Kremlin slams ‘extremely scurrilous’ US hacking accusations
AFPDecember 16, 2016
Tokyo (AFP) – The Kremlin on Friday slammed Washington for pointing the finger at President Vladimir Putin over cyber attacks targeting the US election, after Barack Obama pledged to retaliate against Russian hacking.
“At this point they need to either stop talking about this or finally present some sort of proof. Otherwise this looks extremely scurrilous,” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists during a visit to Japan.
Obama on Thursday warned that the United States would take action against Moscow after the White House accused Putin of direct involvement in cyber attacks designed to influence the US election.
“I think there is no doubt that when any foreign government tries to impact the integrity of our elections that we need to take action,” Obama told NPR radio.
“And we will, at a time and place of our own choosing.”
The outgoing US president’s remarks dramatically upped the stakes in a dispute between the world’s leading nuclear powers over interference that may have swayed last month’s tight election in which Republican billionaire Donald Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Obama’s threat came after the White House ratcheted up allegations over the Russian hacking by personally tying Kremlin strongman Putin to the attacks.
The wealthy Democrats who helped pump over $1 billion into Hillary Clinton’s losing effort want answers.
By GABRIEL DEBENEDETTI
12/15/16 06:15 PM EST
NEW YORK — When Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine greet the very top fundraisers and donors to their failed campaign at New York’s Plaza Hotel on Thursday evening, many of them will have one question in mind: Where’s the autopsy?
The call for a deep and detailed accounting of how Clinton lost a race that she and her donors were absolutely certain she’d win didn’t begin immediately after the election — there was too much shock over her defeat by Donald Trump, and overwhelming grief. Her initial conference call with top backers, which came just days after the outcome, focused primarily on FBI Director Jim Comey’s late campaign-season intervention.
But in the weeks since, the wealthy Democrats who helped pump over $1 billion into Clinton’s losing effort have been urging their local finance staffers, state party officials, and campaign aides to provide a more thorough explanation of what went wrong. With no dispassionate, centralized analysis of how Clinton failed so spectacularly, they insist, how can they be expected to keep contributing to the party?
Ridgewood NJ, President-elect Donald J. Trump on Thursday announced the nomination of Mr. David Friedman to serve as the United States Ambassador to Israel.
Mr. Friedman, a renowned attorney who has been counselor to some of the world’s top businessmen and companies, was one of the President-elect’s principal advisors on the US-Israel relationship during the campaign.
When Israel proclaimed itself an independent republic in 1948, the United States was the first country to extend formal recognition of the new government. From that moment forward, the two nations have enjoyed a special relationship based on mutual respect and a dedication to freedom and democracy.
With Mr. Friedman’s nomination, President-elect Trump expressed his commitment to further enhancing the US-Israel relationship and ensuring there will be extraordinary strategic, technological, military and intelligence cooperation between the two countries.
“The bond between Israel and the United States runs deep, and I will ensure there is no daylight between us when I’m President,” said President-elect Trump. “As the United States’ Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman will maintain the special relationship between our two countries. He has been a long-time friend and trusted advisor to me. His strong relationships in Israel will form the foundation of his diplomatic mission and be a tremendous asset to our country as we strengthen the ties with our allies and strive for peace in the Middle East. Nothing is more critical than protecting the security of our citizens at home and abroad.”
Mr. Friedman, whose bar mitzvah was held at the Western Wall in Jerusalem 45 years ago, is a fluent speaker of Hebrew and a lifelong student of Israel’s history. On Thursday, he expressed his resolve to be a rock-solid partner with the Israeli leadership as our two countries seek to advance our mutual interests and keep our people safe.
“I am deeply honored and humbled by the confidence placed in me by President-elect Trump to represent the United States as its Ambassador to Israel,” said Mr. Friedman. “I intend to work tirelessly to strengthen the unbreakable bond between our two countries and advance the cause of peace within the region, and look forward to doing this from the U.S. embassy in Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem.”
Mr. Friedman is a founding partner of Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman LLP, a national law firm with approximately 350 attorneys. For the past 35 years, he has specialized in litigation and bankruptcy law, playing a leading role in restructuring many of the nation’s most complex financial and business operations. Mr. Friedman has been widely recognized for his outstanding contributions to the legal profession, and has been named one of the 500 leading lawyers in the United States.
Mr. Friedman has been a generous philanthropist to Jewish causes, including United Hatzalah of Israel, a nationwide volunteer service of first responders providing aid to all injured Israelis, regardless of race, religion or ethnicity, and Aleh Negev, one of the world’s most advanced facilities for the care of severely disabled children.
Under his leadership and at the President-elect’s direction, the US-Israel relationship will be a model of cooperation and respect.
Ridgewood NJ, Rep. Scott Garrett may get his revenge despite the conservative’s recent election loss.It’s being reported that Rep. Scott Garrett has met with the Trump Transition Team and he may get a job at the Federal Housing Finance Agency or the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) .
Scott Garrett, a veteran House Republican who lost his re-election bid last month, met with Trump transition officials in New York Thursday morning, as a sign he is under consideration for a top position in the Trump administration.
While New Jersey voters turned their backs to Garrett and instead elected Democrat Josh Gottheimer, a former Microsoft Corp. executive who tied his fortunes to Hillary Clinton trading a veteran policy wonk for a substanceless out of power Clintonista with no political clout.
The new Trump Administration has prioritized many of Scott Garretts main issues including the repeal of Dodd-Frank, repeal of Obamacare and removing the too big to fail provisions from virtually all Federal agencies.
Garrett showed up at Trump Tower in Manhattan at about 10 a.m., according to the press. Garret declined to say whom he was meeting with but told reporters it was neither President-elect Donald Trump nor Mike Pence, with whom Mr. Garrett is said to be close too.
Garrett a longtime critic of federal housing policy is reported interested in a role at the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees the government mortgage giants, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, according to people familiar with the matter.
The National Association of Realtors Congressional Fund spent $1.3 million supporting Gottheimer, including $146,000 for online ads, $529,000 for mailings and $590,000 for TV ads .Garrett crossed the Realtors group by pushing a bill in 2013 that would have scaled back the role of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-backed companies that buy mortgages from lenders.
A morning in America moment?
by
Luke Kawa
December 15, 2016, 11:39 AM EST
It feels like another ‘Morning in America’ moment — the animal spirits are just waking up.
Following the election, a number of indexes that track confidence have jumped, with respondents citing the potential for deregulation and tax cuts once President-elect Donald Trump takes office as the cause of their increased confidence.
Homebuilders are the latest segment of the economy to testify to this surge in optimism.
The National Association of Homebuilders’ index of sentiment soared to an 11-year highin December, despite the sizable rise in bond yields since the election.
by
Cecile Gutscher
and
Jeremy Herron
December 14, 2016, 6:15 PM EST December 15, 2016, 4:12 PM EST
The dollar rallied to its strongest level since 2003 against the euro, while gold plunged as the prospect of a steeper path for U.S. interest rates going forward filtered through markets. U.S. stocks rebounded from their worst day in two months as havens retreated.
Facebook is going to start fact-checking, labeling, and burying fake news and hoaxes in its News Feed, the company said Thursday.
The decision comes after Facebook received heated criticism for its role in spreading a deluge of political misinformation during the US presidential election, like one story that falsely said the Pope had endorsed Donald Trump.
To combat fake news, Facebook has teamed up with a shortlist of media organizations, including Snopes and ABC News, that are part of an international fact-checking network led by Poynter, a nonprofit school for journalism in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Ridgewood NJ, President-elect Donald J. Trump today announced his intent to name former Texas Governor Rick Perry as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy.
Gov. Perry was the chief executive of one of the country’s largest states and one of the largest economies in the world. He is also one of the most successful governors in modern history, having led Texas through a sustained period of economic growth and prosperity by developing the state’s energy resources and infrastructure, and making low-cost energy available to companies and families.
“As the Governor of Texas, Rick Perry created created a business climate that produced millions of new jobs and lower energy prices in his state, and he will bring that same approach to our entire country as Secretary of Energy,” said President-elect Trump. “My administration is going to make sure we take advantage of our huge natural resource deposits to make America energy independent and create vast new wealth for our nation, and Rick Perry is going to do an amazing job as the leader of that process.”
“It is a tremendous honor to be selected to serve as Secretary of Energy by President-elect Trump. I am deeply humbled by his trust in me,” said Gov. Perry. “As the former governor of the nation’s largest energy producing state, I know American energy is critical to our economy and our security. I look forward to engaging in a conversation about the development, stewardship and regulation of our energy resources, safeguarding our nuclear arsenal, and promoting an American energy policy that creates jobs and puts America first.”
With his executive experience, Gov. Perry will carryout President-elect Trump’s vision to make America energy independent, create millions of new jobs, and protect clean air and water.
Gov. Perry has devoted his entire adult life in service to America and to creating prosperity and opportunity for families. He is a veteran of the United States Air Force, a former farmer, and the longest serving governor in Texas history, having led the world’s 12th largest economy from 2000 to 2015.
Perry grew up the son of tenant farmers in the tiny West Texas community of Paint Creek. The younger of Ray and Amelia Perry’s two children, he was active in scouting and earned distinction as an Eagle Scout. He was one of the first in his family to go to college, earning a degree in Animal Science from Texas A&M University, where he was also a member of the Corps of Cadets and a Yell Leader.
Between 1972 and 1977, Perry served in the U.S. Air Force flying C-130 tactical airlift aircraft in Europe and the Middle East. He is a lifetime member of both the NRA and American Legion Post #75. Prior to being elected Lieutenant Governor in 1998, he served two terms as Texas Commissioner of Agriculture and three terms in the Texas House of Representatives.
As the 47th governor of the Lone Star State, Perry championed conservative principles that helped Texas become America’s economic engine by cutting taxes, controlling spending, making regulations fair, smart and predictable, and stopping lawsuit abuse. Under Gov. Perry’s leadership, Texas became a national leader for job creation, innovation and population growth.
Perry married his childhood sweetheart, Anita, in 1982. They have two children and two beautiful granddaughters.
Ridgewood NJ, President-elect Donald J. Trump today announced his selection of Stephen Miller to serve as Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to the President for Policy. Miller has served as a key advisor to several members of Congress, including U.S. Senator from Alabama Jeff Sessions, and served in senior leadership roles on both the Senate Budget Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee.
Miller has been serving as the President-elect’s top advisor on policy since January 2016. As national policy director, he oversaw the entire policy operation, led the policy development and formulation efforts, and directed strategic policy decisions on a day-to-day basis. Miller also served throughout as the campaign’s chief speechwriter, and is currently the policy director for the President-elect’s Transition Team. As Senior Advisor to the President for Policy, Miller will also be responsible for directing White House policy staff, managing speechwriting functions, and working to ensure the enactment of the President’s policy agenda.
“Stephen played a central and wide-ranging role in our primary and general election campaign,” said President-Elect Trump. “He is deeply committed to the America First agenda, and understands the policies and actions necessary to put that agenda into effect. He is a strong advocate for protecting American workers, and will fulfill a crucial role in my Administration as my senior advisor on matters of policy.”
“Stephen Miller is the best person President-elect Donald Trump could have chosen to be his senior advisor for policy,” said U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions. “He has understood the Trump Movement from the beginning and has a unique understanding of the very real and honest concerns of the American people. Stephen’s insight comes from more than his keen political skills and his extraordinary communications and writing talents. These abilities are really founded on an amazingly comprehensive understanding of the key policy issues we face. He thinks broadly and is a master of detail. He will be an invaluable advisor to President-elect Trump as he faces a wide array of decisions in the months ahead. Stephen can and will, with integrity and loyalty to Mr. Trump and to America, distill vast sums of information in order to provide clear choices and honest advice. In the seven years he served with me, I was constantly amazed at his ability to quickly to absorb and master information. His talents will be so important in the days to come. I am very proud of Stephen for proving himself so well throughout this campaign and very happy that President-elect Trump will continue to have his loyal and proven friend at his side.”
“I am deeply honored for the opportunity to serve the President-elect, and to focus efforts to develop critical policies that serve the national interest. A Trump administration will focus unremittingly on the safety, security and economic well being of working Americans,” said Miller.
Miller played a major role in many high-stakes issues during his time in Congress, including numerous budget debates, multiple Supreme Court and lower court confirmations, and the formulation of a pro-worker agenda on trade and migration policy.
As national policy director to Donald J. Trump for President, Inc., Miller organized policy efforts on across numerous fronts including defense and security policy, energy reform and veterans care.
Ridgewood NJ, President-elect Donald J. Trump today met with more than a dozen of the greatest tech leaders in the country to begin a conversation and partnership in order to spark innovation and create more jobs in the U.S., particularly for working Americans.In addition to the private sector leaders in attendance, the President-elect was joined by Vice President-elect Mike Pence, Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Peter Thiel, Reince Priebus, Steve Bannon, Wilbur Ross, Gary Cohn and Stephen Miller. During the meeting the President-elect discussed a wide range of issues impacting both American workers and American companies, including specific innovative solutions that have been blocked by narrow thinking in Washington.
The President-elect expressed an open mind and willingness to listen, which was greatly received by the industry leaders in attendance.
During the Tech Summit, the following topics were discussed:
Creating more jobs for American workers
Climinating barriers preventing American companies from doing business in other countries
America’s competitive trade dynamic and market access with China
Cutting taxes
Repatriation of American profits kept overseas by prohibitive tax rates
Improving our physical and digital infrastructures
Protecting our intellectual property rights
Improving America’s cybersecurity
Updating our government software systems
Technology in schools,
The need for greater vocational education opportunities
Reducing bureaucracy
Introducing greater accountability in the government procurement process.
The leaders in attendance also praised the ingenuity and energy of the American workforce, and President-elect Trump suggested reconvening the tech leaders again in the future, perhaps as frequently as every quarter.
Tech leaders in attendance included:
Jeff Bezos, Amazon
Safra Catz, Oracle
Tim Cook, Apple
Alex Karp, Palantir
Brian Krzanich, Intel
Elon Musk, Tesla
Satya Nadella, Microsoft
Larry Page, Google
Chuck Robbins, Cisco
Ginni Rometty, IBM
Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook
Eric Schmidt, Google
photo SEC Chair Mary Jo White
December 14,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) issued the following statement concerning SEC Chair Mary Jo White’s refusal to stop “midnight regulations” in the waning days of the Obama Administration:
“The press is characterizing Chair White’s decision to try to rush through a mountain of midnight regulations as ‘defying Republicans,’ but in reality she’s defying the will of the American people and good government. Such midnight rulemaking is neither conducive to sound policy nor consistent with the principles of democratic accountability. The American people chose a new direction for our country, and the incoming Trump Administration and Congress should have the opportunity to review pending regulations and fully assess their costs and benefits. As the clock runs down on the Obama Administration, Chair White and all other regulators who may be tempted to hastily impose another pile of complicated regulations on our economy should know that Congress will scrutinize their actions and – if appropriate – overturn them.”
Mary Jo White has already announced plans to step down as chair of the powerful Securities and Exchange Commission before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.White’s term at the helm of the SEC hadn’t been scheduled to expire until June 2019.
Silicon Valley’s entrepreneurs made little effort over the last year to conceal their distaste for Donald Trump, a candidate whose social media savvy belied what they saw as a staggering disregard for the innovation economy and the tech culture that has fostered it.
Now comes the reckoning.
Some of the nation’s top tech CEOs will find out how much of a grudge Trump holds when they ride the elevator up to his office in Trump Tower on Wednesday.
Tech titans including Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook, Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook, Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX and Larry Page of Alphabet, the corporate parent of Google, have been summoned by Trump as firms scramble to adjust to a reality for which they had not prepared — a potentially hostile president-elect indebted to almost no one in Silicon Valley, save for an idiosyncratic fellow billionaire they don’t particularly like.
Ridgewood NJ, President-elect Donald J. Trump today announced his intent to nominate Mr. Rex Tillerson, Chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil, to serve as Secretary of the United States Department of State.
Among the most accomplished business leaders and international dealmakers in the world, Mr. Tillerson has spent his career protecting the jobs of his employees, who number more than 70,000. Guiding operations around the world that include more than 200 offices, Mr. Tillerson knows how to manage a global organization and successfully navigate the complex architecture of world affairs and diverse foreign leaders. As Secretary of State, he will be a forceful and clear-eyed advocate for America’s vital national interests, and help reverse years of misguided foreign policies and actions that have weakened America’s security and standing in the world. The American people will once again have a world-class leader working on their behalf, enhancing the prospects for peace and prosperity among nations.
“Rex Tillerson’s career is the embodiment of the American dream. Through hard work, dedication and smart deal making, Rex rose through the ranks to become CEO of ExxonMobil, one of the world’s largest and most respected companies,” said President-elect Donald J. Trump. “His tenacity, broad experience and deep understanding of geopolitics make him an excellent choice for Secretary of State. He will promote regional stability and focus on the core national security interests of the United States. Rex knows how to manage a global enterprise, which is crucial to running a successful State Department, and his relationships with leaders all over the world are second to none. I can think of no one more prepared, and no one more dedicated, to serve as Secretary of State at this critical time in our history.”
“I am honored by President-elect Trump’s nomination and share his vision for restoring the credibility of the United States’ foreign relations and advancing our country’s national security,” said Mr. Tillerson. “We must focus on strengthening our alliances, pursuing shared national interests and enhancing the strength, security and sovereignty of the United States.”
Rex Tillerson is a native Texan who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. He began his career at Exxon Company, U.S.A. in 1975 as a production engineer.
After years of hard work and dedication to his company, Rex then became general manager of Exxon Company, U.S.A.’s central production division, responsible for oil and gas production operations throughout a large portion of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas.
In 1992, Mr. Tillerson was named production advisor to Exxon Corporation. Three years later he was named president of Exxon Yemen Inc. and Esso Exploration and Production Khorat Inc., and in January 1998, he was promoted to vice president of Exxon Ventures (CIS) Inc. and president of Exxon Neftegas Limited. In those roles, he was responsible for Exxon’s holdings in Russia and the Caspian Sea as well as the Sakhalin I consortium operations offshore Sakhalin Island, Russia.
In December 1999, he became executive vice president of Exxon Mobil Development Company. Mr. Tillerson was then named senior vice president of Exxon Mobil Corporation in August 2001, and was elected president of the corporation and member of the board of directors on March 1, 2004. Nearly two years after he was elected, Mr. Tillerson was named as chairman and CEO of the board on January 1, 2006.
Mr. Tillerson is not only a stalwart in his professional life, but also in the community. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and a trustee of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He is the vice chairman of the Ford’s Theatre Society and a recipient of the Lincoln Medal; immediate past national president of the Boy Scouts of America, a Distinguished Eagle Scout, and a former director of the United Negro College Fund. He was recognized as a distinguished alumnus of the University of Texas at Austin in 2006, and in 2013, was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
Ridgewood NJ, President-elect Donald J. Trump today announced his intent to appoint Gary D. Cohn as Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director of the National Economic Council. A renowned business leader, Mr. Cohn will help to both design and coordinate the President-elect’s America First economic agenda and make sure increasing wages for American workers will be a top priority. He will also work closely with the President-elect’s economic team at the Treasury and Commerce Departments.
“As my top economic advisor, Gary Cohn is going to put his talents as a highly successful businessman to work for the American people,” said President-elect Donald J. Trump. “He will help craft economic policies that will grow wages for our workers, stop the exodus of jobs overseas and create many great new opportunities for Americans who have been struggling. He fully understands the economy and will use all of his vast knowledge and experience to make sure the American people start winning again.”
“Being chosen to serve in the President-elect’s administration is a great honor,” said Gary Cohn. “I share President-elect Trump’s vision of making sure every American worker has a secure place in a thriving economy, and we will be completely committed to building a nation of strength, growth and prosperity.”
In addition to his incredible business history, Mr. Cohn has an inspiring personal story. Growing up in Shaker Heights, Ohio, he was diagnosed at age seven with dyslexia, which made it difficult for him to read and spell. After receiving his bachelor’s degree at American University in Washington, D.C., Mr. Cohn worked for U.S. Steel and at the New York Mercantile Exchange. Since 1990, Mr. Cohn has worked at Goldman Sachs. His legendary toughness and tenacity, which helped him rise over a quarter century at Goldman Sachs to ultimately become the company’s president, will now be put to work on behalf of the American people.
The overseers of the U.S. intelligence community have not embraced a CIA assessment that Russian cyber attacks were aimed at helping Republican President-elect Donald Trump win the 2016 election, three American officials said on Monday.
While the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) does not dispute the CIA’s analysis of Russian hacking operations, it has not endorsed their assessment because of a lack of conclusive evidence that Moscow intended to boost Trump over Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, said the officials, who declined to be named.
The position of the ODNI, which oversees the 17 agency-strong U.S. intelligence community, could give Trump fresh ammunition to dispute the CIA assessment, which he rejected as “ridiculous” in weekend remarks, and press his assertion that no evidence implicates Russia in the cyber attacks.
Trump’s rejection of the CIA’s judgment marks the latest in a string of disputes over Russia’s international conduct that have erupted between the president-elect and the intelligence community he will soon command.
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