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Trump’s defense secretary faces ethics complaint over Boeing promotion

Trump’s defense secretary faces ethics complaint over Boeing promotion

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Military Times reports: A government watchdog group has asked the Department of Defense Inspector General to investigate whether Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan violated ethics rules by promoting Boeing weapons systems while serving as a government official. Shanahan, 56, worked at Boeing for more than 30 years prior to being tapped by President Donald Trump to serve as deputy secretary of defense under former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. When Mattis submitted his resignation in December, Shanahan was named by…

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Ties between Trump and Boeing run deep

Ties between Trump and Boeing run deep

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Reuters reports: Trump has used Boeing products and sites as a backdrop for major announcements over the course of his presidency. In March 2018 he touted the impact of his tax overhaul bill as he visited a plant in St. Louis. Before joining the Pentagon, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, who is expected to be named to the post, worked for 31 years at Boeing, where he was general manager for the 787 Dreamliner passenger jet. Boeing has nominated Nikki…

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Facebook’s data deals are under criminal investigation

Facebook’s data deals are under criminal investigation

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The New York Times reports: Federal prosecutors are conducting a criminal investigation into data deals Facebook struck with some of the world’s largest technology companies, intensifying scrutiny of the social media giant’s business practices as it seeks to rebound from a year of scandal and setbacks. A grand jury in New York has subpoenaed records from at least two prominent makers of smartphones and other devices, according to two people who were familiar with the requests and insisted on anonymity…

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Companies use your data to make money. California thinks you should get paid

Companies use your data to make money. California thinks you should get paid

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CNN reported in February: People give massive amounts of their personal data to companies for free every day. Some economists, academics and activists think they should be paid for their contributions. Called data dividends, or sometimes digital or technology dividends, the somewhat obscure idea got a boost on Feb 12 from an unexpected source: California’s new governor, Gavin Newsom. “California’s consumers should … be able to share in the wealth that is created from their data. And so I’ve asked…

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Without humans, AI can wreak havoc

Without humans, AI can wreak havoc

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Katherine Maher, chief executive and executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, writes: Too often, artificial intelligence is presented as an all-powerful solution to our problems, a scalable replacement for people. Companies are automating nearly every aspect of their social interfaces, from creating to moderating to personalizing content. At its worst, A.I. can put society on autopilot that may not consider our dearest values. Without humans, A.I. can wreak havoc. A glaring example was Amazon’s A.I.-driven human resources software that was…

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Theresa May’s Brexit deal defeated by reality

Theresa May’s Brexit deal defeated by reality

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Rafael Behr writes: The story that May’s deal, sprinkled with magic codicils, could be transformed from a dud to diamond was dishonest. The Brexit ultras of the European Research Group put on a show of legal piety, convening a “star chamber” of jurists to evaluate the EU’s offer. They borrowed the nomenclature from Tudor England, not because the historical analogy is appropriate but as a stylistic affectation, lending bogus gravitas to what is, in reality, a conclave of veteran Eurosceptics…

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The Commonwealth can’t save Brexit Britain

The Commonwealth can’t save Brexit Britain

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Kevin Rudd, former Australian prime minister, writes: I’m struck, as the British parliament moves towards the endgame on Brexit, with the number of times Australia, Canada, New Zealand and India have been advanced by the Brexiteers in the public debate as magical alternatives to Britain’s current trade and investment relationship with the European Union. This is the nuttiest of the many nutty arguments that have emerged from the Land of Hope and Glory set now masquerading as the authentic standard-bearers…

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Second Boeing 737 Max crash raises questions about airplane automation

Second Boeing 737 Max crash raises questions about airplane automation

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MIT Technology Review reports: The 737 Max has bigger engines than the original 737, which make it 14% more fuel efficient than the previous generation. As the trade publication Air Current explains, the position and shape of the new engines changed how the aircraft handles, giving the nose a tendency to tip upward in some situations, which could cause the plane to stall. The new “maneuvering characteristics augmentation system” was designed to counteract that tendency. Did these more efficient engines—and…

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Trump administration plans will make legal immigration more difficult

Trump administration plans will make legal immigration more difficult

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The New York Times reports: The Trump administration is preparing to shutter many of its immigration operations abroad, cutting back on a key support system for those applying overseas to relocate to the United States. The director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, L. Francis Cissna, told senior staff members this week that the international division, which has operations in more than 20 countries, would close down by the end of the year, according to two people with knowledge…

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Facebook backtracks after removing Warren ads calling for Facebook breakup

Facebook backtracks after removing Warren ads calling for Facebook breakup

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Politico reports: Facebook removed several ads placed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign that called for the breakup of Facebook and other tech giants. But the social network later reversed course after POLITICO reported on the takedown, with the company saying it wanted to allow for “robust debate.” The ads, which had identical images and text, touted Warren’s recently announced plan to unwind “anti-competitive” tech mergers, including Facebook’s acquisition of WhatsApp and Instagram. “Three companies have vast power over our…

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The Middle East’s great divide is not sectarianism

The Middle East’s great divide is not sectarianism

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Hussein Agha and Robert Malley write: The spectre of sectarianism haunts the Middle East. It is blamed for chaos, conflict, and extremism. It defines what is seen as the region’s principal fault line: Sunni versus Shiite. It has the power and elegance of a grand theory that seemingly explains all. Sunnis, embattled and embittered by Shiite ambitions, radicalize in large numbers, join Al Qaeda, or enlist in isis. Shiites, moved by the anxiety of a minority, overstep and seek power…

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Elizabeth Warren is running for president. The other 2020 Democrats are just jockeying for position

Elizabeth Warren is running for president. The other 2020 Democrats are just jockeying for position

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Michael Tomasky writes: From what I see, Elizabeth Warren is running the best race so far by miles. Warren is doing something none of the rest of them are doing. She’s running for president. The others are just positioning. I suppose that’s not necessarily true of Bernie Sanders, who has one gear and we know what it is, and we already know from last time what his positions are (although he has added a wealth tax, which I endorse heartily)….

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Reminder: Trump regularly spends the weekend hobnobbing privately with rich clients

Reminder: Trump regularly spends the weekend hobnobbing privately with rich clients

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The Washington Post reports: President Trump returned to the White House from his private resort in Florida on Sunday. In total, Trump has spent all or part of 42 weekend days at the resort since his inauguration — time during which his schedule is almost always kept completely private. Shortly after Trump was inaugurated, this was novel. When Trump’s press team called a lid on the day on Feb. 18, 2017 — meaning that Trump would not be doing anything…

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