Loose Ends (102)

Okay, here we go: Two guards on duty the night of Jeffery Epstein’s “suicide” were charged today with criminal negligence on the job:

The night that Jeffrey Epstein hanged himself in a Manhattan jail, one of the guards on duty was catching up on sports news and looking at motorcycle sales on a government computer. The other spent time shopping online for furniture. For about two hours, they appeared to be asleep at a desk just 15 feet away from Mr. Epstein’s cell.

Those details were revealed in an indictment unsealed on Tuesday against the two jail employees. The indictment said neither guard made the required rounds every 30 minutes to check on inmates. Yet they filed paperwork claiming they had.

Having yourself on tape “shopping” and napping is exactly what you’d do while being paid off to look the other way. I hope investigators are checking the bank accounts of these two guards—and their family members.

You know what this means: six more weeks of “Epstein didn’t kill himself” memes. Or maybe more like six months. Bonus Power Line Karma Points for the first person to create or send in an Epstein Groundhog Day-themed meme.

Maybe Game of Thrones was a documentary after all? New evidence suggests that queens were more badass than kings:

In myths, legends, folklore, and fairy tales strong male kings are portrayed as declaring and fighting in great wars and it has long been projected that women were less conflictive and more likely to maintain peace than go to war. But a new study reveals that queens waged war over the centuries a shocking 39% more than kings.

A working paper by political scientists Oeindrila Dube, of the University of Chicago, and S. P. Harish, of McGill University, analyzed a selection of mostly European kings and queens who reigned between 1480 AD and 1913 which covered 193 rulers in 18 countries. A Daily Mail article says the 400 years of European history included female rulers such as Catherine the Great , who made Russia a waring nation in the 18th century, Britain’s Elizabeth I, who defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588, and Isabella I of Castile , who led Spain to dominate the world in the 15th and 16th centuries.

This story just sounds suspicious:

A plane with Hillary Clinton aboard was grounded at LaGuardia Airport Sunday afternoon after suffering an unknown mechanical issue on the tarmac, a report said.

American Airlines flight 2144 to Washington DC’s Reagan Airport was forced to return to the gate about 3:15 p.m. following a mechanical issue reported by ground personnel, a law enforcement source told CNN.

The flight’s pilots reported to authorities feeling the plane shake then saw smoke, the report said. Metal debris was later discovered in the area where the mechanical issue took place.

Shaking and then smoke? Cue the memes.

• Special bonus Hillary chaser! She’s conflicted and confused about transgender rights!

Hillary Clinton has been on the receiving end of some very harsh criticisms in recent weeks from transgender rights activists after statements she made about the movement to the British media on two different occasions.

Her first set of remarks, made to the Sunday Times of London a month ago, were in response to a question from journalist Decca Aitkenhead on whether or not a person with man parts and a beard should be considered a woman if that’s how they identify:

Her mom, meanwhile, looked “uneasy,” journalist Decca Aitkenhead wrote.

“Ye-esss. Yes,” Chelsea replied.

“Errr. I’m just learning about this,” she said. “It’s a very big generational discussion, because this is not something I grew up with or ever saw. It’s going to take a lot more time and effort to understand what it means to be defining yourself differently.”

And while Chelsea, 39, said she supports children being able to play on sports teams that match their gender identity, Hillary, 71, appeared conflicted.

“I think you’ve got to be sensitive to how difficult this is,” Hillary said. “There are women who’d say [to a trans woman], ‘You know what, you’ve never had the kind of life experiences that I’ve had. So I respect who you are, but don’t tell me you’re the same as me.’ I hear that conversation all the time.”

Pass the popcorn.

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