Creator of viral anti-Clinton fake news campaign tells why he did it

To view this email as a web page, [click here] [Star Tribune] Talkers Top stories - Creator of viral anti-Clinton fake news campaign tells why he did it: It was early fall, and Donald Trump, behind in the polls, seemed to be preparing a rationale in case a winner like him somehow managed to lose. “I’m afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest,” the Republican nominee told a riled-up crowd in Columbus, Ohio. He was hearing “more and more” about evidence of rigging, he added, leaving the details to his supporters’ imagination. A few weeks later, Cameron Harris, a new college graduate with a fervent interest in Maryland Republican politics and a need for cash, sat down at the kitchen table in his apartment [to fill in the details Trump had left out.] - Last year was the hottest year on record, again: [Earth sizzled to a third-straight record hot year in 2016], government scientists said Wednesday. They mostly blame man-made global warming with help from a natural El Nino, which has since disappeared. - Will 2017 be the year for Sunday liquor sales? Minnesotans trying to lift the state’s ban on Sunday liquor retailing were upbeat Tuesday after a House committee easily voted to repeal it, the first sign that [a bevy of new legislators are sympathetic to allowing Sunday sales.] - Obama grants clemency to Chelsea Manning, many others: [President Obama granted clemency to Chelsea Manning on Tuesday], allowing the transgender Army intelligence officer convicted of leaking more than 700,000 U.S. documents to go free nearly three decades early. Embracing his clemency powers days before leaving office, Obama also pardoned 64 individuals including retired Gen. James Cartwright, charged with making false statements during another leak probe. Manning was one of 209 inmates with sentences commuted by Obama, who has now granted more commutations than any other president in history. [A spokesman for President-elect Donald Trump said Obama's commutation] of Manning's sentence sends "a very troubling message" to those who might leak classified information. There was another big name among those pardoned by Obama yesterday: [Baseball Hall of Famer Willie McCovey], who pleaded guilty to tax fraud in 1995. - Education secretary pick vows not to dismantle public education system: In a sometimes contentious confirmation hearing, education secretary pick [Betsy DeVos pledged that she would not seek to dismantle public schools] amid questions by Democrats about her qualifications, political donations and long-time work advocating for charter schools and school choice. Some of DeVos' answers drew a lot of attention. When asked whether guns have a place in schools, she said [they could help protect against grizzly bears in Wyoming.] The Washington Post [rounds up some of the more noteworthy moments in DeVos' hearing] yesterday. Trump's choice for White House budget director, Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.), is under fire for [failing to pay payroll taxes on a household employee between 2000-2004], a controversy that has derailed Cabinet nominees in the past. Scott Pruitt, nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, broke with his own own past statements as well as the president-elect when [he said in his confirmation hearing that he does not believe climate change is a hoax.] - Text messages at issue in trial of 4th Precinct protest shooter: In one message, Hennepin County prosecutors say, 23-year-old [Allen "Lance" Scarsella asked a friend to join him at target practice] "for when we have to shoot black guys." When he discussed buying a new gun — the one he would eventually use to shoot five people outside the 4th Precinct police headquarters in Minneapolis — Scarsella complained that another firearm he owned "was not killing brown people dead enough." But Scarsella's defense attorney, Peter Martin, argued that Scarsella is on trial for his actions, not his opinions, and that he fired in self-defense after the protesters attacked his group as they stood alongside a fence. [A former Marine testified that a desire for "internet fame"] compelled him to attend and film the protests with Scarsella in November 2015, days before Scarsella returned and fired into the crowd. - Bomb threat closes Jewish community center in St. Louis Park: [The threat was one of many made around the country] Wednesday targeting Jewish institutions, St. Louis Park police said. - Former President George H.W. Bush, wife Barbara hospitalized: [The former president was admitted to the ICU at a Houston hospital] to "address an acute respirator problem stemming from pneumonia," family spokesman Jim McGrath said in a statement. McGrath said the former first lady was hospitalized as a precaution after experiencing fatigue and coughing. - Cottage Grove man charged in wife's murder: Stephen Carl Allwine, 43, was charged Wednesday with shooting and killing his wife and [trying to disguise her death as a suicide.] - Rifle, ammo stolen from Ramsey County Sheriff's squad car: [A loaded rifle and additional ammunition were stolen] from an unmarked squad car belonging to the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office while it was parked in a ramp in St. Louis Park, authorities said Wednesday. - Stillwater ice castle closes temporarily due to melting: The ice castle sensation in Stillwater, which has drawn large crowds, [will be closed Thursday and possibly into next week] for safety reasons. Watch this Disney reveals the secret connections between every Pixar film: In [a video clip posted to the official "Toy Story" Facebook page], Disney calls attention to the many, many self-referential Easter Eggs hidden in plain sight in Pixar's animated movies. Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com]. Trending - Why are so many American Airlines flight attendants getting sick? From oozing blisters and wheezing to rashes, itchy eyes, and sore throats, numerous American Airlines flight attendants say their new work uniforms are making them sick. But after a battery of tests and a tense back-and-forth among their union, the airline, and the uniform supplier, [it’s still not clear what exactly is behind the rise in health complaints.] - MOA movie theaters to reopen with gourmet food, cocktails: The Bloomington megamall said today that CMX, a subsidiary of Cinemex, [will open a 64,000 square-foot movie theater] on the fourth floor to replace the mall-operated theaters that closed last month. - Surly will tap "Thanks Obama" beer on Inauguration Day: The nation is just brimming with togetherness right now, and Surly Brewing is doing its part to contribute to those warm and fuzzies with its latest beer just ahead of Inauguration Day. [It’s called "Thanks Obama."] - After wheelchair went missing, donors chip in $13K to get 6-year old rolling again: In two days, [$13,700 came in through a GoFundMe campaign to replace a specialized wheelchair] that went missing Saturday night, Sports roundup - Son of ex-Vikings QB already getting college offers as an 8th-grader: Max Johnson, just a freshman at Oconee County High School near Athens, Ga., [already has two scholarship offers from Florida State and Miami]. Both were offered to Max as an eighth-grader. Johnson is the son of former Vikings quarterback and Super Bowl champion Brad Johnson. - Five available free agents who could be a good fit for the Twins: After a 59-win season in 2016, there are holes on the roster. [Could these players plug them?] - Steroid era poses dilemma for first-time Hall of Fame voter: "How do I know who was using and who wasn’t? Is it fair to enforce that prohibition based on rumors or skepticism — or worse, penalize players just for hitting home runs that I deem suspicious?" [asks Phil Miller.] - Will this new pontoon boat fly at the Minneapolis Boat Show? A father and son designed [a unique pontoon boat that unfolds like an accordion] on the water. Quote of the day “Why can’t Mother Nature be a little more consistent?” -- Ice Castles promoter [Amanda Roseth], on unseasonably warm temperatures that forced the temporary closure of the Stillwater attraction. Worth a click When small dogs were the hottest kitchen gadget around: [Atlas Obscura has a fascinating piece about "turnspit dogs"] — small, short-legged dogs specially bred to keep meat turning over an open fire by running in a hamster wheel-like contraption from the 16th century until the mid-1800s. It was not an easy life. From the archives Jan. 18, 1991: Protesters wearing skeleton masks to hide their identity wrote STOP THE WAR in shaving cream on the windows of the Armed Forces Recruitment Center on Lake Street in protest of the war in the Persian Gulf. (Photo: Rita Reed/Star Tribune) Connect with Star Tribune [facebook] [twitter] [google+] [pinterest] [instagram] [tumblr] [Sign up for more newsletters] • [Subscribe to Star Tribune] • [Privacy Policy] • [Unsubscribe] This email was sent by: StarTribune, 650 3rd Ave S, Suite #1300, Minneapolis, MN, 55488 © 2015 StarTribune. All rights reserved. We value your opinion! [Give us your feedback.]