© AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File |
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Defense officials on Wednesday announced that, in the wake of junior Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira‘s alleged leaking of classified documents online, the Pentagon is changing how military personnel access classified information and implementing measures aimed at better identifying “insider threats.” A review of Pentagon policies and procedures concluded that the Defense Department “should improve its security posture and accountability measures,” while saying there’s no widespread issue of security policy noncompliance.
The review led to a recommendation to update the Pentagon’s “need to know” procedures. “That means the DOD will better monitor who has access to and views classified documents and whether those individuals have a valid reason for it,” The Hill’s Ellen Mitchell reported.
Teixeira was a technology support staffer in the 102nd Intelligence Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. He’s accused of leaking classified intelligence on Discord.
Mitchell wrote that “prior to the leak Teixeira had been admonished twice — in September and October 2022 –— for ‘concerning actions’ related to his handling of classified information” but was allowed to keep his security clearance.
Read about other recommendations from the review here |
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Welcome to Evening Report! I’m Amee LaTour, catching you up from the afternoon and what’s coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here. |
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The Federal Open Market Committee’s (FOMC) June meeting minutes show officials were divided on whether to pause interest rate hikes, which the committee ultimately voted unanimously to do. “It is not uncommon for FOMC members with dissenting views to vote along with their colleagues, particularly in challenging moments for the Fed,” The Hill’s Sylvan Lane wrote.
Israeli forces withdrew after a two-day raid in the city of Jenin that left at least 11 dead. The raid was “the largest in the West Bank in about 20 years,” The Hill’s Brad Dress wrote.
The Secret Service confirmed that a substance found at the White House on Sunday was cocaine and said it’s still investigating the “cause and manner of how it entered[.]”
The IRS says around 1.5 million people with nearly $1.5 billion in unclaimed refunds from the 2019 tax year have until July 17 to file and claim their refunds.
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Senate fundraising figures roll in |
The latest Federal Election Commission fundraising quarter ended Friday, and some campaigns are announcing fundraising hauls ahead of the report filing deadline next week. Of note so far:
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Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who is running in the Democratic primary for California’s open Senate seat, raised $8.1 million in the second quarter and has around $30 million on hand, according to a campaign press release. Schiff was censured by House Republicans in June over comments about former President Trump‘s alleged ties to Russia.
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The campaign of Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas), who’s running in the Democratic primary for the Senate seat Ted Cruz (R) holds, told The Hill it’s reporting more than $8.6 million brought in during the second quarter, around $6.2 million of which it raised since the campaign launched two months ago.
- Sen. Bob Casey (D), who’s running for reelection in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, raised $4 million last quarter, his campaign announced.
Expect more fundraising announcements to roll in between now and the official report deadline of July 15. |
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UPS strike possible as negotiations break down |
Negotiations between the Teamsters union and UPS broke down Wednesday as the groups couldn’t agree on wages, benefits and compensation, increasing the likelihood of a strike.
“Each side blamed the other for walking away after marathon Independence Day negotiations failed to yield an agreement despite signs of early progress,” The Hill’s Tobias Burns wrote.
The current contract expires July 31, and the Teamsters wanted an agreement by July 1. Read Burns’s report here |
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Oath Keepers founder warns Trump about trial
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Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, who was found guilty of seditious conspiracy related to the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack, said in an interview with the Washington Times from jail that prosecutors will “do the same thing” to former President Trump as they did to him.
“You’re going to get railroaded. You’re going to be found guilty if you try to go to trial,” Rhodes said. The former president hasn’t been charged with any crimes related to Jan. 6. Special Counsel Jack Smith is investigating the events of that day and efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Trump was charged with 37 counts in another case Smith is overseeing related to documents at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. |
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Interested in tech? Sign up for The Hill’s Technology newsletter, featuring the latest news from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. Click here to sign up
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Most expensive places to buy a home |
Prospective homebuyers need to earn $75,000 or more a year to afford a median-priced home in about half of U.S. markets, a new report from property data provider ATTOM shows. That figure ranges from $15,000 to $383,000, depending on location. Read more here | |
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Former GOP rep working with Hunter Biden legal team
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Former Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-Va.), who advised the House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot, is helping Hunter Biden‘s legal team with such things as assessing data issues and handling congressional inquiries, CBS News reported. |
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House Dems’ gun reform efforts hit a wall |
House Democrats‘ effort to force votes on gun legislation, including a bill sponsored by a Republican, via the obscure discharge petition procedure is not gaining the support it’d need. |
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“Democrats despise the democracy of the Supreme Court” — Merrill Matthews, a resident scholar with the Institute for Policy Innovation in Dallas, Texas. (Read here)
“Myopic SCOTUS ruling on race-neutrality threatens our collective future” — Lawrence O. Gostin, a university professor of law at Georgetown University and director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law and a World Health Organization Collaborating Center; Michelle A. Williams, the Joan L. and Julius H. Jacobson Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health and former dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; and Harald Schmidt, an assistant professor of medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania. (Read here)
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489 days until the presidential election. |
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President Biden travels to South Carolina. |
The Switch Up: Black Lives Matter, 10 years later
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The Hill’s Cheyanne M. Daniels reflects on 10 years of the Black Lives Matter movement, asking, “What’s been done so far — and where do we have left to go?” in the second episode of The Switch Up podcast. Listen here. The podcast “explores the intersection of race and politics through intimate conversations with leading scholars, advocates and legislators from communities of color.” |
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