The transcript of a tense and acrimonious meeting of the House Intelligence Committee has been released -- two days after it took place. The meeting earlier this week, on Monday, laid bare bitter exchanges over the public release of dueling memos on alleged surveillance abuses by the FBI. "If it turns out the majority memo is wrong, there will be hell to pay. If it turns out that the minority memo is wrong, there will be hell to pay," said Rep. Jim Himes, D-Connecticut, according to the transcript. The 51-page, unclassified transcript recorded the proceedings leading to the vote to release the controversial, classified, four-page memo written by the staff of Chairman Devin Nunes, R-California. The committee's Republicans contend their memo, which is based on highly classified intelligence, shows political bias on the part of the FBI in its investigation of members of the Trump campaign. The memo itself has not yet been released. "Colleagues, I truly believe this is a step too far ... And this is a slippery slope I don't think any of us want to see happen to our intelligence community," argued Rep. Jackie Speier, D-California. The memo is now with the president, who has five days to block its release. At the same meeting, Democrats on the committee introduced a 10-page rebuttal memo said to counter much of the material included in the majority's document. The committee voted -- again along party lines -- to release the minority's memo to members of the House but against making it available to the public. The committee's Republicans said they would revisit making the minority's memo fully public in the coming weeks. At least some of the details in both memos are said to be based on intelligence that is so highly classified that it is considered "Gang of Eight" material, available to only a select few congressional leaders. Only two committee members – Ranking Member Adam Schiff and Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-South Carolina, had reviewed the underlying intelligence. The release of the memo is opposed by the FBI. Earlier Wednesday, the FBI issued a rare statement warning against the memo's release, saying, "As expressed during our initial review, we have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo's accuracy." FBI Director Christopher Wray, along with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, asked White House chief of staff John Kelly not to allow its release. The memo details allegations that the DOJ and FBI abused authorities under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) around the time of the 2016 presidential campaign. Wray and another FBI official went to Capitol Hill to meet with Rep. Nunes and review the memo on Sunday evening. On Monday, a second meeting took place between committee staff and two other FBI officials – the head of counterintelligence and a FISA lawyer. In a move that effectively pits the word of the committee against that of the FBI, a committee spokesman maintained that during reviews of the memo by Wray and two other FBI officials, "they did not cite any factual inaccuracies." And in a separate, stinging statement in response to FBI, Nunes said on Wednesday, "…[I]t's no surprise to see the FBI and DOJ issue spurious objections to allowing the American people to see information related to surveillance abuses at these agencies. The FBI is intimately familiar with 'material omissions' with respect to their presentations to both Congress and the courts ..." In the committee's transcript, Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-California, asks Chairman Nunes pointedly whether the FBI is "okay with" disseminating the majority memo to the public. Nunes avoids directly answering the question, responding, "Our goal was to make sure that we were not going to disclose any issues of national security, and we believe that we have met that threshold." In another heated exchange, Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Illinois, peppers Nunes with a series of questions about whether any part of the process was coordinated with the White House. "Let me ask you another question with the greatest respect," Rep. Quigley said. "When you, as the majority, conceived of doing this memo for release to the body and to the public, the preparation, the thought of doing it, the consultation of it, was any of this done after/during conversations or consultations with anyone in the White House? Did they have any idea you were doing this? Did they talk about doing this with you? Did they suggest it? Did you suggest it to them? Did you consult in deciding how to go forward with this before, during, and after this point right now? "I would just answer, as far as I know, no," Nunes responds, before noting the minority has been reluctant to investigate matters of FISA abuse. "Mr. Chairman," Rep. Quigley continues, "does that mean that none of the staff members that worked for the majority had any consultation, communication at all with the White House?" "The chair is not going to entertain a question by another member," Rep. Nunes responds, and moves on. In April, Nunes, who served as an official on President-elect Trump's transition team, stepped away -- but never officially recused himself -- from the committee's ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, while the Office of Congressional Ethics looked into charges he may have made unauthorized disclosures of classified information. The charges were filed by two left-leaning watchdog groups after Nunes told reporters Mr. Trump's personal communications might have been picked up by the intelligence community through "incidental collection" a month earlier. The Ethics Committee has since cleared Nunes of the charges. The White House has signaled that President Trump supports making the majority's memo public, though the timeline for doing so remains unclear. On a Fox News radio program, White House chief of staff John Kelly said he had personally viewed the memo and that, "It'll be released here pretty quick, I think. And the whole world can see it." Kelly's remarks came the morning after the president himself, soon after delivering his first State of the Union address, was overheard telling a Republican congressman he would release the memo, "100 percent." On pages 21 and 22 of the transcript, Nunes appears to take Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Illinois, by surprise with his assertion that the FBI and DOJ have been under investigation by the committee for "many, many months for FISA abuse." Nunes eventually notes that the committee has issued many subpoenas. See the exchange here: ![]() Portion of the transcript of a House Intelligence Committee meeting House Intelligence Committee document Democrats have expressed concern that Republicans are using the memo to undermine the credibility of the FBI and DOJ as special counsel Robert Mueller investigates Russian election meddling and any ties to Russia. Meanwhile, Republicans have insisted the memo has nothing to do with Mueller's probe. This is a developing story and will be updated. Read More House Intel releases transcript from meeting on secret memo -- live updates : http://ift.tt/2DRYtVl
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The House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday released a 51-page unclassified transcript of the contentious meeting this week between Republicans and Democrats, during which members voted to publicly release the classified memo circulating in Congress that purportedly reveals government surveillance abuses. The transcript shows Democrats strongly objecting to the release, accusing Republicans of producing the memo to benefit President Donald Trump. FBI HAS ‘GRAVE CONCERNS’ ABOUT ‘OMISSIONS’ IN SURVEILLANCE MEMO The motion to release the memo passed on a party-line basis. On Tuesday night, Trump, who has the ability to stop the memo’s release, was overheard telling a GOP lawmaker at the State of the Union that he’s “100 percent” supportive of the document's release -- although it hasn't happened yet. “I want to begin by expressing my alarm at where we are in this committee,” California Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the panel, said in the meeting. “I have served on the committee for 10 years now. This is the first time we have sought to declassify highly sensitive information for a political reason. It is, I think, a terrible line to cross.” The transcript release followed the FBI saying Wednesday that the bureau had “grave concerns” about releasing the classified memo. “With regard to the House Intelligence Committee’s memorandum, the FBI was provided a limited opportunity to review this memo the day before the committee voted to release it,” said the FBI statement. “As expressed during our initial review, we have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy.” Five career officials from the FBI came to see White House Chief of Staff John Kelly late Tuesday afternoon to view an amended version of the memo -- the product of a review by the White House, according to a senior administration official. Fox News also has learned FBI Director Christopher Wray had 90 minutes with the four-page memo during his rare Sunday trip to Capitol Hill where he was joined by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., and Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C. HOUSE INTEL VOTES TO RELEASE CONTROVERSIAL SURVEILLANCE MEMO TO THE PUBLIC “Having stonewalled Congress’ demands for information for nearly a year, it’s no surprise to see the FBI and DOJ issue spurious objections to allowing the American people to see information related to surveillance abuses at these agencies,” Nunes said Wednesday. According to the transcript of the fractious meeting, Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois pressed Nunes on whether he had coordinated with the White House in crafting the memo for the public to see. “When you, as the majority, conceived of doing this memo for release to the body and to the public, the preparation, the thought of doing it, the consultation of it, was any of this done after/during conversations or consultations with anyone in the White House?” Quigley asked. Nunes replied, “I would just answer, as far as I know, no.” The four-page memo has being described by GOP lawmakers as “shocking,” “troubling” and “alarming,” with one congressman likening the details to accounts of KGB activity in Russia. Those who have seen the document suggest it reveals what role the unverified anti-Trump "dossier" played in the application for a surveillance warrant on at least one Trump associate. During Monday’s meeting, the GOP-majority committee voted against releasing a countering memo written by Democrats. Fox News’ Catherine Herridge and John Roberts contributed to this report. Alex Pappas is a politics reporter at FoxNews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AlexPappas. ![]()
Leslie Culbertson .
Intel announced four executive promotions Wednesday, publicly acknowledging a reorganization that took place at the beginning of January. Though Intel's headquarters are in Santa Clara, California, all of the executives mentioned in Wednesday's announcement work at its largest site in Hillsboro. The Oregonian/OregonLive reported early this month that Intel had created a new organization within the company, called Intel Product Assurance and Security, to manage product security. That followed news of a major flaw in computer microprocessors that could allow hackers access to passwords and other secret information stored in computer memory. Intel and other computer companies have begun issuing patches to address those vulnerabilities, known as "Meltdown" and "Spectre." But some fixes slow computer performance, and Intel has warned users to stop installing some patches because they can cause computers to spontaneously reboot. Longtime Intel executive Leslie Culbertson is the new head of Intel's security group. She's worked with Intel since 1979 and was most recently in charge of human resources. Intel transferred a number of managers to her new organization who were not included in Wednesday's announcement. Intel named Matthew Smith the new chief human resources officer and promoted Ann Kelleher to corporate vice president of Intel's Technology Manufacturing Group. And the company promoted Michael Mayberry to chief technology officer. -- Mike Rogoway; twitter: @rogoway; 503-294-7699 Read More Intel promotes four executives, all in Oregon : http://ift.tt/2nv5uol![]() This autonomous van could move lots of goods—but not a single personIf you’re going to build a self-driving delivery vehicle from scratch, why include space for a dumb human? Well, that’s what Silicon Valley startup Nuro thought. What is it? A van. That drives itself. And hauls loads. But seriously, it’s designed to… Read more If you’re going to build a self-driving delivery vehicle from scratch, why include space for a dumb human? Well, that’s what Silicon Valley startup Nuro thought. What is it? A van. That drives itself. And hauls loads. But seriously, it’s designed to specialize in low-speed, local, and last-mile deliveries. And Nuro did decide to scrap human-friendly things like seats to maximize storage space. Under the hood: The van weighs 1,500 pounds—most of that is battery packs that are hooked up to an electric motor—and uses lidar, cameras, and radar to navigate. The point of its glass windshield? To keep other drivers from freaking out. But: Nuro must convince regulators to approve its vehicles for use on the roads. Most states require a safety driver, so a vehicle without a human, or seatbelts, or a steering wheel will need a special exception before it hits the roads. Of course, assuming Nuro takes care of all that, it will still need to find customers willing to have it deliver things. Want to stay up to date on the future of work? Sign up for our newest newsletter, Clocking In!
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Read More Samsung is now making cryptocurrency chips, while Intel looks on : http://ift.tt/2DYKeld
![]() Here’s a look at some of the companies the Yahoo Finance team will be watching for you today. INTL</a>) has fallen from grace. Samsung is now the world’s largest chipmaker by revenue. This comes after Intel faced a series of massive security flaws in its chips." data-reactid="24">Intel (INTL) has fallen from grace. Samsung is now the world’s largest chipmaker by revenue. This comes after Intel faced a series of massive security flaws in its chips. FOXA</a>). The company is expected to pay more than the $450M NBC and CBS paid last season, according to reports. Thursday Night Football ratings were down by 12% this past season but still brought in 12 million viewers. The announcement is expected to happen as early as this morning." data-reactid="25">Thursday Night Football Might Head to Fox (FOXA). The company is expected to pay more than the $450M NBC and CBS paid last season, according to reports. Thursday Night Football ratings were down by 12% this past season but still brought in 12 million viewers. The announcement is expected to happen as early as this morning. WMT</a>) quietly laid out plans to cut at least 1,000 jobs. The news comes just weeks after the big-box retailer announced bonuses and expanded benefits for its workers following the tax overhaul. Last moth Walmart said it would close 63 of its Sam’s Club stores." data-reactid="26">Walmart (WMT) quietly laid out plans to cut at least 1,000 jobs. The news comes just weeks after the big-box retailer announced bonuses and expanded benefits for its workers following the tax overhaul. Last moth Walmart said it would close 63 of its Sam’s Club stores. The streaming music company Spotify is testing a new standalone app named Stations. The new ad- based platform allows users to listen to curated playlists free of charge. Users will be able to pick playlists based on genres but not individual artists or albums. It is only available for Android users in Australia during the trial phase. Read More Intel loses title, Fox may get major NFL deal, Walmart announces layoffs : http://ift.tt/2BFWHF9![]() Samsung Electronics surpassed Intel as the world's biggest chipmaker by revenue for the first time Wednesday. The South Korean electronics giant reported full year earnings that showed the semiconductor division raked in 74.2 trillion won ($69.8 billion) in sales during 2017. In comparison, Intel's revenues stood at $62.7 billion at the end of 2017. Samsung was helped by a shortage of the chips it produces, which pushed prices higher. Intel and Samsung don't compete on all fronts. Intel's strength is in processors designed for desktop computers and laptops. Samsung makes semiconductors for a variety of devices from data center servers to smartphones. Its chip division boosted earnings in 2017 and now accounts for over two-thirds of the company's profits. At the same time, Samsung is trying to branch out into areas such as automotive technology, where its chipsets could come in handy. And the company confirmed Wednesday that it is making hardware designed to mine cryptocurrencies. Still, some analysts have expressed caution that the favorable pricing Samsung has seen may not last. Andrew Norwood, research vice president at Gartner, said in a note earlier this month that "memory pricing will weaken in 2018." "Samsung's lead is literally built on sand, in the form of memory silicon," Norwood said. Read More Samsung surpasses Intel as world's biggest chipmaker for the first time : http://ift.tt/2DPZnpr![]() British Airways Pensions Investment Management has put a large chunk of its assets on autopilot. The manager’s assets totaled 8 billion pounds as of March 31, 2017. As of Dec. 31, about $3.2 billion of its assets were in U.S.-traded equities, and about half of that, $1.5 billion, is now in exchange-traded funds that track the Standard &... Read More GE, Intel Stock Buyer: British Airways Pensions : http://ift.tt/2DRGEFS[unable to retrieve full-text content] ![]() Samsung has ended Intel’s 25-year run as the world’s biggest seller of chipsets after it posted its 2017 end of year financials. The Korean tech giant’s chipset division — which has long been its biggest hitter — grossed total revenue of $69 billion in 2017, eclipsing the $62.8 billion Intel reported for last year. That was a record year for Intel — and an annual increase of six percent — but it wasn’t enough to stop Samsung from knocking it from the top spot, which Bloomberg reports it had occupied since 1992. The writing was on the wall last year when Samsung beat Intel on a quarterly basis, but now it has held out for an annual win. The change of position highlights Samsung’s focus on mobile, and in particular memory chips which are an essential part of smartphones. Intel’s chips may be in 90 percent of the world’s computers, but it missed the mobile boom and is playing catch-up. Overall, Samsung’s entire business reported full-year profit of KRW 53.65 trillion ($50.7 billion) on revenue of KRW 239.58 trillion, $225 billion. For the final quarter of 2017, revenue was KRW 65.98 trillion ($62 billion) with KRW 15.15 trillion ($14 billion) in operating profit. That’s a higher profit but slightly lower revenue than the previous quarter. The company’s mobile business actually saw its take-home drop by 3.2 percent year-on-year during Q4. Looking ahead to 2018, Samsung said it intends to increase its chipset focus on cloud services, AI and automotive. On the smartphone front, where its name is best known among consumers, the company said it plans to adopt “cutting-edge technologies” like foldable displays. Samsung said also that it would continue to develop its smart services with a focus on its Bixby assistant and upcoming 5G technologies. Featured Image: Bloomberg/Contributor/Getty Images Read More Samsung topples Intel to become the world's largest chipmaker : http://ift.tt/2EpkPPe[unable to retrieve full-text content] |
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