Tag: Congressional

Congressional Report Spotlights AI, Emerging Technologies as Future of National Security

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Artificial intelligence takes center stage in a new Congressional report on the future of defense that urges a foundational shift in how the U.S. approaches national security. 

Reps. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and Jim Banks, R-Ind., who led the House Armed Services Committee’s bipartisan Future of Defense Task Force, discussed the final report’s recommendations at a Brookings Institution webinar Wednesday. 

The report takes a broad, 30-year view of the future of defense, emphasizing a whole-of-government approach and calling for greater collaboration between Silicon Valley or other innovative industry sectors and government. The task force makes the case for developing emerging technologies both for the direct benefits to national security of improving Pentagon operations and the indirect benefits global technology leadership could provide. 

“We’re calling for a real revolution in how we approach our national security,” Moulton said, arguing that without such a revolution the U.S. will lose its competitive advantage to

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DOJ proposes congressional fix of Section 230 as Trump turns up heat on Big Tech

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President Donald Trump signs an executive order to regulate social media, which could lead to attempts to punish companies, such as Twitter and Google, for attempting to point out factual inconsistencies in social media posts by politicians. 


Doug Mills/Getty Images

The Department of Justice proposed legislation Wednesday that would weaken legal liability protections for social media companies, like Facebook and Twitter, and hold them accountable for how they moderate content on their platforms. The news comes as the Trump administration turns up the heat on big tech companies as the 2020 US presidential race gets into full swing. 

Specifically, the new law if passed by Congress and signed by the president, would alter the criteria online platforms must meet to benefit from liability protections granted by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. 

“For too long Section 230 has provided a shield for online platforms to operate with impunity,” Attorney

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APS Congressional Science Fellow Put Scientific Skills to Use During COVID-19 Crisis

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Prior to dealing with the coronavirus health crisis, Gladstone said the first step in her fellowship was getting acclimated to working in US Sen. Gary Peters’ office. Peters, who represents Michigan, is the Ranking Member of the HSGAC.

“Each Senator’s office runs differently, like each professor’s research group functions differently. I started by taking notes at constituent meetings, briefings, and hearings (and learning the difference between those). I summarized other people’s positions into one-page decision memos, and in doing so, learned about their work and how the office flows,” she said.

Gladstone recalled there was plenty of work to do to stay on top of the health crisis.

“From January to March, we were getting reports, preparing for hearings, and working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. I sent notes around my office from COVID-19 hearings, explaining the difference between COVID-19 and SARS-COV-2,” she said.

Gladstone said that chance meetings

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