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Change happens only when people become significantly involved in the political process









BERNIE SANDERS








READ







CANDIDATES







CLIMATE CHANGE






The President gave his State of the Union address and laid out the agenda for his second year in office. Like his first year  conservationists can expect: even greater danger to birds and the places they need.  But through the rest of this term and beyond, Audubon will defend them.  The president may celebrate his administration’s achievements. For bird lovers, though, there’s no reason to cheer: In just the first year of this administration, we’ve seen important conservation laws defanged. Protected landscapes exposed. Climate change denied and deprioritized. And clean energy progress derailed. 
The impact on birds and their habitats could last decades or even longer—with the rest of the President’s term yet to come.  We’ll fight to keep conservation goals alive—and to see birds safe through this administration and beyond.

Sincerely,

The National Audubon Society



CYBERSECURITY 





A LEGISLATIVE UPDATE:
Lawmakers on the House Small Business Committee on Tuesday explored cyber threats to small businesses and focused on how the federal government shares information with the private sector to prevent and respond to cyber threats from foreign and other actors.
During the hearing, officials from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security agreed that small businesses are underprepared to counter threats like ransomware, phishing scams, and other attacks, underscoring the need for these organizations to be more willing to work with the federal government to reduce their risk.
"I would tell you that they are underprepared," said Howard Marshall, deputy assistant director at the FBI's cyber division. "Even in the biggest firms, cybersecurity is oftentimes considered a cost center and the general thought process is that it's not necessarily the cost of doing business. Even in your bigger firms, cybersecurity is something that is often not being considered."
Both Marshall and Richard Driggers, deputy assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security's National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD), signaled support for legislation introduced by Chairman Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) aimed at providing enhanced cyber assistance to small businesses.  The legislation, which has bipartisan support, would establish a central small business cybersecurity assistance unit at the Small Business Administration and regional small business cyber units across the country.  Toward the end of the hearing, both officials offered frank responses to Rep. Rod Blum (R-Iowa) when asked to explain how "bad" the issue of cyber threats to small businesses is.
"It's definitely getting worse," Marshall said. "It's bad and getting worse. The number of cases that are referred for investigation, the number of attacks that are thwarted that we know have been prevented, all of these numbers indicated a rise."
"To look at something like business email compromise or ransomware, we're talking about in the neighborhood of 40 or 50 percent growth year over year, I don't have the exact numbers in front of me," Marshall added.
Driggers emphasized the need for small businesses to implement basic cybersecurity protocols and best practices, such as mandating two-factor authentication and providing training to employees on cybersecurity.

"It does not take sophistication to exploit a vulnerability in a small business," Driggers said. "I think all small businesses need to assume that they have some type of vulnerability that exists within their networks or the devices that they are using." [Overnight Cybersecurity, January 30, 2018]



EDUCATION

IT'S NATIONAL SCHOOL CHOICE WEEK: To celebrate, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation that cheered the GOP tax law for "giving parents more control over their children's education." In a statement, Trump said "we are making strides toward a future of unprecedented educational attainment and freedom of choice. Under the leadership of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, we will continue to advance school choice so that every child in America has access to the tools best suited to enabling them to achieve the American Dream." He issued a similar proclamation last year. [POLITICO's Morning Education, January 23, 2018]



U.S. MILITARY














ISIS








TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WEIGHS IN ON FREE SPEECH DISPUTE: The Justice Department sided in court Thursday with two conservative student groups in a high-profile case involving conservatives Ann Coulter and David Horowitz and free speech policies at the University of California, Berkeley. The conservative groups have challenged what they describe as "discriminatory" free speech policies at the university.
- The Justice Department move ratcheted up the Trump administration's support on an issue that has rattled the higher education community. "The United States has a significant interest in the vigilant protection of constitutional freedoms in institutions of higher learning," the brief said. "As the Supreme Court has noted, 'teachers and students must always remain free to inquire, to study and to evaluate, to gain new maturity and understanding; otherwise our civilization will stagnate and die.'"

- Berkeley issued a statement calling the suit's allegations "unfounded" and said it will "vigorously" defend itself. [POLITICO's Morning Education, January 26, 2018]










FBI






















NOTE: The news sources here vary.  Not all sources have the same credibility, but in an effort to share some different perspectives, they are included here.  This compendium itself cannot claim to be unbiased.  Please take into consideration where these different perspectives originate in assessing their value.  Thank you

NOTE: I have no official connection to any organization from which information is shared.. Occasionally, I post informational material and/or an opportunity to donate or join as  a "community service" announcement.  These again are shared for their varying perspectives.

Any books listed are random or topic-related to something else in the post.  Think of these as a "library bookshelf" to browse.  They are shared for informational or entertainment value only, not as being recommended
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