Short Takes – 4-21-25

GOP lawmakers running out of options to pay for Trump’s costly agenda. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “The most ambitious plan floated so far, to reduce Medicaid spending by hundreds of billions of dollars, now appears all but dead after a dozen House Republicans informed their leadership this week that they would not support a bill that includes any reduction in Medicaid coverage to vulnerable populations.”

Francis, the First Latin American Pope, Dies at 88. NYTimes.com article (free). Pull quote: “Some of Francis’ defenders argued that his ambiguities and incrementalisms reflected a strategy to build a consensus for a larger, longer-lasting project — that of creating a more collegial church that shifted power away from Rome to local bishops and priests in the trenches.”

Hegseth Said to Have Shared Attack Details in Second Signal Chat. NYTimes.com article (free). Pull quote: “Unlike the chat in which The Atlantic was mistakenly included, the newly revealed one was created by Mr. Hegseth. It included his wife and about a dozen other people from his personal and professional inner circle in January, before his confirmation as defense secretary, and was named “Defense | Team Huddle,” the people familiar with the chat said. He used his private phone, rather than his government one, to access the Signal chat.”

Agencies will still see strict limits on recruitment once hiring freeze expires in July. FederalNewsNetwork.com article. Pull quote: “But even after the hiring freeze lifts later this summer, agencies will still be limited in how many new employees they can hire, and how many new positions they can create. The White House said it will cap agencies to one new hire for every four federal employees who leave the civil service.”

How Hackers Use Hidden Text in Emails to Bypass Security Filters. I-HLS.com article. Pull quote: “Cisco Talos, which has been tracking these emerging threats, reports a rise in the use of text salting since mid-2024. Hackers use this technique to achieve three main goals: avoid detection by keyword-based spam filters, confuse language detection systems, and prevent security tools from decoding and analyzing malicious attachments.”

Interview With Lesley Carhart - Principal Industrial Incident Responder at Dragos. SafetyDetectives.com blog post. Pull quote: “What I want people to understand is how different that space is. Almost every organization has industrial control systems (ICS) in their environment. Even if it’s just data centers with big air conditioners or buildings with elevators and water systems—those are all ICS.” Lots of other critical points, but this has widespread implications.

Taking ‘remote care’ to new heights — how space can shape the future of healthcare. Spacenews.com article. Pull quote: “The lessons learned and technologies developed for space missions like Artemis are not only advancing human exploration beyond our planet but are also paving the way for a new era in healthcare here on Earth. By integrating real-time data monitoring, AI-guided interventions and seamless communication across vast distances, HERMES is laying the foundation for a more responsive, efficient and accessible healthcare system for high-risk environments. From remote expeditions to everyday medical care, the advancements we make in space will have far-reaching implications for the future of healthcare on Earth.”