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Iranian Hacker Group Targets WhatsApp Accounts of Biden and Trump Administration Officials

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Iranian Hacker Group Targets WhatsApp Accounts of Biden and Trump Administration Officials

Meta reported on Friday that an Iranian hacking group targeted WhatsApp accounts affiliated with President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

“This malicious activity originated in Iran and attempted to target individuals in Israel, Palestine, Iran, the United States, and the UK,” the social media giant said in a statement.

The effort primarily focused on “political and diplomatic officials, and other public figures, including some associated with the administrations of President Biden and former President Trump.”

Biden, Trump, and Harris Targeted by Iranian Hackers: Google Reveals Ongoing Threat

Meta’s research adds to a growing list of Iranian-backed hacking operations targeting the 2024 US presidential election.

Last week, Google reported that an alleged Iranian hacking operation targeting US presidential campaigns is ongoing and widespread. Hackers attempted to access email accounts associated with Biden, Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris, and both Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns but were unsuccessful.

On Monday, US intelligence services tied Iran to a hack and leak operation targeting Trump’s campaign. Hackers gained access to Trump operative Roger Stone’s email account and attempted to breach another campaign official’s account.

When asked about Iran’s reported latest hacking activities, the FBI referred to a statement issued on Monday.

The intelligence community “is confident that the Iranians have sought access to individuals with direct access to the presidential campaigns of both political parties through social engineering and other efforts,” according to a joint statement issued by the FBI and other agencies on Monday.

Meta said its investigation linked the efforts to an organisation known as “APT42,” which uses phishing tactics to acquire internet account passwords.

Meta’s security team stopped a group of accounts impersonating as help agents for several IT organisations, linking the activity to APT42.

“We have not seen evidence of the targeted WhatsApp accounts being compromised, but out of an abundance of caution, we’re sharing our findings publicly, in addition to sharing information with law enforcement and our industry peers,” according to the technology firm.

CNN has contacted both the White House and the Trump campaign for comment.

Source: CNN

Politics

Trudeau Courts Canadian Separatists Party to Stay in Power

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The Bloc Québécois is ready to give the Trudeau government
The Bloc Québécois is ready to help Trudeau for concessions for Quebec - CBC Image

Just days after Canada’s NDP party cut ties with Canada’s liberal party Justin Trudeau has approached the Bloc Quebecois a Canadian separatists party to maintain his grip on power in Canada. Trudeau is facing pressure to resign as nearly 78 Percent of Canadians disapprove of his leadership.

The Bloc Quebecois expressed its willingness to collaborate with the Liberals in order to secure support during confidence ballots in the wake of the supply and confidence agreement with the NDP expiring on Sunday. The BQ has formulated a list of demands in response.

Bloc House Leader Alain Therrien expressed his satisfaction that his party has regained its balance of power in the House at Trudeau’s expense in an interview conducted prior to Monday’s party caucus retreat in the Outaouais region.

He referred to the circumstance as a “window of opportunity” now that the Liberals are genuine minority government.

In the interim, Premier Danielle Smith of Alberta has explicitly stated that she does not wish for the Liberals to join forces with the Bloc Quebecois in order to preserve their position of authority.

Although the Liberals may collaborate with the Bloc Quebecois, Smith stated that it “does not have a mandate to negotiate with Quebec separatists at the expense of Alberta, the West, and the rest of the country.”.

Smith tweeted on Monday, ““If the Liberals go down this path, we need an election to be called immediately”.

The NDP has expressed its willingness to contemplate supporting Trudeau on a “vote-by-vote basis,” while the Conservatives have promised to introduce a motion of no confidence in the current government.

Despite the fact that Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives have pledged to hold numerous confidence votes in order to precipitate a general election, the Bloc’s approach is to leverage their newly acquired status to achieve what they perceive as significant benefits for Quebec.

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Judge Sides With Special Counsel Over Trump’s 2020 Election Case

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Judge Trump Trial
Judge in Trump's 2020 election case sides with special counsel - File Image

The federal judge supervising former President Trump’s case in the aftermath of the 2020 election spelled out the timeline for the prosecution’s next actions following the Supreme Court’s declaration that Trump is immune for “official acts.”

Hours after the two parties met in her courtroom earlier Thursday, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued an order that generally supported special counsel Jack Smith’s timing proposal.

Former President Trump faces four counts in connection with his alleged efforts to alter election results, including conspiracy to defraud the United States. Trump pleaded not guilty to the allegations again, but waived his appearance in court on Thursday CBS News reported.

The judge’s order rejects Trump’s lawyers’ proposed timeline for extending pretrial hearings into the spring or fall of 2025, well beyond the November presidential election.

Smith and his team had pushed for immunity conversations to take place alongside motions and other matters raised by the former president’s legal team.

Chutkan ordered federal prosecutors to send over all necessary information to Trump’s team by September 10, and Smith’s team had until September 26 to submit an opening brief detailing their views on presidential immunity. Smith’s prosecutors stated in court Thursday that the immunity motion will include fresh material not found in the indictment. Chutkan’s order allows the material to become public before the November election.

The judge set an Oct. 17 deadline for Trump’s team to respond to the special counsel’s claims and file their own motion to dismiss the indictment on immunity grounds. The administration will then have until October 29 to submit their response.

Chutkan stated in her two-page order that once the filings on the immunity issue are received, she will determine whether additional proceedings are required.

The judge also ordered Trump’s lawyers to file a petition by September 19 that includes “any specific evidence related to presidential immunity” that the former president feels prosecutors wrongfully concealed.

The decision also indicates that Trump has until October 24 to petition the court to enable him to file a move to dismiss the case based on accusations that Smith’s appointment and financing are unconstitutional. The special counsel’s team has until October 31 to file documents contesting this request.

The criminal case in Washington, DC, had been delayed several times as courts considered Trump’s immunity from prosecution. From 2017 to 2021, Trump claimed “absolute” immunity for any actions he took as president.

On July 1, the Supreme Court delivered a ruling denying any claims to absolute immunity while allowing extensive “presumptive immunity” to any “official” activities the president may take.

The ruling did not specify what constitutes a “official” or “unofficial” activity, but it implied that conversations with government officials, such as the vice president, would be exempt from prosecution.

As a result, the verdict was interpreted as expanding presidential power beyond what the US Constitution allows.

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Judge delays Donald Trump’s Hush Money Sentencing Until After the Election

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Judge delays Donald Trump’s Hush Money Sentencing Until After the Election

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Judge delays Donald Trump’s Hush Money Sentencing Until After the Election

The sentencing of Donald Trump in his New York hush money trial was postponed Friday until after November’s presidential election, a victory for the Republican as he faces Democrat Kamala Harris in a razor-thin race.

The former president was set to be sentenced on September 18 for fabricating business records in an attempt to hush a porn star’s politically damaging story.

However, Judge Juan Merchan postponed it until November 26 – well after the November 5 election, as asked by Donald Trump’s lawyers.

“This is not a decision this Court makes lightly but it is the decision which in this Court’s view, best advances the interests of justice,” he wrote at the time.

Donald Trump was convicted in May on 34 charges of falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels to prevent her from reporting an alleged sexual encounter on the eve of the 2016 election.

He was originally set to be sentenced on July 11.

However, that was postponed because the US Supreme Court determined that a former president had wide immunity from criminal prosecution.

Following the Supreme Court’s immunity decision, Donald Trump’s lawyers requested that his New York conviction be dismissed. Merchan stated that he would rule on the dismissal request on November 12.

The postponement comes as the already remarkable White House contest enters a new tense phase, with Harris and Donald Trump scheduled for their first televised debate next Tuesday.

Donald Trump’s Public Remarks and Election Campaign Strategies

Instead of addressing major voter issues such as immigration or the economy, Trump was in New York hours before the ruling, making meandering speeches about his numerous legal troubles while denying multiple women’s allegations of sexual harassment or assault.

“This is not the kind of publicity you like,” Trump said from the lobby of Trump Tower, despite spending an hour unprompted reminding voters of his long legal troubles and allegations of rape and sexual assault by various women, including writer E. Jean Carroll.

The legal drama occurred on the day that the first mail-in ballots of the election were scheduled to be distributed.

North Carolina, a battleground state, was expected to mail out some 130,000 absentee voting papers, signalling the symbolic start of a nationwide process that saw 155 million Americans vote in the heated 2020 election.

However, a state appeals court suspended the process in response to a last-minute lawsuit filed by independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who wants his name deleted from ballots. The fringe candidate from America’s most famous political dynasty has dropped out and backed Donald Trump.

North Carolina is one of several swing states that Harris and Donald Trump have been visiting as they enter the most intense part of an election that is likely to be determined by razor-thin margins.

Other states will shortly send out initial batches of ballots, and early in-person voting will begin in 47 states as soon as September 20.

Donald Trump is set to speak in North Carolina later on Friday.

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