twitter releases confidential information about how much this channel spends on ads with the social network as part of a report on alleged russian meddling and the u.s. election. which you would publish as an e-mail exchange between hillary clinton's campaign chief and a facebook official allegedly pledged to support in the two thousand and sixteen u.s. presidential election. spain's catalonia is poised to vote on independence from madrid with the authorities increasing pressure by moving in thousands of police to the region un human rights experts are voicing their concerns. and there are few

a terrorist group is exploiting the fate of myanmar's persecuted minority to raise money for its activities. this is r t international coming to you live from moscow where it's just turned five pm. thank you for joining us this hour twitter has unveiled a report on how it battled alleged russian interference and the two thousand and sixteen u.s. presidential election taking aim at r.t. in the process according to the statement the social network giant revealed the u.s. senate confidential information on r.t.s. add outlay twitter claims a little vaguely that over a thousand tweets quote definitely or potentially targeted the u.s. market artie's either in chief margarita simonyan however noted all media outlets promote themselves. twitter has disclosed in congress

a monstrous information we spend money on our own ad campaigns as all media organizations in the world do now we have to go even further and honestly confess we also spend money on ads in airports taxes billboards the internet on t.v. and radio commercials were even on c.n.n. . artie's daniel hawkins joins me now live in the studio with more on the story daniel it feels like every day a new report pops up but tell us what's the most important point of this one all this is the latest chapter in the russia election saugor in this law that social media that's involved if you can't prove something officials then obviously get social platforms on board that you can chew on line is one hundred percent true absolutely when russian actors are involved fully enough it's very quick to make the headlines when it's the bunked it's not so hot of the press but i just take a look at what this report contained this report was released to congress which is investigating those russian hacking allegations it discussed a whole host of issues troll accounts boughts what it describes as malicious

automated accounts. now out of the entire twitter sphere of must be hundreds of millions of accounts to find a couple of hundred which they burned as a result of these links and if they've been barren then there's the story surrounding russia then one can safely assume that the accounts have been officially linked to rest of them that's what one would assume straight away of course give medication but that's not the case to a true fact actually mention that there are unable to verify any sort of specific concrete ties to russia let's hear it from themselves we have not found accounts associated with this activity to have obvious russian origin but some of the accounts appear to have been automated. chorus our channel is never left untouched so what do we have to do with all of this stuff and we were given an order in the woods report amongst all these trolls bought malicious accounts. as we said giving information and how much exactly we spend on advertising on the social platform

when i was the editor in chief said something commonly done by most news channels on social media nowadays there are no specific allegations of any wrongdoing against. whatsoever so quote what r.t.d. is doing in that in that report is many i suppose now we had a similar story coming from facebook one last week and now it does and now we have twitter so social media is just sort of the next step on the russian meddling sagar their absolutely the latest social platform to announce they found some sort of russian link they claim to have found or traced draw one hundred thousand dollars worth of spending to around three thousand from june twenty fifth to me twenty seventeen so let's just put this into perspective for one hundred thousand dollars over the course of two years that's fifty thousand dollars a year i mean the order to side is not really enough really to influence the outcome of the u.s. election we'll let people see me with these radically that's a multi-billion dollar you know a sort of facebook ads are everywhere you see something every day and you know that can't be that much of an effect i mean

a hundred thousand dollars would make up zero point zero zero zero something all of the revenue so really not that much and certainly donald trump the president of the other states doesn't seem convinced by the whole idea let's take a listen and by the way folks just in case you like curious. no russia did not help me ok russia. i call it the russian hoax one of the great hoaxes actually that's the thing i was thinking about and that's the thing that the democrats did best they lost the election and they didn't know what happened. and they needed an excuse so they said russia. now it seems that the scandal has now actually gone beyond the borders of the u.s. president selection to him to sixteen it seems the chrome in his hand is that responsible literally for choosing u.s. presidents but also actually influencing american society directly from god lord.

to the latest racial tensions with black lives as one see it and pundits speculate or let's take a listen ad that was bought by this russian troll farm on facebook was a black lives matter ad that was targeted specifically to the city in baltimore and ferguson missouri and this is based on my conversation my sources in that the goal here was really about creating chaos. i mean of course it's nothing new for c.n.n. in the mainstream media to feel that the kremlin's reach has no and when so ever but these allegations of russian meddling are often based exclusively just on claims coming from u.s. officials their certainty of varying degrees and to those claims always hold up your will just take this recent report by the department of homeland security actually notified officially notified twenty one separate u.s. states that they'd been targeted by russian all russian linked hackers on the subject of the sixteen presidential election but if we take

a look at what the states have said themselves texas for example has come back to texas secretary of state orlando problem he said and i'm quoting him here that his office has the time and its agency was not targeted and furthermore the church has relied on incorrect information so they've been very clear they've held their hands but say hang on a minute we've not been acted toward target at all so what's the big deal here wisconsin another state here they've said there was an attempt to hack them there was some sort of a but the target was the department of workforce development which deals with unemployment and benefits nothing to do with elections here you something russia wouldn't be all too interesting. given california take that one of the one of the biggest most important states the target in the system was the state's department of technology and the secretary of state for that state says it doesn't even use i.t. for its services so quite how that would have worked on north shore and you know as we quote said. the speculation allegations mount up when you look at them in detail low break them down a lot of the validity can be questioned. daniel hogg i'm staying across that rather

complicated and never ending story it seems for us thank you very much. while western media and twitter have been busy looking for russian fingerprints around the u.s. election we can you explain a doubt that a social network giant even tried to back one side in the presidential campaign the whistleblower published in the e-mail in which facebook's chief operating officer proposes helping hillary clinton's campaign chief sheryl sandberg adding that she was thrilled about the progress hillary was making the e-mail exchange dates back to the u.s. presidential campaign in two thousand and sixteen and our correspondent polly boyko reports on more. wiki leaks has really put this on into perspective because on the one hand you've got the u.s. senate struggling to find that clear link between the alleged russian meddling in the u.s. elections and the kremlin and on the other hand you've got what julian asuncion is just sort of brought back to the surface from that trove of leaked predestiny

e-mails and that's that we have clear evidence in these e-mails that facebook expressed an overt preference for hillary clinton in the run up to the twenty sixteen election in the u.s. i still want hillary rodham clinton to win badly i'm still here to help as i can i'm thrilled at the progress here making. the first woman president of the united states while these e-mails beg the question is the u.s. senate intelligence committee going to be as interested in hillary clinton's campaign manager working with facebook to elect clinton as they are in russia allegedly hacking the u.s. elections and does the u.s. senate know for example also from these leaked e-mails that mark zuckerberg facebook c.e.o. wrote a personal e-mail to protest back in august twenty fifty saying that he enjoyed

spending time with podesta and that their conversation gave zaka bug quote a lot to think about now infer what you will from that but that all read like tech spoke low being to a lot of people i think it's safe to assume that the silicon valley or the giant tech companies that were gunning for hillary in the run up to the u.s. elections google many viewers will remember was accused of calibrating their search results in favor of hillary clinton's campaign and subsequent leaks have revealed that eric schmidt who's the chairman of alphabet that is the parent come. google he had close personal ties with the clinton campaign take a listen to a memo written about schmidt by clinton's digital strategist i have been kept apprised of the work being done by eric schmidt's group and others working directly and indirectly with your team on the whole i am comfortable with where we

stand and confident in our roadmap to launch day and beyond what to be interesting to see is that no one appears to care about the links between these giant tech companies and the clinton campaign these are large companies that control huge flows of information but no one seems to have taken any notice of this clear preference that they found for the hillary clinton campaign rest assured for anyone who is concerned we have got in touch with facebook and we are asking them if they're going to be reporting themselves to the u.s. senate intelligence committee for their alleged links to hillary clinton's campaign . joining me now to discuss this further we have brant budowsky a columnist with the political website the hill and media analyst lionel all right guys let's get started if we can go to you first brant first let's get through the

report from twitter some two hundred suspected of links to russia however it's not exactly clear how they violated twitter rules only a ban on spam may have been violated so does this constitute failsafe proof of u.s. election meddling. well i think what most americans certainly in congress in the senate would agree is that there was significant meddling the investigation has now expanded to facebook and twitter and i suspect very soon reddit and other social media and that's part of the launch or investigation what is troubling to most americans here is that the latest example involves playing race cards in american politics from some russian sources to try to divide americans there are allegations with some that didn't at this point even on the n.f.l. controversy involving president trump now when. homeland security says that they

have concerns about election hacking let me make sure we understand that that involves the trump administration's department of homeland security not just the obama administration's homeland security now one key point i want to emphasize today nobody wants better relations with russia than i do and i'll address myself to anyone in the russian government who may hear the words i'm saying right now when there was a subway attack in moscow i believe i was on three or four programs on r t i believe that of was president in those days expressing my solidarity with the people of russia forget the propaganda forget the arguments to get to debates if we want to have better relations between the united states and russia my advice to the government of russia forget all the spin that's being said by anybody is is to stop these kinds of attacks in cyber war and all of this in the united states just stop and i don't really care if they admit it publicly just stop it in our people would

find out almost immediately that it is stop and they would be an opportunity for better relations between our two countries which i think most americans want which president trump wants which most democrats want and which i want so forget the propaganda debate. stop it with the it's admitted we're not stop interfering in our system and we can have the same better relations under president trump we could have had under president obama president bush president clinton president anywhere ok lionel i see you shaking your head there do you disagree with. well i would but it's breathtakingly incoherent as to what he just said three questions i have being a lawyer let's think prosecutor number one who are the russians russian government russian people people who speak russian what we don't know are russian entity number two us russian doesn't mads anti fracking ads anti facts

anti fracking ads black lives matter how is that going to help donald trump oh i know because it causes chaos it causes a free soul of discussion and number three if you want to look at direct direct governmental involvement and the election let's look no further than president obama in bragg's it let's look at our statements regarding scottish independence and our statements regarding let's say israeli elections so if you want to look at this vegan issue about russian involvement and why there are these issues or or or ads cause chaos it leads me to this one very single simple answer as are to all of these accusations extol rawat nothing's proven nothing's even remove mostly suggesting is how this implementation

takes place and what my learned college the big white house he has said right now is. there may be something in every homeland security says it all that's good enough details don't matter just mentioned russia mentioned r.t. and we're off and running because the american public and the american social media and sock puppet media bought and sold to state media if you just say russia that's it they just read the headline and they're off to talk about kneeling in the n.f.l. or something ludicrous that's where we are so what brand so we have lionel saying that there's really not much significance in this information being released by twitter do you agree with. well you know i began to address myself to anybody in the russian government who may be watching the show or or see a tape of this right now what we're saying president putin and everyone else knows the exact truth the whole truth about what happened and i would respond very

coherently to liar now by saying the way to lift the sanctions the way that would prove relations is to stop it and the russian government knows what they did stop whether anyone will admit it or not is not stop stop interfering in the american system stop promoting racism or racial division promoting any political candidate or party in the united states by not doing the things that were on the news now that they are doing when i came over before i came to decide i was sitting outside in a studio that had a lot of television please let me finish that had a lot of television stations on and that this very moment all over american television on many networks there are stories about what happened about the russian invasion sideburn vision of america about playing blacks against whites about trying to create tensions and it doesn't matter what lionel says it doesn't even matter what i say unless someone in the russian government is listening to it and

consider what my advice to stop this stop this kind of that clearly right now are sour and the sanctions could be lifted so the sanctions could seize and with good relations between russia lionel can have all the think duce and defenses she wants it doesn't matter with anyone going there for a purpose is to lower the side of sanctions and improve one way street. go ahead lionel server one question what is the what is the best evidence you have take all the time you want the best evidence you have of anything that you have. accused russia of one bit just anything what is it. thought t would give me seven hours i could list of one by one but what we have right now got out is the senate intelligence committee. you asked me a question i'm answering it you know the senate intelligence committee democrats

and republicans the f.b.i. every law enforcement agency every count of intelligence agency in america many many and most republican senators and republican members of congress republican and i'm a liberal democrat republican agree with every word i just said about what russia has done and again for the last time if there's anybody in government who may be listening to this my advice to you if you want to impede doing that is again to have the sanctions lifted is to stop yes exactly is to stop what what has been going on and i think the russian government knows what's been going on and i think that is i don't care if they admitted publicly says they stop it it will be i'm going to try there's never a doubt that it has been stopped and relations will be improved sir. so i begged i intreat i import human you i've been seats you dare god anything just one little bit of for example person

x. broke into the election and stole votes or somebody from the kremlin admits yes we did something or somebody somebody arrested somebody found the only thing i'm hearing as far as interference is mark zuckerberg and facebook and twitter actually colu do wade and working with the henry rodham clinton campaign by and through mr podesta but we seem to be forgetting that so for the last hour and the name of decency sir just one bit of independent evidence not hearsay not faith and all of these there's a gust people and god bless them for the service they provide in my beloved republic just one bit of evidence sir i beg you. ok if i'm going to have

a lot about using what is going through my head all five but let's go back to the actual story that we have from today this report coming from twitter what is artie's role in the store in this story it's showing that we bought ads on twitter but are we just simply guilty of promoting ourselves or is there something sinister there well i'm not discussing. now i'm not look right now on this show at this moment i'm not discussing our team per se i'm talking about the general russian attempts to intervene in our election russian attempts to divide our people by racial lines and i don't know exactly what our team's role was on this and they're not a major player in terms of what is on the news in america at this minute what's on the news in america at this minute is various russian operatives sources that are under active investigation with some evidence have been using facebook twitter and probably read read it to interfere in our elections to have racial divisions there

promoting between blacks and whites in america that that is the key point now again for the fifth time the people in the russian government who may be listening and i hope they are to what i'm saying they know the truth and my advice to them is to stop it and relations can improve and our country can get along better in the sanctions can be lifted it's that simple and it's very coherent and they know whoever may be watching this from the russian government exactly what i'm saying and i hope they'll agree with some point ok lionel what brant is saying is true and the headlines are awash in the united states about russian interference both facebook and twitter say they found proof of so-called bots allegedly linked to russia and targeting users on both platforms so the russian bot army is real is not the case here lionel. but but but being one why i don't understand it do you let me start off by saying this have you looked at this

thing called the internet lately do you know what this thing is that that they bought that is bought they bought bought that is purges to say what to provide evidence of let's just take for example black lives matter black lives matter a story that was promoted on c.n.n. provided by a host of individuals from zero zero aspects of the racial tapestry black lives matter so let me get this straight russia or any other country is going to make a divisive and decisive impact on the american election system by buying ads or promoting ads involving let's say black lives matter which is a subject that was covered by everyone but somehow the russian bought and let's just assume argue under the true that the russians but version of black lives matter that story phrased using this particular language is going to

cause this whole move this is riotous chasm in the american system and it will cause this fracture of stability and i don't understand it i'm trying so hard to play along i swear to you i'm not trying to be dumb i don't understand what if somebody were to pay an ad for black eyes matter n.f.l. boycott whatever it is so what if they were to buy an ad that is on the news already how is the russian bought story somehow worse deeper affecting people more than the other story i'm hearing ten thousand times on ten thousand other platforms i'm sorry maybe i just don't understand it there's no there there there's no here here this is a big nothing burger it's a. so what i mean this is do you wonder stable we're talking about what the impact the chilling effect this has on the first amendment on freedom of the press on

freedom of expression i am disgusted by this let them market decide who's fake and who's not and what is fake tell me the difference between fake and exaggerated or just plain wrong do you know how many times a new york times has to post retractions because they got things wrong is that noone is that fake do you understand the notion of international ownership you want to start with the new york times you want to do that one look we're missing the point here this has an extremely chilling effect on my beloved first amendment and i don't take that kindly and i want everybody in the world not just a republic to wake up and i'm surprised that you serve you who make your living being able to express those your ideas how dare you just sit back and assume that what ever the government says by the way the first amendment protects

us from the government how you can sit back and say i've got no problem with that whatever they say is fine with me they've never been wrong nobody's ever lied to me there's nothing political going on here you just continue with this i am shocked shocked and disgusted and frightened by the tenor of this issue and where it's going ok brant i want to bring you back in here wiki leaks has actually published e-mails from clinton's campaign chief where one of facebook's top officials offered to help her campaign so that also be investigated is that also something to be worried about should that be all over the headlines. well only if there was an offer of something that was illegal if there was an offer to make a campaign donation had nothing wrong with that if it was not an offer to fix the news and to fix the election which is what russia is being alleged to have been doing that's the point and look i'll say it was it with those in the russian government who may know what i am saying right now and then maybe listening to this

today iran tape they know what happened and if the purpose is to have the sanctions lifted to improve relations between our two countries ignore what lionel says nor even what i say just stop it what's going on and they know what i'm referring to and better relations can come and the sanctions can be lifted but that's how it has to be done it has to be two countries dealing with respect and not having the kind of stories investigations and scandals that we're seeing now every day most republicans and democrats in the senate agree with me if the purpose is to lift the sanctions stop the activity it's that simple ok brant to you earlier said that you're not here is this last r.t. you're not here to discuss our channel but the report coming from twitter says that r.t. buying ads is evidence of russian meddling do you not do you not see that as a tie there do you see r t buying ads as something sinister. well

i doubt to see exactly how public the ad buying was and what was in it and you know i agree with being labeled as a foreign agent but i'm also believe that our t. should be able to broadcast i'm here as long as i'm able to state my view resigned believe it to be true i'm here but i think when you look at the totality i mean allegations and answer about russian attempts to divide americans from each other excuse me. we've got very little time left over here gardens but if we could get one more response from lionel i'm sorry we've got very little time left lionel what you want to say go ahead now when you talk i'm just curious what is a foreign agent is a b.b.c. a foreign agent is al-jazeera c.c.t.v. i mean i mean what is a foreign agent what does that even mean look let me just say something here the b.b.c. i know that you and me see you design like this please prepare please prepare something

oh the b.b.c. is not far enough not to or not. not to the b.b. don't the british part broadcasting this not foreign. so do you have any idea of what you know they're not a foreign agent obviously we're foreign raved on what a lot of foreigners you don't really american do you when they met in. your day or not why not all modern american teens and most americans agree that the actu not you simply and i would advise the russian government if you have what they're feeling about what i'm saying it is in their interest to follow good advice that i hear from you which is to stop it and have the barrister's solve this entire conversation this is absolutely unseemly and you guys are simply have no idea of what you're talking about and something tells me that might be why you're here. all right gentlemen thank you so much for your time out won't we.