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Is Edward Snowden's return from Russia on more than just a U.S. intelligence community wishlist? NBC's anonymous sources say so:
An NBC News report citing U.S. intelligence sources says Russia may consider handing over Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency contractor turned whistle-blower, to the United States as a favor to President Trump. NBC News, the only major news outlet to report the development at this point, wrote that "highly sensitive intelligence reports detailing Russian deliberations" suggest Russia is mulling over sending Snowden back to the U.S. as a favor to Trump. NBC News reported it is one of several tactics Russia could use to cozy up to the president.
Snowden called the report "irrefutable evidence" that he wasn't colluding with Russians, despite allegations from U.S. House members.
Also at The Guardian.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by fritsd on Sunday February 12 2017, @09:30AM
In the same category, I read an article in the Guardian about a new Russian TV show:
Russian reality TV show Game2: Winter to 'allow' rape and murder in Siberia [theguardian.com]
OMG the Lizard Aliens are running Russian TV !! :-/
Strange country. I always thought the "unit cell" of survivalism was "1 small village" not "a bunch of selfish competitive rapists and murderers".
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 12 2017, @05:18PM
I would watch the rape and murder show.
Siberia is a magical place where people go to die.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 12 2017, @07:49PM
Strange country.
I find it stranger that the USA gives a single guy the power to initiate global nuclear war, supposedly for "defense".
Compare: http://www.slate.com/articles/life/the_spectator/2011/02/an_unsung_hero_of_the_nuclear_age.html [slate.com]
But you've probably read about Richard Nixon acting erratically, drinking heavily as Watergate closed in on him. You may not have read about the time he told a dinner party at the White House, "I could leave this room, and in 25 minutes, 70 million people would be dead.
With the saner USSR (and presumably Russian) approach: https://www.wired.com/2009/09/mf-deadhand/?currentPage=all [wired.com]
By guaranteeing that Moscow could hit back, Perimeter was actually designed to keep an overeager Soviet military or civilian leader from launching prematurely during a crisis. The point, Zheleznyakov says, was "to cool down all these hotheads and extremists. No matter what was going to happen, there still would be revenge. Those who attack us will be punished."
And Perimeter bought the Soviets time. After the US installed deadly accurate Pershing II missiles on German bases in December 1983, Kremlin military planners assumed they would have only 10 to 15 minutes from the moment radar picked up an attack until impact. Given the paranoia of the era, it is not unimaginable that a malfunctioning radar, a flock of geese that looked like an incoming warhead, or a misinterpreted American war exercise could have triggered a catastrophe. Indeed, all these events actually occurred at some point. If they had happened at the same time, Armageddon might have ensued.
Perimeter solved that problem. If Soviet radar picked up an ominous but ambiguous signal, the leaders could turn on Perimeter and wait. If it turned out to be geese, they could relax and Perimeter would stand down. Confirming actual detonations on Soviet soil is far easier than confirming distant launches. "That is why we have the system," Yarynich says. "To avoid a tragic mistake. "
p.s. How many reality TV shows have real participants instead of actors faking or doing staged stuff so the "ratings are better"? Why would you gamble on "real people"? Can you imagine how many takes you would have to do with "members of the public" compared to if you were using paid actors?