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December 5, 2016'--Daniel Payne, director of the Pentagon's Defense Security Service, admitted this spring to encountering ''unbelievable'' amounts of child pornography on government computers.
The comment came during an event in Virginia where military and intelligence officials gathered to address threats posed by federal workers. Mr. Payne, who spent much of his career in senior CIA and intelligence community roles before taking the Pentagon post, wanted to stress the value of monitoring employees' systems to ensure they remained fit to handle top-secret information.
But the revelation raised many more troubling questions. Who was downloading the sexually explicit and criminal material? How much of it was on intelligence agency networks? And why didn't the federal government deploy more robust technologies to keep child pornography from spreading on its networks?
While the notion of government employees and contractors with high levels of security clearance looking at child pornography was disturbing on its own, internal records retrieved through the Freedom of Information Act revealed the problem is not limited to military and intelligence agencies.
In the past three years, agencies ranging from the Postal Service to the Federal Highway Administration substantiated about 40 allegations that employees or contractors opened child pornography or provocative images of minors using government resources. The number of confirmed cases may be higher now since many federal organizations, such as the National Security Agency (NSA), did not respond to requests for records about similar investigations.
At a time when the US government is struggling to contain the problem of insider threats '' employees who, for instance, steal national secrets or unwittingly damage US security by infecting federal computers systems with malicious software '' pornographic images of children on government computers present a profound national security risk that if left unresolved could endanger American lives at home and abroad.
In interviews with more than a dozen federal officials and cybersecurity experts, they all acknowledge that government employees who download child pornography are more susceptible to coercion by foreign spies and criminal hackers.
What's more, the forums where pornographers trade in sexual images of children are rife with malicious software, giving criminal hackers or intelligence operatives working with America's adversaries myriad ways to infiltrate US government computer networks to potentially steal state secrets.
''These people misusing their computers, their government property, in addition to being odious and really stupid, does create an additional risk because they are subject to blackmail and the like,'' says Larry Clinton, president of the Internet Security Alliance, a tech industry group. ''And we have a major problem with the insider threats of cybersecurity, including people who are compromised for various reasons.''
Indeed, foreign attackers often initiate cyberespionage campaigns by breaking through the point of least resistance on a network '' such as careless employees. For instance, the alleged Russian hackers who infiltrated US political parties ahead of the presidential election exploited human security weaknesses to tamper with the election, baiting political operatives to click bogus security alerts that offered cyber spies entree to email accounts.
Criminal hackers commonly use ads and other images on porn sites to deliver malicious software designed to steal passwords, infect computers, and encrypt documents on victims' computers. A May 2015 study by the cybersecurity firm Blue Coat Systems found that pornography, in general, continues to be one of the most popular methods that hackers use to hide malicious software. The spring of that year, security researchers discovered that hackers installed programs designed to infect users' computers in highly popular porn sites that accounted for more than 250,000 million monthly visits.
Illustration by Erick Montes for The Christian Science Monitor
And it's not just criminal hackers that are delivering malware through sites where people trade in pornographic images. Last month, tech reporter Joseph Cox reported in Motherboard that the FBI took advantage of a ''nonpublicly known vulnerability'' to unmask users of a child pornography site called Playpen, which is accessible only through the anonymizing web browser Tor.
The case illustrates how government agencies can track people on supposedly hidden forums that trade in illicit images. "A lot of these types of sites are accessible through Tor browsers," said Steve Bongardt, a former profiler with the FBI's cyber behavioral analysis program. "They are not absolutely anonymous," he added, pointing to the Playpen investigation.
So while those who traffic in child pornography face a federal 30-year maximum prison sentence for a first-time offense, those who are government employees '' especially the ones stashing images on government computers '' bring even higher national security risks.
"The risk of a foreign intelligence service using a federal employee's child pornography habit, particularly online, in the last two decades, and trying to coerce that individual into recruitment is well known, and an accurate high threat," said Mr. Bongardt, who now works as a private insider threat and computer forensics analyst as president of consulting firm the Gyges Group.
''If a foreign government takes a hard look at recruiting someone, they have the ability to find out a lot about their online behavior and in the context of that, there have been cases, where they then use that behavior to leverage a recruitment against that individual,'' he said, speaking about deviant personnel in general, not child pornography users specifically.
Inspector general officials within the Tennessee Valley Authority, a government-owned utility, and NASA, as well as other agencies, said flat out that they feel digital child pornography could jeopardize government networks.
"Yes, because the systems that those images are kept on are notorious for malware and other illegal activities that could infect agency computers, thereby putting agency information at risk," says Stefanie Hoglund, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Valley Authority Inspector General.
Additionally, says Renee N. Juhans, inspector general executive officer for NASA, employees who have visited child porn sites or downloaded explicit content are far less likely to report problems with their work computers, leaving them far more exposed to criminal hackers and spy operatives.
The threats insideShaken by recent internal security lapses in general, the Obama administration is in the midst of overhauling screening procedures for national security employees and contractors. Information leaks by ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden and the fatal shooting of 12 people in the Washington Navy Yard by a contractor shaped the reforms, along with a massive hack of background check records at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) that was discovered in 2015. More recently, the NSA began investigating perhaps the biggest ever leak of top-secret documents allegedly at the hands of agency contractor Harold Thomas Martin who was arrested this summer.
The new personnel vetting approach will include automatic checks of social media, criminal records, and other data sources. The aim is to continuously evaluate a person's behavior for signs the individual may constitute a security threat. A new information hub to help flag potential threats will share data from ''user activity monitoring'' of employees' computer activities, according to a May 19 Privacy Act notice. Network surveillance may record keystrokes, screenshots, and content transmitted via email, chat, and data import or export.
According to OPM, some measures are currently in place to spot child pornography users within the federal workforce. "Background investigations do rely on the cooperation of individuals and the accessibility of records," an OPM spokeswoman said in an emailed statement. ''Background investigations have processes designed to obtain information about adverse conduct such as this through reviews of records, interviews and searches of relevant data sources.''
The Obama administration doesn't keep official numbers related to employees who access child pornography on federal government computers. The government's basic firewall does not have the capability to recognize child porn, according to the Homeland Security Department (DHS). That system, called EINSTEIN, helps detect and thwart known cyberassaults, while another antimalware program called Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation, comprising an array of sensors and services, flags network risks. The two DHS-led efforts "do not investigate the behavior of individual employees," a Homeland Security official said.
Last week, a White House commission released cybersecurity recommendations for the incoming Trump administration and called post-Snowden efforts to address the insider threat problem "at best uneven and far too slow." The panel, whose members included former NSA Director Keith Alexander, said the next administration should make adequate funding available and direct a deputy assistant to the president to oversee that problem.
An annual defense policy package that Congress could pass as early as this week orders the Pentagon by Sept. 30, 2019, to finish crafting a tool that collects and stores "user activity monitoring" records plus other personnel data on federal workers. The bill also authorizes $5 million for developing insider threat systems.
Scope of the problemIt's unclear if federal investigators uncovered malware on computers or thumb drives they searched in the dozens of cases where they uncovered child porn. The probes focused on employee wrongdoing, not cybersecurity. Agency inspector general offices referred most allegations they could corroborate to the Justice Department for potential prosecution.
Infographic by Dawn Furnas for The Christian Science Monitor
This year alone, for instance, the Postal Service has completed nine investigations into alleged access of child pornography on government computers, according to inspector general records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. Between 2014 and 2016, the USPS inspector general closed 34 investigations into that category of misconduct. At the same time, the Postal Service has more than a century of experience identifying people who traffic in the illicit market, because offenders used to distribute child pornography via snail mail.
"If anyone is probably reporting and very sensitive to it, it's going to be them," said Bongardt, the former FBI agent. "They are very good about trying to police their own, with regards to it.''
Postal Service investigators substantiated 79 percent of the 34 cases, said Bruce Marsh, USPS inspector general director of government relations. "A few of the substantiated allegations involved employees found to have involvement with child exploitation/pornography but not on postal systems," he said.
One well-known case of a government employee charged in connection to child pornography is that of Federal Highway Administration staffer Eric Worrell. According to a March 2016 Inspector General report from the Transportation Department, Mr. Worrell's alleged transgressions came to light when a personal thumb drive of his containing child pornography was found in a hallway in a Sacramento, Calif., federal building.
The department's investigation "identified hundreds of images of child erotica and child pornography" on Worrell's government-issued computer, according to the report. "He was taken into custody and the federal computer that he used there at the office was seized as part of the investigation to determine whether any of that material was on a government computer," Federal Highway Administration spokesman Doug Hecox said. Worrell left the agency in March 2015. The US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California announced this March that US District Judge Troy L. Nunley sentenced Worrell to five years in prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release.
At least a handful of people who once had clearance to log into military and intelligence networks allegedly viewed child pornography or child erotica at various times during or before 2009 '' and as recently as 2014, according to one spy agency. The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) cut off four individuals' access to the spy satellite agency's systems and information, or denied them access if the individual was undergoing a security investigation, after probing their activities, agency officials said. The NRO referred the cases to Justice.
A 2014 NRO investigation reported that a software engineer contractor "made admissions of 'cracking' secure wireless networks and viewing child pornography on the internet." The subject had been granted access to sensitive NRO networks on June 25, 2012 and denied access in November 2013. The wireless network the contractor claimed to have hacked was not an agency network, an NRO official said.
A separate 2014 probe claimed another person associated with the agency admittedly "viewed, downloaded and saved child pornography" about 30 times within two months in 2009. That individual had access to NRO classified information between 2009 and 2013 but there's no evidence that person used NRO computer systems to access child pornography, the agency said. The material involved in that case consisted of pornographic images of 15 to 17 year old females.
"Substantiated cases of child pornography result in termination of employment at the NRO and the revocation of access to classified information," agency spokeswoman Loretta DeSio said.
At NASA, a search of an employee's department-issued flash drive revealed 122 images of two prepubescent girls, about 8 to 12 years old. The pictures showed the girls "provocatively posed in bikinis, short skirts, shorts, and/or high heels," according to a November 2015 inspector general report. Also, a bag holding the employee's work-issued Dell laptop stowed a personal hard drive allegedly containing "thousands of images of young girls in provocative poses in addition to two images which appear to be child pornography," the report states. "All available evidence was presented to prosecutors," NASA spokeswoman Karen Northon said in an Aug. 9 email, adding, "the subject is no longer a federal employee."
Limits to tracking child pornAnother reason the federal government does not track the number of child pornography users among its ranks is because the FBI says ''a child pornography offender's place of employment is not relevant to their sexual interest in children," says Matthew Bertron, an agency spokesman.
"Child pornography offenders typically use multiple devices and media to engage in the possession, distribution and/or production of child pornography; so it is not surprising if such activity also occurred with government provided devices/networks and while at work. In fact, it underscores this need-driven behavior and how their desire to access this illegal material outweighs the risk of getting caught at work or while using a work device," said Mr. Bertron. "The FBI is focused on eliminating child pornography and arresting any offender no matter where they are or who they work for."
But many experts say the offender's employer does matter when attackers are attempting to target high-level government officials. If you are cyber spy, "a lot of times you don't care about the third level admin who's bored and is looking at whatever they are looking at -- but you are using that as a pathway to get to the person the admin works for who may be really important and have important information on his or her system," said Mr. Clinton of the Internet Security Alliance.
Network monitoring systems and background checks are supposed to catch unauthorized internet viewing, but due to inadequate personnel investigations, policy issues, and funding constraints, not every department has the ability to prevent IT abuse, security experts say. Some but not all agencies use programs for filtering specific web content on employee devices.
"Government, as well known at this stage, has often not invested adequately to protect their own systems," said Clinton. "Historically, the agencies have not adequately received funding for cybersecurity writ large." In fiscal 2014 and again in fiscal 2015, agencies collectively spent about $13 billion on data protection, according to White House reports on compliance with federal information security legislation. For fiscal 2017, Obama has requested $19 billion from Congress for cybersecurity, a 35 percent boost over the sum lawmakers approved for fiscal 2016.
Tech problems and human solutionsOne of the agencies equipped with web-tracking tools is the Federal Trade Commission, where officials made a point of noting that the agency's security system immediately alerted officials when software detected potentially illegal images. The FTC's web filter, developed by Blue Coat, indicated a male employee attempted to open two websites that the filter categorized as containing "child pornography," according to a May 2015 inspector general report. The FTC IG was notified that same day. Later, separate monitoring software installed on the employee's machine determined he accessed or at least tried to access several images "of young, post-pubescent nude Asian girls posing in lascivious positions," the report states.
The Commerce Department also has been using "protective filtering tools" to detect '' and block '' downloads of unlawful pornography by employees, department officials said in an emailed statement, adding that "all requests are logged, analyzed and reported" to the inspector general.
One of several allegations that Commerce probed involved an employee in the National Marine Fisheries Service's Southeast Regional Office who attempted to download images an agency firewall tagged "as being of a child pornographic nature," an October 2014 investigation states.
To outwit monitoring systems, federal employees who traffic in child pornography have resorted to encrypting their communications to avoid detection, according to experts. And while government managers have the authority to shut down encrypted channels on agency networks '' doing so could have adverse effects and also lead to malware infections on government networks.
"What if someone wants to do online banking? And almost every type of website that you go to now has some type of HTTPS," an increasingly popular setting that prevents hackers from intercepting what you submit on a site, said Bongardt, the ex-FBI profiler.
Some organizations could end up embracing decryption tools with the sophistication to only peer into dangerous content and leave private correspondence alone. These systems search emails for strings of letters or words such as "intellectual property," "classified," or "confidential," to prevent leaks and other abuses, without reading and saving personal messages, he said. "We've got to have the ability to really look at that and make sure we know all the data that's going on and traversing our networks and that's really important,'' he said.
In addition to a technical solution, Bongardt said, there's also an important human element to catching and trying to eliminate child pornography from federal workers' computers. "We don't want everybody being paranoid about looking at their neighbor,'' he said. ''But if they happened to see, looking over John's shoulder, something on their box that looks like child pornography, we have to train our people and give them the ability to report that.''
How Austin’s East Side Pies became target of fake #pizzagate
East Side Pies co-owner Noah Polk first heard of the conspiracy theory known as ''pizzagate'' around the time of the presidential election. The fake news story was started by an online community, fueled by misinterpretations of emails released by Wikileaks, that believed associates of Hillary Clinton were behind a child sex-trafficking ring headquartered at Comet Ping Pong pizza restaurant in Washington, D.C. The fake story turned into a real crime scene on Sunday when a gunman walked into that Washington restaurant and fired a shot.
For Polk's Austin restaurant, the conspiracy theory hit home when someone he'd never met left a review on East Side Pies' Facebook page. The comment mentioned ''pizzagate'' and Comet Ping Pong owner James Alefantis. It was the commenter's second post in a few days. The first had referenced pedophilia.
That day Polk was also alerted to a thread on the message board Reddit suggesting East Side Pies might also be a part of the fictional sex-trafficking ring. Once down that Internet rabbit hole, Polk was shocked to find myriad posts falsely tying East Side Pies to the debunked conspiracy.
East Side Pies is continuing to suffer sporadic harassment and name-calling via social media, and one of its delivery trucks was vandalized with a scrawled epithet.
2016 AUSTIN DINING: MATTHEW ODAM'S TOP 25 PLACES TO EAT NOW
The online posts have made wild and baseless accusations about East Side Pies. They interpreted the restaurant's logo as a symbol of the ''illuminati,'' questioned the meaning of photos of pizza-eating children on East Side Pies' Facebook account, inferred that a picture of staffers with former Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell was proof of nefarious political ties and claimed co-owner Michael Freid, an alumnus of the Culinary Institute of America, had ''connections to the CIA.''
''This is absolutely insane and unfounded and ridiculous,'' Polk said Tuesday of his thoughts after reading the initial posts. ''The dots they are trying to connect are so ludicrous. I was not happy about it.''
Polk said he has become worried about the safety of his employees, as well as the reputation of his restaurant, and he contacted Austin police and the FBI on Monday. He said an investigation into the harassment is ongoing.
Austin police on Wednesday confirmed that a report for criminal mischief had been filed Tuesday involving one of the restaurant's vehicles. A police spokesman said profane and sexual statements had been carved into the vehicle in the 5300 block of Airport Boulevard. The complete report on the incident and additional details were not immediately available Wednesday.
The online targeting of East Side Pies gained more steam Saturday when Owen Shroyer, who hosts a live-streaming podcast called ''Engage Liberty'' and makes videos for the Austin-based conspiracy-fueled website Infowars.com, hosted a 21/2-hour broadcast detailing his visits to multiple East Side Pies locations.
In the broadcast uploaded to YouTube, Shroyer said he was ''weirded out and creeped out'' by his visits to East Side Pies. What he saw, he says, left him ''gripping my gun tighter every night.''
The ''weird stuff'' he encountered? Employees with large-gauge piercings and blue hair, a ''weird locked-up grate in the back'' of one location, disturbing rock music and band fliers promoting satanic symbols. The ''coup de grace,'' according to Shroyer: Two children playing dominos in the presence of an adult.
He also thought the restaurant's logo, a pizza in the shape of an eye, with the catchphrase ''We know what you want,'' was a nod to the Illuminati.
While the other accusations probably don't require much explanation from a laid-back, family-friendly, rock-and-roll pizza joint in the Live Music Capital of the World, Polk gives a quick backstory to the name and logo.
BEST PIZZA IN AUSTIN: CHECK OUT OUR 2015 LIST OF THE TOP PIES IN TOWN
Polk, who opened the restaurant with Freid in 2006, wanted to name the restaurant East Side Pies, written as three separate words. When he told a friend, the guy immediately quipped, ''ESP. We know what you want.'' Thus was born a very clever piece of marketing, soon to be accompanied by a logo with a circular pizza minus a slice representing an eyeball.
Polk has received about a half-dozen calls over the past several days from people from unidentifiable phone numbers requesting interviews with East Side Pies management or ownership.
The co-owners had refused the requests with the suspicious callers, because, in the words of Polk, ''You argue with the fool, you're the fool yourself.''
On Sunday, a North Carolina man was arrested in Washington, D.C., after entering Comet Ping Pong with a semi-automatic weapon and firing at least one shot. The event, which made national news, reaffirmed in Polk that his instinct to contact law enforcement was correct.
''Luckily nobody got hurt during the shooting, but I do believe it's come to light now, it's a national story, about fake news,'' Polk said. ''I do believe people who've been on the fence or thought maybe there was something to it '... now most thinking people will realize that this is fake and not to get behind it or think there is any truth to it.''
Freid and Polk say the false accusations and character assassination has been ''alarming, disappointing, disconcerting and scary.''
''The biggest thing: It was unfair,'' Freid said.
''We have too many other things to do just to keep our business going every day. It's completely unfounded and ludicrous. It is absolutely absurd.''
Gold
The basic challenge to create a Shariah Gold Standard is that gold has been treated mostly as a currency in Islamic finance, limiting its use to spot transactions. Under Shariah law, gold is one of six items (ribawi items, the others being barley, dates, salt, silver and wheat), which are forbidden from being held onto with the intention of trading at a later date for an expected higher value. This means that, until now, Muslims could not trade gold for a profit, neither use gold-related investment vehicles such as gold index funds, futures and even mining stocks.
Muslims have always been allowed to own gold jewellery, though, but consumer demand for gold in the Middle East region has actually fallen in recent years.
This is highly likely to change quickly. The key of the new Shariah Gold Standard is that gold is no longer seen as a currency, but as a commodity, and any transaction would be allowed under this circumstance as long as it is backed by real gold as an asset. The standard now also delivers a consensus on gold trading in financial instruments such as exchange traded funds or futures, which are halal as long as physical gold is delivered at the end of a transaction, ending the confusion and hesitation that was always part of gold deals in Islamic finance. It provides guidance from a Shariah perspective on the usage of gold in financial and investment transactions for Islamic financial institutions and participants.
CLIPS AND DOCS
VIDEO - Average Canadian family to spend $420 more on food in 2017: report | Globalnews.ca
The cost of food will increase by up to five per cent in 2017, according to a new report.
That means an average Canadian family of four will spend around $420 more on food in the coming year.
Canada's Food Price Report 2017, released Monday by Dalhousie University, says prices are ''expected to rise above the acceptable inflation rate.''
The prices will rise across the board, but some items will see a higher increase than others.
READ MORE: Nearly a quarter of Canadians worry about being able to pay for groceries: poll
Some of our staples, like meats, vegetables and seafood will have the greatest hike: up to six per cent. Bakery foods, cereals, dairy and eggs are expected to remain within a normal inflation range: between zero to two per cent.
Fruits and nuts will see a moderate increase of three to five per cent and restaurants are expected to charge around two to four per cent more.
WATCH: These are the food items that are expected to rise in price in 2017
It's a significant enough jump that many families may be in trouble, Sylvain Charlebois, the report's lead author told Global News.
''So you are going to have to resort to coupons and go out less to restaurants,'' he said. ''It's going to be problematic for many, many people.''
Food prices across the countryThe highest increases will be seen in Ontario and British Columbia, according to the report.
These two provinces are expected to have a higher inflation rate, according to Charlebois, and grocers will also be taking advantage of a less competitive market.
In comparison, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories will see the average increase, and the rest of the provinces will see a lower than average increase.
WATCH: With food prices going up, it pays to find ways to cut costs at the grocery store. Tony Tighe talked with food experts and shoppers, and found out it pays to plan ahead.
Why are food prices going up?There's a few reasons to account for the increase. While you might expect inflation to be a huge driver for prices, the report says the effect it has is minimal. Rather, the report suggests climate and trade policies are the main factors that bring up the cost of groceries.
WATCH: Food prices to go up in 2017. As Ross Lord reports, the reason behind the spike may surprise you.
First, Donald Trump's presidency will have a major effect on Canadian food prices, Charlebois explained, due to his views on illegal workers (two million of whom work in the agriculture industry) and a U.S. protectionist view on farming and trade policies.
READ MORE: How Trump's immigration crackdown could raise food prices for Canadians
Secondly, the Canadian dollar is expected to fall, which will ''decrease the buying power of many of our importers,'' Charlebois explained.
That means we might see another incident like this past year's skyrocketing price of the cauliflower.
The report also said the implementation of a carbon tax will have a ''distortive effect'' on the prices of food over the next few years, because some food sectors are dependent on fossil fuels.
READ MORE: Restaurants grapple with cauliflower crisis as price soars
Just a prediction?It's the seventh year the report was released. And its predictions were accurate for five out of the six years.
''The one time we weren't accurate, we actually underestimated food inflation that year,'' Charlebois explained.
''In fact, our model that we developed here at Dalhousie was suggesting much higher increases of anywhere between four to six per cent and we thought it was a bit too much so we're going ahead with the three to five per cent threshold.''
(C) 2016 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
VIDEO - Boris Johnson accuses Saudi Arabia of 'twisting and abusing' Islam | Politics | The Guardian
Boris Johnson accused Saudi Arabia of abusing Islam and acting as a puppeteer in proxy wars throughout the Middle East, in remarks that flout a longstanding Foreign Office convention not to criticise the UK's allies in public.
The foreign secretary told a conference in Rome last week that the behaviour of Saudi Arabia, and also Iran, was a tragedy, adding that there was an absence of visionary leadership in the region that was willing to reach out across the Sunni-Shia divide.
At the event, Johnson said: ''There are politicians who are twisting and abusing religion and different strains of the same religion in order to further their own political objectives. That's one of the biggest political problems in the whole region. And the tragedy for me '' and that's why you have these proxy wars being fought the whole time in that area '' is that there is not strong enough leadership in the countries themselves.''
Boris Johnson at the Rome Mediterranean Dialogues forum in Rome. Photograph: Alessandro Bianchi/ReutersThe foreign secretary then identified Saudi Arabia and Iran specifically, saying: ''That's why you've got the Saudis, Iran, everybody, moving in, and puppeteering and playing proxy wars.''
Johnson's criticism of Saudi Arabia came as Theresa May returned from a prestigious two-day visit to the Gulf in which she lauded both the Saudi royal family for its visionary leadership, and the value of the 100-year-old alliance with the UK.
Foreign Office ministers, aware of Saudi sensitivity to criticism and the strategic importance of the Gulf relationship, usually soft-pedal and focus on their path to reform.
However, since becoming foreign secretary, Johnson has repeatedly landed himself in trouble. He has been accused of committing a string of gaffes and some people argue his tendency to speak frankly loses the UK allies.
Members of the Saudi royal family, along with Qatar and Turkey, have frequently been accused of regarding the civil war in Syria as a contest between a largely Sunni-led opposition and an Iranian Shia-led militia. But government ministers working alongside the Gulf states in Syria do not describe the Syrian opposition as ''puppets''.
The British defence industry is also heavily dependent on arms contracts with the Gulf states, and the Royal Navy has established a major naval base in Manama, the capital of Bahrain.
Johnson is due to visit the region this weekend, when he will have to explain why he thinks the Gulf states are abusing Islam for political ends.
Speaking at the Med 2 conference in Rome last week, Johnson rounded on the quality of political leadership in the Middle East, saying: ''There are not enough big characters, big people, men or women, who are willing to reach out beyond their Sunni or Shia or whatever group to the other side and bring people together and to develop a national story again. That is what's lacking. And that's the tragedy.''
Saudi Arabia's King Salman (left) with Theresa May and the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Photograph: Carl Court/Getty ImagesThe Foreign Office said on Wednesday that Johnson had expressed his strong support for Saudi Arabia on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show at the weekend, and said his criticism of the lack of leaders willing to reach out across religious divides was a reference to the lack of such leaders inside conflict zones '' such as Yemen and Syria.
A spokesman for the Foreign Secretary said: ''As the foreign secretary made very clear on Sunday, we are allies with Saudi Arabia and support them in their efforts to secure their borders and protect their people. Any suggestion to the contrary is wrong and misinterpreting the facts.''
At the conference, Johnson unfavourably compared the quality of Middle Eastern leadership with the current efforts being made by Turkish and Greek Cypriots to end the stalemate over the status of the island.
''I've just come from Cyprus where I have seen one example of how this can happen,'' he said. ''It's not there yet. It is still very difficult. But you have two leaders, from the Greek community and the Turkish community, who are trying and they are taking risks, each is taking risks with its own community, to try to bring that island together. I see that in Cyprus and I have to tell you I don't see it anywhere else in the region.''
He added: ''It's a tragedy to watch it. We need to have some way of encouraging visionary leadership in that area. People who can tell a story that brings people together from different factions and different religious groups into one nation. That's what is missing.''
Ministers have defended the Saudi role in combatting an Iranian-backed Houthi rebellion in Yemen. The war has led to widespread famine, thousands of deaths and brutality on all sides.
Foreign Office lawyers have insisted there is no evidence that the Saudi air campaign against the Houthis means there is ''a serious risk'' international humanitarian law will be breached, and as a result no UK government licences to sell arms to Saudi should be withdrawn.
Johnson's remarks in Rome came in response to a claim made by the secretary general of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, that Sunni-Shia division was wrongly being used ''to serve national policies and objectives''. Aboul Gheit said: ''Religion was being used as an instrument of politics. That should not be.''
Foreign secretary holds the document marked sensitive. Photograph: Alessandro Bianchi/ReutersAt the same conference, Johnson brandished a document marked sensitive which showed the civil service had briefed him that he was to express an interest in replicating the Helsinki east-west peace process for the Middle East, but not to make any commitment to the proposal. It also told him the chief value of the conference lay in meeting other senior politicians.
Downing Street was furious last month when a snatch photograph revealed detailed notes made by a Conservative party aide about a meeting attended by the Brexit minister, David Davis, appearing to reveal details of the government's EU exit strategy.
By comparison, Johnson's briefing notes are relatively bland, but it shows ministers are still struggling with the requirement to retain confidentiality.
VIDEO - EU penalises banks for fixing Euribor interest rates
Former Army Vice Chief of Staff retired Gen. John Keane told the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday that the Department of Defense needs a deputy secretary of Defense that is an experienced businessman who has recently turned around a large corporation.
VIDEO - Nets Can't Decide on Air Force One Contract Numbers, Smear Trump | MRCTV
Despite recent revelations that the Pentagon may have been hiding $125 billion in wasteful spending, the Big Three networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) all knocked President-Elect Donald Trump Tuesday for tweeting his disapproval of the $4 billion price tag of two new presidential aircraft. ''President-Elect Donald Trump's sparking a new controversy over Air Force One after once again, taking to social media to criticize an American business,'' whined fill-in Anchor Tamron Hall on NBC Nightly News. But each one of them reported a different price tag for the project.
Trump's liberal media triggering tweet said, ''Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control. More than $4 billion. Cancel order!" He explained to the press in the lobby of Trump Tower, ''Well, the plane is totally out of control. I think it's ridiculous. I think Boeing is doing a little bit of a number.'' Both NBC and ABC spun the facts heavily to try and discredit Trump's claim.
NBC's Hallie Jackson stuck up Boeing reporting that, ''The aviation company saying in a statement, it looks forward to delivering 'The best planes for the president at the best value for the American taxpayer.''' She continued, ''Some experts warn, it's too early to say the Boeing contract is too expensive.'' She never reported an actual number for the cost of the aircraft.
''But there is no $4 billion deal,'' claimed ABC's Tom Llamas on World News Tonight, ''The Pentagon projects the cost could exceed $3 billion.'' Llamas then chided that, ''And the jets would likely be for Trump's successor, not Trump himself,'' as if wasteful spending only effects the here and now.
On CBS Evening News, Nancy Cordes was the only network reporter to corroborate Trump's claim about the cost, ''The budget for the new Air Force One currently sits at about $3 billion and could climb, as Mr. Trump said today, to $4 billion.'' But she oddly mocked him for preferring his plane because, ''His 757 can't refuel midair or deflect missiles.'' NBC's Jackson did this as well, noting that presidential planes needed to be able to survive a nuclear blast.
Llamas on the other hand went after Trump for publicly discussing deals that would benefit Americans workers. He seemed to scold Trump for claiming that Carrier deal was great for worker because, according to him, 600 jobs were still going to Mexico while 1,100 stayed. So is Llamas arguing that no Carrier jobs are better than a majority of them?
He also attacked Trump for making a deal with a Japanese business man who, according to Trump, would ''to invest $50 billion in the United States and 50,000 jobs.'' Llamas claimed Trump was ''claiming credit for another deal,'' even though they both men met and he never explained how Trump was stealing credit.
Ironically, in 2009 President Barack Obama expressed concern about budget overruns for development of a new fleet of Marine One presidential helicopters. The program was cancelled in May of the same year when the projected cost of the project was roughly $13 billion dollars.
VIDEO - Michael Moore: Republican Congress will Pass 'Onslaught' of 'Suffering' | MRCTV
CNN political commentator, Van Jones hosted a special town hall event titled The Messy Truth Tuesday night, to talk about how ''both parties kind of suck.'' During the forum he admitted that there was an elitist vein running through the Democratic Party, and that many rust belt voters supported Donald Trump because their harsh economic reality. But the constructive conversation turned dark at the end of the program when radical progressive Michael Moore begged congressional Democrats to obstruct Republicans at every turn.
Moore's angry ranting was sparked by a Stony Brook University student who wondered, in part, if the right path for Democrats would be to work with Republicans for proper reforms. ''No, no, no, no, no this is not the cumbia moment here,'' more exclaimed. ''The Democrats in congress, they represent the majority of Americans '' I'll say it again, the majority of Americans wanted Hillary Clinton,'' Moore claimed.
But Moore's claim that Clinton won a majority of votes is factually false. According to CNN, Clinton had only won 48.2 percent of the overall vote total. That is a plurality of votes not a majority.
''It is the responsibility of this minority of Democrats in congress to block, obstruct, disrupt and do whatever they can to prevent the onslaught that is going to happen with Donald Trump that the American people do not support,'' he demanded, while speaking over Jones who was trying to rein him in.
''Listen, when the Republicans did this, they blocked our president on everything,'' Jones told Moore then asking, ''Are you saying that now Democrats should have a policy of imposing that same suffering for four more years? You're saying we shouldn't even try to find any way out?'' But Moore wasn't having it, ranting:
Their job is to stop the suffering that these people are going to cause, and let me tell you something. He's going to be inaugurated on January 20, and January 21, which is a Saturday, don't be surprised if the Republicans call a Saturday session of congress, and they are going to pass law after law after law and have him sign it the next day, and it's going to be one piece of suffering against people after another. It is the job of the Democrats now to stop the suffering that he is about to create for the American people.
Jones tried to warn Moore that his plan had a high probability of back firing. ''It's easy to say that, but when you have to go back to a district and you got to say, we're going to turn down infrastructure and that type of stuff, it's going to be tougher than that,'' Jones explained.
The radical film maker then threatened congressional Democrats, warning that, ''Myself and thousands like me are going to be at those town halls in the districts in the spring. And we will primary them.'' Moore's call for more Washington gridlock left Jones in a rather awkward position just as the program was ending.
VIDEO - 'Watch Your Uterus!' The View's Whacky Predictions for GOP-Run 2017 | MRCTV
Wednesday onThe View, the panel made some wild predictions about what would happen during Donald Trump's presidency. But not before making some clearly factually inaccurate statements. The panel blamed Trump for supposedly taking away people's health insurance already before warning that Mike Pence was going to take away women's rights and LGBT rights.
Read more of the blog here.
VIDEO - Quite possibly the funniest thing Brian Williams has ever said | MRCTV
Disgraced former network anchor Brian Williams, now toiling late nights on MSNBC after NBC News gave him the boot in 2015 for repeated examples of dubious reporting and inflated claims of his journalistic heroics, decries the spread of "fake news" on The 11th Hour, Dec. 6, 2016.
VIDEO - President-elect Donald Trump Today Show Interview'... | The Last Refuge
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Tensions ran high as hundreds of people protested a white nationalist's speech on the Texas A&M University campus Tuesday night, reports CBS Dallas.
Several groups demonstrated outside the student center during and before the appearance by Richard Spencer, who leads the so-called ''alt-right,'' an extreme right wing movement espousing white supremacy.
At one point, Spencer told the crowd, ''America, at the end of the day, belongs to white men.''
White nationalist leader Richard Spencer waves goodbye after his speech during an event not sanctioned by the school, on Texas A&M University campus in College Station, Texas, on night of December 6, 2016
REUTERS
Spencer took to the stage to promote what he calls ''a movement of identity.''
He is spreading his message of strengthening the white race to any and all who will listen, CBS Dallas observes. The station adds that, despite his openly racist rhetoric, Spencer denies he's racist, claiming he only wants to awaken his ''oppressed people.''
The Southern Poverty Law Center calls Spencer ''a kind of professional racist in khakis.''
Last month, Spencer delivered a speech blocks from the White House, which elicited ''Nazi salutes'' from some in attendance.
Some of the roughly 600 people who filled the student center ballroom silently held signs while others loudly chanted slogans in anger, jeering Spencer, but some clapped in support.
When one woman asked for further explanation of the ''alt-right'' group's objectives, men overpowered her and took the microphone away.
A brief scuffle broke out but was quickly quelled by police suited up in riot gear. Those attending the speech had to walk a gauntlet of chanting protesters while leaving the hall.
In contrast, hundreds more gathered at nearby Kyle Field to hear music and speeches highlighting diversity and unity, as a counter to Spencer.
''I think it's important to show that hate speech is not tolerated on this campus,'' said TAMU student Raul Garcia.
Others who don't support Spencer's message expressed support of his First Amendment rights.
''I mean, it's his right to say what he wants, it's also our right to reject that type of message,'' said TAMU student Lauren Thompson.
At a victory rally last week, Donald Trump made this comment:
''We denounce all of the hatred, and we forcefully reject the language of exclusion and separation.''
But at the university, Spencer called Mr. Trump a ''kind of alt-right hero'' though he also said ''we need to be willing to criticize Donald Trump.''
''I am worried about Donald Trump becoming just another Republican and not fulfilling the promise of his campaign.''
A&M officials say they didn't schedule the speech by Spencer, who was invited to speak by a former student who reserved campus space available to the public, and called the event ''reprehensible.''
''We did not invite him here, we did not want him here and we made our voices known as well,'' Amy Smith, the university's communications officer, said.
Two non-students were arrested at the event, according to TAMU police.
(C) 2016 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
VIDEO - Armed man nabbed at D.C. pizza shop named in Clinton conspiracy - NY Daily News
Cops arrested a 28-year-old man from North Carolina after he opened fire inside Comet Ping Pong, a Washington D.C. pizza restaurant named in a Hillary Clinton fringe theory.
Edgar Maddison Welch, of Salisbury, told police on Sunday afternoon he decided to ''self-investigate'' whether the so-called ''Pizza Gate'' conspiracy theory was true '-- that Clinton and her campaign chief were operating a child sex ring in the restaurant's back room.
He stormed the restaurant '-- going straight for the maligned back room '-- while brandishing an assault rifle along Connecticut Ave NW near Fessenden St. NW around 3 p.m., police said. He pointed the gun at an employee at some point, cops said, and then fired at least one shot after patrons with children and employees scattered for safety.
No one was injured during the incident.
Facebook and Google to ban fake news from receiving ad revenue
Officials with Metropolitan Police said two firearms were found with Welch during his surrender in the street. He now faces an assault charge in the brazen stunt inspired by the fictitious conspiracy theory spawned on Reddit.
Restaurant owner James Alefantis thanked police for capturing the suspect after a frantic 911 call and then condemned ''certain people'' for trying to ''spread malicious and utterly false accusations about Comet Ping Pong.''
''What happened today demonstrates that promoting false and reckless conspiracy theories comes with consequences,'' Alefantis wrote in a statement. ''I hope that those involved in fanning those flames will take a moment to contemplate what happened here today, and stop promoting these falsehoods right away.''
Leading up to the November election, Alefantis said he and his 40 employees were inundated with death threats on social media inspired by a bizarre Reddit post.
Facebook's algorithm took over, making fake news trending
Conspiracists claimed leaked emails obtained by Wikileaks from Clinton campaign chair John Podesta's inbox suggested that the pizzeria was a lair for child abusers. Last month, Reddit banned the so-called ''pizzagate'' topic.
Even Michael Flynn Jr., the son of President-elect Donald Trump's national security adviser pick, fueled the erroneous report.
''Until #Pizzagate proven to be false, it'll remain a story,'' wrote Flynn Jr., the son of retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. ''The left seems to forget #PodestaEmails and the many 'coincidences' tied to it.''
Alefantis defended his restaurant in a New York Times interview on Nov. 21 and said he had never met the former Secretary of State and was not under investigation for an alleged human trafficking plot.
''I've done nothing for days but try to clean this up and protect my staff and friends from being terrorized,'' Alefantis told the Times.
It's unclear if Welch traveled to D.C. from North Carolina with the intention of menacing the pizzeria.
In October, police investigated Welch after he struck a 13-year-old boy with his car in Salisbury. He pulled over a block away from the collision and stayed at the scene, according to the Salisbury Post. No charges were filed.
The victim said in a Facebook post he was hospitalized for a month after the crash.
Tags:washington dcgun violencehillary clintonjohn podestamichael flynnSend a Letter to the EditorJoin the Conversation:facebookTweet
VIDEO - Epic #PizzaGate Continues, Calls - YouTube
It may sound like the plot of a movie: police find a young man dead with stab wounds. Tests quickly show he'd had Ebola.
Officials realize the suspects in the case, men in a local gang, may have picked up and spread Ebola across the slum. These men are reluctant to quarantine themselves and some '' including a man nicknamed "Time Bomb" '' cannot even be found.
This scenario actually unfolded in the West African nation of Liberia in 2015. And what followed was a truly unconventional effort by epidemiologists to stop a new Ebola outbreak.
This team of public health officials had to go to extraordinary lengths to keep the disease from spreading further '-- from halting a police investigation, to suggesting officials allow illicit drugs into a medical facility, to tracking down the elusive "Time Bomb."
It was all done in an effort to overcome what can be the biggest obstacle in public health: a severe lack of trust.
Hidden Brain is hosted by Shankar Vedantam and produced by Maggie Penman, Jennifer Schmidt and Renee Klahr. Our supervising producer is Tara Boyle. You can also follow us on Twitter @hiddenbrain, and listen for Hidden Brain stories each week on your local public radio station.
The election of Donald Trump was a reaction to poor growth and should therefore not have been a surprise, says the founder of the Milken Institute.
According to Mike Milken, currently chairman of the eponymous economic think tank, the driving force behind Trump's victory was the so-called working poor '' those who have jobs but struggle to make ends meet and feel they have been left behind as the economy has developed.
"One of the objectives of the financial markets is to create opportunities for everyone and make everyone feel they can participate in the economic system," Milken told CNBC Tuesday.
"And so many people both in the United States and Europe feel that when they look at the median income it is lower today than it was at the start of this century. They are demanding changes and hopefully our economic situation will meet those demands."
Craig F. Walker | The Denver Post | Getty Images
Olivia Calhoun, 9, stands outside the Crossing in Denver, CO September 19, 2014. Olivia and her family have lived at the Denver Rescue Mission's transitional program for families, since June 2013.
Milken was speaking to CNBC at the annual Milken Institute London Summit, this year entitled "The Future of Europe".
But the high-profile philanthropist and former financier spoke much more broadly than Europe, focusing particularly on Africa and the tremendous population growth forecast for the continent. He urged countries to work together to find common solutions as they faced challenges in the years ahead, such as ageing populations in many developed economies.
Milken also sounded a warning about society's reliance on technology, saying that there was a risk that if it was not handled correctly it could promote isolation '' a condition which he described as the major disease in the United States.
"We can push technology forward but individuals need to have relationships, they need to feel a part of that society and if they don't in a democracy, we're going to have dramatic changes occurring."
VIDEO - Trump's Air Force One slam could force changes to the replacement program
President-elect Donald Trump's comments slamming Boeing's new Air Force One 747 airplane's $4 billion cost as being too high is being challenged by some analysts who also maintain the aircraft is absolutely necessary and worth it.
Still, pressure from Trump could lead to changes in the program such as farming out integration work on the communications gear and other advanced systems on board the new Air Force One jumbo jets to a company other than Boeing. That would presumably mean Boeing would deliver the plane without all the special defensive and other equipment required for the 747 to operate as a flying command post during emergencies and wartime.
"This is being targeted because it's high profile, not because it's high dollar," said Chris Higgins, a Morningstar defense analyst in Chicago.
On Tuesday morning, the President-elect tweeted: "Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!"
Higgins called the roughly $4 billion cost of the two presidential replacement jumbo jets "kind of peanuts" compared with larger big-ticket programs in the Air Force portfolio, including the F-35 joint strike fighter program from Lockheed Martin, as well as Boeing's $80 billion aerial tanker program and Northrop Grumman's B-21 long-range strike bomber reported to cost tens of billions of dollars.
"It's not a matter of if it will be replaced, but when," said Higgins. "They can continue to operate the current ones and extend their life. But it becomes more and more costly to do so given how old they are."
Higgins noted that Trump as a candidate also made unfavorable comments about the F-35, which is a program that includes purchases from all major branches of the U.S. military as well as key allies. "[Trump] seems in some of the comments that he's making to favor more spending on troops and manpower and readiness than on high-end military hardware."
The Air Force has a little less than $3 billion budgeted for research and development (R&D) of the two new 747 Presidential jumbo jets through 2021 under the current budget request, or a figure above earlier budget estimates of $1.65 billion. Also, there's believed to be nearly $800 million planned for procurement of the presidential planes so that would put the latest cost at roughly $4 billion.
"There might be cost overruns one day but there haven't been so far," said Richard Aboulafia, a senior aviation analyst at the Teal Group in Virginia.
Boeing hasn't even started building the new Air Force One wide-body jet models known as 747-8, which would replace two 747-200s that date back to the early 1990s. Both of the current 747s used to fly the president are approaching the end of their 30-year life span.
Boeing issued a statement Tuesday that seemed to imply it may be flexible on terms of the Air Force One program.
"We are currently under contract for $170 million to help determine the capabilities of these complex military aircraft that serve the unique requirements of the President of the United States," Boeing said in a statement. "We look forward to working with the U.S. Air Force on subsequent phases of the program allowing us to deliver the best planes for the president at the best value for the American taxpayer."
A source told CNBC late on Tuesday that Boeing called the Trump transition team after the tweets, to say that the price of Air Force One could be cut if the specifications were lowered.
Trump's transition team didn't respond to requests for further comment earlier in the day. The Air Force also declined comment when contacted.
Aboulafia suggested that Trump's comments may reflect a "misunderstanding of what a president needs and what a president does. It [Air Force One] has the ability to direct and manage war in wartime and survive a war. It is an incredibly complex and expensive aircraft."
Trump personally owns a Boeing 757 luxury jet that is outfitted with opulent amenities but analysts said that aircraft would require extensive and expensive upgrades to compare with the current model of Air Force One planes featuring technology that can serve as a military command post and offer midair refueling capabilities.
Boeing's 747-8 aircraft '-- the largest model in the iconic 747 series '-- costs around $379 million each. With two 747s, that would get a total price tag of about $758 million just to procure two of the commercial jetliner versions of the planes. The actual cost in the current budget request is for $2.7 billion in R&D costs for the two replacement Air Force One 747 aircraft.
"I'm skeptical about how much development do they really need to do for this (Air Force One replacement program)," said Dan Grazier, a former Marine Corps captain and defense industry expert at the Project On Government Oversight, a Washington watchdog group.
"It's not like they're designing a brand new plane from the ground up. They already have the design, they already build 747s, and they have them in service."
"There will be some upgrades and things like that but I would be skeptical too if I was looking at this program from President-elect Trump's view," Grazier added. "That does seem excessive that they need to spend that much money to further develop a plane already flying."
Meantime, others say the newer Air Force Ones will be more efficient from a fuel perspective and maintenance standpoint. Moreover, it will have newer equipment and the latest defensive technology that will provide added safety for future presidents. The current Air Force One plane was used by President Bush during 9/11 as a command post when the U.S. was under attack by terrorists.
Boeing, an aerospace giant known for its jumbo jets and tech prowess in building previous Air Force Ones, would seem to be the obvious choice to supply new presidential planes but the U.S. government could decide buy the two 747 jumbo jets from the Chicago-based manufacturer and then move the integration and installation work to another company.
The integration work would involve the missile defense systems capabilities on board the aircraft, special communications and electronic equipment, cutting-edge avionics and advanced technology that allows the plane to serve essentially as a flying Oval Office.
Is there something Donald Trump understands about jobs that Democrats and Republicans have been missing?
Jacob WeisbergDec. 2 2016 11:59 AMManipulating the President-ElectWill Saletan provides us with a handy guide to exploiting Donald Trump's weaknesses for our benefit.Virginia HeffernanNov. 29 2016 1:24 PMThis Could Get UnconstitutionalTaking a deeper look at the Trump administration's views on a Muslim registry.Virginia HeffernanNov. 21 2016 2:10 PMThe Shape of Racial Discourse in Trump's AdministrationAppointing Steve Bannon, Michael Flynn, and Jeff Sessions shows that the president-elect is not shying away from his campaign's racially charged rhetoric.Virginia HeffernanNov. 15 2016 12:22 PMSix Rules for Surviving an AutocracyA Russian American journalist provides tips on how we make it through Donald Trump's presidency.Jacob WeisbergNov. 10 2016 2:01 PMThe Morning AfterWhat does a Trump presidency look like? Why is this happening in America today? How do we move the national conversation forward?Jacob WeisbergNov. 1 2016 11:33 AMHow Trump Duped the Republican Party Into Funding Its Own DestructionA reporter gets an inside look at the Trump campaign's data operation.Jacob WeisbergOct. 28 2016 3:26 PMCycles of Panic ReduxIs there any reason to feel anxious about the presidential race tightening? Not really, but even a little is too much.Jacob WeisbergOct. 24 2016 10:38 AMDispatches From the Angry PatriotUnpacking the alternate reality of a Donald Trump supporter's Facebook timeline.Jacob WeisbergOct. 18 2016 1:42 PMInside Trump's HeadAimee Mann talks about channeling the voice of Donald Trump to create her new song, ''Can't You Tell?''Jacob WeisbergOct. 14 2016 3:53 PMThe GroperWhat will be the fallout from the sexual assault accusations against Donald Trump?Jacob WeisbergOct. 10 2016 10:36 AMThe Conspiracy Guru Behind Donald TrumpHow did the alt-right conspiracy guru Alex Jones get the ear of this year's Republican presidential candidate?Jacob WeisbergOct. 4 2016 5:25 PMThe EnablerNobody is more to blame than Jeff Zucker for the rise of Donald Trump.Jacob WeisbergSept. 29 2016 11:29 AMA Historical PerspectiveA historian and race scholar reflects on the Obama backlash.Jacob WeisbergSept. 26 2016 9:48 AMThinking the UnthinkableTaking a look at President Trump's first days in office.Jacob WeisbergSept. 19 2016 12:09 PMPassing Off Other People's Charity as Your OwnThere is no evidence that Donald Trump is as charitable as he says he is.Jacob WeisbergNov. 29 2016 5:04 PMA Clear and Present Danger to Voting RightsDonald Trump's latest tweets are laying the foundation to destroy voting rights for millions of Americans.Jacob WeisbergNov. 22 2016 12:07 PMHis Rise to PowerTaking a deeper look at what Hitler's ascendancy can tell us about Donald Trump.Jacob WeisbergNov. 21 2016 12:10 PMOne Big Giant Conflict of InterestThe red flags for a Trump kleptocracy are everywhere.Jacob WeisbergNov. 14 2016 12:15 PMA History Teacher and a Historic EventHow one 10th-grade class took the news of Donald Trump winning the presidency.Jacob WeisbergNov. 4 2016 2:55 PMA Repudiation of the Liberal Democratic OrderIf Donald Trump becomes president, the United States would be a hard ''sell'' in the financial markets.Jacob WeisbergNov. 1 2016 9:49 AMThe Alt-Right and a Deluge of HateA writer at National Review came out against Trump but didn't expect the extent of the hate that followed.Jacob WeisbergOct. 28 2016 2:01 PMOK, You WinA former Donald Trump supporter talks about what pushed him over the edge.Jacob WeisbergOct. 21 2016 4:11 PMTrump Backers on TrialWill the GOP candidate's supporters pay a price after the election?Jacob WeisbergOct. 17 2016 11:09 AMTwo Rallies, Two StoriesOn the same day that Michelle Obama delivered an emotional speech, Donald Trump delivered one full of hate and conspiracies.Jacob WeisbergOct. 10 2016 10:36 AMThe Boys on the BusA leaked video shows that Donald Trump is exactly who we think he is.Jacob WeisbergOct. 6 2016 1:32 PMIt's Hard to Defend the IndefensibleThe real Mike Pence is not the person we saw at the vice presidential debate.Jacob WeisbergOct. 3 2016 4:22 PMThe Queen Has RabiesIs the United States in for a Brexit-like surprise on Nov. 8?Jacob WeisbergSept. 26 2016 9:55 AMA Debate for the AgesShould Hillary Clinton provoke Donald Trump into being his worst self at the first debate?Jacob WeisbergSept. 21 2016 4:33 PMLiarWhat went into the New York Times' decision to call Donald Trump a liar on Page 1 of Saturday's edition?Jacob WeisbergSept. 15 2016 2:04 PMCycles of PanicBuzzFeed's McKay Coppins talks us through the latest edition of Donald Trump victory panic.Jacob WeisbergREAD MORE STORIES
Slate GroupPanoplySlate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. All contents (C) 2016 The Slate Group LLC. All rights reserved.
VIDEO - Gold Standard Approved for Islamic Finance, Opening New Market - Bloomberg
Gold is acceptable for the first time as an investment in Islamic finance after the group that sets standards for the industry adopted Shariah-compliant rules for trading the metal.
The rules approved Nov. 19 allow gold to be used in the $1.88 trillion Islamic finance business, the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions said Monday in a statement. The AAOIFI developed the standards with help from the producer-funded World Gold Council, which has said the new rules could spur demand for ''hundreds of tons'' of gold.
The SPDR Gold Trust, the biggest exchange-traded fund backed by bullion traded under stock symbol GLD, will probably qualify, and the standard may open new demand to central banks, Mohd Daud Bakar, a Shariah scholar, said at a press conference in Dubai Monday. Comex gold futures wouldn't qualify because of a physical backing requirement, he said.
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You will now receive the Game Plan newsletter''We fully expect to announce imminently that GLD does qualify,'' Natalie Dempster, a managing director of the World Gold Council, said at the conference. Physical gold bars and coins may also qualify, she said. The rules require that a bank selling gold has to offer same-day settlement or has to demonstrate it can provide the exact gold being sold within one day, Dempster said. The standard also applies to silver, according to Hamed Hassan Merah, AAOIFI secretary general.''This is a ground-breaking initiative for Islamic investors and for the gold industry at large,'' Aram Shishmanian, chief executive officer of the World Gold Council, said in the joint statement. ''We are delighted that there is now definitive Shariah guidance on the permissability of investing in gold.''
Gold joins equities, real estate, Islamic bonds (sukuk) and takaful (insurance) as vehicles approved for Islamic finance, according to the Bahrain-based AAOIFI. Sukuk volume slipped 1.4 percent in 2015 after the Malaysian central bank terminated its short-term sukuk issuance program, the AAOIFI said.
''The time has come for gold instruments in Islamic finance,'' Mark Mobius, executive chairman of Templeton Emerging Markets Group, said Monday in a World Gold Council report accompanying the statement. The report didn't say if Templeton plans to invest in the product.
VIDEO - Health Insurers List Demands if Affordable Care Act Is Killed
The nation's health insurers, resigned to the idea that Republicans will repeal the Affordable Care Act, on Tuesday publicly outlined for the first time what the industry wants to stay in the state marketplaces, which have provided millions of Americans with insurance under the law.
The insurers, some which have already started leaving the marketplaces because they are losing money, say they need a clear commitment from the Trump administration and congressional leaders that the government will continue offsetting some costs for low-income people. They also want to keep in place rules that encourage young and healthy people to sign up, which the insurers say are crucial to a stable market for individual buyers.
The demands are a sort of warning shot to Republicans. While the party is eager to repeal the law as quickly as possible, and many have promised a replacement, its members are sharply divided over what shape any new plan should take. If they do not come up with an alternative, more than 22 million people would be left uninsured, including the more than 10 million who have bought individual plans on state marketplaces.
More from NYT:GOP plans immediate repeal of health law, then a delayTom Price, HHS nominee, drafted remakeof health lawMany in Florida count on Obama's health law
On Tuesday, Marilyn Tavenner, the chief executive of America's Health Insurance Plans, a leading industry trade group, warned that the state marketplaces were already on unstable financial footing. Failing to continue the funding aimed at low-income Americans, she said, would have far-reaching consequences because the business would become much tougher for insurers.
"The market has already been a little wobbly this year," Ms. Tavenner said. "If insurance companies believe cost-sharing subsidies will not continue, they are going to pull out of the market during the next logical opportunity."
Insurers could decide within a few months whether to pull out of the state marketplaces for 2018, a deadline they are pushing to have delayed.
The trade group, one of two major groups representing insurers, was a major force in the passage of the law in 2010 and is expected to be influential in its discussions with Republicans. While its clout has been reduced by the departure of large members like the UnitedHealth Group, the organization has a powerful voice in Congress.
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, the other major trade group, has not yet said what it needs from Republican lawmakers to continue operating in the market.
Ms. Tavenner, a former Medicare official in charge of overseeing the creation of the state marketplaces, brings deep knowledge of both the government's and the industry's roles in health care. She said her group had begun meeting with members of Congress and their staffs.
Hospital groups also held a news conference on Tuesday to warn of what they said would be the dire financial consequences of a repeal if the cuts to hospital funding that were part of the Affordable Care Act were not also restored.
While insurers say they do not plan to fight the Republicans' efforts to repeal the law, they are in no hurry to see it unwound. And Ms. Tavenner said the industry would support a delay so it could prepare for the changes. "We would love to see a three-year time frame, as long as possible," she said.
The marketplaces, now three years old, have not become as robust as expected by many of the people behind the Affordable Care Act. Even President Obama, who pushed the law and the marketplaces through Congress, has suggested some improvements.
Some of the largest insurers, like UnitedHealth and Aetna, have stopped selling policies on some of the state marketplaces after losing hundreds of millions of dollars, and other insurers say they are still debating whether to stay in the market. Many have raised their premiums sharply.
Ms. Tavenner acknowledged that the current law "needed to be improved." But she emphasized that there was widespread agreement among Republicans about the need for some the law's provisions, including covering people with expensive medical conditions. President-elect Donald J. Trump has also signaled his support of this popular provision. "There are common starting platforms," she said.
Ms. Tavenner did not give many details about her group's positions, but she said its top priority was to stop the immediate threat of eliminating the subsidies for plans sold to low-income people. House Republicans have already sued to block these payments, and the lawsuit is now delayed. If the new administration chose not to defend the lawsuit, the money would disappear, and insurers would probably rush to the exits because fewer potential customers would be available.
Another of the industry's concerns is ensuring that enough young and healthy people sign up to stabilize the market. Republicans have discussed eliminating one of the law's main tools, the so-called individual mandate, a tax levied on those who do not enroll.
In talking with Congress, Ms. Tavenner said, her members are emphasizing the need for some alternative, especially after criticism by insurers that the penalty is not large enough to persuade enough people to enroll. "There's not one magic solution," she said. She pointed to some of the provisions in Medicare that encourage people to sign up before they become sick. And she discussed some options to ease how insurers price their policies to be able to offer plans that are less expensive to younger people.
She also argued that the insurers had no desire to return to the time before the law was passed, when people with pre-existing conditions were routinely denied coverage in the individual market.
Still, the industry seems willing to embrace some of the ideas being discussed by Republicans, including giving individuals more choices of plans and more accountability for the cost of their health care. Republicans also seem eager to put the states in charge of some of the details of how coverage in both the individual market and Medicaid will look. Ms. Tavenner said the industry had a long history of working with state insurance regulators.
Republicans are discussing other ways to stabilize the market, including the creation of high-risk pools, where people with expensive medical conditions might be covered, bringing down the coverage costs for everyone else. "We would hesitate to rush back to that," Ms. Tavenner said. In the past, those programs, typically run by the states, have not been adequately funded, she noted.
The insurers are also beginning to discuss a potential overhaul of Medicare, pushed by the House speaker, Paul D. Ryan, who favors so-called premium support, or vouchers, as a way for people to find coverage. "We're not big fans of that approach," said Ms. Tavenner, although she said the industry would be open to discussing it.
Ms. Tavenner said the industry wanted to know more about what the Republicans were planning, including information on the fate of the Medicaid expansion under the law. "We still have more questions than answers," she said. "We don't want to disrupt individuals who are relying on our coverage," she said.
VIDEO - Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski On Responding To Stress - YouTube
Maria Ladenburger, the daughter of a high-ranking EU official, was returning from a party in the university city of Freiburg in Germany when she was assaulted on a cycle path.
She was raped and then drowned before her body was found in the River Dreisam.
The shocking incident happened on October 16 but details have only been released after an arrest on Friday.
The suspect, an Afghan migrant, was caught after police found DNA on a scarf near the path.
The scarf reportedly belonged to Maria.
They also found a strand of hair on a nearby blackberry bush.
Officers then trawled CCTV to see find people with a similar hairstyle, which led them to the suspect.
Following his arrest the suspect, aged 17, pleaded guilty to the attack and will be sentenced next year.
However, prosecutors say he can still change his plea and it's unknown if he has admitted raping Maria.
The unnamed migrant arrived in Germany last year as an unaccompanied minor and lived with a local family in the city.
FACEBOOK
Maria Ladenburger, daughter of an EU official daughter, was murderedMs Ladenburger reportedly worked in her spare time helping out in refugee homes in Freiburg.
But it is unclear whether she ever met her murderer before he took her life.
The dead girl's father is Dr. Clemens Ladenburger, a lawyer who works as the right hand man to the legal director of the European Commission.
On October 26 he and his wife Frederika placed a memorial notice for Maria in the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper.
Related articlesFACEBOOK
The teen worked voluntarily at a migrant centreFACEBOOK
Maria's father works at the European CommissionIt read: "Maria was for 19 years a singular ray of sunshine for our family, and that she will remain.
"We thank God for this gift, that he made you with us. We are sure that she is safe with him."
A funeral requiem was held for Maria on October in Notre Dame des Graces Church in Brussels.
On December 6 this year Maria would have been 20.
David M¼ller, head of the police's Special Commission, said: ''Through interviews and a web-based survey, we were able to reconstruct Maria's final hours.
Mon, October 3, 20161 of 14
"The 19-year-old student had been at a party. By 2.37am, she left the party. Maria then cycled home, as usual. The young woman had been the victim of a sexual offence and a violent crime."
The horror killing piles more pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel who opened the nation's borders to more than one million migrants since 2015.
Earlier this week she was blasted by a father-of-four who said he no longer felt safe because of the migrant inlux.
But Dieter Salomon, the mayor of Freiburg warned people not to "apply perpetrator background for sweeping judgements, but to view it as an isolated incident''.
However, police are also investigating whether the murder of Maria is linked to another killing just a month later.
Carolin Gruber was sexually assaulted and murdered in an attack at the same spot.
The 27-year-old was found in woodland elsewhere in the city on Novermber 10.
VIDEO - Merkel calls for burka ban 'wherever legally possible' in Germany - YouTube
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Source: CNNStories worth watching (15 Videos)Van Jones sits down with Trump supportersAnderson Cooper 360
Van Jones sits down for dinner with life-long Democrats who voted for President-elect Donald Trump.
Source: CNN
VIDEO - Pentagon buried study that found $125 billion in wasteful spending: Report
A Defense Department study that proposed cutting $125 billion in administrative waste from the Pentagon budget was buried amid concerns the findings would give Congress an excuse to further slash defense spending, the Washington Post reported on Monday.
The report, issued in January 2015, identified a "clear path" for the Pentagon to save $125 billion over five years by streamlining the bureaucracy through attrition and early retirements, curtailing the use of contractors and making better use of information technology, the Post said.
The study was carried out by the Defense Business Board, which is an advisory panel of corporate executives, and consultants from McKinsey and Co, the Post said.
Using personnel and cost data, the report disclosed that the Pentagon was spending a quarter of its $580 billion budget on overhead and operations such as accounting, human resources, logistics and property management, the Post said.
The study found that the Pentagon had more than a million people working desk jobs in its business operations, compared with 1.3 million troops on active duty. People working the desk jobs included 298,000 uniformed personnel, 448,000 civilian defense workers and 268,000 contractors, it said.
The study was requested by Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work, the Post said. Work initially identified the efficiency effort as a top priority but ultimately dismissed the proposed $125 billion in savings as unrealistic, it said.
The move to cut $125 billion in wasteful spending was attractive to the military, whose budget has been slashed by billions over the past five years. But some Pentagon leaders worried that identifying the spending as waste might encourage Congress or the White House to cut more deeply, the Post said.
The proposal was ultimately killed. The department imposed secrecy restrictions on the data and removed a 77-page summary report from its website, the Post said.
Pentagon officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
VIDEO - '¶ Roundtable Discussion - The General Election by harvardiop
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Former U.S. Attorney of South Carolina, Bill Nettles, joins Kate Snow to discuss the Walter Scott case, and news that the jury could not reach a consensus in the trial on Friday.
MSNBC Live with Kate Snow
12/02/16
Duration: 2:51
STORIES
Venezuela's currency now worth so little shopkeepers weigh vast piles of notes instead of counting them | The Independent
Inflation in Venezuela is expected to reach 720 per cent this year, with the largest bolvar bill now worth just five US cents on the black market.
Some shopkeepers have reportedly taken to weighing rather than counting the wads of cash customers hand them, and standard-size wallets have become all but useless in the socialistSouth American state. Instead, many people stuff huge volumes of cash into handbags, money belts, or backpacks, in scenes analysts have said are suggestive of "runaway" inflation.
In 2014, plummeting global oil prices decimated Venezuela's economy. President Nicols Maduro responded by fixing the official exchange rate and ordering banks to print more cash, which ultimately devalued the currency further, while goods prices soared.
Venezuelans are leaving their pets to starve
The country of 30 million does not publish consumer-price data on a regular basis, but observers have said scenes on the streets of the capital, Caracas, are reminiscent of the past century's most chaotic cases of hyperinflation.
Humberto Gonzalez, who runs a delicatessen in the city, said he uses the same scales to weigh slices of salty white cheese and the stacks of bolvar notes handed over by his customers .
''It's sad,'' Mr Gonzalez told Bloomberg. ''At this point, I think the cheese is worth more.''
Jesus Casique, a consulting firm director, told the news site that although weighing cash was not ubiquitious, it was indicative of a financial crisis.
''When they start weighing cash, it's a sign of runaway inflation,'' he said. ''But Venezuelans don't know just how bad it is because the government refuses to publish figures.''
Oil makes up a staggering 95 per cent of Venezuela's exports, and accounts for a quarter of the country's economy, with oil-related revenues having historically supplied roughly half the government budget. This kind of over-reliance on a single export notoriously depresses all other industries in a country, in a phenomenon known by economists as "Dutch Disease".
Venezuelans head to Argentina to escape hardship
When the price of oil on the global market collapsed by two-thirds in 2014, Venezuela had little else to fall back on, so a natural reaction would have been for the bolvar to collapse. But Mr Maduro, who succeeded Hugo Chvez following the revolutionary leader's death in 2013, instead tried to control the exchange rate, creating a massive black market for currency.
Figuring out scams to get dollars and then sell them for bolvars became hugely lucrative business for Venezuelans, setting off a feedback loop that drove the inflation rate higher and higher.
In one of Caracas richer neighbourhoods, the owner of a tiny kiosk selling newspapers, cigarettes and snacks told the Washington Post that every evening he quietly stuffs a plastic bag full of the day's earnings, around 100,000 bolvars (about £42) in notes of 10, 20, 50 and 100 bolvars. Venezuela has one of the highest crime rates in the world, and he said carrying that much cash frightens him.
''All of Caracas is unsafe,'' the 42-year-old told the newspaper, opting not to give his name.
His best-selling item is cigarettes, he said, which have climbed in price from 250 bolvars to 2,000 bolvars a pack '-- at least 20 bills.
The shrinking value of the currency has meant that withdrawing the equivalent of £5 from an ATM produces a fistful of more than 100 bills. Some ATMs now need to be refilled every three hours, because the machines can only hold so much cash. This means there are often a limited number of functioning ATMs in Caracas, and long queues to withdraw money.
Electronic payment is increasingly common in the country Henkel Garcia, director of the Venezuelan economic think tank Econom(C)trica, told the Washington Post. ''The use of online payments is likely to have soared," he said.
But it is expensive for small businesses to buy and set up credit-card machines.
Mr Maduro, who has largely continued the socialist policies of his predecessor, blamed the situation on an ''economic war'' waged by his opponents in the business community and in the United States. But, in a sign his government recognises the severity of the problem, he recently announced the issue of larger-denomination bills, expected in January.
The notes are reportedly set to start at 500 bolivars and reach 20,000 bolivars, or just over £8.
Until the notes are issued, however, the Venezuelan people are poorer than ever, while the country is awash with cash.
Bremmer Rodrigues, who runs a bakery on the outskirts of Caracas, said his family are at a loss over what to do with their bags of bills. Every day his business takes in hundreds of thousands of bolvar, he said, which he hides around his office until packing them up in boxes to deposit at the bank. He said if someone looked in on him, he might be mistaken for a drug dealer.
''I feel like Pablo Escobar,'' the 25-year-old told Bloomberg. ''It's a mountain of cash, every day more and more.''
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India to become 'cashless society', PM Narendra Modi hints | The Independent
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has called for the nation to become a cashless society.
Mr Modi urged his country's small traders and daily wage earners to embrace digital payments.
Speaking in his monthly address on national radio, Mr Modi said the government understands millions have been affected by the ban on 500 and 1,000 rupee notes, but defended the policy.
The move is an attempt to fill Mr Modi's election promise of curbing tax evasion and unaccounted wealth.
Indian people queue outside a bank as they wait to deposit and exchange 500 and 1000 rupee notes in Amritsar, India (Getty)
"I want to tell my small merchant brothers and sisters, this is the chance for you to enter the digital world," Mr Modi said, according to a translation by Reuters.
He urged them to use mobile banking applications and credit-card swipe machines instead.
"It's correct that a 100 per cent cashless society is not possible. But why don't we make a beginning for a less-cash society in India?" Mr Modi added.
"We can gradually move from a less-cash society to a cashless society."
Credit Suisse estimates more than 90 per cent of consumer purchases in India are made in cash.
Mr Modi also urged tech-savvy young people to teach their relatives and neighbours how to use the new technologies.
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Congress Approves Measure for Crusade Against ''Fake News'' -- Using DoD Funding
Congress is ready to join the crusade against so-called ''fake news,'' forwarding a measure through the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to combat purported foreign propaganda and disinformation. The news comes after mainstream media have been busy promoting bogus blacklists, lashing out at those who dare question the narrative. According to VOA:
''A congressional committee on Wednesday approved the measure, which would expand the ability of the State Department's Global Engagement Center to identify and combat online disinformation. It still must be voted on by the full House and Senate and signed by the president before taking effect'...
The measure advanced this week would draw on the resources of the Defense Department, intelligence agencies, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Broadcasting Board of Governors '-- parent organization to Voice of America and other U.S. government-funded international broadcasters '-- according to the Washington Post newspaper.''
The effort grew out of the Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act and would supposedly stick to foreign targets. However, the Snowden revelations made us well aware that government is ready and willing to turn its powers on domestic targets '-- without notification.
The fact that this $160 million, two-year authorization is being advanced through the annual military budget makes it all the more disconcerting. Under the guise of the war on terror, the NDAA has been used to increase Executive authority, and the 2012 version went so far as to authorize the indefinite military detention of U.S. civilians without habeus corpus.
In promoting the bill, Sen. Chris Murphy gave the Washington Post some propaganda to repeat, saying, ''In the wake of this election, it's pretty clear that the U.S. does not have the tools to combat this massive disinformation machinery that the Russians are running.''
Another cheerleader, Sen. Rob Portman, said, ''[Russia and China] spend vast sums of money on advanced broadcast and digital media capabilities, targeted campaigns, funding of foreign political movements, and other efforts to influence key audiences and populations.''
Naturally, the Washington Post did not analyze these statements, and failed to mention that last year the Pentagon ramped up its information war through the STRATCOM program. Based in Latvia, on the front lines of the new Cold War, this program merges ''psychological operations, propaganda and public affairs under the catch phrase 'strategic communications.'''
This ''new temple to information technology'' represents the latest evolution in a decades-long effort to control the narrative so U.S. military hegemony can advance unchecked, making endless war the norm. The control and manipulation of information is now viewed as a ''soft power'' weapon.
To battle fake news and foreign propaganda, the U.S. merely engages in a bigger and better form of fake news and propaganda.But why would they need a new Congressional initiative to combat purported Russian propaganda if they already have STRATCOM? Considering the establishment's war on alternative media and those who legitimately question the narrative, the NDAA measure could be frightening indeed.
More than one blacklist has been propagated through mainstream media '' with no evidence or rational justification '' lumping reputable news and opinion sources with actual ''fake news.''
The Washington Post wins the prize for most desperate attempt, suggesting that around 200 websites '' including this one '' are willing co-conspirators or ''useful idiots'' in a massive Russian propaganda campaign. The list included longtime, respected outlets such as Ron Paul Institute, Consortium News, Truth Dig, AntiWar.com and others.
To advance this claim, Craig Timberg referenced a group called PropOrNot, although no research or evidence was provided, nor were the people behind the list revealed. We're supposed to just take their word for it, because they are the hallowed mainstream media.
So it's no surprise that Timberg proudly wrote a Washington Post article trumpeting the Congressional measure as ''the most significant initiative against foreign governments' disinformation campaigns since the 1990s.''
The reference to ''foreign governments''' rings hollow, as this is the same author pushing a McCarthyist crusade against American outlets. Authentic analysis of U.S. foreign policy is anathema to the Washington establishment, whose think-tanks generate endless war as ''primary provocateurs'' with MSM outlets acting as ''secondary communicators.''
Timberg and fellow crusaders don't seem to appreciate the fact that we criticize the war-mongering of all governments, not just America's. Hillary was exposed as a key player in this perpetuation of endless war.
The rise of Donald Trump '' whose authoritarian tendencies may turn out to be even worse for the cause of peace '' doesn't mean we shouldn't have called out Hillary. It means the system is broken.
British politicians exempt themselves from warrantless spying under the Snoopers Charter / Boing Boing
The Snoopers Charter is the most invasive surveillance law ever passed by a "democracy", requiring service providers to retain records of virtually everything you do online and with your phone, and then allowing virtually "everyone" to search that data, without a warrant or even record-keeping, so it's virtually impossible to catch systemic abuse of the system.
Unless you are a politician.
If you are a member of Parliament, a Lord, a member of the devolved regional parliaments, or a member of the European Parliament, you can only be spied on if the Prime Minister personally approves it.
The protections afforded to politicians are actually less than they had hoped to be given. Earlier in the process, the only amendment that MPs had submitted was one that would allow extra safeguards for politicians '' forcing any request to monitor MP's communications to go through the speaker of the House of Commons as well as the prime minister.
Whether intelligence agencies should be allowed to spy on politicians has been a contentious part of recent surveillance legislation. For many years, discussions between politicians and their constituents had been treated as off-limits '' and they are still seen as "sensitive" under the new legislation '' but those protections have been gradually rolled back.
Investigatory Powers Bill: Politicians exempt themselves from new wide-ranging spying laws [Andrew Griffin/The Independent]
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Moroccan TV show slammed after offering makeup tips to hide domestic violence - National | Globalnews.ca
A Moroccan state TV network has apologized after airing a segment designed to teach make-up tips ''to camouflage traces of violence'' after harsh backlash from the public.
The station, 2M, aired the segment on their daily show Sabahiyat on Nov. 23. The makeup artist cheerfully told viewers how to hide the evidence of a beating on a woman's face.
The model used in the program is sporting two fake black eyes.
Domestic violence against women is a ''serious phenomenon'' in the country, reports the Morocco World News, with over 20,000 cases of violence against women reported over the past two years.
At the end of the program the host says, ''We hope these beauty tips will help you carry on with your daily life,'' reports the Guardian.
Since then hundreds of Moroccans have signed a petition calling for penalties for both the TV channel and program from the High Authority of Audiovisual Communication, Morocco's media authority.
''In the name of all Moroccan people, we denounce the message of normalization with violence against women,'' the petition, which was created anonymously by ''concerned Moroccan citizens,'' reads.
''Do not cover domestic violence with makeup, condemn the aggressor!''
The airing of the show came only two days before the United Nations' International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Woman.
That's when 2M issued their apology.
''The management believes that this section is completely inappropriate and has an editorial error of judgement in view of the sensitivity and the gravity of the subject of violence against women,'' the statement on its Facebook page reads in French.
(C) 2016 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Shocking video: Doctors "sick of sewing damaged a******s" from gang rape of boys by illegal migrants - The Rebel
This is truly a stunning video, with disturbing content.
(LANGUAGE WARNING:)
But as the narrator says, "when truth is not fit to be shown on television, our freedom is already dead."
According to this report, illegal migrants to Bulgaria, mostly from Afghanistan, bring the custom of gang raping boys with them. They also indulge in prostitutes, drugs and gambling.
The Rebel has reported extensively on some of the violence in Harmanli, Bulgaria:
* Bulgarian PM arranging triple shifts to build fences, deport illegals
* Bulgarian PM orders deportations after riot at migrant centre
* Migrants tried to KILL Bulgarian security personnel
* Must watch video: Illegal migrants attack guards with rocks, fire
Family of girl, raped, murdered by illegal Afghan, asks for DONATIONS FOR MIGRANTS on her behalf - The Rebel
The high ranking EU bureaucrat whose med-school daughter was raped and murdered by an illegal immigrant from Afghanistan is asking that people donate to a migrant charity in his dead daughter's name.
From the Daily Mail:
The family of an EU official's teenage daughter who was allegedly raped and murdered by an Afghan migrant in Germany has asked for well-wishers to donate money to a refugee charity. [...]
As the 19-year-old student's family tries to come to terms with their loss, they have asked for donations to be made to an organisation that aids refugees.
Maria, 19, worked in her spare time in the ancient university city of Freiburg helping out the migrants in various shelters and homes. But in October, as she cycled home after a party, she was ambushed, raped and then drowned in a river.
German intellectual and pundit Nicolaus Fest, who was banned from "Die Welt" publication after saying that Islam was not compatible with Western culture and law, has made this video about this case:
The Rebel has also published this story about how a woman was banned from Facebook after posting an excerpt from the accused rapist-killer's own Facebook page.
The Rebel's initial report on this event is here.
Germany planning to '²massively'² limit privacy rights | Germany | DW.COM | 25.11.2016
Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere is planning a major limitation of privacy rights in Germany, say data protection groups. Germans will no longer have the right to know what data about them is being collected.
A draft law released by the German union for data protection (DVD) this week revealed that the interior ministry was proposing to drastically limit the powers of Germany's data protection authorities, banning them from investigating suspected breaches of people's medical and legal records.
As well as expanding video surveillance with facial recognition software, the bill would limit the government's own data protection commissioners to checking that the technical prerequisites are in place to ensure that doctors' and lawyers' files are secure, but it stops them from following up when citizens report concerns that their data has been leaked.
The bill would also shut down citizens' right to know what data is being collected about them - even by private firms, if releasing that information would "seriously endanger" a company's "business purposes," the SZ quoted the draft as saying. Thilo Weichert, former data protection commissioner for the state of Schleswig-Holstein and now DVD board member, condemned de Maiziere's plans as a "massive" erosion of privacy in Germany.
De Maiziere is defanging oversight authorities, say privacy groups
"The limitation of data protection controls in the medical field, which was a focal point of the [data protection] authorities up until now, is simply a disaster," Weichert said in a statement, adding that the ministry's bill was "further proof" that "data protection is not currently seen as relevant by the government."
DVD chairman Frank Spaeing described the law as a "data protection prevention law" and called on the Justice and Consumer Affairs Ministry, the Economics Ministry, and the Science and Research Ministry to intervene on behalf of people's civil rights.
Flat condemnation
The law - which aims to implement European Union data protection directives, set to come into force in 2018 - was roundly condemned by the DVD, though it acknowledged that it was an improvement on previous drafts that the Interior Ministry had presented.
"And yet the draft [...] contains old and in some cases new European-law-breaching and unconstitutional and unacceptable regulations," the organization said in its statement, before singling out the lack of any regulation protecting "professional discretion" among doctors, psychologists and lawyers.
There was also criticism from the Federal Data Protection Commissioner's office (BfDI). Commissioner Andrea Vosshoff - also a member of de Maiziere's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) - said the plan would make "control by the BfDI in many sensitive areas, for instance health insurance companies, job centers, or other social service operators, almost impossible, and is not acceptable."
In an emailed statement to DW, Vosshoff also criticized the ministry's plans not to give the BfDI any power to sanction security forces for personal data breaches - a key directive in EU data protection law.
Vosshoff condemned the plans
The right to know
Perhaps most contentiously, the draft allows the government to deny people the basic right to know what personal data is being collected if "the release of the data endangers public safety and order, or disadvantages the well-being of the country, or the state in another way."
This was a particular irritation for the DVD, which described this right as the "Magna Carta of data protection" and said that considerations of national security and business secrets were not a strong enough reason to corrode that right.
The irony is that the EU directive that this draft is meant to implement was actually designed to improve data protection for citizens - even though it offers a lot of leeway for interpretation by member states. Lina Ehrig of the Federation of German Consumer Organizations (VZBV) told the SZ paper that the new German law would have the opposite effect of that intended by the EU; in other words, it would not stop telcom companies passing on customer data and using it for other purposes.
The German cabinet is currently in discussions with Vosshoff about the interior ministry's plans. Other state data authorities that DW contacted did not want to react publicly to the proposals until they had agreed on a joint response.
Rochester police release unredacted list of Harris Corp StingRay and KingFish products
December 7, 20162011 quote covers cost, technical specification, even details on traning and warranty
Rochester Police Department in New York responded to our Cell Site Simulator Census with a rare look into the pricing and packaging of the cellphone surveillance tech: a completely unredacted quote list of Harris Corporation products.
Police Departments and federal agencies alike are remarkably secretive about cell site simulator details - important information like pricing, components that are sold with the devices, how the devices are actually operated, has been withheld from the public due to law enforcement fears that this investigative tool will be compromised.
With this document though, we can see much more clearly how Harris sells the controversial devices. It seems that the devices are often sold in packages, like the StingRay II (a more powerful, updated version of your typical StingRay) Vehicular System. This comes with equipment for operating a StingRay from a patrol vehicle and three different kinds of Harris' Harpoon signal amplifiers. A laptop, three kinds of software for accessing different types of cellular networks, and an AmberJack cellphone tracker are also included for a grand total of $148,000.
The KingFish package, Harris Corporations smaller, mobile version of the StingRay, sells for $157,000.
It's the KingFish that the Rochester PD had sprung for, opting for everything but the laptop.
These packages also come with the option of a training package, costing $12,000, and a one year maintenance package that will cost $169,000 if your department decided to splurge for the whole line of Harris' products (this was 2011 so the 4G network cell site simulator the HailStorm wasn't released yet.) Training isn't included interestingly enough, so police departments are more or less forced to pay for training on these complicated and powerful devices.
Technical aspects of cell site simulators are not easy to come by, so it is very interesting that in the fine print at the bottom one can see some of the specifications required to run these devices. The StingRay and Kingfish can be run out of a car's cigarette lighter, while the StingRay II requires a 2000W power inverter. That is hungrier for power than almost any household appliance, save a dryer or oven.
As far as we can tell this is the first time a completely unredacted quote list like this has turned up. If you have seen this document or one like it let us know at info@muckrock.com. A copy of the non-disclosure agreement RPD signed with the FBI, also unredacted, is embedded below, and the rest can found on the request page.
Image via Harris Corp Facebook
GOP Vows Obamacare Repeal To Start 2017. Dems Dare Them. | The Huffington Post
POLITICS12/06/2016 04:21 pm ET | Updated 1 day ago
WASHINGTON ' Senate Republicans on Tuesday announced they plan to act quickly to strip away Obamacare's funding while leaving elements of the program in place for two or three years.
The move would put them in lockstep with House Republicans, and would enable President-elect Donald Trump to sign a bill effectively repealing the program on his first day in office. Democrats promptly warned that the move would destabilize insurance markets in the short term and deprive millions of people of coverage in the long term, causing a ''huge calamity'' for America as well as for the Republican Party.
At a Capitol Hill press conference following a meeting with Vice President-elect Mike Pence, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) stated that Obamacare repeal would be literally the first item of business when the new session begins.
''When we come back January 3, we'll be moving to the Obamacare replacement resolution,'' McConnell said. ''The Obamacare repeal resolution will be the first item up in the new year.''
He made it clear that Republicans plan to proceed with the ''repeal-and-delay'' strategy that GOP leaders have been discussing publicly for the last few weeks.
Under such a strategy, Republicans would eliminate the Affordable Care Act's funding using the budget ''reconciliation'' process, where Democrats can't filibuster and where Republicans can thus proceed with a narrow majority. But the reconciliation bill would allow the money for Obamacare's coverage expansion to flow for another two or three years.
In theory, this would give Republicans time to craft a replacement, while making sure the more than 20 million people now using Obamacare for coverage wouldn't lose their insurance.
''What we intend to do by repealing Obamacare is to start to repair the damage that's been done to families and businesses as a result of its enactment,'' Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said. ''And then, after we have done that, we will go about the process of replacing, in a step-by-step way, the Obamacare provisions that we think that cause the most damage, and put in place reforms that we think will really work.''
But experts have warned that quickly repealing the law, without an alternative system in place, would likely scare insurers away from the program, causing some markets to melt down. That's particularly true if the repeal bill wipes away the individual mandate, a controversial Obamacare provision that forces people to pay a penalty if they decline to get coverage available to them. The aim of the mandate is to incentivize healthy people to buy coverage, so that insurers have enough premium dollars to offset the costs of the minority of beneficiaries with large medical bills.
Republican leaders say they can craft and enact a coverage scheme superior to Obamacare, but they've yet to agree on a detailed alternative ' even though they've been at it for six years. The plans in circulation now, which consist mostly of principles for reform rather than actual legislation, would all result in some combination of many fewer people insured and far weaker guarantees of coverage.
Typically these plans would mean cheaper insurance for the young and healthy, along with less government spending. But they'd also result in some combination of higher premiums or greater medical expenses for older and sicker people.
And even those plans may be more generous than what would eventually emerge from the legislative process likely to follow a repeal vote. That's because repeal would immediately roll back Obamacare's taxes, which consist primarily of fees on the health care industry and new levies on the wealthiest 3 percent of Americans.
It would be a windfall for industries, and for those wealthy taxpayers. But without that revenue in place, crafting an alternative scheme to provide anything resembling comparable coverage would be politically difficult, if not impossible.
At the press conference, Thune gave a list of principles that would guide Senate Republicans as they contemplate alternatives to Obamacare, including more power for states, greater competition and providing relief to small businesses.
Conspicuously absent from the list was any information about the number of people who would have insurance when Republicans were done, or what quality coverage they would have.
Thune and the other Republican leaders went on to express hope that Democrats would join them in this effort ' and, to enact the kind of reforms they have in mind, they would almost surely need at least some Democratic support. That's because a bill repealing Obamacare's insurance regulations and imposing new changes couldn't pass through reconciliation. It would have to go through the regular legislative order, which would be subject to Democratic filibusters.
But Democrats, mindful of how Senate Republicans unified against virtually every major proposal of the Obama years, seem in no mood to help. Instead, at a press conference of their own Tuesday, they warned that repealing the law without an alternative in place would be reckless, that it would cause immediate harm and that promises of a ''better way'' to bolster health care access were meaningless.
''They have nothing to put in its place,'' Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), the incoming minority leader, said. ''And believe me, just repealing Obamacare, even though they have nothing to put in its place, and saying they'll do it sometime down the road, will cause huge calamity, from one end of America to the other. They don't know what to do. They're like the dog that caught the bus.''
Schumer also predicted that Republicans would face dire political consequences as a result of their plan.
''To our Republican friends across the aisle,'' he said, ''bring it on.''
'They Are Slaughtering Us Like Animals' - The New York Times
Credit Daniel Berehulak for The New York TimesYou hear a murderscene before you see it: The desperate cries of a new widow. The piercing sirens of approaching police cars. The thud, thud, thud of the rain drumming on the pavement of a Manila alleyway '-- and on the back of Romeo Torres Fontanilla.
Tigas, as Mr. Fontanilla was known, was lying facedown in the street when I pulled up after 1 a.m. He was 37. Gunned down, witnesses said, by two unknown men on a motorbike. The downpour had washed his blood into the gutter.
The rain-soaked alley in the Pasay district of Manila was my 17th crime scene, on my 11th day in the Philippines capital. I had come to document the bloody and chaotic campaign against drugs that President Rodrigo Duterte began when he took office on June 30: since then, about 2,000 people had been slain at the hands of the police alone.
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Over my 35 days in the country, I photographed 57 murder victims at 41 sites, each represented by a yellow dot on this map.
I witnessed bloody scenes just about everywhere imaginable '-- on the sidewalk, on train tracks, in front of a girls' school, outside 7-Eleven stores and a McDonald's restaurant, across bedroom mattresses and living-room sofas. I watched as a woman in red peeked at one of those grisly sites through fingers held over her eyes, at once trying to protect herself and permit herself one last glance at a man killed in the middle of a busy road.
Not far from where Tigas was killed, I found Michael Araja, shown in the first photo below, dead in front of a ''sari sari,'' what locals call the kiosks that sell basics in the slums. Neighbors told me that Mr. Araja, 29, had gone out to buy cigarettes and a drink for his wife, only to be shot dead by two men on a motorcycle, a tactic common enough to have earned its own nickname: riding in tandem.
In another neighborhood, Riverside, a bloodied Barbie doll lay next to the body of a 17-year-old girl who had been killed alongside her 21-year-old boyfriend.
''They are slaughtering us like animals,'' said a bystander who was afraid to give his name.
Many of the following images depict graphic violence.
'Riding in tandem'
Neighbors said Michael Araja, 29, was killed by two men riding by on a motorbike, like so many of the other victims.
Credit Daniel Berehulak for The New York TimesA common tactic
Frederick Mafe, 48, and Arjay Lumbago, 23, were riding together on a motorbike when they, too, were killed by a pair on another motorbike.
Credit Daniel Berehulak for The New York TimesBack-alley killing
Crime scene investigators hunched over the body of Romeo Torres Fontanilla, known as Tigas. His killers: two men on a motorbike.
Credit Daniel Berehulak for The New York TimesI have worked in 60 countries, covered wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and spent much of 2014 living inside West Africa's Ebola zone, a place gripped by fear and death. What I experienced in the Philippines felt like a new level of ruthlessness: police officers' summarily shooting anyone suspected of dealing or even using drugs, vigilantes' taking seriously Mr. Duterte's call to ''slaughter them all.''
He said in October, ''You can expect 20,000 or 30,000 more.''
On Saturday, Mr. Duterte said that, in a telephone call the day before, President-elect Donald J. Trump had endorsed the brutal antidrug campaign and invited him to visit New York and Washington. ''He said that, well, we are doing it as a sovereign nation, the right way,'' Mr. Duterte said in a summary of the call released by his office.
Beyond those killed in official drug operations, the Philippine National Police have counted more than 3,500 unsolved homicides since July 1, turning much of the country into a macabre house of mourning.
A father's funeral
Jimji, 6, cried out in anguish, saying ''Papa'' as workers moved the body of her father, Jimboy Bolasa, 25, for burial.
Credit Daniel Berehulak for The New York TimesSome bodies were found on the streets with their heads wrapped in packing tape. Others were left with crude cardboard signs labeling victims as dealers or addicts. That is what happened with the two men in the video below, which was captured by a security camera outside Santa Catalina College, a private religious school for girls.
More than 35,600 people have been arrested in antidrug operations the government calls Project Tokhang. The name is derived from a phrase meaning ''knock and plead'' in Cebuano, Mr. Duterte's first language.
In affluent neighborhoods of gated communities and estates, there is, indeed, sometimes a polite knock on the door, an officer handing a pamphlet detailing the repercussions of drug use to the housekeeper who answers. In poorer districts, the police grab teenage boys and men off the street, run background checks, make arrests and sometimes shoot to kill.
Government forces have gone door to door to more than 3.57 million residences, according to the police. More than 727,600 drug users and 56,500 pushers have surrendered so far, the police say, overcrowding prisons. At the Quezon City Jail, shown in the middle photo below, inmates take turns sleeping in any available space, including a basketball court.
Mass arrests
Inmates at a Manila police station watched as more drug suspects were processed after their arrests.
Credit Daniel Berehulak for The New York TimesOvercrowding
The basketball court at the Quezon City Jail has become a sleeping area.
Credit Daniel Berehulak for The New York TimesHiding their shame
Four men arrested for possession of drugs covered their faces from my camera.
Credit Daniel Berehulak for The New York TimesMy nights in Manila would begin at 9 p.m. at the police district press office, where I joined a group of local reporters waiting for word of the latest killings. We would set off in convoys, like a train on rails, hazard lights flashing as we sped through red traffic lights.
I kept daily diaries and audio recordings of these overnight operations, working with Rica Concepcion, a Filipino reporter with 30 years of experience.
We joined the police on numerous stings. We also went on our own to the places where people were killed or bodies were found. The relatives and neighbors we met in those places often told a very different story from what was recorded in official police accounts.
''Nanlaban'' is what the police call a case when a suspect resists arrest and ends up dead. It means ''he fought it out.'' That is what they said about Florjohn Cruz, 34, whose body was being carted away by a funeral home when I arrived at his home in the poor Caloocan neighborhood just before 11 p.m. one night.
His niece said they found a cardboard sign saying ''Pusher at Adik Wag Tularan'' '-- ''Don't be a pusher and an addict like him'' '-- as they were cleaning Mr. Cruz's blood from the floor near the family's altar, shown in the middle photo below.
Late-night execution
Funeral parlor workers carried away Edwin Mendoza Alon-Alon, 36, who was shot in the head outside a 7-Eleven store.
Credit Daniel Berehulak for The New York TimesKilled at home
The blood of Florjohn Cruz, 34, stained the floor in his family's living room, next to an altar displaying images and statues of the Virgin Mary, among other items.
Credit Daniel Berehulak for The New York TimesDiscarded
Erika Angel Fernandez, 17, was one of three women among the 57 victims I photographed. She was killed alongside her boyfriend, Jericho Camitan, 23.
Credit Daniel Berehulak for The New York TimesThe police report said, ''Suspect Cruz ran inside the house then pulled a firearm and successively shot the lawmen, prompting the same to return fire in order to prevent and repel Cruz's unlawful aggression.''
His wife, Rita, told me, between pained cries, that Mr. Cruz had been fixing a transistor radio for his 71-year-old mother in the living room when armed men barged in and shot him dead.
The family said Mr. Cruz was not a drug dealer, only a user of shabu, as Filipinos call methamphetamine. He had surrendered months earlier, responding to Mr. Duterte's call, for what was supposed to be a drug-treatment program. The police came for him anyway.
As my timein the Philippineswore on, the killings seemed to become more brazen. Police officers appeared to do little to hide their involvement in what were essentially extrajudicial executions. Nanlaban had become a dark joke.
''There is a new way of dying in the Philippines,'' said Redentor C. Ulsano, the police superintendent in the Tondo district. He smiled and held his wrists together in front of him, pretending to be handcuffed.
'Buy-bust operation'
Officers at the scene of Ronald Kalau's death. The police report said Mr. Kalau drew a .38-caliber handgun when officers tried to arrest him as he bought methamphetamine. Neighbors said the police gunned him down in a house that was being used as a drug den.
Credit Daniel Berehulak for The New York TimesBusy nights
The Tondo neighborhood of Manila.
Credit Daniel Berehulak for The New York Times'Nanlaban'
Roel Scott, 13, inspects the bloodied spot where his uncle, Joselito Jumaquio, 52, was killed by the police. Witnesses said they heard a woman shout ''Nanlaban,'' which means ''fighting it out,'' before they heard the gunshots.
Credit Daniel Berehulak for The New York TimesMr. Cruz's 16-year-old nephew, Eliam, and 18-year-old niece, Princess, said they had watched from a second-story porch as the plainclothes officers who had killed their uncle emerged from the house. Eliam and Princess said they heard the beep of a text message and watched as one of the men read it from his phone.
''Ginebra's won,'' he announced to the others, referring to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, the nation's most popular basketball team, which had been battling for the championship across town. The teenagers said the men celebrated the team's victory as their uncle was carried out in a body bag.
Roel Scott, 13, is one of the boys in the photo above, at the spot where his uncle, Joselito Jumaquio, was slain by a mob of masked men. Mourners often place candles in the blood of the victim to honor them.
Roel said he was playing video games with Mr. Jumaquio, a pedicab driver who had also surrendered himself to the authorities, when 15 of the masked men descended quickly and silently over the shantytown called Pandacan.
Witnesses told us the men dragged Mr. Jumaquio down an alley and shouted at gathering neighbors to go back into their homes and turn the lights off. They heard a woman shout, ''Nanlaban!'' He's fighting it out.
Two shots rang out. Then four more.
When it was quiet, the neighbors found the pedicab driver's bloodied body '-- a gun and a plastic bag of shabu next to his handcuffed hands. The police report called it a ''buy-bust operation.''
I also photographedwakes and funerals, a growing part of daily life under Mr. Duterte. Relatives and priests rarely mentioned the brutal causes of death.
A painful farewell
Family and friends attending the funeral of Mr. Jumaquio, who witnesses said was killed by a gang of masked men.
Credit Daniel Berehulak for The New York TimesStacked like firewood
Bodies were stacked up at a funeral parlor as the families of victims like Danilo Deparine, whose body lay on a metal stretcher on the floor, struggle to pay for burial.
Credit Daniel Berehulak for The New York TimesFrom joy to sadness
Benjamin Visda, 43, had left a family birthday celebration to get something from a convenience store when he was snatched off the street and killed, according to relatives.
Credit Daniel Berehulak for The New York TimesMaria Mesa Deparine lost two sons in a single week in September. Both had turned themselves in to the police. Both were found dead under bridges.
Ms. Deparine said it took her three weeks to collect loans and donations totaling 50,000 pesos, about $1,030, to pay for the burial of her baby, Aljon, who was 23. We went with her to the funeral home where she pleaded with the owners to reduce the fees for his brother, Danilo, 36.
Danilo's body, on the floor in the middle photo above, had already spent two weeks in the morgue, where the dead are stacked like firewood, with nothing separating them. The funeral directors agreed to a cut rate of 12,000 pesos, about $240, for a one-day wake instead of the usual week.
Ms. Deparine left, unsure whether she could come up with the sum, or whether Danilo would end up in a mass grave with other victims of the president's drug war.
The killing disrupts every aspect of life. Family members told me that Benjamin Visda, in the coffin in the above photo, had stepped out of a family birthday party to grab something at a sari sari and was eating cake when eight men grabbed him. Within 20 minutes, his body had been dumped outside a police station.
The police called this, too, a buy-bust operation, and said that Mr. Visda, while handcuffed, tried to grab an officer's gun '-- Nanlaban '-- so they shot him. The video below, also taken from a security camera, shows him being loaded alive onto a motorcycle, sandwiched between two masked men.
The same night Florjohn Cruz was killed, we found ourselves a few streets away an hour and a half later, at another home where a man had been murdered. It was raining that night, too.
We heard the wrenching screams of Nellie Diaz, the new widow, before we saw her '-- shown in the middle photo below '-- crumpled over the body of her husband, Crisostomo, who was 51.
A threatening message
This unidentified body, like many others, was found with his head wrapped in packing tape, his hands tied behind his back and a cardboard sign that read, ''A pusher who won't stop will have his life ended.''
Credit Daniel Berehulak for The New York TimesA widow's grief
Nellie Diaz hunched over the body of her husband, Crisostomo, a drug user who had surrendered but still ended up dead.
Credit Daniel Berehulak for The New York TimesVisiting the dead
On Nov. 1, All Saints' Day, the Barangka cemetery in Manila was busy as relatives visited graves.
Credit Daniel Berehulak for The New York TimesMr. Diaz grew up in the neighborhood, and worked intermittently, doing odd jobs. His wife said he was a user, not a dealer, and had turned himself in soon after Mr. Duterte's election. She still thought it unsafe for him to sleep at home, and told him to stay with relatives. But he missed his nine children, and had returned days before.
Mr. Diaz's eldest son, J.R., 19, said a man in a motorcycle helmet kicked in the front door, followed by two others. The man in the helmet pointed a gun at Mr. Diaz, J.R. said; the second man pointed a gun at his 15-year-old brother, Jhon Rex. The third man held a piece of paper.
J.R. said the man in the helmet said, ''Goodbye, my friend,'' before shooting his father in the chest. His body sank, but the man shot him twice more, in the head and cheeks. The children said the three men were laughing as they left.
Too many tears
Relatives overcome with grief at the site where the bodies of Frederick Mafe and Arjay Lumbago lay sprawled in the middle of a street.
Credit Daniel Berehulak for The New York TimesRica Concepcion contributed reporting.
Produced by Craig Allen, Rodrigo de Benito Sanz, David Furst, Jeffrey Marcus, Sergio Pe§anha and Jodi Rudoren.
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Let's start with numbers put together by Charles Gaba. If you're a health care or Obamacare nerd you know about Gaba's site. He's been meticulously collecting data on enrollments, coverage, exchanges, etc. since the ACA started going into effect five years ago. If you're not familiar with it, here's his site. Today he's put out of chart detailing how many are set to lose coverage in the event of full Obamacare repeal.
Let's start with some toplines. The total number set to lose their coverage is a bit over 23 million Americans (23,134,000). Of those, 12,311,000 lose their Medicaid expansion-based coverage; 8,963,000 are exchange purchasers who benefit from significant federal subsidies; 1,390,000 are young adults under the age of 26 who are allowed to remain on their parents plans; a final 470,000 are basic health care plan enrollees in Minnesota and New York.
Here's Charles' spreadsheet showing you how many Americans are on the chopping block in each state.
Just a few examples at random. Michigan: 981,000 lose coverage. Arizona: 576,000. Florida: 1.425 million. In other words, a lot of people.
And here's something even more interesting, partial repeal turns out to be worse than full repeal. The Urban Institute has a new study showing something that seems paradoxical, but actually makes sense if you know the way the health insurance industry has integrated with and remade itself to operate with the ACA. Urban Institute's numbers of people who lose insurance is slightly lower than Gaba's numbers. They project 22.5 million as opposed to Gaba's 23.124. But if repeal is partial, they project an additional 7.3 million would lose their coverage. That brings the total to 29.8 million, close to 10 percent of the people in the entire country.
Why would partial repeal hurt more people than full repeal? Well, in this case partial repeal means repealing the money (the incentives) without the regulatory structure. In the words of the Urban Institute study: "The additional 7.3 million people become uninsured because of the near collapse of the nongroup insurance market." Basically you're leaving the regulations intact but removing the money that makes them possible. So everything goes haywire and you get a lot of collateral damage. Why would you do that? Simple. The rules of the Senate allow you to do that with 50 votes. It's politically easier to destroy care for an additional 7 million people.
One more thing to consider as these people are losing their health insurance. A bit part of the equation that very few people are talking about is that repealing the money part of the bill is a massive tax cut for the wealthy. That's the part that Ryan wants to get his hands on first. That's the real prize.
So take a look at the list. See how many people are about to lose their health insurance coverage in your state. Maybe you're one of them.
Big changes loom for Colorado marijuana laws on home growing
Published: Dec 7, 2016, 7:30 pm ' Updated: Dec 7, 2016, 8:25 pm By Kristen Wyatt, The Associated Press
DENVER '-- Hoping to preserve its marijuana law under the next president, Colorado is planning a slate of legislation designed to crack down on pot that is grown legally but then sold on the black market.
The goal is to cut down on complaints that Colorado's liberal allowances for growing pot without a license has created a thriving network of illegal growers. Colorado allows medical pot patients to grow up to 99 plants, far beyond other marijuana states, and it also allows recreational users to group their allotted six plants into massive co-ops, entire greenhouses of pot that aren't tracked or taxed.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper says the state's generous pot allowances make it almost impossible for cops to tell legitimate growers from black-market fronts, and he is calling for a several new laws to crack down. Proposals include a ban on group recreational pot grows and new paperwork requirements for people who grow medical pot.
With uncertainty looming about how the next president will approach marijuana, Colorado regulators say it's time to ramp up efforts to crush the black market and show the feds that Colorado isn't letting weed seep into other states.
''We do need to clean up this system and make sure we're beyond reproach for how well we're regulating marijuana,'' said Andrew Freedman, the governor's marijuana coordinator.
Colorado has been sued by two neighboring states, Nebraska and Oklahoma, for allegedly not keeping marijuana within its own borders. That lawsuit was dismissed by the U.S. Supreme Court, but neighboring states continue to gripe that Colorado's friendly reminders at airports and interstate highways aren't sufficient to keep marijuana out of their states.
Freedman points to six large criminal raids in the last two years as evidence that black market pot dealers are exploiting the state. The most recent case happened this fall, when federal agents and local law enforcement simultaneously raided a dozen homes in southeast Colorado, seizing 22,400 pounds of marijuana. Investigators say that weed was intended to be taken out of state.
''We're hearing from federal officials, 'Hey listen, this is a concern,''' Freedman said.
The governor's plans, outlined to lawmakers in advance of the 2017 legislative session, include a statewide 12-plant limit in private homes, which is still more generous than other marijuana states such as California (six plants) and Washington (four plants before having to register with the state).
Some of Colorado's largest jurisdictions, including Denver and Colorado Springs, already have those 12-plant limits through local ordinances. So it's not clear how many people would be affected by the new limit.
The governor also wants lawmakers to ban collective recreational grows and to require caregivers to keep track of their plants and where they go.
But Colorado has tried cracking down on marijuana caregivers before, with limited success. Colorado's pot laws are in the state constitution, so residents literally have constitutional rights to high plant counts and to designate others to grow plants for them.
Hickenlooper's plans are already running into sharp criticism from marijuana activists who say Colorado is simply trying to boost taxes by making it increasingly hard to grow pot instead of buying it from the store.
''They're trying to do the best they can to drive everyone into the taxed model,'' said Jason Warf, head of the Southern Colorado Cannabis Council, which represents pot retailers, patients and caregivers who grow pot for sick people.
Some limits on caregivers have already been approved. Starting in January, caregivers will need to register with the state, a reaction to law enforcement complaints that they have no way of knowing whether a pot grower is actually growing for legitimate patients.
Teri Robnett, head of the Cannabis Patients Alliance, called on Colorado to wait for the already-in-the-works limits to take effect before passing more regulations.
''We continue to restrict and restrict and not see how anything is working,'' Robnett said.___
Kristen Wyatt can be reached on Twitter: @APkristenwyatt
About LGBT Human Rights | Amnesty International USA
We all have a sexual orientation and a gender identity, and this shared fact means that discrimination against members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community, based on sexual orientation and/ or gender identity, is an issue that transcends that community and affects all of us.
Sexual orientation covers sexual desires, feelings, practices and identification. Sexual orientation can be towards people of the same or different sexes (same-sex, heterosexual or bisexual orientation). Gender identity refers to the complex relationship between sex and gender, referring to a person's experience of self expression in relation to social categories of masculinity or femininity (gender). A person's subjectively felt gender identity may be at variance with their sex or physiological characteristics.
Amnesty International believes that all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, should be able to enjoy their human rights. Although the Universal Declaration of Human Rights does not explicitly mention sexual orientation or gender identity, evolving conceptions of international human rights law include a broad interpretation to include the rights and the protection of the rights of LGBT people around the world.
The Yogyakarta Principles on the Application of International Human Rights Law in Relation to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, developed in 2006 by a group of LGBT experts in Yogyarkarta, Indonesia in response to well-known examples of abuse, provides a universal guide to applying international human rights law to violations experienced by lesbians, gay men, bisexual and transgender people to ensure the universal reach of human rights protections.
However, across the globe, there remain many instances where an individuals' sexual orientation or gender identity can lead them to face execution, imprisonment, torture, violence or discrimination. The range of abuse is limitless and it contravenes the fundamental tenets of international human rights law.
Human rights abuses based on sexual orientation or gender can include violation of the rights of the child; the infliction of torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment (Article 5); arbitrary detention on grounds of identity or beliefs (Article 9); the restriction of freedom of association (Article 20) and the denial of the basic rights of due process.
Examples include:
Execution by the stateDenial of employment, housing or health servicesLoss of custody of childrenDenial of asylumRape and otherwise torture in detentionThreats for campaigning for LGBT human rightsRegular subjection to verbal abuseIn many countries, the refusal of governments to address violence committed against LGBT people creates a culture of impunity where such abuses can continue and escalate unmitigated. Often, such abuses are committed by the state authorities themselves, with or without legal sanction.
IssuesDecriminalizationPeople detained or imprisoned solely because of their homosexuality - including those individuals prosecuted for having sex in circumstances which would not be criminal for heterosexuals, or for their gender identity - are considered to be prisoners of conscience and Amnesty International calls for their immediate and unconditional release.
Amnesty International calls for the decriminalization of homosexuality where such legislation remains, including a review of all legislation which could result in the discrimination, prosecution and punishment of people solely for their sexual orientation or gender identity. All such laws should be repealed or amended.
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Marriage EqualityThe right of adults to enter into consensual marriage is enshrined in international human rights standards.
Article 16, Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
Civil marriage between individuals of the same-sex is therefore an issue in which fundamental human rights are at stake. Amnesty International believes that the denial of equal civil recognition of same-sex relationships prevents many people from accessing a range of other rights, such as rights to housing and social security, and stigmatizes those relationships in ways that can fuel discrimination and other human rights abuses against people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Amnesty International opposes discrimination in civil marriage laws on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity and calls on states to recognize families of choice, across borders where necessary. States should not discriminate against minority groups based on identity.
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In addition, AIUSA calls on states to:
Ensure that all allegations and reports of human rights violations based on sexual orientation or gender identity are promptly and impartially investigated and perpetrators held accountable and brought to justice;Take all necessary legislative, administrative and other measures to prohibit and eliminate prejudicial treatment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity at every stage of the administration of justice;Ensure adequate protection of human rights defenders at risk because of their work on human rights and sexual orientation and gender identity.
Brexit: French financial regulator wooing London banks - BBC News
Image caption Benoit de Juvigny says his department will be expanded to cope with the rise in inquiries from London France's leading financial regulator has told the BBC that major banks are in advanced stages of planning to shift some operations from London to Paris.
Benoit de Juvigny said that "large international banks" have undertaken the due diligence needed to set up a subsidiary in the French capital.
He also told Newsnight that "many other companies" had lodged informal inquiries about moving post-Brexit.
He expects similar talks to be going on in Europe's other financial centres.
Authorities in Frankfurt, Luxembourg and Amsterdam have said they would welcome banks moving operations from London for when the UK leaves the European Union.
For many years, British-based financial services companies have been able to operate throughout Europe using so-called passporting rights.
That scheme may end when Britain leaves the EU, with no guarantee that it will be replaced by a similar agreement.
It is that uncertainty that had led many financial companies - and particularly international banks - to make contingency plans that would see them transfer a chunk of their business to an EU member country.
Newsnight has learned that at least eight centres are now actively vying for this business - Paris, Frankfurt, Dublin, Luxembourg, Amsterdam, Madrid, Bratislava, and the Maltese capital, Valletta.
But the extent to which these plans have been progressed has been hard to ascertain - until now.
Image copyrightReutersImage caption Many of Paris's major commercial and financial firms are located in La Defense Mr de Juvigny's disclosure that major banks have gone as far as conducting due diligence shows an important milestone.
Due diligence is the process of close scrutiny that major businesses go through prior to a major deal. It is detailed and expensive, and even wealthy banks don't undertake it lightly. What's more, if Mr du Juvigny is right, then it's being conducted in multiple cities around Europe.
He said that the French regulatory department was likely to be expanded to cope with any influx of companies.
However, he warned about the impact of regulators trying to compete to attract banks, saying: "The danger is the race that we could have for a more lenient regulation with a more lenient regulator."
He said the risk of such leniency was lax regulation that could lead to another financial crisis, and called for Europe to stick "strictly" to existing legislation.
"I don't believe that [lenient regulation] should be the choice of the UK, but nobody knows," he said.
Christie Blatchford: B.C. teacher fired for having the wrong opinion
Christie Blatchford: B.C. teacher fired for having the wrong opinion
Christie BlatchfordWednesday, Dec. 7, 2016
A teacher at a posh private school in British Columbia was fired last month after making an innocuous comment about abortion to his Grade 12 law class.
Though there is no way of knowing, since discipline matters are shrouded in secrecy, it may be the first time a Canadian teacher has been fired not amid allegations of impropriety, but for having the wrong opinion.
Certainly, Lori Foote, a spokesperson for the 60,000-member-strong Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation, said Wednesday that no one at the association is ''aware of anyone being fired'' in Ontario in comparable circumstances.
The 44-year-old teacher, who has asked that he not be identified to protect what's left of his career, was teaching ''the criminal law unit, a lesson on vice, ethics, morality and the law'' to his small class in the Vancouver-area school in late November.
''I was working my way through examples of how some people's sense of personal ethics was more liberal than the letter of the law,'' he said in an email.
For example, he told them, many people might roll through a stop sign on a deserted country road, deeming it morally acceptable, even if unlawful.
Such is the cost of a small misstep in a crushingly politically correct world.
In other words, he said, in a pluralistic democracy, there's often ''a difference between people's private morality and the law.
''I find abortion to be wrong,'' he said, as another illustration of this gap, ''but the law is often different from our personal opinions.''
That was it, the teacher said. ''It was just a quick exemplar, nothing more. And we moved on.''
A little later, the class had a five-minute break, and when it resumed, several students didn't return, among them a popular young woman who had gone to an administrator to complain that what the teacher said had ''triggered'' her such that she felt ''unsafe'' and that, in any case, he had no right to an opinion on the subject of abortion because he was a man.
The school, for the record, is a witheringly progressive one.
Before classes even started last fall, teachers underwent serious ''gender training'' given by QMUNITY, an organization for LGBTQQ2S (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning and two-spirit) people. Teachers were told in no uncertain terms, for instance, that ''no one is 100-per-cent male or female'' and that everyone is somewhere on the ''gender spectrum.''
Unsurprisingly, students at the school, where $30,000-a-year tuition buys small classes, regularly say ''I'm so triggered'' and are allowed to walk out of class.
What happened to the teacher over the ensuing few days sounds like something out of the Cultural Revolution in Mao's China, where people were subjected to what were known as ideological struggle sessions, forced to ''confess'' to various imagined sins before large crowds, and roundly denounced.
Immediately after the student complained to the administrator, the teenager came, with a teacher at her side as support, to confront him in a public area of the school.
She pressed for an apology, but the teacher resisted, because, he said, it would set a dangerous precedent for a teacher to be reamed out in the presence of a colleague.
''When I didn't show contrition,'' he said, ''I was summoned upstairs and grilled by two administrators who told me my job was on the line.''
Now panicking '-- he has a family to support and had just recently returned to teaching after several years in business with a relative '-- he apologized profusely and promised to apologize the next day to the offended student.
Instead, the school had an administrator take over the class for a day, whereupon, he was told, they would all discuss what went wrong in his absence. He would be invited back to ''hear the grievances and offer an apology. It was clear I must do this successfully or I would be terminated.''
He repeatedly asked what he'd done wrong or if there was an allegation of misconduct.
''The answer I got back was that I was recognized as an outstanding teacher, but student 'safety' was the school's primary concern.''
With the discussion now scheduled for the following day, the teacher, near to melting down with apprehension and disbelief, went to a walk-in clinic and asked for tranquillizers.
I was summoned upstairs and grilled by two administrators who told me my job was on the line.
The discussion was postponed another day, and after ''white-knuckling'' it through his other classes, it came time for the law class.
It was exactly the horror show he'd imagined: His boss sat among a crowd of students, ran through a list of what had gone wrong and ''what I needed to do to change.'' While most students appeared to be on his side, the offended girl was still furious.
He apologized specifically to her, but then made what was apparently a fatal error: He said he liked her, that she was a bright and engaging student, and said he'd told her father just that at a recent parent-teacher night.
She stormed out of the class in tears, and he was again castigated by his superiors, this time for having been ''too personal'' in his apologia.
On Nov. 30, he showed up at the school, was retrieved by an administrator and taken to the ''head'' of school, the private school equivalent of a principal.
He was told he ''could no longer continue in the classroom,'' and was offered a short-term medical disability top-up for employment insurance.
He was then escorted down the hall and off the premises.
''Such is the cost of a small misstep in a crushingly politically correct world,'' he said sorrowfully.
Postmedia is not identifying the school at the teacher's request.
''They torched me,'' he said, ''but I'm reluctant to damage the brand '... So many kids who would otherwise fall through the cracks '... are valued and helped here,'' he said.
So still a good teacher, then, after all that.
' Email: cblatchford@postmedia.com | Twitter:
Father Of Global Warming Said Earth Would Run Out Of Oil By About 1960
In the last month inquiries among Russians about homes in the United States have grown by more than a third, giving the U.S. a chance to take back its place among the five most popular countries for Russian buyers of foreign real estate. In 2015, due to the deterioration of political relations between Moscow and Washington, the U.S. did not even make it into the top 10.
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Before 2014, when political relations between Russia and the U.S. worsened, demand among Russian citizens for elite American real estate was very high. Photo: Manhattan borough of New York, U.S. Source: Reuters
Since the U.S. presidential elections the number of inquiries made about purchasing elite real estate in New York and Miami among Russian customers have risen by 35 percent, in comparison to the same period last year, according to estimates by the Knight Frank real estate consultancy group based on analysis of information from last month. Almost 90 percent of the requests were for residential real estate.
Clients are interested in homes both for themselves and as investment. The profitability of renting out elite real estate in New York, for example, is estimated at 3-7 percent. Half of the potential buyers are interested in small apartments and studios starting at 40 square meters that cost between $500,000 and $2,000,000.
Twenty-five percent of the inquiries, meanwhile, concerned two-bedroom apartments worth $2 million and penthouses costing $4 million. For now commercial real estate makes up no more than 10 percent of inquiries. Customers are showing interest in commercial centers and street retail facilities in New York that cost $15 million and up. However, there have still not been any deals in this segment.
Victim of politicsBefore 2014, when political relations between Russia and the U.S. drastically worsened over the Ukrainian crisis, demand among Russian citizens for elite American real estate was very high '' about 15 percent of all the requests for foreign purchases that Knight Frank received in Russia involved the U.S.
Demand was highest for apartments in New York, Miami and Los Angeles, but the purchasing budget was higher than it is now. Requests for real estate costing $5 million and over prevailed, but occasionally there were also deals worth $15-20 million.
In 2013-2014 the U.S. was one of the five most popular countries among Russian customers of elite real estate. Besides the U.S., the top five included the UK, France, Italy and Germany. But last year the U.S. was not even on the list of top 10 countries in terms of deals, and the number of requests in this region fell by more than three times. In certain months there were no requests for real estate in the U.S. whatsoever.
Director of International Sales at Knight Frank Moscow Marina Kuzmina says that many of the company's clients spend their winter vacation in the U.S., which has resulted in an increasing number of inquiries about buying real estate.
"At the end of this year Miami will host the famous Art Basel exhibition, which many of our clients who are considering buying real estate intend to visit," notes Kuzmina, adding that some inquiries concern Donald Trump's development projects. "There are also inquiries from U.S. developers who wish to improve relations with Russia. They see potential in Russian customers."
First published in Russian by Kommersant
Read more: Rich man's world: Who was on the 'Forbes List' of tsarist Russia?>>>
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday ruled against a constitutional plea made by Mohamed Osman Mohamud '-- a Somali-American who attempted as a teenager to detonate a fake car bomb supplied by undercover FBI agents during a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland, Oregon, in 2010.
Since his conviction in January 2013, Mohamud has been fighting in court to challenge the government's warrantless collection of his emails sent overseas. With support from the American Civil Liberties Union as an amicus, he contended that the Fourth Amendment should have protected his emails.
However, the panel of three Circuit judges disagreed '-- deciding that the government has the right under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to make use of American digital communications it obtains incidentally through its overseas surveillance programs, so long as the original target is a foreigner. Mohamud had ''diminished'' expectations of privacy when he hit send, knowing his correspondence would leave the country, the court said.
Under Section 702, the government doesn't need to obtain a warrant, demonstrate probable cause, or be specific about exactly where and when the surveillance will take place. If the government can use communications from Americans collected under 702, even in narrow circumstances, it sets a precedent that could have lasting implications for their constitutional right to privacy in the digital age.
The court, however, did not believe that Mohamud's case represented a threat to privacy. ''Although [Section] 702 potentially raises complex statutory and constitutional issues, this case does not,'' wrote Judge John Owens in the Court's opinion.
Mohamud was not a target of the overseas surveillance, and the government did not ''query'' its database of collected communications specifically for his emails, the judge continued. ''All this case involved was the targeting of a foreign national under [Section] 702, through which Mohamud's email communications were incidentally collected.''
The government collected Mohamud's communications because he was emailing someone it was legally monitoring '-- then went back and got a targeted warrant to surveil his communications.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, that argument is circular '-- you can't presume a particular instance of surveillance is legal automatically, especially when reading emails belonging to Americans. The court ''said that a warrant is not required where the surveillance is 'lawful,' but that simply assumes the conclusion,'' wrote Patrick Toomey, a staff attorney at the ACLU's National Security Project who argued as an amici in the case, in an email to The Intercept.
''The very question is whether it is lawful for the government to engage in warrantless surveillance of Americans, on a vast scale, just because its targets are foreigners. The Fourth Amendment does not permit the government to dispense with the privacy rights of Americans so easily,'' he continued.
According to Orin Kerr, law professor at George Washington University Law School, the idea that the government only intended to spy on a foreign national, excusing it from monitoring an American at the other end, makes little legal sense. ''Section 702 draws a statutory distinction between 'targeting' someone and merely incidentally collecting that person's communications. But how is that a constitutional distinction?'' he asked in a column for the Washington Post.
According to the court, ''whether there is a warrant requirement for monitoring hinges on the subjective question of who the government intends as its 'target,''' he wrote. ''I'm not sure what to make of this.''
But the Ninth Circuit's decision isn't entirely surprising; it reaffirms a previous conclusion by the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon in the summer of 2014.
And the government has repeatedly made similar arguments in defense of a practice that critics argue goes even further against Americans' Fourth-Amendment protections '-- so called ''backdoor searches'' of foreign surveillance databases conducted by the FBI during criminal investigations.
The government has repeatedly argued that it is acceptable to search a database of communications collected solely for the purpose of foreign intelligence gathering '-- even if the search is done for other purposes '-- because the data was gathered legally in the first place.
In Mohamud's case, the court said backdoor searches were not at issue, because the FBI did not specifically go hunting for Mohamud's emails. Yet Toomey believes this distinction is meaningless.
''The government is using this surveillance to sweep up Americans' emails without a warrant, amassing them in FBI and NSA databases for years at a time, and then searching through them in ordinary criminal investigations,'' says Toomey. ''That's the very kind of warrantless intrusion the Fourth Amendment was intended to prohibit.''
Ukrainian Aircraft Firm Offers Trump an Alternative for Air Force One
Ukrainian aircraft manufacturer Antonov has taken notice of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's spat with Boeing over the cost of Air Force One's replacement. Now, the company's official Twitter account wants to make Trump a deal: fly in an Antonov.
The incoming American president might do well to heed Antonov's offer. The company has constructed over 22,000 aircraft, which have been used by civilian and military operators around the world.
The Antonov An-225 "Mriya" (Dream), originally designed to carry the Soviet Buran space shuttle, is the largest operating aircraft in the world today '' probably the right size for Trump's personality.
Ohio Passes Bill That Bans Abortion After A Month And A Half
Ohio legislators passed a ''heartbeat bill'' Wednesday that bans abortion after a fetus's heartbeat can be heard '-- on average around six weeks into a pregnancy. The bill has no exception for cases of rape or incest.
The bill was tacked on at the last minute to another bill addressing child abuse. It was approved in the Republican-dominated state House and Senate, and will now move on to Republican and anti-abortion Gov. John Kasich's desk. He will sign or veto it within the next 10 days.
''A hallmark of lame duck'' '-- a term used to describe sessions of lawmakers that sit between when elections are over and the new lawmakers take office '-- ''is a flood of bills, including bills inside of bills, and we will closely examine everything we receive,'' said Kasich's press secretary, Emmalee Kalmbach.
The American Civil Liberties Union told BuzzFeed News that they are preparing to fight back against ban, should it become law. ''if Governor Kasich signs that bill, we will absolutely challenge that in federal court,'' Mike Brickner, senior policy director of ACLU Ohio, said. ''We believe that it is unconstitutional.''
Many women do not know they are pregnant until they have missed two periods, which can often be around eight weeks. Others may find out before the six-week mark, but might still be unable to get an abortion in time because there are a lack of clinics in Ohio and state laws require women wait 24 hours between an informational appointment about abortion and having the procedure done.
Dr. Diane Horvath-Cosper, a practitioner of clinical medicine and member of Physicians for Reproductive Health, told BuzzFeed News that the bill was ''extreme'' and ''dangerous.''
''We have evidence that shows that banning abortion does not make it go away '-- it just increases the chances that people will seek care in potentially unsafe environments,'' Horvath-Cosper said.
The ban was attached at the last minute to another measure, House Bill 493, which expedites the process by which doctors report cases of child abuse to law enforcement authorities.
The bill was written by anti-abortion and anti-LGBT rights activist Janet Porter (formerly Janet Folger). She authored the bookThe Criminalization of Christianity: Read This Book Before It Becomes Illegal!.
Republican state Sen. Kris Jordan called for the ''heartbeat'' amendment to be included earlier Wednesday morning. The Ohio Senate voted 20''11 to add the amendment, then passed the bill with a primarily partisan 21''10 vote.
''We are a pro-life caucus,'' Jordan wrote in a statement. ''The passage of this legislation in the Ohio Senate demonstrates our commitment to protecting the children of Ohio at every stage of life.''
Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, told BuzzFeed News Wednesday that he believed the bill had ''been shown to be unconstitutional.''
''It'd be nice if the legislature would actually be doing something about jobs and doing something about renewable energy standards and keeping the economy growth going that way instead of passing unconstitutional bills,'' the senator said, going on to list pieces of legislation he believed Ohio's lawmakers should be working on instead.
Following Trump's election, anti-abortion legislation has been introduced all over the country '-- including a law that would ban abortion entirely in Indiana. Pro-abortion rights groups are fighting back.
''Politicians resorted to underhanded tactics to try and sneak through this harmful legislation without notice,'' Dawn Laguens, Executive Vice President of Planned Parenthood Action Fund told BuzzFeed News. She said she expects Ohio citizens to protest the bill adding, ''we will fight back, no matter what.''
Last week, Planned Parenthood, the Center for Reproductive Rights, and the ACLU filed lawsuits in three states to overturn abortion restrictions, saying that they were against the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, as well as June's decision upholding the abortion rights law. In the latter, the court, by a vote of 5''3, struck down abortion provider restrictions in Texas.
If abortion legislation is challenged and makes its way to the US Supreme Court, it would face the question of whether it places an undue burden on a woman's right to an abortion.
If Kasich signs the bill or does nothing, the bill will become law early next year.
Black employees file class-action lawsuit against CNN, Turner | Radio and TV Talk
DeWayne Walker, an employee at CNN, is part of a class-action lawsuit against his employer. CREDIT: WalkerThis was posted on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 by Rodney Ho on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
Former and current black employees on Tuesday filed a class action lawsuit against Atlanta-based CNN, Turner Broadcasting and New York based parent company Time Warner for racial discrimination.
''As a result of the current discrimination lawsuit filed on behalf of DeWayne Walker vs. CNN, Time Warner & Turner, we have uncovered stories involving abuse of power, nepotism, revenge, retaliation and discrimination,'' said Daniel Meachum said in a press release.
The press release provided a photo of DeWayne Walker, a CNN producer who sued CNN individually in January for $50 million for racial discrimination and retaliation for filing a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He accused CNN of not promoting him over 13 years because he is black, skipped over frequently for promotions in favor of white employees.
According to his LinkedIn page, Walker is an integrated marketing manager at CNN.
Walker is not actually a plaintiff in this particular case but is a client of Meachum's and his individual lawsuit is still active. Celeslie Henley, a former executive administrative assistant at CNN, and Ernest Colbert Jr., a senior manager at TBS, are the only named plaintiffs though Meachum said 20 to 30 other unnamed current and former Turner employees helped him out with information about their experiences.
''This discrimination represents a company-wide pattern and practice,'' the lawsuit asserts, ''rather than a series of isolated incidents.'' He said the company has been discriminating against blacks for more than 20 years.
The 40-page lawsuit filed in the United States District Court in the Northern District of Georgia said blacks '' especially black males '' are discriminated against in evaluations, compensation and promotions. Blacks receive ''disproportionately lower scores on evaluations,'' the lawsuit alleges.
It says based on data provided by Turner, blacks are terminated at a higher rate than whites and promoted at a significantly slower rate. And the lawsuit said written and unwritten policies and practices for performing evaluations and promotions discriminate against blacks. Those policies ''allow supervisors to essentially handpick candidates through word of mouth for available positions and make promotion decisions on the basis of subjective criteria,'' the lawsuit said. ''This system prevents qualified African-Americans from competing equally for positions or even knowing that they are available.''
Meachum said at a press conference Wednesday morning at his downtown Atlanta office that he has been collecting information about CNN and Turner for three years before filing the class-action suit.
''Upon information and belief,'' the suit says, ''African-American employees have had to endure racial slurs and prejudicial biases from superiors such as, 'it's hard to manage black people' and 'who would be worth more: black slaves from times past or new slaves.' ''
Meachum said he is ''outraged as an African American lawyer to have to sit down and go through the facts with people telling what I've been told these past three years.''
While blacks make up 30 to 35 percent of CNN's mid-level managerial and staffing positions, the lawsuit said, ''they are drastically under-represented at higher pay grades and senior positions, while still being required to generally labor three times as long as Caucasians [for promotions.].''
And even blacks in the highest positions are not in the more crucial departments, the lawsuit said. In the Media Group Division, the Legal Division and Strategy Division, for instance, not a single black person is represented at the top levels, it said.
Henley, 44 of Fairburn, worked at CNN for seven years as an executive administrative assistant. She alleged that she was mistreated in the workforce based on race, sex and pregnancy. She said she worked far longer hours than her white counterparts. And she said she was treated significantly worse after coming back from maternity leave. She said she was fired as retaliation for complaining to HR in early 2014.
Colbert, 44, of Ellenwood, has worked at TBS for almost 20 years. He claimed in the lawsuit that he was consistently paid below grade level compared to comparable white employees. He also said he failed to receive a proper job description for nine years and was given senior-level managerial work without being properly compensated. He was promoted in August, 2016 to senior manager but said he is still underpaid compared to his white counterparts with comparable jobs. ''Additionally, years of Mr. Colbert's positive performance evaluations have been nullified due to TBS's failure to maintain Mr. Colbert's personnel file,'' the lawsuit said.
In the lawsuit, Colbert said he repeatedly requested to be promoted to a higher pay grade. A white person who had held his position previously was promoted to a job grade several levels above Colbert's while performing the same job duties, he said.
The class action covers all blacks employed in salaried and mid-level managerial positions in the United States at any time between April, 1997 to the present.
''I've seen people at Turner that have worked there for 14, 15 years with a total raise over that time of $5,000 to $6,000. That's horrible,'' Meachum said. ''That is not the face that I think Turner and CNN wants to put on. That's the reality of the people who work there.''
At least three others have filed individual lawsuits against CNN over the past three years.
When I asked CNN president Jeff Zucker about the lawsuits last month, he declined to comment. A CNN spokeswoman today declined to comment about the latest lawsuit.
Meachum, who represents Walker, showed up on ''Real Housewives of Atlanta'' to help out Cynthia Bailey this season with her divorce to Peter Thomas. (She has yet to file. He said they are trying to put the entire divorce together and have it all agreed upon before filing anything.) Meachum also represented actor Wesley Snipes for many years.
'Today' show to apologize after using image of Baltimore in segment about Slager mistrial, Charleston reaction | News | postandcourier.com
Charleston is not Baltimore, but the "Today" show did not make that distinction during a news segment Wednesday morning.
Now, there will be an on-air apology Thursday.
The news clip gave viewers an update on the murder trial of Michael Slager, the North Charleston police officer who fired eight gunshots and killed Walter Scott on April 4, 2015.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the clip in question has been removed from the article on the "Today" show's website. An editor's note appears below the old clip: "This video erroneously included an image from an event not related to the Scott trial, and has been removed."
A statement from the network confirms the forthcoming apology.
''The video mistakenly included an image from an event not related to the Scott trial, and we apologize. The image has been removed from the story online, and we will make an on-air correction and apology tomorrow," said Megan K. Stackhouse, vice president of public relations for the "Today" show and NBC News.
A mistrial was declared Monday when jurors were unable to reach unanimous verdict required to convict or acquit Slager.
Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson, who prosecuted the case, vowed to try the case against Slager again.
As Matt Lauer gave national audiences a 27-second update on the status of the case, one image at the end of the segment was not like the others.
As Lauer said, "The mayor of Charleston, community leaders and South Carolina's governor, are urging a calm response to that ruling," an image from the 2015 protests in Baltimore appeared on the screen.
Those protests were related to the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African American who died in police custody. The image shown was not that of community reaction following the death of Walter Scott or news of the mistrial.
The image did not have any text overlay indicating it was another city and news event from the one being discussed.
Some Charleston-area Twitter users noticed the error right away, and expressed anger at what they saw.
"Hey @TODAYshow I KNOW some of y'all have been to #Chs so I am wondering when you saw any houses like this here? This is NOT Charleston," tweeted @Charlestonian.
The city of North Charleston was praised for its reaction following the death of Scott, 50.
At the time, other protests surrounding the deaths of unarmed black men being fatally shot by white police officers had resulted in violent demonstrations, like those seen in Ferguson, Missouri after the death of Michael Brown.
When the Rev. Al Sharpton came to North Charleston in the days following the fatal shooting, he credited the city for how it responded.
Requests for comment from the "Today" show have not been returned at this time.
Reach Caitlin Byrd at 843-937-5590 or follow her on Twitter at @MaryCaitlinByrd.
Pebble Is Dead, and Its Customers Are Completely Screwed
Pebble, one of the best-known smartwatch brands, is dead. Rumors about the company's demise have been swirling since The Information reported a potential Fitbit buyout last week. Today in a post on Kickstarter, Pebble confirmed that Fitbit was acquiring ''key Pebble assets'' and that Pebble would ''no longer be operating as in independent company.''
This is completely in line with a Bloomberg report last night that claimed only chunks of Pebble were being sold to Fitbit, namely its intellectual property, software engineers, and testers. Designers and other staff will be let go and current products (and all other assets) are, according to Bloomberg, expected to be sold to pay the shuttering company's debt.
And that leaves Pebble's loyal customers out in the cold. While Pebble's Kickstarter note ends on a happy note of gratitude to its many loyal customers, those customers are, in fact, royally screwed.
''One-to-one Pebble support is no longer available'' and ''any Pebble currently out in the wild is no longer covered by or eligible for warranty exchange.'' This means, no matter when you purchased or received your Pebble device, you are on your own'--and if your device dies, you're simply out a device. Any warranty you might have been promised from Pebble directly is void. (If you didn't purchase from Pebble, but from a site like Amazon, you may still be able to return the product for cash or store credit.) You can also expect to see zero software support (or updates) going forward, despite Fitbit's acquisition.
If you took part in Pebble's recent Kickstarter, which launched on May 24 and raked in nearly 12.8 million dollars, and you have not received your product, then you are, again, screwed. As of today Pebble will no longer be shipping devices. Pebble 2 backers who haven't received a device won't receive one. The Time 2, Core, and Time Round, originally intended to ship last month and later scheduled to ship in January 2017, are completely canceled.
Pebble promises those smartwatch-less backers will receive a refund, which is great! They deserve a refund! However those refunds will take place through the Kickstarter system and aren't expected to be completed until March 2017, nearly a year after many backers dropped their cash on the project.
And that, more than the loss of cool tech and the the honoring of warranties, is the real kick in the pants. Pebble, essentially, bamboozled 12.8 million dollars out of its customers and then sat on that money for the last 6-7 months. Worse the company wasn't up front about the rumors and its own reported demise, instead leaving backers twisting in the wind for the last week, surreptitiously updating the expected ship dates for products that it had good reason to know it might never be able to ship.
This isn't just a major blow for the already dying smartwatch market, it's a blow for crowdfunding in general. Pebble was one of crowdfunding's most notable successes, and its continued reliance on crowdfunding for each product launch suggested that we were seeing the beginnings of a new kind of business plan, where companies could be supported by their fans rather than angel investors.
If Pebble, one of Kickstarter's biggest success stories, can fail so spectacularly then why should a consumer put trust in any of the smaller crowdfunding campaigns out there? Just when it was looking like at least some crowdfunding could be trust, Pebble has proven that you jut can't. Invest in the crowdfunding future at your own risk.
We reached out to Pebble for comment, and we'll update if the company responds.
[Kickstarter]
Reviews Editor. Trained her dog to do fist bumps. Once wrote for Lifetime.
How much to do you have to pay to radically alter US foreign policy and shatter over 35 years of diplomatic protocol? Well, apparently $140,000 will do.
According to a recently released lobbying disclosure document, that's how much the Taiwanese government doled out to Bob Dole (Bob Dole!) and his law firm, Alston & Bird, from May to October, in order to make the Trump-Tsai call a reality. But that's not all that Taiwan got for its money.
Over a six month period, the 93-year-old Dole set up meetings between Trump campaign staff and Taiwanese emissaries, briefed the campaign's policy director and helped to write the "most pro Taiwan" Republican Party platform in history. Dole was the only former Republican presidential nominee to endorse Trump and his presence at the Republican convention was played up as an example of party unity. In the end, his efforts on behalf of Taipei resulted in last Friday's protocol-shattering phone call.
The conversation between Trump and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen was the first official communication between an American president or president-elect and a Taiwanese leader since 1979. At first, Trump seemed to try to portray it is as an out of the blue phone call from Tsai. Later, Vice President-elect Mike Pence termed it as a "courtesy call." However, mounting evidence shows that it was in fact the result of a coordinated effort between Taiwan lobbyists and Trump staffers, which could signal a significant shift in cross-strait policy.
Beijing has primarily blamed the call on Taiwanese "shenanigans" preying on Trump's absence of foreign policy experience. While Taiwan's influence in the world has been on the decline in recent years, its power in American politics only seems to be getting stronger. According to Politco, Taiwan spends $170,000 a month on a fleet of conservative lobbyists that it has groomed over time to influence government policy. Those investments finally seem to be paying off, bigly.
One example is the conservative think-tank the Heritage Foundation which has received funding from Taiwanese companies. Foundation staffers now play an influential part in Trump's transition team. During a radio interview yesterday, Stephen Moore, chief economist of the Heritage Foundation and economic adviser to Trump during his campaign, said that if China doesn't like the Taiwan phone call, then "screw 'em."
Trump's ''Mad Dog'' stays as Theranos cuts figureheads and outs investors | Ars Technica
Enlarge/ FAYETTEVILLE, NC - DECEMBER 06: President-elect Donald Trump shakes the hand of retired U.S. Marine General James Mattis after nominating him for Secretary of Defense.Over at Theranos, some big names are out, one notable name is staying put, and some others were accidentally outed.
On Thursday, the disgraced blood testing company announced that members of its distinguished yet puzzling "board of counselors" would be stepping down January 1. Those members include former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and George Shultz, former defense secretary William Perry, and former senators Sam Nunn and Bill Frist. Also going is Riley Bechtel, chairman of the country's largest construction and civil engineering company, who served on Theranos' board of directors.
Notably absent from the list of high-profile departures is retired Marine Corps Gen. James ''Mad Dog'' Mattis. The four-star general, who joined Theranos' board of directors in 2013, just so happens to also be President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for defense secretary. Trump formally announced the nomination Tuesday evening.
While the other prominent figureheads never seemed particularly suited for the blood testing business during their time with the company, Mattis had proven his usefulness before joining as a director. In 2012, he pushed for the US Army to use Theranos' equipment in the battlefield. The plan was nixed when the Army realized that Theranos' technology hadn't obtained the necessary approvals from the Food and Drug Administration.
Nevertheless, Mattis has remained a strong ally. In a December 2015 statement to the Washington Post about the matter, Mattis said:
Theranos had demonstrated a commitment to investing in and developing technologies that can make a difference in people's lives, including for the severely wounded and ill'... I had quickly seen tremendous potential in the technologies Theranos develops, and I have the greatest respect for the company's mission and integrity.
If Mattis is confirmed as secretary of defense, he will have to step down from Theranos.
In light of all of Theranos' technological, regulatory, and personal scandals, lingering confidence in the company may be hard to understand. But leaked e-mails from Theranos to the company's investors may partly explain the situation.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Theranos sent e-mails to investors in 2014 and 2015 saying that the company expected it would rake in $2 billion in revenue in 2016 and $505 million in net income. Theranos released those predictions despite looming problems with federal regulators and continued performance issues with its technology. The company has since shuttered its clinical labs and blood testing.
In addition to the generous financial situation Theranos forecasted, Walgreens alleged in a $140 million lawsuit that Theranos, its ex-partner, wildly overstated the state of its technology. For instance, Theranos claimed that the US government had already been using the technology prior to 2010, according to the lawsuit.
While the leaked investor e-mails further reveal the extent to which the company may have misled prominent figureheads, investors, and partners alike, one provided something journalists have long sought: names of private investors. In a clear blunder, the company forgot to BCC 132 investors on one update e-mail sent Thursday. The e-mail, leaked to the WSJ, lists out all of their addresses. Recipients included representatives of the Walton family (which owns Walmart), representatives of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft's Kraft Group, and an executive of Mexico's Grupo Financiero Inbursa SAB founded by billionaire Carlos Slim (one of the richest people in the world), as well as family members of Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos' CEO and founder.
The WSJ had previously outed several other private investors, including Rupert Murdoch, executive chairman of News Corp and 21st Century Fox Inc., and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.
Theranos and the recipients declined to comment or couldn't be reached by the WSJ. Theranos faces several lawsuits from investors and is under federal criminal investigation for allegedly misleading investors.
Apple supplier Foxconn says it is in preliminary discussions to expand its US operations
Foxconn, the world's largest contract electronics manufacturer and a major Apple Inc supplier, said on Wednesday that it was in preliminary discussions to expand its operations in the United States.
"While the scope of the potential investment has not been determined, we will announce the details of any plans following the completion of direct discussions between our leadership and the relevant US officials," it said in a statement.
Foxconn is formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co.
House Quietly Passes Bill Targeting "Russian Propaganda" Websites | Zero Hedge
On November 30, one week after the Washington Post launched its witch hunt against "Russian propaganda fake news", with 390 votes for, the House quietly passed "H.R. 6393, Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017", sponsored by California Republican Devin Nunes (whose third largest donor in 2016 is Google parent Alphabet, Inc), a bill which deals with a number of intelligence-related issues, including Russian propaganda, or what the government calls propaganda, and hints at a potential crackdown on "offenders."
A quick skim of the bill reveals "Title V'--Matters relating to foreign countries", whose Section 501 calls for the government to "counter active measures by Russia to exert covert influence '... carried out in coordination with, or at the behest of, political leaders or the security services of the Russian Federation and the role of the Russian Federation has been hidden or not acknowledged publicly.''
The section lists the following definitions of media manipulation:
Establishment or funding of a front group.Covert broadcasting.Media manipulation.Disinformation and forgeries.Funding agents of influence.Incitement and offensive counterintelligence.Assassinations.Terrorist acts.As ActivistPost correctly notes, it is easy to see how this law, if passed by the Senate and signed by the president, could be used to target, threaten, or eliminate so-called ''fake news'' websites, a list which has been used to arbitrarily define any website, or blog, that does not share the mainstream media's proclivity to serve as the Public Relations arm of a given administration.
Curiously, the bill which was passed on November 30, was introduced on November 22, two days before the Washington Post published its Nov. 24 article citing "experts" who claim Russian propaganda helped Donald Trump get elected.
As we reported last week, in an article that has been widely blasted, the WaPo wrote that "two teams of independent researchers found that the Russians exploited American-made technology platforms to attack U.S. democracy at a particularly vulnerable moment, as an insurgent candidate harnessed a wide range of grievances to claim the White House. The sophistication of the Russian tactics may complicate efforts by Facebook and Google to crack down on ''fake news,'' as they have vowed to do after widespread complaints about the problem."
The newspaper cited PropOrNot, an anonymous website that posted a hit list of alternative media websites, including Zero Hedge, Drudge Report, Activist Post, Blacklisted News, the Ron Paul Report, and many others. Glenn Greenwald penned an appropriate response two days later in "Washington Post Disgracefully Promotes a McCarthyite Blacklist From a New, Hidden, and Very Shady Group."
PropOrNot has pushed a conspiratorial thesis, without any actual proof, that the listed websites have been either used directly or covertly by the Russians to spread propaganda.
While the bill passed the House with a sweeping majority, it is unknown if and when the bill will work its way through the Senate and be passed into law, although one would think that it has far higher chances of passing under president Obama than the President-Elect. It is also unclear if it will be used to shut down websites anonymously characterized as "useful idiots" or subversive elements used in disseminating supposed Russian propaganda.
Those interested can read the full "H.R. 6393: Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017" at the following location" bill that may soon proclaim much of the internet to be criminal "Russian propaganda" at the following link.
Tom Ford: All Men Should Be Penetrated To Better Understand Women - MILO
Fashion designer and movie director Tom Ford has turned heads with a statement declaring that all men should be sexually penetrated at least once in their lives.''I think it would help them understand women,'' said Ford in an interview with GQ.
''I think there's a psyche that happens because of it that makes you understand and appreciate what women go through their whole life.''
''It's such a vulnerable position to be in,'' he continued. ''There's such an invasion. I think that that's something most men do not understand at all.''
Needless to say, the openly gay personality's comments sparked quite a bit of reaction online '' and quite a wide range, too.Some have accused Mr. Ford of sexism.
Some are apparently speaking in code.
One Facebook user accuses Ford of trying to ''mansplain'' how the female brain works and reducing ''that functioning down to nothing but a sexual act.''
Then, of course, there are the trolls.''Interesting idea,'' writes one user on Facebook. ''I dare Mr. Ford to sashay over to the mosque nearest to his home, in all his fabulousness and pitch his plan after Friday prayers.''
''Or is it only straight, Midwestern, white men that he is trying to troll here? SMDH, you liberals are really becoming tedious at this point.''
Another user remarks, ''As an Orthodox Christian who is interested in men's matters, I think the big consequence for us would be that there would be no men to ordain to the priesthood.''
''They would all be iconographically women. In that case, there would be no plausible barrier to women's ordination. Natch, I don't wish sexual violence on anyone, so this would be impossible.''
And then there are these guys.
According to the Huffington Post, Tom Ford's remarks appear to be a follow-up to an interview he did in 2004 where he similarly proclaimed, ''Every man should be fucked at some point in his life.''''It's really not that different than having a massage,'' he said. ''It's very easy. It's normal.''
Sources:GQ
Citing high cost, Trump says Boeing's contract to build Air Force One should be canceled - The Washington Post
Shortly after tweeting that Boeing's contract to build the next Air Force One should be canceled, Dec. 6, President-elect Trump told reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower he wants the company "to make a lot of money but not that much money." (The Washington Post)
President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday took aim at one of the preeminent symbols of presidential power, saying on Twitter that the amount the Pentagon plans to spend on a new Air Force One is far too much and the contract with Boeing should be killed.
''Cancel the order!'' he tweeted.
Speaking to reporters later in the lobby of New York's Trump Tower, he said the effort to build the plane ''is totally out of control. It's going to be over $4 billion for the Air Force One program, and I think that's ridiculous. I think Boeing is doing a little bit of a number. We want Boeing to make a lot of money, but not that much money.''
The tweet and comments are further evidence that as president, Trump intends to use the power of the office to intervene in individual programs, policy decisions and the actions of companies. And it comes just a week after he pushed Carrier to give up plans to shift Indiana jobs to Mexico. Boeing, by contrast, would build Air Force One in the United States, and canceling the program could cost American jobs.
During his campaign, Trump has repeatedly said he wants to strengthen the nation's military by expanding the size of the Army and the Marine Corps and buy new equipment, from Navy ships to upgrading the nuclear arsenal'--promises that Mackenzie Eaglen, a defense analyst at the American Enterprise Institute calculated could cost at least an additional $55 billion.
But Trump has also pledged to eliminate wasteful spending, and clamp down on costly programs that have gone over budget or lag behind schedule. His tweet comes as the Pentagon is facing scrutiny after The Washington Post reported that the Pentagon buried an internal study that found $125 billion in bureaucratic waste for fear that Congress would slash its budget.
In a call with reporters, Trump spokesman Jason Miller said Trump plans to closely examine the Pentagon's budget and look for areas where he can find savings.
''I think this really speaks to the president-elect's focus on keeping costs down across the board with regard to government spending,'' he said. ''I think people are really frustrated with some of the big price tags that are coming out for programs, even in addition to this one. So we're going to look for areas where we can keep costs down and look for ways where we can save money.''
The Air Force hasn't released a total dollar amount for the program yet. The program includes two aircraft and is still in the development stages. So far the Air Force has budgeted $2.7 billion for the program. But that's for research, development and testing'--not manufacturing. And the Air Force expects ''this number to change as the program matures with the completion of risk reduction activities,'' the Air Force said in a statement.
[Boeing chosen to build the next Air Force One]
The real cost could grow to $4 billion, according to an analysis by Todd Harrison, a defense analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The aircraft are projected to be operational by the mid-2020s, officials said.
That price tag was justified because of the enormous capabilities of the planes, he said. The plane, which flies under the call sign ''Air Force One'' when the president is on board, is a ''flying command post,'' Harrison said. ''In the event of a nuclear attack, this is where the military will keep the president safe.''Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst with the Teal Group, said the ''capabilities of this plane were there for everyone to see on 9/11'' when Bush was whisked aboard Air Force One and responded to the crisis from there.
In a statement, Boeing said it is only under contract for $170 million for work ''to help determine the capabilities of this complex military aircraft that serves the unique requirements of the President of the United States. We look forward to working with the U.S. Air Force on subsequent phases of the program allowing us to deliver the best plane for the president at the best value for the American taxpayer.''
Dennis A. Muilenburg, Boeing's chief executive, spoke with Trump on Tuesday afternoon, according to an official not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. In the conversation, the pair spoke about the Air Force One contract, trade and China, the official said, though it wasn't clear what, if anything, was resolved.
The company wouldn't be eligible for the more lucrative manufacturing contracts until after the development is completed.
When the Air Force selected Boeing, it was the only U.S. manufacturer that could build such an aircraft. The other would be European-based Airbus.''We don't know what it will ultimately cost, but if President-elect Trump is suggesting we give this work to Airbus, that's not good for American jobs,'' said Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, where Boeing is based.
While it is Congress that controls the nation's purse, Trump could have enormous influence over the Air Force One program. He could pick an Air Force Secretary who, like him, wants to rein in costs, or go in an entirely different direction.
That's what Obama did shortly after taking office in 2009. At the time, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) took aim at the fleet of presidential helicopters, saying, ''I don't think that there's any more graphic demonstration of how good ideas have cost taxpayers an enormous amount of money.''
Obama, then just a few weeks in office, said the fleet, generally known as Marine One, was ''an example of the procurement process gone amok.'' That led defense officials to kill the program outright and then restart the procurement process.
But by then, the helicopter program was well underway and did have significant problems. The Air Force One program is at a much different stage.''It's still very, very early,'' Harrison said. ''It hasn't had a chance to have any cost overruns yet.''
He said it was curious that Trump would single out Air Force One when there are so many other defense programs that have gone wildly over budget and behind schedule.
This isn't the first time Trump has highlighted the costs of Air Force One. In July, he objected to the use of the plane for campaign events: ''Taxpayers are paying a fortune for the use of Air Force One on the campaign trail by President Obama and Crooked Hillary,'' he tweeted. ''A total disgrace!''
He brought it up again at a rally in North Carolina in July. ''Now Air Force One is a very old Boeing 747,'' Trump said. ''It sucks up a lot of gas. A lot of fuel. Boy, the fuel bill. You turn on those engines, I can tell you, it's a lot of money.''
Boeing could be in a difficult negotiating position. In addition to his concerns about the plane's costs, Trump has vowed to rewrite trade agreements with China, which could have a huge affect on the company.
During a recent talk, Muilenburg, Boeing's chief executive, said a third of the 737s it built for customers across the globe went to China, according to the Chicago Tribune.
''I'm not a political pundit or prognosticator '-- we have too many of those '-- but anyone who paid attention to the recent campaigns and the election results realizes that one of the overarching themes was apprehension about free and fair trade,'' he said, according to the paper.
Boeing faces other landmines. It also recently reached an agreement to sell commercial passenger planes to Iran in a multibillion deal that would be one of the biggest sales to Iran since the easing of sanctions last year, an action Trump has criticized.
An Air Force official, not authorized to speak publicly about the Air Force One program, said that the current presidential plane will be 30 years old next year, and the new ones aren't slated to come online until the mid-2020s. By then the technology aboard the current plane will be dated and it will become increasingly hard to maintain. Any delays to replace it could cause significant problems, the official said.
Boeing was selected as the manufacturer in January 2015, but it wasn't much of a competition. Boeing's 747-8 was the only plane made in the United States that could meet the requirements for the presidential aircraft while also being ''consistent with the national public interest,'' Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said in a statement at the time.
She said the Pentagon ''will insist upon program affordability through cost-conscious procurement practices.''
Jenna Johnson contributed to this report.
Read more:
As Trump vows to stop flow of jobs overseas, U.S. plans to make fighter jets in India
Pentagon hid study exposing $125 billion in wasteful spending
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Obama Will Forgive More Than $100 Billion In Student Debt On His Way Out The Door - All That Is Interesting
The program forgives student debt after 10 or 20 years of reduced monthly payments.
Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty ImagesPresident Barack Obama speaks after receiving an honorary doctorate of laws at Rutgers University on May 15, 2016 in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Turns out the price tag for President Barack Obama's student loan repayment program is higher than previously thought. The federal government will be forgiving more than $100 billion in student debt in the upcoming years.
Calling the Education Department's previous accounting unreliable, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report Wednesday pegging the program's true cost at about $108 billion.
The program helps student loan borrowers by reducing monthly payments by hundreds of dollars before forgiving any remaining balance after 10 or 20 years, depending on whether or not the borrower works in the public or private sector.
In its most generous version, the program caps monthly payments at 10 percent of discretionary income, which the government defines as any earnings above 150 percent of the poverty level, or $17,655 for a single person.
Meaning, for someone annually making $30,000, their discretionary income would be $12,345. Then applying the 10 percent rule, the program would thus cap that person's monthly loan payments at $102.88.
These are just some of the revelations in the new GAO report. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi (R., Wyo.) ordered the report following the drastic increase in enrollment in the program after Obama announced that he'll extend it into the foreseeable future.
Enrollment has tripled in the past three years, having grown to include almost 24 percent of all former students currently required to be making payments. This comes out to 5.3 million borrowers collectively owing $355 billion.
The GAO report states that $137 billion of that won't be repaid, with most of it '-- $108 billion to be exact '-- getting forgiven after the borrowers wait out the 10 or 20 year time period.
The rest of the debt that won't be repaid '-- $29 billion '-- is going to get written down due to disability or death, the GAO projects.
While these sums upset some, supporters of the student loan repayment program say that it offers a lifeline to the unemployed or low-wage earners and has reduced the amount of new graduates defaulting on loans.
Critics counter by saying that the program doesn't help the neediest and instead helps those who attend pricey colleges and graduate schools.
According to the Education Department, most borrowers in the program with high debt balances indeed went to graduate school, although the majority of borrowers did not have such high debts.
Nevertheless, the GAO report shows that the small number of high debt borrowers are skewing the overall average debt per borrower, brining that number up to roughly $67,000.
Next, check out why more students are becoming sugar babies to pay for college, before reading about the growing cost of college.
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So, clearly a bunch of us do give a shit. I absolutely love that. I apologize for this delayed follow-up to my last piece''--'I've been fighting a bad cold for a week (I blame Trump) and have been thinking a lot about where we go from here.
Many of you have asked some great questions (about the filibuster, the Electoral College, the DNC, etc.) and my first instinct was to answer as many of those as possible. But I realized that's like going over grandpa's autopsy results''--'informative, to be sure, but that old fart won't ever be getting up.
Friends are asking me what we can specifically do right now. Between combing medical supply websites for Ruth's iron lung and ingesting a ludicrous amount of Sudafed, I've gotten very little sleep. But I have been thinking'...
My first instinct was to suggest tangible ways to reconnect with our working class base. It's practical, pragmatic and important, and I'll talk about that more in a future post. But right now, I think we all need some inspiration. We need a BIG idea. It kept gnawing at me. Then I randomly glanced at my phone and landed on a line from an ESPN article. A light bulb went off:
''Aqaba'... by land!''
Apologies. Lawrence of Arabia was on in the background and I got carried away.
A better movie reference might be: ''The Things We Think And Do Not Say.''
Yes, I'm full-on-Jerry-Maguire-mission-statement-inspired right now!
The ESPN article was about Mike Evans, a wide receiver for Tampa Bay. Now, Mike is not a particularly political guy. He's from Texas. Fairly soft-spoken. African-American. Super talented. This past Sunday, Mike, with no prior statement or seeking publicity, sits for the national anthem before the Bucs game against the Bears.
This was not part of the Kaepernick protest. No, Mike Evans sat as a protest against Donald Trump. Plain and simple. After the game, when asked, he explained quite succinctly that he isn't a Republican or Democrat. This wasn't about that. Evans looked at the reporter and just said, ''but I know when something's not right.''
That was the line my eyes landed on: I know when something is not right.
John Wooden once observed: sports doesn't build character, it reveals character. Evans was talking about Trump's campaign and the message it sent to him as a person of color. It was heartbreaking to listen to. Here was a proud American, who puts his body on the line for our entertainment each week, who didn't feel welcome in his country anymore.
And then came the reaction. From Bucs fans. Even, sadly, from a few friends. How dare he! Cut that traitor! Go to Canada, loser! It was the same racially charged venom that spewed forth at Trump's rallies. From the same Trump fanatics. Know your place. This is OUR country. And all I could feel was shame. For Mike Evans. For all of us. And it hits me again:
I know when something is not right.
We all do. That's what is so vile about the people now moving into the White House''--'they intentionally fomented this bigotry and division. As I said previously, I don't think all the people who voted for Trump are racists or misogynists. But you can't possibly claim ignorance to all of Trump's racist and xenophobic rhetoric or the toxic bedfellows who endorsed him. If you were aware of it and still voted for him, then, yes, you are culpable for that hate. You don't get to cherry-pick the parts of Trump that you like (NAFTA sucks!) but pretend the other parts don't exist. There is no free pass''--'you supported an aggressively bigoted and divisive man.
Or maybe some voters convinced themselves it was all just campaign rhetoric that would disappear once he got into office. But now we see it was just the beginning: hate attacks. The KKK holding a celebratory Trump march. Trump surrogates talking about registry's and internment camps. ''But, Alex, I just saw Trump tell people on 60 Minutes to 'stop it.''' Ha. Good one. Problem solved. These fanatics are emboldened. This will get worse.
It is as if they are floating the most outrageous ideas and appointments and waiting to see if there will be any pushback. If there isn't, we are telling them they can get away with anything''--'that they have a submissive nation to control. It tells them that we are weak or apathetic or defeated. We are none of those things.
Yes, we MUST demand that Steve Bannon is pushed aside immediately, but at this point getting only him out would be like throwing a deck chair off the Titanic. Trump's entire White House is infected with this alt-right, neo Nazi, white nationalist, toxic sentiment. We have to push back against it all. Now.
I know when something is not right.
Do people remember Sun City? Sun City is a resort in South Africa where famous singers and bands played for years while the country was still under apartheid. As furor began to build in the 1980's over the absolute injustice of that policy, Stevie Van Zandt (of the E. Street band & The Sopranos) refused to play Sun City. It wasn't right. He couldn't look the other way. And he convinced other musicians to join him. They even made a cool album and hit song (look it up, millennials ;). Then, NO ONE played there. Total boycott. It was a small act of defiance by a badass, principled musician, but it helped build momentum for the larger cause. Multinational corporations started to pull their business from South Africa, the regime collapsed and apartheid ended.
Or look at what was accomplished in Indiana against its anti-LGBT law (signed by Vice Douche, Mike Pence). Athletes stood up. Entertainers stood up. Businesses stood up. It was going to cost Indiana jobs and standing and its reputation. And they caved. Or North Carolina. The NBA stood up. The NCAA stood up. Musicians cancelled concerts. The law has yet to be changed, but everyone rightly pushed back against intolerance.
It made me wonder: how does any decent person now go to Trump's White House and shake his hand? Can you picture Ali or Jim Brown shaking the hand of the man who is endorsed by the KKK or questions the legitimacy of our first African-American President? Can you see Billie Jean King accepting kudos from a man who demeans and assaults women? How about the Women's World Cup team on stage with a man who has said and done what Trump has? Would Greg Louganis be in the same room with anyone from the Trump team? I can't fathom how the Chicago Cubs will go to the White House and give this bigot a championship jersey and pose for pictures like none of this happened.
We should be ashamed of ourselves if we treat any of this as normal.
Trump was given LOTS of money by Houston Texans owner, Bob McNair, and by Woody Johnson, owner of the NY Jets. How can any decent person now pay money to support those teams knowing where that money went? Mike Evans' boss, Edward Glazer, owner of the Bucs supported Trump, as did Rex Ryan, the coach of the Buffalo Bills. How do we, as fans, reconcile those things? How do those players on those teams?
I was incredibly moved by the words of Greg Popovich and Stan Van Gundy this week, who are both sickened by what happened because they know Trump's campaign openly played on our very worst instincts. Popovich concluded, ''we live in a country that ignored all those values that we would hold our kids accountable for.'' Each regretted that they hadn't said enough sooner. And it haunts them. It haunts me.
People may not know the story about how the University of Alabama football team finally became integrated. It's legendary coach, Bear Bryant, wanted to integrate the team but was vehemently denied by the racist governor, George Wallace. So, Bryant invited the integrated USC football team down to Alabama in 1970 and Alabama got CRUSHED. After the game, Bryant was seen with a smile on his face because he knew this was the turning point: Alabamans were stubborn as hell to change'... until they saw it affect their football team.
Sports matter in an outsized way in America. We have example after example of athletes and performers in our society standing up for the right thing and driving change. A few NBA teams have already stepped up and announced they won't be staying in Trump hotels. That's a great start. But we need more. For everyone looking for a first, bold step, here is an idea:
We treat Trump's White House like Sun City.No one goes. No athletes. No championship teams. No performers. No musicians. No celebrities. ALL invitations are rejected. No White House Correspondents Dinners. No Inauguration Balls. No State dinners. No singing Christmas carols with the Trump kids. Nothing. Full boycott. No exceptions. Donald Trump does not get to enjoy the perks of this job. Period.
For the rest of us: we don't support anyone or any company that enabled Trump. Like those NBA teams, we boycott all Trump businesses. We turn off CNN. We don't buy Ivanka's bracelets. This amazing GrabYourWallet campaign will tell you how (@shannoncoulter). We don't spend money to support the teams of his owners''--'we don't buy their merchandise or tickets to their games. We leave their stadiums empty and we reject the advertisers who support them. And we turn away from anyone who violates this ban, no matter how much we might like their work. Any product, team or company associated with Trump is one that tacitly funds bigotry and intolerance.
We vote with our wallets.
We marshal these forces all the time when someone does something slightly offensive or says even one naughty word on TV. Let me ask you: what is more contrary to our values and who we aspire to be than what Trump did to get elected? This is bigger than Indiana. Bigger than North Carolina. Trump's White House represents intolerance writ large. This is our Sun City.
Let me be clear, I am not saying Trump isn't the President. He is. I'll comment on the whole Electoral College/popular vote miasma separately. I am not whining about Trump winning. We lost. Period. And there are lessons to be learned from that going forward. This is not about overturning the results or overthrowing Trump. It is not about politics or some petty reaction. This is solely about what is right. This is about the example we set moving forward as people who know right from wrong.
Regardless of who you voted for, it is time to speak up. It is time to act. We have new information. Your opinion of Trump is allowed to change. Simply because you voted for him does not mean that you still have to support him. If what he has done this week repulses you, too, then join us.
I will not stand next to President Trump. I will not normalize him or let him enjoy this job. I will not pretend he didn't do or say these things. And I will not put one dollar in the pocket of ANYONE who supported Donald Trump. I encourage all of you to do the same. This is the first of many steps. Spread the word. Let your favorite athlete or performer know. We stand together.
I know when something is not right. So do you.
Family of EU official's teenage daughter who was raped and killed 'by Afghan migrant' ask for well-wishers to donate money to refugee charity as teenage 'killer' is revealed
The family of an EU official's teenage daughter who was allegedly raped and murdered by an Afghan migrant in Germany has asked for well-wishers to donate money to a refugee charity.
Medical student Maria Ladenburger, who had also taken time out to help asylum seekers as a volunteer, was found dead in a river in the south-western German university city of Freiburg in October.
The first picture has since emerged of Hussein K., the 17-year-old Afghan asylum seeker who was arrested on suspicion of the rape and murder after a hair matching the alleged perpetrator was found at the crime scene.
As the 19-year-old student's family tries to come to terms with their loss, they have asked for donations to be made to an organisation that aids refugees.
Maria, 19, worked in her spare time in the ancient university city of Freiburg helping out the migrants in various shelters and homes. But in October, as she cycled home after a party, she was ambushed, raped and then drowned in a river.
Hussein K. (right), 17, has been linked by his DNA to the murder of Maria Ladenburger (left), 19, a medical student whose father is a legal adviser to the European Commission in Brussels
In October, as she cycled home after a party, she was ambushed, raped and then drowned in Dreisam river (pictured)
In an obituary published in a German daily newspaper, Maria's family wrote: 'For 19 years Maria was a ray of sunshine for our family and it will stay that way. We are grateful for this gift of her life with us, and we are certain that she is safe now with God.'
The family writes that with 'a heavy heart, but at the same time with firm hope we say farewell to our dearest beloved daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece and cousin.'
But as well as the message of farewell, the Ladenburger family asked for donations to a few charities.
As well as a project of the Catholic Church in Bangladesh they point at a student initiative in Freiburg. The organisation, called 'weitblick' ('wide view'), writes on their website that they support refugees and asylum seekers with family sponsorships.
They make regular excursions and activities with asylum seekers and also look after a small multilingual library on site. The organisation also gives courses to pupils to educate them about the issues of refugees and migration.
The killing has sparked frenzied new waves of hatred and fear of refugees.
Even the boss of the country's police union said her death would have been prevented had the open door asylum-seeker policy of Chancellor Angela Merkel been less lax than it is.
The killing of 19-year-old Maria Ladenburger (pictured) has enraged people in Freiburg
Maria worked in her spare time in the ancient university city of Freiburg helping out the migrants in various shelters and homes
There has been little or no vetting of refugees pouring into the country.
The killing is the biggest jolt to Mrs Merkel's plans for integration since the frenzied sexual assaults of New Year's Eve in Cologne when mobs of immigrant men sexually molested and robbed hundreds of defenceless women.
The anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has been quick to piggyback on Hussein K.'s arrest to highlight what it says are the dangers of unregulated immigration. It calls Maria a 'victim of Merkel's welcome culture.'
Hussein K. was born in Ghazni in Afghanistan and came to Germany as an illegal unaccompanied minor in November 2015.
In numerous posts on the Internet he liked to present himself in the guise of a gangsta rapper: hair slicked back with gel, jogging pants and training shoes.
On Facebook, before the killing of Maria on October 16, he wore his hair long but it was cut back after the crime.
A single strand of it was found at the crime scene but he left other traces of his DNA behind too.
Another disturbing photo he posted on his Facebook page in June shows a wolfman clutching a young maiden in his arms
Another disturbing photo he posted on his Facebook page in June shows a wolfman clutching a young maiden in his arms.
Detectives on the 60 strong murder squad are still probing the possibility that he knew Maria through her work with refugees.
Her family, in an obituary notice after her cruel death, asked for people to donate money to charities, including those which work with migrants.
At the time of her murder Hussein K. was still 16. Her body was found in the Dreisam River less than one mile from the student accommodation where she lived.
Intensive scrutiny of CCTV cameras in the town coupled with the DNA evidence at the scene led to his arrest on Friday last week.
He is on remand in a juvenile jail where he will be held until his trial expected early next year.
There were conflicting reports at the weekend that he had confessed to the crime but the prosecutor now says: 'He has remained silent. He has demanded a lawyer before he says he will say anything.'
aussie teens replicate martin shkreli's $750 hiv drug for $2 | read | i-D
Sociopathic price-gouger Martin Shkreli is denying that he has just been severely owned by a bunch of high school students. Shkreli became widely and deservedly known as the most hated man in America when he hiked the price of an essential HIV drug up from $13.50 to $750 overnight. As he somehow becomes more and more repulsive '-- using $2 million of his profits to buy the only copy of a Wu-Tang album, which he eventually leaked to celebrate his homeboy Donald Trump winning the U.S. Presidential Election '-- word of how much he sucks has spread all the way down to Australia. At Sydney Grammar school, a group of teens has just cooked up a replica of the much-discussed drug for $2 a pop.
"The background to this made it seem more important," 17-year-old James Wood, one of the boys involved in the experiment, told the Sydney Morning Herald. "Working on a real-world problem definitely made us more enthusiastic," said another of the schoolboys, 17-year-old Austin Zhang. The students created the drug under the supervision of University of Sydney chemist Dr. Alice Williamson, who called the project a "great pilot program" and now wants to travel around to schools which don't have equally fancy facilities. The University is even raising money for a souped-up RV to use as a lab for this exact purpose, as if the story didn't resemble a utopian remake of Breaking Bad already.
As the Herald notes, Daraprim is an anti-parasitic drug used to treat low immunity in patients with HIV. It can also help save the lives of chemotherapy patients and pregnant women. The drug is listed on the World Health Organization's list of essential medicines, despite a single dose now costing more than some people's monthly rent. However the boys found an innovative alternative. From 17 grams of the raw material 2,4-chlorophenyl acetonitrile, which you can buy online at $36.50 for 100 grams, they created 3.7 grams of generic Daraprim '-- which would cost around $110,000 in the United States.
Unfortunately, the cheaper version of the drug won't be available to U.S. patients. "While the drug is out of patent, [Shkreli's] Turing Pharmaceuticals controls its distribution and sale through a loophole called the 'closed distribution model'," Associate Professor Todd told the Herald. "To take the drug to market as a generic, you need to compare it to Turing's product. If Turing won't allow the comparisons to take place, you'd need to fund a whole new trial." Australians, however, can buy a 25mg dose for less than $10.
Carnival Fined $40 Million for Dumping Feces Into Ocean
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Carnival Corp. which owns a variety of cruise lines like Carnival and Princess, has been fined $40 million after reaching a settlement with the Department of Justice for illegally dumping human waste from its cruise ships into the ocean.
Carnival Corp. pleaded guilty to seven felony charges for intentionally polluting the ocean. The company had been unloading oily ''bilge water'' for over 10 years, with the liquid containing anything from grease, chemicals, oil and even human excrement.
Reports say that it wasn't just a one-off incident, but that the problem was system-wide and had been occurring since 2005. In some cases Caribbean Princess cruises used a device called a ''magic pipe,'' to evade water-cleaning mechanisms and tools that monitored oil levels.
A whistleblower discovered the system in 2013 and then handed the information to the authorities, which lead to the eventual $40 million fine '-- the largest punishment of its kind, according to the media.
As part of the plea deal, the company will be audited regularly over the next five years as part of a court supervised environmental compliance plan.
''We've dramatically changed our shipboard and shore-side fleet operations, organizational structure and leadership. We invested millions of dollars upgrading our equipment,'' said Princess Cruises President Jan Swartz. She also apologized for its actions and said the company has fired or retrained the employees who were responsible for the pollution.
H/T: Gizmodo
Featured image courtesy of Getty Images.
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Trump administration can appoint up to 9,000By Chase GunterDec 05, 2016Beyond the top-level cabinet positions where new administrations tend to turn their immediate attention, President-elect Donald Trump will have the authority to place thousands of political appointees throughout the government.
The number of possible positions could be over 9,000, by the most recent count the Office of Personnel Management.
The 2016 edition of the Plum Book, a quadrennial purple-covered listing of the positions the president can fill, contains a detailed but still incomplete list of jobs subject to non-competitive appointments.
The first such collection was requested in 1952 as a guide by the Eisenhower administration, and has been released every four years since 1960.
The number of positions tallied in this year's edition, released Dec. 5 by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs under the official title "Policy and Supporting Positions," has swollen by about 2,000 since President Barack Obama took office in 2008.
However, the 9,000 figure includes part-time appointments to various executive boards, nonpolitical jobs and other odds and ends. David Eagles, director of the Center for Presidential Transition at the Partnership for Public Service, told FCW the number to focus on is closer to 4,000.
Even that smaller number is daunting, however. "This is the largest takeover on Earth," said Eagles. "It's a prioritization game to get these positions filled to keep this country safe and prosperous."
The potential positions can be broken down into four main categories: those requiring Senate confirmation, those not requiring Senate confirmation, non-career members of the Senior Executive Service and Schedule C appointments.
And while Eagles said "there's a cadre of 400-500 agency leaders" that should be named and on the job by next August, the process of filling all the subcabinet-level positions historically has consumed a good portion of a presidential term.
According to the Center for American Progress, from 1987 to 2005, it took presidents an average of 301 days to nominate non-cabinet agency heads, and another 82 days for Senate confirmation. For Senate-confirmed posts below the agency head level, the average has been 173 to nomination and then 63 days to confirmation.
The non-Senate confirmed appointments, meanwhile, include White House staff, officials in smaller agencies and members of various executive boards and commissions.Schedule C positions include jobs that work in a confidential or policy-related role, and comprise the majority of presidential appointments. And then approximately 10 percent of the SES workforce can be politically appointed. At the General Services Administration, for example, former Pixar executive Rob Cook was given a limited-term SES appointment to run GSA's Technology Transformation Service.
For each position, the Plum Book includes eight columns: where the job is located; the position's title; the name of the incumbent, if any; the type of appointment; the pay plan; the level, grade or dollar amount paid for the position; the tenure of the appointment; and when the appointment expires.
If Trump follows through on promises to roll back the size of the bureaucracy and install "a hiring freeze on all federal employees to reduce federal workforce through attrition," it is possible that some of these listed positions -- including ones where political conversions can occur -- could be eliminated.
"There's a lot of discretion with the incoming teams to fill these roles," said Eagles. "For every team, it depends on their policy priorities'... You don't have to fill them all, particularly those non-Senate confirmed positions."
Copies of the 226-page job listing are available online, and hard copies can be purchased through the Government Publishing Office for $41.
About the Author
Chase Gunter is a staff writer covering civilian agencies, workforce issues, health IT, open data and innovation.
Prior to joining FCW, Gunter reported for the C-Ville Weekly in Charlottesville, Va., and served as a college sports beat writer for the South Boston (Va.) News and Record. He started at FCW as an editorial fellow before joining the team full-time as a reporter.
Gunter is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where his emphases were English, history and media studies. Connect with him on Twitter: @WChaseGunter
A Yale history professor's 20-point guide to defending democracy under a Trump presidency '-- Quartz
Americans are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism, or communism. Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience. Now is a good time to do so. Here are twenty lessons from the twentieth century, adapted to the circumstances of today:
1. Do not obey in advance.Much of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then start to do it without being asked. You've already done this, haven't you? Stop. Anticipatory obedience teaches authorities what is possible and accelerates unfreedom.
2. Defend an institution.Defend an institution. Follow the courts or the media, or a court or a newspaper. Do not speak of ''our institutions'' unless you are making them yours by acting on their behalf. Institutions don't protect themselves. They go down like dominoes unless each is defended from the beginning.
3. Recall professional ethics.When the leaders of state set a negative example, professional commitments to just practice become much more important. It is hard to break a rule-of-law state without lawyers, and it is hard to have show trials without judges.
4. When listening to politicians, distinguish certain words.Look out for the expansive use of ''terrorism'' and ''extremism.'' Be alive to the fatal notions of ''exception'' and ''emergency.'' Be angry about the treacherous use of patriotic vocabulary.
5. Be calm when the unthinkable arrives.When the terrorist attack comes, remember that all authoritarians at all times either await or plan such events in order to consolidate power. Think of the Reichstag fire. The sudden disaster that requires the end of the balance of power, the end of opposition parties, and so on, is the oldest trick in the Hitlerian book. Don't fall for it.
6. Be kind to our language.Avoid pronouncing the phrases everyone else does. Think up your own way of speaking, even if only to convey that thing you think everyone is saying. (Don't use the internet before bed. Charge your gadgets away from your bedroom, and read.) What to read? Perhaps The Power of the Powerless by Vclav Havel, 1984 by George Orwell, The Captive Mind by CzesÅaw Milosz, The Rebel by Albert Camus, The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt, or Nothing is True and Everything is Possible by Peter Pomerantsev.
7. Stand out.Someone has to. It is easy, in words and deeds, to follow along. It can feel strange to do or say something different. But without that unease, there is no freedom. And the moment you set an example, the spell of the status quo is broken, and others will follow.
8. Believe in truth.To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which to do so. If nothing is true, then all is spectacle. The biggest wallet pays for the most blinding lights.
9. Investigate.Figure things out for yourself. Spend more time with long articles. Subsidize investigative journalism by subscribing to print media. Realize that some of what is on your screen is there to harm you. Learn about sites that investigate foreign propaganda pushes.
10. Practice corporeal politics.Power wants your body softening in your chair and your emotions dissipating on the screen. Get outside. Put your body in unfamiliar places with unfamiliar people. Make new friends and march with them.
11. Make eye contact and small talk.This is not just polite. It is a way to stay in touch with your surroundings, break down unnecessary social barriers, and come to understand whom you should and should not trust. If we enter a culture of denunciation, you will want to know the psychological landscape of your daily life.
12. Take responsibility for the face of the world.Notice the swastikas and the other signs of hate. Do not look away and do not get used to them. Remove them yourself and set an example for others to do so.
13. Hinder the one-party state.The parties that took over states were once something else. They exploited a historical moment to make political life impossible for their rivals. Vote in local and state elections while you can.
14. Give regularly to good causes, if you can.Pick a charity and set up autopay. Then you will know that you have made a free choice that is supporting civil society helping others doing something good.
15. Establish a private life.Nastier rulers will use what they know about you to push you around. Scrub your computer of malware. Remember that email is skywriting. Consider using alternative forms of the internet, or simply using it less. Have personal exchanges in person. For the same reason, resolve any legal trouble. Authoritarianism works as a blackmail state, looking for the hook on which to hang you. Try not to have too many hooks.
16. Learn from others in other countries.Keep up your friendships abroad, or make new friends abroad. The present difficulties here are an element of a general trend. And no country is going to find a solution by itself. Make sure you and your family have passports.
17. Watch out for the paramilitaries.When the men with guns who have always claimed to be against the system start wearing uniforms and marching around with torches and pictures of a Leader, the end is nigh. When the pro-Leader paramilitary and the official police and military intermingle, the game is over.
18. Be reflective if you must be armed.If you carry a weapon in public service, God bless you and keep you. But know that evils of the past involved policemen and soldiers finding themselves, one day, doing irregular things. Be ready to say no. (If you do not know what this means, contact the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and ask about training in professional ethics.)
19. Be as courageous as you can.If none of us is prepared to die for freedom, then all of us will die in unfreedom.
20. Be a patriot.The incoming president is not. Set a good example of what America means for the generations to come. They will need it.
This article was originally published as a Facebook post by Timothy Snyder, the Housum Professor of History at Yale University and author of Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning.
Report buried Trump-related 'hate crimes' against white kids | New York Post
At least 2,000 educators around the country reported racist slurs and other derogatory language leveled against white students in the first days after Donald Trump was elected president. But the group that surveyed the teachers didn't publish the results in its report on Trump-related ''hate crimes.''
The Southern Poverty Law Center partnered with the American Federation of Teachers, which formally endorsed Hillary Clinton, to circulate the questionnaire among its 1.6 million mostly Democratic members. The survey was sent out to K-12 teachers and administrators who subscribe to its ''Teaching Tolerance'' newsletter.
The SPLC's widely cited report '-- ''The Trump Effect: The Impact of the 2016 Presidential Election on Our Nation's Schools'' '-- reported that 40 percent of the more than 10,000 educators who responded to the survey ''have heard derogatory language directed at students of color, Muslims, immigrants and people based on gender or sexual orientation.''
The takeaway was that Trump-supporting white kids have been harassing minorities at the nation's schools. And SPLC's schools report, along with a broader report on alleged Trump-inspired hate crimes '-- ''Ten Days After: Harassment and Intimidation in the Aftermath of the Election'' '-- sparked breathless coverage in the New York Times, Washington Post and other major media.
The reports also triggered a statement Friday from the US Commission on Civil Rights, which expressed ''deep concern'' that ''prejudice has reared its ugly head in public elementary and secondary schools.'' The panel called for more federal funding to prosecute ''hate crimes.''
But the SPLC didn't present the whole story. The Montgomery, Ala.-based nonprofit self-censored results from a key question it asked educators '-- whether they agree or disagree with the following statement: ''I have heard derogatory language or slurs about white students.''
Asked last week to provide the data, SPLC initially said it was having a hard time getting the information ''from the researchers.'' Pressed, SPLC spokeswoman Kirsten Bokenkamp finally revealed that ''about 20 percent answered affirmatively to that question.''
Bokenkamp did not provide an explanation for the absence of such a substantial metric '-- at least 2,000 bias-related incidents against white students '-- from the report, which focuses instead on ''anti-immigrant sentiment,'' ''anti-Muslim sentiment'' and ''slurs about students of color'' related to the election.
''They left that result out because it would not fit their ideological narrative,'' former Education Department civil rights attorney Hans Bader said. ''It was deemed an inconvenient truth.''
Suppressing reports of crimes against Trump supporters gives a one-sided and misleading view of post-election discord.
Founded in 1971, SPLC claims to be a nonpartisan civil rights law firm. But it receives funding from leftist groups, including ones controlled by billionaire George Soros. And a review of Federal Election Commission records reveals that its board members have contributed more than $13,400 to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaigns.
Bader says SPLC has an agenda to derail the Trump administration before it starts.
''These flawed SPLC reports will be cited by left-wing special interests to try to block the confirmation of moderate and conservative people to posts such as attorney general by falsely making it look like America's schools and streets are pervaded by bigotry,'' Bader said.
Last week, SPLC held a press conference in Washington to demand Trump ''reconsider'' his picks for White House advisers and attorney general, and ''disavow'' his immigration policies.
Richard Cohen, president of the Southern Poverty Law CenterPhoto: Getty Images''His own words have sparked the barrage of hate that we are seeing,'' SPLC President Richard Cohen maintained. ''He has been singing the white supremacist song since he came down the escalator in his tower and announced his candidacy.''
Cohen tied Trump to a number of hate crimes, which he warns will only ''spike'' once he's inaugurated. He noted his center recorded 867 alleged anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim and anti-black hate crimes in the 10 days following Trump's Nov. 8 win.
But the SPLC acknowledges that it has not independently verified any of the claims. It collected most of them on its website, many anonymously.
The group won't use its $315 million in assets to investigate the ''hate crimes,'' or at least help alleged victims file police reports or provide them counseling or other assistance, but it has offered ''sympathy.''
''We wrote back to every submission that provided an email address to express sympathy and encourage them to report the incident to local authorities,'' Bokenkamp said.
Bader pointed out that most of the anti-minority ''hate crimes'' and ''hate incidents'' cited by SPLC do not legally constitute hate crimes, and many involve constitutionally protected speech.
''It is simply ridiculous that SPLC treats 'build the wall' as hate rhetoric,'' he said. The center counted people mentioning ''build the wall'' as 467 incidents of hate.
''Alas, these days the SPLC is mainly a fundraising machine,'' said Gail Heriot, a US Commission on Civil Rights member who voted against Friday's resolution. ''The more it can persuade its donors that hate groups have penetrated every nook and cranny of American society, the more money it can raise. Now it wants us to believe that the election has unleashed unprecedented waves of hatred and violence among schoolchildren. Let's stop and take a deep breath before we assume that's true. The SPLC has no credibility with anyone '-- on the left or the right '-- who is familiar with its methods.''
While there no doubt are legitimate reports of hate crimes against minorities '-- and even one is too many '-- hyping such incidents recklessly fans the flames of anxiety among such communities. And suppressing reports of crimes against Trump supporters gives a one-sided and misleading view of post-election discord.
Paul Sperry is a former Washington bureau chief for Investor's Business Daily and the author of ''Infiltration.''
SECRION 501-Text - H.R.6393 - 114th Congress (2015-2016): Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 | Congress.gov | Library of Congress
To authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2017 for intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the United States Government, the Community Management Account, and the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,SECTION 1.Short title; table of contents.(a) Short title.'--This Act may be cited as the ''Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017''.
(b) Table of contents.'--The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
Sec.'1.'Short title; table of contents.Sec.'2.'Definitions.Sec.'101.'Authorization of appropriations.Sec.'102.'Classified Schedule of Authorizations.Sec.'103.'Personnel ceiling adjustments.Sec.'104.'Intelligence Community Management Account.Sec.'201.'Authorization of appropriations.Sec.'301.'Restriction on conduct of intelligence activities.Sec.'302.'Increase in employee compensation and benefits authorized by law.Sec.'303.'Support to nonprofit organizations assisting intelligence community employees.Sec.'304.'Promotion of science, technology, engineering, and math education in the intelligence community.Sec.'305.'Retention of employees of the intelligence community who have science, technology, engineering, or math expertise.Sec.'306.'Modifications to certain requirements for construction of facilities.Sec.'307.'Protections for independent inspectors general of certain elements of the intelligence community.Sec.'308.'Modification of certain whistleblowing procedures.Sec.'309.'Congressional oversight of policy directives and guidance.Sec.'310.'Notification of memoranda of understanding.Sec.'311.'Technical correction to Executive Schedule.Sec.'312.'Maximum amount charged for declassification reviews.Sec.'401.'Designation of the Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.Sec.'402.'Analyses and impact statements by Director of National Intelligence regarding investment into the United States.Sec.'403.'Assistance for governmental entities and private entities in recognizing online violent extremist content.Sec.'411.'Enhanced death benefits for personnel of the Central Intelligence Agency.Sec.'412.'Pay and retirement authorities of the Inspector General of the Central Intelligence Agency.Sec.'421.'Clarification of authority, direction, and control over the information assurance directorate of the National Security Agency.Sec.'422.'Enhancing the technical workforce for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.Sec.'423.'Plan on assumption of certain weather missions by the National Reconnaissance Office.Sec.'501.'Committee to counter active measures by the Russian Federation to exert covert influence over peoples and governments.Sec.'502.'Limitation on travel of accredited diplomats and consulars of the Russian Federation in the United States from their diplomatic post.Sec.'503.'Study and report on enhanced intelligence and information sharing with Open Skies Treaty member states.Sec.'601.'Information on activities of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.Sec.'602.'Authorization of appropriations for Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.Sec.'701.'Declassification review with respect to detainees transferred from United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.Sec.'702.'Cyber Center for Education and Innovation Home of the National Cryptologic Museum.Sec.'703.'Oversight of national security systems.Sec.'704.'Joint facilities certification.Sec.'705.'Leadership and management of space activities.Sec.'706.'Advances in life sciences and biotechnology.Sec.'707.'Reports on declassification proposals.Sec.'708.'Improvement in Government classification and declassification.Sec.'709.'Report on implementation of research and development recommendations.Sec.'710.'Report on Intelligence Community Research and Development Corps.Sec.'711.'Report on information relating to academic programs, scholarships, fellowships, and internships sponsored, administered, or used by the intelligence community.Sec.'712.'Report on intelligence community employees detailed to National Security Council.Sec.'713.'Intelligence community reporting to Congress on foreign fighter flows.Sec.'714.'Report on cybersecurity threats to seaports of the United States and maritime shipping.Sec.'715.'Report on counter-messaging activities.Sec.'716.'Report on reprisals against contractors of the intelligence community.In this Act:
(1) CONGRESSIONAL INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEES.'--The term ''congressional intelligence committees'' means'--
(A) the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate; and
(B) the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives.
(2) INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY.'--The term ''intelligence community'' has the meaning given that term in section 3(4) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4)).
SEC. 101.Authorization of appropriations.Funds are hereby authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2017 for the conduct of the intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the following elements of the United States Government:
(1) The Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
(2) The Central Intelligence Agency.
(3) The Department of Defense.
(4) The Defense Intelligence Agency.
(5) The National Security Agency.
(6) The Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, and the Department of the Air Force.
(7) The Coast Guard.
(8) The Department of State.
(9) The Department of the Treasury.
(10) The Department of Energy.
(11) The Department of Justice.
(12) The Federal Bureau of Investigation.
(13) The Drug Enforcement Administration.
(14) The National Reconnaissance Office.
(15) The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
(16) The Department of Homeland Security.
SEC. 102.Classified Schedule of Authorizations.(a) Specifications of amounts.'--The amounts authorized to be appropriated under section 101 and, subject to section 103, the authorized personnel ceilings as of September 30, 2017, for the conduct of the intelligence activities of the elements listed in paragraphs (1) through (16) of section 101, are those specified in the classified Schedule of Authorizations prepared to accompany this Act.
(b) Availability of classified schedule of authorizations.'--
(1) AVAILABILITY.'--The classified Schedule of Authorizations referred to in subsection (a) shall be made available to the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives, and to the President.
(2) DISTRIBUTION BY THE PRESIDENT.'--Subject to paragraph (3), the President shall provide for suitable distribution of the classified Schedule of Authorizations referred to in subsection (a), or of appropriate portions of such Schedule, within the executive branch.
(3) LIMITS ON DISCLOSURE.'--The President shall not publicly disclose the classified Schedule of Authorizations or any portion of such Schedule except'--
(A) as provided in section 601(a) of the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (50 U.S.C. 3306(a));
(B) to the extent necessary to implement the budget; or
(C) as otherwise required by law.
SEC. 103.Personnel ceiling adjustments.(a) Authority for increases.'--The Director of National Intelligence may authorize employment of civilian personnel in excess of the number authorized for fiscal year 2017 by the classified Schedule of Authorizations referred to in section 102(a) if the Director of National Intelligence determines that such action is necessary to the performance of important intelligence functions, except that the number of personnel employed in excess of the number authorized under such section may not, for any element of the intelligence community, exceed 3 percent of the number of civilian personnel authorized under such schedule for such element.
(b) Treatment of certain personnel.'--The Director of National Intelligence shall establish guidelines that govern, for each element of the intelligence community, the treatment under the personnel levels authorized under section 102(a), including any exemption from such personnel levels, of employment or assignment in'--
(1) a student program, trainee program, or similar program;
(2) a reserve corps or as a reemployed annuitant; or
(3) details, joint duty, or long-term, full-time training.
(c) Notice to congressional intelligence committees.'--The Director of National Intelligence shall notify the congressional intelligence committees in writing at least 15 days prior to each exercise of an authority described in subsection (a).
(d) Contractor conversions.'--
(1) AUTHORITY FOR INCREASES.'--In addition to the authority under subsection (a), the Director of National Intelligence may authorize employment of civilian personnel in an element of the intelligence community in excess of the number authorized for fiscal year 2017 by the classified Schedule of Authorizations referred to in section 102(a), as such number may be increased pursuant to subsection (a), if'--
(A) the Director determines that the increase under this paragraph is necessary to convert the performance of any function of the element by contractors to performance by civilian personnel; and
(B) the number of civilian personnel of the element employed in excess of the number authorized under such section 102(a), as such number may be increased pursuant to both subsection (a) and this paragraph, does not exceed 10 percent of the number of civilian personnel authorized under such schedule for the element.
(2) NOTICE TO CONGRESSIONAL INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEES.'--Not less than 30 days prior to exercising the authority described in paragraph (1), the Director of National Intelligence shall submit to the congressional intelligence committees, in writing'--
(A) notification of exercising such authority;
(B) justification for making the conversion described in subparagraph (A) of such paragraph; and
(C) certification that such conversion is cost effective.
SEC. 104.Intelligence Community Management Account.(a) Authorization of appropriations.'--There is authorized to be appropriated for the Intelligence Community Management Account of the Director of National Intelligence for fiscal year 2017 the sum of $559,796,000. Within such amount, funds identified in the classified Schedule of Authorizations referred to in section 102(a) for advanced research and development shall remain available until September 30, 2018.
(b) Authorized personnel levels.'--The elements within the Intelligence Community Management Account of the Director of National Intelligence are authorized 787 positions as of September 30, 2017. Personnel serving in such elements may be permanent employees of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence or personnel detailed from other elements of the United States Government.
(c) Classified authorizations.'--
(1) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.'--In addition to amounts authorized to be appropriated for the Intelligence Community Management Account by subsection (a), there are authorized to be appropriated for the Community Management Account for fiscal year 2017 such additional amounts as are specified in the classified Schedule of Authorizations referred to in section 102(a). Such additional amounts for advanced research and development shall remain available until September 30, 2018.
(2) AUTHORIZATION OF PERSONNEL.'--In addition to the personnel authorized by subsection (b) for elements of the Intelligence Community Management Account as of September 30, 2017, there are authorized such additional personnel for the Community Management Account as of that date as are specified in the classified Schedule of Authorizations referred to in section 102(a).
SEC. 201.Authorization of appropriations.There is authorized to be appropriated for the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability Fund for fiscal year 2017 the sum of $514,000,000.
SEC. 301.Restriction on conduct of intelligence activities.The authorization of appropriations by this Act shall not be deemed to constitute authority for the conduct of any intelligence activity which is not otherwise authorized by the Constitution or the laws of the United States.
SEC. 302.Increase in employee compensation and benefits authorized by law.Appropriations authorized by this Act for salary, pay, retirement, and other benefits for Federal employees may be increased by such additional or supplemental amounts as may be necessary for increases in such compensation or benefits authorized by law.
SEC. 303.Support to nonprofit organizations assisting intelligence community employees.(a) Director of National Intelligence.'--Section 102A of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3024) is amended by adding at the end the following:
''(y) Fundraising.'-- (1) The Director of National Intelligence may engage in fundraising in an official capacity for the benefit of nonprofit organizations that'--
''(A) provide support to surviving family members of a deceased employee of an element of the intelligence community; or
''(B) otherwise provide support for the welfare, education, or recreation of employees of an element of the intelligence community, former employees of an element of the intelligence community, or family members of such employees.
''(2) In this subsection, the term 'fundraising' means the raising of funds through the active participation in the promotion, production, or presentation of an event designed to raise funds and does not include the direct solicitation of money by any other means.
''(3) Not later than 7 days after the date the Director engages in fundraising authorized by this subsection or at the time the decision is made to participate in such fundraising, the Director shall notify the congressional intelligence committees of such fundraising.
''(4) The Director, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Government Ethics, shall issue regulations to carry out the authority provided in this subsection. Such regulations shall ensure that such authority is exercised in a manner that is consistent with all relevant ethical constraints and principles, including the avoidance of any prohibited conflict of interest or appearance of impropriety.''.
(b) Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.'--Section 12(f) of the Central Intelligence Agency Act of 1949 (50 U.S.C. 3512(f)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
''(3) Not later than the date that is 7 days after the date the Director engages in fundraising authorized by this subsection or at the time the decision is made to participate in such fundraising, the Director shall notify the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives of the fundraising.''.
SEC. 304.Promotion of science, technology, engineering, and math education in the intelligence community.(a) Requirement for investment strategy for STEM recruiting and outreach activities.'--Along with the budget for fiscal year 2018 submitted by the President pursuant to section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, the Director of National Intelligence shall submit a five-year investment strategy for outreach and recruiting efforts in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), to include cybersecurity and computer literacy.
(b) Requirement for intelligence community plans for STEM recruiting and outreach activities.'--For each of the fiscal years 2018 through 2022, the head of each element of the intelligence community shall submit an investment plan along with the materials submitted as justification of the budget request of such element that supports the strategy required by subsection (a).
SEC. 305.Retention of employees of the intelligence community who have science, technology, engineering, or math expertise.(a) Special rates of pay for certain occupations in the intelligence community.'--The National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 113A the following:
''SEC. 113B.Special pay authority for science, technology, engineering, or math positions.''(a) Authority To set special rates of pay.'--Notwithstanding part III of title 5, United States Code, the head of each element of the intelligence community may establish higher minimum rates of pay for one or more categories of positions in such element that require expertise in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM).
''(b) Maximum special rate of pay.'--A minimum rate of pay established for a category of positions under subsection (a) may not exceed the maximum rate of basic pay (excluding any locality-based comparability payment under section 5304 of title 5, United States Code, or similar provision of law) for the position in that category of positions without the authority of subsection (a) by more than 30 percent, and no rate may be established under this section in excess of the rate of basic pay payable for level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States Code.
''(c) Notification of removal from special rate of pay.'--If the head of an element of the intelligence community removes a category of positions from coverage under a rate of pay authorized by subsection (a) after that rate of pay takes effect'--
''(1) the head of such element shall provide notice of the loss of coverage of the special rate of pay to each individual in such category; and
''(2) the loss of coverage will take effect on the first day of the first pay period after the date of the notice.
''(d) Revision of special rates of pay.'--Subject to the limitations in this section, rates of pay established under this section by the head of the element of the intelligence community may be revised from time to time by the head of such element and the revisions have the force and effect of statute.
''(e) Regulations.'--The head of each element of the intelligence community shall promulgate regulations to carry out this section with respect to such element, which shall, to the extent practicable, be comparable to the regulations promulgated to carry out section 5305 of title 5, United States Code.
''(f) Reports.'--
''(1) REQUIREMENT FOR REPORTS.'--Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, the head of each element of the intelligence community shall submit to the congressional intelligence committees a report on any rates of pay established for such element under this section.
''(2) CONTENTS.'--Each report required by paragraph (1) shall contain for each element of the intelligence community'--
''(A) a description of any rates of pay established under subsection (a); and
''(B) the number of positions in such element that will be subject to such rates of pay.''.
(b) Table of contents amendment.'--The table of contents in the first section of the National Security Act of 1947 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 113A the following:
''Sec. 113B. Special pay authority for science, technology, engineering, or math positions.''.SEC. 306.Modifications to certain requirements for construction of facilities.(a) Inclusion in budget requests of certain projects.'--Section 8131 of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 1995 (50 U.S.C. 3303) is repealed.
(b) Notification.'--Section 602(a)(2) of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1995 (50 U.S.C. 3304(a)(2)) is amended by striking ''improvement project to'' and inserting ''project for the improvement, repair, or modification of''.
SEC. 307.Protections for independent inspectors general of certain elements of the intelligence community.(a) Limitation on activities of employees of an office of inspector general.'--
(1) LIMITATIONS.'--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National Intelligence shall develop and implement a uniform policy for each covered office of an inspector general to better ensure the independence of each such office. Such policy shall include'--
(A) provisions to prevent any conflict of interest related to a matter any employee of a covered office of an inspector general personally and substantially participated in during previous employment;
(B) standards to ensure personnel of a covered office of an inspector general are free both in fact and in appearance from personal, external, and organizational impairments to independence;
(C) provisions to permit the head of each covered office of an inspector general to waive the application of the policy with respect to an individual if such head'--
(i) prepares a written and signed justification for such waiver that sets out, in detail, the need for such waiver, provided that such a waiver shall not be issued for in fact impairments to independence; and
(ii) submits to the congressional intelligence committees each such justification; and
(D) any other protections the Director determines appropriate.
(2) COVERED OFFICE OF AN INSPECTOR GENERAL DEFINED.'--The term ''covered office of an inspector general'' means'--
(A) the Office of the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community; and
(B) the office of an inspector general for'--
(i) the Office of the Director of National Intelligence;
(ii) the Central Intelligence Agency;
(iii) the National Security Agency;
(iv) the Defense Intelligence Agency;
(v) the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; or
(vi) the National Reconnaissance Office.
(3) BRIEFING TO THE CONGRESSIONAL INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEES.'--Prior to the date that the policy required by paragraph (1) takes effect, the Director of National Intelligence shall provide the congressional intelligence committees a briefing on such policy.
(b) Limitation on rotation of employees of an office of inspector general.'--Section 102A(l)(3) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3024(l)(3)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
''(D) The mechanisms prescribed under subparagraph (A) and any other policies of the Director'--
''(i) may not require an employee of an office of inspector general for an element of the intelligence community, including the Office of the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community, to rotate to a position in an office or organization of such an element over which such office of inspector general exercises jurisdiction; and
''(ii) shall be implemented in a manner that exempts employees of an office of inspector general from a rotation that may impact the independence of such office.''.
SEC. 308.Modification of certain whistleblowing procedures.(a) Clarification of whistleblowing procedures available to certain personnel.'--Subsection (a)(1)(A) of section 8H of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended by inserting after ''Security Agency,'' the following: ''including any such employee who is assigned or detailed to a combatant command or other element of the Federal Government,''.
(b) Central Intelligence Agency.'--
(1) ROLE OF DIRECTOR.'--Section 17(d)(5) of the Central Intelligence Agency Act of 1949 (50 U.S.C. 3517(d)(5)) is amended'--
(A) in subparagraph (B)'--
(i) by striking clause (ii);
(ii) by striking ''(i) Not'' and inserting ''Not''; and
(iii) by striking ''to the Director'' and inserting ''to the intelligence committees''; and
(B) in subparagraph (D)'--
(i) in clause (i), by striking ''the Director'' and inserting ''the intelligence committees''; and
(ii) in clause (ii)'--
(I) in subclause (I), by striking ''the Director, through the Inspector General,'' and inserting ''the Inspector General''; and
(II) in subclause (II), by striking ''the Director, through the Inspector General,'' and inserting ''the Inspector General, in consultation with the Director,''.
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.'--
(A) IN GENERAL.'--Section 17(d)(5) of such Act is further amended'--
(i) by striking subparagraph (C); and
(ii) by redesignating subparagraphs (D) through (H) as subparagraphs (C) through (G), respectively.
(B) INTELLIGENCE REFORM AND TERRORISM PREVENTION ACT OF 2004.'--Section 3001(j)(1)(C)(ii) of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (50 U.S.C. 3341(j)(1)(C)(ii)) is amended by striking ''subparagraphs (A), (D), and (H)'' and inserting ''subparagraphs (A), (C), and (G)''.
(c) Other elements of intelligence community.'--
(1) ROLE OF HEADS.'--Section 8H of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended'--
(A) in subsection (b)'--
(i) by striking paragraph (2);
(ii) by striking ''(1) Not'' and inserting ''Not''; and
(iii) by striking ''to the head of the establishment'' and inserting ''to the intelligence committees''; and
(B) in subsection (d)'--
(i) in paragraph (1), by striking ''the head of the establishment'' and inserting ''the intelligence committees''; and
(ii) in paragraph (2)'--
(I) in subparagraph (A), by striking ''the head of the establishment, through the Inspector General,'' and inserting ''the Inspector General''; and
(II) in subparagraph (B), by striking ''the head of the establishment, through the Inspector General,'' and inserting ''the Inspector General, in consultation with the head of the establishment,''.
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.'--Section 8H of such Act is further amended'--
(A) by striking subsection (c);
(B) by redesignating subsections (d) through (i) as subsections (c) through (h), respectively; and
(C) in subsection (e), as so redesignated, by striking ''subsections (a) through (e)'' and inserting ''subsections (a) through (d)''.
(d) Office of the Director of National Intelligence.'--
(1) IN GENERAL.'--Section 103H(k)(5) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3033(k)(5)) is amended'--
(A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ''to the Director'' and inserting ''to the congressional intelligence committees''; and
(B) in subparagraph (D)'--
(i) in clause (i), by striking ''the Director'' and inserting ''the congressional intelligence committees''; and
(ii) in clause (ii)'--
(I) in subclause (I), by striking ''the Director, through the Inspector General,'' and inserting ''the Inspector General''; and
(II) in subclause (II), by striking ''the Director, through the Inspector General,'' and inserting ''the Inspector General, in consultation with the Director,''.
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.'--Section 103H(k)(5) of such Act is further amended'--
(A) by striking subparagraph (C); and
(B) by redesignating subparagraphs (D) through (I) as subparagraphs (C) through (H), respectively.
(e) Rule of construction.'--None of the amendments made by this section may be construed to prohibit or otherwise affect the authority of an Inspector General of an element of the intelligence community, the Inspector General of the Central Intelligence Agency, or the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community to notify the head of the element of the intelligence community, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, or the Director of National Intelligence, as the case may be, of a complaint or information otherwise authorized by law.
SEC. 309.Congressional oversight of policy directives and guidance.(a) Covered policy document defined.'--In this section, the term ''covered policy document'' means any classified or unclassified Presidential Policy Directive, Presidential Policy Guidance, or other similar policy document issued by the President, including any annex to such a Directive, Guidance, or other document, that assigns takes, roles, or responsibilities the intelligence community.
(b) Submissions to Congress.'--The Director of National Intelligence shall submit to the congressional intelligence committees the following:
(1) Not later than 15 days after the date that a covered policy document is issued, a notice of the issuance and a summary of the subject matter addressed by such covered policy document.
(2) Not later than 15 days after the date that the Director issues any guidance or direction on implementation of a covered policy document or implements a covered policy document, a copy of such guidance or direction or a description of such implementation.
(3) Not later than 15 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, for any covered policy document issued prior to such date that is being implemented by any element of the intelligence community or that is in effect on such date'--
(A) a notice that includes the date such covered policy document was issued and a summary of the subject matter addressed by such covered policy document; and
(B) if the Director has issued any guidance or direction on implementation of such covered policy document or is implementing such covered policy document, a copy of the guidance or direction or a description of such implementation.
SEC. 310.Notification of memoranda of understanding.(a) In general.'--The head of each element of the intelligence community shall submit to the congressional intelligence committees a copy of each memorandum of understanding or other agreement regarding significant operational activities or policy between or among such element and any other entity or entities of the United States Government'--
(1) for such a memorandum or agreement that is in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act, not later than 60 days after such date; and
(2) for such a memorandum or agreement entered into after such date, in a timely manner and not more than 60 days after the date such memorandum or other agreement is entered into.
(b) Administrative memorandum or agreement.'--Nothing in this section may be construed to require an element of the intelligence community to submit to the congressional intelligence committees any memorandum or agreement that is solely administrative in nature, including a memorandum or agreement regarding joint duty or other routine personnel assignments.
SEC. 311.Technical correction to Executive Schedule.Section 5313 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by striking the item relating to ''Director of the National Counter Proliferation Center.''.
SEC. 312.Maximum amount charged for declassification reviews.In reviewing and processing a request by a person for the mandatory declassification of information pursuant to Executive Order No. 13526, a successor executive order, or any other provision of law, the head of an element of the intelligence community'--
(1) may not charge the person reproduction fees in excess of the amount of fees that the head would charge the person for reproduction required in the course of processing a request for information under section 552 of title 5, United States Code (commonly referred to as the ''Freedom of Information Act''); and
(2) may waive or reduce any processing fees in the same manner as the head waives or reduces fees under such section 552.
SEC. 401.Designation of the Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.(a) In general.'--
(1) IN GENERAL.'--Section 902 of the Counterintelligence Enhancement Act of 2002 (50 U.S.C. 3382) is amended to read as follows:
''SEC. 902.Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.''(a) Establishment.'--There shall be a Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (referred to in this section as the 'Director'), who shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
''(b) Mission.'--The mission of the Director shall be to serve as the head of national counterintelligence for the United States Government.
''(c) Duties.'--Subject to the direction and control of the Director of National Intelligence, the duties of the Director are as follows:
''(1) To carry out the mission referred to in subsection (b).
''(2) To act as chairperson of the National Counterintelligence Policy Board established under section 811 of the Counterintelligence and Security Enhancements Act of 1994 (50 U.S.C. 3381).
''(3) To act as head of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center established under section 904.
''(4) To participate as an observer on such boards, committees, and entities of the executive branch as the Director of National Intelligence considers appropriate for the discharge of the mission and functions of the Director and the National Counterintelligence and Security Center under section 904.''.
(2) TABLE OF CONTENTS AMENDMENT.'--The table of contents in section 1(b) of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 (Public Law 107''306; 116 Stat. 2383) is amended by striking the item relating to section 902 and inserting the following:
''Sec. 902. Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.''.(3) TECHNICAL EFFECTIVE DATE.'--The amendment made by subsection (a) of section 401 of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (division M of Public Law 114''113) shall not take effect, or, if the date of the enactment of this Act is on or after the effective date specified in subsection (b) of such section, such amendment shall be deemed to not have taken effect.
(b) National Counterintelligence and Security Center.'--
(1) IN GENERAL.'--Section 904 of the Counterintelligence Enhancement Act of 2002 (50 U.S.C. 3383) is amended'--
(A) by striking the section heading and inserting ''National Counterintelligence and Security Center.''; and
(B) by striking subsections (a), (b), and (c) and inserting the following:
''(a) Establishment.'--There shall be a National Counterintelligence and Security Center.
''(b) Head of Center.'--The Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center shall be the head of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.
''(c) Location of Center.'--The National Counterintelligence and Security Center shall be located in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.''.
(2) FUNCTIONS.'--Section 904(d) of the Counterintelligence Enhancement Act of 2002 (50 U.S.C. 3383(d)) is amended'--
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking ''National Counterintelligence Executive, the functions of the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive'' and inserting ''Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, the functions of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center'';
(B) in paragraph (5), in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking ''In consultation with'' and inserting ''At the direction of''; and
(C) in paragraph (6), in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking ''Office'' and inserting ''National Counterintelligence and Security Center''.
(3) PERSONNEL.'--Section 904(f) of the Counterintelligence Enhancement Act of 2002 (50 U.S.C. 3383(f)) is amended'--
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ''Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive may consist of personnel employed by the Office'' and inserting ''National Counterintelligence and Security Center may consist of personnel employed by the Center''; and
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ''National Counterintelligence Executive'' and inserting ''Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center''.
(4) TREATMENT OF ACTIVITIES UNDER CERTAIN ADMINISTRATIVE LAWS.'--Section 904(g) of the Counterintelligence Enhancement Act of 2002 (50 U.S.C. 3383(g)) is amended by striking ''Office shall be treated as operational files of the Central Intelligence Agency for purposes of section 701 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 431)'' and inserting ''National Counterintelligence and Security Center shall be treated as operational files of the Central Intelligence Agency for purposes of section 701 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3141)''.
(5) OVERSIGHT BY CONGRESS.'--Section 904(h) of the Counterintelligence Enhancement Act of 2002 (50 U.S.C. 3383(h)) is amended'--
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking ''Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive'' and inserting ''National Counterintelligence and Security Center''; and
(B) in paragraphs (1) and (2), by striking ''Office'' and inserting ''Center'' both places that term appears.
(6) TABLE OF CONTENTS AMENDMENT.'--The table of contents in section 1(b) of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 (Public Law 107''306; 116 Stat. 2383), as amended by subsection (a)(2), is further amended by striking the item relating to section 904 and inserting the following:
''Sec. 904. National Counterintelligence and Security Center.''.(c) Oversight of national intelligence centers.'--Section 102A(f)(2) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3024(f)(2)) is amended by inserting '', the National Counterproliferation Center, and the National Counterintelligence and Security Center'' after ''National Counterterrorism Center''.
(d) Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.'--Paragraph (8) of section 103(c) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3025(c)) is amended to read as follows:
''(8) The Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.''.
(e) Duties of the Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.'--
(1) IN GENERAL.'--Section 103F of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3031) is amended'--
(A) by striking the section heading and inserting ''Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center'';
(B) in subsection (a)'--
(i) by striking the subsection heading and inserting ''Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.'--''; and
(ii) by striking ''National Counterintelligence Executive under section 902 of the Counterintelligence Enhancement Act of 2002 (title IX of Public Law 107''306; 50 U.S.C. 402b et seq.)'' and inserting ''Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center appointed under section 902 of the Counterintelligence Enhancement Act of 2002 (50 U.S.C. 3382)''; and
(C) in subsection (b), by striking ''National Counterintelligence Executive'' and inserting ''Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center''.
(2) TABLE OF CONTENTS AMENDMENT.'--The table of contents in the first section of the National Security Act of 1947 is amended by striking the item relating to section 103F and inserting the following:
''Sec. 103F. Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.''.(f) Coordination of counterintelligence activities.'--Section 811 of the Counterintelligence and Security Enhancements Act of 1994 (50 U.S.C. 3381) is amended'--
(1) in subsection (b), by striking ''National Counterintelligence Executive under section 902 of the Counterintelligence Enhancement Act of 2002'' and inserting ''Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center appointed under section 902 of the Counterintelligence Enhancement Act of 2002 (50 U.S.C. 3382)'';
(2) in subsection (c)(1), by striking ''National Counterintelligence Executive.'' and inserting ''Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.''; and
(3) in subsection (d)(1)(B)(ii)'--
(A) by striking ''National Counterintelligence Executive'' and inserting ''Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center''; and
(B) by striking ''by the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive under section 904(e)(2) of that Act'' and inserting ''pursuant to section 904(d)(2) of that Act (50 U.S.C. 3383(d)(2))''.
(g) Intelligence and national security aspects of espionage prosecutions.'--Section 341(b) of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 (Public Law 108''177, 28 U.S.C. 519 note) is amended by striking ''Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive,'' and inserting ''National Counterintelligence and Security Center,''.
SEC. 402.Analyses and impact statements by Director of National Intelligence regarding investment into the United States.Section 102A of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3024) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
''(y) Analyses and impact statements regarding proposed investment into the United States.'--
''(1) IN GENERAL.'--Not later than 20 days after the completion of a review or an investigation of any proposed investment into the United States for which the Director has prepared analytic materials, the Director shall submit to the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representative copies of such analytic materials, including any supplements or amendments to such analysis made by the Director.
''(2) IMPACT STATEMENTS.'--Not later than 60 days after the completion of consideration by the United States Government of any investment described in paragraph (1), the Director shall determine whether such investment will have an operational impact on the intelligence community, and, if so, shall submit a report on such impact to the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives. Each such report shall'--
''(A) describe the operational impact of the investment on the intelligence community; and
''(B) describe any actions that have been or will be taken to mitigate such impact.''.
SEC. 403.Assistance for governmental entities and private entities in recognizing online violent extremist content.(a) Assistance To recognize online violent extremist content.'--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and consistent with the protection of intelligence sources and methods, the Director of National Intelligence shall publish on a publicly available Internet website a list of all logos, symbols, insignia, and other markings commonly associated with, or adopted by, an organization designated by the Secretary of State as a foreign terrorist organization under section 219(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189(a)).
(b) Updates.'--The Director shall update the list published under subsection (a) every 180 days or more frequently as needed.
SEC. 411.Enhanced death benefits for personnel of the Central Intelligence Agency.Section 11 of the Central Intelligence Agency Act of 1949 (50 U.S.C. 3511) is amended to read as follows:
''Benefits available in event of the death of personnel
''Sec. 11.(a) Authority.'--The Director may pay death benefits substantially similar to those authorized for members of the Foreign Service pursuant to the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3901 et seq.) or any other provision of law. The Director may adjust the eligibility for death benefits as necessary to meet the unique requirements of the mission of the Agency.
''(b) Regulations.'--Regulations issued pursuant to this section shall be submitted to the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives before such regulations take effect.''.
SEC. 412.Pay and retirement authorities of the Inspector General of the Central Intelligence Agency.(a) In general.'--Section 17(e)(7) of the Central Intelligence Agency Act of 1949 (50 U.S.C. 3517(e)(7)) is amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
''(C) (i) The Inspector General may designate an officer or employee appointed in accordance with subparagraph (A) as a law enforcement officer solely for purposes of subchapter III of chapter 83 or chapter 84 of title 5, United States Code, if such officer or employee is appointed to a position with responsibility for investigating suspected offenses against the criminal laws of the United States.
''(ii) In carrying out clause (i), the Inspector General shall ensure that any authority under such clause is exercised in a manner consistent with section 3307 of title 5, United States Code, as it relates to law enforcement officers.
''(iii) For purposes of applying sections 3307(d), 8335(b), and 8425(b) of title 5, United States Code, the Inspector General may exercise the functions, powers, and duties of an agency head or appointing authority with respect to the Office.''.
(b) Rule of construction.'--Subparagraph (C) of section 17(e)(7) of the Central Intelligence Agency Act of 1949 (50 U.S.C. 3517(e)(7)), as added by subsection (a), may not be construed to confer on the Inspector General of the Central Intelligence Agency, or any other officer or employee of the Agency, any police or law enforcement or internal security functions or authorities.
SEC. 421.Clarification of authority, direction, and control over the information assurance directorate of the National Security Agency.Section 142(b)(1) of title 10, United States Code, is amended'--
(1) in subparagraph (B), by striking the semicolon and inserting ''; and'';
(2) in subparagraph (C), by striking ''; and'' and inserting a period; and
(3) by striking subparagraph (D).
SEC. 422.Enhancing the technical workforce for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.(a) Report required.'--Building on the basic cyber human capital strategic plan provided to the congressional intelligence committees in 2015, not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act and updated two years thereafter, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation shall submit to the congressional intelligence committees a comprehensive strategic workforce report regarding initiatives to effectively integrate information technology expertise in the investigative process.
(b) Elements.'--The report required by subsection (a) shall include the following:
(1) An assessment, including measurable benchmarks, of progress on initiatives to recruit, train, and retain personnel with the necessary skills and experiences in vital areas, including encryption, cryptography, and big data analytics.
(2) An assessment of whether officers of the Federal Bureau of Investigation who possess such skills are fully integrated into the Bureau's work, including Agent-led investigations.
(3) A description of the quality and quantity of the collaborations between the Bureau and private sector entities on cyber issues, including the status of efforts to benefit from employees with experience transitioning between the public and private sectors.
(4) An assessment of the utility of reinstituting, if applicable, and leveraging the Director's Advisory Board, which was originally constituted in 2005, to provide outside advice on how to better integrate technical expertise with the investigative process and on emerging concerns in cyber-related issues.
SEC. 423.Plan on assumption of certain weather missions by the National Reconnaissance Office.(a) Plan.'--
(1) IN GENERAL.'--Except as provided in subsection (c), the Director of the National Reconnaissance Office shall develop a plan for the National Reconnaissance Office to address how to carry out covered space-based environmental monitoring missions. Such plan shall include'--
(A) a description of the related national security requirements for such missions;
(B) a description of the appropriate manner to meet such requirements; and
(C) the amount of funds that would be necessary to be transferred from the Air Force to the National Reconnaissance Office during fiscal years 2018 through 2022 to carry out such plan.
(2) ACTIVITIES.'--In developing the plan under paragraph (1), the Director may conduct pre-acquisition activities, including with respect to requests for information, analyses of alternatives, study contracts, modeling and simulation, and other activities the Director determines necessary to develop such plan.
(3) SUBMISSION.'--Not later than July 1, 2017, and except as provided in subsection (c), the Director shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees the plan under paragraph (1).
(b) Independent cost estimate.'--The Director of the Cost Assessment Improvement Group of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, in coordination with the Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, shall certify to the appropriate congressional committees that the amounts of funds identified under subsection (a)(1)(C) as being necessary to transfer are appropriate and include funding for positions and personnel to support program office costs.
(c) Waiver based on report and certification of Air Force acquisition program.'--The Director of the National Reconnaissance Office may waive the requirement to develop a plan under subsection (a), if the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Technology, and Logistics and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff jointly submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report by not later than July 1, 2017, that contains'--
(1) a certification that the Secretary of the Air Force is carrying out a formal acquisition program that has received milestone A approval to address the cloud characterization and theater weather imagery requirements of the Department of Defense; and
(2) an identification of the cost, schedule, requirements, and acquisition strategy of such acquisition program.
(d) Definitions.'--In this section:
(1) The term ''appropriate congressional committees'' means'--
(A) the congressional intelligence committees; and
(B) the congressional defense committees (as defined in section 101(a)(16) of title 10, United States Code).
(2) The term ''covered space-based environmental monitoring missions'' means the acquisition programs necessary to meet the national security requirements for cloud characterization and theater weather imagery.
SEC. 501.Committee to counter active measures by the Russian Federation to exert covert influence over peoples and governments.(a) Definitions.'--In this section:
(1) ACTIVE MEASURES BY RUSSIA TO EXERT COVERT INFLUENCE.'--The term ''active measures by Russia to exert covert influence'' means activities intended to influence a person or government that are carried out in coordination with, or at the behest of, political leaders or the security services of the Russian Federation and the role of the Russian Federation has been hidden or not acknowledged publicly, including the following:
(A) Establishment or funding of a front group.
(B) Covert broadcasting.
(C) Media manipulation.
(D) Disinformation and forgeries.
(E) Funding agents of influence.
(F) Incitement and offensive counterintelligence.
(G) Assassinations.
(H) Terrorist acts.
(2) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS.'--The term ''appropriate committees of Congress'' means'--
(A) the congressional intelligence committees;
(B) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate; and
(C) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives.
(b) Establishment.'--There is established within the executive branch an interagency committee to counter active measures by the Russian Federation to exert covert influence.
(c) Membership.'--
(1) IN GENERAL.'--
(A) APPOINTMENT.'--Each head of an agency or department of the United States Government set out under subparagraph (B) shall appoint one member of the committee established by subsection (b) from among officials of such agency or department who occupy a position that is required to be appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate.
(B) HEAD OF AN AGENCY OR DEPARTMENT.'--The head of an agency or department of the United States Government set out under this subparagraph are the following:
(i) The Director of National Intelligence.
(ii) The Secretary of State.
(iii) The Secretary of Defense.
(iv) The Secretary of the Treasury.
(v) The Attorney General.
(vi) The Secretary of Energy.
(vii) The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
(viii) The head of any other agency or department of the United States Government designated by the President for purposes of this section.
(d) Meetings.'--The committee shall meet on a regular basis.
(e) Duties.'--The duties of the committee established by subsection (b) shall be as follows:
(1) To counter active measures by Russia to exert covert influence, including by exposing falsehoods, agents of influence, corruption, human rights abuses, terrorism, and assassinations carried out by the security services or political elites of the Russian Federation or their proxies.
(2) Such other duties as the President may designate for purposes of this section.
(f) Staff.'--The committee established by subsection (b) may employ such staff as the members of such committee consider appropriate.
(g) Budget request.'--A request for funds required for the functioning of the committee established by subsection (b) may be included in each budget for a fiscal year submitted by the President pursuant to section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code.
(h) Annual report.'--
(1) REQUIREMENT.'--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, and consistent with the protection of intelligence sources and methods, the committee established by subsection (b) shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report describing steps being taken by the committee to counter active measures by Russia to exert covert influence.
(2) MATTERS INCLUDED.'--Each report under paragraph (1) shall include a summary of the following:
(A) Active measures by Russia to exert covert influence during the previous year, including significant incidents and notable trends.
(B) Key initiatives of the committee.
(C) Implementation of the committee's initiatives by the heads of the agencies and departments of the United States Government specified in subsection (c)(1)(B).
(D) Analysis of the success of such initiatives.
(E) Changes to such initiatives from the previous year.
(3) SEPARATE REPORTING REQUIREMENT.'--The requirement to submit an annual report under paragraph (1) is in addition to any other reporting requirements with respect to Russia.
SEC. 502.Limitation on travel of accredited diplomats and consulars of the Russian Federation in the United States from their diplomatic post.(a) Appropriate committees of Congress defined.'--In this section, the term ''appropriate committees of Congress'' means'--
(1) the congressional intelligence committees;
(2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate; and
(3) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives.
(b) Quarterly limitation on travel distance.'--Accredited diplomatic personnel and consulars of the Russian Federation in the United States may not be permitted to travel a distance in excess of 25 miles from their diplomatic post in the United States in a calendar quarter unless, on or before the last day of the preceding calendar quarter, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation has certified in writing to the appropriate committees of Congress that during the preceding calendar quarter the Bureau did not identify any violations by accredited diplomatic personnel and consulars of the Russian Federation of applicable requirements to notify the United States Government in connection with travel by such diplomatic personnel and consulars of a distance in excess of 25 miles from their diplomatic post in the United States.
(c) Applicability.'--Subsection (b) shall apply to each calendar quarter that begins more than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(d) Waiver authority.'--
(1) IN GENERAL.'--The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation may waive any travel distance limitation imposed by subsection (b) if the Director determines that such a waiver will further the law enforcement or national security interests of the United States.
(2) NOTIFICATION.'--Not later than 15 days after issuing a waiver under paragraph (1), the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a notification that such waiver has been issued and the justification for the issuance of such waiver.
SEC. 503.Study and report on enhanced intelligence and information sharing with Open Skies Treaty member states.(a) Definitions.'--In this section:
(1) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS.'--The term ''appropriate committees of Congress'' means'--
(A) congressional intelligence committees;
(B) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate; and
(C) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives.
(2) COVERED STATE PARTY.'--The term ''covered state party'' means a foreign country, that'--
(A) was a state party to the Open Skies Treaty on February 22, 2016; and
(B) is not the Russian Federation or the Republic of Belarus.
(3) OPEN SKIES TREATY.'--The term ''Open Skies Treaty'' means the Treaty on Open Skies, done at Helsinki March 24, 1992, and entered into force January 1, 2002.
(b) Feasibility study.'--
(1) REQUIREMENT FOR STUDY.'--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National Intelligence shall conduct and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a study to determine the feasibility of creating an intelligence sharing arrangement and database to provide covered state parties with imagery that is comparable, delivered more frequently, and in equal or higher resolution than imagery available through the database established under the Open Skies Treaty.
(2) ELEMENTS.'--The study required by paragraph (1) shall include an evaluation of the following:
(A) The methods by which the United States could collect and provide imagery, including commercial satellite imagery, national technical means, and through other intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms, under an information sharing arrangement and database referred to in paragraph (1).
(B) The ability of other covered state parties to contribute imagery to the arrangement and database.
(C) Any impediments to the United States and other covered states parties providing such imagery, including any statutory barriers, insufficiencies in the ability to collect the imagery or funding, under such an arrangement.
(D) Whether imagery of Moscow, Chechnya, the international border between Russia and Georgia, Kaliningrad, or the Republic of Belarus could be provided under such an arrangement.
(E) The annual and projected costs associated with the establishment of such an arrangement and database, as compared with costs to the United States and other covered state parties of being parties to the Open Skies Treaty, including Open Skies Treaty plane maintenance, aircraft fuel, crew expenses, mitigation measures necessary associated with Russian Federation overflights over the United States or covered state parties, and new sensor development and acquisition.
(3) SUPPORT FROM OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES.'--Each head of a Federal agency shall provide such support to the Director as may be necessary for the Director to conduct the study required by paragraph (1).
(c) Report.'--
(1) REQUIREMENT FOR REPORT.'--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National Intelligence shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress the report described in this subsection.
(2) CONTENT OF REPORT.'--The report required by paragraph (1) shall include the following:
(A) An intelligence assessment on Russian Federation warfighting doctrine and the extent to which Russian Federation flights under the Open Skies Treaty contribute to such doctrine.
(B) A counterintelligence analysis as to whether the Russian Federation has, could have, or intends to have the capability to exceed the imagery limits set forth in the Open Skies Treaty.
(C) A list of intelligence exchanges with covered state parties that have been updated on the information described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) and the date and form such information was provided.
(d) Form of submission.'--The study required by subsection (b) and the report required by subsection (c) shall be submitted in an unclassified form but may include a classified annex.
SEC. 601.Information on activities of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.Subsection (e) of section 1061 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 2000ee(e)) is amended'--
(1) by striking the subsection heading and inserting ''Reports and oversight activities.'--''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
''(3) INFORMATION.'--
''(A) OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES.'--In addition to the reports submitted under paragraph (1)(B), the Board shall ensure that each official and congressional committee specified in subparagraph (B) is kept fully and currently informed of the oversight activities of the Board, including any significant anticipated oversight activities.
''(B) OFFICIALS AND CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES SPECIFIED.'--The officials and congressional committees specified in this subparagraph are the following:
''(i) The Director of National Intelligence.
''(ii) The head of any element of the intelligence community (as defined in section 3(4) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4)) the activities of which are, or are anticipated to be, the subject of the Board's oversight activities.
''(iii) The Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives.
''(C) EXEMPTION FOR STATUTORY ADVICE FUNCTION.'--This paragraph shall not apply to exercises of the Board's advice function as set out in subsection (d)(1).
''(D) PRESERVATION OF PRIVILEGE.'--Nothing in this paragraph may be construed to abridge or require waiver of any applicable privilege.
''(4) REPORTS ON ADVICE TO ELEMENTS OF THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY.'--Whenever an element of the intelligence community acts in contravention of the advice provided by the Board under subsection (d)(1), the Board shall, no less than 30 days after the action in contravention of the Board's advice, notify the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives of the provision of advice and of the action by the element of the intelligence community.''.
SEC. 602.Authorization of appropriations for Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.(a) Requirement for authorizations.'--Subsection (m) of section 1061 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 2000ee(m)) is amended to read as follows:
''(m) Funding.'--
''(1) SPECIFIC AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED.'--Appropriated funds available to the Board may be obligated or expended to carry out activities under this section only if such funds were specifically authorized by Congress for use for such activities for such fiscal year.
''(2) DEFINITION.'--In this subsection, the term 'specifically authorized by Congress' has the meaning given that term in section 504(e) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3094(e)).''.
(b) Authorization of appropriations.'--There is authorized to be appropriated to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board for fiscal year 2017 the sum of $10,081,000 to carry out the activities of the Board under section 1061 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 2000ee).
SEC. 701.Declassification review with respect to detainees transferred from United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.(a) In general.'--For each individual detained at United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after September 11, 2001, who was transferred or released from United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the Director of National Intelligence shall'--
(1) (A) complete a declassification review of intelligence reports regarding past terrorist activities of that individual prepared by the National Counterterrorism Center for the individual's Periodic Review Board sessions, transfer, or release; or
(B) if the individual's transfer or release occurred prior to the date on which the National Counterterrorism Center first began to prepare such reports regarding detainees, such other intelligence report or reports that contain the same or similar information regarding the individual's past terrorist activities;
(2) make available to the public'--
(A) any intelligence reports declassified as a result of the declassification review; and
(B) with respect to each individual transferred or released, for whom intelligence reports are declassified as a result of the declassification review, an unclassified summary which shall be prepared by the President of measures being taken by the country to which the individual was transferred or released to monitor the individual and to prevent the individual from carrying out future terrorist activities; and
(3) submit to the congressional intelligence committees a report setting out the results of the declassification review, including a description of intelligence reports covered by the review that were not declassified.
(b) Schedule.'--
(1) TRANSFER OR RELEASE PRIOR TO ENACTMENT.'--Not later than 210 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National Intelligence shall submit the report required by subsection (a)(3), which shall include the results of the declassification review completed for each individual detained at United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who was transferred or released from United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, prior to the date of the enactment of this Act.
(2) TRANSFER OR RELEASE AFTER ENACTMENT.'--Not later than 120 days after the date an individual detained at United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, on or after the date of the enactment of this Act is transferred or released from United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, the Director shall submit the report required by subsection (a)(3) for such individual.
(c) Past terrorist activities.'--For purposes of this section, the past terrorist activities of an individual shall include all terrorist activities conducted by the individual before the individual's transfer to the detention facility at United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, including, at a minimum, the following:
(1) The terrorist organization, if any, with which affiliated.
(2) The terrorist training, if any, received.
(3) The role in past terrorist attacks against United States interests or allies.
(4) The direct responsibility, if any, for the death of United States citizens or members of the Armed Forces.
(5) Any admission of any matter specified in paragraphs (1) through (4).
SEC. 702.Cyber Center for Education and Innovation Home of the National Cryptologic Museum.(a) Authority To establish and operate Center.'--Chapter 449 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
''§ 4781.Cyber Center for Education and Innovation Home of the National Cryptologic Museum''(a) Establishment.'-- (1) The Secretary of Defense may establish at a publicly accessible location at Fort George G. Meade the 'Cyber Center for Education and Innovation Home of the National Cryptologic Museum' (in this section referred to as the 'Center').
''(2) The Center may be used for the identification, curation, storage, and public viewing of materials relating to the activities of the National Security Agency, any predecessor or successor organizations of such Agency, and the history of cryptology.
''(3) The Center may contain meeting, conference, and classroom facilities that will be used to support such education, training, public outreach, and other purposes as the Secretary considers appropriate.
''(b) Design, construction, and operation.'--The Secretary may enter into an agreement with the National Cryptologic Museum Foundation (in this section referred to as the 'Foundation'), a nonprofit organization, for the design, construction, and operation of the Center.
''(c) Acceptance authority.'-- (1) If the Foundation constructs the Center pursuant to an agreement with the Foundation under subsection (b), upon satisfactory completion of the Center's construction or any phase thereof, as determined by the Secretary, and upon full satisfaction by the Foundation of any other obligations pursuant to such agreement, the Secretary may accept the Center (or any phase thereof) from the Foundation, and all right, title, and interest in the Center or such phase shall vest in the United States.
''(2) Notwithstanding section 1342 of title 31, the Secretary may accept services from the Foundation in connection with the design construction, and operation of the Center. For purposes of this section and any other provision of law, employees or personnel of the Foundation shall not be considered to be employees of the United States.
''(d) Fees and user charges.'-- (1) The Secretary may assess fees and user charges to cover the cost of the use of Center facilities and property, including rental, user, conference, and concession fees.
''(2) Amounts received under paragraph (1) shall be deposited into the fund established under subsection (e).
''(e) Fund.'-- (1) Upon the Secretary's acceptance of the Center under subsection (c)(1)) there is established in the Treasury a fund to be known as the 'Cyber Center for Education and Innovation-Home of the National Cryptologic Museum Fund' (in this subsection referred to as the 'Fund').
''(2) The Fund shall consist of the following amounts:
''(A) Fees and user charges deposited by the Secretary under subsection (d).
''(B) Any other amounts received by the Secretary which are attributable to the operation of the Center.
''(3) Amounts in the Fund shall be available to the Secretary for the benefit and operation of the Center, including the costs of operation and the acquisition of books, manuscripts, works of art, historical artifacts, drawings, plans, models, and condemned or obsolete combat materiel.''.
(b) Clerical amendment.'--The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 449 of title 10, United State Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new item:
''4781. Cyber Center for Education and Innovation Home of the National Cryptologic Museum.''.SEC. 703.Oversight of national security systems.(a) In general.'--Section 3557 of title 44, United States Code, is amended'--
(1) by striking ''The head'' and inserting the following:
''(c) Responsibilities of agencies.'--The head''; and
(2) by inserting before subsection (c), as designated by paragraph (1), the following:
''(a) Definitions.'--In this section:
''(1) BINDING OPERATIONAL DIRECTIVE.'--Notwithstanding section 3552(b), the term 'binding operational directive' means a compulsory direction to an agency that'--
''(A) is for purposes of safeguarding national security information and information systems from a known or reasonably suspected information security threat, vulnerability, or risk; and
''(B) shall be in accordance with policies, principles, standards, and guidelines issued by the Committee.
''(2) COMMITTEE.'--The term 'Committee' means the committee established pursuant to National Security Directive 42, signed by the President on July 5, 1990.
''(3) NATIONAL MANAGER.'--The term 'National Manager' means the national manager referred to in National Security Directive 42, signed by the President on July 5, 1990.
''(b) Oversight by National Manager.'--
''(1) DESIGNATION.'--The Director of the National Security Agency shall serve as the National Manager.
''(2) REGISTRATION OF NATIONAL SECURITY SYSTEMS.'--
''(A) IN GENERAL.'--Each head of an agency that operates or exercises control of a national security system shall register such system and its configuration with the National Manager.
''(B) LIMITATION.'--The head of an agency operating or exercising control of a national security system may not operate or exercise control of such national security system until such head receives a letter from the National Manager that acknowledges registration of such national security system.
''(3) AUTHORITY TO INSPECT.'--The National Manager, in consultation with the head of an agency that operates or exercises control of a national security system, may, as the National Manager considers appropriate, inspect such system'--
''(A) for adherence to such standards as the Committee may establish for national security systems; and
''(B) to confirm whether the national security system coheres with its configuration registered under paragraph (2).
''(4) BINDING OPERATIONAL DIRECTIVES.'--
''(A) IN GENERAL.'--Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the National Manager, in consultation with the Committee, may issue such binding operational directives as the National Manager considers appropriate to ensure the security of a national security system.
''(B) LIMITATION.'--In any case in which the National Manager issues an operational directive under subparagraph (A) with respect to a national security system operated or controlled by an agency, such operational directive shall not be considered binding if the head of such agency submits to the National Manager a certification that the operational directive would degrade national security.
''(C) ANNUAL REPORT.'--Not less frequently than once each year, the National Manager shall submit to the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives a report on the certifications submitted to the National Manager under subparagraph (B) in the most recent year preceding the report.''.
(b) Consideration of certain routine administrative and business applications as national security systems.'--
(1) TITLE 40.'--Section 11103(a) of title 40, United States Code, is amended'--
(A) by striking paragraph (2);
(B) in paragraph (1)(E), by striking ''subject to paragraph (2),'';
(C) by striking ''Definition.'--'' and all that follows through ''In this section'' and inserting ''National security system defined.'--In this section''; and
(D) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) through (E) as paragraphs (1) through (5), respectively, and moving such paragraphs 2 ems to the left.
(2) TITLE 44.'--Section 3552(b)(6) of title 44, United States Code, is amended'--
(A) by striking subparagraph (B);
(B) in subparagraph (A), by striking ''(A)'';
(C) by redesignating clauses (i) and (ii) as subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively;
(D) by redesignating subclauses (I) through (V) as clauses (i) through (v), respectively; and
(E) in subparagraph (A)(v), as redesignated, by striking ''subject to subparagraph (B),''.
SEC. 704.Joint facilities certification.(a) Findings.'--Congress finds the following:
(1) The Director of National Intelligence set a strategic goal to use joint facilities as a means to save costs by consolidating administrative and support functions across multiple elements of the intelligence community.
(2) The use of joint facilities provides more opportunities for operational collaboration and information sharing among elements of the intelligence community.
(b) Certification.'--Before an element of the intelligence community purchases, leases, or constructs a new facility that is 20,000 square feet or larger, the head of that element of the intelligence community shall submit to the Director of National Intelligence'--
(1) a certification that, to the best of the knowledge of the head of such element, all prospective joint facilities in the vicinity have been considered and the element is unable to identify a joint facility that meets the operational requirements of such element; and
(2) a statement listing the reasons for not participating in the prospective joint facilities considered by the element.
SEC. 705.Leadership and management of space activities.(a) Appropriate committees of Congress defined.'--In this section, the term ''appropriate committees of Congress'' means the congressional intelligence committees, the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate, and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives.
(b) Update to strategy for comprehensive interagency review of the United States national security overhead satellite architecture.'--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National Intelligence, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, shall issue an update to the strategy required by section 312 of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (division M of Public Law 114''113; 129 Stat. 2919).
(c) Unity of effort in space operations between the intelligence community and Department of Defense.'--
(1) REQUIREMENT FOR PLAN.'--Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National Intelligence, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a plan to functionally integrate the governance, operations, analysis, collection, policy, and acquisition activities related to space and counterspace carried out by the intelligence community. The plan shall include analysis of no fewer than 2 alternative constructs to implement this plan, and an assessment of statutory, policy, organizational, programmatic, and resources changes that may be required to implement each alternative construct.
(2) APPOINTMENT BY THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE.'--Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National Intelligence, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall appoint a single official to oversee development of the plan required by paragraph (1).
(3) SCOPE OF PLAN.'--The plan required by paragraph (1) shall include methods to functionally integrate activities carried out by'--
(A) the National Reconnaissance Office;
(B) the functional managers for signals intelligence and geospatial intelligence;
(C) the Office of the Director of National Intelligence;
(D) other Intelligence Community elements with space-related programs;
(E) joint interagency efforts; and
(F) other entities as identified by the Director of National Intelligence in coordination with the Secretary of Defense.
(d) Intelligence community space workforce.'--Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National Intelligence shall submit to the congressional intelligence committees a workforce plan to recruit, develop, and retain personnel in the intelligence community with skills and experience in space and counterspace operations, analysis, collection, policy, and acquisition.
(e) Joint Interagency Combined Space Operations Center.'--
(1) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.'--The Director of the National Reconnaissance Office and the Commander of the United States Strategic Command, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence and Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress concept of operations and requirements documents for the Joint Interagency Combined Space Operations Center by the date that is the earlier of'--
(A) the completion of the experimental phase of such Center; or
(B) 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(2) QUARTERLY BRIEFINGS.'--The Director of the National Reconnaissance Office and the Commander of the United States Strategic Command, in coordination with the Director of National Intelligence and Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, shall provide to the appropriate committees of Congress briefings providing updates on activities and progress of the Joint Interagency Combined Space Operations Center to begin 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. Such briefings shall be quarterly for the first year following enactment, and annually thereafter.
SEC. 706.Advances in life sciences and biotechnology.(a) Requirement for plan.'--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National Intelligence shall brief the congressional intelligence committees on a proposed plan to monitor advances in life sciences and biotechnology to be carried out by the Director.
(b) Contents of plan.'--The plan required by subsection (a) shall include'--
(1) a description of the approach the elements of the intelligence community will take to make use of organic life science and biotechnology expertise within and outside the intelligence community on a routine and contingency basis;
(2) an assessment of the current collection and analytical posture of the life sciences and biotechnology portfolio as it relates to United States competitiveness and the global bio-economy, the risks and threats evolving with advances in genetic editing technologies, and the implications of such advances on future biodefense requirements; and
(3) an analysis of organizational requirements and responsibilities, including potentially creating new positions.
(c) Report to Congress.'--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National Intelligence shall submit to the congressional intelligence committees, the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate, and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives a report and provide a briefing on the role of the intelligence community in the event of a biological attack on the United States, including an assessment of the capabilities and gaps in technical capabilities that exist to address the potential circumstance of a novel unknown pathogen.
SEC. 707.Reports on declassification proposals.(a) Covered studies defined.'--In this section, the term ''covered studies'' means the studies that the Director of National Intelligence requested that the elements of the intelligence community produce in the course of producing the fundamental classification guidance review for fiscal year 2017 required by Executive Order No. 13526 (50 U.S.C. 3161 note), as follows:
(1) A study of the feasibility of reducing the number of original classification authorities in each element of the intelligence community to the minimum number required and any negative impacts that reduction could have on mission capabilities.
(2) A study of the actions required to implement a proactive discretionary declassification program distinct from the systematic, automatic, and mandatory declassification review programs outlined in part 2001 of title 32, Code of Federal Regulations, including section 2001.35 of such part.
(3) A study of the benefits and drawbacks of implementing a single classification guide that could be used by all elements of the intelligence community in the nonoperational and more common areas of such elements.
(4) A study of whether the classification level of ''confidential'' could be eliminated within agency-generated classification guides from use by elements of the intelligence community and any negative impacts that elimination could have on mission success.
(b) Reports and briefings to Congress.'--
(1) PROGRESS REPORT.'--Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National Intelligence shall submit a report to the congressional intelligence committees and provide the congressional intelligence committees a briefing on the progress of the elements of the intelligence community in producing the covered studies.
(2) FINAL REPORT.'--Not later than the earlier of 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act or June 30, 2017, the Director of National Intelligence shall submit a report and provide a briefing to the congressional intelligence committees on'--
(A) the final versions of the covered studies that have been provided to the Director by the elements of the intelligence community; and
(B) a plan for implementation of each initiative included in each such covered study.
SEC. 708.Improvement in Government classification and declassification.(a) Review of Government classification and declassification.'--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National Intelligence shall'--
(1) review the system by which the Government classifies and declassifies information;
(2) develop recommendations'--
(A) to make such system a more effective tool for the protection of information relating to national security;
(B) to improve the sharing of information with partners and allies of the Government; and
(C) to support the appropriate declassification of information; and
(3) submit to the congressional intelligence committees a report with'--
(A) the findings of the Director with respect to the review conducted under paragraph (1); and
(B) the recommendations developed under paragraph (2).
(b) Annual certification of controlled access programs.'--
(1) IN GENERAL.'--Not less frequently than once each year, the Director of National Intelligence shall certify to the congressional intelligence committees whether the creation, validation, or substantial modification, including termination, for all existing and proposed controlled access programs, and the compartments and subcompartments within each, are substantiated and justified based on the information required by paragraph (2).
(2) INFORMATION REQUIRED.'--Each certification pursuant to paragraph (1) shall include'--
(A) the rationale for the revalidation, validation, or substantial modification, including termination, of each controlled access program, compartment and subcompartment;
(B) the identification of a control officer for each controlled access program; and
(C) a statement of protection requirements for each controlled access program.
SEC. 709.Report on implementation of research and development recommendations.Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National Intelligence shall submit to the congressional intelligence committees a report that includes the following:
(1) An assessment of the actions each element of the intelligence community has completed to implement the recommendations made by the National Commission for the Review of the Research and Development Programs of the United States Intelligence Community established under section 1002 of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 (Public Law 107''306; 50 U.S.C. 3001 note).
(2) An analysis of the balance between short-, medium-, and long-term research efforts carried out by each element of the intelligence community.
SEC. 710.Report on Intelligence Community Research and Development Corps.Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National Intelligence shall submit to the congressional intelligence committees a report and a briefing on a plan, with milestones and benchmarks, to implement an Intelligence Community Research and Development Corps, as recommended in the Report of the National Commission for the Review of the Research and Development Programs of the United States Intelligence Community, including an assessment'--
(1) of the funding and modification to existing authorities needed to allow for the implementation of such Corps; and
(2) of additional legislative authorities, if any, necessary to undertake such implementation.
SEC. 711.Report on information relating to academic programs, scholarships, fellowships, and internships sponsored, administered, or used by the intelligence community.(a) Report.'--Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National Intelligence shall submit to the congressional intelligence committees a report by the intelligence community regarding covered academic programs. Such report shall include'--
(1) a description of the extent to which the Director and the heads of the elements of the intelligence community independently collect information on covered academic programs, including with respect to'--
(A) the number of applicants for such programs;
(B) the number of individuals who have participated in such programs; and
(C) the number of individuals who have participated in such programs and were hired by an element of the intelligence community after completing such program;
(2) to the extent that the Director and the heads independently collect the information described in paragraph (1), a chart, table, or other compilation illustrating such information for each covered academic program and element of the intelligence community, as appropriate, during the three-year period preceding the date of the report; and
(3) to the extent that the Director and the heads do not independently collect the information described in paragraph (1) as of the date of the report'--
(A) whether the Director and the heads can begin collecting such information during fiscal year 2017; and
(B) the personnel, tools, and other resources required by the Director and the heads to independently collect such information.
(b) Covered academic programs defined.'--In this section, the term ''covered academic programs'' means'--
(1) the Federal Cyber Scholarship-for-Service Program under section 302 of the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014 (15 U.S.C. 7442);
(2) the National Security Education Program under the David L. Boren National Security Education Act of 1991 (50 U.S.C. 1901 et seq.);
(3) the Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation Defense Education Program under section 2192a of title 10, United States Code;
(4) the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance and Cyber Defense of the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security; and
(5) any other academic program, scholarship program, fellowship program, or internship program sponsored, administered, or used by an element of the intelligence community.
SEC. 712.Report on intelligence community employees detailed to National Security Council.Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National Intelligence shall submit to the congressional intelligence committees a report listing, by year, the number of employees of an element of the intelligence community who have been detailed to the National Security Council during the 10-year period preceding the date of the report.
SEC. 713.Intelligence community reporting to Congress on foreign fighter flows.(a) Reports required.'--Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter, the Director of National Intelligence, consistent with the protection of intelligence sources and methods, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on foreign fighter flows to and from terrorist safe havens abroad.
(b) Contents.'--Each report submitted under subsection (a) shall include, with respect to each terrorist safe haven, the following:
(1) The total number of foreign fighters who have traveled or are suspected of having traveled to the terrorist safe haven since 2011, including the countries of origin of such foreign fighters.
(2) The total number of United States citizens present in the terrorist safe haven.
(3) The total number of foreign fighters who have left the terrorist safe haven or whose whereabouts are unknown.
(c) Form.'--The reports submitted under subsection (a) may be submitted in classified form. If such a report is submitted in classified form, such report shall also include an unclassified summary.
(d) Sunset.'--The requirement to submit reports under subsection (a) shall terminate on the date that is two years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(e) Appropriate congressional committees defined.'--In this section, the term ''appropriate congressional committees'' means'--
(1) in the Senate'--
(A) the Committee on Armed Services;
(B) the Select Committee on Intelligence;
(C) the Committee on the Judiciary;
(D) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs;
(E) the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs;
(F) the Committee on Foreign Relations; and
(G) the Committee on Appropriations; and
(2) in the House of Representatives'--
(A) the Committee on Armed Services;
(B) the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence;
(C) the Committee on the Judiciary;
(D) the Committee on Homeland Security;
(E) the Committee on Financial Services;
(F) the Committee on Foreign Affairs; and
(G) the Committee on Appropriations.
SEC. 714.Report on cybersecurity threats to seaports of the United States and maritime shipping.(a) Report.'--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Intelligence and Analysis, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence, and consistent with the protection of sources and methods, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the cybersecurity threats to, and the cyber vulnerabilities within, the software, communications networks, computer networks, or other systems employed by'--
(1) entities conducting significant operations at seaports in the United States;
(2) the maritime shipping concerns of the United States; and
(3) entities conducting significant operations at transshipment points in the United States.
(b) Matters included.'--The report under subsection (a) shall include the following:
(1) A description of any recent and significant cyberattacks or cybersecurity threats directed against software, communications networks, computer networks, or other systems employed by the entities and concerns described in paragraphs (1) through (3) of subsection (a).
(2) An assessment of'--
(A) any planned cyberattacks directed against such software, networks, and systems;
(B) any significant vulnerabilities to such software, networks, and systems; and
(C) how such entities and concerns are mitigating such vulnerabilities.
(3) An update on the status of the efforts of the Coast Guard to include cybersecurity concerns in the National Response Framework, Emergency Support Functions, or both, relating to the shipping or ports of the United States.
(c) Appropriate congressional committees defined.'--In this section, the term ''appropriate congressional committees'' means'--
(1) the congressional intelligence committees; and
(2) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives.
SEC. 715.Report on counter-messaging activities.(a) Report.'--Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Intelligence and Analysis, consistent with the protection of sources and methods, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the counter-messaging activities of the Department of Homeland Security with respect to the Islamic State and other extremist groups.
(b) Elements.'--The report under subsection (a) shall include the following:
(1) A description of whether, and to what extent, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in conducting counter-messaging activities with respect to the Islamic State and other extremist groups, consults or coordinates with the Secretary of State, regarding the counter-messaging activities undertaken by the Department of State with respect to the Islamic State and other extremist groups, including counter-messaging activities conducted by the Global Engagement Center of the Department of State.
(2) Any criteria employed by the Secretary of Homeland Security for selecting, developing, promulgating, or changing the counter-messaging approach of the Department of Homeland Security, including any counter-messaging narratives, with respect to the Islamic State and other extremist groups.
(c) Appropriate congressional committees defined.'--In this section, the term ''appropriate congressional committees'' means'--
(1) the congressional intelligence committees; and
(2) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives.
SEC. 716.Report on reprisals against contractors of the intelligence community.(a) Report.'--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community, consistent with the protection of sources and methods, shall submit to the congressional intelligence committees a report on reprisals made against covered contractor employees.
(b) Elements.'--The report under subsection (a) shall include the following:
(1) Identification of the number of known or claimed reprisals made against covered contractor employees during the 3-year period preceding the date of the report and any evaluation of such reprisals.
(2) An evaluation of the usefulness of establishing a prohibition on reprisals against covered contractor employees as a means of encouraging such contractors to make protected disclosures.
(3) A description of any challenges associated with establishing such a prohibition, including with respect to the nature of the relationship between the Federal Government, the contractor, and the covered contractor employee.
(4) A description of any approaches taken by the Federal Government to account for reprisals against non-intelligence community contractors who make protected disclosures, including pursuant to section 2409 of title 10, United States Code, and sections 4705 and 4712 of title 41, United States Code.
(5) Any recommendations the Inspector General determines appropriate.
(c) Definitions.'--In this section:
(1) COVERED CONTRACTOR EMPLOYEE.'--The term ''covered contractor employee'' means an employee of a contractor of an element of the intelligence community.
(2) REPRISAL.'--The term ''reprisal'' means the discharge or other adverse personnel action made against a covered contractor employee for making a disclosure of information that would be a disclosure protected by law if the contractor were an employee of the Federal Government.
Passed the House of Representatives November 30, 2016.
Fake News Or Real? How To Self-Check The News And Get The Facts : All Tech Considered : NPR
Fake news stories can have real-life consequences. On Sunday, police said a man with a rifle who claimed to be "self-investigating" a baseless online conspiracy theory entered a Washington, D.C., pizzeria and fired the weapon inside the restaurant.
So yes, fake news is a big problem.
These stories have gotten a lot of attention, with headlines claiming Pope Francis endorsed Donald Trump in November's election and sites like American News sharing misleading stories or taking quotes out of context. And when sites like DC Gazette share stories about people, who allegedly investigated the Clinton family, being found dead, the stories go viral and some people believe them. Again, these stories are not true in any way.
Stopping the proliferation of fake news isn't just the responsibility of the platforms used to spread it. Those who consume news also need to find ways of determining if what they're reading is true. We offer several tips below.
The idea is that people should have a fundamental sense of media literacy. And based on a study recently released by Stanford University researchers, many people don't.
Sam Wineburg, a professor of education and history at Stanford University and the lead author of the study, said a solution is for all readers to read like fact checkers. But how do fact checkers do their job?
Alexios Mantzarlis, director of the International Fact-Checking Network at Poynter, says fact checkers have a process for each claim they deal with.
"You'll isolate a claim that has something that can be objectively verified, you will seek the best primary sources in that topic. Find whether they match or refute or prove the claim being made and then present with all limitations the data and what the data says about the claim being made," Mantzarlis says.
That's the framework for professionals, but there are ways for everyone to do a bit of fact checking themselves.
Melissa Zimdars is an assistant professor of communication and media at Merrimack College. When she saw her students referencing questionable sources, she created and shared a document with them of how to think about sources as well as a list of misleading, satirical and fake sites.
Both Mantzarlis and Zimdars agreed there a few best practices people can use when reading articles online.
Pay attention to the domain and URL
Established news organizations usually own their domains and they have a standard look that you are probably familiar with. Sites with such endings like .com.co should make you raise your eyebrows and tip you off that you need to dig around more to see if they can be trusted. This is true even when the site looks professional and has semi-recognizable logos. For example abcnews.com is a legitimate news source, but abcnews.com.co is not despite its similar appearance.
Read the "About Us" section
Most sites will have a lot of information about the news outlet, the company that runs it, members of leadership, and the mission and ethics statement behind an organization. The language used here is straightforward. If it's melodramatic and seems overblown, you should be skeptical. Also, you should be able to find out more information about the organization's leaders on places other than that site.
Look at the quotes in a story
Or rather, look at the lack of quotes. Most publications have multiple sources in each story who are professionals and have expertise in the fields they talk about. If it's a serious or controversial issue there are more likely to be quotes '-- and lots of them. Look for professors or other academics who can speak to the research they've done. And if they are talking about research, look up those studies.
Look at who said them
Then, see who said the quotes, and what they said. Are they a reputable source with a title that you can verify through a quick Google search? Say you're looking at a story and it says President Obama said he wanted to take everyone's guns away. And then there's a quote. Obama is an official who has almost everything he says recorded and archived. There are transcripts for pretty much any address or speech he has given. Google those quotes. See what the speech was about, who he was addressing and when it happened. Even if he did an exclusive interview with a publication, that same quote will be referenced in other stories, saying he said it while talking to the original publication.
Check the comments
A lot of these fake and misleading stories are shared on social media platforms. Headlines are meant to get the reader's attention, but they're also supposed to accurately reflect what the story is about. Lately, that hasn't been the case. Headlines often will be written in exaggerated language with the intention of being misleading and then attached to stories that are about a completely different topic or just not true. These stories usually generate a lot of comments on Facebook or Twitter. If a lot of these comments call out the article for being fake or misleading, it probably is.
Reverseimage search
A picture should be accurate in illustrating what the story is about. This often doesn't happen. If people who write these fake news stories don't even leave their homes or interview anyone for the stories, it's unlikely they take their own pictures. Do a little detective work and reverse search for the image on Google. You can do this by right-clicking on the image and choosing to search Google for it. If the image is appearing on a lot of stories about many different topics, there's a good chance it's not actually an image of what it says it was on the first story.
These tips are just a start at determining what type of news an article is. Zimdars outlined these and others in a guide for her students.
If you do this you're helping yourself and you're helping others by not increasing the circulation of these stories.
And you won't be the only one trying to stop the spread of this false content. The company leaders behind the platforms these stories are shared on are trying to figure out how to fix the issue from their side, but they are also trying to make sure not to limit anyone's right to freedom of speech. It's a tricky position to be in, but they've said they'll try. In the end it really does depend on taking responsibility and being an engaged consumer of news.
Here's one last thing. Satirical publications exist and serve a purpose, but are clearly labeled as exaggerated and humorous by the writers and owners. Some of the more well-known ones like The Onion and ClickHole use satire to talk about current events. If people don't understand that, they might share these articles after reading them in the literal sense.
If this happens or if you see your friends sharing blatantly fake news, be a friend and kindly tell them it's not real. Don't shy away from these conversations even if they might be uncomfortable. As said, everyone has to help fix the fake news problem.
Wynne Davis is a Digital News intern.
Twitter ads and ad revenue on social media is tied to ISIS propaganda claims suit | Adland ®
The family of Nohemi Gonzalez, who was slain in the 2015 Paris attacks, claims in a lawsuit that Twitter Inc., Facebook Inc. and Google profit from targeted advertising linked to terrorist propaganda promoting violence. The case is Gonzalez v. Twitter Inc., 16-cv-03282, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (Oakland).
The case is one of several similar cases in U.S. courts that allege the social media giants have had crucial roles in the recruiting and growth of terrorist organisation in recent years. We previously reported on the suit where Twitter "knowingly permitted Isis" on their social network.
Seeing as Twitter is quick to ban controversial conservative journalists, possibly because they were getting them bad press among the Hollywood elite, one wonders if Isis groups are allowed to operate simply because Ùا ÙÙ ÙÙÙ ÙراØØ(C) Ùذا (you can not read this).
The biggest hurdle in a suit like this will be making Twitter as the platform responsible for the speech of others. Since Twitter has no qualms of banning users outright, or forcing users to delete their tweets before allowing them back in to their accounts, one could argue that Twitter has taken that responsibility already. See Slate: "Twitter may force users to delete certain tweets before being allowed to log on again."
The family of Nohemi Gonzalez said Friday in a revised version of a lawsuit which was initially filed in June, that the social media companies created ''original content'' by tying advertisements to ISIS-supported posts and generating revenue from them. "Not only does Defendant Google profit from ISIS, it shares some of those revenues with ISIS. In order for ads to appear associated with a posting on a YouTube video, the poster must create a Google AdSense account. The poster must the register the account for monetization" claims the suit. Thus, when the social companies target specific ads to users based on the content they're viewing, the companies are acting outside the Communications Decency Act 's protection for internet platforms that are used to share text, photos and videos, says Keith Altman, a lawyer for the Gonzalez family. Youtube has recently updated their content monetization rules, prompting the hashtag "YoutubeIsOverParty" and a boost to Vid.me go quickly capitalized on the controversy, since some videos can no longer be automatically monetized without a human approving it.
''Although defendants have not created the posting, nor have they created the advertisement, defendants have created new unique content by choosing which advertisement to combine with the posting," reads the revised suit filed by Altman on Friday in California.
Twitter do not respond to press inquires, Google and Facebook has declined to comment.
In the suit, The Gonzalez family show that Google actually have to approve videos that are monetized, and that google share in the revenue generated fro such videos. They have examples of ISIS propaganda that are monetized on Youtube. The Gonzalez family also show that Twitter has done little to permanently remove ISIS backers from the social media platform. The complaint cites a Twitter user with the handle ''DriftOne00146'' that was removed 145 times before being reintroduced for a 146th iteration. Within days and a dozen posts, the user had 547 followers again, according to the complaint.
Pointing out the link between ad revenue generated on the users content within these social media platforms may be the silver bullet, as previous suits have been dismissed like the case Fields v. Twitter Inc in August where Twitter was ruled not liable when the social network was used to spread propaganda that may have led to the death of an American in Amman, Jordan
The False Promises of the Internet | John C. Dvorak | PCMag.com
The future of the Internet is grim. But this is what happens if you do not clamp down on the net.
The early idealism of the Internet was imagined as some great network that would somehow free the world's oppressed people and lead to a grand utopian future. All the world's information would be available at the touch of a button, greater participation in government by the people would be easy, and so on.
None of this has happened or will happen. Instead, the American public dove into a closed system called Facebook, where it dwells as the machine feeds them filtered crap in an echo chamber of their own creation. Those who venture beyond the bubble quickly retreat back into the Facebook milieu where they feel safe.
This was not the promise of the Internet, nor is the ever-increasing censorship of the net. If you took the folks who were gung-ho about the Internet and its future in the early 1990s and compare their ideals to the facts of 2016, you have to laugh.
Currently, Facebook wants to make a play on China, and has reportedly developed a tool that will allow for content censorship there. In other words, it will not pass along information the Chinese government does not want spread. Especially forbidden are facts about the protests of 1989, negative portrayals of current or previous government, and organizations like Falun Gong.
But China is the tip of the censorship iceberg. Here in the US, there is no government censorship. It's not necessary, as all sorts of sketchy do-gooder operations censor all sorts of websites and opinion writers.
The original censor was Net Nanny, which was designed to keep your kids from seeing porn. That evolved into blacklists to minimize the shipping of spam. Now we have a phenomenon called "fake news," which propagates the notion that some websites are making up stories and should be blacklisted as fake news sites.
This is funny to me as I still recall Jayson Blair of the New York Times making up accounts and running them as fact in the paper of record until he was caught. Stephen Glass is another great story about a real news reporter making things up, as is the tale about Janet Cooke at the Washington Post. Google them all and ask yourself where the fake news really comes from.
But this is not really about fake news. It's about a consolidated effort to censor everything except official government-approved positions and viewpoints. And to be honest, what do you think a government should do? The free and open uncensored Internet actually opens the door for all sorts of manipulators to roam free. When you hear reports about how ISIS recruits terrorists online utilizing a range of propaganda mechanisms, they are not kidding.
This is what happens if you do not clamp down on the net. What did you think would happen? I'm often stunned by the naivet(C) of the Internet pioneers when it comes to the dark side of the net. The Chinese have a clue; a lot of countries do. And they are not going to let open subversive activity take down their regimes in the name of free speech.
The future of the Internet is grim. It will consist of Facebook and its own censorship police with an agenda. Also you will have approved, probably licensed, blogs, podcasts and news outlets that have to follow rules like those imposed by the FCC on broadcasting. You'll have the closed alternative social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and others. And, you'll have endless e-commerce sites and hubs selling you stuff that you probably do not need, led by Amazon.
In a decade when the new closed and censored net is in full swing ask yourself, "What did you really expect?"
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John Dvorak is a columnist for PCMag.com and the host of the weekly TV video podcast CrankyGeeks. His work is licensed around the world. Previously a columnist for Forbes, Forbes Digital, PC World, Barrons, MacUser, PC/Computing, Smart Business and other magazines and newspapers. Former editor and consulting editor for Infoworld. Has appeared in the New York Times, LA Times, Philadelphia Enquirer, SF Examiner, Vancouver Sun. Was on the start-up team for CNet TV as well as ZDTV. At ZDTV (and TechTV) was host of Silicon... More >>
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At Least 9 Dead, 13 Unaccounted for in Fire at Oakland Warehouse - ABC News
Searchers have recovered 33 bodies -- some of them teens 17 years old or possibly younger -- from a fire-ravaged warehouse in Oakland, California, that housed artist studios and was hosting a dance party when the deadly blaze broke out, officials said today.
Sgt. Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriff's Office warned that he anticipates that "the number of victims will rise" from a fire officials say may be the deadliest ever in Oakland. The search effort is expected to last for days, he said.
Kelly called the number of deaths "astronomical."
Among the victims was the son of an Alameda County sheriff's deputy, officials said.
Names of six of the eight victims identified by the Alameda County Sheriff's Office Coroner's Bureau were released this evening after their families were notidied. They were: Cash Askew, 22, Oakland; David Cline, 24, Oakland; Nick Gomez-Hall, 25, Coronado, California; Sara Hoda, 30, Walnut Creek, California; Travis Hough, 35, Oakland; Donna Kellogg, 32, Oakland; and Brandon Chase Wittenauer, 32, Hayward, California. Another victim was a 17-year-old whose name will not be released, according to a statement from the City of Oakland.
Authorities are asking families with missing loved ones to preserve DNA samples as a way of confirming the identities of those who died in the horrific blaze.
The District Attorney's Office has criminal investigation teams actively looking at the fire with the other law enforcement agencies involved in investigating the fire, according to a statement from the City of Oakland.
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf told ABC News that she has ordered an investigation into the building's troubled history, including a complete review of all records of complaints. Libby also told ABC that she ordered an independent analysis into the city's handling of this building and others like it.
The Oakland Fire Department responded to reports of a structure fire at the warehouse known as the "Ghost Ship" on 31st Avenue at around 11:32 p.m. on Friday night. Oakland Fire Chief Teresa Deloach Reed said Ghost Ship appeared to function as a residential building that hosted a makeshift artists' studio, as well as parties like the one that took place on Friday night.
It's unclear if the building was equipped with smoke alarms, the fire chief added.
Firefighters work on the scene following an overnight fire that claimed the lives of at least nine people at a warehouse in the Fruitvale neighborhood, Dec. 3, 2016 in Oakland, California.Fire Department Battalion Chief Melinda Drayton told ABC News that firefighters have been impacted emotionally by bodies found. She described the precarious scene firefighters have encountered inside of what is left of the warehouse, where the second floor is hanging just above the heads of search crews, with pianos, appliances and other materials dangling from above.
Preliminary indications suggest the blaze was not caused by arson, but rather an electrical fire. The power went out inside the building when the fire began and the flames blocked the building's only exit, making it difficult for people inside to escape, an official briefed on the ongoing investigation told ABC News.
According to The Associated Press, Oakland officials said they had opened an investigation into the warehouse last month, after repeated complaints from neighbors who said trash was piling up and people were illegally living in the building, which was zoned as a warehouse.
Darin Ranelletti, of the Oakland Planning Department, told the AP the city opened an investigation Nov. 13 and an investigator went to the premises on Nov. 17 but could not get inside.
ABC Bay Area affiliate KGO-TV reported that Derick Ion, founded the Ghost Ship Artist Collective and ran it at the warehouse. ABC News reached out to Ion but did not immediately receive a response.
Ion appeared to address the fire in a Facebook post early on Saturday morning by saying that "everything I worked for is gone."
"Confirmed. Everything I worked so hard for is gone. Blessed that my children and Micah were at a hotel safe and sound... it's as if I have awoken from a dream filled with opulence and hope.... to be standing now in poverty of self worth," he wrote.
Oakland's warehouses have become hubs for artists and musicians in recent years.
The Oakland-based weekly newspaper Eastbay Express has attributed gentrification and rising rents in the Bay Area as putting the Northern California region's counter-cultural arts scene in a crisis of space and money.
The Oakland Fire Department confirmed to the press that they are currently working with a variety of agencies in the aftermath of the tragedy, including the Alameda County Sheriff's Department, the Oakland Police Department, the Alameda County Search and Rescue, and the American Red Cross, among others.
Kelly asked the public to be patient as authorities look into the cause of the blaze, and continue to search for the missing and the dead.
"We will be here for days and days to come," Kelly said.
