IEEE Spectrum: Today at ProMat, a company called Pickle Robots is announcing Dill, a robot that can unload boxes from the back of a trailer at places like ecommerce fulfillment warehouses at very high speeds. With a peak box unloading rate of 1800 boxes per hour and a payload of up to 25 kg, Dill can substantially outperform even an expert human, and it can keep going pretty much forever as long as you have it plugged into the wall.

Pickle Robots says that Dill’s approach to the box unloading task is unique in a couple of ways. First, it can handle messy trailers filled with a jumble of boxes of different shapes, colors, sizes, and weights. And second, from the get-go it’s intended to work under human supervision, relying on people to step in and handle edge cases. Pickle Robots engineers have not released any info regarding the robots’ ability to crush our tiny human fingers, or to deliver a crippling sac-punch.

“Facing swift blowback from allies and aid groups, the White House on Friday said President Joe Biden plans to lift in the next month his predecessor’s historically low cap on refugees, after initially moving only to expand the eligibility criteria for resettlements. Biden earlier Friday moved to accelerate refugee admissions but kept his predecessor’s historically low cap of 15,000 refugees for this year, triggering a backlash from Democratic lawmakers and resettlement agencies” – AP.

Washington Post: “In the Trump administration’s four-year battle with the intelligence community, a recurring character was a brash lawyer named Kashyap P. ‘Kash’ Patel. He appeared so frequently, in so many incarnations, that he was almost a ‘Zelig’ figure in President Donald Trump’s confrontation against what he imagined as the ‘deep state.’ Patel repeatedly pressed intelligence agencies to release secrets that, in his view, showed that the president was being persecuted unfairly by critics. Ironically, he is now facing Justice Department investigation for possible improper disclosure of classified information, according to two knowledgeable sources who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the probe. The sources said the investigation resulted from a complaint made this year by an intelligence agency, but wouldn’t provide additional details. Patel didn’t respond to text, email and voice mail messages, or a request to talk at his residence. A lawyer described as representing him also did not respond.”

“While other Trump staffers, most prominently adviser Stephen Miller, became near-household names, Patel, now 41, flew largely beneath the radar during the Trump administration. In the span of four years, he rose from an obscure Hill staffer to become one of the most powerful players in the national security apparatus. The saga of his battles with the intelligence bureaucracy shows how the last administration empowered its lieutenants to challenge what it saw as the deep state. At the start of the Trump administration, Patel was senior counsel for Rep. Devin Nunes when the California Republican chaired the House Intelligence Committee in 2017 and 2018 and emerged as a leading critic of the investigation by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III into the Trump campaign’s alleged links to Russia. Patel then joined Trump’s National Security Council staff as senior director for counterterrorism. In 2020, he was a senior adviser to acting director of national intelligence Richard Grenell and his successor, John Ratcliffe, helping lead their efforts to remove senior career intelligence officers. Patel’s most prominent role was his final job, as chief of staff for acting defense secretary Christopher C. Miller in the administration’s last two months. In that position, according to sources close to events, he challenged the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, and very nearly became acting director of the CIA himself.”

A Pakastani-born American businessman secretly paid for two representatives of the Trump Administration to travel to Qatar in 2017 to help ease tension between the emirate and its regional foes, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which had begun a blockade of Qatar, Mother Jones reports.

The arrangement–in which Imaad Zuberi arranged for, paid for and accompanied John Allen, a retired US Marine Corps four-star general, and Richard Olson, a retired State Department official and onetime ambassador to Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, to travel to Doha, Qatar–is currently under investigation by the Department of Justice.

Allen and Olson were dispatched by then-Trump National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster to meet with Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to discuss the ongoing tension in the region, which some analysts considered a prelude to a war.

Law enforcement officials have identified the shooter in the Indianapolis mass murder that took the lives of nine people as 19-year-old Indiana resident Brandon Scott Hole, reportedly a former FedEx employee, the Associated Press reports.

Indianapolis Deputy Police Chief Craig McCartt said Hole approached the FedEx distribution center and started firing at people gathered outside the building.  The weapon was described by police as a .223 caliber rifle, but they did not specify if it was a semi-automatic or bolt-action weapon.  One person who survived the attack said the shooter had “a submachine gun of some sort, an automatic rifle.”

Police were searching an address associated with Hole, seizing his computers and other electronics to determine a motive for the attack.

I’m proud to join @mtgreenee in the #AmericaFirst Caucus.

We will end wars, stop illegal immigration & promote trade that is fair to American workers.

This is just a hit piece from the America Last crowd in Big Media, Big Tech & Big Government.https://t.co/hjGiuSLwBW

— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) April 16, 2021

Former Attorney General Eric Holder, now a partner at the international law firm Covington & Burling, is reportedly billing at a rate of $2,295 per hour according to a public disclosure from a university that has retained the firm, according to Law.com.

Covington, ranked as one of the top law firms in Washington, DC, specializes in transactional, litigation, public policy and regulatory matters.  The firm was retained by Oregon Health & Science University in Portland to investigate episodes of institutional “harassment, discrimination, retaliation and racism,” with Holder serving as the lead attorney in the probe.  Through the public contract, Holder’s billable rate was disclosed.

While most attorneys bill in the $100-$300 per hour range, elite attorneys charge clients over $2,000 per hour.  Donald Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani reportedly charged Trump $25,000 per day, although it is not clear if he was ever paid.

“Russia will expel 10 U.S. diplomats and add eight current and former U.S. officials to its no-entry list in retaliation for sanctions that the Biden administration leveled at Moscow on Friday, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday. The measures come after the U.S. said it would expel 10 Russian intelligence officers operating under diplomatic cover, as part of a broad package of sanctions retaliating against the SolarWinds hack of federal agencies and Russia’s interference in the 2020 election” Axios reports.

“The following Americans have been banned from Russia … Attorney General Merrick Garland, Bureau of Prisons Director Michael Carvajal, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, White House domestic policy czar Susan Rice, FBI Director Christopher Wray, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, Former White House national security adviser John Bolton.”

“The America First Caucus (AFC) exists to promote Congressional policies that are to the long-term benefit of the American nation. The North Star of any policy proposal will be that which serves the American people, and any consequential analysis of policy platforms must be based on this first principle” says the intro the policy document obtained by Punchbowl, whose Jake Sherman reports “is recruiting lawmakers calling for ‘common respect for uniquely Anglo-Saxon political traditions’ and a return to architectural style that ‘befits the progeny of European architecture'”.

More context from the immigration section: “The America First Caucus recognizes that our country is more than a mass of consumers or a series of abstract ideas. America is a nation with a border, and a culture, strengthened by a common respect for uniquely Anglo-Saxon political traditions”

The infrastructure section: “The America First Caucus will work towards an infrastructure that reflects the architectural, engineering and aesthetic value that befits the progeny of European architecture, whereby public infrastructure must be utilitarian as well as stunningly, classically beautiful, befitting a world power and source of freedom. As the Romans demonstrated with aqueducts, walls and roads, function and beauty are not at odds. Federally funded infrastructure, including roads, buildings, airports, seaports, bridges, should demonstrate a pride of workmanship. A bridge is not merely something to cross from side A to side B, it is a connection among peoples. Infrastructure is one of the few areas where the federal government should exercise its constitutional authority. For decades, America has been sending trillions of dollars out the door to support the infrastructure of other nations – even to countries that hate the United [sic] – with nothing to show for it. Simultaneously, our domestic infrastructure is failing, crumbling and decaying from within. This Caucus will work to direct as much money as possible to our domestic infrastructure needs.”

“Liberty University has sued Jerry Falwell Jr. for $10 million, exacerbating the messy divorce between the Christian university and its former president whose family name has been synonymous with the university since its founding. The suit, filed on Thursday, alleges breach of contract and fiduciary duty. It claims that Mr. Falwell withheld scandalous and potentially damaging information from Liberty’s board of trustees, while negotiating a generous new contract for himself in 2019 under false pretenses. Mr. Falwell also failed to disclose and address ‘his personal impairment by alcohol,’ the suit alleges. Last August, Mr. Falwell claimed that he was being threatened with extortion by a man who had a yearslong sexual relationship with Mr. Falwell’s wife, Becki.”

“The suit claims that by keeping the sexual entanglement and resulting ‘extortion’ a secret, Mr. Falwell endangered and later damaged Liberty’s reputation. Instead of divulging the active threat to Liberty’s board, ‘Falwell Jr. chose personal protection,’ the suit claims. A spokesman for Liberty University, Scott Lamb, said the school had no comment on the suit. Mr. Falwell did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday morning. The university filed the suit on the same day that its board of trustees arrived in Lynchburg, Va., for its semiannual meeting, at which they are set to discuss the university’s future, including its search for a permanent leader. Jerry Prevo, a close associate of Mr. Falwell’s father and the former pastor of a large church in Alaska, has been serving as interim president since August. Mr. Prevo is also a member of the board’s powerful executive committee” – New York Times.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “A former Democratic state legislator who switched parties after he endorsed Donald Trump launched an insurgent challenge Friday against Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, setting the stage for a race that will test the former president’s influence in Georgia. Vernon Jones aims to tap into GOP anger at Kemp for resisting Trump’s demands to overturn Joe Biden’s narrow victory in Georgia in November, though his long record as an elected Democratic official seems certain to complicate his bid to win over Republican voters. At a sparsely-attended kickoff event outside the state Capitol, Jones delivered a roughly 30-minute speech where he called Kemp a phony conservative and pledged to replace Georgia’s voting system, which came under attack by pro-Trump conspiracy theorists after Joe Biden’s victory in November. As he signed autographs for a small group of supporters, Jones refused to answer a question about how he can attract GOP support as a lifelong Democrat or say whether he expects to receive Trump’s endorsement.”

“The former president has repeatedly promised to back a primary challenger to Kemp, though it’s not yet clear whether he’ll side with Jones, a lifelong Democrat who gained national attention after he publicly supported Trump’s reelection campaign a year ago. Jones formally switched to the GOP in January, after his term in the Legislature expired. Even with Trump’s help, Jones faces a steep challenge with the Georgia GOP electorate. Though recent polls show Kemp has been damaged by his falling out with Trump, the first-term governor’s outspoken support for a controversial package of new election restrictions has helped him rally the party’s base. In recent weeks, Kemp has been a mainstay on conservative cable TV shows and enjoyed raucous receptions at grassroots meetings across the state, seemingly dissuading better-known Republican rivals such as former U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, whom Trump once recruited to run. What’s more, Jones must answer for a long history of controversy in public office that includes allegations of sexual assault that he has denied, along with votes that could alienate Republicans such as Jones’ 2019 vote against a strict anti-abortion ‘heartbeat’ measure that Kemp signed into law.”

So I put in my phone number, got my “VIP early access code”, entered it, and was excited to see how fast National Zero could be permanently banned from Frank Speech for using bad language and taking the Lord’s name in vain and this is what I get. Goddamn fucking nothing.

What a disappointment. I wanted material to use in articles here on National Zero. Instead I have to use this failed launch as a subject for this one. MAGA tech products really suck.

“A founding member of the Oath Keepers arrested in the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol has agreed to plead guilty and cooperate against others in the case – the first defendant to potentially flip in the sprawling domestic terrorism investigation that has led to charges against more than 400 people. The scheduled plea comes exactly 100 days after Jon Ryan Schaffer and hundreds of other supporters of former president Donald Trump allegedly stormed the Capitol hoping to prevent Joe Biden from being confirmed as the next president. Prosecutors hope Schaffer’s plea spurs others to provide additional evidence in hopes of avoiding long prison sentences.”

“The plea marks a new stage in the historic investigation, as prosecutors seek to work up the chain of defendants to gather evidence and better understand the full scope of any planning and organizing of the violence – particularly among groups like the far-right Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys. Dozens of members from both groups appeared to act in concert to storm the building, prosecutors have alleged. Schaffer, 53, a guitarist and lead songwriter for the heavy metal band Iced Earth, was charged on Friday by criminal information, a type of charging document used when a defendant waives the right to an indictment. A plea hearing was set for 11 a.m. Schaffer has been jailed since he turned himself in to FBI agents in Indianapolis on Jan. 18 after being photographed inside the Capitol wearing a hat that said ‘Oath Keepers Lifetime Member.’ He was initially charged with six crimes, including engaging in an act of physical violence and targeting police with bear spray. Friday’s filing shows Schaffer has agreed to plead guilty to only two charges, but both are felony offenses carrying heavy penalties that federal prosecutors are relying on heavily in the wider probe. One, obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress, is punishable by up to 20 years in prison; the other, trespassing on restricted grounds of the Capitol while armed with a deadly or dangerous weapon, carries up to a 10 year prison term” – Washington Post.

Hunter Biden’s book ‘Beautiful Things’ sells less than 11k copies in first week, despite PR rush | Just The News https://t.co/rgOeuuDccX

— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) April 16, 2021

Washington Post: “Russian President Vladimir Putin chaired a meeting of Russia’s Security Council on Friday as Moscow moved quickly to respond after U.S. sanctions and expulsions of diplomats, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Peskov said a presidential aide informed U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan of Russia’s response, but added no further details. He said the Security Council meeting also focused on military development. ‘Nobody has canceled the principle of reciprocity in such matters, it is a fundamental principle,’ Dmitry Peskov told reporters. ‘Yet again, everything will depend on the decision to be made by the head of state.'”

“His comments follow the U.S. announcement Thursday it would expel 10 Russian diplomats as well place sanctions on 32 Russia-related individuals and companies accused of interfering in the 2020 presidential election, spreading disinformation and other harmful actions. U.S. officials claim most of the diplomats on the expulsion list are intelligence officers working under diplomatic cover. Peskov said Putin and President Biden ‘saw eye to eye’ on the need to de-escalate tensions in U.S.-Russia relations, but ‘our U.S. counterparts’ liking for sanctions remains unacceptable.’ ‘President Putin talked about the feasibility of building, normalizing and de-escalating our relations,’ Peskov said. ‘He talks about it consistently. He is convinced of it. He has stated repeatedly that we are ready to develop our dialogue to the extent that our counterparts are ready to do it.’ Washington also banned U.S. financial institutions from buying Russian bonds from Russia’s central bank, Finance Ministry or national wealth fund. The move could deter investment in the bonds and increase Russian borrowing costs. Peskov said Russia’s economy would continue to work efficiently despite the ban.”

CNN Deep Fake!

This story takes on a new perspective in light of the Project Veritas #ExposeCNN work. https://t.co/bUXSfyc7Ea

— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) April 16, 2021

“Members of Congress are spending tens of thousands of dollars on personal security for them and their families in the wake of the Jan. 6 riot, according to an analysis of first-quarter Federal Election Commission reports by Punchbowl News. Private security expenditures were especially common among anti-Trump Republicans and high-profile Democrats who earlier this year voted to impeach and convict the former president for inciting the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot, signaling they fear for the safety of themselves and their families.”

“By the numbers: Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.): Nearly $70,000, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah): $43,633, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.): $50,400, Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.): $19,874, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.): $44,400, Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio): $1,540, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.): More than $45,000. The big picture: Lawmakers in the past have spent money for additional security, but security expenditures dramatically increased throughout the Trump administration” – Axios.

“A gunman opened fire outside and inside a FedEx facility near Indianapolis’ main airport Thursday night, killing eight people, wounding several others and sending witnesses running before taking his own life, police said. Police were called to the facility at about 11 p.m. local time for what has become the country’s deadliest shooting since 10 people were killed March 22 in a grocery shooting in Colorado. The names of the victims or gunman were not immediately released. ‘The (gunman) came into the parking lot, and I believe he exited his vehicle and quickly began shooting. … The first shooting occurred in the parking lot, and then he went inside and did not get very far (inside),’ Indianapolis police Deputy Chief Craig McCartt told CNN early Friday” – CNN.

“Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert were the lone two members to vote against a bill that would reauthorize the National Marrow Donor Program, which matches bone marrow donors and cord blood units with patients who have leukemia and other diseases The bill passed 415-2.” —Manu Raju of CNN

The Chinese economy continued its sprint out of the gates in the first quarter 0f 2021, growing by an astounding 18.3% after rocketing up 40% in the 4th quarter of 2020, Bloomberg reports.

Consumer spending in China increased by 34.2%.  Industrial output rose 14% in March alone.  The Chinese government set an overall goal for economic growth in 2021 at 6%.

While one can be skeptical of information coming from the Chinese government, it reports that there have been no significant increase in coronavirus cases since last spring, after the government put large-scale lockdowns and quarantine orders in place across the country.  It continues to enforce quarantines in areas where outbreaks occur.