DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ U.S. intelligence chief warns Congress of rise in cyberattacks
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Ryan Anastasio | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee May 2, 2024 in Washington, DC. The top U.S. intelligence official warned Congress of an alarming rise in cyberattacks at a hearing on global threats Thursday. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said the number of ransomware attacks worldwide grew as much as 74% in 2023. The comments from Haines come as various companies, such as UnitedHealth Group , MGM Resorts and Clorox , have been disrupted by cyberattacks in the past year. In 2023, cyberattacks also temporarily shut down MGM's hotel booking system and disrupted production at Clorox.

Persons: National Intelligence Avril Haines, Haines, Sen, Angus King, cyberattacks, They've, That's, King, Andrew Organizations: National Intelligence, Senate Armed Services, UnitedHealth, MGM Resorts, Clorox, cyberattacks, Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S, Healthcare Locations: Washington ,, cyberattacks, U.S, East, Maine, China, Russia, Clorox

☆ Biden replaces Obama-era infrastructure protections to defend against Chinese cyberthreats
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Biden's new policy is largely a rewrite of the Obama administration's rule to safeguard U.S. critical infrastructure called the Presidential Policy Directive, or PPD-21, which was published in 2013. The effort to redraft that Obama-era infrastructure policy began over a year ago, in part to modernize it and keep up with hackers who have benefited from over a decade of technological advancement. The Biden administration has warned China not to help Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, or else the U.S. would be ready to act with sanctions. "We're aware now of the serious Chinese threat to our critical infrastructure, specifically prepositioning to disrupt or destroy critical infrastructure in the event of a major crisis," a senior administration official said. "The presidential policy directive that was created in 2013 didn't mention anything about CISA's role because we weren't created yet," a senior administration official said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Obama, cyberattacks, Christopher Wray, congressmembers, Wray, Biden's, Biden Organizations: White, Washington , D.C, Directive, FBI, Taiwan, of Homeland Security, Infrastructure Security Agency Locations: Washington ,, China, Russia, Ukraine, U.S, Taiwan

☆ Putin likely did not directly order Navalny’s killing, U.S. intelligence agencies conclude
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Floral tributes, portraits of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and messages are seen left outside the former Russian Embassy in Tbilisi on March 1, 2024. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin probably didn't directly order the killing of Alexei Navalny at a remote penal colony in February, according to three sources familiar with the matter. As Russia's most high-profile and popular dissident, Navalny's death dealt a severe blow to the country's opposition movement, which has been brutally suppressed by the Kremlin. Before Navalny's death, there had been tentative discussions about a possible prisoner exchange with Russia involving Navalny and Americans detained in Russia, NBC News previously reported. Navalny's allies allege that Putin had the dissident killed to thwart the proposed prisoner swap that would have freed him.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Navalny, Joe Biden, Sergei Skripal, Navalny's Organizations: Russian Embassy, Kremlin, Washington, Russia's Federal, Service, CIA, National Intelligence, NBC Locations: Tbilisi, Russia's, Russia, Russian, United Kingdom, Western

covers the U.S. intelligence agencies and international security matters for The Times. He has written about security issues for more than two decades.

Organizations: The Times

☆ Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says he's committed to cost cutting while investing in AI in shareholder letter
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +41 min

This work diminished short-term revenue, but was best for customers, much appreciated, and should bode well for customers and AWS longer-term. We're also making progress on many of our newer business investments that have the potential to be important to customers and Amazon long-term. Being intentional about building primitives requires patience. Customers building their own FM must tackle several challenges in getting a model into production. Customers' AI models contain some of their most sensitive data.

Persons: Andy Jassy, Jassy, Jeff Bezos, he's, we've, Martha Stewart, Clinique, we're, We've, bode, We're, I've, iterating, We'd, we'd, Fox, affordably, you've, They're, Anthropic, that's, Claude, Dana, debugs, Slack Organizations: Amazon, Services, AWS, Deal, Prime, MGM, Savings, Regions, Citadel, Target, Storage Service, Netflix, Disney, Max, Paramount, CIA, . Intelligence, Amazon Freight, Carrier, Amazon Shipping, Foods, Drones, Amazon Pharmacy, Amazon Clinic, Robotics, Nvidia, Ricoh, NatWest, FMs, Meta, Bridgewater Associates, Farber Cancer Institute, Delta Air Lines, Intuit, KT, Lonely, LexisNexis, Netsmart, Pfizer, PGA, Rocket Companies, Siemens, Media, Inc Locations: North America, U.S, Europe, India, Brazil, Australia, Mexico, Middle East, Africa, Malaysia, New Zealand, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Berlin, Hulu, Amdocs, Genomics England, GoDaddy, GenAI

☆ Election Updates: With No Labels out of the race, the third-party picture comes into focus.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Reid J. Epstein | Michael Gold | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

It follows comments from Mr. Kennedy this week suggesting that President Biden posed a greater threat to American democracy than Mr. Trump. The campaign described Mr. Assange as a “political prisoner” and asked supporters to sign a petition urging the United States to drop the charges against him. Particular attention has been paid to those rioters who have been held at the local jail in Washington. Mr. Trump has made this revisionist view of the events of Jan. 6 central to his campaign. Mr. Trump, who once sided with Mr. Assange over the conclusions of America’s intelligence services, had considered pardoning both Mr. Assange and Mr. Snowden — who fled into exile in Russia more than a decade ago — during his term in office.

Persons: Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Stefanie Spear, Kennedy’s, “, Ms, Spear, Donald J, Trump, Kennedy, Biden, Julian Assange, Assange, ”, doesn’t, Ed Snowden, ” Mr, Mr, Jan, Snowden, Snowden —, —, Michael Gold Organizations: Capitol, WikiLeaks, J6, D.C, CNN, Washington, NBC News, NBC Locations: Washington, American, United States, Russia, New York

☆ U.S. Intelligence Warning to Moscow Named Specific Target of Attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Julian E. Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The U.S. warning to Russia ahead of a terrorist attack near Moscow was highly specific: Crocus City Hall was a potential target of the Islamic State, according to U.S. officials. The warning had the right venue but imprecise timing, suggesting that the attack could come within days. Indeed, the public warning by the United States Embassy on March 7 warned of potential terrorist attacks in the next two days. Gunmen stormed the hall on March 22, killing 144 people, the deadliest attack in Russia in nearly 20 years. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, and Russia charged four men from Tajikistan, accusing them of carrying out the massacre.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Islamic, United States Embassy, Gunmen, Islamic State Locations: Russia, Moscow, Crocus, Islamic State, Tajikistan, Ukraine

CNN —The Biden administration is close to approving the sale of as many as 50 American-made F-15 fighter jets to Israel, in a deal expected to be worth more than $18 billion, according to three people familiar with the matter. Since Hamas’ attack on Israel in October, which killed over 1,200 Israelis, the US has made more than 100 foreign military sales to Israel. Most of those have fallen under the specific dollar amount that requires a notification to Congress, an official familiar with the matter previously told CNN. A congressional aide told CNN that House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul has also approved the transaction to proceed to formal congressional notification. “What you hear about the frustrations within the administration over the Israel policy, it is real,” one US diplomat told CNN on condition of anonymity.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Sen, James Risch, Michael McCaul, Ben Cardin, Greg Meeks, Biden administration’s, Joe Biden’s, “, ”, Israel won’t, Josh Paul, Matthew Miller, Israel what’s, Pat Ryder, ” Steven Katz, Katz Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Biden, Democratic, House Foreign Affairs, Foreign, State Department, Republican, Senate Foreign Relations, House Foreign, Congressional Research Service, UN, The State Department, State Department’s Bureau, Political, Military Affairs, ”, Pentagon, Army, Defense, U.S, National Intelligence Locations: Israel, Gaza, State, Washington , DC, United States, “ Israel, Iran

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russia says U.S. defended Kyiv too quickly after terror attack; Ukraine reshuffles security chiefs
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

"As for whether it is possible to say 'one way or another': you can say it any way you want. But (...) while the investigation is underway, the official authorities cannot afford to do any statements on this matter," Peskov told reporters, news agency Interfax reported. "Although I recommend that you very carefully reread President Putin's statements that he made over the last two days. Russia has presented no evidence that there was any involvement by Ukraine and Kyiv itself vehemently denies any role in the deadly attack on concertgoers. Eight suspects, nationals of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, have been remanded in custody and charged with terrorism offenses ahead of trial.

Persons: Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV, KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Putin, — Holly Ellyatt Organizations: Getty, Kremlin, concertgoers Locations: Zaryadye, Basil's, Moscow, AFP, Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

☆ Russia claimed the West, Kyiv ordered the Moscow terror attack. Now it has the problem of proving it
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin at an expanded Prosecutor General's Office meeting on March 26, 2024, in Moscow. An investigation into the attack is ongoing, but the latest, outlandish accusations give Moscow a problem: It now has to find the evidence to back up its unsubstantiated claims. What's particularly awkward for the Kremlin is that the Islamic State militant group has already claimed responsibility for the attack. Ukraine denies any involvement in the attack, saying it was "absolutely predictable" that Moscow would look to blame it. The White House said Ukraine had "no involvement whatsoever" in the attack and that any claim to the contrary was "Kremlin propaganda."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, It's, Andrius, Putin, David Cameron, concertgoers, Alexander Bortnikov, Nikolai Patrushev, Sergei Karpukhin, Nikolai Patrushev —, —, Patrushev, Maria Zakharova, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Moscow, Margarita Simonyan, Putin's, Alexander Lukashenko, Rachabalizoda, Barotovich, Muhammadsobir, Shamsidin Fariduni, Tatyana Makeyevaolga Maltseva, Max Hess Organizations: General's, Getty, Ukraine, Crocus City Hall, Islamic State, West, Kremlin, Russia's Federal Security Service, Russian Security, AFP, Security, Islamic, RIA Novosti, Russian Foreign, U.S, Kremlin's, CNBC Wednesday, Institute for, Afp, Analysts, Foreign Policy Research Institute, CNBC, CIA Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Crocus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Ukrainian, Europe, Russian, U.S, Kyiv, Belarusian, Belarus, Basmanny, Soviet Union

☆ 4 men charged in Moscow attack, showing signs of beatings at hearing as court says 2 accept guilt
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Four men accused of staging the Russia concert hall attack that killed more than 130 people appeared before a Moscow court Sunday showing signs of severe beatings as they faced formal terrorism charges. There had been earlier conflicting reports in Russian media outlets that said three or all four men admitted culpability. Russian media said Saturday that one of the suspects had his ear cut off during interrogation. A steady stream of people added to a makeshift memorial near the burned-out concert hall, creating a huge mound of flowers. Igor Pogadaev was desperately seeking any details about his wife, Yana Pogadaeva, who went to the attack concert.

Persons: Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, Shamsidin Fariduni, Mukhammadsobir Faizov, Rachabalizoda, Mirzoyev, Vladimir Putin, Andrey Kondakov, Marina Korshunova, Rescuers, Igor Pogadaev, Yana Pogadaeva, Pogadaev, couldn't, wasn't, Putin, Russia's Organizations: Associated Press, Crocus City Hall, Islamic State, RIA Novosti, Moscow's Department of Health, Ministry Locations: Crocus, Krasnogorsk, Moscow, Russia, Basmanny, Tajikistan, Russian, Ukraine

☆ Russia says 60 dead, 145 injured in concert hall raid; Islamic State group claims responsibility
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Gunmen who opened fire at a Moscow concert hall killed more than 60 people and wounded over 100 while sparking an inferno, authorities said on March 23, 2024, with the Islamic State group claiming responsibility. The prosecutor's office said several men in combat fatigues entered the concert hall and fired on concertgoers. Working to extinguish the blaze continues at Crocus City Hall concert venue near Moscow, Russia after reports of a shooting incident on March 23, 2024. Working to extinguish the blaze continues at Crocus City Hall concert venue near Moscow, Russia after reports of a shooting incident on March 23, 2024. An injured woman is transported to an ambulance near the Crocus City Hall concert venue following a reported shooting incident, near Moscow, Russia.

Persons: Stringer, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Sobyanin, Putin, fatigues, Ali Cura, Dave Primov, Primov, Aymenn Jawad, Dmitry Medvedev, Mykhailo Podolyak, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, John Kirby, Maksim Blinov Organizations: Crocus City, Gunmen, Islamic, Afp, Getty, Associated Press, Moscow, Health, Crocus City Hall, Anadolu, Russian, U.S, AP, Soviet Union, Russia's Security, White House National Security Council, Embassy, Sputnik Locations: Russian, Crocus, Krasnogorsk, Moscow, U.S, Afghanistan, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow's, Sinai, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Africa, Soviet, Islamic State, Kaluga, Ingushetia, Russia's Caucasus

☆ China's military, state media slam U.S. after report on SpaceX spy satellites
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Chinese military and state-run media on Sunday accused the United States of threatening global security, days after a Reuters report which found Elon Musk's SpaceX was building hundreds of spy satellites for a U.S. intelligence agency. Chinese military and state-run media on Sunday accused the United States of threatening global security, days after a Reuters report which found Elon Musk's SpaceX was building hundreds of spy satellites for a U.S. intelligence agency. A social media account run by the People's Liberation Army, or PLA, said the SpaceX program exposed the United States' "shamelessness and double standards" as Washington accuses Chinese tech companies of threatening U.S. security. "We urge U.S. companies to not help a villain do evil," Junzhengping, an account run by the PLA, posted on social media platform Weibo on Sunday. Wang Yanan, chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge, a magazine overseen by the ruling Communist Party, was quoted in an interview as saying the SpaceX satellite project posed "a challenge to global security and stability".

Persons: Elon, SpaceX's, Wang Yanan Organizations: Reuters, SpaceX, National Reconnaissance Office, NRO, People's Liberation Army, PLA, U.S ., Aerospace, Communist Party Locations: United States, Washington, U.S, Weibo

☆ Musk's SpaceX is building spy satellite network for U.S. intelligence agency, sources told Reuters
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

SpaceX is building a network of hundreds of spy satellites under a classified contract with a U.S. intelligence agency, five sources familiar with the program said, demonstrating deepening ties between billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's space company and national security agencies. The network is being built by SpaceX's Starshield business unit under a $1.8 billion contract signed in 2021 with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), an intelligence agency that manages spy satellites, the sources said. SpaceX, the world's largest satellite operator, did not respond to several requests for comment about the contract, its role in it and details on satellite launches. The satellites can track targets on the ground and share that data with U.S. intelligence and military officials, the sources said. The spy satellites will house sensors provided by another company, three of the sources said.

Persons: Jared Isaacman, Elon, SpaceX's, Biden, Tesla Organizations: SpaceX, National Reconnaissance Office, Street, NRO, Reuters, Pentagon, ., U.S ., U.S, U.S . Space Force, CIA Locations: Starbase, Boca Chica , Texas, Ukraine, U.S, Starlink, Russia, China

☆ America Pulls Back from Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( German Lopez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

For two years, Ukraine has relied on American weapons to fight Russian invaders. It has bombarded Russian lines with U.S. artillery, destroyed tanks with Javelin missiles and stopped aerial attacks with Patriot launchers. House Republicans have blocked additional aid to Ukraine, and the Biden administration cannot send many more weapons. (The $300 million package announced this week will likely help Ukraine for only a few weeks.) Intelligence officials warned Congress this week that Ukraine’s losses signal what is to come from an undersupplied war effort.

Persons: Biden Organizations: Javelin, Patriot, House Republicans, . Intelligence Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Avdiivka, Ukrainian

☆ Should China Own TikTok?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( David Leonhardt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

After Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attack, TikTok flooded users with videos expressing extreme positions from both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, tilted toward the Palestinian side, a Wall Street Journal analysis found. On Monday, the top U.S. intelligence official released a report saying that the Chinese government had used TikTok to promote its propaganda to Americans and to influence the 2022 midterm elections. TikTok is also owned by a company, ByteDance, that’s based in a country that is America’s biggest rival for global power: China. ByteDance executives say that they operate separately from China’s government and that they regularly remove misleading content from TikTok. The most likely scenario, experts say, is that officials aligned with the Chinese government shape TikTok’s algorithm to influence what content Americans see.

Persons: Jeanna Smialek, Jim Tankersley, “, Sapna Maheshwari, China’s, Xi Jinping, Xi Organizations: Rutgers University, Rutgers, Communist Party, Soviet NBC Locations: U.S, Tibet, Hong Kong, United States, China, Soviet

☆ Saying 'China Is Watching,' US Spy Chiefs Plead for Ukraine Aid
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( March | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Patricia Zengerle and Michael MartinaWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Leaders of U.S. intelligence agencies urgently pressed members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday to approve additional military assistance for Ukraine, saying it would not only boost Kyiv as it fights Russia but discourage Chinese aggression. "That has consequences for American interests that go ... directly to our interests in the Indo-Pacific," CIA Director William Burns told the House of Representatives' Intelligence committee's annual hearing on Worldwide Threats to U.S. security. The Latest Photos From Ukraine View All 96 ImagesThe measure has passed the Democratic-run Senate, and both Republicans and Democrats in the House say it would pass if the chamber's Republican leaders allowed a vote. Photos You Should See View All 60 ImagesRepresentative Mike Turner, chairman of the House intelligence committee, noted that some members of Congress support aid to Ukraine but "I believe, mistakenly," contend that Kyiv can afford a delay. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Michael Martina; Editing by Daniel Wallis)

Persons: Patricia Zengerle, Michael Martina WASHINGTON, William Burns, Burns, Mike Johnson, Donald Trump, Mike Turner, Michael Martina, Daniel Wallis Organizations: CIA, Representatives, stoke, Republican, Russian, Democratic, Republicans, Democrats Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Israel, Gaza, Pacific

☆ Nuclear War: The Rising Risk, and How We Stop It - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( W.J. Hennigan | W.J. Hennigan Writes About National Security For Opinion. | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

The United States estimates Russia has a stockpile of up to 2,000 tactical nuclear warheads, some small enough they fit in an artillery shell. But the detonation of any tactical nuclear weapon would be an unprecedented test of the dogma of deterrence, a theory that has underwritten America’s military policy for the past 70 years. Possessing nuclear weapons isn’t about winning a nuclear war, the theory goes; it’s about preventing one. If Mr. Putin dropped a nuclear weapon on Ukraine — a nonnuclear nation that’s not covered by anyone’s nuclear umbrella — what then? Many in the administration believed the Kremlin’s dirty bomb ploy posed the greatest risk of nuclear war since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.

Persons: Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Lloyd Austin, Russia Sergei Shoigu, Britain Ben Wallace, Defense Turkey Hulusi Akar, Sebastien Lecornu, General Austin, Mark Milley, Biden, Putin’s, William J, Burns Organizations: United, of American, NATO, Defense, State, Defense Turkey, National Defense, Defense Minister American, Russian, Biden, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Moscow, White House, State Department, The Energy Department, Strategic Command, ’, Pentagon, Unmute Defense, Central Intelligence Agency Locations: Washington, Ukraine, Russia, United States, Kharkiv, Kherson, Russian, U.S, Crimean, Moscow, Poland, China, India, Turkey

☆ The Cost of Nuclear War in Space
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Ephrat Livni | Vivienne Walt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Just before the Russian-Ukrainian war reached its two-year milestone today, U.S. intelligence agencies warned that Russia might aim a nuclear weapon at an unusual target: not any place on Earth, but satellites orbiting in space. It’s also a risk to the space economy — and the one on the ground. There is a little-known but fast-growing industry that insures satellites, but it doesn’t provide insurance against nuclear arms. What’s at stake: hundreds of billions (and probably trillions) of dollars when including the services that rely on satellites, according to David Wade, an underwriter at the Atrium Space Insurance Consortium, which insures satellites for Lloyd’s. The Russian weapon is said to be designed to target satellites in low Earth orbit, where most commercial satellites operate.

Persons: It’s, What’s, David Wade Organizations: Atrium Space Insurance Consortium, NASA Locations: Russian, Russia

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Friday there was no sign Russia has decided to go ahead and deploy an emerging anti-satellite weapon, the disclosure of which has rattled Washington this week. The White House has confirmed that U.S. intelligence officials have information indicating Russia has obtained such a capability, although such a weapon is not yet operational. Biden said Friday that “there’s no evidence that they have made a decision to go forward with doing anything in space,” while he continued to stress that there was no immediate danger to humans. “There is no nuclear threat to the people of America or anywhere else in the world with what Russia’s doing at the moment,” Biden told reporters at the White House during remarks on the reported death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. That declassification process had been underway when Turner released the statement, according to the White House.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, ” Biden, Alexei Navalny, Russia “, Russia hasn’t, Mike Turner, Turner, Antony Blinken, Jaishankar, Wang Yi, “, hadn’t, Blinken, Matthew Lee Organizations: WASHINGTON, White, Intelligence, Munich Security, Indian Foreign, Foreign, U.S, Blinken Locations: Russia, Washington, America, Ohio, Germany, Munich

☆ Analysis-Russia Seen as Highly Unlikely to Put a Nuclear Warhead in Space
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

The Latest Photos From Ukraine View All 91 ImagesAnalysts tracking Russia's space programs say the space threat is probably not a nuclear warhead but rather a high-powered device requiring nuclear energy to carry out an array of attacks against satellites. The Kremlin on Thursday dismissed a warning by the United States about Moscow's new nuclear capabilities in space, calling it a "malicious fabrication". Exploding a nuclear weapon in space would be another matter entirely. "If they do (detonate a nuclear device in space), they’d lose everything. James Acton, a nuclear expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank, said for Russia to put a nuclear weapon in orbit would be a "blatant violation of the Outer Space Treaty."

Persons: Joey Roulette, Arshad Mohammed WASHINGTON, Mike Turner, Antony Blinken, Daryl Kimball, Brian Weeden, Weeden, James Acton, Acton, Arshad Mohammed, Don Durfee, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: U.S . House, Reuters, Washington, U.S, Arms Control Association, U.S . Defense Intelligence Agency, Secure, Foundation, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace Locations: Russia, Russian, United States, U.S, China, India, Ukraine, Washington, Saint Paul , Minnesota

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House publicly confirmed on Thursday that Russia has obtained a “troubling” emerging anti-satellite weapon but said it cannot directly cause “physical destruction” on Earth. White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said U.S. intelligence officials have information that Russia has obtained the capability but that such a weapon is not currently operational. “Let’s see what ruse the White House will use.”The capability is space based and would violate an international space treaty, to which more than 130 countries have signed onto, including Russia. The White House said it would look to engage the Russians directly on the concerns. Even as the White House sought to assure Americans, Kirby acknowledged it was a serious matter.

Persons: John Kirby, that’s, Kirby, ’, Mike Turner, Biden, Turner “, ”, Dmitry Peskov, “, ” Peskov, ” Kirby Organizations: WASHINGTON, White, National Security, White House, Republican, House Intelligence, Ohio, Kremlin, U.S, Ukraine Locations: Russia, Moscow, Russian, Washington

NEW YORK (AP) — Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s former White House adviser and his son-in-law, defended on Tuesday his business dealings after leaving government with the Saudi crown prince who was implicated in the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. After Kushner left the White House, he started a private equity firm that received a reported $2 billion investment from the sovereign wealth fund controlled by Prince Mohammed, drawing scrutiny from Democrats. He dismissed the idea of there being any concerns about the appearance of a conflict of interest in his business deal. He also defended Prince Mohammed when asked if he believed U.S. intelligence reports that the prince approved the 2018 killing of Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist. Kushner said he had not seen the intelligence report released in 2021 that concluded the crown prince likely approved Khashoggi’s killing inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Persons: — Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s, Jamal Khashoggi, Kushner, Trump, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Prince Mohammed, ” Kushner, Khashoggi, “, ”, Joe Biden Organizations: House, Washington Post, Saudi Arabia’s Crown, White, Nintendo, Microsoft, Trump Locations: Saudi, Miami, America, Istanbul, Florida

☆ Fact check: Biden makes three false claims about his handling of classified information
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Where the classified material was storedBiden sought to contrast his handling of classified material with that of former President Donald Trump, who faces felony charges for willfully retaining classified documents. According to the special counsel, even classified documents Biden was storing elsewhere in his home were insufficiently secure. Hur wrote that Biden notebooks containing classified information from his vice presidency were found by investigators in “unlocked drawers in the office and basement den” of the home. The classification level of the documents Biden had in his possessionBiden claimed of the documents he possessed: “None of it was high classified. Biden shared information, including some classified information, from those notebooks with his ghostwriter.” He elaborated that Biden shared classified information with his ghostwriter by reading “nearly verbatim” from his notebooks “on at least three occasions,” including his “notes from meetings in the Situation Room.”Hur did find, however, that Biden “at times” tried to avoid sharing classified information, by stopping at or skipping over certain material from the notebooks.

Persons: Joe Biden, Robert Hur, Biden, Hur’s, Donald Trump, Hur, Trump, “, Ian Sams, ” Sams, CNN’s MJ Lee, ”, Sams, weren’t, Barack Obama, ” Hur, Obama, Mr, Mark Zwonitzer, Afghanistan –, CNN’s Nikki Carvajal Organizations: CNN, ”, White, National Security, SCI, Mr, FISA, Virginia, National Security Council Locations: Lago, Biden’s Delaware, Afghanistan, Virginia, United States, “, Iraq, Delaware

☆ Who Is Robert Hur, Special Counsel on Biden Classified Document Probe?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Kanishka SinghWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Robert Hur, the special counsel appointed to investigate whether President Joe Biden improperly handled sensitive government documents, is a former high-ranking Justice Department official with experience in prosecuting sensitive leak investigations. On Thursday, he concluded that probe and found that Biden retained classified materials about Afghanistan after leaving the vice presidency in 2017 but said he will not be criminally charged. Hur was appointed by Donald Trump in 2018 as the chief federal law enforcement officer in Maryland and left that position in early 2021. Under Hur, the Maryland U.S. attorney's office prosecuted the case of former National Security Agency contractor Harold Martin, who stole huge amounts of classified material from U.S. intelligence agencies. A graduate of Stanford Law School and Harvard College, Hur served as top aide to then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein before his appointment as the U.S. attorney in Maryland.

Persons: Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON, Robert Hur, Joe Biden, Biden, General Merrick Garland, Hur, Trump, Gibson, Dunn, Garland, Washington . Hur, Donald Trump, Harold Martin, Martin, Rod Rosenstein, William Rehnquist, Christopher Wray, Kanishka Singh, Gram Slattery, Heather Timmons, Jonathan Oatis, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: U.S, Maryland U.S, National Security Agency, Stanford Law School, Harvard College, Supreme, Justice Department, FBI Locations: Afghanistan, U.S, Maryland, Delaware, Washington

Search resuls for: ". Intelligence"

25 mentions found