Almost seven years after more than 200 girls were kidnapped from their school in Chibok, Nigeria, by Boko Haram, more girls have escaped and are being reunited with their families. 

Emmanuel Ogebe, a Nigerian human rights lawyer, told ABC News on Thursday that a parent informed him that his daughter escaped the militant group.

“Mr. Ali Maiyanga’s two daughters were part of the few Muslim schoolgirls taken with the majority Christian Chibok girls. Information currently available to us indicates that there are other escapees with the army whom parents are anxiously waiting to identify,” Ogebe said.

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Maiyanga got to speak to his daughter on Thursday, the report said.

Boko Haram, a militant group with a name meaning “Western education is forbidden,” attacked an all-girls boarding school in 2014. The attack led to 276 girls being kidnapped in the middle of the night. 

Maiyanga’s daughter is not the only one who escaped Boko Haram this week. Lawal Zannah, secretary of the Chibok Parents Association, said others have escaped as well.

This is not the first time girls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram were found. Other girls have escaped their captors before or have been released after negotiations. 

Boko Haram has been terrorizing Nigeria since 2009 and pledged their allegiance to ISIS back in 2015. It is still unknown what happened to some of the girls after they were kidnapped.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed enthusiasm for a potential infrastructure package under the Biden administration Friday, while offering competing priorities for what the legislation should include.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazioPeter Anthony DeFazioLawmakers offer competing priorities for infrastructure plans The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Which path will Democrats take on COVID-19 bill? On The Money: Economy shrank 3.5 percent in 2020 | Lawmakers rip Robinhood’s decision on GameStop | Budget rules, politics threaten per hour minimum wage MORE (D-Ore.), speaking at The Hill’s “Reset 2021: A New American Start” event, stressed that infrastructure “has to be a national effort.”

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Rep. Sam GravesSamuel (Sam) Bruce GravesLawmakers offer competing priorities for infrastructure plans Commerce Bank joins companies halting support for officials who opposed Biden transition READ: The Republicans who voted to challenge election results MORE (R-Mo.), speaking at the same event, argued that the benefits of infrastructure can be achieved with funding mechanisms that don’t include an increase in the federal gas tax.

“I think we need to pivot to something a little more equitable, something that brings in those dollars from individuals using the roads and bridges,” Graves told The Hill’s Steve Clemons.

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“We’ve been working on an infrastructure package for some time … I am hoping we will be able to do something.”

Congressional optimism for action on an infrastructure is running high after four years of fits and starts during the Trump administration. Bipartisan support for infrastructure never gained traction, due in large part to differences over the price tag and whether environment-related provisions should be included.

Democratic lawmakers weighed into that debate again Friday, with Rep. Ted DeutchTheodore (Ted) Eliot DeutchLawmakers offer competing priorities for infrastructure plans The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Which path will Democrats take on COVID-19 bill? The Hill’s Morning Report – Dems question trial; January becomes deadliest pandemic month MORE (D-Fla.), a member of the Climate Solutions Caucus, saying there should be bipartisan support for implementing a carbon fee.

“Polluters ought to pay. They should pay for the carbon they put into the atmosphere,” he said.

Rep. David SchweikertDavid SchweikertLawmakers offer competing priorities for infrastructure plans The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Which path will Democrats take on COVID-19 bill? On The Money: Economy shrank 3.5 percent in 2020 | Lawmakers rip Robinhood’s decision on GameStop | Budget rules, politics threaten per hour minimum wage MORE (R-Ariz.), a member of the Joint Economic Committee, emphasized at the event that there needs to be targeted spending when it comes to infrastructure funding.

“A lot of the lobbying population still see the world of infrastructure as pouring concrete. For many of us, we want to say, ‘What is the ultimate definition that is actually good for our communities? What actually creates the most economic growth? It’s going to be a combination of technology, smart design, and pouring that concrete,’ ” Schweikert said.

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Overall, though, there was bipartisan support to advance an infrastructure package of some kind in the 117th Congress. 

“Infrastructure is something that we inherently know is important and something that needs to be done but coupled with the pandemic and our need to increase economic growth. Infrastructure just seems to be a natural mechanism by which we can do that,” Del. Stacey PlaskettStacey PlaskettLawmakers offer competing priorities for infrastructure plans The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Which path will Democrats take on COVID-19 bill? On The Money: Economy shrank 3.5 percent in 2020 | Lawmakers rip Robinhood’s decision on GameStop | Budget rules, politics threaten per hour minimum wage MORE (D-Virgin Islands) said.

The FBI is stepping up its efforts to build a possible conspiracy case after authorities have arrested more than 150 people for their alleged role in the Capitol riot, law enforcement officials said Tuesday.

Federal officials indicated on a press call that their next steps in prosecuting alleged participants will involve using the current charges to gather more information on suspects and the riot and determine whether a larger conspiracy case could be pursued. 

Michael Sherwin, the acting U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., told reporters on a press call that law enforcement will need to figure out if the Capitol riot was coordinated before Jan. 6 and whether certain groups or individuals were involved in planning. 

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“We are going to reach a plateau in the very near future and it will involve looking at the more complicated conspiracy cases,” Sherwin said. 

The acting U.S. attorney added that investigators will examine “possible coordination among militia groups from different states that had a plan to travel here before the sixth to engage in criminal conduct.”

As of Tuesday, prosecutors have already charged several of the alleged riot participants with conspiracy, including in three cases in which they argue the suspects acted in an “organized and practiced fashion” and allegedly suggested potentially gassing lawmakers in the Capitol, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven D’Antuono told reporters on Tuesday’s call that the FBI has received more than 200,000 digital media tips from the public throughout their investigation of the riots. 

With those tips and other research and evidence, D’Antuono said the FBI has identified more than 400 suspects allegedly involved with the Capitol raid and assault on officers and has arrested about 135 people, “with many more being identified and charged every day.”

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Lawyers defending the suspects are likely to say their clients took instruction from former President TrumpDonald Trump’QAnon Shaman’ willing to testify in impeachment trial, lawyer says Boebert clashes with Parkland survivor on Twitter: ‘Give your keyboard a rest, child’ Overnight Defense: FEMA asks Pentagon to help with vaccinations | US says Taliban has ‘not met their commitments’ | Army investigating Fort Hood chaplain MORE, who called on his supporters to flock to D.C. to protest Congress’s certification of President Biden’s election win.

In a speech to demonstrators, the former president instructed them to march to the Capitol, which rioters raided, resulting in five deaths, including a Capitol Police officer. 

The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are offering a $75,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the people responsible for planting the pipe bombs at the Republican and Democratic national committees near the Capitol that day.  

Current and former law enforcement officials told the Journal that the investigation is one of the most expansive in the FBI’s recent history and comparable to their probes into the Oklahoma City bombing and the Boston Marathon bombing.

A judge in New York on Friday ordered a law firm serving as counsel to the Trump Organization to turn over documents related to the former president’s business to the state’s attorney general.

New York State Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron said in an order that he had completed a review of documents from the firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and determined that at least some of them were not privileged and should be handed over to the attorney general’s office, which had subpoenaed the firm and the Trump Organization.

The court found that many of the communications Morgan Lewis marked as privileged were communications addressing business tasks and decisions, not exchanges soliciting or rendering
legal advice.

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New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) is investigating whether former President TrumpDonald TrumpPalm Beach reviewing Trump’s residency at Mar-a-Lago Immigration reform can’t wait On The Money: Five questions about the GameStop controversy | Biden, Yellen call for swift action on new aid MORE‘s company had falsified the value of certain assets in order to secure loans, tax breaks and investors.

James’s office is seeking documents related to the firm’s work on Trump Organization properties, including the Seven Springs Estate in Westchester County, N.Y.

Prosecutors have said in court documents that they are looking into whether the Trump Organization may have inflated the value of Seven Springs in order to gain a $21.1 million tax deduction in 2015.

The attorney general’s office has not yet alleged any wrongdoing and has stressed that its investigation is ongoing. The probe is one of several areas of potential criminal liability that Trump faces now that he has left office.

A spokesman for the attorney general said her office would not be commenting on the judge’s order. Neither Morgan Lewis nor the Trump Organization immediately responded to messages seeking comment.

President Biden is taking steps to restore scientific integrity to government actions after several controversies in which advocates say science was sidestepped or ignored by the Trump administration.

Biden this week created a task force to review agency scientific integrity policies. He’s also requiring that all federal research agencies have a chief science officer, and that all agencies have a scientific integrity official. 

The steps come after the Trump administration was mired in several controversies, including accusations its COVID-19 policies didn’t always follow science.

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The New York Times reported in September that federal guidance stating it wasn’t necessary to test people without COVID-19 symptoms wasn’t written by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) scientists, and was posted online despite objections from government scientists. Politico reported that politically appointed aides have also sought to review and change CDC reports. 

Separately, a recent inspector general investigation found that the White House pushed for a correction of a National Weather Service tweet that contradicted then-President TrumpDonald TrumpPalm Beach reviewing Trump’s residency at Mar-a-Lago Immigration reform can’t wait On The Money: Five questions about the GameStop controversy | Biden, Yellen call for swift action on new aid MORE’s assertion that Hurricane Dorian in 2019 was endangering Alabama.

Much more broadly, Trump was criticized for refuting science that humans are contributing to climate change.

Biden has sought to send a signal that his government will listen to scientists on the need to fight climate change and other issues.

In his first week in office, the president directed the top official in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to start the scientific integrity task force. It is to review and publish findings on the effectiveness of scientific integrity policies at government agencies.

Chief science officers required by Biden to serve within federal research agencies will oversee the implementation of the policies impacting research that is funded, conducted or overseen by each individual agency.

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For both research and other agencies, the new requirement that each as a science integrity official will ensure someone is overseeing implementation of policies and helping to settle disputes from a scientific perspective.

The memo requiring that agencies have a scientific integrity official says it is being done “because science, facts, and evidence are vital to addressing policy and programmatic issues across the Federal Government.”

Joel Clement, a former Interior Department official and whistleblower who believes he was reassigned due to his work on climate change, said he was particularly optimistic that the new administration and its policies would prevent political interference in the grant process. 

“I think we’re all celebrating because of how low the executive branch sank during the Trump years, but of course, as always there’s more that has to be done to really get scientific integrity right,” said Clement, who is now a senior fellow at Harvard.

The Washington Post reported in 2018 that year that the Interior Department had told staff to make sure that grants for outside groups “promote the priorities” of the Trump administration and subjected some grants to political review. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reportedly had a similar policy. 

Democrats later accused the department of delaying important grants while it conducted its reviews. 

“Grant-making around the federal government is an awful lot of money that can flow more easily now and will flow more quickly toward important new research and obviously climate change is going to be the focus of a lot of that work” Clement said. 

Vijay Limaye, a former EPA air pollution scientist who is now a climate and health scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council praised the administration for including a provision that will ensure scientific advisory committees are diverse and full of people with expertise.

He particularly raised concerns about the EPA’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC), where a panel of scientists were removed from their advisory roles on a major air pollution standard. 

“There’s a whole lot of work to do in terms of elevating the voices, and the work of really solid science that’s been happening all along within the federal government, but also a project to restore the confidence of those federal scientists themselves that their work will not be sidelined or censored or ignored, when it comes to shaping policies around the evidence,” he said.

Biden has also appointed a chief science adviser to his Cabinet, and this week re-established the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), a group of advisors on science, technology, and innovation.

“It’s a great step, which in addition to the appointment of a science adviser early on, the rechartering of PCAST really signals that this administration is really serious about science advise,” said Genna Reed, a senior analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists’s Center for Science and Democracy. 

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“Under the Trump administration they had been left vacant for nearly three years before being chartered and I that just really, I think, signaled the lack of interest, the almost disdain for science advice that was a bug of the Trump administration,” Reed said of PCAST.

Some scientists,  while praising Biden’s initial steps, said action by Congress is needed to make sure that scientific integrity within government is long-lasting. 

In the last Congress, lawmakers introduced a bill that would require certain agencies to have scientific integrity policies, appoint a science integrity officer and adopt a process for resolving disputes.

“You’re not going to raise a concern about science during an administration that doesn’t care about science, you’re just risking your job for no reason, so there needs to be teeth,” Clement said. 

“The key move is going to happen on the Hill. Congress is going to need to pass the Scientific Integrity Act to that and have to put some accountability in there,” he said. 

Welcome to Hillicon Valley, The Hill’s newsletter detailing all you need to know about the tech and cyber news from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. If you didn’t already, be sure to sign up for our newsletter with this LINK.

Welcome! Follow our cyber reporter, Maggie Miller (@magmill95), and tech team, Chris Mills Rodrigo (@chrisismills) and Rebecca Klar (@rebeccaklar_), for more coverage.

STRONG START FOR BIDEN ON CYBER: President Biden and his administration have hit the ground running on cybersecurity during his first week in office, with a particular emphasis on addressing the fallout from the recently discovered Russian hack that hit much of the federal government. 

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Experts are calling the focus on cyber issues — and Biden’s efforts to quickly fill key roles and push back against foreign adversaries — a breath of fresh air after four years of the Trump administration.

“Certainly all of the action, and the substantive nature of the action, represents that they’ve put cybersecurity as a priority, which they had said in the transition, but they are putting their money where their mouth is and moving forward on it,” said Kiersten Todt, former executive director of a cybersecurity commission under former President Obama who’s now managing director of the Cyber Readiness Institute.

Read more here.  

APPLE, FACEBOOK FINISH STRONG: Apple and Facebook both reported strong earnings from the last three months of 2020 in their quarterly earning reports released Wednesday.  

Facebook reported a total revenue of $28 billion in the last three months of 2020, a 33 percent increase from the same period last year, and Apple reported an all-time record revenue of $111.4 billion in the last three months of 2020, up 21 percent from the previous year. 

Facebook noted challenges it faces regarding targeted ads in the new year, specifically citing Apple’s new iOS 14 update which the social media giant has repeatedly criticized as it limits the reach of targeted ads. 

Read more here.  

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BOTNET DOWN: A coalition of international law enforcement and judicial groups on Wednesday announced the takedown of infrastructure used by cyber criminals to spread what authorities described as the “world’s most dangerous malware” and attack organizations worldwide.

The Emotet botnet, one of the most prolific malware viruses used by hackers over the past decade, saw its infrastructure disrupted by authorities in countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Ukraine that was coordinated by European Union agencies Europol and Eurojust.

“EMOTET was much more than just a malware,” Europol wrote in a statement Wednesday. “What made EMOTET so dangerous is that the malware was offered for hire to other cybercriminals to install other types of malware, such as banking Trojans or ransomware, onto a victim’s computer.”

Read more about the botnet takedown here. 

A HUAWEI DILEMMA: House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Michael McCaulMichael Thomas McCaulOn The Money: Reddit traders cause Wall Street havoc | Powell: Inflation fears should not impede more coronavirus aid | NJ lawmakers press for SALT cap repeal in next relief package Hillicon Valley: Biden’s cyber priorities zero in on Russian hack | Apple, Facebook report increase in earnings at the end of 2020 | International authorities disrupt ‘world’s most dangerous malware’ McCaul urges senators to block vote on Commerce secretary over Huawei concerns MORE (R-Texas), on Wednesday called on members of the Senate to block consideration of Gina RaimondoGina RaimondoShould Congress consider a master settlement against Big Oil? On The Money: Reddit traders cause Wall Street havoc | Powell: Inflation fears should not impede more coronavirus aid | NJ lawmakers press for SALT cap repeal in next relief package Hillicon Valley: Biden’s cyber priorities zero in on Russian hack | Apple, Facebook report increase in earnings at the end of 2020 | International authorities disrupt ‘world’s most dangerous malware’ MORE, President Biden’s pick for Commerce secretary, until she clarifies her stance on Chinese telecom giant Huawei. 

McCaul was critical of Raimondo’s refusal to commit to keeping Huawei on the Commerce Department’s “entity list” if confirmed, and also around the Biden administration’s unclear stance on the issue. 

“Until they make their intentions clear on whether they will keep Huawei on the Entity List, I urge my Senate colleagues to hold Ms. Raimondo’s confirmation,” McCaul said in a statement. 

While McCaul as a member of the House does not have the power to block consideration of Raimondo, a spokesperson for Sen. Ted CruzRafael (Ted) Edward CruzGOP congressman demands Ocasio-Cortez apologize following Twitter exchange with Cruz On The Money: Economy shrank 3.5 percent in 2020 | Lawmakers rip Robinhood’s decision on GameStop | Budget rules, politics threaten per hour minimum wage Lawmakers rip Robinhood’s decision on GameStop MORE (R-Texas) told The Hill that “all options remain on the table” terms of a potential block. 

Read more about the nomination drama here. 

FAILING GRADES: Facebook and Reddit were given failing grades by the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) “report card” about responding to online Holocaust denial content. 

The ADL report released on International Holocaust Remembrance Day gave Facebook, Reddit, Discord and Steam a “D” in terms of their response to Holocaust denial content. 

Twitter, YouTube, TikTok and Roblox fared a bit better, each receiving a “C” from the ADL. And although no platform received an “A,” Twitch was ranked the highest with a “B” grade. 

Read more about the report here. 

INFLUENCER CHARGED: A Florida man who was an ardent supporter of former President TrumpDonald Trump’QAnon Shaman’ willing to testify in impeachment trial, lawyer says Boebert clashes with Parkland survivor on Twitter: ‘Give your keyboard a rest, child’ Overnight Defense: FEMA asks Pentagon to help with vaccinations | US says Taliban has ‘not met their commitments’ | Army investigating Fort Hood chaplain MORE on Twitter was charged Wednesday with election interference after allegedly running a scam in 2016 that fooled thousands of people into believing they could vote via text message.

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In a press release, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the arrest of 31-year-old Douglass Mackey, who went by the name “Ricky Vaughn” on Twitter in several now-deleted accounts.

The DOJ release details that Mackey allegedly conspired with others using Twitter to trick U.S. voters into believing they could cast valid ballots in the 2016 election via text message.

Read more here. 

TWITTER OPENS TWEET ARCHIVE: Twitter on Tuesday said it is opening up full access to the platform’s archive to researchers for free.

Twitter’s new Academic Research product track will grant researchers access to the full history of public conversations, a feature which was previously only available to customers who paid for premium access. 

The new feature will also allow for more precise filtering capabilities to limit data collection to what is relevant to researchers’ studies, Twitter said. 

Read more here.  

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PROGRESSIVES WARN AGAINST SECTION 230 CHANGES:  A coalition of more than 70 progressive groups sent a letter to congress and the Biden administration urging caution when potentially changing Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

The law, which protects internet companies from liability for most content posted by third parties and allows them to do good-faith moderation, is facing sustained efforts aimed at reform or repeal for the first time since being enshrined in 1996.

In their letter to Congress and the Biden administration, the organizations argue that the law is fundamental to free expression and human rights on the internet.

Read more here.

Lighter click: America’s next top app 

An op-ed to chew on: First 100 days: Invest in space infrastructure to spark economic recovery

NOTABLE LINKS FROM AROUND THE WEB: 

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More women are joining China’s tech elite, but ‘Wolf Culture’ isn’t going away (Protocol / Shen Lu) 

Debate heats up over how countries tax Big Tech companies (AP / David McHugh) 

TikTok is laying off employees in India as ban becomes permanent (CNN / Michelle Toh)

The Pentagon in its first briefing under the Biden administration warned the Taliban it is jeopardizing its agreement with the United States for a full U.S. military withdrawal by May. 

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby stressed Thursday that no decisions have been made about troop levels and that the Biden administration is still committed to last year’s U.S.-Taliban deal.

But, he bluntly said the Taliban has not yet lived up to its commitments under the deal, adding it would be difficult for the United States to move forward with the agreement if that does not change.

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“The Taliban have not met their commitments,” Kirby said. “Without them meeting their commitments to renounce terrorism and to stop the violent attacks on the Afghan National Security Forces, and by dint of that the Afghan people, it’s very hard to see a specific way forward for the negotiated settlement.

“But we’re still committed to that, there’s no question about that,” he continued. “The secretary’s been clear in testimony that we need to find a reasonable, rational end to this war, and that it’s got to be done through a negotiated settlement that includes the Afghan government.”

Pressed further on the new administration’s position, Kirby said the “goal” is to reach the May deadline, but that “we’re going to be making our decisions in a sober, rational manner that is driven by what’s in our best interests and the interests of our partner in Afghanistan, as well as our NATO partners and allies.”

In February 2019, the Trump administration signed an agreement with the Taliban that committed the United States to fully withdrawing from Afghanistan by May if the Taliban meets counterterrorism commitments such as denying safe haven to al Qaeda.

During the Trump administration, U.S. military officials said the Taliban had yet to break with al Qaeda. Officials also repeatedly condemned stepped up Taliban attacks on Afghan forces.

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But former President TrumpDonald Trump’QAnon Shaman’ willing to testify in impeachment trial, lawyer says Boebert clashes with Parkland survivor on Twitter: ‘Give your keyboard a rest, child’ Overnight Defense: FEMA asks Pentagon to help with vaccinations | US says Taliban has ‘not met their commitments’ | Army investigating Fort Hood chaplain MORE continued to draw down. Five days before Trump left office, the U.S. military hit his goal of dropping to 2,500 troops, the lowest level of U.S. troops in Afghanistan since 2001.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark MilleyMark MilleyOvernight Defense: FEMA asks Pentagon to help with vaccinations | US says Taliban has ‘not met their commitments’ | Army investigating Fort Hood chaplain Pentagon: Taliban has ‘not met their commitments’ under withdrawal deal Overnight Defense: Biden lifts Trump’s transgender military ban | Democrats, advocates celebrate end of ban | 5,000 guardsmen staying in DC through mid-March MORE and Gen. Scott Miller, the top U.S. general in Afghanistan, have assured that 2,500 is sufficient for the largely counterterrorism mission the U.S. military has now, Kirby said Thursday.

“If we can get to a negotiated settlement, then there won’t be the need for those troops. Right now, there is,” Kirby said.

Since taking office, Biden administration officials said they are reviewing the U.S.-Taliban agreement, which is one of the areas where Biden’s transition team said the Trump administration obfuscated.

Last week, national security Jake SullivanJake SullivanOvernight Defense: FEMA asks Pentagon to help with vaccinations | US says Taliban has ‘not met their commitments’ | Army investigating Fort Hood chaplain Pentagon: Taliban has ‘not met their commitments’ under withdrawal deal Biden (mostly) builds on Trump’s foreign policy MORE told his Afghan counterpart on a call that the administration was reviewing the agreement “to assess whether the Taliban was living up to its commitments to cut ties with terrorist groups, to reduce violence in Afghanistan, and to engage in meaningful negotiations with the Afghan government and other stakeholders,” according to a National Security Council statement on the call.

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Secretary of State Antony BlinkenAntony BlinkenOvernight Defense: FEMA asks Pentagon to help with vaccinations | US says Taliban has ‘not met their commitments’ | Army investigating Fort Hood chaplain Pentagon: Taliban has ‘not met their commitments’ under withdrawal deal White House outraged at decision to release man convicted in Daniel Pearl murder MORE also told reporters Wednesday the administration needs to “understand … exactly what is in the agreements that were reached between the United States and the Taliban to make sure that we fully understand the commitments that the Taliban has made, as well as any commitments that we’ve made.”

Blinken also confirmed the Biden administration has asked Trump’s envoy in Taliban negotiations, Zalmay Khalilzad, to stay and “continue the vital work that he is performing.”

In addition to Afghanistan, Kirby said Defense Secretary Lloyd AustinLloyd AustinOvernight Defense: FEMA asks Pentagon to help with vaccinations | US says Taliban has ‘not met their commitments’ | Army investigating Fort Hood chaplain Pentagon: Taliban has ‘not met their commitments’ under withdrawal deal Lloyd Austin has to back nuclear modernization for the free world MORE is reviewing U.S. force posture around the world “as you would expect him to do when he first comes into office.”

That includes reviewing Trump’s plan to withdraw nearly 12,000 U.S. troops from Germany, a plan that caught the U.S. ally by surprise, was lambasted by lawmakers in both parties and that Biden has been expected to reverse.

Kirby similarly said no decisions have been made on Germany force posture, but that Austin pledged in a call with his German counterpart that “whatever decision we make, we will do it in consultation with her and her government. There won’t be any surprises.”

Apple CEO Tim Cook on Thursday knocked social media giants over business models that have used algorithms that he says allowed disinformation narratives and conspiracy theories to flourish online. 

Cook’s comments at the Computers, Privacy and Data Protection conference did not specifically identify individual social media companies, but multiple platforms have widely faced mounting scrutiny over their handling of content moderation after the violent insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6. 

“At a moment of rampant disinformation and conspiracy theories juiced by algorithms, we can no longer turn a blind eye to a theory of technology that says all engagement is good engagement — the longer the better — and all with the goal of collecting as much data as possible,” Cook said. 

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“Too many are still asking the question, ‘How much can we get away with?’ when they need to be asking, ‘What are the consequences?’ ” he added. 

Cook said companies need to evaluate the “consequences [of] prioritizing conspiracy theories and violent incitement [and] rewarding content that undermines public trust in life-saving vaccinations.”

In what appeared to be more of a direct dig at Facebook in particular, Cook asked, “What are the consequences of seeing thousands of users join extremist groups, and then perpetuating an algorithm that recommends even more?”

“I think the past year, and certainly recent events, have brought home the risk of this for all of us — as a society, and as individuals as much as anything else,” Cook said.

Facebook has faced criticism over the growth of groups on its platform that amplified the false message that there was voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. The claim that the election was “stolen” was the basis for the riot earlier this month. 

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Facebook CEO Mark ZuckerbergMark Elliot ZuckerbergHillicon Valley: Robinhood restricts trading of companies targeted by Reddit users | Facebook reverses some decisions on removed posts | Lawmakers introduce bill to massively increase mail-in voting Apple CEO says ‘recent events’ show ‘risk’ of social media algorithms pushing disinformation Facebook to start accepting public comments on Trump ban case MORE reiterated on a call with investors Wednesday night that the platform will stop recommending political groups to users. 

The CEO had previously pledged to do so leading up to the election during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing in October, but a report released by The Markup last week found the company failed to follow through on the commitment. 

Sen. Ed MarkeyEd MarkeyApple CEO says ‘recent events’ show ‘risk’ of social media algorithms pushing disinformation Hillicon Valley: Raimondo wades into 230 debate | Google cuts donations to election result deniers | House GOP unveils tech plan Markey questions Facebook on ‘failed commitment’ to stop recommending political groups MORE (D-Mass.) pushed Facebook on the commitment in a letter sent to Zuckerberg on Tuesday. Following Zuckerberg’s additional commitment, Markey said in a statement he is “pleased to see that Facebook is heeding my calls,” but he remains wary of the promise. 

“Frankly, though, Facebook has a record of broken promises, and I’ll be watching closely to see whether it keeps this commitment,” the senator said. 

After the riot at the Capitol, tech platforms took additional measures to crack down on misinformation and conspiracy theories. 

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Facebook, in addition to restating it would stop recommending political groups, said in the days after the riot that it would take down content that contains the phrase “Stop the Steal.” 

Twitter, which also faced criticism after posts on the platform were identified as musing about the riot, said days after the attack that it banned more than 70,000 accounts that shared content surrounding the QAnon conspiracy theory.

Apple for its part removed the Parler app from its app store, as did Google. The limited content moderation platform was rife with posts calling for violence surrounding the riot. Amazon later removed the platform from its web hosting services, as well.

Samsung Electronics Co. is deliberating an investment into a chip-making factory that could cost up to $13 billion. 

The South Korean company is looking at two locations around Austin, Texas, two locations around Phoenix and a location in Genesee County in New York, sources told The Wall Street Journal. 

Samsung wants to take the opportunity to negotiate with the federal government as the U.S. works to rely less on Taiwan, China and South Korea, the sources said. Samsung will be negotiating with the government for tax incentives and other incentives because it would be cheaper to develop its product in other parts of the world. 

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Incentives for chip-making were passed in January with the National Defense Authorization Act, but it has not received the promised funding yet. 

Samsung is trying to compete with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), which is also based in the U.S. and is the leader in the chip-making industry here. TSMC is looking to have a $12 billion plant up and running in Arizona by 2024, Bloomberg reported. 

“If Samsung really wants to realize its goal to become the top chipmaker by 2030, it needs massive investment in the U.S. to catch up with TSMC,” said Greg Roh, senior vice president at HMC Securities. “TSMC is likely to keep making progress in process nodes to 3nm at its Arizona plant and Samsung may do the same. One challenging task is to secure EUV equipment now, when Hynix and Micron are also seeking to purchase the machines.”

Samsung’s goal is to have a chip-making plant operational by October 2022 and to employ 1,900 people at that plant. There is consideration to invest $10 billion into a plant near Austin, sources told Bloomberg. 

The Austin City Council had a meeting in December after Samsung requested to rezone part of its land for industrial development. A brokerage report found that Intel will most likely give more orders to Samsung so it isn’t relying on TSMC as much.

Samsung wants to be the biggest company in a $400 billion industry and plans to invest $116 billion over the next decade to make that happen.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has asked the Pentagon to assist with President Biden’s goal to vaccinate 100 million people against the coronavirus in his first 100 days in office, the Department of Defense’s (DOD) top spokesman said Thursday.

“The Department of Defense has received a request from FEMA for assistance in administering COVID-19 vaccine at various locations across the country. The Department is evaluating the request, and what kinds of support it can provide,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a statement.

Kirby said that given the significance of the request, “it will be reviewed urgently but carefully” to determine what military assets can be made available to help safely.

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“As [Defense Secretary Lloyd AustinLloyd AustinOvernight Defense: FEMA asks Pentagon to help with vaccinations | US says Taliban has ‘not met their commitments’ | Army investigating Fort Hood chaplain Pentagon: Taliban has ‘not met their commitments’ under withdrawal deal Lloyd Austin has to back nuclear modernization for the free world MORE] has said, DOD is committed to do as much as it possibly can to assist the whole-of-government effort against COVID-19.”

CNN was the first to report on the discussions between the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security, of which FEMA is a part, on how the military can assist the agency.

Among the possible solutions is sending up to 10,000 active-duty and National Guard forces to so-called vaccination megahubs.

President Biden has an ambitious goal of the United States vaccinating 1.5 million people per day in the coming weeks, he announced Monday.

“It’s going to be a logistical challenge that exceeds anything we’ve ever tried in this country, but I think we can do that,” Biden said during a press conference.

But the White House has moved to temper expectations, with press secretary Jen PsakiJen PsakiPsaki expects DHS nominee Mayorkas to head task force to reunite separated families Overnight Defense: FEMA asks Pentagon to help with vaccinations | US says Taliban has ‘not met their commitments’ | Army investigating Fort Hood chaplain White House outraged at decision to release man convicted in Daniel Pearl murder MORE on Tuesday clarifying that Biden was merely being optimistic and that he was not setting a concrete goal. 

White House COVID-19 adviser Andy Slavitt on Wednesday said that it will be “months” before all Americans who want a coronavirus vaccine can get one.