PBC News & Comment: Some Nuggets of Truth Buried in Hyped Russia Reports

Following Mueller indictments of Russian trolls, corporate media buries qualifiers in reports that exaggerate scope and impact of online “meddling”…--Scott Shane of NY Times offers some history and context on Sunday,  but by Tuesday he’s returned to the usual
--botwatching is the new American pastime, as NY Times reports wave of activity after Parkland shooting and Newsweek reports that alt-right bot network based in Japan took down Al Franken but the WashPost debunks the bot effect
--in new, in-depth interview, Aaron Maté of The Nation and The Real News comments on Russiagate and continues to dig for evidence
--Mueller splits TrumpCo, as McMaster says Russian meddling “incontrovertible”
--in weekend tweetstorm, Trump blamed Obama for not stopping the Russian meddling that Trump has previously denied
--in 2011, Pentagon bragged it was developing software with sock puppets to secretly manipulate social media
--at Salon, Sophia McClennan says Russiagate is Benghazi for the Left
--at Consortium News, Bill Binney and Ray McGovern warn that changes in US nuclear policy include response to cyberattacks
--Greenwald notes that members of both parties have already concluded that Russia committed an “act of war”, inferring that war is the correct response
--NY Times Magazine covers the Valve Turners
--running for Ohio governor, Dennis Kucinich vows to end all oil and gas drilling in the Buckeye state