Tech Giants Previously Accused of NSA Collusion Now Slam U.S. Government over Encryption Backdoors

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By ZD Net. A coalition of Silicon Valley tech giants has doubled down on its criticism of encryption backdoors following a proposal that would give law enforcement access to locked and encrypted devices.

The group, which focuses on efforts to reform government surveillance, said in a statement that it continues to advocate for strong encryption, and decried attempts to undermine the technology.

“Recent reports have described new proposals to engineer vulnerabilities into devices and services — but they appear to suffer from the same technical and design concerns that security researchers have identified for years,” the statement read. . .

But security experts and cryptographers say that any kind of backdoor can’t be done without it risking being abused or exploited by hackers — and criticized Ozzie’s plan as flawed . . .

The tech coalition includes Microsoft — Ozzie’s former employer — as well as Apple, Facebook, and Google, and Verizon and Yahoo’s parent company Oath — all of which were hit by allegations of complicity with the government’s surveillance efforts. (Read more from “Tech Giants Previously Accused of NSA Collusion Now Slam U.S. Government over Encryption Backdoors” HERE)

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Judge Keeps Lawsuit Alive Claiming the NSA Spied on Everyone in SLC During the 2002 Olympics

By Fox 13. A federal judge has kept alive a lawsuit alleging the National Security Agency spied on everyone in the Salt Lake City area during the 2002 Winter Olympics.

In an order handed down on Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Shelby formally denied a series of motions by both plaintiffs and the NSA until after evidence in the case had been exchanged. He then said motions to either dismiss the case or rule in the plaintiffs favor could then be reconsidered. (Read more from “Judge Keeps Lawsuit Alive Claiming the NSA Spied on Everyone in SLC During the 2002 Olympics” HERE)

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Nancy Pelosi Thinks She’s Going To Be Speaker Of The House

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By The Daily Caller. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi thinks she’s going to take Speaker of the House Paul Ryan’s job after the mid-term elections this November.

“We will win. I will run for speaker. I feel confident about it. And my members do, too,” Pelosi told The Boston Globe in a Tuesday interview.

“It’s important that it not be five white guys at the table, no offense,” Pelosi said. “I have no intention of walking away from that table.”

If Democrats do retake the House, Pelosi is certain to face resistance from members of her own party who want her to step aside. (Read more from “Nancy Pelosi Thinks She’s Going to Be Speaker of the House” HERE)

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Nancy Pelosi Says She’ll Run for Speaker. Some Democrats Are Running the Other Way.

By CNN. . .Though it was long assumed that Pelosi would run for speaker again, the assurance is both a gift and a curse for the party heading into this year’s critical midterm elections. It gives more potency to a message Republicans have long employed: Vote for the Democrat, get Pelosi as speaker.

Her comments will now surely be featured in the countless ads that will run between now and November, laying the California Democrat — and her policies — at the feet of Democrats who hope to unseat vulnerable Republicans in swing districts. In response, some Democrats backed by the national party are already running away from her, pledging to vote against her if they get the chance or waffling on the question altogether.

“Pelosi is the face of a far-left, progressive agenda that would do great harm to our country if ever enacted,” Jesse Hunt, press secretary of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said when asked about how Pelosi’s announcement will loom in the election. “Expect support for her to be among the most contentious debates in Democratic primaries over the next few months.” (Read more from “Nancy Pelosi Says She’ll Run for Speaker. Some Democrats Are Running the Other Way.” HERE)

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Judge Napolitano Warns What Could Really End the Trump Presidency

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Fox news senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano warned President Donald Trump on “Cavuto Coast To Coast” Tuesday to tread lightly when he sits down with Robert Mueller.

“It’s a very dangerous environment for [Trump] because any white lie, even one that is not intentional, can result in indictment,” Napolitano said. “This is a strange environment that the courts have permitted, where the government can lie to you, the government can use trickery and deception and traps. But if you lie to the government, this is a Martha Stewart case, you can be indicted.” . . .

“Mueller could get an indictment and the question is, is anybody going to prosecute [Trump] while he’s a sitting president,” Napolitano added. “Most Justice Department regulations say no. You file the indictment to stop the running of the statute of limitations, but you can’t prosecute until after he leaves office.” (Read more from “Judge Napolitano Warns What Could Really End the Trump Presidency” HERE)

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Soros Money Funding Illegal Aliens?

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By WND. Washington watchdog Judicial Watch has discovered that groups using both taxpayer money and funding from far-left billionaire George Soros have produced a smartphone app to help illegal aliens elude authorities.

“Immigration agents knocking at the door? Now, there’s an app for that, too,” says a Laredo, Texas, newspaper, according to Judicial Watch.

The app is called Notifica, and the group behind it, United We Dream, describes itself “as the country’s largest immigrant youth-led community.”

Judicial Watch said the nonprofit has more than 400,000 members nationwide and claims to “embrace the common struggle of all people of color and stand up against racism, colonialism, colorism, and xenophobia.”

It demands “justice and liberation” for illegal aliens who are LGBT, including rights and benefits normally reserved for citizens, such as public education. (Read more from “Soros Money Funding Illegals?” HERE)

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Soros-Funded Group Launches App to Help Illegal Aliens Avoid Feds

By Judicial Watch. An open borders group that has benefitted from U.S. taxpayer dollars and is funded by leftwing billionaire George Soros launched a smartphone application to help illegal immigrants avoid federal authorities. The app, Notifica (Notify), is described in a Laredo, Texas news article as a tool to protect immigrants living in the U.S. illegally by utilizing high tech and online social communications. With the click of a button, illegal aliens can alert family, friends and attorneys of encounters with federal authorities. “Immigration agents knocking at the door?” the news story asks. “Now, there’s an app for that, too.”

The group behind the app is called United We Dream, which describes itself as the country’s largest immigrant youth-led community. The nonprofit has more than 400,000 members nationwide and claims to “embrace the common struggle of all people of color and stand up against racism, colonialism, colorism, and xenophobia.” Among its key projects is winning protections and rights for illegal immigrants, defending against deportation, obtaining education for illegal immigrants and acquiring “justice and liberation” for undocumented LGBT “immigrants and allies.” Illegal aliens encounter lots of discrimination, which creates a lot of fear, according to United We Dream. “We empower people to develop their leadership, their organizing skills, and to develop our own campaigns to fight for justice and dignity for immigrants and all people,” United We Dream states on its website, adding that this is achieved through immigrant youth-led campaigns at the local, state, and federal level.

United We Dream started as a project of the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), according to records obtained by Judicial Watch. Between 2008 and 2010, NILC received $206,453 in U.S. government grants, the records show. The project funded was for “immigration-related employment discrimination public education.” Headquartered in Los Angeles, NILC was established in 1979 and is dedicated to “defending and advancing the rights of immigrants with low income.” The organization, which also has offices in Washington D.C. and Berkeley, California claims to have played a leadership role in spearheading Barack Obama’s amnesty program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which has shielded hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens from deportation. “Ultimately, NILC’s goals are centered on promoting the full integration of all immigrants into U.S. society,” according to its website. (Read more from “Soros-Funded Group Launches App to Help Illegal Aliens Avoid Feds” HERE)

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Another Southwest Flight Suffers from Broken Window

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By NY Post. A Newark-bound Southwest airliner from Chicago made an emergency landing Wednesday after a window cracked in midair — just two weeks after a woman died after being partially sucked through a window that shattered after an engine blew apart on another Southwest jet.

“There was a loud pop and then the pilot came out and then checked things out; and then he announced we had to divert to Cleveland,” shaken passenger Chris Speros, 27, told The Post after arriving at Newark Liberty Airport on a replacement plane.

“It was pretty tense because he announced there was a crack in the window. We still had pressure in the cabin, but he wasn’t sure how much longer we were going to have it.”

On April 17, Jennifer Riordan died from injuries she sustained when she was nearly sucked out of a blown-out window on a Dallas-bound Southwest Boeing 737 out of La Guardia. (Read more from “Another Southwest Flight Suffers from Broken Window” HERE)

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Passengers Heard Window Popping on Southwest Plane

By AP. assengers on a Southwest Airlines plane first heard a loud pop and then scurried away when they saw a jagged crack in a window that forced the jet to land in Cleveland on Wednesday.

Some on board immediately thought back to just two weeks ago when a jet engine blew apart and broke a window, leading to a woman being partially sucked out and killed aboard another Southwest flight.

“It made you nervous because something like this just happened,” said passenger Paul Upshaw of Chicago, who was about two seats from the window. “We didn’t know if it was going to crack open.” (Read more from “Passengers Heard Window Popping on Southwest Plane” HERE)

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Dick’s Sporting Goods Reloading on Gun Issue, Now Lobbying Congress on Gun Control

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For Second Amendment supporters, Dick’s Sporting Goods, the Pennsylvania-based retailer, went over to the dark side with the announcement it would no longer sell so-called “assault-style” rifles, high-capacity magazines or any rifles to anyone under 21 years of age following the Feb. 14 shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school.

“We’re staunch supporters of the Second Amendment – I’m a gun owner myself,” company CEO Ed Stack said on “Good Morning America.” “We don’t want to be a part of this story, and we have eliminated these guns permanently.”

Stack’s claim of “staunch” support for the Constitution’s right to keep and bear arms, already under fire, has taken another dive following a new report in the Federalist revealing Dick’s has terminated its relationship with CSA Strategies LLC, a Republican-linked lobbying firm, and hired three lobbyists – two Democrats and one Republican – from the Glover Park Group to lobby for gun control.

The three lobbyists who began their work April 27 are listed by name in federal disclosure forms, as required by the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, noted the Federalist. They are Joel Johnson, who worked for both President Bill Clinton and Senate Democrat leadership; Andrew King, who worked for Sen. Lindsey Graham R-S.C.; and Christina Brown, a former staffer for Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.

Glover Park’s disclosure form lists only “lobbying related to gun control” as the work it was hired to do. Previously, CSA Strategies focused on tax reform, cyber security and patent-litigation reform on behalf of Dick’s. (Read more from “Dick’s Sporting Goods Reloading on Gun Issue” HERE)

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Democrat Proposes Bill to Let Illegal Aliens Hold Office

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By Breitbart. California State Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) is co-sponsoring a bill that would make clear that illegal aliens may serve in state office.

The bill, SB 174, would amend an old provision in the state code that was originally drawn up in 1872 “to exclude Chinese immigrants and other ‘transient aliens’ from holding appointed civil positions,” the Los Angeles Times notes.

However, Lara’s changes would not restrict state offices to citizens or legal residents, but rather allow anyone present in the state to serve, regardless of immigration status.

California has already allowed at least two illegal aliens to serve in state office. Most recently, State Sen. Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) appointed Lizbeth Mateo to the California Student Opportunity and Access Program Project Grant Advisory Committee.

Mateo is an illegal alien who was brought to the U.S. as a minor by her parents but is not eligible for deferred deportation under DACA because she returned to Mexico and attempted to re-enter the U.S. in 2013 as part of a protest. She was detained at the border and requested asylum — after spending several weeks in Mexico with family. (Read more from “Democrat Proposes Bill to Let Illegal Aliens Hold Office” HERE)

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California Appoints Illegal Alien to Office

By Breitbart. California has its first “unprotected” illegal alien in state office, after Senate President pro Tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) appointed Lizbeth Mateo to the California Student Opportunity and Access Program Project Grant Advisory Committee.

Mateo, an attorney, was born in Mexico and came to the U.S. illegally at the age of 14 with her parents, who are also illegal aliens, according to the Sacramento Bee.

(Read more from “California Appoints Illegal Alien to Office” HERE)

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Mueller May Subpoena Trump

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By LMT Online. In a tense meeting in early March with the special counsel, President Donald Trump’s lawyers insisted he had no obligation to talk with federal investigators probing Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.

But Special Counsel Robert Mueller responded that he had another option if Trump declined: He could issue a subpoena for the president to appear before a grand jury, according to four people familiar with the encounter.

Mueller’s warning – the first time he is known to have mentioned a possible subpoena to Trump’s legal team – spurred a sharp retort from John Dowd, then the president’s lead lawyer.

“This isn’t some game,” Dowd said, according to two people with knowledge of his comments. “You are screwing with the work of the president of the United States.”

The flare-up set in motion weeks of turmoil among Trump’s attorneys as they debated how to deal with the special counsel’s request for an interview, a dispute that ultimately led to Dowd’s resignation. (Read more from “Mueller May Subpoena Trump” HERE)

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Mueller’s Former Assistant Says Grammatical Errors Prove Leaked Questions Came from Trump

By The Hill. Michael Zeldin, a CNN legal analyst and former assistant to Robert Mueller, said Tuesday he believes President Trump leaked the list of nearly 50 questions the special counsel allegedly wants to ask Trump.

“I think these are notes taken by the recipients of a conversation with Mueller’s office where he outlined broad topics and these guys wrote down questions that they thought these topics may raise,” Zeldin said on CNN’s “New Day.”

“Because of the way these questions are written … lawyers wouldn’t write questions this way, in my estimation. Some of the grammar is not even proper,” he continued. “So, I don’t see this as a list of written questions that Mueller’s office gave to the president. I think these are more notes that the White House has taken and then they have expanded upon the conversation to write out these as questions.” (Read more from “Mueller’s Former Assistant Says Grammatical Errors Prove Leaked Questions Came from Trump” HERE)

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Trump’s Former Physician Makes a Confession After Revealing His Office Was Raided

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By The Blaze. The president’s personal physician admitted Tuesday to CNN that he did not write the medical letter that was released to the press about Trump in 2015, but that then-candidate Trump dictated the letter to him.

It was revealed Tuesday that associates of the president “raided” the offices of Dr. Harold Bornstein and seized documents relating to Trump’s health after the doctor told the New York Times about a hair growth product he prescribed to the president.

After that report, Bornstein told CNN that he did not write the infamous letter about Trump’s health that was widely panned by the skeptical media in 2015.

“He dictated that whole letter,” Bornstein said to CNN. “I didn’t write that letter.”

The letter had a glowing review of Trump’s health, but the language it contained had many questioning whether Trump himself wrote it. (Read more from “Trump’s Former Physician Makes a Confession After Revealing His Office Was Raided” HERE)

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Trump’s Old Doctor Says President’s Men Raided His Office; White House Calls It ‘Standard Procedure’

By The Blaze. Three men from the White House allegedly went to the office of President Donald Trump’s former doctor and confiscated the president’s medical records. The doctor said he felt “raped, frightened, and sad” following the February 2017 event. The White House called it “standard procedure.” . . .

Dr. Harold Bornstein was Trump’s personal physician for decades before he ran for office. In 2015, during the campaign, Bornstein became notorious after he signed a statement that stated, in part, “If elected, Mr. Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.”

He also referred to Trump’s health as “astonishingly excellent.”

Bornstein later told NBC News that he had written that statement in five minutes while a limousine sent by Trump waited for him. (Read more from “Trump’s Old Doctor Says President’s Men Raided His Office; White House Calls It ‘Standard Procedure’” HERE)

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Starbucks Trainers Sends Shock Message to Jewish Group

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Starbucks recently came under heavy fire from the left for its allegedly racist behavior after two black men in a Philadelphia store were arrested after they took up a table and refused to order any drinks while waiting on a friend, all of which was caught on a viral video.

That led Starbucks to announce it would close all of its stores for one day so every employee and manager could receive anti-bias and anti-discrimination “diversity” training. However, in the company’s zeal to prove how unbiased and non-discriminatory it is in its treatment of blacks, Starbucks managed to show bias and discrimination toward another minority group.

According to Politico, Starbucks appears to have caved to pressure from progressive black activists and removed the predominately Jewish Anti-Defamation League — which has long led the fight against anti-Semitic discrimination against Jews — from the top tier of the company’s lineup of anti-discrimination trainers for its upcoming “diversity” sessions.

Instead, the ADL has been demoted to a lower tier of advisers to the training and will be excluded from assisting in developing the curriculum that will be used to train Starbucks employees on how not to discriminate against members of the liberal base.

Initially, ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt had been invited by the coffee chain to be one of four leaders of the diversity training sessions, but Greenblatt’s name was conspicuously absent in an April 24 press release about the training event, which only mentioned in passing that Starbucks would “consult with” the ADL on anti-discrimination training, among an array of other advisory groups. (Read more from “Starbucks Trainers Sends Shock Message to Jewish Group” HERE)

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