Google's Schmidt Touches Down in North Korea

Flanked by former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Google chairman Eric Schmidt arrived Monday in North Korea.Richardson, who also is a former UN ambassador, has characterized the trip as a "private humanitarianmission" -- a far more hospitable description than ones coming fromthe U.S. State Department (which said the jaunt was "not particularlyhelpful") and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who described the delegation as "useful idiots."It is not clear what the duo hopes to achieve in North Korea, althoughCNet reportsthat Richardson will inquire about a Korean-American who wasdetained last monthin North Korea. The Google exec was not treating it as a business trip, but instead was genuinelyinterested in foreign policy, said Richardson, who invited Schmidt on the trek.The State Department'srebuke of the tripwas echoed by McCain, who scoffed at Richardson and Schmidt by invoking, of all people, former Communist leader Vladimir Lenin.McCain tweeted,"Richardson and Schmidt arrive in North Korea today - Lenin used to call them 'useful idiots'".The delegation consists of Richardson, Schmidt, Schmidt's daughter and Google executive Jared Cohen,according to Reuters.House of Twitter Rumormonger Raided in VenezuelaIntelligence officials in Venezuela raided the home of a Twitter user they believed was spreading rumors about the health of Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president who was re-elected in October andwhose inauguration is scheduled for this week.The Twitter user in question, Federico Medina Ravell, is the cousin of a prominent opposition figure,according toThe Guardian. Authorities were reportedly concerned that the tweets could escalate an "information war" ahead of a potential power vacuum caused by Chavez's ailing health.