Lawmakers introduce bill to protect children's privacy online

A pair of bipartisan lawmakers on Thursday introduced a bill to protect children's privacy online, responding to growing concern that minors are being manipulated and exploited on the Internet without any recourse in existing law.

The Preventing Real Online Threats Endangering Children Today (PROTECT) Kids Act, introduced by Reps. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) and Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), would strengthen a decades-old children's online privacy law to account for new innovations in technology and close loopholes that leave teenagers exposed.

"Children today are more connected online and face dangers that we could not have imagined years ago," Walberg said in a statement. “While advancements in technology allows for many benefits, it also poses a risk for our kids."

The bill would update the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, a 1998 statute that provides safeguards around how and when websites are allowed to collect personal information about children under the age of 13. While COPPA was originally hailed as an unprecedented win for children's privacy advocates, lawmakers over the past year have started to seriously consider whether it needs to be updated and the agency in charge of implementing it – the Federal Trade Commission – has initiated a review into whether it needs to be modernized.

“In the past, predators and perpetrators sought to harm our children by lurking near schoolyards and playgrounds, but now — due to incredible advancements in technology — they are able to stalk our children through their mobile devices and in video game lobbies," Rush said in a statement.

The PROTECT Kids Act would allow parents to delete any personal information websites have collected about their children and expand the categories of personal information protected by the law to include a child's specific location and biometrics. Biometrics include information about children's bodies including their faces, fingerprints, and DNA.

The bill would also raise the age of children protected by COPPA. Whereas right now, only children under the age of 13 fall under the law's protection, the new bill would extend parental consent protections to all children under 16.

Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) have been working on a separate and hopeful effort to update COPPA in the upper chamber. Hawley and Markey's so-called "COPPA 2.0" would also raise the age of children protected under the law and offer parents an "eraser button" to remove their children's data from particular services.

Bipartisan senators have raised the possibility that elements of Hawley and Markey's "COPPA 2.0" could make it into a comprehensive federal privacy bill, which could emerge as soon as this year.

A spokesman for Rush told The Hill in an email that "while the bills do share some similarities," the House bill represents "a separate effort."

https://thehill.com/policy/technology/477569-lawmakers-introduce-bill-to-protect-childrens-privacy-online

https://walberg.house.gov/sites/walberg.house.gov/files/PROTECTKidsAct.pdf

Needs to be combed through…

How about including adults as well??

FB, google, apple, microsoft, etc…

Privacy should be top of the pile…

Pelosi vows vote to end 2002 Iraq War authorization

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday that the House will soon vote to repeal a 2002 resolution that empowered the Pentagon to conduct military operations in Iraq.

Earlier in the week, Pelosi said the House "may" vote on Rep. Barbara Lee's (D-Calif.) resolution to repeal the resolution, known as an authorization for use of military force (AUMF), that governed the Iraq War. On Thursday, Pelosi was more concrete, saying the vote is imminent.

"We will have that resolution coming up soon under the leadership of congresswoman Barbara Lee," Pelosi said during a press briefing in the Capitol.

The comments came just hours before the House was scheduled to vote on a separate resolution designed to limit President Trump's unilateral military confrontations with Iran. That measure, sponsored by Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), is a response to Trump's decision last week to launch a drone strike in Baghdad that killed a top Iranian security commander.

Slotkin's resolution is non-binding, meaning it would not be sent to the White House for the president's signature and does not carry the force of law. Pelosi defended that strategy on Thursday, saying she didn't want to give Trump the opportunity to veto the measure.

"We're taking this path because it does not require … a signature of the president," she said. "This is a statement of the Congress of the United States, and I will not have that statement be diminished by whether the president will veto it or not."

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/477568-pelosi-vows-vote-on-bill-to-end-2002-iraq-war-authorization

See how POTUS is getting them to end the ENDLESS wars… bwhaha

Stable Genius will be a historical term of description for President Donald J. Trump.

https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1214911382891745280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1214911382891745280&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rt.com%2Fnews%2F477780-pakistan-peace-war-iran-us%2F

>>7763653

Regardless of being non-binding… reading between the lines.

>resolution to repeal the resolution, known as an authorization for use of military force (AUMF), that governed the Iraq War.

>Slotkin's resolution is non-binding, meaning it would not be sent to the White House for the president's signature and does not carry the force of law. Pelosi defended that strategy on Thursday, saying she didn't want to give Trump the opportunity to veto the measure.

She isn't wanting to send it to Trump because he WOULD sign it… and the gravy train the Iraq war has provided will be over.

POTUS will use this to bend her over backwards again…

Queens Woman Sentenced to 15 Years’ Imprisonment for Teaching and Distributing Information About Weapons of Mass Destruction

Asia Siddiqui and Her Co-Defendant Planned to Build Explosive or Destructive Devices Similar to those Used in Prior U.S.-Based Terrorist Attacks

Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, Asia Siddiqui was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment by United States District Judge Sterling Johnson Jr. for her role in planning to build a bomb for use in a terrorist attack in the United States. Siddiqui and her co-defendant, Noelle Velentzas, pleaded guilty on Aug. 23, 2019, to a charge of teaching or distributing information pertaining to the making and use of an explosive, destructive device, or weapon of mass destruction in furtherance of a planned federal crime of violence. Velentzas is awaiting sentencing.

“With the sentence imposed by the court, Siddiqui has been held accountable for her crimes. Inspired by radical Islam, Siddiqui and her co-defendant researched and taught each other how to construct bombs to be used on American soil against law enforcement and military targets,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers. “They were thwarted by the excellent work of the agents, analysts and prosecutors who are responsible for this investigation and prosecution. For this, we are grateful.”

“Lives were saved when the defendants’ plot to detonate a bomb in a terrorist attack was thwarted by the tireless efforts of law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Richard P. Donoghue for the Eastern District of New York. “This is precisely the reason why countering terrorism remains the highest priority of the Department of Justice, and working with the FBI, the NYPD and our Joint Terrorism Task Force partners, we will continue to do everything possible to stay steps ahead of aspiring terrorists and their evil plans to harm Americans.”

“Asia Siddiqui and co-defendant Noelle Velentzas were more than prepared to kill Americans and fellow New Yorkers. Thanks to the dedicated work of the FBI’s JTTF in New York and our many law enforcement partners, they never succeeded. Today, Siddiqui’s fate has been sealed as we await one final sentencing that will decisively bring this case to a close,” said FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney.

“Today’s sentencing is a strong and timely reminder that the NYPD and its partners in law enforcement will never stop pursuing those who, if undetected, would plan and execute acts of terrorism in the United States,” said NYPD Commissioner Dermot F. Shea. “I want to thank the members of the Department of Justice, the FBI and the NYPD for their work each and every day and on this investigation.”

Between approximately 2013 and 2015, Siddiqui and Velentzas planned to build a bomb for use in a terrorist attack in the United States. In furtherance of their plan, the defendants taught each other chemistry and electrical skills related to creating explosives and building detonating devices, conducted research on how to make plastic explosives and how to build a car bomb, and shopped for and acquired materials to be used in an explosive device. They discussed similar devices used in past terrorist incidents like the Boston Marathon bombing, Oklahoma City bombing, and 1993 World Trade Center attack and researched potential targets of an attack, focusing on law enforcement and military-related targets.

Siddiqui’s interest in violent terrorist-related activities was reflected in her written submissions to a radical jihadist magazine edited by Samir Khan — a now- deceased prominent figure and member of the designated foreign terrorist organization al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). In a poem called “Take Me to the Lands Where the Eyes Are Cooled,” Siddiqui wrote that she “taste[s] the Truth through fists and slit throats” and that there is “[n]o excuse to sit back and wait – for the skies rain martyrdom.”

When the defendants were arrested, law enforcement officers seized propane gas tanks, soldering tools, car bomb instructions, jihadist literature, machetes and several knives from their residences.

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/queens-woman-sentenced-15-years-imprisonment-teaching-and-distributing-information-about

Justice Department Recovers over $3 Billion from False Claims Act Cases in Fiscal Year 2019

The Department of Justice obtained more than $3 billion in settlements and judgments from civil cases involving fraud and false claims against the government in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2019, Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division announced today. Recoveries since 1986, when Congress substantially strengthened the civil False Claims Act, now total more than $62 billion.

“The significant number of settlements and judgments obtained over the past year demonstrate the high priority this administration places on deterring fraud against the government and ensuring that citizens’ tax dollars are well spent,” said Assistant Attorney General Hunt.

See link below for more read…

Health Care Fraud

Reflecting the department’s commitment to holding drug companies accountable for their role in the opioid crisis, two of the largest recoveries involving the health care industry this past year came from opioid manufacturers. In one matter, as part of a global resolution of criminal and civil claims, Insys Therapeutics paid $195 million to settle civil allegations that it paid kickbacks to induce physicians and nurse practitioners to prescribe Subsys for their patients. The kickbacks allegedly took the form of sham speaker events, jobs for the prescribers’ relatives and friends, and lavish meals and entertainment. The government also alleged that Insys improperly encouraged physicians to prescribe Subsys for patients who did not have cancer, and lied to insurers about patients’ diagnoses to ensure payment by federal healthcare programs. In another matter, Reckitt Benckiser Group plc paid a total of $1.4 billion to resolve criminal and civil liability related to the marketing of the opioid addiction treatment drug Suboxone, which is a formulation of the opioid buprenorphine. As part of the resolution, RB Group paid $500 million to the United States to resolve civil allegations that it directly or through subsidiaries promoted Suboxone to physicians who were writing prescriptions for uses that were unsafe, ineffective, and medically unnecessary; promoted Suboxone Film using false and misleading claims that it was less susceptible to diversion, abuse, and accidental pediatric exposure than other buprenorphine products; and took steps to delay the entry of generic competition in order to improperly control pricing of Suboxone.

See link below for more read…

Procurement Fraud

In the past year, the department also pursued a variety of fraud matters involving the government’s purchase of goods and services. For example, five South Korea-based companies – SK Energy Co. Ltd., GS Caltex Corporation, Hanjin Transportation Co. Ltd., Hyundai Oilbank Co. Ltd. and S-Oil Corporation – agreed to resolve allegations that they engaged in anticompetitive conduct targeting contracts to supply fuel to the U.S. military in South Korea and made false statements to the government in connection with their agreement not to compete. The United States Department of Defense paid substantially more for fuel supply services in South Korea than it would have absent collusion on the fuel supply contracts.

The Civil Division entered into a $34.6 million settlement with aluminum extrusion manufacturer Hydro Extrusion Portland Inc., formerly known as Sapa Profiles Inc. (SPI), to resolve SPI’s civil liability for causing a government contractor to invoice NASA and the Department of Defense’s Missile Defense Agency (MDA) for aluminum extrusions that did not comply with contract specifications. Government contractors purchased aluminum extrusions from SPI for use on rockets for NASA and missiles provided to the MDA. SPI provided those contractors with falsified certifications after altering the results of tensile tests designed to ensure the consistency and reliability of aluminum extrusions. Several of the rockets used by NASA crashed, resulting in the loss of the NASA payloads that they carried. SPI also resolved related criminal claims arising from the same conduct.

See link below for more read…

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-recovers-over-3-billion-false-claims-act-cases-fiscal-year-2019

Informants in Iraq, Syria helped U.S. kill Iran's Soleimani - sources

Iranian General Qassem Soleimani arrived at the Damascus airport in a vehicle with dark-tinted glass. Four soldiers from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards rode with him. They parked near a staircase leading to a Cham Wings Airbus A320, destined for Baghdad.

Neither Soleimani nor the soldiers were registered on the passenger manifesto, according to a Cham Wings airline employee who described the scene of their departure from the Syrian capital to Reuters. Soleimani avoided using his private plane because of rising concerns about his own security, said an Iraqi security source with knowledge of Soleimani’s security arrangements.

The passenger flight would be Soleimani’s last. Rockets fired from a U.S. drone killed him as he left the Baghdad airport in a convoy of two armored vehicles. Also killed was the man who met him at the airport: Abu Mahdi Muhandis, deputy head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), the Iraqi government’s umbrella group for the country’s militias.

The Iraqi investigation into the strikes that killed the two men on Jan. 3 started minutes after the U.S. strike, two Iraqi security officials told Reuters. National Security agents sealed off the airport and prevented dozens of security staff from leaving, including police, passport officers and intelligence agents.

The probe is being led by Falih al-Fayadh, who serves as Iraq’s National Security Adviser and the head of the PMF, the body that coordinates with Iraq’s mostly Shi’ite militias, many of which are backed by Iran and had close ties to Soleimani.

The National Security agency’s investigators have “strong indications that a network of spies inside Baghdad Airport were involved in leaking sensitive security details” on Soleimani’s arrival to the United States, one of the Iraqi security officials told Reuters.

The suspects include two security staffers at the Baghdad airport and two Cham Wings employees - “a spy at the Damascus airport and another one working on board the airplane,” the source said. The National Security agency’s investigators believe the four suspects, who have not been arrested, worked as part of a wider group of people feeding information to the U.S. military, the official said.

The two employees of Cham Wings are under investigation by Syrian intelligence, the two Iraqi security officials said. The Syrian General Intelligence Directorate did not respond to a request for comment. In Baghdad, National Security agents are investigating the two airport security workers, who are part of the nation’s Facility Protection Service, one of the Iraqi security officials said.

“Initial findings of the Baghdad investigation team suggest that the first tip on Soleimani came from Damascus airport,” the official said. “The job of the Baghdad airport cell was to confirm the arrival of the target and details of his convoy.”

In the hours after the attack, investigators pored over all incoming calls and text messages by the airport night-shift staff in search of who might have tipped off the United States to Soleimani’s movements, the Iraqi security officials said. National Security agents conducted hours-long interrogations with employees of airport security and Cham Wings, the sources said. One security worker said agents questioned him for 24 hours before releasing him.

For hours, they grilled him about who he had spoken or text with before Soleimani’s plane landed - including any “weird requests” related to the Damascus flight - and confiscated his mobile phone.

“They asked me a million questions,” he said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-security-soleimani-exclusive/exclusive-informants-in-iraq-syria-helped-u-s-kill-irans-soleimani-sources-idUSKBN1Z829L

Reuters trying to help with the 'investigation' on who helped tip off US MI should be noted as sedition NOT reporting…

They are putting people in danger that might have no involvement at all.