Barack Obama retaliates against Russia for election hacking
In a sweeping response to election hacking, President Barack Obama on Thursday sanctioned Russian intelligence services and their top officials, kicked out 35 Russian officials and shuttered two Russian-owned compounds in the U.S. It was the strongest action the Obama administration has taken to date to retaliate for a cyberattack. “All Americans should be alarmed by Russia’s actions,” Obama said in a statement released while he was vacationing in Hawaii. He added: “Such activities have consequences.” Obama ordered sanctions against two Russian intelligence services, the GRU and the FSB, plus companies which the U.S. says support the GRU. The cybersecurity firm hired by the Democratic National Committee to investigate theft of its emails determined earlier this year the hacking came from the Fancy Bear group, believed to be affiliated with the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency. The president also sanctioned Lt. Gen. Korobov, the head of GRU, and three of his deputies. Other individuals sanctioned include Alexei Belan and Yevgeny Bogachev, two Russian nationals who have been wanted by the FBI for cyber crimes for years. Obama said the hacking “could only have been directed by the highest levels of the Russian government,” a contention the U.S. has used to suggest Russian President Vladimir Putin was personally involved. Although the White House announced at the same time it was kicking out Russian officials and closing facilities, it said those were responses to other troubling Russian behavior: harassment of U.S. diplomats by Russian personnel and police. The 35 Russian diplomats being kicked out are intelligence operatives, Obama said. The State Department said they were being declared “persona non grata,” and they were given 72 hours to leave the country. The two compounds being closed down are recreational facilities owned by Russia’s government, one in Maryland and one in New York, the U.S. said. The White House said Russia had been notified that Russia would be denied access to the sites starting noon on Friday. Russian officials have denied the Obama administration’s accusation that the Russian government was involved at the highest levels in trying to influence the U.S. presidential election. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Russia’s goal was to help Donald Trump win – an assessment Trump has dismissed as ridiculous. The move puts the president-elect in the position of having to decide whether to roll back the measures once in office. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
House committee continues work on Alabama driver’s license issues
Although the state of Alabama’s 2017 Legislative session is still more than a month away, some Alabama lawmakers have been working hard during their down-time to solve the state’s many issues surrounding drivers licenses. Formed after 31 rural Drivers License offices were shuttered in 2015 due to funding problems, the House Interim Committee on Driver’s License Review is endeavoring to reduce wait times and find new methods for making driver’s license offices more accessible to all Alabamians. Since it was established by a House Resolution co-sponsored by 56 Republican members, the committee has held meetings across the state. The importance of the committee’s work was underscored by a Wednesday announcement from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), which concluded proposed closures and service reductions at certain driver’s license offices in the state would underserve the African-American community and violate the Civil Rights Act. The DOT and Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) have thus reached an agreement to ensure all Alabamians have access to driver’s licensing programs. The committee will continue to work to further improve the driver’s licensing process. “Our focus is to find ways to increase customer service for Alabama taxpayers trying to get a driver license,” said Committee Chair Fairview-Republican, state Rep. Randall Shedd. “It is unacceptable that individuals are having to take time off of work, stand in line for hours, and in some cases still not receive service. We are serious about solving this problem.” Additionally, the committee has discussed changing requirements to allow probate judge offices to take on clerical activities such as adding veterans, vessels, and other routine classification changes to driver’s licenses instead of driver’s license offices. This adjustment would free up the time spent by license office employees on these minor adjustments and could also eliminate individuals having to wait all day for a routine change. Rural Alabama is well represented with two officers of the House Rural Caucus serving on the committee, Hayden-Republican, state Rep. David Standridge chairs the Rural Caucus and Shedd serves as Treasurer. “The Rural Caucus recognized this as a problem from the beginning. People in rural Alabama should have access to state services without regard to their income level or where they live,” Standridge expalined. “As a member of this committee, I support Chairman Shedd in his efforts to make our driver’s license offices more accessible and efficient.” The House Interim Committee on Driver’s License Review is scheduled to meet again next week on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017 at 10:30 a.m. in Room 410 of the Alabama Statehouse. The committee is required to report its findings and submit suggestions to the House of Representatives no later than the tenth legislative day of the 2017 regular session. The following individuals serve on the committee: Bessemer-Democrat, state Rep. Louise Alexander Newville-Democrat, state Rep. Dexter Grimsley Killen-Republican, state Rep. Phillip Pettus Hayden-Republican, state Rep. David Standridge Mobile-Republican, state Rep. Margie Wilcox
Donald Trump holds Q&A, discussing jobs, Russia, Israel
President-elect Donald Trump applauded the return of 8,000 jobs to the U.S. and hailed his transition discussions with President Barack Obama in a series of comments that amounted to his most detailed interaction with journalists since before the election. In one of his cameos Wednesday on the front steps of his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump praised plans by a Japanese mogul to bring jobs to the United States. They could be the first of the 50,000 jobs that tech billionaire Masayoshi Son promised to create after meeting with the president-elect earlier in December. In the grand scheme of the economy, the jobs announcement is unlikely to have a major impact. Still, it’s another example of how Trump is trying to stoke voters’ belief that he is actively fighting for their well-being. Son is the founder and chief executive of SoftBank, one of Japan’s largest technology outfits. He owns the U.S. mobile carrier Sprint, which Trump said Wednesday would be moving 5,000 jobs “back” to the United States. Son also controls OneWeb, which Trump said would hire 3,000 workers. It was unclear whether the president-elect was referencing the Dec. 6 commitment by Son to invest $50 billion in the United States and create 50,000 jobs. Trump said the addition of 8,000 jobs was “because of what’s happening and the spirit and the hope.” Still, the U.S. job market has been robust for much of 2016. Employers have added more than 2.2 million jobs over the past 12 months – a sign of economic health that predates Trump’s presidential victory. Sprint has struggled since its 2013 acquisition by SoftBank. The carrier shed roughly 9,000 workers between 2012 and 2016, reducing its staff to 30,000, according to annual reports. Sprint Chief Executive Marcelo Claure said in a statement that the company is “excited” to work with Trump. “We believe it is critical for business and government to partner together to create more job opportunities in the U.S. and ensure prosperity for all Americans,” Claure said. The Sprint jobs announcement came after tensions rose and fell Wednesday between Trump and Obama. Trump has made it clear that it didn’t sit well with him when Obama recently boasted that he would have won the election if he’d been running. Trump appeared again later Wednesday night on the Mar-a-Lago steps, this time alongside legendary boxing entrepreneur Don King, who appeared to be one of several guests attending a dinner party. King carried about a dozen flags, including those of the U.S. and Israel; wore two big diamond necklaces, one with a pendant with the Star of David and another with the American flag; and sported a large pin featuring a picture of Trump. With King by his side, Trump dismissed days of tense remarks by the outgoing and incoming presidents about who would win if they were to hypothetically run against each other, saying he and Obama had “a very, very good talk.” “We talked about it and smiled about it and nobody is ever going to know because we are never going to be going against each other,” Trump said. Earlier, he had accused Obama of throwing up “inflammatory” roadblocks during the transition of power and said his administration was treating Israel with “total disdain.” White House spokesman Eric Schultz said Obama phoned Trump. “Today’s call, like the others since the election, was positive and focused on continuing a smooth and effective transition,” Schultz said. “The president and president-elect committed to staying in touch over the next several weeks.” Trump also took issue with the Obama administration’s decision not to block a United Nations Security Council resolution critical of Israeli settlements. He told reporters that Israel is being treated “very, very unfairly,” maintaining that countries that are “horrible places” never get reprimanded. He refused to directly answer a question about whether Israel should stop building settlements, saying he is “very, very strong on Israel.” He also dodged a direct response when asked about accusations that Russia hacked the U.S. election, saying computers have “complicated lives very greatly.” “We don’t have the kind of security we need,” Trump said, adding, “Nobody knows what’s going on.” He said he believes “we have to get on with our lives.” Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Ronda Walker: Happy Birthday Montgomery County
U.S. Army officer Lemuel P. Montgomery founded Montgomery County, Alabama in 1816 in what was then the Mississippi Territory. Montgomery County is older than the state of Alabama and has seen many changes over the past 200 years. The Montgomery County Commission spent all of 2016 celebrating the county’s bicentennial. The Commission has recognized the individuals that served and sacrificed to explore, develop and grow our county over the past two centuries. Among the activities done to honor the county this year: our school children made giant birthday cards and presented them to the Commission, local students designed and built a lovely metal statue, there was a celebration at our local fair, and county employees walked two hundred miles during the spring, and ESPN invited the Commissioners onto the field for recognition during the Camellia Bowl. As current residents of this beautiful land, it is our privilege and responsibility to build on what we have been given and to lay the foundation for the growth that will occur over the next 200 years. I was raised in Montgomery in the 1970s and 1980s and spent my youth playing softball, going on church trips, cheerleading for my public school, and participating in YMCA programs like Youth Legislature. My middle class family was loving and supportive and I was blessed with a simple but idyllic childhood. Since then I’ve lived in several U.S. states and in the metropolitan areas of Washington, D.C. and Honolulu, Hawaii and enjoyed my time in each place. But I’m glad I’ve come full circle and am raising my children in Montgomery. I desire for them to have all of the things I did… and much more. Montgomery has a small town feel with some wonderful big city amenities. If my husband and I want to dine at a nice restaurant we have multiple options. We can enjoy live theater at the nationally acclaimed Alabama Shakespeare Festival. The symphony and ballet offer spectacular entertainment. Or we can enjoy local theater at the Cloverdale Playhouse. Experiencing a night with the Montgomery Biscuits – our Double A baseball team – is a favorite pastime of thousands locally. The Shoppes at Eastchase offer anything your retail heart desires. For my children there is little league, the zoo, movie theaters, and museums. Our economic engines like Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Coca-Cola United, and the many farms that dot the rural landscape blend nicely with our perennial powerhouses like Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, state government agencies, and the many colleges and universities in our area. But I believe Montgomery’s best resource is her people. Smart, genuine, hard-working individuals who have a deep faith and desire to serve. When your family welcomes a new baby, or you have an unexpected surgery, or when you experience a personal loss you can know someone will be on your front porch with a casserole within the day. Going out of town? Just ask a neighbor to check your mail and keep an eye on your home. Neighborhood associations throughout the county are strong and create small communities that watch out for each other. Walk downtown and you’ll get plenty of “hey y’alls” and doors held open. It’s a friendly, easy place to live. But it would be disingenuous of me not to mention that the people of Montgomery have unique challenges, many related to our past. When we insisted on separating black people and white people in public spaces and we justified denying an entire race of citizens their rights, we set the stage for future divisiveness and strife. When white Montgomerians nailed signs onto the walls of shops indicating what your skin color had to be to drink from a certain water fountain we set ourselves up for brokenness. Although my hands never held a hammer or drove a nail, my white-skinned family pays the price for the sins of our forefathers. Older black residents remember well the days of hatred, lost opportunity, and at times despicable brutality. For some, that brokenness manifests itself now in anger and distrust. However, many blacks of the 1960s generation see a new hope and vision for Montgomery. Although borne of a divide, we are a new Montgomery, a stronger Montgomery. Montgomery County is now majority black and our leadership has transitioned from predominantly white male to a strong blend of black, white, male, female, young and old. While some see the shifting demographics as a negative most, like myself, see it as a tremendous opportunity. As a new generation of Montgomery comes of age and rises to new leadership roles, we have an opportunity to show the nation how we can live together and succeed together as brothers and sisters so that we do not perish as fools. We will build the strongest community not just in the South, but the entire nation and we will do it as a blended microcosm of all that is great in our country, not as a segregated enclave reflecting an aged and unnecessary monolith. We will show our neighbors how people from different backgrounds, different generations, different races, genders, and social circles can come together and infuse our community with the best that every individual has to offer. Education, economic growth and crime are the issues of greatest concern for individuals across our nation and Montgomery is no different. Montgomerians will not bow to the negative rhetoric and disdain from those who prefer to sit comfortably shouting about problems rather than digging deep for solutions. We will focus on individuals and building relationships and from those relationships we will problem solve together. We will rise above our past and create a future many cannot imagine. Yes we have our mountains to climb, but if we will lay aside our individual agendas and consider the needs of future generations we will succeed. We cannot get stuck dwelling on our problems, rather we must work on solutions to critical issues such as expanding broadband access in the county and marketing our new Montgomery
US poised to announce response to Russia’s election hacking
U.S. officials are expected to announce an imminent response, including sanctions, on Thursday for Russia’s interference in the U.S. presidential election by hacking American political sites and email accounts – an effort that ensures action before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Sanctions against Russia or its government officials would tighten the economic screws on an already heavily sanctioned country and could also further aggravate tensions between Moscow and Washington. The move also would put Trump in the position of having to decide whether to roll back the measures once in office and could potentially cause difficulties for his nominees during their confirmation hearings in the Senate, where support for sanctioning Russia is strong. “We have to sanction Russia for these cyberattacks (and) send a clear message to the incoming administration that there is a lot of bipartisan support in Congress for going after this,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., told The Associated Press by phone from Latvia while on a trip to discuss security issues, including cybersecurity, with eastern European allies. She said lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were in favor of quick action. Klobuchar joined Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., in their visits to the Baltic states, Ukraine and Georgia – all Russian neighbors – as well as Montenegro. Russia responded angrily in anticipation of the announcement and suggested it might retaliate against American diplomats. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called it a last blow by President Barack Obama to U.S.-Russia relations and added, “We are tired of lies about Russian hackers that continue to be spread in the United States from the very top.” “If Washington takes new hostile steps, it will receive an answer,” Zakharova said in a statement. “This applies to any actions against Russian diplomatic missions in the United States, which will immediately backfire at U.S. diplomats in Russia.” Russian officials have denied the Obama administration’s accusation that the Russian government was involved at the highest levels in trying to influence the U.S. presidential election. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Russia’s goal was to help Trump win – an assessment Trump has dismissed as ridiculous. The Obama administration is expected to announce action by the White House and the State and Treasury departments in response to Russian meddling in the presidential campaign, a U.S. official said. Additional sanctions are expected against Russian individuals or entities suspected of playing a role in Russia’s alleged effort to sow discord in the U.S. election, according to the official, who did not have the authority to disclose the information and spoke on condition of anonymity. Obama is expected to issue an executive order Thursday that lays out the various dimensions of the response, the official said. Russian diplomatic activities also are expected to be targeted, the official said. The lawmakers on Wednesday reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the Baltics, saying the relationship with the three former Soviet states – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – “will not change” under the new administration. “I predict there will be bipartisan sanctions coming that will hit Russia hard, particularly (President Vladimir) Putin as an individual,” Graham told reporters in Riga, the Latvian capital. He didn’t elaborate on possible sanctions. The U.S. has already sanctioned Russia over its annexation of Crimea and the conflict in Ukraine, but it could do more through the use of an April 2015 executive order allowing for the use of sanctions to combat cyberattacks. A year after the order was issued, Democratic Party officials learned their systems were attacked after discovering malicious software on their computers. But the executive order isn’t well suited to the Russian activities, said Stewart Baker, a partner specializing in cybersecurity for Steptoe & Johnson LLP. Baker said that order was primarily aimed at cyberespionage, such as spying by the Chinese military for commercial advantage. And additional sanctions may also escalate the conflict between the two countries, Baker said. The 2015 order covers a response to attacks on critical infrastructure, and Klobuchar called on the administration to amend it to include election systems. A presidential policy directive in 2013 identified 16 sectors that are considered critical infrastructure, including energy, financial services and health care. The U.S. Homeland Security Department is considering adding election systems to that list. The designation places responsibilities on the secretary of homeland security to conduct comprehensive assessments of vulnerabilities and track as well as provide information on emerging and imminent threats that may affect critical infrastructure. More important, in this case, the designation would allow for the first use of the 2015 executive order in response to a cyberattack against election systems. And while Trump could reverse any amended or new order allowing for the U.S. to impose sanctions on entities involved in a cyberattack on election systems, “he would have a lot of explaining to do,” Klobuchar said. “The executive order gives tools to respond.” Speaking to journalists at his Palm Beach, Florida, estate on Wednesday, Trump was not addressing the issue of sanctions, but said: “We don’t have the kind of security we need.” He added: “Nobody knows what’s going on.” Trump said he has not spoken with senators calling for sanctions, but believes “we have to get on with our lives.” Obama has ordered intelligence officials to conduct a broad review of the election-season cyberattacks to be completed before he leaves office. Russia’s neighbors have long suffered the wrath of its hackers, whose actions have frequently complemented Moscow’s political and military aims. In 2014, Ukraine’s Central Election Commission was targeted by a pro-Russian hacking group. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Donald Trump inaugural to include prayers from prosperity preachers
Two preachers who teach that God will make the faithful rich are among the religious leaders chosen to offer prayers at President-elect Donald Trump‘s swearing-in, the inaugural committee said Wednesday. Prosperity gospel preachers Paula White, a friend of Trump’s, and Bishop Wayne T. Jackson, whose Detroit church hosted the Republican in September, will be among six faith leaders selected to participate in the Jan. 20 inauguration. It will be the first time preachers who spread the prosperity gospel will be included in the ceremony. While the faith movement is widely popular, many Christians consider it heretical. Ministers in the tradition often hold up their own wealth as evidence their teachings work. Trump had campaigned in part on his record as a wealthy real estate developer and businessman. The Senate Finance Committee had investigated White and five other prosperity preachers over their spending, but the inquiry ended in 2011 with no penalty for the televangelists. White said in a statement that she will pray to God at the inaugural “that He would richly bless our extraordinary home, the United States of America.” Anthony Pinn, a Rice University religious studies professor, described the prosperity gospel “as a way to religiously rationalize material acquisition.” He said participating in the inaugural gives the preachers a new kind of prominence. “You’ve got millions of people who will see them perform,” Pinn said. “There’s a tremendous amount of benefit that goes along with that.” The four other religious leaders included in the inaugural are the Rev. Franklin Graham, son of the evangelist Billy Graham; Roman Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York; the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, head of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, an evangelical group; and the Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which conducts education about the Holocaust and speaks out against anti-Semitism and bias. The Wiesenthal Center had previously criticized Trump, accusing him of casting suspicion on all Muslims in his remarks on terrorism. Hier said in a phone interview Wednesday that while he would continue to speak out against bigotry, he supports Trump’s approach to Israel. “I’m not in the camp of those who say we are now into the dark ages. I think the opposite – that America’s best years are ahead of it,” Hier said. Graham, who rallied Christian voters around the country this year over the issue of appointees to the U.S. Supreme Court, has credited God for Trump’s win over Hillary Clinton. Rodriguez, who had criticized Trump for his promises to deport millions of people in the country illegally, said Wednesday, “I have enjoyed getting to know President-elect Trump and his team.” Rodriguez called participating in the inaugural “a patriotic honor” and “a sacred duty.” Dolan said in a statement he will be reading from Scripture at the inaugural and will ask God to “inspire and guide our new president.” Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Top ISIS military commander killed in airstrike, US officials say
A senior U.S. defense official is confirming that a top Islamic State military commander was killed by a coalition airstrike in Syria on Monday. The official says that Abu Jandal al-Kuwaiti was killed near Tabqa Dam. He was a key leader of the group in Raqqa. No other details were available. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said earlier this week that he had been targeted by U.S.-led coalition aircraft. And IS supporters on social media had indicated on Tuesday that he had been killed. The U.S. confirmation was the first official coalition acknowledgement of his death. The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have been battling Islamic State fighters near the strategically located dam, aided by a barrage of coalition airstrikes in the region. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
