“Russian spies are ramping up their intelligence-gathering efforts in the US, according to current and former US intelligence officials who say they have noticed an increase since the election.” More …
Month: July 2017
These Three Lawyers Are Quietly Purging Voter Rolls Across the Country
“The Trump administration could soon follow their lead.” More …
Securing Elections From Foreign Interference
”
Amid ongoing investigations into Russia’s unprecedented cyberattacks around the 2016 election, this report outlines specific actions Congress and local election officials can quickly take to insulate voting technology from continued foreign interference. The authors focus on assessing and securing two of the most vulnerable points in the system: voting machines, which could be hacked to cast doubt on or change vote totals; and voter registration databases, which could be manipulated in an attempt to block voters, cause disruption, and undermine confidence when citizens vote. Amb. R. James Woolsey, Director of Central Intelligence 1993-95, wrote the foreword for the report. He has been a key voice elevating the seriousness of the issue, and framing foreign interference as a pressing national security threat.” More …
Study: Bots Have Turned Twitter Into a Powerful Political Disinformation Platform
“As if Twitter’s reputation hasn’t been battered enough, a new stidy sheds light on how the social media platform can be hijacked by bots to spread political disinformation during election campaigns.” More …
Coverage Losses Under the Senate Health Care Bill Could Result in 18,100 to 27,700 Additional Deaths in 2026
“One Republican member of Congress, defending the GOP health care plan suggested that concerns that the loss of health care coverage leads to death are overblown. However, the scientific literature on the effects of insurance coverage on mortality shows that the coverage losses from the AHCA would result in tens of thousands of deaths.” More …
Conservatives Believe Medicaid Is Worthless, So Slashing It Is Harmless.
“Conservatives are justifying savage Medicaid cuts by denying its benefits.” More …
Republican Lawmakers Buy Health Insurance Stocks as Repeal Effort Moves Forward
“Health industry stocks, including insurance giants like UnitedHealth, have surged as Republicans move forward with their repeal effort, which rolls back broad taxes on health care firms while loosening consumer regulations which prevent insurance companies from denying coverage for medical treatment.” More …
Russians Are Said to Be Suspects in U.S. Nuclear Site Hackings
“Hackers working for a foreign government recently breached at least a dozen U.S. power plants, including the Wolf Creek nuclear facility in Kansas, according to current and former U.S. officials, sparking concerns the attackers were searching for vulnerabilities in the electrical grid.” More …
The Republican Healthcare Bill Is Stuck in a Valley of Incoherence
“Is 22 million more uninsured a moral blight? Evidence of freedom? Republicans disagree.” More …