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☆ U.S. Congress to consider two new bills on artificial intelligence
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 8 (Reuters) - U.S. senators on Thursday introduced two separate bipartisan artificial intelligence bills on Thursday amid growing interest in addressing issues surrounding the technology. Lawmakers are beginning to consider what new rules might be needed because of the rise of AI. "We cannot afford to lose our competitive edge in strategic technologies like semiconductors, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence to competitors like China," Bennet said. Earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he had scheduled three briefings for senators on artificial intelligence, including the first classified briefing on the topic so lawmakers can be educated on the issue. read moreThe briefings include a general overview on AI, examining how to achieve American leadership on AI and a classified session on defense and intelligence issues and implications.

Persons: Gary Peters, Mike Braun, James Lankford, aren't, Braun, Michael Bennet, Mark Warner, Todd Young, Bennet, Chuck Schumer, Diane Bartz, David Shepardson, Alistair Bell Organizations: Homeland Security, Republican, Global, Thomson Locations: United States, China

☆ North Korea slams UN meeting on satellite launch, 'robbery' US demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] People watch a TV broadcasting a news report on North Korea firing what it called a space satellite toward the south, in Seoul, South Korea, May 31, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Hong-JiSEOUL, June 4 (Reuters) - North Korea denounced the U.N. Security Council for holding a meeting on its recent satellite launch upon "robbery demands" from the U.S., vowing to continue rejecting sanctions and taking "self-defensive" action, state media KCNA said on Sunday. She said the satellite launch was a "legitimate, self-defensive countermeasure" against increasing threats from the U.S. and its allies, which Pyongyang have accused of rekindling tension with their annual springtime military drills. North Korea will never acknowledge U.N. sanctions resolutions "even if they slap them hundred, thousand times," she said, pledging to continue exercising its sovereign rights, including launching spy satellites. North Korea had informed the IMO of a time frame of its planned satellite launch, and the resolution "strongly" condemned the isolated country's missile tests "which seriously threatened the safety of seafarers and international shipping."

Persons: Kim Hong, Ji, KCNA, Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Kim Myong Chol, Hyonhee Shin, Nick Zieminski Organizations: REUTERS, . Security, UNSC, KCNA, International Maritime, Thomson Locations: North Korea, Seoul, South Korea, Ji SEOUL, U.S, United States, Pyongyang, Korea

☆ Hong Kong court rejects challenge by jailed media tycoon Lai over British lawyer
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Jessie Pang | Thomson Reuters | Jessie Pang Joined Reuters In After An Internship. She Covers Hong Kong With A Focus On Politics | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, May 19 (Reuters) - A Hong Kong court on Friday dismissed an attempt by jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai to challenge a decision by security officials to effectively bar his British lawyer from representing him in a landmark national security trial. Lai's legal team filed a judicial review after Hong Kong's National Security Committee (NSC), headed by senior Hong Kong and Chinese officials, ruled that the admission of senior British barrister Timothy Owen could harm national security and advised Hong Kong authorities to reject his visa. Chief High Court judge Jeremy Poon, in dismissing Lai's challenge, said Hong Kong courts essentially had no authority over the National Security Committee. "You cannot have a body which can simply say magic words (on) national security, and be able to be free from any challenge," Pang said. Beijing imposed the national security law on Hong Kong in 2020 after months of anti-government protests.

[1/3] Firefighters try to douse a bus that caught fire during clashes with the supporters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad, Pakistan, May 12, 2023. The decision was taken at a meeting of the National Security Committee chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. It is an endorsement of the military, which said on Monday that the rioters and their handlers had been identified, and would be tried under army laws. "The meeting endorsed to bring the miscreants, the planners who incited for violence and their facilitators to dock by trying them under constitutional provisions of concerned laws, including Pakistan Army Act and Official Secrets Act," said a statement issued by Sharif's office. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), an independent civil rights group, said it strongly opposes the use of those two laws to try civilians.

"The numbers we have experienced in the past two days are markedly down over what they were prior to the end of Title 42," Mayorkas said on CNN's "State of the Union" program. He said there were 6,300 border encounters on Friday and 4,200 on Saturday, but cautioned it was still early in the new regime. Mayorkas credited the criminal penalties for migrants who illegally enter the country, which resumed under existing law after Title 42's expiration, for the decrease in crossings. Officials from communities along the border agreed they had not seen the large numbers of migrants that many had feared would further strain U.S. border facilities and towns. Just before Title 42 expired on Thursday, House Republicans approved legislation that would require asylum seekers to apply for U.S. protection outside the country, resume construction of a border wall and expand federal law enforcement efforts.

☆ Hong Kong restricts foreign lawyers from national security cases
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Jessie Pang | Thomson Reuters | Jessie Pang Joined Reuters In After An Internship. She Covers Hong Kong With A Focus On Politics | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, May 10 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's legislature passed a legal amendment on Wednesday to prevent foreign lawyers working on national security cases, a restriction critics say will undermine fair trials and the right of defendants to choose their lawyers. The amendment enshrines in law a ruling from China's top lawmaking body last December that Hong Kong courts must get the approval of the city's leader before admitting a foreign lawyer without Hong Kong qualifications for national security cases. It would also discourage some foreign lawyers from getting Hong Kong restricts foreign lawyers from national security casesinvolved, he said. "The vague definition of 'cases concerning national security' in the bill implies that the government can arbitrarily use the new powers to allow or prohibit foreign lawyers from taking up local cases, whatever civil or criminal, on the over-broad ground of 'national security'," Lai said. Beijing imposed the national security law on Hong Kong in 2020 after months of anti-government protests.

☆ G.O.P. Immigration Agenda Faces Stiff Odds in Divided House
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | Luke Broadwater | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — House Republicans, intent on pressing ahead with their top campaign promises on immigration, turned a hearing with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas into an impeachment-focused interrogation and formally debated restrictive border security legislation on Wednesday, despite significant G.O.P. opposition that could kill both initiatives on the House floor. “You have not secured our borders — and Mr. Secretary, I believe you have done so intentionally,” Representative Mark E. Green, Republican of Tennessee and the Homeland Security Committee’s chairman, told Mr. Mayorkas during a hearing before his panel. But the more immediate obstacle facing House G.O.P. leaders lies within their own ranks: There are not enough Republican members yet on board with either impeachment proceedings against Mr. Mayorkas or the border security legislation to avoid potentially embarrassing defeats on the House floor.

☆ Four killed in blast targeting police vehicle in Pakistan's Quetta
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Gul Yousafzai | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

QUETTA, Pakistan, April 10 (Reuters) - Four people were killed and fifteen injured in a bombing targeting a police vehicle in a marketplace in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta on Monday, a hospital official said. "The injured numbers reached fifteen, and four dead,” Wasim Baig, a spokesperson for the Quetta hospital, told Reuters. He said initial reports showed an improvised explosive device was planted in a motorcycle parked behind the vehicle. Two police officers who were sitting in the vehicle were among the dead, SSP operations Zohaib Mohsin Baloch said. Reporting by Gul Yousafzai in Quetta, Gibran Peshimam; Writing by Sakshi Dayal and Gibran Peshimam; Editing by Toby Chopra and Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"The meeting agreed to launch an all-out comprehensive operation with the entire nation and the government, which will rid the country of the menace of terrorism with renewed vigor and determination," the security committee said in a statement. Pakistan, a nuclear-armed country of 220 million people, has seen a rise in attacks by Islamist militants in the last few months, particularly since negotiations with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militant group broke down last year. The court has already rejected the government's argument, but Friday's security committee statement brings with it the key endorsement of Pakistan's powerful military. It (the government) gets the military's backing without the military giving any sort of political statement," Hussain added. Pakistan's military has ruled the country for over 30 years out of its 75-year history and continues to wield enormous power.

☆ Here's what makes cybersecurity giant Palo Alto Networks tick and why we like the stock so much
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +22 min

Palo Alto Networks (PANW) last month had its best single trading day in about a year, exactly one week after the next-generation cybersecurity company became our newest Investing Club holding. Why Palo Alto Networks? PANW YTD mountain Palo Alto Networks (PANW) 1-year performance Palo Alto Networks is a great way to play a secular growth industry. Taking all of these segments together, Palo Alto Networks is a company capable of delivering on every aspect of cybersecurity under one roof. Palo Alto Networks' ESG practices, meanwhile, are overseen by the ESG and Nominating Committee, which provides counsel to the board in these matters.

Germany wants Switzerland to sell some of the tanks back to arms maker Rheinmetall (RHMG.DE), which would allow the company to backfill gaps in the armaments of European Union and NATO members. Germany, Poland, Portugal, Finland and Sweden are among countries sending Leopard tanks to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian attack, creating gaps in their own arsenals. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and Economics Minister Robert Habeck informed Swiss Defence Minister Viola Amherd about the project in a letter dated Feb. 23, the defence ministries in Bern and Berlin told Reuters on Friday. Under its neutrality laws and a separate arms embargo, Switzerland is prohibited from sending weapons directly to Ukraine. The Swiss military currently has 134 Leopard 2 tanks in service and a further 96 in storage.

☆ China scoffs at FBI claim that Wuhan lab leak likely caused COVID pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 1 (Reuters) - The FBI has assessed that a leak from a laboratory in the central Chinese city of Wuhan likely caused the COVID pandemic, director Christopher Wray said on Tuesday, a claim China said had "no credibility whatsoever". "The FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan," Wray told Fox News. His comments follow a Wall Street Journal report on Sunday that the U.S. Energy Department had assessed with low confidence the pandemic resulted from an unintended lab leak in China. Four other agencies, along with a national intelligence panel, still judge that the pandemic was likely the result of a natural transmission, and two are undecided, the Journal reported. The virus was first identified in Wuhan in December 2019 before spreading round the world and killing nearly 7 million people.

☆ MTG defends her call to split up the US by saying the country is moving towards another civil war: 'We have to do something about it'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

She said the US was moving closer to a civil war and "we have to do something about it." Greene responded by saying that she doesn't want a civil war, but that the country was moving towards one and action needs to be taken. "The last thing I ever want to see in America is a civil war. "We need to separate by red states and blue states and shrink the federal government," she said. She described it not as a civil war but "a legal agreement to separate our ideological and political disagreements by states while maintaining our legal union."

☆ Mitch McConnell says 'way too much attention' has been given to Republicans who oppose aiding Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

McConnell recently traveled to Europe to underscore Republican support for Ukraine. He told one reporter that members of his party opposed to aiding the country get "way too much attention." Other prominent Republicans have argued that the cost of US support for Ukraine is too high. "Let me start by saying: I am a conservative Republican from America, and I come in peace," said the top Senate Republican, according to his prepared remarks. "Reports about the death of Republican support for strong American leadership in the world have been greatly exaggerated."

☆ Marjorie Taylor Greene — who's gaining power in the GOP-led House — suggests splitting up the United States on President's Day
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene once against suggesting splitting up the US by "red" and "blue" states. Greene called the idea a "national divorce" for people sick of Democrats' "traitorous" policies in a tweet on President's Day. However, Greene has recently made a concentrated effort to walk back some of her most controversial statements, Insider previously reported. She apologized for her statements supporting QAnon — and, at the same time, became a staunch supporter of Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy as he pushed to become Speaker of the House. "Past comments from and endorsed by Marjorie Taylor Greene on school shootings, political violence, and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories do not represent the values or beliefs of the House Republican Conference," he said in February 2021.

☆ Biden vows "to protect" country in State of the Union speech, refers to China balloon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"I'm committed to work with China where we can advance American interests and benefit the world," Biden said. "But make no mistake about it: as we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. Investing in American innovation, in industries that will define the future, that China intends to be dominating," Biden said. Democrats have joined Republicans in demanding more information about the balloon and the Biden administration's policy toward the government in Beijing. We built a global coalition," Biden said, vowing to stand with Ukraine "as long as it takes."

☆ Analysis: Swiss neutrality on the line as arms-for-Ukraine debate heats up
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( John Revill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Buyers of Swiss arms are legally prevented from re-exporting them, a restriction that some representing the country's large weapons industry say is now hurting trade. Under Swiss neutrality, which dates back to 1815 and is enshrined by treaty in 1907, Switzerland will not send weapons directly or indirectly to combatants in a war. Third countries can in theory apply to Bern to re-export Swiss weapons they have in their stocks, but permission is almost always denied. Meanwhile the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP), the lower house's largest party and traditionally staunch defenders of neutrality, now appears divided. ($1 = 0.9132 Swiss francs)Reporting by John Revill; editing by John Stonestreet and Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A rift has opened between Kevin McCarthy and MTG over her claim Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt was murdered by police
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kevin McCarthy broke with Marjorie Taylor Greene's position on the death of Ashli Babbitt. After Greene claimed Capitol rioter Babbitt was "murdered" on January 6, McCarthy disagreed. But she went on to make a direct comparison to Babbitt's death, saying: "There's a woman in this room whose daughter was murdered on January 6, Ashli Babbitt. The Department of Justice closed its investigation into Babbitt's death in April 2021, saying there were insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges. Greene was later added to two of the most high-profile committee seats: the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Oversight Committee.

☆ Marjorie Taylor Greene calls on Biden to shoot down Chinese spy balloon, says Trump would have done so already
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Marjorie Taylor Greene called on the Biden admin to shoot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon. In a tweet late Thursday, Greene wrote: "Biden should shoot down the Chinese spy balloon immediately. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) February 2, 2023On Thursday evening it was reported that the US military was tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon, first spotted over Montana, which it believes with "very high confidence" to be of Chinese origin. In a Truth Social post, Trump appeared to agree with Greene, sharing a post by rightwing activist and conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec. The CCP [Chinese Communist party] can send spy balloons over our nuclear silos and we will do nothing.

☆ Sen. Kyrsten Sinema pulls in cash from Wall Street, real estate titans as she mulls reelection bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Real estate and private equity leaders, who have long helped to fill Sinema's campaign coffers, contributed to a healthy cash haul for the senator in the final months of last year. At the lunch, Sinema discussed the incoming Congress and how the tight margins in both chambers could create gridlock, according to attendees. Sinema's campaign had already seen more than $2 million from the securities and investment industry since the 2018 election cycle. The Sinema campaign saw dozens of contributions totaling over $145,000 from people who work at Apollo Global Management, another giant private equity firm, since October. Suzanne Clark, CEO of the massive pro-business lobbying group U.S. Chamber of Commerce, also donated $1,000 to Sinema's campaign on Dec. 31, the new FEC filing shows.

☆ U.S. says Russia violating New START nuclear arms control treaty
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Delegates from Russia attend the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference in New York City, New York, U.S., August 1, 2022. REUTERS/David 'Dee' Delgado/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday accused Russia of violating the New START Treaty, the last major pillar of post-Cold War nuclear arms control between the two countries, saying Moscow was refusing to allow inspection activities on its territory. The two countries, which during the Cold War were constrained by a tangle of arms control agreements, still account together for about 90% of the world's nuclear warheads. "The New START Treaty remains in the national security interests of the United States," the spokesperson said. Asked if Moscow could envisage there being no nuclear arms control treaty after 2026, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the RIA state new agency: "This is quite a possible scenario."

☆ Divided U.S. House members spar over national security committee seats
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Reflecting the bitter divide in the newly seated House, where Republicans hold a slim majority, McCarthy on Tuesday formally rejected Representatives Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell as members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. McCarthy, who as speaker can act unilaterally appoint the members of a select committee like the intelligence panel, insists he is acting in the best security interests of the country. McCarthy and other Republican leaders also said they do not want Representative Ilhan Omar to serve on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. At least two have said they opposed her removal; Republicans have only a five-seat majority in the House. Gosar also had posted a video on social media showing him appearing to kill another House member, Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

☆ Marjorie Taylor Greene wants to be Trump's 2024 vice presidential pick: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene wants to become Trump's VP in 2024, NBC News reported. "She sees herself on the short list for Trump's VP," Steve Bannon, a Trump ally, said. "She sees herself on the short list for Trump's VP," Steve Bannon, an ally to Trump and his former one-time White House strategist, told the news outlet. Trump in November became the first person of a major party to launch a 2024 presidential bid. Some names that have been reportedly floated as Trump's potential VP picks include his former press secretary and now-Arkansas Gov.

☆ McCarthy said he would 'always take care of' MTG, report says, a clear reward for helping him become speaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Rep. Kevin McCarthy formed a close friendship with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, the NYT reported. It came during the acrimonious battle over McCarthy's House speaker campaign. Greene's endorsement was important for McCarthy as he struggled to find the 218 votes to be elected speaker. He believes that having good relations with the hard right of the GOP will be essential during his tenure as Speaker, the report said. In return for her loyalty to McCarthy, Greene was rewarded with several influential committee assignments, including Homeland Security Committee and Oversight Committee.

☆ A former Long Island GOP congressman says the 'lack of trust' in embattled Rep. George Santos is a 'prescription for disaster'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Former Rep. Peter King in a New York Times op-ed questioned the effectiveness of George Santos. How do committee members sit still for this guy in their midst?" "Except perhaps for a few ineffective congressional outliers, I can't imagine a member of either party working or cooperating with Mr. Santos," the former congressman wrote. "And when you don't have that, you're just faking your way through the workday — something Mr. Santos is apparently pretty good at." "As long as Mr. Santos remains in Congress, he is dead man walking and will be unable to get anything done for his constituents.

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