Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with US President Joe Biden for the last time on Saturday, but already looked to President-elect Donald Trump and his “America First” policies and said Beijing was “ready to work with a new US administration “.

During their talks on the sidelines of the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, Xi warned that a stable relationship between China and the US is crucial not only for the two nations but also for the “future and destiny of humanity.”

“Make the wise choice,” he warned. “Continue to look for the right way for two great countries to get along well together.”

Without mentioning Trump's name, Xi appeared to express concern that the new president's protectionist rhetoric on the campaign trail could plunge U.S.-China relations into crisis.

“China stands able to work with a brand new U.S. administration to keep up communications, expand cooperation and manage differences, in order to pursue a gradual transition of China-U.S. relations for the advantage of the 2 peoples,” Xi said through an interpreter .

Xi, firmly entrenched at the top of China's political hierarchy, spoke powerful words in his brief remarks to reporters. Biden, who marks more than 50 years of public service, spoke in broader brushstrokes about where relations between the two countries have headed. He thought not only of the last four years, but also of the decades that the two of them had known each other.

“We didn’t always agree, but our conversations were always frank and always candid. “We never kidded each other,” Biden said. “These discussions prevent misjudgments and ensure that competition between our two countries does not come into conflict.”

Biden was expected to press Xi to dissuade North Korea from further increasing its support for Russia's war against Ukraine. The executives, surrounded by top employees, gathered around a long rectangle of tables in a sprawling conference room at the Defines Hotel and Conference Center in Lima.

China “hosted” the meeting this year after Xi and Biden met a year ago on the sidelines of APEC in Northern California, a meeting hosted by the US. They had a lot to discuss, including China's indirect support for Russia, human rights issues, technology, etc. Taiwan, the self-governing democracy that Beijing claims as its own.

There is much uncertainty about what lies ahead in U.S.-China relations under Trump, who promised during the campaign to impose 60% tariffs on Chinese imports.

Many American companies, including Nike and eyewear dealers Warby Parkerhave diversified their sourcing outside of China. Shoe brand Steve Madden said it plans to reduce imports from China by up to 45% next year.

In a congratulatory message to Trump after his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, Xi urged the US and China to manage their differences and get along in a new era. Xi spoke to Biden in front of the camera on Saturday – but it was unmistakable that his message was aimed at Trump.

“In a significant, prosperous scientific and technological revolution, neither decoupling nor supply chain disruption is an answer,” Xi said. “Only mutual, beneficial cooperation can lead to common development. 'Small yard, high fence' is not what a big country should strive for.”

After being greeted by Xi, Biden ignored shouted questions from reporters about his concerns concerning the latest Trump administration and North Korea. The leaders also didn’t hire reporters after they made transient comments initially of the meeting.

Biden administration officials would advise the Trump team that managing intense competition with Beijing will likely be the largest foreign policy challenge they’ll face, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.

Biden views his relationship with Xi as probably the most consequential on the international stage and has gone to great lengths to cultivate it. The two first met while traveling within the United States and China when each were vice presidents. Both said the interactions left an enduring impression.

“For over a decade, you and I have spent many hours together, both here and in China and in between,” Biden said. “We have been working on these issues for a long time.”

But there have been difficult moments during the last 4 years.

The FBI this week revealed latest details of a federal investigation into the Chinese government's efforts to hack into U.S. telecommunications networks. Initial findings have revealed a “wide-ranging and significant” cyber espionage campaign geared toward stealing information from Americans working in government and politics.

U.S. intelligence officials also imagine China has ramped up sales to Russia of machine tools, microelectronics and other technologies that Moscow uses to make missiles, tanks, aircraft and other weapons for the war against Ukraine .

And tensions rose last yr after Biden ordered the downing of a Chinese spy balloon that was transiting the United States.

Biden expects Xi to extend Chinese engagement to forestall further escalation of an already dangerous situation with North Korea.

Biden, South Korean President Yoon Seok Yul and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday condemned North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's decision to send 1000’s of soldiers to assist Moscow repel Ukrainian forces which have seized territory within the Russian border region of Kursk .

Biden called it a “dangerous and destabilizing collaboration.”

White House officials have expressed frustration that Beijing, which handles most of North Korea's trade, just isn’t doing more to contain Pyongyang.

According to US and South Korean intelligence officials, the North Koreans have also supplied Russia with artillery and other ammunition. And the United States, Japan and South Korea have expressed concern about Pyongyang's increased ballistic missile testing.

Kim ordered test exercises ahead of this month's U.S. election and claims to have made progress in efforts to construct attack capability on the U.S. mainland.

Xi and Biden began their day on the leaders' retreat on the APEC summit and attended a photograph during which all of them wore scarves manufactured from vicuña wool, a symbolic animal of Peru. It is customary for the leaders of those gatherings to be presented with a present – often traditional clothing of the host country – which they will wear for the photo.

Ransomware has long been an issue for American municipalities. What gave the impression to be one other typical ransomware attack hit town of Columbus, Ohio, last July. However, town's response to the hack was different, and cybersecurity and legal experts across the country are questioning the motives behind the attack.

Connor Goodwolf (real name David Leroy Ross) is an IT consultant who researches the dark web as a part of his work. “I track dark web-type crimes, criminal organizations, and things like what the CEO of Telegram was arrested for,” Goodwolf said.

When news broke that his hometown of Columbus had been hacked, Goodwolf did what he at all times does: He scoured the Internet. It didn't take long for him to search out out what the hackers had of their hands.

“It was not the largest, but one of the most serious data thefts I have ever experienced,” said Goodwolf.

In some ways, he described it as a routine break-in that exposed personally identifiable information, protected health information, social security numbers and driver's license photos. But because multiple databases were hacked, the attack was more comprehensive than others. Goodwolf said the hackers had hacked several city, police and prosecutor databases. There were arrest records and confidential details about minors and victims of domestic violence. Some of the hacked databases, he says, went back to 1999.

Goodwolf found over three terabytes of knowledge that took over eight hours to download.

“The first thing I see is the prosecutor's database, and I think, 'Holy crap,' these are victims of domestic violence. When it comes to victims of domestic violence, they are the ones we need to protect the most because they have been victimized before and now they are being victimized again by having their information exposed,” he said.

Goodwolf's first motion was to contact town and inform them of the severity of the breach, as what he saw contradicted official statements. At a press conference on August 13, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said, “The personal information that the threat actor posted on the dark web was either encrypted or corrupted, rendering the majority of the data that came from the threat actor unusable.”

But what Goodwolf found didn’t support that view. “I tried several times to contact the city and several departments and was turned away,” he said.

Mandiant, a Google-owned company, and plenty of other top cybersecurity corporationsare observing a continued rise in ransomware attacks, each in frequency and severity, in addition to the rise of the Rhysida Group, the group behind the Columbus hack that gained prominence last 12 months.

The Rhysida Group claimed responsibility for the hack. Although not much is thought concerning the cyber gang, Goodwolf and other security experts say it appears to be state-sponsored and based in Eastern Europe. possibly linked to RussiaAccording to Goodwolf, these ransomware gangs are “professional companies” with staff, paid vacation, and PR people.

“Since last fall, they have increased the number of their attacks and targets,” he said.

The U.S. Government's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency a bulletin published about Rhysida last November.

Goodwolf said that since nobody from town responded to him, he reached out to local media and provided data to reporters to make the severity of the violation known. And then he heard from town of Columbus, in the shape of a lawsuit and a restraining order stopping him from disseminating any more information.

The city defended its response in an announcement to CNBC:

“The city originally sought this injunction to prevent the dissemination of sensitive and confidential information that could potentially endanger public safety and criminal investigations, including potentially the identities of undercover agents.”

The city's temporary restraining order against Goodwolf, which was limited to 14 days, has since expired. The city now has a short lived restraining order and an agreement with Goodwolf to not release any more data.

“It should be noted that the court order does not prohibit the defendant from discussing the data theft or even describing what type of data was exposed,” town's statement continued. “It simply prohibits the individual from distributing the stolen data on the dark web. The city remains in contact with federal authorities and cybersecurity experts to respond to this cyberattack.”

Meanwhile, the mayor was forced to issue a mea culpa at a subsequent press conference, saying his original statements were based on the data available to him on the time. “It was the best information we had at the time. We obviously found that it was inaccurate information and I have to take responsibility for that.”

Recognizing that residents were at greater risk than initially thought, town is offering free credit monitoring through Experian for 2 years to anyone who has had contact with town of Columbus through an arrest or other business-related matter. Columbus can also be working with Legal Aid to find out what additional protections are needed for victims of domestic violence who could have been compromised or need assistance with civil protection orders.

To date, town has not paid the hackers a $2 million ransom.

“He is not Edward Snowden”

Those who study and work in cybersecurity law expressed surprise that Columbus filed a civil lawsuit against the researcher.

“Lawsuits against data security researchers are rare,” says Raymond Ku, a professor of law at Case Western Reserve University. In the rare cases where they do occur, it will likely be the case when the researcher allegedly disclosed how a bug was or may very well be exploited, which might then enable others to take advantage of the bug.

“He was not Edward Snowden,” said Kyle Hanslovan, CEO of cybersecurity firm Huntress, who described himself as concerned concerning the city of Columbus' response and its potential implications for future data breaches. Snowden was a government contract worker who had leaked classified information and was under criminal investigation but considered himself a whistleblower. Goodwolf, Hanslovan says, was Samaritan who independently found the stolen data.

“In this case, it seems like we have silenced someone who, to my mind, appears to be a security researcher who has done the bare minimum and confirmed that the official statements were not true. This cannot possibly be an appropriate use of the courts,” Hanslovan said, predicting that the case could be quickly overturned.

Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein said during a press conference in September that the case “is not about freedom of speech or whistleblowing. This is about downloading and disclosing stolen criminal investigation documents.”

Hanslovan worries concerning the ripple effect when cybersecurity consultants and researchers are afraid to do their work for fear of lawsuits. “The bigger story here is that we're seeing the emergence of a new script for responding to hacking attacks, where individuals are silenced, and that should not be welcomed,” he said. “Silencing any opinion, even for 14 days, could be enough to prevent anything credible from coming to light, and that scares me,” Hanslovan said. “That voice needs to be heard. As we get closer to major cybersecurity incidents, I worry that people will be more interested in bringing it to light.”

Scott Dylan, founding father of British enterprise capital firm NexaTech Ventures, also believes that town of Columbus's measures could have a chilling effect on the cybersecurity sector.

“As the field of cyber law continues to evolve, this case will likely be mentioned in future discussions about the role of researchers after data breaches,” Dylan said.

He believes that the legal framework must evolve to maintain pace with the complexity of cyberattacks and the moral dilemmas they raise, and that Columbus' approach is a mistake.

In the meantime, the legal battle for Goodwolf will proceed to tug on. Although Columbus and Goodwolf reached an agreement last week to release information, town continues to be suing him in a civil suit in search of damages that would cost as much as $25,000 or more. Goodwolf is representing himself in his talks with town, but says he has an attorney available if needed.

Some residents have filed a class-action lawsuit against town. Goodwolf says 55% of the stolen information was sold on the dark web, while 45% is accessible to anyone with the abilities.

Dylan believes that even when its actions could also be legally defensible, town is taking an enormous risk by appearing to be attempting to silence discourse fairly than encourage transparency. “That's a strategy that could backfire both in terms of public trust and future litigation,” he said.

“I hope the city recognizes the mistake of filing a civil suit and the consequences that impact more than just security,” Goodwolf said, noting that Intel is spending billions to construct chip manufacturing facilities in suburban Columbus with significant federal support. In recent years, town has positioned itself as a brand new tech hub within the Midwest's “Silicon Heartland,” and attacks on white hats and cybersecurity researchers, he said, could cause some within the tech sector to reconsider town as a location.

BRENTWOOD – The City Council decided Tuesday night that it needs more time to debate requiring local media to follow a certain code of ethics with a view to receive promoting or press releases.

The decision followed a debate concerning the First Amendment and her portrayal within the media, and a outstanding free speech organization warned her of possible legal consequences.

The agenda item discussed Tuesday night was a plan to “require media outlets where the city spends money on advertising or distributes the city's press releases to adhere to the Society of Professional Journalists' code of ethics.” However, a letter from the Society of Professional Journalists and the First Amendment Coalition said doing so would violate the Constitution.

“We want to inform you that your proposal to discriminate against news outlets is unconstitutional, no matter how well-intentioned,” the letter states. “Given the protections of the First Amendment, we expect the city to take no action on this proposal.”

The proposal in query was recommend by Brentwood Vice Mayor Susannah Meyer and Councilwoman Jovita Mendoza at a gathering on June 25, partly as a consequence of an argument in neighboring San Joaquin County. Last month, a grand jury there warned concerning the spread of misinformation by an area blogger who used his platform to “continually intimidate city employees and elected officials.” Both Meyer and Mendoza referenced that report of their transient discussion.

Mendoza and Meyer didn’t reply to requests for comment before the meeting.

The proposal also said that local media should publicly declare that they follow the SPJ's code of ethics.

David Loy, legal director of the First Amendment Coalition, said in an interview that each proposals involved litmus tests that the Supreme Court had flatly rejected.

“It's clear that they are using the power of public finance to retaliate against publications that don't do what they think they should do. This is a blatant attack on press freedom,” Loy said. “They would withhold advertising revenue from organizations that don't follow the government's required practices… the city cannot use this as leverage to force publications to do what the government wants.”

FAC and SPJ haven’t yet threatened legal motion against Brentwood, but have recently shown a willingness to take legal motion against local authorities. Earlier this month, each organizations filed a federal lawsuit against Alameda County for passing an ordinance that prohibits people from watching sideshows, arguing that the law could possibly be used to stop journalists from covering them.

After releasing public comments and debate on the problem, the Brentwood City Council decided that a subcommittee should further discuss the problem before making a choice.

Check back later for updates. The Brentwood City Council meeting live stream will be viewed below:

Originally published: July 23, 2024 at 18:06

A President of the United States desired to stay in office after the tip of his term of office, maintains a follow reverently and has declared that he’ll only act as a dictator on the “first day” if re-elected. His cunning and manipulation of American politics and the legal system have thus far blocked all efforts to carry him accountable.

This style of activity is named “Machiavellian,” after the Renaissance writer Niccolò Machiavelli, who lived from 1469 to 1527. He wrote an infamous little treatise entitled “The prince”, through which he advises dictators and people who aspire to power to make use of violence and deception to realize and retain power.

But Machiavelli researchers like me know that his evaluation includes way more. His writings from the sixteenth century deal not only with the rule of the prince, but additionally republican governmentsthrough which residents elect leaders directly or not directly for specific terms of office. It instructs republican residents and leaders, including those of the United Statesto acknowledge the vulnerability of the governments they value and to be alert to the specter of tyranny. Machiavelli's advice is as relevant today because it was then.

Machiavelli’s republican experience

Machiavelli knew from experience and his extensive reading that throughout history there have been republican governments that fell victim to ambitious individuals who sought to undermine the practices and institutions of their country in order that they might rule alone and unchecked while everyone else followed their command and authority.

For example, he got here from the city-state of Florence in what’s now Italy. Florence had a republican tradition for hundreds of years, but about 30 years before Machiavelli was born, the banker and politician Cosimo de' Medici had infiltrated this method. Cosimo had used his family's wealth to place himself within the political force by influencing officials in order that he was the ultimate decision maker.

Cosimo's descendants inherited his political power. They lost power briefly, just long enough for Machiavelli to function Official and diplomat in a restored republicMachiavelli was in office when the Republic returned to power The Medici family involves power.

After his removal from office, Machiavelli wrote The Prince, prefacing the work with a dedicatory letter to the young member of the Medici family whom the family had appointed as the brand new ruler of Florence. Commentators have long disagreed about what Machiavelli was trying to attain together with his apparent pandering to an autocratic ruler.

The “Discourses”, Machiavelli’s republican writing

This puzzle is all of the more puzzling because Machiavelli elsewhere expresses his commitment to a republican government. He wrote one other book, less well-known and far less succinct than The Prince, entitledDiscourses on Livy.” In the “Discourses,” Machiavelli uses the work of the traditional Roman historian Livy to look at how the Roman Republic was overthrown by a single leader.

At its founding, Rome was a monarchy, but when subsequent kings became tyrannical, the Roman people overthrew the monarchy and founded a republic that was a remarkable history and lasted almost 500 years.

The Roman Republic collapsed in 44 BC when Julius Caesar declared himself Dictator for all timesMachiavelli wrote that Julius Caesar was the primary tyrant in Rome, with the result that Rome never free again.

Julius' immediate successor Octavius, who took the name Caesar Augustusreigned as the primary of an extended Line of Emperors.

Lessons from the autumn of the Roman Republic

The most vital lesson from Machiavelli's study of Roman history within the Discourses is that a republic is fragile. It requires constant vigilance on the a part of each residents and their leaders.

This vigilance is difficult to keep up, nonetheless, because as generations pass, residents and politicians alike turn out to be indifferent to a key internal threat plaguing this way of presidency: they fail to acknowledge early enough the anti-republican intentions of particularly ambitious residents amongst them who desire to rule alone.

Machiavelli provides instructive examples of how Rome did not protect its republican practices and laws from such a threat. When the Republic was young, Rome allowed candidates to nominate themselves for prime office. This practice worked well, as only worthy candidates applied. Later, nonetheless, the practice of self-nomination allowed those that wanted to extend their very own popularity slightly than reply to the needs of their country to realize office.

Machiavelli believed that politicians and residents loyal to the Republic should block such candidates from this easy path to power. But Rome did nothing. Thanks to his complacency, Caesar was in a position to construct on the recognition his predecessors had amassed and switch Rome right into a tyranny.

The point of no return

If republican residents and politicians usually are not vigilant, they are going to eventually be confronted with a pacesetter who has gathered around him an especially powerful and threatening following. At that time, Machiavelli says, it should be too late to avoid wasting the republic.

Machiavelli uses the examples of Caesar's assassination in Rome and Cosimo's exile from Florence to underscore this lesson. In each of those cases, the supporters of their respective republics eventually realized the danger of tyranny and launched an attack on the people's idol. In each of those cases, this attempt resulted not within the restoration of republican liberty but in its abolition.

In Rome, Augustus used the general public's sympathy and devotion to the martyr Caesar to seal the downfall of the Republic. In Florence, Cosimo himself was brought back from exile and have become the leading man of the town.

The fate of the American Republic

The query for Americans is whether or not the Republic will likely be lost because of this of popular complacency. Will the American Republic face the identical dangers that Machiavelli foresaw for ancient Rome and Renaissance Florence?

Perhaps there may be a probability to breathe recent life into the country's republican practices and institutions. Perhaps there remains to be time to elect those that seek office only to strengthen their very own power.

Or perhaps it’s so late that even that approach not works. Then Americans could be left with no selection but to lament the demise of their republic and to substantiate Machiavelli's advice that republics fail through complacency. Such an final result for considered one of history's most exemplary republics could be a tragic testament to Machiavelli's political insight.