November 1, 2017


News and Views


THIS QUOTATION OF NY GOV. ANDREW CUOMO’S WORDS BELOW, "IT'S NO LONGER GEOGRAPHICALLY ISOLATED. THE INTERNET HAS GIVEN THEM A GLOBAL PLATFORM AND GLOBAL TRAINING GROUND. THEY HAVE A SIMPLE PLAY. RENT CAR, RENT A TRUCK, CREATE MAYHEM AND TRY TO DISRUPT SOCIETY.”

ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH OUR TRYING TO BATTLE THIS BRAIN-WASHING IS THAT IT’S TOO SIMPLE AND EASY FOR EVEN AN IMMATURE PERSON OF 20 OR LESS TO ACCOMPLISH. THEY DON’T EVEN HAVE TO MAKE THEIR WAY TO IRAQ OR SYRIA TO DO IT. JUST PICK ANY GROUP OF WESTERNERS AND START KILLING. HOW CAN ISLAMIC PEOPLE MANAGE TO CHANGE THEIR RELIGION FROM THE INSIDE SO THAT THIS SORT THINKING BECOMES (1) CLEARLY NOT ACCEPTABLE; (2) NOT SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE GROWING UP IN IT FEEL ANY DESIRE TO PARTICIPATE IN. THAT PROBABLY MEANS THAT THEY WILL NOT HAVE A SENSE OF PERSONAL FAILURE WHICH DRIVES THEM TO TRY TO “PROVE THEMSELVES.” (3) IN THE PAST, AND I ASSUME NOW, THERE HAVE BEEN KNOWN “RADICAL IMAMS,” WHO OPENLY ADVOCATE THIS. I BELIEVE THAT SHOULD BE A FELONY, PUNISHABLE BY LIFE IN PRISON IF IT ISN’T (AND LIKEWISE FOR ANY CULT LEADER, BECAUSE CHRISTIAN CULTS ARE NO BETTER.) (4) ISLAMIC FAMILY MEMBERS SHOULD BE AWARE OF WHAT THEIR CHILDREN AND SIBLINGS ARE DOING, ESPECIALLY BECOMING “VERY RELIGIOUS,” AS HAS BEEN MENTIONED IN AT LEAST THREE OF THESE CASES ABOUT YOUNG MEN – OCCASIONALLY FEMALES -- WHO MURDER IN THE NAME OF THEIR RELIGION. THERE WAS ONE MARRIED COUPLE IN EUROPE WHO WERE DESCRIBED IN A STORY. (5) IT WOULD BE HELPFUL PROBABLY IF PEOPLE WHO SUDDENLY BECOME EXTREME IN ANY WAY SHOULD BE INSTITUTIONALIZED IN A MENTAL HOSPITAL OR PUT UNDER PSYCHIATRIC CARE. (6) I WONDER IF A LAW COULD BE MADE AND BE ENFORCED BLOCKING RADICAL DOCTRINE FROM THE INTERNET. THE INTERNET IS A PROBLEM.

I KNOW. FREEDOM OF RELIGION, SPEECH, ASSOCIATION, NEED TO BE REVISED TO MEET SOCIETAL NEEDS WITHOUT MAKING US INTO A TOTALITARIAN SOCIETY. (7) WHILE TWEAKING OUR CONSTITUTION AND BILL OF RIGHTS WE NEED A WAY OF DEFINING A DANGEROUS CULT IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT WON’T BE MISTAKEN BY THE SOCIETY AS A WHOLE FOR A BENIGN AND HELPFUL “FAITH” OR “RELIGION.” (8) ANOTHER THING WE COULD DO IS TO REMOVE THE TAX-FREE STATUS FROM ALL RELIGIONS, AND TAKE A HARD LOOK AT ALL TAX-FREE GROUPS, BECAUSE THEY ARE HEAVILY INFILTRATED WITH POLITICAL MOTIVATIONS RATHER THAN A PURE-MINDED SERVICE TO SOCIETY. LEADERS OF THESE GROUPS ARE VERY OFTEN FOCUSED ONLY ON THE MONEY, ESPECIALLY “TV MINISTRIES,” SUCH AS THAT OF TAMMY FAYE AND JIM BAKKER.

RELIGION HAS BECOME ONE OF THE EASIEST AND MOST LUCRATIVE WAYS OF MAKING MONEY, SO THEY REALLY DON’T NEED TAX-FREE PRIVILEGES. IN SOME CASES, THEY ACTUALLY REQUIRE THEIR NEW MEMBERS TO TURN ALL THEIR ASSETS OVER TO THE COMMUNITY COFFERS. IN OTHER WORDS, IT’S JUST ANOTHER SCAM. THAT REQUIREMENT MAKES A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR THE CHURCH AND IT KEEPS THE MEMBERS POOR INDIVIDUALLY AND DEPENDENT ON THE GROUP – THEREFORE LESS LIKELY TO REBEL AND THINK FOR THEMSELVES. ISIS, I THINK, FITS INTO THIS EXTREME CULT CATEGORY VERY WELL.

IT IS MY OPINION THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE ATTRACTED TO THESE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENTS ARE UNABLE TO REASON CLEARLY, HAVE VERY LITTLE SELF-CONFIDENCE, OR ARE USING THE GROUP AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR A LOVING FAMILY. IF THEY WERE NORMALLY INDEPENDENT AND LOGICAL, THEY WOULD THINK THEIR WAY OUT OF IT, GRAB THEIR BELONGINGS AND TAKE A TAXI OR BUS OR TRAIN AS FAR AWAY AS POSSIBLE. GROUPS LIKE THAT HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO PHYSICALLY ABUSE OR THREATEN NEW CONVERTS, SO THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE INTIMIDATED TOTALLY.

THE INFAMOUS JIM JONES IS PROBABLY THE WORST I’VE EVER HEARD ABOUT. THAT CULT IS THE SOURCE OF THE POP CULTURE SAYING “DON’T DRINK THE KOOL-AID.” JONES POISONED OVER 900 OF HIS MEMBERS IN ONE EVENING WITH CYANIDE LACED KOOL-AID ON THE PROMISE THAT THEY WOULD ALL GO TO AN AFTERLIFE EN MASSE. GO TO WIKIPEDIA AND LOOK HIM UP FOR DETAILS WHICH YOU MAY NOT REALLY WANT TO KNOW. HTTPS://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/JIM_JONES.

MEANWHILE, DEBLASIO CALLS FOR EVERYONE IN THE SOCIETY TO BECOME INVOLVED IN THE EFFORT TO DISCOVER ODD EVENTS AND FIGHT BACK BY SIMPLY TELLING THE POLICE ANYTHING AT ALL THAT SEEMS SUSPICIOUS OR MERELY OUT OF THE ORDINARY. A BACKPACK LYING ON A BENCH MAY HAVE A BOMB IN IT READY TO GO OFF.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-york-terror-attack-mayor-bill-de-blasio-on-police-response/
CBS NEWS November 1, 2017, 1:35 PM
New York City mayor assures residents NYPD "out in very strong numbers"

A day after the New York City terror attack, Mayor Bill de Blasio is assuring the city that a "huge" police presence out to help keep residents safe.

"We have the biggest counterterrorism force of any police force in the nation. It's out in very strong numbers so people can see it. It's a deterrent force," de Blasio said Wednesday on "CBS This Morning." "We are, in this city, very comfortable putting out large numbers of police officers with heavy gear, with heavy weapons to send the message: don't try anything here. God forbid something happens like this, we can respond quickly."

New York terror victims were celebrating decades of friendship
Play VIDEO
New York terror victims were celebrating decades of friendship

Eight people were killed in the attack, including six foreign visitors. The suspect, Sayfullo Saipov, bragged to police from his hospital bed about what he did. A note found in his rented truck made reference to ISIS.

Investigators say Saipov deliberately steered the rented truck into a crowd of pedestrians and bicyclists on a downtown Manhattan bike path. The attack left a trail of victims nearly one mile long along the Hudson River. It ended when the truck ran into a school bus. But that was an accident, a source said, adding that the suspect wanted to continue down the road.

Police shot and captured the 29-year-old at the scene.

"What this instance points out once again is we need everyone to be in involved in helping us fight terror," de Blasio said.

Saipov came to the U.S. in 2010 from Uzbekistan, a predominantly Muslim former Soviet Republic, and obtained legal permanent residency. His last official address was in Tampa, Florida. He has also lived in Ohio, and most recently New Jersey.

Gov. Cuomo on why New York terror attack "failed"
Play VIDEO
Gov. Cuomo on why New York terror attack "failed"

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the incident reflected an "evolution of the jihad tactics."

"It's no longer geographically isolated. The internet has given them a global platform and global training ground. They have a simple play. Rent car, rent a truck, create mayhem and try to disrupt society. And that's what yesterday was. A depraved coward, in my opinion, rented a truck and we lost eight people, and that's terrible, but they were not successful. They did not disrupt New York City. They did not disrupt New York state," Cuomo told "CBS This Morning" Wednesday.

The night of the attack, New Yorkers went ahead with the city's annual Halloween parade.

"I talked to a lot of them. I asked them how they were feeling, and people said we're not going to give in. We're not going to change because of terrorists who are trying to change our way of life. I was inspired by it," de Blasio said.

"New Yorkers showed up. And [the suspect] did not instill terror, so they failed," Cuomo said.

The attack is the latest in a string of vehicle terror attacks. The Counter Extremism Project reports there have been at least 34 involving vehicles since 2006. Such attacks this year in Barcelona, London and Stockholm killed at least 29 people.

De Blasio said the city is constantly reassessing where physical barriers are placed throughout the city to prevent such attacks, and he also urged people to report any suspicious happenings.

"A lot of times the attacks that have been stopped, which we don't talk about in some cases, were based on everyday people who went to a police officer and shared information. And that could be the key in any of these cases. So we got to say to people, don't hesitate. If you think something might be suspicious, share it with the authorities because it could make a huge difference," de Blasio said.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



THIS IS A CLEAR AND INTERESTING DESCRIPTION OF SAIPOV BY A FELLOW MUSLIM IN OHIO. IT SHOWS A PATH FROM DISCOURAGEMENT TO RADICALIZATION VIA THE INTERNET.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-york-city-terror-suspect-sayfullo-saipov-bragging-about-attack-from-hospital-bed/
By STEFAN BECKET CBS NEWS November 1, 2017, 9:24 AM
NYC terror suspect Sayfullo Saipov brags about attack from hospital bed

NEW YORK -- The suspect in Tuesday's terrorist attack in lower Manhattan bragged to police about the deadly attack from his hospital bed, saying he would have continued mowing down bikers and pedestrians had he not crashed.

Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, 29, told police he is pleased with his actions and is unapologetic for the attack, sources tell CBS News. One source said Saipov made "no bones" about the attack, which killed eight people and injured at least 12.

New York City attack: Details emerge about the victims
Investigators also discovered 10 to 15 pieces of paper with writing in Arabic praising the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. One note said "ISIS will endure," sources say.

Authorities also recovered knives at the scene.

Saipov was allegedly driving a Home Depot rental truck when he deliberately drove onto a bike lane along Manhattan's West Side Highway. He drove for several blocks before slamming into a school bus and coming to a stop. Police say he exited the vehicle and shouted "God is great" in Arabic before being shot by police and taken into custody.

NYC mayor on terror attack: "Don't hesitate" to share suspicious info with NYPD
Play VIDEO
NYC mayor on terror attack: "Don't hesitate" to share suspicious info with NYPD

The FBI has taken over the investigation into the attack.

Saipov is a native of Uzbekistan and entered the U.S. in 2010, according to a law enforcement official. He worked as a truck driver and has lived in Ohio, New Jersey and Tampa, Florida, since arriving in the U.S., BBC News reports.

Mirrakhmat Muminov, an Uzbek activist and blogger in Ohio, told BBC News he met Saipov shortly after he arrived in the country and was living in Ohio. Muminov said Saipov "had no knowledge of the Koran" when they met and was not well-educated. He said Saipov soon became depressed and resentful after he was unable to find a job as a truck driver. Muminov said Saipov was radicalized by information he saw on the internet.

"Because of his radical views he frequently used to argue with other Uzbeks and moved to Florida. From then onwards I lost contact with him," Muminov told BBC News.

Authorities say they believe Saipov acted alone and is not part of a wider conspiracy or plot.

"This was now, a classic case of a radicalization of a domestic jihadist who associated with ISIS, and this is their new playbook," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told "CBS This Morning" on Wednesday.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-york-attack-second-person-wanted-fbi/
By PETER MARTINEZ CBS NEWS November 1, 2017, 5:27 PM
FBI says they've located second person wanted for questioning

NEW YORK -- Officials said Wednesday night they found a man they were seeking for questioning in connection to the New York City terror attack.

Terrorism charges filed against NYC attack suspect Sayfullo Saipov
NYC terror suspect Sayfullo Saipov brags about attack from hospital bed

Prior to a Wednesday evening press conference, the FBI released the person's name as Mukhammadzoir Kadirov of Uzbekistan, born November 5, 1984.

kadirov-photo.jpg
Mukhammadzoir Kadirov FBI

Then during the briefing, FBI officials said they found Kadirov but didn't elaborate on him or whether he has provided information to them.

The FBI tweeted that anyone with information about him should contact them at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Meanwhile, an investigation is underway after two Americans, five Argentine nationals and a Belgian were killed when an attacker plowed into pedestrians and cyclists on a bike path in New York City on Tuesday, authorities said. One of the dead was a young mother, and others were classmates who traveled to New York to celebrate 30 years since their high school graduation.

The suspect in Tuesday's deadly terror attack in New York City -- Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov -- was known to U.S. authorities because his name was associated with the subjects of other FBI counterterrorism investigations in 2015, an intelligence source said, CBS News' Pat Milton reports.

Federal prosecutors filed terrorism charges Wednesday against Saipov.

Saipov is charged with two terrorism counts: a charge of providing material support to a terrorist organization and a charge of violence and destruction of a motor vehicle with willful disregard for human life.

The complaint says he drove the truck down the bike lane intentionally.

Officials say Saipov planned the New York City attack for months and did a test run on October 22.

Also found in the complaint filed by federal prosecutors:

Saipov waived his Miranda rights before the interview in a hospital room at Bellevue Hospital

Saipov requested to display the ISIS flag in his hospital room and stated that he felt good about what he had done

On one of Saipov's two cell phones he had about 90 videos that are "ISIS related propaganda"

Truck plows into pedestrians in NYC attack
Truck plows into pedestrians in NYC attack

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.


UZBEKISTAN GOVERNMENT OFFERS ASSISTANCE IN THE INVESTIGATIONS.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-york-attack-suspect-sayfullo-habibullaevic-saipov-links-uzbekistan/
By HALEY JOELLE OTT CBS NEWS November 1, 2017, 11:21 AM
Accused NYC attacker is 4th terror suspect with Uzbekistan links in 2017

The president of Uzbekistan on Wednesday offered his country's assistance in investigating the deadly terror attack in the lower Manhattan area of New York City. The suspect in the attack was identified as an Uzbek national, Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov.
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Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev expressed his condolences to the families of the victims in what appeared to be the first instance of Uzbekistan officially acknowledging or commenting on a security incident abroad involving one of its citizens, but the country has been linked to at least three other terrorist incidents over the last year.

In April, Uzbek national Rakhmat Akilov drove a truck into pedestrians in Stockholm, Sweden, killing five people.

Earlier that same month, Akbarzhon Jalilov, a Russian citizen who was born in Kyrgyzstan but of Uzbek heritage, blew himself up on a train in St. Petersburg, Russia, killing 15 people along with himself.

New York terror victims were celebrating decades of friendship
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New York terror victims were celebrating decades of friendship

And, in the early hours of New Year's Day, another Uzbek national, Abdulkadir Masharipov, attacked a party at a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey, killing 39 revelers.

The Muslim-majority nation of Uzbekistan, which gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, is located north of Afghanistan and governed by an authoritarian regime. The harsh conditions there have meant a number of nationals leave, looking for opportunities abroad.

"This relates to terrorism because all of the attacks are outside Uzbekistan," Dr. Joseph Downing, a researcher in migration and security based between the National Center for Scientific Research in Marseilles, France, and the London School School of Economics, told CBS News.

"Around 10 percent of (Uzbekistan's) total labor force is outside the country. If you think about that in more nuanced terms, it's basically young men who have gone to work abroad," he said.

uzbekistan-map.jpg
Uzbekistan is shown on this map generated by Google Maps on November 1, 2017.

But "the actual number of those radicals (who commit terrorist acts) is really, really small compared to the magnitude of migration," Downing said.

"Also, in the context that it's a highly repressive regime, people with radical leanings have another reason to leave the country other than just poverty," he said.

Propaganda videos released by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in both Syria and Iraq regularly show jihadists from Uzbekistan or of Uzbek descent.

Former acting CIA director: "No doubt" New York terror attack inspired by ISIS
Play VIDEO
Former acting CIA director: "No doubt" New York terror attack inspired by ISIS

The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), an Uzbek jihadi group formed in 1998 with the objective of creating an Islamic state in Uzbekistan, pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2015. Uzbek nationals and ethnic Uzbeks constituted the largest single group of Central Asian jihadists to join ISIS in Syria in 2014, and in 2015, their numbers were estimated to be between 500 and 2,500.

In Syria, the jihadists formed three main factions: Imam Bukhari Jamaat, Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad, and Katibat Sayfulla (which eventually merged with Jabhat al-Nusra, rather than ISIS.)

The Uzbek government has been a partner with the United States in the war on terror. From 2001 to 2005, the U.S. operated an airbase in the country and continued to use it as a strategic location for bringing goods into Afghanistan after the base closed, Newsweek reports.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



THE SENATE ASKED FOR THE MAIN INTERNET CONNECTORS TO IDENTIFY NOT ONLY WHO ADVERTISED OR SPREAD FALSE STORIES FROM RUSSIA, BUT ALSO FOR THEM TO NOTIFY THOSE WHO RECEIVED THE MATERIAL OF THE SOURCE. TOO DIFFICULT, THEY ARE SAYING TODAY, BUT MAYBE THEY WILL AGREE TO DEVELOP A WAY TO ACHIEVE IT. TOMORROW’S NEWS WILL PROBABLY TELL MORE. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT’S IMPORTANT TO ME, BECAUSE THE TOTAL LACK OF CONTROL THAT WE SEEM TO BE EXPERIENCING IS DANGEROUS IN DOZENS OF WAYS. EVERYTHING WE EVER DO AS INDIVIDUALS OR GROUPS OR UTILITIES OR COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS ARE IN DANGER. NOTHING PROVES THAT MORE THAN THE RUSSIAN HACKING OF AN AMERICAN ELECTION.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/facebook-twitter-senate-hearing-social-media-sites-hesitant-notifying-users-fake-ads/
By GRAHAM KATES CBS NEWS November 1, 2017, 4:08 PM
At Senate hearing, social media sites balk at notifying users who saw fake ads

Lawyers for Facebook, Twitter and Google balked Wednesday when asked by a senator if in the future their companies would consider notifying users who had seen advertising posted by fake accounts tied to foreign governments, primarily Russian operatives.

The idea, posed by Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, came after nearly two hours of questioning by members of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, who heard testimony on Russian attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election. Similar testimony was given yesterday to a Senate Judiciary subcommittee.

"When you discover a deceptive foreign government presentation on your platform, my presumption is you said you'll stop it and take it down. Do you feel an obligation in turn to notify those people have accessed that?" Reed asked.

Facebook Vice President and General Counsel Colin Stretch said the company's approach after identifying fake accounts is to first stop them and investigate their origins, then alert law enforcement and lawmakers. But Stretch indicated he doesn't foresee the company notifying users.

"The question of reaching out to individuals who may have seen it is a much more difficult and complex one, but we believe our commitment to transparency on this issue generally should address that," Stretch said.

The complexities go beyond just identifying who is targeted by individual ads, said Karen North, director of the USC Annenberg School's Digital Social Media program, in a phone call with CBS News.

"You don't know whether people paid attention to those ads," North said. "And the idea that you would serve up spam to correct something that someone might not have paid attention to would hurt user experience."

facebook-russian-ads.jpg
Congressional investigators released a selection of social media ads produced by Russian operatives to influence opinion in the U.S.

Google Senior Vice President and General Counsel Kent Walker echoed Stretch's response, saying the company would have a hard time identifying precisely who saw individual ads because users are not required to be signed in when viewing content on Google platforms.

It wasn't clear if Twitter would have difficulty identifying the users who saw particular ads, but Sean Edgett, the company's acting general counsel, said its community of users often police false content themselves.

"We see, as an open platform, active dialogue around a lot of this false information, fake information, right away. So when you see the tweets, you're also seeing a number of replies to it showing people where to go, where other information is that's accurate," Edgett said. "But we will definitely take that idea back to explore how we could implement a process like that."

How did Facebook impact the 2016 presidential election?
Play VIDEO
How did Facebook impact the 2016 presidential election?

It was an answer that didn't quite satisfy Gary Wilcox, a University of Texas at Austin professor who researches social media, advertising and branding.

"I think that's kind of a cop-out," Wilcox said during a phone call with CBS News. "That does invoke the interactive nature of the technology, but that's kind of an easy way out."

Both Wilcox and North pointed out that while it's illegal to advertise false information in "traditional media" — newspapers, radio, television — doing so on social media is not against the law.

"This all comes back to the fact that we haven't extended regulations from traditional to digital media," North said.

But enforcing those regulations in the digital realm could be complicated, Wilcox said, noting that companies that falsely advertise on television can be forced to notify the public — a remedy that would be difficult to enforce when the misleading ad is placed by a troll farm on a different continent. And placing that responsibility on Facebook or Twitter might be unfair, he said.

"Should the medium do that? I don't know, that's taking a big leap," Wilcox said.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 11/1/17
Rep. Schiff puts end to question of Trump Russia collusion
Rachel Maddow shares video of Congressman Adam Schiff listing the times that Russia reached out to help the Donald Trump campaign and the Trump campaign said, yes, please. Duration: 4:15