The zephyrs of change. Trump continued

[PerkingFaintly]

Republicans starting to feel the breeze as diverse Dems have a good election day.

Six lessons learned from US Democrat wins
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41920434

Previous thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3073837-Manafort-Destiny-Trump-continued?pg=1

Caroline O.
@RVAwonk
#JeffSessions tells @RepSwalwell he agrees w/CIA that WikiLeaks is a hostile non-state intelligence service... but says he can't make a judgment abt whether Trump Jr's communication w/WikiLeaks was appropriate or not.🤔

#SessionsHearing

....a hostile.....intelligence service....

And he can’t make a judgment??

Sarah Kendzior‏Verified account
@sarahkendzior
8m8 minutes ago
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Replying to @sarahkendzior
Let's pretend Sessions is truthful. Then it appears he:

• Has severe memory loss
• Has little knowledge of US law
• Doesn't know his job requirements

Its either perjury or he's unqualified. Either way, time to go, Bilbo Bigot!

#SessionsHearing

Nobel prize winners not received this year by the President.
Relief on both sides. (I believe, but beliefs are more important than evidence, so I'm right)

www.scientificamerican.com/article/trump-breaking-with-precedent-won-rsquo-t-meet-with-american-nobel-recipients/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sa-editorial-social&utm_content=&utm_term=policy_partner_text_free&sf167398155=1#

Also, in an interesting twist, Russia accuses the US of collusion with ISIS.

www.militarytimes.com/flashpoints/2017/11/14/russian-ministry-of-defense-posts-video-game-screenshot-as-evidence-of-us-collusion-with-isis/

Speaking of fake news...
Vídeo games, really?

Sarah Kendzior‏Verified account
@sarahkendzior
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Lieu: Were you lying when you didn't list your foreign government contacts on your security clearance form? Or are you lying now?
Sessions: [long and incoherent answer about not understanding the form]

Rich Swinton
@RicoSuaveJD
Oh Jesus, @jeffsessions just refused to say he wouldn't take a loyalty oath to @realDonaldTrump.

Good question @tedlieu

#SessionsHearing

Ricky Davila 🇵🇷
@TheRickyDavila
·
1m
Congressman Ted Lieu is another who makes Jeff Sessions very nervous. Anytime he is grilled on facts or is caught in his lies, he gets loud, gets angry and stutters. Every single time. 🔥 #SessionsHearing

Seth Abramson
Seth Abramson
@SethAbramson
Replying to @SethAbramson
48/ Sessions CONFIRMS that Russian Ambassador Kislyak was in his Senate office for "45 to 50 minutes" for the explicit purpose of arguing that the U.S. should DROP sanctions against Russia.

I'll just pop this here because we were talking about the judiciary.

Off to catch up on Sessions.

He didn’t receive a prize, Lweji.

Not again

Caroline O.‏
@RVAwonk
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#BREAKING: At least 5 people dead, several injured after shooting at Northern California elementary school. Suspect reportedly opened fire at 7 different locations.

11:41 AM - 14 Nov 2017

abcnews.go.com/US/shooting-reported-northern-california-elementary-school/story?id=51143319

It looks like it's a copycat phenomenon.

I was going to say that Mr Colbert had the floor - but actually, I rather think it’s Mr Biden.

Randy Rainbow
NEW VIDEO! The country's going to hell and it's got me all sentimental...
tinyurl.com/ybyew364
twitter.com/randyrainbow/status/930491775315300352

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/nov/14/roy-moore-alabama-law-rape-victims-judge

Good.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nigel-farage-hope-not-hate-anti-fascist-court-case-undemocratic-violent-ukip-lose-withdraw-statement-a8054276.html

How Russian bots appear in your timeline
www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-41982569

Bot-spotting tips
The Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRL) offers social-media users tips for spotting a bot:

.Frequency: Bots are prolific posters. The more frequently they post, the more caution should be shown. The DFRL classifies 72 posts a day as suspicious, and more than 144 per day as highly suspicious.

.Anonymity: Bots often lack any personal information. The accounts often have generic profile pictures and political slogans as "bios".

.Amplification: A bot's timeline will often consist of re-tweets and verbatim quotes, with few posts containing original wording.

. Common content: Networks of bots can be identified if multiple profiles tweet the same content almost simultaneously.

The Digital Forensic Research Lab's full list of tips can be found here.

There has been a move away from fully automated bots to semi-automated accounts.

Such accounts are harder to identify, as they intersperse their activity with references to popular culture and personalised replies.

The Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab article linked by the BBC is more detailed than that summary, of course, and worth reading.

#BotSpot: Twelve Ways to Spot a Bot
Some tricks to identify fake Twitter accounts
medium.com/dfrlab/botspot-twelve-ways-to-spot-a-bot-aedc7d9c110c

Ahhhh, Randy Rainbow. Thank you NorthWest.

Though it's hard to knock "Room Where It Happened" and "Russia Ties" off my joint fave spot...

Senate committee questions Trump nuclear authority

www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41977120

One of the experts, C Robert Kehler, who was commander of the US Strategic Command from 2011-13, said that in his former role he would have followed the president's order to carry out the strike - if it were legal.
He said if he were uncertain about its legality, he would have consulted with his own advisers.
Under certain circumstances, he explained: "I would have said, 'I'm not ready to proceed.'"
One senator, Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, asked: "Then what happens?"
Mr Kehler admitted: "I don't know."
People in the room laughed. But it was a nervous laugh.

Scott Dworkin‏Verified account
@funder
2h2 hours ago
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“Jeff Sessions is a throwback to a shameful era which I know both black & white Americans thought was in our past—It’s inconceivable to me that a person of this attitude is qualified to be a US attorney let alone US or federal judge” Ted Kennedy 30 yrs ago

"I hope Jeff Sessions does not get a puppy. He would forget to feed it ... hes not going to remember to give him water, hes not going to remember to take him out' - @SteveSchmidtSES w/ @NicolleDWallace

Seems I was pretty much on the money with my guess re: Session’s performance this morning.

Money trail.

www.buzzfeed.com/jasonleopold/secret-finding-60-russian-payments-to-finance-election?utm_term=.xg20L9On2#.uc59358lZ

Thanks for that link, Perking. Fascinating.

Sen. Al Franken‏Verified account
@SenFranken

RED ALERT: Senate GOP just added provision to their tax plan that would gut ACA & kick 13M ppl off insurance. Yes, it's same tax plan that would add $1 trillion+ to deficit while giving majority of benefits to corporations & the rich. We need you to make your voices heard again.