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☆ Alabama state and city governments grapple with pair of cyber incidents
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | Isabel Rosales | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

There was no breach of government networks or data stolen in the cyberattack, according to the office of Republican Gov. “We’ve seen waves of attacks against numerous targets, including the State of Alabama,” Richard Hummel, senior threat intelligence manager at cybersecurity firm Netscout, told CNN. The attacks against Alabama government websites typically lasted five to 10 minutes, Hummel said. More than 2,200 US hospitals, schools and governments were “directly impacted” by ransomware last year, according to a tally from cybersecurity firm Emsisoft. DDoS attacks can also cause disruptions to the local communities that rely on school, hospital and election websites for information, Hummel said.

Persons: ”, Jeremy Ward, Kay Ivey, Sergeant LaQuitta Wade, Gerald Auger, ” Auger, “ You’re, “, ” Richard Hummel, Netscout, Hummel, ransomware Organizations: Washington, Atlanta CNN, Alabama’s, Information Technology, CNN, Republican Gov, Public, Birmingham Police Department, Public Information, Coastal Information Security, Agency, State of, Alabama Locations: Atlanta, Birmingham, City, Alabama, Sudan, ”, State of Alabama

☆ Here are the 25 startups that sponsor the most H-1B visas for immigrants looking for work
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Melia Russell | Alex Nicoll | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The H-1B visa has served as a prominent pathway for skilled foreign labor into the American job market. The H-1B visa program is the nation's largest temporary work visa program, with over 600,000 workers across 50,000 employers. However, obtaining an H-1B visa remains challenging due to high demand. According to data from US Citizenship and Immigration Services, the 2024 H-1B visa lottery saw applications rise to a record-breaking 780,000. Using recent data from the US Office of Foreign Labor Certification, Business Insider put together this ranking of the top H-1B startup employers between October 1, 2022, and September 30, 2023.

Persons: USCIS, Jason Finkelman, Finkelman Organizations: Business, Citizenship, Immigration Services, White, Information, Regulatory Affairs, of Foreign Labor Locations: Hyderabad, Beijing

☆ Biden Finalizes Significant Overhaul in Federal Regulations
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Jim Tankersley | More About Jim Tankersley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration has overhauled how the federal government assesses the costs and benefits of regulation and some government spending programs, clearing a path for more aggressive efforts to fight climate change and help the poor. Officials at the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, a branch of the Office of Management and Budget, finalized a new and complicated set of rules on Thursday. They would change how federal agencies tally and weigh the potential value and harm of new regulations related to climate change, taxation, the distribution of disaster relief assistance and more. The federal government has long used so-called benefit-cost analysis when setting regulations that cover business activity, environmental pollution and much more. Its rules guiding those regulations were last changed during the George W. Bush administration, prompting many economists to complain that officials were not taking updated economic data and cutting-edge research into account when issuing regulations that can have vast consequences immediately and in the future.

Persons: Biden, George W, Bush Organizations: White, Office of Information, Regulatory Affairs, Management, Budget

☆ White House announces new efforts to crack down on 'tens of billions' in junk fees
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — The White House on Wednesday will announce new initiatives to rein in tens of billions worth of surcharges tied to goods and services, or "junk" fees, in partnership with two of the nation's leading consumer-protection agencies. "When people request basic information about their accounts, big banks cannot charge them massive fees or trap them in endless customer service loops," Chopra told reporters on Tuesday. "Charging a competitive price for a legitimate service makes sense but charging junk fees for basic customer responsiveness doesn't. Both the FTC and the CFPB have taken preliminary actions toward cracking down on junk fees over the past few months. Earlier this year, the CFPB released a rule proposal on excessive credit card fees, while the FTC began targeting unfair practices in ticketing and other fees in late 2022.

Persons: Joe Biden, WASHINGTON —, surcharges, Lael Brainard, Lina Khan, Rohit Chopra, Khan, Chopra, Wells Organizations: WASHINGTON, National Economic Council, Federal Trade, Consumer Financial, Bank of America, Regions Bank, Information, Regulatory Affairs, NEC, of Economic Advisers, FTC Locations: Israel, Washington , DC

☆ Some U.S. government agencies are testing out A.I. to help fulfill public records requests
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Lewis Kamb | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Still, some open government and civil rights advocates are already raising concerns that the government's move toward using AI to help address FOIA problems may create new ones. So far, government agencies haven't widely disclosed to the public what kinds of AI tools are being used, and in what fashion, Marshall said. But experts widely agree the FOIA process must be modernized and fixed, as requests can sometimes take months, even years, to fulfill. An increasing number of requesters have turned to the courts for help in prying records loose in a timely manner. The state department is now testing two AI models to help process FOIA requests, Stein said.

Persons: —, Jason R, Adam Marshall, Marshall, they're, Michael Sarich, Eric F, Stein, that's, There's, Bradford Brown, Brown, Mitre, Baron, Clinton, Brett Max Kaufman Organizations: State Department, Justice Department, Centers for Disease Control, NBC News, University of Maryland, Freedom, Press, Justice Department's, Information, Department of Veterans Affairs, Justice, CDC, NBC, Mitre Corp, National Archives, Records Administration, Mitre Locations: —

☆ You’ve Never Heard of Him, but He’s Remaking the Pollution Fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Coral Davenport | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This spring the Biden administration proposed or implemented eight major environmental regulations, including the nation’s toughest climate rule, rolling out what experts say are the most ambitious limits on polluting industries by the government in a single season. Piloting all of that is a man most Americans have never heard of, running an agency that is even less well known. But Richard Revesz has begun to change the fundamental math that underpins federal regulations designed to protect human health and the environment. Mr. Revesz, 65, heads the obscure but powerful White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, which is effectively the gatekeeper and final word on all new federal regulations. It has been known as the place where new rules proposed by government agencies, particularly environmental standards, go to die — or at least to be weakened or delayed.

☆ Fact Check-Claims that pizza boxes in Andrew Tate video led to his December arrest unsupported by evidence
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Claims that the pizza boxes in a video posted by ex-kickboxer Andrew Tate led to his and his brother arrest in December have been widely shared online. Social media users claimed the divisive internet character “gave away his location” with the pizza boxes in his clip. For roughly half of the rest of the clip, the brand, and a website address for a Romanian pizza restaurant printed on the boxes were viewable in the shot. However, there is no publicly-available evidence that Tate’s arrest was made as a result of the pizza boxes. There is no publicly-available evidence that the pizza boxes in a video published by Andrew Tate revealed his location to the Romanian police.

☆ Rideshare, retailers brace for tough U.S. independent contractor rule
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Broadly defining independent contractors as employees would also force companies to pay benefits, such as overtime pay and health benefits, that would hurt their bottom line. Employers can save about 30 percent by skipping payroll taxes and unemployment and benefit costs, workers' groups estimate. The meetings at the White House were one-sided, with officials at OIRA letting groups speak and not participating or asking follow-up questions, several employer sources said. A White House official said that listening without comment is part of the standard rulemaking process at OIRA. WORKERS WARN OF GROWING PAINGig Workers Rising, RideShare Workers United, Mobile Workers Alliance, We Drive Progress also met White House officials to broaden the definition of employee further, according to records and sources.

Город в скалеАктивная военная деятельность на базе Олавсверн прекратилась в начале нулевых, окончательно объект заморозили в 2009-м. © Photo : U.S. Navy Office of Information Быстроходная подводная лодка класса Seawolf USS Seawolf (SSN 21). Военно-морскую базу Олавсверн построили еще в 1960-х. В годы холодной войны американцы и их союзники держали на базе подводные силы, ответственные за акваторию Северного Ледовитого океана. Подземные лабиринтыПодземная база Олавсверн не уникальна.

Persons: —, Jens Kristian Nilsen, Николай Протопопов, Вячеслав Попов, Олавсверн, Эйнар Скорген, Скорген, Михаил Ненашев Organizations: U.S . Navy, Enterprise, NRK, Sputnik Moldova, Северный флот, НАТО, РИА Новости, Военно-морские силы, Организация Варшавского договора, ВМС, USS Enterprise, Академик Немчинов, Академик Шатский, NRK, Пентагон, Минобороны, Движение поддержки флота, Telegram, Video, Radio Sputnik Moldova Locations: США, Олавсверн, Норвегия, Запад, Россия, Арктика, Бангор, Вашингтон, Тромсе, СССР, Северный Ледовитый океан, Норвежское море, Северная Атлантика, Баренцево море, Муске, Стокгольмский архипелаг, Швеция, Крым, Таврос, Балаклавская бухта, Украина, Балаклава, Молдова

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