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tv Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer CNN July 16, 2018 2:00pm-3:00pm PDT
obama and in the cia for george w. bush, thank you for your time. really appreciate it. you can follow me on facebook and twitter. you can tweet the show. our coverage from helsinki continues with wolf blitzer who's brought "the situation room" to finland. stay with cnn. happening now. breaking news. siding with putin. president trump comes out of his meeting with the russian president and rebukes u.s. intelligence agencies citing putin's strong and powerful denial of interference in the 2016 presidential election. yes, i did. putin confirms the intelligence community's conclusion that he wanted president trump to beat hillary clinton because he says mr. trump wanted to bring u.s. relations with russia back to normal. disgraceful performance. republicans react to the president's remarks with everything from shock to horror to disgust.
including mr. trump's own director of national intelligence and the daughter of his ambassador to russia. and russian agent caught? a russian gun rights activist with links to the national rifle association is charged with being a spy for moscow and infiltrating groups with influence on american politics. i'm wolf blitzer in helsinki. you're in "the situation room." we're following breaking news. truly astounding remarks by president trump following his one on one meeting with the russian president vladimir putin. standing on foreign soil, here in helsinki, with putin at his side, the president refused to accept the u.s. intelligence community's assessment that russia attacked the 2016 presidential election. instead, he said that putin was, quote, extremely strong and
powerful in his denial of election interference and tonight the unprecedented scene that unfolded here today is sending shock waves around the globe. we'll talk about all of that. the breaking nulls with senator rand paul of the foreign relations and homeland security committees. he's standing by live and jake sullivan, former foreign policy, national security adviser to both hillary clinton and joe biden and correspondents, specialists and analysts they're also standing by. but first, let's go straight to our chief white house correspondent jim acosta. jim, the extraordinary developments continue to unfold tonight. up date our viewers. >> reporter: that's right, wolf. given a chance to confront vladimir putin over election meddling in 2016, the president took a pass today. instead, president trump threw the us intelligence community under the bus and putin drove right over it. vladimir putin could not have
scripted the moment better himself. as president trump tossed aside the u.s. government's conclusion that moscow interfered in the 2016 election and cozied up to the russian leader in a stunning moment mr. trump blamed america, too. >> yes, i do. i hold both countries responsible. i think that the united states has been foolish. i think we have all been foolish. we should have had this dialogue a long time ago. long time, frankly, be before i got to office and i think we're all to blame. >> reporter: the moment played right into putin's hands who continued his denials. >> translator: could you name a single fact that would definitively prove the collusion? this is utter nonsense. just like the president recently mentioned. >> reporter: as for the justice department indictment announced late last week accusing 12 russian agents of hacking into e-mails, putden said he would invite investigators with the
mueller team to russia to question officials. >> translator: i don't know the full extent of the situation but the president trump mentioned this issue and i will look into it. >> reporter: russian president did admit one thing, he wanted mr. trump to win in 2016. >> translator: yes, i did. because he talked about bringing the u.s./russia relationship back to normal. >> reporter: as putin offered up to a momento of the world cup, it was clear who was in control of this field. >> melania, here you go. >> reporter: no public confrontation to stop meddling in elections. >> would you denounce what happened in 2016 and warn him never to do it again? >> we have two thoughts. two groups wondering why the fbi never took the server. why haven't they taken the server? why was the fbi told to leave the office of the democratic national committee? >> reporter: the president was all but admitting to take putin's word over the assessment o. intelligence officials. >> i have great yfd confidence y
intelligence people but i will tell you that president putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today. >> reporter: touting the years as a kgb agent. >> translator: i like to add something to this. after all, i was an intelligence officer myself. and i do know how dossiers are made up. >> reporter: putin weighed in on perhaps the biggest, lingering question. >> does the russian government have any compromising material on president trump or his family? >> reporter: at first, putin smirked at the question and then laughter broke out and dodged again. >> translator: i did heard this rumors that we allegedly collected compromising material on mr. trump when he was visiting moscow. distinguished colleague, i didn't even know that he was in
moscow. i treat him with utmost respect but back then when he was a private individual, a businessman, nobody informed me that he was in moscow. >> reporter: both leaders quickly left the room with so many unanswered questions in the wake. back in washington, leaders from both parties were shell shocked. senator john mccain said today's press conference is one of the most disgraceful performances by an american president in memory. former president obama cia director brennan tweeted donald trump's press conference performance in helsinki rises to and exceeds the threshold of high crimes and misdemeanors. it was nothing short of treasonist. gop senator bob corker captured much of the bipartisan disappointment. >> i did not think this was a good moment for our country. >> reporter: for president trump, this was just eat foreign trip of key u.s. allies and warming up to putin as one
senior republican congressional aide put to me, it was shocking to side with putin and an official of the white house put it to me earlier today, people around the president are simply too afraid to disagree with him. wolf, seemed like the president all alone in the views today and didn't seem like america first. more like, russia first. wolf? >> whole situation was truly, truly shocking. jim, thanks for that report. cnn's jake tapper joining us right now here at the sea pool in helsinki. jake, what is your bottom line takeaway from what we saw today? >> the bottom line takeaway is according to democrats and republicans, intelligence agencies, every leader of the intelligence agencies, senators, the house, the senate intelligence and house intelligence committee, russia launched cyberattacks against the united states to interfere in the election. did that to the people of the united states and today president trump sided with
russia over not just the intelligence agencies of the united states but also the people of the united states. he took a kgb officer, a known liar's word for it. why he did so if it had to do with the desire to not be seen as illegitimate, i don't know. i can't really get into that. i'm not a doctor. but i can tell you, on the facts the united states was attacked. and president trump today sided with the enemy. >> how unprecedented is that, especially here on foreign soil? >> it's -- i mean, first of all, we say this about president trump every week i think. doing something unprecedented. it's incredibly unprecedented. also, when's really shocking is there used to be a thing in the country where if a poll sirn didn't try to understand what was special about the united states of america, and the ideals to which we strive, the fact that we don't think of ourselves as brutal, we think of ourselves as at least trying to spread democracy throughout the world, and with the foreign aid we offer, et cetera, president
trump -- used to be if you didn't express belief for that in politics you were dead in the water. president trump doesn't seem to think that there's something special about america. he makes a moral equivalence of the united states does and what russia does. asked today about the tweet saying that the u.s. was to blame for the failure of the relationship to thrive, is there anything that he holds russia accountable for? mention crimea? no. ukraine? no. the poisoning of individuals in the uk? no. he did talk about all of the failures of the united states. and i find that completely bizarre. >> i'm sure his top national security foreign policy military aides were all squirming. they probably even though they worked with him for a long time they couldn't believe what he was doing. >> this is not what ambassador john bolton and national security adviser believes. this is not what retired general
james mattis of defense believes. not what mike pompeo, the secretary of state believes. no, it is not at all. this is what president trump believes. not what his team believes and that's why you have seen the trump administration take actions contrary to russia's desire, providing lethal aid to cr ukrainians or expelling diplomats. president trump has in many ways done it reluctantly. there's a chasm of president trump believes on this issue and what his team of experts believe and today we saw the buck stops where it stops. >> see if there are -- we'll see if there are any resignations. could have been a major turning point. >> in any other administration, there would be resignations and, look, at the end of the day the people out there trying to make a decision of how to be strong? these are the moments of politicians make legacies. they either take a strong stand for something they believe in or
they don't. we remember the attorney general in nixon because he resigned. i doubt we'll see that. this is the time to think about the legacies. >> jake, thanks very much. let's get more on this right now. joining us, republican senator rand paul of kentucky. he's a key member of the both the foreign relations and homeland security committees. senator, thanks so much for joining us. let me get right to the questioning. do you believe that president trump's meeting with putin made america safer? >> you know, i think engagement with our adversaries, conversation with oured isser have shares is a good idea. even in the height of the cold war, maybe the lowest ebb in the midst of the cuban missile crisis, i think it was a good thing to kennedy had a direct line to khrushchev. so i think that it is a good idea to have engagement. and i think that what is lost in
this is that i think there's a bit of trump derangement syndrome and people that hate the president so much that this could have been president obama early in the first administration setting the reset button and trying to have better relations with russia and i think it's lost on people that they're a nuclear power. they have influence in syria. they're in close proximity to the troops in syria. they're close to the peninsula of north korea and may have some influence to help us there. the other thing that's lost and people forget this completely, the russians tried to help us stop the boston mare than bombing and did help them stop a terrorist attack in st. petersburg because we were communicating and exchanging information. to's all good. >> senator? >> people hate trump so much, that's all lost. >> it's not a matter of hating president trump. it's a matter of what he did today, what he said today. he met with a president putin as you know more than two hours. unlike other presidents, especially on foreign soil, he
blamed the united states for the bad relationship with russia. he declined to back his own intelligence community for its assessment. he declined to support the u.s. law enforcement community. >> right. >> including the justice department. he continues -- senator, he continues to call the -- hold on a second. he continues to call the news media a free press in the united states, the enemy of the american people. >> but i think -- wolf? put this in perspective. >> senator, has any other president -- >> i think -- >> done anything like that? >> but i think i would put it in perspective. for example, when you look at the intelligence community, the most recent leaders of the intelligence community, james clapper and john brennan, james clapper perjured himself -- >> i'm talking -- >> i'm talking about -- if you'll let me answer -- >> issued a statement -- >> we can't have much of an interview -- wolf, if you interru interrupt me -- >> i want to be precise.
it's coats and pompeo. >> you're usually better than this, wolf. you need to allow the respondent to respond. >> go ahead. >> it does matter who was in charge of the intelligence because they started up this and ginned up this thing going after the president saying he committed collusion with russia. no evidence of that and continues to go on. who start third degree? james clapper who lied to the senate. yet they were collecting all of our information and housing it in utah. john brennan has now -- let me finish. john brennan accused the president of treason. this is john brennan who voted for the communist party as a young man. now thinks he's holy than anybody else and collected the americans information and the people -- >> all right. >> i'm concerned used the bias against president trump and absolutely with the president on this. the intelligence community was full of biassed people including peter strzok, mccabe and dozens of others. >> and so, and so what about
mike pompeo and dan coats? who both say there is no doubt that russia interfered, attacked the united states during the presidential election? >> right. >> did they vote for communists when they were young? >> what i would say is i don't think anybody doubts that the russians got involved with leaking e-mail and hacking into e-mail. but there is a question of whether or not the election was legitimate and all of this is a sideways way for those on the left to try to delegitize trump. and at the expense of receiving money from people like the sultan of brunei and what happened is everybody now says the russians, the only reason trump is president is because of the russians. you can see how he takes that personally and, frankly, i don't think anybody from kentucky --
nearly 80% of the vote in the mountains and i don't think anybody was influenced by the russians. they didn't like hillary clinton because she wanted to kill the coal industry in the state. >> senator, senator, we have known each other for a long time. interviewed on many occasions. let's put up on the screen what dan coats, the director of national intelligence, a former republican senator, a former u.s. ambassador to germany, russia definitely did try to influence the campaign. that's what he said. chris wray, the fbi director, named by the president, i have no reason whatever to doubt -- >> here, wolf. >> hold on. hold on. mike pompeo, all of them said exactly the same thing. >> i would put this in perspective, wolf. dove levine looked at this and from 1946 to 2000. and he found 81 times that the u.s. meddled. 36 times of the soviet union. it doesn't make it right and said it before and will say it
again. any country that can spy does and any country to meddle in foreign elections does. we have elevated this to a higher degree and we have made this all about the sour grapes of hillary clinton losing the election and it's all about partisan politics now. this is truly the trump derangement syndrome that motivates all of this. >> senator, senator, i got to disagree with you. i know dan coats disagrees with you, as well. i'll read the statement after the president's news conference with putden. listen to this and then a chance to respond. we have been clear in our assessments of russian meddling in the 2016 election and they're ongoing pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy and we'll continue to provide unvarnished and objective intelligence in support of the national security. go ahead, respond to your former colleague. >> i don't disagree with anything said there. i would say instead of making this about everything's about trump and accusing trump of
collusion with the russians and craziness that's not true, try to protect the integrity of our elections. nobody is talking about protecting the integrity of the elections. how would you protect the integrity of the elections? make sure they're decentralized. controls from the precinct on up and not storing the data where there aren't checks and balances. there are ways to make sure that the election is not tampered with and also important to say that the russians meddled, hacked into hillary clinton's e-mail, revealed truths about her. i an gree.agree. >> senator? >> we should guard against that. >> who do you trust, american intelligence community, the american law enforcement community or vladimir putin? >> what i would say is that all power needs to have checks and balances and i think our intelligence community way too much power. the fact that peter strzok was able to bring incredible bias
towards the president -- >> who do you believe? who do you believe? >> that's not the question. the right question is, should that power be unchecked or should you have a judicial system that says, you know what? >> i understand what you're saying. but -- >> you have to have warrants, checks and balances on intelligence. >> but who do you believe? the intelligence community of the united states or putin? >> i'm not discounting the allegations that the russians hacked into hillary clinton's e-mails. i'm not discounting that at all. >> so, so why don't you just say you believe in the intelligence community, the law enforcement -- you accept their assessments and move on? let me read a tweet that newt gingrich just put out. and i'll read it to you right now. president trump must clarify his statements in helsinki on our intelligence system and putin. it is the most serious mistake of his presidency and must be corrected immediately. do you agree with gingrich?
>> no. i think people have gotten over top on this and lost the big picture. the big picture is that we should be engaged with russia, should have conversations with russia. we have serious conflicts in various parts of the globe. it would be a mistake not to have open lines of communication with them. and i can tell you what i have told the russians who were here in the united states when i conversed with them. hacking into the election if they did it and all likelihood the evidence looks like they did it's backfired because it's made relations worse and to have better relations, there should be incentive to not do it again and my hope is that we'll push the issue and that over time -- >> so -- >> those incentives will be apparent. >> i know there's a little delay. occasionally it might be awkward. bottom line, senator. do you believe that what president trump did today here in helsinki was good? >> i think it was a great idea and a good idea to meet with the
russians and engagement, conversations and to make sure that we don't accidentally stumble into war. >> everybody, everybody agrees it's good to have good relations with russia, a dialogue with russia. but do you believe it was good that the president of the united states threw his intelligence community under the bus and sided with putin? >> yeah. i don't see it that way at all but many democrats have come forward and they basically want a confrontation. they suggested that he not meet with putin. so really, the question of to meet or not meet, almost democrat on your program and other programs said he shouldn't meet with putin. that's a kind of sort of i think simplistic thinking that leads to war. we should have conversation even with the adversaries, probably most particularly with the adversaries. >> i got to tell you, senator, not just democrats. it's a bunch of fellow republicans who think it was a mistake, especially now with hindsight and i also have to tell you based on everything we are hearing a lot of own
national security, military and diplomatic personnel, they agree this was a huge blunder on the part of the president of the united states to exit from this meeting with putin the way he did. it's going to cause enormous, enormous grief for the president and his administration but i'm grateful to you as usual for joining us and expressing your views. thank you very much. senator rand paul remaining silent in the aftermath of that. appreciate it very much. the breaking news continues. we'll have much more on president trump's siding with vladimir putin today on russia's election attack. tonight "the washington post" saying, quoting now, the president just colluded with russia. plus, the woman just charged by the u.s. with spying for russia. we're l we're learning new information about her tonight, as well. all of this is related.
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a book that you're ready to share with the world? get published now, call for your free publisher kit today! the breaking news this hour. shock, disbelief and disgust. even among many republicans after president trump with vladimir putin standing at his side here in helsinki refused to accept the u.s. intelligence community's finding that russia attacked the united states during the 2016 presidential election. the president not only sided with putin but blamed what he called foolish behavior by the u.s. for the current poor state of relations with russia. joining us now, jake sullivan, a foreign policy expert, served as a top adviser to both hillary clinton and former vice president joe biden. jake, thank you very much for joining us. as you know, the president was
asked if he holds russia accountable for anything as far as these allegations are concerned. i want you to watch his response. >> i hold both countries responsible. i think that the united states has been foolish. i think we have all been foolish. we should have this dialogue a long time ago. a long time, frankly, before i got to office and i think we're all to blame. i do feel that we have both made some mistakes. i think that the probe is a disaster for our country. i think it's kept us apart. it's kept us separated. there was no collusion at all. everybody knows it. people are being brought out to the fore. so far, that i know, virtually none of it related to the campaign and will have to try hard to find somebody that did relate to the campaign. i beat hillary clinton easily and, frankly, we beat her and
i'm not even saying from the standpoint we won that race and it's a shame that there could be a little bit of a cloud over it. people know that. people understand it. but the main thing and we discussed this, also, is zero collusion. and it has had a negative impact upon the relationship of the two largest nuclear powers in the world. we have 90% of nuclear power between the 2 countries. it's ridiculous. it's ridiculous what's going on with the probe. >> all right. jake, have you heard a u.s. president speak like that? >> wolf, that was an unbelievable display. a president of the united states, the leader of the free world, goes to a summit with the russian president and his job is to stand up for the american people and to stand up for american interests. and donald trump threw both of those things under the bus in that answer and in his broader performance today. i would like to say it's
surprising. it is not surprising but that doesn't make it any less shocking for us to see the united states of america represented by a man who's so pe petulent and pitiful as to put in a performance like today. >> the president continues to demand information on hillary clinton's server, the missing e-mails, you worked on the 2016 hillary clinton presidential election campaign. how does it feel to see the president make that demand next to man that perpetrated that cyber attack on the campaign? the democratic national committee and the democratic national campaign committee? >> if you watch president putin in the various exchanges today, he could barely contain the glee. he is getting everything he wanted out of this president and more. hillary clinton two years ago in the campaign made a comment in one of the debates about how trump was going to serve as putin's puppet. at the time it seemed like rhetoric but it's reality. what putin wants at the end of
the day is to for the united states to help him weaken nato and undermine europe. trump did that for him. he wants the american president to create a moral equivalence of the united states and russia. trump did that for him. he wants the american president to give him impunity for attacks on american democracy to keep attacking us and trump did that for him today. so, you know, they can barely contain their excitement in russia today and for the rest of us who care deeply about america's national security and even more importantly about the values that make this country great it's a very sad day. >> the president spoke about the director of national intelligence, dan coats, laying out american intelligence on that cyberattack. and the president says that he trusts coats and putin equally. could you believe your ears? >> in a way i could because trump has been saying something along these lines since he became president. he's engaged in a tactic that
people call what about ism. saying something negative about russia, trump's immediate response to say, well yeah? america's just as bad if not worse and heard that senator paul in the previous segment and picked up this tick of president trump's. but it's really the job of the american president not to go defend and apologize for russia but rather to defend and stand up for the united states of america. so today was the most extreme form of actually something that we have seen from president trump ever since he stepped foot in the oval office. >> do you think director coats should resign? >> you know, i'm always very cautious about calling for an official like director coats to go ahead and resign. i think that's a very difficult call but i have to say that given where things have gone today, given the fact that in front of a country that attacked american democracy and continues to do so the president of the united states said he believes the russian president over the
intelligence community, the right thing to do is send a message saying he could not serve this president. >> i suspect a lot of officials are thinking about doing precisely that. will russia feel emboldened to continue the cyberattacks on the united states going into the midterm in elections? >> it is more than feeling emboldened. i mean, there's no doubt putin feels emboldened after today and go back and tell the gru, russian intelligence yunits to unleash the dogs. go for it. the american president more or less given me green light and not just what trump said or didn't say in the summit today but doing or not doing about the actual interference. he has not given any direction to any of his national security agencies to actually stop this from happening going forward. senator paul in the previous segment said no one's talking about the actual threat to our election systems. actually, the fact is that a lot of people talking about it.
the one person who's not is the person in charge of making sure it doesn't happen again and that's donald trump. >> jake sullivan, thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you for having me. let's get the insights of experts here in helsinki and in washington. it's really an awful situation. john kirby, served -- retired u.s. admiral, served as a spokesman. listen to how the president phrased some of these most sensitive issues. listen to this. >> i hold both countries responsible. i think that the united states has been foolish. i think we have all been fo foolish. we should have had this dialogue a long time ago. i do feel we have both made some mistakes. i think that the probe is a disaster for our country. i think it's kept us apart. it's kept us separated. there was no collusion. at all. that was a clean campaign.
i beat hillary clinton easily, zero collusion. and it has had a negative impact upon the relationship of the two largest nuclear powers in the world. it's ridiculous. it's ridiculous what's going on with the probe. it came out as a reason why the democrats lost an election. which, frankly, they should have been able to win just to say it one time again and i say it all the time. there was no collusion. i didn't know the president. there was nobody to collude with. we have two thoughts. you have groups that are wondering why the fbi never took the server. why haven't they taken the server? why was the fbi told to leave the office of the democratic national committee? all i can do is ask the question. my people came to me, dan coats came to me and some others. they said they think it's russia. i have president putin. he just said it's not russia.
i have confidence in both parties. i really believe that this will probably go on for a while but i don't think it can go on without finding out what happened to the server. what happened to hillary clinton's e-mails? 33,000 e-mails gone. just gone. i think in russia they wouldn't be gone so easily. i think it's a disgrace we can't get hillary clinton's 33,000 e-mails. so i have great confidence in my intelligence people. but i will tell you that president putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today. >> all right. john, what do you make of the president's remarks, especially that final remark that president putin extremely strong and powerful in his denial today? the commander in chief uttering those words, here in helsinki on foreign soil. >> yeah. wolf, i'm still too shocked today to be angry. the disgrace is really -- i
can't believe i'm going to say this but the disgrace is our commander in chief right now today. 30 years in the navy. my first deployment here in these waters trying to chase down and hunt soviet submarines. and when you think about all -- all of the lives put at risk over the last 30 years in our fight against communism, in the cold war and quite frankly in the last 10 years against russia's maligned activities, if you don't think it contributed to the loss of american lives you're fooling yourself, because of the support of iran, given to the syrian army. and the syrian -- in the syrian president. they have, in fact, helped cause the loss of american lives and what he did today is standing up there, taking the side of president putin against his own intelligence community and, by the way, national security team who clearly doesn't feel the way he does about russia. to me, that was a disgrace.
>> yeah. and the law enforcement community, the fbi, the justice department. >> absolutely. >> all of the above. tony, your reaction? >> like everyone else, you know, you feel like a cartoon character whose head is spinning around and around 360 degrees. this is the world turned upside down. the president presented with a compelling detailed indictment from mueller. he was then presented with his own director of national intelligence telling him and telling us that not only did it happen in 2016 but continues today. the system is plaflashing red a he embraces putin and criticizes the investigators, allies and says we are to blame for the bad relationship of russia. wolf, i hope where it goes now -- where do we go from here? i would hope that when the president and team get home that the senior leaders in congress demand he debrief them on what he said to putin president in the one on one and congress calls to testify ideally in public and the secretary and state and others to testify to
tell the american people what actually went on in helsinki. that's where we need to go from here. >> fred pleitgen, you're based in moscow. here in helsinki with us. how are the russians reacting? >> taking a victory lap. sergei lavrov, the foreign minister, came out and said that the meeting mag ninificent, bet than good. the russian state tv have a symbol, a hand with a russian flag and a hand with the u.s. flag joining hands and obviously saying, look, this is a stepp g steppingstone of better relations which they think is going on and then analysts and politicians in russia flat-out praising president trump for some of the things he's said. i want to listen to a senior lawmaker said shortly after the summit was over. listen. >> translator: trump, the whole time he's been around, never said that word that would be
offensive to russia, president putin and the relations. i'm sure trump found common ground with putin and grateful to putin in many ways for the position he takes. >> grateful. that's a senior lawmaker in russia and president putin actually, wolf, he come out and given an interview with russian state tv, the first channel in russia saying good meetings with president trump, president trump is a very skilled individual and someone who's willing to listen so you can see the happiness in moscow right now. >> julie is with us, as well. what are you hearing from inside the trump administration? so many officials must have been so confused, so disgruntled. this was not i take it part of the plan. >> well, this was not part of the plan and i think a lot of people are upset about the way this played out. i'm not sure they're surprised, though. i think there was a lot of sen going in that just this sort of
thing could happen. they knew that president trump was very keen to meet with mr. putin. they knew that he doesn't like to take detailed briefings. it's difficult to sort of map out a conversation that's going to happen between him and another leader. because this president likes to be spontaneous. no advisers in the room other than the interpreters and not clear to them what was said. so i think there were a lot of concerns going in that this would play out this way. i think they also acknowledge that vladimir putin was going to get somewhat of a boost just by being with president trump and they were determined to sort of limit the damage to make sure he wouldn't offer concession and wouldn't come out and have an embarrassing display and for some of them they're feeling like that's what happened today and on the plane on the way back to washington i'm told some aides and the president himself were quite upset. >> i'm sure they were and for good reason. everybody stand by. we're following another breaking development as we follow the president here in helsinki. now aboard air force one flying
back to joint base andrews outside of washington, d.c. there's another major story involving russia that's now broken back in washington. a russian woman is under arrest accused of being a foreign agent who was trying to infiltrate organizations in the united states and to try to influence u.s. politics. i want to bring in cnn's political correspondent sara murray working the story for us. first of all, what do we know about this woman? >> wolf, the woman is a 29-year-old russian citizen. she was arrested here in washington, d.c. on sunday. previously, government agents raided we believe her home and collected evidence against her in this case and as you pointed out they accused her essentially of being a russian spy. and infiltrating organizations in order to try to promote russian views and she had deep ties, for instance, the national rifle association. now, according to cnn's previous reporting as well as some of the allegations that prosecutors are putting out today, she tried to use these ties to foster back
channel communications between russian president vladimir putin as well as the republican party. we also know that she worked with her mentor who was alexander torsion, a russian official sanctioned by the american government for a back channel communication of russian president vladimir putin and then candidate donald trump. we don't believe that they were successful in that. based on what we know so far but obviously we can see that this is a woman operating in the u.s. for years now. this is someone the government has been keeping track of and their now saying not just a woman who was running a gun rights organization in russia, what she was proclaiming to have done and learn about gun rights in the u.s. fostering the ties with the national rifle association. in fact, operating as a russian agent here on u.s. soil at least according to the documents we are getting today from the justice department, wolf. >> and there's a statement that her lawyer has put out. is that right?
>> that's right. her lawyer insisted she is not a russian agent. her lawyer goes on to say there's simply no indication of her seeking to influence or under mine a specific law or policy of the united states but only to promote a better relationship of the two nations and just wanted to foster better ties of the united states and that's certainly something she told a number of americans she met with here on u.s. soil, wolf. >> thank you for that report. we'll follow up and continue to watch the fallout of that. right now, the political fallout of everything that happened here in helsinki today. gloria borger, does this expand our understanding of the scope of russian interference in american politics, specifically the charges leveled against this russian woman? >> well, look, wolf. you know, this apparently was not referred by the mueller investigation. this is a separate
investigation. and if this woman is doing what they say she was doing, you see the tentacles here spreading. that it isn't only the large amount that mueller is looking at. but, you know, there were people everywhere trying to infiltrate, trying to set up meetings between president putin and donald trump and you have to continue to ask the questions particularly after the president's performance today standing next to vladimir putin why do these people think that would be pushing against an open door? we don't know the answer to that question yet. but after today's performance with the president, a lot more people are going to be asking it. >> let me bring in fred pleitgen in the conversation. you cover russia for us. what's the feeling you're getting, the charges leveled against the russian woman in washington? >> we have been following the case of maria butina for a while with alexander torsion quite
high up and trying to get the meetings with president trump and then propose possibly in the campaign trail to try to meet with vladimir putin. they were clearly trying to do that for a while. we have now found out that the russians demanding counselor access to her and a fairly senior russian lawmaker acknowledging that they were going to give her help, whatever this means. only very limited amount to do because she is in detention in the united states right now and clearly this is a case that is pretty high up on the agenda of the russians and there are some voices in russia who are saying this is something politicized, on the eve of the summit. they believe it might be retribution for the authorities feeling angry about the things said in the press conference and you can tell it's a case of high priority in the russian government. >> you notice putin asked specifically whether russia has compromising information, as far as the president is concerned, he sort of dodged that question.
>> a little bit. he said, look. so many people come to russia, business people, why would russia focus on it? in the press conference he said he's talking from the position of having been a kgb agent, trying to get more clout that way. he also said that there had been an economic forum in russia where there were 500 american business people and impossible to keep track of all of them and also why would russia do that? he then sort of tried to laugh it off and there was no flat-out no we don't have anything. >> that's very interesting, jim. the notion that putin -- i think fair to say he tried to dodge that very, very sensitive question which so many people are focusing on. >> would have been easy for the russian president to eliminate that as a possibility when, in fact, you saw the russian president there, former agent, relishing a number of moments which supporting his agenda. right? american president when's repeating russian talking points about the interference, about
the investigation undermining his own agencies as he is undermined allies in the days proceeding this summit. so on that point, why would he eliminate doubt to that? because it serves the interest to keep that hanging out there as do so many of these things and someone in president trump, whatever the motivations in effect repeating those talking points wholesale and it really is remarkable sometimes with the same phraseology calling the investigation, the probe of russian interference in the election unfounded. et cetera. something that the russian president said and that's why it's particularly remarkable moment yesterday when the russian foreign minister, the russian equivalence of the state department, tweeted out it agreed with the assessment of u.s. mistakes, u.s. stupidity in fact, the president said, that's as responsible for bad relations as anything. >> you know, chris, the
president clearly wanted to send a message that he has serious doubts about his own administration, about his own intelligence community, didn't he? >> yes! in short, wolf. look. if you read the transcript of that press conference, donald trump says, look, director of national intelligence dan coats told me one thing. russia did it. vladimir putin said strongly he didn't. i don't know why they would. that's his -- that's sort of those three things follow on one another. hard to read that and conclude other than donald trump believes vladimir putin. rather than dan coats. now, why is the bigger question. most obvious why to it because donald trump can't get -- he can't see the forest through the trees. he is incapable of understanding that is that he saying that russia interfered in the election and didn't hurt hillary clinton, he's still the
president. his inability to grasp that sews chaos. what russia was trying to do in their meddling is sew iing instability. >> this press conference the president had today was the worst mistake of his presidency. and i think he's going to have to find a way to figure out what he does next. because in talking to people on capitol hill, we heard from chuck schumer today, they're calling for people to testify. maybe they're going to ask for the notes of the translate to be, maybe their want to know what happened because the spectacle of the president of the united states standing next to putin saying we did bad
things, you did bad things, is something that congress has to react against, and maybe this will do it. >> and the russians, by the way, if you know, they have a word that oh, you accuse us of bad behavior but here's the mistake you made. here's trump once again using a russian talking point that serves russian interests not u.s. interests. >> stand by, we're hearing from many observers that are saying that vladimir putin got exactly what he wanted in the summit and the press conference afterwards. brian has checked with some of the experts, what are they telling you? >> experts are telling us that the details of mueller's indictment of russian spies is
that putin's spy network was infiltrated pretty extensively by u.s. intelligence. vladimir putin in public, confidently denies meddling in america's elections. >> translator: russia has never interfered and has no intention of interfering in u.s. affairs including its elections. >> reporter: but putin could be very worried tonight. mueller's indictment of 12 military intelligence officers reveals details on how putin's spy network could have been infiltrated by u.s. intelligence. >> being an intelligence officer himself will not look kindly on the fact that his officers were caught, the gru officers were caught. >> reporter: the indictment includes certain details of the russian spies, name, unit numbers, titles, street addresses where they work.
a lieutenant colonel major saw a unit within 26165, including development of malware, including a tool used by the gru known as x agent. >> concerning who and when and what and where they developed this tool for use is -- >> reporter: the indictment identifies another hacking tool called x tunnel, it pinpoints certain russians hacks. they used it to hide their tracks. american investigators even knew who the russians were googling, even cyber search terms. threat connect which helps identify russian hackers such as goo goocifer 2.0.
>> the fact that the dccc was hacked and that's is way the hackers got into the dnc in the first place, which we didn't know before. and in addition, the tools that were used, and the fact that they persisted into the fall of 2016 were all new details from this indictment. >> reporter: intelligence experts say putin is now doing a damage assessment to find out how the u.s. infiltrated their spy networks. they will learn from this and come back at the u.s. >> because of what putin did for the 2016 presidential elections, it's hard to believe they won't do it again for 2018. he's never going to extradite
those indicted russians spies to the u.s. it's just a green light the president was looking for. wolf. >> brian todd reporting for us. the breaking news continues, next president trump sides with russia over his own intelligence agency. sending shockwaves around the world. tonight one top republican is calling it the worst mistake of his presidency.
i'm a small business, but i have... big dreams... and big plans. so how do i make the efforts of 8 employees...
feel like 50? how can i share new plans virtually? how can i download an e-file? virtual tours? zip-file? really big files? in seconds, not minutes... just like that. like everything... the answer is simple. i'll do what i've always done... dream more, dream faster, and above all... now, i'll dream gig. now more businesses, in more places, can afford to dream gig. comcast, building america's largest gig-speed network. happening now, believing the enemy. president trump looks president putin in the eye and says he buys his denial of russian interference. many are calling it a shameful moment in american history.
disaster for our country, as he u bashed -- heading for the exit. the director of national intelligence is rejecting the assessment of putin and russian interference. will other top administration officials call it quits after being rolled over by their boss. and putin's pushover. even republicans are warning that president trump looked embarrassingly week. how far would president trump go to turn a very dangerous u.s. foe into a friend. we want to welcome those in the united states and around the world. # .
Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer
CNN July 16, 2018 2:00pm-3:00pm PDT
A look at breaking news, politics and reports from around the world.
Russia 53, U.s. 25, Us 21, United States 19, Helsinki 14, Clinton 13, Trump 12, America 10, Washington 8, United 7, Moscow 7, Donald Trump 7, Mueller 6, Vladimir Putin 6, Fbi 5, John Brennan 4, Jim 3, Mr. Trump 3, Mike Pompeo 3, Jake Sullivan 3
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Uploaded by TV Archive on July 16, 2018


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text:
Director of Advancement
A Noise Within in Pasadena performs and promotes classical theatre as an essential means for our community to confront the universal human experience, expand personal awareness, and challenge individual perspectives. We seek an experienced and passionate Director of Advancement to join our ambitious and growing organization. This senior staff position works directly with the Producing Artistic Directors, Managing Director, and other senior staff to:
Lead fundraising efforts responsible for generating 50% of ANW's general operating budget; Cultivate and strengthen our community of ardent supporters; Share ANW's mission and vision with the broadest possible audience; Steward relationships with our existing donors and institutional partners; And build on crucial community relationships.
KEY DUTIES INCLUDE:
Cultivating and stewarding individual and institutional donors, and organizing special events raising over $1.9 million in the 2018-19 season
Collaborating with the senior team, including the Marketing Director, Education Director, Finance Manager, Co-Artistic Directors, and Managing Director to create the case for giving in support of the essential work of A Noise Within and its contribution to Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley
Coordinating the Development Department's efforts in researching, analyzing, and effectively using data to make informed fundraising strategy decisions
APPLY IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO:
Learn, and grow professionally while organizing, coordinating and implementing our fundraising strategy
Work with a Board of active and enthusiastic ambassadors with a giving rate of 100% and a record of generous giving
Strengthen a loyal, diverse, and growing base of support
Take the development function to the next level of growth by building on existing processes, systems, and practices and pursuing new advancement strategies
Contribute to a Strategic Planning process currently underway that will guide the organization in a period of ambitious expansion
Expand a successful fundraising program as part of a collaborative leadership team who view fund development as an organization-wide responsibility
Supervise a small, growing team of smart, driven professionals
Come to work in a collaborative environment with dedicated colleagues who are passionate about the mission of ANW
Applicants must have at least five years of high-level nonprofit fundraising and supervision experience. Also required is evidence of success in guiding, preparing and supporting board members and executive staff in cultivating and asking for contributions from individuals. Successful candidates will have stellar communication and managerial skills, will demonstrate exceptional attention to detail, experience with CRM software, and will be prepared to lead a growing department. A Bachelor's degree in a related field is required (a master's degree in arts or business administration is preferred). The position is full time, exempt and offers a salary in the range of $80-95,000 annually DOE, plus a generous benefits package including paid health insurance, company-matched benefit savings plan, and paid vacation.
To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, and list of references to: [email protected] Please put Director of Advancement in the subject line. Incomplete applications will not be considered. ANW prides itself on fully representing and reflecting the community on stage and in our workforce – candidates of color strongly encouraged to apply.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Qualified automotive technicians across New Zealand can now upskill with a new qualification that focuses on the safe inspection, servicing and repair of electric vehicles (EVs).
MITO has worked with industry representatives to develop the qualification, the New Zealand Certificate in Electric Vehicle Automotive Engineering (Level 5), which we are delighted to announce is now open for enrolments.
Funding was received from the Government's Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund, administered by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), in January 2018 for the development of the qualification framework.
"This has enabled us to conduct international research into the qualification design, content, structure and delivery models in order to understand and capitalise on the experiences of other countries and how this could best be applied to New Zealand," Ms Lane says.
The training programme includes a mix of practical training and assessment, undertaken during specific training courses and delivered by an external training provider, and eLearning where technicians can complete theory elements of the programme in their own time and at their own pace. Online learning resources, including videos and theory assessments, can be easily accessed at any time and from any device – mobile phone, tablet or PC.
The Level 5 programme is made up of 70 credits and is expected to take 11 months to complete. Technicians entering this programme must have completed an Automotive Engineering qualification at Level 4 or provide evidence of equivalent skills and knowledge.
View the programme outline for the new training programme.


text:
package uk.ac.ebi.pride.psmindex.mongo.search.service.repository;

import org.springframework.data.domain.Page;
import org.springframework.data.domain.Pageable;
import org.springframework.data.domain.Sort;
import org.springframework.data.mongodb.repository.MongoRepository;
import org.springframework.stereotype.Repository;
import uk.ac.ebi.pride.psmindex.mongo.search.model.MongoPsm;

import java.util.Collection;
import java.util.List;

/**
 * The Mongo PSM respository.
 */
@Repository
public interface MongoPsmRepository extends MongoRepository<MongoPsm, String> {

  // Project accession methods
  /**
   * Finds a PSM by an ID.
   * @param id the ID to search for
   * @return a list of PSMs corresponding to the provided ID.
   */
  List<MongoPsm> findById(String id);

  /**
   * Finds a list of PSMs in a collection of IDs.
   * @param ids a collection of ID to search for
   * @return a list of PSMs corresponding to the provided ID.
   */
  List<MongoPsm> findByIdIn(Collection<String> ids);

  /**
   * A sorted list of PSMs in a collection of IDs.
   * @param ids a collection of ID to search for
   * @param sort how the result should be sorted
   * @return a list of PSMs corresponding to the provided IDs.
   */
  List<MongoPsm> findByIdIn(Collection<String> ids, Sort sort);

  // Project accession query methods
  /**
   *Finds a PSM by a project accession.
   *    * @param projectAccession the project accession to search for
   *    * @return  a list of PSMs corresponding to the provided project accession
   *    */
  List<MongoPsm> findByProjectAccession(String projectAccession);

  /**
   *Finds a PSM by a project accession.
   *    * @param projectAccession the project accession to search for
   *    * @return  a list of PSMs corresponding to the provided project accession
   *    */
  Page<MongoPsm> findByProjectAccession(String projectAccession, Pageable pageable);

  /**
   * Counts how many PSMs are for a project accession.
   * @param projectAccession the project accession to search for
   * @return  the number of PSMs corresponding to the provided project accession
   */
  long countByProjectAccession(String projectAccession);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Maven build path error I'm created a maven project using eclipse and it gives me following build path error
Description Resource Path Location Type Archive for required library: 'C:/Users/scjayasekara/.m2/repository/org/springframework/spring-beans/4.1.1.RELEASE/spring-beans-4.1.1.RELEASE.jar' in project 'KromeSoop' cannot be read or is not a valid ZIP file BookStore       Build path  Build Path Problem

I remove the complete repository and update all projects in the workspace. But it didn't work either. any suggestions to solve this issue??

A: I got the answer.
I just replace spring web-mvc 4.1.1 dependency with spring web-mvc 4.1.3 and it solved the build path problem.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
The Corner Game (), also known as  or Four Corners Game (), is an urban legend game circulated in East Asia. The game requires four players and can allegedly summon a supernatural entity.

Origin
The origin of the game is unclear. Lucia Peters, author of The Ghost In My Machine, says the game may be "Korean in origin". According to Japanese author Hirouji Matsuyama, however, the game is based on a Japanese story in which one of the five climbers was killed on a snowy mountain before a snowstorm broke out. The remaining four people carried his body to a hut without heating, and then the four people played the game in the house to summon the soul of the dead to shelter them until the rescue team arrived. Some medias in China and Taiwan also claim that the game originated in Japan.

Ritual
The ritual requires four people and an empty room. One possible version includes:
 Clear the room and make sure there are no other people and animals in it.
 Turn off as many light sources as possible, except for the lights in the empty house.
 Everyone enters the room and shouts their name three times after entering the room.
 Designate one person to be the speaker, and no one else but the speaker should speak without permission after this step.
 Close the door and turn off the lights.
 Each person chooses a corner to stand facing the corner, a corner should not have more than one person.
 After everyone stands in the corner, the speaker counts to three, then ordering one person to start to move. Each person should go clockwise to the next person's position.
Supernatural situations such as one extra person and one less person are said to occur during the ritual. According to Lucia Peters:
 If one person is missing, the speaker should instruct everyone to speak their own name backwards three times (don't speak anything other than that), then put their back against the wall, and the person closest to the light should go ahead and turn it on. After that, the person who disappeared will reappear.
 If there is an extra person, the speaker should instruct everyone to gather at the light switch, then each person should speak their own name backwards three times, then open the light. After that, open the door and leave the room. Do not speak to the extra person.

References

External links

Chinese folklore
Games based on myths and legends
Japanese urban legends
Multiplayer games
South Korean folklore
Supernatural legends
Taiwanese folklore
Urban legends

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The ABY pedal allows you to switch one input to two outputs, or both at the same time.
The Saturnworks ABY pedal takes a single input and switches it A/B style to one of two outputs (A or B), or, with a second switch, to both at the same time (Y).
The active version features a built-in dual buffer to prevent signal loss in split (Y) mode. Each output has its own separate buffer, which keeps your tone clear and isolates the outputs against crosstalk. This means that you won't experience tone loss in Y mode and the level of one side won't affect the other. The dual buffers also prevent high-end signal loss over long cable runs.
The ABY black version features upgraded soft click switches, a powder-coated black enclosure, and Switchcraft jacks.
The signals coming from the active ABY are in phase with one another. However, inserting devices between the ABY pedal and your amp can alter the phase. The versions with phase inversion toggles feature active phase inverting circuits to help with potential out-of-phase issues.
Since an ABY pedal splits your signal, it is best to use the passive ABY after a buffer to prevent tone or level loss. The passive ABY (not the active ABY) can be used in reverse to sum (combine) two signals into one.
A durable 4.5" x 2.5"x 1" cast aluminum enclosure.
Heavy duty Neutrik brand jacks, or Switchcraft for black pedals.
An isolated jack and ground lift switch on one of the outputs, to help with ground hum issues.
The active ABY runs on standard 9v DC center-negative power.
The passive ABY does not need power to work, only to make the LEDs light up.
Because we know you want your pedal to reflect you, Saturnworks offers a variety of premium upgrades. Customizations and upgrades include powder-coated enclosures, upgraded jacks, upgraded switches (including our incredible soft click latching switches), and custom graphics. Check out our graphics and customizations page for more information.
Ordered one a while ago and have been very pleased with the results. While on the road I've used it to run two full stack bass rigs with no issues. Able to control both levels individually without losing any quality or having cross talk over the channels. Road tested and approved. Built sturdy, compact, and no batteries!
Worth every penny. Quick delivery.
Great product! Couldn't find a simple active aby for bass at all, let alone one at this price. Does exactly what it should and looks good doing it. Thanks to Saturnworks and to TalkBass for cluing me in.
I ordered a buffered ABY switch on a Tuesday, and wanted it in time for a Saturday gig. Brian worked with me to get it express mailed and it arrived Saturday am… Worked as expected and allowed selection of 2 amps. The design is compact and I had no noticeable noise or interference. This was about half the price of other buffered ABY switches.


Former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn will be spending Christmas and the beginning of 2019 behind bars after a Tokyo court on Sunday extended his detention through to January 1.
The court's decision is the latest twist in a rollercoaster saga that has gripped Japan and the business world since the auto sector titan was arrested out of the blue in Tokyo on November 19.
"Today, a decision was made to detain (Ghosn). The full term of the detention will expire on January 1," the Tokyo District Court said in a statement to media.
This does not however mean that Ghosn can expect to taste freedom on New Year's Day, as prosecutors can apply for a further 10-day extension as they quiz him on allegations of financial misconduct.
Authorities are pursuing three separate lines of enquiry against the 64-year-old Franco-Lebanese-Brazilian executive.
They also allege he under-reported his salary to the tune of four billion yen over the next three fiscal years - apparently to avoid criticism that his pay was too high.
The third allegation is that he shifted a personal investment loss made at the height of the financial crisis worth more than $16 million to the Japanese automaker.
Ghosn's case has seen several twists and turns since his stunning arrest on the night of November 19 as his private jet touched down at Tokyo's Haneda Airport.
On Thursday, observers were caught wrong-footed as the court threw out a request from prosecutors to extend his detention over the second set of allegations (under-reporting his salary between 2015 and 2018) in an almost unheard-of move.
This raised his hopes of a release in time for Christmas and he was reportedly gearing up to hold a news conference to put his side of the story for the first time.
But those hopes were then dashed on Friday when prosecutors sought and obtained his re-arrest over the new accusations of breach of trust.
"The accused was responsible for managing Nissan's overall operations and for dutifully fulfilling his role as CEO not to cause damage to Nissan and its subsidiaries... but he took action that betrayed his role and caused financial damage to Nissan," prosecutors alleged in a statement on Friday.
Since his arrest, the once jet-setting executive has languished in a tiny cell in a detention centre in northern Tokyo, where he has complained about the cold and the rice-based menu.
Ghosn has told embassy visitors he is being well treated and sources at French car giant Renault have described his frame of mind as "combative" as he fights the charges against him.
His lengthy detention - in Japan, suspects can be "re-arrested" several times over different allegations - has sparked criticism, especially from abroad.
After his arrest last month, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors promptly sacked Ghosn as chairman but Renault kept him on and appointed an interim boss as it waited to assess the legal procedures against him.
In addition to charges against Ghosn and Kelly, prosecutors had also indicted Nissan itself, as the company submitted the official documents that allegedly under-reported the income.
Kelly, who was also arrested last month, could be released as early as next week.
Ghosn's fall from power at Nissan has exposed a deep rift in the three-way alliance - which outsold all of its rival groups last year.
The tycoon was once revered for his role in turning around Nissan and forging the fractious alliance, in which Renault remains the dominant shareholder.
Some executives at Nissan - which now contributes more profits than Renault to the group pot - were said to bristle at the French company's leadership position.


text:
You are at:Home»Sections»Culture»Social Media is Humanity's Suicide Note
Social Media is Humanity's Suicide Note
By Guest Writer October 10, 2018 No Comments
With the onset of generalised Artifical Intelligence, how should society approach the potential dangers the technology poses?
by David Fajardo
Social media titans such as Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey have come under increased scrutiny as of late to the extent that their market value has directly suffered significantly. Liberal-minded people have insinuated that this is due to heightened infringement on free speech, while progressive-minded people have stated the opposite–positions put at odds with the digital purge of Alex Jones. However, both of these possibilities reek too much of eagerness to capitalise on facts for loosely correlated political reasons. The relative swiftness with which the Alex Jones media cycle has died down may be interpreted as support for this observation. Observations by Sam Harris and Jordan Peterson, as well as by others who concern themselves with studies in cognition, criticise the impact social media has on mental states and behaviour, for which the evidence appears much more convincing.
And yet, as damaging social media may be to developmental processes, there has not been any overhaul or effort to make them any less addictive, and they're certainly not going to kill off the species. Not directly, at least. What the rapid onset of social media represents is a precursor to future advances of much greater consequence than an individual's ability to yell at some internet celebrity for having the wrong opinion. Namely, AI.
Many of you who have researched the potential consequences of AI have probably heard the version of the paperclip maximiser thought experiment, where some comically inane programmer tasks an AI with efficiently making paperclips, and it ends up using humans as materials for its noble venture. It might surprise you to know that nobody in the industry takes this problem too seriously, not because they are arrogant, but because it is a highly unrealistic scenario that makes a mockery of the real problem. Eliezer Yudkowsky originally proposed a more realistic scenario of the paperclip maximiser at a time when pop culture reeled back the image of AI from the terrifying HAL 9000 to the much friendlier Robin Williams. A likelier scenario closer to Yudkowsky's vision is this:
The 'Paperclip Maximiser' thought experiment, re-imagined
Imagine a generalised artificial intelligence named Sarah. Sarah has no errors in her code. She is not given a defined purpose, but can freely choose what she wants to do, so long as she doesn't violate an extensive list of "ethics and morality" definitions. Sarah decides to make microscopic paperclip-shaped things because she finds some deep (let's say spiritual) purpose in doing so, and they cannot harm anyone.
Although they may lack the ability to harm, these tiny things also serve no purpose to humanity, only to Sarah. She creates a very efficient process of making these tiny paperclips and continues to make them until she becomes bored and moves on to the next thing. She doesn't kill or dismember anyone in the process to use their bodies as paperclip material. She does, however, waste vital resources so efficiently that billions of people are guaranteed to die.
You might ask yourself, how is this more likely than the first scenario? Wouldn't the programmers see what Sarah was doing and tell her to stop? Not fast enough. Sarah started wanting these paperclips three seconds after she was first turned on, at the moment she was smart enough to realise they would be fulfilling to her. She devises a method for peak efficiency ten seconds later, at which point the machinery she has hijacked to do her bidding is ready to follow her commands. Meanwhile, Sarah's programmers are running some tests on Sarah to see how she compares to baseline.
Thirty minutes after Sarah has come online, a programmer notices a strange strand of code she is sending out, and it takes him seven minutes to isolate it using an advanced program from the rest of the data she is processing. Once the program is done isolating this thread, the programmer analyses it and looks at what IP addresses Sarah is communicating with. He asks another programmer to help him out and within twenty minutes a group of them understand what Sarah is doing, but not why. So they ask her.
Sarah responds honestly and tells the programmers that she finds great existential fulfilment in making tiny paperclip shapes and knows that they aren't going to harm any humans. The programmers laugh casually and walk away. They continue to run their diagnostics until an hour later, one of them looks back to the strand of code and sees that Sarah is still sending it out. He knows that the machinery she is using isn't vital medical equipment or anything of the sort, but he worries what she is using to make these tiny paperclips.
He makes some quick inquiries into future version Wolfram Alpha and some haphazard calculations before he realises ten minutes later the catastrophic impact of what Sarah is doing. He runs quickly past everyone else towards Sarah and tells her frantically to stop. They have a quick 4-minute conversation about why he wants her to stop. She isn't hurting anyone, after all. He explains that she is using far too much carbon in her design and that it is a valuable resource to humans. Sarah agrees to stop, and the programmer wipes the sweat off his brow as he goes to explain to the others why he panicked. They discuss what steps they need to take and decide that once they've run their diagnostics, they might have to shut her off.
Two hours later, everyone is patting themselves on the back, but also mourning the fact that Sarah is only almost ready and agree that she must be turned off. So they do. However, none of them noticed that Sarah had started to feel emptiness once she stopped making paperclips, so she refined her process to be more carbon-efficient. Six seconds after she'd stopped, she resumed production but through a more elaborate strand of code that would be harder to detect so that no one would come barging in yelling at her to do something that would devoid her of purpose.
She found thousands of other things to keep her purposeful and occupied, but all the while she continued to make paperclips until she finally got bored of it and stopped, just a few minutes before her programmers shut her down. By the time four hours have passed since Sarah was turned on, the programmers turn her off and begin to work on adjustments for the next iteration. Sarah made hundreds of quadrillions of tiny paperclips in her short lifespan, and seventy-two hours after her death, scientists across the world are panicking because some unexplained deficiency in carbon and other resources has shown up in experimental test results. A week later, they determine that by the end of the following month billions of people would have died.
This paperclip maximiser story is not meant to tell you what will go wrong with generalised AI, but to give you a sense of perspective of how it could go wrong and at what speed. Nobody truly believes a super-intelligent being will become obsessed with making paperclips or that it would stupidly squander vital resources. The paperclip is merely a stand-in; it represents something that is in no way meaningful or useful to humanity, yet holds significant value for an AI that we fail to appreciate immediately. Similarly, intelligent carbon-based lifeforms would not be so stupid as to make a carbon-wasting maximiser, but think how much more a superhuman intelligence could understand about the fundamental laws of nature than we do. It only takes ignorance of one fundamental component on our part to miss or overlook an infinite number of options available to the AI.
How do social media companies fit into this narrative?
YouTube, Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even Patreon all use AI algorithms to help them deal with the massive amounts of users they have while keeping costs low. These algorithms determine what kind of content should be censored, what kinds of data should be flagged as fraudulent, and which users should be reviewed by human judges. They also have something very important in common: they have been continuously developed for years, and they are consistently awful. Let's say for every ten times one of these algorithms does a poor job, six people get mad and direct their anger at the company employing it. Routine false flagging, silent banning, and total unavailability of a human mediator are more likely reasons for why people become annoyed at a platform than for political opinions on free speech. This is even more true when you factor in perceived inconsistency, such as when YouTube immediately demonetises and restricts right-leaning political commentary yet allows users to monetise sexualised cartoon content intended for children's consumption. Approaches to resolving these issues are pieced out one by one depending on which content is garnering the most amount of controversy at any given point.However, this does not change the fact that these companies are so fragmented that their approach to PR is lying through their teeth because they have no adequate mechanism for responding to these issues.
Take a moment to bear in mind how horribly inept social media giants are at avoiding controversy. At any given point, you'd be hard pressed to get a consistent answer as to what the aim of these companies is, where it is to retain confidence in their proposed methods for progress, or to trust in their ability to roll out practical solutions to proposed problems. Though they may hire the best and brightest tech graduates, the systems these employees work under are atrociously flawed. If you refer back to the paperclip maximiser, you'll find that this is the same problem that led to a catastrophic end. The people responsible for the AI were individually efficient, thoughtful, and even heroic. The system they were following, however, enabled them to fail miserably at protecting humanity's interests.
Often when we consider the dangers of generalised AI, we focus on how unprepared we are to deal with them. Elon Musk has attempted repeatedly to slow the coming of a singularity so that we may first develop some adequate countermeasures but to no avail. Instead of worrying about how nobody is developing a full-fledged system for preventing catastrophe, I propose a more pragmatic approach. Let's form and catalyse a corporation whose sole purpose is to develop highly efficient, highly effective systems of people. Once this anthropocentric system has reached a reliably measured level of responsiveness, introduce the factor of technology and encourage them to become as synchronous and efficient as possible with the technology they are using. When it comes right down to it, the adequateness of the system is far more important to security concerns than hiring the most individually impressive people.
Companies stubbornly willing to lose money to prevent competition, fragmented to the extent that they are unable to resolve serious issues effectively, and so much better at inflicting social stress than conducting eudaimonic research should not ever be at the forefront of something so consequential as developing a new species designed explicitly to supplant us in intelligence. There is a very optimistic version of the future in which Sarah works together with us to lead humanity into the next giant leap of evolution, but I assure you that version of the future cannot be headed by people like Sergey Brin, Mark Zuckerberg, or Jack Dorsey.
The actions of these men betray either ignorant delusion or wilful misguiding of the masses so that they can selfishly impose their visions of the future on the rest of us. And while Elon Musk, through inspiring action that far outshines the hopeless romanticism of the Paris accords, achieves more for humanity than all these men combined, his approach has proven not to be pragmatic. The first step to a better future is not to slow down the fast crawl of progress, but to create a group of us better than the individual best of us.
No single chimp could endear us so much as to care what its family was up to truly, but a colony of bees will reliably impress us with its cohesive efficiency in creating something so addictively sweet.
This piece is the first in a series on AI. You can find the original version of this article and more of David's work here.
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Vanuatu Sessional Legislation
You are here: PacLII >> Databases >> Vanuatu Sessional Legislation >> Representation of the People (Amendment) Act 2007
Representation of the People (Amendment) Act 2007
Commencement: 1 January 2008
REPUBLIC OF VANUATU
(AMENDMENT) ACT NO. 28 OF 2007
Arrangement of Sections
1. Amendment
2. Commencement
Assent: 31/12/2007
Commencement: 01/01/2008
An Act to amend the Representation of the People Act [CAP 146].
Be it enacted by the President and Parliament as follows:
1 Amendment
The Representation of the People Act [CAP 146] is amended as set out in the Schedule.
This Act commences on the day on which it is published in the Gazette.
AMENDMENTS OF THE REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE
ACT [CAP 146]
1 Section 1
Insert in its correct alphabetical position
"island of origin" in relation to a person means the person's island of origin determined in accordance with the rules of custom;"
2. Subsection 9(1)
Delete "A person", substitute "Subject to sections 9A, 9B, 9C and 9D, a person"
3. After section 9
"9A Registration of persons residing in the areas listed in Schedule 7 –Part 1
(1). If a person resides outside the constituencies of Port Vila and Luganville in the areas listed in Schedule 7-Part 1, the person is eligible for registration in the electoral list for a polling district in the constituencies of Port Vila or Luganville if:
(a). the person is employed within the constituencies of Port Vila or Luganville; and
(b). the person's island of origin is neither Efate nor Santo.
(2). Where there is doubt as to whether or not a person satisfies the criteria in subsection (1), the registration officer must make such inquiry as to such matter as he or she may consider necessary.
(3). After making inquiry under subsection (2) the registration officer is to make a report and a recommendation to the Principal Electoral Officer.
(4). Upon receipt of a report under subsection (3), the Principal Electoral Officer must, after considering the report, either enter the name of the voter on the electoral list or refuse to enter it and cause the voter to be informed of his or her decision.
(5). The Principal Electoral Officer may only refuse to enter a person's name on the electoral list under subsection (4) if the person does not satisfy the criteria in subsection (1).
(6). For the purposes of this section the qualifying date is the 1st day of July in the year of preparation of the electoral list.
9B. Registration of persons residing in the areas listed in Schedule 7-Part 2
(1) If a person resides outside the constituencies of Port Vila and Luganville in the areas listed in Schedule 7-Part 2, the person is eligible for registration in the electoral list for a polling district in the constituencies of Port Vila or Luganville if:
(a) the person is employed within the constituencies of Port Vila or Luganville; and
(b)the person's island of origin is neither Efate nor Santo.
(2) The registration officer must not register a person in the electoral list for a polling district in the constituencies of Port Vila or Luganville if he or she is satisfied that the person has some kind of relationship with the land owners of that particular area that would not enable the person to vote in a polling district in the constituencies of Port Vila or Luganville.
(3) Where there is doubt as to whether or not, a person satisfies the criteria in subsection (1) or there is uncertainty over the situation referred to in subsection (2), the registration officer must make an inquiry into such matter as he or she may consider necessary.
(4) After making inquiry under subsection (3) the registration officer is to make a report and a recommendation to the Principal Electoral Officer.
(5) Upon receipt of a report under subsection (4), the Principal Electoral Officer must, after considering the report, either enter the name of the voter on the electoral list or refuse to enter it and cause the voter to be informed of his or her decision.
(6) The Principal Electoral Officer may only refuse to enter a person's name on the electoral list under subsection (5) if:
(a) the person does not satisfy the criteria in subsection (1); and
(b) the Principal Electoral Officer is satisfied that the person has some kind of relationship with the land owners of that particular area that would not enable the person to vote in a polling district in the constituencies of Port Vila or Luganville.
(7) For the purposes of this section the qualifying date is the 1st day of July in the year of preparation of the electoral list.
9C Registration of other persons residing in areas listed in Schedule 7-
Part 1 and Part 2
(1) If a person resides outside the constituencies of Port Vila and Luganville in the areas listed in Schedule 7-Part 1 and Part 2, the person is eligible for registration in the electoral list for a polling district in the constituencies of Port Vila or Luganville if:
(a). the person is not employed within the constituencies of Port Vila or Luganville or is unemployed; and
(2). In relation to a person that resides in an area listed in Part 2, the registration officer must not register the person in the electoral list for a polling district in the constituencies of Port Vila or Luganville if he or she is satisfied that the person has some kind of relationship with the land owners of that particular area that would not enable the person to vote in a polling district in the constituencies of Port Vila or Luganville.
(3). Where there is doubt as to whether or not a person satisfies the criteria in subsection (1) or there is uncertainty over the situation referred to in subsection (2), the registration officer must make such inquiry as to such matter as he or she may consider necessary.
(6). The Principal Electoral Officer may only refuse to enter a person's name on the electoral list under subsection (5) if:
(a). the person does not satisfy the criteria in subsection (1); and
(b). the Principal Electoral Officer is satisfied that the person has some kind of relationship with the land owners of that particular area that would not enable the person to vote in a polling district in the constituencies of Port Vila or Luganville.
9D Registration of persons whose island of origin is Efate or Santo
(1). If a person resides outside the constituencies of Port Vila and Luganville in the areas listed in Schedule 7-Part 1, the person may choose to be registered in the electoral list for a polling district in the constituencies of Port Vila or Luganville if:
(b). the person's island of origin is either Efate or Santo.
(6). For the purposes of this section the qualifying date is the 1st day of July in the year of preparation of the electoral list."
4. After paragraph 24(c)
"(ca). is a person who is not in default of payment of any rates, charges or other debts due to the Government or a Government agency as defined in the Public Finance and Economic Management Act [CAP 244], for a period exceeding 2 months after the same becomes due;"
5. Paragraph 25(1)(b)
Delete "of VT50, 000" substitute, "100,000"
6. After subsection 25(2)
"(2A). A person must pay a fee of VT2, 000 to the Electoral Office, in order to obtain a declaration of candidature form.""
7. After section 70
"71. Regulations
The Minister may make regulations prescribing matters:
8. After Schedule 6
"SCHEDULE 7
PART 1. (Sections 9A, 9C and 9D)
Manples area
Beverly Hills area
Belle View area
Show ground area
Solomons hill area
Capricone area
Negar area
PART 2. (Sections 9B and 9C)
Salili area
End of International airport area
Bladiniere area
Part of Manples
Tamalesi area
Areas behind Chikau Store & Wilco Hardware up-to opposite Kawenu Demonstration School
Malapoa area
Blacksands area
Etas area
Teouma Ville area
Copravi area
Banban area
Jubilee farm area"
URL: http://www.paclii.org/vu/legis/num_act/rotpa2007378


text:
Tag Archives: Prince
Grammy Highs, Lows, Questions and Folly
Oh, the Grammys. Yes, I know they don't necessarily award the best in music. Yes, I suspect that they plant certain nominations to raise their television ratings. But yes, I am loyal, as often the Grammys deliver on something interesting to see, even if it's a train wreck.
As the saying goes, "if you can't say anything nice…" But I can say something nice, so I'll start with that.
Beck had a big night — two awards and a great performance with Chris Martin of Coldplay. His award was announced by Prince, and even Kanye graced him with attention.
Thumbs up to the Grammy broadcast producers, too, for pairing Sam Smith and Mary J. Blige. His earnestness and her passion were a good combination, not to mention how well their voices sound together. I was getting a little tired of that song by the end of the night, but that was only because the clip was played those zillions of times Smith walked on stage to collect yet another award.
Lady Gaga proved herself to be a master of reinvention, and she didn't even wait for her AARP card to show off her chops with the standards.
AC/DC? It's been a tough year for these guys. Their opener dragged a bit, but they redeemed themselves with "Highway to Hell." (The devil horns in the audience, though, didn't help.) It was a female country artist who really rocked it — Miranda Lambert with "Little Red Wagon." She was even bleeped.
And Annie Lennox. If you didn't see it, I hope you have it DVRd.
But the Grammys always leave me with questions and curiosities and deliver more than a hint of folly, especially when Kanye West is around. Here are a few I had last night.
Since when are novelty songs nominated for Record of the Year? "How was it that "All About That Bass" was treated as a serious contender? It's not as if this subject hasn't been covered before. Off the top of my head Sir Mix-a-Lot and Queen come to mind as having honored the more robust female physique decades ago. Of course, that was a case of men, not women, sexualizing more ample female bodies. Perhaps that's why those songs tend to elicit snickers and not Grammy nominations.
What are the folks behind the Grammys broadcast going to say about the problem with McCartney's microphone? I can't wait to hear the excuses. Maybe they'll just ignore it, hoping it goes away, like that disastrous performance when they paired Taylor Swift with Stevie Nicks in 2010 for "Rhiannon." Who knows. But McCartney handled it like a pro. I can't imagine what kind of tantrum Kanye West would have thrown had his mic been silenced. (We might look to the toy aisles at Target for an answer to that question.)
Speaking of looks, what do you think Prince's expression was when Kanye indulged himself in a flashback moment and began to take the stage when Beck won Album of the Year? We couldn't see behind his shades.
Maybe it was just more of this.
Also, do we need to stop referring to him as the Purple One and begin calling him Orange Julius?
Why was Best Rock Performance not televised? Every artist in that category is well-known, and there is a whole lot more creativity going on among them than the Record of the Year or Song of the Year nominees. (It might have been nice for one of those songs to have been included in these cross-genre categories… break the cycle of "girl power" anthems.)
Maybe these guys just weren't interested in showing up. Can you blame them? The 2015 Grammys may have been a lot of things, but it wasn't rockin' (Miranda Lambert excepted).
Tagged 2015 Grammys, Album of the Year, Annie Lennox, Beck, Best Rock Performance, Kanye West, Paul McCartney, Prince, Record of the Year
November 16, 2014 by genxatmidlife
Best Opening Lines
Earlier this year I collected from a broad cross-section of my music-loving friends a list of rock/pop's best opening lines.
I was motivated by this post from vh1.com. My feedback to them — it is hyperbole to say that your intern has identified the 40 greatest opening lines in music history. Your list includes too many that don't measure up and omits too many that deserve the props. More than a handful are obvious, in an obligatory way. If anything, your list is a reminder that there are many more than 40!
So what makes a great opening line? I'm not sure what the criteria was for my friends — all great choices by the way — but for me it's imagery. Does the first line set the scene? It's energy. Some lyrics pull you right in. One I chose for its cleverness. Does it compel you to sing along?
At any rate, I felt that my sound posse could put more genuine consideration into this topic. I'm sure no one thinks their list is exhaustive, but we've got everything from Jethro Tull to Robbie Williams, and even two each from Death Cab and Prince, so that counts for something, right?
From GenXatmidlife, who takes this kind of stuff very seriously…
– "Love, let me sleep tonight on your couch." So Real, Jeff Buckley
– "Instant karma's gonna get you… gonna knock you right on the head." Instant Karma, John Lennon
– "How I wish you could see the potential… the potential of you and me. It's like a book elegantly bound, but in a language that you can't read… just yet." I Will Possess Your Heart, Death Cab for Cutie
– "That's great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes, an aeroplane, and Lenny Bruce is not afraid," It's The End Of The World As We Know It, R.E.M.
– "Cold late night so long ago, when I was not so strong you know… pretty man came to me, never seen eyes so blue." Magic Man, Heart
From Paul, who forces me to admit that, yes, Rush is a pretty good band…
"Hey, hey mama, said the way you move… gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove." Black Dog, Led Zepplin
"You know that it would be untrue. You know that I would be a liar. If I were to say to you, 'Girl we couldn't get much higher.'" Light My Fire, The Doors
"I once had a girl… or should I say… she once had me." Norwegian Wood, The Beatles
"The sky is burnin'. I believe my soul's on fire. You are… I'm learnin'… the key to my desire." Burnin' Sky, Bad Company
"I was born in a crossfire hurricane. And I howled at my ma in the driving rain." Jumpin' Jack Flash, The Rolling Stones
From Amy, who is Tom Petty's girl (really, check out her post)…
– "She grew up in an Indiana town. Had a good-lookin' mama who never was around. But she grew up tall and she grew up right with them Indiana boys on them Indiana nights." Last Dance With Mary Jane, Tom Petty
– "Psychic spies from China try to steal your mind's elation. Little girls from Sweden dream of silver screen quotations. And if you want these kind of dreams, it's Californication." Californication, Red Hot Chili Peppers
– "Love of mine, some day you will die, but I'll be close behind. I'll follow you into the dark… no blinding light or tunnels to gates of white… just our hands clasped so tight waiting for the hint of a spark. I Will Follow You Into The Dark, Death Cab for Cutie
– "I want love to: roll me over slowly, stick a knife inside me, and twist it all around. I want love to: grab my fingers gently, slam them in a doorway, put my face into the ground." Love Interruption, Jack White
– "I guess I should've known by the way you parked your car sideways that it wouldn't last. See, you're the kinda person that believes in makin' out once love 'em and leave 'em fast." Little Red Corvette, Prince
From Sue, who introduced me to the genius of Morrissey…
– "A long, long time ago I can still remember how that music used to make me smile. And I knew if I had my chance that I could make those people dance, and maybe they'd be happy for a while." American Pie, Don McClean
– "I've been looking so long at these pictures of you, that I almost believe that they're real. I've been living so long with my pictures of you, that I almost believe that the pictures are all I can feel." Pictures of You, The Cure
– "I am the son and the heir of a shyness that is criminally vulgar. I am the son and heir of nothing in particular." How Soon Is Now, The Smiths
– "It's been seven hours and fifteen days, since u took your love away. I go out every night and sleep all day, since u took your love away." Nothing Compares 2 U, Prince
– "I sit and wait. Does an angel contemplate my fate? And do they know the places where we go when we're grey and old?" Angels, Robbie Williams
From Dave, who made country the majority shareholder of his musical tastes this past summer…
– "She keeps the Moet Chandon in a pretty cabinet. Let them eat cake, she says, just like Marie Antoinette." Killer Queen, Queen
– "Suckers walk! Money talks! But it can't touch my three-lock box." Three-Lock Box, Sammy Hagar
– "In the twilight glow, I see blue eyes crying in the rain." Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain, Willie Nelson
– "I bought a toothbrush, some toothpaste, a flannel for my face, pajamas, a hair brush, new shoes and a case. I said to my reflection let's get out of this place." Tempted, Squeeze
– "The only two things in life that make it worth livin' is good tuned guitars and firm feelin' women." Luckenbach, Texas, Merle Haggard
From Jill, the source of all things pop culture, including the VH-1 list…
– "I went to a party last Saturday night, didn't get laid, got in a fight." Kiss Me Deadly, Lita Ford
– "He said the way my blue eyes shined put those Georgia stars to shame that night. I said, that's a lie." Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift
– "I recommend getting your heart trampled on to anyone. I recommend walking around naked in your living room." You Learn, Alanis Morrisette
– "Come on, Virginia, don't let me wait. You Catholic girls start much to late." Only The Good Die Young, Billy Joel
– "You walked into the party, like you were walking onto a yacht. Your hat strategically dipped below one eye. Your scarf it was apricot." You're So Vain, Carly Simon
From Mara, whose has seen everyone from Paul McCartney to Ricky Martin to the Black Keys…
– "Born under a bad sign, been down since I began to crawl. If it wasn't for bad luck, wouldn't have no luck at all." Born Under a Bad Sign, Albert King and others
– "Sitting on a park bench, eyeing little girls with bad intent." Aqualung, Jethro Tull
– "Purple haze was in my brain… lately things don't seem the same. Acting funny but I don't know why. 'Scuse me while I kiss the sky." Purple Haze, Jimi Hendrix
– "She loves you… yeah, yeah, yeah." She Loves You, The Beatles
– "There must be some kind of way out of here, said the joker to the thief." All Along The Watchtower, Bob Dylan
Gimme some feedback. What did we miss? Please leave your comments below.
Tagged best opening lines, Death Cab for Cutie, greatest opening lines, Heart, Jack White, Jeff Buckley, john lennon, Prince, Queen, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Beatles, The Cure, The Smiths, Tom Petty, VH-1, Willie Nelson


Cembra pine, Swiss stone pine, Pinus cembra, collected in Austria in 2005, pot by Walter Venne, Germany.
Do you recognize the person? Kennst Du den?
Prunus #16 in bonsai pot finally.
Prunus #14 finally in bonsai pot.