2020 American Political Scene

[JRT]

While we witness POTUS-45 Trump's ongoing malevolent influence operations in his disinformation campaign in his war against truth... Here are three videos of Ben Nimmo on the subject of opposing disinformation campaigns.
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Ben Nimmo on defending against online disinformation campaigns
Brookings Institution
22 May 2020
Ben Nimmo, director of investigations at Graphika, discusses how to defend against online disinformation campaigns.

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How to kill a disinformation narrative: is fact-checking enough?
The Trilateral Commission
20 June 2019
Ben Nimmo, Senior Fellow for Information Defense, Digital Forensic Research Lab, Atlantic Council

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DisinfoWeek Brussels 2019 Storyteller: Ben Nimmo
AtlanticCouncil
12 March 2019
Ben Nimmo, Senior Fellow for Information Defense, Digital Forensic Research Lab, Atlantic Council

[Gun Boat]

It would seem there is mounting evidence that voter fraud won the election for Biden. What a scandal! (if it's true).

[TopHatter]

It would seem there is mounting evidence that voter fraud won the election for Biden. What a scandal! (if it's true).

Are...are you being facetious?

[JRT]

It would seem that Trump has raked in $207.5 million in donations into his slushfund in the month after the election.

Losing And Complaining Is The Most Lucrative Scam Of Trump's Presidency

04 December 2020
(aired 05 December)

Rachel Maddow shows that Donald Trump has finally figured out how to make real money off his position as U.S. president, ironically, by losing his bid for re-election and manipulating his supporters into giving him hundreds of millions of dollars to complain about it.

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[JRT]

Congressional leaders push back on NDAA veto threats

by Lauren C. Williams
02 December 2020

The House Armed Services Committee announced Dec. 2 that both the Senate and House have reached agreement over the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act.

Lawmakers appear united in deflecting veto threats coming from the White House.

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the final bill will not include a repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act – a measure sought by President Donald Trump.

The proposed repeal, "has nothing to do with the military," Inhofe told reporters on Dec. 2. "That's not a part of the bill."

On Dec. 1, Trump said on Twitter that "if the very dangerous [and] unfair Section 230 is not completely terminated as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), I will be forced to unequivocally VETO the Bill when sent to the very beautiful Resolute desk. Take back America NOW. Thank you!"

Rep. Adam Smith, House Armed Services Committee chairman, fired back at the president on Twitter saying that the issue of Section 230 wasn't in either the House or Senate version of the 2021 NDAA. Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), the ranking member for the House Armed Services Committee, pushed for the bill's bipartisan support in a separate statement.

The president's latest NDAA veto threat also follows an earlier threat over a plan to rename bases U.S. military bases named for Confederate leaders. Trump wants to block the renaming, which has been a sticking point for the congressional defense committees. The requirement to rename the bases in included in the conferenced version of the bill announced today.

Funding deadline
Separately, the Dec. 11 deadline to pass an appropriations package or a new continuing resolution to fund the government is looming. The Navy is worried about potential multi billion-dollar costs of stopgap funding and is seeking a full appropriation for fiscal year 2021.

"Here in the Senate we've got a number of important bills that we're trying to finish up prior to the end of this Congress: both the COVID relief bill, the NDAA, and a final appropriations bill. Importantly, that's going to have military appropriations but it's not for sure that we're going to get there," Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Chairman Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) said at a Dec. 2 hearing.

When asked about the potential impact of another continuing resolution, Adm. Michael Gilday, the Chief of Naval Operations, said the effects are "cumulative over time" starting with $1 billion that hit operations and maintenance accounts for a 72-day CR. At six months, "we have decisions to make with respect to moving money around" such as with next steps for procuring aircraft carriers and a potential hit to military and personnel accounts.

Gilday said, "you begin to see the effects more acutely in those accounts as well where you cannot hire the people you want to hire in numbers to get to where you want to be at the end of the fiscal year."

A 12-month CR, he said, would cost the Navy $18 billion and have "significant impact" on modernization and investments in the future as some maintenance dollars go towards networking infrastructure. Gilday wrote in his prepared testimony that funding for shore readiness also covers "cyber infrastructure protection for our ashore and deployed units."

"Protecting our networked fleet also requires building cyber security and resilience into our platforms. To meet this end, PB-21 requests over $1 billion to protect our forces from intrusions and will ensure that we can fight through and recover from cyber-attacks," Gilday wrote.

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger said his biggest worry was modernization. "We have gotten by so far on this CR on readiness, without any negative impacts. It will begin to impact going into the next few months," Berger said. "My major concern is modernization" which needs new start initiatives that get paused under continuing resolutions.

"If we don't have the appropriations bill on time, you're going to delay the modernization of the Marine Corps and to the detriment of our readiness is going to be, for us, sort of a double whammy. Not a good picture."

Those sentiments were supported in a newly released Government Accountability report highlighting the Navy and Marine Corps' ongoing readiness and management challenges, including sufficient training for personnel.

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[Albany Rifles]

A lot of Air Force officers on Twitter are dragging the shit out of O'Grady and what a complete and utter idiot he is.

They all agree the best thing he ever did for himself was get his ass blown out of the sky.

[DOR]

How close was the election?

Six votes. 0.000015%. of the nearly four million votes cast.

No, not that election. The one for Iowa's second congressional district.

Republican Marianette Miller-Meeks was certified as the winner over Democrat Rita Hart. But, Ms Hart is appealing to the US House of Representatives' House Administration Committee – which actually has jurisdiction over who its members are – on the basis of 30+ ballots that have not been counted. The committee's authority covers election of the President, Vice President, Members, Senators, Delegates, or the Resident Commissioner; corrupt practices; contested elections; credentials and qualifications; and Federal elections generally.

(They're also in charge of the Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, Congressional Record, and the United States Botanic Garden.)




https://www.kcci.com/article/miller-...house/34877746

[TopHatter]

A lot of Air Force officers on Twitter are dragging the shit out of O'Grady and what a complete and utter idiot he is.

They all agree the best thing he ever did for himself was get his ass blown out of the sky.

I didn't want to point that out, but yeah, apparently he couldn't have f--cked up any worse, right down to running toward the Marine TRAP team waving his M9 around.

[Albany Rifles]

I didn't want to point that out, but yeah, apparently he couldn't have f--cked up any worse, right down to running toward the Marine TRAP team waving his M9 around.

GEM Michael Hayden was REALLY saying what a clown he was.

He was "encouraged" to leave active duty not long after as his evaluations to that point were less than "optimal".

[TopHatter]

GEM Michael Hayden was REALLY saying what a clown he was.

He was "encouraged" to leave active duty not long after as his evaluations to that point were less than "optimal".

Sounds like one of Trump's "Best People": Incompetent & Sycophantic. No wonder he got hired.

[JRT]

State Police raid former Florida data scientist Rebekah Jones

Published on 07 December 2020

The home of former Florida Department of Health data scientist Rebekah Jones was raided Monday, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirmed after Jones posted video of the encounter with police on social media.

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Florida Agents Raid Home Of Rebekah Jones, Former State Data Scientist

08 December 2020
by Bill Chappell

Rebekah Jones says Florida law enforcement agents seized electronic devices from her home in retaliation for her sharing COVID-19 data — and criticizing the state's pandemic response.

Florida law enforcement agents searched the home of former state data scientist Rebekah Jones on Monday, entering her house with weapons drawn as they carried out a warrant as part of an investigation into an unauthorized message that was sent on a state communications system.

"At 8:30 am this morning, state police came into my house and took all my hardware and tech," Jones said via Twitter. She added, "They were serving a warrant on my computer after DOH filed a complaint."

The Florida Department of Health is the agency that fired Jones in May, after she helped create the state's COVID-19 dashboard.

Jones has said she lost her job after she refused requests to manipulate data to suggest Florida was ready to ease coronavirus restrictions. A spokesperson for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at the time that she "exhibited a repeated course of insubordination during her time with the department."

The search warrant was authorized as investigators tried to learn who sent a chat message to a planning group on an emergency alert platform, urging people to speak out publicly about Florida's coronavirus strategies.

The message stated, "it's time to speak up before another 17,000 people are dead," according to member station WFSU, citing the probable cause affidavit. The message continued, "You know this is wrong. You don't have to be a part of this. Be a hero. Speak out before it's too late."

Jones posted a short video of the raid online Tuesday, showing several agents entering her home, carrying pistols and at least one rifle. In the footage, Jones tells them that her husband and two children are in the house.

"Police! Come down now!" an agent shouts.

As the agents enter, one points their weapon upstairs. Jones says the agents pointed a gun at her and at her children.

It's not clear from the video whether agents pointed a gun at Jones' family members. The top of stairs are not in view.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Rick Swearingen denies Jones' assertion, issuing a statement about the raid that states, "At no time were weapons pointed at anyone in the home."

Swearingen also says Jones initially refused to answer her door and hung up on agents who called her about the pending search.

Jones calls the raid on her home an act of retaliation for her persistent criticisms of how Florida has handled the pandemic. She accuses DeSantis of being focused more on political concerns than stopping the coronavirus.

"They took my phone and the computer I use every day to post the case numbers in Florida, and school cases for the entire country," she said via Twitter. "They took evidence of corruption at the state level. They claimed it was about a security breach. This was DeSantis. He sent the gestapo."

Swearingen says the search warrant stemmed from a complaint by the Department of Health, "that a person illegally hacked into their emergency alert system."

The court affidavit says the rogue message was sent to a state planning group, in which all users "share the same username and password." It adds that investigators were able to trace the Nov. 10 message to an IP address that is affiliated with Jones' Comcast account.

The affidavit adds that anyone who is no longer part of an agency involved in the planning group "are no longer authorized to access the multi-user group."

Jones says that despite the raid, she was not arrested or charged with a crime. But she has started a Go Fund Me page, asking for donations to pay for a new computer and "a hell of a good lawyer." She is also seeking help in finding a new job in another state.

Jones insists that Monday's search is another phase in her lingering dispute with the state, saying via Twitter, "This is what happens to scientists who do their job honestly. This is what happens to people who speak truth to power."

After being fired from her job as a geographic information system manager, Jones created her own dashboard for reporting coronavirus information called Florida COVID Action, offering data and information about testing options. When she launched the platform, a state Department of Health spokesperson defended the state's dashboard and suggested that Jones' version included unreliable data.

She is also involved in another project, the Covid Monitor, which focuses on coronavirus in schools.

Jones says the raid and the seizure of her computer and other devices won't stop her work in tracking and reporting COVID-19 data. And she urged state officials to focus on easing the pandemic's horrible effects on Florida's citizens.

"DeSantis needs to worry less about what I'm writing about, and more about the people who are sick and dying in his state," Jones told CNN's Chris Cuomo. "And doing this to me will not stop me from reporting the data."

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[DOR]

...

This is why my wife woke up livid this morning -- guns in the face of children is a chickenshit way to try to intimidate whistle blowers.

[TopHatter]

This is why my wife woke up livid this morning -- guns in the face of children is a chickenshit way to try to intimidate whistle blowers.

[TopHatter]

House Passes Defense Bill Overwhelmingly, Defying Trump’s Veto Threat
The $741 billion measure passed with a veto-proof majority, setting up a potential showdown with President Trump in the final weeks of his term.

WASHINGTON — The House overwhelmingly passed a $741 billion defense policy bill on Tuesday that would require that Confederate names be stripped from American military bases, defying President Trump’s veto threat and moving lawmakers one step closer to a potential showdown in his final weeks in office.

The 335-78 bipartisan vote to approve the legislation that authorizes pay raises for American troops reflected optimism among lawmakers in both parties that Congress would be able to force the enactment of the bill over Mr. Trump’s objections, in what would be the first veto override of his presidency. The margin surpassed the two-thirds majority both the House and Senate would need to muster to do so.

It also amounted to a remarkable break from the president by Republicans, who refused to defer to Mr. Trump’s desire to derail the critical bill as his time in the White House comes to a close.

“Today the House sent a strong, bipartisan message to the American people: Our service members and our national security are more important than politics,” said Representative Adam Smith, Democrat of Washington and the chairman of the Armed Services Committee.

Congress has succeeded in passing the military bill each year for 60 years, with lawmakers in both parties relishing the opportunity to project strength on national security issues and support for the military. But Mr. Trump’s objections have threatened to upend that tradition, as he has warned since the summer that he would veto the bill.

He did so at first over the mandate — broadly supported by lawmakers in both parties in both chambers, as well as at the Pentagon — that the Defense Department strip the names of Confederate figures from military bases. More recently, Mr. Trump has shifted the focus of his threat, demanding that the bill include an unrelated repeal of a legal shield for social media companies.

“I hope House Republicans will vote against the very weak National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which I will VETO,” Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter on Tuesday in the hours before the vote. “Must include a termination of Section 230 (for National Security purposes), preserve our National Monuments, & allow for 5G & troop reductions in foreign lands!”

All but 40 Republicans — many of whom oppose the defense bill each year as a matter of principle — disregarded that appeal. Mr. Trump’s late demand to include the sweeping rollback of legal protections for social media companies in the military bill has divided his party. Some Republican leaders have publicly described the move as untenable and privately called it unreasonable.

Senator James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, has said he will try to override a veto and has been privately lobbying the president to support the bill. But while Representative Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California and the minority leader, said on Tuesday that he would support the measure, he told reporters he would not vote to override an eventual veto, suggesting that members of the president’s own party should not join such an effort.

“Section 230 needs to get done,” Mr. McCarthy said, referring to the repeal of the legal liability for social media companies.

Senior lawmakers shepherding the legislation have hoped that mustering a veto-proof majority in favor of it would cow Mr. Trump into signing the bill. But they privately conceded that the president’s mercurial nature made it difficult to predict what he might do.

The sheer willingness of Republican leaders to mow over Mr. Trump’s objections — after initially laboring for weeks to try to accommodate them — was a stark departure from the deference the president has normally received on Capitol Hill from his own party. It underscored lawmakers’ impatience with Mr. Trump’s attempt to derail the national security measure over a social media provision that has nothing to do with it.

“As important as this issue is, it falls outside the jurisdiction of this bill, and deserves its own domain, and a separate vote,” said Representative Don Bacon, Republican of Nebraska and a member of the Armed Services Committee. “Do you think you’ll get a better bill in two months? The answer is no.”

The legislation contains a number of noncontroversial, bipartisan measures, including new benefits for tens of thousands of Vietnam-era veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange, a 3 percent increase in pay for service members and a boost in hazardous duty incentive pay.

But it also includes a slew of measures pushed by Democrats that were expressly intended to constrain some of the impulses that Mr. Trump displayed during his time in office. One Democrat, Representative Eliot L. Engel of New York, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, voted present.

The bill would take steps to slow or block Mr. Trump’s planned drawdown of American troops from Germany and Afghanistan, and would make it more difficult for the president to deploy military personnel to the southern border. Lawmakers also included language that would compel the president to impose new sanctions against Turkey for its purchase of a Russian antiaircraft missile system, a step Mr. Trump has been reluctant to take despite the urging of lawmakers in both parties.

The legislation also directly addresses the protests for racial justice spurred over the summer by the killing of Black Americans, including George Floyd, at the hands of the police. It would require all federal officers enforcing crowd control at protests and demonstrations to identify themselves and their agencies. And it contains the bipartisan measure that directs the Pentagon to begin the process of renaming military bases named after Confederate leaders, a provision that Democrats fought to keep in the bill.

“We cannot ask today’s young servicewomen and men to defend our nation, while housing and training them and their families on bases honoring those who betrayed our country in order to enslave others,” said Representative Anthony G. Brown, Democrat of Maryland, and one of the sponsors of the provision. “America’s proudest achievements are defined by men and women who expanded the promise of freedom. That’s the history and those are the people we should honor.”

The legislation is slated to be considered this week in the Senate, where it is expected to pass overwhelmingly before it is sent to the president’s desk.

If Mr. Trump were to follow through with his threatened veto, the House would be the first to try at an override.
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The GOP finally finds its balls (barely). Some of them, anyway.

Let's see just how much Trump gives a damn about the military...

[Albany Rifles]

__________
The GOP finally finds its balls (barely). Some of them, anyway.

Let's see just how much Trump gives a damn about the country.

Fixed it