oldephartte(in training)

Media Monarchy

#PumpUpThaVolume: March 3, 2017 - Media Monarchy plays Robyn Hitchcock, Fufanu, Spaceface and more on #PumpUpThaVolume for March 3, 2017. ♬3 Mar

#MorningMonarchy: March 3, 2017 - Pleasing the crown, catfight films and more magazine time + this day in history w/the Rodney King beating and our song of the day by The Drums on your Morning Monarchy for March 3, 2017.3 Mar

#MagazineTime: Kinks In Mono, T2, RTJ - This month's flip through disposable media listens to the Kinks they way they intended and wonders if anyone has seen 'Trainspotting 2'.3 Mar

#NewWorldNextWeek: Cocaine Importation Agency, Wendy’s Daleks, Less TV In US (Audio) - This week on the New World Next Week: Pablo Escobar's son says his dad ran drugs for the CIA; Wendy's lays off 1,000 minimum wage workers for automatic kiosks; and Americans have fewer TVs on average than when we started making this show.2 Mar

#NewWorldNextWeek: Americans Are Ditching Their TVs in Record Numbers. Here’s What They’re Watching. (Video) - This week on the New World Next Week: Pablo Escobar's son says his dad ran drugs for the CIA; Wendy's lays off 1,000 minimum wage workers for automatic kiosks; and Americans have fewer TVs on average than when we started making this show.2 Mar

#PumpUpThaVolume: March 2, 2017 - Media Monarchy plays Sea Hive, Oceans Are Zeroes, Analogue Wave and more on #PumpUpThaVolume for March 2, 2017. ♬2 Mar

#MorningMonarchy: March 2, 2017 - Mass meditations, sex slaves and the next march + this day in history w/Charlie Chaplin's body and our song of the day by Presentable Corpse on your Morning Monarchy for March 2, 2017.2 Mar

#PumpUpThaVolume: March 1, 2017 - Media Monarchy plays Mountain God, William Matheny, Sam Roberts and more on #PumpUpThaVolume for March 1, 2017. ♬1 Mar

#MorningMonarchy: March 1, 2017 - Seed vaults, clean eating and soda taxes + this day in history w/the Capitol bombing and our song of the day by William Matheny on your Morning Monarchy for March 1, 2017.1 Mar

“Living Half to Death” w/William Matheny - Fellow West Virginia boy William Matheny pulled into DC for a show and then called us up to talk about the new record, 'Strange Constellations'. The West By God connections run pretty deep on this talk about life, grandpas, collect calls and free beer.28 Feb

NATO Latest News

NATO Military Committee in Georgia to take stock of the implementation of Substantial NATO-Georgia Package - For the second time since 2014, the NATO Military Committee visited Georgia. During the two-day trip (2 & 3 March), NATO’s Military Representatives met with the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package (SNGP) team to receive a progress report, visited the Joint NATO-Georgia Training and Evaluation Centre (JTEC) and observed a pre-deployment training demonstration of Georgian troops. The Military Committee and its Chairman, General Petr Pavel, also visited the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL).3 Mar

Visit to NATO by the Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of Sweden - NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will meet with the Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of Sweden, H.E. Mr. Peter Hultqvist at NATO Headquarters on Monday, 6 March 2017.3 Mar

Visit to NATO by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt - NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt, H.E. Mr. Sameh Shoukry at NATO Headquarters on Monday, 6 March 2017.3 Mar

NATO Deputy Secretary General to visit London - The NATO Deputy Secretary General, Ms. Rose Gottemoeller will travel to London on Monday, 6 March 2017.3 Mar

Secretary General: Switzerland is a valued NATO partner - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed the value of the Alliance’s partnership with Switzerland during a visit to Bern and Geneva on Wednesday and Thursday (1-2 March 2017).2 Mar

Release of the NATO Secretary General's Annual Report for 2016 - The Secretary General will hold a press conference at NATO Headquarters on Monday 13 March 2017 at 12:30. On this occasion, the Secretary General’s Annual Report for 2016 will be released to the public.1 Mar

NATO Secretary General stresses value of partnership with Switzerland - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will stress the importance of the partnership between NATO and Switzerland during a two-day visit to Bern and Geneva (1-2 March 2017).1 Mar

NATO Secretary General to visit Switzerland (revised) - The NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will visit Bern and Geneva on Wednesday, 1 March and Thursday, 2 March 2017.28 Feb

Statement by the NATO Secretary General on the explosions at the Kragujevac Military Facility - I am saddened to hear of the explosions at the Kragujevac Military Facility in Serbia, which resulted in the death of at least one person, with many others injured or missing. My thoughts and deep sympathy are with all those affected and with the Serbian people.28 Feb

Statement by the NATO Spokesperson Oana Lungescu on developments along administrative boundary lines in Georgia - I am concerned by the announced closure of two crossing points along the administrative boundary line of the Abkhazia region of Georgia. Closing these crossing points, which are used daily by hundreds of citizens, will have a negative impact on the situation on ground and stability in the region. It will restrict freedom of movement, affecting the livelihoods of local residents.28 Feb

National Post

Ontario judge lets suspected drunk driver walk over ‘inexcusable’ 10-minute breathalyzer delay - Police officers are on notice to hustle with their breathalyzers, now that an Ontario judge has acquitted an accused drunk driver because of “a constitutionally inexcusable delay of approximately 10 minutes.” At issue is the meaning of the word “forthwith,” an archaic synonym for “immediately,” which the Criminal Code sets as the standard for how quickly a breath test must be administered after a police officer develops reasonable suspicion of drunk driving. The law does not set a number of minutes, but as the ruling by Judge Melvyn Green concludes, unless there is some unusual problem like safety concerns at the roadside, ten or eleven minutes is not “forthwith.” For a police officer to take that long to obtain a bodily sample, in the absence of a judge’s order or a call to a lawyer, violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the judge ruled. RelatedPolice force that makes women remove bras for breathalyzers and bail hearings to review policyNew ‘textalyzer’ device would let cops determine if a phone was being used at the time of a car accident In this case, the judge refused to admit a test taken later at the police station showing a blood alcohol level as much as double the legal limit, and with no other evidence against him, the accused walked free. Hugo Buenrostro-Ramirez, in his late 20s, was having an argument with his girlfriend Jasmine Ruiz as he drove his BMW in Toronto late one night in September 2014. They had been at his apartment. Ruiz was “pretty loaded,” as the judge put it, on tequila, vodka and Jägermeister. She did not know what he had to drink, other than a tequila and juice she mixed for him. As they drove to a friend’s house, she said she had forgotten her purse, which led to a “heavy argument.” She testified she suspected she may have been a “distraction” to him, and was facing him from the passenger seat when he failed to stop at a red light and slammed into the back of a Dodge, driven by Andrasne Mida, with her husband Andras. What happened next was clearly recorded by police dashcam videos. Officer Rachid Saib, who had served with Toronto Police for six years but was working his first shift on traffic patrol, was the first to notice possible signs of impairment, including talkativeness and a “medium” smell of alcohol. That prompted Saib to say, informally, “We’re going to put a test on you,” which set the clock ticking. Buenrostro-Ramirez mentioned the argument, which apparently triggered Saib’s concern about possible domestic violence. “For a whole variety of reasons, some of which will remain a bit of a mystery to me forever, the officer ended up doing all sorts of things and wasting all sorts of time and asking repeatedly the same questions,” said David Burke, Buenrostro-Ramirez’s lawyer. Saib could have given the breath test in about a minute, Burke said, but instead was asking where Buenrostro-Ramirez’s license was and what he had been drinking. The Crown argued that, by this point, Saib was “riding two horses,” by investigating both a possible drunk driver and a possible domestic assault, and so a delay in administering the breathalyzer was justified. But the judge did not agree. He found the officer’s questions were “inessential,” and the delay in giving the test was “not so much a product of divided investigative loyalties as it was his own indifference to his statutory and constitutional obligations.” As he put it, the arresting officer was “off on his own unfounded frolic. He may have believed he was ‘doing the right thing’ but his belief had no basis in shared reality.” National Post • Email: jbrean@nationalpost.com | Twitter: josephbrean53 min

It’s all in the tail: New theory for why some dinosaurs evolved to stand on two feet - Scott Persons / CPA skeleton of the proto-dinosaur Marasuchus, is shown in this undated handout photo. The proto-dinosaur Marasuchus is a squirrel-sized carnivore that likely walked on all fours but ran on two legs. Paleontologists at the University of Alberta have a new theory for why some dinosaurs stood on two feet instead of four. EDMONTON — Paleontologists at the University of Alberta have a new theory explaining why some dinosaurs stood on two feet instead of four — their ancestors’ need for speed. Earlier creatures called proto-dinosaurs originally walked on all fours, but at one point evolved to stand upright. That trait was passed on to their much larger dinosaur descendants. The going theory had been that proto-dinosaurs became bipedal so that their forelimbs were free to catch prey. Scott Persons, lead author of a paper published this month in The Journal of Theoretical Biology, said that theory doesn’t stand up. “While that works for some of the very, very early dinosaurs, which were certainly carnivorous, you see a bunch of herbivorous dinosaurs evolve later on and a good many of those groups actually keep their bipedal stance, which is a little strange,” said Persons. The key, he said, were strong muscles at the base of the tail that helped power the hind legs of the proto-dinosaurs, which enabled them to run faster and further. RelatedThese 3.77-billion-year-old fossils discovered in Canada could be earliest evidence of life on EarthA 466 million-year-old space collision is still raining shrapnel down on EarthA recent discovery suggests peppers and potatoes may have existed when dinosaurs roamed the earth Back legs evolved to become longer, while front limbs became shorter to reduce body weight and improve balance. Some proto-dinosaurs gave up walking on all fours entirely. Later on, some dinosaurs reverted back to a four-legged stance. These were primarily creatures with heavy horns and plates around their heads that would have made it tough to balance upright. Herbivores evolved over time to have bigger guts to break down cellulose in the plants they ate. “That means you’re adding on weight to the front half of the animal and so that tends to tip you down. It’s harder to balance on just your back legs,” said Persons. “In the groups where speed was no longer a concern, they often went back to being quadrapedal.” Researchers also looked at why today’s fast-moving mammals, such as horses and cheetahs, don’t stand upright. In the Permian period about 250 million years ago, it seems some animals started losing the lizards’ leg-powering tail muscles. Around that time, many creatures were becoming burrowers, so they needed strong front limbs for digging. Hefty back legs and a big tail would have made it tough to manoeuvre underground and easier for a predator to snatch them. Researchers theorize that living underground may have helped those proto-mammals survive a mass extinction. Their descendants would have evolved to run fast, but without the tail muscles that would have caused them to stand upright. While today’s lizards tend to move around on all fours, vestiges of their ancient bipedal relatives remain in some species. The basilisk lizard that lives in Central and South American rainforests can run upright on water, earning it the nickname “Jesus Lizard.” “That’s a really funny and strange adaptation. Why would you choose to use just one set of limbs to help you run away when you’re most desperate? And the answer has to do with that great big tail muscle,” said Persons. “It effectively sort of overpowers the back legs relative to the front legs. What the lizards are effectively doing is popping a wheelie as they speed off.”15:32

Tens of thousands of U.S. immigration detainees claim they were forced into labour for $1 a day - Tens of thousands of immigrants detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were forced to work for $1 day, or for nothing at all – a violation of federal anti-slavery laws – a lawsuit claims. The lawsuit, filed in 2014 against one of the largest private prison companies in the country, reached class-action status this week after a federal judge’s ruling. That means the case could involve as many as 60,000 immigrants who have been detained. It’s the first time a class-action lawsuit accusing a private U.S. prison company of forced labour has been allowed to move forward. “That’s obviously a big deal; it’s recognizing the possibility that a government contractor could be engaging in forced labour,” said Nina DiSalvo, executive director of Towards Justice, a Colorado-based nonprofit group that represents low-wage workers, including undocumented immigrants. “Certification of the class is perhaps the only mechanism by which these vulnerable individuals who were dispersed across the country and across the world would ever be able to vindicate their rights.” At the heart of the dispute is the Denver Contract Detention Facility, a 1,500-bed center in Aurora, Colorado, owned and operated by GEO Group under a contract with ICE. The Florida-based corporation runs facilities to house immigrants who are awaiting their turn in court. The lawsuit, filed against GEO Group on behalf of nine immigrants, initially sought more than $5 million in damages. Attorneys expect the damages to grow substantially given the case’s new class-action status. The class-action ruling by U.S. District Judge John Kane means that as many as 60,000 current and former detainees at the detention facility in Aurora are now part of the lawsuit without having to actively join as plaintiffs, said Andrew Free, one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys The lead plaintiff in the case is, in fact, a permanent resident of the U.S., and attorneys expect “a significant portion of the class will fit that bill.” The original nine plaintiffs claim that detainees at the ICE facility are forced to work without pay – and that those who refuse to do so are threatened with solitary confinement. John Moore/Getty ImagesUndocumented immigrants wait to be loaded onto an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), charter jet early on October 15, 2015 in Mesa, Arizona. The immigrants were to be flown to other states for follow-on ICE deportation flights to the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America. ICE builds deportation cases against thousands of undocumented immigrants, many of whom, they say, have criminal records. The number of ICE detentions and deportations has dropped in the last two years since some states adopted laws limiting how state law enforcement agencies cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Specifically, the lawsuit claims, six detainees are selected at random every day and are forced to clean the facility’s housing units. The lawsuit claims that the practice violates the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which prohibits modern-day slavery. “Forced labour is a particular violation of the statute that we’ve alleged,” Free said. “Whether you’re calling it forced labour or slavery, the practical reality for the plaintiffs is much the same. You’re being compelled to work against your will under the threat of force or use of force.” GEO Group also is accused of violating Colorado’s minimum wage laws by paying detainees $1 day instead of the state’s minimum wage of about $9 an hour. The company “unjustly enriched” itself through the cheap labour of detainees, the lawsuit says. None of the original nine plaintiffs are still detained at the facility, DiSalvo said. John Moore/Getty ImagesA man is detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), agents early on October 14, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. The class-action ruling by Kane, a senior judge in the U.S. District Court in Colorado, came at a critical time, DiSalvo said, noting President Donald Trump’s pledge to deport 2 million to 3 million undocumented immigrants. Advocates say private prison companies that have government contracts stand to benefit significantly from the president’s hard-line policy of detaining and deporting a massive number of immigrants “That means you need to round up and detain more people in order to determine whether they have the rights to stay in this country before you deport them,” DiSalvo said. “More people could be moving through, not just in the Aurora facility. More people could be subjected to GEO’s forced labour policy.” Notably, the stocks of the two biggest private prison operators, Geo Group and CoreCivic (formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America), have surged since Trump’s election. The companies donated a total of $500,000 to Trump’s inaugural festivities, USA Today reported. Since Trump took office, his administration has reversed the Obama administration’s policy to end the country’s reliance on private prisons. John Moore/Getty ImagesAn undocumented immigrant is led towards an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), charter jet early on October 15, 2015 in Mesa, Arizona. GEO Group has strongly denied the lawsuit’s allegations and argued in court records that pay of $1 a day does not violate any laws. “We intend to continue to vigorously defend our company against these claims,” GEO Group spokesman Pablo Paez said in a statement. “The volunteer work program at immigration facilities as well as the wage rates and standards associated with the program are set by the Federal government. Our facilities, including the Aurora, Colo. Facility, are highly rated and provide high-quality services in safe, secure, and humane residential environments pursuant to the Federal Government’s national standards.” Jennifer D. Elzea, acting press sectrary for ICE, said she couldn’t comment on the litigation because “ICE is not specifically a party in this suit.” Under ICE’s Voluntary Work Program, detainees sign up to work and are paid $1 a day. The nationwide program, ICE says, “provides detainees opportunities to work and earn money while confined, subject to the number of work opportunities available and within the constraints of the safety, security and good order of the facility.” Just slapping the word ‘volunteer’ in front of ‘work program’ doesn’t exempt the prison firm from paying legally mandated wages any more than McDonald’s can use ‘volunteer’ senior citizens and pay them Big Macs Detainees work for up to eight hours a day, 40 hours a week, cleaning bathrooms, showers, toilets, windows, patient rooms and staff offices, waxing floors, and preparing and serving meals. ICE says detainees “shall be able to volunteer for work assignments but otherwise shall not be required to work, except to do personal housekeeping.” Jacqueline Stevens, who runs Northwestern University’s Deportation Research Clinic, said the program does not meet the criteria for what qualifies as volunteer work under labour laws. “Just slapping the word ‘volunteer’ in front of ‘work program’ doesn’t exempt the prison firm from paying legally mandated wages any more than McDonald’s can use ‘volunteer’ senior citizens and pay them Big Macs,” said Stevens, whose research about the volunteer work program prompted the lawsuit. John Moore/Getty ImagesA man is detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), agents early on October 14, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. ICE agents said the undocumented immigrant was a convicted criminal and gang member who had previously been deported to Mexico and would be again. Prison labour, Stevens added, has two purposes: to punish prisoners after they’ve been convicted of a crime and to rehabilitate them. Those don’t apply to immigrant detainees who have not been convicted of a crime. “There’s no ostensible purpose to rehabilitate them,” Stevens said. “They’re just waiting for a court date in order to clarify their immigration status. Some don’t end up being deported.” Free, one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys, said there are alternatives to detaining immigrants while they wait for their day in court. That includes supervision programs and community monitoring. “That’s much cheaper than spending double the current cost of detention,” Free said, adding that not incarcerating them would ensure they’re able to find attorneys and attend their immigration hearings. “The for-profit prisons are a policy choice against due process in immigration courts and against access to counsel and against positive outcomes to immigrants who have valid claims.” RelatedCBSA union president says border is like ‘Swiss cheese,’ calls for patrol forceTrump touts immigration raids as effective ‘military operation’ in meeting with major manufacturersPolicy memos reveal how Trump plans to crack down on 11 million illegal immigrants In 2014, GEO Group filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing in court records that Colorado’s minimum wage law does not apply to immigrant detainees. “Detainees are not whom the minimum wage laws were intended to protect. The minimum wage law was enacted in Colorado to ensure wages are adequate to ‘supply the necessary cost of living and to maintain the health of workers so employed,’ ” the attorneys argued, quoting the state statute. The company further argued that the Trafficking Victims Protection Act is inapplicable because the law is meant to prevent human trafficking of people for labour and/or sex. GEO Group, the attorneys wrote, “did not traffic Plaintiffs in the Aurora facility with the purpose of putting them to work.” They added that the detainees are in the custody of immigration officials. In 2015, Kane, the federal judge, partially denied the motion to dismiss. Although he agreed with GEO Group that Colorado’s minimum wage law is inapplicable, he ruled that the other claims can stand. “GEO’s argument was, ‘Even if we are forcing people to work under threat of solitary confinement, that would be allowed,’ ” DiSalvo said. “And the judge said, ‘No it wouldn’t be.’ ” Kane granted class-action status a few days after the Justice Department directed the Bureau of Prisons to, again, use private prisons, a significant shift from the Obama-era policy of significantly reducing – and ultimately ending – their use. In a one-paragraph memo last week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the previous directive to the Bureau of Prisons to either reduce or decline to renew private-prison contracts as they came due, The Washington Post’s Matt Zapotosky reported. “The memorandum changed long-standing policy and practice, and impaired the Bureau’s ability to meet the future needs of the federal correctional system,” Sessions wrote. “Therefore, I direct the Bureau to return to its previous approach.” The original directive from the Obama administration did not apply to immigration detainees.14:38

Under pressure, Cabinet braces for discussion on border-jumpers that planned to cross long before election - OTTAWA — Federal cabinet ministers are set for an in-depth discussion this week of the practical and political pressures being placed on the Liberal government by a rising number of asylum seekers in Canada. Border security, RCMP and immigration officials have been running scenarios to prepare for the possibility that a relative winter trickle of illegal immigration into Canada could turn into a spring flood. The results of their table-top exercises will help form options being put before cabinet Tuesday, The Canadian Press has learned. Officials are also studying links between distinct groups of border-crossers that might belie the common notion they’re all being pushed into Canada by the volatile U.S. political climate. Two government officials confirmed to The Canadian Press that many of the people coming into Quebec hold American visas issued at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Interviews revealed the visas were obtained to use the U.S. as a transit point get to Canada and claim asylum — plans set in motion long before the U.S. election in November, the officials said, neither of whom were authorized to publicly discuss the issue. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson A young man from Yemen is handcuffed by an RCMP officer after crossing the U.S.-Canada border into Canada near Hemmingford, Que., on Friday, February 17, 2017. But it is the pictures of RCMP officers hoisting small children above snow-covered fields along the Canada-U.S. frontier that have drawn global attention and placed political pressure on the Trudeau government from all sides. The Opposition Conservatives are demanding a crackdown, and want those crossing illegally charged with crimes, something the government notes cannot happen until asylum claims are heard. The fact those claims are being fed into a clogged system has others urging the Liberals to put more resources into the refugee-determination process and the agencies that support newcomers. “We are the endpoint,” said Chris Friesen, director of settlement services for the Immigrant Services Society of British Columbia. The Immigration and Refugee Board reported in its last quarterly financial document that in the first nine months of 2016-17, there was a 40-per-cent increase in new claims compared to the same period the previous year. Statistics provided to The Canadian Press show claim levels generally began rising in Canada before U.S. President Donald Trump took office. In fact, the increase seems to have begun just as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took power. In October 2015, the month of the last federal election, 1,519 claims were lodged in Canada. The next month, when the Trudeau Liberals took office, there were 1,647 and — with the exception of two months in 2016 — they have been rising since. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)A mother and child from Turkey wait to be put into a police vehicle by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after they crossed the U.S.-Canada border into Canada, February 23, 2017 in Hemmingford, Quebec. In the past month, hundreds of people have crossed Quebec land border crossings in attempts to seek asylum and claim refugee status in Canada. Trump is pushing people into Canada, but the Trudeau government’s repeated messaging on welcoming diversity and immigration is a pretty strong pull factor, Friesen said. “We are now the beacon of hope for desperate refugees.” In B.C., there has been a 60-per-cent increase in the number of refugee claimants in the last 12 months compared to the previous one-year period. Most are Iraqi Kurds and Afghans, and there were also 18 undocumented Latin Americans from Guatemala, Honduras and Venezuela who recently crossed the Canada-U.S. border, immigration agencies said. The number of Mexican claimants is also starting to rise in B.C., following the end of a requirement for Mexican citizens to have a visa to enter Canada. During the last three months, there were 29 refugee claimants from Mexico, the agencies reported, compared to 30 who arrived between December 2015 and November 2016. Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesA family from Turkey arrives at the edge of Champlain, New York to cross the U.S.-Canada border into Canada, Feb. 23, 2017 in Hemmingford, Quebec. In the past month, hundreds of people have crossed Quebec border crossings in attempts to seek asylum and claim refugee status in Canada. The Immigration and Refugee board is already adjusting to deal with the bigger numbers, but cabinet will consider giving it more resources. Ministers will also consider whether there is room to alter the Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the U.S. The agreement says a refugee claimant must apply for asylum in whichever of the two countries they arrive first — unless they qualify for an exception. It is being singled out as the reason people are avoiding official border stations and crossing into Canada illegally, and there are calls for Ottawa to suspend the agreement. Cabinet’s decision could depend on the next iteration of Trump’s executive order laying out a temporary ban on immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries. The current order has been challenged by the courts and Trump is expected to release a revised version soon. RelatedAs Trump tightens border, U.S. Congress bill would allow snowbirds to stay for an extra two monthsCBSA union president says border is like ‘Swiss cheese,’ calls for patrol forceAfghanistan-born Ontario doctor says he was questioned more than five hours at U.S. border Not much can be done to stop the border-crossers, said Ward Elcock, who advised the former Conservative government on illegal migration after years running Canada’s spy agency. Canada must keep talking to the Americans to find the source of the problem, but the reality is the numbers crossing into Canada remain a fraction of what countries in Europe are seeing, he said. Still, no matter how many enter illegally, some voices will try to make it a political issue. “It is seen as, you didn’t control the flow of people into the country,” Elcock said.14:10

Buying ‘political insulation’: Liberals to call for bids in 2019 for permanent fleet to replace CF-18s - The Liberal government plans to request bids for a new fleet of fighter jets as early as 2019, which would coincide with the next federal election. That move, along with the push by the Liberals to have the first of the interim Super Hornet fighter aircraft delivered by that year, could help blunt criticism about bungled military procurements and delays in buying a new jet, say military insiders and analysts. Public Services and Procurement Canada confirmed the 2019 date for the release to industry of the request for proposals for the permanent fighter fleet. The department also noted the government expects a deal in place by the end of 2017 or early 2018 to acquire the 18 Boeing Super Hornets as an interim measure. The Liberal government has been pushing to get the first of those planes delivered some time in 2019, industry sources say. Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg A model of the Boeing Co. F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft sits on display at company's booth during the Aero India air show at Air Force Station Yelahanka in Bengaluru, India, on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017. Defence analyst Martin Shadwick said such moves could provide political cover for the Liberals. “It could be politically useful in an election year to have both in the works,” said Shadwick, who teaches strategic studies at York University in Toronto. “That’s a pretty good way to buy some political insulation.” Shadwick said if the first Super Hornets arrive during the election year, that in particular would be a tangible event the Liberal government could highlight. The Liberals had promised during the last campaign to purchase a replacement for the CF-18 jet fleet, pointing out that it would go for a cheaper alternative to the controversial F-35 stealth fighter that had been selected by the Conservative government. That’s a pretty good way to buy some political insulation Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan announced in November the government’s decision to begin negotiations to buy 18 Boeing Super Hornets as “interim” fighter jets until a permanent fleet for the existing CF-18 aircraft could be bought. The Liberals said Canada is facing a capability gap because it doesn’t have enough jets to fulfil its military missions, a situation Sajjan has blamed on the previous Conservative government for bungling the project to replace the aging CF-18s. Cpl Gabrielle DesRochers/DNDA Canadian CF-18 Hornet flies beside two Portuguese F16 Flying Falcons over Lithuania on Sept. 15, 2014. The Liberals’ upcoming Defence Policy Review will also contain details on the project to acquire a permanent replacement fleet for the CF-18s. “These requirements will include the number of aircraft needed, the level of in-service support required and the estimated time of delivery,” noted the recently released update from Public Services and Procurement Canada. “Planning for the competition is already underway, and we anticipate a request for proposals will be issued in 2019.” But the Liberal plan to buy the Super Hornets has come under fire from retired Royal Canadian Air Force generals, who say it is too costly. They argue the Liberals should cancel the Super Hornet deal and proceed immediately to a competition to buy permanent replacements for the CF-18s. RelatedForced to resign as RCAF honorary colonel for criticizing Super Hornets, former Tory MP saysLiberals admit ‘interim’ Super Hornet jets may only fly for 12 years, despite costing billionsBulgaria and India are buying new fighter jets — and unlike Canada, it won’t take them 10 years Jordan Owens, a spokeswoman for Sajjan, said the government is continuing with its negotiations on the Super Hornets. “The Royal Canadian Air Force faces a significant challenge because it does not have the number of fighter aircraft available to meet Canada’s NORAD and NATO obligations if called to do so simultaneously,” Owens said. Critics, including the Conservatives and some retired officers, have disputed that position and questioned whether there is such a gap. The Liberals have reversed their position somewhat on the F-35. They now say they will hold an open competition for the permanent fleet of fighter jets and that Lockheed Martin is welcome to propose the F-35. 13:00

Medical marijuana can be effective. But smoking it isn’t and could harm your health, experts warn - VANCOUVER — Not all medicinal marijuana is created equal. That’s what some experts are saying as they warn about the health risks and curtailed effectiveness associated with smoking medicine. As medical pot becomes increasingly mainstream and Canada moves toward legalizing the substance, health experts are emphasizing the need for doctors and patients to consider the sometimes serious side effects linked to the various ways of consuming the drug. Paul Farnan, an addictions specialist at the University of British Columbia, likened a recommendation to smoke medicinal marijuana to a doctor handing out a prescription to light up an opium pipe. “We know there’s something in opium that helps pain, and we’re able to pharmaceutically develop morphine and other analgesics, but we wouldn’t say to people, ‘You have pain? Why don’t you smoke opium?’ ” he said. “We’re kind of saying to people, ‘We think there’s some stuff that cannabinoids will be helpful for. Why don’t you just smoke cannabis?’ First of all, cannabis is actually a really dangerous thing for your lungs.” Mikhail Kogan, medical director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., said he sees no reason for people to smoke marijuana medically anymore. Rectally is actually a lot more preferred because of the volume of absorption It’s difficult to absorb enough of the drug through the lungs, and gastric acids interfere when someone eats it, he said, adding that it’s more effective to take the drug by other means, such as under the tongue. “Rectally is actually a lot more preferred because of the volume of absorption. You can put a lot more and it gets absorbed a lot better, but not everybody is open to this way of administration,” Kogan said. “We have so many other products now, so many modes of delivery, that smoking in my opinion is very archaic and has very little clinical applicability,” he added. Mike DiBattista/Niagara Falls Review/Postmedia Network “Having said that, I think that probably the majority of people still smoke because it’s the most available method.” Health Canada officially recommends against smoking marijuana. “Many of the chemicals found in tobacco smoke are also found in cannabis smoke,” reads its website. The Canadian Medical Association has no formal position on the consumption of medicinal pot, but it officially opposes the inhalation of any burned plant material. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul ChiassonMarc Emery, who owns the Cannabis Culture brand with his wife Jodie, holds a handful of cannabis at the opening of one of their stores Thursday, December 15, 2016, in Montreal. Several other pot dispensaries are set to open in Montreal this week that will be selling marijuana to recreational users, despite federal rules that forbid such shops. Association spokesman Jeff Blackmer added that many physicians are reluctant to prescribe medical marijuana because of the absence of peer-reviewed research into whether the drug is medically effective, its possible side effects, appropriate dosage and more. A “strong majority” of doctors would prefer not to be involved as so-called gatekeepers, Blackmer added. “Most of them hate it,” he said. “This is something that was imposed on us by the government and the majority of physicians do not want to have anything to do with it.” Debra Lynkowski, head of the Canadian Lung Association, urged patients and doctors to take lung health into consideration when discussing medicinal marijuana. RelatedComing soon to a pharmacy near you: CanniMed signs deal with PharmaChoice to distribute medical marijuana — when it’s legalCannabis industry blows smoke at tobacco rules for plain packaging and bans on advertisingCanada’s green rush: In ‘great marijuana arms race,’ producers scramble to cash in on legalization “When you burn something, that combustion releases toxins and carcinogens, and they’re released regardless of what the source is,” she said. “Our primary concern with regard to that is just to be considering any kind of lung health implications.” Colette Rivet, head of the association that represents licensed cannabis producers in Canada, said that while the industry is against smoking medical marijuana, ultimately it can’t restrict what patients do. “We know that there’s an issue with smoking. However, we can’t control it at the patient level,” Rivet said. “We’re trying to develop new product forms so they would be more inclined to go away from that.” (Darren Brown/Ottawa Citizen)Bruce Linton, co-founder, CEO and chairman of Tweed Inc. checks some of his medical marijuana plants at the Smiths Falls facility Friday October 23, 2015. Each licensed producer has its own unique document that physicians fill out when prescribing medical marijuana, which includes a minimum amount of information required by Health Canada, Rivet said. Beyond that, some companies ask whether a patient would prefer dried marijuana or oil, while others don’t, she added. A Health Canada spokesman confirmed that patients are in charge of requesting the form of medical marijuana they prefer, whether dry leaf or oil, and they are not restricted in how they wish to consume it. The sale of edibles is banned, but a June 2015 decision from the Supreme Court of Canada ruled medicinal marijuana patients have the right to prepare their medication however they want, including cooking it. 12:18

Don’t sweat it: A YMCA banned news channels from TVs to avoid fistfights caused by politics - Members of the Greater Scranton YMCA spar in martial arts classes, but some at the Pennsylvania facility were on the verge of real fights — right up until the gym removed the cause of their pugnaciousness: cable news. The Y — located in one of the 2016 presidential election’s most hotly-contested battlegrounds —banished CNN, Fox News and MSNBC from its television screens because political debates prompted by news coverage on the networks was bringing exercisers close to blows. The gym’s chief executive, Trish Fisher, told WBRE-TV last week that “there was one (near-fight) that was broken up by another member that was just about ready to go physical, and we’ve had members step forward saying they’ve felt a little uncomfortable about the arguments that were going on over the politics.” http://WBBH.images.worldnow.com/interface/js/WNVideo.js?rnd=202464240;hostDomain=www.nbc-2.com;playerWidth=620;playerHeight=355;isShowIcon=true;clipId=13144900;flvUri=;partnerclipid=;adTag=News;advertisingZone=;enableAds=true;landingPage=;islandingPageoverride=;playerType=STANDARD_EMBEDDEDscript;controlsType=overlayNBC-2.com WBBH News for Fort Myers, Cape Coral & Naples, Florida Scranton is the seat of Lackawanna County, which Hillary Clinton won narrowly last fall with 49.8 per cent of the vote, compared to 46.4 per cent for Donald Trump. Trump made his final campaign stop in Scranton, en route to winning Pennsylvania. Joe Biden, a Scranton native, stumped for Clinton in his hometown on the weekend before Election Day. Apparently some voters have not cooled off enough to hit the elliptical while watching Rachel Maddow or Bill O’Reilly without wanting to hit each other, too. “We had a board meeting last Thursday, and one of our board members brought it up,” Fisher says.”It became a topic of discussion, and several other board members had witnessed arguments and heated words between some of the members. They said, ‘Let’s talk about this. Do we want to continue this type of thing? Because we’re really role models for all the kids coming into the building.’ We decided to take the proactive approach to this.” She added: It’s really a bunch of grown men who can’t control themselves, I guess. I have a degree in history, and I was a history teacher before this. I am all about people’s right to have open debate. But safety is our No. 1 priority.” 11:47

Desperate businessman commits suicide after losing $300K in investment scam: ‘The house always wins’ - Frederick Turbide sent a photo of his suicide note to an overseas investment dealer just before Christmas in a desperate last attempt to recover his missing life savings. Over the previous few months, the 61-year-old Edmonton businessman had lost more than $300,000 in the murky world of binary option trading, and was hoping against hope the dealer he knew as Julian Wellington could somehow make it right. “He said everything was on the line, and if he wasn’t able to put the money back that he anticipated this was the letter he was leaving behind,” son Tom Ferreira says. He said everything was on the line, and if he wasn’t able to put the money back that he anticipated this was the letter he was leaving behind “He was sick that whole week, sleep deprived … The next thing I know is I got a text message, all the kids did, saying, ‘Stop what you’re doing now, go home, be with your mom. It’s going to be a sad day.’ ” A short time later, on Dec. 21, Turbide went into the garage of his Highlands home and fatally shot himself. The popular co-owner of promotional products company Novel Notion Advertising Inc. was the latest victim of a financial crime that has grown steadily in Canada over the last two years. Binary options are essentially bets on whether the value of a stock or other asset will reach a certain price within a specified time, which can be as short as 60 seconds. Ian Kucerak / PostmediaPhotos of Maria Chaves-Turbide and her husband Frederick Turbide in better times are seen as she speaks about how Frederick was driven to suicide over massive binary options trading losses in Edmonton on Wednesday, February 15, 2017. Guess right and you receive a big payout, typically boosting your money by at least 50 per cent. Guess wrong, and you lose it all. “It just became, in my opinion, the No. 1 investment fraud targeting Canadians,” says Jason Roy, manager of investigations at the Manitoba Securities Commission and chair of a national binary options task force. “The individuals that are running these schemes see it as a very effective, easy way to steal money from Canadians, and it’s working … There are literally hundreds of boiler rooms that are targeting consumers.” Clearly, the odds are heavily stacked against the customer even on legitimate binary options trades, and the vast majority aren’t legitimate, run out of other countries — mostly Israel — because no one in Canada is licensed to sell them. HandoutLate Edmonton businessman Frederick Turbide Canadian authorities have a hard time investigating offshore operations. Roy can’t say why these firms often set up in Israel, and there aren’t reliable statistics on how many people they dupe annually. His group went to a summit on the issue in The Hague, Netherlands, earlier this year attended by police and regulators from Europe and North America. The task force is also working with credit card firms to stop payments to binary options companies, and taking other steps Roy wouldn’t outline for security purposes. Last year, the Alberta Securities Commission received 114 calls about binary options, up from 19 in 2015, and the average victim in the province lost $20,000. Maria Chaves-Turbide, Turbide’s wife for 21 years, thinks her husband was lured into the field last fall by one of the many Internet ads promising investors easy money, while Ferreira suspects it was through an acquaintance. No one knows what really happened, since he kept everything secret. His losses included $20,000 from their home-equity line of credit that Chaves-Turbide, 62, understood was being invested in mutual funds. She only learned he was entwined in binary options when the children looked through his computer after he died. She’s not sure why he got in so deep. The company they both owned was doing well and he didn’t have a lot of experience with the stock market. We wanted to retire. We were tired The man she describes as a kind, generous personality, who gave jobs, food and money to people down on their luck, appeared happy last fall and promised a Christmas surprise for their four adult children from Chaves-Turbide’s previous marriage. “We wanted to retire. We were tired. We put in a lot of time and effort to getting the business started,” she says. “I didn’t think much about it when he asked to take the (line-of-credit) money out. I thought ‘He’s getting informed, it’s in a safe place,’ and then I just let it go.” Ian Kucerak / PostmediaMaria Chaves-Turbide (left) and her son Tom Ferreira warn others about binary options trading after her husband Frederick Turbide was driven to suicide over massive losses in Edmonton on Wednesday, February 15, 2017. But the profits he thought he was generating following his first $2,500 contribution turned out to be a fiction. Transcripts of dozens of breezy Skype conversations with Wellington — supposedly based in Toronto and the United Kingdom — show Turbide working to get more money into his investment account even when his credit card company balked. “G-OD is with us. I’m taking you to 250k.,” Wellington wrote Dec. 12 to convince the man he called his brother to put in the extra cash. While Turbide admitted, “I will be at the end of my rope after this 20k,” he’s still a believer, telling Wellington “It is amazing that we both feel so strong about ‘trust’ we have with each other.” But on Dec. 21, the news turned bad. Turbide had apparently been told of big losses and wrote to his “angel” that he had never been under such stress and he prayed Wellington would come through. HandoutLate Edmonton businessman Frederick Turbide poses with his wife Maria Chaves-Turbide in an undated file photo. “(Oh) my god Julian tell me this is not true … i am at the end of myself Julian, this is too much. please tell me all is good pleas(e) Julian.” His final message turned angry, damning Wellington and another man for pushing further investments when they knew Turbide needed the cash that day to pay bills. “i am going to take a shower then go to my garage to finish myself off. i am giving you 1 hour to call me with positive result(s) to put back the money i lost into my account, don’t trick me this time Julian.” Traders often lead on clients by putting “bonuses” into their accounts. Only the fine print shows they must trade 20 to 40 times the entire account before the bonus can be withdrawn, and companies can keep topping up the amount or reveal other rules so it’s practically impossible to collect any cash. Ferreira, 35, is furious that even when this group knew Turbide was talking of killing himself they didn’t try to alert anyone. “Somebody tells you they’re going to take their life, and you don’t do as much as pick up the phone and make an anonymous call?” The family recently hired Tel Aviv lawyer Haggai Carmon to see what can be done. He says he has already identified the individuals involved, who generally hide behind a string of companies and fictitious names. HandoutFrederick Turbide poses in fall 2016 with daughter Sara Ferreira. “The entire binary option is not a stock trade. It’s a gamble, a game of chance … (using) fast-talking brokers who are really not brokers, they’re people off the street who are well trained by fraudsters,” Carmon says. “The house always wins.” Although Israel tightened the rules for binary options companies last year, the country’s securities regulators don’t feel they have the power to intervene in activities overseas, Carmon says. He says he has handled four cases similar to Turbide’s in which he recovered $2 million without bringing a lawsuit, and has several others on the go. While Carmon won’t reveal his methods, he says he worked for the American government for 20 years chasing criminals and going undercover. Ian Kucerak / Postmedia Maria Chaves-Turbide (left) and her son Tom Ferreira hold hands while warning others about binary options trading after her husband Frederick Turbide was driven to suicide over massive losses in Edmonton on Wednesday, February 15, 2017. “I’m really ashamed of my countrymen. This is one reason I rolled up my sleeves and became active, because it fosters anti-Israel sentiment and anti-Semitism,” he says. “I’m cautiously optimistic, but I’m determined. When I’m determined, people should be aware. I sound like a nice person, but I’m not. I bite.” Back in Edmonton, Ferreira is hopeful Carmon will recover something, but isn’t expecting much success. He and his mother just want the perpetrators exposed and everyone alerted about the dangers of dabbling in this sort of unregulated Internet investment. Their other message is that people who are victimized shouldn’t try to spare others from stress by keeping the bad news to themselves. “It’s really difficult trying to mourn the death of my husband, a man I love, and thinking about him having to go through this alone … He must have felt so betrayed. He didn’t talk to anyone. He bore the weight all alone,” Chaves-Turbide says tearfully. “If he had come to me and said something … I would have supported him. I would have been angry — ‘Holy crow, what did you get into?’ — but I know his nature. He’s always giving.” 10:37

As Senators became more independent, meetings with lobbyists hoping to take advantage tripled in 2016 - OTTAWA — With the increase in the number of independent Senators, lobbying of the upper chamber has increased significantly — and, observers say, that’s a trend that’s likely to continue. Lobbyists registered more meetings with senators and Senate staffers in 2016 than in any other year on record, a threefold increase from 2015 and well above typical margins under the majority Conservative government. Last year, 687 communications between lobbyists and senators were registered with the office of the federal lobbying commissioner. That compares to 217 in 2015 — a low number that is partly explained by a long election campaign — and an average of about 450 over the four previous years. Another 76 communications have taken place since the holiday break. Adrian Wyld / The Canadian PressSenator Peter Harder waits in the Senate lobby, Tuesday, November 15, 2016 in Ottawa. In a year-end interview with The Canadian Press, Sen. Peter Harder says the Senate has made some progress over the last year with a new expense disclosure regime that gives Canadians more details on how senators are spending public dollars. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld In the past 12 months, 27 new senators were appointed to the red chamber on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s advice. Seven joined the Senate in March 2016, and another 20 in the fall. Aside from Peter Harder, who serves as the Liberal government’s representative in the Senate, none is affiliated with a political party. While the new senators have largely voted with the government on legislation, there’s no one whipping them to do so, and they’ve been encouraged to take seriously the Senate’s mandate to provide “sober second thought.” As a result, sources inside the Senate say, not only are government ministers lobbying individual senators more than they would have in the past, so too are actual lobbyists. The more points of independent decision-making you have in the system, the more touch points there are when you’re making representations on behalf of your issue and your industry Says Yaroslav Baran, a principal with Earnscliffe Strategy Group, “this is the new normal” as the Liberal Senate reforms take hold and the chamber continues “on its way to becoming a chamber of free agents.” “(The increase in lobbying) doesn’t surprise me one bit. I think it’s a reflection of the new role that the Senate plays in the new equilibrium of how parliament functions,” he said. “The more points of independent decision-making you have in the system, the more touch points there are when you’re making representations on behalf of your issue and your industry.” THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin TangDiane Griffin (centre) stands with Senator Elizabeth Hubley (left) and Senator Peter Harder before being sworn in during a ceremony in the Senate on Parliament Hill, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016 in Ottawa. Although the newly-empowered Senate could choose to defeat a government bill, that hasn’t yet happened. One government lobbyist, however, told the Post that senators may be lobbied to do so. “It’s a useful avenue for introducing amendments and delaying bills that might be coming from the House,” said the lobbyist. “Independent senators present their own opportunity because there’s no traditional allegiances there, so they can kind of work on their own.” Another lobbyist told the Post that senators have become more open to amending legislation. In the past, lobbyists would sometimes target senior senators who had the ear of cabinet. Since the Senate’s Liberals no longer caucus with Liberal MPs, however, that avenue is no longer open. One recent target of lobbying has been S-5, a government bill introduced in the Senate. The bill, currently at second reading, would standardize tobacco packaging and create new regulations around vaping. RelatedCannabis industry blows smoke at tobacco rules for plain packaging and bans on advertisingJohn Ivison: Liberals altering upcoming budget to pass through empowered SenateHow the Senate changed in 2016 — and what it means for the government’s agenda for 2017 Senators, including the bill’s independent sponsor, Chantal Petitclerc, have been lobbied by Imperial Tobacco on one hand and the Heart and Stroke Foundation on the other. “We’re looking at the Senate’s strategic leadership on certain issues like tobacco packaging,” said Meghan Spilka O’Keefe, the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s senior manager of government relations and a former consultant for Hill + Knowlton, adding her team is finding “opportunity” and “energy” in senators who care about health issues. Health care is the subject on which senators are most frequently lobbied, accounting for more than 200 meetings in the last year. The next-most-popular topic was transportation, with 90 meetings disclosed, followed by education (81), justice and law enforcement (69), budget (60), taxation and finance (57) and economic development (57). Email: mdsmith@postmedia.com | Twitter: mariedanielles10:34

Police search for masked man who told Sikh to ‘go back to your own country’ before shooting him near Seattle - KENT, Wash. — A Sikh man said a gunman approached him as he worked on his car in his suburban Seattle driveway and told him to “go back to your own country” before shooting him in the arm. Police in the city of Kent are searching for the shooter and have contacted the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. It comes after an Indian man was killed and another wounded in a recent shooting at a Kansas bar that federal agencies are investigating as a hate crime after witnesses say the suspect yelled “get out of my country.” “With recent unrest and concern throughout the nation, this can get people emotionally involved, especially when (the crime) is directed at a person for how they live, how they look,” Kent police Cmdr. Jarod Kasner told The News Tribune of Tacoma. India’s foreign minister, Sushma Swaraj, identified the victim on Twitter early Sunday, saying, “I am sorry to know about the attack on Deep Rai, a U.S. national of Indian origin.” I am sorry to know about the attack on Deep Rai a US national of Indian origin. I have spoken to Sardar Harpal Singh father of the victim./1 — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 5, 2017 He told me that his son had a bullet injury on his arm. He is out of danger and is recovering in a private hospital. /2 — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 5, 2017 She said she had spoken to Rai’s father, who told her Rai is out of danger and recovering in a hospital. Rai told police that a man he didn’t know came up to him Friday night and they got into an argument, with the suspect telling Rai to go back to his homeland. He described the shooter as nearly two metres tall and white with a stocky build, the Seattle Times reported. He said the man was wearing a mask covering the lower half of his face. Sikhs have previously been the target of assaults in the U.S. After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the backlash that hit Muslims around the country expanded to include those of the Sikh faith. Kent police chief says dept. is investigating last night's shooting as a possible hate crime against member of Sikh community. pic.twitter.com/pLcWsobvm4 — Ryan Takeo (@RyanTakeoK5) March 4, 2017 Male observant Sikhs often cover their heads with turbans, which are considered sacred, and refrain from shaving their beards. The faith comes from South Asia’s Punjab region. In 2012, a man shot and killed six Sikh worshippers and wounded four others at a Sikh temple near Milwaukee before killing himself. The Sikh Coalition, a national civil rights group, asked local and federal authorities to investigate the shooting in suburban Seattle as a hate crime. RelatedKansas man who allegedly shot two Indian men in a bar told bartender he thought they were IranianWarned to leave, Kansas shooting victim refused to abandon the ‘country he loved,’ his wife said‘Get out of my country’: Kansas man reportedly yells slurs at two Indian engineers before shooting them “We’re early on in our investigation,” Kent Police Chief Ken Thomas told the Times on Saturday. “We are treating this as a very serious incident.” Jasmit Singh, a Sikh community leader in the nearby suburb of Renton, said Rai and his family were rattled. “We’re all kind of at a loss in terms of what’s going on right now, this is just bringing it home,” Singh told the newspaper. “The climate of hate that has been created doesn’t distinguish between anyone.” 09:43

Greg Palast

Millions of fraudulent voters, my a**! Palast follows The Donald’s money - A Facebook Event Get the non-fake info with investigative reporter Greg Palast. Palast says, "It’s no joke—and it’s far more sinister than a mere "lie." "The US press has done a good job exposing President Trump’s looney-toons claim that millions of votes were cast against him. "But what’s missing is what’s behind Trump’s claim — and it’s not just his cranky, whining ego looking to erase the embarrassment of losing the popular vote. "We are witnessing the crafting of a systematic plan to steal the 2018 midterm election." And that’s not all: Did anyone notice that in the middle of Trump’s psycho-drama of a press conference, he said, "…I want to thank Paul Singer for being here and coming up to the Oval Office." Those are the most dangerous words Trump has uttered since Inauguration Day. Get the facts (and watch the cartoon!) during this special Facebook Live event. And Palast lets you in on the follow-up to his Rolling Stone investigation. He’s digging, and the worms are crawling up the shovel. And we’ll talk about how YOU can take part in the investigation. We have a lot to talk about, and a lot to expose. * * * * * * Greg Palast (Rolling Stone, Guardian, BBC) is the author of The New York Times bestsellers, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy and Billionaires & Ballot Bandits, now out as major motion non-fiction movie. Rent or buy the film from Amazon Vimeo. Support The Palast Investigative Fund and keep our work alive. Or support us by shopping with Amazon Smile. AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your purchases to the Sustainable Markets Foundation for the benefit of The Palast Investigative Fund and you get a tax-deduction!More info. GregPalast.com The post Millions of fraudulent voters, my a**! Palast follows The Donald’s money appeared first on Greg Palast.22 Feb

Join NAACP Voter Fund for Facebook LIVE broadcast of my film on How Trump Stole It - I have a simple request. I’m asking that, this Thursday, at 8pm ET/5pm PT, you join the NAACP-National Voter Fund, Rainbow/PUSH, Josh Fox of Climate Revolution and many, many more–and “share” the Facebook LIVE broadcast of my documentary–the film that exposes exactly how Trump and his cronies attacked the voting rights of a million minority voters to steal the White House. That’s all we are asking: Between 8pm and 9pm Eastern, on Inauguration Eve, you “share” the live-stream with your Facebook followers. The Best Democracy Money Can Buy: A Tale of Billionaires & Ballot Bandits, follows my crew’s undercover investigations for Rolling Stone and BBC-TV. "...Mainstream journalism has often struggled to cover the manipulation of data and the distortion of reality driven by billionaires like the Koch brothers or even Donald Trump... Palast slices through all the B.S.”- The Village Voice Pass this on to your friends, your organizations, and anyone who wants to get un-stupid about the theft of the 2016 election. I’ll be leading an online discussion right after the broadcast: What do we do now? Starting now you can share the trailer on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/GregPalastInvestigates/videos/10154917384607128/ And share the trailer on Twitter simply by retweeting this tweet:https://twitter.com/Greg_Palast/status/820218502405619712 Please also indicate that you are "going" to our virtual event on Facebook — and share it with your friends: https://www.facebook.com/events/980244978772589/ On Thursday, January 19 at 8pm ET, go to https://www.facebook.com/GregPalastInvestigates/. (If you’re late, you can scroll back to the beginning.) The film (with the help of my friends Rosario Dawson, Shailene Woodley Ice-T, Willie Nelson and more), tells the story of the GOP’s weapon of mass vote destruction – and exposes the billionaires behind Trump and the vote trickery. The film was updated just this week. I guarantee: you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll get revved up to resist. Trump didn’t win––his billionaire backers swiped it. We can take it back. Will you join me? - Greg Palast and the investigations team Make a tax-deductible donation to our Stolen Election Investigation * * * * * Greg Palast (Rolling Stone, Guardian, BBC) is the author of The New York Times bestsellers, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy and Billionaires & Ballot Bandits, now out as major motion non-fiction movie.Rent or buy the film from Amazon or Vimeo. Support The Palast Investigative Fund and keep our work alive. Or support us by shopping with Amazon Smile.AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your purchases to the Sustainable Markets Foundation for the benefit of The Palast Investigative Fund and you get a tax-deduction! More info. GregPalast.com The post Join NAACP Voter Fund for Facebook LIVE broadcast of my film on How Trump Stole It appeared first on Greg Palast.17 Jan

I get the Blues too… - A note to all who’ve made a donation to our Investigative Fund You are not only keeping us alive financially, but emotionally. Eventually, our stories make national news, but, in those months while the mainstream resists, your encouragement really means a lot. People ask me how I keep my sense of humor when I see all these horrors, from lost votes to lost lives. The truth is, I get the blues too. Support, good wishes, and remembering the tough world I came from are what gets me back on track. And here’s something they can’t steal from us: a Happy New Year, from my family to yours. Thank you, Greg Palast, reporting Make a tax-deductible donation to our Stolen Election Investigation * * * * * Greg Palast (Rolling Stone, Guardian, BBC) is the author of The New York Times bestsellers, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy and Billionaires & Ballot Bandits, now out as major motion non-fiction movie.Rent or buy the film from Amazon or Vimeo. Support The Palast Investigative Fund and keep our work alive. Or support us by shopping with Amazon Smile.AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your purchases to the Sustainable Markets Foundation for the benefit of The Palast Investigative Fund and you get a tax-deduction! More info. The post I get the Blues too… appeared first on Greg Palast.30 Dec 16

A note in the snow - Last week, I flew to Detroit with my team at the request of a major west coast publication. When I landed, they got cold feet; assignment cancelled. Without funding to continue, I should have headed home. But I was getting tips of nasty doings with the ballots in Motown. I could get the evidence that Trump’s victory was as real as his tan. So I tucked my long-johns under my suit, put on my fedora, and headed out to meet the witnesses, see the evidence and film an investigative report on the Theft of Michigan. With almost no sleep (and no pay), my producer David Ambrose and I put together an investigative film—and donated it, no charge, to Democracy Now! and several other outlets. As to the airfares, hotels, cars, camera batteries, sound equipment, local assistants and the rest, the bills have piled high as the snow and uncounted ballots. So, here I was, literally out in the cold, hoping you'd see the value of top-flight investigative reporting. So, buddy, can you spare a dime? Or $100 or so? For that, I’ll send you my new film, the one that, back in September, told you exactly how Trump would steal it. Or a signed copy of the book that goes with it: The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, a tale of billionaires and ballot bandits. I want to thank all of you who donated to get me to Washington DC to testify at the ad hoc Congressional hearing and to speak with the Justice Department about the suppression of minority votes. (On Monday, I was joined at the Washington Press Club by the nation’s top voting rights attorney, Barbara Arnwine; civil rights legend Ruby Sales; Muslim activist Sameera Khan. They announced plans to take legal and political action against Crosscheck, the Trumpistas’ latest Jim Crow tactic, the one our team uncovered for Rolling Stone. Khan joined me at Justice to present them 50,000 signatures (we unloaded reams of paper on them) gathered by 18 Million Rising, the Asian American advocacy group, to light a fire under Justice. On Tuesday, I joined the presidents of the NAACP chapters of Michigan and Wisconsin and other front-line voting rights leaders, to plan next steps for this week, for this year, for this decade. My presentation to Justice, to Congressmen and rights advocates, to the press, was so much more powerful because I arrived in DC with the goods, the evidence, the film, the facts from Michigan, from the scene of the electoral crime. So, in the end, my assignment wasn’t cancelled: I went to work for YOU. Because I have faith that my readers agree that this work is important, that I’m not on some fool’s errand. The US media doesn’t want to cover the vote theft—because, hey, the count is over—and we should get over it. I am not over it. I am standing my ground. Let me know if you think I’ve made the right decision. Feed the team. I have nothing to offer you in return except some signed discs and books (or the Combo)— and the facts. Continue Supporting the 2016 Stolen Election Investigation because it ain’t over and we’re not done. – Greg Palast * * * * * Greg Palast (Rolling Stone, Guardian, BBC) is the author of The New York Times bestsellers, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy and Billionaires & Ballot Bandits, now out as major motion non-fiction movie. Rent or buy the film from Amazon or Vimeo. Visit the Palast Investigative Fund store or simply make a tax-deductible contribution to keep our work alive! Or support the The Palast Investigative Fund (a project of The Sustainable Markets Foundation) by shopping with Amazon Smile. AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your purchases to the Palast Fund and you get a tax-deduction! More info. GregPalast.com The post A note in the snow appeared first on Greg Palast.18 Dec 16

The Republican Sabotage of the Vote Recounts in Michigan and Wisconsin - By Greg Palast for Truthout Photo of Michigan ballot with bubble. (Image courtesy of Palast Investigative Fund, 2016)Michigan officials declared in late November that Trump won the state's count by 10,704 votes. But hold on – a record 75,355 ballots were not counted. The uncounted ballots came mostly from Detroit and Flint, majority-Black cities that vote Democratic. According to the machines that read their ballots, these voters waited in line, sometimes for hours, yet did not choose a president. Really? This week, I drove through a snowstorm to Lansing to hear the official explanation from Ruth Johnson, the Republican secretary of state. I was directed to official flack-catcher Fred Woodhams who told me, "You know, I think when you look at the unfavorability ratings that were reported for both major-party candidates, it's probably not that surprising." Sleuthing about in Detroit, I found another explanation: bubbles. Bubbles? Michigan votes on paper ballots. If you don't fill the bubble completely, the machine records that you didn't vote for president. Susan, a systems analyst who took part in the hand recount initiated by Jill Stein, told me, "I saw a lot of red ink. I saw a lot of checkmarks. We saw a lot of ballots that weren't originally counted, because those don't scan into the machine." (I can only use her first name because she's terrified of retribution from Trump followers in the white suburb where she lives.) Other ballots were not counted because the machines thought the voter chose two presidential candidates. How come more ballots were uncounted in Detroit and Flint than in the white 'burbs and rural counties? Are the machines themselves racist? No, but they are old, and in some cases, busted. An astonishing 87 machines broke down in Detroit, responsible for counting tens of thousands of ballots. Many more were simply faulty and uncalibrated. I met with Carlos Garcia, University of Michigan multimedia specialist, who, on Election Day, joined a crowd waiting over two hours for the busted machine to be fixed. Some voters left; others filled out ballots that were chucked, uncounted, into the bottom of machine. When the machine was fixed, Carlos explained, "Any new scanned ballots were falling in on top of the old ones." It would not be possible to recount those dumped ballots. This is not an unheard of phenomenon: I know two voters who lost their vote in another state (California) because they didn't fill in the bubble – my parents! Meet mom and dad in my film, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy: How did Detroit end up with the crap machines? Detroit is bankrupt, so every expenditure must be approved by "emergency" overlords appointed by the Republican governor. The GOP operatives refused the city's pre-election pleas to fix and replace the busted machines. "We had the rollout [of new machines] in our budget," Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey said. "No money was appropriated by the state." Same in Flint. GOP state officials cut the budget for water service there, resulting in the contamination of the city's water supply with lead. The budget cuts also poisoned the presidential race. The Human Eye Count There is, however, an extraordinary machine that can read the ballots, whether the bubbles are filled or checked, whether in black ink or red, to determine the voters' intent: the human eye. That's why Dr. Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, paid millions of dollars for a human eyeball count of the uncounted votes. While labeled a "recount," its real purpose is to count the 75,355 votes never counted in the first place. Count those ballots, mostly in Detroit and Flint, and Trump's victory could vanish. Adding to the pile of uncounted ballots are the large numbers of invalidated straight-ticket votes in Detroit. In Michigan, you can choose to make one mark that casts your vote for every Democrat (or Republican) for every office. Voters know that they can vote the Democratic ballot but write in a protest name – popular were "Bernie Sanders" and "Mickey Mouse" – but their ballot, they knew, would count for Clinton. However, the Detroit machines simply invalidated the ballots with protest write-ins because the old Opti-Scans wrongly tallied these as "over-votes" (i.e., voting for two candidates). The human eye would catch this mistake. But Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette stymied Stein's human eye count. The Republican pol issued an order saying that no one could look at the ballots cast in precincts where the number of votes and voters did not match – exactly the places where you'd want to look for the missing votes. He also ordered a ban on counting ballots from precincts where the seals on the machines had been broken – in other words, where there is evidence of tampering. Again, those are the machines that most need investigating. The result: The recount crews were denied access to more than half of all Detroit precincts (59 percent). I met with Stein, who told me she was stunned by this overt sabotage of the recount. "It's shocking to think that the discounting of these votes may be making the critical difference in the outcome of the election," she said. This story was repeated in Wisconsin, which uses the same Opti-Scan system as Michigan. There, the uncounted votes, sometimes called "spoiled" or "invalidated" ballots, were concentrated in Black-majority Milwaukee. Stein put up over $3 million of donated funds for the human eye review in Wisconsin, but GOP state officials authorized Milwaukee County to recount simply by running the ballots through the same blind machines. Not surprisingly, this instant replay produced the same questionable result. Adding Un-Votes to the Uncounted Stein was also disturbed by the number of voters who never got to cast ballots. "Whether it's because of the chaos [because] some polling centers are closed, and then some are moved, and there's all kinds of mix-ups," she said. "So, a lot of people are filling out provisional ballots, or they were being tossed off the voter rolls by Interstate Crosscheck." Interstate Crosscheck is a list that was created by Donald Trump supporter and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach to hunt down and imprison voters who illegally voted or registered in two states in one election. An eye-popping 449,092 Michiganders are on the Crosscheck suspect list. The list, which my team uncovered in an investigation for Rolling Stone, cost at least 50,000 of the state's voters their registrations. Disproportionately, the purged voters were Blacks, Latinos and that other solid Democratic demographic, Muslim Americans. (Dearborn, Michigan, has the highest concentration of Arab Americans in the US.) The Michigan Secretary of State's spokesman Woodhams told me the purpose of the mass purge was, "to clean our voter lists and ensure that there's no vulnerability for fraud. We've been very aggressive in closing vulnerabilities and loopholes to fraud." While Woodhams did not know of a single conviction for double-voting in Michigan, the "aggression" in purging the lists was clear. I showed him part of the Michigan purge list that he thought was confidential. The "double voters" are found by simply matching first and last names. Michael Bernard Brown is supposed to be the same voter as Michael Anthony Brown. Michael Timothy Brown is supposed to be the same voter as Michael Johnnie Brown. Woodhams assured me the GOP used the Trump-Kobach list with care, more or less. He said, "I'm sure that there are some false positives. But we go through it thoroughly, and we're not just canceling people." As to the racial profiling inherent in the list? Did he agree with our experts that by tagging thousands of voters named Jose Garcia and Michael Brown there would be a bias in his purge list? The GOP spokesman replied, "I've known a lot of white Browns." Jill Stein didn't buy it. Responding to both Michigan's and Trump's claim that voter rolls are loaded with fraudulent double voters, Stein said, "It's the opposite of what he is saying: not people who are voting fraudulently and illegally, but actually legitimate voters who have had their right to vote taken away from them by Kris Kobach and by Donald Trump." Crosscheck likely cost tens of thousands their vote in Pennsylvania as well. "It is a Jim Crow system, and it all needs to be fixed," Stein concluded. "It's not rocket science. This is just plain, basic democracy." * * * * * Greg Palast (Rolling Stone, Guardian, BBC) is the author of The New York Times bestsellers, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy and Billionaires & Ballot Bandits, now out as major motion non-fiction movie. Support the 2016 Stolen Election Investigation After investigating the REAL story of the recount, we stopped by the Department of Justice and handed them our Crosscheck petition, signed by 50,000 people. We have a lot more work to do and thankfully, our efforts are starting to get notice. We're not done... Join us bySupporting the Stolen Election Investigation Rent or buy the film from Amazon or Vimeo. Visit the Palast Investigative Fund store or simply make a tax-deductible contribution to keep our work alive! Or support the The Palast Investigative Fund (a project of The Sustainable Markets Foundation) by shopping with Amazon Smile. AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your purchases to the Palast Fund and you get a tax-deduction! More info. GregPalast.com The post The Republican Sabotage of the Vote Recounts in Michigan and Wisconsin appeared first on Greg Palast.18 Dec 16

Palast Report for Democracy Now!:By Rejecting Recount, Is Michigan Covering up 75,000 Ballots Never Counted? - Investigative reporter Greg Palast has just returned from Michigan, where he went to probe the state’s closely contested election. Trump won Michigan by fewer than 11,000 votes out of nearly 4.8 million votes cast. Green Party presidential contender Dr. Jill Stein attempted to force Michigan to hold a recount, but a federal judge ordered Michigan’s Board of Elections to stop the state’s electoral recount. One big question remains: Why did 75,335 ballots go uncounted? Support the 2016 Stolen Election Investigation My team and I just returned from Michigan to report the REAL story of the recount. I’ve also been responding to urgent requests in the recount states for our technical files and analysis. We're in Washington and stopped by the Department of Justice yesterday and handed them our Crosscheck petition, signed by 50,000 people. Join us by Supporting the Stolen Election Investigation Last stop for Democracy • PLEASE, say, "Count me in to count the votes" by supporting the 2016 Stolen Election Investigation for a donation of any size no matter how small or large • Stay informed and get a signed DVD of my film The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, a signed copy of the book with the same title or better still - get the Book & DVD combo • Be listed as a producer ($1,000) or co-producer ($500) in the credits of the broadcast version of the updated, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy: THE THEFT OF 2016. * * * * * Greg Palast (Rolling Stone, Guardian, BBC) is the author of The New York Times bestsellers, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy and Billionaires & Ballot Bandits, now out as major motion non-fiction movie. Donate to the Palast Investigative Fund and get the signed DVD. Download the FREE Movie Comic Book. Rent or buy the film from Amazon or Vimeo. Visit the Palast Investigative Fund store or simply make a tax-deductible contribution to keep our work alive! Or support the The Palast Investigative Fund (a project of The Sustainable Markets Foundation) by shopping with Amazon Smile. AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your purchases to the Palast Fund and you get a tax-deduction! More info. GregPalast.com The post Palast Report for Democracy Now!:By Rejecting Recount, Is Michigan Covering up 75,000 Ballots Never Counted? appeared first on Greg Palast.13 Dec 16

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(U//FOUO) DHS-FBI-USSS Joint Threat Assessment 2017 Presidential Address to a Joint Session of Congress - (U//FOUO) This Joint Threat Assessment (JTA) addresses threats to the 2017 Presidential Address to a Joint Session of Congress (the Presidential Address) at the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC, on 28 February 2017. This assessment does not consider nonviolent civil disobedience tactics (for example, protests without a permit) that are outside the scope of federal law enforcement jurisdiction; however, civil disobedience tactics designed to cause a hazard to public safety and/or law enforcement fall within the scope of this assessment. (U//FOUO) This product is intended to support federal, state, and local government agencies and authorities in identifying priorities for protective and support measures against terrorism and other existing or emerging threats to Homeland security. Information in this assessment is current and accurate as of 10 February 2017. (U) Key Findings (U//FOUO) As of 10 February 2017, the FBI, DHS, and the United States Secret Service (USSS) have no information to indicate a specific, credible threat to the Presidential Address or related activities within the National Capital Region (NCR). We assess the Presidential Address is an attractive target for violent extremists, as there will be a large gathering of senior US Government officials and members of Congress. There will also be a large presence of global media outlets, making it likely that any significant incident would garner widespread international media coverage, which is a common objective in terrorist attacks. We remain concerned about unaffiliated lone offenders, homegrown violent extremists (HVEs), and domestic extremists targeting the Presidential Address, as well as the sustained interest of foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) in attacking gatherings, landmarks, and critical infrastructure within the NCR. (U//FOUO) Although the FBI, DHS, and the USSS lack reporting to show a specific interest by FTOs in the Presidential Address itself, we remain concerned about the sustained interest of some terrorist groups—such as core al-Qa’ida, the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS), and their affiliates—in targeting gatherings and public locations within the NCR, given its status as the nation’s capital. In addition, these groups continue to call on individuals to conduct independent attacks in the United States using vehicle ramming, edged weapons, improvised explosive devices, and small arms.27 Feb

Multinational Capability Development Campaign Military Strategic Communication Handbook Draft - Cell phones, smart phones, the Internet, and GPS are increasingly available and are changing the nature of conflict, even in remote areas. Information can now reach out in new ways to global audiences because of the revolution in Information Technology (IT), particularly using cell phones and smart phones. The revival of hybrid warfare manifested in recent developments in the international security environment – such as the Arab Spring, the Ukrainian crisis, the rise of Jihadist-Salafist terrorism, and the European migrant crisis – demonstrates the power of communication, broadly based on IT advantages: messages and perceptions become predominant of physical engagements and strongly impact the behaviour of people. Orchestrated activities carry messages and have a crucial effect on 55 public opinions, decision-making processes, and domestic support. From a communication perspective, military operations are part of a vicious circle (see Figure 1): they result from political decisions, are part of state-funded activity, and are under constant observation of the media who strongly affect public opinion, which in turn influences political discussion and decision-making. Military success can be either directly aided or challenged by activities in the Information Environment. Military communicators need to convey the message that operations are in line with political decisions and serve the interest of the involved nations and their populace. In this respect, they may act as guardians of the political Narrative, ensuring that political will is reflected in words and deeds throughout operations planning and execution. Today’s military operations are also challenged with a fragmentation of communication capabilities and insufficient integration of communication with operations planning, resulting in fragmented Information Activities by multinational partners, insufficiently harmonised for achieving objectives in the Information Environment that support common strategic objectives. In the last decades the multinational community of communication practitioners struggled to overcome this challenge by introducing coordination mechanisms. For instance, the military Info Ops function and later StratCom were designed to provide an analysis, advice, coordination and oversight capacity for communication capabilities at various levels. However, relying solely on the coordination of capabilities and actions treats the symptom more than it constitutes a solution to the underlying problem. In addition, there is still a lack of consideration of the comprehensive scope of non-media activities that may help to create desired effects from a communication perspective. Coalition partners need to be able to gain enhanced situation awareness in the Information Environment; develop and issue timely, relevant and feasible communication guidance; implement communication plans in a consistent, transparent and flexible manner; and take emerging communication practices and technology into account. All this finally led to the concept of integrated communication and communication management – an approach to adequately respond to and shape developments in the Information Environment from a multinational coalition and comprehensive approach perspective. …25 Feb

(U//FOUO) DHS-FBI-NCTC Bulletin: Terrorists Call for Attacks on Hospitals, Healthcare Facilities - (U//FOUO) Recent calls over the past year for attacks on hospitals in the West by media outlets sympathetic to the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) highlight terrorists’ perception of hospitals as viable targets for attack. Targeting hospitals and healthcare facilities is consistent with ISIS’s tactics in Iraq and Syria, its previous calls for attacks on hospitals in the West, and the group’s calls for attacks in the West using “all available means.” While we have not seen any specific, credible threat against hospitals and healthcare facilities in the United States, we remain concerned that calls for such attacks may resonate with some violent extremists and lone offenders in the Homeland because of their likely perceived vulnerabilities and value as targets. » (U//FOUO) The pro-ISIS Nashir Media Foundation released a series of messages on 29 December 2016 encouraging lone offenders in the West to conduct attacks on hospitals, cinemas, and malls. In early June 2016, ISIS called for a “month of calamity,” encouraging followers in Europe and the United States to attack schools and hospitals in an audio message released via Twitter. Additionally, in its January 2016 issue of Rumiyah magazine, ISIS provided tactical guidance and encouraged lone offenders to conduct arson attacks on hospitals. » (U) ISIS, through its Amaq news agency in November 2016, took credit for an attack on a hospital in Quetta, Pakistan that resulted in at least 74 deaths and 100 injuries. Aid organizations and coalition governments have alleged since early 2015 that ISIS has systematically targeted hospitals, healthcare facilities, patients, and healthcare workers in Iraq and Syria, resulting in hundreds of deaths and injuries and reducing the overall capacity of healthcare delivery infrastructure. (U) Possible Indicators of the Targeting of Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities (U//FOUO) Some of these activities may be constitutionally protected, and any determination of possible illicit intent should be supported by additional facts justifying reasonable suspicion. These activities are general in nature and any one may be insignificant on its own, but when observed in combination with other suspicious behaviors—particularly advocacy of violence—they may constitute a basis for reporting. » (U//FOUO) Consumption and sharing of media glorifying violent extremist acts in attempting to mobilize others to violence; » (U//FOUO) Loitering, parking, standing, or unattended vehicles in the same area over multiple days with no reasonable explanation, particularly in concealed locations with optimal visibility of potential targets or in conjunction with multiple visits; » (U//FOUO) Photography or videography focused on security features, including cameras, security personnel, gates, and barriers; » (U//FOUO) Unusual or prolonged interest in or attempts to gain sensitive information about security measures of personnel, entry points, peak days and hours of operation, and access controls such as alarms or locks; » (U//FOUO) Individuals wearing bulky clothing or clothing inconsistent with the weather or season, or wearing official uniforms or being in unauthorized areas without official credentials; » (U//FOUO) Individuals presenting injuries consistent with the use of explosives or explosive material without a reasonable explanation; and » (U//FOUO) Unattended packages, bags, and suitcases. (U) Possible Mitigation Strategies » (U//FOUO) Limit access in restricted areas and require employees to wear clearly visible identifications at all times; » (U//FOUO) Ensure personnel receive training and briefings on active shooter preparedness, lockdown procedures, improvised explosive device (IED) and vehicle-borne IED awareness and recognition, and suspicious activity reporting procedures; and » (U//FOUO) Conduct law enforcement and security officer patrols in loading, waiting, and patient triage areas, and around drop-off and pick-up points where there are large numbers of people concentrated in restricted spaces.20 Feb

U.S. Army Foreign Military Studies Office: Russia’s Military Strategy Impacting 21st Century Reform and Geopolitics - Russia is a nation that has always been blessed with creative minds, whether it be literary giants like Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Leo Tolstoy, artists such as Peter Carl Faberge, composers such as Pyotr Tchaikovsky, or the military genius of an Aleksander Svechin or Aleksander Suvorov. Russia also has been blessed with the work of innovators in military equipment, such as Mikhail Kalashnikov, who created the world-renowned AK-47. Today’s military innovators are the modern-day scientists and engineers who assist in the creation of contemporary and new concept weaponry; and the military theorists who study changes in the character of war. Digital specialists understand how to develop and employ the capabilities of electronic warfare equipment, satellite technology, and fiber optic cables. While Kalashnikov’s fame is imbedded in Russia’s culture, it may be harder to find a current digital entrepreneur whose legacy will endure as long as his: there are simply too many of them, and their time in the spotlight appears to be quite short, since even now we are about to pass from the age of cyber to that of quantum. It is difficult to predict whose discoveries will be the most coveted by tomorrow’s military-industrial complex, not to mention the decision-making apparatus of the Kremlin and General Staff. Military theorists are playing an important role as well. They are studying how new weaponry has changed the correlation of forces in the world, the nature of war, and the impact of weaponry on both forecasting and the initial period of war. Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov noted in March 2015 that the military’s main tasks are to maintain the combat readiness of the Armed Forces and to ensure the Russian Federation’s defensive capability. Russia’s military heritage will assist this process tremendously. Combat readiness includes updated strategic thought, new equipment revelations, and future-war projections. Defensive capability includes not just protecting Russia’s territory, but also the security of the nation’s national interests and conduct of geopolitics. Capturing the essence of these developments is the goal of this book. In the process a few templates for understanding Russian military thought and actions are offered for further consideration and use. The work is divided into three parts. They address Russian methods of approaching strategy, future war (focusing on new weapons and organizations), and geopolitics. All three are important for foreign analysts to consider when attempting to predict the vector (s) in which Russian military capabilities and actions are heading. It is vital to remember that events that have transpired over the past 25 years have greatly affected Russia’s view of the world today and its strategic thought. Both the military and President Vladimir Putin’s colleagues in the Russian security complex are keen to overcome what they perceive as feelings of national humiliation and insecurity that they say were imposed upon them by the West. Part One of this book contains three chapters. They are focused on the personality of President Vladimir Putin, the development of Russian strategic thought over the past several decades, and contemporary military thought on the use or non-use of force, to include how Russian military officers think. Chapter One provides details on how Putin thinks and how he has been affected by specific issues. Ideology, politics, and military issues affecting his decision-making are discussed. Included in the assessment are several thoughts from some US and Russian specialists with key insights into political thought in Moscow. Chapter Two represents a detailed look at the development of Soviet and now Russian military strategy. The chapter examines strategic thought from the time of Svechin to the present, highlighting, in particular, those elements of strategic thought that continue to influence how forces will be used even today. Chapter Three offers a look at how Russia utilizes indirect, asymmetric, and nonmilitary operations, as well as how this differs from most Western interpretations of the General Staff’s use of strategy. In particular, the chapter examines how Russian military officers think and offers commentary on cross-domain deterrence thinking in Russia, which is a topic usually discussed only as a nuclear issue. Here several other potential adaptations of deterrence theory are reviewed. The chapter offers a differing view than some on the issue of hybrid war as a Russian concept and ends with a look at Russian reflexive control theory. Part Two examines Russia’s preparation for future wars. Included in the discussion are new military equipment and aerospace developments, future-war organizations, and digital expertise. Chapter Four deals with several new items of equipment that are now in the Russian inventory, including an extensive look at Russian unmanned aerial vehicles and electronic warfare equipment. Chapter Five is dedicated to the new Aerospace Force and the Strategic Rocket Forces. Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu has stated, “Their creation was prompted by a shift of the ‘center of gravity’ in combat struggle to the aerospace sphere.” The discussion includes the rationale behind Russia’s decision to integrate the Air Force, Air Defense Forces, and Space Forces into an Aerospace Force and to declare aerospace a new theater of military operations. The continued development of the Strategic Rocket Forces is covered, since it has found new impetus from the strategic guidance of President Putin. Chapter Six considers several organizational aspects of future-war thought, including equipment under development, organizational and doctrinal changes, and future-war thinking. Equipment under development includes robotics and laser research. Organizationally there is a look at Russia’s new science companies and the Advanced Research Foundation (the Russian military’s DARPA equivalent), followed by a summary of several articles discussing the future contours of conflict and the changing character or war. Chapter Seven discusses Russia’s cyber thinking and organizational development. This includes a review of a Russian-authored cyber book, recent cyber developments in Russia, treaties that Russia has made with other nations, and several policy efforts directed by the Kremlin and the Federal Security Service (FSB) to monitor cyber compliance. A section on military thinking on cyber issues is included, along with Russian efforts to control the international cyber environment. China is a main partner of Russia in this regard. Part Three is an examination of the application of military power and strategy to Putin’s geopolitical goals, specifically as applied to military operations in the Arctic and Ukraine. Chapter Eight investigates the ongoing militarization of the Arctic. The two goals of the military in the region appear to be to establish an overarching monitoring capability and a quick response, powerful military deterrent. Russia has continued to improve its military presence and infrastructure in the region. The buildup includes two light brigades, two airborne divisions that are on-call, new Borei- and Yasen-class nuclear missile submarines, rebuilt airfields, and new aerospace defense units. Meanwhile, Russian administration officials are working feverishly with the United Nations and other organizations to establish legal claims to the Arctic. Putin has made the Arctic a region of his personal interest, noting that the Arctic has been under “our sovereignty for several years. This is how this will be in the future.” This does not bode well for the future of the Arctic’s peaceful development. Chapter Nine discusses how and why Russia became engaged in the conflict in Ukraine, to include the interventions into both Crimea and eastern Ukraine. Russia’s strategy and use of new concepts (new reality, self-determination, use of surrogates, nonmilitary issues, indirect and asymmetric thinking, etc.) are examined. The end of the chapter focuses on Russian actions in Crimea, as it appears Russia is doing one of two things there with its massive military buildup: either it is ensuring that Crimea can never be given back to Ukraine due to all of the military equipment it now has stationed there; or it is preparing a bridgehead from which it can launch a pincer operation against Mariupol or advance quickly on Odessa or Transdniester. Chapter Ten provides conclusions drawn from this study. …12 Feb

(U//FOUO) U.S. Army FM 2-22.2 Counterintelligence - This manual provides doctrinal guidance, techniques, and procedures for the employment of counterintelligence (CI) special agents in the Army. It outlines— • CI investigations and operations. • The CI special agent’s role within the intelligence warfighting function. • The importance of aggressively countering foreign intelligence and security services (FISS) and international terrorist organizations (ITO). • The roles and responsibilities of those providing command, control, and technical support to CI investigations and operations. • The need for effective dissemination of CI reports and products and the importance of cross-cueing other intelligence disciplines. • The significance of cultural awareness as a consideration to counter the foreign intelligence threat. This manual expands upon the information in FM 2-0 and supersedes FM 34-60. It is consistent with doctrine in FM 3-0, FM 5-0, FM 100-15, and JP 2-0. When published, FM 2-22.2 will provide further information on CI activities when Army forces are employed in tactical operations. … ARMY COUNTERINTELLIGENCE 1-1. CI focuses on negating, mitigating, or degrading the foreign intelligence and security services (FISS) and international terrorist organizations (ITO) collection threat that targets Army interests through the conduct of investigations, operations, collection, analysis, production, and technical services and support. 1-2. CI analyzes the threats posed by FISS and the intelligence activities of nonstate actors such as organized crime, terrorist groups, and drug traffickers. CI analysis incorporates all-source information and the results of CI investigations and operations to support a multidiscipline analysis of the force protection threat. COUNTERINTELLIGENCE SPECIAL AGENT 1-3. The CI special agent has the distinct mission of detecting, identifying, countering, and neutralizing FISS and ITO threats directed towards the Army through the execution of all CI functions. CI special agents should not be confused with human intelligence (HUMINT) collectors, military occupational specialty (MOS) 35M, and warrant officer (WO) area of concentration (AOC) 351M. They are specifically trained and certified for, tasked with, and engage in the collection of information from individuals (HUMINT sources) for the purpose of answering HUMINT-specific requirements. Although CI and HUMINT personnel may use similar methods, their missions are separate and distinct. Commanders should not use them interchangeably. Using CI personnel for HUMINT missions degrades the Army’s ability to protect its forces, information, and critical technology that provides the Army operational and technological superiority over existing and future adversaries. … COUNTERINTELLIGENCE MISSION 1-17. The mission of Army CI is to conduct aggressive, comprehensive, and coordinated operations, investigations, collection, analysis and production, and technical services. This CI mission is conducted worldwide to detect, identify, assess, counter, exploit, or neutralize the FISS and ITO collection threat to the Army and DOD to protect the lives, property, or security of Army forces. Army CI has four primary mission areas: • Counterespionage (CE). • Support to protection. • Support to research and technology protection (RTP). • Cyber CI. COUNTERESPIONAGE 1-18. CE detects, identifies, counters, exploits, or neutralizes the FISS and ITO collection threat targeting Army and DOD equities or U.S. interests. CE programs use both investigations and collection operations to conduct long-term operations to undermine, mitigate, or negate the ability of FISS and ITO to collect effectively on Army equities. CE programs also affect the adversarial visualization and decisionmaking concerning the plans, intentions, and capabilities of U.S. policy, goals, and objectives. The goal of CE is to— • Limit the adversary’s knowledge of U.S. forces, plans, intentions, and capabilities through information denial. • Limit the adversary’s ability to target effectively U.S. forces by disrupting their collection capability. COUNTERINTELLIGENCE SUPPORT TO PROTECTION 1-19. CI support to protection ensures the survivability and mission accomplishment of Army and DOD forces. 1-20. CI’s objective in supporting protection is to— • Limit the compromise and exploitation of personnel, facilities, operations, command and control (C2), and operational execution of U.S. forces. • Negate, mitigate, or degrade adversarial planning and targeting of U.S. forces for exploitation or attack. • Support the war on terrorism. SUPPORT TO RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY PROTECTION 1-21. Support to RTP is focused on preventing the illegal diversion or loss of critical technology essential to the strategic advantage of the U.S. 1-22. CI’s objective in supporting RTP is to— • Protect critical technology information from adversarial countermeasures development. • Ensure U.S. technological overmatch against existing and future adversaries. CYBER COUNTERINTELLIGENCE 1-23. Cyber CI protects information networks and provides an offensive exploitation capability against adversarial networks to ensure information superiority of U.S. forces. 1-24. CI’s objective in conducting cyber CI activities is to— • Maintain U.S. forces information dominance and superiority over existing and future adversaries. • Protect critical information networks from adversarial attack or exploitation. • Undermine adversarial information operations, systems, and networks. … COUNTERINTELLIGENCE INVESTIGATION OBJECTIVES 2-4. CI investigations are essential to counter threat collection efforts targeting Army equities. CI places emphasis on investigative activity to support force and technology protection, homeland defense, information assurance, and security programs. CI investigations focus on resolving allegations of known or suspected acts that may constitute national security crimes under U.S. law or the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). 2-5. The initial objective of CI investigations is to identify people, organizations, and other entities engaging in national security crimes and to determine the full nature and extent of damage to national security. The intent is to develop information of sufficient value to permit its use in the appropriate civil or military court. However, investigations should not be limited to the production of evidence. Investigative reports should include all relevant information as it pertains to the person or incident involved in the investigation. CI investigations are conducted to— • Identify people, organizations, and other entities engaging in national security crimes that impact Army equities. • Determine the full nature of national security crimes within the authority and jurisdiction of Army CI. • Prove or disprove allegations or indications that person or persons are engaged in national security crimes or incidents of CI interest. • Prevent the loss, control, or compromise of sensitive or classified defense information and technology. • Protect the security of Army personnel, information, operations, installations, and technology. • Acquire and preserve evidence used to support exploitation, prosecution, or any other legal proceedings or punitive measures resulting from CI investigations. • Detect and identify terrorist activities that may present a threat to Army, DOD, and national security. 2-6. CI investigations must conform to applicable U.S. laws and DOD and DA regulations. CI special agents must report information accurately and completely. They maintain files and records to allow transfer of an investigation without loss of control or efficiency. Coordination with other CI or law enforcement organizations ensures that investigations are conducted as rapidly as possible. It also reduces duplication and assists in resolving conflicts when jurisdictional lines are unclear or overlap. CI investigative activity must be discreet, ensuring the rights and privacy of individuals involved, as well as the preservation of all investigative prerogatives. This is required to protect the rights of individuals and to preserve the security of investigative techniques. 2-7. CI special agents need to have a thorough understanding of all investigative techniques and planning, approval processes, and legal requirements before requesting and initiating any type of CI investigative activity. A lack of understanding in any one of these areas may potentially invalidate any investigation from a prosecutorial standard and may jeopardize the ability to exploit a threat to the United States. … PRIMARY AUTHORITY 2-12. Army CI has investigative primacy for the national security crimes and incidents of CI interest listed below when they are committed by persons identified as subjects. If either the subject, potential subject, incident, or crime falls outside Army CI jurisdiction, Army CI may still retain joint investigative responsibilities. • Sedition. • Aiding the enemy by providing intelligence to the enemy. • Spying. • Espionage. • Subversion. • Treason. • Terrorism activities or materiel support to a known or suspected terrorist organization or person (DCS G-2, G-2 Memorandum (S//NF), 24 August 2005). • Incidents of CI interest. … INCIDENTS OF COUNTERINTELLIGENCE INTEREST 2-17. The following is not an all-inclusive list of incidents of CI interest: • The activities of ITO or material support to an ITO or person. Terrorist organizations are specified in DCS, G-2 Memorandum (S//NF), dated 13 February 2007, Operational Planning List (OPL) 2005 (U), as revised. • Unreported contact with foreign government personnel, persons or groups involved in foreign terrorism or intelligence, or unauthorized requests for classified or sensitive unclassified information. • Unauthorized disclosure of classified information or material. Not all incidents in this category may meet the threshold for a CI investigation. However, those that do will often include other indicators of espionage that are identified associated with the incident or when there are acts which are known methods of operations of FISS and ITO entities. Investigations are conducted to ascertain those entities involvement. CI special agents may also act to secure classified material and to determine if the actions of the subject were an act of omission or commission. The command requirements to report compromises or conduct inquiries as specified in AR 380-5, chapter VI, may also apply to these incidents. • Matters developed as a result of counterintelligence scope polygraph (CSP) examination as specified in AR 381-20. • Military personnel or DAC employees who perform unofficial travel to those countries designated in the operational planning list, who have unauthorized contact with official representatives of foreign countries, or who contact or visit foreign diplomatic facilities without authorization. • Attempts by authorized users of information systems to gain unauthorized access. • Known, suspected or attempted intrusions into classified or unclassified information systems when there is reasonable suspicion of foreign involvement or it has not been ruled out. • Unauthorized removal of classified material or possession of classified material in unauthorized locations. • Special category absentees (SCAs), which include those absent without leave (AWOL), deserters defectors, and military absentees who have had access to TS, SCI, SAP information, or TS cryptographic access or an assignment to a special mission unit within the year preceding the absence. CI special agents will conduct investigations of the circumstances surrounding the absences of SCA personnel using the guidelines presented in this manual. • Army military, civilian, or overseas contractor personnel declared AWOL and deserters who had access within the preceding year to TS, SCI, critical military technology as defined in AR 381-20, chapter 7, SAPs; personnel who were assigned to a special mission unit; personnel in the DA Cryptographic Access Program (DACAP); and personnel with access to critical nuclear weapons design technology. • Army military, civilian, or overseas contractor personnel who go absent without authority, AWOL, or deserters who do not have assignments or access; however, there are indications of FISS and ITO contact or involvement in their absence. • DA military and civilian personnel who defect and those persons who are absent without authorization and travel to or through a foreign country other than the one in which they were stationed or assigned. • DA military and civilian personnel detained or captured by a government, group, or adversary with interests inimical to those of the United States. Such personnel will be debriefed upon return to U.S. control. • Attempted or actual suicide or suspicious death of a DA member if they have an intelligence background, were assigned to an SMU, or had access to classified information within the year preceding the incident, or where there are indications of FISS and ITO involvement. • Suspected or actual unauthorized acquisition or illegal diversion of military critical technology, research and development information, or information concerning an Army acquisition program. If required, Army CI will ensure all appropriate military and civilian intelligence and LEAs are notified. Army CI will also ensure Army equities are articulated and either monitor the status of the agency with primary jurisdiction or coordinate for joint investigative authority. • Impersonation of intelligence personnel or unlawful possession or use of Army intelligence identification, such as badge and credentials. • Communications security (COMSEC) insecurities, except those which are administrative in nature. (See AR 380-40, chapter 7.) • Suspected electronic intrusions or eavesdropping devices in secure areas which could be used for technical surveillance. DA personnel discovering such a device will not disturb it or discuss the discovery in the area where the device is located. • Willful compromise of clandestine intelligence personnel and CI activities. … DECEPTION IDENTIFICATION AND DETECTION (BIOMETRICS) 6-38. Biometrics as a characteristic is a measurable biological and behavioral characteristic that can be used for automated recognition. Biometrics as a process is an automated method of recognizing a person based on a physiological or behavioral characteristic. Among the features measured are face, fingerprints, hand geometry, handwriting, iris, retinal, vein, and voice. Biometric technologies are becoming the foundation of an extensive array of highly secure identification and personal verification solutions. As the level of security breaches and transaction fraud increases, the need for highly secure identification and personal verification technologies is becoming apparent. 6-39. Identification specific mission areas that CI detection and identification processes and technologies support include, but are not limited to, the following: • Countering foreign intelligence through the detection, identification, and neutralization of espionage activities. • Support to military readiness and conduct of military operations through protection, including— • Surveillance of air, land, or sea areas adjacent to deployed U.S. forces, sufficient to provide maximum warning of impending attack. • Indication of hostile intelligence penetration or attempts at penetration. • Support to law enforcement efforts to suppress CT. • Identification and affiliation of terrorist groups. • Assessment of group capabilities, including strengths and weaknesses. • Locations of terrorist training camps or bases of operations. • Weapons and technologies associated with identified terrorist elements. … COMPUTER FORENSICS 6-43. Computer forensics is conducted to— • Discover and recover evidence related to espionage, terrorism, or subversion against the Army. • Develop CI investigative leads. • Collect and report intelligence. • Support exploitation efforts. 6-44. Processing and examining digital media evidence is a tedious and time-consuming process which requires specialized training and equipment. Failure to properly process and examine digital media evidence could corrupt the evidence or yield the evidence inadmissible during future legal proceedings. Due to the complexities of cyber investigations, computer forensics support to CI investigations will only be conducted by specially trained and qualified personnel assigned to cyber CI elements in each theater. 6-45. Requests for computer forensic support will be made through the appropriate ATCICA. Requests for assistance will include detailed descriptions of the digital media evidence to be seized and examined and will be germane to the approved CI investigative objectives. 6-46. Every CI special agent is responsible for identifying the need for computer forensics support to their investigations. Computer forensics examinations involve a methodical process which, depending on the size and complexity of the digital media evidence, may take a significant amount of time to complete. Computer forensic operations cannot be rushed and therefore investigative time lines may need to be adjusted to accommodate the time required to complete the support. If a CI special agent is in doubt about the capabilities of, or when to leverage, cyber CI units, the agent should contact his ATCICA for guidance. … COUNTERINTELLIGENCE NETWORK INTRUSION INVESTIGATIONS 7-10. CI network intrusion investigations involve collecting, processing, and analyzing evidence related to adversarial penetrations of Army information systems. These specialized CI investigations are generally conducted independently of other traditional CI investigations. However, given the jurisdictional issues which involve the Internet, network intrusion investigations may require coordination with other U.S. and foreign government intelligence and law enforcement entities. 7-11. Threats to Army information systems can range from exploitation of vulnerabilities in information systems which allow adversaries to penetrate Army computers and collect critical information, to trusted insiders who either willingly or unwittingly enable adversarial forces to exploit these critical infrastructure resources. Any adversary with the motive, means, opportunity, and intent to do harm poses a potential threat. Threats to Army information resources may include disruption, denial degradation, ex-filtration, destruction, corruption, exploitation, or unauthorized access to computer networks and information systems and data. Cyber CI units are uniquely qualified to investigate and counter these threats. 7-12. All CI network intrusion investigations will be coordinated, to the extent necessary, with the USACIDC, specifically the Cyber Criminal Investigations Unit (CCIU). This coordination is necessary to ensure that investigative activities are not duplicated and that each organization does not impede or disrupt each other’s investigative or prosecutorial options. 7-13. A CI network intrusion investigation may be initiated under, but not necessarily be limited to, the following circumstances: • Known, suspected, or attempted intrusions into classified or unclassified information systems by unauthorized persons. • Incidents which involve intrusions into systems containing or processing data on critical military technologies, export controlled technology, or other weapons systems related RDT&E data. • Intrusions which replicate methods associated with foreign intelligence or adversary collection or which involve targeting that parallels known foreign intelligence or adversary collection requirements. 7-14. The purpose for conducting a CI network intrusion investigation will be to— • Fully identify the FISS and ITO entity involved. • Determine the FISS and ITO objectives. • Determine the FISS and ITO tools, techniques, and procedures used. • Assist the appropriate authorities with determining the extent of damage to Army and Department of Defense equities. … 7-32. The trusted insider is the most serious threat to DOD information systems security. The following list of indicators that could be associated with an insider threat should be addressed during threat briefings to CI customers: • Unauthorized attempts to elevate privileges. • Unauthorized sniffers. • Suspicious downloads of sensitive data. • Unauthorized modems. • Unexplained storage of encrypted data. • Anomalous work hours and/or network activity. • Unexplained modification of network security-related operating system settings. • Unexplained modification of network security devices such as routers and firewalls. • Malicious code that attempts to establish communication with systems other than the one which the code resides. • Unexplained external physical network or computer connection. • Unexplained modifications to network hardware. • Unexplained file transfer protocol (FTP) servers on the inside of the security perimeter. • Unexplained hardware or software found on internal networks. • Network interface cards that are set in a “promiscuous” or “sniffer” mode. • Unexpected open maintenance ports on network components. • Any unusual activity associated with network-enabled peripheral devices, such as printers and copiers.29 Jan

U.S. Army War College Strategic Cyberspace Operations Guide - 1. This publication provides a guide for U.S. Army War College students to understand design, planning, and execution of cyberspace operations at combatant commands (CCMDs), joint task forces (JTFs), and joint functional component commands. It combines existing U.S. Government Unclassified and “Releasable to the Public” documents into a single guide. … 1. This guide follows the operational design methodology and the joint operation planning process (JOPP) and applies these principles to the cyberspace domain. Cyberspace is a global domain within the information environment consisting of the interdependent networks of information technology infrastructures and resident data, including the Internet, telecommunications networks, computer systems, and embedded processors and controllers. Cyberspace operations (CO) are the employment of cyberspace capabilities where the primary purpose is to achieve objectives in or through cyberspace. Commanders must develop the capability to direct operations in the cyber domain since strategic mission success increasingly depends on freedom of maneuver in cyberspace (see Figure 1-1). 2. The President and the Secretary of Defense (SecDef) provide strategic guidance to the joint force. This guidance is the common thread that integrates and synchronizes the planning activities and operations. It provides purpose and focus to the planning for employment of military force. 3. The commander and staff develop plans and orders through the application of the operational design methodology and by using JOPP. Operational design results in the commander’s operational approach, which broadly describes the actions the joint force needs to take to reach the end state. The commander and staff translate the broad operational approach into detailed plans and orders using JOPP.5 Planning continues during execution, with an initial emphasis on refining the existing plan and producing the operations order and refining the force flow utilizing employed assigned and allocated forces. 4. Commanders integrate cyberspace capabilities at all levels and in all military operations. Plans should address how to effectively integrate cyberspace capabilities, counter an adversary’s use of cyberspace, secure mission critical networks, operate in a degraded environment, efficiently use limited cyberspace assets, and consolidate operational requirements for cyberspace capabilities. While it is possible that some military objectives can be achieved by CO alone, CO capabilities should be integrated into the joint force commander’s plan and synchronized with other operations during execution. …29 Jan

Department of State International Security Advisory Board Report on Gray Zone Conflict - The study addresses the challenges facing the United States from the increasing use by rivals and adversaries – state and non-state alike – of what have come to be called “Gray Zone” techniques. The term Gray Zone (“GZ”) denotes the use of techniques to achieve a nation’s goals and frustrate those of its rivals by employing instruments of power – often asymmetric and ambiguous in character – that are not direct use of acknowledged regular military forces. The report is organized according to the specific subjects the ISAB was directed to consider by the Terms of Reference (TOR) – Characteristics of GZ Operations, Policy Options and Concepts, and Deterrence/Dissuasion. I. Characteristics of GZ Conflict Perhaps the most widely used definition of Gray Zone conflict is that established by the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM): “gray zone challenges are defined as competitive interaction among and within state and non-state actors that fall between the traditional war and peace duality. They are characterized by ambiguity about the nature of the conflict, opacity of the parties involved, or uncertainty about the relevant policy and legal frameworks.” Read too broadly, this definition would embrace practically all international interaction, most of which is directed in some degree at affecting the actions or view of other countries. However, it is possible to describe the problem without seeking a universal and precise definition. The term “Gray Zone” may be new; the phenomenon is not. Although many of the techniques used now are based on modern technology, notably cyber and networked communication, many are as old as history. What are now being called GZ methods have been conducted in the past under such names as “political warfare,” “covert operations,” “irregular or guerrilla warfare,” “active measures,” and the like. In some sense, the Cold War was one protracted GZ campaign on both sides on a global scale. The Trojan Horse exploited many of the instruments of a GZ operation – creating confusion and division in enemy opinion, extending ostensible inducements, implanting hidden military forces, deception, and clandestine infiltration of enemy territory. The central characteristic of GZ operations is that they involve the use of instruments beyond normal international interactions yet short of overt military force. They occupy a space between normal diplomacy and commercial competition and open military conflict, and while often employing diplomacy and commercial actions, GZ attacks go beyond the forms of political and social action and military operations with which liberal democracies are familiar, to make deliberate use of instruments of violence, terrorism, and dissembling. Moreover, they often involve asymmetry in magnitude of national interests or capabilities between the adversaries. GZ techniques include: Cyber, information operations, efforts to undermine public/allied/local/ regional resistance, and information/propaganda in support of other hybrid instruments; Covert operations under state control, espionage, infiltration, and subversion; Special Operations Forces (SOF) and other state-controlled armed units, and unacknowledged military personnel; Support – logistical, political, and financial – for insurgent and terrorist movements; Enlistment of non-governmental actors, including organized criminal groups, terrorists, and extremist political, religious, and ethnic or sectarian organizations; Assistance to irregular military and paramilitary forces; Economic pressures that go beyond normal economic competition; Manipulation and discrediting of democratic institutions, including electoral system and the judiciary; Calculated ambiguity, use of /covert/unacknowledged operations, and deception and denial; and Explicit or implicit threat use, or threats of use of armed force, terrorism, and abuse of civilian populations and of escalation. Currently, the United States can reasonably be said to face GZ campaigns in a range of theaters: Russia has mounted a variety of GZ operations, not only in Ukraine where it actually employed thinly disguised military force and support for local militias as well as other instruments, but also targeting the Baltics, Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the United States, and a range of European countries with a massive campaign (including expansive use of cyber) to spread its narratives, undermine confidence in legal, economic, and electoral systems, and manipulate political action, exemplified by the FSB/GRU cyber operation that hacked into networks used by U.S. political figures and organizations in what is assessed by the U.S. intelligence community and the FBI as an effort intended to influence the recent U.S. presidential election. China is aggressively advancing its disputed maritime claims in the South and East China Seas, by both incremental establishment of “facts on the ground,” by construction and occupation of disputed features, providing material incentives to accommodate to Chinese desires, and undermining confidence in U.S. credibility by an extensive media effort. Iran in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East, and from Daesh and other radical Islamist groups in Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere using terror, exploiting sectarian and ethnic divisions, and otherwise seeking to disrupt the established order in the region. North Korea has over the years, repeatedly used ostensibly deniable violence, political infiltration, intimidation by threats of massive escalation, and hostage-taking to divide the Republic of Korea and the United States and protect its failing system.28 Jan

(U//FOUO) DHS Intelligence Note: Germany Christmas Market Attack Underscores Threat to Mass Gatherings and Open-Access Venues - (U) A 25-ton commercial truck transporting steel beams from Poland to Germany plowed into crowds at a Christmas market in Berlin at about 2000 local time on 19 December, killing at least 12 people and injuring 48 others, several critically, according to media reporting citing public security officials involved in the investigation. The truck was reportedly traveling at approximately 40 miles per hour when it rammed the Christmas market stands. Police estimate the vehicle traveled 80 yards into the Christmas market before coming to a halt. (U) German authorities are calling the attack a terrorist incident, with the attacker still at large. German authorities are warning that it is unclear if the attacker was a lone offender, acted as part of a cell, or if he received any sort of direction by a FTO, and expressed concern that additional attacks are possible. An individual who was initially detained on 19 December was released on 20 December, and is no longer considered a suspect, according to German police. The truck may have been stolen or hijacked with the original driver overpowered or murdered. The original driver, found dead in the truck cab, appears to have died from stabbing and shooting wounds, according to media reporting citing law enforcement officials. The truck tracking location system indicated repeated engine stalls in the time leading up to the attack, leading the owner of the vehicle to speculate this was unlikely if a veteran driver was operating the truck, unless there was some sort of mechanical trouble. In response to the incident, German authorities, as part of their heightened security posture, will place concrete barriers around access points at Christmas markets across Germany. … (U//FOUO) Vehicle Ramming Featured in Recent Terrorist Messaging (U//FOUO) I&A assesses that the 19 December likely terrorist attack at one of the largest Christmas markets in Berlin highlights terrorists’ continued use of simple tactics and is consistent with recent calls by the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) for attacks in the West using “all available means.” In an early December audio statement, ISIL spokesman Abu Hassan al-Muhajir called for attacks in “their homes, markets, street gatherings and anywhere they do not think of.” Vehicle ramming has been featured in recent violent extremist publications and messaging—including in ISIL’s al Rumiyah magazine and al-Qaʻida in the Arabian Peninsula’s (AQAP) Inspire magazine—especially since the mid-July vehicle ramming attack in Nice, France. The early-November third issue of Rumiyah highlighted applicable targets for vehicle ramming attacks such as “large outdoor conventions and celebrations, pedestrian-congested streets, outdoor markets, festivals, parades, and political rallies.” The most recent Homeland attack featuring this tactic occurred at Ohio State University in Columbus on 28 November, where Abdul Razak Ali Artan ran over pedestrians and then continued the attack with an edged weapon after the vehicle came to a stop. (U//FOUO) On 20 December, ISIL’s A’maq News Agency called the attacker “an Islamic State soldier” consistent with previous instances of quickly posting claims of credit for operations. While the attack bears the hallmarks of ISIL’s tactics and targets, we have not been able to determine a definitive link to the group at this time. … (U//FOUO) I&A has no information indicating a specific or credible threat against individuals, locations or events in the Homeland, but several recent plots and attacks in the United States and overseas involving shopping malls, mass transit, and mass gatherings, including sporting events, have shown that homegrown violent extremists (HVEs) and terrorist groups are interested in attacking these types of targets. I&A assesses that commercial facilities—such as festivals, concerts, outdoor events, and other mass gatherings—remain a potential target for terrorists or HVEs, as they often pursue simple, achievable attacks with an emphasis on economic impact and mass casualties. The most likely tactics in a hypothetical terrorist attack against such events likely would involve edged weapons, small arms, vehicular assaults, and possibly improvised explosive devices. The 19 December events underscore the difficulties the private sector and law enforcement face in securing venues that are pedestrian-friendly, particularly in light of the large number of such areas.16 Jan

National Intelligence Council Global Trends Assessment: Paradox of Progress - We are living a paradox: The achievements of the industrial and information ages are shaping a world to come that is both more dangerous and richer with opportunity than ever before. Whether promise or peril prevails will turn on the choices of humankind. The progress of the past decades is historic—connecting people, empowering individuals, groups, and states, and lifting a billion people out of poverty in the process. But this same progress also spawned shocks like the Arab Spring, the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, and the global rise of populist, anti-establishment politics. These shocks reveal how fragile the achievements have been, underscoring deep shifts in the global landscape that portend a dark and difficult near future. The next five years will see rising tensions within and between countries. Global growth will slow, just as increasingly complex global challenges impend. An ever-widening range of states, organizations, and empowered individuals will shape geopolitics. For better and worse, the emerging global landscape is drawing to a close an era of American dominance following the Cold War. So, too, perhaps is the rules-based international order that emerged after World War II. It will be much harder to cooperate internationally and govern in ways publics expect. Veto players will threaten to block collaboration at every turn, while information “echo chambers” will reinforce countless competing realities, undermining shared understandings of world events. Underlying this crisis in cooperation will be local, national, and international differences about the proper role of government across an array of issues ranging from the economy to the environment, religion, security, and the rights of individuals. Debates over moral boundaries—to whom is owed what—will become more pronounced, while divergence in values and interests among states will threaten international security. It will be tempting to impose order on this apparent chaos, but that ultimately would be too costly in the short run and would fail in the long. Dominating empowered, proliferating actors in multiple domains would require unacceptable resources in an era of slow growth, fiscal limits, and debt burdens. Doing so domestically would be the end of democracy, resulting in authoritarianism or instability or both. Although material strength will remain essential to geopolitical and state power, the most powerful actors of the future will draw on networks, relationships, and information to compete and cooperate. This is the lesson of great power politics in the 1900s, even if those powers had to learn and relearn it. The US and Soviet proxy wars, especially in Vietnam and Afghanistan, were a harbinger of the post-Cold War conflicts and today’s fights in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia in which less powerful adversaries deny victory through asymmetric strategies, ideology, and societal tensions. The threat from terrorism will expand in the coming decades as the growing prominence of small groups and individuals use new technologies, ideas, and relationships to their advantage. Meanwhile, states remain highly relevant. China and Russia will be emboldened, while regional aggressors and nonstate actors will see openings to pursue their interests. Uncertainty about the United States, an inward-looking West, and erosion of norms for conflict prevention and human rights will encourage China and Russia to check US influence. In doing so, their “gray zone” aggression and diverse forms of disruption will stay below the threshold of hot war but bring profound risks of miscalculation. Overconfidence that material strength can manage escalation will increase the risks of interstate conflict to levels not seen since the Cold War. Even if hot war is avoided, the current pattern of “international cooperation where we can get it”—such as on climate change—masks significant differences in values and interests among states and does little to curb assertions of dominance within regions. These trends are leading to a spheres of influence world. … Competing Views on Instability China and Russia portray global disorder as resulting from a Western plot to push what they see as self-serving American concepts and values of freedom to every corner of the planet. Western governments see instability as an underlying condition worsened by the end of the Cold War and incomplete political and economic development. Concerns over weak and fragile states rose more than a generation ago because of beliefs about the externalities they produce—whether disease, refugees, or terrorists in some instances. The growing interconnectedness of the planet, however, makes isolation from the global periphery an illusion, and the rise of human rights norms makes state violence against a governed population an unacceptable option. One consequence of post-Cold War disengagement by the United States and the then-USSR, was a loss of external support for strongmen politics, militaries, and security forces who are no longer able to bargain for patronage. Also working against coercive governments are increased demands for responsive and participatory governance by citizens no longer poor due to the unprecedented scale and speed of economic development in the nonindustrial world. Where political and economic development occurred roughly in tandem or quick succession, modernization and individual empowerment have reinforced political stability. Where economic development outpaced or occurred without political changes—such as in much of the Arab world and the rest of Africa and South Asia—instability ensued. China has been a notable exception. The provision of public goods there so far has bolstered political order but a campaign against corruption is now generating increasing uncertainty and popular protests have grown during the past 15 years. Russia is the other major exception—economic growth—largely the result of high energy and commodity prices—helped solve the disorder of the Yeltsin years. US experience in Iraq and Afghanistan has shown that coercion and infusions of money cannot overcome state weakness. Rather, building a stable political order requires inclusiveness, cooperation among elites, and a state administration that can both control the military and provide public services. This has proved more difficult than expected to provide. …15 Jan

Sunlight Foundation Blog

Opening agriculture and nutrition data requires confronting power, influence and industry - U.N. forum calling on countries to adopt GODAN The 2016 Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN) Summit this September featured the highest level endorsement of open data by a U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to date, coupled with resounding endorsement of the importance of providing increased access to knowledge that would mitigate world hunger, increase resilience against climate change and stem negative influence of environmental pollution. It was both inspiring and encouraging to see representatives of countries from around the globe convening at the United Nations to call on world leaders to commit to releasing more open data about agriculture and nutrition. If we want to make real progress on GODAN’s ambitious and important goals, we must do a deeper examination of the real challenges to opening agricultural data. Until secretaries, ministers, academics, advocates and non-governmental organizations that cast an optimistic light on the role of open data recognize how copyright, proprietary standards, and powerful industrial interests keep it closed, rhetoric is not going to be matched by real change. Sustainability, resilience and responsibility need to be the watchwords of the global open data movement in every context, in agriculture and nutrition as much as in telecommunications and consumer technology. While opening data can provide enormous societal, economic and transparency benefits around the world, there needs to be a clear and well defined recognition by governments that economic and privacy risks exist for farmers who create or share data about their work, assets and crops. We should be alert to potential harms from agencies that move too quickly to release data without appropriate redaction of personally identifiable information. We must also be aware of how access to sectoral data works within broader principles of public access to information. Nations that do not have freedom of information laws need to commit to the simple but fundamental principle that the public has a right to access information created and stewarded on their behalf. Connecting open data to this right is critical. Where freedom of information laws exist, they also provide useful guidelines for deciding when it is in the public interest to redact information. Nations that do not have privacy laws on the books must think through the potential harms of releasing data about the public. Mosaic effects resulting from combining different existing sources of public data and the presumption of harm standard that is familiar to journalists and advocates. The good news is that the GODAN Secretariat, the organizing and convening body behind the global effort to open agricultural data, is not only aware of the real challenges to open agricultural data but has commissioned and published research that directly explores and recommends pathways for improvement. Reaching out to the people that the democratized information needs to benefit should be a priority in the year ahead. From the farmers with privacy concerns, to the future users of data, apps and services, any responsible use of data should acknowledge their use of equities and build with communities, not for them, from the very beginning. Research published during the GODAN Summit by the Engine Room’s Zara Rachman and Sunlight alumna Lindsay Farris on responsible data helps bring this perspective to light: Those with the fewest resources, on the margins of the sector, such as indigenous populations and smallholder farmers, are most at risk of having their needs ignored here. Without awareness of their rights, or of how their data is being used and the subsequent effects, inequalities are at risk of growing due to data-driven insights, rather than being reduced. As a result, there is a clear need to build capacity among smallholder farmers and less well resourced actors in the sector on how to deal with the growing amounts of data that are becoming available. Simply making data available is not enough to address these differences, and more needs to be done, potentially through providing low-cost advisory services on data use, or more accessible capacity-building options which clearly outline the reasons behind such offerings. Similarly, research published by Jeremy de Beer, a law professor at the University of Ottawa’s Centre for Law, Technology and Society, recognized the challenges that surround ownership of open data in poor countries and states. Where public data can be copyrighted and powerful agribusiness interests with deep pockets can capture its value, agriculture data belongs to private actors rather than to a national or global commons. Open agricultural and nutritional data is becoming an increasingly vital resource in the advancement and innovation of farmer organizations, food production, value chain development, and provision of services. Modern farmers use a considerable amount of data in making their day-to-day decisions, relying on key datasets such as weather data, market price data, and agricultural inputs data… [However, the]…predominant model of driving open data via voluntarily licence agreements, as opposed to more fundamental changes in the instruments governing data rights and responsibilities, presents substantial risks for all stakeholders. The most vulnerable actors lack the ownership rights to redress power imbalances in respect of open data. Intermediaries who have the most enforceable ownership rights have little guidance regarding the line between legal and ethical responsibilities to adopt fair data and benefit sharing practices. And the open data community as a whole faces uncertainty and instability in the governance of data ownership issues. De Beer also emphasized the significance of digital inequality in the development and use of open agricultural data. Without better support, open data has the potential to accelerate inequalities, not reduce them. While] everyone should have the potential to make use of open data, not everyone does. Many people lack the legal ownership rights—as well as digital infrastructure, financial resources, or skills and education—to share in the benefits of open data. … Numerous studies note the advantages open data can promote for governments and its citizens, including for example improving economic growth through innovation and enhancing social value. However, without the basic building blocks such countries remain unable to capture the bene ts open data can provide. Ultimately, this also speaks to the potential risks of greater exploitation by powerful actors, as those most vulnerable and without information may be willing to share more, while those least vulnerable may actually be the most cautious. We strongly encourage world leaders to embrace the mission and statement of purpose advanced by GODAN in the months and years ahead. We also encourage the public to demand more transparency and accountability from governments in acknowledging where power and politics are preventing data from being collected, disclosed or used. At its best, open government data provides a backbone for humanity to understand how our world is changing and to adapt, from climate change to evolution to human behavior. In this context, an expanding ecosystem for open data about agriculture and food represents civic infrastructure, providing a foundation not only for shared facts but for the public to build and co-create insight, services and shared outcomes. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates shared his thoughts on the potential of agriculture in a video for the GODAN conference last year that remains relevant: The transparency that releasing agricultural and nutrition data provides, however, is not enough to bring about technical or policy changes on its own. That requires political agency and elected representatives of the people challenging the industry giants of the Silicon Age today, just as they did a century ago in the Gilded Age. We look forward to working with our partners and allies around the world to advocate for reforms that help us make progress on our share of challenges together.2 Mar

Today in OpenGov: The Court of Public Opinion is now in Sessions - In today’s issue, we look at who the U.S. Attorney General talked to, when, and why. We also explore new federal design standards, highlight an open data privacy handbook, and remind you that Sunshine Week is coming soon! align=”center”>The court of public opinion… Attorney General Jeff Sessions is in hot water over conversations that he had with the Russian Ambassador to the United States during the Presidential election. During his confirmation hearing, Sessions claimed that he had no contact with Russian officials as a surrogate to Donald Trump’s campaign. He also answered a written question about contact with Russian officials about the 2016 election with a simple “no.” (Washington Post) After conversations between Sessions and the ambassador were confirmed, a Sarah Isgur Flores, a spokeswoman for the new U.S. Attorney General, rejected accusations that he had misled lawmakers and portrayed the contacts that he had with Ambassador Sergey Kislyak as being part of his work as a senator rather than as a key backer of Trump’s presidential bid.” (Bloomberg Politics) Numerous Democrats, and some Republicans, in Congress reacted to the story with demands for Sessions to recuse himself from any Department of Justice investigation and renewed calls for a special prosecutor to investigate ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. (POLITICO) Access is everything We’ve gone backwards from promises to bring CSPAN cameras into health care legislation discussions to secrecy. Congress is now discussing the next draft of a bill that would replace the Affordable Care Act in secret, in a basement room. The bill is not online, people who see it can’t take a copy, and the Members and staffers who were present aren’t talking about it. Not so open. (Bloomberg Politics) A federal judge in Manhattan ruled in favor of a freelance journalists, arguing that the NYPD may have violated the journalists first amendment rights by revoking his press credentials. The ruling seems particularly timely in the wake of the White House’s exclusion of news organizations from a briefing last week. ““If you exclude reporters from briefings that they otherwise have a right to attend because you don’t like their reporting, then you have engaged in viewpoint discrimination…” which is almost always unconstitutional, according to First Amendment lawyer Jameel Jaffer. (New York Times) designing federal websites On Monday, the federal government quietly launched the 1.0 release of the U.S. Web Design Standards: https://standards.usa.gov/ These standards are now in use on more than 100+ government websites, from Apps.gov to Vets.gov. A draft version of them has been in development since 2015. In the Obama era, we would have learned about the standards through a post on the White House blog and tweeted out. In this administration, design, data and digital government have not been included in public communications from the White House. We expect these standards to not only lead to better use of taxpayers dollars, including savings and efficiencies, but tangible improvements to the digital services and products that our government creates and provides to the public. State and Local Researchers at Harvard University published an Open Data Privacy Playbook earlier this week. The report aims to help cities balance the risks and benefits of open data. “In the absence of clear-cut regulations, cities have always been somewhat haphazard about how they release data, and how they protect it.” (CityLab) On a similar note, Sunlight recently published a white paper laying out 10 principles for responsible municipal data management, “Protecting Data, Protecting Residents”. For an audible take on the topic check out GovEx’s Data Points Podcast which tackled data privacy last week Boston released a beta version of its new open data platform this week. “The new portal — called Analyze Boston — pulls together data sets from the city’s map showcase and tabular data stores, organizes the data into topics like public safety or transportation, implements a consistent public domain license across all city data, tags data sets that are no longer maintained with a “legacy portal” tag and uses an open source CKAN service managed by OpenGov.” (StateScoop) events Sunshine Week is right around the corner. Check out the calendar of events and start planning your week! We’re going to be hosting an event on March 16th — stay tuned for more details. Another reminder that Open Data Day is coming up this Saturday, March 4th The Center for Ethics in Public Life at the University of Missouri St. Louis is hosting a conference on Ethics, Money & Politics on March 24th Tired of your boss/friend/intern/uncle forwarding you this email every morning? You can sign up here and have it delivered direct to your inbox! Please send questions, comments, tips, and concerns to todayinopengov@sunlightfoundation.com. We would love your feedback!2 Mar

Today in OpenGov: Around the World - Today’s look at #OpenGov news, events, & analysis, including a heap of news from around the world… think global Earlier this week, “the European Space Agency announced an Open Access policy for images and data under a Creative Commons BY-SA license. ESA has made various moves toward making data and images more open in the past, but this announcement is a major milestone for the organization’s commitment to openness.” (Creative Commons) After nearly a decade of effort the Lebanese parliament passed a right to access to information bill earlier this year. They joined at least 115 other countries around the world. (FreedomInfo.org) For a broad look and analysis of the world’s access to information laws check out RTI-Rating.org. CorruptionWatch, a Transparency International chapter based in South Africa, is out with their 2016 annual report. The report shows that “the South African public are increasingly intolerant of corruption.” Meanwhile, a growing corruption scandal in South Korea has engulfed several top Samsung executives, including the firm’s vice chairman and heir apparant. “Lee Jae-yong, the 48-year-old vice chairman of Samsung, was indicted in South Korea on bribery and other allegations Tuesday in a broadening corruption scandal that also saw charges leveled against four other top Samsung executives.” (Ars Technica) “On February 27, the Colombian Senate released a new smartphone application to allow citizens greater access to legislative information and improve transparency during Senate deliberations.” The app arrives just as the Colombian legislature begins to debate legislation to implement recently approved peace accords that have attracted significant public interest. (National Democratic Institute) City streets North Hempstead, New York has joined the ranks of cities embracing open financial data. “North Hempstead residents can now precisely track how their tax dollars are spent, with the town’s recent launch of a comprehensive website showing years of its expenditures.” (Newsday via NFOIC) How can smaller communities navigate changes wrought by digitalisation? The small city of LaGrange, Georgia may provide a case study, showing that “…addressing the challenges of digital disruption and a globalizing economy may be difficult, but it’s not impossible. The key to success is getting the right people together to address the right issues.” (Governing) more on federal data The U.S. Census Bureau is entering a critical period in advance of the 2020 census and it is unclear how recent actions –or the lack of action — by President Trump may effect the agency. The President has been slow to fill important posts across the Federal government, including several at the Census. Additionally, proposed across the board cuts in the President’s budget could hinder the Bureau’s preparations for 2020. (Federal Computer Week) Local governments rely on federal data for decision making across a range of policy areas. Recently proposed legislation — The Local Zoning Decisions Protection Act of 2017 — would set a bad precedent and “could end up limiting access to valuable federal data… [and represent] a significant step backward for evidence-based policymaking…” on the local level. (Urban Institute) if you were teaching high school students to follow fed datasets, which would be in your top 10? – census / acs – gdp – jobs – ucr – ? — Rebecca Williams (@internetrebecca) March 1, 2017 events Open Data Day is coming up this Saturday. If you are planning to join an event but unsure of what to work on, consider this idea from Open Knowledge: “Lucky for us, there is a tool that tries to look at the community’s burning topics and set the way forward. It is called the International Open Data Conference Roadmap, and it is waiting for you to interact with and shape further…Got 30 minutes? Here is my suggested activity with the report and I would love to get comments on it on our forum! Got only 10 minutes? Pick a topic from the roadmap, the one that you feel most connected to, read about, a write a comment about it on our forum.” Tired of your boss/friend/intern/uncle forwarding you this email every morning? You can sign up here and have it delivered direct to your inbox! Please send questions, comments, tips, and concerns to todayinopengov@sunlightfoundation.com. We would love your feedback!1 Mar

Today in OpenGov: Open Data Ranked - Your daily look at #OpenGov news, events, & analysis. Today’s theme: The importance of official statistics. open data inventory In January Open Data Watch updated their Open Data Inventory to reflect changes in 2016. The inventory “assesses the coverage and openness of official statistics” for nearly every country across the globe. You can view a ranked list of countries here with scores broken down into categories focused on coverage of official statistics and their openness. In 2016 In 2016, Sweden took the top spot. The Czech Republic, Norway, Poland, Lithuania, Denmark, Estonia, Canada, the United States and Finland round out the top 10. Read the full report here. Open Data Watch’s Inventory, specifically focused on official statistics and the Sustainable Development Goals, fits into a broader framework of global openness assessments. Reporters Without Borders maps global press freedom, FreedomHouse looks at the state of democracies, and Open Knowledge looks at a wide range of data for their Global Open Data Index where is all the data going? Congress is considering a bill that would block collection, storage or disclosure of GIS data about racial discrimination in access to affordable housing. (MeriTalk) Your organization can sign on to a letter opposing the legislation here. Sunlight opposes this legislation specifically as well as any broader efforts to de-fund statistical agencies or limit public access to their work. The potential for Congress to de-fund government statistics and data collection represent a major concern for open data in the U.S., as Sunlight’s Alex Howard explained to CNN recently: “There are lots of reasons to be concerned about the future of open government data in the U.S., but it’s not because of it being taken offline, although that’s a risk factor…It’s that it might be de-funded in Congress.” More on the importance of robust statistics: In 2010 Canada changed its rules, making it voluntary for citizens to fill out the long-form version of its census. This change resulted in a drop in the response rate “to 68 per cent in 2011, down from 93 per cent in 2006. The drop was widely viewed as diminishing the value of the statistical information.” (CBC News Canada) The mandatory long-form census was reinstated in 2015 leading to record response rates in 2016. The first batch of 2016 data is up for perusal now. (Center for Data Innovation) State of the states “On Wednesday the city of San Diego revealed plans for a massive sensor network that will use city street lights to deploy 3,200 sensors for air, traffic and pedestrian safety monitoring.” The city hopes to compete with leading ‘smart cities’ like Dubai and Singapore. (StateScoop) The Arizona state senate moved to institute harsh penalties for taking part in a protest that turns into a riot. “The legislation expands the state’s racketeering laws so that they include rioting.” Critics argue that it could result in limits on free speech. (The Hill) Letters Earlier this month Sunlight joined 48 other groups on a letter to the Department of Justice regarding its proposal for guidance on the Death in Custody Act, which could yield the “most accurate federal numbers on deaths in custody, disaggregated by race, ethnicity and other decedent demographics, to date.” Sunlight particularly welcomes the Department of Justice’s desire to increase transparency and compliance the implementation of the Death in Custody Report Act. The DoJ has proposed that it will disclose information to the public each fiscal year “including the state plans, the number of deaths reported for each agency and facility, and data and circumstances surrounding these deaths.” We will hold the DoJ accountable for following through on its proposal, which adds much needed sunlight to what happens to people in the nation’s criminal justice system. We also joined with groups including OpenTheGovernment.org, the Project on Government Oversight, Demand Progress, and more on comments to the Office of Government Information Services that aim “to ensure the OGIS regulations uphold requesters’ rights under the FOIA statute, and do not place restrictive confidentiality requirements on requesters who chose to use OGIS’s mediation and dispute resolution services.” (OpenTheGovernment.org) Events Open Data Day 2017 is coming up this Saturday, March 4th. 259 events are currently registered around the globe. Find one near you! Sunlight is teaming up with the Center for Open Data Enterprise and the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition for a series of Open Data Day events, kicking off with a Happy Hour on Friday, March 3rd and continuing throughout the afternoon on Saturday. (Sunlight Foundation Blog) Tired of your boss/friend/intern/uncle forwarding you this email every morning? You can sign up here and have it delivered direct to your inbox! Please send questions, comments, tips, and concerns to todayinopengov@sunlightfoundation.com. We would love your feedback!28 Feb

Celebrate Open Data Day in DC at the OpenGov Hub - International Open Data Day is Saturday, March 4th, and you’re invited! Seven years on from the first version of this global effort to convene members of the public interested in increasing access to information online, there are now 257 Open Data Day events registered around the world. As in past years, one of them will be in DC! The Center for Open Data Enterprise, the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) and the Sunlight Foundation have taken up the baton from the dedicated organizers who have made Open Data Day DC such a great event over the past five years and convening the 2017 version at the OpenGov Hub. If you haven’t visited before, the Hub is at Suite 500 of 1110 Vermont Ave NW. This year’s event will feature an Open Data Happy Hour on Friday, March 3rd, from 5:00 – 7:00 PM, where we’ll kick off the Open Data Day Celebration with lightning talks, snacks and beer. [RSVP] On Saturday, March 4th, from 1:00-5:00 PM, please join us for an afternoon of conversations and collaboration Open Data Impact. We’ve put together two panel discussions with government and civil society representatives, followed by a breakout sessions for attendees to participate and collaboration in global efforts to open up and apply data . [RSVP] We know that many people have questions about the state of open data in the United States under this new administration. So do we! As we said last fall, in cities, states and countries around the world, the public increasingly expects that government information should be freely accessible to the public online. In 2017, however, we have now seen some federal government data removed from the Internet. In many of places, open has shifted further towards the default. In the United States, a “presumption of openness” is now part of American law, with the reforms to the Freedom of Information Act enacted by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama last year. How FOIA and federal records laws are interpreted will be a crucial point of public interest this year. Please join us to discuss, debate, decode and decide which way and how the arc of openness should bend in the months ahead.27 Feb

Today in OpenGov: Trump continues campaign against the media - Today’s look at #OpenGov news, events, & analysis, including continued conflict between President Trump and the news media… A war with a free media is a war on democracy. — John Wonderlich (@JohnWonderlich) February 25, 2017 Trump vs. the media The ongoing conflict between the Trump Administration and the media showed no signs of letting up over the weekend. On Friday, President Trump criticized “organizations that publish anonymously sourced reports that reflect poorly on him as” fake news during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference. (New York Times) Later in the day, Press Secretary Sean Spicer excluded a number of news outlets — including the New York Times, BuzzFeed, CNN, POLITICO, the Los Angeles Times, and the BBC — from an un-televised briefing. The move drew criticism from the White House Correspondants Association and others. (Bloomberg) Spicer defended the move during the briefing, noting “It was my decision to decide to expand the pool. We are going to aggressively push back. We’re just not going to sit back and let, you know, false narratives, false stories, inaccurate facts get out there…” (The Hill) Other news organizations — including the Associated Press and Time Magazine — chose to skip the briefing after hearing that other organizations would be excluded. (The Hill) The Washington Post shared audio from the briefing. Joel Simon shared his opinion in the New York Times over the weekend: “The unrelenting attacks on the news media damage American democracy. They appear to be part of a deliberate strategy to undermine public confidence and trust by sowing confusion and uncertainty about what is true. But they do even greater damage outside the United States, where America’s standing as a global beacon of press freedom is being drastically eroded.” On Thursday, the Columbia Journalism Review reflected on what makes for genuine, trustworthy journalism and how important it is today. “Genuine news, and not fake news or hyped news or corrupt news, puts reality first; it does not subordinate honest reporting to ideological consistency or political advocacy. It does not curry favor with advertisers, or with the publisher’s business interests, or even with the tastes of the audience.” Trump vs. Leaks Meanwhile, POLITICO is focusing on the Trump Administration’s continued difficulty with — and rhetoric against — leaks. From an article published there on Saturday: “Press secretary Sean Spicer is cracking down on leaks coming out of the West Wing, with increased security measures that include random phone checks of White House staffers, overseen by White House attorneys. The push to snuff out leaks to the press comes after a week in which President Donald Trump strongly criticized the media for using unnamed sources in stories and expressed growing frustration with the unauthorized sharing of information by individuals in his administration.” This week’s POLITICO Magazine looks at the history of leaks to try to explain why they are likely to keep coming despite President Trump’s expressed desire to stop them. state of the states The Fort Lauderdale, Florida Police Department launched an open data portal earlier this month. The site provides public access to data on arrests, incidents, calls for services, citations, accidents, and employees. (Code for Fort Lauderdale) MuckRock is looking for help filing Freedom of Information requests in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, and New Hampshire. In exchange, they are offering a “Professional MuckRock account – 20 requests a month and all that comes with them – and the gratitude of the transparency community.” Rhode Island is in the market for a Chief Digital/Chief Information officer. around the world The Center For Public Integrity “announced the spinoff of The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) today.” The ICIJ, launched in 1997, helped coordinate more than 400 journalists working on the Panama Papers investigation. Civic Hall‘s Civicist shared a story, initially reported by G0v in Taiwan, highlighting the power of open data. “By collecting real-time pollution data, an environmental group discovered Taiwan’s largest petrochemical plant exceeded the emissions quota for pollution over 25,000 times. The plant didn’t pay a cent for it.” Upcoming events The fifth annual Open Data Day is happening this Saturday, March 4th. At least 252 events are scheduled around the globe. “Open Data Day is an annual celebration of open data all over the world. For the fifth time in history, groups from around the world will create local events on the day where they will use open data in their communities. It is an opportunity to show the benefits of open data and encourage the adoption of open data policies in government, business and civil society. All outputs are open for everyone to use and re-use.” Open Knowledge International, SPARC, the Open Contracting Program of Hivos, Article 19, the Hewlett Foundation, and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office combined to award more than $16,000 worth of mini-grants to coincide with Open Data Day. Check out the winners here. Sunshine Week, an “annual nationwide celebration of access to public information and what it means for you and your community” is slated for March 12-18th. We will be highlighting associated events and stories as Sunshine Week approaches. We do our best to highlight relevant events in this newsletter, but we need your help to ensure that nothing falls through the cracks. If you are planning or attending an event that you think we should know about, please let us know todayinopengov@sunlightfoundation.com Tired of your boss/friend/intern/uncle forwarding you this email every morning? You can sign up here and have it delivered direct to your inbox! Please send questions, comments, tips, and concerns to todayinopengov@sunlightfoundation.com. We would love your feedback!27 Feb

Today in OpenGov: A heavy public records delivery - Today’s look at #OpenGov news, events, & analysis, including a heavy delivery of public records out of Atlanta… What’s the deal with federal open data? Earlier this month a host of datasets including “legally mandated White House payroll reports to Congress, budget documents, White House visitor records and public response documents…were removed from the White House Open Data portal.” It is unclear if the new administration intends to replace the missing data. The White House is legally mandated to report some pieces, but others — including the White House visitor logs, which technically belong to the Secret Service — were shared voluntarily by the Obama Administration: Alex Howard, Sunlight’s Deputy Director, shared his take, noting that”from the perspective of anyone who thinks that the greatest opportunity afforded by modern technology is for the government to inform people directly, not just simply through the lens of the press — that’s something this administration has talked a lot about — that’s leaving a lot of informed public opportunity on the table…” That said, he expressed optimism that the documents would eventually be updated and returned to the web. (NBC News) Meanwhile, data from President Obama’s White House is still available via the National Archives. (The Outline) Several agencies including NOAA and NASA have made it clear that they have not removed any data and do not intend to do so (Wired). So far, the only confirmed data removal since President Trump took office stemmed from a lawsuit involving the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Some, but not all of the effected data has been replaced. (KJZZ) There is reason to hope that open data more broadly may have a place in the Trump Administration. Open data has traditionally been a bipartisan issue and OMB Director Mick Mulvaney “sounded enthusiastic about open data initiatives…” at his confirmation hearing. Meanwhile, continued support for open data programs appears to exist at numerous agencies. (Federal Computer Week) In The Hill Joshua New made a strong argument for Congress to support the OPEN Data Act to ensure that open data remains a part of federal policy even if it is not a high priority in the Trump Administration. “Rather than wait for the Trump administration to change course, Congress should move quickly to adopt the bipartisan OPEN Data Act and permanently codify an open data policy for the U.S. government.” State of the States The Columbia Journalism Review has an interesting story about the City of Atlanta’s recent decision to release 1.47 million pages of documents related to “a federal investigation into more than $1 million in bribes for city contracts.” The catch? The city printed them out. Our take: That’s not optimal in 2017. When a government agency or city hall doesn’t release a database of documents online & enable the public to search them, the choice does have a direct relationship to the accountability and accessibility of whatever they describe. (Read more on our Facebook page) Government Technology gave an overview of Sunlight’s recent white paper on responsible municipal data management, specifically highlighting our recommendations to encrypt sensitive data and communications, take an inventory, publicly document all policies, and limit individual employees’ discretion on data-sharing. Read the entire white paper with all of our recommendations here. Massachussets has a new public records law that provides benefits to citizens and municipalities. Under the law, municipalities have “up to 25 business days to produce records while state agencies have up to 15 business days. But municipalities and state agencies can also petition the supervisor of records for one extension per request. Municipal agencies can get up to 30 extra business days, and state agencies can get up to 20.” MuckRock has a list and analysis of all the petitions filed so far. Marin County, California and Chapel Hill, North Carolina have new open data portals! Best Practice: @chapelhillgov official held an event in a library to introduce its #opendata portal & get feedback. https://t.co/yLsxSyyuvc pic.twitter.com/KnFX3z77d6 — Sunlight Foundation (@SunFoundation) February 23, 2017 Daily dose of Trump Eliza Newlin Carney takes aim at President Trump’s “business conflicts and tendency to treat the presidency as a cash machine” in the American Prospect, noting that “Trump is in clear violation of the Constitution’s “emoluments” clause, legal experts, watchdogs, and many Democrats argue. Article 1, Section 9 specifically bars the president from receiving money or anything of value from a foreign government or head of state.” Impeachment is unlikely to come from the Republican controlled House of Represenatatives, but other forms of oversight may be emerging from both sides of the aisle. University of Virginia law Professor George M. Cohen shared a unique idea to ease potential conflicts of interest for President Trump, “a public trust, created by Congress, to manage the [President’s] companies and channel profits to the U.S. treasury…” (Government Executive) We’ve been tracking President Trump’s reported conflicts of interest here. Tired of your boss/friend/intern/uncle forwarding you this email every morning? You can sign up here and have it delivered direct to your inbox! Please send questions, comments, tips, and concerns to todayinopengov@sunlightfoundation.com. We would love your feedback!24 Feb

Today in OpenGov: This Week in Corruption - Today’s look at #OpenGov news, events, & analysis, including more on President Trump’s potential conflicts of interest… Pay to stay. Pay to play. Pay to sway.@POTUS‘ choice not to disclose & divest enables a global engine for influencehttps://t.co/5DxuIuPzDn pic.twitter.com/8BJpQyu7S1 — Sunlight Foundation (@SunFoundation) February 22, 2017 State of the states “Big Data” is a buzzword, but applying data to improve communities is real, as this new article by Brett Goldstein explores. “Data analytics should not be about getting a write-up in the press, it should be about making the hard, nitty-gritty work of government more efficient. Simple analysis can drive tremendous impact in government. People want to see their tax dollars spent more wisely, and that starts with analyzing the data we have now with techniques that are proven and well-established.” The trend in local governments towards more accessible and higher quality data can make it easier for municipalities to perform low-effort, high-impact analysis on their operations, as illustrated here. (Data-Smart City Solutions) Marin County, California is the latest local government to embrace open data by working with Socrata to launch an open data portal “designed to make county budget information and public health and safety statistics more accessible.” (Government Technology) San Francisco is in the market for a new Chief Information Officer. (GovFresh) your daily dose of trump Democrats in the House of Representatives have introduced a “resolution of inquiry” aimed at forcing “disclosure of President Donald Trump’s potential ties with Russia and any possible business conflicts of interest” but the GOP is unlikely to let the plan anywhere near the House floor. “Seeking to avoid a full House vote on the so-called ‘resolution of inquiry’ — a roll call that would be particularly embarrassing and divisive for the right — Republicans will send proposal by Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) to the House Judiciary Committee for a panel vote on Tuesday, two Democratic sources said. The GOP-controlled committee is expected to kill the resolution.” (POLITICO) “Sen. Susan Collins said she thinks the Intelligence Committee could subpoena President Donald Trump’s tax records as part of its investigation into Russian interference in last year’s election if that’s where the evidence leads.” She also expressed plans to ask the Committee to call former national security adviser Michael Flynn to testify. (Roll Call) Despite his rhetoric on the campaign trail, President Trump has tapped numerous Wall executives for jobs in his administration and moved to roll back regulations opposed by the financial industry. Democrats are reportedly aiming to use this contradiction to their political advantage. (Washington Post) After a decade long fight President Trump was granted a trademark for his name in China. The timing of the news, coming shortly after the President signaled his commitment to the ‘One China Policy’ sparked “speculation about conflicts of interest. Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, for instance, wasted little time in declaring the new trademark unconstitutional.” However, the story is a little more complicated than it may appear at first glance. (The Atlantic) This week in corruption The GovLab shared a new paper by Carlos Santiso and Ben Roseth published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. The paper finds that “Open data can put vast quantities of information into the hands of countless watchdogs and whistleblowers. Big data can turn that information into insight, making corruption easier to identify, trace, and predict.” Analytics represent the key to driving data driven anti-corruption efforts. Alabama Governor Robert J. Bentley is embroiled in a controversy involving explicit conversations, misused funds, sudden dismissals and more. Now it looks like his recent appointment to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions in the Senate may land him in more hot water. Luther Strange, former Alabama Attorney General and newly minted United States Senator, spent months in charge of the investigation into the governor’s conduct and many view Strange’s appointment as an attempt to undermine the inquiry. (New York Times) “Hong Kong’s former chief executive, Donald Tsang, was sentenced to 20 months in prison for misconduct in office…” becoming the first former leader of Hong Kong to ever be convicted of a crime. (Bloomberg) Thursday’s leaks “Billionaire Peter Thiel’s company Palantir helped support the National Security Agency’s controversial spy program XKeyscore, according to a report in The Intercept citing previously undisclosed documents from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.” Thiel has been a close supporter and adviser of President Trump, breaking from many of his Silicon Valley peers. (The Hill) The Center for Public Integrity relies on “concerned citizens to lead us to stories of waste, fraud, abuse, corruption and malfeasance of all kinds.” This post details a couple of secure ways to get in touch with particularly sensitive materials. Tired of your boss/friend/intern/uncle forwarding you this email every morning? You can sign up here and have it delivered direct to your inbox! Please send questions, comments, tips, and concerns to todayinopengov@sunlightfoundation.com. We would love your feedback!23 Feb

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