Children are held as a source of pride, strength and economic fortune for the family, a mans wealth and strength being equated to his progeny. Infertility therefore involves a feeling of loss even though previously inexistent; it is thought to be tangible and therefore impacts negatively on a couples mental and social wellbeing. Infertility may constitute a crisis in the affected family. The attendant emotional, psychological, cultural and social burden drains the couple of self-worth and esteem. In most African society, a womans childlessness may be viewed as a punishment for a social misdemeanour or attributed to other factors including witchcraft and the disaffection of ones ancestors. The unsolicited and often inpatient societal demands and expectations place on such couples an unimaginable pressure and tension.

They may become isolated and neglected consequent upon the attendant social stigmatization. Childlessness is a dreaded outcome of any marriage in the society and often leads to polygamy and broken marriage but rarely child adoption in the traditional African setting. Female infertility is stigmatized in western as well as non-western cultures. The notion of child-bearing being a hallmark of womanhood, the high premium placed on children by extended families as well as difficulties in the procedure for legal or permanent adoption make stigmatizing attitudes experienced by infertile woman particularly severe in non-western cultures.

Although the socio-cultural setting has before now focused on the female, fertility issued are shared by both male and female sexes.

Demographic studies have shown that more women are delaying childbearing at the present time than previously. This trend is expected to cause a corresponding rise in the mean age at which women first present themselves at fertility clinics. It is unclear as to whether women who present to fertility clinics at an older age have a different diagnostic profile from that in younger women. However, research has proven that older women may be more likely to be diagnosed with unexplained infertility and that this is due to the negative effect of age on ovarian reserve. Clinicians have also observed that most infertile couple present at the infertility clinic at least after 5 years of trying to conceive usually after the age of 37 years when their natural fertility is already declining. Fertility declines with age in both male and female. Infertility in older women may be due to a higher risk of chromosomal abnormalities that occur in the eggs as they age as well as diminished ovarian reserve. Older women are also more likely to have health problems that may interfere with fertility. The risk of miscarriage also is much higher with advancing maternal age.

An overwhelming amount of evidence has accumulated in the last five to seven years that point to the fact that there has been rise in the male infertility and some researches have shown it at an incidence rate of 40-50%. Despite the high prevalence of infertility in Nigeria, not much effort has been made at tackling the problem. This high prevalence of infertility on men has been associated with sexually transmitted infection, and in women pelvic inflammatory disease, post-abortal or post-partum genital tract infection and even environmental toxin.

THE IMPACT OF INFERTILITY ON THE COUPLE

When a woman cannot bear children, it tremendously affects her identity, but the pain can extend far beyond her to affect her relationship. Conflict often arises amongst couple over which treatment or when to adopt. Most treatment options available for management of infertility may be very expensive and emotionally draining. Infertility also affects a womans relationship with other members of the family like the mother and father in laws. Misunderstanding may be arising from their perception of what infertility is and what its management should entailTO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK.

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The Biden Administration Is Rejecting The War On Drugs And Turning To Harm Reduction – BuzzFeed News

Posted: at 10:44 pm

The Biden administration is pushing to reform state drug laws in its latest move aimed at preventing deaths among people who use illegal drugs. The new approach focuses on so-called harm reduction measures that promote safe drug use over abstinence and the threat of imprisonment.

On Monday, the Office of National Drug Control Policy announced a $2.5 million grant to draft model laws to support such harm reduction programs, increase drug treatment options, and reform criminal statutes that have harmed people of color in particular. Its the federal drug policy offices latest shift away from the War on Drugs strategy that was started during the Nixon administration 50 years ago.

Its frankly refreshing to see this office talking about helping people, and not about punishing them, said epidemiologist Traci Green, director of the Opioid Policy Research Collaborative at Brandeis University. For better or worse, model laws for controlled substances have led to changes in the past. So it is smart, I think, to follow this path to reform laws that unfortunately need modernizing in many states.

Last year, more than 93,000 people died of drug overdoses in the US, the highest number ever. The increase was driven in part by the social isolation created by the pandemic, as well as by the wider spread of fentanyl, a drug some 25 to 40 times more potent than heroin, into the illicit drug market. The awareness that overdose deaths are only increasing, combined with reports of HIV outbreaks among people who use drugs in West Virginia and Boston, has intensified efforts to move to a harm reduction approach in the federal response to drug use. In direct contrast, however, some cities, such as Charleston, West Virginia, and Atlantic City, New Jersey, have recently shut down needle exchange sites, which are known to decrease the risks of infectious diseases spreading among people who use illicit drugs.

Announcement of the two-year grant follows the Drug Czars offices easing limits on medications that treat addiction to opioids and allowing the use of federal funds to pay for test strips that can detect fentanyl in drugs. In April, ONDCP acting director Regina LaBelle announced that $30 million in federal funding would be included in the pandemic relief package to fund harm reduction programs for the first time, notably needle exchanges. And last month, ONDCP worked with the Drug Enforcement Agency to end a decadelong moratorium on using vans to dispense methadone to people who are physically dependent on opioids, making the treatment accessible to places without nearby clinics and correctional facilities.

To have the Office of National Drug Control Policy talking about harm reduction is important, both as a symbol, and for real, said public health law expert David Rosenbloom of the Boston University School of Public Health. I remember when you couldnt say those words there. And it wasnt that long ago.

Some punitive state laws immediately force people physically dependent on drugs who get arrested to immediately lose access to insurance that was paying for their drug treatment. The new program announcing model drug laws should target such approaches, Rosenbloom said.

Thats exactly the wrong time to have someone stop drug treatment, he added. They get out of prison and because they are physically dependent, they immediately use drugs again and overdose.

Many other current laws treat overdoses as criminal acts rather than health events, only worsening the overdose crisis, said Green. Such laws make it harder for people to get drug treatment and medical care. There really is a lot to be done to make harm reduction the standard response, she said.

But making model drug laws is just the first step. It remains to be seen whether states actually end up adopting them. The real question is whether the momentum will be there to make them into real laws, Green said.

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The Best Songs of July 2021: The War on Drugs, Caroline Polachek, Deafheaven – Paste – Paste Magazine

Posted: at 10:43 pm

Like a star in the sky, a song can be beautiful all on its own, but is particularly breathtaking when its surrounded by others. In surveying the standout tracks of July, its felt a bit like the Paste Music team was staring upward, squinting to see which individual pieces of the countless constellations above shined the brightest. But you didnt come here for celestial metaphorsyou came for the months best songs, and thats exactly what youll get in a second, from our first preview of the new War on Drugs record and Caroline Polacheks first new single of 2021 to one of Deafheavens latest rippers and much more. See and hear all of Paste Musics top July tracks below.

Listen to our Best Songs of July 2021 playlist on Spotify here.

Caroline Polacheks otherworldly presence has made her one of pops most intriguing figures, first as co-founder of the synth-pop outfit Chairlift, and now as a solo act. Her 2019 debut Pang was a stunner, making our list of the best pop albums of that year. This week, Polachek returned with her first original piece of music since then, Bunny Is a Rider. The single is a sonic departure from Polacheks dreamy, introspective indie-pop as she veers into spicier territories. Deep bass provided by producer Danny L Harle and whistles transport listeners into a Caribbean paradise as Polachek reflects on operating untethered to anyone or anything. In a statement, Polachek elaborates on her new track: Bunny Is a Rider is a summer jam about being unavailable. Bunny is slippery, impossible to get ahold of. Maybe its a fantasy, maybe its a bad attitude. But anyone can be Bunny, at least for three minutes and 17 seconds. Jade Gomez

Los Angeles rockers Cheekface are keeping the Cheek Freaks fed, sharing another new single Tuesday, Next to Me (Yo Guy Version). The band has a U.S. tour set for the fall in support of their acclaimed sophomore album Emphatically No., and this is the second single theyve released since their records release in January, after Aprils We Need a Bigger Dumpster. As is typical of Cheekface tunes, Next to Me (Yo Guy Version) has a broken heart and tongue in cheek bothGreg Katz evokes that bittersweetness right off the bat, starting the first verse, My heart has hiccups, theres no relief. Upbeat guitar riffage, cowbell and a repeated Pavement reference buoy Katzs rueful remembrances of his departed friend (I liked it better when you were standing next to me), with a rad guitar solo to top it all off. Thats Cheekface for youthey just have this way of putting a smile on your face. Scott Russell

Continuing their reinvention from some of the heaviest post-metal of the 2010s to still-gnarly, moody rock music, Deafheaven dont lose an ounce of what made them so initially mighty and often controversial on new single The Gnashing. Uniquely catchy for Deafheaven, George Clarkes melodic vocals, though sung rather than screamed, lose none of their effect, sounding massive alongside the roaring guitars and pounding drums. The Gnashing certainly resembles the bands typically aggressive style more so than previous single Great Mass of Color, but through its emotionally urgent and reflective atmosphere, Deafheaven continue to amaze. Jason Friedman

Since the mid-2000s, Liz Harris has channeled her talent for crafting often hard to describe music that floats between ambient, psychedelic and folk into her project, Grouper. Tuesday (July 27), she announced the follow-up to her 2018 album Grid of Points, simply titled Shade. Alongside the announcement arrived single Unclean Mind, which finds Harriss inimitably airy and hushed voice melting into her acoustic guitar strumming, with harmonies that feel almost like theyre glowing around the whole thing. Immensely lush and immersive, the track carries with it the almost ethereal quality that makes Groupers music consistently hit like an emotional sledgehammer. Jason Friedman

Brooklyn art-punk troupe Gustaf have made some strong waves despite releasing very little music, owing in no small part to their robust, electric, post-punk-inspired sound that recalls at times ESG or Lizzy Mercier Descloux. On new single Book, the latest ahead of their debut album for Royal Mountain Records, Audio Drag For Ego Slobs, the group sound like theyve spent years perfecting the genre, delivering an energetic and captivating blend of Lydia Gammills frantic vocals, groovy bass and tight drums. Book feels simultaneously new and classic, boasting a songwriting maturity that only builds hype for the bands forthcoming full-length. Jason Friedman

The lead single and title track from Hovvdys new album due out Oct. 1, True Love debuted on Tuesday along with a video. True Love, the Austin, Texas duos fourth LP and Grand Jury debut, was co-produced by Andrew Sarlo (Bon Iver, Big Thief) and recorded at Sarlos Los Angeles studio throughout 2020in a time when their musics open-hearted sweetness was most needed. Hovvdy are a long way from their DIY bedroom-pop beginnings on True Love, a lush, acoustic guitar- and piano-driven tune with gentle, but firm touches of cosmic Americana. In the interval since their 2019 album Heavy Lifter, Charlie Martin and Will Taylor both married their partners, and Taylor had a child. All that love is a precious gift, but also a huge responsibility: You comfort me, Rosy, they harmonize, repeating in the swirling outro, Do you believe what I said / That I am the man I say I am? For each Hovvdy record theres always been a song that kinda shocks my system, kinda jolts me into a brand new and inspired place. This was definitely that song for me, Martin said of True Love in a statement. I remember writing it and feeling a rush of excitementcrying a lot honestly. it feels so good to express love and appreciation when you really fucking mean it. but its hard to feel worthy of love, of something so rare, and all we can do is try to measure upthats what that last part is all about. Scott Russell

Following the excellent single Kill Me ahead of her forthcoming album on Saddle Creek Any Shape You Take, Indigo De Souza holds onto the momentum that led Paste to call that track one of our favorites of June with new single Hold U. Starting with only a drum machine and an organ, the energetic and funky track builds to a cathartic conclusion with De Souzas voice acting as a sonic and emotional guide. Each element, down to the the sensitive and headstrong lyrics feel vivacious and brimming with character, which only makes us more excited to hear what new feelings Any Shape You Take will find the songwriting exploring and revealing within the listener. Jason Friedman

Indie-rock group Penelope Isles have been pretty quiet since the release of their lush and electric debut album Until The Tide Creeps In in 2019, but on new single Sailing Still, they prove that time has been spent maturing and evolving as songwriters. Complex string arrangements and heavy guitars drop like an anvil, feeling like a noise-pop avalanche has made contact. Its hard to successfully pull off a song that makes such dynamic use of spaceespecially within the format Penelope Isles is used tobut they pull it off with the effortless brilliance of bands like Grizzly Bear or Beach House. Jason Friedman

Hot off her forthcoming debut full-length album (which is good), Remi Wolf offers another fixture in her vibrant funhouse with Liquor Store. The song, which is Wolfs reflection on her sobriety, captures the stress and subsequent euphoria of newfound sobriety with a sprinkle of her psychedelic funk mixed with R&B. With 2020 behind us and 2021 acting as an optimistic year full of change and excitement, Liquor Store is a reminder that its okay to bare it all. Jade Gomez

TORRES Thirstier was recently named one of our favorite albums of July, and its easy to see why. Her soaring melodies and passionate vocals evoke that same familiar comfort of listening to Bruce Springsteen. On the albums title track, TORRES, real name Mackenzie Scott, crafts carefully written tales of love and heartache over dynamic production that boils into heartland rock-inspired choruses. Partially inspired by her love story with partner Jenna Gribbon (who is featured in the Dont Go Puttin Wishes In My Head video), Scott reflects on experiencing love and happiness in their purest states on Thirstier. Jade Gomez

Nigerian-Canadian rapper TOBis latest single Off the Drugs will probably give you a contact high, enlisting Chicagos own Mick Jenkins for his jazzy, monotone flow that captures the essence of lifes vices in all their variety. However, contrary to a lot of other artists who deal with drugs, the two expand beyond the physical, touching on getting high off love, weed and liquor. The smooth horns mimic TOBis passionate croon, perfect for belting as the summer barbecues edge into the night. Jenkins impeccable grasp of language breaks open each word into their individual syllables as he reflects on smoking alone and experiencing love with liquor. Make no mistake, this is not a track riddled with guilt and regret. Rather, it is an ode to unlocking creativity through the usage of these substances, seeking to destigmatize and promote the universal feeling of relaxation. Jade Gomez

So far, this has been Turnstiles summer with the release of their surprise EP TURNSTILE LOVE CONNECTION, quickly followed by a billboard announcing their forthcoming album Glow On (Aug. 27, Roadrunner Records) alongside a spectacular single, Alien Love Call, featuring Blood Orange. Wednesday (July 28), the band shared their latest single Blackout, only a month shy of their highly anticipated follow-up to 2018s Time & Space. Blackout is a faithful return to the Baltimore bands hardcore roots, with frontman Brendan Yates soaring vocals colliding with explosive guitars accented with power-pop riffs that beg to be replayed. After a false end, the band reconvenes into a hair-raising breakdown that older fans are sure to love. The accompanying animated music video is a hazy dream sequence of silhouettes materializing out of shapes. Jade Gomez

The War on Drugs are back with another one of Pastes most-anticipated 2021 albums, announcing that their fifth studio LP I Dont Live Here Anymore will be released Oct. 29 on Atlantic Records. The announcement was accompanied by the video for lead single and opening track Living Proof, as well as a 2022 tour of North America and Europe in support of the bands new record. Living Proof leads with acoustic guitar and gleaming keys, with Adam Granduciel delivering his stream-of-consciousness lyrics with a poignance befitting some of his most personal songwriting to dateIm always changing, he repeats, the songs only constant as he moves from memory to expectation and back again. The song is a slow burn that doesnt muster The War on Drugs typical guitar-driven energy until late in the game: But Im rising / And Im damaged / Oh, rising, he sings at its peak, evoking what a press release says is the albums central concept: resilience in the face of despair. Scott Russell

The only and only Yves Tumor surprise-released a new EP Thursday, The Asymptotical World, via Warp Records. The six-track offering follows (and features) Jackie, one of Pastes top June tracks, and is the artists first record since their 2020 standout album Heaven to a Tortured Mind. Like Jackie before it, the EP finds Tumor blending psych-rock, neo-soul, post-punk and synth-pop sounds into a musical kaleidoscope with the force of a vortex. London/Berlin industrial dance duo NAKED are featured on Tuck, but its Secrecy Is Incredibly Important To The Both of Them that stands out mostits drums race like a heart near bursting, punctuated by dark-wave guitars as Tumor questions, How can I miss you if you wont go away? Scott Russell

Detroit rapper ZelooperZ is ever-changing, effortlessly shifting between introspective slow burns and disorienting club bangers. On his latest album Van Goghs Left Ear, Zelooperz takes listeners into the Willy Wonka nightmare tunnel of his mind. Album standout Bash Bandicoon, featuring de-facto Bruiser Brigade Records leader Danny Brown, is a lesson in anxiety, captured over a Crash Bandicoot loop. The two emcees share a magnetic charisma that manages to momentarily distract you from the auditory madness ensuing in the background. As ZelooperZ continues to develop his artistry with each release, he continues to test his limitations, jumping over one of the highest hurdles: retro videogame soundtrack samples. Jade Gomez

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The Best Songs of July 2021: The War on Drugs, Caroline Polachek, Deafheaven - Paste - Paste Magazine

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Inside the True Story of Netflix’s ‘Cocaine Cowboys’ – Newsweek

Posted: at 10:43 pm

Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami is the fourth installment, but the first series, in the Cocaine Cowboys franchise. The first installment, titled Cocaine Cowboys, premiered in 2006 followed by Cocaine Cowboys 2 in 2008 and 2014's Cocaine Cowboys: Reloaded. Now, fans of the series can sit through six episodes of the latest outing, which traces the rise and fall of high-school best friends, Augusto 'Willy' Falcon and Salvador 'Sal' Magluta.

"This might be the fourth title in the franchise, but it's the first story we wanted to tell", Cocaine Cowboys director Billy Corben told Newsweek.

"Over 15 years ago, before the first Cocaine Cowboys documentary came out the story of Will and Sal, "Los Muchachos," was the one that we were pursuing. At the time when we were pulling up in Miami it was the biggest drug-trafficking case in history. We followed the case when we were in middle school, when we were in high school, when we were in college here at the University of Miami. So we pursued it but could not nail it down."

Corben explained the numerous factors behind the delay in telling Willy and Sal's story. "The wounds were too fresh and people weren't willing to go on camera to discuss it" he said. "Over the years people came out of the woodwork, they were released from prison or got out of the witness protection program and we began to kind of bank interviews and essentially build an archive of interviews of people involved in this over the course of many years, then we finally had enough material for the documentary."

Cocaine Cowboys: Kings of Miami features a range of interviews with former drug dealers and smugglers who worked alongside Willy and Sal, their loved ones, members of their legal defense team, prosecutors, and the police who chased them for years to tell the incredible true story of one of the largest drug trafficking cases in U.S. history.

Known as "Los Muchachos" [the boys], unassuming Cuban-born and Miami-based high school dropouts Augusto 'Willy' Falcon and Salvador 'Sal' Magluta would go on to become two of the most notorious drug dealers in U.S. history.

They started out their dealing career, selling marijuana before moving on selling cocaine on behalf of Jorge Valdes, a local drug trafficker.

As part of Operation Video Canary in the 1970s, Sal and Willy received 14 months behind bars but were granted bail. When they were free, they continued to sell drugs and never served their short sentence.

When Valdes received a 10-year prison sentence as part of Operation Video Canary, he handed his empire over to Sal and Willy.

From there, their place in the Miami drug trade was solidified and the only way was up. By the time of their arrest in 1991, their empire stretched to over $2 billion.In the documentary, one of Sal and Willy's associates recalls the time he asked when they would give up the drug trade too which Sal responded "when I hit a billion."

Corben explained: "People in drug trafficking, their careers, by and large, in the United States tend to last five years meaning the life cycle so to speak on major kingpins or cocaine traffickers in the U.S. is a very short period of time. If you're lucky, maybe you operate for closer to ten years but usually, with the glare of law enforcement and it's particularly in that era, the advent of kingpin laws, they cracked down on you pretty quickly. You'd wind up dead or in prison. These guys operated for 20 years. "

Sal and Willy were able to stay out of trouble, while Miami was caught in a drug war between Columbian and Cuban cartels. Willy and Sal were not the Miami police or the FBI's priority, allowing them to thrive in the shadows.

Nevertheless, Willy and Sal lived in plain sight, flaunting their wealth, competing in national boat races, using nonviolence, and building relationships with those in the community to keep their empire intact.

Corben shared: "I think the nickname Los Muchachos [best describes them], that was the perception of them in this community. They were celebrities but they were accessible. They were Robin Hoods. That was the that was how the community perceived."

Corben said: "They were known at the time that they were operating as being nonviolent. Of course, the government alleges that that changed when they were indicted and their backs were against the wall and they started to allegedly dispatch some of their co-conspirators and potential cooperating witnesses but they were beloved and I think someone else says it best in the documentary when they say 'there maybe six degrees between Kevin Bacon but in Miami, there were only one or two degrees from Willy and Sal.'"

They evaded arrest and prison sentences for over a decade, able to pay their way out of jail thanks to their influence in Miami's political, legal, and business institutions.

As the War on Drugs began in the 1980s, led by President Ronald Reagan, the gap between Willy, Sal, and the police began to narrow.

Despite evading arrest on numerous occasions, they were finally caught in October 1991. Their story remains one of the largest drug cases in US history.

They were accused of illegally smuggling 75 tons of cocaine into the country between 1978 and 1991, amassing a fortune of $2.1billion.

After four years, they stood trial in 1996 but were acquitted, despite a mountain of evidence against them.

As heard in the Netflix documentary, in the four years between their arrest and trial, at least three potential prosecution witnesses were killed and two others were wounded. The prosecution argued Willy and Sal were behind the hits but had no concentre evidence to prove it. Sal and Willy's defence also denied their clients had anything to do with the suspicious deaths.

After an investigation into their finances in 1999, prosecutors discovered the jury foreman and two other members of the jury in the 1991 trial had accepted bribes to acquit Willy and Sal.

They were eventually retried again in 2003, on dozens of charges, including corruption, conspiracy to obstruct justice by bribing jurors, paying witnesses to lie and murdering three witnesses, and the laundering of drug profits.

Willy took a plea deal and was sentenced to just 20 years behind bars.

Sal did not plead guilty and stood trial and was convicted of money laundering and bribery. He was acquitted of the murdering or witnesses from the original 1991 trial. The judge sentenced him to a life sentence of 205 years, which was reduced in 2006 to 195 years.

Willy's brother, Gustavo Falcon, also received a prison sentence but remained on the run for 26 years.

Corben reflected "There were so many different tentacles and co-conspirators and what they call satellite cases, you know, the cases involving the jurors, the cases involving the Columbian hit team." All of these things over the years were roadblocks in securing Sal and Willy's imprisonment.

Sal Magluta is serving out his life sentence at ADX Florence, a supermax prison in Colorado.

Some of the most notable offenders imprisoned alongside Sal include Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, former senior FBI agent turned spy for the Soviet Union and later spy, Robert Hanssen, and Mexican drug lord Joaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn.

Corben was able to give a brief update on Sal's whereabouts.

He said: "Sal is in Florence, Colorado, in a supermax prison. It is the most secure prison in the United States under some of the harshest conditions in the U.S., with some of the worst terrorists and violent offenders in this country, where he will serve the next 180 some odd years and you know, he will very likely die."

On the other hand, Willy Falcon is no longer in prison after being released in 2017.

He faced immediate deportation as he was not a U.S. citizen and was eventually reported to the Dominican Republic (DR) on November 6, 2018, instead of his native-Cuba.

However, his whereabouts are unknown today.

Cocaine Cowboys director Billy Corben said: "Willy is out and about. I think I know where he is, but I can't confirm it so I won't say, but he was released several years ago held in immigration detention because he never became a US citizen and so he was eventually deported."

Corben also shared the alleged reason why Willy was deported to the DR over Cuba.

He said: "His attorney ordered that because part of the money that Willy and Sal had made in the drug trade they had donated very generously to various charities and churches and organizations, some of which were anti-Castro organizations and some of the paramilitary organizations who had through the years attempted to enter the island and overthrow or assassinate Fidel Castro.

"And because of their involvement with those organizations, his attorneys argued he should not be deported to Cuba for his own safety, and so they deported him to the Dominican Republic where when word got out that he was there, people in the DR were upset about that. And he was asked to leave."

Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami is streaming on Netflix now.

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Inside the True Story of Netflix's 'Cocaine Cowboys' - Newsweek

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