3:17 PM 10/31/2017 – ALL POSTS ON G+ |
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3:17 PM 10/31/2017 – ALL POSTS ON G+ |
» Donald Trump: Corey Lewandowski Points Finger At FBI: They Didn’t Warn Us About Paul Manafort
31/10/17 10:27 from 1. Trump from mikenova (5 sites)
For some reason, Trump’s former campaign manager thinks investigators should have told the campaign that Manafort was under surveillance. Donald Trump
Sun, 29 Oct 2017 18:19:45 +0100 |
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29.10.2017 18:19 |
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Mike Nova’s Shared NewsLinks
Mike Nova’s Shared NewsLinks | ||||
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US Senators Single Out Russia In Push Against Anonymous Online Political Ads – RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty | ||||
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Ex-Pentagon official says Russia may be operating hundreds of “troll … – Sacramento Bee | ||||
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Russian Trolls Would Love the ‘Honest Ads Act’ – Bloomberg | ||||
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Sharing fake news should be punishable as libel, says former FEC chair – Metro US | ||||
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Russian propagandists allegedly targeted blacks with free self-defense classes – WTOL.com | ||||
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The History of Russian Involvement in America’s Race Wars – The Atlantic | ||||
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‘Our pain for their gain’: the American activists manipulated by Russian trolls – The Guardian | ||||
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Fake news purveyors regularly cited a Twitter account revealed to be Russian propaganda – Media Matters for America (blog) | ||||
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Facebook Must Come Clean About Its Russian Propaganda Ads – Newsweek | ||||
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Google and Facebook spend millions to lobby Congress as Washington inquiries ramp up – Silicon Valley Business Journal | ||||
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Exclusive: Russian Propaganda Traced Back to Staten Island, New York – Daily Beast | ||||
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UK lawmakers ask Facebook about Russian-linked Brexit activity – The Hill | ||||
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New Charts Show What The Russian Troll @TEN_GOP Account Was Tweeting This Summer – BuzzFeed News | ||||
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Rod Rosenstein doesn’t believe voters were swayed by Russia social media ads – Washington Examiner | ||||
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Hillary Clinton ‘Sex Tape’ Was Made By Russian Trolls – Newsweek | ||||
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First Charges Filed in US Special Counsel’s Russia Investigation: Report – Fortune | ||||
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Donald Trump yells DO SOMETHING! in desperate cry for help as Robert Mueller moves in | ||||
We’ve all been awaiting Donald Trump’s inevitable response to the news that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has filed Trump-Russia criminal charges, and that the arrests of Trump’s people will begin tomorrow. Now we’re finally seeing that response, and while it’s as unhinged as expected, it’s also a rather desperate cry for help. Trump is so panicked, he’s begging his remaining allies to “DO SOMETHING!” to save him. |
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GOP Doesnt Seem To Hate Debt So Much Now That It Wants A Tax Cut | ||||
Republican leaders support tax cuts adding trillions to the national debt now, but had dire warnings about it under the Obama administration. |
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9:36 AM 10/29/2017 A possible Russian role in Brexit vote should be checked out | ||||
“…Governments the world over, including various U.S. administrations, have often tried to meddle in others internal affairs.” Mike Nova’s Shared NewsLinks A possible Russian role should in Brexit vote be checked out | Op-ed A possible Russian role should in Brexit vote be checked out – The Keene Sentinel 7:17 AM 10/29/2017 How Much Did … Continue reading“9:36 AM 10/29/2017 – A possible Russian role in Brexit vote should be checked out” |
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Trump approval rating hits lowest ever amid tax reform debate, GOP departures from Senate – CNBC | ||||
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Dozens of Russian companies and Government organisations … – The Independent | ||||
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10:21 AM 10/29/2017 Putin Starts Aiming His Cyberweapons Against Individuals: Russia recruits psychiatrists, scientists, and neurologists, who construct these things to target particular individuals, Shymkiv said. | ||||
Dmytro Shymkiv, deputy head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine on Administrative, Social and Economic Reform, explained this month during the Future in Review conference in Park City, Utah. Russia recruits psychiatrists, scientists, and neurologists, who construct these things to target particular individuals, Shymkiv said. According to Ukrainian security officials, Russian agents build a psychological … Continue reading“10:21 AM 10/29/2017 – Putin Starts Aiming His Cyberweapons Against Individuals: Russia recruits psychiatrists, scientists, and neurologists, who construct these things to target particular individuals, Shymkiv said.” |
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Rep. Adam Schiff: Russia probe indictment likely tied to Paul Manafort or Michael Flynn – Washington Times | ||||
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Robert Mueller Probe: Manafort ‘Suspicious’ Wire Transfers Focus of FBI Trump-Russia Investigation – Newsweek | ||||
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Mueller Has Authority to Name President Trump as an Unindicted Coconspirator – Just Security | ||||
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10:31 AM 10/28/2017 – How social media helped weaponize Donald Trump’s election campaign
How social media helped weaponize Donald Trump’s election campaign
mikenova shared this story from NewsOnABC’s YouTube Videos. |
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28.10.2017 15:24 |
Sat, 28 Oct 2017 15:24:26 +0200
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1. News in Photos from mikenova (4 sites) |
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WSJ.com: World News: U.S. Won’t Accept a Nuclear North Korea: Defense Secretary Mattis |
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said he didnt see a scenario in which the U.S. would accept North Korea as a nuclear power, even after a year of dramatic advances for North Koreas weapons program.WSJ.com: World News |
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How social media helped weaponize Donald Trump’s election campaign |
Planet Americas John Barron explains how Facebook and Twitter helped weaponize the Trump campaign.
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Дамаск отверг обвинения в химатаке |
Mike Nova’s Shared NewsLinks | ||
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Mueller probe into possible collusion with Russia nets first charges: report | ||
Robert Muellers investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia have reportedly netted its first charges. |
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Trumps set to launch two real estate projects in India, despite conflict-of-interest concerns | ||
Donald Trump Jr. is making plans for a high-profile sales and marketing trip to the region. |
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U.S. Congress Receives List Of Russians Targeted By New Sanctions | ||
The U.S. State Department has provided Congress with a list of Russian companies and intelligence agencies that are likely to be hit with sanctions under a new U.S. law punishing Russia for allegedly meddling in last year’s presidential election. |
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Israel Is a Military Superpower for One Simple Reason: ‘Underwater’ Nuclear Weapons | ||
Kyle Mizokami Israels sea-based nuclear deterrent is here to stay.Israels submarine corps is a tiny force with a big open secret: in all likelihood, it is armed with nuclear weapons. The five Dolphin-class submarines represent an ace in the hole for Israel, the ultimate guarantor of the countrys security, ensuring that if attacked with nukes, the tiny nation can strike back in kind. |
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trump investigations indictments 2017 – Google Search | ||
First on CNN: First charges filed in Mueller investigationCNN–12 hours ago
Mueller was appointed in May to lead the investigation into Russian meddling … CNN reported that investigators are scrutinizing Trump and his …
Mueller has reportedly filed the first charges in the Russia investigation
Business Insider–11 hours ago Mueller Has Reportedly Issued His First Charges. Who Might Be …
Blog–Slate Magazine (blog)–9 hours ago Week 23: Mueller Bombs Trump’s Big WeekPolitico–1 hour ago
During the week, when the news still appeared to be on Trump’s side, … of Mueller Russia investigationbefore news of the indictment hit.
Russia-dossier bombshell: Everything you need to know
<a href=”http://WND.com” rel=”nofollow”>WND.com</a>–Oct 25, 2017 |
Mike Nova’s Shared NewsLinks | ||
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Mueller probe into possible collusion with Russia nets first charges: report | ||
Robert Muellers investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia have reportedly netted its first charges. |
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Trumps set to launch two real estate projects in India, despite conflict-of-interest concerns | ||
Donald Trump Jr. is making plans for a high-profile sales and marketing trip to the region. |
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U.S. Congress Receives List Of Russians Targeted By New Sanctions | ||
The U.S. State Department has provided Congress with a list of Russian companies and intelligence agencies that are likely to be hit with sanctions under a new U.S. law punishing Russia for allegedly meddling in last year’s presidential election. |
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Israel Is a Military Superpower for One Simple Reason: ‘Underwater’ Nuclear Weapons | ||
Kyle Mizokami Israels sea-based nuclear deterrent is here to stay.Israels submarine corps is a tiny force with a big open secret: in all likelihood, it is armed with nuclear weapons. The five Dolphin-class submarines represent an ace in the hole for Israel, the ultimate guarantor of the countrys security, ensuring that if attacked with nukes, the tiny nation can strike back in kind. |
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trump investigations indictments 2017 – Google Search | ||
First on CNN: First charges filed in Mueller investigationCNN–12 hours ago
Mueller was appointed in May to lead the investigation into Russian meddling … CNN reported that investigators are scrutinizing Trump and his …
Mueller has reportedly filed the first charges in the Russia investigation
Business Insider–11 hours ago Mueller Has Reportedly Issued His First Charges. Who Might Be …
Blog–Slate Magazine (blog)–9 hours ago Week 23: Mueller Bombs Trump’s Big WeekPolitico–1 hour ago
During the week, when the news still appeared to be on Trump’s side, … of Mueller Russia investigationbefore news of the indictment hit.
Russia-dossier bombshell: Everything you need to know
<a href=”http://WND.com” rel=”nofollow”>WND.com</a>–Oct 25, 2017 |
Mike Nova’s Shared NewsLinks |
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The First FBI Crime Report Issued Under Trump Is Missing A Ton Of Info |
Are Republicans Trying to Shortchange the Russia Investigations? |
Putin and the Russian Mafia – Google News: Russia’s worrisome push to control cyberspace – The Keene Sentinel |
Are Republicans Trying to Shortchange the Russia Investigations? – Vanity Fair |
trump russian ties – Google News: Trump administration belatedly takes step toward new Russia sanctions – Los Angeles Times |
Trump FBI file – Google News: The First FBI Crime Report Issued Under Trump Is Missing A Ton Of Info – FiveThirtyEight |
Donald Trump | The Guardian: Late-night TV hosts: Trump’s Fox News interview ‘a full-blown rubdown’ |
trump under federal investigation – Google News: Lawmakers demand investigation into no-bid contract between Puerto Rico and Trump-connected company – ThinkProgress |
trump and intelligence community – Google News: Trump tries to take Russia collusion heat off himself by pointing the finger at Clinton over dossier, uranium deal – New York Daily News |
Trump Investigations Report: 12:44 PM 10/27/2017 Kislyak, SCL Group, Cambridge Analytica |
Trump FBI file – Google News: Column: Trump bowing to CIA on JFK files is a reminder of how the presidency changes people – Tampabay.com |
FEMA has ‘significant concerns’ with Puerto Rico’s $300m power deal – The Hill |
Donald Trump on social media – Wikipedia |
Kislyak, SCL Group, Cambridge Analytica – Google Search |
SCL Group – Google Search |
bell – Google Search |
social media in trump campaign – Google Search |
Trump Campaign Used Social Media Manipulation, Says The Guardian |
How Facebook, Google and Twitter ’embeds’ helped Trump in 2016 – POLITICO |
social media reps in trump campaign – Google Search |
Scrutiny mounts for Trump digital operation |
Cambridge Analytica tried to reach out to WikiLeaks – Google Search |
7:25 AM 10/27/2017 News Review: Papers May Shed Light on JFK Assassination Trump Investigations Report |
A Half-Century Later, Papers May Shed Light on JFK Assassination – New York Times |
Trump Administration To Declare Opioid Crisis A Public Health Emergency – NPR |
Mike Nova’s Shared NewsLinks | ||
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The First FBI Crime Report Issued Under Trump Is Missing A Ton Of Info | ||
Every year, the FBI releases a report that is considered the gold standard for tracking crime statistics in the United States: the Crime in the United States report, a collection of crime statistics gathered from over 18,000 law-enforcement agencies in cities around the country. But according to an analysis by FiveThirtyEight, the 2016 Crime in the United States report — the first released under President Trump’s administration — contains close to 70 percent fewer data tables than the 2015 version did, a removal that could affect analysts’ understanding of crime trends in the country. The removal comes after consecutive years in which violent crime rose nationally, and it limits access to high-quality crime data that could help inform solutions.
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NUMBER OF TABLES | |||
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CATEGORY | 2015 | 2016 | CHANGE |
Arrests | 51 | 7 | -44 |
Context for crimes* | 23 | 6 | -17 |
Crimes† | 25 | 17 | -8 |
Police dept. employee counts | 12 | 7 | -5 |
Clearances | 4 | 1 | -3 |
Total | 115 | 38 | -77 |
* Expanded offense data beyond the aggregate number of crimes reported by law enforcement.
† Aggregates of the number of violent and property crime offenses reported by law enforcement.
Source: FBI
Changes to the UCR’s yearly report are not unheard of, and the press release that accompanies the 2016 report, which was published in late September, acknowledges the removal of some tables, saying that the UCR program had “streamlined the 2016 edition.” But changes to the report typically go through a body called the Advisory Policy Board (APB), which is responsible for managing and reviewing operational issues for a number of FBI programs. This time they did not.
In response to queries from FiveThirtyEight about whether the changes to the 2016 report had been made in consultation with the Advisory Policy Board, a spokesman for the UCR responded that the program had “worked with staff from the Office of Public Affairs to review the number of times a user actually viewed the tables on the internet.” When FiveThirtyEight informed a former FBI employee of the process, he said it was abnormal.
“To me it’s shocking that they made these decisions to publish that many fewer tables and they didn’t make the decision with the APB,” James Nolan, who worked at the UCR for five years and now teaches at West Virginia University, told FiveThirtyEight.
Nolan called the FBI’s removal of the tables for lack of web traffic, “somewhat illogical.” (A spokesman for the UCR program told FiveThirtyEight that in the last year, the UCR received 3,045,789 visitors.)
“How much time and savings is there in moving an online table?” Nolan said. “These are canned programs: You create table 71 and table 71 is connected to a link in a blink of an eye.”
These removals mean that there is less data available concerning a perennial focus of Trump and his attorney general, Jeff Sessions: violent crime. Trump and Sessions have frequently talked about MS-13, a gang with Salvadoran roots, as a looming problem in the country. MS-13 has been cited in 37 Department of Justice press releases and speeches in 2017, compared to only nine mentions in 2016 and five in 2015. Sessions gave a speech on the organization last month, while Trump gave a speechon Long Island in July, saying the gang had “transformed peaceful parks and beautiful quiet neighborhoods into bloodstained killing fields. They’re animals.” Trump also frequently refers to gun violence in Chicago, and at the beginning of his presidency, he established a Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Office, which aims to study and promote awareness of crimes committed by immigrants who entered the country illegally.
Although the removal of the tables makes it more difficult to get information on one of the White House’s most prominent causes, it also seems like part of a trend in the Trump administration: the suppression of government data and an unwillingness to share information with the press and public. About two weeks after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, the FEMA website stopped displayingkey metrics relating to island residents’ access to drinkable water and electricity. The data was later restored. The early days of the Trump administration were marked by reports that federal agency employees had been instructed not to talk to the press and to restrict social media postings.
Since Trump took office, government watchdog groups have been concerned about access to government data and maintaining the integrity of that data. Before Trump’s inauguration, Louis Clark, the executive director and CEO of the Government Accountability Project, an organization that protects whistleblowers, told FiveThirtyEight that he worried that the public information offices in various agencies could interfere with transparent sharing of information with the public.
The fact that the FBI Office of Public Affairs rather than the Advisory Policy Board determined which data tables to remove hearkens back to patterns of suppression from the George W. Bush administration. “They set up all these PR operations,” Clark said about the Bush administration’s tactics. “If a reporter called up and wanted to know about the Arctic, the scientists getting the question couldn’t answer and were required to send the reporter to the government PR person.”
The data missing from the report is mostly about arrests and homicides. There were 51 tables of arrest data in the 2015 report, and there are only seven in the 2016 report. Data about clearance rates — essentially the percentage of crimes solved — was covered in four tables in 2015 but just one in 2016. The expanded offense data — information collected by the FBI beyond the number of crimes committed, such as the type of weapon used or the location of a crimes — went from 23 tables in 2015 to 6 in 2016.
There were 15 tables of murder data in 2015, but in 2016 there were only a few tables offering expanded insights on homicides. The expanded homicide data from 2016 doesn’t include statistics on the relationship between victims and offenders; victims’ and offenders’ age, sex, race or ethnicity; or what weapons were used in different circumstances. Practically speaking, that means that researchers can no longer easily identify the number of children under the age of 18 murdered by firearm in a given year. Additionally, data tables used to identify the number of women murdered by their partners are similarly no longer available.
The removal of this expanded homicide information is not acknowledged in the report. Also, the FBI’s 2016 definition of expanded homicide data, which is identical to the one from 2015, says that the agency collects “supplementary homicide data that provide the age, sex, race, and ethnicity of the murder victim and offender; the type of weapon used; the relationship of the victim to the offender; and the circumstance surrounding the incident. Statistics gleaned from these supplemental data are provided in this section.” This suggests that murder circumstance data will be provided, though none is.
While the UCR says that the data no longer included in the report was available upon request, the FBI only provided a raw data file, which is more difficult to analyze — especially compared to easily accessible data tables — and does not always match the figures posted online in the UCR reports.
The FBI noted that in addition to its decision to streamline the report, UCR had launched a Crime Data Explorer, which aims to make crime data more user-interactive. But data contained in the explorer does not replicate what is missing from the 2016 UCR report, and it doesn’t allow users to view data for particular years, but rather aggregates trends over a minimum period of 10 years. The National Incident-Based Reporting System is another tool the FBI uses to provide more detailed information on crimes, but it too does not replicate what is missing from the 2016 UCR report and has a substantially lower participation rate from police departments across the country.
Richard Rosenfeld, former president of the American Society of Criminology and a professor at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, noticed that the 2016 report no longer had data for a trend area that he tracks — homicides related to the narcotic drug trade. “One could argue the Trump administration is interested in the opioid epidemic and might be interested in its criminal justice consequences,” he said.
“I simply don’t understand why they would omit any of the tables that they have included from years past.”
If you have any tips or insights into the changes to the 2016 Crime in the United States Report, please send them to <a href=”mailto:clare.malone@fivethirtyeight.com”>clare.malone@fivethirtyeight.com</a>.
Russia’s worrisome push to control cyberspace
The Keene Sentinel Russia’s bid to rewrite global rules through the U.N. was matched by a personal pitch on cyber-cooperation in July from President Vladimir Putin to President Trump at the G-20 summit in Hamburg. Putin “vehemently denied” to Trump that Russia had … |
Putin and the Russian Mafia – Google News
Vanity Fair |
Are Republicans Trying to Shortchange the Russia Investigations?
Vanity Fair In recent weeks, both Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee have expressed doubts that they will reach a clear-cut conclusion, conceding that Robert Mueller’sF.B.I. investigation is more likely to yield such results. Despite … Republicans are winding down their Russia probes without tackling the big questionThe Week Magazine House Republicans growing impatient with Russia probeThe Hillall 3 news articles » |
Los Angeles Times |
Trump administration belatedly takes step toward new Russia sanctions
Los Angeles Times In early August, after considerable delay, Trump signed into law a measure that required the new sanctions, which target individuals with ties to Russian defense and intelligence agencies. Under the law, companies that do business with those … The Trump administration is delaying Russia sanctions that Congress demandedVoxall 63 news articles » |
trump russian ties – Google News
FiveThirtyEight |
The First FBI Crime Report Issued Under Trump Is Missing A Ton Of Info
FiveThirtyEight Every year, the FBI releases a report that is considered the gold standard for tracking crime statistics in the United States: the Crime in the United States report, a collection of crime statistics gathered from over 18,000 law-enforcement agencies in … |
Trump FBI file – Google News
ThinkProgress |
Lawmakers demand investigation into no-bid contract between Puerto Rico and Trump-connected company
ThinkProgress Whitefish Energy will get paid through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), not Puerto Rico’s government, Bloomberg News reported Thursday. The contract with PREPA is among the biggest yet awarded in the wake of Hurricane Maria, … Congressional committee asks for records of Whitefish Energy dealWashington Post Whitefish Energy contract bars government from auditing dealThe Hillall 133 news articles » |
trump under federal investigation – Google News
New York Daily News |
Trump tries to take Russia collusion heat off himself by pointing the finger at Clinton over dossier, uranium deal
New York Daily News In addition to the dossier and collusion allegations, special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating whether Trump obstructed justice by firing FBI Director James Comey. Trump has repeatedly cast doubt on the intelligence community’s assesment that … Wow: This Is How Much Time The Liberal Media Has Wasted On The Trump/Russia Collusion NonsenseTownhallall 728 news articles » |
trump and intelligence community – Google News
Tampabay.com |
Column: Trump bowing to CIA on JFK files is a reminder of how the presidency changes people
Tampabay.com At the request of the CIA, FBI and others in the national security community, President DonaldTrump made a last-minute decision last week to delay the release of thousands of pages of classified documents related to the John F. Kennedy assassination.and more » |
Trump FBI file – Google News
The Hill |
FEMA has ‘significant concerns’ with Puerto Rico’s $300m power deal
The Hill The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is sounding an alarm over Puerto Rico’s $300 million contract with a small Montana company to restore power infrastructure, amid concerns over the firm’s tiny staff and lack of competitive bidding. Puerto Rico’s Frantic Search for Someone to Turn on the LightsNBCNews.com FEMA Disavows Puerto Rico Power Contract Amid InvestigationsU.S. News & World Report Congressional committee asks for records of Whitefish Energy dealWashington Post TIME –E&E News –Nasdaq –TPM all 128 news articles » |
Trump campaign data may be directly tied to social media manipulation, according to an investigation at The Guardian. If that is the case, then take a back seat, fake news, because what we could have is a deliberate right-wing propaganda machine that is altering the way that voters perceive candidates and issues. It could be much more detrimental to our democracy than any fake news.
The Guardian has revealed that extreme conservative ideology is cycled through popular social media sites through algorithms so it becomes pervasive, dominant, and constant.
Social media manipulation is trouble for democratic society everywhere.
One company that drives data, Cambridge Analytica, goes so far as to take credit for Trump’s election win through its ability to manipulate media messages targeted at persuadable voters. According to the homepage of its website, Cambridge Analytica (CA) uses data to change audience behavior. If you click on the “Political” tab, you can eventually find a description that says,
“CA Political’s industry-leading data services help you to find, understand, and engage with voters more effectively. Our services can be purchased individually and tailored to your needs, but combined they offer a fully end-to-end campaign package. CA Political provides clients with a truly quantifiable approach to campaigning.”
It is a company that openly brags that the “expertise and intelligence” it provided to the Trump campaign spurred his election win. How did CA’s data analysis lead to what CA describes as the “most remarkable victory in modern U.S. political history?” Why is CA now suing The Guardian for a 2017 article titled, “Robert Mercer: the big data billionaire waging war on mainstream media?“
That article now has a subtitle, “This article is the subject of a legal complaint on behalf of Cambridge Analytica LLC and SCL Elections Limited.”
What exactly happened with the Trump campaign data, according to The Guardian‘s inquiry? And do the forces behind his win continue to use data manipulation to influence the US government today?
How does a 21st century data-driven campaign for an unlikely candidate for President of the USA work? By designating three integrated teams — research, data science, and digital marketing — CA was able to move millions of data points into targeted messages directed at “the most persuadable voters and the issues they cared about.” The purpose? Hit them with messages at key times to get them to take action to vote for Donald Trump.
Doesn’t really sound like anything different than any other contemporary campaign, does it? Just wait.
Data mining to target voters is only one aspect of the controversy around CA and The Guardian. In December 2016, writer Carole Cadwalladr chronicled how some topics, when searched on Google, resulted in responses that “were being dominated by right wing and extremist sites.”
In an interview, Jonathan Albright, professor of communications at Elon University, North Carolina, says that his research reveals that right-wing news sites attempted to do what most commercial websites try to do: find tricks that elevate their placement on Google’s PageRank system. They try to “game” the algorithm. Albright’s mapping of the news ecosystem has divulged that millions of links between right-wing sites were “strangling” the mainstream media during the 2016 Presidential election.
CA was cited by Albright as a company that sites like Breitbart could use to track people as they surf the web, including their visits to Facebook. They wanted to direct specific ads to their advantage. According to Albright:
“They have created a web that is bleeding through on to our web. This isn’t a conspiracy. There isn’t one person who’s created this. It’s a vast system of hundreds of different sites that are using all the same tricks that all websites use. They’re sending out thousands of links to other sites and together this has created a vast satellite system of right wing news and propaganda that has completely surrounded the mainstream media system.”
Let’s return to the case study of CA’s data collection and analysis for the Donald Trump presidential campaign. Let’s try to figure out what CA did that was different — and how The Guardian‘s expose was so controversial that it led to a lawsuit.
CA built 20 custom data models to forecast the voter behavior of 180,000 individuals. Their digital marketing efforts led to a large-scale operation with 8-figure ad budgets and an infrastructure that supported all aspects of the campaign, “influencing voters where and when it counted.”
The responses from each individual polled by phone or online were matched with existing data in CA’s database. They analyzed numerous topics — “from their voting history to the car they drive.” As they did so, CA correlated individual behaviors with voting decisions. These models allowed CA to predict the way individuals would vote, even without the backdrop of knowing their specific political beliefs.
In essence, consumer and personal behaviors led to data organization and predicted which candidates the polled individuals would most likely prefer when it came time to vote.
Then CA organized voters into different categories and determined the best way to influence them through marketing. With these audience segments identified, CA created and implemented a marketing strategy for Trump fundraising. Get Out the Vote programs, heavily laden with persuasive motifs, included targeted advertisements in key battleground states that were directed to the most persuadable voters.
What’s essential to understand here is that CA collaborated with “30+ ad tech partners.” Cadwalladr at The Guardian wrote that “Google’s search results on certain subjects were being dominated by right wing and extremist sites.” CA’s marketing operation utilized a number of platforms, including social media, search engine advertising, and YouTube. By using the social media that polled individuals tended to frequent most often, CA was able to appeal to voters using language and imagery in ways very familiar to this audience — ways they would understand and to which they would respond strongly.
“We used our data infrastructure to target voters who could be influenced in the most meaningful way. For example, if they cared about healthcare, targeted adverts directed them to websites explaining Trump’s views on the matter.”
Trump’s views on healthcare, according to a October 9, 2016, Business Insider article, were criticisms about the Affordable Care Act as having “resulted in runaway costs, websites that don’t work, greater rationing of care, higher premiums, less competition, and fewer choices.” Words like “runaway,” “don’t work,” “rationing,” “higher,” “less,” and “fewer” worked to demoralize persuadable voters who may have already been struggling with health care costs in addition to other living expenses.
If, as Albright’s research indicates, millions of links between right-wing sites were responsible for “strangling” the media, CA’s data mining and categorization during the Trump campaign may have worked as triggers to persuade undecided voters that the Trump Republican narrative was normal, sensible, and fiscally responsible.
CA kept polling and assessing the Trump campaign progress in an real-time basis, with 17 states pinpointed as essential battleground states and 1500 people polled weekly in those key areas. More important than any other element, CA could also identify which voters were likely to support Donald Trump. Through social media portals that rerouted right-wing messages in deeply complex cycles, potential voters viewed right-wing rhetoric so frequently that it became a familiar message.
Dr. Jonathan Rust, director of Cambridge University’s Psychometric Centre, says,
“The danger of not having regulation around the sort of data you can get from Facebook and elsewhere is clear. With this, a computer can actually do psychology, it can predict and potentially control human behavior. It’s what the scientologists try to do but much more powerful. It’s how you brainwash someone. It’s incredibly dangerous.
“It’s no exaggeration to say that minds can be changed. Behavior can be predicted and controlled. I find it incredibly scary. I really do. Because nobody has really followed through on the possible consequences of all this. People don’t know it’s happening to them. Their attitudes are being changed behind their backs.”
So, CA influenced voter intention, and it also inspired people to take specific actions. What were the results? “Donations increased, event turnouts grew, and inactive voters who favored Trump were motivated to get out and vote on election day.”
In the final months, reports based on the new data that emerged from polling were sent daily to the Trump campaign. Those reports demonstrated how voters might be shifting their perceptions of issues and candidates. What might that have looked like? Well, with CA’s ability to assess state-by-state reactions to any political event, they were able to understand any unexpected shifts in voting intention. The constant FBI Director Comey announcements about Secretary Clinton’s emails come to mind.
With great pride, CA argues that its “work informed the campaign strategy and meant key voters, who might otherwise have stayed home, were reached in their own backyards. This ultimately contributed to the extraordinary victory of Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.” CA’s efforts toward the Trump campaign, with data-driven marketing techniques, changed behavior in target populations. In other words, CA assisted the Trump campaign to use technology platforms to give voice to racists and xenophobes, according to Cadwalladr in another story in The Guardian.
And the results continue to snowball. Trump boasted that Apple CEO Tim Cook called to congratulate him soon after his election victory. “And there will undoubtedly be pressure on them to collaborate,” says Moore at the Centre for the Study of Media, Communication, and Power.
There are other reasons to be really concerned over and above Google right-wing search domination and CA’s 30+ media technology partners that have contributed to social media manipulation.
What if one person has donated $45 million to different Republican political campaigns and another $50 million to right-wing, ultra-conservative nonprofits? Is he, as Cadwalladr suggests, “trying to reshape the world according to his personal beliefs?”
He’s a brilliant but reclusive computer scientist. He made his fortune in language processing science that fed into today’s AI. Afterward, as joint CEO of Renaissance Technologies, a hedge fund that makes its money by using algorithms to model and trade on the financial markets, he became a billionaire.
What has Mercer done to single-handedly promote right-wing agendas? He:
The Guardian claims that, “with links to Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, and Nigel Farage, the right wing U.S. computer scientist is at the heart of a multi-million dollar propaganda network.” And we are its tools: our social media conversations and interests are being redirected to win votes through ideological mechanisms that are invisible to us. Maybe it’s a coincidence that Greg Gianforte, a Republican technology executive who was charged with assault, defeated Rob Quist, the Democratic candidate, in a special election for Montana’s at-large House of Representatives seat. Or maybe not.
Emma Briant, a propaganda specialist at the University of Sheffield, says that CA and other data mining sites like it have the technological tools to effect behavioral and psychological change. The social media sites where we go for leisure and relaxation are a new space where international geopolitics is being played out in real time, and we’re pawns in the game.
It’s a new age of persuasion and social media manipulation, and, if Cadwalladr’s research stands up in court, we need to be hypervigilant about the sources we believe and the inferences we make based on those sources.
Photo credits: NegativeSpace and KOMUnews via Foter.com / CC BY
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Tags: Facebook, Google, persuasion, propaganda, Republicans, Robert Mercer, Social Media
Carolyn Fortuna Carolyn Fortuna, Ph.D. is a writer, researcher, and educator with a lifelong dedication to ecojustice. She’s won awards from the Anti-Defamation League, The International Literacy Association, and The Leavy Foundation. She’s molds scholarship into digital media literacy and learning to spread the word about sustainability issues. Please follow me on Twitter and Facebook and Google+
The study was published Thursday in the journal Political Communication.
Kreiss and the University of Utah’s Shannon McGregor interviewed tech company liaisons to the Trump and Clinton operations as well as officials from a range of campaigns, including those of former Gov. Jeb Bush and Sens. Bernie Sanders, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.
The researchers’ findings add to the many questions surrounding the part that the country’s biggest tech companies played in the 2016 election. Facebook, Google and Twitter already face heavy criticism for allowing the spread of disinformation, “fake news” and divisive advertising during the campaign — much of which targeted Clinton. All three companies are set to testify at congressional hearings beginning next week on Russian use of their platforms to interfere with the election.
The idea that the tech companies were so deeply enmeshed in the efforts to elect Trump in particular could also complicate the companies’ reputations as political actors. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is among those in liberal-leaning Silicon Valley who have roundly condemned Trump’s actions as president on topics like LGBT issues and immigration.
As Trump emerged as the likely Republican nominee, staffers from each of the three companies set up shop in a strip-mall office rented by the Trump campaign in San Antonio, Texas, home to the campaign’s lead digital strategist, Brad Parscale, the study reports. It attributes that information to Nu Wexler, a Twitter communications official at the time, who is explicit about the value of the arrangement for Trump.
“One, they found that they were getting solid advice, and two, it’s cheaper. It’s free labor,” Wexler said in the study.
While the paper does not detail the specific tasks Facebook carried out for Trump, it describes the sort of work the company did generally for 2016 candidates, including coordinating so-called dark posts that would appear only to selected users and identifying the kinds of photos that perform best on Facebook-owned Instagram. Twitter, meanwhile, would help candidates analyze the performances of their tweet-based fundraising pushes to recommend what moves the campaigns should make next. Google kept tabs on candidates’ travels to recommend geographically targeted advertisements.
Digital experts interviewed by the researchers concluded that the tech company employees, who would work in San Antonio for days at a time, helped Trump close his staffing gap with Clinton.
The White House referred questions to the Trump campaign, and Parscale did not respond to requests for comment. Parscale said in an Oct. 8 episode of “60 Minutes” that he actively solicited the companies’ support, saying that he told them: “I wanna know everything you would tell Hillary’s campaign plus some. And I want your people here to teach me how to use it.”
A source close to the Clinton campaign rejected the notion that her team failed to take advantage of a valuable resource, arguing that her operation was in regular contact with the tech companies to tap their expertise. The source, who would only speak anonymously because of the sensitivity around attributing causes of Clinton’s defeat, said there would have been no advantage to having tech company employees sitting at desks at Clinton’s Brooklyn headquarters.
One unnamed tech company staffer is quoted in the study as saying, “Clinton viewed us as vendors rather than consultants.”
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Asked about the arrangement with Trump, the tech companies were quick to point out that they make their services available to all political players regardless of party.
“Facebook offers identical levels of support to candidates and campaigns across the political spectrum, whether by Facebook’s politics and government or ad sales teams,” a spokesperson for the social network said in a statement.
That sentiment was echoed by Twitter, which said it offered help to both the Clinton and Trump campaigns, and by Google, which stressed that it is up to each candidate to determine how extensively to work with the company. During the primary season, Google made available to each candidate an eight-hour session with the company’s creative teams, but only Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul’s campaign took them up on it, according to the study.
But at least one tech veteran said he can see how it would raise alarms that the bulk of Silicon Valley’s hands-on campaign support went to Trump rather than to Clinton.
“It can be confusing from the outside looking in when it appears one campaign or another is getting more support,” Adam Sharp, a former Twitter executive who led the company’s elections team from 2010 to 2016, said in an interview. But while the companies strive to be balanced, they cannot inform voters “when a candidate doesn’t heed the help,” he said.
An intimate relationship between tech companies and candidates has considerable upside for both. The campaign gets high-quality advice and advance notice on cutting-edge products. The company gets national exposure for its products and builds relationships with politicians who might be in a position to regulate it once they get to Washington.
Silicon Valley had additional considerations during the 2016 campaign. The big tech companies were eager to fight the perception they were unfair to conservatives — and few in the liberal-leaning industry expected Trump to win, with or without their assistance.
Kreiss and McGregor recount one interview in which a pair of Facebook reps struggled to come up with a shorthand way of describing the support they provide candidates. Katie Harbath, head of Facebook’s elections team, suggested “customer service plus.” Ali-Jae Henke, who as an account executive at Google worked with Republican campaigns, including Trump’s, described the role as “serving in an advisory capacity.”
The history of the tech companies’ campaign outreach dates back to the 2008 presidential contest. That year, Randi Zuckerberg, sister of Facebook’s CEO, traveled to both the Democratic and Republican conventions to pitch the political utility of the then-4-year-old social network. Around that same time, the company began offering congressional offices one-on-one guidance on how to use Facebook.
The outreach didn’t always work at first. “I was, like, begging people to meet with us,” Randi Zuckerberg said of the GOP’s 2008 convention. But as political spending on Facebook’s ad products and elected leaders’ dependence on the platform skyrocketed over the years, so too did the company’s close work with politicians.
One constant in the dynamic: The companies break down their political outreach teams along party lines. Facebook’s point of contact to Clinton’s 2016 White House run, Crystal Patterson, was a veteran of Democratic politics, and Henke — Google’s liaison to the Trump operation and other 2016 Republican bids — was once the director of operations for the Western Republican Leadership Conference.
That partisan matching is needed, company representatives say, to allow all involved to speak freely when providing advice. Caroline McCain, social media manager for Rubio’s White House bid, is quoted in the paper saying that when tech company staffers have a similar political background as the campaign they’re assigned to, it raises the campaign’s comfort level in working with them.
“When you realize, ‘Oh yeah, the person I’m working with at Google, they actually worked on Romney back in 2012,’ like, ‘Oh, okay, they actually might have our best interest at heart,’” McCain said. After the campaign, McCain took a position at Facebook.
Kreiss, the paper’s co-author, said the symbiotic relationship between Silicon Valley and political campaigns demands further examination.
“It raises the larger question of what should be the transparency around this, given that it’s taking place in the context of a democratic election,” he said.
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A Half-Century Later, Papers May Shed Light on JFK Assassination
New York Times As a new trove of documents about the killing of President John F. Kennedy is released, the New York Times correspondent Peter Baker walks us through who’s who in this historic American tragedy. By NATALIE RENEAU and PETER BAKER on Publish Date … JFK files: Trump teases release as deadline arrivesCNN What Could Be in the New Kennedy Assassination Records?NBCNews.com The JFK Files: More Than 50 Years of Questions, ConspiraciesVoice of America Pittsburgh Post-Gazette –The Guardian –Philly.com –New York Post all 138 news articles » |
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Trump Administration To Declare Opioid Crisis A Public Health Emergency
NPR The Trump administration will declare a public health emergency to deal with the opioid epidemic Thursday, freeing up some resources for treatment. More than 140 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose, according to the Centers for Disease … Exclusive: Trump to declare public health emergency for opioids, a partial measure to fight drug epidemicUSA TODAY Trump will stop short of declaring national emergency on opioids: reportsThe Hill The Note: For conspiracy-loving Trump, JFK files are a big momentABC News Bloomberg –Quartz –Politico –cleveland.com all 116 news articles » |
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Despite the conspiracies, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are going backwards fast
ABC Online On the surface, Trump and Putin agree on much. They subscribe to a realist view of international relations, and reveal a certain authoritarian like-mindedness. They resent the establishment — domestic in Trump’s case, international in Putin’s. The … White House facing scrutiny for Russia sanctions delayCNN Congress seeks answers as Trump drags his feet on Russian sanctionsMSNBC Time’s up for Trump to implement new Russia sanctionsWashington Post Shareblue Media all 20 news articles » |
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“These overdoses are driven by a massive increase in addiction to prescription painkillers, heroin and other opioids.”
He added: “The United States is by far the largest consumer of these drugs using more opioid pills per person than any other country by far in the world.”
Mr Trump is signing a presidential memorandum directing his acting health secretary to declare a nationwide public health emergency and ordering all federal agencies to take measures to reduce the number of opioid deaths, according to senior White House officials.
The order will also ease some regulations to allow states more latitude in how they use federal funds to tackle the problem.
But the White House plans to fund the effort through the Public Health Emergency Fund, which reportedly only contains $57,000 (£43,000).
The Trump administration will then work with Congress to approve additional funding in a year-end spending package, senior officials said.
Other elements of the directive include:
Proponents suggest Mr Trump’s announcement is a critical step in raising awareness about the nationwide epidemic, while some critics argue the move does not go far enough.
“The lack of resources is concerning to us since the opioid epidemic presenting lots of challenges for states’ budgets,” Michael Fraser, executive director of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, told Politico.
“My hope is people will realise with no new money the ball is going to be in Congress’s court,” he added.
Rajini Vaidyanathan, BBC News, Washington
Addiction to painkillers and heroin has blighted so many communities across the US – both urban and rural.
As I travelled the country reporting on last year’s election, I remember the hairdresser in Arkansas whose ex-husband died from medicines he’d been given for his bad back, the family in New Hampshire who’d lost a teenage daughter to an overdose and heard stories of doctors who’d become hooked on the very pills they’d prescribed.
President Trump has stopped short of declaring this crisis a national emergency, despite earlier indications he would.
Instead his public health emergency is more of a short-term measure which doesn’t allocate as much funding. Recovering addicts and charities I’ve talked to say more investment in round-the-clock rehab and treatment is what is needed to make a difference.
But while today’s announcement is welcome, many will now be looking to Congress to take more action and secure more money to deal with this crisis.
Since 1999, the number of deaths involving opioids have quadrupled, reaching 33,000 deaths in 2015, according to the Presidential Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, citing data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC first declared opioids, a class of pain medications as well as some street drugs, to be an “epidemic” in 2011.
Mr Trump first announced his intention to declare opioid abuse a “national emergency” in August.
“The opioid crisis is an emergency, and I’m saying officially right now: It is an emergency. It’s a national emergency,” he said at the time.
Experts had urged Mr Trump to use his presidential power under the Stafford Act to declare a national emergency, which would have given states access to money from the federal Disaster Relief Fund.
States would have had immediate access to funding, much like they would after a natural disaster.
But senior officials told reporters that declaring that sort of emergency was not a good fit for an ongoing crisis.
The announcement comes after Mr Trump’s pick for drug czar withdrew his nomination following a report that he helped neuter government attempts to tackle the opioid crisis.
Pennsylvania congressman Tom Marino pushed a bill that reportedly stripped a federal agency of the ability to freeze suspicious painkiller shipments.
Health Secretary Tom Price also resigned last month after it was revealed he was using expensive private planes for official business.
As a candidate, Mr Trump frequently pledged to tackle the drug crisis, and often campaigned in the hardest-hit states.
So what we’re talking about by Thanksgiving is the kind of indictment or indictments, or deals cut with Trump co-conspirators, that will bust the scandal open and leave Donald Trump in an impossible position. It’s why Trump and the Republicans in Congress are suddenly scrambling in such buffoonish fashion to try to distract from what they know is coming. They know Trump will be taken down by this; they’re just trying to prop him up long enough try to ram through some toxic legislation in the meantime.
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The latest obsession in the Russian collusion story, the Kremlin’s digital activity has generated headlines and put Facebook and all of Silicon Valley on the defensive, although this looks to be one of the most overhyped stories of the year.
The Russians, as far as we know, bought more than $100,000 in Facebook ads between June 2015 and May 2017. A little more than half was spent after last November, when, obviously, Donald Trump had already won.
The scale here is singularly unimpressive. A serious House campaign might spend $100,000 on digital. In a presidential campaign, the amount is a rounding error. The Trump campaign spent around $90 million on digital in 2016. Hillary Clinton employed a considerable digital staff, and announced she was spending $30 million on digital the last month of the campaign alone.
If tens of thousands of dollars was decisive amid this tsunami of tens of millions, the Russian trolls working somewhere in St. Petersburg should strike out on their own and start a political consultancy or an internet publishing company. They are geniuses.
It doesn’t appear that much of the Russian material was explicitly advocating for Trump’s election, and some of it wasn’t even right-wing. One Russian Facebook page highlighted discrimination against Muslims. Another promoted anti-police videos for a Black Lives Matter audience. A pro-gay-rights page was called LGBT United.
Other pages were on the right and supportive of Trump. But much of the Russian Facebook activity was peddling online tripe indistinguishable from indigenous American online tripe — in fact, it was ripped off from content produced by Americans. If the Russians are going to decide our elections on social media, one assumes it will require at least a little originality.
One suspicion has been that the Trump campaign helped direct the Russian online effort. What we know about the Russian activity so far makes that doubtful. Why, if the Trump campaign was running its own digital campaign that was magnitudes larger, would it bother with a tiny Russian effort that wasn’t always focused on Trump or his message?
The Daily Beast ran a story last week with the headline “Trump Campaign Staffers Pushed Russian Propaganda Days Before the Election.” This referred to Kellyanne Conway and others associated with the Trump campaign retweeting posts from a Twitter account that masqueraded as a project of the Tennessee Republican Party, when it was really operated by Russian trolls. Conway tweeted a post from the account once, according to the story. And the report adduces no evidence that the Trump supporters knew the origin of the account.
It is outrageous that Russians meddled in our democracy at all, and if there are ways to lock them out of our social media going forward, we should do it. Let’s not pretend, though, that the Russian online activity was the key to the election. This is classic conspiracy thinking — that some small secret cabal is responsible for a world-historical outcome that had much more obvious causes (Hillary Clinton’s poor campaign, for one).
There may yet be truly damaging Russia revelations. Trump’s campaign manager during a decisive phase of the primary campaign, Paul Manafort, worked with shady characters from that part of the world. The notorious Don Trump Jr. meeting with Russians promising oppo on Clinton spoke of a willingness to cooperate with anyone who might be useful. The Trump family’s business dealings could always produce a nasty surprise.
But all the focus on Facebook serves, for now, as a substitute for a smoking gun in the absence of a real one.
Rich Lowry is editor of National Review. Twitter: @RichLowry.
(c) 2017, King Features Syndicate
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Ignatius: Russia’s worrisome push to rewrite cyberspace rules
The Daily Herald Russia’s bid to rewrite global rules through the U.N. was matched by a personal pitch on cybercooperation in July from President Vladimir Putin to President Trump at the G-20 summit in Hamburg. Putin “vehemently denied” to Trump that Russia had … David Ignatius: Russia’s worrisome push to control cyberspaceWinston-Salem Journalall 109 news articles » |
Putin and the Russian Mafia – Google News
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Google Avoids Spotlight During Russia Investigation
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Founder of opioid maker Insys indicted for fraud, racketeering
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ICYMI, Yesterday on Lawfare
Ashley Deeks, Sabrina McCubbin and Cody Poplin considered what the U.S. could learn from Cold War anti-propaganda strategies.
Ian Hurd discussed why both liberal and realist theorists incorrectly interpret the international laws of war.
The Lawfare Editors flagged the next Hoover Book Soiree with Susan Landau on Nov. 1.
Bobby Chesney and Steve Vladeck posted this week’s National Security Law podcast.
Garrett Hinck summarized the European Commission’s privacy shield review.
Matthew Kahn posted the live stream of a House hearing on the risk that Kaspersky Labs products pose to the federal government.
Kahn also posted the Oct. 24 executive order to resume the U.S. refugee admissions program.
Email the Roundup Team noteworthy law and security-related articles to include, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for additional commentary on these issues. Sign up to receive Lawfare in your inbox. Visit our Events Calendar to learn about upcoming national security events, and check out relevant job openings on our Job Board.
Lawfare – Hard National Security Choices
By now, it should be clear to anyone following the news that Russian intelligence made a formidable effort to approach the Trump campaign and assess the potential to manipulate its members. As a former officer of the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, I can tell you that Russian security services would have been derelict not to evaluate the possibility of turning someone close to Trump. While the question of collusion remains open, it’s beyond dispute that Russia tried to get people around the president to cooperate. The June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower is indication enough, but other encounters bolster the argument.
How do you get someone to do something they should not do?
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Generally, an intelligence officer looks for a person’s vulnerabilities and explores ways to exploit them. It usually comes down to four things, which—in true government style—the CIA has encompassed in an acronym, MICE: Money, Ideology, Coercion, Ego. Want to get someone to betray his country? Figure out which of these four motivators drives the person and exploit the hell out of it.
It is important to note, too, that a person might not know he is doing something he shouldn’t do. As former CIA Director John Brennan testified in May, “Frequently, people who go along a treasonous path do not know they are on a treasonous path until it is too late.” Sometimes, such people make the best assets. They are so sure in their convictions that they are acting in their own best interest or in the best interest of their country that they have no idea they are being completely manipulated.
The Russians know all this, too.
From an intelligence point of view, the people surrounding Trump, and Trump himself, make easy targets for recruitment. This is not to say these people have definitely been recruited by Russian intelligence—and they’ve all denied it repeatedly—but you can be sure that Russia’s intelligence services took these factors into consideration when they approached the campaign.
So, what pressure points might Russian intelligence officers have used to get their desired outcome with Trump’s Recruitables?
Paul Manafort: Money
Anyone who has lobbied on behalf of leaders ranging from Zaire’s Mobutu Sese Seko to the Philippines’ Ferdinand Marcos to Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang likely has no set ideology or moral compass and is motivated primarily by making money. People like this make very good targets. There is no emotion involved. Getting the person to do something is a fairly straightforward transaction. For example, getting someone to buy real estate to help launder Russian funds, in return for a handsome fee, would be a pretty simple transaction. As soon as the person has done it one time, it is much easier to get them to do something else for you.
A real opportunity came when Manafort went to work on the campaign of Viktor Yanukovych for president of Ukraine. Yanukovych was close to Russian leader Vladimir Putin and was corrupt. By being willing to play in these circles, Manafort signaled his willingness to look the other way as long as the payoff was right. A ledger found in Yanukovych’s abandoned palace showed he was paid $12 million (Manafort denied taking such payments, but the AP has confirmed that two of his companies did indeed receive part of this money). Putin pal Oleg Deripaska reportedly paid him $10 million a year to push Putin’s agenda. Press reports also state he received loans of up to $60 million from Deripaska.
Was he in debt, which made him vulnerable to coercion? Or were these loans not actually loans, but payments that Manafort was never expected to pay back? Either way, money was clearly Manafort’s weakness, and Russian intelligence would have known that, given his demonstrated willingness to work for just about anyone with deep pockets.
Michael Flynn: Money, Ideology, Ego
Flynn was at the top of his game as director of intelligence at JSOC, the Joint Special Operations Command. During his tenure, JSOC became a lean fighting machine, able to execute a hit on a target in a war zone and immediately process any actionable intelligence in order to hit the next target immediately, before the bad guys could move on. He moved up the intelligence ladder and landed the top spot at the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2012. Here, the Peter Principle quickly set in. Castigated for his lack of vision for the agency, his inability to manage a large organization, his unconventional approach to counterterrorism, and his “Flynn facts,” it became evident in Washington circles that Flynn was over his head. President Barack Obama fired him.
Oh, how the mighty had fallen.
A top military figure, with a large ego, who felt slighted by Obama, the intelligence community and the military, Flynn was down. From the heights of JSOC to being fired—wrongly fired, no less, in his view—Flynn at this point would have made any foreign intelligence officer salivate. The man was vulnerable on several levels. His ego had taken a massive, public blow. He also firmly believed he was right, that he knew better than the president how to save the country from Islamic terrorists. Add to the mix that so many other military men had gone on to make millions in the private sector, cashing in on their military careers, their time in war zones, their connections to people both in government and in large defense companies. Flynn launched his own security consulting company and certainly might have thought: Where is mine?
This would have been a good moment for the Russians to send in a clever operative, stroke his ego, and tell Flynn how smart he was and how ridiculous Obama was for firing him. We’ve got a lot of people at RT who agree with you, the person might have added, while making it clear, “Our president agrees with you.” Payments, made through speaking fees and consulting contracts, would have helped smooth the deal.
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Does this mean Flynn was recruited as a traditional asset, fully under Russian control? No. The Russians are concerned with being able to influence people only as much as they need to. And with Flynn, who reportedly developed an obsession with collaborating with the Russians against ISIS and even defended RT as no different than CNN, had readily demonstrated his willingness to follow and promote the Kremlin’s agenda in return for a certain amount of ego stroking (which, in turn, might have helped him actually believe what he was saying).
Felix Sater: Money, Coercion, Ego
In an article in the Atlantic, titled “Why Didn’t Trump Build Anything In Russia?” Julie Ioffe painted a picture of Trump’s former real estate partner as someone who really wanted to be part of the rich Moscow club but who lacked krysha, or “roof”—the political protection, Ioffe explains, to act as insurance should a deal go wrong—to be able to do it. “He tries to create the impression of someone who is extremely well-connected and very busy,” a source who had worked with Sater told Ioffe. Sater made a few forays into Moscow business circles but could never convert and was unable to win the trust of anyone who would have mattered. As Ioffe wrote, Sater was worried about his image. So worried, in fact, he looked into hiring a PR firm to help build up his reputation. He was, in the end, an outsider who really wanted to be an insider.
Give this person the chance to say he is wheeling and dealing with Very Important People, and he will bend to your will. Russian security services could offer at least the appearance of “roof,” even if they never intended to help Sater make money. His increased cachet would have been worth it to someone so image-conscious.
Jared Kushner: Money, Coercion
Kushner had a rocky entrée into Manhattan real estate. His purchase of 666 Fifth Ave. at $1.8 billion in 2007—that is, just before the market tanked—was perhaps not the strongest display of business acumen. And now, with payments due and business going badly, he was in a pickle. Perhaps the Russians had a great way for him to get out of that pickle. So they introduced him in December 2016 to Sergey Gorkov, the head of the Russian state investment bank Vnesheconombank, or VEB, who would have made it clear that he was in a position to help.
Donald Trump Jr.: Money, Ego
Junior is a lot like dad in his need to feel important. He was certainly a target because he manages access to his father, and his arrogance makes him easy to read. There is probably quite a bit of insecurity behind the smugness. Sure, he’s done a few international deals, but it’s going to take more than that to please daddy (Junior certainly could see that his dad never really pleased his father; Junior didn’t want to repeat that). Access to deals and money would certainly be a way to manipulate him, but mostly it would be stroking the Trump ego. The most important thing for Junior was that daddy win, at any cost. The perks and business deals would be a nice bonus, but I don’t think Junior even equated those perks with aid to his father’s campaign. Why wouldn’t he accept help for his father’s campaign? He likely didn’t even realize there was anything wrong with a foreign adversary lending a hand. As he wrote when approached with derogatory information on daddy’s opponent, “I love it.”
Donald Trump: Ego
A lot has been made of the possible existence of a peepee tape that Putin could lord over Trump to make him do Putin’s bidding. (Trump denies it.) But the president has been revealed time and again as a deadbeat who does not pay his bills, a serial philanderer and a confessed sexual predator. He has bragged about walking in on women at the Miss America contest and grabbing women “by the pussy” whenever he likes. Would anyone really be surprised or shocked by such a tape? This is not to say such a tape does not exist, only that its role as kompromat is limited.
Ego is clearly the best way to get Trump to do anything. The Saudis certainly understood this, feting him with gold and orbs and displaying his enormous portrait on the side of a hotel, right next to the king’s portrait. The Saudis had this man in the palm of their hands, hence Trump’s pro-Saudi stancesince the trip, despite his campaign rhetoric shouting down the kingdom.
Trump’s ego wanted to win and, he figured, everyone else wanted him to win, too. He was under the impression that everyone loved him and appreciated his greatness. Of course everyone wanted to help him win. If he accepted help from Russia, it’s possible he didn’t realize there was anything wrong with doing so. Why wouldn’t they help him win, he might have thought, and why shouldn’t he accept that help? For an experienced chekist like Putin, manipulating his ego is almost too easy.
Politico |
The Recruitables: Why Trump’s Team Was Easy Prey for Putin
Politico “He tries to create the impression of someone who is extremely well-connected and very busy,” a source who had worked with Sater told Ioffe. Sater made a few forays into Moscow business circles, but could never convert and was unable to win the trust … |
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1. Trump Circles: Elections from mikenova (16 sites)
Politico |
The Recruitables: Why Trump’s Team Was Easy Prey for Putin
Politico “He tries to create the impression of someone who is extremely well-connected and very busy,” a source who had worked with Sater told Ioffe. Sater made a few forays into Moscow business circles, but could never convert and was unable to win the trust … |
felix sater – Google News
Views expressed in op-eds are not the views of The Daily Caller.
Thursday’s presidential press conference will be a prime example of how Donald Trump runs the federal government.
More than two months after Trump declared the opioid crisis “a national emergency,” as of last week, the government had still not formally declared a national emergency. That designation would send additional federal funds to hospitals, addiction clinics and first responders dealing with the historic rate of opioid-driven drug overdoses in America.
Nearly two weeks ago, Mic asked the White House for an update on the emergency declaration. The Trump administration issued Mic the same statement that had been issued in August, saying the government was focused on opioids and already treating it like an emergency.
As with health care, tax reform and a host of other initiatives, Trump’s rhetoric on opioids has been long detached from his administration’s policy initiatives.
The president said last week that he would soon formally declare a national emergency over opioids. Now, reports indicate the president will declare the crisis a public health emergency — but stop short of the more sweeping declaration.
The public health emergency will do less than a more sweeping national emergency. It will have to be renewed every 90 days. It will not provide federal funding for addiction treatment centers with more than 16 beds, a key recommendation of Trump’s own opioid commission.
“I think our general feeling is, that’s a good step, but it’s a temporary step, and it’s a transitional step,” Jim Blumenstock, chief of health security for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers, told USA Today. Trump’s public health declaration is not expected to come with a further ask of money from Congress, which could designate funds to get more life-saving naloxone into the hands of first responders.
The cold reality: Nearly 65,000 people died of drug overdoses between February 2016 and February 2017, the most recent data available. That’s more people than were killed in car accidents last year.
Watch for Trump’s speech on the opioid crisis at 2 p.m. Eastern.
Establishment Republicans know they’re fighting for their lives. After very public rebukes of Trump by Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), the GOP is launching an assault on Steve Bannon to protect other Republican incumbents up for reelection next year, the Washington Post reported. Bannon and his wealthy allies are sensing the opportunity to pick off multiple Republican senators in a bid to drive the GOP to become more nationalist and isolationist.
The average premium increase of the most popular plans purchased on Obamacare’s individual health care exchange will be 34% next year, a new study said. That’s driven by instability in the marketplace created by Trump’s decision to end subsidies to health insurers and general anxiety surrounding the Affordable Care Act’s future.
And the bipartisan legislation that would stabilize the marketplace — which Trump opposes — would cut $3.8 billion from the deficit.
USA Today reported the new U.S. refugee admission program could block nearly half of the people seeking to come to the United States this year compared to last.
The Republican candidate running for governor in Virginia is running anti-immigrant ads as he aims to pull off an upset in the gubernatorial race. Will it work? And Mic broke down how a new Democratic super PAC is trying to win back state legislatures — starting with a data-driven prototype in next month’s Virginia election.
Why the Senate’s late-night vote on an obscure financial regulation will make it harder for you to fight for your money back.
What to know about who Donald Trump may pick at the next chair of the Federal Reserve. (Bored by monetary policy? Give this a click.)
House Republicans are barreling toward passage of a budget that would pave the way for tax reform — and $1.5 trillion in tax cuts. The Senate passed it last week.
Sometime today, the National Archives will post thousands of documents related to the John F. Kennedy murder investigation. Continually update this webpage.
Shortly after being slammed by a hurricane, Puerto Rico signed a $300 million contract with a two-person energy company based in the Montana hometown of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. Now, San Juan’s mayor said the contract should be voided — and Whitefish Energy apologized for feuding with her.
“I’m a very intelligent person.” Trump said journalists are making him out to be “more uncivil” than he actually is.
The feud that has consumed the last few weeks: Trump vs. Corker, a history. Tap or click below to watch.
Banks, hedge funds, casinos, and other financial institutions are required under the Bank Secrecy Act to file suspicious activity reports with FinCEN when money laundering or fraud is suspected. They are also required to file SARs for certain cash or wire transactions of $10,000 or more, even if those transactions seem legitimate. SARs contain personal financial information, such as bank account numbers and a record of financial transactions. FinCEN may not have SARs on all the individuals and businesses the Committee named.
A spokesperson for Grassley, Michael Zona, did not respond to requests for comment about the committee’s investigation. Simpson, the Fusion GPS co-founder, declined to comment. Simpson’s business partners, Fritsch and Catan, did not respond to requests for comment. Burrows declined to comment on behalf of himself, Steele, and Orbis. Neither Cymrot nor a spokesperson for Baker Hostetler responded to requests for comment. Moscow, the other Baker Hostetler attorney, declined to comment. Akhmetshin, Arakelian, and Veselnitskaya also did not respond to requests for comment. Officials at Prevezon could not be reached. A spokesperson for Perkins Coie said that the firm “rigorously adheres to all laws and regulations including those that protect the integrity of our financial systems, and any suggestion that the law firm has acted inappropriately is wholly unfounded.”
Grassley’s letter set an October 13 deadline for FinCEN to turn over the financial information to his committee. But according to three sources, no suspicious activity reports have been sent to the committee.
Got a confidential tip? Submit it here.
BuzzFeed News |
Senate Committee Escalates Russia Probe, Digs Into Finances Of Nearly 40 Individuals And Businesses
BuzzFeed News A congressional committee investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential electionhas stepped up its probe over the past month, requesting that an agency that combats financial crime turn over confidential banking information on nearly 40 …and more » |
Los Angeles Times |
The Trump wing of the GOP is winning battles. But will it lose the war to keep the Senate in Republican hands?
Los Angeles Times Sen. Jeff Flake’s surprise decision against seeking reelection marked a major victory for Stephen K. Bannon and his pirate band of Republicans. But the larger question Wednesday was whether the insurgency will cost the GOP its thin majority on Capitol … The unfair criticism that Sen. Flake’s anti-Trumpism speech was too little, too lateWashington Post Flake drops out of Senate race, torches Trump in speechThe Hill The liberal-left divide reshaping American politicsThe Guardianall 4,085 news articles » |
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OregonLive.com |
Russian Facebook ads made no difference in the election
Standard-Examiner The Trump campaign spent around $90 million on digital in 2016. Hillary Clinton employed a … If the Russians are going to decide our elections on social media, one assumes it will require at least a little originality. One suspicion has been that the … Lowry: US democracy not for sale to RussiaBoston Herald Rich Lowry: The Facebook farceOregonLive.comall 16 news articles » |
Freepress Online |
America Asleep at the Keyboard as Cyber Warfare Gets Real
Freepress Online In 2015, shortly after Fancy Bear was unleashed and started roaming around the DNC network, the hack was detected by the allied intelligence service monitoring Russian cyberespionage. They alerted U.S. intelligence, and the intel made its way to the …and more » |
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Before the start of business, Just Security provides a curated summary of up-to-the-minute developments at home and abroad. Here’s today’s news.
SYRIA
The defeat of Islamic State fighters in their de facto capital of Raqqa was a “critical breakthrough” in the worldwide campaign to defeat the militants and their “wicked ideology,” President Trump said Saturday, adding that the U.S. efforts would start to enter a new phase entailing support for “local security forces,” and measures to “de-escalate violence across Syria, and advance the conditions for lasting peace.” Reutersreports.
The U.S.-led coalition bombed Raqqa “off the face of the earth” in their fight against the Islamic State militants, spokesperson for the Russian Defense Ministry Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said yesterday, comparing the scale of the destruction to that of Dresden in 1945 and accusing the West of hurrying to send financial aid to the city to cover up evidence of its crimes. The BBC reports.
The U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (S.D.F.) seized Syria’s largest oil field from Islamic State militants yesterday, taking al-Omar – a key source of revenue for the terrorist group – in the Deir al-Zour province, where the S.D.F. and the pro-Syrian government forces are both competing to gain as much territory as possible. Benoit Faucon and Raja Abdulrahim report at the Wall Street Journal.
The S.D.F. are expected to step up efforts to drive out the Islamic State militants from their remaining positions in Deir al-Zour following their successful campaign in Raqqa, the spokesperson for the U.S.-led coalition Col. Ryan Dillon said yesterday, adding that the attack on al-Omar was a surprise assault intended to ensure the militants could not sabotage the oil field’s infrastructure. Liz Sly and Zakaria Zakaria report at the Washington Post.
The S.D.F.’s capture of the al-Omar oil field brings them closer to pro-government forces across a front line in Deir al-Zour, increasing the potential for a clash between U.S.-backed forces and the Russia- and Iran-backed Syrian army. Anne Barnard reports at the New York Times.
The Islamic State group’s oil production has been reduced to less than $4m per month from a peak of approximately $50m per month since the U.S.-led coalition began operations against the militants in 2014, according to a statement by the coalition yesterday. The AP reports.
The reconstruction of Syria offers the chance for allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to sign lucrative contracts, particularly Russia and Iran. Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian explains at Foreign Policy.
Iran and its allies have the opportunity to assert control following the defeat of the Islamic State in Raqqa last week and the Trump administration should devise a strategy that ensures the U.S. efforts in Syria are consolidated and not exploited by adversaries. The Wall Street Journal editorial board writes.
IRAQ
The Iraqi government in Baghdad and the leadership of Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government (K.R.G.) have been engaged in a blame game, pointing to each other for firing the first shots last week in the oil-rich Kirkuk province and placing the U.S. in a difficult position between its two allies. David Zucchino explains at the New York Times.
Last month’s Iraqi Kurdistan independence referendum has “backfired spectacularly,” exposing divisions in the Kurdish region and prompting a strong response from the Baghdad government. Loveday Morris explains at the Washington Post.
IRAN
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called on Iranian-backed militia in Iraq’s Popular Mobilzation Forces to “go home” during a meeting with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Tillerson’s comments provoked an angry reaction from Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif. Paul Sonne and Margherita Stancati report at the Wall Street Journal.
“No party has the right to interfere in Iraqi matters,” a statement by the Iraqi Prime Minister’s office said today, pushing back at Tillerson’s comments about Iranian-backed militia groups and saying that the “Popular Mobilization are Iraqi Patriots.” Reuters reports.
Tillerson’s meeting with King Salman and Abadi was part of the Trump administration’s efforts to push back against Iranian influence in the region and to encourage greater partnership between Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Matthew Lee reports at the AP.
European firms conduct business with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (I.R.G.C.) “at great risk,” Rex Tillerson warned yesterday, sending a strong signal to European allies and others that the Trump administration seeks to reopen negotiations on the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement to include stricter provisions and that re-imposing sanctions against Iran would be a possibility. Gardiner Harris reports at the New York Times.
The Palestinian militant Hamas group would maintain close ties to Iran, the deputy head of Hamas Saleh Aroruri was quoted as saying yesterday by the semi-official Mehr news agency. Reuters reports.
NORTH KOREA
“I will pursue decisive and strong diplomacy to tackle North Korea’s missile, nuclear and abduction issues,” Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed today, making the comments after decisively winning re-election yesterday, his victory signaling that Abe would likely continue to work closely with the U.S. and maintain a hard line on Pyongyang. Mari Yamaguchi reports at the AP.
Abe and Trump agreed to work together to raise pressure on North Korea in a phone call, a deputy chief cabinet secretary said today. Reuters reports.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will discuss the North Korea threat with Asian allies during a week-long trip to region starting today. Phil Stewart reports at Reuters.
The State Department should immediately relist North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism and correct historical mistakes by acknowledging that the U.S. cannot continue its dealings with Pyongyang based on flawed assumptions. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) writes at the New York Times.
Former President Jimmy Carter seeks to work with Trump over North Korea, Carter said in an interview with Maureen Dowd at the New York Times, also discussing other issues such as Trump’s policies in the Arab world and Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.
AFGHANISTAN
The C.I.A. is set to expand its role in Afghanistan to combat the Taliban, reflecting a more assertive role since the appointment of Director Mike Pompeo, and the efforts will be led by small counterterrorism pursuit teams. Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Eric Schmitt and Adam Goldman report at the New York Times.
Last week’s series of attacks in Afghanistan killed nearly 200 people, prompting questions about security and the ability of President Ashraf Ghani’s administration to prevent the Taliban from carrying out suicide attacks. Antonio Olivo and Sayed Salahuddin report at the Washington Post.
The PHILIPPINES
The fight against Islamic State-linked militants in the southern Philippine city of Marawi has “successfully concluded,” a spokesperson for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said in a statement yesterday, separately the Philippines Defense Secretary added that there were no more militants in the city that was sieged five months ago. Jake Maxwell Watts reports at the Wall Street Journal.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis praised the Philippine army for its victory in Marawi, making the comments to reporters yesterday on the flight for his trip to Southeast Asia. Robert Burns reports at the AP.
TRUMP-RUSSIA INVESTIGATION
Bipartisan politics stands in the way of an effective investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, the three congressional committees looking at the issue have faced significant obstacles, with Republicans keen for the probes to conclude and Democrats keen to explore further questions. Nicholas Fandos explains at the New York Times.
The Trump campaign’s digital director Brad Parscale is scheduled to appear before the House Intelligence Committee tomorrow, Julie Bykowicz reports at the Wall Street Journal.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FOREIGN POLICY
“We cannot force talks upon people who are not ready to talk,” Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said yesterday – referring to Saudi Arabia, U.A.E., Egypt and Bahrain’s isolation of Qatar on June 5 due to Qatar’s alleged support for terrorism and close ties to Iran – adding that he was not hopeful that Saudi Arabia would engage in dialogue to resolve the Gulf crisis. Al Jazeera reports.
The lack of a strategy for U.S. involvement in Middle East and Africa has caused concern in Congress and about the U.S.’s long-term counterterrorism goals, Rebecca Kheel reports at the Hill.
Diplomats hope that U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley’s visit to Ethiopia today would mark greater engagement with Africa. Michelle Nichols reports at Reuters.
Senators were surprised to learn that the U.S. has 1,000 troops in Niger, prompting questions about Congress’s role and whether it should have a vote on reauthorizing U.S. military involvement around the world as part of the war against terror. Betsy Woodruff explains at The Daily Beast.
The U.S. military has a presence in almost every country in the world and it is time to consider the deployments and whether there is any strategy that underpins this broad reach. The New York Times editorial board writes.
The top two contenders to replace Secretary of State Rex Tillerson are Nikki Haley and C.I.A. Director Mike Pompeo, Haley would likely by a more traditional and hawkish, whereas Pompeo would be more likely to align himself closer to the White House and the president. Josh Rogin provides an analysis at the Washington Post.
OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
At least 16 Egyptian police officers were killed in an attack by militants on Friday, an initial claim of responsibility by the Islamist Hasm group was discounted by militancy experts and the Islamic State group may have been behind the attack. Declan Walsh and Nour Youssef report at the New York Times.
U.N.-hosted talks on the situation in Libya ended on Saturday with no discernible progress, the second round of talks, which lasted one month, attempted to reconcile the rival Libyan factions. Ulf Lasseing reports at Reuters.
Russian operatives sought access to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and members of her inner circle to gain influence, according to interviews and unsealed F.B.I. records. John Solomon and Alison Spann reveal the Russian campaign at the Hill.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has been pursuing a more aggressive foreign policy but has been facing resistance, particularly from its neighbors. Jane Perlez explains Xi’s approach at the New York Times.
Read on Just Security »
SEE ALSO: Complaints against Weissmann go nowhere
By the time he left in 2005, he had rung up some impressive numbers, such as 22 guilty pleas and millions of dollars in restitution. But he also suffered historic courtroom losses. And how he won and how he lost is still the subject of bitter comments from his adversaries in Houston.
“Do not misunderstand my disdain for him with ineffectiveness or something not to be concerned with,” said Dan Cogdell, who represented three Enron defendants. “He’s a formable prosecutor. If I’m Donald Trump and I know the backstory of Andrew Weissmann, it’s going to concern me. There is no question about it.”
The backstory: Defense attorneys say Mr. Weissmann bent or broke the rules. As proof, they point to appeals court decisions, exhibits and witness statements.
They say he intimidated witnesses by threatening indictments, created crimes that did not exist and, in one case, withheld evidence that could have aided the accused. At one hearing, an incredulous district court judge looked down at an Enron defendant and told him he was pleading guilty to a wire fraud crime that did not exist.
“Weissmann seemed more interested in obtaining convictions than in promoting justice,” said Tom Kirkendall, a Houston lawyer who represented an Enron executive.
Said Mr. Cogdell, a colorful courtroom performer dubbed a “gunslinger” by the local press, “He’s the most aggressive prosecutor I’ve ever been up against. He is, if not win at all cost, he’s win at almost any cost.”
Those convictions for which Mr. Wray offered praise in 2004?
Mr. Weissmann’s cases against Andersen and Merrill Lynch lay in shambles just a few years later.
The Supreme Court, in a 9-0 vote in 2005, overturned the Andersen conviction. A year later, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals erased all the fraud convictions against four Merrill Lynch managers. The jury had acquitted another defendant.
“People went off to prison for a completely phantom of a case,” said Mr. Kirkendall.
Mr. Kirkendall became sort of an unofficial Enron historian. He observed goings-on at the Houston federal courthouse and blogged about what he considered a systematic miscarriage of justice.
The task force, which ultimately would catapult prosecutors to lucrative careers, wanted to win as many convictions as possible. They were prosecuting players in one of the nation’s biggest corporate scandals. Enron bosses falsified balance sheets, inflated earnings and traded stocks with insider knowledge. By 2001, the behemoth went bankrupt. Its stock was worthless.
The Justice Department task force mobilized in 2002 and quickly won convictions. But there were dark sides.
That’s where Sidney Powell enters the picture. The Dallas lawyer took the appeal of a Merrill Lynch figure. She obtained from Justice a batch of task force documents in 2010 that should have been disclosed to trial attorneys years earlier.
The documents began to flow in the aftermath of the Sen. Ted Stevens debacle. Justice prosecutors not connected to the Enron task force deliberately withheld evidence favorable to Stevens. A judge threw out his conviction.
Ms. Powell wrote a 2014 book about the scandals, “Licensed to Lie: Exposing Corruption in the Department of Justice.”
“All of the cases Weissmann pushed to trial were reversed in whole or in part due to some form of his overreaching and abuses,” Ms. Powell told The Washington Times. “The most polite thing the Houston bar said about Weissmann was that he was a madman.”
The special counsel’s office declined to comment to The Times about Mr. Weissmann’s track record.
However, the Justice Department in 2012 and 2013 defended him against ethics complaints and concluded he did not violate the rules.
Given Mr. Weissmann’s long association with Mr. Mueller, who has given him a prominent management role in one of the most important investigations in U.S. history, The Times took a look back at Mr. Weissmann‘s’ 2002-05 Enron task force tenure.
His hardball tactics seem intact today. Within weeks of his arrival in June, the FBI executed a no-knock, predawn raid on Mr. Manafort’s condo. Agents stayed for hours after waking up the target and his wife.
Then a leak appeared in The New York Times. Mr. Mueller had informed Mr. Manafort that he would be indicted. It’s an old Enron tactic: Scare people into talking.
Arthur Anderson
With over 20,000 employees, Andersen stood as one of the country’s most prominent corporate auditors. The Securities and Exchange Commission began investigating Enron, an Andersen client. Auditors started destroying documents.
Mr. Weissmann took the lead in prosecuting Andersen for obstruction of justice in 2002. Andersen’s defense: It followed company policy on when to destroy confidential material.
Convicted at trial, a fatally damaged Andersen appealed. The Supreme Court eventually took the case.
In 2005, the nation’s highest court overturned the conviction in a 9-0 opinion, a devastating judgment that shattered Mr. Weissmann’s showcase.
Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion, solo — a message of how seriously the high court took the breach.
In essence, Rehnquist said the prosecutor sold the presiding judge on jury instructions that assured conviction.
“Indeed, it is striking how little culpability the instructions required,” Mr. Rehnquist wrote. “For example, the jury was told that, even if [Andersen] honestly and sincerely believed that its conduct was lawful, you may find [Andersen] guilty. The instructions also diluted the meaning of ‘corruptly’ so that it covered innocent conduct.”
Mr. Rehnquist wrote that the government (Mr. Weissmann) insisted, over defense objections, that the word “dishonestly” be excluded from the instructions and that the word “impede” be added.
The chief justice went to the dictionary, read the meaning of “impede” and concluded it was “such innocent conduct” for someone to “impede” the government.
Said Ms. Powell, “Weissmann indicted them for conduct that was not criminal, and he took criminal intent out of the jury instructions that he then persuaded the judge to give.”
With a lack of sustaining clients, a mortally wounded Andersen put out a statement.
“We are very pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision, which acknowledges the fundamental injustice that has been done to Arthur Andersen and its former personnel and retirees,” it said.
In the end, the George W. Bush Justice Department put out of business a thriving accounting firm whose actions could have been handled in other ways short of felony charges.
Merrill Lynch
It became known as the Nigerian barge case. Mr. Weissmann induced indictments in 2003 against four Merrill Lynch executives, an Enron vice president and an Enron accountant. He contended that Merrill and Enron entered into a sham transaction in 1999. The banker would buy three Enron barge-mounted power generators for $7 million purely to boost the Houston company’s balance sheet — and then Enron would buy them back at a profit.
They were charged under a federal statute that normally requires proof that someone paid a bribe or received kickbacks that sullied the business practices of “honest services.” There were no bribes or kickbacks.
Five were convicted. The accountant — represented by Mr. Cogdell — heard the jury say, “Not guilty.”
Four of them appealed while serving time in prison. In 2006, the 5th Circuit reversed all the fraud charges, leaving just a perjury conviction against one executive, whom Ms. Powell came to represent on appeal.
Again, the problem for Mr. Weissmann was his definition of a crime that greatly relaxed the standard for convictions.
“We reverse the conspiracy and wire-fraud convictions of each of the defendants on the legal ground that the government’s [Weissmann task force] theory of fraud relating to the deprivation of honest services is flawed,” the appeals court said.
The opinion said the scheme may have been unethical but did not violate federal fraud laws. The courtsaid that not all corporate fiduciary lapses are tantamount to crimes.
Attorney Kirkendall said the Enron trials in Houston were held “in a highly inflamed environment.”
“The task force took advantage of that and convicted these men,” he said. “What it caused them and their families, you can just imagine.”
The government did not retry the five on fraud charges.
Concealed evidence
What the Merrill defense attorneys did not know during trial was this: There were favorable witness statements that the prosecution withheld.
In 2010, Justice began releasing confidential Enron task force documents. They showed that Mr. Weissmann’s team provided misleading summaries at trial of raw witness statements to the FBI and to the grand jury.
The disconnect became an issue in the appeal of Ms. Powell’s client, Merrill executive James A. Brown, in the Nigerian barge case. Although his fraud conviction went away, his perjury guilt stuck.
Ms. Powell was particularly struck by this: The government’s summary said a witness, Enron’s Jeffrey McMahon, “does not recall” a barge buyback agreement. In in his actual interview, he said there was no deal. The prosecution badly distorted what he had said, depriving trial attorneys of information that could persuade a jury to acquit. Mr. McMahon was under threat of indictment and did not testify.
The 5th Circuit agreed — to a point.
“Favorable information was plainly suppressed from McMahon’s notes,” the court wrote.
“The McMahon notes contain numerous passages that unequivocally state that it was McMahon’s understanding that there was only a ‘best efforts’ agreement and no ‘promise,’ whereas the government’s disclosure letter says only that McMahon ‘does not recall’ a guaranteed buyback.”
Even worse, Ms. Powell said, the documents showed that Weissmann’s team yellow-highlighted favorable information that it deliberately withheld from its proffered summaries.
Yet, to Ms. Powell’s great disappointment, the appeals court did not throw out the perjury conviction. It said the prosecution “flaw” was not material.
William Hodes, an analyst on legal ethics who assisted in the appeal, found the ruling “crazy.” The judges acknowledged that the prosecutors misled the defense, yet they somehow could predict it would have made no difference at trial.
“The summaries were false,” Mr. Hodes told The Times. “They said things that the witnesses did not say. They themselves yellow-highlighted what they left out of the summaries. It’s astonishing. We should have gotten a new trial.”
Chilling witnesses
When the task force brought indictments in July 2004 against the big cheese in the Enron saga — Kenneth L. Lay, Jeffrey Skilling and Richard Cause — defense attorneys ultimately learned that Mr. Weissmann had done something even more far-reaching. In a sealed court document, he named 114 unindicted co-conspirators, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Defense attorney Kirkendall did some research. He found that it was by far the largest number of such targeted people in the history of federally prosecuted white-collar crime.
The significants: Defendants at trial hoped that some Enron executives would testify on their behalf. But those hopes collapsed on the list of 114.
“Chilling effect, my ass,” said attorney Cogdell. “It was Ice Station Zebra. No one in their right mind would do anything that would upset the task force, specifically Weissmann.”
Mr. Kirkendall believes Mr. Weissmann made the list for that exact reason.
“It was common knowledge in the Houston community,” he told The Times. “If you had a client who was cooperating with defendants in an Enron criminal prosecution, you’d better be careful because they would become a target.”
Mr. Kirkendall knows firsthand. In civil matters, he represented Mr. McMahon, the follow-on chief financial officer at Enron who ended up as one of the 114.
The Merrill Lynch defendants wanted Mr. McMahon to testify. But he planned to take the Fifth Amendment if called because Mr. Weissmann had made it clear on three occasions that he could be indicted.
“We had him ready to post bail and go through the arraignment process because of pressure being applied by the government not to testify for any of the defendants,” he said.
Mr. McMahon never testified. He was never indicted.
The incredulous judge
As he was leaving the task force in July 2005 to accept his first of three stints as an aide to FBI Director Robert Mueller, Mr. Weissmann announced a new guilty plea.
Christopher Calger, then a 39-year-old former Enron vice president, pleaded guilty in a Houstoncourtroom to fraud. The FBI issued a national press release saying Mr. Calger admitted to making a deal with two businesses that inflated Enron’s earnings. Mr. Calger agreed to become a prosecution witness.
But the announcement did not tell the full story of the hearing that day.
District Court Judge Lynn N. Hughes read the evidence and expressed incredulity that Mr. Calger was pleading guilty.
According to a court transcript, Judge Hughes grilled Linda Lacewell, one of Mr. Weissmann’s prosecutors. He asked her repeatedly to explain what the actual crime was. He said Enron lost no money, there were no bribes and the basic mechanism for the sale of some electric turbines was legal.
Ms. Lacewell said Enron should never have put proceeds on its balance sheets, echoing the 2003 prosecution of Merrill Lynch people in the Nigerian barge transaction.
The judge: “You don’t know the difference between their capital and their current income transaction?”
And he said, “But we do know that this transaction could not have been a tax avoidance scheme, right?”
Ms. Lacewell: “That’s right.”
She then said the plea was to wire fraud, not taxes. To that, Judge Hughes said the task force was trying to criminalize a private transaction to which all parties agreed.
“So you want to convert every default by a corporate officer into a wire fraud case,” he said.
When she explained the deal, the judge replied bluntly, “That’s not wire fraud.”
When she asserted that it was, Judge Hughes lashed out at the task force.
“According to your employer, everything is wire fraud,” he said. “It’s a far cry from what the statute was intended to do when it was adopted.”
But Mr. Calger persisted. He wanted to plead guilty, to which the judge said, “There’s no factual basis for your plea.”
The judge did not know then, but his spot courtroom lecture proved prescient. A year later, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals came to the same conclusion and ruled in the Merrill case that there was no wire fraud.
In 2007, a Houston judge erased Mr. Calger’s conviction. He never testified in an Enron trial.
Attorney Kirkendall said the financial strain of legal bills for years while fighting a powerful government task force played a role in Mr. Calger’s decision to plea.
“The Enron task force’s public relations campaign was far better than its actual prosecutions,” he said.
The task force rattled other potential defense witnesses. But at least one bucked the juggernaut and took the stand as a defense witness in the so-called Enron Broadband Services case.
Mr. Weissmann in 2003 brought charges against executives for ballyhooing the development of internet products to drive up the share price and make an insider stock killing.
At a 2005 trial, engineer Lawrence Ciscon took the stand for the defense. Mr. Ciscon, who had been vice president for software at EBS, said he met with the FBI two times. They never informed him that he was a target. Then he obtained an attorney. The next thing he knew, the task force had labeled him as an unindicted co-conspirator.
As the trial approached and he worked with the defense, prosecutors reminded his attorney of that status.
“They’ve called my lawyer to remind me,” he testified, according to a transcript reviewed by The Times.
He viewed the calls, he said, “as a threat that I could be prosecuted.”
The threats, he said, “made me hesitant” to appear in court. Asked by the defense why he decided to show up in court, he answered, “I have nothing to hide.”
“Regardless of the outcome of this trial, the Enron task force’s ugly tactic of effectively suppressing important testimony of witnesses favorable to Enron defendants has now been fully exposed,” Mr. Kirkendall blogged at the time.
The task force never charged Mr. Ciscon, who went on to a successful technology career.
Today
Justice Department press releases in the 2000s would tout the number 30 as in over 30 people charged in the Enron saga.
But final conviction count is short that number given that appeals courts eviscerated two major cases — Merrill Lynch and Arthur Andersen — while juries acquitted two people and partially acquitted others and two were allowed to withdraw guilty pleas.
In all, 22 pleaded guilty and four trial convictions stuck, according to a Houston Chronicle list.
Afterward, some task force prosecutors rose to significant government posts.
Mr. Weissmann joined Mr. Mueller at the FBI and then arrived at a powerhouse New York law firm as a white-collar-crime defense specialist. He returned to the FBI as Mr. Mueller’s general counsel and, later, was appointed by the Obama administration as chief of Justice’s fraud unit in Washington.
FBI Director Christopher Wray, the Justice Department assistant attorney general who named him task force chief a decade ago, is now supplying Mr. Weissmann with the FBI manpower he needs to pursue Trump–Russia.
Kathryn Ruemmler prosecuted both the Merrill defendants and Lay-Skilling. Years later, she emerged in the prestigious post of White House counsel to President Obama.
Lisa Monaco, another task force prosecutor, stayed at Justice, was Mr. Mueller’s chief of staff and then went to the Obama White House as the president’s top counterterrorism adviser. She joined CNN as an analyst this year.
Whether Mr. Weissmann’s brand — intimidating low-level Mafiosos and corporate figures to force them to snitch — will work in Washington against political operatives will be answered in the coming months.
CBS News |
Undercover: An FBI operative in disguise on 60 Minutes
CBS News Tamer Elnoury – the bearded man in the video above – is dead. Well, not the man himself, but the FBI alias that Elnoury has used for several years has been retired, and 60 Minutes cannot reveal his true identity. That’s a national secret. “Tamer … |
fbi – Google News
FOX40 |
Christopher Wray Seeking to Bring ‘Calm and Stability’ to FBI
FOX40 Two months into his tenure as director of the FBI, Christopher Wray said Sunday his immediate priority is to bring “a sense of calm and stability” to the bureau. “In a society sometimes fixated to a fault on results, I’m somebody who’s a big believer … FBI couldn’t access nearly 7K devices because of encryptionLas Vegas Sun Encryption shuts FBI out of 7000 devicesSBS FBI Director Wray: Wants to Bring ‘Calm and Stability’ to Bureau; Gravely Concerned About Getting Access to Mobile …ticklethewire.comall 8 news articles » |
Christopher Wray – Google News
The Hill |
Wray seeks to ‘steady the ship’ at FBI
The Hill FBI Director Christopher Wray in a speech Sunday said his top priority since assuming his post in August is to usher in “a sense of calm and stability” to the bureau, CNN reported. “In a society sometimes fixated to a fault on results, I’m somebody who … |
Christopher Wray – Google News
Breitbart News |
Senate Probe Asks Whether Robert Mueller Alerted Obama Administration to Russian Bribery Scheme
Breitbart News The Senate Judiciary Committee is looking into the 2010 sale of U.S. uranium to Russia under then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and whether then-FBI Director Robert Mueller alerted the Obama administration about its investigation into Russians …and more » |
mueller – Google News
NBCNews.com |
Mueller Now Investigating Democratic Lobbyist Tony Podesta
NBCNews.com WASHINGTON — Tony Podesta and the Podesta Group are now the subjects of a federal investigation being led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, three sources with knowledge of the matter told NBC News. The probe of Podesta and his … |
mueller – Google News
BBC News |
FBI agent reveals life infiltrating extremist groups in America
BBC News An active FBI undercover agent has revealed details of his work infiltrating Islamic extremist groups. Tamer El-Noury – one of the agent’s many false identities – talked to the BBC about his covert attempts to gain the trust of those planning attacks …and more » |
fbi – Google News
Conversely, Tier 2 activity is simply defined as “any other activity that would constitute a misdemeanour or felony under federal, state, or local law if engaged in by a person acting without authorization”.
Most of the time, we can’t tell the difference between the two. For reporting purposes, Tier 1 and 2 criminal activity is usually bundled into a single total. And that means that in 2015 the FBI may have authorised its informants to commit 5261 misdemeanours for all we know.
But this year, something different happened. Tier 2 wasn’t included. And now we know that in 2016, at least 381 times, the FBI authorised its informants to engage in some really serious criminal activity. Whether that was commissioning an act of violence by another person or manufacturing a truckload of cocaine, we can’t be sure.
So, how did this happen exactly? Was it a clerical error or did the FBI do this on purpose? Did the Attorney General’s office issue new guidelines? We’re not entirely sure. The US Justice Department declined to comment, even though it sets the rules and, by all appearances, its National Security Division was robbed of an important statistic. The FBI told Gizmodo yesterday that it was working on an answer.
Daily Beast |
Russia’s Election Hackers Use DC Cyber Warfare Conference as Bait
Daily Beast Paul Nakasone, who leads the U.S. Army Cyber Command, and Senator Martin Heinrich, a prominent Kremlin critic on the Senate Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Russian election meddling. The Russian hackers’ flier for the event is a Microsoft … |
Washington Post |
FBI couldn’t access nearly 7K devices because of encryption
Washington Post PHILADELPHIA — The FBI hasn’t been able to retrieve data from more than half of the mobile devices it tried to access in less than a year, FBI Director Christopher Wray said Sunday, turning up the heat on a debate between technology companies and law … |
Business Insider |
Lindsey Graham: The Trump administration has ‘a blind spot on Russia I still can’t figure out’
Business Insider “I think that the Trump administration is slow when it comes to Russia,” Graham said when asked why he thought the administration had not yet implemented the new sanctions against Russiathat Trump signed into law on August 2. “They have a blind spot …and more » |
Newsweek |
Donald Trump Attacks Mainstream Media While Downplaying Russian Election Ads on Facebook
Newsweek President Donald Trump renewed his attacks on the mainstream media and Hillary Clinton on Twitter Saturday. The president seemingly was responding to news reports about Russian efforts to use social media in an apparent effort to influence the 2016 … Trump: Facebook was on Clinton’s side during election, not mineThe Hill Donald Trump attacks Hillary Clinton and ‘fake news’ amid probe into Russian-bought FacebookadsThe Independent Trump rails against Russia investigation and Russian Facebook ads in Saturday tweetstormBusiness Insider Townhall –The Hill –The Hill –The Hill all 129 news articles » |
USA TODAY |
Trump plans to help pay aides’ legal costs for Russia probes
USA TODAY Facebook has said ads that ran on the company’s social media platform and have been linked to a Russian internet agency were seen by an estimated 10 million people before and after the2016 election. Norman Eisen, an ethics lawyer in the Obama …and more » |
NPR |
The Russia Investigations: Interference Impacted Real Life; Senators Propose New Law
NPR “In an era where $1.4 billion was spent on political advertising in the 2016 campaigns — and that number’s only going to go up — there needs to be equality between traditional radio and broadcast and social media and Internet political advertising …and more » |
Well, let me tell you who does, our elected officials aka: our politicians. They are counting on you not giving an RA! They are counting on your limited attention span. They also know that you will believe almost anything you see, hear, or read from the authorities and their complicit mainstream media.
Does anyone else see how they, meaning the aforementioned authorities like the FBI, needed anything to stop the 24/7 conversations about their bumbled, oft time contradictory handling, of the Las Vegas Terrorist Attack, so they gave us the old – Look over there, a squirrel! and, this particular squirrel’s name is Harvey Weinstein.
The timing of their replacement 24/7 news cycle of Harvey the Squirrel has been nothing more than a distraction. Everyone knew for years, both inside and outside Hollywood, that Harvey Weinstein was/is a suspected rapist; just as everyone knows that Bill Clinton was/is a suspected rapist;. Interestingly, I read an article the other day about rape allegations and, to give context to the article, it included an image of the two of them, both smiling that same arrogant rapist smile; as the thought came to me that there could not be two more qualified men-in-power-rapists to put in a picture for that article, with the possible exception of Kim Jung-un, that is.
Las Vegas’ Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo could be seen actually crying during a recent press conference; and to many this might be seen as a display of empathy, as he went teary-eyed for the victims. But, to the more discerning eye, he was crying because he has been thrust into this untenable position between relaying the events based on the actual evidence and the false narrative he is being told to repeat by the FBI, all in an attempt to cover up what really happened on the night of October 1st. Most of the information he is presenting as fact doesn’t actually make sense to anyone (who might still be paying attention, that is); but, more importantly, his explanations aren’t making sense to his own LVMPD investigators assigned to the case. Sheriff Lombardo has a reputation of being an honest, responsible public official, and like any man of integrity, he is beside himself with the conflicting emotions of being forced to explain the FBI’s alternate reality on the world’s stage, where they are basically telling him that his evidence be damned!
To better understand the Feds complete circle of influence, first we have Special Agent Aaron Rouse, who heads up ‘The Las Vegas Terrorist Attack’ investigation for the FBI; but, certainly, we will never find a file folder with those words written on the tab anywhere near an FBI office. Agent Rouse reports directly to FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, whose wife is a dear friend of Virginia Governor Terry McCauliffe, who just happens to be best buds with Hillary and Bill Clinton. And, McCabe has been charged with keeping the lid on (I meant running) the entire investigation from the secure distance of his office in Washington, DC. He, and his best buds, only goal is to stay-on-track with their crazy Paddock, the lone-wolf-single-shooter theory, long enough for at least one of their gun control bills in congress to gain enough popular support to be passed, possibly even enough support for a Presidential override.
Yes! Their lone-gunman-theory is all about gun control, which, as you know, has little to do with actual guns and everything to do with regulated control. Their latest ‘never-let-a-good-crisis-go-to-waste’ is really about everyone who legally owns guns, anyone who can now be looked upon as a potential Stephen Paddock just waiting for their meds to kick in and crack up, and who will eventually go up on some rooftop overlooking a crowd, and, and… and the government must protect us from the likes of all such crazy-gun-owning people. Their Second Amendment be damned! By the way, if you or anyone you know believes that criminals will obey any of their gun control laws, then you (hypothetically, that is) might be included in that special kind of stupidity that Rush’s earlier article was referring to.
Meanwhile, the tag-team of Rouse and McCabe had been forced into an almost full time job of ignoring and/or destroying most of the on-scene-evidence which kept coming in from literally thousands of witnesses, many of whom would prove that this was a multiple shooter terrorist attack. Thankfully, Harvey the Squirrel, came to the rescue just in the nick of time, because as an example, now no one knows or even cares what happened to the hotel guard, Jesus Campo. He was the one, who you might recall, was shot at some point in time, before or after crazy Paddock began shooting. Can’t you just image if he was getting ready to tell Sean Hannity from Fox News that it was a middle-Eastern man who shot him. And, to make sure there was no chance of that happening, POOF! Just like that, Campo was gone!
But, seriously, there has been much irrefutable evidence from eye witnesses who, like all good citizens, turned in their cellphones to the authorities, only to find that upon their return – everything – including all pictures or video evidence that might contradict the official narrative, was erased. There is also proof-positive evidence from many independent sources including a forensic acoustic analysis which confirm in great detail the existence of the harmonics of gun fire from at least one additional shooter at approximately half the distance (200-225 yards) from Paddock on the 32nd floor at about 400 yards.
And then, along came witness Rocky Palermo who was reportedly shot in the pelvis by another gunman at ground level at the concert. The Palermo family might want to advise their son not to walk the streets of Washington, DC at night, which as Seth Rich found out, can be very dangerous. Or, they might also advise him not to drive his car alone at night, especially if he has one of those new fan-dangled-cars with the computer controls which could possibly be driven remotely from say, a drone, as Michael Hastings also found out, but unfortunately too late.
By the way, it is important that you understand that the LVMPD heroic first responders and front-line investigators have little control over the Feds attempt to persist in their alternate reality of a lone gunman. The local law enforcement officers are trying to do their job to the best of their ability, as they find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place. There is a substantial amount of forensic evidence that there were multiple shooters – one closer – and now at least one on the ground. But, none of these leads are being pursued by over a hundred FBI agents who reportedly are working the Las Vegas case. The American people demand answers. Fifty-eight innocent people were killed and hundreds shot, and if citizen journalists like myself do not keep this story alive, it too will simply disappear.
And again, we will never hear any of this from the left-wing radical ideologues in the mainstream media, who care nothing about facts, truth, evidence. Nothing – because journalism in America is dead. The MSM are as complicit in this crime-cover-up as if their fingers were on multiple triggers as were all the Las Vegas shooters themselves.
Multiple shooters you say? Erase all that from your foolish minds, ears and video evidence. This shooting was done by a lone-wolf, who coincidently is now dead. Move along! There’s nothing to see here! Speaking of hear – did you hear about Harvey Weinstein?
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0 CommentsFredy ‘Brooklyn’ Lowe served proudly in both the Unites States Marine Corps and the New York City Police Department. He and his wife of 49 years, Patricia are even prouder (if that’s possible) of their two grown children and six grandchildren. Out of respect for his country and never taking for granted our freedoms and liberties, Lowe became involved as an organizer and public speaker for Tea Party events and rallies.
These days Lowe finds himself repeating one of Thomas Pain’s more famous thoughts, “If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, so my children (and grandchildren) may have peace.”
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Canada Free Press |
A Man Hears What He Wants to Hear…
Canada Free Press To better understand the Feds complete circle of influence, first we have Special Agent Aaron Rouse, who heads up ‘The Las Vegas Terrorist Attack’ investigation for the FBI; but, certainly, we will never find a file folder with those words written on … |
former FBI agents power influence – Google News
1. Trump from mikenova (196 sites)
Saved Stories – FBI |
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james b. comey – Google News: James O’Keefe’s New York Times ‘Investigation’ Is an Exercise in Overwhelming Dishonesty – Newsweek |
The World Wide Times wwtimes.com: 12:12 PM 10/22/2017: On Khazarian Mafia |
The World Wide Times wwtimes.com: 12:29 PM 10/22/2017 All Recent Posts on G+ |
The World Wide Times wwtimes.com: 1:57 PM 10/22/2017 Graham: Trump Administration Has a Blind Spot on Russia |
Christopher Wray – Google News: Christopher Wray, Robert Mueller’s top prosecutor, known for hardball tactics – Washington Times |
FBI News Review: 5:45 PM 10/22/2017 FBI directors speech |
5:45 PM 10/22/2017 FBI directors speech |
fbi – Google News: FBI watched, then acted as Russian spy moved closer to Hillary Clinton – The Hill |
fbi – Google News: Former FBI Director James Comey sparks 2020 rumors here’s why – TheBlaze.com |
Christopher Wray – Google News: FBI couldn’t access nearly 7K devices because of encryption – Las Vegas Sun |
Christopher Wray – Google News: Wray seeking to bring ‘calm and stability’ to FBI – CNN |
fbi – Google News: ‘Mindhunter’ Cast on the FBI’s Obsession, Getting Personal, and the Moments That Most Got Under Their Skin – Variety |
fbi – Google News: FBI Discovered Russian Spies Targeting Hillary Clinton When She Was Secretary of State – Daily Beast |
fbi – Google News: Undercover: An FBI operative in disguise on 60 Minutes – CBS News |
Christopher Wray – Google News: Christopher Wray Seeking to Bring ‘Calm and Stability’ to FBI – FOX40 |
Christopher Wray – Google News: Wray seeks to ‘steady the ship’ at FBI – The Hill |
mueller – Google News: Senate Probe Asks Whether Robert Mueller Alerted Obama Administration to Russian Bribery Scheme – Breitbart News |
fbi – Google News: FBI couldn’t access nearly 7000 devices because of encryption – The Denver Post |
The World Wide Times wwtimes.com: 3:04 AM 10/23/2017 Donald Trump Attacks Mainstream Media While Downplaying Russian Election Ads on Facebook Newsweek |
Saved Stories – FBI | ||
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Christopher Wray – Google News: New FBI Director Touts Importance of Partnerships With Local Police at IACP 2017 – Officer.com (press release) (blog) | ||
Christopher Wray – Google News |
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FBI News Review: 10:12 AM 10/22/2017 FBI: Did Russias Facebook Ads Actually Swing the Election? | ||
FBI from mikenova (3 sites) 1. FBI from mikenova (15 sites): Andrew McCabe – Google News: A Man Hears What He Wants to Hear – Canada Free Press 1. FBI from mikenova (15 sites): fbi – Google News: Wisconsin inmate says flawed FBI hair, fiber analysis forced him to take plea deal, 50-year prison term … Continue reading“10:12 AM 10/22/2017 – FBI: Did Russias Facebook Ads Actually Swing the Election?” FBI News Review |
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james b. comey – Google News: James O’Keefe’s New York Times ‘Investigation’ Is an Exercise in Overwhelming Dishonesty – Newsweek | ||
james b. comey – Google News |
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The World Wide Times wwtimes.com: 12:12 PM 10/22/2017: On Khazarian Mafia | ||
11:23 AM 10/22/2017 What is the Khazarian Mafia (KM)? Trump Investigations Report Sunday October 22nd, 2017 at 12:10 PM Trump Investigations Report 1 Share What is the Khazarian Mafia (KM)? Khazarian Mafia (KM) against America and many Middle East Khazarian Mafia has Gone Mad, Follows the French Revolutions Reign of Terror Kashmir Watch Khazarian Mafia … Continue reading“12:12 PM 10/22/2017: On “Khazarian Mafia”…” The World Wide Times wwtimes.com |
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The World Wide Times wwtimes.com: 12:29 PM 10/22/2017 All Recent Posts on G+ | ||
Posts on G+ from mikenova (2 sites) Public RSS-Feed of Mike Nova. Created with the PIXELMECHANICS ‘GPlusRSS-Webtool’ at http://gplusrss.com: 11:23 AM 10/22/2017 What is the Khazarian Mafia (KM)? 11:23 AM 10/22/2017 What is the Khazarian Mafia (KM)? What is the “Khazarian Mafia (KM)”? “Khazarian Mafia (KM) against America and many Middle East …” – Khazarian … Continue reading“12:29 PM 10/22/2017 – All Recent Posts on G+ “ The World Wide Times wwtimes.com |
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The World Wide Times wwtimes.com: 1:57 PM 10/22/2017 Graham: Trump Administration Has a Blind Spot on Russia | ||
Saved Stories – None Graham: Trump Administration ‘Has a Blind Spot’ on Russia – NBCNews.com Catalonia, John Kelly, Donald Trump: Your Weekend Briefing – New York Times Trump’s Obsession With His Own Celebrity May Doom His Legacy – NBCNews.com Rep. Maxine Waters says she wants to ‘take out’ Trump – Fox News McConnell says he’s … Continue reading“1:57 PM 10/22/2017 – Graham: Trump Administration ‘Has a Blind Spot’ on Russia” The World Wide Times wwtimes.com |
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mueller – Google News: Trump says he hasn’t been asked to do Mueller interview – CNN | ||
mueller – Google News |
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mueller – Google News: Christopher Wray, Robert Mueller’s top prosecutor, known for hardball tactics – Washington Times | ||
mueller – Google News |
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Christopher Wray – Google News: Christopher Wray, Robert Mueller’s top prosecutor, known for hardball tactics – Washington Times | ||
Christopher Wray – Google News |
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Christopher Wray – Google News: FBI director’s speech targets mobile devices, access: ‘This is a huge, huge problem’ – PennLive.com | ||
Christopher Wray – Google News |
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james b. comey – Google News: Hopes Dim for Congressional Russia Inquiries as Parties Clash – New York Times | ||
james b. comey – Google News |
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FBI News Review: 5:45 PM 10/22/2017 FBI directors speech | ||
PennLive.com FBI director’s speech targets mobile devices, access: ‘This is a huge, huge problem’ PennLive.com In a wide-ranging speech to hundreds of police leaders from across the globe, Wray also touted the FBI’s partnerships with local and federal law enforcement agencies to combat terrorism and violentcrime. “The threats that we face keep accumulating … FBI director’s speech targets … Continue reading“5:45 PM 10/22/2017 – FBI director’s speech” FBI News Review |
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5:45 PM 10/22/2017 FBI directors speech | ||
PennLive.com FBI director’s speech targets mobile devices, access: ‘This is a huge, huge problem’ PennLive.com In a wide-ranging speech to hundreds of police leaders from across the globe, Wray also touted the FBI’s partnerships with local and federal law enforcement agencies to combat terrorism and violentcrime. “The threats that we face keep accumulating … FBI director’s speech targets … Continue reading“5:45 PM 10/22/2017 – FBI director’s speech” |
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fbi – Google News: FBI watched, then acted as Russian spy moved closer to Hillary Clinton – The Hill | ||
fbi – Google News |
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fbi – Google News: Former FBI Director James Comey sparks 2020 rumors here’s why – TheBlaze.com | ||
fbi – Google News |
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Christopher Wray – Google News: FBI couldn’t access nearly 7K devices because of encryption – Las Vegas Sun | ||
Christopher Wray – Google News |
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Christopher Wray – Google News: Wray seeking to bring ‘calm and stability’ to FBI – CNN | ||
Christopher Wray – Google News |
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fbi – Google News: ‘Mindhunter’ Cast on the FBI’s Obsession, Getting Personal, and the Moments That Most Got Under Their Skin – Variety | ||
fbi – Google News |
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fbi – Google News: FBI Discovered Russian Spies Targeting Hillary Clinton When She Was Secretary of State – Daily Beast | ||
fbi – Google News |
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fbi – Google News: Undercover: An FBI operative in disguise on 60 Minutes – CBS News | ||
fbi – Google News |
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Christopher Wray – Google News: Christopher Wray Seeking to Bring ‘Calm and Stability’ to FBI – FOX40 | ||
Christopher Wray – Google News |
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Christopher Wray – Google News: Wray seeks to ‘steady the ship’ at FBI – The Hill | ||
Christopher Wray – Google News |
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mueller – Google News: Senate Probe Asks Whether Robert Mueller Alerted Obama Administration to Russian Bribery Scheme – Breitbart News | ||
mueller – Google News |
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fbi – Google News: FBI couldn’t access nearly 7000 devices because of encryption – The Denver Post | ||
fbi – Google News |
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The World Wide Times wwtimes.com: 3:04 AM 10/23/2017 Donald Trump Attacks Mainstream Media While Downplaying Russian Election Ads on Facebook Newsweek | ||
Donald Trump unleashes reckless, bizarre, traitorous Trump-Russia endgame by Bill Palmer Monday October 23rd, 2017 at 2:59 AM Palmer Report 1 Share Its been clear to everyone involved that Donald Trumps Russia scandal would take him down eventually. Itll end his presidency, and set him up for a brutal final few years of his life in which he … Continue reading“3:04 AM 10/23/2017 – Donald Trump Attacks Mainstream Media While Downplaying Russian Election Ads on Facebook – Newsweek” The World Wide Times wwtimes.com |
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