The health insurance giant is the latest to remove references to diversity, equity and inclusion policies amid mounting pressure from the Trump administration.
Category: Trump Administration
CIA, Department of Defense, Department of Defense (DOD), Director of National Intelligence, Global Security News, Government, JD Vance, John Ratcliffe, Jon Ossoff, Mark Kelly, Michael Bennet, Mike Rounds, Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Pete Hegseth, Policy, privacy, Senate Intelligence Committee, signal, Todd Young, Trump Administration, tulsi gabbard, Yemen
Senators criticize Trump officials’ discussion of war plans over Signal, but administration answers don’t come easily
Democratic senators hammered two top national security officials Tuesday about their participation in a Signal chat discussing war plans that reportedly included a journalist, but struggled to get specific answers to some of their questions about what happened and how. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard wouldn’t even initially acknowledge her involvement in the chat group,…
Department of Government Efficency, encryption, Global Security News, Government, information sharing, National Science Foundation, New America, Policy, privacy, State Government, Trump Administration
Privacy-boosting tech could prevent breaches, data misuse with government aid, report says
Governments should prioritize the use of privacy-boosting technologies like encryption, de-identification and hashing to prevent breaches and data misuse, a report that New America’s Open Technology Institute published Tuesday recommends. The study comes as cyber and privacy experts warn about the dangers of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) accessing sensitive information at…
Department of Government Efficiency, doge, Elon Musk, evergreens, Global IT News, Global Security News, Government & Policy, Security, SpaceX, Tesla, Trump Administration, us government
The people in Elon Musk’s DOGE universe
Meet the DOGE staffers and senior advisors in Elon Musk’s inner circle, and how they got there. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
Armis, budget, CISA, Congress, cyber workforce, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), cybersecurity workforce, Department of Government Efficency, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Emerging Tech, Global Security News, Government, government shutdown, Joe Biden, National Security Council, National Security Council (NSC), Policy, Trump Administration, Workforce
Amid personnel turmoil at cyber agencies, a government shutdown could increase potential harm
A potential government shutdown looms by the end of this week if Congress doesn’t pass legislation to keep funding the federal government, a development that could worsen problems cyber personnel and agencies are experiencing under the second Trump administration, experts say. Many cyber feds would likely be exempt from furloughs during a government shutdown, common…
CISA, Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Election Security, Global Security News, Government, Karen Evans, Sean Cairncross, Sean Plankey, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Trump Administration, Workforce
Sean Plankey picked by Trump to be CISA director
President Donald Trump nominated Sean Plankey to head the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Committee on Tuesday, the last major piece to fall into place for cybersecurity leadership in his administration. Plankey served in the first Trump administration, holding a few posts with cyber responsibilities. He was the principal deputy assistant secretary for the Energy Department’s…
Browser Privacy, Canadian Tariffs, CISA, cyber security, cyber threat, Cybersecurity, Data Privacy, Data Security, Digital Privacy, Episodes, Firefox Privacy, Global Security News, Government & Policy, Information Security, infosec, internet privacy, mozilla, online security, Podcast, Podcasts, privacy, privacy rights, Putin, Russia, Russian Cyber Threat, Security, Security Bloggers Network, Tech Talk, Technology, Technology News, Trump, Trump Administration, US Cyber Command, Weekly Edition
Trump Administration and the Russian Cyber Threat, Firefox Privacy Changes
In this episode, we discuss whether the Trump administration ordered the U.S. Cyber Command and CISA to stand down on the Russian cyber threat. We also touch on the Canadian tariff situation with insights from Scott Wright. Additionally, we discuss the recent changes to Firefox’s privacy policy and what it means for user data. **…
CISA, Cybersecurity, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), disinformation, Election Security, Global Security News, Government, Trump Administration
CISA completed its election security review. It won’t make the results public
When the Trump administration began sidelining and laying off personnel at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, it started by targeting employees who worked on election security and disinformation. At the same time, the Department Homeland Security announced it would conduct a comprehensive review of CISA’s election security mission. This week, the agency confirmed that…
Cybersecurity, Global IT News, Global Security News, national security, National Security Agency, Security, Trump Administration, us government
Former NSA official says federal worker cuts will have ‘devastating impact’ on cyber and national security
Former top U.S. cybersecurity official Rob Joyce told lawmakers on Wednesday that cuts to federal probationary employees will have a “devastating impact” on U.S. national security. Joyce, who was the director of cybersecurity for the National Security Agency until retiring in 2024, was providing testimony to the U.S. House Committee on the Chinese Communist Party,…
AI, Global IT News, Global Security News, Government & Policy, Layoffs, Trump Administration
Trump Administration cuts may threaten AI research efforts
The Trump Administration has fired a number of National Science Foundation employees who had been handpicked for their expertise in AI, threatening the agency’s ability to sustain key AI research, Bloomberg reported. One of the affected departments inside NSF, called the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships, was instrumental in funneling government grants focused on…
Bennie Thompson, CISA, cyber workforce, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), cybersecurity workforce, Department of Government Efficency, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Global Security News, grants, House Homeland Security Committee, Mark Green, PIVOTT Act, Policy, Trump Administration, Workforce
Cyber workforce legislation vote gives rise to partisan rift on House Homeland Security Committee
A partisan divide opened Wednesday over a bill to bolster the cyber workforce, legislation that earned unanimous support in the House Homeland Security Committee last year but that Democrats are now wary of under President Donald Trump. Under the legislation, students at technical schools and community colleges would receive scholarships in return for two years…
Department of Government Efficiency, doge, Elon Musk, evergreens, Global IT News, Global Security News, Government & Policy, Security, SpaceX, Tesla, Trump Administration, us government
The people in Elon Musk’s DOGE universe
Meet the DOGE staffers and senior advisors in Elon Musk’s inner circle, and how they got there. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk, Global IT News, Global Security News, Government & Policy, Trump Administration, us government
DOGE has an official ‘acting’ administrator, and it’s not Elon Musk, White House confirms
Amy Gleason is named as the acting administrator of DOGE, amid ambiguity over Elon Musk’s role. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
Department of Government Efficency, Department of Treasury, Exploits, Federal IT, Gerry Connolly, Global Security News, Government, House Oversight Committee, Inspector general, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Melanie Stansbury, Treasury Department, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Trump Administration
House Dems say DOGE is leaving publicly exposed entry points into government systems
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee say the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is jeopardizing cybersecurity by publicly exposing entry points into U.S. government systems, and told the Trump administration it needs to provide information on department officials’ access. “Decades of efforts by both Republican and Democratic administrations, along with bipartisan collaboration in Congress, have…
china, CISA, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Department of Government Efficency, disinformation, Election Security, Elon Musk, Global Security News, Government, misinformation, Social Security Administration, Trump Administration, Twitter, Workforce
No, that’s not the acting head of the Social Security Administration. That’s a former CISA employee.
A longtime former employee of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, an agency in the midst of curtailing its anti-misinformation and disinformation work under President Donald Trump, has found himself being misidentified online as a key figure in another Trump administration battle. On social media and in some news outlets, Ross Foard, a former CISA…
Biotech & Health, biotech startups, doge, Global IT News, Global Security News, NIH, Recursion, Trump Administration, Venture
NIH funding uncertainty spurs new biotech venture fund
Earlier this month, the Trump administration directed the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to impose limits on specific types of funding it provides to research institutions. Although a federal judge has temporarily blocked the policy change, government grants to early-stage biotech startups could still face delays or be eliminated entirely, said Chris Gibson, co-founder and…
Climate, data centers, electrical grid, Global IT News, Global Security News, Government & Policy, hydropower, Trump Administration
Trump admin reverses hydropower layoffs that sparked grid stability fears
The layoffs slashed between 13% to 20% of the four Power Marketing Administrations’ workforces. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk, Global IT News, Global Security News, Government & Policy, SpaceX, Tesla, Trump Administration, us government
The people in Elon Musk’s DOGE universe
Meet the DOGE staffers and senior advisors in Elon Musk’s inner circle, and how they got there. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
Chris Inglis, cyber workforce, Global Security News, Government, Harry Coker, Kemba Walden, National Cyber Director, Office of the National Cyber Director, Policy, RNC, Sean Cairncross, Trump Administration, White House, Workforce
Trump picks Sean Cairncross for national cyber director
President Donald Trump has selected Sean Cairncross — a former White House and Republican National Committee official and the former CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a federal foreign aid agency — to be his national cyber director. Cairncross hasn’t held any major cyber-related positions, but during his time in the Trump White House as…
Commerce, de minimis, ecommerce, foreign policy, Global IT News, Global Security News, Government, Government & Policy, imports, online shopping, Politics, retail, Shopping, trade, Trump, Trump Administration
Shopify pushes for ‘open trade’ as Trump delays import exemption
On the same day that President Donald Trump delayed ending a trade exemption targeting certain Chinese imports, ecommerce company Shopify published a blog post making its stance on U.S. trade policy clear. In the post, Shopify endorsed “open trade,” calling for regulators to give online merchants the “freedom to expand without constraints imposed by geopolitical…
disinformation, doj, Election Security, Emerging Tech, Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), Global Security News, Government, Policy, Russia, Trump Administration
DOJ disbands foreign influence task force, limits scope of FARA prosecutions
One of the first acts taken by Pam Bondi after being sworn in as attorney general was to disband an FBI task force that countered the influence of adversarial foreign governments on American politics. In a memo issued Wednesday, Bondi wrote that the Department of Justice would be shifting resources in its National Security Division,…
Enterprise, FCC, Global IT News, Global Security News, Government & Policy, online censorship, Section 230, Social, social media, social media regulation, Trump Administration
Adam Candeub, a vocal critic of Big Tech, will reportedly join the FCC
Adam Candeub, a known critic of Big Tech, looks poised to join the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Candeub will be general counsel of the FCC, reports Semafor, which cites direct confirmation from FCC chairman Brendan Carr. TechCrunch has reached out to the FCC for more information. Candeub has long been a vocal critic of Section…
Bob Kolasky, budget, Department of Defense, Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), department of labor, Executive order, Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, Global Security News, Government, grants, Kristi Noem, National Risk Management Center, North America, office of management and budget, Policy, small business, State Department, Trump Administration
Trump pauses on grants, aid leaves federal cyber programs in state of confusion
A series of Trump administration maneuvers to freeze federal aid has thrown cybersecurity grant programs into doubt for recipients ranging from state governments to small businesses to foreign allies. An Office of Management and Budget memo sent Monday and that went into effect Tuesday directs federal agencies to “temporarily pause all activities related to obligations…
Bennie Thompson, Brandon Wales, china, CISA, Cyber Safety Review Board, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Global Security News, Government, House Homeland Security Committee, Jake Williams, JD Work, Kemba Walden, Kevin Beaumont, Mark Green, National Cyber Director, Paladin, Policy, Salt Typhoon, SentinelOne, telecommunications, Trump Administration
Removal of Cyber Safety Review Board members sparks alarm from cyber pros, key lawmaker
The top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee and a number of cyber professionals on Wednesday lamented the Trump administration’s decision to purge a cyber incident investigation board of its membership. But the move had some supporters, including the chairman of that same committee. Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman issued a…
electric vehicles, Global IT News, Global Security News, Tesla, Transportation, Trump Administration
Trump targets EV charging funding programs Tesla benefits from
President Donald Trump is trying to halt the flow of funding for EV charging infrastructure from two programs that Tesla has benefitted from — the latest example of how Elon Musk’s political interests seem to be at odds with his car company’s goal of advancing sustainable energy. It’s not a given that Trump’s gambit will…
Climate, data centers, Global IT News, Global Security News, Government & Policy, Trump Administration, Wind power
Trump moves to sink offshore wind
President Trump signed an executive order that halted federal leases for offshore wind development on the outer continental shelf. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
Biden, Biden administration, Chris Krebs, CISA, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), disinformation, Disinformation Governance Board, Donald Trump, Global Security News, Government, Joe Biden, Josh Hawley, Kristi Noem, rand paul, Ron Johnson, Sen. Ron Johnson, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, supreme court, Trump, Trump Administration, U.S. Supreme Court
Noem: No anti-disinformation, misinformation action under her as DHS secretary
Department of Homeland Security secretary nominee Kristi Noem committed to senators Friday that if confirmed she would keep the department out of efforts to combat disinformation and misinformation, and pledged to make the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency “smaller, more nimble.” The South Dakota governor’s remarks signal that the incoming Trump administration will act on…
AI, AI executive order, Artificial Intelligence, Bennie Thompson, Biden, Biden administration, Bob Kolasky, Center for Cybersecurity Policy and Law, Center for Democracy & Technology, Center for Democracy and Technology, Chris Inglis, CISA, cloud computing, contracting, critical infrastructure, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Donald Trump, Emerging Tech, encryption, fraud, Global Security News, Government, House Homeland Security Committee, Joe Biden, Mark Green, National Cyber Director, National Risk Management Center, National Security Council, National Security Council (NSC), Office of the National Cyber Director, operational technology, phishing, quantum computing, supply chain, supply chain security, Trump, Trump Administration
Biden cyber executive order gets mostly plaudits, but its fate is uncertain
A sweeping executive order on cybersecurity released Thursday won largely positive reviews, with the main question being its timing — and what will come of it with the executive branch set to be handed over from president to president. Chris Inglis, the former national cyber director for Joe Biden who has served under both Democrats…
AI, Barack Obama, Biden administration, budget, Cloud, cloud computing, Cloud Security, Congress, contracting, Donald Trump, George W. Bush, Global Security News, Government, House Appropriations Committee, House Intelligence Committee, Jim Himes, Joe Biden, Obama administration, office of management and budget, OMB, Policy, regulation, Senate Appropriations Committee, Shelley Moore Capito, Technology Modernization Fund, Trump, Trump Administration
Bipartisan cloud study recommends speeding federal adoption, or remain vulnerable on cyber
Slow adoption of cloud technologies poses a cybersecurity hazard for federal agencies, which will require an overhaul of contracting, regulatory and budgeting procedures to fix, a bipartisan think tank report that will be released Thursday concludes. Led by veterans of both the first Trump administration and Biden administration as well as lawmakers from both parties,…
Angus King, Central Intelligence Agency, china, CIA, Director of National Intelligence, Donald Trump, Global Security News, Government, John Ratcliffe, North America, offensive cybersecurity, Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Salt Typhoon, Sen. Angus King, Senate Intelligence Committee, Trump, Trump Administration, Vault 7, Vault7
CIA nominee tells Senate he, too, wants to go on cyber offense
CIA director nominee John Ratcliffe said during testimony on Capitol Hill that if confirmed, he hopes to develop offensive cyber tools and supports the creation of a cyber-specific deterrence strategy. Ratcliffe, who served as director of national intelligence and in the House of Representatives for Texas, drew a comparison to the concerns over physical, territorial…
AI, AI companies, Artificial Intelligence, Biden administration, data centers, Enterprise, Global IT News, Global Security News, Government & Policy, Trump Administration
Biden administration opens up federal land to AI data centers
With less than a week left in office, President Joe Biden is not done leaving his mark on the AI industry. President Biden issued an executive order on Tuesday that will allow private sector AI companies to lease federal sites owned by the Department of Defense and Department of Energy in order to build AI…