Short Takes – 5-23-23

Supreme Court punts Section 230 debate back to Congress. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “But the court resolved the cases against Twitter and Google on other grounds Thursday, leaving Section 230 unscathed until Congress acts or the high court takes up another case. And despite bipartisan criticism that the provision makes the tech industry unaccountable, lawmakers face a stalemate on how to reform it.”

Anti-Putin group claims it has ‘liberated’ town inside Russia’s Belgorod region. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “The rebel faction, the Freedom of Russia Legion, said it had liberated the town of Kozinka in the Belgorod region and its forces were now entering the town of Grayvoron along with another resistance group called the Russian Volunteer Corps.” How much is anti-Russian propaganda and how much is ground truth is not clear.

Ukrainian-Backed Troops Stage Cross-Border Incursion Into Russia. WSJ.com article. Pull quote: “The events on Monday echoed Russia’s covert invasion of Ukraine in 2014 when Russian troops without insignia appeared on Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. Putin denied they were Russians and said at the time that all the equipment they had could easily be bought in a military hardware store.” A slightly different take on ‘on Anti-Putin rebels’.

McCarthy: A debt deal could still pass by June 1. Politico.com article. Pull quote: “And while McCarthy has signaled the House could postpone its weeklong Memorial Day recess — which is slated to begin Friday — lawmakers in both parties will be eager to hit the exits on time. The Senate, while currently on recess, is set to return when it’s time to vote.”

Bolstering Cybersecurity in Navigation Systems. HomelandSecurityNewswire.com article. Pull quote: “With a broad coalition of university collaborators and industry advisers, Pervan and his team plan to approach the problem from several angles, including developing sophisticated algorithms that can tell the difference between authentic or spoofed GPS signals and improving GPS receivers by combining them with other types of sensors that are immune to jamming and spoofing.”

Russia’s Latest Sanctions on U.S. Officials Turn to Trump Enemies. NYTimes.com article. Pull quote: “None of them has anything to do with Russia policy, and the only evident reason they would have come to Moscow’s attention is because Mr. Trump has publicly assailed them. The Russian Foreign Ministry offered no specific explanation for why they would be included on the list but did say that among its targets were “those in government and law enforcement agencies who are directly involved in the persecution of dissidents in the wake of the so-called storming of the Capitol.”” Once again, sowing discord, just to keep things stirred-up.

Biden nominates Lt. Gen. Timothy Haugh to lead NSA, Cyber Command. Politico.com article. Pull quote: “The notice, obtained by POLITICO, was sent out on Monday and is titled “General Officer Nomination.” It announces that the president has nominated Haugh to the Senate for promotion to four-star general and assignment in the dual-hatted role.” Another military promotion to be blocked by Sen Tuberville (R,AL).

DOE pilots information-sharing effort with private industry to bolster energy sector cybersecurity. UtilityDive.com article. Pull quote: “The program has already helped to take threats developed from the Russia-Ukraine conflict and convert those into cyber advisories that were sent out to the entire energy sector, Kumar testified. However, Congress will ultimately need to step in to fully stand up the program, and the current plan calls for a 2027 launch.”