In the News
Federal law enforcement officials are investigating the possibility that foreign hackers targeted mobile phones held by Democratic party officials.
The attack against a "small number" of officials took place within the last one or two months, sources told Reuters. The sources reportedly had reason to believe that, like attacks on the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the perpetrators were connected to the Russian government.
Rep., Ted Lieu (D – CA) and Sen. Ed Markey (D – MA) have today introduced the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act, which would effectively ban the United States from launching nuclear first strikes against other countries.
ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO – U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Tuesday that Washington has no plans to become a nuclear “no first use” nation, tamping down speculation that President Barack Obama may rip away that tenet of U.S. nuclear policy before leaving office.
Obama reportedly wants to scrap the U.S. position that it may need to fire a nuclear weapon before an opponent does.
By contrast, China has said it will not conduct a first strike.
Is Donald Trump fit to control the United States’ nuclear weapons? That question has induced cringing among military and foreign policy experts since the early days of his candidacy. Now, two Democratic lawmakers are trying to get out in front of the problem.
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) introduced a measure Tuesday that would bar the president from launching a nuclear strike unless Congress formally declared war first. The president currently has the power to use the country’s nuclear arsenal without the consent of Congress.
HOLY CYBER, BATMAN — So … that happened. At Monday night’s presidential debate, there was a whole segment dedicated to cybersecurity. For those long immersed in the cyber world, it was a watershed moment, even if no new major ground was covered. Jeff Greene, senior policy counsel for major tech firm Symantec, recalled that “in 2009, when I joined the team working on comprehensive cybersecurity legislation, we could barely get staffers to come to a briefing.” Three years later, cyber first snuck into President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address.
Two Democrats are pushing a bill that would bar the president from launching a nuclear strike without prior approval from Congress, tying it to concerns about Donald Trump having control of nukes.
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), who introduced the House version of the bill Tuesday, voiced concerns about Trump's comments on nuclear weapons at Monday night's first presidential debate.
A Democratic congressman is urging the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations to support a resolution that would call for an independent investigation into human rights abuses in Yemen.
“The repeated killing of civilians by the Saudi coalition, done with U.S. assistance, violates not just our moral conscience but degrades our reputation and standing in the world,” Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) wrote to Ambassador Samantha Power on Monday.
The American Geophysical Union announced Friday that it would continue to accept funding from ExxonMobil. The decision rejects the calls of some scientists, activists and others to refuse the company's sponsorship money because they say the energy giant has helped spread doubt about climate change and stymied effective climate policies.
Eighteen months after an explosion hit the oil refinery in Torrance, shockwaves are still being felt.
The blast energized Torrance residents, prompting families to organize into dedicated advocacy groups. Now, with regulators and politicians paying increasingly close attention, critical changes to the refining process at the facility — ExxonMobil at the time of the blast, now Torrance Refining Co. — may be on the horizon.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating how Exxon Mobil Corp. values its assets in a world of increasing climate-change regulations, a probe that could have far-reaching consequences for the oil and gas industry.