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It's not easy to tell that the Barack Obama in this video is a digital fake, but it is.

It was created by researchers at the University of Washington. They developed an AI model of the former president's mouth movements so that the bot's lips sync up to any audio track. In this video, the digital Mr. Obama says things that the carbon-based Obama never said.

From the YouTube description:

Given audio of President Barack Obama, we synthesize a high quality video of him speaking with accurate lip sync, composited into a target video clip. Trained on many hours of his weekly address footage, a recurrent neural network learns the mapping from raw audio features to mouth shapes. Given the mouth shape at each time instant, we synthesize high quality mouth texture, and composite it with proper 3D pose matching to change what he appears to be saying in a target video to match the input audio track.

The researchers say that even though the video looks real, it's easy to reverse engineer it and find out it's a fake. But will this always be the case?

Raphael Fabre modeled his face with 3D software and used it for his French national ID card. On April 7, 2017, I applied for an ID card to the 18th Army. All the papers requested for the card were legal and authentic, the application was accepted and I have my new French identity card today. []

Josh Lns Heroglyphics are a series of illustrations of superheroes and movie characters posters (TMNT, Star Wars, Power Rangers, X-Men, Avengers and Spider-Man) available as posters, canvas prints, wall tapestries, etc.

The Metasploit framework is an open source tool that lets you simulate real attacks against your system. You can get introduced to this essential cyber security software with this Penetration Testing & Ethical Hacking course, available now in the Boing Boing Store.Throughout these 23 lessons, youll exploit vulnerabilities, evade antivirus software, and gain unauthorized access []

A cable subscription is the most straightforward way to watch live TV, and its typically the only way to get access to streaming content from cable networks. But you never get to choose which channels you actually want, and having to use all of their separate streaming services is a pain. Ultimately, youre paying a []

Phone, wallet, keys. Many of us recite these words to ourselves each time we leave home, or the office, or a friends house, or anywhere at all. Theyre the typical essentials we all carry every single day, and would absolutely hate to lose. If youre a Samsung Galaxy S8 user, however, you can trim the []

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Fake Obama speech is the beginning of the end of video evidence - Boing Boing

Former U.S. President Barack Obama pardoned Nima Golestaneh, who pled guilty in December 2015 to federal wire fraud and computer hacking charges. | AP Photo

By Josh Gerstein

07/17/2017 05:59 PM EDT

Updated 07/17/2017 06:15 PM EDT

Two Iranian men have been indicted for allegedly hacking a Vermont defense technology firm, but one of their cohorts who admitted guilt won't be punished because of a pardon President Barack Obama granted last year as part of the Iran-U.S. nuclear deal.

On Monday, the Justice Department announced the indictment of Mohammed Reza Rezakhah, 39, and Mohammed Saeed Ajily, 35, for conspiring to hack South Burlington, Vermont-based Arrow Tech starting in 2007 as part of an effort to allow Iranian companies to use the company's software in violation of U.S. export controls.

Justice's press release revealing the charges against Rezakhah and Ajily referred obliquely to "a third actor who has already pleaded guilty in the District of Vermont for related conduct."

However, the indictment identifies that man as Nima Golestaneh. Golestaneh was indicted in U.S, District Court in Vermont in 2013 on similar charges and extradited from Turkey after protracted negotiations with that country.

Golestaneh pled guilty in December 2015 to federal wire fraud and computer hacking charges and was awaiting sentencing when he received the pardon from Obama one of a series of clemency grants and dropped prosecutions the administration agreed to as part of a broader effort to reach a nuclear agreement and obtain the release of several Americans being held prisoner in Iran.

POLITICO reported earlier this year that the actions Obama took to attempt a rapprochement with Iran angered Justice Department officials and that statements the administration issued at the time downplayed the significance of the cases that were sacrificed as part of the diplomatic initiative.

Arrow Tech's main product is computer software that helps calculate missile trajectories. The program, identified in the indictment as Projectile Rocket Ordnance Design and Analysis System or PRODAS, is considered defense equipment and can only be exported with a State Department license.

The new announcement from the Justice Department came on the same day the Trump administration announced its review of Iranian compliance with the nuclear deal, which President Donald Trump has sharply criticized.

While the Justice Department statement may appear as a rebuke of Obama's pardon issued in connection with the same events, the timing of the charges against Rezakhah and Ajily seems to undercut that possibility. The indictment announced Monday was actually returned in April 2016, under the Obama administration. It has been under seal since while law enforcement made efforts to take the men into custody.

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Asked why the indictment was unsealed now, a Justice Department official said keeping an indictment under seal for a period then announcing it is "commonplace."

"This practice improves the chances for law enforcement to apprehend the defendants," said the official, who asked not to be named.

A filing prosecutors submitted to a federal judge last week asking to unseal the indictment and related arrest warrants shed little light on the situation, saying simply that the unsealing was appropriate now "because the investigation into the matter has concluded."

The Justice official said the two defendants are believed to be in Iran. Officials have argued in similar cases that while the arrest of the individuals being sought is unlikely, announcing the charges will limit the travel of those charged and serve as a deterrent to others considering similar activity.

Court dockets suggest that Rezakhah or Ajily or others were charged back in 2015 in connection with the same events, but the original filings in the case remain sealed.

Josh Gerstein is a senior reporter for POLITICO.

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2 Iranians charged in hacking case where Obama pardoned another - Politico (blog)

The U.S. air war in Afghanistan has returnedto a level of intensity not seen since American forces were still fanned out across the country and fighting Taliban militants in daily skirmishes in 2012, according to recently released military data.

As of June 30, U.S. and coalition aircraft had dropped or expended 1,634 munitionsin Afghanistan so farthis year, according toU.S. Air Force numbers. By comparison, in 2015 and 2016, that figure was 298and 545 respectively.

The majority of this years strikes have been used to go after the Taliban, said Navy Capt. Bill Salvin, a spokesman for the U.S.-led mission in Afghanistan. A portion of the air support, however, has alsobeen directed at terrorist groups such as the Islamic State.

The surge in U.S.-led air attacks comes as the Pentagon weighs whether to send thousands more troops into Afghanistanin a bid to reverse three years of steady gains by the Taliban. While Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis pledged to deliver a strategy to Congressthis month, some lawmakers see any increase in support to what has become Americas longest running war as futile.

[More U.S. soldiers may be heading to Afghanistan. That might not solve the problem.]

Salvin attributed the increasein airstrikes to gains made by Afghan Security Forces. As theyre more successful, more strikes are needed, Salvin said.

On Monday, a U.S.Marine unit in Helmand province often known as the birthplace of the Taliban said it had helped the Afghan Army retake a district center south of the provincialcapital of Lashkar Gah and that the operation had been supported with numerous U.S. airstrikes. Earlier this month, Army Pfc Hansen B. Kirkpatrick was killed in the same area when anArmy Special Forces team he was withcame under accurate mortar fire. Two other soldiers were wounded. ThoughAfghan forces control some population centers in Helmand, the Taliban are able to move around almost completely unrestricted.

An Aprilreport released by Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction indicated that Afghan forces control 60 percent of the country, up from 57 percent in November last year. That same report indicated the Taliban had gained a percentage point of ground, still putting the militants control of territory at its highest in the country since U.S. forces invaded the country in 2001. The rest, the report said, remains contested.

The United States is not winning in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told Congress on June 13, saying he was crafting a new strategy which he will brief to lawmakers by mid-July. (Reuters)

To help prevent further losses, then-President Obama gave the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Army Gen. John Nicholson, authorityto go after the Taliban with airstrikes. Before the June 2016 decision, U.S. forces were only allowed to target the Taliban with air support when defending U.S. troops alongside their Afghan counterparts. The new powers, known as the strategic effects authority, were supposed to be used sparingly, during times when the U.S.-provided air support could effectively change the strategic outcome of abattle.

The renewed intensity of the U.S.-led air campaign, along with the burgeoning capabilities of the Afghan Air Force, have also meant Afghan civilians are dying more frequently from aerial attacks. Salvin said that the Afghans had carried out 1,000 strikes this year, compared to 1,600 for all of 2016.

A report released Monday by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan documented 95 civilian deaths and 137 wounded from airstrikes during the first six months of this year. The report said the Afghan Air Force was responsible for 29 of the deaths. It is unclear if theAfghan Air Force, likeits coalition counterparts, uses guided or smart munitions. In 2016, a spokesman for the U.S. mission in Afghanistan told reportersthe Afghan Air Forcewas not using guided bombs, and Salvin did not know if that had recently changed.

[U.S. watchdog finds major internal flaws hampering Afghanistan war effort]

The increase in civilian casualties from aerial operations affirms the criticality of continuous review of targeting criteria and pre-engagement precautionary measures in both offensive and defensive aerial operations, the report said.

These figures, according to the report, equate to a 67 percent increase in civilian deaths compared to the same reporting period from2016. Overall, however, civilian casualties at the hands of pro-government forces are down by roughly 20 percent, the report said.

Civilian casualties in Afghanistan continue to remain at record highs since the U.N. mission to Afghanistan began tracking civilian deaths in 2009. Tens of thousands of civilians and more than 2,000 U.S. troops have died in Afghanistansince 2001. Currently, there are roughly 8,500 U.S. troops servingalongside approximately 5,000 NATO forces in the country.

Read more:

It was a brutal killing that shocked Afghanistan. Now, the outrage has faded.

U.S. defense chief arrives in Kabul as his Afghan counterpart resigns in disgrace

At least 140 dead after Taliban attack on a key Afghan army base, officials say

Read the original post:
US airstrikes in Afghanistan are at levels not seen since Obama troop surge - Washington Post

Former President Barack Obama. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is experiencingrecord-low fundraising. In May 2017, it raised the lowest amount since 2003, and April 2017 was its worst month since 2009. Instead of donating to the DNC, donors have been pouring millions into the Obama Foundation.

On July 14, the Obama Foundation released alist of donations categorized by the amount given. The list donors who gave at least $1 million include Silicon Valley billionaire John Doerr, Microsoft, LinkedIn Founder Reid Hoffman, Rahm Emanuels go-to guyMichael Sacks, the Exelon Corporation, AT&T and Nasdaq Director Glenn Hutchins foundation and theNew York Community Trust.

Hoffman and Mark Pincus, who donated over $250,000 to the Obama Foundation, recentlylaunchedWTF, a political organization that aspires to get people to vote online for policies, slogans and ads to turn into billboards around Washington, D.C. John Doerr also serves on the Obama Foundations Board of Directors, and in 2015 a sexual discrimination lawsuitfiledagainst him incited a national discussion on the rampant sexism and gender inequality in Silicon Valley. Robert Wolf, an Obama Foundation board member and former president of UBS,donatedover $250,000 to the Obama Foundation.Jonathan Lavine, co-managing partner of Mitt Romneys venture capital group Bain Capital, donated at least $750,000.

A spokesperson for theObamaFoundationtoldthe Chicago Sun-Times on July 14 that the organizations restrictions on donations would no longer be imposed now thatObamais out of office, freeing him from having to convey the image that he isnt cozy with corporate and Wall Street elites.

The Obama Foundations goal of securing and broadening Obamas legacy resembles theClinton Foundations. The Hillreportedthat the foundation is building a $500 million library. The foundation is runby Martin Nesbitt and Obamas former White House Political Director David Simas.

Obamasclose relationships with Wall Street bankers and Silicon Valley billionaires entrenched corporate power as a guiding principle in theDemocratic Party. Now that he is out of office, his courtship of the worldswealthiestpeople shows his worldview and true intentions. Though he was elected in part to rein in the corruption and greed that led to the 2008 economic recession, he now delivers highly paid speeches at Wall Street institutions. Additionally, while Wall Street received billions in bailouts during his administration, recovery never came for most Americans. The interests of billionaires and wealthy elites oppose those of the working and middle class, and its obvious who Obama sides with.

TheDemocratic Party nostalgically yearns forObama, but their obsessions blinds them to the political crises that his presidency either ignored or worsened. Under his leadership, the Democratic Partydevolved and lost thousands of elected offices around the country.Democratsrisk irrelevancy if they dont transcend this corporatist worldview and enact solutions to the problems that resulted in Donald Trumps presidency.

See original here:
Obama Rakes in Donors as Democrats Free Fall Into Irrelevance - Observer

When President Trump met earlier this month with Russian President Vladimir Putin, their exchange about Moscows interference in the 2016 presidential election was all anyone seemed to care about. Trumps efforts to present an agreement between the two countries on a cease-fire in Syria as a major achievement were largely ignored by a media determined to focus exclusively on allegations of collusion between the Republicans and Russia.

But it turns out his critics were wrong to dismiss the Syrian pact as a distraction. Its now clear that in his eagerness for a deal, the president fell into virtually the same trap his predecessor did when he signed the Iran nuclear deal.

The real surprise here is that the biggest critic of the Syrian pact is one of the presidents staunchest friends: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He spoke out once he discovered that Trump hadnt taken into account Israels concerns about Iran being the real beneficiary of the agreement.

Like it or not, the Russian and Iranian forces fighting on behalf of the barbarous Bashar al-Assad regime appear to have prevailed. Yet Russia and Iran arent content with just keeping their client in power. They want Western recognition not just of Assads victory but also of their occupation of Syrian territory.

US acquiescence to the Russian presence in Syria is the first step toward the realization of Putins dream of reassembling the old Soviet empire. Once President Barack Obama punted enforcement of his red line about Assads use of chemical weapons to the Russians, there was probably no way to roll back Putins ambitions.

But what Trump has done now by trying to pull a foreign-policy victory out of his meeting with Putin is arguably almost as bad as Obamas feckless Syrian retreat. The cease-fire terms would ensure that Iran and its Hezbollah auxiliaries get a free hand in southern Syria and that the Iranian presence will become permanent.

Israel has kept a close watch on Hezbollahs activities in Syria and launched strikes to prevent Iran from using the civil war as cover to transfer heavy arms to its Lebanese allies or allowing the group to establish bases close to its border. Yet if Trumps cease-fire lets Iran put military facilities adjacent to Israel something Jerusalem has said it cant tolerate that increases the chances of conflict with an Islamist regime that is dedicated to Israels destruction.

Just as troubling is that this will enable Tehran to achieve its dream of a land bridge from Iran to the Mediterranean. Just as Obamas bugout from Iraq allowed Iran to become the dominant power in that nation, the Trump seal of approval on Assads victory could give it the same power in Syria and enable it to link up with a Lebanon dominated by its terrorist errand boys.

Thats the same nightmare of Iranian regional hegemony that scared Arab nations as much as it did the Israelis about the nuclear deal.

Unlike Obama, Trump isnt laboring under the delusion that Irans leaders are moderates. He understands the Iranians are a threat to both the United States and its allies. The problem is that he still refuses to accept that he must choose between his good relations with Russia and getting tough with Iran.

Trump spent the 2016 campaign talking up cooperation with Russia against ISIS and denouncing Obamas nuclear deal with Iran. But events in Syria have proved him wrong. Russia and Iran are interested in Syria for reasons that have nothing to do with fighting ISIS. Indeed, the survival of their man Assad ensures that the terrorist group will continue to retain Sunni support since it is seen as the only local force resisting the regime.

Rather than ignore Israels warnings, the president must wake up and realize that acting as if he can tilt toward Russia while also resisting Iran means that Trump is, in effect, making his own awful Iran deal with implications that could be almost as deadly in the long run as Obamas folly. Jonathan S. Tobin is opinion editor of JNS.org and a contributor to National Review.

Originally posted here:
Trump is falling into the same trap as Obama on Iran - New York Post