The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has awarded a whistleblower more than $114 million, the agency announced Thursday, its highest reward for information that led to a successful crackdown.

The whistleblower was awarded $52 million for aiding the SEC and another $62 million for helping another unidentified agency with a related enforcement action. The award is more than twice the previous record payout for a whistleblower, set at $50 million in June 2020.

“Today’s milestone award is a testament to the Commission’s commitment to award whistleblowers who provide the agency with high-quality information,” said SEC Chairman Jay Clayton. “Whistleblowers make important contributions to the enforcement of securities laws and we are committed to getting more money to whistleblowers as quickly and as efficiently as possible.”

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The 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law empowered the SEC to offer financial rewards to whistleblowers who give the agency “original, timely, and credible information” that leads to a successful enforcement action. The SEC has paid out roughly $676 million to 108 whistleblowers since 2012, according to the agency, all drawn from a pool funded by penalties paid for securities law violations.

The SEC does not disclose the names of whistleblowers or the cases they helped cement in order to protect their identities. Rewards range from 10 percent to 30 percent of fines above $1 million collected by the agency, according to the SEC.

“The actions of the whistleblower awarded today were extraordinary,” added Jane Norberg, chief of the SEC’s Office of the Whistleblower.  

“After repeatedly reporting concerns internally, and despite personal and professional hardships, the whistleblower alerted the SEC and the other agency of the wrongdoing and provided substantial, ongoing assistance that proved critical to the success of the actions.”

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A new report from Columbia University researchers finds that at least 130,000 coronavirus deaths in the United States could have been avoided if the U.S. had responded to the virus as well as a group of other high-income countries. 

The report compares the per capita death rate in the U.S. from the virus with six other high-income countries: South Korea, Japan, Australia, Germany, Canada and France.

It finds that if the U.S. had the same rate of death as France, it would have about 55,000 fewer deaths, while if it had South Korea’s rate it would have about 215,000 fewer. 

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“We therefore posit that had the U.S. government implemented an ‘averaged’ approach that mirrored these countries, the U.S. might have limited fatalities to between 38,000 to 85,000 lives — suggesting that a minimum of 130,000 COVID-19 deaths might have been avoidable given alternate policies, implementation, and leadership,” the report states. 

The report was published by the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University. One of the authors, Irwin Redlener, was named to Democratic presidential nominee Joe BidenJoe BidenTrump and advisers considering firing FBI director after election: WaPo Obama to campaign for Biden in Florida Supreme Court reinstates ban on curbside voting in Alabama MORE’s Public Health Advisory Committee in March to advise on the response to the coronavirus. 

The report points to “abject failures of U.S. government policies and crisis messaging” in helping to explain why the United States has such a high death rate from the virus. The U.S. has has more than 220,000 deaths from the virus so far, according to Johns Hopkins University, which is about 20 percent of all of the coronavirus deaths in the world, even though the U.S. has only 4 percent of the world’s population. 

It has the ninth highest number of deaths per 100,000 population in the world, behind only Peru, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, Spain and Mexico.

If the U.S. had the same death rate as its neighbor Canada, about 132,000 deaths would have been avoided, the report finds. 

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To explain the disproportionately high number of deaths in the U.S., the report points to a number of shortcomings in the Trump administration’s response that have also drawn widespread criticism from other experts. 

The country has “insufficient testing capacity” and a contact tracing system that is “woefully inadequate,” the report states. 

It also points to the lack of a mask mandate or at least “the consistent encouragement of mask use” as harming the response. President TrumpDonald John TrumpJudge rules to not release Russia probe documents over Trump tweets Trump and advisers considering firing FBI director after election: WaPo Obama to campaign for Biden in Florida MORE has mocked masks and rarely worn one himself. 

The report also points to “politicization, leadership vacuum, and the failure of top officials to model best practices.” Trump in recent days has escalated attacks on his own administration’s health experts, calling National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony FauciAnthony FauciScott Atlas: Fauci ‘just one person on the task force’ Budowsky: Trump’s COVID-19 death toll dominates election Wisconsin COVID-19 cases climb ahead of Election Day MORE a “disaster.” He has also attacked the Food and Drug Administration for harboring a “deep state” and publicly clashed with the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

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In contrast, the report states: “Many nations facing the pandemic crisis have put politics aside and orchestrated a response led by public health experts and global coordination.”

“Canada, for instance, has witnessed a unique period of political unity surrounding COVID-19 this year,” it adds. 

New York Attorney General Letitia James is launching an investigation into allegations that robocalls provided misleading voting information and urged voters to stay home on Election Day. 

James, who noted that her office issued subpoenas earlier this week as they seek to probe the source behind these spam calls, warned Tuesday that those who are trying to impact an individual’s right to vote “will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.” 

“Attempts to hinder voters from exercising their right to cast their ballots are disheartening, disturbing, and wrong. What’s more is that it is illegal, and it will not be tolerated,” James said in a statement.

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Her remarks come as an estimated 10 million robocalls have inundated voters as they head to the polls. Some of the robocall messages were designed to encourage voters to stay home and others were designed to mislead voters, according to The Washington Post.  

The newspaper, citing experts who track the telecom industry, reported that the automated spam calls encouraged those on the other end of the line to “stay safe and stay home.”

In Michigan, one robocall reportedly targeted those living in the city of Flint by inaccurately telling people to vote on Wednesday to avoid long lines. The polls will be closed on Wednesday. 

Michigan Gov. Gretchen WhitmerGretchen WhitmerNew York AG announces probe into robocalls allegedly designed to mislead voters Members of Michigan militia charged with plot to kidnap Whitmer spotted at anti-lockdown rallies: WaPo If it’s not an Electoral College legal fight, it’s a blow-out — here are the counties to watch MORE (D) has pledged to “work quickly to stamp out misinformation.” 

While the FBI declined to offer further comment apart from noting that the bureau is “aware of reports of robocalls,” a senior government official confirmed Tuesday to reporters that the FBI is investigating the matter in Michigan.

“Robocalls happen every election, we are aware of those calls. The FBI is now investigating,” the senior official said. “This is more of a voter intimidation, voter suppression tactic — that is more in the FBI’s remit.”  

It is unclear who was behind the robocall campaigns. Still, the calls have raised new concerns about malicious actors exploiting cellphones and other technology to deter people from voting.

The FBI is encouraging voters to verify “any election and voting information they may receive through their local election officials.”

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Quibi Holdings LLC is shutting down, according to a Wall Street Journal report on Wednesday afternoon, with its demise coming just 26 months after it launched amid high expectations in August 2018.

Quibi, which billed itself as presenting “fresh content from today’s biggest stars — one quick bite at a time,” raised a whopping $1.75 billion in funding before launching.

But the company struggled to maintain a foothold in an increasingly crowded mobile video space and chaotic news cycles.

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According to a New York Times report in May, Quibi fell out of the top 50 most downloaded free iPhone apps, with only 1.3 million active users, well short of expectations.

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman and Hollywood film producer Jeffrey Katzenberg were Quibi’s co-founders.

Katzenberg, best known for co-founding DreamWorks, believed by recruiting A-list talent to record Hollywood-produced short form videos would justify the monthly cost of $4.99 with ads and $7.99 without ads. 

A-listers Katzenberg was able to sign for Quibi included Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Lopez, Chrissy Teigen, Liam Hemsworth, Chance the Rapper and Nicole Richie.
 
But non-celebrity amateur content through free aps including the extremely popular TikTok, YouTube and Twitter proved to be too much to overcome. 
 

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Former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenMore than 300 military family members endorse Biden Five takeaways from the final Trump-Biden debate Biden: ‘I would transition from the oil industry’ MORE again pressed President TrumpDonald John TrumpMore than 300 military family members endorse Biden Five takeaways from the final Trump-Biden debate Biden: ‘I would transition from the oil industry’ MORE to release his tax returns during Thursday’s presidential debate, after The New York Times reported this week that the president maintains a Chinese bank account.

 

“What are you hiding? Why are you unwilling?” Biden asked the president.

 

The Times reported that Trump has a bank account in China and that the president’s business entity that controls that account paid nearly $200,000 in taxes in the country from 2013 to 2015.

 

“Release your tax return or stop talking about corruption,” Biden said.

 

Biden has released many years of his tax returns. He released his 2019 returns last month just before the first debate.

 

Trump said he doesn’t make money from China. He said he thought about doing a business deal in China but decided against it, and that the bank account was opened in 2013 and closed in 2015. A lawyer for the Trump Organization told the Times that the bank account is still open but that the company’s office in China has been inactive since 2015.

 

Trump argued that Biden has made money from foreign countries, but Biden said he has never taken money from a foreign source. The Times reported that Biden’s tax returns don’t show any income or business dealings in China.

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The president said he would release his tax returns after he is done being audited, a comment the president has also made repeatedly in the past. The IRS has said that audits don’t prevent people from disclosing their own tax information.

 

Trump said that the IRS treats him “very badly.” He said he had a deal with the IRS to resolve his audit until he started running for president.  

 

The Times reported last month that Trump paid just $750 in federal income taxes in each of 2016 and 2017. Trump also said that he’s “prepaid” tens of millions of dollars and suggested that the $750 was a “filing fee.”

 

According to the Times, Trump’s tax returns included the $750 amount on a line for the president’s total taxes before self-employment taxes.

 

Kyle Pomerleau, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said on Twitter that paying estimated taxes during the year wouldn’t reduce the amount on that line of the return.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe BidenJoe BidenMore than 300 military family members endorse Biden Five takeaways from the final Trump-Biden debate Biden: ‘I would transition from the oil industry’ MORE defended his health plan against attacks from President TrumpDonald John TrumpMore than 300 military family members endorse Biden Five takeaways from the final Trump-Biden debate Biden: ‘I would transition from the oil industry’ MORE, pushing back against claims that he supports socialized medicine. 

During the presidential debate Thursday, Trump said Biden’s public option will force the country onto a government-run health plan and completely eliminate private insurance.

“They have 180 million plans … under what he wants to do, which will basically be socialized medicine, he won’t even have a choice, they want to terminate 180 million plans,” Trump said.

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Biden’s health plan will build on ObamaCare, and will include a government-run “public option” similar to Medicare. But instead of eliminating private insurance and putting everyone in the country under a single-payer plan, a public option would compete with private plans to give people the best prices, and people will choose whether they want to enroll.

“I support private insurance, not one single person with private insurance would lose their insurance under my plan,” Biden said.

In fact, Biden noted he beat out much more liberal challengers in the Democratic primary who supported “Medicare for All.” Biden’s plan was seen as the more moderate choice compared to the plans promoted by other Democratic candidates like Sens. Bernie SandersBernie SandersBiden defends his health plan from Trump attacks Progressives blast Biden plan to form panel on Supreme Court reform Sanders: Progressives will work to ‘rally the American people’ if Biden wins MORE (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth WarrenBiden defends his health plan from Trump attacks Progressives blast Biden plan to form panel on Supreme Court reform Biden endorses Texas Democratic House candidate Julie Oliver MORE (D-Mass.)

“The fact that there’s a public option, that people can choose? That makes it a socialist plan?” Biden asked incredulously. “He thinks he’s running against someone else. He’s running against Joe Biden. “

Supporters say the public option is better than Medicare for All because if people like their private plan, they can keep it, but they also will have the choice of buying into the public option. 

If Biden wins, his plan will face an uphill battle even if Democrats retake control of the Senate. It would have to pass via a narrow margin and overcome fierce opposition from well-funded industry groups.

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Obamacare originally included a public option, but it was stripped from the bill in order to make it more palatable to the Democrats at the time. 

Biden and Trump also sparred over protecting people with preexisting conditions if the Supreme Court rules in favor of a Republican-led lawsuit that aims to invalidate the law.

If successful, the lawsuit would result in about 20 million people losing health insurance, and popular protections for individuals with preexisting conditions would be eliminated. 

Trump said he wants the court to throw out ObamaCare.

“What we’d like to do is terminate it,” Trump said.

However, he also promised to protect people with preexisting conditions from discrimination by insurance companies, but to date has not said how he will do that.

“Preexisting conditions will always stay,” Trump said. “What I would like to do is much better health care. I’d like to terminate ObamaCare and come up with a brand new beautiful health care [plan].” 

Trump has made clear before that he would like to see the health law struck down, and his own Justice Department this summer filed a legal brief with the court arguing for it to strike down the law.

Still, his comments undermine efforts by Republicans to downplay the threat to the previous administration’s signature health care law during the confirmation fight over Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney BarrettAmy Coney BarrettBiden defends his health plan from Trump attacks Hillicon Valley: Five takeaways on new election interference from Iran, Russia | Schumer says briefing on Iranian election interference didn’t convince him effort was meant to hurt Trump | Republicans on Senate panel subpoena Facebook, Twitter CEOs | The Hill’s Campaign Report: Trump, Biden face off for last time on the debate stage MORE.

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A federal judge on Thursday ruled that the sexual assault case against the joint chiefs of staff vice chairman, Air Force Gen. John Hyten, may proceed despite Hyten’s claim that his military service prevented him from being sued. 

Hyten, who has denied the accusations against him from Army Col. Kathryn Spletstoser, had filed a motion for the case to not continue, citing the Feres Doctrine, which prevents federal service members from being sued in civil court. 

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However, Judge Michael Fitzgerald of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California said Thursday in his ruling that “it is not conceivable that his [Hyten’s] military duties would require him to sexually assault Plaintiff, or that such an assault would advance any conceivable military objective.” 

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Spletstoser had accused Hyten of making repeated unwanted sexual advances against her between February 2017 and February 2018. The accusations, which Hyten has denied, came after he was nominated in 2019 to be the Pentagon’s No. 2 military official.

A redacted copy of an August 2019 Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) report stated that Spletstoser, who was then the director of Hyten’s Commander’s Action Group, interacted with him daily and regularly traveled with him on official trips.

According to the report, Spletstoser claimed that the first time Hyten touched her inappropriately was during a trip to Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., when Hyten allegedly grabbed her left hand and held it to his groin. 

Spletstoser also told the OSI that between May 2017 and February 2018, Hyten would regularly tell her he had feelings for her and try to kiss or touch her when they were alone together in his offices at the Pentagon and Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.

In the report, however, the Air Force said it was unable to verify the sexual assault allegations against Hyten, adding that the office “was unable to find indications of an unprofessional relationship either electronically or through witness interviews.” 

The Senate later confirmed Hyten to the joint chiefs vice chairman role in September 2019. 

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Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman James InhofeJames (Jim) Mountain InhofeHouse Democrat optimistic defense bill will block Trump’s Germany withdrawal EPA gives Oklahoma authority over many tribal environmental issues GOP lawmakers gloomy, back on defense after debate fiasco MORE (R-Okla.) said at the time of Hyten’s confirmation that while the committee “takes allegations of sexual assault very seriously and has for many years, we can’t stop a nomination from going forward on unproven allegations, especially ones we examined with the utmost of care and close scrutiny and determined not to have merit.”

Air Force Maj. Trisha Guillebeau, a spokesperson for Hyten, told Politico on Thursday that the Department of Justice is reviewing the U.S. District Court’s ruling. 

“As is our practice in all ongoing litigation, we are not going to comment on the details,” Guillebeau said.

The Hill has reached out to Justice Department and the Department of Defense for comment. 

The U.S. has officially left the Paris climate accord.

The withdrawal, set in motion by a letter from President TrumpDonald John Trump Chris Wallace condemns Trump claims that he won the election ‘Squad’ member Rashida Tlaib wins reelection in Michigan Biden campaign blasts Trump victory claim as ‘outrageous, unprecedented, and incorrect’ MORE exactly one year ago, caps a long-promised move from the president and leaves the U.S. as the only country in the world to withdraw from the landmark climate agreement.

Trump campaigned on leaving the accord and announced that he was doing so far before the parameters of the agreement allowed.

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“The Paris Climate Accord is simply the latest example of Washington entering into an agreement that disadvantages the United States to the exclusive benefit of other countries, leaving American workers — who I love — and taxpayers to absorb the cost in terms of lost jobs, lower wages, shuttered factories and vastly diminished economic production,” Trump said at a speech in the Rose Garden in June 2017.

The move was celebrated by many in Republican circles, even as Democrats and environmentalists lament the implications the U.S. exit will have for the climate and the American economy.

“The decision to exit the Paris Agreement leaves the United States globally isolated in its defiance of scientific realities, and causes real harm to people, the planet and the economy. However, the nearly 200 other nations of the world will continue moving full steam ahead toward realizing the goals of the agreement,” the Union of Concerned Scientists said in a statement.

“The United States is the second largest emitter of carbon emissions from fossil fuels annually and the largest source of cumulative emissions to date,” it continued. “It’s well past time for our nation to pivot away from being part of the problem and toward contributing to a leading share of the solutions.”

Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, however, said the deal “would have disadvantaged the U.S. economy and compromised American competitiveness.”

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Former Vice President Joe BidenJoe Biden Chris Wallace condemns Trump claims that he won the election Biden campaign blasts Trump victory claim as ‘outrageous, unprecedented, and incorrect’ Bipartisan lawmakers condemn Trump for declaring victory prematurely MORE (D) has pledged to rejoin the Paris agreement on Day 1 in office if elected, a move that would leave the U.S. out of the deal for a little more than three months.

“I will bring us back into the Paris Agreement. I will put us back in the business of leading the world on climate change. And I will challenge everyone to up the ante on their climate commitments,” Biden said in a September speech on climate change as wildfires ravaged California.

Biden has already laid out some goals in his own climate plan. The electricity sector would go to net-zero emissions by 2035 — a timeline ahead of many of the efforts already underway in climate-conscious states.

More broadly, he said he is committed to net-zero emissions by 2050, a plan that would require mostly transitioning away from fossil fuels while promoting carbon capture technology that could store excess pollution.

Many cities and states have already tried to keep emissions reduction commitments in line with their share of the population.

“While withdrawal undercuts the USA ability to engage in the economy of the future, states and businesses in the U.S. are nonetheless plowing forward with clean technologies and new business practices,” said David Waskow, director of the International Climate Initiative at the World Resources Institute.

“Withdrawal from Paris is like trying to run down an up escalator.” 

The Trump administration has failed to meet a deadline to inform Congress about which projects should receive funding stemming from bipartisan conservation legislation that was signed into law earlier this year, a top Democratic lawmaker told The Hill.

The Great American Outdoors Act, enacted on Aug. 4, gave the Interior Department 90 days to prepare two lists of projects that would receive money under two separate conservation funds established by the legislation. Interior has failed to provide one of the lists, according to House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.).

The deadline for submission was Monday.

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E&E News first reported that the Interior Department missed the deadline.

The statute permanently provides $900 million in annual funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which helps the federal government acquire new land for parks and trails and works to protect sensitive forest and endangered species habitat.

It also provides up to $1.9 billion annually for five years dedicated to addressing a maintenance backlog at existing national parks.

President TrumpDonald John Trump Chris Wallace condemns Trump claims that he won the election ‘Squad’ member Rashida Tlaib wins reelection in Michigan Biden campaign blasts Trump victory claim as ‘outrageous, unprecedented, and incorrect’ MORE’s support for funding the LWCF was something of a reversal after previously proposing significant cuts to the fund.

Though the Great American Outdoors Act was bipartisan, it was largely viewed as a win for vulnerable Republican Sens. Cory GardnerCory Scott GardnerSenate control in flux as counting goes forward in key states On The Trail: Deeply divided nation shows blue islands in a red sea Race for White House appears to be coming down to ‘blue wall’ MORE (Colo.) and Steve DainesSteven (Steve) David DainesSenate control in flux as counting goes forward in key states Daines fends off challenge to win second Montana Senate term Live updates: Democrats fight to take control of the Senate MORE (Mont.), who both represent states with vast amounts of public land.

The Interior Department met the deadline for the list of projects that would be prioritized for maintenance, but Grijalva said officials failed to submit a list of projects that would get funds through the LWCF.

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“Congress sent clear instructions to the administration: transmit a detailed LWCF project list 90 days after enactment. This is a routine task the bureaus do every year, so the fact that it’s missing is somewhat perplexing and raises a lot of questions about this administration’s intent,” he said in a statement to The Hill.

Asked about the LWCF list, Interior spokesperson Ben Goldey said “the list was submitted to Congress by the deadline.” He provided The Hill with the maintenance backlog list, not the LWCF list.

Interior did not respond to follow-up questions.

Parks, monuments and other areas slated to receive maintenance funding under the new law include Grand Canyon National Park, the Golden Gate Recreation Area, D.C.’s National Mall, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park and the Statue of Liberty.

In a letter to Grijalva accompanying the list, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said the National Park Service is “prioritizing and aligning investments with life-cycle management to make smart investments at the right time and to prevent the continued growth of deferred needs.”

“Such improvements, along with others the Department is making, will help ensure we deliver on the promise the President and Congress have made to the American people in drafting and enacting this important law,” he added.

However, Grijalva criticized what he viewed as a lack of detail in the deferred maintenance list.

“We asked for detailed projects lists and got a bunch of numbers,” he said. “The lack of transparency and accountability is ridiculous.”

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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 our cyber reporter, Maggie Miller (@magmill95), and tech team, Chris Mills Rodrigo (@chrisismills) and Rebecca Klar (@rebeccaklar_), for more coverage.

EVERYTHING IS FINE, EVERYTHING IS GOOD: 

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News that Iran and Russia accessed voter registration data has dropped like a lightning bolt into an already heated campaign battle with less than two weeks before Election Day.

The announcement from administration officials that the countries had accessed voter registration data and were believed to be behind threatening emails sent to U.S. voters sparked immediate concerns and questions.

Here are five takeaways.

SENATE SUBPOENAS ZUCKERBERG AND DORSEY … AGAIN: The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to subpoena the chief executives of Facebook and Twitter a week after both platforms limited the spread of a controversial article about Hunter Biden, Democratic presidential nominee Joe BidenJoe BidenMore than 300 military family members endorse Biden Five takeaways from the final Trump-Biden debate Biden: ‘I would transition from the oil industry’ MORE‘s son.

The panel voted 12-0 to compel the testimony of Mark ZuckerbergMark Elliot ZuckerbergHillicon Valley: Five takeaways on new election interference from Iran, Russia | Schumer says briefing on Iranian election interference didn’t convince him effort was meant to hurt Trump | Republicans on Senate panel subpoena Facebook, Twitter CEOs | Republicans on Senate panel subpoena Facebook, Twitter CEOs House Republicans urge Democrats to call hearing with tech CEOs MORE and Jack Dorsey. The Democrats on the committee had boycotted the hearing over the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney BarrettAmy Coney BarrettBiden defends his health plan from Trump attacks Hillicon Valley: Five takeaways on new election interference from Iran, Russia | Schumer says briefing on Iranian election interference didn’t convince him effort was meant to hurt Trump | Republicans on Senate panel subpoena Facebook, Twitter CEOs | The Hill’s Campaign Report: Trump, Biden face off for last time on the debate stage MORE.

Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone declined to comment. Twitter also declined to comment. 

Both CEOs, along with Google parent company Alphabet’s Sundar Pichai, are scheduled to testify before the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday. That hearing is to focus on content moderation, data privacy and media consolidation.

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Thursday’s vote came about a week after Facebook and Twitter moved to restrict the spread of a controversial article in the New York Post suggesting that Hunter Biden had organized a meeting between a Ukrainian businessman and his father, who was vice president at the time. 

That claim was based on emails obtained from a hard drive with no substantive links to anyone involved.

Read more here.

SCHUMER NOT CONVINCED: Senate Minority Leader Charles SchumerChuck SchumerFive takeaways on Iran, Russia election interference Pelosi calls Iran ‘bad actor’ but not equivalent to Russia on election interference Schumer says briefing on Iranian election interference didn’t convince him effort was meant to hurt Trump MORE (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday that a classified briefing he received on Iranian activity to influence next month’s election did not convince him the effort is aimed at discrediting President TrumpDonald John TrumpMore than 300 military family members endorse Biden Five takeaways from the final Trump-Biden debate Biden: ‘I would transition from the oil industry’ MORE, contrary to what Director of National Intelligence (DNI) John RatcliffeJohn Lee RatcliffeBiden: Countries that interfere in U.S. elections will ‘pay a price’ Biden swipes at Trump ally Giuliani at debate: He’s ‘being used as a Russian pawn’ Mistakes made by Iranian hackers tied them to threatening emails targeting US voters: report MORE told the public. 

“I did receive a classified briefing this afternoon on this, and so I can’t discuss the details but I can tell you one thing it was clear to me, that the intent of Iran in this case, and Russia in many more cases is to … basically undermine confidence in our elections,” Schumer said on MSNBC’s “The Rachel MaddowRachel Anne MaddowMaddow: Trump owes Welker an apology Hillicon Valley: Five takeaways on new election interference from Iran, Russia | Schumer says briefing on Iranian election interference didn’t convince him effort was meant to hurt Trump | Republicans on Senate panel subpoena Facebook, Twitter CEOs | Schumer says briefing on Iranian election interference didn’t convince him effort was meant to hurt Trump MORE Show.”  

“This action I do not believe was aimed, from my surmise, was aimed at discrediting President Trump,” he added. 

Ratcliffe during a press conference Wednesday evening said Russia and Iran are behind new efforts to sway public opinions related to the 2020 presidential election. He said Iran specifically is behind sending spoofed emails that aim to intimidate voters, incite social unrest and damage Trump. 

Schumer disagreed on the last point. 

“I’m not saying what he told me in their briefing, I can tell you that from the briefing I had the strong impression it was much rather to undermine confidence in elections and not aimed at any particular figure, but rather to undermine the very wellspring of our democracy,” he said. 

Read more here. 

NEITHER IS PELOSI: Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiTrump predicts GOP will win the House Hillicon Valley: Five takeaways on new election interference from Iran, Russia | Schumer says briefing on Iranian election interference didn’t convince him effort was meant to hurt Trump | Republicans on Senate panel subpoena Facebook, Twitter CEOs | On The Money: Pelosi cites progress, but says COVID-19 relief deal might be post-election | Eviction crisis sparked by pandemic disproportionately hits minorities | Weekly jobless claims fall to 787K MORE (D-Calif.) on Thursday said Iran is a “bad actor” but not on par with Russia in terms of seeking to influence the U.S. election. 

Pelosi and other Democrats sought to draw attention on Russian interference after Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe warned Wednesday both countries are behind efforts to sway public opinion related to the presidential election. 

He particularly called out Iran as being behind spoofed emails to registered voters that he said aimed to damage President Trump, but Pelosi said Ratcliffe is suggesting a false equivalence regarding interference efforts from Iran and Russia.  

“Russia is the villain here from what we have seen in the public domain,” Pelosi added. “Iran is a bad actor but in no way equivalent. And they always try to find some equivalence to protect their friend, Russia.”

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She spoke to reporters shortly before receiving a classified briefing on the intelligence about the efforts. 

“I will be very interested to hear what they have to say in a classified briefing, because everything we have seen in the public domain does not justify the statements that we heard yesterday,” Pelosi said at a press conference Thursday, regarding Ratcliffe’s comments the night before. 

Read more here.

NOT A HACK: An administrator of Fort Bragg’s Twitter account has admitted to sending sexually explicit tweets the military base originally blamed on a hack, a spokesperson said Thursday. 

“This morning, at the initiation of an investigation into yesterday’s incident regarding inappropriate tweets on the Fort Bragg Twitter account, an administrator for the account identified himself as the source of the tweets,” Col. Joe Buccino, a spokesperson for the XVIII Airborne Corps, said in a statement Thursday.

“Appropriate action is underway,” he added.

The incident happened Wednesday afternoon when the official Twitter account for the North Carolina Army base, one of the largest military installations in the country, replied in graphic detail to two tweets from a sex worker.

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Read more here.

ACCEPTING APPEALS: Facebook’s oversight board announced Thursday that it will begin allowing people to submit cases for review.

The independent decision-making body was first previewed by Facebook in 2018 as a way to oversee the platform’s content moderation decisions.

The 40-member body has individuals from all over the world, including co-chairs Helle Thorning-Schmidt, a former Danish prime minister; Michael McConnell, a constitutional law professor at Stanford University; Jamal Greene, a Columbia law professor; and Catalina Botero-Marino, dean of Universidad de los Andes faculty of law.

“The Board is eager to get to work,” Botero-Marino said Thursday. “We won’t be able to hear every appeal, but want our decisions to have the widest possible value, and will be prioritizing cases that have the potential to impact many users around the world, are of critical importance to public discourse, and raise questions about Facebook’s policies.” 

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The oversight board is meant to eventually have final and binding say over whether content should be allowed on, or taken down from, Facebook and Instagram. It is set up as a separate company from Facebook funded through an independent trust.

Read more here.

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CRACKING THE CODE: Both Twitter and the White House are denying a Dutch researcher’s claim that he was able to access President Trump’s account by guessing his password.

Dutch media outlets initially reported Victor Gevers, a security researcher, had correctly guessed the president’s password was “maga2020!”

While Gevers posted a screenshot purporting to show himself having accessed the account, Motherboard notes that the screenshot shows the president’s Twitter bio without the American flag emoji it displays.

Twitter, meanwhile, has said it has seen no evidence of improper access to the account, which has more than 87 million followers.

Read more here.

TECH TEAMS UP WITH DEA: Some of Silicon Valley’s biggest companies are teaming up with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for Saturday’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

Facebook, Google and Twitter will work with the Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies (CSIP) to help participants locate drop-off locations for any prescription drugs they have at home.

The national campaign has seen results before, with the DEA reporting that it collected more than 880,000 pounds of prescription drugs and vape devices last fall.

Read more here. 

Lighter click: Some real spooky lads

An op-ed to chew on: How Big Tech factors into the US-China geopolitical competition

NOTABLE LINKS FROM AROUND THE WEB:

ClickHole Started as a Meat Joke. Can It Avoid Being Offal? (Wired / Kate Knibbs)

Alloy promised Democrats a data edge over Trump. The DNC didn’t buy it. Now what? (Protocol / Issie Lapowsky)

The Network: How a Secretive Phone Company Helped the Crime World Go Dark (Motherboard / Joseph Cox)