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2 officers responding to ‘shots fired’ incident in Chicago struck and killed by train – News 5 Cleveland
2 officers responding to ‘shots fired’ incident in Chicago struck and killed by train – News 5 Cleveland

Two Chicago police officers were killed Monday after being struck by a metro train, authorities said.

Conrad Gary and Eduardo Marmolejo were responding to a shots fired call on the city’s South Side when a passing train hit them, Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson told reporters.

The officers were searching an area near train tracks at 103rd Street and Cottage Grove Avenue when they were struck, Johnson said. The train had been traveling at 60 mph to 70 mph, he said.

“While doing the most dangerous thing any police officer can do, and that is to chase an individual with a gun, these brave young men were consumed with identifying a potential threat to their community and put the safety of others above their own,” Johnson said.

A suspect was ultimately taken into custody and a gun was recovered, Johnson said.

Gary, 31, had been on the force 18 months. Marmolejo, 37, joined the department 2 1/2 years ago, Johnson said.

The men, both fathers, lost their lives just a week before Christmas.

“This holiday will never be the same for those two families,” Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said. “And while our hearts are with them, we lost people who answered the call to make Chicago a better place. We go about our lives not thinking twice and we can do that because of the men and women in the Chicago police department.”

Johnson asked Chicago to pray for the families of the officers, and for the men and women of the officers’ 5th district, “who, even tonight, would stop at nothing to safeguard their community,” he said.

“This has been an immensely difficult year for the Chicago police department,” Johnson said, “And especially for the men and women of the 5th district where they have faced tragedy after tragedy this year.”

Source Article from https://www.news5cleveland.com/2-officers-responding-to-shots-fired-incident-in-chicago-struck-and-killed-by-train

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Polar vortex ‘could bring freezing air over the U.S. and send temperatures plummeting within weeks’ – Daily Mail
Polar vortex ‘could bring freezing air over the U.S. and send temperatures plummeting within weeks’ – Daily Mail

Polar vortex ‘could bring freezing Arctic air over the U.S. and send temperatures plummeting within weeks’

  • Weather researcher say there is a chance of a disrupted polar vortex
  • A polar vortex is air that rests 60,000 feet above the Arctic Circle
  • A disruption in vortex would mean Arctic air blanketing Northern Hemisphere
  • In October, National Weather Service predicted warmer-than-usual winter 

By

Dailymail.com Reporter

and
Associated Press


Published:
23:24 EST, 17 December 2018

|
Updated:
00:31 EST, 18 December 2018

Weather researchers say that a polar vortex could hit the United States and Canada with extremely frigid temperatures either by the end of this month or in January.

Judah Cohen, who is a climate expert at Atmospheric and Environmental Research, said that the latest studies indicate there is a chance Arctic air could push southward and blanket much of the Northern Hemisphere in the coming weeks.

It all depends on the polar vortex, the patch of air 60,000 feet above the Earth’s Arctic surface, according to The Washington Post.

If the vortex stays stable, the winter will be quite ordinary, with its usual cold spells, snow storms, and thaws.

Judah Cohen, who is a climate expert at Atmospheric and Environmental Research, said that the latest studies indicate there is a chance Arctic air could push southward and blanket much of the Northern Hemisphere in the coming weeks

The frigid Arctic air could send temperatures plummeting to well below freezing. The image above shows Lower Manhattan from the Staten Island Ferry as New York Harbor is filled with large chunks of ice in February 2015

But if the vortex is disrupted, it would mean especially frigid temperatures similar to those which covered the United States in February and March.

Cohen tweeted: ‘Confidence is growing in a significant polar vortex disruption in the coming weeks. 

‘This could be the single most important determinant of the weather this winter across the Northern Hemisphere.’ 

There is disagreement over the projections of a possible disruption in the vortex.

While American climate experts say it could happen later this month, European experts are predicting that January will be when it is felt.

The findings about a possible polar vortex contradict predictions by U.S. meteorologists who said in October that this coming winter will be warmer and milder than usual.

The National Weather Service predicted a warmer than normal winter for the northern and western three-quarters of the nation – thanks to a weak El Niño brewing. 

The greatest chance for warmer than normal winter weather is in Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, Montana, northern Wyoming and western North Dakota.

No place in the United States is expected to be colder than normal, said Mike Halpert, deputy director of the government’s Climate Prediction Center.

The Southeast, Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic can go any which way on temperature, Halpert said.

Overall the winter looks a lot like the last few, Halpert said.

‘The country as a whole has been quite mild since 2014-2105,’ Halpert said.     

THE NOAA WINTER FORECAST 

 Temperature: 

  • Warmer-than-normal conditions are anticipated across much of the northern and western U.S., with the greatest likelihood in Alaska and from the Pacific Northwest to the Northern Plains.
  • The Southeast, Tennessee Valley, Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic all have equal chances for below-, near- or above-average temperatures.
  • No part of the U.S. is favored to have below-average temperatures.

Northern Florida and southern Georgia have the greatest odds for above-average precipitation this winter

 Precipitation

  • Wetter-than-average conditions are favored across the southern tier of the U.S., and up into the Mid-Atlantic. Northern Florida and southern Georgia have the greatest odds for above-average precipitation this winter.
  • Drier-than-average conditions are most likely in parts of the northern Rockies and Northern Plains, as well as in the Great Lakes and northern Ohio Valley. 

 Drought

  • Drought conditions are likely to persist across portions of the Southwest, Southern California, the central Great Basin, central Rockies, Northern Plains and portions of the interior Pacific Northwest.
  • Drought conditions are anticipated to improve in areas throughout Arizona and New Mexico, southern sections of Utah and Colorado, the coastal Pacific Northwest and the Central Plains.


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Source Article from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6506599/Polar-vortex-bring-freezing-air-U-S-send-temperatures-plummeting-weeks.html

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Tech Companies Dragged Feet on Russian Interference Data, Reports Say – The New York Times
Tech Companies Dragged Feet on Russian Interference Data, Reports Say – The New York Times

Of the information that the companies did hand over, some came in formats that were difficult to analyze. Researchers said that in many cases, information was provided in duplicate and triplicate, or was incomplete or corrupted. That meant it took months just to catalog and clean up before it could be studied.

In a statement, Nu Wexler, a Google spokesman, said, “We conducted an in-depth investigation across multiple product areas, and provided a detailed and thorough report to investigators.” He added that neither YouTube nor Google allowed people to target an audience by race.

Twitter said it was committed to transparency and had improved its work with researchers. “Our singular focus is to improve the health of the public conversation on our platform,” said Katie Rosborough, a spokeswoman.

A spokesman for Facebook, Matt Steinfeld, said it “provided thousands of ads and pieces of content to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence for review and shared information with the public about what we found.”

On Monday in Washington, lawmakers lashed out at the tech companies for hiding the ball.

“For many months we urged the social media companies to undertake such a crosscutting analysis without success, even as we made as much of their data as public as possible,” said Representative Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California. He said the companies’ reluctance to look deeply at Russian interference “made our task far more difficult than it should have been.”

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/17/technology/tech-companies-russian-interference.html

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White House Nightmare: Trump Golfs While His Secret Service Agents Work Without Pay – HuffPost
White House Nightmare: Trump Golfs While His Secret Service Agents Work Without Pay – HuffPost

Schumer on Sunday repeated that theme during an interview with NBC News. “We should not let a temper tantrum, threats, push us in the direction of doing something that everybody, even our Republican colleagues, know is wrong,” Schumer said. “If the president wants to debate the wall next year, he can…. But he shouldn’t use innocent workers as hostage for his temper tantrum to sort of throw a bone to his base.”

Source Article from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-golf-shutdown_us_5c181df5e4b08db99056bd30

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Both sides of the debate over the 7-year-old who died in CBP custody are insufferable – Washington Examiner
Both sides of the debate over the 7-year-old who died in CBP custody are insufferable – Washington Examiner

Like most issues in politics, immigration is considered a binary one. While Republicans stress the need for an increase in border security and discuss funding a wall, Democrats see these measures as contrasting sharply with our nation’s ideals. Attempting to find a solution that will satisfy both sides is near impossible.

Last week, Jakelin Caal Maquin, a 7-year-old Guatemalan who had traveled with her family and others to the U.S., died in a Texas hospital not long after being taken into custody. According to reports, Maquin is believed to have succumbed to dehydration and shock, though a full autopsy is pending. Her life, which had barely begun, ended after a long journey to a new country.

Instantly, her story became a flashpoint. Individuals on both sides of the dialogue seized upon a narrative. Either her family and those adults who played the role of guardian were entirely to blame for her tragic death, or the United States government and, by extension, the border agents who processed her were complicit in killing. There was simply no other option. To suggest a shared responsibility, however lopsided, was seen as a lack of concern for either human life or national defense.

The fallout is predictable and exhausting.

Since Maquin’s death, it’s been reported that her father, by way of his home country’s consulate, insists she was healthy during the trip and treated well once in U.S. custody. But according to Customs and Border Protection, “the girl had not had anything to eat or drink in several days.” The confusion surrounding what really happened is bound to continue, and sadly the young girl’s story will eventually fade out of the news cycle.

Immigration has topped President Trump’s list of priorities from day one. In addition to cleaning up that swamp in Washington, many of the president’s most ardent supporters consider this to be the subject they’re most concerned in addressing. This is understandable and necessary. Americans have every right to be concerned about illegal aliens, overflowing borders, and an influx of those tied to drug cartels or terror. But while we demand change we must do so with a measure of compassion and consideration for others.

[Read more: White House says administration not responsible for death of 7-year-old migrant girl]

Conversely, Democrats are eager to blame President Trump and his administration for the tragic occurrence of Maquin’s death. Since the child passed away after interacting with border patrol, the U.S. must be at fault. This ignores that the onus is largely on the young girl’s family and other adults who were meant to oversee her health and safety. Could more have been done to help Maquin while on her ill-fated journey? Perhaps. If she was without any nourishment for several days, as the CBP says, that’s not the fault of the federal government.

As far as American involvement goes, reports paint a grim, understaffed picture:

Was Maquin overlooked in the rush to get so many illegal aliens processed? Why are there so few agents? Is there a need for more stations? These are questions worth asking. They also don’t require that you somehow believe that the U.S. killed Maquin.

The loss of a child, no matter their country of origin or family background, is a truly tragic event. It is proper to ask just how much the adults, on either side of the border, helped to watch out for her. This isn’t disparaging the many who seek a better life here. It’s also not placing fault on the outnumbered agents who help keep watch at our nation’s gates. Unfortunately, in an attempt to gain political points, many have firmly planted their feet in one camp or the other.

While I do believe that Jakelin Caal Maquin’s family shoulders much of the responsibility for her untimely passing, our immigration system factors in, too. Since the U.S. can only control one side in these situations, it must work to seriously head down a bipartisan path of improvement.

Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog and a senior contributor at RedState.com.

Source Article from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/both-sides-of-the-debate-over-the-7-year-old-who-died-in-cbp-custody-are-insufferable

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NC GOP calls on board to certify House race unless it can prove fraud changed results | TheHill – The Hill
NC GOP calls on board to certify House race unless it can prove fraud changed results | TheHill – The Hill

The North Carolina Republican Party called on the state board of elections to certify Republican Mark HarrisMark HarrisNC GOP calls on board to certify House race unless it can prove fraud changed results Disputed North Carolina race exposes mail ballot flaws NC elections board postpones hearing over contested House race until January MORE as the winner of the House race from the 9th District if the board can’t provide evidence that alleged voting irregularities changed the outcome of the contest.

The state Republicans’ 9th District ‘s executive committee on Sunday unanimously passed a resolution that also condemned the board for a “glaring lack of transparency” regarding its investigation into alleged absentee ballot fraud. 

A copy of the resolution was sent to the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE).

Harris leads Democrat Dan McCready by 905 votes, but the state board voted not to certify the results of the race amid mounting allegations of electoral fraud involving absentee ballots in rural Bladen County and neighboring Robeson County.

The NCSBE said last week it would hold an evidentiary hearing on Jan. 11, postponing it from previous plans to hold one on or before Dec. 21. The hearing will be held more than a week after the new sessions of Congress convenes.

“The State Board of Elections should produce any evidence they have obtained that would provide proof the alleged voting irregularities would have changed the outcome of the race,” the resolution from the North Carolina Republicans said.

“Therefore it is further resolved: Dr. Mark Harris is Congressman-Elect for the Ninth Congressional District. If the State Board is unable to provide evidence the alleged voting irregularities would have changed the outcome of the race, they should immediately certify the results of the Ninth District Congressional contest,” they wrote.

The resolution reiterates the state Republican Party will support a new election if there’s “substantial likelihood” that the alleged fraud altered the race’s outcome or if reports that early votes were leaked prior to Election Day totals are proven true.

The GOP’s resolution is a signal that they’re standing behind Harris, who has said that he was “absolutely unaware” of any wrongdoing.

Democrats responded by attacking the GOP statement as “an attempt to steal” the election.

“Only days after stating that they’d support a new election, Republicans resorted back to attacking a bipartisan investigation into serious and clear allegations of fraud to benefit Mark Harris,” Wayne Goodwin, chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party, said in a statement.

“This is an attempt to steal an election after being caught red-handed. It’s shameful, harmful to our democracy and North Carolina voters, and undermines the integrity of our elections.”

In a Friday interview with local station WBTV, Harris said he decided to hire Leslie McCrae Dowless, the local political operative at the center of the investigation into alleged absentee ballot fraud.

Harris said he didn’t think Dowless was doing anything illegal and added he wouldn’t have kept him on the campaign if there was any suspicion that he was.

“No, I would not have,” Harris told WBTV. “Again, we kept emphasizing again and again that when he was describing the ballot to us. In fact when you get down to his description of the program, he was being vouched for by a number of other leaders down there.”

The mounting allegations of fraud have heightened calls for a new race on both sides of the aisle.

The state elections board currently has the authority to order a new general election between Harris, McCready and Libertarian candidate Jeff Scott.

But a new bill easily passed by the North Carolina General Assembly last week that would allow the board to also call a new primary. The bill is currently on Gov. Roy Cooper’s (D) desk.

Any potential redo of the primary would come as investigators also look into alleged fraud in the state’s May primary when Harris narrowly defeated Rep. Robert PittengerRobert Miller PittengerNC GOP calls on board to certify House race unless it can prove fraud changed results North Carolina on cusp of House race reset NC GOP will call for new election if early votes were leaked MORE (R-N.C.). 

The U.S. House of Representatives has ultimate authority over congressional elections.

The House will have a new Democratic majority on Jan. 3, and Democratic House leaders have suggested they may not seat Harris, which could lead to a House-led probe or a call for a new election that would trigger a complete reset, including a new filing process, primary and general election.

— Updated at 2:57 p.m.

Source Article from https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/421713-nc-gop-calls-on-board-to-certify-house-race-unless-it-can-prove-fraud

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2 officers responding to ‘shots fired’ incident in Chicago struck and killed by train – ABC15 Arizona
2 officers responding to ‘shots fired’ incident in Chicago struck and killed by train – ABC15 Arizona

Two members of the Chicago Police Department were killed by a moving train on Monday after responding to a “shots fired” incident near the tracks, Chicago Police confirmed on Monday.

The incident reportedly took place around 6:20 p.m. local time near the South Shore region of Chicago.

The officers killed were relatively new members of the department. The officers were identified as 37-year-old Eduardo Marmolejo and 31-year-old Conrad Gary. Marmolejo had been with Chicago Police for 2 and a half years, whereas Gary had spent 18 months with the department.

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said that the officers were dispatched to the area in response to a ShotSpotter alert. ShotSpotter is a computerized system that detects gunfire and pinpoints its location.

Johnson said that a suspect from the shots fired incident was arrested on the scene, and that a weapon was found.

Parts of Chicago’s Metra train service were shut down due to Monday’s incident.

Source Article from https://www.abc15.com/2-officers-responding-to-shots-fired-incident-in-chicago-struck-and-killed-by-train

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Donald Trump’s constant, escalating test to the rule of law – CNN
Donald Trump’s constant, escalating test to the rule of law – CNN

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what’s happening in the world as it unfolds.

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/18/politics/donald-trump-justice-robert-mueller/index.html

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Yemeni mother unable to see her dying 2-year-old due to Trump’s travel ban, advocates say – NBC News
Yemeni mother unable to see her dying 2-year-old due to Trump’s travel ban, advocates say – NBC News

A Yemeni woman is barred from seeing her 2-year-old son who is reportedly dying in a California hospital because of the Trump administration’s travel ban against people from several mostly Muslim-majority countries, advocates for the family said Monday.

The boy, Abdullah, suffers from a genetic brain condition that has continued to worsen. His father, Ali Hassan, a 22-year-old from Yemen who is an American citizen, brought his son to the U.S. for treatment, according to the Council on American–Islamic Relations, a nonpartisan advocacy organization.

Doctors at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland believe the child does not have much longer to live, CAIR and the father said.

Abdullah Hassan, 2-years-old at UCSF’s Benioff Chidren’s Hospital, Oakland.Courtesy Ali Hassan

Although the father is a citizen and has family in California, his wife and Abdullah’s mother, 21-year-old Shaima Swileh, has been unable to come to the U.S. because of the travel ban that has been in effect for a year and which was upheld by the Supreme Court in June. Swileh is a Yemeni national living in Egypt.

The administration’s order, which replaced two earlier versions blocked by lower courts, bans travel to the U.S. from seven countries, five of which are predominantly Muslim: Libya, Iran, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. The other two are North Korea and Venezuela.

The family has requested a waiver for Swileh but so far has not received one, CAIR said.

“I’m here today because my son Abdullah needs his mother,” Hassan told reporters in Sacramento. “My wife’s calling me every day wanting to kiss and hold her son for that one last time.”

Abdullah Hassan, 2-years-old, and dad Ali Hassan at UCSF’s Benioff Chidren’s Hospital, Oakland.Courtesy Ali Hassan

The little boy is kept alive by a ventilator and may have only weeks or less to live, the family’s advocates said.

“Time’s running out please help us get my family back together again. As you know my wife was denied [entrance] to the United States to see our son,” Hassan said. “So I am here today for your support and help bringing my family together for that one last time.”

A representative for the State Department could not immediately be reached for comment.

David K. Li is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.

Source Article from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/yemeni-mother-unable-see-her-dying-2-year-old-due-n949096

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Russian disinformation teams targeted Robert S. Mueller III, says report prepared for Senate – The Washington Post
Russian disinformation teams targeted Robert S. Mueller III, says report prepared for Senate – The Washington Post

Craig Timberg

Tony Romm

Elizabeth Dwoskin

December 17 at 10:28 PM

Months after President Trump took office, Russia’s disinformation teams trained their sights on a new target: special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. Having worked to help get Trump into the White House, they now worked to neutralize the biggest threat to his staying there.

The Russian operatives unloaded on Mueller through fake accounts on Facebook, Twitter and beyond, falsely claiming that the former FBI director was corrupt and that the allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election were crackpot conspiracies. One post on Instagram — which emerged as an especially potent weapon in the Russian social media arsenal — claimed that Mueller had worked in the past with “radical Islamic groups.”

Such tactics exemplified how Russian teams ranged nimbly across social media platforms in a shrewd online influence operation aimed squarely at American voters. The effort started earlier than commonly understood and lasted longer while relying on the strengths of different sites to manipulate distinct slices of the electorate, according to a pair of comprehensive new reports prepared for the Senate Intelligence Committee and released Monday.

One of the reports, written by Oxford University’s Computational Propaganda Project and network analysis firm Graphika, became public when The Washington Post obtained it and published its highlights Sunday. The other report was by social media research firm New Knowledge, Columbia University and Canfield Research.

Together the reports describe the Russian campaign with sweep and detail not before available. The researchers analyzed more than 10 million posts and messages on every major social media platform to understand how the Russians used American technology to build a sprawling online disinformation machine, with each piece playing a designated role while supporting the others with links and other connections.

The reports also underscore the difficulty of defeating Russian disinformation as operatives moved easily from platform to platform, making the process of detecting and deleting misleading posts impossible for any company to manage on its own.

Twitter hit political and journalistic elites. Facebook and its advertising targeting tools divided the electorate into demographic and ideological segments ripe for manipulation, with particular focus on energizing conservatives and suppressing African Americans, who traditionally are more likely to vote for Democrats.

YouTube provided a free online library of more than 1,100 disinformation videos. PayPal helped raise money and move politically themed merchandise designed by the Russian teams, such as “I SUPPORT AMERICAN LAW ENFORCEMENT” T-shirts. Tumblr, Medium, Vine, Reddit and various other websites also played roles.

“We hope that these reports provide clarity for the American people and policymakers alike, and make clear the sweeping scope of the operation and the long game being played,” said Renee DiResta, research director at New Knowledge.

Social media researchers said the weaponization of these sites and services highlights the broadening challenge they face in combating the increasingly sophisticated tactics of Russia and other foreign malefactors online.

“Some of the platforms that don’t have as much traffic, but still have highly engaged communities, are the most vulnerable to a challenge like misinformation,” said Graham Brookie, head of the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab. “They don’t have the resources to dedicate to making their platforms more resilient.”

One unexpected star of the new reports Monday was Facebook’s photo-sharing subsidiary Instagram. Over the years of the disinformation campaign, Instagram generated responses on a scale beyond any of the others — with 187 million comments, likes and other user reactions, more than Twitter and Facebook combined.

But it had been the least scrutinized of the major platforms before this week as lawmakers, researchers and journalists focused more heavily on Facebook, Twitter and Google. Instagram’s use by the Russian teams more than doubled in the first six months after Trump’s election, the researchers found. It also offered access to a younger demographic and provided easy likes in a simple, engaging format.

“Instagram’s appeal is that’s where the kids are, and that seems to be where the Russians went,” said Philip N. Howard, head of the Oxford research group.

The report anchored by New Knowledge found that the Russians posted on Instagram 116,000 times, nearly double the number of times they did on Facebook, as documented in the report. The most popular posts praised African American culture and achievement, but the Russians also targeted this community for voter suppression messages on multiple platforms, urging boycotts of the election or spreading false information on how to vote. 

On Monday, the NAACP called for a week-long boycott of Facebook starting Tuesday, saying the company’s business practices — and the spread of “disingenuous portrayals of the African American community” on its site — should prompt further congressional investigation. 

Facebook said in a statement that it has “made progress in helping prevent interference on our platforms during elections, strengthened our policies against voter suppression ahead of the 2018 midterms, and funded independent research on the impact of social media on democracy.”

Tumblr pointed to a November blog post, which said the company took down Russian-related disinformation ahead of this year’s election. PayPal said it “works to combat and prevent the illicit use of our services.” Twitter said it has made “significant strides since 2016 to counter ma­nipu­la­tion of our service.” Reddit said it is “always evaluating and evolving our approaches to detecting malicious activity and have grown our team significantly since 2016.” Medium did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The emergence of Mueller as a significant target also highlights the adaptability of the Russian campaign. He was appointed in May 2017 as special counsel to investigate allegations of Russian influence on the Trump campaign. In that role, he has indicted on criminal charges a Kremlin-linked troll farm called the Internet Research Agency and others affiliated with the disinformation campaign.

A Clemson University research team, not affiliated with either of the reports released Monday, found that the Russians tweeted about Mueller more than 5,000 times, including retweets first posted by others. Some called for his firing, while others mocked him as incompetent and still others campaigned for the end of his “entire fake investigation.”

The report by New Knowledge highlighted the focus on Mueller and fired FBI director James B. Comey, who was falsely portrayed as “a dirty cop.”

The Russian operatives often spread jokes to undermine the investigations into their disinformation campaign, the researchers found. One showed Democrat Hillary Clinton saying, “Everyone I don’t like is A Russian Hacker.” Another showed a woman in a car talking to a police officer, with the caption, “IT’S NOT MY FAULT OFFICER, THE RUSSIANS HACKED MY SPEEDOMETER.”

At one point, shortly after the 2016 election, the Russian operatives also began to make fun of Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg for saying that social media didn’t have an impact on Trump’s victory — a claim for which he later apologized.

On Capitol Hill, top Democrats said Monday that the revelations in the pair of Senate reports underscored the need to study social media and consider fresh regulation in order to stop Russia and other foreign actors from manipulating American democracy in future elections.

“I think all the platforms remain keenly vulnerable, and I don’t have the confidence yet companies have invested the resources and people power necessary to deal with the scope of the problem,” said Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), the incoming chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

In particular, Schiff described the Instagram revelations as “surprising,” contradicting the data and testimony Facebook previously provided to the committee. “If Facebook was unaware of it, it’s one problem,” he said. “If they were aware of it and didn’t share that information, that’s a completely different problem.”

Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), the chairman of the committee that asked the researchers to analyze the tech companies’ data, said the findings show “how aggressively Russia sought to divide Americans by race, religion and ideology.”

Every other GOP lawmaker on the Senate Intelligence Committee declined to comment or didn’t respond. 

Facebook executives barely discussed the role of Instagram when they testified before Congress late last year about Russian meddling. At the time, the company said that the Russian campaign reached 126 million people on Facebook and 20 million on Instagram.

Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/russian-disinformation-teams-targeted-robert-s-mueller-iii-says-report-prepared-for-senate/2018/12/17/0e0047f6-0230-11e9-8186-4ec26a485713_story.html

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CBS board denies Leslie Moonves $120 million severance following sexual assault allegations: Details – AOL
CBS board denies Leslie Moonves $120 million severance following sexual assault allegations: Details – AOL

The CBS board of directors has denied former chairman-CEO Leslie Moonves any of the $120 million severance he was due under his employment contract after conducting a five-month internal probe of his conduct and the corporate culture at CBS Corp.

“We have determined that there are grounds to terminate for cause, including his willful and material misfeasance, violation of Company policies and breach of his employment contract, as well as his willful failure to cooperate fully with the Company’s investigation. Mr. Moonves will not receive any severance payment from the Company,” the board said in a statement Monday.

CBS’ longtime leader was forced out Sept. 9 amid a cascade of sexual assault and misconduct allegations. The probe reportedly found damning allegations of Moonves abusing his power as CEO and engaging in shocking instances of sexual misconduct with employees at CBS. The move sets the stage for a long legal battle, starting in arbitration, between CBS and Moonves. Moonves has denied many of the allegations against him and maintained that his sexual encounters were consensual.

The board’s determination that Moonves was fired for cause amid numerous violations of CBS policy for employees comes after the CBS board of directors has been overhauled following his ouster. Six new members joined the 11-member panel and five longtime directors were forced out by controlling shareholder Shari Redstone, whose National Amusements Inc. controls nearly 80% of the voting power in CBS and its corporate sibling Viacom.




The internal probe was conducted by the law firms of Covington & Burling and Debevoise & Plimpton. Details of the probe’s findings leaked earlier this month to the New York Times. The preliminary draft, according to the Times, included a host of damning allegations of Moonves engaging in sex acts in his CBS offices with employees.

The sexual misconduct storm around Moonves came up as the then-revered CBS boss engaged in a bold legal battle with Shari Redstone for control of the company that her father, Viacom mogul Sumner Redstone, acquired in 2000. Moonves was previously celebrated for his stewardship of CBS as a programmer and as a business strategist in bucking some of the digital turbulence that traditional media companies have faced. His objection to Shari Redstone’s push for CBS and Viacom to reunite at a time of major consolidation in media was the spark for the lawsuit against Redstone’s National Amusement holding company.

Now Moonves’ legacy has been all but destroyed by the drumbeat of sexual assault allegations. The lawsuit, which was a longshot at best, was settled as part of Moonves’ exit agreement set the day the New Yorker published the second of two damning stories on Moonves’ long history in Hollywood.

Moonves is said to be resolute in pursuing the severance through arbitration in order to seek a measure of vindication. Inside CBS is there is deep resentment toward Moonves for deeply tarnishing the network’s legacy as America’s most-watched network with allegations of egregious sexual misconduct too numerous to ignore.

As such, the denial of severance and finding that he was fired for cause marks the latest step in the extraordinary downfall of one of the most powerful figures in the entertainment industry during the past 25 years. Moonves’ hasty departure from CBS Corp. has jolted the company, spurring a management overhaul under acting CEO Joe Ianniello amid expectations that merger discussions will begin once again for CBS Corp. and Viacom after the new year.

Internally, CBS is roiling from the Times’ continued revelations from the report about settlements and disturbing allegations about the behavior of some insiders. Last week, the Times reported that CBS paid nearly $10 million in a settlement to actor Eliza Dushku after she raised complaints about alleged verbal harassment from Michael Weatherly, star of the CBS drama “Bull.”

The investigation began in August in the wake of allegations of assault and misconduct made against Moonves in Farrow’s New Yorker exposes. Moonves has maintained all sexual encounters were consensual and denied other allegations including being violent with women.

In response the CBS board hired two top-flight legal firms although the choice of Covington and Debevoise was criticized as both firms have done corporate work for CBS in recent years, raising the question of whether they would go easy on the company to protect future business. An investigation into the culture of CBS News, which had started earlier in the year of #MeToo after former “CBS This Morning” co-anchor Charlie Rose left in the wake of harassment allegations, was rolled up into the larger probe.




Moonves is facing allegations that he was evasive and at times misleading investigators during the probe. He was reported by the Times to have turned over his son’s iPad instead of his own. The allegations against Moonves included the assertion that he kept a woman on the payroll for the purpose of providing oral sex on call, according to the Times.

Moreover, a picture of desperation around Moonves was painted by another report in the Times last month. In the months before the first damning New Yorker expose hit in July, Moonves according to the Times courted a down-and-out talent manager Marv Dauer for the purpose of keeping him and his actor client Bobbie Phillips quiet about a March 1995 incident during a meeting at Moonves’ office at Warner Bros. Television. He reportedly pushed CBS executives to offer Phillips a role on a network series to persuade her from talking about the decades-old encounter in which she alleges he exposed himself, grabbed her by the neck and forced his erect penis into her mouth. Moonves told the Times that he “strongly believe(s)” the encounter was consensual.

More to come

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Source Article from https://www.aol.com/article/entertainment/2018/12/17/cbs-board-denies-leslie-moonves-dollar120-million-severance/23620803/

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‘Wake-up call’: Lawmakers react to reports detailing Russia’s influence campaign – NBC News
‘Wake-up call’: Lawmakers react to reports detailing Russia’s influence campaign – NBC News

A new pair of reports detailing the extent of Russia’s social media propaganda efforts during the 2016 election and beyond reveal how much still needs to be done to counter misinformation, Democratic lawmakers said on Monday.

Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the reports, prepared for his panel and obtained by NBC News on Monday, should serve as a “wake-up call.”

“These attacks against our country were much more comprehensive, calculating and widespread than previously revealed,” he said in statement. “This should stand as a wake-up call to us all that none of us are immune from this threat, and it is time to get serious in addressing this challenge.”

Source Article from https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/wake-call-lawmakers-react-reports-detailing-russia-s-influence-campaign-n948941

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Rudy Giuliani’s truly remarkable answer on Donald Trump’s lying – CNN
Rudy Giuliani’s truly remarkable answer on Donald Trump’s lying – CNN

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what’s happening in the world as it unfolds.

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/17/politics/donald-trump-rudy-giuliani-robert-mueller/index.html

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Top Republican predicts Flynn guilty plea will be thrown out, citing FBI ‘misconduct’ – Fox News
Top Republican predicts Flynn guilty plea will be thrown out, citing FBI ‘misconduct’ – Fox News
Video

Flynn’s conviction will be overturned, congressman says

A day before fired FBI Director James Comey is set to again testify behind closed doors with House Republicans, a party leader is predicting that Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s case against ex-National Security Adviser Michael Flynn will soon be thrown out of court.

California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that the FBI had “tricked” Flynn into not having a lawyer and had improperly “post-dated” documents to “morph” them into critical evidence against him. He promised Comey would face tough questioning about the episode.

“Tomorrow is going to be a very different day for Comey, particularly in light of what we’ve learned — the misconduct during the Flynn investigation was all about, thanks to a judge that demanded to understand what had happened,” Issa told host Maria Bartiromo, referring to U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan’s order last week that led Mueller to turn over key documents in the case.

He continued: “I would not be surprised a bit if the conviction of Flynn is overturned, because of the Justice Department and FBI’s misconduct — and that in fact, we go potentially all the way to the Supreme Court, with new protections — when the FBI and the Department of Justice lies to someone and tricks them into making statements, and then charges them with a lie they entrapped them in. … This kind of conduct we haven’t seen in a long time.”

In explosive court documents filed last week by Flynn’s legal team, it was revealed that FBI agents in his case deliberately did not instruct Flynn that any false statements he made could constitute a crime, and decided not to “confront” him directly about anything he said that contradicted their knowledge of his wiretapped communications with former Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

A memo written by then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe stated that he called Flynn and “explained that I thought the quickest way to get this done was to have a conversation between [Flynn] and the agents only. … I further stated that if LTG Flynn wished to include anyone else in the meeting, like the White House Counsel for instance, that I would need to involve the Department of Justice.”

The court documents also showed that the FBI’s interview report documenting Flynn’s statements — known as an “FD-302” — was dated August 22, 2017, nearly seven months after the actual Flynn interview took place in the White House. Additionally, the 302 that Mueller filed apparently describes an interview conducted by federal authorities on July 19, 2017 not with Flynn, but with Peter Strzok, the agent who led the Flynn interview and said he did not feel Flynn was lying at the time.

Strzok was fired from the Russia probe in late July 2017 — just days after he apparently gave the interview that formed the basis for the 302 — for his apparent anti-Trump bias. No audio recording or other transcription of Flynn’s comments to the FBI has been produced, and none appears to exist.

It was not clear from Mueller’s heavily redacted Friday filing whether a written 302 report of Flynn’s interview, which FBI policy dictates should have been written soon after the interview was conducted, ever existed. Mueller was required to turn over all Flynn-related memoranda and documents to the court.

ANTI-TRUMP FBI AGENT’S PHONE WIPED AFTER MUELLER FIRES HIM FOR BIAS — RECORDS OFFICER CAN’T RECALL IF PHONE HAD TEXTS

Additional documents released by the Mueller team on Friday in response to Judge Sullivan’s order reveal that the decision to interview Flynn about his contacts with the Russian ambassador was controversial within the Justice Department. One FBI document said then-Acting Attorney General Sally Yates “was not happy” when Comey informed her that the FBI planned to talk to Flynn.

The report also said several unnamed people back at FBI headquarters “later argued about the FBI’s decision to interview Flynn.” On Jan. 23, 2017 — just one day before the Flynn interview — The Washington Post, citing FBI sources, reported that the FBI had wiretapped Flynn’s conversations with Russian officials and cleared him of any wrongdoing.

Former FBI Director James Comey, with his attorney, David Kelley, right, speaking to reporters after a day of testimony before the House Judiciary and Oversight committees, on Capitol Hill in Washington on Dec. 7.
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Comey admitted last week that he personally directed two FBI agents to break normal protocol by interviewing Flynn at the White House because he felt the FBI could get “away with” it, early on in the Trump administration, which he characterized as disorganized.

Judge Sullivan technically has the authority to void Flynn’s guilty plea and dismiss the case against him if he unearths government misconduct, or finds that the plea would constitute a miscarriage of justice that the court should not accept.

Sullivan — who overturned the 2008 conviction of former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens after government misconduct came to light — could take that drastic step if he finds that the FBI withheld exculpatory witness reports from the Flynn team, lacks evidentiary basis for its charge, or improperly coerced Flynn into not bringing a lawyer to his fateful January 2017 interview.

GREGG JARRETT: MICHAEL FLYNN IS INNOCENT

Speaking to “Fox News Sunday” earlier in the day, Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani said Flynn had been “railroaded” and “framed” — and even though Giuliani acknowledged Flynn had lied to Vice President Pence about his communications with Russia, he said the FBI’s conduct was still reprehensible.

“What they did to General Flynn should result in discipline,” Giuliani charged. “They’re the ones who are violating the law.”

Video

HOW FLYNN WAS PUSHED NOT TO HAVE A LAWYER

In a tweet Sunday, Comey showed no signs of backing down, forcefully condemning President Trump as a “liar” for criticizing federal authorities’ raid on his former attorney Michael Cohen.

“Remember, Michael Cohen only became a ‘Rat’ after the FBI did something which was absolutely unthinkable & unheard of until the Witch Hunt was illegally started,” Trump wrote on Twitter early Sunday. “They BROKE INTO AN ATTORNEY’S OFFICE! Why didn’t they break into the DNC to get the Server, or Crooked’s office?”

In April, federal agents raided Cohen’s home, office and hotel room as part of their investigation into bank fraud and campaign finance charges he later admitted he had committed. At the time, Trump characterized the move as an “attack on our country” and remarked that “attorney-client privilege is dead.”

But later Sunday, Comey emphasized that agents had acted pursuant to a lawful search warrant, and that attorneys are not immune from searches — especially when they are suspected of engaging in wrongdoing on behalf of clients.

FBI COMPLETELY MISSES JUDICIARY COMMITTEE DEADLINE TO EXPLAIN MYSTERIOUS RAID ON CLINTON WHISTLEBLOWER

“This is from the President of our country, lying about the lawful execution of a search warrant issued by a federal judge,” Comey wrote on Twitter. “Shame on Republicans who don’t speak up at this moment — for the FBI, the rule of law, and the truth.”

Any communications with attorneys in furtherance of a new crime are not usually protected by any privilege. A special master was appointed in the case by a federal court judge to ensure that Trump’s privileged communications were separated from non-privileged ones.

Cohen, who as Trump’s attorney also had the ability to compromise Trump’s attorney-client privilege by disclosing their communications himself, was sentenced this week to 36 months in prison.

The former Trump loyalist had earlier claimed in court that he had committed a campaign finance violation “at the direction” of Trump — although top legal experts and a former Federal Election Commission chairman have said that obtaining a criminal conviction for such alleged violations is often extremely difficult.

Comey testified earlier this month behind closed doors with House Republicans probing his oversight of the Hillary Clinton email probes and the early days of the Russia investigation. He is expected back on Monday for more testimony.

After he was questioned by House Republicans the first time on Dec. 7, Comey derided the GOP — which will lose the majority in the House in January, and with it their subpoena power — as hopeless partisans.

“Today wasn’t a search for truth, but a desperate attempt to find anything that can be used to attack the institutions of justice investigating this president,” Comey said. “They came up empty today, but will try again. In the long run, it’ll make no difference because facts are stubborn things.”

COMEY ADMITS FBI AGENTS BROKE PROTOCOL, GOT ‘AWAY WITH’ FLYNN INTERVIEW WITHOUT INVOLVING LAWYERS

A key focus of questioning from lawmakers was Comey’s decision to draft the 2016 statement recommending against filing criminal charges in the Clinton email probe before the former secretary of state was even interviewed, as well as the alleged political bias demonstrated in a slew of text messages and leaks by top FBI officials.

“What they did to General Flynn should result in discipline.”

— Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani

But a Justice Department lawyer prevented Comey — who had briefly sued to avoid testifying behind closed doors, before dropping that effort — from answering all of the Republicans’ questions, according to lawmakers at the hearing.

A 235-page transcript of Comey’s remarks and the questions posed to him was later released, pursuant to an agreement between Comey and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C.

It showed that Comey claimed “I don’t know” or “I don’t remember” in response to dozens of questions concerning key details about his time as FBI chief.

Asked if he recalled who drafted the FBI’s “initiation document” for the July 2016 Russia investigation, Comey said, “I do not.” He again claimed not to know when asked about the involvement in that initiation of Strzok, whose anti-Trump texts later got him removed from the special counsel’s probe.

When asked if the FBI had any evidence that anyone in the Trump campaign conspired to hack the DNC server, Comey gave a lengthy answer referring to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation as to why he couldn’t answer.

“Did we have evidence in July of (2016) that anyone in the Trump campaign conspired to hack the DNC server?” Comey asked rhetorically. “I don’t think that the FBI and special counsel want me answering questions that may relate to their investigation of Russian interference during 2016. And I worry that that would cross that line.”

When pressed further by Gowdy about what “factual predicate” the bureau had to launch a counterintelligence investigation, Comey again claimed that answering that question would be a “slope” that would ask him to reveal what the FBI “did or didn’t know about Russia activity” as it related to the 2016 election.

“You can’t tell us, or you won’t tell us?” Gowdy asks.

“Probably a combination of both … To the extent I recall facts developed during our investigation of Russian interference and the potential connection of Americans, I think that’s a question that the FBI doesn’t want me answering. So it’s both a can’t and a won’t,” Comey replied.

MORE DETAILS: COMEY ROUND-ONE TRANSCRIPT RELEASED

The former FBI director went on to say that anything related to Mueller’s investigation, to his understanding, would be “off limits” as it is an ongoing investigation.

Comey was also fuzzy on the eventual Democratic funding of the research that went into the controversial and unverified anti-Trump dossier.

Asked when he learned that the firm behind the dossier, Fusion GPS, was hired by law firm Perkins Coie – and when he learned that law firm was hired by the Democratic National Committee – Comey said, “I never learned that” while director.

Comey also claimed not to know key details surrounding the involvement of Christopher Steele, the former British spy who authored the dossier.

Asked when Steele was “terminated” as an FBI source, Comey said he didn’t know.

Asked about Steele’s subsequent contact with Justice Department official Bruce Ohr, Comey said, “I don’t know anything about that.”

Fox Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo and Fox News’ Judson Berger contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/comey-issues-moral-rebuke-of-trump-for-criticizing-cohen-raid-shame-on-republicans

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Comey, dubbed ‘amnesiac with incredible hubris,’ back on Hill for new round of grilling – Fox News
Comey, dubbed ‘amnesiac with incredible hubris,’ back on Hill for new round of grilling – Fox News
Video

Ousted FBI Director Comey faces round two of questioning

The Washington Times legal affairs reporter Alex Swoyer weighs in on what’s ahead for former FBI Director James Comey’s Capitol Hill questioning

Former FBI Director James Comey is back on the Hill for an encore, after a controversial appearance more than a week ago in which he told lawmakers seeking answers over the FBI’s handling of the Trump-Russia collusion probe some version of “I don’t know” at least 245 times.

Comey is set to testify behind closed doors again Monday morning, before members of the House oversight and judiciary committees.

The prior Dec. 7 session left lame-duck Republican lawmakers fuming as Comey repeatedly said “I don’t remember,” “I don’t know” and “I don’t recall” when grilled about investigations Republicans believed were aimed at hurting President Trump. The questioning covered the FBI’s probe of Hillary Clinton’s email server and how a counter-intelligence investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election morphed into an all-encompassing probe of Trump’s inner circle, including the obtaining of FISA warrants used to spy on American citizens.

“Comey just thinks he’s always right, and … it doesn’t matter if everyone else concludes he did wrong,” a furious Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., said after the initial session. “He knows better. So, that’s what it’s like to interview an amnesiac with incredible hubris.”

“Comey just thinks he’s always right, and … it doesn’t matter if everyone else concludes he did wrong.”

— Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C.

A transcript of the marathon interview was released on Dec. 8, demonstrating in black and white the fired FBI boss’ lack of responsiveness and the tension between the former Republican and GOP lawmakers. Comey then gave a talk in New York in which he called the Trump presidency “an attack on our values,” and beseeched Americans to “get off the couch” and vote Trump out of the White House in 2020.

Comey also raised eyebrows when he told MSNBC a week ago that he broke protocol in order to send FBI agents to interview President Trump’s national security adviser Michael Flynn in 2017. The new details about that fateful interview — which led to criminal charges against Flynn — are sure to come up in Monday’s interview. The judge handling Flynn’s guilty plea has raised new questions about how the affair was handled.

Asked to describe how two FBI agents ended up at the White House to interview Flynn in January 2017, Comey, speaking to MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace during a forum discussion last Sunday, said flatly: “I sent them.”

Comey went on to acknowledge the way the interview was set up – not through the White House counsel’s office, but arranged directly with Flynn – was not standard practice. He called it “something I probably wouldn’t have done or maybe gotten away within a more … organized administration.”

During the questioning earlier this month, Comey said that the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation into potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russia initially focused on four Americans and whether they were connected to Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. Comey did not identify the Americans, but said Trump, then the Republican candidate, was not among them.

Comey dodged questions connected to the current Mueller-led probe, including whether his May 2017 firing by Trump constituted obstruction of justice.

The Republican-led committee interviewed Comey as part of its investigation into FBI actions in 2016, a year when the bureau — in the heat of the presidential campaign — recommended against charges for Clinton and opened an investigation into Russian interference in the election.

Comey agreed to Monday’s follow-up appearance before the House Judiciary and Oversight committees. The panels are chaired by Republicans until the new Congress takes over, at which time Democrats will take over House chairmanships and are expected to ramp up congressional investigations of Trump.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/comey-dubbed-amnesiac-with-incredible-hubris-back-on-hill-for-new-round-of-grilling

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo just made marijuana legalization a priority – Vox
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo just made marijuana legalization a priority – Vox

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday explicitly said for the first time that he supports marijuana legalization in his state — and will make it a legislative priority in 2019.

“Let’s legalize the adult use of recreational marijuana, once and for all,” Cuomo said in a speech outlining his administration’s priorities for the first 100 days of 2019.

The governor did not reveal any specific details of what his legalization bill will entail, but one person working on the legislation told me that it may be introduced as soon as January.

This isn’t the first time Cuomo has suggested he will legalize marijuana. In August, Cuomo set up a working group to write a legalization bill that implements recommendations from the state Department of Health to legalize and regulate cannabis.

The Department of Health’s report concluded that marijuana criminalization “has not curbed marijuana use despite the commitment of significant law enforcement resources.” The report noted that marijuana-related arrests and prosecutions over the past two decades “have disproportionately affected low-income communities of color,” even though these communities aren’t significantly more likely to use pot. And it found that legalization would let the state “better control licensing, ensure quality control and consumer protection, and set age and quantity restrictions,” as well as provide hundreds of millions in tax revenue to the state every year.

But the speech on Monday is the first time Cuomo has explicitly said he supports marijuana legalization.

It’s a big shift for the governor. As Tom Angell reported for Marijuana Majority, “As recently as a year ago he called marijuana a ‘gateway drug.’ But 2018 has seen Cuomo’s position on the issue change dramatically, beginning amid an unexpectedly strong primary challenge from Cynthia Nixon, a progressive candidate who ran on a legalization platform.” Cuomo is also rumored to be considering a 2020 presidential bid, although he said in November that he’s ruled out a run.

One reason Cuomo may feel comfortable pushing legalization now: Democrats will control both houses of the New York state legislature for the first time since he became governor in 2011. Democrats are generally more supportive of legalization than Republicans.

If New York fully legalizes marijuana, it will become the 11th state — and the second most populous, after California — to do so. Medical marijuana is already legal in the state.

For more on marijuana legalization, read Vox’s explainer.

Source Article from https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/12/17/18144891/new-york-governor-andrew-cuomo-marijuana-legalization

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I hate Obamacare, but Texas judge’s decision on its unconstitutionality is an assault on the rule of law – Washington Examiner
I hate Obamacare, but Texas judge’s decision on its unconstitutionality is an assault on the rule of law – Washington Examiner

I hate Obamacare so much that it’s possible I’ve written more words criticizing it over the past decade than any person alive. I have supported multiple previous legal efforts against the legislation and its implementation. In the fall of 2012, after the Supreme Court upheld Obamacare, my Halloween costume depicted John Roberts turning into a chicken. If Congress repealed all of Obamacare tomorrow, I’d throw a party. Despite my policy preferences, I’d say the latest decision from U.S. District Court Judge Reed O’Connor of Texas declaring Obamacare unconstitutional is an assault on the rule of law.

For those still unfamiliar, the current case, Texas v. Azar, has been filed by 20 Republican states. They argue that because the individual mandate was upheld by the Supreme Court as a tax, when the Republican tax law reduced the penalties to zero, it removed the constitutional justification for the mandate. In his decision, O’Connor not only agreed with this, but further decided that the individual mandate cannot be severed from the rest of Obamacare, and concluded that as a result it must be struck down in its entirety.

The opinion, writes libertarian law professor Jonathan Adler, an intellectual architect of a major Supreme Court challenge to the implementation of Obamacare’s subsidies, “is, in many respects, the conservative equivalent of so-called #Resistance judicial opinions that have embraced questionable legal arguments deployed to subvert objectionable Trump Administration policies.”

So what’s so bad about the decision? Basically, there are three layers of problems. First, it’s questionable why the states would have standing to sue. Second, it’s difficult to see why Congress eliminating the penalties would make it unconstitutional. Thirdly, even if one and two were established, it’s impossible to see how the mandate can be seen as inseparable from Obamacare after Congress just acted to separate it.

Let’s start with standing. In court, whatever the potential merits of a case, plaintiffs have to first establish that they have standing to sue, which requires them to show that they are injured by the action that is being challenged. In this case, there is no penalty for going uninsured, so what’s the injury? To get around this, O’Connor treats the mandate as a requirement separate from the enforcement mechanism of the penalty. He cautions against “assuming the individual plaintiffs need not comply with the individual mandate.” But there’s no assuming about it.

In fact, as I noted when the suit was brought back in February, in Roberts’ decision in NFIB v. Sebelius, he determined that somebody who went uninsured but paid the penalty would be fully compliant. “While the individual mandate clearly aims to induce the purchase of health insurance, it need not be read to declare that failing to do so is unlawful,” the chief justice wrote. “Neither the act nor any other law attaches negative legal consequences to not buying health insurance, beyond requiring a payment to the IRS. The government agrees with that reading, confirming that if someone chooses to pay rather than obtain health insurance, they have fully complied with the law.”

Whatever objections I may have had about Roberts’ ruling at the time, the reality is that as a lower court judge, O’Connor is bound by what the Supreme Court has decided at the time. And at no point does O’Connor grapple with the fact that the Supreme Court clearly said that without the tax, there’s no legal consequence to going uninsured.

Moving beyond standing, this fact also makes it challenging to see why eliminating the tax would thus make the mandate unconstitutional. Over the years, there have been debates about whether a significant enough increase in the mandate tax could make it unconstitutional. If, for instance, the tax were set so high that it cost the same to pay the tax as to purchase health insurance, it could be seen as effectively a legal requirement with no realistic option of avoiding it. That could warrant a revisiting of the Roberts ruling. But in this case, Congress has done the opposite. It has weakened the power of the mandate to the point where it has absolutely no teeth. If the Supreme Court said that the mandate with a tax penalty was lawful, it’s hard to see how a significantly weaker mandate would not be allowed to stand.

Once O’Connor is finished side-stepping the major arguments against his findings on standing and the constitutionality of the mandate, he then moves on to his most preposterous decision: that if the mandate is unconstitutional, the rest of the act must also fall because it is inseverable.

The severability analysis in part has become a debate over whether it’s relevant to consider the actions of Congress in 2010, which passed Obamacare, or the one 2017, which repealed the mandate penalties. If looking at 2017, it’s hard to argue that the mandate cannot be severed from the rest of the law. Congress did just that when it eliminated the penalties.

O’Connor concludes that in part because the 2017 tax law was passed through reconciliation and Congress was limited in what it could pass, looking at intent regarding severability is a “fool’s errand.” But this is ridiculous. Republicans knew they couldn’t easily repeal other Obamacare regulations in the tax bill through reconciliation, so they could have chosen not to touch the mandate penalties as a result, but they did.

Absurdly, O’Connor argues that “the 2017 Congress, like the 2010 Congress, intended to preserve the Individual Mandate because the 2017 Congress, like the 2010 Congress, knew that provision is essential to the [Affordable Care Act].” To start, it’s hilarious to categorize Republicans, who have fought the mandate for nearly a decade, as thinking the underlying individual mandate so important to preserve. Furthermore, the idea that if they thought it so important to preserve, that they would choose to preserve it only on paper, even while stripping it of any power, is crazy. This also doesn’t consider that Republicans were saying the exact opposite.

Here’s how Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell described things just before the Senate passed the tax legislation: “The conference report will also repeal the punitive individual mandate tax at the heart of Obamacare.” So here is the top Republican in the Senate literally saying: We want to repeal the penalties because we see them as so important to Obamacare. And yet O’Connor is arguing they wanted to preserve the mandate because they viewed it as essential.

As for taking the bizarre step of going back to intent in 2010, law professor Nicholas Bagley (a fair-minded supporter of Obamacare) points out that even though the 2010 Congress viewed the mandate as essential, “the mandate that the 2010 Congress said was essential had a penalty attached to it. The finding is irrelevant to a mandate that lacks any such penalty.”

More than anybody, I can appreciate the desire to get rid of Obamacare. But the Supreme Court has already made its decision, and thus lower courts are bound by the decision. As I have been arguing for years, including in a book on the subject, the way to go about things is for Republicans to unite around a sensible free-market alternative and repeal Obamacare legislatively. What’s happening here is an effort to short-circuit the normal process and implement policy preferences through judicial activism.

Embracing unelected judges using shoddy reasoning to impose their policy preferences on the country just when they produce outcomes conservatives agree with would do significant long-term damage to everything conservatives hold dear.

Source Article from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/i-hate-obamacare-but-texas-judges-decision-on-its-unconstitutionality-is-an-assault-on-the-rule-of-law

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Senate Intelligence Reports On Russia Detail Broad Disinformation Plan – NPR
Senate Intelligence Reports On Russia Detail Broad Disinformation Plan – NPR

A Facebook posting, released by the House intelligence committee, for a group called “Secured Borders.” It and others like it were created by Russian specialists posing as Americans.

Jon Elswick/AP


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Jon Elswick/AP

A Facebook posting, released by the House intelligence committee, for a group called “Secured Borders.” It and others like it were created by Russian specialists posing as Americans.

Jon Elswick/AP

Two new reports produced for Senate investigators say that Russian influence efforts infected every major social media platform, extensively targeted African-Americans and amounted to what researchers called a “propaganda war against American citizens.”

The reports, which were drawn up by private cybersecurity firms on behalf of the Senate intelligence committee, offer the most comprehensive look yet at Russia’s online influence operations.

They are based on information provided by the panel and the social media companies themselves.

The reports confirm the U.S. spy agencies’ overarching conclusions that Russia’s efforts ahead of the 2016 election aimed to sow discord, hurt Hillary Clinton and help Donald Trump.

They also echo a warning that U.S. officials have been making for months: that Moscow’s nefarious online activity did not end on Election Day, but rather continue to target Americans to this day.

The reports offer new details on the activities of the Internet Research Agency, the Kremlin-backed troll farm based in St. Petersburg, Russia, that drove Moscow’s online operations.

That entity and 13 of its employees have been charged as part of Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Strategy to divide

The data in the reports “demonstrates how aggressively Russia sought to divide Americans by race, religion and ideology, and how the IRA actively worked to erode trust in our democratic institutions,” said the committee’s Republican chairman, Richard Burr.

The panel’s top Democrat, Mark Warner, said the reports indicate that “these attacks against our country were much more comprehensive, calculating and widespread than previously revealed.”

One of the reports, compiled by researchers at the cybersecurity firm New Knowledge, says the IRA’s most prolific efforts on Facebook and Instagram targeted African-Americans.

“The degree of integration into authentic black community media was not replicated in the otherwise right-leaning or otherwise left-leaning content,” the report concludes.

The goal, it says, appears to have been on “developing black audiences and recruiting black Americans as assets.”

The New Knowledge report also challenges statements from Facebook by Twitter regarding the IRA’s efforts to suppress voters.

It says the troll farm had a three-pronged approach on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube to suppress voters: malicious misdirection, such as “text-to-vote scams;” candidate support redirection, such as voting for a third party; and turnout depression, such as, “stay at home on Election Day, your vote doesn’t matter.”

Instagram was a bigger platform than known

The Internet Research Agency, one of a web of companies allegedly controlled by Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has reported ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Dmitri Lovetsky/AP


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Dmitri Lovetsky/AP

The Internet Research Agency, one of a web of companies allegedly controlled by Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has reported ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Dmitri Lovetsky/AP

The new research also points to the previously underappreciated prominence of the IRA’s use of Instagram. It notes that IRA posts on the photo-sharing platform received 187 million engagements, which dwarfed the 76.5 million engagements that IRA posts received on Facebook.

The study also notes that as media coverage in the U.S. zeroed in on the IRA’s operations on Facebook and Twitter, the group shifted much of its activities to Instagram.

“Instagram engagement outperformed Facebook, which may indicate its strength as a tool in image-centric memetic (meme) warfare,” the report says. “Our assessment is that Instagram is likely to be a key battleground on an ongoing basis.”

The second report was drawn up by researchers with the Computational Propaganda Project at Oxford University and the analytical firm Graphika.

It says the IRA’s activities targeting the U.S. began on Twitter in 2013, but quickly expanded to a broader effort that included activities on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, among others.

The IRA’s efforts, the report says, did not stop after it was called out for its interference in the 2016 election. And it notes that spikes in the IRA’s advertising and organic activity match up with important dates in U.S. politics, crises and international events.

Russian influence operatives not only sought to turn up the volume on political controversies online. They also, in some cases, helped organized rallies in the real world at which Americans turned up to protest in person.

Source Article from https://www.npr.org/2018/12/17/677390345/new-reports-detail-expansive-russia-disinformation-scheme-targeting-u-s

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Would a government shutdown impact holiday travel, mail? – Fox News
Would a government shutdown impact holiday travel, mail? – Fox News
Video

Will Congress strike a deal to prevent government shutdown?

It’s appearing increasingly likely that Congress and the White House will get a partial government shutdown just in time for Christmas.

Parts of the federal government will shutter at midnight Friday if Congress and the White House can’t strike a deal. But the federal government and Democrats seem to be at an impasse, with funding for a border wall at the center of the fight.

About one-quarter of the government would be affected in the event of a shutdown, including the departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, Agriculture, State and Justice, as well as national parks. Every agency has a contingency plan, as managed by the Office of Management and Budget.

A shutdown would impact more than 800,000 people, including more than 420,000 who would still be required to work but without pay, Senate Democrats have estimated. More than 380,000 government employees would be furloughed, lawmakers said.

Here’s a look at how your holiday services will fare if the government were to shutter ahead of Christmas.

Mail

You can still mail your Christmas list to Santa even if the government is shuttered as the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) confirmed neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night nor a shutdown would deter the mail.

“Postal Service operations will not be interrupted in the event of a government shutdown, and all Post Offices will remain open for business as usual. Because we are an independent entity that is funded through the sale of our products and services, and not by tax dollars, our services will not be impacted by a government shutdown,” a spokesman confirmed to Fox News.

WHAT HAPPENS DURING A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN?

While it would still be open, the USPS has warned it officially entered Monday what it predicts to be its busiest week. The Postal Service expects to deliver about 3 billion pieces of mail just this week.

Travel

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents would still screen holiday travelers during one of the busiest times of the years – although they might not get a paycheck right away in the event of a shutdown, according to NPR.

In addition to TSA agents, air traffic controllers and border security agents are deemed essential personnel and would be required to work through a government shutdown.

DEMS, WHITE HOUSE REFUSE TO BUDGE OVER BORDER WALL AS FRIDAY SHUTDOWN LOOMS

Amtrak, a government-owned corporation, will continue with normal operations during a short-term shutdown, spokeswoman Kimberly Woods confirmed to Fox News.

“Customers planning to travel on Amtrak trains in the Northeast Corridor and across the country in the coming days and weeks can be assured that Amtrak will remain open for business,” she said.

When the government shut down earlier this year, travelers were still able to get their passports, albeit with some delays, according to CNBC.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/would-a-government-shutdown-impact-holiday-travel-mail-plans

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Michael Flynn associates arrested on illegal lobbying charges – AOL
Michael Flynn associates arrested on illegal lobbying charges – AOL

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Two men involved in a Turkish lobbying campaign led by former National Security adviser Michael Flynn have been charged with illegally lobbying in a case related to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

The case unsealed Monday against Flynn’s former business partner, Bijan Kian, and Turkish businessman, Ekim Alptekin, accuses the two men of conspiring to “covertly and unlawfully” influence U.S. politicians on behalf of Turkey.

The new charges appear to shed light on the cooperation of Flynn, who last year admitted to lying about several aspects of the lobbying work. In recommending he serve no prison time, prosecutors said Flynn not only helped with the Russia probe but also an undisclosed — and separate — criminal investigation. Documents filed alongside that recommendation spend several paragraphs laying out the details of Flynn’s Turkish lobbying.

RELATED: Retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn

Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn arrives at the Trump Tower for meetings with US President-elect Donald Trump, in New York on November 17, 2016.

(EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Retired United States Army lieutenant general Michael T. Flynn introduces Republican Presidential nominee Donald J. Trump before he delivered a speech at The Union League of Philadelphia on September 7, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Trump spoke about his plans to build up the military if elected. Recent national polls show the presidential race is tightening with two months until the election.

(Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images)

Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, at podium, and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attend a campaign event with veterans at the Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Ave., NW, where Trump stated he believes President Obama was born in the United States, September 16, 2016.

(Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, prepares to testify at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Dirksen Building titled ‘Current and Future Worldwide Threats,’ featuring testimony by he and James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence.

(Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)




Kian, whose full name is Bijan Rafiekian, was arrested and made an initial appearance Monday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. He is indicted on charges including failing to register as a foreign agent. Alptekin, a dual Turkish-Dutch citizen living in Istanbul whose full name is Kamil Ekim Alpetekin, remains at large.

According to the indictment, Kian was vice chairman of Flynn’s business group, the Flynn Intel Group. The two worked throughout 2016 to seek ways to have cleric Fethullah Gulen extradited from the U.S. to Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Gulen of directing a failed coup. Flynn is referred to in the indictment only as “Person A.”

Kian’s lawyer, Robert Trout, declined comment after Monday’s hearing. Kian was released on a personal recognizance bond pending an arraignment scheduled for Tuesday.

Alptekin is also charged with failing to register as a foreign agent and also making false statements.

The indictment describes Kian and Flynn as co-founders of Alexandria-based Flynn Intel Group, which is listed in the indictment only as “Company A.” It accuses Kian and Alptekin of illegally lobbying in the U.S. to discredit Gulen and have him extradited. According to the indictment, Alptekin worked at the direction of the Turkish government, but the defendants worked to conceal that fact.

In the summer of 2016, when Flynn was working as an adviser to the Trump campaign, the three initiated what they called a “Truth Campaign” that compared Gulen to Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini.

On Nov. 8, 2016 — Election Day — Flynn wrote an op-ed piece in The Hill newspaper titled “Our Ally Turkey Is in Crisis and Needs Our Support.” The column uses the same comparison between Gulen and Khomeini. The indictment notes that Flynn’s column uses identical or very similar language to that prepared by Kian in a draft op-ed.

“We all remember another quiet, bearded elder cleric who sat under an apple tree … in the suburbs of Paris in 1978,” Flynn wrote in the op-ed, mimicking language provided to him by Kian. “He claimed to be a man of God who wanted to be a dictator.”

Several days before the column was published, Kian crowed to Alptekin in an email about the advantageous timing of the pending op-ed piece coinciding with Election Day. “The arrow has left the bow!”

Alptekin, who had complained a week earlier that the Flynn Group had not done enough work to honor the contract, responded that Kian’s op-ed was “right on target.”

Flynn, a retired three-star general, pleaded guilty last year to lying to the FBI about conversations he had with the then-Russian ambassador. He is scheduled for sentencing Tuesday.

Kian and Alptekin’s prosecution is led not by the special counsel but prosecutors with the Eastern District of Virginia.

___

Day reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Eric Tucker and Michael Balsamo contributed to this report.

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Source Article from https://www.aol.com/article/news/2018/12/17/michael-flynn-associates-arrested-on-illegal-lobbying-charges/23620503/

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Cuomo to Push Legalizing Recreational Marijuana in New York by Early 2019 – The New York Times
Cuomo to Push Legalizing Recreational Marijuana in New York by Early 2019 – The New York Times

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Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced that he would push to legalize recreational marijuana next year, a move that could bring in more than $1.7 billion in sales annually and put New York in line with several neighboring states.

The highly anticipated proposal came in a speech Mr. Cuomo gave in Manhattan on Monday, in which he outlined his agenda for the first 100 days of his third term.

“The fact is we have had two criminal justice systems: one for the wealthy and the well off, and one for everyone else,” Mr. Cuomo said, describing the injustice that he said had “for too long targeted the African-American and minority communities.”

“Let’s legalize the adult use of recreational marijuana once and for all,” he added.

Ten other states and Washington, D.C. have legalized recreational marijuana, spending the new tax revenue on a host of initiatives, including schools and transportation.

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/17/nyregion/marijuana-legalization-cuomo.html

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