Viasat Identified as Victim in Sweeping Phone Hack Tied to China Viasat Inc. is the latest US communications company identified as a victim of the sweeping surveillance hack blamed on the Chinese government that emerged during last year’s presidential campaign, acc...

Double scoop : We got to talk to Brett Leatherman about his new role as head of the FBI's Cyber Division, and we broke the news of the latest Salt Typhoon victim to be identified, satellite comms company Viasat:

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Hegseth Targets Independent Pentagon Test Office for Major Cuts Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered staff cuts at the congressionally mandated Pentagon office that oversees tests of major weapons systems, to ensure they’re effective and maintainable, before bil...

Saving $30 million by reducing independent testing of weapons systems right before having a $45 million parade defies reason.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Pentagon Press Association calls Defense Secretary Hegseth’s access restrictions ‘a direct attack’ | CNN Business The sharp words from the Pentagon Press Association came after Hegseth announced “additional credentialing procedures for press at the Pentagon in the interest of national security.”

Journalists who cover the US military say they are extremely concerned by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's new restrictions on press access at the Pentagon – "a direct attack on the freedom of the press and America's right to know what its military is doing." Here's my latest story:

Anybody calling for political violence please unfollow so I don’t have to block you. My workplace has seen enough blood shed from crazy people. Two people are dead from a shooting blocks away last night.

Disturbing story about star journalist Wesley Lowery here. bsky.app/profile/colu...

Death of the Weather Forecast? All the news you need on the weather report.

I had @weatherwest.bsky.social on the show a few weeks ago to warn about what NOAA cuts might mean for storm season. I fear we are seeing the results. slate.com/podcasts/wha...

Romanian Centrist Leads Trump Ally in Vote, Exit Polls Show The centrist mayor of Bucharest took a lead in Romania’s presidential election, potentially quashing the ambitions of a far-right Donald Trump loyalist as authorities recorded the biggest turnout in a quarter century, exit polls show.

The centrist mayor of Bucharest took a lead in Romania’s presidential election, potentially quashing the ambitions of a far-right Donald Trump loyalist as authorities recorded the biggest turnout in a quarter century, exit polls show.

New York Republican Floats Higher Tax Rate to Pay for SALT A key House Republican who is pushing for a higher cap for state and local tax deductions sought to revive the idea of raising the top rate for high earners to help pay for President Donald Trump’s ta...

! Key New York Republican Proposes Higher Top Tax Rate to Pay for SALT, Cut Deficit www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

30 YEARS AGO TODAY: New York's Patrick Ewing hits the game-winning jumper with 1.8 seconds to go in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against Indiana. Ewing scored 19 PTS and John Starks had 15 PTS/7 AST in the Knicks' 96-95 victory, which cut the Pacers' series lead to 3-2.

May 17, 1995

U.S. Military Bans Men With Girl Names From Combat WASHINGTON—In a move that significantly restricts the eligibility of thousands of American troops to fight for their country on the front lines, senior U.S. military officials announced Wednesday that all men with girl names would now be forbidden from serving in combat roles. The ban, which goes into effect immediately, prohibits male personnel with clearly […]

U.S. Military Bans Men With Girl Names From Combat
theonion.com/u-s-mil...

D.H.S. Requests 20,000 National Guard Members to Help With Immigration Crackdown

"DHS Requests 20,000 National Guard Members to Help With Immigration Crackdown

The Defense Dept is reviewing the request. If approved, one official said, it would be the first time NG troops were used to help enforce an immigration crackdown" in the US
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/15/u...

Knicks vs. Celtics live updates: NBA playoffs reaction as New York steals dramatic Game 2 win in Boston Follow live reaction as the Knicks come back from a 20-point deficit again to win at TD Garden, lead the Eastern Conference semifinals 2-0

From @theathletic.bsky.social: The Knicks beat the Celtics, overcoming a 20-point deficit once again in their NBA playoff series to take a 2-0 lead.

DOD cyber policy nominee vows to ‘revaluate’ offensive cyber guardrails Katie Sutton, nominated to serve as assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy, told lawmakers that the U.S. needs to be able to effectively respond to cyberattacks.

Donald Trump’s pick to be the Defense Department’s next digital policy chief on Tuesday said she would reassess policies for offensive cyber operations to ensure DOD is keeping pace with the “exponential” changes to the domain.

On @therecordmedia.bsky.social

therecord.media/dod-cyber-po...

Trump to Propose Record $1.01 Trillion National Security Budget President Donald Trump will request a record $1.01 trillion in national security spending for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, more than 13% over the current year’s figure, according to administration officials familiar with the matter.

President Donald Trump will request a record $1.01 trillion in national security spending for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, sources say

The Trump administration's "firings, re-hirings, lost productivity and paid leave of thousands of workers will cost upward of $135 billion this fiscal year."

www.nytimes.com/2025/04/24/u...

Trump Is Acting as a Proxy for Putin His proposal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine isn’t a peace plan—it’s a reward for aggression.

Imagine America during the Korean War in 1950 telling the embattled southern forces after Pyongyang’s massive invasion that both sides “need to put down their weapons and build a better North and South Korea.”
Trump is acting as a de facto Russian ally.
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

“Worst April since 1932” says WSJ -

gift link and a few pictures of bread lines in NY from 1932
www.wsj.com/finance/inve...

Info Pete Hegseth shared with wife, brother came from top general’s secure messages Hegseth has denied the information he shared was classified, but it was given to him on a system for sensitive and classified information, sources told NBC News.

NEW: Pete Hegseth’s Signal chats about pending strikes in Yemen included information from a top general’s secure messages to him, three U.S. officials with direct knowledge tell NBC News.

Privatized Commissaries? Pentagon Looking to Turn Over Retail, Recreation Services to Companies The Pentagon’s newest push to trim its workforce and spending could mean that on-base grocery stores and shops designed to save service members and their families money could ultimately be sold off to...

Big one for military folks ...

Hegseth's Pentagon looking to hand on-base grocery stores and shops designed to save service members and their families money to the private sector.

Story by @ktoropin.bsky.social + @tomnovelly.bsky.social

Shakedown approaching a billion dollars

Space Force Commander in Greenland Sent Out Email Breaking with Vance After His Visit The emailed remarks, confirmed as accurate to Military.com by the Space Force, mark a rare pushback within the ranks of the Trump administration's repeated criticism and critiques of NATO members and ...

Just days after Vice President JD Vance's March visit to Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, the installation commander sent out an email to the base distancing it from Vance’s criticism of Denmark and its oversight of the territory, Military.com has learned.

Scoop from @tomnovelly.bsky.social

Haugh fired from leadership of NSA, Cyber Command The president dismissed Air Force Gen. Timothy Haugh as leader of U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, and reassigned another NSA senior leader to a post within the Pentagon.

President Donald Trump on Thursday fired Air Force Gen. Timothy Haugh as the head of U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, a move that could have lasting consequences for national security.

therecord.media/gen-timothy-...

“What a week I’m having!”

$TSLA

Chinese-Owned GNC Draws Fire Over US Military Base Presence House Armed Services Committee member Pat Harrigan (R-N.C.) has introduced legislation that essentially seeks to ban GNC from operating on military bases.

NEW:A congressman and former Army special operator is seeking to bar GNC from operating on US military bases, saying the supplements and wellness products retailer is a potential national security risk. GNC, now owned by a Chinese company is on ~85 bases:
news.bgov.com/bloomberg-go...

Hill wants $15 billion for weapons Pentagon didn't seek: report - Roll Call A new report from Taxpayers for Common Sense found that lawmakers pushed to add $15 billion the Pentagon didn't request to defense prorams.

NEW: The biggest source of congressional padding of the defense budget isn’t billion-dollar ships or jets. It’s $10 million here, $10 million there for military tech you’ve never heard of—and neither have a lot of Pentagon brass.

Susan Crawford, wearing a blue jacket and jeans, walking outside a polling station. A headline reads: "Susan Crawford’s Win Keeps Liberal Majority On Wisconsin Supreme Court." Photo by Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times.

Breaking News: Susan Crawford, a liberal judge, won a pivotal Wisconsin Supreme Court seat despite $25 million in spending by Elon Musk on her opponent. nyti.ms/4jbwPWD

US Business Put Spending Plans on Ice With Tariffs, Tax-Cut Wait President Donald Trump’s November election win drove a surge in business optimism and expectations for capital spending. Four months later, executives have shifted to wait-and-see mode.

BLOOMBERG: US businesses have put their spending and investment plans on ice amid uncertainty over Trump's tariffs and tax-cut plans. Surveys of businesses showed soaring optimism and bullish sentiments after his election, but have since dropped a lot. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Naval Academy Takes Steps to End Diversity Policies in Books and Admissions The defense secretary’s office has ordered that some books be removed from circulation in its library, and the academy has ended the use of affirmative action in admissions.

Naval Academy forced, by SECDEF personally, to remove nearly 1000 books seen as promoting diversity from its library, including MLKs autobiography or books about Jackie Robinson.

College students - and faculty - not allowed to read about MLK?

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/28/u...

Pete Hegseth Blows Into Breathalyzer To Unlock Phone WASHINGTON—Grumbling to himself as he repeatedly dropped the device, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was reportedly blowing into a Breathalyzer Thursday in an attempt to unlock his phone. “Stup...

Pete Hegseth Blows Into Breathalyzer To Unlock Phone

'Different Spanks for Different Ranks': Hegseth's Signal Scandal Would Put Regular Troops in the Brig Despite what amounts to among the most startling security snafus in recent memory -- one that would almost certainly trigger severe disciplinary action for lower-level personnel -- Hegseth and others ...

"How are soldiers supposed to interpret this?" an Army brigade commander said. "It's a cartoonish lapse in security."

Story by @stevenbeynon.bsky.social, @ktoropin.bsky.social, @dflawrence.bsky.social + @kheel.bsky.social