Here's the important news about Hillary Clinton this week:

• She will be unveiling a new Climate Change plan
• She's building a "formidable" team in Iowa
• She is backing a $15.00 hour minimum wage for fast food workers for NY workers

Here's what desperate Republicans care about: emails and Benghazi.

Here's what the media cares about: Anything that portrays Hillary in a negative light. And the man with straw hair. The attention his every comment brings is absurd.

In a statement released yesterday, the Intelligence Community Inspector General (IC IG) and the State Department IG claimed with regard to Hilary Clinton's emails while Secretary of State:

The IC IG found four emails containing classified IC-derived information [. .. ] The four emails, which have not been released through the State FOIA process, did not contain classification markings and/or dissemination controls. These emails were not retroactively classified by the State Department; rather these emails contained classified information when they were generated and, according to IC classification officials, that information remains classified today.

Now what does this mean? It means the Intelligence Community, represented here by the Ic IG, disagrees with the State Department's determination on the classification of certain information contained in the Clinton e-mails. In their opinion, the information should have been designated classified and should be so designated now. But State does not agree. A review of the memos (PDF) exchanged between State and the IGs illustrates this turf war:

And BOOM:

Justice Dept official says "referral" related to Hillary Clinton's email is NOT for a criminal investigation - contradicting earlier reports

— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) July 24, 2015

David Nir writes about the NYT's dramatic walkback of its claim that two government Inspector Generals had made a referral to the Justice Department seeking a criminal inquiry of Hillary Clinton regarding her e-mails.

But the story gets worse for the New York Times. These memos (PDF) from OIG regarding the very same investigation demonstrate that in fact the issue is about how the State Department handled Clinton's e-mails AFTER she turned them over to State:

Sorry everyone, but I'm swamped at work and will be working tonight.

This article in WIRED about hackers comandeering jeeps and other vehicles through their electronic system is very scary. Has anyone tried to download the software fix? I did last night, and it was so complicated, I can't imagine most drivers taking the time to figure it out. I haven't yet tried to install it.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Veteran journalist Ginger Thompson has an article in Pro Publica about the theories floating around that the Mexican Government had a deal with Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and the escape through the tunnel story doesn't ring true.

She recounts a breakfast she had last week with "a senior Mexican intelligence official", a "veteran American counternarcotics agent" and a guy who was in Mexican cartels for 30 years. His last cartel was the Zetas.

No one in this deeply sourced group was surprised. Nor were they particularly interested in the logistical details of the escape, although they clearly didn’t believe the version they’d heard from the Mexican government.... They were convinced it was all a deal cut at some link in the system’s chain.

[More...]

Here's the video of the Sandra Bland traffic stop released today on You Tube by the TX Dept of Public Safety.

CNN was all Sandra Bland all day in the car. I don't have anything to add, but I'm posting it for those who are interested.

The U.S. reports it has killed a long-sought AQ terrorist from "The Khorasan Group", Muhsin al-Fadhli, in a drone strike.

He was believed to have been killed in September, 2014, in the U.S. raid on Nusra and its members from Khorasan that killed sniper al Turki. But most denied it. Sometimes they fake their own death. Here's a long post I wrote about him back then.[More...]

Here's a new open thread, all topics welcome.

Donald Trump has a double digit lead in the polls over his rivals.

According to a new ABC News/Washington Post national poll, Trump has the support of 24 percent of registered Republicans and Republican-leaning independents — 11 points higher than Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (13 percent) and 12 points ahead of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

When does the joke go too far? According to the Des Moines Register, which has called for him to drop out, it already has.

A few days ago, the Attorney General of Mexico announced that on June 25, 2015, less than two weeks before his escape, Mexico had received a diplomatic note requesting extradition of El Chapo to the Southern District of of California. Here is Mexico's official press release. Via Google translate, it says:

She informed senators and deputies, on 25 June this year was received from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a diplomatic note, through which the Government of the United States of America made the formal request for the extradition of Joaquin Guzman Loera, in order to be processed by the Federal District Court for the Southern District of California on charges of conspiring to import and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine.

She explained that she turned instructions to the areas of the PGR, to analyze the request and be attached to the legal requirements and of the international treaty on the subject signed between both countries, consideration of the Judicial power of the Federation, in accordance with the appropriate procedure.

[More...]

Our last open thread is full, here's a new one. All topics welcome.

A group of 20 tourists, from Britain, South Africa, India and other places have been deported from China for watching video clips promoting terrorism in their hotel room. China says they were terrorism clips.

The group, which included a 68 and 74 year old couple from London were on day 30 of a 47 day tour. They had visited the Genghis Kahn mauseleum in Ordos, Inner Mongolia. The next day they went to the airport to fly to the next leg of their trip (Xian), when they were detained and ultimately deported.

"The group is a mixture of multi-faith men and women from Islamic, Christian and Hindu religions who knew each other well and had travelled the world together in the past, including Israel and the USA.

What they had actually watched (not that it should make a difference what they watch in the privacy of their hotel room): a documentary on Mongol emperor Genghis Khan. [More...]