Connect with us

INTERNACIONAL

House bipartisan bill directs NSA to create ‘AI security playbook’ amid Chinese tech race

Published

on


NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

FIRST ON FOX – Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Ind., is introducing a new bill Thursday imploring the National Security Administration (NSA) to develop an «AI security playbook» to stay ahead of threats from China and other foreign adversaries. 

Advertisement

The bill, dubbed the «Advanced AI Security Readiness Act,» directs the NSA’s Artificial Intelligence Security Center to develop an «AI Security Playbook to address vulnerabilities, threat detection, cyber and physical security strategies, and contingency plans for highly sensitive AI systems.» 

It is co-sponsored by House Select Committee on China Chairman Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., Ranking Member Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., and Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J. 

LaHood, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee and the House Select Committee on China, told Fox News Digital that the legislative proposal, if passed, would be the first time Congress codifies a «multi-prong approach to ensure that the U.S. remains ahead in the advanced technology race against the CCP.» He said the bill will improve export control mechanisms – including for chips and high capacity chip manufacturing – protect covered AI technologies with a focus on cybersecurity, and limit outbound investment to firms directly tied to the Chinese Community Party or China’s People’s Liberation Army. 

Advertisement

CHINESE BIOWEAPON SMUGGLING CASE SHOWS US ‘TRAINS OUR ENEMIES,’ ‘LEARNED NOTHING’ FROM COVID: SECURITY EXPERT

Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Ill., leaves the House Republican Conference meeting at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, May 17, 2022. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

«We start with the premise that China has a plan to replace the United States. And I don’t say that to scare people or my constituents, but they have a plan to replace the United States, and they’re working on it every single day. And that entails stealing data and infiltrating our systems,» LaHood told Fox News Digital. «AI is the next frontier on that. We lead the world in technology. We lead the world when it comes to AI. But what this bill will do will again make sure that things are done the right way and the correct way, and that we’re protecting our assets and promoting the current technology that we have in our country.» 

Advertisement

LaHood pointed to evidence uncovered by the committee that he said shows the CCP’s DeepSeek used illegal distillation techniques to steal insights from U.S. AI models to accelerate their own technology development. He also pointed to how China allegedly smuggled AI chips through Singapore intermediaries to circumvent U.S. export controls on the technology. 

«As we look at, ‘How do we win the strategic competition?’ I think most experts would say we’re ahead in AI right now against China, but not by much. It is a short lead,» LaHood told Fox News Digital.

He said he is confident the bill will put the U.S. «in the best position to protect our assets here and make sure that we’re not shipping things that shouldn’t go to AI that allow them to win the AI race in China.»

Advertisement

«Whoever wins this race in the future, it’s going to be critical to future warfare capabilities, to, obviously, cybersecurity,» LaHood continued. «And then, whoever wins the AI competition is going to yield really unwavering economic influence in the future. And so we’re aggressive in this bill in terms of targeting those areas where we need to protect our AI and our companies here in the United States, both on the commercial side and on the government side, to put us in the best position possible.» 

Timothy Haugh speaks during congressional hearing

National Security Agency Director Gen. Timothy Haugh speaks during a Senate Committee on Intelligence Hearing on March 25, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The legislative proposal calls on the NSA to develop a playbook that identifies vulnerabilities in AI data centers and developers producing sensitive AI technologies with an emphasis on unique «threat vectors» that do not typically arise, or are less severe, in the context of conventional information technology systems.» The bill says the NSA must develop «core insights» in how advanced AI systems are being trained to identify potential interferences and must develop strategies to «detect, prevent and respond to cyber threats by threat actors targeting covered AI technologies.» 

AMAZON ANNOUNCES $20B INVESTMENT IN RURAL PENNSYLVANIA FOR AI DATA CENTERS

Advertisement

The bill calls on the NSA to «identify levels of security, if any, that would require substantial involvement» by the U.S. government «in the development or oversight of highly advanced AI systems.» It cites a «hypothetical initiative to build covered AI technology systems in a highly secure government environment» with certain protocols in place, such as personnel vetting and security clearance processes, to mitigate «insider threats.» 

Though not directly related, the legislation is being introduced a week after FBI Director Kash Patel sounded the alarm on how the CCP continues to deploy operatives and researchers to «infiltrate» U.S. institutions. Patel laid out the risk in announcing that two Chinese nationals were charged with smuggling a potential bioweapon into the U.S. 

LaHood said that case further highlights «the level of penetration and sophistication that the CCP will engage in,» but he added that his bill focuses on putting a «protective layer» on U.S. AI tech and «restricting outbound investment to China.» He pointed to how the CCP also has bought up farmland around strategic U.S. national security locations, particularly in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. 

Advertisement
China flag

Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Ind., said China’s goal is to replace the United States. (ADEK BERRY/AFP via Getty Images)

«If everything was an even playing field, and we were all abiding by the same rules and standards and ethical guidelines, I have no doubt the U.S. would win [the AI race], but China has a tendency and a history of playing by a different set of rules and standards,» LaHood said. «They cheat, they steal, they take our intellectual property. Not just my opinion, that’s been factually laid out, you know, in many different instances. And that’s the reason why we need to have a bill like this.» 

The bill comes as the Trump administration has been pushing to bolster artificial intelligence infrastructure in the United States, and major tech companies, including Amazon, Nvidia, Meta, OpenAI, Oracle and others, have made major investments in constructing AI-focused data centers and enhancing U.S. cloud computing. Last week, Amazon announced a $20 billion investment in constructing AI data centers in rural Pennsylvania. It followed a similar $10 billion investment in North Carolina. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

Advertisement

In late May, the NSA’s Artificial Intelligence Security Center released «joint guidance» on the «risks and best practices in AI data security.» The recommendations include implementing methods to secure the data used in AI-based systems, «such as employing digital signatures to authenticate trusted revisions, tracking data provenance, and leveraging trusted infrastructure.» The center said its guidance is «critically relevant for organizations – especially system owners and administrators within the Department of Defense, National Security Systems, and the Defense Industrial Base – that already use AI systems in their day-to-day operations and those that are seeking to integrate AI into their infrastructure.» 

Advertisement

INTERNACIONAL

Jack Smith pushes for public testimony to confront ‘mischaracterizations’ of Trump probes

Published

on


NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

EXCLUSIVE: Former Special Counsel Jack Smith is requesting to testify in open, public hearings before the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, Fox News Digital has learned.

Advertisement

Fox News Digital exclusively obtained a letter Smith’s attorneys sent to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley Thursday afternoon, after both panels signaled interest in testimony from the former special counsel.

EXCLUSIVE: JACK SMITH TRACKED PRIVATE COMMUNICATIONS, CALLS OF NEARLY A DOZEN GOP SENATORS DURING J6 PROBE, FBI SAYS

«Given the many mischaracterizations of Mr. Smith’s investigation into President Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents and role in attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election, Mr. Smith respectfully requests the opportunity to testify in open hearings before the House and Senate Judiciary Committees,» Smith attorneys Lanny Breuer and Peter Koski wrote.

Advertisement

Jack Smith, then-U.S. special counsel, speaks during a news conference in Washington, Aug. 1, 2023.  (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

«During the investigation of President Trump, Mr. Smith steadfastly adhered to established legal standards and Department of Justice guidelines, consistent with his approach throughout his career as a dedicated public servant,» they wrote.

«He is prepared to answer questions about the Special Counsel’s investigation and prosecution, but requires assurance from the Department of Justice that he will not be punished for doing so,» they continued. «To that end, Mr. Smith needs guidance from the Department of Justice regarding federal grand jury secrecy requirements and authorization on the matters he may speak to regarding, among other things, Volume II of the Final Report of the Special Counsel, which is not publicly available.»

Advertisement

Smith’s attorneys also noted that in order to provide «full and accurate answers to your questions, Mr. Smith requires access to the Special Counsel files, which he no longer has the ability to access.»

Rep. Jim Jordan

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee leaves the Republican caucus meeting at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023.  (Jose Luis Magana/The Associated Press )

JACK SMITH DEFENDS SUBPOENAING REPUBLICAN SENATORS’ PHONE RECORDS: ‘ENTIRELY PROPER’

«With the guidance and access described above, Mr. Smith is available to testify in an open hearing at your earliest convenience,» they wrote.

Advertisement

A source familiar told Fox News Digital that Smith’s attorneys are planning to officially seek guidance from the Department of Justice on the matter.

The letter from Smith’s attorneys comes after Jordan, R-Ohio, requested Smith appear for a closed-door transcribed interview and provide all records from his work related to President Donald Trump.

Sen. Chuck Grassley

Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, speaks during a hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025 (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The letter also comes after Grassley, R-Iowa, and nearly two dozen Senate Republicans demanded that the Department of Justice and FBI release documents on Smith’s decision to subpoena telecommunications companies for phone records of a number of Senate Republicans during his probe into Jan. 6, 2021.

Advertisement

Fox News Digital exclusively reported earlier in October that Smith tracked the private communications and phone calls of GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and GOP Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania as part of his «Arctic Frost» investigation.

An official said the records were collected in 2023 by Smith and his team after subpoenaing major telephone providers. 

Patel and Grassley shaking hands

FBI Director Kash Patel shakes hands with Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa during a Senate Judiciary hearing on Sept. 16, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

An FBI official told Fox News Digital that Smith and his team tracking the senators were able to see which phone numbers they called, the location the phone call originated and the location where it was received.

Advertisement

A source said the calls were likely in reference to the vote to certify the 2020 election. 

Smith, though, called his decision to subpoena several Republican lawmakers’ phone records, calling the move «entirely proper» and consistent with Justice Department policy.

«As described by various Senators, the toll data collection was narrowly tailored and limited to the four days from January 4, 2021 to January 7, 2021, with a focus on telephonic activity during the period immediately surrounding the January 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol,» Smith’s lawyers wrote Tuesday to Grassley. 

Advertisement
Merrick Garland, Donald Trump and Jack Smith

A split image featuring US Attorney General Merrick Garland, President Donald Trump and Special Counsel Jack Smith (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images | Photo by Rebecca Noble/Getty Images | Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Smith was appointed special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November 2022.

Smith, after months of investigating, charged President Donald Trump in the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., in his 2020 election case, but after Trump was elected president, Smith sought to dismiss the case. Judge Tanya Chutkan granted that request. 

Advertisement

Smith’s case cost taxpayers more than $50 million. 

Fox News’ Ashley Oliver contributed to this report. 

Advertisement

justice department,jim jordan,chuck grassley,fbi,senate,house of representatives politics

Advertisement
Continue Reading

INTERNACIONAL

Expertos advierten que limpiar Gaza de artefactos explosivos sin detonar llevará entre 20 y 30 años

Published

on


FOTO DE ARCHIVO: Un misil sin detonar disparado por un avión israelí yace entre los escombros, en medio del actual conflicto entre Israel y Hamás, en el norte de la Franja de Gaza. 14 de mayo de 2024 (REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/Archivo)

Limpiar la superficie de Gaza de artefactos explosivos sin detonar llevará probablemente entre 20 y 30 años, según un funcionario de la organización humanitaria Humanity & Inclusion, que describe el enclave como un “horrible campo de minas sin cartografiar”.

Según una base de datos dirigida por la ONU, más de 53 personas han muerto y cientos han resultado heridas por los restos mortales de la guerra de dos años entre Israel y Hamas, lo que los grupos de ayuda consideran una enorme subestimación.

Advertisement

El alto el fuego logrado este mes con la mediación de Estados Unidos ha aumentado las esperanzas de que pueda comenzar la ingente tarea de sacarlos de entre millones de toneladas de escombros.

Si se trata de un desminado completo, nunca se hará, es subterráneo. Lo encontraremos durante generaciones”, afirma Nick Orr, experto en desactivación de artefactos explosivos de Humanity & Inclusion, comparando la situación con la de las ciudades británicas tras la Segunda Guerra Mundial.

“Despejar la superficie, eso sí que es algo alcanzable dentro de una generación, creo que de 20 a 30 años”, añadió. “Va a ser una pequeña reducción de un problema muy grande”.

Advertisement

Orr, que estuvo en Gaza varias veces durante el conflicto, forma parte del equipo de siete personas de su organización que la semana que viene empezará a identificar restos de guerra en infraestructuras esenciales como hospitales y panaderías.

Palestinos recogen panfletos arrojados por
Palestinos recogen panfletos arrojados por un dron israelí, que advierten a la gente que se mantenga alejada de la llamada línea amarilla en Jan Yunis, en el sur de la Franja de Gaza, el lunes 20 de octubre de 2025 (AP Foto/Jehad Alshrafi)

Por ahora, sin embargo, los grupos de ayuda como el suyo no han recibido permiso general de Israel para empezar a retirar y destruir los artefactos, ni para importar el equipo necesario, dijo.

COGAT, el brazo del Ejército israelí que supervisa la ayuda a Gaza, no respondió a una solicitud de comentarios. Bloquea la entrada en Gaza de artículos que considera de “doble uso”, tanto civil como militar.

Orr dijo que estaba solicitando permiso para importar suministros para quemar bombas en lugar de detonarlas, con el fin de aliviar la preocupación de que puedan ser reutilizadas por Hamas.

Advertisement

Se mostró partidario de una fuerza temporal como la prevista en el plan de alto el fuego de 20 puntos.

“Si va a haber algún tipo de futuro dentro de Gaza, tiene que haber una fuerza de seguridad que permita a los trabajadores humanitarios que hagan sus tareas”, afirmó Orr.

El presidente de Estados Unidos,
El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, habla durante una celebración de Diwali en la Oficina Oval de la Casa Blanca en Washington, D.C., EEUU, el 21 de octubre de 2025 (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

Por otra parte, el presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, afirmó que Israel “perderá su apoyo” si decide seguir adelante con el proceso legal para la anexión de Cisjordania, una cuestión que la Administración Trump ha pedido dejar fuera de la mesa en reiteradas ocasiones.

En una entrevista concedida a la revista Time, Trump aseguró, no obstante, que esto “no sucederá”. “No va a suceder porque he dado mi palabra a los países árabes y no es algo que pueda hacerse ahora, tenemos un gran apoyo de estos países. Israel perdería el apoyo de Estados Unidos si esto sucede”, aclaró.

Advertisement

En este sentido, aseguró que sus acciones han permitido “frenar a (Benjamin) Netanyahu a la hora de seguir con los ataques en Gaza”. “Simplemente habría seguido con la guerra durante años”, dijo, al tiempo que recordó que insistió al primer ministro israelí sobre la cuestión de ponerle fin. “Le dije que se pueden librar batallas de forma unilateral, pero que el mundo estaba en su contra. E Israel es un lugar pequeño en comparación con el mundo”, dijo.

Le detuve porque iba a seguir. Fue increíble”, sostuvo, al tiempo que aseguró que los intentos de Israel de acabar con la cúpula de Hamas con sus ataques sobre Qatar “fueron un error”, algo “terrible”, pero que creó la posibilidad de lograr por fin un acuerdo. “Cuando cometieron ese error táctico, el de Qatar, le dije al emir que esa cuestión nos colocaría a todos en la misma página”, sostuvo.



Middle East,Military Conflicts

Advertisement
Continue Reading

INTERNACIONAL

Essential workers left unpaid after Senate Democrats kill pay bill

Published

on


NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Democrats blocked a Republican-led attempt to provide essential government workers with paychecks amid an ongoing, 23-day shutdown, calling the bill overly selective and incomplete.

Advertisement

That bill, proposed by Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Todd Young, R-Ind., failed in a 54-45 vote, where 60 votes were needed to advance the bill over the threat of a filibuster.

Only three Democrats, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, and Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff of Georgia, voted with Republicans. 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., turns to an aide during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, June 3, 2025.  (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Advertisement

In addition to compensating federal employees and military personnel during the current shutdown, the bill would also extend relief to future instances where funding bills aren’t in effect. 

«For fiscal year 2026, and any fiscal year thereafter, there are appropriated such sums as are necessary to provide standard rates of pay, allowances, pay differentials, benefits, and other payments on a regular basis to excepted employees,» the bill reads.

SENATE STALLS ON SHUTDOWN VOTE AMID WARNING FURLOUGHED WORKERS MAY LOSE PAY

Advertisement

Johnson had pitched his bill as a long-term solution.

«I just hope, on a nonpartisan basis, we do something that makes sense around here for once,» Johnson said ahead of the bill’s consideration. 

«With Democrats continuing the Schumer Shutdown, they should at least agree to pay all the federal employees that are forced to continue working. The 2025 Shutdown Fairness Act is a permanent fix that will ensure excepted workers and our troops are paid during a shutdown,» Johnson said.

Advertisement

Other Republicans blasted Democrats for voting against the bill.

«It means Democrats don’t care,» Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said. «We know this is going to end sometime. The question is when. I guess it will depend on how much carnage the Democrats want to create. To me, they are in a box canyon, and they can’t figure out how to get out.» 

Essential federal employees have been asked to continue working since the government entered a shutdown on Oct. 1 after lawmakers failed to pass spending legislation to begin the 2026 fiscal year. Republicans have advanced a short-term spending extension that would open the government through Nov. 21. Democrats have repeatedly rejected that proposal though, demanding that Congress first consider an extension to expiring COVID-19-era supplemental funding for Obamacare health insurance subsidies. 

Advertisement

Republicans, who maintain that the health insurance subsidies are unrelated to the government’s short-term funding needs, have rejected those demands out of hand.

Democrats in the Senate have voted 12 times to defeat the stopgap bill. 

JOHNSON WARNS US ‘BARRELING TOWARD ONE OF THE LONGEST SHUTDOWNS’ IN HISTORY

Advertisement
Sen. Ron Johnson speaks to reporters in washington

Sen. Ron Johnson talks with reporters in the U.S. Capitol after the House passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on May 22, 2025. (Tom Williams/Getty Images)

The shutdown looks poised to continue with no resolution in sight, prompting lawmakers to worry about key areas that are feeling the shutdown’s effects more acutely. The Johnson-Young supplemental package was the most recent attempt to provide a limited basis for relieving some of that pain.

Ahead of Thursday’s vote, Republicans in the House of Representatives appeared open to considering the Johnson-Young bill.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told House Republicans during a lawmaker-only call on Tuesday that his chamber would be «prepared to act» if the bill passed the Senate, Fox News Digital was told. Johnson has repeatedly said he would give lawmakers 48 hours’ notice to return to Washington before any votes but has largely signaled he will keep the House out of session until Senate Democrats pass the GOP’s funding bill.

Advertisement

Johnson also said on the call that he was skeptical the bill would get enough Senate Democratic support to pass.

«If they oppose the Ron Johnson bill in the Senate, it will be absolutely clear that they are simply using the military and air traffic control and law enforcement and all these other personnel as pawns for their political efforts,» Johnson said, Fox News Digital was told.

But other lawmakers had hesitations about partially reopening the government, offering relief to some workers and not others. That was the concern of Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., ahead of Thursday’s vote.

Advertisement

«I have a concern about picking and choosing among all the federal workers,» Blumenthal said.

«I’m fine to support it. I think we need to pay our military, but I want to define and limit it in a way that provides pay to essential workers who serve our public safety and our national defense,» Blumenthal said.

Blumenthal voted against the measure.

Advertisement

Democrats in the House of Representatives signaled similar lines of opposition to the idea behind the Johnson-Young bill. 

HOUSE GOP BLOCKS DEMS’ MILITARY PAY BILL AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN THREATENS CHECKS

«It’s not legislation that I support, because it appears to be more like a political ploy to pick and choose, giving Donald Trump discretion [over] which employees should be compensated, and which employees should not be compensated. All employees should be compensated and that will happen when we reopen the government,» House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters on Monday.

Advertisement
Hakeem Jeffries gestures while speaking

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., holds a press conference on the 14th day of the government shutdown on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 14, 2025.  (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Senate Democrats also defeated other pieces of legislation that would open portions of the government. Last week, Democrats in the Senate voted against a 2026 defense spending bill ­— one of the 12 year-long bills normally used to fund the government.

Aside from the Johnson-Young bill, the Senate will not consider other pieces of spending legislation on Thursday. Senators are scheduled to leave Washington, D.C., on Thursday and will return at the beginning of next week.

Advertisement

politics,senate,government shutdown,democrats senate

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Tendencias