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Russia Is Relying On Unwitting Americans To Spread Election Disinformation, US Officials Say

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Russia | AP News Image

RUSSIA | Amazon is liable under federal safety legislation for dangerous products offered on its site by third-party vendors and distributed by the corporation, a US government body said Tuesday.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission unanimously concluded that the e-commerce company was a “distributor” of faulty items sold on its website and packed and dispatched through its fulfilment service.

According to the agency, the corporation is legally responsible for the recalls of over 400,000 devices, including hairdryers and defective carbon monoxide detectors. It directed Amazon to develop a system for notifying customers who purchased defective items and removing the objects from circulation by creating incentives for their return or destruction.

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Russia | CNET

Russia Is Relying On Unwitting Americans To Spread Election Disinformation, US Officials Say

According to Emarketer, Amazon accounts for around 40% of all e-commerce sales in the United States. The company offers various things directly to customers and also works with roughly 2 million third-party sellers, who account for the majority of sales on the site.

The online shop has been fighting the “distributor” classification since 2021 when the Consumer Product Safety Commission filed an administrative complaint against it for delivering hazardous products.

Amazon argued to an administrative law judge and a five-member commission that it should not be classed as a distributor under the Consumer Product Safety Act. The commission stated that the judge rejected the company’s argument, and Tuesday’s decree affirmed that decision.

According to the commission, Amazon neglected to tell customers about hazardous materials and “did not take adequate steps to encourage” users to return or destroy them, putting them at risk of harm.

Groups tied to the Kremlin increasingly use Russian-based marketing and communications firms to outsource some of the labour of developing digital propaganda while also masking their tracks, authorities said during a press briefing.

In March, the United States issued fresh sanctions against two of these corporations. According to authorities, the two Russian businesses constructed phony websites and social media profiles to promote Kremlin disinformation.

The disinformation can focus on the candidates or the voting process, or on problems that are already being debated in the United States, such as immigration, crime, or the Gaza conflict.

The ultimate goal is for Americans to share Russian disinformation without investigating its source. People are significantly more likely to trust and share information they feel came from a domestic source, according to officials. Fake websites that replicate U.S. news outlets and AI-generated social media profiles are only two examples.

In certain situations, Americans, as well as American tech businesses and media outlets, have willingly amplified and repeated Kremlin messaging.

“Foreign influence actors are getting better at hiding their hand and convincing Americans to do it,” said the official, who was joined by officials from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.

Sen. Mark Warner, the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, expressed concern last month that the United States may be more vulnerable to foreign disinformation this year than it was before to the 2020 election. On Monday, he stated that intelligence agencies’ warnings reveal that the US election is “in the bullseye of bad actors across the globe.”

“It also, disturbingly, emphasises the extent to which foreign actors — and particularly Russia — rely on both unwitting and witting Americans to promote foreign-aligned narratives in the United States,” Warner, a Democratic senator from Virginia, said in a statement.

In one measure of the threat, officials monitoring foreign disinformation report that they have given twice as many warnings to political candidates, government leaders, election offices, and others targeted by foreign groups in the 2024 election cycle as they did in the 2022 cycle.

Officials would not say how many warnings were provided or who received them, but say the considerable increase reflects increased interest in the presidential race by America’s foes, as well as improved government efforts to identify and warn of such dangers.

The warnings are issued so that the targets can take precautions and, if necessary, correct the record.

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Russia | NPR

Russia Is Relying On Unwitting Americans To Spread Election Disinformation, US Officials Say

Russia and other countries are also fast shifting to capitalise on recent developments in the presidential election, like as the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race in favour of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Following the attack on Trump, Russian disinformation services swiftly pushed accusations that Democratic rhetoric caused the shooting, as well as unfounded conspiracy theories claiming that Biden or the Ukrainian government coordinated the effort.

“These pro-Russian voices sought to tie the assassination attempt with Russia’s continuing war against Ukraine,” concluded the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, which monitors Russian misinformation.

Intelligence officials have previously assessed that Russian propaganda appeared to be intended to support Trump, and they stated Monday that their conclusion has not changed.

Russian disinformation continues to focus on eroding support for Ukraine, while Trump has previously lauded Russian President Vladimir Putin and is perceived to be less supportive of NATO.

While China launched a massive disinformation effort ahead of Taiwan’s last election, the country has been far more cautious when it comes to the United States. Beijing may employ disinformation to target congressional campaigns or other down-ballot races where a candidate has expressed strong views about China. However, authorities suggested Monday that China is unlikely to try to influence the presidential race.

The Chinese ambassador to the United States, Xie Feng, stated on Monday that his country has no intention of interfering with US politics.

However, Iran has adopted a more assertive stance. Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence, stated earlier this month that the Iranian government had surreptitiously sponsored American protests against Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza. According to Haines, Iran-linked groups have posed as online activists, supported protests, and provided financial support to some protest groups.

Iran opposes candidates who are likely to exacerbate tensions with Tehran, authorities added. That description suits Trump’s government, which terminated a nuclear agreement with Iran, reimposed sanctions, and ordered the assassination of a senior Iranian commander.

Messages left with Russian and Iranian government spokespeople were not returned promptly on Monday.

SOURCE | AP

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Sebastian Coe Among 7 IOC Members To Enter Race To Succeed Thomas Bach As President

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GENEVA — Sebastian Coe, Two former Olympic winners are running for president of the International Olympic Committee. So is a prince from a Middle Eastern monarchy and the son of a previous president. The world’s best in cycling, gymnastics, and skiing are also competing.

The International Olympic Committee announced on Monday a list of seven potential candidates to run for president in March, succeeding outgoing president Thomas Bach for the next eight years.

Solely one woman, Zimbabwean IOC executive board member Kirsty Coventry, competed to lead an organization that has solely had male presidents throughout its 130-year history. Eight of the presidents were from Europe, with one from the United States.

Coventry and Sebastian Coe have won two gold medals in swimming and running, respectively. Prince Feisal al Hussein of Jordan also serves on the IOC board.

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Sebastian Coe Among 7 IOC Members To Enter Race To Succeed Thomas Bach As President

Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., an investment banker from Spain, is one of the four IOC vice presidents. His father served as president for 21 years, until 2001.

David Lappartient is the president of cycling’s regulatory body, Molinari Watanabe is in charge of gymnastics, and Johan Eliasch is the president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation. Coe is the president of World Athletics.

All seven met a Sunday deadline to write a letter of intent to Bach, who must leave office next year after serving the full 12-year term. Bach declined to pursue IOC rule changes at the Paris Olympics last month to remain in office longer.

The next president’s term will include hosting the Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane, Australia, four years later. The IOC has many major issues, including selecting a host for the 2036 Olympics — with India and Qatar in the running — assessing the impact of climate change on the global sports calendar, and renewing the U.S. television arrangement, which has been a cornerstone of Olympic financing.

A formal candidate list should be announced in January, three months before the March 18-21 election in Greece, on the site of ancient Olympia.

Only IOC members are eligible to run as candidates, with the rest of the Olympic body’s 111 members casting their ballots.

The International Olympic Committee is one of the most exclusive clubs in international sports. Its members include European and Middle Eastern nobility, international sports body officials, former and current Olympic athletes, politicians, and diplomats, as well as industrialists, including billionaires such as Eliasch.

It makes for one of the most quiet and unusual election campaigns in sports history, with members barred from publicly promoting their candidate.

Campaign restrictions for candidates include a ban on broadcasting films, organizing public gatherings, and participating in public debates. They are likely to release manifestos before the IOC holds a closed-door meeting to address voters in January in its home city of Lausanne, Switzerland.

The top post at the IOC ideally requires extensive knowledge of sports management, an appreciation of athletes’ requirements, and quick global political skills.

The president leads an organisation that generates billions of dollars in revenue from broadcasting and sponsorship deals during the Olympic Games and employs hundreds of people.

Coe has been universally regarded as the most qualified contender. He was a two-time Olympic champion in the 1,500 meters before becoming an elected MP in Britain in the 1990s. He also oversaw the bidding and organising committees for the 2012 London Olympics and has presided over World Athletics for nine years.

However, he has disagreed with the IOC, Bach, and other sports leaders on a number of issues, notably his strong stance against Russia on state-sponsored doping and the invasion of Ukraine, coe  as well as the decision to pay $50,000 cash rewards to track and field gold medallists in Paris.

“The International Olympic Committee must prioritise a laser-like concentration on sport. In a statement released Monday, Coe stated, “I believe I can help achieve this and more.”

However, he may face legal challenges in fulfilling his eight-year tenure. The IOC’s membership age restriction is 70, and Coe will be 68 on election day. The regulations allow for a special exemption to continue for four more years, but this would result in a six-year presidency unless the restrictions are adjusted.

Coventry, who turned 41 on Monday, previously served as Zimbabwe’s appointed sports minister.

Sebastian Coe Among 7 IOC Members To Enter Race To Succeed Thomas Bach As President

Anita DeFrantz, a former Olympic rower from the United States, was the only woman to run for president of the International Olympic Committee. She was defeated in the first round of voting in a five-candidate contest in 2001, which was won by Jacques Rogge.

Samaranch, who turns 65 in November, is the candidates’ longest-serving member, having joined in 2001 when his father stood down. The Spanish official would also want an extension to the IOC’s age limit.

Lappartient is also the president of France’s national Olympic committee, which has built on the success of the Paris Summer Games. He oversees a French Alps initiative that has been chosen to host the 2030 Winter Games, and Bach has appointed him to supervise a long-term project signed in Paris that will see Saudi Arabia host the Esports Olympic Games until 2035.

Eliasch is perhaps the most surprising contender, having been chosen as an IOC member in Paris less than two months ago. The Swedish-British owner of the Head sportswear company received 17 “no” votes, which is unusually high in Olympic politics.

SOURCE | AP

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Trump Promises “Save the Country.” He Blames Biden-Harris’s ‘Rhetoric’ for the New Assassination Attempt.

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(VOR News) – Former presidents Barack Obama told Fox News Digital that his second assassination Trump attempt since July was a result of Democrats’ “highly inflammatory language,” and that President Biden and Vice President Harris’ “rhetoric” was “causing him to feel as though he were shot at.”.”

Monday morning, Trump held an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, one day after the Secret Service discovered a shooter in the shrubbery at the Trump International golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Suspect Ryan Wesley Routh was carrying two luggage and an AK-47 as he pointed a Go-Pro camera through the chain-link fence towards the green. Even though the suspect ran away, they were caught on Interstate 95.

Authorities think there was an attempt on Trump’s life.

This was Trump’s second attempt at assassination since July, but he was uninjured.

According to Trump, the gunman’s actions were influenced by the words he heard from Biden and Harris, as he told Fox News Digital. As a result of their rhetoric, I am being shot at, when in reality I am the one who intends to save the country, and they are the ones who are destroying it – both internally and externally.”

Trump used the fact that Biden and Harris had called him a “threat to democracy” in the past to support his designation of them as “unity” leaders.

Trump said, “They are the exact opposite.” “These are people that want to destroy our country.”

His next statement was, “The internal enemy.” They pose the greatest risk. Officials have suggested Ryan Wesley Routh as the name. He lives in Hawaii and has had a lot of legal issues during the course of the 1990s.

Routh restated on social media the assertions made by Biden and Harris that “Democratic is on the ballot” and that Democrats “cannot lose.”

Apart from his regular political analysis, Routh only made contributions to Democratic causes. “They do it with a combination of rhetoric and lawsuits they wrap me up in,” he said. That is the rhetoric dangerous fools, such as the shooter, listen to – and the same applies to the first one.”

Trump has often been described by Democrats as a “threat to democracy,” especially in light of the way he handled the altercation in the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

He accused Trump of inciting Haitian immigrant violence in Springfield, Ohio. Over the weekend, Biden said at a meeting that “any president should reject hate in America” and “not incite it.”

The White House did not reply to a communication from Fox News Digital, nor did Harris’s campaign or running mate, Minnesota Governor Time Warner, acknowledge receipt of it.

In addition, Trump claimed that by “allowing millions of very dangerous migrants to pour into it and destroying our country and cities,” Biden and Harris’ policies were “destructing” the country.

“From the outside, we appear weak and feeble and we are no longer respected by the world.” he said.

Trump chastised the media after the Harris debate last week.

“The media is made up of fools that will spew [Democrats’] garbage and spew their sick philosophies and will protect them at all costs, and they can’t believe they get away with it,” he said. “Democrats are totally protected by the media.”

The conversation on ABC News last week, according to Trump, was “so biased and so out of control.”

Harris was the one who made up the details about Project 2025. He said, “She lied about everything, including abortion.” “She was correcting me.”

Then he said, “one against three.” David Muir appeals to me somehow. Though he is a sleeze like everyone else, I thought he was fantastic.

Trump advised Democrats to change their language given just 50 days until Election Day. He highlighted the remark, “They use highly inflammatory language.”

On July 13, Trump was shot in the ear while attending an event in Pennsylvania. The gunman left one person dead and numerous others wounded before police fired and killed him.

SOURCE: FN

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Biden and Harris Assert that the Return of Trump Represents a Reversal of “Black Progress.”

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Biden and Harris Assert that the Return of Trump Represents a Reversal of “Black Progress.”

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(VOR News) – A hypothetical return of Donald Trump to the Biden White House would be damaging to the immense progress that African Americans have accomplished.

According to statements made by Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden on Saturday at the annual Phoenix Awards ceremony hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.

Both Vice President Biden and Senator Harris, while addressing Black politicians and leaders, highlighted the significance of the approaching election and called attention to the various factors that have the potential to influence the advancement of racial equality in the United States today.

Harris, who is running for vice president in the 2024 presidential election, has criticized President Trump and Senator JD Vance for adopting a policy that is intended to create division in society.

Harris is trying to follow Vice President Joe Biden in the race for the presidency.

According to Harris’s argument, persons who are under-represented may have fewer opportunities, freedoms, and access to justice as a consequence of the actions taken by Trump.

“Donald Trump and his extremist allies want to move our nation backward,” she stated, underlining the need of African-American voters showing their support for the candidate.

In order to reaffirm the point that Harris was trying to make, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation presented Vice President Joe Biden with a lifetime achievement award.

As an example, he referred to recent statements made by Vance, in which he spread inaccurate information about Haitian immigrants in Ohio. He used these statements as an illustration. It was his opinion that such language is both harmful and untrue.

Using Trump’s participation in the rioting that broke out at the Capitol on January 6 and his treatment of George Floyd’s demonstrations as more evidence of his track record of inflaming racial tensions, Vice President Biden demonstrated that Trump has a history of adding fuel to the fire.

During their respective statements, both Biden and Harris made reference to the accomplishments of the government.

The decrease in the poverty rate among African American children, the support of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and initiatives to close the wealth imbalance among diverse ethnic groups are some of the accomplishments that have been made.

The Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden, reiterated his unwavering endorsement of Harris by stating, “I will take great pride in witnessing her inauguration as president of the United States of America from the steps of the Capitol.”

In light of the fact that African-American voters, and African-American women in particular, are a sizeable portion of the Democratic base, the attendance of Biden and Harris signalled that a concerted attempt was being made to electrify this demographic prior to the election in November.

The recent pledge made by President Trump to carry out mass deportations of Haitian immigrants from Springfield, Ohio, has stoked the flames of debate within the United States.

This was a response to allegations that had been made that the local population was being negatively affected by recent arrivals from Haiti.

In spite of the fact that the vast majority of Haitians are legally present in the United States, President Trump made this assertion during a press conference that took place in Los Angeles.

When Trump made the statement, “We will do large deportations from Springfield,” he was making a reference to the approximately 12,000–15,000 Haitian residents who live in the city.

In addition, the campaign of Donald Trump has made disparaging remarks about Harris for the reason that she is a Black woman with multi-ethnic background.

Not only is Harris the first person of African descent to hold the position of vice president, but if she is elected, she will also make history by being the first Black woman to hold the position of president.

SOURCE: Tribune

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