It was 15 years ago today when the U.S. invaded Iraq on the false pretense that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was hiding weapons of mass destruction. The attack came despite worldwide protest and a lack of authorization from the United Nations Security Council. At around 5:30 a.m. in Baghdad on March 20, 2003, air raid sirens were heard as the U.S. invasion began. The fighting has yet to end, and the death toll may never be known. Conservative estimates put the Iraqi civilian death toll at 200,000. But some counts range as high as 2 million. In 2006, the British medical journal Lancet estimated 600,000 Iraqis died in just the first 40 months of the war. The U.S. has also lost about 4,500 soldiers in Iraq. Just last week, seven U.S. servicemembers died in a helicopter crash in western Iraq near the Syrian border. The war in Iraq has also destabilized much of the Middle East. Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and others have directly blamed the U.S. invasion of Iraq for the rise of ISIS. We speak to the Iraqi-French sociologist Zahra Ali, who teaches at Rutgers University; Matt Howard, co-director of About Face: Veterans Against the War, the organization formerly known as Iraq Veterans Against the War; and Sami Rasouli, founder and director of the Muslim Peacemaker Teams in Iraq. https://www.democracynow.org/2018/3/20/a_criminal_war_15_years_after[with embedded video, and transcript]
Undocumented and Unpaid, Until Now: Houston Day Laborers Fight Wage Theft After Hurricane Harvey
Published on Mar 20, 2018 by Democracy Now!
After Hurricane Harvey dumped more than 50 inches of rain on Houston six months ago, tons of moldy debris had to be removed, and the nation’s fourth-largest city is now beginning a multi-year rebuilding process. Much of the work is being done by undocumented immigrants, who make up at least half of the Texas construction workforce. But even as their work is in high demand after the storm, many are facing widespread wage theft. Few of them report the abuse, because they fear deportation if they go to police because of state’s so-called “show me your papers” law that allows police to ask anyone in their custody their immigration status. We speak with Mauricio “Chele” Iglesias, community organizer for the Workers Defense Project in Houston, and Renée Feltz, reporter for The Intercept and longtime Democracy Now! producer. https://www.democracynow.org/2018/3/20/undocumented_and_unpaid_until_now_houston[with embedded video, and transcript]
Voices from Houston After Harvey: Immigrant Homeowners Say Little to No Help Coming from FEMA
Published on Mar 20, 2018 by Democracy Now!
In an on-the-ground report from Houston, Democracy Now! producer Renée Feltz speaks with immigrant homeowners who faced heavy flooding during Hurricane Harvey and say they are recovering with little or no help from FEMA, even though their U.S.-born children are living with them. Many faced FEMA inspectors who did not speak Spanish. https://www.democracynow.org/2018/3/20/voices_from_houston_after_harvey_immigrant[with embedded video, and transcript]
John Kiriakou, CIA whistleblower, sets the record straight on Gina Haspel, John Brennan & torture. Then, a high school teacher put on leave for engaging her students in critical thinking before the gun control march joins David to tell her story. And, Lee Stranahan looks at the people and tactics of the SLAPP lawsuit filed against him, InfoWars & other journalists. Finally, David Knight looks at the curious details of the poisoning of the Russian double agent and the lies being told by politicians in the US, UK and elsewhere to heat up the Cold War.
[from Alex Jones and his merry band of batshit bullshitters]
Readout of President Donald J. Trump’s Call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia
Issued on: March 20, 2018
President Donald J. Trump spoke today with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. The two leaders discussed the state of bilateral relations and resolved to continue dialogue about mutual national security priorities and challenges. President Trump congratulated President Putin on his March 18 re-election, and emphasized the importance of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. The two leaders confirmed the need for the United States and Russia to continue our shared efforts on strategic stability.
Richard Burr and Mark Warner, the top senators on the Intelligence Committee, discuss the panel's recommendations for election security ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.
Camels are the Clydesdales of Saudi Arabia, venerated for their good looks, grace, and speed. Even as the country rapidly modernizes, the animals remain a central part of Saudi culture, and a lucrative one—with prized camels selling for more than $1 million.
VICE trekked to Al-Dahna for the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival—the largest of its kind—where titans of business and politics in the Middle East flock each year for a display of the finest camels in Saudi Arabia.
Hundreds of participants pit their camels head-to-head in a frenzied race and beauty contest for a chance to win roughly $57 million in prize money, and a chance to meet Saudi Arabia's king and crown prince.
Tuesday, Mar. 20th 2018[, with appearances by Roger Stone, Tommy Robinson, and Count Dankula]: Facebook Meltdown - In light of their stock free fall and explosive allegations of data harvesting, the multi-billion dollar company is having an emergency crisis meeting without CEO Zuckerberg. Also, the Austin, Texas, bombings continue - this time, a “nail and shrapnel” parcel en route to Austin detonated at a FedEx site. Joining today’s show is Russian journalist and broadcaster Alexander Nekrassov to discuss the media’s hysteria against the former Soviet state.
Someone called "The Distributist" responded to my video
"The Theft of Our Values [also included as the first item at/see also in particular (linked in) https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=135270144 and preceding and following (earlier this string)]" during a 2 hour livestream in which he didn't do the proper research, mistakes a reductio ad absurdum for my actual position, grossly misrepresents me, expresses some rather shocking denial of historical facts, gets repeatedly corrected after his criticisms, which he then fails to retract, and of course his audience unquestioningly bought it.
Link to his garbage fire:
The Distributist Answers - Mea Culpa, Dark Matter 2525, general questions, & loose ends
Nineteen-year-old Michael Donald was on his way to the store in 1981 when two members of the United Klans of America abducted him, beat him, cut his throat and hung his body from a tree on a residential street in Mobile, Ala.
The two Klansmen who carried out the ritualistic killing were eventually arrested and convicted. Convinced that the Klan itself should be held responsible for the lynching, Center attorneys filed a civil suit on behalf of Donald's mother, Beulah Mae Donald vs. United Klans. In 1987, the Center won a historic $7 million verdict against the men involved in the lynching.
The verdict marked the end of the United Klans, the same group that had beaten the Freedom Riders in 1961, murdered civil rights worker Viola Liuzzo in 1965, and bombed Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church in 1963.
The group was forced to turn over its headquarters to Beulah Mae Donald, and two additional Klansmen were convicted of criminal charges.
WATCH: Senate GOP leaders hold press conference after party policy luncheon
Published on Mar 20, 2018 by PBS NewsHour
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other members of the Senate Republican leadership hold a press conference after their weekly party policy luncheon.
WATCH: Senate Democratic leaders hold press conference after party policy luncheon
Published on Mar 20, 2018 by PBS NewsHour
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other members of the Senate Democratic leadership hold a press conference after their weekly party policy luncheon.
Readout of First Lady Melania Trump’s Roundtable Discussion on Cyber Safety and Technology
Issued on: March 20, 2018
Today, First Lady Melania Trump met with key leaders of top companies and associations to discuss the positive and negative effects the Internet and technology can have on children. Mrs. Trump opened the roundtable by emphasizing on the importance of focusing on children and giving them the tools and information necessary to encourage responsible and positive behaviors.
The hour-long meeting focused on a variety of topics, with key themes that included the importance of supporting children and teaching empathy and kindness in offline spaces, supporting social and emotional wellness in children, identifying digital opportunities for both parents and kids to ensure safe online behaviors, and effective solutions and public policies to improve online safety.
Representatives from each of the platforms shared some of the valuable lessons their companies have learned throughout the years, and brought insight into the current challenges the companies face today. A common theme among all in attendance was that talking to children remains the number one parental and adult control in the online space.
“Social media and technology are interwoven in the daily lives of our children,” said First Lady Melania Trump. “As parents, we must find ways to talk openly with them about the potential dangers that exist so they can be responsible digital citizens. We have a real opportunity to teach positive online behaviors, but that also means addressing issues offline such as kindness, empathy, and respect. I am grateful to the technology experts for their collaboration and willingness to come together at our meeting today. I look forward to continuing our focus on educating children on the power of positivity.”
Jamali Maddix talks with an environmentalist about how drilling for fuel usually means pushing contamination into the places where lower-class people live.
Presidential Message to the Congress of the United States
Issued on: March 20, 2018
TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:
Today, I am requesting that the Congress extend trade authorities procedures for 3 years. As required under section 103(c)(2) of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 (Trade Priorities Act), I have attached to this message the report describing the progress that has been made in trade negotiations by my Administration and the reasons why the extension is necessary.
As noted in the 2018 Trade Policy Agenda, my Administration has launched a new era in American trade policy, driven by a determination to use the leverage available to us as the world’s largest economy to open foreign markets, and to obtain more efficient global markets and fairer treatment for American workers. One of the major pillars supporting my trade policy is the pursuit of better trade deals.
As you know, my Administration is pursuing the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement — something many have promised but have failed to deliver. In addition, my Administration is exploring potential trade agreement partners, including in Africa and Southeast Asia.
I hope my Administration can continue to work with the Congress to pursue new and better trade deals for America’s workers, farmers, ranchers, and businesses. Extension of trade authorities procedures is essential to fulfill that task and to demonstrate to our trading partners that my Administration and the Congress share a common goal when it comes to trade.
The #MeToo movement has rapidly gained support and criticism as more women have come forward to share their experiences. While the media portrays the movement as divided, our research found that women across generations often see eye to eye on issues of sexual harassment and #MeToo in general.
Vox and Morning Consult conducted a survey to discover how women of all ages feel about the #MeToo movement.
More fear strikes Texas as a fifth explosion this month takes place at a FedEx center just outside of San Antonio, and a sixth suspicious package is being investigated at an Austin FedEx center as well, with a connection between the two packages. Also, the mainstream media ignores a high school shooting in Maryland because it did not fit their political agenda. We also takes calls to weigh in on an eerie tweet from Samantha Power.
[from Alex Jones and his merry band of batshit bullshitters]
Liz Plank: Trump's "best case" is he's "a cheating pig"
The Beat with Ari Melber 3/20/18
Former playboy model Karen McDougal comes forward alleging an affair with Trump and sues to break her silence. It comes as a lie detector test Stormy Daniels took emerges and a judge green lights a “groping” and “defamation” suit from an "Apprentice” contestant to move forward. Attorney Gloria Allred joins Liz Plank and Shelby Holliday on The Beat.
Top DOJ Official: Trump firing McCabe 'suspicious' and 'nonsensical'
The Beat with Ari Melber 3/20/18
Trump faces exposure for obstruction of justice after becoming the first president to fire the FBI director and the Deputy Director of FBI. Two GOP senators say firing Mueller leads to Trump’s “impeachment.” Neal Katyal, the former Acting Solicitor General of the United States joins The Beat.
Comey's new warning to Trump: You 'will hear my story soon'
The Beat with Ari Melber 3/20/18
After unusual firings, Trump braces for damning testimony from FBI veterans. Two people who knew Comey long before the Russia probe speak out on how he “follows the evidence wherever it goes.”
Watch the Kremlin video showing Mark Zuckerberg's priorities
The Beat with Ari Melber 3/20/18
The U.S. Congress is demanding Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg show up to testify in person --like he did for meeting with a top Kremlin official. The pressure on Zuckerberg comes as a federal review is launched after a Trump-linked data firm was caught on camera bragging about misusing Facebook data.
This entrepreneur says he has the secret to stopping fake news on Facebook
The Beat with Ari Melber 3/20/18
Journalist, Lawyer and founder of 'Newsguard' Steven Brill joins Ari Melber to discuss why he's launching a for-profit company, to entice big tech companies like Facebook, Google and Twitter to combat fake news.
Bannon oversaw Cambridge Analytica Facebook data collection
All In with Chris Hayes 3/20/18
Former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon oversaw Cambridge Analytica's data collection on Facebook while he was a top executive at the firm, reports the Washington Post.
Trump ignores all caps warning, congratulates Putin
All In with Chris Hayes 3/20/18
President Trump reportedly called with kind words for Russian President Vladimir Putin despite being implored by his national security advisers: "DO NOT CONGRATULATE."
Sanders: Trump firing Mueller would be 'impeachable offense'
All In with Chris Hayes 3/20/18
Sen. Bernie Sanders weighs in on the possibility of Trump firing the special counsel, plus the brutal war the Trump administration is helping wage without congressional oversight.
Against advice, Trump congratulates Putin on sham election win: WaPo
The Rachel Maddow Show 3/20/18
Carol Leonnig, National Reporter for The Washington Post, talks with Rachel Maddow about new reporting that Donald Trump's advisers explicitly told him not to congratulate Vladimir Putin and to condemn the poisoning of two people in the UK. Trump did the opposite.
“If Skripal and his daughter received a lethal dose of B-1976, C-1976, or D-1980, then, most likely, they will suffer the same fate as earlier victims. There is no antidote to these agents. I can say with nearly 100% certainty that if Skripal and his daughter are taken off of life support, they will die, although they are now only technically alive.” The Bell: An exclusive interview with the scientist who developed 'Novichok' https://thebell.io/en/the-scientist-who-developed-novichok-doses-ranged-from-20-grams-to-several-kilos/
Gabe Gutierrez, NBC News correspondent, reports the latest details from Austin where an incendiary device at a Goodwill store caused concern that another bomb had exploded in a disturbing, developing series.
Warner: 'A lot more stories to be told' from Cambridge Analytica
The Rachel Maddow Show 3/20/18
Senator Mark Warner, top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, talks with Rachel Maddow about the new revelations regarding Cambridge Analytica and its work for the Donald Trump campaign.
Senate intel moves to secure elections despite Trump indifference
The Rachel Maddow Show 3/20/18
Senator Mark Warner, top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, talks with Rachel Maddow about the bipartisan effort in the Senate to establish basic defenses against further Russian intrusion into U.S. elections.
Some Republicans talk impeachment if Trump fires Mueller
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell 3/20/18
GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham and Jeff Flake say it would be a constitutional crisis and impeachment could follow if Trump fires Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Will other Republicans follow? Ari Melber talks to Jennifer Rubin and Ezra Klein.
Stormy attorney: Trump team 'stepped into every trap we've laid'
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell 3/20/18
Stormy Daniels' attorney Michael Avenatti says Donald Trump's lawyers "have stepped into every trap we have laid" and calls their strategy "tic-tac-toe" compared to their team's game of chess. Joyce Vance and Matt Miller react to the latest Trump legal troubles.
Fmr. FBI Special Agent: Vladimir Putin Owns the President
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 3/21/18
As the Washington Post reports, President Trump went against his advisers' advice in congratulating Vladimir Putin. Former Ambassador Mike McFaul, Washington Post reporter Ashley Parker, former FBI Special Agent Clint Watts and former Undersecretary of State Rick Stengel weigh in on the Trump-Putin relationship.
A GOP warning to President Trump about impeachment, should he bring an end to the Mueller investigation. Plus, the top Republican attorney who turned down an invitation to join the Trump legal team. The Washington Post's Robert Costa and the New York Times' Jeremy Peters share their latest reporting.
Puerto Rico Still Struggling 6 Months after Maria Hit
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 3/21/18
Six months after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, parts of the island are still without power and water, as the people living there embody the definition of resiliency.
Donald Trump announces his plans to combat the opioid crisis, including instituting the death penalty for drug traffickers and creating commercials to deter kids from using drugs.
Kobi Libii examines an explosive online conspiracy surrounding Robert Mueller's Russia probe, and discusses America's obsession with fringe theories with author Kurt Andersen.
Mark Zuckerberg Is Silent Amid Facebook's Privacy Scandal
Published on Mar 20, 2018 by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Faced with the prospect of users deleting their Facebook apps over the Cambridge Analytica scandal, co-founder Mark Zuckerberg issued a powerful statement.
Seth takes a break from breaking news to check in on the United States' cybersecurity and how worried the country should be about a foreign power meddling in its elections again.
John Oliver on His Children's Book About VP Pence’s Gay Bunny, Marlon Bundo
Published on Mar 21, 2018 by Late Night with Seth Meyers
John Oliver talks about the results of Russia's election, the unexpected success of his children's book about Mike Pence's gay bunny, Marlon Bundo, and tackling cryptocurrencies on Last Week Tonight.
The Wrong People Are Criticizing Donald Trump Editorial Seeing someone stand up to a bully is cathartic. That feeling is magnified when the bully is the president of the United States and his abusive behavior cries out for a response from honorable people. The problem is that a vast majority of the people in the best position to put weight behind such a response, Republicans in Congress, have kept silent. [...] https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/19/opinion/trump-mccabe-republicans.html
All the times Cambridge Analytica gave brazenly contradictory accounts of its murky work on Brexit The Facebook data scandal has all-but confirmed Cambridge Analytica's shadowy role in the US election, but its involvement in Brexit is even more murky. The company repeatedly claimed it worked with Leave.EU, only to later completely deny any collaboration with Nigel Farage's Brexit campaign group. Leave.EU executives have also contradicted themselves on the role Cambridge Analytica played in helping it influence voters in Britain. http://www.businessinsider.com/cambridge-analytica-has-contradicted-itself-on-its-work-for-leaveeu-2018-3
Cambridge Analytica: Undercover Secrets of Trump's Data Firm
Channel 4 News An investigation by Channel 4 News has revealed how Cambridge Analytica claims it ran ‘all’ of President Trump’s digital campaign - and may have broken election law. Executives were secretly filmed saying they leave ‘no paper trail’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy-9iciNF1A Data, Democracy and Dirty Tricks: Cambridge Analytica Uncovered A five-part exposé into Cambridge Analytica – the British data firm linked [...] Part three: The Trump campaign ( https://youtu.be/cy-9iciNF1A ) The undercover investigation reveals how Cambridge Analytica claims it ran ‘all’ of President Trump’s digital campaign – and may have broken election law. Executives were secretly filmed saying they leave ‘no paper trail’. And, as the report went on air, the firm announced it has suspended chief executive Alexander Nix, pending a full investigation. [...] https://www.channel4.com/news/data-democracy-and-dirty-tricks-cambridge-analytica-uncovered-investigation-expose Exposed: Undercover secrets of Trump’s data firm ( https://youtu.be/cy-9iciNF1A ) An investigation by Channel 4 News has revealed how Cambridge Analytica claims it ran ‘all’ of President Trump’s digital campaign – and may have broken election law. As the report went on air, the firm announced it has suspended chief executive Alexander Nix, pending a full investigation. https://www.channel4.com/news/exposed-undercover-secrets-of-donald-trump-data-firm-cambridge-analytica
BBC Newsnight Before he was suspended, Cambridge Analytica CEO Alexander Nix spoke exclusively to Newsnight to respond to accusations of a vast Facebook data breach. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTEJuLY1pW0
Christopher Wylie: The Whistleblower Who Exposed Cambridge Analytica's Facebook Scam (HBO) VICE News Mar 19, 2018 LONDON - Christopher Wylie played a big role in building one of the most effective political weapons of the digital age. Now he’s trying to make amends. The 28-year-old London-based Canadian is defying a non-disclosure agreement to blow the whistle on his former employer Cambridge Analytica, the controversial political analytics firm known for its work on Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in the U.S. and Uhuru Kenyatta’s in Kenya. He says the U.K.-based company, which he helped found in 2013, has built a powerful software program to predict and influence the choices of voters by using data harvested from 50 million leaked Facebook profiles. The data was collected by an app called thisisyourdigitallife, owned by the Cambridge-based academic Aleksandr Kogan, which was downloaded by about 270,000 people. Users were paid to take a personality test, which they were told would be used for academic research. They might not have known that it also harvested information on their Facebook friends, creating a vast data set that was ultimately sold by Kogan to Cambridge Analytica. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yPvRaKQikE [included in the post to which this is a reply]
Cambridge Analytica: The story so far It's a sensational story containing allegations of sleaze, psychological manipulation and data misuse that has provoked an internationally furious response. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-43465968
Despite the rumors, I'm still fully engaged with my work at Facebook. It's true that my role did change. I'm currently spending more time exploring emerging security risks and working on election security. https://twitter.com/alexstamos/status/975875310896914433
We just got our latest hint that Hope Hicks has a detailed diary — and that could be of interest to investigators The top presidential aide Hope Hicks listed pros and cons of her resignation from the White House in her notebook, New York magazine reported [item just above]. That detail is the latest indication that Hicks' records of her time in the White House and her relationship with President Donald Trump may be of interest to the special counsel investigating Russia's interference in the 2016 US election. Hicks is said to have refused to answer some questions during her testimony before the House Intelligence Committee last month, prompting some lawmakers to press investigators to subpoena her. http://www.businessinsider.com/does-hope-hicks-have-a-diary-trump-2018-3
Cambridge Analytica: Facebook row firm boss suspended Cambridge Analytica, the firm involved in a row over its use of Facebook data, has suspended its boss Alexander Nix. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43480048
An "Ashamed" Fox News Commentator Just Quit The "Propaganda Machine" "Over my decade with Fox, I long was proud of the association," Col. Ralph Peters wrote in an email to colleagues. "Now I am ashamed." https://www.buzzfeed.com/tomnamako/ralph-peters
Fox News Analyst Quits, Calling Network a ‘Propaganda Machine’ A longtime analyst for Fox News is leaving the network, saying that he could not “in good conscience” remain with an organization that, he argued, “is now wittingly harming our system of government for profit.” In a searing farewell note sent to colleagues on Tuesday, Ralph Peters, a Fox News strategic analyst and a retired lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, castigated the network for its coverage of President Trump and the rhetoric of its prime-time hosts. “In my view, Fox has degenerated from providing a legitimate and much-needed outlet for conservative voices to a mere propaganda machine for a destructive and ethically ruinous administration,” Colonel Peters wrote in his message, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times. “Over my decade with Fox, I long was proud of the association,” he added. “Now I am ashamed.” Without citing them by name, Colonel Peters, 65, wrote that Fox News’s prime-time anchors “dismiss facts and empirical reality to launch profoundly dishonest assaults on the F.B.I., the Justice Department, the courts, the intelligence community (in which I served) and, not least, a model public servant and genuine war hero such as Robert Mueller.” “I cannot be part of the same organization, even at a remove,” he wrote. Fox News responded on Tuesday by saying it was “extremely proud of our top-rated prime-time hosts and all of our opinion programming.” “Ralph Peters is entitled to his opinion despite the fact that he’s choosing to use it as a weapon in order to gain attention,” the network said in a statement. Colonel Peters, who appeared regularly on Fox News and the Fox Business Network — including as recently as Monday morning — spent more than two decades in the Army, eventually specializing in Russian intelligence. He began appearing as a television commentator in the late 1990s, and signed an exclusive contract with Fox in 2008. Typically hawkish in his views, Colonel Peters supported the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and was a strong proponent of confronting President Vladimir Putin of Russia. He was a fervent critic of former President Barack Obama, deriding his foreign policy as weak, and was briefly suspended by the network in 2015 after using a vulgarity to describe Mr. Obama during an appearance on Fox Business. [...] https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/20/business/media/fox-news-analyst-ralph-peters.html
Trump Congratulates Putin on Re-Election, but Fails to Mention Meddling in U.S. WASHINGTON — President Trump called on Tuesday to congratulate President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on his re-election, but did not raise with him the lopsided nature of his victory, Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election or Moscow’s role in a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter living in Britain. Instead, Mr. Trump kept the focus of the call on what the White House said were “shared interests” — among them, North Korea and Ukraine — overruling his national security advisers, who counseled him to condemn Russia for the nerve-agent attack. “We had a very good call,” Mr. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, where he had just welcomed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. “We will probably be meeting in the not-too-distant future.” The president’s upbeat characterization came five days after his administration imposed sanctions on Russia for its interference in the election and for other “malicious cyberattacks,” the most significant action it has taken against Moscow since Mr. Trump took office. The United States also joined Britain, France and Germany in denouncing the Russian government for violating international law for the attack on the spy, Sergei V. Skripal, and his daughter Yulia. Both actions highlighted a contradiction at the heart of the Trump presidency: the administration’s steadily tougher stance toward Russia and Mr. Trump’s own stubborn reluctance to criticize Mr. Putin. Mr. Trump, a senior official said, signed off on the sanctions and the harsh language in the administration’s statements. But he was determined not to antagonize Mr. Putin, this person said, because he believes his leader-to-leader rapport is the only way to improve relations between the two countries. That strategy has put Mr. Trump at odds with his own advisers: in preparing the president for the call, one aide wrote on his briefing materials, “DO NOT CONGRATULATE.” The Washington Post first reported this detail, which a White House official confirmed. The White House also insisted that it was not the place of the United States to question how other countries conduct their elections — a contention that is at odds with years of critical statements about foreign elections by the United States, as well as recent statements by the Trump administration about elections in Venezuela and Iran. “What we do know is that Putin has been elected in their country, and that’s not something we can dictate to them how they operate,” said the press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “We can only focus on the freeness and fairness of our elections, something we 100 percent fully support.” Echoing the president, she went on to rail against the investigation of the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, into links between the Trump campaign and Russia. “To pretend like going through this absurd process for over a year would not bring frustration seems a little bit ridiculous,” she said. Ms. Sanders noted that other foreign leaders, including Chancellor Angela Merkel, of Germany, had called Mr. Putin. Ms. Merkel’s office released a terse account of their call, saying she had told the Russian president, “Today, it is more important than ever to continue the dialogue with one another and to foster relations between our states and peoples.” Republican lawmakers, even those who have resisted criticizing Mr. Trump, faulted him for congratulating Mr. Putin. “When I look at a Russian election, what I see is a lack of credibility in tallying the results,” said the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. “Calling him wouldn’t have been high on my list.” Senator John McCain of Arizona, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, was harsher. “An American president does not lead the free world by congratulating dictators on winning sham elections,” he said in a statement. “And by doing so with Vladimir Putin, President Trump insulted every Russian citizen who was denied the right to vote in a free and fair election to determine their country’s future, including the countless Russian patriots who have risked so much to protest and resist Putin’s regime.” In fact, both Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush called to congratulate Mr. Putin after previous election victories. In Mr. Obama’s case, said Michael A. McFaul, who served as ambassador to Moscow during the Obama administration, there was lively internal debate about whether, and when, the president should make that call. Mr. Obama waited several days after Mr. Putin’s election in March 2012 before calling. After that election, the State Department issued a statement in which it said, “The United States congratulates the Russian people on the completion of the presidential elections, and looks forward to working with the president-elect after the results are certified and he is sworn in.” The language, Mr. McFaul said, was carefully chosen to applaud the Russian people for voting without praising Mr. Putin for winning. The statement also noted the reservations of outside observers about the “partisan use of government resources, and procedural irregularities on Election Day,” though it credited the Russian authorities for reforms after a widely criticized parliamentary election the previous December. The parliamentary election drew condemnation from Hillary Clinton, then the secretary of state, who said the Russian people, “like people everywhere, deserve the right to have their voices heard and their votes counted.” Her statement planted the seeds for the antipathy between her and Mr. Putin, who accused her of fomenting unrest in Russia. This time, Mr. Putin prevailed with more than 76 percent of the vote. International observers said Russian electoral authorities counted the votes efficiently, but that several other factors prevented the contest from being fair. “Restrictions on the fundamental freedoms of assembly, association and expression, as well as on candidate registration, have limited the space for political engagement and resulted in a lack of genuine competition,” observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said in a report. During their call on Tuesday, a senior official said, Mr. Trump told Mr. Putin he had been concerned by a recent speech in which Mr. Putin talked about Russia developing an “invincible” intercontinental cruise missile and a nuclear torpedo that could outsmart all American defenses. Mr. Putin’s presentation included animated videos depicting multiple warheads aimed at Florida, where the president often stays at his Mar-a-Lago resort. Mr. Trump raised the nuclear threat in calls with Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain, President Emmanuel Macron of France and Ms. Merkel. More recently, however, Mr. Trump noted that Mr. Putin had taken a more moderate tone, talking about the need to de-escalate the nuclear arms race between Russia and the United States. Mr. Trump, this official said, told Mr. Putin that he welcomed the shift in tone. But Mr. Trump reminded Mr. Putin that his administration was spending $700 billion to upgrade the American military, and that the United States would win any arms race between the two. “We will never allow anybody to have anything even close to what we have,” Mr. Trump told reporters. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/20/us/politics/trump-putin-russia.html
Flake warns Trump of impeachment ‘remedy’ if Mueller probe is halted Sen. Jeff Flake, one of President Trump’s most prominent Senate critics, told The Washington Post in an interview Tuesday that he would support impeachment proceedings against Trump if the president ends special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election “without cause.” “We’re begging him: ‘Don’t go down this road. Don’t create a constitutional crisis. Don’t force the Congress to take the only remedy that Congress can take,’ ” said Flake (R-Ariz.). “To remind the president of that is the best way to keep him from going down that road. To fire Mueller without cause, I don’t know if there is any other remedy left to the legislative branch.” Flake compared any possible effort by Trump in the coming weeks to end the Mueller probe to President Richard Nixon’s infamous 1973 firing of the special prosecutor during the Watergate scandal. “If [Trump] fires [Mueller] without cause, how different is that from what Nixon did with the ‘Saturday Night Massacre’?” Flake asked. “He left before impeachment came, but that was the remedy then and that would be the remedy now.” Flake — who recently traveled to New Hampshire and is considered a potential Trump challenger in the race for the 2020 Republican presidential nomination — said he was speaking up Tuesday about the prospect of impeachment because Republican warnings have been unsuccessful in holding back Trump’s criticism of Mueller’s probe. Flake expressed alarm over how the president’s attacks on the investigation have seemed to escalate over the past week as the president faces mounting legal and political challenges. Flake also credited Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) for taking the lead in talking about the possibility of impeachment proceedings — a topic most Republicans are eager to avoid. Earlier Tuesday, Graham told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that firing Mueller, “if he did it without cause,” would “probably” be an impeachable offense. Flake said in the interview: “Nobody wants to talk about it. I don’t want to talk about it. As soon as you mention the I-word, that’s all people want to talk about.” [...] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2018/03/20/flake-warns-trump-of-impeachment-remedy-if-mueller-probe-is-halted/
Judge rules defamation case against Trump may proceed A New York judge said Tuesday that a defamation lawsuit against President Trump related to an allegation that he sexually harassed a former “Apprentice” contestant may go forward. Summer Zervos filed the suit last year after Trump said publicly during the 2016 presidential campaign that she and other women accusing him of unwanted sexual contact were making up their claims. Trump sought to block the legal action, but New York Supreme Court Judge Jennifer G. Schecter — citing court precedent that ultimately led to the impeachment of President Bill Clinton in 1998 — said that “a sitting president is not immune from being sued in federal court for unofficial acts.” The ruling came the same day that Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model, filed a lawsuit on the other side of the country against American Media, owner of the National Enquirer, seeking to be released from a contract she said paid her $150,000 to keep quiet about an alleged affair with Trump. [...] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/judge-rules-defamation-case-against-trump-may-proceed/2018/03/20/561d1d44-f498-11e7-b34a-b85626af34ef_story.html
The one new claim in a former Playboy model’s lawsuit that could spell trouble for Trump There is a lot of old information in a lawsuit that former Playboy model Karen McDougal filed against the National Enquirer's parent company Tuesday, but one new claim stands out and could spell trouble for President Trump. McDougal, who says she had an affair with Trump more than a decade ago, alleges in the lawsuit that American Media Inc. did not act alone when it bought her silence in 2016 but “worked secretly with Mr. Trump's personal 'fixer.' ” The “fixer,” according to the lawsuit, is attorney Michael Cohen, the same lawyer who claims to have used his own funds to pay off porn star Stormy Daniels, who also says she had an affair with Trump. [...] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/03/20/the-one-new-claim-in-a-former-playboy-models-lawsuit-that-could-spell-trouble-for-trump/
Bannon oversaw Cambridge Analytica’s collection of Facebook data, according to former employee LONDON — Conservative strategist Stephen K. Bannon oversaw Cambridge Analytica’s early efforts to collect troves of Facebook data as part of an ambitious program to build detailed profiles of millions of American voters, a former employee of the data-science firm said Tuesday. The 2014 effort was part of a high-tech form of voter persuasion touted by the company, which under Bannon identified and tested the power of anti-establishment messages that later would emerge as central themes in President Trump’s campaign speeches, according to Chris Wylie, who left the company at the end of that year. Among the messages tested were “drain the swamp” and “deep state,” he said. Cambridge Analytica, which worked for Trump’s 2016 campaign, is now facing questions about alleged unethical practices, including charges that the firm improperly handled the data of tens of millions of Facebook users. On Tuesday, the company’s board announced that it was suspending its chief executive, Alexander Nix, after British television released secret recordings that appeared to show him talking about entrapping political opponents. More than three years before he served as Trump’s chief political strategist, Bannon helped launch Cambridge Analytica with the financial backing of the wealthy Mercer family as part of a broader effort to create a populist power base. Earlier this year, the Mercers cut ties with Bannon after he was quoted making incendiary comments about Trump and his family. In an interview Tuesday with The Washington Post at his lawyer’s London office, Wylie said that Bannon — while he was a top executive at Cambridge Analytica and head of Breitbart News — was deeply involved in the company’s strategy and approved spending nearly $1 million to acquire data, including Facebook profiles, in 2014. “We had to get Bannon to approve everything at this point. Bannon was Alexander Nix’s boss,” said Wylie, who was Cambridge Analytica’s research director. “Alexander Nix didn’t have the authority to spend that much money without approval.” Bannon, who served on the company’s board, did not respond to a request for comment. He served as vice president and secretary of Cambridge Analytica from June 2014 to August 2016, when he became chief executive of Trump’s campaign, according to his publicly filed financial disclosure. In 2017, he joined Trump in the White House as his chief strategist. Bannon received more than $125,000 in consulting fees from Cambridge Analytica in 2016 and owned “membership units” in the company worth between $1 million and $5 million, according to his financial disclosure. Cambridge Analytica did not respond to a request for comment about Bannon’s role. [...] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bannon-oversaw-cambridge-analyticas-collection-of-facebook-data-according-to-former-employee/2018/03/20/8fb369a6-2c55-11e8-b0b0-f706877db618_story.html
Machine learning spots treasure trove of elusive viruses Artificial intelligence could speed up metagenomic studies that look for species unknown to science. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-03358-3
‘Grand unifying theory of maths’ nets Abel Prize Robert Langlands’ ideas unearthed connections within mathematics that have helped to solve centuries-old problems and aided researchers in disparate fields. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-03423-x
US kids’ doodles of scientists reveal changing gender stereotypes Experiments that ask children to draw a researcher show a greater proportion of women in sketches over time. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-03346-7
Posted specifically to, from "stashed March 19, 2018"
Should Pro-Life Clinics Have to Post Information About Abortion? The Supreme Court will consider the rights of crisis pregnancy centers, which help women “imagine what the choice of life would be like.” Abortion is back in the Supreme Court this week. On Tuesday, the justices will hear a case on crisis pregnancy centers, the facilities established by pro-life organizations around the country to counsel women against abortion. In 2015, California passed the Reproductive FACT Act, requiring licensed clinics that provide certain services—including ultrasounds, pregnancy tests, and advice on birth control—to post information about affordable abortion and contraception services offered by the state. Unlicensed facilities that provide these services have to disclose their lack of medical certification. A network of crisis pregnancy centers, including the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA), sued in response, arguing that the government is violating their right to free speech by forcing them to promote abortion. On a technical level, NIFLA v. Becerra is about the kind of speech the government is allowed to regulate. States can’t force citizens into making statements in support of a specific political position or candidate; compelling speech in that manner would violate the First Amendment. But states can regulate other kinds of speech, such as making sure doctors disclose important information before operating on a patient. Crisis pregnancy centers, known as CPCs, fall somewhere in the murky middle of the two categories. The justices must decide where, exactly, CPCs fit. [...] https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/03/nifla-becerra-crisis-pregnancy-centers-supreme-court/555887/
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