President Trump vetoed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 Wednesday, calling it a “gift” to U.S. adversaries China and Russia and making good on a promise to veto if it did not repeal a law that shields certain Big Tech companies from liabilities.

“My Administration recognizes the importance of the Act to our national security,” the president wrote to House members after vetoing the bill. “Unfortunately, the Act fails to include critical national security measures, includes provisions that fail to respect our veterans and our military’s history, and contradicts efforts by my Administration to put America first in our national security and foreign policy actions.”

TRUMP SAYS HE’LL VETO DEFENSE BILL UNLESS SECTION 230 IS TERMINATED

In his letter, he singled out Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act as a reason for the veto, arguing that failing to terminate it “will make our intelligence virtually impossible to conduct.”

In this Nov. 5 photo, President Trump speaks at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Section 230 grants Internet companies liability shielding not available to other forms of media. It says they cannot be considered publishers or speakers of information posted to their platforms by third-parties.

It protects platforms, including Facebook and Parler, from lawsuits if they allow controversial or critical speech to be shared by their users, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. It does not protect users from being accountable for their own posts.

Trump warned on Dec. 1 that he would veto the bill if it did not include a repeal of Section 230.

He also took issue with language in the NDAA that would require “the renaming of certain military installations.” Those provisions would phase out facilities named after Confederate military figures.

Additionally, he argued that the NDAA directly opposes one of his major foreign policy goals – bringing more U.S. troops home, calling it “unconstitutional” to supersede his authority as commander-in-chief.

TULSI GABBARD URGES TRUMP NOT TO ‘BACK DOWN’ AGAINST BIG TECH

“I oppose endless wars, as does the American public. Over bipartisan objections, however, this Act purports to restrict the President’s ability to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, Germany, and South Korea,” the president continued.

High-ranking Democrats blasted the veto.

“Donald Trump just vetoed a pay raise for our troops so he can defend dead Confederate traitors,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. tweeted. “Democrats will vote to override it.”

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WASHINGTON — Over recent days, officials from the newly minted U.S. Space Force and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence briefed multiple congressional committees on an “uptick” in Russian military activity in space targeting U.S. defense and intelligence satellites, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

While the sources declined to comment on the specifics of recent incidents, which follow general increases in Chinese and Russian aggression in space, these recent actions were deemed “serious enough” to merit briefings on Capitol Hill, said one of the sources. Officials also briefed committees on plans to counter the Russian aggression, the source said.

The aggressive acts come amid rising concerns about Russian and Chinese activities in space, particularly when it comes to anti-satellite weapons. Earlier this year the Pentagon stood up the Space Force, a new branch of the military authorized by President Trump, which is supposed to help protect U.S. space assets.

Much of the work related to protecting military systems in space in classified, but during a recent virtual conference, Army National Guard Maj. Gen. Tim Lawson hinted at “things coming” that would help combat space-based threats, while emphasizing the importance of creating a large, resilient network of small satellites that are less vulnerable than the large military and intelligence satellites currently operating.

Representatives for the House and Senate Intelligence Committees as well as the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment. “ODNI does not discuss intelligence matters or sensitive and classified communication with Congress,” wrote an ODNI spokesperson in an email. Spokespeople for the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, the Pentagon and the Space Force did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A Yuanwang-class Chinese space tracking ship. (Siyuwj via Wikicommons)

Russian meddling in space has long been a topic of concern for the U.S. government, within the Pentagon and the broader national security apparatus. Space has not been a safe “sanctuary” for several decades, noted Robin Dickey, an analyst at the nonprofit Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy. 

“The Russians have been doing this s–t for several years,” explained one former national security official who served during the Trump administration.

Russian military satellites and other spacecraft frequently perform what are called “proximity” operations, explained the former official, which involve getting close to U.S. satellites to search for vulnerabilities or determine capabilities, not unlike adversaries scanning digital networks for virtual flaws in cyberspace. “It’s a dangerous game,” continued the former official. “People need to wake up.”

The U.S. government’s fleet of spy and defense satellites is worth billions of dollars and helps blanket the globe in near constant coverage, helping U.S. officials spot worrisome developments like a new weapon test or locate a terrorist hideout. Satellites are vital for communication, navigation, weather, environmental monitoring, and defense and intelligence more broadly.

The Defense Intelligence Agency, tasked with collecting and analyzing intelligence for the Pentagon, recently published a lengthy report titled “Challenges to Security in Space.” According to the report, both China’s and Russia’s militaries “view space as important to modern warfare” and aim to conduct operations there “as a means to reduce U.S. and allied military effectiveness.”

The DIA authors also noted that both Russia and China are developing “jamming and cyberspace capabilities, directed energy weapons, on-orbit capabilities, and ground-based antisatellite missiles”—technology that could have direct negative or destructive impacts on U.S. satellites. Russia’s space weaponry may be able to disrupt or degrade U.S. communications and navigation through GPS, block the U.S.’s view of satellite imagery or even destroy certain satellites, according to the DIA.

A mockup of the Russian GLONASS-K satellite navigation system. (Kirill Kukhmar/TASS via Getty Images)

On July 23, the U.S. Space Command announced it had evidence that Russia had tested a new “space-based anti-satellite weapon” — technology the Russian Defense Ministry had said was designed to run tests on its own space equipment.

Gen. John Raymond, commander of the U.S. Space Command and the U.S. Space Force chief of space operations, had previously warned about similar activities. “This is further evidence of Russia’s continuing efforts to develop and test space-based systems, and consistent with the Kremlin’s published military doctrine to employ weapons that hold U.S. and allied space assets at risk,” he said in a statement at the time.

Christopher Ford, a senior State Department official, condemned that Russian test as an example of “Russia’s hypocritical advocacy of outer space arms control, with which Moscow aims to restrict the capabilities of the United States while clearly having no intention of halting its own counter space program — both ground-based anti-satellite capabilities and what would appear to be actual in-orbit anti-satellite weaponry.”

Later in July, however, officials from the Departments of State, Defense and Energy as well as the National Security Council met with Russian counterparts for a lengthy discussion about space policy and security, and “expressed interest in continuing these discussions and improving communications.”

Cover thumbnail image: ImageBank/Getty Images

Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/sources-russian-aggression-against-us-intelligence-satellites-sparks-congressional-briefing-214104043.html

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The statement by Trump and Putin comes amid deep strains in U.S.-Russian ties over a raft of issues, from arms control and Russia’s intervention in Ukraine and Syria to U.S. charges that Russia has spread disinformation about the novel coronavirus pandemic and interfered in U.S. election campaigns.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the decision to issue the statement sparked debate within the Trump administration, with some officials worried it could undercut stern U.S. messages to Moscow.

The joint statement marked the anniversary of the April 25, 1945 meeting on a bridge over the Elbe River in Germany of Soviet soldiers advancing from the east and American troops moving from the West.

“This event heralded the decisive defeat of the Nazi regime,” the statement said. “The ‘Spirit of the Elbe’ is an example of how our countries can put aside differences, build trust, and cooperate in pursuit of a greater cause.”

The Journal said the last joint statement marking the Elbe River bridge link-up was issued in 2010 when the Obama administration was seeking improved relations with Moscow.

Trump had hoped to travel to Moscow to mark the anniversary. He has been complimentary of Putin, promoted cooperation with Moscow, and said he believed the Russian leader’s denials of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Senior administration officials and lawmakers, in contrast, have been fiercely critical of Russia, with relations between the nuclear-armed nations at their lowest point since the end of the Cold War.

The Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday issued a bipartisan report concurring with a 2017 U.S. intelligence assessment that Russia pursued an influence campaign of misinformation and cyber hacking aimed at swinging the vote to Trump over his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.

U.S. intelligence officials have warned lawmakers that Moscow is meddling in the 2020 presidential election campaign, which Russia denies.

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It is unclear at this point when the special counsel’s investigation into Russian meddling and potential collusion with Trump campaign associates will be complete, though several officials have said the probe is nearing its end.

TRUMP ACCUSES SCHIFF OF ‘UNLIMITED PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT’ AMID NEW PROBE

But the Mueller report will not mark the end of Russia investigations. House Democrats have ramped up their own efforts to investigate the president on matters related to Russia, his personal finances, his relationships and communications with foreign officials, and more.

The House Financial Services Committee, led by Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., is the latest panel to join in on the investigations. Axios reported Wednesday that the committee will coordinate with the House Intelligence Committee on money-laundering inquiries — while the House Foreign Affairs Committee is also involved.

The details emerged after House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., already announced a sweeping new probe into the president’s foreign business dealings and Russian election meddling.

Committee Democrats alleged last year that Trump’s financial records with Deutsche Bank and Russia may reveal a “form of compromise” that “needs to be exposed.” Schiff has long maintained there had to be some reason that the German banking giant, which has what he called a “history of laundering Russian money,” was willing to work with the Trump Organization.

The same committee has also floated a potential subpoena for notes or testimony from the interpreter in meetings between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin—a move that would dramatically escalate Democrats’ investigations into the Trump administration. Should Schiff choose to subpoena the interpreter, it would likely trigger a major confrontation between the executive and legislative branches concerning discussions with foreign leaders.

Reports last month suggested that Trump took possession of the notes from the interpreter after his summit with Putin in Hamburg in 2017, and instructed the individual not to discuss what had taken place in the meetings with Putin with any other administration officials. But the president’s decision to ask the interpreter not to share details of his meetings with foreign leaders with other members of the administration could have been a response to prior leaks of private conversations with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and then-Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto in 2017.

TRUMP CALLS SCHIFF ‘POLITICAL HACK’ AS DEMS OPEN NEW RUSSIA PROBE, SEND TRANSCRIPTS TO MUELLER

Schiff posed the idea of subpoenaing the interpreter in 2018, but again, last month, suggested they could use subpoena power to obtain the notes and testimony.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee also has directed resources from their former subcommittee on terrorism and nonproliferation to one focused on investigations and oversight. Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., said that it “made sense” to have a panel like this when there are “so many questionable activities of this Administration vis-à-vis foreign policy.”

Engel also pointed to Trump’s summit with Putin in Helsinki, Finland in 2018.

“It’s been many months since Helsinki, and we still don’t know what Putin and Trump talked about,” Engel said, adding that a new panel could also look at the “business interests of the president” and how his financial dealings with certain countries in the Middle East and Russia have “affected what he’s done in foreign policy.”

WHITE HOUSE ANNOUNCES ADDITIONS TO PRESS SHOP IN ANTICIPATION OF SUBPOENAS AND HEARING INVITES FROM HOUSE DEMS

Meanwhile, sources told Fox News that the House Judiciary Committee has staffed up with former Obama chief ethics counsel Norm Eisen helping Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., conduct the panel’s oversight of Mueller’s Russia investigation and the Justice Department. The Judiciary Committee also would lead the charge on any potential impeachment proceedings.

And the House Oversight Committee, while not leading a full investigation, had invited former Trump attorney Michael Cohen to testify before the panel. He accepted, but then postponed the public hearing citing alleged threats made by Trump and his legal team. Cohen was also invited by Schiff to testify before the House Intelligence Committee, but his hearing has yet to be scheduled.

On the other side of the Capitol, the Senate Intelligence Committee has subpoenaed Cohen for a deposition before their panel. That same committee, chaired by Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Ranking Member Mark Warner, D-Va., has been probing whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential election. But this week, NBC News reported that the committee has found “no evidence” of collusion.

While the timeline of Mueller’s investigation remains to be seen, Trump’s former attorney John Dowd ripped the entire probe as a “terrible waste of time” on Wednesday in an interview with ABC News.

BETWEEN ACTING AG WHITAKER AND HOUSE DEMS, TRUMP-MUELLER HEARING TURNS TESTY

“I will be shocked, if anything regarding the president is made public, other than, ‘we’re done,’” Dowd said.

“I know exactly what he has. I know exactly what every witness said, what every document said. I know exactly what he asked. And I know what the conclusion [is],” Dowd said, again blasting the probe as “one of the greatest frauds this country’s ever seen.”

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“I’m just shocked that Bob Mueller didn’t call it that way and say, ‘I’m being used.’ I would have done that,” Dowd added.

Fox News’ Gregg Re and Liam Quinn contributed to this report.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-democrats-plan-sweeping-trump-probes-after-mueller-report

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The company also said that, unrelated to the Iran activity, it had removed pages, groups, and accounts “linked to sources the US government has previously identified as Russian military intelligence services.”

The Iran-related activity, according to Facebook’s announcement, involved three sets of pages, accounts, and groups dating back as far as 2011.

The company said cybersecurity firm FireEye tipped the social network off in July about a network of Facebook pages and accounts on other services that primarily posted political content focused on the Middle East, as well as the U.K., U.S., and Latin America, starting in 2013 that Facebook was able to link to Iranian state media. Facebook then discovered a set of pages, started in 2016, pretending to be news organizations that tried to hack people’s accounts and spread malware, which in turn led to a third set of pages and accounts starting from 2011 that shared content about Middle East politics in Arabic and Farsi as well as content about politics in the U.K. and U.S. in English.

Nearly 1 million Facebook accounts had engaged with one of the Iran-linked pages or groups, and nearly 60,000 with associated Instagram accounts.

The activity of the Russia-linked groups and pages focused on politics in Syria and Ukraine, according to the announcement. While unrelated to the Iran-related activity, the two campaigns “used similar tactics by creating networks of accounts to mislead others about who they were and what they were doing,” the announcement states.

“We ban this kind of behavior because we want people to be able to trust the connections they make on Facebook. And while we’re making progress rooting out this abuse, as we’ve said before, it’s an ongoing challenge because the people responsible are determined and well funded,” the announcement reads. The company said it is working with U.S. law enforcement on the ongoing investigation, shared information with U.K. law enforcement and briefed the U.S. Treasury and State Departments.

Twitter also announced it had suspended hundreds of accounts for what the service described as “engaging in coordinated manipulation.”

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued a statement noting that the action is “further evidence that foreign adversaries are actively using social media to divide Americans and undermine our democratic institutions.

“I’ve been saying for months that there’s no way the problem of social media manipulation is limited to a single troll farm in St. Petersburg, and that fact is now beyond a doubt. We also learned today that the Iranians are now following the Kremlin’s playbook from 2016,” he said in the statement. “While I’m encouraged to see Facebook taking steps to rid their platforms of these bad actors, there’s clearly more work to be done.”

Facebook, Twitter, and Google are set to appear before the committee to discuss social media manipulation on Sept. 5.

Source: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/facebook-removes-pages-linked-to-iran-russia-influence-campaigns

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The post Utah’s Chris Stewart says there’s no evidence Russia wanted to help Trump. He disputes U.S. intelligence findings and Putin’s own admission first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Developing now, Friday, June 8, 2018

• President Trump heads to potentially tense talks at the G7 summit in Quebec City on Friday after accusing allies Canada and France of putting heavy economic burdens on the U.S.

• A former security director for the Senate Intelligence Committee was indicted Thursday, charged with lying to the FBI about possible leaks of classified information

• A much-anticipated report on the FBI’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email probe will be released June 14, the Justice Department inspector general announces

• FOX News Exclusive: The woman whose life sentence was commuted after Kim Kardashian West championed her cause thanks President Trump and vows she will not let him down

• The Washington Capitals win the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history, beating the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 in Game 5 of their best-of-seven series.

THE LEAD STORY – TRUMP FACING CHILLING RECEPTION AT G7: On the eve of Friday’s G7 summit in Quebec City, President Trump publicly took aim at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron for imposing “massive” economic burdens on the United States … “Please tell Prime Minister Trudeau and President Macron that they are charging the U.S. massive tariffs and create non-monetary barriers,” Trump tweeted Thursday. “The EU trade surplus with the U.S. is $151 Billion, and Canada keeps our farmers and others out. Look forward to seeing them tomorrow.” With his new tariffs increasing U.S. isolation, Trump heads to Canada on Friday for a meeting of the Group of Seven industrialized nations. The White House is expecting a chilly reception from Canada and West European countries, already frustrated over Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate accord and the Iran nuclear agreement.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel previewed the dynamics on Wednesday, telling the German parliament that “it is apparent that we have a serious problem with multilateral agreements here, and so there will be contentious discussions.”

• What you should know about the G7 summit
• White House spokesman: We ‘laughed’ at reports Trump will skip G7 to focus on N. Korea
• Peggy Grande: Trump prepares for North Korea summit as a great performer — like Reagan
• Trump-Kim summit: Who will foot the bill for North Korea?

SEX, LIES AND CLASSIFIED INFO: A former security director for the Senate Intelligence Committee — who was in charge of maintaining all classified information from the Executive Office to the panel — was indicted for allegedly giving false statements to FBI agents looking into possible leaks to reporters, the Justice Department announced Thursday night … James A. Wolfe, 58, served as the panel’s security director for 29 years, according to the feds. Prosecutors said Wolfe lied to the FBI in December 2017 about contacts he had with three reporters. Prosecutors say he also lied about giving two reporters non-public information about committee matters. Earlier Thursday, the New York Times revealed that federal investigators had seized years’ worth of email and phone records relating to one of its reporters, Ali Watkins. She previously had a three-year romantic relationship with Wolfe, the Times reported, adding that the records covered a period of time before she joined the paper.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: The long-awaited watchdog report on the FBI and DOJ’s Hillary Clinton investigation during the 2016 presidential campaign will be released next Thursday, Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz said … In a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Horowitz said “we anticipate releasing the report on June 14, 2018.” That day is also President Trump’s birthday. The inspector general also told committee chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, in the letter that he has accepted the invitation to testify about the report on June 18, meaning his scheduled appearance before the committee is being delayed again. Washington has been on edge since last month, when Horowitz told lawmakers the draft report was done. Congressional committees have scheduled, and then postponed, hearings with Horowitz while waiting for the report to be released.

• Judge Napolitano: Trump has ‘legitimate fears’ the inspector general’s report is being ‘watered down’

‘THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP’: Alice Marie Johnson, the woman whose life sentence President Trump commuted this week, promised the commander in chief: “I will make you proud” … Johnson, 63, had been serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole after she was convicted of a first-time nonviolent drug offense and charges related to money laundering. Reality TV icon Kim Kardashian West took up her case, even meeting with Trump at the White House to plead for clemency. In an exclusive interview Thursday night with Fox News’ Martha MacCallum on “The Story,” Johnson expressed her gratitude for Trump’s decision the day before to commute her sentence. “Thank you so much, President Trump, for taking the time to look at my case and to really look at me,” she said. “I promise you, President Trump, I will make you proud that you gave me that second chance.” Johnson spent 22 years in prison, a third of her life, and said that it was her faith and her optimism that allowed her to carry on.

• Martha MacCallum: America loves a second chance
• Trump should consider pardoning ex-CIA boss Petraeus, senator says

FIRST IN WAR, FIRST IN PEACE, FIRST IN HOCKEY: For the first time in franchise history, the NHL’s Washington Capitals have won the Stanley Cup ... The Caps took the Stanley Cup Final four games to one, with a 4-3 victory Thursday night in Las Vegas over the Vegas Golden Knights, a first-year expansion team that made a stunning run to the championship round. “We did it,” said Caps captain Alex Ovechkin, whose 15 playoff goals set a franchise record and helped him win the Conn Smythe Trophy as this year’s playoff MVP. “That’s all that matters. Look at the smiles on my teammates. This is something you’ll never forget. This moment, I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I’m so happy. It’s unbelievable.”

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/06/08/fox-news-first-trump-tension-coming-to-g7-ex-security-officer-charged-in-leak-probe-singapore-summit-countdown.html

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