RealClearInvestigations' Picks of the Week Sept. 9 toSept. 15 Featured Investigation Leaks of classified information have long been the lifeblood of Washington journalism and politics. But that practice has evolved in fundamental ways since Donald Trump's election. A tool long associated with conscientious whistleblowers is now the weapon of choice for partisan battles. Reporting for RealClearInvestigations, Lee Smith presents evidence that theconstant drip ofanti-Trump leaksare part of a campaign to undermine the administration, involving current and former government officialsand their favored news outlets. Smith reports: RCI has found that the anti-Trump leaks fall into two broad categories, or phases. Initially the leaking was an offensive operation aimed at disrupting Trump's agenda, especially through leaks alleging connections between his campaign and the Russians. Its early successes included leaks of highly classified material that led to the firing of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and the recusal of Attorney General Jeff Sessions from overseeing that probe. The second phase - which began roughly a year into the Trump administration - has been more defensive, pushing back against congressional oversight committees that had uncovered irregularities in the FBI's investigation of Trump. This phase has been marked by the willingness of press outlets to run stories backing off earlier reported leaks that proved to be deeply misleading - including the roots of the FBI's investigation of the Trump campaign and the relationship between Deputy Attorney General Bruce Ohr and the opposition research firm that produced a central document of that probe, the largely discredited "Steele dossier." This second phase has also included articles and opinion pieces - some written by journalists who have published classified information - dismissing suspicions of an orchestrated campaign against Trump as a "conspiracy theory," to use the phrase invoked in a recent New Yorker article. Read Full Article The Trump Investigations: Top Articles Leaked Video: Google Execs' Dismay at Trump's Election, Breitbart Strzok-Page Emails Show FBI Officials Using Unsecure Devices, Judicial Watch New Texts Are Evidence of an FBI Anti-Trump Leak Strategy, saraacarter.com Strzok Text: 'Times AngryWith Us AboutWP Scoop', saraacarter.com Other Noteworthy Articles and Series Kavanaugh Accused of Attempted Rape in High School New Yorker The bitter history of Supreme Court politics, from Robert Bork to Clarence Thomas to Merrick Garland, confirms that the prospect of losing ideological ground in the court's makeup certainly qualifies as desperate times -- for either party. Were Democrats resorting to desperate measures this week? With Brett Kavanaugh seemingly a shoo-in for confirmation in the Republican-controlled Senate, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, circulated and referred to the FBI a woman's anonymous accusation that the much-vetted court nominee, now 53, had attempted to rape her decades ago when they were in high school. But the accuser declines to come forward. Kavanaugh "categorically and unequivocally" denied the charge. The White House called it an "11th hour attempt to delay his confirmation." And indeed the Senate Judiciary Committee did delay a vote, for a few days. The Cybersecurity of Your 401(k) Is Not OK RealClearInvestigations Cyberthieves are going after the more than $17 trillion in retirement savings tucked away by 54 million Americans. But as JohnF.Wasik reports for RealClearInvestigations, it is almost impossible to know the range and extent of their schemes, because retirement plan sponsors and vendors are not required to report cyberattacks to 401(k) and IRA account holders, or to the Department of Labor. "In fact," he writes, "The Employment Retirement Income Security Act, or ERISA, a massive set of laws, rules and regulations covering employee benefits, does not provide any specific guidance to employers and middlemen about what they should be doing to promote better cybersecurity." CBS's Moonves Out as New Accusers Tell of Forced Oral Sex New Yorker Black days for Black Rock: News broke that Les Moonves was stepping down as the Chairman and C.E.O. of CBS after this reported story that six additional women - making it at least a dozen in all - are now accusing Moonves of sexual harassment or assault in incidents that took place between the 1980s and the early 2000s. Ronan Farrow reports that "they include claims that Moonves forced them to perform oral sex on him, that he exposed himself to them without their consent, and that he used physical violence and intimidation against them." Soon after Moonves left, Jeff Fager, executive producer of the legendary "60 Minutes," was also out, evidently for threatening one of CBS's own reporters covering harassment allegations against him. Smartphones Keep Congolese Mining by Hand Wall Street Journal Apple,Volkswagen and about 20 other global manufacturers found themselves on the defense when Amnesty International reported two years ago that the cobalt in some of their batteries was dug up by Congolese miners and children under inhumane conditions. Many of the companies said they would audit their suppliers and send teams to Congo to fix the problem. Their efforts haven't kept hand-dug cobalt out of the industry supply chain. Chicago Principal Long Ignored Warnings About Pedophile Chicago Tribune New evidence suggests that Martin Lovett - a trusted Chicago elementary school mentor exposed as a longtime pedophile - may have been protected by his school's principal. Four Chicago Public School employees say their warnings were disregarded. Lovett was shot to death in 2000 by a student he had abused for five years, and lawsuits name him in the sexual abuse of at least 19 boys in the North Lawndale community. 3,677 Sex Abuse Cases in German Catholic Church Associated Press A report on sexual abuse inside the Catholic Church in Germany says 3,677 people were abused by clergy between 1946 and 2014. Thereport,commissioned by the German Bishops Conference and researched by three universities,concludes that more than half of the victims were 13 or younger and most wereboys. Every sixth case involved rape. Rear-Ending Safeguard Skipped as Fatal Truck Crashes Rise Kansas City Star Fatal truck wrecks are growing at a clip almost three times the rate of deadly crashes overall. More than 4,300 people were killed in accidents involving semis and other large trucks in 2016, a 28 percent increase over 2009, according to the federal government. It would be equal to a 737 airliner crashing twice a month, killing all on board. Yet, this story reports, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has failed to mandate changes that over the past two decades might have averted thousands of rear-end truck crashes. Illegals Cited in Theft of 39 Million Social Security Numbers Washington Examiner There were 39 million instances where names and Social Security numbers on W-2 tax forms filed from 2012 to 2016 did not match the corresponding Social Security records. This suggests that tens of millions ofSocial Security numbers have been stolen and used by illegal immigrants and others to get work. The report from the Immigration Reform Law Institute also draws attention to a move by former President Obama to stop sending so-called "no match" letters to employers, notifying them that numbers used by employees on the wage forms do not match their identity. A Generation Plans an Exodus From California New Geography The number of people leaving California has almost tripled since 2010 - to about 140,000 annually. Although state boosters like to describe this movement as a cleansing of the promised land of less than desirable residents, the numbers tell a different story. While roughly half of those leaving the state made under $50,000 annually, half made above that. Roughly one in four made over $100,000. The key issue for California, however, lies with the exodus of people around child-bearing years. The largest group leaving the state — some 28 percent — is 35 to 44, the prime ages for families. Another third come from those 26 to 34 and 45 to 54, also often the age of parents. Free NYC Internet Kiosks Appear Equipped to Spy The Intercept Mayor Bill de Blasio has hailed the more 1,600 LinkNYC kiosks erected around the city since 2016 as"the fastest and largest municipal Wi-Fi network in the world" as "a critical step toward a more equal, open, and connected city for every New Yorker, in every borough." Equipped with three cameras, 30 sensors, and heightened sight lines for viewing above crowds, they could also be used as extremely effective surveillance tools. |