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☆ Opinion: Intelligence briefings for Trump are risky – but so is denial of briefings
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Opinion Frederick D. Baron | Dennis Aftergut | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The White House reportedly plans to follow tradition and authorize national security briefings for Trump after he officially becomes his party’s nominee at the Republican National Convention in July. Serious financial need is a top reason for denial of clearances for federal government positions requiring access to classified national security information, due to vulnerability to bribery or coercion. Given the risks posed by Trump’s access to national security intelligence, we must ask whether Biden’s asymmetrical belief in sticking to political norms is an Achilles heel. In opting to provide intelligence briefings to candidate Trump, they are likely to impose conditions on the briefings for security reasons. In granting intelligence briefings to his rival, he clearly reasoned that preserving a nonpartisan tradition was the wisest decision at this difficult moment in the nation’s history.

Persons: Frederick D, Baron, Dennis Aftergut, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Frederick Baron, Cooley, Biden, Trump, Jamie Raskin, Robert Hur’s, Jack Smith, Raskin, “, Putin, ”, Steve Benen, John Bolton, Obama, John Brennan, Adam Schiff, • Organizations: of National Security, Department of Justice, Intelligence, Defending American Democracy, CNN, Trump, White, Republican National Convention, Sensible, Southern District of, Maryland, Foreign Relations, Helsinki Trump, NATO, MSNBC, Mar, National Security Council, National Security, CIA, House Intelligence, Thursday’s State, Union Locations: Southern District, Southern District of Florida, Russia, Helsinki, “, New York, Thursday’s

☆ House Republicans move to strip security clearances from any official that said in 2020 that the release of Hunter Biden's emails had 'classic earmarks of a Russian information operation'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

House Republicans moved to effectively strip security clearances from former intelligence officials that raised questions about Hunter Biden's emails. The letter did not propose any evidence of Russian action or even explicitly suggest that Moscow was behind the story. Years later, The Washington Post commissioned two security experts who verified thousands of emails from the hard drive that contained copies of Biden's emails, photos, and other messages that were left at a Delaware computer repair store. "Is it the role of this committee to ban individuals from having security clearances for signing their name to a letter – expressing their opinions as ordained in the Constitution?" "If we want to take this committee down a road of punitive action, I have plenty of members of the Trump administration who I think should never hold security clearances again based on their actions surrounding January 6th," she said.

Persons: Hunter, —, Mike Hayden, Leon Panetta, John Brennan, Nick Shapiro, Trump's, Rudy Giuliani, Elon Musk, Betty McCollum, McCollum, Trump Organizations: Republicans, Democrat, Service, House Appropriations, CIA, New, Politico, The, Washington Post, Defense, Minnesota Democrat, Pentagon, Democratic Locations: Moscow, York, Delaware, Minnesota, Washington

☆ Hillary Clinton: Durham interviewed former Secretary of State on alleged plan to tie Trump to Russia, found no 'provable criminal offense'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Evan Perez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The special counsel was looking into whether any crimes occurred in the handling of an uncorroborated piece of US intelligence indicating Russia knew of a Clinton campaign plan to vilify her opponent, Trump, by tying him to the country. During the Trump administration, Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe released some of Brennan’s notes about the intelligence used in his briefing of former President Barack Obama. Ratcliffe publicly said that the intelligence community never corroborated the Russian claims of a “Clinton Plan” to frame Trump, and didn’t know whether it was fabricated. In her interview with Durham’s investigators, Clinton expressed sympathy for Durham’s hunt. Durham concludes that it would be impossible to prosecute anyone for their handling of the intelligence.

☆ Construction is bad for the planet. This startup's solution is to assemble buildings like they're flatpack furniture.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Spanish startup 011h is betting on timber as a humble hero to ease the climate and housing crises. Now, a Spanish construction company is hoping to spearhead the adoption of flat-pack buildings. When it is cut down for timber, carbon remains stored in the wood until it burns or decays. For Brennan, cost remains a big "but" — even if sustainable buildings are a no-brainer. If it's not affordable, if people cannot pay for it, then it's not sustainable," Carné said.

☆ Former CIA Director says it'd be 'impulsive' to try to shoot down China's spy balloon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Former CIA Director John Brennan said it'd be "impulsive" to shoot down the suspected Chinese spy balloon. Brennan told NBC News that China may have sent the balloon to test the US' response. The US defense department said it was a spy balloon, possibly flying over sensitive US sites to collect information. The former CIA director also questioned whether Chinese President Xi Jinping was "personally aware of this balloon flight." As of Saturday afternoon, the balloon had been spotted soaring over North Carolina as it drifted east on air currents.

☆ The man behind Trump World’s myth of rigged voting machines
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +32 min

He publicly announced his purchase of Montgomery’s data in August at a gathering in Missouri of hundreds of his followers. “I own it,” Lindell said of Montgomery’s data, touting it as irrefutable proof Trump was cheated. On Nov. 9, far-right podcaster Joe Oltmann linked Montgomery’s Hammer and Scorecard claims to a parallel conspiracy theory: that widely used voting machines manufactured by Dominion Voting Systems were rigged to flip votes from Trump to Biden. Powell amended her complaint a few days later and dropped the expert’s declaration and the references to Montgomery’s claims. But the government said in a recent court filing that the order has nothing to do with election data.

☆ The UK Navy's new drone submarine is the length of an iconic London bus and will help to 'dominate the underwater battlespace'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Bethany Dawson | Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The UK military has signed a £15.4 million ($18.7 million) contract to buy a crewless submarine. The First Sea Lord Admiral says it allows the Royal Navy to further their mission to "dominate the underwater battlespace." First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Ben Key has said: "This Extra Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle is a capability step-change in our mission to dominate the underwater battlespace." Celebrating the news of the new Navy vessel, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said: "To meet the growing threats to our underwater infrastructure, the Royal Navy needs to be ahead of the competition with cutting-edge capabilities. We have the right equipment to protect the security of the UK and our Allies."

☆ Nord Stream pipeline carrying Russian gas was blown up in an intentional 'gross sabotage,' Sweden says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Sweden said concluded that damage to the Nord Stream pipeline was "gross sabotage." The Swedish officials said it was too early to accuse any individuals of a crime. Other agencies and Western officials have been less hesitant, blaming Russia and President Vladimir Putin. Multiple leaks were found in both the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in late September, disrupting the supply of Russian gas to Europe and deepening the continent's energy crisis. Former CIA Director John Brennan told CNN after the leaks that Russia was the "most likely suspect," a claim Russian officials have flatly denied.

☆ Satellite images show a plume of methane erupting from the leaking Nord Stream pipelines - take a look
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-30 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The first images of methane escaping from the damaged Nord Stream pipelines have been released. The International Methane Emissions Observatory and a university in Spain analyzed the images. The organizations found that the giant plumes of methane gas at Nord Stream are markedly bigger than the massive leak last year in the Gulf of Mexico, which released 40,000 tons of methane. —International Methane Emissions Observatory (@CH4Observatory) September 29, 2022The leak from the two Nord Stream pipelines, which deliver gas from Russia to Europe, was discovered on Monday after a drop in pressure was recorded. The International Methane Emissions Observatory did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ Unidentified drones were spotted near offshore installations days before Nord Stream attack, according to letter from Norwegian energy security agency
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-30 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

There's been an uptick in unidentified drones near Norwegian offshore energy facilities in September. Leaks in the Nord Stream pipelines this week have largely been blamed on sabotage. Nord Stream 1 and 2 each consist of two pipelines carrying natural gas from Russia to Europe. Germany canceled plans to put Nord Stream 2 into operation after Russia moved forces into Ukraine in February. And in early September, Russian state-controlled gas giant Gazprom turned off Nord Stream 1's gas supply to Europe.

☆ There are now four leaks in the Nord Stream pipelines running from Russia to Europe, as NATO calls the damage 'acts of sabotage'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sweden said it had found a fourth leak on the Nord Stream pipelines this week. NATO said the damage was due to "deliberate, reckless, and irresponsible acts of sabotage". The Swedish coast guard told the Svenska Dagbladet newspaper a fourth leak had been discovered on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that connects between Russia and Europe. The initial leak was detected on Monday in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline as a drop in pressure was observed in both Nord Stream 1 and 2. Several weeks ago, the CIA told Germany that the Nord Stream pipelines could be attacked, Germany's Der Spiegel newspaper reported.

☆ Video: Ex-CIA director shares the most likely suspect for Nord Stream leaks
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

Former CIA director John Brennan talks with CNN's Brianna Keilar about the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the recent draft order from Russian President Vladimir Putin and the recent unexplained leaks from the Nord Stream gas pipelines.

☆ Russia gets its first drones from Iran as the two countries strengthen ties
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-30 | by ( Dan De Luce | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Josh-Lederman-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

Facing a protracted war in Ukraine and a wall of Western sanctions, Russia is turning to Iran to bolster its military and keep its economy afloat, as both countries’ interests converge. The delivery is part of Russia's plans to import “hundreds” of drones from Iran, they said. Despite Moscow’s alignment with Iran, Russia so far has maintained friendly relations with Tehran’s adversaries in the Middle East, including Israel, which has enjoyed a pragmatic relationship with Russia. Russia’s increasing cooperation with Iran could also complicate diplomacy outside the Ukraine conflict, including efforts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. “Iran can try to help Russia evade sanctions without the JCPOA or with the JCPOA.

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