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Missouri has regained 98.8% of its jobs since the start of the pandemic, while Illinois has recovered 96.9% of its jobs.

ST. LOUIS--Days after the President of the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys wrote to the bill's sponsor asking it to be withdrawn, a bill dubbed by critics as the "Make Murder Legal Act" was voted down by a state legislative committee Thursday. Senate Bill 666, "provides that a person who uses or threatens to use [...]

There's a new otter in town, and he's got the neighbors talking.

So we've noted that a lot of the U.S. politician accusations that Huawei uses its network hardware to spy on Americans on behalf of the Chinese government are lacking in the evidence department. The company's been on the receiving end of a sustained U.S. government ban based on accusations that have never actually been proven publicly, levied by a country (the United States) with a long, long history of doing exactly what it accuses Huawei of doing.

To be clear, Huawei is a terrible company. It has been happy to provide IT and telecom support to the Chinese government as it wages genocide against ethnic minorities. It has also been caught helping some African governments spy on the press and political opponents. And it may very well have helped the Chinese government spy on Americans. So it's hard to feel too bad about the company.

At the same time, if you're going to levy accusations (like "Huawei clearly spies on Americans") you need to provide public evidence. And we haven't. Eighteen months of investigations found nothing. That didn't really matter much to the FCC (under Trump and Biden) or Congress, which ordered that U.S. ISPs and network operators rip out all Huawei gear and replace it to an estimated cost of $1.8 billion. Yet just a few years later, the actual cost to replace this gear has already ballooned to $5.8 billion and is likely to get higher:

"The FCC has told Congress that applications to The Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program have generated requests totaling about $5.6 billion – far more than the allocated funding. The program was established to reimburse providers with 10 million or fewer customers who must remove Huawei Technologies Company and ZTE equipment."

That's quite a windfall for companies not named Huawei, don't you think?

My problem with these efforts has always been a nuanced one. I have no interest in defending a shitty global telecom gear maker with an atrocious human rights record which very well may be a proven to be a surveillance lackey for the Chinese government. Yet at the same time, domestic companies like Cisco have, for much of the last decade, leaned on unsubstantiated allegations of spying to shift market share in their favors. DC is flooded with lobbyists who can easily exploit both xenophobia and intelligence worries to their tactical advantage, then bury the need for evidence under ambiguous claims of national security:

"What happens is you get competitors who are able to gin up lawmakers who are already wound up about China,” said one Hill staffer who was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. “What they do is pull the string and see where the top spins.”

But some experts say these concerns are exaggerated. These experts note that much of Cisco’s own technology is manufactured in China."

So my problem here isn't necessarily that Huawei doesn't deserve what's happening to it. My problem here is generally a lack of transparency in a process that's heavily dictated by lobbyists, who can hide any need for evidence behind national security claims. This creates an environment where decisions are made on a "noble and patriotic basis" that wind up being beyond common sense, reproach, and oversight. That's a nice breeding ground for fraud.

My other problem is the hypocrisy of a country that doesn't believe in limitations on spying, complaining endlessly about spying, without modifying any of its own, very similar behaviors. AT&T has been proven to be directly tethered to the NSA to the point where it's literally impossible to determine where one ends and the other begins. Yet were another country to ban AT&T from doing business there, the heads of the very same folks breathlessly concerned about surveillance ethics would explode. What makes us beyond reproach here? Our ethical track record?

And my third problem is that the almost myopic, focus on Huawei has been so massive, we've failed to take on numerous other privacy and security issues, whether that's the lack of a meaningful federal privacy law, the rampant security and privacy issues inherent in the Internet of things space (where Chinese-made hardware is rampant), or election security with anywhere close to the same level of urgency. These all are equally important issues, all exploited by Chinese intelligence, that see a small fraction of the hand-wringing and action reserved for issues like Huawei.

Again, none of this is to defend Huawei or deny it's a shitty company with dubious ethics. But the lack of transparency or skepticism creates an environment ripe for fraud and myopia by policymakers who act as if the entirety of their efforts is driven by the noblest and most patriotic of intentions. And, were I a betting man, I'd wager this whole rip and replace effort makes headlines for all the wrong reasons several years down the road.

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It is a common misconception that comic collecting is a solitary hobby.…

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Nearly 10,000 feral hogs were removed in 2021 by the Missouri Feral Hog Elimination Partnership. Since 2016 more than 54,000 feral hogs have been eliminated from the state. This partnership is made up of 13 federal and state agencies. Feral hogs are an invasive species and create damage to the landscape. [...]

JERSEYVILLE - Jersey Community High School senior basketball star Sam Lamer has been a key for the successful Panthers boys squad this season under head coach Stote Reeder. Sam said he has played competitive basketball since third grade. "I love the relationships I have built with my teammates and the amount of fun that I have had competing against great athletes on the court," he said. Sam Lamer is one of the Quality Chrysler Jeep Ram Male Athletes of the Month for Jersey Community High School. Sam thanked his mom, Jill, dad, Scott, brother, Shane, and all his coaches and teammates for their help in making him a successful athlete. The Jersey senior also has a love of America's National Pastime - baseball. "I also enjoy playing baseball," he said. The Jersey athlete added that "High school sports have helped me focus on my body more and really improve my work ethic. They have made me tougher, stronger, and more confident, which will help me in the future." Sam is unsure which

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JERSEYVILLE - Tessa Crawford has been involved in basketball since fourth grade and what she thrives on is the intensity of the game. Tessa, a sophomore, is being recognized as one of the Quality Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Jerseyville Female Athletes of the Month for Jersey Community High School. Tessa’s head girls basketball coach Ton Twitchell said Tessa continues to grow as a good teammate and “the sky is the limit for her” in the future in her athletic career. Tessa thanked her parents, Mary and Bob, and grandparents, Janet and Carl, who have come to every game of her career to support her. “I thank Ron Twitchell and Caleb Williams as coaches that have helped me grow as a player,” she added. The Jersey sophomore said her involvement in sports has taught her leadership, hard work, and responsibility. “My goal is to go somewhere and play basketball in the future,” I haven’t decided on my dream college year.” A 5.0 GPA student,

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Ted Drewes reopened for the 2022 season at 11 a.m. Thursday.

In honor of his civic leadership and community involvement, a St. Louis couple has committed to five years’ worth of funding to continue Arch Grant’s Donald M. Suggs Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award.

Software company Redact reports that 13% of Missourians admit to trolling, which is posting inflammatory, offensive or irrelevant comments online.

Two vehicles crashed near Spruce and South Fourth streets about 10:45 a.m.

A man from Missouri's Lead Belt who is wanted for a litany of violent crimes has been on the lam for several months and U.S. Marshals are asking for the public's help in locating him.

Senator Richard Blumenthal has now admitted that EARN IT is targeting encryption, something he denied for two years, and then just out and said it.

Since the very beginning many of us have pointed out that the EARN IT Act will undermine encryption (as well as other parts of the internet). Senator Richard Blumenthal, the lead sponsor on the bill, has insisted over and over again that the bill has nothing to do with encryption. Right after the original bill came out, when people called this out, Blumenthal flat out said "this bill says nothing about encryption" and later claimed that "Big Tech is using encryption as a subterfuge to oppose this bill."

That's been his line ever since -- insisting the bill has nothing to do with encryption. And to "show" that it wasn't about encryption, back in 2020, he agreed to a very weak amendment from Senator Leahy that had some language about encryption, even though as we pointed out at the time, that amendment still created a problem for encryption.

The newest version of EARN IT replaced Leahy's already weak amendment with one that is a more direct attack on encryption. But it has allowed slimy "anti-porn" groups like NCOSE to falsely claim that it has "dealt with the concerns about encryption." Except, as we detailed, the language of the bill now makes encryption a liability for any web service, as it explicitly says that use of encryption can be used as evidence that a website does not properly deal with child sexual abuse material.

But still, through it all, Blumenthal kept lying through his teeth, insisting that the bill wasn't targeting encryption. Until yesterday when he finally admitted it straight up to Washington Post reporter Cat Zakrzewski. In her larger story about EARN IT, I'm not sure why Zakrewski buried this point all the way down near the bottom, because this is the story. Blumenthal is asked about the encryption bit and he admits that the bill is targeting encryption:

Blumenthal said in an interview that lawmakers incorporated these concerns into revisions, which prevent the implementation of encryption from being the sole evidence of a company’s liability for child porn. But he said lawmakers wouldn’t offer a blanket exemption to using encryption as evidence arguing companies might use it as a “get-out-of-jail-free card.”

In other words, he knows that the bill targets encryption despite two whole years of blatant denials. To go from "this bill makes no mention of encryption" to "we don't want companies using encryption as a 'get-out-of-jail-free card'" is an admission that this bill is absolutely about encryption. And if that's the case, why have their been no hearings about the impact this would have on encryption and national security? Because, that seems like a key point that should be discussed, especially with Blumenthal admitting this thing that he denied for two whole years.

During today's markup, Blumenthal also made some nonsense comments about encryption:

The treatment of encryption in this statute is the result of hours, days, of consultation involving the very wise and significant counsel from Sen. Leahy who offered the original encryption amendment and said at the time that his amendment would not protect tech companies for being held liable for doing anything that would give rise to liability today for using encryption to further illegal activity. That's the key distinction here. Doesn't prohibit the use of encryption, doesn't create liability for using encryption, but the misuse of encryption to further illegal activity is what gives rise to liability here.

This is, beyond being nonsense word salad, just utterly ridiculous. No one ever said the bill "prohibited" encryption, but that it would make it a massive liability. And he's absolutely wrong that it "doesn't create liability for using encryption" because it literally does exactly that in saying that encryption can be used as evidence of liability.

The claim that it's only the "misuse of encryption" shows that Senator Blumenthal (1) has no clue what he's talking about and (2) needs to hire staffers who actually do understand this stuff, because that's not how this works. Once you say it's the "misuse of encryption" you've sunk encryption. Because now every lawsuit will just claim that any use of encryption is misuse and the end result is that you need to go through a massive litigation process to determine if your use of encryption is okay or not.

That's the whole reason why things like Section 230 are important, because they avoid having every company have to spend over a million dollars to prove that the technical decision they made were okay and not a "misuse." But now if they have to spent a million dollars every time someone sues them for their use of encryption, then it makes it ridiculously costly -- and risky -- to use encryption.

So, Blumenthal is either too stupid to understand how all of this actually works, or as he seems to have admitted to the reporter despite two years of denial, he doesn't believe companies should be allowed to use encryption.

EARN IT is an attack on encryption, full stop. Senator Blumenthal has finally admitted that, and anyone who believes in basic privacy and security should take notice.

Oh, and as a side note, remember back in 2020 when Blumenthal flipped out at Zoom for not offering full end-to-end encryption? Under this bill, Zoom would be at risk either way. Blumenthal is threatening them if they use encryption and if they don't. It's almost as if Richard Blumenthal doesn't know what he's talking about regarding encryption.

Well, for a story that was already over, this became somewhat fascinating. We have followed the Nintendo vs. GilvaSunner war for several years now. The GilvaSunner YouTube channel has long been dedicated to uploading and appreciating a variety of video game music, largely from Nintendo games. Roughly once a year for the past few years, Nintendo would lob copyright strikes at a swath of GilvaSunner "videos": 100 videos in 2019, a bit less than that in 2020, take 2021 off, then suddenly slam the channel with 1,300 strikes in 2022. With that last copyright MOAB, the GilvaSunner channel has been shuttered voluntarily, with the operator indicating that it's all too much hassle.

Well, on the internet, and in our comments on that last post, there began to be speculation as to whether or not it was actually Nintendo behind all of these copyright strikes... or an imposter. Those sleuthing around found little tidbits, such as the name used on the strike not matching up to the names displayed in the past when Nintendo has acted against YouTube videos.

It was... strange. Why? Well, because it looked like many people going out and trying to find a reason to believe that Nintendo wasn't behaving exactly as anyone who had witnessed Nintendo's behavior would expect. If this was someone impersonating Nintendo with these actions, it was utterly indistinguishable from how Nintendo would normally behave. Guys, they do this shit all the time.

And this time too, as it turns out. You can hear it straight from YouTube's mouth.

Jumping in – we can confirm that the claims on @GilvaSunner's channel are from Nintendo. These are all valid and in full compliance with copyright rules. If the creator believes the claims were made in error, they can dispute with these steps: https://t.co/ivyjVNwLVu

— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) February 5, 2022

This is where I will stipulate for the zillionth time that Nintendo is within it's rights to take these actions. But we should also stipulate that the company doesn't have to go this route and the fact that it prioritizes control of its IP in the strictest fashion over letting its fans enjoy some video game music should tell you everything you need to know.

In the meantime, to the internet sleuths: I appreciate your dedication to either Nintendo or to simply digging into these kinds of details for funsies or whatever. That being said, as the old saying goes, if you hear the sound of hooves, assume it's a horse and not a zebra.

Whoopi Goldberg, co-host of ABC’s “The View,” set off a firestorm when she insisted on Jan. 31, 2022 that the Holocaust was “not about race.” Hands outstretched, she went on …

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick is encouraging Missourians to check for unclaimed property. “People say to me, ‘Oh, I don’t have any Unclaimed Property’ but the reason it became unclaimed is the fact that you didn’t know you had it. That’s why I always tell people to check anyway,” Fitzpatrick said. [...]

JERSEYVILLE - Senior Edward Roberts has emerged as one of the top players for the boys' basketball team at Jersey Community High School and has done well for the Panthers. Roberts is one of the Panthers' top scorers and a solid rebounder and defensive player with several steals on the season. Including games through Feb. 1, Roberts is averaging 8.1 points and 5.2 rebounds-per-game, along with adding 47 assists, 41 steals and 10 blocked shots along the way as Jersey is currently 11-12 on the season. In addition, Roberts is an exceptional all-around athlete, active in football, tennis and was also a champion swimmer when he was younger. For all of his contributions on and off the court for the Panthers this season, Roberts has been named the school's Riverbender.com Quality Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Male Athlete of the Month. Roberts, who plays for head coach Stote Reeder, thought that his performance in the Jersey Mid-Winter Classic tournament was one of his best of the Panthers season.

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