Iranian hackers sent stolen Trump campaign info to Biden campaign staffers: FBI

WE BEGIN THIS MORNING WITH REVELATIONS FROM FEDERAL OFFICIALS CONCERNING THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION – IRANIAN HACKERS – STEALING INFORMATION FROM FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S CAMPAIGN OVER THE SUMMER AND SENDING THEM UNSOLICITED TO PEOPLE AFFILIATED WITH THEN-DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN’S CAMPAIGN. 

THE INFORMATION COMING FROM THE OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, THE FBI AND THE CYBERSECURITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE SECURITY AGENCY. 

IN A JOINT STATEMENT WEDNESDAY OFFICIALS SAYING – IN LATE JUNE AND EARLY JULY – HACKERS SENT QUOTE “UNSOLICITED EMAILS TO INDIVIDUALS THEN ASSOCIATED WITH PRESIDENT BIDEN’S CAMPAIGN THAT CONTAINED AN EXCERPT TAKEN FROM STOLEN, NON-PUBLIC MATERIAL FROM FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP’S CAMPAIGN.” 

THE STATEMENT SAYING THERE IS NO INDICATION THAT BIDEN’S CAMPAIGN EVER REPLIED TO THE EMAILS. 

A SPOKESPERSON FOR VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS’ CAMPAIGN SAYING A FEW INDIVIDUALS WERE TARGETED ON THEIR PERSONAL EMAILS BUT WERE NOT AWARE OF ANY MATERIAL BEING SENT DIRECTLY TO THE CAMPAIGN. 

SAYING THE CAMPAIGN CONDEMNS ANY EFFORT BY FOREIGN ACTORS TO INTERFERE IN U.S. ELECTIONS. 

DURING A RALLY WEDNESDAY NIGHT – DONALD TRUMP, THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE, ADDRESSED THE HACK. 

FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP 

“Iran hacked into my campaign. I don’t know what the hell they found. I’d like to find out, couldn’t have been too exciting, but they gave it to the Biden campaign. I can’t believe it. Oh yes, I can. But this is really foreign election interference. This is real election interference.” 

US OFFICIALS SAYING THIS IS JUST ONE OF SEVERAL ATTEMPTS BY IRAN TO “UNDERMINE THE CONFIDENCE OF OUR ELECTORAL PROCESS.” 

EARLIER THIS YEAR – IT WAS REPORTED THAT IRANIAN-BACKED HACKERS STOLE TRUMP CAMPAIGN DOCUMENTS AND SHARED WITH THEM NEWS AGENCIES INCLUDING POLITICO, THE NEW YORK TIMES, AND THE WASHINGTON POST. 

THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT HAS DENIED THE ALLEGATIONS OF MEDDLING IN THE US ELECTIONS. 

BUT IT’S NOT ONLY IRAN – MICROSOFT SAYING THIS WEEK THAT RUSSIA HAS TARGETED VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS’ – SPREADING CONSPIRACY THEORIES ONLINE. 

EXECUTIVES FROM TECH COMPANIES INCLUDING META, MICROSOFT AND ALPHABET TESTIFIED IN A SENATE INTELLIGENCE HEARING ON WEDNESDAY ON FOREIGN THREATS TO US ELECTIONS. 

MICROSOFT PRESIDENT BRAD SMITH SAYING WHILE THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE IS BETWEEN DONALD TRUMP AND KAMALA HARRIS – IT HAS BECOME AN ELECTION OF IRAN VERSUS TRUMP AND RUSSIA VERSUS HARRIS.

AT LEAST 20 PEOPLE ARE DEAD AND HUNDREDS MORE HURT AFTER A SECOND WAVE OF EXPLOSIONS IN LEBANON ON WEDNESDAY. 

WIRELESS DEVICES WERE ONCE AGAIN THE TARGET — THIS TIME WALKIE-TALKIES. 

LIKE TUESDAY’S PAGER EXPLOSIONS THAT LEFT A DOZEN PEOPLE DEAD AND THOUSANDS HURT — THE WALKIE TALKIE EXPLOSIONS ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN ORCHESTRATED BY ISRAEL ACCORDING TO THE UNITED STATES AND OTHER COUNTRIES BRIEFED ON THE INCIDENT. 

ISRAEL HAS NOT COMMENTED *BUT* THE COUNTRY’S MILITARY LEADER DID SAY A “NEW ERA” OF WAR IS BEGINNING AND SAID ITS “CENTER OF GRAVITY IS MOVING NORTH” — POTENTIALLY A REFERENCE TO ISRAEL’S BORDER WITH LEBANON. 

THE ATTACKS — WHICH ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN TARGETING HEZBOLLAH — HAVE LEFT DOZENS OF FIGHTERS **AND CIVILIANS DEAD. 

ISRAEL — A KEY ALLY TO THE U-S — *DID* WARN DEFENSE SECRETARY LLOYD AUSTIN ON TUESDAY IT WAS GOING TO CARRY OUT AN OPERATION IN LEBANON, BUT MULTIPLE SOURCES FAMILIAR WITH THE MATTER SAID DETAILS WERE *NOT* GIVEN… SO THE U-S WAS REPORTEDLY IN THE DARK UNTIL AFTER THE FIRST WAVE OF EXPLOSIONS.

THE TEAMSTERS HAVE OPTED *NOT* TO ENDORSE FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP **OR VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS —

MEANING, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN DECADES — THE UNION IS *NOT* ENDORSING ANY CANDIDATE IN THE 20-24 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. 

THE DECISION CAME JUST TWO DAYS AFTER UNION LEADERS MET WITH DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS… AND MONTHS AFTER MEETING WITH REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP. 

WHILE OPTING NOT TO ENDORSE ANYONE — THE TEAMSTERS *DID* RELEASE DATA FROM INTERNAL SURVEYS — 

SHOWING THE MAJORITY OF ITS MEMBERS SUPPORT TRUMP OVER HARRIS — 59 TO 34 PERCENT.

AS A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN LOOMS — HOUSE REPUBLICANS FAILED TO PASS SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON’S SPENDING BILL WEDNESDAY NIGHT.. WHICH INCLUDED A CONTROVERSIAL VOTING MEASURE. 

THE MEASURE WOULD REQUIRE PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP TO VOTE IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS. 

THREE DEMOCRATS CROSSED THE AISLE TO VOTE IN FAVOR OF THE STOPGAP BILL — BUT 14 REPUBLICANS VOTED AGAINST IT… ULTIMATELY CAUSING IT TO FAIL. 

JOHNSON SAID AFTERWARD HE’D DRAFT A NEW BILL TO KEEP THE GOVERNMENT FUNDED PAST OCTOBER 1-ST.

A MANHUNT IN KENTUCKY FOR THE SUSPECT BEHIND A HIGH-PROFILE HIGHWAY SHOOTING APPEARS TO BE OVER — 

AS OFFICIALS SAY THEY HAVE RECOVERED A BODY NEAR THE SITE OF THE SHOOTING SPREE 

AUTHORITIES HAD BEEN SEARCHING FOR 32 YEAR OLD JOSEPH COUCH SINCE SEPTEMBER 7TH — 

WHEN POLICE SAY COUCH SHOT AND INJURED 5 PEOPLE ON INTERSTATE 75. 

ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON — THE REMAINS WERE FOUND BY TWO STATE TROOPERS — **AND TWO CIVILIANS WHO SAY THEY WERE TRYING TO HELP AND FIND THE SUSPECT. 

 THE TROOPERS WERE DRAWN TO THE SITE  AFTER NOTICING VULTURES CIRCLING ABOVE AND A STRONG ODOR IN THE SEARCH AREA. 

AUTHORITIES SAY A WEAPON WAS DISCOVERED ALONGSIDE THE BODY BELIEVED TO BE COUCH. 

THE REMAINS HAVE BEEN SENT TO THE CORONER’S OFFICE FOR POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION.

FINALLY THIS MORNING – COMING TO A THEATER NEAR YOU – MORE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. 

LIONSGATE – THE STUDIO BEHIND FILM FRANCHISES LIKE “JOHN WICK” AND “THE HUNGER GAMES” ANNOUNCING A DEAL WITH AI RESEARCH COMPANY RUNWAY – WHOSE BACKERS INCLUDE GOOGLE AND CHIPMAKER NVIDIA (EN-VID-EE-A) 

THE DEAL INVOLVES RUNWAY’S CREATION AND TRAINING OF A NEW AI MODEL THAT LIONSAGATE’S FILMMAKERS CAN USE TO “AUGMENT THEIR WORK.” 

LIONSATE SAYING IT EXPECTS TO SAVE “MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS” USING RUNWAY’S TECHNOLOGY. 

LIONSGATE VICE CHAIR MICHAEL BURNS SAYING AI IS SEEN AS A GREAT TOOL FOR “ENHANCING AND SUPPLEMENTING” THE STUDIO’S CURRENT OPERATIONS. 

BURNS TELLING THE WALL STREET JOURNAL QUOTE “WE DO A LOT OF ACTION MOVIES, SO WE BLOW A LOT OF THINGS UP AND THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS RUNWAY DOES.”