Breaking News: Trump orders officials to look at $100 billion in new Chinese tariffs

View in your browser     Trump orders officials to look at $100 billion in new Chinese tariffs President Trump announced Thursday that he has directed officials in his administration to look at slapping $100 billion in additional tariffs on China, the latest move in an escalating trade dispute between Washington and Beijing. "In light of China’s unfair retaliation, I have instructed the USTR to consider whether $100 billion of additional tariffs would be appropriate under section 301 and, if so, to identify the products upon which to impose such tariffs," Trump said in a statement, referring to the U.S. Trade Representative.  Read the full story here         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Breaking News     Forward Breaking News     You Might Like       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

Overnight Energy: Scandals consume EPA chief | Top Pruitt aide resigns | Blue states sue over methane rule

View in your browser     PRUITT, PRUITT EVERYWHERE: Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt filled the headlines for the second full day in a row Thursday with story after story of new controversies. The news was fast and frequent, so in case you missed it, here's a timeline of the day. Breaking overnight: In a new memo Wednesday Kevin Minoli, a career EPA employee, clarified that his previous evaluation of the ethics behind Pruitt's $50 a night condo that he rented from the wife of a lobbyist with energy industry clients, was based on the assumption that Pruitt followed the terms of the lease exactly. Minoli said he had not previously had all of the facts. "Some have raised questions whether the actual use of the space was consistent with the terms of the lease. Evaluating those questions would have required factual information that was not before us and the Review does not address those questions," he wrote. Read more here. 10:30 a.m., Top EPA aide resigns: A top aide and close friend of Pruitt's issued her resignation last week, the Washington Post first reported. The decision came in the midst of various scandals plaguing the agency chief. Samantha Dravis was the senior counsel and associate administrator in EPA's Office of Policy. The sudden departure is described by one source familiar with the EPA as a "five-alarm story." EPA and a close friend of Dravis maintained that her departure was unconnected to the scandals, and Dravis was simply ready to go. "She has been looking to leave for a while. A lot of people in the administration wanted her to stay for the year to put her time in but it's one drama after another. It's a shit show," a friend of Dravis's told The Hill. Read more here. 12:00 pm, WH spokesman quiet on Pruitt's 'future': Deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley told Fox News in an interview Thursday, ""I can't speak to the future of Scott Pruitt." He added, "I can just talk about where we are now and that is that the White House is aware of these reports." Read more here. 1:09 pm, Trump expresses confidence in Pruitt: President Trump said Thursday he has confidence in Pruitt. "I do," Trump said when asked before boarding Air Force One. Read more here. 3:19 pm, Another GOP lawmaker calls on Pruitt to resign: Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) is calling on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Scott Pruitt to resign. Stefanik is the third Republican lawmaker to ask Pruitt to leave amid a recent spate of scandals over an apartment he rented from a lobbyist and big raises he gave to two aides despite White House disapproval. "Congresswoman Stefanik believes it's in the best interest of the EPA for Mr. Pruitt to resign," spokesman Tom Flanagin told The Hill on Thursday. Stefanik first spoke about her desire for Pruitt to quite earlier Thursday at a constituent event, according to WTEN. Read more here. 3:30 pm, Pruitt reassigned agent for not letting him use a siren: A security agent was removed from Pruitt's detail shortly after he told the EPA chief he couldn't use his vehicle's lights and sirens to cut through Washington, D.C., traffic, CBS News reported Thursday. Pruitt had reportedly made the request to use the vehicle's lights and sirens when he was stuck in traffic on his way to an official appointment just weeks after he was confirmed to lead the EPA. Read more here. 5:00 pm, Trump says Pruitt's done a 'fantastic job': While flying back from a West Virginia trip to talk about the GOP's tax bill, Trump had more good things to say about Pruitt. "I think he's done a fantastic job. I think he's done an incredible job. He's been very courageous," the president told reporters. "It hasn't been easy, but I think he's done a fantastic job." "You know, I just left coal and energy country. They love Scott Pruitt," he said, referring to Pruitt's pro-coal policies and efforts to repeal environmental rules. "They feel very strongly about Scott Pruitt. And they love Scott Pruitt." But Trump stopped short of indicating that Pruitt is completely in the clear. Asked if he was concerned about the allegations against Pruitt, Trump said, "I have to look at them." "I'll make that determination," the president continued. "But he's a good man, he's done a terrific job. But I'll take a look at it." 5:04 pm, Many EPA officials were demoted for questioning Pruitt: A number of high ranking Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employees were demoted, reassigned or requested new positions after raising red flags at the agency, The New York Times reported Thursday. At least five EPA officials, four of which were high ranking, were given different positions after questioning Administrator Scott Pruitt, according to the report. The reassigned staffers included Kevin Chmielewski, a political appointee who was placed on administrative leave without pay, and three career officials. Reginald E. Allen and Eric Weese, were given jobs with less daily interaction with Pruitt, while John Reeder left for a temporary job at American University as an "executive in residence," the Times reported. Read more here. And there's still a long night ahead, folks... The bottom line: Ethics controversies involving Cabinet members have become a headache for the president. Pruitt's conservative allies say he is one of Trump's most effective allies and warning that replacing him could be difficult. But the controversies keep piling up and lawmakers from both parties have called for his ouster.   AND IN OTHER EPA NEWS: Dem states sue over methane rule: Fifteen attorneys general and the city of Chicago filed a lawsuit against the EPA for not regulating methane from oil and natural gas operations. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement that the group is fighting back against the Trump administration for "ignoring its legal duty to control emissions of methane -- and extremely potent greenhouse gas -- from existing oil and gas operations." They also charge Pruitt with violating the Clean Air Act by "unreasonably delaying" its mandatory obligation through the act to control methane emissions The EPA's refusal to control methane pollution is illegal, Schneiderman said in a statement. It also "threatens our public health and environment, and squanders savings of over $100 million annually." Read more.   AND IN NON-PRUITT NEWS: The League of Conservation Voters Action Fund said Thursday it is endorsing Randy Bryce, House Speaker Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) Democratic challenger. "Randy Bryce is the real deal -- he understands we need to transition to a clean energy economy to get people working in southeast Wisconsin and across America again," said Tiernan Sittenfeld, the group's senior vice president for government affairs. "As a veteran, cancer survivor and union leader, he understands the national security, public health and economic importance of fighting climate change and investing in clean energy," she said. "Unlike his opponent, Speaker Paul Ryan, we know we can always count on Randy Bryce to protect our air, water and public lands, and we're thrilled to endorse his campaign for Congress." Bryce said in the statement that he's pushing a "Green New Deal," which "would create thousands of family-sustaining jobs on infrastructure projects, and it would turn communities that have seen a decline in manufacturing into energy manufacturing hub." Read more here.   The Government Accountability Office (GAO) asked Congress Thursday to require coal companies to strengthen their financial assurances that they can clean up mines after closing them. The GAO report said state and federal agencies are having trouble keeping up with coal self-bonding, the process by which companies certify that they are financially strong enough to clean up their mines, without needing the bond instruments that are otherwise required. "Until such a change is made, the government will remain potentially at financial risk for future reclamation costs resulting from coal mines with unsecured financial assurances," the congressional watchdog agency wrote. Read the report.   OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY: A federal appeals court is allowing construction of a $59 million dam in Montana despite concerns over an endangered fish species, the Associated Press reports. Thousands of viewers are watching a black bear in Glacier National Park that refuses to get up from hibernation, Mashable reports. Scientists are starting to understand the degree to which air pollution can harm children's developing brains, Popular Science reports.   FROM THE HILL'S OPINION SECTION: Former Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) argues that the renewable fuel standard is working for rural America. William Arnold, a professor at Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business, says the future of shale oil production in the United States is in the hands of investors.   IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Check out Thursday's stories ... -Multiple EPA officials demoted after questioning Pruitt spending: report -Agent on security detail reassigned after telling Pruitt he couldn't use siren for nonemergencies: report -GOP lawmaker calls on Pruitt to resign -15 AGs sue Trump EPA for not enforcing pollution controls -Trump says he has confidence in Pruitt -Pruitt ignored White House officials' advice not to do interviews on scandal: report -White House spokesman: 'I can't speak to the future of Scott Pruitt' -Top Pruitt aide resigns from EPA amid controversies     THE HILL EVENTS Leadership in Action: The Hill's Newsmaker Series Join The Hill on April 11 for Leadership in Action: The Hill's Newsmaker Series. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.) and Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) will sit down with Editor-in-Chief Bob Cusack to discuss congressional values, diversity and bipartisanship. RSVP today. Latinos in College: Closing the Graduation Gap On April 17, The Hill will gather lawmakers, university presidents and education experts for Latinos in College: Closing the Graduation Gap. Conversations will address ways to boost Hispanic college completion rates nationwide. RSVP today.     Please send tips and comments to Timothy Cama, tcama@thehill.com, and MirandaGreen, mgreen@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @Timothy_Cama, @mirandacgreen, @thehill         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Energy Newsletters     Forward Energy Newsletters       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

Overnight Cybersecurity: Dems sound alarm over eavesdropping threat | Third-party breach impacts Sears, Delta | Zuckerberg to face Senate panel | 1.5B files exposed online

View in your browser        Welcome to OVERNIGHT CYBERSECURITY, your daily rundown of the biggest news in the world of hacking and data privacy. We're here to connect the dots as leaders in government, policy and industry try to counter the rise in cyber threats. What lies ahead for Congress, the administration and the latest company under siege? Whether you're a consumer, a techie or a D.C. lifer, we're here to give you ...   THE BIG STORIES: -- DEMS SOUND ALARM ABOUT 'INCREDIBLE' EAVESDROPPING THREAT: Three top House Democrats on Thursday called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which monitors the nation's airwaves, to crack down on the use of unauthorized eavesdropping devices. The devices can track a user's location data through their mobile phones as well as intercept cellphone calls and messages. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently acknowledged for the first time that foreign actors or other criminals are using unauthorized cell-site simulators, also known as "stingrays," in Washington. The department made the disclosure last week in a letter to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) that The Hill obtained on Tuesday. "[I]t appears that these cell-site simulators could be gathering intelligence on unwitting Americans on behalf of foreign governments. If these reports are true, it marks an incredible security vulnerability in the seat of the Federal government," wrote the three Democrats, who serve as ranking members on three separate congressional committees. "The FCC, however, has the ability to take action to protect Americans from this type of foreign government surveillance. As the agency in charge of managing the commercial airwaves, the FCC has the statutory power to stop the illicit use of cell-site simulators," they continued. While DHS in their letter noted that the use of IMSI catchers by foreign governments poses a security risk to the U.S., it said the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) has not "validated or attributed such activity to specific entities or devices." It remains unclear whether the discovered eavesdropping devices could've also been used by U.S. people to spy on fellow U.S. citizens.  Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) of the House Homeland Security Committee all signed onto the letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. To read more from our piece, click here.   --ANOTHER BREACH: In the latest in a string of high-profile cyber incidents, hackers breached a third-party company to gain access to credit card information belonging to customers of Sears and Delta Air Lines. Sears said that the breach affected less than 100,000 of its customers and that hackers likely accessed credit card information belonging to customers who made online purchases at Sears and Kmart stores between late September and October of last year. Separately, Delta in a statement said that payment information on a "small subset" of its customers may have been improperly accessed in the same time frame, though the company did not provide an estimate of the number impacted. Delta also emphasized that it "cannot say definitively whether any of our customers' information was actually accessed or subsequently compromised." The breach originated at an online support services company called [24]7.ai, which said late Wednesday that the data security incident impacted online customer information for "a small number" of its client companies. The breach occurred between Sept. 16 and Oct. 12, at which point it was "discovered and contained," the company said. Sears said that it was notified of the breach by [24]7.ai in mid-March, and immediately notified credit card companies to mitigate potential fraud.  "We believe the credit card information for certain customers who transacted online between September 27, 2017 and October 12, 2017 may have been compromised. Customers using a Sears-branded credit card were not impacted," Sears said in a statement. "In addition, there is no evidence that our stores were compromised or that any internal Sears systems were accessed by those responsible." All three companies said they have been working with law enforcement to investigate the incident. To read more from our piece, click here.   --MORE RUSSIA SANCTIONS COMING: The Trump administration is expected to soon unveil new sanctions on Russian oligarchs under a law passed by Congress last year to punish Moscow for interfering in the 2016 presidential election. Reuters reported Wednesday evening that the sanctions could be announced as soon as Thursday--though as of Thursday afternoon, the administration had not announced any new penalties. The sanctions would be levied under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), passed last year to penalize Russia for election meddling and other destabilizing activities. The new sanctions will reportedly target Russian oligarchs, including those with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin. The move would follow the Trump administration's decision last month to unveil sanctions on Russia for cyberattacks and election interference, under pressure from lawmakers. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said repeatedly that the Treasury Department would sanction Russian oligarchs under the law.   A CONGRESSIONAL UPDATE:  ANOTHER ZUCKERBERG HEARING: Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is set to testify in a joint hearing before the Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees on April 10. Zuckerberg is also set to testify with House Energy and Commerce Committee on April 11 to answer questions about the improper gathering of the data of nearly 90 million Facebook users by a British data firm during the 2016 presidential campaign. The second hearing was announced late Wednesday. What Congress wants to know: Lawmakers have questioned why Facebook let third parties collect data on its users without their express consent and why Facebook didn't take stronger action to ensure that Cambridge Analytica deleted the improperly collected user data. The scope of the problem: It was previously estimated that the British research firm hired by the Trump campaign had improperly harvested data from about 50 million Facebook users, but new estimates on Wednesday revealed that about 87 million users had data taken. Facebook also said Wednesday that "most" of the platform's users have likely had their public profiles scraped by malicious actors that exploit its search and account discovery feature--an issue the company said it is working to address. To read the rest of our piece, click here.   A REPORT IN FOCUS: New research from security company Digital Shadows says that 1.5 billion files have been exposed on the web as a result of misconfigured servers and cloud and file sharing services. More than 12,000 terabytes of data has been exposed as a result of misconfigured Amazon S3 buckets, websites, NAS drives, FTP servers, and other services--an amount over four thousand times larger than the "Panama Papers" leak, the report issued Thursday notes. The United States is the country with the most impacted files, numbering 239,607,590. The files include highly sensitive information--from credit card details to medical data to information on intellectual property. The company conducted the research over a three-month period beginning in January. "While we often hyper-focus on responding to adversaries conducting intrusions into our environments and silently exfiltrating our data, we aren't focusing on our external digital footprints and the data that is already publicly-available via misconfigured cloud storage, file exchange protocols, and file sharing services," the report says. To read more from the report, click here.   A LIGHTER CLICK:  New tech services are helping drivers fight parking tickets. (Recode)   WHO'S IN THE SPOTLIGHT:  AMAZON: The Trump administration is considering whether to award Amazon a multibillion-dollar defense contract even as President Trump takes public shots at the company. Over the past week, Trump has repeatedly derided Amazon on Twitter, with reports suggesting the president is aiming to damage the e-commerce giant and its owner, Jeff Bezos. The company's stock has tumbled as a result. "I have stated my concerns with Amazon long before the Election. Unlike others, they pay little or no taxes to state & local governments, use our Postal System as their Delivery Boy (causing tremendous loss to the U.S.), and are putting many thousands of retailers out of business!" Trump tweeted last week. Even as the president hammers Amazon, federal defense officials are widely seen as likely to award the company a multibillion-dollar cloud computing contract early next month. The Department of Defense (DOD) is finalizing the details of the contract during a public comment period, but has signaled that it will ask a single source to develop a new department-wide cloud computing system. Amazon's rivals and critics say that the Pentagon is likely to award the Seattle-based company the contract and argue that the process has been biased toward the company. The DOD rejects those allegations, saying that no company has received special treatment. "We want the best solution for the department. We have no favorites," Timothy Van Name, the deputy director of the ‎Defense Digital Service, said in March. It's not clear how much attention Trump has given to the Pentagon contract, but he appears to at least be aware of it. Bloomberg reported Wednesday that Safra Catz, the co-chief executive of Oracle, complained to Trump about the bidding process during a private dinner Tuesday evening. Oracle is also competing for the deal. Trump did not suggest to Catz that he would intervene, according to Bloomberg. During a White House press briefing on Wednesday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump noted that Defense Department contracting is done independently of the White House. "The president is not involved in the process. The DOD runs a competitive bidding process," she said. To read more from our piece, click here.   IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Links from our blog, The Hill, and around the Web. Microsoft rolls out new ransomware protections. (The Hill) Kremlin labels Facebook's removal of Russian media accounts a hostile move. (The Hill) OP-ED: Overwhelmed by data, it's time for Congress to have a digital support team. (The Hill) The cyberattack that impacted at least four natural gas pipeline companies is now targeting the utility industry. (Bloomberg) New report details high-risk areas that can cause an organization's data to become exposed. (Varonis) Federal CIO Suzette Kent wants to 'turbo boost' the IT modernization plan. (FedScoop) Estonia's president is pushing for more government action on cybersecurity. (Wall Street Journal) Trend Micro is out with a new report on cyber threats to the healthcare sector. (Trend Micro) If you'd like to receive our newsletter in your inbox, please sign up here.     THE HILL EVENTS Leadership in Action: The Hill's Newsmaker Series Join The Hill on April 11 for Leadership in Action: The Hill's Newsmaker Series. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.) and Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) will sit down with Editor-in-Chief Bob Cusack to discuss congressional values, diversity and bipartisanship. RSVP today. Latinos in College: Closing the Graduation Gap On April 17, The Hill will gather lawmakers, university presidents and education experts for Latinos in College: Closing the Graduation Gap. Conversations will address ways to boost Hispanic college completion rates nationwide. RSVP today.           Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Cybersecurity Newsletters     Forward Cybersecurity Newsletters       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.