RandomAccess
RandomAccess's JournalMalcolm Nance: Russia OWNS Trump (new video)
Actually, it's a podcast. I watch Malcolm every chance I get, so I've heard him say a lot about things, but I thought he had a bit of new information in this:
Wow Rosa DeLaurio goes after DeVos
Rep. Rosa DeLauro gets in a heated exchange with Betsy DeVos over a potential plan to preempt state regulations on student loan collectors: Who made this decision? What was the process? ... Who do you believe this serves? (via ABC)
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/976180367299350528
So, would you be surprised to learn about Facebook's Russia ties??
RUSSIAN INVESTMENT, 2009:
Facebook Takes That $200 Million Investment From The Russians At A $10 Billion Valuation.
https://techcrunch.com/2009/05/26/facebook-takes-that-200-million-investment-from-the-russians-at-a-10-billion-valuation/amp/
Russians Spend Big for a Piece of Facebook
By CLAIRE CAIN MILLERMAY 26, 2009 https://mobile.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/technology/internet/27facebook.html
A Russian investment firm, Digital Sky Technologies, has invested $200 million in the social networking company Facebook in return for a 1.96 percent stake, the two companies said Tuesday.
The investment values Facebooks preferred stock at $10 billion, a $5 billion drop from October 2007 when Microsoft paid $240 million for a 1.6 percent stake. With the latest round of financing, Facebook has raised about $600 million since it was founded in 2004.
Mark E. Zuckerberg, Facebooks founder and chief, said that the Microsoft investment was made at the absolute peak of the market and that it was a part of Facebooks partnership with Microsoft, which includes advertising and search agreements.
Relative to the economic conditions for when the Microsoft deal happened and that being more of a strategic partnership than a straight financial investment, we feel really good about the progress weve made, Mr. Zuckerberg said in a conference call with reporters.
MORE AT LINK
Russians Large Stake in Facebook Grows Larger
BY ANDREW E. KRAMER JANUARY 3, 2011
https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/01/03/russians-large-stake-in-facebook-grows-larger/
THU MAY 17, 2012 / 4:24 PM EDT
Facebook bet pays off for Russia's Usmanov https://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSBRE84G1BM20120517
Interesting insight on Trump Jr divorce via John Fugelsang
https://twitter.com/ladiesgun/status/975079377036828675ETA: ALSO, Vanessa filed for that divorce using a CRIMINAL attorney -- makes you go hmmmmm, eh?
DID the Russians Alter The Results of the Election?
I've always been uncomfortable with the too-quick, too-pat response from our IC that no votes were changed, or even that they doubt any votes were changed. It always feels like they're simply trying to hide the truth -- either that we don't know, or don't know how much, or know but don't want to freak people out so they're less likely to vote (a concern I find unlikely), etc. IOW: their responses just never rang true.
Here's one thread from last October I happened across today and thought I'd share.
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Mike Farb (@mikefarb1 #unhackthevote) is one of the key researchers and activists on election integrity on Twitter.
Cambridge Analytics
They Targeted Twitter
They Targeted Facebook
They May Have Targeted Voter Registration Files!
Thread
https://twitter.com/mikefarb1/status/924386327956779008
UNROLLED (You'll have to go to the Twitter thread to access the linked articles):
There was a Fascinating Medium Article that Caught Our Interest.
A Programmer From Cambridge Analytics and His Work Published on Github
Within Minutes Of Taking Screen Shots of This Page it was Removed!
The Python scripts there were very interesting.
One is for guessing the political interests of a Twitter user.
The other one initially seems rather innocent. It contains code to determine the latitude and longitude of a given address.
The crazy part about that script is in the comments.
The data the script is built to analyze contains fields called "voter_id" and "CongressionalDistrict". WTF?
This Would Be Exactly What You Would Use To Target And Hack a Voter Registration Database!!
Anyone Who Had Access to a Voter Registration Database Could Use This to Find the Latitude and Longitude of Any Address in the Database
It Would Also Be Easy to Find the Coordinates of All the Polling Places. Add Demographic and Historical Data, Mix to Taste.
With Very Little Work, These Scripts Could Be Used to Figure Out Where You Need Votes to Win, and Where They Need To Be.
With Access to Voter Registration Databases, You Could Even Move Those Voters to Where You Need Them To Be.
Move a Voter to a Different Precinct or County Two Things Happen.
They Cant Vote
Their ID Could Then Be Used to Cast An Electronic Vote.
You Could Move Voters to Different Polling Stations. You Could Make Sure Their ID Doesnt Match Their Registration.
We Know These Databases Were Targeted. These Attacks Weren't a Training Exercise. They Had a Goal and a Plan.
Weaponized Information Doesn't End at Microtargeting. It Starts There.
Why The Hell Did Cambridge Analytics Design These Scripts?
Who Provided them with Voter Registration Files.
Did They Actually Hack Voter Registration Files?
Did They Alter The Results of the Election?
There are links in the original article that do still point to these scripts.
One thing REALLY bothers me about Lamb's campaign:
His disavowal of Nancy Pelosi, presumably to ward off attacks on him trying to pin her to him.
First, IMO she's not that liberal. But she was one of THE MOST EFFECTIVE Speakers of the House ever.
Second, and more important, the GOP will vilify and demonize ANYONE who's the Dem Leader of the House -- and all the easier to do when she's a woman (so yes, it's also sexist).
Third, and a little less important but still an issue, leadership IMO on Lamb's part would have involved standing up to that line of attack. What / who will he next feel required to disavow because of Republicon attacks, which they now know he's vulnerable to?
IMPORTANT NOTE: This post is NOT an argument pro or con Pelosi. It's NOT an argument pro or con Lamb and his centrist views. It's about ONE single issue about how he waged/handled his campaign. I think we have to be smarter than that, frankly.
Erik Prince in the news lately -- here's something I almost forgot
and it dovetails very nicely with the current news. All too nicely.
Current news:
Basically, Eric was in the Seychelles at that meeting that George Nader also attended to help set up backchannel communications with Russia. A backchannel would, by definition, bypass our own IC, and other agencies and institutions. The better to conduct inappropriate business with, my dear.
Prince said he went to Seychelles as a private businessman, not as an official or unofficial emissary of the Trump transition team. During the congressional interview, which became testy at times as Democratic lawmakers pressed him to be more specific in his answers, Prince repeatedly complained that he had reason to believe U.S. intelligence agencies were leaking information about his activities.
Asked to comment on assertions that new evidence appears to contradict Princes description of the Seychelles meeting, a spokesman for Prince referred to his previous statements to the committee and declined further comment.
A spokesman for the special counsel declined to comment.
. . . Prince had no formal role with the Trump campaign or transition. However, according to people familiar with the Seychelles meeting, he presented himself as an unofficial envoy for Trump to high-ranking Emiratis involved in setting up his discussion with the Russian official.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/mueller-gathers-evidence-that-2016-seychelles-meeting-was-effort-to-establish-back-channel-to-kremlin/2018/03/07/b6a5fb8c-224b-11e8-94da-ebf9d112159c_story.html
Almost-forgotten news:
Erik Prince and Oliver North are trying to sell Trump on a secret spy force
http://theweek.com/speedreads/741481/erik-prince-oliver-north-are-trying-sell-trump-secret-spy-force
"Pompeo can't trust the CIA bureaucracy, so we need to create this thing that reports just directly to him," a former senior U.S. intelligence official tells The Intercept, paraphrasing White House discussions. "The whole point is this is supposed to report to the president and Pompeo directly." Maguire was on Trump's transition team and used to work for Prince, and North, a Fox News regular, was reportedly brought in to help enlist Trump's support. The apparent pitch to Trump was creating an intelligence apparatus that will counter the "deep state" trying to undermine his presidency.
Liberal Redneck - The Right to Bear Harm
Salty, but delicious
Here's another, not so funny, but after the Las Vegas tragedy in October. Powerful.
Comey booked for Colbert's Late Show
https://www.thedailybeast.com/james-comey-to-appear-on-late-show-with-stephen-colbert
I'm usually watching some of 11th Hour before snoozing, but maybe I'll have to mark my calendar and stay up for this.
6'8" ??? I knew he was tall, but ---- wow.
Oh, brother - American mercenaries are torturing' Saudi elite rounded up by new crown prince
I'd wonder how Jared and Trump feel about this if they had any character, integrity or compassion. For all I know, it was heir idea.
EXCLUSIVE: 'American mercenaries are torturing' Saudi elite rounded up by new crown prince - and billionaire Prince Alwaleed was hung upside down 'just to send a message'
* American mercenaries are torturing' Saudi elite rounded up by new crown princeSource in Saudi Arabia says American private security contractors are carrying out'interrogations' on princes and billionaires arrested in crackdown
* Detained members of Saudi elite have been hung by their feet and beaten by interrogates, source says
* Among those hung upside down are Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, an investor worth at least $7 billion who is being held at Riyadh's Ritz Carlton
* Arrests were ordered three weeks ago by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
Source claims mercenaries are from 'Blackwater', a claim also made by Lebanese president
* But its successor firm denies it has any operations in Saudi Arabia whatsoever and says its staff abide by U.S. law
* Americans who commit torture abroad can be jailed for up to 20 years
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5108651/American-mercenaries-torturing-Saudi-princes.html#ixzz58iA9tBPY
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