Day: 21. October 2018.

Former Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown says ex-colleague should changes firm’s culture

The former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown has urged Nick Clegg to stand up for the values of liberalism and democracy at Facebook, as tech companies continue to hire staff in preparation for a global battle against tough new internet regulation.

The former deputy prime minister announced his decision to become Facebook’s global lobbying and communications executive on Friday, as the social network prepares for a showdown with governments over new legislation proposed over concerns about fake news and the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

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Former White House photographer Pete Souza has turned his portraits of Obama into spiky ripostes to the tweet-happy current president

Inauguration Day 2017 was an emotional day. I had spent eight years visually documenting President Barack Obama’s time in office as his chief official White House photographer, and I was exhausted. I looked forward to a break, but knew I’d miss interacting with him and my White House friends. We had all grown close and would suddenly be separated that day at noon. What made the day surreal was the person Obama was handing the keys over to. It wasn’t Hillary Clinton, as we all had thought. It was a carnival barker who had ascended to the presidency by sheer bravado, bullshit and outright lies.

As our helicopter lifted off, one of my White House “family members” asked me how I was doing. “I’m depressed,” I said. “I watched this guy” – pointing to Obama, seated across from us – “every week in the Situation Room, asking thoughtful questions, listening to advice, making tough decisions on important issues. But this other guy…” I said, glancing out the window to where the new president had watched us depart, “is not capable of that.”

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