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Democrats are pushing to turn the Senate blue this November, needing just four more seats to gain control of the chamber. Two key races are in the Mountain West.

Click 'play' to hear the audio version of this story.

"The Democrats have a decent chance to pick up control of the Senate and that could very well could hinge on what happens in Colorado and Montana," said Robert Saldine, a political science professor at the University of Montana.

In Colorado, former Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper is challenging incumbent Republican Sen. Cory Gardner. In Montana, current Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock seeks to oust Republican Sen. Steve Daines. Gardner and Daines are staunch supporters of President Trump. Both races are currently considered toss-ups by the Cook Political Report.

Saldine sees Hickenlooper and Bullock, both moderates, as separating themselves from the more progressive Democratic leadership in Washington, D.C.

"It's a play that I think has a better chance of working in the Mountain West than it does elsewhere, just because of the number of Democrats and the number of Republicans in each state," he said.

Both candidates shattered state fundraising records in the second quarter, with Hickenlooper raising $5.2 million and Bullock reporting a $7.7 million haul.

Recent polls suggest Hickenlooper has a slight edge over Gardner, but he has been losing ground. Meanwhile Montana polls dont give either Senate candidate there a lead beyond their margins of error.

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in Montana, KUNC in Colorado, KUNM in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

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Control Of The Senate May Be Decided In The Mountain West - Wyoming Public Media

TAMPA

Three suspects were arrested and have been charged Friday for the Bit-Con hack of high-profile Twitter accounts that occurred July 15, according to U.S. Attorneys Office Northern District of California.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirms 17-year-old Graham Ivan Clark was arrested in Tampa Friday for the high-profile hack.

According to the FDLE Facebook post, Clark is the mastermind behind the hack and is accused of taking control of several accounts belonging to notable people, including former President Barack Obama, Elon Musk and Bill Gates. Investigators says he and two other suspects and used the accounts to spread a Bitcoin scam.

He gained access to Twitter accounts and to the internal controls of Twitter through compromising a Twitter employee, said Andrew Warren, the state attorney in Hillsborough County.

None of Clarks charges are from the federal level but at the state level because the state attorney said there is more flexibility in Florida law to charge minors as adults in financial fraud cases.

Twitter says the hackers used the phone to fool employees at the social media company through a spear phishing attack.

In your standard phishing attack, you will see the criminals cast a wide net, said Rich Kolko, WINK News Safety and Security Specialist. But, in a spear phishing attack, they are after specific high-ranking individuals.

The scammers then hacked the accounts of high-profile individuals that also included presidential candidate Joe Biden and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos the list goes on.

The hackers are accuse of posting tweets telling people if they donated $1,000 in in Bitcoin, they would be given $2,000 in return.

Theyre going to make their play to get you to give up your money, in this case to buy Bitcoin, Kolko explained. Theyre going to say things like, Youve only got a few minutes to decide. Its going to be a high-pressure sales tactic.

Complaint claims show the scam Bitcoin account received more than 400 transfers that, in less than a day, accrued about $100,000.

You dont expect a kid, just a kid, my age to do that, Marcos Grimado said.

People we talked with say they see how younger generations are connected to tech at very early ages and wonder if thats why a crime of this magnitude involved two teenagers.

My little sister, she has her own phone at probably 7-years-old, Grimado said. All of it revolves around technology.

Clark faces dozens of felony charges related to the hack.

U.S. Attorneys Office Northern District of California confirmed the names of the two other suspects who were arrested and charged for the Bit-Con hack.

According to the court, suspect Mason Sheppard, aka Chaewon, 19, of Bognor Regis, in the United Kingdom, was charged in a criminal complaint in the Northern District of California with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and the intentional access of a protected computer.

Suspect Nima Fazeli, aka Rolex, 22, of Orlando, Florida, was also charged in a criminal complaint in the Northern District of California with aiding and abetting the intentional access of a protected computer.

The hackers allegedly compromised over 100 social media accounts and scammed both the account users and others who sent money based on their fraudulent solicitations, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Departments Criminal Division. The rapid investigation of this conduct is a testament to the expertise of our investigators, our commitment to responding quickly to cyber attacks, and the close relationships we have built with law enforcement partners throughout the world.

According to the court, as shared in submitted complaints, the Twitter attack consisted of a combination of technical breaches and social engineering. The result of the Twitter hack was the compromise of approximately 130 Twitter accounts pertaining to politicians, celebrities and musicians.

The hackers are accused of creating a scam Bitcoin account, to have hacked into Twitter VIP accounts, to have sent solicitations from the Twitter VIP accounts with a false promise to double any Bitcoin deposits made to the scam account, and then to have stolen the Bitcoin that victims deposited into the scam account.

FDLE says the investigation involved partnership between several local, state and federal agencies, including the FBI, IRS, U.S. Secret Service the United States Attorneys Offices for the Middle District of Florida and for Northern California, and the State Attorneys Office 13th Judicial Circuit, which will prosecute the case.

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17-year-old 'mastermind,' 2 other suspects behind Twitter hack, Bitcoin scam - Wink News

The coronavirus pandemic has canceled a lot of things, but your summer vacation doesn't have to be one of them. USA TODAY

Across the world, freedom of the press is entering a critical era. Several crises, from the coronavirus pandemic to a polarized public have serious consequences for journalism and global press freedom.

Prosperous nations, which include some of the largest and oldest elected democracies in the world, tend to have greater press freedom than poorer countries. But this trend is far from consistent. The 50 richest countries in the world based on GDP per capita rank anywhere from best in the world, to among the worst 10 countries for freedom of the press.

To compare press freedom in the worlds richest countries, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed 2020 World Press Freedom Index scores in the 50 countries with the highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. In its annual press freedom index, the non-profit organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) measures freedom of information throughout the world by combining survey-responses of media experts, as well as counts of acts of violence against journalists.

Elected leaders in many democracies, which are known for having free and independent media, have tried to silence critical outlets and promote those that offer favorable coverage. Even the president of the United States, one of the oldest democracies and a country famous for its fierce defense of its First Amendment that guarantees freedom of the press, has frequently demonized the news media as the enemy of the people. His rhetoric has given succor to political leaders in other countries who have passed bills making fake news illegal, and have framed articles they dont like as bogus news.

When it comes to press freedom, one region stands out. Scandinavian countries continue to lead the world, and western Europe media remains mostly free despite a few wobbles. These two regions lead the way in another important areathese are countries that have come closest to true gender equality.

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Oman.(Photo: Source: Kerrick / E+ via Getty Images)

50. Oman

Population: 4,974,986

GDP per capita: $29,052

Freedom of the press score in 2020: 43.4 135th out of 180 ("difficult")

Freedom of the press score in 2019: 43.4 132nd out of 180 ("difficult")

Worst area of press freedom: Media independence

Best area of press freedom: Infrastructure

Oman, a small nation on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, is classified as "not free" by Freedom House, a U.S.-based watchdog for democracy, political freedom, and human rights. The government has broad powers to shut down news outlets and websites and revoke licenses. Journalists are frequently harassed in the sultanate of 4 million people, and they can be arrested and detained incommunicado for charges such as insulting government authorities or trying to disrupt civil order. In 2016, two independent newspapers were shuttered or had operations suspended by the government.

49. Russia

Population: 144,373,535

GDP per capita: $29,181

Freedom of the press score in 2020: 48.9 149th out of 180 ("difficult")

Freedom of the press score in 2019: 50.3 149th out of 180 ("difficult")

Worst area of press freedom: Media independence

Best area of press freedom: Legislative framework

Russia has one of the worst free press ratings in the world. Since anti-government protests in 2011 and 2012, free press has been stifled by website blocking and selectively applied laws that have landed journalists in prison. Meanwhile, television in the country pushes propaganda and is hostile towards members of the press trying to do their job fairly. Major TV networks in Russia are either state-run or managed by companies with close government ties.

48. Malaysia

Population: 31,949,777

GDP per capita: $29,526

Freedom of the press score in 2020: 33.1 101st out of 180 ("problematic")

Freedom of the press score in 2019: 36.7 123rd out of 180 ("difficult")

Worst area of press freedom: Media independence

Best area of press freedom: Infrastructure

Press freedom began to improve in Malaysia in 2018 after the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional was defeated after governing the Asian nation since 1957. The new government began easing laws and regulations that restricted the press, and the media are now offering more diverse coverage. The government is taking steps to end the Anti-Fake News Act, which the former government had adopted in April 2018. Even so, legislation such as the Sedition Act, the Official Secrets Act, and the Communications and Multimedia Act that have been used to suppress the press and regulate publication licenses, remains on the books.

47. Croatia

Population: 4,067,500

GDP per capita: $29,973

Freedom of the press score in 2020: 28.5 59th out of 180 ("problematic")

Freedom of the press score in 2019: 29.0 64th out of 180 ("problematic")

Worst area of press freedom: Media independence

Best area of press freedom: Pluralism

Although Croatia's score and ranking in the 2020 World Press Freedom Index has improved slightly since last year, the country's situation for journalists remains "problematic," according to RSF. The media enjoy a relatively high degree of independence, but investigative journalists, especially those looking into corruption, organized crime, or war crimes, are often targeted. It's illegal to publish "humiliating" content, as well as to insult the republic, flag, or national anthem.

Croatian radio-TV, HRT, owned by the state, is financed by advertising and a license fee. However, officials often meddle in how it's run. Journalists who voice their objections are often sued.

46. Seychelles

Population: 97,625

GDP per capita: $30,260

Freedom of the press score in 2020: 28.7 63rd out of 180 ("problematic")

Freedom of the press score in 2019: 29.4 69th out of 180 ("problematic")

Worst area of press freedom: Media independence

Best area of press freedom: Infrastructure

Media independence on the island nation in the Indian Ocean has been hampered by the country's legacy of decades-long communist party rule. The government exercises considerable influence over communications in the Seychelles the government owns the island's only television station as well as two radio stations. However, a greater diversity of media choices are emerging, though independently owned media tends to be politically slanted. The press exercises self-censorship in regard to controversial national issues in deference to its tourism industry, which is important to the national economy.

45. Greece

Population: 10,716,322

GDP per capita: $31,399

Freedom of the press score in 2020: 28.8 65th out of 180 ("problematic")

Freedom of the press score in 2019: 29.1 65th out of 180 ("problematic")

Worst area of press freedom: Media independence

Best area of press freedom: Legislative framework

Freedom of the press has improved slightly in Greece since last year, although the country still has one of the worst environments for censorship of the media among wealthy nations. Recently, journalists have been attacked and detained by police, and the headquarters of a weekly newspaper was raided by an anarchist group. Additionally, one broadcasting firm and the state news agency were both placed under the supervision of the country's prime minister. Greater media independence and transparency would go a long way to improve press freedom in Greece.

44. Latvia

Population: 1,912,789

GDP per capita: $32,204

Freedom of the press score in 2020: 18.6 22nd out of 180 ("satisfactory")

Freedom of the press score in 2019: 19.5 24th out of 180 ("satisfactory")

Worst area of press freedom: Media independence

Best area of press freedom: Legislative framework

Media outlets in Latvia are allowed to operate freely, face relatively few legal restrictions, and represent a wide range of political views. While Latvia ranks better than most wealthy countries for press freedom, the country is not without some troubling issues. Politicians regularly verbally attack media outlets and the country's public media is woefully underfunded. Latvia's media landscape is also growing less diverse as the country's oldest TV channel was shut down in 2019 and its newsroom merged with another existing channel.

43. Romania

Population: 19,356,544

GDP per capita: $32,297

Freedom of the press score in 2020: 25.9 48th out of 180 ("problematic")

Freedom of the press score in 2019: 25.7 47th out of 180 ("problematic")

Worst area of press freedom: Media independence

Best area of press freedom: Legislative framework

Out of the 180 nations reviewed by Reporters Without Borders, Romania ranks 48th for press freedom. Unlike many wealthy countries that rank higher, Romania's political and ruling class encourages censorship by pressuring journalists to reveal sources and minimize criticism of leadership. Corruption in the media undercuts journalistic integrity and news outlets often act as a medium for political propaganda.

Although Romania's press is considered to be more free than the press in most of the rest of the world, it lags behind most of the 50 wealthy countries on this list.

42. Panama

Population: 4,246,439

GDP per capita: $32,762

Freedom of the press score in 2020: 29.8 76th out of 180 ("problematic")

Freedom of the press score in 2019: 29.8 79th out of 180 ("problematic")

Worst area of press freedom: Media independence

Best area of press freedom: Legislative framework

Of all wealthy countries in both North and South America, Panama ranks as having the worst free press. Though most media outlets in the country are privately owned, the government still controls access to information and pressures media companies through allocation of state advertising revenue. Journalists in the country are often fined through defamation cases when they are critical of government policy or cover corruption.

Despite these and other problems, press freedom is far better in Panama than it is in many of its poorer regional neighbors.

41. Hungary

Population: 9,769,949

GDP per capita: $33,979

Freedom of the press score in 2020: 30.8 89th out of 180 ("problematic")

Freedom of the press score in 2019: 30.4 87th out of 180 ("problematic")

Worst area of press freedom: Media independence

Best area of press freedom: Pluralism

Hungary's ruling party has tight control over the country's media landscape which is dominated by a pro-government foundation. Independent journalists in the country are banned from certain events and from asking questions to members of parliament. Generally, politicians who hold power do not give interviews to outlets that are critical of the government. Investigative reporting on government corruption is generally published through online outlets.

Greater media independence and transparency would greatly improve press freedom in Hungary.

Slovakia(Photo: Source: TomasSereda / Getty Images)

40. Slovakia

Population: 5,454,073

GDP per capita: $34,178

Freedom of the press score in 2020: 22.7 33rd out of 180 ("satisfactory")

Freedom of the press score in 2019: 23.6 35th out of 180 ("satisfactory")

Worst area of press freedom: Media independence

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When it comes to freedom of the press, it is 'problematic' in many of the richest countries across the world - USA TODAY

Sen. Mike Lee is dangling the possibility of breaking up what he says are monopolies by social media companies like Twitter, Google and Facebook for what he says is their heavy-handed censorship of conservatives including President Donald Trump.

I view your heavy-handed censorship as a sign of exactly the sort of degraded quality one expects from a monopolist, Lee wrote in a letter this week to leaders of the companies.

In any other business, you would never dream of treating your customers the way you treat those with views you dont like. That is, unless you know your customers have no other serious options.

Lees criticism has extra weight because he is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee, which oversees legislation about monopolies. He announced this week that he will hold a hearing on Sept. 15 on whether Google and other tech giants are stacking the deck in online advertising.

Lee asked the leaders of Google, Facebook, Twitter and Squarespace to answer numerous questions about how and why they moderate comments online and he attacked what he says is their warping of public debate by unfairly silencing many conservatives.

In recent years, conservative voices like The Federalist, PragerU, President Trump, Senator Marsha Blackburn, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Donald Trump Jr., churches, religious schools, Christian groups and others have found themselves deplatformed, demonetized or otherwise penalized for expressing their opinions, Lee wrote.

He complained that Facebook, Twitter and Googles YouTube this week each censored video of licensed medical professionals discussing COVID-19.

They removed a video which President Trump had retweeted published by the right-wing Breitbart News that featured a group of people wearing white lab coats calling themselves Americas Frontline Doctors who made dubious claims, including that masks are not needed to fight COVID-19 and that studies saying hydroxychloroquine is ineffective are fake science.

Lee also complained that Squarespace shut down a website run by the same doctors.

While I am not in a position to endorse or refute any of the doctors comments, I believe that we should err on the side of encouraging more speech, not less, Lee wrote.

Fortunately we are not without recourse, Lee warned, adding that as tech companies acquire more competitors, Congress must ensure that our antitrust laws are properly enforced.

So he asked them several questions to account for your conduct and to provide transparency over how you police your platforms.

What content-moderation standards to you employ when you remove content from your platform, where the content does not violate state or federal laws?

If Centers for Disease Control guidance is the basis for removing content regarding COVID-19, is that standard applied consistently? For example, since the CDC says that it is safe for schools to open, do you remove content from your platform that opposes reopening schools?

What are the prerequisites for a content-moderator position at your company? Do you inquire about the political or other beliefs of a candidate before making a hiring decision?

How do you ensure that a content-moderation decision is not influenced by the personal beliefs or political views of the moderator?

Do you coordinate the removal of specific content with other online platforms or competitors?

Lees letter also comes after Utahs other GOP senator, Mitt Romney, on Thursday told colleagues during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing that attacking such tech giants is unwise and could help China in global economic competition.

I know theres great interest sometimes politically to go after some of the big tech companies, Google, Amazon and Facebook, and berate them for their market power. And if they violate American antitrust laws, why, thats totally appropriate, Romney said.

But I would note that were in a global competition. And China has been successful in driving a lot of Western companies out of business. Theyve not been successful in driving companies like these out of business.

Romney added, The last thing we ought to be doing is trying to knock down businesses in the United States that are succeeding on a global stage. So, we need to be careful not to flex our muscle, to berate those entities that are successful and are beating China.

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Sen. Mike Lee scolds social media giants for 'heavy-handed censorship' of conservatives, including Trump - Salt Lake Tribune

A raging fire described as completely out of control is threatening one of South Americas major wetland ecosystems. The fire has been burning for months now, and is visible from the balconies of luxury apartments along the shoreline of the Paran River in Argentinas central city of Rosario

Locals have been sharing photos and videos of the fires on social media.

In normal times, Rosarios riverfront homes enjoy a spectacular view of the seemingly never-ending green grasslands on the opposite bank of the Paran, a waterway stretching over a mile across as it passes through the city.

In recent months, however, dwellers in the luxury condos have been congregating on their balconies as the wall of red flames from thousands of fires raging through the Paran delta grasslands rises high into the sky.

Everything is burning, its completely out of control, Leonel Mingo, a spokesperson for Greenpeace Argentina, told the Guardian. Once a fire reaches that scale, it becomes virtually impossible to stop.

The Paran is South Americas second largest river after the Amazon and the eighth longest river in the world. Its floodplain, known by Rosarinos as la isla, is not actually an island, but a vast delta covering some 15,000km2 , through which the Paran drains towards the Atlantic Ocean 300km away.

The giant delta is clearly visible in satellite imagery as a dark green wedge on the northern margin of the Paran from Rosario to Buenos Aires.

Giant plumes of smoke from the fires raging since February have at times covered the streets of Rosario and other places along the Paran with a layer of ash from scorched plants and animals. The air in Rosario has been unbreathable for weeks at a time.

Jorge Liotta, a biologist specialising in the abundant wildlife of the delta, lives with his wife and two young children in the nearby riverside city of San Nicols de los Arroyos. Their home is just a block from the Parans shoreline.

The other night I walked to the river and could see seven fires burning in the distance, Liotta told the Guardian. It depends on the wind if the smoke hits you, but when it does, the smoke is so thick that the sun turns red and you can barely see the house next door. Whats worse, it gets inside your home. People with asthma and other breathing difficulties are really suffering.

Far from abating, the number of fires has been rising. Liotta works at the Scasso Natural Science Museum in San Nicols, where he has been monitoring the delta fires via Nasa satellites. Weve identified 8,024 likely fires so far this year, almost half of them this month of July.

Liotta worked backwards and found the scale of thecalamity was unprecedented. The average number of yearly satellite-detected hotspots was only 1,800 in 20122019. Were already at over 8,000 and barely halfway through the year.

Although cattle ranchers, illegal hunters and property developers have encroached on its rich habitat, the Paran delta still teems with diverse wildlife, all facing a dire challenge to their survival.

Liotta says it breaks his heart to imagine the scale of destruction. I cant help thinking about the animals when I see the fires. If we humans are suffering so much, can you imagine what it must be like for the creatures being burned alive?

He recites a list of the deltas species: Theres the carpincho [capybara], the worlds largest rodent, a relative to the guinea pig, but the size of a farm pig, weighing over 60 kilos, aquatic and highly gregarious. Then the gato monts [wildcat], a solitary hunter at the top of the delta food chain despite being only the size of a domestic cat, either spotted like a leopard or entirely black like a panther. Then theres an endless variety of birds, invertebrates, mollusks, rare insects, amphibians, reptiles which must be suffering an incredible mortality rate.

The coronavirus pandemic has added to the problems, making it impossible for experts to travel to the affected areas. But it has not thwarted cattle ranchers, driven from more productive lands by the growth of soya bean plantations, from sending their cattle to graze on the constantly shifting delta islands.

With hardly any roads or infrastructure, the delta remains a daunting challenge for those without expert knowledge of the region. You have to get around on horseback or by boat, says Liotta. Cattle ranchers ship their livestock to the islands on barcos jaula [cage boats], sometimes two storeys high, that carry around 60 heads of cattle each.

The unregulated expansion of cattle ranching is the main culprit for the expanding fires says Laura Prol, an ecologist from the Rosario-based environmental NGO Taller Ecologista.

The delta has always been used by livestock farmers to graze their cattle, but the number of cattle grew 500% between between 2000 and 2010, Prol told the Guardian. Although that number has dropped some in the last decade, ranchers continue burning the dead winter grass as if they were still in the 19th century, the idea being for the new grass beneath to sprout stronger.

Prol points to illegal carpincho hunters lighting fires to corral their prey and tourists from Rosario who cross the river to hold barbecues and kayak in the delta as other likely culprits.

But the real problem is that 2020 has been one of the driest of recent years, which causes two problems. First, without proper humidity the dead grass becomes highly flammable, and second, the low level of the river dries out the canals that usually act as buffers that stop the fire from expanding beyond individual islands, says Prol.

The environmentalist is also frustrated by the coronavirus pandemic making it almost impossible to see the terrain first hand. We cant go, but cattle ranchers, tourists and illegal hunters are still getting there.

The shocking photos posted on social media, and the sheer extent and duration of the fires, have prodded the authorities into action.

Environment minister Juan Cabandi has opened legal action against alleged culprits, tweeting geolocation maps pinpointing the fires and demanding local judges identify and arrest the landowners. They must tell us who owns these lands, arrest them and put those responsible on trial.

The city of Rosario has also demanded legal action and sent firefighting helicopters to the area.

But environmentalists say more is needed. Legal action wont stop the fires. What is needed is a long-term environmental policy to deal with the drop in the level of the river caused by the changing climate and by the El Nio weather phenomenon, says Prol. This years dry spell might also be an effect of the fires in the Amazon last year, in which a large amount of vapour-producing vegetation that then turned to rain perished. Finding the culprits for this years fires is of course important, but we need real environmental protection.

Mingo of Greenpeace agrees. We have been lobbying for years for a comprehensive wetlands law. The reason these fires are raging is because there is no legislation. We need to ban cattle farming in the delta. Because right now, with this dry weather, with the drying up of the Paran river and without a campaign to change the traditional use of fire by cattle ranchers to clear land for pasture, you have the perfect storm.

Send us your stories and thoughts at animalsfarmed@theguardian.com

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'Everything is burning': Argentina's delta fires rage out of control - The Guardian