Actually, it's a podcast. I watch Malcolm every chance I get, so I've heard him say a lot about things, but I thought he had a bit of new information in this:

Rep. Rosa DeLauro gets in a heated exchange with Betsy DeVos over a potential plan to preempt state regulations on student loan collectors: “Who made this decision? What was the process? ... Who do you believe this serves?” (via ABC)

https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/976180367299350528

RUSSIAN INVESTMENT, 2009:
Facebook Takes That $200 Million Investment From The Russians At A $10 Billion Valuation.
https://techcrunch.com/2009/05/26/facebook-takes-that-200-million-investment-from-the-russians-at-a-10-billion-valuation/amp/

Russians Spend Big for a Piece of Facebook
By CLAIRE CAIN MILLERMAY 26, 2009 https://mobile.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/technology/internet/27facebook.html
A Russian investment firm, Digital Sky Technologies, has invested $200 million in the social networking company Facebook in return for a 1.96 percent stake, the two companies said Tuesday.

The investment values Facebook’s preferred stock at $10 billion, a $5 billion drop from October 2007 when Microsoft paid $240 million for a 1.6 percent stake. With the latest round of financing, Facebook has raised about $600 million since it was founded in 2004.

Mark E. Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and chief, said that the Microsoft investment was made at the “absolute peak of the market” and that it was a part of Facebook’s partnership with Microsoft, which includes advertising and search agreements.

“Relative to the economic conditions for when the Microsoft deal happened and that being more of a strategic partnership than a straight financial investment, we feel really good about the progress we’ve made,” Mr. Zuckerberg said in a conference call with reporters.
MORE AT LINK


Russians’ Large Stake in Facebook Grows Larger
BY ANDREW E. KRAMER JANUARY 3, 2011
https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/01/03/russians-large-stake-in-facebook-grows-larger/


THU MAY 17, 2012 / 4:24 PM EDT
Facebook bet pays off for Russia's Usmanov https://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSBRE84G1BM20120517

https://twitter.com/ladiesgun/status/975079377036828675

ETA: ALSO, Vanessa filed for that divorce using a CRIMINAL attorney -- makes you go hmmmmm, eh?

I've always been uncomfortable with the too-quick, too-pat response from our IC that no votes were changed, or even that they doubt any votes were changed. It always feels like they're simply trying to hide the truth -- either that we don't know, or don't know how much, or know but don't want to freak people out so they're less likely to vote (a concern I find unlikely), etc. IOW: their responses just never rang true.

Here's one thread from last October I happened across today and thought I'd share.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mike Farb (@mikefarb1 #unhackthevote) is one of the key researchers and activists on election integrity on Twitter.

Cambridge Analytics

They Targeted Twitter
They Targeted Facebook

They May Have Targeted Voter Registration Files!

Thread

https://twitter.com/mikefarb1/status/924386327956779008

UNROLLED (You'll have to go to the Twitter thread to access the linked articles):

There was a Fascinating Medium Article that Caught Our Interest.
A Programmer From Cambridge Analytics and His Work Published on Github
Within Minutes Of Taking Screen Shots of This Page it was Removed!

The Python scripts there were very interesting.
One is for guessing the political interests of a Twitter user.
The other one initially seems rather innocent. It contains code to determine the latitude and longitude of a given address.
The crazy part about that script is in the comments.
The data the script is built to analyze contains fields called "voter_id" and "CongressionalDistrict". WTF?

This Would Be Exactly What You Would Use To Target And Hack a Voter Registration Database!!

Anyone Who Had Access to a Voter Registration Database Could Use This to Find the Latitude and Longitude of Any Address in the Database

It Would Also Be Easy to Find the Coordinates of All the Polling Places. Add Demographic and Historical Data, Mix to Taste.

With Very Little Work, These Scripts Could Be Used to Figure Out Where You Need Votes to Win, and Where They Need To Be.

With Access to Voter Registration Databases, You Could Even Move Those Voters to Where You Need Them To Be.

Move a Voter to a Different Precinct or County Two Things Happen.
They Can’t Vote
Their ID Could Then Be Used to Cast An Electronic Vote.

You Could Move Voters to Different Polling Stations. You Could Make Sure Their ID Doesn’t Match Their Registration.

We Know These Databases Were Targeted. These Attacks Weren't a Training Exercise. They Had a Goal and a Plan.

Weaponized Information Doesn't End at Microtargeting. It Starts There.
Why The Hell Did Cambridge Analytics Design These Scripts?
Who Provided them with Voter Registration Files.
Did They Actually Hack Voter Registration Files?
Did They Alter The Results of the Election?


There are links in the original article that do still point to these scripts.

His disavowal of Nancy Pelosi, presumably to ward off attacks on him trying to pin her to him.

First, IMO she's not that liberal. But she was one of THE MOST EFFECTIVE Speakers of the House ever.

Second, and more important, the GOP will vilify and demonize ANYONE who's the Dem Leader of the House -- and all the easier to do when she's a woman (so yes, it's also sexist).

Third, and a little less important but still an issue, leadership IMO on Lamb's part would have involved standing up to that line of attack. What / who will he next feel required to disavow because of Republicon attacks, which they now know he's vulnerable to?

IMPORTANT NOTE: This post is NOT an argument pro or con Pelosi. It's NOT an argument pro or con Lamb and his centrist views. It's about ONE single issue about how he waged/handled his campaign. I think we have to be smarter than that, frankly.

and it dovetails very nicely with the current news. All too nicely.

Current news:
Basically, Eric was in the Seychelles at that meeting that George Nader also attended to help set up backchannel communications with Russia. A backchannel would, by definition, bypass our own IC, and other agencies and institutions. The better to conduct inappropriate business with, my dear.




Almost-forgotten news:

Salty, but delicious




Here's another, not so funny, but after the Las Vegas tragedy in October. Powerful.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/james-comey-to-appear-on-late-show-with-stephen-colbert


I'm usually watching some of 11th Hour before snoozing, but maybe I'll have to mark my calendar and stay up for this.

6'8" ??? I knew he was tall, but ---- wow.

I'd wonder how Jared and Trump feel about this if they had any character, integrity or compassion. For all I know, it was heir idea.


EXCLUSIVE: 'American mercenaries are torturing' Saudi elite rounded up by new crown prince - and billionaire Prince Alwaleed was hung upside down 'just to send a message'

* American mercenaries are torturing' Saudi elite rounded up by new crown princeSource in Saudi Arabia says American private security contractors are carrying out'interrogations' on princes and billionaires arrested in crackdown
* Detained members of Saudi elite have been hung by their feet and beaten by interrogates, source says
* Among those hung upside down are Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, an investor worth at least $7 billion who is being held at Riyadh's Ritz Carlton
* Arrests were ordered three weeks ago by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
Source claims mercenaries are from 'Blackwater', a claim also made by Lebanese president
* But its successor firm denies it has any operations in Saudi Arabia whatsoever and says its staff abide by U.S. law
* Americans who commit torture abroad can be jailed for up to 20 years

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5108651/American-mercenaries-torturing-Saudi-princes.html#ixzz58iA9tBPY