This is in response to my request for records about the suspicious death of Mikhail Lesin, Putin's former media czar, who was found dead in a DC hotel room, apparently after falling down drunk a bunch of times.
I figured this is worth putting here because it's kind of a Trump admin shitting-all-over play of the FOIA. If they have to redact stuff they could do it in detail. Instead this is a giant "fuck you" to transparency; not just to the press, but to the public. Also, y'know, the Trump admin thanking Putin by covering for his ass.
This is in response to my request for records about the suspicious death of Mikhail Lesin, Putin's former media czar, who was found dead in a DC hotel room, apparently after falling down drunk a bunch of times.
I figured this is worth putting here because it's kind of a Trump admin shitting-all-over play of the FOIA. If they have to redact stuff they could do it in detail. Instead this is a giant "fuck you" to transparency; not just to the press, but to the public. Also, y'know, the Trump admin thanking Putin by covering for his ass.
I mean, maybe?
The thing is, we already basically know Putin had him murdered. So it's very possible I think that it's not Trump blacking everything out because fuck you and instead his death is part of an ongoing counter-intelligence operation (that we know exists and is trying to be kept hidden from the President) and thus basically all information is being kept under wraps.
This is in response to my request for records about the suspicious death of Mikhail Lesin, Putin's former media czar, who was found dead in a DC hotel room, apparently after falling down drunk a bunch of times.
I figured this is worth putting here because it's kind of a Trump admin shitting-all-over play of the FOIA. If they have to redact stuff they could do it in detail. Instead this is a giant "fuck you" to transparency; not just to the press, but to the public. Also, y'know, the Trump admin thanking Putin by covering for his ass.
I mean, maybe?
The thing is, we already basically know Putin had him murdered. So it's very possible I think that it's not Trump blacking everything out because fuck you and instead his death is part of an ongoing counter-intelligence operation (that we know exists and is trying to be kept hidden from the President) and thus basically all information is being kept under wraps.
Except that in that case I'm pretty sure the process is to respond claiming one of the exceptions under the FOIA.
Yeah, if they didn’t want to release the information, they just wouldn’t do it. Sending out a bunch of black pages sounds less like protecting information and more being an asshat.
Personally, if I was gonna be a dick about FOIA and redactions, I’d redact everything except all the syncategorematic words. Just a bunch of black lines with only ‘the’, ‘if’, ‘and’, ‘all’, and others showing.
Be creative in your trolling.
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Also, since screwups in redaction are known to happen... it's more secure to not send anything than to do that.
I'll be more shocked if people aren't able to deduce what's been omitted, because that has happened multiple times already when this administration tries to redact information since they do a half-assed job of it.
Also, since screwups in redaction are known to happen... it's more secure to not send anything than to do that.
The government doesn't really operate on that kind of logic from anything I've ever seen.
When Trump or other cronies' personal lawyers fucked up that way, it was a surprise for a reason.
I'm not following. I meant in this case, where you redact everything as opposed to just sending nothing. Obviously, it doesn't apply if you're only redacting part of something.
Also, since screwups in redaction are known to happen... it's more secure to not send anything than to do that.
The government doesn't really operate on that kind of logic from anything I've ever seen.
When Trump or other cronies' personal lawyers fucked up that way, it was a surprise for a reason.
I'm not following. I meant in this case, where you redact everything as opposed to just sending nothing. Obviously, it doesn't apply if you're only redacting part of something.
From what I know of governments in general and how this works, the FBI or whomever wouldn't make a decision on whether to send nothing vs sending a fully redacted document based on the chance that they'd fuck up the redactions like a bunch of clowns.
It's the essence of bureaucracy. You gotta send something, but it doesn't have to be useful
Marty: The future, it's where you're going? Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
It's the essence of bureaucracy. You gotta send something, but it doesn't have to be useful
They don't, there are like three different ways for them to quash the whole request. Doing this is just dickery.
Also, don't requestors pay the government a fee per a page to prepare the docs? That may just be state level stuff but talk about adding insult to injury...
In retrospect, I was naive about the kind of agency CBP has become in the Trump era. Though I’ve reported several magazine stories in Mexico, none have been about immigration. Of course, I knew these were the guys putting kids in cages, separating refugee children from their parents, and that Trump’s whole shtick is vilifying immigrants, leading to many sad and ugly scenes at the border, including the farcical deployment of U.S. troops. But I complacently assumed that wouldn’t affect me directly, least of all in Austin. Later, I did remember reading a report in February about CBP targeting journalists, activists, and lawyers for scrutiny at ports of entry south of California, but I had never had a problem before, not in a lifetime of crossing the Texas-Mexico border scores of times on foot, by car, by plane, in a canoe, even swimming. This was the first time CBP had ever pulled me aside.
When asked to comment on specific details in this story, a CBP spokesperson responded with a canned statement replete with the sort of pseudo-military terminology that betrays the agency’s sense of itself not as a civil customs service but as some kind of counterterrorism strike force. “CBP has adapted and adjusted our actions to align with current threat information, which is based on intelligence,” the statement reads in part. “As the threat landscape changes, so does CBP.” The agency declined to put me in touch with Moncivias and the other officers named in this account or to make an official available for an interview, but a CBP source mentioned that the “port director” had reviewed “the tape” of the encounter. I found that very interesting, because I had specifically asked Moncivias and the other officers if I was being videotaped or recorded, and they had categorically denied it.
This is all stuff that we already knew from the start of the administration: seizing all eletronics, demanding passwords, and the whole social media bullshit, among the other stuff. but maybe now that it happened to a (white) journalist, it might actually receive some coverage?
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OrcaAlso known as EspressosaurusWrexRegistered Userregular
In retrospect, I was naive about the kind of agency CBP has become in the Trump era. Though I’ve reported several magazine stories in Mexico, none have been about immigration. Of course, I knew these were the guys putting kids in cages, separating refugee children from their parents, and that Trump’s whole shtick is vilifying immigrants, leading to many sad and ugly scenes at the border, including the farcical deployment of U.S. troops. But I complacently assumed that wouldn’t affect me directly, least of all in Austin. Later, I did remember reading a report in February about CBP targeting journalists, activists, and lawyers for scrutiny at ports of entry south of California, but I had never had a problem before, not in a lifetime of crossing the Texas-Mexico border scores of times on foot, by car, by plane, in a canoe, even swimming. This was the first time CBP had ever pulled me aside.
When asked to comment on specific details in this story, a CBP spokesperson responded with a canned statement replete with the sort of pseudo-military terminology that betrays the agency’s sense of itself not as a civil customs service but as some kind of counterterrorism strike force. “CBP has adapted and adjusted our actions to align with current threat information, which is based on intelligence,” the statement reads in part. “As the threat landscape changes, so does CBP.” The agency declined to put me in touch with Moncivias and the other officers named in this account or to make an official available for an interview, but a CBP source mentioned that the “port director” had reviewed “the tape” of the encounter. I found that very interesting, because I had specifically asked Moncivias and the other officers if I was being videotaped or recorded, and they had categorically denied it.
This is all stuff that we already knew from the start of the administration: seizing all eletronics, demanding passwords, and the whole social media bullshit, among the other stuff. but maybe now that it happened to a (white) journalist, it might actually receive some coverage?
One can hope. We're already quite firmly in mid-30s Germany; I only hope we can get off this ride before we go all the way.
RE the cost of an FOIA request: when you submit an FOIA you typically include a statement about how much you are able/willing to pay per page. Though it doesn't always actually cost anything, especially if you're a student or in academia. At least that was my experience when I did some FOIAs.
The group has already released information about journalists at CNN, The Washington Post and The New York Times — three outlets that have aggressively investigated Mr. Trump — in response to reporting or commentary that the White House’s allies consider unfair to Mr. Trump and his team or harmful to his re-election prospects.
...
But the material publicized so far, while in some cases stripped of context or presented in misleading ways, has proved authentic, and much of it has been professionally harmful to its targets.
All opinions are my own and in no way reflect that of my employer.
Also, border services have been refusing to allow foreign (Canadian) reporters (CBC) entry to the US, under the guise that they would be stealing American jobs or something.
And in today's installment of "She's really fucking bad at this", Kellyanne Conway has again, gone into an interview without being absolutely clear that what she would be saying was off the record. You would think after the last time, she'd be a little cautious. As expected, hijinks ensue.
Additionally, because this thread shouldn't just be to dump on KAC for being f'n clueless, there's this.
"Before ending the call, Conway threatened that the White House would delve into the personal lives of reporters if they wrote about her husband. "
These f'n people.
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FencingsaxIt is difficult to get a man to understand, when his salary depends upon his not understandingGNU Terry PratchettRegistered Userregular
The thing professionals do when they discover they are not in agreement on what is on or off the record is to stop talking.
I feel like threats like that should automatically make a call on the record regardless of prior agreements because it feels like the sort of thing that should not be shrugged off.
The thing professionals do when they discover they are not in agreement on what is on or off the record is to stop talking.
She should know if they were off the record because there needs to be an explicit agreement by both parties to it. A person with Conway's experience should know that but Trump hires the best people.
The thing professionals do when they discover they are not in agreement on what is on or off the record is to stop talking.
She should know if they were off the record because there needs to be an explicit agreement by both parties to it. A person with Conway's experience should know that but Trump hires the best people.
The thing professionals do when they discover they are not in agreement on what is on or off the record is to stop talking.
She should know if they were off the record because there needs to be an explicit agreement by both parties to it. A person with Conway's experience should know that but Trump hires the best people.
I mean, there can be confusion as to the exact scope, but yes. Generally, you are correct
The best part was KAC's assistant called the reporter and the assistant/reporter agreed to an off the record conversation--which they had--then KAC snatched the phone from the assistant and did her "listen here you little shit" speech believing that she had off-the-record privileges extended to her.
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ButtersA glass of some milksRegistered Userregular
Conway probably assumed she was dealing with friendly media and to be honest I would have assumed the same from the Washington Examiner. It's about as far right of a publication you can ask for.
During a conversation held Wednesday night on the invite-only Clubhouse app—an audio social network popular with venture capitalists and celebrities—entrepreneur Balaji Srinivasan, several Andreessen Horowitz venture capitalists, and, for some reason, television personality Roland Martin spent at least an hour talking about how journalists have too much power to "cancel" people and wondering what they, the titans of Silicon Valley, could do about it.
The call shows how Silicon Valley millionaires, who have been coddled by the press and lauded as innovators and disruptors, fundamentally misunderstand the role of journalism the moment it turns a critical eye to their industry. It also suggests they’re eager to find new ways to hit back at what they see as unfavorable and unfair press coverage.
Motherboard obtained a recording of the conversation, which took place on Clubhouse, an app which as of late May had just 1,500 users. The app was valued at $100 million after a reported $12 million investment from Andreessen Horowitz, and requires an invite to join. In May, New York Times internet culture reporter Taylor Lorenz wrote that the app is "where venture capitalists have gathered to mingle with one another while they are quarantined in their homes."
"Sometimes there is a tarot card reader critiquing a member’s Instagram account; sometimes it is a dating advice show; sometimes bored people sound off about anything that pops into their mind," she wrote.
On Wednesday night, the topic of conversation was Lorenz herself, who had been listening earlier in the conversation but left partway through. After she left, the participants began discussing whether Lorenz was playing "the woman card" when speaking out about her harassment following a Twitter altercation with Srinivasan.
"You can't fucking hit somebody, attack them and just say, 'Hey, I have ovaries and therefore, you can't fight back,'" Felicia Horowitz, founder of the Horowitz Family Foundation and wife of Andreessen Horowitz cofounder Ben Horowitz, said.
In recent days Lorenz, who criticized luggage startup Away co-CEO Steph Korey on Twitter Wednesday, has been harassed and impersonated on Twitter.
This is a great bit in the article, showing perception versus reality:
"When it comes to our industry, there’s a really, really toxic dynamic that exists right now," Nait Jones, an Andreessen Horowitz VC, said on the call while speaking about recent reports about abuse in the tech industry. "Because those stories were so popular and drove so much traffic, they also created a market for more of those stories. They created a pressure on many reporters to find the next one of those stories inside of a fast growing tech company because those stories play very well on Twitter, especially around protecting vulnerable people."
(In 2020, the idea that fishing for “clicks” to drive ad revenue is a successful or even common business model is a fallacy. Publications that rely exclusively on advertising are failing at an astonishing rate; financially, many journalistic outlets are increasingly moving away from an ad-based revenue model driven by traffic, and instead focus on live events, subscriptions, optioning their articles to movie studios, and other models that rely on having a dedicated readership that trusts the publication).
That’s even dumber than that jackass thinks he’s being smart!
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HenroidMexican kicked from Immigration ThreadCentrism is Racism :3Registered Userregular
This falls under the first amendment, seeing as the office of the executive is deliberately and clearly retaliating against speech, so take it away Couscous!
Too many Universities and School Systems are about Radical Left Indoctrination, not Education. Therefore, I am telling the Treasury Department to re-examine their Tax-Exempt Status...
... and/or Funding, which will be taken away if this Propaganda or Act Against Public Policy continues. Our children must be Educated, not Indoctrinated!
Oh good, Trump is an asshole! Threatening to take away money sure is his go-to tactic for everything. Just like what his family did to someone's healthcare when they were critical of said family.
This falls under the first amendment, seeing as the office of the executive is deliberately and clearly retaliating against speech, so take it away Couscous!
Too many Universities and School Systems are about Radical Left Indoctrination, not Education. Therefore, I am telling the Treasury Department to re-examine their Tax-Exempt Status...
... and/or Funding, which will be taken away if this Propaganda or Act Against Public Policy continues. Our children must be Educated, not Indoctrinated!
Oh good, Trump is an asshole! Threatening to take away money sure is his go-to tactic for everything. Just like what his family did to someone's healthcare when they were critical of said family.
This has been in preparation for decades- the vilification of higher learning has been happening since forever
And of course, american universities are pretty damn good in the research department, so destroying them will also help destroy america
Thing is, universities aren't magically more liberal. They are just buildings made of stone. It all depends on what is taught on them. If careers on the humanities had, let's say, The Bell Curve, as part of the curriculum, the results would be different. So, a fight over what is taught in universities is expected from anybody that thinks that they can win the Culture War, like Trump does.
(The Right, as a whole, was pretty much resigning themselves to lose the Culture War until Trump came along. Which is why they love him).
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BrodyThe WatchThe First ShoreRegistered Userregular
Are those things he even has control over? I mean, the budget is set by Congress, and I guess I assumed that tax exemption status was also defined by Congress.
"I will write your name in the ruin of them. I will paint you across history in the color of their blood."
Are those things he even has control over? I mean, the budget is set by Congress, and I guess I assumed that tax exemption status was also defined by Congress.
Traditionally? No. Legally? Probably not.
But this fucker doesn't care. Write an Executive Order, then fight it through the courts, and claim it as a win regardless.
I mean, as we've seen, he's more than comfortable throwing taxpayer money at untenable lawsuits that cost the plaintiff significant sums.
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In case it doesn't load properly for some people, every single page is just blacked out entirely. He went on to explain:
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I mean, maybe?
The thing is, we already basically know Putin had him murdered. So it's very possible I think that it's not Trump blacking everything out because fuck you and instead his death is part of an ongoing counter-intelligence operation (that we know exists and is trying to be kept hidden from the President) and thus basically all information is being kept under wraps.
Except that in that case I'm pretty sure the process is to respond claiming one of the exceptions under the FOIA.
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Personally, if I was gonna be a dick about FOIA and redactions, I’d redact everything except all the syncategorematic words. Just a bunch of black lines with only ‘the’, ‘if’, ‘and’, ‘all’, and others showing.
Be creative in your trolling.
Battlenet ID: MildC#11186 - If I'm in the game, send me an invite at anytime and I'll play.
3DS: 0473-8507-2652
Switch: SW-5185-4991-5118
PSN: AbEntropy
I'll be more shocked if people aren't able to deduce what's been omitted, because that has happened multiple times already when this administration tries to redact information since they do a half-assed job of it.
The government doesn't really operate on that kind of logic from anything I've ever seen.
When Trump or other cronies' personal lawyers fucked up that way, it was a surprise for a reason.
I'm not following. I meant in this case, where you redact everything as opposed to just sending nothing. Obviously, it doesn't apply if you're only redacting part of something.
3DS: 0473-8507-2652
Switch: SW-5185-4991-5118
PSN: AbEntropy
From what I know of governments in general and how this works, the FBI or whomever wouldn't make a decision on whether to send nothing vs sending a fully redacted document based on the chance that they'd fuck up the redactions like a bunch of clowns.
Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
They don't, there are like three different ways for them to quash the whole request. Doing this is just dickery.
Also, don't requestors pay the government a fee per a page to prepare the docs? That may just be state level stuff but talk about adding insult to injury...
One can hope. We're already quite firmly in mid-30s Germany; I only hope we can get off this ride before we go all the way.
(What do you mean, "we're special and better than all those countries" is exactly the attitude that leads to that?)
Cool. Cool.
Cool.
Carolyn Dynn is a CBC reporter.
Very cool
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/powerful-woman-kellyanne-conway-mocks-and-threatens-reporter-for-mentioning-her-husband-audio/
Additionally, because this thread shouldn't just be to dump on KAC for being f'n clueless, there's this.
"Before ending the call, Conway threatened that the White House would delve into the personal lives of reporters if they wrote about her husband. "
These f'n people.
She should know if they were off the record because there needs to be an explicit agreement by both parties to it. A person with Conway's experience should know that but Trump hires the best people.
That was the reason I found this so hilarious. Because it happened already. About a year ago. Where KAC was speaking to a reporter, and after realizing she's said much more than she's supposed to, tries to claim it is off the record, is told no, and has some embarassing shit published as a result.
https://www.salon.com/2018/08/18/kellyanne-conway-disparages-her-husbands-tweets-when-she-believes-she-is-off-the-record_partner/
That it's happened again, after that incident, is definitely the kind of quality staffer that only Trump would employ.
I mean, there can be confusion as to the exact scope, but yes. Generally, you are correct
This is a great bit in the article, showing perception versus reality:
That’s even dumber than that jackass thinks he’s being smart!
(concluding with "so Fuck Off, Mr. President" is, alas, too much to hope for.)
This has been in preparation for decades- the vilification of higher learning has been happening since forever
And of course, american universities are pretty damn good in the research department, so destroying them will also help destroy america
(The Right, as a whole, was pretty much resigning themselves to lose the Culture War until Trump came along. Which is why they love him).
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Traditionally? No. Legally? Probably not.
But this fucker doesn't care. Write an Executive Order, then fight it through the courts, and claim it as a win regardless.
I mean, as we've seen, he's more than comfortable throwing taxpayer money at untenable lawsuits that cost the plaintiff significant sums.