Tag Archives : Build House

Hillicon Valley — Cyberattack hits Taiwan’s presidential office

A cyberattack hit Tawain’s presidential office on Tuesday, coinciding with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) visit to the island. 

Meanwhile, a San Francisco-based crypto firm lost $190 million worth of cryptocurrency in a series of thefts.  

This is Hillicon Valley, detailing all you need to know about tech and cyber news from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. Send tips to The Hill’s Rebecca Klar and Ines Kagubare. Someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

Taiwan hit with cyberattack

Taiwan’s presidential office was hit with a cyberattack on Tuesday, the same day that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) visited the island amid warnings and opposition from China. 

A spokesperson for Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said in a Facebook post that the attack happened around 5:15 p.m. local time, causing 200 times more than normal weekday website traffic. 

NBC reported that attacks affected at least four websites, those of Tsai, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Taiwan Taoyuan International, the island’s largest airport. 

The spokesperson said on Facebook that the attacks were “outside-border” distributed denials of service, in which a service or network is overwhelmed with more internet traffic than it can handle. 

Read more here.

Hackers target US crypto firm

Nomad, a San Francisco-based crypto firm, has lost $190 million worth of its digital currency in a series of thefts, according to blockchain security firm PeckShield. 

The crypto firm said on Twitter that it was “aware of the incident” and was investigating the matter. 

• “We are working around the clock to address the situation and have notified law enforcement and retained leading firms for blockchain intelligence and forensics,” Nomad said.  
• “Our goal is to identify the accounts involved and to trace and recover the funds,” the firm added. 

Read more here.

DEMS PRESS FCC ON BROADBAND FOR NATIVE COMMUNITIES

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Kaiali’i Kahele (D-Hawaii) led a group of Democrats in a letter to the Federal Commnications Commission (FCC) Tuesday urging the agency to consider ways to advance Tribal nations’ ownership of spectrum over their lands.  

“The need is clear. So is the solution: enhance Tribal self-sufficiency and self-governance by facilitating Tribal spectrum access and ownership,” they wrote.  

“We request that you and the FCC take steps consistent with the federal government’s trust and treaty responsibilities to Tribal Nations by working to create economic opportunities for Tribal Nations and Native communities by expanding Tribal broadband and Native spectrum access and ownership.” 

The letter was also signed by Sens. Tina Smith (Minn.), Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), Jacky Rosen (Nev.), Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), Ben Ray Luján (N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (N.M.), and Reps. Ed Case (Hawaii) and Teresa Leger Fernández (N.M.).

BITS & PIECES

An op-ed to chew on: Refocusing on high tech R&D will help make America competitive again 

Notable links from around the web: 

Privacy bill strips FCC oversight of telecom data abuse, worrying consumer advocates (CyberScoop / Tonya Riley) 

Amazon Hires Senior Seante Aide, Boosting Efforts to Stymie New Tech Antitrust Bill (Bloomberg / Anna Edgerton, Leah Nylen and Emily Birnbaum) 

The Crypto Market Crashed. They’re Still Buying Bitcoin (The New York Times / David Yaffe-Bellamy)

📱Lighter click: Too easy it’s dangerous

One more thing: DOD ‘wiped’ Trump leaders’ phones

The Department of Defense (DOD) failed to retain text messages from a number of its top officials relating to Jan. 6 because it wiped their phones during the transition, a watchdog group that sued for the records disclosed Tuesday. 

American Oversight filed a public records request for the communications of former acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller and former Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy in the days after the attack on the Capitol. 

But it was informed during litigation that the records were not preserved. 

“DOD and Army conveyed to Plaintiff that when an employee separates from DOD or Army he or she turns in the government-issued phone, and the phone is wiped. For those custodians no longer with the agency, the text messages were not preserved and therefore could not be searched,” the agencies wrote in a March court filing. 

Read more here.

That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hill’s Technology and Cybersecurity pages for the latest news and coverage. We’ll see you tomorrow.

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Ex-Obama ambassador to China calls Pelosi trip a 'provocation' that makes Biden look 'weak'

Former Sen. Max Baucus, a Democrat from Montana who served as ambassador to China under President Obama, called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) Taiwan visit Tuesday a “provocation,” adding it made President Biden look “weak.”  

Baucus in an interview Tuesday evening with CNN’s Jake Tapper repeatedly warned the trip by Pelosi was edging the U.S. closer to recognizing Taiwan as an independent nation — which the longtime senator suggested would be a disaster.

“This is a provocation, because the Chinese government is very opposed to this,” said Baucus, who served as ambassador to China from 2014 to 2017.

He said Pelosi’s visit was much more important than a visit by a random member of the House.

“Don’t forget, she’s Speaker, she’s not just an ordinary member of Congress,” he said. “Add to that, she’s a very strong hawk, she’s very critical of China.”

“Really, what this is doing, it’s pushing the support of democracy a little closer to crossing the line into independence. That’s the real problem here,” Baucus said. 

Taiwan wouldn’t risk the “disaster” of formally declaring its independence from China, the former ambassador said, but China will react if Taiwan looks like it’s leaning toward what the Chinese government considers an “existential” threat. 

“We are playing with fire when we get pretty close to the line, and Pelosi is pushing us much, much closer to recognizing Taiwan as an independent country. And once we get there, we’re going to pay a price.” Baucus said.

Baucus, who served with Biden for decades in the Senate, also said Pelosi was making Biden look weak in front of the Chinese, who he said value power and strength above all.

“Don’t forget, too, Speaker Pelosi, it’s a free pass for her. She’s not the president. She doesn’t have to worry about conducting foreign policy worldwide. She’s a member of Congress. She doesn’t have to worry about it,” Baucus said. “She does a little but not much. So poor Joe Biden. He looks weak because he either told her not to go, and he looks weak to the Chinese guys, or he’s weak because he told her not to go and she went anyway.”

Pelosi touched down in Taipei Tuesday after kicking off her congressional delegation tour Monday in Singapore. 

Ahead of her arrival, speculation circulated over whether the Speaker would include the self-governed island claimed by China on her itinerary — which also includes Malaysia, South Korea and Japan — and Taiwan’s addition remains controversial.

Baucus’s criticism was striking because of the tenor of his remarks and his stature as both a Democrat and a former diplomat to China.

It was also in contrast to the views of many sitting lawmakers in both parties who have backed Pelosi’s Taiwan trip.

Many lawmakers in both parties have offered support for Pelosi both because they wanted to see her go to Taiwan in spite of China’s opposition, and because they did not want the Biden administration to stand in the way of the top official in the House from making such a trip.

Source: TEST FEED1

Rand Paul says veteran toxic exposure bill 'puts our economy at risk'

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) railed against the economic impact of a veteran toxic exposure bill on the Senate floor on Tuesday, shortly before the chamber voted down his amendment to help offset the cost by reducing foreign aid.

“This bill puts our economy, though, at risk by creating presumptions of service connection for the most common ailments,” Paul said of the $278 billion bill, which would expand benefits for veterans who are suffering illnesses due to toxic exposures.

He noted the substantial number of Americans who have conditions like hypertension and asthma, which are both included in the bill, arguing the expanded coverage would lead to taxpayer dollars being used to treat veterans whose diagnoses were unrelated to their service.

“This bill would cost hundreds of billions of dollars at a time when the national debt is climbing over $30 trillion, and inflation is at a 40-year high,” he said.

“But the federal debt was created by Congress and not our vets, and those who served the armed services should not be the ones to pay the cost for government mismanagement,” Paul added.

Paul said his amendment, which failed 90-7, would create a 10-year moratorium on foreign assistance administered through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), except for funds designated for Israel.

Paul’s amendment was the first of three GOP amendments to be voted on with a 60-vote threshold before a final vote on the full bill. The other two amendments are from Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).

The amendment votes are part of a deal reached on Tuesday for the bill’s passage, which comes after a multi-day standoff that began when Republicans blocked the bill last week in a 55-42 vote.

Twenty-five Republicans who initially voted to advance the bill in June voted against the legislation last week, citing what they called a “budgetary gimmick.”

However, Democrats have pointed out many of the same GOP senators previously voted for the same bill, and have attributed the sudden opposition to Democrats moving forward with a separate spending deal on climate, health and taxes.

The standoff has sparked outrage from comedian Jon Stewart and the veteran community, with activists staging a sit-in on the Capitol steps since Thursday.

Source: TEST FEED1

Robinhood lays off 23 percent of its staff, citing inflation

Financial services company Robinhood announced Tuesday it would be laying off 23 percent of its staff, citing inflation as one of the reasons for the move. 

CEO and co-founder Vlad Tenev said in a message to all employees that the company would be reorganizing into a general manager structure, which would affect all roles but particularly operations, marketing and program management functions.

The reorganization “will flatten hierarchies, reduce cross-functional dependencies, and remove redundant roles and positions,” while around 23 percent of roles will get cut.

The statement cited inflation and the crypto market crash as two of the major reasons for the job cuts, as those issues have reduced customer activity on the platform. 

The company cut 9 percent of jobs at the beginning of the year to combat costs at Robinhood, but the move “did not go far enough,” Tenev said. 

“In this new environment, we are operating with more staffing than appropriate. As CEO, I approved and took responsibility for our ambitious staffing trajectory – this is on me,” Tenev said. 

Tenev said the additional staffing in 2021 occurred because he believed the increased activity in the crypto and stock market from the pandemic would continue into 2022. 

Employees who get laid off will be allowed to stay employed until the beginning of October and will be given cash severance, payment of COBRA medical, dental and vision insurance premiums, and job search assistance.

“We know that this news is tough for all Robinhoodies, and we are also offering wellness support to those who would like it,” Tenev said. 

Robinhood’s announcement comes a week after Shopify said it was cutting 10 percent of its workforce.

Source: TEST FEED1

How to help pets beat the heat

With continued record-high temperatures affecting the planet, it’s crucial that we consider the needs of our pets who are particularly susceptible to heat stress. Regardless of the global warming phenomenon taking place, heat-related injuries, such as heatstroke, are issues veterinarians routinely encounter in our patients during the summer months. However, there are some essential steps that pet parents can take to keep their furry loved ones safe and avoid emergency hospital visits.

Heatstroke in pets is a condition in which they become overheated, with their body temperatures rising to above 103 degrees Fahrenheit; if left untreated, this can lead to a life-threatening situation. Unlike humans who remove excess heat via sweating — a process enabling us to cool down through evaporating moisture from our skin — dogs dissipate heat by panting. The evaporation of moisture from their nose and lungs through rapid inhalation and exhalation allows them to eliminate heat.

When ambient temperatures are excessively high, however, with no availability of shade or colder indoor areas to retreat into, there is no amount of panting that can help cool affected pets. Moreover, this evaporative mechanism to eliminate heat is greatly hindered in high humidity. This is why veterinarians stress the importance of keeping pets inside during hotter periods of the day, as well as ensuring access to shade and plentiful water sources. 

By the same token, leaving dogs locked inside cars, even with windows cracked open, is unanimously condemned by veterinarians. Within a mere 10 minutes, the temperature inside a car on an 85-degree day can rapidly rise to 102 degrees — so, even quickly popping into the store and leaving your pet in the car is not advisable. If a dog is confined inside these oven-like conditions, they are unable to compensate, and the ensuing dehydration and internal organ damage can result in a medical emergency and tragic fatalities.  

“Brachycephalic” or “flat-faced” breeds, such as pugs and bulldogs, are particularly vulnerable to heat stress due to the shortened snout and thus reduced capacity for temperature regulation via panting. Pets with pre-existing respiratory or cardiac disease, as well as overweight and senior pets are also higher-risk candidates. Therefore, even greater care needs to be taken noting the warning signs of distress in these patients and avoiding liable situations.

While it is beneficial to maintain our pets’ exercise routines for optimal health, the hottest periods of the day can pose significant risks for heatstroke and should be avoided. Exercising your pet during intense periods of sunlight or high temperatures can dangerously overexert them. So, limiting outdoor exercise in these conditions should be prioritized. It is also important to note that prolonged sun exposure can place them at greater risk of sun damage leading to skin cancer; just like in humans, melanoma is a cancer that can adversely affect our pets. 

If bringing pets out for walking, it is essential to consider the impact of concrete and asphalt surfaces exposed to the scorching sun. Contrary to popular belief, our pets’ seemingly resilient paws are rather sensitive and liable to physical insults, including heat injuries. Therefore, my recommendation would be feeling the pavement with the back of your hand prior to walking, to determine whether it is an appropriately safe temperature and thereby protecting their paws from potential harm.

Pets often struggle to show or tell us when they are experiencing discomfort, so it is important to look out for tell-tale warning signs of heat stroke; these can include excessive panting and labored breathing, restlessness, dizziness, rapid heart rate, lethargy, lack of responsiveness to stimulation, a glazed-over facial expression, collapse and even seizures. 

If you notice your pet experiencing possible signs of heat stress, it is important to implement cooling methods such as providing cold water to drink, applying cold soaked towels to their paws and skin, keeping them inside air-conditioned spaces, and immediately consulting with your veterinarian. Any critical signs of heat stroke, such as a lack of responsiveness or collapse, warrants immediate veterinary attention; time is of the essence and rushing them directly to the hospital for emergency treatments could save your pet’s life.

This summer season has had an impact on us all, but our pets rely entirely on pet parents being as informed as possible about these dangers. With a little knowledge, and these simple veterinary tips, you can help safeguard your beloved pets from the most preventable causes of heat injuries.

Dr. Sy Woon is a practicing veterinarian and is one of the Florida state representatives for the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, as well as founder of PetParentsPro Studios, a video platform designed to deliver free education to pet parents.

Source: TEST FEED1

Federal student loans are costing the government billions, report finds

When the federal government began directly lending to students that needed loans to finance higher education, they expected the venture would generate billions of dollars in income. However, over 20 years later that estimate hasn’t come to fruition — Instead a new report shows federal student loans are expected to cost the government billions. 

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a bleak report that found after programmatic changes, including the current moratorium on payments for all federal student loans, and economic factors were taken into account, federal direct student loans will cost the federal government $197 billion. 

That’s a swing of $311 billion, since the Department of Education originally estimated federal direct loans made in the last 25 years to generate $114 billion in income — through loan payments, fees and accrued interest. 

GAO found that at one point the Education Department estimated a profit from federal student loans because from 2009 to 2019 it was charging higher interest rates than it cost the government to borrow that loan money. However, after its analysis of loans dispersed from 1997 to 2021, GAO said it will actually cost the government $197 billion. 

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The cost discrepancies vary because the federal direct loan program has drastically changed in the last decade and the COVID-19 pandemic completely froze nearly all federal student loan payments for over two years. 

It started under former president Trump through the CARES Act, which included a moratorium on all federal student loan payments and prevented interest from accruing. It was later extended several times over the past two years under two different presidencies — and that cost the federal government $102 billion, from March 13, 2020 to April 30, 2022. 

The Education Department has also made significant modifications to its income-based repayment (IDR) plan, which allows borrowers to make loan payments based on their current income and family size, typically offering lower monthly payments than a standard 10-year repayment plan. Any loan balances that aren’t repaid after 20 to 25 years of qualifying payments are 100 percent forgiven. 

IDR plans have grown in popularity among borrowers, with GAO revealing the percentage of payments made as part of IDR plans has steadily grown since 2013, with 47 percent of total direct loan dollars in repayment coming from IDR plans in 2022 — compared to 53 percent coming from all other loan repayment plans. 

Notably, IDR plans are sensitive to the current economic environment, like income growth and inflation. GAO found that when income grows at a slower rate, borrowers’ loan payments decrease — which in turn increases the government cost. 

Inflation is something the U.S. has been struggling with since the beginning of the year, with June experiencing a 9.1 percent inflation rate annually, with everything from gas to food and energy prices rising to record highs.  

The Education Department has also discharged around $16 billion in loans from more than 680,000 borrowers — with the federal government essentially eating the cost of those loans and forgoing potential profit. 

President Biden might discharge even more, indicating he’s in favor of forgiving $10,000 in debt per borrower but has not issued a final decision yet. In the meantime, Democrats have been urging the president to once again extend the current pause on student loan payments — which are scheduled to resume on Sept. 1. 

Source: TEST FEED1

Dee Snider rips Kari Lake as ‘fascist moron’ over Twister Sister hit

Dee Snider is ripping Arizona GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake as a “fascist moron” for quoting a Twisted Sister song and reportedly playing it at her rallies.

A Twitter account describing itself as Lake’s official campaign tweeted out the lyrics to the band’s 1984 hit, “We’re Not Gonna Take it” this week.

But 67-year-old Snider quickly condemned Lake’s campaign for borrowing his tune.

“Hey idiots! Read the 1st line: ‘We’ve got the right to choose!’ This is a PRO-CHOICE anthem you or co-opting. [sic] It was NEVER intended for you fascist morons,” Snider wrote to his more than 300,000 Twitter followers.

“As the songwriter and singer I DENOUNCE EVERYTHING [Lake] STANDS FOR!” Snider wrote.

“Write your own damn song!” he said.

Asked if he planned on filing a copyright lawsuit after Lake reportedly played “We’re Not Gonna Take it” at campaign events, Snider replied in a tweet that he wouldn’t try to stop someone who he disagrees with from playing the song unless “they are using it without permission for commercial use — that’s different.”

“I WILL denounce them,” he wrote.

Calling Lake an “ignoramus” and saying he abhors what she stands for, Snider wrote, “I can NOT legally or morally stop her from using or singing my song. I write it for everyone…cherry picking who uses it is censorship.”

Lake’s campaign responded to Snider in a tweet, saying, “The subtext in your song is very clear to us.”

“We’ve got the right to choose to vote for [Lake,]” her campaign said. “It’s a timeless song.”

It’s not the first time that “We’re Not Gonna Take it” has caught the ear of a political candidate.

In 2015, Snider, a former “Celebrity Apprentice” contestant, said he gave permission to then GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump to use the band’s famed song on the campaign trail.

“I said, ‘Look, we don’t see eye-to-eye on everything — there are definitely issues that we’re far apart on,’” Snider said at the time.

“But thinking back to when I wrote the song and what the song is about, it’s about rebellion, speaking your mind and fighting the system.” 

“If anyone is doing that, he sure is,” Snider said.   

Snider later expressed fierce opposition to Trump, saying in 2020 that the country should “get this president out of office at all costs.”

Source: TEST FEED1

Petitions urging Romney to codify marriage equality signed by ‘hundreds’ of Utahns

Petitions reportedly signed by hundreds of voters in Utah were delivered to Sen. Mitt Romney’s (R) office in downtown Salt Lake City on Monday urging the senator to vote in favor of legislation that would codify the right to same-sex marriage.

Signatures of “hundreds” of Utahns were collected and delivered to Romney’s office in an effort organized by the Human Rights Campaign and Equality Utah, two LGBTQ+ advocacy groups. An additional 4,000 constituent contacts to Romney have been made in recent days, including phone calls and letters, the groups said Monday.

The Human Rights Campaign did not immediately respond to questions from Changing America about the petitions, which urge Romney to back the Respect for Marriage Act that was passed by the House in July.

The legislation would officially repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) – the 1996 law that defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman – and require federal recognition for same-sex and interracial marriages nationwide.

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Romney has not yet indicated which way he will vote on the bill, but told reporters on Tuesday that he is “looking into protections for religion” as he considers his position. The senator last month said he believes the measure is unnecessary because same-sex marriage is already protected by the Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges.

“We all know what the law is and I don’t see the law changing, so it’s not something I’m giving consideration to at this stage,” he said, but added that he would focus on the proposal “if it comes our way.”

But lawmakers backing the legislation have expressed a desire to move quickly, citing a suggestion made by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas last month that the court’s decisions in landmark cases including Obergefell should be revisited.

“We cannot sit idly by as the hard-earned gains of the equality movement are systematically eroded,” Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), who is sponsoring the Respect for Marriage Act, said last month.

The measure has garnered support from both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate, but a number of key GOP senators, including Romney, have yet to say whether they will approve the legislation.

The measure passed overwhelmingly in the House with 47 Republican votes, including all four of Utah’s Republican representatives.

Source: TEST FEED1

Growing disconnects between citizens and legislators endanger US democracy

Disconnects between the majority of Americans and U.S. policies across many issues are becoming increasingly worrisome for the country.

These disconnects reflect troubling shortcomings in the nation’s political, legislative and legal systems. They are contributing to growing national dissatisfaction, frustration and anger and foretell serious challenges ahead for the 246-year-old democracy.

On the paramount issue of climate change, one poll shows a majority of Americans, 60 percent, are alarmed or concerned about it, viewing climate change as a major threat to the well-being of America. A 2020 Pew Research poll says approximately two-thirds of Americans say the federal government is doing too little to reduce climate change’s effects. A separate poll shows more than 60 percent of Americans disagreed with the recent Supreme Court decision on the Environmental Protection Agency regulating carbon pollution. 

The Pew Research poll found a large majority of Americans, nearly 80 percent, said the priority for the country’s energy supply should be the development of alternative sources of energy, such as wind and solar. Other measures to address climate change supported by majorities include carbon capture tax credits, tougher restrictions on power plant carbon emissions, taxing corporations based on their carbon emissions and tougher fuel efficiency standards for cars. 

Regarding voting, a poll by Data for Progress shows that 70 percent of Americans support voting rights with equal access for all eligible voters. To pass voting rights legislation, slightly more than half of voters, 53 percent, support altering the Senate’s 60-vote threshold to a simple majority. The majority of the public wishes to ensure that every American who wants to vote can do so easily, with nearly 80 percent adding that voters should be required to show government-issued photo identification whenever they vote, according to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist survey. Also, the Data for Progress poll shows majorities of Americans favor national standards for ballot access, banning partisan congressional gerrymandering and preventing efforts to subvert election results.

However, some government officials have said that expanding voting will hurt their party’s election prospects. 

Concerning the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, a Quinnipiac University poll shows nearly two-thirds of Americans, 64 percent, believe the attack was planned rather than spontaneous. Also, 59 percent say former president Trump bears a measure of responsibility for the calamity that ensued. 

In an ABC/Ipsos poll, a similar majority, 60 percent, view the investigation by the Jan. 6 House Select Committee as fair and impartial. 

However, some in Congress and former president Trump wish to downplay the worst domestic attack on Congress in 200 years, even reinterpreting it as a normal tourist visit and normal political discourse. 

Concerning taxes, a 2017 Pew Research poll showed that 56 percent consider the federal tax system to be complex, incomprehensible, and unfair. Also, 60 percent believe that corporations and wealthy people don’t pay their fair share of taxes. Most Americans say they are bothered a lot by the inherent unfairness in the tax system that favors the wealthy and large corporations. 

An April 2021 Gallup poll shows the majority of Americans, nearly 60 percent, are in favor of gun control. A Pew Research Center Poll from last year shows the majority also supports several gun control proposals, including background checks for all gun purchases, bans on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, registration of privately owned guns with the police, mental health restrictions on gun purchases and a 30-day waiting period for all gun sales. The bipartisan gun bill recently signed into law expands background checks and devotes funding toward mental health resources, but falls short of the measures that the majority of Americans support.

Regarding immigration, a majority of Americans, 58 percent, are dissatisfied with current immigration levels, with many wishing to see less immigration, according to a Gallup poll. In addition, a poll conducted by the Cato Institute shows a larger majority of Americans, 71 percent, say it is unacceptable for people to illegally immigrate to the U.S. 

Various administrations of both parties have stressed that while America is a nation of immigrants, it is also a nation of laws and its border is closed to irregular migration. Nevertheless, the government’s de facto policies both internally and at its borders continue to attract unauthorized migrants.

With respect to family issues and equal rights for women, majorities of Americans again feel disconnected from government policies and the recent reproductive rights decision of the Supreme Court. 

A 2020 Pew Research poll showed 79 percent of Americans support gender equality, with 57 percent saying it hasn’t gone far enough and 78 percent favoring adding the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the Constitution. 

Nevertheless, some in Congress oppose proposed legislation advancing women’s equality.

Large majorities of American voters, 78 percent of Republican voters and 93 percent of Democratic voters, say they want subsidized child care programs for working families. Moreover, majorities support tax credits to help working families pay for childcare. 

Yet this year, Congress allowed an expanded child tax credit that lifted more than 3 million children out of poverty to expire. 

Concerning reproduction, an estimated 96 percent of voters support the right of Americans to purchase and use contraceptives without government interference. That right, established by the Supreme Court’s decisions in the 1960s, overturned statutes that prohibited any person from using any drug, medicinal article or instrument for the purpose of preventing conception.

Recently, however, some states are considering legislation to limit access to birth control methods. Following the recent Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v Wade, some believe that efforts will be advanced to limit access to contraception.

On abortion, a consistent majority of Americans, about 62 percent, support a woman’s right to an abortion, per Pew Research. An even larger majority of Americans, 70 percent, did not want the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v Wade. 

Noteworthy disconnects also exist between what people in many states want and the antiabortion laws that their legislatures have adopted. Majorities in many of those states with antiabortion laws support a woman’s right to an abortion. In addition, 78 percent of Americans oppose making it illegal for a woman to cross state lines to obtain an abortion.

Regarding LGBTQ rights, a June Gallup poll shows a majority of Americans, 71 percent, support same-sex marriage. Recently, however, a Supreme Court justice and some members of Congress have indicated that the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in  Obergefell v. Hodges that legalized same-sex marriage was wrong and may be revisited because the right is not rooted in the U.S. Constitution.

In sum, worrisome disconnects on many important issues are evident between the views of America’s majorities and the divergent positions of many elected and appointed government officials. Those disconnects portend serious challenges for the future of America’s democracy.

Joseph Chamie is a consulting demographer, a former director of the United Nations Population Division and the author of numerous publications on population issues, including his recent book, “Births, Deaths, Migrations and Other Important Population Matters.”

Source: TEST FEED1

DOD 'wiped' phones of Trump-era leaders, erasing Jan. 6 texts

The Department of Defense (DOD) failed to retain text messages from a number of its top officials relating to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot because it wiped their phones during the transition, a watchdog group that sued for the records disclosed Tuesday.

American Oversight filed a public records request for the communications of former acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller and former Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy in the days after the attack on the Capitol.

But they were informed during litigation that the records were not preserved.

“DOD and Army conveyed to Plaintiff that when an employee separates from DOD or Army he or she turns in the government-issued phone, and the phone is wiped. For those custodians no longer with the agency, the text messages were not preserved and therefore could not be searched,” the agencies wrote in a March court filing.

The disclosure follows news that numerous officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also had their messages erased during the transition, including former acting Secretary Chad Wolf and his deputy Ken Cuccinelli. Both had their phones reset following the inauguration, losing any texts from Jan. 6 in the process.

The inspector general at DHS also notified Congress last month that text messages from Jan. 5 and Jan. 6 were “erased” as part of a device replacement program.

The Secret Service contends any text messages that might be missing were lost through a software transition.

The effort to obtain Pentagon texts could have shed light on why the National Guard faced delays in getting approval to go to the Capitol as it was under siege.

The suit sought the military leaders’ communications with former President Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence and Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows. The request also asked for communications from Kash Patel, Miller’s chief of staff; Paul Ney, the Defense Department general counsel; and James E. McPherson, the Army’s general counsel.

Patel was also subpoenaed by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

American Oversight sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate, noting that each official’s phone appears to have been wiped after their records request was filed.

“DOD has apparently deleted messages from top DOD and Army officials responsive to pending FOIA requests that could have shed light on the actions of top Trump administration officials on the day of the failed insurrection,” Heather Sawyer, the groups executive director, wrote in the letter, referring to the Freedom of Information Act.

“American Oversight accordingly urges you to investigate DOD’s actions in allowing the destruction of records potentially relevant to this significant matter of national attention and historical importance.”

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while the Justice Department declined to comment.

It’s the second time in less than a week that Garland has been called upon to intervene in a Jan. 6-related matter.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) penned a letter to the attorney general last week asking him to review what he called “the destruction of evidence” at DHS. Durbin also asked Garland to “step in and get to the bottom of what happened to these text messages and hold accountable those who are responsible.”

Source: TEST FEED1