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☆ A Long-Held Secret is Now Public. Will it Alter Cormac McCarthy’s Legacy?
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-23 | by ( Alexandra Alter | Elisabeth Egan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This week, Vanity Fair published a bombshell article revealing that Cormac McCarthy, one of the country’s most celebrated and enigmatic novelists, had a relationship with a girl he met when he was 42 and she was 16, a foster child who felt so unsafe at home she often carried a gun and used the pool area at the motel where he was staying to shower. The revelations in the article stunned many fans of the famously inscrutable author, but did not come as a surprise to close friends of McCarthy’s or the tight-knit community of scholars who have studied his life and work. McCarthy’s relationship with Augusta Britt lasted nearly until his death in 2023, and came up in his letters over the years. Dianne C. Luce, who has written several books about McCarthy, said she and another McCarthy scholar, Edwin T. Arnold, learned about McCarthy’s relationship with Britt around 40 years ago, during an interview with a friend of McCarthy’s. Over the years, she saw the relationship come up in the author’s letters to his literary friends, among them Robert Coles, Guy Davenport and Mark Morrow.

Persons: Cormac McCarthy, Augusta Britt, Britt, Dianne C, Luce, McCarthy, Edwin T, Arnold, Robert Coles, Guy Davenport, Mark Morrow

President-elect Donald Trump is now receiving intelligence briefings after having declined them during his campaign, according to a source with knowledge of the matter and a former U.S. official. “ODNI is acting consistent with the tradition, in place since 1952, of providing intelligence briefings to the President-elect,” an ODNI spokesperson said. The office would not comment specifically on whether Trump was actually accepting the offer of the briefings. A Trump transition team representative was not able to confirm that Trump had begun receiving the briefings. Before the election, Trump had said he did not want to get the intelligence briefings to avoid any chance he would be accused of leaking information.

Persons: Donald Trump, Harry Truman, “ ODNI, ”, Trump, Truman, ” Trump Organizations: U.S ., National Intelligence, Washington Post, Trump, White Locations: U.S, Lago, Florida, Mar

☆ Will Tulsi Gabbard bring a pro-Russian bias to intelligence reporting?
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-16 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, at the Faith & Freedom Coalition's 2024 Road to Majority Conference, in Washington, DC., on June 21. But current and former intelligence officials fear that Gabbard will refuse to relay intelligence reporting that doesn’t fit in with her — or the president’s — worldview. “Would that predisposition translate into pressure on analysis to fit the administration’s policy goals?” one senior former intelligence official said. “We’ll see.”Previous administrations have clashed with the CIA and intelligence agencies over assessments that didn’t support their policy agendas or their views about a particular threat or an adversary’s intentions. The DNI’s job “is to define the world as it is, as opposed to advocating for a world as you want it to be,” the former intelligence official said.

Persons: Tulsi Gabbard, “, ”, Gabbard, Michael Brochstein, Donald Trump’s, George W, Saddam, Trump, Vladimir Putin, Bashar al, Assad, ” Gabbard, Syria’s Assad, Matt Gaetz, autocrats, Putin, Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el, Sissi, Narendra Modi, Modi, Jason Crow, ” Crow Organizations: NATO, Former, Faith, Majority Conference, Senate, CIA, Democratic, Indian, Modi, House Intelligence, NBC News Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Hawaii, Western, Washington ,, Former U.S, New Hampshire, Syria, Washington, Ukrainian, DNI, Cairo, United States, U.S, autocrats, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand

Iran sent a written message via Swiss diplomats in mid-October saying that it would not seek to kill Donald Trump, according to a U.S. official. Switzerland handles U.S. diplomatic interests in Tehran as Iran and the United States do not have official diplomatic relations. In July, the Biden administration obtained intelligence about an Iranian assassination plot against Trump, and the information led the Secret Service to ramp up security for his campaign. Last week, the Justice Department charged an Iranian man with plotting to assassinate Trump as a part of a murder-for-hire scheme. Officials have found no link between the shooter in that case and the Iranian plot.

Persons: Donald Trump, Biden, Trump, Qasem Soleimani, Trump’s, Soleimani, Steven Cheung, ” Organizations: U.S, Trump, Street Journal, Iran’s United Nations, Service, Justice Department, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, The Justice Department, United Nations Locations: Iran, Switzerland, Tehran, United States, U.S, Baghdad, Butler, Pa, United, Fars

WASHINGTON — Tech mogul Elon Musk briefly joined President-elect Donald Trump's phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the matter. Neither Zelenskyy nor Trump had previously disclosed that Musk was on the call. Musk has also had phone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a source with knowledge of the matter. Near the start of the war, after Russia invaded, Musk helped provide internet support for Ukraine. In October 2022, he suggested that Ukraine cede Crimea to Russia as part of a possible peace deal, drawing rebukes from Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials.

Persons: Elon Musk, Donald Trump's, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, Trump, Musk, Axios, Kamala Harris, JD Vance, Vladimir Putin Organizations: WASHINGTON — Tech, Elon, Trump, Ukrainian Embassy, Washington , D.C, Wall Street, Emergency, SpaceX Locations: Ukrainian, Washington ,, Ukraine, U.S, Russia, Crimea

☆ Former CIA officials worry Trump could politicize and weaponize intelligence agencies
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-08 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

Yet Durham found that no senior FBI or CIA officials had committed crimes. Former intelligence officials disagree on whether Trump would seek to use the spy agencies against domestic political opponents, and if he did, how the intelligence workforce and courts would respond. Presidents face few legal constraints when it comes to their authority over the intelligence agencies, legal experts and former senior officials said. Supporters of Trump say dire warnings about the future of the intelligence agencies under a new Trump administration are hysterical and overblown, and that his record at the White House shows that he strengthened the spy agencies. “And the other is the risk that the intelligence agencies will be directed to do things that are either unlawful or inappropriate.”

Persons: Donald Trump, Kash Patel, MAGA, Gina Haspel, Patel, Trump, Marc Short, Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo, Dan Coats, ”, José Luis Villegas, ” Trump’s, Joe Biden, Brian Hughes, Justice Department —, Vladimir Putin, “, ” Trump, Putin, Devin Nunes, John Ratcliffe, Robert O’Brien, Sen, Marco Rubio, Robert Mueller's, Hillary Clinton, Bill Barr, John Durham, Durham, Steve Bannon, ” Bannon, Nixon, Chip Somodevilla, Trump’s, Glenn Gerstell, ” “, Robert Litt, ” Litt Organizations: Lawmakers, CIA, Justice Department, White House National Security Council, NBC News, “, Texas, FBI, Trump, DOJ, Democratic National Committee, Trump White House, Washington , D.C, National Security Agency, White House, National Intelligence, NBC Locations: Minden, Nev, Russian, Moscow, Helsinki, Devin Nunes of California, Russia, Vietnam, Washington ,, ”, Virginia

Hoax bomb threats targeting polling places and election offices briefly disrupted voting in five battleground states, with the FBI saying the threats in four of those states came from Russian email domains. “The FBI is aware of bomb threats to polling locations in several states, many of which appear to originate from Russian email domains,” the FBI said in a statement Tuesday night. German officials accused Russia of orchestrating bomb threats against several polling places in Moldova’s presidential elections last week. Threats to polling sites and election offices were reported across about a dozen Pennsylvania counties, where targeted polling sites were ordered to stay open late, officials said. “But I think the number of these bomb threats is, if not surprising, very concerning,” he added.

Persons: ”, Bret Schafer, “ It’s, Schafer, Wade Yates, Brad Raffensperger, “, Adrian Fontes, Fontes, Lawrence Norden Organizations: FBI, Russian Embassy, Novosti, Alliance, Democracy, German Marshall Fund, Fulton County, Fulton County Police, Court, Etris, Center, Union City, NBC News, Arizona, ” Police, Philadelphia, Brennan Center for Justice, New York University Law School Locations: Russian, Georgia , Pennsylvania, Arizona , Wisconsin, Michigan, U.S, Russia, Moldova’s, Moscow, Moldova, Georgia, Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Union, Country, Madison , Wisconsin

Tech billionaire Elon Musk and his business empire stand to reap massive rewards if former President Donald Trump returns to the White House. Elon Musk joins former US President Donald Trump during a campaign event in Butler, Pa., on Oct. 5, 2024. “I love Elon Musk,” Trump said at a rally in July. It’s not clear how Musk and Trump would navigate the ethical questions around a possible government role for the tech billionaire. “He would be in much less trouble in a Trump administration because Trump shares his hostility to regulation and regulators,” Richard Pierce, a law professor at George Washington University specializing in government regulation, told NBC News in an interview earlier this year.

Persons: Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Musk, Trump, Vladimir Putin, SpaceX, ” Musk, Brian Hughes, ”, ” Hughes, Justin Merriman, ” Trump, “, walling, Kamala Harris, Harris, Biden, Larry Krasner, ” Richard Pierce, John Raoux, Angela Aneiros, ” Aneiros, Tesla, There’s, SpaceX countersued, • Tesla, ” SpaceX, Starlink, Justice Department —, Tucker Carlson, Carlson, he’s, SpaceX’s, Kamala Organizations: Tech, Trump, Musk’s, SpaceX, China —, U.S, Wall Street, NBC News, Boeing, Fox News, Bloomberg, Getty Images Trump, D.C, Trump Organization, Budget, America PAC, Philadelphia, George Washington University, Tesla, Co, Kennedy Space Center, Gonzaga University, university’s Center of Law, & Commerce, Justice Department, National, Traffic Safety Administration, Securities and Exchange Commission, Street, Justice, Employment, Commission, National Labor Relations Board, SEC, Twitter, Federal Communications Commission, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, Safety, Health Administration, NLRB, Reuters, Defense Department, NASA, International, White, National Space Council Locations: China, United States, Taiwan, Ukraine, Washington, Trump’s, Pennsylvania, Butler, Pa, Palm Beach , Florida, Texas, California, Cape Canaveral, Fla, Los Angeles, Austin, Mars

The DHL Air Hub, the air freight center at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany on Aug. 30. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration said it has bolstered air cargo screening over the past several months. German and British authorities have said they were investigating suspected Russian sabotage in two incidents in July. In recent months, U.S., British, German and other European officials have accused Russia of organizing an increasingly aggressive sabotage campaign aimed at undermining and disrupting Western assistance to Ukraine. Russia has repeatedly rejected allegations from Western countries that it is orchestrating a sabotage campaign in Europe.

Persons: Heiko Rebsch, ’, ”, Thomas Haldenwang, Ken McCallum, ” McCallum Organizations: DHL, NBC News, Street Journal, DHL Air Hub, Halle Airport, U.S . Transportation Security Administration, U.S, White House National Security Council, CIA, Kyiv Locations: Russia, Germany, United Kingdom, North America, Leipzig, Birmingham, England, United States, America, Canada, Ukraine, Moscow, West, Europe

☆ Russia was behind second fake video spreading false voter fraud claims, U.S. officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-01 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

It was the second piece of sophisticated Russian disinformation in a week to gain traction online that falsely asserted voter fraud in a key swing state. Easterly said she expected more attempts by Russia and foreign adversaries to spread false information before and after Election Day. The first video falsely claimed to show a person ripping up filled-in ballots in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. U.S. intelligence officials said the video was Russian made and designed to shake public faith in the democratic process. Federal authorities were countering foreign disinformation by “flooding the zone with accurate information,“ Easterly, of CISA, said in her interview on MSNBC.

Persons: CISA, “, Emerson Brooking, ” Brooking, ”, Brooking, Brad Raffensperger, Alex Wong, Elon Musk, “ We’ve, it’s Organizations: Infrastructure Security Agency, MSNBC, National Intelligence, FBI, Democratic, Digital Forensic Research, Atlantic Council, State Capitol Locations: Russia, Georgia, Moscow, United States, Russian, Bucks County , Pennsylvania, U.S, Atlanta, CISA

☆ The U.S. has a new strategy for combating foreign election interference, but will it work?
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-01 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

Last week, a video popped up on social media falsely claiming to show someone ripping up ballots in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Instead of relying on flagging suspected foreign disinformation posts to social media companies, U.S. authorities are declassifying information about foreign election interference in an unprecedented way, seizing web domains and issuing indictments that have exposed the mechanics of Russian and Iranian information warfare, officials and researchers said. U.S. intelligence officials later said Russian “influence actors” were behind the false story. And social media companies, under intense legal and political pressure from Republican critics, have scaled back or scrapped teams in recent years that used to take down inflammatory or conspiratorial content. The combination of homegrown falsehoods about “stolen” election conspiracies, surging foreign disinformation campaigns and a laissez-faire approach by tech firms threatens to undermine the foundations of American democracy, experts and lawmakers said.

Persons: “, ”, Paul Kolbe, ” Kolbe, haven’t, Biden, Yuri Kadobnov, Donald Trump’s, Matthew Olsen, — we’ve, Bret Schafer, ” Schafer, Esteban Ponce de, Tim Walz, Walz, Trump, Kathleen Hall Jamieson, ” Jamieson Organizations: FBI, Justice Department, Central Eurasia, CIA, Media, Russia, Getty, Kremlin, Alliance, Securing Democracy, NBC, Atlantic Council, Forensic Research, Democratic, Gallup, Republican, Democracies, University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication Locations: Bucks County , Pennsylvania, Russia, Iran, China, Cuba, Moscow, Tehran, Tennessee, United States, AFP, Esteban Ponce de León, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Russian, Vietnam

U.S. officials expect that in the coming weeks, Iran is likely to contact individual Americans directly to try to influence how they vote, stir societal divide or incite violence, according to three sources with knowledge of U.S. intelligence reporting on the issue. The U.S. intelligence community noted this month that Iranian hackers appear to have gained access to some Americans’ voting records, as they did in 2020. Last week, U.S. intelligence officials told reporters that both Iran and Russia were continuing propaganda operations to influence American voters and society. A spokesperson for Iran’s mission to the United Nations didn’t respond to a request for comment, but officials for Tehran have routinely denied American accusations of election influence campaigns. In the leadup to the 2020 election, U.S. officials announced that Iran was behind an ambitious effort to sow election discord.

Persons: ”, John Hultquist, Donald Trump, ” Max Lesser, we’ve, IRGC, desecraters Organizations: Google’s Threat Intelligence Group, United Nations, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, NBC News, “, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Department, Trump militia, Google, Haaretz Locations: Iran, U.S, Sweden, Israel, Russia, Tehran, Florida, Swedish

☆ Why it would be difficult for Trump to reverse the 2024 election results
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-29 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

But state officials resisted his pressure, judges tossed out his team’s lawsuits, and Pence defied Trump and carried out his constitutional duty to affirm the result of the vote. If Trump sought to challenge the election results, he would have two potential paths to try to overturn the results, and both routes are “long shots,” said Hasen, director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project at UCLA Law School. Given the heightened security risk, some state officials have made plans to scrap public, high-profile ceremonies to certify election results in state capitols. Election officials across the country also have bolstered security at polling places, including expanding police presence and issuing bulletproof vests to election workers. State officials resisted.

Persons: Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, ”, Richard Hasen, Trump, Joe Biden, Mike Pence, Pence, Hasen, Gowri Ramachandran, Wisconsin —, Al Schmidt, Matthew Sanderson, “, Sanderson, Frank Figliuzzi, ” Figliuzzi, —, didn’t, that’s Organizations: U.S . Capitol, UCLA, Count, Trump, Georgia’s, Trump Republicans, UCLA Law School, Elections, Brennan Center for Justice, New York University School of Law, Senate, Electoral, Republican, Electoral College, Washington , D.C, GOP Senators, Capitol, FBI, NBC News, The Department of Homeland Security, United Nations, Assembly Locations: Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan’s Legislature, Washington ,, capitols, Maricopa County , Arizona, Washington

☆ Russia, China and Cuba amplified falsehoods about recent hurricanes, U.S. official says
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-28 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A post on Oct. 9 falsely claimed the U.S. federal government was denying disaster relief funds to Americans. Influencers linked to China have also seized on divisive material about Hurricanes Helene and Milton, claiming without evidence on social media that “U.S. spending on foreign conflicts had undermined support for disaster victims,” the U.S. official said. The revelations from the U.S. official follow recently released research from the London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue, which tracks disinformation and online extremism. Local, state and federal officials have struggled to counter a wave of disinformation about the hurricanes and their aftermath, including baseless conspiracy theories about weather modification and false claims about disaster relief efforts.

Persons: ”, Milton, Kamala Harris, Hurricane Milton, Eva Marie Uzcategui Organizations: Cuban, U.S, Disney, Hurricanes, The Washington, Getty, U.S ., Strategic, Ukraine, Local Locations: United States, Florida, China, Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, Sarasota , Fla, Cuba, Moscow, Beijing, London, Russian

☆ Can you spot the celebrity 'deepfakes' in a new ad warning against election disinfo?
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-22 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

“If something seems off, it probably is,” Dawson warns in the video spot, shared exclusively with NBC News. At the end, the video reveals that some of the Hollywood stars are mere deepfakes, with their voices and images superimposed on other actors. tools could make it easier to confuse and deceive voters with video and audio that looks and sounds plausible, experts say. represent UsThe campaign does not attempt to tackle or fact-check the flood of false information circulating this election cycle, from candidates, commentators, deepfakes or other means. Instead, it focuses on verifiable, concrete details about when, where and how Americans can cast ballots on Election Day, Lynn said.

Persons: Rosario Dawson, ” Dawson, Chris Rock, Laura Dern, Michael Douglas, Amy Schumer, Jonathan Scott, We’re, ”, Miles Taylor, Joe Biden’s, Democratic Sen, Ben Cardin, Michael Douglas –, Taylor, Trump, Joshua Graham Lynn, RepresentUs, ” Lynn, it’s, Kathy Boockvar, Lynn, Dawson, Donald Trump Organizations: Hollywood, NBC News, YouTube, New Hampshire Democratic, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Democratic, U.S, Department of Homeland Security, College, Trump Locations: Ben Cardin of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Iran

☆ U.S. investigating apparent leak of 'top secret' U.S. documents regarding Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-20 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Courtney Kube | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. officials are investigating the apparent leak of two top-secret U.S. documents that show American spy agencies tracking possible Israeli preparations for conducting an attack on Iran, three U.S. officials said. Two U.S. officials said that the leaked documents appear to be authentic. U.S. intelligence agencies declined to comment on the documents, which were posted on the social media app Telegram on Friday. “We have not observed indications that Israel intends to use a nuclear weapon.”The apparent leak of two documents comes after Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira pleaded guilty in March to posting a trove of top-secret documents on the social media app Discord. That leak was seen as a deeply damaging lapse in security and resulted in calls for the intelligence community to do far more to prevent leaks.

Persons: ’ Ismail Haniyeh, Hassan Nasrallah, “, ”, Aaron Schwartz, Israel, Jack Teixeira Organizations: U.S, “ Israel : Air Force, Force, Geospatial - Intelligence Agency, Israeli Defense Forces, Getty, Massachusetts Air National Guard Locations: Iran, Lebanon, Tehran, Beirut . Two, “ Israel, Israel

☆ ISIS-K threat grows as it targets disaffected Muslims with sophisticated propaganda
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-20 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

The recent arrest of an Afghan accused of plotting an Election Day attack in the U.S., as well as recent plots in France, Sweden and elsewhere, highlight the growing threat posed by ISIS-K, officials and counterterrorism experts say. U.S and Western officials now view ISIS-K as the more potent threat. ISIS-K has used AI tools to dramatically bolster their propaganda output at low cost. Growing threat to the WestA string of recent arrests in the U.S. and other Western countries underscores the group’s resurgent threat. He also saved ISIS propaganda on his iCloud and Google accounts, participated in pro-ISIS Telegram groups and contributed $540 in cryptocurrency to a charity that funnels money to ISIS, the complaint says.

Persons: Lucas Webber, “ It’s, ”, Webber, ” Webber, Aaron Zelin, ” Bret Holmgren, ” Holmgren, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, Tawhedi, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi . U.S . Department of Justice Tawhedi, “ Organizations: Islamic State, ISIS, Tech Against, Soufan, Al, Crocus City Hall, Washington Institute for Near East, National Center for Counterterrorism, U.S, FBI, NBC News, CIA, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi . U.S . Department of Justice, U.S ., Local Guard Force Locations: Afghanistan, U.S, France, Sweden, Europe, New York, United States, Al Qaeda, Khorasan, Syria, Iraq, Kabul, Moscow, Crocus, Israel, Gaza, Iran, Tajikistan, Costa Rica, Pakistani, Canada, New York City, Oklahoma, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi ., America, cryptocurrency

☆ Sinwar’s death offers an opening to end the war in Gaza – and a test for Netanyahu
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-17 | by ( Dan De Luce | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Alex-Smith-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

After a yearlong manhunt, including help from U.S. intelligence agencies, Israeli troops stumbled upon him during a routine patrol, Israeli officials said. Yahya Sinwar in Gaza city on Oct. 18, 2017. Now a cease-fire, the return of hostages and even the withdrawal of Israel Defense Forces from Gaza could be within reach, former officials said. One of the hostages Hamas took on Oct. 7 was an 85-year-old peace activist, Yocheved Lifshitz, who was later released. She told to the Israeli newspaper Davar about encountering Sinwar in the maze of tunnels under Gaza.

Persons: Yahya Sinwar, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, ”, Bruce Riedel, ” Sinwar, Atia Darwish, Sinwar, Biden, ” Dennis Ross, Ross, they’re, Antony Blinken, ” “, Blinken, Matthew Miller, Aaron David Miller, Netanyahu, Sinwar’s, Burcu Ozcelik, Israel, Ghaith Al, Yocheved Lifshitz Organizations: Israel, Hamas, CIA, Biden, Washington Institute for Near, Israel Defense Forces, Gaza, United Arab, State, Carnegie Endowment, International, Royal United Services Institute, Lebanese, Hezbollah Locations: Gaza, Israel, Iran, U.S, Lebanon, United States, United Arab Emirates, London, Palestinian, Hamas, Qatar

An Afghan man arrested on charges of planning a terrorist attack on Election Day worked as a security guard in Afghanistan for the CIA, two sources with knowledge of the matter told NBC News. “Every Afghan resettled in the U.S. undergoes a rigorous screening and vetting process no matter which agency they worked with,” the official said. The CIA undertook its own large-scale evacuation operation of Afghans who had worked for or helped the agency. Officials say humanitarian parole generally entails far less screening than a Special Immigrant Visa. Authorities say he planned the operation along with a juvenile co-conspirator, described as an Afghan citizen with legal permanent resident status.

Persons: Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, Tawhedi, “, Donald Trump Jr, Kamala Harris, Harris, ” Organizations: CIA, NBC News, ISIS, FBI, U.S, U.S ., The Department of Homeland Security, Republican, Biden, Harris Administration, Justice Department, DHS, NBC, Authorities, of Locations: Afghanistan, Oklahoma, U.S, United States, Western, of Oklahoma

☆ Foreign adversaries will try to cast doubt on election results after Nov. 5, U.S. intel officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-08 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Foreign adversaries will try to shake Americans’ confidence in the legitimacy of election results in November by giving voice to false claims or spreading their own disinformation about ballot counting, U.S. intelligence officials said Tuesday. In its latest assessment of foreign threats to the election, intelligence officials said the main foreign powers seeking to shape the outcome of the vote — Russia, China and Iran — also were focusing on meddling in congressional and state races. China’s election influence efforts were focused on “tens” of races, with Beijing denigrating particular candidates with a variety of social media and other online activities, the intelligence official added. Officials also said foreign adversaries are getting more skilled at using Americans to spread their manufactured falsehoods. Intelligence officials reiterated that Russia’s disinformation campaign is directed at undermining Vice President Kamala Harris and her fellow Democrats as Moscow seeks to undercut Western support for Ukraine.

Persons: ”, Iran —, “, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, Biden Organizations: Intelligence, Ukraine, Democratic Locations: Russia, China, Iran, U.S, Cuba, Havana, Ukraine, Kyiv, Beijing, Moscow

☆ There is no evidence Iran has decided to rush toward building a nuclear weapon, CIA director says
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-08 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Speaking at the Cipher Brief security conference in Sea Island, Georgia, Burns said Iran has advanced its nuclear program by stockpiling uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels. CIA Director William Burns during a hearing of the House (Select) Intelligence Committee in Washington, D.C., on March 12, 2024. Iran has developed the “means of delivery” for a potential nuclear weapon by building up its missile arsenal, he said. The JCPOA imposed strict limits on Tehran’s nuclear program while easing economic sanctions on the country. Estimates vary as to how much time it would take Iran to build a viable nuclear weapon once it has acquired enough fissile material.

Persons: William Burns, Burns, Anna Moneymaker, ” Burns, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Donald Trump, “, —, ”, Israel Organizations: CIA, Intelligence, Washington , D.C, Iran’s Locations: Iran, U.S, Iranian, Sea Island , Georgia, Washington ,, Tehran “, Lebanon, Israel, Gaza, United States, Russia

☆ Chinese hack of telecommunications companies under investigation, NSA chief says
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-07 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

SEA ISLAND, Ga. — The director of the National Security Agency said Sunday that a Chinese hack of three major telecommunications firms is under investigation but that it remains “premature” to discuss the case. The Chinese Embassy in the U.S. did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday night. The FBI and the White House National Security Council declined to comment. Haugh said the NSA and other federal agencies issued an advisory in 2022 warning that cyber operators sponsored by the Chinese government were trying to hack major telecommunications companies and network service providers. “I think what we see broadly from a PRC [People’s Republic of China] threat perspective is they’re going to be very aggressive at critical infrastructure collection operations and targeting our critical infrastructure,” Haugh said.

Persons: ”, Timothy Haugh, ” Haugh, “, Lumen, Haugh Organizations: National Security Agency, Air Force, Street Journal, Verizon, Lumen Technologies, Telecommunications, Embassy, FBI, White House National Security, NSA Locations: China, U.S, PRC, People’s Republic of China, Beijing

☆ Lawmakers from both parties urge Biden to secure the release of Americans imprisoned in China
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-04 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Lawmakers are appealing to President Joe Biden to use the remaining time in his term to work for the release of Americans who are “wrongfully detained” in China, saying U.S. officials need to do more to help secure their freedom. “There are more Americans wrongfully detained in China than in any other country. They deserve tenacious advocacy to gain their release,” said Smith and Merkley, co-chairs of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. China has denied the allegations and says it has treated detained Americans properly and respected their legal rights. Dui Hua, a rights group that advocates for detainees in China, estimates there are more than 200 Americans “under coercive measures” in China.

Persons: Joe Biden, ”, Chris Smith of, Democratic Sen, Jeff Merkley, Smith, David Lin, Kai Li, Mark Swidan, Hua, Li, Biden, Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, Xi Jinping, “, Li’s, Harrison Li Organizations: ” Republican, Democratic, Congressional, Commission, State Department, White, and State Department Locations: China, Chris Smith of New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, Long Island , New York, Texas, Russia, People’s Republic of China, United States

☆ From missile batteries to oil refineries to nuclear labs, Israel could hit a wide range of targets in Iran
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( Dan De Luce | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

If Israel decides to go that route, it remains an open question what parts of Iran’s oil sector Israel would try to attack. An attack on Iran’s oil industry could drive up oil prices and jolt the global economy. NuclearBiden said this week that the U.S. opposed any strikes on Iran’s nuclear program. Iran denies it has ever sought to build nuclear weapons and says its nuclear program is designed for civilian purposes. A 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers limited Iran’s nuclear project in return for an easing of economic sanctions.

Persons: Israel, Iran’s, ”, Monica Alba, Joe Biden, “, ” Biden, Fatemeh Bahrami, Nuclear Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump Organizations: U.S, Energy, NBC News, Persian Gulf, Nuclear, Getty, of Atomic Scientists Locations: Iran, Tehran, Israel, Strait, Hormuz, Persian, U.S, Persian Gulf Star, Bandar Abbas, Fordow, Isfahan, Khondab, Iranian

☆ The CIA is soliciting secret tips from informants in the national languages of Iran, North Korea and China
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-02 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The Central Intelligence Agency is releasing instructions in Farsi, Mandarin and Korean to allow people to share information with the agency without running afoul of authoritarian regimes. The instructions, in a text-only video and infographic, were posted online across multiple social media platforms and sites on the dark web, the agency said. In 2023, the CIA announced it had posted instructions in Russian on how to access a site on the dark web accessible only through a Tor internet browser, which unlike most browsers has encryption protections. The spy agency’s director, William Burns, has said that disaffection in Russia after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has created a “once-in-a-generation” recruiting opportunity for the CIA. Once a message lands at the agency, the CIA will evaluate it, the agency said.

Persons: “, William Burns, Moscow’s, ” Organizations: Central Intelligence Agency, CIA Locations: Iran, China, Russia, Ukraine

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