Names and faces
m With an enigmatic Twitter post Sunday, British actor Idris Elba further stoked speculation that he’s in line to take over the role of James Bond when
Daniel Craig steps aside. Elba, the star of shows such as The Wire and Luther, posted a selfie with the words “my name’s
Elba, Idris Elba,” echoing the spy’s famous catchphrase. Last week, American film producer Antoine Fuqua fueled the Elba long-running speculation about Elba becoming the first black Bond, telling Britain’s Daily Star that Bond movie boss Barbara Broccoli had said “it is time” for a nonwhite actor to play agent 007. But before fans go overboard, Elba posted a tweet a few hours later that appeared to tamp down the rumors, saying, “Don’t believe the HYPE.”
m The Twitter account of NBC national correspondent Peter Alexander was hijacked Sunday by hackers claiming to represent Turkey’s “Cyber Army.” For at least a half-hour Sunday morning, Alexander’s Twitter account featured tweets with messages such as: “Mr Trump, we will tear down blood vessels of those who are hostiles to TURKIYE. Be wise and learn about Turkish people in history.” The hackers also littered Alexander’s account with images and videos in support of Turkey and showing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Some of the tweets that hackers posted on Alexander’s account include references to “Turkish Cyber Army, Ayyildiz Tim.” A Twitter account under the name Ayyildiz Tim has claimed to be responsible for the hacking and posted a tweet with images from the correspondent’s hacked profile. NBC News’ public relations team said Sunday morning that Alexander’s Twitter account and that of NBC News White House correspondent Kristen Welker were “compromised.” In a tweet Sunday afternoon, Alexander thanked NBC News and Twitter “for quickly responding after my account was hacked this morning,” adding: “It’s been resolved. Now, back to work.” It’s unclear whether Welker’s account was hacked by the same group or in the same manner. Alexander appears to be the latest media personality to have been hacked by Ayyildiz Tim. In January, the group took over the Twitter accounts of two former Fox News personalities, Greta Van Susteren and Eric Bolling, and filled their feeds with similar propaganda, according to New York magazine. Sunday’s hacking came at a time of heightened tensions between the U.S. and Turkey. President Donald Trump last week announced plans to double steel and aluminum tariffs against Turkey amid a dispute over the jailing of an American pastor.