The U.S. and Global Security Review - Blog by Michael Novakhov

Sen. Charles E. Schumer announced his opposition Thursday night to President Obama’s deal to halt Iran’s nuclear program, dealing a major symbolic blow to the White House, which is struggling to find enough support to preserve the deal in the face of congressional opposition.

“I believe the vote to disapprove ...

Medical devices too prone to hackers, researchers warnby Andrew Blake
Friday August 7th, 2015 at 1:06 PM

LAS VEGAS — At a conference here Thursday, security researchers said that hundreds of common medical devices, ranging from X-ray machines to MRIs, have been vulnerable to attack by hackers.

During day one of DefCon, the world's largest computer hacking conference, researchers Scott Erven and Mark Collao warned that allowing ...

DHS admits new surge of illegal immigrant familiesby Stephen Dinan
Friday August 7th, 2015 at 1:05 PM

The country saw another surge of illegal immigrant families crossing the border in July, a top Homeland Security official told a federal court late Thursday as the administration begged a judge not to forbid detention of new migrant mothers and children.

Deputy Border Patrol Chief Ronald Vitiello said the number ...

Qassem Soleimani, Iranian Quds Force commander, met with Putin in Russia, broke travel sanctions by Kellan Howell
Friday August 7th, 2015 at 1:05 PM

Qassem Soleimani, the leader of the Iranian Quds Force that is tied to terrorist activity and reports directly to the supreme leader, recently visited Moscow to meet with Russian leaders — breaking travel bans, according to two Western intelligence sources.

On July 24, one week before Secretary of State John ...

Fox: Iran’s Terrorist Commander Visits Putin in Russiaby Blake Seitz
Friday August 7th, 2015 at 1:05 PM

Iran’s terrorist commander visited Russia, the world’s second-largest arms exporter, just days after Iran struck a nuclear deal that will lift an arms embargo on the country, Fox News reported Thursday.

Fox reported that Quds Force commander Qassem Suleimani violated an international travel ban to visit Russia, whose $6 billion arms trade benefits regimeslike China, Myanmar, and the separatist forces in Eastern Ukraine.

“What this shows, Bret, is that Gen. Suleimani is increasingly being elevated and recognized as a key player on the world stage as Iranian influence in the region grows despite assurance from Secretary Kerry and others that he will still face sanctions,” Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin said.

Gen. Suleimani will receive U.N. sanctions relief as part of the nuclear deal signed several weeks ago. This concession has drawn fierce criticism from some who point out that armor-breeching bombslinked to the Quds Force were responsible for the deaths of 500 U.S. troopsin Iraq and Afghanistan.

The recent visit between Suleimani and Russian President Vladimir Putin indicates that weapons deals could be in the works between the two countries. Russia announced earlier this year that it would provide Iran with the advanced S-300 air defense missile system, which could be used to protect Iran’s nuclear infrastructure from an Israeli or U.S. airstrike.

Iran will receive roughly $100 billion in previously-frozen assets as part of the nuclear deal. It will be able to spend this money on weapons once the international arms embargo on Iran is lifted after five years, a further stipulation of the nuclear deal.

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Iran Quds Chief Visited Russia in Breach of U.N. Travel Banby Reuters
Friday August 7th, 2015 at 1:04 PM

MOSCOW (Reuters) – The head of Iran’s elite military Quds Force, who is subject to a United Nations travel ban, has visited Russia, two U.S. security sources said on Friday.

Qassem Soleimani, chief of the force which is an overseas arm of the Revolutionary Guards, has been subject to an international travel ban and asset freeze by the U.N. Security Council since 2007.

Fox News reported on Thursday that Soleimani had arrived in Moscow on July 24 and met President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu before departing three days later.

A Kremlin spokesman denied any meeting between Soleimani and Putin had taken place, RIA news agency reported.

One U.S. security source told Reuters the Fox report was true but it was unclear what was discussed at the meeting.

A senior administration official in Washington said U.S. sanctions on Soleimani would remain in place.

“We will maintain sanctions on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Qods Force, its leadership – including Qassem Soleimani — and its entire network,” the official said.

Two officials at the Russian Foreign Ministry said they could neither confirm nor deny a Soleimani visit to Moscow. The Russian defense ministry was not available for comment.

Washington designated Soleimani’s Quds Force as a supporter of terrorism in 2007. The European Union did the same in 2011. Western governments and Israel accuse it of arming various militant groups in the Middle East. U.N. member states are required to deny entry to blacklisted individuals.

(Reporting by Mark Hosenball and additional reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; Writing Jack Stubbs; Editing by Giles Elgood)

Clinton Campaign Deems GOP ‘Out of Touch,’ Hillary Selfies with Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Kris Jennerby Morgan Chalfant
Friday August 7th, 2015 at 1:04 PM

While Republican presidential contenders debated one another at the first GOP primary debate in Cleveland, Ohio, Thursday night, Hillary Clinton mingled with celebrities at a Hollywood fundraiser that netted her campaign at least $675,000.

Music talent manager Scooter Braun, who represents young stars like Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber, hosted a fundraiser for Clinton at his home in Los Angeles that was attended by Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Kris Jenner and other stars, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Notably, Kim Kardashian posted a photo of herself, a grinning Clinton and West, her husband, on Instagram Thursday night, captioning it, “I got my selfie!!! I really loved hearing her speak & hearing her goals for our country! #HillaryForPresident.”

The Clinton campaign shared the same photo on Hillary’s Instagram account shortly after, labeling the two stars her “new friends.” Kris Jenner, Kardashian’s mother and Caitlyn Jenner’s former wife, also excitedly posted a photo of herself with Clinton to social media.

According to emails circulated by the Clinton campaign to supporters, the Democratic presidential candidate did not watch the Republican debate. Campaign manager Robby Mook during a commercial break interrupting the debate declared of the Republican field, “Hillary Clinton is going to do just fine against any one of them. They’re all so out of touch.”

Meanwhile, Clinton–who has described herself as the “champion” of low-wage workers–expressed gratitude to her wealthy Hollywood crowd for having been “angel investors in my start-up.” With admission priced at $2,700 per head, the event, attended by 250 individuals, funneled at least $675,000 to the Clinton campaign. Bloomberg reported that those who raised raised $27,000 or more also gained admission.

Usher, Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, and Jessica Alba were also present at the fundraiser, during which Clinton spoke for 30 minutes, touching on the difficulty of running for president–“It’s hard,” she lamented–and reaffirming her commitment to defend Planned Parenthood and “women’s right to choose.”

The trip to Hollywood was Clinton’s third since the launch of her presidential campaign in April. The former secretary of state raised $3 million in a single day by attending three separate campaign events in the Beverly Hills area in May, returning again in June for fundraisers hosted by actor Tobey Maguire and HBO executive Michael Lombardo.

A majority of American voters currently do not believe that Clinton cares about the needs and problems of average Americans.

The Democratic presidential candidate has a slew of fundraisers planned for the month of August, three of which will take place in the Hamptons during the Clintons’ vacation to the ritzy New York destination.

One of the events, to be held at the estate of acclaimed fashion designer Tory Burch, will offer supporters the opportunity to pay $2,700 to appear in a photo with the Democratic presidential candidate.

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Hillary Clinton Staffer: Donald Trump Probably ‘Hurt Her Feelings’ By Suggesting She Attends Events for Moneyby Morgan Chalfant
Friday August 7th, 2015 at 1:03 PM

NYT > United States Defense And Military Forces

The communications director for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign said that Republican candidate Donald Trump likely “hurt” Clinton’s feelings during the first GOP debate in Cleveland, Ohio, Thursday night.

According the exclusive look into the Clinton campaign debate watch party offered to NPR, communications director Jennifer Palmieri disputed Trump’s claim during the debate that Clinton attended his wedding in 2005 to model Melania Knauss because of the money he once donated to the Clinton Foundation.

“It hurt her feelings, I’m sure, to hear him suggest that he didn’t want her there for her company,” Palmieri told reporters at the event, which took place at the Clinton campaign headquarters in Brooklyn, New York.

Before announcing her presidential campaign, Clinton typically demanded $300,000 from universities and other organizations to attend events at which she delivered speeches, in addition to requesting a presidential suite, travel via private jet, hotel accommodations for her staff and often vegetable crudité.

On Thursday night, approximately 50 staffers gathered in the Brooklyn headquarters at which Clinton herself does not maintain an office, directed by campaign manager Robby Mook to fact check statements made by Republican candidates about the former secretary of state.

Meanwhile, Clinton herself was in Hollywood, mingling with Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and other celebrities at a $2,700-per-head Los Angeles fundraiser that netted her campaign upwards of $675,000.

Clinton shared a photo of herself with Kardashian and West on Instagram, labeling them “new friends.”

Breaking with Obama, Schumer to oppose Iran nuclear deal
Friday August 7th, 2015 at 1:02 PM

Stars And Stripes

New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, the No. 3 Senate Democrat and next-in-line party leader, is the first senator of President Barack Obama's party to step forward to oppose the Iran nuclear deal.

For now, The Donald remains on top
Friday August 7th, 2015 at 1:01 PM

Stars And Stripes

The first Republican debate of the 2016 campaign appeared to leave the nomination contest just as it was before.

3 U.S. Defeats: Vietnam, Iraq and Now Iranby By DAVID BROOKS
Friday August 7th, 2015 at 1:01 PM

Let’s call the Iran nuclear deal what it is: a partial U.S. surrender.

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Opposing Iran Nuclear Deal, Chuck Schumer Rattles Democratic Firewallby By JONATHAN WEISMAN and JENNIFER STEINHAUER
Friday August 7th, 2015 at 1:01 PM

NYT > United States Defense And Military Forces

Mr. Schumer, a powerful voice, joins the resistance among Democrats concentrated in two heavily Jewish areas, Greater New York City and South Florida.

News Roundup and Notes: August 7, 2015 by Nadia O'Mara
Friday August 7th, 2015 at 1:00 PM

Just Security

Nadia O'Mara

Before the start of business, Just Security provides a curated summary of up-to-the-minute developments at home and abroad. Here’s today’s news.

IRAQ and SYRIA

The Syrian foreign minister visited Oman yesterday, the first visit by a senior official to a Gulf Arab state since the Syrian conflict began in 2011. The visit raises speculation about the reopening of diplomatic channels to bring the civil war to an end. [New York Times’ Rick Gladstone; Reuters’ Sylvia Westall]

The US has transferred Umm Sayyaf, a female detainee captured during a May raid on the Islamic State, over to the custody of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government, a Pentagon statement announced. It is unclear why she was not transferred to the central Iraqi government. Umm Sayyaf had been held in “low-profile” captivity for interrogation purposes, the first US detainee in its year-long war against the Islamic State. [The Guardian’s Spencer Ackerman] It is alleged that Umm Sayyaf played a role in the capture of US citizen Kayla Mueller, who died in captivity in Syria. [Wall Street Journal’s Gordon Lubold]

A UN Security Council resolution creating an investigating panel to identify those responsible for using chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict, drafted by the US with Russian collaboration, is expected to easily pass the Council. [New York Times’ Rick Gladstone]

The Islamic State has captured a town in Syria’s Homs province from forces loyal to the Syrian government, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. [BBC] Dozens of Christians have been abducted by the Islamic State following the group’s seizure of the town. [Reuters]

The Pentagon cannot account for the status of some of the Syrian fighters who were trained in its program, defense officials said yesterday. The compound used by many of the US-trained rebels came under attack last week by the Nusra Front, resulting in the death of at least one. [New York Times’ Adam Entous]

US-led airstrikes continue. The US and coalition military forces carried out 11 airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria on August 5. Separately, military forces conducted a further 16 strikes on targets in Iraq. [Central Command]

The US is tightening security measures for visitors on its visa waiver program, citing concerns over terror attacks on American soil. The countries affected include European states which have seen hundreds of residents join the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. [Reuters]

GOP presidential candidates called for a “sharp realignment” of US foreign policy, some urging a more aggressive approach to the conflict with the Islamic State, during two debates yesterday. Damian Paletta provides details. [Wall Street Journal]

ISIS has begun expelling Kurds from the militant group’s de facto capital in Syria, Raqqa, accusing Kurdish civilians of collecting information for a Kurdish militia. [The Economist]

“Can Iraq’s former Baathists be reclaimed as valuable allies” against the Islamic State? asks Yaroslav Trofimov, exploring the role of the remaining networks of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party in Iraq today. [Wall Street Journal]

Macedonia announced the arrest of nine individuals suspected of traveling to the Middle East to fight on behalf of the Islamic State. [New York Times’ Aleksandar Dimishkovski]

IRAN

Sen Chuck Schumer has decided to oppose the Iran nuclear agreement, saying that there is a “very real risk that Iran will not moderate,” in a statement yesterday. Schumer – a key Democratic senator – is the first to announce his opposition to the deal. [The Guardian; New York Times’ Jennifer Steinhauer and Jonathan Weisman]

MoveOn criticized Schumer for his failure to support the deal. The liberal activist group, questioning his leadership ability, said no “real Democratic leader does this.” [The Hill’s Julian Hattem]

A “nightmare” and a “catastrophe” would occur if Congress rejects the Iran deal, a top German official has said, saying that Germany is “convinced” the deal makes Israel safer. [Politico’s Michael Crowley]

GOP presidential candidates took turns criticizing the Iran deal at yesterday’s debate. Kristina Wong provides details. [The Hill]

Satellite imagery suggests Iran is scrubbing down a contested nuclear facility, potentially to remove signs of nuclear activity there. [The Hill’s Julian Hattem]

“If we are to understand the Iranian regime, we must look at what it is doing, not just saying,” argues Israel’s Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom, suggesting that Tehran is using the deal to “gloss over” its role in the Middle East and its sponsorship of terrorism. [The Guardian]

The New York Times editorial board commends President Obama’s defense of the nuclear accord as “blunt and forceful,” discussing the president’s speech at American University on Wednesday.

The Iran nuclear deal will strengthen the “tyrannical, revolutionary and fundamentalist regime” of the ayatollahs of Tehran, according to José María Aznar, suggesting that contrary to Obama’s claims, “there are effective alternatives that fall between this agreement and war.” [Wall Street Journal]

AFGHANISTAN

A suicide truck bomber attacked the center of Kabul today, killing at least eight people and wounding hundreds, officials said. The explosion was the most powerful to hit the Afghan capital in years. There has been no claim of responsibility. [Reuters; Washington Post’s Pamela Constable and Mohammed Sharif]

The “myth” of Mullah Omar, and the unity it imposed on the Taliban “became convenient in some way, either politically or militarily.” Joseph Goldstein explores the “striking phenomenon” around the secrecy of his death which “illuminates some of the murkier dynamics of the war in Afghanistan.” [New York Times]

The split in the Taliban created by Mullah Omar’s death creates a “real possibility” for a compromise with a “moderate” Taliban, supported by the regional powers, argue Anatol Lieven and Rudra Chaudhuri. [New York Times]

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS

A suicide attack in Saudi Arabia which killed 15 people inside a mosque has been claimed by the Islamic State. [Al Jazeera] The mosque targeted is used by Saudi security forces and is close to the Yemen border. [Washington Post’s Hugh Naylor]

The explosion of a leftover military ordnance in Gaza killed four people and wounded over 40 yesterday. It is as yet unclear whether the ordnance, left from last summer’s 50-day Gaza war, came from Israeli or Palestinian forces. [New York Times’ Majd Al Waheidi and Diaa Hadid]

A French citizen was released from captivity after she was abducted six months ago in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a. France has not released details of her release, including the name of the group responsible. [France 24]

Russia is suspected of responsibility for a cyberattack on the US military’s joint staff’s unclassified email network last month, US officials said yesterday. [Reuters]

The White House accused Congress of “not taking care of business before leaving on vacation,” following senators’ failure to get through a major cybersecurity bill before the August recess began. [The Hill’s Cory Bennett]

A “comprehensive occupational and environmental health survey” is taking place at the US Navy base at Guantánamo Bay, seeking to address concerns that there may be carcinogens on site, reports Carol Rosenberg. [Miami Herald]

A new round of UN-brokered peace talks between parties to the Libya conflict are planned to begin next week. The UN envoy for Libya has called for a redoubling of efforts to reach a political resolution. [UN News Centre]

Relatives of Osama bin Laden were killed in a plane crash in Hampshire, UK last week. The private plane was travelling to Milan when it landed too far down the runway. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) released a special bulletin report. [The Guardian’s Nadia Khomami]

Read on Just Security »

Read the whole story

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Carl Hiassen: We simply sit and wait for the next massacre - Memphis Commercial Appeal
Friday August 7th, 2015 at 12:59 PM

James B. Comey - Google News

Carl Hiassen: We simply sit and wait for the next massacre
Memphis Commercial Appeal
"We're all sick this happened," FBI director James B. Comey said. Sick is the word for it. Thousands of ineligible applicants for gun ownership have bought weapons over the counter, thanks to that loophole. Big surprise — some of those weapons were ...

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Bankruptcy can give Puerto Rico the help it needs - Boston Globe
Friday August 7th, 2015 at 12:59 PM

House Judiciary Committee - Google News

Boston Globe

Bankruptcy can give Puerto Rico the help it needs
Boston Globe
A bill that amends the federal bankruptcy code to give Puerto Rico the same kind of access to bankruptcy courts as the 50 states currently sits in the House Judiciary Committee. Critics of the measure, mostly Wall Street bondholders, have lobbied ...

DOJ fights family detention ruling - Politico
Friday August 7th, 2015 at 12:59 PM

House Judiciary Committee - Google News

DOJ fights family detention ruling
Politico
Republicans have pushed the Obama administration to keep their family detention practices intact. In a letter to Johnson last week, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia argued that detaining immigrant mothers and children who ...

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US Heavy Military Equipment May Be Deployed in Latvia in 2016
Friday August 7th, 2015 at 12:58 PM

GlobalSecurity.Org

US heavy military equipment could be stationed at the Adazi military base in Latvia next year, Latvian Defense Minister Raimonds Bergmanis said.

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Page 4

FCPS confirms military family harassment started in city - The Coloradoan
Friday August 7th, 2015 at 12:57 PM

The Coloradoan

FCPS confirms military family harassment started in city
The Coloradoan
Fort Collins police on Thursday confirmed reports of Middle Eastern men approaching a military member's family originated in the city and spurred the FBI alert that has gone viral. A woman called Fort Collins Police Services on May 24 to report “two ...

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FBI investigates security of Hillary Clinton's email server - Crain's New York Business
Friday August 7th, 2015 at 12:57 PM

Crain's New York Business

FBI investigates security of Hillary Clinton's email server
Crain's New York Business
The FBI is looking into the security of the private email server that Hillary Rodham Clinton used when she was secretary of state, The Washington Post reported Tuesday. The newspaper also said the FBI has asked Ms. Clinton's lawyer David Kendall about ...
ABC, NBC Move on from FBI Investigation Into Hillary's Server; Cover Lion ...NewsBusters (blog)

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FBI Releases New Clues About 25-Year-Old Museum Heist - TIME
Friday August 7th, 2015 at 12:56 PM

TIME

FBI Releases New Clues About 25-Year-Old Museum Heist
TIME
Twenty-five years after a pair of criminals made off with $500 million worth of art in a Boston museum, the FBI is asking for the public's help to solve the crime. Authorities have released video footage related to the March 1990 robbery of the ...
FBI Says Suspects in 1990 Art Heist Are DeadABC News
FBI Releases Surveillance Video Hoping to Solve Boston Art HeistNBCNews.com
FBI Releases Video Of Suspicious Man In Gardner MuseumHartford Courant
RT
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FBI: Accused ringleader of anti-govt extremist group in court Friday - WSOC Charlotte
Friday August 7th, 2015 at 12:56 PM

WSOC Charlotte

FBI: Accused ringleader of anti-govt extremist group in court Friday
WSOC Charlotte
One man accused of stockpiling weapons to attack the federal government is expected to find out if he'll be released on bond Friday. Earlier this week, investigators arrested three Belmont men: Christopher Barker, Christopher Campbell, and Walter Litteral.
FBI arrests 3 for Jade Helm retaliation attack plan against U.S. military ...Chron.com
Gaston County man said he wanted to shoot up FBI, agent saysCharlotte Observer
FBI foils 'anti-Jade Helm' plot in North CarolinaWND.com

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APNewsBreak: FBI says suspects in 1990 art heist are dead - Albuquerque Journal
Friday August 7th, 2015 at 12:56 PM

Albuquerque Journal

APNewsBreak: FBI says suspects in 1990 art heist are dead
Albuquerque Journal
In this March 18, 1990 still image from surveillance video released by the U.S. Attorney's Office,Thursday, Aug. 6, 2015, an unauthorized visitor walks inside the rear entrance of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Robbers stole more than a ...

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FBI: Yes, Our Probe Into Hillary's Email Scheme is a Criminal Investigation - Town Hall
Friday August 7th, 2015 at 12:55 PM