Larry Diamond, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, recently painted a chilling picture of China’s surveillance state, detailing an evolving “social credit system” that rewards those loyal to the state and could punish those who aren’t. In an interview on The John Batchelor Show Feb. 7, Diamond detailed how the Chinese state is taking advantage […]
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DHS: Unaccompanied Alien Children Number Unacceptable
Although the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) noted about an 800-person drop in unaccompanied alien children (UAC) apprehensions at the Southwest border between December and January, a DHS spokesman said Feb. 7 that number is still too high. “Once again, this month we saw an unacceptable number of UACs and family units flood our border […]
Grand Jury Indicts 36 on Cyberfraud Charges
The Department of Justice (DoJ) announced Feb. 7 that a federal grand jury in Nevada had indicted 36 cybercriminals from the United States and 17 other countries for conducting “a transnational racketeering enterprise via the Internet forum called ‘Infraud,’” “The Infraud Organization was created in October 2010 by Svyatoslav Bondarenko aka ‘Obnon,’ aka ‘Rector,’ aka […]
Vetting Center, MS-13 Top Trump’s Weekday Agenda
President Donald Trump signed a memorandum Feb. 6 to calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary, in conjunction with secretary of state, attorney general, and director of national intelligence to establish a National Vetting Center. “The United States must protect its people from terrorist attacks and other public safety threats,” the memo stated. “Vetting […]
Government Shutdown Threat Looms Over DOD Budget
In Congress, one member can keep any piece of legislation from being voted on or even force a federal government shutdown. In October 2013, for example, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) led the Tea Party faction of the Republican Party to force a partial government shutdown for more than two weeks over ending funding for the […]
McCain-Coons Immigration Bill Falls Short for Trump
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) announced Feb. 5 his intention, along with Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) to introduce new immigration legislation, and President Trump almost immediately rebuffed it. “Our legislation, which already has broad support in the House of Representatives, would address the most urgent priorities of protecting Dreamers, strengthening border security, alleviating the backlog in […]
Trump Request Eliminates Chemical Safety Board
Bloomberg Politics reported Feb. 1 that President Trump’s 2019 budget request will include a provision that eliminates the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB). Trump’s 2018 budget request also proposed its elimination, but appropriators disagreed and included it. CSB investigates chemical accidents across the nation. “The CSB conducts root cause investigations of chemical accidents at fixed […]
DHS Extends Syria’s Temporary Protected Status
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Jan. 31 the extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for about 7,000 Syrians. “Syrians with TPS status will be eligible to re-register for an extension of their status for 18 months, through September 30, 2019,” the DHS release said. “Prior to the conclusion of the 18-month extension, the […]
WMD Financing Elusive on International Playing Field
Sigal Mandelker, undersecretary of terrorism and financial intelligence at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, testified before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on Jan. 17 to discuss efforts to combat terror financing. “The foundation of our economic authorities is a strong and robust anti-money laundering, combating the financing of terrorism [AMLCFT] […]
Turkey Taking Unilateral Action in Syria
After years of threats to use military force in Syria, Turkey has finally followed through. In Homeland Security recently reported on the Turkish invasion of Syria’s Afrin enclave in the northwest part of the country. While the fighting itself is important to follow, it’s also important to understand why Turkey is there and why Ankara […]