C’est le film dérivé de la série britannique “Dowtnon Abbey” qui arrive en tête des premières séances parisiennes. Il est suivi de la comédie “Le Dindon” avec Dany Boon et Guillaume Gallienne, puis “Au nom de la terre” avec Guillaume Canet.

Rang Film Entrées* Nombre de copies* Moyenne par copie*

1

Downton Abbey 
2 215
25
89
2
Le Dindon
837
21
40
3
Au nom de la terre
824
18
46
4
Rambo: Last Blood
782
14
56
5

Ceux qui travaillent 
719
16
45
6
Bacurau
524
13
40
7
Port Authority
227
8
28
8
Demain est à nous
125
13
11
9
Ne croyez surtout pas que je hurle
60
2
30
10
Hayati
33
1
33
11
Les Petits Maîtres du Grand hôtel
25
2
13
12
Rétrospective Hal Hartley – The Long Island Trilogy (reprise)
22
4
6
13

La maison de la mort (reprise)
20
1
20
14

La Reine Soleil (reprise)
17
2
9
15
Steve Bannon – Le Grand Manipulateur
17
2
9
16
De Cendres et de Braises
13
1
13

La bande-annonce de Downton Abbey, le film, n°1 des premières séances ce mercredi :

Downton Abbey Teaser VO

Source : CBO Box-Office

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For the first time since the partnership started in 2015, a McLaren-Honda broke into Q3 qualifying with Fernando Alonso securing P10 on tomorrow’s Spanish Grand Prix grid.

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While both team and driver admit to higher ambitions ultimately, the achievement further validates the ongoing progress delivered by Honda since its return to Grand Prix racing.

“It’s a fantastic feeling, as I’ve been watching Q3 on television for far too long,” said a jubilant Fernando Alonso.

“It’s nice to be part of the show as we keep progressing as a team and now it’s the first time we get to Q3, with no big incidents. Let’s enjoy for now this first step and then we’ll immediately think about tomorrow and how to score points.

Contrary to what the Spaniard has been use to since he joined McLaren, he won’t have any freedom of choice with regard to tyres when the #14 McLaren lines up on the grid tomorrow.

“Obviously, we won’t have the free choice of tyres. We need to start with these ones tomorrow and the used ones from Q2, so that’s a little bit of a handicap that we’ll need to recover somehow.”

Alonso isn’t betting on big points in his home race but he still remains determined to make the most out of his starting opportunity while capitalising on race strategy

“We should think about moving forward but that here in Barcelona we know it’s a lot about the start and the pitstops.

“So we need to concentrate on the start and then let’s make the tyres come alive and take care of them because I think the degradation will be very high as we know from yesterday. That will be the key to the race.”

QUALIFYING REPORT: Hamilton leaves it late to take Barcelona pole

Drivers react to Red Bull seat swap

Romain Grosjean column: Spain will show the real Haas

Chris Medland’s 2016 Spanish Grand Prix preview

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Vice President Pence and his wife Karen Pence greet troops at a mess hall at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq on Saturday. At the base Pence spoke with Iraq’s prime minister by phone because of security concerns.

Updated at 10:13 a.m. ET

Vice President Pence made a surprise visit to Iraq on Saturday to greet U.S. troops ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Pence and second lady Karen Pence flew to Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq, aboard a C-17 military plane, along with the vice president’s chief of staff Marc Short, his national security adviser Keith Kellogg and a small group of reporters.

The visit was kept secret because of security concerns.

At the base Pence spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi — but by telephone rather than in person.

A senior administration official said the Iraqi leader declined an invitation to meet with Pence at the base and cited security reasons for Pence not going to Baghdad.

Pence did travel to Irbil in northern Iraq and met with Kurdish leader Nechirvan Barzani. Senior administration officials said the meeting was aimed at showing U.S. appreciation for Kurdish allies.

Pence told Barzani he was there to reiterate the “strong bonds forged in the fires of war between the people of the United States and the Kurdish people across the region.”

The Trump administration has faced widespread criticism for President Trump’s abrupt announcement last month that he would pull U.S. forces out of northern Syria, opening the door for Turkey to move in and attack Kurdish fighters there, who had been allied with the U.S. against ISIS.

The administration ultimately decided to keep some American service members in Syria to help secure the country’s oil fields. The U.S. also relocated some U.S. troops from Syria to Iraq. Iraq’s military warned, however, that the additional forces would not be allowed to stay in Iraq indefinitely.

Trump has defended his decision to pull some troops out of Syria, arguing that the U.S. is not obligated to defend Kurdish forces forever.

In Iraq on Saturday, Pence was asked if there was a sense of betrayal from the Kurds for the administration’s actions in Syria. Pence denied there is “any confusion” about Trump’s “commitment to our allies here in Iraq as well as the Syrian Defense Forces, the Kurdish forces who fought alongside us. It’s unchanging.”

Earlier at the air base, the vice president served turkey to U.S. troops and thanked them for their service.

“The armed forces of the United States are the greatest force for good that the world has ever known, and you are that force,” he said.

He also chastised Congress for failing to properly fund the Defense Department, saying that “partisan politics and endless investigations have slowed things down a bit in Washington, D.C.”

“I will make you a promise: This president, our administration will never stop fighting until we get you, our troops, the resources it needs to accomplish your mission and defend this nation,” Pence said.

The trip comes as the potential for the impeachment of President Trump hangs over the administration. The House Intelligence Committee has just wrapped up a series of public hearings in the impeachment probe examining Trump’s conduct toward Ukraine and whether he abused his power to target political rivals.

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Current and former government officials have testified that they believed Trump was withholding military aid for Ukraine in order to pressure the Ukrainian government to investigate Burisma, a natural gas company with ties to former Vice President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter.

U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland made waves on Wednesday when he told lawmakers that Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were aware that aid was potentially being tied to these investigations.

Sondland said that he mentioned to Pence that he was worried the aid was being held up in pursuit of these probes.

Pence’s office almost immediately disputed those allegations, saying that the vice president never had a conversation about “investigating the Bidens, Burisma, or the conditional release of financial aid.”

Uber on Monday lost its license to operate in London, Transport for London (TFL) announced, citing safety concerns.

“Uber has made a number of positive changes and improvements to its culture, leadership and systems in the period since the Chief Magistrate granted it a license in June 2018. This includes interacting with TfL in a transparent and productive manner,” the agency said. 

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“However, TfL has identified a pattern of failures by the company including several breaches that placed passengers and their safety at risk,” the statement continued. 

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The key issue the department cited was Uber’s system allowing unauthorized drivers to upload their photos to other Uber driver accounts. This allowed them to pick up passengers as though they were the booked driver, which happened in at least 14,000 trips, according to TFL. 

Uber has 21 days to appeal — which the ride-hailing company plans to do.

“TfL’s decision not to renew Uber’s licence in London is extraordinary and wrong, and we will appeal,” said Jamie Heywood, Uber’s regional general manager for Northern and Eastern Europe.

“We have fundamentally changed our business over the last two years and are setting the standard on safety. TfL found us to be a fit and proper operator just two months ago, and we continue to go above and beyond,” he continued. 

Heywood said the company will continue to operate as normal and “do everything” it can to work with TFL to “resolve the situation.”

Heywood added that Uber audited every driver in London over the past two months and “further strengthened” its process.

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“We have robust systems and checks in place to confirm the identity of drivers and will soon be introducing a new facial matching process, which we believe is a first in London taxi and private hire,” Heywood said.

It is the second time the company has lost its license to operate in the British capital in less than three years. Uber lost its license in 2017, but the company won its appeal and was granted a 15-month probationary license. 

TFL granted Uber a two-month license in September. 

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he supports TFL’s decision, saying keeping Londoners safe is his “absolute number-one priority.”

“There is undoubtedly a place for innovative companies in London — in fact we are home to some of the best in the world. But it is essential that companies play by the rules to keep their customers safe,” Khan said in a statement.

Updated at 7:49 a.m.

Sens. Patrick LeahyPatrick Joseph LeahyOvernight Defense: Senators challenge Trump on military pardons | State Department to investigate if US weapons ended up in wrong hands in Yemen | Dems release final impeachment transcripts Senators challenge Trump on military pardons Michelle Obama presents Lin-Manuel Miranda with National Portrait Award MORE (D-Vt.) and Sheldon WhitehouseSheldon WhitehouseOvernight Defense: Senators challenge Trump on military pardons | State Department to investigate if US weapons ended up in wrong hands in Yemen | Dems release final impeachment transcripts Senators challenge Trump on military pardons Budget process quick fixes: Fixing the wrong problem MORE (D-R.I.), two members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, are pressing the Department of Justice to answer questions about President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump at rally vows to supporters no name change for ‘Thanksgiving’ Trump says he will designate Mexican drug cartels as terror organizations State Dept. official describes frantic effort to save recalled Ukraine ambassador MORE’s pardons of U.S. soldiers accused of war crimes. 

The Democratic senators want to know whether the Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney was involved in the decisions to pardon soldiers accused of unlawful military executions, including fatal shootings of unarmed civilians.

They also asked whether the Justice Department issued any advice or recommendations to the White House and whether it coordinated at all with the Department of Defense, where senior officials were initially opposed to the pardons. 

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“While the president possesses broad pardon powers, these pardons were issued in the face of strong opposition from senior military officials, who warned that such pardons would undermine the U.S. military justice system and shake faith in our military’s commitment to abide by the laws of war,” the senators wrote in a letter to Rosalind Sargent-Burns, the acting pardon attorney at the Justice Department.

The lawmakers sent their letter Tuesday after Secretary of Defense Mark EsperMark EsperTrump says he stood up to the ‘deep state’ by intervening in war crime cases Overnight Defense: Senators challenge Trump on military pardons | State Department to investigate if US weapons ended up in wrong hands in Yemen | Dems release final impeachment transcripts Senators challenge Trump on military pardons MORE fired Navy Secretary Richard Spencer after Spencer attempted to negotiate a deal with the White House to keep the president from intervening in the controversy over Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher.

Gallagher was acquitted of shooting unarmed civilians and killing a captured teenage combatant with a knife but convicted of posing with a corpse. 

Trump announced last week that he would not let the Navy strip Gallagher of his Trident pin, which signifies membership in the elite SEALS combat force.

The president earlier this month also pardoned Army First Lt. Clint Lorance, who was serving a 19-year prison sentence at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas for killing two unarmed civilians, and Army Major Matt Golsteyn, who was charged with illegally executing a suspected bomb maker.

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“When President Trump’s plan to intervene in these cases was first reported in early November, the Department of Defense was so alarmed that Secretary of Defense Esper and other senior military officials reportedly orchestrated a lobbying effort to dissuade the President from doing so. The Pentagon’s concerns about President Trump’s pardons have been echoed by many respected U.S. military figures,” Leahy and Whitehouse wrote.

The senators want to know whether the White House reached out to Justice’s pardon attorney for advice, as well as the timing of such outreach if it occurred.

They also asked whether the pardon attorney provided any recommendations to the White House on the three cases and, if so, the details and rationales for those recommendations.

“The President’s pardon powers are virtually absolute. That is precisely why safeguards must be in place to ensure that they are wielded judiciously – institutional safeguards like your office, which exists to ensure that the President’s pardon powers are exercised fairly and in the interests of justice,” Leahy and Whitehouse wrote.

The senators have asked for answers to their questions no later than Dec. 13. 

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The Chinese government on Sunday announced it was “intensifying” intellectual property rights protections, as Washington and Beijing struggle to reach a trade deal due in part to disagreements over IP issues.

The General Offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Chinese State Council issued a joint directive designed to strengthen controls around Chinese IP rights (IPR).

While the directive itself was not made public, the Chinese State Council announcement quotes from it, saying that “strengthening IPR protection is the most important content of improving the IPR protection system and also the biggest incentive to boost China’s economic competitiveness.”

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Some of the key priorities in the directive are for China to curb IPR infringement and the costs associated with protecting intellectual property by 2022, and for Chinese “social satisfaction” around IPR protections to “maintain a high level” by 2025. 

The directive also prioritizes strengthening protections around trade secrets and other intellectual property and their source codes.

According to the Chinese State Council, the directive will allow China to “make comprehensive use of the law, technology and social governance policies to step up IPR protection.”

The update to China’s intellectual property policies comes as the issue has increasingly become a roadblock to trade negotiations between the U.S. and China, the world’s two largest economies.

Reuters reported this week that trade talks between the two countries over a “phase two” trade deal to address intellectual property concerns might not occur, with the countries still struggling to come to an agreement over a “phase one” deal. The trade war began with tariffs in July 2018.

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Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have increasingly put the spotlight on Chinese IP theft issues, including a few of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates.

Their concerns are bolstered by the findings of a 2018 investigation by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, which concluded that Chinese intellectual property theft costs the U.S. between $225 billion and $600 billion annually.

Earlier this month, Sen. Jim RischJames (Jim) Elroy RischChina issues directive to ‘intensify’ protections around intellectual property rights Overnight Defense — Presented by Boeing — Deal on defense bill proves elusive | Hill, Holmes offer damaging testimony | Trump vows to block Navy from ousting officer from SEALs Senate approves stopgap bill to prevent shutdown MORE (R-Idaho), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Chinese IP theft was what was holding up the trade deal. He urged China to “embrace international norms” when it came to respecting intellectual property rights.

“What’s holding up trade right now, in my judgement, is not so much the numbers and the tariffs that are put on, but China has got to develop a rule of law when it comes to handling intellectual property,” Risch said.

Welcome to Hillicon Valley, The Hill’s newsletter detailing all you need to know about the tech and cyber news from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. If you don’t already, be sure to sign up for our newsletter with this LINK.

Welcome! Follow the cyber team, Maggie Miller (@magmill95), and the tech team, Emily Birnbaum (@birnbaum_e) and Chris Mills Rodrigo (@chrisismills).

 

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HUAWEI WARNING: A group of senators from both parties on Thursday urged the Trump administration to stop issuing licenses for U.S. companies to do business with Chinese telecom giant Huawei, warning that even limited business with Huawei could pose a national security risk.

In a letter to President Trump, the group of 15 senators wrote they are dismayed the Commerce Department has started issuing licenses to U.S. firms that conduct business with Huawei. 

“Given the security risks posed by Huawei’s operations in the U.S., we request that you take immediate action to suspend the approval of such licenses and ensure Congress is appropriately informed about the license approval process and related national security implications going forward,” Sens. Charles SchumerCharles (Chuck) Ellis SchumerArmy taking security assessment of TikTok after Schumer warning Trump signs short-term spending bill to avert shutdown Senators urge Trump to suspend Huawei license approvals MORE (D-N.Y.) and Tom CottonThomas (Tom) Bryant CottonOvernight Defense — Presented by Boeing — House chairmen demand answers on Open Skies Treaty | China warns US to stay out of South China Sea | Army conducting security assessment of TikTok FCC votes to bar use of its funds to purchase Huawei, ZTE equipment Army taking security assessment of TikTok after Schumer warning MORE (R-Ark.) wrote in the bipartisan letter. 

Commerce Secretary Wilbur RossWilbur Louis RossFCC votes to bar use of its funds to purchase Huawei, ZTE equipment Hillicon Valley: Senators ask Trump to halt Huawei licenses | Warren criticizes Zuckerberg over secret dinner with Trump | Senior DHS cyber official to leave | Dems offer bill on Libra oversight Senators urge Trump to suspend Huawei license approvals MORE this week said the Trump administration has started to issue licenses to some of the U.S. companies that requested special permission to conduct business with Huawei after the company was blacklisted in May.

The licenses started to emerge after the Commerce Department announced Monday that the temporary license permitting some companies to work with Huawei has been extended 90 days, in the third deadline extension since the company was blacklisted.

On Thursday, the senators wrote to Trump, “You have said yourself that you did not want the U.S. doing business with Huawei.” 

They asked the Commerce Department to stop granting licenses to U.S. companies until it provides Congress with a “report outlining specific criteria for determining whether or not the approval of any license poses a national security threat.” 

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Read more here.

 

ZUCK FOR DINNER: Sen. Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth Ann WarrenYang slams lack of speaking time during debate Krystal Ball lays out Sanders’s path to victory in 2020 Warren adds Ayanna Pressley as campaign co-chair MORE (D-Mass.), a 2020 White House hopeful, on Thursday called a newly revealed dinner between Facebook CEO Mark ZuckerbergMark Elliot ZuckerbergSacha Baron Cohen rips Facebook, Twitter, Google as ‘greatest propaganda machine in history’ The Hill’s Morning Report — Schiff: Clear evidence of a quid pro quo Hillicon Valley: Senators ask Trump to halt Huawei licenses | Warren criticizes Zuckerberg over secret dinner with Trump | Senior DHS cyber official to leave | Dems offer bill on Libra oversight MORE and President TrumpDonald John TrumpApple CEO Tim Cook promises to fight for DACA, user privacy DOJ urges Supreme Court to side with Trump in ongoing legal battle over tax returns Giuliani associate willing to inform Congress of meeting between Nunes and former Ukrainian official: report MORE at the White House “corruption, plain and simple.”

“Amid antitrust scrutiny, Facebook is going on a charm offensive with Republican lawmakers,” Warren tweeted.

“And now, Mark Zuckerberg and one of Facebook’s board members–a major Trump donor–had a secret dinner with Trump.” 

NBC News first reported the dinner, which occurred in October, on Wednesday.

Zuckerberg and Facebook board member Peter Thiel, a staunch Trump supporter and donor, met with the president and first lady Melania Trump at the White House while the CEO was in town to testify about Facebook’s new cryptocurrency, Libra.

A spokesperson for Facebook confirmed the meeting in a statement to The Hill.

“As is normal for a CEO of a major US company, Mark accepted an invitation to have dinner with the President and First Lady at the White House,” they said.

Read more on Warren’s criticism here.

And more on the meeting here.

 

STEPPING DOWN: Jeanette Manfra, a top official within the Department of Homeland Security’s cyber agency, announced Thursday that she will leave her position at the end of the year.

Manfra, who serves as the assistant director for Cybersecurity and Communications within the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), tweeted that stepping down was “not an easy decision.”

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“After 12 years at DHS, I’ll be leaving @CISAgov at the end of this year,” Manfra wrote. “This is not an easy decision, as it’s been one of my greatest honors to work alongside such a remarkable team on this incredibly important mission.”

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie ThompsonBennie Gordon ThompsonHillicon Valley: FCC moves against Huawei, ZTE | Dem groups ask Google to reconsider ads policy | Bill introduced to increase data access during probes House GOP criticizes impeachment drive as distracting from national security issues Hillicon Valley: Senators ask Trump to halt Huawei licenses | Warren criticizes Zuckerberg over secret dinner with Trump | Senior DHS cyber official to leave | Dems offer bill on Libra oversight MORE (D-Miss.) and cybersecurity subcommittee Chairman Cedric RichmondCedric Levon RichmondHillicon Valley: Senators ask Trump to halt Huawei licenses | Warren criticizes Zuckerberg over secret dinner with Trump | Senior DHS cyber official to leave | Dems offer bill on Libra oversight Senior DHS cyber official to step down Two former Congressional Black Caucus chairmen back Biden MORE (D-La.) praised Manfra in a joint statement on Thursday, specifically highlighting her efforts to improve election security and advance the cybersecurity of federal networks.

“She served as a steady hand through CISA’s transition to become an operational component, staying above the political fray to work with Members on both sides of the aisle to ensure CISA will be well-positioned to carry out its critical cybersecurity mission as cyber threats continue to evolve,” Thompson and Richmond said. 

Read more here.

 

A BILL TO TAKE ON LIBRA: A pair of lawmakers on Thursday introduced legislation that would place stringent government oversight on Facebook’s incoming digital currency and similar projects. 

The bill from Reps. Sylvia GarciaSylvia GarciaHillicon Valley: Senators ask Trump to halt Huawei licenses | Warren criticizes Zuckerberg over secret dinner with Trump | Senior DHS cyber official to leave | Dems offer bill on Libra oversight On The Money: Trump signs short-term spending bill to avoid shutdown | Pelosi casts doubt on USMCA deal in 2019 | California high court strikes down law targeting Trump tax returns Lawmakers introduce bill to ‘protect’ consumers from Facebook’s digital currency MORE (D-Texas) and Lance GoodenLance GoodenHillicon Valley: Senators ask Trump to halt Huawei licenses | Warren criticizes Zuckerberg over secret dinner with Trump | Senior DHS cyber official to leave | Dems offer bill on Libra oversight On The Money: Trump signs short-term spending bill to avoid shutdown | Pelosi casts doubt on USMCA deal in 2019 | California high court strikes down law targeting Trump tax returns Lawmakers introduce bill to ‘protect’ consumers from Facebook’s digital currency MORE (R-Texas) would place the Libra digital coin squarely under the Securities and Exchange Commission’s jurisdiction, a move that would subject the cryptocurrency to a set of extensive and well-established regulations.

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Facebook has denied that the Libra coin is a security. But lawmakers have struggled to understand how to classify the ambitious Libra project because the U.S. government has not yet defined which federal agencies will be in charge of regulating cryptocurrencies. 

“Managed stablecoins, such as the proposed Libra, are clearly securities under existing law,” Garcia said in a statement. “This legislation simply clarifies the statute to remove any ambiguity. Bringing clarity to the regulatory structure of these digital assets protects consumers and ensures proper government oversight going forward.” 

Gooden said it is Congress’s role to “clarify the regulatory framework” for digital currencies like Libra, which will likely be pegged to government-backed currencies like the dollar. The Libra coin has been classified as a “stablecoin,” meaning it is backed by a basket of currencies held in a reserve. 

“It’s the responsibility of Congress to clarify the regulatory framework that will apply to stablecoins, especially now that mainstream institutions are offering them to consumers,” Gooden said. 

David Marcus, who heads Facebook’s involvement in the project, told reporters earlier this year that it strongly opposes defining the Libra as a security. 

“We strongly believe it’s [not a security] and we have good legal opinion that confirms in the view of the outside counsels we’ve … consulted,” Marcus said.

Read more on the bill here.

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GOOGLE WORKER PROTEST: Google workers are planning to hold a rally on Friday in support of two colleagues who they say have faced “retaliation” by management at the company, according to an email sent to reporters from organizing workers.

Google has said the two workers — identified publicly as Laurence Berland and Rebecca Rivers — are under investigation for violating company policies. But workers have pushed back against those allegations, calling it a “brute force intimidation attempt to silence workers.” They are asking for Berland and Rivers to be reinstated immediately.

More than 100 Google workers are expected to attend the rally and accompanying press conference at the company’s San Francisco offices. The two workers are slated to speak to reporters about their experiences.

The public event marks an escalation of internal efforts to push back against the company’s decision to place the two workers on indefinite administrative leave, and it comes amid escalating tensions between workers and management at the tech giant.

“Without workers, users, creators, and our communities, Google would not be making over $20 billion in profits a year,” reads the email from Google workers. “The attack on Rebecca Rivers and Laurence Berland is an attack on all people who care about transparency and accountability for tech.”

A Google spokesperson told The Hill that one of the workers was put on leave while the company investigates why the employee accessed and disseminated confidential documents outside the scope of their job. The other employee was placed on leave after they tracked staff calendars in a way that made other workers feel unsafe, according to Google.

But the workers say the allegations are a front for retaliating against two activist employees.

Read more on the action here.

 

RIGHT TO PRIVACY: Amnesty International said Thursday that the amount of information controlled by Google and Facebook, along with other tech companies, was a threat to privacy rights around the world.

A report published by the human rights watchdog described the two companies as dominant over much of the Western world’s online habits, which amount to much of Americans’ daily lives.

“Google and Facebook dominate our modern lives — amassing unparalleled power over the digital world by harvesting and monetizing the personal data of billions of people. Their insidious control of our digital lives undermines the very essence of privacy and is one of the defining human rights challenges of our era,” Kumi Naidoo, Amnesty International’s secretary general, said in a press release.

“To protect our core human values in the digital age — dignity, autonomy, privacy — there needs to be a radical overhaul of the way Big Tech operates, and to move to an internet that has human rights at its core,” he said.

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The report described massive data breaches that have affected major tech companies — such as Facebook’s admission surrounding the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which tens of millions of user accounts were affected — as an innate part of the normal functions of such companies.

“The abuse of privacy that is core to Facebook and Google’s surveillance-based business model is starkly demonstrated by the companies’ long history of privacy scandals,” the report reads.

Read more here.

 

OBAMA WEIGHS IN: Former President Obama on Thursday cautioned an audience at a technology conference in California about the dangers he believes new and emerging tech platforms can pose.

Speaking to Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff at the company’s Dreamforce conference in San Francisco Thursday, Obama spoke at length about technology and social media and its role in society.

“When you have big disruptive internet tech, it can be a dangerous moment,” he said, according to Fortune. “Part of what happens is people don’t know what’s true and what’s not.” 

The former president didn’t completely speak negatively about social platforms and big tech, saying he still believes “the internet could be a powerful tool for us to see each other and unify us.”

“But right now, it’s splintering,” Obama said.

Obama suggested that social media and technology are helping to drive misplaced desires.

“In part fed by social media and technology, we’re chasing after the wrong things, we want the wrong things,” Obama noted. “So much of the anger and frustration has to do with issues of status.”

Read more on Obama’s input here.

 

MORE BAD NEWS AT WEWORK: Office-sharing company WeWork announced Thursday it is laying off about 2,400 employees worldwide, as the company looks to cut costs and stabilize its business model.

Layoffs had been expected following Japanese technology investment company SoftBank’s announcement that it would extend a $9.5 billion lifeline to WeWork that will lead to SoftBank owning nearly 80 percent of the company’s shares.

“As part of our renewed focus on the core WeWork business, and as we have previously shared with employees, the company is making necessary layoffs to create a more efficient organization,” a WeWork spokesperson said in a statement provided to The Hill. “This workforce reduction affects approximately 2,400 employees globally, who will receive severance, continued benefits, and other forms of assistance to aid in their career transition.”

As of June 30, the New York-based company had 12,500 employees.

Read more here.

 

ELECTION SECURITY UPDATE: The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) cybersecurity agency announced Thursday it would partner with election officials and private sector groups to develop an election auditing tool that can be used to help ensure the accuracy of votes in 2020.

DHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is partnering with non-profit group VotingWorks on an open-source software tool known as Arlo, which is provided to state and local election officials for free.

According to CISA, Arlo conducts an audit of votes by selecting how many ballots and which ballots to audit and comparing the audited votes to the original count.

The tool has already been used to conduct post-election audits across the country, including during the recent 2019 elections. Election officials in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Virginia, Ohio, and Georgia have signed on to partner with CISA on Arlo, with more officials expected to join.

Read more here.

 

A LIGHTER CLICK: Bye bye Bei Bei

 

AN OP-ED TO CHEW ON: ‘Technology unions’ could be unions of conscience for Big Tech

 

NOTABLE LINKS FROM AROUND THE WEB:

When things go wrong for blind users on Facebook, they go really wrong (Slate)

Google wants to do business with the military–many of its employees don’t (Bloomberg Businessweek)

Google’s new political ad rules unite Democratic and Republican campaigns in opposition (Washington Post)

NOT THAT KIND OF BLACK FRIDAY: Cities across the U.S. will see climate strikes on Black Friday with youth protesters aiming to bring attention to climate action.

The protests, organized by nine youth climate activist groups, will take place in cities including Chicago, Sacramento, Calif., and Colorado Springs, Colo.

The rallies are the latest in an ongoing series of organized national strikes demanding climate action from U.S. leaders. 

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Groups organizing the strike include the Sunrise Foundation and Extinction Rebellion Youth, both groups that recently staged sit-ins in Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiOvernight Health Care: Supreme Court sets date for Louisiana abortion case | Border Patrol ignored calls to vaccinate migrants against flu | DC sues Juul Democrats: The ‘Do Quite a Lot’ Party House Democrat walks back remark favoring censure over impeachment MORE‘s (D-Calif.) Washington, D.C., office to demand more be done on climate change.

The aim of Friday’s protests is to turn America’s attention away from the traditional shopping deals and towards an imperiled planet.

“On a day typically reserved for deals and shopping, youth in America will boycott this trend and call for a change to business-as-usual to confront the climate crisis,” the groups said in a statement.

Read more on their plans here.

 

Happy Thanksgiving Eve! Welcome to Overnight Energy, The Hill’s roundup of the latest energy and environment news. 

 

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Just a reminder that Overnight Energy will take a hiatus for the holidays. We’ll be back Monday.

Please send tips and comments to Miranda Green, mgreen@thehill.com and Rebecca Beitsch, rbeitsch@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @mirandacgreen, @rebeccabeitsch and @thehill.

CLICK HERE to subscribe to our newsletter.

 

RIP TO AN EPA ORIGINAL: William D. Ruckelshaus, the so-called father of the EPA, died Wednesday at age 87. Ruckelshaus led the EPA from its inception in 1970 through 1973 and again from 1983 through 1985, solidifying its mission to protect public health and the environment.

He also made headlines as deputy attorney general of the Nixon administration, refusing to fire special investigator Archibald Cox during the Watergate scandal.

Ruckelshaus had also been critical of the agency’s direction under the Trump administration as well as Republicans’ refusal to accept the science behind climate change.

“It’s a threat to the country,” he told HuffPost in January 2018. “If you don’t step up and take care of real problems, and don’t do anything about it, lives will be sacrificed.” 

More on Ruckelshaus here.

 

METHANE PUSHBACK: Four Democratic senators are pressing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to abandon a regulatory rollback they say benefits the oil and gas industry.

The agency has twice issued proposals to roll back a 2016 Obama administration rule on methane, a heat trapping gas more potent than carbon that is released during oil and gas production.

The latest proposal, released in August, would eliminate current requirements on oil and gas companies to install technology to monitor methane emissions from pipelines, wells and facilities.

A letter from Democratic Sens. Sheldon WhitehouseSheldon WhitehouseOvernight Defense: Senators challenge Trump on military pardons | State Department to investigate if US weapons ended up in wrong hands in Yemen | Dems release final impeachment transcripts Senators challenge Trump on military pardons Budget process quick fixes: Fixing the wrong problem MORE (R.I.), Tammy DuckworthLadda (Tammy) Tammy DuckworthDuckworth celebrates Veterans Day with deported veterans in Mexico Senate Democrat introduces bill to protect military families from deportation Nuclear command nominee sidesteps questions on arms control treaties MORE (Ill.), Chris Van HollenChristopher (Chris) Van HollenHillicon Valley: Google to limit political ad targeting | Senators scrutinize self-driving car safety | Trump to ‘look at’ Apple tariff exemption | Progressive lawmakers call for surveillance reforms | House panel advances telecom bills Democrats raise privacy concerns over Amazon home security system Overnight Defense: Erdoğan gets earful from GOP senators | Amazon to challenge Pentagon cloud contract decision in court | Lawmakers under pressure to pass benefits fix for military families MORE (Md.) and Jeff MerkleyJeffrey (Jeff) Alan MerkleySenate Democrats ask Pompeo to recuse himself from Ukraine matters Senate passes legislation supporting Hong Kong protesters Democrats seize on report of FedEx’s Jeff Merkley tax bill to slam Trump’s tax plan MORE (Ore.) asks the EPA to withdraw the proposal entirety, saying it was unduly influenced by industry.

“There is no substantive difference between an agency explicitly telling a company or industry to write a rule for it, and an agency telling a company or industry it will write whatever rule the company or industry wants. In both cases, the substance is all industry, whatever the letterhead, and the public interest is ignored,” the senators wrote in a letter Thursday. 

The EPA has said the oil and gas industry already has an incentive to capture methane rather than flare it off.  

“EPA’s proposal delivers on President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump at rally vows to supporters no name change for ‘Thanksgiving’ Trump says he will designate Mexican drug cartels as terror organizations State Dept. official describes frantic effort to save recalled Ukraine ambassador MORE‘s executive order and removes unnecessary and duplicative regulatory burdens from the oil and gas industry,” EPA Administrator Andrew WheelerAndrew WheelerOvernight Energy: Relocated BLM staff face salary cuts | UN report calls for drastic action on climate change | California asks EPA to reconsider emissions rule Overnight Energy: Majority in poll believe US doing ‘too little’ on climate change | Supreme Court allows climate scientist’s lawsuit to go forward | UN finds greenhouse gases hit record in 2018 | EPA weighs action on ‘forever chemicals’ EPA weighs greater reporting of ‘forever chemicals’ MORE said in a statement when the latest rule was announced, referring to a 2017 order pushing for a review of regulation that “potentially burden” domestic energy production.

“The Trump Administration recognizes that methane is valuable, and the industry has an incentive to minimize leaks and maximize its use. Since 1990, natural gas production in the United States has almost doubled while methane emissions across the natural gas industry have fallen by nearly 15 percent. Our regulations should not stifle this innovation and progress.” 

Oil and gas companies have largely been in support of regulating methane.

Read more on the controversy here.

 

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OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY: 

-Dover, Del., clears path for extending water lines to homes, businesses affected by contamination, WBOC reports. 

-Evacuations ordered after plant explosion in southeastern Texas, NBC News reports.

-China says it has already hit 2020 carbon reduction goal, we report.

 

ICYMI: Stories from Wednesday…

Youth protesters plan Black Friday climate strike

Americans could use renewable energy from solar, wind and hydro power more than coal by 2021

Democratic senators push EPA to abandon methane rollback

China says it has already hit 2020 carbon reduction goal

A federal district judge on Wednesday issued a temporary stay of her order that former White House counsel Don McGahn comply with House Democrats’ subpoena for testimony.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, an Obama appointee on the district court in D.C., granted McGahn’s request for a temporary stay while she deliberates on whether to issue a lengthier one to allow him to appeal her decision.

The House Judiciary Committee, which had asked the court to enforce its subpoena for President Trump’s former legal adviser, said it would not oppose a temporary stay.

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McGahn, who is represented by the Department of Justice, has already started the appeals process and on Wednesday morning asked the D.C. Circuit Court to stay the district court’s decision while the appeal plays out.

Jackson ruled in a scorching decision on Monday that McGahn must comply with the subpoena, rejecting the Justice Department’s arguments that the White House is largely immune to congressional oversight.

“Stated simply, the primary takeaway from the past 250 years of recorded American history is that Presidents are not kings,” Jackson wrote.

Updated at 12:48 p.m.

Hundreds of French farmers drove their tractors into Paris on Wednesday to protest government policies they claim are hurting their businesses.

Two of the main farmers’ unions organized the countrywide protest, calling for members to meet in the capital city’s Avenue Foch, near the iconic Champs Elysees and Arc de Triomphe, outlet France 24 reported.

Lines of tractors were seen driving into the city, waving flags and carrying signs including one that reportedly read: “The government is leaving us exposed, let us work.”

Police were seen controlling crowds of protesters who had blocked Parisian streets with cars, people and hay bales.

The protest is meant to draw the attention of French President Emmanuel MacronEmmanuel Jean-Michel MacronEurope sees the light on border security: What we can learn from it France’s Macron exposes profound shifts in global strategic priorities World leaders to gather in Israel for fight against anti-Semitism forum MORE, with signs asking him to respond to complaints of “agri-bashing” in France, which is one of the largest agricultural producers in the European Union.

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Farmers argue government policies, such as Macron’s push to ban the common weedkiller glyphosate by 2021, are hurting the agriculture industry.

Some told France 24 that farms and butcher shops have even been attacked by vegan activists calling for greater animal welfare.

“We’re the new scapegoats. As soon as something goes wrong, it’s the farmers’ fault,” Jean-Yves Bricourt, leader of the main FNSEA union in the administrative department of Aisne, told Reuters. “We’re treated like criminals.”

The farmers group also says that international trade deals with Canada and the Mercosur bloc of South American countries will threaten their livelihoods by increasing imports of cheaper agricultural goods.