Waching daily Nov 2 2017

Counterterrorism officials seem to worry about the scenario each and every day.

Yeah, right.

We've seen these attacks happen around Europe, terrorists plowing vehicles into groups of

pedestrians.

And there have been these concerns that it could happen in the U.S.

Yesterday, it did.

It happened on a bike path in New York City.

This is right along the Hudson River, David.

I've been running on this path a lot.

It is - it's a gorgeous place, there's all kinds of runners and bikers.

And yesterday was this beautiful day, so a lot of people were out.

And then this horrifying scene unfolds.

A man in a rented pickup truck steered onto the path and then plowed into the crowds.

At least eight people were killed, several others were injured.

It ended when the truck slammed into a school bus not far from the World Trade Center.

Ramon Cruz (ph) works nearby.

I heard a loud bang.

The front of the car was totaled at that point, and the guy coming out of the truck was injured.

Police then shot the driver of the truck.

Obviously, there are a lot of questions this morning about who he is and what might have

motivated him to do this.

Well, let's bring in NPR's Hansi Lo Wang who is on the line from New York City.

And, Hansi, who is the suspect, if we can start with that?

Well, NYPD officials tell NPR his name is Sayfullo Saipov, 29 years old, and he was

born in Uzbekistan, according to a law enforcement official.

And we know that he's lived in Florida, Ohio and more recently in New Jersey and that he's

a green card holder, according to an official in Brooklyn.

And he was shot - is - and is still alive at this point, is that right?

Correct.

As far as we know, he's in the hospital receiving medical treatment.

OK.

Well, the mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, comes out and says this looks like an act

of terror, which is a question that people always ask after an incident like this.

What is pointing to that?

Well, New York's police commissioner, James O'Neill, said that the suspect made a statement

when he got out of the truck, and O'Neill would not confirm exactly what the suspect

said.

But the commissioner did say that that statement plus the way that this attack was carried

out - driving a large vehicle into a crowd, which ISIS has promoted and posted details

instructions for online - that's why the NYPD and the mayor are calling it a terrorist event.

And I just want to point out that NBC and other media outlets have reported that a note

was found in the truck that shows that the suspect claims that he carried out the attack

for the Islamic State, but NPR has not confirmed it at this point.

OK.

So a lot for the authorities to work through here.

And as Rachel mentioned, I mean, this path is well known to many New Yorkers.

It's packed with people commuting up and down in the city and also tourists.

What do we know about the victims here?

We've learned that Argentina's Foreign Ministry has confirmed that five of the victims were

Argentine citizens and so is one of the injured.

And all of them were men from the city of Rosario - a part of a group of friends celebrating

their 30th anniversary of their graduation from their university.

And so we're going to learn more about their - the condition of those who are injured later

today as well as where the investigation stands once NYPD will have an update later this morning.

OK.

NPR's Hansi Lo Wang with the latest on that attack in New York City yesterday.

Hansi, thanks.

You're welcome.

OK.

So this was supposed to be the day when Republicans unveiled their big tax bill.

Well, it was supposed to be, but we're going to have to wait one more day to hear details

from the House.

They've decided to delay the unveiling of this bill.

Let's remember, Congress hasn't rewritten the tax code since 1986.

This is a big, difficult job.

There are winners and losers.

Republicans don't have that much time if they're going to stick to President Trump's deadline.

I want the House to pass a bill by Thanksgiving.

I want all of the people standing by my side when we get ready to sign by Christmas.

So can they make that happen?

What details still have to be worked out?

Well, let's ask NPR political editor Domenico Montanaro.

Good morning, Domenico.

Hey, there.

So no rewriting of the tax code since 1986.

It can't be easy (laughter).

So what - but what's the one-day holdup here?

What's happening?

Well, the big holdup is how to pay for it, David.

I mean, Republicans want to do all this stuff, like slash tax rates for corporations and

small businesses.

They want to reduce the number of tax brackets that could lower rates for many individuals.

And it's not clear exactly who would fit into those brackets and if the wealthiest Americans

might actually see a tax increase.

There's been some talk of that.

And all that costs money.

Estimates have been as high as $5.5 trillion for the deficit, and the complicated budget

process they're using only allows them to increase the deficit $1.5 trillion with tax

cuts.

So that's a $4 trillion gap that they have to make up somehow.

So if you want to give away a bunch of money, you still have to pay your bills.

But, Domenico, isn't this a reality that has just been staring the Republican Party in

the face?

It's not like it's a surprise.

I mean, they're talking about big tax cuts, but this is the party of deficit hawks.

They had to know that they would have to, you know, all but completely pay for these

tax cuts by taking away some tax breaks.

Isn't that just the math?

Absolutely.

And this is what Republicans are supposed to be good at.

You know, this is something House Speaker Paul Ryan has been deeply involved with.

You know, but there's still a lot of sticking points here, you know, including some of those

popular tax breaks we alluded to.

You know, Republicans are considering limiting the amount of money you and I can put into

our 401(k)'s, for example, possibly doing away with a popular deduction for mortgage

interest.

And a major piece of this, doing away with a state and local tax deduction break, that

would affect people in the highest cost-of-living states, like New York, New Jersey, California.

Members in those states are up in arms over this.

Yet, Republicans still think they're on track to unveil it tomorrow and to start marking

it up in committee on Monday.

Well, that sounds encouraging for Republicans, if it's just a matter of one day to work out

the final details and get to markup soon.

Or is this a sign that there's some serious trouble?

Well, maybe and maybe - maybe, it's just spin.

Maybe they're really getting there.

We know that staffers worked through the night on this, and all of these things we talked

about is just in the House.

You have a whole other set of math problems in the Senate.

Like, with health care, Republicans can only lose two votes.

So far, Tennessee Senator Bob Corker, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul - they've said that they

won't vote for anything that increases the deficit.

That brings that margin right down to it.

And that means they can't lose anyone else.

Some are already wavering, other Republicans hearing the details.

That would mean Republicans would have to pick up a Democrat or two maybe.

And that is no easy task.

All right.

NPR political editor Domenico Montanaro.

Domenico, thanks as always.

You're welcome.

And we have news this morning from our own newsroom.

NPR yesterday placed its chief news executive on leave.

Michael Oreskes has been accused of sexual harassment.

The allegations are from during his tenure at The New York Times nearly 20 years ago.

The allegations from two women were first reported by The Washington Post.

Now, NPR's David Folkenflik is reporting that Oreskes was also warned against inappropriate

conduct more recently at NPR.

And David is on the line.

And, David, if you could start by taking us back to these allegations from the 1990s.

Yeah.

Well, as you say, nearly two decades ago, two women offering separate accounts of strikingly

similar incidents.

They went to talk to Mike Oreskes - then the Washington bureau chief of The Times.

They went to talk about career advancement, job opportunity at the newspaper.

At various points during that or at separate points during those separate conversations,

according to these two women who are not named by The Post, Oreskes pressed against them,

forcibly kissed them in an unwanted move and put his tongue in his mouth as he did so.

They said they, you know, told The Post in various ways they were kind of scarred by

it.

And that's what NPR was first informed about, apparently, a little bit earlier this month.

OK.

So those are allegations from the '90s.

You have been reporting on an allegation against Oreskes that involves his time here at NPR

more recently.

What exactly do we know?

So this is two years ago, October 2015, a much junior employee at that time - 26 years

old Rebecca Hersher.

She's currently a reporter and producer on the science desk.

At that time, she was working for Weekend All Things Considered.

She said she took him up on a more universal offer for colleagues to come talk to him about

their opportunities at a time that she was thinking of leaving the network so she could

grow and become a reporter.

She said that invitation for meeting quickly turned into a long dinner and a dinner that

was hijacked by conversation not about her career but about her personal life, his personal

life.

He referred to having a sex girlfriend - indicated the first woman apparently with whom he had

sex.

He talked to her at various points and said, you know, it's surprising to me that any man,

any boyfriend, could keep up with you, this according to her account.

And she said she was really thrown by it.

I talked to her last night on the record.

It was striking that she was willing to do so.

Here's one of the things she told me.

Went to the train station, and I called my best friend, and I cried on the phone with

her.

And then I went home, and I cried to my boyfriend.

It felt very - it undercut my confidence in a way that was surprising to me.

So this was an instance perhaps less physical than what occurred two decades ago but no

less meaningful to the woman who was subject to this target.

I must say, Oreskes himself has not responded repeated efforts for comment.

OK.

So we haven't heard from Oreskes yet.

How has NPR responded to this?

NPR initially took her complaint, which came within days, and rebuked him formally, formally

reprimanded him and, according to my sources, notified top management here, however, didn't

take any action until learning, just in recent days, of these earlier accusations saying

now there's a pattern and then only taking action, as far as we know, yesterday when

The Washington Post published what it found out.

OK.

And as we mentioned, Oreskes has now been put on leave at this point.

NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik.

David, thanks very much.

You bet.

For more infomation >> News Brief Nov 1, 2017 - Duration: 10:24.

-------------------------------------------

News Brief Oct 31, 2017 - Duration: 10:24.

Let's review what we have learned about the special counsel investigation into Russia's

interference in the 2016 U.S. election.

All right, so here's the review.

Charges have been filed against President Trump's former campaign chairman and his deputy.

These are charges about things that happened a while ago.

His chief of staff, John Kelly, said on Fox News last night...

I know that the gentlemen were indicted today.

All of the activities, as I understand it, that they were indicted for was long before

they ever met Donald Trump or had any association with the campaign.

And the White House press secretary, Sarah Sanders, says, in effect, so what?

We've been saying from day one, there's been no evidence of Trump-Russia collusion, and

nothing in the indictment today changes that at all.

But prosecutors also revealed a third man pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.

His name is George Papadopoulos, and he advised then-candidate Trump on foreign policy.

So a question - what led investigators to him in the first place?

Let's ask Tamara Keith.

She covers the White House for NPR.

Good morning, Tam.

Good morning.

Explain why George Papadopoulos is so important.

Well, he is a young guy, a foreign policy adviser to President Trump.

In March of last year, President Trump shouted him out, mentioned his name when he was listing

his foreign policy advisers to The Washington Post in an editorial board meeting.

There's a photo that the campaign tweeted out of a foreign policy meeting where Papadopoulos

is right there in the center of the photograph.

However, the White House is saying he's a minor player.

That said, he is no longer a minor player because he pled guilty to lying to the FBI.

And why that is significant is that he's cooperating with investigators.

And when you have someone who's cooperating, that's a big deal.

If you look at some of the documents that the Justice Department put out yesterday,

it's clear that not only did he have connections to Russians and ongoing conversations with

people connected to Russia, but he kept delivering information about those conversations back

to his contacts at the campaign.

We don't know exactly who those contacts were, but they were listed as senior campaign officials.

So now the White House is in a bit of a bind because, I mean, for months, the president

has been trying to place some distance between himself and Paul Manafort, in particular - but

also defending him.

I mean, what is the White House line when it comes to trying to explain away what these

three people did for President Trump on the campaign?

Well, the White House line is that George Papadopoulos was just a volunteer.

Interestingly, similar things have been said about Paul Manafort in the past.

The campaign manager.

Yeah, Paul Manafort, who was the campaign chairman and served on the campaign from March

until August of last year.

Rick Gates actually continued on in the Trump orbit - through this year, was involved in

President Trump's inaugural committee and has - is - has reportedly visited the White

House this year.

But what the White House is saying is, don't mind these guys, this - you know, this was

not - you know, Manafort and Gates, the things they were doing were not related to their

work on their - on the campaign or their association with President Trump.

Which is true - according to the indictment, this - especially on the Manafort-Gates stuff,

this is about their operations - their financial operations in Ukraine.

Exactly.

So at the same time, the special counsel investigation continues.

There are investigations happening in Congress.

And today and tomorrow, we're going to hear from big-name companies.

Facebook, Google, Twitter executives - they're all coming town to explain how their platforms

were used in the campaign by Russia, exploited.

This is awkward because they have to be honest about the extent to which those platforms

may have been abused, but they don't want to suggest their platforms are so vulnerable,

right?

Yeah, and NPR has obtained Facebook's testimony.

And they estimate that approximately 126 million people may have been exposed to news stories

that were put out there by Russian actors in an attempt to divide Americans.

Tamara Keith - she covers the White House and hosts NPR's Politics Podcast.

Thanks so much, Tam.

You're welcome.

All right, let's move from social media to media media.

Media media.

Media media.

...And particularly conservative media.

Conservative talk show hosts have been expanding on one of the White House's talking points

here.

They are arguing that the real story the media ought to be covering involves Hillary Clinton.

Here is Rush Limbaugh.

If Hillary had been elected, none of this would be happening, other - they'd try to

still put Trump in jail as a message to the next outsider, don't dare try this.

So interesting to see how the Mueller story is playing across the political spectrum.

All right, I'm joined now by North Country Public Radio's Brian Mann.

He's been looking at this.

Hey, Brian.

Do we have Brian Mann on the line?

Is Brian Mann there?

I'm here.

There's Brian.

Hi, Brian.

So Brian, I mean, perhaps unsurprisingly, even though the news is about these three

former campaign advisers to President Trump, Hillary Clinton is the target in the conservative

media - not a big surprise.

Yeah, it's really hard to overstate, Rachel, just how big a figure she still is for right-wing

media and their audience.

They think she should still be the center of this story, not Paul Manafort or President

Trump.

So what's the line?

What's the line of attack on Hillary Clinton?

So the loudest narrative right now involves a deal the Obama administration approved in

2010 when Clinton was secretary of state.

It allowed a Russian company to take financial interests in some of America's uranium reserves.

And if you tuned in to Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh, this Uranium One deal, they say,

threatened national security.

They claim there were big kickbacks to the Clinton's charitable foundation.

And they say this is a much bigger deal than Russia's meddling in last year's election.

So you've been looking into that story.

What have you found?

What - why doesn't that allegation hold water?

Well, this Uranium One story has been fact-checked again and again, from Snopes to PolitiFact

to The Washington Post, and so far, it just doesn't add up.

There's no evidence the Clintons swayed that Obama decision.

It was made by a panel of nine senior officials.

Experts also say this Russia company's involvement in the uranium industry just isn't that big

a deal.

But again, it's important to say that for millions of people in Donald Trump's political

base, the story they're hearing, and reading and seeing on TV is really different.

This is the focus for them.

This is the scandal.

So it's not that the indictments aren't being covered.

They're just part of the story.

They're being framed against what people say is the bigger scandal, and they're saying

that Hillary Clinton is sort of being left out of what should be the chief investigation.

There were a lot of calls yesterday for a new special prosecutor targeting her.

All right, North Country Public Radio's Brian Mann.

Thanks so much, Brian.

Thank you.

All right, as we mentioned earlier, tech companies are going to be talking to Congress today.

Yeah, this is about Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election and how fake news was

spread on social media.

But this is not just the United States where this goes on, Rachel.

Italy takes fake news so seriously, it is teaching high schoolers to spot it.

I don't remember that coming up when I went to high school.

Right, and it shows.

But I would love to know how this exactly happens.

Maybe it should've, right?

OK, let's ask journalist Christopher Livesay.

He went to a classroom in Italy to find out about this.

He's on the line now.

Hey, Chris.

Hi, there.

So before we get to what this looks like in the classroom, just lay out the thinking behind

this new curriculum and how long it's been around.

Well, the new curriculum actually launches today in 8,000...

Ooh, not long.

In - yeah, exactly.

It's fresh, and these kids are really the guinea pigs in what the government is calling

a program to create fake news hunters - so hunters that not only spot fake news, but

then blog about how they debunked it and then post and share about it with their friends

on social media platforms like Facebook.

So you can consider it a kind of fake news neighborhood watch for high schoolers.

Oh, interesting.

And so then the education is spread, and other people learn how to spot fake news.

So how do they do it?

I mean, that's, like, the $64 million question.

But what does this look like in the classroom?

Well, it's to be determined.

I mean, today is the day that it gets rolled out.

But we're told by the Italian speaker of the house, Laura Boldrini, who came up with it,

that students are going to be given the tools to identify the source, to fact-check it and

to cross-check it with other sources that are reporting on the same program.

And what's very interesting is that they're actually teaming up with Facebook in this

program.

And now, I asked the chief of public policy of Facebook in Italy, does this mean Mark

Zuckerberg is going to start putting warning labels on fake news articles like what we

see on cigarette packs?

Yeah.

Absolutely not, was her answer.

Facebook does not want to be in the game of, you know, arbiter of truth.

That's still going to be up to the students.

But if they're of high school age, they can expect to see promoted posts popping up in

their news feed with tips on how to fact-check an article and cross-check it with other sources.

So is there any potential backlash here?

I mean, is there any fear that, you know, the government could get involved and start

using the fear of fake news to start censoring material?

So I spoke to some media experts on this topic, and they don't like the feeling of government

getting involved in the fake news identification business.

They fear that this could be a slippery slope where the government says, well, this is news,

this is not news, or this is truth, this is not truth.

But so far, the government is adamant about not being involved at all in determining what

is true and what is false.

It simply wants to give students the tools to determine that on their own.

All right, so far, the truth is in the hands of Italian high schoolers.

Use your power wisely, students.

OK, journalist Christopher Livesay - thanks so much for your time, Chris, and sharing

your reporting.

Thanks for having me.

For more infomation >> News Brief Oct 31, 2017 - Duration: 10:24.

-------------------------------------------

News Bitsler November 2017 script from Faucet up to 5 BTC in 1 mins with withdrawal proofs - Duration: 12:07.

hi