Security at the white house

The FBI refuses to tell Apple how the supposedly unbreakable iPhone belonging to San Bernardino jihadi Syed Farook was hacked, with the help of an undisclosed contractor who was paid $1.3 million for the work. The New York Times sees this as “a clear rebuke to Apple,” which fought with the FBI for months over unlocking the phone.  Among other objections, Apple said the government wanted to effectively commandeer its programmers to write a new version of the iPhone software that would allow the government to bypass its encryption – something the company promised its customers it would never do. The FBI’s decision to keep its iPhone crack secret “upset some technology industry executives, who said it appeared to run counter to the Obama administration’s promises to promote security and transparency in the nation’s technology operations,” according to the New York Times. The notion that ostensibly intelligent tech executives would actually believe a promise from Barack … [Read more...] about FBI Refuses to Tell Apple How San Bernardino Jihadi’s iPhone Was Hacked

For the first time in more than 60 years, Cuba is poised to have a government without a single Castro. Raúl Castro, who succeeded his brother Fidel as the Communist Party of Cuba’s first secretary in 2011, is expected to step down from his post as the country begins its eighth Communist Party Congress on Friday. “We all expect the old generation to step down from all of its functions within the party, including Raúl as first secretary,” said Ricardo Torres Pérez, a professor of economics at University of Havana. ADVERTISEMENT "That in itself is important. It marks the end of an era." But while an end to the Castro reign is historic, few are convinced the leadership shift will lead to sweeping change for the island nation or its relationship with the U.S. Castro is expected to leave party leadership in the hands of President Miguel Díaz-Canel, while the rest of the politburo will be filled not with the youngest generation most eager for change, but middle-aged party … [Read more...] about Cuba readies for life without Castro

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is welcoming Japan’s prime minister to the White House on Friday in his first face-to-face meeting with a foreign leader, a choice that reflects Biden’s emphasis on strengthening alliances to deal with a more assertive China and other global challenges. Biden and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga also look to counter messaging from Chinese President Xi Jinping that America and democracies in general are on the decline, after the political turmoil and international withdrawal that marked Donald Trump’s presidency. The Biden administration calls managing U.S. policies toward the Indo-Pacific, where China under Xi is flexing growing economic and military power, the primary challenge for the United States. That helped guide Biden’s decision, announced this week, to pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan and free the administration to focus more on East Asia. For Biden and Suga, “our approach to China and our shared coordination and cooperation on that front … [Read more...] about Biden meets Japan’s leader to boost China-facing alliances

close Video Gen. Keane: Media accepted Russian bounty story as 'truth' despite unverified intel Fox News senior strategic analyst Gen. Jack Keane reacts to U.S. intelligence backpedaling on last summer's reports of Russia placing bounties on the heads of U.S. soldiers. U.S. intelligence backpedaled Thursday on last summer's reports of Russia placing bounties on the heads of U.S. soldiers. A senior Biden administration official said the intelligence community only had "low to moderate" confidence in the Russian bounty story, meaning it is unproven and possibly untrue. The revelation came just as President Biden declared the Russia threat a "national emergency" and slapped new sanctions on Russian officials. The sanctions had been a result of meddling in the 2020 election, Russia's alleged role in the SolarWinds hack and the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. "The United States intelligence community assesses with low to moderate … [Read more...] about US intel backpedals on Russian bounty story that Trump called a ‘hoax’

close Video Experts worry Russia is seeking a 'new Cold War' FOX News' Jennifer Griffin reports Russia is expanding its military bases in the Arctic on 'Special Report' Vladimir Putin was reportedly so angered when President Joe Biden called him a "killer" in his first sit-down interview after taking office, the Russian president left his quarantine, got a COVID vaccination and moved 28,000 Russian troops to the border with Ukraine . "It was really a shock. And it changed his behavior a lot," argues Pavel Baev, a senior researcher at Norway’s International Peace Research Institute in Oslo. Russian Bear bombers went into action, forcing NATO to scramble 10 jets to intercept the Russian warplanes flying over the North Atlantic Ocean last week, a rare show of force near the Arctic. On Monday, Putin quietly changed Russia’s constitution to allow him to stay in power until 2036. He would be 83 years old. "Bluffing comes naturally to [Putin]. He … [Read more...] about Putin so upset over Biden’s killer comments he moved 28,000 Russian troops to Ukraine border, report