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☆ Biden Signs Legislation to Extend Funding for Critical Departments
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Peter Baker | More About Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden signed a $460 billion spending package on Saturday to avert a shutdown of critical federal departments even as lawmakers continue to wrestle over a financing blueprint for many other agencies more than halfway into the current fiscal year. The president finalized the legislation before leaving his home in Wilmington, Del., to fly to Atlanta for a campaign rally. It will extend funding through the rest of the fiscal year, ending Sept. 30, for about half of the government, including the Departments of Agriculture, Energy, Justice, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Veterans Affairs. In his short tenure, Speaker Mike Johnson has made clear his desire to avoid a shutdown, even to the point of relying on Democratic votes, but the path ahead remains tricky. “Thank you,” he wrote, naming the eight “for their leadership.”

Persons: Biden, Mike Johnson, ” Organizations: Agriculture, Energy, Justice, Transportation, Housing, Urban Development, Veterans Affairs, Pentagon, Homeland Security Department, Democratic, White Locations: Wilmington, Del, Atlanta

House Republicans were thrown for a loop on Tuesday when a vote to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the southern border failed after four Republicans voted against it. House GOP leaders displayed confidence going into the vote despite knowing ahead of time that at least a couple Republican members were going to vote against impeachment. Republicans could try to impeach Mayorkas again once Scalise returns. GOP efforts to impeach Mayorkas were vehemently opposed by the Biden administration and the Homeland Security Department. Republican senators on Tuesday indicated that they would block a procedural vote for the bipartisan border deal this week.

Persons: Alejandro Mayorkas, “, We’ll, Tom Emmer, Tom McClintock of, John Gallagher of, Ken Buck, Blake Moore of, ” McClintock, Steve Scalise, Mayorkas, Scalise, Biden, ’, Joe Biden –, Mike Johnson, Mitch McConnell, ” Organizations: Republicans, Homeland, GOP, Republican, Tom McClintock of California, Court, Democrats, Homeland Security Department Locations: John Gallagher of Wisconsin, Ken Buck of, Blake Moore of Utah

☆ House Republicans scramble to save Mayorkas impeachment vote as 'no' votes emerge
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

House Republican leaders scrambled Tuesday to lock down enough support in their caucus to pass a bill to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. A procedural vote to begin debate on the Mayorkas impeachment resolution passed the House Tuesday afternoon, but six members missed the vote: Three Republicans and three Democrats. "I am a lean 'no,'" Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., told CNBC last week as the House Homeland Security Committee debated the articles of impeachment. House Republicans have 219 seats with three vacancies versus Democrats' 212, with one vacancy. House Republicans allege that Mayorkas has intentionally disobeyed federal immigration laws and has prevented oversight of the Homeland Security Department.

Persons: Alejandro Mayorkas, Ken Buck, it's, Buck, Tom McClintock, McClintock, Mayorkas, Joe Biden, Biden, Chuck Schumer Organizations: of Homeland Security, Appropriations Homeland, Capitol, Republican, Homeland, CNBC, House Homeland Security, Republicans, [ Homeland Security, Homeland Security Department, Democrat Locations: Washington, U.S

Some days, more than 1,000 arrive in the boulder-strewn mountains near San Diego, alone. These encampments would likely vanish under a Senate bill that would make sweeping changes to immigration laws, including allowing a border emergency authority that would restrict asylum when arrests for illegal crossings hit certain thresholds. If it overcomes long odds, the legislation would radically upend how asylum is handled at the border. Mbala Glodi, 42, arrived in Jacumba Hot Springs, a tiny border town east of San Diego, after crossing the border illegally in September. ___Spagat reported from San Diego.

Persons: Donald Trump, ”, Juan Andres Valverde, Samuel Schultz, Maria del Rosario Lanza, ___ Spagat Organizations: Senate, “, Homeland, Biden, Homeland Security, CBP Locations: SPRINGS, Calif, China, Colombia, Mexico, U.S, San Diego, Ukraine, Israel, New York, Vermont, United States, Angola, COVID, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Tijuana , Mexico, Honduran, Tegucigalpa, Chicago, Washington, Fort Worth , Texas

☆ Alejandro Mayorkas says the United States still aims to be a country of immigrants
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Mayorkas told The New York Times that the US wants to remain a country of immigrants. The Homeland Security secretary has clashed with GOP lawmakers over border security. AdvertisementHomeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a recent interview said he believes that the United States "very much so" wants to remain a country comprised of immigrants. In an interview with The New York Times, Mayorkas said that Americans shouldn't "define ourselves by the challenges we have." Since leading the Homeland Security Department, Mayorkas has become a lightning rod for Republicans frustrated with President Joe Biden's immigration policies.

Persons: Mayorkas, —, Alejandro Mayorkas, Lulu Garcia, Navarro, Joe Biden's Organizations: New York Times, Homeland, GOP, Service, The New York Times, Homeland Security Department, US Border Patrol, Republican, Homeland Security, Times Locations: United States, Cuba, Mexico, Mayorkas

☆ Everything you need to know about Republicans moving forward on impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-09 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

House Republicans are rallying around a push to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. On Wednesday, House Republicans are set to consider the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. As Homeland Security secretary, Mayorkas oversees a vast agency that includes U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Homeland Security Department notes that for all these reasons apprehending a migrant on the watchlist is extremely rare. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement that there is simply "no valid basis" to impeach Mayorkas.

Persons: Alejandro Mayorkas, —, Joe Biden, Mayorkas, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Virginia Foxx, Anthony D'Esposito, Mike Johnson, Mark Green, Green, Troy Miller, Politifact, Biden, Trump, Johnson, Mia Ehrenberg, Bennie Thompson of, Thompson, William Belknap, Grant, Belknap, Ulysses S, Donald Trump, It's, Ken Buck, Buck, Greene, Tom McClintock Organizations: Republicans, Homeland, Service, House Republicans, House Democrats, Biden, CNN, Freedom Caucus, Republican, New York, Homeland Security, Mayorkas, U.S . Customs, GOP, CBS, Democratic, White, Protection, Washington Post ., Customs, Post, NPR, New York Times, Homeland Security Department, Capitol, Politico, Department of Homeland Security, Russia, Twitter, Supreme Locations: Georgia, Rep, North Carolina, New, House, U.S, Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, United States, Ken Buck of Colorado, California

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump had a “good faith” basis to question the results of the 2020 election, his lawyers said in demanding that prosecutors turn over any evidence related to voting irregularities and potential foreign interference in the contest won by Democrat Joe Biden. Political Cartoons View All 1267 ImagesBut the Trump team asserts in the 37-page filing that he had reason to question the results. It also revisits the intelligence community's effort in 2020 to discern potential interference by countries including Russia, China and Iran. It quotes from a Jan. 7, 2021 memo from John Ratcliffe, the then-director of national intelligence and a close Trump ally, that said China sought to influence the election. The Trump lawyers have already asked U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to dismiss the indictment, saying he is shielded from prosecution by presidential immunity and arguing that the charges violate his First Amendment rights.

Persons: — Donald Trump, Democrat Joe Biden, Trump, President Trump, Jack Smith's, ”, Hillary Clinton, John Ratcliffe, Smith, Tanya Chutkan Organizations: WASHINGTON, Democrat, Homeland Security, Republican, Democratic, Intelligence Community, Defense, U.S . Capitol, Trump loyalists, Capitol, Trump, U.S Locations: Washington, Moscow, Russia, China, Iran, Russian

☆ Fact-Checking Haley and DeSantis in Their Race to Rival Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Angelo Fichera | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

DeSantis even voted to fast-track Obama’s Chinese trade deals.”— A pro-Haley super PAC, SFA Fund Inc., in an adFalse. There is no evidence Mr. DeSantis directly gave “millions” to Chinese companies; the ad was referring to technology purchases by state agencies. Florida used those companies before Mr. DeSantis’s tenure, too, and SFA Fund provided no evidence that Mr. DeSantis himself directly approved the purchases. Mr. DeSantis previously served as the board chairman of a public-private economic development organization known as Enterprise Florida. As governor, Ms. Haley rebuffed calls to increase South Carolina’s gas tax as a stand-alone measure.

Persons: “ DeSantis, DeSantis, ”, Obama, Haley’s, DeSantis’s, DeSantis “, Mark Wu, ” Mr, Wu, Ron, ” — Ms, Haley, Ms, JinkoSolar, Nikki Haley, I’ve Organizations: Haley, PAC, SFA, Inc, Washington Times, Lenovo, SFA Fund, Department of Homeland Security, Enterprise Florida, state’s Commerce, Cirrus Aircraft, —, Orlando Executive Airport, Kissimmee Gateway Airport, Homeland Security Department, New York Times, Council, DeSantis, State, state’s Department of Transportation Locations: China, Chinese, Florida, South Carolina, T.P.A, Asia, Europe, Kissimmee, Orlando, Jacksonville, Fla, California, Xinjiang, Jacksonville’s, Haley’s State

WASHINGTON (AP) — Supporters of Israel rallied by the thousands on the National Mall under heavy security Tuesday, voicing solidarity in the fight against Hamas and crying “never again." The Homeland Security Department designated the march a “level 1” security event, the highest classification in its system and one usually used for the Super Bowl and other major events, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The designation means the event required substantial law enforcement assistance from federal agencies, the officials said. The officials were not authorized to discuss details of the law enforcement bulletin publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Many of the demonstrators at the “March for Israel” wore Israeli flags wrapped around their shoulders, flowing behind them, or held small Israeli flags in their hands.

Persons: “, Isaac Herzog, ”, haven’t, Israel ”, Jackie Seley, Melanie Lubin, David, Joe Biden, Israel Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Israel, Homeland Security Department, Super, Associated Press, FBI, Homeland Security, Ministry Locations: Israeli, U.S, Washington, Israel, Rockville , Maryland, New York, Olney , Maryland, Gaza

WASHINGTON (AP) — Biden administration officials hosted big city mayors at the White House on Thursday to discuss how to manage a growing number of migrants, one day after those leaders sent a letter asking for more federal help. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson met with White House chief of staff Jeff Zients and Homeland Security Department officials before heading to Capitol Hill for meetings with lawmakers. If they could work, the cities would require less federal aid to help house them. “I think they seem receptive,” Johnston said of federal officials. It's unclear whether House Republicans will fund any of Biden's request for help for the cities.

Persons: — Biden, Mike Johnston, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Jeff Zients, “, ”, Johnston, Joe Biden, Karen Bass, Sylvester Turner, Houston, Eric Adams, Adams, Biden, ” Johnston, Karine Jean, Pierre, “ We're Organizations: WASHINGTON, White, Denver, Chicago Mayor, White House, Homeland Security Department, Capitol Hill, Democratic, Adams, Republicans Locations: Los Angeles, New York, Washington, United States

U.S. regulators on Monday sued SolarWinds, a Texas-based technology company whose software was breached in a massive 2020 Russian cyberespionage campaign, for fraud for failing to disclose security deficiencies ahead of the stunning hack. Detected in December 2020, the SolarWinds hack penetrated U.S. government agencies including the Justice and Homeland Security departments, and more than 100 private companies and think tanks. Koch added that “we look forward to defending his reputation and correcting the inaccuracies in the SEC’s complaint." Brown's current title at SolarWinds is chief information security officer. Capitalizing on the supply-chain hack, the Russian cyber operators then stealthily penetrated select targets including about a dozen U.S. government agencies and prominent software and telecommunications providers.

Persons: SolarWinds, Tim Brown, Brown, Alec Koch, Koch, Gurbir S, Grewal, “, ”, Biden, Chad Wolf Organizations: Securities and Exchange Commission, Justice and Homeland Security, SEC, Fortune, New, Homeland Locations: Texas, Russian, New York, SolarWinds, cyberattacks, Austin , Texas, North America, Europe, Asia

☆ The Race to Save Our Secrets From the Computers of the Future
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( Zach Montague | More About Zach Montague | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The danger extends not just to future breaches but to past ones: Troves of encrypted data harvested now and in coming years could, after Q-Day, be unlocked. Current and former intelligence officials say that China and potentially other rivals are most likely already working to find and store such troves of data in hopes of decoding them in the future. Today, the most powerful quantum device uses 433 “qubits,” as the quantum equivalent of transistors are called. That figure would probably need to reach into the tens of thousands, perhaps even the millions, before today’s encryption systems would fall. But within the U.S. cybersecurity community, the threat is seen as real and urgent.

Persons: ”, Glenn S Organizations: National Security Agency, Homeland Security Department Locations: China, Russia, United States

BAJO CHIQUITO, Panama (AP) — Rain-swollen rivers only briefly slowed the otherwise uninterrupted flow of migrants through this jungle-covered border area separating Colombia and Panama and by midweek another 2,000 bedraggled migrants stumbled out of the Darien jungle. That efficiency combined with the unrelenting economic factors pushing migrants to leave countries like Venezuela, whose citizens account for the majority of them, have resulted in more than 400,000 migrants crossing the Darien this year. They made the crossing from Colombia in 2 ½ days, but Morales described it as “horrible.”“I don’t wish it for anyone. Morales said she saw three dead migrants along the way, including a woman who had apparently drowned in a river. In April, the U.S., Panama and Colombia announced a campaign to slow migration through the Darien jungle, but migrants’ numbers have only grown forcing the Biden administration to seek other options.

Persons: Alejandro Mayorkas, Kimberly Morales, Morales, ”, ” Morales, Biden, Gabriela Quijada, dizzily, “, Carliomar, …, ” Peña, Peña Organizations: U.S, . Homeland, Chiquito, Panama “, Colombian, U.S . Homeland Security Department, Bajo Chiquito Wednesday Locations: CHIQUITO, Panama, Colombia, Darien, Bajo Chiquito, Venezuela, Mexico, States, Costa Rica, Caracas, Panamanian, U.S, Latin America, United States, Bajo, Margarita, Merida

Mexico and China are the primary sources for fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances trafficked directly into the U.S., according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, which is tasked with combating illicit drug trafficking. And last year a group of Republican attorneys general asked the president to declare fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction. The U.S. has taken a slew of actions to stem the tide of fentanyl coming into the country. And state lawmakers nationwide are responding to the deadliest overdose crisis in U.S. history by pushing harsher penalties for possessing fentanyl. It would also impose reporting requirements and enable the president to confiscate sanctioned property of fentanyl traffickers to use for law enforcement efforts.

Persons: “, ”, Wally Adeyemo, Adeyemo, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Biden, General Merrick Garland, Lindsay Whitehurst Organizations: WASHINGTON, United States, Treasury, Justice, Homeland Security, Drug Enforcement Agency, U.S . Postal, Justice Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, Republican, Disease Control, Banking, Armed Services, Associated Locations: U.S, China, Canada, United, Mexico, Sinaloa, Mexican, Wilmington , Delaware

☆ US admits Israel into visa waiver program
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Some Palestinians have protested against Israel's entry into the program, saying Israel for decades has discriminated against Arab Americans and harassed them at its borders. They also must treat all U.S. travelers equally, so Israel must allow free passage for Palestinian Americans at Ben Gurion airport. In a pilot period since July 20, Israel has eased access for Palestinian Americans through its borders and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. According to Israel's Interior Ministry, more than 130,000 Americans entered Israel since the pilot began, including 6,070 Palestinian Americans. Between 45,000 and 60,000 Palestinian Americans live in the West Bank, a U.S. official estimated.

Persons: Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ronen, Chris Van Hollen, Alejandro Mayorkas, Netanyahu, Antony Blinken, David Shepardson, Dan Williams, Ali Sawafta, Henriette Chacar, Clarence Fernandez, William Maclean, David Gregorio Our Organizations: U.S, Israeli, White, Consulate, REUTERS, Rights, Visa, Arab, . Four Democratic U.S, Israel, U.S . Homeland, West Bank, Palestinian, Palestinian Foreign Ministry, Israel's Interior Ministry, Homeland Security Department, Thomson Locations: U.S, Israeli, Tel Aviv, Israel, Washington, United States, Ben Gurion, Croatia, Palestinian Territories, American, Detroit

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is poised to admit Israel this week into an exclusive club that will allow its citizens to travel to the United States without a U.S. visa despite Washington's ongoing concerns about the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinian Americans. Political Cartoons View All 1176 ImagesThe State Department had no immediate comment about the visa waiver program. Claiming national security reasons, Israel has long had separate entry requirements and screening processes for Palestinian Americans. Israel also has pledged to ease movement for Palestinian Americans traveling in and out of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. “The reciprocity requirement is clearly still not being met since Israeli policy continues to treat some Americans, specifically Palestinian Americans, differently.

Persons: —, Biden, Alejandro Mayorkas, Antony Blinken, Israel, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Yousef Munayyer, ” Munayyer, Josef Federman Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S, Visa, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland, Israeli, General Assembly, Biden, State Department, Homeland Security Department, U.S ., Palestinian, West Bank, Ben Gurion International, Palestine - Israel, Arab Center Washington, Associated Press Locations: Israel, United States, New York, Saudi Arabia, Iran, U.S, Gaza, Jordan, Egypt, Tel Aviv, Palestinian, Palestine, Jerusalem

Federal agencies will stop all actions deemed non-essential, and millions of federal employees, including members of the military, won't receive paychecks. A shutdown happens when Congress fails to pass some type of funding legislation that is signed into law by the president. Millions of federal workers face delayed paychecks when the government shuts down, including many of the roughly 2 million military personnel and more than 2 million civilian workers across the nation. Nearly 60% of federal workers are stationed in the Defense, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security departments. Beyond federal workers, a shutdown could have far-reaching effects on government services.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy's, Goldman Sachs, “, General Merrick Garland, Donald Trump, Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, Trump, Republicans defund, Benjamin Civiletti, Bill Clinton's, Newt Gingrich, isn't, Fatima Hussein, Lindsay Whitehurst, Josh Boak, Lisa Mascaro Organizations: WASHINGTON, Democratic, Republican, WHO, Defense, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security, Transportation Security, Postal Service, U.S . Travel Industry Association, Lawmakers, U.S . Chamber, Commerce, Republicans, U.S, Democrats, Senate, Associated Locations: shutdowns

☆ The U.S. federal government is headed into a shutdown. What does it mean, who’s hit and what’s next?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Persons: Samuel Corum, Kevin McCarthy's, Goldman Sachs, General Merrick Garland, Donald Trump, Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, Trump, Republicans defund, Benjamin Civiletti, Bill Clinton's, Newt Gingrich Organizations: Getty, Democratic, Republican, Defense, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security, Transportation Security, Postal Service, U.S . Travel Industry Association, Lawmakers, U.S . Chamber, Commerce, Republicans, U.S, Democrats Locations: Washington , DC, shutdowns

That's in addition to about 242,700 Venezuelans who already qualified for temporary status before Wednesday's announcement. Venezuelans who arrive in the U.S. after July 31 of this year will not be eligible for the protection. The city is currently paying to house about 60,000 newly arrived migrants. But Adams on Wednesday praised the decision to grant protections to Venezuelans and thanked the administration for listening to the city's concerns. The administration also said Wednesday it was also using Defense Department forces to support Homeland Security staff on the border.

Persons: —, Biden, That's, Alejandro Mayorkas, Joe Biden, Kathy Hochul, Eric Adams, Adams, Tom Schmerber, ___ Spagat, Valerie Gonzalez Organizations: WASHINGTON, Democratic, Homeland Security Department, Homeland, New York Gov, Maverick, Defense Department, Homeland Security, National Guard, Customs Locations: American, U.S, Mexico, Venezuela, Latin America, United States, Panama, New York , Massachusetts, Chicago, New York, Eagle, Rio Grande, Texas, Maverick County, —, San Diego, McAllen , Texas

But expediting work permits isn’t so easy, either legally or bureaucratically, experts in the process say. It would take an act of Congress to shorten a mandatory, six-month waiting period before asylum-seekers can apply for work permits. Maura Healey, who declared a state of emergency over the migrant influx, wrote Mayorkas that work permits represent “an opportunity to meet employer needs, support our economy, and reduce dependency among new arrivals.” And 19 Democratic state attorneys general wrote Mayorkas that work permits would reduce the strain on government to provide social services. Custom and Border Protection online app have applied for work permits, according to the White House. After he got his temporary work authorization, his boss gave him an extra dollar per hour.

Persons: Eric Adams, Kathy Hochul, Joe Biden, Biden, Hochul, Gilberto Pozo Ortiz, ” Ortiz, “, Brandon Johnson, J.B, Pritzker, Alejandro Mayorkas, Maura Healey, Andre Vasquez, Adams, ” Adams, “ We’re, Muzaffar Chishti, noncitizens, Elden Roja, honked, Roja, Jose Vacca, Elliot Spagat Organizations: Gov, Democratic, Homeland Security Department, Illinois Gov, Homeland, Massachusetts Gov, City Council’s, Refugee Rights, New, Republicans, Migration Policy Institute, Nationwide, Custom, Protection, Federal, U.S, CBP, Associated Press Locations: ALBANY, N.Y, New York City, Mexico, Cuba, New York, Chicago, City, U.S, Venezuelan, Colombia, Texas

"I think the potential for unintended harm from the use of AI exists in any federal agency and in any use of AI," said DHS Chief Information Officer Eric Hysen. And when we interact with people, it can be during some of the most critical times of their lives." Historically, academics have flagged the dangers of AI regarding racial profiling and because it can still make errors while identifying relationships in complex data. The guidelines will also require that facial recognition matches discovered using AI technology be manually reviewed by human analysts to ensure their accuracy, according to a new directive that the agency plans to release alongside the AI memo later on Thursday. Another area where DHS has already uses AI technology extensively is on the southern border, where the agency has deployed more than 200 surveillance cameras, said Hysen.

Persons: Marco Bello, Alejandro Mayorkas, Eric Hysen, Hysen, Alexandra Alper, Christopher Bing, Chizu Organizations: U.S . Department of Homeland Security, REUTERS, Rights, Department of Homeland Security, Customs, Border Patrol, DHS, Thomson Locations: Mexico, U.S, Del Rio , Texas, California's San Isidro Port

☆ Congress to hold new AI hearings as it works to craft safeguards
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Congress next week will hold three hearings on artificial intelligence, including one with Microsoft (MSFT.O) President Brad Smith and Nvidia (NVDA.O) chief scientist William Daly as Congress works on legislation to mitigate the dangers of the emerging technology. A Senate Judiciary subcommittee is holding a hearing on Tuesday titled “Oversight of AI: Legislating on Artificial Intelligence." A House Oversight subcommittee will hold a hearing on Thursday that will look at potential risks in federal agency adoption of AI along with the adequacy of safeguards to protect individual privacy and ensure fair treatment. Witnesses include White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Arati Prabhaker along with the Pentagon's chief digital and artificial intelligence officer Craig Martell and Homeland Security Department's Chief Information Officer Eric Hysen. "However, it is critical that before we let the genie out of the bottle we understand the unique risks of inappropriate use of AI by the federal government."

Persons: Brad Smith, William Daly, Richard Blumenthal, Blumenthal, Josh Hawley, Chuck Schumer, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Arati Prabhaker, Craig Martell, Eric Hysen, Nancy Mace, Victoria Espinel, Rob Strayer, David Shepardson, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Microsoft, Nvidia, Artificial Intelligence, Republican, U.S, Meta, White, Office of Science, Technology, Homeland Security, BSA, The Software Alliance, Information Technology Industry, Thomson

☆ New A.I. working group aims to shape policy for key Democratic bloc
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Emily Wilkins | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — Democrats on Capitol Hill are forming a new working group on artificial intelligence and prioritizing how to prevent deepfakes from wreaking havoc on personal lives, national security and the upcoming 2024 elections. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., will chair the new AI working group in the New Democrat Coalition, a 97-member bloc of House members that typically avoid the spotlight but wield significant influence over policy within the caucus. "There's real concern about the potential for AI generated disinformation, real concern about misuse of advanced AI models," Kilmer told CNBC. Another concerning aspect for many lawmakers is what AI generated images could mean in the world of campaign ads. Ron DeSantis recently used AI in an ad to replicate former president Donald Trump's voice "reading" a post that Trump had written on social media.

Persons: Derek Kilmer, Kilmer, Joe Morelle, Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump's, Trump, Joe Biden, Democratic Minnesota Sen, Amy Klobuchar, Kevin McCarthy Organizations: WASHINGTON, Democrats, Capitol, New Democrat Coalition, House, CNBC, Homeland Security Department, New Dems, Florida Republican Gov, Republican National Committee, Senate, Democratic Minnesota, Dems Locations: Taiwan, China

☆ Exclusive: Israeli bid for U.S. visa waiver hangs on Palestinian-American access test
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But progress has been hindered because of restrictions on entry to Israel for Palestinian Americans from the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Although it has not been advertised beforehand, Israeli and U.S. diplomatic sources said the trial would start on Thursday. U.S. officials assessing the trial will also focus on whether Palestinian Americans or other Arab Americans are subjected to selective grilling by Israeli security personnel. A U.S. official estimated that, of that number, between 45,000 and 60,000 were residents of the West Bank. An Israeli official gave lower figures, saying that out of 70,000 to 90,000 Palestinian Americans worldwide, about 15,000 to 20,000 were West Bank residents.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu's, Eli Cohen, Washington's, Biden, Isaac Herzog, Dan Williams, Edmund Blair Organizations: U.S, Visa, West Bank, U.S . State Department and Homeland Security Department, Ben, Reuters, U.S . Embassy, Interior Ministry, National Security Council, Ben Gurion, BDS, Israel, Arab American Institute Foundation, West Bank ., Thomson Locations: Israel, JERUSALEM, U.S, United States, Palestinian, Ben Gurion, Tel Aviv, Ben, Jordan

☆ Data of 237,000 US government employees breached
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, May 12 (Reuters) - The personal information of 237,000 current and former federal government employees has been exposed in a data breach at the U.S. Transportation Department (USDOT), sources briefed on the matter said on Friday. The breach hit systems for processing TRANServe transit benefits that reimburse government employees for some commuting costs. The breach impacted 114,000 current employees and 123,000 former employees. Federal employees and agencies have been target of hackers in the past. Two breaches at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in 2014 and 2015 compromised sensitive data belonging to more than 22 million people, including 4.2 million current and federal employees along with fingerprint data of 5.6 million of those individuals.

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