Top Democrats determine that Russia behind spate of cyberattacks

Cybersecurity expert talks signs Russia hacked US emails

Some of the top Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees said Thursday that they’ve concluded that Russian intelligence agencies are making a “serious” effort to influence the U.S. presidential election.
A joint statement from Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Adam Schiff point a finger at Russia for the recent hacking of political computer systems, which have targeted Democrats and party-affiliated groups.
Federal officials have been investigating the cyberattacks at the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Election data systems in at least two states have also been breached.
"Based on briefings we have received, we have concluded that the Russian intelligence agencies are making a serious and concerted effort to influence the U.S. election," the two lawmakers from California said. "At the least, this effort is intended to sow doubt about the security of our election and may well be intended to influence the outcomes of the election. We can see no other rationale for the behavior of the Russians."
Russian president Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied claims that Moscow was behind any of the security breaches.
“There’s no need to distract the public’s attention from the essence of the problem by raising some minor issues connected with the search for who did it,” Putin told Bloomberg News earlier this month. “But I want to tell you again, I don’t know anything about it, and on a state level Russia has never done this.”

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The U.S. hasn't formally blamed Russia for the hack of Democratic emails, but the White House has publicly noted that outside investigators have determined that Russia is to blame. Determining Russia's involvement in the public disclosure of the emails is seen as a prerequisite to any sanctions the U.S. might levy on Russia in response to the hacks.
Earlier this month, Lisa Monaco, President Barack Obama's homeland security adviser, said it would be difficult for someone to hack into America's voting systems in a way that could alter the outcome of an election. She said election systems by and large are not hooked up to the internet and are diffusely operated by state and local governments.
Asked whether the U.S. might respond to the hacking, Monaco said "Stay tuned."
Lawmakers from both parties have called for a U.S. response to the hacking.
"When we have an adversary who so brazenly strikes at the heart of our democratic process, I think that indicates how low they believe the cost of that behavior is going to be," Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., said Thursday at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing where she questioned top military officials about the recent cyberattacks.

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Trump praises 'stop-and-frisk' police tactic at African-American town hall

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump praised the controversial "stop-and-frisk" police tactic Wednesday, saying it "worked incredibly well" when it was used in New York City.
Trump was speaking at a town hall moderated by Fox News' Sean Hannity at a mostly black church in Cleveland, Ohio when he was asked how he would stop violence in black communities.
In response, Trump pointed to "stop-and-frisk", which allows police to stop and search any person officers deem suspicious.
"I think you have to [do it]," Trump said. "We did it in New York, it worked incredibly well and you have to be proactive."
"Now, we had a very good mayor, but New York City was incredible, the way that worked, so I think that could be one step you could do."
"Stop-and-frisk" drew complaints from New York City minorities, who claimed they were being disporportionately stopped for searches by officers. In 2013, a federal court ruled that the practice was unconstitutional and its use has since been scaled back.

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The event was held amid ongoing controversy and unrest over two more police-involved shootings of African-American men, one in Tulsa, Okla. and the other in Charlotte, N.C.
Trump appeared to criticize the female officer involved in the Tulsa shooting, saying the victim "was doing everything he was supposed to do."
"I don't know if [the officer] choked," Trump said. "He was walking. His hands were high. He was walking to the car. He put the hands on the car. Now, maybe she choked. Something really bad happened."

Fox News Poll: Trump tops Clinton in battlegrounds Nevada, N. Carolina, Ohio

Donald Trump narrowly leads Hillary Clinton in the battleground states of Nevada, North Carolina, and Ohio.
That’s according to Fox News statewide likely voter polls conducted Sunday through Tuesday evenings.
Trump is helped by strong support from working-class white voters, while Clinton is hurt by a lackluster performance among younger voters and women.
In each state, Trump’s advantage is within the margin of sampling error.  Here’s how the numbers breakdown state-by-state:
Nevada
Trump has a three-point advantage over Clinton among likely voters in the Silver State (43-40 percent).  Libertarian Gary Johnson receives eight percent.  Nevada voters also can cast a ballot for “none of these,” and that option takes four percent. Green Party candidate Jill Stein is not on the ballot in Nevada.

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Independents back Trump (42 percent) over Clinton (23 percent) and Johnson (21 percent).
The Democrat is trailing expectations among women and younger voters.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE NEVADA POLL RESULTS
Those under age 45 are almost equally likely to back Clinton (42 percent) as they are to back Trump (39 percent) -- and Johnson garners double-digit support (11 percent).
Women in Nevada backed Barack Obama over Mitt Romney by a 16-point margin in 2012, according to the Fox News Exit Poll. Clinton’s up by just six points.
Both Clinton and Trump supporters have a high degree of vote certainty (93 percent each).
“There is a huge geographic disparity in Nevada,” notes Democratic pollster Chris Anderson, who conducts the Fox News Poll with Republican Daron Shaw.  “Clinton is ahead in Vegas and urban areas, while Trump leads outside Vegas and in rural areas -- this is an obvious advantage for Clinton in get-out-the-vote efforts.”
The race is mostly unchanged in a head-to-head matchup without Johnson:  Trump 46 vs. Clinton 42 percent.
Views of President Obama’s job performance are divided:  49 percent approve, while 48 percent disapprove.  He won Nevada in both 2012 (by 6.7 points) and 2008 (by 12.5 points).
North Carolina
In North Carolina, Trump is up by five points among likely voters. He receives 45 percent to Clinton’s 40 percent, and 6 percent favor Johnson.  Stein is not on the ballot.
Whites back Trump by a 31-point margin (58-27 percent), while blacks support Clinton by 82 points (85-3 percent).

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Independents favor Trump (41 percent) over Clinton (24 percent) and Johnson (14 percent).
And while voters under age 45 prefer Clinton by 46-32, Johnson gets 11 percent of them.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE NORTH CAROLINA POLL RESULTS
Ninety-five percent of Trump supporters and 90 percent of Clinton backers feel certain of their vote choice.
In the two-way ballot, Trump’s also up five (47-42 percent).
North Carolina was red in 2012 (Romney by two points) and blue in 2008 (Obama by less than one point).  By a 50-46 percent margin, more voters disapprove than approve of Obama today.
Ohio
The Buckeye State is another must-win for Trump, and the poll finds him up by five points among likely voters: 42-37 percent. Johnson receives six percent and Stein gets two percent.
Trump’s edge over Clinton comes mainly from independents (+20 points) and working-class whites (+26).  Clinton’s up by just three points among women.  Obama won them by 11 in 2012.

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Most of Clinton’s (89 percent) and Trump’s supporters (88 percent) are certain they will back their candidate.
“Clinton’s mistakes on the campaign trail have driven many disaffected Republicans into Trump’s camp,” says Shaw. “Just as consequential is the fact Trump is ahead of Clinton among independents by 17-20 points in these states.  If that holds, he might actually pull this off.”
Meanwhile, by a 58-30 percent margin, voters approve of the job Republican John Kasich is doing as governor.  Among those who approve, 45 percent support Trump, 33 percent back Clinton, and 7 percent Johnson.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE OHIO POLL RESULTS
Without third-party candidates in the mix, it’s Trump over Clinton by 45-40 percent.
Currently, 47 percent of voters approve of the job Obama is doing, while 48 percent disapprove.  He won Ohio in both 2012 (by three points) and 2008 (by almost five points).
“Trump has been much more disciplined in his comments recently and is almost certainly benefiting from keeping his attacks focused on Clinton as opposed to other Republicans or Gold Star families,” says Anderson.
Meanwhile, Clinton trails Trump by two points among voters living in union households.  That voting bloc went for Obama over Romney by 23 points in 2012.
Senate Races
The polls, released Wednesday, also ask about the senate races in these key states, and find the races within the margin of error in Nevada and North Carolina, while Republican Rob Portman holds a double-digit lead in Ohio.  In each state, the GOP senate candidate fares slightly better than Trump.
There’s good news for Republicans in Nevada, where they hope to pick up the seat of the retiring Democratic Senate Leader Harry Reid.  Joe Heck leads his Democratic opponent Catherine Cortez Masto by seven points:  43-36 percent.  Independent American Party candidate Tom Jones trails with 6 percent and “none of these” gets 5 percent.
In North Carolina, incumbent Sen. Richard Burr bests Democratic challenger Deborah Ross by 43-37 percent, with Libertarian Sean Haugh at 6 percent.
Ohio Sen. Rob Portman holds a 14-point lead over Democrat Ted Strickland:  51-37 percent.  The incumbent senator tops the former governor by 28 points among independents.  Portman also garners the support of most Republicans (88 percent), as well as 15 percent of Democrats.  He won the seat in 2010 with 57 percent of the vote.
“Winning the four-to-five seats needed to regain control of the senate becomes a tricky proposition for the Democrats if the GOP gains the Reid seat and Burr holds on,” notes Shaw. “The Democrats have to win their tight races in Pennsylvania and Indiana, and even that might not be enough.”
There’s also a gubernatorial race in North Carolina.  Republican incumbent Pat McCrory tops Democrat Roy Cooper by 46-43 percent.  Libertarian Lon Cecil receives 3 percent.
The Fox News Poll is conducted under the joint direction of Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R).  The polls were conducted September 18-20, 2016, by telephone (landline and cellphone) with live interviewers among a sample of likely voters selected from statewide voter files in Nevada (704), North Carolina (734), and Ohio (737).  Bilingual interviewers were used in Nevada.  In all three states the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points for the total sample of likely voters.

New low: Disgraced Dem Anthony Weiner sorry after texts to 15-year-old revealed

NYC child services investigating Anthony Weiner

Disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner told FoxNews.com Wednesday he knows he has a problem after his never-ending sexting scandal reached a new low with revelations he sent X-rated messages to a 15-year-old girl.
Weiner’s alleged sexting with the then-high school sophomore, who was not identified, began in January and lasted several months. Weiner’s wife, top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin, announced in August that she was separating from Weiner after a different sexting scandal hit the news.
"I have repeatedly demonstrated terrible judgement about the people I have communicated with online and the things I have sent," Weiner told FoxNews.com.
Weiner said, however, that he had “likely been the subject of a hoax."
"I have no one to blame but me for putting myself in this position," he said. "I am sorry."
But screenshots provided by the girl clearly show Weiner’s Twitter handle responding to direct messages. At one point she notes she goes to high school and Weiner asks “Where do you go to school?” Messages on the Kik app – where Weiner allegedly used the alias “T Dog” – and on Facebook show Weiner’s face and often picture the former congressman shirtless.
Weiner could potentially face legal trouble due to the interactions.
New York law makes it a crime to persuade someone younger than 17 to create sexual or nude images. It's also criminal to disseminate indecent material to a minor. If the unidentified girl is from out of state, the lewd messages could become a federal issue.
"She's underage, so she's under the age of consent," said Fox News legal analyst Lis Wiehl, who added both the pictures and texts sent by Weiner could potentially prove criminal.
"Both are sexually promiscuous," she said. "He's sending them for sexual satisfaction. There's really no other way to take the texts other than for his sexual gratification. It's certainly encouraging indecency of a minor over the Internet."
Police investigated Weiner in 2011 after it emerged he was messaging a high school junior in Delaware, FoxNews.com reported. A Weiner spokesperson said the interactions with the 17-year-old girl "were neither explicit nor indecent." Anyone under the age of 18 in Delaware is considered a minor, however, Weiner was not charged with a crime at the time.
In one picture allegedly sent to the 15-year-old girl by Weiner, he's shown sitting outside with his shirt pulled up and his 4-year-old son sleeping on his stomach. The picture was eerily similar to a sext published by The New York Post in August showing the boy lying in bed with a scantily-clad Weiner.
After the August picture came out, the Administration for Children's Services launched a probe of Weiner, The Post reported.
Weiner's most-recent alleged sexting partner described some of their conversations when the chats took place on Skype.
"He would tell me that he was very lonely and that it had been a year since he and his wife had sex, and that she really didn’t pay him any attention,” the girl told The Daily Mail. “We would talk, just chatting for about 30 minutes and it would lead to more sexual things…asking me to undress…he’d comment on my body. He asked me about masturbation, and that kind of thing.”
Weiner has been the subject of numerous sex scandals since it emerged in May 2011 that he sent explicit photos of himself to a woman on Twitter. He resigned from Congress that June. In 2013, Weiner entered the New York City mayoral race. But his candidacy ended when his sexts with a 22-year-old woman were discovered. Weiner used the alias “Carlos Danger” in those messages. Abedin announced the couple’s separation in August when the New York Post published a sext showing Weiner lying in his bed with his son.

Man arrested after hitting Sacramento mayor in face with pie at charity event

A man was arrested Wednesday night after shoving a pie in the face of Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson at a charity dinner.
Sean Thompson, 32, was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a public official, which is a felony, the Sacramento Police Department said. An official said Johnson, a former NBA star, didn’t take the act lightly.
The mayor had given a speech at the Seeds of HOPE dinner at Sacramento Charter High School before the man came up, pulled the pie from a bag, grabbed Johnson and shoved it into his face, the mayor’s Chief of Staff Crystal Staff said. She said the mayor defended himself against the man, but wouldn’t elaborate.
According to the East Bay Express, Johnson tackled Thompson and “repeatedly” punched him in the face landing “five to 10” blows. A witness told the East Bay Express that the protester was hit multiple times.
The mayor tweeted that he's "doing fine" and added, "Thank you to Sac PD for being there."
Strait emphasized that it was a genuinely serious and scary situation and there was nothing funny about it, especially because no one including the mayor could tell immediately that it was a pie the man was holding.
"The mayor was assaulted. I was standing right there and I'm still pretty shaken up," Strait said, speaking some three hours after it happened.
Thompson was treated for a minor injury before he was booked into jail. Both police and Strait said Thompson was previously unknown to the mayor and his staff.
After he cleaned up, Johnson spoke again to the audience to calm nerves at the event, which was held in the school's garden and featured many of the city's top restaurateurs.
Johnson, who had a long career as an NBA All-Star with the Phoenix Suns and a brief stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers before becoming mayor, has about two months left as mayor after deciding not to seek a third term.
The 50-year-old is married to Michelle Rhee, a former chancellor of Washington, D.C., schools, who was at the event Wednesday night.
Johnson's signature achievement in office was getting a $500 million arena built for the city's NBA team the Sacramento Kings.
His final two years in office were marked by the re-emergence of a decades-old claim of sexual abuse from a woman who was a teenager at the time, when Johnson played for the Suns. The Phoenix Police Department investigated but did not file charges.
Johnson has both denied the allegations and denied that they had anything to do with his decision to leave office.

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Who does Hillary find more deplorable -- jihadists or Trump supporters?

By Todd Starnes
Who does Hillary Clinton find more deplorable - the Islamic radicals or Donald Trump supporters?
I read a transcript of her remarks on Sept. 19th in the aftermath of the terror attacks in Minnesota, New York and New Jersey - and to be honest - it's hard to tell.
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“We will defend our country and we will defeat the evil, twisted ideology of the terrorists,” she declared.
Notice that she condemned the ideology of the Muslims bad guys – but she did not actually condemn the Muslim bad guys.
As a matter of fact, she carefully suggested that we not make any generalizations regarding Muslim-Americans.
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“There are millions of law-abiding peaceful Muslim-Americans,” she said.
Heaven forbid anyone would make gross generalizations in the aftermath yet more terrorist attacks committed in the name of Allah.
Although just last week Mrs. Clinton make some gross generalizations about Donald Trump and his supporters.
Let’s refresh the Mainstream Media’s memory, shall we?

“You could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables,” she told a bunch of supporters at a LGBT fundraiser. “Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic – you name it.”
She went on to call all of us deplorables “irredeemable” and “not American.”
But on Sept. 19th she chided us – urging us to refrain from hateful rhetoric.
“Let’s not get diverted and distracted by the kind of campaign rhetoric we hear coming from the other side,” she said.
Well, ma’am – that train has already left the station.
Instead of condemning the Islamic radicals, she attacked Mr. Trump – accusing him of aiding and abetting the Islamists.
“We know that Donald Trump’s comments have been used online for recruitment of terrorists,” she said.
Mrs. Clinton went on to say “the kind of rhetoric and language that Mr. Trump has used is giving aid and comfort to our adversaries.”
She accused the Republican nominee for president of treason – treason!
And yet there was not a disparaging word about the real jihadists – the one who tried to blow us to kingdom come. There was not a peep about the one who stabbed 10 Americans in Minnesota.
So who does Hillary Clinton find more revolting – Islamic Radicals or American Deplorables?