Tom Gjelten

High-Tech Surveillance Targets Evolving Terrorist Tactics

Tom Gjelten — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 09:25:00 +0000

Since public revelations that the National Security Agency is collecting telephone records and reviewing Internet communications in the U.S. and abroad, officials have been making the case that the programs are vital. They argue that the tactics match the new ways terrorists are planning and communicating.

There was a time when America's enemies conspired face-to-face, or communicated through couriers, or by leaving messages for each other somewhere.

Cyber Spying Expected To Be Discussed At U.S.-China Summit

Tom Gjelten — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 09:27:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Today, President Obama will be turning his attention to China. He's meeting China's new President, Xi Jinping, here in Southern California. There's plenty on the agenda: trade, currency, North Korea. This year, though, a new topic may dominate: China's habit of breaking into U.S. computer networks to steal trade and military secrets.

NPR's Tom Gjelten reports.

TOM GJELTEN, BYLINE: U.S. officials used to say only that some countries engage in cyber espionage. Everyone knew they usually meant China. They just wouldn't say so.

Sports: Playoff Time In The NBA

Tom Gjelten — Sat, 25 May 2013 11:02:00 +0000

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon and any time I get a little low I think, hmm, time for sports.

(SOUNDBITE OF THEME MUSIC)

SIMON: Intense Heat can't slow the Pacers. How do you like that new cliche? We're deep into the NBA playoffs. Also last night, the WNBA season began. NPR's Tom Goldman joins us. Hi there, Tom.

TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE: Good morning, Scott.

SIMON: Don't the Indiana Pacers know they're supposed to be losing? They won last night.

GOLDMAN: Just the opposite.

Obama Keeps Distance From Torture Debate, At Least For Now

Tom Gjelten — Sat, 25 May 2013 09:55:00 +0000

In his national security speech Thursday, President Obama discussed drone warfare and the Guantanamo detention camp. But a third controversial issue went largely unmentioned: the use of interrogation methods that are tantamount to torture.

Obama banned those interrogation techniques on his second day in office. But he has largely avoided the debate over whether torture in some cases has produced valuable information.

U.S. Turns Up Heat On Costly Commercial Cyber Theft In China

Tom Gjelten — Tue, 07 May 2013 07:03:00 +0000

American companies that do business with China make good money. They also lose a lot of money there to cyberthieves, who routinely hack into the computers of the U.S. firms and steal their trade and technology secrets.

China's theft of U.S. intellectual property has gotten serious enough in recent months to warrant President Obama's attention and prompt a series of visits to Beijing by senior members of Obama's Cabinet.

FBI Criticized For Failing To 'Connect Dots' In Boston Case

Tom Gjelten — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 20:47:00 +0000

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Audie Cornish.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

And I'm Robert Siegel.

The surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing was moved today to a prison hospital outside Boston. Officials say Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is no longer cooperating with investigators.

Clues Suggest Boston Suspects Took A Do-It-Yourself Approach

Tom Gjelten — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 20:44:00 +0000

As investigators look into the Boston Marathon bombings, one crucial question is whether the suspects, brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, acted alone or had help. The clues might be found in the bombs used.

From what is now known, it appears the brothers assembled a whole arsenal of explosives. Watertown Police Chief Edward Deveau told CNN last weekend that the suspects had at least six bombs, including the two used in the attack and one thrown at police during a shootout.

There were three bombs that weren't detonated, including one found at the Tsarnaevs' apartment in Cambridge.

Two Young Men Suspected In Boston Bombing Attack

Tom Gjelten — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 23:14:00 +0000

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

And I'm Melissa Block.

We begin this hour with what we're told is an imminent news conference out of Boston. Authorities are expected to announce next steps in the Boston Marathon bombing case, and we'll bring that to you live when it begins. And while we wait, let's run through what we do know.

Venezuela's Next Leader Faces Tough Choice On Oil Program

Tom Gjelten — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 07:23:00 +0000

As Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez thought in grandiose terms, and his country's vast oil riches enabled him to act on his vision. But Chavez died before he had to deal with the flaws in his model, and some hard choices await his successor.

Key to Chavez's notion of "21st Century Socialism" was the redistribution of Venezuela's oil earnings.

Tensions With North Korea A Messaging Balancing Act For U.S.

Tom Gjelten — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 09:13:00 +0000

You might think alarm bells would be sounding in Washington, given the warnings coming out of North Korea. But when they talk about North Korea, U.S. officials are sounding like exasperated parents responding to a child's tantrum.

At the White House on Friday, spokesman Jay Carney said the United States "would not be surprised" if North Korea actually carries out a missile test.

"We have seen them launch missiles in the past, and the U.N.

Is All The Talk About Cyberwarfare Just Hype?

Tom Gjelten — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 09:12:00 +0000

U.S. government pronouncements about the danger of a major cyberattack can be confusing. The director of national intelligence, James Clapper, and the head of the U.S. military's Cyber Command, Army Gen.

Cyber Attacks, Terrorism Top U.S. Security Threat Report

Tom Gjelten — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 21:25:00 +0000

James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, went before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday in a bit of a sour mood. He led off complaining that he had to speak publicly at all.

"An open hearing on intelligence matters," Clapper said, "is a contradiction in terms." And then, before getting to any international problems Clapper hit a domestic one: the spending cuts mandated under the sequestration package.

"Let me now be blunt for you and for the American people," he said.

Sanctions Bite, But Iran Shows No Signs Of Budging

Tom Gjelten — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 21:08:00 +0000

A new round of international talks on Iran's nuclear program is under way in Kazakhstan, where the U.S., Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany are asking Iran to give up any thought of building a nuclear weapon in exchange for relief from sanctions.

Western leaders do not predict a breakthrough, but they say small steps could be taken that would increase confidence on both sides.

Still, it's hard to imagine how such negotiations could proceed with lower expectations for progress.

"If you sat people down, they would tell you that in a perfect world they would love to work something o

Victims Of Cyberattacks Now Going On Offense Against Intruders

Tom Gjelten — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 08:41:00 +0000

U.S. companies that have their networks routinely penetrated and their trade secrets stolen cannot be surprised by a new National Intelligence Estimate on the cyber-espionage threat. The classified NIE, the first-ever focusing on cybersecurity, concludes that the U.S. is the target of a major espionage campaign, with China the leading culprit.

Private firms and government agencies have struggled with cyberattacks from China and other countries for years.

In Cyberwar, Software Flaws Are A Hot Commodity

Tom Gjelten — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 08:25:00 +0000

There have been security flaws in software as long as there has been software, but they have become even more critically important in the context of cyberweapons development.

In the past, security researchers who stumbled on a software flaw would typically report the flaw to the manufacturer of the software, so it could be fixed. That changed, however, when cyberweapon designers started looking at these flaws as vulnerabilities that could serve as a back door into a computer network.

Pentagon Goes On The Offensive Against Cyber Attacks

Tom Gjelten — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:36:00 +0000

With the Pentagon now officially recognizing cyberspace as a domain of warfare, U.S. military commanders are emphasizing their readiness to defend the nation against cyberthreats from abroad. What they do not say is that they are equally prepared to launch their own cyberattacks against U.S. adversaries.

The importance of plans for offensive cyberwar operations is obscured by the reluctance of the government to acknowledge them.

Brennan Objects To Use Of Waterboarding In CIA Confirmation Hearing

Tom Gjelten — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 22:28:00 +0000

President Obama's nominee to run the CIA has his confirmation hearing Thursday afternoon. The hearing of White House counterterrorism chief John Brennan comes as lawmakers are studying a memo on drone strikes overseas. Robert Siegel talks to Tom Gjelten.

Obama's Pick For CIA Chief To Face Senate Scrutiny

Tom Gjelten — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 03:40:00 +0000

John Brennan, President Obama's choice to lead the CIA, can look forward to a grilling Thursday on Capitol Hill. As Obama's chief counterterrorism adviser, he has been associated with some controversial policies, including the use of armed drones. Brennan's nomination comes before the Senate Intelligence Committee, and members from both parties have their questions ready.

It's unlikely that Brennan's appointment as CIA director is in trouble.

The CIA And The Hazards Of Middle East Forecasting

Tom Gjelten — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 17:56:00 +0000

Government agencies do not often acknowledge their own errors, but the CIA has done just that with the declassification of intelligence memoranda on the 1973 Arab-Israeli War.

The documents show that agency analysts, down to the last minute before the outbreak of fighting, were assuring President Nixon, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and other policymakers that Egypt and Syria were unlikely to attack Israel.

Those assessments, in the words of a