CNN
FBI investigation continues into 'odd' computer link between Russian bank and Trump Organization
Apparently, federal investigators and computer scientists continue to examine whether there was a computer server connection between the Trump Organization and a Russian bank. Questions about the possible connection were widely dismissed four months ago. But the FBI's investigation remains open, apparently, and is in the hands of the FBI's counterintelligence team -- the same one looking into Russia's suspected interference in the 2016 election.
One US official said investigators find the server relationship "odd" and are not ignoring it. But the official said there is still more work for the FBI to do. Investigators have not yet determined whether a connection would be significant. The server issue surfaced again this weekend, mentioned in a Breitbart article that, according to a White House official, sparked President Trump's series of tweets accusing investigators of tapping his phone. CNN is told there was no Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant on the server.
Former FCC Chairman Wheeler: Things are 'going the way I feared'
A month into the new Federal Communications Commission administration, former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said, "It's going the way I feared." In particular, Wheeler points to the FCC taking steps to weaken network neutrality. As chairman, Wheeler slammed wireless companies like AT&T for violating net neutrality rules by letting customers stream content from its video service, DirecTV, without counting toward data plans. That effectively makes third-party video services more costly. But this month, the FCC dropped all investigations into the issue.
Chairman Ajit Pai's FCC also voted recently to undo a net neutrality transparency rule requiring smaller broadband providers to disclose details on data caps and fees. "Conservatives used to be against letting big companies determine who gets on the broadcast airwaves, but now they are for allowing big companies to determine who gets on the Internet [and] on what terms," Wheeler said. "It seems to me the lobbyists are winning out over core principles here," he added.
Sen Wyden asks DHS to explain border demands for cellphone, Internet passwords
Can the government demand you unlock your phone at the airport? Sen Ron Wyden (D-OR) is demanding the Department of Homeland Security explain reports that it's doing just that.
Sen Wyden, a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, is set to send a letter to DHS Secretary John Kelly calling reports that Americans were required to unlock their smartphones "deeply troubling," asking what legal authority allows for it. "These reports are deeply troubling, particularly in light of your recent comments suggesting that (Customs and Border Protection) might begin demanding social media passwords from visitors to the United States," Sen Wyden wrote. "With those passwords, CBP may then be able to log in to accounts and access data that they would otherwise only be able to get from Internet companies with a warrant. Circumventing the normal protections for such private information is simply unacceptable."
Facebook is playing an increasingly important role in activism
It's clear that Facebook played a big role in mobilizing people to participate in the global Women's March in Jan. And now researchers have determined just how much of an impact the social network had. According to a study from researchers at the University of Maryland, almost 70 percent of people who attended the DC march heard about it on Facebook. Meanwhile, 61 percent from friends and family. "The take-home message here is clearly that Facebook matters more than friends and family to mobilization," said Dr. Dana R. Fisher, sociology professor and leader of the study. "Which is surprising and a really big deal."
Chairmen Chaffetz, Goodlatte ask government watchdog to investigate leaks
Two top House Republicans asked the Inspector General to investigate leaks surrounding the ouster of former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
The request came in a letter from House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), and Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA). "We request that your office begin an immediate investigation into whether classified information was mishandled here," the letter to the Inspector General read. Trump's administration has been beset by damaging leaks over its first month, including reports of Flynn's contact with the Russian ambassador to the US in December that ultimately led to his downfall. President Trump himself has decried such leaks as the "real scandal." Chairman Chaffetz has so far declined to investigate President Donald Trump's potential conflicts of interest or potential ties to Russia between himself or his aides.
Sean Spicer isn't finished
Sean Spicer has barely moved into his office. Three weeks after the inauguration, the only things adorning the White House press secretary's shelves are a framed picture of himself at the podium, a book on Naval Special Warfare (he's in the Reserve), and a Super Soaker commemorating the infamous "Saturday Night Live" skit in which he, played by an enraged Melissa McCarthy, berated reporters while dousing them with soapy water. Just beyond these walls, in the briefing room and the restaurants and hotel bars frequented by the town's journalists and politicos, conclusions about Spicer's future have already been drawn. The prevailing wisdom is that the combative press secretary is not long for his office, destined to be thrown out in a matter of months or perhaps weeks for failing at what everyone describes as the hardest job in Washington: defending, and pleasing, President Donald J. Trump.
Sens Carper, McCaskill want answers about security of Trump's phone
President Donald Trump's smartphone and tweets are now the subject of a Senate inquiry. Sens Tom Carper (D-DE) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) sent a letter to the Secretary of Defense requesting answers on whether President Trump is using an encrypted smartphone in office, or an unsecured personal device. "The national security risks of compromising a smartphone used by a senior government official, such as the President of the United States, are considerable," the senators wrote in the letter. The letter cites multiple reports, which claim President Trump has continued to use his "old, unsecured Android phone." Many of the tweets posted from Trump's personal account, @RealDonaldTrump, since taking office are also marked as coming from "Twitter for Android."
Jake Tapper spars with Kellyanne Conway over White House falsehoods
Top White House adviser Kellyanne Conway has apologized for citing a fake "massacre" in support of Donald Trump's travel ban, in an interview on CNN in which she acknowledged that not all of the mainstream media can fairly be characterized as "fake news."
Tapper asked Conway about some of Trump's false claims, including his claim earlier Feb 7 that the murder rate was at the highest point in 47 years -- which is wrong. "Everyday there are these sprays of attack and sprays of falsehoods coming from the White House. It would be better if they were not coming from the White House, for me and for you," Tapper said, adding that it inhibits news organizations' ability to focus solely on policy. "Agreed, and let me just say it has to go both ways. I do, Jake, I sincerely don't see a lot of difference in coverage from when he was a candidate and when he became the Republican nominee, the president-elect and, indeed the President," Conway said. Conway also apologized for shaming the press for not covering the "Bowling Green Massacre," an incident which did not occur. "I regretted it tremendously," Conway said. "I felt really badly about that."
The Trump Show: Controlled distraction
[Commentary] In turning one of the most consequential decisions of the presidency into a primetime television event, and doing so before publicly sorting out the details of his latest executive order, President Donald Trump is governing in the way a television executive might, making moves that have the effect of controlling the narrative and driving ratings.
It's a familiar play for President Trump: During his presidential campaign, he made controversial statements or scheduled rallies to distract attention from his opponents. As president, however, Trump's big swings haven't moved the news cycle quite as much as they once did. Every major news organization covered Trump's Supreme Court tweet, but normally an impending nomination announcement would dominate the news; on Jan 30, it barely registered amid the cacophony of headlines and analysis surrounding the travel ban. At the Jan 30 White House press briefing, the majority of questions focused on the ban. There were only two about the forthcoming Supreme Court nominee.
The emergence of the 'cyber cold war'
A spectre is haunting the West -- the spectre of cyberwar. It's now clear, according to American intelligence agencies, that the Russian government engaged in a campaign of hacking, email leaks and fake news in an attempt to undermine the American political process -- and steer the presidential election to Donald Trump. Russia has repeatedly denied the allegation.
But many are now asking: Are we at cyberwar? In the cybersecurity industry -- mostly made up of hackers and spies -- the conventional wisdom was that cyberwar is like physical war. It's only war when someone dies or something explodes. But what happened during the recent American election is forcing experts to revisit that idea. "'Nothing's blown up' is the old school way of thinking," said Dave Aitel, a former scientist at the National Security Agency. "But I don't have to blow something up to destroy your country. I just have to reduce trust in your national way of life."