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☆ Inside the White House, a Debate Over Letting Ukraine Shoot U.S. Weapons Into Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( David E. Sanger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Since the first American shipments of sophisticated weapons to Ukraine, President Biden has never wavered on one prohibition: President Volodymyr Zelensky had to agree to never fire them into Russian territory, insisting that would violate Mr. Biden’s mandate to “avoid World War III.”But the consensus around that policy is fraying. Propelled by the State Department, there is now a vigorous debate inside the administration over relaxing the ban to allow the Ukrainians to hit missile and artillery launch sites just over the border in Russia — targets that Mr. Zelensky says have enabled Moscow’s recent territorial gains. The proposal, pressed by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken after a sobering visit to Kyiv last week, is still in the formative stages, and it is not clear how many of his colleagues among Mr. Biden’s inner circle have signed on. It has not yet been formally presented to the president, who has traditionally been the most cautious, officials said. The State Department spokesman, Matthew A. Miller, declined to comment on the internal deliberations over Ukraine policy, including Mr. Blinken’s report after his return from Kyiv.

Persons: Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, Antony J, Matthew A, Miller, Blinken’s Organizations: State Department, The State Department Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv

covers the Biden administration and national security. He has been a Times journalist for more than four decades and has written several books on challenges to American national security.

Persons: Biden

☆ Aggression or Caution: The Choice Facing Iran’s Next Leaders
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( David E. Sanger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In their three years in power, President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran and his equally hard-line foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, did everything they could to consolidate the “Axis of Resistance” against the United States and Israel. They armed the Houthis, feeding the militia intelligence that fueled attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea. But for all those aggressive moves, the two men, both killed in a helicopter crash in the mountains near Azerbaijan on Sunday, were also careful. Last week, days before their deaths, they approved talks with the United States through intermediaries aimed at making sure the war in Gaza was not the prelude to a wider war in the Middle East. And they stopped just short of making those bombs, at least as far as American intelligence agencies and international inspectors can determine.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Israel Organizations: Hezbollah Locations: Iran, United States, Israel, Red, Azerbaijan, Gaza

Nearly one in five voters in battleground states says that President Biden is responsible for ending the constitutional right to abortion, a new poll found, despite the fact that he supports abortion rights and that his opponent Donald J. Trump appointed three Supreme Court justices who made it possible to overturn Roe v. Wade. Trump supporters and voters with less education were most likely to attribute responsibility for abortion bans to Mr. Biden, but the misperception existed across demographic groups. Twelve percent of Democrats hold Mr. Biden responsible, according to New York Times/Siena College polls in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin and a Times/Philadelphia Inquirer/Siena poll in Pennsylvania. “I think the buck stops with him, so he had the ability to fight that, and that’s not what I’m hearing that he did,” said Terri Yonemura, 62, an abortion rights supporter in Las Vegas who said she would not vote for Mr. Trump, but is unsure about Mr. Biden, so may not vote at all.

Persons: Biden, Donald J, Trump, Roe, Mr, “, that’s, ”, Terri Yonemura Organizations: Wade, New York Times, Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Mr Locations: Siena, Arizona , Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Las Vegas

☆ To Talk With Putin or Iran, the West Turns to the World’s Nuclear Inspector
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( David E. Sanger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Rafael Grossi slipped into Moscow a few weeks ago to meet quietly with the man most Westerners never engage with these days: President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. Mr. Grossi is the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, and his purpose was to warn Mr. Putin about the dangers of moving too fast to restart the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has been occupied by Russian troops since soon after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. But as the two men talked, the conversation veered off into Mr. Putin’s declarations that he was open to a negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraine — but only if President Volodymyr Zelensky was prepared to give up nearly 20 percent of his country. A few weeks later, Mr. Grossi, an Argentine with a taste for Italian suits, was in Tehran, this time talking to the country’s foreign minister and the head of its civilian nuclear program. At a moment when senior Iranian officials are hinting that new confrontations with Israel may lead them to build a bomb, the Iranians signaled that they, too, were open to a negotiation — suspecting, just as Mr. Putin did, that Mr. Grossi would soon be reporting details of his conversation to the White House.

Persons: Rafael Grossi, Vladimir V, Putin, Grossi, Mr, Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: International Atomic Energy Agency, United Nations Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Argentine, Tehran, Israel

Just 18 months ago, White House and Pentagon officials debated whether Russia’s forces in Ukraine might collapse and be pushed out of the country entirely. Now, after months of slow Russian ground advances and technological leaps in countering American-provided arms, the Biden administration is increasingly concerned that President Vladimir V. Putin is gathering enough momentum to change the trajectory of the war, and perhaps reverse his once-bleak prospects. In recent days, Moscow’s troops have opened a new push near the country’s second-biggest city, Kharkiv, forcing Ukraine to divert its already thinned-out troops to defend an area that it took back from Russian forces in a stunning victory in the fall of 2022. Artillery and drones provided by the United States and NATO have been taken out by Russian electronic warfare techniques, which came to the battlefield late but have proven surprisingly effective. And a monthslong debate in Washington about whether to send Ukraine a $61 billion package of arms and ammunition created an opening that Russia has clearly exploited, even though Congress ultimately passed the legislation.

Persons: Biden, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Pentagon, Artillery, NATO Locations: House, Ukraine, Kharkiv, United States, Washington, Russia

☆ White House Says Israel Still Has Provided No Plan to Protect Rafah Civilians
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( David E. Sanger | Zach Montague | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden’s national security adviser said on Monday that while the United States was committed to Israel’s defense, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government had still failed to provide the White House with a plan for moving nearly a million Gazans safely out of Rafah before any invasion of the city. In a lengthy presentation to reporters, the adviser, Jake Sullivan, also said Israel had yet to “connect their military operations” to a political plan for the future governance of the Palestinian territory. Mr. Sullivan, who has been at the center of the administration’s response to the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel and its aftermath, described in detail the administration’s objectives in intervening to achieve a cease-fire and a return of hostages, including Americans, still in the hands of Hamas. But beneath repeated expressions of support for Israel, he made clear Mr. Biden’s frustration in dealings with Mr. Netanyahu, after a series of heated conversations between the two men. Mr. Sullivan insisted that the only weapons Mr. Biden was withholding from the Israelis were 2,000-pound bombs, for fear that the U.S. munitions, which can level whole city blocks, would be employed by Israel in its effort to rout Hamas leaders from their tunnel network, deep under the city.

Persons: Biden’s, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Jake Sullivan, Israel, Sullivan, Netanyahu, Biden Organizations: Israel Locations: United States, Rafah, Israel

☆ A New Diplomatic Strategy Emerges as Artificial Intelligence Grows
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( David E. Sanger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

American and Chinese diplomats plan to meet later this month to begin what amounts to the first, tentative arms control talks over the use of artificial intelligence. A year in the making, the talks in Geneva are an attempt to find some common ground on how A.I. will be used and in which situations it could be banned — for example, in the command and control of each country’s nuclear arsenals. The fact that Beijing agreed to the discussion at all was something of a surprise, since it has refused any discussion of limiting the size of nuclear arsenals themselves.

Locations: Geneva, Beijing

☆ U.S. Labor Market Strength Steadies Social Security and Medicare Funds
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Alan Rappeport | Margot Sanger-Katz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The financial health of Social Security and Medicare, two of the nation’s most crucial safety net programs, has improved this year as a stronger-than-expected U.S. economy attracted more workers to the labor market, buttressing funding for the critical programs. Annual reports released on Monday by trustees of the old age and retirement programs showed that while both still face long-term shortfalls that could ultimately result in reduced retirement and medical benefits, lawmakers will have slightly more time before they begin to fray. About 70 million people receive Social Security benefits, and more than 66 million participate in Medicare. The fate of the popular programs continues to be a contentious political issue, one that is expected to intensify as the November presidential election draws near. President Biden has pledged to block any cuts to Social Security and Medicare and has called for shoring up the programs with higher taxes on the rich.

Persons: Biden, Donald J, Trump Organizations: Social Security, Republican, Biden

☆ U.S. Seeks to Build World Pressure on Russia Over Space Nuclear Weapon
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Julian E. Barnes | David E. Sanger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

American officials are trying to increase international pressure on Russia not to deploy an antisatellite nuclear weapon in space, and have obtained information that undermines Moscow’s explanation that the device it is developing is for peaceful scientific purposes, a senior State Department official said on Friday. Concern over the Russian development of a new generation of space nuclear weapons has been growing in Washington, especially since Moscow’s veto last month of a U.N. measure aimed at keeping space free of such weapons. Some Republicans believe that the Biden administration is not doing enough to deter Russian work on the device, and others are concerned about China’s apparent decision not to pressure Moscow to stop. On Friday, Mallory Stewart, the assistant secretary of state for arms control, said that while the United States had been aware of Russia’s pursuit of such a device for years, “only recently have we been able to make a more precise assessment of their progress.”Ms. Stewart, speaking at the nonpartisan Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said the orbit the Russian satellite would occupy is in a high-radiation region not used by other satellites, information that undercuts Russia’s defense that it is not developing a weapon.

Persons: Biden, Mallory Stewart, “, Ms, Stewart Organizations: State Department, Strategic, International Studies Locations: Russia, Washington, Moscow, United States

Florida’s Abortion Ban Will Reach Well Beyond FloridaAugust 2021 Miles to nearest clinic offering abortions after 6 weeks 50 150 250 350 450 Source: Caitlin Myers, Middlebury College As of Wednesday, Florida has banned abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. Florida, North Carolina and Virginia were the only states in the South offering abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. Women in several states will need to travel hundreds of miles farther to reach a clinic. Florida’s new ban could change that, researchers said — an illustration of how regional abortion access has become. If the amendment earns the support of 60 percent of voters, it will reverse the ban and protect abortion rights until about 24 weeks.

Persons: Miles, Caitlin Myers, Roe, Wade, ”, Jenny Black, —, “, Andrew Shirvell, Ron DeSantis, Professor Myers, Dobbs, Stephanie Loraine Piñeiro, Myers’s, Myers Organizations: Middlebury College, Planned, Eastern Seaboard, Guttmacher Institute, Jackson, Health, Florida Voice, Gov, Republican, Florida Access, Florida Supreme, Food and Drug Administration Locations: Florida, South . Florida , North Carolina, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, ” Florida, California, New York, Illinois, Dobbs v, Miami, Charlotte, N.C, Washington, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama , Arkansas, Louisiana , Mississippi , Oklahoma , Tennessee , Texas

☆ In Ukraine, New American Technology Won the Day. Until It Got Overwhelmed.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( David E. Sanger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The idea triggered a full-scale revolt on the Google campus. Engineers and other Google employees argued that the company should have nothing to do with Project Maven, even if it was designed to help the military discern between civilians and militants. The uproar forced the company to back out, but Project Maven didn’t die — it just moved to other contractors. Now, it has grown into an ambitious experiment being tested on the front lines in Ukraine, forming a key component of the U.S. military’s effort to funnel timely information to the soldiers fighting Russian invaders. So far the results are mixed: Generals and commanders have a new way to put a full picture of Russia’s movements and communications into one big, user-friendly picture, employing algorithms to predict where troops are moving and where attacks might happen.

Persons: Maven Organizations: Google, Engineers Locations: Ukraine

☆ Israel’s Strike on Iran: A Limited Attack but a Potentially Big Signal
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( David E. Sanger | Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For more than a decade, Israel has rehearsed, time and again, bombing and missile campaigns that would take out Iran’s nuclear production capability, much of it based around the city of Isfahan and the Natanz nuclear enrichment complex 75 miles to the north. That is not what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet chose to do in the predawn hours of Friday, and in interviews, analysts and nuclear experts said the decision was telling. Israel said almost nothing about the limited strike, which appeared to do little damage in Iran. U.S. officials noted that the Iranian decision to downplay the explosions in Isfahan — and the suggestions by Iranian officials that Israel may not have been responsible — was a clear effort by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps to avoid another round of escalation. Inside the White House, officials asked the Pentagon, State Department and intelligence agencies to stay quiet about the operation, hoping to ease Iran’s efforts to calm the tensions in the region.

Persons: Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, — Organizations: Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Pentagon, State Department Locations: Isfahan, Iran, U.S, Isfahan —, Israel

Within days, millions of TikTok videos using music from Universal artists went mute, and since then guessing which side would blink first has become a media-business parlor game. Backing this up, one study found that TikTok users reported experiencing higher levels of flow than Instagram users. Corey Basch, who analyzed 100 popular TikTok videos with the hashtag mentalhealth for a 2022 study, emerged concerned about the looping effect of the algorithm. Cerave Sales increased by more than 60 percent in 2020 after skin care became a lockdown pastime and TikTok users discovered the drugstore mainstay. Cat Crack Catnip It briefly sold out in 2021 after TikTok users posted videos of their cats going crazy for it.

Persons: randos, TikTok, you’ve, Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, ”, “ Wonka, Barbie, “ Oppenheimer, —, goofing, cavorting, Sue Fleishman, Z’s Walter Cronkite, Spehar, Donald J, Trump, he’s, Caitlin Clark’s, Joe Biden, Justin Bieber, Abbie Richards, Richards, Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X, Fleetwood Mac, Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Drake, Swift, ByteDance, can’t, Mark Warner, hasn’t, Al, ear on, Li Organizations: Fleetwood Mac, Facebook, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, White, Pew Research Center, YouTube, The New York Times, Kansas City Chiefs, Media, Colgate, Universal Music Group, ByteDance, Intelligence Committee, e Locations: United States, Beijing, Biden’s, TikTok, Singapore, View, Calif, China, American

☆ Microsoft Makes High-Stakes Play in Tech Cold War With Emirati A.I. Deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Paul Mozur | David E. Sanger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Under the partnership, Microsoft will give G42 permission to sell Microsoft services that use powerful A.I. chips, which are used to train and fine-tune generative A.I. products shared with G42 and includes an agreement to strip Chinese gear out of G42’s operations, among other steps. “When it comes to emerging technology, you cannot be both in China’s camp and our camp,” said Gina Raimondo, the Commerce Secretary, who traveled twice to the U.A.E. The accord is highly unusual, Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president, said in an interview, reflecting the U.S. government’s extraordinary concern about protecting the intellectual property behind A.I.

Persons: Biden, ”, Gina Raimondo, Brad Smith Organizations: Microsoft, United Arab, U.S ., Commerce Locations: United Arab Emirates, China, Washington, Beijing, Gulf

☆ With Nuclear Deal Dead, Containing Iran Grows More Fraught
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( David E. Sanger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Iran agreed to a deal in 2015 that would require it to surrender 97 percent of the uranium it could use to make nuclear bombs, Russia and China worked alongside the United States and Europe to get the pact done. The Russians even took Iran’s nuclear fuel, for a hefty fee, prompting celebratory declarations that President Vladimir V. Putin could cooperate with the West on critical security issues and help constrain a disruptive regime in a volatile region. A lot has changed in the subsequent nine years. China and Russia are now more aligned with Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” to an American-led order, along with the likes of North Korea. The disappearance of that unified front is one of the many factors that make this moment seem “particularly dangerous,” said Vali Nasr, an Iranian-born professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, “maybe the most dangerous in decades.”

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, ”, Biden, Vali Nasr Organizations: White, Johns Hopkins School, International Locations: Iran, Russia, China, United States, Europe, American, North Korea, Israel, Beijing, Moscow, Iranian

☆ Iran-Israel conflict: Here's what's at stake
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | 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 EmailIran-Israel conflict: Here's what's at stakeNew York Times White House and National Security Correspondent David Sanger joins ‘Squawk Box’ to discuss his new book, New Cold Wars: China’s Rise, Russia’s Invasion, and America’s Struggle to Defend the West, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, and more.

Persons: David Sanger Organizations: New York Times White House, National Security Locations: Iran, Israel

☆ C.I.A. Director Is Heading to Cairo for New Truce Talks
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Julian E. Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +14 min

During a 30-minute call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, President Biden went further than ever in pressing for change in the military operation. Credit... Fatima Shbair/Associated PressBy the middle of the night in Jerusalem, Israel made its first gestures to Mr. Biden. The reported agreement came as American officials held out the prospect of consequences if Mr. Netanyahu resisted. But Mr. Kirby would not outline specific metrics for judging Israel’s response or what Mr. Biden would do if not satisfied. Mr. Biden called himself “outraged and heartbroken” over the incident and made a point of calling Mr. Andrés to express his condolences.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, President Biden, Biden, Biden’s, “, Netanyahu, ”, Fatima Shbair, Mr, Antony J, Blinken, ” Mr, Chris Coons, Coons, Kamala Harris, Jake Sullivan, Biden “, William J, Burns, Mohammed Saber, John F, Kirby, emboldening, John Hannah, José Andrés, Andrés, Zomi Frankcom, Damian Soból, Barack Obama, Bibi, ” Ben Rhodes, Obama, ” Jon Favreau, doesn’t, ‘, ’, aggravation, Jill Biden, Joe, ” Julian E, Barnes, Katie Rogers, David E, Sanger, Lara Jakes Organizations: Israel, Hamas, Credit, Associated, U.S . National Security Council, NATO, Democratic, CNN, Republican, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Iran, Central Kitchen, Shutterstock, Jewish Institute for National Security of America, Biden, Mr, Israel Defense Forces, White Locations: Gaza, Israel, Rafah, Jerusalem, Ashdod, Jordan, Brussels, Michigan, Washington, Delaware, Iran, Syria, United States, Cairo, “ Hamas, Haiti, Cyprus, U.S, “

☆ Biden Chides Netanyahu, Threatening to Pivot U.S. Policy
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +13 min

During a 30-minute call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, President Biden went further than ever in pressing for change in the military operation. “President Biden emphasized that the strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable,” according to a White House summary of the call. But Mr. Kirby would not outline specific metrics for judging Israel’s response or what Mr. Biden would do if not satisfied. Mr. Biden called himself “outraged and heartbroken” over the incident and made a point of calling Mr. Andrés to express his condolences. Bibi obviously doesn’t care what the U.S. says, its about what the U.S. does.”Jon Favreau, a former chief speechwriter for Mr. Obama, was even more derisive of Mr. Biden.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, President Biden, Biden, “, Netanyahu, ”, Fatima Shbair, Antony J, Blinken, ” Mr, Biden’s, Chris Coons, Mr, Coons, Kamala Harris, Jake Sullivan, Biden “, Mohammed Saber, John F, Kirby, emboldening, John Hannah, José Andrés, Andrés, Zomi Frankcom, Damian Soból, Barack Obama, Bibi, ” Ben Rhodes, Obama, ” Jon Favreau, doesn’t, ‘, ’, aggravation, Jill Biden, Joe, Katie Rogers, David E, Sanger, Lara Jakes Organizations: Israel, Hamas, Credit, Associated, NATO, Democratic, CNN, Republican, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Iran, Central Kitchen, Shutterstock, Jewish Institute for National Security of America, Biden, Mr, Israel Defense Forces, White Locations: Gaza, Israel, Rafah, Brussels, Michigan, Washington, Delaware, Jerusalem, Iran, Syria, United States, “ Hamas, Haiti, Cyprus, U.S, “

☆ Opinion | Amid Tragedy, Anguished Pleas for Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “Just Let People Eat,” by José Andrés, a chef and the founder of World Central Kitchen (Opinion guest essay, April 4):What a humane, heartfelt and balanced essay by Mr. Andrés after the tragic death of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza. Now if only the Israeli people will hear his plea and require the government to open more humanitarian aid routes into Gaza. He beautifully points out the commonality across religions and cultures of our need for food. To the Editor:Re “Is Biden Willing to Use America’s Leverage With Israel?,” by David E. Sanger and Peter Baker (news analysis, April 4):President Biden is “outraged and heartbroken” over the deaths of the seven aid workers in Gaza. David Cameron, the British foreign secretary, says Israel must “make major changes to ensure the safety of aid workers.”

Persons: José Andrés, Mr, Andrés, James Berkman Boston, Elena Reyes Fort, Biden, David E, Sanger, Peter Baker, “, ”, David Cameron Organizations: World, Kitchen, Israel Locations: Gaza, Elena Reyes Fort Myers, Fla, British, Israel

☆ Biden Is ‘Outraged.’ But Is He Willing to Use America’s Leverage With Israel?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( David E. Sanger | Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When President Biden said he was “outraged and heartbroken” about the killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza, his forceful language raised a natural question: Would this strike, even if a tragic error, lead him to put conditions on the weapons he sends to Israel? So far, the White House has been silent on whether Mr. Biden’s anger is leading to a breaking point with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with whom every interaction has been tense. But in public, at least, Mr. Biden has limited his responses to ever more indignant declarations. Launching a bombing campaign on the southern city of Rafah would cross a “red line,” Mr. Biden has insisted, without laying out the consequences. The attack on the World Central Kitchen convoy is more evidence that Israel “has not done enough to protect aid workers,” he said on Tuesday, without specifying how its behavior should change.

Persons: Biden, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr, Israel “, Chris Van Hollen, “ Netanyahu Organizations: Kitchen, White Locations: Gaza, Israel, Rafah, Maryland, United States

☆ 4 Things You Need to Know About Health Care Cyberattacks
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Reed Abelson | Margot Sanger-Katz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The recent cyberattack on the billing and payment colossus Change Healthcare revealed just how serious the vulnerabilities are throughout the U.S. health care system, and alerted industry leaders and policymakers to the urgent need for better digital security. Hospitals, health insurers, physician clinics and others in the industry have increasingly been the targets of significant hacks, culminating in the assault on Change, a unit of the giant UnitedHealth Group, on Feb. 21. The ransomware attack on the nation’s largest clearinghouse, which handles a third of all patient records, had widespread effects. Fixes and workarounds have alleviated some distress, but providers are still unable to collect billions of dollars in payments. Even now, very little information about the exact nature and scope of the attack has been disclosed.

Persons: UnitedHealth Organizations: Healthcare, UnitedHealth Locations: U.S

☆ Why Russia Is Protecting North Korea From Nuclear Monitors
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( David E. Sanger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Through the most tense encounters with President Vladimir V. Putin’s Russia over the past decade, there has been one project in which Washington and Moscow have claimed common cause: keeping North Korea from expanding its arsenal of nuclear weapons. On Thursday, Russia used its veto power in the United Nations Security Council to kill off a U.N. panel of experts that has been monitoring North Korea’s efforts to evade sanctions over its nuclear program for the past 15 years. Moscow once welcomed the panel’s detailed reports about sanctions violations and considered Pyongyang’s nuclear program to be a threat to global security. But more recently, the panel has provided vivid evidence of how Russia is keeping the North brimming with fuel and other goods, presumably in return for the artillery shells and missiles that the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, is shipping to Russia for use against Ukraine. The group has produced satellite images of ship-to-ship transfers of oil, showing how the war in Ukraine has proved to be a bonanza for the North.

Persons: Vladimir V, Kim Jong Organizations: Putin’s, United Nations Security Council, North Korean, Ukraine Locations: Putin’s Russia, Washington, Moscow, North Korea, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Russia Amps Up Online Campaign Against Ukraine Before U.S. Elections
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Julian E. Barnes | David E. Sanger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Russia has intensified its online efforts to derail military funding for Ukraine in the United States and Europe, largely by using harder-to-trace technologies to amplify arguments for isolationism ahead of the U.S. elections, according to disinformation experts and intelligence assessments. In recent days, intelligence agencies have warned that Russia has found better ways to hide its influence operations, and the Treasury Department issued sanctions last week against two Russian companies that it said supported the Kremlin’s campaign. The stepped-up operations, run by aides to President Vladimir V. Putin and Russian military intelligence agencies, come at a critical moment in the debate in the United States over support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. While opposition to additional aid may have started without Russian influence, the Kremlin now sees an opportunity. Russian operatives are laying the groundwork for what could be a stronger push to support candidates who oppose aiding Ukraine, or who call for pulling the United States back from NATO and other alliances, U.S. officials and independent researchers say.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Ukraine, Treasury Department, Russia, Kremlin, NATO Locations: Russia, United States, Europe, Russian, Ukraine

☆ Middle East Crisis Israeli and U.S. Defense Ministers to Meet in Washington With Tensions High
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Victoria Kim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

For the increasingly tense U.S.-Israel relationship, the fallout from passage of the U.N. cease-fire resolution was immediate, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that he would not send a planned high-level delegation to Washington for meetings with U.S. officials. But on Monday, when the Security Council took up a less strongly worded resolution, calling for a cease-fire for the holy month of Ramadan, the U.S. representative abstained, allowing the measure to pass. Mr. Gallant, before meeting with Mr. Sullivan, gave no sign Israel would agree to a cease-fire. He reiterated the administration’s position that before going into Rafah, Israel must have a detailed plan to protect, shelter and feed the civilians there. The U.N. resolution and the American role in it drew angry responses from far-right elements of Israel’s government.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Netanyahu, “, Mr, Israel’s, John F, Kirby, ”, ” Mr, Yoav Gallant, Jake Sullivan, Antony J, Blinken, Lloyd J, Austin III, Gallant, Sullivan, Austin, Patrick Ryder, General Ryder, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Eric Schmitt, David E, Sanger, Cassandra Vinograd Organizations: United, Security, U.S, White, National Security Council, Pentagon, . Security, Palestinian, Security Council Locations: Israel, Washington, Rafah, Gaza, United States, ”

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