May 28, 2019

Facebook bars deceptive accounts tied to Iran

Facebook announced Tuesday it had removed 51 accounts, 36 pages, 7 groups and 3 Instagram accounts that it said originated in Iran and were responsible for "coordinated inauthentic behavior."

Why it matters: The announcement comes as tensions between the U.S. and Iran have escalated in the wake of the Trump administration's withdrawal from a multinational agreement aimed at controlling Iran's nuclear program.

Details: The cybersecurity firm FireEye, which Facebook said first flagged the operation, issued a report that detailed "inauthentic social media accounts posing as everyday Americans that were used to promote content from inauthentic news sites."

"In addition to utilizing fake American personas that espoused both progressive and conservative political stances," according to FireEye, "some accounts impersonated real American individuals, including a handful of Republican political candidates that ran for House of Representatives seats in 2018."

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Mike Allen

Ivanka Trump plans focus on coronavirus recovery for small businesses

Ivanka Trump speaks at yesterday's White House videoconference with bank and credit card executives. Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Ivanka Trump personally lobbied top bank executives to line up the $1.5 billion in commitments to small business that were announced yesterday at a videoconference among the bank executives and President Trump — stoking competitive juices among the execs to drive up their commitments.

The state of play: Ivanka, who has had workforce development in her portfolio going back to 2017, plans an increasing emphasis on small businesses in the weeks ahead as they navigate the rescue bill’s Payroll Protection Program, sources tell me.

Go deeper3 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Kim Hart

Public transit's death spiral

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

Public transit systems across the country are experiencing a painful trifecta: Ridership has collapsed, funding streams are squeezed, and mass transit won't bounce back from the pandemic nearly as fast as other modes of transportation.

Why it matters: Transit agencies could see an annual shortfall of as much as $38 billion due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to TransitCenter. At the same time, they're more important than ever, with more than 36% of essential workers relying on public transportation to get to work.

Go deeper3 hours ago - Health

Axios

World coronavirus updates: London mayor says U.K. nowhere near lockdown lifting

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern offered hope in the fight against the novel coronavirus, saying she believes New Zealand has "turned a corner" after two weeks of strict lockdown measures. But London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said the U.K. is "nowhere near" lifting restrictions.

The big picture: COVID-19 has killed over 82,000 people and infected 1.4 million others globally as of early Wednesday, per Johns Hopkins data. Global recoveries have surpassed 301,000. Spain has reported the most cases outside the U.S. (more than 141,000) and Italy the most deaths (over 17,000). Half the planet's population is on lockdown.

Go deeperUpdated 3 hours ago - Health