The Democratic National Committee (DNC) will reportedly recommend throwing out plans to hold virtual, telephone-based caucuses in Iowa and Nevada, citing security concerns surrounding online registration. 

Sources told The Associated Press that the committee’s leadership opposes the plan, making it unlikely that the virtual caucuses will happen, but that the decision would be ultimately made by the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee.

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Two sources told the Des Moines Register that the DNC will reject Iowa’s virtual caucus plan after a committee meeting last week where members expressed concerns about election security and the possibility of hacking.

The state parties announced earlier this year that some voters would be able to vote over the phone in the February caucuses instead of going to neighborhood meetings in an attempt to increase participation.

Voters would need to register online in advance and would receive a PIN number to enter when they call in. They would also have to use multifactor authentication to confirm their identities. 

Iowa was slated to offer voters six opportunities to participate and Nevada was going to offer two days of voting over the phone. 

Rules and Bylaws Committee Chairman Jim Roosevelt told the AP that it had concerns over the online caucus plan, but would not rule out possibly finding another way for remote participation in the caucuses. 

He said that he expects in the next couple of days to schedule a phone meeting with the committee on possible next steps.

The Hill has reached out to the DNC for comment. 

The DNC was hacked in 2016 by Russian operatives and during the election cycle WikiLeaks published a number of hacked emails from the DNC and Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. 

One Democrat told the AP that representatives from presidential campaigns had also conveyed concerns over potential hacking. 

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Rep. John KatkoJohn Michael KatkoRepublicans should get behind the 28th Amendment Student loan borrowers are defaulting yearly — how can we fix it? Overnight Defense: Woman accusing general of sexual assault willing to testify | Joint Chiefs pick warns against early Afghan withdrawal | Tensions rise after Iran tries to block British tanker MORE (R-N.Y.) introduced legislation Friday designed to help state and local governments defend against cyberattacks on the heels of debilitating ransomware attacks across the country.

The State and Local Government Cybersecurity Improvement Act would direct the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) cybersecurity agency to create a “resource guide” to assist state and local government officials in preparing for, defending against and recovering from a cyberattack. 

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The legislation would also create grant programs to make funds available for officials to bolster cybersecurity of state and local government entities. 

Katko, who serves as the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee’s cybersecurity subcommittee, said in a statement that “ransomware attacks on state and local governments continue to increase nationwide, leaving municipalities vulnerable and facing massive costs.”

“Many cities have outdated information technology, limited budgets, and lack of cybersecurity training which can make it easier for hackers to infiltrate networks. With recent attacks on the City of Syracuse School District and the Onondaga County Public Library System, it’s clear our community is no exception,” Katko added.

The Syracuse School District and the Onondaga County Public Library System were victims of ransomware attacks last month. Those attacks involved a malicious actor or group encrypting a system and demanding money, often in the form of bitcoin, to give the users access again. 

They were part of a string of ransomware attacks across the country in the past month, including 22 attacks on Texas entities, which mostly consisted of small local governments, and on school districts in Louisiana. 

Katko introduced the bill in conjunction with a roundtable hosted in his district in Syracuse, N.Y., on Tuesday between officials from DHS, the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, cybersecurity group CrowdStrike, Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh and other stakeholders. 

“Our local governments face many challenges in defending their networks, and today’s roundtable connected local stakeholders with Department of Homeland Security officials for a discussion on identifying cybersecurity attacks, mitigating risks, and planning how to respond to an attack,” Katko said of the roundtable.

A Senate bill with a similar name to Katko’s was introduced earlier this year by Sens. Gary PetersGary Charles PetersFBI Agents Association calls on Congress to make ‘domestic terrorism’ a federal crime Senators renew request for domestic threats documents from FBI, DOJ after shootings Overnight Defense: Dems talk Afghanistan, nukes at Detroit debate | Senate panel advances Hyten nomination | Iranian foreign minister hit with sanctions | Senate confirms UN ambassador MORE (D-Mich.) and Rob PortmanRobert (Rob) Jones PortmanSchumer blasts ‘red flag’ gun legislation as ‘ineffective cop out’ McConnell faces pressure to bring Senate back for gun legislation Shaken Portman urges support for ‘red flag’ laws after Ohio shooting MORE (R-Ohio). 

This legislation, which was favorably reported to the full Senate by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in June, would encourage national cybersecurity agencies to share information and resources with state and local governments on cyber vulnerabilities and ways to recover from cyberattacks.

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President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump to host Kuwait’s leader at White House in September West Virginia governor poll: Manchin leads GOP incumbent Justice by 10 points US service member killed in combat in Afghanistan MORE said Friday he had the “absolute right” to release a detailed photo of the site of a failed satellite launch in Iran after experts suggested the picture contained sensitive information.

The president commented on the photo, which he had tweeted out earlier in the day, to reporters before leaving the White House for Camp David for the Labor Day weekend.

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“I just wish Iran well. They had a big problem. And we had a photo and I released it, which I have the absolute right to do. And we’ll see what happens,” Trump said.

He called the launch attempt a “big mishap.”

An Iranian official told Reuters the attempt to launch a satellite into space failed due to “technical issues.”

The president in his earlier tweet denied that the U.S. had played any role.

A short time later, NPR reported that experts believed the image was of higher quality than most readily available depictions of the launch site. The high resolution suggested that it may have been a government photo, and that Trump may have released sensitive or classified information in tweeting it out.

Trump previously faced criticism for sharing classified intelligence with the Russian ambassador during a 2017 Oval Office meeting. He offered a similar defense after that incident, tweeting that he had “the absolute right” to do so.

U.S. presidents have the authority to declassify almost any intelligence material.

Iran’s defense ministry announced at the beginning of the year that it planned to conduct three space launches this year.

Because the rockets incorporate the same technology used for missiles, the United States has argued that the launches violate a United Nations Security Council resolution in which Iran “is called upon” not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles.

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New York officials on Thursday filed a new motion to dismiss President TrumpDonald John TrumpAdvocate calls for fundamental shift in criminal justice system Shame on Europe at the G-7 Senate GOP pledges to oppose any efforts to ‘pack’ Supreme Court MORE‘s legal challenge to the state’s law that allows Congress to request his New York tax returns.

In the new document, the officials argue that Trump’s amended complaint in the case doesn’t change their position that the case shouldn’t take place in Washington, D.C.

“President Trump has spent his career hiding behind lawsuits, and this one is no different,” New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) said in a statement. “The president’s latest complaint is irrelevant, unreasonable, and factually inaccurate, which is why we believe this case deserves to be dismissed or otherwise moved to a New York court.”

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) last month signed a law, known as the TRUST Act, that would allow the chairmen of Congress’s tax committees to request public officials’ state tax returns from the commissioner of the New York Department of Taxation and Finance.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard NealRichard Edmund NealDemocrats push judge for quick action on Trump tax returns lawsuit Trump argues NY tax return case should take place in DC NY files motion to keep Trump tax returns lawsuit out of DC court MORE (D-Mass.) has not requested Trump’s New York tax returns and may not end up doing so. He’s been more focused on trying to get Trump’s federal tax returns from the IRS.

Shortly after the New York legislation was enacted, Trump filed a lawsuit in federal court in D.C. against the Ways and Means Committee, James, and New York tax official Michael Schmidt, arguing the law violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. 

Earlier this month, the New York officials filed a motion arguing that the case shouldn’t be heard in federal court in D.C., and should either be dismissed or moved to federal court in New York.

Trump then filed a new version of his complaint, which included some new information that appeared designed to explain why the case should take place in D.C., such as that Schmidt had previously lived in D.C. and that James regularly attends events in D.C. and solicits campaign contributions from D.C. donors. When Trump filed his amended complaint, it mooted New York’s original motion to dismiss the case, prompting the New York officials to file a new version of the motion on Thursday.

In their new court filing, the New York officials argued that none of the additional information in Trump’s amended complaint about James’s and Schmidt’s ties to D.C. “bears any relationship to his sole First Amendment claim against the New York Defendants.”

Trump also argued in the amended complaint that most of the relevant conduct at issue in the case will take place in D.C. But the New York officials countered in their Thursday filing that the enactment of the TRUST Act in New York is the reason why Trump would allegedly suffer any possible injury.

“In short, Plaintiff’s newly-amended complaint does nothing to cure the fatal absence of any allegations that would support the [D.C.] Court’s exercise of personal jurisdiction over the New York Defendants or a determination that this Court is a proper venue to hear a challenge to a New York statute permitting disclosure of New York state tax information,” the New York officials argued.

A hearing on the New York officials’ arguments about the D.C. federal court lacking jurisdiction is scheduled for Sept. 18, before Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, in D.C.

Under an order Nichols issued earlier this month, New York won’t provide any requested tax returns to the Ways and Means Committee until one week after he rules on the state’s motion.

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U.S. consumer sentiment plunged 8.6 points in August, the largest decline in nearly eight years, as President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump to host Kuwait’s leader at White House in September West Virginia governor poll: Manchin leads GOP incumbent Justice by 10 points US service member killed in combat in Afghanistan MORE ramped up a trade war with China.

“The August data indicate that the erosion of consumer confidence due to tariff policies is now well under way,” said Richard Curtin, the University of Michigan economist who directs the consumer sentiment surveys.

In August, Trump announced that he would impose new tariffs on China in September and December and increase existing tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese imports in October.

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The next phase of tariffs, which will tax $112 billion worth of Chinese imports at 15 percent, goes into effect Sunday. China will also impose retaliatory tariffs on $75 billion of U.S. products and a 25 percent auto tariff.

August also saw early signals in the bond market that a recession could be around the corner.

The 8.6-point drop in consumer confidence was the largest since December 2012, when concerns about going over a “fiscal cliff” led to a 9.8 drop in sentiment.

The decline could spell trouble for the economy, which has stayed afloat on strong consumer spending even as the index remained at 89.9, above dangerous territory.

“While the overall level of sentiment is still consistent with modest gains in consumption during the year ahead, the data nonetheless increased the likelihood that consumers could be pushed off the tariff cliff in the months ahead,” Curtain said. 

“This could result in a much slower growth in consumption and the overall economy,” he added.

The survey found that buying attitudes toward durable household goods, such as appliances and home electronics, hit a five-year low.

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More than 8 in 10 U.S. companies with business in China say President TrumpDonald John TrumpAdvocate calls for fundamental shift in criminal justice system Shame on Europe at the G-7 Senate GOP pledges to oppose any efforts to ‘pack’ Supreme Court MORE’s trade war with Beijing has hindered their operations in the country, according to a survey released Thursday 

Corporations affiliated with the U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC), a nonprofit promoting commerce between the world’s largest economies, reported a steady stream of profits and commitment to operating in China in the group’s annual member survey.

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But U.S. firms with operations in China said the mounting costs of Trump’s trade war have dampened profits, squandered sales and raised costs for their businesses in the country.

Of the 100 businesses polled in the USCBC survey, 97 percent said they expect to turn a profit in China, and 46 percent said their operations in the country would be more profitable than in other foreign markets. Even so, 26 percent of firms said they expected their revenue from China to decline, up from just 9 percent in 2018.

Businesses cited Chinese tariffs on U.S. goods as the top reason for lost sales, with 49 percent blaming Beijing’s import taxes on $60 billion in American products as their top threat. Roughly a third of businesses said Trump’s tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese goods cost them sales in 2019.

The survey comes as Trump faces growing pressure to strike a deal with China after more than a year of trade tensions have spurred fears of an impending recession ahead of the 2020 election. 

In the two months since the survey was conducted in June, a steady stream of lackluster economic data and a massive escalation in trade tensions have spiked the odds of a recession within a year.

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New tariffs are set to go into effect Sunday on much of the roughly $300 billion in Chinese imports not yet targeted by Trump with additional import taxes, with the remainder taking effect on Dec. 15. After China responded with new tariffs on $75 billion in imports from the U.S., Trump hiked the tariff rates on current and proposed taxes and ordered U.S. business to leave China.

Trump has little, if any, power to command U.S businesses to cease operations in China, and American companies indicated in June they have no plans to leave.

In the survey, 87 percent of companies said they have no intention to pull out of China, and 66 percent of firms said they were optimistic about their business prospects in the country, a 9 percent decline from 2018.

House conservatives are pushing back against provisions in the annual defense policy bill aimed at blocking Pentagon funds from going toward President TrumpDonald John TrumpAdvocate calls for fundamental shift in criminal justice system Shame on Europe at the G-7 Senate GOP pledges to oppose any efforts to ‘pack’ Supreme Court MORE’s southern border wall. 

Led by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), the GOP lawmakers sent a Thursday letter to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman James InhofeJames (Jim) Mountain InhofeSenate Democrats push for arms control language in defense policy bill Democrats, environmentalists blast Trump rollback of endangered species protections Bottom Line MORE (R-Okla.) and ranking member Jack ReedJohn (Jack) Francis ReedSenate Democrats warn Trump: Don’t invite Putin to G-7 Senate Democrats push for arms control language in defense policy bill What the gun safety debate says about Washington MORE (D-R.I.) and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam SmithDavid (Adam) Adam SmithWarren’s pledge to avoid first nuclear strike sparks intense pushback Landmark US-Russia arms control treaty poised for final blow Young Democrats look to replicate Ocasio-Cortez’s primary path MORE (D-Wash.) and ranking member Mac ThornberryWilliam (Mac) McClellan ThornberryPentagon chief denies White House hand in ‘war cloud’ contract probe U.S. and U.K. divide increases on Iran Republican lawmakers issue dueling letters over Pentagon ‘war cloud’ contract MORE (R-Texas), arguing that including the language as the two chambers go to conference on their versions of the defense bill would make it difficult for the Defense Department to deploy troops to assist Customs and Border Protection agents in conducting security operations. 

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“Sections 1046 and 2801 prohibit the use of Department of Defense counterdrug programs and military construction funds to build a border wall, fence, or other physical barrier along the southern border. This is unacceptable,” they wrote. 

“There is a real emergency at our southern border. Our Border Patrol agents are being overrun, and our ranchers are discouraged with the inaction coming from Washington, D.C. Securing the border is necessary if we are to stop the onslaught of drug and human trafficking, and terrorists on the border.” 

The lawmakers said that “the urgency to build a border wall cannot be overstated.”

“It will help deter the drug cartels and tens of thousands of people who risk their lives attempting to cross our border illegally. The American people understand that failure to control our border poses a national security threat. We hope you understand the severity of this crisis and urge that these provisions are stripped from the final [National Defense Authorization Act] conference report.”

GOP Reps. Greg SteubeWilliam (Greg) Gregory SteubeConservatives call on Pelosi to cancel August recess House passes bill requiring CBP to enact safety, hygiene standards 58 GOP lawmakers vote against disaster aid bill MORE (Fla.), Randy WeberRandall (Randy) Keith WeberHouse conservatives call for ethics probe into Joaquin Castro tweet Conservatives call on Pelosi to cancel August recess Current, former lawmakers celebrate release of new book on Jack Brooks, ‘The Meanest Man in Congress’ MORE (Texas), Paul GosarPaul Anthony GosarConservatives call on Pelosi to cancel August recess The 27 Republicans who voted with Democrats to block Trump from taking military action against Iran Conservatives ask Barr to lay out Trump’s rationale for census question MORE (Ariz.), David SchweikertDavid SchweikertBipartisan resolution aims to protect lawmakers amid heightened threats of violence Conservatives call on Pelosi to cancel August recess The 27 Republicans who voted with Democrats to block Trump from taking military action against Iran MORE (Ariz.), Jeff DuncanJeffrey (Jeff) Darren DuncanHouse conservatives call for ethics probe into Joaquin Castro tweet Conservatives call on Pelosi to cancel August recess House passes annual intelligence bill MORE (S.C.), Mark MeadowsMark Randall MeadowsRepublicans suffer whiplash from Trump’s erratic week Trump knocks news of CNN hiring ex-FBI official McCabe Ben Shapiro: No prominent GOP figure ever questioned Obama’s legitimacy MORE (N.C.), Matt GaetzMatthew (Matt) GaetzCapitol Police advised Gaetz against holding open events I’m not a Nazi, I’m just a dude: What it’s like to be the other Steve King Gaetz cleared by Florida Bar after Cohen tweet probe MORE (Fla.), Jody HiceJody Brownlow HiceHouse conservatives call for ethics probe into Joaquin Castro tweet Interior whistleblowers say agency has sidelined scientists under Trump Conservatives call on Pelosi to cancel August recess MORE (Ga.), Michael Cloud (Texas), Chip RoyCharles (Chip) Eugene RoyLawmakers mark anniversary of Martin Luther King ‘I have a dream’ speech GOP lawmaker blasts Omar and Tlaib: Netanyahu right to block ‘enemies’ of Israel The Hill’s Campaign Report: 2020 Democrats step up attacks ahead of Detroit debate MORE (Texas), Ralph NormanRalph Warren NormanConservatives call on Pelosi to cancel August recess Conservatives ask Barr to lay out Trump’s rationale for census question Hillicon Valley: White House to host social media summit amid Trump attacks | Pelosi says Congress to get election security briefing in July | Senate GOP blocks election security bill | Pro-Trump forum ‘quarantined’ by Reddit | Democrats press Zuckerberg MORE (S.C.), Bradley ByrneBradley Roberts ByrneGOP Senate candidate ‘pissed off’ at Trump over health care for veterans House GOP fears retirement wave will lead to tsunami Conservatives call on Pelosi to cancel August recess MORE (Ala.), Barry Loudermilk (Ga.) and Ron WrightRonald (Ron) WrightConservatives call on Pelosi to cancel August recess Population shifts set up huge House battleground GOP moves to block provision banning use of Defense funds for border wall MORE (Texas) joined Biggs in signing the letter. 

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President TrumpDonald John TrumpAdvocate calls for fundamental shift in criminal justice system Shame on Europe at the G-7 Senate GOP pledges to oppose any efforts to ‘pack’ Supreme Court MORE on Thursday sought to allay farmers’ concerns after his administration decided to grant waivers to small refineries that don’t add ethanol to their gasoline, a move farmers had opposed.

“The Farmers are going to be so happy when they see what we are doing for Ethanol,” Trump tweeted. “It will be a giant package, get ready! At the same time I was able to save the small refineries from certain closing. Great for all!”

Trump had promised in June to review a national program granting the waivers, but the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent decision to issue new exemptions signaled an administration study would not be carried out.

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The president had promised corn farmers he would review the waiver system after a June trip to Iowa.

Farmers expressed outrage over the reversal, saying the EPA’s decision to grant 31 exemptions to small refineries across the country showed the president sided more with the fuel plants than corn growers.

“President Trump’s promises on the future of ethanol were broken with the approval of 31 unjustified refinery waivers as it kills the demand for corn, and Iowa corn farmers are fed up,” the Iowa Corn Farmers Association said in a statement hammering Trump on Tuesday.

“Agriculture is in one hell of a bad situation right now. The government put us in this situation, and they need to help us get out of it,” added Vic Miller, a corn farmer from Fayette County. “It’s time for President Trump to make rural America and the [Renewable Fuel Standard] great again. He made promises to American farmers and now it’s time for him to keep them.”

While some farmers maintain that the ethanol requirement would be an economic boon for them, the EPA said it is following the process for giving waivers to those plants that would face financial hardship by being forced to add ethanol to their fuel.

“EPA, with our federal partners, including USDA and the Department of Energy, continues to implement the Renewable Fuel Standard program in accordance with the Clean Air Act, taking into consideration additional direction from Congress, and relevant court decisions,” the agency said in a statement to The Hill.

“There is zero evidence that EPA’s congressionally mandated small refinery exemption program, which provides regulatory relief to small refineries around the country, has had any negative impact on domestic corn ethanol producers.”

Besides his ethanol policy, farmers have hammered Trump over his prolonged trade war with China as Beijing continues to target agricultural goods with tit-for-tat tariffs to try to chip into a core part of the president’s political support.

Il 17/01, Simone Moro e Piotr Morawski dopo aver raggiunto quota 7700 hanno dovuto rinunciare al loro tentativo di prima salita invernale allo Shisha Pangma (8027m).

Sopra: la parete sud dello Shisha Pangma con il tracciato della via seguita dalla spedizione fino al 10 gennaio 2004.
A lato Piotr Morawski in parete. (ph arch. Simone Moro).

Il 28 settembre a 10 anni dalla scomparsa di Roberto Bassi per ricordarlo e per farlo conoscere la Sezione CAI SAT di Mattarello (TN) organizza una proiezione c/o la Sala polivalente del centro S. Vigilio di Mattarello.