June 9, 2017


News and Views


THE HIGH LEVEL OF TRAINING AS A TRUMP AIDE THAT SCAVINO HAD WAS HIS BEING TRUMP’S TRUSTED GOLF CADDY? I UNDERSTAND HIS DESIRE TO BE ABLE TO TRUST THOSE WHO WORK FOR HIM, BUT THEY SHOULD HAVE EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS SUFFICIENT TO THE TASK AS WELL AS LOYALTY AND HUMILITY. MAYBE THIS MAN DOES, AND THE ARTICLE JUST DIDN’T SAY SO.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trumps-social-media-director-admonished-political-tweet-174703969--politics.html
Trump's social media director receives ethics warning
Associated Press
JILL COLVIN
Associated Press
June 9, 2017

Photograph -- White House director of social media

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House social media director Dan Scavino violated the law when he used an official-looking Twitter account for campaign purposes, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel has concluded, issuing Scavino a letter of admonishment.

The agency also warned that if Scavino engages in prohibited political activity again, it will be considered "a willful and knowing violation of the law, which could result in further action."

The agency concluded that Scavino, one of Trump's most trusted aides, violated the Hatch Act, which bars most executive branch officials from using their government positions to influence elections.

The decision came in response to a complaint from the good-government group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington over a tweet from Scavino calling for the defeat of Rep. Justin Amash in a GOP primary.

"@realDonaldTrump is bringing auto plants & jobs back to Michigan. @justinamash is a big liability," Scavino wrote on April 1. "#TrumpTrain, defeat him in primary."

Scavino's Twitter account at the time featured photos of him standing in the Oval Office and of Trump delivering a speech behind a lectern with the presidential seal, CREW complained.

"The rules are clear that government officials aren't allowed to use their position for campaign activity," executive director Noah Bookbinder said in a statement. "In these overly politicized times, the separation of official and campaign business is absolutely vital in keeping partisan politics out of government business."

Scavino is one of the president's most loyal and longest-serving aides in the White House. He began working for Trump as a caddy at one of Trump's golf courses, and was part of the small group of staffers who traveled with the president across the country for the entirety of the campaign.

A letter informing CREW of the decision said that Scavino was recently counseled about the Hatch Act by the Office of the White House Counsel and notes that he has not tweeted anything similar since.

Scavino did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Related:

Follow Colvin on Twitter at https://twitter.com/colvinj



“MAYBE SOMETIME IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE...” I TAKE THIS TO MEAN, JUDGING FROM HIS REGULAR PATTERN, THAT HE HASN’T DREAMED IT UP YET.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-intelligence-committee-requests-comeys-trump-meeting-notes/story?id=47947951&cid=clicksource_4380645_1_hero_headlines_bsq_hed
House Intelligence Committee requests Comey's Trump meeting notes, White House tapes
By BENJAMIN SIEGEL RILEY BEGGIN Jun 9, 2017, 6:23 PM ET

WATCH -- Trump says Comey's testimony is total and complete vindication

The leaders of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence announced on Friday that they’ve made two requests for evidence -- one to former FBI director James Comey and one to White House Counsel Don McGahn -- in relation to their investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Reps. Mike Conaway, R-Texas, and Adam Schiff, D-California, said they wrote to Comey requesting any notes or memoranda in his possession memorializing discussions Comey had with President Donald Trump.

They asked McGahn to inform the committee whether any White House recordings or memoranda of Comey’s conversations with Trump exist, or have existed in the past. Their request, submitted via a letter, asked that the copies of any such materials be given to the committee by June 23.

The request comes the day after Comey’s momentous testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, and after Trump in a Rose Garden news conference dodged questions about the existence of any White House tapes of his conversations with Comey.

During the hearing Comey also referenced Trump’s tweet saying Comey “better hope that there are no ‘tapes’ of our conversations” were he to give information to the press.

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Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump
James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!
8:26 AM - 12 May 2017
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“It didn’t dawn on me originally that there might be corroboration for our conversation. There might be a tape. And my judgment was, I needed to get that out into the public square,” Comey said.

Earlier on Thursday, Comey said, “Lordy, I hope there are tapes.”

During his testimony Comey also said that he spoke with the president nine times, and that he thinks he created a written record of each conversation. “If I didn’t, I did it for nearly all of them, especially the ones that were substantive,” he said.

"I'll tell you something about that, maybe sometime in the very near future," Trump said when asked about the purported existence of the tapes during a press conference at the White House today. “You’re going to be very disappointed when you hear the answer.”


“IT’S UNCLEAR WHAT THE COMPLAINT WILL ALLEGE...” THAT TELLS THE WHOLE TALE, AS FAR AS I’M CONCERNED, BUT A GOOD LAWYER CAN ALWAYS MAKE UP A CONVINCING OR AT LEAST AN IMAGINATIVE ARGUMENT.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-lawyer-to-file-complaint-against-comey-over-memo/
CBS NEWS June 9, 2017, 10:34 AM
Trump's lawyer plans to file complaint against Comey over memo

President Trump's private lawyer plans to file a complaint against fired FBI Director James Comey with the Senate Judiciary Committee and Department of Justice Office of Inspector General after Comey said Thursday he released a memo documenting his interactions with the president, sources familiar with the lawyer's thinking tell CBS News' Margaret Brennan.

It's unclear exactly what the complaint will allege, but Mr. Trump's personal lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, kept the possibility of legal action open Thursday in a statement he made in response to Comey's testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, accusing Comey of leaking privileged communications with the president. The complaint is expected to be filed next week.

Trump's lawyer accuses Comey of disclosing "privileged communications"
Play VIDEO
Trump's lawyer accuses Comey of disclosing "privileged communications"

The legal team is still gathering information and putting together a timeline. They aim to raise the concern that Comey may have violated his signed FBI agreement preventing him from disclosing sensitive information. It is unclear if anyone at FBI gave Comey permission for the disclosures or whether Comey needed permission to make his disclosures.

In addition, Mr. Trump's lawyers may object to Comey's disclosure of private conversations that he had with the president, which they will argue are protected under executive privilege. The president's prior waiver of executive privilege only applied to public testimony and not these "leaks" of the conversations. Comey did not seek the president's permission to release that information, but it's not clear that he needed to, given that he, as a private citizen, was sharing his own recollection of the conversations, CBS legal reporter Paula Reid notes.

There is also a potential argument to be made that the information became classified once Comey typed them on a classified laptop, as he claims to have done. He then took those notes with him when he became a private citizen. Comey made it clear in his testimony, however, that the information in his memos was unclassified.

Trump calls Comey a "leaker" after memo goes public
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Trump calls Comey a "leaker" after memo goes public

Comey testified Thursday that he memorialized a February conversation he had with the president in which Mr. Trump asked him to drop an investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. After Mr. Trump fired Comey in May, Comey said he gave that memo to a friend, Columbia Law School professor Daniel Richman, who in turn gave the contents of the memo to the New York Times. Comey told the Senate Intelligence Committee he hoped the release of the memo's comments would prompt the selection of a special prosecutor to oversee the FBI's probe into Russian election meddling and any ties to the Trump campaign.

"Of course, the Office of the President is entitled to expect loyalty from those who are serving in an administration, and, from before this president took office to this day, it is overwhelmingly clear that there have been and continue to be those in government who are actively attempting to undermine this administration with selective and illegal leaks of classified information and privileged communications," Kasowitz said in his statement Thursday. "Mr. Comey has now admitted that he is one of these leakers."

James Comey's testimony in 7 minutes
Play VIDEO
James Comey's testimony in 7 minutes

The president has made it clear punishing leakers is a priority, after multiple anonymously sourced stories from the White House and intelligence community have plagued his administration. Breaking his silence on Comey for the first time since the former FBI director testified, Mr. Trump on Friday morning tweeted. "WOW, Comey is a leaker!"

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Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump
Despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication...and WOW, Comey is a leaker!
6:10 AM - 9 Jun 2017
28,363 28,363 Retweets 92,174 92,174 likes

It's unclear exactly what kind of complaint Kasowitz could file that could gain traction, given the lack of classified information in the Comey memos. Reid points out that it seems unlikely that the former FBI director, a career prosecutor, would have disclosed anything that would put himself in legal jeopardy, and she pointed out that Kasowitz does not plan to pursue legal action against Comey -- the complaints are being filed with two bodies that have no legal power -- the Senate Intelligence Committee and the DOJ IG. The latter entity has been preparing a report on Comey's handling of Hillary Clinton investigation, a report that the president did not wait for when he decided to fire the FBI director.

The president himself also publicly addressed the February 14 conversation when he tweeted, shortly after firing Comey, that Comey should hope there are no tapes of their conversations.

"Lordy, I hope there are tapes," Comey said in his Thursday testimony.

CBS News' Margaret Brennan and Paula Reid contributed to this report.


SUBPOENA THOSE TAPES! IF THEY REALLY AND TRULY AREN’T THERE, THE WH WILL PUT UP A SUFFICIENT SQUAWK TO CONVINCE US THAT IT REALLY IS A “WITCH HUNT.” HOWEVER, I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT SOMEONE LIKE TRUMP WILL NOT HAVE TAKEN THE PRECAUTION OF TAPING CONVERSATIONS. NIXON WAS CAUGHT FOR IT, BUT I FEEL SURE THAT MOST OR MANY AT ANY RATE HAVE DONE THE SAME THING. IT’S TOO PRACTICAL A SELF-DEFENSE METHOD FOR THEM NOT TO USE IT.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/james-comey-calls-for-release-of-memos-possible-recordings-of-white-house-conversations/
By STEFAN BECKET CBS NEWS June 8, 2017, 2:10 PM
Comey calls for release of memos, any recordings of White House conversations

Former FBI Director James Comey called for the release of any recordings of conversations he had with President Trump in the White House, as well as memos he wrote detailing the private talks at the time.

Comey made his first public remarks since his abrupt May 9 firing during high-profile testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee Thursday. He was eager to disclose details of his conversations with the president, which he characterized as awkward and inappropriate, given the FBI's investigation into possible coordination between Mr. Trump's campaign and Russia.

Comey told the committee he kept contemporaneous notes immediately following nine private conversations with Mr. Trump. He said he turned those memos over to former FBI Director Robert Mueller, the special counsel appointed to oversee the Russia investigation.

On May 12, just days after his firing, Mr. Trump tweeted that Comey "better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!"

Comey: "Lordy I hope there's tapes"
Play VIDEO
Comey: "Lordy I hope there's tapes"

"I've seen the tweet about tapes. Lordy, I hope there are tapes," Comey said Thursday when discussing a February 14 meeting at the White House. During that meeting, Comey said Mr. Trump told him he hoped Comey would drop the investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Later in the hearing, Comey returned to the subject of possible recordings. In an exchange with Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Comey was asked whether he believed a recording system existed in the White House.

"It never occurred to me before the president's tweet," he said. "I'm not being facetious. I hope there are, and I'll consent to the release of them ... All I can do is hope. The president knows if he taped me, and if he did, my feelings aren't hurt. Release all the tapes. I'm good with it."

At the White House, deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters she did not know whether such a taping system existed. When asked to find out, Sanders joked, "I'll try to look under the couches."

Highlights of former FBI Director James Comey's testimony
Play VIDEO
Highlights of former FBI Director James Comey's testimony

Comey also said Mr. Trump's "tapes" tweet led him to ask a friend, Columbia law professor Daniel Richman, to disclose the contents of his memos to the press in the hopes of prompting the appointment of a special counsel. The existence and substance of the memos were first reported by the New York Times on May 16, one week after Comey's firing and several days after the president's tweet.

Comey told senators Thursday that he realized three days after Mr. Trump's tweet that recordings of his conversations might corroborate his own account.

"I woke up in the middle of the night ... because it didn't dawn on me originally that there might be corroboration for our conversation," Comey said. "There might be a tape, and my judgment was I needed to get that out into the public square. And so I asked a friend of mine to share the content of the memo with a reporter. Didn't do it myself for a variety of reasons, but I asked him to because I thought that might prompt the appointment of a special counsel, and so I asked a close friend of mine to do it."

Richman confirmed to CBS News he was the friend Comey asked to leak the memos, which are now in the possession of Mueller, the special counsel.


TAPES OR NO TAPES? DESTRUCTION OF EVIDENCE?

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/james-comey-testimony-what-are-the-enduring-questions/
By KATIANA KRAWCHENKO CBS NEWS June 9, 2017, 6:39 AM
James Comey testimony: What are the enduring questions?

Photograph -- WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 08: Former FBI Director James Comey is sworn in before testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill June 8, 2017 in Washington, DC. MARK WILSON / GETTY IMAGES

The fired FBI director rocked the country with testimony accusing the president of lying and admitted to leaking his own notes to help spur the appointment of a special prosecutor. What's next for the Trump presidency?

CBS News' Major Garrett and Steve Chaggaris analyzed James Comey's stunning day in Washington with the help of colleagues CBS News Justice Department reporter Paula Reid and CBS Radio News Washington correspondent Steven Portnoy.

Listen to this episode on Stitcher
Did Trump commit obstruction of justice?
Play VIDEO
Did Trump commit obstruction of justice?

Following Comey's testimony, "The Takeout" considered the political and legal questions that will endure, among them was this: Was evidence destroyed?

One question that immediately arose, given Comey's testimony about the extensive notes he took on the nine conversations he had with President Trump, was were there tapes or not? If there are -- or were -- and those recordings no longer exist, that could mean there was destruction of evidence, Reid points out.

Defining obstruction of justice after Comey's testimony

Garrett and Portnoy noted that White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders, when asked whether there is a White House taping system, said she didn't know. When pressed, she dismissed the question by saying she'd look under the couches. Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway said that she couldn't comment. During the hearing, Comey himself said, "Lordy, I hope there are tapes."

img-0434.jpg
CBS News' Steven Portnoy, Paula Reid, Major Garrett and Steve Chaggaris, June 8, 2017 CBS NEWS / ALEX ZUCKERMAN

This, of course, stemmed from the president's tweet following a report about one of the conversations Comey had with the president at the White House. In that tweet, the president wrote, "James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!"

It was after that tweet that Comey said he leaked one of his memos to a friend and asked him to share it with a reporter, in hopes of triggering the appointment of a special counsel.

For more from Reid's and Portnoy's conversation with CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Major Garrett and CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris, listen to "The Takeout" podcast, available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and CBSNews.com. And follow "The Takeout" on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @TakeoutPodcast.

Producers: Arden Farhi, Nick Fineman, and Katiana Krawchenko

Show email: TakeoutPodcast@cbsnews.com


I’M SORRY FOR BRITAIN’S POLITICAL TROUBLES, BUT I ALWAYS THINK THAT A LIBERAL GOVERNMENT HAS A BETTER CHANCE OF REPRESENTING THE “LITTLE PEOPLE” LIKE MYSELF THAN A “CONSERVATIVE” ONE. I AM HAPPY, THEREFORE, TO SEE THE LABOR PARTY WIN. ALAS, THERE IS NO “LABOR” PARTY LEFT IN THE USA. THE CLOSEST IS BERNIE SANDERS. HE’S AN OLD UNION MAN WHO HAS STUCK TO HIS GUNS. OUR DEMOCRATS JUST DON’T WANT TO ADMIT THAT HE DARNED NEAR BEAT THEM FOR THAT VERY REASON. THE DEMS HAVE STOPPED WORKING FOR THE LOWER 50 TO 80% (PLUS OR MINUS 10 PERCENTAGE POINTS OR SO.) THEY DESERVE WHAT THEY GOT IN MY VIEW. I’M NOT GIVING THEM MONEY ANYMORE.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/british-election-thersa-may-loses-majority-parliament/
CBS/AP June 8, 2017, 8:07 PM
Great Britain PM Theresa May loses Parliamentary majority in election gamble

LONDON -- Britain's Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May gambled in calling a national election, thinking she could cruise to a big win.

She appeared early Friday morning looking shaken, chastened and beaten -- odd for somebody whose party won more seats than any other, perhaps, but as CBS News' Mark Phillips reports, the way British politics works, her party's narrow victory amounted to an effective defeat: She lost her majority in Parliament.

Pressure mounted on her to resign, but she refused -- at least for now. Instead, May visited Queen Elizabeth II and informed her that she would seek to form a coalition government with a much smaller party from Northern Ireland.

Theresa May says she will seek coalition after bruising election
Play VIDEO
Theresa May says she will seek coalition after bruising election

The stunning result throws British politics into chaos and could send Britain's negotiations to leave the European Union -- due to start June 19 -- into disarray. The British pound lost more than 2 cents against the dollar in initial trading as results became clear.

Without a majority in Parliament, May's authority is greatly eroded and her Conservative Party will struggle to push through its vision of a "hard Brexit"; one that would see Britain unbound from the key tenets of the EU which require, among other things, a free flow of goods and people across state borders. May's vision of Brexit calls for tariffs on EU goods imported into Britain.

With 649 of 650 seats in the House of Commons declared, the Conservatives had 318 to the Labour Party's 261. Even if the Conservatives win the remaining seat, a London district, it is impossible for them to achieve the 326 seats needed for an outright majority. Before the election, the Conservatives had 330 seats and Labour 229.

In spite of the dramatic losses for the Conservatives, they remained the party with the most votes, and May made it clear she was not abandoning her post. She said she would form a coalition government with the Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland. Cutting a deal with the DUP could allow May to remain in the Prime Minister's office, albeit with a far weaker mandate.

She insisted, in a statement announcing the effort to form a coaltion [sic] with the DUP, that Brexit negotiations would begin as scheduled on June 19 as previously expected.

Who will "win" Brexit: the U.K. or Europe?
Play VIDEO
Who will "win" Brexit: the U.K. or Europe?

May vowed to form, "a government that can provide certainty and lead Britain forward at this critical time for our country. This government will guide the country through the crucial Brexit talks that begin in just 10 days and to deliver on the will of the British people by taking the United Kingdom out of the European Union."

Guenther Oettinger, a German member of the European Commission, said earlier Friday that the election result had left it unclear whether negotiations between the U.K. and Europe on Britain's exit from the union could begin that soon.

The EU was hoping for a stable British government to help ensure smooth divorce negotiations ahead of Britain's mandated departure in March 2019.

"We need a government that can act," Oettinger told radio station Deutschlandfunk, according to the Reuters news agency. "With a weak negotiating partner, there's the danger than [sic] the negotiations will turn out badly for both sides... I expect more uncertainty now."

Echoing Oettinger's skepticism about negotiating with what could essentially be a lame-duck government in London, Michel Barnier, the EU official tasked with leading the Brexit negotiations, said Friday that the talks should only begin "when the U.K. is ready." He added, however, that the overall two-year timetable for Brexit to be made official would not change, and that Europe's positions remained clear.

As CBS News' Phillips reports, May called this snap election while riding a double-digit opinion poll lead. She built her campaign around her leadership, which she called -- over and over again in campaign appearances -- "strong and stable."

But in the weeks leading up to the debate, her opponents labelled her weak and wobbly. She refused to do TV debates, flip-flopped on key policy points, and failed to engage the public in meaningful discussion on the topics of greatest interest, continually falling back on her "strong and stable" mantra.

In the end, any coalition government May manages to pull together could be so weak that another national election is called -- possibly even this year.

Photograph -- 2017-06-08t111611z-1512593083-rc15556fe280-rtrmadp-3-britain-election.jpg -- Jeremy Corbyn, leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party, arrives to vote in Islington, London, Britain June 8, 2017. REUTERS

"This is a very bad moment for the Conservative Party, and we need to take stock," Conservative lawmaker Anna Soubry said. "And our leader needs to take stock as well."

The results confounded those who said Labour's left-wing leader, Jeremy Corbyn, was electorally toxic. Written off by many pollsters, Labour surged in the final weeks of the campaign. It drew strong support from young people, who appeared to have turned out to vote in bigger-than-expected numbers. The overall turnout was 68.7 percent -- the highest since 1997.

Corbyn called for May to quit, saying, "The Prime Minister called the election because she wanted a mandate. Well the mandate she's got is lost Conservative seats, lost votes, lost support and lost confidence. I would think that's enough, to go, actually, and make way for a government that will be truly representative of all of the people of this country."

Speaking after being re-elected to his London seat, Corbyn said the election result means "politics has changed" and voters had rejected Conservative austerity.

As she was resoundingly re-elected to her Maidenhead seat in southern England, May looked tense and did not spell out what she planned to do.

"The country needs a period of stability, and whatever the results are the Conservative Party will ensure we fulfil our duty in ensuring that stability," she said.

Many predicted she would soon be gone.

"Clearly, if she's got a worse result than two years ago and is almost unable to form a government, then she, I doubt, will survive in the long term as Conservative Party leader," former Conservative Treasury chief George Osborne said on ITV.

The result was bad news for the Scottish National Party, which lost about 20 of its 54 seats. Among the casualties was Alex Salmond, a former first minister of Scotland and one of the party's highest-profile lawmakers.

The losses complicate the SNP's plans to push for a new referendum on Scottish independence as Britain prepares to leave the EU. Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said the idea of a new independence referendum "is dead. That's what we have seen tonight."

May had hoped the election would focus on Brexit, but that never happened, as both the Conservatives and Labour said they would respect voters' wishes and go through with the divorce.

May, who went into the election with a reputation for quiet competence, was criticized for a lackluster campaigning style and for a plan to force elderly people to pay more for their care, a proposal her opponents dubbed the "dementia tax." As the polls suggested a tightening race, pollsters spoke less often of a landslide and raised the possibility that May's majority would be eroded.

Then, attacks that killed 30 people in Manchester and London twice brought the campaign to a halt, sent a wave of anxiety through Britain and forced May to defend the government's record on fighting terrorism. Corbyn accused the Conservatives of undermining Britain's security by cutting the number of police on the streets.

London Bridge terror attack

Eight people were killed near London Bridge on Saturday when three men drove a van into pedestrians and then stabbed revelers in an area filled with bars and restaurants. Two weeks earlier, a suicide bomber killed 22 people as they were leaving an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.

Rachel Sheard, who cast her vote near the site of the London Bridge attack, said the election certainly wasn't about Brexit.

"I don't think that's in the hearts and minds of Londoners at the minute, (not) nearly as much as security is," said Sheard, 22. "It was very scary on Saturday."

Steven Fielding, a professor of politics at the University of Nottingham, said Britain had seen an election "in which the personal authority of a party leader has disappeared in an unprecedented way."

"If she had got the majority she wanted, she would have been a supreme political colossus," he said. "She did not get that and she's a hugely diminished figure. She's a zombie prime minister."



ANOTHER OLD NIXONIAN TECHNIQUE -- STONEWALLING

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/senate-intel-committee-hearing-live-updates/
By REBECCA SHABAD CBS NEWS June 7, 2017, 9:40 AM
Top intel officials skirt questions about Trump conversations

Photograph -- Top intelligence leaders testified Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Scheduled to testify:

Dan Coats -- Director of national intelligence
Andrew McCabe -- Acting FBI director
Mike Rogers -- NSA director
Rod Rosenstein -- Deputy attorney general

HIGHLIGHTS:
Rogers, Coats decline to comment on conversations they've had with Trump, though Rogers said he's never "been directed to do anything illegal, immoral, unethical or inappropriate" as NSA director'
The four officials decline to discuss whether they've taken notes or issued memos related to the Russia probe
Burr rips witnesses for not answering questions surrounding Comey firing and Russia probe

The hearing was focused on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), though there were a slew of questions involving the firing of former FBI Director James Comey and Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.

This comes a day before Comey is set to testify publicly before Congress for the first time on Thursday since President Trump fired him as FBI director last month.

RELATED:
James Comey testifies before Congress: 5 things to watch
See live updates of Wednesday's hearing below.

Burr rips witnesses for not answering questions

Burr said he had one final message that he wants the witnesses to deliver to the Trump administration. He said that in cases where there's sensitivity of activities, there is a mechanism for congressional oversight whereby officials can brief and notify the Gang of Eight, which includes congressional leadership in both the House and Senate and on both sides of the aisle.

"At no time, should you be in a position to come to Congress without an answer," Burr warned them.

Warner says "the president is not above the law"

Warner said that he's come out of the hearing "with more questions than when I went in." He said that Coats and Rogers were both willing to characterize their conversations with the president, arguing that they didn't feel pressure, but Warner ridiculed them for not sharing the content of those discussions.

Warner said he's "pretty frustrated" that there is a deference to a special prosecutor and he said while their "feelings response" is important, so is the contents of their communications with Trump.

"The president is not above the law," Warner said.

Warner asked if it would be concerning if the president intervened in an investigation.

"If anybody obstructs an investigation, that would be a subject of concern," Rosenstein said, adding that it would investigated appropriately.

Cotton seeks to clarify how 702 works with U.S. citizens

Cotton, who has introduced a permanent extension of FISA, asked the officials if FISA's Sec. 702 allows the intelligence agencies to collect information on U.S. citizens. Rogers explained that they collect intelligence on foreigners outside the U.S. since NSA is a foreign intelligence organization. Rosenstein explained that if a foreigner is inside the U.S., the intelligence agencies have to rely on other provisions of FISA. Cotton asked McCabe what happens if an ISIS terrorist comes to the U.S., and he said that the NSA notifies the FBI and they work together to pursue coverage under a FISA statute.

King grills Rogers and Coats about why they're not answering questions

Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, who caucuses with Democrats, spent several minutes grilling Rogers and Coats about why they aren't answering questions regarding the Comey firing or the Russia probe.

Asked if the White House was invoking executive priviledge, Rogers said he wasn't aware of that. King then asked why he isn't answering questions. Rogers said, "I feel it isn't appropriate, senator" and added that he stands by his comment and he's not going to repeat himself and he said he doesn't mean it in a contentious way. King said that his questions are intended to be contentious.

McCabe explains FBI involvement with 702

Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, asked McCabe what happens when the FBI wants to follow up on or pursue a U.S. person in or outside the U.S. McCabe explained that they would seek a FISA warrant under Title I. Asked if the FBI ever seeks collection under 702, McCabe said that if the FBI has a full investigation on a foreign person in a foreign place, the bureau would nominate that person for 702 coverage at the NSA.

McCabe is asking about his conversations with Comey

Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico, asked McCabe if he had a conversation with Comey about the president asking for Comey's loyalty. McCabe said he isn't in a position to comment because those matters fall within the scope of the special counsel's investigation. McCabe said he wants Comey to speak for himself when he testifies before the Intelligence panel on Thursday morning.

Wyden asks officials whether they ever took notes or issued memos related to Russia probe

Coats said he doesn't take notes, Rosenstein said he rarely takes notes and that he's not going to answer questions on the Russia investigation. McCabe said he's not going to comment on any conversations he's had or if he wrote any notes. Rogers echoed that answer.

Rubio presses officials whether anyone has asked them to influence an ongoing probe

The Florida Republican asked if Coats and Rogers have ever been asked to influence an ongoing investigation. Coats said he's not prepared to answer in an open session. Rubio asked them if anyone ever asked them to issue a statement that wasn't true and Rogers and Coats refused to answer.

Rogers explains the NSA's unmasking process

The unmasking process for the NSA, Rogers said, is defined in writing and in terms of who has the authority to unmask, he said there are 20 individuals in 12 different positions including Rogers. He said that the NSA outlines in writing what criteria will be applied in the request to unmask.

Rogers said that when a U.S. person is referenced in an intelligence report, they don't identify the person. Some of the recipients of the report, he said, will sometimes come back to the NSA and ask who the unnamed individuals are.

The criteria: He said that the recipient must request in writing that the person's identity be unmasked, the request must be made on the basis of the official's duties and the basis of the request must be that the official needs the identity to understand the intelligence he or she is reading. One of the 20 individuals, he said, would then agree or disagree to unmask and if the NSA unmasks, the unmasking goes back only to the person who made the request.

Coats also declines to comment on specific conversations with Trump

Warner brought up reports about the president asking Rogers and Coats to downplay the Russia investigation and that the president asked him and the CIA director to intervene with then-FBI Director James Comey.

Coats said he doesn't believe "it's appropriate for me to address that in a public session."

Rogers comments on report that Trump asked him to downplay Russia probe

Warner raised reports about the president asking Rogers and Coats to downplay the Russia investigation. He asked Rogers whether in his experience, if it would be typical for the president to ask questions, to bring up an ongoing FBI probe, particularly if that probe involves people associated with the president or his campaign.

Rogers said he's "not going to discuss theoreticals" and he's not going to discuss specific conversations with the president. But, he said he would make one comment. He said in the more than 3 years that he has served as NSA director, he said, "I've never been directed to do anything illegal, immoral, unethical or inappropriate." He said he does not "recall feeling pressured" to do something.

Warner said he's disappointed with his answer.

Coats reveals case that he classified to illustrate the value of Sec. 702
He said that as a result of 702, the U.S. was able to find and kill ISIS's finance minister, Haji Iman, in March 2016. Coats said that the NSA, along with its intelligence community partners, spent over two years from 2014 to 2016 looking for Iman.

He explained that the NSA learned of a person "closely associated" with Iman and collected intelligence on the associate, forming a robust network. The NSA and its tactical partners, Coats said, combined the information and was able to identify Iman and track his movements. This allowed U.S. forces, he said, to attempt an apprehension of Iman in March 2016. The operation led to shots being fired at U.S. forces, which led to the killing of Iman and other associates at that location.

Coats defends FISA's Sec. 702, urges Congress to reauthorize the surveillance program

Coats, the director of national intelligence, in his opening joint statement, said that intelligence collection under 702 has produced and continues to produce "significant intelligence" that he said is "vital" to protect the nation from international terrorism, cyber threats and proliferation. He said it contains strong protections for privacy.

Coats said that since FISA was implemented a decade ago, there has been rigorous oversight over the program.

He said that in the nearly 10 years since Congress enacted legislation that established FISA there have been "no instances" of intentional violations of 702. He said that it may not be used to target U.S. persons anywhere in the world and cannot be used to target anyone in the U.S., regardless of their nationality.

"We have never, not once, found an intentional violation of the program. There have been unintended mistakes," he said. "None of these mistakes has been intentional."

Warner says he will address reports surrounding Comey firing, Russia probe

Warner, the top Democrat on the panel, acknowledged reports that Trump was thinking of the Russia probe when he fired Comey as FBI director. He said that lawmakers will have the opportunity Wednesday to ask Rosenstein about his role in the Comey firing. He highlighted reports that said that the president asked at least two leaders of the intelligence agencies to publicly downplay the Russia investigation and asked Coats and CIA Director Pompeo to pull back on the Russia probe.

"If any of this is true, it would be an appalling and improper use of our intelligence professionals," Warner said.

Burr highlights need to approve "critical" foreign intelligence surveillance tool

The chairman said that the panel's hearing highlights the most critical foreign intelligence tool -- FISA -- which he said expires on Dec. 31 unless Congress reauthorizes it. He spoke about Sec. 702 of Title 7 which he said provides the capability to target foreigners located outside the U.S. but whose foreign communications happen to be routed to and acquired in the U.S.

Burr said that the program is "exceptionally critical" to protecting Americans at home and abroad and in preventing terror attacks.

He acknowledged that there may be discussion about Russian interference in the 2016 election.


TRUMP IS DOING SOMETHING SMART HERE. LIKE BILL CLINTON WHEN HE WAS ABOUT TO BE IMPEACHED, HE IS TRYING TO PLOW ON THROUGH THE MEDIA FRENZY AND GET WORK DONE. TRUMP AND CLINTON ARE SIMILARLY STRONG PERSONALITY TYPES, EXCEPT THAT CLINTON IS FOR "THE PEOPLE" AND TRUMP IS FOR THE BILLIONAIRE'S CLUB.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/gary-cohn-russia-probes-threaten-trump-agenda/
By EMILY TILLETT CBS NEWS June 7, 2017, 11:14 AM
Gary Cohn won't say how much Russia probes threaten Trump agenda

Just one day before highly anticipated testimony by former FBI Director James Comey, the Trump White House appears undeterred and adamant on moving ahead with Mr. Trump's domestic agenda.

On "CBS This Morning" Wednesday, National Economic Council chief Gary Cohn would not provide clear answers to how much of a threat the focus on the investigations into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia was to Mr. Trump's agenda.

"We're here to implement the president's agenda," said Cohn. "The president ran on a pro-economic-growth, pro-job-creation agenda. That's what we're doing. We're working every day to do that, and we're just plowing ahead with that."

Mr. Trump was traveling to Cincinnati on Wednesday to speak about revitalizing the inland water system as part of the White House's ongoing "Infrastructure Week."

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Getting ready to leave for Cincinnati, in the GREAT STATE of OHIO, to meet with ObamaCare victims and talk Healthcare & also Infrastructure!
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The trip follows Mr. Trump's Monday announcement where he introduced plans to privatize the nation's air traffic control system.

"This is the first important step to clearing the runway for more jobs, lower prices and much much much better transportation," Mr. Trump said.

The move, which was part of Mr. Trump's budget blueprint, proposes a shifting of air traffic control operations from the FAA to a not-for-profit, non-government entity. The administration is proposing that Congress pass legislation that would allow the U.S. to implement this model, which is already used in over 50 countries, including Canada and Australia.

"We're doing all of these things to make American citizens' lives better," Cohn said. "We're trying to improve the quality of life of American citizens, and we're committed to that agenda."

When asked if the president plans to follow along with Comey's Senate hearing Thursday, Cohn said that he's "got the president booked up on a bunch of infrastructure projects" and that Mr. Trump will be "fully engaged" with governors and mayors from across the country to talk about them.

INLAND WATERWAYS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inland_waterways_of_the_United_States
Inland waterways of the United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The inland waterways of the United States include more than 25,000 mi (40,000 km) of navigable waters. Much of the commercially important waterways of the United States consist of the Mississippi River System—the Mississippi River and connecting waterways.

Extent[edit]

The Columbia River is the only river on the West Coast (and arguably the entire North American Pacific coast) that is navigable for a significant length. The river is regularly dredged and freight barges may reach as far inland as Lewiston, Idaho through a system of locks; however, there are strict draft restrictions beyond the confluence with the Willamette River. The Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, the Snake River, and the Umpqua River are examples of other West Coast rivers that are dredged for navigation. The steep grades and variable flows of most other West Coast rivers make them unsuitable for large boat travel. Also, most large rivers there are dammed, often in multiple places, to supply water for hydroelectricity production and other uses. Mountainous terrain, and a shortage of water, make canals in the West unfeasible as well.

Most navigable rivers and canals in the United States are in the eastern half of the country, where the terrain is flatter and the climate is wetter. The Mississippi River System, including the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) connects Gulf Coast ports, such as Mobile, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Houston, and Corpus Christi, with major inland ports, including Memphis, Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, St. Paul, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh. The Lower Mississippi River from Baton Rouge to the Gulf of Mexico allows ocean shipping to connect with the barge traffic, thereby making this segment vital to both the domestic and foreign trade of the United States. The Mississippi River System is connected to the Illinois Waterway, which continues to the Great Lakes Waterway and then to the Saint Lawrence Seaway. Many other eastern rivers are navigable as well, including the Potomac, the Hudson, and the Atchafalaya Rivers, which are all dredged by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Navigable waters included in legal definition[edit]

Title 33 of the United States Code and 33 C.F.R. define the "navigable waters of the United States" and apply certain laws and regulations to those waters. This determination is made by a combination of waters explicitly listed in the law, and general definitions that mean certain waters might or might not be included depending on various factual determinations (such as being "navigable in fact" and the history of use) by the Army Corps of Engineers. Not all waters have had these facts determined, and so are of uncertain status. All water subject to tides are included.

Note that the "Navigable Waters of the United States" listed in 33 C.F.R. 329 are different than those listed as "Waters of the United States" in 33 C.F.R. 328, which is the Clean Water Rule. However, all Navigable Waters, plus those considered navigable-in-fact are included in the general "Waters" definition.[1]



UNITED AND DELTA HAVE BOTH BEEN IN THE NEWS JUST THIS YEAR FOR DOING OBSCENE THINGS TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE BELIEVED THAT THEY MUST TRAVEL THAT WAY. PERSONALLY, I ALWAYS TAKE TRAIN, BUS, OR MY TRUSTY OLD HONDA. BESIDES, AIR FLIGHT COSTS WAY, WAY TOO MUCH! THERE IS ALSO A MUCH BETTER CHANCE OF SURVIVING A ROAD ACCIDENT. EVERY TIME I SAY THAT SOME WISE PERSON POPS UP AND SAYS THAT THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE KILLED ON THE HIGHWAYS THAN IN AIR ACCIDENTS, BUT THAT IS ONLY BECAUSE THERE ARE SO FEW AIR CRASHES, I FEEL CERTAIN, BECAUSE VIRTUALLY NOBODY SURVIVES A PLANE CRASH UNLESS IT IS ON THE RUNWAY, OR MAYBE ABOVE WATER, ALTHOUGH I HAVE HEARD THAT AN AIRLINER WILL “CRASH” ON WATER AS WELL ON EARTH. WATER SEEMS LIKE A “SOFT” SUBSTANCE, BUT IT IS HEAVY ENOUGH TO BE RELATIVELY IMPENETRABLE, AND CAN BREAK UP AN AIRLINER. SEE THIS REDDIT ARTICLE EXPLAINING THAT PHENOMENON:

https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2r3rs3/eli5_in_a_plane_crash_into_water_what_actually/. IN THIS SITE THE FOLLOWING EXPLANATION IS THE BEST, EVEN IF THE WRITER’S SENSE OF HUMOR IS A LITTLE GRISLY --

“Even if you stay strapped into your chair and don't get hit by shrapnel the sudden deceleration would kill you.

Its the same principal as death from jumping off of a bridge. As you stop from falling at terminal velocity, the sudden stop into the water may not tear you to shreds, but your internal organs become shredded as the sudden stop jars them loose from the chest cavity and they basically become a jumbled mess. Also, more than likely you'll break some ribs which will turn into shards and will slice and dice the organs as they blend inside your chest.

On the outside, you'll look look like you died in your sleep. On the inside, tomato puree.”


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/violinist-says-united-scuffled-over-17th-century-violin/
AP June 7, 2017, 9:29 AM
Violinist claims United caused scuffle, barred her from plane

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A classical musician is alleging United Airlines (UAL) may have injured her hands when its employees barred her from boarding a plane with her 17th-century violin.

Yennifer Correia is claiming a United Airlines supervisor barred her from boarding a plane with her violin, sparking a scuffle that caused her to miss her flight and left her worried her hands — and by extension, her livelihood — may have been harmed.

Her attorney said Tuesday a lawsuit against United is likely on the 33-year-old Memphis woman's behalf after the Sunday confrontation in Houston as she was preparing to fly to Missouri for a symphony rehearsal.

Correia had a discount fare that, according to rules posted on United's website, doesn't let passengers stow luggage in the overhead bin, although an exception is allowed for "small" musical instruments. It was not clear Tuesday why Correia was told to check the violin — made in Italy and believed to date to the late 1700s, her attorney said — instead of being allowed to carry it on board.

Chicago-based United has refunded Correia's airfare, discussed the matter with its Houston employees and has "reached out to Ms. Correia to gain a better understanding of what occurred and to offer assistance," spokesman Charles Hobart said.

"We're disappointed anytime a customer has an experience that does not live up to his or her expectation," he said.

Correia, who was making the trek Tuesday to Missouri on another airline, will have her hands examined next week by a Houston surgeon, attorney Philip MacNaughton told The Associated Press.

Lawmakers bash airline executives over customer service
Play VIDEO
Lawmakers bash airline executives over customer service
While the Venezuelan-born Correia's hands show no immediate bruising or redness, "we're all holding our breath," MacNaughton said. "We think the odds of injury are low, but the stakes are career-killing."

"You don't grab a surgeon's hands, a pitcher's hands or a professional violinist's hands," he added, calling Sunday's dispute "a physical attack" on Correia. "She knows she has to stand up to United and say you can't treat professional musicians this way. I don't understand why airlines, especially United, can't simply deal with an issue and not turn it into a confrontation."

Musicians long have complained that airlines frequently require that instruments they rely on for their livelihoods be checked and be entrusted to baggage handlers, with the result that they often are damaged or lost.

"These instruments cost, at her level, tens of thousands of dollars," MacNaughton said. "You're making a living with an instrument that costs twice as much as your car — probably the most expensive thing you own. Airlines can't safely transport it."

United's grappling with the issue even went lyrical. After Canadian musician Dave Carroll had a guitar smashed during a flight in 2009, he wrote a song and book about it, calling both "United Breaks Guitars." Carroll's online video of his song was so popular — and so damaging to United — that it has become a business case study of how social media can harm a company's image.

More recently, Florida State University graduate student asked for public help in January in replacing a cello she claimed was smashed on a United flight. In June of last year, violinist Yura Lee reported being kicked off a United flight for attempting to stow her instrument below seats.

United's customer service took another hit in April, when 69-year-old David Dao was injured by Chicago airport security officers who were called to remove him from an overbooked United Express plane — a confrontation captured on cellphone video that went viral. United later apologized and reached an undisclosed settlement with him.



FEMALE BATHERS HAVE GONE TOPLESS IN EUROPE SINCE THE 60’S AT LEAST. THAT’S WHEN I FIRST NOTICED NEWS ABOUT IT. WE ALSO HAD WELL DEFINED STRETCHES OF WATER THAT WERE DESIGNATED AS NUDE BEACHES. ANYONE WHO GOES THERE MUST BE NUDE. AN ARTICLE ON THOSE SAID THAT THERE IS VERY LITTLE SEXUAL ATTEMPTS BEING MADE DUE TO THE NUDITY.

BESIDES, IF PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT MALE TOPLESSNESS IS NOT SEXUALLY TITILLATING THEY ARE VERY NAIVE. AS A SOCIETY, WE NEED TO “LOOSEN UP,” AND TAKE SEX AS A VERY BASIC PART OF LIFE AS THE EUROPEANS DO, ALONG WITH OPENING OUR THOUGHTS IN GENERAL. I’M NOT SAYING THAT WE SHOULD BECOME PROMISCUOUS, BUT THAT WE ARE TOO “UPTIGHT,” SOMETIMES, FOR LOVING AND CONSENTING ADULTS TO BE ABLE TO ENJOY THEIR INTIMACY FULLY, AND IT’S VERY HARD TO HAVE A HAPPY MARRIAGE WITHOUT THAT. THAT KIND OF MENTAL OPENNESS IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO THE ALLOWING OF ALL KINDS OF NEW KNOWLEDGE OF ALL KINDS INTO THE SOCIETY. A SIMILAR SUBJECT IS THE SOCIETAL BAN ON THE TEACHING OF EVOLUTION. THAT, OF COURSE, IS MORE POLITICAL THAN RELIGIOUS, OR AT ANY RATE AS MUCH SO, AND IT TENDS TO GO HAND IN HAND WITH RACIAL/RELIGIOUS/GENDER UNFAIRNESS OF ALL KINDS.

NOT ALLOWING OUR KIDS TO LEARN SOMETHING SO BASIC AS EVOLUTION STIFLES THEIR PROGRESS, AND FROM THAT, OUR CITIZENS’ ABILITY TO KNOW ENOUGH AND THINK WELL ENOUGH TO VOTE AND PARTICIPATE IN THE LIFE OF OUR COMMUNITIES. BESIDES, THIS IS JUST ONE MORE WAY IN WHICH MALE RIGHTS ARE CONSIDERABLY MORE GENEROUS AND LIBERAL THAN THOSE OF WOMEN. SO THERE!! NOW, LET’S RAISE THE MEDIAN WAGE FOR WOMEN ABOVE SOME 80% OF THAT OF MEN WHILE WE’RE AT IT. REMEMBER, WOMEN ARE REARING BABIES ON THEIR OWN PAY, AND SOME MEN EITHER CAN’T OR WON’T WORK. YET BUSINESS PEOPLE (MEN) CONTINUE TO GIVE THE FAMILY RESPONSIBILITIES AS THEIR EXCUSE FOR PAYING MEN MORE. FOR AN UP-TO-DATE ARTICLE ON THIS GO TO: https://iwpr.org/issue/employment-education-economic-change/pay-equity-discrimination/. (INSTITUTE FOR WOMEN’S POLICY RESEARCH.)

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/topless-women-sunbathing-beach-police/
CBS NEWS June 9, 2017, 1:38 PM
Topless women sunbathing at beach won't be bothered by police

BALTIMORE -- The beach patrol for a Maryland resort town has been told not to bother women who go topless, CBS Baltimore station WJZ-TV reports.

Those guidelines were sent to employees in a memo from Ocean City Beach Patrol Capt. Butch Arbin this week.

The policy - which instructs employees to document instances of female toplessness but not to approach the women in question - has reportedly been in effect since May 20.

This comes after a woman who advocates for women being allowed to go topless in public contacted the Worcester County State's Attorney Office about the legality of bare-chested females last year.

"It's not actually written or codified, there is no book that has a definition of what is and what is not indecent exposure, and so that's the reason that there's an ambiguity," said legal expert Adam Ruther. "She's raising an argument that because men are allowed to go bare-chested so women should be allowed to go bare-chested."

The Associated Press identified the woman as Chelsea Covington, a national advocate for the "topfreedom" movement.

Women sunbathe at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Feb. 23, 2016.
Women sunbathe at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Feb. 23, 2016. PETER PARKS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

At the time, Worcester County State's Attorney Beau Oglesby ran the matter up the flagpole, requesting an opinion from Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh.

A spokesperson for Ocean City says officials are still waiting for the opinion, but the mayor and city council are "strongly opposed" and are exploring what legal actions they can take to prevent topless women on the beach.

Ocean City police said they'll address concerns on a case-by-case basis.

"It's really based on the particular situation and how it's presented to us," Ocean City police said.

Maryland is one of several states with ambiguous topless laws. Some cities like Austin, Texas; Boulder, Colorado; and Madison, Wisconsin, have what's known as "topfreedom."

Some fear the family-friendly feel of Ocean City could be in jeopardy if toplessness becomes the norm.

"The beach is something that we're trying to incorporate as a family," one beach visitor told WJZ-TV. "It would turn us away, and we would just go elsewhere."



“NOT ENOUGH EVIDENCE” TO PROSECUTE? THERE WAS FILM FOOTAGE AND A DOZEN OR SO EYE WITNESSES. OF COURSE, THAT’S THE KIND OF THING WE PAY LAWYERS TO SAY. URINATING IN PUBLIC IS REPREHENSIBLE, BUT IT ISN’T PURPOSEFUL "FLASHING, OR ATTEMPTED RAPE, ESPECIALLY IN THE CASE OF THIS HIGHLY INTOXICATED MAN. ARRESTING HIM WOULD HAVE BEEN APPROPRIATE, BUT NOT BEATING AND CHOKING HIM TO DEATH. PEOPLE NEED TO USE A LITTLE COMMON SENSE. HIS WIFE WAS INSULTED SO HE PULVERIZED ANOTHER HUMAN BEING.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/deputy-husband-indicted-mans-beating-death-turn-selves-in-johnny-hernandez-chauna-thompson-terry-thompson/
CBS/AP June 9, 2017, 7:29 AM
Deputy, husband indicted in man’s beating death turn selves in

Photograph -- Johnny Hernandez KHOU

HOUSTON -- A Texas sheriff's deputy and her husband were indicted Thursday on murder charges in the death of a man they restrained during a late-night confrontation outside a restaurant while she was off duty.

A Harris County grand jury in Houston returned the indictment against Chauna and Terry Thompson for the fatal altercation with 24-year-old John Hernandez. The Thompsons declined to testify before the grand jury, District Attorney Kim Ogg said. Both turned themselves in about 10 p.m. Thursday, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office Twitter page. Bond was set at $100,000 apiece. They posted bond and were released, reports CBS Houston affiliate KHOU-TV.

The grand jury heard from more than a dozen witnesses and viewed video of the May 28 incident that bystanders recorded, Ogg said.

Hernandez died three days after the confrontation, which occurred outside a Denny's restaurant in Sheldon, 17 miles northeast of Houston.

Video -- Johnny Hernandez, 24, was taken off life support on May 31, 2017. FAMILY VIA KHOU

Ogg said Chauna Thompson, a Harris County deputy, was indicted on a murder charge because Texas law holds a person equally criminally responsible if that individual aids or otherwise participates in the act.

"We grieve with the Hernandez family and wish them Godspeed during this difficult time. Today we moved one step closer to justice for John Hernandez," Ogg told reporters in announcing the indictments.

Relatives of Hernandez said they are pleased the Thompsons were indicted, but they won't stop putting pressure on authorities to bring justice in the case.

Melissa Hernandez, a cousin who was among more than 40 people who gathered at the Denny's for a news conference Thursday after the indictments, said the charges are "a great step in the right direction." She added: "It's not gonna stop here. We're gonna keep fighting. We are gonna keep pushing until we get the justice that John deserves."

Attorney Scot Courtney, who is representing Terry Thompson, said there wasn't enough evidence to warrant a murder indictment against his client, and he criticized the district attorney's office for putting the case before a grand jury so quickly.

Despite the indictments, the criminal investigation continues with the assistance of the Texas Rangers and the U.S. Justice Department, Ogg said.

Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, who appeared at the Thursday announcement with the district attorney, said Chauna Thompson has cooperated with the internal investigation that the sheriff's office is conducting. She remains on administrative leave indefinitely and her employment status will not be decided until after the internal investigation, the sheriff said.

"We've all worked very hard to try to do what was right and to make sure that at the end justice will prevail. We support the decision of the grand jury," Gonzalez said.

1ahernandez.jpg
Johnny Hernandez KHOU

Hernandez was Latino and the Thompsons are white, but authorities have not said that race was a factor in the incident.

Investigators said Terry Thompson saw an intoxicated Hernandez urinating outside the restaurant and that he restrained Hernandez while his wife helped. A medical examiner ruled that Hernandez died of lack of oxygen to the brain caused by strangulation and chest compression.

Acording to KHOU, witnesses said he beat and restrained Hernandez even after he was clearly unconscious. They said Hernandez was too drunk to defend himself against the much larger Thompson.

"It's wrong, you know they shouldn't have killed the man. Nobody's life is worth taking for a mistake. We all make mistakes," Melissa Trammel told KHOU. "Me and my manager, we begged this man. He was turning purple we told him to stop but he did not stop."

Cellphone video recorded by an unidentified bystander has been released by the bystander's attorney. The footage shows a man lying on top of Hernandez. Jack Carroll, the attorney for the person who recorded the video, has said the man restraining Hernandez used an illegal chokehold.



ANOTHER EXCELLENT ARTICLE ON EARLY HUMAN EVOLUTION

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/oldest-fossils-of-our-species-push-back-origin-of-modern-humans/
By CHARLES Q. CHOI LIVESCIENCE.COM June 7, 2017, 3:50 PM
Oldest fossils of our species push back origin of modern humans

Photograph -- Dr. Jean-Jacques Hublin on first seeing the new finds at Jebel Irhoud (Morocco). He is pointing to a crushed human skull whose orbits are visible just beyond his fingertip. NATURE / SHANNON MCPHERRON, MPI EVA LEIPZIG

The oldest known bones of our species, dating back around 300,000 years, have been discovered in a cave in Morocco.

The fossils — which belong to five individuals, including a teenager and a younger child — push back the origin of Homo sapiens by 100,000 years, scientists say. The fossils also suggest that our species originated throughout the entire African continent instead of mainly in its eastern corner as previous research had suggested.

The findings, described in two studies published in the June 8 issue of the journal Nature, represent the very roots of our species, the researchers said. As such, they help to clarify when and where Homo sapiens evolved from earlier lineages, such as Homo heidelbergensis or Homo rhodesiensis.

The five individuals may have been taking shelter in the Moroccan cave while hunting, possibly for gazelle or wildebeest, in what may have been a green Sahara. Though their faces looked a lot like ours do today, the individuals discovered in Morocco had smaller versions of a brain region called the cerebellum and an elongated braincase, the researchers said. [See Photos of the Fossilized Human Bones and Excavation Site]

Not Neanderthal

Archaeologists uncovered the human fossils, including a partial skull and a lower jaw, during excavations at the archaeological site of Jebel Irhoud in Morocco that began in 2004. But the site has a much earlier excavation history: Scientists first found some of the remains of these same individuals, along with stone tools, in the 1960s during mining operations. Those fossils were originally dated as about 40,000 years old and were considered to come from an African form of Neanderthal.

However, subsequent research cast doubts on whether those fossils were 40,000-year-old Neanderthal bones. For example, the excavations that collected the fossils did not make it clear which layers of earth the bones were found in, which makes their age uncertain, said Shannon McPherron, an archaeologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, and a co-author of one of the new studies. [Image Gallery: Our Closest Human Ancestor]

fossil-jaw.jpg
The mandible Irhoud 11 is the first, almost complete adult mandible discovered at the site of Jebel Irhoud in Morocco. NATURE / JEAN-JACQUES HUBLIN, MPI-EVA, LEIPZIG
In addition, before the 1980s, any human fossils that were about 40,000 years old and had primitive features, such as strong brow ridges, were often labeled as Neanderthal, whereas they might not be labeled that way today, said Jean-Jacques Hublin, a paleoanthropologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and co-lead author of one of the new studies.

The new analyses revealed that all of the fossils recovered from the site came from at least five individuals — three adults, one adolescent and one 7- to 8-year-old child, Hublin said. Those individuals date back about 285,000 to 350,000 years — much older than 40,000 years.

"These dates were a big 'wow,' I would say. We realized this site was much older than anyone could have imagined," Hublin told Live Science. "This material represents the very root of our species — the oldest specimens ever found in Africa or elsewhere."

They looked like us

In one study, computer models and hundreds of 3D X-ray measurements of the fossils suggested that numerous features of the face, jaw and teeth were almost indistinguishable from those of modern-day humans. Their faces were those "of people you could cross on the street today," Hublin told Live Science.

However, the braincase was rather elongated, resembling that of more archaic human lineages. Together, the anatomical features of these newly discovered fossils suggest "a rather more complex picture for the emergence of our species than previously thought, with different parts of the anatomy evolving at different rates — some fixed quite early in a modern way, and others taking a longer time to reach the modern condition," Hublin said.

fossil-skull.jpg
A composite reconstruction of the earliest known Homo sapiens fossils from Jebel Irhoud (Morocco) based on micro CT-scans of multiple original fossils. Dated to 300,000 years ago, these early Homo sapiens already have a modern-looking face that falls within the variation of humans living today. However, the archaic-looking braincase indicates that brain shape, and possibly brain function, evolved within the Homo sapiens lineage. NATURE / PHILIPP GUNZ, MPI EVA LEIPZIG

Dating crystals

In the other new study, researchers analyzed flint tools found alongside the fossils. At one point in the distant past, these stone artifacts were heated by flame, perhaps when people there lit fires that inadvertently burned discarded flint tools scattered on or buried in the ground underneath, McPherron told Live Science.

Crystals within these artifacts gave off light when the researchers heated them, and the amount of light they gave off was related to how much time had passed since they were last heated. This analytical technique, known as thermoluminescence dating, suggested the site was about 300,000 to 350,000 years old.

"Well-dated sites of this age are exceptionally rare in Africa, but we were fortunate that so many of the Jebel Irhoud flint artifacts had been heated in the past," geochronology expert Daniel Richter, who was the lead author of the fossil-dating study when he was at the Max Planck Institute in Germany, said in a statement. (Richter is now at Freiberg Instruments GmbH.)

Moreover, Richter and his colleagues directly calculated the age of a human jawbone found at the site. Radioactive isotopes found within a tooth indicated that the jaw was as old as thermoluminescence dating suggested it was.

The scientists were not able to recover genetic data from these fossils because the heat and the age of the remains destroyed the DNA, Hublin said. Still, the elongated, primitive nature of the braincase revealed a number of facts about the biology of these ancient H. sapiens. For example, they had a smaller cerebellum — the brain region that helps coordinate muscle activity — than modern humans do, Hublin said.

Previous research suggested that a series of genetic mutations that play roles in brain development and the connection of different brain regions emerged in H. sapiens after the ancestors of modern humans split from extinct lineages such as the Neanderthals and the Denisovans, Hublin said. "This maybe explains the gradual changes in the braincase that we see that distinguish our lineage," he said. [Human Origins: How Hominids Evolved (Infographic)]

excavation-site.jpg
View looking south of the Jebel Irhoud (Morocco) site. The remaining deposits and several people excavating them are visible in the center. At the time the site was occupied by early hominins, it would have been a cave, but the covering rock and much sediment were removed by work at the site in the 1960s. NATURE / SHANNON MCPHERRON, MPI EVA LEIPZIG

Animal fossils at the site also revealed that these ancient people ate plenty of gazelle meat, as well as the occasional zebra, wildebeest and other game, including perhaps ostrich eggs, said Teresa Steele, a paleoanthropologist at the University of California, Davis. Cuts and breaks on long bones suggest that humans broke them open, likely to eat the marrow, she added. Other animal fossils found at the site include ones from porcupines, aurochs, hares, leopards, hyenas, lions, foxes, jackals, snakes, tortoises, snails and freshwater mollusks.

"I think the overall picture we're looking at from the archaeological data is a hunting encampment, a place where people passing across the landscape took shelter at night as they moved through the area in search of subsistence," McPherron said.

Garden of Eden

Until now, the oldest H. sapiens fossils were found in eastern Africa, from the site of Omo Kibish in Ethiopia, suggesting that this was where our species originated. But now, these newfound 300,000-year-old fossils from northern Africa suggest that our species might not have evolved in a single area in Africa. Rather, these findings — in combination with a 260,000-year-old partial skull from Florisbad, South Africa, that a 1996 study suggested might have been from H. sapiens — reveal that our species might have evolved across all of Africa, the researchers said.

"If there is a Garden of Eden, it is Africa; it is the size of Africa," Hublin said. "Our model is one where there was probably the evolution of different populations of H. sapiens in different parts of Africa. Sometimes, there was some kind of isolation between them, but in other periods, they were connected when the environment changed — 'green Sahara' periods happened several times. During these periods of connection, we think there were exchanges of innovations, and also exchanges of genes."

One "green Sahara" period may have occurred between about 300,000 and 330,000 years ago, Hublin said. "This means grasslands over the Sahara. Rivers. Huge lakes, like those in Germany, in size. Fauna such as elephants and zebra. All over a geographic domain that is absolutely gigantic — the Sahara is the size of the United States," Hublin said. "These periods happened again and again, probably playing a role in what we think were episodes of connection and exchanges between different populations of H. sapiens."

Original article on Live Science.

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SORRY THE YOUNG LADY IN THE NEXT ARTICLE IS NOW IN DEEP TROUBLE FOR COMMITTING AN ACT THAT SHE PROBABLY CONSIDERED TO BE HER PATRIOTIC DUTY, WHICH I FULLY UNDERSTAND; BUT SHE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THE DANGER THAT HER ACTIONS WERE GOING TO PUT HER IN. I HOPE SHE DOESN’T SPEND A LONG TIME IN PRISON FOR IT. SHE NEEDS A MENTAL HOSPITALIZATION, MOST LIKELY, OR SOME SERIOUS MEDS AT LEAST. THE FACT THAT SHE SAID SHE WANTED TO “BURN THE WHITE HOUSE DOWN,” SHOWS HER TO BE IN AN ABNORMAL MENTAL CONDITION, HOWEVER, AND NOT JUST A MARTYR IN A MATTER OF CONSCIENCE OR AN EVIL VILLAIN. (SEE ALSO THE ARTICLE TODAY ABOUT THIS FROM USA TODAY.)

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/nsa-leaker-reality-winner-secret-printer
By ALFRED NG CNET June 6, 2017, 3:41 PM
NSA's alleged leaker got tripped up by a secret printer feature

Investigators rely on all kinds of prints to find suspects — fingerprints, footprints and, in Reality Winner's arrest, invisible prints.

On Monday, the National Security Agency contractor was charged in a Georgia court with releasing classified material to a news outlet. The top-secret information was an NSA report from May 5, which was first released to The Intercept, detailing Russian hackers trying to compromise U.S. officials less than two weeks before Election Day in November.

It was yet another twist on the trail of Russian meddling in U.S. politics that stretches back well into last year, from the controversy over leaked emails from Hillary Clinton's campaign to ongoing investigations into meetings involving President Trump's advisers. Trump has disputed reports of Russian interference on his behalf.

The NSA leak came just three days ahead of former FBI director James Comey's expected testimony Thursday before a Senate committee looking into the matter.

A trail of printing slipups led the FBI on Saturday to Winner's home, where they arrested the former Air Force linguist. In the Department of Justice's criminal complaint, prosecutors said they saw the leaked documents had folds and creases on the page, suggesting they'd been printed out and then carried to another location. But it's what wasn't seen that outed Winner as the alleged leaker.

The pages from the NSA's printers came with invisible tracking dots. This is a common feature in modern printers for forensics investigations, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation. They're nearly invisible to the naked eye, but if you invert the colors, like Rob Graham from Errata Security did, they're a lot more obvious. Take a look now:

screen-shot-2017-06-06-at-3-03-55-pm.png
This is the document with inverted colors and increased brightness. The dots are a lot more obvious now. ALFRED NG/CNET

Those dots are part of a DocuColor pattern*, a grid of 15 by 8 yellow dots repeated over the edges of printed pages. It's a code packed with tracking information, and can be translated to tell you the time, date and serial number of the printer it came from.

By using the code in the leaked documents, Errata Security saw that the pages were printed on May 9 at 6:20 p.m., on a printer with the serial number 29535218.

"This code the government forces into our printers is a violation of our 3rd Amendment rights*," Graham wrote in a blog post.

The NSA also conducted an internal audit to find out that six people had printed out the secret report — but only Winner had been in touch with The Intercept by email through her work computer.

CNET Magazine: Check out a sample of the stories in CNET's newsstand edition.

Technically Literate: Original works of short fiction with unique perspectives on tech, exclusively on CNET.

This article originally appeared on CNET.


THIRD AMENDMENT RIGHTS, SEE: https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/third_amendment

“Third Amendment -- Described by some as “a preference for the Civilian over the Military,” the Third Amendment forbids the forcible housing of military personnel in a citizen’s home during peacetime and requires the process to be “prescribed by law” in times of war. This Amendment is not considered controversial and has never been litigated before the United States Supreme Court. “


Rob Graham from Errata Security – SEE THIS AND THE NEXT ARTICLE FROM W2.EFF.ORG/PRIVACY/PRINTERS/DOCUCOLOR, FOR ALL YOU PROBABLY WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THESE COLORFUL LITTLE MICRODOTS.

http://blog.erratasec.com/
Errata Security
Advanced persistent cybersecurity


https://w2.eff.org/Privacy/printers/docucolor/
DocuColor Tracking Dot Decoding Guide

Help EFF Watch the Watchers. Join EFF today!

This guide is part of the Machine Identification Code Technology project. It explains how to read the date, time, and printer serial number from forensic tracking codes in a Xerox DocuColor color laser printout. This information is the result of research by Robert Lee, Seth Schoen, Patrick Murphy, Joel Alwen, and Andrew "bunnie" Huang. We acknowledge the assistance of EFF supporters who have contributed sample printouts to give us material to study. We are still looking for help in this research; we are asking the public to submit test sheets or join the printers mailing list to participate in our reverse engineering efforts.

The DocuColor series prints a rectangular grid of 15 by 8 miniscule yellow dots on every color page. The same grid is printed repeatedly over the entire page, but the repetitions of the grid are offset slightly from one another so that each grid is separated from the others. The grid is printed parallel to the edges of the page, and the offset of the grid from the edges of the page seems to vary. These dots encode up to 14 7-bit bytes of tracking information, plus row and column parity for error correction. Typically, about four of these bytes were unused (depending on printer model), giving 10 bytes of useful data. Below, we explain how to extract serial number, date, and time from these dots. Following the explanation, we implement the decoding process in an interactive computer program.

Because of their limited contrast with the background, the forensic dots are not usually visible to the naked eye under white light. They can be made visible by magnification (using a magnifying glass or microscope), or by illuminating the page with blue instead of white light. Pure blue light causes the yellow dots to appear black. It can be helpful to use magnification together with illumination under blue light, although most individuals with good vision will be able to see the dots distinctly using either technique by itself. . . . .

FROM THIS POINT ON THE ARTICLE GETS VERY TECHNICAL, BUT IF YOU LIKE THAT KIND OF THING I THINK IT IS INTERESTING. THIS SEEMS VERY NEW TO ME, AS DID THE DEVELOPMENT OF 3D PRINTERS. VERY INTERESTING, BUT JUST A TOUCH FRIGHTENING. TOO MUCH LIKE BRAVE NEW WORLD.