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23andMe bankruptcy prompts Cornyn-Grassley-Klobuchar bipartisan bill to protect sensitive genetic data
FIRST ON FOX: Republican senators John Cornyn and Chuck Grassley and Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar are rolling out a bipartisan measure to protect sensitive genetic data in response to privacy concerns sparked by 23andMe’s bankruptcy, Fox News Digital has learned.
Cornyn, R-Texas; Grassley, R-Iowa; and Klobuchar, D-Minn., are introducing the Don’t Sell My DNA Act, which would safeguard customers’ sensitive genetic information when an entity that maintains data files for bankruptcy. The bill would add genetic information to the definition of «personally identifiable information» in the bankruptcy code.
PROTECT YOUR GENETIC DATA: URGENT STEPS AFTER 23ANDME BANKRUPTCY
Under current law, the bankruptcy code provides protections for personally identifiable information in bankruptcy court proceedings to prevent the possibility of identity theft, harm or other unlawful injury.
Senate aides told Fox News Digital the current definition of personally identifiable information includes an individual’s name, address, email, phone number, Social Security number, credit card numbers and other information that could be used for identification purposes.
Those aides said the definition is «outdated» and does not include a reference to genetic information, leaving the information vulnerable.
A 23andMe saliva collection kit (Kurt «CyberGuy» Knutsson)
«This legislation would solve this problem by updating the definition of ‘personally identifiable information’ in the bankruptcy code to include genetic information,» a Senate aide said.
The bill also addresses consumer privacy concerns by having consumers affirmatively consent to the sale or lease of their genetic information after a bankruptcy case commences and requiring companies to provide prior written notice of the use, sale or lease of their genetic information during bankruptcy.
The bill also requires the trustee or debtor in possession to delete any genetic information not subject to a sale or lease.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas (Reuters)
«Advances in DNA testing have allowed Americans to have unprecedented access to important insights about their genetics, but these companies must have a plan to protect this data in the event of bankruptcy,» Cornyn told Fox News Digital.
«By updating the bankruptcy code, this legislation would safeguard Americans’ sensitive genetic information to ensure it cannot be weaponized against them or made public without their knowledge and consent.»
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, at the U.S. Capitol after a senate luncheon Sept. 24, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
And Klobuchar said companies «have profited off of Americans’ data while consumers have been left in the dark, which is especially concerning in light of reports that 23andMe plans to sell customer genetic data assets to a large pharmaceutical company.»
«This bill will put new protections in place to safeguard Americans’ privacy while giving consumers greater control over how their sensitive health data is shared,» Klobuchar said.
Grassley told Fox News Digital consumers should «feel confident that any personal information shared with a public company isn’t up for grabs when that company files for bankruptcy.»
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. (Screenshot/ABC/TheView)
Grassley told Fox News Digital the bill «would fill gaps in current law to help safeguard consumers’ genetic information and ensure Americans’ DNA isn’t treated like any other financial asset.»
On Monday, 23andMe announced Regeneron Pharmaceuticals would purchase 23andMe through a bankruptcy auction.
Senate aides said Regeneron promises to «protect consumer information, but the data privacy concerns for future bankruptcies remain.»
REGENERON PHARMACEUTICALS TO BUY BANKRUPT 23ANDME IN $256M DEAL
The genetic testing company 23andMe, once a pioneer in consumer DNA testing, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March amid financial struggles, a leadership shakeup and growing concerns about the security of its customers’ genetic data.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals announced it will acquire «substantially all» of genetic testing company 23andMe’s assets.
The pharmaceutical company said it won the court-supervised auction of the genetic testing company, with Regeneron agreeing to pay $256 million for the assets. The auction for 23andMe was part of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection it filed in March to arrange a sale of its business.
In its bankruptcy petition, the company estimated a range of $100 million to $500 million for its assets. Estimated liabilities were the same.
The pharmaceutical company is buying 23andMe’s personal genome service and its health and research services segments, according to 23andMe.
Senate,Senate Democrats,Privacy,Genetics Science
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‘Come-to-Jesus meeting’: Military community reacts to Hegseth’s get fit, get in line or get out speech
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War Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a blunt message to military leaders from around the globe this week: get fit, get on board with the Trump agenda or get out.
It marked the first time generals from around the world had been summoned to convene with the secretary, and many had expected closed-door announcements on trimming the general officer corps, drawing down forces in the Middle East and Europe or cutting civilian and contractor roles.
Instead, what they got was a televised address from Hegseth and President Donald Trump. The secretary pushed a populist message of handing decision-making back to the warfighter, requiring senior leadership to perform physical training in line with lower-ranking officers and bringing uniformity back to the force.
Garrett Smith, an active-duty Marine Corps reservist and CEO of defense tech firm Reveal, said the spectacle was unusual but not without precedent.
TRUMP DECLARES ‘REAWAKENING’ OF ‘WARRIOR SPIRIT,’ UNWAVERING SUPPORT FOR MILITARY: ‘I HAVE YOUR BACKS’
War Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to military leaders during a meeting at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
«At a first level, at any big multinational corporation or big organization, when there’s a new boss, it’s totally reasonable to call in all your regional managers and VPs for a setting of tone, to reconfirm the agenda, to ensure alignment. So all of that makes sense,» Smith said. «But obviously, these are not normal times. This is the Trump administration. So it’s going to come with a bunch of enhanced drama and mystique and weirdness about it… the policy and the action might have been totally great, but much of the country is going to be left wondering, what was that really about?»
Even so, Smith argued, the underlying message was unmistakable: «A return to warfighting and preparation for winning wars as the priority mission of the department. There was a perception we’d strayed from that, that it had become just one mission among many. Reconfirming that this is the mission is really important — investing in a warfighting ethos.»
At a moment when the Trump administration is on alert for internal resistance to its agenda, the speech served as a reminder to commanders stationed far from Washington that their authority ultimately flows from the president.
«This is a historic come-to-Jesus meeting,» said Chad Robicheaux, a former reconnaissance Marine who deployed to Afghanistan eight times. «The message is clear: the days of divisiveness, resistance, and undermining leadership are over.»
«It was crystal clear — generals and admirals are on notice: comply and enforce these new policies and culture or be fired. No more woke leaders,» said Amber Smith, a combat veteran and advisor with the Coalition for Military Excellence.
«The topic today is about the nature of ourselves, because no plan, no program, no reform, no formation will ultimately succeed unless we have the right people and the right culture at the Department of War,» Hegseth told the group.
He emphasized that combat fitness tests would be gender-neutral and that high-level officers would need to meet standards.
«It’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon and leading commands around the country and the world. It’s a bad look. It’s not who we are,» he said. «Whether you’re an airborne Ranger or a chairborne Ranger, a brand new private or a four-star general, you need to meet the height and weight standards and pass your PT test.»
Hegseth announced that all personnel must pass physical training tests and meet weight requirements twice a year, and would be required to work out daily. «We’re not talking, like, hot yoga and stretching,» he said. «Real hard PT.»
That represented a departure from previous years, when fitness standards often fell away once officers reached higher ranks and desk-bound commands.
HEGSETH INSTATES ‘HIGHEST MALE STANDARD ONLY’ FOR COMBAT, OTHER CHANGES, DECLARING DEPT. OF DEFENSE ‘IS OVER’
Hundreds of generals were called to Quantico on a week’s notice for Hegseth’s address. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
Smith, who comes from the infantry, said the focus on standards for physical readiness was part of that shift. «If we want to present a deterring force to the world so we don’t have to go to war, we have to be ready to win the next war. That is the deterrent force we project,» he said.
At the same time, Smith acknowledged the cultural edge of Hegseth’s message. «There was an obvious and very clear anti-woke, anti-social-justice threat in there. That is unique to this administration, and it has to be a part of their message every time. That’s not a surprise given the last four or five years.»
From Trump, generals saw a preview of what is expected in the forthcoming national defense strategy: a renewed focus on homeland defense and U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere. Trump suggested crime-ridden U.S. cities could even serve as «training grounds» for troops.
«I told Pete we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military — National Guard, but military — because we’re going into Chicago very soon,» Trump said.
HEGSETH TELLS TROOPS TO RESIGN IF THEY OPPOSE HIS PLAN TO SCRAP ‘WOKE’ POLICIES AND RESTORE WARRIOR ETHOS
Hegseth’s message carried a personal edge rooted in his own military experience. A former Army National Guard officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Hegseth left the service at the rank of major — well short of the general officer tier he now oversees.
That trajectory has long colored his outsider posture toward the Pentagon brass, giving him credibility with rank-and-file troops but also fueling what some see as a chip-on-the-shoulder tone toward those who climbed higher in the hierarchy.
His insistence that generals shed weight, train daily and live by the same standards as junior officers reflects both his populist instincts and his lived sense of being closer to the warfighter than the war planner.
«I can’t really imagine a scenario where a general needs to be able to run across a battlefield,» one veteran mused.
«It felt a bit theatery,» one junior officer said of the speech. «But he’s right that generals should have to meet the same standards they expect of the people they lead.»
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«The future of the military and ‘war’ department finally is starting to look better, and I’m happy all that bulls— that happened in the past was addressed, and I don’t have to deal with it,» said another.
Hegseth also said he would lift guardrails aimed at preventing bullying and hazing and «empower leaders to enforce standards without fear of retribution or second-guessing.»
«No more walking on eggshells.»
He told military officers in the room that if they didn’t like his message, «then you should do the honorable thing and resign.»
pete hegseth,defense,military,politics,pentagon defense
El canciller de Francia, de visita en Arabia Saudita, consideró este jueves que Hamas “perdió” frente a Israel y que debe aceptar su “rendición“, en momentos en que el grupo terrorista palestino examina un plan de Estados Unidos para poner fin a la guerra en Gaza.
“Hamas tiene una responsabilidad muy fuerte en la catástrofe vivida por los palestinos. Ha perdido. Debe resignarse a su propia rendición“, declaró el ministro Jean-Noël Barrot a AFP.
Tras la publicación, el lunes, del plan de paz del presidente estadounidense Donald Trump, aprobado públicamente por el primer ministro israelí, Benjamin Netanyahu, Barrot reiteró este jueves el apoyo de Francia a esa iniciativa.
“Aplaudimos el plan y queremos trabajar en su puesta en marcha para poner fin a la guerra, al hambre y al sufrimiento en Gaza”, dijo Barrot.
El ministro insistió en el aislamiento de Hamas y recordó que el 12 de septiembre, en la Asamblea General de la ONU se votó por amplia mayoría un texto presentado por París y Riad que defiende un futuro Estado palestino en el que Hamas quedaría al margen.
El plan de Trump prevé un alto al fuego en 72 horas, el desarme de Hamas y la retirada progresiva de Israel a Gaza.
El presidente estadounidense le había dado a Hamas un plazo de “tres o cuatro días” para aceptar su propuesta.
Trump insistió en que “sólo estamos esperando a Hamas” y advirtió que una eventual negativa a la propuesta significaría “un futuro muy triste” para el enclave. Cuestionado por la posibilidad de modificar términos del acuerdo, respondió que el margen para renegociaciones sería “no mucho”, acotando así la flexibilidad para enmiendas de última hora.
Por otra parte, las fuerzas de Israel intensificaron sus operaciones militares en la Franja de Gaza en las últimas 24 horas, al tiempo que aumenta la presión internacional sobre Hamas para que acepte la propuesta de alto el fuego.
En un comunicado emitido por las Fuerzas de Defensa de Israel (FDI), se informó que diferentes divisiones del ejército realizaron allanamientos en la ciudad de Gaza, donde confiscaron armas, eliminaron combatientes considerados como terroristas y destruyeron infraestructura utilizada por milicias armadas.
La División 36 de las FDI incursionó en un edificio militar, localizando “una gran cantidad de armas y equipo militar”, y destruyó puntos logísticos. Por su parte, las divisiones 98 y 99 reportaron ataques aéreos y terrestres que resultaron en la muerte de más combatientes en distintas zonas de la ciudad. Las FDI agregaron que sus tropas continúan avanzando con el respaldo de inteligencia y potencia de fuego para “eliminar células terroristas de Hamas”, además de haber recogido equipo táctico que quedó abandonado tras el repliegue de combatientes palestinos.
Entre el material incautado figuran chalecos, cargadores, granadas, mapas y cámaras utilizadas para la planificación de operaciones y tareas terroristas, los cuales fueron entregados a las agencias de inteligencia israelíes para mayor análisis.
De acuerdo con el comunicado castrense, estas acciones forman parte de la denominada Operación Carros de Gideon II. El ejército aseguró que el combate se desarrolla en “un espacio denso y urbanizado”, combinando acciones encubiertas, inteligencia y ataques precisos. Los soldados actúan en condiciones de alta complejidad, registrando intensos combates y detectando la huida apresurada de miembros de las facciones armadas de Gaza.
(Con información de AFP)
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