Obama warns Russia on hacking: ‘We can do stuff to you’

President Obama speaks during a news conference in the briefing room of the White House in Washington, D.C

President Obama warned Russia on Friday not to wage cyber  warfare against the United States, saying, “We can do stuff to you” as he defended his handling of Moscow’s alleged hacking of Democrats’ emails to influence the 2016 election.

“Our goal continues to be to send a clear message to Russia or others not to do this to us, because we can do stuff to you,” Obama told reporters at his final press conference of 2016.

His comments came shortly after it was disclosed that the FBI agrees with the CIA’s conclusions that Russia targeted Democrats with the aim of helping President-elect Donald Trump win on Nov. 8.

Obama promised that any U.S. retaliation against Russia would come “in a thoughtful, methodical way” that might be hidden from the U.S. public.

“Some of it we do publicly, some of it we will do in a way that they know but not everybody will,” he said. “The message will be directly received by the Russians and not publicized.”

Obama defended his response to Moscow’s alleged intrusion, saying, “We handled it the way it should have been handled.”

The question remains ..... Did Russia get the message or is this the beginning of a new kind of cyber, cold war??

It could become a tit for tat battle that escalates to something frightening. Mr Putin wants to be a major world power, equal to or bigger than the United States. He wants to prove his might and he will use any means without conscience. Don't forget he was in the KBG. They were a sneaky and remorseless organization. Putin seems to want to turn the clock back to Russia's ( and his) heyday in the Cold War. And if he thinks he has Trump under his thumb, be afraid. Be very afraid.

 I have always thought Putin was a bad guy and a threat. And never forget, he has a sleeping giant in his back yard. China has been pretty quiet until now. But Mr Trump opened a Pandora's box there too when he spoke directly to Taiwan's Tsai Ing-wen in a break from the US' "one China" policy, triggering protest from Beijing.

This is a very sensitive subject with the Chinese. Trump's action was tantamount to recognizing Ing-wen as the leader of an independent country.

China responded by increasing military force in the South China Sea. They can also do major damage to the American economy ... discarding trade deals, lowering their dollar, pulling out billions in investments in America. No one wants to upset China.

 They could defeat any country who threatened them by sheer numbers. They have the biggest population of any country in the world ... about one billion 400 million people.

They have co-operated  with the US, so far, in disapproving of North Korea's nuclear aspirations and also Iran's. But that could change too.

They could also pull out of the Paris Climate Change agreement and they are the worst polluters on the planet.

The thing we don't want to see is China and Russia teaming up as a joint power. Then we are all screwed.  But Mr Trump could bring that about with his ham-handed, 'bull in a china shop' diplomatic skills/ or lack thereof. Someone stop that run away train.

Ceasefire in Aleppo... Rebels defeated

A FINAL LOOK AT ALEPPO AS IT APPEARS TODAY

Proud, victorious army ...I wonder what they are proud of

Military action has ended in eastern Aleppo, Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, has said.He said Syrian government troops had re-established control over the last areas of the city held by rebels. He said an arrangement had been made for rebel fighters to leave. The rebels confirmed the deal, but said civilians would also be allowed to leave.

The latest developments could bring to an end more than four years of vicious fighting in which thousands have died. Reporters on the ground said there had been no bombardments or fighting in recent hours.

The rebels had been squeezed into ever smaller areas of the city in recent months in a major government offensive backed by Russian air power.
Word of the deal came as the UN reported summary killings by pro-government forces. It said it had reliable evidence that in four areas 82 civilians were killed, adding that many more may have died.
The UN and the US said the Syrian government and its allies Russia and Iran were accountable for any atrocities committed in the city.
Naturally, Russia said the allegations were untrue.
With this victory, Russia will probably crush all remaining rebel strongholds very quickly and expediently with no regard for civilians, as has been their method so far. And that will probably be the end of the war in Syria .... for good or evil.
 Russia has taken advantage of the election and transition period in the USA, while the government's focus was elsewhere and capitalized on Trump's promised future withdrawal from Syria. Taking Trump at his word, Putin moved massive military forces into Syria and pressed it's advantage to it's ultimate conclusion.
You see Mr Trump, a few careless words in the wrong ear can change the destiny of countries, can destroy all hope of freedom and can cost, at the very least, 82 lives.

Bear-bogganing in first heavy snow Toronto Zoo

Our Dogs love the snow too



US Intelligence concludes Russia hacked and undermined election to sway votes



U.S. intelligence analysts have concluded that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help President-elect Donald Trump win the White House, and not just to undermine confidence in the U.S. electoral system, a senior U.S. official said on Friday.

U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that as the 2016 presidential campaign progressed, Russian government officials devoted increasing attention to assisting Trump's effort to win the election, the U.S. official familiar with the finding told Reuters on Friday night, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The president-elect's transition office released a statement that exaggerated his margin of victory and attacked the U.S. intelligence community that Trump will soon command, but did not address or question the analysts' conclusions. Apparently, the CIA, FBI and other intelligence agencies are all lying. And yet, in a statement last week, Trump said he had the utmost respect for these agencies. Does it ever concern you that he talks out of both sides of his mouth??

"These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction," the transition office said. "The election ended a long time ago in one of the biggest Electoral College victories in history. It's now time to move on and 'Make America Great Again.'"

Democrats and some Republicans in Congress are calling for a full investigation into Russia's election year activities.

"Protecting the integrity of our elections is hindered when President-elect Trump and his transition team minimize or dismiss the intelligence assessments themselves," Representative Adam Schiff of California, the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said in a statement issued on Saturday.

Citing U.S. officials briefed on the matter, the Washington Post reported on Friday that intelligence agencies had identified individuals with connections to the Russian government who provided thousands of hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and others, including the chairman of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, to WikiLeaks.

U.S. President Barack Obama has ordered intelligence agencies to review cyber attacks and foreign intervention into the 2016 election and deliver a report before he leaves office on Jan. 20, the White House said on Friday.

Obama's homeland security adviser, Lisa Monaco, told reporters the report's results would be shared with lawmakers and others.

"The president has directed the intelligence community to conduct a full review of what happened during the 2016 election process ... and to capture lessons learned from that and to report to a range of stakeholders, to include the Congress," she said during an event hosted by the Christian Science Monitor.

As summer turned to fall, Russian hackers turned almost all their attention to the Democrats. Virtually all the emails they released publicly were potentially damaging to Clinton and the Democrats, not Republicans, the official told Reuters.

"That was a major clue to their intent," the official said. "If all they wanted to do was discredit our political system, why publicize the failings of just one party, especially when you have a target like Trump?"

A second official familiar with the report said the intelligence analysts' conclusion about Russia's motives does not mean the intelligence community believes that Moscow's efforts altered or significantly affected the outcome of the election.

Russian officials have denied all accusations of interference in the U.S. election.

A Central Intelligence Agency spokeswoman said the agency had no comment on the matter.

The hacked emails passed to WikiLeaks were a regular source of embarrassment to the Clinton campaign during the race for the presidency.

U.S. intelligence analysts have assessed "with high confidence" that at some point in the extended presidential campaign Russian President Vladimir Putin's government had decided to try to bolster Trump's chances of winning.

The Russians appear to have concluded that Trump had a shot at winning and that he would be much friendlier to Russia than Clinton would be, especially on issues such as maintaining economic sanctions and imposing additional ones, the official said.

Moscow is launching a similar effort to influence the next German election, following an escalating campaign to promote far-right and nationalist political parties and individuals in Europe that began more than a decade ago, the official said.

In both cases, said the official, Putin's campaigns in both Europe and the United States are intended to disrupt and discredit the Western concept of democracy by promoting extremist candidates, parties, and political figures.

In October, the U.S. government publicly accused Russia of a campaign of cyber attacks against Democratic Party organizations ahead of the Nov. 8 presidential election. Obama has said he warned Putin about consequences for the attacks.

"I don't believe they interfered," Trump told Time magazine about Russia in an interview published this week. "That became a laughing point, not a talking point, a laughing point. Any time I do something, they say, 'Oh, Russia interfered.'"

If it's true, then it is true Mr Trump and you do not belong in a position of  extreme

power and public trust.

Trump's response to Russian hacking

A little Trump rant by Rob Reiner

Can some one explain what these old folks are trying to do ... besides break their hips?

Maybe this guy knows

The gun violence ad that’s leaving everyone gob smacked

An ad released by relatives of those lost in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting uses story and misdirection to make an all-too-real point: You can stop gun violence, if you know what to look for.
The spot, titled “Evan,” engrosses viewers over a one-minute-and-40-second love story with a chilling twist. Since releasing on YouTube Friday, it’s garnered 2.5 million views and countless floored reactions:
Using selective framing and focus, the ad shows the subtle signals that potential shooters often reveal and casts viewers as those close to them who can easily miss such red flags. A sentimental folk song sets the tone for a budding romance that unfolds with expert pacing. Then it all comes to shattering halt.
The ad, made by BBDO New York, comes from the Sandy Hook Promise, a nonpartisan nonprofit launched by families who lost loved ones at the attack in Newtown, Conn. four years ago this month.
The ad promotes “Know The Signs,” a campaign raising awareness about the warning signs that can precede gun violence. According to Sandy Hook Promise, 80% of school shooters told someone of their plans to commit violence before taking action. Too often, no one intervenes.

GO BACK AND WATCH IT AGAIN
YOU"LL NOTICE  ALL THE THINGS YOU IGNORED THE FIRST TIME