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“The NSA’s TAO hacking unit is considered to be the intelligence agency’s top secret weapon. It maintains its own covert network, infiltrates computers around the world and even intercepts shipping deliveries to plant back doors in electronics ordered by those it is targeting.” [TAO – Tailored Access Operations] “TAO specialists have directly accessed the protected networks …
CRS – The 2013 Cybersecurity Executive Order: Overview and Considerations for Congress. November 8, 2013 “Cyberthreats to U.S. infrastructure and other assets are a growing concern to policymakers. Information and communications technology (ICT) is ubiquitous and relied upon for government services, corporate business processes, and individual professional and personal pursuits—almost every facet of modern life. Many ICT devices and other …
Report predicts Taliban’s influence will grow, even if small troop presence remains and aid continues – By Ernesto Londoño, Karen DeYoung and Greg Miller “A new American intelligence assessment on the Afghan war predicts that the gains the United States and its allies have made during the past three years are likely to have been significantly eroded by 2017, even if …
A Deadly Mix in Benghazi By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK December 28, 2013, New York Times [snipped] “”A fuller accounting of the attacks suggests lessons for the United States that go well beyond Libya. It shows the risks of expecting American aid in a time of desperation to buy durable loyalty, and the difficulty of discerning friends from allies …
ACLU: “A federal court issued an opinion and order in ACLU v. Clapper [American Civil Liberties Union v. Clapper, 13-cv-03994, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan)], the ACLU’s challenge to the constitutionality of the NSA’s mass call-tracking program, ruling that the government’s bulk collection of phone records is lawful under Section 215 of the Patriot Act and under …
“Gaps in local-federal intelligence sharing systems jeopardize national security investigations and threaten Americans’ civil liberties, according to a new Brennan Center report. National Security and Local Police, the most comprehensive survey of counterterrorism policing since 9/11, finds that police are operating without adequate standards and oversight mechanisms, routinely amassing mountains of data – including personal information …
Iraq: Politics, Governance, and Human Rights, Kenneth Katzman, Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs. December 17, 2013 “Two years after the 2011 U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, sectarian divisions and the Sunni-led uprising in neighboring Syria have fueled a revival of radical Islamist Sunni Muslim insurgent groups that are attempting to undermine Iraq’s stability. Iraq’s Sunni Arab …
CRS – China’s Economic Rise: History, Trends, Challenges, and Implications for the United States, Wayne M. Morrison, Specialist in Asian Trade and Finance. December 17, 2013 “The rapid rise of China as a major economic power within a time span of about threedecades is often described by analysts as one of the greatest economic success stories …
Financial Audit – Securities and Exchange Commission’s Fiscal Years 2013 and 2012 Financial Statements [Reissued on December 23, 2013], GAO-14-213R, Dec 16, 2013 Small Business Innovation Research – DOD’s Program Supports Weapon Systems, but Lacks Comprehensive Data on Technology Transition Outcomes, GAO-14-96, Dec 20, 2013 VA Nursing Homes – Reporting More Complete Data on Workload …
News release, December 21, 2013: “Yesterday, the Director of National Intelligence (“DNI”) announced the declassification of the existence of collection activities authorized by President George W. Bush shortly after the attacks of September 11, 2001. Starting on October 4, 2001, President Bush authorized the Secretary of Defense to employ the capabilities of the Department of Defense, …
DHS OIG – Adequacy of USSS Efforts to Identify, Mitigate, and Address Instances of Misconduct and Inappropriate Behavior (Redacted), December 20, 2013 “We found no evidence that USSS [United States Secret Service] employees frequently engage in behaviors contrary to conduct standards or that could cause a security concern. Although some employees engaged in certain misconduct during a foreign …
Proposed rule marks the 6th issued under FDA Food Safety Modernization Act this year: “As required by the bipartisan FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed a rule [Focused Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration] that would require the largest food businesses in the United States and abroad to take steps …
