Atlantic Monthly Contributors's Blog, page 839

Al Qaeda Are Strict About Keeping Track of Their Receipts

United Nations peacekeepers greet Malian soldiers on the outskirts Timbuktu, Mali. (AP)

The world's most fearsome terrorist organization is run a lot like a corporation, complete with financial managers who get on your case if you don't file expense reports properly. Working for Al Qaeda is just like working in your office, too. 

When you think about how Al Qaeda operates, you don't expect to hear about what is effectively a human resources department, or an intricate finance department, but apparently those both exist within Al Qaeda, according to the Associated Press, which found a box of Al Qaeda documents left behind in Timbuktu, Mali. The most interesting discovery was a meticulously kept trail of receipts for everything from groceries to oil purchases during the group's short stint there:

An inordinate number of receipts are for groceries, suggesting a diet of macaroni with meat and tomato sauce, as well as large quantities of powdered milk. There are 27 invoices for meat, 13 for tomatoes, 11 for milk, 11 for pasta, seven for onions, and many others for tea, sugar, and honey.

They record the $0.60 cake one of their fighters ate, and the $1.80 bar of soap another used to wash his hands. They list a broom for $3 and bleach for $3.30. These relatively petty amounts are logged with the same care as the $5,400 advance they gave to one commander, or the $330 they spent to buy 3,300 rounds of ammunition.

Apparently Al Qaeda keeps track of each and every receipt for each and every expense as part of a complicated accounting system meant to govern its many smaller factions spread across the world. "They have so few ways to keep control of their operatives, to rein them in and make them do what they are supposed to do. They have to run it like a business," William McCants, a former adviser to the U.S. State Department's Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, told the AP. The strict financial responsibility is a trait given to the group by former leader Osama Bin Laden, who ran million dollar corporations before the terror group. 

And you do not want to cross Al Qaeda's accountants — in one note discovered by the AP, "middle managers chide a terrorist for not handing his in on time."

Al Qaeda fighters were required to have receipts for the smallest purchases. The AP found a $0.60 receipt for a piece of cake, and one for a jar of mustard worth $1.60, and one for a bar of soap worth $1.80. If a store or vendor didn't have receipts, Al Qaeda fighters are required to shop in pairs so one person can record each and every penny spent. Most of Al Qaeda's bookkeeping tracks grocery purchases, though. 

Al Qaeda, where terrorism and paperwork come hand in hand. The entire AP report is interesting, and a little hilarious, and deserves your full attention.

       

Robin Roberts Has Come Out

AP

ABC News corespondent and Good Morning America cohost Robin Roberts has publicly acknowledged her sexuality for the first time ever in an end-of-year Facebook post. 

"At this moment I am at peace and filled with joy and gratitude," Roberts wrote on Facebook Sunday afternoon, explaining how grateful she is after her rough year.

But buried in the note for the eagle-eyed is the first time Roberts has ever publicly acknowledged her long-term relationship with Amber Laign. "I am grateful for my entire family, my long time girlfriend, Amber, and friends as we prepare to celebrate a glorious new year together," Roberts said. TVNewser says the two have been together for ten years. 

Roberts' sexuality has been something of an open secret — it was never hidden from her friends, family and colleagues, but Roberts never mentioned it during her long career at ESPN or at ABC, or in interviews about her private life. When the President wanted to officially announce his support for gay marriage, it was Robin Roberts who scored the sit-down interview.  

Roberts has had an impossibly rough year, but things are starting to turn around. After taking 174 days off work to receive a blood marrow transplant and fight a rare blood disorder, Roberts returned to work earlier this year and seems as healthy and happy as ever. 

       

'Wolf' Fails to Bite 'Hobbit'

Welcome to the Box Office Report, where the more things change the more they stay the exact same. 

1. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Buena Vista): $29.9 million in 3,928 theaters

A movie that makes $70 million one week can earn $12 million the next. There are peaks and valleys, highs and lows, but nothing ever stays the same.

It's odd that The Hobbit has maintained its position at the top for the third straight week, with virtually no change from last week's $31.5 million, a five percent drop. But The Hobbit's sustained success is not surprising — most of the competition opening on Christmas day, usually a busy one at the movies, was a pile of hot garbage that quickly went up in flames. The De Niro-Stallone boxing movie Grudge Match, Keanu-as-Samurai 47 Ronin, and Justin Bieber's Believe all bombed, while Wolf of Wall Street and Walter Mitty are meant for older audiences. (Wolf's R rating was always going to hold it back slightly, especially over the holiday season. Quaaludes don't taste well with stuffing.)

2. Frozen (Beuna Vista): $28.8 million in 3,335 theaters 

Disney's hit musical saw an increase in 46 percent grosses over over last week;s grosses. Family movies are obviously more popular over the Christmas weekend, but still, things make no sense and up is down. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Frozen is now Lion King-levels huge.

3. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (Paramount): $20.1 million in 3,507 theaters

At this point the public deserves a clean split from all the Anchorman guys for a solid five months. They should all take a nice vacation to St. Bart's and stay there while we re-adjust and learn to love them again. 

4. American Hustle (Sony): $19.5 million in 2,507 theaters 

I'm still not sure I liked American Hustle but it's worth seeing for the performances from Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams. (Yes, and the wardrobes and make-up too.) In a movie filled with manly men, the females bring the heat and give the movie its life. 

5. Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount): $18.5 million in 2,537 theaters

As it was on Christmas day, ultimately Wolf's tepid audience reception and polarizing content — drugs! cursing! boobs! — doomed it to under perform. The Scorcese-DiCaprio flick has made $34.3 million over the five days since its release. 

       

Darrell Issa and Mike Rogers Still Think Al Qaeda Was Involved in Benghazi

NBC

Yesterday The New York Times reported local militias were responsible for the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya that killed three Americans, that Al Queda played no role, and that anger was stoked by an anti-Muslim Youtube video. Darrell Issa and Mike Rogers are still convinced Al Qaeda was behind the attack. 

No mea culpas were delivered Sunday by two of Washington's biggest Benghazi truthers. Mike Rogers said on Fox News Sunday that the Times report doesn't square with intelligence reports he has seen on the attack. "I dispute that, and the intelligence community, to a large volume, disputes that," Rogers said, referring to the notion anger over the video fuelled the attacks. Host Chris Wallace asked the House Intelligence Committee chairman whether he thinks the report was designed to wash Hillary Clinton's hands of any responsibility. “I find the timing odd,” Rogers said. “I don’t want to speculate on why they might do it.”

Rep. Darrell Issa was equally stubborn during his appearance on NBC's Meet the Press, where he insisted his past comments about Al Qaeda's alleged involvement in the attack were accurate.  “There is a group that was involved that claims an affiliation with Al Qaeda,” Issa said. Host David Gregory had first crack at one of the most impassioned drivers of Benghazi conspiracies in Washington, and for the most part he duffed it. “We have seen no evidence that the video was widely seen in Benghazi,” Issa said Sunday morning, and Gregory failed to challenge him on those remarks. “What we know, David, is the initial reports did not name this video as the prime cause,” he added. Most initial reports said the video was part of the anger in the attack, somehow. The Times report yesterday was dripping with evidence from people who were present at the attack who said the video was involved. But at least Issa did compliment the Times for “some very good work."

Ted Cruz reflected on his first full year as a senator with Jonathan Karl on ABC's This Week. "This is a city where it’s all politics all the time. And I’m trying to do my best not to pay attention to the politics, to focus on fixing the problems,” the Texas Republican said. No, seriously, those words came out of Ted Cruz's mouth. Karl couldn't believe it either, and so he interrupted Cruz. "Really," Karl said. “I know it’s hard to believe,” Cruz said, “because no one in this town does that. This is a time for people to step up and do the right thing. And that’s what I’m trying to do.” Later the two moved on to talk about haters, something Cruz has in spades. “Do you want people in Washington to like you?” Karl asked. “I want to do my job. That's really my focus,” Cruz replied. Karl pushed the issue a bit. “Do you care … does it bother you that a lot of people around here just don’t like you?” he asked.  “Nobody should be surprised, if you’re trying to change Washington, that the Washington establishment pushes back," Cruz replied. What a magical fantasy world Ted Cruz must live in. 

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Former NSA Director Michael Hayden has a shifting view of Edward Snowden, the former contractor who exposed the NSA's dirtiest secrets. "I used to say he was a defector," Hayden said Sunday on CBS's Face the Nation, but that's changing. "I'm now kind of drifting in the direction of perhaps more harsh language..."Fill-in host Major Garrett wondered what language he'd use now. "Such as?" asked Garrett. "Such as 'traitor,'" Hayden replied.

Former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman does not regret voting for Obamacare now that he sees the world through the rosy lens of retirement. “The rollout of Obamacare has been bad,” Lieberman said on Fox News Sunday, before acknowledging that having affordable healthcare for millions of Americans trumps a bumpy rollout. “The best thing that could happen now is for both parties to sit down and figure out how to fix the current system,” he said.

       

The NSA Intercepts Laptops Purchased Online to Install Malware

The NSA's Utah data center, where the laptop you were supposed to get for Christmas is, probably.  (AP)

According to a new report from Der Spiegel on the National Security Agency's top team of hackers, the agency intercept electronics purchased online before delivery to install malware and other spying tools. 

The NSA's Tailored Access Operations (TAO) division is responsible for the biggest hacks we've learned about in the last year, so Der Spiegel's report is a special look at the methods and madness behind the NSA's all-star team. When a world leader's cell phone is hacked by the NSA, the TAO team is responsible. They're the hackers who can access anyone, anywhere, under any condition. 

TAO hackers can track your digital movements remotely by exploiting security flaws in an operating system, like Windows, for example. (It's a TAO favorite.) But when new-fangled remote access hacking strategies don't work, though, the NSA goes old school. The agency's most-skilled team of hackers does not always work from behind a computer screen. Occasionally a target must be physically intercepted before the NSA can access their information. In these instances, TAO waits for the target to order new electronics. When their surveillance system alerts that Target X just bought a new laptop, the TAO intercepts the mail order, and has the computer delivered to an NSA facility. They then open the package, and install their malware technology onto the target's new computer. The product is then repackaged and sent along its merry way: 

If a target person, agency or company orders a new computer or related accessories, for example, TAO can divert the shipping delivery to its own secret workshops. The NSA calls this method interdiction. At these so-called "load stations," agents carefully open the package in order to load malware onto the electronics, or even install hardware components that can provide backdoor access for the intelligence agencies. All subsequent steps can then be conducted from the comfort of a remote computer.

These minor disruptions in the parcel shipping business rank among the "most productive operations" conducted by the NSA hackers, one top secret document relates in enthusiastic terms. This method, the presentation continues, allows TAO to obtain access to networks "around the world."

And you wondered why your Amazon order took so long. Of course, you have to be on the NSA's target list already in order for this to happen. They don't just indiscriminately intercept every laptop sold on Amazon. 

Usually the team sticks to new school hacking methods, like using a complicated system of tools called QUANTUM, focusing on social networks a target visits frequently, like Facebook, Yahoo, Twitter and YouTube, to remotely gain access to a their computer. Once the team has done enough surveillance and is ready to strike, TAO's QUANTUM system will alert hackers when a target tries to visit a particular website. If TAO's work is done properly, the system races to intercept the target's information request, and will hopefully instead infect the target's system with malware. For some reason LinkedIn is especially effective: 

The technique can literally be a race between servers, one that is described in internal intelligence agency jargon with phrases like: "Wait for client to initiate new connection," "Shoot!" and "Hope to beat server-to-client response." Like any competition, at times the covert network's surveillance tools are "too slow to win the race." Often enough, though, they are effective. Implants with QUANTUMINSERT, especially when used in conjunction with LinkedIn, now have a success rate of over 50 percent, according to one internal document.

Sometimes TAO hackers do need some help, so they go to the NSA's unique "mail-order catalog" for hacking tools that can gain access to any computer system you could possibly dream of. Your security measures don't matter, either. NSA hackers have tools to crack systems created by Cisco, Western Digital, Huawei, or any other major cyber security firm. No target's computer is safe.

       

Healthcare.Gov Passes 1 Million Enrollments

AP

Healthcare.gov, the struggling federal healthcare startup, finally cleared 1 million users in the month of December, federal officials announced Sunday morning, acknowledging a milestone that falls short of original goals.

Over the last three months, from October 1 to December 24, more than 1.1 million people enrolled in a new qualified healthcare plan using Healthcare.gov, Marilyn Tavenner, the head of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, announced Sunday. The numbers break down probably won't surprise you if you have followed these stories closely: more than 975,000 enrolled in December alone. Part of that surge in sign-ups — only 27,000 enrolled in October, or 137,000 in November — can be attributed to the now (mostly) functional website, and the panic to sign up before the first coverage deadline. 

The administration originally planned to have 7 million people registered for federal healthcare by the end of March. That goal seems lofty now, as they may not even clear half of that at the rate registrations are going. 

Of course, there's always a catch. The numbers announced Sunday don't include those signed up through the 14 state-run exchanges, so we don't know if Oregon still sucks. (We're pulling for you, Oregon!) But now the administration has to process a flood of new applications before January 1, when the first registration deadline kicks in and the actual coverage begins. All things considered, the odds of this going smoothly are slim. 

       

Female Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 14 in Russia

AP

Just 40 days before the Sochi Olympics, a female suicide bomber detonated an explosive inside a train station in Volgograd, killing at least 14 people and injuring many more, and raising safety concerns leading into the games. 

Around 12:45 p.m., a female suspect was stopped by a police officer near the metal detectors close to the train station's entrance. The train was packed with people travelling for the upcoming holidays. A video aired on Russian news shows a quick orange flash, followed by plumes of thick smoke coming from the entrance. The bomb was packed with 10 kg of TNT and additional shrapnel, according to Russia's National Anti-terrorism Committee spokesperson Vladimir Markin.

An estimated 33 people were injured, some critically, according to Russian health officials. The attack was "thought to have been carried out by a female suicide bomber," Markin said, according to a statement carried by RT.com. The suspect has not yet been identified. 

Volgograd is roughly 690 kilometers northeast of Sochi, and lies between Moscow and the North Caucasus region, where Chechnya and Dagestan are located. Terrorist attacks have plagued the region as Islamist independence factions have clashed with Russian government forces. In October, a female suicide bomber killed six people in Volgograd after detonating an explosive on a local bus. 

But two deadly attacks ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi will only stoke security concerns ahead of the games, which Putin has promised will be the safest ever. 

       

NBA Player Suspended for Not Wanting to Play Basketball Anymore

AP

A desire to play professional basketball would seemingly be a very important part of a professional basketball player's successful career. But, you know, maybe not. 

Officially, the Cleveland Cavaliers suspended 26-year-old center Andrew Bynum indefinitely on Saturday for "conduct detrimental to the team." He did not travel with the team to Boston, and he will not participate in any more practices for the foreseeable future. 

A reason for the suspension —what he did, exactly — was never given. Usually in these situations the player did something dumb off the field — drinking, drugs, that stuff. But it's much more complicated, and strange, than anyone could expect. 

"He doesn't want to play basketball anymore," a league source told Yahoo Sports's Adrian Wojnarowski, widely-regarded as the most well-connected reporter in basketball, and Marc Spears. If it comes from Woj, it's probably true. 

"He never liked it that much in the first place," the source said.

According to Woj, the Cavaliers had to convince Bynum to not quit on at least one $24.8 million deal with Cleveland before this season began. But apparently other teams courting Bynum "were concerned about his desire to play and commitment to continue the rehab needed for him to play in the NBA after repeated knee problems," Woj reports. Cleveland knew he was a risk and signed him to a multi-million dollar deal anyway.

Other less-connected sources saw early warnings too: 

In 2010, Andrew Bynum delayed offseason knee surgery so he could attend the World Cup without crutches. Like we didn't see this coming.

— Nog Ziller (@teamziller) December 28, 2013

Cleveland will now look to trade Bynum, according to ESPN, though they may not have much success. His contract his huge and he hasn't played well this season. You never know — he may even retire.

To get paid so much — more than $75 million over his career, plus endorsements — for something you don't even like is kind of remarkable. "Andrew Bynum found someone to pay him for something he didn't even want to do. Three times. You hate on that and you hate your own dreams," Myles Brown said, over Twitter. But not everyone believes Bynum has played his last professional basketball game: 

To say Bynum never liked hoop is ridiculous. He doesn’t like constantly being hurt, constantly having to rehab and having diminished game

— Nate Jones (@JonesOnTheNBA) December 28, 2013

…And given Bynum has made millions and is a person with a ton of interests (read @SI_LeeJenkins feature on him), I’m not surprised.

— Nate Jones (@JonesOnTheNBA) December 28, 2013

On this Bynum thing, there's a big difference between "I'm not having fun playing basketball" and "I don't think basketball is fun".

— Consumable Huxtable (@ShrillCosby) December 28, 2013

The case of the professional basketball player who doesn't want to play basketball anymore is far from closed.

       

Bill de Blasio Calls the Clintons to Spice Up His Inauguration Ceremony

AP

New York City mayor-elect Bill de Blasio may not have the glitz and glamour of outgoing billionaire bad boy Michael Bloomberg, but that doesn't mean he can't attract star power. 

Former president Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the closest thing to American royalty that exists, will attend de Blasio's inauguration on January 1 on the New York City Hall steps. President Clinton will swear-in de Blasio using a bible once owned by another former president, Franklin D. Roosevelt. 

The de Blasio team announced the Clintons' attendance Saturday. "Chirlane and I couldn't be more excited to have President Clinton and Secretary Clinton stand with us,” de Blasio said in a statement.

The connections between the new mayor and the famously loyal Clintons run deep. The two Bills know each other from the time De Blasio worked for President Clinton as a regional director at the Department for Housing and Urban Development, a detail highlighted by the de Blasio team. In 2000, de Blasio also worked as Hillary's campaign manager when she was running for U.S. Senate. (She won, for the record.) The New York Daily News notes Hillary also headlined a fundraiser during the general election.

In the the tale of two New Yorks, De Blasio is supposed to be the people's mayor — for the New York who doesn't jet off to Bermuda on weekends, or travel by town car. Bloomberg used his immense wealthy, powerful friends to influence policy during his twelve years in office; de Blasio doesn't have the same connections.

But when de Blasio calls on the Clintons for a favor, they listen. That's not nothing. And before their arrival, the purely procedural event on New Year's Day was mostly about saying bye bye to Bloomberg. Now, the spotlight lies on the mayor and the company he keeps. 

       

Benghazi, Explained

AP

An investigation just released from The New York Times' David Kirkpatrick paints the best picture yet of what led to the attack on a U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya last year that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.  

Kirkpatick concludes the explanation is not black and white. Benghazi was not completely spontaneous, but not completely planned either — a clash of anger and opportunity that boiled over and got out of hand.

Questions have swirled since news broke the consulate was under attack on September 11, 2012. Originally we were told it was a spontaneous assault over a Youtube video, then that it was planned anti-U.S. terrorist attack. On the Sunday talk shows, Susan Rice, then-U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said American intelligence officials told her the attack started over "Innocence of Muslims," an anti-Muslim short movie trailer that appeared on Youtube, and it cost her Secretary of State. The video explanation was quickly abandoned for a loved-by-Republicans conspiracy theory that says the attack was a carefully planned Al Qaeda plot to celebrate the anniversary of September 11th. 

 

But the video did play some part in fuelling the attack, according to Kirkpatrick, who spoke with dozens of U.S. officials and Libyans with intimate knowledge of the attack and subsequent investigation. No evidence suggests Al Qaeda or any other major terrorist organization played any part in the attack. A local militia, Ansar al-Shariah,