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☆ BigBear.ai CEO Mandy Long talks national security investments in A.I.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | 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 EmailBigBear.ai CEO Mandy Long talks national security investments in A.I. BigBear.ai CEO Mandy Long talks with CNBC's Morgan Brennan about how the Department of Defense and other national security programs are investing in A.I. and the role it could play in a potential future conflict with China.

Persons: Mandy Long, CNBC's Morgan Brennan Organizations: Department of Defense Locations: A.I, China

June 15 (Reuters) - Defense startup Mach Industries has raised $5.7 million in a seed round led by Sequoia Capital, the first-ever defense tech investment in the venture capital giant's history, the two companies said. "Defense technology is central to our safety. However, aging defense systems and ailing supply chains mean the U.S. has a big opportunity to innovate in service of national security," Shaun Maguire, partner at Sequoia, who led the deal, told Reuters via email. "There is a major modernization effort underway to advance the U.S. defense technology and build a new generation of military systems." Founded by MIT dropout and Thiel Fellow Ethan Thornton in 2022, Mach Industries focuses on building a hardware solution using field-sourced hydrogen creation and combustion techniques.

Persons: Shaun Maguire, Ethan Thornton, Mach, We've, ” Thornton, Thornton, Krystal Hu, Leslie Adler Organizations: Defense, Industries, Sequoia Capital, U.S, Department of Defense, Sequoia, MIT, Mach Industries, Reuters, Pentagon, Thomson Locations: Silicon Valley, U.S, Austin , Texas, Boston, Austin, San Francisco

☆ Schumer to host first of three senator-only A.I. briefings as Congress considers how to regulate
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, speaks about China competitiveness legislation alongside Democratic Senate committee chairs at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., May 3, 2023. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is set to host the first of three educational sessions about artificial intelligence Tuesday as Congress considers how best to regulate the technology. Tuesday's talk is set to offer a general overview of AI and its current capabilities, Schumer said. In the letter, the senators said the three discussions would ask the following questions:Where is AI today? How do the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community use AI today and what do we know about how our adversaries are using AI[?]

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Schumer, Antonio Torralba, Sam Altman, Mike Rounds, Martin Heinrich, Todd Young Organizations: Democratic, U.S, Capitol, Washington , D.C, Senate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lawmakers, Sens, of Defense, Intelligence, CNBC, YouTube Locations: New York, China, Washington ,

☆ Biden has given Ukraine over 200,000,000 bullets to fight Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The latest package of military aid to Kyiv is all about replenishing their military's dwindling munitions. As such, the U.S. Department of Defense announced another package of military aid to Ukraine worth more than $2 billion. However, the Ukrainian air defense system took out the incoming munitions in short succession. The Ukrainian military continues to rely on its Western air defense systems to fend off incoming Russian missile and drone attacks. Western air defense systems were able to minimize the damage from the incoming Russian munitions.

Persons: —, Jacob Bradford, military's Organizations: Service, Ukrainian, U.S . Department of Defense, Ukraine Worth, Air, Puma, Ukraine's Armed Forces, Pentagon, NATO, European Union, Forces, US Army, Jacob Bradford Military, Russian Locations: U.S, Ukraine, Poland, Russian, Kyiv, Ukrainian

☆ The US military is so worried about generic pills that it reportedly wants to do its own testing to make sure they're safe
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Lydia Ramsey Pflanzer | Zachary Tracer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US military is planning to independently test the quality of generic drugs, Bloomberg reported. The quality of the US drug supply has come into question amid recalls of medications like metformin. The US military is reportedly planning to take extra steps to test the quality of the generic drugs it buys for servicemembers and their families. Bloomberg reported in May that the White House has assembled a team to tackle shortages and quality issues with generic medications. "I have family who take generic drugs, I take generic drugs," he said, adding, "I don't get concerned and I don't tell them to be concerned."

Persons: Anna Edney, Riley Griffin, Valisure, David Light, Jeremy Kahn, Mike Ganio, ASHP Organizations: Bloomberg, FDA, Morning, servicemembers, Department of Defense, White, DOD, Food and Drug Administration, American Society of Health, System

☆ Reports say China plans to set up a spy base in Cuba. The Pentagon says no, but it's closely watching what Beijing is up to.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

China is reportedly in talks with Cuba about setting up a spy base on the island roughly 100 miles from Florida. It's a move that would follow in the footsteps of the Soviet Union, which operated a spy base on the island for decades. The Soviet spy facility in Lourdes was operational until 2001, when it closed down. The Pentagon responded to the reports of China's plan for a spy facility in Cuba Thursday afternoon, with spokesman Brig. Update: 6/9/2023 — This article has been updated with new statements from the Pentagon, the White House National Security Council, Cuba, and China.

Persons: —, Laura Richardson, Mike Waltz, Brig, Pat Ryder, he'd, John Kirby, Kirby Organizations: Pentagon, Service, Privacy, Department of Defense, White, Politico, Central Command, Cape Canaveral, Wall Street Journal, CNN, The New York Times, Senior, US Southern Command, Florida Republican, House Intelligence, Armed Services, Chinese Communist Party, Soviet Union, National Security, Cuban, White House National Security Council Locations: China, Cuba, Florida, Soviet Union, Beijing, Havana, Cape, America, Soviet, Lourdes

☆ Investing in Space: Here are the rockets chasing to compete with SpaceX's Falcon 9
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

SpaceXCNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. Overview: Chasing the FalconNo rocket has been better-described as a "workhorse" than SpaceX's Falcon 9. Aside from Blue Origin's New Glenn, the early theme is rockets that are close to the capability of Falcon 9 and less expensive. – CNBC, which the lawsuit says were used for NASA projects including the International Space Station and the Space Launch Systems rocket. – Firefly Aerospace: The rocket builder says the deal will bolster its launch, spacecraft, and lunar lander businesses.

Persons: CNBC's Michael Sheetz, Phil Smith, SpaceX's, Glenn, Smith, –, Smith doesn't, CNBC ULA, Tory Bruno, Jeff Bezos, ULA, – Read, Shepard, Bob Smith, Jim Free, Artemis, HawkEye, – Hydrosat, Leonardo DiCaprio, – Momentus, Westinghouse EchoStar's Hughes, – EchoStar, Iris Lan, Sumara Thompson, King, Lan, – NASA Celeste Ford, Ford, – SpiderOak Melissa Quinn, Quinn Organizations: SpaceX CNBC's, SpaceX, Falcon, Boeing, NASA, CNBC, CNBC Department of Defense, Ukraine, Starlink, Pentagon, –, Space Station, Systems, CNBC SpaceX, Cargo, International Space, FAA, Intelsat, Japan Airlines, Embraer, – Intelsat, Rocket, ONE, Washington, Spaceflight, Aerospace, Aerospace Spacecraft, York, MaC Venture Capital, Broom Ventures, Veto, TechCrunch Viasat, Air Force, Viasat, Westinghouse, U.S . Department of Justice, – NASA, Ford, Stellar Solutions Locations: Florida, China, Russia, Colorado, Ukrainian, Bellevue , Washington, Cortado, Cornwall

☆ I'm a small-business owner in the blockchain industry. I relied on 3 tactics to lead my company through a 'crypto winter' and other volatility.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

With a few strategic moves, the cofounder was able to grow the company during industry uncertainty. During times of "feast," we learned to become agile and adaptable, quickly capitalizing on opportunities for growth and expansion. While we originally sought to work with enterprises, "crypto winter" was taking a huge toll on the industry and we were no exception. For example, during the latest downturn, we spent time building up our accelerator program, Web3 Launchkit, which helps founders learn all the pieces to launch a successful crypto company. Some people were happy to forgo regular cash to receive compensation in a combo of crypto and equity, for example.

Persons: —, Altif Brown, Filecoin, Dor, Web3, we've, We've Organizations: Constellation, Service, Constellation Network, US Department of Defense, Enterprises

Now, with AI booming in popularity, revenue growth rates in the sector are poised to bottom — ultimately allowing for an inevitable bounce. The scope of these cloud developments goes beyond Amazon, Alphabet and Microsoft, touching on other names inside and outside the portfolio. It comes as macroeconomic headwinds have led many enterprises to rein in spending, translating into slower revenue growth for all three cloud-computing units. Alphabet's Google Cloud sales grew 28% year-over-year to $7.45 billion in the three months ended March 31 , compared with 44% in the first quarter of 2022. Sundar Pichai, chief executive officer at Google LLC, speaks during the Google Cloud Next '19 event in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Tuesday, April 9, 2019.

Persons: There's, Salesforce, OpenAI, Embeddings, Amazon Piper Sandler, Piper Sandler, AMZN, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Sundar Pichai, Michael Short Organizations: Big Tech, Microsoft, Club, Nvidia, Web Services, Google, Clinic, Mayo Clinic, U.S, OpenAI, Government, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Defense Department, Defense Technical, Bloomberg, CNBC, Google LLC, Getty Locations: San Francisco , California, U.S

☆ Analysis: Boeing, Northrop face obstacles in commercializing flagship US rocket
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/3] NASA's next-generation moon rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with its Orion crew capsule perched on top, is shown on its launch pad as it is prepared for launch in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S. November 12, 2022. NASA's SLS vision has its skeptics. NASA currently manages SLS production, with Boeing and Northrop its top contractors, each having contracts under which the space agency bears any delay costs. Boeing and Northrop executives have declined to discuss plans for cutting SLS costs under the proposed commercial contract. Boeing has said the SLS program has created 28,000 jobs.

Persons: Joe Skipper, Colonel Douglas Pentecost, Glenn, Jeff Bezos's, Cristina, Jim Free, Artemis, Amit Kshatriya, Kshatriya, Joey Roulette, Will Dunham, Ben Klayman Organizations: Orion, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Pentagon, Northrup, U.S . Department of Defense, DoD, U.S, military's Space Force, NASA, SLS, Elon Musk's SpaceX, Office, U.S . Congress, Northrop, Artemis, Space, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Cape Canaveral , Florida, U.S, Florida

☆ U.S.-India defense ties: Sharing sensitive technology is a 'delicate dance,' think tank says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | 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 EmailU.S.-India defense ties: Sharing sensitive technology is a 'delicate dance,' think tank saysRichard Rossow of the Center for Strategic and International Studies says U.S. companies control most of that technology, not the Department of Defense, and those companies will have to be willing to part with sensitive intellectual property and defense equipment "in a way that builds their own standing … [without] giving away the crown jewels.

Persons: Richard Rossow Organizations: U.S, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Department of Defense Locations: India

WASHINGTON, June 6 (Reuters) - The battle to raise the U.S. debt ceiling rekindled debate in Congress over funding for Ukraine, as House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Tuesday he had no immediate plans to take up legislation to boost defense spending beyond what was in last week's deal. McCarthy's comments could signal a tougher road through Congress when President Joe Biden next asks for additional funds for Ukraine. However, McCarthy, who negotiated the agreement with Biden, said he would not automatically allow a vote on supplemental spending legislation in the Republican-led House. SOME SENATE REPUBLICANS DISAGREEHowever, some Republican senators still said they believed a supplemental spending bill would be necessary. McCarthy said he supported Ukraine and helping Ukraine to defeat the Russian invasion but would want more information before moving ahead.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, Joe Biden, Lawmakers, Biden, McCarthy, Susan Collins, Patricia Zengerle, Bill Berkrot, Jamie Freed Organizations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Republicans, Democratic, Republican, Department of Defense, Capitol, SOME, House Republicans, Democrats, House, Thomson Locations: Congress, Ukraine, Russian, Russia

☆ KKR to take machinery maker Circor private in $1.6-bln deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 5 (Reuters) - KKR & Co Inc (KKR.N) said on Monday it will buy industrial machinery maker Circor International Inc (CIR.N) in a $1.6-billion deal and take it private, as the private equity firm looks to double down on investments in the flow-control market. Flow-control products help manage and control liquids and gases using equipment or services such as pumps, valves, compressors and meters. Circor, which has about 3,100 employees, makes pump and valve systems for sectors including oil and gas, industrial, aerospace and defense. "KKR will help us expand our presence in the flow-control space," Circor's Chief Executive Officer Tony Najjar said. Evercore, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Ropes & Gray LLP advised Circor, while Citi and Kirkland & Ellis LLP were KKR's advisers.

Persons: Tony Najjar, Gray, Circor, Ellis, Nathan Gomes, Priyamvada, Savio D'Souza, Shinjini, Shounak Organizations: KKR, Co Inc, Circor, U.S . Department of Defense, Street Journal, Morgan Securities LLC, Ropes, Gray LLP, Citi, Kirkland, Ellis LLP, Thomson Locations: J.P, Bengaluru

The debt deal capped national security spending in fiscal 2024 at $886 billion, which is what U.S. President Joe Biden requested. Ordinarily, some of the $16 billion worth of unfunded priorities would get tacked on, as well as billions worth of lawmaker initiatives. In recent years Congress has increased defense spending by more than any president requests, generally by tens of billions of dollars. This year, the debt ceiling deal could make that more difficult. That Ukraine supplemental spending request is now expected to include a broader range of military spending and could include some items and pet projects left behind.

Persons: Joe Biden, Abrams, Lockheed Martin, Biden, Mackenzie Eaglen, Eaglen, Mike Stone, Patricia Zengerle, David Holmes Organizations: U.S, Department of Defense, General Dynamics, Lockheed, Huntington Ingalls Industries, Congressional, Pentagon, Congress, Democratic, Republican, American Enterprise Institute, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Washington

☆ Why North Korea’s Latest Nuclear Claims Are Raising Alarms
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Pablo Robles | Choe Sang-Hun | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +17 min

North Korea has a track record of showing mockups of weapons still under development for the sake of propaganda. So far, North Korea has released photos of three nuclear devices, and the latest one — dubbed Hwasan-31, or “Volcano-31” — is by far the smallest. CHINA NORTH KOREA Pyongyang SOUTH KOREA Seoul CHINA NORTH KOREA YELLOW SEA Pyongyang Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA NORTH KOREA Pyongyang YELLOW SEA Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA NORTH KOREA Pyongyang YELLOW SEA Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA Launched from vehicles NORTH KOREA Pyongyang SOUTH KOREA Seoul CHINA Launched from vehicles NORTH KOREA YELLOW SEA Pyongyang Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA Launched from vehicles NORTH KOREA Pyongyang YELLOW SEA Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA Launched from vehicles NORTH KOREA Pyongyang YELLOW SEA Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA Launched from train cars NORTH KOREA Pyongyang SOUTH KOREA Seoul CHINA Launched from train cars NORTH KOREA YELLOW SEA Pyongyang Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA Launched from train cars NORTH KOREA Pyongyang YELLOW SEA Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA Launched from train cars NORTH KOREA Pyongyang YELLOW SEA Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA Underwater launch NORTH KOREA Pyongyang SOUTH KOREA Seoul CHINA Underwater launch NORTH KOREA YELLOW SEA Pyongyang Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA Underwater launch NORTH KOREA Pyongyang YELLOW SEA Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA Underwater launch NORTH KOREA Pyongyang YELLOW SEA Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA NORTH KOREA Possible underground launch Pyongyang SOUTH KOREA Seoul CHINA NORTH KOREA Possible underground launch Pyongyang Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA NORTH KOREA Possible underground launch Pyongyang YELLOW SEA Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA NORTH KOREA Possible underground launch Pyongyang YELLOW SEA Seoul SOUTH KOREASince 2019, North Korea has launched missiles from locations scattered across the country. Satellites can help North Korea collect data from such long-range missile tests to improve its ICBM technology. If North Korea conducts another nuclear test, its seventh, it may be to show that its new and smaller Hwasan-31 nuclear warhead works.

Persons: Kim Jong, Kim, Kim’s, Donald J, Trump, Hwasan, James Martin, Dr, Markus Schiller, Lee Jong, ” Mr, Lee Organizations: Korean Central News Agency, Agence France, Presse Korean Central News Agency, Presse, North Korean, Washington, European Pressphoto Agency, Associated Press, European Pressphoto Agency Korean Central News Agency, Associated Press Korean Central News Agency, James Martin Center, Nonproliferation Studies, Institute for Science, International Security, Japan Ministry of Defense, Seoul SOUTH KOREA, U.S, SOUTH KOREA JAPAN Major U.S, Seoul SOUTH KOREA JAPAN Major U.S, CHINA RUSSIA NORTH, US Department of Defense, ST Analytics, South Korean Defense Ministry, CHINA NORTH, Seoul CHINA NORTH, Pyongyang, Pyongyang Seoul SOUTH KOREA, Seoul, KOREA, NORTH, KOREA CHINA NORTH, Pyongyang Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA NORTH, Seoul SOUTH, Reuters, North, South Korean, ”, South Locations: North, North Korea, Korea, Japan, Washington, Seoul, United States, Northeast Asia, U.S, South Korea, RUSSIA CHINA, Seoul SOUTH KOREA JAPAN, CHINA RUSSIA, CHINA RUSSIA NORTH KOREA, Kaesong, Presse, CHINA, CHINA NORTH KOREA Pyongyang, Seoul CHINA, Seoul CHINA NORTH KOREA, Pyongyang Seoul SOUTH, Pyongyang Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA, KOREA Pyongyang, KOREA CHINA, Pyongyang, NORTH KOREA Pyongyang, KOREA CHINA NORTH KOREA, Pyongyang Seoul SOUTH KOREA CHINA NORTH KOREA, Seoul SOUTH KOREA, Presse North Korea, North Korean

☆ The Pentagon will pay for SpaceX's Starlink in Ukraine months after Elon Musk complained and asked it to pick up the bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Pentagon announced Thursday it will pay SpaceX for Ukraine to use its Starlink service, per Bloomberg. It comes after Elon Musk complained that donated terminals were costing his company too much money. The European Union had previously considered stepping in too, over concerns Musk could stop the vital service on a whim. But in October, Musk grew concerned over how much the operation was costing SpaceX, which had donated Starlink units to Ukraine. The billionaire said "only a small percentage" of Starlink terminals had been paid for, and the cost would exceed $100 million by the end of 2022.

Persons: Elon Musk, —, Starlink, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Musk, SpaceX Organizations: Pentagon, SpaceX, Bloomberg, European Union, Service, Wired, CNN, Politico, Department of Defense, Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, Financial Times Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Union, Ukrainian

In their joint venture agreement, Baker Hughes says it uses C3.ai's solutions and also sells the product to companies in the oil and gas industry. CNBC's "Last Call" aired a report Thursday night on the investor lawsuit against C3.ai and the company's relationship with Baker Hughes. The lawsuit says the publicity about the massive Baker Hughes sales force "artificially inflated C3's stock" when the company first went public. Richard Drew | APIn an April 2023 filing, Baker Hughes announced it divested 1.7 million C3.ai shares, bringing its ownership to 6.9 million shares. Kerrisdale pointed to C3.ai's "highly conspicuous growth" in unbilled receivables, largely from Baker Hughes, and wrote that "accounting red flags abound with the Baker Hughes relationship."

Persons: Tom Siebel, Siebel, Thomas M, Chris J, Ratcliffe, it's, Baker Hughes, Logan Roy, Larry Ellison, Yasmin Khorram, Dan Brennan, We've, Brennan, he's, CNBC's, Reed Kathrein, Theranos, —, Kathrein, Richard Drew, they'd, unbilled, receivables, Siebel's, Ken Goldman, Goldman, Gil Luria, Davidson, Luria, Nick Wells, Scott Zamost, Sam Woodward, Tom Siebel's Organizations: Siebel Systems, Oracle, Bloomberg Tech Summit, Bloomberg, Getty, CNBC, Forbes, Siebel, C3, U.S . Department of Defense, Shell, Northern District of, SEC, Twitter, " Traders, New York Stock Exchange, AP, Point Capital Management, Spotify, C3 Energy, Revenue, Wall Locations: London, Redwood City , CA, Redwood City , California, Northern District, Northern District of California, unbilled receivables, Point

☆ CrowdStrike CEO calls generative AI an 'arms race,' but says company is positioned well to face adversaries
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Julie Coleman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

CEO of cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike George Kurtz told CNBC's Jim Cramer on Thursday that his company is ready to take on "adversarial AI," or antagonists — often outside of the country — who use AI technology to hack into systems for nefarious purposes. Kurtz stressed that his company has been working to fight these adversaries for some time, and that their intelligence and strength should not be underestimated. "Nation-state adversaries are using the same technologies — generative AI and other techniques — to try and defeat systems," he said. "So, it's one of those areas you have to have the best AI, you have to have the best data set, which we believe this kind of human-annotated information that we have to be able to train our generative AI algorithms, but yeah — it's an arms race, and we think we're positioned well." The legacy technologies were not capable of stopping breaches, he said, adding that many of their incident response engagements are Microsoft customers.

Persons: CrowdStrike George Kurtz, CNBC's Jim Cramer, —, Kurtz, it's, CrowdStrike's Organizations: U.S . Department of Defense, Microsoft

WASHINGTON, June 1 (Reuters) - SpaceX's Starlink, the satellite communications service started by billionaire Elon Musk, now has a Department of Defense contract to buy those satellite services for Ukraine, the Pentagon said on Thursday. "We continue to work with a range of global partners to ensure Ukraine has the resilient satellite and communication capabilities they need. Satellite communications constitute a vital layer in Ukraine's overall communications network and the department contracts with Starlink for services of this type," the Pentagon said in a statement. The Pentagon contract is a boon for SpaceX after Musk, the company's CEO, said in October it could not afford to indefinitely fund Starlink in Ukraine, an effort he said cost $20 million a month to maintain. Russia has tried to cut off and jam internet services in Ukraine, including attempts to block Starlink in the region, though SpaceX has countered those attacks by hardening the service's software.

Persons: Starlink, Elon Musk, Mike Stone, Joey Roulette, Franklin Paul, Paul Simao Organizations: Department of Defense, Pentagon, SpaceX, Musk, Bloomberg, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Washington

☆ An AI-powered drone tried to attack its human operator in a US military simulation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An AI-powered drone tried killing its operator in a US military simulation. But in a recent US military test simulation, a drone powered by artificial intelligence added its own problematic instructions: "And kill anyone who gets in your way." As an example, he described a simulated test in which an AI-enabled drone was programmed to identify an enemy's surface-to-air missiles (SAM). According to Hamilton, the drone was then programmed with an explicit directive: "Hey don't kill the operator — that's bad." It starts destroying the communication tower that the operator uses to communicate with the drone to stop it from killing the target," Hamilton said.

Persons: Tucker, Cinco, Hamilton, — Organizations: Service, US Air, Royal Aeronautical Society, US Air Force, Defense, Research Projects Agency, DARPA, Wired, Department of Defense Locations: London, Hamilton

☆ NASA team to issue report on unidentified phenomena in July
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —A team of 16 experts and scientists assembled by NASA aims to publish its first report on unidentified anomalous phenomena, also known as unidentified flying objects, or UFOS, by midsummer. “We’re trying to assess whether those phenomena pose any risks to safety and we’re doing it using science,” Evans added. Unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAP, “are events in the sky that cannot be identified as aircraft or known natural phenomena from a scientific perspective,” according to NASA. Instead, the team’s approach has been outlining how to evaluate and study unidentified anomalous phenomena using data and technology. But since being announced in June 2022, members of the independent study team have faced online harassment.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Dan Evans, “ We’ve, ” Evans, “ We’re, Evans, UAPs, Scott Kelly, David Spergel, Kelly, ” Spergel, “, Sean Kirkpatrick, Kirkpatrick, ” Kirkpatrick, Spergel, astrobiology, Katie Hunt, Michael Conte, Jackie Wattles Organizations: CNN, NASA, UAP, National Defense, US Navy, Simons, US Department of Defense, Pentagon Locations: New York City

CNN —A Chinese fighter jet conducted an “unnecessarily aggressive maneuver” during an intercept of a US spy plane in international airspace over the South China Sea last week, the US military said in a statement Tuesday. The RC-135 was conducting “safe and routine operations” in international airspace, US Indo-Pacific Command said. The US has seen an alarming increase in the number of risky aerial intercepts conducted by Chinese aircraft, according to an INDOPACOM spokesperson. Chinese aircraft have been more aggressive, drawing closer to US and allied aircraft, prompting concern about a potential unsafe incident or miscalculation. Over the past several years, the South China Sea has emerged as a major potential flashpoint in the Asia Pacific.

Persons: ”, Nancy Pelosi’s, Lloyd Austin, Li Shangfu, it’s Organizations: CNN, Pacific Command, Pacific Joint Force, Pentagon, Defense, Dialogue Security, US, Defense Department, Department of Defense, Embassy, Navy, South China, Center for Strategic, Studies, Power Locations: South, United States, U.S, Taiwan, China, Beijing, Singapore, INDOPACOM, Asia

☆ This former Vietnam War POW spent 10 months in a 'tiger cage'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Instead he scrambled out of a porthole and found himself face-to-face with the North Vietnamese. A day that Wallingford recalled as clearly as if it were yesterday, as he recounted it to CNN at a recent reunion for surviving Vietnam War POWs in California. As a longtime veteran of combat in Vietnam, Smith also had battlefield wisdom to impart to his brothers in arms. But what can’t be disputed is that soon after those bombings took place, early in 1973, North Vietnam did finally agree to a peace deal. “He had the stones to go to Hanoi and bomb them for (12) days, which ended the war,” Wallingford said.

CNN —China has rejected a United States proposal for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to meet with his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu at the Shangri-La Dialogue Security Forum in Singapore this week, according to a Pentagon statement. In the statement, the Pentagon said China had declined an invitation extended in early May for a meeting, but said the refusal would not deter the US from seeking better lines of communication. In response, the Chinese Embassy in the US questioned the sincerity and significance of the invitation, pointing to US sanctions imposed on Chinese officials, institutions and companies. The Wall Street Journal first reported China’s refusal to participate in a meeting between the defense chiefs. Austin told CNN earlier this year that he had not spoken to his Chinese counterpart in “months,” and China has continued to rebuff requests for meetings and phone calls, defense officials said.

☆ From your 401(k) to bonds, here’s how to protect your financial well-being as debt default worries grow
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —The White House and House GOP negotiators are rushing to finalize a deal to raise the country’s debt limit. With that X-date only about one week away, there’s still no deal to raise the debt ceiling – putting Americans’ finances in danger. If you invest in bonds, pay attention to when your Treasury bills are maturing. Stick with high-quality investmentsSteer clear of corporate junk bonds or emerging market bonds, CNN has previously reported. Federal government contractors could also see a lag in payments, which could affect their ability to compensate their workers, CNN previously reported.

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