Short Takes – 12-4-24

Public Briefing on Changes to Advanced Computing and Semiconductor Manufacturing Items. Federal Register BIS meeting notice. Summary: “On December 2, 2024, the Office of the Federal Register posted for public inspection two related Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) rules: an interim final rule, “Foreign-Produced Direct Product Rule Additions, and Refinements to Controls for Advanced Computing and Semiconductor Manufacturing Items,” (RIN 0694-AJ74) and a final rule, “Additions and Modifications to the Entity List; Removals from the Validated End-User (VEU) Program” (RIN 0694-AJ77). This document announces that, on December 5, 2024, BIS will host a virtual public briefing on these rules. This document also provides details on the procedures for participating in the virtual public briefing.”

California Democrat Flips Seat in the Last House Race to Be Called. NYTimes.com article. Pull quote: “The race call came just short of a month after Election Day. California notably takes longer to tabulate votes because elections officials are flooded with mail-in ballots that must be inspected and verified. The state gives county offices weeks to complete their tallies and reach out to voters whose ballots may lack a proper signature.”

GOP lawmakers already divided over sweeping Trump policy bill. Politico.com article. Pull quote: ““You almost need a whiteboard for all the moving parts, because it’s more than just: Do you run two reconciliations for the two different open budget years, where this one’s more policy and this one is more tax, financial, debt, deficit-type issues? At the same time, are you also calculating your votes,” said Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), a Ways and Means member who argued it is less about people “fussing” with each other than the overall complexity of the process.”

New C-UAS System Can Detect 500 Targets at the Same Time. I-HLS.com article. Pull quote: “One of the standout features of the Cerberus XL is its modular design, which allows it to be adapted for use in air, ground, and maritime scenarios. Capable of detecting up to 500 simultaneous targets, the system is well-suited for applications at military bases, airports, seaports, borders, and other high-security areas. It also operates effectively in extreme conditions, ensuring consistent performance even in challenging environments. Teledyne FLIR highlights that the system is built to work alongside kinetic defeat solutions and uses advanced artificial intelligence (AI) to improve target identification accuracy.”

Trump picks billionaire Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. NBCNews.com article. Pull quote: “Isaacman, 41, is the founder and CEO of the payment processing company Shift4. He has flown to space twice on commercial SpaceX missions, but has not worked at NASA or in the federal government. Isaacman funded both of those spaceflights himself, for an undisclosed sum.”