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☆ Russian disinformation peddlers are targeting Harris-Walz campaign with fake videos, Microsoft says
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Kevin Collier | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Brandy-Zadrozny-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Russian disinformation peddlers are producing videos targeting the Harris-Walz campaign with false and disparaging claims, Microsoft said Tuesday. At least three Russian disinformation actors have been working to denigrate the Harris-Walz campaign, Microsoft said. Some of the disinformation comes in the form of two videos that have been disseminated since late August, Microsoft said. NBC News has viewed an upload of that video posted to X, which Microsoft confirmed is the alleged Russian disinformation. The report comes after the U.S. accused the Kremlin of running a multifaceted disinformation campaign to boost former President Donald Trump and disparage Harris.

Persons: Harris, Walz, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs didn’t, Darren Linvill, ” Linvill, Kamala Harris, Linvill, ”, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Trump, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Microsoft, Justice Department, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NBC News, Media, Clemson, Democratic, Russia’s Internet Research Agency, Tenet Media, National Intelligence, Intelligence, Biden, Ukraine, FBI, The Justice Department, Trump Locations: San Francisco, Russia, Ukraine, Iran, U.S, China

Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals sounded unconvinced Monday that the TikTok “sale or ban” law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, was unconstitutional. TikTok and ByteDance have since condemned the practice and said that three employees involved were terminated, with an additional employee resigning. Pincus also said that the data TikTok collects from American users is anonymized and is comparable to other Chinese companies, like major e-commerce platforms. TikTok creators and users in the U.S. have responded overwhelmingly negatively to the proposed ban. Trump then expressed support for TikTok following Biden’s passage of the national security package that included the provision to ban TikTok.

Persons: Joe Biden, TikTok, ”, Andrew Pincus, “, it’s, Pincus, Pincus didn’t, Judge Neomi Rao, ” Rao, Biden, Kamala Harris, Kamala, Donald Trump’s, TAYLOR SWIFT, ” Trump, Trump Organizations: Circuit U.S, Chinese Communist Party, Oracle, Forbes, Palestine Information Office, ByteDance, Justice Department, “ Biden Locations: U.S, Texas, Oracle’s U.S, China, Palestine, Tibet

☆ TikTok says it's not spreading Chinese propaganda. The U.S. says there's a real risk. What's the truth?
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dilanianmug.Jpg | Ken Dilanian | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

Is TikTok trying to secretly influence Americans at the behest of the Chinese government? And an analysis of the ownership structure of TikTok parent company ByteDance, obtained by NBC News, argues that the company is deeply entangled with some of China’s major government propaganda organs. The most recent one, published last month, found that TikTok suppresses anti-China content compared to YouTube and other social media platforms. In recent years, according to media reports, Chinese government entities have increasingly taken golden shares in technology companies. “This report establishes that TikTok algorithms actively suppress content critical of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) while simultaneously boosting pro-China propaganda and promoting distracting, irrelevant content,” the researchers wrote.

Persons: —, TikTok’s, China —, ’, TikTok, ” Democratic Sen, Mark Warner, — Casey Blackburn, National Intelligence —, ”, ByteDance, Blackburn, Strider, ” Strider, Wu Shugang, “ Organizations: Congress, D.C, Justice Department, NBC News, Network, Research, Rutgers University, YouTube, Department, U.S ., Appeals, District of Columbia, Supreme, Strider Technologies, Communist Party of China, ” Democratic, U.S, of Economic Security, Emerging Technology, National Intelligence, TikTok, Chinese Communist Party, CCP, Net Investment, Technology, Communist Party, China Central Radio, Television Station, Beijing State, Administration, Investment, China’s Ministry of Education Locations: United States, Washington, U.S, China, Tibet, TikTok, People’s Republic of China, Tiananmen, Hong Kong, ”, Xinjiang, Beijing

The Justice Department plans to file criminal charges in the hacking of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, two law enforcement officials told NBC News. The Trump campaign announced in August that it had been hacked. Later that month, federal officials said that Iran was behind the effort, which was part of an apparent hack-and-leak operation to spread files stolen from Trump’s campaign. Federal officials reiterated in a press call last week that the U.S. intelligence community believes Iran wants to hurt former President Trump’s campaign, whereas Russia wants to boost Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris. Google was more specific, and said that the hackers had gone after both the Trump campaign and President Joe Biden’s before he dropped out of the race.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Trump, Robert ”, United Nations didn’t, “ Robert, ”, Trump’s, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden’s Organizations: Department, NBC News, America, United Nations, Washington Post, NBC, Trump, The Justice Department, RT, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Microsoft, Google, Trump militia Locations: Iran, Russia, Russian, Tehran

☆ Putin would 'eat you for lunch' Harris tells Trump, in bitter clash over Russia and Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-11 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris enter Tuesday's debate in search of the same goal, a moment that will help them gain the edge in a race polls show is essentially tied. Photographer: Allison Joyce/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesRepublican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, clashed repeatedly over Russia, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine in Tuesday night's closely watched Presidential Debate. Harris told Trump, who previously served as U.S. president, that Putin "would eat you for lunch" and said that, if the Republican were to become president, "Putin would be sitting in Kyiv right now." Otherwise, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv with his eyes on the rest of Europe. Starting with Poland," she said, before describing Putin as "a dictator who would eat you for lunch."

Persons: Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Allison Joyce, Vladimir Putin, Harris, Trump, Putin, wouldn't, — Organizations: Art House Theatre, Bloomberg, Getty Images, Democratic, Kremlin, Republican, U.S, NATO, ABC Locations: Fayetteville , North Carolina, Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Europe, Poland, Moscow

In mid-December 2005, back when U.S.-Russia relations remained on relatively friendly terms, a new media channel called Russia Today began broadcasting English-language news. “It’s a very good start,” Russian President Vladimir Putin was quoted as saying of Russia Today at the time. In subsequent years, Russia Today would rebrand to RT, expand into other languages, and even open a studio in Washington, D.C. in 2010. The Tennessee company was not named in the indictment but appears to be Tenet Media, according to a review by NBC News of details included in the indictment. Instead of shuttering, the state media organization found alternate ways to distribute content, including a social media bot farm, the DOJ said in a July news release outlining its efforts to remove the content.

Persons: “, Vladimir Putin, Russia wasn’t, Margarita Simonyan, Elena Mikhaylovna Afanasyeva, Kostiantyn Kalashnikov, Melanie Smith, We’ve, there’s, ” Smith, ”, Eduard Grigoriann, Lauren Southern, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Darren Linvill, ” Linvill, ” Simonyan Organizations: Russia Today, RIA, U.S, Institute for Strategic, NBC News, Kremlin, RT, Government, Tenet Media, NBC, YouTube, Justice Department, WikiLeaks, RT America, DirecTV, DOJ, Clemson University’s, Espanol Locations: Russia, RIA Novosti, Washington ,, U.S, Europe, Tennessee, London, Ukraine, America

☆ U.S. believes Iran transferred short-range ballistic missiles to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The United States has informed allies that it believes Iran has transferred short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine, according to two people familiar with the matter. The White House declined to confirm the weapons transfer but reiterated its concern that Iran is deepening its support of Russia. The White House has been warning Iran for months not to transfer ballistic missiles to Russia. The White House has been on edge for months about a possible deal between Iran and Russia. President Joe Biden is set to host British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for talks at the White House on Friday.

Persons: Ali Khamenei, Masoud Pezeshkian, Sean Savett, Ukraine's, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, William Burns, Joe Biden, Keir Starmer, Karine Jean, Pierre Organizations: Government, United, Security, Kremlin, Moscow, United Nations, CIA, Ukraine, Democratic, White, Iranian, British, Street Journal Locations: Tehran, Iran, United States, Russia, Ukraine, Iranian, Russia's Kursk, London, China, North Korea, Western, Korea, Moscow, Russian, White House, U.S

☆ U.S. targets Russia over 2024 election influence operation
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-04 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The DOJ said it was seizing 32 Internet domains "used in Russian government-directed foreign malign influence campaigns colloquially referred to as 'Doppelganger,' in violation of U.S. money laundering and criminal trademark laws." Those alleged efforts include the use of RT, the English-language media network backed by Russia, to influence U.S. opinion. The Biden administration on Wednesday announced sanctions targeting Russian government-backed efforts to manipulate American opinion leading up to the 2024 election. An unidentified Russia Today anchor prepares to go on the air in the RT TV studio in Moscow, June 8, 2018. Investigations later found that there was a coordinated effort by Russia to support his candidacy over the then-Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton.

Persons: General Merrick Garland, Kostiantyn Kalashnikov, Elena Afanasyeva, Biden, Vladimir Putin, Merrick Garland, Margarite Simonova Simonyan, Elizaveta Yuryevna, Anton Sergeyvich Anisimov, Antony Blinken, Rossiya, Blinken, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Harris, Donald Trump, Trump, Hillary Clinton, RT's, RT, Clinton Organizations: Justice Department, DOJ, Department of Justice, Wednesday, RT, U.S, U.S . Treasury Department, State Department, RIA Novosti, Novosti, Sputnik, U.S . Foreign, NBC News, Democratic, Republican, White House, Investigations, NBC Locations: Washington , DC, Tennessee, Manhattan, American, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, U.S, Russian

The FBI said Monday afternoon that it is investigating what the Trump campaign has characterized as a successful effort to hack into its campaign and steal private documents. A Trump campaign spokesperson said Saturday that it had been hacked in June. The claim from the Trump campaign adds to what had already been a deeply antagonistic relationship between Iran and the former president. The apparent hack of Trump campaign files echoes the 2016 Russian campaign against Hillary Clinton, but so far seems notably less elaborate in distributing the hacked files. There is no apparent similar distribution system for the hacked Trump files, at least so far.

Persons: Trump, Hillary, Hillary Clinton’s, Donald Trump, Chris Krebs, SentinelOne, ”, Krebs, Qassem Soleimani, Adam Schiff, ” Schiff, Schiff, Hillary Clinton, Simin Kargar Organizations: FBI, Politico, The Washington Post, The New York Times, NBC News, Microsoft, United Nations, Democratic National Committee, U.S, Republican, Infrastructure Security Agency, Biden, Iran’s, Former U.S, Rep, House Intelligence Committee, Intelligence, Democratic, Trump, WikiLeaks, Atlantic, Forensic Research Locations: Russia, China, Iran, Tehran, U.S, Romanian

A third teenager has been arrested in connection with a foiled attack on now-canceled Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna. The foiled attack was planned for Thursday or Friday, according to Austria’s interior minister, Gerhard Karner. Taylor Swift fans gather in Vienna. Authorities display a photo of a man arrested in connection with a plot to attack Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in Vienna, Austria. The U.S. State Department and the broader U.S. government have been in contact with Austrian officials about the alleged plot, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Gerhard Karner, Karner, Ernst Happel, Thomas Kronsteiner, Karl Nehammer, “, ” Nehammer, it’s, ” Swift, Sadiq Khan, We’re, ” Khan, Swift, ’, Southport , England Peter Powell, ”, Omar Haijawi, Franz Ruf, Taylor, Roland Schlager, Pirchner, Matthew Miller, “ Taylor, Pedro Gomes, TAS24, Elle, Magnus Ranstorp Organizations: Austrian, Authorities, Islamic State, Investigators, Ernst, London’s Wembley, London, Manchester Arena, Getty, Islamic, of State Security, Intelligence, Ministry of, Interior, CIA, U.S . State Department, State, ” Barracuda, Barracuda Music, Estadio da Luz, Las, Strip, Swedish Defense University, Associated Press Locations: Vienna, al Qaeda, Europe, Gelsenkirchen, Austria, Ariana Grande, Manchester, England, Southport , England, AFP, Ternitz, Austrian, Lisbon, Portugal, United Kingdom, Stockholm

“Any assessment that Iran is assigning lethal operations to a ‘B team’ misses the utility of nonofficial actors," said Roule, currently affiliated with United Against Nuclear Iran. Officials say they see no connection between that plot and the shooting of Trump in Pennsylvania by a local resident who had researched mass shootings and political assassinations. In 2021, the Justice Department charged four alleged Iranian intelligence operatives with trying to kidnap Masih Alinejad. “We have said many times that we have been tracking Iranian threats against former politicians,” she said this week. Neither President Joe Biden nor Vice President Kamala Harris has commented on the alleged Iranian assassination plots.

Persons: ”, Kenneth Katzman, don’t, “, ” Katzman, “ There’s, they’ve, Norm Roule, ’, Roule, aren't, Asif Merchant of, Donald Trump, John Bolton, Qassem Soleimani, New York —, Masih Alinejad, Alinejad, General Merrick Garland, we’ve, Steven M, Bolton, Biden, it’s, It’s, —, Jake Sullivan, Sean Savett, … The, Harris, White, Karine Jean, Pierre, “ We’ve, Qassem, …, Biden’s, John Kirby, ” Adrienne Watson, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Trump, Mike Turner Organizations: FBI, Soufan Center, Congressional Research Service, CIA, United Against Nuclear, Iran’s Revolutionary, Quds Force, Administration, D.C, Justice Department, Eastern, NBC News, Roule, Bolton, National Security Council, … The Biden, NBC, ., White, Indian, ” Locations: Iran, United States, U.S, U.S . Iran, United Against Nuclear Iran, Asif Merchant of Pakistan, Texas, Trump, Pennsylvania, Saudi, Washington, New York, Brooklyn , New York, Bolton, Tehran, Europe, Canada

☆ Video and Airplane Sketch Raise New Questions About Saudi Ties to 9/11
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-09 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Former U.S. intelligence officials say the new evidence could change the story of the 2001 attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people, and of the possible involvement in the plot of Omar al-Bayoumi, the Saudi national. Michael J. Morell, a former deputy director of the C.I.A., said that Congress or the Justice Department should investigate the apparent lapse in processing the evidence. “What happened to this stuff after it was turned over to the F.B.I. at the time of the attacks, said that the new evidence was significant enough to require further evaluation, according to a spokesman. “The 9/11 families deserve no less,” Mr. Tenet said through the spokesman.

Persons: Al, Omar al, Michael J, Morell, ”, George Tenet, Mr, Tenet Organizations: Saudi, Former, Justice Department Locations: Former U.S

☆ Justice Dept. Charges Pakistani Man in Alleged Plot to Kill U.S. Leaders
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Glenn Thrush | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Officials said they had no evidence indicating the plot was connected to the shooting in Pennsylvania. Merchant allowed them to disrupt what they characterized as a far-ranging plot that also included stealing computer files from U.S. officials. It also included staging protests against American treatment of Muslim countries. U.S. intelligence agencies were tracking a potential Iranian assassination plot against Mr. Trump in the weeks before the assassination attempt that prompted the Secret Service to enhance security for the former president before his outdoor campaign rally in Butler, Pa. It is not clear if the scheme made public on Tuesday precipitated those moves.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Asif Raza Merchant, Matthew Crooks, Merchant Organizations: U.S . Investigators, Service Locations: Iran, New York, Pennsylvania, Brooklyn, Butler, Pa

☆ Long Johns, Forensics and a Bound Russian Killer: Inside the Big Prisoner Swap
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Anton Troianovski | Mark Mazzetti | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The private jet that took off from southwest Germany on Thursday afternoon was carrying a group that may have never expected to be confined together: police officers, doctors, intelligence agents, a senior aide to Germany’s chancellor — and a convicted Russian assassin. In the back of the plane, the assassin, Vadim Krasikov, sat with his hands and feet bound and wearing protective headgear; he was not heard uttering a word on the entire flight. At the same time, a Russian government jet was also headed for Ankara, Turkey’s capital, carrying officers from the F.S.B. intelligence agency and 16 prisoners being released by Russia and Belarus. At one point, one of the F.S.B.

Persons: —, Vadim Krasikov, “, Krasikov Locations: Germany, Russian, Ankara, Turkey’s, Russia, Belarus, Moscow

☆ WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich, ex-Marine Whelan released in U.S., Russia prisoner swap
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

watch nowWall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan were released Thursday by Russia as part of a major, multi-nation swap of two dozen prisoners. "All four have been imprisoned unjustly in Russia," President Joe Biden said in a televised address from the White House, where he was flanked by their family members. Eight Russians, including the spy and convicted hitman Vadim Krasikov, are being returned to Russia from the United States, Slovenia, Norway, Poland and Germany. "The deal that secured their freedom was a feat of diplomacy," Biden said in a statement released by the White House, where Biden planned to meet family members of the released Americans. U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about the release of Americans detained in Russia during brief remarks from the White House in Washington, U.S., August 1, 2024.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, U.S . Marine Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Joe Biden, Vadim Krasikov, Paul Whelan, Krasikov, Gershkovich, Whelan, Kurmasheva, Kara, Biden, we've, Jake Sullivan, " Sullivan, Nathan Howard, Reuters Gershkovich, Dieter Voronin, Kevin Lick, Rico Krieger, Patrick Schoebel, Herman Moyzhes, Ilya Yashin, Liliya, Kseniya Fadeyeva, Vadim Ostanin, Andrey Pivovarov, Oleg Orlov, Sasha Skochilenko, Artem Viktorovich Dultsev, Anna Valerevna Dultseva, Mikhail Valeryevich Mikushin, Pavel Alekseyevich Rubtsov, Roman Seleznev, Vladislav Klyushin, Vadim Konoshchenock Organizations: Wall Street, U.S . Marine, White, Biden, National, Reuters Locations: Russia, American, Russian, Turkey, United States, Slovenia, Norway, Poland, Germany, Chechen, Berlin, Washington , U.S, Moscow

☆ Iran Has Accused Israel of Assassinations on Its Soil Before
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Qasim Nauman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Hamas and Iran on Wednesday accused Israel of assassinating Ismail Haniyeh, one of the Palestinian militant group’s most senior figures, in Tehran. Iran and Israel have fought a covert war for years, blaming each other for sabotage, abductions and targeted killings across the region. Tehran has also accused Israel of past assassinations inside Iran. Mr. Fakhrizadeh was one of Israeli intelligence’s top targets for years, and Iran angrily accused Israel of killing him. He wasn’t the first scientist linked to the nuclear program to be attacked on Iranian soil.

Persons: Israel, Ismail Haniyeh, Mr, Haniyeh, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Fakhrizadeh, Sayad, Khodayee, Qassim Suleimani, Ayoub, Kamran Aghamolaei Organizations: Revolutionary Guards, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Quds Force Locations: Iran, Tehran, Israel, U.S, United States, Iraq

☆ U.S., Germany foil alleged Russian plot to assassinate CEO of German arms firm sending weapons to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-12 | by ( Dan De Luce | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

U.S. intelligence agencies discovered the plan to go after Papperger earlier this year and informed the German government, the sources said. We have also been clear that Russia's actions will not deter Allies from continuing to support Ukraine." The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the CIA and the German embassy in Washington all declined to comment. The Intelligence Committee is closely following these threats, which only strengthen our resolve to support Ukraine." And in February, the company signed a memorandum with Ukraine to set up a joint production plant for artillery ammunition.

Persons: Rheinmetall AG Armin Papperger, Ronny HARTMANN, RONNY HARTMANN, Armin Papperger, Papperger, Adrienne Watson, Biden, Watson, Oliver Hoffman, Putin, Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Vladimir Putin, Rheinmetall's Papperger Organizations: Rheinmetall AG, Rheinmetall, AFP, Getty Images, U.S, Lynx, CNN, White House National Security, NATO Allies, National Intelligence, CIA, Democratic, House Intelligence, NATO, Intelligence, NBC News, Royal United Services Institute Locations: Unterluess, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Moscow, Russian, United States, Washington, cyberattacks, Kyiv, United Kingdom, London

The administration and other Western governments are scrambling to keep up with the mounting danger ISIS-K poses. Before this year, U.S. and other Western officials believed ISIS-K had the intent but not the ability to orchestrate attacks abroad. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in Europe since 2004. ISIS-K also launched a major attack in Iran this year that killed dozens, and other plots were disrupted in Europe. The Taliban sees ISIS-K as a threat to its rule and has launched a series of attacks on the group.

Organizations: Biden, U.S ., Moscow's, Moscow's Crocus City Hall, ISIS, Embassy, Taliban, White House National Security Council Locations: Kabul, Afghanistan, U.S, Moscow's Crocus, Europe, Iran, Africa, Khorasan, Washington, United States, Doha

☆ North Korea’s latest missile test likely ended in failure, South Korea’s military says
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A North Korean ballistic missile test Wednesday likely ended in failure, South Korea's military said, days after the North protested the recent regional deployment of a U.S. aircraft carrier for a trilateral military drill with South Korea and Japan. A North Korean ballistic missile test Wednesday likely ended in failure, South Korea's military said, days after the North protested the recent regional deployment of a U.S. aircraft carrier for a trilateral military drill with South Korea and Japan. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are analyzing details of the North Korean launch. Yonhap cited an unidentified South Korean military source as saying North Korea was believed to have tested a hypersonic missile. South Korea's military said Monday said it was ready to turn on its loudspeakers again.

Persons: didn't, Yonhap Organizations: South Korea's, Chiefs, Staff, South, Japan's Defense, Korean Locations: Korean, U.S, Korea, Japan, South, South Korean, North Korea, South Korea

☆ Election Updates: A Democratic brawl in a Virginia race may put a House seat in play in November.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Jonathan Weisman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

One of the field’s top fund-raisers, Krystle Kaul, faces charges of embellishing her résumé well beyond the usual flourishes of a political campaign. Ms. Filler-Corn was the first woman and first Jewish speaker of the Virginia State House. Mr. Helmer is a Rhodes scholar and an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and as a member of the Virginia House. Then last week, an anonymous Democratic official, speaking through her lawyer, accused Mr. Helmer of groping her and later making sexually crude remarks. “That would be presumptuous.”Democratic voters in the district peppered by texts attacking Mr. Helmer could be forgiven if they do not know where to turn.

Persons: Dan Helmer, Eileen, Krystle Kaul, Suhas Subramanyam, Jennifer Wexton, Subramanyam, Helmer, Barbara Comstock, Donald J, Trump, Mr, “, Ms, Wexton, Helmer of groping, Kaul, Michele Davis Younger, ”, Will Reinert, Subramanyam’s, Aliscia Andrews, Alexander Isaac, Avram Fechter Organizations: Congressional, Democratic, Senate, Republican, Virginia State House, Army, Virginia State House Democrats, Washington Post, Loudoun County Democratic Party, National Organization for Women, ”, Republicans, Democrat, National Republican Congressional, ” Democratic, Virginia Democratic, Federal, Commission, PAC, United States Central Command, Department of Defense, Marine Corps, Loudoun County Democratic Locations: Washington, Israel, Virginia, Rhodes, Afghanistan, Iraq, Democratic, Loudoun County, Va

☆ Jared Kushner's post-White House deal-making included badly timed bet on Amazon aggregator
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +16 min

Kushner started Affinity in 2021, shortly after leaving his advisory role in the White House alongside his wife, Ivanka Trump. Neumann, who was ultimately ousted from WeWork by top SoftBank execs, introduced Kushner to Unybrands early the following year. Affinity's investment in Unybrands, which hasn't previously been reported, was one of the private equity firm's earliest deals. Following a continued slide, the company laid off roughly 10% of its staff in November 2022, according to people familiar with the matter. The House Oversight Committee launched an investigation into the investment in 2022, looking into whether Kushner's financial interests influenced Trump's foreign policy.

Persons: Jared Kushner, Alex Brandon, Kushner, Weeks, Ivanka Trump, Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Jamal Khashoggi, WeWork, Adam Neumann, Neumann, Unybrands, hasn't, —, Catterton, Jason Somerville, Somerville, it's, didn't, headcount, Donald Trump, Gary Cohn, Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, Jonathan Ernst, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Carolyn Maloney, Ron Wyden, Kushner didn't, Ulrich Kratz, Goldman Sachs, Kratz, Kushner's, Ian Brekke, Asad Naqvi, Bret Pearlman, Roger McNamee, Max Fink, Neumann's, Brekke, Naqvi, Pearlman, Fink, Shahar Azran, Eugen Miropolski, Robyn Laguette, Mark Goldfinger, Joe Biden, Lex, Jeff Bezos, Sam Altman, Ye, I've Organizations: U.S . Capitol, Capitol, Reuters, Affinity Partners, Companies, White House, Affinity, Saudi Crown, Unybrands, WeWork, CNBC, Amazon, BlackRock, Khosla Ventures, GW Partners, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, United Arab, Saudi Arabia's, Crown, Ritz Carlton Hotel, Saudi, Republicans, Crayhill Capital Management, Barclays, Goldman, Kushner, Investments II, Blackstone, Partners, Financial Services, CNBC it's, Israeli American Council, IAC, Getty, Kanye Locations: Washington, Amazon's, South Florida, Miami, Silicon Valley, Saudi, Saudi Arabia, Unybrands, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Riyadh, Yemen, American, Austin , Texas, Gulf, Israel

Opinion Guest Essay Why the Pandemic Probably Started in a Lab, in 5 Key Points Illustration by Mike McQuade. Here’s what we now know:1 The SARS-like virus that caused the pandemic emerged in Wuhan, the city where the world’s foremost research lab for SARS-like viruses is located. Wuhan China Taiwan Laos South China Sea Thailand The pandemic started roughly 1,000 miles away, in Wuhan, home to the world’s foremost SARS-like virus research lab. Wuhan China East China Sea india Taiwan Myanmar Laos South China Sea philippines Thailand The pandemic started roughly 1,000 miles away, in Wuhan, home to the world’s foremost SARS-like virus research lab. In the United States, virologists generally use stricter Biosafety Level 3 protocols when working with SARS-like viruses.

Persons: Mike McQuade, Anthony Fauci, —, Shi Zhengli, Shi’s, Sarah Temmam et, Shi, coronavirus, EcoHealth, Peter Daszak, Biden, Daszak, Baric, Jesse Bloom, Fauci Organizations: Getty Images, National Institute of Allergy, Wuhan Institute of Virology, China East China, U.S, New York, Facebook Locations: United States, Wuhan, China, Yunnan, Southeast Asia, Laos, Yunnan province Taiwan Laos, Laos South China, Thailand, China East China, Taiwan Myanmar Laos South China, Laos philippines Thailand, Taiwan Laos South China, China East, philippines Thailand, Wuhan China Taiwan Laos South China, Wuhan China East China, China Wuhan East China, Covid, MERS

☆ Israeli airstrikes kill at least 35 in Rafah, Gaza authorities say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said the rockets fired from Rafah "prove that the (Israel Defense Forces) must operate in every place Hamas still operates from". Reshiq restated Hamas's demands, which include: "Ending the aggression completely and permanently, in all of Gaza Strip, not only Rafah". It follows an agreement between U.S. President Joe Biden and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Friday to temporarily send aid via the Kerem Shalom crossing, bypassing the Rafah crossing that has been blocked for weeks. Aid trucks had been piling up on the Egyptian side of the border since May 7, when Israel seized the Rafah crossing in Gaza. Today, trucks at the Rafah crossing were rerouted to the Kerem Shalom crossing, which sits at the junction of Gaza, Israel and Egypt.

Persons: Eyad BABA, EYAD BABA, Eyad Baba, Ashraf Al, Sami Abu Zuhri, Benjamin Netanyahu, Benny Gantz, Yoav Gallant, Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel, Izzat, Reshiq, Netanyahu, Khaled Zayed of, Joe Biden, Abdel Fattah al, Ali Moustafa Organizations: West Bank, Hamas, Palestinian Authority, Getty, Afp, International Committee, Kuwaiti, Brigades, Israel Defense Forces, ., Reuters, Aid, Crescent Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Israel, AFP, Tel Al, States, Tel Aviv, Egypt, Jabaliya, Gaza Israel, Kerem Shalom, RAFAH, EGYPT, Palestinian, Kerem Abu Salem, Today

☆ U.S. and Iranian Officials Held Indirect Talks in Oman on Risks of a Wider War
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Edward Wong | More About Edward Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Senior American and Iranian officials held talks through intermediaries in Oman this past week, the first such conversations since Iran launched a retaliatory attack on Israel with hundreds of missiles and drones last month, according to a person familiar with the recent meetings. Brett McGurk, the top White House official on Middle East policy, and Abram Paley, the deputy special envoy for Iran, attended the talks in Oman. Since the Israel-Hamas war broke out, several Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria have stepped up attacks on American troops, raising fears of a wider war. However, U.S. intelligence officials assess that neither Hezbollah nor Iran wants to engage in a wider war. The format of the talks in Oman was similar to ones held in January: The Americans sat in one room while their Iranian counterparts sat in another, and Omani officials shuttled between the rooms.

Persons: Brett McGurk, Abram Paley, Axios Organizations: White, Hamas, United Locations: Oman, Iran, Israel, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, United States

☆ Jim Simons, billionaire quantitative investing pioneer who generated eye-popping returns, dies at 86
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Jim Simons, a mathematician who founded the most successful quantitative hedge fund of all time, passed away on Friday in New York City, his foundation announced on its website. Pioneering mathematical models and algorithms to make investment decisions, Simons left behind an otherworldly track record at Renaissance Technologies, that bested legends such as Warren Buffett and George Soros. Its flagship Medallion Fund enjoyed annual returns of 66% during a period starting in 2018, according to Gregory Zuckerman's book "The Man Who Solved the Market." Simons received a bachelor's degree in mathematics from MIT in 1958, and he earned his PhD in mathematics from University of California, Berkeley at the age of only 23. He was active in the work of the Simons Foundation until the end of his life.

Persons: Jim Simons, Simons, Warren Buffett, George Soros, Gregory Zuckerman's Organizations: Renaissance Technologies, flagship Medallion Fund, U.S, Intelligence, Soviet Union, MIT, University of California, Stony Brook University, Simons Foundation Locations: New York City, Vietnam, Soviet, Berkeley, Stony, New York

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