December 12 and 13, 2017


News and Views


VICTORY!!

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-doug-jones-beat-roy-moore-in-the-alabama-senate-race/
CBS NEWS December 13, 2017, 12:13 AM
How Doug Jones beat Roy Moore in the Alabama Senate race

In Alabama, Democrat Doug Jones eked out a narrow win against Republican Roy Moore, marking the first time a Democrat won a Senate seat in the largely Republican state in 25 years. Moore, who faced a series of allegations of sexual misconduct, nonetheless managed to retain the near unanimous support of members of his own party, as well as the strong support of conservatives and whites - particularly white evangelicals, white voters without college degrees, and white voters who live in rural areas. But Jones was buoyed by surprisingly strong turnouts among Democrats and African Americans, as well solid support from younger voters, moderates, and women. He also eked out a slight win among independents.

how-jones-won.jpg
Although Moore voters disregarded both the veracity and importance of the allegations against him, most of those who voted for Jones said the allegations were probably true, and that it was an important factor in their vote. Slightly more voters had a favorable opinion of Jones (50 percent) than said that about Moore (41 percent), and exit polling showed Jones voters as more strongly behind their candidate: three in four Jones voters said they strongly favored him, compared to just over half of Moore backers who said the same about their candidate.

Jones' victory is all the more remarkable in that it didn't rely on many Republicans defecting to the Democratic side. Less than one in 10 Republicans crossed party lines to vote for Jones. But Democrats – who overwhelmingly favored Jones – came out in stronger numbers, trailing Republicans in vote share by just six percentage points. And Independents - who make up just one in five voters in this highly partisan race – also favored Jones by nine points: 52 percent to 43 percent.

vote-by-party.jpg
The race divided along stark racial lines as well, with Moore winning the support of most white voters, and Jones getting the support of nearly all African Americans. At 28 percent, the percentage of blacks voting in Alabama equaled the percentage who turned out to vote in Barack Obama's bid for re-election in 2012, and more than nine in 10 black voters chose Jones. Jones also got about a third of the white vote, which is double the share Obama received in 2012.

vote-by-race.jpg
There was a division by age and gender that was reminiscent of the recent governor races in Virginia and New Jersey. Younger voters voted Democratic in substantial numbers, with six in 10 voters under 45 supporting Doug Jones and most seniors voting for Roy Moore. In terms of gender, more than half of men voted for Moore, while most women voted for Jones. Jones' support from women was largely boosted by his support among African American women, 98 percent of whom backed him. White women backed Moore by about two to one.

And while conservatives and white evangelicals overwhelmingly supported Moore, Doug Jones had the strong support of liberal and moderate voters, who combined outnumbered conservatives by 10 percentage points. The contest in Alabama also represents a divide between largely black and Democratic urban centers like Birmingham – which voted for Jones - and rural areas of the state – which voted for Moore.

President Trump – who recently stepped into the race to endorse Roy Moore – may have energized some Moore supporters: 53 percent of Moore voters said that their vote was in part to express support for Donald Trump. But support for Mr. Trump was surprisingly lackluster among the electorate in Alabama this year. While 48 percent of Alabama voters said they approved of the job he was doing as president, nearly as many - 47 percent - disapproved, including four in 10 who disapproved strongly.

trump-job-rating.jpg

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.


I WISH THE ACTIONS OF THE REPUBLICANS WEREN’T SO PREDICTABLE AND MALIGN. I WONDER WHEN MY NEWS SOURCES WILL BE REGULATED TO A SLOW LANE? I WONDER WHEN MY MONTHLY BILLING WILL GO UP? I WONDER WHEN THE POWERS THAT BE WILL CUT DOWN ON COMMUNICATION ENTIRELY, EXCEPT FOR THE STATE CHANNELS, OF COURSE.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/net-neutrality-repeal-drew-2m-fake-comments-prosecutor-says/
By ALAIN SHERTER MONEYWATCH December 13, 2017, 3:59 PM
Net neutrality repeal drew 2M fake comments, prosecutor says

Millions of comments submitted to the Federal Communications Commission as it sought public feedback on the agency's plan to roll back "net neutrality" rules were fake, New York prosecutors claim.

The state's attorney general, Eric Schneiderman, said Wednesday his office's investigation found that 2 million of the comments stole the identities of real Americans. More than 5,000 people have reported that comments on the proposed repeal of net neutrality were falsely made under their names, according to the probe.

Schneiderman urged the FCC to postpone its vote on the repeal, which is set for Thursday.

"Millions of fake comments have corrupted the FCC public process, including 2 million that stole the identities of real people, a crime under New York law," he said in a statement. "Yet the FCC is moving full steam ahead with a vote based on this corrupted process, while refusing to cooperate with an investigation."

More than 100,000 fake comments were filed in each of four states, Schneiderman's office found: California, Florida, New York and Texas.

The attorney general's office arrived at its count of phony comments by running searches against the public database used to solicit feedback on the rules. Specifically, investigators looked for comments with identical text string, formatting similarities, similar syntax and other factors. The names of people linked to the questionable comments were found in known data breaches.

The net neutrality regulations, which were passed during the Obama administration, require internet service providers such as Comcast (CMCSA) and Verizon (VZ) to treat all websites and content equally. Advocates say they prevent broadband giants from offering faster online speeds for preferred content, while slowing other transmissions.

By contrast, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has pushed to overturn the net neutrality rules, arguing that they stifle innovation and hurt consumers. Phone and cable companies say the regulations are unnecessary and that they already support an open internet.

Schneiderman said the FCC is proceeding with the vote over the objection of more than 30 lawmakers in Congress, multiple state attorneys general around the US and two of its own commissioners.

"One might expect a federal agency to harbor a great deal of concern when faced with strong evidence of a massive fraud uncovered by multiple sources," he said in a letter to FCC general counsel Thomas Johnson Jr.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc.. All Rights Reserved.


https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/13/technology/net-neutrality-fcc-ajit-pai.html
Ajit Pai Nears His Biggest Win With Net Neutrality Repeal
By CECILIA KANG DEC. 13, 2017

WASHINGTON — Small tech companies, consumer groups and many celebrities have been up in arms for weeks about a proposal at the Federal Communications Commission to dismantle landmark rules that guarantee an open internet.

But in one speech, Ajit Pai, the chairman of the agency, called the complaints “hysteria” and “hot air.” In another, he dismissed criticism that by pushing the change, he was doing the bidding for companies like Verizon, his former employer. He joked that his nightmare scenario would be refereeing a dispute between Verizon and Sinclair Broadcasting, another company he has been accused of helping with his policies.

“How do you choose,” he said, “between a longtime love and a newfound crush?”

The agency was expected to vote on Thursday to dismantle the so-called net neutrality rules, which prohibit internet service providers from blocking or charging websites for higher quality delivery to consumers. It would also dial back the stance established during the Obama administration that broadband should be regulated like a utility. The three Republican commissioners, including Mr. Pai, have said they will vote for the proposal, outnumbering the two Democratic commissioners.

Passing the plan would be the biggest victory in Mr. Pai’s eventful 11-month tenure as the head of the F.C.C. Under his leadership, the agency has already opened the door for more media mergers, curtailed a high-speed internet program for low-income families and allowed broadband providers to raise rates to business customers.

Under Mr. Pai’s leadership, the F.C.C. has already opened the door for more media mergers, scrapped a high-speed internet program for low-income families and allowed broadband providers to raise rates to business customers. Credit Eric Thayer for The New York Times
But Mr. Pai’s changes have also made him a pivotal official in the Trump administration’s rush to shed regulations. The effects of his decisions have rippled across the industries Mr. Pai oversees. The looser rules on media ownership, for example, has enabled Sinclair Broadcasting’s $3.9 billion bid for Tribune.

“Ajit Pai has the potential to be one of most consequential commissioners in the agency’s history,” said Gus Hurwitz, an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska College of Law, who is an expert in telecom policy and who supports Mr. Pai’s proposal.

Even Mr. Pai’s detractors acknowledge that Mr. Pai has been efficient at moving his agenda. Mark Cooper, a staff member of Consumer Federation of America, said Mr. Pai has far outpaced his recent predecessors, even if Mr. Cooper does not agree with those efforts.

“In every way,” Mr. Cooper said, “his decisions are bad for consumers and good for big corporations.”

Mr. Pai declined to be interviewed for this article. But in a statement, the F.C.C. said that he “has been focused on making the agency more transparent, closing the digital divide, and updating the Commission’s rules to reflect the modern communications marketplace.”

The agency added that “the F.C.C. has modernized its rules across a wide range of areas to encourage more competition and innovation.”

Mr. Pai’s deregulatory fervor began well before the presidential election and his nomination by President Trump.

The child of immigrants from India who settled in Kansas, Mr. Pai was lauded by Republicans and Democrats when he was appointed in 2011 by President Obama to the F.C.C. Lawmakers and public interest groups hoped the young nominee would bring a greater appreciation for how communications was shifting online than past commissioners.

But for five years as a minority member of the F.C.C., Mr. Pai consistently voted against regulations such as those limiting business broadband prices and a broadband subsidy for low-income Americans. He complained that the agency’s Democratic leaders, including Tom Wheeler, were too heavy-handed with companies.

The biggest offense, in his opinion, were the 2015 net neutrality rules, which included the declaration that broadband would be subject to more utility-style rules. He said the regulations would burden the fast-growing high-speed internet market. In dissenting comments during the debate over the rules, he echoed the arguments of telecom companies that the F.C.C.’s net neutrality rules made it hard for telecoms to expand their networks, leading to less innovation in business plans and would eventually harm the economy.

He also accused the White House of presidential interference in the activities of the F.C.C., an independent agency. Mr. Pai said that the agency had taken its direction only after President Obama posted a video in favor of the net neutrality rules.

“We are flip-flopping for one reason and one reason alone,” he said at the time. “President Obama told us to do so.”

Mr. Pai’s consistent opposition attracted supporters from free-market think tanks and conservative commentators like Rush Limbaugh and Roger Stone, a former Trump adviser who recently praised the proposal to scrap net neutrality rules. Mr. Pai became a frequent guest on Fox News and other conservative media and was praised in the editorial pages of The Wall Street Journal.

“How fortunately ironic that it is Ajit Pai himself, as the Trump-appointed chair of the F.C.C., that will pull the plug on the ill-intended act called ‘net neutrality,’” Mr. Stone wrote recently in The Daily Caller.

Supporters of net neutrality argue that telecom companies want to become the gatekeepers of the internet, deciding whether sites have access to fast or slow connections. But Mr. Pai has responded by saying the bigger threat is from the big tech companies. Google, Twitter and Facebook, he argues, can deprive consumers of free expression.

He says Twitter, for example, sometimes wrongly suspends users just because they do not share the same views as the company.

“Let’s not kid ourselves,” Mr. Pai said last month at an event sponsored by the R Street Institute, a free markets think tank. “When it comes to an open internet, Twitter is part of the problem.”

A version of this article appears in print on December 14, 2017, on Page B4 of the New York edition with the headline: Leading Charge Against Net Neutrality, F.C.C. Chief Is Poised for Big Win. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe



I WATCHED THE VIDEO, AND IT WAS VERY COMPROMISING. THE OFFICIAL TRIED TO LAUGH IT OFF WHEN CONFRONTED BY A REPORTER, BUT I’M GLAD HE IS UNDER PRESSURE TO RESIGN. THE WORST OF IT IS, HE’S A DEMOCRAT. I WONDER WHAT THE “CONSERVATIVES” WOULD SAY.


VIDEO
https://www.snopes.com/2016/10/18/project-veritas-election-videos/
Project Veritas’ Election 2016 ‘Rigging’ Videos
James O'Keefe's Project Veritas released four 2016 election-related videos supposedly depicting rampant election fraud and misconduct on the part of Democrats.
By Kim LaCapria 18 October 2016


http://observer.com/2016/10/nyc-mayor-demands-elections-official-resign-over-crazy-claims-of-voter-fraud/
NYC Mayor Demands Elections Official Resign Over ‘Crazy’ Claims of Voter Fraud
By Madina Toure • 10/14/16 2:15pm

BOE Commissioner Alan Schulkin caught on video. Screengrab: Youtube

Mayor Bill de Blasio said today that Manhattan Board of Elections Commissioner Alan Schulkin’s “crazy” assertions about voter fraud and the municipal identification program are proof he is not fit for his job, and demanded the commissioner step down immediately.

Schulkin, a Democrat, was secretly recorded by conservative nonprofit Project Veritas claiming that de Blasio’s IDNYC initiative does not properly verify individuals’ identities and enables people to commit election fraud. He also said people are unaware that in minority neighborhoods—including African-American, Hispanic and Chinese—organizations “bus people around to vote” to different polling sites so they can get more votes for themselves, and argued New York needs a Republican-advocated voter I.D. law.

In the video, Schulkin also accused Muslim women of using their burqas to hide their identities.

“That’s crazy and what he said was entirely inappropriate and unfair and absolutely the reverse of what someone should be saying on the Board of Elections,” de Blasio said in his weekly “Ask the Mayor” segment on WNYC this morning. “He should really step down.”

The mayor dismissed the commissioner’s assertion that the IDNYC program—which is open to all residents of the five boroughs, including undocumented immigrants and the homeless—is encouraging voter fraud. He noted that the city worked on the program for months to ensure it was secure and that in other American cities where the program has been implemented, there have been no concerns about fraud—also calling the fraud allegations an urban legend with “no proof whatsoever.”

“Look, the IDNYC program was developed with the NYPD—maybe Mr. Schulkin is questioning the NYPD and their approach to security,” de Blasio continued.

When Lehrer asked him whether Schulkin evinced racial prejudice given that he singled out African-American, Latino and Asian neighborhoods, de Blasio said he would not weigh in on “what’s going on in his soul,” calling his professional role the main issue.

“He’s supposed to be guaranteeing maximum voter participation and his statements and his values obviously indicate he’s not trying to do that,” de Blasio said. “And to attack one of the things that has empowered people to participate which is IDNYC and to attack it falsely proves that he’s just not up for the role.”

The BOE declined to comment on the mayor’s remarks.

Schulkin later said the phrase “potential fraud” would have been more appropriate, but still wants a voter I.D. requirement. In 2014, Schulkin, then deputy chief clerk of the BOE’s Manhattan office, secured five of nine votes from the City Council to become the next Manhattan commissioner.

Council members Margaret Chin, Mark Levine, Corey Johnson, Ydanis Rodriguez and Helen Rosenthal voted in favor of his appointment, while Inez Dickens, Dan Garodnick, Ben Kallos and Rosie Mendez voted against. Mark-Viverito did not vote, but recently blasted Schulkin’s claims as “uninformed opinions” that “have no basis in fact.”

Mark-Viverito’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

But Schulkin is not alone in supporting a voter ID law. Earlier this week, GOP Staten Island Councilman Joe Borelli wrote a letter to Democratic Manhattan Councilman Ben Kallos, chairman of the Council’s Government Operations Committee, requesting that the potential of voter fraud stemming from abuse of the IDNYC program receive attention during a committee hearing as well as an evaluation of the program’s merits and effectiveness.

De Blasio is not the only elected official to speak out against Schulkin’s comments. Bronx Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda has already called on Schulkin to resign.

Commish Schulkin, show the proof of voter fraud or resign NOW!

— Luis Sepúlveda (@LuisSepulvedaNY) October 14, 2016

The mayor also urged New Yorkers to register to vote in light of today’s deadline and reiterated his belief that New York State has an antiquated voting system that needs to become more modernized and progressive.

Watch the Project Veritas video below AT THE SNOPES SITE:

SEE ALSO: Stringer: NYC Board of Elections is Endangering Voters’ Rights



WE NEED TO REAR OUR CHILDREN IN SUCH A WAY THAT THEY AREN’T SO SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE BAD INFLUENCES OF OTHERS IN PERSON OR ON THE INTERNET. TEMPTATION IS ALL AROUND, AND IT’S OUR DUTY TO WALK AROUND IT. ONE THING I KNOW AS AN OLDER PERSON IS THAT THERE ARE ALMOST ALWAYS OTHER DECISIONS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN MADE.

ALL OF THESE PEOPLE ARE YOUNG, MALE, NOT WELL ADJUSTED TO AMERICANS AND OUR SOCIETY, AND THEY ARE ANGRY; THEN THE RECRUITMENT VIDEO FROM ISIS OR SOME OTHER SUCH GROUP SOWING ALIENATION COMES ON. I SAW CLIPS OF ONE OF THOSE ON THE NEWS. IT SHOWED SIX OR EIGHT MEN DOING TRAINING EXERCISES, AND I THINK TO A YOUNG MAN PROBABLY LOOKED LIKE SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE WELCOMING TO THEM INSTEAD OF REJECTING, AS MAY BE THE CASE IN THE USA. ALSO, IT’S THE ALLURE OF DOING SOMETHING THAT IN THEIR EYES IS EXCITING AND IMPORTANT. WE ALL NEED TO “BELONG” TO SOMETHING, IT’S JUST THAT FOR MOST US IT WON’T BE ISIS.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nyc-subway-bombing-suspect-akayed-ullah-posted-on-facebook-before-attack-feds/
By CRIMESIDER STAFF CBS/AP December 12, 2017, 11:44 AM
NYC subway bombing suspect Akayed Ullah taunted Trump on Facebook before attack, feds say

NEW YORK -- An immigrant from Bangladesh arrested on charges of using a weapon of mass destruction in the New York City subway system in an attempted suicide bomb attack has been charged in federal court. Akayed Ullah, 27, was expected to appear before a magistrate judge after a criminal complaint was made public Tuesday.

The signed complaint in Manhattan federal court says Ullah told authorities he "did it for the Islamic State."

According to the complaint, Ullah posted on his Facebook account on his way to carry out the Monday morning attack: "Trump you failed to protect your nation." Ullah told authorities he carried out the attack in part because of the U.S. government's policies in the Middle East.

NYC subway bombing: What we know about the suspect

During a search of his Brooklyn apartment, investigators recovered a passport with the words "O America, die in rage" scrawled in it, the complaint says.

suspect-taxi-photo.jpg
Akayed Ullah NEW YORK CITY TAXI AND LIMOUSINE COMMISSION

Speaking at a press conference Tuesday, Joon Kim, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, called that phrase "chilling." He said Ullah entered the busy pedestrian tunnel with a "hateful heart and and evil purpose," and he vowed that Ullah will face justice.

"That justice will be tough, it will be fair, and it will be swift," Kim said.

Federal authorities charged Ullah with providing material support to a terrorist organization and using weapons of mass destruction. The blast left Ullah with burns to his body and hands. Several nearby pedestrians suffered minor injuries including hearing trouble and headaches.

Authorities say Ullah set off a bomb in the underground passageway near Times Square and the Port Authority bus terminal. Port Authority police officers arrested him, finding a nine-volt battery in his pants pocket with wires connected to it that ran underneath his jacket, plastic zip ties, fragments of metal pipe, remnants of Christmas tree lights attached to wires, and metal screws, the complaint says.

The device was affixed to his body, said John Miller, the deputy commissioner of intelligence and counter-terrorism for the NYPD. A federal law enforcement official told CBS News' Jeff Pegues the device malfunctioned, and that "it did not fully detonate which possibly caused the injury."

The complaint says Ullah later spoke to authorities from his hospital bed after waiving his Miranda rights, saying he assembled the pipe bomb at a Brooklyn apartment and filled it with metal screws "which he believed would cause maximum damage."

The complaint says he chose to carry out the attack on a weekday because "he believed that there would be more people" and that his goal was to terrorize as many people as possible.

"His intention was to cause mass destruction, and to do so in a vicious manner," said Benjamin Tucker, NYPD first deputy commissioner, at Tuesday's press conference.

Ullah started collecting materials for the bomb two to three weeks before the bombing, and started building the device about a week ago, the complaint says. CBS News' senior investigative producer Pat Milton reported that he obtained the materials at work, though it's not clear where his workplace is.

Items such as wire, screws consistent with the ones found in the device and fragments of Christmas tree lights were found in his apartment, the complaint says.

According to the complaint, Ullah started to become radicalized in 2014 and began researching how to build the bomb after he had "viewed pro-ISIS materials online, including a video instructing, in substance, that if supporters of ISIS were unable to travel overseas to join ISIS, they should carry out attacks in their homelands."

Ullah came to the U.S. from Bangladesh with his parents in 2011 on a visa available to certain relatives of U.S. citizens. Overseas, Bangladesh counterterrorism officers were questioning Ullah's wife and other relatives, officials there said Tuesday. Relatives and police said Ullah last visited Bangladesh in September to see his wife and newborn son before leaving them behind to return the United States.

Akayed Ullah's family says they're "deeply saddened" by New York City attack

Police spoke with Ullah's family in Brooklyn's Flatlands section, CBS New York's Marcia Kramer reported. Ullah lived with his father, mother and brother in a residential area with a large Bangladeshi community, neighbors told the Associated Press.

Investigators were searching his apartment, interviewing witnesses and relatives and looking for surveillance footage that may show his movements in the time leading up to the attack.

His family was "deeply saddened" by the attack but also "outraged by the way we have been targeted by law enforcement," the family said in a statement sent by the New York Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. A teenage relative was pulled out of class and questioned in school without a parent, guardian or lawyer, the statement said.

Terror Suspect Explodes Bomb At NY's Port Authority Bus Terminal

Commuters exit a train as police officers stand in a closed-off underground walkway near the site of a pipe bomb explosion in the tunnel that connects the Times Square subway station to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, December 11, 2017 in New York City. DREW ANGERER / GETTY IMAGES

Speaking Tuesday on "CBS This Morning," Miller said it's getting harder to stop so-called "lone wolf" attacks. He said Ullah wasn't on the NYPD's or the FBI's radar before Monday's incident.

"I think what we saw yesterday is something that could have been far, far worse," he said.

It was not immediately clear who would represent Ullah in court.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.



BULLYING USED TO BE CONSIDERED “PAR FOR THE COURSE,” WHEN I WAS YOUNG, BUT I REALLY CAN’T REMEMBER MANY EPISODES OF IT. THOSE WHO WANT TO DO SOMETHING THAT MIGHT GET THEM INTO TROUBLE, THOUGH, GENERALLY DO IT SOMEWHERE ISOLATED AND AWAY FROM THE EYES OF MOST OF THE KIDS, AND ESPECIALLY THE TEACHERS. I DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH HAPPENED WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL, BUT I WAS IN A SMALL SCHOOL SYSTEM, SO IT WASN’T THE “BLACKBOARD JUNGLE” TYPE OF SITUATION. WATCH IT IF YOU HAVEN’T ON THIS SITE: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047885/.

IN THE BIG CITY SCHOOLS LOTS OF KIDS GET EMOTIONALLY LOST IN THE SHUFFLE AND DEVELOP BAD HABITS, SUCH AS RUNNING IN GANGS AND BEING ABUSIVE. I’M REALLY GLAD THAT SCHOOLS ARE FINALLY ACKNOWLEDGING THE PROBLEM AND DOING THINGS TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF INCIDENTS. MAYBE IT’S BECAUSE EVERYBODY IS DEVELOPING A CONSCIENCE, AND MAYBE IT’S BECAUSE THE VICTIMS HAVE BEEN RAISING A SUFFICIENT HULLABALOO ABOUT IT THAT THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS ARE FITTING IT INTO THE SCHEDULE OF THEIR BUSY BOARD MEETINGS. ANYWAY, I’M GLAD THAT THERE IS PROGRESS.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/keaton-jones-bullied-boy-emotional-facebook-video-backlash/
CBS NEWS December 12, 2017, 7:52 AM
Emotional bullying video: Mom addresses backlash over Confederate flag posts

An east Tennessee middle-schooler is speaking out after an emotional Facebook video about being bullied. In the widely-shared video, Keaton Jones describes how fellow students poured milk on him and stuffed food in his clothes. Support in the form of comforting messages flooded in for the student over the weekend.

Now, his mother is addressing the backlash on social media over some of her other posts which show her and her son with Confederate flags.

"I had enough of it. They had said that someone was going to beat me up in lunch so I texted my mom and I said 'what do I do here?'" Keaton told CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann.


Asked whose idea it was to make the video, Keaton said, "It was mine."

Keaton, who says he was targeted by five fellow middle-schoolers, said he never complained to a teacher for fear that the bullies would "for sure attack."

"He became more and more agitated and didn't want to go back to school," said Keaton's mother, Kimberly Jones.

Jones was behind the camera and posted the video to her Facebook.

"I knew that it could be great and I knew that it could be awful, and it has been," Jones said of the public response to the video.

The spotlight on Keaton also cast attention onto Jones's prior social media posts including one where she is holding a Confederate flag – a symbol of pride for some, and racism for others. Her daughter's Twitter also contained a family photo with a Confederate flag.

"The only two photos -- the only two photos on my entire planet that I am anywhere near a Confederate flag. It was ironic. It was funny," Jones said.

ctm-121217-bulliedkid.jpg
Keaton Jones CBS NEWS
"It didn't have anything to do with racist intent?" Strassmann asked.

"No. No. Absolutely not. I've said I spent most of my life being bullied and judged because I wasn't racist," Jones said.

Thanks to the video, Keaton went from a bullied middle-schooler to a boy with friends around the world.

"It made me feel like I had accomplished something real. Something that could actually change the world," Keaton said of his video.

While the Union County Board of Education told CBS News they "do not and will not tolerate bullying," Keaton's middle school is said to be holding an anti-bullying assembly on Monday. Keaton said he doesn't plan on returning to classes until after the holiday break in January.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



MACRON V TRUMP

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/emmanuel-macron-aggressive-for-us-to-decide-to-leave-paris-climate-accord/
CBS NEWS December 11, 2017, 5:12 PM
Macron says it was "aggressive" for U.S. to decide to leave Paris climate accord

PARIS -- "CBS Evening News" anchor Jeff Glor had an extended conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron Monday on a number of issues including terrorism, the future of Jerusalem, and more. Glor began with the One Planet Summit, which was organized by Macron to focus on climate change following President Trump's decision to pull the U.S. out of the 2015 Paris accord, which set goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The summit is taking place in Paris on Tuesday.

What follows is a transcript of the portion of the interview that aired Monday night on the "CBS Evening News."

JEFF GLOR: How much has the withdrawal affected your efforts?

FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON: I think the withdrawal -- to be totally fair with you -- created a huge momentum to me to create a counter-momentum.

GLOR: You say you're in better shape now because of this withdrawal. That the president did you a favor?

MACRON: I think today we have a momentum, because I think we have two phenomenon. So withdraw of the U.S., which for me is a mistake, that equates an impulse for a lot of others to say, "Okay, we have to react and do something, because it's impossible to leave this all to -- a sort of dismantling of the Paris Agreement."

Second, a deep wakeup call for the private sectors and some of us to say, "Wow, so we have to react." If we decide not to move and not change our way to produce, to invest, to behave, we will be responsible for billions of victims. I don't want to be a leader in such a situation, so let's act right now.

GLOR: [Mr. Trump] says he's open to renegotiation.

MACRON: You know, you have more than 190 countries as negotiators. I'm not ready to renegotiate with so many people, I'm sorry, around the table. The U.S. did sign the Paris Agreement. It's extremely aggressive to decide on its own just to leave, and no way to push the others to renegotiate because one decided to leave the floor. I'm sorry to say that. It doesn't fly.

GLOR: You think he'll change his mind.

MACRON: Yes, I mean my-- I'm not ready to renegotiate, but I'm ready to welcome him if he decides to come back.

GLOR: How often do you speak with President Trump?

MACRON: Look, as often as we need. For instance, during the past weeks, we had probably three to four phone calls together. It's very easy as soon as he asks for a call. I call him back and exactly the same on his side. We have very fluent and open discussions.

GLOR: And you would characterize that relationship as friendly?

MACRON: Yes, very direct.

GLOR: You talked about Jerusalem?

MACRON: Yes, exactly.

GLOR: Before.

MACRON: Yes.

GLOR: And he said what?

MACRON: He said that probably he will announce the fact that he wanted to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

GLOR: And you told him what?

MACRON: I told him, I thought it was a mistake, and that such a unilateral decision is not compliant with our international discussions and our international rules and will not facilitate a peace process.

GLOR: Was that a calm conversation? Was that a confrontational conversation?

MACRON: I think it's always an open and direct discussion. You can agree to disagree. Which is the case between us on some issues. I mean, he told me the rationale of his decision. I told him that for me, it's not the right announcement, but at the end of the day, you decide for your own. And he decided for the U.S. I decided for France, which is normal.

macron.jpg
French President Emmanuel Macron CBS NEWS
GLOR: In your estimation, does it jeopardize the peace process?

MACRON: My first concern is to preserve peace and calm in the whole region. Second, I think we have to discuss with all the parties and try to find a way out. But obviously, the reaction of the Palestinians will not be very positive. They are not in a good mood to progress towards any peace process.

GLOR: The smaller scale attacks like the one that happened in New York City today, that happened in France as well, how do you prevent those?

MACRON: You prevent them by increasing your intelligence. You can prevent them if you are -- if we are much more -- aggressive, I would say, in order to reduce the propaganda of the jihadists and the terrorists on the net. On top of that, if you want to prevent this kind of behavior, you have as well to better take care of your people, and help them to find a place in your society.

GLOR: Mr. President, thank you.

MACRON: Thank you.

There will be much more of Glor's interview with Macron on "CBS This Morning" Tuesday, as well as on our streaming news service, CBSN, and at CBSNews.com.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



"IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN MY CHARACTER, DON'T VOTE FOR ME." THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE DIDN’T VOTE FOR HIM, SO I GUESS HE GOT HIS WISH. THIS IS THE KIND OF ELECTION THAT GIVES ME FAITH IN THE AMERICAN PUBLIC.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/doug-jones-wins-alabama-senate-race-special-election-results-roy-moore-not-conceding-2017-12-13/
CBS NEWS December 13, 2017, 11:16 AM
Alabama Senate race: Doug Jones wins, but Roy Moore isn't conceding

Alabama Senate special election results: Doug Jones wins
Democrat Doug Jones, a widely respected former U.S. attorney, has narrowly defeated Republican Roy Moore, the embattled former chief justice, in Alabama's special Senate election. That makes Jones the first Democrat to be elected to the United States Senate in Alabama in 25 years.

With all counties reporting, the Alabama Secretary of State reported Jones with 49.92 percent of the vote, and Moore with 48.38 percent of the vote.

"This entire race has been about dignity and respect," Jones said in his victory speech. "This campaign has been about the rule of law."

But Moore says he isn't conceding yet. He wants a recount, he said in brief remarks late Tuesday night. Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill told CNN any candidate can request a recount, if they pay for it on their own. But he also said it's very unlikely the outcome for Jones changes.

Jones' win gives Republicans just a 51-49 edge in the Senate.

As-it-happened updates:
11:49 p.m. Alabama secretary of state says Jones will likely still win
Despite Moore's call for a recount election, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill told CNN it's "highly unlikely" the end result will be anything other than a Jones win. Merrill said any candidate can request a recount, if they pay for it.

11:34 p.m. Moore says he isn't conceding
In what was believed to be a concession speech, Moore said "it's not over" and talked about a recount. The issue will be revisited in the morning, he said.

But Alabama state law allows for an automatic recount only when the vote is within half of a percent.

CBS News
✔
@CBSNews
"Realize when the vote is this close –– that it's not over." Republican Roy Moore refuses to concede to Democrat Doug Jones, despite losing a close Alabama Senate race. http://cbsn.ws/2iYGRi1
12:18 AM - Dec 13, 2017
213 213 Replies 70 70 Retweets 93 93 likes
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11:30 p.m.: Here is how Jones won:
vote-by-race-1.jpg
African-American turnout was crucial. CBS NEWS

vote-by-party-1.jpg
A small group of Republicans voted for Jones, and those crossover votes were crucial. CBS NEWS

how-jones-won-1.jpg
Women, black voters and young voters went for Jones. CBS NEWS

trump-job-rating-1.jpg
The president's job approval in Alabama is evenly divided. CBS NEWS

11:10 p.m. Trump responds to Jones' victory
President Trump tweeted congratulations to Jones, saying Republicans would have another chance.


Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Congratulations to Doug Jones on a hard fought victory. The write-in votes played a very big factor, but a win is a win. The people of Alabama are great, and the Republicans will have another shot at this seat in a very short period of time. It never ends!
11:08 PM - Dec 12, 2017
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10:56 p.m. CBS News calls race for Jones, who claims victory
"I think that I have been waiting all my life and now I just don't know what the hell to say," Jones said, taking the stage.

"I have always believed that the people of Alabama had more in common than what would divide us," he added.

10:52 p.m.: "Decency wins," Jeff Flake tweets
Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake — who donated a $100 check to Jones' campaign and said he would vote for him if he lived in Alabama — tweeted "decency wins."


Jeff Flake
✔
@JeffFlake
Decency wins
10:44 PM - Dec 12, 2017
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10:30 p.m.: Jones tweets thanks, his election victory party exuberant
Jones — his election victory party exuberant — tweeted his thanks to voters at 10:30 p.m.


Doug Jones
✔
@GDouglasJones
Thank you ALABAMA!!
10:30 PM - Dec 12, 2017
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10:23 p.m. AP calls the race for Doug Jones
AP sends out an alert calling Jones the victor in the race over Moore.

9:45 p.m. Write-in candidates make up barely 1 percent
Write-in candidates are not much of a factor so far in the race — although they could be, if it's incredibly close. So far, there are only 1,389 write-in votes, or 1.23 percent of the vote so far.

9:22 p.m. Returns show Moore with slight advantage so far
Moore is slightly ahead of Jones so far, although only a handful of counties have reported, according to the Alabama Secretary of State. Moore leads Jones 54.1 percent to 44.3 percent.

8:48 p.m. New exit polls reveal race, gender gap
There is a gender gap in the election. More than half of men are voting for Moore (57 percent), while more than half of women voted for Jones (57 percent). Much of that support for Jones however is from African-American women. White women are still backing Moore with about two-thirds of their votes.

So far, African-Americans make up about 30 percent of the electorate. If that holds, it would surpass the 28 percent of the vote African-Americans made up when Barack Obama was re-elected in 2012. More than nine in 10 black voters are backing Jones.

More voters have a favorable view of Jones (50 percent) than Moore (41 percent).

Of the last-minute deciders — the 10 percent of voters who decided in the last few days — they threw their support behind Moore (56 percent) to Jones (37 percent).

8:25 p.m. Alabama Secretary of State publishes first results
It's only 174 votes, but the Alabama Secretary of State published its first results at roughly 8:25 p.m.

8:16 p.m. Does Doug Jones have the numbers?
CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris talks about whether Jones, at this point, has the votes to overcome Moore's supporters.

CBS News
✔
@CBSNews
"The numbers just generally are not there for Doug Jones," @stevechaggaris says of past Alabama voting tendencies. "The question is, can he get enough people -- enough Republicans -- to cross over and vote for him?" http://cbsn.ws/2kqXXFi
8:14 PM - Dec 12, 2017
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8 p.m. Polls close in Alabama — the race appears to be close
Polls have closed in Alabama. It will take a short period of time, however, for the first results to begin rolling in on the Alabama Secretary of State's website.

But the race appears to be close so far, as CBS News has been interviewing voters leaving the polling place throughout the day.

7 p.m. Polls close in one hour
Voters in Alabama have one hour left to go to the polls. CBS News will begin reporting results as soon as they become available.

6:48 p.m. McConnell holding meeting Wednesday to decide what to do if Moore wins
CBS News has confirmed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Senate leaders will meet Wednesday morning to discuss what to do after the election, if Moore wins. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, confirmed the meeting.

In the past, McConnell has said the Senate should launch an ethics investigation into Moore, while Sen. Cory Gardner, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has said the Senate should expel him.

6:28 p.m. Moore posts Trump robocall
Moore took to Twitter earlier in the afternoon to post the audio of the robocall Mr. Trump recorded on his behalf.

"Hi, this is President Donald Trump, and I need Alabama to go vote for Roy Moore!" he says in the recorded call.

Judge Roy Moore
✔
@MooreSenate
ELECTION DAY MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP:

"I need Alabama to vote for Roy Moore!"

"Roy Moore is the guy we need to pass the Make America Great Again agenda. Get out and VOTE FOR ROY MOORE!"
4:54 PM - Dec 12, 2017
2,146 2,146 Replies 2,564 2,564 Retweets 5,688 5,688 likes
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6:14 p.m. More exit poll results — voters evenly split on Trump's job performance
In a state that overwhelmingly voted for Mr. Trump over Hillary Clinton just one year ago, Alabama voters do not see him as glowingly now. At this point, Alabama voters are split on the president's job performance – 48 percent approve ant 48 percent disapprove.

Both major political parties are viewed unfavorably by more than half of Alabama voters.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell isn't popular either. Roughly 69 percent of voters view him unfavorably.


5:51 p.m.: CBS News speaks with Alabama voters
CBS News spoke with some voters in Alabama, where, across the state, there was a steady stream of voters in small towns and big cities.

Brenda McClusky proudly voted for Moore.

McClusky said she always thought he was a good man, and doesn't "pay attention" to much of the "talk" about him.

The Jones campaign has hoped to motivate young and African-American voters to elect the first Democrat to the Senate in a quarter century.

Pastor Kenneth Glasgow told CBS News on Monday that he helped register first-time voters, saying they have a "chance" now.

5:20 p.m.: First early exit polls released
The first exit polls are released, revealing Alabama voters divided on the validity of the allegations against Moore. More than four in 10 believe they are false. Most Jones voters believe the accusations, while most of Moore's voters do not.

For about 40 percent of voters, the allegations were the most important factor in their vote, mostly for Jones voters. Moore voters were more motivated by their support for Donald Trump. Early exit polling shows Jones supporters more staunchly behind their candidate than those behind Moore.

Furthermore, most voters had already made up their minds by November – before the allegations against Moore surfaced.

unnamed-2.jpg
The majority of voters had already decided who to vote fore before the allegations against Moore arose CBS NEWS POLL
unnamed-1.jpg
Early exit poll from Alabama special election CBS NEWS POLL
— Results from CBS News' Jennifer DePinto

4:50 p.m.: Roy Moore spokesman says Moore "probably" still believes homosexual conduct should be illegal
CNN's Jake Tapper invited Ted Crockett, spokesman for the Moore campaign, on his show Tuesday, and asked if Moore still believes homosexual conduct should be illegal, as he did in 2005. At first, Crockett was unsure how to answer. Pressed again by Tapper, Crockett said Moore "probably" still believes that. Crockett was unable to answer how such behavior should be punished, if it were illegal.

Crockett also suggested Muslims can't serve in Congress because they would have to serve on a Christian Bible, even though doing so it not a legal requirement, as Tapper pointed out. Crockett said that Trump was sworn in on a Bible.

4:26 p.m.: First exit polls expected soon
The first exit polls are expected to come as early as 5 p.m. Those will likely give some indication of voter sentiment and turnout. Until then, little information from voting will be available.

3:59 p.m.: Clear skies expected for remainder of voting
Weather forecasts predict clear skies — and virtually no drops of rain — for most of the state, meaning weather shouldn't hinder voters as they continue to head to the polls. The high in Montgomery is 57 degrees, and the high in Birmingham is 52 degrees.

3:43 p.m.: Shelby won't say who voted for — but it wasn't Moore
Shelby, caught by reporters in the Russell basement, declined to say who he voted for earlier in the day. But whoever it was, it wasn't Moore.

I know Roy Moore but I'll tell you, I didn't vote for him," he said.

3:15 p.m.: DHS monitoring election from Alabama
The Department of Homeland Security is keeping tabs on the Alabama Senate election. The DHS official in charge of protecting critical infrastructure said DHS officials are in Alabama, alongside state officials, monitoring for any cyber trouble with the election.

"We are side by side with state election officials ,"Christopher Krebs told reporters, adding that DHS is on a "heightened posture."

Krebs stressed so far they have not detected any cyber issues.

2:15 p.m.: Voters think Senate should expel Moore if he wins
A new Quinnipiac poll finds that voters overwhelmingly disapprove of Mr. Trump's decision to endorse Moore in the election. Of those polled, 63 disapproved of the president's endorsement, 21 percent approved and 16 percent were unsure. Even some Republicans disapproved of the president's decision. Of the Republicans polled, 50 percent approved of the president's endorsement, and an equal number disapproved or were unsure — 25 percent.

The same poll also found voters want Moore out of the Senate, if he's elected. A total of 60 percent of voters said Moore should be expelled if he wins. Of Republicans, 25 percent said he should be expelled if he wins, 65 percent said he should be allowed to stay, and 10 percent were unsure. An overwhelming 86 percent of Democrats said he should be expelled.

12:30 p.m.: Moore and his wife vote
Roy Moore and his wife, Kayla Moore, arrived at their polling place on horseback in Gallant, Ala., late Tuesday morning. They ride horses to each election in which Moore is a candidate.

Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore departs on horseback after he cast his ballot in Gallant, Alabama
Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore departs on horseback after he cast his ballot in Gallant, Alabama, U.S., December 12, 2017. CARLO ALLEGRI / REUTERS
9:15 a.m.: Jones casts his vote
Doug Jones cast his vote after 9 a.m. ET at Brookwood Baptist Church in Mountain Brook, Ala., a Birmingham suburb, and he also plans to greet voters outside various polling locations around Alabama. After the polls close, he'll join supporters for an Election Night watch party in Birmingham. He told reporters afterward that he didn't think Moore would win. In Alabama, there's a saying, he said: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Alabama's not going to let that shame happen again."

Democratic Alabama U.S. Senate candidate Doug Jones votes at Brookwood Baptist Church in Mountain Brook
Democratic Alabama U.S. Senate candidate Doug Jones speaks with the media after casting his vote at Brookwood Baptist Church in Mountain Brook, Alabama, U.S. December 12, 2017. MARVIN GENTRY / REUTERS
A little over an hour after polls opened, President Trump tweeted that the people of Alabama "will do the right thing," and he attacked Democrat Doug Jones as "Pro-Abortion, weak on Crime, Military and Illegal Immigration, Bad for Gun Owners and Veterans and against the WALL." He called Jones "a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet" and declared that "Roy Moore will always vote with us."


Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
The people of Alabama will do the right thing. Doug Jones is Pro-Abortion, weak on Crime, Military and Illegal Immigration, Bad for Gun Owners and Veterans and against the WALL. Jones is a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet. Roy Moore will always vote with us. VOTE ROY MOORE!
9:09 AM - Dec 12, 2017
62,311 62,311 Replies 21,255 21,255 Retweets 77,216 77,216 likes
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© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.


THIS IS WHAT ROY MOORE’S “DATES” LOOKED LIKE. NOT ONLY SHOULD HE FAIL IN HIS BID FOR SENATE, BUT HE SHOULD BE ARRESTED FOR STATUTORY RAPE.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mitchell-bacom-arrested-murder-kidnap-rape-suzanne-bombardier-antioch/
CBS NEWS December 12, 2017, 10:24 AM
Man arrested in connection with 1980 murder of California teenager

ANTIOCH, Calif. -- A notorious 37-year-old cold case has finally been closed in northern California, CBS San Francisco reports.

Police arrested 63-year-old Mitchell Bacom Monday evening on suspicion of kidnapping, raping and murdering a teenage girl — who was later identified as 14-year-old Suzanne Bombardier — while she was babysitting in Antioch in 1980.

A fisherman discovered Bombardier's body in the San Joaquin River days later. She had been stabbed once in the heart.

After decades with few leads, investigators reopened the case in 2015 using DNA evidence.

"Thanks to advances in forensic science, obtaining this positive identification for Suzanne's killer became a reality," Antioch Police Chief Tammany Brooks said.

Bacom's arrest closes the oldest unsolved murder within the Antioch Police Department.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.


JOE BIDEN IS ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITES OF THOSE IN POWER. POWER CAN BE A DANGEROUS THING, OR A LIFE SAVER. BIDEN IS A PERSON WHO HAS BEEN CRITICIZED FOR SPEAKING WITHOUT THINKING, BUT THAT USUALLY MEANS THAT THOSE PEOPLE SPEAK FROM THEIR HEART, WHICH MAKES ME TRUST THEM MORE. IT DOESN’T MEAN THAT THEY ARE UNINTELLIGENT, BUT THAT THEY ARE EMOTIONAL, WHICH IN MY VIEW IS A GOOD THING. SOMETIMES THE SUPER SMOOTH CHARACTERS ARE ALSO INTERNALLY FRIGID, AND I PREFER THE FLAWS OF THE WARM ANY DAY.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6294822/releaseinfo
CBS NEWS December 13, 2017, 12:29 PM
"Promise Me, Dad": Joe Biden on finding "hope and purpose" after loss

Joe Biden's son, Beau, died more than two years ago at the age of 46 after a battle with brain cancer. The tragedy came as the former vice president faced the decision of whether to run for president in 2016.

Joe Biden on 2020 presidential run: "Not sure it's the appropriate thing" to do
In Part II of his interview on "CBS This Morning," Biden discussed his new book, "Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose," which chronicles that challenging time. He also discussed what he's learned along the way, and the one piece of advice he'd give to every young person.

promisemedad-final-kh.jpg
Although Biden has been through more than his fair share of grief, he never wanted his book to be about that alone.

"One, I wanted people to know what an incredible young man my son was, and I also wanted people to – a lot of people have gone through what I've gone through without any of the help I've had," Biden said. "You know, Immanuel Kant's phrase, there's three things to happiness: something to do, someone to love, and something to look forward to. It's all about trying to take what Beau – what I think, what my family thinks – would be doing were he still here and doing it. It gives you a purpose."

But finding hope didn't come easy after another tragedy struck his family in 1972.

"When I lost my wife and daughter, when they were killed right after I got elected – a tractor-trailer hit them. People would come up and say, I know how you feel. After a while you feel like saying – it's awful, you know they mean well – you feel like saying you don't have any idea."

But as Biden demonstrates through personal anecdotes, some people do understand, and one even offered a strategy he's gone on to share with others. He started ranking his days from 1 to 10 – bad to great. Over time, the bad days started becoming less frequent.

"The down days will be just as down as the moment you heard the news and you'll think I'm never gonna get better," he recounted. "Don't look at it for six months and then put it in a graph. You'll see the down days are further and further and further apart."

"It helps because it makes you realize I am making progress, I am able to do something," Biden said.

Asked what the one thing every young boy needs to know, Biden said, "be just straightforward and honest."

"You have to – it's the building block for everything that happens in your life. I mean it really truly is, it's the building block for everything. And my dad had an expression, He'd say everyone – and he meant it – every single person is entitled to be treated with dignity, no matter what."

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



THE PENTAGON PAPERS ARE ALL TOO TIMELY AGAIN, I’M SAD TO SAY, AND TOM HANKS AND MERYL STREEP ARE PLAYING IN A NEW MOVIE ABOUT THE NIXON ERA. THIS WILL BE A BIG HIT IN THE THEATERS, I’M SURE. I HOPE I CAN GO SEE IT. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6294822/releaseinfo -- DECEMBER 22, 2017, “LIMITED.”

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/meryl-streep-tom-hanks-new-movie-the-post/
CBS NEWS December 12, 2017, 1:16 PM
Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks on the timely themes in "The Post"

Combined, award-winning actors Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks have appeared in more than 100 films, but "The Post" marks the first time the two are on screen together. The timely tale features Streep as Katharine Graham, the publisher of the Washington Post, and Hanks as legendary editor Ben Bradlee during the paper's famous and difficult decision to publish top secret government information about the Vietnam War from the Pentagon Papers in 1971.

Streep and Hanks, who both received Golden Globe nominations for their performances, joined "CBS This Morning" to discuss the eerie relevance of the film's themes today and the evolution of Katharine Graham's leadership in journalism – an industry largely dominated by men.

"It was 1971. It's when you wouldn't be in front of the camera, you wouldn't be in – it was a world of men really," Streep said to "CBS This Morning" co-hosts Norah O'Donnell and Gayle King. "I remember what a big deal it was when Barbara Walters broke on to the 'Today' show or this morning show, and everybody was very disgruntled and her costars were grumpy about it. It was a world of men."

"The Post" chronicles Graham and Bradlee's unlikely partnership and decision to put their careers in jeopardy to expose what the government knew about the viability of the Vietnam War.

"She was the owner-publisher of the Washington Post and she was one of the few women who was in that position. So when a decision came whether to continue the sort of publication of the Pentagon Papers which had been begun by the New York Times, which was the pre-eminent paper at that time, it came down to her to decide and she felt alone in that position and was, you know, put on the spot," Streep said.

The first time anyone in the industry had read the screenplay for the film was last October, when the next president of the United States looked like it would be a woman for the first time in history. By the time it got into Hanks and Streep's hands, it was February 2017 and the world looked a lot different.

"I think that's why he wanted to do it this year especially – was because of the siege on the free and independent press," Streep said. "When the state goes after the press, it – it's a very dangerous situation in a democracy because it gives license all around the world for this to happen."

Hanks said the film "took on, three major, major topics that seemed to never go away."

"It was Katharine Graham becoming Katharine Graham and all the issues of equity and equality that go along with that as far as gender goes," hanks said. "A government trying to keep essentially the truth secret so that they could continue to obfuscate what was going on the ground in Vietnam as well as the attack on the First Amendment, freedom of the press. We sort of felt we were making a museum piece. We were a bit surprised that all three of those (topics) would be so thrust forward."

The real Pentagon Papers actually made their way on to the set of the movie.

"And it's extraordinary to read them 'cause individually there's no – there's no bombshell that is found in it. It is a collective weight of ongoing knowledge or evidence or testimony, the fact that the Vietnam War was unwinnable, we should never have been there," Hanks said.

"They knew it was not winnable and the great line is that it was fought basically 10 percent to help the Vietnamese, 20 percent to contain China and 70 percent to save face," Streep said.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.


WHAT WERE THE PENTAGON PAPERS? I REALLY DID “LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES,” AND I STILL DO. THIS FILM CLIP OF REALITY IS ON A LOOP – IT GOES AROUND OVER AND OVER, SAYING THE SAME THINGS. THE DESIRE FOR INORDINATE POWER NEVER GOES AWAY.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagon_Papers
Pentagon Papers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Pentagon Papers, officially titled United States – Vietnam Relations, 1945–1967: A Study Prepared by the Department of Defense, is a United States Department of Defense history of the United States' political-military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967. The papers were released by Daniel Ellsberg, who had worked on the study; they were first brought to the attention of the public on the front page of The New York Times in 1971.[1][2] A 1996 article in The New York Times said that the Pentagon Papers had demonstrated, among other things, that the Johnson Administration "systematically lied, not only to the public but also to Congress".[3]

More specifically, the papers revealed that the U.S. had secretly enlarged the scope of its actions in the Vietnam War with the bombings of nearby Cambodia and Laos, coastal raids on North Vietnam, and Marine Corps attacks, none of which were reported in the mainstream media.[4]

For his disclosure of the Pentagon Papers, Ellsberg was initially charged with conspiracy, espionage, and theft of government property, but the charges were later dismissed after prosecutors investigating the Watergate Scandal discovered that the staff members in the Nixon White House had ordered the so-called White House Plumbers to engage in unlawful efforts to discredit Ellsberg.[5]

In June 2011, the entirety of the Pentagon Papers was declassified and publicly released.[6]

Shortly after their release in June 1971, the Pentagon Papers were featured on the cover of TIME magazine for revealing "The Secret War" of the United States in Vietnam.
Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara created the Vietnam Study Task Force on June 17, 1967, for the purpose of writing an "encyclopedic history of the Vietnam War".[7] McNamara claimed that he wanted to leave a written record for historians, to prevent policy errors in future administrations.[8] McNamara neglected to inform either President Lyndon Johnson or Secretary of State Dean Rusk about the study.[7] One report claimed that McNamara planned to give the work to his friend Robert F. Kennedy, who sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968.[9][10] McNamara later denied this, although he admitted that he should have informed Johnson and Rusk.[10]

The analysts largely used existing files in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and conducted no interviews or consultations with the armed forces, with the White House, or with other federal agencies, in order to keep the study secret from others, including National Security Advisor Walt W. Rostow.[9]

McNamara left the Defense Department in February 1968, and his successor Clark M. Clifford received the finished study on January 15, 1969, five days before Richard Nixon's inauguration – although Clifford claimed he never read it. The study comprised 3,000 pages of historical analysis and 4,000 pages of original government documents in 47 volumes, and was classified as "Top Secret – Sensitive". ("Sensitive" is not an official security designation; it meant that access to the study should be controlled.) The task force published 15 copies; the think tank RAND Corp received two of the copies from Gelb, Morton Halperin, and Paul Warnke, with access granted if at least two of the three approved.[9]

Gravel v. United States: congressional aides and private publication[edit]
Main article: Gravel v. United States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravel_v._United_States
Gravel v. United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gravel v. United States, 408 U.S. 606 (1972), was a case regarding the protections offered by the Speech or Debate Clause of the United States Constitution. In the case, the Supreme Court of the United States held that the privileges and immunities of the Constitution's Speech or Debate Clause enjoyed by members of Congress also extend to Congressional aides, but not to activity outside the legislative process.

History[edit]

On Tuesday, June 15, 1971, Senator Mike Gravel (D-Alaska) received a copy of the Pentagon Papers from Ben Bagdikian, an editor at The Washington Post.[1] Over the next several days, Gravel (who was dyslexic) was assisted by his congressional office staff in reading and analyzing the report.[1] Worried his home might be raided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Gravel smuggled the report (which filled two large suitcases) into his congressional office, which was then guarded by disabled Vietnam veterans.[1]

On the evening of June 29, 1971, Gravel attempted to read the Pentagon Papers into the Congressional Record.[2] A lack of a quorum, however, prevented the Senate from convening.[1][2] As chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Public Buildings and Grounds, Gravel convened a meeting of the subcommittee and spent an hour reading part of the Pentagon Papers into the record.[1] Prevented by his dyslexia from continuing, Gravel had the remainder of the Pentagon Papers entered into the record.[1][2]
Gravel subsequently arranged to have the Pentagon Papers published by a private publisher. The publisher was Beacon Press, a non-profit book publisher owned by the Unitarian Universalist Association.[2]

A federal grand jury was subsequently empaneled to investigate possible violations of federal law in the release of the report. Leonard Rodberg, a Gravel aide, was subpoenaed to testify about his role in obtaining and arranging for publication of the Pentagon Papers. Senator Gravel intervened and asked a court to quash the subpoena, contending that forcing Rodberg to testify would violate the Speech or Debate Clause of the Constitution.[3]

A district court refused to grant the motion to quash but did agree to proscribe certain questions.[4] The trial court also held that publication of the Pentagon Papers by a private press was not protected by the Speech or Debate Clause*.[4] The Court of Appeals affirmed the district court's ruling (although it modified the categories of barred questions).[5] The United States appealed the barring of questions, and Senator Gravel appealed the ruling regarding publication. The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari.[6]


https://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Speech+or+Debate+Clause
Speech or Debate Clause*

“Article I, Section 6, Clause 1, of the U.S. Constitution states in part, for any Speech or Debate in either House, [senators and representatives] shall not be questioned in any other place.

The purpose of the clause is to prevent the arrest and prosecution of unpopular legislators based on their political views. . . . .

The Court has interpreted the Speech or Debate Clause to mean that members of Congress and their aides are immune from prosecution for their "legislative acts." This does not mean that members of Congress and their aides may not be prosecuted. Rather, evidence of legislative acts may not be used in a prosecution against a member of Congress or a congressional aide.

The main controversy surrounding the Speech or Debate Clause concerns the scope of the phrase "legislative acts." The phrase obviously encompasses speeches and debates on the floor of the Senate or the House of Representatives. According to the Supreme Court, voting, preparing committee reports, and conducting committee hearings also are legislative acts, but republishing legislative materials for distribution to constituents and accepting a bribe to influence a vote are not.”



VIDEO
https://www.nbcnews.com/video/rep-jackie-speier-says-trump-has-shown-a-predilection-for-misogyny-1115024451993
Rep. Speier: Trump has shown a 'predilection for misogyny'
TUE, DEC 12
Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) told Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC that President Trump “has shown a predilection for misogyny” and that his tweets this morning are not what the American people are looking for in a leader.


SANDERS ON THE NET

The Bernie Sanders Show

VIDEO
https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/politics/2016/07/15/87117482/
USA Today
What's next for Bernie Sanders?
by Nicole Gaudiano
7/15/2016