February 26 2024
Panda diplomacy
1 After winning SC, Trump marches toward GOP presidential nomination
2 Home loss, delegate math makes Haley’s bid futile
3 Major GOP donor Kochs stop funding Haley
4 Cyberattacks escalating on industrial infrastructure
5 US-China Cold War
2/26/1974 Nike receives patent for waffle-soled trainers—invented in a waffle iron
see ad astra on x @greg_loving
1 After winning SC, Trump marches toward GOP presidential nomination
The reality has been clear for weeks, since former President Donald J. Trump trounced his opponents across the frozen fields and icy highways of Iowa. But his overwhelming victory on Saturday in South Carolina, where he defeated Nikki Haley in her home state, makes it all but official. The Republican nominating contest isn’t a competition. It’s a coronation. The party primaries this winter represented the best chance for Republicans who were opposed to the former president to oust him from his dominant position in the G.O.P. The stakes were extraordinarily high: Many of his Republican opponents see Mr. Trump as, at best, unelectable and, at worst, a threat to the foundations of American democracy. And yet, as the campaign has moved through the first nominating contests, the race has not revealed Mr. Trump’s weaknesses, but instead the enduring nature of his ironclad grip on the Republican Party. From the backrooms of Capitol Hill to the town hall meetings of New Hampshire to the courtrooms of New York City, Mr. Trump shows no sign of being shaken from his controlling position in the party — not in 2024, and not in the foreseeable future.
NYT
2 OPINION Home loss, delegate math makes Haley’s bid futile
It’s not a staggering landslide. In fact, Mr. Trump slightly underperformed the final polls, thanks to a vigorous turnout for Ms. Haley in Democratic-leaning metropolitan areas. Her strength may even be attributable to voters who intend to back President Biden in the general election, as anyone could vote in the South Carolina primary, regardless of party. But this isn’t just any South Carolina primary: This is Ms. Haley’s home state. Even losing candidates have usually managed to win their home states. Ted Cruz and John Kasich did so against Mr. Trump in 2016. John McCain (2000), Howard Dean (2004), John Edwards (2004), Wesley Clark (2004), Newt Gingrich (2012) and others all pulled off home state wins. For many of these candidates, their home state win was their only win. On Saturday, Ms. Haley didn’t come close. A decisive home-state loss says everything you need to know (and you probably knew already). It confirms that she trails Mr. Trump by a huge margin nationwide — the kind of margin that made a home state win impossible. It throws cold water on any notion that greater name recognition would overcome her deficit in the polls. And it deprived her of the last, best chance to claim even a hint of momentum ahead of Super Tuesday, when nearly half of the delegates to the Republican convention will be awarded. As a consequence, this race is poised to come to an end — and soon.
Together, Mr. Trump could easily win more than 90 percent of the delegates at stake on Super Tuesday on March 5, when nearly half of all delegates to the Republican convention will be awarded. That would put him just a hair short of winning the nomination and poised to clinch the nomination over the following week or two — before his first criminal trial, in New York, is set to begin.
NYT
3 Major GOP donor Kochs stop funding Haley
Americans For Prosperity Action, the powerful conservative group supporting Nikki Haley in the Republican presidential primary, will no longer spend money on behalf of her campaign. In an email to staff obtained by POLITICO, Americans For Prosperity CEO Emily Seidel said Sunday that the group’s political arm, AFP Action, had to “take stock” of its spending priorities after Haley’s loss in the South Carolina primary. The Koch-aligned group, Seidel said, will now focus its efforts on competitive Senate and House races.
Politico
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/25/koch-afp-nikki-haley-00143212
4 Cyberattacks escalating on industrial infrastructure
The pace and sophistication of cyberattacks against industrial companies are escalating rapidly, as administration officials warn that nation-states are heavily targeting U.S. critical infrastructure sectors. Ransomware attacks against industrial companies increased by around 50% last year, according to an annual report from cybersecurity company Dragos published Tuesday, which tracked 905 strikes. The Hanover, Md.-based company, which specializes in protecting systems used by heavy industries such as electric grids and wastewater plants, said it tracked 28% more groups specifically targeting “operational technology” last year than the year before. The term refers to the heavy machinery and industrial control systems used by manufacturing plants, water utilities and similar organizations, as opposed to information technology, which generally comprises software such as accounting and human resources systems. Among industrial companies, manufacturers were targeted most, said Rob Lee, chief executive of Dragos.
One difficulty critical-infrastructure companies struggle with is finding cybersecurity experts to defend their networks. While there is a shortage of around 4 million corporate cyber professionals globally, according to trade association ISC2, some companies say it is especially difficult to hire people with both cyber skills and expertise in heavy machinery and industrial technology.
WSJ
https://www.wsj.com/articles/cyber-threats-against-heavy-industry-intensify-c27a157a
5 US-China Cold War
Panda diplomacy
SAN DIEGO (AP) — China for the first time in more than two decades is sending pandas to the United States to the delight of the San Diego Zoo, which is preparing to receive a pair that could include a female descendent of Bai Yun and Gao Gao, two of the zoo’s former residents that were among the most reproductively successful panda mates in captivity. The China Wildlife Conservation Association said Thursday it also signed agreements with the zoo in the Spanish capital of Madrid, and is in talks with zoos in Washington, D.C., and Vienna, quelling fears that Beijing was ending its historic panda diplomacy with Western nations due to diplomatic tensions.
AP
https://apnews.com/article/6976587ee9992c861d9a56db0cb1ff89
U.S. to Invest Billions to Replace China-Made Cranes at Nation’s Ports
Leaked Files Show the Secret World of China’s Hackers for Hire
2/26/1974 Nike receives patent for waffle-soled trainers—invented in a waffle iron
Thanks for reading!
