Twitter admits during 2016 election Trump used platform half as much as Clinton but had twice as much success.  Additionally, Twitter legal counsel admits to hiding up to 48% of negative Clinton twitter content (hashtag tweets surrounding DNC and Podesta emails), yet suppressed nothing negative about candidate Donald Trump…
During testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sean J. Edgett Acting General Counsel for Twitter, Inc. delivered a 20 page opening statement (full pdf below).  Within the statement attorney Edgett shared the protocol for Twitter hiding hashtags they deemed troubling in the lead-up to the 2016 election.

The volume of activity on our system is enormous: Our users generate thousands of Tweets per second, hundreds of thousands of Tweets per minute, hundreds of millions of Tweets per day. ~ Sean J Edgett, Twitter General Counsel

However, amid all the examples cited, Twitter did not “hide” any material that was negative toward candidate Donald Trump.  In every example cited Twitter only took action to hide user content that was negative toward candidate Hillary Clinton.  A remarkable ‘coincidence‘.

[Page #6 of Testimony ] Before the election, we also detected and took action on activity relating to hashtags that have since been reported as manifestations of efforts to interfere with the 2016 election. For example, our automated spam detection systems helped mitigate the impact of automated Tweets promoting the #PodestaEmails hashtag, which originated with Wikileaks’ publication of thousands of emails from the Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta’s Gmail account.

(more…)

Earlier today the FBI sent out an alert seeking to locate Mukhammadzoir Kadirov a 32-year-old Uzbekistan national, for questioning in relationship to yesterday’s terrorist attack in New York City.
Kadirov has been located, however the FBI is still seeking any assistance from anyone who might know him, his activity, or be able to provide further information:

NEW YORK – The FBI is no longer seeking a second man in connection with the lower Manhattan truck assault that killed eight people, authorities said Wednesday.
The announcement came less than 90 minutes after the FBI released a wanted poster for Mukhammadzoir Kadirov, a 32-year-old Uzbekistan national.
“We have found him and I’ll leave it at that,” said William Sweeney, head of the New York FBI office.

(more…)

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson delivered remarks today together with his Belgian counterpart against the backdrop of yesterday’s New York City terrorist attack.

.
[Transcript] SECRETARY TILLERSON: Good morning, all. I want to welcome Deputy Prime Minister Reynders of Belgium to the State Department. It’s a pleasure to have you here.
FOREIGN MINISTER REYNDERS: Thank you.
SECRETARY TILLERSON: I do want to make a comment on yesterday’s events in New York City. Of course, we extend our condolences to the families and loved ones of all the victims. This has turned out to be – have been an international event in terms of the victims themselves. We now know we have one Belgian citizen who died in the attack yesterday and five Argentinian citizens, and we have additional Belgian citizens that were injured as well.
(more…)

Three Pakistani brothers (Abid, Imran, and Jamal Awan), along with their family members, managed the congressional IT (Information Technology) for members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
An investigation in 2016 showed they accessed congressional computer networks without permission, transferred the content, and jaw-droppingly did much of their work while physically located in Pakistan.

Using their virtually unlimited access the Awan’s compromised the computer network of around 80 congressional offices, and the U.S. taxpayers paid them millions of dollars in the process. If the underlying ramifications were not so serious, this would seem almost too unbelievable for a Hollywood script. Imran Awan was arrested at Dulles International Airport fleeing the country with a bag full of cash.
Now, a reasonable person might think the House of Representatives would be interested to find out just how much of their sensitive and potentially classified information was compromised. A reasonable person might think that, but then again congress is generally devoid of reasonable people.
To showcase the insufferable idiocy of congress, you might find the latest development eye-opening from the perspective of why DC is so structurally dysfunctional.
In an “unofficial” or technically “informal” congressional hearing (video below), Representative Scott Perry, Rep Jim Jordan, Rep Ron Desantis, Rep Louie Gomert and Rep Steve King, meet with Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton and journalist Luke Rosiak (Daily Caller) to discuss why congress is not investigating the issue.
Yes, that would be congress holding an informal hearing to ask citizens why congress is not conducting an investigation.
(more…)

While the general position will be to applaud President Trump and CIA Director Mike Pompeo for their commitment to transparency, CTH considers the release against the backdrop of the Trump Doctine.
Right before President Trump heads off to Asia for an extremely important economic and national security visit with wide-ranging implications; and knowing the larger adversarial economic geography surrounding China and their allies (hint, Pakistan); and knowing the Indo-Pacific engagement strategy carried by Trump and Tillerson; and knowing the Trump doctrine is based on brutally righteous sunlight and leverage upon various international deceptions therein… the CIA releases 470k files on the Bin Laden raid highlighting the duplicity between Pakistan and terrorists.

CIA Abbottabad Compound Material –  In an effort to further enhance public understanding of al-Qa’ida, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on 1 November 2017 released additional materials recovered in the 2 May 2011 raid on Usama Bin Ladin’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
(more…)

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivers the press briefing for Wednesday November 1st 2017.  Anticipated start time 2:30pm EST:
UPDATE: Video Added

(more…)

During a previously scheduled meeting with the cabinet, President Donald Trump delivers remarks about the terrorist attack yesterday in New York City and the diversity lottery immigration program, and subsequent chain migration policy, that was used by the terrorist to enter the United States and bring 23 additional people with him.

(more…)

In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

President Trump Twitter @POTUS / Vice President Pence Twitter @VP

Sarah H Sanders Twitter @SHSanders45

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

Statement from the President on the Terrorist Attack in New York City:

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of todays terrorist attack in New York City and their families. My Administration will provide its full support to the New York City Police Department, including through a joint investigation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We offer our thanks to the first responders who stopped the suspect and rendered immediate aid to the victims of this cowardly attack. These brave men and women embody the true American spirit of resilience and courage. I will continue to follow developments closely.”  – WH Link

Against the backdrop of the terrorist attack in New York City, a rather deliberate looking President Donald Trump convenes a late night national security meeting:

(LINK)

Immediately following the meeting/briefing, President Trump Tweeted: “I have just ordered Homeland Security to step up our already extreme vetting program.  Being politically correct is fine, but not for this!”    POTUS appears pissed.
(more…)