On Saturday (otherwise known as the Sabbath), the most powerful woman in Trumpworld, the president’s daughter, arrived in the United Arab Emirates to give a speech at the second Global Women’s Forum. As with so many events featuring Ivanka, we learned more about her look than her words. Instead of clips of her speech, we were treated to a strange, gauzy-looking North Korean propaganda video from Voice of America News, which featured Ivanka in a hijab pointing at things and looking at things. Toward the end, we are treated to a few shots of a hijab-less Ivanka, and in these we can see her new hair color, which Fox News is very excited about. It’s a new chunky highlight that mirrors her father’s unblended tanner. Arab News describes Ivanka’s perennially dewy skin as “lit-from-within,” which is a funny way to say Botox. As with any princess, Ivanka picked a glass slipper (in this case it was plastic but close enough), an $800 clear heel that showed some of her dewy foot skin. She paired these plastic shoes with a “trending color” that looks suspiciously like mustard yellow. Personally, I’m always impressed that someone who has a near-fatless body can spend so much money to look so mediocre. But The Daily Caller disagreed and sycophanted, “Ivanka’s fashion sense is always on point as has been noted numerous times before,” and then they went slightly more propaganda by calling her weird mustard-colored outfit “jaw-dropping.” I mean, I guess.But this wasn’t any old “Ivanka Trump fakes feminism by using words “event.” No, Ivanka had a debt to settle, to the tune of $100 million that was donated to her “women’s empowerment fund” by the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Turns out Daddy isn’t the only one in the family who can quid pro quo. Besides owning the Saudis and Emiratis, Ivanka is also her father’s global voice in all things woman-related, which makes sense because Ivanka has picked feminism as her brand, just as her brother Junior picked “friend of the alt-right” as his brand. The theme of this year’s Global Women’s Forum was “The Power of Influence,” and so perhaps it was perfect that the Trump administration sent the president’s daughter, who happens to be the most influential woman in her daddy’s administration, but who also is being influenced by the fact that the people she’s lauding gave her initiative a hundred million dollars.Saudi and UAE got their $100 million worth, paid in Ivanka corporate double speak: “We know that when women are free to succeed, families thrive, communities flourish, and nations are stronger.” Later in the speech she volunteered the meaningless, “We all need to applaud these achievements and advancements. And yet, we won’t grow complacent because there is still so much more work to be done.”When Ivanka speaks, it’s always in this weird animatronic corporate McKinsey investment-banking princess speak, which is a stark contrast to her brother’s #MAGA pro-wrestler jargon.Ivanka went on to praise Saudi Arabia’s “significant reforms.” You know, feminist hot-bed Saudi Arabia, where women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul rots in jail because she “refused an offer of freedom in exchange for recording a videotaped statement testifying that she had not been tortured, her siblings said this week.” But hey, women can drive, so there’s that. “When Ivanka speaks, it's always in this weird animatronic corporate McKinsey investment banking princess speak”Of course, the Global Women’s Forum was held in Dubai. You know, Dubai, the place where raped women are occasionally jailed for reporting said rape. And then there was the little problem with the event’s host, Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum. The ruler’s sixth wife, Haya Bint Hussein, wasn’t there to welcome the event’s participants because she escaped to London in 2019, is “afraid for her life,” and filed a forced-marriage protection order in the family division of the English High Court. She’s not the only woman in Rashid’s life who’s tried to escape him: Two of Al-Maktoum’s daughters have both tried to run away, with limited success. So maybe “the power of influence” was actually the perfect theme for this year’s women’s empowerment forum. After all, fake-feminist Ivanka is able to use her women’s global development and prosperity initiative to give her the power of influence. Furthermore, she was empowered to express lots of nice faux-feminist platitudes about Saudi and UAE, and they used “the power of influence” over her to fund her nebulous women’s initiative, and honestly, it’s a pretty good deal for them, having the leader of the “free world’s” daughter extol their “significant reforms.” America under Trump rule may not be the shining city on the hill it once was, but the optics of its most powerful woman praising these two Middle Eastern countries are meaningful. One has to wonder with the Trumps and the House of Saud if it’s a case of game recognizing game. It’s kind of perfect: The Trump administration has finally found two countries as committed to quid pro quo as they are.

Donald Trump’s executive orders to block TikTok and WeChat from the U.S. market have set off legal battles and debates over the openness of the internet. But how will these apps’ Chinese parent companies, which have grown rapidly behind a walled garden for many years, maneuver around the bans now that the U.S. government is taking a leaf out of China’s playbook?I am an American who’s lived in Asia for a decade now. As a venture capitalist based in Singapore, I’ve learned that major tech firms in these two countries share a common goal—megagrowth—but they come at it from different directions, often with contrasting methods. These tactics can help inform how American bans might play out for TikTok and WeChat and their parent companies, ByteDance and Tencent.How Chinese and American tech titans differIn the U.S., many of the big online tech firms gained dominance over the past 25 years by displacing legacy dinosaurs—Netflix versus Blockbuster, Amazon versus Borders and Barnes & Noble—or inventing entire categories of technology, such as Apple and Google. In China, which was a less developed market, the largest tech companies grew without the need to displace established players. In China, the first-mover advantage was very valuable, followed by who could raise the most money—thus creating the first generation of Chinese tech titans such as Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent. Meanwhile, in the U.S., companies such as Netflix, Amazon, Google, and Apple won through world-class software engineering and user interfaces, out-innovating their competition.We’ve seen further differences in cultural DNA play out as American and Chinese tech firms competed in other markets. Uber and Amazon pushed their way into Asian countries with product and engineering headquartered back in the U.S. Tencent and Alibaba expanded out of China across nearby parts of Asia with a playbook of minority investments and full acquisitions, similar to a real-estate land grab. Alibaba’s AliPay is known by a dozen different names throughout Asia, such as GCash in the Philippines. Tencent, known for its chat, mobile gaming, and payment apps, invested in Southeast Asian giants such as SEA Group and Indonesia’s GoJek.Unlike American big tech companies, Chinese tech titans tend not to force their products (or their brands) into new markets. They’ve also been more willing than U.S. firms to enter foreign markets via joint ventures. There are dozens of examples of Chinese tech companies launching joint ventures with home-country brands in markets from Indonesia to the Philippines.But there’s another big difference between how American and Chinese tech companies have grown. China has been blocking dozens of global services from operating within its borders, including Google, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. Even Visa and Mastercard were blocked until recently, which gave rise to AliPay and TenPay. By enjoying a walled garden within China, many Chinese apps and services have grown to a size where they now compete globally—which makes them more of a geopolitical threat to American economic interests.In one sense, Trump’s threat to block Chinese sites such as TikTok and WeChat is not a new stance, but a continuation of his positions on trade, immigration, jobs, and his recent war with Huawei. The ban orders are due partly to concerns of exposing personal data on Chinese networks, and partly to concerns of economic competitiveness.However, the current global economic outlook is not rosy. While many online tech firms have prospered during the pandemic, a rise in political tensions is curbing growth for the Chinese titans, as seen last month when India banned TikTok, and now in the U.S. with Trump’s executive orders. Business tensions between the U.S. and China will continue to get worse before they get better.Chinese internet giants need to prepare for a future with more intricate geopolitics in order to operate globally. And within this context, TikTok and WeChat present themselves as test cases. This is the first time that immensely popular Chinese consumer products—or in the case of TikTok, their Americanized versions—are about to be barred from the world’s most prominent consumer market.What lies aheadHow will the parent companies respond? As the Chinese playbook has shown elsewhere, you can achieve market penetration and growth by sitting behind another player. That is exactly what we’re seeing with TikTok’s rumored sale to Microsoft. TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, may happily sell the brand and product, but it could still own the IP and monetization models underneath. Or, it could just shift to being a minority shareholder, with the intent to purchase back in the future.WeChat is a little more difficult for Tencent to remove itself from, as it’s the king of all super-apps. If WeChat is blocked in the U.S., we might see Tencent do a business development partnership with a second-tier chat app in the U.S., such as Line. This hypothetical partnership could allow a user of Line to send messages to a WeChat user and vice versa, just as a user of Hotmail can exchange emails with a Gmail user.Furthermore, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to imagine Tencent launching a new chat app as a joint venture (of which it would be a minority shareholder) with a company such as Amazon. While most other large-cap tech companies such as Facebook, Google, and Apple have a social or chat component, Amazon doesn’t. In addition, Amazon and Tencent share a common enemy: Alibaba. We’re all familiar with the Asian proverb: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”The reality is that there are many ways for a Chinese company to operate in the U.S. that would circumvent any short-term blocks—just as non-tech-based U.S. companies operate in China despite restrictions on foreign ownership. Many global corporations skirt these restrictions through creative commercial contracts that still allow revenue sharing and decision-making to sit outside China.The tech giants of the United States and China share one core value: growth at any cost, in order to dominate the market. They just have different philosophies on how to get there. With TikTok and WeChat, we’re about to see Chinese business philosophies meet and perhaps merge with those of the U.S. It promises to be a dance with repercussions throughout the tech industry and the global economy.Vinnie Lauria is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned investor. He is a managing partner at Golden Gate Ventures, a Singapore-based VC fund.

closeVideoRosenstein testifies he would not have signed FISA warrant on Trump aide if he knew of problemsThe ‘Outnumbered’ panel weighs in on former Acting Attorney General Rod Rosenstein testifying on the Russia probe origins before the Senate Judiciary Committee.Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe accused former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein of giving “false” testimony Wednesday about James Comey’s memos documenting his interactions with President Trump.During his appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Rosenstein suggested that McCabe should have shared details about former FBI Director Comey’s memos on his conversations with the president earlier, claiming that he didn’t tell him about their existence until right before they were leaked.CRUZ SLAMS ROSENSTEIN ON RUSSIA PROBE, SAYS HE WAS 'COMPLICIT' OR 'GROSSLY NEGLIGENT'Asked whether McCabe lied to him, Rosenstein testified: "Lying is when you ask someone a direct question and get a false answer. Candor is when you’re forthcoming with information someone needs to know. I believe McCabe should have recognized that when I became acting AG [overseeing the Russia probe], I needed to know about Comey’s memos and he didn’t tell me until a couple of hours before they showed up in the New York Times."Comey admitted to Congress during testimony in June 2017 that, after he was fired, he purposefully leaked several memos through an intermediary to ensure that a special counsel would be appointed.Comey leaked his memos to a friend, Columbia Law School Professor Daniel Richman, who later served as Comey's legal counsel. Richman ultimately leaked the contents of the memo to The New York Times.McCabe, on Wednesday, fired back, essentially accusing Rosenstein of lying.“Mr. Rosenstein’s claims to have been misled by me, or anyone from the FBI, regarding our concerns about President Trump and the Trump campaign’s interactions with Russia are completely false,” McCabe said in a statement Wednesday.“Mr. Rosenstein approved of, and suggested ways to enhance, our investigation of the President,” he continued. “Further, I personally briefed Mr. Rosenstein on Jim Comey’s memos describing his interactions with the President mere days after Mr. Rosenstein wrote the memo firing Jim Comey.”McCabe added: “Mr. Rosenstein’s testimony is completely at odds with the factual record. It looks to be yet another sad attempt by the President and his men to rewrite the history of their actions in 2017. They have found in Mr. Rosenstein – then and now – a willing accessory in that effort.”Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., read McCabe’s statement to Rosenstein at the end of the hearing Wednesday, and asked for his response.“I think one thing you need to appreciate…is that I had a very strong team working with me at the Justice Department,” Rosenstein said, noting that it was a team “including Trump appointees, career people, Republicans and Democrats.”Video“I spoke to my team—not Mr. McCabe. I spoke with my team,” he continued.He went on to note he never explicitly said McCabe misled him.Rosenstein added: “I did not say Mr. McCabe misled me—what I said was that he did not reveal the Comey memos to me for a week and that is true. And he revealed them to me only a couple of hours before they showed up in the New York Times.“He did not reveal to me that he was having internal deliberations with his team on whether to target very high profile people for investigation,” Rosenstein continued, noting that McCabe’s “position” was that he did not have to notify the Justice Department until after he signed off on those probes.“That’s the kind of thing I needed to know,” Rosenstein said. “I haven’t accused him of making misstatements to me. I have accused him of not being fully forthcoming.”VideoRosenstein added that he was “confident” people at the Justice Department “will back me up.”“I had a right to know the deliberations inside the FBI, because McCabe knew I had just come into this job, I didn’t know what they were investigating except what he told me,” Rosenstein said, adding that he “didn’t have the underlying evidence.”“I was relying upon the information that came up from the FBI,” he said. “I have not made any unfair allegations against Mr. McCabe.”McCabe was fired by former Attorney General Jeff Sessions in March 2018 after the DOJ inspector general found he had misstated his involvement in a leak to The Wall Street Journal regarding an FBI investigation into the Clinton Foundation.Throughout the investigation, McCabe denied any wrongdoing and said the inspector general’s conclusions relied on mischaracterizations and omissions, including of information favorable to McCabe.The Justice Department inspector general also found last year that Comey violated bureau policies by drafting, leaking and retaining those memos documenting private discussions with Trump.Meanwhile, Rosenstein testified Wednesday that he would not have signed a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant renewal application for former Trump campaign aide Carter Page had he known about the since-revealed misconduct surrounding those warrants -- while faulting the FBI for its handling of the documents."If you knew then what you know now, would you have signed the warrant application?" committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., asked Rosenstein."No, I would not," Rosenstein said.

The United Kingdom announced Tuesday that it will ban Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei from its 5G network, a reversal on a decision from earlier this year.The U.K. had said in January that Huawei technology could be used outside of "core" 5G networks, but changed direction after intense domestic and international pressure, especially from the United States.Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said while speaking in Parliament on Tuesday that mobile network operators in the U.K. would have to stop buying equipment from Huawei by the end of the year.Those operators will also be required to rip out all Huawei gear from their systems by 2027, he said.Dowden warned that the change would likely cause delays in the rollout of fifth-generation (5G) wireless technologies as well as additional costs, given Huawei's technological dominance in the space.“As facts have changed, so has our approach,” he said. “This has not been an easy decision, but it is the right one for the U.K.’s telecom networks, for our national security and our economy, both now and indeed in the long run."Dowden may have been referring to new restrictions imposed on Huawei by the U.S. in May making it harder for the company to source key chip equipment from American suppliers.Even before those restrictions, U.S. lawmakers pushed hard for the U.K. to reverse its January decision.Multiple agencies in the U.S. has deemed the Chinese company a national security threat, and intelligence officials have raised concerns about Chinese Communist Party access to networks built by Huawei.A spokesperson for the company called the U.K.'s decision on Tuesday "disappointing.""It threatens to move Britain into the digital slow lane, push up bills and deepen the digital divide. Instead of ‘levelling up’ the government is levelling down and we urge them to reconsider," the Huawei spokesperson said in statement to The Hill."We remain confident that the new US restrictions would not have affected the resilience or security of the products we supply to the UK."

Google, Amazon, Apple and Facebookabuse their power as gatekeepers of the internet, said the head of a House antitrust panel who's poised to propose legislative changes to rein in the technology giants. From a report: "Each platform uses their gatekeeper position to protect their own power," said Representative David Cicilline, who chairs a House antitrust panel that's spent more than a year probing the dominance of the internet platforms. "By controlling the infrastructure of the digital age, they have surveilled other businesses to identify potential rivals -- and ultimately bought out, copied, or cut off their competitive threats." Cicilline, who spoke Thursday during a hearing with experts on competition law, is preparing a final report recommending changes to the legislative and regulatory framework. That report is expected to be released as early as next week, according to people familiar with the matter. Sundar Pichai, Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook and Mark Zuckerberg testified voluntarily in July before the subcommittee. Cicilline criticized their testimony as being evasive and non-responsive and said "they raised new questions about whether they believe their companies are beyond oversight."

Advocates against flawed facial recognition systems have pushed for limits or bans on the use of these controversial technologies by law enforcement for at least four years. Now, amid a global reckoning around racial injustice spurred by the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, IBM, Amazon, and Microsoft declared decisions to end or pause sales of their facial recognition products to law enforcement.The companies’ choice to step away from facial recognition received muted praise from some high-profile activists who’ve fought against facial recognition use for law enforcement and private surveillance. But other advocates for ethical and equitable tech approaches are skeptical of what they say looks more like pandering than meaningful action.The parade of announcements from giant tech companies is an attempt “to virtue signal as a company,” says Rashida Richardson, director of policy research at the AI Now Institute.Over the past several years, police departments’ increasing use of facial recognition has sparked criticism due to the technology’s inaccuracy. Several research studies, including one by the government, have shown that facial recognition algorithms fail to detect black and brown faces accurately. Cities across the country have banned its use by police departments and government agencies.“Limiting the scope of these [announcements] even to law enforcement is insufficient,” says Safiya Noble, associate professor at UCLA’s Department of Information Studies and author of Algorithms of Oppression. “We need a full-on recall of all of these technologies.”An opportunistic moveIBM came first. The company sent a letter on June 8 addressed to Congressional Black Caucus members and sponsors of the Justice in Policing Act, introduced the same day. IBM CEO Arvind Krishna recognized the “horrible and tragic deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor,” and stated that the company “no longer offers general purpose IBM facial recognition or analysis software.”We need a full-on recall of all of these technologies.”Safiya NobleThe thing is, it appears IBM already stopped making its facial analysis and detection technology available in September 2019.The IBM announcement is “not bad because it’s better than doing nothing, but that said I think it’s completely promotional and opportunistic,” says Richardson.IBM’s letter got a more welcome reception from MIT researcher Joy Buolamwini and her organization Algorithmic Justice League. Buolamwini said in a Medium post that she “commends this decision as a first move forward towards company-side responsibility to promote equitable and accountable AI.” In 2018, Buolamwini and her colleague Dr. Timni Gebru published seminal research that revealed accuracy disparities for people of color and women in earlier versions of facial recognition software from IBM, Microsoft, and Chinese company Face ++.Amazon, which makes a facial recognition product called Rekognition, swiftly followed on June 10, announcing a “one-year moratorium on police use of Amazon’s facial recognition technology.” At least one law enforcement agency using Rekognition—Oregon’s Washington County Sheriff’s Office—has said it will stop doing so. Amazon declined to comment for this story and did not provide any details about how it will enact and enforce the moratorium.Buolamwini said in an email to Fast Company: “Given Amazon’s public dismissals of research showing racial and gender bias in their facial recognition and analysis systems, including research I coauthored with Deborah Raji, this is a welcomed though unexpected announcement.”As criticism of police practices reaches a crescendo, Amazon’s two-paragraph statement made no mention of police abuse or racial injustice.This pause is the bare minimum when it comes to addressing the ways facial recognition has enabled harms and violence against Black people.”Data for Black Lives“This pause is the bare minimum when it comes to addressing the ways facial recognition has enabled harms and violence against Black people,” data equity group Data for Black Lives said in a statement sent to Fast Company.The next day, Microsoft emerged with its own statement. Microsoft President Brad Smith told The Washington Post the firm “decided that we will not sell facial recognition technology to police departments in the United States until we have a national law in place grounded in human rights that will govern this technology.”It was an about-face from an earlier stance. In January, Smith told Seattle’s NPR affiliate KUOW the company did not want a moratorium on facial recognition because “the only way to continue developing it actually is to have more people using it.”No end for predictive policing or other surveillance techDespite their limitations on facial recognition use by law enforcement, neither IBM, Amazon, nor Microsoft said they would stop the use of the other highly scrutinized predictive policing and surveillance tech they offer. Predictive policing systems in particular have been criticized for using historical data that contains inaccurate or racially-biased documentation of law enforcement incidents.Microsoft’s statement was “a dodge,” says Liz O’Sullivan, technology director at the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project. Not only does Microsoft not appear to sell facial recognition to police in the U.S., she said; it has a $10 billion contract with the Pentagon, which could lead to the implementation of its augmented reality headsets and object detection for military use.As for IBM, the company said nothing about ending sales of its predictive analytics tools to law enforcement. The company has provided predictive and “near-instant intelligence” to police clients including Rochester, New York, Manchester, New Hampshire, and Edmonton, Canada. IBM did not respond to requests for comment regarding its predictive policing technologies.Meanwhile, Amazon’s year off from selling facial recognition to police does not limit its law enforcement partners’ use of video surveillance footage from its Ring connected doorbell system. The company feeds video footage into a data hub accessible to hundreds of law enforcement agencies, who use it as part of a warrantless community policing program. For now, Ring does not enable facial recognition.O’Sullivan says Amazon’s moratorium is a partial victory because the company has actually sold facial recognition to law enforcement. “The reason I think this is a victory is we have a company who has a vested interest in having great relationships with local police departments take a stand and revoke access to something that otherwise they would profit from.”A push for watered-down federal legislationBoth Amazon and Microsoft say they want federal legislation governing facial recognition, and both have attempted to influence rules for the technology at the state and local level.In its statement, Amazon said it hoped its moratorium would “give Congress enough time to implement appropriate rules, and we stand ready to help if requested.” The company has already begun attempts to influence federal regulation. In September, its CEO, Jeff Bezos, said the firm’s public policy team was developing a federal facial recognition legislation proposal.But some actions taken behind closed doors show Amazon does not actually want strict rules against facial recognition use. As recently as December, the company lobbied against a proposed ban in Portland, Oregon, which could prevent the use of facial recognition by government agencies, law enforcement, and private entities. Portland officials said the company hoped to stop or at least water down the legislation.Microsoft also pushed against an ACLU-backed moratorium on government facial recognition use in its home state of Washington. Instead, the company supported a new law with weaker restrictions on the technology. The law was cosponsored by Senator Joseph Nguyen, who is also a senior program manager at Microsoft.O’Sullivan says Microsoft wants a federal law that preempts tougher regulations such as the California Consumer Privacy Act and facial recognition bans in cities such as Oakland and San Francisco. “It’s a big part of why they’re backing away from this product now,” she says.Going forward, to prevent technologies embedded with “racialized logic,” AI Now’s Richardson says all three firms should evaluate their hiring processes and incorporate nonwhite communities and employees in product conception.“We don’t know about what’s in the R&D pipeline,” she says. “I’m sure there’s 10 other technologies we don’t know about that will come out in the next couple of years that use the same data or are embedded with the same problems.”

1976–80: Stone works on Ronald Reagan’s two presidential campaignsIn 1976, Stone joined Reagan’s first failed presidential bid, working as his “youth director.” The following year, at 24 years old, Stone was elected chairman of the Young Republicans, a political organization for conservatives ages 18 to 40. The chairmanship had clout in conservative circles; the Young Republicans’ support was crucial to Barry Goldwater’s presidential nomination in 1964. Stone’s friend from the College Republicans, Paul Manafort, managed his campaign. Decades later, Manafort would become chairman of Trump’s 2016 presidential bid, and would also be indicted by the special counsel. Both men were from Connecticut, and as our colleague Franklin Foer wrote last March, they shared “an affection for finely tailored power suits, and a deeper love of power itself.”By 1980, Stone had made crucial contacts in Reaganworld, and coordinated the Reagan campaign’s efforts in the Northeast that year, during the California governor’s second run at the White House. He worked closely with the Reagan adviser Roy Cohn.1980: Stone meets Donald TrumpCohn introduced Stone to his friend and protégé Donald Trump, then a private businessman. At Stone’s urging, Trump, who was in his 30s, became a major donor to Reagan’s second presidential campaign. The two men hit it off—the start of a tumultuous relationship that spanned both business and politics over the next three decades.1980: Stone helps establish a lobbying firm with ManafortAfter Reagan won the White House, Stone founded one of Washington’s first major lobbying firms with friends from his Young Republicans and campaign days: Charles Black and Manafort. As Foer has written, Black, Manafort, and Stone pioneered a new type of influence peddling that was hardball and morally dubious. One of their first clients: Trump and the Trump Organization, his family business.1998–99: Stone helps Trump lay the groundwork for his first presidential bidTrump had been toying with the idea of running for president for more than a decade, but in 1998 he decided to take some concrete steps. The first: asking Stone to find “the most eminent hack writer in America” to ghostwrite a book for him.The next year, when Trump explored a bid for president as a member of the Reform Party, he chose Stone to head his exploratory committee. In later years, Trump would downplay Stone’s role in the campaign. “He always tries taking credit for things he never did,” Trump told The New Yorker in 2008. Nonetheless, Stone remained an adviser and confidant of Trump for the next decade.2007: Stone is caught threatening the elderly father of a political rivalStone was forced to resign from a position consulting for New York State’s then–Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno after allegations emerged that he left an intimidating voicemail for the 83-year-old father of New York Governor Eliot Spitzer. In the anonymous voicemail, he threatened to prosecute the elder Spitzer if he didn’t implicate his son in illegal activity. Stone denied leaving the message, but those who know him have identified his voice on the recording. “They caught Roger red-handed lying,” Trump said in the 2008 New Yorker profile. “What he did was ridiculous and stupid. I lost respect for Eliot Spitzer when he didn’t sue Roger Stone for doing that to his father, who is a wonderful man.”

The Sanders campaign more than any other has been griping about Yang for a while, feeling as though he was taking some of their votes. That’s certainly true for some, but so many of the people I met at Yang events around the country told me that they were there for him. That includes Kim Meade, a 52-year-old realtor from the Hudson Valley who’d come up to knock on doors for Yang in the final days and was in Keene on Monday night. She’s a former Republican who voted for Hillary Clinton, but wasn’t committed to any of the Democrats this year before she watched Yang’s interview with the New York Times editorial board a few weeks ago.“He is so real and in reality. He holds good ideas, but he’s also a realist,” Meade told me. She’ll vote for whomever the candidate against Trump is, she said, but she was clearly unhappy about the thought of it not being Yang. “I want him to at least get through New Hampshire so more people can hear from him,” she said.I started out skeptical of Yang, too. I first heard of him in 2018, when one of his aides emailed me a New York Times article about him. He was a novelty. A few months later, I received a series of coordinated emails from Yang “supporters,” all of whom used almost exactly the same language, urging me to have him on a podcast. That was annoying. Then, when I didn’t mention Yang in some of my early campaign coverage of events he’d attended, he emailed me himself. That was grasping. Even when he made the first debate back in June, he was still a novelty—Marianne Williamson had her not-quite-earthly accent and self-help mush; Yang had his weird UBI proposal and a bunch of guys who looked as if they were constantly hopped-up on Mountain Dew, and who’d scream his name as loudly as they could. But there was no way to go to his events, see his unique blend of fatalism and optimism, and not realize that he had something to offer.Yang is going to hold out on endorsing for a while. He wants to see his kids, get back in shape, and reflect. He feels in his gut that he could have won the race if things had gone a little differently, but he’s accepted that they haven’t. He hopes the other candidates find success by talking about the economy in the way he did, and by not playing politics as usual. “If I tried to act like a … ‘conventional’ presidential candidate, I think we would’ve been stuck in the mud a long time ago,” he told me. “I also would have probably jumped out a window at some point too.”He knows that some of his supporters will likely sit out the election now. Introducing him at the event last night, former Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand urged the crowd to support Yang by saying that with this candidate, they didn’t need to settle as they would with others. But he does not want that to keep them from voting.“One of the things that we have to be … is a student of how to not let the perfect be the enemy of the good,” Yang said. “And so if you think you can make a choice that will move us in the right direction, even if it’s not what you would have chosen in an ideal world … you have to work with that. There are going to be many disappointed people, but we have to try and choose someone who’s going to actually help move us in the right direction and start solving some of these problems. I do not think that person is Donald Trump. And so if we have a better alternative, we should really try and make sure that person wins.”His DMs are open. Edward-Isaac Dovereis a staff writer atThe Atlantic.

There is a certain small justice in the idea that Baghdadi’s death has brought renewed public attention to ISIS as a continued threat. (“Trump Declares ISIS ‘100%’ Defeated in Syria. ‘100% Not True,’ Ground Reports Say,” a New York Times headline read in February.) The ISIS leader’s demise has been, in its own way, a catalyst. And the attention itself helps, in its way, to carry on Foley’s work: He went to Syria in the first place because of the stories that he believed needed to be told.In his murder, ISIS tried to turn James Foley, the person, into James Foley, the symbol. The group tried to treat Foley as a stand-in for America itself. (The video of Foley’s death—ISIS titled it “A Message to America”—included the group’s declaration that Foley’s execution was intended as retaliation for U.S. military actions in Iraq.) In the years since his death, however, Foley’s family and colleagues—including many of the people with whom he was held captive, who were freed—have worked to effect another kind of justice: to ensure that Foley, despite all his tragic symbolism, would be remembered in his full and individual complexity.In the aftermath of her son’s capture, Diane Foley, as those touched by tragedy sometimes will, became an accidental activist: She advocated on behalf of James, first fighting for his release and then, after his death, speaking on behalf of the many other people who are still held hostage by ISIS and other groups. She founded and leads the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, which advocates for the safe return of those hostages and works to help protect freelance journalists working in conflict zones. Because of that work, Foley was one of the small group of people who learned that Baghdadi had died before President Trump announced the news yesterday morning: On Saturday night, Foley told me, she and her family received a phone call from the FBI’s Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell informing them only that, as Foley put it, “one valuable target had been located.”Diane Foley learned the extent of the news before most other Americans—this time in a call from Robert O’Brien, the Trump administration’s special presidential envoy for hostage affairs (and, as of September, its national security adviser). O’Brien confirmed to Foley what would soon be widely reported: Baghdadi was dead. He had killed himself, reportedly detonating a suicide vest while being pursued by American forces in northwest Syria.And so came, for Foley, that repeated horror—the reopening of wounds that can never be fully healed. But the pain was accompanied by something else as well: a sense of relief. “I’m grateful, I’m very grateful, that we still had U.S. troops in the country,” she said of Syria, “and that our intelligence and our president chose to pursue Baghdadi and find him.” Foley has been vocal about her conviction that ISIS members should stand trial rather than be killed in theaters of war; she has said as well that, when it comes to justice for convicted ISIS fighters, she prefers life imprisonment to the death penalty. In this case, though, she told me, “Baghdadi would not allow himself to be captured.” Her years of advocacy have given her an expertise in ISIS’s inner workings; tragedy’s education has led her to see Baghdadi’s suicide in broad, and historical, terms. “I’m very grateful,” she said of his death, “that it’s a blow to ISIS.” The rest of what she sees and feels in this moment is deeply, unavoidably personal.

Hong Kong is unrecognisable. In less than six months a global financial centre known for its efficiency and pragmatism has become consumed by rage and violence. On Tuesday, as police stormed a university campus to arrest students, and their teargas and rubber bullets were met by petrol bombs, parts of the campus looked more like a conflict zone than a seat of learning.The initial trigger for all this was the now-withdrawn extradition bill. But the government’s response, and in particular police brutality, has fired the protests. The latest escalation was sparked by the death of a student who fell from a building following police clashes with protesters last week. Most responded passionately but peacefully – with an estimated 100,000 gathering this weekend for a vigil. Others have ramped up their stance.As activists disrupted the morning commute for two days in a row, and attacked property associated with support for the Hong Kong government and Beijing, footage showed police officers shooting a demonstrator in the torso at close range; driving a motorbike into protesters repeatedly; and beating a person inside a church. Meanwhile another horrific video showed a man being sprayed with flammable liquid and set alight, apparently by a protester with whom he had been arguing, in an indefensible attack that has appalled supporters of the movement as well as those bitterly opposed to it.The government appears to see that assault, and the wider destruction, as an opportunity to drive a wedge between those taking part in protests and the rest of the population: Carrie Lam, the chief executive, described demonstrators as “enemies of the people”. Some residents are no doubt shifting. Yet the real and profound disagreement remains that between the government and the population of Hong Kong – as Ms Lam’s historically low approval ratings indicate. Even people who disapprove of some or many of the movement’s means understand that, unlike the police, it has no command structure. They also see protest actions as spawned by police violence and a government that can only crack down, never compromise. Attacks by thugs on crowds of protesters and the targeting of leading activists have further hardened opinion.Nor does the news that the city is now in recession, due in large part to the movement, seem to have made a significant dent. And despite Monday’s disruption and violence, white-collar workers in the city’s centre applauded activists and passed them supplies. In a survey taken a few weeks ago, more than four out of 10 respondents said protesters had used excessive violence; but almost seven in 10 said the same of police. Nearly nine in 10 backed an independent inquiry into police actions.The true responsibility lies not with rank-and-file officers but with those commanding them. A public inquiry and an amnesty for protesters who have not committed violent crimes might still take some steam out of the movement. But these look unlikelier than ever. The alternative is probably ever-escalating violence. Hong Kong’s government must rely on the police because it does not have the support of the public. And it cannot command public support because residents understand that it is not there on their behalf but that of Beijing. That is why the right to choose their own leaders has become a central demand.John Tsang, the city’s former financial secretary, defeated by Ms Lam for the chief executive post, observed on Tuesday that, given the imbalance of power between protesters and the government, the government should take the initiative to de-escalate the force it is using. This seems like a statement of the obvious but from a pro-establishment figure it is striking. Yet it will almost certainly go unheard. Beijing appears more determined than ever to rely upon increased repression and a few economic sweeteners. But neither trigger-happy policing nor bungs can resolve this political struggle. Topics Hong Kong Opinion Carrie Lam China Protest Asia Pacific editorials

They did indeed boldly go.Politicians are fond of telling the electorate that “every vote counts”, and Joe Biden’s campaign went far out on Tuesday night when it held a virtual rally targeting the Star Trek voting bloc.Hosted by Democatic politicians Stacey Abrams, Pete Buttigieg and Andrew Yang, “Trek the vote to victory!” was an unusual campaign event – featuring a raft of Star Trek stars including Patrick Stewart, Mulgrew and George Takei, and apparently aimed firmly at Trekkies.The rally offered the latest example of how Biden has attracted celebrities to his campaign, and it also provided a chance for whoever runs the Biden campaign Twitter account to do a joke.“President Biden is the highly logical choice and vice-president Harris will boldly go where no woman has gone before,” Biden campaign account wheezed on Tuesday afternoon.The Star Trek quotes didn’t end there – an email from Yang on Monday told supporters it has “never been more important to boldly go into these last 22 days” – but with Biden 10 points ahead of Donald Trump, according to a RealClearPolitics polling average, and 17 points in the latest Opinium/Guardian polls, the campaign can be forgiven for a little jollity.It was Yang, who ran against Biden for the Democratic nomination, who opened up the event, the self-professed “math nerd” proving himself to be a keen trekker.Things didn’t go immediately to plan, however, when one of the Star Trek actors – 19 cast members, from five iterations of the show, appeared at the event – immediately praised a policy idea that Yang had championed, and that Biden has ignored.“I just want to say thank you for bringing the idea of universal basic income into the mainstream of political conversation,” Wil Wheaton, who played Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: Next Generation, told Yang.“It’s super important and there’s no excuse for that not to go forward.”Universal basic income – the idea of the government giving every adult a regular stipend – was Yang’s key issue during his presidential campaign, but it is not a part of Biden’s plans for government.The awkwardness continued as Marina Sirtis, aka Counselor Deanna Troi from Star Trek: The Next Generation, used the Biden event to offer very faint praise for the Democratic nominee.“I mean I lean very left,” Sirtis said. “But this time we had to just find someone who can beat Trump.”As the Star Trek event rolled on, an intriguing backdrop became just how many rising Democratic politicians are fans of the show.Pete Buttigieg, who had earlier shared an old photo of himself dressed in a Star Trek costume, tuned in, wielding a Borg action figure as he chatted with Takei about how Star Trek taught viewers equality.Julián Castro, who like Buttigieg ran for the Democratic nomination, hosted an environmental chat where he asked Stewart – a noted climate activist – about climate change.“We have here an opportunity,” Stewart said.“An urgent opportunity, for not just America to be great again, but for the planet to become great for the very first time. To connect together to fight these appalling conditions.”Biden has won over the lion’s share of celebrities ahead of November – Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Amy Poehler and Mark Hamill have held fundraisers for the Democrat – leaving the fame-obsessed Trump with thin gruel.The president’s highest profile supporters currently include long-time Republican and actor Scott Baio; Alec Baldwin’s brother, Stephen Baldwin; actor-turned-conspiracy-theorist James Woods, and Kid Rock, 49.As Trek the vote to victory continued it was the turn of Abrams, a progressive icon who was the Democratic nominee for Georgia governor in 2018, and one of the Trek the vote to victory hosts, to take over hosting duties.According to the New York Times Abrams “can recite with picayune detail the obscure plot points from incidents buried deep in the [Star Trek] canon”, and the former gubernatorial candidate seemed nervous.“I literally just tweeted out that I was about to talk to you guys, and therefore do not require Christmas presents this year, or possibly ever again in life,” Abrams told the female Star Trek actors. (She had indeed tweeted.)Abrams discussed the challenges women face with the group, before announcing: “My captain is Captain Janeway,” referring to the Starfleet captain played by actor Kate Mulgrew, who was in attendance.Abrams asked Mulgrew how the group could “understand about what our power is as women?”, as the unusual rally hit on a poignant moment.“Women are infinitely and inherently more interesting [than men], just because we are women. We are more complex, we are more empathetic, we are generally far more capable,” Mulgrew, whose character was the first female captain to lead a series and has inspired Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez among others, said.“Has it ever occurred to women at large that men are just a little bit on the back foot about us?“They’re afraid. It’s a lot to be a women. It’s huge to be a woman. We just have to own it, it’s that simple.”

“There is a great deal of evidence that even small changes in survey question order, wording and instructions can have significant, and often unexpected, consequences for the rate, quality and truthfulness of response,” said the former directors, who included Mr. Prewitt. “The effect of adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census on data quality and census accuracy, therefore, is completely unknown.”Several of the states suing the Trump administration are run by Democrats, who risk losing representation if the census undercounts people of color.Carmen Queveda, an undocumented immigrant in Los Angeles, said on Tuesday she was not about to step out of her house to participate in a census that inquires whether she is a citizen.“I would never answer, because I don’t have papers,” said the 46-year-old native of Guatemala, who is also the mother of a 14-year-old American boy. “Obviously, I am afraid. I have a son.”The last official estimate of the number of undocumented immigrants in the United States, made in 2012 by the Department of Homeland Security, placed the number at 11.4 million.At a morning E.S.L. class in Queens, N.Y., at Sunnyside Community Services, about 30 students hailing from Spanish-speaking countries, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, were asked about the citizenship question by Johan Lopez, New York City’s director of adult and immigrant services. Mr. Lopez said their answer alarmed him.“I asked them directly how this would affect their ability to respond or whether they would even open the door,” he said. All but one “suggested that they likely wouldn’t open the door.”

They should have pushed for this, I don't know... a few years ago, when 5G was still in development?It is not just 5G. Huawei has been infesting all telecoms standards organizations for more than 10 years. There are working groups in the IETF where out of 10 people you have 5-6 Huawei employees, 2-3 people who pretend to be independent, but are actually on the Huawei consulting payroll, one or two Chinese telecoms operators people and at most one person from elsewhere. This has been going on for 10 years now. Every single Telecoms technology is stuffed to the gills with Huawei IPR. It is all under RAND

编 | 智东西 子佩 智东西9月30日消息，今年7月，美国AR行业的独角兽Magic Leap宣布换帅，前微软高管Peggy Johnson接任Rony Abovitz成为新任CEO。此次换帅也意味着Magic Leap的产品战略将从C端转向B端，但这一举措是否能终结Magic Leap“AR碎钞机”的称号，让其开始自己“造血”？彭博社采访了熟悉Magic Leap运作的20多位相关人士，全面还原了Magic Leap从构建虚拟宇宙、布局全产业线、首款产品遇冷到融资不顺、CEO离职的风风雨雨。一、创始人辞职，传奇创企Magic Leap是否跌落神坛今年五月，深陷裁员和卖身传闻的增强现实创企Magic Leap创始人兼CEO Rony Abovitz在一次公司内部视频会议中宣布辞职，并表示当公司策略从消费产品转移到企业产品，他的辞职是“自然而然”的。凭借“这是上班的一天而已”和体育馆中的鲸鱼等宣传视频在社交媒体迅速走红；成立两年拿到三轮融资，2017年估值超60亿美元，曾经风头无两的科技圈明星Magic Leap2020年的日子并不好过。或许不少人曾经相信Magic Leap会是下一家苹果。许多知名投资人曾前往迈阿密某人迹罕至的郊区观看Magic Leap的非公开展示，在展示中，投资人会看到数码世界的景象跃然于现实之中，并确信Abovitz正在打造的头显将成为下一次技术革命。正是这个描绘的未来图景使阿里巴巴、AT&T、谷歌和高通等巨头投资。Magic Leap 计划将上述技术压缩成一种消费者能够购买并使用的设备，以实现其“我们会永远改变人类的图像信息交互方式”的口号标语。除此之外，Magic Leap希望建立自己的生产线实现大规模量产（因此购买了佛罗里达州一个摩托罗拉的废弃工厂），设计专有的操作系统，开发自己的游戏和影视产业，从而开启一个全新的内容行业。Abovitz为Magic Leap规划的产业生态非常宏大，以“改变世界”的理念进行着一场图像信息交互方式的革命。但把目标定在最高的山上，往往就有爬不上坡的风险。当Magic Leap售价高达2295美元的头显折戟消费市场后，Magic Leap不得不将重心调整到企业领域，并且在试图出售公司失败后解雇了一半以上的员工。据专门跟踪机构投资者动向的研究公司Zanbato，在2019年6月至2020年6月，Magic Leap的投资者已经大大降低了对持有股权的估值，平均减值为93%，远超于WeWork。二、全产业线布局是远见，还是重担？二十多位熟悉Magic Leap运营情况的受访者（包括现任和前任员工、投资者和商业伙伴）表示对Abovitz的离职感到并不惊讶，因为他的未来愿景和当下现实越发脱节。而当他曾为投资者描绘的愿景无法实现时，Magic Leap就从硅谷光芒四射的科创公司变成一家笃信空中楼阁的炒作者。Abovitz之于Magic Leap就如同乔布斯之于苹果。Abovitz的同事表示，他常以一种极客魅力和大胆野心吸引着跟随者。他时而迸发天马行空的灵感，时而对医学研究或科幻电影情节进行深入剖析，时而说出众人难以理解的独白。即使在招聘时，Magic Leap也带有属于Abovitz浪漫科技气质的独特方式：在科技大会上通过分发“Wizards Wanted（魔法师通缉令）” 的卡片来招募员工。逐渐，团队中拥有了物理学家、游戏开发者，供应链专家和至少一位传奇科幻小说家：尼尔 · 斯蒂芬森。由“魔法师通缉令”组成的充满理想的极客团队想要实现Magic Leap设想中的虚拟宇宙，就必须先实现其核心理念——MR（Mixed Reality），也就是混合现实技术，意味着将现实和虚拟世界结合，人类可以在这个新的混合场景中进行实时互动。而实现MR就必须完成传感器信号处理、三维重构、三维物体识别、计算机图形处理四个步骤的工作，如果按照目前的技术，想在穿戴设备上完成这四个步骤，那么大概需要背上微波炉甚至冰箱那么大的计算机。而除了要实现可穿戴MR，Abovitz还渴望Magic Leap能研发自己的电子元件，芯片、传感器等设备部件，交互界面并拥有自己完整的供应链。在现有的产业版图中，Abovitz不顾高管和其他投资者的反对，拒绝购买第三方的零部件，坚持在佛罗里达州的工厂里自产增强现实功能的透镜等零部件，运到墨西哥进行组装再送回美国。或许正是因为这样烧钱式的生产方式和性价比不高的产品，Magic Leap被指挥霍无度、过度炒作，引起投资者和消费者的不满。而也有员工指出Abovitz只是醉心于自己美好的幻想，而从未想过如何从巨大的原型机中提炼出可行的产品。在离职之际，Abovitz在社交网络上提及自己正秘密开始一项全新的项目，并更改了Twitter的个人简介，将自己比作神话里的凤凰，而Magic Leap则是其浴火重生时的灰烬。三、换帅出征，Magic Leap是否能赢得企业赛道在今年7月8日，Magic Leap任命微软资深技术执行官兼业务开发执行副总裁Peggy Johnson为新任CEO。如果说Abovitz是一个梦想家，Johnson则是一位实干者。凭借在高通20年的工作经验，她于2014年被微软CEO Satya Nadella聘用，期间帮助微软修复了与Salesforce、三星电子的关系，主导了包括Linkedln在内的收购和交易等。在公开的任命书中Magic Leap称，希望借助Johnson 30多年在技术和业务水平上的经验，加速Magic Leap的增长并将其企业方向的应用推向市场。而据知情人士透露，Johnson将专注于医疗和工业产业应用，并提高Magic Leap对于微软HoloLens的竞争力；除此之外也尝试通过一系列的合作来扩充业务，如与亚马逊合作将头显与亚马逊云服务打包等，不过协议尚在早期，双方都未对此作出回应。结语：图像信息交互的“革命”仍需努力Abovitz在辞职当天曾留言：“ 我们已经创造了一个全新的领域，全新的媒介，我们也共同定义了计算机的未来。”Abovitz的话或许没错，Magic Leap开启了世界对于增强现实的想象和好奇，人类与图像信息交互方式在几十年或几年后也许将被彻底改变，但浪潮的引领者是否会是Magic Leap尚无定论。来源：BLOOMBERG

A super PAC formed to support Cory Booker’s Democratic presidential campaign is shutting down.The group’s founder, San Francisco lawyer Steve Phillips, indicated in a news release Wednesday that Dream United had struggled to raise money. Booker, a New Jersey senator, has publicly disavowed support from super PACs, which aren’t required to disclose their donors publicly.Phillips, a former college classmate of Booker’s, said that it became clear while trying to fundraise for Dream United “that the donor community is strictly adhering to Senator Booker’s publicly articulated wishes that he does not welcome independent support.” The group raised a little over $1.1 million during the first six months of the year, far short of Phillips’ stated $10 million goal.

Andrew Yang, the businessman turned presidential aspirant whose bid for the Democratic Party’s nomination became a quirky, enchanting, then politically potent phenomenon, announced Tuesday that he will end his campaign.Yang had been hoping for a fourth-place or better finish in the Granite State, but early returns suggested that he would fall short of those expectations and the decision was made to drop out rather than continue to drain the campaign of resources. His exit from the race leaves only one candidate of color in the primary field: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a Samoan-American.“I’m a numbers guy and if we are below a threshold where we are going to get delegates here in New Hampshire, if we are unlikely to hit that threshold in Nevada and South Carolina, it doesn't seem like we are actually furthering the goals of the campaign by staying in the race longer,” Yang told The Daily Beast in an interview on Tuesday evening. “I’m not someone who wants to take people’s donations, support, time and dedication if I don’t think we have a chance to win or advance our goals in the right direction.”Yang never became a serious threat to win the party’s nomination. But the strength of his bid surprised national Democrats and raised questions—and tantalizing possibilities—for how the party could restructure its approach. A newcomer to politics, Yang spent much of the early part of the campaign appearing on podcasts and embracing Internet meme culture to expand his popularity. His platform of giving Americans $1,000 every month as a form of fending off transformational economic trends like automation, along with his demand that tech companies pay people billions of dollars for monetizing their data, proved to be a major draw. And while several establishment candidates struggled to hit the donor threshold numbers needed to qualify for the debates, he exceeded them with ease. On the debate stage, Yang kept promoting his Universal Basic Income platform, even arguing that a monthly paycheck would prove to be a remedy for climate change, in that families could take the money and move away from increasingly flooded coastal cities. But what defined his candidacy was the carefree, unconventional style of campaigning, which helped draw the endorsements of celebrities like comedian Dave Chappelle and actor/musician Donald Glover. He made self-referential jokes about being Asian and liking math—both used as a contrast to Donald Trump—and genuinely appeared to be having fun on the trail. By the end of the campaign, Yang had built a veritable political machine. His campaign amassed more than 850,000 people on its email list, roughly 430,000 donors, 1.2 million Twitter followers and more than 577,000 Instagram followers. Those figures give him the type of organization tools that few seasoned national politicians enjoy. What he plans to do with it is not clear. But Yang said he was not ruling out a future run for elected office, in hopes of advancing universal basic income as a policy outcome.“I think electoral politics will definitely be a part of this because we need to win races. We need to have candidates who support universal basic income be in positions of power in order to pass it,” he said. “I would be very open to running again. It would be a lot easier the next time. We have, now, a very large mailing list that is not my gmail contact list and a lot more public support and recognition. We could hit the ground running and I believe I could be a contender for virtually any race under the sun.” More immediately, he pledged to do what he could to help elect whoever became the Democratic nominee to the White House. On that front, Yang has his work cut out for him. His unorthodox approach drew non-traditional voters. And in public surveys, many of the self-described Yang Gang said they had no plans to vote for another candidate in the field should Yang not end up the nominee. Yang acknowledged this issue and pledged to do what he could to convince his supporters to back the Democratic nominee. “I think it is a positive thing that I’m energizing people that have not traditionally been a part of our politics,” he said. “Certainly I’m going to make very clear that my agenda is to defeat Donald Trump and I hope the people that supported me join me in that.”He said he would endorse a candidate under the right conditions. “What I will say,” said Yang, “if any candidate wants my endorsement they could come out for universal basic income and the odds of my endorsing them the next day would be very high.” The son of immigrants from Taiwan, Yang got his first taste of national politics when the Obama administration made him a “Champion of Change” in 2011 for his work with Venture for America, a non-profit focused on bringing jobs to recession-hit cities. But he had not run for any electoral office before announcing his presidential bid in 2017. His campaign was staffed by business and tech types. And they leaned heavily on popular podcasts, like Joe Rogan’s, reddit forums, and well-trafficked Twitter accounts —like “Andrew Yang Dank Meme Stash”—to expand his appeal and raise $1 donations. It worked, far better than they could have imagined. Yang raised $40 million from more than one million contributors.But those funds didn’t translate into success at the polls even after Yang turned brought on board seasoned political operatives who had helped Bernie Sanders’ campaign in 2016. His campaign spent heavily at the end of 2019 but garnered around one percent of the delegates in Iowa—a dismal showing that prompted him to lay off dozens of staffers. Efforts to right the ship proved futile in New Hampshire and by Monday morning, a determination had been made that they lacked the cash to continue on successfully. Looking back, he took a few lessons from his run.“I learned a lot. I learned the Iowa Democratic Party needs a better technology consultant,” he said, before switching to macro lessons he he had learned. “I learned the American people are hungry for a different kind of conversation, a different set of solutions and a different approach to solving the problems of our time.

Kong said society had been "pushed to the brink of a total breakdown" over the past two days -- and said if anyone who was still making excuses for protesters' violence, they needed to "do some soul-searching."A man is escorted by firemen along train tracks near Sha Tin MTR station on November 12, 2019. "If anyone still has any wishful thinking that they can achieve their so-called ideals by using violence, please wake up," he said. "If you still refuse to cut ties with rioters and are still looking for excuses to defend them, you are indeed an accomplice."Earlier in the day, Hong Kong's leaderCarrie Lamcalled out "aggressive rioters" who she said were trying to disrupt the city's transport networks. "They want to paralyze Hong Kong, which is a selfish act," she said.Protesters gather in the Central district of Hong Kong on November 12, 2019. Although some schools have shut for the day, Lam said the government is not officially suspending classes as it would give protesters what they wanted -- to bring the city to a standstill. Most subway lines remained operational throughout the day. However, some commuters were forced to walk along the train tracks in Sha Tin district after an unidentified object was found on the track, an MTR representative said. Tuesday's unrest follows a day of clashes around the city on Monday that saw protesters hurl petrol bombs, set fires, build barricades and disrupt transport. In total, 287 people were arrested on Monday, including 187 students, according to police.A protester in Central, a business district in Hong Kong, on November 12, 2019.On Monday morning local time, a police officer shot a 21-year-old protester at close range in the torso in Sai Wan Ho, on eastern Hong Kong Island. Hong Kong Chief Superintendent of Police Tse Chun-Chung said the officer fired because he was afraid the protester would attempt to snatch the gun from his hand.On Monday afternoon, police said there was no immediate threat to the protester's life, and on Tuesday, hospital authorities said he was no longer in a critical condition. According to a police source, the protester has been arrested for unlawful assembly, and for attempted robbery over allegedly trying to grab the gun.Police first used lethal force in October by firing a live shot and injuring an 18-year-old man.In a separate incident on Monday afternoon, a 57-year-old man was doused with a flammable liquid and set alight after an argument with protesters on a footbridge in Ma On Shan, police said in a statement. The man remains in a critical condition, according to Hong Kong's Hospital Authority. Police are treating the case as attempted murder. A police officer was suspended from front line service Monday after driving a motorbike through a crowd of protesters in Kwai Fung, in the New Territories, Tse said. Photos: Hong Kong unrestA riot policeman sprays pepper spray at a man as they disperse a crowd during a demonstration against "parallel traders" who buy goods in Hong Kong to resell in mainland China on Sunday, January 5.Hide Caption 1 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPro-democracy supporters hold placards as they take part in a New Year's Day rally on Wednesday, January 1 in Hong Kong.Hide Caption 2 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPro-democracy supporters wave flags during a countdown party in Tsim Sha Tsui district on New Year's Eve.Hide Caption 3 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPolice arrive to conduct a clearance operation in the Kowloon district of Hong Kong on December 31.Hide Caption 4 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters take photos of a 'Free HK' light display at a gathering in the Central district of Hong Kong on December 30.Hide Caption 5 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA man is detained by riot police during a demonstration in a shopping mall at Sheung Shui district on December 28.Hide Caption 6 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA protester reacts after police fire tear gas to disperse bystanders in the Jordan district of Hong Kong, early on December 25.Hide Caption 7 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPeople celebrating the holidays react to tear gas as police confront protesters on Christmas Eve.Hide Caption 8 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters march in Hong Kong.Hide Caption 9 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters stage a rally outside the US Consulate in Hong Kong on Sunday, December 1. Hundreds gathered Sunday afternoon outside the US Consulate for another pro-US rally to show support for President Trump after he signed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act into law.Hide Caption 10 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPeople take part in a march from Tsim Sha Tsui to Hung Hom in Hong Kong on December 1.Hide Caption 11 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPro-democracy candidate Jimmy Sham, right, celebrates with a supporter after winning his election in the Sha Tin district, early November 25. "Today's result represents (my constituency's) support to protesters. The government should immediately establish the Five Demands and respond to the public's voices," Sham posted on Facebook, referencing a long-standing protest slogan.Hide Caption 12 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPro-democracy candidate James Yu hugs his girlfriend after winning his seat in district council elections, early November 25.Hide Caption 13 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPeople line up to vote outside of a polling place in Hong Kong, November 24. More than 2.9 million people turned out to vote in Sunday's elections, which have been framed as a de facto referendum on the almost six months of ongoing protests.Hide Caption 14 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestHong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam casts her ballot for the district council elections at a polling place, November 24. In a statement Monday, Lam said her government "respects the election results."Hide Caption 15 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA group of protesters leave the Hong Kong Polytechnic University holding hands before surrendering to police in the Hung Hom district on November 22.Hide Caption 16 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters use clothes and helmets to form "SOS" at Hong Kong Polytechnic University on November 21.Hide Caption 17 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters raise their hands to represent the five demands of pro-democracy demonstrators during a rally in support of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act in the U.S., at the IFC Mall in Hong Kong, on November 21.Hide Caption 18 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestTables and chairs piled up to create a barrier are left behind by protesters who barricaded themselves inside the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.Hide Caption 19 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA Fire Services Department rescue diver prepares to enter the sewage system on November 20 to search for protesters who escaped from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.Hide Caption 20 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPolice detain a group of people after they tried to flee the Hong Kong Polytechnic University campus on November 19. Last week, thousands of student protesters streamed into the university and occupied the campus as the city's violent political unrest reached fever pitch.Hide Caption 21 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA protester uses a flashlight while crawling through a sewer tunnel to see how wide it is as he and others try to find an escape route from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University on November 19.Hide Caption 22 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA protester walks through a gymnasium at Hong Kong Polytechnic University on November 19.Hide Caption 23 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters react as police fire tear gas in the Kowloon area of Hong Kong, Monday, November 18. Hide Caption 24 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestFirefighters put out a burning car set on fire by protesters near Hong Kong Polytechnic University in the Tsim Sha Tsui district on November 18.Hide Caption 25 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPolice in riot gear move through a cloud of smoke as they detain a protester at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong on November 18. Police have attempted to clear the university, which has been occupied by protesters for days as a strategic protest base.Hide Caption 26 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPolice fire tear gas as protesters attempt to leave Hong Kong Polytechnic University via a bridge on November 18.Hide Caption 27 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA member of the police clashes with a protester at the Hong Kong Poytechnic University on November 18.Hide Caption 28 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters use a rope to lower themselves from a pedestrian bridge to waiting motorbikes to escape from police at Hong Kong Polytechnic University on November 18.Hide Caption 29 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA protester throws an umbrella onto a fire at the barricaded main entrance of Hong Kong Polytechnic University on November 18.Hide Caption 30 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestAn anti-government protester is detained at Hong Kong Polytechnic University on November 18.Hide Caption 31 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestAn anti-government protester is showered down by volunteer medical workers after he was soaked by a police water cannons firing pepper spray-infused water at Hong Kong Polytechnic University on November 18.Hide Caption 32 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestRiot police fire tear gas and rubber bullets as protesters attempt to leave Hong Kong Poytechnic University on November 18.Hide Caption 33 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA protester prepares to shoot an arrow during a confrontation with police. Hide Caption 34 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPolice use a water cannon outside the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.Hide Caption 35 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA protester throws a Molotov cocktail at police on November 17. Hide Caption 36 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters use a catapult to fire bricks at the police from inside the Hong Kong Polytechnic University on November 17.Hide Caption 37 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA woman tries to hold back riot police from approaching the Hong Kong University in Hong Kong on Saturday.Hide Caption 38 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters train to throw Molotov cocktails into a swimming pool on the campus of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University on November 14.Hide Caption 39 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters walk past barricades of bricks on a road near the Hong Kong Polytechnic University on November 14.Hide Caption 40 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestDemonstrators gather during a lunchtime protest in the financial district of Hong Kong on November 14.Hide Caption 41 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA protester releases a flaming arrow to light a barricade at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Wednesday, November 13.Hide Caption 42 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA Molotov cocktail, a gas mask and a yellow construction helmet are placed upon a bust of late hotel tycoon Hui Yeung Shing at the campus of The Chinese University of Hong Kong on November 13.Hide Caption 43 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA fire is seen at a Mass Transit Railway (MTR) station during a demonstration at The Chinese University of Hong Kong on November 13.Hide Caption 44 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestStudents attempt to clear tear gas canisters fired by riot police onto a sports track during a confrontation at the Chinese University in Hong Kong on Tuesday, November 12.Hide Caption 45 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA man is detained during a protest at the Chinese University of Hong Kong on November 12.Hide Caption 46 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestStudents block an escalator with chairs in an attempt to hamper police at the University of Hong Kong on November 12.Hide Caption 47 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA protester is detained in the Central District of Hong Kong on November 11.Hide Caption 48 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPeople react after tear gas was fired by police during a protest in Hong Kong's Central District on November 11.Hide Caption 49 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestRiot police face off with protesters at an entrance of a shopping mall during a demonstration on November 10.Hide Caption 50 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA man is helped by a volunteer medic after police used pepper spray during a demonstration on November 10.Hide Caption 51 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestStudents of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) participate in a march on November 8, after hospital officials confirmed the death of student Chow Tsz-lok, 22. Police say Chow, a computer sciences student at HKUST, fell from the third floor to the second floor of a parking garage in the residential area of Tseung Kwan O in the early hours of November 4.Hide Caption 52 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA person places a flower at a memorial for 22-year-old Hong Kong university student Chow Tsz-lok on November 8.Hide Caption 53 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestStudents in gas masks are seen during a graduation ceremony at the Chinese University of Hong Kong on Thursday, November 7 in Hong Kong.Hide Caption 54 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestFirefighters stand outside the offices of China's Xinhua News Agency after its windows were damaged by protesters in Hong Kong on Saturday, November 2. Hong Kong riot police fired multiple rounds of tear gas and used a water cannon Saturday to break up a rally by thousands of masked protesters demanding autonomy after Beijing indicated it could tighten its grip on the Chinese territory.Hide Caption 55 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestRichard Chan, a candidate for the district council elections, reacts after being pepper-sprayed by police in Hong Kong on November 2. Hide Caption 56 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestThousands of black-clad masked protesters streamed into Hong Kong's central shopping district for another rally on November 2.Hide Caption 57 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA person dressed as President Donald Trump waves an American flag on a street in Hong Kong on Thursday, October 31, 2019. Hong Kong authorities braced as pro-democracy protesters urged people on Thursday to celebrate Halloween by wearing masks on a march in defiance of a government ban on face coverings. Hide Caption 58 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA man dressed as the Joker for Halloween walks past police officers on October 31. Hide Caption 59 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPro-democracy activist Joshua Wong (second from left) and Kelvin Lam (second from right) shout slogans as they meet the media outside the Legislative Council (LegCo) in Hong Kong on October 29, 2019, after Wong was barred from standing in an upcoming local election.Hide Caption 60 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA protester throws a tear gas canister on October 27 in Hong Kong. Hide Caption 61 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA couple wearing Guy Fawkes masks watch a rally at Chater Garden in Hong Kong on October 26.Hide Caption 62 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters start a fire in front of the MTR station during demonstration on October 27.Hide Caption 63 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestTear gas smoke is seen exploding over reporters during an anti-government protest in Mong Kok district in Hong Kong on October 27.Hide Caption 64 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestHigh school students take part in a human chain rally outside Kowloon park in Hong Kong on October 25.Hide Caption 65 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPolice fire blue dye toward protesters in Hong Kong on Sunday, October 20. Blue dye can be used to stain and identify masked protesters.Hide Caption 66 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA pro-democracy protester is arrested by police on October 20.Hide Caption 67 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPro-democracy lawmakers protest as Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam delivers a speech at the Legislative Council on Wednesday, October 16. Lam's annual policy address ended in chaos as pro-democracy lawmakers repeatedly disrupted her speech and heckled her with calls to honor the demands of anti-government protesters.Hide Caption 68 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA protester shoots a basketball at a poster of Lam during a rally on Tuesday, October 15.Hide Caption 69 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters set fire to a Bank of China branch on Sunday, October 13. It was the 19th consecutive weekend of anti-government protests in Hong Kong.Hide Caption 70 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters use the lights on their phones during a rally in central Hong Kong's business district.Hide Caption 71 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA protester attempts to break a tourist bus window on October 13.Hide Caption 72 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters wearing masks in defiance of a recently imposed ban gather at a shopping mall on October 13.Hide Caption 73 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestSupporters surround a police bus carrying political activist Edward Leung as it leaves the High Court in Hong Kong on Wednesday, October 9. Several hundred masked protesters gathered at Hong Kong's High Court for the appeal hearing of Leung, who was sentenced to six years in prison for his part in a violent clash with police.Hide Caption 74 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA woman is treated after police fired tear gas to disperse protesters in the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong on October 7.Hide Caption 75 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPro-democracy protesters gather in a shopping mall on October 7.Hide Caption 76 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestRescue personnel check the bottom of a taxi after the driver allegedly drove onto the pavement, hitting protesters in Hong Kong on October 6.Hide Caption 77 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA China Construction Bank is seen vandalized in the Causeway Bay area of Hong Kong on October 6.Hide Caption 78 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPro-democracy protesters set fires in the street in the Causeway Bay area.Hide Caption 79 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPeople protest the ban against masks on Saturday, October 5.Hide Caption 80 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestAn anti-government protester stands near a fire on Friday, October 4.Hide Caption 81 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters move a statue depicting a protester armed with gas mask, helmet and umbrella on the streets of Hong Kong on October 4.Hide Caption 82 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters set a fire at a China Construction Bank.Hide Caption 83 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters spray paint slogans at the entrance to a tunnel on October 4.Hide Caption 84 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA store is in shambles after being vandalized by protesters.Hide Caption 85 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPro-democracy demonstrators hold up their hands to symbolize their five demands during a rally on October 4.Hide Caption 86 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters throw petrol bombs at the gate to the Tsuen Wan police station on Wednesday, October 2.Hide Caption 87 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestSchoolmates of a student who was shot in the chest by police place their hands on their chests during a protest on October 2.Hide Caption 88 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA young protester was shot Tuesday, October 1, as violent protests erupted across Hong Kong on the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. The incident marked a major escalation in violence that could galvanize the protest movement in Hong Kong.Hide Caption 89 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPolice detain an anti-government protester on October 1. Thousands of black-clad protesters marched in central Hong Kong as part of multiple pro-democracy rallies.Hide Caption 90 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPolice tackle and arrest pro-democracy protesters during clashes on October 1. Hide Caption 91 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA protester is seen carrying rocks on a street on October 1. While events in Beijing were being held to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, demonstrators rallied throughout Hong Kong.Hide Caption 92 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters react after police fired tear gas near the central government offices in Hong Kong's Admiralty area on October 1.Hide Caption 93 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPro-democracy protesters form a "Pepe the Frog" themed human chain on Monday, September 30.Hide Caption 94 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA man is detained by Hong Kong police during a protest in the Causeway Bay shopping district on Sunday, September 29.Hide Caption 95 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestBus passengers look at a burning barricade lit by pro-democracy protesters in front of the Mong Kok police station on Sunday, September 22.Hide Caption 96 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPro-democracy protesters sing songs and chant slogans during a rally inside a shopping mall on September 22.Hide Caption 97 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA pro-China supporter, center, is escorted by police after confronting journalists in Hong Kong on September 15.Hide Caption 98 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPro-government and anti-government supporters chant against one another at a shopping mall in Hong Kong on Friday, September 13. The sign translates to "Stop violence and curb chaos; safeguard Hong Kong."Hide Caption 99 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestDemonstrators hold up their cell phone lights as they form a human chain at the Peak, a tourist spot in Hong Kong, on September 13.Hide Caption 100 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPolice escort an injured man after he attacked protesters outside Prince Edward station in Hong Kong on Friday, September 6.Hide Caption 101 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters burn paper money to pay their respects to injured protesters.Hide Caption 102 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters prepare to clash with police outside the Mong Kok police station on September 6.Hide Caption 103 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA protester is detained by police at the Po Lam Mass Transit Railway station on Thursday, September 5.Hide Caption 104 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA man watches televisions at a store in Hong Kong as Chief Executive Carrie Lam announces the withdrawal of the extradition bill on Wednesday, September 4.Hide Caption 105 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA woman gets emotional on September 4 while paying her respects to protesters who were injured a few days earlier.Hide Caption 106 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestDemonstrators travel through a railway station during a rally on Tuesday, September 3.Hide Caption 107 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestStudents wearing gas masks and helmets hold a banner that reads "five major demands are indispensable" at St. Francis' Canossian College in Hong Kong.Hide Caption 108 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters gather in the bus terminal at Hong Kong International Airport on Sunday, September 1. Hundreds of pro-democracy activists attempted to block transport routes to the city's airport.Hide Caption 109 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA passenger walks to the airport on September 1 as pro-democracy protesters blocked a road outside the airport.Hide Caption 110 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA protester uses a slingshot outside the Central Government Complex during clashes with police on Saturday, August 31. Thousands of pro-democracy protesters held an anti-government rally one day after several leading activists and lawmakers were arrested in a sweeping crackdown.Hide Caption 111 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters light a Molotov cocktail on August 31.Hide Caption 112 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters take cover as policemen fire blue-colored water on them. Blue dye can be used to stain and identify masked protesters.Hide Caption 113 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA surveillance camera is covered with white paint during protests.Hide Caption 114 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestAn overhead view shows protesters reacting after police fired tear gas on August 31.Hide Caption 115 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPro-democracy activists Agnes Chow and Joshua Wong speak to the media after they were released on bail at the Eastern Magistrates Courts on Friday, August 30. They were arrested earlier the same day in a dragnet across Hong Kong.Hide Caption 116 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters clash with police after a rally in Hong Kong's Tsuen Wan district on Sunday, August 25. It was one of the most violent nights seen in Hong Kong since mass protests began in June.Hide Caption 117 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA police officer aims a gun in front of a protester on August 25.Hide Caption 118 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestSome protesters shine laser pointers at police lines on August 25.Hide Caption 119 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters pick up bricks to be used as projectiles on August 24.Hide Caption 120 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPolice retreat after clashing with protesters on August 24.Hide Caption 121 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestCell phones shine from the top of Lion Rock on August 23.Hide Caption 122 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters march under umbrellas on Sunday, August 18.Hide Caption 123 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestTens of thousands of protesters showed up in the streets on August 18.Hide Caption 124 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA protester participates in a march on Saturday, August 17. His eye is covered with red gauze, referencing a woman who was allegedly shot in the eye with a beanbag round during clashes between protesters and police.Hide Caption 125 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters point lasers at the Sham Shui Po police station on August 14.Hide Caption 126 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA police officer falls over an airport luggage trolley during a scuffle with pro-democracy protesters on Tuesday, August 13. For two days, protesters flooded the airport. Check-ins were suspended and dozens of outgoing flights were canceled.Hide Caption 127 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA traveler passes her luggage to security guards as she tries to enter the departures gate.Hide Caption 128 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA display board shows canceled flights on August 13.Hide Caption 129 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestMedics look after a woman who received a facial injury during clashes on Sunday, August 11.Hide Caption 130 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA pro-democracy protester is held by police outside the Tsim Sha Tsui police station on August 11.Hide Caption 131 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPolice fire tear gas at protesters during a demonstration in the Wong Tai Sin District on Monday, August 5.Hide Caption 132 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA train passenger gestures toward a protester, right, who was preventing the doors of a train from closing on August 5. The protester was trying to disrupt Hong Kong's morning rush-hour commute.Hide Caption 133 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA man comforts his pregnant wife near a train platform after protesters blocked the train doors on August 5.Hide Caption 134 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA protester stands in tear gas during a confrontation with police in the early hours of Sunday, August 4.Hide Caption 135 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA Chinese flag floats in water after it was thrown by protesters during a demonstration on Saturday, August 3.Hide Caption 136 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestMembers of Hong Kong's medical sector attend a protest in Edinburgh Place on Friday, August 2.Hide Caption 137 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestThe emblem on the China Liaison Office is protected by plexiglass during a demonstration on Sunday, July 28.Hide Caption 138 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA protester flees from baton-wielding police in the Yuen Long district of Hong Kong on Saturday, July 27.Hide Caption 139 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA protester looks through umbrellas during the clashes with police on July 27.Hide Caption 140 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestTravelers watch as protesters rally at Hong Kong's international airport on Friday, July 26.Hide Caption 141 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters clash with police on Sunday, July 21.Hide Caption 142 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestMasked men in white T-shirts are seen after attacking anti-extradition bill demonstrators at a train station in Yuen Long.Hide Caption 143 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestMedical workers help a protester affected by tear gas on July 21.Hide Caption 144 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestThe office of pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho was trashed by protesters in Hong Kong's Tsuen Wan district.Hide Caption 145 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPolice officers use pepper spray to disperse protesters after a rally in the Sheung Shui district on Saturday, July 13. Hide Caption 146 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA demonstrator sprays paint inside a chamber at Hong Kong's Legislative Council building, where protesters forced their way in on Monday, July 1.Hide Caption 147 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA protester smashes a window of the Legislative Council building.Hide Caption 148 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestColumns of sunlight are cast on a crowd during the march on July 1.Hide Caption 149 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestHelicopters carrying the flags of China and Hong Kong fly over demonstrators on July 1.Hide Caption 150 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA police officer uses pepper spray during a clash with protesters on July 1.Hide Caption 151 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA protester wearing a T-shirt with the word "revolution" walks past an inscription on a road that reads "Long Live HK."Hide Caption 152 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPolice detain protesters near the government headquarters in Hong Kong on July 1.Hide Caption 153 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestAn overhead view shows thousands of protesters marching through a Hong Kong street on Sunday, June 16.Hide Caption 154 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters run after police fired tear gas on Wednesday, June 12.Hide Caption 155 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestBy the morning of June 12, tens of thousands of mainly young people had arrived in the area, blocking streets and bringing central Hong Kong to a standstill.Hide Caption 156 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestA demonstrator holds a sign during the June 12 rally.Hide Caption 157 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestPolice officers charge toward protesters during clashes on Monday, June 10. It was a continuation of protests that started the day before.Hide Caption 158 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestProtesters on June 9 waved placards and wore white -- the designated color of the rally. "Hong Kong, never give up!" some chanted.Hide Caption 159 of 160 Photos: Hong Kong unrestStudents wear chains during a demonstration on Saturday, June 8.Hide Caption 160 of 160While police officers were under great pressure, they were not out of control, he said. "We appeal to everyone to please stay calm and rational," Tse added. "Continuing this rampage is a lose-lose situation for Hong Kong -- everyone is a loser."Human rights group Amnesty International called Monday a "shocking lowfor the Hong Kong police," describing the shooting of the protester as a "reckless use of force."Hong Kong's protests began in June over a now-withdrawn extradition bill.Since then, demonstrations have expanded to include five major demands, including an independent inquiry into alleged police brutality and wider democratic reforms.In response to the demands, the city government appointed a panel of overseas experts to assist Hong Kong's longstanding Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC), which is conducting a fact-finding study into alleged police misconduct during the protests.But on Saturday, one of the experts tweeted a copy of the panel's progress report, criticizing the IPCC's investigative capabilities, and saying it needed to "substantially enhance its capacity" to assess evidence from witnesses and assemble a coherent account of the facts.Protesters use a catapult against police during a protest Hong Kong's City University on November 12, 2019 following a day of pro-democracy protests.The IPCC said it was "disappointed" that it was not consulted before one of the overseas experts made the progress report public. On Sunday, the Hong Kong government said the IPCC's study would be "by no means a final report."The nonstop protests have also sent retail and tourism numbers plunging, and the semi-autonomous city fell intorecessionin October. Travel is dropping as demonstrations escalate in violence, and there is increasing public hostility toward the city government and police force.Foam board boxes are seen on a street during a demonstration on November 11, 2019 in Hong Kong, China. Monday's violence comes just days after a university student died from a head injury suffered in a parking garage close to the scene of protests.Chow Tsz-lok, a computer sciences student at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), died on Friday morning after being on life support.Although there is no indication that Chow was involved in the nearby protest the night of his injury, his death prompted an outpouring of anger and grief from anti-government protesters, who claim that police actions on the night of the accident resulted in paramedics being temporarily unable to access him, a charge the force denies.

As a challenge to key U.S. allies seeking to block it from rollouts of 5G networks, China’s Huawei Technologies Co. unleashed an edgy ad campaign.The ads whipped up controversy from New Zealand to Germany. But it remains to be seen how successful they will be in swaying officials because they focus on Huawei’s technological prowess rather than allaying security fears about its equipment. Full-page newspaper advertisements and billboard spots in New Zealand this month drew on the country’s world champion All Blacks rugby union football team to argue “5G without Huawei is like rugby without New Zealand.” The move fell flat with the country’s government, which in November joined a line of U.S. allies taking steps to block the world’s biggest telecom-equipment firm from their 5G rollout.“It’s not helping,” said Andrew Little, New Zealand’s intelligence minister, when the ads first appeared. He has so far refused Huawei’s appeals to reverse the decision to reject local phone company Spark‘s application to use Huawei equipment in its future 5G grid. “They can bark as long as they like, but we have decisions to make about New Zealand’s national-security interests. That’s the only thing upon which we will make a decision.”An advertisement at Berlin’s Tegel airport late last year sought to burnish Huawei’s reputation for speedy telecom gear by playing on a favorite local gripe, asking: “What will be more widespread in Berlin: 5G or dog poo?” Bild, the nation’s largest newspaper, ran a headline calling the ad a “taunt” to Berlin.

The world came together to build 5G. Now the next-generation wireless technology is pulling the world apart.The latest version of the 5G technical specifications, expected Friday, adds features for connecting autonomous cars, intelligent factories, and internet-of-things devices to crazy fast 5G networks. The blueprints reflect a global effort to develop the technology, with contributions from more than a dozen companies from Europe, the US, and Asia.“National security and commercial interests are all entangled, and it's very hard to separate them,” says Scott Wallsten, president of the Technology Policy Institute, a think tank.The way 5G was created, and the way it is now being deployed, capture an ongoing conundrum for Western countries—how to balance healthy competition and collaboration with national interests and the rise of China.The 5G dispute centers on Huawei, arguably China’s most important tech company, with a dominant position in networking equipment, a big smartphone business, and increasingly sophisticated chips. The company is accused of stealing technology and of having close ties to the Chinese government that might enable cyberespionage. It has become a symbol of China’s ambitions to dominate the technology, through innovation as well as nefarious means.The US and some allies, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Taiwan, have banned Huawei and other Chinese telcos like ZTE from their networks. Other nations have balked at US-led efforts to keep Huawei and other Chinese firms out of the picture. Argentina, Brazil, Russia, the Philippines, and Thailand, all welcome China’s 5G tech.A key question is how this bifurcation will affect the workings of a standard that was meant to be open and global. “We risk further fragmenting the internet and the way different networks connect to each other,” says Wallsten.Even if 5G was meant to be a truly global communications standard, the technical plans reflect shifting national strengths and resulting tensions.The 5G standards outline plans for insanely fast wireless speeds of up to 1 GB per second—50 times faster than the average US broadband connection—with few delays. Think playing high-end games without any lag or robots that feed on artificial intelligence hosted in the cloud. And, of course, 5G is expected to inspire innovations and businesses that could change the technology landscape. By various estimates, the technology could generate several trillion dollars for the global economy over the next couple of decades. It’s no surprise that every country wants a piece of the action.The technical specifications for 5G are developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a coalition of standards organizations from the US, Europe, China, Japan, India, and South Korea. The group is putting the finishing touches on Version 16 of the 5G specs, which will add features that let devices hop among a wider range of wireless spectrum, offer high-precision positioning, vehicle-to-vehicle connectivity, and more reliable, virtually instantaneous communications, crucial for industrial uses.Many companies have contributed to the drafting of 5G, but the standard reflects a shift from US and European tech to Chinese compared with 4G, the previous standard. An analysis of contributions to 3GPP specifications, published in August 2019 by IHS Markit, found that Chinese firms contributed approximately 59 percent of the standards, with Huawei accounting for most of those. The standards for 4G were led by European and American firms.

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 reporter, Chris Mills Rodrigo (@chrisismills), for more coverage.U.K. REVERSES, BLOCKS HUAWEI: The United Kingdom announced Tuesday that it will ban Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei from its fifth-generation (5G) network, a reversal on a decision from earlier this year.The U.K. had said in January that Huawei technology could be used outside of "core" 5G networks, but changed direction after intense domestic and international pressure, especially from the United States.Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said while speaking in Parliament on Tuesday that mobile network operators in Great Britain would have to stop buying equipment from Huawei by the end of the year.Those operators will also be required to rip out all Huawei gear from their systems by 2027, he said.Dowden warned that the change would likely cause delays in the rollout of 5G wireless technologies as well as additional costs, given Huawei's technological dominance in the space.“As facts have changed, so has our approach,” he said. “This has not been an easy decision, but it is the right one for the U.K.’s telecom networks, for our national security and our economy, both now and indeed in the long run."Dowden may have been referring to new restrictions imposed on Huawei by the U.S. in May making it harder for the company to source key chip equipment from American suppliers.Even before those restrictions, U.S. lawmakers pushed hard for London to reverse its January decision.Multiple agencies in the U.S. have deemed the Chinese company a national security threat, and intelligence officials have raised concerns about Chinese Communist Party access to networks built by Huawei.Read more.SHIPT WORKERS TO STRIKE: Workers for the Target-owned grocery delivery service Shipt are striking Wednesday in protest of the company rolling out a less transparent payment structure nationwide.The walk-off will coincide with the day that the new pay model will take effect in 12 metro areas, including Chicago, Tampa, Richmond, Va., and Portland, Ore.Shipt shoppers are raising alarm over the change, which they say would likely reduce pay by at least 30 percent based on a similar pay shift that occurred at the end of 2019.While Shipt previously had a simple model for calculating payouts — a 7.5 percent commission on all orders plus $5 — the new model, dubbed V2, rolled out in some markets last year doles out pay based on a black box algorithm.“We do not like the transparency because we're not able to calculate or figure out exactly how it is that we're being compensated,” Willy Solis, one of the strike’s organizers and a shopper in Texas, told The Hill on Monday.While Shipt stresses that the model being introduced to new metro areas this week is not exactly the same as V2, the differences are hard to spot, especially since the algorithms are not made public.“There have been certain enhancements,” Molly Synder, the company’s chief communications officer, told The Hill in an interview, clarifying later that “a lot of what is different is the transparency” in terms of numbers of items in orders and changes to orders after they’re initially placed.In emails reviewed by The Hill to shoppers in the 12 metro areas getting the new pay structure, Shipt said that “soon, your pay will reflect your effort.”“[W]e’re evolving our pay model to better align compensation with the work that goes into each shop,” the emails read.Read more.DEM PRESSES GOOGLE, APPLE ON FOREIGN TRANSPARENCY: Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) on Tuesday urged Google and Apple to be more transparent with customers about the potential data privacy dangers of foreign-made apps.Lynch, who serves as chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee’s national security subcommittee, reached out to the companies following statements from the FBI and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) that foreign-made apps could pose a danger to consumers.“We remain concerned that mobile applications owned or operated by foreign developers, or that store the user data of U.S. citizens overseas, could enable our adversaries to access significant quantities of potentially sensitive information on American citizens without their knowledge to the detriment of U.S. national security,” Lynch wrote in letters to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook. Lynch previously wrote to the FBI and the ODNI in February raising concerns around foreign-made and controlled apps.The FBI responded to Lynch earlier this month, stating in a letter that “if users voluntarily provide information to a mobile application that is based in a foreign country or that stores information in a foreign country, the information is subject to the respective foreign country's laws, which may allow its acquisition by that country's government.”The ODNI backed up concerns around U.S. data used by foreign-made apps, writing in a separate response to Lynch this month that foreign mobile apps do present a security risk.“Mobile applications developed, operated or owned by foreign entities present a potential national security risk because developers can deliberately code kill switches, backdoors or vulnerable data streams into mobile applications that allow access to the application’s software, application-generated data, or even—in some cases—the device itself,” the ODNI wrote to Lynch. As a result of the concerns from the intelligence agencies, Lynch asked Google and Apple to commit to requiring app developers to disclose the countries where user data is stored, make this information available to customers considering downloading the app, and also asked whether the companies would consider further changes to protect data privacy.Read more.GOOGLE FUNDING SCHOLARSHIPS: Google plans to fund 100,000 need-based career certification scholarships to assist workers in finding jobs during the coronavirus pandemic, the company announced Monday.Kent Walker, Google’s senior vice president of global affairs, said in a release that the tech giant's new suite of Google Career Certificates includes the fields of data analytics, project management and user experience design. Participants do not need a college degree or prior experience for the program, and Google considers the certificate itself equivalent to a four-year degree. “College degrees are out of reach for many Americans, and you shouldn’t need a college diploma to have economic security,” Walker said in a statement. “We need new, accessible job-training solutions — from enhanced vocational programs to online education — to help America recover and rebuild,” he added.The certificate programs take about six months to complete.Read more.Lighter click: This meme has run its courseAn op-ed to chew on: Watching the watchers: More accountability needed to ensure responsible COVID-19 tracing techNOTABLE LINKS FROM AROUND THE WEB: How Uber and Lyft battled Seattle over minimum wage for drivers (CNET / Dara Kerr)How may Google fight an antitrust case? Look at this little-noticed paper (New York Times / David McCabe)COVID-19 and new immigration restrictions could spur an offshoring boom in tech (Protocol / Issie Lapowsky)