Archiv: bureaucrats / advisers / experts / technocrats / plutocrats / functionaries / cadres / apparatchiks / apparatus


22.01.2025 - 20:39 [ Fox News ]

Trump‘s FBI overhaul puts ‚untouchable‘ feds on notice: former agent

On Monday, the White House announced Brian Driscoll as acting director of the FBI. Driscoll’s time as acting director will presumably end when Kashyap „Kash“ Patel is confirmed as the FBI’s next director by the U.S. Senate.

Throughout former President Biden‘s term, the FBI was entangled in repeated scandals, prompting President Trump to promise to root out corruption in the FBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ).

21.01.2025 - 19:53 [ White House ]

RESTORING FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND ENDING FEDERAL CENSORSHIP

Section 1. Purpose. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution, an amendment essential to the success of our Republic, enshrines the right of the American people to speak freely in the public square without Government interference. Over the last 4 years, the previous administration trampled free speech rights by censoring Americans’ speech on online platforms, often by exerting substantial coercive pressure on third parties, such as social media companies, to moderate, deplatform, or otherwise suppress speech that the Federal Government did not approve. Under the guise of combatting “misinformation,” “disinformation,” and “malinformation,” the Federal Government infringed on the constitutionally protected speech rights of American citizens across the United States in a manner that advanced the Government’s preferred narrative about significant matters of public debate. Government censorship of speech is intolerable in a free society.

Sec. 2. Policy. It is the policy of the United States to: (a) secure the right of the American people to engage in constitutionally protected speech;

(b) ensure that no Federal Government officer, employee, or agent engages in or facilitates any conduct that would unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen;

(c) ensure that no taxpayer resources are used to engage in or facilitate any conduct that would unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen; and

(d) identify and take appropriate action to correct past misconduct by the Federal Government related to censorship of protected speech.

Sec. 3. Ending Censorship of Protected Speech. (a) No Federal department, agency, entity, officer, employee, or agent may act or use any Federal resources in a manner contrary to section 2 of this order.

(b) The Attorney General, in consultation with the heads of executive departments and agencies, shall investigate the activities of the Federal Government over the last 4 years that are inconsistent with the purposes and policies of this order and prepare a report to be submitted to the President, through the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, with recommendations for appropriate remedial actions to be taken based on the findings of the report.

21.01.2025 - 19:50 [ Associated Press ]

Trump orders government not to infringe on Americans’ speech, calls for censorship investigation

It’s not yet clear how the order could affect the work that several U.S. agencies do to track false claims that pose threats to election security, including the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, known as CISA.

12.12.2024 - 06:59 [ Donald J. Trump / Truth Social ]

The resignation of Christopher Wray is a great day for America as it will end the Weaponization of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice. I just don’t know what happened to him.

We will now restore the Rule of Law for all Americans. Under the leadership of Christopher Wray, the FBI illegally raided my home, without cause, worked diligently on illegally impeaching and indicting me, and has done everything else to interfere with the success and future of America. They have used their vast powers to threaten and destroy many innocent Americans, some of which will never be able to recover from what has been done to them.

12.12.2024 - 06:54 [ Reuters ]

FBI Director Chris Wray to resign following Trump nomination of Patel

Wray will leave before the end of the 10-year term that Trump himself appointed him to in 2017.

01.12.2024 - 03:07 [ Donald J. Trump / Social Truth ]

I am proud to announce that Kashyap “Kash” Patel will serve as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and “America First” fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People. He played a pivotal role in uncovering the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution.

01.12.2024 - 02:59 [ New York Times ]

Trump Says He Will Nominate Kash Patel to Run F.B.I.

President-elect Donald J. Trump said on Saturday that he wants to replace Christopher A. Wray, the F.B.I. director, with Kash Patel, a hard-line critic of the bureau who has called for shutting down the agency’s Washington headquarters, firing its leadership and bringing the nation’s law enforcement agencies “to heel.”

25.11.2024 - 21:04 [ MintPressNews.com ]

Selling War: How Raytheon and Boeing Fund the Push for NATO’s Nuclear Expansion

(September 18, 2024)

To “counter Russia’s nuclear blackmail,” the Atlantic Council confidently asserted, “NATO must adapt its nuclear sharing program.” This includes moving B-61 atomic bombs to Eastern Europe and building a network of medium-range missile bases across the continent. The think tank praised Washington’s recent decision to send Tomahawk and SM-6 missiles to Germany as a “good start” but insisted that it “does not impose a high enough price” on Russia.

What the Atlantic Council does not divulge at any time is that not only would this drastically increase the likelihood of a catastrophic nuclear war, but that the weapons they specifically recommend come directly from manufacturers that fund them in the first place.

25.11.2024 - 02:15 [ Antiwar.com ]

Report: US and European Officials Discussed Giving Ukraine Nuclear Weapons

(November 22, 2024)

Desperate to bolster Ukraine’s standing in the war before the transition of power on January 20, the Biden administration is looking at a range of serious escalations. “US and European officials are discussing deterrence as a possible security guarantee for Ukraine, such as stockpiling a conventional arsenal sufficient to strike a punishing blow if Russia violates a cease-fire.” The article continues, “Several officials even suggested that Mr. Biden could return nuclear weapons to Ukraine that were taken from it after the fall of the Soviet Union.”

According to some officials who spoke with the Times, the administration believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t significantly escalate the war until Trump returns to the Oval Office.

25.11.2024 - 02:14 [ DebatePolitics.com ]

Trump’s Vow to End the War Could Leave Ukraine With Few Options

(November 24, 2024)

„Trump’s Vow to End the War Could Leave Ukraine With Few Options​


Several officials even suggested that Mr. Biden could return nuclear weapons to Ukraine that were taken from it after the fall of the Soviet Union. That would be an instant and enormous deterrent. But such a step would be complicated and have serious implications.“

20.11.2024 - 16:26 [ Consortium News ]

RAY McGOVERN: Will Gabbard Be Able to Direct the Intelligence ‘Community’?

On July 22, 2004, immediately after the 9/11 Commission report was released, I found myself with 9/11 commissioner (and former senator from Washington) Slade Gorton in the BBC blue room in Washington. I had the temerity to remind him that it was far from the case that “no one was in charge” of the intelligence community; that Tenet had all the authority he needed.

Gorton turned to me, smiled and said: “Of course we know all that; but we in the Commission and in Congress just had to do something so the American people would see that we were doing something.”

Yuck.

The national intelligence director, and the newly created bureaucracy, is what it is. Maybe Tulsi Gabbard can take the reins and make the community work. It will take a miracle; let’s hope for one.

15.11.2024 - 16:23 [ ABC News ]

Former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is Trump‘s pick for director of national intelligence

(November 13, 2024)

„Trump ended up with some neocons around him who were trying to undermine his objectives so they could feed their goals of continuing to keep us in a perpetual state of war,“ Gabbard said, discussing his first administration. „This administration has us facing multiple wars on multiple fronts and regions around the world and closer to the brink of nuclear war than we ever have been before,“ Gabbard said when she endorsed Trump during a campaign event in Michigan.

„This is one of the main reasons why I‘m committed to doing all that I can to send President Trump back to the White House, where he can, once again, serve us as our commander in chief.“

13.11.2024 - 14:01 [ Donald J. Trump / Truth Social ]

I am pleased to announce that the Great Elon Musk, working in conjunction with American Patriot Vivek Ramaswamy, will lead the Department of Government Efficiency (‚DOGE“)….

10.11.2024 - 14:44 [ Statista.com ]

1.25 Million Have ‚Top Secret‘ Access in the U.S.

(April 14, 2023)

Peo0le with clearance and access to „Top Secret“ U.S.federal government information, by employee type
Government 605.579
Contractor 472.576
Other 173.803
Total 1.251.958

As of Oct.1, 2019
Source: Office of the Director of National Intelligence via Federation of American Scientists

10.11.2024 - 14:30 [ Washington Post ]

TOP SECRET AMERICA: National Security Inc.

(July 20, 2010)

The Post investigation uncovered what amounts to an alternative geography of the United States, a Top Secret America created since 9/11 that is hidden from public view, lacking in thorough oversight and so unwieldy that its effectiveness is impossible to determine.

It is also a system in which contractors are playing an ever more important role. The Post estimates that out of 854,000 people with top-secret clearances, 265,000 are contractors. There is no better example of the government‘s dependency on them than at the CIA, the one place in government that exists to do things overseas that no other U.S. agency is allowed to do.

(…)

Contractors kill enemy fighters. They spy on foreign governments and eavesdrop on terrorist networks. They help craft war plans. They gather information on local factions in war zones. They are the historians, the architects, the recruiters in the nation‘s most secretive agencies. They staff watch centers across the Washington area. They are among the most trusted advisers to the four-star generals leading the nation‘s wars.

10.11.2024 - 13:35 [ New York Times ]

When Did Liberals Become So Comfortable With War?

First, history has shown that governments and bureaucracies tend to become addicted to a war footing, with failure sucking them in further — think of America’s war on terror, or Vietnam. War encourages a perverse cycle of escalation in which huge financial and political gains accrue for governments and the military-industrial complex while the costs tend to be borne by weaker parties — before they start to come home in some shape or form.

We’ve called this bipartisan pattern “wreckonomics” and have found it especially present in wars or conflicts with costs that Western politicians can largely outsource — from fighting terrorism, drugs and smugglers to quasi-colonial interventions during the Cold War.

07.11.2024 - 10:55 [ theHill.com ]

Sanders: Democratic Party ‘has abandoned working class people’

“Will the big money interests and well-paid consultants who control the Democratic Party learn any real lessons from this disastrous campaign? Will they understand the pain and political alienation that tens of millions of Americans are experiencing? Do they have any ideas as to how we can take on the increasingly powerful Oligarchy, which has so much economic power?” Sanders asked.

“Probably not,” he said in response to his own question.

07.11.2024 - 10:41 [ USA Tpday ]

‚The American people are angry and want change‘: Bernie Sanders slams Democrats for loss

Sanders, 83, highlighted several issues he believes the nation has failed to address under the Biden-Harris Administration, from wealth inequality and a worsening standard of living to high prescription drug prices and the lack of guaranteed medical leave.

Though he is an Independent, Sanders caucuses with the Democratic Party, and has long championed policies like Medicare for All and a higher federal minimum wage.

07.11.2024 - 09:55 [ Wikipedia ]

Jaime Harrison

Following President Joe Biden‘s victory in the 2020 presidential election, Harrison was nominated by Biden to be the chair of the DNC, succeeding Tom Perez.[23] DNC members elected him on January 21, 2021.[24]

07.11.2024 - 09:53 [ theNation.com ]

This Time We Have to Hold the Democratic Party Elite Responsible for This Catastrophe

With Trump winning his second term, it is worth noting that there was no absolutely accountability by the Democratic Party when he won in 2016. Losing an election to so dangerous and corrupt a figure as Donald Trump should cause a political party to do some major inward reflection on their own failures of policy and political strategy. Instead, all the Democrats who bore responsibility for the 2016 failure—starting with Hillary Clinton—found a way to blame anyone else but them.

07.11.2024 - 09:41 [ New York Times ]

A Party of Prigs and Pontificators Suffers a Humiliating Defeat

There was also the larger error of anointing Harris without political competition — an insult to the democratic process that handed the nomination to a candidate who, as some of us warned at the time, was exceptionally weak. That, in turn, came about because Democrats failed to take Biden’s obvious mental decline seriously until June’s debate debacle (and then allowed him to cling to the nomination for a few weeks more), making it difficult to hold even a truncated mini-primary.

06.11.2024 - 16:49 [ Newsweek ]

Trump to ‚Dismantle Deep State‘ with ‚Truth and Reconciliation Commission‘

(March 21, 2023)

„We will clean out all of the corrupt actors in our national security and intelligence apparatus, and there are plenty of them,“ Trump said.

„The departments and agencies that have been weaponized will be completely overhauled,“ he continued. „So that faceless bureaucrats will never again be able to target and persecute conservatives, Christians, or the left‘s political enemies, which they‘re doing now at a level that nobody can believe even possible.“

19.10.2024 - 08:21 [ Common Dreams ]

Dems Are Afraid Gaza Will Cost Them the Election. They‘re Not Afraid Enough.

The ‘Gaza Effect’ may be much larger than anyone expects. Unless they change course, the Democrats are much likelier to lose in November than most people seem to realize.

It should be self-evident that genocide is bad because it’s genocide, but apparently it isn’t—at least, not to everyone.

15.10.2024 - 04:16 [ Democracy Now ]

Harris Vows to Create Bipartisan Advisory Council as DNC Runs Ad Attacking Jill Stein

In other campaign news, the Democratic National Committee has released an ad attacking Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein, claiming a vote for Stein is a vote for Trump. Democrats are planning to run the ad in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. In August, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, CAIR, published a survey that showed Stein is leading Harris among Muslim voters in Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin. Stein has criticized Harris for refusing to cut off arms sales to Israel.

15.10.2024 - 03:59 [ RealClearolitics.com ]

Kamala Harris Proposes Presidential „Bipartisan Council Of Advisors“ To Preserve „Healthy Two-Party System“

VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS: I am gonna actually announce — we have press in the room — that I have decided, not only will I have a Republican in my cabinet — I was talking to my team about it — I want to create some structure around the following, which is: I love good ideas, wherever they come from. I love good ideas! Right?

So part of what I intend to do and put some structure around is creating a bipartisan council of advisors, who can then give feedback on policy as we go forward.

Because here‘s the thing I also understand, and feel strongly about. In order for us as America to maintain our status as the strongest democracy in the world, we need a healthy two-party system. We have to have a healthy two-party. We have to! It‘s in the best interest of all of us.

14.09.2024 - 16:48 [ Reuters ]

Putin‘s options for Ukraine missiles response include nuclear test, experts say

As East-West tensions over Ukraine enter a new and dangerous phase, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and U.S. President Joe Biden are holding talks in Washington on Friday on whether to allow Kyiv to use long-range U.S. ATACMS or British Storm Shadow missiles against targets in Russia.

04.09.2024 - 15:06 [ Times of Israel ]

Biden, Harris to huddle with US negotiators for Gaza deal push after hostage killings

(2 September 2024)

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were scheduled to hold a meeting Monday with hostage negotiators, …

04.09.2024 - 12:42 [ Axios.com ]

Biden‘s „war cabinet“: The key people advising him on the Israel-Hamas war

(Nov 4, 2023)

President Biden has been deeply involved in the U.S. response to the Israel-Hamas war — one of the thorniest challenges of his presidency so far — receiving briefings at least once per day and speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu several times a week.

The big picture: Biden is leaning on a tight circle of trusted aides and officials. Here‘s a look at who‘s in the room when major decisions are being made.

08.05.2024 - 22:02 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Histadrut coordinated nationwide strike with PM‘s office – coalition member

(March 30, 2023)

The strike on Monday of Israel‘s largest worker‘s union, the Histadrut Labor Federation, was coordinated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s inner circle, a senior member of the coalition confirmed on Thursday.

05.05.2024 - 05:59 [ New York Times ]

From Free Speech to Free Palestine: Six Decades of Student Protest

“You’ve got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you’ve got to make it stop,” he said. Soon the students would flood into a campus administration building.

That scene played out 60 years ago at the University of California, Berkeley. The words were directed at the university leadership, and referring to its restrictions on campus political activity. But the speech, from the student leader Mario Savio, and the sit-in that followed could have happened yesterday.

09.04.2024 - 17:15 [ International Court of Justice / Internationaler Gerichtshof ]

Public sitting held on Tuesday 9 April 2024, at 10 a.m., at the Peace Palace, President Salam presiding, in the case concerning Alleged Breaches of Certain International Obligations in respect of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Nicaragua v. Germany)

he PRESIDENT: Please be seated. The sitting is open.

The Court meets this morning to hear the single round of oral argument of the Federal Republic of Germany on the Request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by the Republic of Nicaragua in the case concerning Alleged Breaches of Certain International Obligations in respect of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Nicaragua v. Germany).

I now give the floor to the Agent of Germany, Ms Tania von Uslar-Gleichen. You have the floor, Madam.

Ms VON USLAR-GLEICHEN:

OPENING STATEMENT

1. Members of the Court, it is an honour to address you today and to open the oral proceedings for the Federal Republic of Germany.

2. Monsieur le Président, Madame la Vice-Présidente, permettez-moi au début de vous féliciter chaleureusement pour votre élection.

3. Germany comes to these proceedings as a friend of the Court and a firm believer in the peaceful settlement of international disputes. Proceedings before this Court are rightly noted for their deep and serious engagement with the law and the facts.

4. Respect for, as well as the promotion of, international law are cornerstones of Germany’s constitution and of its foreign policy. Germany has always been an advocate for the promotion and strengthening of international humanitarian law and humanitarian principles…

09.04.2024 - 16:31 [ Reuters ]

Germany denies accusation of aiding a genocide in Gaza at World Court

(today)

Germany and other Western nations have faced street protests, various legal cases, and accusations of hypocrisy from campaign groups who say Israel has killed too many Palestinian civilians in its six-month military assault.

But Tania von Uslar-Gleichen, legal adviser for the German Foreign Ministry, told the International Court of Justice judges that Nicaragua‘s case was rushed, based on flimsy evidence and should be thrown out due to lack of jurisdiction.

09.04.2024 - 15:26 [ Scribd.com ]

Psychological Operations in Guerilla Warfare

A copy of the „90-page psychological warfare manual“ produced by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency for Nicaraguan rebels in the late 1970s or early 1980s

09.04.2024 - 15:20 [ TaskandPurpose.com ]

The Psyops Manual The CIA Gave To Nicaragua’s Contras Is Totally Bonkers

(18.12.2017)

During the U.S. government‘s decade-long support of the Contra rebels who waged an armed campaign against Nicaragua’s leftist Sandinista regime in the 1980s, the CIA funneled all manner of assistance to the anti-socialist “freedom fighters,” from training and financial assistance to covert operations. The original “advise and assist” mission was a disaster in retrospect, spurring all manner of human rights violations as well as the modern crack cocaine scourge. But the CIA aid program’s most fascinating product might be the batshit crazy psychological warfare manual cooked up for the Nicaraguan counter-revolutionaries.

08.04.2024 - 18:04 [ International Court of Justice / Internationaler Gerichtshof ]

Public sitting held on Monday 8 April 2024, at 10 a.m., at the Peace Palace, President Salam presiding, in the case concerning Alleged Breaches of Certain International Obligations in respect of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Nicaragua v. Germany)

The Government of the Republic of Nicaragua is represented by:

HE Mr Carlos José Argüello Gómez, Ambassador of the Republic of Nicaragua to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Nicaragua to the international organizations based in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, member of the International Law Commission,

as Agent and Counsel;

Mr Alain Pellet, Emeritus Professor of the University Paris Nanterre, former Chairperson of the International Law Commission, member and former President of the Institut de droit international,

Mr Daniel Müller, Founding Partner of FAR Avocats, member of the Paris Bar,

as Counsel and Advocates;

Ms Claudia Loza Obregon, Legal Adviser, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Nicaragua,
Mr Ysam Soualhi, PhD candidate, Faculty of Law, University of Angers,

as Assistant Counsel;

Ms Sherly Noguera de Argüello, Consul General of the Republic of Nicaragua,

as Administrator;

Ms Kassandra Gómez Pineda, First Secretary, Permanent Representation of the Republic of
Nicaragua to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons,

Mr Pedro Hernández Balladarez, Financial Administrative Officer, Permanent Representation of the Republic of Nicaragua to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons,

HE Mr Ammar Hijazi, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates for Multilateral Affairs of the State of Palestine,

HE Mr Omar Awadallah, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates for the United Nations and Specialized Agencies of the State of Palestine,

Mr Federico Argüello Noguera,

as Members of the Delegation.

The Government of the Federal Republic of Germany is represented by:

Ms Tania von Uslar-Gleichen, Legal Adviser and Director-General for Legal Affairs, Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany,

as Agent;

Ms Wiebke Rückert, Director for Public International Law, Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany,

29.03.2024 - 20:05 [ ABC News ]

US hasn‘t ruled out consequences for Israel over looming Rafah operation: What would that look like?

„It‘s very, very important,“ Ziv said of U.S. military aid to Israel. Placing conditions on it, he said, „creates a dangerous precedent for Israel because it just wasn‘t in the cards up until now.“ (…)

The U.S. could continue to abstain or even support United Nations resolutions that Israel finds unfavorable, as it did this week.

29.03.2024 - 19:46 [ Axios ]

In reversal, Netanyahu sending delegation to White House for Rafah talks

(27.03.2024)

It‘s a sharp reversal by Netanyahu who on Monday canceled the same trip by the same people in protest over the U.S. not vetoing a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas.

The fallout over the canceled trip and a deadlock in hostage talks added to already spiraling relations between Netanyahu and the Biden administration.

21.03.2024 - 01:00 [ Times of Israel ]

Netanyahu says it ‘will take some time’ until IDF launches offensive in Rafah

(21.03.2024)

Two senior US officials told The Times of Israel on Tuesday that the US will present alternative plans for how Israel can continue pursuing Hamas without launching a major ground operation in Rafah during an upcoming meeting with a visiting Israeli delegation in Washington.

21.03.2024 - 00:49 [ Washington Post ]

Israel to send team to D.C. to discuss Rafah; Blinken to return to Mideast

(19.03.2024)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted President Biden’s invitation to send a senior delegation to Washington, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said, to “hear U.S. concerns” over Israel’s plans to invade Rafah, the city in southern Gaza where displaced Palestinians are concentrated.

07.03.2024 - 17:26 [ Axios.com ]

Democrats pin 2024 hopes and fears on Biden‘s State of the Union

Democratic lawmakers tell Axios that President Biden‘s State of the Union performance on Thursday will be pivotal for his attempts to dispel voter concerns about his age.

24.02.2024 - 06:15 [ MintPressNews.com ]

United Against Nuclear Iran: The Shadowy, Intelligence-Linked Group Driving the US Towards War With Iran

(12.01.2024)

UANI’s board is a who’s who of high state, military and intelligence officials from around the Western world. Among its more notable members include:

– CEO Mark Wallace, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and deputy campaign manager for George W. Bush’s 2004 reelection.

– Chairman Joe Lieberman, former senator and Democratic vice-presidential nominee for the 2000 election.

Tamir Pardo, Director of the Mossad, 2011-2016.

Dennis Ross, former State Department Director of Policy Planning and former Middle East Envoy under George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Field Marshall Lord Charles Guthrie, ex-Chief of Staff of the U.K. Armed Forces.

– Jeb Bush, former Governor of Florida.

– August Hanning, President of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND), 1998-2005; State Secretary at the Federal Interior Ministry, 2005-2009.

– Zohar Palti, former head of the Political-Military Bureau, Israeli Ministry of Defense; former Director of Intelligence of the Mossad.

– Frances Townsend, Homeland Security Advisor to President George W. Bush.

– John Bolton, former U.S. National Security Advisor and former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.

– Roger Noriega, former Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs and Ambassador to the Organization of American States.

– Otto Reich, former Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs and architect of the 2002 U.S. coup against Venezuela.

– Michael Singh, White House Senior Director for Near East and North African Affairs, 2007-2008.

– Giulio Terzi di Sant-Agata, former Italian Foreign Minister.

– Robert Hill, former Minister of Defense of Australia.

– Jack David, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction, 2004-2006.

– Mark Kirk, U.S. Senator for Illinois, 2010-2017.

– Lt. Gen. Sir Graeme Lamb, ex-Director of U.K. Special Forces and Commander of the British Field Army.

– Norman Roule, former CIA Division Chief and National Intelligence Manager for Iran at the Director of National Intelligence.

– Irwin Cotler, Canadian Minister of Justice and Attorney General, 2003-2006.
– Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones, U.K. Minister of State for Security and Counter Terrorism, 2010-2011.

14.02.2024 - 13:59 [ New York Times ]

A Palestinian Exile Champions an Arab Vision for Gaza

Mohammed Dahlan, an adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates, outlined one under which Israel and Hamas would hand power to a new and independent Palestinian leader who could rebuild Gaza under the protection of an Arab peacekeeping force.

While such plans face steep challenges, the leaders of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates are open to supporting processes that are part of efforts leading to a Palestinian state, said Mr. Dahlan, who also has close ties to Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

14.02.2024 - 13:09 [ Stephen Soldz, Psychologist / Twitter ]

„Top defense officials held urgent consultations the night before October 7 about a possible Hamas attack. But no one in the IDF notified the the Nova festival organizers or the party-goers, hundreds of whom were mown down….“ 2/2

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-12-05/ty-article/.premium/despite-intel-warnings-about-a-hamas-attack-the-army-didnt-evacuate-the-nova-festival/0000018c-3993-dc03-a9ec-3dfb2cda0000

10.02.2024 - 11:03 [ CNN ]

Biden’s allies can’t agree on how to combat questions about his age and memory

One Democratic member of the House responded to being told of the questions about age and memory raised in the report with a morbid laugh and sullen shake of the head. Another started anxiously asking for a sense of how others were responding, palpably feeling at wit’s end.

10.02.2024 - 10:44 [ Washington Post ]

‘Hair on fire’: Democratic worries grow over claims about Biden’s memory lapses

The spectacle — at times chaotic, at times emotional — echoed around the country among the networks of Democratic donors and strategists who have been struggling for weeks to contain their concern about the state and direction of Biden’s campaign.

The broad conclusion, both inside and outside Biden’s inner circle, is that a dangerous and misleading caricature of the president’s performance is at risk of setting in, pushed by the biting prose of a special prosecutor they suspected of seeking political revenge.

31.01.2024 - 17:45 [ Stephen Soldz, Psychologist / Twitter ]

„Top defense officials held urgent consultations the night before October 7 about a possible Hamas attack. But no one in the IDF notified the the Nova festival organizers or the party-goers, hundreds of whom were mown down….“ 2/2

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-12-05/ty-article/.premium/despite-intel-warnings-about-a-hamas-attack-the-army-didnt-evacuate-the-nova-festival/0000018c-3993-dc03-a9ec-3dfb2cda0000

31.01.2024 - 17:30 [ Times of Israel ]

42 survivors of the Nova rave massacre sue defense establishment for negligence

(01.01.2024)

The 42 plaintiffs filed the claim for NIS 200 million ($56 million) at the Tel Aviv District Court against the Shin Bet security service, the Israel Defense Forces, the Israel Police, and the Defense Ministry, alleging multiple instances in which they failed in their duties.

“A single phone call by IDF officials to the commander responsible for the party to disperse it immediately in view of the expected danger would have saved lives and prevented the physical and mental injuries of hundreds of partygoers, including the plaintiffs,” the lawsuit said. “The negligence and the gross oversight is beyond belief.”

30.01.2024 - 06:45 [ Ray McGovern, Former Intelligence Analyst/Activist/Justice person / Twitter ]

Do we now have ISRAELI FALSE FLAG ATTACK killing US troops? It’s “Iran-backed” MSM says. Biden: we already “know” that; “while we are still gathering the facts.” Neocons/Israel lust to get US atk on Iran. CENTCOM lied threw its teeth under then Gen. Austin

(28.01.2024)

29.01.2024 - 06:40 [ New York Times ]

Where Is Hamas Getting Its Weapons? Increasingly, From Israel.

But recent intelligence has shown the extent to which Hamas has been able to build many of its rockets and anti-tank weaponry out of the thousands of munitions that failed to detonate when Israel lobbed them into Gaza, according to weapons experts and Israeli and Western intelligence officials. Hamas is also arming its fighters with weapons stolen from Israeli military bases.

Intelligence gathered during months of fighting revealed that, just as the Israeli authorities misjudged Hamas’s intentions before Oct. 7, they also underestimated its ability to obtain arms.

27.01.2024 - 06:11 [ Atlantic Council ]

Experts react: What the International Court of Justice said (and didn’t say) in the genocide case against Israel

Click to jump to an expert analysis:

Celeste Kmiotek: The ICJ puts the countries supporting Israel on notice

Thomas S. Warrick: A blow to the argument that death and destruction are sufficient to establish genocide

Tuqa Nusairat: The ruling shows how isolated the US is in its support of Israel

Shalom Lipner: The ruling is unlikely to change Israel’s warfighting or narrative

Elise Baker: Israel’s continued failure to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza risks genocide

Gissou Nia: The ICJ’s decision pushes talk about ‘genocide’ from the rhetorical to the factual and legal

Lisandra Novo: The ICJ’s order to preserve evidence could impact war crimes cases elsewhere

Alexander Tripp: South Africa is putting its ideals on the world stage

Alyssa T. Yamamoto: The ICJ embraces another case brought by a state not directly affected by violations

Akila Radhakrishnan: It didn’t call for a cease-fire, but the ICJ did rule that Israel must drastically curtail its operations

Rayhan Asat: This case could have implications for a future genocide case against China

14.01.2024 - 21:57 [ Middle East Eye ]

War on Gaza: Internal anger with Biden and Congress reaches boiling point

So far, two people from the administration have tendered their resignations – Josh Paul, who oversaw arms transfers at State, and Tariq Habash, who worked on education policy at the White House.

The morale of staff in the White House is so low that the chief of staff planned a party in the hopes of cheering up the employees, according to a report from Axios.

However, it‘s not clear if the senior staff members of the administration understand why morale is so low. After the report of the party for White House staff, another report stated that hundreds of federal employees across 22 government agencies are planning a walk-out to protest against Biden‘s handling of the war.

14.01.2024 - 21:52 [ Politico.com ]

White House: Second Biden official resigns over Israel-Hamas war concerns

(04.01.2024)

A senior Biden education adviser on Wednesday became the second administration official to resign from his post over the White House’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, the latest instance of internal turmoil over the war.

02.01.2024 - 20:32 [ Times of Israel ]

42 survivors of the Nova rave massacre sue defense establishment for negligence

The 42 plaintiffs filed the claim for NIS 200 million ($56 million) at the Tel Aviv District Court against the Shin Bet security service, the Israel Defense Forces, the Israel Police, and the Defense Ministry, alleging multiple instances in which they failed in their duties.

“A single phone call by IDF officials to the commander responsible for the party to disperse it immediately in view of the expected danger would have saved lives and prevented the physical and mental injuries of hundreds of partygoers, including the plaintiffs,” the lawsuit said. “The negligence and the gross oversight is beyond belief.”

28.12.2023 - 12:31 [ Haaretz ]

Shin Bet Source in Gaza Reportedly Warned of Major Hamas Attack on Israel Set for Early October

According to the Channel 12 report, the handler of the source passed the information further, estimating that if Hamas‘ plan „indeed nears execution, additional information will reach us.“ However, the specific information was eventually halted at a lower level and did not reach higher-ranking authorities.

The alert received in the summer was revisited as part of the Shin Bet‘s investigations into the intelligence failure. Shin Bet sources claimed that no additional information supporting that specific intelligence was found during the examinations

28.12.2023 - 12:29 [ Haaretz ]

Report: Shin Bet dismissed Gaza source’s tip on plans, timing of major Hamas attack

The network cited unnamed Shin Bet sources saying that the lack of corroborating intelligence, and the fact that the source had only started speaking to the Shin Bet a relatively short while before — had contributed to the tip not being taken seriously, though they have since admitted that the source is highly reliable.

Even though Bar, the agency’s chief, hadn’t heard about the information, Channel 12 cited multiple sources as saying the Shin Bet won’t blame lower-ranking officers, and admitting the service failed to prevent the assault.

22.12.2023 - 23:10 [ Politico.com ]

An unsanctioned coterie of pro-Israel quasi-lobbyists has descended on D.C.

(22.10.2023)

“It’s not an official government representation,” he conceded.

Instead, he is part of a ragtag group of donors, activists and allies who have moved swiftly these past two weeks to help Israel. They have leveraged their political clout, their relationships with lawmakers and their fundraising networks to do so.

Their overarching goal is to shape how elected officials in the U.S. react to the crisis. But their work also underscores how much of the political fight around the nascent war is being done on the fly; and how much is being waged in unconventional theaters: college campuses, corporate boardrooms, K Street offices and stuffy Capitol Hill restaurants.

22.12.2023 - 22:43 [ Mother Jones ]

How Joe Biden Became America’s Top Israel Hawk

Both before and after October 7, the empathy Biden is known for has rarely extended to Palestinians. Rashid Khalidi, the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University, said such statements are missing “to the degree that I don’t really think he sees the Palestinians at all.” In contrast, Khalidi added, Biden sees Israelis “as they are very carefully presented by their government and their massive information apparatus.”

A former Biden administration official shared a similar perspective with me. “The President does not seem to acknowledge the humanity of all parties affected by this conflict,” this person said. “He has described Is

28.11.2023 - 14:59 [ CommonDreams.org ]

Team Biden Goes From Denial to Panic

(Nov 27, 2023)

Our RootsAction.org team had no reason to avoid antagonizing the White House. Immediately after the 2022 election, we launched the Don’t Run Joe campaign. Last winter, it included TV ads in New Hampshire and other early primary states as well as in DC. We also placed full-page ads in print editions of The Hill newspaper, widely read on Capitol Hill; one depicted congressional Democrats as having their heads in the sand. A steady flow of news releases went out, citing data on Biden’s electoral vulnerabilities. A mobile Don’t Run Joe billboard circled the Capitol and White House when Congress reconvened in January.

But elected Democrats, loyal boosters and allied organizations stuck with the party line.

20.11.2023 - 05:25 [ @TalulaSha, Anarchist in Palestine. / Twitter ]

Full translation of Giora Eiland‘s genocidal column in Yediot Ahronot.

(19.11.2023)

I expect all relevant parties to start issuing arrest warrants and writing up prosecution files.

@UNOSAPG @WairimuANderitu @IntlCrimCourt @KarimKhanQC @CIJ_ICJ

@ICJPalestine @theCCR @Gilles_Devers

20.11.2023 - 05:19 [ David Sheen / Twitter ]

Israeli General Giora Eiland’s weekly call for genocide: “The international community warns of a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and of severe epidemics. We must not shy away from it, as hard as it is. After all, severe epidemics in the south of the Strip will hasten victory”

(19.11.2023)

full translation by @TalulaSha

20.11.2023 - 04:56 [ Giora Eiland / Yedioth Ahronoth ]

In Gaza, there is no such thing as ‚innocent civilians‘

(8. Mai 2014)

You probably have two questions now. First, why should Gaza‘s residents suffer? Well, they are to blame for this situation just like Germany‘s residents were to blame for electing Hitler as their leader and paid a heavy price for that, and rightfully so. (…)

We are dealing with an enemy state, not with a terror organization which is seemingly operating from within an innocent civilian population.

Only when we put things on the level between states or between people, we will be able to create real deterrence or defeat the enemy when the next conflict erupts.

20.11.2023 - 04:53 [ New York Times ]

The U.S. Should Think Twice About Israel’s Plans for Gaza

(Oct. 15, 2023)

Consider what some in the Israeli defense establishment have said.

“The State of Israel has no choice but to turn Gaza into a place that is temporarily or permanently impossible to live in,” a reservist major general, Giora Eiland, wrote in Yedioth Ahronoth, an Israeli newspaper. “Creating a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza is a necessary means to achieve the goal.” He added, “Gaza will become a place where no human being can exist.” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, “We are fighting human animals, and we are acting accordingly.” Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian declared that in Gaza, “there will be no electricity and no water. There will only be destruction. You wanted hell; you will get hell.”

12.11.2023 - 01:44 [ theHill.com ]

Hundreds of former Biden campaign staffers call for Gaza cease-fire

(09.11.2023)

The letter from a group called Biden Alumni for Peace and Justice includes the names of people who worked for Biden for President/Victory 2020 HQ, the Democratic National Committee and state organizations.

“We implore you, President Biden, to live that moral courage right now by stepping up to be a leader we can be proud of in the face of injustice,” the group wrote. “As President of the United States, you have significant influence in this perilous moment — you must call for a ceasefire, hostage exchange, and de-escalation and take concrete steps to address the conditions of occupation, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing at the root of the horrific violence we are witnessing now.”

31.10.2023 - 01:10 [ Times of Israel ]

UK’s Sunak fires aide who called for Israel-Hamas ceasefire

Tory MP Paul Bristow, who served as Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan’s parliamentary private secretary, was ousted from that role following a letter he sent to Sunak last week accusing Israel of carrying out “collective punishment” on the people of Gaza.

“Paul Bristow has been asked to leave his post in government following comments that were not consistent with the principles of collective responsibility,” a Downing Street spokesperson says.

26.10.2023 - 17:55 [ Ron Skolnik @ronskolnik.bsky.socia / Twitter ]

Israel‘s Intelligence Ministry is marginal and not setting Israeli policy. But important to keep on the radar (in part because it‘s led by a Netanyahu party mate) that it‘s been internally circulating a plan for forced relocation of Gazans into Sinai.

26.10.2023 - 17:00 [ MondoWeiss.net ]

Israeli think tank lays out a blueprint for the complete ethnic cleansing of Gaza

(October 23, 2023)

On October 17, the Misgav Institute for National Security & Zionist Strategy published a position paper advocating for the “relocation and final settlement of the entire Gaza population.” The report advocates exploiting the current moment to accomplish a long-held Zionist goal of moving Palestinians off the land of historic Palestine. The report’s subtitle makes it clear: “There is at the moment a unique and rare opportunity to evacuate the whole Gaza Strip in coordination with the Egyptian government.”

The Misgav Institute is headed by former Netanyahu National Security Advisor Meir Ben Shabbat, who remains influential in Israeli security circles. The Institute’s former chairpersons and founding associates include Yoaz Hendel (chair 2012-19), a right-centrist who was Minister of Communications intermittently in the years 2020-22; Moshe Yaalon, former Defense Minister (note that both Hendel and Yaalon have become opposed to Netanyahu in the recent years); Moshe Arens, also former Defense Minister — and other top political personas.

26.10.2023 - 16:55 [ IsraelHayom.com ]

A Zionist strategy for Israel

(19.03.2023)

Overall, there is, in fact, a successful Israeli „grand security strategy“ of sorts and it must be pursued with determination. It involves steadfastness, patience, and looking over the horizon for new partners while fearlessly confronting bad actors. It involves being both flexible and firm.

It means strictly securing Israel‘s borders, managing frictions with the Palestinians, and pursuing Zionist goals like continued settlement of the Land of Israel. It involves positioning Israel as a regional anchor of sanity and a global source of ingenuity.

19.10.2023 - 08:41 [ Ynetnews.com ]

Perception played central role in Gaza war before first shot fired

(16.10.2023)

In the IDF‘s command bunker, experts from various units of the IDF‘s Psychological Operations (PsyOps) are working around the clock. They closely monitor the prevailing mood and public discourse and react accordingly to raise awareness and, most importantly, to influence the worldviews of millions of people. Sometimes it succeeds, and sometimes it doesn‘t. But the insight in the Israeli security establishment is that this arena cannot be left without a response and without proper, continuous handling.

19.10.2023 - 08:32 [ Yousef Munayyer / Twitter ]

„In the IDF‘s command bunker, experts from various units of the IDF‘s Psychological Operations (PsyOps) are working around the clock..to influence the worldviews of millions of people.“

02.10.2023 - 22:30 [ theWire.in ]

Full Text | Rewriting Constitution Means Breaking India Apart, Says Fali Nariman

Generally, there are preambles to the constitution and this preamble has been called by our Supreme Court the “conscience of the constitution”. Preamble’s Part 3 Fundamental Rights, Part 4 Directive Principles of State Policy, which are not enforceable by the court but are nonetheless binding, they are all part of the conscience of the constitution (…)

You believe that there is the duty to interpret the constitution in the context of the time and in the context of the issues of the day.

Oh absolutely, absolutely! There has to be! (…)

In fact, interpretations keep changing, people keep adding to existing questions and revising new meanings.

Absolutely! Courts as you know go by precedent, so what five judges say today, seven judges can say tomorrow or have nine judges say the contrary to that, two years later.

This is what makes the constitution a living, dynamic object.

Absolutely!

26.09.2023 - 01:23 [ ResponsibleStatecraft.org ]

WSJ conceals Saudi funding of pro-Saudi nuke deal source

Israeli sources speaking to the WSJ acknowledged concerns about nonproliferation safeguards and the potential for a regional nuclear-arms race. But the one expert who was reported as thinking “the idea is worth exploring,” is an executive at an organization that depends heavily on Saudi funding, a potential financial conflict of interest that wasn’t disclosed by the WSJ to its readers.

The WSJ quoted Brian Katulis, described as “vice president of policy at the Middle East Institute think tank in Washington,” supporting the controversial idea.

26.09.2023 - 01:15 [ Wall Street Journal ]

Saudi Uranium Enrichment Floated Under Possible Israel Deal

(21.09.2023)

“The question is whether the U.S. sitting on the sidelines, crossing its arms and scolding countries in the region for pursuing civilian nuclear energy is a more effective strategy than starting a discussion that aims to build trust and confidence among key actors in the region like Israel and Saudi Arabia.”

Katulis said, “The risk of some hostile leader getting these capacities is one we’ve seen and managed in a number of places around the world, including Pakistan.”

“It’s not an ideal situation in those instances,” he said, “but the risks can be managed.”

20.09.2023 - 04:25 [ European Bioinformatics Institute / European Molecular Biology Laboratory ]

New predictions of genetic variant pathogenicity using AlphaFold protein structures

(19.09.2023)

Google DeepMind has developed a new tool called AlphaMissense, which uses the AlphaFold human protein structure models to predict whether a sequence variant which changes one amino acid in a protein is likely to be tolerated or to impact protein function.

The Ensembl Variant Effect Predictor now integrates Google DeepMind’s new AlphaMissense Catalogue.

20.09.2023 - 04:19 [ endpts.com ]

Al­phaFold, meet Al­phaMis­sense: Google Deep­Mind‘s AI suc­ces­sor pre­dicts how 71M mu­ta­tions cause dis­ease

Google Deep­Mind has de­vel­oped an AI sys­tem that pre­dicts the chances that tens of mil­lions of ge­net­ic vari­ants will cause dis­ease.

20.09.2023 - 01:45 [ European Molecular Biology Laboratory ]

DeepMind and EMBL release the most complete database of predicted 3D structures of human proteins

(22 July 2021)

For those scientists who rely on experimental protein structure determination, AlphaFold’s predictions have helped accelerate their research. For example, a team at the University of Colorado Boulder is finding promise in using AlphaFold predictions to study antibiotic resistance, while a group at the University of California San Francisco has used them to increase their understanding of SARS-CoV-2 biology.

The AlphaFold Protein Structure Database builds on many contributions from the international scientific community, as well as AlphaFold’s sophisticated algorithmic innovations and EMBL-EBI’s decades of experience in sharing the world’s biological data. DeepMind and EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) are providing access to AlphaFold’s predictions so that others can use the system as a tool to enable and accelerate research and open up completely new avenues of scientific discovery.

18.09.2023 - 18:32 [ Techcrunch.com ]

UK Advisor Involved In Britain’s Internet Filter Arrested For Child Porn

(Mar 4, 2014)

Britain has come under fire for its Internet filtering program, which can inadvertently block sensitive culture topics that overlap with common porn terms. The program accidentally “led to the creation of filters that not only cover hardcore pornography, but hate speech, self-harm, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, dating, nudity, violence, gambling, social networking, file-sharing, games and more,” explained Wired UK.

Despite the embarrassing arrest, there is no announced plan to revise the Internet filtering program.

16.09.2023 - 00:05 [ Glenn Greenwald / Locals.com ]

EU and The Washington Post Escalate Their Censorship Campaign with a New Fraudulent “Disinformation Study” About Twitter and Russia. Plus: The John McCain Institute Used to Promote Neocon Dogma on War

(September 08, 2023)

The way this typically works is that groups claim to employ “disinformation experts” – a brand new and fake expertise they created overnight – and then produce studies that purport to document who is either circulating harmful disinformation or who is permitting it to be heard. This latter accusation, permitting dangerous disinformation to be heard, always means that one social media company or another is failing to censor in accordance with the demands of the group and its funders. They then get corporate media outlets who crave censorship to melodramatically trumpet their accusatory studies using flamboyant headlines that claim a disobedient technology platform has the blood on their hands, knowing that it will spread virally, but very few people actually read the study to determine if the accusations have any validity.

11.09.2023 - 23:04 [ Federation of American Scientists - fas.org ]

CRITICAL FOUNDATIONS: PROTECTING AMERICA’S INFRASTRUCTURES – The Report of the President’s Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection

(13.10.1997)

Existing Information Sharing Efforts

(…) We also found a great deal of information sharing already underway. Trade associations, consortia, and other groups exchange information among their members and, in some cases, directly with government. Many federal, state and local government agencies have existing relationships with infrastructure owners and operators. Within all the infrastructure sectors, at least some portions are subject to regulatory control by government agencies, and information is shared, albeit sometimes within carefully defined constraints. Several federal agencies provide information to infrastructure owners and operators. The FBI’s Awareness of National Security Issues and Response (ANSIR) program gives over 25,000 industry members information that provides threat and vulnerability insights. More narrowly focused programs are the Department of Transportation’s terrorist threat notification to the civil aviation industry and the National Security Agency’s INFOSEC Vulnerability Assessment Program, which provides information systems-related data to private sector partners. The Comptroller of the Currency operates another system providing advisories on information integrity and security risks to financial institutions.

(…)

The third and least predictable threat to the infrastructure comes from deliberate attack. Depending on their objectives, attackers may seek to steal, modify, or destroy data stored in information systems or moving over networks, or to degrade the operation of the systems and net-works themselves, denying service to their users. Attackers include national intelligence organizations, information warriors, terrorists, criminals, industrial competitors, hackers, and aggrieved or disloyal insiders. While insiders constitute the single largest known security threat to information and information systems, controlled testing indicates that large numbers of computer based attacks go undetected, and that the unknown component of the threat may exceed the known component by orders of magnitude.

(…)

The air traffic control system of the FAA is based on decades old technology. The replacement system, while doubtless more efficient, will be more vulnerable unless special security measures are incorporated.

(…)

The Commission recommends the Secretary of Transportation:

1) Fully evaluate actual and potential sources of interference to, and vulnerabilities of, GPS before a final decision is reached to eliminate all other radiovnavigation and aircraft landing guidance systems.

2) Sponsor a risk assessment for GPS-based systems used by the civilian sector, projected from now through the year 2010.

3) Base decisions regarding the proper federal navigation systems mix and the final architecture of the NAS on the results of that assessment. The DOT and FAA must develop a better understanding of interference and other vulnerabilities of GPS before a final decision is reached concerning the status of all other radionavigation and landing guidance systems. A federally sponsored thorough, integrated risk assessment would lay a sound foundation for decisions on future courses of action.

The National Airspace System

The Commission recommends the FAA act immediately to develop, establish, fund, and implement a comprehensive National Airspace System Security Program to protect the modernized NAS from information-based and other disruptions, intrusions and attack. Program implementation should be guided by the recommendations found in the Vulnerability Assessment of the NAS Architecture, prepared for the Commission. The Vulnerability Assessment included the following recommendations: (…)

3) The FAA should consider the implementation of full “trusted” hardware and software security capabilities for only the FAA’s most vulnerable future subsystems, since the software cost for embedded applications, together with full audit, tracking, and monitoring, may be too great if applied to all subsystems. Relaxation of the full capabilities, such as less rapid revalidation (e.g., a slower fifteen minutes down time) and less constant vigilance of data integrity, should be considered on a case-by-case basis for less critical subsystems, particularly in situations where existing air traffic control recovery procedures exist.

4) The FAA should conduct a comprehensive investment analysis of NAS INFOSEC in order to determine the degree of security protection that is needed

(…)

Transportation: A critical infrastructure characterized by the physical distribution system critical to supporting the national security and economic well-being of this nation, including the national airspace system, airlines and aircraft, and airports; roads and highways,trucking and personal vehicles; ports and waterways and the vessels operating thereon; mass transit, both rail and bus; pipelines, including natural gas, petroleum, and other hazardous materials; freight and long haul passenger rail; and delivery services.

06.09.2023 - 02:59 [ Reuters ]

Obama-era veteran Kurt Campbell to lead Biden‘s Asia policy

(Jan 13, 2021)

Campbell, the top U.S. diplomat for Asia under Democratic President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is considered an architect of their “pivot to Asia” strategy, a vaunted but so far still limited rebalancing of resources to the region.

06.09.2023 - 02:52 [ Washington Post ]

Why Biden Skipping the Asean Summit Is a Mistake

The deliberate cherry picking of allies and partners is the brainchild, insiders tell me, of Biden’s key Asia policy czar, Kurt Campbell. It is likely to continue, as Campbell has pointed out in a discussion earlier this year at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

22.08.2023 - 17:35 [ US Supreme Court ]

SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES: NATIONAL FEDERATION OF INDEPENDENT BUSINESS, ET AL., APPLICANTS 21A244 v. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, ET AL

(13.01.2022)

Administrative agencies are creatures of statute. They accordingly possess only the authority that Congress has provided. The Secretary has ordered 84 million Americans to either obtain a COVID–19 vaccine or undergo weekly medical testing at their own expense. This is no “everyday exercise of federal power.” In re MCP No. 165, 20 F. 4th, at 272 (Sutton, C. J., dissenting). It is instead a significant encroachment into the lives—and health—of a vast number of employees. “We expect Congress to speak clearly when authorizing an agency to exercise powers of vast economic and political significance.” Alabama Assn. of Realtors v. Department of Health and Human Servs., 594
U. S. ___, ___ (2021) (per curiam) (slip op., at 6) (internal quotation marks omitted). There can be little doubt that OSHA’s mandate qualifies as an exercise of such authority. The question, then, is whether the Act plainly authorizes the Secretary’s mandate. It does not. The Act empowers the Secretary to set workplace safety standards, not broad public health measures.

(…)

The Solicitor General does not dispute that OSHA is limited to regulating “work-related dangers.” Response Brief for OSHA in No. 21A244 etc., p. 45 (OSHA Response). She instead argues that the risk of contracting COVID–19 qualifies as such a danger. We cannot agree. Although COVID–19 is a risk that occurs in many workplaces, it is not an occupational hazard in most. COVID–19 can and does spread at home, in schools, during sporting events, and everywhere else that people gather. That kind of universal risk is no different from the day-to-day dangers that all face from crime, air pollution, or any number of communicable diseases. Permitting OSHA to regulate the hazards of daily life—simply because most Americans have jobs and face those same risks while on the clock—would significantly expand OSHA’s regulatory authority without clear congressional authorization.

04.08.2023 - 07:14 [ USA Today ]

Who has security clearance? More than 4.3M people

(06.06.2017)

Security clearances aren’t that rare, according to an October report by the non-partisan Congressional Research Service.

The government trusted about 4.3 million people with various levels of security clearance as of October 2015, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. These included nearly 2.9 million people at the “confidential” or “secret” level and nearly 1.4 million at the “top secret” level.

11.07.2023 - 19:39 [ Times of Israel ]

Netanyahu, union chief deny reports they coordinated on Monday strike

(30 March 2023)

Kan news, citing unnamed sources, reported that Yonatan Urich, an adviser to Netanyahu, coordinated with Histadrut officials throughout the day on the timing and content of press conferences held by Netanyahu and the labor union’s Bar-David. It also said the premier’s wife Sara spoke with officials close to Bar-David, telling them to pressure the government to work towards broad agreements on judicial reform.

09.07.2023 - 11:50 [ New York Times ]

To Foreign Policy Veteran, the Real Danger Is at Home

Mr. Haass recently published a book called “The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens,” outlining ways Americans can help heal their own society, like “Be Informed,” “Remain Civil,” “Put Country First” — all admittedly bromides and yet somehow often elusive these days. (…)

Putting his foreign policy hat aside for now, he said he wants to expand the message from his book and help refocus the country on the core values embodied in the Declaration of Independence as the 250th anniversary of the document approaches three years from now.

09.07.2023 - 11:36 [ ForeignAffairs.com ]

Don’t Let Ukraine Join NATO

The Costs of Expanding the Alliance Outweigh the Benefits

07.07.2023 - 04:50 [ Codepink ]

CODEPINK Condemns Biden‘s Nomination of Elliott Abrams to U.S Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy

President Biden’s nomination of Elliott Abrams to The U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy is appalling and should be condemned by any one who believes in diplomacy and democracy.

28.06.2023 - 09:24 [ RT.com ]

‘Using nuclear war to save the world is like using a guillotine for a headache’: Russian experts respond to call for atomic strike

One gets the impression that Karaganov believes that the West can be stopped by a local and demonstrative “use of nuclear weapons”. But there is no comprehension of the consequences. And it’s not just the military but also the geopolitical component that is at stake. All those who are neutral or sympathetic to Russia today will turn their backs. The West is very much in favor of such Russian behavior. So why does the author suggest doing what is in the West’s interest? (…)

The US and NATO are pumping equipment and ammunition into Europe. They are increasing their involvement in Ukraine. They desperately need a move by Russia to isolate it on the world stage.

And then, like an egg delivered on Easter Sunday, comes Sergey Karaganov’s article. Coincidence or part of a pattern?

23.06.2023 - 12:20 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Three Netanyahu advisors indicted for intimidating witness in PM‘s trial

(21.06.2023)

Yonatan Orich, Ofer Golan and Israel Einhorn attempted to intimidate Shlomo Filber, a witness in Netanyahu’s Case 4000, while being employed by the Likud as part of its 2019 election campaign, according to the State Attorney’s Office.

The three allegedly sent a mobile device with an external speaker to Filber’s home, and played a recording in which they accused the witness of lying.

22.06.2023 - 18:35 [ iNews.co.uk ]

Covid inquiry: Chris Whitty admits lockdown was ‘radical’ and criticises UK ‘failures’ in pandemic planning

He told Lady Hallett’s inquiry: “Social measures, many of which are longstanding – quarantine, individual isolation, closing schools, many of these go back to the Middle Ages or beyond – these are not new ideas, however the very big new idea was the idea of a lockdown, I am talking here very very specifically about the state saying people have to go home and stay at home… It’s a very radical thing to do.”

22.06.2023 - 15:41 [ BBC ]

Lockdown was ‚very radical thing to do‘ – Whitty to Covid inquiry

. The chief medical adviser, Sir Chris Whitty, tells the UK Covid-19 Inquiry that lockdown was a „very radical thing to do“
– He calls the lockdown „extraordinarily major“ and a „big new idea“ that wasn‘t considered in advance
– He also says he saw the damage from the disease „first-hand“ as a working medic
– Earlier, Cobra chief Roger Hargreaves talked about the emergency regulations in the Civil Contingencies Act never being used
– The government‘s chief scientific adviser during the pandemic, Sir Patrick Vallance, is due to give evidence later
– zYou can watch the hearings by pressing play at the top of the page

19.06.2023 - 12:24 [ Glenn Greenwald / Nitter ]

It‘s bizarre to watch establishment venues celebrate Daniel Ellsberg while spewing contempt for every cause and value he stood for — from defending Assange and Snowden as heroes to warning Americans that the US Security State always lies us into wars:

19.06.2023 - 10:12 [ Independent.co.uk ]

New Partygate video ‘shows Tories dancing, drinking and laughing at lockdown rules’

At least 24 guests were reportedly at the gathering which was held just a few days before Mr Johnson’s 19 December announcement that Tier 4 Covid curbs would be implemented. This put London and the southeast of England under severe restrictions which meant many could not see their families on Christmas Day.

“It is with a very heavy heart that I must tell you we cannot continue with Christmas as planned,” he said just five days after the party.

19.06.2023 - 10:06 [ Mirror.co.uk ]

Exclusive: First ever Partygate video revealed as Tories drink, dance and laugh at Covid rules

When one man sees he is being recorded, he says: “Oh Christ.” Then another asks: “Are you filming this?” Someone else responds: “It’s for party, erm, party use.”

A man then laughs after declaring: “As long as we are not streaming that we’re, like, bending the rules.”

It was just days after the party that Mr Johnson announced even tighter restrictions which meant people in the areas worst hit by Covid could not see their loved ones over Christmas.

17.06.2023 - 12:00 [ RT.com ]

Sergey Karaganov: By using its nuclear weapons, Russia could save humanity from a global catastrophe

I have spent many years studying the history of nuclear strategy and have come to an unequivocal, if unscientific, conclusion. The advent of nuclear weapons is the result of the intervention of the Almighty, who, appalled that mankind had unleashed two world wars within a generation, costing tens of millions of lives, gave us the weapons of Armageddon to show those who had lost their fear of hell that it existed. On that fear rested the relative peace of the last three-quarters of a century.

But now that fear is gone. The unthinkable in terms of previous notions of nuclear deterrence is happening – a group of ruling elites, in a fit of desperate rage, have unleashed a full-scale war in the underbelly of a nuclear superpower.

The fear of atomic escalation must be restored. Otherwise humanity is doomed.

10.06.2023 - 17:44 [ New York Times ]

An Abrupt Move That Stunned Aides: Inside Trump’s Aborted Attack on Iran

(Sept. 21, 2019)

That about-face, so typically impulsive, instinctive and removed from any process, proved a decision point for a president who has often threatened to “totally destroy” enemies but at the same time has promised to extricate the United States from Middle East wars. It revealed a commander in chief more cautious than critics have assumed, yet underscored the limited options in a confrontation he had set in motion.

Three months later, some of Mr. Trump’s own allies fear the failure to follow through was taken by Iran as a sign of weakness, emboldening it to attack oil facilities in Saudi Arabia this month. Mr. Trump argues his decision was an expression of long-overdue restraint by a nation that has wasted too many lives and dollars overseas.

08.06.2023 - 03:02 [ Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft ]

Defense Contractor Funded Think Tanks Dominate Ukraine Debate

Few Americans know what a think tank is or does, although they play a pivotal role in the U.S. political process.2 Think tanks operate as something of a conduit between academia and the policymaking community, conducting research and opining on pressing policy issues, including everything from healthcare to climate change to U.S. foreign policy. Think tanks also work directly with policymakers in the executive branch and Congress. Their experts regularly testify before Congress and go on to serve in key positions in the executive branch. Former government officials in turn often go on to work for think tanks, earning them the nickname of “holding tank” where former government officials await a change in party affiliation of Congress or the Presidency.

Of most direct relevance to this brief is the fact that think tanks are a go–to source for media outlets seeking opinions on pressing policy issues. Think tank experts provide the comments and articles you read in prominent national media outlets . They’re the voices you hear providing commentary on NPR, podcasts, and even local radio stations. They’re the faces you see on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC opining on the most pressing U.S. policy issues of the day. In short, think tanks are a key component of public debates about U.S. politics and policy.

06.06.2023 - 09:30 [ theGuardian.com ]

David Petraeus‘ bright idea: give terrorists weapons to beat terrorists

(2.9.2015)

Former CIA director David Petraeus is advocating giving arms to members of al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaida off-shoot, to beat Isis. That is madness