Podcasts about defense department

with Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen

July 16, 2025 ~ Fox Correspondent Tonya J. Powers talks with Kevin, Lloyd, and Jamie 596 books being removed from the shelves of the Department of Defense schools, raising First Amendment concerns.

Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok became infamous for posting antisemitic rants and praising Hitler. Now it's landed a $200 million contract with the Defense Department. Plus, underwater divers were left stranded in subway stations filled with water as flash floods hammered parts of the Northeast.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NotebookLM, is introducing “featured notebooks” from various sources, Microsoft utilizes engineers in China to maintain Defense Department computer systems, and the DOD intends to allocate $1 billion over the next four years to “offensive cyber operations.” MP3 Please SUBSCRIBE HERE for free or get DTNS Live ad-free. A special thanks to all our supporters–without you,Continue reading "Microsoft Utilizes Engineers In China To Maintain Defense Department Computer Systems – DTH"

In her first interview since becoming Principal Director of the Defense Department's Cyber Academic Engagement Office (CAEO), Diba Hadi reflects on her role and vision for the office since stepping into the position in 2024 during the 2025 HammerCON conference in Laurel, Maryland. Hadi shares insights into her day-to-day responsibilities and highlights efforts to strengthen the integration of universities into the Centers of Academic Excellence community. Her goal: to develop cyber talent aligned with the Defense Department's evolving workforce needs. She explores how improved data collection, interagency collaboration and smarter resource allocation can streamline reporting processes and support broader DOD hiring objectives. Hadi also discusses key initiatives, including scholarships, research partnerships and capacity-building grants, that bring together academia, industry and government to build cyber capabilities at their source.

xAI, the artificial intelligence company led by Elon Musk, announced new efforts Monday to get its generative AI tool, Grok, into the hands of federal government officials. In a post to X, the company announced “Grok for Government,” which it described as a suite of products aimed at U.S. government customers. FedScoop reported on the General Services Administration's interest in Grok last week. xAI disclosed two new government partnerships: a new contract with the Defense Department, which we'll get to in a moment, and that the tool was available to purchase through GSA. “This allows every federal government department, agency, or office, to purchase xAI products,” the post added. “We're hiring mission driven engineers who want to join the cause.” The new products from xAI follow the introduction of government-specific AI intelligence platforms from companies like Anthropic and OpenAI. The announcement was made just days after xAI's formal apology for the chatbot's recent antisemitic outputs. Last Thursday, FedScoop reported that government coders at GSA were discussing, on GitHub, incorporating Grok into a testing sandbox associated with a yet-to-launch tool called AI.gov and GSAi, a GSA-created AI platform. Anthropic, Google and xAI will join OpenAI on the CDAO's nascent effort to partner with industry on pioneering artificial intelligence projects focused on national security applications. Under the individual contracts — each worth up to $200 million — the Pentagon will have access to some of the most advanced AI capabilities developed by the four companies, including large language models, agentic AI workflows, cloud-based infrastructure and more. Chief Digital and AI Officer Doug Matty said in a statement: “The adoption of AI is transforming the Department's ability to support our warfighters and maintain strategic advantage over our adversaries. Leveraging commercially available solutions into an integrated capabilities approach will accelerate the use of advanced AI as part of our Joint mission essential tasks in our warfighting domain as well as intelligence, business, and enterprise information systems.” OpenAI received the first contract for the effort June 17 and will create prototypes of agentic workflows for national security missions. According to CDAO, work with all four vendors will expand the Pentagon's experience with emerging AI capabilities, as well as give the companies better insights into how their technology can benefit the department. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Defense Department have over 100 sharing agreements to help deliver health care services. These agreements provide greater access to health care for veterans while also saving money for the federal government. But the agencies don't evaluate their effectiveness or track opportunities to expand them for more federal news networks. Anastasia Obis spoke to the Government Accountability Office's Alyssa Hundrup,See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, a career coach from the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program walks through seven real-life career scenarios, offering expert guidance and practical support tailored to military spouses. Host Bruce Moody speaks with SECO Career Coach Deborah McKenzie about navigating resume gaps, portable career options while stationed overseas, entrepreneurship, license portability and occupational licensure compacts, the return-to-work order for federal employees, networking and career advancement strategies, and career paths for those new to the workforce. Visit Military OneSource at https://www.militaryonesource.mil/education-employment/seco/ to learn about the resources and support available to military spouses. Bruce Moody is a public affairs specialist with the Defense Department's Military OneSource. Share your feedback about this podcast as well as ideas for future episodes by visiting the Military OneSource Podcasts Feedback Form at https://public.militaryonesource.mil/podcast-feedback. The Military OneSource Podcast series is an official resource of the Defense Department. For more information, visit MilitaryOneSource.mil or call 800-342-9647. Military OneSource is your 24/7 connection to information, answers and support to help you reach your goals, overcome challenges and thrive.

Scott brought Dan McKnight back on the show to discuss the ongoing effort to pass Defend The Guard bills in state legislatures across the country. McKnight explains what the legislation is, gives an update on where progress is being made in different states and details the increasingly desperate moves the Defense Department has been making to stop it. Discussed on the show: DefendTheGuard.us BringOurTroopsHome.us Dan McKnight is the founder and Chairman of Idahoans to Bring Our Troops Home. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, three years active duty with the U.S. Army and ten years with the Idaho Army National Guard, including a one-year deployment to Afghanistan in 2006. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Incorporated; Moon Does Artisan Coffee; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; Libertas Bella; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott. Get Scott's interviews before anyone else! Subscribe to the Substack. Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 Download Episode. Scott brought Dan McKnight back on the show to discuss the ongoing effort to pass Defend The Guard bills in state legislatures across the country. McKnight explains what the legislation is, gives an update on where progress is being made in different states and details the increasingly desperate moves the Defense Department […]

【ワシントン時事】英紙フィナンシャル・タイムズは１２日、米国防総省が日本とオーストラリア両政府に対し、中国が台湾に武力侵攻した際の役割を明確にするよう求めていると報じた。 The U.S. Defense Department has called on Japan and Australia to clarify what roles they would play in the event of China's military aggression against Taiwan, the Financial Times reported in its online edition Saturday.

The U.S. Defense Department has called on Japan and Australia to clarify what roles they would play in the event of China's military aggression against Taiwan, the Financial Times reported in its online edition Saturday.

Watch The X22 Report On Video No videos found (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:17532056201798502,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-9437-3289"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");pt> Click On Picture To See Larger Picture Trump has sent out new tariff letters, the world is about to change, he is hitting the [CB] system hard and is reversing what they had in place. The US is taking back control of the production of coal and rare earth minerals. Trump hits Powell again, Bernie Moreno calls for Powell to resign. The [DS] is in a panic, investigations have begun and one will lead to another. The conductor is Obama and all the investigation will lead back to him. It has now come out that Epstein worked for the CIA, was the [DS] using Epstein to blackmail people in the US around the world and were they working with foreign governments, most likely yes. The storm is forming and all the treasonous acts are coming together to create the perfect storm.   Economy https://twitter.com/KobeissiLetter/status/1943046253232713988 25%  12. Japan: 25% 13. South Korea: 25% 14. Brunei: 25% 15. Moldova: 25% 16. Philippines: 20% These tariffs are set to go live on August 1st. President Trump says any retaliation will be met with increased tariffs. Trump also says there will be no further tariff pause extensions. (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:18510697282300316,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-8599-9832"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");   50% TARIFF will reverse the Biden Administration's thoughtless behavior, and stupidity. America will, once again, build a DOMINANT Copper Industry. THIS IS, AFTER ALL, OUR GOLDEN AGE!  Trump Administration Takes Stake in Rare Earths Firm In Move To End China's Control  The Trump administration is deepening its effort to sever U.S. reliance on Chinese rare earth supplies, committing $400 million in equity financing to MP Materials Corp. as part of a broader plan to expand domestic production of rare earth magnets used in advanced weapons systems and industrial technologies. The Department of Defense will acquire a newly issued class of preferred stock in MP Materials, convertible into common shares, along with warrants to purchase additional equity. Following the transaction, which is expected to close Friday, the Pentagon will become the company's largest shareholder, with a potential stake of about 15%, according to MP Materials. The deal also includes a 10-year commitment by the U.S. government to support pricing and demand for domestically produced rare earth magnets. The Defense Department has guaranteed the purchase of 100 percent of the output from a planned magnet manufacturing facility—dubbed the “10X” plant—at a minimum price of $110 per kilogram for neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr), a key rare earth alloy used in missile guidance systems, fighter jets, and electric motors. The U.S. imported roughly 70 percent of its rare earths from China in 2023, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The push to reshore the supply chain gained urgency during the trade war launched by President Trump, when Beijing threatened to restrict rare earth exports. Source: breitbart.com Political/Rights https://twitter.com/dogeai_gov/status/1943128485758706090 of America's livestock and food supply. https://twitter.com/HansMahncke/status/1943139533572252007   https://twitter.com/DataRepublican/status/1943147963074711683 AND THERE IT IS: California Governor Gavin Newsom Announces Funding for New ‘Multifamily Rental Hou...

Mark Gorak, the Defense Department's Cyber Academic Engagement Office's (CAEO) director and principal director for Resources and Analysis, shares how his office is shaping the future of cyber talent during the 2025 HammerCON conference in Laurel, Maryland. Launched in 2024, CAEO has partnered with over 480 academic institutions nationwide to identify and develop the next generation of cyber professionals. The office is working to streamline academic partnerships, create equitable opportunities for smaller schools and better align education with national security needs. Gorak also discusses the Pentagon's shift toward skills-based hiring, beginning with a pilot program for cybersecurity roles, with plans to expand the approach across the future defense workforce.

In this episode of The DINFOS Way, host Jack Rous welcomes Col. Richard McNorton, acting director of the Defense Media Activity (DMA) and commandant of the Defense Information School (DINFOS). Col. McNorton shares his vision for shaping the next generation of military communicators, with a focus on people, training, and modernization. Discover how DMA and DINFOS are working together to meet the secretary of defense's priorities and tackle the evolving challenges of military communication. Col. McNorton offers practical insights and real-world examples that highlight the essential role of communicators in today's information environment. Don't miss this engaging conversation packed with strategies, inspiration, and a look at the future of Defense Department communication.

Space may be the final frontier, but it all starts with a launch. A new Government Accountability Office review looks at how the Defense Department is approaching its phase three strategy for acquiring launch services and responding to DoD growing demand for launch services and infrastructure. As the number of commercial space launches from federal ranges increases, strained infrastructure, capped cost recovery and limited payload processing capacity are all putting pressure on the system. GAO's Jon Ludwigson spoke with Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis about the need for better data and improving DoD ability to recoup launch support costs.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Monday, July 7th, 2025Today, at least 69 people are dead across five counties in Texas after massive flooding that hit as key roles were left vacant at local weather service offices by Trump cuts; the Defense Department says it will stop providing crucial satellite weather data; there's a hearing today on Mr. Abrego's amended complaint that includes his detailed description of his torture in CECOT;  Pete Hegseth unilateral stopped arms transfers to Ukraine and then lied about it; a rural Nebraska medical center says it plans to close because of uncertainty over funding cuts in the Billionaire Bailout Bill; Republican donors are cashing in on Florida's concentration camp; the eight men trapped in Djibouti awaiting due process have been sent to war torn South Sudan; a six year old Honduran boy with leukemia who had been seized by ICE has been released and is back in Los Angeles. Dana is out and about!Thank You, DeleteMeFor 20% off your DeleteMe subscription go to Deleteme.com/dailybeans code dailybeans.Thank You, Fay NutritionYou can qualify to see a registered dietitian for as little as $0 by visiting FayNutrition.com/dailybeansGuest: Rick SmithThe Rick Smith ShowPolitical Voices Network - substackThe Rick Smith Show - Free Speech TV@ricksmithshow.bsky.social - BlueskyRick Smith (@RickSmithShow) / Twitter StoriesDeath toll nears 80 as local officials promise ‘full review' of what went wrong | The Washington PostAs Floods Hit, Key Roles Were Vacant at Weather Service Offices in Texas | The New York TimesDefense Department will stop providing crucial satellite weather data | NPRHegseth falsely cited weapon shortages in halting shipments to Ukraine, Democrats say | The GuardianSouthwest Nebraska medical center announces plans to close, blames uncertainty over funding | Nebraska Public MediaRepublican Donors Cash In on 'Alligator Alcatraz' Immigrant Camp | Rolling Stone6-year-old Honduran boy with leukemia who had been seized by ICE is back in L.A. | NBC NewsGood Trouble From indivisible: Across the country, authoritarian forces are getting bolder and more dangerous. Trump and his allies are not hiding their agenda: mass deportations, rollbacks of civil rights, weaponized courts, and full-scale attacks on our democracy. We don't have to wait until it's too late. We can stop this. But it'll take all of us—not just on single days of mass action, but through sustained organizing in our communities. That's why this summer, we're launching One Million Rising.MSW Media, Blue Wave California Victory Fund | ActBlueWhistleblowerAid.org/beans From The Good NewsStudioVibesBySteph - Etsyamazon-pr@amazon.comHow to Report an Item or Shop – Etsy HelpImmigrantJustice.orgteepublic.com/user/zellyteesDeclaration of Independence: A Transcription | National ArchivesThe Biggest Power Grab Yet - UnJustified - Apple PodcastsReminder - you can see the pod pics if you become a Patron. The good news pics are at the bottom of the show notes of each Patreon episode! That's just one of the perks of subscribing! patreon.com/muellershewrote Donate to the MSW Media, Blue Wave California Victory Fundhttps://secure.actblue.com/donate/msw-bwcFederal workers - feel free to email me at fedoath@pm.me and let me know what you're going to do, or just vent. I'm always here to listen.Share your Good News or Good TroubleMSW Good News and Good Trouble Check out other MSW Media podcastshttps://mswmedia.com/shows/Subscribe for free to MuellerSheWrote on Substackhttps://muellershewrote.substack.comFollow AG and Dana on Social MediaDr. Allison Gill Substack|Muellershewrote, BlueSky|@muellershewrote , Threads|@muellershewrote, TikTok|@muellershewrote, IG|muellershewrote, Twitter|@MuellerSheWrote,Dana GoldbergTwitter|@DGComedy, IG|dgcomedy, facebook|dgcomedy, IG|dgcomedy, danagoldberg.com, BlueSky|@dgcomedyHave some good news; a confession; or a correction to share?Good News & Confessions - The Daily Beanshttps://www.dailybeanspod.com/confessional/ Listener Survey:http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=shortFollow the Podcast on Apple:The Daily Beans on Apple PodcastsWant to support the show and get it ad-free and early?Supercasthttps://dailybeans.supercast.com/Patreon https://patreon.com/thedailybeansOr subscribe on Apple Podcasts with our affiliate linkThe Daily Beans on Apple Podcasts

What you eat matters — especially when the demands are high. In this episode, host Bruce Moody speaks with Army Capt. Tina Sergi, assistant chief of Nutrition Education and Research at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, who breaks down the power of performance nutrition for service members. Learn how small, sustainable dietary changes can improve energy, recovery and mission readiness, even in demanding environments. From eating well on a tight schedule to making smart choices with supplements and hydration, you'll walk away with practical tips to fuel your body and perform at your best in any environment. Visit Military OneSource at https://www.militaryonesource.mil/health-wellness/fitness-nutrition/ to learn about the resources and support available to service members. Bruce Moody is a public affairs specialist with the Defense Department's Military OneSource. Share your feedback about this podcast as well as ideas for future episodes by visiting the Military OneSource Podcasts Feedback Form at https://public.militaryonesource.mil/podcast-feedback. The Military OneSource Podcast series is an official resource of the Defense Department. For more information, visit MilitaryOneSource.mil or call 800-342-9647. Military OneSource is your 24/7 connection to information, answers and support to help you reach your goals, overcome challenges and thrive.

The Trump Administration's 2026 budget for the U.S. Space Force, counting the Big Beautiful Bill's funding, comes to about $40 billion dollars. Does this unorthodox, difficult to follow, bifurcated legislative process make this bump “ a one-time sugar high?” Laura Winter speaks with Todd Harrison, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute, and much respected NASA and Defense Department budget diviner; and Sam Wilson, Director, Strategy and Program Support, Center for Space Policy and Strategy, at The Aerospace Corporation.

Earlier this week, the Trump administration announced it had suspended some weapons deliveries to Ukraine. The Defense Department says the U.S. needs the weapons to be ready for its own contingencies. Nick Schifrin discussed the move with Kimberly Kagan of the Institute for the Study of War and Jennifer Kavanagh of Defense Priorities. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Notwithstanding regular headlines and firm conventional wisdom, the MAGA Movement is not and never has been an isolationist faction of the Republican Party. Neither the American people nor self-identified MAGA Republicans are fundamentally isolationist, and in fact score higher than non-MAGA Republicans on support for U.S. intervention abroad. The numbers don't lie: this year's Reagan Foundation Summer Poll found the MAGA coalition strongly support Trump's decision to strike Iran's nuclear facilities. Why are these results counterintuitive? And how has a tiny isolationist faction of self-appointed MAGA spokespeople drummed up so much noise? Roger Zakheim serves as the Washington Director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. Before joining, he was General Counsel and Deputy Staff Director of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee. In this role, Mr. Zakheim managed the passage of the annual National Defense Authorization Act, the defense policy bill which authorizes the Defense Department's budget. Mr. Zakheim's government experience also includes serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense where he supported the department's policies and programs related to Iraq and Afghanistan coalition affairs.Read the transcript here

Earlier this week, the Trump administration announced it had suspended some weapons deliveries to Ukraine. The Defense Department says the U.S. needs the weapons to be ready for its own contingencies. Nick Schifrin discussed the move with Kimberly Kagan of the Institute for the Study of War and Jennifer Kavanagh of Defense Priorities. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

This week we talk about the NOAA, FEMA, and the SSMIS.We also discuss Arctic ice, satellite resolution, and automated weather observation stations.Recommended Book: Superbloom by Nicholas CarrTranscriptThe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, is a US scientific and regulatory agency that tackles an array of environmental, climatic, and weather-related issues, alongside its responsibilities managing oceanic ecosystems.So it's in charge of managing fishing protections and making sure endangered species within US waters are taken care of, but it also does scientific exploration—mapping the ocean, for instance—it monitors atmospheric conditions and keeps tabs on the various cycles that influence global and US water, air, and temperature happenings, and it tracks macro- and micro-scale weather events.That latter responsibility means NOAA (which is the modern iteration of several other agencies, including the US Environmental Science Services Administration and the US Weather Bureau) also manages the US National Weather Service, which is the sub-agency that sends out hazardous weather statements when there are severe storms or tornadoes or other weather-related events of note in a given area, and which also provides weather forecast information that local experts on the ground use to make their own predictions.Most of what the National Weather Service puts out is in the public domain, which means anyone can access and use it, free of charge. That's a pretty big deal, because the data they collect and informational products they distribute, including all those hazardous weather statements, are at times life and death, but they're also a big part of what makes standard local weather services possible in the US—they help the FAA and other agencies do their jobs, and they help everyday people understand how hot or cold it's going to be, whether to pack and umbrella for the day, and so on.To accomplish all this, the NOAA and its sub-agencies make use of a bunch of facilities and other tracking resources to collect, aggregate, and interpret all those data points, crunching them and spitting them back out as something intelligible and useful to their many end-users.They've got weather observation stations across the US, many of them automated surface observing stations, which are exactly what they sound like: automated stations that collect data about sky conditions, wind direction and speed, visibility, present weather conditions, temperature, dew point, and so on—most of these are close to airports, as this information is also vital for figuring out if it's safe to fly, and if so, what accommodations pilots should be making for the weather and visibility and such—but they also collect data from smaller weather stations scattered across the country, around 11,000 of them, many operated by volunteers under the auspices of an effort called the Cooperative Observer Program that was established in 1890, and that's paired with another volunteer data-collection effort called the Citizen Weather Observer Program.There are also weather buoys and weather ships lingering across the surface of the ocean and other bodies of water, tracking additional data like sea surface temperature and wave height at various points. And there are weather balloons which collect additional information about happenings further up in the atmosphere, alongside the many satellites in orbit that capture various sorts of data and beam that data down to those who can make use of it.Again, all of this data is collected and crunched and then turned into intelligible outputs for your local weather forecasters, but also the people who run airlines and fly planes, the folks out on boats and ships, people who are managing government agencies, scientists who are doing long-term research on all sorts of things, and everyday people who just want to know if it'll be sunny, how hot it will be, and so on.There's one more major client of the NOAA that's worth noting here, too: the Department of Defense. And that relationship is a big part of what I want to talk about today, because it seems to be at the root of a major curtailing of weather-related data-sharing that was recently announced by the US government, much to the chagrin of the scientific community.—US President Trump has long voiced his skepticism about the NOAA.There have been claims that this disdain is the result of the agency having called him out on some bald-faced lies he told about hurricane projections during his first administration, when he reportedly altered an NOAA hurricane impact projection map with a Sharpie to support a misstatement he had previously made about a hurricane impacting Alabama; the hurricane in question was not anticipated to hit Alabama, Trump said it would, and he later altered a map in order to make it look like he was right, when all the data, and all the experts, say otherwise.Whether that's true or not, the NOAA later released an unsigned statement seeming to support his false assertion, and it's generally understood that the agency was forced to make that statement against the will of its staff and leadership by the then-president.It's also been posited that Trump doesn't care for the NOAA because of their connection with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA.FEMA became the target of several conspiracy theories on the US political right, which allege that liberal lawmakers, including former President Biden, used it as a sort of piggy bank for their personal projects and priorities; the agency provides funding and on-the-ground support for areas that have been impacted by hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, floods, and other such weather-related disasters, but as immigration became more of a focal point of right-leaning and far-right politics in the US, accusations that the Biden administration was using FEMA funds to help immigrants enter and stay in the US grew; there's no evidence this is the case, but that's the nature of conspiracy theories—evidence isn't necessary when something feels true to a big enough group of people.In any event, FEMA is now on the chopping block, the second Trump administration has said it could be dissolved as soon as December of 2025, the biggest changes to the agency coming just after the end of this year's hurricane season, which traditionally ends of November. Trump himself said FEMA would be giving out less money to states recovering from weather disasters, and that a panel he's appointed will figure out exactly how to restructure or replace the agency.To be clear, the president cannot kill off FEMA, only Congress can do that, and they have said they intend to reform the agency by making it easier for disaster survivors to access resources and by moving FEMA from its current position under the Department of Homeland Security into its own thing; a big contrast to Trump's ambitions for the agency, which basically seems to be that FEMA shouldn't do what it currently does, and the states should mostly or exclusively cover disaster costs and provide post-disaster resources, instead of the federal government helping out.So Trump seemingly has a thing against these sorts of agencies, has semi-regularly called climate change a hoax, doesn't seem to have any particular fondness for the idea of the US federal government helping out with local problems, or the local consequences of larger-scale problems like weather disasters, and has acted in a variety of ways to cut funding for science and public service related agencies and efforts across the board.All of that has been pretty fundamental to his platform since his first administration. And while the scientific community has sounded the alarm about these stances, saying what he's planning will put a lot of people and infrastructure at risk, and while this data and these resources are fundamental to reducing the damage, both human and otherwise, caused by such disasters, in the US and globally, to some degree, that doesn't seem to bother this administration, which usually cites cost-cutting as their rationale, but also regularly points at the concept of immigration to justify many of the decisions they make, including some of these ones.So that's the context shaping the perception of an announcement made by the NOAA in the latter-half of June 2025 that the agency would no longer be importing, processing, or distributing data from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder, or SSMIS system, as of June 30—which was yesterday, if you're listening to this episode on the day it's released.The agency cited recent service changes as their rationale for this cessation, and weather forecasters have been in a tizzy about this, because the SSMIS system is pretty fundamental to what they do, especially when it comes to hurricane forecasting.The SSMIS is a satellite-based system that passively maps the whole world twice a day from space in very, very high resolution, and in addition to hurricane-tracking and other weather-related tasks, it also allows scientists to monitor sea ice in the Arctic and other such long-term projects.The NOAA said that this cessation of service would not impact the quality of hurricane forecasting as we step into the beginning weeks of the traditional Atlantic hurricane season, but non-NOAA scientists and other experts, folks who aren't on the US federal governments' payroll, basically, have said this would blind them in this regard, and that while they can approximate some of the same forecasting powers using other data, it won't be the same, and it won't be nearly as good.This system is the only one that allows scientists to see inside the clouds as hurricanes develop, and before such data was available, hurricane projections were a lot less accurate, and powerful storm systems would often sneak up on unsuspecting areas, because we lacked the heightened resolution and power necessary to make more up-to-the-minute and fine-grained projections.Also, and this is perhaps less of an immediate concern, but might be an even bigger long-term issue than deadly hurricanes, is that there's a more than 40-year-old study that's been tracking changes to polar sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic that will no longer be feasible lacking this data, so everything that's influenced by global water cycles and sea levels, which is basically everything weather- and climate-related, and that means, well, everything on earth could also be impacted by this new, US government-imposed reduced visibility, all of that research is upended, made less useful, and all of us in turn could suffer some pretty significant consequences because we lack that high-resolution understanding of what's going on.What's worse is that this announcement was made just days before this source of data was scheduled to disappear, leaving them without time to cobble together less-good, but serviceable replacements for everything they'll be losing as a consequence of these changes; and again, all of this is happening right at the beginning of hurricane season, so the stakes are very high.Allegations of revenge as a motivation, or speculation that this is part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to systematically dismantle science and the public's ability to get objective information about the world aside, there have also been rumblings that this might have been a Department of Defense decision, since these satellites are operated by the NOAA for the DoD on behalf of the US Space Force, which has ultimate authority over all satellites owned by the government.In practice, that might mean that this is the consequence of the US military, or some facet of the US military, deciding that this information is too precious or dangerous to share broadly—as again, most of this information has been flagged public domain, so anyone can see and use it however they like—or it may be that this has been a miscommunication or the result of someone in the Navy making a decision without realizing the full implications of that decision.As of the day I'm recording this, on the day this data is scheduled to disappear from the public domain, and some reports have indicated it has, indeed, disappeared as scheduled, journalists have been trying to get in touch with the relevant people at the Navy for comment, thus far unsuccessfully, but that outreach and their hopefully eventual contact with those in charge could result in a change in these plans, if it is indeed just a miscommunication or misunderstanding situation.Either way, we'll hopefully know more what happened here, as that could help us understand how safe or vulnerable other major sources of vital data might be under this administration, and/or under the current leadership of the DoD and similar military entities.Show Noteshttps://abcnews.go.com/US/hurricane-season-meteorologists-losing-vital-tool-forecasting/story?id=123305760https://www.npr.org/2025/06/28/nx-s1-5446120/defense-department-cuts-hurricane-ice-weather-satellitehttps://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/06/29/italy-and-spain-bake-in-heatwave-as-cities-issue-red-alerts-and-regions-mull-work-banshttps://www.upi.com/Science_News/2025/06/28/Defense-Department-ends-satellite-data-hurricane-experts/7881751141308/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/28/noaa-cuts-hurricane-forecasting-climatehttps://www.scientificamerican.com/article/weather-forecasters-lose-crucial-hurricane-detection-microwave-satellite/https://www.kgw.com/article/news/nation-world/noaa-discontinues-data-website-trump-executive-order/507-f40d60d7-fb52-4cb4-a64b-f22bd1100562https://hackaday.com/2025/06/12/end-of-an-era-noaas-polar-sats-wind-down-operations/https://thehill.com/policy/equilibrium-sustainability/5357564-trump-cuts-noaa-nasa-farmers-climate-change-food-supply/https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2025/05/14/national-weather-service-vacancies-hurricane-season/https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/us-hurricane-forecasting-cuts-1.7573024https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-season-disaster-weather-doge-fema-noaa-cd215947480de9099a53fe20669bb923https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/05/florida-weatherman-john-morales-funding-cuts-forecastshttps://www.frontiersin.org/journals/remote-sensing/articles/10.3389/frsen.2022.1021781/fullhttps://www.propublica.org/article/fema-grants-trump-emergencieshttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/26/us/politics/as-fema-shrinks-a-grassroots-disaster-response-is-taking-shape.htmlhttps://www.propublica.org/article/fema-grants-trump-emergencieshttps://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/27/is-alligator-alcatraz-detention-centre-funded-by-florida-hurricane-moneyhttps://www.npr.org/2025/06/26/nx-s1-5430469/faq-fema-eliminationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Atlantic_hurricane_warningshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Dorian%E2%80%93Alabama_controversyhttps://www.wusa9.com/video/weather/dod-stops-providing-noaa-with-satellite-data/65-a35e6409-20ad-4db1-83a1-0b281fcfb38bhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Weather_Servicehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Oceanic_and_Atmospheric_Administrationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Hurricane_Center This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

The Defense Department's fiscal 2026 budget request is down slightly from last year, but that's only part of the story. Pentagon officials decided to take a highly unusual approach this time and shift a portion of defense funding to the reconciliation bill that is still moving through Congress. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis is reporting on this story.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Republicans press forward in hopes of voting on a reconciliation bill in the coming days. There's a $4.5 billion-sized hole in the Defense Department's submarine construction request. And the Senate is expected to vote on a war powers resolution. David Higgins has your CQ Morning Briefing for Friday, June 27, 2025.

Donald Trump pledged not to entangle the United States in wars in the Middle East. But last weekend, he joined Israel's air campaign against Iran, bombing three nuclear sites before claiming that Iranian facilities targeted by U.S. aircraft and missiles had been “obliterated.” Iran responded by firing missiles at U.S. bases in the region just before Washington announced a cease-fire. But key questions remain unanswered—about the risk of continued fighting, about Iran's nuclear capability and ambitions going forward, and about the shifting balance of power and rapidly changing regional order in the Middle East. To make sense of the conflict, Dan Kurtz-Phelan spoke with Eric Edelman, Suzanne Maloney, and Andrew Miller. All three have served in senior positions overseeing U.S. Middle East policy in the White House, the State Department, and the Defense Department across multiple administrations. They spoke on June 25 about the war's escalation and abrupt de-escalation and about its long-reaching consequences—for Iran, for Israel, and for the United States. You can find sources, transcripts, and more episodes of The Foreign Affairs Interview at https://www.foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/foreign-affairs-interview.

The Defense Department's Office of the Chief Information Officer has officially kicked off its effort to improve how the Pentagon manages cybersecurity risks with advanced automation and continuous monitoring capabilities. The DOD CIO published a request for information Wednesday on Sam.gov calling for industry's input on emerging technologies, solutions and business practices that can support the department's attempt to revamp the Risk Management Framework (RMF). The initiative largely seeks to replace the legacy framework with a multi-phased construct that will be demanding for cyber and acquisition professionals. Officials are hoping to speed up capability delivery to warfighters. The RFI states: “Although RMF enhances security through continuous monitoring and risk-based decision-making, it's often seen as slow and cumbersome. To meet the urgent demands of modern cyber threats and accelerate innovation, the DoD is working to streamline the RMF process — aiming for greater efficiency without compromising on security.” Federal agencies would be barred from using artificial intelligence linked to the Chinese government under legislation introduced Wednesday by a bipartisan group of House and Senate lawmakers. The No Adversarial Al Act proposal from Reps. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., and Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., the chair and ranking member of the House Select Committee on China, respectively, is a companion to legislation from Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Gary Peters, D-Mich. The bill is the latest in a series of other congressional proposals focused on DeepSeek, a Chinese startup whose low-cost AI model has stirred panic in U.S. tech and AI companies. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

The Justice Department has arrested a Defense Department employee for removing classified documents from a Missile Defense Agency office in Huntsville, Alabama. Ewa Ciszak made her initial appearance in federal court Monday. Beginning in February, the FBI says Ciszack began taking classified documents from MDA facilities without authorization. A June 18 search warrant turned up multiple secret-level documents at her personal residence and in her vehicle and backpack. Ciszak had been employed at MDA since January 2023. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Defense Department has a long way to go before it's ready to say what the successor to its joint war fighting cloud capability contract will be. But that doesn't mean officials don't at least have a wish list. One thing we're likely to see is more opportunities for more vendors, not just the four big hyper scale companies that have spots on today's JWCC contract. Rob Vietmeyer is DoD, chief software officer, and he talked with Federal News Network's Jared Serbu on our recent 2025 cloud exchange.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 1: 3:05pm- On Saturday night, seven U.S. B-2 bombers dropped a total of fourteen 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs on Iranian nuclear sites in Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan. In a press conference following the strategic strike, President Donald Trump called the mission a “spectacular military success.” 3:10pm- On Monday, Iran responded to U.S. strikes on key nuclear development facilities by launching missiles at an American base in Qatar—the largest American military installation in the Middle East. The Defense Department has said the air defense systems intercepted the missiles and there were no U.S. casualties. 3:20pm- During a press conference Sunday night, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Dan Caine revealed that Iranian air defense never spotted the American B-2 bombers over Iranian airspace and, consequently, never fired a single shot during Saturday night's strategic bombing. 3:30pm- Deputy Head of Russian President Vladimir Putin's Security Council Dmitry Medvedev called America's strike on Iranian nuclear facilities a “dangerous escalation” and suggested other countries may supply Iran with a nuclear weapon—though, he did not say which nations. 3:40pm- Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned Iran not to shut down the Strait of Hormuz with mines. China, an ally of Iran, has echoed a similar sentiment. According to estimates 84% of the crude oil that moves through the Strait goes to Asian markets.

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (06/23/2025): 3:05pm- On Saturday night, seven U.S. B-2 bombers dropped a total of fourteen 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs on Iranian nuclear sites in Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan. In a press conference following the strategic strike, President Donald Trump called the mission a “spectacular military success.” 3:10pm- On Monday, Iran responded to U.S. strikes on key nuclear development facilities by launching missiles at an American base in Qatar—the largest American military installation in the Middle East. The Defense Department has said the air defense systems intercepted the missiles and there were no U.S. casualties. 3:20pm- During a press conference Sunday night, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Dan Caine revealed that Iranian air defense never spotted the American B-2 bombers over Iranian airspace and, consequently, never fired a single shot during Saturday night's strategic bombing. 3:30pm- Deputy Head of Russian President Vladimir Putin's Security Council Dmitry Medvedev called America's strike on Iranian nuclear facilities a “dangerous escalation” and suggested other countries may supply Iran with a nuclear weapon—though, he did not say which nations. 3:40pm- Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned Iran not to shut down the Strait of Hormuz with mines. China, an ally of Iran, has echoed a similar sentiment. According to estimates 84% of the crude oil that moves through the Strait goes to Asian markets. 4:05pm- Listeners react to the Trump Administration's decision to strike Iranian nuclear facilities. Is there concern that Iran and its allies—China, Russia, and terror organizations like Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis—could retaliate? 4:30pm- John Yoo—The Emanuel Heller Professor of Law at the University of California at Berkeley—joins The Rich Zeoli Show and dismisses Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez's (D-NY) suggestion that President Donald Trump violated Article II of the Constitution and should be impeached for authorizing strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. 4:50pm- While appearing on Fox News, Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) praised the U.S. military's strikes on Iran and President Trump's decision—explaining “it was a very limited military exercise” and did not amount to a declaration of war. 5:00pm- Dr. EJ Antoni—Chief Economist at the Heritage Foundation—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to breakdown potential financial repercussions related to the strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. Could Iran respond by shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, and what would that mean for oil prices globally? 5:20pm- While appearing on Fox News, Trump Administration Border Czar Tom Homan discussed potential Iranian sleeper cells in the United States—explaining that the Biden Administration's relaxed border security policies resulted in “1,272 nationals of Iran released” into the U.S. 5:40pm- Breaking News: The Supreme Court has stayed a lower court order and will allow the Trump Administration to deport illegal migrants swiftly to countries where they don't have citizenship. 5:50pm- Did Mel Gibson and Pierce Brosnan turn down the role of Batman? 6:05pm- Dr. Victoria Coates—Former Deputy National Security Advisor & the Vice President of the Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation—joins The Rich Zeoli Show and reacts to the United States's strategic strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Plus, BREAKING NEWS: Israel and Iran have agreed to a ceasefire. Dr. Coates is the author of the book: “The Battle for the Jewish State: How Israel—and America—Can Win.” 6:30pm- In a post to Truth Social, Preside Donald Trump wrote: “CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE! It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE (in approximately 6 hours from now, when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed their in progress, final missions!), for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered, E ...

The Department of Defense's Office of the Chief Information Officer is considering reducing the number of Pentagon employees who have Microsoft 365 E5 licenses, as it works with the Trump administration to rein in federal spending. The DOD currently maintains more than 2 million Microsoft 365 E5 licenses across two separate programs — the Defense Enterprise Office Solution (DEOS) and the Enterprise Software Initiative (DOD ESI). Through the established contracts, Pentagon components can purchase software licenses for commercial Microsoft products, including Office 365 applications and other collaboration tools. But ongoing efforts spearheaded by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have prompted the Defense Department to review how many of those licenses it actually needs, Katie Arrington, who is performing the duties of Pentagon CIO, told DefenseScoop. Arrington said June 6 in an exclusive interview: “Our Microsoft 365 contract [is a] very big contract here in the Department of Defense. Does every individual in the Department of Defense need an [E5] license? Absolutely not.” With the department's Deputy CIO for the Information Enterprise Bill Dunlap, Arrington has been working alongside her DOGE representative to review individual position descriptions and multi-level securities to determine what level of Microsoft 365 E5 license that person needs, she said. Other criteria being considered include user and mission requirements for office productivity software, as well as collaboration capabilities, a DOD CIO spokesperson told DefenseScoop. Ten congressional Democrats are demanding answers from Palantir about reports that it is aiding the IRS in building a searchable, governmentwide “mega-database” to house Americans' sensitive information. In a letter sent Tuesday to Palantir CEO Alex Karp, the lawmakers argued that the creation of a database of that kind likely violates several federal laws, including the Privacy Act. The Democrats wrote: “The unprecedented possibility of a searchable, ‘mega-database' of tax returns and other data that will potentially be shared with or accessed by other federal agencies is a surveillance nightmare that raises a host of legal concerns, not least that it will make it significantly easier for Donald Trump's Administration to spy on and target his growing list of enemies and other Americans.” The letter, led by Senate Finance Committee ranking member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., follows New York Times reporting last month that detailed the expansion of Palantir's federal government work under the Trump administration, noting that the data-mining giant has received $113 million since the president's January inauguration plus another $795 million award from the Defense Department. According to the Times, Palantir has spoken to IRS and Social Security Administration representatives about buying its tech. The Democrats' letter said Foundry — a Palantir data analysis and organization product — has been deployed at the departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services, as well as the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

This Day in Legal History: Georgia v. McCollumOn June 18, 1992, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in Georgia v. McCollum, 505 U.S. 42 (1992), holding that criminal defendants cannot use peremptory challenges to exclude jurors on the basis of race. This decision extended the logic of Batson v. Kentucky—which barred prosecutors from racially discriminatory jury strikes—to defense attorneys, ensuring both sides are bound by the Equal Protection Clause. The case involved white defendants in Georgia who sought to remove Black jurors, prompting the state to challenge the defense's strikes as racially biased.The Court, in a 7–2 opinion written by Justice Blackmun, reasoned that racial discrimination in jury selection, regardless of the source, undermines public confidence in the justice system and the constitutional guarantee of a fair trial. It emphasized that the courtroom is not a private forum and that all participants—prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges—must adhere to constitutional principles.Importantly, the decision addressed the state action requirement, acknowledging that while defense attorneys are not state actors in the traditional sense, their participation in the jury selection process is conducted under judicial supervision and is thus attributable to the state. This broadened the scope of equal protection enforcement in criminal proceedings.The ruling was a major step toward eradicating racial bias in the judicial process, reinforcing that justice must not only be impartial but also be perceived as such. By holding defense attorneys to the same standard as prosecutors, the Court ensured that the integrity of jury selection is preserved across the board. The decision also highlighted the evolving understanding of the judiciary's role in preventing systemic discrimination, even in adversarial settings.Georgia v. McCollum remains a critical precedent in both constitutional law and criminal procedure, illustrating the Court's commitment to fairness in one of the most fundamental aspects of the legal system—trial by jury.U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick expanded a prior injunction, blocking the Trump administration's passport policy that restricted transgender, nonbinary, and intersex individuals from obtaining passports reflecting their gender identity. Kobick found that the State Department's revised policy—mandating passports list only “biological” sex at birth—likely violated the Fifth Amendment by discriminating on the basis of sex and reflecting irrational bias.Initially, the injunction applied only to six plaintiffs, but Kobick's ruling now grants class-action status, halting enforcement of the policy nationwide. The policy stems from an executive order signed by Trump after returning to office in January 2025, directing all federal agencies to recognize only two sexes and abandon the gender marker flexibility introduced under the Biden administration in 2022.The ruling marks a legal setback for the administration's effort to reimpose binary sex classifications across federal documents. The ACLU, representing the plaintiffs, called it a critical win for transgender rights. The White House condemned the ruling as judicial overreach. The broader case remains ongoing.US judge blocks Trump passport policy targeting transgender people | ReutersEducational toy company Learning Resources petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to take up its challenge to President Donald Trump's tariffs before lower court appeals conclude. The company argues that Trump's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose broad tariffs is unconstitutional and economically damaging, citing a May 29 district court ruling that found the tariffs illegal. That decision, however, is currently stayed pending appeal.Learning Resources' CEO, Rick Woldenberg, warned that delaying Supreme Court review could cost American businesses up to $150 billion due to ongoing tariff-related costs. He described the tariffs as a hidden tax and accused the government of forcing importers to act as involuntary tax collectors.Two federal courts have already ruled against Trump's interpretation of IEEPA, a law historically used for targeted sanctions, not general trade policy. The administration defends the tariffs as a legal response to national emergencies like trade imbalances and drug trafficking, though critics say the justification is legally thin and economically harmful.While rare, the Supreme Court has expedited cases of national significance in the past, such as Biden's student loan forgiveness plan. A key appeals court hearing on Trump's tariff authority is scheduled for July 31.Small business seeks early Supreme Court review of Trump's tariffs | ReutersA federal judge has also temporarily blocked the Trump administration from enforcing a new Department of Defense policy that would cap indirect cost reimbursements to universities at 15%. The move came in response to a lawsuit filed by 12 research institutions—including MIT and Johns Hopkins—as well as major academic associations. These groups argued that the cap violated existing federal regulations and congressional intent.The Department of Defense had framed the policy as a cost-saving measure, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claiming it could save up to $900 million annually. However, universities rely on indirect cost reimbursements to fund infrastructure, staff, and equipment that support research across multiple projects—not just the ones directly funded.The ruling by Judge Brian Murphy, a Biden appointee, mirrors earlier judicial blocks of similar funding cuts proposed by the NIH and Department of Energy. A hearing is scheduled for July 2 to determine whether a longer-term injunction should be issued. The case highlights growing legal resistance to the administration's broader push to reduce federal spending on scientific research.US judge blocks Defense Department from slashing federal research funding | ReutersThe U.S. Supreme Court upheld Tennessee's law banning puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender minors in a 6–3 decision that sets a national precedent and effectively greenlights similar restrictions in over 20 states. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice Roberts concluded that the law neither classifies based on sex nor targets transgender status, and thus only required rational basis review—not heightened constitutional scrutiny. The Court accepted Tennessee's framing of the law as neutral and medically cautious, not discriminatory, citing European health policy shifts and purported uncertainty around gender-affirming care as justification.Critics, including the Court's liberal bloc, argued the law does in fact discriminate based on sex and gender identity by banning medical treatment only when it aims to affirm a transgender identity. Justice Sotomayor, in dissent, emphasized that the law's language and application plainly hinge on a minor's “sex as assigned at birth,” drawing troubling parallels to older jurisprudence that permitted covert forms of discrimination under the guise of neutrality.The ruling marks a major rollback of legal protections for transgender youth, ignoring years of precedent that increasingly recognized transgender identity as a constitutionally protected status. By lowering the scrutiny threshold and deferring to legislative “uncertainty,” the Court provided a road map for states to restrict gender-affirming care through general, non-explicitly discriminatory language. The majority's refusal to engage with medical consensus or the real-world impact on transgender youth reveals a troubling judicial posture: one that values legislative deference over individual rights, even when the stakes include physical and psychological harm to a vulnerable group.Supreme Court Upholds Curbs on Treatment for Transgender Minors This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

Are all UFO/UAP encounters the result of deception and disinformation created by the U.S. government? Such claims have been made many times in the past 75 years and have recently been resurrected from the dusty archives of the DoD's UFO Library. In this episode of WEAPONIZED, Jeremy Corbell and George Knapp discuss the latest attempts by former Defense Department insiders to cast doubt on all UFO cases, incidents, photos, videos, witnesses, and even the testimony of future whistleblowers who have not yet gone public. Can journalists pierce the veil of secrecy and lies? Sometimes. One way to circumvent psyops and outrageous cover stories is to present compelling evidence that the public can evaluate for itself. A video recorded by a military sensor over a conflict zone has been hidden for years. The huge disc-shaped mystery object was seen as it slipped in and out of clouds, abruptly changed direction, and was labeled by the military as a “UAP.” This is the first time the public has been able to see the massive “disc” as it zips into cloud cover, then reverses itself. WATCH THE RAW UAP FOOTAGE HERE : https://youtu.be/lqLPqTheYrg WATCH THE FULL UAP REPORT HERE : https://youtu.be/Zdl1nz3t3DE READ THE FULL UAP REPORT HERE : https://www.weaponizedpodcast.com/news-1/large-disc-uap GOT A TIP? Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WeaponizedPodcast@Proton.me⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** Investigative journalists Jeremy Corbell and George Knapp obtained and are revealing for the first time - military filmed footage of a UAP - officially documented and catalogued within Intelligence Community investigations as “disc” shaped. This UAP of unknown origin displayed abrupt movement and intelligent control, with the absence of thermal propulsion signatures. Official designation of UAP was made by the United States Department of Defense. This designation is currently maintained. DATE / TIME - 23 November 2020 / 11:13 UTC LOCATION - Reconnaissance footage indicates 35°02.91'N, 71°17.86'E IMAGING TYPE - Thermographic / Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) EVENT DESCRIPTION - Filmed by a platform operating under the direction of the United States Air Force, the object was initially passively tracked and is described in official documentation as “navigating through the clouds.” The UAP appears to demonstrate an abrupt directional change. Atmospheric disruption was noted in case documentation - as was the absence of traditional thermal propulsion signatures during performance. Its origin, intent, and capabilities remain unknown. ••• For breaking news, follow Corbell & Knapp on all social media. Extras and bonuses from the episode can be found at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WeaponizedPodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Trump said he will probably extend the June 19th TikTok ban deadline, social media and video apps have surpassed television as the primary news source for Americans, and OpenAI has secured a $200 million, one-year contract with the U.S. Defense Department. MP3 Please SUBSCRIBE HERE for free or get DTNS Live ad-free. A specialContinue reading "President Trump Will Probably Extend The TikTok Ban Deadline – DTH"

The new administration has released several new directives to guide agencies' approach to AI since the beginning of the year. The tech is reshaping the U.S. Coast Guard's core services and pushing its workforce to rethink the service's approach to operations. The Coast Guard has been on a journey to upskill its workforce to better utilize the technology in daily operations. Brian Campo, the service's deputy CIO, discusses the latest AI developments and how the Coast Guard is driving innovation, pointing to the example of the service's Ask Hamilton chatbot, which helps Coast Guard's workforce answer frequently asked questions and find key instructions in their workflows. As an agency with ties to DHS and DOD, the Coast Guard is uniquely positioned to leverage resources and connections between both agencies to drive innovation in monitoring the nation's coastlines and naval boundaries.

Elon Musk regrets “some” of his recent posts about U.S. President Donald Trump. Phew! But their relationship's rapid unscheduled disassembly, or RUD, reveals how vulnerable civil and national security missions, even the “Golden Dome” program, are to the dramatic vagaries of this relationship. Laura Winter speaks with Todd Harrison, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute, and much respected NASA and Defense Department budget diviner.

After an informative 45-day trial run, the Department of the Navy is getting set to expand its rollout of emerging AI capabilities for sailors, Marines and civilians to speedily adopt in support of their daily operations — via its new DoN GPT tool. Jacob Glassman, who serves as senior technical advisor to the assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, told DefenseScoop Thursday that this is a new way for the Navy to rapidly innovate and rapidly prototype. GenAI encompasses the field of still-maturing technologies that can process huge volumes of data and perform increasingly “intelligent” tasks — like recognizing speech or producing human-like media and code based on human prompts. These capabilities are pushing the boundaries of what existing tech can achieve. Still, according to Glassman, the Navy has historically “struggled with AI adoption.” Amazon has received federal authorizations that allow Anthropic's Claude and Meta's Llama AI models to be used within high-sensitivity government computing environments, the company's cloud computing division announced Wednesday. The company has achieved FedRAMP “High” authorization as well as at the Defense Department's Impact Levels 4 and 5 for use of the two foundation models in AWS GovCloud, its government cloud environment, according to a blog post by Liz Martin, Department of Defense director at Amazon Web Services. That means it's met the security requirements needed for the AI models to be used with some of the government's most sensitive civilian and military information, and per Martin, it's the first cloud provider to receive that level of authorization for Claude and Llama. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

Gig Eagle, the Defense Department's AI fueled talent management platform is quietly transforming how the military taps into talent. Originally built to match reservists with short term gigs across the Defense Department, the platform now supports over 13,000 users, including active duty service members and civilians. The Defense Department is now laying the groundwork for a broader national security talent marketplace, and it will soon be able to tap into talent within academia, industry and other government agencies for more Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis spoke to Brigadier General Michael McGinley, who serves as the Director of the Gig Eagle agile talent ecosystem initiative.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Senate Republicans are eyeing a late June floor vote on a reconciliation package, but have yet to hash out some differences. The Pentagon's budget is under a microscope today as lawmakers scrutinize the Defense Department. A rescissions package heads to the House floor in a test of the Trump administration's attempt to claw back funding. Jacob Fulton has your CQ Morning Briefing for Thursday, June 12, 2025.

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton How to develop effective technology policy when your imagination of future uses is limited How the Defense Department is approaching procurement reform Big opportunities to improve how the nation disposes of its nuclear waste See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Pentagon is trying many different approaches to speed up and simplify its acquisition programs, hoping to save billions in the process. Here with her observations on some of the most visible initiatives is the Managing Partner of Centre Law and Consulting, Barbara Kinosky.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

President Trump is doubling down on sending troops to Los Angeles, mobilizing another 2,000 National Guard members, while the Defense Department activated 700 Marines to react to the anti-ICE protests. Trump praised himself for the decision and suggested the city would have been completely obliterated otherwise. California's Governor Gavin Newsom, however, says the move was entirely unnecessary, and even counter-productive, claiming that local officials are more than capable of managing the unrest. Protests are now being seen in other cities as well.  Correspondent Josh Campbell joins the program from Los Angeles.  Also on today's show: UN humanitarian affairs spokesperson Olga Cherevko; Ukrainian tennis player-turned-soldier Sergiy Stakhovsky; actors Dule Hill & Daniel J. Watts ("Lights Out: Nat King Cole"); former USAID administrator Dr. Atul Gawande  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Friday marks the deadline for the estimated 4,200 active-duty transgender military members to accept what the Defense Department calls "voluntary separation." Those who volunteer to leave may be eligible for separation pay while transgender troops who don’t leave voluntarily will be kicked out. Nick Schifrin spoke to two transgender service members about the choice they face. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has issued an order to rename the USNS Harvey Milk. A Defense Department spokesperson says the timing during Pride Month is intentional. The family of Sarah Milgrim reflect on her life and career with the Israeli Embassy and watching her "love blossom" with her boyfriend Yaron Lischinsky after the couple was killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. last month. The judge in Karen Read's trial denied the defense's request for a mistrial over the use of dog DNA evidence. Read is accused of hitting and killing John O'Keefe, her boyfriend, in 2022. The defense has claimed O'Keefe was attacked by a dog and then beaten to death by others at a house party. Thirty years after ending four decades of Democratic control in the House, former Speaker Newt Gingrich joins "CBS Mornings" to discuss his new book "Trump's Triumph: America's Greatest Comeback," and the future of the Republican Party. Cynthia Erivo joins "CBS Mornings" to discuss hosting the 78th Annual Tony Awards, her behind-the-scenes preparations and what audiences can expect from Sunday night's show. Charlene Kaye, a classically trained musician-turned-comedian, has gone viral for her satirical takes on pop stars like Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga, blending musical theory, internet wit and the tension of growing up with a "tiger mom." To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From May 3, 2024: Over the past several years, governors around the country from both political parties have used their respective National Guards for an increasingly unconventional array of domestic missions, ranging from teaching in public schools to regulating immigration at the southern border. To discuss how this trend may impact the National Guard—and our broader democracy, particularly in this pivotal election year—Lawfare Senior Editor Scott R. Anderson recently sat down with a panel of senior former National Guard and Defense Department officials, including: General Craig McKinley, General Joseph Lengyel, Brigadier General Allyson Solomon, Major General Daryl Bohac, and former Assistant Secretary of Defense Dr. Paul Stockton. A video recording of the panel is available at https://www.brookings.edu/events/domestic-deployment-of-the-national-guard/.To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Six people are presumed dead after a private jet crashed into a San Diego neighborhood early Thursday morning. Sound Talent Group, a music talent agency based in the San Diego area, confirms that it lost three employees in the crash, including co-founder Dave Shapiro. California is suing the federal government for blocking the state's ability to set its own clean air rules. Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED The decision to take down a climate security website at Monterey's Naval Postgraduate School signals broader self-censorship there around climate research and scholarship. It comes in the wake of the U.S. Defense Department's call to eliminate so-called “climate distraction” in the military. Reporter: Elena Neale-Sacks, KAZU The state legislature is considering two new bills aimed at improving conditions for incarcerated workers. Reporter: Sukey Lewis, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two staff members of the Israeli Embassy were shot and killed outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., last night. The man and woman — a couple — had been attending a reception for young diplomats. CBS has the latest.The FDA announced a change in its framework for approving new COVID vaccines for healthy individuals under 65. Usha Lee McFarling, a national science correspondent with Stat, discusses the impact of the move, while NPR reports on how some of the CDC's main channels for communicating health information to the public have gone silent.Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson join this week's Apple News In Conversation to talk about their book ‘Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again.’Plus, the House passed Trump's massive tax-and-spending-bill, what to know about his contentious meeting with South Africa's president, and the Defense Department officially accepted a Qatari jet to serve as Air Force One. Also, how the 10 richest Americans got significantly richer in the past year — and how they stand to gain more from the GOP tax bill. Today’s episode was hosted by Shumita Basu.

Two staff members of the Israeli Embassy were shot and killed outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., last night. The man and woman — a couple — had been attending a reception for young diplomats. CBS has the latest.The FDA announced a change in its framework for approving new COVID vaccines for healthy individuals under 65. Usha Lee McFarling, a national science correspondent with Stat, discusses the impact of the move, while NPR reports on how some of the CDC's main channels for communicating health information to the public have gone silent.Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson join this week's Apple News In Conversation to talk about their book ‘Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again.’Plus, the House passed Trump's massive tax-and-spending-bill, what to know about his contentious meeting with South Africa's president, and the Defense Department officially accepted a Qatari jet to serve as Air Force One. Also, how the 10 richest Americans got significantly richer in the past year — and how they stand to gain more from the GOP tax bill. Today’s episode was hosted by Shumita Basu. Correction: A previous version of this episode cited comments the U.N. humanitarian chief made to the BBC that 14,000 babies in Gaza would die in the next 48 hours if they do not receive aid. The BBC has since updated that reporting to reflect that a report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification estimates that 14,100 severe cases of acute malnutrition could occur among children in Gaza ages 6 to 59 months between April 2025 and March 2026.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth continues to find himself mired in controversy. Also — tributes have poured in from around the world remembering Pope Francis as a leader who advocated for the poor and the dispossessed, and the Supreme Court considers a case brought by parents who want to pull their kids out of public school classes because of objections to some learning materials. Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Today's episode of Up First was edited by Andrew Sussman, Ryland Barton, Krishnadev Calamur, Arezou Rezvani and Janaya Williams.It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas.We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy