Briefer News

U.S. authorizes companies to hack criminal networks abroad.

Today's events

• Cyber memorandum.

  A presidential memorandum authorizes vetted U.S. companies to conduct cyber surveillance and disruption operations against foreign criminal organizations, run under Justice and Homeland Security directors who must approve each operation.¹Aug 13 · WH
• Cartel coalition.

  Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met 19 partner nations in Panama for the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition; Southern Command will write and approve a joint campaign plan by November.²Aug 12 · War Dept.
• Geneva declaration.

  The United States takes over the secretariat of the Geneva Consensus Declaration from Hungary, housing the 40-signatory coalition — which commits members to protect life at all stages — inside the Health Department.³Aug 12 · State
• Chip supply corridor.

  The State Department opened bidding on a $50 million project to build an artificial-intelligence supply-chain credentialing platform with Panama's ports and customs, speeding semiconductors and critical minerals to partner countries.⁴Aug 12 · State
• Birth tourism.

  The State Department revoked more than 600 visas worldwide through a new task force targeting travelers who conceal plans to give birth in the United States and the facilitators who sell the service.⁵Aug 12 · State
• TransDigm–Stellant.

  TransDigm abandoned its purchase of Stellant Systems after the Justice Department said it would sue; the two are rival suppliers of radar components for the Navy's Aegis combat system and Air Force F-16s.⁶Aug 12 · DOJ
• Three exploited flaws.

  CISA added three actively exploited vulnerabilities to its catalog: a Cisco firewall heap-inspection flaw, a Windows networking use-after-free, and a SQL-injection hole in the Metabase analytics tool.⁷Aug 11 · CISA
• Ultra-processed foods.

  Health and Human Services proposed requiring manufacturers to tell the Food and Drug Administration when they deem an additive safe, and sent the government's first definition of ultra-processed foods for final review.⁸Aug 12 · HHS
• Detainee release.

  Robert Gilman flew home after more than four years in Russian detention, freed through Special Envoy Steve Witkoff; the State Department said it is still seeking Stephen Hubbard and other detained Americans.⁹Aug 11 · State

Allied Governments

• Airspace violations.

  NATO's North Atlantic Council met over Russian airspace violations in Poland and Romania and recent drone incidents, saying Russia bears full responsibility and pledging stronger air and missile defenses on the eastern flank.^aAug 12 · NATO
• Iran executions.

  Thirty-two governments and the European Union's High Representative condemned Iran's ongoing executions of protesters and called for an immediate end to the death penalty and the release of all arbitrarily detained people.^bAug 12 · UK FCDO
• North Korean missile.

  Japan, the United States and South Korea held a three-way telephone meeting after North Korea's ballistic missile launch, calling it a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.^cAug 12 · Japan MoFA

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