March 5 thru 7, 2017


News and Views


AH, THE MAD HACKERS OF THE WORLD! THIS IS ONE OF THOSE ARTICLES THAT DISTURBS ME BECAUSE, THOUGH I CAN’T UNDERSTAND VERY MUCH AT ALL ABOUT WHAT THEY DO, I ALSO DON’T CARE ENOUGH ABOUT INANIMATE INTELLIGENCE TO MAKE AN ATTEMPT TO TRY TO LEARN ENOUGH ABOUT IT TO READ THIS WITH INTEREST LET ALONE UNDERSTANDING; I RECOGNIZE THE POTENTIAL AND INDEED THE REALIZED THREATS THAT ARE INVOLVED HERE – THE HACKING OF THE DNC PERHAPS TO GET DONALD TRUMP ELECTED, FOR INSTANCE. I JUST HAVE TO STEP AWAY FROM THIS PROBLEM AND SAY THAT SOMEBODY ELSE WILL HAVE TO HANDLE IT.

AS FOR A SMART TV SET OR CAR OR REFRIGERATOR (YES, THAT WAS NAMED IN AN EARLIER ARTICLE ON THIS SUBJECT), I HOPE I WON’T EVER HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO BRING ONE OF THOSE INTO MY SAFE LITTLE LUDDITE HOME. I HOPE OUR GOVERNMENT WILL BE CLEVER ENOUGH TO KEEP AHEAD OF RUSSIA, CHINA, IRAN, NORTH KOREA AND WHOEVER ELSE IS A PLAYER ON THIS SCENE; AND THAT OUR OWN CIA/NSA/ETC. WON’T BE SPYING ON ORDINARY CITIZENS SUCH AS MYSELF FOR CRITICIZING D. TRUMP ON THE NET, FOR MARCHING IN THE WRONG PROTEST, OR SPEAKING OUT INCONVENIENTLY.

I WANT TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE THIS NEWS BLOG WHICH HAS BEEN AT TIMES, AND WILL BE AGAIN, DISTINCTLY IMPUDENT. IF HATE SPEECH IS LEGAL HERE, VERBALIZATIONS SUCH AS N***ER, C**T, D*KE, C*CKS***ER ARE NOT PUNISHABLE AS A CRIME, MERE IMPUDENCE CERTAINLY SHOULD BE OK. SO, KEEP YOUR DAMNED RECORDING DEVICES OUT OF MY LIFE. I’M NOT SUFFICIENTLY DANGEROUS TO MAKE IT WORTH YOUR WHILE, AFTER ALL.


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/wikileaks-cia-documents-released-cyber-intelligence/
WikiLeaks claims to release thousands of CIA documents
CBS/AP March 7, 2017, 9:43 AM
WikiLeaks posts alleged CIA trove depicting mass hacking
Last Updated Mar 7, 2017 3:52 PM EST

Watch video CBSN

WASHINGTON -- WikiLeaks published thousands of documents Tuesday described as secret files about CIA hacking tools the government employs to break into users’ computers, mobile phones and even smart TVs.

Some companies that manufacture smart TVs include: Apple, Google, Microsoft and Samsung.

The documents describe clandestine methods for bypassing or defeating encryption, antivirus tools and other protective security features intended to keep the private information of citizens and corporations safe from prying eyes. U.S. government employees, including President Trump, use many of the same products and internet services purportedly compromised by the tools.

Vice President Mike Pence blasts the AP for publishing wife’s email address

The documents describe CIA efforts -- cooperating with friendly foreign governments and the U.S. National Security Agency -- to subvert the world’s most popular technology platforms.

Some of the products affected include: Apple’s iPhones and iPads, Google’s Android phones and Microsoft Windows operating system (desktop and laptops).

Details of WikiLeaks’ document release
Largest publication of confidential documents about the CIA
Code-named “Vault7”
Part 1 includes 8,761 documents from CIA’s Center for Cyber Intelligence
Reveals direction of global hacking program
Information on agency’s malware arsenal
Claims that CIA used products like iPhones and smart TVs as covert microphones
Claims that the CIA used its Langley HQ and U.S. consulate in Frankfurt, Germany as bases for its hackers
Broad exchanges of tools and information among the CIA, NSA and other U.S. intelligence agencies

CNET reports that if the CIA could break into a phone’s operating system, it could potentially access not just encrypted data stored there, but also encrypted messages sent through popular services like WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram. The approach doesn’t break the encryption, CNET reports, but rather gives hackers the same access to messages that a regular user would have when unlocking their phone.

WhatsApp declined to comment while Signal parent company Open Whisper Systems didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Telegram said on its website that the problem lies with operating systems and not encrypted messaging apps and that naming specific encrypted services is “misleading.”

WikiLeaks has a long track record of releasing top secret government documents, and experts who sifted through the material said it appeared legitimate.

<i>The documents also include discussions about compromising some internet-connected televisions to turn them into listening posts. One document discusses hacking vehicle systems, indicating the CIA’s interest in hacking modern cars with sophisticated on-board computers.

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WikiLeaks ✔ @wikileaks
RELEASE: Vault 7 Part 1 "Year Zero": Inside the CIA's global hacking force https://wikileaks.org/ciav7p1
8:09 AM - 7 Mar 2017
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Missing from WikiLeaks’ trove are the actual hacking tools themselves, some of which were developed by government hackers while others were purchased from outsiders. WikiLeaks said it planned to avoid distributing tools “until a consensus emerges” on the political nature of the CIA’s program and how such software could be analyzed, disarmed and published.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange “very happy” about fake news narrative

Tuesday’s disclosure left anxious consumers who use the products with little recourse, since repairing the software vulnerabilities in ways that might block the tools’ effectiveness is the responsibility of leading technology companies. The revelations threatened to upend confidence in an Obama-era government program, the Vulnerability Equities Process, under which federal agencies warn technology companies about weaknesses in their software so they can be quickly fixed.

It was not immediately clear how WikiLeaks obtained the information, code-named “Vault7,” and details in the documents could not immediately be verified. WikiLeaks said the material came from “an isolated, high-security network” inside the CIA’s Center for Cyber Intelligence but didn’t say whether the files were removed by a rogue employee or whether the theft involved hacking a federal contractor working for the CIA or perhaps breaking into a staging server where such information might have been temporarily stored.

“The archive appears to have been circulated among former U.S. government hackers and contractors in an unauthorized manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive,” WikiLeaks said in a statement.

<b>In a statement to CBS News, CIA spokesman Jonathan Liu said, “We do not comment on the authenticity or content of purported intelligence documents.” White House spokesman Sean Spicer also declined comment.

Trump heatedly complains to CIA chief about leaks
Play VIDEO
Trump heatedly complains to CIA chief about leaks

The tools described in the documents carried bizarre names, including Time Stomper, Fight Club, Jukebox, Bartender, Wild Turkey, Margarita and “RickyBobby,” a racecar-driving character in the comedy film, “Talladega Nights.”

That RickyBobby tool, the documents said, was intended to plant and harvest files on computers running “newer versions of Microsoft Windows and Windows Server.” It operated “as a lightweight implant for target computers” without raising warnings from antivirus or intrusion-detection software. It took advantage of files Microsoft built into Windows since at least 10 years ago.

The files include comments by CIA hackers boasting in slang language of their prowess: “You know we got the dankest Trojans and collection tools,” one reads.

The documents show broad exchanges of tools and information among the CIA, NSA and other U.S. intelligence agencies, as well as intelligence services of close allies Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

WikiLeaks claimed the CIA used both its Langley, Virginia, headquarters and the U.S. consulate in Frankfurt, Germany, as bases for its covert hackers. The AP found that one purported CIA hack that imitates the Domain Name System -- the internet’s phone book -- traced to an internet domain hosted in Germany.

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CIA negligence sees it losing control of all cyber weapons arsenal sparking serious proliferation concerns #Vault7 https://wikileaks.org/ciav7p1/#PRESS
8:50 AM - 7 Mar 2017
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Jake Williams, a security expert with Augusta, Georgia-based Rendition Infosec who has experience dealing with government hackers, said the files’ extensive references to operation security meant they were almost certainly government-backed. “I can’t fathom anyone fabricated that amount of operational security concern,” he said. “It rings true to me.”

In an unusual move, WikiLeaks said it was withholding some secrets inside the documents. Among them, it said it had withheld details of tens of thousands of “CIA targets and attack machines throughout Latin America, Europe and the United States.”

Key Trump surrogates once led fight vs. WikiLeaks and Assange

WikiLeaks also said its data included a “substantial library” of digital espionage techniques borrowed from other countries, including Russia.

If the authenticity of the documents is officially confirmed, it would represent yet another catastrophic breach for the U.S. intelligence community at the hands of WikiLeaks and its allies, which have repeatedly humbled Washington with the mass release of classified material, including from the State Department and the Pentagon.

WikiLeaks releases documents on CIA hacking
Play VIDEO
WikiLeaks releases documents on CIA hacking

Tuesday’s documents purported to be from the CIA’s “Embedded Development Branch” discuss techniques for injecting malicious code into computers protected by the personal security products of leading international anti-virus companies. They describe ways to trick anti-virus products from companies including Russia-based Kaspersky Lab, Romania-based BitDefender, Dutch-based AVG Technologies, F-Secure of Finland and Rising Antivirus, a Chinese company.

In the new trove, programmers also posted instructions for how to access user names and passwords in popular internet browsers.

Those browsers include: Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

Under a list of references in one exchange, users were advised: “Be advised, the following may be low traffic sites, sites in which it might be a good idea to disable JavaScript, etc,” referring to a widely used internet programming language. “Remember, practice safe browsing, kidz!” they were told.

Some documents were classified “secret” or “top secret” and not for distribution to foreign nationals. One file said those classifications would protect deployed hacks from being “attributed” to the U.S. government. The practice of attribution, or identifying who was behind an intrusion, has been difficult for investigators probing sophisticated hacks that likely came from powerful nation-states.



D I S G U S T I N G ! ! !

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/marines-being-investigated-over-salacious-photo-sharing-of-women-service-members/
Marines being investigated over salacious photo sharing of women service members
CBS NEWS
March 5, 2017, 7:47 AM

Photograph -- Sgt. Maj. Ronald Green is the 18th sergeant major of the Marine Corps MARINE TIMES

Top brass in the U.S. Marines are denouncing in vigorous terms misbehavior by Marines online, including photographing and sharing photos of women recruits and veterans and making salacious comments about them.

“There is no place for this type of demeaning or degrading behavior in our Corps,” said Sergeant Major Ronald L. Green, 18th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps in a statement to CBS News.

Green was responding to reports published by the Center for Investigative Reporting that hundreds of Marines are being investigated for using social media to solicit and share hundreds — possibly thousands — of naked photographs of women service members and veterans.

“Let me be perfectly clear; no person should be treated this way. It is inconsistent with our Core Values, and it impedes our ability to perform our mission,” said Sergeant Major Green.

On its Reveal web site, the Center for Investigative Reporting found that since Jan. 30, more than two dozen women, including active duty and enlisted service members had been identified by their rank, full name and military duty station in photographs posted and linked to from a private Facebook page called “Marines United.”

In one instance cited in the report, a woman corporal in uniform was followed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina by a fellow Marine, who surreptitiously photographed her as she picked up her gear. The picture was posted to the Marines United private FB page, where dozens of obscene, sexually explicit comments were posted.

A Marine Corps official told CBS News’ Cami McCormick that when they learned of the private website, they started asking questions and “within hours the site was gone.”

“Whoever runs it kept moving it, making it hard to even find what the scope of it was’, said the official, adding that the Naval Criminal Investigative Service is looking into the matter. The official expressed sympathy the women involved.

“People will immediately start blaming victims, and we are most concerned about them. They may have taken pics meant to be private and then those images could have been shared by a former close friend. So many questions that we just don’t have answers to at this point.”

“The Marine Corps is deeply concerned about allegations regarding the derogatory online comments and sharing of salacious photographs in a closed website. This behavior destroys morale, erodes trust, and degrades the individual. The Marine Corps does not condone this sort of behavior, which undermines our core values. As General Neller said in his recent Message to the Force, the Marine Corps’ success in battle depends on trust, mutual respect, and teamwork,” said Captain Ryan Alvis, a public affairs officer for the Marines.

“The Marine Corps takes every allegation of misconduct seriously. Allegations of misconduct are thoroughly investigated and handled at the appropriate judicial or administrative forum. A Marine could potentially be charged for violating Article 133 (for officers) or Article 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). If a Marine shared a photo of another person that was taken without that person’s consent and under circumstances in which that other person had a reasonable expectation of privacy, the Marine may have violated Article 120c, UCMJ, for broadcasting or distribution of an indecent visual recording. A Marine who directly participates in, encourages, or condones such actions could also be subjected to criminal proceedings or adverse administrative actions.”


Things like this do not emerge out of a vacuum. Marines United – If you want to see what kind of website Marines United is, Google it. It is rude, crude, hostile, anti-everyone, stoopid, mentally ill and downright bizarre. It does not come up at the first hit. The official Marine Corps site does, instead. Why the Marine Corps, the official one that is, don’t take action against it and get it removed from the Internet and especially from Facebook, I don’t know. It’s a public and, apparently, a persistent black mark against the whole service. What kind of human beings are they producing? Is this the way to “build men?” I beg to differ. People like that are not MEN. Much of it on that site is more than offensive. It’s dangerous. It can cause a woman to be raped, as the really, really borderline men get turned on by it and try to assault innocent women whose information is published there.

I would like to see a follow up on this, with the Marine Corps showing that the Marines who do these things are not merely given a reprimand that is placed in their personal record, they should be charged with stalking, sexual abuse, and invasion of privacy – because taking a picture of a woman’s behind when she is bending down is abusive –and publishing it in any manner whatsoever is a kind of threat.

It is also, in my view, a hate crime. I don’t believe that a normal man would do that. It is vicious and twisted. A healthy man has enough guts to approach a woman and ask her out in the kind of appealing way that might actually interest her. It should also be grounds for a lawsuit with stiff enough financial reparations to make a dent in the thick head of the man who does it. He should also be required to make a personal apology to the woman in writing and verbally on tape, which will then be shared on the same website where the offending photo or video was posted. He should also be suspended from the military with a loss of his retirement money, and required to register as a sexual predator, because that is the category that this particular offense fits into best, I believe. It’s similar to that little male trick called “upskirting,” with a smartphone. I can’t think of anything else right now, but you get the idea, I think.

Men need to get used to the fact that they enjoy all kinds of privileges and rights as a citizen of the good old USA, and that means that women as well as men have full rights of all the same kinds that men do. OUR RIGHTS CARRY RESPONSIBILITIES WITH THEM. Abuse of another person of this type is not only offensive and likely to gain them a black eye, it can be illegal.

The Alt-right may be trying to turn this country into a NeoNazi state, but so far, they haven’t succeeded. And as for that old-fashioned idea that women, most of us anyway, are going to be demure, always personally attentive, never have curlers in our hair or be without tantalizing makeup on, and only speak when spoken to, they can just think again. They should get used to it, become a mature individual, and embrace decency and human empathy rather than viciousness as their model of proper behavior.

That web site portrays men as highly aggressive and obscene. Go on it and look at it for yourself. I wouldn’t put any abusive comments there, though I was tempted, for fear that they will get your Facebook information and target you specifically. A sexual troll is the worst kind.

Some men are like that, of course, but most in a good society are not. If the male population wants to degenerate into animals, they will lose that loving care that they want so much from women. It’s impossible for me to love an abusive person, whether it’s a lover, a business associate, a family member or just a stranger on the street. My response to that kind of thing is to treat them as though they aren’t there, or if they do try to attack me in any way at all, fight back verbally quickly and incisively.

I actually believe that highly aggressive individuals should perhaps be put involuntarily into a mental hospital for a week or so for observation and treatment, because actions like that are very possibly a sign of the desire to physically hurt the other party, if they could just get up the courage. It’s a telltale symptom that should not be ignored, like peeping in bedroom windows. That used to be a very minor crime until psychologists and cops wised up, and saw that it is often preparation for a break in and rape. When that Marine followed the woman down the street to molest her, that is technically stalking, and a crime.

Time spent in a mental hospital might very well do them some good, as I feel sure the reason they have that turn of mind is some deeply seated painful experiences that they would do well to discuss. Often, it’s because they were not handsome enough or “normal” enough in their outer appearance for girls and women to risk a close association with them. High school girls, especially, often will not date a boy merely because they think he’s “geeky,” i.e. overly intellectual or just “odd.”

Most women do have a built-in alarm bell that goes off under those circumstances. Painful as that is for men, it’s a survival characteristic, and it makes for a better society in general. Group therapy can be especially good for those things, as they will come to understand that they are, first, not alone; and just as importantly, that they are not “special.” If they will do that they will begin to experience GOOD RELATIONSHIPS WITH WOMEN, and no longer have the desire to demean and abuse them. They may even want to establish a committed relationship and have some kids. Voila!



YESTERDAY’S CBS REPORT ON THIS SUBJECT DOES STATE THAT SIMILAR STORIES HAVE “BEEN CIRCULATING IN CONSERVATIVE SITES.” THAT’S NOT SURPRISING. THEIR GOAL IS TO KEEP UP A DRUMBEAT AGAINST DEMOCRATS IN GENERAL, AND CREATING CLEVER LIES IS ONE OF THEIR FAVORITE METHODS. KEEP THE PUBLIC FOOLED FROM DAY TO DAY AND THEY’LL GIVE UP ON TRYING TO FIND WHAT IS REAL AND WHAT IS PURE FICTION.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/oversight-chair-says-he-hasnt-heard-of-evidence-backing-trumps-wiretapping-claim/
Oversight chair says he hasn't heard of evidence backing Trump's wiretapping claim
By REBECCA SHABAD CBS NEWS
March 6, 2017, 8:08 AM

Senator Jason Chaffetz on CBS

The chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said Monday that he has not heard of any evidence that would support President Trump’s claim that former President Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower.

“Thus far, I have not seen anything directly that would support what the president has said,” Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said in an interview with “CBS This Morning.”

He added, however, “I learned a long time ago, I’m going to keep my eyes wide open. You never know when you turn a corner what you may or may not see.”

Chaffetz confirmed that wiretapping requires obtaining a FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) warrant in court and that there would be a “paper trail” if anything did occur. He also said that the president also has the power to declassify information about a FISA order.

Asked to react to the accusation the president made on Twitter Saturday morning, Chaffetz said, “It’s a very serious allegation. The president has at his fingertips tens of billions of dollars in intelligence apparatus.”

“I got to believe, I think, he might have something there, but if not, we’re going to find out,” he said. “I think it’s premature to say there’s no backing evidence.”

The White House called on Congress Sunday to investigate Mr. Trump’s claim and the previous administration’s surveillance activities.

As for the revised travel ban, expected to be released Monday, Chaffetz said he believes there does need to be stronger vetting for people coming from certain countries, but he also doesn’t want to discriminate people based on their religion.

“I do not buy into the idea that anybody should be targeted based on their religion,” he said. “I don’t want to see that in any way, shape or form.”



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/doj-asked-by-fbi-comey-to-reject-trumps-wiretapping-accusation/
DOJ asked by FBI to reject Trump's wiretapping accusation
CBS NEWS March 6, 2017, 1:02 AM

VIDEO -- Top Dem on Senate Intel Committee says Trump tweets on wiretaps "very reckless"

Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee Mark Warner called Mr. Trump’s accusations “reckless.”

“I thought the president’s comments could no longer surprise me, but boy this one yesterday surprised me,” he said in an interview on “Face the Nation” Sunday. “To make that type of claim without any evidence is I think very reckless.”

He said he was not aware of any FISA court order regarding Trump Tower, which the president said was under a wiretap in the lead-up to the 2016 election. Warner added that Mr. Trump’s tweets did suggest the president “doesn’t understand how you obtain a wiretap.”

President Obama’s spokesman, Kevin Lewis, denied the accusation, saying Saturday, “neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen.”

On Saturday, senior FBI officials called Justice Department officials and asked that they publicly reject President Trump’s assertion that then-President Obama ordered the wiretapping of then-candidate Trump’s phones, CBS News’ Jeff Pegues reported, citing law enforcement sources.

The message to the Justice Department came from FBI Director James Comey, who disputed the claim because it falsely suggests that the FBI broke the law.

The FBI declined to comment, and so far, the Justice Department has also provided no comment.

The story was first reported by The New York Times.

On Saturday morning, Mr. Trump issued a series of tweets accusing the president of tapping his phones. One of his tweets read, “How low has President Obama gone to tapp [sic] my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!” The president cited no evidence to back up his accusation.

Sunday morning, the White House issued its first response, calling for the congressional intelligence committes [sic] to investigate the Obama administration’s surveillance activities.

Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee Mark Warner called Mr. Trump’s accusations “reckless.”

“I thought the president’s comments could no longer surprise me, but boy this one yesterday surprised me,” he said in an interview on “Face the Nation” Sunday. “To make that type of claim without any evidence is I think very reckless.”

He said he was not aware of any FISA court order regarding Trump Tower, which the president said was under a wiretap in the lead-up to the 2016 election. Warner added that Mr. Trump’s tweets did suggest the president “doesn’t understand how you obtain a wiretap.”

President Obama’s spokesman, Kevin Lewis, denied the accusation, saying Saturday, “neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen.”



http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/former-dni-james-clapper-i-can-deny-wiretap-trump-tower-n729261
EXCLUSIVE POLITICS MAR 5 2017, 10:14 AM ET
Former DNI James Clapper: ‘I Can Deny’ Wiretap of Trump Tower
by KAILANI KOENIG

WASHINGTON — Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper on Sunday denied any suggestion that Trump Tower communications were wiretapped before the election.

For the part of the national security apparatus that he oversaw, "there was no such wiretap activity mounted against the president, the president-elect at the time, or as a candidate, or against his campaign," Clapper told Chuck Todd in an exclusive interview on Sunday's "Meet The Press."

Play Clapper: 'I Can Deny' Wiretap of Trump Tower 1:10

When Todd asked him whether he could confirm or deny if a FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Act) order for this existed, Clapper declared, "I can deny it."

Asked again whether there was a FISA Court order to monitor Trump Tower, Clapper said, "Not to my knowledge."

Clapper said that if any wiretap like that occurred, he would "certainly hope" that he would be aware of it.

"I can't speak for other authorized entities in the government or a state or local entity," he added.

Clapper was responding to questions surrounding President Trump's accusation — without evidence — that former President Barack Obama personally ordered wiretap surveillance of Trump Tower before the November election. After tweeting the allegations in the early morning Saturday, Trump and his administration continued to offer no evidence to support the accusation. On Sunday, the Trump administration sought to spin Trump's unsubstantiated claim as a call for Congress to investigate if Obama "abused" his presidential powers.

Former President Obama's spokesman Kevin Lewis released a statement saying, "Neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false."

Clapper was also asked on "Meet the Press" if he had any evidence that the Trump campaign was colluding with the Russian government while the Kremlin was working to influence the election.

"Not to my knowledge," Clapper said, based on the information he had before his time in the position ended.

"We did not include anything in our report … that had any reflect of collusion between members of the Trump campaign and the Russians. There was no evidence of that included in our report," he said. "We had no evidence of such collusion."

When asked whether he still believes that Russians interfered in the U.S. election to help Donald Trump, Clapper said, "Yes, I do."

Play -- Full Clapper: 'No Evidence' of Collusion Between Trump and Russia 7:31

Clapper is a career intelligence officer and served as Director of National Intelligence under President Obama for more than 6 years. He spearheaded the January report put out by the NSA, the FBI, the CIA and his office that concluded that the Kremlin hacked Democratic National Committee emails and attempted to disrupt the election.

On Sunday, he added that "it would be very healthy to completely clear the air on this subject" and noted that the current inquiry by the Senate's Select Committee on Intelligence into the matter will be able to look at the issues from a broader context than they would.

"I do have confidence" in the Senate effort, he said, calling it "truly bipartisan."

Clapper said it was important to get to the bottom of these issues "because it's such a distraction."

"Certainly, the Russians have to be chortling about the success of their efforts to sow dissension in this country," Clapper added.




http://www.msnbc.com/am-joy/watch/rob-reiner-on-trump-890579523684
Rob Reiner on Trump
Director and activist Rob Reiner weighs in on ‘Russiagate,’ and what he hopes will be bipartisan resistance to Donald Trump. Duration: 10:00
March 5, 2017

THERE IS NO TEXT TO THIS STORY, BUT WATCH THE VIDEO. REINER MENTIONS THE DANGERS OF STUXNET. AND JUST WHAT IS STUXNET??

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuxnet
Stuxnet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stuxnet is a malicious computer worm, first identified in 2010, that targets industrial computer systems and was responsible for causing substantial damage to Iran's nuclear program. The software was designed to erase itself in 2012 thus limiting the scope of its effects. The worm is believed by many experts to be a jointly built American-Israeli cyberweapon,[1] although no organization or state has officially admitted responsibility. Anonymous American officials speaking to The Washington Post claimed the worm was developed during the Bush administration to sabotage Iran's nuclear program with what would seem like a long series of unfortunate accidents.[2]

Stuxnet specifically targets programmable logic controllers (PLCs), which allow the automation of electromechanical processes such as those used to control machinery on factory assembly lines, amusement rides, or centrifuges for separating nuclear material. Exploiting four zero-day flaws,[3] Stuxnet functions by targeting machines using the Microsoft Windows operating system and networks, then seeking out Siemens Step7 software. Stuxnet reportedly compromised Iranian PLCs, collecting information on industrial systems and causing the fast-spinning centrifuges to tear themselves apart.[4] Stuxnet’s design and architecture are not domain-specific and it could be tailored as a platform for attacking modern supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and PLC systems (e.g., in factory assembly lines or power plants), the majority of which reside in Europe, Japan and the US.[5] Stuxnet reportedly ruined almost one fifth of Iran's nuclear centrifuges.[6]


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-day_(computing)
Zero-day (computing)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Zero-day attack)

A zero-day (also known as zero-hour or 0-day or day zero) vulnerability is an undisclosed computer-software vulnerability that hackers can exploit to adversely affect computer programs, data, additional computers or a network.[1] It is known as a "zero-day" because it is not publicly reported or announced before becoming active, leaving the software's author with zero days in which to create patches or advise workarounds to mitigate its actions.[2]

Attacks employing zero-day exploits are often attempted by hackers before or on the day that notice of the vulnerability is released to the public; sometimes before the author is aware or has developed and made available the corrected code.[3] Zero-day attacks are a severe threat.[4]



https://www.policeone.com/Crowd-Control/articles/282653006-DC-cops-wear-pink-hats-in-solidarity-with-Womens-March-protesters/
DC cops wear pink hats in solidarity with Women’s March protesters
No arrests were made during the march
Jan 23, 2017

By PoliceOne Staff

WASHINGTON — Officers patrolling the Women’s March Saturday wore the same pink hats as demonstrators.

The yarn hats - beanies with two cat ears - is reference to the tape of President Trump boasting about groping women, which sparked controversy after it leaked in Oct. 2016, The Hill reported.

Reporter Benjamin Freed posted photos on Twitter stating that cops posed for photos with demonstrators in the hats and received big cheers from the crowd.

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DC cops posted across from White House are wearing pink pussyhats and posing for photos with marchers. Big cheers from crowd. #WomensMarch
5:18 PM - 21 Jan 2017
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Thousands of protesters showed up to the D.C. march. No arrests were made.

Officials estimate around 3 million people participated in peaceful sister marches around the world.