Intelligence
House vote puts Section 702 on brink of historic lapse amid fight over acting spy chief
Trump’s plan to nominate Jay Clayton as permanent top spy may ease Democrats’ concerns, but lawmakers remain at odds over whether Bill Pulte will lead the intelligence community during the transition.
Breaking News
Trump appoints housing official to be acting director of national intelligence
The selection is unconventional for the nation’s lead intelligence official, a role tasked with managing 18 distinct agencies like the CIA and NSA.
House panel approves slate of DHS intelligence reform bills
The measures aim to modernize terror alerts, expand local threat support and standardize training under the Office of Intelligence and Analysis, which the Trump administration is seeking to restructure.
‘It would be insane’ for spy agencies to not have AI model early access, lawmaker says
The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee said the Commerce Department should also have a role in AI policy.
Senate passes 10-day FISA extension after House revolt sinks long-term deal
The short-term patch was cleared by unanimous consent hours after the House sank a five-year proposal and had to pivot to the 10-day stopgap. It now goes to President Donald Trump’s desk.
House passes 10-day FISA extension after prospects of long-term deal collapse
The short-term patch was cleared via unanimous consent after opposition from many Democrats and GOP hardliners sank a 5-year proposal with reforms not satisfactory to privacy advocates.
DOJ to appeal intelligence court ruling over use of spying power
A judge on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court took issue with how spy agencies use filtering tools to sift through raw data collected by the FISA 702 program.
House readies vote to renew FISA 702 without a warrant amendment
GOP leadership is confronting a possible shortfall in support.
DHS intelligence office restructuring would still keep it under ODNI oversight
A proposed FY27 overhaul would still leave DHS’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis answerable to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, despite questions about its oversight.
CIA plans for ‘AI coworkers’, deputy director says
The spy agency managed a few hundred AI projects last year, and recently used AI to generate an intelligence report for the first time, deputy director Michael Ellis said.
Anthropic’s Glasswing initiative raises questions for US cyber operations
Intelligence officials and industry are weighing how Claude Mythos Preview could reshape hacking and cyberdefense. The company has also briefed senior officials on the AI model it says has already uncovered thousands of cyber vulnerabilities.
Former national security officials urge Congress to renew Section 702 before expiration
The surveillance program lapses April 19 unless renewed by Congress. The Trump administration is asking for a clean, 18-month extension.
Featured eBooks
President’s budget proposes folding beleaguered DHS intelligence office into headquarters
The plan to restructure the Office of Intelligence and Analysis would require congressional approval and could reshape oversight of domestic intelligence-sharing.
Single-member surveillance watchdog backs 702 powers, raising independence questions
A staff report from the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board praises the value of Section 702 of FISA, though all but one of the board’s members were removed last year.
Old-school spycraft could make a comeback as AI undermines trust
An article in the CIA’s Studies in Intelligence journal argues that artificial intelligence may erode confidence in certain electronic communications and further revive centuries-old human intelligence techniques.
ODNI is building a framework to boost spy agencies’ AI adoption
A tech modernization push launched last year also included expanded threat hunting across IC networks, according to an official.
Exclusive
New NSA director pushes for more intel-sharing with allies in internal meeting
Gen. Josh Rudd also told members of NSA and Cyber Command that the organizations should still focus on major cyber adversaries like Russia and China, despite the Trump administration’s emphasis on the southern border.
Counterterrorism center head resigns over Iran war
Joe Kent said Iran “posed no imminent threat to our nation” and he could not support the ongoing war.
FBI gathered intelligence on reporters, religious orgs using ‘assessment’ authority, watchdog report says
The bureau also undercounts analysts’ non-compliance with assessment policies because it relies on self-reporting and infrequent audits, the sensitive GAO review adds.
White House will hold meeting to discuss renewal of controversial spying power
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is set to expire this spring unless renewed by lawmakers.
