March 3 and 4, 2018


News and Views


I WONDER WHICH ONE OF THE FL REPUBLICAN SENATORS GOT A THREATENING PHONE CALL FROM THE NRA SAYING THAT HE WON’T GET ANY MORE DONATIONS. WHENEVER SOMEBODY DOES A GOOD THING, THERE'S ALWAYS SOMEONE THERE TO SMACK HIM DOWN FOR IT.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-senate-passes-immediately-reverses-ar-15-ban-2018-03-03/
By KATHRYN WATSON CBS/AP March 3, 2018, 4:31 PM
Florida Senate passes, immediately reverses temporary ban on AR-15 sales

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida's upper chamber briefly approved a ban on AR-15-style rifles before immediately reversing that move Saturday. The Florida state Senate approved a two-year moratorium on the sale, delivery and transfer of AR-15-style rifles by a voice vote, the offices of the top Senate Democrat and Republican confirmed. But minutes later, that motion was reconsidered, and ultimately reversed by a roll call vote, with 17 votes in favor of the amendment and 21 against it.

Democrats had introduced the two-year ban as an amendment to a broader GOP-led bill on gun reforms. The GOP bill imposes safeguards to keep guns out of the hands of mentally ill individuals who might harm themselves or others, and strengthen background checks at the point of sale, among other things. Students and others in Florida have called for stricter gun control measures, in the wake of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting that left 17 dead last month.

THAT BATTLE OVER TOUGHER GUN MEASURES IS WAGING ON CAPITOL HILL, TOO

That battle over tougher gun measures is waging on in Capitol Hill, too, as Congress struggles to determine what it is the president wants. President Trump has said he wants stronger background checks, gun access restriction for the mentally ill and the ability to arm teachers.

Mr. Trump also expressed an interest in raising the minimum age for purchasing some firearms to 21, saying Republicans are opposed to considering such a measure because they are "petrified of the NRA." But the day after Mr. Trump expressed an openness to gun restrictions in a bipartisan meeting with lawmakers, the president met with the NRA. NRA executive director Chris Cox tweeted Thursday night following that meeting that Mr. Trump will not pursue gun control.

Florida's senators don't see eye to eye on gun control measures either.

Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican, has pushed a bill to enhance criminal background checks, a bill requiring the FBI to tell states when someone fails a background check, a program for intervening when children are potential threats, and some form of temporary gun-violence restraining order. Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democrat, has pushed for a ban on assault-style rifles.

On Saturday, lawmakers spent nearly eight hours debating dozens of amendments to the 100-page bill to strengthen school safety procedures and restrict gun purchases. They eventually approved the legislation for a final vote on Monday.

It was clear that senators were divided on the bill, and not just on party lines. While crafted by Republicans, some GOP senators still opposed it because they don't agree with raising the minimum age to purchase a rifle -- from 18 to 21 -- or requiring a waiting period to buy the weapons.

Democrats believe the legislation doesn't go far enough in some ways and too far in others. And while some oppose the bill, others believe it's at least a first step toward gun safety.

The bill includes provisions to boost school security, establish new mental health programs in schools, and improve communication between schools, law enforcement and state agencies. But much of the debate Saturday revolved around gun control and whether people should have a right to own an assault rifle.

Trump's focus on mental health over guns at odds with his own record
Guns and mental illness: How do you judge who shouldn't get weapons?

"Every constitutional right that we hold dear has a limitation," said Democratic Sen. Gary Farmer. "These are just military-style killing machines and the right of self-defense and the ability to hunt will go on."

Republicans argued that banning such weapons would violate the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

"Our founding fathers weren't talking about hunting, and they weren't talking about protecting themselves from the thief down the street who might break in," said Republican Sen. David Simmons. Simmons said people need guns to protect themselves from a tyrannical government.

"Adolf Hitler confiscated all the weapons -- took all the weapons, had a registry of everybody -- and then on the night of June 30th, 1934, [NIGHT OF THE LONG KNIVES] sent out his secret police and murdered all of his political opponents," Simmons said. "You think it doesn't happen in a free society? It does."

The Legislature wraps up its annual session on Friday. Lawmakers are scrambling to take some kind of action before then. The full House has yet to take up its version of the bill.

Republican Gov. Rick Scott has been lobbying lawmakers to pass his plan to assign at least one law-enforcement officer for every 1,000 students at a school. Scott is opposed to arming teachers.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.



THERE IS NO INFORMATION ON THE CAUSE OF THE SUICIDE, AND NO SIGN OF DANGER TO ANYONE ELSE. NONETHELESS, THE WHOLE AREA AROUND THE WHITE HOUSE WAS CLOSED TO VEHICLE AND FOOT TRAFFIC. THAT IS LIFE IN WASHINGTON, DC.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/secret-service-responds-reports-shots-fired-white-house-n852921
NEWS MAR 4 2018, 12:40 PM ET
Man fires gun and commits suicide in front of the White House
by STACEY KLEIN and PHIL MCCAUSLAND

WASHINGTON — A man committed suicide in front of the White House on Saturday after he pulled out a concealed handgun, authorities said. No one but the shooter was injured.

The U.S. Secret Service said that medical personnel were called to respond to the male victim, but he was declared dead at the scene.

The Metropolitan Police Department, who are leading the investigation into the shooting with the support of the Secret Service, identified the shooter on Sunday as Cameron Ross Burgess, 26, of Maylene, Alabama. The police department did not disclose any potential motives for the suicide.

"The subject approached the vicinity of the North White House fence line and removed a concealed handgun and fired several rounds, none of which appear at this time to have been directed towards the White House," the Secret Service said in a statement shortly after the incident on Saturday.


U.S. Secret Service
✔
@SecretService
BREAKING: Secret Service personnel are responding to reports of a person who allegedly suffered a self-inflicted gun shot wound along the north fence line of @WhiteHouse.

12:08 PM - Mar 3, 2018
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The Secret Service alerted the public to the shooting following reports of a lock down at the White House.

As they responded to reports of a gunshot near the north lawn, the Secret Service told those in the White House to shelter in place. As they investigated the incident, agents could be seen sprinting across the north lawn and the executive driveway with their guns drawn.

Image: Law enforcement officers at Lafayette Park across from the White House in Washington, close the area to pedestrian traffic, on March 3, 2018. Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

The shelter in place order was lifted after approximately 45 minutes.

As a precaution, the Secret Service shutdown all roads along the White House perimeter. Traffic around the White House was impacted by the order, the agency said.

President Donald Trump was at Mar-a-Lago in Florida and not in residence at the time of the incident. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the president had been briefed on the situation.


U.S. Secret Service
✔
@SecretService
Final Update: Secret Service can confirm that no member of the First Family was at the @WhiteHouse during today's incident outside the fence line.

5:14 PM - Mar 3, 2018
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Trump returned to Washington D.C. on Saturday afternoon to attend the Gridiron Club dinner, an annual gathering with members of the press and D.C. politicos.

Stacey Klein reported from Washington. Phil McCausland reported from New York.

STACEY KLEIN
PHIL MCCAUSLAND
TOPICS NEWS, WHITE HOUSE, U.S. NEWS
FIRST PUBLISHED MAR 3 2018, 12:28 PM ET



HIGH SCHOOL JOURNALISM STUDENTS ARE MAKING CONTRIBUTIONS AND LEARNING IMPORTANT LESSONS DURING THEIR COVERAGE OF THIS STORY, SAYS THEIR TEACHER ERIC GARNER.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/parkland-media-savvy-students-shooting-florida/
By STEVE HARTMAN CBS NEWS March 2, 2018, 6:58 PM
Media-savvy Parkland students on what they've sworn off in wake of shooting

PARKLAND, Fl. -- When you're on lockdown, like they were at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, teacher Eric Garner says it's a little disconcerting having your students videotape you. "I'm like, I don't know how to feel right now," he said.

I pointed out that's what he taught them. "I know, I know," he replied. "They know what they're doing behind the camera. They know what they're doing in front of the camera and it's impressive."

d3-hartman-otr-parkland-0302.jpg
Eric Garner CBS NEWS

Eric is the broadcast journalism teacher at Stoneman Douglas and one of the people responsible for making students at the school as media savvy as they are.

In fact, many of the kids you've seen on television over the past two weeks are his reporters. Much of the footage from inside the school came from his photographers.

"When you see that video proof, it lasts a lot longer in people's minds than just a simple statement," said student Delaney Tarr.

"If you weren't in Parkland, Florida, that day you can still connect with that anywhere around the world in any language," said another student, Ryan Deitsch.

The school has always had a strong broadcast journalism department. I've known about it for years. They win national awards all the time, which is why it came as no surprise that on the very first day back at school, after everyone else went home, the student reporters stayed behind – to start telling their story, their way.

d3-hartman-otr-parkland-03023.jpg
Parkland student journalists are telling their stories. CBS NEWS

"Because we are the story, that just makes everything so much more powerful and more genuine," said student Nicholas Gargaro.

"That's the power that we have as student journalists," said Delaney. "We get to see all the little things that make Stoneman Douglas special."

Their first project will be a documentary. It will focus mainly on the activism that sprouted from the shooting. Of course, a lot of these kids are the activists –- pushing for change, like gun control, which poses an ethical dilemma right out of the textbook.

"Their passion has run into their journalism," said Eric. "But they're going to have to divorce themselves from that."

When I asked him how, Eric admits it will be tough.

"There's no black and white, it's just a lot of gray," said Ryan.

One thing is crystal clear, however. If the kids do grow up to be journalists, they won't be the kind that sticks a camera in the face of a grieving person. They say that after this experience, they've sworn that off [sic] for good.

d3-hartman-otr-parkland-03025.jpg
Student journalists at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School CBS NEWS

"When you're looking into the face of a friend you know, and they're crying and you want to take a picture of them because you know it's this amazing shot to get but you know, you see the recognition in their eyes, it's so much harder to do it then," said Delaney. "I think that's something that every journalist should recognize that."

I told Delaney that if she brings her empathy to the profession, I -- for one -- would be grateful.

"We've been trying to treat everyone like we know them," she said.

Treat everyone like you know them. At Stoneman Douglas, that's now journalism 101.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



SEE THE NEXT TWO ARTICLES. THIS NEXT STORY FROM THE HILL ISN’T VERY SERIOUS, I DON’T THINK, BECAUSE SANDERS HASN’T KNOWINGLY USED PAID FOREIGN VOLUNTEERS, AND HE WASN’T THE ONE WHO PAID THEM. HIS WORKERS KNEW THAT THEY HAD EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT FROM THEIR PARTY; BUT, DIDN’T KNOW THAT UNDER THOSE CONDITIONS IT WOULD BE CONSIDERED ILLEGAL. THEIR OWN POLITICAL PARTY FURNISHED THEIR TRAVEL AND PERSONAL EXPENSES.

WHAT HAPPENED IS THAT A SMALL GROUP OF YOUNG PEOPLE FROM AN AUSTRALIAN PROGRESSIVES POLITICAL PARTY CALLED “AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY,” VOLUNTEERED FOR SANDERS, SPECIFICALLY “SO THEY COULD LEARN ABOUT AMERICAN POLITICS.” WELL, THEY'RE GETTING A LESSON. SANDERS PAID AN FEC FINE, WHILE NOT ACCEPTING ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR WRONGDOING, JUST TO AVOID THE EXTRA BAGGAGE ON HIS FUTURE CAMPAIGN.

AN ALT-RIGHT LEANING GROUP CALLED “PROJECT VERITAS” SENT ONE OR MORE UNDERCOVER AGENTS INTO THE SANDERS CAMPAIGN TO SPY ON THEIR ACTIVITIES, IN ORDER TO CATCH SANDERS DOING SOMETHING DAMAGING TO HIS NAME, LOOKING FOR WHATEVER THEY COULD FIND, APPARENTLY. THEY CAPTURED THE AUSTRALIANS ON VIDEO WORKING FOR HIM. PROJECT VERITAS SENT THE MATERIAL TO THE RNC AND COMPLAINED TO THE FEC, ON THE GROUNDS THAT HE WAS “ACCEPTING HELP FROM FOREIGN NATIONALS” JUST AS THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN DID. THE AUSTRALIANS AREN’T OUR POLITICAL RIVALS, THOUGH, AS NEARLY ALL AMERICANS RECOGNIZE RUSSIA TO BE, SO IT REALLY ISN’T THE SAME SITUATION.

IF THERE IS ANY FOLLOWUP ON THIS I’LL TRY TO FIND AND INCLUDE IT HERE. ON THE CYNICALLY NAMED “PROJECT VERITAS,” GO TO TODAY’S SECOND ENTRY: “PROJECT VERITAS DESTROYERS OF TRUTH.”

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/376373-sanders-campaign-pays-145k-fine-to-settle-fec-complaint
Sanders campaign pays $14.5K fine to settle FEC complaint
BY BEN KAMISAR - 03/01/18 07:29 PM EST 170
967

Photograph – Bernie Sanders speaking -- © Getty Images

Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-Vt.) presidential campaign paid a $14,500 fine to settle a federal election complaint after an Australian political party paid for foreign volunteers to help Sanders during the 2016 presidential primary.

WMUR reported that the Sanders campaign agreed to settle with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) while not admitting fault for accepting assistance from the Australian Labor Party.

The party paid for flights and daily stipends for Australian volunteers to help out with Sanders campaign events, according to a copy of the "conciliation agreement" obtained by the news outlet.

Only American citizens can donate to federal campaigns. Assistance from a foreign political party would represent an illegal in-kind donation.

Sanders's campaign told WMUR in a statement that the campaign does not "agree that it broke any rules" but instead paid the fine "in order to avoid a long and expensive fight with the FEC over the technical status of these young people."

"During the course of the campaign thousands and thousands of young people from every state and many other countries volunteered. Among them were seven Australian young people who were receiving a modest stipend and airfare from the Australian Labor Party so they could learn about American politics," the campaign said in a statement.

"The folks on the campaign managing volunteers did not believe the stipend disqualified them from being volunteers."

The accusations initially came to light after Project Veritas, a conservative activist organization that typically targets left-leaning organizations and the media through undercover videos, filmed the volunteers working in New Hampshire. A complaint was later filed with the FEC in March 2016.

The Republican National Committee seized on the news this week to chastise Sanders and push back against allegations that President Trump's campaign colluded with Russian actors during the White House race.



JAMES O’KEEFE CALLS HIMSELF A GUERILLA JOURNALIST, CLAIMS TO BE UNCOVERING “TRUTH,” AND IS A PAID WRITER FOR BREITBART. I JUST LOVE THAT TITLE, “AMERICAN PRAVDA.” DOES PUTIN ET AL PAY HIM TOO, I WONDER? IT’S AN INTERESTING ASSOCIATION OF IDEAS, IF NOT. THE TOP ARTICLE FROM NATIONAL REVIEW, A CONSERVATIVE OUTLET, SHOWS THAT EVEN THEY DON’T TRUST OR RESPECT JAMES O’KEEFE.

ONE THING IN THIS ARTICLE THAT DISTURBS ME IS THAT THE “PLANT” FROM PROJECT VERITAS, JAIME PHILLIPS, CLAIMING TO BE ONE OF ROY MOORE’S SEXUAL VICTIMS, HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN AN ELABORATE SCAM ON MEDIA EDITORS. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MUELLER EXAMINE PHILLIPS AND O’KEEFE AT PROJECT VERITAS AS PART OF RUSSIA’S PLAN TO DISRUPT OUR SOCIETY FROM THE INSIDE.

THE FACT THAT PHILLIPS APPEARS IN PHOTOS MADE AT TWO MORE RESPECTED MAJOR NEWS OUTLETS’ SOCIAL EVENTS, CONVINCES ME THAT I’M LOOKING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION WITH THIS. PERHAPS THIS IS JUST ONE MORE OF THE RUSSIANS’ TECHNIQUES TO CONFUSE THE AMERICAN PUBLIC ON WHERE THE PEA IS. HAVING THE FACELESS RUSSIAN BOTS DOING THIS IS BAD, BUT FOR IT TO BE AN INFILTRATION BY OPERATIVES SPREADING THE LIES IN PERSON, MAKING THEM MORE LIKELY TO BE ACCEPTED AS TRUTH, GOES BEYOND AN ELECTRONIC ASSAULT. I HAVE BEEN USING QUOTATION MARKS WITH THE WORD “CONSERVATIVE” FOR SEVERAL YEARS. TODAY’S “CONSERVATIVES” AREN’T THAT AT ALL, BUT RADICAL RIGHTISTS. WELL, THEY DIDN’T FOOL THE WASHINGTON POST WITH THEIR TRICK, NOR THE NATIONAL REVIEW. THANK GOD FOR THE FREE PRESS.

SO, WHO IS JAMES O’KEEFE AND PROJECT VERITAS? O’KEEFE OPERATES ON THE INTERNET WITH A WEBSITE OF THAT SAME NAME. APPARENTLY, HE HAS ALSO SHOWN UP BEHIND THE SCENES OF THIS NEWS STORY. HE APPARENTLY ASPIRES TO BE AN ANTIHERO FOR THE ALT-RIGHT. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HIM, GO TO MY SECOND ITEM FOR THE DAY, “PROJECT VERITAS, DESTROYERS OF TRUTH.”

O’KEEFE HAS WRITTEN TWO GENERALLY WELL RECEIVED BOOKS:

O'Keefe, James (2013). Breakthrough: Our Guerrilla War to Expose Fraud and Save Democracy. New York: Threshold Editions. ISBN 9781476706191. OCLC 893099977.

O'Keefe, James (2018). American Pravda: My Fight for Truth in the Era of Fake News. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-1250154644


https://www.nationalreview.com/blog/corner/if-james-okeefe-and-project-veritas-tried-get-paper-print-lie-are-they-really-serving/
If You’re Trying to Get a Paper to Print a Lie, Are You Really Serving Truth?
By JIM GERAGHTY
November 28, 2017 2:03 PM

From the Tuesday edition of the Morning Jolt:

The Unforced Error of Doubling Down on a Bad Decision

When we make a consequential mistake, usually the best thing to do is be upfront about it, admit it, think hard about how we came to make that mistake, and try to make amends.

Often our instincts will tell us to double down.

For some reason, James O’Keefe and his gang at Project Veritas must have been quite convinced that the Washington Post’s reporting about Roy Moore was shoddy and rushed.

The Post reporters spoke to four accusers and two childhood friends of the youngest accuser; both said the accuser described the encounter years earlier (before Moore was running for Senate) and one said the accuser named Moore specifically. The newspaper said it interviewed the youngest accuser six times and her story remained consistent. The Post was able to determine that none of the accusers had donated to his rival, Doug Jones, or his primary rivals. The Post reporters were able to confirm that the youngest accuser’s mother attended a hearing at the Etowah County courthouse in February 1979 through divorce records, and that Moore’s office was down the hall from the courtroom.

To a lot of eyes, the Post article looked as thoroughly reported as possible. Moore denied the allegations, but did not really offer any specific contrary evidence. In fact, he backtracked from his blanket denial, telling Sean Hannity, “I don’t remember going out on dates. I knew her as a friend. If we did go out on dates then we did. But I do not remember that.” Then he offered another blanket denial.

Some Moore supporters argued that Corfman’s credibility is unreliable because of her three divorces and a messy financial history that involves filing for bankruptcy several times. (Needless to say, no fan of Donald Trump should be discounting anyone’s credibility because of life events like that.)

Moore’s wife, Kayla, shared a Facebook post claiming that the restaurant that the latest accuser says was the site of her meeting with Moore did not exist in the late 1970s, that it opened in 2001; thus the accuser’s story cannot be true. That claim is false; the restaurant existed in the late 70s, judging from business records and advertisements in newspapers at the time.

To believe Moore’s version, you have to believe that all four of these women decided to lie when the Washington Post showed up at their door, that they all spontaneously made up a story that they were able to recount in detail in multiple retellings to reporters over a period of weeks, and they all chose to make up similar stories about Moore’s sexual pursuit.

For some reason, the Veritas team believed that if they had a person claiming to be a victim of Moore reach out to the Post, the newspaper would rush the story to print, without investigating the details.

The woman e-mailed and texted the Post reporter, claiming a sordid and false tale of Moore impregnating her, then driving her to another state to have an abortion. The reporter asked if there were any documents to verify these events. The Post started to find discrepancies in the Veritas woman’s account:

Phillips had said she lived in Alabama only for a summer while a teenager; but the cellphone number Phillips provided had an Alabama area code. Reinhard called NFM Lending in Westchester County, but they said a person named Jaime Phillips did not work there.

Alice Crites, a Post researcher who was looking into Phillips’s background, found the document that strongly reinforced the reporters’ suspicions: a Web page for a fundraising campaign by someone with the same name. It was on the website GoFundMe.com under the name Jaime Phillips.

“I’m moving to New York!” the May 29 appeal said. “I’ve accepted a job to work in the conservative media movement to combat the lies and deceipt of the liberal MSM. I’ll be using my skills as a researcher and fact-checker to help our movement. I was laid off from my mortgage job a few months ago and came across the opportunity to change my career path.”

One of two donations listed on the site was from a name that matched her daughter’s, according to public records.

When the Post reporter asked Phillips about this, she claimed she had been interviewing at the Daily Caller. Nothing about that story checked out, either. When confronted about the discrepancies, Phillips quickly departed.

James O’Keefe should publicly acknowledge that no matter how much he may dislike the Post, they did what they were supposed to do in this situation. They did not rush Phillips’ unverified claims into print. They sought to verify as much of Phillips’ story as they could, and when they could not, they did not print it. Perhaps all of the Washington Post reporters involved in this story loathe Roy Moore. But they have now proven that they’re not willing to print unverified rumors about him.

At any point, did it cross the minds of anyone at Project Veritas that if the Post had run Phillips story, that some people might have concluded Moore had committed the act of securing the abortion, even after O’Keefe appeared and demonstrated that his organization had arranged the whole hoax?

If you truly believe the Post has wronged Roy Moore, there’s a better way to achieve justice: find a discrepancy, contradiction, or impossibility in the accounts of Moore’s accusers.

We all rightfully disdain hoax hate crimes. Just how different is it to make a false claim of statutory rape, hoping to fool a reporter into running a false story? If an effort like this blows up in your face, don’t you have an obligation to come clean and offer a full accounting of who this occurred?

This morning, as of this writing, the Project Veritas web site has nothing about Phillips or her false claims. Instead there’s video of one of O’Keefe’s undercover reporters, talking with Washington Post staff inside the newsroom, with National Security Reporter Dan Lamothe saying of the paper’s editorial page, “They definitely don’t like Trump. I mean here’s the thing though. There’s the news side that’s just trying to critically call bull**** when there’s bull****, but also give him credit where there’s credit, you know? When something is good, and he’s doing more things bad, but he’s doing some of the things good.”

Where’s the news there? Where’s the scandal?

In Roman mythology, Veritas was the goddess of Truth. How well can you serve truth by lying?

And how are you serving Truth when you refuse to even address your mistakes?

RETURN TO THE CORNER

JIM GERAGHTY — Jim Geraghty is the senior political correspondent of National Review. @jimgeraghty



THIS MAY PROVE TO BE A BREAKTHROUGH IN INFORMATION, ALLOWING A BETTER FLU VACCINE TO BE CREATED. IT’S A VERY INTERESTING ARTICLE, AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN IMPROVE THE FLU VACCINES. THEY ARE ONLY PARTIALLY EFFECTIVE AT PRESENT.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/scientists-ramp-up-efforts-to-improve-antiquated-flu-vaccines/
By JONATHAN LAPOOK CBS NEWS March 1, 2018, 6:46 PM
Scientists ramp up efforts to improve "antiquated" flu vaccines

NEW YORK -- The FDA chose the four strains of the flu that will be targeted in next year's vaccine Thursday. But scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are looking far beyond next year, as they try to develop a universal flu vaccine.

It's the same problem each year -- making a vaccine against the flu virus is like trying to hit a moving target.

"It changes," said Dr. Anthony Fauci. "It mutates, just enough to get it out of the range of the umbrella of the protection of the vaccine."

Fauci heads up vaccine research at the NIH. He says we need a brand new approach.

lapook-flu-vaccine-0301182.jpg
The flu virus mutates over time CBS NEWS
"We've been using this technology of inactivated virus that you grow in chicken eggs since the 1940s. This is antiquated. We have to graduate from that," Fauci said.

In the six months it usually takes to create the vaccine using eggs, the virus can dramatically change. The solution is a universal flu vaccine that would protect against multiple strains of the virus for years -- perhaps a lifetime.

Amid grim flu season, scientists work to find "holy grail" flu vaccine
Nasty flu season showing signs of slowing down in U.S.

lapook-flu-vaccine-030118.jpg
Dr. Anthony Fauci CBS NEWS

Flu viruses are made up of molecules that look like mushrooms, with heads and stalks. The current vaccine only targets the head, but that part is unstable, often changing. The result is a flu vaccine that only works some of the time. The focus of research now is the bottom, or the stalk, which doesn't change, giving the vaccine a chance to work.

"We may not ever get a perfect universal flu vaccine," Fauci said. "But we have to have some version of a universal flu vaccine. We cannot accept that we won't get there.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



THIS IS A NEW COMMENTARY AND INTERVIEW SHOW FROM MSNBC THAT IS SIMILAR TO RACHEL MADDOW, BUT WITH MORE INTERVIEWS. IT LOOKED PRETTY GOOD TONIGHT WHEN I WATCHED PART OF IT. FOR YOU WHO LIKE AN INSIDE LOOK AT POLITICS, THE MUELLER PROBE, AND THE REAL STATE OF THE UNION (FREE OF TRUMP-THINK, THAT IS) YOU WILL PROBABLY LIKE IT.

“SO, THIS IDEA THAT WITH A WING OF THE MEDIA – STATE-RUN MEDIA ESSENTIALLY, FUNCTIONING TO SORT OF OBSCURE AND COVER UP AND DISTORT THE REALITY” OF THE ONGOING RUSSIAN PROBE.” THE “STATE RUN MEDIA” MENTIONED HERE IS, OF COURSE, FOX NEWS.

http://deadline.com/2018/02/memo-nicolle-wallace-msnbc-donny-deutsch-steven-schmidt-1202277448/
DEADLINE WHITE HOUSE 03/02/18

Fmr CIA Dir Brennan weighs in on Mueller, Russian meddling, and the disturbing divide in Washington
INTERVIEW – JOHN BRENNAN FORMER CIA DIRECTOR

Fox News came under repeated attacks today on Nicolle Wallace’s MSNBC show in the wake of the release of the GOP memo on the Russia investigation. The memo, produced by the House Intelligence Committee and its chairman Devin Nunes, was provided first to Fox News, which Wallace said is essentially functioning as “state-run media.” Nunes, Wallace said, is “an out-of-the-closet Trump stooge.”

RelatedHollywood & Beltway React To Memo: Dangerous! Misleading! Al Capone's Vault!

Wallace, the former White House director of communications for President George W. Bush, expressed incredulity that President Donald Trump would approve the release of the memo over the objections of the FBI and the Department of Justice.

One of her guests, Steve Schmidt, an MSNBC contributor and former campaign manager for Sen. John McCain’s 2008 presidential run, compared the memo to Geraldo Rivera’s infamous 1986 TV show about the discovery of Al Capone’s “secret” safe. When the safe was opened on the much-hyped live show, there was nothing in it.

MSNBC

“For those of us of a certain age, we remember the big nothing burger of Geraldo and Al Capone’s safe,” he said (watch the video above). “And so this memo is like Al Capone’s safe and Geraldo — it’s a big nothing.” Then, referring to Fox News, he said that “the difference is when Geraldo opened the safe and there was nothing there, back in those days, there wasn’t a TV network dedicated to telling you that there was great treasure in the empty safe. Now there is.”

Wallace noted, ironically, that Rivera, a Fox News contributor, was on Sean Hannity’s radio show Thursday, praising the Fox News anchor’s efforts to protect the Trump presidency from Robert Mueller’s investigation.

“Nixon never would have been forced to resign if you existed in your current state back in 1972, ’73, ’74,” Rivera told Hannity. “It’s too bad for Nixon, because nobody like you existed then. I say that because I believe that our prime responsibility now is to unshackle the 45th president of the United States.”

That’s Trump.

“He meant it as a compliment,” Wallace said today on Deadline: White House. “He said, ‘Gosh, Sean, if you were in the media when Nixon was president, he never would have been impeached.’ So this idea that with a wing of the media – state-run media essentially, functioning to sort of obscure and cover up and distort the reality” of the ongoing Russian probe.

Another guest on the show, advertising executive Donny Deutsch, former host of CNBC’s The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, said that the time for analysis is over – that there are a “dozen instances of clearly the Russians colluding in this election with top Trump officials. Two have already been convicted.” He added, “We have a president who is clearly owned by Putin.”

“Our democracy is under siege,” he said. “People need to start taking to the streets. This is a dictator. This is not something to analyze anymore. This is frightening. …We need a revolution here.”

In the meantime, Deutsch said: “Trump is winning. This crazy, wacky guy is winning. This orange, poofy-haired guy is winning.”

FILED UNDER: TV Breaking News Politics TV News Deadline White House Donny Deutsch FISA memo
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MADDOW BLOG
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show

3/2/18
UN report to show North Korea dodging sanctions with Russian help
Richard Engel reports on how Russian ships out of Vladivostok evade detection to secretly transport cargo to and from North Korea in violation of international sanctions. Duration: 16:24


3/2/18
US academics track North Korea nuclear progress with public data
Richard Engel visits The Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, where academics use publicly available maps and media, and a lot of creative problem solving, to assess North Korea's progress toward nuclear weapon capability. Duration: 9:41


3/2/18
Harrowing escape from North Korea leads to activism for freedom
Richard Engel speaks with a young woman who risked her life to escape the propaganda and oppression of living in North Korea and has now become an activist for freedom and better lives for those she left behind. Duration: 5:56


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 3/1/18
Trump nepotism causes strain within White House, security risks
Rachel Maddow looks at the strife within the White House as Donald Trump's top White House staff come into conflict with unqualified family members Trump hired. Duration: 16:37


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 3/1/18
Mueller appears to be working on Trump Russia collusion question
Rep. Adam Schiff talks with Rachel Maddow about indications that special counsel Robert Mueller is preparing to engage the matter of the Russian hacking of Democratic e-mails and the central question of Trump campaign collusion with Russia. Duration: 10:31


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 3/1/18
ACLU fights anti-abortion Trump appointee on undocumented minors
Brigitte Amiri, senior staff attorney for the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, talks with Rachel Maddow about the legal fight against Trump appointee Scott Lloyd, director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, who is obstructing pregnant undocumented minors ... more Duration: 12:41


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 3/1/18
Maddow proud to announce first New York Times crossword puzzle!
Rachel Maddow alerts viewers that Friday's New York Times crossword puzzle bears her name in the byline. Duration: 2:36


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 2/28/18
Loans to Kushner business followed meetings at White House: NYT
Jesse Drucker, business and taxes reporter for The New York Times, talks with Rachel Maddow about new reporting that companies loaned hundreds of millions of dollars to the Kushner family business after meeting with Kushner at the White House. Duration: 15:06