October 4, 2017


News and Views


SEE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE ON ALL OF THE GENUINELY “FAKE” LAS VEGAS NEWS WHICH HAS POPPED UP LIKE MUSHROOMS AFTER A RAIN. I DO PUT MOST VERY INTERESTING OR IMPORTANT NEWS ARTICLES THAT I FIND ON FACEBOOK, BUT I DON’T USE THEIR “NEWS FEED” AS A SOURCE; NOR DO I TAKE NEWS FROM UNRELIABLE SOURCES ANYWHERE IF I AM AWARE OF IT.

IF I COME ACROSS AN ESPECIALLY FASCINATING STORY FROM AN UNKNOWN SOURCE – WHICH CAN BE A SIGN THAT THEY ARE FAKE -- I VERIFY IT BY SEARCHING IT TO SEE WHAT THE WEB PULLS UP ABOUT IT OR WHAT OUTLET WAS THE ORIGINATOR. RT IS “RUSSIA TIMES, WHO ARE OF COURSE FAKE NEWS SOURCES; AND THEN I ALSO OFTEN LOOK ON FACT-CHECK. I KNOW THAT THIS STORY CLAIMS THAT “THINGS LIKE FACT-CHECK” MAKE THE MATTER WORSE. THE IDEA THAT THOSE SITES GIVE THE STORY “MORE ENGAGEMENT,” MAY POSSIBLY BE TRUE, BUT ONCE IT’S ON THE NET, IT’S OUT THERE, AND TO DISPUTE IT IS BETTER THAN TO PASSIVELY IGNORE IT. DOING NOTHING AT ALL IS RARELY A GOOD IDEA. THAT SOUNDS LIKE PURE BUNK TO ME, SO I WILL CONTINUE TO VERIFY STORIES AS WELL AS I CAN AND USE THEM ONCE THEY ARE VALIDATED.

I DO DISAGREE TOTALLY WITH TRUMP THAT CBS, CNN, NPR, NBC, HUFFINGTON POST, ETC. ARE “FAKE” AT ALL, WHILE BREITBART AND INFOWARS ARE NOT ONLY FAKE, THEY ARE MALICIOUS. MY REACTION TO MOST OF THE GENERAL CHIT CHAT THAT I FIND ON SOCIAL MEDIA IS THAT IT IS VERY FREQUENTLY NEITHER INTERESTING NOR IMPORTANT. AS A RESULT, I DO PLAN TO CONTINUE USING MY NEWS ARTICLES ON FACEBOOK. WHEN I FIND A GOOD PHOTOGRAPH OR HUMAN INTEREST STORY, WHICH IS RARE, I PUT THAT IN ALSO.

IN THE FUTURE, I WILL TRY ESPECIALLY NOT TO MAKE UGLY COMMENTS ABOUT DONALD TRUMP, THOUGH THAT IS TEMPTING TO DO. I CAN STILL VERBALLY DISAGREE WITH WHAT HE DOES OR SAYS. I AM AWARE THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP ACTUALLY IS VERY “SENSITIVE” TO WHAT OTHERS THINK OF HIM, BUT NOT SENSITIVE ABOUT WHAT HE SAYS OR DOES; AND HE REALLY SHOULD GET ADVICE MUCH MORE OFTEN, IF ONLY BECAUSE HE IS THE FACE OF THE UNITED STATES. HE ISN’T SIMPLY THAT CAREFREE, YOUNG-AT-HEART MULTI-BILLIONAIRE PLAYBOY ANYMORE. UH-OH. THAT SOUNDS A LITTLE UGLY. SORRY ABOUT THAT.

FINALLY, OUR INHUMANITY TO MAN IS A PROBLEM. WE’RE AT A VERY UNGENTLE TIME IN OUR SOCIETY, I’M AFRAID. I’LL TRY TO STICK WITH PEACE AND LIGHT MORE OFTEN. I’M CAPABLE OF MAKING CLEAR-CUT POINTS WITHOUT GREAT HOSTILITY. EVEN THE NEW SANDERS INSTITUTE SENT ME AN EMAIL ASKING ALL OF US BERNIE FOLLOWERS TO TAMP DOWN ON THE RHETORIC. LET’S SEE IF THINGS WILL BECOME NOTICEABLY DIFFERENT ON THE NET IF WE ALL TRY TO DO THAT.


https://www.cbsnews.com/news/las-vegas-shooting-fake-news-stories-spread-on-social-media/
CBS NEWS October 4, 2017, 11:09 AM
In wake of Las Vegas shooting, fake news on social media takes personal toll

Social media has seen a shift from personal pictures and status updates to one of the main ways people get their news. However, platforms like Facebook and Google have struggled to keep a lid on incorrect information and, as seen in the last 48 hours, false news can take a real personal toll.

Fake news stories spread on social media in the hours after the mass shooting in Las Vegas as people looking for information read and shared bogus reports and hoaxes without even realizing it.

Geary Danley and his family in Arkansas found themselves in the center of the social media storm, CBS News correspondent Jim Axelrod reports.

"The Danleys have been getting death threats and would like people to know that social media has spun this out of control," said Geary Danley's daughter, Dionne Waltrip.

Geary's daughters say their father had nothing to do with the shooting. His ex-wife, Marilou Danley, is considered a person of interest because she'd been living with gunman Stephen Paddock. Amateur internet sleuths connected her name with Geary Danley's and jumped to conclusions.

Within hours of the attack, Geary Danley's name – and his photo – were spread across the internet.

Some Facebook users saw the Las Vegas crisis response page with a link to an article on The Gateway Pundit, a right-wing political website, incorrectly identifying Geary as the shooter and calling him a "Democrat with the anti-Trump army."

ctm-100417-danley.jpg
Geary Danley and his daughters CBS NEWS

Another link, from the site Alt-Right News, speculated the attack was the work of ISIS. They later apologized for the mistake.

In a statement to CBS News, Facebook said the Vegas false news issue has been fixed and it's focused on a long-term solution: "We know people want to see accurate information on Facebook — and so do we. ... At Facebook, we're working to fight the spread of false news."

"People are looking for answers during crisis and news events," said Jonathan Albright, research director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University, who has been tracking fake news since the run-up to the 2016 election.

He says the nature of social media amplifies stories that are blatantly false.

"The authors or the promoters of this type of fake content often are seeking to shock people, to outrage them. So even if people stop to investigate or dispute, or even debunk, or especially things like fact-check, you're just getting kind of more engagement with that, which in turn tends to reinforce the content elsewhere," Albright said.

Late last month, Mark Zuckerberg talked about Facebook's false news problem.

Facebook providing Russian-linked ads to Congress
Play VIDEO
Facebook providing Russian-linked ads to Congress

"I wish I could tell you that we're going to be able to stop all interference, but that just wouldn't be realistic," Zuckerberg said.

In a Facebook post over the weekend, he wrote: "For the ways my work was used to divide people rather than bring us together, I ask forgiveness and I will work to do better."

On Monday, Facebook handed over to Congress 3,000 ads that were purchased as part of a Russia-linked influence operation. Congress is investigating whether those ads – seen by about 10 million people – had an impact on the 2016 election.

"The American people really need to see these ads, they need to see just how cynical these ads are, they need to see how the Russians sought to divide us to turn American against American," Congressman Adam Schiff said. He is the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.

Schiff says Silicon Valley needs to prove its technology protects the public from misinformation.

"These algorithms can be manipulated, these searches can be manipulated, so that we're seeing what people want us to see rather than the true facts, and that's very destructive to our society," Schiff said.

Facebook, Twitter, and Google are expected to testify on the Hill next month. Schiff told CBS News he wants the dubious Facebook ads to become public as soon as possible. He notes that social media companies have a long way to go in patrolling false news stories.



THESE STORIES ARE TODAY’S REPORTING ON THE LAS VEGAS MASS KILLER. FOR A COLLECTION OF ARTICLES ON THE NRA AND THE NATION’S UNACKNOWLEDGED PARTICIPATION IN SENSELESS MURDER, SEE: “THE NRA AND AMERICANS,” AT MY BLOG SITE. WHAT I HOPE TO MAKE AMERICANS SEE AT SOME POINT IS HOW DOING NOTHING POSITIVE, IN A WORLD OF CONSTANT CHANGE, IS ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING NEGATIVE. I’VE SAID IT BEFORE, AND I’LL SAY IT MANY TIMES MORE – PASSIVITY WHEN THERE IS A NEED FOR ACTION IS NOT A VIRTUE.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/las-vegas-shooting-investigators-question-stephen-paddock-girlfriend/
CBS/AP October 4, 2017, 4:40 PM
Las Vegas shooting investigators question Stephen Paddock's girlfriend

22 Photographs – Las Vegas shooting victims

LAS VEGAS -- FBI agents began questioning the Las Vegas gunman's girlfriend on Wednesday for clues as to what drove Stephen Paddock to slaughter 58 people from his high-rise hotel suite, CBS News justice and homeland security correspondent Jeff Pegues reports.

Marilou Danley was interviewed at the bureau's field office in Los Angeles, Pegues reports.

A receptionist at the office of Los Angeles-based criminal defense attorney Matthew Lombard confirmed he was representing Danley but would not comment any further.

Danley, 62, returned to the U.S. on Tuesday night from the Philippines after a weekslong trip abroad. A U.S. official said she was met at Los Angeles International Airport by FBI agents, CBS News senior investigative producer Pat Milton reports.

Photograph -- marilou-danley-promo.jpg, Marilou Danley LAS VEGAS METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT / REUTERS

Three days after the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, why someone with no known record of violence or crime would open fire on a country music festival was still a mystery.

Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo on Tuesday called Danley a "person of interest" in the attack.

Paddock, a 64-year-old high-stakes gambler and real estate investor from Mesquite, Nevada, killed himself as police closed in on his 32nd-floor room at the Mandalay Bay hotel casino. More than 500 people were injured in the attack.

Las Vegas gunman stockpiled firearms but didn't set off red flags
Play VIDEO
Las Vegas gunman stockpiled firearms but didn't set off red flags

Paddock had been stockpiling guns since 1982 and bought 33 of them, mostly rifles, over the past year alone, right up until three days before the attack, Jill Snyder, an agent with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), told "CBS This Morning" co-host Norah O'Donnell on Wednesday.

He had rigged 12 semi-automatic rifles with devices that allowed the guns to fire like an automatic weapon, she said. Authorities previously disclosed that he had such "bump stock" devices with him at the hotel.

Snyder said authorities would not have been notified of the rifle purchases but would have been informed if two or more handguns were bought at one time.

Danley's sisters in Australia said in a TV interview there that they believe she couldn't have known about Paddock's murderous plans and that he must have sent her away so she wouldn't interfere.

Hotel security questioned after attack in Las Vegas
Play VIDEO
Hotel security questioned after attack in Las Vegas

The sisters -- whose faces were obscured and their names withheld -- said Danley is "a good person" who would have stopped Paddock had she been there.

"She didn't even know that she was going to the Philippines until Steve said, 'Marilou, I found you a cheap ticket to the Philippines,'" said one of the sisters, who live near Brisbane.

Danley is an Australian citizen but a native of the Philippines, Pegues reports. She met Paddock after separating from her ex-husband, Geary Danley, in 2013.

Meanwhile, President Trump met privately with victims of the shooting at a Las Vegas hospital Wednesday.

"It's a very sad thing. We are going to pay our respects and to see the police who have done really a fantastic job in a very short time," Mr. Trump said before leaving the White House. He said authorities were "learning a lot more" about the gunman.

Trump visits Las Vegas amid turmoil in Washington
Play VIDEO
Trump visits Las Vegas amid turmoil in Washington

Whatever Paddock's motive, authorities said he planned the attack methodically, not only stockpiling nearly two dozen guns in his hotel room but setting up cameras in the peephole and on a service cart outside his door, apparently to watch for police closing in on him.

During the rampage, a hotel security guard who approached the room was shot through the door and wounded in the leg.

"The fact that he had the type of weaponry and amount of weaponry in that room, it was preplanned extensively," the sheriff said, "and I'm pretty sure he evaluated everything that he did and his actions, which is troublesome."

FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, speaking at a cybersecurity forum Wednesday in Boston, said investigators are busy "reconstructing the life, the behavior, the pattern of activity of this individual and anyone and everyone who may have crossed his path in the days and the weeks leading up to this horrific event."

Trump visits survivors and first responders in Las Vegas
Play VIDEO
Trump visits survivors and first responders in Las Vegas

Asked if investigators had determined why Paddock carried out the attack, he said, "We are not there yet." He suggested that was unusual.

"This individual and this attack didn't leave the sort of immediately accessible thumbprints that you find on some mass casualty attacks," McCabe said.

Authorities told CBS News that while Danley was in the Philippines, Paddock transferred tens of thousands of dollars overseas.

Investigators are still trying to trace that money and are also looking into a least a dozen financial reports over the past several weeks that said Paddock gambled more than $10,000 per day, a U.S. official briefed by law enforcement but not authorized to speak publicly because of the continuing investigation told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.



https://www.yahoo.com/gma/vegas-shooter-had-200-reports-suspicious-activities-large-004306919--abc-news-topstories.html
Good Morning America
Vegas shooter had 200+ reports of suspicious activities, large financial transactions in casinos
MIKE LEVINE, Good Morning America
October 4, 2017 13 hours ago

CBS NEWS video

As authorities pick apart the life of Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock, they have come across one major thread of suspicious behavior: how he handled his money.

Paddock’s recent financial transactions have become a key focus for investigators looking to learn more about the Nevada man and why he launched the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

As ABC News first reported Monday, Paddock recently sent tens of thousands of dollars to someone in the Philippines, where his girlfriend was at the time of the attack, and authorities are still trying to determine who received that money, sources familiar with the matter said.

In the last three years alone, more than 200 reports about Paddock’s activities, particularly large transactions at casinos, have been filed with law enforcement authorities, ABC News was told.

While some of the reports centered around "suspicious activity," most were "currency transaction reports," which casinos are required to file with the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network when a person withdraws or deposits more than $10,000 in cash.

The number of reports prompted by Paddock's activities reflects -- at the very least -- how routine it was for him to gamble with large sums of money.

In one case, Paddock recently won $40,000 on a slot machine, his brother, Eric Paddock, told The Associated Press.

Las Vegas shooting: What we know about suspect Stephen Paddock

"That’s the way he played," Eric Paddock said.

One law enforcement official noted "currency transaction reports" are "not necessarily suspicious," especially "if you’re a high roller." As for "suspicious activity reports," 13,736 were filed last year with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, according to Treasury Department statistics.

According to the AP, Eric Paddock described his brother as a multimillionaire and said they had business dealings and owned property together.

He said he was not aware that his brother had gambling debts.

A source familiar with the matter told ABC News that Stephen Paddock was a "responsible gambler. He paid his bills, and he came back," adding that there was "no indication of any [financial] stress, any debt, any problems at all."

"He was a very consistent player," the source said. "The notion of his winning or losing $40,000 seems very much within his norm."

The FBI has already briefed some lawmakers about what they’ve found so far as agents dig into Stephen Paddock's past.

"Bottom line, this man was a gambler, but I do not believe there is sufficient evidence to show that he was under stress financially from gambling at the time this incident occurred," the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., told ABC News.

Paddock’s longtime girlfriend is originally from the Philippines, and she is believed to have been there when he launched his deadly assault in Las Vegas, killing 59 people and injuring more than 500 others attending a country music festival. She is expected to return to the United States Wednesday.

Asked about the reports associated with Paddock, a Financial Crimes Enforcement Network – or "FinCEN" -- spokesperson said the agency "does not comment on specific reports filed by financial institutions," but added, "FinCEN provides access to its database to authorized law enforcement and regulatory users and the data has proven to be extremely useful to investigators."

The FBI declined to comment for this article.


WHO DEALT WITH THIS MAN BEFORE THE SHOOTING, AND WHEN? "THIS MORNING OVER COFFEE I WAS HAVING A MOMENT IN MYSELF THINKING THAT I MAY HAVE VERY WELL BEEN THE LAST PERSON TO SHAKE HANDS WITH THAT MAN,'" SULLIVAN SAID. THIS STORY REALLY IS SAD FOR ALL CONCERNED. I WOULDN’T WANT TO BE A GUN MERCHANT, GIVEN THE THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THIS COUNTRY. IF I WERE, HOWEVER, I WOULD VERY CLOSELY CHECK EVERYONE, EVEN THOSE WHO ARE CLEVER, GENTLEMANLY, AND WELL-TO-DO. THIS KILLER WAS ALL OF THOSE THINGS.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/las-vegas-shooting-stephen-paddock-gun-shop-manager-bump-fire-stocks/
CBS NEWS October 4, 2017, 10:01 AM
Gun shop manager who sold firearms to Stephen Paddock speaks out

CBS News This Morning video – Massacre In Las Vegas -- Multiple witnesses at gun stores are interviewed and airport video of Marilou Danley returning in a wheel chair

MESQUITE, Nevada – Guns & Guitars general manager Christopher Sullivan told CBS News he sold Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock a rifle on Sept. 28, the same day police say Paddock checked into the Mandalay Bay hotel.

"I was ill. It made me physically ill to think that we had interacted with him and he had committed such a tragedy," Sullivan said.

"Feel any guilt about what happened?" CBS News correspondent DeMarco Morgan asked.

"I don't. No," Sullivan said. "We do everything right. ... We can't control what someone does once they leave this store."

Photograph -- ctm-1004-guns-and-guitars-nevada.jpg
Guns & Guitars general manager Christopher Sullivan (right) CBS NEWS

Sullivan said Paddock had been a customer of Guns & Guitars for about a year, and in that time the shop sold him five firearms.

"Just knowing that this may have been his last stop before heading to Las Vegas, does that make you feel some type of way? Sort of responsible?" Morgan asked.

Las Vegas gunman stockpiled firearms but didn't set off red flags
Play VIDEO
Las Vegas gunman stockpiled firearms but didn't set off red flags

"This morning over coffee I was having a moment in myself thinking that I may have very well been the last person to shake hands with that man,'" Sullivan said.

Why Stephen Paddock's gun purchases didn't raise red flags

Paddock fired into a Las Vegas crowd Sunday night in what sounded like automatic rounds. The ATF said Paddock had 24 guns in his hotel room, and 12 of them had bump fire stocks. The legal devices are attached to the back of rifles and allow squeezed triggers to slide back and forth more quickly, simulating automatic fire.

"These bump stocks are basically a work-around that allow people to take a gun that's perfectly legal and turn them into something equivalent to a machine gun," UCLA law professor Adam Winkler said.

Winkler said if there is gun reform, it could involve regulation of modification devices like bump fire stocks.

"I think that's the kind of regulation that the NRA may support," Winkler said. "There's a broad consensus even among gun owners that people shouldn't have access to automatic-fire weapons. … Banning these devices is a way of banning automatic fire weapons."

Guns & Guitars tell CBS News it did not sell Paddock any automatic weapons, ammunition or bump fire stocks. Another store in north Las Vegas where Paddock purchased several weapons earlier this year tells us it also ran all proper background checks and did not sell Paddock any automatic weapons.



DEMOCRAT SENATOR CHRIS MURPHY SPEAKS OF REPUBLICAN’S CAREFUL AVOIDANCE OF THE WHOLE GUN CONTROL ISSUE AS BEING "UNINTENTIONAL COMPLICITY." I WOULD CORRECT HIS STATEMENT TO SAY THAT THE COMPLICITY IS NOT UNINTENTIONAL. HALF OF CONGRESS IS ON THE NRA’ PAYMENT LIST, JUDGING BY THEIR SHYNESS ABOUT VOTING AGAINST THE ORGANIZATION. THE NRA HAS EVEN ENDORSED BERNIE SANDERS IN ONE ELECTION, AND ONE ARTICLE THAT CAME UP ON MY SEARCH SAID THAT HE HAS VOTED AGAINST SOME IF NOT ALL LIBERAL GUN CONTROL LAWS. I WONDER IF HE IS A HUNTER OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT? WELL, WHATEVER SANDERS WANTS, I WANT USEFUL GUN CONTROL OF SEVERAL KINDS.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sen-chris-murphy-calls-congress-inaction-quiet-endorsement-of-gun-violence/
By EMILY TILLETT CBS NEWS October 3, 2017, 4:45 PM
Sen. Chris Murphy calls Congress' inaction "quiet endorsement" of gun violence

Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat and outspoken advocate on gun control, condemned Congress' "utter silence" and "unintentional complicity" on gun violence in the wake of the deadly Las Vegas shooting that left over 50 people dead.

"In the minds of these mad men, when they see Congress doing absolutely nothing, shooting after shooting, they read that as quiet acceptance of the carnage," warned Murphy at an event on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. "It has to stop."

Murphy represents the district of Newtown, Connecticut where 20 first graders and 6 educators were killed by gunman Adam Lanza, who entered Sandy Hook Elementary School and opened fire in December 2012.

He said that the reason mass shootings like Sandy Hook continue to happen is because of "public policy choices that this Congress makes."

"What is unacceptable in the wake of the most deadly mass shooting in history of the country is for this utter silence, this unintentional complicity from Congress to continue."

His message to his Republican colleagues: "pick from a smorgasbord of options that are available to you. We understand you may have to walk before you run, but lets spend a little bit of time this week and next week coming up with some bipartisan solution to this epidemic, so that we don't continue to offer what is a quiet endorsement of these continued killings."

President Trump visits Puerto Rico, talks about gun laws
Play VIDEO
President Trump visits Puerto Rico, talks about gun laws

He also warned that Republicans would pay a political price for ignoring gun violence reform.

"The political movement, which is growing stronger by the day around anti-gun violence, will get even stronger if this Republican Congress continues to do nothing mass shooting after mass shooting, the politics will catch up to our colleagues," said Murphy.

The senator told reporters on Tuesday that he would be introducing an "updated version" of previous background check legislation to stop person with a history of mental illness or criminal record from purchasing a gun or when weapon ownership is transferred.

"We've exhausted every possible argument with our colleagues, I have lobbied in every different and creative way that I can, and we will continue to do that."

Fellow Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal echoed the call for action.

"We're not going away," he declared. "We're not surrendering to the forces of evil."

Blumenthal also delivered stern words to elected officials who have offered their "thoughts and prayers" in the wake of the shooting.

"There are never enough prayers or condolences or sympathies, there can always be more ways to provide comfort, we know that from Sandy Hook. But we're saying, 'Enough,' to the evasion and the euphemisms. They can take those euphemisms and stuff them as far as I'm concerned," said Blumenthal.

The senator went on, suggesting that those arguing the background check proposal wouldn't have stopped the killer in Las Vegas is "absurd."

"We must take steps to stop gun violence, and we know background checks will do it," he said. "Closing the loopholes for getting a gun will do that," Blumenthal said



I HOPE RACHEL MADDOW WILL HOP BACK ON THIS COLLUSION ISSUE SOON. SHE DIGS UP THE JUICIEST INFORMATION. CHECK HER OUT AT “MSNBC MADDOW.”

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/senate-intel-committee-on-russia-issue-of-collusion-is-still-open/
By BLAIR GUILD CBS NEWS October 4, 2017, 2:44 PM
Senate Intel Committee on Russia: “Issue of collusion is still open”

Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee Sen. Richard Burr, R-North Carolina, said that "the issue of collusion is still open" regarding the committee's ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

"The committee continues to look into all evidence to see if there was any hint of collusion," Burr told reporters during a press conference regarding the status of the Russia investigation Wednesday afternoon.

Although the committee can't determine collusion at this point, they agree on Russia's attempts to influence the election. Burr said that based on the committee's findings, there is evidence that Russia wanted to "create chaos at every level" during this past year's election.

While both Burr and Vice Chairman Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, asserted that they won't discuss their committee's specific initial Russia investigation findings, they said that the results thus far have caused the inquiry to expand "slightly."

"We have interviewed everybody who had a hand or a voice into the creation of the intelligence community assessment," Burr said.

So far, the committee has held 11 open hearings, conducted over 100 interviews spanning more than 250 hours, delved into 4,000 pages of transcripts and analyzed nearly 100,000 pages of documents, including highly classified intelligence and cyber security briefings as well as campaign-related files. Burr specified that of these documents, "a large group" come from "the Trump campaign alone."

The Intelligence Committee leaders said that these findings have "generated hundreds of additional requests" and "identified leads."

"The issue of collusion is still open, that we continue to investigate both intelligence and witnesses, and that we're not in a position where we will come to any type of temporary finding on that until we've completed the process," Burr said.

Facebook, Twitter, Google to testify in Russia investigation
Play VIDEO
Facebook, Twitter, Google to testify in Russia investigation

Warner said that the committee's investigation has revealed "strains and threads that we need to continue to pursue" and added that Russian interference "did not end on election day."

"I think there is a large consensus that they hacked into political files, released those files in an effort to influence the election," Warner said. "We think they actively tried to at least test the vulnerabilities of 21 states' electoral systems. And we feel that they used the social media firms in terms of both paid advertising, and what I believe is more problematic -- created false accounts and others that would drive interest toward stories or groups, and generally those stories or groups were to sow chaos and drive division in our country."

The vice chairman also cautioned not to underestimate the threat of social media political advertising and bot accounts as tools for foreign entities to influence elections.

He said that sites like Facebook, Twitter and Google "did not take this threat seriously enough" during the 2016 election cycle, adding that Russia's election influence expands beyond just the United States and into elections in France, the Netherlands and Germany. The committee has invited all three tech giants to public hearings to be held in the near future.

The committee hopes to conclude the investigation this calendar year, but does not plan to release any documents or information regarding their interviews thus far.



IT MAY BE “PETTY STUFF,” BUT THE STATE DEPARTMENT TONIGHT HAS NOW DENIED TILLERSON’S CALLING TRUMP A “MORON” IN HIS STEAD. SOMEBODY HAD TO DO IT. I WONDER IF HE SAID THAT TO TRUMP’S FACE.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/tillerson-says-never-planned-quit-wont-discuss-report-called-trump-moron-154508915.html
Tillerson says he never planned to quit, won’t discuss report he called Trump a 'moron'
Christopher Wilson October 4, 2017 30 minutes ago

Photograph -- Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and President Trump confer during a Sept 20 U.N. lunch. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo)
Video – Secretary of State Tillerson makes a statement


Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said he has never considered leaving his position and affirmed his commitment to President Trump’s agenda in a statement Wednesday morning.

Tillerson was responding to an NBC News report that Vice President Pence had to talk him out of resigning following Trump’s rambling, highly politicized speech to a gathering of Boy Scouts this summer. Tillerson is a former national president of the organization.

The NBC report also said that after the speech Tillerson called Trump a “moron.”

“The vice president has never had to persuade me to remain as secretary of state because I have never considered leaving this post,” said Tillerson.

When asked if the claim that he had almost resigned was the only thing he considered to be erroneous in the report, Tillerson said it was the most important part. When asked specifically if he had called the president a moron, Tillerson did not deny it, saying, “I’m not going to deal with petty stuff like that.”

After Tillerson’s statement, CNN said it had confirmed through its own sources the “moron” remark, and MSNBC reporter Stephanie Rule elaborated that the exact phrase Tillerson used was “f***ing moron.”

Last week, after Tillerson said in an interview that the U.S. had back-channel communications with North Korea, Trump tweeted that his “wonderful” secretary of state was wasting his time talking to Pyongyang.

In an interview earlier this year, Tillerson said that he never wanted the job as secretary of state and didn’t seek the post.

“My wife told me I’m supposed to do this,” said the former ExxonMobil CEO when asked why he had accepted the position as America’s top diplomat.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and President Trump confer during a Sept 20 U.N. lunch. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo)

Trump, who is flying to Las Vegas in the wake of the mass shooting there, spent the morning attacking NBC and “fake news” and demanding an apology.

Donald J. Trump ✔@realDonaldTrump
The @NBCNews story has just been totally refuted by Sec. Tillerson and @VP Pence. It is #FakeNews. They should issue an apology to AMERICA!
11:18 AM - Oct 4, 2017

Most of Tillerson’s remarks consisted of what he considered the foreign policy successes of the Trump administration and compliments of the president.

“He loves this country,” said Tillerson of Trump. “He puts Americans and America first. He’s smart, he demands results wherever he goes and he holds those around him accountable for whether they’ve done the job he’s asked them to do. Accountability is one of the bedrock values the president and I share.”

Tillerson also criticized the petty nature of Washington, which he said was very different from his experience in the private sector.

There are currently two executive branch departments without permanent heads following John Kelly’s move from Homeland Security chief to White House chief of staff in July and Tom Price’s recent resignation as Health and Human Services secretary.


THE MADDOW BLOG

THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 10/3/17
San Juan mayor: Trump was insulting to the people of Puerto Rico
Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz of San Juan, Puerto Rico, reacts to Donald Trump's visit to the storm ravaged island, calling Trump's remarks insulting, and describing him as the "miscommunicator-in-chief," but also finding hope in interactions with White House staff. Duration: 7:37