Cybersecurity teams worked feverishly Sunday to stem the impact of the single biggest global ransomware attack on record, with some details emerging about how the Russia-linked gang responsible breached the company whose software was the conduit.
An affiliate of the notorious REvil gang, best known for extorting $11 million from the meat-processor JBS after a Memorial Day attack, infected thousands of victims in at least 17 countries on Friday, largely through firms that remotely manage IT infrastructure for multiple customers, cybersecurity researchers said. They reported ransom demands of up to $5 million.
President Joe Biden suggested Saturday the U.S. would respond if it was determined that the Kremlin is at all involved. He said he had asked the intelligence community for a “deep dive” on what happened.
The attack comes less than a month after Biden pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop providing safe haven to REvil and other ransomware gangs whose unrelenting extortionary attacks the U.S. deems a national security threat.
This is a group who first claimed to have hacked the Trump organization and demanded millions back in 2020. At the end of the day the former President called their bluff and all they had was a bunch of emails that included the name "Trump". They made a couple of idle threats against Lady Gaga and Madonna, but never actually produced anything of substance.
But in 2021 they now have become more than just an idle threat. You can no longer just call their bluff. Now is the time to act and the only thing we apparently have done was to provide Vladimir Putin a list of entities that would be considered off limits to any hacking. In essence, that pretty much provides permission to attack other things not on the list. Very doubtful that the timing of these moves, right after these discussions is any sort of coincidence.
Biden told reporters Wednesday he gave President Vladimir Putin a list of 16 critical infrastructure entities that are "off limits" to a Russian cyberattack: "I talked about the proposition that certain critical infrastructure should be off limits to attack — period — by cyber or any other means. I gave them a list, if I’m not mistaken — I don't have it in front of me — 16 specific entities; 16 defined as critical infrastructure under U.S. policy, from the energy sector to our water systems."
Why would anyone make a list of things that could not be hacked when the obvious implications is that it provides permission to hack other things? Why not just provide an ultimatum that all American entities, public or private, are off limits and threaten real consequences if there are any violations? There seems to be little rhyme or reason for a particial list.
What does Biden do now? He goes to Putin and Putin can point to this list and claim correctly that none of what Revil is doing is in violation of this ultimation provided by the U.S. President. What real consequences are being considered here. Obviously they will not be able to provide any proof that Putin was personally involved?
Nope, every one of these hacking victims can point their fingers entirely on Joe Biden and the weak display of a partial hacking off limits. This is entirely on Joe. Now the question is what sort of response will he actually provide?
43 comments:
https://youtu.be/uqYam0UGZf8
Why would anyone make a list of things that could not be hacked when the obvious implications is that it provides permission to hack other things? Why not just provide an ultimatum that all American entities, public or private, are off limits and threaten real consequences if there are any violations? There seems to be little rhyme or reason for a partial list.
Or, viewed from another perspective, the drooling dumb fuck gave Vlad a target list of the 16 most critical & desirable targets that we have.
Either way, we've "elected" the dumbest possible fuck we could have ever installed in the White House. I don't think there is another elected representative at any level of government more unaccomplished, more incompetent and more pure fucking STOOPID than Slow Joe.
Our adversaries are free to act with impunity since nothing will be done.
Good job alky. You posted a completely irrelevant clip from the "explosive diarrhea network" showing ice cream boy taking credit for something else he had nothing to fucking do with.
Full credit for the vaccine goes to our 45th President - Donald J. Trump.
We need to treat this like an act of war.
I have read that they are fully aware.
A lot of the responses will be very difficult and secret.
If they announce a victory over an attack in public, the Russians will change tactics.
Congratulations on a non conspiracy theory story.
Statement by Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger on Reporting Kaseya Compromises
JULY 04, 2021STATEMENTS AND RELEASES
Since Friday, the United States Government has been working across the interagency to assess the Kaseya ransomware incident and assist in the response. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have been working with Kaseya and coordinating to conduct outreach to impacted victims. Yesterday, President Biden directed the full resources of the government to investigate this incident. We extend our thanks to the cybersecurity professionals across the FBI, CISA, and the intelligence community for working around the clock to respond to this incident.
We urge anyone who believes their systems have been compromised in the Kaseya ransomware incident to immediately report to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at https://www.IC3.gov. The FBI and CISA will reach out to identified victims to provide assistance based upon an assessment of national risk. We also urge you to immediately follow the guidance from Kaseya including shutting down your VSA servers and implementing CISA’s and FBI’s mitigation techniques.
https://youtu.be/MiCHgjcb4q4
We extend our thanks to the cybersecurity professionals across the FBI, CISA, and the intelligence community for working around the clock to respond to this incident....
...as they work feverishly to blame this cyber-attack on any random Trump supporters they can get their hands on.
Russia has absolutely nothing to fear.
Our adversaries can’t quite believe their good fortune. Had they thought up ways to divide and impoverish America, they could not have improved on our own collective meltdown.
- VDH
https://amgreatness.com/2021/07/04/the-genesis-of-our-american-collective-meltdown/
Instead of going after Russia, let's punish American citizens instead. How "Presidential.":
During a Thursday interview on FNC’s “Fox & Friends,” South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) revealed that President Joe Biden refused to issue the permits this year for the Mount Rushmore Fourth of July celebration.
Noem said the celebration was brought back by President Donald Trump after President Barack Obama took it away for environmental concerns, and now Biden is canceling it again without providing an explanation.
“[W]e had the fireworks at Mount Rushmore for years,” Noem outlined. “It wasn’t until President Obama came into office that they took it away. He made the decision to pull it based on environmental concerns, so as soon as I became governor, even I wasn’t even sworn in yet, I had a conversation with President Trump and said, ‘Would you ever help us get back our celebration at America’s monument, the one that recognizes the importance of our founding fathers, that celebrates our independence and freedoms?’ And he said, ‘You want fireworks, and you want me to help you?’ And I said, ‘Yes,’ and he said, ‘I’ll do it.’ Took us a year and a half to do all of the environmental studies, to do the back burning necessary to protect the area from fire danger, and we did every single requirement that was laid out in the protocols to get the celebration back.”
“It was fantastic,” she added. “In the middle of a pandemic at Mount Rushmore on July 3, the country unified. We saw riots and violence happening in every other state, and South Dakota stepped up and hosted a celebration of people that love this country and were peacefully gathering to recognize how unique this country is, so we want to do that every year.”
Fox News’ Lawrence Jones asked “what changed” this year.
Noem suggested “political reasons” were behind the decision by the Biden administration to cancel the celebration.
“Biden just decided not to let us have it,” she stated. “Literally, just would refuse to issue us the permit to be on that federal property right there. Now, there is a federal law — because I’ve sued them over this — there’s a federal law called the Administrative Procedures Act, which says that they have to give us a real reason for why they denied us the opportunity to be there and to celebrate. We met the environmental concerns. We met the fire danger protocols. We’ve consulted with the state, local and federal officials. We’ve done the consultations with the tribes. We met every single protocol. There was no reason to deny us those permits unless it was for political reasons.”
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2021/07/01/noem-biden-refused-to-issue-mount-rushmore-fireworks-permits-provided-no-explanation-why/
BREITBART AND RAT........BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!! You assholes have run to the end on CRT, now onto your next manufactured crisis....LOLOLOLOLOLOL WHO GIVES A FUCK ABOUT FIREWORKS??????? Dayum desperate attempts to change the subject!!!!!
CENTRAL LAKE, Mich., July 3 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden said on Saturday he has directed U.S. intelligence agencies to investigate who was behind a sophisticated ransomware attack that hit hundreds of American businesses and led to suspicions of Russian gang involvement.
Security firm Huntress Labs said on Friday it believed the Russia-linked REvil ransomware gang was to blame for the latest ransomware outbreak. Last month, the FBI blamed the same group for paralyzing meat packer JBS SA (JBSS3.SA).
Biden, on a visit to Michigan to promote his vaccination program, was asked about the hack while shopping for pies at a cherry orchard market.
Biden said "we're not certain" who is behind the attack. "The initial thinking was it was not the Russian government but we're not sure yet," he said.
Report ad
Biden said he had directed U.S. intelligence agencies to investigate, and the United States will respond if they determine Russia is to blame.
During a summit in Geneva on June 16, Biden urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to crack down on cyber hackers emanating from Russia, and warned of consequences if such ransomware attacks continued to proliferate.
Biden said he would receive a briefing about the latest attack on Sunday.
"If it is either with the knowledge of and/or a consequence of Russia then I told Putin we will respond," Biden said, referring to what he told Putin in Geneva.
Speaking of abruptly changing the subject, BWAA...
The alky got awful quiet when it turned out that the "white supremacists" taken into custody in Wakefield MA are African American.
LOL.
During a summit in Geneva on June 16, Biden urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to crack down on cyber hackers emanating from Russia, and warned of consequences if such ransomware attacks continued to proliferate.
Contrast Helsinki
CENTRAL LAKE, Mich., July 3 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden said on Saturday he has directed U.S. intelligence agencies to investigate who was behind a sophisticated ransomware attack that hit hundreds of American businesses and led to suspicions of Trump supporter involvement.
Good stuff, Roger.
But wouldn't you think Trump, rather than cozying up to Putin and saying he believed the Russian dictator above his own intelligence sources -- wouldn't you think Trump, rather than cozying up to Putin, would have anticipatorialy been dealing with this?
Contrast Helsinki
Yeah, I don't recall President Trump supplying Vlad with a list of our 16 most critical targets.
So yes, we should contrast Helsinki. It makes Slow Joe look like the imbecile we all know him to be.
Good point alky, though not the one you wanted to make, I'm sure.
Full credit for the vaccine goes to our 45th President - Donald J. Trump.
BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!! The credit goes to pfizer who did it on their own nickel and the moderna scientists who developed the RNA vaccine model over a year before the outbreak and once they had the covid sequence could design a vaccine quickly!!!!!!! God you are a sorry sack of trump shit!@!!!!!!!!
Poor fucking rat.....flapping his lips like the idiot he keeps proving to br!!!!!!! Contracts trumps wish management with Bidens leading the country!!!!!! BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!
American Big Tech is beholden to the Chi-Coms -
June 25 (Reuters) - A human rights group that attracted millions of views on YouTube to testimonies from people who say their families have disappeared in China's Xinjiang region is moving its videos to little-known service Odysee after some were taken down by the Google-owned (GOOGL.O) streaming giant, two sources told Reuters.
https://www.reuters.com/technology/exclusive-youtube-takes-down-xinjiang-videos-forces-rights-group-seek-2021-06-25/
So tell me that fairy tale again of how much our adversaries have to fear from the US.
Blogger rrb said...
Speaking of abruptly changing the subject, BWAA...
The alky got awful quiet when it turned out that the "white supremacists" taken into custody in Wakefield MA are African American.
LOL.
The history expert that is unfamiliar to what the Moor’s were
Or, viewed from another perspective, the drooling dumb fuck gave Vlad a target list of the 16 most critical & desirable targets that
What is truly sad rat is that you are fucking dumb enough to think Vlad did not already have that plus!!!!!!!!!! Can't fix stupid!!!!!!!!!
WASHINGTON — Two weeks after President Biden met President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and demanded that he rein in ransomware attacks on U.S. targets, American and British intelligence agencies on Thursday exposed the details of what they called a global effort by Russia’s military intelligence organization to spy on government organizations, defense contractors, universities and media companies.
The operation, described as crude but broad, is “almost certainly ongoing,” the National Security Agency and its British counterpart, known as GCHQ, said in a statement. They identified the Russian intelligence agency, or G.R.U., as the same group that hacked into the Democratic National Committee and released emails in an effort to influence the 2016 presidential election in favor of Donald J. Trump.
Thursday’s revelation is an attempt to expose Russian hacking techniques, rather than any new attacks, and it includes pages of technical detail to enable potential targets to identify that a breach is underway. Many of the actions by the G.R.U. — including an effort to retrieve data stored in Microsoft’s Azure cloud services — have already been documented by private cybersecurity companies.
But the political significance of the statement is larger: It underscored the scope of hacking efforts out of Russia, which range from the kind of intelligence gathering engaged in by the G.R.U. and the intelligence agencies of many states to the harboring of criminal groups like the one that brought down Colonial Pipeline. The company provides much of the gasoline, jet fuel and diesel used on the East Coast, and when it was attacked, it shut down the pipeline for fear that the malicious code could spread to the operational controllers that run the pipeline.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/01/us/politics/biden-putin-russia-hacking.html
The history expert that is unfamiliar to what the Moor’s were
LOL. But that wasn't the half of it. The alky was so fucking certain that it was a pack of white guys he INSTANTLY jumped to that conclusion without waiting for all the facts to come out.
It's something he does all the time around here. He's the Wile E. Coyote of this blog, strapping on those Acme jet-powered roller skates every time.
What is truly sad rat is that you are fucking dumb enough to think Vlad did not already have that plus!!!!!!!!!! Can't fix stupid!!!!!!!!!
Perhaps he DID have it, BWAA. Slow Joe was nice enough to CONFIRM it for him.
And I agree, Biden's* level of stupid is truly beyond repair.
BWAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!! You really are dumber than that proverbial box of rocks if you think Vlad needed confirmation!!!!!! Your level of stupidity is epic and trumpian!!!!!! LOLOLOLOLOL
Disclose.tv 🚨
VIDEO:
https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1411429590120140801
NEW - Biden pulls out notes to answer a question on Russia.
tougher question from a shopkeeper than the lapdog press asks.
and he still pulled out his note card to answer
he is barely functional
weakest president ever
Trump Helsinki.
TRUMP: Yes, I do. I hold both countries responsibility. I think the United States has been foolish. I think we have all been foolish. We should have had this dialogue a long time ago, a long time frankly before I got to office. I think we’re all to blame. I think that the United States now has stepped forward along with Russia. We’re getting together and we have a chance to do some great things, whether it’s nuclear proliferation in terms of stopping, we have to do it — ultimately, that’s probably the most important thing that we can be working on.
I do feel that we have both made some mistakes. I think that the probe is a disaster for our country. I think it’s kept us apart. It’s kept us separated. There was no collusion at all. Everybody knows it. People are being brought out to the fore. So far that I know, virtually, none of it related to the campaign. They will have to try really hard to find something that did relate to the campaign. That was a clean campaign. I beat Hillary Clinton easily and, frankly, we beat her. And I’m not even saying from the standpoint — we won that race. It’s a shame there could be a cloud over it. People know that. People understand it. The main thing — and we discussed this also — is zero collusion. It has had a negative impact upon the relationship of the two largest nuclear powers in the world. We have 90 percent of nuclear power between the two countries. It’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculous what’s going on with the probe.
Jeff Mason from Reuters: For President Putin if I could follow up as well. Why should Americans and why should President Trump believe your statement that Russia did not intervene in the 2016 election given the evidence that US Intelligence agencies have provided? Will you consider extraditing the 12 Russian officials that were indicted last week by a US Grand jury.
TRUMP: Well I’m going to let the president answer the second part of that question.
As you know, the concept of that came up perhaps a little before, but it came out as a reason why the Democrats lost an election, which frankly, they should have been able to win, because the electoral college is much more advantageous for Democrats, as you know, than it is to Republicans. We won the electoral college by a lot. 306 to 223, I believe. That was a well-fought battle. We did a great job.
Frankly, I’m going to let the president speak to the second part of your question. But, just to say it one time again and I say it all the time, there was no collusion. I didn’t know the president. There was nobody to colluded with. There was no collusion with the campaign. Every time you hear all of these 12 and 14 — it’s stuff that has nothing to do — and frankly, they admit, these are not people involved in the campaign. But to the average reader out there, they are saying, well maybe that does. It doesn’t. Even the people involved, some perhaps told mis-stories. In one case the FBI said there was no lie. There was no lie. Somebody else said there was. We ran a brilliant campaign. And that’s why I’m president. Thank you.
Biden
During a summit in Geneva on June 16, Biden urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to crack down on cyber hackers emanating from Russia, and warned of consequences if such ransomware attacks continued to proliferate.
Biden said he would receive a briefing about the latest attack on Sunday.
"If it is either with the knowledge of and/or a consequence of Russia then I told Putin we will respond," Biden said, referring to what he told Putin in Geneva.
LOL. But that wasn't the half of it. The alky was so fucking certain that it was a pack of white guys he INSTANTLY jumped to that conclusion without waiting for all the facts to come out.
It's something he does all the time around here. He's the Wile E. Coyote of this blog, strapping on those Acme jet-powered roller skates every time.
Oh I know he does, which is why I’ve repeatedly cautioned him on the 24 hr rule. I still recall the declaration that the tsarnaev brothers were tax protesters
I still recall the declaration that the tsarnaev brothers were tax protesters
And I recall your prediction of massive unemployment and a broke economy from the ACA.......BWAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
I still recall the declaration that the tsarnaev brothers were tax protesters
Yep, after Russia told us exactly who they really were, and Rolling Stone glorified that little prick on it's cover.
That's why every time there's a new "noose" incident it's best to sit back and wait for it to be proven a hoax and/or a set-up.
Fatboi fell for the fake noose as well
Some right wing terrorists have invaded an island in Washington!
I’m concerned because I think the Trump presidency emboldened a very small fringe group of people, but they’ve been growing a movement and attracting more and more people,” Chaplin said in an interview with The Daily Beast. “And they truly believe what they’re doing is right.”
South Whidbey Island is a rolling, wooded landscape with pine forests punctuated by idyllic farms and spectacular views of the Puget Sound. It’s a small, tight-knit community, the kind of place many come for a peaceful retirement on the water, and where tourists flock by ferry on weekends to shop in quaint, seaside villages, like Langley.
So last fall, when members and supporters of The Washington III Percent militia took control of the nearly 100-year-old local Grange association and began rejecting applications for those not aligned with them, it caught a lot of locals off-guard. The Grange, and its turn-of-the-century lakeside building, serves as a gathering place for the community. Think quilting classes and slideshows of neighbors’ trips abroad.
Whidbey
Since then, the militia’s public presence on the island has been sporadic, but III Percenter flags and bumper stickers have increasingly popped up around town and left-wing rallies. And at least some agents of local law-enforcement have indicated they do not see the group as a top priority, with Sheriff Rick Ferici telling the Seattle Times, “People have a right to join organizations and express their opinions.”
The stealthy takeover is straight out of the modern, far-right playbook: target local and state elections, boards, and other institutions that often fly under the radar to increase influence. Far-right groups are running candidates in rural statehouse seats, school boards, and even library boards across the country, often rallying around panics of the moment, like so-called critical race theory.
“They’ve been trying to do this for quite some time now: Extremists running for office, local elections, you know, county councils, state legislatures, things like that,” said Daryl Johnson, a former Homeland Security analyst who runs DT Analytics, which tracks far-right groups. “Once it creeps in, if nobody challenges, it becomes the new norm.”
The Grange takeover calcified a political divide that had been slowly coming into the open on Whidbey Island. The Washington III Percent held an anti-lockdown rally on the island in October in defiance of the state’s mask mandate, attracting GOP congressional candidates, and reportedly using the Grange as a launching pad.
The group’s founder and president, Matt Marshall, rejects the extremism label and bristles at being lumped in with racist groups. And, it should be noted, critics could not point to specific acts of racism by the group. He also says they are not a militia, though they do weapons training and talk about being ready to fight back if faced with what they deem a tyrannical government.
Exactly what I said before the craziest people are terrorists.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/money.yahoo.com/amphtml/far-militia-infiltrated-island-washington-052033469.html
What's keeping democracy experts up most at night? An overturned election.
Analysis: Amid all the voting changes in state laws, giving more power to partisan officials to overturn an election is at the top of the list of concerns.
Trump back on the campaign trail
July 5, 2021, 3:00 AM PDT
By Benjy Sarlin
WASHINGTON — Congress is just beginning a new investigation into the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, but the movement behind it remains as active as ever. Former President Donald Trump is frequently repeating false claims of victory, plotting revenge against politicians who opposed his efforts to overturn the election, attacking key Republicans who refuse to back him up now and hinting at a return to power, either through another presidential run or some other means.
There’s no legal avenue for Trump to reverse the 2020 results. But a half-dozen scholars who study democracy and election laws told NBC News they are increasingly worried that 2024 could be a repeat of 2020, only with a party further remade in the former president’s image and better equipped to sow disorder during the process and even potentially overturn the results.
“Obviously the insurrection was horrific in its violence and assault on democracy, but it didn't disrupt the true winner of the election,” said Edward B. Foley, a professor at Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University who researches election law. “What you don’t want is it to have been a rehearsal.”
-----
In most cases, the Republicans have enabled state legislators to potentially overturn the results of the popular vote.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/what-s-keeping-democracy-experts-most-night-overturned-election-n1272971
This is nonsense.
In most cases, the Republicans have enabled state legislators to potentially overturn the results of the popular vote.
No it's not nonsense because if you actually read the news, and the details you wouldn't look so stupid.
In the electoral college process state legislators have to certify the popular vote. But in most cases they have the authority to determine the outcome of the election results, if they want to.
In Georgia and Arizona they have the right to determine the number of votes were legitimate, without an audit or non partisan organization to audit the vote count.
THE PRESIDENT: Today — today we celebrate America — (applause) — our freedom, our liberty, our independence. The Fourth of July is a sacred day in our country — a day of history, of hope, remembrance and resolve, of promise and possibilities.
Before me stands monuments of the greatest and the goodness of our nation — monuments of light and liberty. There’s a towering memorial to George Washington — the general who led our Revolution and the President who set our nation on its course.
There’s a memorial to Thomas Jefferson, whose words about liberty and equality literally changed the world.
And across the Tidal Basin from the Jefferson Memorial, there stands Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. — his arms crossed, his eyes fixed ahead toward the promised land where equality is not only an aspiration, but a reality. (Applause.)
They helped define who we are, guide what we do, remind us of the work that history has given us in our own time.
This year, the Fourth of July is a day of special celebration, for we are emerging from the darkness of years; a year of pandemic and isolation; a year of pain, fear, and heartbreaking loss.
Just think back to where this nation was a year ago. Think back to where you were a year ago. And think about how far we’ve come.
From silent streets — (applause) — from silent streets to crowded parade routes lined with people waving American flags; from empty stadiums and arenas to fans back to their seats cheering together again; from families pressing hands against a window to grandparents hugging their grandchildren once again.
We’re back traveling again. We’re back seeing one another again. Businesses are opening and hiring again. We’re seeing record job creation and record economic growth — the best in four decades and, I might add, the best in the world. (Applause.)
Today, all across this nation, we can say with confidence: America is coming back together. (Applause.)
Two hundred and forty-five years ago, we declared our independence from a distant king. Today, we’re closer than ever to declaring our independence from a deadly virus. That’s not to say the battle against COVID-19 is over. We’ve got a lot more work to do.
But just as our Declaration in 1776 was not a call to action — was a call to action, not a reason for complacency or a claim of victory — it was a call to action — the same is true today.
Back then, we had the power of an idea on our side. Today, we have the power of science. (Applause.) Thanks to our heroic vaccine effort, we’ve gained the upper hand against this virus. We can live our lives, our kids can go back to school, our economy is roaring back.
Don’t get me wrong, COVID-19 is — has not been vanquished. We all know powerful variants have emerged, like the Delta variant, but the best defense against these variants is to get vaccinated. (Applause.)
My fellow Americans, it’s the most patriotic thing you can do. So, please, if you haven’t gotten vaccinated, do it — do it now for yourself, for your loved ones, for your community, and for your country.
You know, that’s how we’re going to stay ahead of these variants and protect the hard-won progress we’ve made. We never again want to be where we were a year ago today. (Applause.)
So, today, while the virus hasn’t been vanquished, we know this: It no longer controls our lives. It no longer paralyzes our nation. And it’s within our power to make sure it never does again. And for that, we can thank the scientists and researchers, the educators, and all the other frontline and essential workers, like many of you here today — (applause) —
who became the light to see us through the darkness.
I hope you know that you, the American people, have been part of one of the most remarkable achievements in American history. But in this moment of joy, we know that this day falls hard on all those who’ve lost a loved one.
So I’ve told you before: Each day, I carry a card in my pocket with my schedule on it. In the back of that schedule, on that card, are the number of Americans who’ve lost their lives to COVID — the precise number.
As of tonight, that number is 603,018 people who have lost their lives. They’re husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, grandparents, friends, neighbors, coworkers.
And we also remember all those who lost this year — that we lost and families lost to other causes — other causes of death and cruel twists of fate. They, too, left behind loved ones unable to grieve or mourn or find closure. Each of them meant the world to someone they left behind. And those of you who’ve been through all this know that to heal, you have to remember. We have to remember them, and we will. We’ll commit to always remember them. That’s what we’ll do.
I’ve long said that America is unique. Unlike every other nation on Earth, we were founded based on an idea. We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all people are created equal, endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights — among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
And while we’ve never fully lived up to those words, we have never given up on them. They continue to animate us, and they remind us what, at our best, we as Americans believe: We, Americans — we believe in honesty and decency, in treating everyone with dignity and respect, giving everyone a fair shot, demonizing no one, giving hate no safe harbor, and leaving no one behind.
We lead by the power of our example, not the example of our power. And we’re part of som- — something so much bigger than ourselves. We stand as a beacon to the world.
It’s a code. It’s a code — uniquely American code. It’s who we are.
To all the service members and your families who are here tonight, today, all of you serving around the world: It’s the greatest honor to serve as your Commander-in-Chief.
As the party of White America, Republicans seek their own political legitimacy from history by trying to minimize the impact of racism.
In the guise of fighting “critical race theory,” Republican legislators in 22 states want to outlaw the teaching of certain interpretations of U.S. history. Such laws have already passed in five states — Idaho, Iowa, Oklahoma, Texas and Tennessee — while the Florida Board of Education has enacted its own ban. Taken together, this is the most far-reaching assault on academic freedom since the McCarthy era in the 1950s.
The Texas law prohibits teaching that “the advent of slavery … constituted the true founding of the United States,” as originally argued in the New York Times’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “1619 Project.” The Florida guidelines prohibit teaching “that racism is embedded in American society and its legal systems in order to uphold the supremacy of white persons.” The Tennessee law prohibits teaching that “the rule of law does not exist, but instead is a series of power relationships and struggles among racial or other groups.”
These bills are probably unconstitutional. They’re definitely un-American.
You can agree or disagree with the ideas that arouse the ire of the right. (For what it’s worth, I agree that “racism is embedded in American society,” but I disagree that the arrival of the first African slaves marked the country’s “true founding” — a claim that was eventually stripped from the 1619 Project.) But you should not have the government telling schools that certain ideas are so dangerous they cannot be mentioned in a classroom. That’s what happens in China and other authoritarian countries.
The essence of America is that we have free speech — and therefore the right to critically examine our own society. This is, in fact, one of our greatest advantages over China. Because the Chinese Communist Party won’t acknowledge its past evils, it is doomed to repeat them. By contrast, we can admit our misdeeds, learn from them and do better in the future. We should celebrate that freedom rather than undermine it in the name of “patriotism.
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