theguardian--2020-10-22--US election 2020: can we trust the polls? – podcast

The Guardian US data editor , Mona Chalabi , casts a sceptical eye over the US polling industry that is @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump .
Has it learned lessons from 2016 ?
The election of Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ hammer-blow not just for Hillary Clinton and the Democratic party but also for the opinion @ @ @ @ @ had correctly predicted her majority in the popular vote , they had catastrophically missed the @ @ @ @ @ won in the key swing states to clinch the presidency via the electoral college .
@ @ @ @ @ data editor , Mona Chalabi , tells Anushka Asthana that following 2016 , the pollsters @ @ @ @ @ ate humble pie , but this year they are back to projecting the results with @ @ @ @ @ again they are predicting a defeat for Donald Trump .
But have those trends they @ @ @ @ @ accounted for ?
And should parts of the media be far more sceptical than they @ @ @ @ @ claims of the major polling sites ?

Presented by Anushka Asthana with Mona Chalabi; produced by Elizabeth Cassin and Axel Kacoutié; executive producers Phil Maynard and Nicole Jackson

The Guardian US data editor, Mona Chalabi, casts a sceptical eye over the US polling industry that is once again predicting defeat for Donald Trump. Has it learned lessons from 2016?
The election of Donald Trump in 2016 came as a hammer-blow not just for Hillary Clinton and the Democratic party but also for the opinion polling industry. While they had correctly predicted her majority in the popular vote, they had catastrophically missed the bigger story: Trump had won in the key swing states to clinch the presidency via the electoral college.
The Guardian’s US data editor, Mona Chalabi, tells Anushka Asthana that following 2016, the pollsters tweaked their models as they ate humble pie, but this year they are back to projecting the results with similar confidence: and once again they are predicting a defeat for Donald Trump. But have those trends they missed in 2016 been properly accounted for? And should parts of the media be far more sceptical than they currently are about the scientific-sounding claims of the major polling sites?
Archive: MSNB; CCN; NCBS; PBS


theguardian--2020-10-22--FBI warns Iran and Russia obtained voter data as part of election interference efforts – as it happe

FBI warns Iran and Russia obtained voter data as part of election interference efforts – as it happened

Donald Trump ’ s deputy communications director Julia Hahn had connections to white nationalism when she joined the White House as an aide , a new report shows .
Leaked emails published Wednesday in a report from the Southern Poverty Law Center show Hahn , who previously worked at right wing propaganda site Breitbart News , was close with Peter Brimelow , founder of the white nationalist hate group VDARE .
The group promotes the idea of “ white genocide ” , the conspiracy theory that suggests white people are systematically being replaced by non-white people .
VDARE has also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ white supremacist ‘ Unite the Right ’ rally , an event in Charlottesville , Virginia that led to the murder of one counter-protestor .
Emails from Hahn revealed additional connections to white supremacist groups and individuals .
The communications were leaked by her former colleague Breitbart News editor Katie McHugh .
The trove included text messages , Google Chat transcripts , and more than 600 emails taken from Hahn ’ s private and Breitbart News work emails .
McHugh once espoused right wing views including anti-immigration hate and rubbed shoulders with open white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extremism and racism .
The White House did not immediately respond to request for comment , but in a statement criticized McHugh and declined to deny the accusations of racism and extremism : Julia Hahn rejects and condemns racism and hatred in all forms , and , as a Jewish American , finds bigotry of any kind to be truly abhorrent .
Every story Julia wrote as a reporter at Breitbart is publicly available and has been since the day she left the publication nearly four years ago .
These cherry-picked emails were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ terminated from Breitbart in disgrace , and SPLC has stooped to a new low by giving her a platform .
Hahn is 29 years old and joined the White House in March , replacing deputy communications director Adam Kennedy .

Maanvi Singh (now), and Joan E Greve and Martin Belam (earlier)

22 Oct 2020 02.54 BST Summary The director of national intelligence, John Ratcliffe, said that Russia and Iran had obtained some voter registration information in a rare evening news conference. The briefing came after Democratic voters in at least four battleground states, including Florida and Pennsylvania, reported threatening emails, falsely claiming to be from the far-right group Proud Boys, that warned “we will come after you” if the recipients didn’t vote for Trump.
The briefing came after Democratic voters in at least four battleground states, including Florida and Pennsylvania, reported threatening emails, falsely claiming to be from the far-right group Proud Boys, that warned “we will come after you” if the recipients didn’t vote for Trump. Ratcliffe said Iran is also distributing video content “to imply that individuals could cast fraudulent ballots, including from overseas”. He warned Americans not to believe the disinformation. “These actions are desperate attempts by desperate adversaries,” he said.
He warned Americans not to believe the disinformation. “These actions are desperate attempts by desperate adversaries,” he said. Republicans won key victories in their ongoing crusade to restrict voting access. In a Wednesday night decision, the Supreme Court allowed Alabama officials to ban curbside voting. The Iowa Supreme Court also upheld a Republican-backed law that could prevent election officials from sending thousands of mail-in ballots, by making it more difficult for auditors to correct voter applications with omitted information.
In a Wednesday night decision, the Supreme Court allowed Alabama officials to ban curbside voting. The Iowa Supreme Court also upheld a Republican-backed law that could prevent election officials from sending thousands of mail-in ballots, by making it more difficult for auditors to correct voter applications with omitted information. Donald Trump’s deputy communications director Julia Hahn had connections to white nationalism when she joined the White House as an aide, a new report shows. Leaked emails published Wednesday in a report from the Southern Poverty Law Center show Hahn, who previously worked at right wing propaganda site Breitbart News, was close with Peter Brimelow, founder of the white nationalist hate group VDARE.
Leaked emails published Wednesday in a report from the Southern Poverty Law Center show Hahn, who previously worked at right wing propaganda site Breitbart News, was close with Peter Brimelow, founder of the white nationalist hate group VDARE. Barack Obama campaigned for Joe Biden in Philadelphia, as polls show Biden pulling ahead in the key swing state of Pennsylvania. The former president delivered a blistering rebuke of Donald Trump at a drive-in, Covid-safe rally.
as polls show Biden pulling ahead in the key swing state of Pennsylvania. The former president delivered a blistering rebuke of Donald Trump at a drive-in, Covid-safe rally. Democrats on the Senate judiciary committee plan to boycott tomorrow’s vote on Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the supreme court. The Democrats’ boycott will likely please their base, but it will not stop Barrett from being confirmed by the Republican-controlled panel. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell currently plans to hold a chamber-wide confirmation vote on Monday.
The Democrats’ boycott will likely please their base, but it will not stop Barrett from being confirmed by the Republican-controlled panel. Senate majority leader currently plans to hold a chamber-wide confirmation vote on Monday. The justice department has reached an $8 billion settlement with Purdue Pharma, the maker of the drug OxyContin, which has been partly blamed for the opioid epidemic. Despite the massive financial penalty, some lawmakers criticized the agreement, saying the federal government failed to hold company executives accountable.
the maker of the drug OxyContin, which has been partly blamed for the opioid epidemic. Despite the massive financial penalty, some lawmakers criticized the agreement, saying the federal government failed to hold company executives accountable. Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions, a move that is likely to attract criticism from the pope’s conservative opponents. In an interview for a new documentary, Francis said, “Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God. What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered.”
a move that is likely to attract criticism from the pope’s conservative opponents. In an interview for a new documentary, Francis said, “Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God. What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered.” Rudy Giuliani will make an embarrassing appearance in the new “Borat” film. In Sacha Baron Cohen’s movie, the president’s personal lawyer is captured reaching into his pants and apparently touching his genitals while reclining on a bed in the presence of an actor posing as a TV journalist. – Guardian staff
22 Oct 2020 02.49 BST Donald Trump’s deputy communications director Julia Hahn had connections to white nationalism when she joined the White House as an aide, a new report shows. The Guardian’s Kari Paul reports: Leaked emails published Wednesday in a report from the Southern Poverty Law Center show Hahn, who previously worked at right wing propaganda site Breitbart News, was close with Peter Brimelow, founder of the white nationalist hate group VDARE.
The group promotes the idea of “white genocide”, the conspiracy theory that suggests white people are systematically being replaced by non-white people. VDARE has also published commentary from a chief organizer of white supremacist ‘Unite the Right’ rally, an event in Charlottesville, Virginia that led to the murder of one counter-protestor. Emails from Hahn revealed additional connections to white supremacist groups and individuals. The communications were leaked by her former colleague Breitbart News editor Katie McHugh. The trove included text messages, Google Chat transcripts, and more than 600 emails taken from Hahn’s private and Breitbart News work emails. McHugh once espoused right wing views including anti-immigration hate and rubbed shoulders with open white nationalists, but has since renounced far-right extremism and racism. The White House did not immediately respond to request for comment, but in a statement criticized McHugh and declined to deny the accusations of racism and extremism: Julia Hahn rejects and condemns racism and hatred in all forms, and, as a Jewish American, finds bigotry of any kind to be truly abhorrent. Every story Julia wrote as a reporter at Breitbart is publicly available and has been since the day she left the publication nearly four years ago. These cherry-picked emails were leaked by a troubled individual who was terminated from Breitbart in disgrace, and SPLC has stooped to a new low by giving her a platform. Hahn is 29 years old and joined the White House in March, replacing deputy communications director Adam Kennedy.
22 Oct 2020 02.36 BST The Iowa Supreme Court delivered another win for Republicans seeking to restrict voting. The court upheld a Republican-backed law that could prevent election officials from sending thousands of mail-in ballots to voters who had information omitted from their absentee ballot applications. The law, passed after a record number of voters turned out during the primaries, casting mail-in ballots as the pandemic surged. Auditors will not be allowed to fix minor errors in the applications for absentee ballots using Iowa’s voter registration system, as they have done in past elections. Instead, the auditors will have to call or email voters one at a time to obtain any missing information – which will be tedious and time-consuming. Voters applying for absentee ballots in Iowa have to provide their driver’s license number or a voter pin number.
22 Oct 2020 02.25 BST A voting rights group says Trump supporters in New Mexico tried ot intimidate voters at polling places in Albequerque. The intimidation took place in neighborhoods where most residents are people of color. If you see evidence of voter suppression, intimidation, or election interference, call us at 866-OUR-VOTE, or 888-VE-Y-VOTA in Spanish. Never confront anyone who may be harassing or threatening voters, instead report it to the precinct judge and document the incident. #nmpol pic.twitter.com/9NybCa01PK — Common Cause NM (@commoncausenm) October 21, 2020 The AP reports: Common Cause New Mexico Executive Director Heather Ferguson said Wednesday that the incidents took place early Saturday afternoon on the first day of balloting at voter convenience centers in the South Valley and western reaches of Albuquerque on Central Avenue — areas that are heavily Latino. She estimated that dozens of potential voters in each location left without voting immediately as a result of the incidents. But she added that a poll judge intervened at the Central Avenue voting center to help ensure access and keep electioneering at a distance. “I think we got to see that the process is working,” Ferguson said. The Bernalillo County district attorney’s office is investigating the incidents, agency spokeswoman Brandale Mills-Cox said. She declined further comment. State Republican Party spokesman Mike Curtis said he has no direct knowledge of the matter. Representatives for the Trump reelection campaign had no immediate comment when contacted.
22 Oct 2020 02.06 BST Supreme Court allows Alabama to ban curbside voting Meanwhile, in the courts, Republicans have scored another victory in their ongoing crusade to restrict voting rights. The Supreme Court allowed Alabama officials to ban curbside voting, ruling against the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and the American Civil Liberties Union and other challengers of the ban said that curbside voting would help the state slow the spread of Covid-19 while allowing those most vulnerable to the disease to vote safely. The state attorney general argued that curbside voting “comes with a host of logistical, safety and ballot secrecy concerns” even though the system has been used before to assist voters with disabilities. Alabama Republicans also earlier won a legal challenge to their requirement that voters using absentee ballots attach affidavits signed by two witnesses or a notary, and copy of their photo ID. The decision came down 5-3, with three liberal justices noting their dissent. In a dissenting statement, justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote: “The Alabama secretary of state... has prohibited counties from offering curbside voting, even for voters with disabilities for whom COVID– 19 is disproportionately likely to be fatal. If those vulnerable voters wish to vote in person, they must wait inside, for as long as it takes, in a crowd of fellow voters whom Alabama does not require to wear face coverings.” Note: A previous version incorrectly said the requirement to apply included affidavits signed by two witnesses and a notary.
Updated at 03.52 BST
22 Oct 2020 01.47 BST Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee took issue with John Ratcliffe’s emphasis that Iran was sowing disinformation to harm Trump, characterizing him as a “partisan hack”. Ratcliffe is a former Republican congressman – and Democrats have been critical of his choice to selectively declassify documents to help Trump. Ratcliffe recently declassified a letter outlining the claims about Trump’s 2016 political rival Hillary Clinton that Russian intelligence services. DO NOT listen to Ratcliffe. Partisan hack. https://t.co/U2pRgttk6O — House Homeland Security Committee (@HomelandDems) October 21, 2020
22 Oct 2020 01.35 BST Before the FBI news conference began, the top members of the senate intelligence committee released a statement warning, “As we enter the last weeks before the election, we urge every American – including members of the media – to be cautious about believing or spreading unverified, sensational claims related to votes and voting.” The statement came from Marco Rubio, a Republican of Florida, and Mark Waner, a Democrat of Virginia.
“State and local election officials are in regular contact with federal law enforcement and cybersecurity professionals, and they are all working around the clock to ensure that Election 2020 is safe, secure, and free from outside interference,” the said.
22 Oct 2020 01.25 BST “We have already seen Iran sending spoofed emails, designed to intimidate voters, incite social unrest and damage President Trump,” John Ratcliffe, the director of national intelligence, said during the press conference. “You may have seen reporting on this in the last 24 hours.” Earlier Wednesday, the Washington Post reported that officials in Florida and Alaska were investigating emails sent to Democratic voters in several states that appeared to be from the Proud Boys – the far-right group that Donald Trump told to “stand back and stand by” during the first presidential debate – threatening them to vote for Trump or “we will come after you”. Ratcliffe said Iran is also distributing video content “to imply that individuals could cast fraudulent ballots, including from overseas” – and warned Americans not to believe the disinformation. “These actions are desperate attempts by desperate adversaries,” he said.
Updated at 01.39 BST
22 Oct 2020 01.06 BST Trump and his advisers have reportedly considered whether to fire FBI Director Christopher Wray, the Washington Post reports: The conversations among the president and senior aides stem in part from their disappointment that Wray in particular but [attorney general William Barr] as well have not done what Trump had hoped — indicate that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, his son Hunter Biden, or other Biden associates are under investigation, these people say. Like others, they spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose internal discussions. In the campaign’s closing weeks, the president has intensified public calls for jailing his challenger, much as he did for Hillary Clinton, his opponent in 2016. Trump has called Biden a “criminal” without articulating what laws he believes the former vice president has broken. People familiar with the discussions say that Trump wants official action similar to the announcement made 11 days before the last presidential election by then-FBI Director James B. Comey, who informed Congress he had reopened an investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was secretary of state after potential new evidence had been discovered.
21 Oct 2020 00.57 BST The FBI director warned against buying into misinformation about election results. “You should be confident your vote counts. Early unverified claims to the contrary should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism,” said director Christopher Wray. FBI Director Christopher Wray warns against "early, unverified claims" and misinformation around election results, assuring Americans "you should be confident that your vote counts." pic.twitter.com/lDc88UXTGw — The Recount (@therecount) October 21, 2020 Donald Trump and many of his supporters have been among those spreading misinformation that votes aren’t going to be counted and alleging baselessly that ballots can easily be thrown out.
21 Oct 2020 00.49 BST FBI says Russia, Iran have obtained some voter registration data Russia and Iran have obtained some voter registration data, the FBI announced in a rare evening news briefing. “We have already seen Iran sending spoofed emails, designed to intimidate voters, incite social unrest and damage President Trump,” said John Ratcliffe, the director of national intelligence. “This data can be used by foreign actors to attempt to communicate false information to registered voters that they hope will cause confusion so chaos & undermine your confidence in American democracy.”
Updated at 00.52 BST
21 Oct 2020 00.17 BST Sam Levine Florida’s top election official is facing accusations of voter suppression after two last-minute moves critics say will lead to intimidation and confusion. Alarm bells went off last week after the office of Florida’s secretary of state, Laurel Lee, abruptly notified election officials the state was beginning to flag voters for potential removal from the voter rolls if they owed money related to a felony conviction. In a second letter, the state offered an extremely restrictive view on how localities needed to operate ballot drop boxes, which voters are increasingly turning to this year amid United States Postal Service delays. Both notices threaten confusion and chaos in one of the most important swing states in the 2020 election. Mail-in voting started weeks ago and in-person early voting started on Monday. Polls show an extremely tight race between Donald Trump and Joe Biden in Florida, a state where elections are routinely decided by just thousands of votes. Florida accused of sowing confusion with last-minute voting changes Read more
21 Oct 2020 23.55 BST Lindsey Graham, the Senate judiciary committee chair, responded to Democrats’ decision to boycott Thursday’s vote on Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the supreme court. “Judge Barrett deserves to be on the supreme court and she will be confirmed,” he wrote in a statement. “As to my Democratic colleagues’ refusal to attend the markup, that is a choice they are making. I believe it does a disservice to Judge Barrett who deserves a vote, up or down.” Graham also – very hypocritically – accused Democrats of hypocrisy for changing Senate rules to block Republican filibusters of nominees to lower courts. Graham, who is currently fighting the toughest re-election race of his Senate career in South Carolina, famously said, as he opposed Obama’s nominee to replace Justice Antonin Scalia: “I want you to use my words against me. If there’s a Republican president in 2016 and a vacancy occurs in the last year of the first term, you can say Lindsey Graham said, ‘Let’s let the next president, whoever it might be, make that nomination.” Barrett, who Trump nominated to her current position as a judge at the US court of appeals for the seventh circuit, was only able to do so because Republicans blocked Obama’s nominee to that seat, Myra Selby. Selby, who would have been the second Black woman to serve on the seventh circuit, never received a hearing.
Updated at 00.05 BST


theguardian--2020-10-22--Russia and Iran obtained US voter data in bid to sow unrest before election, FBI warns

Russia and Iran have obtained some US voting registration information and are attempting to sow unrest in the upcoming election , the government ’ s national intelligence director said in a rare news conference Wednesday night .
“ We have already seen Iran sending spoofed emails , designed to intimidate voters , incite social unrest and damage President Trump , ” said John Ratcliffe , the director of national intelligence .
The FBI director , Chris Wray , also spoke , saying the US will impose costs on any foreign countries interfering in the 2020 US election .
Wray also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ results .
“ You should be confident your vote counts .
Early unverified claims to the contrary should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism , ” said Wray .
Donald Trump and many of his supporters have been among those spreading misinformation that votes aren ’ t going to be counted and alleging baselessly that ballots can easily be thrown out .
Ratcliffe said Iran is also distributing video content “ to imply that individuals could cast fraudulent ballots , including from overseas ” – and warned Americans not to believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ desperate attempts by desperate adversaries , ” he said .
The news conference was held as Democratic voters in at least four battleground states , including Florida and Pennsylvania , have received threatening emails , falsely claiming to be from the far-right group Proud Boys , that warned “ we will come after you ” if the recipients didn ’ t vote for Trump .
The voter-intimidation operation apparently used email addresses obtained from state voter registration lists , which include party affiliation and home addresses and can include email addresses and phone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an apparently widespread targeted spamming operation .
The senders claimed they would know which candidate the recipient was voting for in the 3 November election , for which early voting is ongoing .
Federal officials have long warned about the possibility of this type of operation , as such registration lists are not difficult to obtain .
“ These emails are meant to intimidate and undermine American voters ’ confidence in our elections , ” Christopher Krebs , the top election security official at the Department of Homeland Security , tweeted Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surfaced .
He urged voters not to fall for “ sensational and unverified claims ” , reminding them that ballot secrecy is guaranteed by law in all states .
“ The last line of defense in election security is you – the American voter.
” While state-backed Russian hackers are known to have infiltrated US election infrastructure in 2016 , there is no evidence that Iran , which cybersecurity experts consider to be an inferior actor in online espionage , has ever done so .
Before the FBI news conference began , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ released a statement warning : “ As we enter the last weeks before the election , we urge every American – including members of the media – to be cautious about believing or spreading unverified , sensational claims related to votes and voting.
” The statement came from Marco Rubio , a Republican of Florida , and Mark Warner , a Democrat of Virginia .
“ State and local election officials are in regular contact with federal law enforcement and cybersecurity professionals , and they are all working around the clock to ensure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and free from outside interference , ” they said .
Meanwhile , Democrats on the House homeland security committee took issue with Ratcliffe ’ s emphasis that Iran was sowing disinformation to harm Trump , characterizing him as a “ partisan hack ” .
Ratcliffe is a former Republican congressman – and Democrats have been critical of his choice to selectively declassify documents to help Trump .
Foreign misinformation campaigns are far from the only source of confusion and chaos as the US heads to the polls .
Concerns of voter disenfranchisement have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wednesday in their ongoing efforts to restrict voting rights .
In a Wednesday night decision , the Supreme Court allowed Alabama officials to ban curbside voting .
The NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and the American Civil Liberties Union and other challengers of the ban said that curbside voting would help the state slow the spread of Covid-19 while allowing those most vulnerable to the disease to vote safely .
The plaintiff in that case , Howard Porter Jr , is a Black man in his 70s with asthma and Parkinson ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my [ ancestors ] even died to vote , ” he testified to a District Court .
“ And while I don ’ t mind dying to vote , I think we ’ re past that – we ’ re past that time.
” The Iowa Supreme Court also upheld a Republican-backed law that could prevent election officials from sending thousands of mail-in ballots , by making it more difficult for auditors to correct voter applications with omitted information .

Russia and Iran have obtained some US voting registration information and are attempting to sow unrest in the upcoming election, the government’s national intelligence director said in a rare news conference Wednesday night.
“We have already seen Iran sending spoofed emails, designed to intimidate voters, incite social unrest and damage President Trump,” said John Ratcliffe, the director of national intelligence.
The FBI director, Chris Wray, also spoke, saying the US will impose costs on any foreign countries interfering in the 2020 US election.
Wray also warned against buying into misinformation about election results. “You should be confident your vote counts. Early unverified claims to the contrary should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism,” said Wray.
Democrats immediately took issue with Ratcliffe’s emphasis that Iran was sowing disinformation to harm Trump, characterizing the intelligence director as a “partisan hack”. Ratcliffe is a former Republican congressman and Democrats have been critical of his choice to selectively declassify documents to help Trump.
Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate leader, said on Wednesday night that during a classified briefing he received on the interference “I had the strong impression it was much rather to undermine confidence in elections and not aimed at any particular figure, but rather to undermine the very wellspring of our democracy.”
“I’m surprised that DNI [Ratcliffe] said that at this press conference,” he told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow.
Trump and many of his supporters have been among those spreading misinformation that votes aren’t going to be counted and alleging baselessly that ballots can easily be thrown out.
Ratcliffe said Iran is also distributing video content “to imply that individuals could cast fraudulent ballots, including from overseas” – and warned Americans not to believe the disinformation. “These actions are desperate attempts by desperate adversaries,” he said.
The news conference was held as Democratic voters in at least four battleground states, including Florida and Pennsylvania, have received threatening emails, falsely claiming to be from the far-right group Proud Boys, that warned “we will come after you” if the recipients didn’t vote for Trump.
The voter-intimidation operation apparently used email addresses obtained from state voter registration lists, which include party affiliation and home addresses and can include email addresses and phone numbers. Those addresses were then used in an apparently widespread targeted spamming operation. The senders claimed they would know which candidate the recipient was voting for in the 3 November election, for which early voting is ongoing.
Federal officials have long warned about the possibility of this type of operation, as such registration lists are not difficult to obtain.
“These emails are meant to intimidate and undermine American voters’ confidence in our elections,” Christopher Krebs, the top election security official at the Department of Homeland Security, tweeted Tuesday night after reports of the emails first surfaced.
He urged voters not to fall for “sensational and unverified claims”, reminding them that ballot secrecy is guaranteed by law in all states. “The last line of defense in election security is you – the American voter.”
In 2016 Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency targeted US election infrastructure, as part of its sweeping operation to help Trump win. According to the FBI, its hackers got access to state election boards and county governments. They also targeted private technology firms responsible for voter registration software and electronic polling stations.
Moscow successfully penetrated computer networks in several US states including Florida and Illinois. GRU officers exfiltrated a database containing information on millions of registered Illinois voters. They fired off spearphishing emails to over 120 email accounts used by Florida county election officials, and got inside at least one Florida county government.
One troubling question is whether Russian hackers altered voting tallies in Trump’s favour. Most intelligence professionals think they didn’t. But Harry Reid, the senate minority leader in 2016 , has said there is “no question” Moscow changed the outcome. “The Russians manipulated the votes. It’s that simple,” he declared.
By contrast, there is no evidence that Iran, which cybersecurity experts consider to be an inferior actor in online espionage, has ever breached US networks.
Alireza Miryousefi, an Iranian spokesman at the UN, told ABC News Iran had no interest in interfering in the US election and called on the US to “end its malign and dangerous accusations”.
“Unlike the US, Iran does not interfere in other country’s elections. The world has been witnessing US’s own desperate public attempts to question the outcome of its own elections at the highest level,” he said. “These accusations are nothing more than another scenario to undermine voter confidence in the security of the US election, and are absurd.”
Before the FBI news conference began, the top members of the Senate intelligence committee released a statement warning: “As we enter the last weeks before the election, we urge every American – including members of the media – to be cautious about believing or spreading unverified, sensational claims related to votes and voting.”
The statement came from Marco Rubio, a Republican of Florida, and Mark Warner, a Democrat of Virginia.
“State and local election officials are in regular contact with federal law enforcement and cybersecurity professionals, and they are all working around the clock to ensure that election 2020 is safe, secure and free from outside interference,” they said.
Foreign misinformation campaigns are far from the only source of confusion and chaos as the US heads to the polls. Concerns of voter disenfranchisement have been widespread, with Republicans scoring victories Wednesday in their ongoing efforts to restrict voting rights. In a Wednesday night decision, the supreme court allowed Alabama officials to ban curbside voting.
The NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and the American Civil Liberties Union and other challengers of the ban said that curbside voting would help the state slow the spread of Covid-19 while allowing those most vulnerable to the disease to vote safely.
The plaintiff in that case, Howard Porter Jr, is a Black man in his 70s with asthma and Parkinson’s disease. “So many of my [ancestors] even died to vote,” he testified to a District Court. “And while I don’t mind dying to vote, I think we’re past that – we’re past that time.”
The Iowa supreme court also upheld a Republican-backed law that could prevent election officials from sending thousands of mail-in ballots, by making it more difficult for auditors to correct voter applications with omitted information.
Additional reporting by Luke Harding


theguardian--2020-10-22--'Trump isn't going to protect us': Obama returns to campaign trail for Biden

Barack Obama returned to the campaign trail on Wednesday to deliver a scathing – and occasionally humorous – condemnation of his successor while envisioning an America led by his former vice-president , Joe Biden .
Sleeves rolled and wearing a black mask that read VOTE , Obama assailed Donald Trump over his response to the coronavirus pandemic , which has killed more than 220,000 Americans and infected millions more , including the president .
“ Eight months into this pandemic , cases are rising again across this country ” Obama said at a drive-in rally in Philadelphia less than two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump isn ’ t suddenly going to protect all of us .
He can ’ t even take the basic steps to protect himself.
” Declaring this “ the most important election of our lifetime ” , Obama stressed the importance of voting and urged Americans to make a plan for casting their ballots .
“ What we do now these next 13 days will matter for decades to come , ” he said .
Obama , who swept to the White House on an optimistic message of “ hope and change , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a straight line .
“ The fact that we don ’ t get 100 % of what we want right away is not a good reason not to vote , ” he implored .
His visit to Pennsylvania , one of three traditionally Democratic Rust Belt states that Trump won in 2016 , underscored its significance this cycle .
Both candidates have lavished the state with frequent visits and a blitz of advertising .
Biden holds a narrow lead in Pennsylvania , according to a RealClearPolitics average of state polls .
Seizing on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in western Pennsylvania on Tuesday , when he told supporters that he would not have been there if his campaign wasn ’ t trailing , Obama smiled mischievously : “ Poor guy .
I don ’ t feel that way .
I love coming to Pennsylvania.
” Waving away the polls and punditry that have shown Biden widening his lead in recent weeks , Obama urged Black men and young progressives not to sit out this cycle .
“ I don ’ t care about the polls .
There were a whole bunch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ Didn ’ t work out because a whole bunch of folks stayed at home.
” Democrats believe Black voter turnout could be decisive in states like Pennsylvania , where Hillary Clinton lost by less than 45,000 votes in 2016 .
That year , turnout among African American voters dropped nationwide .
Obama visited Philadelphia in August , when he delivered a sobering address at the virtual Democratic National Convention , in which he warned that the future of American democracy hung in the balance this election .
Though similar in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Wednesday was far more hopeful .
Amid a steady stream of honking car horns , he asked the crowd to “ remember what this country can be ” .
The former president praised Biden – a “ scrappy kid from Scranton ” – who he said had the experience and temperament to lead a nation grappling with multiple crises .
Contrasting the Democratic ticket with the current administration , Obama said Biden and his running mate , Kamala Harris , wouldn ’ t ignore public health experts , amplify conspiracy theories or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Kamala at the helm , you ’ re not going to have to think about the crazy things they said every day , ” Obama said .
“ And that ’ s worth a lot.
” Obama ’ s much-anticipated return to the campaign trail , delayed by the coronavirus , was the first of several public events he is expected to hold on behalf of Biden and Harris in twilight of the presidential campaign .
After keeping a relatively low profile for much of his presidency – and frustrating supporters with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama was unsparing in his critique .
Mocking Trump ’ s obsession with his own TV ratings , Obama accused the former Apprentice star of treating the presidency like a “ reality show ” .
“ But the thing is , this is not a reality show .
This is reality , ” he said .
“ And the rest of us have had to live with the consequences of him proving himself incapable of taking the job seriously.
” He also assailed the president over revelations by the New York Times that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ income tax in 2017 and maintains a bank account in China .
“ Can you imagine if I had a secret Chinese bank account when I was running for re-election ?
” Obama asked , his voice straining .
“ You think Fox News might have been a little concerned about that ?
They would have called me Beijing Barry !
” He quipped that he likely paid more in federal taxes working his first job at Baskin-Robbins than Trump paid during the first year of his presidency .
Before the rally , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elected officials and community organizers at a recreation center in north Philadelphia , where he urged residents , and especially African American men – to make their voices heard at the ballot box this cycle .
The former president said he understood young people ’ s impulse toward apathy when progress is slow and change is incremental , particularly on issues as urgent as racial injustice .
“ I ’ m very proud of my presidency , but I didn ’ t immediately solve systemic racism by virtue of me being president , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the socially distanced event .
Comparing voting to working out , Obama said no one should expect to leave the gym after one session with a physique like The Rock .
Similarly , he said , voting in one election won ’ t suddenly make “ everything perfect ” but it will make “ things better ” .
Asked during the discussion whether he was still hopeful after the last four years , Obama said he was .
“ I ’ ve been mad .
I ’ ve been frustrated , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ haven ’ t lost hope .
”

Barack Obama returned to the campaign trail on Wednesday to deliver a scathing – and occasionally humorous – condemnation of his successor while envisioning an America led by his former vice-president, Joe Biden.
Sleeves rolled and wearing a black mask that read VOTE, Obama assailed Donald Trump over his response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 220,000 Americans and infected millions more, including the president.
“Eight months into this pandemic, cases are rising again across this country” Obama said at a drive-in rally in Philadelphia less than two weeks before election day. “Donald Trump isn’t suddenly going to protect all of us. He can’t even take the basic steps to protect himself.”
Declaring this “the most important election of our lifetime”, Obama pleaded with Americans to deliver Biden a victory so overwhelming that Trump cannot seriously dispute the result. “What we do now these next 13 days will matter for decades to come,” he said.
Obama, who swept to the White House on an optimistic message of “hope and change,” acknowledged that progress was not always a straight line. “The fact that we don’t get 100% of what we want right away is not a good reason not to vote,” he implored.
His visit to Pennsylvania, one of three traditionally Democratic Rust Belt states that he won twice and Trump flipped in 2016, underscored its significance this cycle. Both candidates have lavished the state with frequent visits and a blitz of advertising. Biden holds a narrow lead in Pennsylvania, according to a RealClearPolitics average of state polls.
Seizing on a comment Trump made during a rally in western Pennsylvania on Tuesday, when he told supporters that he would not have been there if his campaign wasn’t trailing, Obama smiled mischievously: “Poor guy. I don’t feel that way. I love coming to Pennsylvania.”
Waving away the polls and punditry that have shown Biden widening his lead in recent weeks, Obama urged Black men and young progressives not to sit out this cycle.
“I don’t care about the polls. There were a whole bunch of polls last time,” he said. “Didn’t work out because a whole bunch of folks stayed at home.”
Barack Obama speaks at a drive-in rally on Wednesday in Pennsylvania. Photograph: Matt Slocum/AP
Democrats believe Black voter turnout could be decisive in states like Pennsylvania, where Hillary Clinton lost by less than 45,000 votes in 2016. That year, turnout among African American voters dropped nationwide.
Obama visited Philadelphia in August, when he delivered a sobering address at the virtual Democratic National Convention, in which he warned that the future of American democracy hung in the balance this election. Though similar in theme, the tone of his remarks on Wednesday was far more hopeful. Amid a steady stream of honking car horns, he asked the crowd to “remember what this country can be”.
The former president praised Biden – a “scrappy kid from Scranton” – who he said had the experience and temperament to lead a nation grappling with multiple crises. Contrasting the Democratic ticket with the current administration, Obama said Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris, wouldn’t ignore public health experts, amplify conspiracy theories or stoke nativist fears.
“With Joe and Kamala at the helm, you’re not going to have to think about the crazy things they said every day,” Obama said. “And that’s worth a lot.”
Obama’s much-anticipated return to the campaign trail, delayed by the coronavirus, was the first of several public events he is expected to hold on behalf of Biden and Harris in twilight of the 2020 presidential campaign. After keeping a relatively low profile for much of his presidency – and frustrating supporters with a reluctance to denounce his successor – Obama was unsparing in his critique.
Mocking Trump’s obsession with his own TV ratings, Obama accused the former Apprentice star of treating the presidency like a “reality show”.
“But the thing is, this is not a reality show. This is reality,” he said. “And the rest of us have had to live with the consequences of him proving himself incapable of taking the job seriously.”
He also assailed Trump over revelations by the New York Times that the billionaire president paid just $750 in federal income tax in 2017 and maintains a bank account in China.
“Can you imagine if I had a secret Chinese bank account when I was running for re-election?” Obama asked, his voice straining. “You think Fox News might have been a little concerned about that? They would have called me Beijing Barry!”
He quipped that he likely paid more in federal taxes working his first job at Baskin-Robbins than Trump paid during the first year of his presidency.
Before the rally, Obama held a round table with Black elected officials and community organizers at a recreation center in north Philadelphia, where he urged residents, and especially African American men – to make their voices heard at the ballot box this cycle. The former president said he understood young people’s impulse toward apathy when progress is slow and change is incremental, particularly on issues as urgent as racial injustice.
“I’m very proud of my presidency, but I didn’t immediately solve systemic racism by virtue of me being president,” he told the 14 men gathered at the socially distanced event.
Likening voting to working out, Obama said no one expects to leave the gym after one session with a physique like The Rock. The same applied to voting, he said. One election doesn’t suddenly make “everything perfect,” he continued, but it will make “things better”.
Asked during the discussion whether he still found reason to be hopeful after the last four years, Obama said he did.
“I’ve been mad. I’ve been frustrated,” Obama said. “But I haven’t lost hope.”


theguardian--2020-10-21--Maryland man charged with making death threats against Biden and Harris

A Maryland man was charged Wednesday with making death threats against Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris in a letter left on the doorstep of a neighbor who had yard signs supporting the candidates .
James Dale Reed , 42 , of Frederick , told investigators that he was “ upset at the political situation ” when he wrote the threatening letter , a US Secret Service agent said in an affidavit .
Reed was in state custody when a criminal complaint was filed against him in federal court in Baltimore , US attorney Robert Hur @ @ @ @ @ @ @ release .
A door camera captured video of a person resembling Reed leaving the letter on his neighbor ’ s doorstep early on the morning of 4 October , authorities said .
The neighbor said he didn ’ t know Reed but had several yard signs supporting the Democratic candidates for president and vice-president .
“ We take these types of threats extremely seriously , “ Hur said in a statement .
“ Such threats to commit violence are illegal and have no place in our democracy , and we will hold accountable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threatened violence against Democrats and said that “ Grandpa Biden ” and Harris would both be attacked and executed , the Secret Service agent ’ s affidavit says .
An anonymous tip to police led to investigators to question Reed at his home last Tuesday , prosecutors said .
He initially denied leaving the letter but was arrested two days later after he admitted writing and delivering it to his neighbor , according to Hur ’ s office .
“ He then explained his involvement to the agents by saying that ‘ This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making threatening comments ) due to the political climate , ” the Secret Service agent wrote .
The agent noted that Reed was “ known to ” the Secret Service for making a threatening statement against an unidentified person under the agency ’ s protection in 2014 .
Online court records don ’ t list an attorney representing Reed in the federal case .
A docket entry in the state case against Reed indicates he waived his right to have a lawyer represent him during his initial appearance in Frederick district court last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ faces carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison .

A Maryland man was charged Wednesday with making death threats against Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris in a letter left on the doorstep of a neighbor who had yard signs supporting the candidates.
James Dale Reed, 42, of Frederick, told investigators that he was “upset at the political situation” when he wrote the threatening letter, a US Secret Service agent said in an affidavit.
Reed was in state custody when a criminal complaint was filed against him in federal court in Baltimore, US attorney Robert Hur’s office said in a news release.
A door camera captured video of a person resembling Reed leaving the letter on his neighbor’s doorstep early on the morning of 4 October, authorities said. The neighbor said he didn’t know Reed but had several yard signs supporting the Democratic candidates for president and vice-president.
“We take these types of threats extremely seriously,“ Hur said in a statement. “Such threats to commit violence are illegal and have no place in our democracy, and we will hold accountable those who make them.”
The letter threatened violence against Democrats and said that “Grandpa Biden” and Harris would both be attacked and executed, the Secret Service agent’s affidavit says.
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An anonymous tip to police led to investigators to question Reed at his home last Tuesday, prosecutors said. He initially denied leaving the letter but was arrested two days later after he admitted writing and delivering it to his neighbor, according to Hur’s office.
“He then explained his involvement to the agents by saying that ‘This will happen’ (referring to individuals making threatening comments) due to the political climate,” the Secret Service agent wrote.
The agent noted that Reed was “known to” the Secret Service for making a threatening statement against an unidentified person under the agency’s protection in 2014.
Online court records don’t list an attorney representing Reed in the federal case. A docket entry in the state case against Reed indicates he waived his right to have a lawyer represent him during his initial appearance in Frederick district court last week.
The federal charge that he faces carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.


theguardian--2020-10-21--Republican senator 'personally benefited from tax change he sought'

Ron Johnson , the senator from Wisconsin who has led the Republican campaign in the Senate of making unfounded claims about Joe Biden ’ s son Hunter , is facing a host of questions about his own ethics , including whether he personally benefited from a change in tax law that he sought in 2017 .
A letter sent by Johnson to the Senate ethics committee in May has revealed the senator began the process of selling a company he partly owned in February 2018 , just months after he insisted the Trump administration change a portion of the tax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sale .
The issue has become a focus of the Congressional Integrity Project , a Democratic watchdog group that is seeking to expose allegations of corruption within the Republican ranks .
At the center of claims made by the watchdog group are allegations that Johnson may have sought out a change in the Trump administration ’ s 2017 tax bill to enrich himself personally .
Questions began swirling around Johnson ’ s sale of stock in Pacur in March , when it was first disclosed .
Press reports questioned whether the timing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had gleaned about the Covid-19 pandemic in his role as head of the Senate homeland security committee .
In response to those questions , Johnson sent a letter to the Senate select committee on ethics , saying that he signed an engagement letter with Wells Fargo on 26 February 2018 to act as an adviser and investment banker to find an investment partner or acquirer for Pacur .
The statement seemed to rule out that the sale had any connection to Covid-19 .
But the revelation raised a host of other questions .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ first Republican senator to announce that he would vote against Trump ’ s tax bill if it did not give better treatment to so-called “ pass-through ” entities , or companies that are taxed at rates for individual taxpayers but whose profits are distributed to owners .
Johnson ’ s threat paid off and a change to improve the tax rate for pass-throughs was added to the law , which Johnson supported .
The change was recognized at the time as increasing the value of pass-through entities .
Johnson sold his stock in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a plastics company he previously ran with is brother-in-law , on 2 March 2020 , generating profits of as much as $ 25m on the sale .
In 2017 , Johnson said his stake was worth between $ 1m and $ 5m .
In a new report , the Congressional Integrity Project – which does not release the names of its funders – also suggests that Johnson ’ s adult children have benefited from his public role .
It said that Johnson ’ s three adult children purchased a building in Oshkosh , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set up by their parents .
The building later won historic designation from the Wisconsin Historical Society – making it eligible for tax credits from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation– even though the process bypassed Wisconsin ’ s own State Historic Preservation Office .
While the project ought to have been ineligible for tax credits because construction was being performed on the property before its application to the Wisconsin Register of Historic Places was completed , that policy appears to have been set aside in the case of the new event space , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Congressional Integrity Project show that an official from the preservation office said he did not want to make the situation difficult for the buyers because of a “ technicality ” , and because the buyers “ forgot ” the WEDC application .
“ Also an FYI in case you do not recognize the owner Carey Sharpe is Senator Ron Johnson ’ s daughter , ” said an email from Mark Buechel , a senior preservation architect for the State Historic Preservation Office , to a colleague .
The tax credits were approved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shortly before the then governor , Scott Walker , lowered the tax credits available for projects like The Howard .
A spokesman for Johnson denied that Johnson was involved in his children ’ s business and shrugged off claims that the tax change he sought may have helped the senator personally .
“ Are you aware that 96 % of all businesses in America are pass-through businesses – the corner coffee shop , the auto shop , your hair salon , etc – and that Senator Johnson was seeking more equitable treatment for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ C-corp businesses ( like Amazon , Apple , GM , etc . )
were getting ?
” the spokesman said .
The person added : “ Far from the scandal you seem to imply , pass-through income is taxed on a business owner ’ s personal return .
Before the 2017 reform , it was taxed at the same rate as other earned income – in Senator Johnson ’ s case , that would be the highest tax bracket , one that even now is 37 % .
What he won for that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pass-through is that their business earnings now face a top tax rate of 30 % – still far above the 21 % top rate levied on C-corps , but less of a disadvantage.
” The spokesman also referred to the Congressional Integrity Project as a “ partisan dark money group ” .
Johnson has led a campaign in the Senate to launch unfounded allegations against Joe Biden ’ s son , Hunter .
On Fox News , Johnson recently accused Biden ’ s son of using his family name to make “ millions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s committee has investigated Hunter Biden and found no evidence that Joe Biden , the former vice-president , committed any wrongdoing .

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Ron Johnson, the senator from Wisconsin who has led the Republican campaign in the Senate of making unfounded claims about Joe Biden’s son Hunter, is facing a host of questions about his own ethics, including whether he personally benefited from a change in tax law that he sought in 2017.
A letter sent by Johnson to the Senate ethics committee in May has revealed the senator began the process of selling a company he partly owned in February 2018, just months after he insisted the Trump administration change a portion of the tax law in a way that ultimately benefited the sale.
The issue has become a focus of the Congressional Integrity Project, a Democratic watchdog group that is seeking to expose allegations of corruption within the Republican ranks.
At the center of claims made by the watchdog group are allegations that Johnson may have sought out a change in the Trump administration’s 2017 tax bill to enrich himself personally.
Questions began swirling around Johnson’s sale of stock in Pacur in March, when it was first disclosed. Press reports questioned whether the timing of the sale reflected insider information Johnson had gleaned about the Covid-19 pandemic in his role as head of the Senate homeland security committee. In response to those questions, Johnson sent a letter to the Senate select committee on ethics, saying that he signed an engagement letter with Wells Fargo on 26 February 2018 to act as an adviser and investment banker to find an investment partner or acquirer for Pacur. The statement seemed to rule out that the sale had any connection to Covid-19.
But the revelation raised a host of other questions. Four months earlier, Johnson became the first Republican senator to announce that he would vote against Trump’s tax bill if it did not give better treatment to so-called “pass-through” entities, or companies that are taxed at rates for individual taxpayers but whose profits are distributed to owners. Johnson’s threat paid off and a change to improve the tax rate for pass-throughs was added to the law, which Johnson supported.
The change was recognized at the time as increasing the value of pass-through entities. Johnson sold his stock in his own pass-through company, Pacur, a plastics company he previously ran with is brother-in-law, on 2 March 2020, generating profits of as much as $25m on the sale. In 2017, Johnson said his stake was worth between $1m and $5m.
In a new report, the Congressional Integrity Project – which does not release the names of its funders – also suggests that Johnson’s adult children have benefited from his public role. It said that Johnson’s three adult children purchased a building in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 2017 using a trust set up by their parents. The building later won historic designation from the Wisconsin Historical Society – making it eligible for tax credits from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation– even though the process bypassed Wisconsin’s own State Historic Preservation Office.
While the project ought to have been ineligible for tax credits because construction was being performed on the property before its application to the Wisconsin Register of Historic Places was completed, that policy appears to have been set aside in the case of the new event space, called The Howard.
Emails obtained by the Congressional Integrity Project show that an official from the preservation office said he did not want to make the situation difficult for the buyers because of a “technicality”, and because the buyers “forgot” the WEDC application.
“Also an FYI in case you do not recognize the owner Carey Sharpe is Senator Ron Johnson’s daughter,” said an email from Mark Buechel, a senior preservation architect for the State Historic Preservation Office, to a colleague.
The tax credits were approved, the Congressional Integrity Project claimed, shortly before the then governor, Scott Walker, lowered the tax credits available for projects like The Howard.
A spokesman for Johnson denied that Johnson was involved in his children’s business and shrugged off claims that the tax change he sought may have helped the senator personally.
“Are you aware that 96% of all businesses in America are pass-through businesses – the corner coffee shop, the auto shop, your hair salon, etc – and that Senator Johnson was seeking more equitable treatment for them in light of the tax cuts C-corp businesses (like Amazon, Apple, GM, etc.) were getting?” the spokesman said.
The person added: “Far from the scandal you seem to imply, pass-through income is taxed on a business owner’s personal return. Before the 2017 reform, it was taxed at the same rate as other earned income – in Senator Johnson’s case, that would be the highest tax bracket, one that even now is 37%. What he won for that 96% of all businesses that are pass-through is that their business earnings now face a top tax rate of 30% – still far above the 21% top rate levied on C-corps, but less of a disadvantage.”
The spokesman also referred to the Congressional Integrity Project as a “partisan dark money group”.
Johnson has led a campaign in the Senate to launch unfounded allegations against Joe Biden’s son, Hunter. On Fox News, Johnson recently accused Biden’s son of using his family name to make “millions” in shady overseas deals. Johnson’s committee has investigated Hunter Biden and found no evidence that Joe Biden, the former vice-president, committed any wrongdoing.


theguardian--2020-10-21--I know a marriage killed by QAnon and Trump, with help from alienation | Matt Dooley

Everyone remembers where they were when Trump won the election .
Alex and Mary* remember it especially well .
It was the night their relationship fell apart .
Alex and I first met in 2012 .
I went to dinner one night with him and his fiancee , Mary .
I remember her as a bright , intelligent woman with a passionate interest in animal rights .
Fast forward to the evening of 8 November 2016 , and a gaudy reality TV star was on the verge of being elected president of the most powerful country on Earth .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fall for Donald Trump , it became clear that the beginning of this new chapter in American history would mark the end of their marriage .
During the 2016 presidential campaign , Mary had become a dedicated conspiracy theorist , paving the way for her embrace of a bizarre conspiracy theory known as QAnon .
“ I had a nervous breakdown , ” says Alex .
“ I couldn ’ t wrap my mind around the whole Trump thing and all the weird stuff Mary was getting into .
I just fell apart.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ their marriage ended .
“ It is 100 % my fault .
I came in as one person and left as another.
” Alex and Mary moved from Australia to California in early 2014 .
Alex had a job offer and they decided to take the plunge .
From day one , Alex was pulling long days at the office and Mary passed a lot of her time online , frequenting a huge message board community called 4chan .
A naturally inquisitive person , Mary enjoyed reading about fringe opinions with a specific @ @ @ @ @ @ @ series of bungled health diagnoses , Mary had lost faith in the authorities .
She viewed the entire medical system as a web of malevolent conspiracies .
4chan had vibrant communities for discussing these issues and more .
At the darker end of the 4chan spectrum there lurked several large groups dedicated to white supremacist hate speech , antisemitism and Holocaust denial .
Mary ’ s network of 4chan friends became an increasingly important antidote to the sense of alienation she experienced in her new town .
While Alex jeered Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ avid following was growing across America and the world .
In Trump , Mary saw someone who was finally going to shake up the establishment and put an end to the hegemony of the political elite .
“ I was praying and meditating for Trump to win , ” she says .
“ That is where all of my consciousness was ” .
Alex admits he didn ’ t take it seriously .
“ If she brought up Trump , I just tried to shut it down , ” he sighs .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible for anyone to seriously believe in that guy ’ s bullshit.
” One day in the autumn of 2016 , Alex drove Mary out past the used car yards and fast-food joints to a convention centre near the airport .
“ I knew she had been doing some chanting or something with the Hare Krishnas and dabbling in Scientology , ” says Alex .
“ It was her thing and I respected that .
I just didn ’ t want to know about it ” .
Mary wasn ’ t on her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She was going to a presentation by David Icke , an English conspiracy theorist whose ravings include : the existence of a nefarious reptilian race invading Earth from a parallel universe ; various antisemitic nonsense ; the obligatory UFO fare ; and a cabal of deep state villains .
Icke has attempted to foretell the end of the world several times ( incorrectly , thus far ) .
His predictions imagine absurd cataclysmic showdowns between good and evil .
In 2019 , the Australian government rejected Icke ’ s visa application on grounds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ multi-dimensional lizard people may seem far-fetched , Public Policy Polling released a study in April 2013 , which showed that 4 % of Americans believed lizard creatures control the world .
That is more than 12 million people .
Mary describes how she felt after seeing Icke speak : “ I came away smiling .
I felt like everything was clear , like it all made sense ” .
In October 2017 , an anonymous blog post turned up on the message boards .
It was posted by a mysterious member , named @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a high-level US government whistleblower with secrets to share .
Again , Mary felt like puzzle pieces were falling into place .
“ I had been waiting for this .
I knew Q was coming , ” she says .
David Singh Grewal , professor of law at UC Berkeley School of Law , has published research on the dynamics of conspiracy theory .
He explains how the over-simplification of a perceived enemy allows the conspiracy theorist to role-play “ the one good cop that takes down the bad guys and makes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conspiracy theory gives the believer a feeling of empowerment , ” he says .
“ They feel as though they have all the answers.
” Rather than being one specific conspiracy theory , QAnon is better thought of as a constellation of conspiracy theories .
At the core of this ever expanding galaxy of conspiratorial solar systems is the idea that a shady cabal of cannibalistic pedophiles are working in the shadows to bring down Trump ’ s presidency .
The genius of Q is that it remains non-specific .
Just about anyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suits their palate .
For Mary , it was distrust in the medical system and disgust at child abuse .
Others have been motivated by changing racial demographics , feminism , gun rights , Covid , 5G towers – you name it .
BYO fears and grievances .
Three years and five thousand odd messages after the original post , Q content is a rambling mishmash of obtuse clues and inane conjecture .
Every post is a regurgitation of publicly available information organised into a dramatic narrative , concocted to keep millions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mary is all in .
Alex and Mary ’ s relationship ended in divorce over their fundamental disagreements .
Alex says he doesn ’ t think he could have changed Mary ’ s mind , but he is philosophical about the way society mocks conspiracy theorists .
“ I just couldn ’ t get past taking the piss out of it , ” he says .
“ But I think that is the problem with QAnon and this whole Trump thing .
Everyone on the left spends too much time making jokes.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of QAnon conspiracies might be bullshit , Mary pauses for a moment .
“ Well , I guess it could be .
But it ’ s a great story if it is ” .
* Alex and Mary ’ s names have been changed for the purpose of this article .
• Matt Dooley is an Australian writer and journalist

Everyone remembers where they were when Trump won the election. Alex and Mary* remember it especially well. It was the night their relationship fell apart.
Alex and I first met in 2012. I went to dinner one night with him and his fiancee, Mary. I remember her as a bright, intelligent woman with a passionate interest in animal rights. Fast forward to the evening of 8 November 2016, and a gaudy reality TV star was on the verge of being elected president of the most powerful country on Earth. As Alex and Mary watched state after state fall for Donald Trump, it became clear that the beginning of this new chapter in American history would mark the end of their marriage.
During the 2016 presidential campaign, Mary had become a dedicated conspiracy theorist, paving the way for her embrace of a bizarre conspiracy theory known as QAnon. “I had a nervous breakdown,” says Alex. “I couldn’t wrap my mind around the whole Trump thing and all the weird stuff Mary was getting into. I just fell apart.” Mary is unambiguous about the reason their marriage ended. “It is 100% my fault. I came in as one person and left as another.”
Alex and Mary moved from Australia to California in early 2014. Alex had a job offer and they decided to take the plunge. From day one, Alex was pulling long days at the office and Mary passed a lot of her time online, frequenting a huge message board community called 4chan. A naturally inquisitive person, Mary enjoyed reading about fringe opinions with a specific focus on alternative medicine. After a series of bungled health diagnoses, Mary had lost faith in the authorities. She viewed the entire medical system as a web of malevolent conspiracies. 4chan had vibrant communities for discussing these issues and more. At the darker end of the 4chan spectrum there lurked several large groups dedicated to white supremacist hate speech, antisemitism and Holocaust denial.
Mary’s network of 4chan friends became an increasingly important antidote to the sense of alienation she experienced in her new town. While Alex jeered Trump’s orange skin and ridiculous hair, an avid following was growing across America and the world.
In Trump, Mary saw someone who was finally going to shake up the establishment and put an end to the hegemony of the political elite. “I was praying and meditating for Trump to win,” she says. “That is where all of my consciousness was”. Alex admits he didn’t take it seriously. “If she brought up Trump, I just tried to shut it down,” he sighs. “ I didn’t think it was possible for anyone to seriously believe in that guy’s bullshit.”
One day in the autumn of 2016, Alex drove Mary out past the used car yards and fast-food joints to a convention centre near the airport. “I knew she had been doing some chanting or something with the Hare Krishnas and dabbling in Scientology,” says Alex. “It was her thing and I respected that. I just didn’t want to know about it”.
Mary wasn’t on her way to a Hare Krishna meeting. She was going to a presentation by David Icke, an English conspiracy theorist whose ravings include: the existence of a nefarious reptilian race invading Earth from a parallel universe; various antisemitic nonsense; the obligatory UFO fare; and a cabal of deep state villains.
Icke has attempted to foretell the end of the world several times (incorrectly, thus far). His predictions imagine absurd cataclysmic showdowns between good and evil. In 2019, the Australian government rejected Icke’s visa application on grounds of character. While an army of multi-dimensional lizard people may seem far-fetched, Public Policy Polling released a study in April 2013, which showed that 4% of Americans believed lizard creatures control the world. That is more than 12 million people.
Mary describes how she felt after seeing Icke speak: “I came away smiling. I felt like everything was clear, like it all made sense”. In October 2017, an anonymous blog post turned up on the message boards. It was posted by a mysterious member, named “Q”, who claimed to be a high-level US government whistleblower with secrets to share. Again, Mary felt like puzzle pieces were falling into place. “I had been waiting for this. I knew Q was coming,” she says.
David Singh Grewal, professor of law at UC Berkeley School of Law, has published research on the dynamics of conspiracy theory. He explains how the over-simplification of a perceived enemy allows the conspiracy theorist to role-play “the one good cop that takes down the bad guys and makes America great again”. “The conspiracy theory gives the believer a feeling of empowerment,” he says. “They feel as though they have all the answers.”
Rather than being one specific conspiracy theory, QAnon is better thought of as a constellation of conspiracy theories. At the core of this ever expanding galaxy of conspiratorial solar systems is the idea that a shady cabal of cannibalistic pedophiles are working in the shadows to bring down Trump’s presidency.
The genius of Q is that it remains non-specific. Just about anyone can find a version of truth that suits their palate. For Mary, it was distrust in the medical system and disgust at child abuse. Others have been motivated by changing racial demographics, feminism, gun rights, Covid, 5G towers – you name it. BYO fears and grievances.
Three years and five thousand odd messages after the original post, Q content is a rambling mishmash of obtuse clues and inane conjecture. Every post is a regurgitation of publicly available information organised into a dramatic narrative, concocted to keep millions of followers coming back for more. And Mary is all in.
Alex and Mary’s relationship ended in divorce over their fundamental disagreements. Alex says he doesn’t think he could have changed Mary’s mind, but he is philosophical about the way society mocks conspiracy theorists. “I just couldn’t get past taking the piss out of it,” he says. “But I think that is the problem with QAnon and this whole Trump thing. Everyone on the left spends too much time making jokes.”
Asked if she thinks the wild web of QAnon conspiracies might be bullshit, Mary pauses for a moment. “Well, I guess it could be. But it’s a great story if it is”.
* Alex and Mary’s names have been changed for the purpose of this article.


theguardian--2020-10-21--A US antitrust suit might break up Google. Good – it's the Standard Oil of our day | Sarah Miller

On Tuesday , the Department of Justice filed an antitrust case against Google .
This is the most significant antitrust case filed since the government suit against Microsoft in 1998 , and it also ranks with the most important antitrust suits of all time , including Standard Oil and AT & T .
The move by a conservative Republican administration to take on one of the largest companies in the world is a repudiation of the libertarian ideology that has dominated American politics since the 1980s .
Why is this case such a big deal ?
Let ’ s start @ @ @ @ @ @ @ monster in both size and behavior .
It is worth over $ 1tn and has $ 160bn of revenue .
It has nine products with more than a billion users each , and it dominates search , maps , online video , email , browsers and mobile phone operating systems .
But just as there ’ s no Standard Oil without oil , there ’ s no Google without search .
Google has roughly 90 % of the mobile search market and has had a dominant share of search since the early 2000s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ products like cars or refrigerators ; search and advertising represent the flow of information in a free society .
America , and the world , has never seen this kind of radical centralization of information flow and ad financing .
As Senator Ted Cruz has put it , Google is “ larger and more powerful than Standard Oil was when it was broken up by the antitrust laws ” .
The complaint against Google looks a lot like the Microsoft case .
In 1998 , the government alleged that Microsoft ensured its browser @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dominant way to access the internet , instead of its rival , Netscape Navigator .
Microsoft did this not by making a better product , but by cajoling or forcing computer manufacturers and internet service providers to distribute IE and not Netscape , as well as by tying its browser to its monopoly operating system , Windows .
The government is saying that Google is doing the same thing with search , putting its search engine in front of consumers so rivals – like Bing or DuckDuckGo – never get a chance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to distribute search engines is to be the preset default general search engine on a device ; most consumers simply never change their defaults .
To take advantage of this dynamic , Google has agreements with mobile phone companies like Apple and Samsung , wireless carriers like AT & T and Verizon , and browser companies like Mozilla to gain default status for Google .
These agreements include large payments – Apple reportedly gets over $ 12bn a year – so Google gets prime placement .
Some of these agreements also include specific @ @ @ @ @ @ @ competitors .
The case alleges that these agreements , which cover 60 % of the general search market , are illegal .
In the way that Microsoft tied Windows and IE , Google has its own properties to which it ties Google search .
This includes Android , a Google-owned mobile phone operating system , and Chrome , Google ’ s browser .
Both Android and Chrome have a majority market share of their respective markets .
Like Windows and IE , bundling search with these dominant distribution platforms gives Google an unfair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ engines like Google demonstrate returns to scale , which is to say : the more users they have , the more useful the product .
In the case of search , without enough users or scale , a search engine can never get enough data to learn how to be really good at returning results .
By preventing rivals from getting enough scale , the government alleges , Google is maintaining its monopoly .
The government is asking for an end to anti-competitive contractual restrictions , as well as a break-up of those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ present a conflict of interest .
It ’ s a good case , and there ’ s a reason the Department of Justice is explicitly mirroring the Microsoft suit .
The government won .
( Though the remedy of a split-up was overturned on appeal , Microsoft ’ s guilty verdict was never undone . )
Google responded by saying that consumers can choose different browsers if they like .
It has even released a set of videos showing how easy it is to switch .
But everyone knows defaults are a key @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t pay Apple $ 12bn for fun .
Moreover , Russian antitrust enforcers pursued something like this case in 2014 , forcing Google to stop leveraging Android into mobile search dominance .
It worked ; Russia ’ s search market is competitive , the only place in the world where enforcers were able to take apart Google ’ s monopoly .
But there is a big difference between this case and that against Microsoft : the political environment .
In many ways , the case against Microsoft was a political anomaly , an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when nearly all political elites thought that big corporations were good .
Today , by contrast , corporate power is understood as a serious political issue , with Donald Trump tweeting about big tech monopoly power , and Democrats including antitrust in their party platform .
Earlier this year , the House antitrust subcommittee , long dormant but now chaired by the vigorous Rhode Island Democrat David Cicilline , concluded a 16-month investigation of big tech companies and came out with scalding recommendations to break up not only Google , but Apple , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case is part of an ideological break from the era of worship of free markets .
The Google case is a good start , but we haven ’ t really enforced anti-monopoly laws for 20 years , so search distribution isn ’ t the only problematic area .
Google has market power elsewhere , including the software underpinning online publishing and advertising .
It is starving newspapers and publishers and killing rivals like Yelp and TripAdvisor .
Fortunately , state attorneys general are likely to bring cases against other aspects of the company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this case is bigger than just one market or one company ; it ’ s about protecting democracy itself against concentrated private power .
As Cicilline put it a few months ago : “ Our founders would not bow before a king .
Nor should we bow before the emperors of the online economy.
” • None Sarah Miller is the executive director of the American Economic Liberties Project and a former Treasury official

On Tuesday, the Department of Justice filed an antitrust case against Google. This is the most significant antitrust case filed since the government suit against Microsoft in 1998, and it also ranks with the most important antitrust suits of all time, including Standard Oil and AT&T. The move by a conservative Republican administration to take on one of the largest companies in the world is a repudiation of the libertarian ideology that has dominated American politics since the 1980s.
Why is this case such a big deal? Let’s start with Google itself. Google is a monster in both size and behavior. It is worth over $1tn and has $160bn of revenue. It has nine products with more than a billion users each, and it dominates search, maps, online video, email, browsers and mobile phone operating systems. But just as there’s no Standard Oil without oil, there’s no Google without search. Google has roughly 90% of the mobile search market and has had a dominant share of search since the early 2000s.
Search and advertising are not mere products like cars or refrigerators; search and advertising represent the flow of information in a free society. America, and the world, has never seen this kind of radical centralization of information flow and ad financing. As Senator Ted Cruz has put it, Google is “larger and more powerful than Standard Oil was when it was broken up by the antitrust laws”.
The complaint against Google looks a lot like the Microsoft case. In 1998, the government alleged that Microsoft ensured its browser Internet Explorer (IE) would become the dominant way to access the internet, instead of its rival, Netscape Navigator. Microsoft did this not by making a better product, but by cajoling or forcing computer manufacturers and internet service providers to distribute IE and not Netscape, as well as by tying its browser to its monopoly operating system, Windows.
The government is saying that Google is doing the same thing with search, putting its search engine in front of consumers so rivals – like Bing or DuckDuckGo – never get a chance to compete. The most important way to distribute search engines is to be the preset default general search engine on a device; most consumers simply never change their defaults. To take advantage of this dynamic, Google has agreements with mobile phone companies like Apple and Samsung, wireless carriers like AT&T and Verizon, and browser companies like Mozilla to gain default status for Google. These agreements include large payments – Apple reportedly gets over $12bn a year – so Google gets prime placement. Some of these agreements also include specific prohibitions to distribute the apps of its competitors. The case alleges that these agreements, which cover 60% of the general search market, are illegal.
In the way that Microsoft tied Windows and IE, Google has its own properties to which it ties Google search. This includes Android, a Google-owned mobile phone operating system, and Chrome, Google’s browser. Both Android and Chrome have a majority market share of their respective markets. Like Windows and IE, bundling search with these dominant distribution platforms gives Google an unfair advantage.
Software like Windows and search engines like Google demonstrate returns to scale, which is to say: the more users they have, the more useful the product. In the case of search, without enough users or scale, a search engine can never get enough data to learn how to be really good at returning results. By preventing rivals from getting enough scale, the government alleges, Google is maintaining its monopoly.
The government is asking for an end to anti-competitive contractual restrictions, as well as a break-up of those parts of Google’s business that present a conflict of interest. It’s a good case, and there’s a reason the Department of Justice is explicitly mirroring the Microsoft suit. The government won. (Though the remedy of a split-up was overturned on appeal, Microsoft’s guilty verdict was never undone.)
Google has market power. It is starving newspapers and publishers and killing rivals like Yelp and TripAdvisor
Google responded by saying that consumers can choose different browsers if they like. It has even released a set of videos showing how easy it is to switch. But everyone knows defaults are a key fulcrum for distribution – Google doesn’t pay Apple $12bn for fun. Moreover, Russian antitrust enforcers pursued something like this case in 2014, forcing Google to stop leveraging Android into mobile search dominance. It worked; Russia’s search market is competitive, the only place in the world where enforcers were able to take apart Google’s monopoly.
But there is a big difference between this case and that against Microsoft: the political environment. In many ways, the case against Microsoft was a political anomaly, an antitrust case in an era of prosperity when nearly all political elites thought that big corporations were good. Today, by contrast, corporate power is understood as a serious political issue, with Donald Trump tweeting about big tech monopoly power, and Democrats including antitrust in their party platform. Earlier this year, the House antitrust subcommittee, long dormant but now chaired by the vigorous Rhode Island Democrat David Cicilline, concluded a 16-month investigation of big tech companies and came out with scalding recommendations to break up not only Google, but Apple, Amazon and Facebook as well. This case is part of an ideological break from the era of worship of free markets.
The Google case is a good start, but we haven’t really enforced anti-monopoly laws for 20 years, so search distribution isn’t the only problematic area. Google has market power elsewhere, including the software underpinning online publishing and advertising. It is starving newspapers and publishers and killing rivals like Yelp and TripAdvisor. Fortunately, state attorneys general are likely to bring cases against other aspects of the company’s business. More fundamentally, this case is bigger than just one market or one company; it’s about protecting democracy itself against concentrated private power. As Cicilline put it a few months ago: “Our founders would not bow before a king. Nor should we bow before the emperors of the online economy.”