[Music] This night vision video of a hot air balloon landing in a Lithuanian field, escalating tensions in a region already on the brink, even shutting down an airport over the weekend. But it's not carrying any passengers. Instead, large boxes of smuggled cigarettes, according to Lithuanian border officials.They say Bellar Russian smugglers have been sending balloons with contraband into Lithuania for years, but 18,000 packs of cigarettes have been confiscated just over the weekend. Saturday night, the bal ...

A federal prosecutor just fired by the Trump Justice Department has just written an open letter to his now former colleagues declaring that the president's efforts to punish his perceived enemies is putting American safety at risk. Michael Beneri, who led the National Security Union in the Eastern District of Virginia for about a decade, was dismissed hours after a right-wing activist falsely claimed he was part of quote internal resistance to the indictment of former FBI director James Comey. It's importan ...

National Security Concerns - The Trump administration officials' use of the Signal messaging app to share sensitive information raises concerns about national security [1][5] - The discussion of deploying the 82nd Airborne Division to Portland to handle protests is seen as a reckless use of military resources and a potential threat to national security [3][5] - Leaks of sensitive information and disclosures on Signal are ongoing issues within the administration [6][7] - Purging expertise from the federal government and intelligence community weakens national security [11][12][13] Incompetence and Accountability - Pete Hegseth and his team are accused of JV-level incompetence for discussing national security matters on an unsecured app in a public place [8] - Hegseth previously shared classified information with individuals lacking security clearance via text chain [9] - Hegseth is not taking responsibility for the disclosures, which would typically result in termination or prosecution in the military [10] Media and Leaks - Journalists are accused of soliciting classified information, leading to policy changes at the Pentagon [6] - The administration is considering using polygraphs to catch leakers [6]

Firefly Aerospace has agreed to buy defense analytics firm SciTec for about $855 million in cash and stock as the company tries to push deeper into the national security market. https://t.co/cvN6uRtcbh ...

Funding & Security Concerns - Loss of funding for counterterrorism efforts is viewed as catastrophic, endangering Americans nationwide [2][3] - New York City remains a top terrorist target, making funding cuts particularly detrimental [9][26] - Cuts jeopardize the partnership between the FBI and NYPD, crucial for counterterrorism due to NYPD's extensive street presence of 40,000 officers [12][13][15] - Federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against the funding withdrawal, citing potential retribution for sanctuary city policies [25] Program Evolution & Threat Landscape - Existing security initiatives (Urban Area Security Initiative and Homeland Security Grant Program) developed post-9/11 need to evolve to address targeted violence and changing threats [4][5] - Focus is shifting from foreign to domestic actors, impacting the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTF) [16][17] - Executive order broadens the definition of potential terrorists, raising concerns about civil rights and potential misuse [18][19][20] Political & Financial Implications - Funding cuts are perceived as politically motivated, potentially linked to immigration policy [6][7] - The White House may view federal dollars as fungible, expecting state and city to compensate for lost funding [8] - Loss of federal funding shifts the financial burden to New York taxpayers, requiring city budget allocation for counterterrorism efforts [27][28][29]

Funding & Security Concerns - The potential loss of $187 million in federal funding for the NYPD's counterterrorism efforts raises concerns about increased risk of terrorist attacks in New York City [1] - These federal funds are crucial for various counterterrorism measures, including bomb squads, heavy weapons patrols, critical response teams, radiation detection, intelligence analysts, camera systems, and active shooter training [3] - Without this funding, the city's ability to protect major events like FIFA World Cup, the 250th birthday of the country celebrations, Halloween parade, Thanksgiving Day parade, and New Year's Eve could be compromised [14][15] - The NYPD has thwarted attacks and identified 150 actionable leads, resulting in arrests or disruptions in multiple states and countries, highlighting the program's broader impact [8] Political & Legal Dimensions - The withholding of federal funding is viewed by some as politically motivated, potentially linked to the city's sanctuary status and a federal lawsuit [17] - The city is actively fighting to restore these federal funds, emphasizing that national security and public safety should not be subject to political considerations [18][19][20] Threat Environment & Prevention - The current threat environment is described as chaotic, dynamic, and fast-paced, requiring constant monitoring and adaptation [11][12] - The NYPD's strategy focuses on prevention, preemption, and mitigation of terrorist threats [9] - Maintaining a sense of security for New Yorkers is a key objective, but it should not lead to complacency about the ongoing threat [10][11]

Government Initiatives & Industry Support - The US government, through the Trump administration and Secretary Lethnik, aimed to bring domestic semiconductor manufacturing back to the US for economic, supply chain, and national security reasons [2][3][5] - The CHIPS Act and tariff proposals are complementary, with the CHIPS Act providing economic tools for capacity building and tariffs shifting demand to fill that capacity [4] - Government involvement is seen as necessary to bolster the semiconductor industry, although discussions with GlobalFoundries (GF) have not included the government taking an equity stake [6][7] Business Strategy & Market Dynamics - Businesses have the autonomy to choose how they satisfy customers based on their business and financial models [2][6] - GlobalFoundries (GF) is prepared to expand its manufacturing scale in the US [2] - Customers are recognizing the need to pull back from globalization to create a more balanced and resilient supply chain, with the US playing a more significant role [8] - GlobalFoundries (GF) will build at the rate and pace that customers need to bring domestic supply home [9] Capital Expenditure & Investment - GlobalFoundries (GF) has discussed a $16 billion capital expansion leveraging CHIPS funding and investment tax credits [10] - The pace of capital deployment is dependent on securing customer commitments to bring more supply back to the US [10]

National Security & Cryptography - Zero-knowledge proofs are fundamental for secure information sharing, especially for satellites and secure networks, to prevent adversarial operations like network interference or false information injection [2] - The intelligence apparatus uses technologies like stablecoins and Bitcoin as tools, while also working to disrupt adversaries' use of the same tools [1][2] - Cryptography and automation can improve KYC processes, ensuring user information is protected even if a product is hacked [2] - Verifying cryptographic proofs on national identities is foundational for national security, linking digital finance innovations to real people and countries under actual laws [2] Technology & Scalability - ZK proofs are becoming increasingly sophisticated and performant, requiring specialized systems and networks to handle the value chain [3] - The industry is shifting from 80% R&D and 20% application to 20% R&D and 80% application, focusing on getting products into the market [3] - Ziki Verify is designed for verifying cryptographic proofs at scale, aiming to be the world's best in speed and magnitude [3] - The company is processing approximately 135 million proofs per year and anticipates scaling to billions, requiring further advancements in dedicated infrastructure [6] Cost & Efficiency - Specialization and offloading computation from expensive networks like Ethereum can lead to significant cost reductions, potentially making certain types of proofs virtually costless [6] - The company advertises a 90% cost reduction relative to Ethereum for certain types of proofs [6] Applications & Future Trends - There's a growing need for private execution environments for AI, where algorithms can train on private data without public exposure, using cryptography to verify the data's authenticity [3][4] - Digital identity for machines is emerging as a significant category, ensuring authorized machines interact correctly and don't go off the rails [4] - The vision is to support trillions of cryptographic transactions due to the proliferation of intelligent devices, machines, and humans engaging in the digital world [5]

Following a call between President Trump and Chinese President Xiinping, our next guest says that a face-to-face meeting is unlikely to happen before next year. Joining us now to talk all things uh US and China, US ambassador to China, David Purdue. I know you look at him and you said, "No, he's CEO of Reebok." No, no, no. He's the CEO of Dollar General.No, no, no. He's a senator. No, he's uh you're you're ambassador to China now, but we know you with so many other hats.Um, Mr. . Ambassador, >> good in your ...

President Trump delivering a partisan address to hundreds of America's top military officials at a Marine Corps base in Quanico, Virginia yesterday. He spoke for over an hour, touching on a number of topics from conflicts overseas to wars he claims he's stopped. Trump also recounted familiar partisan complaints about President Biden as well as the 2020 election he lost to what he didn't like about how his predecessors walked downstairs to making Canada the 51st state.Really playing the hits. He also discuss ...