OUR PICKSThe Man Who Now Controls the U.S. Border | Potential Security Threats from Connected Cars | Is There a Cyber Arms Race?, and more
· How the Biden-Trump Border Visits Revealed a Deeper DivideTheir approaches to immigration represent a test of voters’ appetite for the messiness of democracy, pitting the president’s belief in legislating against his rival’s pledge to be a “Day 1” dictator
· US Investigating Potential Security Threats from Connected Cars
Actions may be necessary to ensure that cars driving on U.S. roads do not undermine the country’s national security
· Hackers for China, Russia and Others Used OpenAI Systems, Report Says
Microsoft and OpenAI said the A.I. had helped groups with ties to China, Russia, North Korea and Iran mostly with routine tasks
· Elon Musk’s Lawsuit Against a Group That Found Hate Speech on X Isn’t Going Well
X alleges that the Center for Countering Digital Hate cost it millions by showing that hate speech was spreading on the platform. In a hearing Thursday, a federal judge sounded skeptical of those claims
· Is There a Cyber Arms Race?
A review of Max Smeets, “No Shortcuts: Why States Struggle to Develop a Military Cyber-Force” (Oxford University Press, 2023)
· It’s Time for Congress to Protect the Classified Records of Former Presidents and Vice-Presidents Because They Won’t
Simply put, the Presidential Records Act was not written with classified information in mind
· The Man Who Now Controls the U.S. Border
Mexico’s president gets to determine whether an immigration crisis dominates headlines in a U.S. election year
· Why Is Trump Trying to Make Ukraine Lose?
The former president isn’t in office—but is still dictating U.S. policy
· The Real Reason Trump Loves Putin
A new book explores the American right’s tendency to admire and want to emulate foreign dictators
How the Biden-Trump Border Visits Revealed a Deeper Divide (Shane Goldmacher, New York Times)
Even the participants in President Biden and Donald J. Trump’s overlapping visits to Texas on Thursday seemed to sense there was something remarkable about their near encounter along the southern border.
But the dueling border events were about something even more fundamental than immigration policy. They spoke to the competing visions of power and presidency that are at stake in 2024 — of autocracy and the value of democracy itself.
Both Biden and Trump agreed that action was required. Where they disagreed, at least in part, was politically in how to go about fixing it. And their disparate answers represent a test of the American appetite for the systemic messiness of democracy: Mr. Biden’s intrinsic and institutional belief in legislating versus the “Day 1” promises of dictatorial enactment under Mr. Trump.
Mr. Biden says he would close the border, if only he could. Mr. Trump says Mr. Biden could close the border, if only he would.
“A very dangerous border — we’re going to take care of it,” Mr. Trump pledged on the tarmac upon his Texas arrival.
“What’s being proposed is more than a difference on immigration policy,” said Brendan Nyhan, professor of government at Dartmouth, who helped found a group that monitors American democracy. “The difference is between a president who is trying to address a complex policy issue through our political system and one who is promising quasi-authoritarian solutions.”
US Investigating Potential Security Threats from Connected Cars (VOA News)
The United States announced Thursday it is launching an investigation into potential security threats posed by connected vehicles that utilize technology from countries of concern such as China.
U.S. President Joe Biden said he is directing the Commerce Department to lead the probe and determine what actions may be necessary to ensure that cars driving on U.S. roads do not undermine the country’s national security.
Hackers for China, Russia and Others Used OpenAI Systems, Report Says (Karen Weise, New York Times)
Hackers working for nation-states have used OpenAI’s systems in the creation of their cyberattacks, according to research released Wednesday by OpenAI and Microsoft.
The companies believe their research, published on their websites, documents for the first time how hackers with ties to foreign governments are using generative artificial intelligence in their attacks. (Cont.)
