“Since the disclosures of Edward Snowden in 2013, the U.S. government has assured its citizens that the National Security Agency (NSA) cannot spy on their electronic communications without the approval of a special surveillance judge. Domestic communications, the government says, are protected by statute and the Fourth Amendment. In practice, however, this is no longer strictly true. These protections are real, but they no longer cover as much ground as they did in the past.” More …
Trump’s Team Overseeing Wall Street Brings In More Goldman Sachs Alumni
“After using Goldman Sachs as a punching bag for his campaign, sharply criticizing his political opponents for ties to the investment bank, Donald Trump has taken unprecedented steps to appoint former Goldman Sachs attorneys and executives to the upper echelons of government. It goes far beyond what’s been reported.” More …
Quit Your Job For a Better One? Not If You Live in Idaho
“Idaho achieved a notable distinction last year: It became one of the hardest places in America for someone to quit a job for a better one. The state did this by making it easier for companies to enforce noncompete agreements, which prevent employees from leaving their company for a competitor.” More …
Trump’s 2020 Re-Election Campaign Has Already Paid Out $600K — to Trump
This permanent campaign appears to be pretty good for Trump’s bottom line. More …
Every Voting Machine at This Hacking Conference Got Totally Pwned
The DefCon Security Conference “ran a three-day Voting Machine Hacking Village to test the security of various machines and networks used in US elections. By the end of the weekend, every one of the roughly 30 machines at the village, including those used to tabulate votes and to check voters in when they go to the polls, had been hacked.” More …
Diplomats Laughing at Trump Over Leaked Mexico Transcript
“Seven months into the Trump administration, the world’s diplomatic community has gone from throwing its hands in the air to now leaning back in their chairs and laughing, albeit morosely, at Trump’s cringe-worthy display of diplomacy during the infancy of his presidency.” More …
Congressman Dana Rohrbacher: The One Race Where Trump’s Putin Problem Might Hurt the GOP
“Deepening controversy around the Trump campaign’s Russian ties is barely registering in the early stages of competitive congressional races around the country. But if there’s one place where investigations into Moscow’s support for Donald Trump might matter, it’s in Republican Dana Rohrabacher’s California district— the increasingly competitive Orange County seat held by a man who can’t stop defending the Kremlin.” More …
Selling Insurance Across State Lines: Myth vs. Reality
“Some have suggested that allowing interstate sales of health insurance policies will make coverage more affordable and available. In reality, interstate sales of insurance will allow insurers to choose their regulator, the very dynamic that led to the financial collapse that has left millions of Americans without jobs. It would also make insurance less available, make insurers less accountable, and prevent regulators from assisting consumers in their states. ” More …
How the GOP Became the Party of Putin
“Republicans have sold their souls to Russia. And Trump isn’t the only reason why.” More …
The Russian “Firehose of Falsehood” Propaganda Model: Why It Might Work and Options to Counter It
“The Russian propaganda model is high-volume and multichannel, and it disseminates messages without regard for the truth. It is also rapid, continuous, and repetitive, and it lacks commitment to consistency. Although these techniques would seem to run counter to the received wisdom for successful information campaigns, research in psychology supports many of the most successful aspects of the model. Furthermore, the very factors that make the firehose of falsehood effective also make it difficult to counter. ” More …