“Disaster risk expert says intense population growth and urban coastal development have created a huge danger.” More …
Company Town: ‘Quiet Tragedy’ of an Arkansas Community vs the Koch Brothers
“A new film tells the story of Crossett, Arkansas – a small town dominated by a Koch brothers-owned paper mill, blamed for dumping cancer-causing chemicals.” More …
The Wall Street Journal’s Trump problem
“Dozens have left the paper in the past year and interviews with current and ex-staffers show outrage over pressure from management to normalize Trump.” More …
Sputnik, the Russian news agency, is under investigation by the FBI
“The FBI recently questioned a former White House correspondent for Sputnik, the Russian-government-funded news agency, as part of an investigation into whether it is acting as an undeclared propaganda arm of the Kremlin in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). As part of the probe, Yahoo News has learned, the bureau has obtained a thumb drive containing thousands of internal Sputnik emails and documents — material that could potentially help prosecutors build a case that the news agency played a role in the Russian government “influence campaign” that was waged during last year’s presidential election and, in the view of U.S. intelligence officials, is still ongoing.” More …
Under fire, Facebook refuses to disclose political ads bought by Russian trolls
“Facebook, which acknowledged this week that it sold $100,000 worth of political ads in the last two years to accounts linked to a Russian troll factory, came under stinging criticism Thursday over its refusal to release copies of the ads to the public — or to congressional investigators.” More …
Kushner Keeps Winning Interpersonal Feuds, But Not Policy Fights
“His latest victory: Trump apparently sided with Kushner when his own lawyers argued that he should resign from his White House job.”
Russia Used Facebook Events to Organize Anti-Immigrant Rallies on U.S. Soil
“Pushing fake news was just one component of the Russian campaign to shape American minds. Part two: organizing anti-immigrant events echoing themes from the pro-Trump press.” More …
Russia’s Facebook Fake News Could Have Reached 70 Million Americans
“Facebook acknowledged that Russian propagandists spent $100,000 on election ads. It neglected to mention how many millions of people those ads reached.” More …
Trump promised not to work with foreign entities. His company just did: the Chinese Government
“A major construction company owned by the Chinese government was hired to work on the latest Trump golf club development in Dubai despite a pledge from Donald Trump that his family business would not engage in any transactions with foreign government entities while he serves as president.” More …
Trump Rescinds Obama-era Executive Order Limiting the Transfer of Surplus Military Equipment to Local Law Enforcement Agencies
“Local police departments can again buy previously restricted guns, ammunition, and riot gear, as well as other military-style equipment like grenade launchers.” More …