New Homeland Security center to guard against cyberattacks
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is creating a center aimed at protecting banks, electric companies and other critical infrastructure against cyberattacks — a threat that now exceeds the danger of a physical attack against the U.S. by a hostile foreign group, Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Tuesday. The National Risk Management Center will work to quickly identify and address potential threats and improve safeguards across a range of industries, she said. It will prioritize risks to industries that most Americans rely on, like the power grid. It is designed to be a partnership with private companies and federal agencies, with Homeland Security as the lead agency. Nielsen spoke at a cybersecurity summit hosted by government officials that brought CEOs of credit card companies, telecommunications industries and utilities together with the heads of the NSA, FBI and Department of Energy. The summit comes during renewed concern over the possibility of Russian-sponsored meddling in the midterm elections, and criticism of the Trump administration’s efforts on cybersecurity. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri announced that Russian hackers tried unsuccessfully to infiltrate her Senate computer network and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, told The Associated Press that someone contacted her office “claiming to be an official from a country.” She is not up for re-election. President Donald Trump has offered mixed messages on Russian interference in U.S. elections — at times even calling it a “hoax,” though he acknowledged in a recent tweet that the midterms are a likely target. Nielsen said Tuesday the government cannot allow Russian interference again. “Let me be clear on this, any attempt to interfere in our elections is a direct attack on our democracy, it is unacceptable, and it will not be tolerated,” she said. “Mark my words: America will not tolerate this meddling.” Nielsen said Tuesday the threat is not limited to elections, and cannot be underestimated. She cited as examples the credit bureau breach where half of Americans had personal information exposed online, plus the WannaCry ransomware that spread from North Korea to more than 150 countries, and Russian hackers compromised the control rooms of energy companies around the world. “These incidents, though, are only the beginning,” she said. “Rogue regimes and hostile groups are probing critical systems worldwide every moment as we speak. And without aggressive action to secure our networks, it is only a matter of time before we get hit hard in the homeland.” At a summit panel, the heads of MasterCard, AT&T and Southern Company talked about the need to work together to create a systemic solution to secure the internet. Ajay S. Banga, the head of MasterCard, said on the panel that the Wild West days of the internet were great to grow the functionality of it. But it’s time to rein it in. “We need to get it back in control, and take it to a dog trainer and get it trained,” he said. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Senate confirms Alex Acosta as Donald Trump’s secretary of labor
The Senate on Thursday confirmed Alex Acosta as Labor secretary, filling out President Donald Trump‘s Cabinet as he approaches his 100th day in office. The 60-38 vote confirms Acosta to the post. Once sworn as the nation’s 27th Labor secretary, the son of Cuban immigrants will lead a sprawling agency that enforces more than 180 federal laws covering about 10 million employers and 125 million workers. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., spoke for many Republicans with a statement issued just after the vote saying he hopes Acosta’s focus will be “promoting labor policies that are free of unnecessarily burdensome federal regulations.” Scott said he wants Acosta to permanently revoke rules governing financial advisers and adding Americans eligible for overtime pay. Democrats said any Labor secretary should advocate for the American workers to whom Trump promised so much during his upstart presidential campaign. They said Acosta has given no such commitment. “Acosta failed this basic test,” tweeted Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. Acosta has been a federal prosecutor, a civil rights chief at the Justice Department and a member of the National Labor Relations Board. He will arrive at the top post with relatively little clear record on some of the top issues facing the administration over key pocketbook issues, such as whether to expand the pool of American workers eligible for overtime pay. Acosta wasn’t Trump’s first choice for the job. Former fast food CEO Andrew Puzder withdrew his name from consideration last month, on the eve of his confirmation vote, after becoming a political headache for the new administration. Puzder acknowledged having hired a housekeeper not authorized to work in the U.S. and paying the related taxes years later — after Trump nominated him — and came under fire from Democrats for other issues related to his company and his private life. Acosta’s ascension would come at a key moment for Trump, just two days before he reaches the symbolic, 100-day marker. The White House has sought to cross the threshold with its own list of Trump’s accomplishments. Trump can say the Acosta vote was bipartisan, because eight Democrats and one independent voted yes. Joining the Republicans in his favor were Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Bill Nelson of Florida, Jon Tester of Montana and Mark Warner of Virginia. Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine also voted for Acosta. Labor secretary is the last Cabinet post for Trump to fill. Trump’s choice for U.S. trade representative, a job considered Cabinet-level, is awaiting a Senate vote. From the beginning, Acosta’s was a quiet march to confirmation that stood out because it didn’t attract the deep partisan battles faced by some of Trump’s other nominees, including Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Justice Neil Gorsuch‘s nomination provoked such a fight that majority Senate Republicans used the “nuclear option” to remove the 60-vote filibuster barrier for Supreme Court picks. Thursday’s vote marks the fourth time Acosta has been confirmed for the Senate. Democrats and most labor groups were mostly muted in their response to Acosta’s nomination. At his confirmation hearing, Democratic Sens. Patty Murray of Washington and Warren hammered Acosta for answers on a selection of issues important to labor and whether Acosta would cave to political pressure from Trump. Acosta refused to answer the policy questions until he’s confirmed, and he vowed to be an independent and fair voice for workers. Both senators said they had great concerns, and both voted no. Our standard can’t be ‘not Puzder,’” Murray said Wednesday on the Senate floor. But tellingly, even as Acosta’s nomination wound through the Senate, Democrats and their allies also tried to move on to other, labor-related issues — namely, a minimum wage hike to $15 an hour, which Trump opposes. Meanwhile, the Labor Department’s online landing page bears a glimpse of Acosta’s policy priorities: “Buy American, Hire American.” That’s the title of Trump’s executive order this week directing the secretaries of labor and other agencies to issue guidance within 60 days on policies that would “ensure that, to the extent permitted by law” federal aid “maximize the use of materials produced in the United States, including manufactured products; components of manufactured products; and materials such as steel, iron, aluminum, and cement.” Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
More Republicans say AG Jeff Sessions should recuse himself
The Latest on Attorney General Jeff Sessions‘ talks with the Soviet ambassador (all times local): 11:25 a.m. attorneyAttorney The top House Democrat says Attorney General Jeff Sessions lied under oath when he told the Senate Judiciary that he had no contacts with the Russian government and says he should resign. Nancy Pelosi says, “Perjury is a crime.” In the meantime, Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Marco Rubio of Florida joined a growing chorus of Republicans calling upon Sessions to recuse himself from any investigation on contacts between the Russians and President Donald Trump‘s campaign last year. Graham says, “Somebody other than Jeff needs to do it.” Graham also tells reporters he is meeting Thursday with FBI Director James Comey and will demand to know whether there is an investigation into the Russia contacts. ___ 10:58 a.m. A growing number of Republicans want Attorney General Jeff Sessions to recuse himself from the investigation into Russian meddling in the election and ties to the Trump campaign. Ohio Sen. Rob Portman says in a statement that Sessions is a former colleague and a friend, “but I think it would be best for him and for the country to recuse himself from the DOJ Russia probe.” Portman joins congressmen Jason Chaffetz, Darrell Issa and Tom Cole in calling for Sessions to recuse himself, Other Senate Republicans are rallying around Sessions, saying they trust him and that it’s up to Sessions whether to recuse himself. Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee. He says, “I trust Jeff Sessions to make that decision.” ___ 10:33 a.m. Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren joins other Democrats in calling for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign. She says there should be an independent special prosecutor named to oversee an investigation of Russian interference in the U.S. election. Warren has clashed repeatedly with President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans. The Massachusetts senator reacted in a series of tweets to reports that Sessions talked twice with Russia’s ambassador during the presidential campaign, conversations that seem to contradict sworn statements Sessions gave to Congress during his confirmation hearings. The White House says Sessions met with the diplomat in his capacity as a then-U.S. senator, not a Trump campaign adviser. ___ 10:25 a.m. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer is calling on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign. Several Republicans and Democrats have called for Sessions to recuse himself from an investigation into Russian interference in the U.S. election following the revelation he talked twice with Russia’s ambassador to the United States during the presidential campaign. The conversations seem to contradict sworn statements Sessions gave to Congress during his confirmation hearings. Schumer says a special prosecutor is needed to investigate the allegations of Russian interference and also look into whether the investigation has already been compromised by Sessions. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi has accused Sessions of “lying under oath” and demanded that he resign. ___ 10:25 a.m. Another congressional Republican says Attorney General Jeff Sessions should recuse himself from any investigation into Russia meddling in the election and links to the Trump campaign. In a statement, congressman Darrell Issa of California joined House Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz in calling on Sessions to recuse himself now. Issa says, “We need a clear-eyed view of what the Russians actually did so that all Americans can have faith in our institutions.” It is members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who typically meet with foreign ambassadors, not Armed Services Committee lawmakers whose responsibility is oversight of the military and the Pentagon. Congressional contact with Russian officials was limited after the invasion of Crimea and due to Moscow’s close relationship with Syria, a pariah for much of the West. ___ 9:15 a.m. A Republican committee chairman says Attorney General Jeff Sessions should recuse himself from an investigation into Russian interference in the U.S. election. Utah’s Jason Chaffetz chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He tells MSNBC that Sessions “is going to need to recuse himself at this point.” The Justice Department has confirmed Sessions talked twice with Russia’s ambassador to the United States during the presidential campaign, a seeming contradiction to sworn statements he gave to Congress. Chaffetz told MSNBC that Sessions “should further clarify.” Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri called on Sessions to resign, and Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont said he should recuse himself. ___ 8:30 a.m. A Democratic senator says Attorney General Jeff Sessions should step aside from any role in the Justice Department’s investigation of Trump campaign ties to Russia. Minnesota’s Al Franken tells MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that Sessions’ statements about his contacts with Moscow have been “contradictory.” At Session’s confirmation hearing in January, Franken asked the then-Alabama senator what he would do if there was evidence that anyone from the Trump campaign had been in touch with the Russian government during the 2016 White House race. Sessions replied he was “unaware of those activities.” But the Justice Department has confirmed that Sessions had two conversations with Russia’s ambassador to the United States. Franken is calling for an “independent prosecutor” to investigate any links the Trump campaign may have had with the Russian government and says Sessions must “come forward with the truth.” ___ 8:15 a.m. A Kremlin spokesman says all the attention given to Jeff Sessions’ meetings with Russia’s U.S. ambassador during the U.S. presidential campaign last year could affect improved ties between the countries. Sessions — who’s now President Donald Trump’s attorney general — was a senator and policy adviser to Trump’s campaign at the time of the meetings with Ambassador Sergei Kislyak. Dmitry Peskov is the spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Peskov tells reporters that he didn’t know about the meetings. But he says it’s normal for Russian diplomats to meet with U.S. lawmakers. The White House says Sessions met with the diplomat in his capacity as a senator, rather than as a Trump campaign adviser. Peskov is characterizing reaction to the news of the meetings as “an
Ads supporting Jeff Sessions seek to pressure Dems for AG confirmation
A new ad campaign produced by a conservative advocacy group is supporting Jeff Sessions’ confirmation as attorney general. As reported by POLITICO, the ads will run primarily in three conservative-leaning states with Democratic senators who will be pressured to confirm Donald Trump’s pick for top cop. The first round of pro-Sessions spots – coming from the Judicial Crisis Network – will start this weekend with a 30-second ad highlighting Alabama residents who praise Sessions as U.S. senator from Alabama. “Senator Sessions saw that there was a real need for the families that were losing their loved ones,” said Johnny Spann, an Alabama resident whose son, Mike, was the first American combat casualty in the 2001 war in Afghanistan. “For him to be in charge of the highest law enforcement agency, he’s the kind of person that needs to be there.” In honor of Mike Spann’s sacrifice, Sessions spearheaded legislation in 2002 to help facilitate private funds to be donated to widows and orphans of military and national security personnel killed during the U.S. war on terrorism. The digital and cable ad campaign, which POLITICO estimates at more than half a million dollars, will also run in Missouri, Indiana and North Dakota – states with Democrats targeted to bring bipartisan support of Sessions’ nomination. The three Democrats are Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a red-state Democrat seeking re-election in 2018, has confirmed he would support Sessions. The ads will also appear in the Washington, D.C. area. “Senator Sessions is a good man whose service to his state makes it clear that he will turn DOJ around and make it an agency that every American can be proud of,” JCN chief counsel Carrie Severino told POLITICO. “He will abide by the Constitution, he will put public safety ahead of political agendas, and he will prosecute corrupt public officials regardless of political party.” The first ad, titled “Getting it Right” is now available on YouTube:
