July 16th, 2018 • 2h 52m
Shownotes
Every new episode of No Agenda is accompanied by a comprehensive list of shownotes curated by Adam while preparing for the show. Clips played by the hosts during the show can also be found here.
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TimeHop Breach
On July 4, 2018, Timehop
experienced a network intrusion that led to a breach of some of your data. We
learned of the breach while it was still in progress, and were able to
interrupt it, but data was taken. While our investigation into this incident
(and the possibility of any earlier ones that may have occurred) continues,
we are writing to provide our users and partners with all the relevant
information as quickly as possible.
First off, we would like to
unequivocally apologize to our users for this incident. We commit to
continued transparency about this incident, and this document part of our
providing all our users and partners with the information they need to
understand what happened, what we did, how we did it, and how we are working
to ensure it never happens again.
Some
data was breached. These include names, email addresses, dates of birth,
gender of users, country and some phone numbers. This affects some 21
million of our users. No private/direct messages, financial data, or
social media or photo content, or Timehop data including streaks were
affected.
To
reiterate: none of your “memories” - the social media posts & photos
that Timehop stores - were accessed.
We
are providing the following breakdown of Personally Identifiable
Information (PII) that was breached, and the combinations contained in
records. These are to be considered
separately of one another - these are not additive. The total number of
breached records was approximately 21 million.
Type of Personal Data
Combination
# of Breached Records
# of Breached GDPR
Records
Name,
email, phone, DOB
3.3
million
174,000
Name,
email address, phone
3.4
million
181,000
Name,
email address, DOB
13.6
million
2.2
million
Name,
phone number, DOB
3.6
million
189,000
Name
and email address
18.6
million
2.9
million
Name
and phone number
3.7
million
198,000
Name
and DOB
14.8
million
2.5
million
Name
total
20.4
million
3.8
million
DOB
total
15.5
million
2.6
million
addresses total
18.6
million
2.9
million
Gender
designation total
9.2
million
2.6
million
Phone
numbers total
4.9
million
243,000
Keys
that let Timehop read and show you your social media posts (but not
private messages) were also compromised. These keys were deauthorized by
Timehop acting in concert with its social media provider partners by
Sunday, July 8, at 3:30 pm Eastern Time. Timehop did not report the
breach, which it discovered on July 5, 2018, to its users until after it
was certain that the keys had been deauthorized and our social media
provider partners had reported that they had not observed any suspicious
activity. Timehop did this to ensure that it did not enable attacks by
going public, which could encourage the attackers to move quickly to
exploit their stolen data.
These
keys can no longer be used by anyone - so users must re-authenticate to
our App.
If
you have noticed any content not loading, it is because Timehop
deauthorized these proactively.
We
have no evidence that any accounts on our social media partner providers
were accessed without authorization.
We
have been working with security experts and incident response
professionals, local and federal law enforcement officials, and our
social media providers to assure that the impact on our users is
minimized.
You
may have noticed that you have been logged out of our App. We did this
in an abundance of caution, to reset all the keys.
The
damage was limited because of our long-standing commitment to only use
the data we absolutely need to provide our service. We don’t store
copies of your social media profiles. We separate user information from
social media content - and we delete our copies of your “Memories” after
you’ve seen them.Timehop has never stored your credit card or any
financial data, location data.
We
do not store IP addresses for advertising or tracking purposes. We do
log IP addresses for network audit purposes as disclosed in our Terms of
Service. The servers that we run, like all web servers, log incoming
traffic information, including IP addresses. At the scale at which
Timehop operates, the servers generate millions of log lines. While we
continue to investigate, at this time we have no indication that any of
these were disclosed. Due to the manner in which log queries work with
our cloud provider, we will never be able to say with 100% certainty
that the intruders did not access IP addresses. Therefore, we are giving
notification, now, that your IP address may have been compromised.
WHAT IS NEXT FOR USERS?
Because we have invalidated all
API credentials, if you have not already done so, you will be asked to log in
again to Timehop and re-authenticate each service you wish to use with
Timehop. This will generate a new, secure token. As we mentioned, if you have
noticed any content not loading, it is because we deauthorized these tokens
proactively. Additionally, user streaks have been frozen and maintained for
the time being.
Phone Number Security
If you used a phone number for
login, then Timehop would have had your phone number. Please note that phone
numbers also include country code. It is recommended that you take additional
security precautions with your cellular provider to ensure that your number
cannot be ported.
If AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint is
your provider, this is accomplished by adding a PIN to your account. See this
article for additional
information on how to do this.
If you have T-Mobile as your
provider, call 611 from your T-Mobile device or 1-800-937-8997 and ask the
customer care representative to assist with limiting portability of your
phone number.
For all other providers, please
contact your cell carrier and ask them how to limit porting or add security
to your account.
WHAT HAPPENED?
At 2:04 PM US Eastern Time on the
4th of July 2018, Timehop observed a network intrusion. The breach occurred
because an access credential to our cloud computing environment was compromised.
That cloud computing account had not been protected by multifactor
authentication. We have now taken steps that include multifactor
authentication to secure our authorization and access controls on all
accounts.
The attack was detected, and two hours
and nineteen minutes later - at 4:23 PM that same day - our engineers locked
out the attackers (for a more complete technical description of the attack,
please see
this post). We have now updated our security to alert on the kinds of
activities that were conducted.
While we continue to investigate,
we have confirmed that this intrusion led to a breach of some data:
Names,
email addresses, dates of birth, gender, country and phone numbers
belonging to our customers have been compromised.
Additionally,
“access tokens” provided to Timehop by our social media providers were
taken. These tokens could allow a malicious actor to view without
permission some of your social media posts. (as you will read below, we
have terminated these tokens and they can no longer be used). In
situations where our social media partners made use of two-part keys - a
user part and a “secret” part - our secret parts of the keys were not
compromised.
While we continue to investigate,
we want to stress two things: First: to date, there has been no evidence of,
and no confirmed reports of, any unauthorized access of user data through the
use of these access tokens.
Second, we want to be clear that
these tokens do not give anyone (including Timehop) access to Facebook
Messenger, or Direct Messages on Twitter or Instagram, or things that your
friends post to your Facebook wall. In general, Timehop only has access to
social media posts you post yourself to your profile. However, it is
important that we tell you that there was a short time window during which it
was theoretically possible for unauthorized users to access those posts - again, we have no evidence that this actually
happened.
All the compromised tokens have
been deauthorized, and are no longer valid. In addition to our communications
with local and federal law enforcement, we are also in contact with all our
social media providers, and will update users as needed, but again: there are
no credible reports, and there has been no evidence of, any unauthorized use
of these access tokens.
HOW HAS TIMEHOP RESPONDED?
On the 4th of July, when Timehop
detected the activity, our engineers moved rapidly to limit the damage
created by this breach. On July 4th, before they understood this to be a
security incident, the engineers restored service. On July 5th, as you can
see on
the timetable, the engineers began to treat this as an information
security incident.
It is moving aggressively and
proactively to notify users, partners, and customers that the breach
occurred. Timehop’s first priority has been to defend the social media and
account data of its customers.
To that end:
Timehop
has conducted an initial audit, and continues to conduct a thorough
audit, of all accounts, credentials, and permissions granted to all
authorized users; and deployed enhanced security protocols to secure our
systems, remove the intruders and protect your data. This document has been
updated to reflect the latest available information. We will continue to
update this document until we feel it is complete.
Timehop
has engaged a well-established and experienced cyber security incident
response firm to lead the response, understand any exposure or potential
exposure of customer data, ensure that no follow-on attacks are in
progress, and create a recovery architecture.
Timehop
has engaged with its cloud computing provider to inform it of the
incident and the actions taken, and to request follow-on assistance.
It
has engaged a cyber threat intelligence and dark web research firm to
gain intelligence about the attack and, working hand-in-hand with the
incident response firm, helping to prevent further attacks.
Timehop
is in communication with local and federal enforcement officials, and is
providing all requested information to cooperate in all respects with
any investigation.
Proactive
and intensive collaboration and cooperation with our partners enabled
Timehop to quickly assess the broader situation. We continue to monitor
any impact with the help of these critical partners.
WHAT ARE ALL THESE TERMS, AND WHAT DO THEY MEAN
Attacker
An attacker is a user who gains
access to our systems without our permission. Another common way to put it is
that an attacker is an unauthorized user, or a “hacker”.
Compromise
A Compromise is an incident in
which an unauthorized user breaks the confidentiality, integrity, or
availability of a service - quite simply, it means that our security was
broken.
Exposure
During a Compromise (or, “When our
security is broken”) any data that the attackers - the unauthorized users -
may have been able to look at, copy, or download can be considered to have
been exposed.
Breach
A Breach is when data is actually
taken from (or, “exfiltrated”) from our computing environment. It means that
the attacker was able to break through our security and take what they
wanted. This is different from a mere intrusion, which just means that
someone got in to our system.
Network Intrusion
A Network Intrusion is any time an
unauthorized user, or attacker, is able to penetrate our network defenses and
gain access to data or resources within our network.
Key
An encryption key is used to
encrypt or decrypt, data. A computer uses an encryption key to access data or
services in much the same way a human uses a user name and a password. An
encryption key is a string of characters that is created to scramble and
unscramble data.
Access Token
An access token identifies a
specific account and its credentials; it is sort of similar to the way your
bank uses a routing number and account number to send money.
Cloud Computing Provider
Cloud computing is a fancy way to
describe a data center not within our corporate headquarters, where our
servers are stored and operated, and reached via the Internet. The best known
cloud computing providers are Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and
Google Cloud, but there are many such providers.
Reconnaissance
Cyber Reconnaissance is the
activity of looking around in a computer network and becoming familiar with
what kinds of computers, services, and data are present.
Dark Web
The Dark Web is a set of Internet
web sites that anonymize user traffic, and are accessible only using special
encryption software. The Dark Web holds legitimate and illegitimate services
and Web sites.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What was breached and when?
A database containing usernames,
dates of birth, genders, country, phone numbers, email addresses, and social
media access tokens was breached on July 4, 2018. Social media access tokens
were taken for all accounts. Not all accounts had names, phone numbers, or
email addresses. Most accounts contained gender, country and date of birth
information.
How do we know there won't be more
PII?
People have asked us whether more
personally identifiable information will come out, and if we say no, how they
can know. Rather than simply assure you, we are taking the transparent step
of simply posting publicly the entirety of the schema of the table that
contained personally identifiable information, so you can see for yourself
what was taken. Note, as we have stated, an entire database was taken, and that
database included access keys to social media sites. Those keys were in a
different table of the database, which contained no PII, and which we are
therefore not disclosing.
Breached Database Column
Plain English Description
What this is:
id
An
automatically incrementing ID number
facebook_user_id
The
Facebook user ID associated with a user; this has been deprecated in this
table, and is public information
created_at
timestamp
The
time at which the record was created
updated_at
timestamp
The
time at which the record was last updated
persistence_token
An
authorization token that kept the user’s session active. deprecated and no
longer used
email_address
The
email address of the user
first_name
The
user’s first name as listed in social media sites (not necessarily the
person’s legal first name)
last_name
The
user’s last name as listed in social media sites (not necessarily the
person’s legal last name)
subscribed
Whether
the user’s subscribed to legacy Timehop email. Deprecated and no longer
used. Historical artifact from when Timehop was a daily email
admin
Whether
the person has privileges to conduct some testing on local, native mobile
applications
time_zone
The
time zone identified to us by the user’s device
signup_steps_completed
Whether
the user has completed the steps to sign up for the Timehop service
beta
Whether
the user is registered as a Beta tester to help test early releases of the
application.
guid
A
Globally Unique IDentifier Deprecated (no longer used)
lower_email_address
The
email address of the user converted to all lower case.
phone_number
The
user’s phone number as provided by user
username
The
user’s username
lower_username
The
user’s username converted to all lower case
has_downloaded_iphone_app
Whether
the user has downloaded the Timehop iPhone Application
downloaded_iphone_app_at
timestamp
When
the user downloaded the Timehop iPhone Application
auth_token
Legacy
auth token column. Deprecated and no longer used.
downloaded_windows_app_at
timestamp
Whether
the user has downloaded the discontinued Timehop Windows Application
downloaded_osx_app_at
timestamp
When
the user downloaded the discontinued Timehop Mac OSX Application
latest_app_version
The
latest version of the Timehop application registered by the user
birthdate_key
The
User’s birthday as provided by social media (and possibly as corrected by
the user) in UNIX format
last_opened_app_at
timestamp
The
date and time the user last opened the Timehop application
bounced_at
timestamp
Timestamp
of the last time a user’s email bounced. Deprecated and no longer used.
Historical artifact from days when Timehop was a daily email.
downloaded_android_app_at
timestamp
When
the user downloaded the Timehop Android Application
latest_android_app_version
The
latest version of the Timehop Android application registered by the user
last_opened_android_app_at
timestamp
The
date and time the user last opened the Timehop application
throwbacks
Deprecated
product feature, no longer used
country_name
The
Country Name listed by the User in social media profiles
country
The
Country Code listed in the device used by the user
language
The
language setting listed in the device used by the user
gender
The
user’s gender as provided to social media networks.
How sensitive is the information?
The names, genders, country, and
dates of birth of some of our customers were breached. We note that in many
cases these are not the customer’s full legal name but rather the social
media name as listed on their account. However, combined with other, outside
data, this may identify an individual. Dates of birth further add to this
ability. Some of our customer’s email addresses were lost, and a smaller
number of our customers’ phone numbers. No financial data, private messages,
direct messages, user photos, user social media content, social security
numbers, or other private information was breached.
How many users were affected?
Many records contained more than
one of the following:
There
were 20.4 million names in total (3.8 million in the GDPR zone).
There
were 15.5 million dates-of-birth in total (2.6 million in the GDPR
zone).
There
were 18.6 million Email addresses total (2.9 million in the GDPR zone).
There
were 9.2 million gender designations total (2.6 million in the GDPR
zone).
There
were 4.9 million phone numbers total (243,000 in the GDPR zone).
Will this affect my Streak?
No! By a wide margin, this has
been the most commonly asked question, and the answer is that we will ensure
all Streaks remain unaffected by this event.
Do you know if the data has been
used?
All the access keys have been
deauthorized and cannot be used, and we have no evidence that any were used
in the short period during which they were exposed. On July 5th, Timehop
retained the services of a well-established cyber threat intelligence company
that has been seeking evidence of use of the email addresses, phone numbers,
and names of users, and while none have appeared to date, it is a high
likelihood that they soon will appear in forums and be included in lists that
circulate on the Internet and the Dark Web.
What actions have you taken to
ensure that this is the extent of the breach and won’t happen again?
There is no such thing as perfect
when it comes to cyber security but we are committed to protecting user data.
As soon as the incident was recognized we began a program of security
upgrades. We immediately conducted a user audit and permissions inventory;
change all passwords and keys; adding multifactor authentication to all
accounts in all cloud-based services (not just in our Cloud Computing
Provider); revoke inappropriate permissions; increase alarming and
monitoring; and various other technical tasks related to authentication and
access management and more pervasive encryption throughout our environment.
We immediately began actions to deauthorize compromised access tokens, and as
we describe below, working with our partners to determine whether any of the
keys had been used. In future we will encrypt all access tokens and API keys,
emails, and phone numbers in our database.
Has law enforcement been informed?
Yes. Timehop is in communication
with local and federal law enforcement officials and will cooperate with all
investigations on this matter.
What are the implications in
Europe under the new GDPR privacy law?
The GDPR became effective very
recently and there are not many guidelines on how key concepts such as “risks
to the rights and freedoms of the individuals” should be interpreted, but we
are being transparent and pro-active and notifying all EU users on a
voluntary basis and have done so as quickly as possible. We are also in
contact with EU authorities. We have retained and have been working closely
with our European-based GDPR specialists to assist us in this effort.
Privacy - Updater dot com scam
Fri, 13 Jul 2018 15:05
IntroductionUpdater's mission is to put you in control. We want to helpyou organize and complete your moving-related tasks and make thedecisions that are best for you. Earning your trust is our top priority.So it should go without saying that Updater is 100% committed to your privacy.But we'd like to explain our privacy policy here because we're proud of itand we want you to know exactly what information we collect, what wedo with that information, and how we protect it.
Our pledgeWe never sell, rent or share your personally identifiable information behind your back.We would only make an exception to this pledge if we were required to do so by law.
Information we shareWe do not share your personal information (such as your name, old or new address,move date, etc.), regardless of whether or not you are a User (as defined below), with companies, organizations or individuals outside ofUpdater unless one of the following circumstances apply:
To implement our services
In order to implement any of the services (each a ''Service'' and collectively our "Services")that we offer at https://www.updater.com or technology "powered by Updater" available onthird party websites (Collectively, the "Site"), we may need to share your personalinformation with third parties. In such situations, we may share only such personalinformation as is necessary to complete the requested Service. For example, if you request a consultation with a company, we will share your applicable personal information withsuch company so that they may contact you; or if you instruct us to senda change of address notification to a certain organization, we will share your applicableinformation with the selected organization so that they may process your requested address change.
With your explicit consent
We may share your personal information that you provide on the Site to certain thirdparties if you instruct us to share your information, or if you consent to the sharingof your personal information via opt-in.
To share with friends
We'll share your name, old and new address via email to your personal contactsthat you specify. Also, we'll create for you a customized moving page that includesyour old and new address ("Private Moving Page"). The Private Moving Page will beshared with the contacts that you specify. We'll also create a customized movingpage that only includes the city and state of your new and old address ("PublicMoving Page"). The Public Moving Page is the page that will be posted to socialnetworks, such as Facebook and Twitter, if you elect to utilize our social sharingfunctionality. If someone comments on your Private Moving Page, the link that appearson social network websites will be to your Public Moving Page.
For external processing
We may provide your personal information to our affiliates or other trusted businessesor persons to process certain services, such as filing USPS Change of Address Forms.In all such situations, the provision of information is necessary for processing aService that you request and appropriate confidentiality and security measuresare in place to protect your information.
For legal reasons
We'll share your personal information with companies, organizations or individualsoutside of Updater if we believe doing so is necessary to:
Meet any applicable law, regulation, legal process or enforceable governmental request.Detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security or technical issues.For aggregate, anonymous, or reflective data
We may share aggregated, non-personally identifiable information publicly and with our partners (''Aggregate Data''). For example, we may share information publicly to show moving trends and other information about relocating consumers.
We may share anonymized data (''Anonymous Data'') about your relocation with certain partners to facilitate delivering personalized experiences throughout your move. For example, we may share information with third party intermediaries who can confirm which products and services are relevant for your new address, or the products and services to which you currently subscribe.
We may use old and new address data of a User (as defined below) to indicate the general or approximate location of a recent move (''Reflective Data''). In such situations, old and new address data are randomly obscured in order to not display the User's actual old or new address. Thus, the data shown publicly is merely reflective of the area of the recent move.
Any User who does not want Updater to use his or her personal information in either Aggregate Data, Anonymous Data, or Reflective Data sets, whether such data sets are shared publicly or not, may email privacy@updater.com or click here to opt-out any time.
With the business hosting Updater technology
Updater technology may be made available on third party websites. In all such situations,the Services offered are clearly marked "powered by Updater". When Updater technology ispowering websites other than updater.com or a subdomain within updater.com, then we may need to share your personalinformation with the applicable third party that owns and operates the applicable website hosting the Updater technology (the ''Hosting Business''). If you create a User account via Updater technology hosted on a third party site, then Updater may share your personally identifiable information with the Hosting Business. In such situations, The Hosting Business will be encouraged to protect your personal information pursuant to their privacy policy.
With the business or individual that invited you to Updater
You may be invited to use a personalized and custom version of Updater by a third party with whom you have a relationship, such as a real estate brokerage firm, a mortgage company, a title insurance company, a property manager, a real estate brokerage, a moving company, etc. (each an Updater ''Client''). If you create a User account on a version of Updater provided by a Client, then Updater may share your personally identifiable information with the Client(s) that provided your information for purposes of generating your invitation to Updater. In such situations, Client(s) will be encouraged to protect your personal information pursuant to their privacy policy.
With third parties with which you have a pre-existing relationship in order to streamline your moving process
We may use Partner-Provided Information (defined below) and other information we collect about you to notify our Qualified Partners (defined below) that you are moving. We do not share any of your personally identifiable information with these Qualified Partners. If you prefer that we do not notify Qualified Partners that you are moving, please email privacy@updater.com to opt-out.
A ''Qualified Partner'' is an Updater partner that would, pursuant to the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. § 552a, be eligible to receive data about you from the federal government NCOALINK database if your applicable relocation data was included in the NCOALINK database. Broadly, Qualified Partners are companies that already have at least some of your personally identifiable information, including your current address, indicating that you are an existing customer, member or client of the Qualified Partner. Qualified Partners agree not to share any information that we provide, such as a notification of an impending move, with other third parties.
If your information is publicly available
We may provide your personally identifiable information to other parties if your information is or becomes publicly available from a source other than Updater.
With third parties in connection with certain corporate transactions
If we sell all or part of our business, make a transfer of assets, or are otherwise involved in a change of control transaction, or in the unlikely event of bankruptcy, we may transfer information from or about you to one or more third parties as part of the transaction.
With third parties in connection with your qualified opportunities during your move
We may transfer information from or about you to one or more third parties in connection with our efforts to help you seamlessly purchase or transfer insurance products, to enable you to receive and claim special promotions from cooperative businesses in your neighborhood, and/or to enable companies and Updater to include you in anonymized audience segments to surface relevant content to you (you may opt out of such audience segments with the DAA here).
You may revoke consent for our use of data pursuant to our privacy policy at any time by emailing privacy@updater.com or by clicking here.
Information we collectWe collect certain information from all visitors to our site, regardless of whetherthey sign up for an Updater user account or order one of our Services. Beyond thisbaseline level of collected information, we collect and store additional informationfrom visitors who sign up for an Updater user account ("Users"). We also collect certain information about you from our Partners (''Partner-Provided Information'').
Information we collect from partnersThe information that we collect from our Partners may include your first and last name, email address, your old and/or new postal address, your phone number, certain dates related to your relocation process (such as the date of your lease signing or closing).
Information we collect from all visitorsWe collect from all visitors certain information about the type of computer,operating system, and Internet browser that the visitor is using to access oursite as well as the visitors' IP address (or that of their Internet service provider).We also place a cookie in visitors' browsers during their visit to the site in orderto maintain their session during that visit, but this cookie disappears when thesession ends or the browser is closed. We also store your engagement behavior,such as buttons or links you click on the Site or information you type or enterinto forms on the Site.
Information we collect from usersThe information that we collect from Users includes, at minimum, their email addressand their password. In addition, if a User fills out any of the forms on the Site whilethey're signed in to their account (or if a visitor to the site fills out any such formsand during that same session becomes a User), then we'll link the information contained insuch forms to the User's account in our database. This information may include the User'sfirst and last name, their new and old home addresses, their home phone number, theirmobile phone number, whether the User wants Updater to file, on behalf of the User,a change of address form with the United States Postal Service, whether the User isacting on his or her own behalf or on behalf of a household, when the change of addressorder should become effective, and for how long it should remain in force, anybusinesses, educational institutions, or other organizations (each, a "Business") theUser has selected to receive a change of address notification from Updater, etc. If aUser orders a service that requires payment or identity verification, then we mayrequire the User to input additional information. For example, this information mayinclude a credit card number and credit card expiration date or, if the User selectsto use a PayPal account, then we'll collect the PayPal ID of such User. Please note thatwe will not store any of this information other than (i) the expiration date and the lastfour digits of the User's credit card number and (ii) the User's PayPal ID.
INFORMATION FROM MULTIPLE SOURCESWe may collect information about you from more than one source. We may have privacy obligations and restrictions beyond this Privacy Policy that apply to the use of your personal information, such as contractual obligations to our Clients. Contractual obligations owed to a Client are only applicable for information that we have not previously received from another source. In addition, when we receive information about you from a Client, we may use that information to append or correct information about you that we previously received from other sources.
SecurityUpdater is committed to protecting the information of our Users, which is why we havechosen to protect all User information using Amazon's Web Services cloud-based computingand data storage infrastructure. You may read more about how Amazon Web Servicesincorporates best practices regarding data security at this link:https://aws.amazon.com/security/
ChildrenThis web site is not intended or designed to attract children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from or about any person under the age of 13. If you are under 13 years old and wish to ask a question or use this site in any way which requires you to submit your personal information, please get your parent or guardian to do so on your behalf.
Google Analytics Google Analytics is a web analysis service provided by Google Inc. (''Google''). Google utilizes the data collected to track and examine the use of this Site, to prepare reports on its activities and share them with other Google services. Google may use the data collected to contextualize and personalize the ads of its own advertising network.
We utilize several Google Analytics Advertising Features, including:
Remarketing with Google Analytics Google Display Network Impression Reporting DoubleClick Platform Integrations and/or Google Analytics Demographics and Interest Reporting These features are used to understand how our advertising performs and to improve our marketing efforts and the Site. For example, we use Google Remarketing and/or DoubleClick to advertise the Services. Third-party vendors, including Google, show our ads on sites across the Internet. We and third-party vendors, including Google, use first-party Google Analytics cookies and third-party DoubleClick cookies together to serve advertisements to you based on your past visits to the Site.
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Updater Bizz Model
When This Company Stopped Selling Directly, Its Customer Base Increased by 700 Percent
Fri, 13 Jul 2018 15:11
The FixUpdater realized it would better serve its customers by establishing industry partners who could facilitate referrals when they'd be needed most.
Image credit:Zachary Carugno
July 31, 20176 min read
In this series, The Fix, Entrepreneur Associate Editor Lydia Belanger shares her conversations with founders and executives whose solutions to inefficiencies can inspire others to find new ways to save themselves time, money or hassle. This article is included in Entrepreneur Voices on Growth Hacking, a new book containing insights from more than 20 contributors, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders.
''I wish I had known about this a month ago!''
That's what many new customers said about Updater in its early days. They'd find out about the product, a software platform that allows people to keep track of their to-do list before moving, but often just a few days before their move date. By then, they had already taken care of setting up new utilities, changing their addresses and many of the other hassles moving requires. Having access to Updater earlier could have kept them better organized and saved them hours of time.
''We could still help them,'' says Updater founder and CEO David Greenberg of these late-to-the-game customers, ''but we couldn't be as helpful to them.''
Related: Instead of Taking Millions More in Investor Money, Our 25-Person Company Chose to IPO
While the company's executives were grappling with this issue, they spoke with leaders in the real-estate industry. They learned that property management companies, real estate brokerages and others in the space were struggling to help their clients and residents through the moving process. These players wanted to extend their services beyond just finding new homes for their clients.
Image credit: Updater.com
By teaming up, both sides could create a win-win solution for everyone. Updater wanted to connect with more customers -- and connect with them earlier in order to give those customers the best possible experience with its product. Real estate brokerages, property management companies, relocation services and others in the space wanted to better serve their clients by helping them find trustworthy moving companies and keep track of moving tasks -- in turn bolstering client relationships.
The fixTo solve its
customer acquisition problem and attract users en masse, Updater adopted a new mindset: While its product serves movers, the real-estate industry, relocation services and even universities are now its direct customers.
The company began establishing partners and licensing its software directly to them. This meant that, as of February 2015, the general public could not access Updater without a referral. The invite-only model gives Updater's paying partners an advantage and adds an element of exclusivity, given that their clients cannot use the tool without their help.
Image credit: Updater.com
Partnerships took time to establish. In 2013, Updater had just five partners in the real estate space. In 2014, Updater had 55, and by the end of 2015, that number jumped to 225. Today, Updater doesn't release the exact number, but it has more than 660 across all 50 states, and the company says it adds an average of 30 more partners every quarter, with ''nearly no churn.''
Updater allows its partners to co-brand the interface so that the software is customized. For example, agents can upload their photo, personalize their profile and check in with clients. Clients also can find localized information about the best moving services and utilities in their area.
For those who want to benefit from Updater's services but don't have a referral, they can request one on Updater's website. If that avenue doesn't work, Updater provides free content for movers to help them avoid common moving pitfalls, know what questions to ask their real estate agent, discover trustworthy moving companies and more.
Related: The 2 Ways Technology Will Revolutionize Offline Industries
The resultThroughout 2014 and into the first quarter of 2015, the number of moves being processed through Updater was growing at a good pace: It leaped from 1,126 transactions to 4,559, or more than 300 percent growth in a year. But it wasn't until the model changed in the second quarter of 2015 that Updater saw a huge spike. A couple of months after the company pivoted to invite-only, the number of moves being processed jumped to 38,502 -- more than 700 percent from the previous quarter.
''We were able to simultaneously onboard five or 10 pretty big partners all of a sudden at once because we finally went live with that integration platform,'' Greenberg says. ''There was almost a waitlist, if you will, of partners who wanted to get on the platform, but couldn't because we had not yet finished building the integration platform."
The number of quarterly moves has continued to grow -- to 535,782 during Q2 2017. This is nearly a 1,300 percent increase from when the company pivoted the model two years ago. Today, Updater self-reports that it processes 11.68 percent of all U.S. moves. Partners refer clients to Updater an average of three to 10 weeks in advance of their move dates.
For other businesses wondering whether an invite-only model is right for them, Greenberg suggests asking yourself where your customers are, and whether there are other businesses ''a bit further up the food chain'' who can be the liaisons between you and your end users. He also notes that he's gotten inquiries from companies in the estate planning and funeral industries -- ''other technology companies that are focused on a life event'' -- about how to apply the model.
Another take Updater can't just onboard new partners and expect them to do all of the work, of course. Maintaining such relationships is crucial to foster loyalty in the face of potential competition. Plus, the company has to check in regularly to make sure that those partners are getting their clients to take full advantage of the platform and that those clients are having a positive experience, explains Bill Cates, president of Referral Coach International and author of Beyond Referrals.
''You're asking this partner, this other firm, to promote this tool. It's a value added, it's nice, their clients or customers probably appreciate it, but is it promoted well enough? Is it ongoing? Is it embedded in parts of their website or other ways that they communicate?'' Cates says. ''If someone was thinking of borrowing this idea or adopting it to their world, that's one of the key things, to be very clear on what the expectations are. How are you going to measure it? Obviously there are tracking mechanisms, and you can figure out which traffic is coming from which source.''
As Greenberg explains, the largest team of employees within Updater is its client success team, which manages relationships with its partners and tracks closely to make sure that they're getting a return on investment -- that Updater is helping them generate referrals, retain clients or improve resident satisfaction. Updater not only reminds its partners of how it's helping them, but uses this information to learn what's working well and what's not.
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Plane-Bae Woman's Statement Confirms the Worst - The Atlantic
Sun, 15 Jul 2018 11:55
Last week, an unsuspecting woman boarded a plane from New York to Dallas and switched seats with a woman named Rosey Blair, who had asked to sit next to her boyfriend. The woman ended up with a new seatmate, Euan Holden, a former professional soccer player turned model, and chatted with him throughout the flight. What she didn't know was that Blair, seated behind her, was surreptitiously photographing her and Holden's every interaction, recording it all in a Twitter thread that went viral and garnered the hashtag #PlaneBae.
Now the woman, who has asked to remain anonymous, has spoken out about her experience and the consequences she has suffered as a result.
In a statement issued through her lawyer to Business Insider she wrote:
I am a young professional woman. On July 2, I took a commercial flight from New York to Dallas. Without my knowledge or consent, other passengers photographed me and recorded my conversation with a seatmate. They posted images and recordings to social media, and speculated unfairly about my private conduct.
Since then, my personal information has been widely distributed online. Strangers publicly discussed my private life based on patently false information.
I have been doxxed, shamed, insulted and harassed. Voyeurs have come looking for me online and in the real world.
I did not ask for and do not seek attention. #PlaneBae is not a romance'--it is a digital-age cautionary tale about privacy, identity, ethics and consent.
Please continue to respect my privacy, and my desire to remain anonymous.
Her comments confirm many people's worst suspicions about the event'--that she was being exploited for viral fame unknowingly, and unwillingly, to nefarious ends.
Immediately following the flight, Holden embraced his newfound fame, even adding ''Plane Bae'' to his Twitter bio. Blair also sought to capitalize on the situation. ''I'm an actress, comedian and a writer and so is my dude. Also if anyone wants to send us plane tickets we are more than happy to try and find your very own #PlaneBae,'' she tweeted, before asking for a job at BuzzFeed. Brands also jumped into the fray, as brands are wont to do. Alaska Airlines called what Blair did a ''good deed'' and offered her a free flight. T-Mobile offered Blair free Wi-Fi.
While Blair was busy blocking critics on Twitter, many others attempted to shout to the millions of Twitter users the thread had attracted that this wasn't some meet-cute romance story. Blair, knowing nothing about the two passengers' personal lives, sexual orientations, or private business, projected a false narrative onto them in order to go viral.
The woman in the thread reached out to Blair directly and gave a statement to the Today show making it clear that the tweets were misleading and that she wanted to be left alone, yet Blair posted a video encouraging her followers to seek out the woman's personal information.
Somehow, after all of this, fans of the thread still remained adamant that no wrong had been committed. ''We do it everyday to celebrities. No difference. Outrage culture is so dumb,'' wrote one Instagram user below a BuzzFeed News post on the story. ''It was harmless, and it's over. Seriously,'' someone else said. ''Why is this such a big deal?'' asked another. ''It's not an invasion of privacy.''
But it is an invasion of privacy, and the woman's statement proves just how harmful such an act can be. Despite the fact that she did everything in her power to remain anonymous from the moment she became aware of the thread, she still had her personal information and address revealed and received so much harassment that she quit social media.
The fact that she made her statement via a lawyer suggests that she may have plans to sue, something many people on Twitter support. Whether she receives compensation for the damage inflicted, her saga offers a lesson about viral fame and consent. Blair issued an apology for her actions on Wednesday. Perhaps users will think twice about sharing a viral-romance Twitter thread again.
Reflecting on the aftermath of the #PlaneBae saga, one man on Twitter wrote, ''Nobody told us that our '15 Minutes of Fame' would include shaming, insults, threats, etc. And that we might not have even asked for it.''
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World Cup Order
Boots on the ground
Dear John and Adam,
finally a topic I can chime in about, as I’m currently living in Croatia I
hope I can give some useful perspective on the whole WC phenomenon. Football
(Soccer) is like a religion here, people are extremely passionate about it,
especially when it comes to the national team. The whole situation is bordering
on insanity, to give a few examples:
·
All shops (and I do mean all) will only be open
until 4pm (finals game is at 5), the shops are usually open til at least 8pm on
Sundays
·
Employers have been encouraged (by the prime
minister) to give their employees a day off on Monday (when the team is
expected to fly in)
·
The finals are being presented as the greatest
achievement of the Croatian people in general (and that will remain so
regardless of the outcome)
·
The team and the coach will receive something
similar to the Presidential Medal of Freedom
·
During the semi-finals match the streets were
basically deserted, very post-apocalyptic and a great time to rob a bank :)
As for why is the WC not rigged in a different way let me put forward a
theory. Croatian economy is basically in shambles, there is virtually no
industry, and tourism is the only income stream, the result of all that is a
mass exodus out of the country, primarily to Germany and Ireland (nice article
from the Agency).
The government is corrupt and the bureaucracy in huge and extremely
inefficient, a running joke.
Croatian team doing so well is the ultimate panem et circenses move and the ultimate
distraction. As the WC started government announced retirement system reform
(some context here),
which would basically rob people of the money they’ve been putting in as
retirement savings for the past 20 or so years, needless to say this could be
the last straw, and the handful of people still here could actually decide to
express their feelings to the government in less than civil way, and that EU
wants none of that crap.
The last time Croatian team did well in the World Cup was 1998 (they were
defeated by France in the semi-finals and came in 3rd), and that was just as the
shockwaves from Privatization were starting to thoroughly ruin every aspect of
Croatian society and economy (check out the table here), all in
all if Croatia wins I expect shit to hit the fan in a big way (economy and
emigration wise) once the euphoria wears off and people realise they’ve been
robbed (although it will be too late as usual and the rich will get richer).
As a fun tidbit, a win against Russia could be an echo of some energy wars,
where the Americans are all for Southern routes (backing Croatia at the
moment), while the Russians are pushing for north, nice piece about the
situation here,
and some fun here.
There is a lot of context yet to unpack and if you guys are interested to
know more or have some additional questions I’d be more than happy to provide
answers and boots on the ground reporting.
Looking forward to the show today, keep up the great work!
Pedro's analysis
Hi Adam:
I’m also quite stumped with the world cup results. Can’t understand the results if we are to think some kind of “arrangement” is at play, specially with how much the directv world cup commentators down here (latin america’s directv which has 3 distinct feeds: Brazil, central america, & south america. I’m on the latter feed) spare no time to praise how the “multicultural” migrant policies of France & Belgium (among others) have made their teams “better” and are “responsible” for having those teams in the finals & 3 place matches, going as far as having lengthy on air chats among themselves on how this is true, and giving a round of applause to these countries for their policies (quite nauseating) . Seeing how “ethnically pure” Croatia is, this is quite a head scratcher.
But here are some things that they have spoken about too that I have seen mostly ignored about the US’ & EU’s m5m.
When Croatia beat Russia, one player and another team member of the Croatian team made a video dedicating that victory to the Ukrainian people. One of them (the one on the left in the video) was sent home because of the video. https://www.express.co.uk/videos/545772/World-Cup-Croatia-s-Domagoj-Vida-shouts-Glory-to-Ukraine
Then, there’s also the praise the same directv commentators have given many of the Croatian team members, particularly Luka Modric, for how have they been able to “raise to greatness” despite having enduring the hardships of the Yugoslavian civil war, most of them having fled their countries and become migrants because of this war, with FIFA even considering giving him the VIP award: The Golden Ball https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/07/14/sports/soccer/ap-soc-wcup-croatia-modric.html
As you can see, it’s a win-win for FIFA and globalist. Migrant stories all over, even thought they’ll have to swallow their “diversity thanks to migrants” plea if Croatia wins.
On a separate note and as I watch the match, isn’t it odd how the 3rd place match is between UK & Belgium even thought they already played a match in the first round? Albeit not impossible, it is hard for 2 teams that had played against each other in the first round to play again in the final match or, like the UK & Belgium, for 3rd place.
Most interesting about this match is that, as I write this, the home of the EU parliament’s multi culti team is beating the Brexit team 1-0, with the goal scored within the first 5 minutes of the match. If this is not the globalist making a statement, I don’t know what is... if this result holds.
Pedro Itriago
England v Croatia: Donald Trump handed CROATIA shirt ahead of England match | World | News | Express.co.uk
Fri, 13 Jul 2018 12:26
Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. CROATIA President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic has been busy drumming up support ahead of tonight's World Cup semi-final by presenting Donald Trump with his own red and white national team shirt. PUBLISHED: 18:04, Wed, Jul 11, 2018 | UPDATED: 18:14, Wed, Jul 11, 2018
TWITTER
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic presents Donald Trump with a Croatia shirt
The two leaders were pictured with the shirt during a break in proceedings at the 2018 NATO summit in Brussels earlier today.
Mr Trump has a passing interest in football and his son 12-year-old son Barron has previously been spotted in an Arsenal shirt.
He also numbers Manchester United owners the Glazer family as among his friends, and even appeared on ITV's Saint And Greavsie in 1992 when, astonishingly, he was invited to take part in the live draw for that season's League Cup.
And Mr Trump also joined in the World Cup talk when he met his Portuguese counterpart Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
He started the conversation by asking Rebelo de Sousa about Portugal legend Ronaldo.
He said: "So, tell me, how good a player is he? Are you impressed? They say he is the greatest ever."
The Portuguese politician responded: "I'm very much impressed. He's the best player in the world."
Mr Trump then revealed his youngest son Barron knows everything there is to know about the superstar who has just left Real Madrid for Juventus in an £88.5m transfer.
England and Croatia go head-to-head in Moscow later this evening for a place in Sunday's World Cup Final.
GETTY
Uruguay fans wear Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un masks
Fans across the country are preparing to roar on the Three Lions as they battle their way through their first semi-final in 28 years.
Gareth Southgate's boys have been backed to go all the way, after a tense 2-0 win over Sweden in their quarter final clash.
The whole country is eagerly awaiting tonight's clash, which kicks off at 7pm BST at the Luzhniki Stadium, with tens of thousands of fans already beginning to make their way towards screens showing the big match.
The Duke of Cambridge, who is president of the Football Association, backed the England squad with a special rallying cry.
The Duke, who is a an avid football fan and Aston Villa supporter - offered wished team good luck as they strive to make history in Russia and said the squad have ''fired up a generation''.
He said: "A new generation is enjoying the magic of this World Cup run. The whole country is right behind you tonight. Come on England '' it's coming home!''
And when asked by reporters if football was coming home, his brother Prince Harry quipped: ''Most definitely."
England v Croatia: England fans gather ahead of World Cup semi-final Wed, July 11, 2018 England fans have arrived in Russia ahead of tonight's World Cup semi-final match against Croatia EPA
1 of 27
England fans in Moscow's Red Square
England have faced Croatia in seven matches before and won four times. They lost once and drew twice in previous fixtures against Croatia.
But England are tipped to have a good chance on toppling their long-time rivals.
According to bookmakers Ladbrokes, England's match against Croatia is set to smash viewing figure records in the UK.
When England won the World Cup in 1966, a record 32.3 million people tuned in, but Ladbrokes have slashed odds to 5/1 that figure will be beaten tonight.
Most read in World
Any Collusion?
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Read Mueller's full indictment against 12 Russian officers for election interference | PBS NewsHour
Sat, 14 Jul 2018 16:10
Twelve Russian intelligence officers were accused Friday of trying to interfere in the 2016 presidential elections, including a hack of Democratic National Committee.
The allegations came in the latest indictment from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the elections and possible ties to President Donald Trump's campaign. The announcement comes days before Trump's scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin; the president pledged this morning during his visit with British Prime Minister Theresa May to raise the issue of election meddling with Putin.
WATCH: 12 Russians accused of hacking Democrats in 2016 US election
According to the indictment, the officers worked for a military agency known as ''GRU,'' which conspired to hack into computers of those working on the elections with the goal of stealing and releasing documents. That includes the DNC, but also computers associated with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as well as those of volunteers and employees of the Hillary Clinton campaign.
READ MORE: The giant timeline of everything Russia, Trump and the investigations
Starting in June 2016, they released tens of thousands of these documents using online pseudonyms, such as ''Guccifer 2.0'' and ''DC Leaks.'' They used a network of computers around the world, a system paid for with cryptocurrency, to conceal their identities.
They also broke into the computers of those charged with overseeing elections, including state election officials and secretaries of state, as well as companies in charge of election technology and software.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said he has no evidence that the hacking changed the outcome of the 2016 election, nor that ''any American was a knowing participant in the alleged unlawful activity.''
Read the full indictment below.
Mueller Plagiarizes Right-Wing YouTube Journalist's Lawsuit Against Podesta in New Russian Indictments; DOJ's Big Splash Appears Fabricated '' True PunditTrue Pundit
Sat, 14 Jul 2018 14:02
Featured Politics SecurityMueller Plagiarizes Right-Wing YouTube Journalist's Lawsuit Against Podesta in New Russian Indictments; DOJ's Big Splash Appears FabricatedU.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has spent untold millions investigating Russia, President Trump and all things Trump but his latest indictments of 12 alleged Russian operatives lifts language and content from the pending lawsuit of a humble YouTube journalist.
George Webb sued John Podesta in 2017, along with other elected and public officials including Justice Department personnel but today, exact language, accusations and content from Webb's suit appeared in the Justice Department's indictment. Beyond strange.
Mueller swiped Webb's hacking allegations against Imran Awan and simply flipped them '-- almost word for word '-- and made the exact allegations against Russian operatives.
How did the exact wording and language from Webb's civil lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia appear in Mueller's big criminal Russian indictment?
Is the Special Counsel cutting corners now and simply stealing content from other lawsuits? Even a suit against DOJ personnel? Where is all the money going to then?
This is far from a coincidence, based on an analysis of the two court filings. Who on Mueller's team plagiarized Webb's legal filing and tried to mask it as ''new'' and ''breaking'' revelations? Seems like a rushed job for sure.
This is a legal sham, complete with Rod Rosenstein's impromptu press conference on Friday announcing the indictments.
When was Mueller's new indictments drafted, during Thursday's House testimony of FBI Agent Peter Strzok? Why would you need to steal content for Russian indictments if your case was well researched and legitimate?
Some slick sleuthing from Twitter investigator @myhtopoeic pinpointed the plagiarism, a practice likewise considered taboo in legal circles '-- not only the literary arena.
Mueller's ''new'' indictment seems to mirror the majority of Webb's civil suit in theme, wording and allegations. Here is one glaring example.
From Webb's suit:
From Mueller's indictments:
Millions of your tax dollars at work. Stealing content for a supposed high-profile lawsuit.
Webb was not available for comment.
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Shawn Henry is the president of CrowdStrike Services
Sun, 15 Jul 2018 12:14
President of CrowdStrike Services & CSOShawn Henry is the president of CrowdStrike Services and CSO and a retired executive assistant director of the FBI. Henry, who served in three FBI field offices and at the bureau's headquarters, is credited with boosting the FBI's computer crime and cybersecurity investigative capabilities. He oversaw computer crime investigations spanning the globe, including denial-of-service attacks, bank and corporate breaches, and state-sponsored intrusions. He posted FBI cyberexperts in police agencies around the world, including the Netherlands, Romania, Ukraine and Estonia. He has appeared on "60 Minutes", "CBS Evening News", "Good Morning America", "The Today Show", "Dateline", "Rock Center with Brian Williams" and C-SPAN. He has been interviewed by Forbes, BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press and USA Today.
Henry earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Hofstra University and a master's degree in criminal justice administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Awan Brothers: House Report Concluded Pakistanis Made 'Unauthorized Access' To Congressional Servers : conspiracy
Sat, 14 Jul 2018 22:07
I have never read anything that said Stone or Flynn had FISA warrants so can't tell you why. Could you link to any source claiming this?
It's not clear if they were included in the October request, but it's pretty clear they were in the denied summer one. which would still beg the question of why Papadop was not included in either one:
The Guardian has learned that the FBI applied for a warrant from the foreign intelligence surveillance (Fisa) court over the summer in order to monitor four members of the Trump team suspected of irregular contacts with Russian officials. The Fisa court turned down the application asking FBI counter-intelligence investigators to narrow its focus. According to one report, the FBI was finally granted a warrant in October, but that has not been confirmed, and it is not clear whether any warrant led to a full investigation. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/10/fbi-chief-given-dossier-by-john-mccain-alleging-secret-trump-russia-contacts
Cnn ref to the 4 being investigated: http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/18/politics/paul-manafort-government-wiretapped-fisa-russians/index.html
Four Targets Even before Mueller was appointed, FBI investigators focused on four Trump associates: Paul Manafort, former campaign chairman, Michael Flynn, former national security adviser, Carter Page, cited by Trump as a national security adviser, and Roger Stone, a Trump friend and supporter who openly engaged with hackers calling themselves Guccifer 2.0, which US intelligence says was an online persona created as a cover for Russian intelligence agents.
Obviously he was working with the FBI before his lying indictment. He's make a bad inside source to help the investigation if everyone knew he was cooperating with the Feds.
I actually agree. The timing of him joining the campaign actually makes me believe he might actually be the insurance policy. Also seems likely though that no one in the campaign bit at his bait of "hey guys i've got the emails." If they had, it would be in the news by now.
That's why we have indictments such as Papadolopous and Flynn for lying. Wait, so he was working with them prior to this but the indictment for lying is legit?
The first request for FISA was not denied. You're thinking of the subpoena.
You REALLY need to read more. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38589427
Lawyers from the National Security Division in the Department of Justice then drew up an application. They took it to the secret US court that deals with intelligence, the Fisa court, named after the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. They wanted permission to intercept the electronic records from two Russian banks.
Their first application, in June, was rejected outright by the judge. They returned with a more narrowly drawn order in July and were rejected again. Finally, before a new judge, the order was granted, on 15 October, three weeks before election day.
Mueller indictment sheds new light on Russia's 'nasty' secret election hacking units
Sun, 15 Jul 2018 12:12
The Justice Department's Friday indictment of 12 Russian officials described them as midlevel functionaries staring at computer screens in windowless offices in the bowels of the vast Kremlin bureaucracy.
But Friday's indictment also shows how the front-line Russian intelligence agents who U.S. officials believe hacked the 2016 presidential election '-- some of world's most capable cyberwarriors '-- operate, and how they did a lot more than steal and disseminate embarrassing emails from Democratic party officials.
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The operatives from two units within Russia's GRU military intelligence agency meddled in the election through an elaborate series of coordinated high-tech influence operations, and by using a global network of anonymous servers, bitcoin purchasers and other unwitting cutouts to cover the digital tracks, according to the indictment.
And, according to the 14-page charging document, the Russians deeply infiltrated two key Democratic Party organizations and key aspects of Democrat Hillary Clinton's campaign'--watching their every move via real-time digital surveillance until just weeks before the election.
That kind of extraordinary capability allowed the Russians ''to virtually look over the shoulders of Democratic campaign staffers in real time throughout most of the 2016 campaign,'' said Ed McAndrew, a former federal cybercrime prosecutor and Justice Department lawyer. He attributed the ''extremely high level of sophistication of the Russian GRU hackers'' to their ability to combine sophisticated social engineering techniques and custom-designed malware with more simple spearphishing techniques used to obtain passwords of more than 300 unsuspecting victims from the Democratic party.
''These GRU units are dedicated, well-organized and well-funded, and they're perfectly capable of causing havoc in our electric grid as well as insecure election systems,'' said Joel Brenner, a top official at the National Security Agency and Directorate of National Intelligence during the Bush and Obama administrations.
''Nasty,'' was how Brenner described the GRU activities laid out in the 14-page indictment, which disclosed the names of the 12 Russian military officers who allegedly led the campaign. The indictment also disclosed for the first time the names of the units within the GRU, officially known as the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Russian General Staff, that prosecutors said led the effort.
One of them, Unit 26165, meticulously hacked and stole the information, while the other, 74455, set up the elaborate infrastructure around the world that was used to disseminate the material and make it look like a series of unrelated incidents.
At a news conference Friday, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein summarized the case against the 12 Russians as a crime of money laundering, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to access computers without authorization '-- all done in furtherance of their efforts to influence the election.
The indictment went into far more detail, describing how Unit 26165 hacked and stole vast troves of data from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee beginning in March 2016, and then used that access to do the same thing to the Democratic National Committee.
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By April 2016, the GRU operatives hacked and stole more than 50,000 emails from Clinton campaign Chairman John Podesta and other campaign officials. Then they released them at strategically opportune times, the indictment said, through various cutouts and websites they set up and operated with fictitious personas, including Americans.
By capturing the keystrokes and computer activities of their victims, they also captured communications about fundraising, voter outreach projects, data about the DCCC's finances, personal banking information and even files about Clinton's Achilles Heel, the Benghazi investigations. They also accessed third-party cloud-computing services to obtain politically valuable data about the DNC's analytics, the indictment said.
And both units covered their tracks so meticulously through an elaborate series of countersurveillance measures that they secretly remained inside the Democrats' systems until October 2016, the indictment said, despite the efforts of a top U.S. cybersecurity firm to flush them out that began five months earlier.
CrowdStrike, the cybersecurity company hired by the DNC, declined to comment. DNC Chair Tom Perez didn't address that issue specifically, except to say in a statement that the GRU units' efforts to disrupt the U.S. electoral process ''have grave implications for our democracy.''
''Today's indictment makes clear just how vast this operation was,'' Perez said. That scope included the GRU units' penetration of a state election board's website, from which they stole information related to about 500,000 voters.
On Saturday, CrowdStrike provided a statement from the DNC, in which it said that while some of the malware had remained in its system, it had been quarantined.
''This Linux based version of X-agent malware was a remnant of the original hack and had been quarantined during the remediation process in June 2016,'' according to the statement from Adrienne Watson, the DNC's deputy communications director. ''While programmed to communicate with a GRU-registered domain, we do not have any information to suggest that it successfully communicated, exfiltrated data, corrupted our newly built systems, or breached our voter file following the remediation process.''
The former Justice Department and NSA cybersecurity officials said the indictment also was noteworthy for what it said about the multi-agency U.S. effort to unravel the GRU units' activities back in 2016, and to gather enough evidence about the individuals responsible to prosecute them in federal court.
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Brenner, the former NSA senior official, said the investigation must have been ''amazingly thorough,'' for instance, to be able to identify the GRU agents operating behind the scenes, including those who engineered the custom malware used in the DNC intrusions.
''I don't know how you do this except by penetrating the defendants' systems,'' Brenner said. ''Our intel services should be congratulated.''
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Producer Kris K attends CrowdStrike Demo
Good day to the OG Podfather. I sent you a tweet a about a
week ago about doing a Crowd Strike demo. Here are some screenshots of the
initial call and from the demo of the product. It was an eye opening
experience. Did get in a few jokes on the Pew Pew map and them doing the DNC
server hack job and not the FBI. They seemed quite proud to do the DNC break in
investigation and exposing the "Oh those Russians" part of the hack.
They are thoroughly convinced it was the Russians and not an inside job which
is the theory I agree with. There was way too much data moved for it not to be
done inside the network. I can;t see them transferring that much info that
quickly over an internet connection.
Through the demo they threw out a lot of buzz terms. They
said their staff are all former CIA and NSA. The guy who did the demo for me
was a 7 yr veteran of the NSA. I have no doubt that Crowd Strike is a project
of the intel community. They leverage Splunk to build out their product. I have
used Splunk before so I am not surprised that is the route they went. It makes
me wonder if Splunk is an intel community project as well. I am certain that
the NSA is like the CIA in that no one ever truly retires, they just move on to
another arm of the organization. I learned a lot about that from my wife's
granddad. He us retired CIA. He spent a lot of time in Europe,Asia, and the
Middle East. His best stories come from the Middle East. He did pirate radio
stations. They would come in and setup shop and broadcast over top of the state
run radio. He has some great stories about jumping out of second story windows
with bullet flying around you. It sounds like something from a Bond movie. As
for the product it is a polished machine. Its easy to maneuver and has a simple
UI for drilling into data. At times I found myself getting caught up in the
sales pitch and all the fancy screens. Of course my No Agenda inoculations
kicked in and pulled me back from going full retard. Never go full retard. We
never got to the pricing structure. I'm still waiting for that whopper of a
number to come back. It is a nice product and I have no doubt it can replace
antivirus, malware, and firewall functions at the desktop. Just like the Cisco
Firepower product its strength is in getting enough people to use the product
in order to learn and detect new exploits and attacks. They talk about machine
learning but they are very much using actually humans since the Machines cant
learn yet with all the so called AI. They refer to the team as the Managed
Hunter team and they call them their Force Multiplier. They also offer what
they call their white glove option. This is someone crazy enough to allow them
to view all their data and step in when a live attack is detected and to
remediate it for you. Anyone who chooses that option needs to be fired. Below
are some of the buzz terms they threw out. I'm not sure if this will help the
show but I wanted to share what I learned as a fellow Dude Named Ben.
As always I love the show. I grew up watching you on MTV and
reading John's columns. I am a bit overdue for a donation so I need to rectify
that before I fall into full-on douchebag
125 billion events a day from users
They only collect metadata
DNA of Attack
Nations States
IOA (Indication of Attack)
Non Sales staff are all ex CIA and NSA
IT Hygene
Built on Splunk
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5 Takeaways From The Hearing With FBI Counterintel No. 2 Peter Strzok
Fri, 13 Jul 2018 14:22
An embattled FBI official who led investigations into both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump testified in a cantankerous open hearing on the Hill yesterday. Peter Strzok, formerly the second in command of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division, lost his position after texts he exchanged on government systems with his also-married lover and colleague Lisa Page revealed extreme bias against President Trump and his voters.
Yesterday's joint hearing in front of the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees was the first public hearing Congress held with the official who launched the Russia probe two years ago. Here are a few key takeaways from that hearing.
1. This Is What DOJ Obstruction Looks LikeThe country is two years into the FBI's probe of whether Donald Trump colluded with Russia to steal an election. Not a single charge has been brought by the FBI or by the Office of Special Counsel alleging collusion or treason or anything close to the charges that supposedly necessitated this investigation.
Congress began asking some questions of the FBI and Department of Justice about how it was conducting the investigation. Through the oversight process, Americans learned that the infamous ''dossier'' that laid out a case of collusion was secretly bought and paid for by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee. This dossier was used to secure wiretaps against Trump associates (other surveillance methods, including human informants, were also used).
The dossier was fed to both the FBI and State Department. Top intelligence officials were leaking about the Russia investigation to CNN and other media outlets. A top DOJ official's wife worked for the firm that Hillary Clinton hired to run the ''Russia'' operation. That firm fed their opposition research to the FBI through him.
The Senate Judiciary and House Intelligence Committees, along with the Senate Homeland Security committee, House Oversight, and House Government Reform committees, have worked hard to uncover these details and in the face of unprecedented obstruction. Requests for documents are met with stonewalling, delays, redactions, leak campaigns, and outright refusals. Threats of subpoenas are routinely made to force even minor compliance.
Despite the length of yesterday's hearing, congressional overseers were able to elicit almost no substantive answers to the questions they asked. Strzok claimed he was not answering questions because the Department of Justice told him not to answer questions. No matter the question, Strzok refused to answer any question about his role in the Russia probe, with almost no exceptions.
The hearing was a public revelation of the stonewalling and obstruction the DOJ has enforced against congressional oversight.
2. Strzok Somehow Came Off Even Worse Than He Did In His TextsDespite his significant role in the Russia and Clinton investigations, the only picture Americans had formed of Strzok was based on his text messages. He spoke of his loathing of President Trump, Trump's voters, and congressional oversight. He talked of stopping Trump's election, of insurance policies to deal with his candidacy, and fantasies of impeachment.
The texts were between him and his also married colleague, another top-ranking official in the Department of Justice. The hearing demonstrated the texts were at best an accurate reflection of the man who wrote them. If anything, the texts were understated.
Strzok chose to present himself to the world as a smug, arrogant, and peevish man. He was defensive and condescending. His answers were almost mind-blowingly implausible. It wasn't just that he lacked good judgment or even-handedness. It's that he didn't seem to have a grip on reality. He kept saying he wasn't biased, when his bias is indisputable.
He told investigators that he would like to answer a question but that his attorneys weren't letting him. If they later told him he could answer, he'd say he didn't remember. He implausibly said that his affair didn't put him at risk of compromise, in contrast to his agency's policy.
3. Democrats Run InterferenceAlmost immediately, Democrats on the House and Government Reform Committee attempted to shut down the hearing. When that failed, they resorted to near-constant parliamentary inquiries and objections. At one point they actually cheered and applauded Strzok, despite his ethical failings and poor judgment, which have threatened the entire Russia investigation. The man is under internal investigation for his behavior. Yet one Democrat said he'd like to offer Strzok a Purple Heart, a military decoration awarded to those wounded or killed while serving in the U.S. military.
As silly as this behavior may seem, it indicated how Democrats hope to handle all oversight of the FBI and DOJ's handling of the Russia probe. The message went out that every hearing will be a clown-show, even by the typical grandstanding attendant to congressional hearings. Democrats on oversight committees have fought transparency of the Russia investigation, portraying it as obstruction of a legitimate probe. All signs indicate that opposition to oversight will continue.
4. DOJ Clearly Hiding Its Relationship With Democratic-Funded Smear GroupThe FBI and DOJ frequently instructed Strzok not to answer substantive questions from Republicans. One line of inquiry pursued by Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, was regarding communication between the FBI and Fusion GPS, the group that concocted the ''Russia'' dossier and messaging plan on behalf of Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee. Strzok generally declined to answer questions.
But Strzok did admit that Bruce Ohr, husband of Fusion GPS operative Nellie Ohr, funneled documents to the FBI related to the Russia case. He refused to say what those documents were. Yesterday, Sen. Chuck Grassley asked DOJ to declassify the dozen reports summarizing Ohr's 12 information-sharing meetings with the FBI.
The FBI used Fusion GPS-hired Christopher Steele until the end of October, when he was terminated for lying about his leaks to the media. But Fusion and Steele were able to continue funnelling information to the FBI using colleague Nellie Ohr and her husband Bruce Ohr, a top DOJ official who worked closely with acting Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
When the Russia story first broke, Americans didn't realize that the dossier was a secret Clinton/DNC operation, or that the unverified opposition research was sent to various Obama officials in multiple agencies. Americans didn't know that a top DOJ official was married to an employee of the group that created the dossier, or that he was used to get information into the government.
5. The Mystery Of Why The Investigation StartedStrzok said he didn't see the dossier until mid-September. His electronic communication that started the probe didn't include official intelligence. Given the politically explosive nature of the investigation, the FBI and DOJ have failed to explain what they were thinking in starting a probe of the Trump campaign.
The entire investigation has major problems from start to finish, whether it's the use of a dossier that Steele created and Bruce Ohr sent to the FBI, or the fact that Strzok ended up having to be removed from the investigation for his obvious and extreme bias. Strzok said Mueller never asked him about his texts, and didn't seek to find out more from him about what his ''insurance policy'' or ''impeachment'' rhetoric meant.
Again, the hearing was less than substantive because of the ongoing obstruction and stonewalling campaign engaged in by DOJ. That was itself instructive.
Copyright (C) 2018 The Federalist, a wholly independent division of FDRLST Media, All Rights Reserved.
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The Iran Deal Facilitates Mass Murder in Syria - The Atlantic
Sun, 15 Jul 2018 11:28
An Iranian uranium-enrichment facility outside Isfahan, in 2009 Vahid Salemi / AP Editor's Note: This article is part of a debate about whether to stay in the Iran deal. Read the other entries here.
The fundamental question when discussing a nuclear deal with Tehran is this: Are you prepared to fight over it? If not, then any deal is a good deal. This willingness to go to the mat also affects whether you are prepared to push back against the clerical regime in the Middle East, especially in Syria and Iraq, and even whether and how you are willing to advance a regime-change policy'--regime change, incidentally, being what an increasingly big and vocal slice of the Iranian people want. Westerners should appreciate the religio-political evolution of the Islamic Republic. The rebellion against an Islamist clerisy ought to ring our inner chimes and make us realize that the Western and Islamic worlds share a lot of intellectual property, that they are, as V.S. Naipaul astutely noted after traversing the Middle East and landing at Bombay, two branches of the same family.
But the debate over the deal illuminates much about the debate over differing approaches to the Islamic Republic. In a recent Atlantic article, Phil Gordon sums up the things I wouldn't concede to the regime as if those demands were unreasonable: Absolutely, I would never concede advanced centrifuges, long-range ballistic missiles, inspections that never touch Revolutionary Guard bases'--where we know the regime once worked on nuclear triggers'--and nuclear-weapons research files and personnel that are all off limits to International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors. Just the concession of the last two means in practice that one can never know whether the regime is cheating outside of surveilled sites. This ought to be a critical issue for anyone who cares about the deal's substance, and not just about punting a problem down the road.
Obama conceded an industrial-scale nuclear-weapons industry and all we got in return is a bit of time. Once Iranian engineers perfect high-velocity centrifuges, which will take Ali Akbar Salehi, the atomic ''energy'' chief, and his merry men no more than a decade, it's game, set, match. Unless a miracle happens, the Central Intelligence Agency will have no means to detect bomb-grade enrichment at small cascades the mullahs could disperse throughout the country. When we have a deal that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander Mohammad Ali Jafari, the Quds Force and expeditionary militia overlord Qassem Soleimani, and Salehi all approve of, we have a deal that everyone should run from. Obama did not. I strongly suspect because he had already conceded the bomb.
And without a willingness to risk direct confrontation with the regime, regional pushback against Tehran will always just be rhetoric'--the type of pro forma comments you heard regularly from Hillary Clinton's foreign-policy people, or now at Brookings in well-intentioned strategy sessions. If Washington retains the nuclear agreement, even economic pushback against the regime for its barbarism in Syria is an illusion, since any serious coercion runs smack into the guiding principle of the JCPOA: sanctions relief in exchange for temporary nuclear restraint.
To punish seriously the mullahs for mass murder in Syria'--and the Iranians have been essentially running the savage ground game since the late Revolutionary Guard General Hosein Hamedani took over the Syrian militia system in 2013'--sanctions would need to be big, too big probably for the confines of Obama's deal. (The Iranians really want to keep the deal because of all its strategic goodies, so they might be willing to endure significant sanctions pain before they call it quits.) In the eyes of the Europeans and most Washington Democrats, acceptable sanctions against Iran for its crimes in the Levant will always be just south of where they might jeopardize the JCPOA. That sad fact may even be why the Trump administration's sanctions against the Islamic Republic have so far been'--with the possible exception of its designation of the entire Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization'--pretty lame. The Trump White House's sanctions'--barring the Rev Guard designation'--could have been approved by Obama.
To put it another way, the JCPOA helped strategically and ethically to enfeeble former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, and former National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster. Former ambassador Frederic Hof, who oversaw Syria policy at the State Department after 2012, claims that concern about the nuclear diplomacy and outreach to the Islamic Republic just morally annihilated the Obama administration's approach to Syria. I'm willing to accept the contention that Obama would have done nothing in Syria regardless of his outreach to Khamenei because he was deadly serious about downsizing America in the region. The all-critical inflection point for Mr. Obama's red-line Syria fiasco in 2013 may not have been his dreams of engaging Khamenei but the fear of a Middle Eastern slippery slope. The two aspirations are not, of course, mutually exclusive.
Gordon himself wasn't content with the position that Obama took on Syria. All to his credit, I guess, though I have to ask how he could have squared doing anything serious in Syria and maintaining the JCPOA. They seem mutually exclusive to me. It makes no sense'--unless one is scared of war with the clerical regime beyond all else'--for the United States to allow the regime more money for its imperialism. Surely among the most embarrassing moments for the Obama administration was when Ben Rhodes, the deputy national security adviser, and Central Intelligence Agency director John Brennan suggested that monies gained through the nuclear agreement would largely go to domestic spending'--as if the Islamic Republic were a Western welfare state.
The JCPOA has effectively made America a handmaiden to the clerical regime's adventurism. We will soon see what President Trump will do if he walks away from the atomic accord and whether that act will oblige him to deal more forcefully with Iranian imperialism. His allergy to America in the Muslim Middle East is strong, perhaps as strong as Obama's.
On that depressing note, let me turn to regime change, where things look better. To be clear: I don't view regime change as an answer to the mullahs' quest for the bomb. I would support regime change even if the ruling clerical elite and the Revolutionary Guards weren't gunning for nuclear weapons. And I would not base any U.S. strategy on an atomic timeline. Regime change ought to be the ultimate goal of American foreign policy toward the Islamic Republic for the simple reason that only when the Islamist dictatorship collapses will Iranian malevolence against the United States cease. I do think it's highly unlikely that, if the theocracy falls, the succeeding Iranian government will develop nuclear-tipped missiles. If the next government is democratic, which is likely given the evolution of Iran's polity, it certainly won't, since the clerical regime's hegemonic ambitions have limited traction in Iranian society, and domestic demands, as we have witnessed in the risings in 2009 and the end of last year, will take precedence.
I don't know if the Islamic Republic is ''on its last legs.'' Yet the regime experienced a near-death experience during the Green Revolution protests in 2009-2010. The profound regime depression provoked by the provincial demonstrations, which started last December, continues. (This has undoubtedly been helped by Mr. Trump, who scares the regime, and has helped to send the riyal through the basement floor. More credit goes, of course, to the Islamic Republic's fundamental dysfunction, especially in economics. ) There are many reasons to believe that the theocracy is in serious trouble.
When George Kennan wrote his famous article on ''The Sources of Soviet Conduct,'' he didn't think the U.S.S.R. was near collapse. The potential imminence of such a collapse is not why we should want it in Iran. We should want it because we recognize the regime's implacable, virulent hatred of the United States, and its religious-fascist roots that give birth to awful conspiracies and vicious imperialism. One of the most disconcerting things about the Obama administration's approach toward Iran was how it so misread, miscast, or usually just ignored what the Iranian regime was saying. Iranian president Hassan Rouhani is many things, but a ''moderate,'' as Western media tends to describe him, is not one of them. Khamenei is way, way beyond ''complicated,'' to use Mr. Obama's description. If the Roman God Mendacious came down to earth, he would be Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Doing what we can'--and yes, we undoubtedly will make stupid mistakes in this effort'--to get rid of this regime would be a blessing to us and the region. It's always good to remember what Bob Kagan remarked about waging foreign policy: Like in baseball, if you bat just a bit north of .300, you'll probably make it into the Hall of Fame.
Concerning past parallels that concern Gordon, I don't believe that Ronald Reagan single-handedly brought down the Soviet Union. Far from it. The inhumanity'--the unsustainable, impoverishing, soul-erasing, fun-obliterating contradictions of communism'--brought down the Soviet Union. Reagan's willingness to build up American defenses and push back, and to state clearly what folks like Henry Kissinger and Jimmy Carter seemed unable to say'--that the Soviet Union was an evil empire ready for the dustbin'--gave a timely shove. Without Reagan, the U.S.S.R. might have lasted far longer.
And Reagan certainly didn't allow arms-control treaties to stand in the way of the larger mission. Neither should we. We can ratchet up a lot of economic pain for the Iranian regime. Rouhani made a lot of promises before he was elected president, promises that he could not keep. Broken promises and lost hope can provoke internal unrest.
Before anything else, the United States has to get the rhetoric right. President Trump's statements about tyranny and human rights in Iran have been better than President Obama's (they could hardly be worse). But there is certainly lots of room for Washington to echo and amplify the cause of those fighting against religious dictatorship. We know from the dissidents behind the Iron Curtain that such rhetorical support kept men and women spiritually, sometimes physically, alive. We should never treat Iranians as if they are somehow different than non-Muslims. I don't support arming Iranian minorities, even the ones who've been cruelly oppressed by the regime. But I certainly do think America can do more to publicize their plight and punish the mullahs economically, diplomatically, and legally for their ghastly behavior. And there is, of course, a place for the CIA. Not a big one. I have been involved in Iranian covert action and read voluminous files about the agency's covert activities elsewhere: I have no delusions about what can and cannot be done. But Langley could do, I am sure, a lot more to fracture the fraternity of the Revolutionary Guards and bring dissident entertainment to the masses.
People like Obama and former Secretary of State John Kerry want to believe that greater commerce with Iran, plus patience, will set us free. That's the approach they would probably still like with North Korea'--bribery as diplomacy, and the illusion that money will soothe the totalitarian beast. But North Korea has nukes, they have thousands of artillery tubes that can level Seoul, and the U.S. has only the option of nuclear retaliation against them to prevent things from getting really awful. The only question that remains is why anyone would want to walk down the same path with the Islamic Republic. The Agreed Framework of 1994 is the JCPOA.
I am always amused by how men of the left, whenever the possibility of military confrontation looms, find comfort in the supposedly transformative promise of capitalism. This is a particularly Western'--Christian'--way of looking at the mainspring of the soul. One would think given the fertile history of capitalism cross-breeding with fascism that American liberals would be more judicious in such hopes. In Iran there is no paralyzing tension between a Revolutionary Guard commander or mullah making millions while plotting the deaths of thousands in Syria, installing in Lebanon ever-better conventional missiles aimed at Tel Aviv, or building nuclear triggers at Parchin.
It's the hardest task but the first commandment in foreign affairs'--one that has bedeviled both Democratic and Republican administrations in dealing with the Islamic Republic: Don't mirror image. We need to take Iranian revolutionaries seriously. They have principles and pride. They have integrity and a cause. The United States and the clerical regime haven't had problems, as President Obama sometimes suggested, because we'd failed to reach out and because we misapprehended each other. We haven't had problems because they seized our diplomats, or because we supported (however lamely) a coup against Mohammad Mosaddeq in 1953. Look into the archives of the State Department and the CIA and you will see that Washington regularly tried to engage, even before Bill Clinton started apologizing for the British Empire.
We remain at odds because we are enemies, because they choose to be our enemy. For cause: Americans' most basic beliefs, let alone all the desiderata of modern Western culture, are carcinogenic to them. If Obama and his diplomats had gone into nuclear negotiations with the clerical regime with that understanding guiding them, the JCPOA as it is surely would not exist.
We want to hear what you think. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.
Reuel Marc Gerecht is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He has served as a Middle Eastern targets officer with the CIA's Directorate of Operations, and is the author of
Know Thine Enemy: A Spy's Journey into Revolutionary Iran.
Thread by @ThomasWictor: "(1) @drawandstrike You follow this stuff closely. And you have lots of fellow researchers who know the details. I'm wondering if Strzok is a ['...]"
Sun, 15 Jul 2018 11:04
The 4th of July
The Absolute State of the Union: Faction and Retortion
[THREAD]
I wish all Americans a Happy 4th of July. I hope you celebrate and take the day to appreciate our remarkable Republic.
For me, the 4th of July is a somewhat melancholy day'--the American Republic seems ailing, and has for some time.
Can the American experiment work?
One of my habits is to reread the Federalist Papers on the 4th of July. I know, that's not normal, but it's proven a good habit for me.
Read 54 tweetsThe most important question you asked is this:
"Why does Strzok have FBI lawyers"
Why were these FBI lawyers dictating what Strzok could say?
The easy answer is to protect the FBI.
This is wrong.
The correct answer is to protect the Ongoing Investigations. https://twitter.com/DropTha_Mic25/status/1012803008135139328
Strzok already HAS his own attorney.
Aitan Goelman
zuckerman.com/people/aitan-d'..."We did not have confidence that Strzok's decision to prioritize the Russia investigation over following up on the Midyear-related investigative lead discovered on the Weiner laptop was free from bias."
Read 21 tweetsToday in
#FatStudyGroup, we reading Chs9-10 of Solovay, S. (2000). Tipping the scales of justice. Amherst, New York, USA: Prometheus Books.
In the ninth chapter, Solovay reviews how weight often intersects with other (usually protected) categories, such as gender and/or race. She provides several examples of cases where this has occurred, and how the courts have negotiated the issue.
In the longest chapter in the book, Ch10, Solovay considers whether fat people should find protection under existing disability laws. She begins by noting how contentious this idea is, both in the fat activist community and in the disability community.
Read 14 tweetsIf you want to kill people, the most effective way to do this in the modern era (since gun laws and annoying people like the Police will make things awkward) is to persuade people to stop (or never start) a statin.
Over the long term, 1 in 10 will be killed by that choice.
You can even write books about it and make money.
And be seen as a crusader against a crooked medicogovernmental conspiracy.
The internet is a good place to operate, because most lay people can't distinguish scientific reasoning from pseudoscience, and because ...
Excellent question from Arnab:
Read 222 tweetsIn religion, we talk about the "nones" (those who have left faith) and the "dones" (those who are over church). But I want to talk about another group: The Exiles. 1/
Exiles would be part of a faith community if they could. But something keeps compelling them to move on, to not settle. 2/
Some are forced into exile, others go into self-exile. 3/
Read 24 tweets
Iranian Defector: 'U.S. Negotiating Team Mainly There to Speak on Iran's Behalf'
Sun, 15 Jul 2018 11:04
An Iranian journalist writing about the nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran has defected. In an interview Amir Hossein Motaghi, has some harsh words for his native Iran. He also has a damning indictment of America's role in the nuclear negotiations.
''The U.S. negotiating team are mainly there to speak on Iran's behalf with other members of the 5+1 countries and convince them of a deal," Motaghi told a TV station after just defecting from the Iranian delegation while abroad for the nuclear talks. The P 5 + 1 is made up of United States, United Kingdom, Russia, China, France, plus Germany.
The British Telegraph has details of Motaghi's defection:
A close media aide to Hassan Rouhani, the Iranian president, has sought political asylum in Switzerland after travelling to Lausanne to cover the nuclear talks between Tehran and the West. Amir Hossein Motaghi, who managed public relations for Mr Rouhani during his 2013 election campaign, was said by Iranian news agencies to have quit his job at the Iran Student Correspondents Association (ISCA). He then appeared on an opposition television channel based in London to say he no longer saw any ''sense'' in his profession as a journalist as he could only write what he was told. ''There are a number of people attending on the Iranian side at the negotiations who are said to be journalists reporting on the negotiations,'' he told Irane Farda television. ''But they are not journalists and their main job is to make sure that all the news fed back to Iran goes through their channels. ''My conscience would not allow me to carry out my profession in this manner any more.'' Mr Mottaghi was a journalist and commentator who went on to use social media successfully to promote Mr Rouhani to a youthful audience that overwhelmingly elected him to power. Daniel Halper was formerly online editor of The Weekly Standard.
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Juncker the Drunker
Footage of Jean-Claude Juncker staggering around NATO summit sparks claims EU boss 'was drunk on the job'
Thu, 12 Jul 2018 21:31
FOOTAGE of Jean-Claude Juncker staggering around the NATO summit sparked fresh claims the EU President was drunk on the job.
The famously thirsty Eurocrat was seen being propped up and helped down steps by world leaders while mingling with Donald Trump and Theresa May before a big dinner in Brussels.
AP:Associated Press
Jean Claude Juncker was seen being helped to walk at the Nato summitThe excruciating video shows him being aided by Ukraine's president Petro Poroshenko, and at one point Mrs May walked past, looking on in apparent concern.
Photos also emerged of Mr Juncker appearing to mock the US President by sitting in the American chief's seat and posing for the cameras.
He was later seen leaving the security alliance meeting in a wheelchair - with allies insisting that he was suffering from a painful back condition.
The 63 year old has previously claimed he suffered from sciatica - which can affect movement.
AP:Associated Press
The Eurocrat was seen being propped up and helped down steps by world leaders while mingling with Donald Trump and Theresa MayEU officials insisted the incident was a reoccurrence of the Brussels chief's longstanding illness and pointed out he was back on duty at NATO first thing on Thursday.
But Martin Reichardt, an MP for the far-right Alternative for Germany party, accused Mr Juncker of a ''shameless appearance'' and being ''falling down drunk''.
During a speech in Ireland last month he explained that the condition made him unsteady on his feet, joking he'd ''prefer to be drunk''.
However it is far from the first time that the former Luxembourg premier's alleged fondness for refreshment has got him into trouble.
He faced questions about his fitness for office in 2017 after staggering around at UN peace conference.
Diplomats said he was ''very visibly p***ed'' during key talks in Geneva over Cyprus.
Getty Images - Getty
He was also seen in a wheelchair - sparking fears for his healthReuters
He was seen stumbling and losing his balance several times - and had to be held to kept uprightSPECIAL RELATIONSHIP Donald Trump met by Theresa May as he arrives at Blenheim Palace
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He caused a stir during the conference with his drink-fuelled erratic behaviour.
It included collisions with people and furniture, and being very familiar with junior aides
And at an EU summit in Latvia in 2015 a clearly inebriated Mr Juncker slapped a series of arriving EU leaders in the face in front of TV cameras.
He also loudly branded Hungary's PM Viktor Orban ''a dictator'' as he arrived, before also slapping him in the face.
Bonkers Euro boss Jean-Claude Juncker's oddest moments - from Benny Hill head slapping to bizarre outbursts
Juncker wankelt en wordt door wereldleiders overeind gehouden | NOS
Sun, 15 Jul 2018 14:19
Opmerkelijke beelden van de voorzitter van de Europese Commissie Jean-Claude Juncker op de NAVO-top. In de video, die gemaakt is op een diner in Brussel, is te zien hoe hij wankel op zijn benen staat en met moeite een trapje op en af komt.
Juncker werd door verschillende wereldleiders, waaronder de presidenten van Finland en Oekra¯ne, overeind gehouden. Later moest premier Rutte de Commissievoorzitter begeleiden bij het weglopen.
Bekijk de beelden hieronder:
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Rutte werd gevraagd naar het gedrag van Juncker. Volgens de premier had Juncker last van zijn rug.
De Commissievoorzitter had gedurende het hele evenement toch een flinke glimlach op zijn gezicht. Volgens Rutte was dat omdat Juncker een man met "een goed humeur is". Ook zegt hij dat de rugproblemen bij Juncker al langer aanhouden. "Het is niet op enige manier levensbedreigend, maar het is een probleem waar hij last van heeft. Dan heeft hij pijnaanvallen."
De Luxemburgse Commissievoorzitter wil zelf niets zeggen over mogelijke gezondheidsproblemen. Ook zijn woordvoerder gaat tegenover persbureau ANP niet in op de kwestie. "Het is niet aan ons zijn gezondheidstoestand in het openbaar te bespreken."
SCOTUS
Sir Vortex Ring on SC legality
ITM!
Adam, I’m a helicopter pilot who supports himself as an attorney.
1.
Judicial Supremacy
The
Constitution is silent as to who has the final say concerning
constitutionality. The power of judicial supremacy was first asserted by John
Marshall in the case of Marbury v. Madison, which really pissed off Thomas
Jefferson.
While
judicial supremacy has become generally accepted, it has been not been always
respected by the other branches. Andrew Jackson is supposed to have famously
said about the court's decision in Worcester v. Georgia "John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it!”
An out-of-control court could be reigned in by
Congress simply eliminating some or all of its appellate jurisdiction under
Article III, Section 2. For example, Congress could say the court has no
authority to hear abortion cases.
2. Impeachment
There is an argument that conviction by the
Senate does not require removal from office. Article I, Section 3
says “Judgment in the case of impeachment shall not extend further than
to removal from office . . . .” In the Clinton impeachment, it was surmised that
the Senate could have convicted him but then made the punishment something less
than removal, such as a public censure.
3. Life Tenure
Getting back to John Marshall, the fourth chief
justice, he served for 34 years from 1801 to 1835. Since the Constitution was
written 14 years earlier in 1787, of course they knew people could serve for a
long time.
TYFYC!
Sir
Kris, Knight of the Vortex Ring State
Very Lengthy
Hi Adam, just wanted to clarify
very quickly your questions on the Supreme Court.
Constitutionally, the Supreme Court is NOT the arbiters of whether law is
constitutional or not. This power was seized in one of the most early Supreme
Court cases that happened in this country in a case called Marbury verses
Madison. When the Constitution was being drafted, Madison always wanted the
Supreme Court to have this power (now known as judicial review), however, the
founders felt that the Supreme Court would be too powerful should they have
this power. The details of the case are not particularly important, what is
important is that this case set the precedence going forward to have judicial
review.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marbury_v._Madison
In court cases, there is something called standing. This is a fancy legal term
that describes something very simple; a person cannot sue UNLESS they can show
direct a direct connection to the case. The idea is, suppose you were taking a
medication and it caused some physical or psychological harm to you and you
relayed this story on the podcast. I would not be able to sue on your behalf because
the harm has not happened to me. Instead, YOU would have to sue (and as such,
be listed as the plaintiff). This prevents companies from being sued by every
person in the United States out of moral outrage.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_(law)
For reasons that require an entire book to cover, we sit on pins and needles
waiting for Supreme Court decisions, many of which, the Supreme Court does not
have any jurisdiction over. It is worth noting that the Supreme Court does NOT
issue rulings, they issue opinions or decisions. Look at the top of any
assenting or dissenting opinion (Google Roe V Wade assenting opinion and that
should bring up the Supreme Court website with the actual opinions written by
each justice).
https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/410/113/
The biggest issue surrounding the Supreme Court stem from the fact that we have
allowed the Supreme Court to seize power from other branches of government, as
well as taking power from the States. In one such example, the Supreme Court
change the word "tax" to "penalty" in the Obama Care or
Affordable Care Act, thus, rewriting the law. This goes outside the bounds of
the Supreme Court. As John stated correctly, that is the job of Congress (bills
originate in the House, go to the Senate, they bounce back and forth between
the two until they have been reconciled; that is, both bills are identical in
wording and punctuation and have passed a vote for both the House and Senate,
then the president either approves or vetos the bill, if veto'd, it goes back
to the Senate where 2/3 majority vote is required to override the veto).
Because Congress decided to just roll with it and not push back, this has
provided opportunity for the Supreme Court to change laws in the future.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Federation_of_Independent_Business_v._Sebelius
In Roe V Wade, the Supreme Court overrode the law in the State of Texas that in
effect stated that abortion was illegal, unless the life of the mother was at
stake. Regardless of your viewpoint on abortion, this is a gross overstepping
of the role of the Supreme Court, which overstepped States Rights.
The Constitution outlines the role of the Supreme Court very clearly and in
short, the Supreme Court was only to be an arbitrator in cases that involved
disputes between two states. Suppose Texas had an issue with Oklahoma and was
unable to work it out. Enter the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court was never intended to be the highest court in the land; that
is, your state Supreme Court was where the buck was supposed to stop. Appeals
were intended to stop at each states' Supreme Court. This is why Roe V Wade was
an intrusion on states Rights. The Supreme Court arbitrarily decided that Texas
violated the Constitution, which is far outside its jurisdiction.
Our government was founded on several major principles, one of which is that
people are greedy. Each government institution was designed to fight for and
hold on to its power. That includes states fighting back the Federal
government, Congress fighting the president, Congress fighting the Supreme
Court, and all such examples that fall in between. This unfortunately, has not
happened, all branches of government have slowly been encroaching on each other
and it is now a convoluted mess.
To answer your question about where in the Constitution, Article 3 outlines the
role of the Supreme Court, I have copied and pasted it here for your
convenience. Take particular note of the end of the first paragraph in Section
2.
Section 1
The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court,
and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and
establish. The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold
their Offices during good Behaviour, and shall, at stated Times, receive for
their Services, a Compensation, which shall not be diminished during their
Continuance in Office.
Section 2
The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under
this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which
shall be made, under their Authority;--to all Cases affecting Ambassadors,
other public Ministers and Consuls;--to all Cases of admiralty and maritime
Jurisdiction;--to Controversies to which the United States shall be a Party;--
to Controversies between two or more States;--between a State and Citizens of
another State;--between Citizens of different States;--between Citizens of the
same State claiming Lands under Grants of different States, and between a
State, or the Citizens thereof, and foreign States, Citizens or Subjects.
In all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, and
those in which a State shall be Party, the supreme Court shall have original
Jurisdiction. In all the other Cases before mentioned, the supreme Court shall
have appellate Jurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and
under such Regulations as the Congress shall make.
The Trial of all Crimes, except in Cases of Impeachment; shall be by Jury; and
such Trial shall be held in the State where the said Crimes shall have been
committed; but when not committed within any State, the Trial shall be at such
Place or Places as the Congress may by Law have directed.
Section 3
Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against
them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person
shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the
same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.
The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no
Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except
during the Life of the Person attainted.
#MeToo
Harvey Weinstein: 'I offered acting jobs in exchange for sex, but so does everyone '' they still do' | Spectator USA
Sun, 15 Jul 2018 14:05
Arts Diary Features
The disgraced movie producer reached out to Taki with a 'world exclusive' about Rose McGowan and Asia Argento. He used to ring me via his assistants and make me wait on hold. It was normal; he was, after all, the biggest Hollywood tycoon of them all. This time he called me directly, there was no 'Harvey Weinstein wishes to speak to you, please wait on the line' stuff. The old growly voice was the same and he went straight to the point: ''I've got a world exclusive for you, are you interested?'' We agreed that I go to him, as I live in a very stuffy building on the Upper East Side of New York and Harvey's reputation has taken a beating of late.
The last time we met I had gone to his downtown office where many of the alleged sexual assaults had taken place. Michael Mailer, son of Norman and a movie producer himself, had an appointment with Harvey to discuss the making of a film of my prison book Nothing to Declare. Harvey had a beautiful assistant keep us company for at least half an hour while we waited for the great man. After hearing us out, he proposed a documentary on my love life instead. Naming names and gory details. That was a no-no on my part, but we parted as friends. ''You're nuts not to do it, it's a great story, just think of all the babes and stars you've had, you'll be a star in no time'...'' or words to that effect.
This time there was no wait. His office is a small one just above Cipriani's across Grand Central station. A pretty German secretary came down and took me straight to him. He looked the same, a bit paler than usual. Ben Brafman, his lawyer, joined us and Harvey gave me the exclusive. It was his take on Rose McGowan's account of the 'open borders' nature of the relationship between Asia Argento, another woman who claims to be a Harvey victim, and Anthony Bourdain. Argento was canoodling with a Frenchman half her age and was photographed doing it before Argento's boyfriend Anthony Bourdain committed suicide. Her friend McGowan claimed that Asia and Anthony had an open relationship. It was obviously not true, says Harvey, but dead men tell no tales, so the girls made it up. Harvey made a sketch of the twisted story for me and I couldn't help feel sorry for him. He was, to use a terrible clich(C), clutching for straws.
I'm sure people will speculate about this, regarding Anthony Bourdain's girlfriend. https://t.co/J7dZATphmB #AsiaArgento
'-- Perez (@ThePerezHilton) June 9, 2018
We then chatted about his life and how he had lost not only his business and reputation, but also his family, his homes, and was now facing prison. Actually he is facing life in prison because at 66 years of age and not in good health, even five years in an American jail is a death sentence. Here's what he had to say to me: ''You were born rich and privileged and you were handsome. I was born poor, ugly, Jewish and had to fight all my life to get somewhere. You got lotsa girls, no girl looked at me until I made it big in Hollywood. Yes, I did offer them acting jobs in exchange for sex, but so did and still does everyone. But I never, ever forced myself on a single woman.'' Call me na¯ve or stupid, but in a funny way I believe him. I've seen Harvey in action during my annual Christmas party, the one I throw every year in New York with Michael Mailer. He hits on every young woman but in a na¯ve way. ''Will you give me your address and I'll make you a star,'' is the theme of the pickup. Some say yes, some say no. His reaction was always the same. Smile and laugh and hit on the next one.
Although some will say I'm prejudiced, I have doubts about women who come out of the woodworks years later, or return for more after allegedly being raped by Weinstein, la Argento, who went out with the movie mogul for close to ten years (Argento has said the relationship continued for five years). The mood in America, however, makes a fair trial almost an impossibility. The #MeToo movement will bury any judge or jury that doesn't throw the book at him. What I don't get is, haven't they had enough? He's lost everything and is called a monster even by my concierge at a London hotel who overheard me discuss this story with my editor. Hollywood has always treated women like dirt. In my book the one that got caught should not pay for the rest of the bums that make these horrible films of today. At least Harvey made good ones. Very good ones at that.
Show comments
PUTIN!
Trump to ask Russia to join NATO???
OPCW Issues Fact-Finding Mission Reports on Chemical Weapons Use Allegations in Douma, Syria in 2018 and in Al-Hamadaniya and Karm Al-Tarrab in 2016
Sun, 15 Jul 2018 14:04
Friday, 06 July 2018
THE HAGUE, Netherlands '--6 July 2018'--The Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), issued an interim report on the FFM's investigation to date regarding the allegations of chemical weapons use in Douma, Syria on 7 April 2018.
The FFM's activities in Douma included on-site visits to collect environmental samples, interviews with witnesses, data collection. In a neighbouring country, the FFM team gathered or received biological and environmental samples, and conducted witness interviews.
OPCW designated labs conducted analysis of prioritised samples. The results show that no organophosphorous nerve agents or their degradation products were detected in the environmental samples or in the plasma samples taken from alleged casualties. Along with explosive residues, various chlorinated organic chemicals were found in samples from two sites, for which there is full chain of custody. Work by the team to establish the significance of these results is on-going. The FFM team will continue its work to draw final conclusions.
The Fact-Finding Mission also issued a report on 2 July 2018 addressing allegations of chemical weapons use in Al-Hamadaniya, Syria on 30 October 2016, and Karm al-Tarrab, Syria on 13 November 2016. On the basis of the information received and analysed, the prevailing narrative of the interviews, and the results of the laboratory analyses, the FFM cannot confidently determine whether or not a specific chemical was used as a weapon in the incidents that took place in the neighbourhood of Al-Hamadaniyah and in the area of Karm al-Tarrab. The FFM noted that the persons affected in the reported incidents may, in some instances, have been exposed to some type of non-persistent, irritating substance.
The FFM's reports on the allegations of chemical weapons use in Douma, Al-Hamadaniya, and Karm Al-Tarrab have been shared with States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention. The reports were also transmitted to the UN Security Council through the UN Secretary-General.
BackgroundIn response to persistent allegations of chemical weapon attacks in Syria, the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) was set up in 2014 with an on-going mandate ''to establish facts surrounding allegations of the use of toxic chemicals, reportedly chlorine, for hostile purposes in the Syrian Arab Republic''.
The FFM's mandate is to determine whether chemical weapons or toxic chemicals as weapons have been used in Syria. It does not include identifying who is responsible for alleged attacks. Attribution was part of the mandate of the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism, set up by the UN Security Council, which expired in November 2017.
The FFM has previously confirmed with a ''high degree of confidence'' the use of chlorine, sulfur mustard, and sarin as weapons.
The FFM is required to study available information relating to allegations of use of chemical weapons in Syria, including information provided by the Syrian Arab Republic and others. The FFM employs investigative methods to determine if chemical weapons have been used. It interviews witnesses and obtains environmental and bio-medical samples and physical evidence for analysis.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons operates according to a strict confidentiality regime, which governs the operations of the Organisation, protects the integrity of its investigations, ensures the security of its technical experts, and determines what information can be made public.
As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW oversees the global endeavour to permanently and verifiably eliminate chemical weapons. Since the Convention's entry into force in 1997 '' and with its 193 States Parties '' it is the most successful disarmament treaty eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction.
Over 96% of all chemical weapon stockpiles declared by possessor States have been destroyed under OPCW verification. For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.
More InformationNote by the Technical Secretariat: Interim Report on the Progress of the Fact-Finding Mission Regarding an Incident of Alleged Use of Toxic Chemicals as a Weapon in Douma, Syrian Arab Republic, on 7 April 2018Report of the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission in Syria Regarding the Incidents in Al-Hamadaniyah on 30 October 2016 and in Karm Al-Tarrab on 13 November 2016Fact-Finding MissionOPCW Fact Sheetsspecial-sections/syria/the-fact-finding-mission/
Media InquiriesOPCW Public AffairsJohan de Wittlaan 32, 2517 JRThe Hague, The Netherlands+ 31 70 416 32 42public.affairs@opcw.orgwww.opcw.org
Follow OPCW on:
TwitterFacebookLinkedInYouTube Categories: Fact-Finding Mission, Syria
For further information, please contact OPCW Public Affairs. +31 (0) 70 416 3242, public.affairs@opcw.org | ORGANISATION FOR THE PROHIBITION OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS, Johan de Wittlaan 32, 2517 JR The Hague, The Netherlands Follow OPCW on Facebook and Twitter.
UK Hates US
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Who else might be a victim of Sacha Baron Cohen's new show? | Television & radio | The Guardian
Sat, 14 Jul 2018 14:24
It is already one of the most talked-about TV series of 2018, before a single episode has even aired. Yet little has been publicly revealed about Who Is America?, the new comedy from Ali G and Borat creator Sacha Baron Cohen, which has been filmed undercover for a year and kept under wraps by its stateside broadcaster Showtime. However, judging by the furious responses of those who have fallen foul of the notorious British comic's latest setups, the show seems certain to generate intense controversy within the febrile world of US politics.
Related: Will Sacha Baron Cohen's undercover series be the TV event of the year?
A number of unwitting victims have already reacted angrily after realising that they have been hoodwinked by the series, which begins on Sunday in the US and on Monday on Channel 4. On Tuesday, Sarah Palin shared on Facebook that the satirist had ''duped'' her into an interview by disguising himself as a disabled American military veteran. ''I join a long list of American public personalities who have fallen victim to the evil, exploitive, sick 'humor' of the British 'comedian' Sacha Baron Cohen,'' Palin wrote.
In the wake of Palin's admission, a number of other conservative figures have revealed that they too were tricked by Baron Cohen. Roy Moore, the Alabama senate candidate whose campaign was derailed by accusations of sexual misconduct that he denies, threatened to sue the satirist after being duped into appearing at a mock event celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of Israel, while disgraced former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio says Baron Cohen interviewed him while disguised as a Finnish comedian. Rightwing radio hosts Joe Walsh and Austin Rhodes have also confirmed they had been interviewed undercover by the satirist.
Another confirmed victim is former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who, in one of the few clips released in advance of the series' launch, is seen enthusiastically autographing a ''waterboarding kit''.
While the majority of those who have admitted to being duped by Baron Cohen are Republicans, his undercover operation is thought to have targeted a number of other personalities. Veteran broadcaster Ted Koppel has said he was interviewed for the series.
According to rightwing commentator Matt Drudge, former Democratic presidential candidates Howard Dean and Bernie Sanders have also been duped into appearing on Who Is America?, while OJ Simpson is rumoured to appear in the series.
That Baron Cohen has seemingly managed to deceive so many political and cultural big beasts will be unsurprising to anyone familiar with his career to date. Over the past two decades, the satirist has acquired a fearsome reputation for embarrassing high-profile figures on both sides of the Atlantic. In the guise of his rude-boy character Ali G, he was able to score interviews with Jacob Rees-Mogg, Tony Benn and Noam Chomsky, while as the hapless Kazakh journalist Borat he managed to convince a Virginian rodeo to let him sing a mangled version of the Star-Spangled Banner.
Yet in recent years Baron Cohen has moved away from pranks and into scripted films such as The Dictator and Grimsby, fuelling suggestions that he had become too recognisable to pull off ambush TV.
That risk of being rumbled perhaps explains the secrecy around Who Is America?. The series was announced only a week before its air date, a highly unusual move in an industry where shows tend to be promoted months or even years in advance, and '' aside from the brief clip of Cheney '' no footage from it has been released to the public. An early trailer, released before the show's official announcement on Monday, played up to the sense of mystery.
''We'd like to tell you about a new comedy that's coming, but we can't,'' a voiceover says. ''The creators won't let us show you a scene, the lawyers won't let us tell you the name of the star and we can't even reveal the show's title or we'd be breaking our non-disclosure agreement.''
The reactions from Palin and others suggest that such secrecy has reaped results, but it remains to be seen whether Baron Cohen's powers of deception extend to the current occupant of the White House. The satirist and Donald Trump have history: Trump walked out of an interview with Ali G in 2003, and later published a video criticising a stunt in which Baron Cohen spilled ''the ashes of Kim Jong Il'' on TV presenter Ryan Seacrest at the 2012 Oscars.
Baron Cohen has used footage from that Trump video '' in which the then-Apprentice host tells him to ''go to school, learn about being funny'' '' in a trailer teasing the new series. It concludes with the logo for the now-defunct Trump University and the message ''Sacha graduates soon''. Given Baron Cohen's past form, it's a threat that even the president of the United States should take seriously.
Sasha Baron Cohen's "Who Is America?" could not come at a better time '-- Quartzy
Sun, 15 Jul 2018 12:07
British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen (aka Ali G, Borat, and Br¼no), is back'--just in time'--with his new show: Who is America? Filmed secretly over the past year, this satirical comedy series ''explores the diverse individuals'... across the political and cultural spectrum, who populate the United States''.
Already Baron Cohen has created controversy by releasing a clip showing former US vice president Dick Cheney signing a waterboarding ''kit''. He has also infuriated former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin after she discovered she'd been duped by the comedian who interviewed her posing as a disabled US veteran.
If this new project is anything like the work Baron Cohen did on Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006), this could be just show the world needs right now.
In the film, Baron Cohen plays Borat Sagdiyev, a Kazakh reporter making a documentary about life in the US. Although his character is fictitious, many of the interactions with him are not. Borat's naivet(C), misogyny, racism, anti-Semitism, and homophobia reflect the same views in some of his documentary subjects.
At a Virginia rodeo, for example, manager Bobby Rowe responds to Borat's passing comment that his country hangs homosexuals, with: ''That's what we're trying to do here'', before casually continuing with his recommendation that Borat shave his mustache so that he look ''less Muslim.''
The Borat portrait of America may have generated controversy at the time, but from today's perspective, the examples from the film are prescient. A request for a gun to shoot Jews is met with nonchalance. In his encounter with University of South Carolina frat boys, Borat's casual misogyny and racism are met with enthusiasm as the students bemoan the end of slavery and complain that minorities now have all the rights.
But the encounter between a fictional character and the real world did more than reveal the ugly underbelly (and the occasional kind character) of Americans. It encouraged a critical engagement with documentary media'--and that is more important than ever.
Each encounter between Borat and his subjects invokes the documentary tradition, which allows an investigator with a camera to produce a truth through their own perspective. At the same time, each encounter draws attention to those limits of the tradition by reminding viewers that an interview's structure and content are often determined by the person holding the camera. And it encourages the viewer to question just what, exactly, in those sequences was real, and what was confected.
It's showtimeIf Baron Cohen's recent Twitter promotions are any indication, Who is America? could demand similar, necessary scrutiny on the part of the viewer.
On July 4, Baron Cohen posted a video to his Twitter account, described as: ''A message from your President @realDonaldTrump on Independence Day''. Beginning with a screenshot of Trump's Fourth of July wishes and a written declaration that ''our country is doing GREAT,'' the video appears to be a denunciation of Baron Cohen by Trump (who had previously been embarrassed by him in an interview as Ali G), including a demand that the ''third-rate character Sacha Baron Cohen'' should ''go to school and learn about being funny.'' The clip closes on a written announcement that ''Sacha graduates'' followed by the Trump University logo.
On one level, it is opportunistic promotion by Baron Cohen, using a 2012 video from Trump's ''From the Desk of Donald Trump'' vlog to promote his new show. On another, it demands questions of provenance: where did this footage come from? And when? There is no indication of its origins on screen.
While it offers Trump's own confession of violent dislike for Baron Cohen, this was not a recent tweet intended as a holiday announcement. And what do we make of the statement that ''Sacha graduates'' from Trump University, an unaccredited, defunct organisation subject to class action lawsuits for fraud and negligent misrepresentation?
Will Trump issue his usual verdict for things he doesn't like'--that this is simply ''fake news?'' There are two meanings for this phrase which is suddenly in such regular use. There are those who see it as inaccurate reporting, inflammatory clickbait and misinformation gone viral'--and warn against extreme credulity whereby too many people are willing to believe something that appeals to their ideals and prejudices. Then there is the sense of outright dismissal, that leads to a failure to engage with either form or content.
Who is America? has the potential to intervene and undo this damage. If it continues the intriguing layering of fiction and non-fiction that Baron Cohen started with Ali G, Borat, and Br¼no, there is an opportunity to return viewers to the necessary critical perspective required for documentary and non-fiction media.
The program is likely to encourage a host of responses from furious disavowal to delight in the ''gotcha'' element associated with Baron Cohen. But its blurring of truth and fiction could also make decisions to accept or reject what is being shown more difficult'--Baron Cohen's sly comedy offers viewing that engenders trust and doubt simultaneously. Who is America? could encourage audiences to investigate how this was produced, and what actually happened. It could mean searching for clues of a hoax and focusing on the facts that linger. This is the non-fiction media literacy we all need in the era of Trump.
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
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What is on Theresa May's arm, what are the patches for and is she a diabetic?
Sun, 15 Jul 2018 11:42
THERESA May stole Donald Trump's limelight on the first night of his official visit to the UK.
The PM looked elegant in a long crimson dress paired with red heels for dinner with the US President at Blenheim Palace. But what was on her arm? Read on for more...
Reuters
Theresa May and Donald Trump climb the steps to the entrance of Blenheim PalaceWhat is on Theresa May's arm?Theresa May was wearing a diabetes monitoring patch.
The monitoring system introduced back in 2016 was a breakthrough for people with the autoimmune disease.
It means they will no longer have to frequently conduct finger prick tests to know what their sugar levels are.
When placed on the back of the upper arm, a tiny filament goes through the upper level of the skin.
EPA
Theresa May and Donald Trump stand with Philip May, right, and Melania Trump, left , at the steps of Bleinheim Palace, OxfordshireWhat are the patches for?The small white circular patch monitors blood sugar levels.
Information is transferred from the white patch to a digital reader, which will let the wearer know the current state of glucose in the system.
This then indicates the best time to inject with insulin.
'HER HEART ISN'T IN IT' The PM 'is a Remainer who has remained a Remainer' says Rees-Mogg
See EU in court May reveals the 'brutal' Brexit advice Trump gave her '' to SUE the EU
VISITING HOURS Will the US President meet the Queen and when will he speak to Theresa May?
SIR BERNARD JENKIN Brexit victory would be like winning the Falklands War
YOU MAY GO Overwhelming 62% of voters want Mrs May to stand down as PM before next election
BACK ME OR BREXIT DIES Theresa May delivered a strong ultimatum to her warring MPs
Is Theresa May a diabetic?May was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2013, following a blood test after her recent weight loss.
The condition means her body cannot produce insulin, so she must now inject herself with the hormone at least twice a day for the rest of her life.
Although it was a "real shock", May, then Home Secretary, told the Mail on Sunday it was a case of "head down and getting on with it".
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THE SUNDAY ESSAY: Don't be fooled by Big Business media & government censorship: the EU is destroying itself. '' The Slog.
Sun, 15 Jul 2018 11:52
There is nothing of real substance to celebrate about the European Union at the moment, and every Brit unwilling to be dragged down by this giant tramp steamer should make their feelings more voluble than at the moment. With Italy, Spain, Hungary, Austria and even Germany itself now at odds with the Macron-Merkel view of its future, the cabal in Brussels simply cannot afford to lose the income it derives in contributions and trade surpluses from the United Kingdom, its third biggest economy. If Theresa May won't deliver Sovereign Brexit, then she must be forced out. That process begins in Parliament tomorrow.
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Bastille Day having come and gone (a remarkably subdued affair in my neck of the woods), today the French football team takes on tiny Croatia for the title of World Champions. But tomorrow will be Monday, and on that day the People of France will once more deal with the reality of their country's debt problems, the future it faces under Hard Man Emmanuel Macron, and the even more uncertain future of the European Union which they and the Germans founded in the 1950s.
The Macronisation of France is now well under way (President Macron is no Sarkozy lightweight) and for the British resident here it offers a strong sense of d(C)j vu for anyone who lived during the Thatcher era. Macron's ''centrist'' positioning is a risible patriotic appeal he makes in speeches, but his behaviour suggests otherwise.
On the SNCF strike, he chose largely to ignore it and wait for the Unions to buckle, which they did. He has already brought four fat, large publicly owned companies forward for privatisation, with the familiar promises of quick profits for the plebs, but down the road the usual pattern of profiteering and obscene directorial bonuses will doubtless materialise. After all, Emannuel's Alt State banking masters pushed him into the Elys(C)e Palace to further the process of transferring capital and control to the powers one occupied by the Unions.
If Macron isn't stopped (and I see no sign that he will be) then the regionally devolved communitarian black market tax culture that many citizens, tourists and settlers have grown to love will be replaced by one in which (as we shall see later in regard to Greece) there is no hiding place from the (C)lites determined to turn everyone upside down and empty their pockets of cash, and their bank accounts of ''electronic'' money.
The President is gathering power to the Centre. His popular move of abolishing the local habitation tax takes money directly out of the Mayor's control. Equally, on ''safety grounds'' he has reduced the non-motorway speed limit to 80 kph '' about 50 miles an hour. But there are plans to invest heavily in far more cameras to enforce that law, which '' like the motorway cameras '' bear no relation to safety at all: they are there on 30kph exit lanes to slam the motorist at '¬70 a pop, with no realistic right of appeal. It should mean a whopping increase in the Revenue take'....and it will have two effects: raise the already horrendous cost of motoring, and make many 50+ residents turn their attention to the train.
The massive French investment in TGV wifi trains for business travellers is beginning to make rail travel look like a better alternative for the private citizen: Bordeaux to Paris is now much faster than by car, involves no toll or petrol costs, and to avoid tolls now means travelling at 50mph'....a long, slow journey. In turn, it offers none of the parking charges, queues, late arrivals and security madness asssociated with flying.
Macron has approved a massive promotion to win back SNCF passengers. For the first time in years, it stands a chance of making money. At which point, Macron or his successor will privatise it'....and prices will sky-rocket.
Emmanuel Macron may have no soul, but he has an astonishing brain. The way he uses it does not appeal to Angela Merkel '' but then, as a former Communist Youth Leader, it wouldn't. In Germany, unser geliebter F¼hrer has been replaced for the last fifteen years by unsere geliebte Mutti. In France, L'Emp(C)reur has been recreated by the Boy Wonder and his ideas about how to get France en marche. The two leaders don't like each other much, but the dreadful state of the European Union founded by their forefathers is a far bigger problem than their clash of personalities and ideas.
'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--
Across the Channel in the less than United Kingdom, 52% of the voters decided two years ago that the time had once again come to rescue Europe from itself, having correctly observed that the EU (and its unaccountably feral children the European Commission, the euro and the Central Bank) were all out of control, along with the progeny of authoritarian grandeur delusions at times fuelled by alcohol, at other times by corrupt greed.
But this ill-defined purpose is at odds with the focused aims of the various Alt States globally, and the myopic quasi-religious zeal of the LibLeft in England and Nationalists in Scotland. As a result, Britain has a clear majority of bureaucrats, globalists, space cadets and legislators who '' for variously cynical, self-interested, fluffy, naive and at times impenetrable ''reasons'' '' want to stay on board the SS Eutanic.
'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--''
So having had a celebration of allegedly eternal Liberty, Equality and Fraternity yesterday in France, what is the State of the Union that now binds it and 26 other States together? It is important for Brits to get a clear idea of this, because the British media are now so compromised by blind ideology, self-interested ownership and blatant Alt State censorship, they are giving (on a daily basis) a shamelessly narrow view of the real situation on the European continent in general, and the eurozone in particular.
Ironically, here in France the media are being far more open and honest about the huge crises the EU faces. The behaviour of African migrants at first in Calais and now in Paris has been headline news on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. The fact that Europe 'is split wide open about migration' (and that police forces are suffering low morale in the face of it) is openly debated, especially in the press:
Not too far from my place, travelling east, lies the Italian border, where the duly elected government is turning back refugees and trying to expand the economy, both in direct contravention of the directives of Brussels-am-Berlin. This too is widely reported, but the mainland media (especially broadcast) are far more circumspect about the parlous state of the Italian banking system, where close to '¬800 billion of bad loans are still on the balance sheets and looking immovable. Both Italy's ruling Coalition Parties want to leave the eurozone, and both believe the banking problem is fundamentally insoluble, not least because on top of the bad loans , Italy owes Draghi's ECB a staggering '¬565 billion of sovereign debt, most of it on a shortish term basis.
This is a much more unstable and far bigger problem than the one that landed Greece in the vassal sin-bin. Drive down Italy through Modena and Parma, and from the lower half of the Adriatic coast you can hop onto an overnight ferry to the Land of the Gods, where in 2018 there are three million fewer mortals than there were a decade ago.
There in Greece we see one of the great and unforgettable artworks of the EU punishment system, mixed with early 20th century Berlin economics. Although the ordinary Greek people are slated by the Western media as if they had personally run up the country's original '¬150 billion sovereign debt, the money was borrowed under false pretences, by a right-wing government, from JC Trichet's ECB '' using expertise sold to them by a Goldman Sachs team whose leader was Gary Cohn '....currently economic adviser to President Trump.
Trichet was asleep at the wheel and Goldman plus the Greek Right (C)lite defrauded the EC. But nobody went to jail'....taxes were raised dramatically, State pensions embezzled by the ''creditors'', and the ordinary Greek paid by having his job, tourism business, State social weal and properties bought up cheaply'.....advice upon which was given to wealthy German clients by none other than Guy Verhofstadt.
This is the latest obscenity from Greece: the Brussels controlled ''Government'' has invented something called ''tekmirio''. They decide how much money you need each year to support your lifestyle and then tax you if you can't produce the income to show you can afford to live as you do. For example, they estimate a couple needs need '¬4000 a year to own a 1975 Beetle van, and around '¬10,000 a year to live in an 80 square metre flat'...a ludicrous estimate. If you don't have it, they tax you on the difference.
Disturbingly draconian new measures have been introduced to force everyone to use credit cards '' and fine people who don't, to ensure every last transaction is recorded and available to be taxed. It is Teutonic tax accountancy gone mad, but it is also revenge, red in tooth and claw. I wonder if any Remainers still reading this piece think it will be any different for the UK once our capitulation is complete.
Further north, Hungary has spent a billion euros building a wall cum fence to keep opportunistic migrants out. Viktor Orban's wicked sense of humour has now resulted in the EC receiving a bill from Budapest for exactly that amount, ''because it was their idiotic migration policies that forced us to to do it''. Orban is the Iceland of the EU: he kicks out globalist banks, comes down hard on Soros front-organisations, continues to refuse any inducements to join the euro'....and keeps on getting elected. The Hungarian leader is not going away any time soon, and the federalist fanatics have backed off'....for now. Are you paying attention, Ollie and Theresa at the back there?
Wherever you look in the EU, it's a mess '' a mess created by the appalling social science and Stone Age economic ideas promulgated from the various carpet baggers and drunks in Brussels. Mario Rajoy '' an utterly corrupt bumboy for the EC '' has at last been caught with his hands in the till, and fallen from power in Spain. His successor, the socialist Pedro Sanchez, is already out of step with the EC: he has, I am told, made it clear to some senior Commission members that Spain isn't going to march in step with austerity much longer.
As for Germany itself, Mutti is not quite so geliebte as she used to be. The migration crisis she created (and Interior Minister Seehofer's demands that it be scrapped) now means in the ranks of the CDU, many are already awaiting her departure and jockeying for position. Merkel is praying that Seehofer's regional Party will lose in the forthcoming Bavarian elections, but this is unlikely. Meanwhile, support for the Nationalist anti-EU AfD Party is growing again.
But this is as nothing compared to pressure from other EU Member States, because most of them no longer accept her ''European'' policy, correctly discerning that it is designed (as usual) to benefit Germany. Things did not go well at the European Council summit: Spain's Sanchez made his views eminently clear, and nationalist Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz hob-knobbed openly with Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbn and Italian interior minister Matteo Salvini.
The LibLeft in the West '' blindly formulaic as always '' take the simplistic view: nationalism = ''Hard'' Right = racist = fascist. It was expressed some weeks ago in a spectacularly empty-headed ''analogy'' drawn by the hysterical and self-dramatic clown Baron Adonis:
In fact, it is nothing of the sort: Brexit is the reaction of a Top 3 EU economy to unelected, corrupt and authoritarian mendacity in Brussels, and the German drive towards federalism. The British People have voted to get away from simply becoming a regional vassal in the crypto-soviet Berlin-dominated wannabe Empire'....and in this, we are entirely in step with the growing alarm in almost every EU member State. To suggest that this is a goose-step, however, is preposterous.
The LibLeft calls UK Leave voters ''Little Englanders'', ''poorly educated'' and ''ignorant''. In truth, the danger to Britain here is Little Socialists who don't get out enough, Big Business that likes big markets it can control, and big banks who want technology to aid them in emptying the pockets and savings of The People.
This battle remains the one so admirably summed up by Kate Hoey at the outset in 2016: ''This is not about nationalism, it is a battle between The People and the the State''.
I might refine it somewhat in the light of experience, and write, ''This is not about knuckle-headed Far Right racism, it is a fight between the power of the People and the creeping power of unelected globalist Alt States''.
But the principle remains the same'....and nobody should expect the people next door to do the donkey work. The counterfeit Brexit proposed by Theresa May and her now 90% Remainer Cabinet comes back to the Commons tomorrow. Bombard your Tory MPs and Conservative Associations to support the four amendments neutralising her Chequers deceit, and please
DO YOUR BIT TO BRING DOWN THIS GHASTLY WOMAN AND HER WEAK-KNEED CABAL OF NEOLIBERAL GLOBALISTS Last night at The Slog: Tories who obviously need some backbone stiffening
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Opinion | America First, America Hated, America Alone - The New York Times
Sun, 15 Jul 2018 12:04
Trump intends to bring about the collapse of the liberal international order, in its commitment to open societies and its institutions.
July 13, 2018 German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks during a media conference at the European Union summit in Brussels on Friday. Credit Geert Vanden Wijngaert/Associated Press Some near-forgotten anniversaries are worth commemorating. One hundred years ago '-- Bastille Day, 1918 '-- Theodore Roosevelt's youngest son, Quentin, was killed in aerial combat at the Second Battle of the Marne. Twenty-six years later, Quentin's oldest brother, Ted, also died in France, after landing at Utah Beach on D-Day.
Quentin and Ted are buried side-by-side at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer. It's a moving sight for everyone who still believes in the cause for which they and their brothers in arms fought and died '-- above all, the idea, possibility and preservation of a free world, anchored and inspired by America but not subservient to it.
In other words, the things that Donald Trump has spent his presidency trashing under the historically sordid banner of ''America First.''
That trashing reached some sort of climax this week with the president's excruciating tantrum against Germany at the NATO summit in Brussels, followed by his gratuitous humiliation of British Prime Minister Theresa May via an interview in a Murdoch tabloid. Maybe next he'll propose that Vladimir Putin rejoin the Group of 7 '-- except he already did that in Canada more than a month ago, right around the time he launched a trade war with Canada, Mexico and the European Union.
What does all this achieve?
No doubt just what Trump intends: the collapse of the liberal international order, both in its animating commitment to open societies as well as its defining international institutions '-- the G-7, NATO, the European Union, the World Trade Organization. Seen in this light, the president's wretched behavior isn't '-- or isn't merely '-- the product of a defective personality. It's the result of a willful ideology.
So much should be clear by the president's negotiating style, guaranteed as it is to elicit ''no'' for an answer.
It's fair to expect that other NATO members should spend more of their gross domestic product on defense; and fair to expect, too, that they should reach the 2 percent benchmark sometime sooner than 2024. It isn't fair to demand, as Trump does, that they reach the 2 percent mark by January, and then increase it to 4 percent.
It's fair to say that the U.S. could use its leverage to negotiate more advantageous trade deals. It isn't fair to insist on politically untenable trade concessions he knows other countries won't make '-- a sunset clause for Nafta, for example '-- in order to destroy these agreements permanently while blaming the other side.
It's fair to say that it will be difficult for Britain to negotiate an independent trade agreement with the U.S. if it maintains E.U. rules on trade in goods. But Trump's goal isn't to help steer May through Brexit. It's to bring her government down and replace her with Boris Johnson, because the former foreign secretary ''obviously likes me and says very good things about me.''
Above all, it's fair to prod and cajole and quarrel with our core allies '-- in private. But Trump is out to embarrass them in public, putting them to the choice of becoming enemies or toadies, breaking up or sucking up. That's no doubt fine with him: America First is America Feared. But it is also America hated, and hated with justification. Where's the upside in that?
For Trump, the upside is the substitution of a liberal order with an illiberal one, based on conceits about sovereignty, nationality, religion and ethnicity. These are the same conceits that Vladimir Putin has long made his own, which helps explain Trump's affinity for his Russian counterpart and his distress that Robert Mueller's investigation ''really hurts our relationship with Russia,'' as he remarked Friday.
It also explains his undisguised contempt for contemporary European democracy and his efforts to replace it with something more Trumpian: xenophobic, protectionist and truculent. This is the Europe of Germany's Alexander Gauland, France's Marine Le Pen, Britain's Nigel Farage, Hungary's Viktor Orban, Poland's Jaroslaw Kaczynski, and Italy's Matteo Salvini. Note that the last three are already in power.
All this must be gratifying to Trump's sense of his historical importance. For America, it's a historical disaster. The United States can only lead a world that's prepared to follow.
But follow what? Not the rules of trade that America once set but now claims are rigged against it. Not the democratic ideals that America once embodied but now treats with disdain. Not the example of fighting bullies, after it has now become one.
This will suit Americans for whom the idea of a free world always seemed like a distant abstraction. It will suit Europeans whose anti-Americanism predates Trump's arrival by decades. And it will especially suit Putin, who knows that an America that stands for its own interests first also stands, and falls, alone. Surely the dead at Colleville-sur-Mer fought for something greater than that.
Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook and Twitter (@NYTopinion), and sign up for the Opinion Today newsletter.
Bret L. Stephens joined The Times as an Op-Ed columnist in 2017 after a long career with The Wall Street Journal, where he was deputy editorial page editor and a foreign affairs columnist. Before that he was the editor in chief of The Jerusalem Post. @ BretStephensNYT ' Facebook
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Bird Bikes
Dockless bikes keep ending up underwater - The Boston Globe
Sat, 14 Jul 2018 11:11
In what has become something of a trend, dockless rental bikes recently introduced to communities around the Boston area continue to end up underwater.
In the past several weeks, at least four of the free-standing bikes '-- two owned by Ofo and two owned by LimeBike '-- have reportedly been found submerged in Arlington, Quincy, and East Boston, as residents grow accustomed to a new wave of bike-share companies rolling out their services locally.
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On Thursday, Boston resident Steve Holt spotted a LimeBike among the seaweed at the Portside at East Pier, in East Boston, he said.
''@limebike locations are just everywhere in #EastBoston!'' he joked on Twitter. The tweet included a picture of the bright green bike just beneath the ocean's surface.
The same day, someone walking through the Fresh Pond area, where Cambridge and Arlington meet, noticed a LimeBike in a small pond near the Minuteman Bikeway trail. The person posted a picture of the bike in the water to a Facebook group for Arlington residents.
''One down,'' the person reported. ''A LimeBike flavoring the waters around Alewife Station, seen today.''
The company had its bikes ending up in water in Yonkers, N.Y., in May, shortly after its services were introduced there.
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Reports of similar incidents have also come in from people in Texas, California, Washington, and Colorado.
''Lime has become very popular in the Boston area; in fact, nearly 70,000 trips have already taken place throughout the greater Boston metro [area],'' a company spokesperson said in a statement. ''Out of the hundreds of LimeBikes in use, only a few have been vandalized, which is consistent with the low rate of vandalism and theft '-- less than 1 percent '-- we experience nationwide.''
LimeBike, which recently launched in Arlington, Belmont, Everett, Watertown, Malden, and several other communities, uses a system similar to that employed by Boston's Blue Bikes; however, riders don't need to return a used bike to a dock once they are finished. Bikes can be located by using an app that tells users where they can pick up a ride.
Officials in communities where the bikes have been introduced have been trying to coach residents on how to properly store the rides when they are done using them.
''Please be sure to park and ride responsibly. Park on the sidewalk (don't ride on it) and never block the public ways,'' officials in Arlington said Monday. ''Be a good ... neighbor.''
Belmont police reminded residents not to report the presence of bikes to the department as an emergency.
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''The lime green bikes popping up around town belong to a bike share company,'' police said in a tweet Wednesday. ''Please do not dial 911 to report a @limebike in your neighborhood.''
The two recent LimeBike reports follow an incident in Quincy late last month where police plucked a pair of Ofo Bikes out of the harbor, sparking an investigation.
At the time of the underwater discovery, which required the assistance of the department's dive team, an official from the bike company said that while there have been some ''bad actors,'' for the most part residents have ''warmly embraced'' the new bike-sharing program.
Oh Elon!
Elon Musk Unmasked as Top Donor to House Republican PAC - The Daily Beast
Sun, 15 Jul 2018 12:04
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been revealed as a top donor to a Republican PAC aimed at keeping control of Congress. Filings published by ProPublica this weekend show Musk contributed $38,900 to the Protect the House PAC, joining the likes of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and Houston Texans owner Robert McNair in the PAC's top 50 donors. The PAC raised more than $8 million in the second quarter for Republican lawmakers hoping to fend off Democratic challengers. Musk has a history of donating to both parties, but contributions to the Republican Party raised eyebrows on Twitter, where many questioned how the ''socially liberal'' billionaire vowing to fight climate change could support the GOP's platform.
Read Tesla's new attendance policy
Sun, 15 Jul 2018 13:46
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Elon Musk, chairman and chief executive officer of Tesla Motors
Tesla rolled out a new attendance policy for all U.S.-based hourly employees on July 1st, according to documentation shared with CNBC. The policy spells out specific penalties for lapses in attendance, and Tesla says it is meant to make it fairer -- for instance, employees who are 10 minutes late won't be penalized as harshly as those who are one hour late.
The changes to Tesla's attendance policy come weeks after the electric vehicle maker announced plans to slash its salaried workforce by at least 9 percent, or about 4,000 workers. The company is pushing hard to ramp up the production of its Model 3 electric sedans, and to achieve positive cash flow and profitability in the second half of this year.
Among other things, the policy says that managers can give workers demerits for showing up even one minute late to a scheduled shift, or leaving just one minute before the shift's official end, without permission. If employees rack up a certain number of these demerits, called "occurrences" internally, their employment will be terminated. Newer employees get fewer chances than those who have worked at Tesla for more than three months.
As an example, a long-time worker could be fired after nine occurrences of showing up five minutes late. That same worker might get only five chances to show up an hour late.
In addition, workers can be required on short notice to work overtime for "critical business needs" when "directed by Vice President level [managers] or higher."
Hourly employees include workers in Tesla's factories, call centers, service centers and roadside assistance groups, among others.
Tesla told CNBC, "Based on employee feedback, we've recently updated our attendance policy to be more fair and flexible. We're appreciative of the hard work by our production teams, and regularly review policies to work for our employees. The policy update has been in the works for nearly two months and is similar to what you would find at other companies.''
Here's the new Tesla attendance policy in its entirety. (Formatting has been removed to protect source confidentiality.)
Out There
Israeli space probe to land on Moon in 2019 - BBC News
Sun, 15 Jul 2018 12:52
Image copyright EPA Image caption Israel Aerospace Industries' Ofer Doron said the probe "showed the way for the rest of the world" An Israeli non-profit organisation has announced plans to send the first privately-funded pilotless spacecraft to the Moon.
SpaceIL said the probe would be launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in December on a Falcon 9 rocket built by Elon Musk's SpaceX company.
It is expected to land on the Moon in February 2019.
The spacecraft will plant an Israeli flag on the Moon's surface and carry out research into its magnetic field.
SpaceIL's project began as part of the Google Lunar XPrize, which offered $30m (£23m) in prizes to inspire people to develop low-cost methods of robotic space exploration. However, the competition expired this March, with the $20m grand prize for landing on the Moon unclaimed.
Despite the setback, SpaceIL continued developing its spacecraft, which is being built in co-operation with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), a state-owned firm.
So far it has spent about $88.5m, much of which it has received from the South African-born Israeli billionaire businessmen Morris Kahn.
Image copyright SpaceIL Image caption The probe will plant an Israeli flag, and then conduct research into the Moon's magnetic field Ido Anteby, CEO of SpaceIL, told a news conference in the Israeli town of Yehud on Tuesday that its probe would be the smallest yet to land on the Moon.
It is about 2m (6.6ft) in diameter and 1.5m high, and will weigh only 585kg (1,300lb) at launch. More than 400kg of that weight is fuel that will be burnt off by the time it lands on the Moon.
The spacecraft is a "hopper", which will land and then take off again with the fuel left in its propulsion system, and then perform another landing 500m away, which was a condition of the XPrize.
If successful, SpaceIL's mission will make Israel the fourth country in the world to "soft land" a probe on the surface of the Moon - after the former Soviet Union, the United States and China.
Mr Kahn said he hoped the mission would create an "Apollo effect" for the next generation in Israel - a reference to the enthusiasm for science, technology, engineering and maths triggered by Neil Armstrong's Moon walk in 1969.
"This is a tremendous project," he added. "When the rocket is launched into space, we will all remember where we were when Israel landed on the Moon."
Ofer Doron, head of IAI's space division, said Israel was "going to show the way for the rest of the world" to send a spacecraft to the Moon at a reasonable cost.
Kids in cages and Caves
Ham-designed Gear Used in Thailand Cave Rescue | Hackaday
Sun, 15 Jul 2018 13:43
Unless you live in a cave, you've probably heard a little about the thirteen people '-- mostly children '-- trapped in the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Thailand. What you may have missed, though, is the hacker/ham radio connection. The British Cave Rescue Council (BCRC) was asked for their expert help. [Rick Stanton], [John Volanthen] and [Rob Harper] answered the call. They were equipped with HeyPhones. The HeyPhone is a 17-year-old design from [John Hey, G3TDZ]. Sadly, [G3TDZ] is now a silent key (ham radio parlance for deceased) so he didn't get to see his design play a role in this high-profile rescue, although it has apparently been a part of many others in the past.
The HeyPhone is actually considered obsolete but is still in service with some teams. The radio uses USB (upper sideband, not universal serial bus) at 87 kHz. The low frequency can penetrate deep into the ground using either induction loop antennas like the older Molephone, or '-- more commonly '-- with electrodes injecting RF energy directly into the ground.
You can find a very detailed article about the radio from 2001 if you want more details. The system is somewhat dated, but apparently works well and that's what counts.
What we find interesting is that in today's world, people take wireless communications for granted and don't realize that cell phones don't work underground or in the face of widespread disasters. We would imagine most Hackaday readers know how cell phone towers use ''cellular reuse'' to support more than a handful of phones. Ask some non-technical friend if they know how a cell phone works and you'll be surprised how few people understand this. Ham radio operators and hackers are vital to building and deploying specialized radio systems in times of disaster or '-- in this case '-- where people need rescuing from an odd environment.
We were glad to see a nod to some hacker gear in the popular press. But we almost wish there had been more reporting on the volunteer divers and their hacked radio gear.
We've talked about VLF radios before, but not for caving. Of course, in the old days, all radio was VLF and it might have even had some unintended consequences.
Clips
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VIDEO - Not My Job: We Quiz The IMF's Christine Lagarde On NYC's Fiorello La Guardia : NPR
Sun, 15 Jul 2018 12:51
PETER SAGAL, HOST:
And now the game where we ask very important people about very unimportant things. Speaking of important people, our guest today has been listed as the eighth most powerful woman in the world. She is the former finance minister of France and since 2014 has been the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund. Christine Lagarde, welcome to WAIT WAIT... DON'T TELL ME.
(APPLAUSE)
SAGAL: I should say, to begin with, we've never spoken to the head of an important international alliance before. So how should you be addressed - as director Lagarde, Madame Lagarde? We don't know.
CHRISTINE LAGARDE: Oh, you get - the easiest is that you call me Christine. Most people at the IMF call me MD.
SAGAL: MD for Managing Director.
LAGARDE: MD - that stands for Managing Director. And I quite like it because it reminds me of this very nice lady in the "James Bond" films.
SAGAL: Oh, yeah.
LAGARDE: But I'm not...
SAGAL: Well, that's very cool. Yeah. One of the first things we're kind of curious about is what you do. And now we assume that you have people killed. Is that...
(LAUGHTER)
LAGARDE: No, no, no, no, no.
SAGAL: No, no, no, no, no, no, of course not. That was not a guilty laugh at all. So seriously...
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Could you - I know this is a complicated question, but nonetheless, as I understand it, you spend all day having people call you up and asking you to lend them money.
LAGARDE: Well, in tough times, yes. At the time of the financial crisis, everybody was knocking at the door asking for that. Then, it improved over time. At the moment, it's sort of stable.
SAGAL: Right.
LAGARDE: But we're getting a little bit worried because of all sorts of issues like monetary tightening, like financial costs rising and capital flows coming out of the big emerging market economies around the world that are running into troubles.
SAGAL: Have I mentioned that we're all humanities majors here, and...
(LAUGHTER)
PAULA POUNDSTONE: Christine, it's Paula Poundstone here. Do they pay interest on this loan?
LAGARDE: It depends whether you're a rich country or you're a developing country. If you're a developing country, we'll lend you money at 0 percent interest rates because, clearly, you're in trouble. Your per capita GDP is low. And it would be totally abusive and unfair to lend at expensive interest rates.
POUNDSTONE: What's the definition...
SAGAL: Of, like, between...
POUNDSTONE: ...Of a rich country or a developing country?
LAGARDE: It's defined with reference to the amount of dollars per person and per year.
SAGAL: Right.
LAGARDE: If you are below $4,000 per person, then you're a low-income country.
SAGAL: Right. Basically, above-ground pools, no interest. In-ground pool, interest.
ADAM BURKE: I just discovered I'm a developing country...
SAGAL: Yeah. You are.
BURKE: ...Which is terrible.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Speaking of pools, we researched your background. In addition to the, you know, the extraordinary, important education and various posts, we discovered that you, at one point, were a competitive synchronized swimmer.
LAGARDE: Correct.
SAGAL: All right.
POUNDSTONE: Really?
FAITH SALIE: So how do you feel about men in Speedos?
LAGARDE: Ah.
(LAUGHTER)
LAGARDE: Now, I listened a little bit to that part of your show. Didn't you say something about people shaving and being far more attractive once shaved?
SAGAL: Yes. That's what we were discussing.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Actually, I think it's important that we get the opinion of the Managing Director...
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: ...Of the International Monetary Fund. What do you, Christine Lagarde, think of men in Speedos?
(LAUGHTER)
LAGARDE: Well, I'm more interested in, actually, the issue of shaving or not shaving because I'll tell you something.
SAGAL: Really?
(LAUGHTER)
LAGARDE: When you're a synchronized swimmer...
SAGAL: Yes.
LAGARDE: ...It's critically important that you have at least a little bit of hairs on your legs because that is actually a sensor of how high and how vertical you are in the water.
SAGAL: So it is - I've never heard anything like this.
POUNDSTONE: Me neither.
SAGAL: So you're saying that synchronized swimmers need to have a little bit of hair in their legs. They can't be completely smooth. Why is that?
LAGARDE: It's very weird because when you're a synchronized swimmer, if you shave your legs completely, you lose sense of where you are and how well you're doing.
SAGAL: Oh, my God. So it's like you're Samson. And you...
SALIE: Amazing.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: What you're telling me is, like, when you see synchronized swimming, as you once were, and these women are in the pool and their legs are straight up in the air, they can only tell that their legs are straight up in the air or wherever they're supposed to be because of the sensory feeling from the hairs on their legs.
LAGARDE: Exactly right. Perfect.
SAGAL: And I didn't...
(APPLAUSE)
SAGAL: Wait a minute. This is wonderful because I did not know that I would have anything I could talk to you about.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: I wanted to ask if your career - were you a competitive synchronized swimmer? Did you actually go to competitions and...
LAGARDE: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. No. I was on the French national team for a couple of years.
SAGAL: You were on the French national synchronized swimming team.
SALIE: Oh, my gosh.
(APPLAUSE)
POUNDSTONE: Do you use anything that you learned there in deciding who to loan money to?
(LAUGHTER)
POUNDSTONE: If there's somebody who comes from a country that's clearly not going to be good for the money, do the little hairs on your legs kind of tingle?
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Well, Christine Lagarde, we are delighted to talk to you. It is a pleasure to get to know you. But we have, in fact, invited you here to play a game that, this time, we're calling...
BILL KURTIS: Lagarde, meet La Guardia.
SAGAL: So...
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: We thought we'd ask you about America's greatest mayor, Fiorello La Guardia of New York City - a man much better than the airport they named after him.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Answer 2 out of 3 questions about the Little Flower, as he was known, and you will win our prize for one of our listeners - the voice of anyone from our show they choose on their voicemail - boo, boo. Sorry. Bill, who is Christine Lagarde playing for?
(LAUGHTER)
KURTIS: Carl Hegg of Princeton, N.J., who's celebrating his 90th birthday.
(APPLAUSE)
SAGAL: That's exciting. Are you ready to play?
LAGARDE: Yeah.
SAGAL: All right. Here we go. Your first question. Now, Fiorello La Guardia was an immensely popular figure in his day. He received what tribute from President Franklin Roosevelt? A, Roosevelt said, he's just 5 feet tall, but it's all vim; B, upon meeting Winston Churchill, Roosevelt said, quote, "he's like an English La Guardia," or C, Roosevelt said, quote, "the only thing we have to fear is Fiorello La Guardia"?
(LAUGHTER)
LAGARDE: I'd say B.
SAGAL: You're going to go for B - upon meeting Winston Churchill, he said he's like an English La Guardia. You're right. That's what he said.
SALIE: Wow.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL, APPLAUSE)
SAGAL: Which is the highest praise Roosevelt had. Next question. La Guardia went on a campaign in New York City against crime and vice. He once declared that the sale and possession of what would be illegal in his town? Was it A, violin cases; B, slingshots, or C, artichokes?
LAGARDE: What was B? I didn't hear what...
SAGAL: B was slingshots.
LAGARDE: OK. I'll say B because I have no idea what you're talking about.
SAGAL: Yeah.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: I just want you to know, now you know how I felt talking to you about international finance.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: No. In fact, it was artichokes.
SALIE: Why?
SAGAL: It really was. Artichokes - Mayor La Guardia said the Mafia was controlling the artichoke market, and thus, he banned their sale until prices came down.
All right. Now this is exciting. If you get one - this last question correct, you win our prize. Here is your last question. The mayor died in 1947, but his influence lives on. What other important feature of modern life has been credited to Mayor La Guardia? Was it A, the 10 Items or Less express lane in the supermarket, which he demanded after having to wait in line for 20 minutes to buy a single tomato; B, thong underwear, which strippers in New York invented to get around La Guardia's anti-nudity laws, or C, the website BuzzFeed, which was named after the mayor's practice of public feedings of his dog, Buzz.
(LAUGHTER)
LAGARDE: I'll say C.
SAGAL: You're going to go for C. You're going to say that the website BuzzFeed...
(GROANING)
POUNDSTONE: You know, the crowd is moaning. That means that you have the chance to change your answer.
(LAUGHTER)
BURKE: Christine, are the hairs on your legs telling you anything about where you might be?
LAGARDE: All right, B.
SAGAL: B. And the answer is B. Yes. Congratulations, everyone.
(APPLAUSE)
SAGAL: What happened was, as I said, he went on a campaign against vice in the city. The strippers were told they had to put on underwear to perform. But they wanted to expose as much of themselves as possible, so they invented thong underwear.
POUNDSTONE: Wow.
SAGAL: Isn't that amazing?
SALIE: Yes.
POUNDSTONE: That is amazing.
SAGAL: It also allowed them to be more sensitive to the environment because the hairs exposed to the air.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Bill, how did Christine - how did the Director of the International Monetary Fund...
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: ...Do on our show?
KURTIS: You know, she did marvelously.
SAGAL: Congratulations.
KURTIS: Two out of three - you're a winner, Christine.
(APPLAUSE)
SAGAL: Christine Lagarde is the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund. Ms. Lagarde, thank you so much for joining us on WAIT WAIT... DON'T TELL ME.
POUNDSTONE: That was fun. Thank you.
SAGAL: Thank you so much.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MONEY (THAT'S WHAT I WANT)")
BEATLES: (Singing) Money don't get everything, it's true. What it don't get, I can't use. Now give me money. That's what I want. That's what I want.
SAGAL: In just a minute, can Fido forgive? Find out in our Listener Limerick Challenge. Call 1-888-WAITWAIT to join us on the air. We'll be back in a minute with more of WAIT WAIT... DON'T TELL ME from NPR.
Copyright (C) 2018 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio record.
VIDEO - Donald Trump told Theresa May how to do Brexit 'but she wrecked it' '' and says the US trade deal is off
Sun, 15 Jul 2018 11:41
DONALD Trump today accuses the PM of wrecking Brexit '-- and warns she may have killed off any chance of a vital US trade deal.
The US President delivers his incendiary verdict on her negotiating strategy in a world exclusive interview with The Sun.
In a world exclusive interview with The Sun, Donald Trump said Theresa May had ignored his advice by opting for a soft Brexit strategyIn an extraordinary intervention timed to coincide with his UK visit, Mr Trump said Theresa May ignored his advice by opting for a soft Brexit strategy.
And he warned her any attempts to maintain close ties with the EU would make a lucrative US trade deal very unlikely.
Mr Trump said: ''If they do a deal like that, we would be dealing with the European Union instead of dealing with the UK, so it will probably kill the deal.''
Reuters
Donald Trump said Theresa May's new soft Brexit blueprint would 'kill' any future trade deal with the United StatesHis comments, damaging to the Prime Minister, come as he delivers his most brutally honest verdict yet on Britain in which he also:
Accused EU leaders of destroying its culture and identity by allowing in millions of migrantsTore into London Mayor Sadiq Khan for not standing up to terroristsBlamed Khan for spiralling crime in the capitalInsisted former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson would make ''a great Prime Minister''Denied once branding Theresa May a ''bossy schoolteacher''Maintained he would keep ties with Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin despite the Salisbury Novichok poisoningsDemanded Britain and other Nato countries spend more on defenceSpoke of his sadness at feeling unwelcome in the capital by anti-Trump protestersClaimed millions of Brits backed his policiesTold of his pride at taking wife Melania to meet the QueenMr Trump's remarks come as he prepares to meet the PM for a working lunch at Chequers.
He will then board a helicopter for Windsor Castle to meet the Queen before flying up to Scotland for a private two-day visit.
Thousands of people are expected to take part in a series of protests during his stay in the UK.
I told May how to do Brexit but she didn't listen to me Donald Trump with The Sun's Political Editor Tom Newton Dunn. The Sun was the only British media outlet Trump spoke to before his arrival in the UK for his first visit as PresidentTHERESA May's new soft Brexit blueprint would ''kill'' any future trade deal with the United States, Donald Trump warns today.
Mounting an extraordinary attack on the PM's exit negotiation, the President also reveals she has ignored his advice on how to toughen up the troubled talks.
Instead he believes Mrs May has gone ''the opposite way'', and he thinks the results have been ''very unfortunate''.
His fiercest criticism came over the centrepiece of the PM's new Brexit plan '-- which was unveiled in full yesterday.
It would stick to a common rulebook with Brussels on goods and agricultural produce in a bid to keep customs borders open with the EU.
But Mr Trump told The Sun: ''If they do a deal like that, we would be dealing with the European Union instead of dealing with the UK, so it will probably kill the deal.
US President Donald Trump talks candidly to The Sun about the British Prime Minister Theresa May and Brexit Theresa May greets President Donald Trump at Blenheim Palace''If they do that, then their trade deal with the US will probably not be made.''
Mr Trump made the bombshell intervention during a world exclusive interview with The Sun '-- the only British media outlet he spoke to before his arrival in the UK for his first visit as President.
US President Donald Trump talks candidly to The Sun about UK / US deals It will pour nitroglycerine on the already raging Tory Brexiteer revolt against the PM.
And in more remarks that will set off alarm bells in No10, Mr Trump also said Mrs May's nemesis Boris Johnson '-- who resigned over the soft Brexit blueprint on Monday '-- would ''make a great Prime Minister''.
Reuters
Theresa May and Donald Trump walk across the courtyard at Blenheim Palace, where they attended a dinnerA big US-UK trade deal, long promised by Mr Trump, is cherished by Leave campaigners as Brexit's biggest prize.
But the President said Mrs May's plan ''will definitely affect trade with the United States, unfortunately in a negative way''.
He explained: ''We have enough difficulty with the European Union.
''We are cracking down right now on the European Union because they have not treated the United States fairly on trading.
''No, if they do that I would say that that would probably end a major trade relationship with the United States.''
President Donald Trump and Melania Trump depart for dinner with PM Theresa May at Blenheim PalaceQuestioned on Boris's comments at a private dinner two weeks ago that Mr Trump ''would go in bloody hard'' if he was negotiating Brexit, the President swiftly replied: ''He is right.''
He added: ''I would have done it much differently. I actually told Theresa May how to do it but she didn't agree, she didn't listen to me.
''She wanted to go a different route.
''I would actually say that she probably went the opposite way. And that is fine.
''She should negotiate the best way she knows how. But it is too bad what is going on.''
US President Donald Trump talks candidly to The Sun about Trade AFP or licensors
Theresa May rolled out the red carpet for President Trump and wife Melania during their first night in BritainAsked if that meant he would be prepared to walk away from the negotiating table, Trump replied: ''Oh, absolutely. I think what is going on is very unfortunate. Too long.
''You know, deals that take too long are never good ones. When a deal takes so long, they never work out very well.''
Mr Trump also went even further in questioning whether Mrs May's new Brexit plan upholds the referendum result '-- which he claimed he predicted two years ago. He said: ''The deal she is striking is a much different deal than the one the people voted on.
''It was not the deal that was in the referendum. I have just been hearing this over the last three days. I know they have had a lot of resignations. So a lot of people don't like it.''
President Donald Trump and Melania Trump arrive at Blenheim Palace for dinner with Prime Minister Theresa MayDespite the withering criticism of Mrs May's Brexit strategy, Trump insisted he still thinks she is ''a very good person''.
He also denied claims that she bores him.
Asked about a report in The Washington Post that he thinks of Mrs May as ''a bossy schoolteacher'', Mr Trump said: ''No, no, no, no. I never said anything bad about her.
''That is fake news. I think she is a nice person. I get along with her very nicely. The Washington Post is totally fake. They are just a lobbyist for Amazon.''
Recalling a visit to one of his luxury golf resorts in Scotland two years ago, Mr Trump said: ''I predicted Brexit.
Getty - Pool
Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump were welcomed by Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May and her husband Philip May''I was cutting a ribbon for the opening of Turnberry '-- you know they totally did a whole renovation, it is beautiful '-- the day before the Brexit vote.
''I said, 'Brexit will happen'. The vote is going to go positive, because people don't want to be faced with the horrible immigration problems that they are being faced with in other countries.
''You remember that Barack Obama said that there is no way it is going to happen, and the UK will get to the back of the line if it ever does, right? I said Brexit will happen, and I was right.''
At a press conference in Brussels yesterday at the end of a summit of Nato leaders, Mr Trump again cast doubt on whether the PM's soft Brexit plan was true to the referendum result.
He said: ''I don't know if that's what they voted for.''
Getty - Contributor
Donald Trump, unlike predecessor Barack Obama, predicted BrexitDowning Street was left shell-shocked by the criticism.
Mrs May rushed out her own statement to hit back at the President's claim.
The PM insisted: ''We have come to an agreement at the proposal we're putting to the European Union which absolutely delivers on the Brexit people voted for.
They voted for us to take back control of our money, our law and our borders and that's exactly what we will do.''
'HER HEART ISN'T IN IT' The PM 'is a Remainer who has remained a Remainer' says Rees-Mogg
See EU in court May reveals the 'brutal' Brexit advice Trump gave her '' to SUE the EU
DON-T YOU WANT ME? Donald Trump's UK visit - when did he arrive and who is he meeting with?
SEX TEXT SHAME Minister quits as texts revealed 'demanding sex & calling himself Daddy'
REMOANER CONSPIRACY Ex-minister accuses May of 'cloak and dagger plot to sabotage Brexit'
GOLF WAR Trump waves at angry protesters before teeing off at golf course in Scotland
Johnson tipped as future PMEPA
Donald Trump tipped former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson as a future Prime Minister US President Donald Trump talks candidly to The Sun about Boris Johnson DONALD Trump praised Boris Johnson as a future Prime Minister.
The US President described the former Foreign Secretary as ''a very talented guy'', adding: ''I like him a lot.''
He said: ''I have a lot of respect for Boris. He obviously likes me, and says very good things about me.
''I was very saddened to see he was leaving government and I hope he goes back in at some point. I think he is a great representative for your country.''
Asked if the ex-minister could be in No 10 one day, he replied: ''Well I am not pitting one against the other. I am just saying I think he would be a great Prime Minister. I think he's got what it takes.''
Novichok attack will not stop Trump meeting Putin
BRITAIN'S fury over the Salisbury nerve agent attack will not stop Donald Trump from bonding with Vladimir Putin next week.
The President flies from the UK to a summit with the Russian leader in Helsinki on Monday.
Quizzed on whether the Novichok attack made him reconsider, he said: ''I think getting along with China, getting along with Russia, is a good thing.''
He suggested Mrs May's plans for a soft Brexit was a hostile move towards the US because ''the European Union is very bad to the United States on trade''.
Theresa May has urged Mr Trump to tackle Mr Putin on Novichok and other international outrages, including cyber attacks.
Mayor Khan doesn't like me but I say to him: You've done terrible job on terrorDONALD Trump today claims Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is responsible for the terror attacks on the British capital.
The Labour heavyweight has ''done a very bad job on terrorism'' by allowing so many migrants to come to the city, the President controversially argues.
US President Donald Trump talks candidly to The Sun 'about London's Mayor Sadiq Khan Dan Charity - The Sun
Donald Trump claimed Sadiq Khan is responsible for the terror attacks on the British capitalThe incendiary remarks are the most vicious in the White House boss's long-running feud with London's first Muslim mayor.
It began more than two years ago during Trump's US presidential election campaign when Mr Khan attacked his vow to temporarily ban all Muslims from entering America.
Deepening the duo's bitter war of words again, Mr Trump told The Sun in an exclusive interview ahead of his arrival in Britain: ''I think allowing millions and millions of people to come into Europe is very, very sad.
''I look at cities in Europe, and I can be specific if you'd like. You have a mayor who has done a terrible job in London. He has done a terrible job.
PA:Press Association
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has 'done a very bad job on terrorism', says Trump''Take a look at the terrorism that is taking place. Look at what is going on in London. I think he has done a very bad job on terrorism.
''I think he has done a bad job on crime, if you look, all of the horrible things going on there, with all of the crime that is being brought in.''
London was hit by four terror attacks last year '-- including in Westminster, London Bridge, Parsons Green Tube station and Finsbury Park's mosque.
Speaking to The Sun inside the US Embassy in Brussels, the US President also revealed he thinks Mr Khan has shown a lack of respect to America by attacking him personally.
PA:Press Association
The US President also revealed he thinks Mr Khan has shown a lack of respect to America by attacking him personallyMr Trump added: ''I think he has not been hospitable to a government that is very important. Now he might not like the current President, but I represent the United States.
''I also represent a lot of people in Europe because a lot of people from Europe are in the United States.''
Mr Trump also clashed with Mr Khan after last June's van and knife rampage on London Bridge and Borough Market '-- mocking the mayor for his appeal to Londoners to stay calm.
The President tweeted: ''At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is 'no reason to be alarmed!'''
Getty - Contributor
Donald Trump clashed with Sadiq Khan after last June's van and knife rampage on London Bridge and Borough MarketMr Khan described the tweet as ''ill-informed''.
A source close to Mr Khan last night pointed out that the Home Office is in charge of immigration policy for London and the whole country and not those in City Hall.
Meanwhile, a Tory MP faced calls to be suspended yesterday after being accused of Islamophobia over a picture he tweeted of Mr Khan.
Michael Fabricant posted an image with the London Mayor's head on an inflatable pig that is being mounted by a second pig along with Mr Trump laughing.
Piers Morgan and Sadiq Khan get into furious row over crime stats in London as GMB host asks 'Is my child going to be stabbed in the street?'The tweet is thought to be in response to Mr Khan's decision to allow a 20ft ''Trump Baby'' blimp to be flown over London during the President's visit.
Mr Fabricant deleted the image and claimed he did not see that it featured Mr Khan's face, saying: ''My fault was not checking it closer on my iPhone first.''
But Labour's Luke Pollard said: ''Tweeting racism is not a good look for a Conservative MP when there is a real problem with Islamophobia in the Tory party.''
Trump on London crimewave
DONALD Trump says London is in the middle of a crimewave '-- and blasted Sadiq Khan for failing to tackle the problem.
He said the mayor has ''done a bad job on crime''.
It follow suggestions by the President earlier this year that gangs in the capital were getting round our strict gun laws by stabbing people instead.
Mr Trump said: ''Yes that's right '-- they don't have guns, they have knives.''
More than 50 Londoners have been killed with knives this year. Nine people have been shot.
In 2017, there were at least 115 murder probes with 80 deaths the result of stabbings.
Blood on the wallsONE British hospital is so bad that it has ''blood all over the walls'', the President has claimed.
Recalling an article he read recently, Mr Trump said: ''They had a story in one of the major New York newspapers recently about your hospital. You know about that story? I'm sure you've seen it.
AFP or licensors
Donald Trump claimed that one British hospital is so bad that it has 'blood all over the walls'''What they say is, it is worse than any hospital they have ever seen in a war zone.
''It is right in the middle of London. I guess it used to be the ultimate and now there is, you know, there is blood all over the walls, all over the floors.
''It was a very major story and I have heard it from others, too, so I think it is very sad. Very sad.''
It is the second time the US leader has attacked the hospital, which he has not named.
It is believed to be the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, East London, where a record 702 stabbing victims were treated last year.
Trump dubbed it ''a war zone'' during a speech in May to the National Rifle Association about the spiralling danger posed by knife crime.
Leading Royal London trauma surgeon Dr Martin Griffiths later said he would be ''happy to invite Mr Trump to my prestigious hospital''.
Migrants 'harm UK'BRITAIN and the rest of Europe is ''losing its culture'' because of immigration, Donald Trump says.
The wave of migrants from the Middle East and Africa is permanently changing the continent for the worse, the 72 year-old president argued.
AP:Associated Press
Donald Trump says Britain and the rest of Europe is 'losing its culture' because of immigrationAnd he claimed the situation pains him personally as the son of two EU countries.
Mr Trump told The Sun: ''I have great love for countries in Europe.
''Don't forget, essentially I'm a product of the European Union, between Scotland and Germany.
''Right? My father Germany, my mother Scotland.
Reuters
Trump says the wave of migrants from the Middle East and Africa is permanently changing the continentBut in a controversial outburst, he added: ''I think what has happened to Europe is a shame.
''Allowing the immigration to take place in Europe is a shame.
''I think it changed the fabric of Europe and, unless you act very quickly, it's never going to be what it was and I don't mean that in a positive way.
''So I think allowing millions and millions of people to come into Europe is very, very sad.
''I think you are losing your culture. Look around. You go through certain areas that didn't exist ten or 15 years ago.''
Mr Trump made tackling illegal US immigration one of the planks of his 2016 election campaign.
No1 fan loves his football shirt giftPaul Edwards The SUN
President Trump with an England shirt presented to him by The Sun''MR President, these gentlemen are from The Sun,'' an aide formally announced as we were ushered into the Trump inner sanctum.
Entering the court of an emperor, it pays to bring a gift.
We presented him with an England shirt when we interviewed him at the US Embassy in Brussels on Wednesday, ahead of the Nato summit.
''Oh wow. I love gifts,'' he said, happily obliging our photographer Paul Edwards by holding the personalised top up with a trademark grin.
''You don't hear the word England as much as you should,'' he continued.
''I think England is a beautiful name.''
Two things about him struck me most.
Paul Edwards The SUN
Donald Trump was all smiles as he posed with his new giftFirst, Trump has total power. Nobody on his White House staff tells him what to say, or questions him when he says it.
When Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced our scheduled ten-minute slot was almost up, the President swiftly interjected: ''No, give them a little bit more.''
We stayed for 28 minutes, with no more prompts to go.
Secondly, he is a very sensitive man, constantly saying how much various people like him. It clearly pains him today that he is not being welcomed to Britain as a hero and our most important ally.
On our way out, we met Trump's Chief of Staff John Kelly. The former US Marine Corps general took me aside and said: ''I read The Sun every day. I love Britain.''
Why would I stay in London when I feel so unwelcome?AP:Associated Press
Donald Trump, pictured arriving in the UK, admitted he 'feels unwelcome' in LondonDONALD Trump has admitted he ''feels unwelcome'' in London as a major security operation was launched for his arrival in the UK yesterday.
But the tycoon insists real British people ''love the President of the United States''.
Mr Trump told The Sun he will be largely staying away from the capital to avoid huge street protests of up to 200,000 today.
But he blamed them on politicians '-- singling out his nemesis, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
Revealing he has been told of the 20ft ''Trump Baby'' blimp that will be flown above Parliament Square today, he said: ''I guess when they put out blimps to make me feel unwelcome, no reason for me to go to London.
''I used to love London as a city. I haven't been there in a long time. But when they make you feel unwelcome, why would I stay there?
AP:Associated Press
Mr Trump told The Sun he will be largely staying away from the capital to avoid huge street protests of up to 200,000''And when I say that I am talking about government because the people of the UK agree with me.''
Mr Trump let his true feelings slip during an exclusive interview with The Sun hours before Air Force One touched down at Stansted Airport at 2pm yesterday.
Of his four-day visit, he added: ''Many people are delighted. I get thousands of notifications from people in the UK that they love the President of the United States.''
He described a West London pub being renamed The Trump Arms for the duration of the trip as ''wonderful'', adding: ''I love those people. Those are my people.''
Reuters
Donald Trump insists real British people 'love the President of the United States'Mr Trump added: ''You know, a poll just came out that I am the most popular person in the history of the Republican Party '-- 92 per cent. Beating Lincoln. I beat our Honest Abe.
''But the people of the UK, and I'll bet if you had an honest poll, I'd be very strong. They want the same thing I want. I love the UK.''
His trip is a lower key working visit rather than the full state visit that the Queen invited him on 18 months ago.Asked why he has failed to visit Britain as President until now, Mr Trump said: ''Well, you know the United States has been very busy. We have been doing very well.''
Theresa May hosted a dinner with 150 business bosses at Winston Churchill's birthplace Blenheim Palace for Mr Trump last night.
Donald Trump arrives in UK and boasts that Brits 'like me a lot'The Scots, Irish and Welsh Guards' bands opened the event with a military ceremony in the Great Court.
Mr Trump and wife Melania are travelling everywhere in his Marine One helicopter to avoid demonstrations '-- including in and out of last night's accommodation at the US Ambassador's residence, Winfield House in Regents Park.
Protesters outside mounted a ''Keep Trump Awake'' rally '-- banging pots, pans and drums and blowing vuvuzelas from 8pm.
But when an estimated 200,000 protesters meet for the ''Together Against Trump March'' in central London at 2pm today, he will be at Chequers for talks with Mrs May.
The Trumps then fly to Scotland to spend the weekend at his golf resorts in Turnberry and Aberdeen.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn attacked Mrs May for inviting Mr Trump to Britain while ''his dangerous and inhumane policies are putting the lives and wellbeing of millions of people at risk''.
Trump to meet 'incredible' Queen
DONALD Trump described the Queen as ''a tremendous woman'' ahead of their first meeting today.
The US President and wife Melania were due to have tea with the 92-year-old monarch at Windsor Castle this afternoon.
He told The Sun he was not nervous about it '-- but was in awe of Her Majesty's flawless public service.
Mr Trump said: ''She is a tremendous woman. I really look forward to meeting her. I think she represents her country so well.
''If you think of it, for so many years she has represented her country, she has really never made a mistake. You don't see, like, anything embarrassing. She is just an incredible woman.
''My wife is a tremendous fan of hers. She has got a great and beautiful grace about her.''
Mr Trump's Scottish-born mum Mary was an obsessive fan of the Queen, he said.
He added: ''My mother loved the Queen. Any time the Queen was on television, my mother wanted to watch it.'' Her Majesty will meet Mr Trump and the First Lady at the dais in the Quadrangle of the historic royal residence in Berkshire.
A guard of honour, comprised of the Coldstream Guards, will give a royal salute and US anthem The Star-Spangled Banner will be played.
Mr Trump and the Queen will then inspect the guard of honour and watch the soldiers march past.
Afterwards, The President and First Lady will join the Queen for tea inside the castle.
Her Majesty has met with previous White House couples including Barack and Michelle Obama, George W and Laura Bush, and Ronald and Nancy Reagan.
UK must up defence spendingAFP or licensors
Donald Trump told The Sun he agrees with Jim Mattis '100 per cent' on defence spendingTHERESA May must listen to her generals and hike defence spending to keep the Special Relationship intact, said Mr Trump.
His Secretary of Defense asked the UK Government to go significantly above Nato's minimum target of 2 per cent of GDP in funding for its military as the US's major ally.
The President told The Sun he agrees with Jim Mattis ''100 per cent''.
He added: ''Two per cent isn't enough. The US pays 4.2 per cent of a much larger GDP.
''I'm very impressed that Jim sent that letter. I think that is an exact right letter.''
Mr Trump defended himself against allies' charges of blackmail over his demand for rapid rises in all 29 Nato member states' defence budgets.
Asked if he was a bully, he said: ''I'll tell you what, we've had 40 years of presidents saying the same thing in a nicer way and they got nothing, so call it what you want.
US President Donald Trump talks candidly to The Sun about' Defence budgets' ''They're taking advantage of the United States. I'm not going to let it happen.''
Mr Trump caused panic by implying he could pull the US out of Nato if other countries did not hike their contributions.
He was asked at a Brussels press conference if he had threatened to withdraw and replied: ''I told people I'd be very unhappy if they didn't up their commitment. Yesterday I let them know I was extremely unhappy.''
He insisted nations had finally agreed to increase expenditure, adding: ''Everyone in the room thanked me.''
But French President Emmanuel Macron denied Nato allies had agreed a spending rise.
The US wants its Nato allies to share more of the financial burden on defence.
In 2014 Nato nations committed to moves toward reaching the 2 per cent of GDP figure within 10 years.
Nato estimated just 15 members will meet the aim by 2024 based on current trends.
Trump met by protesters
By Nick Pisa and Greg Wilford
THE £30million security operation to support Donald Trump's visit was put to the test soon after he arrived when demonstrators gathered where he was staying.
Mr Trump's plane Air Force One touched down at Stansted Airport in Essex before a helicopter took him and First Lady Melania to the US ambassador's residence, Winfield House, in London's Regent's Park.
Around 400 protesters were gathered there to stage a Wall of Noise demo, banging pots and pans and blowing whistles.
The property had been surrounded by a specially built 9ft-high steel fence with concrete bollards.
Turnstiles and metal detectors were at the building's entrances, guarded by US Secret Service agents all wearing earpieces and shades.
Cops were in the minaret of the nearby Regent's Park mosque overlooking the residence, while armed officers patrolled its perimeter.
And US agents on golf buggies patrolled the park as amazed tourists and office workers looked on.
Last night, Mr Trump and Melania flew in the President's Marine One helicopter for a black tie dinner hosted by PM Theresa May and hubby Philip at Winston Churchill's Oxfordshire birthplace Blenheim Palace.
Meanwhile, as many as 100,000 are expected to gather in central London in a protest today called by organisers Together Against Trump.
But with around 10,000 cops on duty in an operation codenamed Manifold, tight security means he and Melania will be kept well away from any demonstrators.
Mr Trump had said he was ''fine'' with planned protests. He said: ''I think they like me a lot in the UK.''
The Sun Says
THE UK-US trade deal is dead. Nato is a rip-off, the NHS is a shambles and London's Mayor is terrible. Agree with him or not, Donald Trump at least speaks plainly and means it.
We wish we could say the same of our Government.
Theresa May insists her Brexit ''red lines'' will all be fulfilled. That may even be technically true. But she is in danger of blurring each one so much that their true meaning is lost.
Take the proposed new trade deals with giant non-EU economies which she has made pivotal to our future.
Trump tells The Sun that Mrs May has already killed the biggest, with America, by tying us to EU rules on food and farming. Those same restrictions will make it extremely hard to do ANY deals.
That's madness. And it is disingenuous to talk up Britain repeatedly as an independent global trading power while knowingly binding our hands.
No10 claims we are taking back control of our laws too. But the ECJ will still in effect have a final say if we are bound to EU rules.
Mrs May says free movement will end. But her proposed immigration policy still doesn't seem to give us complete control over EU migrants.
How about our payments to Brussels? They will no longer be ''vast'', she says.
OK. But will they still be ''big''?
Even if the EU agrees to all this, Tory backbench Brexiteers say they'll vote it down in the Commons.
We have every sympathy. But where will that leave us? It's the only plan on offer. The PM won't harden it up. And Parliament won't sanction ''no deal''.
Our future is in the balance here. The Cabinet cannot surely now be thinking about taking summer holidays. Time is running out '-- and it's stalemate.
Only one thing is making progress . . . Tory poll numbers, slowly heading south.
VIDEO - If Firefighters Are Concerned About Exposure to Cell Towers and Antennas, Maybe Everybody Should Be. 5G Complaints by San Francisco Firefighters Are Unsettling.
Sat, 14 Jul 2018 14:46
By B.N. Frank
If firefighters are willing to run and leap and climb and jump into burning buildings and forests but aren't willing to be subjected to prolonged periods of radiation exposure from cell towers and antennas, maybe the rest of us shouldn't be willing to be either.
The International Association of Firefighters made its stance known 14 years ago:
The International Association of Fire Fighters' position on locating cell towers commercial wireless infrastructure on fire department facilities, as adopted by its membership in August 2004 (1), is that the IAFF oppose the use of fire stations as base stations for towers and/or antennas for the conduction of cell phone transmissions until a study with the highest scientific merit and integrity on health effects of exposure to low-intensity RF/MW radiation is conducted and it is proven that such sitings are not hazardous to the health of our members.
U.S. firefighter groups have long opposed cell towers and antennas on their stations. In California, they fought to prevent them from being installed due to health concerns.
A May 2018 CBS news story from Sacramento, CA about the installation of 5G small cell towers references complaints reported by San Francisco firefighters:
Firefighters in San Francisco have reported memory problems and confusion after the 5G equipment was installed outside of fire stations. The firefighters claim the symptoms stopped when they relocated to stations without equipment nearby.
All sources of cell phone and wireless WiFi radiation are not magic. They never have been. Decades of research from government, independent, industry, and military scientists have already proven harm.
In 2011, The World Health Organization classified all sources of cell phone and wireless WiFi radiation as a possible carcinogen in the same category as chloroform, engine exhaust, and led. Many experts believe it should be reclassified as a Carcinogen.
This isn't just about cancer. Exposure can lead to symptoms and illnesses referred to as ''Microwave Sickness'' or ''Electrosensitivity.'' This is actually more common than we have been led to believe.
Research has confirmed that exposure can
Worsen pre-existing conditions even when it didn't cause themDisrupt the blood-brain barrier which can cause it to leakCause a cumulative toxic effect when combined with other toxins Harm pets, nature, and wildlifeIt's not just The Telecom Industry aka ''Big Wireless'' that doesn't seem to care about any of this. Many of our elected officials as well as current and former government employees don't seem to care either.
>>
20+ year old legislation as well as outdated safety standards and testing'' not science '' has made it possible to avoid using ''The Precautionary Principle'' in regard to all digital and wireless devices, products, and infrastructure.
Concerns about cell towers '' 5G and otherwise '' and other sources of WiFi radiation has been reported quite a bit already '' especially over the last few months.
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VIDEO - Questions Raised About 5G Risks Before Sacramento Launches Service CBS Sacramento
Sat, 14 Jul 2018 14:45
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) '' Sacramento will be the first city in the country to get 5G cell service later this summer, but health concerns are now being raised about the equipment.
5G uses high frequency waves and is supposed to be 100 times faster than the current cell phone service. However, the 5G waves don't travel as far as current wireless frequencies so instead of large cell phone tower equipment spread far apart, the 5G requires small cell sites closer together.
The FCC does set exposure limits for cell site antennas that transmit signals to phones.
Research has been done on the effects of cell radiation but it has been inconsistent. According to the National Cancer Institute, ''A limited number of studies have shown some evidence of statistical association of cell phone use and brain tumor risks, but most studies have found no association.''
Firefighters in San Francisco have reported memory problems and confusion after the 5G equipment was installed outside of fire stations. The firefighters claim the symptoms stopped when they relocated to stations without equipment nearby.
The wireless industry told CBS13 that decades of research shows no known health risk from this type of energy. In fact, a spokesperson says the occurrence of brain tumors in the United States has actually gone down since cell phones were introduced.
''The safety of cellphone consumers is important to CTIA and the wireless industry. We follow the guidance of the experts when it comes to antennas and health effects. Following numerous scientific studies conducted over several decades, the FCC, the FDA, the World Health Organization, the American Cancer Society and numerous other international and U.S. organizations and health experts continue to say that the scientific evidence shows no known health risk to humans due to the RF energy emitted by antennas and cellphones. The evidence includes analysis of official federal brain tumor statistics showing that since the introduction of cellphones in the mid-1980s, the rate of brain tumors in the United States has decreased.''
The City of Sacramento partnered with Verizon to offer 5G. A spokesperson told CBS13 the City of Sacramento currently has six active 5G sites- all are on SMUD utility poles:
1731 E Street1619 E Street421 14TH Street2330 Q Street2019 21ST Street801 16TH StreetSacramento issued a statement to CBS13- reading in part:
''Sacramento continues its emergence as a leader and innovator and will be the first scaled commercial practical implementation of 5G in the nation. It is this type of innovation that will enable residents to experience gigabit speeds that were previously only available via costly fiber. Technologies like 5G promise to revolutionize the daily lives of people. The City plays an important role and is actively working to streamline the development processes and effectively and efficiently pave the way for innovators like Verizon to implement technologies that will drive economic vitality, decrease the digital divide, serve our diverse communities, and forward the mission of the City for all.
The City currently has six 5G sites active. The City does not/cannot regulate wireless devices.''
AT&T also plans to introduce 5G and says it is comfortable with the technology.
Some cities, including Santa Rosa, have put their 5G plans on hold while health concerns are addressed.
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Thu, 12 Jul 2018 19:44
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