PIAC News ✔️

[ad_1] In 2015, a new conspiracy theory swept across  much of the American South and Southwest, claiming that then-President Barack Obama was planning on using an upcoming military exercise to install martial law across the country. Known as Jade Helm, the exercise took part over a number of states, including Texas. The conspiratorial concerns were sufficient enough to convince Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to send the Texas State Guard to monitor the exercises — a move that a plurality of Texans agreed with .  Of course, Obama never plotted any dictatorship or martial law, and Jade Helm ended as little more than a routine exercise for the American military. But this week, we got a glimpse into why conspiracies about Jade Helm seemed to spike when they did. As the Texas Tribune first reported , former CIA chief Michael Hayden appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe podcast on Thursday , where he revealed that Twitter bot accounts run out of Russia amplified messages about Jade Helm conspira...

[ad_1] Conflict of interest has forced a Cricket Australia (CA) Board director to be excused from an independent review into the culture of the organisation stemming from the Newlands ball-tampering scandal . Michelle Tredenick, a CA director since November 2015, also serves on the board of The Ethics Centre, the Sydney-based body selected by CA to conduct a far-reaching review into the organisation. Among its past work was a frank and critical review of the Australian Olympic Committee in 2017, resulting in numerous changes to the organisation. The Ethics Centre review is to be led by its executive director Simon Longstaff, who has worked alongside Tredenick on the centre's board. A CA spokesperson confirmed that Tredenick had excused herself from any prior Board discussions relating to the choice of the independent body to conduct the review and the amount of money to be paid for it, and will not be involved in any related discussions until the review is complete. Findings are ex...