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The National Security Agency collected the intelligence that gave US officials insights into China and Iran’s capabilities in producing deepfakes, one of the sources said. At a briefing last week, FBI officials warned that AI increases the ability of foreign states to spread election disinformation. US officials have maintained a high level of visibility into the AI and deepfake advancements made by countries including China, Iran and Russia since the 2020 election. Nearly 70% of Republicans and Republican-leaners said that President Joe Biden’s 2020 election win was not legitimate, according to a CNN poll released in August. The 2024 US election will present new opportunities for foreign influence operations.

Persons: “, ”, Lee Foster, Foster, ” Foster, leaners, Joe Biden’s, Donald Trump Organizations: CNN, National Security Agency, NSA, Intelligence, US, Labs, “, Republican, Pew Research Center, FBI, Kyiv Locations: China, Iran, Russia, United States, Ukraine, Ukraine –

☆ Biden's move to send $1 billion in weapons to Israel could backfire
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewThe US plans to send more than $1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel despite growing tensions between President Joe Biden and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Getting the weapons to Israel could be a lengthy process. AdvertisementBiden later warned he would withhold additional weaponry if Israel went ahead with a widespread ground assault on the city. Seth Binder, an expert on US weapons sales with the Middle East Democracy Center, told the Journal that Biden's apparent U-turn weakens his influence over Netanyahu. Analysts say that Biden's handling of the Gaza war is among the issues corroding his support among them.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Israel, Nathan Howard, Netanyahu —, Seth Binder, Netanyahu, Sen, Chris Van Hollen, BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, he's, Dave Harden Organizations: Service, Israel's, Officials, Street Journal, Business, CNN, White, Getty, Middle East Democracy Center, Washington Post, Pentagon, Israel, Gaza, US Agency for International Development, West Bank, BBC Locations: Israel, Gaza, Rafah, Washington , DC, Iran, Lebanon, Damascus, Syria

☆ This year's biggest air battles are showing the US what it could need most in a missile war with China
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jake Epstein | Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, FileThe war has shown how effective air defenses can be at denying air superiority, protecting key areas, and threatening high-value aircraft, as well as the costs when capabilities are degraded. Ukraine's air defenses, like its Soviet-era S-300s and US-supplied Patriots, have defeated enemy missile and drone strikes, hindered Russian air operations, and shot down numerous fighter-bombers and other Russian planes. "Ukraine and NATO might reduce risks with a two-prong strategy of strengthening air defenses and boosting infrastructure resilience." Needing more interceptors for the PacificFrom the fights this year, the US can see how it'll need to employ air defenses in a potential showdown with China. Running out of air defenses before the enemy runs out of air threats spells trouble.

Persons: —, Bradley Martin, Evgeniy, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Firefighters, Archer Macy, Martin, Shaan Shaikh, We've, Amir Cohen TPX, Shaikh, it's, Andy Wong, Thomas Shugart, Shugart, Joshua Smoot, Heath Collins, Navy Carlos Del Toro, Macy, Mark Wright Organizations: Service, Business, US Navy, Ukraine, AP, Patriots, Institute for, Emergency, Ministry, RAND Corporation, NATO, Western, Central Command, Combat, Navy, RAND, Patriot, US, Missile Defense, Center for Strategic, International Studies, REUTERS, China, Pentagon, Defense, Center, New, Air Force, 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, Andersen Air Force Base, US Air Force, Aegis, Missile Defense Agency, Former Navy, CSIS, Pacific Missile, AP Air Locations: China, Ukraine, Israel, Navy, Russia, Congress, Avdiivka, Kharkiv, Russian, Kyiv, NATO, Yemen, Gulf of Aden, Iran, Red, Screengrab, French, Ashdod, South Korea, Japan, Guam, Beijing, New American, Gen, Kauai, Hawaii

☆ Opinion | ‘The Seeds Had Been Planted. Trump Didn’t Do It Himself.’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Thomas B. Edsall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Replying by email to my inquiry, Hetherington wrote:In 1992, those whites scoring at the top of the authoritarianism scale split their two-party vote almost evenly between Bush and Clinton (51-49). By 2012, those high authoritarianism white voters went 68-32 for Romney over Obama. In both Trump elections it was 80-20 among those voters. So from 50 Republican-50 Democrat to 80 Republican-20 Democrat in the space of 24 years. The two authors analyzed data from seven studies conducted by the World Values Survey in 76 countries between 1981 and 2022.

Persons: Marc Hetherington, ”, Hetherington, Clinton, Romney, Obama, Joshua Conrad Jackson, Dan Medvedev, Jackson, Medvedev Organizations: University of North, Chapel Hill, Trump, Republican, University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business Locations: United States, Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, University of North Carolina, Bush

☆ Opinion: How an ICC arrest of Netanyahu could play out
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Opinion Dan Perry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —The signs are mounting that the International Criminal Court (ICC) is weighing an indictment against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials over Israel’s conduct of its war against Hamas in Gaza. But in 2015 the ICC stepped in to decide that implicitly it is, by accepting it — without consulting the Assembly of States Parties (ASP), representing ICC member states. Could the highly respected chief prosecutor, Britain’s Karim Khan, be feeling some pressure to play his part in ramping up the pressure on Netanyahu? Netanyahu is on the ropes politically and would almost certainly be trounced in an election held today. Israel desperately needs Netanyahu to be gone, as does the region and the world.

Persons: Dan Perry, Read, Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Sudan’s Omar al, Bashir, Moammar Ghadhafi’s, Saif, Netanyahu, Israel’s, Jordan, Egypt —, Dan Perry Moreover, —, Britain’s Karim Khan, Joe Biden’s, Israel Organizations: London, Associated Press, CNN, Criminal Court, Israeli, ICC, West Bank, ISIS, UN, States Parties, West, The West Bank, Bank, Palestinian Authority Locations: Cairo, Europe, Africa, Israel, Gaza, United States, Jerusalem, Sudan, Britain, Iraq, al, Libya, Yemen, Palestine, Palestinian, West Bank, East Jerusalem, Egypt, ramping, Iran

☆ Acclaimed Iranian Film Director Flees Country After Jail Sentence
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Emma Bubola | More About Emma Bubola | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The celebrated Iranian film director Mohammad Rasoulof said he had fled the country, after a court sentenced him to eight years in prison for his movies. Mr. Rasoulof — known for his award-winning film “There Is No Evil” — had been barred from leaving Iran after his work criticized life under authoritarian rule in the country. His lawyer, Babak Paknia, wrote last week on social media that a court had sentenced Mr. Rasoulof to imprisonment, whipping and a fine for movies that it called “examples of collusion with the intention of committing a crime against the country’s security.”On Monday, Mr. Rasoulof announced his escape from Iran in an Instagram post that featured a video of snow-capped mountains and said he had reached a “safe place” after a “difficult and long journey.”Addressing Iran’s clerical rulers, Mr. Rasoulof said he had been forced to leave “because of your oppression and barbarity,” and that he had now joined Iranians in exile who were “impatiently waiting to bury you and your machine of oppression in the depths of history.”

Persons: Mohammad Rasoulof, Rasoulof, ” —, Babak Paknia, Mr, ” Locations: Iranian, Iran

☆ Putin to meet Xi in China as world convulses from global conflicts
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Pyongyang – which has an economy almost entirely dependent of China – is believed by Western governments to be aiding Russia with war supplies. Xi has ramped up his calls for Europe and other countries to help the world avoid a “Cold War,” suggesting they resist what Beijing sees as US efforts to contain China. They have also criticized Israel and the United States – converging with mounting global backlash, especially across the Global South against Israel’s war. The conflict has also impacted how China and Russia view their relations with countries there, he added. China “wants to use Russia” for its aims, but Russia is making China weak, he said.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Putin, –, It’s, China –, Xi, France –, Jens Stoltenberg, Sergei Guneyev, ”, Li Mingjiang, Manoj Kewalramani, Russia doesn’t, Stringer, Gaza —, Sergey Lavrov, presser, Wang Yi, Israel, “, Privately, Shen Dingli, China “, Alexander Dugin, Donald Trump, Li Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, West, NATO, Forum, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, EU, Takshashila, Boys, Getty, United, Global, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Russia, Weibo, Moscow, CNN Locations: Hong Kong, China, Russian, Gaza, Ukraine, Moscow, Washington, Iran, North Korea, Pyongyang, Russia, Tehran, Beijing, Europe, France, Serbia, Hungary, Bangalore, Rafah, AFP, Israel, United States, Kewalramani, South, Taiwan, Shanghai, Singapore

☆ Money or talent? What's actually driving hedge funds to Abu Dhabi and Dubai
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Bradley Saacks | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Millennium, Brevan Howard, Schonfeld, and ExodusPoint are just a few of the funds that have put roots down in either Abu Dhabi or Dubai. Meanwhile, Bridgewater's Ray Dalio bought a penthouse in Abu Dhabi as he compliments the country's policies. When one US-based hedge fund fundraiser met with Abu Dhabi officials late last year, he didn't expect much to come of it. He lauded everything from the Louvre outpost in Abu Dhabi to the warm weather to the responsiveness from government officials. A Bloomberg story on Abu Dhabi notes that it's fast-tracking country-club admissions for new wealthy immigrants.

Persons: —, Brevan Howard, Schonfeld, Bridgewater's Ray Dalio, Austen Smart, Tighe, Smart, Alan Howard, Greg Coffey, Danny Yong, hoover, Doug Greenig, Morgan, Point72, Steve Cohen, Viking Global's Andreas Halvorsen, keynotes, Howard, Abu Dhabi, Craig Bergstrom, Bobby Jain's, Florin Court's Greenig, Abu, Floring Organizations: Service, United Arab Emirates, titans, Business, Tighe International, Florin Court Capital, Morgan Stanley's, Dubai Financial Services Authority, Abu, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Mubadala Investment Company, Corbin Capital, Abu Dhabi Global, Hong Kong, pats, Bloomberg Locations: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, London, New York, Mumbai, UAE, Asia, Switzerland, It's, Gaza, Iran, Palm, Europe, Cayman Islands, Jersey, Miami, San Franciso, Riyadh, Saudi

☆ Dedrone: 2024 CNBC Disruptor 50
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Cnbc.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Enter Dedrone, a Sterling, Va.-based defense tech company and inventor of technology with advancements to protect against escalating drone warfare. Recognized for innovations in smart airspace security, Dedrone technology is used by the military, government, and commercial customers including airports, stadiums and high-profile events such as Formula One Grand Prix to detect, track and reduce threats. Additionally, Dedrone systems are at work in Ukraine. Flying high this past year, Dedrone technology was singled out for an award as the only counter-drone approved for use in anti-terrorism by the Department of Homeland Security. Dedrone also expanded its partnership with the FAA for more testing of its technology at airports.

Persons: Richard D, Clarke, Dedrone Organizations: Department of Homeland Security, U.S ., Washington, D.C, US Army, FAA Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Asia, Sterling, Va

☆ Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof flees to Europe after prison and flogging sentence
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Artemis Moshtaghian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof says he has fled his home country to an undisclosed location in Europe after a court in Iran sentenced him to prison on national security charges. In a separate statement dated May 12, Rasoulof said he had decided to escape Iran after his lawyers told him his prison sentence would be implemented on short notice. Rasoulof didn’t specify how he escaped Iran, saying only that he did it secretly with the help of friends and acquaintances. In 2022, an Iranian court sentenced Rasoulof to one year in prison and banned him from making films for two years on the charge of “propaganda against the system,” according to Human Rights Watch. Iranian authorities have previously arrested him multiple times and confiscated his passport because of his work, HRW said.

Persons: Mohammad Rasoulof, Rasoulof, ”, “, Babak Paknia, Mahsa Amini, Mohammad, Jean, Christophe Simon, ” Rasoulof, HRW, Michael Rios Organizations: CNN, Cannes Film, Cannes, Human Rights Watch Locations: Europe, Iran, Abadan, France

☆ Australia and US unveil undersea drones Ghost Shark and Manta Ray
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —Ghost Shark and Manta Ray protect the undersea realm. Ghost Shark and Manta Ray are the names of prototype uncrewed underwater vehicles – UUVs or drones – introduced recently by Australia and the United States respectively. But when Australia unveiled Ghost Shark last month, it called the prototypes “the most advanced undersea autonomous vehicles in the world.”The first Ghost Shark prototype, "Alpha," was co-developed by the Defence Science and Technology Group, Navy and Anduril Australia. Like the Orca, the Manta Ray hasn’t come together as quickly as Ghost Shark. Its program began in 2020 and DARPA didn’t give a goal for the Manta Ray – or some variant of it – to join the US fleet.

Persons: Ray, Manta Ray, Rodney Braithwaite, ” Shane Arnott, Anduril’s, ”, Tanya Monro, Emma Salisbury, “, ” Salisbury, Chris Brose, Northrop, Manta, Northrop Grumman, ” Kyle Woerner, Kyle Woerner, Manta Ray hasn’t, Manta Ray –, –, Salisbury, Sutton Organizations: South Korea CNN, Marvel, Defence Science, Technology Group, Navy, Anduril, Government Defence, Australian Defense Ministry, “, US Navy, Boeing, Pentagon, Advanced Research Products Agency, DARPA, Research Projects Agency, Northrop Grumman, Manta, Defense, Research, Agency, US, U.S . Navy Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Australia, United States, Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Kyiv, Swiss, Anduril Australia, Geostrategy, Southern California, Maryland, California, China, UUVs, Beijing, Canada, France, India, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Norway, Russia, United Kingdom, Sutton

☆ A wargame simulated a 2nd Trump presidency. It concluded NATO would collapse.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

If Donald Trump wins a second term in the White House in November, NATO may fall apart, a recent wargame found. "What Donald Trump can do is just really hollow out what NATO does," Grimble told Business Insider. The UK has traditionally backed a transatlantic, America-Europe alliance rather than a purely European defense bloc. Yet in the game, it could neither persuade Trump to ease his demands, nor the European NATO members to spend more on defense. "Many NATO members — except for France mainly — thought post-Trump it could be salvageable," Grimble said.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Finley Grimble, Grimble, John Bolton, —, SACEUR, Jens Stoltenberg, NICHOLAS KAMM, hadn't, I'm, Florian Gaertner, Russia doesn't, God's, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, House, NATO, EU, US, Business, US National Security, Allied, Europe, Washington, Nato, Getty, European Union, Joint Expeditionary Force, Northern, —, European NATO, Trump, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Europe, Russia, NATO, Ukraine, China, American, United States, Finland, Romania, Poland, Baltic, France, Germany, French, America, Italy, Estonia, British, Turkey, Baltic States, Ukraine stalemated, Moscow, Russian, Kyiv . Europe, Beijing, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, European, Forbes

☆ The US military isn't ready for the coming drone war
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

The Department of Defense is working on initiatives to face the drone threat, but the US military doesn't yet appear ready to confront this ever-evolving challenge, especially on the scale seen in Ukraine. AdvertisementA US military MQ-9 Reaper drone waits for take-off at Kandahar Air Base in Afghanistan on March 9, 2018. US military leaders have repeatedly stressed there's no silver bullet to defeat small drones in battle. Shellie HallStudents there spend several weeks learning how to identify, engage, and defeat small drones. The drone threat draws certain parallels to fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, where hidden bombs posed a tremendous threat.

Persons: GENYA SAVILOV, Mick Ryan, hasn't, you've, Franz J, Marty, Samuel Bendett, Paul Scharre, that's, Mike Parent, Mark Schauer, Parent, Paul Butcher, Cpl, Doug Bush, Amber Osei, Moseph Sauda, doesn't, Sauda, America's, Bram Janssen, Scharre, Justin Bronk, Jack Watling, Ryan Organizations: Business, Troops, of Defense, Department of Defense, Getty, Australian Army, Islamic State, Kandahar Air Base, Defense Ministry, Karabakh . Defense Ministry, Azerbaijan, AP, Pentagon, US Army, Aircraft Systems, Solutions, 71st Jaeger Brigade, US Army Yuma, Technology, Army, sUAS University, US Marine Corps, Force, Central Command, Shellie, National Training Center, US Army Air Defense Artillery, Center, New, New American Security, Base, London's Royal United Services Institute Locations: Russian, Ukrainian, Ukraine, prowling, Jordan, Chasiv Yar, Donetsk, AFP, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Avdiivka, Yuma, East, Oklahoma's Fort Sill, California, Fort Sill, China, Luhansk Region, Europe, Iran, New American, Iraq, Washington, Bagram, Kabul, Australian

☆ Opinion | Biden’s Real Mistake in Pausing Military Aid to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Thomas L. Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It is unfortunate that President Biden chose to announce his pause of some weapons sales to Israel while on a political campaign swing through Wisconsin. I use that word — “unfortunate” — not because I don’t understand why Biden did so, but because the move has enabled Benjamin Netanyahu to deflect attention from the fact that the most dangerous leader threatening Israel today is not Biden but Bibi. Netanyahu’s policies have not and will not produce a sustainable victory in Gaza, cannot secure Israel against its greatest existential threat — Iran — and are endangering world Jewry and undermining America’s broader Middle East strategic needs and goals. That is the real source of tension between Washington and Jerusalem today. It is not Biden’s temporary hold on sending Israel a fresh supply of 2,000-pound bombs and some other offensive weapons — which Biden has been warning Israel for months that he would do if Israel attempted to pulverize Rafah, the way that it did Gaza City and Khan Younis, without an evacuation of civilians.

Persons: Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Bibi, Israel, Khan Younis, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Hamas ❤️ Biden Organizations: Israel, National Security, Hamas Locations: Israel, Wisconsin, Gaza, Iran, Washington, Jerusalem, Rafah

☆ Biden and Netanyahu's fraught relationship hits new low after U.S. pauses weapons shipment
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

"There's real skepticism in the administration that Rafah will bring about a deal for the hostages, like the Israelis have been saying." Pentagon confirms weapons shipment pause to IsraelThe Pentagon confirmed on Wednesday that the administration paused the delivery to Israel of a shipment of 1,800 two-thousand-pound bombs and 1,700 five-hundred-pound bombs. Netanyahu remains undeterred, saying that Israel will "stand alone" and fight "with our fingernails" if U.S. weapons shipments stopped. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (L) visits army units on the border between Israel and Gaza Strip near Rafah, Gaza on May 07, 2024. Israeli Ministry of Defense | Anadolu | Getty ImagesItamar Ben Gvir, Israel's far-right wing national security minister, posted on X simply writing: "Hamas [heart emoji] Biden."

Persons: Ahmad Gharabli, Richard Haass, Joe Biden, Haass, George W, Bush, Benjamin Netanyahu, Khan Yunis, Ashraf Amr, Biden, Defense Lloyd Austin, Washington's, Austin, Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Itamar Ben Gvir, emoji, It's, Will, Avi Melamed, Melamed, Clayton Allen, Independent Sen, Bernie Sanders, Vermont, Sanders, Ali Jadallah Organizations: Hamas, AFP, Getty, U.S, Foreign Relations, Haaretz, Qatari, United Nations, WHO, Anadolu, CNN, Pentagon, Biden, Defense, Israel, Israeli, Ministry of Defense, Congress, Eurasia Group, Independent, CNBC Locations: Israel, Gaza, Rafah, Palestinian, Israeli, Khan, I'm, al, Hamas, Iran, U.S, United States

☆ Middle East tensions: Disruption to oil supply is unlikely at this stage, analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailMiddle East tensions: Disruption to oil supply is unlikely at this stage, analyst saysNeil Beveridge, senior oil and gas analyst at Bernstein, discusses the tit-for-tat between Iran and Israel, and says "$80-$90 a barrel is really where fundamentals are pointing for oil right now," adding that there's a "limited chance that we'll see … things really getting out of hand."

Persons: Neil Beveridge, Bernstein Locations: Iran, Israel

☆ India’s time zone: Why the world’s most populous country has a unique one
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Dhruv Tikekar | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

India’s half-hour zone dates back to colonial rule of India and the era when ever-faster steamships and trains were shrinking the world. The start of the 20th century saw some push from scientific associations to calibrate India’s time to GMT. That recommendation was rejected by the colonial government, which opted for a unified time that sat squarely in the middle: five and a half hours ahead of GMT. In 2015, North Korea moved out of sync with South Korea by creating “Pyongyang Time,” putting the country eight and a half hours ahead of GMT instead of nine. India’s colonial-era time zone decision making, however, reflected a chorus of political, scientific and commercial voices both from within the government and outside of it, Gordon says.

Persons: Hulton, ”, Geoff Gordon, Gordon, “, it’s, Wong Maye, Hugo Chávez, Nicolas Maduro, Terry Gilliam, Rube Goldberg, Maulik Jagnani, Jagnani Organizations: CNN, East India Company, Hulton Deutsch, University of Amsterdam, Madras, Washington D.C, Greenwich Meridian, Greenwich Observatory, Meridian, Royal Society, Prime Meridian, Physical Laboratory, Tufts University, NPL Locations: New York, London, Tokyo, Iran, Myanmar, Australia, India, British, Madras, Chennai, “, Bombay, Kolkata, Washington, London ., Greenwich, North Korea, South Korea, Korea, Pyongyang, Brazil, ”, Greenwich , London, China, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat

☆ FBI watching if US support for Ukraine will spur Russian risk taking in 2024 election
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —US intelligence officials are watching closely to see if the United States’ support for Ukraine will lead the Russian government to take more risks in potentially interfering in the 2024 presidential election, a senior FBI official told reporters Thursday. “We’re certainly… keeping our eye out to make sure that that’s not increasing [their] risk taking.”The FBI briefed reporters on the condition that the senior FBI officials not be named. The FBI official’s comments on Thursday echo those made by a senior National Security Agency official in March. “Russia can use their access to those government networks to undermine confidence in the US election integrity and bolster influence operations,” the second FBI official said. The FBI officials also singled out China and Iran as other governments that could be willing to interfere in or influence the 2024 US election.

Persons: Joe, “ We’re, ”, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, denigrate Biden, Trump, weren’t, Hillary Clinton’s, “, ” Rob Joyce, Joyce, ” CNN’s Marshall Cohen Organizations: CNN, FBI, Ukraine, GOP, National Security Agency Locations: United States, Ukraine, Russian, Ukraine –, Kyiv, Russia, China, Iran

☆ Mohammad Rasoulof: Iran sentences renowned director to 8 years in prison and flogging, lawyer says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Hande Atay Alam | Artemis Moshtaghian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A court in Iran has sentenced acclaimed movie director Mohammad Rasoulof to eight years in prison and flogging for national security crimes, his lawyer said on Wednesday. The writer-director’s latest work, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” is due to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in France next week. According to Paknia, some also alleged they were asked by officials to tell Rasoulof to withdraw the film from the festival. “Once again, the judiciary’s verdict against Mohammad Rasoulof proved that the law is only a playground for stubbornness and revenge in the legal system contaminated by government jurisprudence,” it said. “Independent and freedom-loving cinematographers condemn the invalid judgment of the judiciary against Mohammad Rasoulof and stand by him and all the artists who make fun of government censorship.”

Persons: CNN —, Mohammad Rasoulof, Babak Paknia, Paknia, Rasoulof, ”, HRW, “ Organizations: CNN, Cannes, Cannes Film, Human Rights Watch, Association Locations: Iran, France, Cannes

☆ Amid pomp and propaganda, Russia holds Victory Day military parade as war rumbles on
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin watches a military parade on Victory Day, which marks the 77th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Red Square in central Moscow, Russia May 9, 2022. Mikhail Metzel | Sputnik | ReutersRussia kicked off its 79th "Victory Day" military parade on Thursday as the war with Ukraine rumbles on into a third year. Russian paratroopers march during the Victory Day Red Square Parade on May 9, 2023 in Moscow, Russia. He said participants in the "special military operation" — code for the Russian war against Ukraine — are also marching this year. The Yars ballistic missiles take part in a rehearsal of the Victory Day parade in Moscow, Russia, May 7, 2022.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Metzel, Suvorov, Sergei Shoigu, Ukraine —, Bai Xueqi, Alexander Lukashenko, Anatolii STEPANOV, ANATOLII STEPANOV, Stepanov Organizations: Nazi, Sputnik, Reuters, Kremlin, Getty, Youth Army, Russian Defense, Ukraine, Russian Air, Xinhua News Agency, West, NATO, Afp Locations: Nazi Germany, Red, Moscow, Russia, Reuters Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, China, Kostyantynivka, Donetsk, AFP

☆ Analysis: Biden’s Rafah warning sends immediate shockwaves through US and global politics
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Hospitals are overstretched as Palestinians die in Israeli attacks on the suburbs and tens of thousands of people have already fled. For Netanyahu, the eradication of the group that carried out the October 7 attacks may be a matter of political survival. • Can Israel — as Netanyahu vows — go ahead alone in an operation even the US has disowned? • How would a full-scale offensive in Rafah further hamper already faltering attempts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas? Initially, Biden’s warning, delivered in an interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett in the swing state of Wisconsin on Wednesday, looks like a case of political whiplash.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, —, Reagan, Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, Biden, Donald Trump, Netanyahu, Will Biden’s, Israel —, pummel, he’s, Erin Burnett, CNN Alon Pinkas, CNN’s Becky Anderson, ” Pinkas, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Joe ”, Israel’s, Gilad Erdan, Yoav Gallant, “, dissing Biden, Mike Johnson, ” Trump, Trump, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan’s, Massachusetts Sen, Elizabeth Warren Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, Israeli, Gaza Health Ministry, United Nations, Democratic, Republicans, Trump, voters, Republican, House, Hamas, Party, GOP, CNBC Locations: Israel, Rafah, Washington, Gaza, Rafah —, New York, Wisconsin, United States, Europe, Michigan, Chicago, Vietnam, Iran, Damascus, Lebanon, Massachusetts

☆ Middle East Crisis Biden Says the U.S. Will Not Supply Israel With Weapons to Attack Rafah
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Erica L. Green | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

President Biden acknowledged on Wednesday that American bombs have been used to kill Palestinian civilians as he warned that the United States would withhold certain weapons if Israel launches a long-threatened assault in southern Gaza. “If they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, that deal with that problem,” Mr. Biden said in an interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett. Mr. Biden had resisted earlier calls to condition aid to Israel. Mr. Biden said he had made it clear to Mr. Netanyahu and his war cabinet that they would not get support if they moved forward with an offensive in densely populated areas. Asked if he hears the message of those young Americans, Mr. Biden said:“Absolutely, I hear the message.”

Persons: Biden, ”, Mr, CNN’s Erin Burnett, We’re, we’re, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, “, Netanyahu, Joe ” — Organizations: U.S, Hamas Locations: Rafah, United, Israel, Gaza, United States, Iran, I’m, East, ”, Egypt

☆ Oil prices fall more than 1% as market softens on rising inventories
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Crude oil futures fell more than 1% on Wednesday as the market softens on rising inventories, though prices could firm later this year as demand increases during the summer driving season. "Oil market indicators have turned softer in recent weeks, and prices have declined from recent peaks," Morgan Stanley analysts said in a Wednesday note. "The oil market is not tight now, but we see seasonal strength ahead in coming months." Here are today's energy prices:Oil prices have fallen 8% since April highs when traders bid up prices on fears that Iran and Israel would go to war. Investors have largely sold off the war premium since then, with Morgan Stanley removing $4 per barrel of risk from its oil price forecast for the year.

Persons: Morgan Stanley Organizations: Investors Locations: U.S, Iran, Israel

☆ Biden Says the U.S. Will Not Supply Israel With Weapons to Attack Rafah
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Erica L. Green | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden acknowledged on Wednesday that American bombs have been used to kill Palestinian civilians as he warned that the United States would withhold certain weapons if Israel launches a long-threatened assault in southern Gaza. In some of his strongest language to date on the seven-month war, Mr. Biden said the United States would still ensure Israel’s security, including the Iron Dome missile defense system and Israel’s “ability to respond to attacks” like the one Iran launched in April. But he said he would block the delivery of weapons that could be fired into densely populated areas of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians are sheltering. The president had already halted the shipment of 3,500 bombs last week out of concern that they might be used in a major assault on Rafah — the first time since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7 that Mr. Biden has leveraged U.S. arms to try to influence how the war is waged.

Persons: Biden, ” Locations: United, Israel, Gaza, United States, Iran, Rafah

☆ Opinion | Iran and Israel Weren’t Always Enemies
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Karim Sadjadpour | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“History is littered,” the British writer and politician Enoch Powell said, “with the wars which everybody knew would never happen.”A full-blown conflict between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Israel once seemed implausible. Iran and Israel are not natural adversaries. In contrast to other modern conflicts — between Israel and Palestine, Russia and Ukraine, China and Taiwan — Iran and Israel have no bilateral land or resource disputes. Their national strengths — Iran is an energy titan and Israel is a tech innovator — are more complementary than competitive. Iran was the second Muslim nation, after Turkey, to recognize Israel after its founding in 1948.

Persons: Enoch Powell, specter, King Cyrus the Great Locations: Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, United States, Iran, Palestine, Russia, Ukraine, China, Taiwan, Turkey

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