Today’s articles cover North Korea’s sudden desire for peace and the state of their nuclear testing site, Twitter’s brush with Cambridge Analytica, rising gas prices, the fact that conservative Facebook meme pages are affiliated with extremists, and how Donald Trump’s assault on the justice system is helping Don Blankenship’s run in the West Virginia GOP senate primary.
5 Things to Read Today
The Guardian: North Korea nuclear test site has collapsed and may be out of action – China study
Everyone’s been a bit confused about Kim Jong-un’s sudden willingness to come to the peace table, but the fact that their nuclear testing site seems to have collapsed might have something to do with it.
AP: Get ready for the most expensive driving season in years
This article is from back on April 30 and I have to say, I’m thinking they undersold it a smidge. I stopped to gas up the car a couple of days ago and it was already over $3 at our pumps. I put in my usual $10 and didn’t get a half a tank out of the deal. And I drive a roller skate, guys.
Los Angeles Times: Twitter sold public-data access to Cambridge Analytica-linked researcher
Aleksandr Kogan, the guy who got all the Facebook data for Cambridge Analytica, also got data from Twitter. Twitter says that as far as they can tell CA didn’t get any private data on any Twitterers, but, y’know. That’s what Facebook said at first, too.
Media Matters: Popular conservative meme pages on Facebook affiliate themselves with an extremist militia movement
The Three Percenters are a nasty, racist extremist group – they’ve been implicated in lots of race-based acts of violence. Turns out, many of the right’s favorite meme-churning conservative Facebook pages are affiliated with these guys. Which, I gotta say, is not at all surprising to hear.
Mother Jones: Donald Trump’s Attacks on the Justice System Are Helping This Ex-Con Coal Baron’s Campaign
Don Blankenship is a coal baron convicted of violating mandatory federal mine safety and health standards, which led to the deaths of 29 miners in the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster, and is running in the primary for a West Virginia senate seat. And he might win it.
Notes & Thoughts 