All posts tagged: pick

US surveillance law to expire for first time after lawmakers reject Trump’s controversial pick to lead spy agencies

US surveillance law to expire for first time after lawmakers reject Trump’s controversial pick to lead spy agencies

Published by skeptic

The House of Representatives has failed to renew the U.S. government’s warrant-less surveillance law before it is due to expire on Friday, all but guaranteeing that it will lapse for the first time, as lawmakers protest the appointment of a controversial Trump ally to oversee U.S. intelligence agencies. The House voted 218-198 on the bill, which needed a two-thirds majority to pass; 19 Republican lawmakers voted against it. According to Politico, the next vote is scheduled for June 23. The spy law, officially dubbed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), broadly allows U.S. intelligence agencies to collect vast amounts of information, including on Americans, to identify foreign hackers, spies and potential terrorists. Also known as Section 702 for its place in the law books, the regulation has been considered critical to national security by both Democrats and Republicans for years. Bipartisan efforts to renew the decades-old spy law stalled over recent weeks, and lawmakers were only able to pass short-term extensions to continue negotiations. Critics have been calling for overwhelming reform of FISA, citing abuses …

Trump to pick US attorney Jay Clayton for director of national intelligence | Donald Trump News

Trump to pick US attorney Jay Clayton for director of national intelligence | Donald Trump News

Published by Sam Flores

Nomination comes amid pushback over Trump’s selection of Bill Pulte as acting director of the agency. Published On 11 Jun 202611 Jun 2026 United States President Donald Trump has said he will nominate federal prosecutor Jay Clayton to be the next director of national intelligence (DNI). The announcement on Thursday comes amid pushback over Trump’s selection of Bill Pulte as the acting director to oversee the sprawling US intelligence community following Tulsi Gabbard’s resignation from the post. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Trump loyalist Pulte, the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, has no intelligence experience or military experience. Democrats vowed to withhold foreign intelligence powers if Trump did not name a new DNI, with a handful of Republicans calling on the president to change course. While Pulte was only selected in an acting capacity, he could technically remain in the role for 210 days after taking office. By not being officially nominated, he would have also circumvented Senate confirmation. In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump hailed Clayton, …

How Trump’s intel chief pick risks key spy tool : NPR

How Trump’s intel chief pick risks key spy tool : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Bill Pulte testifies before the Senate Banking Committee on Feb. 27, 2025. President Trump has picked Pulte to serve as acting director of national intelligence. Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images When President Trump named Bill Pulte to serve as acting director of national intelligence last week, it threw a grenade into the middle of delicate congressional negotiations around one of the nation’s key spy powers. Pulte, the 38-year-old director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, is best known for his role as a partisan attack dog for the president. He was a prominent advocate for Trump’s push to fire then-Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and used his sizable social media following to push for mortgage fraud investigations into Trump’s perceived enemies. As director of national intelligence, Pulte would oversee the entire U.S. intelligence apparatus. That includes the collection of hundreds of thousands of foreigners’ electronic communications under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, one of the nation’s most important surveillance tools. On Capitol Hill, where months-long negotiations over …

Trump Risks Key Surveillance Authority Over ‘Unqualified’ Spy-Chief Pick

Trump Risks Key Surveillance Authority Over ‘Unqualified’ Spy-Chief Pick

Published by skeptic

Cornyn said materials from Section 702 generate roughly 60 percent of the President’s Daily Brief, a figure Senate Judiciary chairman Chuck Grassley has also cited. Some Republicans dispute the catastrophe framing. Representative Keith Self of Texas called the warnings “hysteria,” arguing that other FISA authorities remain in force and that proponents should accept reforms such as a warrant requirement: “FISA isn’t going dark. We have the law. We have precedent from 2008. Don’t fall for the scare tactics.” The libertarian Cato Institute has made a similar point. “The [702] program has the FISA court’s permission to continue for another year, so it will continue whether we act or not,” said a senior Republican aide on a relevant committee. “None of the members saying the program is ending Friday will be claiming it’s actually dead on Monday—especially those on intel. They know better.” Hajar Hammado, a senior policy adviser at Demand Progress, was sharper still. “If Republican leadership actually believed their baseless fearmongering about security at the World Cup, then they would do what needs to …

Stargate superfans urge other streamers to pick up cancelled series after petition

Stargate superfans urge other streamers to pick up cancelled series after petition

Published by Daniella Wilson

After a petition was launched to save the axed Stargate series, the superfans behind it have spoken out on their hopes for the show – including their wish for another streamer to pick it up if Amazon don’t want to take it forward. Shane and Brian Montgomery, also known as the Popcast Brothers, have been campaigning for a new Stargate series since 2019 and, after news that Martin Gero’s revived series wouldn’t be moving forward at Amazon, created a petition which now has more than 60,000 signatures. Speaking exclusively to Radio Times, Shane said: “For a long time, we were fighting for Stargate to be brought back under original TV co-creator Brad Wright as Brad had been fighting to do new Stargate for years and he was the best person to bring back the franchise as it would respect what had come before. “When Amazon bought MGM, we continued championing for Brad, but when it was announced that Martin would showrun a new series, since Martin was also part of original Stargate, we got 100% …

Two pilots killed in plane crash en route to pick up former MLB star

Two pilots killed in plane crash en route to pick up former MLB star

Published by Sam Flores

An executive jet headed to Texas to pick up a former MLB star burst into flames Sunday during a rough landing, killing both pilots. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. The plane had just taken off from La Romana International Airport in the Dominican Republic with no passengers and was headed to Austin to pick up former MLB star Yadier Molina and his family. A few minutes into the flight, the pilots declared an in-flight emergency and turned back to attempt a landing. Video of the incident posted to X shows the jet skidding on the runway during landing before the nose of the plane bucks upward. When the plane’s nose falls back toward the runway, the plane catches fire and goes up in flames. The Dominican Institute for Civil Aviation said in a statement that the airplane declared an emergency when it was about 16 nautical miles southwest of La Romana. “The U.S.-registered aircraft, registered to an American aviation company, had two crew members aboard—the …

Republican Senators Warn Surveillance Program May Lapse After Trump Intel Pick Backlash

Republican Senators Warn Surveillance Program May Lapse After Trump Intel Pick Backlash

Published by Sam Flores

Sen. Tom Cotton, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sounded the alarm in a letter over the weekend after a failed procedural vote to extend the program. The senators urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also acts as the president’s National Security Advisor, to prepare “for a potential significant gap in foreign intelligence collection” if the authority expires. Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, set to lapse June 12, allows agencies including the CIA, National Security Agency and FBI to collect communications from foreign targets overseas without a warrant. In a response obtained by The Associated Press, Rubio replied to the senators that he understands the “political challenges” but said he is “deeply disappointed” that Democrats are opposing the legislation. “Allowing Section 702 to expire would have dire impacts on our ability to keep the nation secure,” Rubio wrote. Efforts to secure a long-term extension of the program already faced hurdles because of bipartisan concerns that the program can incidentally collect …

Senate Republican casts doubt on Pulte as long-term DNI pick

Senate Republican casts doubt on Pulte as long-term DNI pick

Published by Sam Flores

Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) on Sunday said Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte is “not qualified” to permanently serve as Director of National Intelligence, pointing to his lack of experience in the realm of national security.  “He’s not qualified for the long-term position, that’s been clear on this. He has no national security… Source link

If You Love He-Man, Pick Up These Fantasy Books

If You Love He-Man, Pick Up These Fantasy Books

Published by Jenni Sidey

By now, you have probably seen some promotion for the new He-Man movie, Masters of the Universe, which comes out June 5, 2026. It’s based on the famous Mattel action figures, which launched in 1982, followed by the animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe in 1983, and a live-action movie with Dolph Lundgren in 1987. If you’re not familiar with He-Man’s story, it’s a fantasy/sci-fi adventure about the weakling Prince Adam, who turns into the very muscular superhero He-Man when he raises the magical Sword of Power. He-Man and his friends must defend Castle Grayskull on the planet Eternia against the supervillain Skeletor and his cronies, who wish to have the castle and its secrets for themselves. There are many books about He-Man to be found, including a collection of the mini-comics that used to come with the action figures. (My favorite action figure was Skeltor’s mount, Panthor, which was originally made with a purple velvet pelt.) And there’s a new comic run coming soon, starting with He-Man and the Masters of …

Trump’s intelligence pick sparks rare MAGA media revolt

Trump’s intelligence pick sparks rare MAGA media revolt

Published by Sam Flores

When Tulsi Gabbard resigned as director of national intelligence in May, it was hard to imagine her replacement could be so much more unqualified. Gabbard spent her tenure waging turf wars with the CIA and selectively weaponizing classified disclosures for partisan theater. To be sure, Donald Trump has never been particularly interested in qualifications for members of his Cabinet. Competence is optional, and loyalty has always mattered more. Yet Trump’s decision to install Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence somehow managed to shock even his most steadfast MAGA allies.The usual chorus of praise was there, of course, but this time, even prominent conservatives flinched.  Pulte, the current head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, has no meaningful background in intelligence, espionage, military affairs, counterterrorism or national security. His career high-water marks include inheriting a construction fortune, running an attention-seeking cash-giveaway scheme on social media and serving as Trump’s head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, where he became a top proponent of the predatory and controversial 50-year mortgage. The true, chilling utility of …