-
Sale of controlled technology to China brings two years
China is engaging in a broad effort to obtain Western technology, and has instructed its intellignece agencies to engage in industrial espionage in the West; a California resident is sentenced to two years in prison for selling China night-vision cameras
-
-
Foreign investment boosts U.S. economy
Last year the United States attracted $180 billion in foreign direct investment; U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies employ 5.1 million Americans with a payroll of $336 billion; this translates into annual average worker compensation of $66,042 — well above the national average; one analyst argues that we should not allow protectionist sentiments and misplaced security concerns disrupt this contribution to the U.S. economy
-
-
U.S. teens lag behind in science and math
U.S. teenagers continue to fall behind students from other industrialized countries in science and math; tests conducted among students in the 30 industrialized OECD countries place U.S. students at 23rd in math and 17th in science; when compared to tests conducted among students from two dozen non-industrialized countries, U.S. students fell in the middle of the pack in science and did somewhat worse in math
-
-
DHS's inspector general to take a close look at FEMA
IG predicts that the number of FEMA investigations outnumber those planned for any of the ten other DHS divisions; for 2008, the IG plans to produce 173 management reports — 53 on FEMA and 31 on the department’s management division
-
-
Administration plans drastic cuts in antiterrorism funds to large cities
New York politicians slam administration’s plans to cut antiterrorism funds to New York and other large cities; if Bush includes the cuts in his annual funding request to Congress, “They’ll be dead on arrival,” Representative Peter King (R-New York) vowed
-
-
U.K. government looks to private sector, academia for help on security
U.K. Home Office organize a meeting of 150 scientists, venture capitalists, chief executives, and academics to exchange ideas on new capabilities and future research priorities in the figh against terrorism
-
-
Aussies debate creation of DHS-like super-department
Kevin Rudd, leader of Australia’s opposition Labor Party, has proposed the creation of a DHS-like agency to coordinate responses to terrorism and natural disasters; critics say that the current, decentralized Australian first-response system is better
-
-
Main Northern Ireland's Protestant militant group declares "war is over"
The UDA specialized in revenge murders of innocent Catholics after IRA attacks; it killed hundreds of people and extorted vast sums from its own community; in the last decades, many of its members turned to drug dealing and other crimes; leaders say that, as of yesterday, the “war is over” and that the organization will stand down; UDA say it will purge criminals from its ranks
-
-
Foreign students face tightened U.K. security checks
Foreign students applying for graduate study in the U.K. in 41 science and engineering subjects now must pass extra security screening
-
-
Government agencies over-rely on outside contractors
GAO criticizes DHS for profligate use of outside contractors; employees in other agencies write to say their agencies, too, are culpable
-
-
GAO criticizes DHS's reliance on contractors
GAO says DHS spends too much money on contractors who do work which is usually reserved for government employees; as a result, DHS’s decision making may be unduly influenced by contractors
-
-
-
-
Opponnents say Social Security is not the way to track illegal immigrants
Opponents of DHS’s tightening of no-match rule say this is not a good way to control illegal immigration; AFL-CIO estimates that 600,000 of its workers could be vulnerable to firing
-
-
Bush unveils updated national homeland security strategy
President says “The purpose of our Strategy is to guide, organize, and unify our Nation’s homeland security efforts”
-
The long view
January 6th Report Summarizes Extremist Threat – But Leaves Key Gaps
The House Jan. 6 committee’s 845-page report is unquestionably valuable, but significant questions remain largely unanswered around two interrelated components of the committee’s investigation: the scope of law enforcement and intelligence failures preceding the attack on the U.S. Capitol, and what concrete steps should be taken to combat both those failures and the rising threat of domestic violent extremism in the aftermath of January 6th.
Protecting Democracy: Jan. 6 Panel’s Recommendations, Proposed Reforms
On Thursday, 22 December, the House committee examining last year’s attack on the U.S. Capitol issued its long-awaited final report. The final report also proposes eleven reforms aiming to ensure that Trump’s attempt to subvert the will of the voters and prevent the peaceful transition of power from one president to the next would not be repeated.
Far-Left Extremist Groups in the United States
Far-left extremism in the United States was most active during the period between the 1960s and 1980s. In the 1990s, a new type of left-extremism began to emerge – what the FBI calls “special-interest extremism,” as expressed by groups such as the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and Earth Liberation Front (ELF). The far left encompasses multiple ideologies, but security experts believe that a large percentage of far-left radicals subscribe to at least one of three main classifications: anarchism, communism/socialism/Marxism, and autonomous radicals.
Concerns About Extremists Targeting U.S. Power Stations
Attacks on four power stations in Washington State over the weekend added to concerns of a possible nationwide campaign by far-right extremists to stir fears and spark civil conflict. Violent extremists “have developed credible, specific plans to attack electricity infrastructure since at least 2020, identifying the electric grid as a particularly attractive target given its interdependency with other infrastructure sectors,” the DHS said in a January.
New Bill Proposes Banning TikTok in the U.S.
Both the administration and Congress have moved to limit, or even ban, TikTok in the United States because of worries about China using the Chinese-owned platform to gather personal data on millions of Americans. Justin Sherman writes that “all told, it is a noteworthy piece of legislation, and it delineates between the risk of data access and the risk of content manipulation better than then-President Trump’s executive order on TikTok.”
Was George Santos Groomed to be a Russian Agent?
Among the multitude of lies and falsehoods newly elected Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) has concocted, the most intriguing item – and likely the source of Santos’s most serious potential legal trouble – are his campaign finances. What is especially noticeable, and disturbing, are the generous contributions Santos has received from Viktor Vekselberg, one of Vladimir Putin’s wealthiest and most influential courtiers. “For all we know,” writes one commentator, “some foreign power may have bought itself a congressman. This isn’t outlandish speculation.”