Новости за 21.03.2018

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg responded to the growing Cambridge Analytica scandal in a lengthy Facebook post Wednesday, outlining a plan to avoid a similar breach in the future.

A crew of three astronauts blasted off Wednesday afternoon, embarking on a flight from Kazakhstan to the International Space Station, where they will spend five months conducting research.

On Wednesday, President Trump defended his controversial decision to congratulate Russian President Vladimir Putin on his re-election earlier this week, tweeting that "getting along with Russia (and others) is a good thing, not a bad thing" and adding, "PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH!"

On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve raised benchmark rates for the sixth time since the financial crisis, following the conclusion of its two-day meeting, the first under new Chairman Jerome Powell, CNBC reports.

Do you dread walking into a store only to have some chipper salesperson pop up out of nowhere and ask, "Do you need help finding anything?" You're not alone, Racked reports. A stunning 95 percent of people "want to be left alone in stores," per a new study of 2,900 North American shoppers conducted by HRC Retail Advisory.

Former CIA Director John Brennan appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe on Wednesday to unload his candid thoughts about President Trump's leadership, as well as Trump's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Last year, White House Counsel Don McGahn drew up a nondisclosure agreement for senior staff at President Trump's insistence, even while quietly reassuring aides that the document was practically unenforceable, The New York Times reports. The issuing of an NDA that covers even unclassified and non-confidential White House matters was a first, and it likely could not actually dictate the statements of federal employees were it to be tested, experts say. One former official said he was told that... Читать дальше...

Lawyers for Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen appeared on CNN on Tuesday night to battle it out over the ongoing legal dispute regarding a nondisclosure agreement Daniels, a former adult film actress, signed in 2016.

Over the past several days, lawmakers and pundits have professed shock and anger over the actions of Trump campaign contractor Cambridge Analytica, a political consultancy, in scraping loads of personal data from Facebook. Many of these criticisms and attacks assume that the issue is unique and aberrant. But in reality, the exploitation and commercialization of personal data may well be the point of social media platforms.

Forty-four African nations have signed an agreement to establish the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), a deal that could eventually unite all 55 countries in the African Union in the biggest free trade accords since the World Trade Organization was formed in 1995, CNBC reports. The deal would link some 1.2 billion people and a gross domestic product of $2.5 trillion.

On Monday, Britain's Channel 4 broadcast undercover video of Cambridge Analytica executives bragging about using shady techniques to influence dozens of elections around the world, inflame conflicts, and sow chaos. On Tuesday, the network aired a second round of clips showing Cambridge Analytica CEO Alexander Nix and other senior executives talking about using those techniques to help President Trump win. Nix said he'd met Trump "many times" and Cambridge Analytica essentially formed the backbone of Trump's campaign. Читать дальше...

A law passed in the wake of the Parkland, Florida, shooting is being used in an attempt to temporarily seize firearms from the attacker's brother, Zachary Cruz, CNN reports. Cruz, 18, was arrested Monday for trespassing on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School grounds, where his older brother, Nikolas Cruz, killed 17 people last month.

The fourth nor'easter in a month is set to pummel New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, with up to 18 inches of snow expected in some areas.

Only a small circle of people in the White House knew that President Trump ignored all-caps advice from his national security advisers for his phone call Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin — "DO NOT CONGRATULATE" him on his re-election — and one of them leaked it to The Washington Post, leaving Trump and his senior staff "furious and rattled," Axios reports. Each of the possible leakers "is trusted with sensitive national secrets," and "the speed and sensitivity of the leak prompted... Читать дальше...

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Facebook said Tuesday that the Federal Trade Commission had warned the company that it would get a letter this week with questions about data that Cambridge Analytica collected on Facebook users. The data firm, which did work on contract for President Trump's campaign, accessed data on more than 50 million Facebook users in 2014, but Facebook failed to notify users. Facebook also faces questions from U.S. and European lawmakers. The FTC is reviewing whether Facebook is in compliance... Читать дальше...

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, who is allergic to economy class seats on airplanes, spent some $105,000 on first class flights during his first year in office, the EPA has told the House Oversight Committee, as reported by Politico.

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The Austin bombing suspect, identified only as a 24-year-old white male, was killed early Wednesday in a standoff with police along Interstate 35 just north of the Texas capital, police said. The suspect killed himself by detonating a bomb inside his vehicle as police closed in. An officer fired a shot when the device exploded. Since March 2, five explosions have killed two people in Austin and injured five others, including one at a FedEx facility 60 miles away. Investigators tracked... Читать дальше...

At least 29 people were killed in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday morning and 52 injured when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device on the road to a Shiite shrine. Wednesday is the Persian new year, Nowruz, which Afghanistan's minority Shiites celebrate by visiting shrines. The Islamic State, a Sunni group, claimed responsibility for the attack through its Aamaq news agency. Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danesh said the bomber, traveling on foot, was trying to get to the shrine, which has been attacked before. Читать дальше...

Tuesday's fiercely fought Democratic and Republican primaries in Illinois proved to be tough for underdogs and great for the status quo.

Most statistics are meaningless. But once in a while one comes across a figure that cannot be summarily dismissed.

President Trump is ready to fight.

Apparently because the multitude of lawyers in his employ weren't displaying the proper legal je ne sais quoi he's after, this week he added yet another attorney to his team, longtime Washington fixture Joseph diGenova. DiGenova, however, is known less for his courtroom wizardry than for his regular appearances on Fox News, which is no doubt where Trump learned about him and became convinced of his qualifications. Not long ago, for instance, diGenova told... Читать дальше...

As the Federal Reserve announces its latest interest rate decision this afternoon, one economic fact will doubtlessly be forgotten: Interest rates are terrible. They can tank markets. They can throw people out of work. They can even cause recessions. They're just not a very good way to manage business cycles.

Predictable as a sunrise, Republicans have encountered the first major unintended consequence of a tax cut bill that was ill-considered to begin with and then hurried madly across the finish line. Wags are calling it the "grain glitch":

The feds are coming after Facebook. According to Bloomberg, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether the social media company "violated terms of a 2011 consent decree" when the Trump-linked firm Cambridge Analytica pulled the data of about 50 million people off the platform. Coming on the heels of reports that Russian agents used Facebook to influence the 2016 election, the Cambridge Analytica revelations have sent Facebook's stock tumbling and its chief information security officer heading for the door. Читать дальше...

The suspect in the serial bombings that terrorized Austin this month was killed early Wednesday during a standoff with police along Interstate 35 in Round Rock, just north of Austin, police tell local media. The suspect detonated an explosive device and possibly shot himself, CBS News reports. A high-ranking law enforcement official tells the Austin American-Statesman that authorities identified the suspect within the past 24 hours, thanks mostly to evidence gathered from when the suspect shipped... Читать дальше...