FBI reiterates encryption warnings; Trump’s Everett visit sparks interest; Pastor Burns apologises for Clinton cartoon
WASHINGTON, U.S. - FBI Director James Comey has reiterated his warning about the bureau’s inability to access digital devices due to encryption that is “making more and more of the room that we are charged to investigate dark.”
According to reports, Comey clarified that the bureau takes election cybersecurity “very seriously” and called for a “mature conversation” over encryption, which is currently a hot topic.
He said, “We take very seriously any effort by any actor, including nation-states, maybe especially nation-states, that moves beyond the collection of information about our country and that offers the prospect of an effort to influence the conduct of affairs in our country, whether that’s an election or something else.”
He added, “Those kinds of things are something we take very, very seriously, and work very, very hard to understand so that we can equip the rest of our government on how to deal with it.”
While he acknowledged that strong encryption was important, he clarified that there was no such thing as absolute privacy in the nation, and added that absolute encryption has created “shadow” areas that law enforcement just cannot access.
He said, “That’s criminals not caught, that’s evidence not found, that’s sentences far shorter for pedophiles and others because judges can’t see the true scope of their activity. We should not drift to a place that a wide swath of America is off limits to judicial authority.”
He added that those in favour of “strong” encryption and adding “backdoors” to encryption algorithms should use the rest of the year to gather correct facts and enter a more "adult" debate in 2017.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has sent a letter to the FBI requesting a probe into the threat the Russian government poses to the upcoming elections.
He said, “The prospect of individuals tied to Trump, WikiLeaks and the Russian government coordinating to influence our election raises concerns of the utmost gravity and merits full examination.”
Meanwhile in another part of the country - Pastor Mark Burns, a prominent surrogate of Donald Trump apologised for retweeting a digitally manipulated photo of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in blackface, accusing her of pandering to black voters.
He said, “I apologise for that as well, for posting incorrect information. Again, I think that's what the true message of grace is, that you know once you discover new information, you are quickly to change your opinion and get back on the right path. And that's what I'm doing right now to the whole world, is to say, listen, in my sincere heart of hearts, my job as a pastor is to draw people together, not push them away.”
He added that when he realised “how it was pulling people apart,” he regretted retweeting the image.
Clinton’s lead cut in half
A new Monmouth University poll has revealed that Clinton’s lead was cut in half over rival Donald Trump, by 7 percent.
Clinton drew 46 percent support among likely voters to Trump’s 39 percent out of 802 registered voters, as compared to her 50 against his 37 immediately after the Democratic National Convention.
54 percent of voters surveyed believed that Clinton gave “special treatment to big donors of the Clinton Foundation when she was Secretary of State” against 26 percent who claimed she did “nothing out of the ordinary.”
Meanwhile, after losing her post amidst the Democratic email leak scandal, Debbie Wasserman Schultz is fighting on August 30 to hold onto her House seat against first-time candidate Tim Canova, a law professor backed by Bernie Sanders.
Clinton backed Schultz to the hilt and said she needed her “in Congress, by my side, working day after day.”
Canova maintained that Schultz was vulnerable despite polls showing her in the lead and said, “Debbie has been reading her press clippings for too long. And she started to take her core base for granted.”
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio who also faces a primary vote, will not commit to serving out a full six-year Senate term.
He said, “No one can make the commitment because you don’t know what the future is going to hold in your life personally or politically. I can commit to you this - that I am running to be a U.S. senator. I am fully prepared to allow the U.S. Senate to be the last political office I ever hold.”
Donald Trump meanwhile, is scheduled to visit Everett on Tuesday, and 13,000 free tickets have reportedly been distributed to the event in the XFINITY Arena, which houses only 7,000 to 10,000.
Trump is expected to speak at 7 PM Washington time, and the event will also see a gathering of anti-Trump protesters.
Trump will attend a fundraiser before the rally, while Clinton’s campaign website also announced a “Love Trumps Hate” rally in a nearby park.
Wikileaks surprise
Wikileaks is set to offer financial rewards to those willing to turn in more material on Clinton and Trump, specifically relating to the upcoming presidential election.
The whistleblowing outfit said, “Police rewards produce results. So do journalist rewards. Those who take the truth seriously leave no stone unturned to find it.”
It added, “Some lesser publications have poor quality control and as a consequence are not able to maintain accuracy when financial incentives are involved. Or frankly, even when they are not. WikiLeaks' vetting process is strong enough not to be affected by an increase in source contributions.”