#National Counterintelligence and Security Center

[richdadpoor]

U.S. Space Companies Becoming Prime Targets for Foreign Malware

SpaceX and its satellite constellation Starlink have already been the target for hacks. Image: Joe Raedle (Getty Images) As private space companies have ramped up production and launches in the past several years, they’ve also been unwittingly putting a target on their back. U.S. government agencies are warning the private space sector that they are in the crosshairs of foreign intelligence…

[eugenedebs1920]

More and more it keeps seeming like the Russia Russia Russia hoax wasn’t a hoax… 🤔

Note: The claim of German intelligence finding Hegseths number on the phones of two spies is disputed. Though this claim can not be verified at this time, what can be verified is the phone used to text top secret war plans on the app signal, unintentionally adding the Atlantic’s Jeffery Goldstein in one chat, and another chat which included his wife, brother and lawyer, none of which have security clearance, was easily accessible on numerous sites on the internet. These sites include, WhatsApp, Facebook, Airbnb, and a fantasy sports site, as well as reviews left for a plumbing company and a dentist . (NYT)

With Mike Casey, former director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center stating, “There’s zero percent chance that someone hasn’t tried to install Pegasus or some other spyware on his phone. He is one of the top five, probably, most targeted people in the world for espionage,”

Although the claim of the incident between German intelligence and Russian spies cannot be confirmed, the possibility that dozens and dozens of potential foreign actors have access to national intelligence information has.

My intent is never to mislead or spread false information, if in fact the spies story turns out to be such, I do apologize. My intent is to be a purveyor of factuality is a world full of deceptive reporting and rampant misinformation. The purpose of anything is write is to inform readers and point out the incompetence and dangers poised by this administration, or any administration which would threaten or violate the Constitution, to call out hypocrisy and corruption, to sound an alert on attacks against our liberties and freedoms, bring to light policies and actions that jeopardize our democratic principles, that endanger our environment, our health, or our happiness. Occasionally there may be an uplifting or inspiring story too. Not so much of late.

I do not say this with delusions of grandeur as to my impact, reach, importance, or status. I am simply expressing my intentions for sharing, and my apologies for the meme above that cannot be confirmed at the time.

May our nation endure through these dark times

🇺🇸

Eugene

[notwiselybuttoowell]

Donald Trump’s pick for the head of US counterintelligence has advocated for the FBI to surveil “antifa” groups, and has lingering questions over millions of dollars in campaign finances, his employment with a shadowy military contractor and links to far-right figures.

Joe Kent, twice an unsuccessful congressional candidate in south-west Washington state and a former Green Beret and CIA operative, has also been criticized for his proximity to white nationalist activists such as Nick Fuentes, and for the revolving cast of far-right activists his campaigns employed.

The Guardian contacted Kent on a phone number and an email address identified with him by multiple data brokers, but received no response.

Kent, now resident in Yacolt, Washington, was born and raised in Sweet Home, Oregon, by his own account in podcasts and candidate interviews. He spent 20 years in the military, including serving as a US Army Green Beret in Iraq and Afghanistan during the global war on terror.

According to podcast interviews and media reports, Kent subsequently served as a “CIA paramilitary officer” and a military contractor who offered training services at Joint Base McChord in Washington state.

He ran for Congress in 2022 and 2024 in Washington’s third district, centered on Vancouver, losing both times to Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. In his first campaign, in particular, Kent drew criticisms for multiple far-right connections.

He was a beneficiary of donations from tech figure Peter Thiel, whose largesse that cycle also saw him bankrolling campaigns by JD Vance and Blake Masters.

He was endorsed that year by Nazi-sympathizer Nick Fuentes, but later attempted to distance himself from the prominent white nationalist. Nevertheless, in an interview with a member of the Fuentes-aligned group American Virtue, Kent opined that American culture was “anti-white” and “anti-straight-white-male”.

In June 2022, he was also interviewed by Greyson Arnold, a neo-Nazi streamer. One of his many controversial campaign hires was Graham Jorgensen, a member of the far-right Proud Boys organization, who Kent retained in 2022 as a consultant.

[mariacallous]

A number of top Trump administration officials—including four who were on a now-infamous Signal group chat—appear to have Venmo accounts that have been leaking data, including contacts and in some cases transactions, to the public. Experts say this is a potentially serious counterintelligence problem that could allow foreign intelligence services to gain insight into a target’s social network or even identify individuals who could be paid or coerced to act against them.

The officials in question include Dan Katz, chief of staff at the US Treasury; Joe Kent, President Trump’s nominee for director of the National Counterterrorism Center; and Mike Needham, counselor and chief of staff to the secretary of state. All three were participants in the “Houthi PC small group” chat in which sensitive attack plans were discussed and to which Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic, was accidentally invited. Katz was named in it as a point of contact by Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary; Kent by Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, to whom Kent serves as acting chief of staff; and Needham by Marco Rubio, the secretary of state.

A fourth official with an open Venmo account—Brian McCormack, a senior staffer on the National Security Council—also appears to have been in the chat, in which a user with the screen name “Brian” lists McCormack as a point of contact for the NSC. His account went private after WIRED reached out to the NSC for comment. (“Mr. McCormack has made necessary Venmo updates for his personal privacy protection,” says NSC spokesperson James Hewitt.)

Morgan Ortagus, a former Fox News personality and deputy to Steve Witkoff—Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, who was himself in the chat—also appears to have left Venmo data exposed.

WIRED established that the accounts are almost certainly those of the government officials in question by analyzing the other accounts they were connected to, which in the cases of Katz, Kent, and Needham included accounts appearing to belong to their spouses. The Treasury Department, the National Counterterrorism Center, and the State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Some of the information revealed by the accounts is quite granular. McCormack and the accounts that appear to belong to Katz and Ortagus, for example, left not only their contact lists publicly visible but also their transactions, which are as recent as last autumn. These records reveal specific information like a 2018 payment from Katz with a note consisting solely of an eggplant emoji and how much he paid an overnight cat sitter in 2019. They also reveal McCormack’s contributions to what appears to be a get-together for veterans of the Bush-Cheney administration (“Cheney team reunion! Thank you!!”), who has reimbursed Ortagus for picnic expenses, and Kent’s connection to noted conspiracy theorist Ivan Raiklin, who calls himself “the secretary of retribution�� and once created a deep state target list.

WIRED has previously reported on the partially public Venmo accounts of several of the high-ranking officials in the Houthi PC chat, including Vice President JD Vance; Mike Waltz, the national security adviser; and Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff. Waltz and Wiles set their accounts to private only after WIRED reached out to the White House for comment on Wednesday afternoon.

Venmo did not immediately respond to WIRED’s request for comment. In a statement given to WIRED in response to questions about the Waltz and Wiles accounts, spokesperson Erin Mackey said, “We take our customers’ privacy seriously, which is why we let customers choose their privacy settings on Venmo for both their individual payments and friends lists—and we make it incredibly simple for customers to make these private if they choose to do so.”

“From my perspective, as a veteran, everyone is entitled to use the applications and services they feel are necessary to live their lives,” says Tara Lemieux, a 35-year veteran of the US intelligence community including the National Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security, and supporting agencies. “That said, when you post anything in those third-party applications and you don’t understand how that information can be shared or exploited, you are taking a risk for our nation—and that’s not acceptable.”

For Lemieux, while public transactions on Venmo might appear harmless, foreign intelligence services—particularly signals intelligence agencies—look for patterns: who’s paying whom, how often, and when. “Say they’re making payments to their children—now you have a point of leverage. If there’s someone out there looking to target you, they can use that information and start making you feel fearful for the safety of your children,” Lemieux says.

“The speed of the digital world has outpaced our ability to keep a handle on it,” she adds. “If you have all this information out there—how the heck are you going to put the toothpaste back in the tube?”

Mike Yeagley, a specialist in commercial data and its security risks, has spent over 15 years advising the US Department of Defense on how both allies and adversaries leverage what he calls “digital exhaust,” the seemingly mundane details—social connections, service transactions, and metadata trails—left behind in everyday apps. “At the highest level of our national security leadership, regardless of administration, there has to be an awareness of our data and what we project that can be discoverable,” he says.

“What’s the risk of someone at the Cabinet level using Venmo to pay their personal trainer? On the surface, it doesn’t look like much,” Yeagley says. “But now I know who that trainer is—or the gardener, or whoever—and suddenly I’ve expanded my ability to target by identifying the people around that official.”

Yeagley adds that ��our adversaries are sophisticated and carnivorous in their data collection,” which means that “just the smallest bit of daylight is of interest to someone sophisticated. They will use that data point. They will build from it.”

According to Venmo, its “contact syncing” feature allows users to upload phone contacts to the app so that they can find people they know. When these exposed Venmo accounts were set up—all before 2020—the app would display a prompt allowing users to sync their phone contacts, automatically populating their friends list with anyone in their address book already using the platform. Venmo says this functionality was deprecated more than two years ago. Today, contact syncing no longer creates connections by default. To add someone as a friend, users have to search for them, send a request, and have it accepted.

Nevertheless, according to Venmo’s privacy policy, unless users proactively change their privacy settings, their network remains visible to anyone. That means that even when a user sets their account to private, their friends list remains visible unless they take an additional step. As of publication, hiding your connections requires navigating to Settings > Privacy > Friends List and selecting Private.

[queenofcandynsoda]

Sol Fertilis Master List

The Federal Republic of Sol Fertilis

As An Island

Ranks (being rewritten)

Alphas

Omegas

Deltas (Plus and Minus)

Betas (Plus, Neutral, and Minus)

Gammas (Plus and Minus)

Droughters

Government

Ministries

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

National Symbols

Animals

Anthem

Deities

Dish and Drink

Flag

Flower and Tree

Motto

National Emblem

Personifications

Sport

Holidays (Part 1 and 2)

New Year's Day (January 1)

Fertility Fest/Day of Lilies and Snowdrops (February 1)

Lovers’ Day/Day of Red Roses/Valentine’s Day (February 14)

Day of Planting/Fest of Beer (Spring Equinox)

Victory Week (March 21-26) and Victory Day (March 27)

Party Foundation Day (April 3)

May Day/Labor Day (May 1)

Constitution Day/National Foundation Day/Sol Fertilis Day (May 26)

Festival of Midsummer/Mars Sol Day/Day of Red Peonies (Summer Solstice)

Harvest Day/Day of Grapes and Grains (August 1)

Fest of Wine/Day of Gathering (Autumn Equinox)

Day of Fast/Fasting Day (October 31)

Day of Offering/Day of Folklore (November 1)

Fest of Midwinter/Day of Vesta Luna (Winter Solstice)

Christmas (December 25)

Art of Pater Nativitatis and Comitissa Luminis

Stages of Life

Elders and Pups

Matronalia

Marriage Ceremonies

Housewarming Party

Public Life

The Centers

The Children's Palaces

Clothing (Old)

Head Coverings

Missionaries

Transportation

Suppressants

Public Housing

Private Life

Alpha Household

Mating Ceremony

Contubernium

Baby Shower

Birthing Ceremony

Adoption Ceremony

Funerals

Culture

Drinking Culture

Sisterhood of Viridis/Viridis Sorores

Ivoire

Languages

Omega Association

Religion

Origins

Founding Myth

Major Gods (Part 1, 2, and 3)

Clergy Hierarchy

Catholicism

Laws, Crime, and Punishment

Savage Zoos, Menageries, The Fields, and Barbarian Fights

Ages of Consent and Marriage

Jus Civile

Omega Laws

Harmony Vigilance Initiative

Ancilla

National Security

National Police Service

Female Counterintelligence Squads

Criteria to go to Olympia

Pleasure Venues

Hierarchy

Hunting Meadows

Concubinatus (Under Construction)

Mallow Troop

Economics

Black Markets

Food Brands

Nova (National Currency)

Information

News

Websites (Part 1 and 2)

Direct Encouragement

Harmonious Conditioning For Omegas

Foreign Relations

Tourism

History

Global Drought

Formation of the Progressive Natalist Party

The Great Economic Collapse and Falling Birth Rate

Rise of Youth Crime

The First Parliamentary Elections

The Assassination of Lillemore and The Rosario Crisis

Early Complex Centers

[trump-executive-orders]

Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs

Issued March 27, 2025.

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including sections 7103(b)(1) of title 5 and 4103(b) of title 22, United States Code, to enhance the national security of the United States, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1.  Determinations.  (a)  The agencies and agency subdivisions set forth in section 2 of this order are hereby determined to have as a primary function intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative, or national security work.  It is also hereby determined that Chapter 71 of title 5, United States Code, cannot be applied to these agencies and agency subdivisions in a manner consistent with national security requirements and considerations.

(b)  The agency subdivisions set forth in section 3 of this order are hereby determined to have as a primary function intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative, or national security work.  It is also hereby determined that Subchapter X of Chapter 52 of title 22, United States Code, cannot be applied to these subdivisions in a manner consistent with national security requirements and considerations.

Sec. 2.  Additional National Security Exclusions.  Executive Order 12171 of November 19, 1979, as amended, is further amended by:

(a)  In section 1-101, adding “and Section 1-4” after “Section 1-2” in both places that term appears.

(b)  Adding after section 1-3 a new section 1-4 that reads:

“1-4.  Additional Exclusions.

1-401.  The Department of State.

1-402.  The Department of Defense, except for any subdivisions excluded pursuant to section 4 of the Executive Order of March 27, 2025, entitled ‘Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs.’

1-403.  The Department of the Treasury, except the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

1-404.  The Department of Veterans Affairs.

1-405.  The Department of Justice.

1-406.  Agencies or subdivisions of the Department of Health and Human Services:

(a)  Office of the Secretary.

(b)  Food and Drug Administration.

(c)  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

(d)  Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response.

(e)  Office of the General Counsel.

(f)  Office of Refugee Resettlement, Administration for Children and Families.

(g) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health.

1-407.  Agencies or subdivisions of the Department of Homeland Security:

(a)  Office of the Secretary.

(b)  Office of the General Counsel.

(c)  Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans.

(d)  Management Directorate.

(e)  Science and Technology Directorate.

(f)  Office of Health Security.

(g)  Office of Homeland Security Situational Awareness.

(h)  U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

(i)  United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

(j)  United States Coast Guard.

(k)  Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

(l)  Federal Emergency Management Agency.

1-408.  Agencies or subdivisions of the Department of the Interior:

(a)  Office of the Secretary.

(b)  Bureau of Land Management.

(c)  Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.

(d)  Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

1-409.  The Department of Energy, except for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

1-410.  The following agencies or subdivisions of the Department of Agriculture:

(a)  Food Safety and Inspection Service.

(b)  Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

1-411.  The International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.   

1-412.  The Environmental Protection Agency.

1-413.  The United States Agency for International Development.

1-414.  The Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

1-415.  The National Science Foundation.

1-416.  The United States International Trade Commission.

1-417.  The Federal Communications Commission.

1-418.  The General Services Administration.

1-419.  The following agencies or subdivisions of each Executive department listed in section 101 of title 5, United States Code, the Social Security Administration, and the Office of Personnel Management:

(a)  Office of the Chief Information Officer.

(b)  any other agency or subdivision that has information resources management duties as the agency or subdivision’s primary duty.

1-499.  Notwithstanding the forgoing, nothing in this section shall exempt from the coverage of Chapter 71 of title 5, United States Code:

(a)  the immediate, local employing offices of any agency police officers, security guards, or firefighters, provided that this exclusion does not apply to the Bureau of Prisons;

(b)  subdivisions of the United States Marshals Service not listed in section 1-209 of this order; or

(c)  any subdivisions of the Departments of Defense or Veterans Affairs for which the applicable Secretary has issued an order suspending the application of this section pursuant to section 4 of the Executive Order of March 27, 2025, entitled ‘Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs.’”

Sec. 3.  Foreign Service Exclusions.  Executive Order 12171, as amended, is further amended by:

(a)  In the first paragraph:

(i)   adding “and Section 4103(b) of Title 22,” after “Title 5”; and

(ii)  adding “and Subchapter X of Chapter 52 of Title 22” after “Relations Program.”.

(b)  Adding after section 1-102 a new section 1-103 that reads:

“1-103.  The Department subdivisions set forth in section 1-5 of this order are hereby determined to have as a primary function intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative, or national security work.  It is also hereby determined that Subchapter X of Chapter 52 of title 22, United States Code, cannot be applied to those subdivisions in a manner consistent with national security requirements and considerations.  The subdivisions set forth in section 1-5 of this order are hereby excluded from coverage under Subchapter X of Chapter 52 of title 22, United States Code.”

(c)  Adding after the new section 1-4 added by section 2(b) of this order a new section 1-5 that reads:

“1-5.  Subdivisions of Departments Employing Foreign Service Officers.

1-501.  Subdivisions of the Department of State:

(a)  Each subdivision reporting directly to the Secretary of State.

(b)  Each subdivision reporting to the Deputy Secretary of State.

(c)  Each subdivision reporting to the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources.

(d)  Each subdivision reporting to the Under Secretary for Management.

(e)  Each subdivision reporting to the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security.

(f)  Each subdivision reporting to the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights.

(g)  Each subdivision reporting to the Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and Environment.

(h)  Each subdivision reporting to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs.

(i)  Each subdivision reporting to the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy.

(j)  Each United States embassy, consulate, diplomatic mission, or office providing consular services.

1-502.  Subdivisions of the United States Agency for International Development:

(a)  All Overseas Missions and Field Offices.

(b)  Each subdivision reporting directly to the Administrator.

(c)  Each subdivision reporting to the Deputy Administrator for Policy and Programming.

(d)  Each subdivision reporting to the Deputy Administrator for Management and Resources.”.

Sec. 4.  Delegation of Authority to the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs.  (a)  Subject to the requirements of subsection (b) of this section, the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs are delegated authority under 5 U.S.C. 7103(b)(1) to issue orders suspending the application of section 1-402 or 1-404 of Executive Order 12171, as amended, to any subdivisions of the departments they supervise, thereby bringing such subdivisions under the coverage of the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute.

(b)  An order described in subsection (a) of this section shall only be effective if:

(i)   the applicable Secretary certifies to the President that the provisions of the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute can be applied to such subdivision in a manner consistent with national security requirements and considerations; and

(ii)  such certification is submitted for publication in the Federal Register within 15 days of the date of this order.

Sec. 5.  Delegation of Authority to the Secretary of Transportation.  (a)  The national security interests of the United States in ensuring the safety and integrity of the national transportation system require that the Secretary of Transportation have maximum flexibility to cultivate an efficient workforce at the Department of Transportation that is adaptive to new technologies and innovation.  Where collective bargaining is incompatible with that mission, the Department of Transportation should not be forced to seek relief through grievances, arbitrations, or administrative proceedings.

(b)  The Secretary of Transportation is therefore delegated authority under section 7103(b) of title 5, United States Code, to issue orders excluding any subdivision of the Department of Transportation, including the Federal Aviation Administration, from Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute coverage or suspending any provision of that law with respect to any Department of Transportation installation or activity located outside the 50 States and the District of Columbia.  This authority may not be further delegated.  When making the determination required by 5 U.S.C. 7103(b)(1) or 7103(b)(2), the Secretary of Transportation shall publish his determination in the Federal Register.

Sec. 6.  Implementation.  With respect to employees in agencies or subdivisions thereof that were previously part of a bargaining unit but have been excepted under this order, each applicable agency head shall, upon termination of the applicable collective bargaining agreement:

(a)  reassign any such employees who performed non-agency business pursuant to section 7131 of title 5 or section 4116 of title 22, United States Code, to performing solely agency business; and

(b)  terminate agency participation in any pending grievance proceedings under section 7121 of title 5, United States Code, exceptions to arbitral awards under section 7122 of title 5, United States Code, or unfair labor practice proceedings under section 7118 of title 5 or section 4116 of title 22, United States Code, that involve such employees.

Sec. 7.  Additional Review.  Within 30 days of the date of this order, the head of each agency with employees covered by Chapter 71 of title 5, United States Code, shall submit a report to the President that identifies any agency subdivisions not covered by Executive Order 12171, as amended:

(a) that have as a primary function intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative, or national security work, applying the definition of “national security” set forth by the Federal Labor Relations Authority in Department of Energy, Oak Ridge Operations, and National Association of Government Employees Local R5-181, 4 FLRA 644 (1980); and

(b)  for which the agency head believes the provisions of Chapter 71 of title 5, United States Code, cannot be applied to such subdivision in a manner consistent with national security requirements and considerations, and the reasons therefore.

Sec. 8.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

[newstfionline]

Sunday, April 13, 2025

Trump’s historic China tariffs spread pain through U.S. and global economies (Washington Post) President Donald Trump’s rapid-fire trade war has set in motion a commercial rupture without precedent, which is rippling through the global economy in unpredictable and costly ways. The triple-digit taxes that the president has imposed on Chinese products—and China’s retaliatory measures—are expected to shrink trade between the world’s two largest economies from a recent annual peak of nearly $700 billion to almost nothing. After more than a quarter-century of a love-hate relationship, the United States and China are on the verge of a commercial divorce. Yet some coveted Chinese products will continue finding their way to American customers via other nations that face lower U.S. trade barriers. And even as direct trade shrivels, the U.S. will remain dependent on Chinese components that are inside products made in countries such as Mexico, Thailand or Vietnam. Many U.S. importers will be unable to quickly find alternatives for their Chinese suppliers, leaving them little choice but to pay the tariffs. Those extra costs will show up in higher prices for consumers or will erode profits, cutting into hiring and growth. Some companies dependent on imports are simply shutting down. / (Reuters) Beijing increased its tariffs on U.S. imports to 125% on Friday, hitting back against President Donald Trump's decision to raise duties on Chinese goods and increasing the stakes in a trade war that threatens to upend global supply chains.

As Trump’s trade war continues, the dollar may be caught in the crossfire (Washington Post) Even President Donald Trump got scared this week that as the bond market panicked in reaction to his trade war, the “almighty dollar”—and the global financial system it supports—might be at risk. For all Trump’s cheery talk, this danger of “de-dollarization” continues. Investors this week were selling anything American—stocks, bonds and currency—as the meltdown spread. Analysts say the sell-off reflected a fear that the U.S. economy itself was a risky bet. For Lawrence H. Summers, a treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton, Trump’s action was a recognition that he was nearing a tipping point like the Suez Canal crisis in 1956, when Britain forever lost the primacy of the pound as a reserve currency. “I suspect the administration stepped back because it saw a Suez moment approaching with general lack of confidence in U.S. financial assets spreading to the dollar,” Summers wrote Wednesday. De-dollarization is already happening in a world that is fed up with arbitrary American policy and mismanagement of domestic and global economics.

America’s woes are a foreign adversary’s spy recruitment dream (The Week) Contrary to what James Bond would have you believe, most international espionage is less “whizzing bullets” and more “convincing people to tell you things they shouldn’t.” By this metric, foreign adversaries are salivating over the Trump administration’s mass layoffs in the federal government, creating fertile ground for disgruntled workers. Clandestine organizations are hoping that resentment will convince some to share America’s most closely guarded secrets—in other words, to be recruited as spies. China’s intelligence services are using “deceptive efforts to recruit current and former U.S. government employees,” said The New York Times, citing a warning from the National Counterintelligence and Security Center. The Trump-led slashing of the federal workforce has been taken as an “opportunity” for China to build upon its preexisting recruitment efforts. “Everyone is vulnerable at the end of the day,” said one Coast Guard Counterintelligence Service agent. The cohort of laid off federal workers is a “target-rich environment” for “foreign-linked entities,” said Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) in response to the Coast Guard’s alert. Moreover, government employees who “see how careless” the Trump administration has been with its secure communications “may do the same.”

White House Continues Defiant Stance on Seeking Return of Deported Man (NYT) The Trump administration on Friday continued to pursue its stubborn fight against securing the freedom of a Maryland man it inadvertently deported to a Salvadoran prison last month despite a court order that expressly said he could remain in the United States. Taking an increasingly combative stance, the administration defied a federal judge’s order to provide a written road map of its plans to free the man, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia. Trump officials then repeatedly stonewalled her efforts to get the most basic information about him at a court hearing. The conflict between the judge and the White House arose just one day after the Supreme Court unanimously ordered the administration to “facilitate” Mr. Abrego Garcia’s release from Salvadoran custody.

Military border surge takes shape along U.S.-Mexico frontier (Washington Post) Sgt. 1st Class Carlos Zamora and his fellow soldiers stood alongside their 20-ton Stryker combat vehicle overlooking a labyrinth of dusty trails and cliffs, an inhospitable desertscape that for years has proved difficult for U.S. authorities to patrol amid the surge in illegal border crossings and drug smuggling from Mexico. Although U.S. Border Patrol agents had detained two migrants nearby a few hours earlier, Zamora’s deployment—a key facet of President Donald Trump’s militarization of the U.S.-Mexico frontier—has been quiet so far, he said. A veteran of four combat deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, Zamora recalled how he and his team recently observed other potential border crossers who appeared to change their plans abruptly once they spotted the olive-drab armored vehicle on a hill. “Ever since the Stryker came into play,” he said, “we see more turn-backs than anything.” Zamora’s unit—the 4th Infantry Division’s 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, from Fort Carson in Colorado—is serving on the front lines of Trump’s aggressive bid to crack down on illegal migration and secure the southern border. Since his return to office less than three months ago, the administration has rapidly assembled a force of about 10,000 troops and positioned them across the porous hinterland spanning Texas to California, the centerpiece of an expansive initiative that also includes more drone flights and an unusually robust maritime presence off Mexico.

Colombia’s capital ends drought-related water rationing. Its case is a warning to other cities (AP) Nestled among cloud-kissed Andean peaks and known for its steady rainfall, Colombia ‘s capital once seemed immune to water scarcity. But that sense of security vanished as an unrelenting drought drained Bogotá’s reservoirs to historic lows, forcing authorities a year ago to ration water for the first time in more than four decades. Every nine days, more than 8 million people in the city and 11 surrounding municipalities have had their water shut off for 24 hours. Households and businesses were forced to adapt by storing water in advance and cutting daily consumption. Bogotá’s mayor, Carlos Fernando Galan, announced on Friday that the rationing will end on Saturday. The yearlong rationing serves as a stark reminder of how climate extremes are reshaping urban life—and a warning for other cities facing mounting water stress amid rising global temperatures. Bogotá’s experience is not unique. In Brazil, Sao Paulo took drastic water-saving measures due to drought, as did Cape Town in South Africa, which came seriously close to running out of water entirely due to a drought that started in 2015.

The British are learning to love cheap overseas health care (Economist) Around 431,000 people from Britain sought medical treatment abroad in 2023, five times more than a decade ago, according to the Office for National Statistics. They travel for hair transplants, dental veneers and nose jobs, as well as more serious procedures such as hip replacements. They are enticed by slick social-media marketing, word-of-mouth recommendations and all-inclusive packages costing as little as £2,000 ($2,560). Price is central to the pitch from the 80-odd Turkish clinics (plus a handful from other countries) at an expo in February: high-quality private care at a fraction of the cost in Britain. Most tout hair and dental work. Some operators highlight the perk of a few days in the sun to accompany an invasive procedure. “In London it’s always raining,” observes a salesman for the Baskent University Healthcare Group.

European countries vow billions in military support for Ukraine (AP) European countries vowed Friday to sends billions of dollars in further funding to help Ukraine keep fighting Russia’s invasion, as a U.S. envoy pursued peace efforts in a trip to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid growing questions about the Kremlin’s willingness to stop the more than three-year war. Russian forces hold the advantage in Ukraine, with the war now in its fourth year. Ukraine has endorsed a U.S. ceasefire proposal, but Russia has effectively blocked it by imposing far-reaching conditions. European governments have accused Putin of dragging his feet. “Russia has to get moving” on the road to ending the war, U.S. President Donald Trump posted on social media. He said the war is “terrible and senseless.”

In a turbulent time, Turkey lays claim to a role of stability for Europe, Syria and global trade (AP) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday sought to position his country as a point of stability in an increasingly tumultuous world, saying Turkey was essential for European security and able to span geopolitical divisions over Ukraine, Syria and U.S tariffs that have sparked a global trade war. Erdogan, who is facing disruption at home from protests against the imprisonment of his main political rival, was speaking at a diplomacy forum in the Mediterranean city of Antalya. “It has become clear once again that European security is unthinkable without Turkey. Turkey is ready to take responsibility for European security in the future as well,” he said in an opening speech at the three-day gathering. As trans-Atlantic relations cool under the U.S. presidency of Donald Trump, NATO member Turkey, which has the alliance’s second-largest military and a well-developed defense industry, is seeking a wider role.

High winds and sandstorms prompt Beijing to cancel hundreds of flights and close parks (AP) High winds and the threat of sandstorms Saturday prompted Beijing to cancel hundreds of flights and close public parks, as massive gales felled hundreds of trees, crushing cars and damaging older homes across China’s capital. Beijing’s two massive international airports, Beijing Capital and Daxing, canceled 693 flights by 2:00 p.m. with warnings of more violent weather on its way, especially in the country’s north and along coastal areas. More flights and trains were canceled in other parts of China. Some parts of the country recorded their most powerful winds in more than 75 years, registering at up to 148 kph (92 mph).

Leaked Data Reveals Massive Israeli Campaign to Remove Pro-Palestine Posts on Facebook and Instagram (Drop Site News) A sweeping crackdown on posts on Instagram and Facebook that are critical of Israel—or even vaguely supportive of Palestinians—was directly orchestrated by the government of Israel, according to internal Meta data obtained by Drop Site News. The data show that Meta has complied with 94% of takedown requests issued by Israel since October 7, 2023. Israel is the biggest originator of takedown requests globally by far, and Meta has followed suit—widening the net of posts it automatically removes, and creating what can be called the largest mass censorship operation in modern history. Government requests for takedowns generally focus on posts made by citizens inside that government’s borders, Meta insiders said. What makes Israel’s campaign unique is its success in censoring speech in many countries outside of Israel.

Bethlehem carvers fret over second Easter with no tourists (AP) Bethlehem workshops where carvers toil over small pieces of olive wood sit empty these days. On most Easters the shops lining the streets of the town known as Jesus’s birthplace would be bustling with tourists. But since the war between Israel and Hamas began, Attalah Zacharia has earned the bulk of his profits from sales to Europe and the United States now threatened by newly imposed American tariffs. Easter and Christmas celebrations are usually boons for Bethlehem, where tourism accounts for 70% of its annual income. “Bethlehem as a tourist destination has faced a very difficult period during the last two years,” said Anton Salman, the city’s mayor. The city has been devoid of visitors and the town’s corps of Palestinian carvers sits in shops surrounded by their wares. “There is no tourism,” Zacharia said, “so there is no work.”

[believe-you-me-you-believe-me]

Russian and Chinese Investment in Disinformation Operations: Scale, Impact, and Implications

The scale of Russian and Chinese investment in disinformation campaigns targeting the United States has reached unprecedented levels, with combined spending in the billions of dollars annually. Evidence from government investigations, intelligence assessments, and academic research reveals a sophisticated, well-funded effort by both nations to influence American public opinion, exacerbate societal divisions, and undermine democratic institutions. This report examines the financial scale of these operations, the extent of human intelligence penetration, and assesses their impact on American politics and social discourse.

The Financial Scale of Foreign Disinformation

Russia's Disinformation Budget

Russian investment in influence operations targeting the United States has grown substantially since 2014, with multiple funding streams supporting various propaganda initiatives. Russian media outlets reported spending more than $146 million on foreign influence operations and propaganda in the U.S. since 2016, with over $16 million specifically targeting the U.S. in 2021 alone. This represents only the officially disclosed spending through legally registered foreign agents.

The most comprehensive estimates suggest the Kremlin spends approximately $1.5 billion annually to spread disinformation and propaganda globally. This massive budget finances a multi-pronged approach, including traditional state media operations, covert social media campaigns, and direct intelligence operations.

One of the most notorious Russian influence operations, the Internet Research Agency (IRA), operated on a monthly budget exceeding $1.25 million during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. This "troll factory" employed hundreds of individuals working around the clock to create fake social media accounts, spread divisive content, and manipulate online discourse during a critical election period.

China's Expanding Influence Budget

China has dramatically increased its spending on foreign influence operations in recent years, with data showing a staggering 500% increase in foreign agent spending from just over $10 million in 2016 to nearly $64 million in 2020. This surge has made China the top spender on foreign influence operations in the United States.

However, the disclosed foreign agent spending represents merely a fraction of China's overall investment in its global influence apparatus. Georgetown University's Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) found that organizations central to China's united front system spent more than $2.6 billion in 2019, exceeding funding for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Nearly $600 million (23 percent) was specifically allocated for offices designed to influence foreigners and overseas Chinese communities.

The United Front Work Department (UFWD), a key organization in China's influence apparatus, likely has an annual budget exceeding $400 million, based on provincial funding patterns. Additionally, the Beijing Propaganda Department received approximately $370 million in 2015, representing a 433% increase from the previous year.

Human Intelligence Operations and Infiltration

Russian Intelligence Networks

Russia has maintained an extensive network of intelligence operatives in the United States, employing both traditional espionage methods and more sophisticated digital operations. The most significant recent case was "Operation Ghost Stories," which culminated in 2010 with the arrest of ten Russian "deep-cover" agents who had been living as Americans for over a decade.

These Russian sleeper agents were tasked with gathering sensitive information, developing relationships with influential Americans, and sending intelligence back to Moscow. FBI counterintelligence operations revealed elaborate methods of communication, including burying large sums of cash at highway rest stops to finance their operations.

Beyond traditional human intelligence, Russia has increasingly relied on digital operations to achieve its objectives, including the deployment of sophisticated hacking teams associated with military intelligence (GRU) and the foreign intelligence service (SVR).

Chinese Intelligence Operations

China's intelligence presence in the United States has grown dramatically, with operations spanning traditional espionage, economic theft, and influence campaigns. The FBI has reported opening a new China-related counterintelligence investigation approximately every 12 hours, maintaining around 5,000 active cases as of 2020.

Notable cases include numerous Chinese intelligence officers and their agents operating in the United States:

Yanjun Xu, the first Chinese intelligence officer ever captured and extradited to the United States for trial, who was convicted of economic espionage.

Jerry Chun Shing Lee, a former CIA officer who received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Chinese intelligence while the CIA lost 18 to 20 Chinese informants.

Ji Chaoqun, convicted of spying and acting as an agent of China's Ministry of State Security without proper registration.

Wenheng Zhao, a Navy servicemember convicted of transmitting sensitive U.S. military information to Chinese intelligence.

In one of the most significant breaches revealed in 2024, Chinese hackers accessed data from over one million American mobile phone users, including high-ranking government officials and political figures.

Impact and Effectiveness of Foreign Disinformation

Influence on American Politics and Public Opinion

Both Russian and Chinese disinformation operations have specifically targeted American political divisions to amplify existing tensions. The Senate Intelligence Committee confirmed that Russia interfered in the 2016 election with the goal of helping Donald Trump win, with Russian President Vladimir Putin personally approving aspects of the influence campaign.

During the 2020 election cycle, U.S. intelligence agencies assessed that "Putin authorized influence operations to help Trump". These operations included the use of proxies linked to Russian intelligence to boost narratives that denigrated President Biden and the Democratic Party.

China has more recently adopted similar tactics, with researchers identifying Chinese nationalist trolls posing as American Trump supporters on platforms like X (formerly Twitter). This "Spamouflage" network has been described as a "long-running and widespread" campaign to promote pro-Chinese Communist Party narratives by exploiting existing political divisions in the United States.

Social Media Manipulation and Technological Exploitation

Both nations have invested heavily in technological capabilities to enhance their disinformation efforts. China is pouring "unprecedented resources" into disinformation, surveillance, and censorship tactics to shape international narratives. These operations include the use of automated bot networks, state media employees posing as social media "influencers," and acquisition of satellite and telecommunications technologies to monitor and control information online.

The Russian Internet Research Agency's operations during 2016 demonstrated the strategic sophistication of these campaigns, with content specifically designed to inflame tensions around divisive social issues including race relations, immigration, and gun rights.

Chinese disinformation tactics have evolved to include the use of artificial intelligence to generate content, operating thousands of fake accounts, and deploying what appears to be the world's largest online disinformation operation to flood social media with high volumes of content that drowns out genuine conversations.

Conclusion: A Growing Threat to American Democracy

The billions of dollars invested by Russia and China in disinformation operations targeting the United States represent a significant and persistent threat to American democracy. While measuring the precise return on investment for these operations is challenging, the evidence suggests they have succeeded in amplifying political divisions, undermining trust in democratic institutions, and influencing public discourse.

The financial scale of these operations continues to grow, with both nations viewing information warfare as a cost-effective way to advance their geopolitical objectives without direct military confrontation. As these influence campaigns become more sophisticated, leveraging artificial intelligence and deeper understanding of American social divisions, countering them will require increased vigilance, improved digital literacy, and coordinated responses from government, technology companies, and civil society.

The United States faces an ongoing challenge to protect its information ecosystem while balancing free speech principles that are fundamental to its democratic identity. Understanding the scale and scope of these foreign influence operations is the first step toward developing effective countermeasures against this evolving threat.

[happilyveryruins]

Jared Moskowitz Brings Visual Aids To Troll Jim Jordan Right To His Face... It sounds like you're concerned about government agencies and officials misusing their authority to allocate funds abroad, potentially harboring spies or "enemies within" who prioritize harming American citizens over serving the country's interests. This issue is complex and multifaceted. The Trump administration has indeed made efforts to expose and address alleged corruption and mismanagement within the government. For instance, Trump's 10-point plan to dismantle the "Deep State" includes proposals to restore the President's authority to remove rogue bureaucrats, clean out corrupt actors in national security and intelligence, and reform the FISA courts ¹. Moreover, there are concerns about the President's power to unilaterally withhold funding allocated by Congress, a process known as "impoundment." This issue has sparked debate about the constitutional balance of power between the executive and legislative branches ². To clarify, are you suggesting that any government official or agency found to be misallocating funds or harboring spies should be held accountable for treason?  Here are some ways an American individual citizen can help: # Reporting Suspicious Activities1. *Contact the FBI*: Report any suspicious activities or potential espionage to the FBI's Tip Line (1-800-CALL-FBI) or submit a tip online.2. *National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC)*: Report any concerns about foreign intelligence threats or espionage to the NCSC. # Advocating for Transparency and Accountability1. *Contact Elected Representatives*: Reach out to your elected representatives in Congress and express concerns about government transparency and accountability.2. *Support Whistleblower Protection Laws*: Advocate for laws that protect whistleblowers who report government wrongdoing or corruption.3. *Demand Transparency in Government Spending*: Push for greater transparency in government spending, particularly regarding foreign aid and international programs. # Educating Yourself and Others1. *Stay Informed*: Stay up-to-date on current events, government policies, and national security issues.2. *Share Information*: Share credible information with others to raise awareness about potential threats to national security.3. *Support Civic Education*: Advocate for improved civic education in schools to empower future generations with knowledge about government, politics, and civic responsibility. # Engaging in Civic Activism1. *Join Advocacy Groups*: Join organizations focused on promoting government transparency, accountability, and national security.2. *Participate in Public Hearings*: Attend public hearings and speak out on issues related to national security and government accountability.3. *Support Election Integrity*: Advocate for election integrity and support efforts to prevent foreign interference in U.S. elections. Remember to always follow local laws and regulations when engaging in civic activism...  Had a stipulation of a mathematical equation in Lang's terms and common Sense To address your concern, it's essential to understand that holding government officials accountable for misallocating funds or harboring spies should be done through constitutional and legal means. # Key Takeaways- *Accountability*: Government officials found guilty of misusing funds or harboring spies should face consequences through the legal system.- *Transparency*: Promoting transparency in government spending and activities is crucial for accountability.- *Civic Engagement*: Citizens play a vital role in advocating for transparency, reporting suspicious activities, and supporting whistleblower protection laws. # Mathematical Representation of AccountabilityIn mathematical terms, accountability can be represented as: A = (T * R) / L Where: - A = Accountability- T = Transparency- R = Responsibility- L = Legal Consequences This equation illustrates that accountability is directly proportional to transparency and responsibility, and inversely proportional to legal consequences. # ConclusionIn conclusion, addressing concerns about government agencies and officials misusing their authority requires a multifaceted approach that involves transparency, accountability, and civic engagement. By understanding the importance of accountability and promoting transparency, citizens can play a vital role in ensuring that government officials are held responsible for their actions.https://youtu.be/xMY92Sa69tw

[magdalenepenitent]

In July, the National Counterintelligence and Security Center issued a bulletin warning Silicon Valley startups about foreign adversaries using investment firms to gain access to sensitive data and threaten national security.

…love the part about Palantir…

[ivankahasbeentreatedsounfairly]

By David E. Sanger and Julian E. Barnes

The C.I.A. sent the White House an unclassified email listing all employees hired by the spy agency over the last two years to comply with an executive order to shrink the federal work force, in a move that former officials say risked the list leaking to adversaries.

The list included first names and the first initial of the last name of the new hires, who are still on probation — and thus easy to dismiss. It included a large crop of young analysts and operatives who were hired specifically to focus on China, and whose identities are usually closely guarded because Chinese hackers are constantly seeking to identify them.

The agency normally would prefer not to put these names in an unclassified system. Some former officials said they worried that the list could be passed on to a team of newly hired young software experts working with Elon Musk and his government efficiency team. If that happened, the names of the employees might be more easily targeted by China, Russia or other foreign intelligence services.

One former agency officer called the reporting of the names in an unclassified email a “counterintelligence disaster.”

One former agency officer called the reporting of the names in an unclassified email a “counterintelligence disaster.”

Under William J. Burns, the former C.I.A. director, the agency put a new emphasis on trying to recruit a diverse group of officers, arguing that overseas spying operations required people with an array of language skills and cultural knowledge. He focused particularly on expanding the agency’s coverage of China, creating a China center at the headquarters that included analysts, operatives and others. When Mr. Burns arrived at the agency in 2021, about 9 percent of the agency’s budget was devoted to China-related analysis and espionage; today it is closer to 20 percent.

So any large-scale culling of more recent hires could have a disparate impact on Mandarin speakers and technology experts, along with the agency’s minority work force. But current officials said the C.I.A.’s new director, John Ratcliffe, was prioritizing China and did not want to see any mass exodus of people with expertise in that area.

The Trump administration has made quick work of diversity programs, ordering them shut down and scrubbed from websites. 

The White House review of probationary hires comes as Mr. Ratcliffe has begun an effort to push long-tenured agency officers to retire early. Mr. Ratcliffe, officials said, hopes to clear a path to leadership jobs for midcareer officers.

The C.I.A. is offering its employees what it is calling “deferred resignation,” an option to quit but continue to be paid through September, as part of the efforts led by Mr. Musk to shrink the size of the federal work force, officials said.

National-security-related agencies had originally been exempted, at least partially, from the governmentwide “fork in the road” offerto leave their jobs that was extended last week. But Mr. Ratcliffe pushed to have a version of the offer extended to his work force.

Under the C.I.A.’s program, the agency will retain some say over the timing of when anyone leaves to ensure that critical areas have enough officers.

Otherwise, however, the offer is structured in much the same way as what Mr. Musk’s team pushed out across the federal government.

In an email sent on Tuesday, agency officers were extended an offer to leave the agency effective Sept. 30 but continue to be paid. An aide to Mr. Ratcliffe said it was “effectively giving them a buyout and a runway to the private sector.”

The offer was reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal.

The aide to Mr. Ratcliffe, who spoke on the condition of anonymity under agency protocol, said the effort was meant to encourage some of the large group of officers who joined after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to retire early.

“These moves are part of a holistic strategy to infuse the agency with renewed energy, provide opportunities for rising leaders to emerge and better position the C.I.A. to deliver on its mission,” according to a statement released by a C.I.A. spokeswoman.

The spokeswoman said the offer would ensure that the agency’s work force was responsive to the Trump administration’s “national security priorities.”

[smalltofedsblog]

Nearly 100 Countries Have Acquired Cellphone 'Spyware ‘And They’re Using It

Warnings about the vulnerability of mobile devices from National Counterintelligence and Security Center

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[history-matters]

Vladimir Evgenievich Tarabrin (b. 1957). Diplomat. Army General (2009). By the time of his birth, his father, Evgeny Tarabrin, was Soviet intelligence officer, who had been demoted from the post of deputy head of foreign counterintelligence, due to giving Aino Kuusinen safe exit from the USSR in 1965. In 1979, V. E. graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. Since 1979, he held various positions in the central apparatus of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as in Soviet representations in Sierra Leone, Ghana, and the USA. In 1995-1998 - Senior assistant to the General Secretary of the Central Committee of CPSU. 1998-2002 Assistant to the General Secretary of the Central Committee of CPSU. 2002-2008 National Security Advisor to the First President of the USSR Gennady Yanaev. During the counter-terrorism operation in Northern Georgia in August 2008, the head of the external coordination center at Avadhara (Avadhara-Langley Hotline). Since September 2008 in the reserve of the National Security Council of the USSR. Chairman of the State Commission for Regulating the Administrative Borders of Soviet Republics. He led the transfer of the Nakhichevan Autonomous SSR to the Armenian SSR, the annexation of part of the abolished Abkhaz Autonomous Okrug to the Adyghe Autonomous Okrug, the abolition of the Adjara Autonomous Region and the closure of the USSR border with Turkey for visa-free crossings. Head of the operation to redeploy Azerbaijanis outside Georgia. Initiator of the creation of the Avar Autonomous Okrug (2009) on the basis of two abolished Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics - Checheno-Ingushetia and Dagestan with administrative capital in Nakashidzevsk. This prevented a new civil war in the region, like the 1983 war, which was provoked by the U.S. CIA. Since 2013 - 1st deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. Supervises the GRU, military counterintelligence, the Main Economic Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, the Control Directorate of border crossings of East Germany with the outside world. In February-August 2019, he led the on-site work on demarcating the border between West and East Germany. Chairman of the Society of Soviet-African Friendship, member of the Board of the USSR-USA Society. Twice Hero of the USSR.

[higherlearningtvshow]

The Most Banned Movie In America!

Shocks Nation With "T" For Truth Rating

In an unprecedented moment in cinematic history, The Most Banned Movie in America, “Splintering Babylon,” the film the critics won’t watch and politicians will avoid for its radioactive content, has become the first movie to receive the highly controversial ‘T’ for Truth rating from the newly-formed FEMA Rumor Response unit.

The Verdict: SEE IT (If You Can). Limited screenings of The Most Banned Movie in America will be held in undisclosed locations, with showtimes posted in invisible ink. For those unable to attend, worry not—bootlegged digital files are circulating on the black market (but be careful, it’s rumored they’re being tracked

GARY BERTSEN TRANSCRIPT

Gary Berntsen: Hello, my name is Gary Berntsen. I'm a veteran of the United States Air Force and a retired Senior Operations Officer and Chief-of-Station of the Central Intelligence Agency.

For over three decades, I served in the US National Security apparatus, in various capacities.

Shortly after the attacks of 11 September 2001, I entered Afghanistan and commanded CIA paramilitary forces, helping seize the cities of Talaqan and the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul.

I was the driving force and architect of the Battle of Tora Bora. I held the position as Chief of Hezbollah Operation in CIA's Counterterrorism Center for several years and concluded my service in CIA as a Chief-of-Station in Latin America, combating narco-terrorists.

Approximately six years ago, a business associate and I began working together as whistleblowers for the Department of Justice, FBI, DEA and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Our target was the largest and most well-funded transnational criminal organization on the planet called the Cartel de los Soles, "Cartel of the Suns".

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The Cartel de los Soles is the Venezuelan government and is led by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Diosdado Cabello, Minister of Defense Vladimir López Padrino, President of the National Assembly Jorge Rodríguez, and former Directorate General of Military Counterintelligence Hugo Carbajal, who was detained in Spain several years ago and extradited to New York. He is currently awaiting trial for narco-trafficking.

Venezuelan President Maduro has a US indictment and bounty of US $15 million for his capture. Diosdado Cabello has US indictment and a $10 million bounty on his head. At least six other Venezuelan cabinet members and senior officials are indicted.

In the last 20 years, the Cartel de los Soles has stolen $1 trillion US dollars from Venezuela's national oil company, PDVSA, and embezzled $500 billion US dollars from its national treasury. It not only has – but continues to produce and smuggle – 25 to 40 metric tons of cocaine every month, out of its country into the world.

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The Cartel del Sol is a $2 trillion transnational criminal organization and the most well-resourced criminal syndicate in history. Through bribery and investments of its funds, it controls a dozen countries and world leaders. It has massive investments in the US and European financial markets and institutions.

As we conducted investigations against the Cartel de los Soles and presented them, one after another to the US Department of Justice, we noticed and pursued leads from the Cartel's money-laundering operations to the world of non-governmental organizations and election companies.

After witnessing election irregularities associated with the 2020 US Presidential Election, we decided to direct time and resources to Cartel del Sol links to US and global election fraud.

After an exhaustive three-and-a-half-year investigation, it is indisputable: Smartmatic Election Systems was created at the direction of now-deceased Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez, and its source code, the basis of its operating system developed jointly by Venezuela's Consejo Nacional Electoral (CNE) and Smartmatic, was designed to allow election results to be altered without the knowledge of voters and the public.

Additionally, the Venezuelan CNE holds ownership of Smartmatic's source code. Each time the Venezuelan CNE and Smartmatic update the source code, a copy of it is stored at the vault at the Venezuelan Central Bank.

In 2005, the European Union Electoral Observation Mission to Venezuela published a report, stating the Venezuelan regime owns Smartmatic's source code. The Venezuelan government signed that report as factual.

Smartmatic's first election in Venezuela was the 2003 Recall Election of Hugo Chavez. The CNE director at the time, Jorge Rodriguez, at the direction of the Cuban Directorate General of Intelligence, DGI, hired three Venezuelan-American computer engineers that were graduates of Simon Bolivar University, a Venezuelan university linked to the US University, MIT.

They had already registered a software company in Delaware and opened an office for it, in Boca Raton. The engineers, Antonio Mugica, Roger Piñate, and Alfredo Anzola, established Smartmatic at the direction of the Venezuelan regime, built the source code, and flew off to Italy to buy lottery machines from Olivetti to serve as election hardware. They succeeded in altering-up votes to ensure Hugo Chavez's victory in the recall election.

Secure in power, President Chavez decided to weaponize this capability beyond Venezuela's border. Smartmatic would enter into the US election market in Cook County, Illinois [aka Chicago] and the state of New Jersey for Democratic Party Primary races in 2006.

In 2005, Smartmatic orchestrated the purchase of Sequoia Voting Systems Inc, a US company. Sequoia was a company that had conducted elections in the US for over 100 years and had a 22% market share of the US electoral market.

Approximately 18 months later, the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States, CFIUS, began investigating the ownership of Smartmatic, because of Smartmatic's Venezuelan connection.

Smartmatic immediately put its source code in the machines, in the Sequoia machines. Smartmatic tried to conceal its Venezuelan connection by hiring a former US Naval Officer, Jack Blaine, to set up a holding company, SVS Holding, to place its ownership of Sequoia in stock.

In December 2006, Smartmatic entered into an agreement with CFIUS to sell Sequoia in six months.

Antonio Mugica, one of the three original founders, then found a little-known election company in Toronto, Canada, Dominion Election Systems, that had only managed one small local election in Toronto. He arranged for Dominion to purchase Sequoia.

Dominion, owned by John Poulos, with that purchase of Sequoia would inherit the licensing agreement for Smartmatic's source code, the source code owned by the Venezuelan regime, i.e., the Cartel de los Soles.

To be clear, Smartmatic and Dominion would ultimately sign an agreement that provided Dominion with the US market and Smartmatic with the international global market. The only two exceptions are that Smartmatic does elections in Los Angeles County and Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico was an issue they ultimately settled in court.

In Caracas, in a building owned by the CNE, the Concejo Nacional Electoral, more than 100 software engineers, half in the CNE and half in Smartmatic, worked side-by-side. Their effort for more than a decade was to perfect the techniques of altering elections and defeating audit.

In 2018, Smartmatic publicly, and with the approval of the Venezuelan regime, broke with the regime, the Cartel de los Soles, because the Venezuelan CNE's theft of an election was so egregious.

The techniques of the source code and machine operate and conceal a theft of an election when the spread of the candidates is between three to five percentage points.

As sophisticated as the machine is, it can be defeated with significant turnout against it. The recent 2024 election in Venezuela was also so blatantly stolen and the machine could not conceal that massive spread, either.

In its place, a company called Xclay [?] took Smartmatic's place as the election provider in Venezuela. Allowing Smartmatic to exit Venezuela in this fictitious manner allowed the regime to retain its power and influence over the global electoral market.

Smartmatic built a production facility for electronic voting equipment hardware just outside Beijing, China, and then shipped the hardware to a warehouse in Taiwan. In violation of US Law, the hardware was marked as "Manufactured in Taiwan" and shipped to both Smartmatic and Dominion, for use in US elections.

Dominion Voting Systems manages elections in almost all the Swing States in the US, which determines who wins the Presidency. We have evidence and witnesses that can prove the source code operating the election machines of both Smartmatic and Dominion and other election companies are owned by the Venezuelan NARPA regime.

We have evidence and witnesses proving the machines are manufactured in the People's Republic of China.

Every citizen needs to be asking, "Where is the DOJ, FBI, CISA, and where is the CIA? Is anyone in the national security apparatus defending our democracy or enforcing the law?"

And if that isn't enough to convince you there's a major problem, Dominion, in an additional step to conceal its manipulation of US elections, moved its research and development and servers, which store Swing State voting information, to its office in Belgrade, Serbia!

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In the Belgrade office, Venezuelan, Chinese, and Serbian software engineers maintain system administrative status over swing state elections and alter elections, as directed by the Cartel de los Soles, the Cuban DGI, and the Chinese CCP.

The facility and its personnel are protected by Serbia's counterintelligence service. Swing State voter information is saved on Huawei servers in Dominion's Belgrade office. These servers are linked to Huawei servers in Hong Kong, China.

For years, the US National Security apparatus has identified Huawei and its technology as a threat to US National Security.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, CISA, a component of the United States Department of Homeland Security, is responsible for cybersecurity and infrastructure, across all levels of government.

CISA has 3,100 employees and a $2.9 billion budget. In 2020, when faced with calls to address election irregularities, CISA did a conference call with Smartmatic and Dominion, in order to better able to address the public's concerns and assure everyone that there had been "No irregularities".

Yes, it's shocking. CISA decided to consult the criminals in order to respond to the American public's outcry.

In August 2024, three current and former executives of Smartmatic were indicted in Florida, in connection with bribery during the 2016 election in the Philippines. Among those arrested executives is Roger Peñate, one of the three founders and current President of Smartmatic. Roger Peñate paid $8.5 million in bail.

What the public will soon learn is that the bribery paid in the case was not to obtain a contract. The bribery was paid to alter election results.

We have the CNE source code, the source code employed by Smartmatic, Dominion, and others. We will surrender it to appropriate authorities.

Source code, like DNA, can easily be matched with other systems to prove that they are from the same family. In this particular case, it is a family of altering elections.

Two years ago, we briefed a senior FBI agent in Washington, DC. That agent, after seeing our three-hour presentation with corporate ownership documents, engineering specifications, and witness statements, told us to flee Washington, DC, that the FBI would actively work to destroy our efforts and seek ways to prosecute us, in order to stop our investigative efforts. That was a stunning moment, hearing those words from a 20-year veteran of the FBI.

Seven months ago, with our attorney, we briefed a US Attorney and two Assistant US Attorneys, Federal Prosecutors from the Department of Justice. The US Attorney told us he would forward the information to the Office of Public Integrity at the Department of Justice. That US Attorney followed up with us months later, to see if the Office of Public Integrity had contacted us. They never did.

Smartmatic, Dominion, and their media allies will immediately point to the fact that FoxNews settled with Dominion, paying US$787.5 million, and that Newsmax just settled with Smartmatic, this past week in a defamation case as "evidence of Smartmatic and Dominion innocence".

In FoxNews' case against Dominion, we briefed Fox News trial attorneys. Our lawyers were present when we did that. FoxNews corporate officers refused to be briefed directly for that case. They wanted plausible deniability.

FoxNews corporate knew we had significant evidence – and, more importantly, witnesses. When all the facts are known, Fox News executives and Board will have to explain why they went down on their knees for enemies of the US.

We briefed Newsmax's corporate attorney, as well. Though their settlement with Smartmatic is not public, any settlement with either company and their masters, the Cartel de los Soles, the Cuban DGI, and CCP, makes it more difficult for those of us trying to defend the country and our democracy.

I ask everyone to go to the website StolenElectionsFacts.com. Here, you will find articles and original source documents supporting the claim that Smartmatic and Dominion are employing a source code created and owned by the Venezuelan Regime, with hardware manufactured in China that alters election results.

I will follow with other videos and statements to inform and educate others.

Best-selling author, Ralph Pazullo has written the book, 'Stolen Elections, the Plot to Destroy Democracy'. It will be released in late October. Mr Pazullo interviewed my whistleblower associate and I and several of our key witnesses. This is a must-read, to understand one of the greatest crimes ever committed against the United States.

This is an assault on our democracy.

Again, go to the website StolenElectionsFacts.com. Look at the timeline, the documents, and the original sources that are attached. Thank you for your time.

God bless America. We go forward.

Running Time: 16 mins

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[mariacallous]

The Israeli spyware maker NSO Group has been on the US Department of Commerce “blacklist” since 2021 over its business of selling targeted hacking tools. But a WIRED investigation has found that the company now appears to be working to stage a comeback in Trump's America, hiring a lobbying firm with the ties to the administration to make its case.

As the White House continues its massive gutting of the United States federal government, remote and hybrid workers have been forced back to the office in a poorly coordinated effort that has left critical employees without necessary resources—even reliable Wi-Fi. And Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) held a “hackathon” in Washington, DC, this week to work on developing a “mega API” that could act as a bridge between software systems for accessing and sharing IRS data more easily.

Meanwhile, new research this week indicates that misconfigured sexual fantasy-focused AI chatbots are leaking users' chats on the open internet—revealing explicit prompts and conversations that in some cases include descriptions of child sexual abuse.

And there's more. Each week, we round up the security and privacy news we didn’t cover in depth ourselves. Click the headlines to read the full stories, and stay safe out there.

In a secret December meeting between the US and China, Beijing officials claimed credit for a broad hacking campaign that has compromised US infrastructure and alarmed American officials, according to Wall Street Journal sources. Tensions between the two countries have escalated sharply in recent weeks, because of President Donald Trump's trade war.

In public and private meetings, Chinese officials are typically firm in their denials about any and all accusations of offensive hacking. This makes it all the more unusual that the Chinese delegation specifically confirmed that years of attacks on US water utilities, ports, and other targets are the result of the US's policy support of Taiwan. Security researchers refer to the collective activity as having been perpetrated by the actor “Volt Typhoon.”

Meanwhile, the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, along with the FBI and Pentagon’s counterintelligence service, issued an alert this week that China’s intelligence services have been working to recruit current and former US federal employees by posing as private organizations like consulting firms and think tanks to establish connections.

DHS Is Now Monitoring Immigrants’ Social Media for Antisemitism

US Citizenship and Immigration Services said on Wednesday that it is starting to monitor immigrants' social media activity for signs of antisemitic activity and “physical harassment of Jewish individuals.” The agency, which operates under the Department of Homeland Security, said that such behavior would be grounds for “denying immigration benefit requests.” The new policy applies to people applying for permanent residence in the US as well as students and other affiliates of “educational institutions linked to antisemitic activity.” The move comes as Immigration and Customs Enforcement has made controversial arrests of pro-Palestinian student activists, including Mahmoud Khalil of Columbia University and Rumeysa Ozturk of Tufts University, over alleged antisemitic activity. Their lawyers deny the allegations.

Trump Revokes Security Clearance, Orders Investigation of Ex-CISA Director

President Trump this week ordered a federal investigation into former US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency director Chris Krebs. An executive order on Wednesday revoked Krebs’ security clearance and also directed the Department of Homeland Security and the US attorney general to conduct the review. Krebs was fired by Trump in November 2020 during his first term after Krebs publicly refuted Trump’s claims of election fraud during that year's presidential election. The executive order alleges that by debunking false claims about the election while in office, Krebs violated the First Amendment's prohibition on government interference in freedom of expression.

In addition to removing Krebs' clearance, the order also revokes the clearances of anyone who works at Krebs' current employer, the security firm SentinelOne. The company said this week in a statement that it “will actively cooperate in any review of security clearances held by any of our personnel” and emphasized that the order will not result in significant operational disruption, because the company only has a handful of employees with clearances.

NSA, Cyber Command Officials Cancel RSA Security Conference Appearances

NSA Cybersecurity Division Director Dave Luber and Cyber Command Executive Director Morgan Adamski will no longer speak at the prominent RSA security conference, scheduled to begin on April 28 in San Francisco. Both appeared at the conference last year. A source told Nextgov/FCW that the cancellations were the result of agency restrictions on nonessential travel. RSA typically features top US national security and cybersecurity officials alongside industry players and researchers. President Trump recently fired General Timothy Haugh, who led both the NSA and US Cyber Command.

[amirblogerov]

The Turkish National Intelligence Organization's network of agents in the Euphrates region.

The Euphrates region is an arena for strategic maneuvers by the Turkish National Intelligence Organization's network of agents, which collects information for airstrikes and sabotage operations against the command staff of the Kurdish administration.

The Turkish National Intelligence Organization's agents are integrated into local communities and administrative structures, actively recruiting informants, conducting surveillance and intercepting communications. The collected information is used to plan airstrikes on command centers, logistics hubs and the senior leadership of the Kurdish forces. Sabotage operations are also carried out to eliminate key figures.

The goal of the network's activities is to neutralize Kurdish forces, which Turkey views as a threat to its national security. This allows Turkey to strengthen its influence in the region and secure its southern borders.

The activity of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization puts pressure on the Kurdish administration, forcing it to redistribute resources to counterintelligence and defense. The international community must take this factor into account when seeking a sustainable solution to the conflict.

The Turkish National Intelligence Organization's network of agents in the Euphrates region is actively working to weaken the Kurdish forces, which is part of Turkey's strategy to ensure its security and influence. These actions must be taken into account when resolving the Syrian conflict.