Beijing now has the power to disrupt global communications after scientists revealed a device that can sever undersea cables A compact, deep-sea, cable-cutting device, capable of severing the world's most fortified underwater communication or power lines, has been unveiled by China -- and it could shake up global maritime power dynamics. The revelation marks the first time any country has officially disclosed that it has such an asset, capable of disrupting critical undersea networks.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff drew ire online for his comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin -- chiefly that he would "take him at his word" as talks for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine continue in their ongoing war. read more
The Trump administration has slashed a unit of the Department of Homeland Security that is responsible for stopping extremist violence around the country. read more
The Aardvark Weather system will be several thousand times faster than current forecasting methods, and more accurate. read more
Western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of staging dozens of attacks and other incidents across Europe since the invasion of Ukraine three years ago, according to data collected by The Associated Press.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy Shares Approach To Leadership and Vision for Transformation of USPS At 2023 Concordia United States Summit (2023)
about.usps.com
... Postmaster General Louis DeJoy recently delivered remarks at the 2023 Concordia United States Summit in Cary, NC. DeJoy highlighted how he has leveraged his private sector background to reshape and strengthen the U.S. Postal Service, the nation's most trusted agency. Following his remarks, DeJoy was interviewed by Michelle Giuda, CEO of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue University.
"It's about innovation. It's about a commitment to work and precision. It's about competing in a marketplace ... and getting a competitive advantage on everything around you," DeJoy said in response to a question from Giuda about his approach to leading USPS.
DeJoy's remarks focused on how the Postal Service is continuing to transform and improve operating practices across the organization. During the session with Giuda, he discussed how he has worked to address legacy financial issues at the organization, and highlighted how the Postal Service has invested in new technologies to improve the delivery of mail and packages, including new sorting machines and modern and efficient delivery vehicles.
The 2023 Concordia United States Summit took place Nov. 7 and focused on delivering action-oriented solutions to advance national priorities in key areas such as trade, manufacturing and supply chains.
DeJoy's full remarks can be seen on the Concordia YouTube channel. The full session with Michelle Giuda is also available on the Concordia YouTube channel. ...
... lawyers for Judge Jefferson Griffin asked his colleagues on the North Carolina Court of Appeals to retroactively change the rules for the 2024 state Supreme Court election and throw out tens of thousands of ballots. ...
Retroactively change the rules?
Oh wait, there's this ...
Jefferson Griffin
en.wikipedia.org
... In the 2024 election, Griffin lost narrowly to incumbent Democratic justice Allison Riggs, by a margin of 734 votes out of more than 5.5 million cast. Following three recounts indicating his loss, rather than concede, Griffin filed suit in state court, arguing that approximately 60,000 votes should be disqualified.
Griffin said no ballots should count for voters whose voter registration does not include a driver's license number or the last four digits of a social security number.[3]
There are many legitimate reasons why such information is not included in a voter registration.[3] The North Carolina state election board and a Donald Trump-appointed federal judge have rejected Griffin's claims.[3] The case is currently pending before the North Carolina Supreme Court; Riggs has recused herself from the case.[4] ...
@#32
Another view ...
Top Trump officials text classified Yemen airstrike plans to journo in Signal SNAFU
www.theregister.com
... Military analyst and retired Australian Army Major General Mick Ryan has described the use of the secure chat app in this matter as "appalling."
"By using Signal for such a sensitive issue, the participants demonstrate a cavalier attitude to operational security," he wrote Tuesday, Australian time. "For a Secretary of Defense who allegedly values a war-fighting ethos, this shortfall in security is appalling. In normal times, this would see people sacked. I don't expect that in this case though because these are not normal times."
"Why aren't they using more secure communications that are assured by the NSA or another government communications agency?" he added. The Register understands chat tools used by those agencies include features that prevent, say, journalists from participating in group chats.
Another question worth asking is why the group's members used Signal, and why they set at least some of the messages to auto-delete, which may be a violation of federal records-keeping laws.
Using Signal is also extraordinary given that a constant refrain of President Trump's 2015 presidential election campaign was the need to "lock up" Hillary Clinton for using a private server for her emails.
As Ryan pointed out: "By communicating on devices which were transmitting information about a future operation in real time to a journalist, the conversation may also have been compromised by other foreign interested parties. As a result, might the entire operation to strike the Houthis have been compromised, and the lives of military personnel put at risk?" ...
OpEd: Trump stole my sacred time. I'm ready to reclaim it. (2021)
www.freep.com
... For as long as I can remember, early morning has been my favorite time of day. Rising before the sun may be a dull necessity for legions of farmers and factory workers, but for me it has been a life-long luxury, my cherished refuge from the noisy demands of parents and siblings, teachers and employers, friends and colleagues " the whole universe of others waiting to tyrannize my daylight hours... .
Or at least that's how my mornings used to be.
I've been a journalist for four decades, but for most of that time, I seldom gave the news more than a cursory glance before I'd showered, dressed and spent a precious few minutes focusing on something " a book, a favorite piece of music, or just the sound of my dog's contented breathing " that promised to boost my mellow quotient. I'd usually heard most of the morning's headlines previewed in news meetings the day before; the unanticipated death or dismissal, the unheralded hurricane, the outrage so over-the-top it preempted my morning routine " these were rare.
Then Donald Trump was elected president, and abruptly my cell phone became an air raid siren, my morning news feed a toxic waste site of lies, bombast and invective.
Trump is not a morning person in the usual sense, but he is legendary for making mischief after midnight. For four long years, his lunacy been lying in wait for me when I opened my eyes, his wee-hour ravings memorialized in some horrific news bulletin or petulant tweet. ...
@#24 ... This was utterly irresponsible. ...
At this point, my view is that the phrase "This was utterly irresponsible" is not enough to describe what occurred, and the incompetence of those involved.
OK, let me take a step back ...
There's this thing called the "Five Eyes."
A super close intelligence alliance among our closest friends on this planet.
Five Eyes
en.wikipedia.org
... The Five Eyes (FVEY) is an Anglosphere intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.[1] These countries are party to the multilateral UKUSA Agreement, a treaty for joint cooperation in signals intelligence.[2][3][4] Informally, "Five Eyes" can refer to the group of intelligence agencies of these countries. The term "Five Eyes" originated as shorthand for a "AUS/CAN/NZ/UK/US Eyes Only" (AUSCANNZUKUS) releasability caveat.[5]
The origins of the FVEY can be traced to informal, secret meetings during World War II between British and American code-breakers that took place before the US formally entered the war.[6] The alliance was formalized in the post-war era by the UKUSA Agreement in 1946. As the Cold War deepened, the intelligence sharing arrangement was formalised under the ECHELON surveillance system in the 1960s.[7] This system was developed by the FVEY to monitor the communications of the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc; it is now used to monitor communications worldwide.[8][9] The FVEY expanded its surveillance capabilities during the course of the "war on terror", with much emphasis placed on monitoring the Internet. The alliance has grown into a robust global surveillance mechanism, adapting to new domains such as international terrorism, cyberattacks, and contemporary regional conflicts. ...
OK, after reading that, and taking a step back ...
After what seemed to have been leaked in this Signal (I'll be kind) faux pas, what will those other Nations of Five Eyes now think about sharing intelligence with the US?
@#6 ... Good question. How many is "normal"? ...
I dunno.
But I do note that the alias that started this thread seems now to be ignoring it.
The alias had a comment on another thread , "Posted by gracieamazed at 2025-03-24 11:19 PM "
drudge.com
(Eastern time here)
But has not replied here.
The ole ~post 'n' run~ syndrome?
I wish I knew.