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☆ The Fed could make a big change today. We’re not talking about interest rates
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —Wednesday’s Federal Reserve policy decision will likely be pretty boring for investors — officials are widely expected to keep interest rates the same, just as they have since July 2023. They think that the Fed may curtail its quantitative tightening (QT) program — that’s the selling off of its assets to decrease money supply and increase interest rates — by as much as half. Those purchases ended up pushing down interest rates in certain parts of the economy, like housing and auto sales. That led to a “repo crisis”, where the interest rates for overnight loans between banks spiked unusually high. That’s because a taper should send bond prices higher, and interest rates lower.

Persons: there’s, Jamie Dimon, Jerome Powell doesn’t, Krishna Guha, Marco Casiraghi, ”, Bill Adams, Biden, reclassify, General Merrick Garland, Xochitl Hinojosa, “, Nancy Mace, Earl Blumenauer, ” Read, Zhao, Allison Morrow, ” Binance Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Fed, JPMorgan Chase, Comerica Bank, Bank of America, CNN, US Department of Justice, Federal Register, Congress, Associated Press, Republican, CZ, Binance, Bloomberg Locations: New York, South Carolina, Oregon, Seattle

The US Department of Justice is expected to recommend that marijuana be rescheduled as a Schedule III controlled substance, a classification shared by prescription drugs such as ketamine and Tylenol with codeine. The standard rulemaking process is lengthy, is subject to a public comment period, and could take months to complete. However, rescheduling marijuana will not solve that federal-state conflict, the Congressional Research Service noted in a January 16 brief. States with medical marijuana programs do currently have some federal protections in place via appropriations legislation that restricts the Justice Department from interfering in those programs. The FDA’s scientific and medical evaluation of marijuana did not address products containing plant-derived cannabidiol, commonly known as CBD.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, General Merrick Garland, Joe Biden Organizations: CNN, US Department of Justice, Associated Press, White, Office of Management, US Health, Human Services, Food and Drug, Justice Department, Staff, National Institute on Drug, Delta, National Conference of State Legislatures, Congressional Research Service, CRS Locations: Colorado

☆ Jareh Dalke: Former NSA employee sentenced to almost 22 years for trying to sell secrets to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A former National Security Agency employee was sentenced Monday to nearly 22 years in prison for attempting to sell classified information to Russia. The sentence demonstrates “that those who seek to betray our country will be held accountable for their crimes,” he added. The documents he shared included information on sensitive US defense capabilities, a threat assessment of a separate unnamed country and information on a US cryptographic program. To make the final exchange in September 2023, the agent instructed Dalke to go to a train station in Denver and send the documents over a secure connection, court documents say. Moments later, prosecutors say, Dalke was arrested by the FBI.

Persons: CNN —, Jareh Sebastian Dalke, General Merrick Garland, ”, Dalke, ” Dalke Organizations: CNN, National Security Agency, Army, NSA, FBI, ”, Prosecutors Locations: Russia, Colorado, Russian, Denver

☆ Justice Department rebuffs Republican requests for audio of Biden interview with special counsel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Annie Grayer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The Department of Justice doubled down on its decision to not release the audio files of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur to House Republicans, stating that Republicans have not established a legitimate legislative purpose for demanding these recordings, in a new letter obtained by CNN. The DOJ’s refusal to turn over the audio comes as Republicans find their impeachment inquiry into the president stalled now that the prospects of the investigation ending in impeachment are increasingly unlikely. Without the votes in their narrow majority or evidence of an impeachable offense, Republicans are now struggling with how to end their probe. Uriarte pointed to the possibility that audio files can be manipulated through “cutting, erasing, and splicing” in a way that increases the privacy concerns of the witness. Uriarte therefore accused Republicans of going after these audio files for the wrong reasons.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Robert Hur, Carlos Uriarte, James Comer, Jim Jordan, General Merrick Garland, Hur, Mark Zwonitzer, Uriarte, Biden, ” Uriarte, spokespeople, Comer, Jordan, “, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Zwonitzer, ” Organizations: CNN, Department, Justice, House Republicans, Republicans, DOJ, Ukrainian, Fox News, “

☆ Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar again in the spotlight fighting the conservative Supreme Court on abortion
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —For the fourth time since she became the federal government’s top Supreme Court advocate, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar is arguing an abortion-related case. When Prelogar argues before the Supreme Court, she is arguing in front of several alumni of the US Office of the Solicitor General. She also clerked for her current boss, Attorney General Merrick Garland, when he was a DC Circuit judge, before her Supreme Court clerkships. She went on to litigate Supreme Court cases for private firms and worked on special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. Likewise, the abortion case Prelogar argued last month could have significant consequences for federal power.

Persons: Elizabeth Prelogar, Prelogar, Department’s, Biden, ”, Stephanie Toti, she’s, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan, Kagan, Obama, John Roberts, George H.W, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Roe, ” Prelogar, General Merrick Garland, Robert Mueller’s, Beth Brinkmann, Clinton, Brinkmann, Prelogar’s, Court’s Roe, Wade, –, Roberts, Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, ” Toti, “ That’s Organizations: CNN, Miss Idaho, NPR, Emory University, Harvard Law School, DC Circuit, litigate, The Justice Department, Idaho, Labor, Center for Reproductive Rights, Food and Drug Administration, Justice Department, Republican Locations: Bush, Texas, ” An Idaho, Idaho

☆ 4 Iranians charged in scheme to hack US agencies and defense contractors
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —US prosecutors on Tuesday announced charges against four Iranian men for a sprawling hacking campaign that targeted US federal agencies and sensitive data held by American defense contractors. It was not immediately clear whether the departments of State or Treasury networks were successfully hacked in the campaign. In the indictment unsealed Tuesday, Hossein Harooni, Reza Kazemifar, Alireza Shafie Nasab and Komeil Baradaran Salmani were charged with wire and computer fraud, among other charges. Nasab had been charged in a previous indictment unsealed in the Southern District of New York in February. Prosecutors accused three of the men of working for a front company in Iran that purported to offer cybersecurity services.

Persons: ” Damian Williams, Hacking, Christopher Wray, Hossein Harooni, Reza Kazemifar, Shafie, Baradaran Salmani, Nasab, General Merrick Garland Organizations: CNN, US State, Treasury, Pentagon, of, Southern, State, Boston Children’s Hospital, Justice Department, Prosecutors, Treasury Department, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, State Department, Iranian, United Nations Locations: Southern, of New York, US, Iran, Boston, Tehran

☆ Senate passes reauthorization of a key U.S. surveillance program after midnight deadline
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

After its midnight deadline, the Senate voted early Saturday to reauthorize a key U.S. surveillance law after divisions over whether the FBI should be restricted from using the program to search for Americans' data nearly forced the statute to lapse. The legislation approved 60-34 with bipartisan support would extend for two years the program known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. "If you miss a key piece of intelligence, you may miss some event overseas or put troops in harm's way," Sen. Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said. One of the major changes detractors had proposed centered around restricting the FBI's access to information about Americans through the program. "I think that is a risk that we cannot afford to take with the vast array of challenges our nation faces around the world," Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Friday.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Alejandro Mayorkas, Joe Biden's, Jake Sullivan, Biden, Ayman al, Sen, Marco Rubio, shouldn't, General Merrick Garland, Garland, Schumer, Dick Durbin, Durbin, Democratic Sen, Mark Warner Organizations: Homeland, U.S, Capitol, Foreign Intelligence, White House, FISA, Republican, Senate Intelligence, Justice Department, United, Justice, Biden, U.S . Capitol, Democratic Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S, harm's, United States

☆ Why Qatar is unlikely to withdraw from the Gaza hostage-ceasefire talks
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Qatar hosts Hamas’ political office, but it is also home to a 10,000-troop US military base. Experts say it is unlikely Qatar will end its mediation role. Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani gives a press conference with his Turkish counterpart in Doha on Wednesday. And on Monday, Democratic US Congressman Steny Hoyer accused Qatar of “blocking” progress in the talks. The Gulf state was also a Major Non-NATO Ally, as well as key energy supplier to Western states.

Persons: Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, ” Al Thani, “, ”, Anna Jacobs, “ They’ve, ” Jacobs, Daniel Shek, ” Shek, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Karim Jaafar, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Majid Al Ansari, Netanyahu, James Comer, General Merrick Garland, Steny Hoyer, Jacobs, Joe Biden, NATO Ally Organizations: UAE CNN, Foreign, United States Congress, US, Qatar, Group, CNN, ”, Qatar's, Turkish, Wednesday, Qatari, Hamas, Washington DC, Democratic, Al Udeid, Al Udeid Air Base, NATO Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, Israel, Qatar, Doha, United States, Washington, Egypt, Gaza, Gulf, Brussels, Israeli, ” Qatar, Thani, AFP, Qatari, Al Udeid Air

☆ Biden administration finalizes rule to close ‘gun show loophole’ in effort to combat gun violence
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Devan Cole | Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The Biden administration on Thursday moved one step closer to enacting a rule requiring people who sell firearms online and at gun shows to conduct background checks on their potential customers. The finalized rule aims to close what gun control advocates call the “gun show loophole” by increasing the requirements to obtain a federal firearms license, or FFL, by more specifically defining what it means to be “engaged in the business” of selling firearms. By making the term more definitive, the Justice Department has said it aims to better regulate the market and encourage higher compliance with the federal background check requirement. “I do believe countless families and communities will be spared the horror and the heartbreak of gun violence by this new rule.”The finalized rule, which will appear in the Federal Registry, will go into effect in 30 days. Already, the rule is facing criticism from conservative lawmakers and gun rights advocates, including the National Rifle Association.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, General Merrick Garland, Kamala Harris, ” Harris, “, ”, Joe Biden, Randy Kozuch Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, Columbine, Federal, Safer Communities, DOJ, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, White House, National Rifle Association, Biden, NRA Institute for Legislative, NRA Locations: New Paris , Ohio, Chicago , Illinois, Midland, Odessa , Texas

☆ DOJ officials reject Republicans' demands for audio recordings of Biden's classified documents interview
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Jordan and Comer subpoenaed the tapes after Hur released his report in February. AdvertisementSpecial counsel Robert Hur questioned Biden in October about classified documents found in 2022 at his Deleware home and an office he used after leaving office. AdvertisementBiden's handling of classified documents is unlikely to be a major campaign pillar for Republicans and GOP frontrunner former President Donald Trump in the coming election, Schmidt predicted. "That's why Republicans think it's so important they get ahold of these tapes," Schmidt said.

Persons: —, Joe Biden's, Carlos Uriarte, Jim Jordan of, James Comer of, Comer, Hur, Uriarte, Matthew Schmidt, Robert Hur, Biden, zeroed, Schmidt, Donald Trump, Merrick Garland Organizations: Service, Justice, DOJ, Jordan, Business, University of New, Republicans, Washington Post, CNN, Justice Department, GOP Locations: Jim Jordan of Ohio, James Comer of Kentucky, University of New Haven

watch nowFTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Thursday for the massive fraud and conspiracy that doomed his cryptocurrency exchange and a related hedge fund, Alameda Research. FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried leaves the U.S. courthouse in New York City on July 26, 2023. Instead, "He's an awkward math nerd" with a "tireless work ethic," said the lawyer, who also compared the FTX founder to "a beautiful puzzle." In this courtroom sketch, FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried attends his sentencing hearing at federal court in New York City on March 28, 2024. Barbara Fried and Allan Joseph Bankman, parents of FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried, arrive at court in New York on March 28, 2024.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Lewis Kaplan, Kaplan, FTX, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Jane Rosenberg, Bankman, convicting, Prosecutors, Amr Alfiky, It's, Marc Mukasey, Torrey Young, Nicolas Roos, scoffed, Roos, Mukasey, Sam, Sunil Kavuri, Damian Williams, Samuel Bankman, " Williams, General Merrick Garland, Joseph Bankman, Barbara Fried, Allan Joseph Bankman, Yuki Iwamura, Caroline Ellison, Nishad Singh, Gary Wang Organizations: Alameda Research, ., U.S, District, Reuters, Republicans, Manhattan U.S, Stanford Law, Bloomberg, Getty, Bankman Locations: Manhattan, New York City, U.S, FTX, Kavuri, New York

☆ 3 ways Apple’s monopoly lawsuit could change the iPhone experience for fans
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Apple added that the lawsuit could empower the government “to take a heavy hand in designing people’s technology.”But if successful, the lawsuit could ripple across Apple’s products and services. Anna Moneymaker/Getty ImagesChanges to the App StoreIf found liable, the company could be forced to change a number of things. One such change is how iPhone users could get greater access to “super apps” that have been largely restricted before. More open servicesAnother likely change is how hardware from other companies, such as smartwatches, will interact with the Apple range of devices and software, including the iPhone and Apple’s services like Fitness+. But Apple’s success stems in part to its tight grip on its products and services, keeping things intuitive and seamless.

Persons: Biden, Apple, here’s, General Merrick Garland, Anna Moneymaker, Dipanjan Chatterjee, Forrester, ”, Chatterjee, it’s, David McQueen, ” McQueen, ” Chatterjee Organizations: CNN, Apple, Department of Justice, ”, Apple Watch, ABI Research Locations: Washington ,, innovating

CNN —A New York judge has imposed a gag order on Donald Trump, limiting the former president from making statements about potential witnesses in the criminal trial relating to hush money payments scheduled to begin next month. The order does not prevent Trump from talking about New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who is a public figure, or Merchan himself. Trump criticized Merchan, his daughter and one of Bragg’s prosecutors in the hours before Merchan issued his order. The district attorney’s office had requested the gag order last month to remain in place for the duration of the trial. In the civil fraud case last fall, Trump was twice fined for violating Judge Arthur Engoron’s gag order and making comments about the judge’s staff.

Persons: Donald Trump, Juan Merchan, Trump, Merchan, Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Alvin Bragg, …, ” Merchan, reimbursements, Cohen, Daniels, denigrating, Arthur Engoron’s, ’ ” Merchan, “, Matthew Colangelo, Colangelo, General Merrick Garland’s, ” Trump’s, Bragg, Biden, ’, ” Trump Organizations: CNN, Trump, New York, Republican, New, Monday’s, Justice Department, Defendant, DOJ, Office, Democratic, Truth, Attorney Locations: York, New York, Washington , DC

☆ Fact check: Trump repeats baseless claims about Biden orchestrating his trials
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Former President Donald Trump repeated some familiar baseless claims in remarks on Monday after major developments in two of his New York legal cases. Colangelo and Bragg knew each other before Bragg was elected Manhattan district attorney. The lawsuit emerged from an investigation she began in 2019, roughly two years before Biden succeeded Trump as president. Colangelo served as acting associate attorney general in the first months of the Biden administration in early 2021 and then as principal deputy associate attorney general. As acting associate attorney general, he was third in command of the department – never the top official there, as Trump has previously claimed.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Matthew Colangelo, Attorney Alvin Bragg, “, Joe Biden, Biden, Bragg, Letitia James, Colangelo, Biden James, Jack Smith, Smith, General Merrick Garland, Garland, – Organizations: CNN, Biden, Department, Manhattan, Attorney, Trump, New York, federal Justice Department, DC, Justice Department Locations: York, Manhattan, Fulton County , Georgia, New York , Georgia, Florida, Washington

☆ Another man who threatened then-Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs sentenced to prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Holmes Lybrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A man who made threats against then-Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs in 2022 was sentenced to two and a half years in prison on Monday, Justice Department officials announced during a news conference on threats to state election workers. The announcement comes less than two weeks after a separate individual was sentenced to three and a half years for making a bomb threat against Hobbs in 2021. Hobbs, a Democrat, is now governor of Arizona. “The right to vote, which is the cornerstone of our democracy, relies on the ability of election workers and election officials to perform their duties without fearing for their lives. The Justice Department will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who threaten these public servants.”

Persons: Katie Hobbs, Joshua Russell, Hobbs, ”, John Keller, –, “, Arizona Gary Restaino, General Merrick Garland Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, Democrat, Force, ”, Department Locations: Arizona, Ohio

☆ Fact check: Trump tells ‘mind-bogglingly nonsensical’ story about the New York Stock Exchange
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Facts First: The stock exchange on which the Trump Media & Technology Group is being listed, the Nasdaq, is also headquartered in New York. In fact, the Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange are located in the same New York City borough of Manhattan. He said: “Like, what?”“I hope somebody advising President Trump informs him that the same investor protection rules that safeguard investors of the New York Stock Exchange also safeguard investors on the Nasdaq Stock Market,” Macey said. Colangelo served as acting associate attorney general in the first months of the Biden administration in early 2021 and then as principal deputy associate attorney general. As acting associate attorney general, he was third in command of the department – never the top official there, as Trump has previously claimed.

Persons: Donald Trump, ”, ” Jonathan Macey, Macey, Trump, ” Macey, Letitia James, Attorney Alvin Bragg, ‘ I’m, Lynn Martin, Stacey Cunningham, Sharon Bowen, Biden, Matthew Colangelo, “, Joe Biden, Bragg, Colangelo, Biden James, Jack Smith, Smith, General Merrick Garland, Garland, – Organizations: Washington CNN, Trump Media & Technology Group, New York Stock Exchange, Trump Media & Technology, Nasdaq, NYSE, “, Yale Law School, New, Manhattan, Attorney, Trump Media, Technology Group, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Biden, Department, Trump, New York, federal Justice Department, DC, Justice Department Locations: New York, York City, Manhattan, York, Macy’s, Fulton County , Georgia, New York , Georgia, Florida, Washington

☆ Man who made bomb threat against Arizona election official gets 3.5 years in prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Afia Barrie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A man who sent a bomb threat in 2021 to Katie Hobbs, then-Arizona’s secretary of state and now Democratic governor, has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison. James Clark of Falmouth, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in August 2023 to one count of making a threatening interstate communication after being indicted the previous summer on three counts, including making a bomb threat, the Justice Department announced. “Those using illegal threats of violence to intimidate election workers should know that the Justice Department will find you and hold you accountable under the law,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. Following Clark’s threats, law enforcement said they conducted partial evacuations and bomb sweeps of the Arizona secretary of state’s office as well as Hobbs’s home and car. The case was brought by the Justice Department’s election threats task force, which was established in June 2021 to address threats of violence against election workers.

Persons: Katie Hobbs, James Clark of, General Merrick Garland, Clark, ”, Hobbs Organizations: CNN, Democratic, Justice Department, DOJ, Boston Marathon Locations: James Clark of Falmouth , Massachusetts, Arizona

☆ Former Honduran president found guilty in drug trafficking trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Ana Melgar | David Shortell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Former President of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernández was found guilty Friday of drug trafficking by an American jury after a two-week trial in Manhattan federal court. Prosecutors had accused Hernández, 55, of conspiring with drug cartels during his tenure as they moved more than 400 tons of cocaine through Honduras toward the United States. In exchange, prosecutors said, Hernández received millions of dollars in bribes that he used to fuel his rise in Honduran politics. Hernández was president of Honduras from 2014 until 2022. He was extradited to the United States in 2022 after the completion of his second term in office on charges of conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, conspiracy to possess firearms and destructive devices for drug trafficking, and possession of this type of weapon during the drug trafficking conspiracy.

Persons: Honduras Juan Orlando Hernández, Prosecutors, Hernández, ” Prosecutors, “ He’s, ” Raymond Colon, “, ”, Hernandez “, General Merrick Garland, Hernández “ Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, ”, Honduran National Police Locations: Honduras, Manhattan, United States

☆ Justice Dept. pushes back on Hunter Biden’s efforts to dismiss charges, mirroring fights between Trump and prosecutors
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Holmes Lybrand | Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Special counsel David Weiss ridiculed efforts by Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, to dismiss tax charges against him as legally baseless and steeped in a “conspiracy theory,” in court filings Friday. The arguments between Weiss and Hunter Biden’s attorneys mirror arguments put forth by Donald Trump in his own special counsel cases. Their similarities underscore how cases brought by a special counsel – no matter who the defendant is – are often fought through similar, and sometimes political, playbooks. Like Trump, Hunter Biden has argued the special counsel overseeing his criminal cases was unlawfully appointed. Both Weiss and Smith pushed back in the same way, arguing that Garland has the authority to appoint whoever he wants as special counsel.

Persons: David Weiss, Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, Hunter Biden’s, Weiss, Hunter, Donald Trump, –, Trump, Merrick Garland, Jack Smith, Garland, Smith, ” Weiss, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Trump, Justice Department Locations: California, Delaware

☆ A Google engineer ran a secret startup in China while stealing AI technology, DOJ alleges
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Google employee was accused by the DOJ of stealing confidential AI technology. The DOJ also said he ran a Chinese-based startup while employed as a software engineer at Google. AdvertisementA Google employee indicted by the US Department of Justice has been accused of stealing confidential AI technology while secretly working for tech companies in China. The indictment said Ding, who lived in Newark and was a Chinese national, joined Google as a software engineer in 2019. In May 2022, Ding started secretly uploading confidential information from Google to his private Google Cloud account, the indictment alleged.

Persons: Linwei Ding, —, Leon Ding, Ding, Castañeda, Merrick Garland Organizations: DOJ, Google, Service, US Department of Justice, Authorities, Business, Prosecutors, FBI, supercomputing Locations: China, Newark , California, Newark, Chinese

☆ Ex-Google software engineer charged with stealing AI technology while working with Chinese companies
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A former software engineer at Google has been charged with stealing artificial intelligence technology from the company while secretly working with two companies based in China, the Justice Department said Wednesday. "The theft of innovative technology and trade secrets from American companies can cost jobs and have devastating economic and national security consequences." Within weeks of the theft starting, prosecutors say, Ding was offered the position of chief technology officer at an early-stage technology company in China that touted its use of AI technology. The indictment says Ding traveled to China and participated in investor meetings at the company and sought to raise capital for it. Three days later, Google officials learned that he had presented as CEO of one of the Chinese companies at an investor conference in Beijing.

Persons: Linwei Ding, Ding, General Merrick Garland, Christopher Wray, Lisa Monaco, Wray Organizations: Google, Justice Department, American Bar Association Conference, Department, Technology, Force, Northern District of, supercomputing, Prosecutors Locations: China, Newark , California, San Francisco, People's Republic of China, United States, Northern District, Northern District of California, Beijing

☆ Google employee charged with stealing AI trade secrets
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Hannah Rabinowitz | Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A Google employee was charged Tuesday with stealing artificial intelligence trade secrets from the tech giant while secretly working with two Chinese-based companies in the AI industry. Linwei Ding, who also goes by Leon Ding, is charged with four counts of theft of trade secrets. As part of his responsibilities at Google, prosecutors say, Ding helped to develop the software deployed in Google’s supercomputing data centers. Ding was a junior employee, Google spokesperson José Castañeda told CNN, and the company monitors file transfers to cloud storage platforms including Google Drive and Dropbox. “We have strict safeguards to prevent the theft of our confidential commercial information and trade secrets,” Castañeda said.

Persons: Linwei Ding, Leon Ding, “, General Merrick Garland, ” Ding, Ding, ”, José Castañeda, ” Castañeda Organizations: CNN, Google, supercomputing, Justice Department, FBI Locations: America, California, China, United States

☆ House Republicans subpoena Attorney General Garland for records from Biden classified documents probe
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a meeting of the Reproductive Rights Task Force at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 4, 2023. House Republicans on Tuesday subpoenaed Attorney General Merrick Garland for records related to a special counsel's investigation of how President Joe Biden handled classified documents. The chairmen of the House Oversight and Judiciary committees demanded that Garland give them transcripts, notes, video and audio files from special counsel Robert Hur's probe. The chairmen linked the request directly to their ongoing presidential impeachment inquiry, which centers on allegations that Biden and his family engaged in corrupt business practices. Biden later that same day is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress.

Persons: General Merrick Garland, Merrick Garland, Joe Biden, Garland, Robert Hur's, Biden, Jim Jordan, James Comer Organizations: Force, Justice Department, Washington , D.C, House Republicans Locations: Washington ,, Ohio, United States, Ky

☆ US Justice Department Says It Disrupted Russian Intelligence Hacking Network
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday it disrupted a Russian intelligence hacking network. "The Justice Department is accelerating our efforts to disrupt the Russian government's cyber campaigns against the United States and our allies, including Ukraine," U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. "In this case, Russian intelligence services turned to criminal groups to help them target home and office routers, but the Justice Department disabled their scheme," he added. The Latest Photos From Ukraine View All 91 Images(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington)Photos You Should See View All 22 Images

Persons: General Merrick Garland, Kanishka Singh Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S . Justice, Department, U.S, Justice Department Locations: United States, Ukraine, Washington

☆ Biden lawyers wrote to AG Garland objecting to aspects of Hur’s report
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Kevin Liptak | Mj Lee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington CNN —The White House wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland the day before special counsel Robert Hur’s report was released, vehemently objecting to aspects of the report – including its “multiple denigrating statements” about the president’s memory. Ultimately, Hur did not appear to heed calls by Biden’s lawyers to produce a narrow and concise report limited to the facts of the charging decision. The lawyers wrote Hur’s report “mirrors one of the most widely-recognized examples in recent history of inappropriate prosecutor criticism of uncharged conduct.”“The FBI and DOJ personnel’s criticism of uncharged conduct during investigations in connection with the 2016 election was found to violate ‘long-standing Department practice and protocol,’” the lawyers wrote. The letter underscores the deep anger generated by Hur’s report inside the White House and lays bare tensions between Biden’s team and Garland. CNN has previously reported that frustrations have run high inside the White House regarding some of Garland’s decisions related to the classified documents matter.

Persons: General Merrick Garland, Robert Hur’s, Joe Biden’s, Hur, —, ”, Bob Bauer, Edward Siskel, Garland, James Comey, Hillary Clinton, Biden, General Bradley Weinsheimer, Bauer, Richard Sauber, Weinsheimer –, Eric Holder Organizations: Washington CNN, DOJ, FBI, Politico, The New York Times, CNN, White, Department

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