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NEED TO KNOW

'Anonymous' Revealed

The anonymous author of a highly publicized 2018 op-ed criticizing President Trump was revealed yesterday to be Miles Taylor, the former chief of staff in the Department of Homeland Security. Taylor, who previously worked in the Bush administration and for congressional Republicans, served under Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Acting Secretary Chad Wolf, resigning in April 2019.

The op-ed made waves at the time, implying the existence of a coordinated resistance within the administration. Many on the left criticized the author for stopping short of public action, while many on the right viewed the effort as active sabotage. The ordeal also played to Washington, DC's fondness for gossip—though the rumor mill appeared to whiff on Taylor's identity.

Read the original op-ed here.

Big Tech Grilled (Again)

Three of Silicon Valley's biggest names—Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, and Alphabet (Google's parent) CEO Sundar Pichai—testified virtually yesterday before the Senate Commerce Committee, defending their companies against allegations of anti-conservative bias. 

The policy focus of the hearing was once again Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (see background). The regulations, passed in 1996, effectively treat internet companies as publishing intermediaries—meaning they are not liable for content posted by others, with few exceptions. It also gives the platforms wide latitude in moderating or deleting content, assuming decisions are made in good faith.

Some lawmakers accuse the companies of suppressing conservative voices—pointing to a recent decision to throttle a report on Hunter Biden—and threaten to rescope their ability to moderate content. Dorsey and Pichai cautioned against changes, while Zuckerberg signaled an openness to proposals. Watch their opening testimonies here.

The hearing was initially delayed as Zuckerberg struggled to connect. 

Construction at Natanz

Iran has begun new construction at its Natanz uranium enrichment facility, according to satellite photos released yesterday. The photos support the conclusion by a United Nations watchdog agency that Iran is rebuilding a centrifuge assembly plant damaged in a July explosion that some officials attributed to a clandestine attack by Israel.

Following the 2020 killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, Iran said it would no longer abide by limits set in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, a trend already in motion following the 2018 US exit and reapplication of sanctions. Iran currently maintains it only enriches uranium to 4.5%, a level typical for commercial-grade power reactors, whereas nuclear weapons require upward of 90% enrichment. However, experts say the country's breakout time—the time it would take to produce a functional nuclear weapon—has likely fallen from one year to roughly three to four months as of early 2020. 

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

Brought to you by Magic Spoon

> The Boston Marathon, the world’s oldest annual marathon, postpones 2021 race due to COVID-19 (More) | This season’s Super Bowl, set for Feb. 7 in Tampa, Florida, to have fans at 20% capacity (More)

> Billy Joe Shaver, country music songwriter for artists like Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson, dies at 81 (More)

> Ryan Smith, cofounder of software company Qualtrics, to buy Utah Jazz for $1.66B; previous owners paid $22M for the franchise in 1985 (More)

Taste the nostalgia. Magic Spoon's healthy and delicious breakfast cereals will take you right back to your childhood—minus the sugar highs. They recently launched a peanut butter box, which you can mix and match with their other scrumptious flavors—like fruity, cocoa, and frosted—to BYOB (Build Your Own Box, of course). Go nuts. #Ad

Science & Technology

> Trump administration lifts logging and road-building restrictions in Alaska's Tongass National Forest; conservation groups vow legal challenge (More) | See more on one of the world's last remaining temperate rainforests (More)

> Stanford study links habitual multitasking with multiple digital screens to lower attention spans, poorer memory retention (More)

> Security researchers extract secret key that encrypts updates to a range of Intel processors for the first time ever; demonstrates potential ability for hackers to intercept the updates meant to fix vulnerabilities (More)

Business & Markets

> US stock markets sharply down (S&P 500 -3.5%, Dow -3.4%, Nasdaq -3.7%) on pandemic fears (More)

> Iconic jeweler Tiffany & Co agrees to revised deal terms to sell to luxury brand conglomerate LVMH for roughly $15.8B (More)

> Pinterest shares soar more than 30% after crushing expectations as brands shift advertising following social media boycott (More) | Ford delivers stronger than expected earnings, forecasts full-year profit; shares up 4% (More) | Boeing to cut an additional 7,000 jobs as losses continue amid pandemic (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Hurricane Zeta makes landfall as a strong Category 2 storm along the Louisiana Gulf Coast; at least 1 person killed, more than 75% of New Orleans without power (More) | See photos (More)

> US Supreme Court leaves in place rule allowing mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania to be counted if received up to three days after Nov. 3 election; validity of ballots could potentially be challenged postelection (More)

> France and Germany announce plans for partial national lockdowns as coronavirus cases spike across Europe (More) | US total deaths pass 227,700; see rolling averages here (cases, deaths)

IN-DEPTH

'What Do You Mean, We Can't Join the Klan?'

Politico | Les Payne, Tamara Payne. The strange story of the time Malcolm X held court with the Ku Klux Klan—a rendezvous some speculate was arranged by the FBI, who was actively monitoring both groups. (Read)

The No-Code Generation

TechCrunch | Danny Crichton. The emergence of tools that allow users to build, connect, and leverage software programs with minimal knowledge of coding has created a paradigm shift in the way the younger generation sees the world. (Read)

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ETCETERA

America's top 100 independent restaurants (by sales).

The National Wildlife Federation's annual photo awards are absolutely stunning.

There's a new tool in the search for the elusive Planet Nine.

Not into motorcycles? You can still ride a Harley.

An entire Mississippi town may go dark over an unpaid electric bill.

A new implant may bypass the eye to restore sight.

"Falls short, your pumpkin does," says Baby YodaKin.

Stat tweak costs one bettor $1M. 

Clickbait: It was a bizarre scene—even for Australia.

Historybook: Sir Walter Raleigh is executed (1618); International Red Cross is formed (1863); "The Joy of Painting" host Bob Ross born (1942); HBD Gabrielle Union (1972); Astronaut John Glenn becomes the oldest person in space at age 77 (1998).

"We are more fulfilled when we are involved in something bigger than ourselves."

- John Glenn

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