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☆ Microsoft must be held responsible for China's U.S. government email hack, Senator Wyden demands
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Chinese hackers accessed the Microsoft-powered email accounts of top China envoys, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Wyden asked that the Justice Department examine whether Microsoft had violated federal law through its negligence; that CISA examine whether Microsoft violated best practices for securing the highly sensitive "skeleton key;" and that the Federal Trade Commission examine whether Microsoft violated federal privacy statutes. Both the State Department and the Commerce Department were targeted by Chinese hackers. Wyden noted it wasn't the first time that a foreign government had hacked government agencies by exploiting Microsoft vulnerabilities. Both Microsoft and federal officials have disclosed relatively little about the hack, though Microsoft has disseminated additional information and made concessions to customers to mitigate the impact of the exploitation.

Persons: Sen, Ron Wyden, Joe Biden's, Gina Raimondo, Antony Blinken, Wyden, Merrick Garland, Lina Khan, Jen Organizations: Democratic, Finance, Justice Department, Microsoft, Federal Trade Commission, Infrastructure Security Agency, Google, FTC, State Department, Commerce Department, Department's Locations: Washington, China

CNN —The Nigerien military has backed coup leaders who have reportedly seized the president of the West African country, prompting warnings from international leaders over further unrest in a region plagued by political volatility. President Bazoum was apparently taken by members of the presidential guard on Wednesday, although his precise whereabouts remain unknown. Niger’s presidential office said in a statement on Twitter on Thursday: “The hard-won achievements will be safeguarded. Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum, pictured on December 13, 2022, was reportedly seized by members of the presidential guard on Wednesday. 1,000 US troopsWorld leaders and humanitarian bodies issued stark warnings against the coup leaders.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, insurgencies, Bazoum, Evelyn Hockstein, Maj, Amadou Abdramane, Abdramane, Jake Sullivan, Washington, Volker Türk, ” Türk, General Antonio Guterres, Bazoum “, African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, “ Organizations: CNN, Nigerien, Twitter, country’s Ministry of Defense, Interior Ministry, National Guard, White, US, Air Base, United Nations, Human, UN, African Union Commission Locations: West, ” Niger, Sahel, Mali, Burkina Faso, United States, France, Niger, Niamey, Washington, Agadez, The

☆ Tunisia’s president is accused of racism and dictatorship. He’s now getting a billion euros from Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“Since 2011, the European Union has been supporting Tunisia’s journey of democracy,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after signing the agreement. But these difficulties can be overcome.”Several European lawmakers and human rights organizations have warned that any agreement that doesn’t include human rights assurances would be seen as an endorsement of Saied’s anti-democratic policies. Values lose.”Saied rose to power in 2019 after the death of Tunisia’s first democratically elected president Beji Caid Essebsi. The EU is cooperating with Tunisia on migration despite serious allegations of human rights abuses against migrants on Tunisia’s part. It brokered a similar agreement with Libya in 2017 despite documented human rights violations there.

Persons: Kais Saied, ”, Ursula von der Leyen, Sophie, Veld, ” Camille Le Coz, Tunisia’s, Beji Caid, Saied, von der Leyen, Georgia Meloni, Mark Rutte, Tunisia “, ” Max Gallien, ” Le Coz, ’ Gallien, Gallien Organizations: CNN, European Union, Civil Liberties, Justice, Home Affairs, Migration, Dutch, European Commission, EU, UN Refugee Agency, UN, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, European Council, Commission, Libya Locations: Tunisia, Europe, ‘, Brussels, Italian, Tunis, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Netherlands, France, Germany, EU, Africa, Libya

☆ Poland's opposition brings thousands onto streets to protest against nationalist government
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Crowds stretching for at least a mile marched with banners reading “Free, European Poland,” “European Union yes, PiS no,” referring to the governing Law and Justice (PiS) party. People march on the 34th anniversary of the first democratic elections in postwar Poland, in Warsaw on June 4, 2023. On Sunday, hundreds of buses arrived in Warsaw to bring opposition supporters from across the country. The opposition sees the legislation as a government attempt to launch a witch hunt against political opponents. “It’s beyond comprehension,” said Andrzej Majewski, 48, from Slupca in western Poland who was in Warsaw to join Sunday’s protest march

Persons: ”, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, I’ve, Jacek Gwozdz, Mateusz Morawiecki’s, Slawomir Kaminski, Agencja Wyborcza.pl, Donald Tusk, “, Tusk, I’m, Andrzej Duda, Andrzej Majewski Organizations: Justice, Police, Kremlin, European Union council, “, Solidarity, European Commission Locations: Warsaw, European Poland, “, Nowy Sacz, Ukraine, Europe, Poland, it’s, United States, Slupca

☆ Polish opposition supporters, seeking change, mark 1989 Solidarity win
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] People wait for a march organised by main opposition party the Civic Platform (PO) on the 34th anniversary of the first democratic elections in postwar Poland, in Warsaw, Poland, June 4, 2023. On Sunday, hundreds of buses were arriving in Warsaw to bring opposition supporters from across the country. Some said they were motivated by a row over legislation proposed by PiS to weed out undue Russian influence from the country. The opposition sees the legislation as a government attempt to launch a witchhunt against political opponents. "It's beyond comprehension," said Andrzej Majewski, 48, from Slupca in western Poland who was in Warsaw to join Sunday's protest march.

Persons: Mateusz Morawiecki, Donald Tusk, Tusk, Andrzej Duda, Andrzej Majewski, Marek Strzelecki, Nick Macfie, Susan Fenton Organizations: REUTERS, Law and Justice, Kremlin, European Union council, Solidarity, U.S . State Department, European Commission, Thomson Locations: Poland, Warsaw, WARSAW, Ukraine, Europe, Slupca

☆ Polish opposition supporters mark 1989 Solidarity win
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/8] People carry Polish and European Union flags as they take part in a march on the 34th anniversary of the first democratic elections in postwar Poland, in Warsaw, Poland, June 4, 2023. Crowds stretching for at least a mile marched with banners reading "Free, European Poland", "European Union yes, PiS no", referring to the governing Law and Justice (PiS) party. Donald Tusk, head of the Civic Platform grouping and a former European Union council chief, welcomed supporters saying that the voice of Poles could not be silenced. On Sunday, hundreds of buses arrived in Warsaw to bring opposition supporters from across the country. The opposition sees the legislation as a government attempt to launch a witchhunt against political opponents.

Persons: Jaroslaw Kaczynski, I've, Jacek Gwozdz, Mateusz Morawiecki's, Donald Tusk, Tusk, I'm, Andrzej Duda, Andrzej Majewski, Marek Strzelecki, Nick Macfie, Susan Fenton, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Justice, Police, Law and Justice, Kremlin, European Union council, Solidarity, European Commission, Thomson Locations: Poland, Warsaw, WARSAW, Nowy Sacz, Ukraine, Europe, it's, United States, Slupca

☆ Brazil's top court sentences ex-President Collor to prison for corruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Then-Senator Fernando Collor de Mello, also a former Brazilian president, during a vote session on the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff in Brasilia, Brazil, May 11, 2016. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino/File PhotoBRASILIA, May 31 (Reuters) - Brazil's supreme court voted on Wednesday to sentence former President Fernando Collor de Mello to 8 years and 10 months in prison on corruption and money laundering charges. The Brazilian prosecutor's office accused Collor, 73, of having received around 30 million reais ($6 million) in bribes from a subsidiary of state-run oil company Petrobras (PETR4.SA). The top court convicted the former senator in mid-May, but justices had still to decide on his sentence, which he can appeal. A rakish, dynastic heir with a penchant for expensive sports cars, Collor was one of Brazil's original free-marketeers whoopposed Brazil's entrenched protectionism and sought to privatize state-run firms in his curtailed presidency.

Persons: Fernando Collor de Mello, Dilma Rousseff, Ueslei Marcelino, Collor, Brazil's, Ricardo Brito, Carolina Pulice, Anthony Boadle, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, Brazilian, Petrobras, PETR4, Thomson Locations: Brazilian, Brasilia, Brazil, BRASILIA, Alagoas

☆ Democratic Sen. Tom Carper says he won't seek re-election in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Summer Concepcion | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) speaks during a news conference after the first Democratic luncheon meeting since COVID-19 restrictions went into effect on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 13, 2021. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., announced Monday that he will not seek re-election next year after more than 20 years in the Senate. During his time in the Senate, Carper served as the chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and as a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee. Delaware hasn't had a Republican hold statewide office since 2018, when long-time GOP auditor Tom Wagner declined to seek re-election. Dianne Feinstein of California and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan have announced their plans to not to seek re-election next year.

☆ The widow of Putin's political mentor and mother of his rumored goddaughter is increasingly voicing concerns about Russia's war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A prominent Russian senator with close ties to Putin is increasingly criticizing the war in Ukraine. Sen. Lyudmila Narusova, whose late husband was a mentor to Putin, has been a skeptic of the war since the start. "Nobody has explained how victory is supposed to look," Narusova told an interviewer with Forbes Russia in an April video, according to a translation in The Washington Post. "I think they themselves do not know what they are doing," Narusova told the independent Dozhd channel in February 2022, per The Times. His widow's public defiance is a sign of the worry growing among top Russian officials ahead of Ukraine's much-anticipated counteroffensive.

☆ Johannesburg, Where Mayors Last Just Months, or Even Only Weeks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( John Eligon | Lynsey Chutel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In Johannesburg over the past two years, parties in ruling coalitions have on multiple occasions fallen out with each other, leading to the creation of new alliances that install a new mayor. Mr. Manyama, 31, was furious that his party, with 91 seats on the council, agreed to a power-sharing arrangement that allowed someone from a party that holds just three seats to lead South Africa’s largest city. “We can’t trust these people anymore,” he said, referring to political leaders. For about two decades after the first democratic elections in 1994, South Africans did not have to worry about these on-again, off-again political romances because the A.N.C. But the party has recently lost hold of many major municipalities.

☆ Explainer: South Korea's nuclear dilemma: Would U.S. trade Seattle for Seoul?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( David Brunnstrom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

WHY IS SOUTH KOREA WORRIED? U.S. "extended deterrence" protection for South Korea rests on a simple, if grim, assumption: if North Korea were to attack South Korea with nuclear weapons, it would face devastating U.S. retaliatory strikes. Yoon vowed in his election campaign to seek redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea and possibly "nuclear sharing," meaning joint command over U.S. weapons. But his comments have driven a growing debate that one former senior U.S. defense official said threatens to normalize a once unthinkable concept of a South Korean nuclear arsenal. WHAT WOULD BE THE IMPLICATIONS OF A NUCLEAR SOUTH KOREA?

☆ Rep. George Santos, who admitted lying about his resume, announces 2024 reelection bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Rep. George Santos, the freshman Republican lawmaker from New York whose brief time in office has been draped in scandal, announced Monday he will seek reelection in 2024. A press release shared Monday afternoon on Santos' Twitter page did not acknowledge his tumultuous start in Congress. Some polls have found that voters in Santos' district view him overwhelmingly unfavorably across party lines. Before being sworn into office in early January, Santos admitted that he had "embellished" his education credentials and his work experience. CNBC reported last week that Santos may soon face his first Democratic challenger: former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, who previously represented the district.

Some Arabs said they hoped the crisis would lead to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political demise. Others expressed hope of more far-reaching consequences for Israel, which fought numerous wars with Arab adversaries after its establishment in 1948 and occupies land the Palestinians seek for a state. The sentiment was echoed by Mohammad Abdullatif in Syria, from which Israel captured the Golan Heights in a 1967 war. Gaza political analyst Talal Okal said the crisis had brought a sense of relief among Palestinians. "But there is also a fear, they may carry out military adventures or wars to escape the internal crisis."

☆ U.S. defense secretary aims to reassure Mideast allies, deliver tough message
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Idrees Ali | Thomson Reuters | National Security Correspondent Focusing On The Pentagon In Washington D.C. Reports On U.S. Military Activity | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The United States has about 30,000 troops in the region and is seen as pivotal in helping counter Iranian influence. Austin is poised to send a clear message on the need for Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to respect human rights, underscoring Washington's concern on the issue. "I fully expect him to bring up human rights, respect for fundamental freedoms," the U.S. defense official said. The United States has withheld small amounts of military aid to Cairo, citing a failure to meet human rights conditions. The United States has committed more than $32 billion in weapons to Ukraine including sophisticated air defense systems and tanks.

☆ Pakistan's Musharraf, military ruler who allied with the U.S. and promoted moderate Islam
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/8] Pakistan's former President, Pervez Musharraf, addresses his supporters after his arrival from Dubai at Jinnah International airport in Karachi March 24, 2013. Musharraf, 79, died in hospital after a long illness after spending years in self-imposed exile, Pakistan media reported on Sunday. His father served in the foreign ministry, while his mother was a teacher and the family subscribed to a moderate, tolerant brand of Islam. Musharraf also successfully lobbied then-President George W. Bush to pour money into the Pakistani military. In 2006, Musharraf ordered military action that killed a tribal head from the province Balochistan, laying the foundations of an armed insurgency that rages to this day.

☆ Blinken discusses Mideast tensions with Egypt's Sisi on first leg of tour
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (not pictured) in Cairo, Egypt January 30, 2023. After arriving in Cairo on Sunday, Blinken met four activists to discuss the human rights situation in Egypt, said Hossam Bahgat, one of those who took part in the meeting. U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has withheld some military aid, citing a failure to meet human rights conditions, though advocacy groups have pushed for more to be held back. "He was already well aware of the magnitude of Egypt's human rights crisis and that many more new political prisoners are detained than those the regime claims to be pardoning," Bahgat told Reuters after meeting Blinken. "I think the Biden administration now accepts that two years of engaging Sisi on human rights have not led to much improvement."

☆ Egypt's soaring prices drive home economic pain
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Mariam Rizk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Over recent months accelerating inflation has pummelled the spending power of Egyptians, who had already endured repeated economic shocks and years of austerity. The government says it is doing what it can to tamp down prices and expand social spending, often blaming current pressures on external factors linked to the war in Ukraine. While many countries are struggling to contain rampant inflation, Egypt, with a population of 104 million, is among the hardest hit. Reuters GraphicsStill, more economic turmoil in the shorter term complicates Egypt's plans to try to turn things round after the political and economic turbulence that followed its 2011 Arab Spring uprising. The agreement also provides for increasing social spending to protect the vulnerable.

“We want him to be a president at State of the Union, not a candidate,” one of the sources said. There had been discussion among Biden aides of an earlier announcement, but the idea faded as they still await the president’s final decision. And now Biden advisers insist the new special counsel probe won’t impact any of his 2024 plans. But despite months of planning, Biden aides still have not even settled on a specific rollout plan, the sources familiar with the discussions said. Then-Vice President Biden waited until late October 2015 — after the first Democratic primary debate -- to announce he would not run in the 2016 race.

☆ Strong midterm turnout in Georgia sparks new debate about a controversial election law
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Fredreka Schouten | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The strong turnout in Georgia’s runoff election that cemented Democrats’ control of the US Senate is sparking fresh debate about the impact of the state’s controversial 2021 election law and could trigger a new round of election rule changes next year in the Republican-led state legislature. “There’s no truth to voter suppression,” Raffensperger said in an interview this week with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, a day after Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock secured reelection in the first federal election cycle since Georgia voting law took effect. State election officials had opposed casting ballots on that date, saying Georgia law prohibited voting on a Saturday if there is a state holiday on the Thursday or Friday before. In the CNN interview earlier this week, Raffensperger suggested that the Republican-controlled General Assembly might revisit some of the state’s election rules, including potentially lowering to 45% the threshold needed to win a general election outright. “There will be a push for this in the upcoming legislative session,” said Daniel Baggerman, president of Better Ballot Georgia, a group advocating for the instant runoff.

On its face, Moore v. Harper, the case being considered by the Supreme Court on Wednesday, deals with whether the North Carolina Supreme Court acted within its rights last year. In 2021, the state's highest court overturned the congressional redistricting maps drawn by the GOP-controlled state Legislature for being gerrymandered along partisan lines. The Independent State Legislature doctrine could open the door to giving state legislators the power to decide, for example, which presidential candidate will receive their state’s Electoral College votes. With the Supreme Court potentially lending their imprimatur to ISL this spring, each state legislative election could put the integrity of our democracy at risk. For those of us who believe in democracy, that means only one thing: We cannot rest on our laurels.

But first: The results from five counties will help tell us if Democrat Raphael Warnock is on track to win tonight’s Senate runoff in Georgia. Warnock got 56.9% of the vote in Cobb when he won the Jan. 2021 runoff, and he got just under that last November (56.8%). And in Gwinnett, Warnock got 60.6% of the vote in the 2021 runoff, compared with 58.9% last month against Walker. In rural Chattooga — one of NBC News’ “County to County” counties — Warnock got just 20.5% when he won the 2021 runoff, and he got less than that in the November general election (19.8%). Data Download: The number of the day is … $7.79 billionThat’s how much money was spent on political television, radio and digital ads this entire cycle (starting the day after the 2021 Georgia Senate runoff through today’s runoff), per AdImpact.

☆ Iowa’s Loss of First Democratic Caucuses Would Alter Political Clout and Tradition
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( John Mccormick | Catherine Lucey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Iowa’s presidential caucuses have for the past five decades awarded the small, mostly white state an oversize sway in the nation’s politics, providing local leaders with access to powerful politicians, boosting profits for restaurants and hotels and helping secure deferential treatment for corn-based ethanol and other segments of its economy. But the prominence the state has enjoyed appears almost certain to be diminished following a decision by a powerful Democratic National Committee panel to take away Iowa’s leadoff role in the party’s presidential nominating process, a slot it has held since 1972.

☆ Biden Calls for South Carolina to Be First in Democratic Presidential Nomination Process
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Ken Thomas | John Mccormick | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

President Biden has indicated that he’s likely to make his plans for 2024 known in the next few months. WASHINGTON— President Biden is suggesting a shake-up in the order of states that hold the first Democratic Party presidential nominating contests, proposing that South Carolina instead of Iowa be placed first, Democrats briefed on the plan said Thursday evening. Mr. Biden would then like to see New Hampshire and Nevada go next, on the same day, followed by Georgia and then Michigan on different, later days. With the exception of South Carolina, all of the states the president is suggesting for early primary activity are typically battlegrounds in presidential general elections.

☆ Asian American voters are flexing their political muscle in the Georgia Senate runoff
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Both the Warnock and Walker campaigns have courted this crucial bloc ahead of the Senate runoff. Ballots cast by Asian American voters rose dramatically from 2016 to 2020, from 73,000 votes to 134,000 votes, respectively, according to the Democratic polling data firm TargetSmart. Per CNN exit polling from the November general election, Warnock won Asian American voters by 20 points over Walker (59%-39%). Brian Kemp cultivated relationships with Asian American voters during his successful campaign. "We're the only demographic group that keeps going up," Georgia state Sen.-elect Nabilah Islam told Politico.

☆ South Africa’s Leader Wins a Crucial A.N.C. Political Battle
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( John Eligon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

At the gathering, held every five years, members choose the A.N.C.’s top officials, including their president, and the party’s president typically serves as the country’s president. National elections are set for 2024, and the A.N.C. has won an outright majority of votes in every national election since South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994. Mr. Ramaphosa won nominations from 2,037 branches, more than double that of his closest challenger, Zweli Mkhize. But analysts cautioned not to make too much of the results because the contest could change drastically by the time the conference begins.

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