Atlantic Monthly Contributors's Blog, page 967

Oprah Boosts 'The Butler,' 'Kick-Ass 2' Proves its Title Is a Lie

Welcome to the Box Office Report, where we're not even going to talk about the paltry $6.7 million gross from Ashton Kutcher's Steve Jobs impression.

1. Lee Daniels's The Butler (Weinstein Company): $25 million in 2,933 theaters

The "eh" but important biopic featuring a cast of all the famous people had a solid first week in theaters, because Oprah. Plus, critics liked it. Of the weekend's big debuts, The Butler is more or less the only film that should be proud of itself right now.

2. We're the Millers (Warner): $17.8 million in 3,325 theaters [Week 2]

The Jason Sudeikis debutante ball courted enough movie-going suitors for a second week as the salutatorian of the box office report.

3. Elysium (Sony): $16.2 million in 3,284 theaters [Week 2]

It dropped two spots from a number one debut, but Elysium is hanging in there. Actually, the film's North American showing isn't the real story here as far as Sony is concerned: this week, the film grabbed the number one spot on the overseas charts, taking in $13 million from eight markets in Western Europe, which is better than District 9's week 1 pull in the same market.

4. Kick-Ass 2 (Universal): $13.65 million in 2,940 theaters 

It fell flat. The best of the worst openers this week grossed less than the $19.83 earned by its predecessor, 2010's Kick Ass. The sequel was supposed to battle The Butler for first place in this week's report, but it didn't even come close. But at least it made the list: in addition to Jobs's 7th-place start, Paranoia pulled in just $3.5 million, putting it 13th this week. 

5. Planes (Universal): $13.1 million in 3,716 theaters [Week 2]

Kid-friendly animations of personified modes of transportation tend to do well at the box office, and it looks like Planes no exception. The Box Office Report is now eagerly awaiting Disney's Hyperloop.

       

UK Detains Glenn Greenwald's Partner for 9 Hours Under Terrorism Law

Glenn Greenwald's partner David Miranda was on his way home to Brazil on Sunday when UK officials, citing a controversial terrorism law, detained him for 9 hours at London's Heathrow airport. The Guardian's report explains that Miranda was held for the maximum amount of time allowed by law under a provision, applicable only to airports and other border areas, that permits authorities to detain, search, and question individuals. During that time, according to Greenwald, Miranda was question about the Guardian's reports on NSA data collection from whistleblower Edward Snowden.

Officials took Miranda's laptop, camera, memory sticks, game consoles, and DVDs before letting him go without charge. The Guardian reports that the paper is "urgently" seeking clarification from British officials on the reason for Miranda's detainment. But Greenwald, based on what he's learned so far of the details of his partner's detainment, has a pretty solid idea of why it happened:

While in Berlin, Miranda had visited Laura Poitras, the US film-maker who has also been working on the Snowden files with Greenwald and the Guardian.

"This is a profound attack on press freedoms and the news gathering process," said Greenwald. "To detain my partner for a full nine hours while denying him a lawyer, and then seize large amounts of his possessions, is clearly intended to send a message of intimidation to those of us who have been reporting on the NSA and GCHQ. The actions of the UK pose a serious threat to journalists everywhere."

In a separate piece, Greenwald explains more of how he learned that his partner was detained:

At the time the "security official" called me, David had been detained for 3 hours. The security official told me that they had the right to detain him for up to 9 hours in order to question him, at which point they could either arrest and charge him or ask a court to extend the question time. The official - who refused to give his name but would only identify himself by his number: 203654 - said David was not allowed to have a lawyer present, nor would they allow me to talk to him.

Officials spent their time questioning Miranda about the reporting Greenwald and Poitras had done on the NSA files released by Edward Snowden, and wanted to know the content of the electronic material he was carrying, according to Greenwald. Citing the UK's own explanation of the law under which his partner was detained (Schedule 7 of the 2000 Terrorism Act), Greenwald notes that it's almost unheard of for someone to be held for the full 9 hours allowed by law — 97 percent of detentions last under an hour, for instance. The law allows officials to question individuals in selected border and transit areas "to determine whether that person is or has been involved in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism."

Update: The New York Times confirms that Miranda's trip, as implied (but not overtly stated) by the Guardian's report that Miranda was visiting journalist Laura Poitras in Germany, was connected to Greenwald's reporting. His flights were paid for by the Guardian, they add, citing an interview with Greenwald.

Update 7:15 p.m.: Here the Guardian's front page tomorrow. 

Guardian front page, Monday 19 August: Guardian journalist's partner held under UK Terrorism Act http://t.co/fFopWYa2Qp

— The Guardian (@guardian) August 18, 2013

       

McCain: U.S. Has 'No Credibility' in Egypt, Priebus Makes Etch-a-Sketch Joke

Senator John McCain, who just weeks ago expressed optimism about his prospects for an Egypt crisis trip with Senator Lindsey Graham by saying that "we have credibility with everybody there," now believes that the U.S. has "no credibility" in Egypt. McCain is one of the few prominent U.S. elected officials to actually call the overthrow of the Egyptian government a "coup," and on CNN's State of the Union the Senator repeated his belief that the U.S. should suspend aid to the country in the wake of the military's deadly crackdown on pro-former president Mohamed Morsi protesters in the country. "We have no credibility. We do have influence, but when you don't use that influence, then you do not have that influence," McCain said, adding, "with Apache helicopters flying overhead (in Egypt), nothing is more symbolic of the United States of America siding with the generals." McCain also criticized the president's handling of foreign policy, particularly in the context of the Egypt crisis: "There is no policy, and there is no strategy. And therefore, we react and we react poorly."

Senator Lindsey Graham, the second half of President Obama's GOP tag team attempt to solve Egypt, also said he believed the U.S. should suspend aid until Egypt moves back towards democracy. On CBS's Face the Nation, the senator said that Egypt was "headed for Algeria," arguing that in 60 to 90 days the country would have an armed insurgency, and not a protest movement on its hands. He added, "Al Qaeda's never going to win at the ballot box," referring to his theory that the Muslim Brotherhood, as it continues to become disenfranchised in Egypt, will end up getting support from the terrorist organization, in part because the Egyptian military is "making these people martyrs." He went on: "The best way to solve this problem is write a new constitution where everybody has a say and have new elections." As for the military's continued crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood supporters, Graham criticised the decision of the military to detain dissent: "The Egyptian people are not terrorists," he said, adding that it would be impossible for Egypt to arrest the 30 percent of the population that still supports the Muslim Brotherhood.

NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly went on ABC's This Week to say that those who want to get rid of the city's stop-and-frisk policy (now declared unconstitutional!) might as well just ask the police force to close up shop: "This is something that's integral to policing. This happens throughout America at any police jurisdiction," he said, adding, "You have to do it.  Officers have to have the right of inquiry, if they see some suspicious behavior. So I can assure you, this is not just a New York City issue.  It's an issue throughout America.  And this case has to be appealed in my judgment because it will be taken as a template and have significant impact in policing throughout America." Kelly warned that the end of the policy could reverse the work of law enforcement in the city to reduce crime "What we’re doing – and what we’re trying to do — is save lives,” Kelly said, adding, "Things are going right here in New York. And this decision certainly has the potential of overturning it." He was also dismissive of a proposal to police the stop-and-frisk enforcement in the city that would have some officers wear cameras "when do you turn the camera on, and when do you turn it off? he asked.

Rep. Peter King continued the GOP tiff between libertarians and GOP hawks on Fox News Sunday by saying that Senator Rand Paul's depiction of NSA surveillance is "just a grab bag of misinformation and distortion." He added, "I totally disagree with that and I fully disagree with what Sen. Rand Paul said." Speaking specifically about the most recent round of revelations about privacy violations by the agency, King added, "Whatever mistakes were made were inadvertent, and If you have a 99.99 percent batting average, that’s better than most media people do, most politicians do,” King said in defense of the NSA. I have tremendous respect for Gen. [Keith] Alexander and the NSA.” he added. “This whole tone of snooping and spying that we use, I think it’s horrible. It’s really a distortion and a smear and a slander of good, patriotic Americans."

Senator Rand Paul, for his part, called for congressional hearings on NSA surveillance in the wake of the latest Washington Post story on intelligence oversight. "You know, I think it would be better with more oversight, but there are some things they are doing that I fundamentally think are unconstitutional," Paul said, speaking to Fox News Sunday. He added, "he thinks that if he gets some lawyers together from the NSA and they do a Power Point presentation and tell him everything is okay, that the NSA can police themselves. But one of the fundamental things that our founders put in place was they wanted to separate police power from the judiciary power."

Rep. Justin Amash was also on the anti-NSA beat this Sunday, speaking to CNN's State of the Union. "the records of every American in the United States are being collected without suspicion," Amash said, while adding that he hoped the recent revelations about the agency's privacy violations would give him another chance to try and pass legislation limiting the NSA's data collection powers.

Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus went after former Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstorm on ABC's This Week after the former aide criticized the RNC chairman's decision to boycott CNN and NBC over their upcoming Hillary Clinton films:

Bad optics for the RNC to block CNN and NBC from sponsoring presidential debates. Attacking the media is a loser's game.

— Eric Fehrnstrom (@EricFehrn) August 16, 2013

"Well, I don't know if his Etch A Sketch is on tilt. ... I'm not really taking advice from Eric Fehrnstrom right now," Priebus said, adding, "I'm trying to build a party that's year-round. I'm trying to fix a data and digital operation, I'm trying to get a hold of a primary process and a debate debacle that as you know, I've called the traveling circus." Fehrnstrom, of course, is the Romney aide who famously called the candidate's policies as resettable as an Etch-a-Sketch going into the fall stretch of the 2012 campaign.

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JP Morgan Faces Probe Over Well-Connected Chinese Hiring

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co, the U.S.'s biggest bank, is being investigated over their hiring practices in China — centering on the allegation that the company's hiring of the children of Chinese officials might be connected to sealing up some lucrative business deals.

The New York Times first reported the news, which seems to add some details to a cryptic comment from the bank itself in their quarterly filing last month: that the S.E.C.'s anti-bribery unit was looking for information on “employment of certain former employees in Hong Kong and its business relationships with certain clients.” The Times report cites a confidential government document, cautioning that "the records do not indicate that the employees helped JPMorgan secure business. The bank has not been accused of any wrongdoing." It's not illegal for companies to hire well-connected individuals, of course. Investigators, however, are looking for evidence that those hires were taken on with the intent of brokering a business deal down the line in exchange.

It looks like investigators are interested in learning more about a handful of particular employees of the bank. For example: 

—  Zhang Xixi, the daughter of a Chinese railway official who  has previously faced accusations of exchanging bribes for contracts. The document also requests information on “all JPMorgan employees who performed work for or on behalf of the Ministry of Railways” for the past 6 years. 

—Tang Xiaoning, son of Tang Shuangning, who chairs a major Chinese financial conglomerate called China Everbright Group.

JP Morgan's hiring practices wouldn't be unique to business in the country: companies rely on close political connections in order to do business there. According to the Times, however, J.P. Morgan's actions stand out because it's less common for institutions to straight up hire the children of executives at state-owned companies. Meanwhile, the bank faces a few other investigations from American authorities: a pair of criminal and civil charges relating to the bank's mortgage-backed securities offerings from 2005 - 2007, and charges against two former employees in the "London Whale" trading disaster probe.

       

Meet the Journalist Who 'Can't Wait' to Defend a Drone Strike on Assange

Michael "I guess you could call me a statist" Grunwald, Time magazine journalist, sent out a kind of unbelievable tweet last night: "I can't wait to write a defense of the drone strike that takes out Julian Assange." While Grunwald didn't say why he decided to say that thing about Assange in a public forum, the 'joke,' since deleted, comes from a reporter who actually wrote a piece called "Tread on Me." So it's possible that he might be reacting to Friday's Assange endorsement of the American libertarian movement. In any case, here's the tweet:

[image error]

Glenn Greenwald, Grunwald's fraternal surname twin and the journalist who broke a series of stories on NSA data collection based on leaks from whistleblower Edward Snowden, was something of an outrage gatekeeper against the tweet:

Things like this make you not just understand, but celebrate, the failings of large media outlets - TIME edition: https://t.co/NhXiZ5jdTl

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) August 17, 2013

I assume you're allowed to express this vile opinion & still be an objective "journalist"- not an "activist", right? https://t.co/NhXiZ5jdTl

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) August 17, 2013

He wasn't the only journalist pretty much shocked at one of their own, even among journalists with reason to criticize the Wikileaks founder:

Derp RT @MikeGrunwald: I can't wait to write a defense of the drone strike that takes out Julian Assange.

— Blake Hounshell (@blakehounshell) August 17, 2013

Today in Things that Are Not Cool: A Time reporter fantasizes about the state-sponsored drone murder of Assange: http://t.co/FiAtZ5oQhH

— Lindsay Beyerstein (@Beyerstein) August 18, 2013

Assange is an asshole, was unbelievable horrible to me personally, & says inconsiderate things. But I've never seen him call for murder. 1/2

— Quinn Norton (@quinnnorton) August 18, 2013

And I've never seen anything regarding WikiLeaks he did that even suggested a crime. 2/2

— Quinn Norton (@quinnnorton) August 18, 2013

I see Grunwald has now apologised for his sociopathic Assange drone strike tweet. It was "dumb," he says. https://t.co/rZ8g7lFLOm Quite.

— Ryan Gallagher (@rj_gallagher) August 18, 2013

Meanwhile, Wikileaks would like Grunwald to resign:

We have written to TIME magazine to ask for Michael Grunwald's resignation https://t.co/X8Rf3TN5MY

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) August 18, 2013

And Assange's mom is REALLY mad:

@MikeGrunwald I am informed you tweeted to the world, that you cant wait to defend the extra judicial murder of my son Julian #Assange.

— Christine Assange (@AssangeC) August 18, 2013

@MikeGrunwald I am perplexed as to your motive to publicly incite the murder Julian who us not charged with any criminal offence #Assange

— Christine Assange (@AssangeC) August 18, 2013

@MikeGrunwald You will get more journalistic kudos by being well informed than by inciting the murder of a successful journalist. #Assange

— Christine Assange (@AssangeC) August 18, 2013

Grunwald removed the tweet and apologized, after a supporter argued that it gave "Assange supporters a nice safe persecution complex to hide in."

It was a dumb tweet. I'm sorry. I deserve the backlash. (Maybe not the anti-Semitic stuff but otherwise I asked for it.)

— Michael Grunwald (@MikeGrunwald) August 18, 2013

Time has commented. In a statement, the publication said that "Michael Grunwald posted an offensive tweet from his personal Twitter account that is in no way representative of TIME's views. He regrets having tweeted it, and he removed it from his feed." After re-tweeting and responding to a series of reactions to his tweet and his apology, the journalist has stayed off Twitter.

       

Egypt Issues a Warning to 'Biased' Foreign Journalists

The Egyptian government isn't very happy with the way in which foreign journalists are covering the military crackdown on pro-Morsi protesters in the country, a conflict that has left over 800 people dead and thousands injured in just a few days. The State Information Service sent a notice to foreign correspondents in the country on Saturday claiming that "that some media coverage has steered away from objectivity and neutrality," adding that "Egypt is feeling severe bitterness towards some Western media coverage that is biased to the Muslim Brotherhood." 

The memo lays out a number of points on which the Egyptian government would like to see a change in rhetoric:

Despite an escalation by the Muslim Brotherhood and supporters of the ousted president, police men, in cooperation with the Armed Forces men and through popular assistance, managed to carry out all missions assigned to them and were able to control the security situation in face of the terrorist attempts by the Muslim Brotherhood to fling the country into violence. 

Here's the full memo, via Robert Mackey at the New York Times: 

Egypt's State Information Service Statement to Foreign Correspondents by Robert Mackey

The implicit warning is just the latest of many signs of a disconnect between the interpretation of the last month or so by many Egyptians — where more or less the Islamist factions of the country stand against the military, who are supported by moderates, Christians, and secularists — and by the international community. As President Obama feels pressure to call the military overthrow of a democratically-elected (but deeply unpopular) president in Egypt a 'coup' as the violence continues in Egypt, those loyal to the military have long believed that the west is too sympathetic towards the Muslim Brotherhood. And now, it looks like that sentiment is being released on many of the journalists there to cover it. 

During the past few days, the Committee to Project Journalists marked the milestone of 1,000 journalists killed since 1992, after multiple journalist deaths in Egypt. And a growing number of western correspondents, along with Egyptian correspondents and organizations not seen as loyal to the interim government, have been attacked while doing their jobs in Egypt, often by what appear to be vigilante-style crowds loyal to the Egyptian military (although there have been reports of violence against journalists instigated by both sides). Today, the army had to step in and rescue two journalists (Matt Bradley of the Wall Street Journal and Alastair Beach from UK Independent) from such a crowd at a Cairo mosque, as the military and pro-Morsi supporters exchanged gunfire. On Friday, journalist Jared Malsin, reporting for Time, was caught in an anti-Morsi crowd on the 15 May Bridge in Cairo. Malsin, an experienced reporter who speaks Arabic, described his confrontation with a pro-military vigilante group while trying to leave the bridge: 

 A man grabbed me by the arm, then a whole group seized me. Within seconds I was lifted off the ground while a whole crowd of men ripped my camera from my hands and my medical kit from the strap on my thigh. One man slapped me across the face, knocking my glasses to the pavement.

Somehow, cooler heads prevailed. More men joined the group, pulling me out of the crowd and returning my glasses and medical kit. Cliff had managed to secure the camera but two of his own had been stolen.

Speaking to the Atlantic Wire, Malsin said that after this experience "it became vividly clear to me that dynamics of street protests in Egypt have changed. The level of violence is more lethal." He added, "The rules that applied six months ago don't apply anymore."

Another example: the Guardian's correspondent, Patrick Kingsley, was roughed up and delivered to police by a group of teenagers. 

hi everyone - sorry for a 2nd scare. am safe now but v briefly: was surrounded by a mob near Ramsis perhaps three hours ago (cont)

— Patrick Kingsley (@PatrickKingsley) August 17, 2013

#pt: teenagers drove me to a police stn, where i was detained for 90 mins perhaps, then taken to 2nd stn nr Ramses, &released after 30 mins

— Patrick Kingsley (@PatrickKingsley) August 17, 2013

Others have been confronted: 

Police push us around. One: "you're American right? All Egyptians hate you now! We hate you!" Police on rooftop watching us thru binoculars

— Abigail Hauslohner (@ahauslohner) August 14, 2013

On my way out of Rabaa I was confronted by a resident vigilant mob which stole my equipment. Luckily I had kept the SD card in my socks.

— Mosa'ab Elshamy (@mosaaberizing) August 14, 2013

Obviously, dangerous conditions on the ground for journalists are translating to dangerous conditions for everyone. Democracy Now's Sharif Kouddous explained as much to ABC News on Saturday, saying "It’s a dangerous situation for any citizen or any person to be out here. It's always more difficult if you have a camera, you’re a target." 

       

Seattle Police Ran Out of Free HempFest Doritos in 10 Minutes

The Seattle Police Department's plan to hand out safety flyers at this weekend's HempFest that people would actually want seems to have worked beautifully: the free Doritos attached to each flyer were gone in 10 minutes, according to the department. Each mini-package of snacks (they brought 1,000 of them) was adorned with a series of educational tips for the largest marijuana-themed festival in the world. "Don't drive while high," they advise, adding, "Don't give, sell, or shotgun weed to people under 21." Do, they say, "listen to Dark Side of the Moon at a Reasonable Volume." 

People seemed to like them: 

DUDE RT @alexrubens: .@SeattlePD are handing out bags of Doritos at Hempfest with this sticker: pic.twitter.com/NBTMzzPADp

— R Subramanian (@randomsubu) August 17, 2013

The bags also provide the URL for Seattle PD's amazing guide to the state's laws, which you should read right now if you haven't done so already. And in case that wasn't enough brownie points for the department, they live-tweeted the whole (brief!) giveaway, hashtagged #OperationOrangeFingers: 

T-minus one hour and 15 minutes till #OperationOrangeFingers begins! See you soon, @seattlehempfest pic.twitter.com/0vuxdBq3ie

— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) August 17, 2013

Gettin' set up for #OperationOrangeFingers. 10am at the main gate pic.twitter.com/pGaGgELg4K

— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) August 17, 2013

@seattlehempfest 's getting off to a late start, but we'll have chips in just a few moments folks!

— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) August 17, 2013

Sgt. Whitcomb greets with Doritos at the gates. pic.twitter.com/7H49ZuzqAW

— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) August 17, 2013

Orange cat and #OperationOrangeFingers pic.twitter.com/tlnc6AXh0I

— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) August 17, 2013

Alright, @seattlehempfest, thx for the wonderful morning. We're headed home. Feelin' kinda Spacey pic.twitter.com/VpXcJxtTVN

— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) August 17, 2013

Apparently, there are back-up hot dogs: 

Didn't get any Doritos? @SeattlePF can help! MT:"Who's ready for #freehotdogs at South Precinct? Join us @ 1pm! "pic.twitter.com/qKPl5oD596”

— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) August 17, 2013

       

Seattle PD Ran Out of Free HempFest Doritos in 10 Minutes

The Seattle Police Department's plan to hand out safety flyers at this weekend's HempFest that people would actually want seems to have worked beautifully: the free Doritos attached to each flyer were gone in 10 minutes, according to the department. Each mini-package of snacks (they brought 1,000 of them) was adorned with a series of educational tips for the largest marijuana-themed festival in the world. "Don't drive while high," they advise, adding, "Don't give, sell, or shotgun weed to people under 21." Do, they say, "listen to Dark Side of the Moon at a Reasonable Volume." 

People seemed to like them: 

DUDE RT @alexrubens: .@SeattlePD are handing out bags of Doritos at Hempfest with this sticker: pic.twitter.com/NBTMzzPADp

— R Subramanian (@randomsubu) August 17, 2013

The bags also provide the URL for Seattle PD's amazing guide to the state's laws, which you should read right now if you haven't done so already. And in case that wasn't enough brownie points for the department, they live-tweeted the whole (brief!) giveaway, hashtagged #OperationOrangeFingers: 

T-minus one hour and 15 minutes till #OperationOrangeFingers begins! See you soon, @seattlehempfest pic.twitter.com/0vuxdBq3ie

— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) August 17, 2013

Gettin' set up for #OperationOrangeFingers. 10am at the main gate pic.twitter.com/pGaGgELg4K

— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) August 17, 2013

@seattlehempfest 's getting off to a late start, but we'll have chips in just a few moments folks!

— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) August 17, 2013

Sgt. Whitcomb greets with Doritos at the gates. pic.twitter.com/7H49ZuzqAW

— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) August 17, 2013

Orange cat and #OperationOrangeFingers pic.twitter.com/tlnc6AXh0I

— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) August 17, 2013

Alright, @seattlehempfest, thx for the wonderful morning. We're headed home. Feelin' kinda Spacey pic.twitter.com/VpXcJxtTVN

— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) August 17, 2013

Apparently, there are back-up hot dogs: 

Didn't get any Doritos? @SeattlePF can help! MT:"Who's ready for #freehotdogs at South Precinct? Join us @ 1pm! "pic.twitter.com/qKPl5oD596”

— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) August 17, 2013

       

New 'Information' Revives Princess Diana Conspiracy Theories

A healthy gust of wind just filled the sails of H.M.S. Princess Diana Conspiracy Theories: Scotland Yard has new information pertaining to her death, and that information may or may not allege that the late Princess of Wales was murdered by a member of the British military. In any case, the reports are already opening the door to a comeback for the long-discredited theory that Prince Philip ordered a hit on Princess Diana. 

First, here's the actual statement from police over what's going on right now: 

The Metropolitan Police Service is scoping information that has recently been received in relation to the deaths and assessing its relevance and credibility. The assessment will be carried out by officers from the specialist crime and operations command. This is not a re-investigation and does not come under Operation Paget.

Operation Paget is a reference to a 2006 investigation and report that debunked pretty much every conspiracy theory surrounding Diana's death. It's based on an allegation by Dodi Al Fayed's dad Mohamed, who alleged that he knew of a plot to kill his son and Diana, and that the 1997 crash in Paris that killed them both (along with the driver, who was ultimately determined to be at fault) was the successful implementation of that plot. Specifically, Al Fayed alleged that the "Establishment," led by Prince Philip, ordered and orchestrated the murder of Diana and his son using "security services." Why? Here's the Paget report, explaining: 

The alleged motive was that the Princess of Wales was pregnant with Dodi Al Fayed’s child and there was to be an imminent announcement of their engagement. It is suggested by Mohamed Al Fayed that the Royal Family ‘could not accept that an Egyptian Muslim could eventually be the stepfather of the future King of England’.

Based on Al Fayed's account, Prince Philip knew about Diana's plans to marry and have Dodi's kid because her phones were being tapped by MI6, the CIA and the NSA. As is evidenced by the 830-page report debunking it, the theory is complex and with a lot of moving parts. It's just one of many investigations into Diana's death, all of which lend little support to the conspiracy theories laid out — both a French and a British inquest blamed the driver, while the British inquest also said the overly aggressive paparazzi were a factor in the crash. So how'd we get from the police statement today on "new information" that doesn't pertain to Operation Paget to this?

[image error]

 

New evidence Princess Diana was "killed by a member of the British military" being investigated (covered-up) by Scotland Yard.

— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) August 17, 2013

Some of the information is coming from anonymous sources, speaking to Sky News. According to Sky, the claim comes from the parents-in-law of a former British soldier. The British news channel said: 

We understand this information includes an allegation that Princess Diana and Dodi al Fayed and the driver of their car were killed by a member of the British military. The information we're told was passed to Scotland Yard quite recently. It also includes, we understand, references to something known as Diana's diary.

And while it's not leading to a new investigation into Diana's death right now, the report says, maybe it could. All that as the anniversary of her death approaches at the end of the month, and just after the trailer was released for a new biopic on the late Princess, focusing on her love affair with Hasnat Khan. 

       

Obama Plays Golf with Larry David

[image error]President Obama's golf game today includes Larry David — yes, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" David, in what's apparently the fifth round of golf for the president on his Martha's Vineyard vacation this week. According to the pool report, the other two non Obama-David members of the party are Glen Hutchins and Ron Kirk. 

There aren't any photos of the two (yet, we hope), So naturally, the "news" has inspired instant Twitter fanfic: 

"So, uh... these drone strikes. You gonna... stop that, or...? But you're pritty good!" (Larry David to Barack Obama, in my imagination)

— Alex Cacioppo (@lexiconstable) August 17, 2013

David also wrote an essay for the New Yorker on just how bad he is at golf, indicating that he would not be the cheeriest of partners for the president:

I’m good at other things. What those are I have no idea. But I’m sure there are some. Flossing and dishwashing come to mind. Getting people I can’t stand to like me is another. But golf ? No. I will never stand over the ball without considering the disaster about to befall me. I’ll never line up a putt and think I’ll make it. Never face a chip without fearing the decel.

Larry David, of course, also discussed his (fictional) golf skills on "Curb:"

His alter ego is also a valuable golf team member: 

As for David's feelings on Obama, he was the narrator for the 'Daily Show's' fake campaign documentary for Obama's re-election, arguing that the president's first term proved "that less bad was better than more bad."

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook

Apparently, David was at a party thrown by the Obama's earlier this week on the Vineyard, too.