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☆ Former day care workers at Air Force base accused of spraying children in the face with cleaning liquid
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A federal grand jury handed down a 30-count indictment alleging that former Robins Air Force Base day care employees Zhanay Kiana Flynn, 27, and Antanesha Mone Fritz, 29, abused children in their care in January and February 2021. The indictment charged Flynn, Fritz and former day care director Latona Mae Lambert, 51, with one count each of failing to report suspected child abuse. “Properly caring for our Airmen and their families is of utmost importance," a spokesperson for Robins Air Force Base said in a statement. We are fully supporting the ongoing investigation and reviewing processes to ensure the appropriate measures are in place to safeguard our children.”An investigation into the allegations is ongoing by the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations and Air Force Security Forces, with support from the FBI, according to the Justice Department. According to the Department of Defense, child care centers on military bases are randomly inspected at least four times a year and receive accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children or a similar body.

Video showed Pelosi and Schumer, top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell, and Republican Senator John Thune calling the Department of Defense asking for military backup to help clear the Capitol complex. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterPelosi and Schumer also called acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen. The footage also showed Pelosi and top House Democrats being told that members of the House were pulling on gas masks. In the video, she said she planned to call Larry Hogan, governor of Maryland, about sending the National Guard from his state. Many of those present - including reporters and congressional staff - were in the Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack.

☆ How Palantir's tech-based patriotism and politics grew into a multi-billion dollar company
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Cameron Costa | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The data mining and software company got its start with government contracts, and 19 years since its inception, Palantir's government work is still central to its business. At its start, Palantir's business came directly from the FBI, the NSA, and even the CIA, whose venture arm In-Q-Tel was one of the company's earliest backers. For Karp, data and defense are intertwined, and his company's contracts with government agencies reflect a commitment to leveraging technology to bolster the West. Karp founded the company with well-known conservative tech investor Peter Thiel, and the two have publicly sparred over politics and technology. However, even as a $16.7 billion market cap publicly traded company, Palantir's work remains opaque.

☆ Twitter 'official partner' Dataminr, which police used to monitor Black Lives Matter protests, will soon get a surveillance contract for the White House
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Caroline Haskins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Dataminr has a contract for surveilling social media and providing news alerts for the White House. Dataminr is in Twitter's official partner program, which gives it more access to Twitter data. Dataminr, one of Twitter's official partners, will soon get a new social-media-surveillance contract for the White House, according to a newly published government document. A contract justification document mentions that Dataminr would be used on a "Watch Floor," which refers to the watch floor of the White House Situation Room, Dataminr said. The DISA contract is the latest contract in Dataminr's controversial history.

☆ More frequent Chinese patrols put 'heavy burden' on aging Taiwan frigates
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Yimou Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TAIPEI, Oct 11 (Reuters) - The stepped up intensity of Chinese naval patrols near Taiwan since August is putting a "heavy burden" on the island's aging frigate fleet, which is struggling to maintain combat readiness, the Taiwanese defence ministry said on Tuesday. China had expanded the area in which the ships operate from "time to time" patrols in the Taiwan Strait to regularly sending them into the waters off southwest and northern Taiwan, it said. The Chi Yang-class frigates were built by the United States in the 1970s and commissioned by Taiwan in 1992. The ministry did not say how many such new ships Taiwan is planning to build beyond 2025. It said the new frigates of about 2,000-tonnes would be similar to their Chinese counterparts in size and more adaptable to react to the regular presence of Chinese ships near Taiwan, which include China's Type 056 corvettes and Type 053H3 frigates.

☆ Elon Musk denies report that he talked to Putin recently about Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Investor Sven Henrich asked Musk (via his Twitter account "@northmantrader") if the report was true. As CNBC previously reported, Musk posted a series of tweets earlier this month seeking support for what he thought would be the best outcome for Russia's war on Ukraine. Musk proposed UN-supervised votes in Ukraine about whether certain regions of the nation under siege should join Russia. Publicly opining on war could prove risky for Musk and SpaceX, cautions J2 Ventures founder and Managing Partner Alex Harstrick. Musk has also recently sounded off, in an interview with Financial Times, about his vision for resolving China's conflict with Taiwan.

☆ After a general's clash with Fox News' Tucker Carlson, soldiers worry the US Army 'has gone full MAGA'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Steve Beynon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

"Intentionally or not, this whole thing showed women that we are not worth defending," one noncommissioned officer told Military.com. To some, scrutinizing Donahoe's defense of women online is being seen as the service bending the knee to right-wing media. … The Army has gone full MAGA," the general said, referencing former President Donald Trump's campaign slogan, Make America Great Again. Other Army leaders backed the sentiment, including Grinston, who said on Twitter, "Women lead our most lethal units with character. Department of DefenseDonahoe was an avid user of social media at a time when most military leaders were wary of some of the risks of being active in the military community online.

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The bottom line: Security Service Federal Credit Union is on our list of the best banks/credit unions for military families. How Security Service Federal Credit Union worksSecurity Service Federal Credit Union has 67 branches in Colorado, Texas, and Utah. How to join Security Service Federal Credit UnionYou're eligible to become a member of Security Service Federal Credit Union if you meet one of the following criteria:Live, work, study, worship, volunteer, or have a business in Colorado, Texas, or UtahAre a military member at a branch/unit or a Department of Defense employee at certain bases in Colorado, Texas, or UtahHave a family or household member who is already a memberYou'll also need to open a Security Service Federal Credit Union Basic Savings Account when you join. Security Service Federal Credit Union trustworthiness and BBB ratingSecurity Service Federal Credit Union does not have any public controversies. How Security Service Federal Credit Union comparesYour choice between the three institutions could come down to which types of accounts you want.

☆ Google and Amazon ignore employee protests and plow ahead with deals involving the US military, ICE, and CBP
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Caroline Haskins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Google and Amazon used third parties for contracts with DHS and DOD agencies in the past year. Their dissent has been largely ignored, according to an Insider review of contracts involving Google and Amazon. In the same time frame, Amazon used third parties to work with DHS agencies at least 28 times, including at least 14 contracts with CBP. As Insider previously reported, these companies have used third parties to work with CBP as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Google and Amazon employees have a history of speaking out against their companies' work with the military and immigration enforcement.

☆ Putin's big military mobilization moves won't have any effect on his fight in Ukraine for months, war experts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Partial military mobilization won't have any effect on the war for months, a think tank said. Putin's order to call up to 300,000 reservist troops to wage war in Ukraine "will not generate significant usable Russian combat power for months," the think tank said. Putin's mobilization order, ISW said, "may suffice to sustain the current levels of Russian military manpower in 2023 by offsetting Russian casualties, although even that is not yet clear." Additionally, Hardie explained, Putin's call for a mobilization of troops "carries serious political risks and was not made lightly." In the wake of Putin's mobilization announcement, many Russians attempted to flee the country while others took to the streets in cities across the country to protest the war.

☆ Biden's student-loan forgiveness plan is getting rid of the military's 'top recruiting incentive' of free education, 19 GOP lawmakers say
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

19 GOP lawmakers said Biden's student-loan forgiveness could hurt military recruitment. Many Republicans have pushed back on Biden's debt relief, with some trying to stop it from happening. Last week, 19 GOP lawmakers wrote a letter to Biden expressing concerns with his recently announced $20,000 in debt cancellation for federal borrowers making under $125,000 a year. But they said that at the end of last month, the Army had reached just 66% of its recruiting goal for the year, and Biden's student-loan forgiveness will "exacerbate" recruiting challenges. This is just the latest attempt by Republican lawmakers to push back on Biden's debt relief.

☆ Salesforce, Oracle, Palantir and other tech companies are interested in building a new Army tool to manage weapons distribution and troop deployment
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Caroline Haskins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The US Army is looking for tech companies to build a prototype for its new "operational back-bone." Palantir, Gitlab, Salesforce, Oracle, RedHat, IBM, and others submitted "Requests for Information" to build the prototype, a step before submitting a bid. The prototype would manage the deployment of troops, and the supply and distribution of missiles, guns, tanks, and other weapons. Palantir has an $823 million Army contract for data mining and analytics. It's also unclear if Amazon, Google, or Microsoft will contribute to the project in some capacity, including as a subcontractor.

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☆ California enacts law to help LGBTQ military veterans
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-18 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

SAN FRANCISCO — A new law in California will help military service members who were discharged under “don’t ask, don’t tell” policies because of their sexual or gender identities to reestablish their eligibility for Veterans Affairs benefits, Gov. Gays and lesbians were banned in the military until the 1993 approval of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” which allowed them to serve only if they did not openly acknowledge their sexual orientation. The Department of Defense subsequently created a path for veterans who had been discharged under the policy to receive the full range of veterans’ benefits. “But many veterans sadly don’t know or can’t even access this important process,” Newsom said, adding that some veterans trying to reclaim benefits have had to hire expensive legal counsel and other assistance to navigate the process. “We’re taking steps to fix this.”The law will require the California Department of Veteran Affairs to establish the Veterans Discharge Upgrade Grant Program to help advise LGBTQ veterans who were discharged under “don’t ask, don’t tell” and to help those who qualify to update and correct their records and access veterans’ benefits.

☆ A 26-year-old entrepreneur built a multi-million dollar business doing government contract work out of his parents' basement. Now, he and his fiancée are completing a new 250-home development in the s
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-18 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

The couple now work together full-time on the company Uboh started back in 2015, JUBOH Companies, from his parents' basement. One of the first companies Uboh started was an an ecommerce drop shipping company. "I started early. Courtesy of JUBOH CompaniesUboh and Carter, who started working with his team full-time in 2020, are now finishing a 250-home development called Somerset Hills in Fairburn, Georgia. He started early and he started small: with a candy business in grade school and, later, with a lawnmower that cost a couple hundred bucks.

☆ Moscow could be pushed toward 'nuclear escalation' if the US overreacts to Russia's disastrous invasion of Ukraine, new report warns
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The US should not overreact to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a new Costs of War Project report warns. The report underscores that the war has shown Russia's military is much weaker than previously thought. The report states that the "greatest threat of nuclear war could lie in the West's overreaction to Russia's aggression." "Rather, cognizant of Russia's conventional military weakness, the US military budget can instead be trimmed," it adds. He said the Russian military is "not nearly as powerful as we thought it was."

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☆ Is Twitter ready for the midterms?
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-26 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

The disclosure alleges that Twitter is rife with security and privacy vulnerabilities that put users, investors and even US national security at risk, and that Twitter executives have misled its board and regulators about its shortcomings. Members of the US House Committee on Homeland Security on Thursday sent Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal a letter demanding that he address Zatko’s allegations and explain Twitter’s readiness for the 2022 midterms. In 2020, hackers tricked Twitter employees into handing over internal access that allowed them to take over the accounts of prominent figures such as former President Barack Obama and then-Presidential candidate Joe Biden. “Twitter employees were repeatedly found to be intentionally installing spyware on their work computers at the request of external organizations,” the disclosure states. Twitter’s employees use devices overseen by other IT and security teams with the power to prevent a device from connecting to sensitive internal systems if it is running outdated software, Twitter added.

☆ Ukraine's Independence Day darkened by deadly missile strike
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-23 | by ( Tara John | Yulia Kesaieva | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The day was darkened by a missile strike on an eastern Ukrainian train station which killed at least 22 people -- fulfilling warnings by Ukrainian officials. On the eve of Independence Day, crowds of people were seen in Khreshchatyk, inspecting the display. "I don't feel festive about (Independence Day), I rather feel sad," she added. International solidarityUS President Joe Biden marked Ukraine's Independence Day Wednesday by reiterating the US' commitment to Ukraine with a new $2.98 billion investment in security assistance. Daria is also worried about an attack on Independence Day.

The state’s restrictive abortion laws spotlight existing gender disparities within the VA medical system, according to former military women who shared their personal experiences during a listening tour held by Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Calif., chairwoman of the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health. The VA does not provide any abortion services, even initial consultations, to women seeking more information about terminating their pregnancies. And that doesn’t end when we get out,” veteran Amber Davila, 37, said outside of the session in Austin, Texas. “We will continue to make sure they have timely access to the full suite of reproductive care,” the VA said. “This is fuel to the fire,” said Plescher, lead outreach coordinator for Grace After Fire, a female veterans group based in Houston.

☆ Biden signs bill to expand benefits for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-10 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Rebecca-Shabad-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed legislation on Wednesday expanding health care benefits for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. The bipartisan bill, known as the PACT Act, is the most significant expansion of veterans' health care and benefits in more than 30 years, a White House official said. Danielle Robinson was a guest of first lady Jill Biden during the president's first State of the Union address when he called on Congress to pass burn pits legislation. Biden has said he believes Beau’s cancer was linked to exposure to burn pits during his deployment. The legislation increases veterans' access to medical care and disability payments for exposure to burn pits.

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