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Former NATO Ambassador Shoots Down Republican Attempts to Blame Obama for the Russian Election Hack – Mother Jones

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Danzig

President Trump has taken no action whatsoever. I thinks that irresponsible.

Dan FriedmanJun. 28, 2017 7:03 PM

Alexei Druzhinin/TASS via ZUMA Press

Two Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee tried Wednesday to pick up on President Donald Trumps recent claim that former President Barack Obama failed to act against Russian interference in the 2016 election. But Nicholas Burns, a former top State Department official testifying at the committees hearing on Russianmeddlingin European elections, was having none of it.

Trump has tried to seize on a recent Washington Post report detailing a struggle by top Obama administration officials to respond to Russian efforts tosupport Trump against Hillary Clinton. Despite previously dismissing reports of Russian interference as a hoax, Trump said the report showed that Obama knew of Russian election meddling and did nothing.

At Wednesdays hearing, Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho) endeavored to back Trumps assertion. Cotton surrendered most of his time for questioning witnesses to instead deliver a statement arguing that Trumps policies on Syria and Afghanistan,along withthe presidents proposal to sharply increase the defense budget, makes him tougher on Russia than Obamadespite Trumps flirtation with rolling back the Russia sanctions that Obama imposed.

In his prepared testimony, Burns, who served as ambassador to NATO and held other posts at the State Department under President George W. Bush, ripped Trump for denying the undeniable fact that Russia interfered in our elections.

Given President Trumps weak and ill-advised views toward Russia, Burns said, it is prudent for the Senate and House to insist on a process of congressional review of Russia sanctions so that President Trump cannot relax them.

Despite that, Risch attempted to hone in on Burns more modest earlier statement, that the Obama administration should have reacted more quickly and vigorously to Russian hacking. Risch asked the former ambassador to confirm that Obama was president when Russian hacking efforts occurred and was aware that this was going on.

Former NATO Ambassador Shoots Down Republican Attempts to Blame Obama for the Russian Election Hack - Mother Jones

Ex-nuke commanders: Talk to North Korea, open NATO-Russia … – Politico

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Danzig

A man passes by a TV news program in May in South Korea showing a file image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The letters read: "North Korea launched a missile on April 29." | AP Photo

By Bryan Bender

06/28/2017 10:46 AM EDT

Updated 06/28/2017 01:36 PM EDT

An international group of ex-nuclear commanders Wednesday issued the first in a series of recommendations to world leaders to head off the rising threat of a nuclear war calling on the Trump administration to open direct talks with North Korea, urging the United States, Russia and NATO to immediately establish military-to-military talks, and calling on India and Pakistan to set up a nuclear hotline.

"The Nuclear Crisis Group assesses that the risk of nuclear weapons use, intended or otherwise, is unacceptably high and that all states must take constructive steps to reduce these risks," the former military and diplomatic leaders from nations as diverse as Russia, China, India, Pakistan, and the United States write in an 11-page report about what they consider the biggest nuclear flashpoints.

Story Continued Below

The crisis group was established earlier this year under the auspices of Global Zero, an leading arms control organization that supports the ultimate abolition of nuclear weapons.

A primary concern is the deteriorating situation with North Korea, which continues to test long-range missiles and prepare additional nuclear tests, and has been the focus of rising threats from President Donald Trump. Among the group's recommendations: "To reduce immediate nuclear risks, the United States and North Korea should resume bilateral discussions immediately without preconditions."

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It also calls on Washington and Pyongyang to "refrain from nuclear threats and adopt nuclear no-first-use statements" and to further reduce tensions the U.S. should "suspend flights of strategic bombers and visits by strategic submarines in return for key commensurate restraints by North Korea."

The calls for action on North Korea coincided with a letter Wednesday to Trump from a bipartisan group of former top U.S. leaders including former secretaries of State, Defense and Energy also urging him to open direct talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Tightening sanctions can be useful in increasing pressure on North Korea, but sanctions alone will not solve the problem, the letter states. Pyongyang has shown it can make progress on missile and nuclear technology despite its isolation. Without a diplomatic effort to stop its progress, there is little doubt that it will develop a long-range missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to the United States.

The letter to Trump was signed by William Perry, former secretary of Defense under Bill Clinton; George Shultz, secretary of State under Ronald Reagan; Robert Gallucci, who was was chief U.S. negotiator during the North Korean nuclear crisis of 1994; Siegfried Hecker, the former director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, who has visited North Korea seven times; former Republican Sen. Richard Lugar, who chaired the Foreign Relations Committee; and Bill Richardson, a former secretary of Energy and another frequent visitor to the isolated communist regime.

On Russia, the report from the former nuclear commanders says the escalating standoff between the United States and its European allies and Moscow also requires urgent action by all parties, including limiting the size, nature and secrecy of military exercises.

"I think the consensus here is that Russia is a much dicier story than people understand, with the intercepts in the air and all the rest," said Bruce Blair, co-founder of Global Zero and a former nuclear missile officer, referring to recent military confrontations between the U.S. and Russian militaries. "The gravity and the potential for escalation have been widely underestimated. We worry about Russian escalation to the use of nuclear weapons."

Among its recommendations, the group calls for leaders to "urgently resume effective US-Russia and NATO-Russia high-level dialogues and military-to-military discussions."

They also call on Trump and President Vladimir Putin to agree to extend the 2012 New START nuclear arms reduction treaty between the United States and Russia when they meet in Germany next week.

"Crisis instability between the United States and Russia remains unacceptably high," says the report. "There is growing concern that military and doctrinal moves by NATO and Russia could provoke a conflict with nuclear ramifications."

The group also offers a series of recommendations to lower nuclear dangers in South Asia, where the arsenals of India and Pakistan are considered particularly destabilizing because they do not have the same of security procedures as other nuclear powers.

"They lack safety features and the risk they would detonate from an accident is uncomfortably high," said Blair. "They have not developed the safety features that the U.S. and Russia have,"

Another area of high concern not receiving enough attention is the potential for a cyberattack on nuclear command and control systems.

"All states with nuclear should also consider establishing a formal dialogue to prevent cyber-based interference in nuclear operations, command-and-control and early warning capabilities," the report says. "The growth and uncertainties surrounding national offensive cyber capabilities must be walled off from nuclear operations and early warning to protect against a new dangerous potential source of instability and crisis manipulation.

Added Blair: "Two or more of these crises could develop simultaneously and we have a vacuum of leadership in the world."

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Ex-nuke commanders: Talk to North Korea, open NATO-Russia ... - Politico

How much of a threat does Russia pose, and to whom? – BBC News

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Danzig

BBC News

How much of a threat does Russia pose, and to whom?
BBC News
Nato defence ministers are reviewing progress in what's known as the alliance's "enhanced forward presence" - its deployment of troops eastwards to reassure worried allies, and deter any Russian move west. Nato has dispatched four battalion-sized ...

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How much of a threat does Russia pose, and to whom? - BBC News

Aust may follow NATO on cyber security – NEWS.com.au

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Danzig

Australia may call in the military to help tackle cyber security threats, following in the footsteps of NATO-member countries.

Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Cyber Security Dan Tehan said Australia "wouldn't rule anything out" in terms of dealing with cyber threats like the Petya ransomware virus that has locked computers in 60 countries, including Australia, this week.

His comments came just hours after NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels that the 12 alliance members will treat cyber security as a military responsibility.

"We welcome this news from NATO overnight," Mr Tehan told ABC TV on Thursday.

"We obviously have things under active review at the moment, and we will continue to do what we think is right and necessary to keep Australia cyber secure."

Mr Stoltenberg said alliance members agreed last year that a cyber attack could trigger Article 5 of the North Atlantic treaty, much in the same way a military threat against one member country is treated as an attack against all NATO members.

"We have also decided and we are in the process of establishing cyber as a military domain meaning that we will have land, air, sea and cyber as military domains," he said on the eve of a meeting of NATO defence ministers.

"The attack in May and this week just underlines the importance of strengthening our cyber defences and that is what we are doing."

Meanwhile, computer experts have been working in Australia and across the globe to contain the Petya virus that began spreading from Ukraine on Tuesday, locking the computer systems of several major multinational companies.

So far, problems in Australia appear to have been confined to the computer systems of Cadbury chocolate owner Mondelez, TNT Express, and law firm DLA Piper.

The problems forced the shutdown of Cadbury's chocolate factory in Hobart and affected four other Mondelez factories on Wednesday after the company's computer systems froze.

A Mondelez spokeswoman said limited production had begun at some factories on Thursday.

Mr Tehan said the government was continuing to check whether any more computer systems in Australia had been hit by Petya.

"I can say at this stage, both at the federal and the state level, there has been no reports of any government departments or agencies, so it's just those three multinationals at the moment that seem to have been impacted," he said.

Continued here:

Aust may follow NATO on cyber security - NEWS.com.au

Mattis Consults NATO on Afghan Strategy – Voice of America

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Danzig

PENTAGON

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is in Brussels, where he will consult with NATO allies on troop contributions and other support for Afghanistan, before announcing his own policy plan for the war-torn country.

The Pentagon has promised a new Afghanistan plan by mid-July, and Michael OHanlon, a senior defense analyst at the Brookings Institution, expects the new plan will not be a repeal and replace strategy, but rather a reformation of the Obama administrations plan.

Mattis and Trump are just repairing a mistake, in effect, that I think President Barack Obama made. And it is, in a sense, more properly carrying out Obamas own strategy than Obama himself did, OHanlon told VOA.

The strategy will still focus on Afghan troops taking the lead on security in the country, a critical point in the Obama administrations military efforts since June 2013. But OHanlon explains why he thinks the past president made a mistake when he cut American military support in the country from about 100,000 U.S. troops in May 2011 to fewer than 10,000 American troops over a four-year span.

That was probably too fast and too low, so by restoring just a few thousand more, I think we can get advisers out in the field with some of the key Afghan units and hopefully really stabilize the situation, said OHanlon.

U.S. Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, Americas top general, arrived Monday in Afghanistan with a mission to pull together the final elements of a military strategy that likely will include sending about 4,000 more U.S. troops into the country.

Mattis is expected to meet with General John Nicholson, the commander of international forces in Afghanistan, ahead of the NATO defense ministers meeting, where he will press some allies to increase their commitments to Afghanistan.

We have to think about what else they can bring to bear to help, Chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana White told VOA last week. I know everyone wants to know whats going to happen, but the secretary is being very deliberative and very thoughtful about what the commanders need and whats necessary to change the tide.

Officials say the new strategy also will need to provide the necessary resources for the American-led coalition to support Afghan forces at lower levels in the military chain of command. In addition, they say it will need to stop elements of Pakistans government from propping up the Taliban, and it will need to stop Islamic States local affiliate from growing.

Its not getting better in Afghanistan in terms of ISIS. We have a problem, and we have to defeat them and we have to be focused on that problem, White said.

Analysts say the groups operational capabilities have been severely stinted, despite an increase in militant numbers, due to the pressing need to defend themselves from both U.S. and Afghan attacks.

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Mattis Consults NATO on Afghan Strategy - Voice of America

Defendant in ‘jeweler to the stars’ case was improperly interrogated: lawyer – New York Post

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Danzig

Key evidence including the victims body should be tossed from the murder case against a defendant in a grisly Upper East Side stabbing because detectives questioned him without his lawyer present, according to court papers filed Wednesday.

Lawrence Dilione also claims he wasnt read his Miranda rights before giving detectives directions to where he and co-defendant James Rackover allegedly buried Joey Comunale.

The alleged misconduct which may have included prosecutors means Diliones statements should be ruled inadmissible against him, according to his Manhattan Supreme Court filing.

In addition, any evidence gained from the illegally obtained statements would constitute the fruits of the poisonous tree including Comunales remains, defense lawyer Michael Pappa said.

Dilione is charged along with James Rackover the surrogate son and accused lover of jeweler to the stars Jeffrey Rackover in Comunales Nov. 13 slaying.

Following the killing, Rackover and Dilione allegedly drove Comunales mutilated body to Oceanport, NJ, set it on fire with gasoline and buried the remainsin a shallow grave.

A civil suit filed by Comunales dad, Pat and revealed exclusively by The Post Monday accuses Jeffrey Rackover of trying to cover up the crime, in part by letting James use his black 2015 Mercedes-Benz to move the body.

Wednesdays court papers say Dilione made a clear and unequivocal assertion of his Fifth Amendment privilege while detectives drove him to the 13th Precinct station house at 10:45 p.m. on Nov. 15.

During the ride, Dilione spoke by phone with lawyer Joseph Evans, and told the detectives he wouldnt answer any questions without speaking to Evans, court papers say.

At 11:05 p.m., Evans also sent Dilione a text message that said he was hopping a cab to the precinct house, but Dilione never got it because detectives allegedly seized his phone.

But when Evans arrived at the precinct house, he was given the runaround by four different police officers, the papers state.

Eventually, a detective emerged and said Dilione had told them where Comunale was buried.

Evans told the detective that Dilione shouldnt be questioned further, but he allegedly made two more statements without a lawyer present the next day, including one to Manhattan Chief of Detectives William Aubry, court papers say.

The circumstances surrounding the clear and perhaps even intentional violations of [Diliones] Miranda rights.allow us to in good faith suggest that NYPD detectives either acted along or in concert with the Office of the District Attorney, Pappa wrote.

A spokeswoman for Manhattan DA Cy Vance said prosecutors will respond to this motion appropriately in court. Those papers are due Aug. 1.

The NYPD didnt return a request for comment.

Excerpt from:

Defendant in 'jeweler to the stars' case was improperly interrogated: lawyer - New York Post

UT-Austin Faces Another Affirmative Action Lawsuit | KUT – KUT

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Danzig

From Texas Standard:

Plaintiffs have fileda new lawsuitchallenging the University of Texas at Austin's race-based admission rules. Unlike a well-known case that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, the new suit was filed in state court, and bases its claims on the Texas Constitution and state statutes. Because the Supreme Court ruled in Fisher v. University of Texas that UT-Austin could retain its race-based admission system, it is unclear how the new case will fair.

In 2008, Abigail Fisher, a Caucasian woman from Sugarland, applied for admission to UT-Austin. She didn't qualify for automatic admission because she wasn't in the top 10 percent of her class. She competed with others in the the normal pool of in-state applicants and didn't get in. Fisher claimed that if the university had not used race as a factor in admissions, she would have been admitted.

The Supreme Court found that UT-Austin's practice of using race as one factor in admission decisions was narrowly tailored to promote diversity and therefore acceptable under the U.S. Constitution.

A group that backed Fisher in her case, the non-profit Students for Fair Admissions,filed a new complaintin a Travis County court on behalf of a new set of plaintiffs. They are arguing that affirmative action, as used by UT-Austin, is invalid under the Texas constitution.

Lynne Rambo, a professor of law at Texas A&M University Law school, who is a specialist in equal protection, affirmative action and constitutional law, says the plaintiffs base their suit on three state provisions, including two found in the Texas Constitution.

"The main part of the Texas Constitution that they're relying on is the Equal Rights Amendment that Texas adopted back in 1972, when [it] was being advanced by women [nationally.] That has been interpreted by the Texas Supreme Court to go beyond the Equal Protection Clause," Rambo says.

Cases based on Texas law could fail because the U.S. Constitution's Supremacy Clause places adherence to the U.S. Constitution over state law. But Rambo says the fact that the Texas Equal Rights Amendment grants more rights could help the plaintiffs' case.

"Classically, the states have been allowed to expand broader constitutional rights than the U.S. Constitution," she says. "In many states, there are broader Fourth Amendment protections. Texas, for example, has a broader Fifth Amendment self-incrimination privilege than the U.S. Constitution affords."

Students for Fair Admissionwas created by Edward Blumto seek plaintiffs to challenge university admissions policies at UT-Austin, Harvard, the University of North Carolina and the University of Wisconsin.

"He's a UT grad, and he apparently has a real dislike for the consideration of race in any number of areas," Rambo says. "He was behind Shelby County, for example, the case challenging Sections 4and 5 of the Voting Rights Act."

Written by Shelly Brisbin.

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UT-Austin Faces Another Affirmative Action Lawsuit | KUT - KUT

A Supreme Court call on the third party doctrine – Washington Times

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Danzig

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

This week, constitutional law experts and the law enforcement community were abuzz after the U.S. Supreme Court added Carpenter v. United States to its docket, a case that could reshape government data collection and the Fourth Amendment in the internet Age. The Fourth Amendment asserts that the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated. Timothy Carpenter, the petitioner in this case, alleges that his Fourth Amendment rights were violated.

The case comes at a time when domestic surveillance by intelligence agencies is under scrutiny, and smartphone and internet records are playing a greater role in law enforcement investigations. It raises an important legal question about the applicability of old doctrines that give the government immense power in the Information Age.

Carpenter was convicted of taking part in six armed robberies in Michigan and Ohio. The FBIs evidence at trial included information collected from his cellphone carrier without a warrant, including location information that placed him in the vicinity of the robberies. Police almost certainly could have gotten a search warrant for Carpenters phone records. The appeals court upheld his conviction and dismissed his argument because, as most courts hold in these cases, personal information gathered from businesses like phone companies is not a search or seizure and doesnt require a warrant.

Before the creation of the web or smartphones, courts developed whats known as the third party doctrine for Fourth Amendment cases. This doctrine denies that information turned over to a third party like phone call and location information automatically transmitted to a phone company when placing a call is protected by Fourth Amendment. The doctrine derives from Supreme Court decisions from the 1970s about phone and bank records.

Today, technological advancements mean we each turn over tremendous amounts of personal data to third parties simply with routine use of the digital services of our age. New services that transmit data to the internet cloud, like smart homes, voice-activated devices, and Google Docs, offer law enforcement an even bigger treasure trove of personal records that, under the third party doctrine, does not require a warrant to collect.

The mere fact that the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Carpenter case was a small victory for civil liberties groups. The third party doctrine is a blunt instrument that, in our connected world, permits too many low-value fishing expeditions by law enforcement. Cellular phone companies in particular are inundated with law enforcement subpoenas every year for user data, including user location. Verizon, for instance, reported that the government issued more than 120,000 subpoenas to the company in 2016 over 350 per day. Legal teams at Google, Facebook, Amazon and Uber are required to sift through similar government requests for information.

The political right and left have bristled in recent years against intrusive and often secretive government data collection. Conservatives were alarmed when The Wall Street Journal broke news last October that federal agents in Southern California had co-opted state license plate readers and drove around a parking lot to collect information about thousands of gun show attendees. For years, police departments around the country have spent millions acquiring cell site simulators that jam cellular signals and collect data from hundreds of nearby smartphone users. Progressives have alleged that these devices are used to identify people at mass protests.

The third party doctrine denies that such information can ever be unreasonably seized or searched. As the Cato Institute argues in its amicus brief in the Carpenter case, its time for the court to strip away the decades of privacy doctrine that has permitted police data collection to metastasize.

If the court takes up the Fourth Amendment issues, it should scrupulously apply the Fourth Amendments language: Are Carpenters phone records papers or effects? Were they searched or seized? Was the search or seizure unreasonable? Courts ask these questions in other criminal cases, but not when information leaves someones home or device. Justice must be served, but the third party doctrine short-circuits what should be a demanding constitutional analysis that protects us all.

Contracts between individuals and phone and app companies affirm the confidentiality of sensitive information, and courts should allow only reasonable searches of that data. We should not relinquish Fourth Amendment protections the moment a third party is involved especially in an era when devices in our pockets automatically transmit data.

Brent Skorup is a research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Melody Calkins is a Google Policy Fellow with Mercatus.

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A Supreme Court call on the third party doctrine - Washington Times

Second Amendment Violations Targeted by Criminal Code Experts – Heritage.org

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Danzig

In District of Columbia v. Heller, the U.S. Supreme Court held that Washington, D.C.s ban on handgun possession unconstitutionally infringed on Second Amendment rights. Yet a District law prohibiting with few exceptions ammunition in residents homes lingers on the books.

What good is the right to keep and bear arms for self-defense if you cannot have ammunition? How can residents look to the law to understand what conduct is and is not illegal? Should they follow the statutes? The court? Get confused and forgo their rights?

In Marbury v. Madison, Chief Justice John Marshall wrote that if a statute is in opposition to the Constitution, the Constitution must govern.

Following that principle, the criminal code reform commission established by the City Council has reviewed the districts criminal laws and identified two statutes Unlawful Possession of Ammunition (D.C. Code 7-2506.01) and Alteration of Identifying Marks of Weapons (D.C. Code 22-4512) as being unconstitutional.

The commissions findings rest on two cases in D.C. courts: Herrington v. United States and Reid v. United States.

In Herrington, the trial court had ruled that all the government needs to prove to obtain [an unlawful possession of ammunition] conviction are that the defendant possessed ammunition, and that he did so knowingly and intentionally. The D.C. Court of Appeals disagreed, writing, a flat ban on the possession of handgun ammunition in the home is not just incompatible with the Second Amendment, but clearly so.

Yet it ruled that the government may convict a defendant of unlawful possession of ammunition if it also proves beyond a reasonable doubt that he had not lawfully registered a firearm of the same gauge or caliber as the ammunition he possesses.

The commissions report identifies the statute as unconstitutional but advises lawmakers to cure that by amending the law to incorporate the courts ruling.

The second offense makes it a crime to alter or obliterate a firearms serial number. The commissions report observes that the law also permits a jury to infer that a person who possesses a weapon with obliterated markings is the same person who did, in fact, obliterate those markings.

In Reid, the D.C. Court of Appeals recognized that individuals might unknowingly acquire weapons with previously obliterated markings, and that, therefore, the presumption of guilt in the statute is fundamentally unfair and violates due process.

Thirty-four years later, commissioners are just now advising lawmakers to bring the law up to date with the U.S. Constitution.

The commissioners give three reasons why lawmakers should no longer delay updating D.C. firearms laws:

1) to ensure respect for the peoples constitutional rights;

2) to clarify to the general public what precisely constitutes an offense; and

3) to guide practitioners in the future.

For the same reasons, other states should review their criminal codes to ensure that Second Amendment rights, and other constitutional provisions, are protected.

As the Supreme Court stated in McBoyle v. United States in 1931, and had recognized long before that, fair warning should be given to the world in language that the common world will understand, of what the law intends to do if a certain line is passed. To make the warning fair, so far as possible the line should be clear.

In Heller, the Court wrote that the Second Amendment bears no secret or technical meanings that would not have been known to ordinary citizens in the founding generation. In McDonald v. Chicago, the Court held that the Second Amendment right, recognized in Heller, to keep and bear arms for the purpose of self-defense applies to the states.

The D.C. Criminal Code Reform Commission represents a step in the right direction. It has provided a straightforward methodology for reviewing criminal laws in the interest of protecting constitutional rights. It is an approach that all cities and states should consider taking.

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Second Amendment Violations Targeted by Criminal Code Experts - Heritage.org

Some Catholics say First Amendment rights under attack | WRSP – FOX Illinois

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Danzig

by Jaclyn Driscoll, Fox Illinois

A rally for religious liberty was held Wednesday because some Catholics say their first amendment rights have not and are not being protected. (WRSP)

A rally for religious liberty was held Wednesday because some Catholics say their first amendment rights have not and are not being protected.

"There's so many threats to religious freedom, from the redefinition of marriage and transgender issues, that we're dealing with a lot of issues at the same time," said Hillary Byrnes of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

"I think our state is doing a horrendous job of protecting religious freedom," Hillsboro resident Mary Jo Cerny said. "I am appalled on the national level at what they've done."

Cerny, a former business owner and devout Catholic, says the government shouldn't be able to force businesses and other organizations to abandon religious beliefs.

"When they say that anybody with same-sex marriage that I have to provide for them," Cerny said. "I hope we have 8 million stores close when they tell them they got to do it."

Same-sex marriage was a reoccurring topic at the event. Bishop Thomas Paprocki says although it's an opinion no longer supported by the Supreme Court, the church's belief on marriage is one he will stand by.

"I'm not free to change my views," Bishop Paprocki said. "These are teachings that have been handed out for the last 2000 years and it is my job as the bishop to teach what the Catholic Church teaches."

Though some argue this belief doesn't support inclusion, Cerny says Catholics should be more concerned with remaining firm in their faith.

"Stand up for it," said Cerny. "Don't say, Oh well, I've got to include you. Christ said you have to accept everybody. You can. You can pray for them. He also said do not associate with those you know the devil's controlled."

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Some Catholics say First Amendment rights under attack | WRSP - FOX Illinois

Lawsuit: Seattle democracy vouchers violate First Amendment – MyNorthwest.com

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Danzig

A City of Seattle Democracy Voucher belonging to the wife of Mark Elste, a plaintiff in a new lawsuit challenging Seattle's first-in-the-nation voucher system for publicly financing political campaigns. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

A new lawsuit is challenging Seattles first-in-the-nation voucher system.

Under the program, Seattle voters in 2015 decided to tax themselves $3 million a year in exchange for a $100 in vouchers that they can sign over to candidates.

The cost of the system is estimated to be about $11 and 50-cents per homeowner each year. A federal lawsuit filed on Wednesday by the Pacific Legal Foundation says it forces people to pay taxes to support candidates they dont necessarily agree with.

Part of human dignity is controlling what we believe, said Ethan Blevins, Attorney for Pacific Legal Foundation. So when we are forced to support values that grade against our own sense of right or wrong that strikes at the core of who we are. Thats what the First Amendment seeks to protect.

They call it a violation of the First Amendment, which guarantees not just right to speak freely but not speak. They feel that forcing homeowners to pay for these political donations is forcing them to speak politically with their money.

Supporters say its a novel way to counter the effect of big money in politics and gives lesser-known candidates a chance to be heard.

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Lawsuit: Seattle democracy vouchers violate First Amendment - MyNorthwest.com

Loeb School accepting First Amendment Award nominations – The Union Leader

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Danzig

The award honors New Hampshire residents and organizations who have worked to protect free speech and free press. The recipient, or recipients, will be recognized Nov. 16 during a ceremony at the Palace Theatre in Manchester.

A committee of judges chooses the winner from a pool of nominations submitted by the public. First Amendment recipients receive a bronze eagle sculpture created by Mrs. Loeb, along with a $1,500 award.

Nominations can be submitted at http://www.loebschool.org, or by calling 627-0005. The deadline to submit nominations is Sept 11.

The award and the school are legacies of the late Nackey S. Loeb, past president and publisher of the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. The awards night is the main yearly fundraiser for the nonprofit school, founded in 1999 by Loeb. Its free classes and low-cost workshops attract students including middle schoolers and retirees. Instructors from media outlets and businesses around the state teach topics such as the First Amendment, journalism, photography, broadcasting, audio and video production, social media and public speaking.

Past recipients include former state Attorney General Philip McLaughlin, former Keene Sentinel Executive Editor Thomas Kearney, The Laconia Citizen, former legislator Daniel Hughes, former Dover City Councilor David Scott, Londonderry High School journalism adviser Mary Lukas, First Amendment attorney William Chapman, former ConVal School Board member Gail Pierson Cromwell, The Portsmouth Herald, David Lang and the Professional Fire Fighters of New Hampshire, The Telegraph of Nashua, slain journalist James Foley, former Portsmouth police officer John Connors, open government activist David Pearl and Timberlane Regional School Board member Donna Green.

This years panel of judges includes Rod Doherty, former executive editor of Fosters Daily Democrat; retired N.H. Supreme Court Justice Richard Galway; attorney Gregory Sullivan of Malloy & Sullivan LPC; and previous First Amendment Award recipients John Howe, the former Laconia Citizen executive editor; and Londonderry High journalism adviser Lukas.

pfeely@unionleader.com

Democrat/MSM Collusion v the First Amendment and Liberty – Patriot Post

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Danzig

Mark Alexander Jun. 28, 2017

But the fact being once established, that the press is impotent when it abandons itself to falsehood, I leave to others to restore it to its strength, by recalling it within the pale of truth. Thomas Jefferson (1805)

Why we do what we do

Our Founders rightly asserted that the First Amendment protection of a free press would be a powerful check on statist usurpation that a free press was the most promising assurance for extending Liberty to future generations.

Consistent with the views of other Founders, Thomas Jefferson wrote, Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press, nor that be limited without danger of losing it. He also noted, No government ought to be without censors & where the press is free, no one ever will.

Indeed.

However, after his first term in office, in his 1805 second inaugural address, Jefferson wrote: During the course of administration, and in order to disturb it, the artillery of the press has been levelled against us, charged with whatsoever its licentiousness could devise or dare. These abuses of an institution so important to freedom and science are deeply to be regretted, inasmuch as they tend to lessen its usefulness and to sap its safety.

A free press was and remains essential to the protection and advancement of Liberty. But as Jefferson noted, the disingenuous adulteration of that sacred First Amendment trust, in which the media abandons its responsibility and colludes with partisans to become an instrument of their bidding, perilously endangers the future of Liberty.

In principle, our Founders advocacy for a free press was correct. In practice today, however, the collusion between the statist Democrat Party and its press outlets the Demo/MSM propaganda machine, which now encompasses most of the mainstream media has devolved into the most significant self-inflicted threat to Liberty today.

To counter that threat, our team launched The Patriot Post two decades ago, when the Internet was a lonely and largely uncharted medium. But we believed it would be, long term, the most effective medium to reach the largest number of grassroots Americans with a genuine conservative message. Today, The Patriot Post is the oldest news, policy and opinion digest on the Web, and a highly acclaimed touchstone of Liberty for Americans from all walks of life.

We didnt attain that status on our own merits, however. When others observed that he was a great communicator, my mentor, Ronald Reagan, said humbly, I communicated great things, and they didnt spring full bloom from my brow, they came from the heart of a great nation from our experience, our wisdom, and our belief in the principles that have guided us for two centuries. Any success we have experienced comes solely from our steadfast devotion to and advocacy for the principles that have guided us for two centuries.

From day one, we have remained sharply focused on our original objective to counter the mainstream media (MSM) stranglehold on public opinion and to expose their corrupt collusion and obstructionist objectives. It was critical then, and now more than ever, that we effectively counter their statist rhetoric with our genuine conservative message to Support and Defend the inalienable Rights of Man outlined in our Declaration of Independence, and the Liberty and Rule of Law enshrined in our Constitution.

The alternative, if we do not all lock arms in opposition to this growing menace, is, irrevocably, tyranny.

A recent Harvard study evaluating media reporting on President Donald Trump or, more accurately, their echo chamber parroting of Democrat talking points makes clear their Leftmedia prejudice.

Of course, that bias has been well documented for years, as repeated surveys find that more than 90% of journalists support Democrats most of them leftist Democrats.

In 2014, The Washington Post noted the findings of an academic study, American Journalists in the Digital Age, that only seven percent of journalists are Republicans fewer than a decade ago.

In 2015, The Washington Times affirmed the findings of a book on media bias, entitled Left Turn: How Liberal Media Bias Distorts the American Mind, that more than 90 percent of D.C. journalists vote for Democrats.

In 2016, it was no surprise when the Washington Examiner reported the results of a Center for Public Integrity media study finding, Of the 430 people CPI identified as journalists, reporters, news editors or television news anchors as well as other donors known to be working in journalism, 96 percent gave money to Clinton, according to federal campaign finance filings.

Of far more value to Hillary Clintons campaign were the in-kind contributions of her sycophantic media pool who tailored their reports to favor her election.

And note that, just prior to Trumps election, The Washington Free Beacon reported survey results that found, Not a single White House reporter is a Republican. (I know, youre shocked SHOCKED.)

Again, the leftward mainstream media trend has tracked with the leftward trend in the Democrat Party for three decades but that trend has accelerated dramatically in the past year to the point of raw collusion. The consequence is an accelerated decline in journalistic standards.

The purpose of this collusion was, originally, to ensure Clintons election last year. But after the shocking election of Donald Trump, the Left and its media partners transitioned from election-rigging to bald-faced obstruction and sabotage of Trumps agenda which is wholly antithetical to their own. (Regrettably, on occasion he fuels their diversionary schemes with his own unforced communication errors.)

Since the earliest days of his campaign, Trump has condemned the fake news obstructionists and their deceptive trial by media tactics, including the use of media polling to reflect the bias they promote.

A week after his inauguration, he opined, The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!

Trump took a lot of heat for suggesting the news media is the enemy of the American People. But Trump wrote that FAKE NEWS is the enemy, and he is absolutely correct on that point. As noted above, our Founders would agree that abandoning truth for licentious partisanship is a grave threat to Liberty.

A case study of what has now become an epidemic of fake news propagation by the Democrats MSM outlets would be CNNs most recent credibility crisis. The cable network, which sets the bar for Demo/MSM collusion (93% negative reporting on Trump and Republicans according to the aforementioned Harvard study), was caught in yet another counterfeit anonymously sourced report to further the Democrat Partys phony Trump/Putin conspiracy theory. Three senior CNN journalists from the investigative unit, including one Pulitzer recipient, resigned over this latest incident.

Its notable that right in CNNs back yard, just one day before that fake news report was published, voters in Georgias 6th District handed a hotly contested victory to a Republican in a special election to fill the seat of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price. It was the most expensive congressional election in history, and the Democrat outspent the Republican 7-1. But even with the full force and fury of the Demo/MSM machine, they still came up short. The Democrat brand is indeed toxic.

Conservatives, however, should take little comfort in this victory, because the Demo/MSM propaganda machine is gearing up and redoubling its efforts. In fact, in the declining cable news marketplace, MSNBC, the most abjectly biased of the news outlets, has just overtaken CNN and Fox News in the 25-54 demo for its weekday prime time lineup.

In 1822, Thomas Jefferson wrote of those who subscribe to such blather, Man, once surrendering his reason, has no remaining guard against absurdities the most monstrous, and like a ship without rudder, is the sport of every wind. With such persons, gullibility takes the helm from the hand of reason and the mind becomes a wreck.

All that said, theres another factor that has an enormous influence on mainstream media bias, regardless of where on the political spectrum a media outlets editorial influence falls.

The least visible factor corrupting the free press is its dependence on paid advertising, which is the life blood of the print and cable MSM. Ad revenues thus dictate editorial policies what news will be covered and how, and what news will not be covered. Dependence on ad revenue is also the reason the cable outlets run their ubiquitous shock alert banners 24/7, most often about news that isnt worth a report, much less the shock banner.

The insidious ad-influence factor is constantly running silent in the background, unless it manifests in a threat to boycott advertisers for networks most influential ratings generator like Bill O'Reilly, who was fired by Fox News to prevent loss of ad revenue.

And thats precisely why we made another critical decision when we started publishing in 1996 to accept no advertising in our online or email publications or to our lists of Patriot readers. Youll never have your senses assaulted on our website by pop-ups, browser hijacks or glittering unicorns, nor will you ever receive third-party advertising to your inbox because of us.

Our refusal to accept advertising is precisely why we note when asking for your support, We are not sustained by any political, special interest or parent organization, and we do not accept advertising to ensure our advocacy is not restrained by commercial influence. Our mission and operation budget is made possible by the voluntary financial support of Patriots meaning you!

Rest assured that the invisible advertising influence, which inevitably shapes what other websites report and how they report it, has absolutely zero editorial influence on The Patriot Post.

Of course, we also chose a donor-based revenue model in order that our message could reach a wider audience particularly young people on college and university campuses, and military personnel. (Notably, 100% of proceeds from the occasional Patriot Post Shop messages we send you supports our mission of service to military personnel and their families.)

Your Patriot team starts every day resolute in our mission to extend Liberty to the next generation by advocating for individual rights and responsibilities, supporting the restoration of constitutional limits on government and the judiciary, and promoting free enterprise, national defense and traditional American values.

The only thing that influences our editorial content is that mission in support and defense of Liberty.

Please join us in that mission by supporting The Patriot Fund today, so that we can recruit thousands of new Patriots to our ranks.

Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis Pro Deo et Libertate 1776

Democrat/MSM Collusion v the First Amendment and Liberty - Patriot Post

Purism aims to push privacy-centric laptops, tablets and phones to market – Computerworld

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Danzig

A San Francisco-based start-up is creating a line of Linux-based laptops and mobile devices designed with hardware and software to safeguard user privacy.

Purism this week announced general availability of its 13-in. and 15-in. Librem laptops, whichit says can protect users against the types of cyberattacks that led to the recent Intel AMT exploits and WannaCry ransomware attacks.

The laptop and other hardware in development has been "meticulously designed chip by chip to work with free and open source software."

"It's really a completely overlooked area," said Purism CEO Todd Weaver. "We also wanted to start with laptops because that was something we knew we'd be able to do easily and then later get into phones, routers, servers, and desktops as we expand."

The company has already designed a 11.6-in. Linux-based 2-in-1 that can currently be pre-ordered. Weaver expects the 2-in-1 to be available in about six months. The 2-in-1 with a basic 256GB SSD and 8GB of memory retails for $1,398.

Purism's 2-in-1 is based on the same Linux OS as its laptops and has physical toggle switches that can turn off its cameras, microphone and wireless connectivity.

Around the same time, the company wants to ramp up development of an open-source smartphone that will also sport native security features such as an encrypted messaging platform. The company still needs $5 million in capital to develop the privacy-based smartphone, Weaver said.

Now that the Purism has built up an inventory of laptops, however, it will begin targeting businesses as customers for its laptops; wait times for one should only be a few weeks.

"The nice thing about the B2B sales is our core audience -- the software developers, hardware geeks and hardcore security individuals," Weaver said. "CTOs and CIOs are, of course, in that core audience and they recommend technology to buy. So, we'll start picking up small businesses...and be able to expand that to much larger enterprises because we have a depth of credibility they're interested in."

By "depth of credibility," Weaver means his company's philosophy that it will always release its system source code, enabling it to be audited and known vulnerabilities eliminated in order to avoid even theoretical cyberthreats.

For example, in May, Intel announced that PCs sold after 2010 with its server chipsets could be remotely hacked due to a critical vulnerability in its Active Management Technology (AMT) firmware, a component of Intel's 7th Generation Intel Core vPro processors. Intel released a patch for the vulnerability.

The vulnerability was first discovered in March by a researcher at Embedi, a security product provider. Along with allowing a potential hacker to gain control of a PC's mouse and keyboard, the vulnerability also enabled a hacker to bypass a computer's password authentication processes.

"Prior to the Intel publishing the AMT (Active Management Technology) exploit, it was all just a theoretical threat," Weaver said. "We took it upon ourselves to say that is a theoretical threat, so we're going to remove it. The way we remove it is, of course, we don't use an Intel networking card, we don't use a management engine that has that networking stack in it, and we don't use a CPU that has vPro, which means AMT isn't able to be used."

Because Purism's laptops don't natively run Windows or macOS or applications, they're not suseptible to common ransomware attacks, such as the WannaCry attack in May, Weaver said.

Purism's 15-in and 13-in Librem laptops.

The laptops are built on sixth-generation Intel i5 mobile processors and so-called PureOS, a platform based on Debian GNU/Linux that runs the open-source Coreboot BIOS firmware.

The computers come preinstalled their version of the LibreOffice suite of business applications, software created by The Document Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Germany. The suite includes email, spreadsheets, graphics, drawing, presentation, media player and Purity's own browser called PureBrowser.

PureBrowser is based on the Firefox web browser but includes security add-ons such as the Privacy Badger, a plug-in created by the non-profit Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) that blocks spyware and browser trackers.

The laptops also come with a preinstalled Tor Browser, an anonymizing browser that uses encryption and anonymous routing to protect users' rights, and the EFF's HTTPS Everywhere, a browser extension that encrypts communications with many major websites.

Despite the company's plans, analysts say it could have a tough climb.

Mikako Kitagawa, a principal research analyst at Gartner, said a vendor as small as Purism will have a difficult time breaking into even the midsized corporate market, as that laptop market is already dominated by Lenovo, Dell and HP.

"The reality is that large companies do not really get their hardware from unknown vendors," she said.

Additionally, when Purism announced the Librem laptop line in 2015, it caused something of a stir in the open-source software community from developers who argued the company wasn't fully delivering on its promise of a completely open-source computer because it used an Intel processor and a proprietary BIOS.

"The criticism comes down to the strictness of Free Software Foundation enthusiasts, which is completely understandable," Weaver said. "The concern from that audience...is that they wanted us to be further along than we are."

Now that Purism is using Coreboot, there is only 200KB worth of proprietary binary code remaining on the computer, Weaver said.

He compared the laptops and their software to a layer cake in which the first seven layers are open source, and only the last layer remains to be freed through reverse engineering.

"Yes, we know we have this binary, but it's at the lowest level. We're investing [revenue] back into the supply chain and reverse engineering the management engine, which is the last remaining binary we have," Weaver said.

A base model of the Librem 13 laptop, with 8GB of RAM and a 250GB SATA 3-attached SSD retails for $1,898; the Librem 15, also with 8GB of memory and a 250GB SATA SSD, retails for $1,999.

Purism launched a crowdfunding campaign in 2014 to raise money to develop the two laptops and a 2-in-1 tablet. The crowdfunding campaign for the 13-in laptop raised about $462,000 of a $250,000 goal; the 15-in laptop raised nearly $600,000 of its $250,000 goal.

All together, Purism said it's raised more than $2.5 million (including seed funding) and has seen 35% to 38% average monthly growth in orders over the last year for its Librem 13-in and 15-in laptops, respectively. Previously, the laptops were only made-to-order, meaning it took up to three months to get one.

Along with free, open-source software, the laptops come with two physical toggle switches, one to turn off the microphone and camera and another to shut off wireless/Bluetooth connectivity. The laptops also sport something called a "Purism Key," a one-touch method to search the computer for documents and applications.

The laptops have a distinctively MacBook-like look to them. They include a multi-touch track pad that can scroll, click, zoom, and scale the view in the same way a MacBook's trackpad works.

Weaver said that's no coincidence, as purchasing any sturdy, all-aluminum laptop case from third-party vendors who mimic Apple designs leaves little room for customization. And, in fact, a lot of Purism's core customers are Apple enthusiasts and will be familiar with the build quality.

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Purism aims to push privacy-centric laptops, tablets and phones to market - Computerworld

Beware Cryptocurrency "Gold Rush Mentality": Aberdeen Asset Mgmt – Investopedia

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Danzig

On one hand, it's hard for many investors not to be excited about the meteoric rise of cryptocurrencies in the past few months. Bitcoin has roughly tripled in value since the beginning of the year, Ethereum is up by about 40 times, and Ripple, one of the newest arrivals on the scene, gained a shocking 3800%. What's more, the total market cap for the cryptocurrency industry has been steadily increasing as well, and more and more businesses are finding ways to incorporate digital currencies into their models and payment systems. However, with all of this excitement about the new industry, there are also many analysts approaching with caution. Aberdeen Asset Management is one of the latest firms to do so, suggesting that there is a virtual currency bubble which will, at some point, eventually burst.

In an interview with Bloomberg, the head of global venture capital at Aberdeen Asset Management had some words of caution for investors considering the cryptocurrency field. Peter Denious said that "prices right now aren't being driven by network usage, they're being driven by speculation that tokens are going to appreciate. It's a gold-rush mentality." Denious and others point to the rapid increase in the number of initial coin offerings, or ICOs, as well as the quick gains in the price of tokens upon listing as two signs that a bubble is in effect. ICOs are tremendously successful, with many companies operating in the blockchain space making millions of dollars in minutes, even if they have no proven or distinctive idea backing their token.

It may be important to note, however, that digital currencies are not the only assets which have seen gains to record levels in recent months. The returns on the leading cryptocurrencies so far in 2017 have been unparalleled in other areas, but other asset classes have also made impressive gains. Nasdaq and S&P 500 indices are at record levels, despite the widespread uncertainty surrounding global markets. At the same time, housing prices seem to have mostly recovered from an earlier burst.

Coin Telegraph suggests that the increase in asset prices may be due to large degrees of liquidity across global markets, thanks to quantitative easing by many central banks around the world. Considering this possible reason for the gains, it may not be just a cryptocurrency bubble that eventually bursts. If there is, in fact, a burgeoning bubble in either the real estate or equity worlds, those could have serious and long-lasting effects on the worldwide economy. As cryptocurrencies are untested, it's more difficult to say what the impact of a bubble burst would be in that area.

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Beware Cryptocurrency "Gold Rush Mentality": Aberdeen Asset Mgmt - Investopedia

AMD’s stock falls as Nvidia’s upcoming cryptocurrency GPUs pose a threat – MarketWatch

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Danzig

Advanced Micro Devices Inc.s stock fell Wednesday, bucking the sharp gains enjoyed by its peers and the broader stock market, amid growing concerns that cryptocurrency miners may start going elsewhere for their graphics cards.

The chip-makers stock AMD, -1.27% closed down 1.3% at $13.23, paring earlier losses of as much as 2.3% at an intraday low of $13.09. With volume of 84.8 million shares, the stock was the most actively traded on the Nasdaq exchange.

Meanwhile, the PHLX Semiconductor Index SOX, +1.77% climbed 1.8% and the S&P 500 index SPX, +0.88% rallied 0.9%.

Analyst Christopher Rolland at Susquehanna Financial said that after a recent trip to Asia, he can confirm recent media reports that key rival Nvidia Corp. NVDA, +3.53% will release two new cryptocurrency-specific graphics processing units (GPUs) during the third quarter. Nvidias stock surged 3.5% to snap a four-session losing streak.

As these new products are more price competitive, they may pose a risk to AMDs current offerings in the market, Rolland wrote in a note to clients. [The] new cards may upset AMDs alt-crypto coin dominance.

Nvidia said it had no comment. AMD did not respond to a request for comment.

AMDs stock has run up 16.7% year to date, after rocketing nearly fourfold in 2016, fueled by news that Apple Inc. AAPL, +1.46% would use AMD chips in its new iMac Pro. It also got a boost from a surge in demand from cryptocurrency miners and hard-core gamers and optimism over the release of new Epyc chips for the enterprise market.

Dont miss: AMDs stock extends rocket climb, fueled by tremendous graphics cards demand.

See also: AMDs stock takes another Epyc leap.

Nvidias stock hasnt been far behind, soaring 42.2% year to date after more than tripling in 2016, on the back of a strong showing in the server business and the potential for strength in the autonomous vehicles market.

On Wednesday, Mizuho Securities analyst Vijay Rakesh reiterated his bullish stance on Nvidia, while raising his stock price target to $17012.0% above current levelsfrom $145.

While the gaming business has been soft so far this year, conservative gaming estimates for the second half of the year could see upside, as near-term cryptocurrency and mining trends are driving GPU shortages and pricing, combined with new auto wins and ramps at ZF, Rakesh wrote in a research note.

Although AMD has held a dominant position in the cryptocurrency market, Susquehannas Rolland said that position could be threatened by the lack of supply of AMD GPUs and from a cost-reduced part supplied by the competing Nvidia. But perhaps not for very long, as AMD also have its own new offering coming soon, Rolland added.

We note that while contacts did not mention upcoming AMD mining-specific cards, some media reports suggest their coming arrival, perhaps favoring a modest swing in competition back to AMD, Rolland wrote.

See the article here:

AMD's stock falls as Nvidia's upcoming cryptocurrency GPUs pose a threat - MarketWatch

Asus Announces New Graphics Cards Focused on Cryptocurrency Mining – CoinDesk

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Danzig

One of the world's largest technology hardware makers has announcednew graphics cards (GPUs) aimed at the cryptocurrency mining market.

Taiwan-based manufacturer Asus revaeledtheMining RX 470 and Mining P106,which were designed to handle the energy and heat intensive process of mining. Though not expressly pitched as such, the release is undoubtedly aimed at capturing some of the interest in mining ethereum. Bitcoin mining, by comparison, has evolved to a stage in which application-specific integratedcircuits, or ASICs, are required to compete.

Cryptocurrency mining is a process by which new transaction blocks are added to the distributed network. When this happens, new blockchain tokensare introduced to the system and awarded to the miner as compensation in this case, a profit is achieved when the cost of electricity and the operation itself is lower than the revenue generated by selling those tokens.

According to today's Asus announcement, the new cards are "engineered especially for coin mining, positioning the products as capable of providing "maximum mega hash rates at minimum cost".

Interest in cryptocurrency mining has led to reported shortages of GPUsin the global market. One hobbyist miner recently told CoinDesk that local tech stores have run low on the cards, adding that online marketplaces like Newegg, Amazon and eBay, among others, are also largely out of stock.

It's a situation that echoes the earlier "GPU rush" from 2014, when mining activity around alternative cryptocurrencies like dogecoin and litecoin led to similar price increases and a decline in available inventory.

Shortages aside, ethereum network data suggests that more hash rate is coming into ply as time goes on.

According to etherchain.org, the mining difficulty which rises as more hashing power is brought online nearlytripled from 27th April to 27th June.

TheRX 470 will be available worldwide, according to Asus, while the Mining P106 card will be available in China and Eastern Europe only,beginning in July.

Image via Shutterstock

The leader in blockchain news, CoinDesk is an independent media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. Have breaking news or a story tip to send to our journalists? Contact us at [emailprotected].

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Asus Announces New Graphics Cards Focused on Cryptocurrency Mining - CoinDesk

TenX raises roughly $80 million for cryptocurrency payment system for everyday life – CryptoNinjas

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Danzig

Singapore-based startup TenX Technologies founded back in June 2015 with its co-founders wanting to solve the problem of cryptocurrencies not really able to be used in everydaylife. Most people trying to spend Bitcoin, Ethereum or many others realize quite fast that it is hard to connect this revolutionary but novel system with real world transactions.

Fast forward to this year two years later, the company is proud to report following a 1 million USD seed round at the beginning of 2017 with famous lead investor Fenbushi, TenX completed a successful token raise over this past weekend on June 24, 2017, 1 pm UTC.Itexchanged an equivalent of 245,832 Ether (valued at roughly 80 million USD at the time of the swap)to the companys PAY tokens at a rate of 350 PAY tokens per 1 Ether (with a 20% bonus during the first 24 hours). The PAY tokens will provide access to part of TenXs revenue of their already live payment service and also serves as a loyalty program to its own users.

Contributors only had 7 minutes to submit their contributions to TenXs receiving address before TenX stopped accepting further offers at 1:07 p.m. UTC. Roughly 4,000 people managed to participate directly while an additional several thousand people joined through pools to make it in time. Roughly 40,000 people did not manage to swap their tokens and will have to wait until July when the PAY tokens will be tradeable on cryptocurrency exchanges all over the world.

During the token swap, TenX accepted one of the most diverse ranges of tokens any company has ever provided. In addition to Ethereum, also ERC20 tokens, Bitcoin, Dash, and Litecoin were accepted. TenX made sure the transaction burden on the Ethereum network was kept to a minimum. By keeping contribution addresses unpublished until 15 minutes prior to the swap, TenX reduced unnecessary spamming of transactions leading up to the event. Transaction limits were also not suggested since such limits favor those who know how to bypass them. This technical finesse combined with authentic outreach such as their regular vlogmade the company ICO a success.

Instead of refunding this excess, TenX has agreed to honor all contributions stating: We will not withdraw the extra 45,000 ETH but rather leave them for additional liquidity in the crypto ecosystem to support a decentralized TenX as outlined in our white paper. This is actually a WIN-WIN for token holders AND the company.

This decision was made after estimations showed that in order to refund the excess Ether, close to 75% or 3,000 people would see their tokens canceled a move TenX did not want for its community. TenX offered to anyone unhappy with this arrangement to reach out prior to Tuesday, June 27, 2017, 11:59 pm EST, to receive a full refund, and has also confirmed once again that no new PAY tokens after the token swap will ever be created.

TenX will use these funds to develop their payment system even further from where it already is today: This includes apps for The Web, Android, and iPhone; debit cards and other further payment services; a decentralized system to connect any blockchain and thereby add any new cryptocurrency to the already existing multi-asset platform.

A detailed funding breakdown and the next steps for TenX are laid out clearly in its white paper.

Illinois Is Venezuela and the Solution Is Cryptocurrency – Observer

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Danzig

The reason Im so much fun at parties is that my idea of a good time is to lecture everyone on cryptocurrency. I can pretty much talk bitcoin and blockchain with Hamiltonian fervor all night.

Ever since I began writing about cryptocurrency in general in 2013I believe this story I wrote for Esquire in fall of that year was the first ever mainstream media mention of Ripple (on whose board I now sit) I have been making one point to anyone who will endure my what is cryptocurrency lecture. People are all wrong about the difference between cryptocurrency and real money.

By real money, people invariably mean fiat currency issued by a government. To counter the argument that real money is somehow safer than crypto Ive pointed to Argentinas 40 percentinflation rate, or the Weimar Republic, and its famous wheelbarrows full of money to buy a loaf of bread (which was arguably intentional as Germany sought to repay Treaty of Versailles debt with devalued deutsche marks). And of course the world has watched in horror as Venezuela has devalued the bolivar to the point of meaninglessness.

These are not hypothetical examples. If you think this is all futurist theoretical BS, read up on the devastating effect hyperinflation is having as it transforms what was once South Americas most promising economy into a hellish nightmare in which people are eating their pets. Governments constantly, reliably, invariably and maddeningly ruin their own currencies by giving in to the temptation to overprint it. The beauty of bitcoin is that, like gold, the entire supply of it that will ever exist on earth (21 million coins), is known about, finite, and will never increase.

Still, as powerful as these examples aresome from recent second-world countries and others from past first-world countriesthey do not vividly resonate with Americans. That makes perfect sense. The U.S. dollar, after all, has been so reliable that the very countries I am criticizing, like Argentina and Venezuela, turn to the greenback and use it as a shadow currency to store value as their own money fails.

Even when we see American commodities change dramatically in price, like we witnessed with gasoline in 2008 when it reached $4.11 in July and fell to $1.84 in January, people dont readily seem to connect that its not just gasoline fluctuating but American money fluctuating. If my $10 bought 4 gallons of gas on October 1 and two gallons of gas on November 1, gas doubled in price just as the buying power of the American dollar was cut in half. Its the same thing. (Not precisely the same, actually, but close enough for the point Im making.)

So what Ive been searching for in these years of evangelizing and explaining the revolutionary power of cryptocurrencyincluding bitcoin, ethereum, ripple, litecoin, this new one BAT that Im interested in and othersto transform basically everything, are examples that will resonate without sounding like Im talking about 1930s Germany or the struggles of the second world. These last few weeks, I think Ive got what I need. And it comes heartbreakingly from my home state.

Illinois faces financial distress thats unprecedented for any American state. Without a budget for two years and sitting on top of over $15 billion in unpaid bills, the state is, to use a phrase that State Comptroller Susana Mendoza borrowed from Bonfire, hemorrhaging money as the states spending obligations have exceeded receipts by an average of over $600 million per month over the past year.

While the United States Constitution prevents a state from declaring bankruptcy the way places like Detroit and Orange County have, the situation is so dire that the Tribunes prestige columnist, John Kass, is only partially kidding when he calls for the state to be divided up between its five Midwestern neighbors.

Again, this is not just wonky penciling. The people of Illinois are being crushed by the burden imposed by a state that cannot pay its bills. The Chicago Public Schools, for example, must now pay 9 percent on its adjustable bonds because they are rated as junk. S&P is warning of a negative credit spiral and threatened to lower its rating even further if the state cannot hammer out a budget by July 1, which is less than a week away.

In other words, a bridge that used to cost $100 million to build because thats what it cost to borrow the money from bondholders, now might cost $150 million. Just as we saw in the gasoline example, anytime something costs more US dollars for the exact same product, you can look at it as the cost of a bridge going up, or you can look at it as the value of a dollar falling.

Thats why I believe in cryptocurrency.

Illinois cannot print its own money. I dont know what theyre going to do to crawl out of this mess. But there is no denying that all governments, including the United States, have manipulated their money supplies for political ends. And thats why I am so bullish on the future of cryptocurrency.

This isnt about whether bitcoin will soar to $5,000 or sink to $500. I think either is possible and equally likely, and Im not looking to give investment advice. All Im saying is that I trust currencies that are cryptographically enshrined and limited by the hard realities of math, at least as much as I trust human beings who are subject to the allure of popularity and other shiny objects.

The best book about cryptocurrency is Digital Gold by Nathaniel Popper. And the parts of it that most moved me occurred when he described how this incredibly complicated and novel technology actually affected human lives. One of the early innovators of the bitcoin ecosystem was Wences Casares, who founded Xapo and a bunch of other crypto-friendly fintech startups. When Casares was growing up in Patagonia in the early 80s, the Argentinian government was messing with its currency to disastrous effect. First, they issued a new peso, exchangeable for 10,000 of the old peso. When that failed, they rolled out something called the austral, which was worth 1,000 new pesos (ie, 10 million of the currency that had been in use two years earlier). The inflation rate was more than 1,000 percent a year. Casares describes his mother carrying two grocery bags filled with moneyher wages. He and his sisters rushed with her to the store to buy what they could because the market employed people who did nothing but walk the aisles all day repricing items.

These math-based moneys from the future have a lot of user-unfriendliness and even getting money into and out of accounts can be a customer service hassle. But bagfuls of nearly worthless cash are not an unimaginable reality for millions of people on the planet. Thats the human reason Im willing to continue to bore people with cryptoevangelism.

Original post:

Illinois Is Venezuela and the Solution Is Cryptocurrency - Observer

Hackers have made just 3.7 bitcoin or less than $10000 with the latest cyberattack – CNBC

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Danzig

Those behind the recent cyberattack affecting businesses around Europe have successful received a total of nearly 4 bitcoins, worth around $9621 at today's price.

On Tuesday, reports emerged of a ransomware virus affecting businesses and governments throughout Eastern Europe. Ukraine and Russia have been particularly affected.

The malware, which has been identified as a modified version of the "Petya" virus, has also affected business in Western Europe, including Maersk, Merck and WPP.

The virus locks users out of their computer and demands a ransom of $300 paid in Bitcoin.

According to the bitcoin blockchain, there have been 42 confirmed transactions to the bitcoin wallet listed in the malware attack. The address is 1Mz7153HMuxXTuR2R1t78mGSdzaAtNbBWX.

The wallet has so far received a total of 3.751 bitcoins from victims. Coindesk lists the current price of a bitcoin at $2564.46. Technically, the hackers should have so far made $12,600, if the 42 transactions each represent one victim paying the $300 ransom.

Steve Malone, director of security product management at Mimecast, advised those affected not to pay the ransom.

"This new outbreak once again highlights the disruptive power of ransomware like never before. Simply by encrypting and blocking access to files, critical national services and valuable business data can be damaged," he told CNBC via email on Tuesday.

"Mimecast advises organizations never to succumb to the pressure to pay the ransom to regain access to their applications and data. There is no guarantee this will unlock files and further motivates and finances attackers to expand their ransomware campaigns."

However, some organisations cannot allow for their systems to be unavailable for any amount of time, points out Greg Sim, CEO at Glasswall Solutions. Among those affected include utilities, airports, banks and government systems.

"Hackers are targeting those that cannot afford to have downtime," Sim told CNBC via email.

"An airport simply cannot have its systems down for a prolonged period of time or chaos ensues. If they do not give in and pay the ransom, then they risk their public image being dragged through the mud."

In May, a similar ransomware attack made only $50,000 despite infecting around 200,000 computers. Law enforcement will be closely watching the bitcoin address, as they may be able to track where the owners of the wallet send the bitcoins when they actually want to spend it or convert it into another currency.

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Hackers have made just 3.7 bitcoin or less than $10000 with the latest cyberattack - CNBC

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